[ Fantastical Mayhem ] - [ n/a ] - [ medieval fantasy ]

[Terra Solaris]

Gerda Pýri
"Our actions are our own. Don't be a coward; own up to them."

As she continued to hold her ground before the group, particularly Ellavie, as she had warranted the most attention with her remark about them being in her woods. On the topic of vile magic though, as she heard the mouse speak her name from within Yaya's open palms. Even as she sat in frustration on the desk that she, Meeks and Sayato had swam to the shoreline on. The Troll had immediately looked away at the sound of another shriek and a splash, clearly the sound of someone else fallen victim to whatever it was that had gotten all of them here. Gerda gave the newcomer her attention but barely did she move to raise a finger to help out Catherine, as she so wanted from all of them. As much as she believed the human race was intriguing, this princess seemed a tad on the annoying side. If she initially was to judge the princess, which she absolutely was guilty of at this point. Gerda had scoffed as she left Bruce to bend to Princess Catherine's will, taking note of how he said something to what very well could've been a figment of his imagination. Unless he smacked the surface of the water harder than any of them had. The same perhaps could be said for the Elf that had joined them all of a sudden out of nowhere. Talking of random teleportation and earning a scowl from her cast in his direction. Not from anger that was directed toward him, but again the mention of that vile magic.

"Your hair is really pretty."

At the sound of that, she turned and faced what she assumed was Meeks. Acting again with a naive attitude that she hadn't fully understand. Considering the had swapped forms between that of a mouse and a full grown human. Something the two of them obviously weren't accustomed to. And suddenly; Thwack! Gerda had lightly swatted Meeks up on the backside of his, well, Sayato's head. Not hard enough to cause injury but enough to get the point across to the mouse in a man's body. Again, something she didn't understand at this point just yet as to how it happened.

"You sound like a creep. Don't." And there we have it, Gerda's daily words of wisdom. Her attention had soon returned to Ellavie as she replied to not only her words, but all that had been said, and the new face(s) that appeared in the same moments. Watching as she fiddled with the sequined wedding dress in her hands. Gerda studied her further as Ellavie moved to address the one armed newcomer.

"How are these your woods?"

[slven55]

Terrance watched as a mouse talk to the troll "that is... new, I thought animal's speaking was only a rumor among elves who had went crazy" Terrance said with a small laugh as he heard another body slam into the water. Terrance took a glance at the new poor soul before turning his attention back to the only person who had answered his joke. "So if you're not a victim do you know why people are falling out of the sky? cause I would really like to know why i'm not were I was a few minutes ago" Terrance asked as he spun Fulgur and place the bladed staff on his back, they people didn't pose a threat... yet. As he waited on the lady to response he looked back at the mouse, waiting on it to speak again.

[Mallion]

Markus Ashenwald

The Enlightened Smith

Step by step, Markus made walked along the sandy shore of the beach. His steel tipped boots crashing into the sand beneath him. His clothes were heavy, as they were still soaked from his initial entrance to the area. Markus was wearing a dark red bandana on his head, tied up to keep his coarse, black hair back. He wore a thick brown tunic with a black and grey chest plate and matching pauldrons. Leather faulds around his hips, a thick belt lined with pouches, dark leather britches ended by armored boots. Steel covering the tips of his boots, the heals, and the shins. His blacksmiths hammer strapped to his side, and lastly, an empty leather harness that used to carry his warhammer. If he still had it, as well as not being so wet, once could assume Markus was ready for war. Quite the contrary really. Orcs aren't one of the most popular of races in this land. So travelers and gangs were more than happy to focus their aggression on him whenever he was out on the road to the next city or village.

Markus was coming up to the group now. From what he could see, the group consisted of an elf, a few humans, and surprisingly enough, a Troll. Markus didn't see many of them. He had traveled to all points of the compass in this country, and he could count the number of trolls he had seen on one hand. It also appeared that the troll was speaking to some sort of... rodent. Markus couldn't quite make out what it was yet.


Everything here worried Markus. He knew of this lake. He'd stand before the rectory for hours at a time appreciating the artistry of the painting. The way all the colors blended, and came together so seamlessly. As if it was a window to this place. A window framed in a mixture of wood and gold. His heart pounded beneath his chest plate. There was a purpose to them being here. A purpose to all of the strangers around this small lake. Whomever, or whatever it is that brought us here has a plan, and Markus was worried. There were other things he noticed to be odd about this place though. The whole scene was too... beautiful. Odd to think, but it was. It was too picturesque, even for the majesty of nature. The water was absolutely pure and clean, as if there was not a single fish within it, and not a single beast used it save for where the sand mixed on the shores. The leaves of the trees were so perfectly solid in their color, as if they were always like this. Like the leaves grew into the greens and browns and yellows. Last time Markus had checked, it was still summer time. For now, he'll shove the thoughts aside. Learning if the group ahead were friend or foe was more important for the time being.

Before finally approaching the group, Markus strokes off some sand from his arms. He always hated sand. It got everywhere and never came odd. It was like an STD from Mother Earth. Groaning, he reached them in time to hear one of the young male humans. "...victim, do you know why people are falling out of the sky? 'Cause I would really like to know why I'm not where I was a few minutes ago..." the boy asked. "It would appear we've been called to this place. Random people from random parts of the land, all appearin' in one place. All very different people at that. Not one of ye look to be commoners." Markus replies boldly. Noticing how he towered over all of them, with only Lady Troll coming close to him. "The name's Markus. Markus Ashenwald. I'm a Blacksmith of no where in particular." He says, holding out a large greenish hand.

(Sorry for the edits, my original post felt so small and empty.)

[Yokka]

There was a lot going on. More people were showing up, like the pretty girl with flowers in her hair, and the group from down the shore, and a pointy-eared fellow with mismatched eyes, and a tiny lady who looked like a princess, and––

Oswela?

Yaya's head whipped down to face Sayato as soon as he uttered the word. Eyes wide, she nodded several times. "Oswela!" she echoed. She wanted to say more, but suddenly she felt terribly self-conscious, because apparently she was the only one here who couldn't understand what everyone else was saying. She wondered if she should have spent more time studying and less time wrestling with her peers. She'd never really felt stupid before (no one in her village took education particularly seriously), but now such feelings were setting in. And Yaya did not like them. She was a winner, not a loser!

Putting on a determined face, she began to listen more closely to the conversation. Though the sounds meant little to her, she could at least observe their faces and body language. It seemed that most of the people who'd gathered around were just as confused as she was. Except for Gerda, who looked more pissed than anything. Oddly enough, that made Yaya feel more comfortable, particularly when Gerda scolded Meeks (though for what, she wasn't sure). It reminded her of home.

That was when another orc-looking person joined them. This one had green skin and made Gerda look tiny. Yaya gazed up at him with stars in her eyes. Imagine!! To be that big and strong!! And here she was, just sitting around. Exhaling through her nose like a bull, Yaya stood and looked toward the princess-girl, determined to somehow help her and prove her worth. But she did not get the chance. The wardrobe the girl was seated upon was mysteriously moving toward the shore, and the monk-man had already gone out to help.

Yaya hung her head and sighed.

Without warning, a very bright ball of light appeared right where the beach met the trees. With a warm, beckoning voice, it called Come…

And seeing as Yaya had nothing better to do, she did just that.

[Yokka]

ＴＨＥ ＧＲＥＡＴ ＳＰＩＲＩＴ


What appeared by the towering trees really was just a glowing ball, floating several feet above the ground. It shined with an ethereal light, which mysteriously (and thankfully) did not cause blindness when one looked into it. And though it spoke in a calm, quiet tone, its voice could be perfectly heard and understood by everyone that it was addressing. And it was indeed addressing everyone––all of those who had fallen into this lake, who had been drawn here by a mysterious power.

This light was the Great Spirit, who a century ago had brought all of Venia to peace.

Once the mortals had gathered, the Great Spirit rose a little higher and grew a little bigger.

"Fear not, young ones," she spoke, just in case any of them were nervous. "I am the one you call the Great Spirit. I have come to speak to you about the calamity that has befallen your world. You have been brought here by a powerful and dangerous force––the same force that has wrought havoc on all of Venia. I am here to help you save the world from this evil."

Here, the Great Spirit paused, allowing her audience to take in the information. After a few seconds, she continued.

"First I must offer my sincerest apologies. It was due to my folly that this mayhem came about. After watching over Venia for a century, and seeing it thrive and remain at peace, I came to believe that my work was done. I grew less vigilant, and became more at ease. This was my mistake. One of my brethren snuck past my slackened defenses and, seeing the utopia of Venia, decided to bring chaos down upon it.

"My brethren and I are all of equal power, so none of us can destroy another. We can only be stopped by an outside force. This is the task I wish to bestow upon you."

Again, the Great Spirit paused for dramatic effect.

"Each of you is of critical importance to this heavy task. Whether it be your skill, your strength, your fortitude––you possess something inside of you that makes you great. This is why I have summoned you to this holy lake, unbeknownst to my brother. I intend to distract him while you carry out this quest, which, if successful, should lead to his demise. This is the only way this world can be saved from the destruction he will inevitably bring about."

The light shimmered again, and this time a locket appeared in front of each person, hovering in the air until they chose to take it. Each locket was unique in design, but they were all the same size and shape––a oval about two inches in length. Isn't this kind of unfair to wittle Sayato??

"These lockets will aid you in the challenges you will face in the future. They cannot be opened until the time comes for you to use it. Keep them safe."

Suddenly, the light flickered. As the Great Spirit spoke again, her speech became rushed. "I am out of time. If I remain here any longer, my brother will discover us. Your next destination is the tallest mountain to the east of this lake. There is an ancient magician there who can help us. Venia contains many secrets, many hidden sources of power. We must find something that you can use to stop my brother. Godspeed..."

With that, the light vanished, just as quickly as it had appeared.

[slven55]

Terrance still had his eye on the mouse as a new voice addressed his question. Terrance turned to see a Orc standing over him and his pointed ears seemed to drop alittle. He had only met a few Orcs in his life and none of them had every been friendly, much less say anything else beside " I'am squish little elf's head." Yet this one seemed to be a friendly, so Terrance fought the urge to draw Fulgur and instead decided to keep up the joking attitude "Called? like as in some higher being has summoned us here to complete some heroic quest, good way to do it, dropping us in a lake like that, Nothing makes you more ready to get your quest on then taking a bath." Terrance said joking, then feeling as if he had maybe placed to much sarcasm in that sentence and didn't want to get strangled by the Orc added "sorry... I'm Terrance Casteel, I'm a... rogue from the Elven city of Tera" as he shook the Orc's outstretch hand. Maybe he shouldn't have said his profession was one of killing and stealing, but to late now, he would just had to hope no one would see him as a threat now.

Terrance had just finished shaking Markus' hand when a great light appeared before the treeline, Startling the Elf and causing him to pull his staff off his back. Terrance held the weapon out behind him, ready to charge at the light when it spoke. The words fear not coming from a higher being usually meant freak out, but something about the voice calmed Terrance as he lowered Fulgur to his side. He listened to The Great Spirit talk, looking around at the other's gathering around him wondering how any of them could save the world. When the lockets appeared in front of everyone Terrance reached out and grabbed his, an obsidian colored locket with his family crest carved into it. Terrance held the locket tight in his hand as he looked towards the destination The Great Spirit had given them, looking back in time to see it disappear.

Terrance let everything sink in for a moment before leaning over to Markus and saying "good call on the whole calling thing." He then turned to face the rest of the group "So we're all called to go kill a god, because we all have something special about us... awesome, there is just one thing I would like to say. Dibs on not being leader." Terrance said with a smile but on the inside his heart was sinking, why was he called? He was only quick in the shadows and with a blade, that didn't make him special it made him a criminal. Why not William? at least he had honor and could lead a group.

(sorry if this is alittle off, i didn't really know what to put)

[Mallion]

Markus Ashenwald

The Enlightened Smith

After shaking hands, Markus raises an eye after hearing the boy's profession. He lifts up the side of his tunic to show a large grotesque scar along his left hip. "This is something a 'rogue' gave me in Barseen after thinking I'd hand over my gold." Markus leaned in, with a deep glare, looking Terrance straight in the eyes. "I broke his neck and left his thieving body on the rode side and never gave him a second thought..." Markus let that sink into Terrance's ears before promptly laughing and patting the elf on the shoulders. "Don't worry lad, I'm not plannin' to do anythin' like that to ye. Well, so long as you don't ask for mah gold." Markus says with a smile. "I mean you no harm, boy. Don't get so nervous. But to answer your statement about the lake, I'd have prefered fallin' in there, than landin' on the ground and breakin' a neck. Eh?"

He turns to face the lake, to see what appears to be a princess floating along on a wardrobe. Acting all prim and proper after just being dropped from the sky. The nerve of those royals, acting as if they're the most important thing there is when it's all of the commoners and workers that make a city breath. Markus raises an eye in her general direction, grunts, and turns back to the group. Eying the Troll and the... little white girl who can't speak. Markus felt a little uneasy with that girl just looking him up in down, jaw-dropped and wide-eyed. Shaking it off, he puts his focus on the troll instead. "So, have you any idea as to what is goin' on? And I pray you speak the common language." He asks as politely as he could. Might have been a tad brash to ask such a question, but so far he's heard the spoutings of a rogueish fool who makes a few too many jokes, and a girl who doesn't understand diddly.

Then, out of no where, a bright light filled the once blue sky. Drowning it, and then clearing as a ball of light floats before us. Spouting off about it getting lazy and letting it's brother plague our world. At least it explains the sudden growing numbers of monsters in the forests, and the Road-Thieves getting bolder. The Great Spirit then informs the people of the lake about some great destiny. Telling us we must work together and to trek through these forests and into the mountains to meet a damned spellcaster. Markus has never really been against magic users and spell weavers, but he also has never been to keen to affiliate with them unless need be. The only spell user Markus ever enjoyed the presence of was Brother Myrl who could only make light in his hands. It came quite handy when there'd be a storm in the church, and there weren't enough candles to light the hallways.

So, seeing as this Great Spirit has the ability to teleport people anywhere, and is, as it described, pretty much being a God or Goddess 'Whatever the hell it is', it'd be best not to anger him... her... it? Not to anger IT. Once the Great Spirit's rant was over, it granted each of us a small locket of varying metals. Markus received a silver locket. And from what he could tell, Terrance got a golden locket. Lucky s**t. However, it's useless to be jealous over what they're made of when it doesn't appear we'd be allowed to sell it. So, Markus put the chain of the locket around his neck, and tucked it under his tunic and chest plate. "Well, that was an interestin' occurrence."

[Paramania]

ooooAdeline Lenearoooo
Miss Know-It-All

Adeline followed the others to the assembling group, which continued to grow in size as a few more people appeared from thin air and plopped into the lake. It were as if a teleportation spell had gone horribly wrong. But on such a scale, to affect so many different people from so many different places, would require a mass amount of magical power, beyond that of a single spell. There was not a simple explanation for this and the thought made Addie practicality giddy with excitement.

"Hello everyone," she greeted, looking over the others who had gathered. What a motley bunch! An orc, some elves, a ninja, a northerner and her pet mouse, a troll even! People of all shapes and sizes, including a ball of light...wait, what?

"Great Spirits!" Addie gasped, as one appeared in front of them. She didn't mean to point out the obvious; the expression just came naturally. It wasn't everyday that a divine entity approached you in person. Though Addie was easily fascinated by pretty much anything, she wasn't as easily awed. Even magic seemed relatively mundane when you saw it so much. But this was something on another level, so much that her mind actually stopped racing for once and completely focused on what the Great Spirit was saying.

Once the Spirit had disappeared and Addie found a locket in her hand, however, the floodgates opened. The Great Spirit spoke to us? The Great Spirit?! Oh, so that's how we ended up here...that's disappointing. Well, no, it's amazing! Just would have been nice to solve the mystery myself first. Oh who am I kidding, I would never have come to such a conclusion! Honestly, this is like something out of those adventure books as I read as a child! Chosen heroes on a quest to save the world! This is incredible. No, beyond incredible!

For a moment, Addie was in a world of her own. If she hadn't know better, she would have thought she was dreaming. (But of course she knew better.) This is what she had always wanted: to make a difference in the world. To contribute to society and leave her mark. This was a bit grander than what she had expected, but what better way to help the world than by literally saving it? And oh, all the knowledge and experience she could gain!

To start off with, she examined the locket the Great Spirit had imparted to her. Even though they couldn't be opened yet and she fully expected that to be the case, she tried to open it anyway. Confirmation was always important. Of course, it didn't budge. Next, she held it up to her good eye to get a closer look. Holding a mysterious object up to her face was exactly how she damaged her other eye to begin with and she was well aware of the fact...she just didn't care. The locket was made of bronze and fairly simple looking, with the ancient Obellion symbol for wisdom engraved on the front. Addie didn't consider herself to be particularly wise, as she was pretty careless despite her intelligence, but she was flattered all the same.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Location: LakeoooCompany: Everyone

[sparkling-emerald]

♔ Princess Catherine of Rennes ♔

Catherine was drenched. Drops of lake water ran steadily over the glistening jewels in the princess’ gown. She wondered how she would cope with such a trial. She began to frown in thought until she felt a sudden change under her feet. She looked about the wardrobe carefully from her standing position but saw no person pushing the makeshift raft. Naturally, Catherine imagined that magic was the force pulling her towards the shore. She looked back to the others, her brown eyes catching on a man walking towards her. Ah, so there was her replacement servant! She gave a dignified smile and respectful nod. A princess would never get carried away in her displays of gratitude. As the wardrobe met the shore in a jolt, Catherine struggled to keep her balance. She swung her arms unrestrainedly and bent at the waist strangely in her efforts to remain out of the water. With a slight blush, she straightened again, her corset ensuring that keeping a straight back was also the most comfortable position for her to remain in. She breathed deeply and slipped her damp hand into that of her aid’s.

It was not her most graceful arrival, but Princess Catherine had arrived on dry land. She took back her hand almost immediately, not leaving it to linger for a moment longer than it needed to. Kitty thought of how commoners spread diseases, terrible illnesses that could cause painful deaths. It was a frightful thought that caused her to brush her hands against the soaking skirts of her regal dress. “My gratitude, dear fellow. I would not have known what to do without your useful magics,” she announced formally. It was as she looked properly at the man before her that she took in his features. He was dressed in spiritual robes and was far taller than the princess. She looked up at his quaintly handsome features as she introduced herself. “I am Princess Catherine Amelia Gwendolyn Lorena Godiva Emory of Rennes,” she announced in her regal tones. “May I enquire as to your name, perchance?” Her eyes slipped from his face to grab a look at the other strange commoners. Why had she been grouped with them? Her gaze moved back to the man before her. It was at this moment that she noticed a particular feature about him...or a particular absence at least. He had lost an arm! Perhaps he had lost his arm through one of the diseases commoners carry?! Oh gods! And she had touched him! Feeling uneasy at this sudden revelation, Catherine’s mind began to spin.

“Come,” a voice spoke softly in her mind. Oh great, and now she was going insane. Was this how commoner diseases started? Of course, the voice was not one that could be ignored. The princess followed and gathered with the others around the fantastic light. It spoke of amazing things, matters which should have frightened and overwhelmed her, but she felt neither emotion. Instead she felt stronger and more powerful with the Goddess’ words. A deity had chosen them to save the world! It was certainly a boost to the ego.

Gingerly, Catherine extended her hand towards the necklace closest to her. She knew in that moment that it was made for her. Crafted in gold, her royal emblem was set proudly on the locket. She ran her finger over the symbol; two magical staffs crossed over a shield. She sighed as she gazed upon it before placing it over her head. The pressure was great but she knew that they had to work through it. Catherine steeled herself and raised her head, turning to the group. “Well, it seems we have no time to lose,” she reiterated in a matter-of-fact tone. “I believe that the Great Spirit was referring to this mountain,” she raised her hand in a sweeping gesture towards the probable mountain. “Does anyone here know this area well enough to guide us? We cannot afford to become lost or ambushed by wild beasts at such a grave time.”

⊰ Power is like being a lady... if you have to tell people you are, you aren't ⊱

[Bleu Est]

ＣＯＭＰＯＳ　 ＭＥＮＴＩＳ


[adjective: compos mentis]
[having full control of one's mind; sane.]


As all things were puzzled in the land of Venia, the arrival of the Great Spirit has shed some light of reason on the newly determined group. Along with the newly acquired information, each of the Spirit's carefully selected players received a gift. Though their new gift would come to help them out in many ways further down the road, they were fairly plain now. All except for one interesting detail, of course!

As the lockets warmed in the hands of their new owners, faint text spilled aimlessly from the seams. Faint, like a stream of transparent shimmer, the text twisted and turned up towards it's owner. Written in a most elegant cursive, a phrase hovered just above each person's clavicle. Like a magic name tag, the person's name and title given by the Great Spirit hovered contently and would last for ten minutes. If one were to swat their name tag away, the golden shimmer would merely brush off their fingers and return to it's place.

Appropriately, each phrase is listed as follows…


yokka

"Yaya, the Brave"




Alexander the Spoony Bard

"Meeks, the Ninja"
"Sayato, the Mouse"




Sparklepop Sauce

"Emily, the Strong"




Paramania

"Addie, the Wise"




Terra Solaris

"Gerda, the Protector"




Trapdoor Spider

"Bruce, the Virtuous"




bleu est

"Ellavie, the Shepard"




Mallion

"Markus, the Skilled"




sparkling-emerald

"Catherine, the Honest"




slven55

"Terrance, the Witted"




Ripplewaves

"Lem, the Interpreter"



Ironic as they might have been, the Great Spirit deemed the new group worthy of their names. Regardless, the branding allowed for subtle and quick introduction of the entire group, allowing them to move on from formalities and carry out their 'roles'.

[The Lewd One]

Feeling determined Burning with spirit - Sitting meekly in Yaya's hands｡ Lake Idunnowhere

More than content to leave Meeks making an a** of himself in HIS body, Sayato listened keenly to the words of The Great Spirit. A rival spirit? A quest to save the world from it? It sounded as if they were to take part in some sort of fairy tale or legend to him. Such idle fantasies were beyond his Ninja training's sensibilities. All of his life he had been raised to operate in the shadows, to avoid the limelight of renown as if it were the plague. If people knew who he was then he wasn't doing his job right.
-----------------------------
Meeks, on the other hand, could barely contain his happiness at The Spirit's words. He was so happy that he had even forgotten completely about the smack to his head. An adventure was well out of his area of expertise (Really, anything outside of leisurely snacking on cheese and curiously exploring was) but it sounded like it was important. Meeks had lived with Sayato about a year and a half prior to this, having been taken care of by him since Meeks was born, so he knew how important it was to a Ninja to follow and carry out the orders of their lord. Was this any different? Sure Sayato hadn't been assigned to The Great Spirit as an official lord or anything but who's orders could rank higher?

He took some time to observe the necklace he had received. It was...plain, to say the least. It was in the same shape as the others but it was made of wood...A familiar type of wood, but Meeks couldn't remember where he had felt it before. There were several inked markings on the pendant written in a ceremonial language for Ninjas but Meeks didn't even know how words worked much less how to read them. He would have to ask Sayato the specifics later.

Still, now wasn't the time to be sitting around idly. The Spirit had said they had little time, if they had to talk they could do it on the move. “Well, it seems we have no time to lose.” Someone else echoed his thoughts, a proud little voice belonging to the maiden drenched from the lake. Yeah, Meeks had completely missed the whole naming thing completely and totally. Shouldn't matter to much, right? "I agree! If I recall correctly, Miss Pretty Hair said she was from around here?"
---------------------------
"Miss Ellavie, Meeks, though you get points for remembering." Sayato corrected him, grasping on with futile effort to the necklace which currently laid in Yaya's hands. He sighed after a moment more of trying to get it onto his back before giving up, breathing heavily before looking up to Yaya. "Sorry..." He apologized to her in a dispirited tone. What good could he do in this form? Sure he could probably sneak around undetected but he'd move so slow in comparison to the rest of them. He needed his body back...Maybe this wizard could help with that. "You did say this was your forest. Has it changed much since the chaos? Do you think you could guide us at least to the mountains?" He asked Ellavie, his light and squeaky voice beginning to carry surprisingly well the more he got used to it.

[Sparklepop Sauce]

Emily Hawthorn
█████████████

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Emily followed the man out of the lake, still holding the heavy book. Her pants were sagging dangerously low as the man took his time getting himself together.

“Apparently magic got us all here, sir. My name is Emily Hawthorn, Guardsman of the Teran City Guard, at your service!”

She would do a her customary salute, alas she was still holding the book, so she settled for a small bow instead.

“Sir... Could you perhaps... Take your book back?”

She said while holding out the book towards him. Before he could grab it though, a bright light came from behind her. Emily dropped the book and was instantly on guard, dropping in a fighting stance and turning on her heel to look at the would-be foe. But as the thing began to speak, she quickly had her answers as to what and why and how they were all here...

Emily gaped at the locket bestowed upon her. An almost glowing orange gem hung from a thin golden chain. It looked delicate, especially when beautifully written, golden words began to form.

”Emily, the Strong”? She wondered out loud. She glanced around her, noticing the others had the exact same happen to them. Each of them had their own role it seemed.

The little redhead turned around to look at her company, snatching the locket from the air and swiftly putting it around her neck. She had a determined look on her face as she tied a knot at the waist of her pants, effectively tightening it around her tiny form, and pulled on her soggy boots over her soggy pants. No time for fooling around anymore! There was a world to save!

Emily walked over to the book she dropped earlier and picked it up, dusting off some dirt in the process. She held it out to the stranger once more.

”Here. We should get to the others, since we're still a little ways off. I'd prefer not to carry your stuff though, sir.”

She said sternly. Her eyes caught something gleaming in the sand near them and noticed it was a shortsword, laying in it's sheath. The Guardsman in her nodded in satisfaction. In her current state, she doubted that she'd be able to handle her usual longsword. Now all she had to find was a suitable shield.





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[Trapdoor Spider]

Bruce and The Hanged King

A Lake
________________________________________________________________________________________

It took every ounce of Bruce's considerable will power and control over himself to not immediately and loudly laugh at "Bruce, the Virtuous" as he grabbed the medallion. However all that will power nearly went out the window anyways, as anyone looking at his face would see the "Yeah. That's what I am. Virtuous"-face. The sort of face makes when some so ludicrously wrong yet hilarious has been said. Bruce may have been a nice guy, but the Great Spirit knows that is so very much knows Bruce is anything but Virtuous. Speaking of which, the Great Spirit had taken Bruce quite aback.

Unlike the masses milling about the lake, staring at the Great Spirit, who most likely only saw a massive wisp of energy, Bruce felt something in his soul nearly sunder in twain. His own receptiveness to spiritual matters and ability to see spirits naturally had meant that had the Great Spirit not purposefully restrained itself, which Bruce assumed it did for many reasons, Bruce's soul might have gone a bit loopy by gazing at such a powerful being. However instead he simply rubbed his stump a bit as it ached and tied the medallion off around his belt. One got used to tying knots with one hand when one had, one hand.

He had a few more polite introductions, continued to be a swell and proper gentlemen, and generally let everyone process what had happened. He also took note of people's titles. If his was any indication at all, then the others might be cruel jokes as well. Otherwise he slinked off to the side after a moment and out of earshot. "Hey, King, any idea what that was?"

A spirit far more ancient and powerful than any of us might be able to comprehend.

"Hmmm. That's what I was getting. I'm going to need you to be on guard. Something tells me we're going to be seeing some beings of darkness the like the world hasn't seen for over a hundred years. Something right up your alley if I'm not mistaken, m'lord." The King nodded sagely and gripped his massive claymore.

[Bleu Est]

a

m█m █m █m ＢＥＬＬＡＤＯＮＮＡ ＥＬＬＡＶＩＥ ＧＲＥＥＮ
with ( THE WHOLE GANG ) at ( THE LAKE & INTO THE WOODS )

Ellavie's expression blanked as the ninja got smack behind the head. Blinking, she watched Gerda reprimand the man, to what seemed fairly odd for Ellavie. The man could have been a bit simple minded, but he didn't seem like he meant harm. Then again, Ellavie hadn't explored the likes of men much. The idea of intention was a bit beyond her as she took things a bit literally. "How are these your woods?" Well, maybe Ellavie didn't own these woods, but she certainly knew and lived in them.

Opening her mouth to reply to the Troll woman, she was immediately disrupted by young male with golden eyes and pointy ears. This side tracked her. She wasn't a victim of their sort, that was for certain, but she was currently a victim of too much happening all at once. To her fortunate aid, the large male Orc approached them with a reply. Ellavie took a step back as if to slip out of the conversation completely.

It was then that Ellavie noticed a bright light. The ball approached them steadily, though it's light was warm like the sun and fairly comforting. She swallowed, quick unsure of what was going on. Ellavie had certainly studied spirits, but she made a deliberate attempt to avoid the significant ones. She had always wondered what they thought of necromancy, though that truly didn't matter to her.

All and all, the Great Spirit had spoken and bestowed upon her a locket. She grasped the charm in her hand. There was something quick enigmatic about the pice, though she couldn't quite put a finger on its plainness. As she studied it, something quite peculiar appear across her collar bone. Reading upside down, she scowled. Ellavie, the Shepard? She looked up as everyone else was taking their own little laugh at their lockets, carrying on introductions. Were they even serious? Hoping that the past 15 minutes had been complete folly, Ellavie made an attempt to turn on her heel and leave them all behind. She wasn't some lame escort, here to give tours of the woods. They shouldn't be here! Evil spirit or not, Ellavie could fend for herself.

Stepping lightly away, Ellavie slipped her locket over her head and around her neck. It was a dull copper, hammered and she could see solder seems. A crudely engraved sheep's head was worked onto it's face. She paused to examine her locket, her breath shallow at the though of being stuck with these people. To be honest, Ellavie hadn't considered that they were completely lost. They would die out here if she left them. “Does anyone here know this area well enough to guide us? We cannot afford to become lost or ambushed by wild beasts at such a grave time.” This furthered her decision as she turned around to look at them. Secondly, Meeks the Ninja had addressed her. Her mouth gapped as the mouse addressed her third. They looked desperate.

"Fine," she whispered to herself before raising her voice, "I will take you all to the mountain, if you wish. Do not expect the woods to treat you kindly, nor for me to wait on you for very long." She spoke, fairly disgruntly. Draping the thin wedding gown around her neck like a limp sports towel, Ellavie watched over the group for a moment and assessed their titles. This was a cruel joke.

Speaking of which, a howl sounded off in the distance. It was deep, and far from welcoming. Wargs most likely, thirsty wolves of the dark woods.

"If you'd like to make it to safer ground by night fall, I'd recommend leaving now~," added the witch, turning on her bare heel as she took the first true steps into the woods. With that, Ellavie started their journey to the top of the mountain.

[Ripplewaves]

~Lem, the Keeper of the Lexicon~

Lem smiled and was about to take his book back when the shining light appeared and everyone's attention was called to the sudden appearance of what was generally assumed to be a god... Or at least that was how the people in Bark-tree treated it. He blinked a little at the thought of an evil spirit, although it would stand to reason that if a great good existed, there must be some kind of great evil to properly balance things. That was just the logical nature o the universe falling together. Still, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to be of any real use to anyone else in their endeavor, what with his most distinctive quality being guardianship of a complex encyclopedia of virtually useless information. But he had to admit, that made more sense than just asking any other Elf in Bark-tree to go on an adventure.
Lem's eyes widened when he saw the pendant float in front of himself. It was a pale blue, bordered in white, not unlike his own appearance, and in the middle was an elven symbol, but something seemed a little off... It became obvious when he looked closer at it. "Hm... The ancient elven symbol for knowledge, but it's lacking the wisdom line in the upper left. Knowledge without wisdom..." His eyes quickly glanced down to look at the Lexicon on the ground. "Sounds about right." He muttered with a soft chuckle. He reached out and snatched the necklace from the air, wrapping the chain around his wrist so that the gem rested on the back of his right hand. And as soon as he did, the third supernatural event that he had seen that day transpired....
Lem supposed the best word for what happened was "Accelerated introductions." He saw as people's names and titles flashed onto their chests and lingered for just long enough for him to look and memorize them as best as he could. He scoffed slightly at his own title of "Interpreter." Hopefully the only thing that would need interpreting would be elven, or else he would have to struggle, or hope that the Lexicon suddenly started working at about one thousand times its' current efficiency.
Lem's head snapped back as the girl... Emily the strong, he reminded himself, proffered the book to him yet again. "Sorry about that. I know you don't wanna be carrying around my dead weight all the time." He smiled brightly until something that she had said right at the beginning of their meeting that he had glossed over in all that was happening. He reached down and grabbed the book by the strap that latched onto the buckle and threw it over his shoulder with practiced grace and asked her a new question that was burning in his mind. "How'd you become a guardsman anyway? When the writing said strong, did it mean that you have the strength of a grown man?" He shook his head and in his traditional manner of not waiting for anyone to have time to answer his question, began following Ellavie into the woods. After all, why else would she have had "The Shepherd" on her little magic nametag. "Either way, I doubt sitting out here would be advisable. Forests are home to nasty things. Just hope they don't smell the lumber-town smell on me and start calling in tree-people or something." He half said to Emily and half to himself as took the first steps away from the lakeside.

~Among other things.~