Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jerome made his way into the encampment with little trouble. He had to go to some effort to hide his now inbred gait of Warder, the walk of living death. He slouched a little, and his average size frame seemed to shrink a little. He had brown hair, and brown eyes, little to distinguish him particularly.

Someone accosted him. "Hey you! What are you doing wandering about? We made it clear that all you new recruits are to have your meal quickly and get back to training!!"

Jerome nodded hurriedly and rushed off. So he was a new recruit. It would suit his purposes he supposed. He followed the other newbies-they were easy to distinguish by their slightly harried expressions, as opposed to their seniors who seemed less doubtful-and towards an open area. The day was pleasant, and so the tables had been set up outside.

He slid into an empty place between two others. No one took notice. The food was average. Better than he had expected from what he had thought was a military encampment.

((Ok, listen up guys!!

I sent out an announcement, which you probably got, so maybe some of our old people will be coming back! *crosses fingers*

We have one new member in the guild, and I look forward to her posting! So play nice everybody!!

I have exams next week, so I will be gone for the rest of this week and next week. But no one panic! I shalth return! I like you guys too much to leave you!

I will try to get in some posts before this weekend if possible, so that things don't screech to a halt! But carry on without me, as the awesome guildys you are.

Raz, I trust you to be able to puppet your way through Illian/the Tower (whichever you prefer) with what you've got till I come back. I will try to give you something more to work with.

Thats it!! K, have fun! Be safe! I will be back soon!))

((And I almost forgot...))

Romvian's man wandered back and forth in the elegant room, trying to decide on the best course of action. Now that he was here at Hawk's mansion, the next thing to do would be to figure out why exactly the man had left these lavish surroundings to become a Warder. Not that it was unheard of for lords to try and pursue the fierce Warder training but it certainly was unusual for them to stick at it long after they had completed their training.

The servants had seemed surprsied to see him so it could likely be inferred that they had not expected him back under normal circumstances. Which would mean that the circumstances of leaving had to be that much more unusual.

There was a knock on the door and he turned to face it.

"Yes? What is it?" he said, in precisely the arrogant manner one would expect from a nobleman.

A servant opened the door, and bowed. "Excuse me Lord Hawk...we were not expecting you, as you know, and your parents would like to see you. They requested you to meet with them. Your father requested to meet with you in the study, straightaway, if you had no other obligations...?"

Romvian's man nodded, and motioned for the servant to lead the way. The servant thought to himself He's certainly become less cold and more arrogant since he left last. I suppose the rumors are false then, that he has found happiness in the Tower. I wonder why he's back after so long. And odd that he would ask me to lead the way. He always used to prefer going to meet his father in solitude, without anyone knowing. Ah well...I suppose time does change a man...

Oryzen nibbled on her bread, waiting for the stew to cool down somewhat before she started on it. Across from her, Romvian idly gulped down his own food.

"Will he be alright 'Zen?"

"He'll be fine Rom. I don't know where Darien went or what caused the attack, but he came back in time. I give him a strong sleeping draught, and he is resting. Once he wakes, he should be alright. Maybe then we can figure out what happened."

"How long do you think we have?"

"Difficult to say. But not indefinitely. Perhaps a few months at the most. I personally don't understand why he doesn't accept whats happening to him."

"You know that it isn't an option for him anymore, even if he wanted that. Because if he changes, then he becomes a victim to the same trap keeping those Aes Sedai under control."

"I know Rom. I know. Do you think they have what we need?"

"If its not in the Tower, and not with us, there are few places left that we can search. In any case, conquering the Tower won't be a liability, no?"

Oryzen shrugged. "You're the military man. If you think its advantageous, then I certainly have no problem in aiding your conquest. Its not as if the majority of those sisters are even a challenge for us three."

Raznon listened to the Aes Sedai and noticed her willingness to help him had dramatically increased since saying the Keepers name. Putting that away in the back of his mind he set himself for the decision he had to make. While no confirmed reports of channelers are present there is still the trouble that the Aes Sedai mentioned to be considered. Finally he came to a conclusion.

"We have no choice but to investigate the docks. Gaidin...recall the others and prepare to leave. We are heading to that...city...again. Aes Sedai...I thank you for the information. If you have no further business with us then we are going to leave."

Thinking about the wetlander that had betrayed his group to begin with he had almost forgot about him. He smiled.

"You two...bring that traitor to me...."

The two Gaidin moved without question and quickly brought the man back to the forefront of the attention.

"I have decided your fate...treekiller...you will be taken by these two straight to the Tower and then straight to the Keeper. I have no authority to decide your fate further...but for trying to take the lives of those that serve the Aes Sedai...I will give you a reminder to not ever raise a hand against them again."

With that he whipped his spear in the blink of an eye and lopped off the man's two outside fingers of his left hand. The man screamed and reached for his hand but Raznon caught it. He then looked him in the eye.

"You will not be healed by an Aes Sedai. You will have those scars as a reminder as to not cross me again or anyone who so serves the Aes Sedai such as I do. That does not mean I will not be without mercy for I do not have the power to take your life as your shame demands."

He pulled some herbs from his sack and applied them to the wound. Then he wrapped the wound in a clean cloth and then stood. He looked at the Warders.

"I am going to need you two to escort this man to the Tower and give him to the Keeper. Tell her what has transpired here and that I intend to go toward the...coast."

The last word sounding foriegn in his mouth.

"Do this for me and return to your Aes Sedai should you have one and should they allow it I would be honored by your return Gaidin."

He put his fist to his chest and gave them a nod/bow of respect. Once this was out of the way he watched them move away from the camp with the man in tow. Raznon had made sure to give them more bandages and some more of the herb making sure they readministered it to his wound every night until he could be properly taken care of.

"We move on...Aes Sedai you are welcome to accompany us or you may go upon your own way. I thank you for your service and will decline your offer of a...gateway...I prefer my own two feet. As to these talents...I have begun to use some of them...but I have more important things to take care of."

The party moves to get ready to leave post haste.

((to be continued soon. At the City =) ))

The Lord Azrael Al'Draco stared patiently back at his son. "You've never seemed to have a shortage of words before; why the sudden change. There must be a reason you've come, surely?"

The impostor Amar looked back at the old man, trying to figure out what to say. "Certainly, my lord, you do not imply that I may only return to our home for the purpose of business? Am I not welcome here? Simply to revisit that which I have not seen for so long?"

"You have not seen it for so long by your own choice I do believe. You left here to pursue your training, and have only been back a handful of times since. How are things at the Tower? How fares the Amyrlin Seat? Hm?" There was no reply from Aram. "And the Keeper of the Chronicles?"

That also did not elicit a reaction from the impostor. "You have come to an honorable position, if not in the way that we had intended. However, do you have any intention of returning to that position which is your birthright?"

This last comment did elicit a response. A gleam in the eye. "My lord, you misunderstand me. I do not feel I have ever left my position, such that I would have to return to it. I apologize if ever my actions indicated to you otherwise."

Mercury was tired of standing around, waiting for something to happen. Wolf was standing by her side, awaiting her command. Part of his mind was concerned, for her sake. The rest of it seemed lost into the idle-if a Gaidin could ever be called that-daydreaming.

Hawk was in the Tower, on his way to fetch Alina, but the bond indicated he had been standing in the same place for quite some time now. There was certainly no air of hurry or concern about HIS end of the bond. He seemed rather pleased actually.

Bloody men....Bloody Warders...Bloody fools...As if the Dark One isn't enough, the rest of the race of mankind has to be bunch of Light blasted idiots. Can't be bothered to fight the evil of Shayol Goul, NO...we're too busy squabbling amongst ourselves for reasons we don't even know or understand....A fine state of things it has come to...

Even my own blasted Gaidin can't manage to complete a task and return promptly...better a Novice than a Gaidin sometimes!

To everyone's misfortune, or perhaps to their advantage, two large rocks from a slingshot went awry from the adjacent training grounds, and flew towards the Keeper. Glad to have a vent for her fury, she took hold of the Source, and with her mask still intact, stopped the rocks with inverted weaves, and incinerated them in mid air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before Markis could react, his Aes Sedai had turned the rocks into nothing more than ash. He could hear and smell the reaction from the assembled people and from the training grounds. Some awe, amazement, intermixed with fear and curiosity. The other Sisters radiated confusion; he had been told once by Clarissa that only herself and Mercury inverted all their weaves.

Whatever that meant, it apparently equated to other people being blind to what you had woven. He knew that Sisters could see other weaves, and often learned by copying one another, so he supposed it would indeed be both fascinating and a disadvantage if the strongest in the Tower so fervently guarded their weaves.

Mercury's end of the bond was simmering with emotions, none of which showed on her face. She certainly was furious, and he wasn't able to understand why. She had dealt with far more complicated than this without a twinge of regret or doubt or other emotion; so why was she so irritated over a bunch of clustered trainees? No one would expect her to do any work relating to settling the farm girls. Someone would come sooner or later, and take over the task.

For that matter, since it was publicly and plainly known that such a task was far beneath her rank, why was she still standing there? The orders had been given; she did not have to wait to see they were carried out; she was the Keeper after all. Markis began to wonder if perhaps Mercury was not being overtaxed. She always did push herself too much. He made a note to force her to rest later.