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 Posted: Tue Aug 07, 2012 6:23 pm
 The young knight wiped the sweat from his brow, staining the blue on his glove a slightly darker hue. It wasn't the heat, so much, that was causing him to perspire. It was the long trek toward the great structure in the distance. He didn't complain. He would take a walk over what happened on the Forenya Sul any day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He had just finished drying himself after his bath. It wasn't even a second later that he was almost tossed to the ground while trying to get dressed. The sudden drop in altitude caused his stomach to go into his throat. He threw one hand out to steady himself, and another hand went to his mouth. What followed was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The deafening rumble that came from outside caused his hands to cover his ears on more than one occasion. For a moment he considered heading topside to see if he could assist with whatever was causing all that racket. That idea was quickly quaffed by the return of what Talise called "air sickness." Then he figured that Domini's crew was more than able to handle something of this nature, being professionals and all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just thinking of the moment again caused his stomach to churn. He needed to occupy his mind before he thought himself into sickness. Ky had heard mention of the person they were going to see, the Kae'dryn. He and his compatriots had talked about her a little bit, but he had a feeling their haggard captain knew a bit more about the great teacher. He felt it was time to learn from someone that may know the person they are about to meet. Ky quickened his pace a bit to catch up to Domini. Her appearance took him off guard at first, but enough time had passed for him to become accustomed to it. He spoke in one of the elfin dialects he had heard her use before. It was one he was fluent in. He though this would be the best way to communicate with Domini since her grasp of the language of men was...lacking. "Lady Rosso, I must admit that I know very little about where we are headed. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me about the Kae'dryn?
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Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 4:10 am
  Mismatched eyes peered in weary confusion for a long moment as the knight fellow caught up to the exhausted inventor, her brain struggling for a short spell to put the words he said together with the meanings she was familiar with. She had nabbed her crystal pendant from the "compass" aboard the ship, effectively rendering the machinery aboard inert and restoring her "human" appearance, but... It could not hide the mark that her lack of sleep had caused.
Two sunrises and sunsets had passed since she had been able to sleep, but with no crew aboard the ship other than her three "guests", she had been reduced to drinking heavy amounts of some odd tea she usually saved for trips over the ocean to get them to their destination. Now that the jittery buzz of the tea was fading, the grinding headache closing her eyes and white noise between her ears was beginning to make her movements a little sloppy. Talise herself knew that it probably wouldn't be long before the little inventor collapsed into a good half-day's worth of sleep, as she had seen this a small handful of times before.
A few more owlish blinks from aqua-marine and hazel-green eyes passed before recognition finally clicked in Domini's mind, her nose scrunching up faintly as those slanted orbs half-closed, peering at Ky dubiously. "Kae'Dryn is biiiiiiiiiiiig sp--... er... ma--... Weaveshaper... Mage! Mm, big mage. Likes to cook strangers," she stated, a definitive nod being offered. "Don't know, Rosso always stay away, not get cooked. Ask them, may-be they know m-mage person," she concluded, her forest elf tongue almost as broken as her Common. Eyeing him again, she made a jerkily pointing gesture at Tali and his commander, before hitching her backpack more firmly up on her shoulders and scurrying ahead...
Squeee... The knight people were still creeping her out...
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:01 pm
 A beautiful roaring scream, of joy and sorrow so extreme...Traipsing up the path, Tali was lagging just behind their exhausted leader and Ky. The observant gypsy could not help but notice that her little friend, who was already diminutive in stature was now even more so after such a treacherous and exhausting flight. Again she was touched by the effort the tinkerer was putting forward on her behalf. Deep in her heart she hoped the others appreciated everything their captain had done for them and that maybe the Kae'dryn would really be able to offer them some assistance in their quest.
It was with some amusement that Talise watched the conversation with Ky. She found it surprising that Domini answered him at all, attributing it mostly to the poor woman's weary state. Normally she'd expect Domini to give him a suspicious peer from beneath her uneven bangs and a resounding "Erm.. No!" before shuffling off. The thought brought an affectionate smile to her lips. Not that she had ever seen the eccentric little tinkerer do that before..
She was therefore unsurprised when her friend scurried off without giving him much of an answer. Quickening her pace, she caught up to him easily and slid her arm into the crook of his, falling in step beside him. "Excited to meet her?" she asked with her signature playful smile. "You surprise me. I wouldn't have thought big magey weaveshapers were your type!"
There is a love in me raging. A joyous, magical feeling...
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 1:06 pm
Sir Kiske watched the captain skitter away with befuddled amusement. That was the most she had spoken to him since they had met, and it was punctuated with retreat. He also came to the conclusion that her grasp of his native tongue wasn't lacking, she was just an odd little person. Ky was only slightly startled by Talise's approach this time. He was slowly becoming accustomed to her insistence on laying her arm against his as though they were about to enter a ballroom. In spite of his upbringing telling him that such behavior is inappropriate he found himself enjoying it more with each time she did it. His blue eyes shifted down with his head as he looked to his nomadic companion. Her cheerful smile brightened up his mood considerably. With a little more spring in his step he responded confidently, "I am not sure excited is the word. I am quite intrigued by the art of weaveshaping. It was something I only dabbled in, and I required a catalyst in order to accomplish anything. The notion of utilizing the elements but with focus and incantations is truly awesome."He thought for a moment what it was she was implying with her second statement. His type, what ever could that mean? Ever the oblivious he continued on with his legitimately ignorant ranting. "As far as her being "my type" I am not quite sure how that would work. When I was quite adept at the use of lightning as a weapon. Being that she is a highly revered teacher, would she not be master of all types of weaveshaping?"
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:37 pm
Urban Thorne
Relm suddenly cut off as the threads of several of the wards surrounding her tower severed, those golden eyes widening as she bolted quickly to her feet. Focusing her attention inwards for a long moment, she followed those severed magical lines to the point where her shaping of the Weave had been compromised... And her pale features became a faintly expressionless mask, concealing some kind of emotion.
"We have visitors, coming from the lake to the north of my tower... And from the looks of it, at least one of them is from your Cathedral..."  As surprised as she was when Relm suddenly leapt to her feet, it could not compare in weight to the panic that crossed over the angel's features at the latter comment. Ash pushed herself up from the cushions, her eyes darted towards every window in the room, her brain attempting to process which direction the lake was from here. It had been so long since she visited these rooms that she had quite lost her bearings.
"From the Order?? They cannot know I'm here! Who could it...?" The startled reply began quickly only to taper off just as fast once her mind the chance to catch up. She mulled over the possibilities. The brothers would be extremely unlikely to come out here. They were never on good terms with the Kae'dryn. Even Uriel would be hard pressed to find the courage to take on the ancient magi, regardless of whatever pious, self-invented convictions demanded it.
But if it was not one of the brothers who could it be? Ky and Asmyrra briefly flashed through as candidates but were rapidly dismissed. Distance wise they were both weeks away, no matter where their travels had taken them thus far. Besides, Johannes had taken careful steps to ensure Asmyrra did not meet Ash. He was far too emotionally close to the woman and given Azzy's natural inclinations tilted the same direction as the speckled rebel...
"Can you see them?" the troubled angel asked cautiously, "Is it one of the brothers?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2012 5:36 pm
  Those slanted golden eyes shifted half-closed again at her friend's near-panicked reaction, her concentration spinning out once more to the location of the severed wards. Fortunately for her, the ancient magi knew these mountains completely, so it was no difficulty for her to locate the path the small group was following. Indeed, as Ash issued the question of whether she could see them, the Kae'Dryn had already started to whisper softly.
Eldritch syllables and a faint shifting of long-nailed fingers began to shape the Weave to the magi's will, the northern-most window darkening. Instead of showing the sky outside, the image instead streaked into blurred movement, hovering over the northern lake, and the strange ship still deflating it's "sails". The focus closed in on that point, almost as though from the point of view of some flying being, and began to swoop forth, tracing the path that the small group had wandered up.
It did not take long for that blurring "eye" to find what it was looking for, and show it to Ash: A small, staggering tinker hurrying up the path as quickly as her leaden limbs could carry her, followed by a white-garbed fellow with a dark-hued Gypsy on his arm, obviously engaged in some kind of conversation. Behind them a short distance came the robed figure of a Kael'dorei spellweaver, her expression somewhat troubled.
The "eye" carefully circled once or twice, studying the strange group from all manageable angles, before settling on a point of view above and somewhat ahead of them, allowing the two women to see the features and actions of the odd collection of folk. The sibilant whispering came to a close as the fingers of one hand made a gesture somewhat akin to breaking and tying a thread, and those slanted golden orbs drifted open once more, giving Ash a piercing look.
"...I do hope you were expecting these guests, my long-absent friend," the ancient magi stated quietly, a soft undertone of something approaching menace colouring those crystalline tones. "These lands are mine, and have been such for ages... I will not tolerate interlopers from your Cathedral intruding on my voluntary absence from the events of men..."
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Posted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 4:06 am
  Enduring the wild flight through the borders of the Blasted Lands had sent Asmyrra atop the ship, those slanted violet eyes watching the horrors the ship was diving into with obvious terror. She had not grown up in Irrilaeth, but everyone knew of the dangers of the freakish lands to the north of her people's mountains. The tales of what had caused it served as a warning to this day as to why the elder races were best served keeping their secrets to themselves...
Fortunately for the tiny crew, their pilot seemed more than up to the challenge. The wild direction changes, the severe dives and ascents the ship had shot through, and the heart-stopping sounds of impact would forever remain in Asmyrra's mind as one of the most dangerous moments of her life. The sheer wildness of the ride had even reduced her on several occasions to the poor sickly condition of her fellow below deck... Though whether it was from terror or vertigo, even she could not say.
_____________________________________________________________
Once the ship had settled firmly in repose, Asmyrra had been at least as eager as the rest of her companions to take the plunge from the bow of the ship, stroking quickly towards the shore. The shock of the icy temperatures of the water had both numbed her body and sharpened her mind, quelling the final remaining traces of the air sickness as well as any exhaustion lingering after what had been a restful day. Thankful of the relief, she had happily draped a cloak about her shoulders and exchanged the dark-coloured long shift that she had dived into the water wearing for her dry, warm robes.
Now trekking behind her companions along the faintly-worn path, Asmyrra found her mind wandering, almost as though deliberately distracting itself. They were approaching the home of the Kae'Dryn. The single most feared Weaveshaper known to her people, notoriously reclusive, and infamous for the destructive greetings she gave to unwelcome guests... It was not merely the dull ache still lingering near her heart from an arrow that seemed forever ago that served to slow her feet on their path.
The degree of her self-distraction became too much to dismiss, however, when she found herself eyeing an ebon-feathered raven silhouetted on a branch of one of the stunted trees lining the path. The incongruity of such a bird being there (Why so far north...?), combined with her momentary fascination with the creature, served to allow an unnoticed rock to slip underfoot, driving the usually light-footed woman to stumble and almost fall. Regaining her balance and composure quickly, those violet eyes cast an accusing glare at the bird, who seemed to reply with a raucous «CAAW!!» before fluffing its feathers and taking to the sky.
Shaking her head at her own foolishness, Asmyrra quickened her step, endeavoring to banish the blush from her pale features before catching up to the dusky Gypsy and her compatriot...
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 1:32 pm
Urban Thorne
It did not take long for that blurring "eye" to find what it was looking for, and show it to Ash: A small, staggering tinker hurrying up the path as quickly as her leaden limbs could carry her, followed by a white-garbed fellow with a dark-hued Gypsy on his arm, obviously engaged in some kind of conversation. Behind them a short distance came the robed figure of a Kael'dorei spellweaver, her expression somewhat troubled.
...
"...I do hope you were expecting these guests, my long-absent friend," the ancient magi stated quietly, a soft undertone of something approaching menace colouring those crystalline tones. "These lands are mine, and have been such for ages... I will not tolerate interlopers from your Cathedral intruding on my voluntary absence from the events of men..."
The strange deflating fabric piqued her curiosity. She had never seen anything like it. What manner of contraption could this be? Her first thought was, of course, dwarves but that seemed impossible. The few remaining ground dwellers had disappeared into the mists with the other tattered remnants of elder society after the Dragon Wars.
Unconsciously she shifted to stand beside Relm and squinted at the figures now coming into focus. A tiny, odd little child... woman... she did not know. Whatever she was, the lean and shuffle of her walk left Ash with the impression that the poor thing was literally dragging herself down the path. For a moment the angel wondered if the party had been besieged by one of the weapons roaming the blasted lands. That thought was quickly squashed and forgotten though as her eyes now fell upon the pair coming up behind the scruff.
Jaw agape, her eyes widening in disbelief, the angel stood stunned. "Ky Kiske!" she exclaimed incredulously. "Impossible! Johannes left him only a few days ago! He is at least a week's travel south, if not more!"
She was aghast. It wasn't possible but there he was, the little mocha gypsy adorning his arm. She even seemed to be sporting the same impish playfulness in her features that she left with. Frantically her brain searched for answers, distracting her, leaving her unprepared for what was to come next.
Well, perhaps not what... but who.
The angel's eyes fell to the robed spellweaver behind them. The faint tint of blue on her skin was unmistakable as elven slanted eyes lifted from beneath dark, windswept hair...
A totally new type of panic ignited her blood and with a surprisingly high squeak Ash leapt behind Relm to avoid notice of that gaze. It didn't even register to her that the image reflected was only an illusion and not a two way mirror. Nor did it matter that Relm was almost a foot shorter than the agitated angel. The small mage was the closest thing to protection she could find, and Ash ducked as much behind her as physically conceivable to flee those dark violet irises.
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 7:32 pm
Rikki Tikki Travi He thought for a moment what it was she was implying with her second statement. His type, what ever could that mean? Ever the oblivious he continued on with his legitimately ignorant ranting. "As far as her being "my type" I am not quite sure how that would work. When I was quite adept at the use of lightning as a weapon. Being that she is a highly revered teacher, would she not be master of all types of weaveshaping?"
The secretive smile still playing on her lips, she glances at her companion. He was almost adorable in his purity and nobleness. Her caravan sisters would have delighted in disrupting his innocent little world. And no doubt he would have delighted in them right back! There was nothing for it. She had to see if he is really that naive.
"I'm sure your weapon produces quite an electrifying catalyst when wielded to your advantage," her tone general but her expression amused and teasing, though she keeps her gaze forward, "Perhaps if you offer your services to the Kae'dryn she will spare us one of those destructive welcomes she is so famous for." Turning her eyes to him, she cannot help but allow a giggle to escape with her words. She was surprising herself with her own wickedness. "I'm sure it gets awfully lonely in that tower out here by herself."
Somewhere in her mind she knew she should be more interested in finding out what he knew of magic and what this magical sword was. Humans had no real access to the arcane now that the sorcerers were gone and the older races had abandoned them. But she couldn't help herself. With how very serious the mood had been for the last week, there was no way she would miss this opportunity for some good old fashioned wicked fun.
There is a love in me raging. A joyous, magical feeling...
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 5:01 am
Minai chan A totally new type of panic ignited her blood and with a surprisingly high squeak Ash leapt behind Relm to avoid notice of that gaze. It didn't even register to her that the image reflected was only an illusion and not a two way mirror. Nor did it matter that Relm was almost a foot shorter than the agitated angel. The small mage was the closest thing to protection she could find, and Ash ducked as much behind her as physically conceivable to flee those dark violet irises.
But the moment did pass.
Quickly.
In it's place, those pale lips pressed together, and the ancient magi's shoulders began to twitch faintly. In an instant, one long-nailed hand rose to cover her lips, her eyes closing to slits as she tried to contain some emotion threatening... no, promising... to explode forth.
Explode.
It took a great deal of effort, and no small measure of time, before the ancient magi had reigned in her reaction, and schooled her features. More or less. Delicately clearing her throat behind the hand still hovering near her lips, those chime-like words emerged from a voice that only occasionally tightened with restrained emotion.
"...My dear Ash, could you explain to me why you are hiding from an illusion? Behind someone two hand spans shorter than you? With a definitively more slender build than your race possesses? After letting loose a squeak..." Here she had to pause momentarily, that contained emotion threatening to explode forth once more. With a firm swallow or two, almost as though to re-bottle the emotion, she continued in a slightly over-exaggerated tone of calm. "An exclamation that could probably be heard by my apprentices downstairs?
There are times that the Kae'Dryn could be mistaken for a saint... Rare times.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 12:59 pm
Ky was puzzled by his friend's stifled laughter. He didn't understand what was so amusing about living a life of solitude. He agreed, it seemed awfully lonely. Another thing that unsettled him was another mentioning of the Kae'dryn's extreme dislike of unannounced guests. He hoped that at the very least she would be willing to hear them out, but slowly he was starting to doubt that notion. He was about to respond to Talise's comment when he heard his C.O. take a bit of a stumble behind them, His golden hair shifted as his head whipped around to see what may have happened. As much as he respected Asmyrra's ability to shirk off pain, he was still plenty concerned about the injuries she had suffered only days ago. These concerns were temporarily laid to rest when he saw that she appeared to have just tripped over a rock. The concern returned when the knight came to realize that the Commander seldom, if ever, has bouts of unbalance. As she made her way to catch up to he and Talise his mind began to itch. Intuition, or paranoia, began to play at him. Something seemed...off. Shortly after being joined by Asmyrra he calmly addressed his nearby compatriots. "At the risk of sounding a bit paranoid, I feel as though something is not quite right. It feels as though something, or someone, is watching us." He stated.
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Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2012 1:20 pm
Urban Thorne "...My dear Ash, could you explain to me why you are hiding from an illusion? Behind someone two hand spans shorter than you? With a definitively more slender build than your race possesses? After letting loose a squeak..." Here she had to pause momentarily, that contained emotion threatening to explode forth once more. With a firm swallow or two, almost as though to re-bottle the emotion, she continued in a slightly over-exaggerated tone of calm. "An exclamation that could probably be heard by my apprentices downstairs?
If I can't see them, they can't see me.
Under those tightly closed eyes, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. What was she doing here? She cannot know. She cannot ever know.
So lost was she in this tortured reverie that the tormented angel had no conscious acknowledgement of the pause that ensued after her spritely exclamation of surprise, nor was she aware of how quiet her companion had suddenly become. It was the faint tremble of Relm's shoulders that brought her back to the present. She had laid her hands on those shoulders after she had leapt behind the other woman. Slightly embarrassed, Ash could not help but admit that she was holding Relm between herself and the illusion in this ridiculous effort to hide.
But why would Relm be shaking? Brow furrowed, the angel took the extended pause that followed to reflect. There had been a menacing tone to her friend's voice with her previous question. A question Ash had more or less chosen to ignore. What had she said?
These lands are mine...
Realization struck the unfortunate angel like a tonne of bricks. Relm hated uninvited guests. She was famous for her swift, and often violent, defense of her territory. It would only take a flicker of movement from those long taloned fingers to reduce them to mincemeat in seconds! Would she really...?
"No! No!" began the flood of impassioned stammers as Ash's hands gripped onto the small woman and turned her about-face.
"Don't hurt her..."
Damn it.
"Them! Please don't blow them up! She... they..."
Oh bloody hell... Get ahold of yourself, girl!
"They're friends. Of mi.. Johannes. Friends of Johannes. They're helping with the Beast."
Feeling rather defeated in any effort to maintain even the foggiest hint of composure, her features fell in such a way to certainly rival even the most forlorn of puppies.
"Please don't eat them."
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:04 pm
It was an... uncomfortable thing to see so readily.
Though, in all truth... Perhaps it should not have surprised Relm so greatly. The history they both shared was quite enough to explain why Ash tended to find her attentions wandering to people like that sorceress... and apparently this new Spellweaver. Perhaps it was even part of what piqued the ancient magi's interest, as well. But it did sting a little to see Ash's attention diverted so abruptly, so thoroughly...
A little.
Those golden eyes watched the taller angel's reaction thoughtfully, all sensation and urge to laugh fading away like a fog exposed to the sun's rays, the magi's features becoming the more calm, schooled appearance they usually bore. Indeed, as Ash's words tripped over themselves and her lack of composure, a single dark brow arched over those slanted eyes, a dubious look being aimed at the occasionally silly woman. But it was the puppy eyes that finally made the Kae'Dryn roll her eyes in exasperation, a sigh escaping as she half-turned, one long-nailed hand dispelling the Weave over her window.
Shaking her head as those golden eyes canted back towards the pale angel, the ancient magi let another sigh escape, sounding rather put upon as those crystalline syllables began to emerge once more. "As they are compatriots of your's, they will set off no wardings that would be harmful to them. And I forgive you for cutting our first visit in decades," she continued, those features sharpening in vague irritation, "...so short, as you seem to be as surprised to see them as I am. You are going to have to make amends for this, however...," Relm concluded, those chime-like words carrying a hint of promise...
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 3:31 pm
Urban Thorne Shaking her head as those golden eyes canted back towards the pale angel, the ancient magi let another sigh escape, sounding rather put upon as those crystalline syllables began to emerge once more. "As they are compatriots of your's, they will set off no wardings that would be harmful to them. And I forgive you for cutting our first visit in decades," she continued, those features sharpening in vague irritation, "...so short, as you seem to be as surprised to see them as I am. You are going to have to make amends for this, however...," Relm concluded, those chime-like words carrying a hint of promise...
"Can you not just get rid of them?" she asks, recapturing her composure in the steadiness of her current company. "For obvious reasons, I cannot meet them. It would be impossible to explain and I do not wish to deceive Asmyrra and Ky. Johannes is close to them both. Asmyrra in particular. And we know how that would play out..." Even the voicing topic made her uncomfortable. In the corner of her eye she thought she saw a strange dark shadow quickly flitting passed one of the windows, but when she turned to look it was gone.
You're getting paranoid... a little voice told her in her mind. Brushing the thought away, she returns her attention to Relm.
"I can stay hidden whilst you give them your usual cryptic non-assurances and shoo them away," the last bit delivered with a slightly knowing grin.
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:01 pm
"You are going to eventually have to come clean on this, my dear," she stated quietly, those crystalline tones subdued. "The people closest to you should at least know the truth... and if your reaction to this young elf is any indication, she definitely should know. It is not as though you can simply wait for a while, and allow time to take her away..."
Shaking her head again, she unfolded her arms, and began straightening herself up, taking out the various long pins and adornments her hair usually held as she started the process of making herself "presentable" to company. Turning to the mirror, she pulled her long ebon hair over a shoulder, and vigorously began applying her brush to it. Glancing in the mirror, that crystalline voice spoke briskly to the pale woman now behind her. "If I am to be entertaining your guests, would you be so kind as to chose my robe? I was not intending to be fully attired this late at night..."
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