Welcome to Gaia! ::

With the opening of the mighty keg and spilling of the delicious dark amber liquid that brought with it good cheer, bad judgment, and vicious headaches the morning after, it seemed that the celebrating was to begin. With a large grin, his face alight with excitement, Alexander did a little jig to the edge of the stage before leaping down and striding towards the area where refreshments were being poured. Then, tankard in hand, he searched the crowds for familiar faces with which to celebrate his new title, though celebration itself seemed a bit odd considering they would soon be at war.

Before he could move, however, a fanfare began. While at first it did not seem so terribly out of place, it soon became apparent that something was off about this noise. The dhampire stopped with his tankard half way to his lips, then brought his hand down to very gently set it down to the side.

Something was coming, and he didn't want to risk dropping or spilling his drink.

And then the voice, musical but in a jilted way. Visions, snapshots of images, and words that invaded his mind. He didn't like this, did not like the feeling of having something in his head, invading his thoughts, showing him things as though out of memories. The visions themselves were very interesting, however. The silver kingdom, fallen? The criminal in him yearned to travel there immediately, to pick the land clean of any items of value....

And just as suddenly as it began, it ended. He slowly reached out to retrieve his tankard, rising it for one long, deep drink, pulling it away and reaching up with his free hand to wipe off the foam from his mouth.

His eyes sought out the King, and he moved forward, just close enough to hear what was about to be said.

The labyrinth then, and not the silver kingdom. Well, when he added in the treasure part, it really didn't seem so bad! He waited a while, waited until the others had spoken and had made their exit, before he approached the king, tankard in hand and raised.

"Cheers, my King." He said, before raising the glass to his lips and finishing off what was left, sighing in satisfaction when finished. While others had departed quickly, he took his time, knowing he could catch up with him easily. "Will there also be a dance waiting for me upon my return?" he smirked, then gave his head a small shake.

"Before I depart, and if by some impossibility I do not return, I just wanted you to know..." He stopped, and sighed, an almost regretful look crossing his features. "It wasn't your pants I was after that day. It was what was beneath them."

And that was when he decided he should make a very swift exit.

((Exiting!))

[Entering after horrible bitey death XD]

Arachne tumbled into appearance, rolling as she hit the ground. Bow in hand, string taut and arrow levelled at a spot directly in front of her all happened in one motion, and then she let out a long breath as she realised her surroundings had changed. She was back in her own Kingdom, out of that horrible place.

With suddenly shaky hands she lowered the bow, relaxing the string and put the arrow she had drawn from her quiver back. She felt like a such a fool, and reckless for not just leaving after she'd gathered a little bit of Miasma. Now she'd lost what she'd found, and had gained nothing but a painful death. She shook her head. Next time. She would do better.

Making a soft clicking noise, she called to her eagle owl, who swooped down and settled on her shoulder. The ranger stroked the feathers just under the owl's beak, and tried to regroup, and calm down.

"I'll do wut I can, Sah." No more, no less. Blake wasn't one to make false promises. He might give some creative misinformation, but to make a promise he couldn't keep? That was too low, even for him.
Making sure he had everything necessary for the excursion, he followed after the others sent to the Labyrinth after giving King Mort a quick bow.


(( Exiting! ))

Sophie wasted no time in leaving to collect Miasma. With a quick nod to her kinsman and a quick check of her supplies, she was off.

[EXIT OF SUPER AWESOME LENGTH]

Mort stared at the spot where Alex used to be, unsure how to feel - so he stuck to stifled laughter as was easiest for him. Best to do what he could to make things lighten up before something happened.

Something would. Change always meant a little chaos.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. He had already consumed much of the kingdom's miasma to grant power to his subjects, but . . . Could a few more hurt? The king stood still in thought as three offered up themselves, a concentrated look that was his "game face" upon them. "Confusing, yes," he agreed with Mayaa, folding his hands behind his back. "A kingdom cannot fall so quickly, not without some sort of betrayal from within . . ." Speculation he knew wouldn't ease their minds, but that he mused aloud anyway. Part of curiosity was knowing the truth even if it hurt or shocked, and if there was a chance to find out . . .

"Very well then. At attention, ambassadors." He pulled one hand forward and enacted a foreign gesture upon each of them; the other pulled forth a strange compass emitting green fog, though . . . was it ticking . . .? "I grant you the power of my kingdom and welcome you as Soldiers of Fortune." Green light feel upon them, chasing away the once silver aura until they themselves were engulfed, changing to fit the kingdom's setting. Sigrun and Mayaa found themselves also in possession of green crystals that integrated into their clothes as a sign of their status.

As the last of them finished the process known in Om as "Character Creation", Mort gave them a smile. "Ah . . . Moriko, is it? As a show of good faith to the ambassadors, I have given you the power of a champion instead," he explained. Rather than a green crystal, she recieved an extra item bearing the symbol of his champions. "But I must ask a hard task of you. The wounds must still sting fresh, but those I have sent to the silver kingdom ruins have been encountering issues. Something will happen there - call it a feeling in my bones - and if I know anything about this kingdom, a burning curiosity is a very common ailment." His expression softened. "Confusion is something I have in common with you. But the only way to move forward from this event is to investigate what happened so that we may prevent it. Do this for me, and I will offer you the same promises I gave my civilians: glory, protection, and a home to come back to."

More promises heaped upon promises already made. How many more would he entangle in before something gave?

The king then turned to Keel, concern about her stricken posture evident. "I force no choice upon you now," he told her gently. "Mourn for your home, miss, but should you wish to be on the move and contribute to our survival, I'd like another pair of eyes in the labyrinth." Having been king as long as he had, he knew better than to try and push neutral Silvers into something they might not want.

And judging from the glyphs rising from his compass, he had not time to anyway. "Matters to attend to, things to discuss. Ahhh, I'm late," he commented to no-one in particular, snapping the compass shut (wait, how had it opened . . .?) before tucking it away. "In whatever endeavors occur, I wish you luck."

And with little else to say, he offered a final smile before a portal swallowed him whole.

(( THE KING HAS EXITED ))

Moriko watched as she and her companions began to change, their forms morphing to fit the new world that they now belonged to. Looking down at herself, Moriko noted the loose and comfortable clothing of a monk along with new knuckle gear. The long claw like spikes were impressive and appeared to be enchanted with foxfire. Grinning to herself, the Kitsune looked to the King and gave a nod of thanks. She knew it was an honor to be trusted with a Champion position and she would not let him down. This was her home now and there wasn't any going back. She and Sig belonged here now and they would protect these new lands with their lives.

As the King Vanished into the portal, Momo gave a nod to her friend and motioned for her to follow. Turning around, Moriko focused her attention onto the portal and made her way through to the Silver Kingdom

[Exit to Silver]

Mayaa stared curiously at the compass, wondering what it was doing.

"I grant you the power of my kingdom and welcome you as Soldiers of Fortune."

Her eyes widened, seeing the green fog, but before she could protest, it swirled around her, engulfing her.
The tattered torn robes she wore fell away, and in it's place, a simple halter top and skirt took its place.
Brilliant green feathers sprouted from her arms, and her feet transformed into talons.
What was... happening?

Though her appearance changed, it felt somewhat... naturally.
A hand touched the choker around her neck, the bright green gem glowing softly.

She blinked, still slightly dazed, but turned her gaze upon the king.
"I live to serve." she replied, bowing.
Turning around, she spread her wings and flew to the silver kingdom remains.

[ Exit ]

A part of Julian didn't want to be back, knew he shouldn't be back. He was supposed to be helping to protect, leading others and yet... Well, he just hadn't been able to find any. Alexei he had found but that hadn't ended well. So, needless to say he was just a little bit crestfallen as he returned home, no matter how much miasma he had managed to collect in aid of the kingdom. He sat on Alpha's back as she headed towards town, her gait slowing the closer they got. She even whined a little bit when she stopped when they reached it, looking around. Only then did Julian seem to wake up from his thoughts and he blinked, realizing they had reached their destination.

With a small oh of surprise, he slid off and looked around. He didn't really see many people around.
"Come on, it'll be fine this time, no crowds," he said and Alpha gave him a huff that would make a princess proud before nipping at his shoulder and following somewhat reluctantly.

Entering the town square and seeing Lady Sin and Lady Belladonna made him smile a bit. They looked battered, but at least they had gotten back in one piece.
"Are you two okay?" ...Deep down, he felt even worse for just having a few bruises on his back and shoulders and one growing on his face where Alexei had slugged him.