The unease had been growing for months, words traveled on the wind, almost everyone from one end of the Pajore to the other had the words on their lips. The leaders were gathering.

Rain scoffed, biting into the tough rind of a piece of fruit, juices spilling down his chin as he rolled his eyes. His heart had darkened in the past few months, uncleansed despite the priest's best efforts, his aura was all shadows. He thought back to all the times he had tried to hire a ship to carry him to the mainland and wondered if the High priest and priestess would have more luck convincing the rabble to assist them. Wondered if they would dare leave Yael at all or if his people would remain unrepresented at whatever council was taking place.

Even the talk boiled his blood, there was talk of gathering forces, stockpiling weapons, preparing the prentices for battle and finding safety for the younglings, but Rainier knew there were no safe places. They could deck the island out with as many safeguards as possible, but when you were fighting a race of fast traveling mages, well... He had no experiences of war, but he knew this would not be your average battle, not when the enemy could pick you off, slip between guards, entrance their victims. No, marching to a battle was not the answer. He had seen the Dretch, they were merciless and dreadful creatures. They needed to be exterminated. They could not be guarded against. Despite this conviction, Rainier himself slept with a variety of noise traps hung around his room, determined to not be taken by surprise should one of the creatures appear. He kept a knife near him at all times, but he would not kill one if he caught it. Oh no, he would make it bring him to his sister. He found himself wishing that he would wake to one of them standing over him.

Rainier found himself unable to stop thinking about it. He had taken to avoiding the sanctum of late, but if the High Priest and Priestess were leaving, they would need to take a ship, and he would need to find a way to get on it. He had never thought that he would want to leave his homeland, but now it felt so small, and even more dangerous because of its' smallness. Like waiting for the enemy to spear fish into a bucket. He hadn't the slightest clue what he would do when he reached the mainland, he had no maps, no sense of direction, not even a sense of which way he should go.

Rain drained his ale and tossed the rind of fruit into the garbage, leaving a tip for his server before pushing away from the small cafe table and merging into the crowd. He had no destination in mind, he was just listening. Mutters about the Elaria on the island, they had lived peacefully until the outsiders had settled on their island, suggestions under the breath that the Dretch had followed the alkidike. They both had antennae and some bug like characteristics. Perhaps the race of warriors had conjured up the Dretch to rid the island of its rightful inhabitants. Rainier sighed, he had no idea if the Alkidike could offer insight into the origin of the Dretch, but with the news of the leaders gathering, it was clear this was not an isolated problem. He doubted the Alkidike and Elaria were attacking the rest of the world in an attempt to force them off of Yael.

Still, it was a piece of information. Rain had hear enough horror stories to what happened to those who ventured too close to Zinris to try it himself, but perhaps if he could garner enough support, he might dare to travel to their relatives on the mainland. Perhaps they could offer answers if the council of leaders proved to not be useful. Because if there was to be a council on the problem, he was bound and determined to travel there and speak his mind to those gathered if the leaders there proved to have as useless of a plan as those here.

He was growing desperate, if the leaders in the Sanctum decided not to leave the safety of Yael, he was about ready to attempt to swim across the ocean. He had examined the trees in the surrounding jungle, wondering if he could craft some sort of raft if he felled some. Ranier was desperately in need of sleep, he staggered through the crowd like drunk, and sure, he had partaken, but more importantly he hadn't slept more than a handful of hours in the past few nights. His eyes were red rimmed, his face slack with exhaustion. Those around him gave him a wide berth, making signs against bad luck when he passed too near them. Rainier understood, would have done the same not that long ago, but he had no choice. He was 18 and sorely undereducated in his craft. With no teacher, he had no one to guide him in grasping how to manipulate his powers. He had never felt more isolated in his life, a stranger is his own homeland.

Winding his way through the market he headed for the docks again, if anyone was planning on leaving, the workers there would know and could point him in the direction of someone who could get him a place on that ship.

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