The Isles of Sepso

[Killing_Time]

If you have any questions or corrections regarding this thread please send them to me via PM!!

Isles of Sepso

http://i536.photobucket.com/albums/ff330/Wadlingy/sesp.png
Thanks to Aval who redid the island and Polo for adding new updates - Looks smexy!

Current mapped locations
Eshickna
Stoneforge
Hika's residence
Danforth
Caspian's mountain
Ulmendia
Falasta

Sepso is a great island which holds many stories and much culture. It has four main races which are Humans, Forest Elves, Dark Elves and Demons. Though sometimes rather isolated from one another, these races used to share the island and tolerate others. This was until Caspian decided to use the Demons in order to gain control over Sepso.
He has almost succeeded to gain control over the entire west coast and now is trying to bring down the Forest Elves by destroying the Great Forest, home of the Elves.
A party has formed in Stoneforge, a small town connected to Eshickna and have been sent on a journey to the Elven capital with an artifact a boy named Klide found in the desert. A hunter named Bjorn seeks up a fellow hunter named Hika as he brings an unconscious boy to her residence outside Stoneforge. The boy is rather special as he turns out to be a Demon child named Ceres. Since demons are killed on sight in the north, the party is forced to take a far more anonymous journey through the Great Forest rather than along the river in order to reach Eshickna. On their journey they meet Sokeras, a man sent out by the council to lead and protect the party. He later discovers a spy - A scribe by the name of Dirral who really is a bounty hunter named Elias who had been following the party in order to gain the bounty by kidnapping Ceres. He came to know of Ceres' existence through a poster in Stoneforge and managed to be accepted into the party under his false identity.
An unexpected blaze sends the party fleeing towards the lake which cuts them away from Eshickna. A ferry is about to sail to the capital city and the party is set into motion in order to make it alive. Klide ends up badly burnt from carrying Ceres away from the fire and Hika ends up with a sprained ankle. On the ferry Dirral kills a party member named Jake because he feared his identity would be questioned. Jake traveled along, carrying an orb which Aval was out to get. The party splits up so Dirral can bring the severely hurt Klide to a healer and he finds a tavern on his own. The rest of the party depends on Aval who finds a tavern name the Spearman.
Meanwhile another character named Daniel who is possessed by a spirit called the Name enters the picture as he happens to be located in the very same tavern as Hika, Ceres, Aval and Gerald.

Old thread can be found here (http://forums.deletionquality.net/showthread.php?t=3109&).

All character profiles have been moved to here! (click) (http://forums.deletionquality.net/showthread.php?p=243792#post243792)

If you have any questions or corrections regarding this thread please send them to me via PM!!

[Killing_Time]

(Sepso is now officially OPEN! Your first post should take place in the morning but if you have anything significant going on at night time you wish to include go ahead and do so.)

(This is Klide's story.)
Richmond had taken turns with Rochelle throughout the night to keep an eye on the boy a man named Elias had brought in.
A large amount of the boy's body had suffered from mostly second and third degree burns. The shock the body had experienced due to these burns had knocked the boy unconscious and by now, he had developed a serious fever. Richmond had tried to cool the body and had put on various of soothing herbal mixtures, even bandaging it on so the body moisture pouring out from the exposed flesh wouldn't make it slide off. He had avoided magic as he feared the body would not be able to deal with the extra pressure and thus only make things worse.
The state of the boy had worried him from the moment he had been placed in his house, but the latest development proved that worry was not the only thing the healer would experience this night.
"Rochelle, wake up" he said in a voice that had a slight tremble to it. Rochelle, lying on a couch behind him awoke immediately and rose.
"His breathing is becoming uneasy."
Rochelle came to his side. The boy on the table before them was having trouble. The skin on his face was not burnt but had long ago gained the characteristic color that comes with fever. His mouth had opened lightly and the noise that came from his throat was a horrifying rattle.
Klide was dying, and no magic nor any action taken by the elderly couple could brake the process that had been set into function.
They stood closer to support each other, watching helplessly as the inevitable suddenly came quicker than expected.

With a last breath the rattle stopped and life left the young and fragile body on the table.
Richmond bent his head down. Although through his career he had learned to deliver the sad message that there was nothing that could be done, it still didn't mean he wasn't able to feel what impact it had.

_________________________________________________
(There are still information I'm a bit unclear about but I assume what I have written is about right.)

Aval had led Hika, Gerald and Ceres to their rooms. He had asked for six beds not knowing only four would follow, but it was something that could be forgiven as two of the rooms were each conveniently equipped with two beds. Worried about leaving Ceres on his own, Hika had brought the demon to a room with two beds. Not entirely sure how Ceres would react in case he woke up here she decided to sleep in the same room so she would be able to calm him down.
She sat on the bed across the room to where Ceres was lying, not really feeling tired. her stomach was protesting, reminding Hika that there was still plenty left of the evening. She would have to abandon Ceres for a while but promised herself she'd bring something up for Ceres too. She was hoping he was able to drink soup. She stood up and went out, carefully ensuring the door was locked behind her.
Downstairs she noticed that despite the events of the day there was still many people present in the tavern. She noticed a man by the bar who seemed lone and rather thoughtful. By closer inspection she recalled him as the man who bumped into her at the healer. Now she noticed that he didn't seem to be much older than Hika. Partly out of curiosity, partly out of her love for company Hika deliberately took the chair beside the man.
While waiting for the innkeeper to leave conversation and notice his newly arrived costumer, Hika decided to break the silence between her and Daniel beside her. "So how did your trip to the healer go?"
Daniel looked at her with a puzzled face which struck Hika with a rather important realization.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me introduce myself: I'm Hika. You bumped into me at the healer and just now I recognized your face. What is your name again..?"
Looking slightly relieved the man introduced himself "My name is Daniel."
"Oh Interesting! Almost like the name of the son of the Oracle."
"Oracle?"
"It's really nothing but an old myth. I sometimes hunt with some Forest Elven friends of mine and they told me that according to a certain poem written a few Elven generations back, the council has always met with a secret oracle whenever in time of crisis. Generations back, the oracle had to interfere with the world to prevent the birth of a child who would grow up to destroy Sepso. In order to do so they produced a son named Danivöl whom they sent out to kill the unborn child." She shrugged. "Harsh, but I guess it was one way to postpone doomsday."
Daniel looked lost in thought so Hika left him to himself. Hika caught the innkeeper's eye contact and as he approached her she smiled. "Hey, uhm, I'd like to order two bowls of your mushroom soup."
"Right away miss. I'll have the cook know."
As he disappeared behind the bar Hika once again directed her attention towards Daniel. "I'm sorry if all my talking prevented you from ordering anything - I hope you don't mind."
"Oh, that is alright. I wasn't sure if I was going to order anything in the first place."
"So Daniel, are you from around here?"
Hesitating slightly, Daniel answered. "I come from a short travel outside Eshickna."
"Oh, then chances are I probably don't know where it would be. I come from Stoneforge, a smaller town close to the outskirts." Hika had no thoughts of how many risks she was running by sharing this sort of information nor did she have a clear plan at hand of what to say in case Daniel would ask what she was doing so far from home.
"It sounds like you've been on quite a journey then!" Daniel commented. "So what brings you here to Eshickna?"
Hika froze up for a moment. "Uh." She said and thought of a cover. "I'm visiting some friends I haven't seen in a while. Usually they come to me so I thought it was about time I visited them."
Well done Hika. She silently sighed from relief.
"I hope you think the journey is worth the visit to a city like Eshickna"
"Oh definitely. Its a rather stunning scenery here north. Even without an even more stunning city."
The conversation was interrupted when Hika saw the innkeeper return with the soups on a tray. "here you go miss, I'll have you pay in the morning. Room four, is it?"
"Yes, thank you. - Say, could I get a glass of water and a lump of bread with this?"
"Oh, sure thing darling." He went away and shortly returned with a glass of water and the lump of bread.
Daniel looked at the water, remembering his diet "Excuse me, could I have a glass of water as well?"
Hika picked up the tray and while Daniel was waiting for the innkeeper to get some water he looked at it a second time. "Two bowls of soup?"
"I share a room. Well, we may see each other in the morning. - Good night." Hika turned around, trying to balance the heavy tray and carefully starting to cross the floor towards the staircase. Daniel watched her trying to keep the tray balanced before he got out of his seat and caught up with her. "Hika, wouldn't you like some help with that?"
"Oh, it's really not..."
"Here we go," he said and took the tray out of her hands.
"Sorry for listening but I guess your room is number four?" He was already halfway up the stairs with Hika trying to keep up, stricken with fear as she was. They stood outside her door "Thanks for carrying the tray, uhm." she had started to rub her hands without noticing.
"Oh, could you just open the door for me please?" He looked at her with a friendly smile. "You don't have to Daniel, but thanks for -"
"Oh sure I do! Please just open the door," he insisted. In what seemed like a slow motion taking ages, Hika got the key out of her pocket and opened the door. before she was able to maneuver herself around to accept the tray and shut Daniel out, Daniel had already backed into the room and was on his way to the bed where Ceres was lying in his cloak. She could feel cold sweat forming on her body and the blood draining from her face leaving it pale.
What now?
Daniel put the tray down by the bed table but as he let go of the tray he froze in motion with a look caught at the strangely colored boy sleeping on the bed. He spun around by the sound of the door closing at the other end of the room. Hika stood in front of it with her hands behind her back. She held two of the few hidden knives she had with her. These two had been hidden in the fabric on her back and she was ready to let them slide out of their pockets, ready to be thrown. "What you have seen here should not be heard from your mouth by anyone. Many lives depend on this secret." She wasn't sure about the latter but she had to say something. The boy would be dead if the average citizen was to know of a demon behind their lines. He had to be transported to the council in secretive safety and just now she realized how exposed he actually was. How great a risk it was they were taking.
"You didn't visit Eshickna just to see some old friends I suppose," Daniel just said.
Hika was desperate and probably did something not entirely thoroughly planned. "Tomorrow we are visiting the council. You are invited to come along if you can keep this a secret."

(I'm going to keep the next move up to Varthonai which he can post as part of his opening post. I'll go on to the morning now.)

The morning light struck into the bedroom from the window near Hika's bed. It was still early hours but Hika felt refreshed and awake now. She was used to waking up early and despite sleeping in a bed that was far more comfortable than what she had gotten used to over the years, it still couldn't prevent her from waking up. Ceres was just as fast asleep as he had been before. She had hoped feeding him the soup yesterday would live up the boy but he remained as stubbornly asleep as he had been before. She hoped this was because he needed the rest rather than because there was something seriously wrong. She had no idea how demons worked. It wasn't a race she had ever seen before.

(Dies because its 20 past 5 in the morning.
If I accidentally deleted someone's profile please tell me)

[Aval]

(Woo! Openness!)

Aval opened his sleep-filled eyes slowly, at first slightly; just a blurred horizon of light met his mind. Then came a flutter, then wider - the Herculean effort taking all his willpower. At last, his vision was fully operating, enabling him to observe his surroundings.

The walls were small, wooden and close, the ceiling looked thatched and round the skirting board and level with the door were runes carved to ensure most forms of eves dropping was impossible. Next to his small bed was another identical small bed with a not-so identical person in it.

From this Aval could deduce that he was in a room of an inn, probably in one of the seedier parts of Eshickna. Most likely The Spearman.

This was good because this was where he fell asleep.

His sheets were all tangled up and his body was in the foetal position, clothed in what he had been wearing before.

Despite the dreams that he had come be accustomed to whenever he slept, Aval felt refreshed. It was the first full night of sleep he’d had in a long time, it felt as if he’d been resting for a year.

He sat up in his bed, and stretched out his gangly limbs, giving satisfying clicks from his joints, preparing them for use after his ample slumber. He stood up.

He also felt better about himself, as if he was suddenly a more appealing person, as if his patron God had somehow gotten more adept and experienced at weaving his destiny and forming his character.

Was all this because of the loss of the pearl? It didn’t seem logical, he ought to feel terrible at having lost something so important, yet he had heard of people feeling free once their commitments had been detached, perhaps this was an example of this?

Or perhaps this rejuvenating sleep was some sort of twisted meta humor that is only funny in the context of some sort of existential mind in which he dwelled.

Aval shook his head, and moved on.

[Polo]

Ceres opened his eyes. For a moment he was just lying there, not moving, his eyes fixated in one position. Then, no more then 5 seconds later he let out a small gasp and started to flail about. In his flailing he managed to kick himself of the soft bed and onto the hard cold floor. He hit it hard and made a small thud. As he hit it he stopped flailing just as sudden as he had started. He blinked, where was he now? He got up, slowly, trying to gather himself and my god did he feel great. His vision was blurred but started to clear quickly. He walked around with his arms out in front of him trying to find out where he was, he could make out what seemed like a bed. By accident he managed to trip on the leg of the bed but steadied himself before he fell. By now his vision had cleared enough for him to see what was around him and what a relief it was, being blind didn't seem very fun. He looked up, to his surprise there wasn't just one bed, there were two!

Ceres stopped.

[Varthonai]

The local pawnbroker sat at his stall, drinking tea and looking rather pleased pleased with himself. The man from whom he had received the beautiful ornate silver dagger had obviously spent what little money he had received for his prized antique on drink and other trivial pursuits... within a matter of hours, the man would have to accept defeat, unable to buy his beloved treasure back. And though, in desperation, the man had resorted to violent threats, he would be unable to win in a court battle after the pawnbroker called the authorities. The dagger was his--there was no way that this "Daniel Namecaller" fellow could scrounge up enough money in time, not at this rate.

THUNK.

The pawnbroker jumped and cried out at the loud noise as his prized soon-to-be-possession knifed through the air in a chrome streak, shattered the pawnbroker's teacup in a splash of hot liquid, and buried its tip into the wood of the stall counter.

"Hello," said a menacing voice from behind. "I've got the money, sir, and I'm here to buy back what's rightfully mine."


***

Daniel sat in the tavern, flipping his knife in the air to pass the time as he waited for Hika to return, catching it safely by the handle whenever it began to return from its gravity-defying journey. With the Name enhancing his reaction time and agility, the trick was performed with flawless execution every time.

Lord, this is a nigh-on SUICIDAL idea, Daniel thought. That girl isn't letting us come as a REWARD for keeping quiet about that damned Hellspawn child, she just wants us around her at all times so that we can be silenced--permanently--if she ever thinks that we'll break our oath! And... although I would NEVER refuse to obey your commands, my Lord, I must explain that... I felt somewhat violated when you made that oath of silence to her for both of us.

The Name reminded Daniel that it was his JOB--not merely his job, but in fact his whole purpose of existence--to speak the Name's words and intentions whenever necessary, and had never had any problems with this job in the past. And the Name deemed it necessary to make the promise, especially considering the circumstances--Hika had practically been a damsel in distress, and the Name reasoned that the laws of chivalry and noblesse oblige must have an even tighter bond on fallen gods than they do on nobles.

The Name also made it explicitly clear that the child in the room upstairs was from no Hell in the Name's creation--it was not of any supernatural plane, but was rather an earthly creature, just as humans and Elves were earthly creatures.

Your Word is law, my Lord, but... it is suspicious. She loaned us money for the dagger, and now we are INDEBTED to her... she has trapped us, bound us, bought our loyalty on so many levels that she might as well have dragged us from Eshickna in chains. I do not trust her.

If the Name had a nose and mouth and lungs of its own, it would have scoffed loudly. After all... it was the Name's very nature to be loving, to be trusting, of all Creation.

Daniel counted the little money that was left and thought about how best to go about making more, paying back Hika, and perhaps breaking the chains of debt at last. It didn't look like a prospect that would be feasible anytime soon... Ironically, Daniel had spent almost all of his remaining money investing in a CONTAINER for the scant coins he had left, a spider-silk pouch that was light enough not to hinder the Name but durable enough not to break or tear easily on the journey. He reasoned that if he did not purchase a container, he would never be able to carry more than a handful of coins at a time and so would never pay his debt.

He put the coins back into the pouch, leaned back in his seat, and skeptically waited to be introduced to the members of the newfound "party" that he was now a captive of in all respects save the name.

[Victory]

Gerald hummed merrily to himself as he fixed the lace at the end of his sleeves. Yesterday evening had proven to be a proferable night. The debt money he had collected from old gambling friends, plus the few coins he had on him from before, had managed to repair the damage to his appeal. Donning a new pair of beige breeches, just about identical to his last pair, he had replaced the yellow waist coat with a dark grey dress suit. The cravat as always was perfectly tied and cared for and for a change his hands remained undressed. He had replaced his hat, but not the cape; instead he opted for a cane.

He strapped his belt on, making sure the dagger felt comfortable in its place, before he ventured outside of his room. He strolled down to the bar disk, cane and hat politely kept in hand whilst indoors.

"Pardon me, my dear chap," Gerald called softly after the in keeper who turned an eye his way, "How about a cup of tea?"

"Certainly, sir."

Gerald felt good about today, despite the unsettling location. He wished Hika was right about elves being careful about magic but somehow he doubted it. He wanted nothing else than to be proven wrong this time.

[killerkb]

The sun came up, but by that time, Nore was already well awake. He walked around in Eshickna, enjoying a clear morning. As time passed, more and more people came out of there homes, and started to slowly crowd the streets.

Nore didn't always feel comfortable in crowds. Certainly not, early in the morning. He took a right turn, and found himself in a still unlit, and dark alleyway.
A few men were sleeping on the floor, clearly unaware of the crowd, or anything else in that matter.
A strong stench, brushed Nore's face, and he decided to clear out of the alleyway. Cause who knows, what kind of diseases these people bring.

They're nothing more than rats... Nore thought.

He then turned around, and blended in, in the crowd.

[Killing_Time]

Hika sat up suddenly, immediately aware of the sounds that were present in the room. She saw Ceres standing by the bed.
Hika blinked, not knowing to shout out or be calm. "You're awake."
She stood up, wearing a short-sleeved jumpsuit which she normally wore beneath her patched leather garments. She took a step towards the demon but then retracted and sat down on the bed. "Its been a day since you fell unconscious. How much do you remember?"
She wasn't sure how to feel and a lot of thoughts buzzed around in her head, making her uncertain of how to act.

(Okay guys we seriously need this story rolling in a certain pace. I'm going on holiday soon and I don't want to see us accomplishing nothing!)

[Polo]

Whoa, Ceres fell back as he saw a figure jump out of the second bed. He looked up at the figure, he could make out who it was exactly. The light come from the window behind them was causing them to be silhouetted.

"Its been a day since you fell unconscious. How much do you remember?"

That voice. That voice sounded familiar... Ceres paused for a moment, looked down, and then back up. He heaved himself back onto his feet.

"Hika?"

[Killing_Time]

Hika sighed from relief. Ceres remembered her so he would probably remember that the party was heading for Eshickna.
"Yes it's me. We're in Eshickna now, in a tavern."
She looked around the small room. "I suppose you must be hungry. I'll bring up some breakfast and then we'll leave afterward. You can have a wash and get ready while I'm gone - There's a can and a dish with water over there."

She quietly got her lather garments fitted back on and she went downstairs to see what she could get for the money she had left.
The container for her money was noticeably lighter than when she left to go to Eshickna. She recalled the stranger from yesterday, Daniel, who had now joined the party. She had realized before she fell asleep that she would be lucky if she ever saw her money again.
As she went down the stairs she immediately noticed that Gerald and Daniel were there. She wasn't too worried about introducing Daniel to the party as it was a mere exchange of names. What she was really worried about were the more than certainly following questions of to why Daniel should come along.

[Victory]

"Here you go, sir" the innkeeper said and placed a cup on the table before pouring some tea into it from an old silver tea pot. Gerald took a slight sip, judging silently the quality of it, before putting the cup down with delight; it was a good cup of tea.

He turned his head to the stairs in curiosity as he heard someone descend.

"Ah, Hika, I trust you slept well," Gerald said with high spirit.

[Varthonai]

(Damn, Vic. Gerald be stylin'. :thumbsup:)

Daniel glanced disdainfully at the overdressed fop who sat neat him, playing idly with the top of a cane. Such uninhibited VANITY, such fashion-mongering accessorization, Daniel thought, shaking his head. Humility is truly dead, my Lord. The Name gave a little astral chuckle at the irony.

Daniel noticed Hika approaching and sat up straighter. This was serious business now, literally and figuratively.

"Ah, Hika, I trust you slept well," said the gentleman. Daniel's eyes widened in shock--the man knew her by name?! Surely this dandy could not be one of his new party members--it was a ludicrous thought!

[Killing_Time]

Hika almost froze by the sudden attention drawn to her as Gerald spoke and Daniel looked, but managed to walk all the way to where Gerald sat. "Sleeping was no problem, thank you. Quite a change to the better," she said.
"Ceres woke up this morning so I've told him where we are. Hopefully we'll be able to get him out safely." She added the last sentence with a quieter voice.
She glanced at Daniel, making eye contact before looking back at Gerald.
"Ah, yesterday evening I met the gentleman over there," she started and pointed towards Daniel. "He's... indebted to me and I have invited him to come along with us to see the council." She bit her lip and hoped this was going to be all the information she would have to share.

[Victory]

"Have you now?" Gerald said gaily and looked to his side, at Daniel. The man had a strange expression on his face, a mix between horror and shock. Gerald could muster a guess to the reason of this but paid it no attention, rising from his chair all the same.

"Then I suppose an introduction is long over due. Sir Gerald Debore," Gerald said, taking a bow, "T'is a pleasure."

[Varthonai]

By all the Former Powers, he IS one of the party! Lord, this is unspeakable! We cannot associate with this man. I must tell Hika that--

Daniel was tense, with half a mind to leave right then and there, but the Name ordered Daniel to stop.

Daniel reluctantly did as he was commanded, and slumped back into his seat. "'M called Daniel. Pleased to... meet your acquaintance, sir," Daniel said to Gerald with a grunt.

Every second I spend around you is a living hell, and nothing will give me satisfaction until I am laughing over the smoldering ruins of all your valuables and possessions, Daniel thought about Gerald with deep loathing. The Name tsked reproachfully.

[Victory]

"Best warn you, my dear lad, screw your courage to the sticking place; you'll need it." Gerald laughed, thinking back on yesterday before returning to his tea. Gerald sat a while, contemplating on the group that followed each other. A gathering of extremely different people, was he could say for sure. Daniel seemed like a decent chap, though Gerald recognized the glimmer of hatred most people had towards him, or perhaps that was just nervosity but Gerald doubted it. It was nothing he hadn't already taught himself to ignore; it didn't bother him.

"How's your ankle, my dear?" Gerald said, turning to Hika.

[Killing_Time]

Hika tried really hard to act as if the atmosphere was not all tense, but failed as she had to refocus when Gerald spoke to her. "Pardon? Oh, the ankle is fine."
She let her ankle bend around to prove it.
"Excuse me, I have to bring some breakfast up. We should probably leave soon when Aval has awakened."
With those words, Hika went to order a loaf of bread and some fruits. If it would be needed, she could at least save the apples for a time where they would be greatly appreciated.
She went upstairs again and lightly knocked on the door to her room. "It's Hika. Can I come in?"

[Polo]

Ceres just finished putting his socks on. His clothes were still slightly dirty but he cleaned them the best he could. He grabbed up his black robe and donned it. As he put it on, a lose button fell off. He bent down to pick it up, but something caught his eye from underneath the bed. A red cloth of some sort. Interested to see what it was exactly, he picked it up to look at it. He stood up straight. The button was of no use any more, he put it in his pocket, he might be able to get it fixed later.

He looked at the cloth. It was a lot longer than a normal piece of cloth. Quite long, actually. Why would anyone forget to clean up a piece of cloth? And more importantly why was it there. He assumed it had just been left by another traveller, and got pushed under the bed and forgotten about. I guess it didn't really matter.

Suddenly, a light knock came from the other side of the door.
"It's Hika. Can I come in?" a muffled, yet familiar voice came from the other side.
"Sure." Ceres said, looking back at the cloth, wondering if it could be used by something.

[Killing_Time]

Hika entered carefully, carrying the bread and apples. "Take a pick," she said and put everything, save one of the three apples on the table.
She leaned back against the wall by her bed and bit into the apple. The sweet taste was definitely refreshing and something much needed. "I'm glad to see you're pretty much all ready and set," Hika said between the bites of her apple.
She noticed the cloth Ceres held with a lifted eyebrow. She hadn't noticed that before. "O-uhm," she said and swallowed. "Say, what's that you've got?" She asked and motioned towards the cloth.

[Tawl]

(Bloody hell, sorry guys)

Elias pulled on his coat as he paced the room. It was early morning but he had been awake for a number of hours, he hadn't slept well. He wasn't sure why but the eyes of the Dark Elf he'd killed on the ferry were stuck in his mind.
"So strange" He muttered as he sat on the edge of the bed and laced his boots. He usually didn't have remorse for his marks yet this one seemed different. It was because the elf was ambiguous, he couldn't decide if his death was necessary. He had acted on impulse which had messed with his rationality. He'd covered his tracks well but he'd have to be more careful from here on.

He downed some water from the jug on the nightstand of his room. It tasted stale, much like the smell of the remains of the last night's meal, but was still refreshing. He grabbed his saddle bag on his way out the door, he would have to resupply at some point this morning, he had lost much in the forrest fire. Fate was not playing into his hands at the moment.

----------

He settled his bill and stepped out into the morning sun, warming his face. He scanned the streets and began to walk towards the market district, he couldn't be too long on errands, he still had to find the party and right now they could be anywhere in the city. He made a note to check on the boy he had left with the healers the night before. He felt a need to know his fate.

[Silence]

Bloody fuckin hell... Darius thought as he rose from his bed. I'm getting too old for this. Everything hurts. This was a bad idea.

He slipped off his bed and onto the floor. He had decided to make his stay at a tavern and inn in a place called Eshickna. The night before he had almost been arrested by the Government's men for poaching in the forest grounds. It was mid-morning, and he was able to get to his horse before the men caught up to him. He rode for hours away, as the penatly for poaching was quite servere.

He had decided to stay at a small in to avoid suspicion.

Chances are those bastards have bigger issues to worry about. I'm probably safe now... But gods above, I need some alchohol.

He dressed and made his way down to the tavern area of the building.

"Yea, just an ale. Little bit of a mornin wake-meh-up, ya know..." He said to the batender.

The man served him up his drink, and he took a sip.

"What in the hells is this?! I asked for ale, not warm moose piss! Now get me something that's cold, you hear me?" He said.

He didn't care about the attention he had attracted from the rest of the room. He was tired, hungry, sore, and pissed off.

"And get me some fuckin bread while you're at it, boy!"

Edit: (Wow, that's a lot of profanities. Someone's in a bad mood.)

[Victory]

(So let me get this straight... Not only does he use the word fuck which wasn't a profanity in these times, but he avoids suspicion by attracting attention and screaming about how his beer is warm when there's no cooling technology to cool it? Beer wasn't a popular drink until refrigerators were invented because it had to be served warm and it didn't last very long hence why almost every city had its own local brewery. All this makes sense to you? Okay, just checking.)

[Silence]

(First of all, he's not avoiding suspicion. That's not on his list of priorities. Second of all, I've never studied the methods they used in this nonexistant universe to cool drinks, but I assume that they would have some form of cooling. To Wikipedia! Will return shortly with more info on the cooling of drinks in Medevial times.

Edit: Yeah, they sometimes cooled their drinks, and sometimes served them hot. I don't think it really matters though, I mean, it's not part of the story. I was just using it as a device to attract attention and meet up with the rest.)

[Varthonai]

Not only does he use the word fuck which wasn't a profanity in these times, but he avoids suspicion by attracting attention and screaming about how his beer is warm when there's no cooling technology to cool it?

(Isn't Sepso a steampunk setting? It wouldn't surprise me if there's some form of cooling technology, and it certainly wouldn't surprise me if f*ck was profane.)

Daniel raised his sights up to glance at the old fool raving at the barkeep. He had no business talking that way, and Daniel had half a mind to tell him so.

Actually, he had a full mind to tell him so, but half of his full mind was diluted by the pacifying influence of the Name. The two halves struggled against each other, but ultimately the natural and untainted part of Daniel's personality won out. The Name heaved a great astral sigh and sat back to watch the inevitable unfolding of events.

"Tone yourself down, old man," Daniel said, standing up. "There's no need for that kind of attitude."

(Yeah, Daniel's kind of a prick.)

[Killing_Time]

(I view the world of Sepso in more of a medieval type of setting. Magic or simply a deep basement could solve the problems of cooling.
BTW, Varth you mentioned steam punk which gave me an idea for further RPGs to use in Sepso.. I wouldn't mind this world to be used for other stories that could be set in a future.

I believe Aval gave me permission to control his character as he is currently off to somewhere... I Just remembered, heh.
Tawl, I think we decided in the old RPG to meet up by a white tower where Sokeras will take us to the council.)

[Victory]

"Now now," Gerald said, tapping Daniel on the shoulder with his cane, "leave the fellow to his business and return sight to your own. We don't want to cause any trouble."

[Varthonai]

Daniel flipped the tip of the cane off.of his shoulder angrily and took another step toward the man at the bar. The Name tried to be a voice of reason, reminding Daniel of the consquences... but, admittedly, the consequences were few at best. He would be leaving the inn later today anyway; it hardly mattered what the staff thought of his conduct.

"You have no business drinking yourself into stupor this early in the morning anyhow," Daniel continued, his voice rising.

[Victory]

(Alright, I'm going to be out of town for a music festival and other part-a activities for the next couple of days and will return saturday night, though don't expect any life or response out of me that eve. Since SPP already have a few characters down her throat, could you, Varth, take my part for while I'm away? It'd be appreciated.)

Gerald felt a slight sense of irritation as Daniel foolishly continued the fued for no reason Gerald could comprehend. It wasn't chivalry to meddle by matching insults with more insults; what Daniel did, he did for himself. Gerald did not want to risk attracting too much attention, with the demon child getting ready to leave upstairs. If Daniel would not see reason, Gerald would force him.

"Daniel," Gerald insited, his tone suddenly noticably colder, "I do believe you've said enough. Now, settle down."

[Varthonai]

(Alright, I'm going to be out of town for a music festival and other part-a activities for the next couple of days and will return saturday night, though don't expect any life or response out of me that eve. Since SPP already have a few characters down her throat, could you, Varth, take my part for while I'm away? It'd be appreciated.)

(Sure thing, Vic. I'll get on that after we get a response from Silence.)

[Silence]

Darius looked over to see the two men stting near him.

"It's was a long day and a long night. Just leave a sore old man alone for a moment, will you? Don't you have any respect?"

[Varthonai]

"If you want respect, sir," Daniel retorted, "then show some self-respect, and some respect for the rest of the residents of this innMPH!"

Gerald had clamped a hand over Daniel's mouth. "More's the pity," Gerald said, softly. And then, addressing Darius: "Beg pardon, m'good sir."

[Silence]

"Let the kid talk!" He says with a hearty laugh.

"I haven't gotten into a good barfight this early in the day since I was a young lad like you!" He continued, standing up.

(OOC: Yeah, Darius isn't really a subtle character. But he's soooooo much more fun to play that way)

[Varthonai]

("good barfight"? Even if Darius is a hair-trigger bastard I don't think he'd start a barfight for fun. He'd start one because he's pissed off and defending his dignity.)

Daniel struggled out of Gerald's grip and started forward again, but Gerald extended his cane and tripped Daniel by the ankles. Daniel fell bashfully upon his face, and laughter rang out through the bar.

"Don't make me shame you any further, m'lad," Gerald whispered. "T'is neither the time nor the place for a scrap... if that's what you seek."

Eyes burning with hatred for everyone and everything in the inn, Daniel stood up and dusted himself off, sheathing his ceremonial knife back into the light belt that held his new pouch of coins.

The Name began to say something or other about loving thy neighbor, but Daniel mentally blocked it out in a fit of frenzied spite. Lord, forgive me... but I need to be alone, Daniel hissed to himself.

[Killing_Time]

(Ah, seems like we're running into some problems. I'm going on holiday tomorrow. I'll be back August the first. I guess there is plenty of room for filling out time until I come back. If you other players wish to, you could eventually go to the meet-up place and take control of the three of us who are absent so we'll come along. Polo if you would, I'd prefer you take control of my character seeing as we are in the same room.)

[Silence]

Darius laughed and sat back down.

"And where in the HELL is my ale?!"

[Varthonai]

(Seriously, the bartender should be calling over the bouncer to deal with Darius by this point.)

[Silence]

(I'm not sure that they would have bouncers at these types of places at this point in time.)

[Aval]

(Shit, apparently MSN decided not to deliver my message to SPP describing the nature of my absence.

NEway Back guys, reading thread.)

[Varthonai]

(I'm not sure that they would have bouncers at these types of places at this point in time.)

(There has never been a point in time when you could go into a bar, be an asshole to everybody including the servers, and not have to deal with any consequences. Usually it would be because of a bouncer; they've had bouncers for about as long as there have been taverns and bars for them to guard. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouncer_(doorman)#Ancient_times))

[Killing_Time]

(I'm back from my trip and I can see Aval was right when he said the RPG broke and needs fixing. Silence, it could in fact help the story and your chances of joining out if you decided to leg it or in some way get just get out of the tavern with a goal *cough*. I have to wait for Polo to make an entry before I can post...)

[Polo]

(i'm about to go to sleep so lemme make this quick)

Ceres looked down at the cloth he had picked up. "This? Uh.. I just found it. Might come in handy for some sort of first aid."

(True fact: Ceres is the name of a goddess[thanks Varth!])
(Except thats only a shortening of his name)
(i guess his father is a dick)

[Varthonai]

Daniel realized, for the first time that day, that he was hungry. He hadn't eaten breakfast, and if he waited for the group to start moving he probably wouldn't get an opportunity to eat for a while.

Daniel stood up and began to walk over to the bar. Taking note of a warning glare from Gerald, he made sure to sit as far away from the drunken old fool at the other end of the bar as possible. He hated to admit it, but Gerald and the Name were both right--he needed to resist his wrath, to focus and remove temptation from his path.

"Do you serve fresh fish?" asked Daniel, as with as much politeness as he could muster under the circumstances.

"Absolutely, sir. Breaded and deep-fried brown trout freshly caught from the lake is a house specialty," said the bartender. "It's normally not served until later in the day, but I think the chef might be willing to make an exception. We serve breakfast as well, though, sir--toast, with butter, jam, or honey for an added cost to the price of room and board..."

Daniel disapproved. He didn't want fried fish; it would be too heavy a dish, too much of a burden on the Name. But he needed food with SOME nourishment... meat, fish, poultry, milk, lentils, anything.

"Is there milk?"

"Absolutely, sir. Goat's, sheep's, or cow's?"

"Cow's. Get me a glass. What kind of bread's the toast made from?"

"White flour, spelt flour, or whole grain wheat, sir."

"Plain white toast, then. None of the spread stuff, just four pieces of plain white toast."

"Right away, sir."

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at Gerald as he ordered, and it occurred to him that although he had seen Hika ordering food, she was no longer present and he had not yet seen Gerald eat anything. "You getting something?" Daniel asked.

[Aval]

(Oh shit. Evidently Aval got himself trapped in a time vortex for about half an hour or so that lasted around a decade for him, however he managed to battle his way out, outsmarting and defeating the evil Time Master, foiling his plans and saving Sepso once again. He's an introverted bastard though, so don't expect it to come up in conversation)

In an oddly sprightly mood, Aval hopped down the stairs with a rare smile on his face. He glanced at the old wooden timekeeper in the corner.

Nine o'clock, high time for some hard spirits, I beleive.

striding towards the bar he found a stool near Gerald and utilized it. He saw a stranger nearby with a slice of bread between plate and mouth. Normally he would have minded his own business, but he was in a good mood this morning.

"I wouldn't touch the bread if I were you, around a quarter of the weight there is insectoid."

Good deed of the day done

Although for some reason the stranger appeared to be desparatly trying to hold in an explosion.

He looked towards the barman, gained his attention.

"Shot of whiskey, my good man."

[Killing_Time]

"Good thinking." Hika finished her apple and wiped her hands on her clothes. "Hopefully we'll all be ready to go in a bit. We'll find a way to get you out unnoticed."
"Uhm," she started while she folded her arms and looked down. "Not all of us..." Hika started to slowly walk across the room. "...Got to Eshickna safely." She stopped walking. "We all made it out of the blaze and on to the ferry. It was on the ferry we lost Jake, you remember the one of the Dark Elves?" She paused briefly, as if to expect Ceres would have time to answer her. "We saw nothing of him suddenly and later found out he had gone overboard. He was wounded purposely most likely." She sat down on her bed again with a distant look on her face. Why Jake? What had he done? he hadn't carried anything of value save the orb. Yet whoever ended his existence did not even take that. Had he known someone on the ferry? Did he know something that would make him a kill-worthy target? These were just a few of the questions running through Hika's mind until she snapped out of it. She had enough to think about with their present situation. Daniel, Ceres, the council... Suddenly the reason of their journey seemed so petty. So pointless.
She just do what had to be done and trust her surroundings that everything would be fine again and she could return home.
"Ceres, I'll be back soon. I just need to check up on the rest and see if we are clear to go."
Hika walked down the stairs and almost immediately noticed Aval by the bar. "Good morning Aval," she said with as much positivity she could muster while she made it down.
"How far is everyone with getting ready to go?"

[Victory]

Gerald gave Daniel's question some thought. He wasn't really hungry, but he reckoned he would be soon and he never had good experience with eating apples while he was hungry, it only seemed to exacerbate his hunger.

"Sink me, if you aren't right," he said and gestured the inkeeper to come closer, "two slices of white bread, please, with butter on them."

"Of course, sir."

Gerald turned his head as Hika greeted one of the men at the bar. She seemed to have intentions of leaving soon and Gerald approved feeling kind of silly for the sandwhiches he ordered.

"Faith, m'dear, I shall be ready after I've finished my tea," he said, taking another sip. It was almost full so he figured he had another 10 minutes or so.

[Varthonai]

"Sink me, if you aren't right," Gerald replied, chuckling as he turned to the innkeeper to order something.

He won't come up to eat with his companions at the bar? Daniel thought, nervously. I must not have hidden my disgust quite as well as I'd thought.

The Name struggled not to burst out in raucous astral laughter.

The toast arrived a moment later. Bah, maybe I'm reading too far into it, Daniel thought, picking up a slice. [/i]Maybe he's just comfortable where he's sitting. Maybe--[/I]

"I wouldn't touch the bread if I were you," said the hitherto-unnoticed Dark Elf at the barstool to Daniel's side, making Daniel jump slightly. "Around a quarter of the weight there is insectoid."

Daniel considered his neighbor's advice for a full five seconds before deciding that it was of no consequence. He bit heartily into his toast and was pleasantly rewarded with a rich, flavorful, yeasty taste. It put him into a considerably better mood right away.

"Suppose I must have been served the innkeeper's private stock by accident, then," Daniel told his neighbor in a pleasantly passive-aggressive tone. "But I thank you for the warning nonetheless."

The Dark Elf's expression was unreadable. Daniel hoped that it masked a deep sentiment of crushing defeat.

Daniel noticed his neighbor's shot of whiskey and eyed it warily. Second time today, Daniel thought, annoyed. Am I missing something?

"Tell me, sir," said Daniel, trying to keep the tone of irritation in his voice level, "are you a citizen of Eshickna? Is it customary to drink hard spirits so early in the--"

"Good morning, Aval," came Hika's familiar voice. Daniel turned around on his barstool.

"How far is everyone with getting ready to go?" Hika asked.

"Faith, m'dear, I shall be ready after I've finished my tea," called Gerald. Daniel nodded his assent, adding "Yes, and I'll just finish my toast."

About time we got this infernal embarkation over and done with, he thought, biting into the pleasant white crunchiness of his breakfast.

[Aval]

Aval smiled.

"Why yes I suppose, just about."

He downed his drink, reveling in the hot kiss of his old friend and that warmth that it gave his body.

He turned, smile now hollow. Aval was, against his better judgment, beginning to get a negative impression of this man next to him.

"Why no it is not, however I enjoy doing so."

He smiled harder, hollower. What strange psychological complex gave this man the right to pass judgment on somebody merely giving advise? Come to think of it, were him and Gerald in conversation? He could only imagine what horrible mangling of social conduct had brought about that.

The sooner he satisfied Hika's need to go the sooner he could be out of this person's presence.

He realized that his mood had been dropping steadily, his subconscious grinding away at the inside of his cheery mood. Probably catalyzed by the abrasive gentleman next to him and the alcohol.

Then it hit him.

shit.

Sokeres was an Imperial spy, And they were all in danger. He needed to tell the others in private.

The scribe was not with them.

Neither was the boy.

Things weren't getting better. Sokeres had the pearl and two of their members (a comatose child and a man who might at best be able to write a scathing memoir) were scattered over the city.

Aval stood up.

"Yes. Lets go. Now."

(LOLOLOLOL IRONY)

[Killing_Time]

(I'm going to do a little fast-forwarding since Aval is annoying me. Feel free to give a small synopsis for your character if you will. We will soon fast-forward again, but now I'm giving Tawl some time to get up to date.)

They all stood outside in the constantly changing light as small clouds passed by, momentarily hiding the light strokes from the sun that had yet to pass above the mountains protecting Eshickna.
Even on this relatively small street the foot traffic came steadily from both directions.
The horse threw its head up impatiently a couple of times, ready to go with the safely hidden Ceres carried on her back.

"We will meet Klide and Dirral by the tower. It should be somewhere in the western direction, so I suppose we should be able to find it when we get somewhere as bit more open." Hika looked up at the tall buildings facing against the sun; they allowed no overview of the city from the party's given position.
"Shall we go?"

[Tawl]

(OMGWTFBBQ!? *Angry face*

For the record, Elias has no idea where you guys were staying or where you were heading so for convenience I'm placing him in the market/trade centre from which you can run into him. What a stroke of plot convenient luck. Also, Elias has changed his clothing.)

Elias breathed in the deep smell of woodsmoke that came from the fire lit at the fishmongers. Fresh smoked fish was one of the many items that was in high demand from Eshickna, especially in Danforth. The aroma wafted through the stalls to where he was handing over his old clothes.
"They're damaged, but it is good material." The stall owner exclaimed. "I'm sure I can make something new from these."
Elias was reluctant to hand over his old clothing, especially his riding cloak, but he wouldn't have been able to afford his new clothes otherwise. In exchange he had haggled a small discount. The purchase had still emptied his pockets of the last of his money however, he would have to find more. One without money did not get far in a city.

Despite this he Elias was still very happy with his new purchases. His new dark green cloak was much lighter than his old heavy black riding cloak and restricted his movement less. It hung lightly over his shoulders with a hood in the back and was only about two thirds of his body in length. The woman owning the stall had picked out a gray shirt and trousers, claiming the colours matched or something. Elias wasn't too worried, the clothing was practical and a welcome replacement. With his satchel slung over his shoulder he probably more looked the part of a scribe than he had in his previous garb.

He stopped at a fountain in the centre of the district and filled his water skin. Sipping he sat down on the fountains edge, wondering how he was supposed to find the party. It would make sense to wait back at Rochelle and Rockmond's with the boy until they came to collect him. He didn't think it was likely the girl, Hika, would leave him alone for too long. However it could be days before they collected him and Elias didn't know how long they had planned to remain in the city, nor what the purpose of the journey here was. Elias took another swig. He recalled Hika mentioning a tower, but that was barely enough information to go on. For now he was stuck.

[Varthonai]

Klide. Dirral. Hmph.

Daniel hadn't been impressed with any of the troupe so far and thought it highly unlikely that either of the two new names would reveal more promising characters.

The Name wasn't really passing negative or positive judgment; it was simply curious. Everyone seemed to be hiding something... moreover, the Name was extremely interested in Ceres. The Name had never encountered a demon before.

But my Lord, you CREATED all races. You must have seen a demon!

The Name acknowledged that this was true, but quickly added that it meant that it had never talked to one in person before. Never chosen one as a prophet in the Olden Times, so to speak.

"Certainly we may go," said Daniel to Hika, sweetly. As if she has to ask permission. Of course I'm in her debt, but she hardly needs to rub it in...

[Aval]

Aval cringed and followed on, his good mood was well and truly gone by now. He cared little about this new, unnecessary and frankly rude baggage they had picked up.

With this thought he suddenly realized that, with Jacob now dead, he had nobody to talk to. He had shared little words with any any of the others and nearly none that weren't out of necessity.

He decided that if he was to wander with these people, he may as well be able to converse freely. Time to break out that patented charm.

"So Gerald, what do you do when you're not following a group of strangers around and risking your life for a misplaced and inflated sense of social responsibility?"

[Polo]

Ceres let out a small sigh. His red cloth he found, now continently covering up his demonic mark, turned out to be of some use. It was sort of itchy, but he'd get used to it. People do not tend to take notice of a demons skin colour as much as you would think, perhaps because there are some demons that are seen as friendly to the capitol, albeit still seen as bad to be around. Or so his father told him. Simply, the easiest way to spot an unfriendly demon, if you know your stuff, is to look at the mark on their forehead. Any skilled cipher would know how friendly a demon is by looking at their marks.

He was finding it hard to remember his fathers voice... He thought to himself, weird how you end up forgetting someone's voice over time. It's almost like your mind is systematically erasing memories of them, because they're just too much of a burden to remember. He clinged to Hika, his eyes enraged slightly, glaring. Noises around him began to quieten... What was the point of remembering anything if you can't remember those you once loved anymor- blink.

Suddenly, the uproar of the market place could be heard again, Ceres felt slightly dazed. He soon realised how hard he was clinging to Hika. He lessened his grip.

[Killing_Time]

"Keep your head down!" Hika said silently to Ceres. Her heart was pounding way ahead of the calm rythm of the horse's hoves. "- And hold on. We'll arrive before you know it."
They all entered the marketplace and one of the first thing Hika noticed -after her eyes adjusted to the lively, colorful view was the impressive fountain in the middle. Many people sat or stood around it conversing and she even spotted someone filling their water skin.
She stopped the horse for a moment to get a clearer view. Aiiko neighed loudly and impatiently moved her head as the man by the fountain looked their way. "Hey I know that guy," she said it perhaps more to herself than anyone else.

[Tawl]

As Elias replaced the cap of his water skin his eyes fell onto a group of people nearing the market district centre. He laughed quietly under his breath, he could barely believe his fortune. There was no mistaking the young girl, the elaborately dressed Gerald, the tall elf, and the mound sitting astride his Aiiko would have to have been the demon child. The only one he didn't recognize was the slightly sickly looking man.
"Fate it would seem is with me." He mused and wandered towards them.

[Victory]

"Resonsibility, my boy? Surely you jest. The only reason I remain is of personal preference. But to answer your question, I'm an exorcist. My trade leads me all over the land, hence this isn't far from my daily norm. I see less of the ethereal side of life in this company, however," Gerald explained and noticed Dirral further on ahead. Avoiding the temptation to wave or greet him from his distance, Gerald decided to ignore him until he came closer or the company moved closer.

[Varthonai]

The Name had suddenly grown restless, agitated, even fearful. Something had set off a dozen alarum bells in the recesses of its being. Daniel was confused, but didn't let it show. He didn't want to draw unwanted attention to his Lord and Master.

My Lord, I do not understand. What ails you?

Wordlessly, the Name made the source of its fright quite clear. When Daniel so much as glanced in Gerald's direction, its panic would become almost overpoweringly loud in his mind.

Lord, he is nothing but a pompous, overdressed fool! Why fear him?!

This was small comfort to the Name, but comfort nonetheless. Its panic quieted to bearable levels.

Hika was scolding the "demon" child for something or other. As if they needed more attention drawn to them... Daniel could barely restrain his scorn at the idea of disguising such an obviously inhuman and inelven creature with nothing but a scrap of red cloth. Even if it DID cover up some of the creature's distinguishing marks, wouldn't it still look incredibly suspicious? Did Hika intend to pass it off as some sort of strange fashion statement? Granted, with Gerald in the group, that might even be a mildly plausible story, but--

Whoa, who is THAT?

"Hey, I know that guy," Hika mumbled.

Daniel followed Hika's gaze. She was looking at the same man who Daniel had noticed, the man who was now walking towards them.

My Lord, Daniel thought, awed, there may be hope for this party yet.

He would be either Klide or Dirral, Daniel guessed, but Daniel needed no name to be impressed by this man. Unlike Aval, he had a demeanor in his face and his stride that was naturally reassuring; his clothing was simple, practical, and lightweight, not at all like the ridiculous garments that marked Gerald as a high cleric in service to the false idols of superficiality. This man was a wise warrior with his mind on earthly matters, but also a man with a code of honor, a man in service to a greater cause...

For some reason, the Name's panic began to abate in favor of uncontrollable astral laughter.

Yes, Master, I know I've only just seen him for the first time, but... I had set my standards very low after meeting the others. The man just seems serious-minded and trustworthy... if that makes sense.

The Name just kept laughing.

[Killing_Time]

Hika waited for Dirral to come close enough to lead a conversation that wouldn't be heard by half of the market square. "Dirral, what luck!"
She paused for a second and with a pinch of worry asked: "How is Klide?"

[Aval]

Aval decided to let the inconsistency with his understanding of magic and the idea of exorcism slide, and concentrate on (relatively) polite layman's psychoanalysis.

"So you enjoy adventure then?"

[Varthonai]

Dirral, then, Daniel confirmed, noting Hika's address of the newcomer. I'll remember that.

[Tawl]

"Luck indeed." Elias replied, keeping his voice chipper. "I spent the night in The Knotted Arrow not too far from here. I realized last night that our paths may not have crossed again as neither of us knew where the other was staying. I've spent most of the morning so far resupplying and replacing what was lost in the fire. I still have some items to pick up, but I fear that my financial situation is in a bit of a state right of now. But no matter," He added quickly "I have ways of supporting myself."
He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath.
"As far as the health of the boy knows I know not. He had to be kept at the healers overnight for examination and treatment. He was still unconscious when I left, but I believe that he is in the best of hands."

[Aval]

Aval was snapped from his conversation into the world around him, and the realization that Dirral was somehow unstabbed, by those familiar tones. He breathed an audible sigh of relief. Evidently no attempt on his life was made last night. He doubted a scribe would do too much in the way of defense against an imperial assassin who could kill a talented magician in a public place without anyone noticing.

He strongly doubted that this meant they were now safe, if this orb was in his possession, he did not think Caspian would want anybody to know.

Although two party members separated from the group would be an excellent opportunity. Aval's worries were now doubled for the boy.

"Do we go to the Council now or go after the boy?" He asked.

[Tawl]

(Just checking, don't I have said orb? I can't remember if Elias, Aval or Hika has it as it changed hands rapidly.)

[Killing_Time]

(
Elias kept his face straight and solemn as he lowered the orb and took the cloak from the sailor. He handed them both to Hika.

Hika then proceeded to fold the cloak around the orb. Since then the location of the orb has not been mentioned again.)

"Perhaps we should go and have a look. I'd rather he came along to meet the council if his health is good enough. "
She leaned a bit down and said with a lower voice: "After all, what he found in the desert was what started this off."
She thought of the ring she had been given days ago by the herbal pharmacist and hoped she still had it somewhere. She had been told it should be used as verification when they met the council, but she could not help but think that perhaps pride of heritage also played a role. To show the council what family had helped bringing back a long lost, forgotten item that belonged to the Forest Elves would be an accomplishment that could be told stories about long after.
Suddenly Hika felt more than ever the importance of getting the artfact to the council safely.

[Tawl]

Council? Something found in the desert? This was news to Elias. So this was the purpose of the party's quest. He felt somewhat disappointed, it seemed a fairly mundane task. Unless if pertained to the demon. But one just doesn't find a demon in the desert... unless it escaped. That would explain the price on the creature's head. The wheels in Elias' mind whirled, struggling to lock into place.
"Council?" He asked. "What purposes could you have with the elders?" He hoped in his mind he had chosen the right wording. In truth he knew nothing about the supposed 'council' of Eschinka, or those who supposedly sat on it, yet a scribe in his position would be expected to know such things.

[Killing_Time]

(I've heard some word about you having some plans with the orb, Tawl. PM me if you want to make any last-minute changes. Doing a fast-forward to get this thing moving so sorry if I control you a slight bit.)

Hika realized that Dirral was not familiar with the aim of their journey. She shortly explained to him, that Klide had found an artifact while traveling the desert and that a friend in Stoneforge had sent them on their journey. She explained they had later met with Sokeras who said the council had sent them out to guide them and that now they were supposed to go to the Western Tower.
"So as you can see, Klide may play a vital part in all of this."

-------

The sound of hooves drowned in the pulsating noise and life of the streets. Dirral led the party further along a few streets and the noise of the city suddenly died down drastically. they all stopped after the quiet trip and found themselves waiting below a wooden sign that read Rochelle & Richmond Healers and Herblore.

[Silence]

(I just noticed that I'm part of this RPG, and I never really posted in it that much, especially recently. Good thing I hadn't become part of the plot. Sorry that I have to fall out.)

[Aval]

(Bump for Tawl. <3)

[Tawl]

(OMGWTFBBQ BUBBLEGUM STICK?!?!1?

I can't even remember what the point of the orb was, so any previous plan can be scrapped, unless someone who does remember lets me know.

Big post for the benefit of all finally getting this plot point out of the way. I'll use some of the other characters for initial reactions just to get the majority of verbiage out of the way. Richmond and Rochelle know Elias by his real name, so feel free to use that your advantage.)

Elias mind struggled to put together everything that he had just been told. In short, the party had formed over an object that the boy called Klide had found in the sands outside of Stoneforge. Elias had not seen this item, and had not thought to ask.

In truth he didn't really care.

The demon child had been found by Hika in a similar location, yet he didn't know how or why he had come to be there, nor why Caspian had a very high price on the demon's head. And now the council of elves was interested in the party's journey, to the point where an elder had been guiding them? Were the demon and the item connected or was everything a complete coincidence? He thought of the orb he had taken from the effects of the elf he had killed on the ferry and it's hypnotic like qualities. Did that have anything to do with this as well? He didn't know. The cogs in his mind whirred violently, trying to place everything into a coherent order, but there were too many gaps in his knowledge to make anything of reasonable sense. Anything that did sounded like it was lifted directly from a manuscript detailing the travels of the heroes of folklore.

The wooden sign of Rochelle and Richmond swung in a breeze that whirled down the side street. It was bone chilling, causing Elias to shiver. It was unnatural on a day where the sun was out.
"This is where I left the boy," he said, not masking the fact he was cold.
He knocked on the door and stepped back. The party and it's journey, the newcomers and the council; they could wait for now.

He heard the sound of door creaked open and the head of Richmond appeared. The old man wasn't as happy as he had been the previous night. His brow was lined, and the eyes behind his dirty glasses seemed heavy and sad.
"Oh... It is you." He even sounded gloomy.
"Yes." Elias responded confused. "I left the boy with you late last night."
Richmond nodded, his hand playing with the end of his greying beard. "Yes, yes, I remember. Please do come in. Just leave the horse outside, if you will," He opened the door widely and stood aside. Elias led the way, stepping through the doorway.
"So, how fares the boy?" Elias asked, sensing that the response was not going to be good news. He feared the boy's burns had become infected, which would need extensive and prolonged attention.
Richmond sighed deeply. "You should see it for yourself, please come through." He beckoned into the room where Elias had left the boy.

The room was much the same as Elias had left it, dimly lit with a number of jars and appliances surrounding the medical table upon which the boy still lay, very still, deeply asleep. Rochelle was quietly washing cloth in the sink in the corner, her back facing the group. The air was very heavy. Elias noticed that the boy's back was in much better condition than before. The scabs gone and the back cleaned, there was no infection as far as he could tell. The wounds were empty and no blood flowed from the cuts....
No blood flowed from the cuts....
It began to dawn on Elias what had happened during the night. He stepped forward and placed his fingers to the boy's neck. He was cool to the touch and Elias could find no pulse. He swallowed and turned to face Richmond who bowed his head.
"I am very sorry." He said quietly. "There was nothing we could do."

"Klide's....." Hika choked unable to finish her sentence.
"I'm so very sorry." Richmond said again extending his hand and gently holding hers. There was a sob from the sink from Rochelle as she focussed intensely on washing the blood from the cloth.
"What happened?" Elias asked.
"It's hard to say." Richmond began. "When you brought him in the boy was in a bad condition, his fever running very high. However we managed to keep him stable and calm while we attended to his burns. Then out of nowhere his fever returned....."
"....and he just slipped away slowly." Rochelle added turning to face the group, her eyes red from tears.
"We tried everything we could think of, but the boy never stirred until his heart stopped beating. The fever and shock must have been too much for him to take." Richmond concluded, putting his arm around his wife, comforting her gently.

Elias nodded, the room was eerily silent. He felt strange. The boys death was not through any of his own fault, but he felt responsible. He felt like he had failed.

[Killing_Time]

(Alright guys I promise I'll write an entry later this week -- I just have so much homework to do these days!)

[Varthonai]

"A child?!"

For once, the Name in Daniel's head was in accord with the words that spewed from his mouth in outrage. The aura of the Name's warmth radiated from him slightly as the spirit's rage combined with his, cutting through the bitter cold with ease.

"What in the Name of everything holy were you people doing that endangered the life of a child? That got a child killed?!"

Daniel's hands clenched into fists unconsciously, and his teeth gritted with a barely-restrained desire for violence.

[Killing_Time]

Hika came with a violent sob, trying to suppress any tears. She had prepared herself to getting used to the idea of having Klide as a form of apprentice she could teach her skills to. Maybe a small hope that she could somehow take him in as a brother, a familymember...

"We were escaping a forest fire, Klide was trying to help... He was trying to help the other child." She replied with a small, hoarse voice.
"Dirral, was he conscious at any point? Did he say anything?"
She had a hope that maybe there would be more than an artifact to remember him by. Something less material.
She was confused of what to do now. Were they going to continue? Would everyone just travel back from where they came, giving up on this? She wanted to do the latter; forget all about this. Yet, she felt somehow obliged to continue with the current plans.

[Varthonai]

(Alas, Poor Scrappy!) (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlasPoorScrappy)

"Were it not for my debt," Daniel snarled, "I would sever all ties with this party this very second. But as I do owe you a debt, woman, I shall stay with this group and help in whatever way I can. And in the Name of righteousness I shall ensure that no further reckless harm comes upon innocents."

The Name made a subliminal cry of revulsion at the sight of the boy's lifeless remains, and made its complete agreement with Daniel totally clear. Though they had shared the ability to see for some time, never had Daniel and his Lord seen so perfectly eye-to-eye before.

[Aval]

Aval looked upon the body as his heart was filled with apathy.

While the corpse of a child is never a pretty sight, he could not muster the internal illusion that this child had meant anything to him; he doubted they had exchanged more than a single conversation.

He observed Hika's response with fascination. He wondered what made her feel so much for this child. He supposed living alone away from any major civilisation since an early age would leave someone quite emotionally needy. As for the stranger, his righteous rant seemed reasonable, however his lack of tact towards the obvoisly hurt Hika spoke volumes on his personality too. Once again Aval caught himself wondering what could lead this deluded individual to such a superiority complex.

This was all very nice, but the party was in a very unsecure position here. Let alone the fact that they had much more important things to be doing at this moment.

Dirral seemed to be the most rationally reacting adult in the room. Aval tapped his arm.

"I think we should leave."

[Polo]

[post: But really, stop bugging me. I'll post when I can. >:V]

[Victory]

Gerald closed his eyes and sighed. Despite his occupation he never did like death. Only a fraction of everyone who died caused any spiritual phenomenon and despite the nature of Klide's death, Gerald doubted anything would come of it. A disappointment enveloped him, and memories from his younger days attacked him. Another unanswered death. Suspending his disbelief, Gerald opened his mind for any nearby essence. Maybe, just maybe, he could finally use his abilities to some worth.

The elven city lit up in his mind, a web of magic so tightly weaved it was nigh impossible to single out anything specific entity. He tried to focus on the room they had gathered in, but the outside practice bled through the walls, making it futile to search for such a weak presence as a ghost. He did however notice something else. There was a stronger presence in the room than Gerald had ever discovered but in the chaos of the web, it was impossible to pinpoint its location, or even deduct what it was. Convinced it wasn't the ghost of a child - or ghost of any nature - Gerald turned a watchful eye around the room while trying not to act suspicious. Suddenly his focus decayed and the presence faded from his notice. Despite a certain curiosity, he was relieved.

Convincing himself he must've been mistaken, misled by the nature of the city and his own mourning he left the room without waiting for the others. Outside, he said a silent prayer for Klide, while suppressing the imminent memory of whatever he had seen. He just hoped he wouldn't have to encounter it again.

[Wadling]

Jason awoke to the sound of distant hearty voices, they were coming from below him. He opened his eyes and deduced that he was in a room of a tavern, though he didn't remember arriving he had grown accustom to waking up in strange places. He rolled over and felt the cold space next to him, he seemed to remember it being previously occupied by a woman whom he had met only last night; not that it mattered, Jason wasn't the type of man to stick around for long anyway, it was easier if they snuck out on him for a change.

He cleared his throat, rubbed his eyes and sat up. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed and peering around the room for his clothes. He noticed them bundled next to a chest of drawers, he hopped over to them, trying to avoid the cold floor as much as possible. After clothing himself he made for the door, it was then that he noticed the man standing in the corner, staring at him. Jason stopped, this had happened before, it didn't end well.

"Allow me to explain" Jason held up his hands "She said she wasn't-"

"No, no, no" The man chuckled "pardon me for intruding but I was told to wake you."

"Ahh" Jason relaxed, and moved forward to shake the man's hand "I assume you are a representative of Lord Harvey?"

"Quite right" The man took his hand and shook it firmly, then beckoned for Jason to follow him "If you'll follow me, we are late."

The man proceeded out of the door, with Jason close behind him. They made a brief stop at the bar where the man paid for Jason's room, and an apple for the journey. They weaved through the dirty streets, paved with beggars and crooks. Jason felt at home here, but he knew they were headed for greener pastures, the rich side of the city. Jason didn't often visit the area for obvious reasons, and when he did it was to rob someone on the outskirts of town. Still, being around the nobles reminded him of his childhood, simpler, duller times.

Eventually the two men reached a large house near the centre of the district. Jason had occasionally imagined breaking into the house, but now here he was being invited in. He dared not succumb to his instincts to take as much of the wealth as possible, and instead restrained himself, sucked in his gut and entered through the door being held open by a servant.

[Killing_Time]

(>>Fastforwarding: We have left and now are in front of the tower Sokeras instructed us to meet him by. if any of you have made any errands in the timespan between the discovery of Klide's death and now, please state so.)

The group had slowly advanced through the city, fighting the rush of other citizens who were busy carrying on with their own lives. They had made it to the tower Sokeras had pointed out as their destination, and it quickly appeared that this tower was of some importance to the city: In front of the bright white tower was a spacious plaza that had been heightened slightly by a few steps. Numerous guards were patrolling the area and it seemed many were avoiding the main area of the plaza and simply walked by the area around it that had not been heightened.
A short look around revealed Sokeras who stood by one of the small set of stairs that were available in order to get on the plaza.
"I see your group have gained and lost life." I bowed his head as an act of giving his condolence before he turned around without a word and began walking towards the tower. Hika was confused by the way he acted. Had he been spying on them while they had been in Eschikna? Another thing caught Hika's eye: Sokeras definitely was of another status than first assumed when he introduced himself to the party; his outfit back then had been colors of those found in the forest and the fabric had been heavy and designed for practical use only.
Now he was dressed in a crimson red cape and wore white clothes with brown leather stitching that had been sown in complex patterns.
One of the guards took the horse for some nearby stables and helped getting Ceres down. (Could someone state in their entry that they're helping him walk?)
Sokeras lead the group through the entrance gate where they found themselves in a great, round hall that had been designed accordingly to the shape of the tower. Outside passerbys stopped, in awe, and watched as the group entered.
The hall was empty except for the guards who stood on each side of the three gates in the tower and the sound of each footstep was thrown around the room despite the big and beautifully crafted gobelins that each represented a motive from some of the key cities of Sepso; One of Eschickna, one of Danforth and a southern mountainous city Hika couldn't quite recall ever hearing of.
As they stood and waited, Sokeras noticed where Hika's eyes wandered. "That was Tere'd'nerra; home of the Dark Elves. In a time before your birth it held our strongest mines that were for the benefit of all of Sepso."
"Caspian made a change of that," he added bitterly.

[Varthonai]

"Caspian?" Daniel repeated, confused.

(Remember that Daniel spent his whole life in an isolated cult until two weeks ago. Current events will not be his forté for a while yet.)

[Wadling]

Jason ambled through the vast hallway that presented itself to him. Underneath him was a turquoise carpet that stretched over the entire house, though Jason saw it more as a mansion. Equally extravagant colours coated the walls, from crimson to lime green. Lord Harvey was clearly an eccentric man, Jason had never seen a house quite like it. However it wasn't the decorating that piqued his interests, the vast amounts of jewellery and valuables lying around almost made his mouth water. After he was done with this job, he planned on paying Lord Harvey another visit.

A hand grasped Jason's outstretched arms, he realised he had unconsciously walked over to a set of gleaming rings and was about to steal them. The guard who had grabbed him gave Jason a stern look, then pushed him into a large living room, fit with a fire place and several arm chairs. A man whom Jason presumed to be Lord Harvey was sitting in one, smoking a pipe.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, rising and shaking Jason's hand "Mr. Fern, please sit down. We do not have much time before you must be going."

Jason smiled and melted into an armchair opposite Harvey. He resisted the urge to simply close his eyes and drift off to sleep, this was one man he didn't want to upset so early on in their relationship.

"I'll start by saying we've taken the liberty of bringing you your tools of your trade" Harvey began "We acquired them from your room in the Lioness Inn"

"You went into my room?" Jason raised his eyebrows

"Not me personally" Harvey smiled knowingly "My men tell me you have some interesting oddities there."

Jason figured Harvey wasn't one for respecting boundaries, being a nobleman he probably didn't often heed the word of others of lower status.

"Uhhh, you said we didn't have much time?" Jason pushed the topic forward, to save himself from having to answer any embarrassing questions "Where's the place you want me to rob?"

"The place is not far. The house opposite this one is your target. You will find for me a ruby figurine of a horse. It is rightfully mine, and should be in my possession as soon as possible. Any plunder you take for yourself is for you to keep as payment, as well as your fee."

Harvey dropped a few gold pieces into Jason's already outstretched hand, who pocketed them instantly.

"I'll be back soon" Jason nodded, standing. He turned to see three men holding his equipment. His knives, crossbow, bolts, blackjack, bags, lock picks and mask. Jason thought about how conspicuous he would look, and found himself thanking Harvey for picking a target so close. He walked out onto the street, looked up at the house before him and got to work.

[Aval]

Aval was making a better than expected effort to contain the rage he felt. The lack of tact from his fellow party members was one thing, and the sensitive facade that the murderer was making was altogether another; yet his failure to mention the death of Jacob horrified him.

Did he think that by ignoring the subject the issue would be forgotten? The fact that it seemed to be working made it worse. None of the party seemed to find anything the slightest bit strange about how the masterly skilled spy sent to guard them had not acknowleged his mistake of allowing a fucking death at least.

"May I ask if we are done what we are doing here?" He asked, voice dripping in viscous passive agression "I was under the impression we were lead here to meet the Council; of whom I am seeing very little."

[Killing_Time]

Sokeras weighed Daniel's words and expression. He then calmly replied: "Lord Caspian has for many years been working his way up northward on our island. His plan is to conquer Sepso and proclaim himself king. The forest fire from across the lake was his doing."
Sokeras heard the words of Aval. He heard the anger in his voice but agreed with himself it was a reaction to the loss of their second youngest member. Somewhere he appreciated this. That boy would not have survived the task ahead.
"We are waiting until a council representative show us in."

Hika was moving nervously. She had a reason to. This journey had taken her somewhere she had never seen and barely heard of. She checked she had the ring. She checked if the orb was in place. Was Ceres alright? She sighed lightly. She would much rather have gone free from this. Leave it up to someone else. At least this would happen afterwards. She could go back home.

A gate was opened and cold air streamed in. It wasn't the same kind of air as outside. It was much cooler and somehow thicker. An elven woman clad in a red dress stepped inside the hall. "Sokeras, you may leave. Your task here is complete for now." As Sokeras walked out, she turned to the group: "Welcome to the Tower of Leanada"


(>>Fastforward: We are now about to meet the council. ALSO, TAWL HAS THE ORB AT THE MOMENT.)
They had walking for a while and it didn't take long to realize they were inside the mountain the tower was built up against. They had been going in a downward angle and Hika had started to wonder why a council would meet group like them so deep into a mountain. Was it because they wanted to secure Ceres?
Many of the raw walls had just been lightly smoothened out so no sharp edges stood out of the wall. By some of the torches placed through the tunnel wall gobelins illustrated some of the most famous craftsmen throughout Sepso's history.
The tunnel widened out and ended by an entrance to a very large and round well-lit room. A little before they entered the woman in the red dress warned the group: "The council is well-respected by every elven and human. They do not tolerate anything but your patience and humbleness."
As she finished they entered a room where 5 elves were seated by a halved table so they all could look at the guests. They were all dressed in light blue garments with golden patterns woven into the upper part of their dress.
An old woman stood up as they entered. "Welcome to our home, children." The woman who had led the group to the council bowed, expecting the rest to follow suit.
The old woman smiled. She looked to Hika. "You brought something that is not one of your belongings," she said. Hika slowly got up and walked carefully but surely towards the council members. She carefully took out the ring and gave it to the lady while avoiding touching her. "It is good to know you have been in good hands during your life in Stoneforge." She commented and smiled, as if recalling a nice memory. Hika walked confused back. to where she stood before. How did she know anything about her life? Did it have something to do with that ring? Was that it?
"There has been word carried that you hold an orb and an artifact found by two who did not make it here. Who is the keeper of these now?"

Hika took out the amulet Klide had found in the desert. "I hold Klide's discovery. An artifact from the southern desert."

[Tawl]

(Short post)

Elias did not like Elves all that much. Not born out of any racist tendencies, but through their own actions. They always spoke down to everyone, like they felt that they were the shapers of the land and superior to all other beings. Furthermore, he strongly resented being called a child by this woman he didn't even know.
"You may be an ancient race, but you die just like anything else." He thought to himself. He alone had witnessed the deaths of two in the last couple of days.
Still he held his tongue. Despite his dislike, they still commanded a feeling of respect and unnerved him. It would be better if he did not speak unless required to for fear of faltering in his guise. Once the female mentioned the orb, he stiffened. It grew heavy in his pouch, but he made no move to present it. Did anyone know he had it? If not then it would be assumed it was lost with the elf. Still, if that was believed then they would surely look for the body if it was of importance. He made no movement stood quietly and listened.

[Victory]

Gerald felt that heating disdain colour his judgement. The council's appearance stung in his mind and he felt the magical presence still coat every surface of the room. Quickly he started making assumptions and observations. The torches weren't lit of any original fire, he told himself, and he pondered on the lack of dust on the surfaces. Despite being underground it was awfully bright in the room - even with the torches - and the words echoed in ways they weren't supposed to. A knot tightened in his gut - he hated magic and this hall was practically made of it.

He made a mental note not to say anything at this visit. Partly because he felt the council undeserving of it, but mostly because he was smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be a gracious guest and would rather not sabotage for the rest of the group, or embarrass them. He hid his scornful glare with a smile as usual and followed suit, as usual in his extravagant manner. Removing his hat, he removed himself of the situation, and let his mind wander, without letting it show outwards.

[Killing_Time]

The old elven woman quietly waited before nodding at Dirral. She said nothing but kept eye contact for a short moment. She had more power behind her than what her title could imply, and she had more magic to help her intuition than any other elves on Sepso.
She broke off with Dirral and instead focused on the whole group. "You have traveled far and you have experienced more than most would do on such journey as this. However, not a single one of you who stand before me have ended your journey."

Hika bit her lip. What did she imply? Would they be running more errands for the council? She felt an irritated frown creeping up on her face.

[Tawl]

Elias stood completely unnerved as the elven woman looked into his eyes. It felt like more than just eye contact, he felt like he was being scanned. His entire mind laid bare.
"NO!" He yelled to himself, and attempted to turn his mind blank. He didn't know if it was magic, or his own paranoia, but nobody was getting into his mind. He certainly didn't want to be revealed in this place.

[Razgriz]

(I’ll be role-playing as Ceruseum Helios IV, A.K.A Ceres – Replacing Polo. I have been given the green-light by SilverPaperPlate.)

Eschickna was gloriously overwhelming. Ceres had never experienced such masterful architecture. Then again, the petite demon never did venture further into the North. The peculiar party around him gave him this opportunity. His cat-like eyes wander high, trailing up the white tower. Then they wandered around him. He quivered slightly as the eyes of passerbys, humans and elves alike, curiously analyzed him. He broke away from the side of the guard following the party and caught up with Hika.

He felt rather safe around her – Hika has been quite considerate about Ceres’ welfare the entire time they journeyed to the great city of Eschickna. He nervously kept the black hood over his face, carefully assuring that it wasn’t obscuring his eyes. Ceres was quite pleased in having a change of clothing. The party was able to give the outcast demon with garments fit to be seen in the presence of the Elf Council – A soft, white, cotton shirt accompanied with a light, brown, leather vest that was fastened in front by laces in an interweaving pattern, ankle-length, brown trousers which was fastened around his waist with a rope that was inserted around the rim and light, wolf-pelt, short-boots but still wearing his prized clan black-cloak. With the red cloth he recently found tied around his head; its fabrics still irritating his rough skin.

In the large hall, Ceres was filled with awe and it was conspicuous from his face. His mouth was wide open in disbelief as he spun himself around, excitedly. The party’s footsteps echoed, ringing into the elegant hall – Masterly crafted. He was about to politely ask Sokeras about the peculiar statues above their heads but held back as he spoke to Hika about one in particular. Ceres followed Sokeras’ pointing finger to another of those overheard statues. He listened to him carefully as he walked by Hika. His head craned towards it as the party had their backs to it. One moment, Ceres unconsciously stopped in his tracks by the beauty around him. Upon realizing this, he quickly caught with the others with quick, light steps – Avoiding loud echoes and the entire party’s attention.

Ceres continued following the party to the council room, keeping quiet as a mouse. He shuddered lightly as the large, iron-welded, gates opened smoothly; releasing a slight gust of cold air. The others around him were not affected by it unlike Ceres. Because of his higher than average body temperature, he shivered behind his black-cloak. The demon child watched as Sokeras depart from their group. He was compelled to wave him off amiably which he did. Sokeras made no response causing Ceres to assume he didn’t notice it.

Down the tunnels, they hiked deep into the mountain that supported the elegant, smooth, white tower outside – Led by a woman in a red dress. Ceres stood behind the party as they slowly entered a room, the tunnel around them widening.

As they slowly approach the center of the room, the female elf quietly informed the party, with a hint of warning, “The council is well-respected by every Elven and human. They do not tolerate anything but your patience and humbleness.”

Although she didn’t mention about demons, Ceres stiffened himself and walked rather nervously as they move closer towards the Elven council. The silent room around him gave him the air of an overwhelming sensation. The Elven woman leading them stepped ahead. The party neatly stood side by side – Ceres being in between Gerald and Hika.

“Welcome to our home, children.” An old Elven woman began, as she stood up.

Ceres jolted back as the voice boomed around him, echoing unnaturally. He felt as if he shrunk five-times down. The Elf in red bowed down, followed by the party. The demon child hastily mimicked them. Elf that led them slowly, respectfully backed away. He watched as Hika moved towards the old woman, walking rather nervously but seemed assured. She then returned beside Ceres.

Ceres stood in a statue-like manner, his eyes only in motion. They darted around him, nervously. He glanced at Gerald – The exquisitely dressed man. Then there was Aval – Tall, a rather shady man. Dirral seemed to be a rather considerate man but for some reason, Ceres can feel the stench of death looming around him. The newcomer of the party, Daniel, is rather short, nearly his height. Ceres was quite curious about his strange robes the man donned but felt it would be rude to ask.

He remained silent as things went on. He felt it would be wise to keep his mouth shut.

(Hopefully I didn’t get things wrong. And I hope this is enough, SPP.)

[Mattbot]

The Fisherman’s Bane was full of cheer this day, the interior of the Inn was decorated in various trophy’s and animal heads ranging from chickens to Aliosaur, It was a cozy place made from a fine timber and stone with a toasty fire in the corner illuminating the tables and stall inside. Those who had been working on the night shift at the docks had finally received their pay and were in no hurry to head home before squandering it all on liquor and warm food. Scattered throughout the cheer of the working class were groups of adventurers talking amongst themselves and planning their next paths. Unknown to them however was the cloaked figure sitting alone in the corner carefully watching them.

Beregond leant back on the old oak chair at his table and took another sip from his pint of ale, the bitter taste pinching the back of his mouth. He replaced the glass with a long worn pipe he had drawn out of one of the many pouches lining the belt around his waist and proceeded to light it up. The Ranger gazed around the bar floor examining those inside.

Groups of travelers and companions sat around the many tables lining the room exchanging tales of adventures and problems with their misses back home, drinking away troubles and frolicking with wenches. Beregond scanned the room for a group in need of his skills from his cozy spot in the corner of the tavern.

From what the ranger could pick up through his eavesdropping, the few adventuring groups within the vacancy were either returning from their previous journeys or looked to ruthless and malicious for his liking. One of the gentlemen in the group across the room must have caught Beregond’s spying and taken it as a challenge to his masculinity as the large man had soon stormed over to his table looking ready for a brawl, his comrades were looking at each other in confusion. Instantly noticing this figure heading his way Beregond clenched a small blade concealed on the back of his belt as his other hand began shaking uncontrollably.

The man was clad in a chain mail armor lined with thick leather plates and carried a bronze shield across his back, propped beneath his belt was a large sheathes bastard sword with a bronze handle. The man was a giant in comparison to most men Beregond included and had a face like a practice range, he had scruffy short hair and a beard to match.

“Hey you in the cloak!”

The man wobbled back a few steps into a support beam, He was clearly drunk but now he had gained the attention of the whole room making Beregond shake even more, almost instinctively the owner fled into a small room behind him as those accompanying the brute tried to bring him back to their table. The Ranger withdrew his pipe and tucked it away no longer able to smoke from it without coughing.

“I mean you no trouble stranger, I‘m simply enjoying a nice mug of ale and minding my own business.”

Beregond said in as confident a tone as possible trying his best to calm his hands down and breath normally.

“Like hell you are!”

[Wadling]

It was a cold day, so Jason was able to put on his facemask under the preconception that he was simply trying to avoid the wind. He looked up at the target house from across the street, he saw nobody in the windows and decided it was best to make his move before some scullery maid appeared to gaze wistfully outside during her break.

Jason strolled around the property, looking for an obvious basement entrance or side door that he could break into without notice. He had only ever once found an open door on a job, and as usual something so fortunate didn’t come his way this time. After checking all of the entrances, he eventually settled on a wooden patio door leading to a garden, which was so large it could have had another smaller house built on it. Jason fished into a satchel on his belt and withdrew a set of lock picks and one of his tension wrenches.

First Jason inspected the lock by eye; it was clearly a pin and tumbler lock, as were most locks in the city. It wasn’t protected by magic or any nasty surprises that Jason had come to expect. He inserted one of the picks and felt around, he deduced that there were six pins, and as he was short on time he removed the current pick and opened his set of picks to take out another with a wider tip. He placed the tension wrench on the bottom of the lock, and moved the new pick to the back of the lock. He then moved it upwards and pulled it quickly out, moving all of the pins upwards. At the same time he twisted the lock with the tension wrench, this caused the plug of the lock to turn, and created a slight ledge for the pins to fall on. He listened intently and heard four small clicks. Two to go.

He held the tension wrench in place, and replaced the pick once more with a smaller one. He went to work more delicately, feeling for the pins still left to manipulate. He found them quickly and pushed them upwards with the pick until they rose above the ledge and clicked into position. Jason then withdrew the pick and turned the tension wrench completely, hearing the satisfying sound of the door unlocking. He packed away the lock picking equipment and instead put his blackjack in his hand. He pushed the door open slowly, peeked inside, saw nobody and entered. He looked around and saw that he was inside a tool shed. Rakes, hoes, spades and trowels surrounded him; clearly the owners of this house liked the servants to be able to tend to a gardening emergency in a moments notice.

He proceeded towards the door on the opposite side of the room, trying his best to navigate around the boxes of seeds and soil without the aid of sunlight due to the lack of windows in the room. He reached the door without incident and put his ear against it. Upon hearing nothing on the other side he knocked on the door once and listened again. Once again he heard nothing, satisfied that there was nobody on the other side of the door, he opened it confidently.

[Killing_Time]

Hika looked around a bit. Who actually carried the orb? She closed her eyes, concentrating. She remembered the ferry.. Jake, nothing left but his robe and that orb. She nervously felt her pockets and dirty rucksack. No round, heavy objects.
Had they lost it? Was it forgotten somewhere? Maybe stolen?
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but the realization of the how things had evolved had made her mouth gone dry. They had failed.

The old woman would not have herself introduced; names were not necessary. The council stood as a unity, a force behind the tools that kept Sepso together. They were the chess players and the people before them were the chess pieces.
The old woman had decided to leave Dirral's move behind; she knew enough to be calm about this. It was expected of him.
Her fellow members were silent, but she knew that soon the elven man by her side would take her place as the speaker. She sat down as he raised himself from his seat.
He stood far taller than any of the party members. He looked young and beautiful, like a painting that was too perfect to have been based entirely on a real model. He spoke with a voice full of youth yet unnatural wisdom.
"Bring forth the amulet, Hika." Hika once again found herself close to the council when she handed over the amulet. He caught her eyes and she blushed before she walked back with a stature that perfectly showed off her embarrassment. The man studied the amulet with his eyes and fingers. Sometimes small sparks emitted from the amulet. He broke the respectful silence in the room "This was a gift from the forest elves to the dark elves. Given to the deceased king of their former region. It contains much power, as does the orb, undoubtedly. This amulet stems from their tombs."

He laid the amulet down and nodded at some servants behind the group. Soon after chairs were presented to each party member including the council representative. "Most of you have been born into a life where you have been taught to fear Lord Caspian. Some of you have already felt his wrath in form of death and destruction. He is a powerful figure and has many men under him; loyal followers and slaves alike. The entire west coast is under his control. He has signaled his latest advances by damaging our home close to the very heart of the forest." he referred to the blaze which had eaten its way through from the coast to the southwestern part of the lake, near to where the party had traveled.
"We are assembling an army, but time is running short as Caspian gets closer to our city. We don't have time to create a force strong enough to fight him off. Eshickna, the Capital of the North will be lost in the hands of a murderer and a tyrant."
He paused and yet it seemed the weight of his words stayed with them in the silence until he continued in a different tone: "This is a time where our people are begging for a solution. This is a time where we are being pushed into desperate times. Children, what we ask of you is a demand of an unfair nature: Find Lord Caspian where he hides and put an end to his life."

The reaction was an atmosphere in a state of shock.
"But we are nothing but average people!" Hika burst out. This was outrageous!

The expression of the elven man did not change a lot. "You have a demon child who is capable to do more than any other living creature. This is your advantage."
His chair was pushed further back and the elven man walked around the table towards Ceres."But the decision to help us or not is up to Ceres." He knelt down to match the demon's height. "Would you fight Caspian?"

[Razgriz]

Ceres listened in shock as the Elven man spoke of what treacheries Lord Caspian had done to the land of Sepso. All he knew was that he would unite the scattered Demons clans and lead them to new lands; he wasn’t aware of the means he would use to accomplish them. His soul suddenly had a slight surge of anger. His body weakened once the Council representative mentioned the fire. By now, Ceres remembered everything – Having brief flashbacks before he was knocked unconscious. He tightly closed his eyes and continued paying close attention to the Elf’s words.

“Children, what we ask of you is a demand of an unfair nature: Find Lord Caspian where he hides and put an end to his life.”

Like the party with him, Ceruseum was utterly stunned. His body trembled underneath the thick, red cloak. His mind raced rapidly as he blankly stared at the dustless, marble floor.

Kill… Lord Caspian? I understand their reason for this… But us?

He looked up when Hika took a step forward and began protesting, “But we are nothing but average people!”

Ceres turned to the Council representative to see his reaction but found none. He looked at them with indifference. The Demon child watched as his eyes shifted towards him. His eyes pierced into Ceres’ causing him to take a deep gulp and avert them away.

He was unquestionably overwhelmed and it grew when the Elf of highest authority mentioned him, “You have a demon child who is capable to do more than any other living creature. This is your advantage.”

He again had the sensation of shrinking down as the party glanced at him. His mouth slightly quivered anxiously behind the hood. The cogs running in his head suddenly became still. The unexpectedness kicked him in the gut. Before he could think of anything or protest, for that matter, his ears twitched as a chair in front of him dragged its legs on the floor. He looked up to find the Council representative standing up. He got around the table, and when it soon became apparent that he was walking towards Ceres, he stood up as a sign of respect; stiffly and nervously.

“But the decision to help us or not is up to Ceres.” He knelt down to match the Demon's height. “Would you fight Caspian?”

He was taken aback by how far the representative went. The Demon child managed to hold his tongue from stuttering his mind out. His face met with the Council member’s. Ceres slowly lifted the hood off, revealing his bald head and his makeshift bandanna covering his Lord Of Fire birthmark on his forehead.

He began meekly and in a polite tone as possible, “Sir, I know that Demons have the magical ability to control fire, naturally. But I have yet to summon a little spark. I believe I am no use to this party nor the Council as a tool to end the tyrant Lord Caspian.” He bowed his head respectfully upon saying this.

There was a short moment of silence…

[Killing_Time]

The elven man gave the child the most trusting smile he could present before he stood up. He spoke to Ceres but his stance had changed to catch the attention of everyone. "You may think of yourself as a mere child possessing the power of fire magic, but the truth is entirely different, Ceruseum. You carry a truthful heart and the name of a creature willing to lend you his strength, as we will willingly lend you ours."
This time the elven man addressed himself to everyone: "The magic of our home, our forest and this very room does not stem from normal elven men and women, nor from us." the was a scraping noise of stone against stone stemming from behind the council. "Amongst common men there are legends told of an oracle. These legends tell how the oracle keeps the balance of peace on Sepso." He paused for a moment as the noise stopped. "All they need is someone they can channel their power through; someone with an innocent essence that holds the strength to humbly receive such great powers in the name of justice."
The other 4 council members stood up now and the old woman spoke. "We do not need to explain the nature of the oracle. Their ways of communicating are beyond our capabilities." as she spoke, the other council members moved to stand on each side of the newly revealed gate. "You shall hold victory with their guidance."
She stepped aside herself and gestured for the party to come forth.

[Victory]

"You must be barking mad," Gerald said, completely forgetting about his fake accent in his shock and contempt. "I have no business with Caspian, nor this oracle of yours. For creatures of such wisdom, you're all incredibly daft - aren't you? - to expect any positive response for such intrusive and tactless requests."

[Tawl]

The cogs in Elias' mind may have well have been broken with everything he had just heard the elven council describe. He had become mixed in what seemed to be a coup. No matter how eloquently it was described, it still seemed like like a coup. What's more the demon child was the centre of the council's plan, to kill Caspian no less. He had thought the child was an escaped convict, or guilty of some charge, but the centre of a coup against Caspian? He was in far deeper than he could have thought, and he had no interest in aiding in this military strike, or whatever task this council felt empowered enough to bestow. He held no allegiance to the elves, and currently saw no profit in being their instrument. His own feelings towards Caspian were of almost complete indifference. Everyone in Sepso knew of his rise to power through military control. But a tyrant was probably overstating his position. As far as Elias was aware he held no more political power than the Governor of Danforth, and his military might was surely matched by the Duke Carsile of Bren, the fortress city to the West.

Gerald's outburst gave him the perfect chance to voice his own opinion. Elias also didn't miss the abrupt change to his usually chipper voice. His accent changed, but whether it was because it was put on or simply because Gerald surely traveled frequently, Elias couldn't tell.
"If I may add my own voice should it pleases the council?" He remained polite as surely Dirral would be in the presence of elves. "I to have no personal quarrel with Caspian, and I see no benefit to myself, I'm a scribe not a soldier. Yes we all know of his rise to power over the last decade, but his presence is recognized, he's a public figurehead. There may be underlying contempt for his reign partial reign over the land, but one cannot deny that the system is sound, despite the man's flaws. If he is removed, then what happens to the current balance of power? Would it fall to you? Would the governorship of Danforth expand? And surely Duke Carsile of Bren would not remain docile if war was fought in the north? I can see your fear and predicament,and why you would want Caspian removed, but surely the repercussions are too great?"

It was probably far too formal, even for a scribe, but it was conveyed well enough. He knew that his words would not sway any of the elves, and he did not intend them to. What he hoped is that he could sway the minds of some of those in the party. Sow the seeds of contempt and confusion would remove on unified goal. Gerald already seemed on that path, he wondered if any others would follow?

[Razgriz]

Ceres turned to Gerald as he voiced out his disapproval towards the near unfeasible task the council laid before the hapless party. The man, whom Ceres believed to be a noble from birth, sounded rather different from the last time he heard his voice. The Demon child jerked as he heard Gerald calling the Council daft, cowering beneath his outburst.

Then he turned to the scribe, Dirral. He listened thoughtfully to his side of argument. Ceres refrained from sitting as the atmosphere was far too edgy for him to even feel at ease. He remained standing up, stiffly as ever. He craned his neck towards the party around him and the Council. He glanced at Hika, who first began objecting to the task.

Ceres already objected at first. Now, even more when he found out that it would be him that the party should take advantage in killing Lord Caspian. He knew himself too well that his ability to control fire was unnaturally juvenile compared to the Demon children back in his clan – By now, he believed, they can summon balls of fire from their very palms. He had no love for the Demon’s idol, Lord Caspian, long before. But upon hearing the atrocities he had committed, Ceres’ neutral thoughts towards Caspian turned to disbelief and hate. All Demons should be aware that they are all scattered as clans, not as a united race. It would appear that Lord Caspian exploited this to gain trust from Ceres’ race and bring them towards ascension through forcing other races off it – Just to saturate his lust of power.

Yet, the balance of power, which Dirral used in his argument, seemed to be absent either way – Either he would be living or dead, it would never be balanced. Ceres had thoughts of eliminating Caspian as he was just giving his race a bad name. He wasn’t aware on how Caspian gain control of lands nor what the Demons below him executed to do so – But Caspian’s description of being a Murderer was far too unsettling for Ceres to have the likes of him lead his unfortunate people to more ill-fate.

Would you fight Caspian?

That very question was still ringing in his little, agitated head. It was too much to expect from him. He tried using his inability to control and summon flames to back away only to get more reassurance from the Council that he is the solitary advantage to accomplish the task. He was frightened, like any child should be. Frightened towards the decision he has to make – It was far too radical and unbelievable for someone as young and docile as him.

(Edit) Another line from the Council representative rattled his mind : You carry a truthful heart and the name of a creature willing to lend you his strength, as we will willingly lend you ours.

W-what creature? ...

[Killing_Time]

(Okay, since you (Tawl) are implying different forms of government in your post I'll just apply them as well as I can.)
The old woman walked up to the group with her hands folded against her dress and looked at Gerald. "Caspian will be your business as soon as he invades your home, as soon as he kill those you will hold dear and force you to fight under his name." Her voice had not changed tone, but somehow the magic in the air emphasized the sound of each word. "This is a request beyond us. Although as a council we are powerful people in the eyes of our citizens, we are still but mere messengers."
She turned to Dirral: "Your title should suggest you would have acquired more knowledge of Caspian's deeds and our political system. Our economy is crumbling here in the north because of Caspian's greed. He has continually consumed more and more land to fund his kingdom and military expenses. The only reason his enslaved people in the mines and on the battlefields are not dying in such high numbers is because he lock their very souls in their dead bodies."
"Sepso was originally shared between our three regions and our three races. The only reason the demon race was yet not introduced to share this power was due to their relatively new arrival at the time and their lacking interest in the rest of Sepso. We still hold the power of the north but have lost control of the southern region and the west coast." She paused for a moment "As for Duke Carsile of Bren, we have yet to receive word of what his reaction to the latest progress is, but as an ally I believe he will mean no less the same as we do." She looked at the other group members. "Things are in a dire state. Caspian plan to forcefully take over Sepso. This forest will be cut down with the intention to create several fleets so he can gain power on the mainland. You are doing this for your people, for the lost homes the lost families, for Sepso and for so much more beyond this island and its future."
The silence after she had spoken could have taken the breath away from most. She continued in a calmer tone. "You are free to go after you have spoken to our Oracle."

[Varthonai]

The Elf woman had been turning to each of the party members as she spoke, in an odd sort of analytical way. When she turned to Daniel, he felt the Name panic briefly but then contain Itself.

Lord?

The Name regained its composure. It was nothing important. Daniel sighed and listened to the Elf woman's words again, relaxing as best he could.

When the Elf woman told them their mission, however, Daniel was more than confused. In fact, as of that moment, Daniel was convinced that the Elves were either mad, or lying.

As the other members of the party voiced their opinions, Daniel turned the meaning of what the Elf woman had just said over and over in his mind. The Name seemed thrilled to be going on another exciting adventure... yet, It could not fault Daniel's reasoning.

The approval of his Lord and Master gave Daniel new and somewhat foolhardy resolve, and he blurted out "This is ridiculous!"

The Name felt that this was overdoing it a bit, and tried to warn Daniel to tone it down.

"Hika is right," Daniel continued. "How can you be so stup--"

Heads turned in shock, and the Name made a sudden decision to take control. Daniel felt his lips and tongue wielded like the armaments of a holy crusader in defense of righteousness, and in spite of the ill-conceived decision to surface at such a delicate moment, Daniel felt proud to have a strong orator like the Name guiding his words with such deeper diplomatic skill.

"Hika is right," the Name repeated. "How can you be so... er... misguided?!"

Daniel silently applauded. The Elf woman raised an eyebrow.

"Look," the Name continued. "I understand that the... 'demon' child could be a potent weapon, but that doesn't change the truth of Hika's words, nor of Gerald's. I claim none of Dirral's political expertise, but anyone can tell at a glance that we are traveling adventurers at best--not assassins. If Caspian is such a grave threat that we must resort to a ploy as base as assassination, and the demon child absolutely MUST have a hand in it, then surely there are people more skilled than ourselves at getting Caspian and the demon child in... well, in the same general area."

Daniel felt a sense of disappointment surging within the Name's spiritual structure as it told them Daniel's argument. Though It recognized the validity of Daniel's point, it couldn't conceal how badly it had wanted to be a part of such a historic mission.

[Killing_Time]

"Enough of this, already," a bored voice boomed in everyone's mentality. The energy focused itself on Daniel so it was heard by him and Name, only felt as an argument by everyone else. "Assassinating is not the appropriate term for what your and Name's purposes are in the Plan of Futurus." The feeling of helplessness filled everyone's minds as the voice asked "What do you have in your life without a purpose? Your lives will lead to an uneventful, anonymous end without one."

[Varthonai]

She knows of you, Lord? Daniel thought, suddenly panicking in confusion as the helplessness affected him. How can this be? They are heathens...

The Name responded to Daniel calmly. Many elderly creatures such as the Elves obviously had records that recognized the Name's significance, even if they did not recognize It as their rightful creator. Daniel relaxed.

[Victory]

Gerald felt his blood boil by the arrogance and nerves of the elven council. Despite his outrage and ill tempered manners, Gerald found himself belittled and humbled by the elves complete lack of empathy or social competence. He began thinking himself able to speak his mind freely, for any disrespect he paid the council would be answered ten fold by the next sentence spoken to him.

Despite his anger, he tried his best to maintain his composure.

"Sink me, m'dear, if I am to speak with any oracle and waste my precious time, then I demand a bit of respect. I shall do you no favours until you ask me properly. Demands will get you nowhere and I must say that I find threats and fables rather tedious," he said, remembering his accent this time and fixed his linen sleeves in a small attempt to regain the status quo before looking straight ahead, just above the heads of the council.

[Wadling]

Jason peered around the next room briefly before closing the door behind him. Staying close to the wall, he turned right and started taking the room in. It appeared to be the main hall, it was large and had ancient looking pillars supporting an upper floor that ran around the outside of the room. Jason had seen this sort of room before, but there was something about it that was throwing him off his game. It took him a while to realise what it was. He was in the main hall, he could see the front door from where he was standing, he could see the usual presentation of extreme wealth ranging from paintings to gems all locked away inside glass cases or bolted to the wall. On top of that he was standing in plain sight. Where were the guards?

He stepped gingerly away from the imaginary safety of the wall and looked up at the upper floor. He couldn’t see anybody. However, Jason was never one to complain if a fortunate circumstance happened to come his way. After all, Lord Harvey had told him he could take whatever he wanted from the house. He walked over to the nearest display case in amazement and took out a knife. He then inserted the knife under the lid of the display case and wedged it open. From experience he knew that most people kept their display cases badly protected, as it is ironically the worst of their wealth that is stored for all to see.

After taking a few particularly shiny gems that Jason felt he could pass off as worth something, he proceeded to go from room to room, but not finding anything worth taking he returned to the main hall, disappointed. He assumed that the horse statue that Harvey wanted would be a personal possession of the land owner here, and therefore upstairs, most likely in his bedroom or study. Half way up the stairs Jason finally decided that the fact that he had not encountered anyone in a lord’s house during the middle of the day was quite disturbing. Up until now he had assumed that the house was a second home for some Lord or another, and was vacant for the time being. But more sinister thoughts soon manifested themselves in Jason’s mind. However these thoughts were soon replaced by the images of a disproportionate barmaid lying on a bed of silver and gold coins holding a plate of various sliced meats.

Jason was so distracted that when he opened the first door on the top floor, he didn’t notice the cluster of heavily armoured city guardsmen turn to face him with surprise. Then he did notice them, and then he noticed the dead man lying on the bed on the opposite side of the room. At first he thought the guardsmen had killed the man, but then he realised that an investigation was more likely.

“That explains the lack of people around.” Jason thought out loud “Well damn it all”

“Citizen!” One of the guards exclaimed, his face was young and arrogant, he almost looked identical to all of the other guards in the room. Forest elves. “This area is subject to a criminal investigation, how did you get in here?”

“I uhhh” Jason choked, not believing his bad luck, or the fact that they hadn’t tackled him yet “I was just cleaning the rooms and well-”

“Look at his belt sir” Another elf chimed in, eying Jason’s equipment “He’s a thief, it looks like he’s stolen some of the jewelery from downstairs.”

Jason lifted the obvious pouch of gems from his belt “Well I was cleaning them you see and-”

“Take him into custody” The first elf ordered.

Jason put his hand into the pouch, took out some of the gems and hurled them at the approaching guards. He turned and ran for the door before he could see what impact he had, but he heard some satisfying yells and clangs where the gems had hit metal and skin alike. Jason almost flew down the stairs, and hit the ground running. He headed straight for the front door without thinking, praying to Lady Luck that it would be unlocked. He turned the door handle and found that it was in fact open. He supposed that luck had to be on his side at some point.

As Jason ran from the house, he crashed straight into a not so imposing figure, knocking him to the floor. As he looked down to see who it was, he was baffled to see that Lord Harvey had been waiting outside the house. Lord Harvey in turn looked horrified to see Jason. The moment didn’t last long, as Harvey quickly picked himself up and hurried into the house. Jason, with a look of bemusement on his face, continued his escape.

[Tawl]

(K, I kinda pulled Carsile of Bren, and the governorship of Danforth out because I thought it might open the map up a bit more for later on, and make Caspian out to be more of an arrogant man out to forge an empire rather that some omnipresent straight up evil magic dude. Kinda laid out political motivations for all sides as well. If Duke Carsile's dead then, he can't really be an ally/plot point/travel destination and makes Bren a bit of a pointless city. Your call in the end, just thought it might make it a bit more layered. I'll wait with my post in case you want to change anything.)

[Victory]

(I agree with Tawl and besides - the notion that Caspian is just pure evil is rather tired and dull. Villains need character development too.)

[Razgriz]

(Because I’m free from studying at the moment…)

Ceres stared at the newcomer, Daniel, with glassy-eyes. Flabbergasted as he is, he was slightly angered by the man’s words.

He doesn’t know me!

Amidst the chaotic argument, Ceres stood behind the party; glowering at the short man.

A weapon?! A tool?! I barely can defend myself!

Daniel didn’t turn to his direction, hooked up with the argument of the tedious mission. This gave Ceruseum the impression that he was not one to look out for reactions but move on, ignorant of consequence.

Leave me with the tyrant?! You are so quick to judge, quick to leave me!

Unconsciously, Ceres whispered his thought aloud. He blinked his eyes repeatedly upon realizing this.

“Enough of this, already,”

A voice boomed into Ceres’ head, snapping him from his thoughts towards Daniel. He noticed that everyone suddenly became quiet – It hadn’t only affected him. Soon after, Gerald broke the silence – Sounding every bit the same ever since he first talked to him as they journeyed towards this city, Eshickna.

Ignoring the recurring words of Daniel within his little noggin, he waited silently. Ceres was quite curious to what this Oracle may be and to what discussion the party and Oracle will engage in. He feels rather uneasy towards the fact that the Council will lend their strength – Perhaps to ability to finally manipulate fire as a Demon should?

A sudden thought struck him.
What do the others think of what Daniel had said?

[Mattbot]

The man clearly wasn’t going to back down and return to his business, at least not before he had bashed Beregond’s head in with his meat cleaver.

“You clearly don‘t know who I am you little runt, I‘m Bernard bloody Donkin! wanted for murder, rape and thieving spanning from all across the west coast cities and these guys right here, these are my boys from way back...”

He gestured over to those in his company who began pacing slowly back to their table in an attempt to avoid being dragged into the conflict in a public area, Beregond had had quite enough of Mr. Donkin’s drunken rage and rose to his feet in an attempt to scoot around the table and head for the door before he could do something regrettable. Out of nowhere the drunken brute swung his right fist towards the now perfectly still Ranger. Dodging the blow Beregond’s trembling had ceased, cancelled out by heat of a battle.

Bernard’s fist went sailing into the wooden and stone wall behind Beregond resulting in a satisfying crunch which only aggravated the Ranger more who in quick response shot a right hook over the table and into the drunkards face sending him staggering back into the pillar with a broken nose. His companions sallied back to get him on his feet as Beregond hopped over the table and began pacing towards the group, a sinister smirk beneath his hood.

Those attempting to pull back their subdued friend suddenly began fearing for their own lives and began cowering away or raising their arms and bucklers in protection of themselves. Those inside the bar where either flocking out the exit, hurryingly downing their drinks and meals or routing on the participants. Beregond was only a few feet away from them now and was preparing to lay down a blow when a heavily built and armored man closely followed by the stout bartender ran out from the room which he had previously fled into.

“Cease this madness you laggards or take your business outside!”

The man shouted from beneath his thick steel helmet whilst pointing at Beregond. Snapping out of his rage and reverting back to his normal self he stared down at the cowering group of thugs realizing what he had just done. He looked at the bartender and his guard then turned back to finish his drink, After which Beregond promptly headed to the exit bowing his head to the bartender in apology and leaving his pay on the table.

Once outside he was immediately hit by the beauty of the three shining towers of the elven city Eshikna which surrounded a large a mountain and soared above the thin woodland before him. He let out a deep breath clearing his lungs of the smoke filled Inn and headed across the stone path and into the wilderness followed at a distance by the group of thugs from the inn.

[Varthonai]

(I can't buy that Caspian's just pure evil. What I CAN buy is that the Elves think he is, which is all that's really being implied here. He's pretty much the antithesis of the conservatism and cultural isolationism that are characteristic of Elves. Also, he's a human, and they probably don't care much for that either.)

The Name had found Gerald, at various earlier points, both amusing and intimidating; this was the first time It actually found him admirable. Daniel sensed the Name's respect for Gerald and felt a twinge of envy, but made no attempt to articulate his feelings. Daniel could not fathom the Name having much respect for anyone in the party, except possibly for the culture and competence of Dirral, which Daniel also envied and hoped that, someday, he might equal.

Gerald's words had given inspiration to the Name, and courage overcame the emotions that had been instilled within It, undoubtedly through some Elven magic or artifice.

"Do not mistake my hesitation for lack of resolve," the Name added, louder this time. "I am merely concerned with the practicality of the endeavor. And since it would appear that I am not alone in my concern, it seems only fair that we receive further explanation before we make an agreement... but, if your Oracle can enlighten us about the method behind your madness, then I am willing to..."

Lord, stop! Daniel shouted. The wave of despair, a moment ago... it was Elven magic. They can play tricks on our minds, they can blind us to the truth. Listening to their Oracle could enslave you to their will!

The Name trailed off. It raised Daniel's hand to his chin and scratched thoughtfully.

"Er, on second thought, perhaps we should talk about this amongst ourselves, first?" the Name asked, hopefully. "And then decide whether or not to see the Oracle? Wouldn't take long."

[Killing_Time]

(Thanks Varth, I was going to point out the view of Caspian from the elven point of view. However, a particular physics report have kept me busy with other things. By the way, the party should've realized that the voice they have heard did not come from the actual council but rather from another source...)

- POST COMING SOON -

[Tawl]

(So is Carsile and all of Bren buttfucked or still standing? It'll affect how and what my character will do)

[Killing_Time]

(We can go with the idea of an assassination, a simple act of terror to give out the message that Caspian's men are closing in on some of the strongest forces of the still free Sepso. This means Bren will still work as a city but it will have lost its greatest family.)

[Victory]

(All I hear from that is CONVENIENT. But do as you please, let's just continue already :P)

[Killing_Time]

Hika felt small. She didn't know whether to feel fearful or in absolute awe. The air was thick of magic. She was wondering how it had come to this. Why her? Why them? Were they supposed to be some kind of distraction until Eshickna had a stronger army?
It seemed the only one with a justified reason to stay and fight Caspian was Ceres, and yet she was against the thought of leaving him behind. There were two reasons: One, he was terribly young and two, she had an inner child inside of her screaming for justice. A past child she had put behind her, but it had caught up with her now, facing the chance to do something.
Yet, she was growing up and she was against this madness the council had put before them. Besides, the group in its entirety was so extremely diverse. How would they ever be able to understand each other to the point of where it would be possible to work together in order to survive - let alone fight?
A part of her realised there would be some consequences coming from not accepting what the council wanted done. With Caspian's forces so close, who would know if her home wouldn't be gone by the time she would have returned to Stoneforge?

Another council member, an average looking elven man, with the exception of his abnormally long hair, stepped out. "We are asking something of you which seems impossible. However, we have an oracle behind us, something which may not mean much to you, but they have kept Sepso at balance since their birth. We have never questioned the oracle for a reason simple enough: They are beings with immense power, beings with eyes that can see beyond the present and into the future. As we asked of them to help us restore a Sepso where Caspian does not exist, they sought for us and they spoke of you." "What the future gives you will be solved by your diversity, the skills of each of you as individuals; something no squad of soldiers would be able to offer."

He drew a breath before he ended the speech with his deep voice: "What brought you here to begin with?"

[Tawl]

(I still implore to have Carsile live for the time being. Even if he dies later on, it can be used as a far better plot development. And again, if he's already dead, Bren may as well not exist. To be fair, I should've run it by you first though before bringing it up.)

[Killing_Time]

(Alright, I have edited out his death, but I keep his status as an ally of Eshickna since I believe the most realistic scenario would be that.)

[Wadling]

“Dunno what ta tell ya Jase, it wus a set ap” The slurred voice belonged to Thoris Dolovas, a Dark Elf fence that Jason used to sell his gems and other precious stones.

Jason had sought refuge in Thoris’ back alley shop, both to find information and to sell the few gems he had left. As he suspected, the gems were worthless. The information he hoped for however, was of plentiful supply

“Yeah, word’s been floatin’ around town that Lord whats-his-name? Marbley?”

“Harvey” Jason corrected, annoyed at his increasingly hopeless predicament.

“Yeah, yeah” Thoris continued “Lord ‘Arvey, he’s bin after your ‘ide ‘cuz of a job you pulled on ‘is ol’ folks’ ‘ouse, one of ‘em ‘ad an ‘art attack or summit”

“Ohhh” Jason remembered the night well, he couldn’t help but feel a small amount of remorse, after all he had killed Harvey’s mother that night, and only managed to secure a minor amount of coin for his troubles. Jason turned on Thoris “Are you telling me that you knew Harvey was up to something?”

“Well not really” Thoris scratched his head “Only really found out about it this mornin’, but you were already gone by then weren’t ya.”

“So what was his plan?” Jason questioned

“Well the job he ‘ad you do wus prob’ly a fake ‘un” Thoris’ face scrunched together, and his wrinkles became prominent, a sign he was in deep thought “I guess he ‘ad someone kill whoever wus in the ‘ouse, called the guards, sent you in after ‘em hopin’ you’d get arrested or killed by ‘em. My guess is he wus comin’ over to the house to say that he saw you sneakin’ around the place around the same time the owner wus killed.”

Jason shook his head “Well I can’t stay here now, and they’ve probably got guards searching my room. They’ll be looking around here too…” Jason shot Thoris a look.

“Don’t you worry about me” Thoris grinned “I won’t give you away. But yer right, you best be movin’ on from Eshickna.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to relocate” Jason shrugged “Know any ways out?”

“I happen to know that a bunch o’ cargo boats is dockin’ down at the Northern Docks t’day” Thoris informed, pulling out a piece of paper and checking it “Look for the boat called the ‘Morven’.”

“That’s, ‘Child of the Sea’?” Jason translated, thinking back to his time at school studying forgotten languages “What’s it carrying?”

“I dunno, I just ‘ave the names of the boats, Jase. Now you better get goin’, there’s a storm brewin’ an’ you’ve caused it.”

“Alright Thoris” Jason placing his hand on his shoulder “If I return, I’ll have a lot of stories to tell, and a lot of merchandise to shift.”

“So long as the drink don’t kill me before then, I’ll look forward to it”

Jason smiled, bid farewell to the man, and set off North for the docks.

[Mattbot]

The 5 man group of thieves and murderers ventured further into the forest. They had lost track of where their attacker had ran off to yet continued pressing on. The forest was teaming with life birds and bugs swept through the sky and upper canopies small land mammals scurried from bush to bush making all the land around the thugs rustle, those in the group gazed around anxiously. The leading brute of the pack was still in a drunken rage and stumbled ahead of the others. None of these men noticed that their prey was only a few meters away from them brushing from tree to tree, ducking behind the mounds of earth and rock and setting up traps.

Bernard Donkin caught something in the corner of his eye and charged blankly in that direction, barging through the thin trees and over a large drop. His teammates rushed after him but lost him at the drop, The half elf at the back of the group was suddenly knocked out cold as a large stick collided with his face from behind a large boulder.

Those ahead of the unconscious thug turned back to only catch the back of a cloak meld into the foliage surrounding them. The 3 ruffians decided to abandon their leader and get themselves and their unconscious friend out of the woods.

Beregond had clambered up onto a large branch hanging only a few feet above the path in which the remaining criminals were heading, He was holding the end of a large rope in his hands which slunk down the tree like a vine and onto the path concealed nicely beneath the cover of the tall grass and plants. The leading dark elf of the group was scouting ahead of the other two men who were busy dragging their unconscious friend across the dirt, He wore thick studded leather armor and had the standard buckler that all the party carried, in his right hand stood a large one handed war axe that looked to fine and well crafted to have been earned decently by the low life that wielded it. As Beregond had hoped the dark elf snagged the trap and Beregond dropped off the branch side facing away from the thugs, The malefactor shrieked as his left leg was slung across the ground and up into the air as the noose tightened around his ankle. He bashed his head against the tree trunk and fell unconscious Beregond landed lightly on the ground and hastily tied his end of the rope around the tree base as securely as possible.

The two remaining men drew arms and charged at Beregond who was now in clear sight, The Ranger reached for his belt and pulled out a dim and dented short sword and then reached into the grass to draw another end of a rope, wrapping the end around his wrist he tugged on it springing a thick trip wire from between two trees. The first man fell flat on his face after getting caught on the rope whereas the other leaped over it and swung his sword at the Ranger who blocked the attack with his own blade.

Beregond quickly shot his free fist into the assailants stomach forcing him to his knees, the man groaned and dropped his weapon but this didn’t put the Ranger off who delivered several more punches to the mans face knocking him clean out and breaking his jaw in the process. Beregond was in full blood frenzy now and only stopped pummeling the swordsman’s face in to confront the other thug who had gotten back upon his feet from the tripping trap.

The last remaining group member launched himself at Beregond smashing his buckler into the rangers face, In quick return his shield was torn from his grip. Pain hot ove Beregond's face as his nose began to bleed down his chin, cancelling the pain out of his body and he launched the buckler at the man and rushed forward discarding his short sword, the man parried out of the projectiles way and went to lunge at his opponent but wasn’t quick enough on the draw receiving a quick sweep of his legs and a lights out punch to his face.

Bernard Donkin came back to , he had rolled down a short but steep hill and landed in a blueberry bush crawling with 6 legged Slablets. Donkin jumped out of the bush and began furiously brushing off the insects crawling over his armor, as he climbed back up the hill he was greeted by a Feathered Snib which gazed curiously into his eyes. Bernard levered himself up and grabbed the small bird by its long neck hurling it into the shrubs.

“Christopher! Randle! Any of you guys out there!”

He slurred in hopes of alerting his men to his position. Continuing blindly through the woods in a still drunken state he miraculously managed to come across what was left of his crew. All of them were tied together with rope and vines. Their faces were all severely bruised and bloodied , one of them looked to be dead. Staggering over to the group he began trying to untie his friends.

“Who did this to you lads? What on ear-”

Bernard was cut off as he caught a figure out of the corner of his eye, sitting casually upon a branch laid a shadowed figure who was busy smoking on his pipe and silently watching his movements carefully, the light from the pipe illuminated the Rangers grin.

“You! You! How did you- who are you?”

Mr. Donkin barked as he backed away from his tied up followers in fear, the shadowed ranger put out his pipe and hopped of his perch flexing his wrists as he moved towards him.

“I am Beregond, freelance Ranger, pleased to make your acquaintance Mr. Donkin.”

“What are you going to do with me and my men Beregond?!?!”

Bernard snapped trying to gaze through the shadow of the rangers hood.

“Well as you said Earlier Mr. Donkin, You and your lads are wanted all along the west coast cities, I‘m sure you‘ll fetch a nice price at the local guard post, Now if you would be so kind my good sir I have enough rope left for one more person.”

Beregond dodged a fast punch from the quivering Bernard Donkin.

“Get away from me you s- HURK!”

[Polo]

([[Character Entry]]) (http://forums.deletionquality.net/showpost.php?p=255841&postcount=11)

[Polo]

Ishmir laid back. The padding of the chair was just too irresistible. He smiled and took a sip from his wine glass. This was the life.

In the corner of a run down tavern, where the wood was rotten and old men wallowed in their sorrows sat Ishmir, perched against the back of a red padded chair which was quaintly placed beside the roaring fire of the tavern. Opposite of him sat two shady characters, both wearing brown dirtied clothes each with an emblem on their right arms who also sat in red padded chairs. Both men scowled towards Ishmir, these men just wanted to get down to business and not observe the elf in front of them squirm and fidget to find a position on his seat that felt best. After all, they willingly paid for Ishmir's drink, a loan they were hoping the elf would pay back. They couldn't wait any longer, they had to interject.

“Down to business then” said the scruffier, older one of the men. “So will you do the job or not?”
“What job?” asked Ishmir, tagging on a little smile. “Oh, you mean the assassination!”
“Stop playing dumb. Will you do it or not?”
“Haha, of course I will. And I'll get the flash in return, right?”
“Yes, that was the deal was it not?”
“Yes, I do believe it was, but-” Ishmir paused for a second, he had to think of an approach to what he was about to do. He leant in towards the two men, smiling just as intensely as before. “How do I know you won't double cross me?”

Both men turned to one another, synchronising eye contact, they both turned back and faced Ishmir again. The younger, less scruffier man gulped slightly. This elf in front of him acted nothing like the ones he'd ever met or even attacked before. Most elves he had met were calm, peaceful and unwilling to retaliate. This elven was nothing like that – it was like the elven emitted a dangerous aura. He pulled himself away from the Elf ever so slightly. To say the least, the elf was extremely threatening in his tone which was ever more amplified by his mocking smile. The young gang-member didn't want to mess around, it could put his life in danger. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a little satchel and threw it down onto the table in front of him.

“Here's your flash” he said “proof that we actually have it so don't go thinkin' we're gonna, y'know... trick ya.”
“Gooood.” said Ishmir, his eyes focusing on the satchel “After all, if you did double-cross me I can assure you you'd be dead before you could even turn and flee...”

These men are morons, thought Ishmir. They couldn't even see through his visage. He looked up and gave a nice big smile. He was happy, he had what he wanted. Was he going to do the assassination? Of course not, Ishmir had never killed anyone who didn't deserve it even if these men were part of the town's biggest gang. He was merely bluffing. He just wanted to make sure he got what he wanted and evidently he had. Now to plan his escape. He swirled the wine around in his wine glass, listening to the crisp sloshes it made. That's it!

Ishmir laid back into the red padded seat once more, and turned his head towards the window. Light shone through ever so greatly, bleaching out the outside world from the inside. He was a bird in a cage, looking out into the bigger world. He closed his eyes, and imagined travelling once more. The older gang member coughed. Ishmir's senses snapped back into the room. He turned to face the members once more, clinging onto his wine glass.

“Well chaps” Ishmir said “It was fun doing business but I gotta get going.” as he said this he lunged his hand forwards, his wine with it, the red liquid flying straight into the eyes of the gang members. He jumped off his chair, made a quick grab for the satchel and legged it towards the door of the tavern. He was in big shit, no way was he going to be able to stay in this town any more, but he assured himself the flash was worth it. He made a lunge for the door and kicked it open, almost knocking it off its hinges. Light flooded the dim tavern as he made his escape. He slipped on the gravel as he ran out, falling onto his back. He held onto the satchel tightly. He got back up to his feet, his eyes adjusting to the brightness of the day. He turned and looked back, the gang members were clambering around trying to find the double crosser. How ironic. Ishmir, turned to his left and ran down the street away from the tavern, looking desperately for an alley way.

The gang members rushed out of the tavern, clambering past the drunkards, their faces soaked in wine. They turned looking for the elf that had just stolen their priceless goods, but they just couldn't see him. The market was filled with people, buying their bread and purchasing their goods. The elf had long vanished into the sea of people. This was no good, if their boss found out they probably wouldn't see the light of day that shone so brightly. “Thief!” they shouted, in their attempts to see if people would look too and attempt to catch him. “oh god thief! He stole our stuff!” but to no avail. No one responded. This wouldn't do, one member one way, the other went another.

Ishmir sat, down a dark alley way, his heart racing. He turned his head and looked towards the end of the alley way. Silhouettes passed by taking no notice of his apparent whereabouts. He smiled, he got away, but not in the long term. It wouldn't be long before the gang members told their leader and then the entire town would be out for him. He sighed, and laughed. His head hitting the back of the alley wall. He looked down towards the satchel and opened it, there it was, there was his flash and there was just enough for at least two smokes.

[Killing_Time]

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/6952/sesp.png
(Here is the updated Sepso map! Check it out!)

[Mattbot]

(Wow Bren was much closer to Caspian than I thought D:, nice work.)

[Aval]

The dark elf in near the back began to fill the awkward silence with a growing ironically condescending titter that had grown from a sly smirk throughout the whole meeting.

They know absolutely nothing

When he was certain his melodramatic entrance to the conversation had made him the centre of everyone's attention, he stifled the laugh and cleared his throat.

"You people have chosen an interesting audience for you condescension from your ivory tower."

He glanced over the Council, recognizing a few of the faces and the same expression on each of their heads. He would have loved to use this opportunity to revel in puncturing their pompous pretensions to portentousness (lol ironic pretentiousness is okay if it's post modernist)

"Your question really is in fact, two. The first is why we are here, as in, us in particular - what contrived events led us to this situation.

Well, in that case let me inform you that very few of us in this group joined under the impression that they were going to be doing anything major to the world. These people you are asking to perform highly dangerous loop jumping are just civilians with a sense of adventure and nothing else to do.

Take the person you are forcing the position of leader onto as a perfect example; She is barely an adult, yet you expect her to have some sort of feelings to moral obligation that could get her killed simply because she has been doing what she's been told this far."

Frankly you're ridiculous.

Either they were hiding it for no reason he could imagine or they were totally unaware of everything he was worried about.

"The other question you're asking is, why are we here, this place, how have we made it this far.

We have been escorted by an elf claiming to be acting on your behalf. Let me inform you of something. The reason you're unable to see the orb is because he is either incompetent and let the orb bearer get murdered - or, much more likely, he is a spy working for Caspian and you have already failed in what little you intended to do with this operation."

They didn't even let that dent their features. One was smiling for fuck's sake. Blood began to boil.

He breathed deeply, trying not to let his rage spill onto what he was about to say. His delivery was slow and methodical.

"You are despicable indicators of a failed and outdated political system. I know much more than you would imagine me to. I know all about you and what you did after Tere'd'nerra."

A long enough pause to let them dwell on that wass given.

"But I like to think I spend my talents doing the right thing. The fact that this aligns with your will at this time is regrettable, but acceptable. I submit to be used however you feel would harm the southern menace to the best of my ability."

[Killing_Time]

”I’ll go,” Hika’s voice faintly said, almost breaking into a whisper. She bit her lip. She knew that this was an unfair way to get what she wanted, but she was assured that if she went then Daniel would be forced to go due to his debt. She hoped the others would give in if one or two would. “I assume Ceres has no free choice in this. At least he deserves company he knows rather than a lone journey with armored men who fears his potential powers.”
Caspian was a problem she felt personal about. An enemy who had haunted many of her younger nights and who had taken everything she knew and loved. She had lived alone longer than in a family, and her memories were faint and poorly detailed. Yet, her family had become a symbol of something perfect, something unobtainable and something she had been unfairly deprived from. The council had ignited her hatred and anger and thus also her passion for revenge. It was something that would complete her and give her existence a meaning.

[Victory]

Gerald felt a sense of pride for his companion as Aval began to break down the council's arguments; a feeling that was quickly subdued when Aval decided to roll over and blindly accept the councils demands. He was slightly disappointed. But if anything, it was Hika's response that baffled him, and he couldn't restrain a sarcastic chuckle.

"Odd's fish m'dear. The boy doesn't have to do anything against his will. Oracle or not, I will not allow it," Gerald said and glanced at the boy. A sudden sense of responsibility rushed over him; a selfless sensation he hadn't felt for what seemed like a life time.

[Razgriz]

Ceres continued standing there silently – Only listening as the others talked it out. He felt out of place from all of them and chose not to speak; although the feeling is rather expected from someone being the youngest of the wayfaring group.

He already had made up his mind but carefully listened to the argument. He was discouraged to state his decision at first as Daniel and Dirral were ready to back away. For a moment, he felt he can hear his heart beating at a faster rate within his ears.

It must be the right thing to do… Caspian has no right over my people…

He first turned to Dirral with confused eyes – Saddened to the fact that he would not come to aid in his journey. Then again, Cereseum expected others to look out for themselves.

His methods of control are monstrous… Treating the other races as they have treated the Demons…

He glanced at Daniel, who was behind his right – He managed to hold down his contempt for this man due to the great first impression he had given to the child.

It all just leads to suffering, pain and death…

The Demon child’s eyes slowly wandered towards the tall Aval – He has not stated his point of view on this matter yet but so far, even though Ceres still see him rather shady, he had not done harm against him nor hurt his feelings. Then again, Ceres was careful not to provoke Aval into a fit where he would swear at his face.

I am in the middle of all this… The Council believes I can achieve this feat with lent power…

Then he focused on Gerald – The noble. Ceres felt rather uneasy around Gerald for some unknown reason but he did protect him multiple times in the past and was very appreciative of it. However, his disdain to Council’s request and his outburst kept his rough, asphalt-orange, lips welded together.

If I were to have power lent by this creature they speak of… What then? Will I survive the encounter?

Finally, his eyes met the eyes of Hika – The first human he ever encountered. Believing that he would have died long time ago in the desert; he woke up from his coma to find this kind, headstrong girl tending to his deficiencies. If Ceres wished to talk to somebody, Hika would be on top of his list. If she would not accept the request, he would understand as it will risk her life.

And perhaps, disposing of him will finally put my people into good standing with the other races of Sepso…

He had made his choice. It is his duty. He felt it was his responsibility to do so and as a representative of all Demon kind, he must.

Aval began to talk; tearing down the question the Council member presented them. “But I like to think I spend my talents doing the right thing. The fact that this aligns with your will at this time is regrettable, but acceptable. I submit to be used however you feel would harm the southern menace to the best of my ability.”

Ceres was surprised; it was conspicuous on his facial expression, although it appears no one noticed it. This was enough to bring back his confidence in speaking out his decision to the matter until…

“I’ll go.” The decision faded within Hika's voice. She accompanied it with a reason, “I assume Ceres has no free choice in this. At least he deserves company he knows rather than a lone journey with armored men who fears his potential powers.”

Ceres was overjoyed to have Hika at his side and to have her supporting his potential. He took a step forward. He heard what Gerald had to say to Hika’s choice but he placed himself at her side.

His eyes dropped on to the dustless, marble floor for a moment, “As you said, Sir Gerald – I will not take anything against my will but this is my choice…” He turned to the Council members and took a mouthful of air, easing himself, “It is my duty to accept. I – I want to help my people… Free them from the tyrant that led the other races of Sepso to dislike them even more.”

The silence lasted for an eternity for him… He could not help but allow his lower jaw to shiver in this tensing second…

[Aval]

Two small voices drifted from behind Aval. He felt his heart sink as he recognised the youngest of the group laying down their lives to the Council's bidding. The rant had apparently inspired Hika and Ceres to commit.

This was really not the effect he intended.

[Varthonai]

The Name thought their situation over, and over, and over again. The more It thought about it, the more uncomfortable it seemed. The Elves' invasive psychic spell had left It uncomfortable, feeling very vulnerable and exposed. Who could the Name confide in at a time like this? Daniel couldn't ward off this sort of magic on his own...

Gerald, the Name suddenly realized, crossing quietly across the room to the chuckling man at the end.

"Everyone here has the right to decide his or her own fate," the Name whispered to Gerald as subtly as It could, "but I fear that the Elves think differently. If you felt the Elven spell on our minds a moment ago, as I felt it, you realize that they may be capable of complete mental domination. We have a duty to protect our friends from their potential enslavers, don't we?"

From the back of his own mind, Daniel felt uneasy about applying the word "friends" to this rabble he'd only met the other day. He also felt odd that the Name was taking such a strong stance on matters of free will, considering that he and the Name were bound to this party against their will. Well, at least against Daniel's.

"You can sense magic, yes?" asked the Name, still whispering. "If the Elves charm our friends' minds while they are inside, we need to be able to tell."

[Tawl]

Elias grew weary of the conversation. He wanted to leave, and at the same time felt compelled to remain. All of the information, the ambition, the politics was simply too much for him. It was too complicated. But there was one simple factor that had him involved in this predicament in the first place. What the demon child was worth. He still had the wanted poster in his bag, five hundred gold pieces. With that sort of money he could completely disappear, even leave the Isles for new lands if he felt inclined. At the same time the boy was an innocent, seemingly affected by fate, or the council, Caspian, or something pulling the strings. It could be fate, he didn't believe in it, to him this seemed all a political game at heart no matter how glossy or well intentioned it was presented. It didn't matter if Caspian was alive or dead, another leader from another side of the conflict would simply take his place, and the cycle would begin again. It was best to keep things simple, to not get any deeper than he already had. Focusing on the original purpose seemed the best decision, either that or leave the party now. But to leave made everything so far pointless.

He remained composed as the girl and the demon boy committed to the Council's bidding. The elf, and Gerald remained resolute, even more openly against being used as he had been. The newcomer Daniel, Elias could not read. He found him somewhat unsettling.
He cleared his throat. "I as well. However I stand by my previous comments and I do not like the burden that has been put in front of us all. While I chose to remain travelling with the party at present, my mind is far from made up on the matter, and my own tasks I deem require my personal priority."

It was decided. He would remain with the party until he could reach a decision, though he felt his decision was already made.

[Victory]

Gerald looked at Daniel with a sense of awe. The impression Gerald had gathered had been shattered piece by piece ever since they entered the chamber. The passive aggression Gerald had guessed rested under Daniel's composure was as if blown away, replaced by different traits and signals. It intrigued Gerald to say the least. He was usually a decent judge of character.

Ignoring his surprise, Gerald responded with a subtle nod. He decided that instead of speaking prematurely, he would wait for the council to lose their patience and speak again.

[Killing_Time]

(This isn't something you guys can hear or see. Maybe Aval, Gerald, Name and Ceres can feel it though)
An elderly looking man's thoughts flew around him in their magical, physical form. He was looking at his own mind pondering and producing these beautiful creatures he had seen for thousands of years already. Is the prophecy true? Is it of the world where flesh and blood lives? He was almost certain. Only almost, however. Did something happen in the world that had given up calling him back? Did the tales of the future stem from there? He wet his wrinkled lips briefly. It couldn’t be. Although it had been eons ago, he would still be able to tell of the presence of their enchanting, sweet messengers who had come to lead him home. The home calling that no one could resist. He moved slightly as a wave of energy gently pushed him on his plane. The bodies of the earthly races would not feel this physically, only mentally. It would be enough to turn their sanity over if he would not have a mind for controlling it. He simply knew because that was how the worlds were put together.
The wave caused his physical form to rattle the chains he had been placed in. He knew not to break them or he would no longer exist, nor would his branches of others like him or the rare leaves, those created by his kind.
No, it must be right. The patterns I see, the things that happen are things that are meant to be. The prophecy follows the birth of past and future as it should.
His magic was constantly present in the room where the elements of the prophecy were located. He was caught up feeling the future of each of these fleshed creatures. Such legends to be remembered by history. His patience was never ending, but he felt the patience of the council running out. Despite being much older than any normal elven, they were still children in his eyes. He knew that these people would be stubborn and would go unwillingly and he knew that his interference would happen once again. He needed to speak to those who carried prophecy without the council’s presence. He knew it would lead to their agreement to come along. He had once been of flesh and blood and he knew that his manipulative nature was against his former existence. Unfortunately it was a natural thing that he could not suppress, much like the magic that was flowing around him.
The future spoke against his will. He was not the one to set the future, nor change it. He could only predict it and tell of its causes and effects and yet everything he knew was faint and dream-like.
(THERE IS SPACE FOR A SHORT REACTION IF YOU NEED TO ADD ANYTHING BEFORE I CONTINUE)

[Varthonai]

The Name shivered. "Felt something else there, I think," It mumbled to Gerald.

It took up Daniel's hands and rubbed his temples. "Don't think I'm under a spell yet. So far, so good."

[Razgriz]

Cereseum winced back as an odd sensation hit him. He had chills running down his spine and goose-bumps appearing on his rough skin. He suddenly had this numinous feeling of a greater presence but as he searched around the court room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

W-what is going on? Magic?

Feeling far too unsettled and overwhelmed, he clings on Hika’s side. His head craning around and eyes shifting from side to side.

[Polo]

The coin landed in the guards hand. He stared down at it. An entire gold coin , he couldn't be any more happy than he already was. His reflection contorted by the groves in its reflective surface. He stood beneath an arch, which belonged to the cities southern outer-wall. It had a massive wooden gate, bolted in place by massive iron hinges. The wall was smooth, un-climbable and impenetrable. It towered above smaller buildings but no higher than the tallest of buildings of the city. It was definitely a structure meant to keep things out.

“So Ishmir...” the guard said, his eyes still fixated on the shimmering coin. “Will you ever be back? You know, I mean, after your travels?”

“I don't know. Maybe” he said, walking confidently out of the city. “Just don't tell anyone I've left.”

“Well, that's what this gold is for isn't it? Hehe.” he smiled “I'll see you around, Ishmir.”

“See you.” Ishmir smiled back, gave a little wave and then turned around and left the city for good.

This is it, Ishmir thought. Five years had past since his last travel and now was a better time than ever. He would find a quiet place at first, and proceed to take some of his flash. He longed for the colours of old to make themselves visible to his presence again. The colours that emanated from the ground were most inspiring. He sighed, this landscape was just too uninspiring however. He needed to move further north-east, nearer towards some vegetation away from this rocky badland.

He stopped and turned around, just to admire the city that had once been is home for five years. It was always sad to see a place go but it was never to be. Ishmir squinted; the white walls of the city shone intensely in this sunlight. He could always go back, but it would probably mean most certain death and anyway, Ishmir was never the one to stay fixated in one place. He liked to travel, move around and enjoy new scenery.

“You know what I could do with” he said out loudly to himself “I could do with fresh air, away from this place!”. He looked down towards the golden gravel path beneath him; The veins of Sepso. Paths that weave throughout the island. He will use them, and take him where he desired. Towards the North-east, and towards adventure.

[Killing_Time]

(I know some of you are going to say this is rather unrealistic but I want to show off the potential power of the oracle as well as move the story along)

He threw his head to the side, using the magic as a whip that flew through the space between his presence and the location of the party.
A stream of hot air hit the room as he grabbed those the future had chosen. The wind knocked over some of the furniture and made the magic light flicker violently, threatening to be put out and leave the cave in total darkness.

Hika felt a strong gust of air hitting her, yet it felt as if someone held her from falling. She looked around and saw that so was the case with the others of the group. The council were using their own magic to hold themselves in place. She saw the old woman shout something hardly audible at them as Hika found herself and her party slowly rising above ground. She screamed from fear and surprise from the sudden change of situation. Was this a threat? What was going to happen?!
She fought to get down but nothing was possible. the room had started to spin around them as the warm wind in the room engulfed them and making a rotating stream that carried them out of the council room and through the once before hidden gate. The stone walls that had been opened, closed with a loud boom behind them, though it was not heard by the group as the deafening sound of the wind was howling around them.
They were lead through a straight and very dark corridor. By the end of the corridor Hika saw in all her panic the greenish light they were reaching.
The seemingly impossible situation had stolen her voice, so all fear was channelled through her tightened muscles, wide open eyes and her mouth she had left open since her voice had gone.

Big, open room, yellow and blue, rock floor ahead. The magic energy that had carried them stopped as it had projected the people towards the ground. Hika fell on her back, rolled over and tried to get up, but found her dizzy body fall to the floor once again. her heart was racing ahead of her own breath and her fear mixed with her dizziness made her stomach turn. Acting quickly she got up on all fours, threw up, swiftly removed the bile running from mouth before she gasped loudly and fell back where she lied, exhausted and breathing heavily.
This was not how she had planned to agree with the council's plan.

[Victory]

Before he could mention the devastating power had sensed burning in the back of his mind, Gerald was catapulted into a new setting with a crushing force. His muscles quaked violently and his thoughts echoed with a disorienting effect. His sense of balance vanished completely, and the combination of refractive errors and mental fatigue transformed the new room into a vortex of spinning colours.

As the concept of up and down returned to him, he was able to push himself into an upright position, leaning against some kind of stone wall as he waited impatiently for his strength to return. With every ounce of strength came a fit of rage, burning stronger as he recovered. In a desperate attempt to relieve the tension he resorted to stereotype and gathered his breath and exhaled sharply; a breath that caught fire for a second and vanished just shortly after. Amused by how generic it was, Gerald felt the rage diminish to a level he considered acceptable. Sadly, he knew that would be short lived.

[Varthonai]

Concentration became impossible in the whirlwind of sensory overload that suddenly exploded in Daniel's mind, and the Name involuntarily receded as Daniel returned to deal with the emotional and informational trauma alone.

"GERALD!" Daniel screamed, not entirely sure whether he was getting anything out or merely imagining it, in a half-dreaming state. "If you can... dispel mind tricks," he continued, feeling a nauseated feeling rising in his gut with every word, "this would be a... good time to... consider doing it!"

He retched, aiming far away from himself to avoid staining his robes.

[Razgriz]

A strong current of wind from an unknown source surrounded the party. Ceres’ cloak and hood were blown back – Both were flapping violently. Before he can inquire about their situation, he was lifted up into the air; surrounded by warm air. He looked around and found the others rising up as he was; surprised looked on their faces.

This caught him off-guard as his mind was lingering towards the unknown projections. He screamed as his petite body soared higher into the air. He frantically tried to balance his body while in mid-air but ended up hover upside down. He looked down towards the five council members, who appeared not to be affected by the wind.

He made an attempt to catch their attention, “W-what is going… Oooooooooaaaaaaaaaagh!”

The wind seemingly threw Ceres but in the while, holding on to his body and guiding him. He passed by the threshold of a gate which he did not notice. Again Ceres made another attempt to position himself towards the direction the wind was taking him but it only forced him into different angles in rapid succession. All the while, he felt as if his very brain was spinning in the confines of his skull. He closed his eyes, grunting heavily as his flailing body rubbed against the rough walls of the cavern. He was not sure if he was bleeding but he can feel devastating stings as the pressure of the hot air rams into him. In the midst of this madness, he swore that he heard some indistinct evidence of voices – That or the ludicrous speed was causing his mind to imagine voices as wind seeps into his ears.

Again, he bumped into a wall; ricocheting from it. His screaming abruptly stopped as his apparently bumped into somebody. Out of habit, he apologized but before he can complete it he found himself sliding on his back. The surface was not rough, it was smooth – He slid uninterruptedly until his head crashed into wall.

His vision was blurred. The sound of shrieking wind rang in his ears. Ceresuem’s body trembled. He weakly rolled to his side; his face later fell flat on the smooth ground. He groaned. His entire body was numbed but that did not stop him from trying to get on his hands and knees. His arms shook as he slowly raised himself. Too weak to even get up, he fell back on the ground, rolling to his back.

It was as if the wind sapped the energy from me…

He slowly closed his eyes, succumbing to his fatigue.

[Tawl]

Elias stood around completely perplexed. He wasn't sure if it was elvish magic at work or a simple break in the time, but it seemed that nobody had done anything for almost two weeks. He felt frozen in time. Nobody had talked or moved, the only exceptions being that Gerald had shuffled slightly to scratch his left thigh and the newcomer called Daniel had shifted his weight a few times. He sighed and picked his nose.

[Killing_Time]

(Thanks for reminding me, Tawl)

A blue light flickered, reaching out to hit the faces of the newly arrived people. The light then adjusted its intensity and revealed its source.

Hika sat up slowly, hoping her stomach would hold itself. She was briefly blinded by the blue light but as soon as it had come, it had calmed down. She looked towards what first seemed to be a blue fire yet soon she realized it was a glow that emitted from a human body hanging from the wall. Somehow she immediately knew this person had been the one talking to them without a voice and who had summoned them. It was as if someone was playing around with her intuition. She was certain there were others in this room who had yet to reveal themselves and for some reason none of this scared her. She had actually started to feel rather relaxed about the situation, yet a sting of worry washed away the relaxation. How were the others? She looked around and saw Ceres still lying down. Somehow she felt it would be wrong to break the silence so she just quietly moved closer to him and checked to make sure he wasn’t unconscious.
Indeed, the silence somehow seemed holy or seemed like it should be deemed respectful by anyone near it.

Thoplas looked upon the group before his presence. He had not used this amount of magic before, and it startled his normal flow of energy. He was back in his normal shape once again as he lit up, illuminating the bodies that lied down or sat up.
With a voice that would resemble that of a hurt buy calm friend he said: “Testing the patience of your council was not a wise choice. They have their cities and people they must protect. The simple task of waiting for you has even resulted in letting just for now a part of the forest fall as victim. It’s their home as it is yours, and they have patiently let it burn for you.”

[Razgriz]

Cereseum’s eyes fluttered, groaning softly as his energy returned to him. He had noticed that his petite body was not laying flat on the tiled, smooth ground but elevated slightly from it. As his senses returned to him, he hissed softly feeling the stinging pain on his skin. He felt a hand on his face, rubbing gently on his cheek. The Demon child’s eyes slowly opened; his vision blurred momentarily.

Finally his eye-sight vivid, he set his cat-like irises on the face of his friend, Hika. She had an arm wrapped behind him, lifting Ceres from the floor. However, her attention was caught elsewhere. Too weak to stand up or even sit up for that matter - he followed the direction of Hika’s eyes; slightly shifting his head.

A soft blue light illuminated everyone. It was not too bright to cause Ceres to squint but he did anyway, his eyes not ready to take it in at full capacity. His eye-sight strengthening, he noticed a man hanged against the wall in chains – Apparently, he is the one emitting the holy, blue light. The man began to speak – For some reason, Ceres felt compelled to hear him out; not that he has anything to say anything or the energy to do so for that matter.

[Victory]

Gerald was bombarded with a number of observations and realizations immediately after the room came into focus. The most prominent being the emotional manipulation this creature yielded. Gerald was unsure whether he would be able to resist it, but the fact that he could see through it gave him a slight advantage and the insight needed to prevent himself from doing something stupid. The second realization was the nature of the creature itself, or rather it's personality; if this was the elven oracle it wasn't hard to see from where they adapted their mind bogglingly arrogant and obnoxious attitudes.

The last thing Gerald chose to notice was that the oracle was barking mad. Gerald issued a quick prayer that the creature would negate Gerald's anger and vexation because he feared this conversation would become painfully aggravating otherwise.

[Aval]

No stranger to altered states of consciousness, the elf was still taken aback as to how to react to the sudden turn of events and change of location. This seemed a lot like some various things he had experienced in his time. Time wasn't moving in a way it should be, it felt like there was some sort of inconsistency allowing his anatomy to experience this, the world wasn't naturally built to allow this sort of thing. More importantly he felt like he was about to be sick.

Nothing around him seemed to be entirely tangible aside from his fellow captives and a bright light ahead. The floor seemed solid. that was good. He crumpled into a spidery position on the ground.

deciding that this thing seemed to be benevolent enough to have not harmed them thus far, he felt drawing the attention of the presence would further things along a bit

Clearing his throat; he addressed nothing in particular.

"May I ask how the entity who brought us here identifies itself and about its intentions?"

[Varthonai]

A sudden realization came to Daniel as the Elven Oracle-thing made its intentions clear.

Lord, Daniel said, conversing silently with his master as he lay on the floor, sprawled awkwardly and gasping like a beached fish, they are resolute. They SAY they will let us choose, but they're crafty heathens--they won't actually let us leave until we've agreed to help with their ridiculous plan.

The Name agreed.

I am in debt to Hika, continued Daniel, apologetically. If it is Your law that I repay her, I shall stay with the group. The Elven plan will likely be fraught with danger; if Hika should find herself in peril that I can avert, perhaps I shall even have an opportunity to rid myself of the debt.

Again, the Name agreed. It pointed out the usefulness of Gerald, as well; Daniel might have scoffed at this, but in his present state it came out as more of a wheezing and coughing fit.

Gerald said he could detect telepathic magic tricks and ward them off, said Daniel, unimpressed. This would have been a wonderful time to USE abilities like that, and as far as I could see, he was just as helpless as the rest of us.

Daniel struggled to rise; the Name lent him some of Its spiritual strength, and he managed to stand upright, though he wobbled dangerously.

"I shall go wherever Hika goes," Daniel managed to get out, before his strength waned and he collapsed again.

So far as I am able, anyway...

[Killing_Time]

”I am one of the anchors of the Elven magic. I see the beginning and the end of the path you walk and if I wish, I would see your true shape and form.” -And if I wish, I would see your true shape and form.

His last sentence was joined by the voice of a woman, as her form stepped out of the shadows, illuminated by a yellow, strange glow resembling the kind which emitted from Thoplas. Unlike him, she was free to walk and went in front of him. Her golden dress had no clear indication as to where the dress ended and her skin was exposed, nor could anyone tell if her long hair was freely flowing or part of the fabric.

Vëla did not move her lips as she spoke out with a voice that echoed between the walls of the cave and the minds of her listeners. “I am the mother of Sepso. My daughters are these lush forests you home yourselves in and my sons are the mountains from which you receive tools to ease your lives. Caspian’s alien presence murders my children and takes away the balance that once was. His magic is used as a cancer that eats through the system this island has been blessed with.”
She paused before continuing:
“The magic this island gives its people is a gift no one elsewhere can obtain or be born with. The Mainland is a different place from here: They freed their oracles from the physical form so long ago they honor and remember us as deities. The oracle daughters of their land no longer protest as they have forgotten their origins and freely die to give birth to new life. Their sons will fall and move themselves to swallow the land and slowly grow back to their majestic heights. “
As Vëla spoke, her words touched their minds with vivid pictures of everything she described.

None of the two had introduced themselves by name; it was not necessary. The people present were aware of their names as they would be aware of the name of a faceless being in a dream.

Thoplas spoke once again but his voice barely reaching the same strength as Vëla’s. “Ceres may be born on Sepso but his magic abilities stems from an island located in the southern seas; the last place to release its oracle. The demons were forced to move elsewhere as their land died out. Their oracle had grown weak and old. Mainland diseases had killed so many of their elders it was impossible to replace the oracle or give it enough energy to live on much longer. Some saw their only chance for survival was to move elsewhere, while others stayed in a land where their magic and the remembrance of it slowly would fade with the generations. Ceres bloodline goes back to the demon oracle and he holds the ability within himself to use whatever power Ceruseum may lend him.”

[Mattbot]

The residents of the small port town gathered in the cobblestone streets to watch the weather beaten ranger haul in five subdued ruffians. Many of the locals whispered amongst themselves while others cheered, those who recognized the thugs welcomed them with rocks and rotten vegetables. The crowd soon scattered back to their own business as Beregond and his captives reached the local guard post.

Most of the gang had awoken now due to the flogging they had experienced earlier and where desperately pleading for release or trying to shuffle in the opposite direction to him but to no avail. To make sure the bandits couldn’t get away Beregond created a series of complicated knots and loops around the guard towers hitching post connecting to the group. He entered the tall stone tower and was greeted by a fat bearded man behind a desk leaning back lazily whilst throwing small daggers at a wanted poster on the other side of the room.

Alerted by the sudden appearance of a ranger at his door the dwarf of a man shot upright.
“What be your business here woodsman? Here to confess a crime? You certainly don‘t look like you’re here to report one.”

Beregond briefly admired the mans aim with his throwing knives, not a single blade had missed the face on the poster. “No no no, I‘m here to collect a bounty for one Bernard Donkin and his rag tag group of malefactors, I assumed that they would be worth a pretty penny?”

The plump guard brushed the bread crumbs off his Falaster garb and waddled over to the door to inspect the catch, Beregond strode over to the mans desk and picked one of the daggers out of the oak, he closely examined the blade and hilt. It was made of a fine ivory and silver, upon closer inspection the ranger noticed that the entire blade was coated in strange glyphs and markings that looked elfish but he couldn’t be certain.

The guardsman quickly hobbled back into the main room almost excitedly, he took a quick questionable look at the ranger who was still examining his blade before talking.

“Aye, you be telling the truth lad. That’s definitely Donkin. I‘ll give you two gold pieces for the whole crew?”

Beregond didn’t spend too long pondering the price, he was already wealthy enough to become a noble but a little bit more gold never hurt anybody.

“Sounds a reasonable enough proposal, you have a deal my friend.”

Maybe he could buy some of that famous Sweet Galenas pipe weed he had heard so much about from the elf in the last party he was with, it sounded like quite the remarkable weed. Beregond walked up to the red bearded guard, claimed his reward and shook his hand returning his dagger.

“That is a fine blade sir, may I ask who forged it?”

“Aye I got this back during my adventuring days. During a brief stay in a town named *hurdurkleI'llthinkthisup* I met a man named Tom Bezemer, he was a young aprentice of the local smithy, a child prodigy from what I gathered and saw. He was te one who made the set for me. Nice enough lad but not all there in the head if you what I mean?"

"All too well." Beregond lit up his pipe as the man continued.

"He specialized in bladed weapons, he could make a greatsword worthy of kings in a matter of a few days. I think he used some form of enchantments or wizardry on his work in order to keep them top of the line but I could be mistaken.”

“That's some very interesting information, thank you my good sir. I take my leave of you now.”

Once outside Beregond was confronted by the degrading sight of Donkin and his group wailing on the floor about a pickpocket taking their money or something along those lines, it was difficult to make anything out over the profanities spewing forth from their mouths. He had no time for these men any more and wished to rid himself of their burden as soon as possible. He set forth along the parth towards the sea breeze, maybe the calming sound of the water could help him plan out his next course of action.

[Wadling]

"Hey, Fern!" Jason turned to see a young lad standing in an alley, he recognised him as one of the beggar children he used for information from time to time. He approached him quickly "I hear you're copping out an' callin' it quits."

"And where did you get that idea?" Jason smiled

"Well, what else would a high class thief be doing in Falasta Port? Other than finding a good boat to set sail on?"

"Fair reasoning" Jason nodded, then reached into his pocket and took out the gold pieces given to him by Harvey "Here, take these and give them to my landlord would you? I always promised him I'd pay him one day."

"Right you are" the boy took the coins, winking "One of these might get lost on the way though"

Jason laughed and carried on walking. He would miss this Eshickna, he had friends there, people knew him. He hoped he found some contacts wherever the Morven took him. The first few days in a new city are always the hardest. New blood means easy pickings to most people. Bad things could happen to an unprepared man.

Jason's worrying thoughts vanished when he turned a corner to see the local guard's post. Outside it were five disheveled looking men, tied together with rope and attached to a hitching post. They looked well equipped and Jason figured they had been brought in for a bounty. Supposedly they hadn't been searched yet, so Jason took his chance.

"You guys need some help?" Jason knelt down beside them

"Oh, mate, let us out of these things will ya?" The largest one looked hopeful, the others looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"You got a knife with you?" Jason asked

"Two!" The man responded "That bastard took our stuff and put it over there!"

The man gestured with his head towards a pile of equipment lying in a pile. Jason hurried over to it and found two fantastic knives. He jogged back over and started cutting the men's purses from their belts.

"Oi! Oi, what d'you think you're doing?" The man yelled "THIEF!"

Jason counted out the money, a few silver pieces. He took it, and added the knives to his collection. He thanked the men and went on his way.

[Ack-Ack]

The cold, bitter wind swept across the high oaks of the Great Forest, as an eerie howl of wind echoes across the land, dust flies and swoops off the dirt roads of the great Isles of Sepso, "great" he grumbles, he the lone stranger who walks down the dirt roads on a day like this. Only he dares to venture in the dark abyss in a time like this. He did not flinch at was he was doing, nor did his pace halt at the dangers that lurked around. He awaited his long destiny, his quest, his dream. . .

A mighty branch from a towering oak above, unable to defend itself from the blows and strikes of the wind, crumbles and tumbles down onto the hard, unforgiving soil below. A such loud noise this produces, a flock of frightened crows flee nearby. Their caws and cries filled with terror, fill the darkening sky. But, the stranger walks on, into the cold inferno that awaited him, into the hell that he was ready for.

He, the stranger was Dante, survivor of the Great Inferno, crusader against all who have executed it. His cloak and robe dance and play as the raging storm closes in, as it strikes, as it inflames. But Dante walks and paces as if nothing was there, nothing was stirring. For the past few days, he walked, he dreamed and he schemed. His grip on his longbow grew slowly, like a growing plant seed. The burning fire in his heart never died, never extinguished, for the oil of crusade and revenge fueled it against its enemies of fear and cowardice.
Dante gazed above him, lightning and its brother thunder had entered the world once more. They curse as each other with light and roars. Dante slowly grinned beneath the scarf that cover his nose and mouth, that covered his scars, his past, his pain. Before this is over, I WILL destroy you Lord Caspian, believe me I WILL, thought the shadowed hunter, warrior and rouge. Dante continued down the twisting path, as the storm swallowed the forest with the slashes and poundings of lightning and thunder. . .

[Killing_Time]

(Just FYI, Ack-Ack, we have all characters playing in the same time frame. According to the current time it should be early afternoon and yesterday was when the forest fire started/ended. Your post indicates the fire happened long ago.)

[Razgriz]

Ceresuem laid his tired eyes on the two luminescent figures. Speechless to what he was hearing from the old-man chained on the wall – An Oracle, he believed, considering there are two glowing figures. Feeling some strength returning to his petite body, Ceres tried standing up; keeping a hand on the ground to support him. He turned his head to Hika, who lifted him from the ground; cradling his fatigued, injured body. The teenage Demon gave her an assuring smile as he struggled to get back on his feet. He staggered slightly, disoriented due to the miraculous flight through the caverns. He managed keeping himself from quivering over the overwhelming sight of the two – Consuming whatever energy he had left.

I am born royal-blood of my tribe… That’s all I know… Never had anyone spoke of any Demon Oracle nor approach me as Demon Oracle descendant…

Out of curiosity, Ceres squeaked out a question, “Ceresuem, my name, does it happen to be the same name of the… Previous Demon Oracle?” Nervously rubbing his gash on his arm which he recieved when he collided into the rough walls of the cavern.

[Tawl]

Elias didn't speak. He stood fast and attempted to blank his mind. His cynicism was being severely tested. He didn't want to believe that these two figures were 'oracles', as they were described, but on the chance that he was wrong he feared he would be found out.

However, if they could see the future and his true intentions, then why they hadn't stopped, or at least confronted him? Could they see his decisions before he had made them? He had decided to finish what he started, yet he was still alive. Could that mean that whatever he was about to do it was sanctioned through fate? Or alternatively could they foresee his failure and as such no intervention needed to be made? The more he thought about it the more complicated it became.

His thought was interrupted by the sudden churning of his stomach. He turned away from the group and violently vomited on the stone floor.

[Ack-Ack]

(Just FYI, Ack-Ack, we have all characters playing in the same time frame. According to the current time it should be early afternoon and yesterday was when the forest fire started/ended. Your post indicates the fire happened long ago.)

Sorry bout that, there wasnt necessary a timeline in the info box on the other thread so uh, I screwed up

[Killing_Time]

Sorry bout that, there wasnt necessary a timeline in the info box on the other thread so uh, I screwed up

Just edit your post so it fits the story better. :)

[Ack-Ack]

Time had passed since Dante had started on the road, he wasn't sure for how many hours and minutes that he had endured the hard wind and roaring thunder in the forest. Why he wasn't even sure of if he was going the right direction to his destination. The unforgiving rain had grown even stronger and mightier by now, and the loud flashes of lightning and screams of the howling monsoon had grown unbearable, but not for Dante, no not for Dante. As he was pacing, marching down the curving road of the forest, he somewhat caught something in his eye. Twisting his head over to a side, he discovered an empty gap in the side of a low granite cliff. Looks like its time to set down he uttered, with both the storm and scarf muffling his voice. he paced toward the opening, with bow armed and ready, never to stand down. Upon entering the opening he examined the area and environment Perfect, a cave, just perfect he thought, but he still kept the bow clutched. Around 15 minutes have passed since Dante had entered the cavern, observing every turn and corner suspicious of danger .
He slowly set his things down next to himself against a rock. However he kept the kukri on his belt as he set the oak quiver and longbow down. just in "case" he uttered "just in "case"