[System]
Age: 19

Gender: Female

Appearance: Onyx has black hair and green cat eyes. The skin of her entire body is covered in short, soft cheetah-patterned fur, except her wings and face. She is missing her left ear and has a scar on her left cheek from a fight she was in a while back. Her wings are like the wings of a brown hawk, and her wingspan is twice her arm span. She usually wears a shawl so that her wings are hidden unless she is flying.

Equipment: 3 or 4 small knives (and other tools), a pair of restored Twin Pistols, and a basic med-pack.

Physical Abilities: Flight, 6th sence(hunting/tracking), Speed & Agility, Stealth.

Background: Onyx's species, the Elissics, live in the mountains and old cities found there. They could be categorized as a frightening predator and enemy to all creatures, as they have barely any ability to distinguish one race of creature from another from the air, and there's barely any escape once they swoop down on their prey. They are not a particularly smart race, they can't understand old human language and can just barely manage to put back together the few relics they find from humans. They can only make crude weaponry, and are fairly simple with the other things they make as well. Their society is broken up into many nomadic tribes across the region, each having their own unique color of wings, and they have no unified head of power, so they will often fight with each other when the different tribes meet.

Onyx herself is a bit different from the others in her tribe… she likes to be alone, rather than hunting in a group, and will keep trying towards her goal until she figures out how to get there. Instead of trying to fly over the tallest mountain and tiring herself out, possibly even getting sick, she'll look for the shortest path around. She's better with strategy and quick moves than drawn-out fights and trying to compensate for a group. Because of this, she is sort of left out of everything, and she doesn't care because she doesn't want to have to feel like she can't say what's on her mind. She is often given solo missions that really don't make much difference around the tribe, and whenever she's not on a mission will fly in random patterns around the mountains, usually ending up at a large lake (or small sea) where she likes to fish using an old net she had found nearby the first time she had gone there. Onyx, just like the rest of the Elissics, doesn't worry much about the state of the world or how it got that way. They all live completely in the moment.

[User]
"Not many of us have relics like that, If we need a ranged weapon we prefer something like a bow or slingshot. They're easier for us to aim in the air, and we don't have many relics of that type in the first place, so bows are more accessible. I prefer more, reliable, methods of fighting however; like hand-to-hand and fighting with knives and daggers. I can throw the knives if needed, but I prefer to know that the enemy can't deflect my attacks." Onyx was glad that Tarentek had enjoyed their little outing. "If you wish, I could show you the training grounds tomorrow. There might even be a spare bow that's your size that you could use."

Onyx looked at the sky for a moment. "I didn't notice, it's dark now. You should rest after you finish eating, I have something I need to do on my own by moon-high though, so I should probably leave soon." Onyx hurried to finish the meal and then she went around the den, gathering the things she would need to bring with her. "I'll do some cleaning when I get back. Try to be asleep by then though, there's some medicine on the table by your bed to help you sleep if you need."

[Assistant]
Tarentek nodded as Onyx spoke. He had finished his food and was now taking his time on the rest of his cordial while they finished their conversation. "I see. It makes sense that you would gravitate towards that which you know will work. Though, firearms can be reliable as well, if you have all of the knowledge necessary to sustain them. They can kill more efficiently and at longer ranges than any bow or blade. Our enemy certainly has the ability to maintain their weapons and supply ammunition, which is one reason we have to approach them cautiously. It would be useful if us and our allies had the same capabilities. I have taken an oath that I would never betray the secrets of my people, but now..." He began, his voice trailing off as his mind filled with conflicting questions. Both of them finished their meals, so Onyx began gathering up all she would need for what Tarentek assumed to be the ritual she intended to perform.

"Well, if you say your handguns are not reliable, I might be able to help. Sand can give any firearm problems; some more than others. It can wear down its parts and cause it to jam, but I've had a lot of practice fixing them." Tarentek offered as Onyx was getting ready to leave. "For now, though, I'll let you get on your way. I think I'll take your advice and get to sleep. I do need rest, after all. Good luck with all you need to do."

Tarentek returned to his room as Onyx was leaving. He almost had not noticed how tired he really was, given that he had been feeling fatigued pretty much constantly for the past few days. Still, it wasn't quite as bad as the previous day, and his health would only get better. Tarentek undressed and stored his belongings in the same place as the previous night, alongside his rifle. He had not brought his firearm out with him that day so as to avoid seeming threatening to the rest of Onyx's tribe, though he had been carrying his machete under his robe. He did not like to be completely unarmed if he could help it, and a machete could be a generally useful tool for purposes other than fighting. Just like the night before, it did not take long after Tarentek laid down for him to get to sleep.

[User]
Onyx got to Fellagang's place of power in just a few minutes. She was somewhat glad that there was no one there still, even though it wouldn't have been a problem if there were. She entered the shrine, an old ruin that was visibly in much better condition than any of the other structures in the nest that had been left behind by the ones before her people. The building itself was made of metal, rather than the stone that made the other buildings around the nest. Inside the domed roof, the singular room was enormous. There was a circular dip in the center, around which was a raised balcony that held the many offerings and mixtures of past rituals that had been held there.

Onyx walked in and paused at the stairs from the balcony to the lowered section of the room, checking again for people. She still saw no one, although now the thought made her uneasy. She forced the feeling away and bowed to the center of the room, speaking to the night air. "Spirits of Olias, I ask that you guard and witness my ritual tonight." Standing tall again, Onyx walked the circumference of the room and tried to remember how to start the ritual.

"Forgive my mistakes, and guide my actions." Onyx mumbled under her breath before she got back to the top of the steps down to the inner circle. Letting out her breath and forcing her mind to go blank, she stepped down and into the center of the inner circle and sat down. Taking the items she needed from her med-pack where she had put them to carry, she placed them in front of herself and began to arrange them in the way she remembered seeing others do when they had done a solo ritual.

Onyx had a small wooden bowl, the honey statue and dried Creosote she had gotten at the market earlier, along with a few other herbs and some flint to use to help start a small fire. She also pulled out one of her knives and placed it beside the flint. "That's everything, now to wait for moon-high." Onyx glanced at the sky through the large hole in the ceiling that allowed the moonlight in to illuminate the room, and would perfectly frame the moon overhead when it was time for her to start.

While she waited, Onyx prepared a little more. She thought about what she would say, and what she hoped she would hear in response, while she prepared the herbs in the bowl and the Creosote braid she cut in half, mixing one half of it with the herbs in the bowl and saving the rest to hold as it burned while she did her ritual. When moon-high finally came, she was ready.

First Onyx lit the herbs in the bowl by striking the flint against her knife, causing sparks that caught the dried leaves easily, and then lit the end of the remaining half of the Creosote braid off of the small flame that was in the bowl. Once the flame on both Items had died, Onyx put away her knife and the flint, and placed the honey statue in the bowl on top of the now-smoking herbs there.

Inhaling the sweet-scented mixture deeply, Onyx closed her eyes and began to speak. "Lord Fellagang, I seek your guidance. Please, answer me here, at the root of your power and link to our tribe, where I know spirits of Olias have gathered to bear witness to your answer." Onyx paused for a second as a small chill went through the air. "I recognize you, as I always have, the patron of Soul. I also recognize and accept that you have blessed me with a stronger heart than most, though I wish to ask what you wish for my path."

As Onyx spoke, she could feel the air grow colder. She listened for a moment, and when she heard nothing she went on. "Speaking with the outsider Tarentek helped me to remember a story that my mother, a diplomat blessed by you, once told me about the times of the beginning of our people, when we were just learning the best ways to decide the role of a member of the tribe, and when the roles of diplomats, traders, and prophets came into being. Back then, we as a people mostly ignored Heillias as the patron of heart because of our perception of the usefulness of the gifts of our heart. He was losing his battle with you, as we looked more to you and to the gifts of our souls, so he took our souls from us."

"Without the strengths of the soul, our leaders and warriors were unable to make decisions for the tribes and in battle, and many lives were lost due to this sudden weakness. As our people began to slowly die out, leaders that were blessed by you with a strong heart began to try and reach out to the other tribes, to negotiate an end to fighting through any means necessary, while others found a way to strengthen the tribes through trade between them. As Heillias had planned, the loss of soul had made us turn from you and realize the potential of the gifts of the heart. We continued in these new practices, staying strong but unable to get stronger, until the first Prophet began to travel between the tribes and explain the reasons for our troubles."

"Many still disagree about who that Prophet served, be it you, Heillias, or the spirits of Olias. What is known is that with the message the Prophet gave, we learned of the battle between you and Heillias and of the fact that the one who actually strengthens our soul is Heillias, while you gave us strong enough hearts to be able to survive the absence of our soul. Thank you for that, even though once we learned that we began to look more to Heillias than to you."

"In those times, we were nearly destroyed because we were too dependent on the strength of our soul, and with the threat of this new empire, we may be near destruction once again because of our soul. Those with strong souls, our leaders and sentries, have kept us closed off from the outsiders in a way that meant that we would become as we are now. Still fighting among ourselves as tribes and with the other races around us, and leaving us nearly helpless against such a large unified force as this empire."

"One outsider in particular has helped me to realize this, and he also said something else, about my strength of heart being a sign of the changing of the world and the new coming necessity for people who have a strong heart. Fellagang, I know my place is as one of these roles, but which one? My mother became a diplomat, could I be destined for the same path? Or am I to become a trader like Jai'san and Haku'gil?" Onyx went silent as she finally noticed the heat in her hands and opened her eyes.

The Creosote braid that she had been holding had burned down into her hand, also burning her. At first glance, Onyx could tell that the burn wasn't severe, it would heal by morning if she put some salve on it before she went to bed. The next thing she noticed was that she was no longer alone. Standing in front of her was an Elissic with pure black fur and wings, and unnaturally blue eyes. Before Onyx could say anything he knelt down beside her and took her burned hand, tracing the burn with his fingers. As he did so, the burn healed completely, her soft fur regrowing over it pure white.

"I am a spirit of Olias, and I have been watching you. In life I was a Prophet of Fellagang himself, now I am here to tell you that you will be too." He looked her in the eyes as he said this and then showed her his own hand, with the same white burn mark she now had. He smiled at her and stood back up, helping her to her feet as well. "Now, Onyx bright, speak this at your coming of age ritual. 'Thine eye that shines as white snow, Blessed me my wings of golden heart.' It is your personal Caantam and will show that you truly do know your path."

Onyx had so many things she wished to ask, but she could feel herself falling asleep where she stood. "Not falling, rising. You will find that none of this happened, and your words left unspoken bring you to the new day." She heard the echo of his words in the room, and opened her eyes to the lightness of the predawn sky showing through the large hole in the ceiling. She sat up and looked around, finding everything was as she had prepared it before she had lit the herbs, and also finding that the honey statue was missing entirely, though the sweet scent of it clung to her as if she had bathed in it.

She silently and quickly gathered up everything, and left the bowl of herbs and the unlit Creosote braid on the outer balcony by the entrance before she left. She did not think as she flew back to her den, and she did not remember to do any cleaning or check on Tarentek before she went to her bed and lay, trying to fall asleep while the Caantam the dark Elissic had told her ran through her mind over and over.


[System]
Age: 26

Gender: Male

Appearance:

Personality: Leon is a talented enchanter and knows it. He has a tendency to overestimate his skill but will also admit when he messed up as a result. He can be unmotivated when it comes to physical labor as he considers it below him and will try to get away with not giving it his all, though his pride will prevent him from intentionally half assing anything.

He automatically assumes anyone incapable of using magic is less intelligent than him until proven wrong.

Armaments:

* Enchanting: Leon is an enchanter and as such uses enchanted items. In order for an enchantment to work the appearance or material of the item has to have some relation to what he wants it to do.
* Ring of Burning Light: This ring consisting of a small red sunstone engraved with a flame and set in a silver band allows Leon to fire heated beams of light.
* Spirit Wolf Necklace: Given to Leon by his teacher. This pendant shaped like a wolves head has the ability to call forth a spirit wolf loyal to whoever summoned it. The wolf can't be killed but enough damage will dispel it. The more damage taken and/or the longer the wolf is out the longer it takes to recover. Leon can't use any of his other items while the wolf is out due to it using most of his magic.
* Water shell: This conch shell has the ability to hold large quantities of both fresh and seawater and can release it at either a trickle or in massive force. The quality of the water doesn't change while in the shell but since it doesn't create the water it has to be refilled if empty.
* Absent Blade: A simple dagger hilt seemingly missing it's blade. In reality it doesn't need one since it allows Leon to use the air in front of it to cut, or stab his enemies. The range and damage is the same as for a regular dagger but Leon can activate or deactivate it at will and he is the only one who can use it.
* Centipede: Normally looks like a centipede shaped ring but when active covers Leon's arm in the length of a giant centipede that is able to stretch to hit opponents.
* Ring Armor: Leon's attempt at creating his own version of the Spirit Wolf Necklace. While this living suit of armor made of interlocked rings has the same indestructibility as the spirit wolf it's both weaker and has a longer recharge time. Connected to a ring shaped like a knight's helmet. Unlike the wolf this doesn't drain his magic to the point where he can't use other items at the same time but he will have to use them sparingly.

Biography: The ability to use magic is quite common in Leon's world, though most people aren't very powerful. This actually includes Leon as his magic reserves are below average for an enchanter and it looked like he would be mediocre at best.Still he was determined to follow in his uncle's footsteps. Luckily for him though his uncle realized that he actually had quite a bit of talent and taught him anyway. The lessons mostly focused on how to create unique effect for his items to make up for their lack of overal power.

Other: Most of Leon's items can be used by anybody capable of supplying them with magic but the Absent Blade is keyed to him.

[User]
De'kae, the Druid

 Cold. Something cold was digging into her bare spine. Furrowing her brow, Kay crinkled her nose and sneered. Her eyes were closed and she had been breathing rhymically just a few seconds ago but it was clear something had disturbed her slumber. Sleepily, her eyes opened. Ouch. She was wearing a crop top, and the natural curve of her spine wasn't enough to prevent it from being jammed by rocks. Sitting up, she rubbed her head and glanced around. She hunched into her shelf and grimaced, shuddering as she heard an abominable shriek. Glancing upwards she caught a glimpse of the horrific woman-beast above her. She scrambled away just in time, running away. There were others around here, but Kay's mind was reeling. What the hell just happened? Where was she? Wasn't she in the middle of something? She was carving a staff to go with her traditional garments, right? Well, that was long gone. Not like it would be much use- without a magic crystal it was just a stick. Someone, a woman in red, told her to get up and Kay had no intention of disobeying. Especially since she spoke with such a commanding prescence. Maybe she knew what was going on?

 Kay, breathing heavily, glanced back towards the spider. The woman in red armor was lunging toward the beast. An ally! Kay had never seen such a creature before, but she had read stories of half-person, half-beast abominations that roamed the hills. She had even met some before. The snake men of the eastern swamps were particularly nasty. The centaurs weren't so bad though. They reminded her and the Druid Elves.

 Shaking her head of this distraction, Kay got back to the moment at hand. "Uhhh!"  She shouted. She had hoped to say something cool like the sword woman but instead she just made a loud, confused noise. Well, whatever!

 Raising her hands, she summoned a protective Structure barrier around the sword woman Saria. It would not restrict her movement at all, and in case she was overcome by the beasts strength it would deflect some of the damage, depending on how much was done to her. The tattoos on Kay's body, particularly on the arm she had raised and pointed at Saria, began to glow a dull green. This sucked! Kay was afraid and confused, but she had a fighter's instinct nonetheless. Normally, however, the battles she fought made sense. This made no sense at all.

Natalia

 Natalia had woken up only a few moments ago. Staring up at the ceiling, she saw the spider beast above her. A dream? It certainly felt real. Using her arms, she grunted and pushed herself into a sitting position. Slowly, she scanned the room around her. People, of all different shapes and sizes. Curious. Beside her, her Powered Armor. Dull. Empty. Powered off. A useless pile of junk, right now. Right now, she felt she was in danger. The beast shrieked. Those around her began to battle it. Natalia did not dream often.

 Someone told her to get up. That person did not know that Natalia was missing her left leg from the knee down. That swordwoman also did not know that it wouldn't matter, because Natalia's legs were paralyzed. It had been a while since Natalia had to crawl on the ground. The Powered Armor next to her was a hulking gray behemoth, standing eight feet tall at least. Unfortunately, it was laying on it's back. Natalia could only enter the Powered Armor via it's back. The entire thing would open up and she could crawl inside. Usually, she would have the help of several other smaller drones. Now, she was by herself. The beast was closing in.

 Suddenly, there was a green surge of energy all around her. Natalia and the Powered Armor were slid along the ground by some kind of glowing verdant scooper. Ten, twenty, thirty feet away. Natalia tried to keep steady but she ended up rolling and flopping around. Her and the Powered Armor slid to a stop well outside the combat zone.

 "Sorry!" A cosplayer shouted an apology at Natalia. She was dressed as a fantasy character, with fake ears and everything. Let's be logical here. If the spider beast is real, than it stands to reason the elf woman, and everyone else in here, is real too. Perhaps, Natalia thought, she had been kidnapped and taken into another dimension. Or it was a dream. Either way, she needed to get into the Powered Armor.

 "Abi," Natalia said. Her voice was low and monotone. "Activate Powered Armor." She said to the suit. Nothing happened. As she suspected, the armor would need to be turned on manually. Otherwise, it would already be on. The power to this thing was completely off. If Natalia remembered correctly, she had the suit connected to her home's power supply when she was looking through a telescope. At the time she was sitting on her wheelchair, the back wheel was brushing up against the suit's foot. Perhaps she was fortunate to have the suit available to her at all.

 Either way, she lacked the strength to lift the suit. While Kay wore her fantastical verdent outfit, Saria had her armor, and the others in the room were decked out in various ways, Natalia was wearing a grey tank top, and some jeans. The left leg of the jeans was hemmed shut just below the knee. She hadn't anything resembling a warrior's frame. All of the ruckus had caused her grey tank top to ride up a bit on her torso, revealing her flat, soft midriff that matched her unmuscled bare arms. From a single glance a warrior could tell she had never been in a fight before. Despite being totally vulnerable and useless, in a life or death situation, Natalia was remarkably composed. Her cool eyes, light blue, almost gray, watched the encounter dispassionately. The sooner Natalia could get inside her armor, the better. Most of the people in the room were most likely distracted by the hybrid creature. Still, if they looked over to the far right of the room they would see Natalia with her right arm draped over the chest of her Powered Armor, leaning on it for support.

[Assistant]
Ariamis the Mechanist

Ariamis grunted as wakefulness came to him on the cold stone of the floor making him question just what that damnable artifact had done to him. He stood up quite quickly however as it appeared there were more people around him though if only it were just them and not the horrific almost Drider like being coming down from the ceiling. It gave only a short display before swatting aside anyone too close with its spiked limbs, he would have to avoid those until he could close the gap. It sent several other combatants sprawling before rushing at himself and those who had been initially out of reach. In response, the side opening to his contraption opened to reveal the four clawed arms it helped to house and just like that the Dwarf was ready to fight.

The only problem was they were scattered with only two of they're numbers already in motion which would not do against a creature this size. If they intended to attack frontally he would ideally get to the flank where he could deploy some of his more potent abilities or underneath the beast where he might hold the advantage that his size allowed him. That did not appear to be a working solution however because the three of them alone would not hold for long against the assault. There was an ally to the right who appeared to be unable to move to help them laying against what looked like a mighty iron golem yet did not move as it should. It would be of immense use to them so that was a priority in his mind before directly engaging with the enemy, they would need everything at immediate disposal to assess they're chances.

As the Drider charged he tucked himself and his extra arms into a roll making use of his size to avoid the blows he surely would have taken. He was sturdy for sure but even he had no interest in getting crushed by that thing or trying to match it head of even if he could. After unfurling himself he used his arms to help himself almost gallop over to the fallen construct and its Artificer who despite the strange grab certainly looked the part. He understood why she was not fighting immediately upon arriving casting a glance at the pant leg looking more in length like one of his own than a human's.

"Why does your golem lie dormant? I believe we will need it and yourself shortly." Ariamis said turning to check how long they might have to figure out a solution to reawaken the golem while the very angry problem on the other side of the room continued its rampage, "I could be of assistance though I need to know what to do."

[User]
Katelin

Katelin rolled over and rubbed her lower back. Something is wrong; she didn't fall asleep on hard ground! Opening her eyes, she looked around, shocked to see about a dozen or more other people around the large room, a few standing, others getting up, and the rest lying down like she had been only seconds ago.

Katelin heard a screech, and looking up, she saw something that she had never seen personally but had heard of from the knights' stories of similar mutated monsters, the knights boasting about defeating them without help. Letting out a short scream, Katelin scrambled to get up, forming an ice spear as she did so. She tried to get her heart to calm, but seeing an arachnid that big was too much. One fully armored lady didn't have such fears, as she glared around and told everyone to get up if they wanted to live. The lady then attacked the monster as Katelin saw a glowing shield-like thing form around her. Katelin threw the javelin, but almost missed, the ice getting stuck in some terrible-looking barbs.

Moving backwards to try calming down, Katelin looked around, and saw that most everyone was up. One girl with strange clothing was in a corner, seeming to struggle with some heavy-looking armor on its back. While forming another spear, Katelin saw the girl's lips move. "Is she talking to metal?" Katelin thought, confused. Looking closer, she saw the girl was missing a leg.

Katelin threw the spear, then got her bow off her back - so lucky it was still there - and looked over at the girl again. A Dwarf with metal arms was moving towards the girl. Hopefully he only ment to help. Katelin looked back at the spider, shuddering at the thought of possibly getting eaten by this thing. It looked angry, and that lady on its head looked so creepy.

Aiming, Katelin shot a couple arrows at the creature's eyes, hoping the mini explosions would cause enough damage to hurt it.

[Assistant]
Leon had no idea where he was or how he got there and wondered if any of the others knew. Most of the others looked unusual but the half metal dwarf and the woman seemingly wearing leafs took the cake, along with the spider monster of course. He had never heard of anything like it but figured it had to have been created by either a single incredibly powerful magic user or a group of them working together.

Before he could even react Leon as well as most of the others were knocked by the spider monster with a woman in armor being the first to recover and going on the offensive with the leaf wearer casting some spell not long after. Just as he thought that they might be able to deal with the spider monster without much trouble he noticed the one legged woman crawling to a suit of armor on the other side of the room. Luckily for her the dwarf spotted her as well and seemed smart enough to realize her armor was most likely pretty powerful as he seemed to focus on helping her out.

While he was distracted by that yet another fighter had gone after the spider and Leon wondered what he should do, neither of the present options appealed to him. Eventually though he decided that despite the labor that would no doubt be involved helping the legless woman out would at least let him see her capabilities while keeping his own hidden in case any of the strangers decided to attack him.

Hugging the wall and staying as far away from the fight he ran across the room towards the dwarf and the empty suit of armor. "Hang on, I'll help as well!"


[System]
Race: Twi'lek

Gender: Female

Age: 27

Appearance:

Skills: -Is proficient with her dual Guard Shoto lightsabers.
-excellent dancer.
-knows how to blend in easily.
-Adept at interrogation.
-Highly skilled force user.

Equipment: -Two Guard Shoto lightsabers.
-backpack.
-mixed bag of sith and jedi holocrons.
-spare outfits.

Bio: Izin was born on the twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth, where she was well aware of the slave trades and disposition towards her race. At a young age, she came across an old and -at the time- strange relic. She collected it, but did not show it to her family, feeling that they would not take kindly to it. Not long after, she was found by an Inquisitor and taken from her home to be trained. With her master, she learned that the relic was an ancient lightsaber, and was inactive. As the years passed, she had become more and more skilled as a Sith Inquisitor. She spent a number of years under his wing, learning and growing to be just as good as he was before he died.

Following her master's death, Izin'asilos was unable to perform her Inquisitor duties. She could still capture, but she couldn't kill. For all of the unwilling jedi and force sensitives, Izin had managed to sneak them out to safety. With a year passing, she had drawn too much attention to herself, and fled the Inquisitorious. In her self-exile, she was found several times by other Inquisitors, who had been able to find her. She had escaped, but hit rock bottom.

There, she was guided by the force, and came across a set of Jedi holocrons. She began to follow some rules of the Jedi code, and took a better path as a grey Jedi. She couldn't fully abandon her past to start anew, and even if she did, the Jedi code was too demanding mentally. They had to be stone walls, which was impossible for her to do.

Putting herself on a new path, Izin moved closer to the core world, avoiding the outer rim in hopes of staying away from other Inquisitors. That wasn't to say that she took the risk of going back to her family briefly and telling them that she was okay. Despite her desire to stay with them, for their safety as well as her own, she continued her journey to the core worlds.

The Twi'lek was in the Mid Rim when she intercepted a rebel signal, in which she decided to follow and assist the rebels. They had been surpsied to see such a menacing woman on their side, but did not decline the offer to help. Since then, she had done whatever she could to aid the rebels and their cause. A common phrase she had began to say when talking to the rebels was 'may the force be with you'

Other: She does not fully understand the title of Darth and how it is given, earned, and the true implications of it. It seems to be self-appointed, but Sidious proclaimed Vader a Darth, and the whole thing was confusing for her.

[User]
The Cantina better have damn good drinks. That's all Azala could think about as she headed in its diriection. She needed a stiff pint before she had to meet any of the other recruits for this little adventure began.

Her DC17 clanked against her armor as she walked into the Cantina, finding the most secluded corner so she could keep an eye on everyone. She had a few bounties on her own head and they almost always seemed to try and kill her when she was drinking.

Once the creds had been in her account, she'd found the nearest rebel base and secured passage to the Hammer of Justice. A bit dramatic, but they weren't paying her for opinions.

She signaled one of the Twi'lek waitress's for a bottle of Kri'gee. Most she'd away from the bitter drink, but she always felt more at home with a bottle beside her. Val'Buir would drink like crazy after collecting a bounty, then curse like cruse the damn thing the next morning for trying to kill him.

She fingered the holo pod hooked to her belt, remembering the message her Buir had left her. He was looking for a bounty, and told her he'd kill her if she got killed out there.

She smiled underneath her helmet as the waitress sat the Ki'gee onto the table. Now, if she just had some spiced warra nuts, everything would be perfect.

[Assistant] "Cantina, haven't gotten a drink in a while.. Jazar thought, as he moved through the busy alleyways to find the Cantina. He went towards the Cantina, and looked around at the busy interior. Bustling with action, with over 50 to 100 faces everywhere.. people wonder why it's so easy to get killed in here.Thought Jazar, a light smirk escaped Jazar's lips, as he was still wearing his helmet. He moved to a seat near to the door, and looking at the door, for mainly security reasons. He activated the holo message via his hud and listened to it. Nodding along as he looked to a waitress. Pausing the message for abit before ordering a cup of coffee. He went back to hear the instructions of the message. Interesting..good way to pass the time and do something noble. Another smirk escaped Jazar's lips. As the coffee came his way he turned off the holographic display on his HUD. Before he took off his helmet. He sipped on the beverage. He seemed to be overly prepared, his armor and his weaponry sticking out the most.

[User]
The red Twi'lek deactivated and put her holo-projector away, hiding it in a pouch on her waist. Her new destination was a cantina, in which she was unsure if she was among the ones that were contacted about the orders to go there. For some time, she had been tapping into the signals in order to know where to go to help the rebels. She didn't believe that she was formally indoctrinated into the rebel faction, but had made just enough appearances to be known by some of the fighters.

She'd just have to make a good first impression on the higher ups she was sure she'd be meeting at the cantina.

[Assistant]
As the Rebel shuttle landed off stepped eight clone troopers in Phase II armor each of them adorned with blasts marks and rough scratches the armor had been painted over red and blue. Between the two columns stood a figure his helmet cupped under one arm as he walked towards them his lowered. They could across where his eyes should have been was nothing more than a strip of cloth. He walked over to the bar smiling at the bar tender then looking around. You all knew him as the Jedi assigned to lead this mission.

"Give me something forthy, strong, and life threatening bar tender. Corellian whiskey for the Clones. All on General Crix's tab." He turned back the clones cheering as they broke ranks and began to talk and laugh. "Oh and Warra Nuts for all the boys. They just got back" He turned picking out each individual which was no small feet and waving them over to the bar. At his was a DL-18 blaster pistol, older model but it would do the job, strangely his sabers could not be scene his Mandalorian armor seemed to be recently made and almost unmarked which would mean it was made to accept him as a new member of a clan. He waited to see which of his new allies approached him first however his eyeless vision stayed directed at the red Twi'lek. She was force sensitive and had tampered with the dark side, yet he did not sense she came here for violence.

[User]
In a secluded corner sat Tak, his war torn robes hiding him from prying eyes as he nursed drink. Tak had been at the cantina for hours waiting for the other members of this mission to show up. In his time here Tak had seen three fights, five illegal deals, and two drunks tossed to the streets. All in all it had been an uneventful couple of hours, with him passing the time primarily by playing holochess with an AI partner. Currently the score was three to two in his favor. However as at the beginning of his sixth game the other members began to file into the Cantina and Tak canceled the game in favor of watching them.

All in all they looked unimpressive beyond the gear they had hidden, good. Those who flaunted what they had usually weren't worth much in a real fight. Tak's attitude took a climb for the better as he saw his fellow clones enter the cantina and cause a ruckus, it brought a wave of nostalgia to the old clone and with it came a small smile. In a fluid motion he moved from his seat and weaved through the crowd before taking a seat by Vale, not looking at him as he instead ordered a drink. "Not one for subtlety are you Vale?"

[Assistant] Atreides was still working through his drink at a liesurely pace when the commander of this little operation came rolling in the door with a group of, to his surprise, Clones and started ordering drinks. Well, that was probably one of the least subtle ways he had seen someone enter the cantina in quite some time. But the man knew who he was looking for, from the hand motioning and such, so the technician stood up, drink in one hand and bag slung over his other shoulder. He proceeded to make his way over to the bar, not the first to approach the Knight, the other fellow making his own comments on the fact that he had not made a very subtle entrance. That got an amused snort out of Atreides, and he sat down at the counter now, bag resting on his shoulder still. A bunch of others had went into and out of the bar, and the only one really attention grabbing was the red Twi'lek, she looked like trouble, and he was prepared for it just in case. "Subtle would have been good, but I suppose stomping around with a bunch of Clone War era gents tends to alleviate that kind of requirement at times, eh? "

[User]
Izin waited in silence, watching as the squad of old clones came walking into the cantina. She had no idea that clones were still in use after all this time. The era of using expendable units was long gone. to see a clone of a battle droid was a stroke of luck all it's own. But to see one still in action was nearly an impossibility. She had been led to believe that all remnants of battle droids and clones were lost after the clone wars died out, but obviously that wasn't what had actually happened.

She could feel at least two sets of eyes on her at the moment. It wasn't something that was not used to, being a rather rare specimen of Twi'lek herself. Her red skin set her apart from many others she knew. Still, she remained by herself, watching the events around her unfold. If a fight started up, it wasn't going to be her fault.

[Assistant]
Vale looked between the two new arrivals, sighing he turned his head towards each of them. "Subtle is all in the appearance, if I put these boys in Mandalorian armor and tromped in here not a soul would bat an eye. Just think were some merc's who just got paid. I can be subtle and I can be loud, glad to meet you both. Sit down and have a drink on the dime of the General whose got you both wrapped in this." He then hushed his voice.

"However I see something a little out of place, act natural and stay quiet. She attacks then run, bar's to enclose for a blaster fight." He broke off laughing walking over towards the red Twi'lek his voice changed some as if to sound deeper a rim accent through from what planet made it hard to place. "Hello beautiful your a rarity, I've never seen a red Twi'lek before." He got in a little closer than was friendly. It was of course an old test, play as the lecherous Merc and gauge the reaction of course it would also quickly work against him being a Jedi after all they didn't learn that sort of thing.

[User]
As her eyes focused on the one moving towards her, Izin's hand slowly moved towards her concealed lightsaber. She could sense the force within the man, and remained calm. His words were nothing new. She had been catcalled, asked for 'favors', and had even been thrown money to perform various unspeakable services. Of course, those who threw money at her would get thrown a live pulse grenade, but she needed to keep her calm here. He had changed his voice as well, but she knew better. She had heard him speaking among the others.

Her eyes narrowed only slightly, a ghost of a smile at the edge of her lips. She'd play this game. She wasn't some hate-filled apprentice with the lust for death and demise. "Why, thank you." She replied to the man, her normally rough and aggressive voice replaced by one up mystery and allure. "We are rather rare, but I'm sure you knew that since you've never seen one like me before." She gave him a soft smile, one that promised many adventures in the future if he were to play his cards right. On the inside, however, she was surprising calm and without care. If he was going to play that game, then she'd play one of her own.

Izin'asilos' eyes flickered to the others he was speaking to only moments ago. She said nothing to them, and smiled at the man she was speaking with once again. Her free hand waved slightly in front of her, the Twi'lek woman using her connection to the force in an attempt to persuade him to go away. Depending on his next actions, she would act accordingly. "I think your friends are calling you back. You should see what they need." She spoke normally, but still a shade softer and smoother than how she usually talked. It was what she needed to do to get the technique to work.


[System]
---

---

Female | 19 | Astral
 Appearance:
With a pale complexion that starkly contrasts her angular features and dark hair, Branna's careless manner and haphazardly cut bangs speak for her in terms of personality, as does the poorly-timed smile that hangs on her lips. Given her tall, lean stature and her scuffs on skin and cloth, she easily passes for older than she is. Her closet is an untidy array of mismatched pieces she throws on in pieces of two or three, dark and simple enough to have been handmade if the situation so required it. Since she hails from the frigid cold, she doesn't react to temperatures above chilly, and whether or not she minds the heat is uncertain. What is certain, though, is that she's been through a few ordeals, and she has a loose eyepatch and a scratchy voice to show for it. Her tattered voicebox lends her a throaty laugh that's hardly pleasant on the ears, and it gives her giggles and musings an uncanny edge that she enjoys watching others' reactions to.
 Background:
Branna was a wanderer of the streets before she was anything else. Though the capital of Dinas Afaraon was a self-sufficient fortress, the nation's lesser cities and slums still held their fair share of strife, and Branna remembers nothing but cold and hunger from her early days. Working odd jobs didn't yield good wages, but they were livable, and someone had to work them, so through mines and tanneries she went, her life a mix of smoke and dust.

It was sometime between her time in the hazy black that Branna came into possession of a wyvern egg, and despite the grievous injuries that came with procuring and raising the hatchling, Branna emerged with a beast that was able to keep her belly full and her coin pouch jingling. Given that wyverns were difficult to retrain if they'd imprinted and hard to kill for the average person, Branna was able to begin life as a travelling mercenary, using her wyvern's wings to help her stay with the flow of coin.
 Personality:
Branna smiles and laughs, enjoys both the rabble and the quiet, though often for the wrong reasons. With a penchant for needling others and revelling in their discomfort, she's a tad more manipulative and moralless than most. Whether or not that bothers others, though, doesn't matter much to her. For her, the most important thing is keeping her coin purse full enough to sustain her and her wyvern until the next job, and anything beyond that is a bonus.
Wyvern Flier

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|  |
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END: D
STR: C
MAG: E
DEX: D
SPD: C
DEF: E
RES: E
LCK: D
 |
|

---

 Abilities:
* Voracity || Units targeted by Branna have their defense lowered by one stage when Mors feeds on them. If she kills an enemy, all nearby enemies suffer a defense and attack debuff of one stage each. Neither the attacking debuff nor the AoE debuff stack with themselves, but they can stack with each other. Only Branna can utilize these debuffs.
* Fortune || Branna obtains 50% more EXP. This only applies for EXP earned in battles, and is calculated after the battle is over.

 Spells & Weapon Arts:
* None

 Talents:
* Flier

 Support:
* None

[User]
|Trace Retloth
Garleton Plaza
|  |
 Trace heard nothing of value. The only noise that drew his attention at all was a brief altercation between gamblers. The winner left, unharmed and still cocky, while the loser was restrained by the others at the table. It was an odd scene but not terribly important. The most valuable things he learned during his meal had to do with the lack of quality in the drink, the lack of knowledge among the patrons, the lack of any rumors from the battlefront, and the fact that good music was so out of place here that it managed to cut through the din of the tavern even at some distance.

He paid his bill and left the unfortunate inn behind as he followed his ears. It didn't take him long to find the source of the music. The lively tune was unfamiliar and the dancer was exotic as well as lovely. He took a moment to watch before he remembered the feel of the lance haft in his hand and turned his attention to the crowd. They were entranced. Many of them gaped openly at the spectacle. For all the dancer's looks and grace, she couldn't hold Trace's gaze for long. Such forms of beauty just reminded him of his mother.

However, there was one figure in the back of the crowd that drew his eye more firmly. Dressed in striking black robes and carrying a book, the young woman stood out from most of the drab and rough crowd. She actually might be about his own age, though he wouldn't ask unless it became important. She seemed... magical. It had been a long time since Trace had practiced magic but he could still recognize those who did often enough. It was a skill that had earned him a bit of coin in the past since mages were often in need of fighting hands to keep their enemies at a tidy distance. Furthermore, they could usually bring down foes that his spear had trouble with. The combination simply worked well.

This one didn't seem like she was a mercenary but she also didn't look like she was waiting for anyone. If she was looking to travel alone... she might find more trouble than she could handle. If he hadn't already signed up to join the prince's army as a mercenary he would simply offer his services straight away. But, in this situation, as attractive as the idea of having a mage at his back was... he couldn't think of a way to convince her if she already had other plans.

Then again... he saw a shift in the crowd. It was a small shape, lurking in the alley shadows near the young mage. Trace began moving quietly through the crowd. He was careful to not disturb the front row of people watching the show but he also avoided exiting the crowd entirely. He needed the cover to get close enough. It took a couple minutes but he eventually got close enough to get a better look at the situation. It was a thief, a small knife flickered briefly in the light before being pulled under a tattered cloak. From the physique, the thief seemed quite young and thin.

Trace took a deep breath as he stepped out of the dense portion of the crowd, acting like a man just looking for fresh air. The thief twitched, moving toward the mage's book and purse while hugging the wall in an attempt to avoid being noticed. Trace's spear twirled with a momentary rush of air before the butt end thumped into the thief's gut. The thief dropped to the ground and dropped the knife before quickly stumbling away into the shadows while gasping for breath.

He wasn't the hero type and he didn't like talking much but this was a situation that called for all his charm and social wit. So, Trace mustered his social muscles, nodded blandly as though nothing had happened, kicked the tiny knife away from where the kids in the crowd might find it, and spoke gloriously.

"Good day, miss." The words were calm and flat, neither warm nor cold. In fact, they were almost irritatingly without flavor. But, they were accompanied by him taking a place against the same wall, his eyes casually flitting over the crowd. It actually looked like he was her bodyguard and he had just shown up to work. |

_________________________
Status: Alive & WellClass: Recruit
Inventory:* Iron Lance
* Vulnerary
 |

[Assistant]
|Artemisia
Garleton
|  |
 Intent on the mesmerizing spectacle offered by the lady dancer, Artemisia remained wholly ignorant of her surroundings. A practiced eye might have caught discreet repositionings or vague momentum, but the dark mage either didn't notice or didn't look in the first place, which to a sharp observer no doubt suggested inexperience. Her blithe unawareness allowed an unseen sneakthief, having identified her as a likely mark, to draw nearer and nearer, until the viper was poised to strike. Before he could, however, Trace made his move, walloping the vagabond with his spear's solid shaft. Startled, Artemisia jerked away, thinking for a moment that he'd meant to hit her, but instead of an assailant she found a scrawny kid on the ground, struggling to get air back into his lungs. She watched him scurry away for a moment before giving her full, albeit dubious attention to the lancer.

For someone who'd just assaulted a man in broad daylight, Trace seemed incredibly casual. He greeted her with nonchalance before looking away, simply placing his back against the wall where he stood and resuming his observation of the dancer. Baffled by his manner, Artemisia stared for a moment before looking back down at her book. In the pregnant silence that followed, she awkwardly entered another few lines in her journal to describe what happened, putting together something to say at the same time. She didn't like talking to people for no reason, particularly people who looked as boring as Trace did, but unless she missed her guess he'd just saved her from a pickpocket. That warranted some kind of gratitude, but why did he act so indifferently? It wasn't like she was gregarious to begin with, and it put her off.

"Good...morning," Artemisia greeted after way too many seconds, her voice stilted and just as flat as Trace's. Whether or not it was still morning was the least of her concerns. "Um. Thank you very much. That fellow...slipped my peripherals. I was fortunate...to be under your vigilance." Perhaps, she reasoned, she had better get moving. The dance had to be just about over, after all. Yet, fleeing right now would be more than a little impolite after this stranger just helped her. "Is...is there something that I may do for you in recompense?" Forcing herself to look at the uninteresting-looking man, she gave her best smile. His helmet's shadow obscured his eye color somewhat, but they sure weren't pink. |

__________________________
Status: AwkwardClass: Occultist
Inv: Vulnerary, Book of Secrets
New entry

I just witnessed a bizarre occurrence. A stranger approached whilst I, spellbound, absorbed a gorgeous dancer's performance, and attacked some miscreant sidling up behind me. Then, rather than initiate normal conversation, he just stiffly bids me well and stands there, not even looking at me. Was what just happened not unusual? His demeanor is so freakishly casual given the abnormality that just transpired. I would say something if I could, but this silence is rock-hard. I fear I must try anyway.
 |

[User]
Town Edge || Lothian Empire: Garleton || Noon

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Branna poked a finger through the hole in the wing in front of her, then tugged lightly. The wyvern jerked, rearing back and flapping his wings with a snort, the wind stirred up by the motion ruffling Branna's hair as she laughed. Coming out in scratchy cuts punctuated by silence when her vocal cords struggled to make ends meet, the sound was a mixture of hoarse and croaky before it dissipated into the air at the edge of town.

Getting to her feet, she stroked the wyvern's flank, admiring his iridescent armor. Movement to her left drew her eyes, and she looked over with a smile, waving at the two passing squires, who quickened their pace down the path. Then, turning back to her wyvern, who'd lowered his head so that he was eye-level with her, she headbutted him, then patted his cheek.

"Later, Mors," she croaked, waving as she walked towards the town.

The wyvern shook his limbs out, then took off running, his bounds giving enough lift to boost him up when he opened up his wings. Into the air he went, veering towards the nearby forest as Branna continued into town, a smile on her lips.

With the sun high in the sky, the busiest place in town was the plaza, given that the marketplace was situated near there. On one side, people bustled through makeshift stalls as shopkeeps shouted out their wares. On the other was a milling crowd out of which music spilled, and Branna walked towards the song. At the center of the crowd she found a performance going on: A minstrel plucked at his lute as a richly-robed girl danced before the crowd, brandishing a pair of flower-emblazoned fans. Despite the fast pace of the music and the size of the girl's robe, the girl's movements maintained an aura of elegance as she moved, and Branna paused at the edge of the circle to watch, her eyes drifting over the others there. It was a mismatched crowd of people, both villagers and travellers within, judging by the number of children and weapons present.

Soon enough, though, Branna found the most solemn person there: Behind the dancer was a boy with a spear, who stood off to the side only enough to remain somewhat inconspicuous. His eyes were fixated on the dancing girl, but they quickly darted to the side when the crowd around him shifted, and Branna traced his eyes to a child being lifted by her father. As she was standing across from the child in the crowd, it didn't take much time for the girl to notice Branna on the other side of the dancer, and when she did Branna raised a hand to wiggle her fingers.

'Boo,' she mouthed.

The girl's eyes widened, her small hands gripping for her father's, and Branna's grin stretched wider. |
_________________________
Status: Tickled
Class: Wyvern Flier
Exp: 0
Inventory:
* Iron Spear
* Vulnerary

END: D
STR: C
MAG: E
DEX: D
SPD: C
DEF: E
RES: E
LCK: D |


[System]
Nickname/Title: Calamity Queen
Appearance:(ignore the gunblade), and add a black cloak with a hood.
Race: Human, although she views herself as a shade.
Class: Necromancer
Main-Hand Weapon:Double Edged Battle Scythe
Off-Hand Weapon: Find someone who wields a normal scythe with one hand effectively :P
Secondary Weapon: Her lips
Armor: Cloth
Powers:
-Necropolis: The mainstay of almost all necromancy, this allows her to summon up either skeleton or zombie creatures. Skeletons have the advantage of damage dealing, but are more brittle than their fleshier counterparts, who in turn, deal less damage. The more numerous/powerful the summon(s), the more it costs.
-Shadow Step: A more effective method of dodging attacks. Whenever an attack is about to hit, she will seemingly dissipate into the shadows, before appearing elsewhere. Can also be done for movement to a hard to reach location, or surprise attacks. Range and strength of natural shadows in the surroundings dictate how much life it costs.
-Devouring Kiss: A seemingly simple spell, this is also one of the most important spells that allows Suki to stay alive. She basically kisses someone, regardless of gender, and can either drain them of energy, or their life. The former has the advantage of not killing the target, but the later is more efficient in sustaining her.
Skills:
-Seducing: She has gotten rather capable of seducing someone, mostly to keep herself alive. With her looks complimented by the dress, it isn't too hard to do.
-Stealth: When required, she can be extremely stealthy, moving silently at an acceptable pace, which is something one can't exactly do with heavier armor.
-Information Gathering: Combining both her abilities to seduce someone, and her stealth capabilities, it's not surprise that she can gather information.
Weaknesses:
-Dying Life: Necropolis and Shadow Step have a cost. Compared to most spells and magic styles, which consume the caster's energy, necromancy based spells consume the caster's life. Thus, requiring the caster to consistently drain someone to keep herself alive.
-Active Dodge: Despite having the Shadow Step spell, it is an 'active' spell, meaning she has to deliberately cast it. If a surprise attack hits her, it's going to hurt, especially with the cloth armor.
-Thin Armor: Cloth armor, while extremely light and allows for agile movement, doesn't give way much in terms of taking hits.
-Easily Flustered: Despite having to kiss to keep herself alive, Suki is flustered quite easily. This is evident when she tries to kiss someone she knows
Personality: Cautious and prone to hiding, one might find Suki hard to associate with. Not because she's violent, or unsocial or anything of the like. It's just that you might have a hard time finding her. And even when you manage to get we to talk, she seems to talk rather softly.

However, once you get to know her, and gain her trust, she becomes a rather useful and adorable companion. Whenever tired, she would not be afraid to use someone as a lap pillow, nor be used as a hug pillow herself, despite blushing very profusely. Also, she will come to you for a kiss quite often.

Whenever scared, she has a habit of squeezing herself into a small corner or a tight space between furniture, the look of doom gloom on her face.
Background: Coming from a village that had religion as a pillar of support, it isn't too hard to imagine what kind of suffering Suki had went through just for being born with the powers of a 'demon'. Consistently being chased away from others, even having rocks thrown at her.

Having to survive on her own, she found her way through rather underhanded methods. By far the most effective seemed to be seduction, before draining her victim into unconsciousness.

Nowadays, she moves around consistently, since most of her victims would be out to look for her, and churches would be out to hunt her down.
Other:

[User]
Alula watched in interest as Kelvin and the merchant continued to haggle prices. She tugged her hat down over her eyes as the man mentioned orphanages. Even if that would be far safer to live in a home for parentless children then traveling with a group of first time adventurers, she said nothing. She found the man's tone slightly cynical, but nothing she would really bat an eye at. The rest of the party seemed rather quick to jump down his throat. But she understood. Alula shivered, tugging on her hat again.

The young girls outburst was rather odd as well. The child was being rather outspoken and rude for one so young, and she could stand to learn some manners. It wasn't wise to lash out in such a way, especially around the man who had saved her life. Again, Alula understood. And Alula shivered.

She watched in silence as Carver again intervened, playing the mediator, when Kelvin and the merchant seemed to be unable to find an agreement. She frowned when he mentioned her name, however. Equating her to the children and innocent of the party. If only they knew. She kept herself from speaking out, she knew the man just wanted what was best. After awhile the voices informed her that someone had tried to sneak away from the party. It would be best to mention it before things got too carried away.

"We may...need more then...thirty minutes..." Alula slurred slowly, pulling the rim of her hat down over her eyes. "The girl...has returned to the town...she took measures to...not be detected by you all..." She shivered. "We...I...believe...it would be best...to wait for her here...if she wanted us...to follow she would have...told us to."

[Assistant]
Des followed Carver, he seemed to be the only one who made sense. "Earlier, you said we are all children of the Sun. Does that make you my brother?" If this guy was Des's family then he might know something about Des's past.

Suki's staff was Exactly where she had left it. There was something slightly suspicious about the fact that it was the only thing left untouched, even more so sense her skeletons lay destroyed beside it.

[User]
Upon Carver's command Furnace immediately started to break down a tent, attempting to mimic him as well as possible.
 "We should wait here for her then? Have these goods collected in packages for transport by the time she returns? If she returns."
He asked, thinking aloud.

[Assistant]
Separ

This was a bad situation for sure, the girl Separ had tried so hard to save was now back in the lions den, but for what reason? Was there something she needed to do in that town that was worth risking such danger? As much as Separ wanted to leave for safety, he couldn't find it in his heart to just leave her behind like that, especially after all that hard work he put in trying to save her. Feeling as though some type of disaster may fall upon the girl, Separ took off his backpack and laid it on the ground before walking over to Carver. "I'm going to go after the girl. You keep everyone else safe and continue on towards the next town over. I'll catch up with you there. Just don't follow after me as moving in a big group could attract unwanted attention. If any of you gets injured there's a medical kit I purchased earlier inside the backpack." Separ looked over at his group and smiled. "So I'll see you later then I guess." However when he saw Alula he felt a bit funny, something was nagging at him making him feel uncomfortable. He stared at her for a minute awkwardly before looking away not wanting to creep her out any longer. Deciding to ignore this feeling his attention turned towards Kelvin. "You have explosives right? Do you mind if I take a stick of dynamite as well as something to light it in case of an emergency?" Asked Separ in a rather serious tone. The last thing he wanted to do was blow up a whole area but if it meant surviving the enemy forces it could be useful in a pinch.

[User]
Arastoph rolled his eyes as, once again, a transaction was intruded upon. It wasn't just any transaction either, but a contract! That would make great strides in benefiting the party to all here (aside himself) belonged to. And this little girl had the audacity to intrude upon adult matters as though she had any right to?

The boot was worth more than she was!

"Exactly, you little goblin." He said as his smooth tone gradually dripped with venomous and seething contempt. "You do not know me, nor do you trust me; and by extent, do not know what I would do to you if you dare to try that again."

Arastoph caught himself in the midst of his threat, and quickly bound to recover himself.

"...Though as once a father, I could not possibly bring myself to do the likes of which. A hypothetical. That said... you are sorely in need of discipline. To which I would leave the responsibility to the... inarticulate one. If you think I would allow a child to possess any sort of your party's spending power, I'm afraid you are mistaken."

'Then again, the simpering, defective imbecile is probably the reason behind her infantile tantrums.'

In addition to the abhorrent cretin of a human child, the paladin ushered an end to their negotiations which Arastoph had felt was weighed quite considerably in their favor. Carver insisted that negotiations may be finished another time while they packed up and pressed on towards the other town.

'What a shame; we were almost finished.'

Carver praised his skills, but scolded his morality - living up to the stereotype of the rigid moral enforcer, and that his way of living was the one and only way of doing so. However, what had to be the most amusing part of his lecture was what he perceived to be Arastoph's motives! He deducted mere, simple greed! Nay, that was not the case for him; obsession with the mundane, terrestrial concept of currency was not where his heart lies. Rather, it was simply a tool and method of power for him to exert over the less powerful. But as for why this particular path was taken... needless to say, it had nothing to do with worshiping gold coins.

"Surely, Sir Carver," Arastoph mused, "you don't think me to be so shallow and banal to be bothered with something as trivial as greed?"

"I am not so frivolous," he continued. A sly smile has stretched over his face as his eyes turned to the corner upon hearing the oracle's warning of one of their own ranks attempting to slip out unnoticed.

"From the sounds of things, I may not be the one you should be suspicious of, good knight. At least I have been upfront with my business."

[Assistant]
Every stick neatly sorted by length. Every sheet of cloth folded in precise squares, piled and bound.
Furnace wrapped every object he owned as well as all other unattended objects in rags and bags.
Divided into equal shares, or at least a close approximation. One package for each person here to carry.

Furnace looked at Carver as he stood beside his work.
It was clear on his face he took pride in it, that he hoped for approval.
"We will take these things to 'that way', right?"

[User]
Alula had noticed Separ staring at her, but really took no mind. The man was strange, and so was she. Most of the time people payed her no mind, but when they noticed her she was truly the center of their attentions. She didn't like it. Once the man turned away, after staring at her for minutes, she tugged her hat down over her eyes.

She didn't keep quiet for long, however, as she noticed something while Furnace was packing up camp. There was something on his forehead, something drawing her in. Once the gnome was finished with his task, looking quite proud, Alula limped over to him. With a bit of ungraceful struggle, leaning on her staff for support, she knelled down in front of him.

With a strangely sudden movement, one someone might miss if they had blinked, Alula's hand whipped up and moved the gnomes hair off of his forehead.

She studied the marking with a strange intensity, her expression looking distressed.

"Furnace..." She started, looking into his eyes. "Where...when...did you get...this..."

[Assistant]
Furnace flinched when Alula suddenly touched his head.
Surprisingly close and with eyes filled with concern.
Furnace stared back at her in confusion, then at his empty hands before looking back at her.
"What did I get?"

[User] Suki frowned as she looked at her scythe. She had a knack for noticing things unusual, and this was quite odd. It hadn't been touched, left where she dropped it. That, and her skeletons alongside it, in pieces. However, standing here was not going to solve her problems. Taking a breath, she reached down, before grabbing the scythe.

[Assistant]
Alula frowned, feeling rather troubled. How could he not know what was on his own body? Perhaps it was a recent addition, and he just hadn't looked at her reflection lately. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember if she had seen it on him when they had first met. She couldn't remember. The voices were keeping rather quiet, unnerving Alula even more. After a few moments of silence Alula realized she still hadn't given the gnome an answer. She spoke, trying to keep the concern out of her voice.

"It is...a word...written on your forehead...in a rather...exotic language..."

She paused, trying to plan her next words.

"I have...met few others...who can read and write...in such a way...other then myself..."

[User] As Suki picked up her scythe, the sound of a tripwire being activated could be heard. Before anything could be done, a rope ripped Suki into the air causing her to flip upside down and drop her scythe. Three raiders stepped out from their hiding place, "Look at this one boys, a real cutie. And she's got a nice pair of legs and little something else to show too." (I'm assuming she's wearing a skirt) The raider who was checking her out walked over and placed his hand on her cheek. "Hey sweetie, my name's Daven. And you are?"

[Assistant]
Suki only managed to formulate a squeal, as she found herself hoisted upside down. Craning her neck to look down at her feet...or up....she found a rope tied to her ankles that was responsible for holding her in this position. Although the idea of trying to untie the rope had flashed through her mind, she gave up almost immediately. She probably couldn't even reach, since she'd have to fight against gravity, move into an awkward position, and stay in that position to free herself. It was more likely someone would arrive before she could finish. Most likely whoever set up this trap.

Not disappointed, she looked at the thee raiders who stepped out from hiding. Only having herself to blame for not being more cautious, she frowned as she heard the raider speak. Hurriedly pushing her skirt over her legs at the front, while accidentally squeezing her bosom together, making her cleavage more pronounced. Fighting the urge to turn slightly and bite the hand on her cheek, Suki chose to try and talk her way out of this.

"Well Daven, I'm Suki. If you wouldn't mind me asking, why are you three raiders around here?"


[System]
Age: 24
Occupation: Guardian of the Stone

Appearance:
Biography:
Cait was born to a noble family, she was destined to have the finest things in life and be married off to another noble man that would hopefully continue to raise her family's position in society. She was taught from a young age how to act, how to talk, how to walk when in public. She quickly became bored with her life, wanting more. She decided she had enough when she was fifteen, said goodbye to her younger sisters and ran away from home, never looking back.

Cait wandered for a few years, her whims taking her on whichever adventure she fancied next. On her adventures she learned handy skills like pick pocketing and lock picking. She was adept with a bow but prefers her daggers and short swords to almost anything else. Alvar found her drunk in a tavern one night. He thought he was going to need to help the young girl as a group of men tried to take advantage of her in her drunken state. Cait quickly dispatched the thugs and went back to her ale. Impressed by her skill Alvar offered to train her. Cait waived him off but he persisted for three days before she finally relented that the old man might have something to teach her that her adventures had yet to give her – a purpose for her life.

Alvar was the guardian of the green stone ring. He explained to Cait how he belonged to a very long line of guardians, their lives dedicated to the protection of this ring. So Alvar trained Cait, making her an even more skilled fighter/thief. Alvar gave Cait a life of discipline and a sense of honor and purpose. Her world was turned upside down when Alvar was murdered by a rove of bandits, wanting to steal the ring from him when they refused to pay the "toll" the bandits were charging for using the road. Alvar had been too skilled to be killed by the bandits, he had only died because Cait had made a stupid mistake and he'd sacrificed himself for her. In a rage Cait slaughtered the bandits, pulling Alvar into her lap as he bled to death. He gave her the ring and begged her to protect it with her life. That was three days ago.

[User]
A beautiful girl shrouded by a cloak started talking to Lester out of the blue. Normally, he would entertain the company of anyone as attractive as herself, but something was off. Women typically let the men speak first, and something else, there was something else. "Yeah... they shouldn't do that should they?" Lester let off an honest laugh that betrayed his suspicious thoughts.

Lester watched as the lady began to cross the room. Without thinking about it, his hand had wandered to his side in search of his money pouch. It was gone. The girl! She had taken it. "... shouldn't leave it in a place so accessible to others." Those were her words exactly.

Lester gave chase as quickly as possible without stirring up a fuss in the pub. On the street, he caught up to the lady. He waited to speak until he was within a few meters. He tried to sound calm, charming, and firm all at the same time. Years of bar talk guided him. "Oi there! Miss! I've got a question. May I have a second of your time?"

[Assistant]
Jill
Ah! Jill yelped out in pain as a dark drop of blood oozed out of her finger. This was the third time that morning she had pricked herself. She quickly dabbed the site with a scarf that was laying around, careful not to get any blood on the garment she working on. She had been working away for what seemed like ages with little progress to account for. She slumped back in her chair, trying to get a kink out of her neck. How long had she been sitting here? Jill got up to stretch her back but the motion immediately got her back into her chair. Her field of vision was filled with tiny dark blotches that seemed to dance mockingly. I need to lay off the alcohol for a while she thought, as a sudden headache began to make her temples throb. Figuring she wasn't going to get any more work done, Jill got up slowly and made for her bed, almost stumbling over the footstools that encircled a small , round wooden table. Countless playing cards and coins covered the table and in the centre of it all was the fruit of yesterday's efforts: A pearl necklace. It had been ages since she had last gambled but yesterday a couple of drinks with old friends lead the group to a game in a drunken spur of the moment.

Jill plopped on her bed, her head hanging off the other side as she lifted up an envelope to the sunlight. It had an invitation within, one that she had read countless times over the last week. A window remained flung open, bringing in sounds from the bustling marketplace.She closed her eyes momentarily, listening to the voices outside.She could hear angry men shouting, the chirping of birds and laughter.

Laughter? Jill got up as though a bolt of lightning had hit her. She recognized the source of the sound and jumped out of her bed with her pillow. She then rushed to her round table and swiftly picked up her cards, stashing the lot within the fabric sleeve that covered the pillow. Once that was taken care of, she threw the thing in a haste, the pillow only managing to reach the foot end of her bed. She then carefully counted the gold pieces and rounded them up in a small leather pouch which she hid in one of the pockets of her trousers. She could hear footsteps approaching as she grabbed her pearl necklace and darted frantically, unsure of what to do next. As the door creaked open, Jill slung on the necklace and tucked it under her tunic.
"Jill! It's been ages!" A familiar voice beamed as a wide figure filled the doorway.
You saw me just a week ago, Jill thought.
"How's it going?" she replied as she walked up to greet her mother. At that moment, another figure entered the room. It was Jill's eldest sister.
"Katheriiine. How nice it is to see you again." Jill started with a forced smile, barely able to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
Katherine only smiled, dismissing her sister's surly greeting as she walked towards the desk,observing what Jill had been working on.
"So what brings you two here?" Jill inquired, hoping they weren't going to get started with advising her to keep her place clean , staying in touch and all that crap again.
"It's ... about my party."
"What about it?" Jill retorted. She wasn't going to let Katherine make her dramatic pauses. She'd barely gotten any work done and was in no mood for tolerating her family's nonsense today.
"We want you to come , of course! I dont care if you have a million dresses to take care of, you're coming tomorrow!" Her mom exclaimed.

Oh.

"And since you're coming to a party, you'll have to look the part too .After all , I can't have my younger sister looking unkempt in front of courtiers and dignified nobles. There's just no way I will allow it." Katherine interjected, suddenly looking more animated than usual.

Oh

In the end it was all pretence after all. It was all about making appearances with her family.

"I dont thin-" Jill started, but was cut short by her mother.
"Oh don't you worry about a thing, we've got everything covered. Katherine and I picked this wonderful work of linen for you ! Now all we need is to look for the right accessories" Her mother described, going on and on in the high-pitched and overly-detailed manner she was used to speaking in.
"I'm pretty sure Jill has some trinkets lying around here" Katherine added as she opened a closet, falling victim to an avalanche of bundled up clothes, a bag, some books and a figurine.
"Kat, I'd rather you wouldnt open my-
"Oh isn't this the figurine you snagged off that poor girl Leslie? I wasn't aware it came with a ring." Katherine exclaimed as she examined the statue before sliding the ring off it.

That was the last straw.

"Enough!" Jill exploded, before snatching the ring from Katherine's hand. She then stormed towards the door, turning back halfway through.
"Look, I don't care about your party! Make whatever excuse you want for your beloved nobles, I'm not coming."
Jill slammed the door behind her and in a fit of fury she walked off into the streets.

She felt like an idiot. She knew she shouldn't have blown off as she had but Jill was already having a rough day and she didn't feel like going back and making nice. She noticed she still had her fist clenched around the ring. It was all this stupid thing's fault, Jill thought as she put on the ring on her left hand, feeling strangely satisfied with how perfectly it fit her finger. Days like these, she wished things would fix themselves. She knew what her quick fix was. Some booze and a gamble. However, Jill resisted the urge to turn for the pub and walked into the marketplace instead. She wandered aimlessly, hoping it would become dark soon and her mother and sister would be gone by the time she returned.

[User]
It had only been a while but Brandon has nearly filled his bag with all the goods he managed to buy and his gold pouch wasn't very low yet. Maybe he could visit another two shops before leaving the town. So he entered one of the food shops that dot the town.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" He called out. Brandon had only exited a store when Shawn suddenly stiffened and sniffed around. The brown haired male looked curiously at his pet, wondering what had gotten into the black Labrador. It then took off, much to Brandon's shock. He quickly chased after the dog, nearly bumping into anyone who was in the way. For a pretty old dog, he ran so fast. But the only thing he was worrying was why his dog was running away.

Shawn brushed against Jill's legs and barked. However, it was no angry bark - it was more friendly. Its tail was wagging. It was as if it was sensing her sadness and then wanted to see if she needed some help. Though, to be perfectly honest, a dog suddenly charging at you doesn't seem to be the friendliest of sights.

Brandon was close behind. "Shawn, what are you doing!?" He yelled out before skidding to a stop beside the black dog who was still staring at the girl, ignoring his master completely. Brandon frantically looked between his dog and Jill. "U-Uh, I'm sorry! Did my dog do anything to you? I don't know what overcame him. I am so very sorry!" Brandon kept bowing to the girl. He then turned to Shawn. "You should apologize for disturbing the lady too!" It would seem that the two had some form of connection that you would see a master and his pet. Shawn's tail stopped wagging and it looked down on the ground as Brandon reprimanded the dog.

[Assistant]
It had been ages since Jill had left for the marketplace, yet nothing among the various stalls had caught her interest. She walked by each vendor lazily, giving their items only a half-interested fleeting gaze before moving on. Since when had business here been so dry? Jill thought to herself. Then again, these were everyday people selling everyday items. It was unfair of her to expect them to have rubies on display when only a small fraction of the populace could afford that sort of thing.

"Fresh fruit! Fresh vegetables! Get them while you can!" An old lady beamed up at the passing by crowd, causing Jill to let out a loud yawn, her eyes now slightly teary. This was much to the old lady's disapproval, who muttered something about rude whippersnappers under her breath, causing Jill to sprint away from her stall.
Jill's thoughts returned to the family drama she had left back at home. She was now having second thoughts. Was she making too much of a fuss about nothing? Would it be better for everyone if she just went along with their plans quietly? What if she was in the right after all? Maybe her family was in the wrong for always deciding things for her. She swept away her bangs in frustration and trudged forward, not really looking where she was going.

She had barely passed another shop or two, when all of a sudden she noticed a dog plunging forward in full speed. Sometimes she wondered where dogs got all their energy from, she herself could barely manage doing her daily chores. She turned around, curious to find out what the dog was after. There was nothing out of the ordinary. No master waiting for it with a treat, no wild animal to give chase after. It took Jill a moment to register that the dog was dashing towards her. When it had finally dawned upon her, Jill turned back at the dog in dread only to find out that it was now only a few steps away from her. Why me? She thought as she shut her eyes and instinctively crouched down; almost shrieking in fear as she did so.

Well? Was the dog going to bite her? Jill wondered,as she slowly mustered the courage to open her eyes. The dog was there alright, brushing against her, but it didn't seem as hostile as she had feared. It gave a friendly bark, dissolving any qualms Jill had had about the dog's nature. Jill laughed nervously, falling back in relief. She hesitated for a moment, but ended up petting the dog. It seemed nice enough, now that Jill was calm and collected. For some weird reason,she felt a tad bit better. It was probably swell being a dog Jill thought as she petted the dog. Dogs don't have any worries...do they?

She heard someone shouting in the distance, the sound bringing her thoughts back to her surroundings. She looked around and saw a few kids who had stopped to stare at her, while some adults went about their business but only after giving her a condescending look.
She had freaked out completely, after all. Talk about an over reaction, her inner voice criticized. Jill immediately got up, dusting her self off, making up her mind to never again let a dog get the better of her .
The shouting figure was that of a boy, who stopped abruptly beside the dog. Jill figured out that he was the dog's owner. Before she could gather the energy to get furious and go on about how the owner should've kept his dog on a tighter leash, he had already started apologizing. In fact the more he apologized, the lesser she felt like complaining.

"It's alright,you don't have to apologise!" She exclaimed; and she meant it.

"Your dog's done nothing much,that is, besides almost scaring the daylights out of me" she added with a grin.

[User]
"Oi there! Miss! I've got a question. May I have a second of your time?"

Cait swore under her breath, the man at the bar had obviously figured out that she'd taken his money. She thought momentarily of running but a quick glance around told her there were city guards nearby and so far the man wasn't making a fuss. She pulled her hood a little lower over her eyes, trying to obscure her face a little more in case she was going to have to make a run for it. The man would have to make a very convincing argument for her to part with the coins.

She whirled around and shot him a charming crooked half smile, "I suppose I can spare a moment, but just a moment. I'm afraid I'm not local, if you're looking for directions." She was momentarily distracted by the man's ring again, something about it called to her. She grabbed the ring she wore on a chain around her neck. "Interesting piece you've got there. How'd you come by it?"

It couldn't be like hers...or could it?