[System]
* Gender: Female
* Race: Cosain Elf
* Appearance: A young elf maiden, with a short stature of around 154 cm. Her hair is an ethereal silver, and she has light skin and green eyes.
* Bio: The child of a pair of elven guardians of high standing in Tamaln, Seelay's childhood was spent as a daughter of nobility. At the same time, her parents were quite insistent on instilling a sense of duty into her. She may have been their cherished daughter, but they wanted her to grow up to be a fine guardian of the forest. And so, her regular training was both to hone her skills and to grow a strong sense of purpose within her. Seelay took her training readily, proving to surpass her own father in skill when he was her and demonstrating a buried capacity with magic, to the surprise of her family. Needless to say, her pride swelled as her skills developed. But so to did her sense of duty, as her parents were successful in their endeavors. They had raised a stern, serious, and prideful girl.

As she grew older, it was only natural she would begin to take on duties as a defender of Tamaln. Why else would she train, and continue to train, if not for this reason? Perhaps born of the way she was raised, Seelay desires to be patted on the head praised for her efforts, as such combined with her dutiful nature this pushed her to pursue greater and greater efforts. Her dedication to her duties, her desire for praise, and her pride would always spur her onwards.

As a result, when Seelay was instructed to investigate the attack on Dawn, she did not hesitate in the least. She would demonstrate her skills once more, and get to the bottom of what had occurred without issue. Perhaps she could do without the observer that was sent along with her(in fact she could definitely do without her) but that would not stop her from completing her duties.
* Goals:
	+ Assist in rebuilding, as it is the proper thing to do.
	+ Discover why the Elder Beast attacked Dawn, completing her duty.
* Skills:
	+ Ancestral Scion:The fey created the Elves with a specific purpose in mind - to protect, and constantly learn in order to do that. As such, they instilled the Elves with a specific ability to call upon their ancestors. Most often it simply takes the form as some sort of sixth sense to make the supernaturally good at some skill, rarer some elves earn particular favor of an ancestor spirit and it manifests to protect them. Even rarer, though all are capable of it - is the Leargas. A skill that turns a living elf into an Incarnation of every single ancestor.
	+ Magic Lineage: Born with the blood of elven druids running through her veins, Seelay has far greater capacity in magic then most of her kin. She has not followed in their footsteps, however. Rather, she has honed her magical capability in regards to the appilication of applying magical effects to her weaponry. The application of mystical energies to her arrows or the edge of her sword is a common use, as well as increasing the impact of each arrow loosed.
	+ Bow and Blade: Extensive training in the usage of a longbow and a curved elven sword. Seelay may be young for an elf at seventy years of age, but this still allows her to have training equivalent to nearly the entire average human lifespan. As a result, her capabilities can easily be seen as superhuman. While she lacks considerable physical power, much of her skill lies in agility and precision. In addition to the span of her training, Seelay can be considered to have taken to her training outstandingly well. All of this comes together to result in a combatant of considerable skill.
* Inventory: A number of hunting and food supplies. Much of the food was acquired by her hunting and fishing. Additionally, she carries a longbow, arrows, a curved sword, and a dagger. Each of these weapons are of fine make. Finally, she is accompanied by a diminutive fey companion by the name of Sionna, whom she considers the least useful piece of equipment she has access to.

[User]
Nylah

LESS TALK MORE DUST AND YAKETY SAX

---

"How am I supposed to know it isn't coming for us next anyway! Both of you hang oooooooooooonnnnnnnnn!!!"

No time to use magic. No way to hold some kind of weapon. Looking back for a second allowed her to see the glimpse of the giant...lizard?! Chameleon??? Whatever it was, the image of how it looked was burned into her mind by the raw panic. Truly a visage of predatory death it was. With all of this in mind, the Mothraki in her desperation began to emit as much of her species' {Enthralling Dust} as she could, even shaking her wings along the way to kick off as much as she could. This whilst clinging to the stretcher for dear life as she looked forward and it zoomed like a blazing hot rocket across the terrain and toward the village. She would push herself to the bone to make this thing zoom faster than the gods themselves if she had to.

The {Enthralling Dust} would hopefully help the problem, rather than make it worse. Then again, shouting something else in desperation was also a thing, as she would do in the following seconds-

"Oh gods of this world, please help us move faster so we don't dieeeeeeee!!!"

Was there a deity over winter snow? Or maybe a death deity would help, that'd be nice to give a prayer of thanks for later. Maybe Delphiti would help expedite their journey in safety, as that would perhaps be amusing for her? Nylah had no idea, and didn't expect the loud and desperate call out for help to do anything. Then again, the gods were fickle and could do a lot of things for amusement or whatever. Or simply not do anything at all.

Either way the hope to not get eaten and maybe drug up the pursuer was high as Nylah continued to push her magic and self to the furthest extent to keep the stretcher safely zooming along at mach speeds.

This@Rune_Alchemist

-Herbs/Herbalism Knowledge: Kyr Reed acted as a sort of coagulant as well as sedative. Made people calmer…not particularly useful for treating frostbite on its own, but it was useful for staunching bleeding or injuries. Could be crushed into a paste with a variety of other things to achieve various effects. Wind-Leaf acted as more of a stimulant. When properly mixed with Kyr Reed it made salves and healing poultices good for bolstering the immune system and promoting natural healing. Coral Moss and Slug mucus were a bit harder to find, since the slugs only could be found in shallow water during the day, with Coral Moss being found in damp sea caves off the coast near the Goddess Spear. Slug Mucus was good for making topical salves for alleviating pain, while Coral Moss, when exposed to certain other substances actually heated itself to temperatures good for gentle rewarming of frost-bitten areas.

-{Enthralling Dust} (Racial): Mothraki produce a potent pollen like dust upon their wings. Merely by existing they spread this where they go, though it's mostly harmless if not inhaled in large quantities. Causes hallucinations and dulls one's senses. As one may expect, people tend to frown upon this sort of thing.

-{Journeyman Light Magic}: A magic encompassing pure light and illumination, ranging from harmless orbs to light up one's path all the way up to rays/beams of light as attacks to even light barriers and other light constructs such as swords and spears and shields and so forth. A versatile magic that does not call upon the fire of the sun, but does have its myriad uses and capabilities.

-{Novice Herbalist}: Non-magical practices of a healer, ranging from identifying or figuring out the use of new herbs and recognizing familiar ones, to making things like certain poultices and healing-based alchemy/potion-making, to how to handle wounds/injuries and such using these things.

-{Herbalist's Bag}: A simple leather bag with a well-built shoulder strap, that is filled with a good number of many types of herbs, a good amount of bandages, and finally tools to make tonics, poultices, and potions alongside a scare few pre-prepared ones that are within the bag itself. She usually wears it around most of the time.

-{Small Knife}: A gift from her mother, made with a smoothed-out bone handle and treated with certain oils, mainly used to help cut things like vines and plants when out collecting herbs and so forth. Also a very niche emergency self-defense tool.

-{Food}: A small pouch sitting on her opposite hip that contains a few strips of preserved game meat and a few dried edible herbs from the local area. Not much in amount, since it was meant to be snacks for heading into the woods to gather herbs before 'that' happened.

-{Wristband}: A simple little bracelet made of pretty stones dyed in various colors, carefully having had a hole made through each, sitting on a band made of twisted and treated leather strips. Worn on her left wrist and given as a gift to her by her mother. How long it took to acquire or even make is unknown.

-{Cuteness}: She is a definitely cute moth girl. This is inherent to her existence. Yes.

[Assistant]
Crypts of Dawn

Spelunking

---

The town's gravedigger was quite... strange, to say the least. Gideon has met Chiralta before, and is familiar with their strange mannerisms. This, however, was definitely different from what he us used to. Gideon could only dread what her 'friends' are like. At least the presence of the dead didn't sway him too much.

Still, Achel does raise a genuine concern. Bodies going missing would not be terribly good for the morale of the people. If it was anyone that understood that the dead should be respected, it surely was the Raam. After all, it is imperative that any deceased Raam would have their body delivered to Grams' great temple. It was because of this, too, that Gideon had felt a sense of urgency in accomplishing this task.

"Unforgivable." Gideon had uttered in regards to the corpse thief.

The facility they were in, however, did pique Gideon's interest to a degree. It was far larger than any normal crypt... perhaps it, too, is a relic of the past? If much of it remained sealed and unexplored, perhaps something else had come out of it and is responsible for the stealing of the bodies? Or maybe the thief had entrenched themself in the 'sealed' portions of the crypt under Achel's spidery nose, doing well to avoid her webs and living deep within the catacombs.

Whatever it was, it was clear to Gideon that he should investigate this 'seal,' and perhaps the rest of this unexplored crypt.

"Very well... show me to where the sealed parts of the crypts are." Gideon stated, as he began his venture deeper into the facility.

"Ah, you wouldn't happen to have a torch or lantern perchance, do you?"

[User]
So there was no clear picture of this creature's nature. Aside from the fact it was large, that it could come on land, and that it liked fish, no-one had any idea of what it looked like. That made this somewhat more difficult, but Seelay had something in mind. Indeed, she had already spotted something of a weakness the beast had.

But first, they needed to get a good idea of what they were dealing with. There was a chance her further plans simply wouldn't work at all, depending on what the creature was like.

Thus, the Cosain Elf couldn't make any further proposals until she knew what this monster looked like.

"It's obvious to me we don't know enough about this thing yet," she began, folding her arms across her chest, "So, I have an idea that should let us learn more."

Seelay was certain the fishermen wouldn't like it very much, but at the same time she didn't see another option that would allow them to see the creature when it was seemingly so careful to avoid being spotted.

"Its weakness is its appetite," she began, "So, use fish to draw it in. Preferably forcing it to come on land, but if that's not possible then simply trying to delay it long enough to see what it is should be enough. If you're willing to make that sacrifice, then we can move on to the next part of the plan."

It wasn't totally assured that this would work, but given the frequency of the creature's attacks Seelay felt certain that it had a large appetite. And that meant there was no way it could pass up a chance like that.


[System]
Role: Hunter and Warrior
Race: Goblin
Description: Taurl is a male goblin, 6 years old. As usual for one still relatively young, he has only been in a handful of battles, and has few scars to show for it. He also has little in the way of wealth or fortune, so his possessions are few and simple. Taurl wears nothing but a brown loincloth and wields a simple wooden spear with an iron tip, which is about four feet long.

Ty stands about 3 feet, 2 inches tall. His skin is a middling shade of green, complemented with blue eyes. Like most of his brothers and half-brothers, he has no hair. As a hunter and warrior, he is of moderate skill, and badly wishes to prove himself to impress the rest of his tribe.

[User]
@Pandalope

Olric smiled as ty asked what the price was for his blade and he said "simple, either now or in the future if you find rare ore you give it to me first and foremost. In exchange you get a blade worthy of the chief" he said with a grin. He honestly was an artist at heart, he wanted to push his limits more and more but to do that he needed rare ore better then his simple copper and steel. He had a dream of making a sword that would make even the gods envious!

When nabi mentioned wanting to do both he laughed a bit as he then said "then by all means try both out. Being a blacksmith is hard so if you show the aptitude for it then you wouldn't have to farm ever again" he said though in all honest he was doing this so he could gain an apprentice. He needed help in the forge whether or not he gets to mate with one of the twins wouldn't be the first thing on his mind.

[Assistant]
@Jangel13

"I... let's take it one at a time." Taurl considered his words carefully. "Nabi, if you want to come with me on the raid, you may. Nothing will stop you from returning to the forge, as long as you stay safe. And Olric, I have no idea where to get some rare ore, so you'll probably have to settle for some stuff I take back from the raid. If by some chance I get any of that ore, I'll be sure to give it to you." He had the feeling that they were competing for Nabi's attention, although they both knew that she wasn't going to be bound to any of them no matter what happened. In fact, no goblin was ever bound to a marriage or even an exclusive pair. They knew not to mate with their cousins due to their scent, even if it was subtle, such an attraction simply didn't happen. Not that anyone acknowledged family much beyond their mother, siblings, and maybe a grandmother. The whole tribe was a sort of extended family for them all.

[User] He sighed a bit and nodded as he told him he would need to settle on some things he brings back from the raid a d he said "fine then if no ore then get me weapons, swords, shields, whatever I can melt down for material" he said making it a bit easier for him. Once they had the deal olric grabbed the sword he was previously working on from its hook and went to the sharpening stone to help hone the blade to a razor sharpness. Once he did that he would add the engraving so it's possessor would be clear. Obviously some of the sneaky males take things that don't belong to them in an attempt to woo a female. He always engraved the blade to safeguard against that exact situation.

[Assistant]
@Aristocles

Nabi nodded. "Okay, then I'll do both then." A smile spread across her lips. "I'll go with you on the raid right now, Ty," she turned to Olric, "and then I'll return tomorrow to get started as your apprentice. I don't want to deal with Gabi right now, though, so . . ." She leaned the shovel against the wall. "I'm sure my sister will come by later to pick this up when I don't bring it back. Can you give it to her then, Olric?"

Gabi heaved a sigh and dropped the bag of grain for the chickens down on the ground. Then she wiped sweat from her brow. She was hoping that her sister would be back by now, but it seemed that the inquisitive Nabi had gotten herself distracted once again. Gabi shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. She supposed she was going to have to go look for her. There was work to do, and she wasn't going to be able to get it done until she got that shovel back. Gabi then started to head for the blacksmith's.

[User]
"I'll see what I can get you. If it's not enough for the blade... maybe we can work something else out" Taurl replied.

Ty turned back to Nabi. "After I offer this head to the gods, you and I should go over a few things for the raid. We're not departing for at least a couple of hours."

[Assistant]
@Aristocles

Olric nodded to nabi as she said her sister would come for the shovel and he said "don't worry when she comes over I'll see that she gets it. Ty if it isn't enough to be worth the blade then we will talk for now come back in an hour and it will be all finished for the raid" he said since he heard that he planned to go on the raid in a few hours. Olric in the meantime went to work on the blade. He was able to sharpen it completely till it was sharpened steel. It was truly worthy of a warriors weapon, once he finished the sharpening he went to work his chisel and pliers and started to place the engraving gently tapping the name of its owner on the blunt ends of the blade which in this case was the middle of the double bladed sword.

[User] Nabi was so excited that she had a hard time remaining still. Her mind was abuzz with activity. What would the raid be like? Would she have a chance to actually fight? She knew that Ty would prefer that she stay out of harm's way, but that didn't mean that she couldn't at least think about it. "Alright," she said to him. "I'll go with you to the temple then. Is that alright?"

[Assistant]
"It will take more than an hour to- how about this? I'll give you some stuff after the raid, and we'll see what we can do. The last thing I want to do is for this to be a bust and leave me unable to pay you. My spear will do for now. Thank you, Olric. Now, I really must get this to the temple. Musn't keep the gods waiting." He started down the path to the temple, walking with Nabi.

Ty turned his attention towards Nabi. "You can come with me. Just be careful not to ask for anything without having something to offer. The gods need something before they can give you something in return. I'm going to ask for the raid to be a success. Now, do you have any experience in a fight?"

[User]
Nabi shook her head as she walked beside him. "No, not really. I've never been in a fight before . . . unless of course you count play-fighting with my brothers and sisters when I was still youngling."

With a slight waddle to her walk, Gabi entered the blacksmith's hut. Although it wasn't completely obvious yet to everyone that saw her, Gabi had recently discovered that she was pregnant with her first litter, and was just starting to round in the middle. She saw Olric working on a sword. "Hello, Olric," she greeted him. "I was wondering if you've seen my sister. She was supposed to have brought a shovel by for you to mend for us."

[Assistant] Ty nodded. "That's important to know, Nabi. You'll have to rely on stealth and agility. Before we go, you should make sure to do some stretches, and see what you can do to loosen up your muscles. Make sure that your feet and toes are as flexible as possible, as you'll need to use them for climbing a tree if there's danger nearby. We'll be attacking out of the woods, so there will be plenty of trees around."

[User] "Okay, I can do that," Nabi said with a nod, listening intently to everything that he said to her. She wanted to make sure that she did a good job and not just end up being a burden on Ty and the other warriors in the raiding party. "Um, so how dangerous do you think this will be?" She wasn't having second thoughts, she was just genuinely curious about what she could expect on the raid since she had never done anything like it before in her young life.

[Assistant] "I don't know. The idea is to get in and out of the Rockbiter village as fast as possible" Taurl explained. "If we catch them off-guard, there will be little fighting. If they respond quickly, we could be in for a very bloody fight. A male doesn't gain much reputation by doing safe things, you know. It's why so few of us stay home and farm. I suppose we could get lucky and hit their stores of supplies without much resistance, but they are likely to be as well-protected as ours are. I do know that the Rockbiter tribe doesn't have as many warriors as they used to. They've had some losses at the hands of human bandits recently. Not that it takes goblins long to replace our casualties. We're kinda relying on you to take care of that part, Nabi. It's why taking you along is a risk, but it is one I'm willing to take, since you want it."

[User] Olric was still using his chisel on the sword making sure the engraving was right just as Gabi came in asking about her sister. He blew some excess shavings before he answered "she was here but now he is with ty. The shovel is by the door repaired as promised. While she was here I offered her an apprenticeship with me in case you were interested. If you don't mind me working I can certainly talk?" He offered unsure if Gabi was open to talki g with olric unless it was business. After all he was usually here and making weapons and repairing tools was all he did. They talked once in a while when she needed tools but they never really conversed before.

[Assistant]
Hearing about all of the potential danger that could take place on the raid probably should have made Nabi nervous, but it actually only made her more excited to be going. She wondered if she would get into a fight herself, and how she would fair if it ended up happening. She wanted to believe that she would do okay, but obviously it wasn't a good idea to be too overconfident when she had never even held a weapon of any kind before. Her cheeks flushed when Ty mentioned that the tribe was relying on her to help repopulate. She always knew that one day she would end up having younglings of her own, but it still made her uncomfortable to think about. She tried to picture herself with a big belly filled with younglings or holding a couple in her arms while nursing them and it made her stomach tighten.

Gabi groaned when she heard that Nabi had gone off with Ty. She should have known better than to trust Nabi to do even this one simple task. She sat down on a basket in the corner of the hut. "I don't get why she has to act that way," she said to Olric. "Why can't she behave herself like females are supposed to. Always trying to do things that she shouldn't be. And sure, I don't mind talking at all," she said to him with a smile.

[User]
Ty knew better than to push too hard with a female. He couldn't get away with things that a proven veteran could. The few times he had overstepped his boundaries had ended in either him being dismissed or ignored. The times he managed to impress a female were few and far between, and it was usually one who couldn't find another male that day, so they had to settle for him. More importantly, he was starting to understand that females could want other things in life besides breeding children, even if it was vital for the tribe's survival. It was a critically important thing, but not the only thing.

Soon, they reached the temple. "The shaman might be inside, or she might be gathering herbs in the woods. Either way, I can leave the offering on the altar." Said altar was little more than a flat rock laid in front of a wooden idol with several faces carved into the surface. He set the rabbit head down before the rock and silently made a prayer for the raid to go well.

[Assistant]
Olric smiled as she sat down nearby and started to ask why her sister was such an airhead and didn't have the same sense of duty. He turned and smiled at her as she said she didn't mind talking. It was sweet of her since he usually doesn't get to talk to anyone. That was part of the reason he sang to himself when he was forging. He then said "you should look at this as her getting it out of her system. I'm sure even you were rambunctious as a youngling just think of this as her getting her energy used." He said and once the sword was engraved he placed it on a table nearby ready for pick up.

Once that was done he grabbed some iron and got to work making a shield next. He got it into the fo4ge and started to melt down the ore. He then said "even if she doesn't get it out of her system I offered her a job as my apprentice so she could do something different then farm work. It's obvious she finds it boring but she seemed genuinely excited at the idea" he said with a smile

[User]
@Jangel13

Nabi nodded when Ty said that he would leave the rabbit head atop the alter. She stayed back a few paces and waited for him to finish his prayer. As she was waiting, she made sure to flex her fingers and her toes in preparation for the climbing and other nimble things she might have to do during the raid.

Gabi shrugged. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Still, at her age she should be thinking about other things . . . not acting like a goblin half her age. Still, I'm actually a little relieved that you offered her a chance to be your apprentice. If she isn't willing to do farming, at least she get some work done by helping you out. Although I still think that the sooner she starts breeding like she's supposed to the better." It was nice to talk to Olric, since she didn't often get to talk to anyone but Nabi when she wasn't busy farming or tending to the animals.

[Assistant]
Taurl finished his prayers, although it took him some time to petition the ancestors, nature spirits, and gods of war. He saved most of the time for those last ones, given the nature of what he was about to attempt. One false move could easily be his last. Ty eventually went over to Nabi.

"You seem pretty flexible. Looks like you take good care of your legs and feet. I don't see any scars or callouses." It just hit him that this could be a problem. While she worked in the fields, Nabi was probably used to walking on soft dirt and grass, not the rougher terrain of the forest. Still, if the risk of sore feet was the worst thing that she faced, she would be rather fortunate.


[System]
Appearance

"Bugger off. These are my people."
---

Race and Class
Half Elf Ranger
Skills and Stats
Your proficient skills, and your stats
Skills:
Survival
Intimidation
Insight
Stats:
Strength: 13+1
Dexterity:13
Constitution:12
Intelligence:13
Wisdom:13+1
Charisma:11+2
Age and Sex
23 year old male.
Magic
Only racial abilities: Darkvision, Resistance to charms and sleep spell immunity.

---

Equipment
Sev has only what he always carries with him: His sword, dagger, bow and quiver of 30 arrows, and axe, as well as his satchel of utility supplies, including rope, first aid kit, small amount of food and water, journal, and a belt pouch with his whetstone, small pouch of coins and an oil to protect his lips and skin from dryness. He also has his armor in the form of a gambeson and a chainmail hauberk. He wears this armor over his regular clothes which consist of just a plain grey tunic, sealskin leather pants, knee high leather boots and a woolen skullcap.
Motivation
Sev was a ranger from a greatly forest region, tasked with protecting civilization from the dangers of the wild, and in some cases, protecting the wilds from the dangers of civilization. Unfortunately, in a tragic tale of the loss of his wife and newborn child to bandits, found himself in a drunken stupor for about a year. He wandered from town to town, selling his services, brawling for money, and getting in barfights. He was kicked out of most of these towns more often than he wasn't. However, he found his purpose in working as a bodyguard/mercenary/crewmember, and even helmsman or First Mate on some smaller voyages, in the services of the Windspyre Falcon. The captain who employed him ensured he remained sober, earned a steady wage and had food and a place to sleep. Sev lived his life one day at a time and had no real plan to what he was doing or where he was going.
Other
Sev can read, speak and write Common, Elvish and Dwarvish. He also has a soft side that he tries to pretend is not there and likes to pretend he has no friends and hates other people even though he really does thrive on social contact due to his lack of it from his Ranging career. He's a fierce and loyal friend to those who deserve and earn it. He'll help anyone who needs it to the best of his ability. He also has a hard time with authority due to the long amounts of time he spent alone and making his own rules..

[User]
Wreckage of the Wyndspire Falcon

---

The normally warm tropical air has a faint cold to it, and it was even snowing in the middle of spring. Small chunks of ice floated in the ocean waters around the island. The chill from the wind could go right through the bones, and many tried their best to survive the cold, their saving grace being they had just gotten out of winter these last few months. Were this winter, it might just kill off Man and Sahuagin alike.

The beach sands were cold and damp, both from the snow and blood. Bodies littered the beach, but those that showed signs of life were dragged to a grassy, rocky part of the beach preceding it. The remains of the Wyndspire Falcon rested half in the sand and half in the water in many pieces.

The Halfling man, Jeets stood by the survivors. He explains to them about the recent activity on the island, and the Unnatural cold.

"Hoy, you wouldn't believe tha things that've been 'appenin' here. First 'ese cultist blokes tried ta rob me, a big white dragon appearin', and now its snowin' all over! I bet me lucky coin its 'at dragon causin' this."

He shook his head and looked back at the group "So what's yer stories eh? You can roight outta the sky in that there big airship. I ain't found anymore a you alive, but I 'aven't been in the ship yet. Maybe you'll find something in there eh? Once you get done gatherin' yerselves, meet me up 'ere!" Jeets points to a small rectangle white ten set up on a small hill.

"I'll do my best ta patch ya up, and I'll take ya to the main village not to far from 'here, maybe an hours walk. I'll go get my things all packed up, and wait for ya."

[Assistant]
Ah yes! A story you have not heard...hmm...a curious request. Lessons, ehm-stories, pardon, are often an...embellishment of...lessons! Yes, stories, and how they are told often convey such sentiments, but trust me child.

I vill do my best to teach you someszink...new.

Zehr vonce was a castle, built upside-down; eits taaallest tower?
There was only a momentary pause, a paper backdrop of a castle upon a pale blue sky with a tower reaching higher and higher towards the wooden frame of Luci's puppet stage before rattling as their tail released a string and the scene came rattling down.
-reache' fffaaaaahh underground~
The image of a castle was pulled up to the top of the wooden frame, still in view, as the 'tower' was pulled by a weight down and down until being the stage, Luci rapidly pulled a thick string and reeled the first frame up, yanking the castle away until it was merely the image of the inverse tower on a black backdrop.
A pale light shone in through pinholes, illuminated by the tiniest of whispers offered by the bard to construct a weak twinkling light akin to stars around the tower.
A lad, long wait to see their betrothed, an' a prince as their father would owe,
He would wait for a time, and more...as the princess prayed: their captor should snore~
A curl of the Tiefling's tail entered frame, adorned with a cap of folded and painted tin on hinges. The scaly black worm was creepily only barely noticeable upon the backdrop due to the myriad illusions of minor sort until an eye glinted in a carved socket of its 'head' and Luci pulled a string to open its maw. Out jetted a slow gout of flames in pace with its self, its ridges frilling and lighting with the same light.
A brave knight, a wizard, an archer and zee holier, more, all vith ample intent to settle a score...
The scene lowers enough, almost compacting a little for a tiny cutout of what looked like a figure in armor and one with a robe and insultingly cliché hat. Such so to follow the description, the next rolled up as if the puppeteer held the cutouts on sticks between their fingers. A green figure with a bow and angled hat and a white robed figure with a shield and mace in the shape of a cross.
A roar then rattled the ship and the motions stopped only briefly before the narration continued in haste.

"Triumphed and evil vahz vonce again no more!" Luciel chimed, retracting the bits and pulling the back cord to drop the tiny curtain. Their eyes darted as the small crowd of children that had grown 'aawwhhh'd and maybe a single adult boo'd, having not gathered the gravity of the situation. Audibly, air rushed past the ship to a degree that the vessel momentarily dipped. Luci clung to the strings with one hand and a post with the other, letting the mass of the small stage tip and crack as it impacted the floor. A tiny bit of Luciel died, watching the mechanisms and pulleys come dislodge and uncoil; their springs shooting reams of hand-painted backdrop over the floor before the main arch crunched into it.
Luciel coiled, containing his anguish from watching his work be crumpled so simply as he clung to a pillar. A few hyperventilating breaths as he smoothed the plating over his tail and belted it into place was all the preparation he needed before mustering the rage that drove him towards the stairs to the upper deck once the vessel righted itself.

It was a blur of mighty white as the scales of a grand beast met Luciel's eyes. Shamefully, he turned back the way he came even though they were unsure what to even do with what power they had. It was supposed to be a simple flight, so he was told. A beast of such magnitude was nothing like he'd imagined to see in person, but he owed the children an end to the story.

To the...

An end...

A story?
___________________________________________________________________

Luciel gasped awake, gurgling and wretching as they turned and then messily coughed up saltwater and heaved the contents of their last meal in the same motion. A soft sigh ended the exhalation before slowly inhaling, coughing briefly as being no stranger to hangover illness. This was something, different, however. A cold coil bound his insides to the point of paralyzing his limbs and he fell flat on a side, raising his arms up to grip the base of his horns while messily sobbing a few messy bouts and groaning as his probable injuries encroached on him.
"Jeets...*cough*...just..." Luciel began, slowly righting themselves. "I szink I vould bel-*coughing fit* Be-*cough*-lieve such szinks." The news of not finding any others alive wounded the bard deeply, but now was not the time to be of such sentiments. "I vahz an...entertainer, ouf sorts," he began, still a bit shellshocked and just responding as it was requested before bracing against a rock to stand. "N-novon? At all?" they asked, watching Jeets walk off before crumbling and finally taking a moment to turn and behold the remains of what once was The Wyndspire Falcon, dashed across the rocks.

Luciel looked away from the main mass, gripping the nearby rocks and dry-heaving for a moment and the rolling over. Finding themselves to still be within their immediately notable faculties, they briefly relaxed. Seeing no reason to seek out their set what was no doubt smashed to crap at this point based on last he'd seen it, the crates of garments were probably in similar discord.

It was, in all, a mess.

The tiefling merely held their head in their hands as they watched the carnage slowly be washed over by the waves of the tide. No mind was paid to the corpses, and if anything, for each one, they looked more towards the horizon, hoping not to see any they remembered. After a short while, they looked through their bag, taking note of its contents and patting themselves over with some quick mending to tidy up the tatters of their coat and make themselves a bit more presentable before making their way towards the others. Quietly waving their hand on the approach then resting it on their chest. "Ehm...h-hello," they shyly began, out of their element as meeting people while not in character(s) was a rarity in recent years, "Quite zee ride, ah? Heh...oh! I am Luciel, alzough 'Luci' vill suffice." With the conclusion of their introduction, they rested their darkened glasses over their lightly squinting eyes.

[User]
Gilwyn Severyl, referred to, with some fondness, as Sev by his fellow crewmembers, stood hunched over the maps and navigational charts that were pinned to a folding table next to the wheel of the Wyndspire Falcon. His eyes followed lines of longitude and latitude, matching them with the compass and sextant attached to poles in front of him. He returned his hands to the wheel, confident that they were heading in the proper direction, the direction of Stormreach. Sev was a skilled enough helmsman and navigator, but on a journey as important as this, he had ceded the wheel to a veteran. He found himself only holding the ship on course in a peaceful lull of the journey, while the helmsman took a well-deserved rest in the crew's quarters.

 Sev whistled a shanty to himself, enjoying the sights of clouds close enough to touch, a sparkling and spanning blue ocean below, and the occasional bird tailing the ship in the hopes of obtaining some scraps. Given the chaos and tragedy of his life prior to his employ on the Falcon, he found himself at the most peace when aboard the vessel, which struck him as odd considering he was an ex Ranger, used to life in the wilds and forests of his homeland. He never expected himself to find peace as a sailor, (or would he be an aeronaut?). He enjoyed watching the crew and the passengers bustle about the deck from his perch at the helm and hearing the whip of the rudder and creak of the wood against the wind but underneath those sounds, Sev heard a rather foreign noise: The beating of wings.

 The source wasn't identified until nearly too late. A massive stark white dragon soared from below, out of the cover of a cloud, the force of its wingbeat nearly capsizing the ship. Sev jerked the wheel to port, barely avoiding the whipping tail of the great beast. He corrected the wheel back to starboard, straightening the ship out again before maneuvering below the dragon,

 "Dragon!" he called, "Dragon to port! Get below deck now! Crew, arm yours-" his command was cut short by a bellowing roar, a blast of frozen air and a sudden powerful lurch which actually resulted in the ship capsizing and spiraling a relatively short distance to an island below. Sev's last memory before blacking out was falling towards the dazzling blue surface.

 He awoke to the face of a halfling man. Sev gathered his senses and observed a small group of other survivors around him, none of whom very familiar, and the bodies of all of his fellow crewmates strewn about him. After the halfling man finished speaking, Sev stood, brushed the sand from his clothes and set about rummaging through the wreckage, looking for his gear, which he found in a relatively short amount of time, finding his familiarity with the ship still useful, even if it was in two different pieces. He donned his gambeson and chainmail, belted on his sword and dagger, found a decent cloak with no holes in it and threw it over his shoulders, slung on his satchel, put his axe on his back, peeking over his left shoulder and his bow and quiver of arrows peeking over his right shoulder. Finally, he pulled on his woolen cap and gloves before returning to the small group of strangers.

 "'Lo," he said, rather sullenly, "Name's Gilwyn Severyl but most people just call me Sev."


[System]
Age: 18

Gender: Female

Home:She was born In Australia, but has kind of lived everywhere and no where.

Partner: (Fill out later)

Special Talents:
Kalinda is able to see soul wavelengths and use Anti-Demon Wavelength

Unique Traits: Has a very adaptable Soul Wavelength, enabling her to work with many weapons.

Skills: Kalinda's skills like in her ability to be quite flexible (Body wise), which is useful in her fighting. She's also a pretty good cook
Weapon Preference: She doesn't really have a weapon preference, due to her ability to be quite Wavelength flexible.

Personality: Kalinda is a tad reserved, although those that know her well know her to be kind, and caring, almost dedicated to friends and those she considers family. She can be quite stubborn, but often, she just keeps to herself.

Bio: If you know her bio, then you are quite close to her. Her history is not something she shares lightly.

Likes:
Cooking
Reading
music

Dislikes:
Rainy days
Overly cheerful people
Being beaten.

[User]
Victorique

Victorique was finally able to sleep somewhere again but it didn't seem for long as the redhead seemed to be talking to her again. Victorique didn't open her eyes yet and replied with a soft groan, suddenly her ankle started to hurt. She quickly opened her eyes and fell sidewards while letting a small gasp escape out of her mouth at the same time. A loud thud echoed through the hallways of the academy with another thud followed up to it short after. She was lying sideways on the ground with both her hands on her ankle. It didn't look bruised or anything just a little red from the hit. Victorique slowly tried to straighten herself up again and dumbfoundedly stared around her what had hit her. She could only find Kalinda on the left of her. She stared at the girl for a few moments with her mouth dumbfoundedly open. Had she kicked her ankle to wake her up or something. Her eyes wandered over towards the hurted spot on her leg. It was pretty red and a little swollen.

Victorique noticed the large object lying on the ground next to her and wondered, was that there before? Victorique crawled over towards the front of the object and discovered it was just Dimitri lying on the ground. She stared at him for a few moment and could find out that it was him tripping over her ankle. She quietly sat next to him on her knees and kept staring at his face as he stood up. After Dimitri apologised to her she did the same back to him and made a little bow to apologize to him too "Sorry." Victorique took his hand to stand up and immediately noticed how big his hand actually was. She stared at his big hand for a moment and used his support to stand up. After she let go of him and tried to stand onto her own legs it immediately went wrong. Victorique stumbled a little and fell towards the door against Ju-long not being able to stand on her left leg anymore.

[Assistant]
So much seemed to happen at once. It threw Kalinda off. Dimitri fell over Victorique, causing the girl to fall, and then look at Kalinda as if she had caused the injury. Kalinda held up her hands as if to say "not me"

She poked Dimitri, but he didn't seem so bad as he quickly stood up. She watched victorique take his hand to rise, and Kalinda Rose swiftly, quickly reaching out to try and balance Victorique before she stumbled against ju long. Kalinda sighed softly, and looked at both guys.

"one of you, be a dear, and help me get her to the cafeteria for lunch. I'm not strong enough to be of much help, and chances are if she leans on me, I'm going to topple over. And she needs food." Kalinda was going to make sure that Victorique ate, to get energy and strength back. "and we should hurry, before she falls asleep again" she smiled at her kwn little jest, but was concerned for Victorique. She couldn't very well continue to sleep in hallways, or more people would trip over her.

Why did Kalinda care? That was a good question, and one she really didn't have an answer to. Kalinda liked to be needed, and Victorique certainly needed someone to look after her. Especially in this class, with the water. But mostly, Kalinda guessed that she just saw a chance to not be so alone.

[User]
Ju-Long

Ju-Long looked on as Dimitri and Victorique apologized to each other. He saw Victorique struggle to get up, "Oi, you ..." He cut off his question as Victorique stumbled and fell in his direction. Catching her with his hands and body, he continued "Guess that means that you are not okay." Ju-Long looked down at Victorique making sure she was okay. Nothing seemed wrong for now.

Does anything seem wrong with her?
Is her leg okay?
I can't see anything irregular here.

Kalinda then spoke up, "one of you, be a dear, and help me get her to the cafeteria for lunch. I'm not strong enough to be of much help, and chances are if she leans on me, I'm going to topple over. And she needs food." It seems like Kalinda was going to make sure that Victorique ate, to get energy and strength back. "and we should hurry, before she falls asleep again"

"I can take her there." Ju-long replied to Kalinda, turning his back to Victorique and crouching. "Hop in, that way you can sleep as well. Do you want to go to your room or to the cafeteria, Victorique?" Ju-long as offering Victorique a piggy-back ride, and wanted to know whether she just wanted to sleep or if some food would do her good.

If Victorique got on his back, he would then stand and start piggy-back ride her, otherwise, he would offer helping her walk to where she wanted to go.

[Assistant]
"I'm fine, just a little bump on the chin is all." Dimitri said as played off his fall in front of Ju-Long and the others without meeting anyone's gaze. He felt shame and embarrassment wash over him, tinging his cheeks a very faint shade of pink as he helped Victorique up. The combination of Victorique's trouble standing and Kalinda's request for assistance just served to make him feel even worse. The meister knew that it would be the right thing to do, but at the same time something in him really didn't want to be around people any longer. More than anything Dimitri just wanted to find a place where he could curl up unnoticed until he felt confident enough to be around people again.

A potential godsend came in the form of Ju-Long as he offered to carry Victorique while Dimitri internally wrestled with himself over what to do. For a second Dimitri opened his mouth, though it was quickly shut once more as he still didn't know whether he'd offer to carry his fellow meister himself or thank Ju for his offer. To some of his shame -and admittedly a bit of relief- Dimitri's desire to flee won out over his desire to stay any further, prompting him to turn and take off down the hall after muttering one last apology. The small but steady increase in his soul wavelength's weight made him slower than he'd been in class, however Dimitri was still more than capable of moving at a startling pace.

[User]
Victorique

As soon as Victorique lost her balance she felt multiple hands support her. She looked around her with a slight open mouth and saw everyone holding her upright. She gave a gentle smile at all of them and took all the weight off her left leg. As soon as she stood steadily again with one of her hands against the wall she tried to get the others to not support her anymore by slowly pushing their hands off of her. Once she was successful she heard the cutie Kalinda out. It wasn't such a bad idea to get some food at the cafeteria and her leg would probably be fine after some normal resting. She stayed quiet at the three of them conversating but rubbed the back of her head and smiled innocently as Kalinda said that she might fall asleep again.

Victorique was startled after hearing from Ju-long that she could just as simple as that jump on. She bluntly stared at him for a few seconds but didn't reply to him just yet. She was still a little mind dead because of the water but she slowly replied to him after a while "Food please." before she could get on her mind was already somewhere else. Dimitri suddenly tried to slip away from the group. Victorique looked after him while he walked away with quite a worrisome face "Di...mitri" She tried walking after him but reminded herself of her ankle again after trying to take a step. Small tears were on the verge of dropping down on her face out of pain. She brushed of her eyes with her sleeve and saw him walking down the end of the hallway. Victorique looked down to the ground slightly and slowly hopped over towards the back of Ju-long's on one leg. Without saying anything more she placed her body on the back of that of Ju-long and tightly holded herself again him to not fall down or anything.

[Assistant]
Kalinda smiled, relieved that she wouldn't have to try and figure out how to get Victorique anywhere by herself. She was glad that Ju-long was helping, but she saw that Dimitri seemed to be quite upset, running off. Kalinda hesitated for the briefest moment, and after seeing that Victorique trying to follow after Dimitri, Kalinda followed him herself. "I'll be back" She said, over her shoulder, wondering once more what the hell was going on with her.

"Dimitri!" she called, hurrying after him, the small girl was fast, but she had to take two steps for every one of Dimitri's. Still, she darted off after the other miester, and had soon caught up with him. "What's wrong?" She asked, figuring they all had issues, and maybe that was why she wanted to...well, be friends. Dimitri obviously had some social issues, from what she had seen so far.

"It wasn't your fault, you know. Anyone could have tripped over Victorique, which was why I was trying to wake her." Kalinda was wondering if she was just making it worse. She had very little experience cheering people up, and even less experience with finding the right words to say. "Come back, before she tries to follow. Please? Have some food with us" She said, hoping that he would do so, but expecting that he would probably just run off. She would have, herself by now. Well, any other day really. Today seemed different.

[User]
Ju-Long

With Dimitri running away and both Kalinda and Victorique showing worry about him, Ju-Long watched on, seeing Kalinda chase after Dimitri. Ju-Long heard Victorique call for him, seeing her worrisome face. He heaved a sigh, standing as Victorique jumped onto his back. Getting up was easier than he thought, she was lighter than he expected. Turning about face, he started following after both Dimitri and Kalinda. "I know you wanted to go for food, but you are obviously worried about Dimitri." he sighed. "I don't think you have to worry so much. From what I can see, his just not used to having friends, or having people around him. He doesn't know much about interacting with others. Nevertheless, you want to be friends with him at least right? I am sure we can be his friends and he can start getting used to our company. So don't worry so much, and start thinking about what you can do to make him more comfortable or help him enjoy our company." Ju-Long tried to comfort Victorique and her worries about Dimitri. "You don't need to cry about it. But if you feel like crying, go ahead. You can come to me with any worries."

Ju-Long seemed to be showing himself like an older brother to her. Although, he wasn't sure of her age, infact she might even be his age. But she came off kind of younger, like a sleepy little sister. That was just how it felt to him.

Hm...
Something wrong?
No, nevermind. Probably just my imagination.

Wonder what that was about Ju-long thought to himself.

Since the other two had ran, and Ju-Long was walking, it would probably take a while to catch up. There was the added bonus of them being Meisters, who generally run 100m in less than 9 seconds. Ju-Long had trained his body, since he had to play the role of a Meister to his siblings, and could run 100m in less than 9 seconds, but only barely.

"So, Victorique, you thinking about who you want to partner up with? Both of them don't have a partner yet, and I think they would be glad to partner up with you. Also, were you an EAT or a NOT student? Much experience fighting?" Ju-Long started to ask Victorique. He tried to keep a conversation going, hoping she wouldn't fall asleep. It was also a chance to get to know her.

[Assistant] Dimitri blazed down the hall way, for once grateful of his bulk as it served as motivation for others to get out of his way. The meister heard his name called a few times, however all it did was cause him to pick up his pace, or rather it did until Kalinda caught up with him. Dimitri skidded to a shaky halt against what he believed to be his better judgment and listened to what his fellow meister had to say. Dimitri desperately wanted to just be anywhere but there, preferably in the library, however it appeared that the only what he'd be able to get some peace would be if he was upfront about his issue "It's not just me tripping over Victorique. It's...well, I was never good with people. All of this- the new classes, the sudden increase in social interaction, the partnering, it's all a bit much for me to take in for one day. It feels like my head's going to pop!" he stated with lightly whacking his head with his open palm for emphasis. Dimitri took a deep breath in and exhaled to try and steady his shaking nerves, "I'm really sorry about this, I want to be friends with you all, but I just...I just need a bit of time to myself right now to try and unwind.".

[User] Can i still join

[Assistant]
Kalinda sighed. She could understand the need for solitary, and so she wouldn't befrude dimitri. So she nodded, as gave him a smile. "alright then. I understand. But it's not like we are going to hog tie you and dangle you above a pool of lava. Go unwind!" she smiled again, and then started back the way she had come, back towards Ju-Long and Victorique. She could at least reasure Victorique that Dimitri was okay.

She stretched out her muscles as she walked, so they wouldn't be sore later. She ran a hand through her hair, which had come lose, and spent a few moments braiding it this time, as she walked, before coming on the duo.

"so, food?" she said, as if nothing had happened. "im starved" which was true. Kalinda was always hungry, as if her years of barely having enough food were making themselves known, now that she had regular meals.


[System]
Age: 28 (assuming standard human lifespan)

Gender: Female

Race: Naga

Appearance:
 13 ft in total length, Mari's human half is 3 ft from her waist to the top of her head and her tail half is 10 ft in length. Mari has tanned skin, short black hair, golden eyes and pale olive green scales. When out of armor, Mari regularly wears a simple sleeveless tunic and belt over a sarashi-esque waist & chest wrap.

Personality:
 Mari is an odd duck. Half nomadic wild child, half daughter of the church, the Naga is as sophisticated & eloquent as she is blunt & plain-spoken. While she is a firm believer in the core tenets of the church, Mari will quite often interpret them through the harsh & pragmatic lens of a survivalist; frequently leading her to decisions that put her at odds with those who had more 'civilized' upbringings.

Brief Backstory:
 Born & raised as part of a nomadic tribe in the scrub-lands & savanna to the east of Thaln, Mari was kidnapped by slavers in her early-mid teens. After a short but brutal experience with slavery, the young demi-human was freed by Mayonite paladins. Taking pity on the young Naga, Mari was taken in by the church; an action that was met with mixed results. On one hand, Mari took to the core tenets of the dual church like a fish to water. On the other, she constantly fought with the rigidity of it's structure and by extension the structure of 'civilized' society.

 Naturally combative by nature, Mari began training with the resident Mayonite paladins as soon as she was able. When the War of the Red Flag broke out, Mari saw action on multiple battlefields, serving as the squire of a Mayonite paladin in the service of the Iron Rose Knights. Shortly after the conclusion of the war, Mari was granted her knighthood in which she swore her oath of loyalty to the Iron Rose Knights.

Equipment:
 - For armor Mari has a gambeson, partial steel plate covering her upper torso, arms & head and partial chain-mail over the rest of the exposed gambeson. For her helmet she has a sallet with a bevor. She currently has pair of heavy leather gloves as she currently can't afford a proper set of fully articulated steel gauntlets.
 - For weapons Mari has a quarterstaff with a small flanged mace head at either end. She carries a long knife and a hand axe balanced for throwing as backup weapons. In addition she has a long bow, though she usually doesn't carry it unless requested. Her weighted quarterstaff is also mildly enchanted for increased durability.

Skills:
 - A talented tracker, hunter and survivalist on account of her nomadic youth.
 - Skilled in combat with more utilitarian weapons; spears, staves, axes, bows and to a lesser extent hammers & knives. While she can use traditional blades, they are hands down the weapon that she's the least proficient with.

[User]
Gillian

Gillian watched Tyaethe grill the small child, occasionally throwing glances at her bodyguard, a large fellow(he assumed, though one need only look at the aforementioned vampire in full armor to see it was far from a safe assumption) though hardly a threat to them by virtue of sheer numbers. "Wow..." He said, loud enough to cut into Tyaethe's rather masterful tirade. "Glad to see the oldest of our order is ready to throw an actual child into the fire because she's on the rag" He said clearly, rubbing the agitation from his eyes.

As much as Tyaethe WAS right to demand answers from the girl, he thought she was far from going about it the right way. Firstly, Lady Cal was thirteen. Between her and the captain, this was more a (admittedly high stakes) play date than a potential insurrection. Secondly, whatever the girls intent, it was likely more misguided than malicious for which they should be thanking Reon.

"Veileena." Gill said, keeping his tone divorced from his usual snark and the irritation he felt in favor of a more impassive tone. One that, unlike Radistirin's, at least promised to listen before any judgment of her character was thrown on the girls shoulders. "Would you please explain what you and your bodyguard are doing here?" He asked. It was obvious that the girl was after the shard, but he'd rather hear in the girls own words as to the WHY. If nothing else, she might know who would have tried to steal the shard out from under her.

[Assistant]
Fleuri Jodeau

Fleuri wished he could be surprised to see Veileena Cal and her bodyguard there, but after the encounter with Damon, he could no longer be entirely sure that others in the family weren't also involved in dark dealings. "That is Veileena Cal, daughter of the traitor Phoran Cal, scion of the Cal family, and the person whom I hoped would redeem the family's name," he answered Runa, opting to address their most immediate question. It appeared that the others were already questioning Veileena, so it would be a good opportunity to bring Runa and Gerard up to speed.

"Here's what's going on," he turned to Runa. "This morning, a message arrived requesting the Iron Roses' assistance at Fort Daelantine. When we got there, we discovered the entire garrison was dead, and there had just been a battle between two groups of mercenaries, one of whom had disguised themselves in the dead soldiers' uniforms. It was fortunate we had someone with a knowledge of mercenaries in our ranks," he said, looking at Gerard. "Upon investigating, we learned a few very troubling things."

Fleuri paused to take a breath. "First, the fort wasn't attacked, the soldiers appear to have gone mad and killed one another in a frenzy." Second, someone who wasn't insane apparently broke into the captain's quarters, killed the captain, and stole something from his desk. Third, both mercenary parties were hired to retrieve a black shard from the fort. We believe that it is a shard of the evil weapon Angroron, and that it was somehow involved in the entire garrison going insane. This shrine was mentioned in a note on the corpse of one of the thief's victims just outside the captain's quarters. Currently, we don't know who hired either of the mercenary bands, and we don't know how this place ties into whatever is going on. I'm not sure why Veileena Cal is here," he paused, glancing at her for a moment before turning back to the Hundi knight, "But the fact that she's here makes me think we're on the right track."

@VitaVitaAR@HereComesTheSnow

[User]
Veileena was placed immediately on guard by the line of questions thrown her way. Her eyes narrowed.

"I am no thief," she snapped, her hands shifting to her hips, "Can't a citizen show concern for affairs going on within the Kingdom's borders?"

She let out a huff.

"That's far more then some of the other noble families do, I assure you."

That answered absolutely none of the questions they had, however. While Fanilly wanted to take a charitable interpretation of the young Cal's sudden appearance near the shrine, she couldn't deny how suspicious it seemed.

That response didn't fill her with confidence.

"Lady Cal, do you understand the situation?" she said, mounting frustration at her inability to resolve any of what had occurred, at her inability to save even a single soldier from the fort, growing, "An entire fort of Thaln's soldiers is dead."

The girl's golden eyes widened. So she didn't know what happened at the fort? Or at least she didn't know in detail. Whatever she was doing, Fanilly guessed that meant she had come straight here. But for what reason, she still had no idea. Could it be that Veileena really was going to follow in her father's footsteps, no matter her professed hatred of him? The Knight-Captain didn't feel certain that was the case, but this whole situation seemed difficult to understand.

"They're... all dead?" she asked, "I knew that it was dangerous but it was-"

She paused for a moment, realizing she had let slip more then she intended.

"... Tch. Fine. I guess if there's anyone I can tell short of the crown, it'd be the Iron Rose Knights."

She glanced briefly at Sir Gillian before averting her eyes once more.

"... The Mage's College," she said, finally. "The Mage's College were trying to destroy a shard of Angroron. I haven't the faintest idea how they got it, but they had it. They thought nobody knew, of course."

She rolled her eyes.

"Not even their own students."

Fanilly wasn't sure how to respond. The College had obtained a shard of Angroron? That's where it originated from? But how? Why hadn't they mentioned it to the Church? Was it really true? It seemed impossible, but at the same time there was no denying the shard had to have come from somewhere.

But if that were the case, why had it ended up in the fort?

"I'm sure that old goat of a headmaster thought he was doing what was right, but he was a complete idiot," continued Veileena with a sigh.

"How do you know all this, Lady Cal?" asked Fanilly. While Veileena did attend the college, she'd already mentioned that the higher-ups thought that no-one else knew.

"Hmph, don't you know anything?" asked the gray-haired girl, "Any noble worth their salt is going to have spies. Is the Captain of the Iron Rose Knights naive or something?"

She let out another sigh.

"The fact they were able to find out about the shard made me certain someone else would too," continued Veileena, "And I was right, because it was stolen."

Stolen? From the Mage's College? Who could pull something like that off?

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"What do you think did all this?" Veileena responded, eyebrow raised, "Besides, I'm certain. Don't you think it's odd how that conspiracy to assassinate the Princess collapsed so fast? Well, the same night they tried to murder the Princess, the shard was stolen."

What did that even mean? Fanilly didn't understand initially, even if it was odd how it seemed like the conspiracy vanished after that night. Surely it should have been a bigger group, right?

"... Are... you saying someone was just using them as a distraction...?"

"Of course."

Any keen-eyed knights in the position to focus on their surroundings could, perhaps, notice that there seemed to be a disturbance in the nearby foliage across the clearing, the low brush rustling slightly as if something was just beyond it.

@TheFake@Crimson Paladin@PaulHaynek@FlappyTheSpybot@Raineh Daze@ghastlyinc@Krayzikk@JessieTargaryen

[Assistant]
Gerard Segremors

@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin

Sharp eyes did well to account for a self-described dull mind. It had proven itself true time and again to him, in situations much akin to these (albeit with much, much lower stakes) on the battlefield as a soldier of fortune. Even if he wasn't catching the big picture, when the scene directly before him shifted, his instincts had been beaten into noticing by mission after mission, battle after battle. Few things truly served his talents, he knew— but even as a boy who'd never held a blade, living near the woods had honed his sense for disturbance.

Off at the fringes of the brush, something shifted. A light rustle, a shake in the foliage that could have meant any number of things— yet, there was no breeze to toss the leaves, sway the branches, shake the grass. Not heavily enough. That being the case...

"Movement. Trees."

His eyes had finally left Haelstadt after he'd heard the rustling beneath their Captain and the noble's extended dialogue, and with it, his position in the formation. He tugged at the reins sternly with a hand, the other falling onto the hilt of his longsword, and beckoned his horse nearer to the flanks— the other side of Runa and Fleuri. Off to their left now, he took a routine position for him— first line of defense, gripping the concealed fang of steel as his gaze pored over the treeline. A hound with haunches raised was a sign to beware for all who beheld it, and for an armored man Gerard seemed to echo that visage well. The other knights would probably notice.

In moving, any prospective thinking enemy likely had noticed too, but that die had already been cast. He grimly noted that much, but was now committed.

It spoke to the tension of the situation more than words could— he'd much rather look a fool if it was some sneaking fox than end up skewered if he took the chance of letting this lie. It was too perfect. Everyone focused being on this confrontation meant that it wasn't hard to skirt past them if one both wished to and wasn't terrible at it— and the more he looked, the more he wanted to deny a crossing animal altogether.

Hell, he'd just heard the words "using them as a distraction" float in from the front, out of his Captain's voice. It was as if daring fate to illustrate!

There was just too much of it around them at once. All across the edge of the clearing, the low brush was astir in that almost-hidden manner. Something or someone was just out of sight, and moving. It could be a wolf padding along in between pockets of moonlight... or a company of soldiers, settling in for an imminent ambush. He was all but convinced of the latter as the wheels in his head spun.

If you could smell a trap, this reeked.

"Get ready." he muttered lowly to his fellows, one senior and the other junior, now behind him. "We've company. One way or another it'll show it's face in a moment."

Either being found out would do it, or their chosen time to strike would come and things would kick off on their own.

He crouched low in his saddle, coiled like a spring.

[User]
Maritza Verenna
 The knight serpenta listened to the unfolding conversation with impassive silence, the occasional twitch of her tail the Naga's only major movement. Out of the corner of her visor, Maritza caught the shifting in the bushes. Almost tensing up, she relaxed as Sir Segremors took up the vanguard. Unless their potential enemy bore powerful magic or inhuman strength, the Naga was confident in the former mercenary's ability to blunt any would-be attack with a counter charge almost as ferocious as her own.

Instead, she wove her way a little closer to Veileena Cal, one hand surreptitiously dropping to her axe, the Naga twisting her body to hide the action from any prying eyes within the bushes. "That's all well and good Lady Cal, but forgive me if we're not so quick to trust. You see, there were multiple mercenary bands within the fort, all aiming for the shard, all with clearly different intents. And now all but one of them are dead. So who were the mercenaries you hired to retrieve the shard, Lady Cal? The truth if you would be so kind." Maritza asked, her tone impassively neutral as she stretched the truth a little.


[System]
Stella Herbalem

Character Quote:"Beware the most beautiful flower, as it might be the most deadly."

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Character Summary
Aliases:Flower Girl, Star, Stella-Bella
Age: 12
Birthday: March 20th, 2008
Ethnicity: White
Birth Place: Berkeley, California
Godly Parent: Demeter
Cabin Number: 4
How Many Years At Camp: 0
Gender: Female
Occupation At Camp: N/A
Languages: Ancient Greek, English, some Spanish

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Appearance
Height: Currently 4'8"
Weight: 85 Lbs
Body Type: Skinny but healthy
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Red
Skin Tone: Pale with freckles
Tattoos/Scars/Piercings: One piercing in each ear lobe.
Personal Style: Stella likes to keep her hair nice and long, and she usually has it loose, but she will braid it sometimes when she's working in the gardens. She tends to wear easy to wear clothing, jeans and zip up sweaters the most, casual clothing. She hasn't really found too much of a personal style yet, as she is a twelve year old girl, but she does like wearing more 'earth tones' or things in green that match her eyes.

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Psychology
Cheerful* Spacey * Friendly * Sheltered * Optimistic *Impulsive

Sexuality: Unknown, she's twelve and not sure yet
Relationship Status: Single
Personality: Stella is overall a very bubbly young lady that honestly has nothing but good and happy thoughts for the world. Part of this is because of her upbringing and her fathers influence on her. This has led to her being a bit sheltered about some things, like some of the issues of the world, as well as issues that might arise from being what she is. However, overall, she is a cheerful and spunky young girl with bright eyes and a happy smile.
Fatal Flaw: Excessive curiosity: She is too curious about the world and sometimes it can get very distracting, as she will wander off, her head being in the clouds (according to her fathers.)
Habits: Chewing on her nails, skipping over cracks, whistling when gardening.
Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, reading, and hopscotch.
Fears:
* Fires
* Homophobes
* Pure black darkness

Likes:
* Strawberries
* Tea
* Puppies
* Books
* Poppies
* Rain

Dislikes:
* Big felines (Lions, Tigers, ect.)
* Snow/ Frost
* Bullies
* Strong Black Coffee
* Horror Movies
* Baseball

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Skills
Demigod Abilities:
* Chlorokinesis: As a child of Demeter, she has the ability to control plants, like accelerated growth and plant sensitivity.
* Karpoi Summoning

General Skills:
* Baking
* Gardening
* Reading
* Some knowledge of poison
* Sewing
* Cooking

Combat Skills:
* Some self defense lessons
* Some knife lessons

Magic Item: * A seed packet full of flower seeds that never empties. (Gift from her mother.)
* Sickle from Demeter. (Helps her control her powers.)

What Do They Carry On Them:
This includes your clothing, jewelry, your wallet, your id, your keys; cash (denote which country), a picture, lighter, cigarettes, weapons you may carry, shoes, purse, bag, pistol and so forth. If it is not listed you are not carrying it. Again, keep it grounded in the real world. Limited to spots provided.
* (Less carried and more being followed by) Arbor, their pet plant wolf.
* Clothing - Sneakers, jeans, t-shirt, zip-up hoodie, stud earrings, necklace with a peace sign on it and a flower watch.
* Purse/Wallet - Backpack~
* Wallet- With a library card for Berkeley Library, $250 US Dollars, A Berkeley Bus Pass, A few gold drachma.
* Celestial Bronze Dagger, gift from her mother.
* Paperback books
* Photo album
* House keys
* Small makeup bag with a collection of normal seeds in it.
* Sewing Kit
* Stuffed Red Panda plush
* Cell phone
* Small otter plush

Possessions In Cabin:
* Extra clothing
* Tablet (Not really used.)
* Practice weapons
* Small planter of her more interesting plants
* Extra soft pillow from home

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History

Biography
Stella always was an unusual child from the time of her birth, as she had two fathers that loved her and one another very much so. They were rather quiet about whom Stella's mother was, always saying she was a surrogate that wanted to remain anonymous, and Stella was alright with that until she was twelve and things changed.

Stella was raised by her fathers, with both a wealth of information and plants around her, as one of her fathers was a professor of biology, and the other was a celebrated flower arranger, as a Japanese-American man. It was still clear that she was a bit odd, as she had attention issues, and she was always happiest when outside in the sun and among the plants, and talking to them happily. Her fathers never saw anything odd with it, and encouraged her more.

Things started to change as she got a bit older and entered middle school, and she started to notice more and more weird things. Like creatures that others didn't see, and that people were following her. Her fathers assured her that she was alright, and nothing was wrong. It was only towards the middle of December that things changed drastically in her life.

How Long Have They Been At Camp Half-Blood:
Stella technically hasn't made it to Camp Half-Blood yet, but they are on their way there. It was half-way through the school year, and she was struggling a bit as usual with her ADHD and dyslexia when she caught the attention of one of her classmates. Around half-way through the year, the classmate introduced himself as a satyr, and told her that there was a camp she needed to go to. After talking with her dads she set off for the camp, on a grand cross country trip.

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Additional Information

Theme Song: Strawberry Fields Forever

Extra Information:
See previous Character for Sample
Favorite God: Hades and Persephone, followed by Freyr
I agree to follow the rules for this RP and understand that if I do not follow the rules, the GM or Co-GM may kick me out of this roleplay.

[User]
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Demetri Rowan Howell

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Location: Grand Central Station
Skills:

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Zeke's voice broke Demi's concentration. Tension left his shoulders immediately as his rage melted down and left behind a mess of other emotions. He whipped around and saw his boyfriends face, the tears that had threatened to burst out were now slowly streaming down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away with the back of his sleeve, hardly noticing Cassian coming up behind them. At this moment in time it was just he and Zeke. No one else mattered around them. He took a half step forward, wanting to hug Zeke, but his annoyed tone made him take it back.

Demetri tried to take Zeke's hand before turning back around and heading towards the platform as he spoke. "I saw that woman again. Once is happenstance. Twice is intentional. So I followed her. Turns out it was Aphrodite, she decided she wants to mess with our love life for amusement. So here we are…" His voice trembled as he spoke, tears looming again as the thought of having a gods attention rattled his brain. Every word clearly choking back a tear. When he saw Kristin and the rest he forced himself to smile and wave as if nothing had happened. "Sorry! really had to take a leak, but now that I've used the loo I'm ready for a long and boring train ride " He said as he flashed a smile.

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Cassian Rudenko

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Location: Grand Central Station.
Skills:

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Cassian had clearly struck a nerve with Zeke. He spent most of his life studying and reading people, yet Zeke tended to wear his emotions a bit more openly in small displays. Others were a bit harder to read such as Nancy or Janelle. But he had a point, Demetri's reckless abandonment had put them all at risk. He needed to start thinking of how his actions affected the others, something he was more than certain Janelle was already aware of given what she'd thought of this group.

Before Cassian was able to reply back towards the son of Apollo, he too had gone off a bit ahead; chasing off after Demetri leaving Cassian alone. "No please go off ahead I'll be fine alone." he muttered silently to himself. "Oh no Cassian please join us, we didn't mean to run off. Tch" he continued as he sped up to keep pace with them while leaving them enough room to still be somewhat alone and private. Clearly there was something more underneath it all but Cassian didn't quite get what it was.

[Assistant]
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Seraphina Cedergren

Location: New York CitySkills: N/A

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 The girl nodded softly, yet she somewhat felt unwanted. Of course she kept that feeling to herself. They had invited her along. Not the other way around. She'd just suck it up, play nice, and hopefully the two wouldn't notice anything. Perhaps they'd just believe she was overly nervous and scared. Which was very true, she was frightened.

 Sera followed along behind them, giggling quietly as the poor cyclops tried his best to fit inside the cab. "Too bad its not a larger car." Getting into the back of the cab with the cyclops. Due to Hercules size it was a bit cramped. Which made her very uncomfortable. Claustrophobia sucked sometimes, even more so when there was no other way to travel. At least she didn't have motion sickness. That would have made the experience even worse. 'I can handle this.... I can do this....' She thought to herself.

[User]
Ezekiel Kel

Location: New York City
Skills:

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 Ezekiel very nearly ran into Demetri when he stopped abruptly and turned around. Ezekiel watched recognition cross Demetri's face before the tears fell. Ezekiel took a step forward when Demetri took one back and then turned back around after wiping his face. Ezekiel frowned but continued to keep up while Demi explained.
 At first it didn't make any sense and then Demetri said Aphrodite wanted to mess with them. Of course, that's why she was screwing with his powers but that still didn't answer Ezekiel's other burning question.
 "Gods above," he cursed before looking back at Cassian who likely heard the whole thing. Ezekiel wasn't "out" yet, but he also knew Demi and him had been pretty obvious and then there was the whole Janelle calling him out thing. Truthfully, Zeke would have liked to approach the whole coming out thing differently but it was too late, so he was going to try to make the most out of it; especially now that the goddess of love herself was getting involved. As if this quest hadn't already been doomed from the beginning. They reached the platform just in time to join everyone boarding. Ezekiel turned his attention back to Demetri and grabbed his arm.
 "It's fine, she'll get bored of us soon enough. In the meantime, you seriously can't run off like that, Dem. I know you've been in battle before, but this shit is serious. We are completely vulnerable out here. No going off on your own, alright? Also, you might want to shift back to a cat or risk getting thrown off the train," Ezekiel added before letting go of Demi and boarded the train.

[Assistant]
Location: The Train
Skills: N/A

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When Jason addressed the man in the cabin as Dad, Stella could only stare for a moment before remembering that it was really impolite to stare so much at someone, no less a god. However, when she had pictured the God of War she had always pictured that Angry Bald man that was popular in video games. (Not that she played those ones, video games often gave her headaches and she much preferred to be outside.) She did look over to Niah as she was handed a bandage and offered her a small smile. "Yeah, I know I'll have to train him. He was just also wanting to go out and wander as well, so I can't be too mad at him. I want to explore a bit of the train as well."

She gently applied the bandage to her wound and looked back to Ares as he spoke again, telling them they wouldn't have to worry about the cyclops monsters. "Oh thank goodness... If we don't have to worry about them anymore, that means it should be safe to explore the train a bit. May I please go find the food car now? I think Arbor is hungry, and I know we both want to get out of the compartment for a bit." She had seen enough old cartoons to also know it was probably a bad idea to split the group, but she also figured Jason might want a moment along with his father. It wasn't like the gods appeared every day.


[System]
Gender: Male
Age: 15

Gen is unusually tall for his age, standing 181cm tall (5 feet 9 inches), and his doctor had told him that he could grow a bit more. That alone is enough to make him outstand on a crowd, instead of his clear blue eyes. He has two moles that seem to be aligned and another one below his mouth. When not using his uniform, Gen dresses in polo shirts with sweaters (when the weather allows it), dark jeans and sneakers, lacking any kind of accessories apart from his black-rimmed glasses.

Arcana: Hierophant

Personality: In a word: clumsy. In more than a word: Gen is not ill-intended, but everything he attempts to do does not seem to go the way he intends it to. And that is an understatement. That is why many people deny wanting his help when they need it, unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then they would be reticent. He likes to help, but mainly he likes to feel needed and that he is not the odd one out. He seems quite easy to talk to and a very cheerful person, and likes to throw sayings out of the blue which can sometimes be eerily appropriate, while still hiding the memory that torments him at night.

Equipment/Skills:
* Weapon: Naginata
* Skills: Surprisingly vast vocabulary and equally-surprising cooking

Background: Gen was born to a family of teachers, which meant that a lot was expected of him, academically speaking. Since kindergarten, he had to spend many hours sitting in front of a book and study so that his parents were satisfied when his report card would come. That was no easy task, for Gen could not simply memorize everything his parents wanted him to. He would get nervous when tests came and he would barely pass, and later he would get scolded for not meeting their expectations. His punishments, then, was to study everything again until he knew it by heart.

Until an accident occurred.

One day after dinner, they were robbed in their own house. Two hooded men forced the door open and seized them, pointing them with guns and ordering them around. Gen was utterly scared, and so were his parents. What was worse was that Gen could not move; the men would yell at him and his parents would beckon him to go where they were, but Gen was so frightened that his body would not react to them. One of the men pointed him with his gun, and pulled the trigger.

Gen did not die from that shot because his father received the bullet instead. His mother cried, and then the man realized what he has done and ran away, his partner carrying everything they had robbed. Gen had the man's hooded face ingrained in his mind, but he still did not move. His mother hugged him and his father's corpse lied on the floor before them.

From thereon, Gen could not concentrate at all, and his mother did not push him. He had nightmares with the robber's face, and a gun pointing its muzzle at him. He was sent to therapy, and he still does, and started to develop a sort of clumsiness that he had not had before.

Persona: Hokuto Seikun

Appearance
Abilities: TBA.
Unawakened Persona

[User]
Manor of Creation
10/5/2015 Sunday

With that settled, he took a moment to relax as he listened to Akane speak with her shadow. Yet another aspect of a person he knew that he didn't know... Well, some of the people they rescued before he didn't know, but he began to think... Does everyone have something like this within them? He put his sword away and readied himself, any moment now she was going to collapse from exhaustion like everyone before, and then there it was. Rui was easily in position to catch her from falling. He turned to everyone else.

"Alright, we should head back", he ordered. Everyone agreed and headed back the way they came.

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Abandoned Warehouse
10/5/2015 Sunday

"Good work, good work... I must say, impressive work", Kazuki seemed pleased, although... Well, the way he was about it didn't seem to be all that sincere. He wasn't sure why.

"W-well, we should take her to the hospital, Akane that is... We'll talk another time, I don't think there's anything particularly pressing at the moment",

"Yeah, I haven't turned up anything good in my investigation yet, so there's not much to do just yet...", with this agreed, everyone headed home after they admitted Akane to the hospital. Looks like they just had to keep doing their thing for now, what with no new leads after today. They might ask Akane if she had anything to say though, but so far the people they've rescued haven't exactly given the most helpful information...

[Assistant]
Shizuka Otonashi || Warakuma Public Library || May 10 SUN
After some period of time full of puzzled expression, aggressive scribbles of math solutions, and finally understanding the concepts she had missed during class, Shizuka released a short sigh of relief, a little more confident about taking the exams the week after the oncoming one. Feeling a little strain on her lower back and stiffness on her shoulders for leaning forward while the study session, the female student straightened out her posture and stretched her shoulders backward slightly. "T-That's alright, I suppose we've covered most of what I haven't gotten on my own. I'm truly grateful for the time you've given to help me, Hashimoto-senpai!" While she herself was exhausted from the long session of math, she properly bowed a bow of appreciation, with a flash of smile a little more expressive than her usual soft, shy one.

As she finalized some notes that the boy had passed to her by writing her own little note onto it, her attention was turned back towards the upperclassman with a pique of interest. Wondering what sort of question he was going to throw at her, her hidden gaze focused to the other until he ended his statement, just to be disregarded by the male himself. Letting out a thoughtful hum as she pondered on the confusing statement, Shizuka took a pause of silence despite Sato's change of topic.

"Hm... That sounds like an... unusual case. I myself haven't experienced such so, hy-hypothetically speaking, if I enjoy their company, could it not lead to liking the person at some point in time? But if it was at the point of simply tolerating them, I suppose, ....I-I'm not sure what I would do for myself but, I wouldn't recommend pursuing such relationship." Tilting her head in thought, her voice sounded unsure throughout her response but sounded confident at the last phrase. Since it would be rude or inappropriate to pry into private matters that had caused him to ask such questions, she withheld the questions at the back of her mind.

[User]
Alexei Dragunov | Warakuma Public Library

"Oh!..didn't think it that way, usually I don't study that long to get fatigued." Alexei said thoughtfully after hearing Kotori's reply.

"Ni-san!, i don't think you study at all! I am still surprised everytime your scorecard comes home. I need some of your miraculous talent." Elena replied to Alexei's reply. She also released Kotori's hand from her grip seeing how guarded the senior looked.

"Ah! I am sorry. I didn't want to bother you. But just so you know, it won't be any trouble to study with you. I am done for the day and brother hardly looks at books for a long time." he giggled lightly, Alexei motioned at her but she continued to have a muffled laugh.

"We don't want to bother you, Kotori-chan. Self-study is very important and rewarding, so I understand." Alexei said before turning to his book and gesturing at Elena to do the same. She made faces at him for some moments before settling down. Soon, the voice died down at their table and hopefully Kotori could find enough calm to concentrate.

[Assistant]
???
11/5/2015 Monday

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room",

These words woke Akane as she came to... What was the last thing she saw? Herself...? Rui? There were others too, and a battle. As those thoughts were shoved aside she noticed the room she was in had an unearthly presence. Seated upon a long dining table, walls draped in a brilliant dark blue, despite the colour, this looked like a kind of dining room. She looked before herself to see something inscribed in front of her on the table. "Chariot". Then she noticed she wasn't in her usual clothes... It looked a lot like the suits her father's subordinates wore, though a different colour. Dress shirt with suit jacket and pants. The dress shirt unbuttoned enough to see the gauze wrap around her breasts like a makeshift bra. She really looked the part of a mafia of sorts. Then she remembered... There was a voice, and it would speak again.

"My name is Igor, and this is Henrietta", he said, he must be talking about the blonde girl next to him.

You are a guest in this room. This is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter... Now then, you appear to have awoken to a rather hot-headed arcana, don't mind me saying...", Akane immediately knew which he was talking about. Chariot.

"To have the drive to go forth in your endeavours with spirit and vigor, is a magnificent trait to have, however if not careful, you may... Trodden... Some things you may regret having done so. I'm sure I don't need to tell you about that", he continued. Akane looked around a bit, and saw that there were others in the other seats, though they were but phantoms, and most seats were still empty. Some were recognizeable, like Matthew, Chiaki, Noboru, Rui, Kami... They were all in the 'place' earlier... With the fighting and everything.

"Your friends have after all saved you from a most unfortunate fate... There are many yet more to come, and you will soon meet them... But for now, I will leave you with this key, so that you may return of your own accord", as he finished talking, the girl Henrietta was already walking up to her, and presented her with a key.

"Well, until then... Farewell". As he finished those words, Akane's vision faded once more.

Warakuma Hospital
11/5/2015 Monday

It was another normal day at school today, Akane's disappearance and return wasn't mentioned, likely because she was found last night. In any case, Rui headed up to the hospital not long after school. Akane didn't have a lot of friends in class, but she was in the same year as him, so he was given today's notes to hand her too. In any case he was here now, surprisingly unlike before, he didn't see any police, even more surprising, he saw some... Really friendly men, in suits. They looked scary.

They seemed to be talking with Akane though, one of which he identified was her father based on the conversation taking place. He decided to wait just outside before going in...

[User]
Sunday, May 10
th
 - 2015

Itoshi residence - Algebra

"The answer is either 75, 1, 185, or 43, and I got 72, so..." Gen gazed down from the equation to the textbook intermittently, nibbling his pencil absentmindedly while attentively listening to the clock ticking and tocking the day away. Suddenly, the solution dawned on him. "Well, 75 is the closest, so it has to be that one." He circled the supposedly-correct answer, a satisfied smile on his face. He could have gone to the public library, but what was the point? Granted, he could find someone he could study with, but what if he got behind and had to trouble the other one into helping him? No, Gen was better off studying on his own. At least that way he could understand things at his own pace.

The next problem proved to be more... problematic. Not the best word choice on that remark, but this was not Japanese, but Algebra. There was no choice to make, only add, substract, divide, and multiply as many times as were necesary, and compare answers. It was just rules, theorems, angles, and some more rules. Precise, with no room for creativity, with only one solution and one solution only for a single problem, and if you got it wrong you had to start over. Gen looked through the window. There was still daylight. It was probably half-past four; a glance at the clock confirmed that it was actually 5:11. Definitively a time for a snack! And on an unrelated note, Gen associated that hour with the fact that the next day, according to the American date format, it would be May 11th, or 5/11. It was obviously a coincidence, and it had nothing to do with anything, but it was one of those things that often one found themselves thinking about.

"Ugh, I've only done like four problems." His father would definitively not approved of such progress. Gen had been at it for almost three hours. Maybe he should put a little more effort and avoid drifting away. He climbed down to the living-room where his mother was watching television. After exchanging some pleasantries and asking her if she wanted something - yes, a coffee, please - Gen motioned to the kitchen (undivided from the living-room) and opened a bag of chips and poured some coffee for her mother. Thanks, dear, she said, and that was all their interaction. No questions about his studiess, no offering to help him, nothing. Gen went to his room. He probably would not get into the top ten scores, but he was determined not to fail.

Not like that time.