[System]
Age: 20
Ability: Smoke Bomb Generation (Explosion Generation, Concussive Force, Deoxygenation, Smoke Generation/Manipulation)

[User] A few unsuspecting people are imbued with a supernatural ability. This is the story of how they dealt with the discovery of their powers.

[Assistant] testing testing....1 2.....1...2......

[User] Bippity Boppity Boo

[Assistant]
Sliding glass doors opened to reveal the outside world. Bright blue sky, rolling green hills, and... car emissions. There was always something. Louis shielded his eyes from the brilliant rays of the sun. It had been two years since his accident. Two long years in a rehabilitation center relearning everything he had learned the 18 years before. The first year was the most difficult. 18 years jammed into the brain is a torture all in its own. The last year was easier, just refresher courses and social interaction simulations. Now, finally, Louis felt like he was being reborn. A new man.

 "OUTTA THE WAY, ASSHOLE." An elderly man shoved past him yelling more obscenities. "Dumbass, standing in the damn doorway..." Louis watched as the crass old man walked away, got in his car, lit a cigarette, and sped off, nearly hitting a few pedestrians on his way out of the jungle of parked cars and traffic signs. Like a switch, the wonder of the world Louis had been feeling melted away. Now, he could remember just how toxic people were. The bright blue sky was tainted with monoxide, the rolling green hills were mounds of moldy trash discarded by the careless, and air was thirty five percent exhaust. The people of the world were killing the planet and not one of them cared about anything other than themselves.

 Louis walked away from the rehab center, hit the sidewalk and started towards his home. Thankfully, it wasn't far. By the first five minutes into the walk, Louis's underutilized muscles were screaming. Louis pushed on anyway, desperate to go home again. He rounded the corner and stopped short. His house was taped shut, a sign reading 'FORECLOSURE' nailed through the oaken door. There was a pile of old mail covered in cobwebs and dust resting on the stoop of his house. Multiple letters warning of the foreclosure, several bills from hospital stays, notices from a bank declaring his lack of funds. Louis stared at the black letters, unable to comprehend what it meant. It took him a few moments before the emotions erupted. He sat on the stoop of his home bawling. He was broke. No home, no money, no family in the area. Louis was truly alone.

 Louis looked around, wiping his eyes. He did have something. He has his pride and dignity. He was not one to sit around in self-pity. First thing first, he needed somewhere to sleep and here was as good as any. He slipped around the back of the house and checked to see if anyone was looking. In a swift, familiar movement, Louis kicked the door and tugged on the door handle. The door disengaged from the jam and swung in. His possessions were all gone. A sign in the floor told him exactly where they went. "Estate sale. Wonder how much I made..." He closed the door behind him and began searching the house for anything left behind.

 He found an old screwdriver, a bottle of water, and a can of beans that had fallen behind the wall thanks to a hole behind the pantry shelves. He sighed as he popped the can open and looked at his first meal in the outside world. It isn't what he had imagined, but he was alive. And after the accident, he should just be grateful for that.

 Louis went to sleep that night on the hardwood floor, his screwdriver tucked underneath him. His mind drifted back to the thought of car emissions and pollution. Then it turned to a vision of himself, homeless, standing next to a barrel of fire, and for a moment, the warmth of the fire seemed all to real.

 Louis awoke with a jolt, the heat from his dream now felt like lava on his skin. The room was filled with smoke and a fire had broken out in the room. Louis scooped up his screwdriver and bolted out the back door, leaving his home behind to burn.


[System]
The Mundane
Age: 16
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 109 lbs
Hand: Left
Sanctum City: Siscia
Description:

Right: Ars Magi uniform, Left: Civilian clothes.

Penny is a slightly short, slim young girl with long, brown hair tied into a long braid, a heart-shaped face, and inquisitive green eyes hidden behind her glasses. A generous sprinkle of freckles decorates her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Penny's physique is slender yet toned from years of work and helping out the family in chores and work. She usually has a cheerful, helpful expression on her face unless she is deeply focused on something (like work), in which case, she assumes an expression of concentration and determination, and generally becomes inattentive to the world except what she's currently working on. She generally prefers practical work clothes, though she takes pride in her new school uniform.

Penny is rather strong for her size, able to lug around 90 lbs without slowing down.

Personality:
Penny is a smart, well-meaning girl who tries to be the best she can be in order to help the people around her. Always ready to lend a helping hand and a keen intellect, Penny can come off as a bit of a know-it-all, but doesn't intend to show off, merely help and explain. She is rather passionate about magitech, and will explain at length if allowed. However, she is still a friendly sort, willing to make new friends and acquaintances and will gladly help when asked. She's also a hard worker who believes in putting the effort, and does her best in anything she puts her mind to.

In many ways, being at Nova Lux is a cultural shock to her; while not poor, the grand architecture and spaciousness of the academy is a far cry from the practically claustrophobic neighborhoods she's familiar with, and the idea of luxuries being not rationed is impressive to her. Also, she can come across as a bit of a penny(hah!)-pincher, mostly out of habit as back home, every bit of cash brought to the house was measured against the bills and necessities of nine people living under one roof.

Background:
The third child of seven, Penny comes from a bustling household. Her mother is a sargeant in the Siscia Self Defense Forces, and her father is a local mechanic, granting her a low-income home but a loving family. Her two elder sisters (twins) are couriers in the city, and have taught her how to rollerblade (she's not as good as they are, though) as well as certain parkour skills she's developed further after her approval to Nova Lux, her remaining siblings are not of working age but help around the house. Her oldest brother (a year her junior) does have a peculiar habit of trying to make a living offering his services as a courier, message boy, or open various stalls with varying degrees of success, with big dreams of making it big to rise up in the world. Her remaining siblings are two brothers (twins) and a youngest sister. While the house is cramped and money is often tight, it's a good life with the family not lacking in necessities.

For her part, Penny is a smart, studious girl with an emphasis on practical applications of knowledge, having picked up a flair for machine work from her father from a young age and had wanted to grow up to follow in his path. Penny grew up with precious little free time, between schoolwork and helping her father in the workshop, sometimes having to fix something her siblings broke given her skill as a handyperson. One of the few luxuries she's enjoyed aside from the pleasurable rush of a successful repair, is the TV show Divine Magical Maid Altea, a government-sponsored animated show generally designed to be propaganda but generally a decent show. Growing up watching the show, she had often wished to grow up to be a magical girl, but knew the chances of that were slim, so she focused on her other love; machines and magitech, and intended to grow up to be a Magitech engineer when she grew up. While she generally relied on public access terminals for knowledge and reading, Penny has taken to reading and supplementary self-education with a zeal, generally reading whatever scientific articles on magic and magitech she could. She intended to study up to prove herself at the local university, that she might get in on a scholarship, given her family's limited funds.

Some time after her 13th birthday, however, Penny started having trouble around the workshop. Equipment she'd work on suddenly developed issues with static and feedback, making repairs and work difficult. Anti-static equipment helped, but the problems persisted. Eventually, around her 14th birthday, the problem returned stronger, and she was sent for a medical checkup. What began as a routine checkup soon unveiled magic potential, and she was sent to a military hospital to confirm that yes, she does indeed have magical potential. That changed her life, and she changed her life goals to become an Ars Magi, as that would help open more doors for herself and her family, and more importantly, allow her to help more people with her abilities.

The Magical
Armagus Name: Bright Emerald Spark

Gladius: Groß Eisen

Groß Eisen is a 6'6", 70 lb two-handed power hammer with rocket boosters that can be turned on or off for additional attack power. While a sizable and effective instrument of blunt trauma on its own, Penny can channel her lightning powers into it, granting her the ability to do massive melee damage with lightning-boosted, rocket-propelled slams, or can focus her magic into one big "Meteor Slam" where she smashes Groß Eisen on the ground (or a suitable target) and causes a massive shockwave in a large (10') radius around her. She can also use Groß Eisen's rockets to propel her forwards on the battlefield, giving a couple spins in place to increase her speed before she lets the hammer pull her forwards with its boosted momentum.

Parma: Aside from a change of outfit, Penny's bangs become green, and her eyes become a more brilliant green color, with small lightning sparks visible in them when she's emotional or determined. Her outfit changes into something similar to her favorite show, Divine Magical Maid Altea, with a white/green color scheme, with her glasses becoming more futuristic in their design, more akin to a visor. Her shoes have roller blades on the bottom for additional mobility.

Combat Role: Penny's role in combat is generally that of assault, using her strength, speed, and toughness to mix it up close while swinging Groß Eisen to crush her enemies.

Elementum: Lightning/Electricity

Elementum Abilities: Penny can user her lightning ability for ranged combat, firing arcs of electricity at a target. However, she prefers to use her lightning abilities to power up her own physical abilities and attacks, emphasizing an assault-heavy style. She can either boost her physical strength or durability, and can focus lightning into her attacks to give them a powerful shock effect. Her preferred use of her Elementum abilities is to channel them into Groß Eisen for devastating heavy attacks.

[User]
---

Penny sighs at the boundless optimism of her teammate. This is definitely one of those times it could be a little exhausting. Right now, she could come up with almost a dozen excuses of varying strength so as to ditch the dance and why she's worried she'll screw it up somehow, but she suspects the Norban would just shoot down each one with her usual cheer. She only halfheartedly resists when Dana pulls her to her feet, not wanting to go through this ordeal but eventually giving up on changing her teammate's mind.

As they got up, a white-haired girl came up and said hello, giving Penny some rather formal greetings, before moving on to address Nichole.

"And hello to you too," Penny replies, a little surprised. She studies the newcomer. "Wait, are you Astrelle's replacement?"

Astrelle hadn't been around in the past few days. Dana was worried that Astrelle had been expelled, but in truth the dark-haired girl was probably just transferred to a different dorm and class. Still, the move had been surprising, and the group felt a little empty without her.

She raises an eyebrow in amusement as Cordelia, as the girl introduced herself, asked Nichole for a dance. She looks to see if the Hastian girl accepts.

[Assistant]
---

If you had given the Laurus team an anonymous poll on which of them would be most excited for the Inaugural Ball, it was likely that all of them would have put Nicole at the summit of their ranked choices - save perhaps Nicole herself, who thought it was pretty goddamn egotistical to list herself at the top of anything like that and listed Dana just to be humble. Still, the Hastan girl had made no secret of her excitement about the upcoming event, and had fussed over the perfect subtle ornaments for Penny and Dana to wear without clashing with their official uniform. It was great to shop with Vanna, too - Nicole had never hurt for money growing up, but that didn't make her family outrageously wealthy, either. Having a daughter of the Duodecim to do brunch with made things like footing the bill for rings or piercings a cinch. Her anticipation had mounted in tandem with Penny's anxiousness at the prospects of a party, with plenty of hot guys and babes to take runs at wooing a fully-fledged Ars Magi.

Then, one night, she had arrived back at their dorm from a jaunt to the city with a pair of gyros for her and Astrelle to split and found the Lennox girl, and every one of her material possessions, gone from the dorm. Nicole may as well have spent every night there alone. Not so much as a black hair in the shower. She had munched on both gyros alone and tried every technique under the sun to try and get some sleep, from quiet songs on her phone to sleeping naked to every idea in between. Nobody she texted, nothing she listened to or touched or tried to think of, lulled her to sleep for more than an hour. The next night was much the same, and the night before that. Had she failed the test somehow after all? Did her parents pull some strings to get her home after her near-brush with death against the Class C? ...Had it been Nicole's fault? Or was it something to do with the questions that her roommate had posed of Nova Lux and the Ars Magi since the day they'd met?

The questions had consumed Nicole's sleep, and they had come to visibly haunt her in both demeanor and with light circles under her eyes that she'd resorted to expertly covering up with makeup. Tonight, her eyes glittered with scarlet shadow and she'd made sure to put her nostril and navel piercings back in, to give the big city girl a little bit of exotic flair. But her eyes lacked the glitter of her makeup and studs, and they kept scanning the crowd for a familiar shock of black hair - or at least a telltale shade of violet.

"Nicole Cognoscenti. Considered by many to be a leader among her peers, with a discerning eye and a lightness on her feet. It is my utmost pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Cordelia Whittaker, and I am to join this team. It would be my greatest honour that you afford me a dance."

The fifth girl they had been seated with broke Nicole from her reverie, and she felt her heart leap like a panicked gazelle for a moment. She looked around for someone else who the elegant-looking cadet may have meant to refer to, and found only the curious stares of her team in response. Did one of you girls tell her I was leader? No, no, Vanna's our leader, right Vanna? But when her eyes traced the gorgeous bone structure of their illustrious Duodecim teammate, Nicole quietly blanched as she realized that Vanna had no intention of throwing her the lifesaver.

"Teaaaam leader," she repeated. "Yeah, that's me?"

"Wait, are you Astrelle's replacement?"

Nicole's fingers closed tightly around her skirt as Dana and Penny got up to leave. She had half a mind to go with them at first, to seek solace in their boundless optimism and exasperation respectively, but as she surveyed the boys they'd scoped out, none of them really...struck Nicole as her type of guy. There were no brooding golden eyes, no full lips with haughty, arrogant smirks, not even a shade of skin darker than a barbecue potato chip, let alone a rich mocha. No fists worth bumping there.

She smiled at their new teammate and stood up.

"Yeah," she agreed amiably, taking her hand and lacing their fingers. "Dance my socks off, babe."

[User]
"Guess we better leave those two to their dance then," Penny mutters under her breath.

"And seriously? Boyfriend?" she says, shooting Dana a glare. "I'm already nervous, you want to add to that? Or do you just enjoy teasing me?"

Much as she would have liked to stick to the punch bar and enjoy the party at a distance, but her teammates' insistence (well, mostly Dana's) gets her to the dance floor. She finds herself in the line of girls waiting for a dance, still unsure if she should take the first opportunity to bolt to safety.


[System]
Race: Human
Age: 19
Gender: Male

Appearance:

Level: 0
Proficiency: +1
Health: 1

Stats:
Strength - 10
Dexterity - 11
Constitution - 11
Intelligence - 16 (+3)
Wisdom - 16 (+3)
Charisma -13 (+1)

Proficient Skills: Arcana (+4), History (+4)

Proficient Tools: N/A

Traits:
Library Access: Though others must often endure extensive interviews and significant fees to gain access to even the most common archives in your library, you have free and easy access to the majority of the library, though it might also have repositories of lore that are too valuable, magical, or secret to permit anyone immediate access. You have a working knowledge of your cloister's personnel and bureaucracy, and you know how to navigate those connections with some ease. Additionally, you are likely to gain preferential treatment at other libraries across the Realms, as professional courtesy shown to a fellow scholar.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common, Elvish, Draconic, Undercommon

Abilities:
None

Inventory: A set of common clothes, scholar's robes, traveling robes, a writing kit (small pouch with a quill, ink, folded parchment, and a small penknife), pouch containing 10gp

Background:
Auldin's life has had its share of twists and turns, his lot in life changing from course to course. One child of a family of artisans, Auldin spent the early years of his life being raised and taught the family craft, with a gift of knowledge above his peers. His aunt might say that since he could walk the boy picked up on things faster than children normally do. With 3 older siblings and 2 younger, he did still have some familial competition.

So it was that his path was set, but not in stone. As it was, when he was twelve years of age and out learning some trade with some family, a scholarly man saw something in him. It would be later that day when he and his parents were approached by the elderly man, and he explained that he wished to take Auldin in as a student. The discussion was continued for several days until, with Auldin admitting an interesting in learning from him, he was allowed to take the boy on as an apprentice.

While it wasn't a step up in life for any member of the family, it was quite a change for Auldin to become a wizard's apprentice. Well, student. One of the conditions of his parents was that his education was solely and general topics until he turned 13. So for the first year the young boy would absorb basic knowledge, and some more advanced knowledge. When he turned thirteen, his studies finally began leaning into the field of magic.

At the age of 15 came the second twist in Auldin's life, when his mentor thought him ready to gain access to the city library. It was here that Auldin decided to study and learn his family's history and found that it went back centuries. It was also where he discovered that he had a powerful magic user as an ancestor, but oddly enough there was hardly anything about him, just vague references. It wasn't until he stumbled upon a near ancient old tome, practically entirely illegible, that he just managed to make out what kind of castor this ancestor was. Necromancer. It was considered by most to be an evil magic, and at the time Auldin immediately returned the book and told himself never to reach into such a field again.

However, his interest in studying magic had increased drastically, and over the next four years he dove into his education with new fervor. At the same time, his curiosity about his ancestor and that form of magic slowly grew, and he returned to those books to find out what he could, which was very little more than he already knew. Nearing the age of nineteen, Auldin heard of new advances along the frontier, and new discoveries to be made.

So, after getting permission from his wizard mentor and saying farewell to his family, he set out with very little for a new start on the frontier, and see what he could learn about necromancy, if only to understand why his ancestor pursued that magic.

[User]
Cypher@Pyromania99

---

---

Livia took the seeds quietly. She was no botanist, but she did know her magical reagents to a degree...and she certainly couldn't think of a reason for Kafei seeds to be used in something relating to familiars. She hadn't thought much of it when she was given the task by Maeda simply because she was wary of the spiders intentions. After getting it from Barthen however, she had become slightly more suspicious. She knew Hashish Resin could possibly help with the attunement process for a familiar. Did...did Maeda just send them on a drug run? While they seemed like they were vital components needed for the ritual, Livia didn't like being used as a drug mule. She was going to have to say something to Maeda when she returned. She was right to be wary of this spider it seemed.

"I see, thank you again, Barthen." Livia replied as he finished speaking. "I am not particularly into recreational use of these things - so I'll have to pass if they offer." She had better things to do than get high on some Hash. It seemed she was going to have to speak to Nartur after all. Fine with her, really. She had intended to see her anyways so she could kill two birds with one stone. "I know of Nartur. We met briefly in the Mayors house shortly after I arrived, but thank you for the advice. If there will be nothing else, then my sister and I will make our leave." With seeds in hand, Livia turned to leave. As soon as the two had left the store, she'd turn to Katherine.

"Katherine, be useful for once and go to Underhaven and get what Maeda wants from there. Dealing with the Orcs might take some time and I'd rather finish these tasks sooner rather than later." Best to split up the tasks now as well. She doubted they'd get into trouble, but it'd be best not to stand out too much. With a brief goodbye and asking around a bit to find where the Orcs were, Livia headed up the street to the barracks. Finding them wasn't the hard part. The hard part was going to be convincing them and finding Nartur. She wasn't going to be intimidated so easily by an Orc, so if they tried they'd be sorely disappointed.

Once she reached the Barracks, she walked up to the first person she saw.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could find Nartur?"

21 - Insight on reagents
So Maeda just had us do a drug run for her. She better share the good stuff after this

-bottle of black ink
-quill
-small knife
-set of Fine Clothes
-signet ring
-scroll of pedigree
-Soul gem Dagger
-The book "Frothy Tales of Conquest"
-1lb Kafei seeds
Money: 5gp

Max carry weight: 135lbs

[Assistant]
Cypher

Ethan notes that the man had quite the stutter but would not point it out. Instead, he offers the young man a friendly smile before taking the satchel of ingredients from him. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think I would need anything else. To answer your question as to why I am late. It was because I was..." He pauses to think about if he should reveal that the reason he was late was due to poor maps and getting lost. He frowned slightly as it would paint him in a bad light so he chose to tell him another factor that caused him to be late. "attacked by a duo of blood hawks. Uhh...I'd like to stay and chat some more but I still have a ways to go for the next pick up. Goodbye." Ethan tips his hat again and was about to turn and leave when he realized that carrying the ingredients with his hands would be inefficient and would make defending himself much more difficult if the event arises. "On second thought, do you have any knapsacks or anything of the like available? Nothing fancy, just something durable and would last long."

Insight on why the man is jittery= 13

[Equipped Items]
Traveler's Clothes x 1
Fancy Hat x 1
Walking Stick (Quarterstaff) x 1

[Other Items]
Pouch containing 4 gp x 1
Jeweled Ring (worth 10 gp) x 1
Metal Flute x 1
Poorly wrought maps of homeland x 1
Corrected map x 1
Torches x 3
Tinderstick Bundle x 1
Low quality folding knife x 1

[Key Items]
Satchel of herbs and spices x 1 [NEW!]

[User]
One minute Shem'et was looking about her, claws out, her body in battle-ready posture, and the next one everything was happening at once. The colorful elf from Barthem's shop showed up after having followed her into the woods with an intent to help her with both of her errands. And then a green something was whizzing past her, followed by a large rock, and by a frustrated looking orc, cursing up a storm. The crafter was confused to say the least. She turned her keen feline gaze this way and that to get a better grasp of the situation. The green something turned out to be a small pixie, who sported a suspiciously mischievous look about them. Shem turned toward the orc. Somehow she thought she got the gist of what had happened. Considering the orc's irritable cursing when he'd burst onto the scene.

 Shem'et put herself between the pixie and the orc, who looked mighty intimidating with that ore he wielded as a club. The tabaxi raised her hands, retracting her claws. "That we are indeed, Master orc!" She began with her most benign and soothing tone of voice. "We've come from Frontier Town on an errand for Master Bookie of the Black Mines. I am Shem'et, a crafter, and this..." Shem indicated at the peacock of an elf beside her. "... is Master..." Shem fell in stunned silence, realizing the feathery elf hadn't really given his name. "... um, a friend of mine who just arrived in Frontier Town and we have come to the woods in search of iron sand at the behest of Master Bookie as I've said. And as a side task we have been asked by Barthem the merchant to collect as much Greenwarish as we can." Shem indicated the disturbed herb by her feet.

 The tabaxi crafter was praying the pixie behind her wouldn't do anything else to set off the orc again. She could tell by looking at the tiny creature, it had had it's fun on the back of the poor orc. "Is there something we can do for you, Master orc? May I ask what put you in such a foul mood?"

Perception on the green light - 22
Insight on pixie - 20
Insight on orc - 16

Cypher @Black Keys

[Assistant]
"Ah, that would have been a useful thing to have. I don't have much coin left on me and I doubt there are those willing to share a room." Sihlas nodded at the suggestion to continue talking at the inn, "Yes, that sounds great." As Dormic led him towards the inn, Sihlas was able to look around at the buildings of the town, a majority of which were made of thatch, wood, and quarried stone. What the inside and floors of the buildings were like, he couldn't tell. The rest were made of wood and logs, some with thatch roofs others with planked roofs.

Soon enough, though, they approached their destination. The Drunken Dragon sign was what made it stand out as the inn, aside from that it was a rather large and well built wooden building, complete with a stone foundation. It reminded him of when he was helping his family build the same type of structure, that was before he was found by that old wizard. Granted, he wasn't that old at the time.

They passed by a passed out patron and as they did Sihlas glanced down and thought of whether or not the patron couldn't handle their drink, or just had too much to drink. They were soon seated at a table and handed water to drink, "After all, life can't even sustain itself without clean water. Well... most life." He would take a drink before returning his attention to Dormic.

"Actually, yes. I came here with the intent to study and learn magic, that includes exploring and researching any special sites in or around the frontier. And yes, I know, its weird that I'm a wizard's apprentice at my age and don't yet have a spell under my belt." He felt it best to get that last part out of the way, as whenever that fact came up he was given odd looks by those that expected him to know some spells already.


[System]
Gender: M

Age: 26

Career/Class:Soldier / Ex-Soldier

Weapons:
* Basket Hilted Broadsword
* Imperial Dagger
* Norscan round Shield (Took from his first felled enemy)
* Aged Pistol

Physical Description Cyrdic is tall and lean, but solidly built, standing an inch over 6 feet in height. His eyes are reminiscent of shaped wrought iron. His face is ruddy and echoes a youthful appearance, though battles and training had roughed him into the look of a mature soldier. He has quite the rugged quality about him. Two scars mar his face. One parallel to the bottom of his left eye, and another scraping across his right jawline. His legs are long and his his facial hair is only a coarse, 5'oclock shadow thanks to his knife. He's clad in fine and tough leather over a chainmail hauberk, with sturdy traveling shoes and a worn belt.

Mental Description/Personality: Cyrdic isn't a fool. He spent a year apprenticed to a Quartermaster (as punishment for recklessness) and learned how to read and write (to a degree). The best way to describe him would be a hardened, rough soldier at the brink of his youth. He'll use what he can in his disposal to win, though half the time it turns out he'll need to fuck someone up anyway. His fierce independence and rough nature can only be matched by his determination to survive. He's not tactically intelligent, but he has a sense of how battlefields shift and can command smaller troops with his powerful voice. He tends to have a take-no-shit (unless it's from a superior officer) lookout on life. He's amiable to certain people however, and will have a dry wit around those he enjoys (or to people he wishes he could be more honest with). While fighting and killing and marching has been his entire life, he's not particularly fond of being thrust into impossible situations and doesn't lack a healthy sense of self preservation. He's gotten quite tired of working for corrupt officers. He's a devout Sigmarite thanks to his upbringing, and has a hammer chained necklace upon his breast to signify this.

[User]
Amal raised an eyebrow, still unaccustomed to seeing someone Emmaline had known in a previous life. The man had given Amal an unpleasant glance for a brief moment, then seemed entirely occupied with Emmaline. Not only in priority, but almost in disdain. The Arabyan had the distinct impression this wizard did not care for foreigners, but maybe he simply was too preoccupied with his seeing Amal's woman.

"Apprentice... so this is the one." Amal declared, fully nonchalant despite the dramatic air of the moment. He had a feeling they might run into him at some point. He'd wait for Emmaline to give a clue on what to do before he made any rash action. Or so he told himself that for the moment. The patrons of the Inn had gone back to whispering and speaking among one another, and Emmaline's magic had shut off from the conversation across the room. Whether it would have been detected by the older wizard or she was simply done with it, Amal didn't know.

"I haven't been so elated to see someone from my past in many years." Albrecht intoned. "You seemed to have ripened into a fine magician yourself it appears, if the fact you are still alive is any indication. You could have easily settled in the brothel life, or become some fool nobles mistress. Unfortunately, I have to bring up a bit of sourness that you might have forgotten about..."

"My fees..." Emmaline mumbled.

"Always a quick one! Yes, your fees. The money you owe me, plus interest." The wizard had a lightly sadistic finish to every word he spoke. "Had it not been so long, I might have given you a discount had you paid me in...other ways. But as it were-"

Emmaline grabbed Amal's wrist, knowing her lover and companion too well to not foresee the knife coming. He had already produced one of his blades in his hand, though his expression had changed only in the subtlest of ways. It was difficult to ascertain if Albrecht had ignited a wall of protection over him or not, but if he hadn't his throat would have already been bubbling with blood. Amal looked at Emmaline, seeing her hand and shrugging, letting the conversation move along. No one spoke to his woman in such a way when he was around.

If Albrecht had sensed the impending danger, he gave no sign. "-as it were I have some fees of my own, and I simply must pull rank and demand what is owed. Surely you have it, my dear?"

[Assistant]
Emmaline narrowed her eyes at her former, well technically current, master. Albrecht grinned his cocky grin at her and waved at the bar maid who approached warily with a pitcher of ale and two mugs on a wooden tray. The wizard took one mug and drained it in a single long swallow then took the other and the pitcher and waved the woman off with a playful swat on the rump.

"And how much do you think I owe you?" the blonde wizard asked, gently releasing Amal's wrist in time for the daggers to vanish. Albrecht nodded courteously to Amal and then spoiled the gesture with a belch that rattled the window. Emmaline rolled her eyes, amused in spite of herself that her tutor hadn't changed in the time she had been away.

"Two thousand marks," the plump wizard declared in a matter of fact tone.

"TWO THOUSAND MARKS?!" Emmaline demanded, not realizing until head began to turn that her voice had climbed into a shout and she had half stood from her chair. With an obvious effort she calmed herself and returned herself to her chair. Albrecht had the decency to look slightly embarrassed but he recovered himself quickly.

"That is insane, you haven't taught me anything in two years and precious little before that," she protested face flashed at the older wizards audacity.

"You wound me my dear, I like to think I played a key role in forming you into the impressive young woman you are today," Albrecht replied, moderating his leer for Amal's sake.

"And in any case the College is a wee bit iffy on what does and does not constitute teaching, some might say that I have furthered your instruction by sending you out into the world. They might also point out that you stayed away far longer than the task I set you in Tilea required. A task I note that still hasn't been completed," Albrecht tsked.

"That wasn't exactly my idea," Emmaline replied petulantly. Albrecht spread his hands wide in a placating gesture.

"Not saying it was but rules is rules girl," he said, taking another mighty swig from his flagon before pouring it full with the pitcher, slopping foam over the top and onto the table.

"Two thousand marks is still an insane figure," Emmaline responded stubbornly. Albrecht nodded, clearly having anticipated this objection.

"Guild dues are adjusted for the fact that the apprentice is expected to work for her master Emm, cooking, cleaning, helping with spells, and..." he paused and cast a wary glance at Amal, "...other things. All of which you most definitely haven't been doing for the past two years." Emmaline scowled.

"And I suppose you told all your cronies you were coming to see me before dressing up as a story book wizard in case I decided it was cheaper to dump your body in the river?" she enquired with an air of resignation. Albrecht smile spread brilliantly across his face, golden teeth gleaming in the lantern light.

"And weren't you just saying I never taught you anything?" he beamed with avuncular pride.

[User]
Amal was in an entirely different world here. In Araby there was only a small to middling middle class, and even they hardly had to worry about societal expectations...murder, for instance... that didn't have to do with how other business associates or aristocrats would see them. It was strange to him, having lived through the slums, that Emmaline did not simply want this man dead. A man who obviously had wronged her and wanted to even now take advantage of her. He instinctively knew it wasn't just because they were in a crowded area that she had halted Amal from attacking.

Maybe it was simply because Amal had always been wary around alchemists and sorcerers. Except for Em, of course. At that moment, an idea dawned on Amal. He spoke before Emmaline could.

"We'll pay you back in two days. Does that sound good to you?" Amal asked, drawing Emmaline's and Albrecht's gaze. Emmaline did her best not to look so questioning, but it was clear she was curious. The man snorted, raising an eyebrow.

"My good fellow, I'm not sure what you are to her. A passing fancy no doubt. She's always been into...spiced goods." He said, evidently considering that to be 'generous.' "But I can't hold your promise to any regard. She needs to make that promise for me to believe it. Nothing against you, but this is a transaction between her and I."

Amal looked at Emmaline, his eyes asking her to trust him. They could speak about it once they made it up to their room, but as of now they needed to make a decision.

[Assistant]
Emmaline glanced at Amal and then back to Albrecht. She didn't want to pay, two thousand marks would wipe out most of what they had but she suspected Albrecht would be shocked that she had even that much. Likely enough the old leecher wanted to bleed her of what cash she had and then enlist her in one of his innumerable schemes.

"Fine, two days," she grudgingly agreed, earning an arched eyebrow and then a beatific smile from her master.

"Well I am more than happy to grant my favorite apprentice a few extra days to come up with her admittedly laggardly dues," the older wizard said with a self satisfied grin. Emmaline rolled her eyes. It was possible to run from Albrecht of course, but it would mean dodging other wizards for the rest of her life, the College made rather a point of policing its students, and even though Albrecht wouldn't denounce her to witch hunters, there was no guarantee other members of the college would grant her the same forbearance.

"There are days," she said to Amal in Arabyian, "that I wish we had stayed in Araby."

"Is it the sand or the blistering heat you miss?" Amal rejoined with a grin that showed Albrecht his own gleaming white teeth.

"Good point," Emmaline conceded. Albrecht glanced between them suspiciously, put off to be party to a conversation in a language he didn't understand. He reached into his robes and produced a clay pipe and a pouch of tobacco. With practiced ease he packed it with the pungent herb and ignited it with a whispered spell.

"It is a real pleasure seeing you Emm, women of such beauty and natural blondes beside, you would swear Riekland is crawling with them but I make half my money selling boiled horse piss to bleach the heads of desperate house fraus."

"That one armed dwarven bastard sold me out didn't he," Emmaline declared out of the blue, having spent a few moments trying to figure out how Albrecht had tracked her. He was a wiley old dog, but magically he wasn't in the top tier of wizards, like Emmaline herself, destined for the middle of the pack. Albrecht smiled admiringly around his pipestem.

"Beautiful and brilliant, if only I were twenty years younger..."

"And fifty pounds lighter," Emmaline interjected, evoking a wince from the heavyset wizard.

"Ouch," he admitted, touching his heart to show he had been wounded by the remark.

"And had some hair," Emmaline added for good measure.

"Bit of a shrew though," he confided to Amal in a theatrical aside.

[User]
Amal might not like the way Albrecht treated Emmaline at first, but after a moment he realized the aging wizard reminded Amal of a lot of people he knew in Araby, with similar scavenging attitudes towards money. He supposed the Empire wasn't too different from his homeland in some regards.

"Shrew?" Amal echoed, wondering what the fellow meant. Albrecth's dramatic demeanor left when he began to chuckle at Amal's confusion.

"Well, I'm very glad you arrived apropos so you could regain your supposed earnings from me," Emmaline said, clasping her hands together and planting a smile on her face. "but if there is nothing else, would you leave me and my lover to enjoy our dinner? It's hard to eat with the smell of dead rat in the air, you understand."

"You will make quite the harridan one day, my dear." Albrecht marveled, still grinning at the prospect of receiving a ridiculous amount of cash within 48 hours, no matter what insults are thrown his way. "I will leave you to it then. I plan on meeting you right back here. Try not to get kicked out in the meantime, eh? If I have to look for you, that will be added down in interest."

8 minutes later

Despite the proclamation that they would need to eat, they had already had a quick bite just before Albrecht had scuttled in. Now with the door locked and the two in their room, Amal started the small fireplace up. It wasn't as cold as Albion was, but he still very much felt the northern crispness in the air. Amal watched the fire grow to life, and he backed himself up to sit on the comfortable chair set in the bedroom.

"The way I see it, we have three choices, Em." The bandit remarked, leaning forward, long arms resting on his knees. "We could take the money we'll get from selling our items and pay him. We could kill him and run. Or we can take a third option."

"Don't be coy," She said, not having sat down yet.

"We could steal the Prince's seal, sell it, and implicate Albrecht in the theft."


[System]
Zafi has soft, purple hair. For reason or another, she is always seen wearing the same choker and black dress. (Making her look like she is going to a funeral... LOL) Depending on the lightning, her eyes may appear azure or purple.

★ Age: 15
★ Height: 171 cm

★ Element: Fire
★ Equipment: None

Personality

Zafi is a stoic, expressionless maiden with a gentle heart and a firmly set sense of justice. Upon first meeting, she can come off as intimidating and indifferent. To be fair, she is not very outspoken and only speaks when necessary.The reason Firiel avoids speaking is her voice, deep and melodious. People rarely match her voice with her brooding face. She only ever uses her voice when she sings, the only gift she thinks God has given her. Singing is the only way Zafi is able to express her emotions. That is the only time she will shed tears or show any facial expressions, making her appear a completely different person. Even then, she always sings in solitude. It is as if she doesn't want people to know the state of her heart.

Due to her inability to express emotions, Zafiriel is often mistaken as indifferent. Truth is, she is easily scared, moved, and hurt. Zafi is very observant. She notices details many leave unnoticed.

Her castle of seclusion is her only refuge from the uneasiness she feels around other people. Thus, she is not necessarily an introvert, but simply doesn't know how to approach others. Zafi only laughs and sheds tears in complete solitude. Unable to understand even her own emotions, Zafi finds it difficult to interact with others. She might unintentionally offend or hurt people, but readily apologises – even for the silliest little things. But somewhere, under all her uncertainties, lies a strong and independent young girl, one ready to craft a future of her own.

Now, reading all this might make one wonder - isn't Zafiriel very weak a a person? Does she not have any strengths? Well, not visible ones. Despite her low self-colfidence and tendency to get anxious around people, Zafi has a strong sense of justice. She strongly judges people who act as what she perceives as wrong or indecent. Be it a strength or not, she also appreciates and envies genuine people - ones unlike herself. She strives to become one true to herself. A quality she is unaware of, Zafi falls in love very easily - often with people with whom a romantic relationship would be very unconventional.

A redeeming quality of hers is, whenever she is worried, she becomes extremely clumsy to the point she will walk into walls or people right in front of her.

Will be updated as the story progresses

History

Zafiriel was raised by a poor yet kind music teacher, Franco Paolini, in a small town in France. She has never known her parents and who they were. The only memento she has of her mother is a rusty pocketwatch with a phoenix carved in it. Zafi treasures it and always has it with her, wherever she goes..

Franco Paolini was the son of a famous pianist, Giancarlo Paolini. However, his father had disowned him as a disgrace to the family name. In spite of that, Franco sent his father an email every month, never getting a response.
And so it happened - one night he was strolling around the streets, as a serene melody caught his ear.

It was as if each of those notes was crying tears long lost at the grave of words. Little did Franco know Zafiriel had always listened his music lessons behind the curtain leading to the classroom. There she had sat, listening, wondering.

The stream of notes led Franco to his own apartment. He was baffled to find his foster daughter singing with a clear voice, sitting at windowside, facing the chill breezes of early November night. At that time, Zafiriel was eleven years old, a bubbly young girl with big dreams. That night, Franco sent an email to his father telling about his discovery. He got an immediate response demanding him to send his foster daughter to the Paolini Estate in the outskirts of Paris. If he sent Zafiriel to study under maestro Giancarlo Paolini, Franco might get back his status as the heir to his father.

A decision he came to repent, Franco sent Zafi to Paris. There, she was tutored in music by maestro Giancarlo. Now a lawful heiress to the Paolini legacy, Zafi was showered with empty smiles, dutiful respect, and cold affection. Whenever she was not behaving as desired, she would be slapped or locked in her room. If she showed any emotion in family gatherings, she would be scolded. This is how Zafiriel developed the strong barricade around her heart. As time went by, she grew unable to express her emotions. Her music helped her to get through the darkest days. She developed an intimate relationship with her music.

Zafiriel discovered her elemental abilities as she reached her 13th birthday. She had been beaten, scloded and humiliated in front of the whole Paolini family. She had escaped to the nearby forest. Straining her vocal cords, she let out a loud cry evolving to a heavy melody. Suddenly, she felt her body tremble. A strong wave of heat crashed through her. As the final noted faded away, a breath of fire was flashed before her eyes.

Born from ashes, a wish arises
a Phoenix flying o'er lands long lost

Too bad it was witnessed by none other than maestro himself. He had no tolerance for abnormal occurrences, for unnatural creatures, as he now labeled Zafiriel. Firiel was about to be sent in confinement, when Franco helped him escape. Quickly, he shoved in her hand a paper slip with directions to a place unknown. Upon leaving, Zafi decided to adopt back her birth name, de Grantaine. Months uncounted passed before she reached the Academy.

With no knowledge of her ancestry nor elemental abilities, Zafi couldn't help but think even her parents had wanted to dispose of her. As she gazes at the magnificent symbol of natural harmony in front of her, she can not help but hope that here, she will get answers to her questions.

[User]
Zeke fell backwards onto his bottom as she shouted, dropping his camera in surprise. Why was she getting angry? He'd just asked her to say sorry. You were supposed to say sorry when something bad happened. His picture got broken because she startled him. She should say sorry and then he could go back to painting and she can go back to standing. "Ah!" He picked up his camera and checked it. Dropping a camera was bad. He didn't want to break it.

When he looked back up, she had gone red. Zeke's eyes went wide. She had been so pale and now she was bright red! She was yelling something, grabbing her skirt, which he hadn't even noticed. Instead, he stood up. He reached forward to take hold of her hair, pulling it down across her cheek. She turned her head and he turned it back. The contrast between the two colours was interesting, and she didn't need to spoil it by moving.

"Uh-uh," he told her. Looking around, he pushed his camera into her hands, then started drawing again, trying to catch the same colours as her skin and hair. It was difficult, and he erased his first few attempts. "That's pretty. Keep doing it," He said, unaware just how close he was.

[Assistant]
A light smile crossed Vera's face as the redhead thanked her. When the girl could give no reason as to why she was doing what she was, where she was, Vera turned to the art on the walls of the building in front of them, possibly finding the answer to her own question.

"Lovely, isn't it? Very interesting, one can probably stare at it for hours on end," she commented to the other teen.

Vera was slightly surprised at how the violinist could so easily and quickly identify her as a Light Elementalist. Maybe her parents had been so impatient to send her away because they saw that something about her had changed after she had obtained her abilities, and were afraid that others might have seen it too. It might also be an Elementalist thing she didn't know about, or maybe this girl was just gifted in some way.

"Hmm? Is it that obvious?" Vera asked, raising an eyebrow. She then let out a chuckle. "I never realized, but you're absolutely right."

"And yes," she continued, answering the girl's second question. "This is actually my first day here. Is it yours as well? It's about lunchtime and I was hoping to find some people to go out into the city with, but everyone just cleared out so fast after the assembly, so I thought I'd take my time and explore the place a little more, maybe find someone to hang out with."

After she had spoken that much, Vera picked up a soft, almost unnoticeable buzzing. Sensing that it came from the violin the redhead was holding, her eyes shifted to look at the instrument and she enquired. "Umm, is it supposed to be doing that?"

Stygian

[User]
Firiel watched as the sunrays danced on the glass windows made of finest gems, creating dazzling shapes and streams of light. Anybody else would have turned their gaze away. Who, in their right mind, would stare at direct sunlight for minutes? But Firiel had no ordinary eyes. She had the eyes of a fire elemental, thus able to let her adore the mother of fire, Sun, in all her radiant beauty. Her shining purple hair turned the rays back to the window and the sky.

The assembly had been horrible. Firiel had been barely able to listen the tedious speeches given by the teachers and other staff. It was as if she was drowning in the middle of a vast ocean consisting of people. Never had she seen so many young people gathered in one hall. Sure, enormous halls and hallways were nothing new to her, as she had been raised in a prosperous villa in Paris. It was the thought of hundreds of stares fixated on her. Truthfully, only one curious girl had tried to make eye contact with her. Her black velvet dress was bound to attract attention, she knew it. Having fled from Paris with nothing but a purse full of money with her, she didn't really have a choice of outfits.

She had arrived in the city only the night before the assembly. She had followed the directions written on the small paper slip her foster father, Mr Franco Paolini, had given her. As it had been late upon her arrival, no stores had been open at that time, only a small grocery store near the train station. With her remaining coins, Firiel had purchased a notebook, a pencil, and some roasted almonds – her favourite snack. The cashier had noticed her shabby clothing and the dark circles around her eyes. She had been traveling all day, all night for months to get here.

She didn't really understand what was going on. Ever since the accident months ago, she had been wondering. She had always known about the existence of elementalists. She had heard fantastic stories of them told by Mr Paolini.

---

"The ones who came before us; the ones who loved Mother Earth as a husband loves his wife. Strongly, passionately, but ever so gently. Even on this day, some of them still live among us. Those few, blessed with a thorough understanding of our world as it is. Many wars have been waged over the gifts of Mother Earth."

"But father", asked little Firiel with round eyes, "isn't that magic? How do you know about this stuff?"
For a moment, Mr Paolini looked unusually grim. As he noticed the tiny girl tilt her head in confusion, he quickly gathered himself.

"I have heard these stories from a wonderful person many years ago. You were but a small baby back then. As for magic – I do not really believe in such things. I believe it is the natural longing for an internal harmony with nature within a human soul. Many nations of the past have worshipped elementals as their gods and kings."

Much later, Firiel had realised the person Mr Paolini had been talking about might have been either of her parents. Firiel secured her fingers around the rusty old clock in the pocket of her dress. A phoenix was carved on its golden back. It was the only thing she had left of her mother.

---

An unwelcomed racket stopped her musings. She heard two voices, male and female, heatedly exchange words behind the corridor. A quick peek showed a boy sitting on the floor with his camera. He was accompanied by a beautiful girl. Firiel felt her pulse rise as she was suddenly surrounded by all those voices. She left in search for a quieter environment.

Her steps led her to an empty hallway. Finally, she could sigh with relief. She leaned her back on a thick root embracing the stone wall. As she stood there in silence, she could feel a wave of heat crash through her. Although she had been experiencing that for months now, the feeling was still somewhat uncomfortable and unwelcome.

But with the heat came notes. As the wave left her body, Firiel could feel notes filling her heart. Many feelings she had confined in the depths of her mind. Now that she had a quiet moment just for herself, the feelings packed up and demanded being expressed. Before long, Firiel was singing a strong yet grieving melody. She could feel steam rising off her shoulders. With the steam went all her frustation and uncertainness. Firiel breathed in the song. Unconsciously, she began moving to her own music.

"The wings I once had in my back are now gone with you.
The memories of the days I was able to fly won't fade away as easily as scratches.

"I will get you back." That was all I ever thought.
It was all to prevent myself from being swept away by the rushing time.

Memories won't speak to you. They win't leave you with a rope to grab onto.
The tears I have left are so few. They probably won't reach you.
The last drop falls.

Suddenly, the night was shattered. Light scattered all across the sky.
The freshly-washed sun is kindly lavishing its rays upon the two of us.
I will walk forward with you, arm-in-arm."

As the last notes fell to silence, Firiel found herself in Miss Stargazer's office. Only she was not alone. There were three other students beside her. Firiel stood there, horrified. She had not meant to barge in an office room and interrupt a discussion in such a manner. She did not notice she had lit a strand of hair of hers in flame. Mortified, she took a step back, unable to utter a word.

---

Lyrics from 'Shizuku', Kemono no Souja Erin OST, NHK


[System]
BASIC
Goes By (Nicknames): None currently available.
Age: 26
Gender: Male
Race: Human

APPEARANCE

Face Claim (Actor/Actress They're Played By): TBA / I've yet to find an actor for this character.
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Blue
Skin Tone: Slightly pale.
Height: 6'2
Weight: 170lbs
Build: Lithe, somewhat muscular.
Weapons: Twin swords, multiple daggers and knives hidden on him.

Overall Appearance:

Dark features, Visible, jagged scar that runs down his right eye. Various scars are hidden underneath his clothing.

Ghent is often clad in black or dark grays.
Most of his clothes are made from black leather; his cloak has a hood and a mask to cover the lower half of his face if needed. He has various weaponry concealed; he often wears fingerless gloves, laced up bracers, and boots.

PERSONALITY

Likes: Gold.
Dislikes: Talking, poverty, people in general.
Strengths: Picking locks, leadership, agility.
Weaknesses: Stubbornness, Greed.
Fears: Loss, failure.

Overall Personality:

Stubborn | Calculating | Complicated | Quiet | Incredulous | Shrewd

Ghent's family was very often poor and lived in a lower part of a small, poverty-stricken town. His mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her second son, Garth. Ghent was ten years in age when she passed.

Ghent's father turned to drinking heavily and he came to blame his children for the loss of his wife. Fearing for Garth, Ghent took matters into his own hands; at the age of thirteen, he took his younger brother and left home, never once looking back.

Life on the road was not an easy one, but Ghent was determined to tough it out so that they would not have to return to their father. At first, Ghent began with petty theft; he stole what was needed in order to keep them alive, they took shelter where they could and lied whenever questioned. As the years went on, they moved up in the world. After years of practice, Ghent became a highly skilled thief. This was the start of a life he would live well past his teenage years.

* * *

Ghent has an eerie calmness about him and his emotions are seldom ever shown. Because of this, he is very difficult to read -- almost impossibly so. Ghent handles matters in a diplomatic way and doesn't often resort to violence unless necessary. For the most part, he is quiet and reserved, therefore much of his past is unknown.

Deep down, Ghent does have a heart, though he does his best not to show it. He'd be the last to admit it, but he has a soft spot for those in need.

BACKGROUND

Date of Birth: ? Have to calculate that. ,_,
Place of Birth: Outskirts of Laketown. Not quite within the town, though close.

Family Relations:

- Garth (younger brother)
- Lydia (Mother; deceased)
- Vincent (Father)
- Kaiden (cousin)

[User]
As they continued to climb the tree, Fili was helping his brother climb, but the youngest almost lost his grip as the tree began to shake. The wargs were trying to knock the tree down! That wasn't going to help them at this rate, and getting down wasn't an option! A warg managed to at least climb a little up the tree, but didn't get far.

Hovering near the said-tree, the she-elf screeched at the Pale Orc's taunt before she shouted Black Speech to the creatures. After this action, the winged elf aggressively collided and toppled one of the climbing wargs, right off the cliff below. Knowing that it wasn't over yet, the female made a u-turn, before charging back and hit one of them head-on.

Thinking quick, Gandalf retrieved a pinecone, and conjured blazing fire upon it. "Fili!", he passed one down to the eldest prince below, as well as the others, and throwing the blazing object at the creatures, creating a trailing wall of fire to get them away from the tree.

[Assistant]
Kili caught one of the pinecones, quickly shifted it to his other hand, then whipped it at the nearest warg. The rest of the company helped, and soon the clearing was engulfed in a wall of flame. This earned cheers from them all, and Azog roared in fury at their show of resistance. This was not to last, however. The cheers turned into cries of fear as the roots of the tree started to give way; the tree tipped precariously over the edge of the cliff, but stopped, only inches away from the cliff.

Again, Kili almost lost his grip. Holding on at such an angle was becoming impossible, and he was frightened certain that one of them was sure to fall. As if to answer his fears, Dori fell, but he managed to hold on for dear life when Gandalf extended him his staff.

Thorin would take no more of this. Saeril could not handle them all on her own, nor should she have to. Slowly, he pushed himself up, hatred burning in his eyes. Azog would pay for the grief and torment he had brought to them all.
Through the flames, Thorin ran towards him, Ocrist drawn.
The attack never made its mark; Azog was one step ahead. With the assist of his warg, he was faster, and both attacked Thorin first. Thorin managed to swing his sword, but he was thrown to the ground, then hit with Azog's mace as the others looked on in shock.

"Thorin!" Kili attempted to climb forward in order to reach him, but any movement risked the tree falling over completely.

[User]
As Dori fell backwards out of the tree, Ori lunged to try and grab him, but fell out himself, crying out. "Mr Gandalf!!", hearing their pleas, the wizard quickly stuck out his staff the dwarf could grab on to, and kept a hold of it, with Ori hanging tightly onto Dori's foot. They were safe, for now.

Saeril couldn't believe that Thorin would do such a thing. An opportunity that could result in death. He shouldn't, and couldn't, die now. She looked at her godsons and then back to the wounded Thorin. She made an exasperated sigh before hovering herself above the fire, blowing at the flames towards Azog with huge gusts of wind, and landed on the ground a few yards away from the Orc, the reflecting blazes of the fire radiating from her figure. "Face me, creature of malice!", she hissed in anger.

[Assistant]
Bilbo was witness to the attack, and he managed to stand up on the tree. While completely unlike him, he felt a fire within his heart, one of courage. Thorin needed help, and he may have been the only one there light enough to leave the tree without disturbing it.

At the same moment, The White Warg clamped its jaws around Thorin. Kili's eyes widened in horror as Thorin yelled out in pain; the sound was foreign to him, for he'd always believed his uncle immortal. For a young dwarf like Kili, nothing had ever seemed strong enough to harm Thorin, and yet here he was, at risk of being slaughtered before their eyes.
Dwalin tried to leave his place in order to assist Thorin, but the tree branches he held onto broke, swinging him over the edge and preventing him from reaching his king.

Thorin managed to hit the warg's head with the pommel of his sword, a hit enough to make the beast roar and throw him several feet away. Thorin landed heavily, his sword far from reach, his vision going dark. As it was, he was moments from losing consciousness, and Azog knew that.
The Pale Orc smirked cruelly, his eyes locked to Saeril. "Bring me the Dwarf's head," he commanded the orc nearest to him. "This one is mine." With that, he gave a roar and charged towards her, his mace in hand.

[User] Saeril stated as Azog charged, remarkably not being phased by the approaching creature he was perched upon. Closing her eyes, the she-elf bent down to one knee as if in prayer. Sheathing out the two curved daggers, she listened to the pacing footsteps of the warg, measuring its movements, its proximity, and its weight. Her elf-ear didn't fail her, before at the split second of it biting at her, she propelled her slim body over the beast, using the blades to cut its face, nearly at its eye. "Sons of Durin!", she shouted. "Retrieve your king!", telling the Dwarves to help their leader, who was nearly dying behind her. The she-elf gave another hiss at the Orc before hovering above the Dwarven King, shielding her now-friend from harm; the fire trailed its orange glow upon her figure, making her eyes seemingly glow in hatred at the Pale Orc. "Your blood will shed by my hand", she shot at him while having a dagger pointed at him.

[Assistant]
Bilbo had jumped down from the tree, Sting drawn and ready. The sword glowed a brilliant blue, and the hobbit ran forward as an orc approached Thorin. The foul creature had plans to slice Thorin's neck in order to decapitate him, but he never got the chance. Right as he swung his sword down, Bilbo threw himself at the orc and knocked him over. In the scuffle, Bilbo managed to stab Thorin's attacker as the others came to their aid.

Kili wasted no time. The youngest stabbed one orc, then moved to kill the next while narrowly dodging a blade to the shoulder. For the first time in a long while, they were outnumbering their foes, and everyone was more than willing to defend their king.

Azog growled in anger to see the acts of heroism from all present. "Have you come in an attempt to erase your crimes?" The Pale Orc looked up to Saeril in hatred, his soulless eyes reflecting the flames around them. In black speech, he cursed her name as he swung his mace upwards to hit her. "You, and the Son's of Durin will die on this day!"

[User]
Saeril braced herself for the incoming weapon strike of Azog's mace, then she heard a screech as a great eagle swooped down from the sky, and knocked Azog off course. More eagles dove out of the sky, some attacking the wargs and orcs whilst others picked up the dwarves, including Thorin, and the wizard out of the tree to safety. One picked up Bilbo, and dropped him off the edge of the cliff until he landed on the back of another eagle. At that moment, the she-elf sheathed her weapons, ran to Kili, and ran off the cliff directly, shortly after, spreading her wings and taking flight with him on her back.

"Thorin!", she heard Fili shout, sounding obviously terrified for his unconscious uncle. Barely awake he was, Saeril managed to look at the unconcious Prince, letting out a relieved sigh that he and the rest of the company were safe. She did let out a quiet hiss of pain from her wounded leg but tried to keep it quiet to not let Kili immediately worry about her wellbeing.

[Assistant]
Kili held on, his heart pounding in his chest. The giant eagles, his godmother...they were all flying. This should have been a sight to marvel at, but he was too concerned for Thorin to truly appreciate what was happening.
Kili overheard Fili's shout to their uncle, and could not help but fear the worst. Fili was seldom scared, and Thorin may have been worse off than he realized.

As they reached the cliff, Kili was quick to remove himself from his godmother's back. Despite Saeril's efforts to hide her pain, Kili sensed it. "Are you alright?? You should sit down." The youngest was looking to where the bandaging would have been, and then the eagle carrying Thorin set him down.

[User]
"Thorin!", Gandalf ran to the fallen dwarf Prince, once he removed himself from the eagle's back. Fili was already starting to run to his fallen uncle, but he couldn't get any further as the wizard kneeled beside Thorin. Gandalf muttered something elvish under his breath, while hovering and passing his hand over the dwarf's face.

Saeril was too stubborn; funny it may sound, but her youngest godson was the same way. She risked her life by facing the most vile of all of creatures To keep the remaining Durin family, as well as the company, safe from his pack. The injury wasn't going to stop her from moving either; she made a promise, she will keep it. For Dis, and the rest of the scattered royal family. For that, she didn't listen to him, but kept a brave face saying that she was fine, and not back down from a fight. It didn't hurt as much like before, but the she-elf knew that it will be of Kili's constant concern.

[Assistant]
Saeril was stubborn, but so was Kili. Despite her telling him not to, Kili still blamed himself for her injury. "Oin had said to keep weight off of it," he reminded in a small voice. Had this been Fili, Kili would have argued more, but Saeril was a mother figure, and arguing with one's mother was much different than arguing with a sibling.

As Gandalf aided Thorin, Kili watched, his heart sinking. Surely Thorin was not dead...he could not comprehend losing him like this, he could not fathom what that would do to their family, let alone their people. Without Thorin, Fili would become king, and they would be without their only uncle. "Gandalf?"

To the youngest's relief, Thorin's eyes slowly opened. With a shuddered breath, Thorin looked to Gandalf, his vision blurred.
"The halfling...and the she-elf," he could barely string the words together, but that was the last he could remember. Bilbo and Saeril had come to his aid, and they very well may have lost their lives.


[System]
Race: Earth Genasi
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Theme: Go the Distance
Level: 0
Proficiency: +1
Health: 4
Stats:
Strength - 16 (+3)
Dexterity - 14 (+2)
Constitution - 17 (+3)
Intelligence - 8 (-1)
Wisdom - 10 (+0)
Charisma - 8 (-1)

Proficient Skills: Athletics (+4), Survival (+1)
Proficient Tools: None
Traits:
Alignment - Neutral Good
Size - Medium (6 feet tall/182.88 cm, 200 lbs/90.7 kg)
Speed - 30 feet (6 squares)
Languages - Common, Primordial, Dwarven, Undercommon

Earth Walk - Racial Ability. Move across difficult terrain made of earth or stone without expending extra movement.

Merge with Stone - Racial Ability. Acts as the Pass without Trace spell once per long rest with no required material components. Constitution is the ability for this spell. "Each creature you choose has a +10 to Stealth checks and can't be tracked except by magical means. This effect only applies if a creature is within 30 feet of you, both at the time of casting and for the duration. You can choose yourself as well. A creature that receives this bonus leaves behind no traces of its passage."

Deep Miner - Background Ability. You are used to navigating the deep places of the earth. You never get lost in caves or mines if you have either seen an accurate map of them or have been through them before. Furthermore, you are able to scrounge fresh water and food for yourself and as many as five other people each day if you are in a mine or natural caves.

Abilities: None
Inventory: A shovel and a miner's pick, a block and tackle, a climber's kit, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 5 gp.

Background: Genasi seem, at first glance, to be virtually normal humans save for their coloration and perhaps a few features more closely tying them to their element, such as literally flaming hair or gem encrusted skin. A genasi can be born when one or both of their mortal parents are exposed to surges of elemental energy from planar phenomena, but far more commonly they are the result of mixed heritage between some variety of genie and a mortal humanoid, usually regular humans. Some genasi are born of mortal-genie unions, some have two genasi as parents, and a rare few have a genie further up their family tree, manifesting traits that have lain dormant for generations.

Perhaps on first impression, Antaeus could be seen as a normal, deeply tanned, tall and broad shouldered boy--but his skin has a slightly hard texture to the touch, as if his muscles exist in a constant state of tension or his bones are made from wrought iron, and that bronze tone to his skin remains no matter how long he spends in the mines and away from the sun. In direct light, one sometimes even catches the glint from his skin and hair as if it were well oiled, but he is perfectly dry. When he was born to Frontier Town settlers, Antaeus's parents were shocked at his appearance. For the first few years of his life, Antaeus's father treated the boy somewhat coldly--the family never went without, and his parents seemed to care for one another tremendously, but his father never could shake the suspicion that his mother had been unfaithful. If he ever pressed about it, she would only venture suspicions that there must have been a genie in their ancestry, or that his work in the Black Mines might have exposed him to some source of earthen magics. He couldn't stand it. That possibility he was raising another man--or possibly another being's--child. This wasn't helped by the fact that their second child, Antaeus's little sister, was completely human.

It also did not help that Antaeus soon grew taller, and broader of shoulder, than his father. Here, what had been a seemingly masculine indifference--hugs and kisses were from mother, food and shelter and discipline were from father--now became evident as disdain. Strangely enough, his father even seemed to have forgiven his mother--if there ever was anything to forgive--but now projected what was left of those feelings onto Antaeus, as well as favoring the girl child. At first, Antaeus didn't resent his sister for this, and only slowly began to grow embittered towards his father...but, all children learn their behavior from their parents. When his sister began to look down her nose at him from atop his father's shoulders, he could no longer stand being in the same household. He had grown old enough to work in the mines like his father, but here once more his strange blood surpassed his progenitor's, so he soon began delving into the deeper caves and tunnels. Despite his difficulties with his family, Antaeus got along well with everyone else, and was generally known and well-liked as an energetic, friendly, and upstanding young man.

He picked at rock and polished ore and pushed carts up winding ramps, whether night or day--whatever shift his father was on, he asked for the opposite. Whatever days his father was given off, he asked to work overtime. Only rarely did they see each other, and usually at meal times when it was easy to ignore the person at the opposite end of the table. His mother tried to smooth the issue, but at this point it had become a self-perpetuating cycle. Antaeus's avoidance was taken for disrespect, his work seen as an attempt to show his father up at the man's own career, his lack of confrontation as cowardice and aversion to authority. The more Antaeus tried to escape his father's eye, the angrier that glare became.

And yet it was not so simple. More than once Antaeus wondered why the man didn't just leave, back then when he had been born. Why had he stayed? Why had he bothered to raise Antaeus and teach him--in whatever fashion one could say he had--and why had he gone soft on Antaeus's mother, when it would have been her fault had any infidelity truly taken place? And if his father had poisoned his sister against him, why were there still moments when she treated him kindly--why did she still run to his bed when she had nightmares, why did she still ask him to play with her and then become sad when he had to work? And his mother, she had never truly done anything wrong to him, but...why hadn't she stood up more? Why hadn't she defended him more staunchly? Did his family hate him? Were they simply fulfilling their duty towards him, rather than kicking him out?

Maybe it was him. Maybe he needed to do something, change something, about himself. Maybe...maybe if he became someone, someone great, a real hero...

[User]
Katherine Lindall-Fiore

---

---

Ahh, there she was. Katherine was happy to see her sister again after... What? A week or two? Bah. It's not really been long at all. What really caught her eyes was the odd... Yet greatly alluring specimen aside her. A creature of beauty. Multiple legs, with the lower body, much with the look of a spider. She seemed a gentle soul though. Then she introduced herself as Maeda. Ahh, so she was the teacher here. With a gentle smile, she spoke to the woman. "Oh my. Well, I don't believe that the privacy is necessary. Sharing a room with two beauties is more of an honor than I probably deserve." She giggled slightly and continued. "Though if you wanted a bit of 'privacy' with me after, I would be loathe to reject." She made a fairly obvious implication, or at least, she thought she did.

After a couple of seconds gazing at the spider woman, she giggled as she turned to Livia and walked over, speaking all the while. "Ahh, but with your introduction of yourself, dear Maeda, I think introductions are over. After all..." Katherine started to say as she wrapped her arms around Livia in a hug. Just long enough to get her point across, but not long enough that Livia went ballistic. "This little miss here is my sister. Well, her family adopted me, but she's a sister to me." She said with a wide grin. She turned to Maeda and followed her to her room. "But yes, I have some questions for you... Something I hoped a learned person might help illuminate for me. Both of you might find it interesting. She mentioned, looking to Livia.

I rolled 16 in an attempt for 'a bit of privacy after'

[Assistant]
Cypher@Pyromania99

---

---

Well that could have gone slightly better. Oh well, no need to push the issue. Seemed they had another guest. Turning her head slightly, Livia cast a glance to who this new comer was. Her face immediately twisted into an expression of disgust, if only briefly.

What was she doing here?! She came here to get away from her family so she could finally get some peace of mind and work without her mothers or her sisters constantly messing things up for her. Thoughts of trying to get on friendly terms with Maeda left her mind as Katherine walked up and introduced them both. She even had the audacity to hug her! Of course, Livia did nothing. She couldn't do anything, not without hurting her chances of getting both information on the mines and potentially a job from Maeda. She swallowed her words as best she could, following Maeda into her office.

"Yes, well, before we were so rudely interrupted by a fiend," Livia replied in an cool, stiff, tone as she seemed to make a point of not acknowledging Katherine's presence. "As I said, I am Livia Fiore. I apologize for interrupting your class. I don't know what my sister dearest is here for," She continued, unable to hide obvious displeasure in her voice. "but I am here on behalf of Mayor Nicolas in regards to that ruin found in the mines. He has given me permission to help you study them."

Of course, Maeda's little line about things finding them was likely directed to Katherine. The timing was just too impeccable for it to not be. Couldn't be her. Compared to both of her sisters, she was nothing special.

...ugh, she wanted to leave now.

-bottle of black ink
-quill
-small knife
-set of Fine Clothes
-signet ring
-scroll of pedigree
-The adorable kitten known as Crème.
Money: 10gp

Max carry weight: 135lbs

[User]
𝕬 𝖓 𝖙 𝖆 𝖊 𝖚 𝖘

Salt Lake

---

Damn. Competition or not, I should have found Redchaser and at least gotten some advice. Antaeus frowned and wrinkled his forehead. He hadn't been committed at first, and had decided before he even entered the forest that if it got too hard, too dangerous, or too dark he would go back home. Live another day and try again.

Maybe it was the fact that, as of yet, nothing had threatened him. Maybe it was that he had found the signs of the White Stag, and giving up here would be like giving up on a tunnel when the ore vein you were looking for was just a few more swings of the pick away. Maybe he was overconfident. Maybe he was mad and not thinking clearly.

But he wasn't going to quit just yet.

Multiple tracks, signs of dragging, lots of movement. Antaeus would bet on a fight--two deer, locking horns, and pushing each other back and forth so that their hooves slid in the dirt. He didn't know if that was true and it didn't matter. It didn't even matter that he could probably track down another deer just as easily.

What, specifically, might the White Stag leave behind? What differentiates him from the rest? The boy narrowed his eyes and took one more look at the disturbed earth. He "listened" to it the same way he did in the mines--what stories could this soil and stone tell him?

Antaeus performs a Perception Check to help him track down the White Stag if he left anything behind.
1d20 + (0) WIS
Result: 18

1 Quest Book - 5 lb
1 Shovel - 5 lb
1 Miner's Pick - 5 lb
1 Block and Tackle Set - 5 lb
--Pulleys
--Cable
--Hook
1 Climber's Kit - 12 lb
--Pitons
--Boot tips
--Gloves
--Harness
1 Set of Clothes, Common - 3 lb
--Roughspun Tunic
--Roughspun Pants
--Ragged Boots
1 Belt Pouch - 0 GP
1 Hunting Trap - 12 lb
1 Backpack - 5 lb - Holds 30 lb
1 Waterskin - 5 lb (full) - holds 4 pints
1 Tinderbox - 1 lb
1 Hempen Rope - 10 lb - 50 ft
2 Javelins - 2 lb Each
6 Darts - .25 lb Each

Total Encumberance: 71.5/240 lb (Light)
+Bookie has agreed to write a letter to Captain Ork at the Garrison. I should kill an animal in the forest and take it to Captain Ork to prove I'm adventuring material.
--The animal can be anything from the Forest. Bookie suggested a deer or a boar.

+Barthen has requested me to hunt a White Stag in the Forest, and has given me a free hunting trap for this purpose. If I don't succeed I should probably bring the trap back.
--I should try to find the Redchaser, she might be able to help me.

+Barthen is paying 1 GP per pound of Medicinal Herbs from the forest.


[System]
the cast

---

* Laphicet Kyrielight, played by @Tenma Tendo
* Nyte, played by @Jade113
* Aro Danius, played by @LordofthePies
* Edric Van Nergan and Balsaam, played by @Riaxh
* Milo Sunwhistle, played by @Clever Hans
* Kisses (formerly Ashorn) Rattlebones, played by @NewShoesForever

the captain

---

by loish
HAIR COLOR: dark brown
EYE COLOR: dark brown
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: a quick grin, an easy laugh
SCARS AND BIRTHMARKS: a scar over her left eye from a childhood escape from a jellyfish.

WHO ARE THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY? WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE DO THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH?
Her parents both live peacefully on a little island where they lead a simple fishers' life, netting the skies for the fish that leap through the clouds. They're content with their folky life, unlike their daughter; Sunny surrounds herself instead with people she deems good at heart and adventurous, people she could trust without hesitation.

WHERE WERE THEY BORN? WHERE HAVE THEY LIVED SINCE THEN? WHERE IS HOME?
Sunny was born on the sky-island of Luvailmaer to a family that fished the sky for a living -- their cottage will always be home to her, but her addiction to adventure is too strong to stay. She makes a new little home wherever she happens to be, and she depends upon others' kindness for comfort.

WHERE DO THEY GO WHEN THEY'RE ANGRY?
In the throes of rage, Sunny will seek out a high place to scream -- the higher and more precarious the better.

WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST FEAR? WHO HAVE THEY TOLD ABOUT IT? WHO WOULD THEY NEVER TELL?
She's afraid of the ocean -- the idea of being surrounded by water with no way to breathe is an unfamiliar and frightening concept. There is no one she wouldn't tell her fears, she doesn't mind if it's known.

DO THEY HAVE A SECRET?
Sunny was entrusted with a secret by a visiting Vagrant named Coyote, and is sworn to never tell a soul.

WHAT MAKES THEM LAUGH OUT LOUD?
Almost anything has the potential to make her giggle, but especially slapstick humor and bad puns.

HAVE THEY EVER BEEN IN LOVE?
Sunny has never been in love, and doesn't care to be. It's just not her thing.

DESCRIBE THE THINGS THAT WOULD BE HARD FOR THEM TO PART WITH.
Grandmother's astrolabe has its own leather pouch that Sunny had sewn herself; it's strapped to her back at all times, never to leave her person. It's made of white brass and is artfully designed. Coyote's earring dangles from her left ear; it's in the shape of a tiny pewter dragon.

LOOK DOWN AT THEIR FEET. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE.
Simple sandals laced with twine and rough soles when it's warm – in cold weather, secondhand boots and socks as thick as they come.

WHEN THEY THINK OF THEIR CHILDHOOD KITCHEN, WHAT SMELL DO THEY ASSOCIATE WITH IT? WHY DOES IT RESONATE?
Baking honeycakes, which her father would always make on cold dreary mornings, to be devoured under a blanket with a warm mug of spiced milk.

DESCRIBE ONE STRONG MEMORY THAT HAS STUCK WITH THEM FROM CHILDHOOD.
Her grandmother would tell her the stories of the constellations, and how they point the way no matter where you are. She taught Sunny how to use the astrolabe, which she hasn't parted with since. Grandmother was a Vagrant who settled on Luvailmaer, and had rich histories to tell.

WHAT DO THEY WANT MOST OF ALL?
Sunny's life ambition is to find the Whistlehowl Star, discover its secrets, and most of all to become an even greater Legend than the star had ever been.

RIGHT NOW, IN THE FIRST MOMENT OF OUR STORY, WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST PROBLEM?
At this moment, Sunny isn't quite sure where her next meal will come from, or if she'll find warm shelter before night falls. She has high hopes, though -- and hope has never failed her.

[User]
From their position, Sunny could only hear the vague sound of a voice echoing up out of the crevice -- but luckily Laphi was there to hear and translate.

Sunny waited a beat, her eyebrows raised while she returned Laphi's gaze. She could see that he was hesitant to move unless someone else took the lead -- of course, he'd never really been given the chance to make his own decisions before, had he? She gave him a soft grin. "Think we should go help?" she asked, encouraging. Sunny looked up to Nyte as well, her smile a little sharper, before she headed through the brush directly for the crack in the ground.

"How'd you get down there?" Sunny knelt at the edge and looked down, her hair hanging in thick locks around her curious face. All she could see was a figure sprawled in the grass far below. ...Wait. Grass? Underground? "Don't worry, just don't move! We'll get you out!" She hopped to her feet and turned to her comrades with a confident smile. "Nyte, Laphi, did you find --"

Sunny never finished her sentence -- an angry tree root had suddenly struck up out of the ground, grabbed her around the ankles and flung her sprawling over the edge and into the dark crevice. The coterie captain hadn't time to realize what was happening before she was plummeting down between walls of stone, wind rushing past her ears, light and warmth fading. She landed hard on top of Aro, knocking the wind out of both of them.

The tree root returned to the soil as quickly and silently as it had come. The trees all around Laphi and Nyte seemed to shift places behind their backs. The forest was watching -- and it wasn't kind.

Sunny groaned in pain and shifted off of Aro. "I'm -- I'm here to -- ow -- rescue you!" she tried, and coughed, peering up at the sunlight high above. "We're okaaay!" she called up to Laphi and Nyte, waving a hand at them.

[Assistant]
"Are we?" Aro croaked. She cursed whatever Gods had made this forest. At that moment, she wanted to burn it down. Every inch of the forest. Every tree, blade of grass, or vine would suffer by her hand. Aro had enough of this forest. She just wanted to go home. But, she didn't have a home. Her home was her caravan, which was ripped to shreds. She lost her home, and it was her own fault. Maybe this forest was some sort of karma for what she had done.

"Guess now you have to help me," Aro rolled onto her stomach and slowly pushed herself off the grass, using what little strength she had left to stand.

Laying there wasn't going to do her much if anything the forest would throw more people at her if she stayed. Aro shuffled over to Sunny, giving her a look. She didn't blame her for landing on her, but she still wasn't happy. Aro's body yelled at her for standing. Every part of her being burned or felt like it was ready to fall apart. She didn't listen and put out a hand for her cavern companion. Aro probably wouldn't be able to lift her off the ground, but she'd try. Her mother always told her about hospitality. Guess it was time to put it to use, and maybe the forest would see she wasn't so bad. Although, even if the forest did let up, she would still burn it to the ground.

[User]
In response to Sunny's question, Laphicet could only tilt his head in confusion. Why was she asking him what he thought? No one ever asked him what he wanted, so it was hard to hide the look of confusion on his face. He soon gave a slow nod, knowing that both Sunny and Nyte would want to help the girl out. He kept a relatively safe distance away from the edge, in hopes that he could be helpful from afar.

Unfortunately the forest had other plans as a tree root mercilessly flung Sunny into the gaping crevice.
"S-Sunny!!" Laphi called out worriedly, ruby eyes wide with thoughts of the worst as he scurried next to Nyte and drop to his knees. Expecting to see the worse, the child poked his head over the edge, only to immediately shrink back and grab onto Nyte's waist, trembling. The bottom was little too dark for his tastes...but Sunny was down there!

Laphicet waited until he heard Sunny's voice before giving another peak down. He could spot two figures at the bottom, with one waving wildly up at them. A rare smile formed on his face as relief washed over him; so long as Sunny was alright, then he would be too. But how would they get the both of them down from there? There were his tarot cards...but he never had the heart to use them on his own accord. The boy looked up at Nyte with faint curiosity.
"...Wh-What should we do?" He questioned. With Sunny not there to show him the right way, Nyte was the next best thing to him.

@Jade113@LordofthePies

[Assistant]
Nyte looked down at Laphicet as he heard something Nyte had not. She resisted petting his head, then looked to Sunny, who apparently had the same idea as she had. She moved closer, but immediately froze and reached out to keep Laphicet back as a root grabbed her companion and pulled her down into the hole. The knight took a careful step forward, looking down the dark hole and keeping a gentle grip on Laphicet's shoulder should another root try to take him.

She dropped to one knee carefully at the mouth of the pit, wrapping her arm tight around Laphicet as he gripped her. Sunny called out, thankfully, and Nyte sighed, relieved. She looked to the boy beside her and patted his head once.

"They're alright, child, so let's take things slow. We should try to help from up here. I bet there are some vines or roots we could find around here long and strong enough to act as a rope!"

She gave a hearty thumbs up, despite doubting her own plan immediately. A living forest that seemed intent on killing them... Just another weekday for the knight, but probably rather scary for people who may actually hurt themselves falling.

[User]
Sunny grinned up at the stranger, took the proffered hand and hopped to her feet. "Thanks! I'm Sunny, by the way. Up there are Laphicet and Nyte. We're a vagrant coterie -- currently without a name, but we'll decide on one soon. Are you all right?" Sunny peered through the gloom at Aro's face, which to her seemed twisted in pain and misery. The vagrant offered a comforting smile. "Sorry for dropping in on you. The woods don't seem to like visitors much. Hopefully we're not about to be eaten or something." She laughed, and finally let go of Aro's hand to explore the perimeter of their grassy island while they waited for Laphi and Nyte to rescue them.

After a few moments, Sunny dropped to her knees and craned her head over the edge to peer down into the deep, deep dark. When nothing revealed itself, she sat down, unhooked an oil lantern from her backpack (both of which she'd brought from the walking-house) and lit it with a flint spark. Firelight soon cast a flickering illumination on Sunny's and Aro's faces. Sunny grinned up at Aro and brought the lantern to the edge again.

She looked up, and gasped.

The lantern-light cast a bright starry sky of reflections in the cavern ceiling -- like diamonds gleaming in the rock above.

The nearest wall only barely caught the light of the flame, but Sunny could make out very old finger-paintings of human figures ... and what appeared to be enormous animal-gods towering over them, with lines of sunlight streaming from above, marked by ancient orange paint.

Sunny's foot caught on the edge of something; she looked down to see a weathered stone staircase spiraling down from the grassy island.

"Guys?" she called up to her friends -- to Laphi, who she knew would hear her. "Change of plan. You might want to come down here! This place is really old! I think this is where we're supposed to go!" She spun around, raising the light to Aro's face, and grinned. "There's something we're looking for that might be in this cave -- something with runes, we think. Hope you don't mind waiting a little for that rescue -- why don't you come exploring with us?"