"Dire's one word for it," Magnus said in response to Xaviex. In all honesty, this seemed beyond dire. Spiritual anomalies of this scale were unheard of in modern times, and as he waited for the group to gather, he began to consider possibilities of what it may have been based on his own knowledge of the Otherworld. A breach between realities seemed too far off to consider wholly, as such events were almost entirely impossible even on small levels of power. And yet, he was faced with an amount of power that should have been impossible in and of itself. He tightened his grip on his sword's handle, taking a slow inhale to help quell his nervousness. In his chest, his heart was pounding harder than it ever had, yet he refused to let fear overtake him entirely. As far as he was concerned, Alesia would not allow such a thing to continue for long. He had made a promise to return safely, and fully intended to keep it. With that belief held firm, and his proven companions at his side, he would move forward.<br/><br/>Ardur and Anora came to give a warning of another oncoming group, and immediately, Magnus turned to face the new arrivals. They were an interesting-looking sort, and the sheer size of two of them caught him slightly off guard. "Well," He began, moving his hand a bit so that it was fully on his sword's handle. "Let's hope they have good intentions. They don't seem like the type to be involved with whatever's happening out there." He scanned over all of them from beneath his visor, wondering if they were even prepared to be taking on a possible enemy of otherworldly power. The Sidhe, at least, had a natural advantage in that regard, and the Meerah seemed to be giving off some amount of miraculous aura. He could read nothing from the group's apparent warriors, however.<br/><br/>Anora's offer recieved a nod in response. "That's a good plan. If you see anything out there, a ritual of any sort, do your best to stop it. If we can cut this off before it's finished, we might have a better chance with what's causing that light. But be careful out there." He paused, then released his sword, clasping his hands together as he gave a silent prayer. A golden glow spread outward from his  chest and down the length of his arms, condensing on his hands as he prayed. Slowly parting them, he held glowing light in each palm, which in turn condensed into the form of an ethereal orb. "Please, take these. They're prayers to lend you Alesia's strength." He slowly removed his hands from the glow, leaving each one floating in front of the others to be taken, then parted ways with them to approach the oncoming group.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Tarkus watched as Magnus approached, and when he stopped nearer to them, he spoke. "Are you in charge here? Do you plan on approaching that light?" Most of the people who left the vehicle had made a mad dash for the city walls. While it was an understandable bid for safety, it was also next to worthless in the current situation. Tarkus did not know what it was, but given its sheer size, the walls were not going to keep everything out. "Do you know what it is?"<br/><br/>Magnus considered how to answer, raising his visor to reveal his face for easier conversation. "Yes and no. We've been pursuing who I believe to be the perpetrators of this ritual for a while now. I don't know exactly what it is, but there's a large amount of spiritual power radiating from it." He removed the jeweled amulet from his pocket, holding it up to display to the other group. "We took this from the body of an assassin, a group's leader. On our way here, it started to ring and pull itself toward that light. I can still feel it trying to draw me in that direction."<br/><br/>Upon seeing the amulet, Tarkus's teeth grit together. He knew that sigil, and while he knew little of the people who branded themselves with it, he knew that they had caused him great pain and earned swift deaths for it. He opened a pouch of his own, and held up a small collection of less intricate amulets taken from assassins who had been encountered during his travels. They were cast in bronze and lacked gem encrusting, but the symbol was identical. "Then we have the same goal," He said, returning them to his pouch. "I want to know what that light is, and I want to find who is making it. I do not know much about spirits, but she does." Tarkus stepped aside to let Vasma take the forefront of his group. "Tell her what you know."<br/><br/>Tarkus secured his gear, waiting patiently for explanations to be given. In the meantime, he looked over the others in the group. Mostly young warriors, with a few older-looking people sprinkled about. While he was less than thrilled about an Oghren's presence, now was not the time for old racial rivalries to surface. He also found something strange about the tall, thin man in the gold mask, but he could not say what exactly. Was this how magicians dressed in Ardon? The midlands had some strange customs, he learned, but none were quite the same as that. He spoke to Kaya, his voice low as to not interrupt any discussions. "Be prepared. If we are to fight spirits, then know that a simple blade will not keep them down. You must destroy them entirely. Tear them apart and leave nothing to resurrect." Without the proper power, facing even physical spirits was an immense challenge. The trolls on the road were a fine example of this, their existence as fae beings giving them immense resilience to unenchanted weapons.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>While Tarkus gave his advice, Magnus offered what he knew. "The people behind this are a religious cult of some sort, wishing to bring forth some sort of 'new dawn.' What that means exactly, I can't be sure, but I'd wager that pillar has a lot to do with it. I think they're summoning something. What it is, I still don't know, but it's big. I'd wager that they think it's some kind of god, given how fanatical some of the ones we've encountered have been. These people will die for what they believe in. Don't put your guard down if you're going to approach." He remembered the man who had allowed his face to be beaten nearly in before saying anything, and even then, only told them vague threats about their impending victory. They were very faithful, and in the wrong hands, faith was a dangerous weapon. "I think the safest plan of attack would be to use spiritual defenses on the approach. The light's aura feels...different. It's not that of any holy power I've personally felt, but it isn't demonic, either. I don't know for certain that it's unique, but it certainly feels that way."