<div class="floatleft">(http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd315/Kali_83/D43.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>Panthea Salvai (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=132468.msg5889710#msg5889710)<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Sage House 205<br/><strong>Time:</strong>Day 1, Afternoon<br/><strong>Tagged:</strong>Open<br/><br/><hr/><br/>The sound of the rapping was ominous and echoed a good distance inside. A small slit on the large gate before them was flung open and nothing more than a pair of eyes could be seen staring out. The eyes shifted back and forth as the owner of the pair took in all that stood before him. A mangled and gruesome sight for sure. Ten men stood on the outside of the group, each boasting the symbol of the supporter somewhere on the outside of their body, tattered clothes, the stench of the dead wafted from them. Behind those brave souls stood six slayers, a mix of men and women, blood splattered shredded clothing. In the center of all these courageous beings, stood five immaculately groomed humans, all with an air of superiority. Three men and two women controlled this mass and all seemed to defer to them.<br/><br/>Panthea was among them these five. The Grecian Order had dressed them on that first of their fateful days. A somber pall had covered the entire camp that day. Mourning for the lost was taken place even as they tied her hair into its cinched bun atop her head. And the dress they placed over her head! Oh the weight still hung upon her shoulders heavily. She felt as the sun when the moon tugs it from the sky. But they felt they felt they had to present their precious jewels with a bit of sparkle. They were the leaders of her Order and Panthea would not question them, just as she would not question their motives, reasoning, or directives.<br/><br/>So here Panthea and the others stood, exhausted, hungry, and ready to throw themselves upon the dirt for mercy were this man to only open the gate.<br/><br/>“Who goes there?!” the eyes demanded.<br/><br/>A young supporter stepped forth, taking brave initiative. “Kind Sir, I present Orion, Gantry, Leon, Panthea, and Allona, the Sages. Escorting them are Slayers, and with them, Supporters. We seek admittance into your fine city to have a word with your Sage base camp leaders.” The young man stopped his speech and looked at the slit expectantly.<br/><br/>After a long pause, wherein the eyes scrutinized every detail about the group, they finally relented. “You better count yourselves lucky. These gates are sealed tight after dark.” And with that, the slit slammed closed. With a 30 second wait, gears could finally be heard turning. Creaks and groans resounded and hushed whispers could be heard as the gates slowly swung open.<br/><br/>The group did not linger, making their way inside only moments before the gate closed behind them. Shifty eyes appeared before them, a grizzled face on a stout guard taking their place. “Little Jake here will take you all to the closest Sage house. Best you all rest there for the evening before continuing on to the Tower Camp house.”<br/><br/>A young boy bobbed up in front of the cluster. “I’m Jake!” He said, obviously excited to have been awarded with such an important job. “Follow me! Right this way!” He exclaimed, bounding off. He’d run a short time, then stop and run back to make sure they were following, before sprinting off again. He reminded Panthea of a small puppy out for a stroll.<br/><br/>Through the streets they went, avoiding large puddles and deep muddy areas. The camp was in ruins and this saddened her, for even the most deconstructed rubble in Greece had a bit of beauty to it. The ever vigilant supporters and slayers scanned every alley, building, and being for signs of trouble. As they approached the river, Panthea stopped. She shielded her eyes with a puffy clothed arm and stared at the images before her. The large calm river was engulfed in a fog, that parted slightly to let through a ferry on a rope pulley system. A slight breeze picked up the fog and enveloped Panthea, giving her aan ethereal visage to any passersby. That same breeze also brought with it the stench of the surrounding camp. Panthea’s nose crinkled in disgust and she turned to continue the walk. The others had paused to wait on her, but continued when she did.<br/><br/>It was about a fifteen minute walk but to the group it felt like hours. It had taken two weeks to make the journey from Greece’s shores to the gates of Anders. They had been a much larger number when they’d started and the continual loss of heroes made each member grim. Sleep had only come after many days, when exhaustion just took over the body. When this happened, only a few hours of sleep was allotted in shifts, for easiest protection. But they had made it and here they were, standing in front of the doors to their destination. After two grueling weeks of terror and fatigue, it all came down to that young man’s knock on the Sage house’s door.