• Closed • The All-Taverns Tournament: Ilaren's Box

[Pig Boy]

The All-Taverns Tournament:
Ilaren's Box

8th of Zi'da 721

Before Tristan had a chance to decide where he'd be going, he was handed a letter that smelled of a mixture of sweet mead and rum. It bore Ilaren's seal on its face. Inside, he'd find a note penned by Ilaren herself, inviting him to her own personal box where all the fights might be observed easily. The courier that handed it to him held out his hand expectantly, hoping for a tip perhaps.

However he responded to this demand for a tip, Tristan would find the directions on the note, led him straight up to Ilaren's personal seat in the Lightning Dome. There she sat on the edge of her seat, ready for the fighters to enter the arena. She had two dogs with her, one a small terrier which she held in her arms, that seemed exciteable. Then a more mellow hound, with a cigar in his mouth and a burgundy fur coat, and a wide muscular set.

She turned to Tristan as he entered, and pet her magnahowl terrier. "Shush Theo, Hello Duke Venora! Come take a seat by my side, and lets wait for this to begin."

"What luck!" Chester whispered into Tristan's ear. "She let us right in, you really are amazing Duke Venora, do you think I could have a talk with her now?"

However, Chester's whispers were interrupted as Ilaren announced the commencement of the next round. "Quarter Finalists! Ready! Fight!" Ilaren's magnahowl terrier bayed at the ceiling of the LIghtning Dome, it's voice filling the entire arena. "There there, Theos, they'll start now." She said, petting her little dog. He really did have a piercing howl.

As and if Tristan took a seat beside Ilaren, she'd turn to him, and ask, "It's been some time, How have you been?" She held up her drinking horn, and another cup, offering to pour him some, "Would you like to have a drink?"

[Tristan Venora]

After the chaos and all the strangeness that had taken place in the infirmary, Tristan was quite relieved when Ilaren announced the start of the second round. He was still wondering where he should go, and which match he should watch next, and if he should head to Ilaren now or later – Chester wanted to meet the Immortal, and even though the diri had briefly been willing to risk their bond, he wanted to make it possible if he could – when someone handed him a letter. He eyed the letter for a moment, taking note of how delicious it smelled – it smelled of sweet mead and rum – before he opened it which caused his eyes to briefly widen. Ilaren had invited him to her box!

He looked at the courier’s outstretched hand for a moment before he smiled, inclined his head and produced his wallet in order to give them a generous tip because they deserved one for delivering such a pleasant surprise in his opinion. “Thank you very much”, he said before he quickly followed the directions that had been mentioned in the letter because he wanted to arrive before the next round started – if he arrived too late, he might disrupt something which wouldn’t do, especially not when the one that had invited you was an Immortal!

Upon seeing Ilaren, he bowed respectfully before he took the seat by her side and remarked, a gentle smile on his face, “It’s good to see you again, Ilaren. And hello Theo. You are cute”, he continued and glanced at the little terrier in her arms before he nodded at the burgundy hound (Was he smoking an actual cigar, or was it fake?), because pets shouldn’t be ignored in his opinion. “I have a dog as well, a four-eyed NightPup from Scalvoris. He’s at home with my family right now though”, he explained, just as Chester whispered into his ear and asked him if he could talk to Ilaren now.

“I’ll introduce you to her”, he told him through their telepathic connection, not just because he had decided to humor Chester, but because not introducing his companion seemed wrong to him. If you brought someone with you, you said who they were. ”But you should keep it short for the time being. I’m not sure if Ilaren would appreciate a lengthy conversation when she’s trying to watch the fights. Thank you for thinking I'm amazing, by the way”, he added before he focused on Ilaren again, because she deserved most of his attention.

“It’s indeed been some time”, he replied in a slightly thoughtful tone of voice. “I’ve been well though. I managed to get out of Rynmere, and I’m living in the Glass Quarter and working as an alchemist now. How have you been though?” he wanted to know. He was genuinely interested in how the last couple of arcs had been treating her. From what he knew, life in Rharne hadn’t exactly been easy recently either.

“I’d appreciate it”, he replied when Ilaren offered him a drink.

Having said that, he paused for a moment, before he remarked, “I hope that you don’t mind that I brought my bondmate with me. His name is Chester, and he is a Diri of Communication. I think that he admires you”, he added with a light smirk and briefly turned to watch the proceedings in the arena before he faced her again and asked one last question, “Have you been enjoying the fights so far?” he wanted to know.

He hoped that she had been having just as much fun as he had!

[Pig Boy]

Chester waited patiently, curled about Tristan’s shoulders as he conversed with Ilaren, sharing the space with her and introducing himself to her dogs for the moment. Theo growled rather loudly at the sight of Chester, but didn’t bark… yet. Chester just gave him what he imagined was the most charming smile, and stayed where he was. “Oh, I have no doubt. I will wait, and let you enjoy the lady’s company for the time being. In the meantime, is there anything you would like of me, my bondmate?”

Ilaren meanwhile, her eyes were transfixed upon the stage where the men and women fought each other for glory and dominance. Yet something in her gaze was distant, as if she were paying attention to something else entirely different. She frowned as she watched the fight with the Angler and Vivian, for instance.

Nevertheless, she did have a guest, and poured Tristan a drink directly from her own flask, “This is a vintage from Venora, from fifty arcs past. Very rare and quite a lot of body, but a sweet aftertaste.” She poured it for him, then handed him the glass. The wine was red-purple in color, and possessed a pleasant opacity if he’d swish it in the glass.

“A diri of Communication you say?” Ilaren quirked an eyebrow. “That’s intriguing. You must tell me how you found such a bondmate. And hello Chester, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ilaren stood straight up, taking a drink of her horn as her gaze drifted back toward the fight, and then toward the audience as she saw Faith moving among the stands, collecting donations. She sighed. “Yes the fighting has had many surprises. I didn’t expect, for instance, the clawed woman to be beaten by the Angler. However, her attempt to kill him was a horrible breach of conduct… So it could’ve been better.”

“How are you enjoying yourself? Is there anything I can bring for you? Do you need anything?”

She waited a moment for him to answer her, dividing her attention between her guests and the fights below.

[Tristan Venora]

Most of Tristan's attention was focused on Ilaren, because she was an Immortal, and because he was just so very happy to see her again after all those arcs, but he did of course also check what Chester and the dogs were up to. When Theo growled, presumably at the sight of his diri, he suppressed a smirk. There was something so charming about his bondmate that he just couldn't be mad at him for a longer amount of time, no matter what he did.

"There is in fact something that I'd really appreciate your help with", he admitted to Chester through their telepathic connection, in a gentle, but nonetheless serious tone of voice. He wasn't too worried, for the time being – he was not aware of all the things that were going on in the Thunder Dome - but now that Chester had offered his help, he had decided that taking a closer look would be a good idea regardless, just in case.

"There is something going on in this place, but I'm not sure what exactly it is yet. There's something the matter with the Mistress and the ownership of this place as well as the Angler and a man that was put in the brig because he caused chaos with the handmaids. I'd like you to listen to what people - and other beings – here are talking and whispering about and let me know if you’ve found anything out in that regard. You can even understand coded language, can’t you?” he asked him and added, in order to schmooze Chester a bit because he seemed to be rather fond of praise, "You are the best diri and the best bondmate that anybody could wish for, and I'll make sure to spoil you rotten once the tournament is over."

That was, of course, not just an empty promise. If Chester helped him, he would shower him with affection because he absolutely deserved it. Help was something that should be rewarded and not just taken for granted!

There was something different about Ilaren, Tristan observed, as he watched the woman that he had spent a most exciting evening with once. She wasn't quite as enthusiastic as she should be, or as he remembered her to be. She did in fact seem slightly distant. At one point, she was even frowning, he noticed. He was about to ask her what the matter was and if there was anything that he could do for her when she poured him a drink.

"Thank you very much", he told her, swished his cup a bit, noticing the pleasant color, before he took a sip, smiling happily as he did so as he really enjoyed the taste. "It's been a while since I've drunk wine from Venora", he admitted, his tone of voice momentarily becoming a little more thoughtful. "I'm not sure if they even still make wine there. They probably have other things to worry about now", he decided.

The fate of Rynmere and the people that he had known and been responsible for once was a constant worry in the back of his mind. The kingdom where he had grown up was gone forever.

He had been reluctant to talk a lot, as he was worried that he would disrupt something and keep Ilaren from focusing on the tournament, but when she voiced an interest in learning how he had met his bondmate, he immediately started talking, and what more, his smile reappeared.

"It was in Melrath where I lived for a while with my former fiancee and worked as an alchemist. House Magnus one of the local noble houses, asked for help in developing a potion that enables the user to talk to spirits. I volunteered and decided to test the potion on myself. At first, nothing seemed to happen, so I decided to go home. On the way there, I passed by a cat colony. There were not only normal cats there, but also Chester! The potion worked!"

He said the last bit in an enthusiastic tone of voice and looked at his bondmate lovingly for a moment. A lot of things that he wasn't sure about anymore in hindsight had happened in Melrath, but meeting Chester had definitely been something that he would never ever regret!

"Parts of it could have been better", he agreed a moment later, when Ilaren shared her views of the fights so far with him, reconsidering his previous opinion as he thought about her reaction and what he had witnessed in the infirmary once more. "I really enjoyed Elisabeth's and Fastia's fight though. I have to admit, I'm partial to Ithecal fighters. Those tails are quite impressive", he admitted and proceeded to drink more of his delicious wine.

"There is nothing that I want right now - unless you happened to be hungry?" he wanted to know and raised an eyebrow slightly. "In that case, we could share some of those sweet rolls that I tried before the start of Elisabeth’s fight. They are quite delicious", he pointed out, because they really were and because he wanted her to feel better in case she was worried before the expression on his face turned much more serious.

He'd been wondering if he should say something, and he'd come to the conclusion that it would be better to speak up, just in case.

"Ilaren", he remarked in a quiet but urgent tone of voice and looked at her. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but you appeared concerned before, especially when you were watching the Angler and Vivian. I apologize if I’m telling you something that you already know, but there is something going on with the Mistress and the ownership of this place. The Infirmary was a mess when Faith and I arrived there. There’s something the matter with the Angler as well, and there was an incident with a man that caused chaos with the handmaids and was put into the brig.”

“I already asked him to keep his ears open, but is there anything in particular that Chester and I can help you with? If people are up to something questionable, we might be able to do something for you. Chester speaks a lot of languages, and he can understand people clearly, even when they are whispering, and make sense of secret code”, he added once he had given her the opportunity to consider the most concerning (and possibly already known) news. He had just come here to have fun, and to heal, but if there was something that he could do in order to help Ilaren, then he would definitely do that!

[Pig Boy]

"Well..." Began Chester, to Tristan, "Now that you mention it. I did notice some strange sort of communication going on. Not aloud, mind you, but traveling on some other frequency... Unheard things were listened in on, and spoken. Telepathy of a sort, I would say. But this was quite unlike anything I've seen before. Probably domain magic. One was making threatening noises at the Naerikk fighter before she went berserk on the Angler..."

Chester scratched his chin against Tristan's shoulder, and then lowered his gaze as Ilaren turned her eyes toward the fights going on beneath them.

Praetorum, astonishingly, had lost his match, stood stock still and let the Ground Pounder get a clinging rear-choke on his neck until the blood flow to his brain had put him under. Ilaren shouted for all the arena to hear, "The Ground Pounder has won! She advances to the Semi-Final!"

This announced, she turned a wary eye toward Vivian's match, which was swiftly unraveling. It was clear now, that something quite untoward was happening in that arena. Even the audience could perceive it, as the Angler began ranting and raving madly. The Audience began murmuring amongst themselves, reacting to the Angler's antics.

Ilaren listened intently to Tristan's explanation of how he'd come by the spirit of Communication. It was an impressive tale, and one that piqued her curiosity, but for now, there were pressing matters to attend. She could always indulge Duke Venora at a later time if needs be.

"Something is wrong down there... I must put a stop to it. This is not a fair fight." She was about to zap herself down to intervene when Tristan mentioned something about the Infirmary, and the "Mistress" who'd been put in charge of it, as well as the man in the brig. "Man in the brig? There are no residents in the brig, not put there by my lightning knights, at any rate..."

"I can't have my eyes everywhere, Tristan. Would you help me?" Ilaren said, "I need someone down in the Infirmary, to find out what they can from this... Mistress, or whoever might work with her. I must interrupt the match of Vivian and the Angler."

Shule popped up then, and began excitedly telling Ilaren and Tristan about what Faith had told her to relay, about the Infirmary and Vivian's match. That someone might mean harm to the Lightning Knight Shiryu. Yet the chaos continued to unfold all around, as this was drowned out by the next series of sounds to echo through the arena.

An echoing snapping sound, like fireworks, echoed from beneath the arena's bloodworks. Everyone in the arena heard it. At first they looked up, but then it was apparent by the slight quaking of the ground that it was not coming from above. The quaking subsided soon enough, and along with it the sound. Yet the unease it created persisted.

"Shiryu's match can wait. I... Think there's something going on in the Bloodworks. Will you come with me? It can be reached through the Infirmary."

[Faith Augustin]

The truest wisdom.....

Faith ran, as fast as she could.

Later, she would reflect on this and consider what mistakes she had made. She would evaluate and consider how she could have done better, been more. That was her way - it had always been her way, after all. But right now, Faith did what she would always have done. What, in fact, she always had done. It had got her into more trouble than she could easily describe; from threatening to pin Quio to the wall by his entrails - because she believed that Hart was Tristan and that there was something very very wrong - to throwing a broom head at Teddy Venora and chasing him out of the place with the handle of the broom. From those experiences to the War of Death & Souls, to the relief efforts in Scalvoris - to everything she ever did, Faith acted in the moment and she moved towards.

PB told her what she saw and as she ran, she got to the Infirmary. "The Angler has been... poisoned or attacked in some way. Someone is seeking to kill him," she said. "Get some guards and get him safe." She told PB to stay with him, to keep him safe as best as PB could. Meanwhile, Shule spoke to Ilaren. Faith handed the healer her own medical bag. "Use what's in here. There's plenty. Only use that. It's labelled." She looked at the Order healer with a grim expression. "We can't trust anything that isn't ours. If the people who were here before could have tampered with it, do NOT use it."

Faith was about to say something more, to explain what she had just done as she had activated Famula's Tear, but the crashing snapping sound caused her to forego that. "Send out the signal," she said softly. "If there are Thunder Priestesses in the audience, get them to help. Get the guards in here."

And Faith ran.

She ran to the Bloodworks beneath the infirmary, to the brig. She followed the trail and she did so without hesitation. Her thought process was clear, now, as she ran. She had known, she had sensed that there was something going on here. It transpired there were multiple things. People were gathering intelligence on Elisabeth and Balthazar - of that Faith was sure. The healers with the eye symbol, they were working for someone and Faith wondered if it was connected to the Angler. Whatever was happening, whatever was going on - there was justice to be served.

So, with a prayer to Famula, to Vri, to Moseke, Ymiden, Pier & Pre, she made her way as fast as she could. She was on her own, but Shule told her that Ilaren and Tristan were on their way and Faith trusted entirely that they would be here any trill now. Tristan, after all, had never once let her down and she trusted him completely. Ilaren and she had an excellent working relationship and besides, this was Ilaren's place.

Later, she would consider with a slight smile that, had Padraig been here he would have told her that she needed to stop running towards things like this. But Padraig wasn't here, and she wasn't going to change any time soon. Later, she would acknowledge that maybe she should have waited for backup.

But that was later. Right now, Faith ran.

... is resolute determination.

[Tristan Venora]

Tristan hadn’t been too worried before, but remained optimistic. Despite the strange events in the infirmary and the problems with the Angler he had been determined to have a good time, but everything had changed in the couple of bits since he had entered Ilaren’s box, heard what Chester had to say to him and been able to watch all of the fights. Unlike Faith, he didn’t have a tendency to run towards things, but was cautious for the most part. Somehow, he found himself in unusual and sometimes dangerous situations on a regular basis and attracted the attention of Immortals, nevertheless though.

When Chester mentioned some sort of telepathic communication, he furrowed his brow before he turned to Ilaren and said to her, as this sounded like something that she needed to know, “Chester told me that there was some sort of strange communication going on, telepathy of some sort that travelled on some other frequency. He thinks it might have been domain magic. One was making threatening noises at the Naerikk fighter before she went berserk on the Angler”, he finished and furrowed his brow some more as he wondered what that meant.

“It sounds as if someone’s here. Do you know anything about what Chester mentioned?” he asked Ilaren – being an Immortal, she was likely familiar with things that he was totally ignorant about – before he briefly turned to his bondmate, inclined his head towards him, as he would if he were a cat that was made of flesh and blood (He’d noticed that he’d scratched his chin against his shoulder!) and smiled gratefully at him.

He was partial to Ithecal fighters with their long tails, and that hadn’t changed. He was a bit disappointed about Praetorum’s performance though, he had to admit. Or maybe, the Ground Pounder was just that good? He thought about that for a moment. When Ilaren announced that the Ground Pounder had won and would advance to the Semi-Final, he applauded, before he focused his attention on the remaining fights. By now, even Tristan could tell that something quite strange and possible concerning was happening in the arena. The Angler began ranting and raving as if he were quite mad or …

… drugged.

“Back in the Infirmary, the Angler screamed for something that he called his ‘Lick’”, he told Ilaren in an urgent tone of voice. “At the time, I thought that he was just very, very drunk, but maybe his drink – or the medicine that people were treated with in the Infirmary – has actually been tampered with?” he mused and raised an eyebrow.

When Ilaren insisted that she had to put a stop on it, Tristan moved to rise from his seat and ask her if there was anything he could do to help once more. When the Immortal paused and posed another question, he remained where he was instead though and clarified, “The Mistress said that a man caused a bit of chaos among her handmaids and her and was put into the brig for his trouble. The Mistress said that the ownership of the Lightning Dome had put her in charge”, he added when Ilaren remarked that there were no residents in the brig, not put there by her lightning knights, at any rate.

It had taken him a while to realize it, but the fact that the Order of the Adunih was not in charge of the Infirmary was strange as well. What in the world of Idalos was going on here?

“Of course”, he said when Ilaren asked him if he would help her, just as Shule appeared. His eyes widened as he listened to the diri’s report. Up until that point, he hadn’t known that it was possible for anybody to hide from the Immortals, and he was about to ask Ilaren if she knew more about that when he suddenly heard a loud crashing snap from deep below the Lightning Dome. He froze for a moment and just stared.

“Let’s go”, he simply said to Ilaren when she asked him if he would come with her and quickly followed her, addressing his bondmate once more as he did so. “Chester, can you keep your ears open for me again, please? There’s something going on in the Bloodworks below the arena. I’d appreciate it if you could tell me if you hear anything more about what’s happening”, he said. It would be good if they had at least a bit more information when they arrived, although he had no doubt that Ilaren was more than capable of handling any danger they could come across.

She was Ilaren, after all!

[Pig Boy]

One of the healers who approached Faith, taking her medical bag from her, showed her something he'd found near the poultices used to treat the Angler's wounds in his fight with Rozkia. "We found a few grains of what look like ash? Some kind of toxin..." Faith would recognize the grains of 'ash' as Sinith Slug's ash. Whether there were any treatments for psychotropic poisons in her bag, was another matter. But the Healers would make do based on the labels.

"We'll hold up here, and do as you say then." The Blue Cloak promised.

Meanwhile, as Faith ran, there was no sign of the Mistress or her assistants. There were unearthly roars, although at times it was hard to distinguish between the roar of the crowd and whatever was tearing up down in the Bloodworks.



Ilaren looked thoughtfully at Chester, when he mentioned telepathic communication or listening. She shook her head. "Then we've no time to waste. We may have just made the biggest catch I could've expected of this tournament, but I fear it almost came at the cost of the Angler's health. Tristan, someone must treat him. I know you're ready to follow me, but your talents as a healer will be of the utmost importance in treating the Angler for his ailments."

"Come with me to the Infirmary, but no further, treat the Angler, save his life. I cannot have brawlers dying under my protection. I'm counting on you."

She did listen to everything that Tristan told her about what Chester had said. "Yes I know what he's talking about, I think. It isn't good."

"It sounds like maybe he was poisoned?" Ilaren said, but shrugged as they moved along toward the Infirmary. The dogs of Ilaren were left in the company of a couple of Thunder Priestesses who'd carry on the event in her absence.

"Someone is going to pay for this, mark me." Ilaren growled as she pushed open the doors to the Infirmary, at the same time that Vivian and her detachment of Lightning Knights arrived. "Shiryu! You and your knights are to cover the south side of the Bloodworks entrance near the Brig... I'll cover the other end."

Ilaren shouted above the noise, "There's no time to waste! Move!"

Meanwhile, the Angler was brought in by the healers, for Tristan to possibly treat if he obeyed Ilaren's request. He had the benefit of Faith's medical bag, to treat him with, as well as all the information that Faith had shared with the healers.



Deep in the bowels of the Bloodworks Faith found the crowd noise fading into the background. It was dark in there, but not enough that she couldn't find her way. Just as she was arriving around the corner from the Brig, she noted the bloody footprints ended just shy of the door that led into the jail.

There, at the end of the hallway, was a chimeric creature, part reptile and part hound, but mostly teeth claws and hardened scales. He was licking his chops at her. It was a Sesserfiend.

[Faith Augustin]

The truest wisdom.....

In the Infirmary, she had glanced down at the toxin and she sighed. "Sinith Slug Ash. It produces terrifying hallucinations that literally scare people to death," she said, quickly. "Sedate him, keep him calm. It is showing him his worst fears, so get his heart rate monitored constantly and keep it slowed down. That's how this kills." Vile hallucinations and a fear so great that it caused the heart to give out. "The antidote is oral, and can take a moment," she said, her voice urgent. "So, soporific and positive mood enhancer until it kicks in." She put the jars into the healer's hands and looked at the woman, pausing just for a second. "I have to go. Do your best and know that I have trust in you."

And with that, Faith was gone.


Later, she would consider with a slight smile that, had Padraig been here he would have told her that she needed to stop running towards things like this. But Padraig wasn't here, and she wasn't going to change any time soon.

Come to that, Faith considered, Padraig hadn't been here when she first saw a creature just like this. It had been six arcs ago now, when she had seen one. It had attacked Andaris and what Faith hadn't known then - but did now - was that the creature had been born on the trial that Faith had held the king's hand. Velijorn Burhan had been killed, the Qe'dreki rebels defeated and Zvezdana Venora had been widowed.

It was tragic.

But the real tragedy on the trial where Andaris was attacked by a Sessfiend - had been the loss of Aeon's hand and eye. Aeon was her friend, he was her brother in her heart and his mutilation by the creature had shocked her to the core. Of course, it hadn't stopped him, he'd even taught her and Padraig some sword moves, aboard U'frek's ship. But it had in been in the library in Andaris, Aeon had told her more about the creature and she and Padraig had prepared to fight it.

It was a Sessfiend.

Faith had been unable to fight the first one of these things she'd seen. It had hurt her friend. Her friend who was now dead. Murdered by a beast of a different kind and done in full view of her. Another soul she hadn't saved.


Just like the time she'd been told by Patrick that he was a Sessfiend, cursed by Syroa. Although his betrayal of her was something which still weighed heavily on Faith, she prayed that this was not him. But it was there, it was in front of her and Faith knew what it could do. She knew what it could do and she was afraid of it and the potential it had. She had seen one of these creatures tear through Andaris, she had tended to the dead it left in it's wake and she had bandaged the wounds of those who had stood against it.

And she had seen what it did to Aeon.

She wished Padraig was here. With his clever solutions and customised crossbow bolts, designed to harm this creature. With his belief in her and her ability to do things and his determination to always protect her. She wished he was here, but he was not and so Faith did what she thought was best. She reacted to the threat in front of her and in a way which was - in her mind - proportional to the threat it posed.

Because there were hundreds and hundreds of people here, and it was threatening Rharne. Ilaren was on the way, and Ilaren was the Immortal of Rharne, but Faith wielded a power which was Rharne itself. And so, to protect the people here from this creature, she unleashed her Warden powers. She called on LovalusWhen inducted as a Warden a special bond is formed between the Warden and the Heart of Lovalus. This bond not only binds the mortal to a Diri but it also forms a silent but residual bond with the Induk of Lake Lovalus. It is only the most powerful of Wardens that can call upon this hidden bond and summon forth the power of the Lovalus Induk. This ability can be used anywhere due to the power of the Heart of Lovalus, linking the Induk to all of her Wardens. Capable of being used once a season the Grand Warden may beseech Lovalus to come to their aid. If this call is accepted, the Induk will reach out and infuse the Grand Warden with it’s will and it’s power. The Warden for a time will find that their consciousness melds with the strange and wild mind of the Induk. For that one moment they will no longer be wholly mortal. The Wardens eyes will turn a bright icy blue and their skin will be radiant with power.

The Grand Warden may then control and manipulate any water within a mile of their position. They will also be capable of summoning a Brightgleam Oasis that is a mile wide and roughly two feet deep. The water summoned will heal the wounds of allies and additionally the Grand Warden can manipulate the water within it to entrap and drown enemies.

This ability can last for twenty bits before the Induk will withdraw, otherwise the Grand Warden’s body will begin to fail due to the power flowing through it. The Oasis left behind can remain or be dismissed by the Grand Warden before the ability ends. If dismissed, no more water will continue to flow from the spring feeding the Oasis and it will eventually dry up. Her aim, if it was Lovalus' will, was to create an Oasis of a much smaller size underneath the Sessfiend, dropping it in there. She was aware that they were underground, that they needed to be careful of not dropping the ceiling on their own heads and so that was her plan - to use the power of Lovalus to drop it into (or cover it with, if that was more appropriate with the water that was around them) water which harmed it. To stand as Avatar of the Induk, alongside the Immortal so that Rharne did not have to deal with what Andaris had lost so many to.

... is resolute determination.

[Tristan Venora]

“What is it, if you don’t mind me asking?“ Tristan asked when Ilaren remarked that they might have just made the biggest catch she could have expected. She had said that she knew what Chester was talking about and that it wasn’t good. He had to admit, he was getting really worried now. What had started as a trial of fun entertainment had quickly turned into a major disaster, and there was no end in sight. He decided not to panic or anything like that though, but focused on his new task instead – saving the poor Angler’s life!

“I will do what I can”, he promised Ilaren and proceeded to quickly grab his healer’s kit, because he wasn’t sure if he could trust anything that the people in the Infirmary had at this point. For all that he knew, their potions might really be dangerous poisons and such. Back when he had still lived in Rynmere, he’d never have been able to imagine that he would find himself working as a healer during a crisis at one point, but he’d rise to the challenge. He had learned a lot from his former fiancee Ashling during their time together!

In the arena below, the fights continued in the meantime, in one case only for a few moments. He allowed himself to very briefly be surprised when Vivian forfeited her match and issued a command to the Lightning Knights before he continued to hurry after Ilaren. He wasn’t sure what exactly the Angler had been poisoned with yet, but judging by what he had witnessed and what Ilaren had said, it seemed as if every moment counted.

When Vivian and her detachment of Lightning Knights arrived, he briefly nodded to her before he rushed over to the Angler that had been brought in by the healers in the meantime. The man seemed to have stopped screaming for the most part and was just cowering there now.

He didn’t look good at all!

“Ilaren asked me to help him”, Tristan explained to the healer that was taking care of the Angler and proceeded set his healer’s kit down. “May I?” he asked before he knelt down next to the man in order to quickly check his pulse – on his neck and on his wrist – which would tell him if his heart was in any way affected. He still wasn’t sure what exactly the Angler had been poisoned with, but the symptoms made it clear that it had been some sort of psychotropic substance.

Especially in large doses, such substances could affect your blood pressure and your heart rate negatively – it was a relatively common side effect. It wouldn’t do if he managed to treat the symptoms of poisoning, only for the Angler to suddenly have a heart attack. He wasn’t entirely sure what he’d do in such a case. He’d never treated a heart attack before.

He assembled a couple of medicine that might help if someone’s heart threatened to give out regardless. He had told Ilaren that he would do what he could, and he planned on staying true to his word!

“Have you managed to figure anything out?” he asked the healer that had been taking care of the Angler so far as he proceeded to quickly check the Angler’s breathing.

When the healer shared what Faith had told him with him – that the Angler had been poisoned with something called Sintih Slug Ash – he raised an eyebrow before he took the medicines that Faith had recommended, quickly checking the labels to make sure that everything was correct.

He administered the antidote and made sure to keep the Angler sedated and calm, and his heart rate slowed down, by using soporifics and mood enhancers until the effect of the antidote kicked in, as Faith had said. He knew that too much sedation might kill the man who seemed to be in pretty critical condition as well though, so he made sure to administer an appropriate amount, and only use more if it turned out to be necessary.

“Can you help me monitor his heart rate and his breathing? It won’t do if his heart stops while I treat him. I can’t do everything at the same time”, he told the healer in a polite, but very firm tone of voice. “I might also need help in case his condition improves, and he turns violent again”, he added, his gaze never leaving his patient’s face. Having said that, he focused entirely on the Angler again, carefully monitoring his reaction to the substances that he had administered, to make sure that everything went as it should. He also spoke to him in a gentle tone of voice. He wasn’t sure how effective mere words would be in such a case, but speaking to him and reassuring him might help at least a little. Tristan could be pretty persuasive if he wanted to!