“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster”
― Friedrich
Nietzsche
Gennadiya Lyosha
Ruin's Dawn: Noble Shadows
35 of Saun, 721
Gennadiya worked next to Woe as the two took turns healing the girl. Between their training and Moseke’s healing gifts they were bringing the girl out of danger. Genna was gentle and firm but her focus was on the young woman who was laying on the now clean bed. She continued to dip cloths from the now clean tub of brightgleam oasis water.
She paused as a chime radiated throughout the chamber. Even the focused healer felt her attention drawn away from what she was doing by the sound. And then her focus was pulled towards the a vision. The young lady watched the event with the same calm she took in most things. The vision was educational and while the young woman was only vaguely aware of dragons and my this surrounding them she had been through enough strange things to take it in stride.
Once the vision ended the adored of Ymiden and favored of Moseke turned her attention back towards the healing the young woman but her attention was once again drawn away as she watched eggs begin to hatch. Her sapphire blue eyes grew wide in surprise and while she continued to drip the water on the young woman working to pull out the heat and the fever she watched the creature.
She didn’t feel threatened by it though as she watched more. They worked to keep the strange liquid away from the the crowd and the healer wondered what kind of effect the liquid would have on them if they had touched it but she control the experimenter in her. At least for a moment.
One of the dragons, she was guess came to sit by them. Genna looked at the creature and could sense the concern but she only had a moment to look at it before something truest odd happened. Genna turned in time to see Zoro being gathered up by shadows. Genna kept to her feet and out of her palm burst light as she summoned Ray of Sunlight and attack the shadows trying to banish them before they could take Zoro. Her eyes blazed with anger at one of her companions being stolen. She let the light go and with a frustrated grunt looked at the others. “Does anyone have any clue what is going on here?” She said even as she moved back to the young woman. Her sapphire gaze once again settling on the dragon creature. She took a deep breath and then used her ability Eyes of the Beholder between herself and the dragon creature so that she could better understand what it was they were and wanted or maybe even needed.
"We are them who have been Called
to Fight Ruin itself."
Gennadiya has been called by Ethelynda
To fight Faldrun in Nobles Shadows
Zoro was a good lad. Woe thought the world could use more like him, of people who would pull together and give what was necessary for the good of all. At least, that was the impression the biqaj gave Woe. He nodded one last time at the man before turning his attention once more to the patient.
But then, as the patient seemed to be doing better, a strange atavistic feeling came over Woe. Suddenly, he was thrown back into a vision of the past (?). A vision of Ethelynda, and a man, and a great beast, the likes of which Woe had never seen before. It resembled a Sohr Khal, but then, it was different somehow. Well obviously bigger, with more wings, and grandiose by all comparisons. He listened to the vision but understood little of it. There was simply no context for him to grasp on, without prior knowledge.
Then just as swiftly as it arrived to them, they were back in the room with Alvor and the girl, and the eggs. Then the eggs began... hatching. Great armored beasts with wings and red eyes emerged from the eggs and began lapping up the afterbirth. Curiously, they appeared to be preventing their fluid from reaching any of them, as well as the girl. Perhaps it was harmful somehow?
The impression he got of their body language, was that they meant well. A poisonous creature that meant well? Wonders never ceased, yet Woe could feel a certain kinship instantly with the creatures. They were beautiful, in a way.
Woe let Gennadiya continue attending to the girl, while he faced the reptile. He spoke to it then, in both common signed language as well as the spoken language. "Hello, are you alright? Do you know where we are?" He asked the small reptile as if it could answer. Then he turned to Alvor, "What are these creatures, do you know? They're beautiful."
Alvoth lowered his head when he was scolded by members of the group. He had tried to heal the girl, but he knew nothing of her race. He was different from her. Once upon a time he had been tasked to protecting the artifact that was held within. It did not take long for the to start looking better from the work that Gennadiya and Woe had done. None of which would have been possible if it had not been for with people who had come before them. As Sage began to look better even starting to make sounds of waking up. The guardian moved over excited to see that she was doing better even possibly going to wake up.
“Sage! You have done it she is well once more,” Alcott exclaimed getting close to Woe and Genna.
The man was not smelly or unkept from what they could tell. He simply was not knowledgeable on the ways of helping people. Alvoth moved back and turned towards Xander when he began his questioning. The guardian made a rumbling noise for he had no control over the puzzles. Each one was different based on who entered. He was simply there to oversee the rooms care. It was not his task to watch the girl until she had wandered in half starved nearly a century prior.
“I am not versed in healing as your companions are outsider. Nor do I control the rooms. My place here is to see to the care of all the rooms. That is till she came along trying to hide from someone. She had become lost in this place and neared death. I fed her, gave her a place to rest, and made sure she was clothed. It wasn’t until the others of your kind came that she obtained such injuries,” Alvoth stated, “as to your question they are still here. They had taken a different path than you. However all converge on the room outside this door. Eventually they will arrive as well. No, the doors do not close until the need for outsiders is completed. If a new group were to enter before you and the fires ones left the doors would then close. In order to have them prove themselves.”
The man growled and looked when the girl finally started to open her eyes some. He moved closer but made sure to not be in the way of Gennadiya or Woe. He and the girl both shook their heads as the vision took over everyone’s sight. Alvoth rubbed his face some and looked as the eggs cracked, making an excited noise he watched in great anticipation as if he had been waiting a long time for such to happen. When they hatched, he watched as they began to clean up the mess from the eggs. All but one, it immediately when to Sage’s side and sat with her and the healer.
“It is done Sage. They are here and one has chose you. I fear this may soon be the end of your time with me. You will need more room for it to grow into,” Alvoth said with a tinge of sadness on his voice. For he had enjoyed having the girl as a companion as they waited for the eggs to hatched. But the caves were no place for her to live the rest of her life perhaps this new group could take her away from there when it was their time to leave.
“I can only fathom a guess to what they are. I knew once when they were first placed under my care. But I’m afraid time has robbed my memory of their species,” Alvoth looked when the dragonlings tried to help Zoro keep from being swallowed by his own shadow, “I am afraid I cannot answer that question young healer. Nothing has made sense after the first group arrived.”
A laugh in the previous room caused the guardian to look. It was a humorless tired laugh that caused him to move closer to the healers. The dragonlings did not take kindly to the newcomers moving to stand between the enemy and the party helping Sage. They did not respond to Woe when he asked them questions for they either did not know how to speak or wanted to play games after awakening.
“You, guardian have been a thorn in our side since we arrived. But it seems even after your precious rooms claimed two of our members we still found what we seek. Tell us where the artifact is and we will only destroy you. Well you are your newly hatched pets that is. The girl is defenseless against us,” a male Aukari said walking into the light cast by the door another male following him.
“No, Alvoth. I must help,” Sage whimpered and tried to sit up past her injuries before crying out falling back against the bed she had used since arriving.
Info & Rules
Thank you everyone who posted this round. Xander has missed one round. If another round is missed you will be written out of the thread.
Due to the timely nature of the global please make sure to let me know if there is anything I can do to help you or if I need to clarify anything. I am sorry for the late reply everyone the hurricane that hit the south threw off my schedule for writing and school.
The next mod post will be on September 7th. Please make sure you have replied by midnight on September 6th.
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster”
― Friedrich
Nietzsche
Gennadiya Lyosha
Ruin's Dawn: Noble Shadows
35 of Saun, 721
The young healer listened but was generally just annoyed at the world right now. She wasn’t particularly up set at the creature name Alvoth. There was just so much about what going on the wasn’t making sense. The young woman had found herself in someone else’s game with out clear understanding of the game.
At this point they had lost two members of their party. One she believed migh have just chose not to follow them while Zoro, who she had grown to respect had suddenly and violently been taken and even Genna’s light hadn’t been able to stop it.
The chosen of Ymiden took a deep breath and looked at everyone still in this room. The girl appeared to be doing better but she was clearly trying to push it. Genna put her hand on the young woman’s shoulder and said. “Relax you are doing better but if you push it then you be back we’re you where.” She said with a calming smile and her gentle voice.
The conversation continued and the healer listened and watched all that happened. It was then that finally the mysterious enemies showed up. Genna actually had no problem with Aukari. In Rharne she actually fought against persecution of them. She though did have a problem with people threatening to kill others and the newly hatched dragons.
Genna stood up and spoke and as she spoke she used her ability Calm Before the Storm. The user of this ability can target one person who is able to hear them. The ability lives within the words that are said and this ability is especially powerful in the moments before a verbal argument comes to blows. The target will feel all anger, annoyance, fear, and violence seep away from them. It may not change their minds about their disagreement with the other party, but they will no longer feel compelled to escalate the argument. This ability is triggered with a few words or sentences to the targeted individual. Those especially learned in Meditation can resist, but cannot hold their anger for long. This ability is useless against those that are already in pitched combat. “You don’t need to harm those in the room. It would be best if you kept looking else where.” The ability wouldn’t necessarily change their mind but it did help dispel aggression. Genna but her hands on the young woman and continued. “We need to take this young woman to safety.” She then stood up and grabbing her bow said “And it would be best for your interest if you calmed down.”
What Genna did next wouldn’t affect her first ability as no harm would come from her bow. As she quickly pulled it back she used her Edict of Lovalus This ability can be cast from Genna's hands at half-effectiveness, infused into any bow she wields for full-effectiveness, or cast from a Spiritborn Weapon for double-effectiveness. This will create a spirit arrow of concentrated ephemera, similar in consistency and effect to Brightgleam Water, however highly concentrated and functioning as a spirit projectile. Upon contact with the target, the energy diffuses into them, and immediately forces a powerful calming effect on their minds, at max effectiveness equivalent to that of a Master-level Empath attack that brings with it an intense feeling of relaxation that can cause unconsciousness if the target cannot continuously resist the attack, and causing docility and aversion to combat in those who cannot completely shrug off the attack. Genna is also able to tailor the effectiveness of each arrow to suit her needs at the moment. Using multiple arrows on the same individual does not boost effectiveness. and launched a energy arrow that suddenly appeared first at the leading man and then at the second. Once they were released she dropped her bow and throwing her self over the girl hauled both of them behind cover.
"We are them who have been Called
to Fight Ruin itself."
Gennadiya has been called by Ethelynda
To fight Faldrun in Nobles Shadows
“Whoever fights
monsters should
see to it that in
the process he
does not become
a monster”
― Friedrich
Nietzsche
Xander Andaris
Ruin's Dawn: Noble Shadows
35 of Saun, 721
Things seemed to move quickly one moment they were discussing how the girl had gotten to the point she was and trying to work together to heal her and then the next thing he knew there were strange black beings emerging from eggs and lapping up the contents that came out with them. Xander was not sure what to make of the sight and he was not sure whether these new arrivals were friend or foe. Though as he watched them they did not seem to present any immediate threat to the group who were present.
In fact they seemed to attempt to protect Zoro as he was all of a sudden taken by his own shadow, an event that Xander did not think any of them could have anticipated and one that he was not sure any of them could have been prepared to handle. After Zoro disappeared Xander was pondering what this meant for them and what they were supposed to do now.
Alas it seemed his thinking was going to be disrupted as a cruel mirthless laugh broke the silence eminating from the room before the one they were in. Xander whirled around his hand moving to the hilt of his sword without a moments hesitation and as the men came into view and began to speak Xander drew his sword. There was a high pitched whistle as Xander's sword cut the air the Adamantite blade held out quivering in the direction of the interlopers.
The tienete inlaid into the sorelian steel crossguard shimmering in the low light of the cave. Gennadiya spoke and Xander listened, he would not make the first move here if she had a way to bring this to a peaceful conclusion although he doubted it greatly. If they had come this far and were dead set in their ways he did not think they would be able to change their minds about that.
Though Genna acted even after she had finished speaking and Xander saw her release the two arrows at the Aukari who had antered. Though they were not the usual arrows you would expect to see and Xander watched as the two ethereal arrows flew at the enemies. He would wait to see the outcome of those arrows before acting but he prepared himself should the time have come that he need to step up and fight to defend the girl from the enemies who had caught up with them.
"We are them who have been Called
to Fight Ruin itself."
Xander has been called by Ethelynda
To fight Faldrun in Nobles Shadows
Woe was ignored by the beasts surrounding, as well as Alvor, which suited him fine. Things were moving quickly from one to the next, and he probably didn't have the luxury of receiving prolonged explanations as to what was going on here. But when the voice cut through the air like a hot iron, threatening the girl and the dragonlings, Woe stood to attention, and with one hand holding the handle of his coiled whip. He was ready to use it, but he wouldn't, yet.
Instead, he tried to establish a dialogue with the Aukari. He could be quite persuasive, more so when holding a weapon, and so he felt confident he could get at least a perfunctory explanation of the man's motives before things degenerated into violence. The scent of aggression was in the air, Woe could sense it through his mark of Ezere. This man hadn't yet attacked but opened up with a monologue about his intentions. This gave Woe hope that he could extract at least some knowledge from him before the situation devolved.
Yet he would be ready if the man showed the slightest aggression toward himself or his companions. And he would react accordingly, with the lash of his whip. So, holding his whip in his hand, he attempted to get the Aukari's attention, "What do you want with this girl, or the creatures, for that matter? What have they done to you? Why do you wish to harm them?"
Having asked these questions, he waited for an answer but was also prepared to fight if worse came to worst. He was confident between the skills of Gennadiya and the nobleman Xander, that they could make short work of these Aukari if they didn't allow a chance for the peaceful exchange of information.
OOC
Woe used his capstone, which lets him convince a person to just talk and stand down from a fight, as long as he's holding his weapon. This will not hold off aggression indefinitely, but if an NPC is inclined to speak, they will likely respond in kind as long as Woe is talking to them.
Also used:
Ezere's The Smell of Conflict This ability can be used to smell aggression and the intent to harm. Violence or the potential of violence has a strong smell. Some marked use this ability to patrol the streets of their city, following the scent to scenes of violent crimes and putting a stop to them. Others catch a whiff of violence growing in the bar and decide to call it an early evening. If someone intends to do the marked one harm, one with this ability can smell it on them.
So if the Aukari means to attack directly, Woe will be prepared to defend and retaliate.
Sage whimpered and nodded when Genna put her hand on her to keep her on the bed. She wanted to help and scratched on the underside of the dragon’s chin with a soft smile. The girl had been waiting so long to see the little eggs hatch. Now after all the work to keep them and the artifact safe they were in danger from fire men. She looked up when Genna stood and faced the enemies same with Xander and Woe. The girl was unsure if they were truly concerned about her and the dragonlings, but she would take any protection they could get.
“Ha, calm down. Lady you would do well just to leave this place and forget your task. We know you have been working through the rooms just as we have. From your state of alarm, I’m guessing you lost at least one person to this horrid maze. I plan to get revenge on this place just as soon as I find what I seek. Now guardian! Where is the artifact?” the aukari snarled and whipped around to look at Alvoth.
“Stop toying with them. Just kill them all and drag their corpses to her. She will be greatly pleased to see that no one stands in her way here,” the second Aukari male said close to the first one’s ear.
The two Aukari looked at the group that stood before them. Three that were prepared with weapons to fight, the wounded girl from their first entrance, the guardian that had stolen their kill from them in the initial fight, and creatures that had not been there when they first approached the door. The second Aukari shoved the first out of the way just in time for both arrows that Genna shot to hit him. He groaned holding his head at first before slowly beginning to calm.
“No, they are right. This is a senseless battle brother. If they can find the artifact, we could leave without losing anyone else,” the man said while holding his head. His thoughts clear for the first time since they departed for the caves.
“What did you do to him?!” The first male growled and stood up ready to fight only to be affected by Woe’s ability next.
The bloodlust that had once saturated the air around the two aukari began to calm down to a muted scent. Though it was still in the air no matter how faint. The pairs eyes seem to uncloud while they took deep breaths listening to the group. The first male stood up straight and looked at Woe as he asked his questions.
“We have no quarrel with the creatures running around at your feet. They will protect the guardian though so they would be an enemy. The only problem we have with the girl is that she attacked first when we arrived and found her with the eggs early on in the caves. We never expected the guardian to appear and blind us so he could take her from the battle. The rest of the time we have been fighting to figure out these cursed rooms. We failed several times and lost two members who had come with us,” the man said and looked when the other began to speak.
“We were sent after an artifact for Lord Faldrun. But when we arrived our minds became clouded. We have only felt the urge to find the artifact and kill any in our paths. I do not know why but until now we have not had a clear mind,” the second Aukari stated while looking at the group. It was clear from their eyes that neither were lying.
Info & Rules
Thank you everyone who posted this round. Xander has missed one round. If another round is missed you will be written out of the thread.
Due to the timely nature of the global please make sure to let me know if there is anything I can do to help you or if I need to clarify anything. I am sorry for the late reply everyone we signed papers selling our house yesterday and I lost track of time.
The next mod post will be on September 14th. Please make sure you have replied by midnight on September 13th.
The former mage looked across at the Aukari, giving them a cool stare as his fist tightened around the hilt of his barbed whip. Woe overheard the voice of the second Aukari male, which he said close to the other’s ear. A threat against them, there was a muted sense of aggression here. Woe’s attempt to diffuse the situation dampened the scent of aggression, but it was still there and would likely flare up before long. If the task these Zealots were set to was to destroy these creatures, the girl he’d taken it upon himself to heal, and fetch the artifact for their evil lord, then Woe wasn’t going to allow it.
So they were at an impasse. There would be no peace or neutrality here. Woe had only one choice to make, continue to talk them down, or take initiative from them and destroy the Aukari.
He adjusted his shaded spectacles on his head and looked across the way at Xander. Using his magic shades, he conveyed his plan of attack against the Aukari in the space of a mere moment. ”They will not leave here without what they’re after. We stand and protect these creatures and Sage, agreed? You take the vanguard, and I’ll support from the flanks with my whip.”
So having thus conveyed his mental message, Woe turned his left side to the Aukari. His whip was nestled on a hook on his right hip. He shot another glance at Xander, and if the man conveyed his willingness to move forward with Woe’s plan of attack, the mage would lash his whip against the second Aukari, the one who’d made the threat against their charge’s life.
The lash would almost certainly strike true, as he was aiming for the Aukari’s carotid artery, intending to slice it open with a single lash. He would adjust and make room for Xander to maneuver around, and with his exquisite control of the whip avoid tangling his weapon up with Xander’s actions.
OOC
Woe used his capstone Whip it good which can make his whip as sharp as a sword. He attacked the second Aukari, aiming for the neck area.
“Whoever fights
monsters should
see to it that in
the process he
does not become
a monster”
― Friedrich
Nietzsche
Xander Andaris
Ruin's Dawn: Noble Shadows
35 of Saun, 721
Xander looked between Gennadiya and Woe as he listened to what the Aukari had to say and even as they were hit by the calming effects of Woe and Genna's attacks he knew that what they were there for and what they had come to do no matter what would put them at odds with one another and while for now they were remaining peaceful he knew that eventually no amount of forced peace would be able to stop them coming too a violent end, whether it be at the hands of these two specific Aukari or there allies and leaders who Xander had no doubt would remain loyal to Faldrun and his orders in the end.
Any agreement they could come too here would be one of convenience that would not stand the test of time and the Shieldbearer was not sure whether he was willing to risk making an agreement here that might only serve to kill them later. It seemed that Woe had come to the same conclusion as he conveyed his plans to the nobleman who not wishing to lose the advantage they had from the calm that had come over the Aukari joined Woe in making an attack.
There was a pang of guilt in his head as he lunged forward towards the lead Aukari, it felt somewhat dishonourable to fight them like this but he had learned long ago that honour was more often than not forgotten in a true life or death fight. Thrusting his sword at the mans stomach he made sure not to over extend himself and to be ready to take on any kind of parry and counter that his opponent may throw at him, making sure to remain ready to adapt and not to commit so much to one attack that he would open himself up to an easy counterblow.
His sword moved in the low light with a morbid beauty. Ever since he had recieved the sword as a gift he had marvelled at how something so deadly could also be so beautiful. It was strange the things people went to an effort to make attractive to the human eye when at their core they were just a tool of death. Xander tried not to let the thought distract him as his sword moved on its deadly trajectory towards the stomach of its target shimmering in the light of the room.
Sometimes peace was not an option and Xander knew that sometimes even the good side, which is what he believed he was, had to attack first. Also, while it had been some time since he had needed to act so, Xander was aware that sometimes good people had to do bad things and that sometimes a few might have to die so that the many could live. Xander believed this was true, he had to believe it was true, lest he risk losing his sanity by finding that the opposite was true.
"We are them who have been Called
to Fight Ruin itself."
Xander has been called by Ethelynda
To fight Faldrun in Nobles Shadows
The two Aukari watched the two men closely slowly beginning to gain more hostility back into their minds. As their eyes began to take on the same hardness as before. They would have the artifacts and one of the dragons with them when they returned to Faldrun by the time the night was over. The first drew his blade while the second repositioned his grip on his spear. The time for talk was ending, it was clear the outsiders would not be moving so they would have to be dealt with. The little dragonlings hissed and moved in front of Gennadiya and Sage while staying out of the way of the two big men.
“It seems that we have reached an impasse. Seeing as how you will not move,” the first Aukari said and jerked back bringing his blade up to try and block Xander when he attacked.
It was clear that neither expected the two men to make the first move as the second smaller Aukari scrambled out of the way nearly tripping over the end of his spear. The dragonlings ran around Woe’s legs to get in the direct line of the second male. Standing together they opened their mouths and began to emit a black smoke in the direction of the smaller opponent. Alvoth watched amazed that they would choose to stand beside the newcomers. Though they had been helpful and not lashed out at any of them.
“What the?” The second attempted to get up as the first puff of black smoke hit his face causing him to breath it in while panicking.
The man coughed and tried to wave the smoke out of his face, but no matter how much he moved the burning in his lungs wouldn’t go away. What scared him more was the fact he was not able to see, the loss of vision was more than just a normal loss. The first Aukari growled and pushed back against Xander when their blades clashed trying to get some kind of separation. Alvoth spotted the acid from the eggs and moved quickly digging out holes putting egg shells in them hoping to keep the acid at bay while the group was fighting. The sound of a thump made the guardian turn quickly seeing the healer woman passed out on the ground.
Alvoth made a strange disgruntled noise and moved over picking her up moving the body so that she would not be on the ground if the acid continued. Sage looked at the dragonling beside her before forcing herself to sit up at least. The dragonling nodded and began making noises to the others working to help the big ones fight off the threat.