[center][color=a187be][b][i]Annabeth Gulch[/i][/b][/color][/center]

Djarkel was never a place Annabeth could imagine living at. She held no belief of the feud between Djarkel and Eania, but that didn't mean she felt she could live in Djarkel. It's atmosphere, it's grimm nature, and it's dark history made Annabeth uneasy in these lands. Sure there were virtues that Djarkel displays best, and not everyone from these lands are bad. Just about everyone aside from Annabeth and E'nasha came from Djarkel, and they weren't bad people. Well, vampires and assassin aside. They were good ones.

But as they traveled through Djarkel towards Craigsville, a sense of foreboding kept bothering Annabeth. Perhaps it was simply because she was an Eanian in Djarkel lands. Perhaps it was because the Nox was about as familiar and peaceful as the Inferno, as far as Annabeth knew. And she honestly knew less about the Nox than the Inferno; before Tyrael had all demons banished, she had heard tales of life in the Inferno. But she has heard nothing about the Nox. It's mysteriousness was both intriguing and frightening to the Lues blooded mage. Mostly frightening.

A few weeks had passed since they had left the last village. The carriage and drivers did not stay with them, and only Annabeth had Samson to ride. And even with him here, he was very afraid. He could sense a maligned influence, and only because of Annabeth's soothing presence (And magic) did he not simply turn tail and run. That being said, his fears mirrored Annabeth's own. Only, she didn't intend to run away from danger if she could help it. Soon the party reached Craigsville, where they were given the orders to scout the area of danger. Of course it wasn't long before danger found them, in the form of the ghouls that Craig had spoken about. They shambled towards them and Athalus's crossbow went to meet them. His first shot hit a woman dead in the chest and it would have killed her, but she simply continued forward. It was only after she was shot in the head that she had fallen.

[color=a187be]"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. The undead may be slow, but they're never easy to kill."[/color]

Annabeth took out her bow and a few arrows. The shambling undead were easy targets for her, and landing her arrows through their eyes was a simple feat. If she could land the same hit on a deer running away from her, she could do the same to the undead coming towards her. Of course Samson was even more afraid now, and Annabeth had to calm him with her magic. She knew that if these things came in a larger horde, or if a bigger monster showed up, Annabeth would either have to let Samson run or use her magic to keep him calm. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she kept it in her mind. Annabeth unleashed two arrows in rapid succession, each one aiming for a different ghoul, but only the ones who were armed.


[center][b][i]Diplomacy Mission[/i][/b][/center]

The night was young and blustering with life. Unlike Djarkel's usual atmosphere of dark dreary greys and black, this night was vibrant with colors and light that one may not typically associate with both Djarkel or Vampires. Multicolored flames illumiatning the halls as stain-glassed windows brought the moon's radiance in a variety of hues. There was a light mist covering the halls with a pleasant scent, along with food that would smell delicious and appetizing for a vampire. Unfortunately for those who weren't, the food was quite raw and pungent, what with it being various exotic meats freshly butchered for the palate of it's vampire guests.

Put if one put aside the visceral food arrangements and the odor, this gala was somewhat pleasant. There was an orchestra of skilled musicians providing ambiance, and as soon as the College students arrived they were quickly greeted by various guests, most of whom were allies of the College. The chats were simple and mostly greetings, but for some of the students they could easily discern the purpose of these meetings when their wards felt a slight pressure on them. Just a small one, as if one had bumped into them as they were walking by. But it was obvious enough: Psychomancers were trying to prod into the minds of the students. They were cautious enough to do so only briefly, and hidden in a crowd. Should Ssarak try to scan the crowd, he would find that this room had an large amount of wards present, many of them above novice quality. A few in particular were quite strong, so strong in fact that pinning down their exact location would require much of his focus.

It would be some time before the guests of honor, Lord Carmine and his son, would arrive. In the meantime the college students would have some time to leave an impression for the various barons, who seemingly were minding their own business, but were in fact watching them carefully. Fortunately, the students would have some ideas of which barons they should speak too thanks to their allies here: Baron Bryland of East Reach, Baroness Alfstanna Eremon of the Crashing Seas, and lastly Sighard of the Wyvern Hills. These Barons were only fridge allies with the College, but were much closer to the Baron Carmine. But the college's allies also warned of a threat; a few factions who disliked the alliance with the college, wishing to cut off from it to pursue their own interests. None of these factions would act overtly of course, knowing full well that in a direct confrontation they would be defeated by the college. But they should be watchful of subterfuge.

Bryland is a minor, fairly new noble. He owns only one holding, but is Lord Carmine's champion. A simple vampire, who lacks a faith in magic and prefers more physical skills. Alfstanna Eremon has been taking in refugees from all around Djarkel, and while she is willing to lend assistance to them she worries that all her resources going to them will weaken her barony. A woman of both strong will and kind heart, however she's been known for her dry wit as sharp as her arrows. Sighard has a large contingent of mages, perhaps the largest controlled by a single Baron, but lacks the facilities or teachers to train them. An elder vampire who's appearance reflects his age, gruff and aloof. However it's also said that he is one of the few vampires who could still be affected by alcohol's influence, but only a certain brand. Perhaps it is a curse, or even a blessing, but whatever it was it was also a secret. With this information the college students should figure out among themselves how they could try to gain these barons favor, or simply wait until Lord Carmine shows up and speak with him.

Among the many guests socializing, Lyn may notice one in particular. A dark-skinned man wearing a fine suit of purple velvet lined with golden silk. Glimpses of his face were short, but sure enough if Lyn had a good look, this man was unmistakable; this was the same man who had saved Lyn from the Poison Blooms from before. He was enjoying a light snack as he spoke to various barons and knights. He seemed genuinely interested, but quickly left conversations after he started them. It wasn't long before the man walked towards one of the balcony for some fresh air, leaving him to his lonesome.