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

Annabeth fired off as many arrows as she could, most of them hitting their mark but a few whiffing through the air. Try as she might however there were simply too many of these creatures for Annabeth to get all of them, not to mention that some of the others were breaking rank and running off. If they went off alone they would surely be swarmed and they need to stick together if they wanted to make it through. Unfortunately for Annabeth however she wouldn't have the pleasure of acting on that sentiment as she was soon surrounded and isolated from the others, with the ghouls between her and her allies. Samson was rightfully freaking out and Annabeth didn't intend to sacrifice him to the horde. [color=a187be]"Get our of here Samson!"[/color]

Of course the horse didn't need Annabeth's prompting to buck her off and flee. Fortunately as he did so he did clear a path through the crowd. Falling to the ground Annabeth lost many of her arrows but held onto her bow. Wasting no time she dashed from the ground through the crowd, drawing one of her few arrows and readied herself for the worse. Of course, she had expected for the horde to descend on her not for the ground to open up and swallow her. In her panic she show the darkness to no avail and was dragged into the Nox.

Annabeth woke up with a painful headache and no reconciliation of what just happened. First it was darkness and then... Nothing. The ground felt cold and solid, as if she was laying on stone. Her head felt as if someone had been beating her with rocks. Even her body ached for some reason, though that may have been because she was bucked off her horse. She did a quick inventory check and put up her wards as they usually dropped whenever she loses consciousness. [color=a187be]"Ow ow ow... Ah, still have my sword, armor, helmet, shield, bow, and... Five arrows. Damn, didn't I start with thirty?"[/color] Annabeth would just have to be more careful with her ammunition. She still kept her bow out just in case, but for now she needed to find the others. Fortunately there was some sort of light source ahead and while Annabeth was distrustful of it she went forward.

As she moved forward Annabeth did a curious wide-concentration telepathic scan of the area. She was hoping to find the others or at least something. She was only vaguely aware that she was in the Nox; nothing really told her explicitly, but considering that the Nox was a core part of her mission and everything around here was unnaturally dark even for Djarkel, she had a pretty good feeling she was in the Nox. As she moved closer her telepathic scans picked up a sense of panic, struggling, and more importantly Colette. [color=a187be]"Colette!?"[/color] Colette was fighting something, Annabeth just knows it. Scanning again near the direction she detected Colette, Annabeth sensed something but it wasn't anything she ever had to deal with before. It wasn't the others, perhaps it was a beast or demon she wasn't sure, but whatever it was it was attacking her friend.

Annabeth was moving blind through the nox careful but quickly. She had no idea what was around he, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She could at least detect Colette and whatever it was that was attacking her, and with or without vision she could sense it well enough that by the time she arrived she could shoot it. While her telepathy might not be as powerful as Ssarak's, Annabeth's specificity was perception and awareness in any situation. As long as she could use her magic she could coordinate her action in a chaotic melee or strike foes she physically can't see as long as they can be affected by her telepathy. [color=a187be]"Get away from Colette you wretched monster!"[/color] Annabeth drew two arrows and fired them simultaneously, doing her best to aim at the center of the mysterious force she was detecting.

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

The man Lyn followed was quite aware of her presence but didn't seem to react to it. He merely took out a pipe from his coat as well as a match, striking it to smoke a fragrant incense. Of course being a vampire he could neither taste nor smell the smoke, but it was an old habit of his. But what he could smell was the mortal blood flowing through Lyn's veins. Like all vampires, their senses were highly attuned to the life bloood of mortals and Lyn was no different. Young, virginal, female... Three things that vampires would love to feed off of. But this man had had his fill of blood for tonight and merely snacked in celebration rather then hunger. Once Lyn approached closer he spoke. [color=a0410d]"A lady who approaches me alone is either bold or naive. I wonder-"[/color]

When the man turned to face Lyn, now that she was closer he paused. He felt like he recognized her, but something was off. True this man was indeed an old vampire and the faces of those he met while mortal were now hazy or forgotten. But this face wasn't from long ago, but fairly recently. Yet somehow Lyn looked... Different to him. Though that was because he saw her as a child. Now she was a woman. The vampire was quite confused but maintained his composure. [color=a0410d]"Hmm... Forgive my manners. A man of my statue ought to show a woman proper respect. I am Sir Iscariot. And you are?"[/color]

Inside the knight Leith spoke to turned towards him. Although he kept the company of sniveling lackeys and courtesans Bryland could tell that Leith was from the college of Twilight, he was close to losing his humanity, and that his hand was demon possessed. Indeed a knight was more than merely a man of the sword, but one who could preform in the court of intrigue and investigation himself. But for now he would play the part of the jolly fool, as he suspected that Leith merely wished to engage in conversation. "Hello good sir! I prefer a hand-handled longsword myself. Though I'm skilled with many weapons I favor that sword as it fits my status and my enemies. Many of whom who are lightly armored or rely on their harden flesh over harden steel. And what about you, sir mage? I don't imagine that a college of mages and scholars engage in many martial arts."

Sighard meanwhile seemed to merely be sampling the various wines mixed with blood as he stood by himself, with only his retainers keeping him company. When Meirin approached he merely scoffed at her, wondering what she wanted from him. "You must be one of the jester since you're making a fool of yourself. I've nothing to say nor any desire for socialization. I am here for ceremonies only and I'll be leaving soon after." Sighard resumed drinking from the various chalices, but despite quickly draining each cup in a second he showed no sign of slowing down, nor even a hint of inebriation. Though it seemed like whenever a new platter of drinks were served to him each ones was different. As if he was searching for the right one.