Everything would have been so much easier if the group had just stepped aside and let her pass. So far their resistance has earned them a lump of a goliath sliding all over the ice on the floor, and an arrow in one of their female's shoulders. [i]Wonderful.[/i] Worst of all, the blame, and whatever wrath might come with it, would probably be falling on Araerys's shoulders. Even worse than that was the fact that this whole ordeal really was her fault, and her guilt sat like a stone in the middle of her stomach. She had led these hell-spawn straight to this uninvolved motley crew, had pleaded that they rally to her side of the fight, consequently involving them permanently; the result was a flat out brawl that began in the blink of an eye. She had hoped there would be time for at least [b]some[/b] negotiation before resorting to combat, but it seemed one of the more forward - or perhaps, reckless - of the group had other plans.

Still, she was grateful for their help, whether it was intended or not. Undeserving though she probably was, Araerys felt some stirrings of camaraderie towards these travelers, and remained rooted to the spot instead of simply taking off while they distracted her foes. The half-elf, somewhat shocked at the speed with which events were unfolding, remained [s]beside[/s] behind her original point of contact as she cast her spells on her blue-faced predator until her senses returned to her upon watching the bolt imbed itself into the elf's shoulder.

She knew that her next move required her to create space between the ingrate and the group for their safety. Taking a half-step from her place behind the tiefling, Ary took a quick breath and began singing a melody of disjointed notes, harsh and jarring in their complete lack of harmony. No one else but the human male could hear it, and Araerys made sure the dissonant melody was continuous as she waited for it to take its effects on him.

[hider=Boops]Ary casts [url=https://www.dnd-spells.com/spell/dissonant-whispers]Dissonant Whispers[/url] ([url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/rolls/2782]16[/url]) on the human that shot at Ceria.

[@JBRam2002] Masked Figure + Ratfolk are up next, followed by Yvah [@Ms Ravenwinter]![/hider]