[i][h3]The Vale[/h3][b]The Crypt,[/b]
[b]Currently[/b][/I]

Easing the almost accusing point of the elegant blade, its glinting finish falling to the mage's side, the younger man shrugged; the display made by the other former student seemed to be not quite so moving for him as it was for her, rather it only welcomed an almost indifferent reaction. For a moment he seemed to allow the words to settle, but the almost surprise appearance of the pantherine woman evoked a soft smile from the corners of his lips. It was almost unspoken that they were all united again just... not how they had ever imagined.

"I'm glad you at least remember me, Ruron." 

His address seemed to fold the concerns together from their words, as though he might well have been insulted by their accusations and confusion, as truly legitimate as they were. Unlike the others, whose hearts might have felt the depths of despair they began to plumb, he gave off an air of arrogance and impetuousness greater than he had before. He looked the part as always, that underlying enchanting radiance magicians of his kind oft had in appearance and dress, one too often to get the better of itself.

"As for being dead? I haven't tried it personally." Ruron continued, the free hand of the precocious sorcerer slipping into the interior of his dusky robe, plucking an odd gem that which Wick's eyes could not help but catch a glimpse of, one Katia was no stranger to either, "But that's enough about me."

"As for him," He turned on a heel as his seeming foe straightened himself up with a renewed vivaciousness and vigor, "That's the person your new friend, Birbin, went looking for - the '[i]Green Man[/i]'."

The mage laughed while Birbin looked to the two women, utterly flabbergast in expression and apparently not at all sure of how the stranger knew that; it was the only way to interpret it without words, for the wizard's mouth was agape and he could not even rouse his hands to gesture or speak as he had always done. After blinking a few times, the wide-eyed wizard bit his lip and stroked his chin in thought, adding in a soft, humbled tone to the group around him; [i]"But... Birbin never said that to him."[/i]

"You're right, you didn't, but you led me right here just like they followed you. Too bad [i]he[/i] beat me here..." Ruron continued as he held the midnight gem fragment freely in his hand, the other half to the ancient scholar's own, examining it with an intense stare. The stone twinkled some, but in an off and ever so subtle way, only long enough to let the elegant arcanist shoot them a glance.

"Oh, and about that light attracting the darkness?" 

Again the weapon in hand gestured toward the entourage, just behind them this time, arousing some looks from their lot. Where there was nothing before, the very corners where the mystic light of the shrine did not dare stretch to, many sets of glowing purple eyes illuminated now, seemingly attracted as Ruron forewarned. It was then, with a step backward into nothing, the other mage vanished, leaving the ornamented man by himself before the great slab and its eternal glow.

"Defilers... so it [i]is[/i] true then." A plate boot stomped forward toward the party, rattling the engraved snarling visage upon its shin, an act of obvious menace by the member driving it.

This further spurred the brawny Valmjr to hastily draw his companion axe from her resting place, much faster than he had been moving his hands toward before in secret. Thea and Haemar, both beside the arcane warrior, prepared themselves too as they surveyed the growing number of enemies behind them. Yet the [i]Green Man[/i] was far from finished, calling up some sort of spell with a clawing motion over the length of the blade he bore.

"I will see to it this corruption ends. [i]Feradrai ill'falel![/i]"

The sword glinted to life with an eerie, spirited green light at his command and the chaos of battle ensued as he set himself to charge, both hands upon the grip.

[hider=Sylvan]
[i]Nature's might guide me![/i]
[/hider]
[hider=Effects]
The party has a brief dialogue with Ruron who seems in a hurry to depart before the [i]Shadows[/i] arrive. During his talk, he reveals he has the other half of the dark crystal Wick has been carrying with her and seems to manipulate it in a way that allows him to seemingly vanish, but not before the enemies of the Kingdom of Light appear. [i]Shadow Sorcerers[/i] and [i]Shadow Summoners[/i] manifest, causing the [i]Green Man[/i] to swell with anger. Valmjr, Thea, Birbin and Haemar rise to the cause of keeping the darkness at bay while the others are left to the challenge of the opposing swordsman, who issues a shout in an ancient, almost elven language, that of the obscure [i]Sylvan[/i].

This encounter takes place in an area that mirrors the last, but is distinct in that a massive glowing flame without origin sits upon a shrine. Each circular brazier that has an orange center is lit with fire, whereas the two near the door were extinguished. The dark green marker is the [i]Green Man[/i], whereas the small midnight marker is where Ruron vanished.

[b]Score[/b]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEQThgfXT30]A Battle for Balance[/url]

[b]Map[/b]
[i][url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/map.html#id=4370]Seat of Radiance[/url][/i]

[b]Initiative[/b][list][*] [b]Initiative - The Seat of Radiance [/b]
[*] Cesar (19)
[*] Theodore (18)
[*] [i]The Green Man (14)[/i]
[*] Wick (10)
[*] Katia (9)

[*] [b]Initiative - The Surging of Darkness[/b]
[*] [i]Valmjr (18)[/i]
[*] [i]Thea (18)[/i]
[*] [i]Birbin (15)[/i]
[*] [i]Shadow Summoners (10)[/i]
[*] [i]Haemar (8)[/i]
[*] [i]Shadow Sorcerers (4)[/i][/list]
[/hider]
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