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"I am sorry to hear about the deaths of your men, Luna," Ethelred spoke to the knightess. "It appears that we both were up against foes who proved to be much stronger than we anticipated. If I may ask, did they have anything to do with the bandit band that attacked Airedale, or were they an unrelated gang?" If the brigands from before were trying to obtain strength after the glaring defeat the knights had inflicted upon them, that could be a worrisome development.

This new knight, Niall, sounded like he would be a welcome addition to the group, if Sorcha could trust him. He noticed that the knight did not remove his helmet, and was curious as to why. Ethelred also never removed his helmet, but that was not by his choice- just like the rest of his armor, his helmet would not come off. There were many reasons why one might choose not to show their face, some more innocent than others. If he joined Sorcha's order, it would likely be inevitable that the others see him without his armor and helmet, unless it was stuck on him like in Ethelred's case.

Whatever the case was, another knight would be a welcome addition, especially with the loss of Od. From what Vyrell was saying, two new matters had already come up.

"I'd be willing to address the Unseelie sightings," he stated to Sorcha. "I know all too well the trouble they can cause, and they may have some answers that I seek."

Of course, it'd be unwise to go alone. The Unseelie were a tricky race, and Od's abduction was a grim reminder of how important it was for the knights to be watching each other's back.

Assuming Vyrell doesn't stay at the castle, he'll probably be more interested in the elves. Luna might be interested in the Unseelie if there's any chance that they were connected to the bandits' strength. I suspect Reinhardt will need to get his armor replaced or refitted, although he doesn't really need it. Fio is probably too busy working on her prisoner. Niall is a complete mystery to me, and I'd rather not put Lugh in harm's way, he thought as he looked over all the other knights.

Elnith, however, she might have an interest, he thought has he turned to the cursed knight, currently receiving some healing from Luna. The Unseelie wronged her far more grievously than myself.

Ethelred could feel his temperature becoming a smidge less frigid. Perhaps it was just the aura of Elnith's curse affecting his own curse. Clearly it was a strong effect, if it warmed him enough that she was able to sleep with her head on his shoulder without suffering frostbite. Perhaps the chill of his armor alleviated the pain of her burns. Whatever the rationale was, he was glad to be there for her.

He hesitated to ask anything anything, however- after all, Elnith was still recovering from her burns and deserved some time off after her very unpleasant imprisonment. While his face could not be seen, the others might notice the direction he was facing, and the ice thawing on the outer edges of his armor, with beads of water running down his helmet.

@Pyromania99@Rune_Alchemist@Guy0fV4lor
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@Rune_Alchemist

Reinhardt didn't waste time in departing from the War Room as he and the other Knights, only stopping long enough to give his comrades a brief address as he'd step out into the Village, "I'll be on patrol if anyone needs me."

Though the Queen's reaction had been far more calm than he'd expected, unease played upon Reinhardt's nerves; though much like the injuries he still carried from the previous mission-- he would betray nothing of it to others as he would make his way throughout Airedale. Stopping by the Blacksmith to drop off his armor for resizing, the Knight would leave the workshop with a large canvas; wrapped tightly around whatever wad contained within. Continuing past the gate, Elias would march off into the woods; out of sight.

He needed to clear his head.
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Location: Airedale keep
@Crimson Paladin@Pyromania99



“...Thank you for the concern, Lady Luna, but please, its really not needed.” Elnith replied with a quiet chuckle. She would not resist, though, merely quietly offer Luna a gentle smile as she worked her magic. Still, even if she could heal…Elniths wounds wouldn’t be so easily dealt with. She could make the lesser burns better, but anything more severe? It would require multiple days to heal.

It was likely only a small comfort that Elnith was of a superhuman constitution.

Vyrell, meanwhile, took the token gently from Luna, staring intently at it. Whatever he was thinking was difficult to tell over his usual unreadable face.

“...Hm.” Vyrell handled the crest, turning it over a few times before looking back towards Luna. “As you are aware, I’ve spent time with the elves of Lymensari, the Fomorian and Unseelie of the Laughing Wood. I am aware of history and stories not common to most humans.” Vyrell glanced back at the crest. “If you’ll let me have it, I shall dig up some information from some of my sources. My intuition is telling me that whatever is going on with this sigil it could affect her Majesty.”

“Well, if you’re done with me, Luna…” Elnith smiled, pulling away from the knight. “Someone is staring at me rather intently, so I should probably go say hi. Thanks again, Luna.” She’d reach up, pat Luna on the head, and headed back over to Ethelred.

“If you keep staring at me, people might get the wrong idea, Sir Ethelred.” She greeted him. “Thank you again for coming to my rescue. I realize I should have been able to handle that much myself, but…I guess I’m still not good enough…” She shook her head, banishing the negative thoughts. “Do you require my assistance for something?”

Hearing that Ethelred may be going to hunt the Unseelie, Lugh would quietly, move over, though he didn’t immediately say anything as he’d just stare up at Ethelred with the biggest, pleading eyes he could muster.

Location: Airedale Forests
@Guy0fV4lor



Reinhardt would head out of the city, past the city gates, and into the nearby forests. They were mostly safe, thanks to the routine patrols and most things seemingly just having a natural tendency to stay away from the city for whatever reason. He might run into a hunter or two, a farmer out for a walk, or some children playing outside the walls, but for the most part, it was just him…and the sound of nature.

But out here, one could only remain alone for so long even then. Instead of a child, some farmer, or some other such person…he’d find a fairly unfamiliar woman, drawing something into the dirt with a wooden staff.

Short brown hair, pale blue eyes and a white dress on an overall petite frame.

“Interrupt my spellcasting, and I’ll turn you into a frog.” She’d say in his direction.

Location:
L̴̻̔ð̵̡͠§̵̞̌†̶̳̽ ̴͎̍Ð̸̺́ŗ̸̏ê̸̛̲å̵͎̿m̵̭̈́
@VitaVitaAR



Focus. Like a lucid dream. She focused on the bandit leader and the fomorian, easily found by her distinctive, messy blond hair. A distant as she was though, it wasn’t easy to make out their words. The Fomorian herself was seemingly lounging about on the ground, lazily stuffing her mouth with some sort of dark colored fruit. Annagan’s face for whatever reason, was completely blank, like someone had scribbled over a drawing. Perhaps the fomorian hadn’t bothered to remember his face.

“What’s the matter, musclehead? I thought you’d be attacking those dumb lightswords already. Or has your blood run cold?”

“Has anyone ever told you your incessant chatter is worse than the laughing fey?”

“Pfft, I’ll take that as a compliment….” The conversation grew dim for a few moments as Fio began moving towards the basement, words heard, but drowned as though they were spoken through water. “...have you given up? Given up your pursuit of strength?”

“Of course not.”

“Pathetic. Then why do you keep rejecting my…experiments?”

“Simple - I want to crush them with my own strength.”

“...Hypocrite. I’ve already given your men strength.”

“They made that choice themselves-”

“...Heh. We’ll see how long you say that for…”

That was all she could hear of the conversation, their voices fading into the distance. The basement under the large wooden construction was easy enough to find. The rest of the base was fragmented, murky, as though the fomorian couldn’t be bothered to remember it all. As she’d step down the path and into the cellar of the place she’d find something quite…unexpected.

Instead of the cells of the forts basement, she was now standing in some sort of man made cave it seemed. Patches of the ground were smooth, inky black, as though the floor of this dreamscape was melding with the ground in certain places, or simply weren’t being remembered well. At the end of a long hallway, she could hear two voices speaking but they were only accompanied by vague shadows.

“...how long do you intend to keep up this farce?”

“Farce, C—--?” A voice she’d recognize as the fomorian prisoners and a masculine voice she felt was familiar, but couldn’t quite immediately place. “I don’t know what you mean. I’ll break them, and those damnable lightswords. I just need to…convince him.”

“...we both know you’re here for something else, Cethlenn. Luckily for you I don’t care for your schemes for they’re nothing to Lord —-.”

Obscured names. Was the fomorian trying to resist? She had a name for the fomorian now at least it seemed. Cethlenn.

“Whatever do you mean? I’m just a harmless little scientist looking for greater power and understanding. These funny little humans will be excellent sources of information.”

“...suit yourself. I’ve been instructed to help. I shall take some men, and harass the Lightswords for some time. Do hurry up. We are getting impatient with your lack of results in this matter.” Wait…that was the voice of the fomorian that attacked the Lightsword Outpost! If nothing else, this confirmed they new each other, but it was hard to say much else about what was happening, or what all this information currently meant without more context.

The shadows would disperse, and the long stone hallway she was in would rumble slightly, and the wall behind them sinking into the ground and allowing further passage within.

Behind she could hear the sound of what sounded like more shouting, back outside in the fort the way she came. Ahead, it seemed…the cave let out into the large expanse of blackness that extended outside of the camp.

For a brief moment, she almost thought she heard something whisper for her to head that way…but there was nothing that way except an endless expanse of nothingness.
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"Please do, Sir Vyrell. If you could figure out anything, I would be most appreciative. I... This thing makes me curious and for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps it makes me more concerned than it should." Lunalel said, looking to the side wondering if she's was being a bit too worried. "Hmm, yes, that issue aside you mentioned something about Elves at Nid's End? I've not seen many elves in my lifetime. Plenty of giants, but I can really count the number I've seen on one hand I think." Figuring out why there were any amount of elves nearby would be a pleasant escapade compare to what she had just observed. "I wouldn't mind going and see what that's all about. Know anything about them?" She asked hoping that they at least seemed friendly.
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Cethlann. The prisoner's name was Cethlann. That much was already more new information, but it went further than that. The masculine voice was one she couldn't place, not immediately, but after hearing him talk a little longer she realized that it was the very same voiced as the Fomorian warrior they had faced before, with the distorted three-armed form. So they had been working together.

Though it sounded like that relationship had been rather shaky. As if Cethlann herself was not performing as their leader-whoever that may be-desired.

But that couldn't be it.

She had to learn more.

Fio's eyes narrowed at the faint sound of the voice beckoning her deeper into the cavern.

It was dangerous. It was far more dangerous then anything she had done here so far. Fomorians were cursed beings, and there was no telling what touching that deeper blackness within the target's memories would do.

And yet...

"Oh wind. Oh water. Oh light of stars," began the diminutive witch, be it in her oh mind or words she was truly speaking it was difficult to tell, "May purity be granted upon me. May no curse or wickedness find purchase in my soul. May my body repel all evil."

It couldn't possibly hurt to reinforce the purifying seals that she had painted all over her form. After a scant few moments more of hesitation, Fio steeled herself once again.

It was not because of that whispering voice that she proceeded down this path.

It was because she had to force her way deeper into the Fomorian's memories.

And with that, the Sword Witch proceeded into the cavern.

@Rune_Alchemist
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Ethelred looked away, embarrassed. Normally it'd be difficult to see what his eyes were doing behind his helmet, and it was handy to allow him to take note of things without alerting others to what his attention was on, but clearly he had failed to be subtle here. He only hoped it didn't upset Elnith.

Unfortunately for the Frozen Knight, when he averted his gaze, it went straight down to where Lugh was, silently pleading with puppy-dog (or fox, or whatever animal he shared he bore the features of) eyes to accompany him on this mission.

"Don't blame yourself, Elnith, you didn't know that you'd be facing that monstrous wyvern." he assured, looking back at her, unable to continue to meet the Tuatha's eyes. "If it was a Fomorian like Sorcha believed, I'm confident you'd have handily slain it."

"And yes, I would like your assistance," he continued after glancing over the other knights. "It looks like Vyrell and Luna will be going to find the elves, and I'm unsure what Elias and that Owl Knight are up to. Might you accompany us on the mission to Hrelskins' Fall? You know better than most the harm those evil fairies can cause. Besides, it looks like Lugh wants to come, and I could use some help keeping an eye on him."

He wasn't entirely comfortable with Lugh coming along, but the Tuatha needed some practical experience if he was to become one of Sorcha's knights someday. Additionally, given how elusive and nimble the diminutive Unseelie could be, Ethelred couldn't deny that the squire's magical skills and senses could be quite useful for this mission.

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Hidden 1 yr ago Post by Rune_Alchemist
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Airedale keep -> Nids End
@Pyromania99



“Truthfully, I don’t know of any elf that would willingly go to Nids End.” Vyrell shook his head, pocketing the emblem. “The elves of Lymensari are fairly isolationist. They would only consider leaving the forest unless they had no other alternative. And Nids End of all places? Its so close to the Laughing wood, I can’t imagine any elf would willingly even go there. Most elves would rather flee than engage with a human, too, so you may have problems tracking one down, but if they’re actively showing themselves…” Vyrell thoughtfully hummed. “Well, best I can tell you, Lady Luna, be careful. Something about this doesn’t quite add up from what I know.”

With that, he’d leave Luna to prepare for the trip. It’d likely take a few days journey there and back, so getting some food and potentially asking if someone wanted to come with her was apt. Though with Elnith and Lugh seemingly intent on helping Ethelred with their fairy problem, that left Reinhardt and Niall. The former seemed to have already left on his own, while Niall seemed to have excused himself from the hall entirely.

That just left her and her ever faithful maid, Sucaria. The two would leave as soon as they had packed everything, Sucaria being Luna’s only companion for most of the trip which the maid was, perhaps, a bit too happy about. The travel to Nids End though, was fairly uneventful. A few days of travel along the coast, taking care of a few Fomorians that crossed the roads, and eventually the pair would reach their destination. The craggy, rocky, coast of Nids End. Covered in short grasses and eternally cloudy skies and a cold, gray gloom over the land as the coastal waters crashed against the coast.

“Lady Luna…” Sucaria’s usually impassive, slightly teasing gaze turned slightly sour, her lips turning down ever so slightly as they neared the coast, no path or road having carried them here. “...this place is…it makes me uneasy.”

That wasn’t odd, really. Nids End was one of the most dangerous places in Albion, known for teeming with Fomorians and Unseelie alike, not to mention a rumors and sightings of an Elder Beast which seem to somehow command the two creatures and telling them to attack any who got near.

Why a bunch of elves would be here was certainly curious.

Luna, would thankfully, not have to search long.

She’d hear it first. The sound of a jovial tune of a flute playing. A few raucous bits of laughter that would sound more at home in a bar than anything else, and a stark contrast to the general atmosphere here. There was also the faint sound of fighting. Perhaps it was an Unseelie trap?

If she did indeed, decide to investigate, It was perhaps, a rather odd sight. A rather petite looking elf who couldn’t be much younger than Luna with short, messy white hair and eyes the color of rubies. Her most striking feature was that strapped to her back was a shield nearly as big as she was, though she didn’t seem to have much trouble maneuvering with it. In one hand, was a rather ornate one-handed sword, gilded in golds, greens, and reds.

She was currently engaged in combat with what seemed to be a large fomorian. Built like a human, but with large, reddish colored skin and a single eye - a fomorian of a cyclopean build towered over her, but she didn’t seem bothered at all.

Not far away, in a small semi-circle around her and a large fire sitting on what was possibly the best place to land a ship for miles, were a group of elves dressed in dark green and red colored armors, and behind them beached on the coast were two ships. Each elf was armed, and on the sails of the ship, was the crest of a stylized red colored leaf.

None of the elves seemed particularly concerned about this. In fact some were taking bets or seeming amused by this whole situation, passing around what was presumably alcoholic drinks.

Sucaria seemed for once in her life, somewhat baffled by what she was witnessing.

Location:
Airedale keep -> Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin



“Hehe, thank you for the vote of confidence,” Elnith smiled softly. “But next time, I won’t let such a beast best me.” Lugh’s expression immediately lit up hearing that Ethelred would allow him to come. He didn’t say anything, merely eagerly jumping once, then immediately running off, presumably to get his equipment ready for the journey. “Well, Lugh seems eager to work with both of us, so I see no reason to decline.” Elnith continued, watching Lugh run off. “Allow me to get my things. I may be a bit tired still, but I’ll do my best.”

It would take a bit longer for the two of them to get ready, and by the time the trio would leave, it’d almost be nightfall for the day. Thankfully, the lake was only a day away at most and they’d reach there by evening the next day. Upon enquiring in a nearby village the trio would be directed to another village only another days travel away along the north western edge of the sizable lake quite close to where the waterfall that fed into the lake from the northern mountains and glaciers flowed.

Fey were nothing new in the area, in fact it was the main reason most people didn’t choose to come to the otherwise peaceful lake. There was always a chance of running into an Unseelie here. Normally, though, they didn’t cause much trouble - the moment they had gotten into the next village mentioned, however, something clearly was amiss.

The entire place, though it had people here, actively avoided the knights as they arrived. Many would run inside at the sight of the trio, specifically it seemed Ethelred had put them on edge, a few shouting that the unseelie had returned and swiftly fled indoors.

“Something…certainly has them scared.” Elnith idly commented, dismounting her steed and lugh soon following suit. A few villagers remained in the main pathway through the central part of the village, but all avoided looking directly at Ethelred, Elnith, or Lugh, hurrying along and going about their business for fear of drawing their ire.

Location:
—--------
@VitaVitaAR



The endless blackness beckoned, and so Fio went. She had already gained a good deal of information she could use to try and pry more answers out of the Fomorian. Her name, her relationship with that three armed fomorian, whatever she was doing with the bandits as well as whoever was employing her.

Deeper had to have more memories, and more information?

Of course.

But…

If this dream realm was part of Cethlann’s memories, then why was there just an endless expanse of nothing here? As Fio moved deeper into the cave, through the door, she’d find herself in a vast expanse, the instant she stepped out of the cave, the camp, cavern, everything disappeared behind her in a near instant.

She was simply just alone now. Alone, in this endless expanse of dark, glassy ground. It was hard to tell how much time she’d pass here. Whether she’d walk or stay put, it would all amount to more or less the same. Soon large, broken, rectangular objects began slowly growing from the ground, stubby looking branches and appendages reaching for the alien stars above the sky - except now there hung a large, white sphere, illuminating the dream world she found herself in.

And then…a crack formed in the sphere.

Rather than a crack, though it was more like a single, horizontal line.

And it opened, revealing within, was a large, single eyeball. Red and swollen, black, cursed goo leaked from under its eyelids and fell to the ground, the ground quickly shaking and seemingly becoming less solid under Fios feet as she’d start to sink into the ground.

The air became dry. Her lungs felt heavy as breathing became difficult.

The warding sigils on her skin began burning.

The rectangular structures seemed to be burning, melting, and slowly merging into the blackness below her.

This was bad. Whatever this was, it wasn’t just a simple curse that was trying to claim her. This malice, this hatred, this sheer fury she would feel began screaming in her head, demanding something from her.

And yet, even as above the stars dimmed, in the distant murkiness, she could see something shining faintly. From it, came a wave of calmness, and a gentle tugging. The light seemed to lessen the effects of whatever was happening in this quickly collapsing dream but she’d have to hurry lest she be swallowed.
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Nothing.

There was nothing even resembling further memories this way.

Damn it. She'd made a mistake. This ominous expanse was nothing useful for her, and put her at far too much of a risk of being exposed directly to massed curses.

The only choice Fio had was to try and cancel the spell, at this point. There was no way head back as far as she could tell. Her hubris had wasted her opportunity to gain further knowledge.

At the very least, she now knew that Cethlann was connected to the three-armed Fomorian, and she had some inkling of direction to drive her questioning at the very least. Any knowledge gained this way was valuable.

Then the great sphere in the eye split apart. Within, there was an eye. Swollen, reddened, fixed upon her and bleeding cursed ichor from within, weeping blackness onto the world below.

"That's...!"

The fear that rose in Fio's heart simply wasn't something she could control. But even as she tried to turn, to cancel the spell and break the connection, she felt her lungs burning. Her skin, the sigils she'd painted on her body, burning. Her entire body felt like it was on fire.

It was difficult to breath, to move. The world around her was collapsing, melting away, becoming a thick mud to entrap her feet and drag her down. The terror was mounting in her heart, cold fear eating away at her, her eyes wide as she tried to struggle against the decaying dream around her. She could hear a howling voice in her mind, demanding something from her, to claim something of her.

How could she escape? She'd mired herself this far from the Fomorian's memories, in a land of hatred and malice, a nightmare dreamscape of curses and anger. How could Fio possibly pull herself away from this? Even as the Sword Witch... she'd been so foolish. So utterly foolish to come this way. It felt as if the sigils were going to scald her flesh, to burn their marks onto her skin.

Had she failed?

Was she going to be drowned in curses?

And yet... there was the faintest light, flickering away...

Even the sight of it suddenly reawakened something deep in Fio's heart.

Her fists clenched.

"... You... you won't have me, filth! I'm not an amateur who can be defeated by something like this...!"

The glaring eye was no longer her concern. She had to leave it behind. She would leave it behind!

The Sword Witch dragged herself towards that flickering, seemingly-distant light, putting all her power into her limbs to push herself onward, away from the cursed mud...!

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The atmosphere at Nid's End was somewhat oppressive. When Sucaria mentioned feeling uneasy, well, Luna felt it as well. "It's not just you, Sucaria. I find it odd that elves would be here on that note." Why would they be? It was beyond expectations to be sure. This place was a craggy, dreary coastal mess and her limited knowledge on elves was that they liked forests and had some sort of ancestor worship. Perhaps there was something related to that here?

Truthfully, despite thelack of road they had to take, Lunalel was surprised to find the place so easily. She'd have thought that they would run into a Fomorian or Unseelie of some sort as the two of them found themselves here but there were none. She coulent tell if that was a fortuitous sign or not. That said, she had lilely foumd her answer soon enough.

The elves seemed to have some sort of party on the shores. Their two ships beached with a symbol that might mean more to here if she knew anytging more about elves. The majority of the forest-folk seemed to be dressed in red and green armor while there was one girl fighting some fomorian cyclops. While her first instinct was to jump in to help, it seemed to be a non-issue. Otherwise, the rest of the elves would do more than laugh, play and bet.

Perhaps a rite of passage of some sorts. The knightess couldnt say she hadnt been throughbone at some point. She watched the fight a small bit before catching a look at the elf's face. Something about her ruby eyes transfixed Luna for some short time before her senses came back to her. Blushing a small bit from that, she looked towards the rest of the elves on shore. "Shall we greet our new friends, my dearest maid?"

Hopefully they would not take offence to her joining as she moved closer to the elves not fighting and raised a hand. "Hail, friends from across the sea. My name is Lunalel Lightsword and this is my Maid Sucaria. How fare you all?" She asked, hoping that no one would be one the defensive here.
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"I agree, something is amiss here," Ethelred replied to Elnith's observation, as he looked around atop his icy horse. "We need to find someone willing to talk."

Ethelred knew that this was the place they were looking for. It was normal for people to feel some apprehension and fear at himself and Elnith, but this village was the only one where they fled inside and worriedly sought to avoid their attention. It certainly wasn't normal for people to claim that the Unseelie had returned when fleeing into their homes. The knights needed to figure out what was going on as quickly as possible- the longer they remained in the dark, the more danger both they and the locals would be in.

The problem, however, would be getting people to talk. They might be frightened enough to not offer any resistance to those they believed to be with the Unseelie, such as Ethelred, but Ethelred would rather not cause any of them further distress, nor give them a reason to distrust Queen Sorcha.

"Lugh, see if anyone in the town center is willing to talk," he instructed the squire. "Don't hesitate to give them those pleading eyes. Elnith, could you keep an eye on him, make sure nobody gives him trouble? I'm going to try one of these houses."

Ethelred dismounted his horse and walked up to one of the houses whom he had seen a villager flee into. He knocked on the door, which he assumed would be locked, latched, bolted and barricaded.

"Hello? I am Sir Ethelred, Knight of Airedale. Is anybody home?" He felt that it'd be best to try a somewhat subtle approach at first (or at least as subtle as a crystalline horseman atop a crystalline horse, a cursed berserker, and a Tuatha could be). He wasn't sure if they'd answer at all, but their reaction, whatever it was, might provide some useful information even if they didn't cooperate.

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Even as irritation with his own inability festered in the back of Elias' mind, his stone-faced expression held firm as he nodded to the handful of patrols and children he passed by. Though such sights in the forests about the border of Airedale's walls were far from irregular, the constant encountering of other people proved particularly bothersome given Reinhardt's mood. A slight frown crested the edges of the knight's face; the further souring of his mood was no fault of the people he encountered-- these were the very people he was supposed to protect...

That he was sworn to protect.

That he had given his very life to protect-- time and time again.

.....

"Inadequate."

It was the only word for a Knight too careless to fail foreseeing a Fomorian until it was too late, a Knight too incompetent to keep the comrades he was charged with safe, a Dragonslayer too sloppy to slay a mere Wyvern; even overgrown as it was.

Elias' teeth ground together tightly as he dwelled on his failures, tossing his weapon-filled canvas to the ground in silent frustration once he was certain he was well and truly alone.

“Interrupt my spellcasting, and I’ll turn you into a frog.”

An unfamiliar voice snapped Reinhardt from his trance. With a deep breath, the Knight raised his shield of stoic composure once more before slowly turning to appraise the source of this unexpected interruption.

Elias' gaze carefully scrutinized the short, brown-haired woman. Though her frame was unassuming she was clearly a spellcaster; meaning her physique would only betray precious little of her own capabilities, the lack of stains or otherwise marring the color of her white clothing did however hint that the woman's abilities were not insignificant at the least. Reinhardt frowned as his gaze travelled onward; tracing carefully across the formation the woman seemed to be tracing in the dirt. Though he normally would've dismissed this sort of seemingly innocent practice of spellcasting from what appeared to be an average human Mage-- this was uncomfortably close to Airedale's walls, and though Reinhardt couldn't say he was particularly well-versed in the study and practice of Magics, he was at least confident that spells requiring sigils and circles to be etched into the ground were designed were typically the kind that were designed to cover a large area, or channel something especially potent.

Even innocent as this Woman seemed to be, this Stranger was far closer to Airedale than Reinhardt was comfortable with; especially considering how unusual recent predicaments had been.

"I apologize for distracting you, I'm only out here to get a bit of quiet practice myself." Elias spoke calmly; retrieving a simple sword from his canvas as he would settle himself a decent distance from the Mage before casually beginning to take practice swings, "May I ask what you're casting?"
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Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99



As Luna approached, the fight commenced. The elf spared not a glance towards Luna, entirely focused on the behemoth of an enemy in front of her. She brandished her blade, holding it in front of her with a surprising amount of grace as she’d stare down the single eyed fomorian. The creature bellowed out a laugh, obviously enjoying this little show as much as the elves seemed to be.

He would strike first, using his impressive size and weight as a weapon to engage with the elf with his bare hands, striking downwards with his fist. The elf, in response, danced to the side, swift as the wind and causing the strike to miss completely, slamming into the ground and kicking up some sand.

The elf followed the attack with one of her own, slicing into the flesh of the cyclopean mans knees, the blade easily cutting through the thick flesh and rudimentary armor he was wearing.

“Oi, its a human!”

“So it is! I’ve never seen one before.”

The rest of the elves immediately acknowledged her presence though, a few getting up from where they were sitting, though the one playing the flute gave her a friendly wave and kept playing an energetic tune.

“Oh, oh, maybe she can help us?”

“You think? We are strangers here, and Lady Sarah would probably welcome it.” Finally, after a bit more discussion one would wave Luna over with a friendly smile.

“Hail, friend. I can’t say we’re from across the sea, but well met nonetheless.” He’d glance over towards the fight that was happening. “Take a seat by the fire if you want. Lady Sarah - the lass fighting there - would probably like speaking with you once she’s done with that.” Sucaria remained quiet, though Luna could tell she was still uneasy. “Don’t worry about them, by the way, just a bit of fun before dinner.”

Location:
Airedale keep -> Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin



“Got it. Will make them talk.” Lugh nodded, before scampering off towards the center of the village.

“That boy could learn to take it slow sometimes.” Elnith chuckled, turning briefly towards Ethelred as she’d leave. “Be careful…fear makes people behave rashly, Ethelred.” She’d say no more as she’d follow after Lugh who was already trying his boyish charm on some of the locales who were more flustered than anything, it seemed.

So Ethelred would walk up to a nearby house, pounding on its door loudly like an unwelcome winter air. Immediately from within, there was a shout, followed by the sound of something behind dragged.

“Go away you fiend! You won’t take me or anyone in this house!” From the houses second floor though, Ethelred could see a rather plain young woman at him from a small window on the second floor, her amber eyes peering at him curiously.

“...you’re not an unseelie.” She’d state, rather flatly. “What are you, some sort of ice man from the north or something?”

Location:
Airedale Forests
@Guy0fV4lor



“I could tell you, but it’d probably go over your head.” The mage replied in a curt, smug manner with a catlike grin, still scribbling into the soft earth more. “But if you insist - i’m simply using a field of magical energy collected from this forest and earth in order to create a barrier that blurs reality and separates one's physical senses from it in a localized, designated area, thus creating imaginary things that have real and actual effects on the area within it.”

She seemed rather proud of that explanation as she’d finish drawing, nodding excitedly as she’d hold her wooden staff.

“But since I doubt you’d understand the intricacies of it, I’ll save you from a headache.” She’d move away from the circle. “Now, unless you want to experience it for yourself, I’d suggest you leave. I was alone out here for a reason, since these spells can be rather dangerous.” She’d hold her arms out, drawing a sigil in the air with the staff.

“Spirits of the deep, the roiling oceans, the rumbling earth, separate ones dreams from falsity,” Whatever she was doing, reinhardt could definitely feel a surge of magical energy from the sigil she had drawn, though what it was going to do was up in the air unless he understood what the heck she had even been talking about earlier.

Location:
—--------
@VitaVitaAR



A cry of defiance.

The angry shouting, whispers, voices roiling in her head demanding hatred only intensified as she’d double down on her efforts to leave. Whatever this was, she instinctively knew, that if this thing caught her, she wouldn’t get away with her mind or body intact.

She ran, the ground beneath her feet wobbling and becoming a bottomless pit of malice mere seconds after she’d pass. Blackened tar splashed against her skin, the realm turning a burning, dry red as the rectangular pillars burned and fell around her. The eye burning holes into her very soul as it watched her flee, demanding she stay, demanding, shouting, yelling unintelligibly at this point, all of the voices mixing into a cacophonous slurry of hatred.

And in front of her, the only pinprick of calming light in this realm.

It was hard to say how long she’d run for. Her lungs burned, body ached, the sigils were a tattered mess, but she was almost there. The light seemed as though it hadn’t gotten closer at all, and this place was crumbling faster and faster, the giant eye was now taking up most of the sky, suffocating nearly everything in this realm.

“Hurry…my power…is not strong…remember…this is a dream…”
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That voice...

Fio could practically guess who it was, even with the fact her body was almost burning up. Her lungs were on fire. Her limbs felt weighted down, like they were coated in lead.

Everything was dying. Crumbling, Melting. A yawning abyss of curses opening behind her with every struggling step she took.

The enormous eye beholding her, staring down at her, fixing her in its gaze.

The light seemed no closer. Everything seemed like it should be hopeless. Despair was indeed licking at the edges of Fio's spirit, like a fire slowly consuming a library. It threatened to consume her. To leap up and devour her.

The faces of the people she knew were growing ever more distant. The other knights, the Queen... her family...

It would all burn away and melt into the muck, just like she would.

Just like...

Just like...

Perhaps being a particularly confident person was the reason why.

But the more those voices screamed at her, the angrier the Sword Witch grew. How dare they. How dare they think she had any right to keep her here. She had a life to live. Promises to fulfill. Knowledge to grasp ahold of. And she wouldn't let any damned curses interfere.

"Like hell I'm sticking around, you bastards!" Fio snarled, not even bothering to look over her shoulder as she dragged her petite body through the mire of corrupted mud, "The Sword Witch doesn't sit around in muddy swamps full of curses, and she doesn't waste her time indulging nothing but a bad dream!"

@Rune_Alchemist
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Defiance. The voices raged, swirling around her in a tempest of malice and hatred. It wanted her to stay. It wanted her. It wouldn’t accept any other outcome. The ground beneath Fio began to waver, the ground finally collapsing and something grabbing her leg, trying to pull her down, to keep her here.

Yet -

It was not to be, not today at least.

Something would grab her wrist, pulling her from the other direction. Briefly, she’d be dangling above the sea of hate and malice, as it roiled and bubbled beneath her until she was quickly pulled upwards, a calming, peaceful presence washing away the malice, and just in time as the warding sigils covering her body had nearly, almost, completely burned away.

As she was pulled away from here, however, Fio would briefly get a look at something behind her. Dozens of arms was trying to pull themselves out of the muck and grime, but before she could see completely, she was finally pulled completely away from this realm.

And she’d find herself falling once more. A shorter fall, thankfully, as she’d soon find herself being surprisingly gently landing on a pool of water.

Getting to her feet, she was in some…odd realm again.

Where was she? The malice was gone, Cethlann’s memories were nowhere to be seen. She was in an endless expanse of shallow, ankle deep water. The stars and various planets twinkled above, and in the distance she could see a structure of some sort reaching high into the sky.

More immediately, though, Fio could a swirling vortex of water, gently, lazily, rhythmically spinning. In the middle of the swirling water, she could see a single entity.

A girl dressed in a long, dark blue robe flecked with specks of white, ethereal looking rabbit ears protruding from her head. with short cut black hair and deep, dark blue eyes. She couldn’t be very old, and wasn’t much taller than Fio was.

Looking at her made Fio sleepy for some reason.

“Oh, good…you lived...” The voice that had been guiding her so far was this girls it seemed. It reverberated through the entire area, almost sounding as it was coming from everywhere at once. Somehow though, Fio got the distinct feeling the girl was somewhat disappointed.

“What a terrible dream…but how exciting…maybe I’ll write it down to tell a story later…” The vortex of water slowled, eventually until it completely dissipated. The young woman would gaze at Fio with sleepy eyes from a distance, not deciding to approach. “Are you here to tell me more stories? Make more dreams for me? Maybe sing a lullaby?”
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You won't have me!

She felt something gripping her leg. Her heart hammering, her eyes burning, she pulled away, no matter how strong its grip was she would fight back.

You won't have me!

The earth was melting away around her, collapsing even as the grip on her ankle didn't falter, pulling harder, to drag her further down. The world itself was trying to devour her.

You won't have me! You won't have me! You won't have me you won't have me you won't have me you won't have me!

Something gripped her wrist, and she clung back onto it just as tightly.

The mud gave way. The grip on her leg loosened and then lost her completely. Fio was rising now, a soothing feeling like cool water washing over her as she was pulled further and further into the air.

Only briefly did she look back, to see scores of writhing, flailing limbs snatching at the air, emerging from the increasingly-distant muck as the cursed realm fell away.

They wouldn't have her.

Somehow she was somewhere else now. She was falling, but the soothing sensation around her stayed her heart and kept her from panicking as she had before.

The slender, petite girl felt her bare feet lightly touch cool water.

When she was able to examine herself, the sigils on her body seemed to have almost completely burned away. Their protections would have lasted scant seconds longer, at most, the pale skin beneath nearly completely exposed.

That was more then the mere curse inhabiting the body of a Fomorian. That was something deeper and more ancient. Something twisted at the very core of a cursed being's existence.

And yet here, in this place, that hatred and malice was gone.

It was relaxing. Calming. Had Fio not had a goal in mind, she could have easily slipped into the dreamworld herself.

Above her the stars. In the distance a tower stretching towards them.

And she wasn't alone.

The Sword Witch's eyes fell upon a slight figure, not incomparable to herself, seating in a gently swirling about them. A girl, with the ears of a rabbit extending from atop her head.

There was no doubt in her mind who this was, for she had invoked her a the very beginning of the ritual.

The Goddess of the Deep Lake. The Sleeping Girl in the Dark Water. But a gentle and soothing darkness, not unlike that of one's bed.

When Fio looked at her, she could feel her eyelids growing heavy. But she shook her head and inhaled deeply, trying to steady herself.

The Sword Witch wasn't entirely done here.

To be face to face with what was undoubtedly divine was hard to come to grips with in her mind, but at the same time that didn't mean she was going to become speechless.

Her voice came form her, but also from the entire shallow lake.

Exciting.

Fio hadn't found that particularly exciting at all!

"Hmph, well, I guess if you thought it was a good story then something came out of it," she found herself saying, folding her slight arms across her chest as she shook her head again slightly to try and clear the sleep away.

"You must be the Goddess of the Deep Lake. The one I invoked to come here in the first place," continued Fio, "I didn't intend to tell a story, myself... I guess it's more like I came here to read one."

Given how the Goddess had reacted, perhaps she had ended up telling a story anyway.

"... I shouldn't have strayed into that cave. I can't believe I let myself do something so stupid," she found herself saying, her frustration growing once more, fist clenched at her side as she averted her eyes from the Goddess. It was a waste of all her preparations. Certainly she had learned quite a bit, but she'd lost her opportunity for more.

"... I-if you want to hear more stories, I don't know if I have many to tell, though maybe you'll see something in my dreams," she continued, still looking away, "A-and... and I'm... I d-don't sing, so..."

@Rune_Alchemist
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Luna grabbed Sucaria's hand, to calm her a small bit through the discomfort she felt. "If you don't mind, we'd be happy to join you." Luna said before taking a seat with Sucaria. "I must say, we don't see many elves either in the Lightsword Domain nor Airedale. Glad to see you lot are at least happy to see me. My recent encounters with strangers have been at the end of a blade." The Knightess mentioned, recalling the recent encounter with bandits recently.

"I wasn't too worried about that after I realized you all were watching." Luna mentioned, before admitted. "Though, at first my initial thought was to jump in to help. It's a dangerous world we live in after all. Besides, we have Rites of Battle back home similar to this. Though, it's usually sparring between recruits and they're nowhere near as skilled as... Lady Sarah, was it?" The human mentioned shaking her head. "Still, what is it that you seek help for? I can't promise help, but I'll do what I can."

After asking her questions, she turned to Sucaria and spoke quietly, "Are you still feeling ill at ease?" She wasn't sure how good elven ears were, but she paid it no real mind. Sucaria tended to have good instincts and she didn't want her childhood friend to feel uncomfortable.
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@Rune_Alchemist

Reinhardt paused briefly as he mulled over what the the mage had said,
"So you're effectively using ambient Mana to create physically solid illusions within a set area?" though the stranger's explanation seemed to be intentionally overcomplicated, Reinhardt still wasn't entirely ignorant on the subject of magic; his general intuition doing the rest to piece together what the Mage had conveyed...

In fact-- wasn't this (in a sense) similar to Fio's sword summoning?

Regardless of what surface-level similarities the formation seemed to have with Fio's own particular staple Magic, that wasn't important at the moment. "So long as you're being truthful, I've no reason to stop you-" the Knight replied with a shrug, "I'll be fine right where I am. Just pretend I'm not even here."

Regardless of how truthful the petite mage (which seemed thus far a running theme between the Female spellcasters he'd encountered) had been, she clearly didn't seem to regard him as anything more than a random passerby; likely assuming disregarding him as a typical villager. Even if it wasn't particularly good for his mood, it seemed he would be stuck babysitting the all-too-arrogant Mage; prepared to intervene in the ritual or even arrest and detain the Mage should things turn in a direction he disliked.

The Knight sighed quietly.

Could this day get any more irritating?
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Ethelred wasn't surprised by the occupant's unpleasant response. These people were clearly scared, and for those already living in fear of the Unseelie, it was understandable that they'd see someone like Ethelred and assume him to be with them. However, it still left him dealing with the difficulty of getting answers.

One option would be to attempt to reason with the people, convince them that if they're right and he's an Unseelie, then it'd be most unwise to be uncooperative. On the other hand, he didn't want to scare or coerce these people, and like Elnith said, fear could push them to act rashly. It would be best to play it nice, although it'd take longer to coax answers out of these people.

Fortunately for the Frozen Knight, someone else in the house answered him. A woman on the second floor looked down at him and, after correctly concluding he was not an Unseelie, asked what he was. Now they were getting somewhere.

"No, my lady, despite my appearances, I am a human," he answered her. "Rest assured, I am no friend of those wicked fey, and neither are my companions. We've heard rumors of Unseelie around here and were sent by Queen Sorcha to help you. If your household is unwilling, is there someone that we may speak to that could explain exactly what is going on?"

@Rune_Alchemist
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Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99



“...mhm, I am.” Sucaria replied plainly. Something about this place just made her…heart feel heavy. Feel ill. It had nothing to do with the elves, moreso the land itself it felt like.

“No? We hardly leave the forest, so that’s to be expected! Anyways, come on, take a seat, have a drink.” The elf would shove a mug into Luna’s hand. “Aye, this is more of a sport. The big guy over there challenged us to a duel. Said if we win he’d show us around a bit and tell us about this sorry piece of land we find ourselves in.”

Lady Sarah and the Cyclopeon fomorian continued their battle in the background. As her blade struck through his knee armor and flesh, he’d let out a grunt of pain, but would soon retaliate with a strike of his own. Before the blade could sever bone and tendon, he’d lash out with his leg, kicking up sandy beach and dirt towards the elf.

She’d respond in turn, leaping just far enough away to avoid getting kicked as the fomorian followed it up with a second kick, from his other leg, this strike catching the elf squarely in the body, barely having time to deflect or avoid the blow.

“Lady Sarah could probably tell you more than I could.” He’d continue. “But she’s lookin for someone. An old friend. Can’t tell you her name, you’d best ask her about it, but we know she’s here somewhere, just dunno where.”

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall
@Crimson Paladin



“I’m talking to you, aren’t I?” The girl replied with a cheeky giggle. “Uhm…Sorcha, though? Isn’t she that lady they’re saying is just usurping power from Harzel? If you’re here to help though, uhm…” She quickly glanced around the street, and there was the sound of someone running inside the house and muffled shouts. “Uhm! Night! Forest! People are going missing due to a singing-”

“Get away from the window girl!”

“Yeep-!”

Before she could say anything else, the man that Ethelred had first been speaking too pulled the woman away from the window, slamming the shutters shut behind the two as they would disappear back into the house. Still, he was able to get some information about what was happening here. Singing, night, and people going missing.

It wouldn’t be much longer before Lugh and Elnith returned.

“Ethelred, Ethelred.” Lugh approached. “They didn’t tell much. They said something about unseelie luring people into the forest.”

“Mhm, it seems as though something is at least.” Elnith responded. “How do you want to handle this? We could wait and see if something shows up tonight, but…if its unseelie enchanting people we may not be entirely immune to its effects either…”

Location:
Airedale Forests
@Guy0fV4lor



“Eh? You understood that?” The revelation that the man in front of him was not just a simple musclehead, caused the human to interrupt her own chanting and spell, immediately losing control of it as she’d let out a small shout as the area over the circle and the small area around it began to shimmer and shift as reality bent.

And shimmering into existence.

Was what could be described as a giant, squid like tentacle.

“Gweh why is it always a sea creature!” The mage shouted, before said tentacle would whip around, grabbing the mage and holding her upside down. It didn’t immediately seem threatening otherwise, just holding her there as she dropped her staff and struggled to get the thing to drop her. Seemed like this might not be anything new.

“...hey. Hey. Hey listen. Sword guy? Help? I don’t fancy hanging here. Just…cut it. Might get violent if you do though, but you look big, strong, and totally intelligent so you can definitely handle it if it does. I got money if it also motivates you.”

As if to emphasize this, the tentacle shook her slightly, a few gold coins falling from her pockets.

Location:
—--------
@VitaVitaAR



“Goddess…?” The woman tilted her head. “...its been a long…time…since someone’s called me that…” She shook her head, smiling sleepily as she’d stand up as Fio made an assertion about her not being able to sing. She then, proceeded to well, making large, leaping steps over to Fio, ears atop her head flopping lightly each little bounce she made until she was standing fairly close to the mage.

“This is a dream, you know.” She began, emphasizing her next words by two starry furred bunnies popping into existence at her feet. “You can do anything you want here. Sing. Dance. Create. Make.” She glanced towards the ground, ears drooping rather animatedly. “...its been a long time since…I’ve seen any…” Just as quickly as they drooped though, they would quickly perk back up as the goddess looked at Fio. “You’re not stupid though, just adventurous. Otherwise…we wouldn’t have met, right? And uhm...sorry for calling out to you...I was just...lonely...”

She blinked.

“Oh…right, my name. I’m…Ithica. I was…a goddess once, I think. My memory isn’t so good these days…Oh, and uhm…if you want to leave…I can…sister told me I’m supposed to always tell people how to leave first. But uhm…if you want, I can…maybe show you more of that ones dream, later…”
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Luna would reflexively accept the drink. It's not like she couldnt hold her Alcohol. "Looking for someone is she? That can be quite the perilous task in Albion." The knightess mentioned as took a sip of her drink. She'd ask for a second mug for Sucaria but the maid never seemed interested in drink. She took a deep drink, savoring the alcohol before stopping when about half was gone.

The knight would look toward Sarah's fight and admire the elf's fighting style. Perhaps a small bit more than that as she took another drink. "Well, I hope to speak to your Lady Sarah soon then. I don't it would take much more for her to win from here." Luna mused before finishing her mug. "Think I could ask for a bit more?" The knightess asked, holding the mug out hoping the elf would leave long enough to ask Sucaria a question.

She held to Sucaria's hand still, hoping to ease her heavy heart. After her drink if the elf left, she would leaned in toward Sucario to ask a question. "Sucaria, is there anything I can do to help? You know I'd do whatever I could for you."
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