[IC] A Heart Frozen (Ebonfort)

[Twhirtley]

Drisceya's body slammed hard into the soft body of the massive creature before her, feeling her dagger bite deep into it. It's flesh was spongy and her blade cut through easily. Too easily. She immediately began sliding down the creature's body, leaving a massive gash in her wake. The creature roared in pain, a loud, screeching wail, that drove all of the bats from the cave. Eventually Drisceya crashed into the lower, squishy body of the giant worm like being. She could already feel her weariness from blood loss. She gathered her feet beneath her, and looked around quickly as she put her back to the wall. It was squishy, almost furry. She noticed it was moss, that moved when she touched it. She ripped a piece of it and slapped it against her stub, hoping it would help somewhat, and wasn't poisonous. She heard little scuffles around, and saw many little worm grubs eating at the moss, as the mother thrashed about. If it kept it up, it could collapse the whole cavern, and she saw no immediate way out.

"Fuck it."

She slashed at the thin membrane of the mother creature revealing layer and layer of soft tissue. She slashed and slashed in vindictive fury, carving her way through, cursing it for taking her arm, cursing her for being dumb enough to let it. Eventually she felt the creature stop moving and her dagger katinged off something hard. It struck her curiosity, since the creature seemed to have no bones, aside from the teeth above. She carved it out, and found a perfectly smooth sphere, that appeared to be glass, with a deep blue center. It was cold and she turned to step out of the creature's corpse, when she felt the body shifting downward. The moment she pulled it free, is the exact moment the heart beat that Alya could hear topped.

What she didn't know was the that lower part of the creature was buried into a tunnel it had dug. And now that it was dead, it began to slip down through it. Drisceya felt herself slipping through gore and muck, downward, until she found herself excreted through what seemed to be a natural hole at the bottom of a creature, sliding down a perfectly smooth tunnel at too steep of an angle to stop. It spilled her out atop a frozen lake, sending her sprawling.

Svarak and the other knights needed no coaxing. They immediately took off after Alya and Rilana, and now Kona. Svarak watched Rilana change, thinking that perhaps she was taking the riddle far too literally. What use could a rabbit possibly provide in a cave system? If he weren't too busy with not dying, he might find the sight of a rabbit atop a griffin hilarious. They ran and ran, the moss creature chasing them, filling the cavern, until Svarak saw their death ahead. It was a cavern with no exits. The group spilled into it, as his eyes quickly flitted around. He drew his sword and whirled on the moss, slashing and cutting at it, keeping the tendrils at bay for a moment, simply keeping it from entering the tunnel. The use of the tunnel made this simpler, but he was being pushed back. The moss lashed out at him, and he dodge back and to the side, when he saw it.

He chopped the tendril down, seeing the small tunnel, a foot wide at best and far too deep to see the end. "Rilana, the burrow!" He doubted that the tunnel was literally for hares, but a hare would fit just fine. He just hoped that she didn't have to die.

The burrow was only three meters deep, but any that entered would feel the magical shield that they passed through to enter it. Once inside entire, they'd notice that there was no air in here, no light, no scents, absolutely nothing. It appeared to be a complete void. It wouldn't take long for them to pass out. And that was the trigger. The shield fell, letting air enter, and triggering the magical safeguard. Another shield came up, a protective bubble around most of the cavern, severing tendrils from the moss creature. Berran was left outside of the shield, and knew what that meant. He pressed a hand to the shield, looking at Torrin, and in that moment, when they saw Torrin's wet eyes looking back, that the two men were lovers. Berran was quickly consumed by the moss and was gone. The moss crept over the entirety of the shield, but could not break through. The floor, began to melt. It had seemed like stone before, but was actually a mix of ice and earth. Soon it formed into a steep sliding tunnel, much like Drisceya's. And the group, in its entirety, save Berran, slid and slid through the darkness, until they too were deposited on the lake of ice, shortly after Drisceya had been.

Ortha had attempted to lead Lady Moira away, the woman grasped the critter's tail. And in a tone that only one who'd lived their entire life raising animals could muster, "No. The guardian will kill you. Just wait." She spasmed in pain lightly, a crimson flash flaring in her eyes momentarily. The moss that had obscured her little cove moved in with them, but not in a menacing way. It moved toward lady Moira, caressing her cheek, her eyes a swirl of black and crimson now. The moss picked her, and the other two creature up gently. It then dug its way through the stony floor, carrying them along. It broke through easily, finding yet another tunnel, following this one for a good ways. It dumped the three into a cavern with a massive crystal in it, and inside of it, a woman most beautiful. Above them, a sea of ice, so thick, they couldn't see through. Any attempt to contact Ortha or Echo by means of mindspeak would be met with silence. They were completely cut off.

The null stone gave off a pale blue light, giving the entire cavern a look of being underwater. There were skeletons here, still in their armor, from the last battle here, three hundred years ago. Lady Moira smiled, "Good. I got here first."

She waved her hands, and black crimson swirls of magic flowed out into the skeletons. The corpses stood in their armor, their joints and eyes glowing with the same magic from the woman. Rilana had known Lady Moira long enough to know that Necromancy was not a skill of hers. The woman chuckled, a hint of a man's voice in her own, "Kill Svarak. The rest are trash." The skeletons armed themselves, swinging their weapons, testing out their range. Lady Moira moved to the Null Stone, and placed her hand against it. "I'll be free soon. I'm impressed you contained me for so long."

Above her, atop the frozen lake, Drisceya was surprised to see her companions dumped out unceremoniously in front of her. She felt a tickling in her arm, as the moss dug into her wound. She tried to rip it out, gasping in pain, but to no avail. She dropped the sphere which rolled toward Alya. Then suddenly, she could move the arm that was lost and the pain was gone. Looking down, her arm was back, albeit made of the moss substance. Her eyes were wide at this foreign parasite. She tested it, it moved just as easily as her actual arm. In the center of the sea, there was a perfectly sized indentation for the sphere. Around the edges of the room, the only exits were various sliding tunnels that they'd arrived in.

If the orb was placed in the ice, it would begin to turn more and more blue, until it matched the ice it was upon. Once it did, Alya would be able to hear that same Note of Ice she'd heard in the tower. The orb matched the ice, and seemed to be awaiting instructions. She would know that if she tried, she could match that note. And if she did, the group would find themselves moving through the ice as if it were as simple as walking. In addition to that, they could see everything below, without being seen. Svarak saw the skeletons, saw the red colored light, saw the null stone, and readied himself for battle. He stepped down into the ice, "It is time to finish this." In this moment, he was a man of a singular purpose. And with that, he was the first to leap out of the bottom of the icy sea, toward the many skeletons of former comrades.

[Drache]

Rabbit claws were not very good for gripping with, and Rilana had to dig her huge floofy feet into Kona's hide to keep her spot on his rolling, lurching back. The gryphon dashed down the cavern away from the entangling moss, his wings coming up to flap furiously at the dead end.

No way out, here! Scrawk!

But Svarak called out and Rilana let her tiny black bunny eyes look for something resembling a burrow. It was not hard to find, because both she and the rabbit were eager for some kind of escape from this hellishness. Slipping from Kona's spotted fur, Rilana became a white blur down on the ground, streaking for the blackness of the burrow and disappearing into it with just a flip of her feet behind her.

And then she was falling. Floating. No up or down. Rotating with no direction. No light. No air. Only her tiny nose twitching uselessly and her heart beating frantically. She was dying. It was magic. Like the shield. So many shields. Gasping helplessly in a dark hole in ground, Rilana died.

Kona screeched like one pissed off damn hawk, flapping awkwardly as he was suddenly sucked down through the floor. It was not pleasant and he was even more irritated when his paws and talons slipped gracelessly on the dark frozen lake the group was suddenly perched on.

His sharp eyes did not miss the tiny white fluff ignored by everyone else. Hurrying over, tufted tail swishing worriedly, he leaned down to nudge the rabbit-Rilana. She didn't move. Turning his face, he peered closely with one eye. He would know if she was dead, and as he watched her nose twitched. Satisfied, he picked her up by the scruff. He could feel the tiny rabbit heart fluttering within and followed the rest with a limp bunny dangling from his beak.

--

Ortha took all this magical weirdness in stride, following along behind Moira since it was apparent that the Other Moon Fey wouldn't be following her. She didn't understand what she said, but there came a point where she didn't heard Rilana anymore, which meant she couldn't hear the Grumpy Gryphon either. Her tail flipped back and forth and her two heads swiveled independently. There was a strange smell about Moira now. Ortha peered up at the humanoid shape locked inside the glowing crystal thing and blinked, a vague sense of familiarity about it. But the balauradon remained fairly placid until the skeletons began to move. She had a boney leg in her mouth and backed away from the skeleton it was trying to reattach to, growling possessively.

[Foster]

Chartose was too busy making sure he kept all his possessions about him when the giantess roughly picked him up. He stared-back at what he was expecting to be the jealous expressions of Beran, Torrin, and Hinkley; only to see their mortification of his fate. The thought of him being held against his will hadn't crossed his mind until the collar was firmly placed around his waist. He was quick enough to notice that despite not being a caretaker of animals, she had an impressive large assortment of shackles before being chained-up to the proverbial fence-post in the middle of the yard.

He heard her roughly laid-out plans for him, and had a question; not exactly directed towards her, but it was the first and probably only chance he would have to ask it: "Your leader, Ihleen. She said some voice of the winds told her we were coming even before we knew for ourselves. Any idea how this informant could predict such things?" He asked, although 'magic' was a likely and simple answer, he was hoping for some idea whether this 'voice' had anything to do with causing their detour away from the gates of Fridgemount.

When left alone, he knew the giantess still had a clear line of sight on him from inside her cottage. The idea of the shackles being enchanted or encrusted with null-stones had crossed his mind, and if-so he'd probably want to try at some point to pick the lock with his spear-point. But first he tested his magic by summoning Becker to help him watch-over the rams as he wondered how his captor could sound so sure of themselves that they'd be away for so long.

The chain would prove a great nuisance, as he had to take great care not to cross the path of the mammoths, lest the chain catch on them and he be dragged underfoot, it was also heavy and cumbersome. He assumed it was also quite cold, but blessedly could not feel its biting chill about his waist as he watched the red sunset fade and he allowed Becker to return back to the inn in Green Fall.

[Rekaigan]

Alya watched as her friend turned into a small ball of white fluff. A hare. The half-elf couldn't help but stare at Rilana's form. It was very cute. Almost too cute. Although this wasn't really the time to be swooning over how cute the bunny was, Alya's mind naturally drifted that way until Svarak called out, telling the moon fey of a burrow. Her mind immediately came back to reality, remembering the 'poem' that they had picked up earlier.

Her eyes searched for a burrow, but fortunately, Rilana found the burrow quickly. Not long after the fey had entered the burrow, she heard Kona let out an ear piercing screech. Her magnified hearing causing it to temporarily deafen her, causing her to cover her ears and shrink away from the creature.

She felt the ground give way beneath her, and before she knew what was happening, she was sliding into the darkness...

---

The wolf pup watched as the woman's eyes became a very dark colour, but before he could do so much as approach the woman, he was picked up by some mossy vines. Echo squirmed in the grip of the vines, but he couldn't get them off. The only person was allowed to pick him up was his mother, thus he felt very uncomfortable and confused. The moss began to move, showing no sign of letting go of Echo at the time, however it wasn't long before it dumped the canine into another cavern. He slowly recovered from his small adventure in the moss, only to see a woman encased in a.. shiny see-through stone. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Echo felt the fey woman's presence. It felt very.. evil. Wrong. He backed away from her, letting out a low growl as black swirls of magic flowed from her hands. He didn't know what was going on, but it was nothing good.

---

The light returned as Alya and the others were deposited onto a sea of ice. She slowly tried to get back up, only to slip on the ice beneath her. She looked up, only to see a Drow, missing an arm. It was Dris..something.. In the midst of trying to remember her name, a sphere rolled in front of Alya. She picked it up gingerly, hoping that nothing bad would happen if she touched it. Nothing. She looked around the ice, noticing a small indentation in the center of the sea. She carefully got to her feet, unbalanced on the ice. the half-elf too small sliding steps toward the indent, placing the orb into it.

The note that played was immediately recognizable to the Bard. She retrieved her flute from her hip, placing it on her lips. She knew that she needed to match this note. She could do it. Alya carefully pressed some of the flute keys as she blew into the mouth piece. The tone was perfectly in tune with the Note of Ice that the orb played. She held the note for awhile before stopping. The mute felt her feet press the ice floor, like it would if she was on a normal terrain. She could see through the ice now, as could everyone else.

She saw Echo near a woman. A woman surrounded by an army of skeletons, a red light and an odd looking stone. She was at a loss. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't fight anything, let alone fight a bunch of skeletons. She just had music..

She felt as though she was forgetting something.. or someone. 'Rilana!' her mind shouted. Her gaze searched the cavern for Kona, whom she saw almost immediately. He had a small ball of fluff hanging from his beak. The half-elf ran over to the Gryphon, stopping right in front of the great beast. Her face was covered in a worried expression. she couldn't believe she actually forgot about Rilana and the writings. 'When hare dies..' She couldn't be dead. There's no way. She even tried to mindspeak to Kona 'Is she okay?!' she asked, but she doubted she'd get any answers from an animal.

[Twhirtley]

Svarak stalked toward the many skeletons, sword relaxed in his massive grip, down and at his side, but readied. Lady Moira's glowing eyes fell on him, her voice radiating both her own, and another voice from within, "I can't say I'm surprised you've arrived. But more surprising is you brought friends. Do you not remember what happened last time? They all died. And they are yearning for you to join them. I promise you one thing Svarak. Everyone with you will die."

She turned away from the warrior, focusing her interest on the woman before her, trapped in the Null Stone. The skeleton that Ortha was biting stopped his advancement toward Svarak, turning down to look at the large creature. The skeleton was wearing most of his original armor, though seemed to be missing his greaves. His chestplate and chainmail were in place, a squire pin encrusted there, as well as the battle axe he held in a single hand, now raised. Red eyes glowing, he swung the axe down at Ortha. It struck her in the thick bony plates on her back, and was lodged there. There was no blood, no crushing damage. The creature would feel the pressure from the blow, but it simply didn't have the edge nor strength to chop through her armor. The skeleton tried to pull both its leg and weapon free, but was failing to do either.

The remainder of the skeletal force, number eight in all, were advancing on Svarak. They spread out, clearly maintaining their combat tactics from their previous lives. These were the strongest warriors at the height of war and magic. There were two gold sashes and six green sashes. The split off into two groups, one Lord Knight with three Warden Knights each. The first group moved around the front of Svarak, while the other circled around, trying to get between him and his companions. It seemed clear that Svarak's weakness was other people.

But Svarak wasn't going to open his friends up to attack so easily. It seemed that they merely wanted to isolate him. Fine. He could live with that. He rushed toward the group in front of him, the stone floor cracked from the force with which he pushed off. His sword started to swing up, to cleave through the first skeleton, wielding a longsword and shield. His speed was much faster than that of the skeleton's.

His sword was stopped midswing, another skeleton between them, having moved faster than Svarak could react. His massive sword was stopped by a pair of crossed kris daggers. The other warden stepped around the dagger wielder and thrust quickly with his sword. Svarak skipped back, but not before receiving a deep gouge in his left bicep. He looked over his shoulder, realizing his attacking having been stopped allowed him to be surrounded. His strength had made him reckless.

As the skeletons advanced, he slammed his sword into the ground, lodging it there. He drew his knuckle weapons and threw them on the ground, removing his armor. The skeletons slowed, confused by his actions. He stood there, in just his plain clothes garb, his muscles flexing as he lowered his stance. His claws gleaned in the low light, as he snarled loudly. The look in his eyes was one of a cornered beast, a very dangerous one. One of the Wardens moved forward with a spear tentatively jabbing out, just to distract Svarak as those behind him moved closer. The Charr grabbed the spear, and the skeleton found himself pulled from his feet and stumbling forward. Svarak was already moving in closer. He gripped the creature's upper arm, and readily removed it from his body. His massive jaws gripped down on the creature's skull and crushed it instantly. He kicked the corpse backwards into its companions that easily sidestepped it.

Torrin rushed forward his sword and shield drawn, and slashed at one of the wardens nearest to him. The creature blocked the blow with its own mace, turning and advancing on the knight. It was clear that any interruption to their attacks on Svarak would cause them to turn on their latest attackers.

Rilana would hear Juloya's voice in her unconscious state. She would feel rejuvenation spreading through her body. "It is time to wake up. Only you can ensure that he completes his task and survives. He needs you." There was more than enough space in this cavern for Kona to fly, for Rilana to pick any of the creatures at her disposal to fight as.

Alya would know, that if she continue to focus on the Note of Ice, even with variations from her own magic, that she could create and control some ice. It almost seemed like an inherent knowledge. And the magic had a name. Elementalism.

Drisceya had already managed to disappear as only the drow seemed able to do. As more of the skeletons approached Svarak from all sides, now staying cautiously out of reach, striking at him and pulling back, hoping to tire him out. Skeletons didn't ever tire. As one of them swung a sword at Svarak's front, the one with the kris daggers moved to stab him in the kidneys. But the attack faltered, as two well placed throwing knives had lodged themselves in the joints of the skeleton's knees, rendering it unable to move them. Drisceya smiled from her shadowy vantage point as the skeleton reached down and pulled them free, turning toward her, leaving Svarak in a five versus one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The lusty giantess had ignored the foreigner's words. She didn't claim him for his tongue. She watched as the man summoned a dog of his, snorted derisively at this. Such a small pup, and used as a tool and not a companion or family member. Clearly a small minded man. A note dropped off of Becker before he was sent away.

Chartrose,

This is Captain Theren. We've received reports of your magical dog, and this is the last time he will return to you by magic. Do not worry, he will not be brought to any harm, we are taking good care of him and studying this magic, as I'm sure you know, it is rare. If you wish for him back, you can find me in the capital. Your room was given away by the innkeeper to a customer that actually showed up. I hope to hear from you soon.

Captain Theren of Coldsteel Company, Ruby Regiment, Citadel Batallion

The giantess got bored and decided she wanted to collect from her new friend earlier than she said. She strode out into the yard, looking down at him, "Come pretty man. You look hungry." She unhooked the chain from the post, and walked back toward her cottage, dragging Chartrose with ease regardless if he resisted or not. She tossed him bodily on her bed, fixing his chain to a rafter. There was plenty of meat and potatoes on the table and she handed him a plate. "Eat. You need your strength. When done, I join you in bed." She sat atop her massive chair, just watching him, as she began to eat her own food.

[Drache]

The slightly muffled sounds of outrage from Ortha's vilemaw shivered up the rotted leg she had clutched in her septic teeth. Worrying at it like a dog with a bone, she readjusted her grip and attempted to wrench it free from the fleshless corpse of the squire. Her plated tail whipped back and forth as she glared up at the former owner of the tibia, the constant litany of growls coming to a shocked silence as the chop of the axe buried the weapon in the thick bony armour on her back.

With vilemaw eyes locked on the undead squire's empty sockets, Ortha turned her firefang head to look back at the weapon. Infuriated by the attack, the juvenile balaruadon bunched her stout legs beneath her and leg go of the leg suddenly, practically spitting it out and only giving the other unnatural creature a heartbeat in which to stagger backwards before she launched her full weight at him, cruel claws glinting in the poor light, both sets of slathering fangs honed on his ancient arour, to savage him like the primal monster she was.

Across the cavern, Kona clutched at rabbit-Rilana so tightly with his beak that he broke skin, staining the pristine white fur with fresh red around her scruff. With a beak meant for stripping prey such as this, it was difficult to be gentle, especially when harsh sneers and the clash of weapons met his eyes and ears. He'd been underground far too much for his liking during this journey.

As Alya approached, the half-leopard half-eagle lifted his head, peering down at the Songweaver. Without Rilana to interpret and act as the medium for his mental communcations, Kona was just as mute as the half-elf. But he was intelligent enough to recognize her concern, and he trusted Alya as Rilana did. His long feathered ear-tufts flicked forwards and he lowered his head to put the dangling lagomorph into Alya hand's, producing a soft, worried chirp that ended in a clack of his beak.

It was then that Rilana finally stirred, the long soft ears twitching as revitalization spread like warmth through her soul, and Juloya's voice echoed around inside her mind like the deep cracking of ice felt on the surface of a glacier. She righted herself, black eyes opening to glance up at Alya and Kona, her emotions impossible to read on her tiny bunny face.

"What...?" She raised herself up on her poofy back feet and looked at the ceiling before peering around.

"You died, welcome back," Kona replied sardonically, ruffling his wings to hide how worried he'd been.

"I feel fine now." She bounced down to the ground, swiftly transforming into her usual shape, staring across the stone and ice cavern trying to work out what was happening. Her heart gave a lurch when she spotted Svarak splitting off in the center of a crowd of mobile skeletons. She took a few steps towards him, ready to jump into the fray and fight side-by-side with the man she loved. "Oh Svarak...why is he taking off his armour?"

Across from them, she could see the null stone with Juloya inside. She had to reach out to brace herself against the gryphon and the half-elf as she came face to face with a thing she had only seen in visions. For a moment she was distracted by a constant stream of mental profanity coming from Ortha.

CRUSHYOURBONES TEARYOURLEGOFF EATYOURMARROW SQUATINYOUREYESOCKETS SHITYOUOUTINTHESNOW!

And then she spotted the silhoutte of her fellow Moon Fey standing near the stone. "Lady Moira!" Her voice was full of relief at seeing her friend alive. But Kona grumbled a low warning.

"She's not the same Lady Moira that we used to know. Her words are full of hate."

"What?" Rilana's eyes narrowed as she considered this. "Alya, I have to get closer. Kona, you have to help Svarak because..." Because she couldn't. She had no place among those slashing weapons. The gryphon gave a proud nod of his noble head and spread his wings, the air whooshing over them as he angled off to see what he could do with a bunch of skeletons. They didn't seem to be paying attention as he circled once and then dove for a gold sash.

Rilana moved swiftly towards the null stone, her breath catching in her throat. Every inch of floor, every breath of chill air across her skin, felt as though it was tied like a string back through time, wound tight enough to snap as the weight of centuries since the first events here seemed to come crashing down. She didn't exactly sneak, but her footsteps were soft, almost reverent as she moved for the stone, her eyes shifting back and forth between Juloya and the back of Moira's head.

"Juloya, tell me what to do. You're the one who knows what needs to be done. Where is he?" She chased the thread of the chillborn's words where they had echoed in her mind only a short time ago, half-expecting her to remain still and deathlike in her crystalline prison. "Help me help Svarak. I love him." Perhaps unwisely, she reached out to touch the surface of the null stone, remembering that she had a piece of it in her pocket.

[Foster]

The giant had come sooner, as apparently sorrow looked a lot like hunger. Chartose would have had to admit that both left an empty feeling in the chest. He was dragged not so much because he was trying to resist, but simply from his feet refusing to carry him quickly enough.

He was actually modestly surprised at the interior of the giantess's home, as he wasn't expecting a bed... at least not one that looked the part, and its cushions were surprisingly soft for a mattress that had to support a giant's girth. For some reason he was expecting nothing more than a slab of granite.

Once served, the young Charr picked at the food in front of him as he planned how to get Becker back; his appetite having left him with the news of Becker's detainment hitting him even harsher than his own. Feeding a stranger in such a desolate place was no doubt a kind gesture. He even figured the simple lock meant only to contain unthinking beasts could have been picked by someone with reasonable skill, but was likely more a test of trust as he sat upon the bed at relative ease, not wishing to offend her good intentions; or risk appearing foolish if his assumption proved wrong or his skills in lock-picking proved unsatisfactory.

Tricia's mark paced underneath his fur, trying to coax him to eat as well, to keep their strength... and to not appear rude. Besides, if he wouldn't, Tricia would have gladly volunteered to eat his meal, the meat at least.

"These potatoes aren't bad. Did you grow these yourself?" he asked, trying to learn something about these generous people... well, the ones that were generous, at least; not the ones that made jokes about killing entire expeditions just for stopping-by for a cup of sugar.

He then realized she was sitting by herself, staring; as he found himself patting a spot on the bed beside him, "It's your home, you can sit beside me if you'd like. I won't bite... Besides, I've brought someone along I've been meaning to show to the people here, I may as well show them to you, at least." He offered, knowing the quarantine on Fridgemount itself would probably keep Tricia from ever appearing in any history-books as the first living scream raptor to travel to Fridgemount, but he felt as though someone ought to know it had been done, and that such wondrous creatures existed south of their isolated borders.

[Rekaigan]

Alya stared at the small fluff ball which now sat in her hands. She hoped that Rilana was okay.. she didn't know what happened to her friend after she had gone into the burrow. Her worries faded away as she watched Rilana regain consciousness. The battle that raged below her went largely ignored as she had been worrying about her friend; but now that the half-elf knew that she was okay, the sound of clashing weapons rang in her sensitive ears. Alya wanted to talk to Rilana, but this was neither the time nor place to do that. As much as she wanted to learn more about the Moon Fey, that would have to wait until the journey was over and everything was resolved.

She was rather glad that she was a fair ways away from the conflict, as the sound would most likely give her a concussion without even being hit by a weapon. Her gaze swept across the mayhem, only to see Echo growling away at a skeleton. It made a clumsy swing at the Wolf pup, but Echo was able to leap out of the way of the weapon.

Alya needed to help somehow, but she didn't quite know what to do. In her mind, the Note of Ice seemed to resonate like an unforgettable tune. Something clicked. The half elf remembered that she had learnt a magic.. Named 'Elementalism'. How she knew this was a mystery to her, but she chose not to dwell on it too much. Putting her flute to her lips, she played the Note of Ice. She wanted to stop the skeleton from attacking Echo. But how? Memories of the frozen statues in the tower came to mind. The way the Charr's pet started freezing over was also a vivid picture. I hope this works.. She thought to herself as she concentrated on her note.

The bard felt the magic flow through her flute as it usually would, however it felt slightly different. It was hard to describe.. It felt less fluid than her usual Song magic, almost fragmented?

--
As Echo growled at the skeleton, he noticed that a sheet of ice was crawling up from it's feet. Of course the Skeleton didn't notice it at all, taking another swing at the animal. Echo leapt back to stay out of reach. The undead warrior tried to move, but the ice had already grown passed it's knee. It wasn't long before the skeleton was frozen solid, much like the statues in the tower.
--

As the ice grew on the skeleton, Alya could feel her magic draining away. She could feel it draining at a faster pace than it would when she played regular music. The half-elf could feel cold droplets of sweat form on her brow as she persevered in her casting. When the skeleton had been fully frozen, the flute dropped from her trembling fingers, hitting the ice floor with a loud 'CLANG!'. She fell to her knees and hands, her chest heaving from exhaustion; she could barely hold herself up. It probably wasn't the best idea, but hopefully Echo will be okay for awhile.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to help Rilana at all now. Not that she could do much in the first place. But she hoped that the Moon Fey, as well as everyone else, would make it out safely. I could use a nap.. was a thought that crossed her mind, but she made an effort to keep herself conscious.

[Twhirtley]

The giantess was surprised that her companion was making conversation, and pleasantly so. "No, I get from mountain trader. I give him hides, he give me wine and potatoes. He come once a season. Nice orc, good tusks." When he invited her to sit, she smiled kindly, nodding. She grabbed her plate and sat next to him, the displacement on the mattress sliding him closer to her. She picked at her food, before contentedly sighing, "What your name pretty man? I called Ezzemara."

She ate slowly, "People hard to trust. No one trust giants. Giants trust no one. I trusted that trader. He trusted that Lady Moira. She take him in cave tenday ago. He never leave. If she feed to guardian, guardian go blood crazy. Your friends probably dead. And Gurook not here to fix guardian." She looked down at him, smiling, a bit sadly, "But no matter, you with me now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were only six skeletons remaining, two Lords and four Wardens. After the other two Wardens were killed, two more were broken off the force facing Svarak. One made its way toward Ortha with a large maul in hand. Such a weapon would be able to damage the young balauradon through her juvenile armor. Torrin rushed to Ortha's side, slashing with his sword, and dodging the attacks that would break his arm if he tried to block with his shield. He tried to circle around the warden, to put it between him and Ortha, but it kept retreating to prevent such a flank.

Another Warden was coming toward Alya and Echo, spear out in front of it. It moved past its frozen companion, before cracking it with the metal butt of the spear. The ice fell away, and the two of them moved closer. The Homunculus medic, big, fat, and bulky moved in front of the songweaver, large wooden club raised. The spear wielder stabbed at him, while the previously frozen daggers wielder moved toward Echo.

The Warden that had been moving toward Drisceya lay in a heap as she moved past over it, every joint having been severed. It was still alive, but unable to move. With a smirk, she picked up the skull, which was attempting to bite at her, with no success. She slipped it into her bag, before moving over toward Alya to help them in their fight.

Svarak was beginning to hear less and less and notice less and less, as he slipped toward going primal. With the two Lords and two Wardens facing him, he knew it would be difficult. But all Charr could go primal in times of desperation. And during that time, the best of them were unstoppable. But once it is done, they are little more than a wild animal. They never return to society, to being a person. His senses were nearing their peak when a massive bird crashed into one of the Lords. The skeleton was thrown bodily, but not before getting a shallow slash across the top of Kona's skull and down his beak. It wasn't fatal, but would hurt fiercely, the blood obscuring his vision, and would scar.

But then Svarak began sniffing at the air, recognizing a scent he knew. One he knew well. One he loved. It was Rilana's scent. He'd realized he'd forgotten about her for this mission. That he hadn't considered her in his actions. But the change had already been started, and he could feel himself, his last regret being that he wasn't saying goodbye to the woman he loved.

There was nothing but silence after Rilana attempted to speak to Juloya. It did seem there was nothing but a corpse within the stone. But when she touched the stone, she could feel just a tiny bit of her magic drain away, and the woman's eyes shot open. Nothing else moved as she stared through the crystal into Rilana's eyes. Through her mind, "You need to stop his change. It was his plan all along to make it happen. He needs something more powerful to hold onto than his desire to complete the mission. He needs you. If he changes, he won't kill me."

Rilana could feel a sudden drain in the other woman's magic, and her own was now brimming with extra power. The null stone in her pocket floated out into the air, shifting, changing, suddenly malleable like water. Rilana knew this was a one time piece of magic, that it could be used to turn the stone into an effigy and summon anyone or any creature to this time. The word catalyst came to mind. Memories were pulled from the back of her mind by Juloya's magic, an image of the dragon, of Ortha's mother, of the white raven, of the many ferocious creatures Rilana had met during her travels.

Svarak continued to slip into his feral state as roars bellowed from his maw. He was faster now, running on all fours beneath the slash of a sword, crashing into one of the remaining wardens. He reached through the gap in the armor, grabbed its spine, and snapped it, tossing the skeleton away. But the Lord Knight moved in close, matching his speed with two swords. Svarak moved in for a swipe, only to be knocked away by the flat of a blade, the other carving a crimson slash into his chest. Svarak stepped back, to reassess the fight, when the final remaining Warden threw his mace, and it crashed into Svarak's shoulder. He spun forward from the blow, into the waiting swords of the Lord. In a fleeting moment, remembering his trainings, he reached over his shoulder and grabbed the handle of the mace, ripping it from his flesh, and swinging it down hard. It collided with the sword, driving it into the stone, snapping it. Svarak kept his momentum going forward knocking the lord off balance, before hammering blow after blow into its skull.

He let loose a massive roar of victory, the pain in his body hurrying the primal state. He stood up and stumbled. He hadn't noticed the sword that was now sticking through his lower abdomen and out his back. He dropped his mace, reached down to pull it free, when suddenly, an animal panic began creeping in. Too much pain. Need to run. His mind was nearly lost.

Lady Moira turned with her crimson eyes, having sensed Rilana's magic. "You dare to fight me still, Juloya? You know I am the stronger one here." Her voice reverberating with magical power. "You've lost this day. Your prized pet there is gone. Just watch as I tear the fabric of this world apart, starting with each and every single one of your little minions. Maybe I'll make this one here my bride. She seems lovely enough." At those words, Rilana could feel an upwelling of emotion that wasn't hers, within herself. It wasn't anger. It was pity. Juloya's pity. Just as Moira had some of the dark mage within her, she now had some of Juloya.

[Foster]

Chartose slid hard into Ezzemara's thigh, falling into the frost-giantess's lap as she explained where their food had come from and kindly introduced herself.

After a pause, trying to remember whether or not he'd forgotten his manners earlier, he decided to introduce himself, at least formally "Chartose Treeshredder, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He stated, as he sat-up in Ezzy's lap and ate, listening to the rest of her story before nodding, noting the fact that he was chained to the rafters and how she seemed more than a little confident that his friends would be away for quite some time.

"Then I guess you'll be needing another mountain trader. We've also got those refugees that we need to find homes for, too." He said, having his own doubts that his friends would so easily be killed-off, as over the course of the past several months, he'd seen these people survive more harrowing experiences than he'd seen in his life previously.

"But no hurry. I'm sure there's plenty for them to do around here until everything is settled." he admitted, patting a paw on Ezzemara's leg.

[Drache]

It was so noisy. Kona preferred having his ear tufts filled with naught but the sound of the wind as he soared proudly above the pristine glittering landscape of the Frostfell mountains and glaciers. His wings could keep him in the air for a day and a night without rest, nothing to block his sight but the very horizon itself. But down here, under the hard, cold earth, the northern gryphon felt cramped, his senses battered by chaos. He had seized a gold-sashed skeleton and quickly bore it aloft, ripping at it with his clawed forepaws and slicing at it with his razor-beak. His wingtips brushed the frigid roof above as he looked for a cruel stone to dash his victim against, the muscles in his back straining against the dead air, but the ancient rotted corpse seemed oblvious to what should have been debilitating pain, and a blow to Kona's beaked face forced him to drop his victim. He shook his head as he flew, the head wound bleeding freely, and landed clumsily to rub his face against an icy wall. The blood clotted quickly, smearing brilliant red across the pale white feathers, giving him a gruesome appearance as he hissed against the pain.

Having dispatched her first skeleton, the angered balauradon sought out another, charging after the monsters facing the homunculous to come up on them from behind.

Rilana felt overwhelmed. The sounds of fighting and magic beckoned at her attention, and she had to force herself to focus on the stone, on Juloya, keeping a wary eye on Moira nearby. Svarak's roars, Kona's hiss of pain, Ortha's ferocious snarling, all threatened to divide her attention.

"Stop his change? How could she hope to do that?" She wasn't a match for Svarak, and doubted she could force the charr to do anything he didn't want to do. But his roars took on a new and more terrifying meaning for the Moon Fey as the risk of losing him to his own feral state became a real possibility. At the very least, she decided then that she couldn't assume an animal form now, even though taking refuge behind the hulking shape of a mammoth would have been very comforting right then. Svarak needed to see her, not one of her animal shapes.

The null shard shivered beside her in the air and she looked at his, her expression strangely thoughtful and placid considering everything going on around her. Indeed, she recalled many strong and powerful beings. Some she had met personally on this long, terrible journey, some were vague memories of monsters and gods in stories she had learned as a child. She didn't feel a strong pull towards any of them, until the silver-white silhoutte of the raven flashed across her thoughts, her laughing voice a faint echo. Rilana reached for it, even as she turned away from the stone and stared into Moira's eyes, listening to the harsh voice that slipped past her lips.

She reached for the raven, talking to it as gently as she had spoken to Kona when she had found him as a fledgling in the snow. "You aren't one of mine, as much as I tried. I don't know what you are, but please, help me now."

Moira wasn't Moira anymore. Rilana didn't know if her oldest friend was still alive behind those strange crimson eyes, but already felt pain in her chest as she considered the other Moon Fey another casualty of this strange, terrible battle that had been going on for lifetimes.

"I'm already married," Rilana answered icily, meeting the fiery gaze with her own sapphire stare. It wasn't strictly true, there'd been no ceremony, but it was true in all the ways that mattered. With that, she turned and ran, leaving the floating piece of the shard to do whatever it was going to do. In her mind, she coddled whatever essence she carried of Juloya, accepting it as she had done with Kona, with Ortha.

"Svarak!" She wanted him to see her, before it was too late. Before he couldn't remember, couldn't care, who she was or what she meant to him. Heedless of the danger, her pale boots carried her swiftly across the chamber to the almost-feral Charr. He was magnificent, as usual, and terrible, which she'd seen before. Her eyes flicked to the grievous wound on his belly and she knew that if time hadn't already been against them, it was now, swiftly, running out. "Svarak, look at me." Authoritative, in spite of her diminutive size

Not giving him much choice, she reached for his furry cheeks and forced his head up, meeting his golden cat's eyes. "Focus, my love. Don't forget who you are and why you're here. You have to finish this! You're the only one who can, and then when you're done we'll have all the time in the world." She was crying now, her heart in her throat, betraying her fear and her hopelessness. But her fingertips stroked through the charr's fur up to his ears and she leaned close, softly kissing his gory nose.

[Twhirtley]

Ezzemara smiled as she listened to Chartrose, liking the way his voice sounded, and how his face moved as he spoke. "Yes pretty man, they can stay here, or in capital once crazies are gone." She'd noticed he said 'them' and not us, and knew he had no intention of staying. She sighed, and reached for his waist, ignoring the hand on her thigh. She unsnapped the collar, that was locked by pure strength rather than any proper mechanism.

"You no have to stay with me. I just like how you look. You seem nice pretty man. But maybe you leave with friends if come back." Her eyes and smile were sad, but accepting of her choice. "I just tired of being alone. My Gurook... He keeper of cave... he gone. Miss him much. He called Moss Singer, for he make guardian happy. He could have friends out with just a whisper."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Ortha charged to the aid of Alya and Echo, she was joined by the silent stepping Disceya. However, the loss of the balauradon left Torrin alone against the Warden Knight. The skeleton swung its maul heavily at the man, who attempted to parry the surprisingly quick attack with his longsword. It struck with such strength, it knocked the sword from his hands, kicking the pommel up into the bottom of Torrin's jaw. He stumbled backwards in blinding pain, until with a sickening krutzchungk, the maul caved his face into the stone wall behind him. The mace was pulled free with a shlick, as the corpse slid down the wall leaving a trail of blood, brain, and bone fragment.

With Alya backed against the wall, there was no escape for her, hidden behind the snarling Echo and lumbering Homunculus. The two wardens moved in close, stabbing and slashing cautiously, taking the careful approach. Drisceya had no time for such things. The dagger wielding Warden slipped beneath the Homunculus' swinging club, going for a stab in the heart from beneath the arm pit. It fell forward off balance, watching its attack fall away, along with the arm that was severed from its shoulder. Drisceya kicked the blade from the falling hand, sending it back toward her, catching it, and planting it deep into the Warden's skull, scoffing. If Wardens were so weak three hundred years ago, it was no wonder to her why this mage succeeded.

She looked over just in time to watch the weird lizard like creature bowl into the back of the other warden's legs. He stumbled, sinking his spear into the stone, inches from Alya's neck. It dropped from its spear, hitting the stone hard, as Echo lunged at it. Ortha kept it pinned with her weight, as the wolf clamped down the Warden's neck, and jerked his head, snapping it.

It appeared that everyone was safe, except for the injured Svarak in the center of the room. He was barely standing, a sword sticking from his stomach, a slash across his chest, a swelling shoulder would from the mace, blood matting his white and gold fur. He was roaring in pain and fear, his eyes glazing over as he slipped further and further into his feral state. The Lord Knight seemed to chuckle, standing with sword and shield in hand, waiting for his prey to bleed out. The warden that Kona had crashed into was attempting to walk on broken legs, but with no headway, near the injured birdlike creature.

Rilana would be able to feel a response that was similar to a head nod from her raven companion. Her retort to Moira caused the magical red glows to flare up angrily. The null shard formed into an absolutely perfect replica of the raven, in all ways but coloring. The magically possessed woman watched Rilana rush over to Svarak, realizing that she was attempting to stop him from changing. That's when she noticed that most of her minions were dispatched. She raised her hands out in front of herself, a ball of glowing crimson light forming, with a pure black core. It would drain a lot of her energy, but she couldn't fail. As the ball grew dust and small stones around the woman began to float off the ground. Everyone with the slightest magical exposure would feel dread at the growing power.

Svarak was not one of these. The world to him was in a fog, his vision dimming, his mind slipping. He heard his name yelled, by the voice he loved, but it was distant, so far away. It seemed miles and miles away. He heard his name again, a bit closer, but still so distant. As he slipped further in, his sense of smell was much stronger, and he took in her feminine musk. He could smell her beauty, her fear. He could feel her pulse, hear her heart beat. It was hard and rapid. His claws slid out. It would be so easy to end that heart beat, to stop that deafening tone. A quick stab beneath the ribs. The heart would explode, and she'd be dead so quick, her meat wouldn't tense up. Nice and soft.

Then he saw her eyes. Her deep, blue, icy eyes. He could hear her words, but they were just sounds to the feral cat's ears. He saw her tears, could smell them. He could hear her swallowing her pain. He could feel her hands through his fur. But he couldn't look away from those eyes. And when she kissed his snout, his eyes focused, settling on her own. His eyes turned stern, turned mad.

But they showed his intelligence, his calculating mind. He nuzzled his snout against her nose, whispering a quick, "Thank you love, I'll take it from here." He looked over her shoulder in time to see the Lord Knight stalking closer, sword raised, as well as the magical ball that Moira was building. And then a glowing white feather fell between his and Rilana's faces. Moira laughed loudly, her voice reverberating with the power of her possessor, "Die!" The ball formed into a beam and shot out toward the couple. Svarak quickly pulled Rilana tight against his injured body, and turned his back to the blast, moving far too fast to dodge, fully preparing to die, hoping his body was enough to protect the woman he loved.

But death never came. Rilana would be able to see over his powerful arms, as the beam was being held in place by another silvery feather. A dry chuckle came through the room, "Playing with the mortals again Celevar?" The voice was raspy, harsh, much like a crow caw. The raven fluttered into existence, floating down, and in single, fluid motion stepped into existence as a woman. A very old woman. She appeared to be elven by the ears, but her wrinkle skin, crooked nose, and tumbling, messy black hair made it hard to determine of which type. She was wrapped in a simply black dress and shawl, with a knotted staff in hand, many random and shiny object embedded in it. Smiling, she tutted, waving a hand, making the beam disappear entirely. "Didn't you learn last time?"

She looked over at Rilana, smiling, "I do wish I could do more, but us gods should not mettle so much in the affairs of mortals. But I think you'll be just fine. You are a most enjoyable companion, I look forward to your adventures." The feather that fell between the lovers fell upon the sword in Svarak's gut, and it melted away, sealing up the wound behind it, the raven winking at Rilana as it did so. With a seamless transition, she was the bird once more, fluttering off as one last feather fell to the ground, the name Ayakari whispering into Rilana's mind.

Svarak didn't give time for his enemies to regroup, spinning away from Rilana, his mind focused on his task at hand. He slipped beneath the slash of the Lord Knight and with a devastating upper cut, shattered its skull, and simultaneously, ripping the shield and sword from its dying grasp. He threw the sword end over end, and it buried into the final skeleton's skull right next to Kona's head. The shield flew toward where he'd plunged his sword into the ground. It struck the blade and flipped it toward Moira. Svarak was already leaping through the air, catching the greatsword with a single hand. He let loose no roar, no feral scream, as he brought the sword down toward Rilana's old friend and mentor.

She stumbled backward, casting a crimson shield inbetween them, but his icy blade slashed right through, guiding his way. He stopped the blade a hair's breadth from hair face, enough for her ears to grow wide with fear, before he pounded the hilt into her temple, knocking her out, crumpling into a heap before him. He was not about to kill Rilana's friend. He was better than that. He stared at her fallen body, convinced she was down walked up to Juloya. Looking into her closed eyes, "Thank you for helping me find my strength when I was young, for housing this evil. It is time for you to rest dear Juloya, time for this to end."

He cast a single glance back at Rilana, giving her a soft, loving look, to let her know that it was all done. When he turned back, his eyes turned hard, and he thrust his sword forward into the massive null stone. The moment it struck stone, there was a massive, blinding white release of energy. He pushed harder and harder fighting every inch, as pure, raw magic shot out past him. It passed through each person and creature in the cavern, not harming them. Those with magic would feel invigorated, brimming with renewed power. Svarak's fur covered muscles bulged and hardened as he continued to drive the sword deeper into the stone. His feet dug deep grooves into the stone as he pushed with every ounce of his strength, fighting through the pure magical energy.

Finally the tip reached Juloya's sternum, and with a final push, he shoved it through the mage, until only the hilt was left sticking out of the stone. The moment Juloya died, the last of the magical bonds were severed. A bright light burst out, just as it had three centuries before, and passed through the entire world, the entire dimension. And those that had magic now knew that it was back, in its entirety. Within the stone, a crimson shadow spilled out of Juloya's body, but found nowhere to go. It filled the stone momentarily, before it ran out of magic to hold its form, and faded away into nothingness.

Svarak slumped weakly, leaning on the hilt, before snapping it off, and sitting down, back against the stone, looking across the way at Rilana. He smiled, tiredly, "It's done." His arms fell to his sides, too wore out to hold them up, hilt laying across Lady Moira's chest, as a smile crept on his face, a relieved laugh bursting out from the Charr. "It's finally done."

[Foster]

Chartose winced as he felt Ezzemara's fingers slide up his waist, tucking themselves under the metal collar before tearing it off from him in one solid tug, she was offering freedom to run off into the night and disappear. It was an offer he refused, shaking his head as he leaned up against the giantess's chest in an effort to sit upright, "Chains aren't necessary, to earn my company. Besides, it's already too dark out to go looking for people alone."
He pulled-out a flask of honey-flavored ale, brewed back in Green Falls, and offered the pittance of a drink to the hostess. "It's not much, but it's some of the finest ale in Ebonfort."

It was then he remembered, or rather, was reminded, that he was forgetting something. He'd already summoned Becker once, and he hadn't practiced nearly so much with calling-out a mark as he did summoning with an effigy... in fact, not at all... He closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling what Tricia looked like, trying to discern where her consciousness was hiding upon his hide, and finding a place to put it in the space around him... Outwardly, it looked as though he was having a bit of gas.

But nevertheless, he was eventually successful in bringing an extremely energetic and curious Tricia back out into the world. Her first oddity to explore being Ezzemara. Chartose mentally scolded his longtime traveling-companion to remember to keep her claws retracted when treading upon their host's flesh as she sniffed and inspected the first frost-giant she'd ever met.

Chartose gave a moment to let the two calm-down from their surprise, "Ezzemara, this is Tricia. She's a scream-raptor from the southern Chartic forests, I didn't figure too many are seen up here, and she did sort of want to meet some of the northerners and how they lived."

At the last bit, Tricia curled her neck back to give Chartose a good scolding before giving her otherwise undivided attention to Ezzemara and the lattice-rafters overhead, access she found by climbing the chain that previously held Chartose.

"So if you're so lonely here, then what is keeping you from traveling by my side if I offered you the chance?" He finally asked, since he could tell she was feeling pretty miserable on top of a simple case of loneliness.

[Drache]

Ortha's fighting style was a whirlwind of black limbs and septic jaws, her armour plated skin clanking and scraping against rough stone and the bones of the animated skeleton as she more crushed it than found genuine purchase with either of her deadly maws. All four of her eyes were filled with a mad sort of glee in the fight, though she was slightly put out that Echo achieved the killing blow before she did. The odd pair of animal side-kicks had been through a lot together.

Even when the skeleton went limp, its eerie artificial life gone, the Balauradon dragged it away, savagaging it back and forth with wet snarls, both head working together to break it apart until grisly flecks of bone and dry marrow littered the ground around her. And inside her head, shared only with Kona and Rilana, was a litany of gruesome cheerful cursing that must have been genetic because Rilana never talked like that!

Staring balefully out of his freshly-injured face, Kona leaned down and dispatched the crawling torso with an almost clinical precision, his beak clacking neatly to sever joint and tendon. He left the aged greenish skull to snap uselessly at him as the catbird stepped neatly over it, his elegant furred tail twitching as he left a steaming pile of scat all over it. Seeking out Rilana, he growled hatefully at the red glow in Moira's eyes, worried and angry about his Druid's old friend. He began to creep around the other side of the shard, slinking low, his spotted plumage doing him no favours here.

The sensation of power behind her felt oppressive, like a terrible bonfire radiating against her back, but Rilana didn't tear her eyes away from Svarak's. The feeling of dread struck through her like a chord, leaving the Moon Fey certain that death would strike at any moment. She was woefully unprepared for all of this, and unsuited to be here, but she had known the terrible burden her Lord Knight had carried even before she'd chosen to give him her heart, and so she'd see this through to the end.

But he wasn't slipping away from her. His feline eyes sharpened, the wild fervor replaced by shrewd anger and determination. He was back, and Rilana only had time to smile sadly as his nose rubbed against hers before he was shoving her around, putting himself between her and Moira. The clatter of bones was growing nearer, but then something white and glossy fell, pulled to her lips by a quick breath before fluttering down. Knowing who it belonged to, Rilana looked up, seeing the raven in a different form entirely.

Moira's voice, so hateful and cruel, seemed to echo around the cavern. But the impact she expected never came, negated by whatever power Ayakari commanded.

Kona snorted. Of course.

The Moon Fey just shook her head. "I should have known." As soon as Svarak danced away from her, Rilana rushed towards Kona, bending low to neatly scoop the last remaining feather from the ground. The Null Stone had acted like an effigy this time, and Rilana was more certain now than she'd ever been that the sassy, back-talking raven would never be one of her Familiars, but she also doubted that the feather had been left on accident.

Together, she and Kona backed away from the Null Stone, and Rilana gave a short, woeful gasp as Svarak knocked Moira out cold. She'd have to remind herself later to thank him for showing some restraint. Braced against Kona, Rilana gave him a nod when the Charr briefly looked back, her hand clutched in the gryphon's black and white feathers. How strange was it that she had never known Juloya in the chillborn human's life, had only spoken to her through strange visions and ancient magic, but now felt a great swell of sorrow at what must be done? Like losing a friend? The moon fey struggled against the injustice of losing someone so selfless, desperately trying to see some other way, and realized that Svarak had likely spent the last three hundred years trying to imagine another away.

You'll always carry a piece of her, Kona muttered. The best thing you can do for her is not forget what she did for all of us.

The sound of the stone being pierced by a sliver of itself was indescribable. Rilana and Kona both winced against the brightness. Even Ortha turned to look, chunks of bone dangling from her lips as she squinted briefly at the brilliant light. Rilana held her breath, the invigorating power pouring through her so that she felt she might explode.

For the Druid, it was as though she could suddenly, for a few brief moments, sense every living thing nearby in excrutiating detail. Everything from the tiny insects huddled in their crevices of rock to the strange purple moss to the furry bats clinging to the roofs of tunnels far above. Heartbeats thundered in her ears and she was tempted to reach out and claim them, even the people, to Bind them to her on and all. It was then that Rilana had a taste of how truly powerful a Druid could become.

But then it was gone, though the world would never be the same, and Rilana's eyes were full of the sight of Svarak slumping down to the ground. "It's done," he was muttering, looking exhausted but very much alive.

"Kona, what happened to your face?" She asked, holding his beak and tilting the gryphon's face until he squawked angrily and shook her off. "That will need to be looked at." It would heal if she Marked him, but everything was still so uncertain.

She left Ortha to snuffle around, poking her heads in dark corners. There were others to be tended to. Alya and Echo seemed positively horrified to her, and though a homunculus was difficult to read Rilana thought he looked exhausted. She continued to avoid Drisceya, simply taking note that the drow was now missing an arm. And the rest were dead.

Look for a way out of here. Perhaps the rest of the Council is here. And my family.

Moving over towards Svarak, Rilana knelt down to check Moira, rolling the older fey over and checking her for injuries other than the bump on her head. Together, she and Kona managed to maneuver the limp woman onto the gryphon's back.

"I don't want to stay here any longer than necessary, Svarak. We need to get back to Frigmount to see if Celevar's influence is still causing madness there." She put her hand on his shoulder and eyed the Null Shard, the sword still sticking out of what was now a crystalline sarcophagus. She was worried for her people. But for a moment she gazed down at Svarak with a pointed look. After all of this, they deserved some time.

Ugh.

[Twhirtley]

Svarak just smiled at Rilana, his mate, tired and hurting. Even though his stomach wound had been healed by the raven woman, he had plenty of others. He was not looking forward to the trek out of here, they were lost, and all were hurt and exhausted. Then he heard the loud shuffling, the sound he remembered. The moss creature, was swarming into the cavern. All of the exits were covered, and in that moment, he knew them all to be dead, the plant creeping down every wall. He looked to Rilana, to ensure she was the last thing he saw, when there was a deep bellowing. "Oy. Lidia. Back. Stop dat." The moss flinched. It seized up suddenly, and quickly retreated through the cave.

At the top of the cavern, a frost giant's face peered down at them, a male, with a big toothy smile. "'Ello down der. Sorry 'bout Lidia. Sometin make her crazy. She listen to me now. Had me trapped in a cave. Yall need some help?"

Svarak stared in disbelief, before laughing from his entire being, a deep, hearty noise of relief. The frost giant got those that Kona couldn't cart out, ignoring the wriggling and biting of Ortha, making sure to wear chain gloves when handling her carefully. He led them through a tunnel that wound upward for many hours, until it stopped at a flat, clearly carved wall. He touched a stalagmite, and the wall swung outward, opening up into a place all Moon Fey knew. It was the royal family's crypt. "Good luck friends, tanks for helping Lidia." And with that, the giant named Gurook turned and left.

Svarak and Ortha led the way, not sure if the city was still in chaos. They wound through the crypts, seeing the many tombs, including Rilana's ancestor. The crypt led up into the palace. The lavish, beautiful building was eerily empty, many of its niceties torn and strewn about. There were bodies of guards, nobles, civilians every so often, killed in the madness. They made their way to the throne room, massive and grand, with a barricaded set of double doors that many giants could walk through. The throne was tipped, cracked, the banners torn, the rugs bloodied. So much death and destruction. Svarak suggested making camp here, as it still seemed secured. Tents were put up, a fire was lit, and the night passed.

As the sun began to rise, there was a shouting from outside, a voice Rilana recognized. It was Fahlzer. "Anyone alive in there? We can see the smoke. We come with aid. The city is back in our control." Svarak and the homunculus cleared away the barricade and found an entire brigade of guards. Fahlzer smiled when he saw Rilana, "You're alive. You did it. Welcome home!"

Over the next several weeks, the citizens recovered and rebuilt. The Envoy Expedition members were patched up, housed in the finest palace rooms, treated like royalty. Drisceya was suspiciously missing, but everyone figured she'd turn up. Svarak recovered fully, and had put himself to use, helping to rebuild, and every evening, he came home to Rilana. Lady Moira recovered, and though terribly shaken and emotionally upset, she was fine. Finally when everything seemed normal, the queen brought the entire group together, Drisceya showing up, with many incredibly expensive jewels on her person. The queen anointed them all Guardians of the Realm, the highest possible honor in Frigmount. This gave each of them a parcel of land, with a small keep to be built on them, by the city. It also allowed them a seat on the council if they so desired. They were each given a ring, with a piece of the nullstone set as the gem. A massive dinner was hosted, and everyone in the city ate well and was merry.

Birds had been sent south to Ebonfort, to confirm the success of the mission, and to request soldiers and builders to be sent to Leandra's tower. This was Rilana's idea. Frigmount sent its own guards and builders to the tower. There, they divvied up the impressive library between the empires. Then they built a small village around the tower, to serve as a waypoint, a place of rest, that was roughly halfway between Frigmount and Ebonfort, and was named Shadaral, after the dragon they rescued there. Several travelers from both empires sought out this village to settle, others made way for the reformed allies.

Svarak asked the expedition members one day to a dinner, to commemorate their victory, and to honor those they lost. It was at this dinner that he took Rilana off to the side, and asked for her hand in marriage, and telling her that he was retiring from the Knights, to spend his life by her side. As the dinner wound down, and everyone was relaxed, a familiar caw was heard, and the wizened old woman was there with them. She stole a piece of meat from Kona and ate it heartily, skipping out of his reach more nimbly than one might expect of one that appeared so old. Once she finished eating, she spoke, "Juloya was an old friend of mine, and would want you all to have a proper gift." A chuckle and every nullstone ring glowed briefly. "There's more than one nullstone in the world. Just knock on one with that ring to find out." She walked up to Kona and patted his beak, running a finger over his scar, "You're such a pretty bird. Make sure you take care of her little ones," nodding at Rilana.

And with that, the woman was gone.

Drisceya was the first to test the ring. She went down with several of the kingdom's mages and knocked on the stone with her gem. She told them that she could see another stone in her mind, that she could tell that it was to the south. When she focused on it, she was able to step into the nullstone, as Juloya had many years before. But Drisceya disappeared. The mages continued to study the stone, when a tenday later, she returned. She reported that the stone she traveled to was deep beneath the dungeons of Ebonfort, that it seemed to take a tenday to recharge the stone to come back. She could also feel many other nullstones in the world when she was touching it.

Lady Moira disappeared one night, no one sure to where or why, but the same night, the hilt that belonged to Svarak's sword, left by Juloya's feet, was missing too.

Ezzemara took Chartrose up on his offer to travel with him, and suggested they travel with the caravans returning to Ebonfort. By the time Gurook returned, his lover was gone.

Drisceya returned to Ebonfort, announcing Svarak's retirement, at his request, and accepted the promotion to his seat as Lord Knight of the Citadel.

Hinkley was tired of traveling after that journey, and opened a small clinic in Frigmount, to treat the sick and wounded.

The queen announced the day that magic returned to be the Festival of Rejuvenation, and to be celebrated each year, and to mourn those they lost. The event slowly became known around the world as The Rejuvenation of Magic. Every magic user knew that the world was whole again. That it was a magical world once more. That many big changes were coming. But the world had been saved and restored.

[Twhirtley]

Reward Review

Rilana Aurime

Skills
Riding (Horse): 2
Riding (Ram): 1
Flirting: 1
Animal Husbandry: 10
Familiary: 25 (10 is from God Assisted Boost) (6 from close proximity of Rejuvenation of magic)
Socialization: 3
Tactics: 6
Leadership: 11
Wilderness Survival: 3
Intimidation: 2
Observation: 7
Subterfuge: 1
Spelunking: 2
Herbalism: 1
Brewing: 1
Interrogation: 1
Rhetoric: 6
Teaching: 3
Acrobatics: 2
Riding (Gryphon): 5
Weapon (Longbow): 2
Bodybuilding: 2
Weapon: Greatsword: 1
Persuasion: 3
Running: 1

Knowledge:
Treant: Can Appear as a Normal Tree
Treant: Make the Air Stale
Treant: Aggressive Only if Provoked
Leadership: Sacrificing the Foolish to Save the Group
Guilt: Lyle's Death
Familiary: Druids Can Instantly Recognize Effigies
Location: Leandra's Shadaral Tower
Ice Dragons: Are Very Real
Medicine: Dragon Scales Turn Grey When Feverish
Elementals: Cores are Explosive
Null Sword Blade Allowed For Communication with Juloya
Juloya's Pain from Housing Celevar
Witnessing the Ascension of a God
Shadaraliax: God of Ice
The White Raven is an Old Friend of Shadaraliax
Location: Jhrogramir, Village of Ice Giants
Location of Cave of Sighs, Home of Ice Bats
Celevar: The Evil God of the Colors Crimson and Black
The White Raven is Goddess named Ayakari
Juloya is Dead, to Save the World
Jadeyan 31st - The Rejuvenation of Magic, Holiday

Other
Scale of Shadaraliax - Emits a chill but no known other effects.
Ortha's Effigy
Blessing of Shadaraliax - Provides immunity to natural cold, Tundra and Cold Mountains aid in Wilderness Survival. This includes predators bringing meat, herbivores bringing gathered food, avalanches avoiding the Blessed, leaving no tracks in the snow. All of these abilities are passive, and can be deactivated by the Blessed if so desired. The Blessing also includes a 1 time call for aid from the God.
Diary of Leandra Sealta, Vol. 4 - Tome written in Fey, talking of the many magics Leandra learned, as well as revealing the early signs of her madness. Magics learned include Ice Elementalism, Shielding, Aurism, and Reaving
Ihleen's Offer of Druid Training
Long Scar on both sides of abdomen from Kona while in Hare form
Kona - Scar on face and beak
Feather of Ayakari - Unknown effect, can be "activated" by whoever holds it. Global Moderator moderation required for the effect.
Title: Guardian of the Realm
Keep with Farmable Land to Sustain 10 people (100,000 GP Value) - Keep construction will be completed by Crimsia 301.
Nullstone Ring - Allows travel between Nullstones. By tapping the stone against a Nullstone, all activated Nullstones appear in the wearer's mind. This location is vague, often just a general direction and distance from their location, as well as the immediate surroundings of the Nullstone. If focus is directed on one destination, the wearer can walk through the Nullstone and walk out of the destination Nullstone. Has a 10 day recharge time.
Pregnancy, with twins, due sometime in Mauven 301.

Alya Eloen

Skills
Socialization: 2
Riding (Ram): 1
Intimidation: 2
Animal Husbandry: 3
Observation: 7
Spelunking: 2
Music (Flute): 2
Meditation: 2
Songweaving: 17 (8 from Acquiring Note of Ice) (6 from close proximity to Rejuvenation of Magic)
Tactics: 2
Leadership: 1
Medicine: 1
Elementalism (Ice): 8 (6 from close proximity to Rejuvenation of Magic)

Knowledge:
Echo's Commands: 2 finger clicks means 'To me'
Treant: Can Appear as a Normal Tree
Treant: Make the Air Stale
Treant: Aggressive Only if Provoked
Folk Lore: Treants Steal Naughty Children
Lyle: Genuinely Enjoys Combat
Lyle: Certainly Dead
Guilt: Abandoning Lyle
Magic: All Mages Can Mind Speak
White Elf History: Rarely Go Mute as Sign of Greater Purpose
White Elf History: Mute White Elves Often Became Priests
Location: Meditation Enhancing Cavern
Meditation: The Serenity Note
Feywild: Beautiful and Bountiful
Feywild: Cut Off by the Death of Magic
Feywild: Devastated by Black and Crimson Shadow
Feywild: Needs Saved
Mysterious Word: Jaspaiya
My Purpose: Find and Save the Feywild
White Elf History: White Elves Once Again Disappear After Completing Purpose
Location: Leandra's Shadaral Tower
Ice Dragons: Are Very Real
Song Weaving: Note of Ice
Shadaraliax: God of Ice
Location: Jhrogramir, Village of Ice Giants
Location of Cave of Sighs, Home of Ice Bats
Location: Frigmount
Rilana: Able to Magically Store Kona
Celevar: The Evil God of the Colors Crimson and Black
Jadeyan 31st - The Rejuvenation of Magic, Holiday

Other
Ice Elementalism* - Due to acquiring this magic via the Note of Ice, Alya can only use this magic via music making. It can be used simultaneously with Song Weaving, however this drains magic at a much higher rate. Upon reaching Artisan Ice Elementalism, Alya can use this magic without the requirement of music.
Title: Guardian of the Realm
Keep with Farmable Land to Sustain 10 people (100,000 GP Value) - Keep construction will be completed by Crimsia 301.
Nullstone Ring - Allows travel between Nullstones. By tapping the stone against a Nullstone, all activated Nullstones appear in the wearer's mind. This location is vague, often just a general direction and distance from their location, as well as the immediate surroundings of the Nullstone. If focus is directed on one destination, the wearer can walk through the Nullstone and walk out of the destination Nullstone. Has a 10 day recharge time.

Chartrose Treeshredder

Skills

Animal Husbandry: 3
Socialization: 5
Tactics: 1
Spelunking: 1
Wilderness Survival: 2
Observation: 2
Negotiation: 1
Food Preservation: 1
Familiary: 3
Rhetoric: 2
Intimidation: 1
Tactics: 1
Weapon (Chain): 1
Bodybuilding: 1
Weapon (Axe): 1
Leadership: 1
Flirting: 2

Knowledge:
Treant: Can Appear as a Normal Tree
Treant: Make the Air Stale
Treant: Aggressive Only if Provoked
Guilt: Abandoning Lyle
Location: Mysterious White Elf's
Familiary: Druids Can Instantly Recognize Effigies
Frigmount: Never Lost Its Magic
Familiary: Druids Can Instantly Recognize Marks
Familiary: Marks Allow Familiars to Always Be With You
Rilana: Has a Gryphon Mark
Gryphons: Love Being Fawned Over
Location: Leandra's Shadaral Tower
Tricia: Marked Upon His Back
Ice Dragons: Are Very Real
Shadaraliax: God of Ice
Location: Jhrogramir, Village of Ice Giants
Location: Cave of Sighs, Home of Ice Bats
Location: Frigmount
Ezzemara: Former Mate of Gurook

Other
Familiary Mark: Tricia
Becker is no longer able to be teleported to Chartrose by magic, due to Lord Knight Theren.
NPC Companion - Ezzemara: Ice Giantess Shepherd