Shienvien Member

@Veridis Quo: They are from Nemhim; Nemhim City has allegedly been rendered completely to ruins. By their description, there is some manner of monster on the loose that seems to be fond of eating people's hearts and appears unstoppable. It is generally said to be reddish-brown in color, but the descriptions of the rest of its appearance do not match up.

I kind of find it hard to believe a person like I'on would accept killing innocents who were just doing their jobs... He is smaller, but also stockier and can always just hit the vampire over his head with his staff, no? Since Morgan is a vampire, there is probably a somewhat smaller chance that he'd be permanently brain-damaged from it. (Well ... there'd be quite a bit of explaining to do afterwards, but at least people'd not be dead. NPCs are persons, too, and shouldn't treated any differently IC than played characters.)

**@Veridis Quo:** It is actually daytime for those within Zerul City (the vampire has a hood and a full face mask with just tiny slits for vision ... well, and also the shadows of the nearby buildings). A group of those who are going to join the people in Zerul city are currently in a borderhouse near Zerul's border (they will depart and head for Zerul soon, and presumably arrive the city in the evening towards the night; probably will spend the night at some inn or such establishment, possibly provided for them). Another three who will join this branch of story are in some rural area near Zerul City and will be picked up before or after the main group has been to Zerul city. **@Jack:** Little compact list of what mainly separates éireannach from humans and forestfolk from highlanders... Both: Hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin in blood. - Which is to say, they have blue blood (dark blue when oxygenated, can go almost translucent when completely deoxygenated - but the latter is not likely to happen in atmospheric conditions) rather than red. Other than when they bleed would also be somewhat - but not strongly - apparent from their skin and especially lips (more discernible in the pale highlanders). Slight differences in circulatory system, also probably slightly higher average breathing/pulse rate. Also makes them completely incompatible with all red-blooded humanoid species. Forestfolk: No collarbones. Allows them to put their shoulders together in front of theirselves and increases their ability to fit through narrow spaces. (As a sidenote, lack of collarbones rarely also occurs in humans.) Increased flexibility and range of motion, also slightly different distribution of muscle (more oriented for climbing). Their characteristic "patchwork" skin of various brown and green tones. - Typically shorter and lither than highlanders. Highlanders: More resistant to cold than humans. Also somewhat less resistant to heat. On average also less susceptible to altitude sickness. - Typically taller and more sturdily built than forestfolk.

**@InspectorGadget:** Welcome. As Jack already said, we will answer any questions you have. Perhaps you already noticed, but there is a link to off-site resource containing the world info and also replicas of the IC posts in the OP. [Also here.](http://http://theprophecy.nefaerious.com) (You might have easier time reading the IC posts in the Compendium's archives, since in there they are sorted by story-branch rather than interweaved randomly. The textwall at the end of this post is a summary of the happenings in Zerul City) **@Ink Blood:** Welcome back. **@Ashgan:** You've a new avatar, I see... **@Veridis Quo:** Here is a not-too-short (but still the size of a long post rather than literally seventy posts long) hopefully adequate summary of events in Zerul City from before the rise of NuGuild to the present moment... A young rune mage, Thomas Remdal, son of Dennis Remdal, was waiting by the gates of Zerul City in order to welcome a group of adventurers bent on curing the plague known as the Withering, a penin called I'onriyi, a rather well-known individual in Zerul and a friend of Thomas', was just returning from a mission to exterminate an unusually massive ore-lizard, and an assassin by the name of Ixion Ecthalion had just completed his end of a contract. Thomas had a brief chat concerning their respective activities and a recent ongoing influx of refugees from Nemhim with the returning I'on, a chat which was interrupted by a confrontation with Ixion. It was tense, but as luck willed it, did not come to blows, and ended with a poison from unknown source catching up with Ixion's system and making him collapse on the spot. I'on had the guards nearby take Ixion into a church of Reina for healing and invited Thomas for a drink, something which the rune mage declined since he still had a duty to fulfill by the gate, leaving the penin to depart on his own. Ixion, however, did not opt to wait till someone came in to question him, but fled the church shortly after having regained his senses. Ixion's affiliation with the demon known as the Grand Master triggered a magical "alarm" as he stumbled down the streets, prompting an unknown woman dressed in blue (although one spot in her opening post refers to her garmets as 'indigo', which is a rather ambiguous descriptor and can be pretty much as purple as purple goes according to some color palettes ... but I'm digressing; might be a note to Jack if anything ... I am quite certain she's supposed to be dressed in *blue* blue) to track him down and try to make him reveal whether or not he was the person she was supposed to find, one known as "the Fixer". The confrontation also caught the attention of a vampire sniffer named Morgan lurking above the street level. Ixion was suspicious of the woman, questioning her and not allowing her to get close enough to examine him and ascertain whether or not he was the Fixer. The woman, however, remained adamant, and the vampire watched on. In the end, the woman's last attempt to physically close the distance and take a look at Ixion's eyes prompted the assassin to attack and request the vampire nearby to call guards (a request the latter found ludicrous). Fighting ensued, Ixion was further injured, and the woman took damage, too. The smell of blood was a bit too much for the vampire, and e stopped spectating and joined the fight, attacking the woman. It was uncertain how the fight would have ended otherwise, but at one point during it the woman drew a curious sword, which caused a fourth character to appear and promptly end her life. Neither the vampire nor assassin were particularly amused by this outcome despite the newcomer stating that he had no business with either of them. When the figure drew out a book and mentioned a "gift for good ol' Blue", however, it gave Ixion a pause and made him successfully halt the bloodlust-driven and quite irate vampire. Tense waiting ensured during which both mostly just wanted to see what the book was for. They also derived this was the "Fixer" the woman had been looking for (note that neither the Fixer's identity nor deeds are publicly known, despite what the IC posts may suggest; there are no legends of the Fixer). The book turned out to contain the life story of Blue - the woman who had just been killed -, which was one of being born to a mother who didn't want her and abandoned her, being picked up by something referred to as "the Corpse Forge", turned into a tool rather than a person, and then assigned to the Duke of Zerul, who was the only one to treat her as a person despite her not being able to comprehend the act. After paying the woman her last respects, the Fixer closed the book and inquired Ixion about his poisoning. Any further conversation was soon interrupted by I'on wandering into the street and, to which Fixer responded to by attacking Ixion - to convince the witness that the assassin and vampire were victims rather than his accomplices in killing Blue. Fighting ensued, I'onriyi demanded to know what was going on and started casting a spell, but in the end, the Fixer decided it was enough and dematerialized himself, although not before making it very clear that he could've killed Ixion if he so desired (In the form of a gaping hole in the street, less than an inch from Ixion's head). The curious sword the woman had drawn and the Fixer had seemingly wanted, however, was left behind, and Ixion opted to retrieve it. The penin demanded an explanation, and Ixion gave one to him - although he bended the truth and left some things unsaid in a manner that painted a more innocent picture of the vampire, and to a lesser extent, him himself. I'onriyi was content, for he had seen the Fixer being engaged with Ixion with his own eyes, and took it upon himself to explain what happened to the guards (who conveniently showed up just a few moments later) and offered to pay for their stay at the Drunken Dove inn. Ixion agreed to I'on's offer, if somewhat tentatively, the vampire remained more suspicious. I'on indeed did convey the situation to the guards as Ixion had described it (although he included himself amongst the people the Fixer had attacked). However, he also claimed the two would not be leaving town, and noted that they can be questioned tomorrow. Ixion nodded, grudgingly, but to the vampire the notion of being bound to one place and possibly being questioned was too much, and he initiated an attack. Whether it would be intercepted without the situation coming to more serious consequences remains to be seen.

@Nessa: Things like that belong in PM.

@Rhae and Jack: They claimed they will made BBCode available again soon, and editing old posts would be enabled then once more. Edit#1: That ... is not going to end well. (Referring at the post.) Edit#2 @Veridis Quo: I will compile you a short summary afterwards ... well, either I or Jack, I'd figure, depending on which of us feels up to it first. Will probably also have to give a brief summary of what happened before the IC you can see.

@Veridis Quo: Which branches of the story do you wish a summary of? I assume the happenings in Zerul? The withering's *existence* is very well known because a sufficient amount of people have died from it already. It is, however, not known what exactly it is, how it spreads, or where does/did it come from.

@Rhae: ...For some reason I thought you implied that he was still a member of some faction or another, rather than that he has been a part of one before. Silly me.

If you're not going to timeskip immediately, then you're good to go from my part. Do you wish for éireannach change summary? Legion has developed them a bit more since they were first posted. The Wanderer's followers tend to prefer gray garmets by my recollection (and gray is rather ambiguous tone). Wouldn't Morgan being part of some organization interfere with him going along (unless he was sent along with the group)? What organizations besides the deo'iel would accept a vampire into their ranks? Edit: Seclyrian sniffers in Zerul?

Do you actually intend to timeskip right away, or do you intend to make at least one more post on the spot? I am actually halfway inclined to make a continuation post for Aemoten, and if you intend to timeskip, I'd rather do it now. Chances are I'm not receiving a reply to that, either (though Iäd certainly like one), but eh... If for no other reason, then for the sake of not making one hypermassive post afterwards. How do you imagine the people'd be brought together after the timeskip, by the way? I'm tempted to suggest not letting them meet right away, but just putting them in the same inn and have them meet in the morning or something... And will still have to talk to the people of the other collab (since they have to be picked up at some point before or after Zerul City, too) and make a post there. Rhaevnn, are you around?