Fantasy ~ FableWood ~

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr looked at Raegan with acknowledgement and respect.


" The scourge of the east. " she said, bowing before him " I have heard a lot about you - or well, about a certain wolf who is as cunning as merciless whilst hunting, it is an honor to meet you. I am Nyr, a Dread Raven, it is a pleasure to meet you. "


She had heard legends about a wolf, hunting everything down in the east but she never expected to meet him in person. She was happy to see such a powerful ally joining their ranks - his expertise in hunting would surely provide useful. Now as she eyed Leo, Achyls and Raegan she suddenly a bit tension in the air, but only momentarily.


" Now that we have a mighty wolf in our ranks and the introductions are over with what do you think we should do? " she asked, looking around.

 

[BloodThunder27]

At last, home in Branbern. Ashley had never had such an exciting adventure. Though she nearly went into labor near the beginning...Or so she thought. As she arrived back at the Castle, the first thing on her mind was resting on a comfortable bed. As she entered her bedroom, Ashley yawned. As she took off her Combat Gear and set them aside and changing into something more comfortable...And clean. May want to bathe first. She did feel a little grimy...


After spending a half an hour bathing, she slipped into a new dress before going back to her room. As she crawled into bed, she yawned and stretched her arms before grabbing a pillow and putting it in between her legs and pulling her cloak over her as a blanket and simply drifting off to sleep. As always, her door was open in case her companions wanted to check up on her, or now that she's home, perhaps the servants and the princess? Who knows.

 

[Flutterby]

Quincy caught the soft sound of the sword being jerked from the ground. Tharon swung the blade over his shoulder and down, only to be stopped as Quincy thrust her bow into the air, diverting his blow to the side. The sword gashed the beautiful wood harshly, but that wasnt Quincy's main concern. She whirled and stood, nocking an arrow, but keeping the bow at her side defensively. The elf, surprised by her deflection, froze at the sight of her drawing a weapon on him, even though it wasnt aimed yet.


"YOU VILE NYMPH! HOW DARE YOU!" He shouted, voice echoing clearly across the gardens, shaking in prideful rage as he puffed himself up to attack again. He brought his sword up and began to charge her.


Quincy brought the bow up, pointing her arrowhead at his forehead. The elf skidded to a halt, shock and fury written on his face.


"Come another step and you'll find yourself in an early grave." Quincy spoke softly, but her voice was dangerously serious, hiding her fear. Even though she appeared resolute, she was watching her peripheral vision, praying for one of her friends to show up.

 

[SkywardSocks]

Achyls looked to Nyr, a stoic expression now left on her face.


"We had better head back to the castle. Inside the walls we can rest, and introduce Raegan to the others," she stated, flapping her wings until she took off back to the castle. She wandered inside, a wave of fatigue sweeping her. She trudged to her room, when the sight of Ashley's open door caught her attention. She peeked around the corner, seeing if Ashley had made it home safely. That child in her belly looked ready to come out of hiding now, and her mother looked fit to bursting. A small smile dawned on her as she saw she was at peace in sleep. She then took to her own room, collapsing on the floor in a heap, the tiredness only just catching up to her. From the looks of things, she seemed content, bundled on the floor, silently sleeping in the quiet solitude.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena felt herself tense up at his questions. She didn't really have a very good answer either. She quickly slipped on a good natured smile and shrugged, walking timidly over to the Branbern gate but trying to act casual.


"I'm not a hero. Or, I am, I just am not worthy of a feast. If anything, I need more training." She said, careful not to sound depressed about it.


"And I'm not tired or hungry. But it seems you are hungry, right? And anyone who needs something should get it." She said lightheartedly. She knew she was quite thinner than when she first arrived, and even tried to change it, but her mental state would protest a feast.


"Also, it's nice out here."

 

[SilverFlight]

Leia smiled back at him, and Kallin crossed his arms and said nothing.


"Just ignore chuckles over here, come on."


She lead them through the streets, past quaint little shops and tall mansions. The bazarr had been mostly cleared, the ripped canvas stalls and rubble cleaned up and laying in piles on the sides of the open square. Kallin picked up a pebble from one of the piles and examined it. "Limestone. I could work with that."


Leia ignored him and brought them down to the front gates. They glimmered in the setting sun, reflecting gold light onto the cobbled road. She took them past fountains and gardens, overall the repairs were coming along, though much still had to be done. One of the fountain figures was missing several limbs.


She didn't know much about Branbern, but the little she did know she shared; how it had been chosen as the safe haven for the humans who were brought here from the real world.


"Briar says the spell that brought us here is binding only until we stop the ShadowWood...I guess that means stopping Cara--"


"Don't say her name." Kallin interrupted quickly.


She shot him a venomous look.


"Names have power," he explained. "And for some reason when you humans use our names it is more than a little different. A powerful caster can even use mention of their name to invoke their awareness wherever it was mentioned." Kallin observed Leia's lost look. "It means she can spy on you."


She was about to argue, but realized it would probably be a waste of time.


Is wasn't long at all before they found themselves at the castle gates again.


Kallin stepped away from them. "Well, It's got to be now if I'm going to prove my point."


Leia furrowed her brow in confusion, and when Kallin took the staff strapped to his back she summoned her wind and water spirits to be ready.


He looked back at her and snorted. "Relax princess, I swore a magical oath. No hurting the inhabitants of Branbern. But...you might want to take a few paces back." There was a smile in his eyes, but if Leia could tell anything it didn't look malicious at all.


Kallin stepped into an open area before the castle gates. He twirled his staff in a deft flourish and slammed the tip on the ground. Immediately he was surrounded by light that formed into complex glyphs circling his feet. A wind picked up from the sygils, swirling about him and whipping his scarf about like an angry cat's tail. Tendrils of light shot from the central glyphs, snaking their way to all parts of the city. Some ran into the gardens right under the feet of those drawn into conversation.


Briar rose from her seat, giving a startled glance at Grenwin the wizard, who shrugged.


Ward leapt away as one of the lights shot past on the ground he stood on.


Kallin made it look easy, in actual fact he had rarely ever attempted magic on this scale. If he had his human form he'd already be sweating with the effort of controlling such a force. As he was though, he could just about manage it without showing signs of strain.


Leia prepped Lee for an attack, ready to freeze the mage solid when something rumbled under her feet.


The nearest pile of rubble shifted and began to move. It ran up the side of a building and to her absolute astonishment it began re-assembling itself as the structure's missing corner!


Thea tree snapped back into one whole piece where before it had been splintered in half. All over the city things were repairing themselves.


Kallin's staff began to smoke, and just when he thought he couldn't carry it on the spell finished its work and he was blown back out of the glyph circle to land flat on his back.


The staff clattered to the ground beside him, steaming quietly. He lay there for a moment, unable to breathe, but he smiled inwardly. He sure had made a point.


Briar was intrigued now, she left the terrace to seek out who or what had been the cause of the spell.


Ward rushed to the group of friends, noting the new face but having no time to react to them at present. He looked to Leo, Nyr and Achyls with a worried expression.


"Where is the mage?"


@SwiftThunder @zCrookedz @DawnAntalios @SkywardSocks @Deucalion


((Sorry to steal the attention, but we have plot to uncover ))

 

[SkywardSocks]

((Sorry, finished up with Achyls today, I won't be on for a little while))

 

[Deucalion]

"The bird has spoken." Raegan laughed, turning around to move towards the castle, following the distant form of the flying raven. "I have always wanted to see the castle from the ins-"


The hunter was interrupted by a sudden powerful surge of energy, the low booming registered by his sharp hearing. Something was happening. He was just about to turn towards his newfound partners and ask when a beam of light snaked across the ground, shooting through the street. The wolf managed to quickly hop back, avoiding the spell, but it did catch him off guard. What in the world? Was the city under attack? Honestly, that was quite an exciting prospect...


Raegan's faint grin turned to wonder however, as the city began to repair itself before his very eyes. That was... Something else. Large scale magic, clearly done by someone who knew that they were doing. Even Raegan had to respect that. Then the griffin arrived, landing near the rest of the group. "Ah, a mage. Another skilled member of your group, I'm guessing." He commented, trying to play off his surprise with a mask of indifference.

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr was not afraid of the powers Kallin released. In fact she was quite amazed by the power he amassed and the language he used. She had spoken to Mother Moon about this kind of sorcery, but she did not yet have the courage to delve deeper into the mystical arts. Kallin however seemed to be a master of such spells... and that made her really curious.


" Amazing... " she mused, at first not even hearing Ward's words. She then turned to him " He is with Leia I think. But this magic... truly fascinating. Such delicate spell work, such balance... he is the master of the arts after all. Although I am not sure what kind of spell this is... it still looks fantastic. "


She took wings and looked at the others.


" He must had a good reason to invoke such ancient powers. Let us see if he has something to say to us. "


She then flew in the direction of the mage. Even she was surprised how curious did he make her, but she wanted to find out what was going on.

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai shrugged and began to speak when the ground beneath him began to rumble. He frowned as he looked at the gate, it rattled and began to glow with power. He cocked his head curiously. "That's some strong magic." He said aloud "Friends of yours?" He asked the girl curiously.

 

[Flutterby]

The burst of magic sweeping across the city distracted Tharon long enough for Quincy to make a quick getaway, slipping into the great hall where everyone would eventually meet.

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo lowered his arm from his weapon when the wolf showedno sign of hostility, though he did regard his macho attitude with almost the same he would a childs. He was about to continue on when the earth around them began to shoot golden light and shake. Leo's eye widdend as he watched the city restore itself. Shattered buildings, ruined trees, destroyed roads all pulled themselves back together as if they had never be destroyed in the first place. "This is, astounding. I have never seen magic performed on such a large scale." He turned to Nyr and the others just as Ward rushed into view. "I, I do not know my lord. He was here only moments ago." He placed his hand on his ax and readied to follow Ward should he need their assisstance with the wizard.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena flinched when she felt the wave of magic, and could see behind her eyes the city reconstructing itself. It felt like.. Like that sarcastic stranger. She looked at the larger man and nodded briefly. Walking in that direction again.


"I believe it was a man I grabbed from a dungeon a little bit ago. I could be wrong. Either way, now I'll have to leave my hiding place. Would you like to join? Once again, free food." She said with a hint of humor in her voice, starting towards the great hall, wondering if the larger man would follow. Before she even arrived, she looked anxiously at her group.


"You lost the guy I just found? Well.. Do you think he is that dangerous though?"

 

[andujarprime]

He smiled at the invitation, and was positively beaming at the mention of free food. "Well if you insist!" He exclaimed as he followed behind her. He had never been here before, soon he was jogging to catch up to the girl. Coming to a halt several feet behind her as she caught up to a group of people. He stood quietly looking around. Watching the ruined walls reconstruct themselves

 

[Happy Red Mage]

Excalibur remained at the far back, being silent as always and watchful. She wasn't of much use at the back but that was all she could muster enough courage to do. She knew she had to turn into her sword form at some point and she had to be ready for that moment, but at this time she was merely too afraid to let anyone use her. She then felt, along with the others in the group, a strong burst of magic, to which she slowly edged away from. "Uh...w-what was that?"

 

[Lioness075]

Luness had begun to make her way towards the castle to check on Falarion and her pack, but halted when she felt a strong burst of magic flooding the city and all around her.


Looking around in awe, Luness watched as the city began rebuilding itself. Once everything stopped moving itself and the magic seemingly disippated, Luness dropped to all fours and sprinted back to the group, who wasn't hard to find when they were all congregating where the strong magic had come from.


Upon arriving, Luness stood up on her hind legs and raised an eyebrow at who she could only assume to be Kallin sprawled out on the ground before them. Frowning at everyone's lack of care to help the man up, Luness hung back. She certainly wasn't about to help someone she hardly knew, but the group was normally more kind towards anyone who didn't immediately act hostile towards them.


Freezing at the scent of werewolf nearby, Luness quickly looked around the group until she saw the werewolf standing nearby. Narrowing her eyes, Luness instinctively felt her Alpha side kick in, as she walked up to the wolf and then stopped within a few feet of him. Without blinking, Luness bluntly asked him, "Who are you, wolf?" She didn't recognize his scent, which instantly put her on edge. There weren't that many werewolves around these parts. Of course, she doubted the wolf had ever met an Alpha werecat before. She was most certainly an odd sight to behold. After all, she was the first Alpha werecat in the history of Fable Wood.


@Deucalion

 

[SilverFlight]

Leia stood there for just a moment in utter shock. Honestly she had pegged this guy as just a sarcastic, judgmental jerk. Why would he bust himself to fix the city?


She walked over to where he lay, kneeling down to help him sit.


"Well, you got our attention." She said, watching the others approach. "What's your point?"


It was a while before Kallin had the breath to speak. He was certainly going to be sore tomorrow, channeling that much force through his body at one time. His curse was good for that at least, it allowed him to call and channel much more magic than he ever could as a human.


"The point is...You need me."


"So it would seem," Briar stepped through the crowd, folding her hands together gently. "You repaired my city. A task with would have taken days if not weeks more. Who are you?"


Kallin inclined his head to the princess and spoke his name.


"I'm from High Tower...and I know where your enemy is."


Briar looked very serious. "Come with me." She said quietly. Kallin tried to rise, accepting Leia's help but he could barely stand.


"Then when you are rested, I would speak with you, and the other heroes. Until then. Everyone should enjoy the festivities. Kallin;"


The mage fixed her with his glowing yellow eyes as she spoke his name.


"Your good deed has earned you refuge in my city, but don't think that I won't be watching you, you know I cannot leave someone with so much power unchecked."


Ward stepped forward at this point. "We will keep an eye on him Princess Briar, we brought him here, I suppose that makes him our responsibility."


Kallin nodded. "All due respect highness, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about as soon as that sun disappears."


Leia helped him to a bench nearby. Not wanting him to be left alone again she hung around nearby.

 

[Bea Delaine]

Elena fell into the background as she watched the scene play out. He was powerful, and trustworthy, this dark figured man. She looked back tithe one she brought from the woods and smiled at him.


"I never got your name. I'm going to return to my training, so do as Princess Briar says and enjoy the festivities? My name is Elena by the way." She looked from him to Ward, Leia and she rest and shook her head. It was a barely noticeable movement.


"I knew he wasnt going to be of any harm." She said mainly to herself before starting back to and through the gardens. She would have felt guilty for leaving the man with the dragon aura, but the rest of her group would keep better company.

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo watched as Briar and the others all made their way towards the fallen mage. He took a few stepps to the side to get a better view of the mage as they helped him to his feet. Then the mage heard the mage say he knew where their enemy was. The man surely did know a great deal and would be a fantastic asset to their small group with only his knowlage alone. Add ontop of that the massive amount of power that he brought and Leo began to fear for if this man decided he no longer wanted to be an asset. Leo crossed his arms and began to think faster and faster, he was going to have to stay on his toes with this newcommer. He looked side to side and found Nyr still close, this brought him a bit of comfort as he approached Ward and the others as the man finished. He had only caught the last bit of his words but aroused suspicion in him "And why will we not have to worry mage?" He began to grip his ax handle a bit tighter.


@SilverFlight

 

[andujarprime]

He smiled and nodded. "Malachai, nice to meet you mizz Elena." He introduced himself to her. He started looking back at the group, then back to her. "I think I'll join you for now. I'm not too fond of large groups of strangers." He said with a shrug as he turned to follow her. "Besides, I'm sure I can do better than bushes and trees right?" He said with a laugh

 

[Bea Delaine]

"Malachai? Nice to meet you too.. I'm, I'm very fond of the group. I'm just not a group person." She said, her voice soft. She started jogging again, ignoring the protest in her legs. She found the field again and brought out her sword, position becoming sturdy again but going her very much opportunity to dodge or run.


"Don't get me wrong either, I very much love the people in the group too.. But it's easier to show aggression when I'm away from them. So you want to spar? I can't promise I'm very good."

 

[SilverFlight]

Ward exchanged glanced with Leia and went to follow Elena. When they were away from the group he spoke up. "I owe you an apology, I think." He caught up with her and pressed his hands behind his back.


"I should have trusted your judgement, about Kallin, and well, I'm sorry."


The first stars began to appear in the sky and Ward looked up at them pensively.


"I suppose...I knew he was powerful, to an extent...I saw my home burn once...I couldn't risk loosing more chaos onto it."


As Malachai came up he nodded respectfully, offering his name: Ward.


"I-I should probably go, If what the mage says is true, we may have a lot of things to worry about in the future."


With that he turned to go, transforming back into his gryphon for to take off for one of the castle towers.


@Bea Delaine


Kallin leaned away from the lion brandishing an impossibly large axe. He had interpreted Kallin's words as a threat...uh oh.


"Because, adding to the fact that I'll be weak as a kitten until tomorrow at least...I don't get to keep my power every waking second." As if on cue the last of the sun's light vanished below the horizon.


Kallin felt the familiar pull of his power draining out of him like a tide. Then came the sensations; he could feel the breeze on his face once more, the soft pinch of his gloves. The world suddenly became much more real as his human body was restored to him, just as every other night. He reveled in his regained senses, but couldn't help but feel much more vulnerable. At night, he was almost completely defenseless.


He wrapped his scarf more tightly about his face, hiding all but a pair of ice-blue eyes. When he spoke, the echo was gone and he sounded like any other human in FableWood.


"Its a curse." He explained quietly. "I won't be able to do much more than light a candle for the next twelve hours."


@zCrookedz


((last post for today))

 

[DawnAntalios]

Nyr stepped closer to Leo and reached out with her hand to grab his. She however quickly realized her audacious act and pulled her hand back, still standing close to the lion. She then eyed Kallin and nodded confidently.


" Worry not. " she said " Such magic indeed takes its toll - but we are here to protect you, no harm will come to you. I swear to it. " she frowned when heard about the curse. Maybe someone cast such spell on him - or he took it as a price for controlling such powers she knew not. Regardless that did not change anything: they would guard him.


" If you wish I could consult with Mother Moon. Maybe she would be able to find a cure to your illness. "


She then remembered something and turned her voice to whisper, so that only Leo could hear it.


" I promised you to visit the Moonlit Glade so that you could meet Mother. " she said silently " When we have the time she would be glad to welcome you. After all you are the champion of Oz. "

 

[zCrookedz]

Leo relaxed as the mage exsplained himself. After what the group had been through, he would not put it past the dark powers of this world to place something as powerfull as Kallin in their mits only to have him murder them all in their sleep. Relaxing his hand from his weapon he bowed to Kallin "I appologize dear mage. It had been a tense few days and I have yet to properly unwind." He took a step back as the mage began to change before his very eyes, giving all the credit he needed to convince Leo of his words. It was strange, it was like all the power in the man had been swept out from beneath him and locked away in a vault. It was then that he heard Nyrs voice at a mear whisper. He turned his head so his eye was fixated softly on her "I do remember you offering to introduce us. Whenever you are ready, I will follow." He turned back to the group and gave Kallin a nod of acceptance.

 

[andujarprime]

Malachai nodded respectfully to Ward, not surprised seeing him turn into a Gryphon he inky smiled as he flew away. Turning his attention back to Elena " Sure we could spar. I promise to keep civil, I haven't been near humans, or anyone else for a long time. But I'm sure I can hold back." He said with a smile walking behind her. He purposely stayed behind her letting her lead the way. He wasn't completely familiar with this part of the forest, and he didn't want any of her friends thinking there was a stranger taking their dear friend away. He just followed with a relaxed smile.


@Bea Delaine


<last post for the next few hours. Dinner time!!!!!!!>