Fantasy Setting Summer Dawn

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nickname: Lea
Race: Tabaxi - Beastwoman	Home Country: Cyndara
Occupation: Huntress / Astronomer Apprentice	Equipment: Knapsack, Bow, Quiver of Arrows (19/20), Twin Daggers, Collapsible Spyglass

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Leandra's eyes nearly bugged out when her arrow actually struck true and one of the mages cried out in pain. She had never shot an arrow at a person or had any intent to harm someone outside of hunting game for her village. Cringing at the sight of the injury, Leandra called out, "Sorry!" before feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She was pretty sure that apologizing to a bad person was not something she was supposed to do. She genuinely felt apologetic, though.

Too late, Leandra did not hear Crow's warning and an unexpected flash of bright light filled her vision. She screamed, mostly in surprise and out of fear, and stumbled forward blindly. She began rapidly blinking in an attempt to get her vision back, but could only hear the clashing of some people fighting getting closer and closer.
Leandra feared someone was going to try and jump her, so she unsheathed her daggers and wildly swung them. Much to her surprise, she felt one strike against someone's armor and gasped at the shock up her arm. Whoever she struck muttered a curse and Leandra yelped in terror when she realized how defenseless she was now. Reacting instinctually, Leandra sheathed her daggers while she leaned forward and abruptly tackled her opponent. It was their turn to gasp in shock and Leandra heard a weapon clatter to the floor behind them while she felt the both of them temporarily go airborne.
Leandra let out an, "Oomph!" as they both crashed into the staircase just below the top of the temple. They rolled a few steps and then Leandra scrambled away from the enemy on all fours. Taking a more feral approach to combat now, Leandra continued to blink as her vision now returned, but was very blurry. Dimly, she could tell that her opponent was standing up unsteadily and then they pulled something out of their belt before swinging at her.
Leandra had nowhere to to dodge to, so she used her strong hand to unsheathe one of her daggers and shakily parried the strike while stumbling against the staircase wall. Hissing at her opponent, Leandra moved back onto her remaining three paws and pounced, trying to stab at the man while also lashing out with her own claws.

Down below, Falarion landed softly near the cloaked figure and looked at him briefly before meowing. Then the enemies were charging forward and Falarion yowled defiantly before rushing forward and dodging in-between legs. He could not harm any armored opponent a whole lot, but he could at least try to confuse them or even trip someone up.
SilverFlight Zazz Naberius Goonfire Baconhands

 

[LazyDaze]

Iolas noticed Ora's presence beside him as they separated from the group. He was a bit surprised that she suddenly decided to come with him; however, his questioning of her motives only extended as far as turning to Crispin to see if he was nervous about her joining at all. When he didn't see any reservations from his end, he simply smirked and accepted her drive, whatever the purpose. He was impressed that she had the wherewithal to line up on the other side of him, placing him in the middle of their trio. It would serve to heighten the appearance of his importance.

Iolas couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the elven guards. He knew the place would be guarded, but one couldn't help but hope for the best case scenario. When Crispin questioned if they can get in Iolas shot him a look as if to say, who do you think I am? Even from a distance Iolas could tell that the guards were not really interested in doing there job. They probably did not know the stakes that were in play; however, this gave him a good reason to chew them out. Like a flash of lightning Iolas drew one of the throwing knives he had received from Azaria and threw it at the helmet of one of the guards to draw their attention before stepping up into complete view. He continued to walk forward as he spoke.
His head was held high, and his eyes were intense, yet calm, as if those who stood before him were as insignificant as the dust beneath his feet. "...Unsatisfactory, if I were an actually adversary you two would be dancing in the robes of death before your second breath," Iolas said as he ran his fingers through his hair gracefully, finally stopping his stride a meter away from the two guards. Despite his proximity, he did not reach for his blade. This was not due to fear, but because of his overwhelming authority over them (at least that is what he wanted to portray.)

"I am Inspector Erwin Delinium. My heart cannot bear the evident grace that has slipped through our fingers of late. Recently, our forces have been attacked by a sergeant, rebellious group. Slave ships, traditional celebratory gatherings, and frontlines extinguishing the filth that lies beyond the mist have all been spat upon by those tenacious fiends lying beneath our feet. Meanwhile, Everreach's very best can only display apathy...I am truly saddened. For all my grief...I cannot help by feel pity. STAND AT ATTENTION!"

Iolas punctuated his final statement by looking into the eyes of the soldiers as if he was peaking into their very souls. He let his hands fall from behind his back to his sides as if to challenge them to move. Iolas was ready to draw his sword at any moment to prove his superiority should they have any suspicion.

SilverFlight Flutterby

 

[Goonfire]

Crow gasped when he realized his spell also blinded Leandra. He left himself wide open and ended up with only a split second to defend himself when a soldier finally reached the top of the stairs. As the combat instructors taught him, 'if you cannot dodge or block fully, redirect the blow to something less vital.' He raised his spear to block a hefty blow from a longsword. While he did successfully block it, the wooden haft splintered and cracked. With his opponent mere inches away and rearing back for the next swing, he jumped upwards into him, slamming him with all his weight.

The sight was comical in the fact that it lacked any finesse. The inquisitor clung to the knight's kite shield, leaning away from the ledge as the night teetered on it in an attempt to recover his balance. The enemy flipped the sword into a reverse grip to stab at Crow, but due to the awkward angle, he only gouged into the myriad layers of fabric and leather. It was a narrow miss; Crow could feel cool air pouring into the new gap in his armor. With another kick and a pull, the knight was sent reeling onto the floor below with a raucous noise like pots and pans falling from an overhead kitchen cabinet.

With another goon incapacitated, the inquisitor could finally focus on directly defending Pyrrhus. He closed in as quickly as possible to hold up the stolen shield against the other attacker. "Keep going...!" Crow growled, mostly focused on blocking. The force of the blows still hurt his arm, the intense vibration growing more and more uncomfortable. He couldn't help letting his eyes dart around the room throughout the whole ordeal, wondering if Lassard would come slithering up for a cheap shot while cloaked.

SilverFlight Zazz Baconhands Lioness075 Naberius

 

[Zazz]

Lohrithe missed the warning until it was too late. He swore in orcish, but continued to barrel blindly at his target, following the voice of the nearest sound of discomfort. It was like fighting under the light of Delan, only worse. However, these elves had not nearly the size nor the strength of the orcs; they would go down like twigs with the right blow.

The drow's sword came down on one of the warriors' shoulder, narrowly missing their head. Either way, it crumpled the light elf in an instant; the crack of bones being splintered echoed in the cavern painfully, followed by a sword clattering to the ground. "Desrick," Lohrithe shouted, his eyes shut tightly. "I cannot see," he said in the orc's language.

SilverFlight

Azaria grinned at Crow's play on words, having shielded her eyes in time. She had grown to trust the Inquisitor from Eskaro. "Well played," she awarded him, before they were suddenly under attack.

Goonfire

The assassin twirled just out of the way, letting the high elf knock his own wrists out as his sword hit the hard ground. In one swift motion, she continued with her momentum and leapt onto the intruder's back, hissing as her dagger and one of her throwing knives found the man's eyes. "Pick on someone your own size." Still on his back, she through her other knife at the third's helmet, aiming to distract him enough for Crow to gain an advantage. She then pulled her dagger free and stabbed it into her attacker's armpit, inviting him to bleed to death.

 

[Naberius]

Alistair

Alistair threw an arm up over his own eyes, the fabric of his cloak helping to shield them from the blinding light. It was a very useful ability, and he found himself rather impressed with the caster but at the same time weary. Light magic was unfortunately something he tended to be uneasy around, considering how much it clashed with his own abilities. Still, it was an impressive display and a well timed deployment.

Alistair stared calmly at the approaching soldiers, his body language easily reading as undaunted confidence in his own abilities. The flames from the braziers flickered across the cold steel of their blades as they drew near.

"Only three of you? You truly have no idea just who you're dealing with."

As the first of the trio neared close enough to strike, Alistair sidestepped with the fluid grace of a stage performer, very nearly a pirouette. A single downward blow, a flash of steel from his hand and a small dagger was buried to the hilt in the unprotected area on the back of the swordsman's neck. He was dead before he hit the ground, the spinal cord severed with a single strike.

SilverFlight Zazz Lioness075 Flutterby Goonfire LazyDaze

 

[SilverFlight]

The guards at the citadel, who had been enjoying their peaceful time, doing absolutely nothing gave Iolas an odd look, but his air quickly infected them and they began to look nervous. Crispin bit his lip to keep from smiling as all questions fled from their minds, and they thought only of the reprimand the high elf was dishing out. When he commanded, they snapped up ramrod straight and parted with an official stamp of their shiny boots.

Crispin held his breath all the while they waled past and a little while after before he let it out in a whispered chuckle.
"I cannot believe that worked." He said cheerily.
"Now, any dwarven big boots should be in the central offices..." he took a small map he'd obviously swiped from the side-table the guards were distinctly distracted from.
"Here. Right, then a left, and then up the stairs and right again, second door."

He followed these instructions and it soon found them before a large oak door with a placque on which was inscribed: "Derrokin Grubs, chief assistant to the high council"
"Well, that sounds official enough." Crispin remarked. He bowed and gestured toward the door. "Inspector."
Flutterby LazyDaze

~*~*~

Desrick fought his way to Lohrithe's side. Defended his flank. He had shut his eyes and his vision was only mildly disturbed.
He pressed close, shoulder to shoulder. "Then we fight together, listen to my voice." Desrick replied in his tongue.
When one solider approached Desrick cried out "To your left! 3 paces! Left handed!"
The Orc moved with him, taking another soldier at the same time, always returning to press his shoulder to Lohr's.

Pyrrhus threaded the magic through the notes, it resonated with them, humming as the chords echoed off the walls of the cavern, he could feel them pressing against something, another magic. There was something here! He was aware of the fighting, some of the blows were close, but his friends defended him well.
With one final chord, which rang out strong and sharp, the spell shattered, literally shattered, a thousand points of light split off from the air and melted away in a shower of sparks. The bell, hung just as it always had, huge and looming.

The soldiers stopped, their mouths agape. The leader looked horrified. There were only four left. He stood for just a moment, contemplating what to do, and then..."Retreat!"
The soldiers broke and tried to flee.
"Don't let them escape!" Desrick bellowed.

Zazz Lioness075 Naberius Goonfire Baconhands

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nickname: Lea
Race: Tabaxi - Beastwoman	Home Country: Cyndara
Occupation: Huntress / Astronomer Apprentice	Equipment: Knapsack, Bow, Quiver of Arrows (19/20), Twin Daggers, Collapsible Spyglass

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Down below on the staircase, Leandra struck at the soldier and he fell backwards, blocking her dagger while she managed to claw at his exposed forearm. He gasped in pain and then brought his word up, pommel first, to strike at Leandra's weak wrist. She stumbled sideways, clutching at the throbbing wrist, while the soldier scrambled to his feet.
Just then, the leader shouted for the soldiers to retreat and Leandra's ears perked up at this. She mistakenly looked away from her combatant to see who was shouting and the soldier in front of her promptly charged forward, driving his shoulder into Leandra's chest. She stumbled backwards and then began scrabbling for purchase, as her hind paws were suddenly in open space. With a surprised cry, Leandra began to plummet and reached out with her good hand just in time to grab the edge of the staircase. Dangling over the open space, she blinked away tears from the recent pain.

On the staircase above, the soldier abandoned his fight with Leandra and sheathed his sword before continuing down the stairs in a rush.
Clutching onto the outside ledge of the staircase, Leandra could feel her grip beginning to loosen. She tried in vain to grab at the ledge with her weak hand, but she could feel the grip weakening even faster than her strong hand. She began scrabbling against the side of the temple with her hind paws to little effect beyond sending some small loose rubble tumbling down below. Cursing, Leandra cried out, "I need some help!"
SilverFlight Zazz Naberius Goonfire Baconhands

 

[Goonfire]

Crow grunted and panted as his stamina declined quickly. He used his off-hand to also bolster the shield against the flurry of strikes that had surely dulled that sword by now. When the knife bounced off his adversary’s helmet, he lurched forward, knocking the Evereach lackey off-balance. Then, in a display most unsophisticated, Crow stepped on the knight’s wrist to pin that arm, gripped the shield by its edges, and repeatedly smacked the defensive implement against said knight’s helmet. The disorienting cacophony lasted until shards of magic burst from the Dragon Bell, at which point the inquisitor and his incapacitated enemy both looked up in shock.

With the bell revealed, the other attackers made a disorganized retreat. Crow’s opponent tore free, sending the shorter, lighter mutt falling onto his posterior. With that one scrambling to get away, it seemed those nearest the bell were safe for the moment. “Wow... we did it,” Crow sighed, a tad indisposed himself. He came back to his senses when he heard Leandra—that unfortunate newcomer—calling for help, but he couldn’t reach her in time. Still, he made the effort to stagger to his feet and help whoever reached her first.

Zazz SilverFlight Lioness075

 

[Zazz]

As her attacker slumped to the floor, dying, Azaria watched Crow take on the third elf. Then the bell's magic shattered, and everything changed. The assassin retrieved her knife and dagger from the dying soldier and hurled the former at the retreating third's leg. The bloody knife sunk into the back of his knee, bringing him down but not killing him. She followed up by coming up behind him and giving his neck a good twist, eliciting a rather uncomfortable sound that echoed through the temple.

A cry for help called her attention. The two strongest were fighting back to back, the new stranger was equally far and who knew if he could be trusted. Crow was still getting to his feet. Azaria bolted for the stairs and found Leandra holding on for her life. The halfling elf got down and reached over the edge, grabbing onto the arm that was not holding well. She couldn't pull her up alone. "HELP," she bellowed, holding onto the cat-woman so that she wouldn't fall.

 

[Flutterby]

Ora's chin lowered as they approached the doors. There was a tingling along her spine. It reminded her of the time she was caught on the side of the mountain as a thunderstorm broke- the feeling of impending danger her mind could not name but her body could feel.

She swept inside behind Iolas and Crispin, having not looked up or flinched through the entire interaction at the gate. Iolas had performed masterfully, and she felt a twinge in her gut. Was it as hard on him, to return to that persona, as it was for her to walk through these doors? She resolved then that this would be the last time they asked it of him, if she could help it.

At the door, Ora wavered. She knew Grubs, and Grubs knew her. Ora reached out and caught Iolas's arm before he could step to the door.
"Hey I can't.." Ora swallowed softly. "Derrokin Grubs is one dwarf who will not have forgotten me. You'd probably have to say you've arrested me to avoid suspicion, and Grubs is almost certain to call for dwarves to take me down to a cell. Do you want me to branch off now, or do you want to risk it?"
She knew her face was pale. She knew her hand was shaking. She knew she couldn't look at Crispin without losing her nerve.
But she didn't know if the best choice was to follow the two of them through that door.
LazyDaze SilverFlight

 

[LazyDaze]

Iolas smiled and shrugged his shoulders after they beyond the guards, not before getting his throwing knife back, as he agreed with Crispin. Usually things don't go that smoothly so he was pleasantly surprised. Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure his little ruse would work. Apparently, he could still pull off the Everreach soldier fairly well. Despite the success of the operation he couldn't help but feel a bit somber, for reasons he would never admit or show save for the briefest of seconds in which his smile faded, and returned like a sun behind the clouds. As they continued to walk and converse, he made note of Crispin's resourcefulness. During all of the chaos he was able to swipe a map from the distracted guards without getting caught; the party was always full of pleasant surprises in regards to their skills, roles, and usefulness.

At Crispin's beckoning, Iolas was prepared to waltz past the door; however, Ora stopped him before he took those crucial steps. Iolas stared blankly as she explained the situation before turning to the door, then looking back at Ora. Splintering off wouldn't be a bad idea; however, his gut was contradicting that line of thought. After a brief moment of heavy silence Iolas smiled genuinely while looking down at the uncomfortably brave dwarf, who happened to become a trusted friend. "I understand I might be projecting my own selfish beliefs upon you, but I do believe you of all people should see this through to the end....but not alone." Iolas glanced toward Crispin with a grin before returning his gaze back to Ora. "I believe the phrase is crossing the bridge once we have come to it," Iolas said reassuringly. Somehow, Iolas put on a brave face as a slickening feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't exactly the same situation as the ball, but essentially, it appeared to be Pyrrhus all over again. He couldn't help but recall how he ruthlessly humiliated his good friend at the ball. Would he have to treat Ora similarly? Would the lines become blurred until he returned to the way he used to be? Would she be able to forgive him? Would he go to far? Would he end up killing everyo-, Iolas bit the inside of his cheek to halt the uncharacteristic panic attack that was about to occur in order to focus on the matter at hand. He avoided the urge to take a deep breath so that he would not project any nervousness or doubt onto his comrades. "We will come out of this together..."

With that he took a step through the door, head held high. His expression was one of pity and importance...an expression he knew well. He allowed Ora to walk free of any bindings...it was the least he could do given what he would probably have to do next. "Greetings, I am Inspector Erwin Delinium. I believe you are Derrokin Grubs, chief assistant to the high council."

SilverFlight Flutterby

 

[SilverFlight]

Pyrrhus had heard the cry for help.
"I've got them!" He yelled, and Desrick understood, turning to run after the escaping soldiers.

A shadow appeared over Az and Pyrrhus knelt on the edge to reach down and pull Leandra back to safety. He was much stronger than he looked. His face beaming, Lute settled behind his shoulders he patted the young tabaxi on the back.
"That could have been disastrous." He said in an all-too-cheerful tone.
Their party safe Pyrrhus rose again and made his way to Crow.
"Are you hurt Eishar?" He asked, fussing over the inquisitor's disheveled appearance with gentle affection.

It didn't take long for Desrick to return, he had managed to stop two, knocked senseless by the flat of his axe. The other two he could not catch, and looked grim about it.
"We have a lot less time than I had hoped. It won't be long before they alert the rest of the Evereach forces and even more come. Iolas and the others better hurry..."

The bell hung over their heads now, in full view. It was intricate in it's markings, depicting dragons flying over towns and villages that were minuscule in reference.
Inside the bell the metal rod hung straight down the center, thick as a tree trunk...but the clapper, the large metal or stone ball that served to strike the interior of the bell to toll it...was gone.

Zazz Goonfire Naberius Baconhands Lioness075

*~*~*

The dwarven official, Grubs, had been reviewing a stack of papers, and when the party came through his door he jumped, sending them flying like a rebellious flock of birds.
"What in blazes are you--" But he swallowed his words when he caught sight of Iolas.
"M-m-my lord! To what do I owe the...honour? Why haven't you sent a summons? Is there something..." His eyes drifted down to Ora and his face twisted.
"It can't be...my lord...why have you come? And with this...this...That woman was banned from the citadel!"

(( Flutterby Ima let you write for Grubs, I think you'll do it best.)) LazyDaze

 

[Baconhands]

For Meera, everything happened far too quickly for her to even comprehend much of it. To the shapeshifter's relief, the soldiers had broken and started to flee before she had to get involved in the fighting though it was apparent that the situation was far from secure. Two shouts caught her attention - the first was the Tabaxi's, the second was Desrick's. Leandra was dangling precariously, and even though Az had gone to help her, the assassin would need at least another person to save her. Desrick's call drew Meera's attention to the two still retreating guards. They would no doubt bring reinforcements if they got away. She cast a look around at her companions; would they be able to fight a larger group? A nail of doubt hammered its way into her mind.
Part of her was convinced that she could catch up with the guards as a raven, but then what? She was not a good fighter and Leandra was in-
Saved already. Pyrrhus was there. Her mind was, thus, made up.
"Damn it you have to try and contribute," she thought aloud. The shapeshifter took off running, her cloak billowing behind her as she gave to chase to the guards. Her eyes briefly flicked to Desrick as she shouted, "I'll buy you some time!"
Only a few seconds later she was airborne, her wings beating hard as she tried to catch up to the routing enemy.
Zazz Goonfire Naberius SilverFlight Lioness075

 

[Zazz]

Azaria let go of the beastwoman once She was safe. She didn't waste time; the assassin flew down the stairs to join Desrick and Lohrithe in their fight. Lohrithe was still at least partially blind. While the two men fought well together, they couldn't cover enough ground to get all of the high elves. They were escaping. It was bad.

She saw the young shapeshifter fly after them overhead, and followed, twin daggers wielded. The others were busy... doing things. Meera was her responsibility. Why, she didn't know, but it wasn't important right then. Azaria slipped into shadow, intending to end the lives of the escapees before they reached Lassard.

___

Lohrithe took the opportunity to rub at his eyes as he followed Desrick up to the rest of their party. "You really need a better warning," he said, clapping Crow on the shoulder. "I about lost my eyeballs for good." The drow blinked up at the giant bell. "Is that it, then? What now? Where is Meera?" He frowned, feeling very frustrated with his semi-blindness. It was becoming a regular thing and he rather disliked it. For once, he missed home.

 

[Flutterby]

Ora forced herself to hold Iolas's gaze when it was on her. He smiled at her- not the icy grin of an Evereach commander, and not the sly smirk of his usual teasing. The real one. Like when they had visited the library in Brynson. She had to stuff down the bittersweet feeling it gave her- no time to be sentimental.
He immediately dismissed her leaving them. It was nice, really, that he cared so much about her personal development and safety to insist she stay in sight. But she really wished he didn't.
Ora pressed her lips together and gave a small nod. As Iolas approached the door, she set her shoulders back, and her chin level. She reminded herself of Burgren. She had been doing that a lot recently.
She was still picturing his face as she followed Iolas in. Derrokin Grub's face was not a welcome juxtaposition.

Ora's tail was practically strangling her ankle, but she gave Grub's a small nod.
"I can't say it's nice to see you again, Mister Grubs- our last encounter was rather unpleasant for me." Ora spoke in a softer, higher voice than she usually did- more feminine, and much more icy.
"But I can assure you, I don't come here lightly."

The other dwarf's face turned a strange shade of red. Ora couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or rage.
"My lord! What is the meaning of bringing this.. this... insolent criminal here?"
Ora visibly flinched as he practically spat the word criminal.
There was the anger again- Lassard and his plans were making her very familiar with that particular feeling.
SilverFlight LazyDaze

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nickname: Lea
Race: Tabaxi - Beastwoman	Home Country: Cyndara
Occupation: Huntress / Astronomer Apprentice	Equipment: Knapsack, Bow, Quiver of Arrows (19/20), Twin Daggers, Collapsible Spyglass

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Not a moment too soon after she had cried for help, three of the group were there to pull her up. Unfortunately, that meant one of them grabbed her injured wrist and she cried out in pain when they all yanked her up. She was relieved to be back on solid round, but was on her knees and cradling her weaker arm. It was already weak enough and the blasted soldier had injured it in their fight. She was still questioning why she had tackled the elf, given she knew little about holding her own in a real fight.
Hearing Pyrrhus' words, Leandra glanced up and belatedly realized she had not said anything yet.
"Oh, sorry! The soldier hit my wrist in the fight and I was distracted by the pain. I've never been in a fight like that before..." She trailed off and looked around the group before remembering again that she needed to thank them.
"Ah, yes, and thank you all for helping me!"

Leandra finally picked herself up and dusted off her armor and clothes. She felt a sudden urge to bathe after that scuffle. She was not entirely used to getting dirty like this and then staying this way. She also could feel sweat mixing with her fur, which disgusted her further. She supposed she would have to get used to feeling this way, though. The rest of the party seemed to act like this was an average day for them.

Returning to the bell, Leandra looked at it curiously and then felt amazed at its design. It was so intricate in places and yet, so bold at the same time. She stared in awe and then glanced over at Crow when one of the others teased him for his warning earlier.
Leandra grinned at this and then added, "Yeah, you blinded me as well! What was that anyways? How'd you create the light like that?"
Unlike most everyone else in the group, Leandra had never witnessed light magic in use before.

Down below, Falarion pranced about with his tail straight up, pleased to have supposedly scared away the remaining enemies. He then noticed the newcomer in his dark attire and cloak. Continuing to prance, Falarion wandered right up to the man and then sat down, staring up at him curiously.

SilverFlight Baconhands Zazz Naberius Goonfire

 

[LazyDaze]

Ora's nervousness did not go unnoticed, nor did her acquaintance's disdain for her. "SILENCE....your babble is as an unbearable spear lodged in my brain...I at least thought a percentage of our grace would rub off on the denizens of this city. I stand corrected; I stand in pain." Iolas turned to Crispin and then turned to Ora as if finally having an epiphany. "Oh, the dwarven lady...," Iolas said with a hint of pity laced through the short phrase.

"It is to my understanding that you two must know each other, yes? No matter, I care not for your personal squabbles. What matters more is revolution...."

Iolas paused for effect, choosing his words carefully as he allowed his previous statement to sink in. Of course, after making it this far he could have just explained the entire situation, but something told him this was the type of man who loved to make easy things difficult, and difficult things impossible. Plus the way he looked at his friend...pissed him off. "Simple creature...you would do well to remember the world moves beyond the gates of Dwerstand. Outside of these very gates a band of revolutionaries had the gall to attack Everreach on multiple occasions. We believed that it was public dissent that would easily be quelled, but their infrequence led us to the fact that it was a rogue group of misfits acting of their own ambitions. The damages were susatainable but our reputation...surely the rumors have seeped into the alleyways of this city by now. As you could surmise, most of the scum got away, but then fortune smiled upon us in our most embarrassing hour. They managed to bring this...harmless creature to my doorstep. One look at the poor thing and I knew torture would only serve to empower her, so I invited her to attend the musical known as Dwerstand's sweetest lullaby." Iolas punctuated the latter part of his statement by mimicking the ringing of a bell with a rather sadistic smile and a harmonic hum.

"...I digress, it was said that they were to meet with a high ranking dwarven official at the top of the bell tower to set up a future revolt. With this knowledge, we have been manipulating them behind the scenes. Although we had many chances to destroy the vermin, it was not enough to simply defeat them. No, they must meet equivalent desperation, and embarrassment. Moreover, we wanted to see if the allegiance of the Dwraven people still lied with Everreach. With your help I can kill two birds with one stone. We will intercept them at the meeting place...and you will help us...Mr. Official. Afterwards this dwarf will no longer serve to be my aide but a hero...who saved this city," Iolas said with a sarcastic tune as he motioned his fingers as a conductor leading a grand symphony.

Flutterby SilverFlight

 

[Goonfire]

Crow grew flushed, though it wasn’t painfully obvious in the dim lighting. “I... well, I might be a bit winded and moderately jarred,” he finally stated as his eyes swept back from the rescued cat woman to the centaur. “You were amazing over there, Pyrrhus,” he then complimented sheepishly, genuinely appreciating the focus it took to cast while under pressure.

The inquisitor dragged himself over to Leandra. “Apologies. That was a light spell. I overcharged it to stun those soldiers.” He managed a bit of a wry grin, talking to her and Lohr at the same time. “Perhaps I should announce it like a cavalry charge next time, though it might be interesting to see if our adversaries are more confused or horrified by that.” Leandra also claimed to be in pain from some injuries to her wrist. “Did you need some healing for that?” he followed up, willing and somewhat eager to test his savvy with his newer restorative spell.

Every now and then, Crow’s eyes met the strange anomaly on the Dragon Bell. He had theories, but there were more important things at hand, such as tending to people’s scrapes and ultimately fleeing the temple, possibly with that new stranger. Speaking of whom... “Who is that?” he wondered aloud.

SilverFlight Zazz Baconhands Lioness075 Naberius

 

[Flutterby]

Derrokin Grub sputtered for but a heartbeat. She was almost as shocked as Grubs, but she didn't have long to dwell on it. Ora watched with morbid fascination as his face changed from red, to ghostly pale, and back again as he processed the accusation aimed at him.

"That is.. that is absurd! How dare you even imply such a thing!" He spat, glaring between the two of them.
"Has she told you this?! Nothing she says can be believed! It is the very reason she was banned from the citadel! She is a known dissident!"

Ora was almost worried about his health, watching his blood boil the way it was. She could see a vein bulging in his forehead. Was he going to burst a vessel in his eye?

Ora did her best to keep her face a neutral as possible, but the thought of spitting at Grubs was like siren song at that moment.
"You're embarrassing yourself, Mister Grubs," Ora said dryly, in one of the few spaces between his outrage.
His eyes stopped bouncing and locked on her.

"Is this your revenge, you petty thing?! To bring this city down around you because you can't have what you don't deserve?!" Grubs moved to come around the side of his desk. Ora quickly took a step back, and Grubs seemed to shake himself from his fixation.

He turned back to Iolas, and smoothed back a piece of hair that had fallen into his face, straightened his shirt. He did succeed in making himself appear more reasonable, as hue of his face began to return to normal. He even took a moment to show his upturned palms, the hand gesture of truly diplomatic and reasonable beings.

"Please, my lord, you must understand, she cannot be trusted. This accusation is nothing but lies! I have dedicated my life to serving this court. I can prove this is not true! What can I do to prove her deceit?"

SilverFlight LazyDaze

 

[SilverFlight]

It took all Crispin's effort to maintain his composure. The venom that was spat from this cobra of a man was enough to make him want to hit him in the face. Yet he watched his friends work. Iolas gave a performance that Pyrrhus would have been proud of, and Ora maintained a level of cool composure that made him envious and their target....was like a fish that practically leapt into the boat.
Crispin, as if on some silent cue went back to the door and opened it into the empty corridor, waiting for them to file out. Now all they had to do was make it back to the temple, and even this dense official would have to realize that Dwerstand had been tricked. No matter how he felt about Ora, that would touch his dwarven pride more. He only hoped Pyrrhus and the others had found a way to show the man what they needed him to see.

Desrick let Azaria handle the two escaping men, and Meera, knowing he couldn't give chase without causing more of a scene. Azaria would have to being the shapeshifter back. Instead, he put a hand out to Lore to help him until his eyesight returned, and put his attention on the new figure.
"You are an ally." The orc said, "if you hadn't stepped in, that fight might have gone very differently, my name is Desrick, and yours? What are you doing here? Did someone send you?"

Pyrrhus preened under Crow's praise.
"Oh, well, I had fairly good motivation," he flirted shamelessly.
When Crow offered to heal the tabaxi Pyrrhus smiled.
"He is quite good at healing magic," the centaur added happily.
He turned his attention to the bell too and moved to stand under it. The metal hummed faintly as their voices struck it, but Pyrrhus noticed that part of the bell was missing.
"Well, Evereach may have known precisely where the bell was, but they couldn't toll it if they'd wanted to. It's missing the clapper." He pointed to where the central rod ended in a piece that had clearly been broken off, leaving the rod too short to reach the sides of the bell.

That was when The other party returned. The official, red-faced and furious was in tow behind Iolas and Ora, and Crispin was behind him.
At the sight of the bell Grubs' small eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
"I-i-it can't be!" Crispin watched with surprise as the man began to tear up with overwhelming relief...and no small amount of reverence for the massive metal object. He only then began to appreciate just how sacred the bell had been to the dwarven people.
"How...how....has..." and then realization dawned on his face. "It was...never gone. Evereach...we've been tricked!"
The blind fury that replaced that relief gave even Desrick pause. Their plan had worked. He was sure now that even Evereach's conniving manipulations would not quiet Dwerstand's rage.
He rounded on Iolas, trying to marry what he saw to the "Evereach" representative before him.
It took him a few moments. "You...are the rebels. The ones standing against the high house," and then, his eyes landed once more on Ora. There was no look of hatred this time, only the slow realization of what she had done to help her people. She had been part of the band to free Dwerstand from the threats of the elves. She had come straight into the citadel to do it. Grubs swallowed and took a breath.
"You've done...the city a service, Oralia Hearth. I will not forget this...and Dwerstand will always pay its debts."
It was a subtle way of saying he would fight for her reputation with the council. Whatever they decided to do, he would make sure they knew who they needed to thank.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must see the council. We have some soldiers to recall. Evereach can have their blasted war, but it won't be bought with Dwarven blood!"

Zazz Goonfire Naberius Baconhands Lioness075 Flutterby LazyDaze

 

[Naberius]

Alistair

Alistair wiped the blood from his dagger using the tunic of one of the fallen soldiers, sheathing it in an unseen location under his dark cloak. These strange individuals certainly knew how to handle themselves, though he still had no idea who they were other than the information that he was given by a certain mutually associated party. He was approached by one of the others as he stood, not far from where he had descended from atop the plank holding the large bell....that wasn't there earlier. He was still wrapping his head around that particular part. He smiled at the orc, though he immediately realized that they wouldn't exactly be able to see that under the helm he wore.

"My name is Alistair, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Desrick. And yes, I am no enemy of yours. Though as far as a true ally, that also remains to be seen. For now though, our goals align rather nicely. I was tipped off by a mutual friend, one Gideon. When he informed me that a band of talented and rather dangerous individuals was going to be stirring up trouble for a few specific Summenan houses, I couldn't help but get a little excited. You see, for the past few years I've been targeting slave keepers, minor supply chains, small time officials. Anything that wouldn't draw too much attention to myself and my operations but would still do some bit of good in the world. This, however, just might be the break I have been looking for to finally try and set right some of the wrongs in this world. So, I set up this little meeting point based on the information I was given."

During his little introduction, Alistair began removing the grapple line he had used to safely jump down from the top of the large bell plank, coiling it around his arm before tucking it safely underneath his cloak like the dagger before it.

"I know it must be hard to trust a man who fell out of the sky in the middle of your battle, but I do hope that we can at least be civil and come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement regarding this matter. You will have my full support, though I can't exactly divulge the nature of every one of my abilities up front. However I will say that I am a rather accomplished offensive magic user and have a knack for getting into places I'm not supposed to be able to get in to."

There was a bit of a mischievously prideful tip to the last of his words.

Zazz Goonfire SilverFlight Baconhands Lioness075 Flutterby LazyDaze

 

[Baconhands]

Meera flew over the head of her foes, landing ungracefully about ten feet in front of them. The guards hesitated for a moment, and the shapeshifter took this opportunity to draw a blade: she had been meaning to have the shortsword sharpened, though this goal was ultimately forgotten in favour of berries and scouting. She'd hoped that the lack of a decent light source would limit the guards' abilities to tell her blade was not in good form and that the mere presence of one would be enough to compel them to surrender. These hopes were unfounded.
As they raised their weapons, the shapeshifter's face fell. Her stance was defensive, but clumsy. The guards swung their weapons forward, and Meera did everything in her power to simply block, dodge, and generally get out of harm's way, all the while thinking of every single swear word she could. She did not allow herself to turn back; she said she was going to buy time.
Zazz SilverFlight

 

[Goonfire]

Crow chuckled at Pyrrhus’ words before clearing his throat, turning his attention to Leandra’s arm. “This might hurt just a bit from the touch, but worry not.” He rubbed his hands together to warm up and start casting, then applied his healing touch in the form of a pseudo massage. The magic from his glowing palms slowly seeped under the fur and skin until sinew and bone slowly mended. “One thing of note: this tends to be a very intimate process. I hope this causes little discomfort in any way. The way I use it tends to be less focused, working from superficial to deep.” Once he was finished explaining, he let go to let Leandra inspect herself. He also had the distinct feeling he’d need to rest if he was that liberal with his spellcasting again. However, he had new ideas that might be worth trying, which he would discuss later.

With the official entering, Crow fixed his disheveled appearance to look dignified, though there was only so much he could do without makeup and—more importantly—a bath. “Perhaps the clapper is the very reason Evereach seeks to invade Cyndara,” he speculated aloud. “An artifact that could unleash the destructive power of a dragon should not and would not lie fully in the hands of one person... or even one group of people. Maybe the tunnels beneath Dwerstand were meant to transport the clapper to its current resting place, not the bell.”

SilverFlight Zazz LazyDaze Flutterby Lioness075 Naberius

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nickname: Lea
Race: Tabaxi - Beastwoman	Home Country: Cyndara
Occupation: Huntress / Astronomer Apprentice	Equipment: Knapsack, Bow, Quiver of Arrows (19/20), Twin Daggers, Collapsible Spyglass

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Warily eyeing Crow when he approached her, Leandra narrowed her eyes briefly and then shrugged nonchalantly.
"It was a really cool spell, even if it temporarily blinded me. I've never seen any light magic like that before."
Grinning at Crow's joking, Leandra added, "It might be funny just to see how they'd react to that kind of announcement."
Leandra blinked in surprise when Crow offered some healing. She had nearly forgotten that was something mages could do. The one who had helped her in the past had been...inept. He had done little to actually aid her or soothe her pain back then.
Try as she may, Leandra could not hide the rising anxiety in her body language and she subconsciously started to take a step back from Crow before he had already taken her wrist in his hands. She was certain she had only bruised her wrist, but then he went to work and she could feel minute fractures in her wrist sealing up once more and her bone was like new underneath her skin. Luckily, her bandages and sleeves still concealed her scarred skin underneath, so there was no way for anyone to realize anything else was amiss beyond her nervous behavior.
The second Crow let go of her wrist, Leandra yanked it to her chest and hugged her arm, as if protecting herself from his healing, of all things. She felt her heart pounding and opened her mouth to try and give some feeble excuse for her behavior, but was cut off when someone entered the temple. A short and stout man, yet another race Leandra did not recognize, had entered and seemed astonished, no, baffled at what they had discovered and revealed. Leandra took this moment to slink away from the front of the group, standing behind everyone now.

Just then, the mystery man who had joined their fight announced himself and went into a long-winded introduction that Leandra soon lost interest in.
Falarion blinked at the man, who now edged away from him and continued speaking to the group. He licked his paw disdainfully and then stood up before darting over to join Leandra's side.
Leandra felt relief at the sight of Falarion, unharmed. She knelt down and temporarily forgot about her wrist as she began petting Falarion, who promptly purred and arched his back in response.
Ever the forgetful person, Leandra did not realize she had failed to thank Crow for his aid.

SilverFlight Naberius Goonfire Zazz LazyDaze Flutterby

 

[Zazz]

Azaria followed after the raven and two soldiers, both proud of Meera and cursing at her internally for being so stupid. There was no way the girl could hold her own against two hardened soldiers in full armor. The assassin found the three in an awkward scuffle. Meera, somehow, was still alive. But so were the elves. The halfling elf, wielding both of her jeweled daggers, crept forward until she had a clear shot at the one slightly further away.

The assassin pounced; landing on the man's back, her blades went through both of his armpits as she snarled wildly, aiming to distract the other elf. As her kill went down, a throwing knife made it into the small gap in the other's armor at the back of his right knee. "What a lovely promotion," she purred venomously.