[RP] The Magi Saga - The Mandate of Magic

[Neo Emolga]

http://i.imgur.com/d6mAJOr.png
The Magi Saga - The Mandate of Magic

Role Play Sign Up and Background Link (http://www.pokemoncrossroads.com/forum/showthread.php?10190-The-Magi-Saga-The-Mandate-of-Magic-SU-DS)

Ariel's Story and the War of Mages

Upon the mystical world of Ariel, the whispers of war drift among the lands, all beckoning the same question...

Who has the right to use magic?

In ages past, magic existed for all and for any to use as long as they were willing to adhere to its demands of time, study, and training. Many of Ariel's wild creatures in nature used it as a way of life, practiced out of instinct, or passed down through ancestry throughout the ages. And through these many ages, magic has always been changing as new discoveries are made and the lore and findings of the ancient ways of old are rediscovered once again by adventurers and explorers.

But then came the reign of King Vrell Kartonis and his Platinum Crusade.

Throughout the continent of Dyrin, the Platinum Crusade, under King Vrell's command, have spread as the mad king's mighty armies have conquered much of the resisting rebel and barbarian groups through superior military training and equipment. After many battles, the lands of Dyrin were united under his flag, some after surrendering, and others wishing to avoid war altogether. Ultimately, the people of Dyrin thought it would finally be an age of new prosperity.

Far from it.

King Vrell understood that knowledge is power. Intent on keeping his dominion thriving with little chance of anyone challenging his authority, he instated that under the Royal Decree, only certain privileged groups and individuals could be allowed to possess the skills and resources to use magic. And only individuals, clans, and houses that are fiercely loyal and willing to pay generously to his dominion are able to access it. For those that refused or were too poor to contribute, he sent his armies across the lands to rip it forcefully out of the hands of everyone, even creatures and clans that had been using magic since the ancient times. Many that opposed this practice stated that the forces of magic were like the air they breathed and the water they drank in that it should be accessible to everyone that wanted to use it. However, despite these decrees, the Platinum Crusade seized magic in all forms, such as scrolls, book, artifacts, and relics. Whatever the kingdom needed was kept and only shared with the Crusade's loyalists, while everything else was destroyed. Meanwhile, skilled magicians and teachers that refused to comply with the king's demands were locked away or killed, and all institutions of magic that did not comply with his strict decrees were burnt and destroyed.

The genocide of the elementals, the golems, and the arcanes, all creatures born and made entirely out of magic, was the final straw. In the underground networks, the Circle of Guilds was formed. Each of the five Magic Guilds, Wind, Fire, Water, Light, and Shadow, were assembled as one despite previous rivalries of the eras past. Within these Guilds, many creatures, races, clans, and livelihoods made up the new Circle of Guilds with the common goal of stopping the Platinum Crusade and once again making magic available for any and for all. Gathering the remnants of magic and rekindling the ancient ways passed down through the generations, the Circle stands against the Crusade and the dark atrocity it has become.

However, this isn't the only war that is being fought. In the recent months, an unsettling darkness and plague has been creeping over Ariel. Hills and valleys are becoming mysteriously blighted, crops are withering, the trees and grasslands are becoming corrupted, and the wild creatures of the world have been driven mad and deranged, attacking and killing on sight. There are rumors in the wind and in dreams, hinting at "the Shadow Plague" and "the Lifestealers," but the ancient tomes that once spoke of them were destroyed by the Platinum Crusade, who have blamed these new threats upon the Circle of Guilds.

What has officially be declared as the War of Mages has begun, and the future of magic and the whole of Ariel are at stake...

The World of Ariel

http://i.imgur.com/pB9NjyZ.png

The is the world of Ariel.

BLACK - Continent names
WHITE - Landscape Locations and oceans
YELLOW - City locations. Large dots are capitals while small dots are towns.
BLUE - Underwater capitals and towns

Not all places of interest are depicted on the map. Dungeons, towers, small villages, temples, and the like exist far and wide throughout Ariel and can be placed and used by anyone in the RP.

Currently, the continent of Dyrin is in the hands of the Platinum Crusade, while Raya, Mavi, and Krysara are on his list to be overthrown and forced under the Royal Decree. The Circle of Guilds has been active throughout these three continents and in Dyrin working in the underground networks, but while they have the people, the Platinum Crusade maintains more of the military might, power, and wealth.

[Neo Emolga]

Lore of the Magi Saga
The Mandate of Magic

Prologue: A Drum of War Has Thundered

The newly unified Dyrin, under the leadership of King Vrell, has now set their sights upon the small continent of Mavi to further pursue the expansion of the Platinum Empire to make the Royal Decree a universal law and ordinance. The collective Mavi Allegiance, the united nations of Mavi, have rejected Vrell's decree of unification even under the threat of war. In light of this refusal, tacticians and military generals on both sides are anticipating heavy naval conflict. Mavi, knowing too well what would happen if the Crusade took over, has called upon its own warriors, as well as the Circle, to assist with the defense.

But not all is harmonious within Dyrin either. A few of the cities and regions within were reluctant to join the Platinum Crusade in the first place. A few of them have been harboring exit strategy plans and have been offering safe haven to remnants of the original Dyrin Rebellion forces, as well as the lost barbarian tribes. Many of these forces are scattered and desire a resurfacing of a second resistance, but simply lack the military strength and leadership. And with their magical resources stripped away, they need outside help to be able to rise up once again.

Lonoxia and Junera: Darkwater Wetlands - These two cities in the Darkwater Wetlands were only just recently admitted to the Vrell Empire. Junera has taken a very passive stance when it comes to supplying the Empire, while Lonoxia has done their absolute best to avoid getting involved at all. Their relation to the Empire is shaky at best, and where there is a will to backstab the Empire, all they are missing is the proverbial knife and opportunity to do it. The Circle of Guilds is not ignorant of this information, and could potentially use it to their advantage.

In addition, humans make up a very small percentage in this region. The denizens of this area do not at all take a liking to the new decree that puts humans in a higher caste than the rest of them.

Tyanis: Icehorn - Tyanis was home to many barbarian tribes that only lost the war due to weaker weaponry and lack of siege equipment. In wake of Vrell's war, a large portion of Tyanis was left in ruins before the barbarians were forced to surrender and become slaves. Only three barbarian tribes remain: The Wildlanders, The Snowhand, and the Frostfoot. The resentment of these tribes is like black powder, simply waiting for the spark to ignite their vengeance. Humans have occupied many of the Icehorn and Southmarch lands to the resentment of the barbarian tribes, and they desire whatever help they can get take back their homelands.

Savire and Ianku: Slven Forest - Despite the war that technically unified Dyrin, Savire and Ianku are homes to pirates, swindlers, mysterious mages, and other shady and shadowy characters that certainly don't care for formal politics or even most laws. The conquering of these towns was done with only a pen to avoid all out bloodshed, but for many of the rogues, assassins, and smugglers of this area, it would take much more than simple ink to put an end to their ways. The people of this area have very little liking for King Vrell, and would not be above being the proverbial dagger in the dark when it comes to countering his internal operations. With the Crusade's actions getting to be more and more overbearing to their ways, it may spell an opportunity for the Circle if they play their hands right.

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The Rusty Shield Tavern, Savire, Dyrin

The Rusty Shield Tavern.

This would have definitely been my kind of place, if the alcohol wasn't so skunky and they didn't laugh when they served beer to me in a shot glass. I laughed with them though, even though I was pretty sure I was one of maybe only a handful of fae around town. That was the trick about being ridiculed. If you acted like you enjoyed it, it didn't make it as fun for the ones trying to cause trouble.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of tables to cheat at cards, get a hand cut off for stealing, try your luck at swindling, hire a merc to do the dirty business, or find a friend that might cut you in the back if it might benefit them. Normally, most others would give up on a place like this and let it go to the dogs, but they refused to fly the Platinum Crusade's "swords over sun" flag and I took that as a promising sign that maybe this band of hooligans could be useful to the Circle's cause. Beyond that, it looked like the Crusade couldn't keep guards on patrol long enough here before they quit or demanded to be relocated. I couldn't read minds, but I could at least read faces and had the magic to hear their muttering.

Around here, there wasn't much reason for a faerie to be carrying around gold. Heck, even if a few gold pieces felt like quite a burden and to society, a few gold pieces didn't buy very much. Besides, we got by just fine without buying things. We'd either just make them ourselves in our own custom size or we'd indefinitely borrow them from someone else. But really, most of the things other races had and used were too big for us.

I had been observing this tavern for a while now, sipping on my Vilecider for a while, just hearing the gossip and the rumors, piecing the puzzle together from scraps of information that I got from creative eavesdropping. That was, until, I got a little interrupted.

"What's a wee, miserable little bug like ye doin' 'ere?" some dark-clad, black-bearded dwarf scowled at me. "I don't trust ye lil' fae folk. Neva up te any good, so git out an' go back to where ye came from."

A ship-faring dwarf? It was unusual, but not too out of the ordinary. Dwarves mainly liked the mountains and never enjoyed the high seas, so that was already one reason for the bitterness that was probably pecking at his mind when it came to certain life choices. Case in point, he wasn't here because he wanted to. Chances were good he had been beaten out by someone else when it came to his dream career, and he never did let that pass along.

"Jysan Ryderan, at your service," I replied and bowed sarcastically with a smug smile. "I don't believe we've met before."

"Aye, an' a good thing that is!" The dwarf snarled. "Why don't ye jus' go back to whatever hole in the woods ye came from!? Yer a fool if ye think yer welcome 'ere."

"I'm on a scouting mission," I told him with a smile, standing and looking up at his dark, questioning eyes. "You see, I was informed certain parities in Savire were unhappy with your recent change in administration..."

"Ye mean that good for nuthin' Vrell!?" the dwarf asked with hatred on his tone. "Like ye wee lil' bug could do anythin' about im!"

"Oh, I'm not in this alone, my friend," I smiled, looking up and just enjoying the idea of how much I knew that he didn't. "I can't disclose too many details, but in a sense, the Platinum Crusade is like trying to untie a knot. We just need to pull it apart in the right places. Pull in the wrong places, and you just make the problem worse."

He still didn't trust me. Which was totally understandable! Fae are definitely not trustworthy, and I could have confessed to pulling many an act of pure, ice-cold mischief on dwarves before. But I was not the confessing type.

"Here, to take down Vrell?" the dwarf laughed. "Ye couldn't, but even if ye could, we neva saw 'im as king-folk anyway. He knows he has no place 'ere."

"Not yet anyway," I smiled, looking away with a smug grin as I pretended to daydream.

"Wut do ye mean?" He asked.

"Just wait until you start paying taxes to the kingdom," I smirked. "To him, Savire isn't a town or a culture. Psh, to him, it's an investment, and he's hoping to yank out more from underneath your feet than he paid in. Let me guess, you're a ship-builder by trade, aren't you?"

"What's it to you!?" he demanded.

"All I'm saying is Vrell has his sights on world conquest," I told him. "He has an ego that wants to write history with his name all over it. Your superiors will likely sign a military supply contract with him and soon you'll be working on his naval fleet. Once that happens, say goodbye to Savire's culture. You'll be working for him all throughout the war and you'll see Savire transform into a military shipyard port if you don't stand up against it."

He definitely seemed doubtful about it, but it was getting him to stop and think.

"Vrell will have grounds to negotiate and get the cheapest and best deal, and your superiors will be swayed to agree out of fear of being left aside for another company, which will cripple their business," I smirked. "Missing the Vrell military contract, ooh, that's bad news. Your superiors won't like that and they'll see there's lots of money for them if they get involved, but not so much for you. So imagine what that will do to your living wages when the money doesn't trickle down far enough."

"How do ye know this!?" the dwarf demanded.

"I know what greed does to people," I kicked back with a smile, leaning against a neglected beer stein. "It's a drug, really. That little extra money opens new doors and suddenly the old you no longer seems satisfying. And once you have a little taste, you want more and you start inviting the demons in. Demons like 'to hell with the law' and 'let that chump take the fall for it' and 'if this works, could I get even more doing this?' Your superiors will have more in their coffers if they get the contract with Vrell, and you won't see a farthing of it. Next thing you know, they cut your wages and make you work longer."

It was making sense to him, even though he really didn't like the sound of it. Ah, the things you can learn when you use your ears and read between the lines...

[EmeraldSky]

Arryn Shinesong, Elf
The Guild of Light
Headquarters of the Guild of Light

The guild library was quiet, save for the thumping and rustling of a brown haired elf taking books down, reading through them, and then putting them away. Based on the almost rhythmic frequency of books being put back on the shelves, she was not having much luck in her search for answers.

Her goal was to learn more about the tyrant that had taken over Dyrin, and forced many of her fellow elves into effective slavery. But her most burning question was why someone would go so far as to attempt to mold the world in his image.

While most of the time, it had been humans that dreamed up these grand ambitions, other races were not innocent of this crime either. Even some of her own had fallen for the siren song of power and glory.

But her quest was not one for power and glory--all she wished to do was overthrow the tyrant--Vrell, was it?--and return peace to the world.

[FedoraChar]

((Just saying, I think it would be really rad if Dracora was carved out of hoodoo-like formations (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/USA_10654_Bryce_Canyon_Luca_Galuzzi_2007.jpg/1024px-USA_10654_Bryce_Canyon_Luca_Galuzzi_2007.jpg), like Bryce Canyon in Utah, but darker rock))


Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
[Destination: Tyanis, Dyrin]


The waning light of the afternoon sun, descending behind the peaks of the Dragonrise Mountains, swept across Valryssa’s desk, warming her hands as she read the letter. A scowl formed itself deep in her porcelain-white face—not an uncommon sight, of course, but even those familiar with her attitude would’ve felt uncomfortable if they happened across her now. Fortunately, Valryssa’s housing was fairly secluded from the rest of the Guild. Carved into the side of a small peak (hoodoo, if you want to be specific), it gave her privacy and a view of her ancient homeland. And, for the rest of the Guild, some sanity.

Finishing the letter, Valryssa held it aloft and muttered a word. The parchment burst into flames, transforming it completely to ash within seconds. Valryssa swept the remains off her desk before throwing her glasses across the room. They probably broke, again, but the dragon-turned-human couldn’t bring herself to care much. She hated them anyway. Along with everything else she couldn’t perfect in her transformation, she apparently could not form her human eyes correctly, leaving her farsighted. Ridiculous—just like the letter she just read.

A knock came from the door. Valryssa’s eyes flashed up at the intrusion, and she snarled viciously, “Who dares disturb me during my study hours?”

If it was one of her apprentices, bothering her at this time of day, she swore she’d give them a lesson in hellfire.

Hardly dissuaded by her harsh challenge, the door creaked open and a familiar feathered face waltzed in. Ynaz, one of the Guild’s other instructors and technically Valryssa’s overseer. Valryssa was only slightly pacified.

Crossing her arms, she said, “What do you want, bird?”

The colorful Phenixu, used to the derogative (and Valryssa’s attitude in general), said, “I take it you’ve read the letter.”

Valryssa scowled, flicking a piece of ash she missed. “You knew of this?”

Ynaz made her way casually to an open stool, her long tail-feathers and robes dragging across the floor. As she settled down and brushed the ruffles out of her ornamental dress, she answered, “I was notified ahead of time, yes.”

The dragon huffed crossed her arms, a habit she had learned from the humans. “Of course you did. Why am I not surprised? What else are they keeping from me? And why didn’t they bother asking me in person?”

“They figured this way would be less… messy,” the Phenixu’s eyes glinted with amusement. She did not fear the dragon’s wrath in anyway; her race, being relatives of the phoenix, were naturally immune to fire. At worst, the most Valryssa could do was reach out and strangle her long skinny neck—which she felt tempted to do. Her rank and renown in the Guild prevented her from doing so. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she did have some respect for the bird.

“Also,” Ynaz lifted her beak, “this is not a request. It is an assignment.”

“A stupid one,” Valryssa countered back. “Why should the Fire Guild be concerned with Icehorn, of all places? Wouldn’t the ice mages in the Water Guild be better suited?”

Ynaz sobered. “Perhaps you are not aware, but the Platinum Throne is moving its eyes to Mavi. Their naval forces are bolstering for invasion, and the Water Guild have their wings full preparing to challenge them. The next best choice, naturally, for combating the frozen tundras of Icehorn is the Fire Guild.”

Valryssa snorted. “And out of the talent found in this Guild, they chose to send a dragon on a diplomacy mission?”

Ynaz leaned back, folding her arms into her sleeves. “You will not be alone on this mission. Others will accompany you. The Water Guild is sparing an ice mage or two to accompany you. Did you not read this in the letter?”

Admittedly, Valryssa might have burned the letter before she got to that part. But she said not a word of this, instead continuing to fix Ynaz with a sharp glare.

“I think you might find that you and the barbarians of the south share a like mind…” The Phenixu continued, nonchalant.

Valryssa snorted again, out of offense and sarcasm. “A like mind? With barbarians? How kind of you…”

Ynaz stood, her robes and feathers falling to the ground once more. “Your classes will be notified of your absence. I will see to their education while you are gone. Prepare yourself quickly—your comrades will be waiting for you near the Kindred Flames. You are to take the Flames to Skybound City, and then to a location near Tyanis. If you could set up a Flame there, that would be lovely as well.”

Her trademark scowl made a return. “Of course it would.”

The Phenixu bowed. “Safe journey, scarlet one.”

Valryssa rolled her eyes and waved.

[AWA1997]

Izuru Natsume, Kitsune
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora Raya

Izuru had just returned to her room after spending some time outside practicing her powers when she heard a knock on the door. She shifted into her human form. "Hello?" "It's me." The familiar voice of her teacher said. "Come in." Izuru replied happily before shifting back to her fox form. The older, seven-tailed, silvered furred kitsune walked in, using her fox form as well. She told the younger fox that she would be heading to Icehorn with a few of the other members of the guild and that she had better get prepared for the trip. The silver fox bid her farewell and headed out the door. Izuru got her belongings, strapped them to her back, and headed out to the Flames in her natural form.

[VeloJello]

Lightthroat Hadran Lurel
Wind Guild (High Speaker)
Lesonia, Raya (en route to Shadow Guild chapter meeting)
ARP’ers: Saraibre Ryu

Hadran hated Windshots.

Some mode of fast transit was a necessity for most travelers between Skybound City and literally anywhere else, and Windshots were better than most of the other Guilds’ fast travel options. That didn’t mean that Hadran enjoyed being propelled at speeds high enough that friction would have torn her to pieces if it weren’t for the magic, only to be brought to an abrupt halt anywhere from ten to fifty feet above the ground and lowered down by another’s magic. If she was going to fly anywhere, she wanted to get there under her own power.

Aside from the odd case of whiplash, though, the Windshots were reliable and zippy - and were pretty easy to find most of the time, due to the Windshot spell being easier to cast and requiring a lot less focus than most other fast-travel methods. They were also good at carrying multiple passengers, such as the seven Wind Guild members she’d brought with her.

A guard greeted her little contingent almost immediately. “Hold!” the centaur ordered, trotting over to the endpoint of the Windshot. She stopped in front of the group and surveyed them, eyes faintly aglow with some manner of scrying spell. After a few moments, the examination ceased, and the centaur nodded. “Clear of illusions and enchantments,” she said. “Orphus. You are High Speaker Hadran Lurel, I presume?”

“Lightthroat Lurel,” Hadran corrected. She couldn’t tell whether people thought that they were allowed to use her closed name because they weren’t orphi or because she was a public figure. Either way, it grated her. Not that she showed much of the grating; it wouldn’t do to appear as anything but the reasonable authority figure. “There is a small meeting of your local Shadow Guild chapter taking place approximately half an hour from now, and I have been asked to bring some of my own Guildmates to the meeting as well.”

Technically, Hadran had only been cordially invited when she was asked to send a few Wind Guild members whose skillsets complimented the stealthiest of the Shadow Guild - there was no obligation for her to make an actual appearance. The meeting would be presided over by one of the many chapter leaders of the Shadow Guild, and there was no real need for Hadran to go. However, recently, she’d been making as many appearances in public as she possibly could. Not only did she have to be a stronger leader than Jonah had been, she had to make sure that everyone knew her strength. Holing up in the Skybound City would make her appear out-of-touch, possibly even cowardly or hostile. Coming out would show that she was willing to work with the other Guilds, and would give others a chance to get to know her.

Thusfar, it had been fairly successful. Those she worked with treated her with respect for the most part, though she wouldn’t be surprised if others still held doubts about her. Frankly, after Jonah’s performance with Vrell, she couldn’t really blame them. Not to mention that the Wind Guild tended to get stereotyped as one of the weaker Guilds to begin with.

The centaur nodded. “Very well. Welcome to Lesonia, High Speaker, Guild members.”

Lesonia was quite beautiful. An old port settlement, one from whom several of the Skybound City’s founders and migrants had come, it was well-kept and home to many large, elegant buildings. Here and there, Hadran could pick out similarities to the Skybound City’s architecture, though Skybound tended to build upward more due to a preexisting abundance of flight abilities and more scarce land. Most of the commonalities lay in the heavy use of glass and other reflective building materials, and the many ornate pillars that dotted the newer buildings.

During the time of the Platinum Crusade, nearly all cities that had previously lacked local Guild chapters had gained at least some presence from each Guild. So far as Hadran knew, Lesonia hadn’t had much real Shadow Guild presence previously, but their temporary base was easy enough to find. A sign decorated with the Shadow Guild’s emblem showed that they were gathered in a repurposed warehouse.

Hadran checked the watch in her pocket. Early. She took the time to turn around and address her Guild members. “Each of you has been invited here to mingle with the Shadow Guild’s elite spies and saboteurs and to potentially work alongside them in those capacities. I trust that you will represent our Guild well and show your counterparts respect. We are part of a Circle now, which means reaching out and learning from new sources. Are we clear?” The assembled Guild members nodded, and there were a few murmur of assent.

She then turned to the Storm Kyte near her side. “Hazy,” she said. Nicknames gave Hadran mixed feelings - an alteration of an orphus’s closed name was considered an insult, but Aria-Haizen seemed not to mind. As for Haizen’s insistence on being Hadran’s impromptu bodyguard, Hadran hadn’t figured out an opinion on that yet. The Storm Kyte was a bit unruly, but Hadran wasn’t exactly in a position to turn down help. “Just to be clear, you’re not to volunteer for any mission offered here, jointly or otherwise, as I can almost guarantee it will not be at all in your skillset. I didn’t figure you’d try, but I want to make sure that we’re all on the same page. Alright?”

[Trainer17]

Character/s: Arus (Half-Dragon) & Munchie (Mohawk Mouse Pet)
Location: Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
Destination: Tyanis (Dyrin) via Wisp Islands Harbor


It was a bright, sunny day, just like any other. The Fire Guild was bustling with activity and with recent rumors about the Platinum Crusade making rounds almost every day, this guild rarely is without any liveliness. In this very Guild, Arus joined not too long ago, in an attempt to find more about himself, his lineage, his lost memory. He climbed through the guild ranks quite steadily, but didn't want too much popularity which might obstruct him from his own goals, so he decided to slack off a bit for a while. Arus was just making his way back to the Fire Guild HQ after completing a quest in a town situated nearby Dawnwood Forest.


---

http://www.nintendojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/art_bestds_dqix.png

Quest Log - #1 The Disappearing Act

A case in which most of the town's men have gone missing in the Dawnwood Forest. Arus has a knack for finding missing people, especially a given for since he's a part dragon, and his senses are much more heightened than any other average human being. He was the only one assigned for this mission, as Arus prefers to go solo, most of the time. It was a quick work for Arus at the end of the day, as it seemed like the men from the village have been abusing the forest to an certain extend by extinguishing and ripping the entire place of its trees, which angered the Forest Guardian; Marigold (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c7/70/5b/c7705bd415bd769297736522684dd1e4.jpg). Soothing an angry human would be a feat, and now it's a Forest Guardian to boot. But much to the contrary, non-humans tend to give more of a listening ear than your average humans nowadays. Arus also has gift with his words. So much that it doesn't matter if his oppressor was a human or non-human, he would find his way through and turns the favor to himself without too much hassle. Marigold was a gentle soul, and she saw Arus' genuine heart when she peered straight into his eyes. She calmed down quite fast, but was still stricken with fear that her beloved forest might not last long. Arus made a quick deal with Marigold, which was favorable for both the Forest Guardian and the village, so it was good at the end of the day. The forest would be visible only to the village folks who bears a insignia blessed by Marigold. They will be the Forest Guardian in her stead, refurbish and take care of the forest, and in return, they are paid with invaluable gems and minerals as a gift of appreciation by Marigold. It was not all that bad, so Arus thought this deal would be able to put the forest back to its fertile self and maintain it in a long run, while Marigold doesn't have to reveal its presence to the outside world, considering the latest Platinum Crusade and King Vrell's tyranny which is throwing the world into chaos and turmoil.


---

"...heh, that was a very short quest, but I'm glad things worked out at the end, Munchie!" Arus looked at his pet mouse which was perched upon his right shoulder.

"It's just that sometimes, human beings are just so selfish and heartless. I'm beginning to doubt what my dragon parent saw in my human parent. This is like a curse. Walking around in this form. I can't even fully transform into a Dragon yet. It has been 2 years since I left the village, you know?" Arus sighed.

"Mmmmmmm..." Munchie hopped about, trying to cheer Arus up.

The walk was quite short, as the Fire Guild HQ could be seen. Arus walked to the doors, and greeted the sentry before making his way into the Guild's Tavern (http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dq9-inn_3573.jpg). His primary hangout spot, he quickly shuffled his way over to the Pub, to report his just completed quest. The Bar Owner, Khelfi (https://azerothianlife.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/wowscrnshot_011014_191520.jpg), was out on a hunt for ingredients as usual, so Arus had to look for the assistant, Noma (http://66.media.tumblr.com/9e863ad9065bc8804fcd1198e0910b30/tumblr_mxvch9PxEq1qengqso1_500.jpg). She was dealing with some Guild Adventurers herself, handing out the rewards and updating the completed missions and quests in the Guild's Database. Arus queued up like the rest, and had to wait a while for his turn.

"Hey Noma! Why does Khelfi disappear at a time like this?" Arus asked as he stepped up towards the elfen girl.


Noma - Maroon
Arus - Fire Brick

"You should know this more than I do, you brat! She's always gathering new ingredients and the like to fill up endless stomachs like yours! You better be thankful for all this. And what happened to that quest of yours now? We tried to contact you from time to time, but you never ***ed to pick up the call as always!" Noma was clearly frustrated, but she deeply cares for Arus, ever since he turned up at the Guild as a kid.

"Eh..REALLY?! ****. I must have missed that again. Sorry about that Noma. It's a mission well done as always! Hahaha, what do you expect? A screw up?" Arus chuckled as he handed over the report.

"...you're surprisingly good at these kind of quests. Why are you so obsessed about non-humans or creatures so much? It doesn't hurt to feel for the humans sometimes, you know?"

"Heh, that coming from a full fledged elf like you surprises me. But that's what I love the most about you as well! You're so loving and caring to everyone regardless. But hey, let's stop the chit chat. I need the rewards, as usual. I need to get some rest. I'm all worn out."

"Yeah, it's a surprise you've traveled to that place by foot. It takes a day even by a ride on the road. But impressively you took the same time as well. Are those feet of yours filled with some kind of fuel? Did you torture Munchie with your lame *** jokes and crappy attitude?"

Munchie jumped over to Noma and started playing with her hair.

"Hahaha, you look well, dear. Have you been hungry? I've got some snacks for you! A couple of spicy cheese and cold cheese."

"...man, you can spoil Munchie a bit too much, you know? Oh well. Noma, where are my rewards?"

"Jeez, here you go. A bag of 5000 gold coins, and a parcel came for you just before arrived. It's signed Magnolia. Who is Magnolia?"

"She's a good friend of mine. Well, I'm heading to my quarters. If there's anything else, you know how to get to me. Come Munchie, it's time to scoot."


Items Obtained:
1 x bag pouch of 5000 gold coins
2 x Spicy Cheese (http://dragon-quest.org/images/3/31/SpicyCheese.png)
2 x Cool Cheese (http://dragon-quest.org/images/5/5b/CoolCheese.png)
1 x small parcel bearing a dragon-like insignia (http://cf.juggle-images.com/matte/white/280x280/triba-black-dragon-logo-primary.jpg)

"Wait, Arus! There's a letter for you!"

"....what....You know if its not reward or anything, I will kindly refuse, Noma."

"You fool! This is a request from the Guildmaster. You know what happens when you refuse requests from the Guildmaster, don't you?"

"....how does the Guildmaster know specifically who I am. Damn it. I wanted to lay low for a while too. What is this request about, Noma?"

"You know the nerds, the Platinum Crusade, yeah?"

"...the snobby king's underlings. What about them?"

"I'm going to tell this once, so listen well. They have set their eyes upon Mavi. It could be anytime they're going to overrun that continent, but Mavi wouldn't give up without a fight."

"So am I being sent there to die fast?"

"...let me finish. Mavi's going to need some help. There are rumors of three places which under the unity of King Vrell's Platinum Treaty are waiting for an opening to overthrow his hold anytime soon. All they need are some reinforcements. To one of the three places you're being called upon. The good news is that you're not going in alone, but the bad news is that the place you're going to is Tyanis. Previous home to the Barbarians. Of all the tribes which existed back then only three of them remain now. Gather whomever you may find, and take back Tyanis"

"If indeed we reclaim back Tyanis, you reckon the Empire is going to keep quiet about this? Won't they come back with a bigger army and make siege once again?"

"This is where your smart *** is being handed to me. The border which divides the Tyanis from the Empire, The Shattered Badlands is experiencing some heavy tremors and landslides throughout for the next few weeks. It's strong magnetic field also disrupts any machines which would travel by land. The only chance that spoilt brat of a king is going to have is either by the sea or air, by which either Skybound City or Mavi would be aware off and I don't think Vrell would take any chance which depletes his army. It's a win-win situation, only if you successfully reclaim Tyanis. This is a Priority S Class Mission. Finish this and you can expect big reward from the Guildmaster."

"...Tyanis. I've been wanting to visit that place sooner or later. There's a particular gem I'm looking for and it's only found deep within Icehorn. What are my travel options?"

"I just received a call earlier from the Chief of Wisp Islands. He's willing to give you a free coastal ride, however, it will be a few meters away from Tyanis mainland for some obvious reasons. Still, it's free, so don't complain. You will travel there by air due to time constraints, so after you've done with your essentials, get out of the Guild and look for our HeliBalloon (http://www.infobarrel.com/media/image/202474.jpg) (helicopter and hot air balloon contraption) pilot, Ari (http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/9/92/After_Cid.png/revision/latest?cb=20121012002325). You might be thinking why not fly into Tyanis straight off, but if your sorry *** gets shot in mid air, don't expect backup from the Guild. Also, that chief also mentioned he had something to give you as a form of thanks since you sorted out their certain "fish (https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/70/86/88/7086888d94edfcbaac22f11df1ba6361.jpg)" problem the other day. Jeez. He wouldn't even hand it to me, he said he wanted to give it to you personally, so all in all, it's not a wasted trip."

"Bahaha! That guy is sure a handful, alright. Okay. I'm going to pack a few things back in my quarters before I move out to Wisp Islands. Update my database will you? By the way, I forgot to ask, but who else is coming along for this less-of-a suicide mission?"

"You will find out when you reach Tyanis. The recce point is somewhere on the outskirts of Tyanis. You will know when you get there."

Arus smirked a bit as he made his way back into his room, which wasn't too far away from the Tavern. He got a shower, and a quick change of clothes in a matter of minutes. He repacked his pouch and inventory and made his way towards Ari, the hybrid Dwarf & Human Airship Engineer well known around the Guild. He was ready with the airship, and within seconds, they were off to the Wisp Islands.

"....Munchie, hold on tight yeah! God knows what will happen to us in Tyanis, yeah!"

And so, Arus & Munchie made their way to the first pitstop before their Destination in Tyanis, the Wisp Islands...

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The Rusty Shield Tavern, Savire, Dyrin

Ever since Vrell took over, rumors were floating around. And now I was starting several of my own rumors that were already making their way out of the tavern and into the streets. I saw my dwarf friend was back, who still hadn't introduced himself to me, but eh, I didn't care about that. He was now with some of his friends, a burly, bald-headed human and a stocky, shorter human with a survivalist beard. Definitely had to be his shipmates.

"I take it you're the one starting rumors around here?" the burly human asked with a gruff voice. "You'd better not be messing around, because I could crush you into a ball with these hands!"

"Gentlemen, relax," I smiled, knowing he wouldn't be doing that even if I failed this negotiation. "I've got nothing against any of you. It's Vrell I'm after. He wants to tear apart the magic clans and he wants to turn your way of life here into a bidding war. I don't think any of us want that."

"We ain't declaring war on that bastard!" the dwarf shouted. "I'm a shipbuilder, not a soldier!"

I could see where he was getting at, but there were other issues at the table.

"Take it from me, I'm sure you'd rather be a soldier than a slave, am I right?" I asked them all. "It doesn't have to be formal. In fact, if all you do is refuse to support the Platinum Crusade and join up with Ianku to separate from the kingdom, that's already a big help."

"We never considered ourselves part of his damned kingdom," the bearded man snarled.

"The papers that were signed said you did," I corrected him. "Now, all I'm saying is we need to be all in this uprising together. If only a few of us are, then we're just going to be executed for treason while the rest of the cowards just continue living out their lives in indentured servitude. Doesn't sound good, does it?"

They were silent and just looked at each other with suspecting glances.

"And what exactly are you going to be doing during this whole thing?" the bearded man asked me. "I very much doubt a faerie like yourself can stand up against Vrell's armies."

"Please, I have my ways," I smiled and shrugged. "My ways usually go along the lines of getting them to distrust each other and baiting some traps. You don't always need to fight a war with weapons."

"Prove it, then," the bearded man told me. "If you think so highly of yourself, I want to see it."

"Sure, give me a target," I told him, knowing I could have some fun with this one. "Someone high on the food chain that is close by. Let me know where they are and when, and I'll make it happen."

And I already had some fantastic ideas in mind.

"Fine, you have yourself a deal," the bearded man told me. "By the way, the name's Captain Blackwood. If I get word you've tricked us, I will find you and make your last moments of life very miserable."

"Oh come on, enough with the threats," I shrugged with a casual smile. "It won't come to that, I promise."

"It better not for your own sake," Blackwood told me.

Sheesh. Really now. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity for my own enjoyment. Why would I ever pass up on that!?

[Noblejanobii]

Rima Omarah
Shadow Guild
Lesonia, Raya (en route to meeting between Shadow and Wind guilds)

"You know, I still don't get how you haven't mastered Shadow Travel yet."

"So you keep mentioning."

"I mean, it's one of the most basic forms of shadow magic."

"As you have told me before."

"Literally, every other member of the shadow guild that has been here the same time as you or longer can use it successfully. Even some of those who haven't been here as long can!"

"Mhm. Please inform me of how much of a failure I am to the Shadow Guild."

"I mean, it just makes no sense! You're really good at all the other magic, so why not shadow travel?"

"I don't know. Why can't you learn when to shut up?"

Rima knew Kilyni wasn't going to be shutting up anytime soon, so at this point she just stopped listening and rattled off the robot phrases she had adopted around the Dunmer. By now Rima already knew the lecture word for word. For some reason or another, Rima had never been able to completely master shadow travel. She could do it if someone was traveling with her, so usually Kilyni had to go with Rima any time she wanted to shadow travel. And while Rima had nothing against Kilyni, since the Dunmer had been the one to introduce Rima to shadow magic, Rima had grown very tired very quickly of the constant lecture that came with the travel. So instead of listening, Rima was running her agenda through her head.

She had just gotten back from a mission when they had pulled her aside for this meeting. Rima had not really wanted to attend but she was required to for some reason or another. Rima had been so annoyed at the time that she hadn't really listened to the whole speech, but she remembered something being mentioned about diversity. Either way, it didn't matter. Rima was here whether she liked it or not.

The group of shadow guild members walked in absolute silence (other than Kilyni) towards the warehouse where the guild's chapter currently resides. You could always tell the difference between shadow guild members and visitors because members always entered through the back while visitors went through the front. Common courtesy or something. Maybe they just didn't know any better. Thus, Rima and her group traveled to the back of the warehouse, and after uttering the words of secrecy required to enter, the group was allowed in.

Upon entry, Rima quickly noticed that their arrival was early to the meeting. So be it. They would have to help with preparations. As Rima helped with the last minute finishing touches, she overheard conversations between the local chapter members. The Wind Guild was visiting today, and from the looks of it, High Speaker Lightthroat Lurel had joined the party as well. How interesting. Rima made a mental note to watch the High Speaker very closely. Currently the motives of the woman were unknown, but it was suspected it was just a means of making peace. Rima didn't doubt this, but she still felt it best to watch the High Speaker, just in case.

Delbin Kawa
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin (awaiting meeting of partner for a mission)
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin rolled a silver ball back and forth between his hands on the table in front of him. He was currently seated in a tavern, the designated meeting place for his partner in the upcoming mission. It was nothing more than a scouting mission, from what Delbin had gathered. But that raised too many questions for Delbin. He could scout quite easily on his own. His practiced charisma made him look anything but suspicious to potential enemies. Yet, his guild had insisted on sending someone from the shadow guild with him. Someone big. Someone strong. Delbin didn't think he was necessary, but then again, the tumors of Slven Forest were unsettling. Plus, maybe the guy was cute or something. Couldn't hurt to have him tag along.

So Delbin had ordered a glass of water to bide the time and then began to busy himself with his shiny things that he had collected since his arrival here. Currently, spread out around the table, Delbin had a fair amount of shiny items. He had the silver ball he was playing with, a few nails from ships, what looked to be the needle from a compass, a few chunks of crystals that had picked up near a jewel dealer, what looked to be the casing for a small looking glass, and a small bronze ring that looked to be made to hold a jewel but was not currently holding one. Delbin smiled at his collection. So many shiny things! He couldn't wait to take these back to his collection. These would make his collection glitter like never before! Then again, Delbin always thought that whenever he got knew shiny things, but it wasn't entirely untrue. Delbin looked up as his waitress arrived with his water. Delbin thanked the lady and began to drink his water. Ah it was so refreshing to have fresh water again. Delbin couldn't go too long without it because his body required it to survive. He hated that the water guild bases had to all be in the sea. He also felt so confined in those places. So Delbin enjoyed when he could get out and down a glass of fresh water.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

The werepyre flew into the city, flying low to avoid drawing attention. He landed on the beach and assumed his "human" form before heading to the tavern. He walked in and quickly scanned the area. He had been told his partner was an encantado, but he wasn't too familiar with that species, so he did a little research into some common habits they tend to have when on land, and quickly figured out who he was. He approached his partner. "Sir? Are you Delbin Kawa?" he asked, double checking himself.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Sir? Are you Delbin Kawa?"

Delbin was about to respond with a classic "depends on who's asking" but as soon as Delbin caught sight of Tony, he didn't care who this man was. Delbin would be Delbin for any man this stunningly gorgeous!

"I am for a man like you, handsome." Delbin replied. He gestured to the seat across from him and waited for Jason to sit down. "Do you want anything to drink or eat? I'm not sure how long it took you to get here so if you're parched or famished, please feel free to order something. I personally have to get a glass of water every time I come on land because any sea water gives me rashes and trust me, you only drink water in a water guild base once if you have that kind of a problem." Delbin quickly realized his shiny things were scattered across the table and began to collect them. "Ah! I'm sorry. While I was waiting for you I was just looking over everything I had collected today on my way here." Delbin out everything in a bag and strapped it to his belt. He paused a little awkwardly before saying, "So uh… how was your trip here? You look pretty good for just having traveled so I'd say it couldn't have been too rough for you."

[AWA1997]

(Jason, not Tony. XD)

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason sighed as he sat down. 'Great.' he thought. 'Someone else who's easily charmed by a vampire's body.' "No, no, I had a large meal before I left, and it was only a few hours' flight, I'm fine." he said. "And no worries, I'm sorry for taking so long." He nodded. "The trip was alright. My only issue is that the sunlight was a bit irritating for the parts of my body that weren't protected by fur, but that's to be expected for one of my species."

[Noblejanobii]

(There's too many of them! XD)

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Ah yes, they mentioned you were a werepyre right? Quite interesting how you became such a rare species. It brings up a lot of questions in many regards, such as will your children be only one part or another or both or neither. The more science oirented members of the water guild would kill the king just to get a chance to study you." Delbin shrugged. He downed the rest of his glass of water then drummed his fingers on the table. "So you are aware of the terms of our mission right? We are to scout and nothing else really. They don't want us to get too involved since the terrain is a bit shady and I assume they don't view either of us as qualified for negotiations. I disagree because with my charisma and your good looks we could get anything out of anybody. And of course, if your gorgeousness somehow failed us, which I doubt it ever would, and my charisma wasn't enough, you are quite the muscle, so I don't doubt your other appearance would be much better suited for interrogations and negotiations."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason nodded. "I am well aware." he said. "As for being a werepyre, it's not a matter of the species being rare, but rather the circumstances of the transformation. Not many people run into both a werewolf and a vampire in the same night, especially not close enough to one another that the bite of the first hadn't kicked in yet. And I doubt I could answer many questions of that sort. I'm more of a lone wolf." He shook his head. "The issue with using me for things like that is that I'm not good at interrogations. And even in my other form, unless I'm royally ticked off, I can't purposely try to scare stuff out of people, and even then it's more of I'm scaring them because I'm angry, not because I want answers."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Even still, such a species is rare enough as it is. There are many questions with no answers that people would like from you. I'm surprised the shadow guild's scientists haven't already taken you hostage. Either way, eventually you'll settle down and find out the answer yourself. Or maybe you have other plans. Either way, that is not the topic of our current discussion. Though I will say your exterior should be scary enough without you actually having to do anything, but I digress. Are you ready to go?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason nodded. "This is all true." he said, standing up and pushing his seat in. "Yes, I'm ready. Would you like to lead the way?"

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I am." Delbin stood up and straightened his outfit. "So, how do you propose we get there? Our destination is across the continent from us. I know you can fly but I doubt you want to carry me the entire way. Or is that what you would prefer? If not, I have my ways of obtaining transportation."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Would you think your method of travel is faster or slower than me flying you there?" Jason asked. "Personally, I have no preferred method for traveling with others, but flying is one of the quicker ones."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I mean that depends. Can you fly faster than a horse can run?" Delbin asked.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Yes, I can fly faster than a horse." Jason said with a nod. "In that case, once we get out of town, we can fly off. Just let me know if I go too fast or too high or anything."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I am not afraid of heights," Delbin said quietly. He gestured with his hand toward the door and winked. "Lead the way, and I will follow."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason started towards the door, ignoring the wink. "I was not implying that you were scared of heights. Some people, scared or not, don't like flying over certain heights, while I go to those heights so that I'm not seen quite as well."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"That implies a fear of heights since they experience discomfort at those levels," Delbin said as he walked beside Tony, a broad smile on his face. "Oh, why so grumpy sounding, hm? Surely you're not this angry sounding all the time. I bet there's been people that have made you smile in the past, no?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"I think it's more of a fear of falling. Heights don't kill you, so they weren't scared of the height, but the sudden stop after falling can, and they could've been afraid of that." Jason said. "And I'm not grumpy, I just don't see any reason to wear my emotions on my sleeves, so I try not to."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Oh don't give me that fear of heights vs fear of falling crap. For all I care, it's the same thing. Doesn't matter what you call it, it's the same thing." Delbin frowned a little. "You're just really grumpy and you're in denial about it. Yeah that's it. Mr. Grumpy Wolfwing Pants."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"My point was, they didn't have a problem with being up that high, they had a problem with thinking that they may fall and die. I'd call that more of a fear of death than a fear of heights." Jason said. "And, again, not grumpy just not emotional. Honestly, I like to get a good idea about someone before I'll even think of showing any emotion around them. Makes it a lot easier to tell how likely they are to doublecross you. And after 100 years, I'd say being right 3 out of 4 times means that it works fairly well."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Whatever. Like I said, it's all the same to me," Delbin answered. He puffed out his cheeks in annoyance in the underlying accusation that came with Tony's explanation of his locked away emotions. "Oh what? You're just assuming I'm going to double cross you? Well glad to know my partner for this mission has faith in me." Delbin crossed his arms and muttered under his breath. "Might rather take the horse now, since there's always the threat I could stab you while we're in the air or something."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"I heard that. And I was not accusing you." Jason said. "I haven't had a chance to get a read on you, but I will tell you that that reaction is a good sign in your favor."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"You obviously don't know much about my culture if you'd accuse me of such a thing anyway. Do you know how long the lifespan of an Encantado is? Or why we leave our utopian society to come here?" Delbin paused then answered his own questions. "The first answer, is thirty. It's rare you see one of us last longer than thirty years. Usually we spend the first ten years of our lives preparing to leave the utopia, to charm and kidnap others. We prefer humans but any species will do. We mate with them, and then bring the females back to the utopia, where our children are born. Quite an interesting process really, and it all started because we had a shortage of females long ago. Now, males usually have at least two wives, one from this world, and one from the utopia. But, as you'll notice, I have neither. Now you may be thinking, oh it's because he hasn't been here long enough, or something along those lines. And that would be incorrect. See, we return to the utopia once we hit our twentieth year, and never return to this world after that. We spend our last ten years of life raising our children to replace us. I, however, am actually of my twenty-first year. So then, why would I still be here and not raising a family?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"No, I am not familiar with your culture or anything about you." Jason admitted. He listened to Delbin, then answered. "I'd assume it's because either your culture ostracized you, or you don't feel you belong there. Maybe both." he said.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"You're very observant," Delbin noted. "You would be correct, I didn't belong there nor did they want me back anyway. I came here with a simple task, and when the opening to the utopia reopened, I was not there to come back through." Delbin shrugged a little. "Not that it bothers me, but they were never really... welcoming of those of us who put love before mate."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Only because I was in the same type of situation when I was turned." Jason said. "Sorry about how you and the society you were born in didn't see eye to eye."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin smirked and waved his hand. "Ah it's fine. They never liked me and I never liked me. When I didn't return it was a good riddance on both sides." Delbin fingered the wingnut that he wore as a necklace. "Way less regrets on moving on than staying behind, if you ask me."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason nodded. "If you say so." he said. They approached the edge of town. "Ok, let's go." he said, changing forms, his clothes ripping to make accommodations for his larger body.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin felt himself fangirling a little as Jason shifted. He began to examine Jason quickly. "You look so amazing. Wow. My breath has been taken away. Amazing. Absolutely amazing." Delbin paused then said, "Shall I ride on your back or will you be carrying me?"

[FedoraChar]

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
[Destination: Tyanis, Dyrin]
Gaster


The Kindred Flames were naturally located near the bottom of the city, mostly as a safety precaution. Though only practitioners of fire magic could make use of the teleportation system, such people were not exclusively Guild members. If any of the Flames were compromised, it would be easier to defend the city from the higher ground down than the other way around.

While this made logical sense, it didn’t stop Valryssa from mumbling all the way down to the bottom of the city. So caught up in her own smoldering thoughts, she hardly noticed how the other people in the streets gave her a wide berth once they saw her coming. One look and they knew the fire-lady wasn’t someone to mess with—especially today.

The Hall of the Flames could be compared to a great terminal, with its long hallway lined with the bonfire-sized purple flames. As always the halls were buzzing with activity, mostly with attendants caring for the flames and directing what little traffic came through. Guards of all shapes and sizes stood stoically beside each column, warily watching all who passed by. Valryssa ignored every one of them, keeping her chin up high as she strode to her destination: the Skybound Flame—perhaps one of the busiest teleports there.

Bypassing the line immediately, she went straight up to the attendee.

“Valryssa Scarlet, reporting to Skybound City,” she stared down at the lizard-like being, who fidgeted at her appearance. “Have any of my...” she hesitated on the word, hating to acknowledge anyone as her equal. “…companions… arrived.”

The lizard flinched, and glanced apologetically at the line behind Valryssa. “Er, um, well… Ma’am, you see…”

“Do you speak Common tongue? Or am I speaking with a buffoon?” Valryssa snapped, growing impatient with his blubbering.

He jumped, squeaking slightly. “Er, er, I… Yes, just…. Just one moment please.” He glanced down at a scroll stretched out in his hands. “Um, yes, the Kitsune Izuru… She’s waiting yonder… One other of your companions opted to travel by sea, and so… Erm, that leaves… That is, we’re still waiting on—”

Having enough from the attendant, Valryssa turned and looked for the Kitsune he had mentioned. It didn’t take long to spot the person in question: a young woman who would have looked human, were it not for the three red fox tails sprouting from her posterior. Valryssa crossed her arms and considered the creature. Though she looked young, the dragon knew better than to assume a Kitsune’s age. She very well could have been older than Valryssa herself.

“Are you Izuru?” she demanded, still eyeing the Kitsune through narrowed eyes.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason just waited as Delbin blabbered on. "It would be easier for me to carry you on my back than to hold you. And probably safer as well." he said.

Izuru Natsume, Kitsune
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

Izuru looked over at Valryssa, having been staring off as she waited for the others until she heard her name. She nodded slightly. "Yes I am, ma'am." she said respectfully, walking over to the person addressing her.

[Saraibre Ryu]

Aria-Haizen 'Hazy'
Wing Guild Bodyguard
Lesonia, Raya
ARP’ers: Velocity

To fly in the air quickly from one place to another was in a Storm Kyte's nature. Having magic do it for you, was not. She was already compact down in form as it was, but the effect of the magic wanted to have her shrink down even farther. She kept whispering thrums of discomfort to herself. Aria tried to shake off the discomfort when a series of guards approached them, luckily, nonhuman ones. Though half human was still a bit on the unliked side for Hazy, she wasn't going to make any noise about it. The misuse of Lightthroat's name was, by her understanding of naming culture, going to be an occasional mistake. Aria-Haizen learned many a name culture in her travels, and Orphi was one of the most peculiar.

After being allowed to pass, Aria took her stalky, compact body and followed, keeping eyes on all the architecture around her. There were many a Cloud that nested on the lower ends of Skybound City. They never disturbed the top half as the reflective surfaces often brought upon a slight panic. The illusion of ten times more Storm Kytes than there actually was often alarmed the residents of the city below. The fascination of how mirrors worked always made young ones curious and Aria was no exception back in the day.

Hazy listened carefully to each word Hadran was saying. She was only off to the side of her when she was addressed specifically, being told to not be overly helpful due to the leader's belief in her lack of stealth skills. The Storm Kyte tilted her head a bit, which was still larger than Hadran's shoulders and head combined. Storm Kytes were fine for stealth in the air, it was very hard to find them when they weren't on the ground. However she cold have meant something else by skill set. What exactly was this skill set she was referring to? Either way, Aria gave an affirmative sound that wasn't quite an "Alright." but it wasn't quite a hum or a growl either. It was a weird mix of all three. Speech was still something she had yet to master, but could definitely get around the town on her own with it.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Seeing that Jason had granted him permission to climb onto his back, Delbin did just that. The Encantado walked up behind Jason, waited until the werepyre was in position, then climbed onto Jason's back. It was a bit awkward but Delbin did his best. "Is this okay or should I move somewhere else?" Delbin asked, unsure what positions were best when riding a werepyre.

[EmeraldSky]

Arryn Shinesong, Elf
The Guild of Light
Headquarters of the Guild of Light

Think, Arryn...there has to be some clue that could help... the young elf thought as she put away her last book.

Her face brightened when she saw some folktale books. "Of course! Maybe our land's lore and heroes will hold a key!"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason shifted his wings, revealing that Delbin was a little too far to the right for him to fly properly. "You almost got it, just move a bit to the left and make sure you have a good grip."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin did as was asked of him and held on tight to Jason. "Okay, I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess. So what now?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason bent his legs a little before jumping, gaining considerable height just from that, before beginning to flap his wings for the extra push to get him above the clouds. Once there, he slowed down a bit, but did keep moving at a considerable speed, though he did keep it reasonable. Faster than a horse, but nowhere near his fastest speed.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin pressed his face into Jason's back as they shot up into the air. He could feel his robes snapping in the wind as Jason began to flap his wings, whisking them higher and higher in the air. Truth be told, Delbin had never flown before. He preferred to swim or ride horseback. Plus he didn't exactly have the power to fly and, as he emphasized to people time and time again, his bubbles only worked underwater. Thus Delbin had never had the means or motive to do this before. He was about to find out if that was a good or bad thing.

Delbin waited until they leveled off in the air before pulling his face from Jason's fur. He looked around and felt the air escape his lungs. All he could see were clouds, as far as his eyes could reach. Delbin looked around several times, taking the whole view in. This was nothing like he has ever seen before and he wanted to make sure he got a good look while he could, because Delbin might never get the chance to do this again.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"How you holding up back there? Any issues?" Jason asked, tilting his head back to look at Delbin.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"This is amazing!" Delbin shouted back to Jason. Delbin tightened his grip on Jason in his left hand then released his right hand. Delbin reached into the air then immediately jerked his hand back, giggling a little. The wind felt so sharp and cold but it felt amazing nonetheless! This was so cool! "Why doesn't everyone learn to fly? This is amazing!"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Eh, it's not for everyone. I know, and knew, quite a few people who don't enjoy it. Granted, part of them were earth elementals, but still." Jason said. "Just be careful. Don't want to drop you."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Goldsand City, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin frowned at the fact that some people didn't enjoy flying. What kind of horrible person could these people be? Obviously they weren't very smart and probably had no friends because people who didn't like flying had to be horrible people. And that was that. "Well that sounds terrible for them. But I'll be enjoying it for them!" Delbin shouted. "Can I touch a cloud? Is that a thing I can do?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: @Alphy

"Honestly, I'm not too keen on flying either, it's just a means of travel." Jason said. "And, yeah, you can, but don't expect much, it's all air and water vapor."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Says the guy who can fly!" Delbin hit Jason's back lightly. "That's not fair. You can't not enjoy flying, it's great!" Delbin looked around and watched as one of the clouds drew closer. He reached out and let his fingers run through it. Sure enough, there wasn't much to it, but Delbin could feel all the water particles in the cloud, and that was pretty cool feeling.

[VeloJello]

Lightthroat Hadran Lurel
Wind Guild (High Speaker)
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild chapter meeting)
ARP’ers: Saraibre Ryu, Alphys

Hazy’s affirmation reassured Hadran a bit. It wasn’t like Hadran expected the Storm Kyte to behave like an idiot, but she liked making sure that everyone was on the same page.

“Follow me, now - and remember, everyone, we are here as allies and friends!” Hadran called. “No drawn weapons or displays of force unless there is a clear and present danger to you or someone else.”

That said, she opened the door. Much to her surprise, it looked like the full contingent of Shadow Guild members had already arrived. A very quiet, nagging voice in the back of her head suggested that she was walking into an ambush; she suggested that the voice bind its wings and hurl itself off a cliff. She was never going to get anywhere being suspicious of every little thing.

“Hello, esteemed Shadow Guild members,” she said, allowing the feathers of her wings to ruffle a bit so that she had more presence. “My name is Lightthroat Lurel, and as you know, I am the High Speaker of the Wind Guild.” She then introduced the rest of her Guildmates one by one. “May I ask who is presiding over this meeting?” Not having that information grated her, but she hadn’t been told much besides the meeting location and purpose. She wasn’t sure whether that was due to habitual Shadow Guild secrecy, someone wanting her to look a little silly, or just something being overlooked somewhere along the line.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"I am very capable of not enjoying it. For me, it's just like walking. Nothing really special about it."

[FedoraChar]

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
[Destination: Tyanis, Dyrin]
Gaster

Valryssa looked over Izuru a second time, working from her toes to the top of her head.

“You’ll do, I suppose,” she finally said with a curt nod. Tilting her chip up, she continued, “I’m known as Valryssa Scarlet within the Guild, but you may refer to me as Valryssa or ma’am—nothing more, nothing less.”

She emphasized the last part; one (more) thing that irritated her was nicknames, and unfortunately her name seemed a natural target for such treatment.

“Since we are traveling together, I would like a brief overview of your abilities and talents, particularly your capacity with magic and—”

“Mistress Valryssa!”

Valryssa stiffened at the call, recognizing the voice with a flash of irritation. She closed her eyes to reign in what little patience she had and turned on her heel, spotting the culprit easily. A barefoot young man was shouldering his way through the crowd, waving his hand at the duo near the Kindred Flames. He looked human, with bronzed skin (most of it exposed as per his culture) and short-cropped dark hair; what gave away his identity, however, was the pair of ebony horns rising from his temples.

He was one of Valryssa’s students, a bright-eyed, over-eager Ifrit named Bahram. While he had more enthusiasm for his education than half of his fellow apprentices, Valryssa found him to be overbearing and honestly annoying at times. Still, he put up with her, and she couldn’t help but be a little impressed by that. At times. Now, however…

“Bahram!” Valryssa raised her voice. “You buffoon! What are you doing here? Can’t you see that I’m busy at the moment?!”

Bahram skidded to a halt, the pure-white smile on his face slipping into shock. But only briefly. It returned when the Ifrit bowed his head. “Of course, Mistress—we’ve been alerted of your mission and—

“Then why are you here?” she demanded, lip curling. A relic of her days as a dragon, when she could properly bare her teeth.

He looked confused for a moment before saying, “Oh, well… I’m coming along, too.”
“You?!” Valryssa blinked. Bahram, of all people? Granted, he was a prodigy among the Guild’s hopefuls, but he was a greenhorn in every sense of the word. The Ifrit had little if any experience in the outside world, and was about as naïve as a newly-hatched chocobo.

“Yes, ma’am,” the youth straightened, shouldering a pack that Valryssa had failed to notice earlier. “The higher-ups think that this is a great first mission for me! And it’s even better that I get to go with you!”

The buffoon grinned from ear to ear, oblivious as ever to Valryssa’s bristling. The dragon knew of the dread most of the students held concerning her teaching and personality, but in all her experience Bahram was the only one who actually enjoyed her. Dumb or simply innocent, she couldn’t decide.

Valryssa sniffed and straightened her spine, regaining her composure. At this point, she couldn’t disagree with the Guild’s decision—but when she came back, she would be sure to give them a piece of her mind. For now… at least she could keep a closer eye on this one’s education.

“So be it…” she grudgingly accepted. “But Bahram, you are as late as ever!”

Bahram flinched, but his smile turned sheepish. “Sorry… Had a hard time packing.”

She looked down at what he was carrying… which wasn’t much. “…Is that all? Don’t tell me that’s what you intend to wear to the Icehorn.”

He looked down at his bare chest and feet and frowned. “What’s wrong with this?”

Valryssa growled, and rubbed at her temples—a habit she had picked up from the humans. “We don’t have time for this! We’ll pick you up something in the Skybound City, but for now we should get going. We’re to meet up with an Ice Mage, and I’d rather not keep them waiting.”

Turning to Izuru, Valryssa said, “Izuru, this is an apprentice of mine—and apparently another companion for this quest. His name is Bahram. And Bahram, this is Izuru.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Bahram bowed, his ever-present smile growing wider.

[Noblejanobii]

Rima Omarah
Shadow Guild
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild Chapter Meeting)
Affected RPers: Velocity, Saraibre Ryu

Rima raised her eyebrows as the wind guild members entered. She spotted the High Speaker immediately and began to make adjustments to her location to watch the High Speaker closely. As Rima did so, a few of the members of the Shadow Guild shifted somewhat awkwardly. The High Speaker's question as to who was to preside hung in the air with the obvious unspoken complaint of uninformancy. Little did these Wind Guild members realize there was a good reason for it. Had it been any other branch that was hosting this meeting, there would have been a higher chance that the presider would have been announced to them, but not this branch. No no. The presider, or presiders depending on if one of them decided to show up, remained very low key due to social stigmas. Rima shifted her attention slightly away from the High Speaker as the members parted, allowing a cloaked woman to step through them.

"I apologize for the secrecy, High Speaker. It's not the usual manner of the Shadow Guild to keep presiders secret. However, it was a concern that you might not attend our meeting should you know my true species." The woman lowered her cloak's hood to reveal the obvious markings of a succubus. "Social stigmas are the downfall of society nowadays. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Saryus Vitalastor. I am one of the two leaders of the local Shadow Guild chapter. My partner sends his regards, but he chose not to attend today's meeting for much of the same reasons I chose not to reveal myself as the presider until now. He hopes that you will not take this as an insult, but given the rising tensions against his species nowadays, he has felt less safe, even within our own guild. We've already had to take extreme precautions for his safety after two different attempts at his life, one of which was committed by a member of his own guild." Saryus paused to take a breath, as if the memories seemed to physically pain her. "Nevertheless, my partner hopes that our meeting today will allow for us to make strides against the tyranny over us currently and is pleased you chose to attend today."

You had to be blind if you couldn't read between the lines Lady Saryus was drawing. While it was a fairly well known fact within the Shadow Guild, very few outside of the guild itself knew about the Lady or her partner. Lady Saryus and her partner, Lord Benjamin, were two of the most formidable fighters within the Shadow Guild. Both coming from species that weren't exactly well known for their successful use of magic, the fact that they were able to surpass so many and oversee their own branch of the guild was very impressive. However, it also made quite a few enemies, especially in these times. The problem with Lady Saryus and Lord Benjamin was that they came from highly scorned species, something that was out of their control but they could still be attacked for. It would be no surprise to any Shadow Guild member that people were after Lord Benjamin, given he what he was. In fact, it was probably more surprising that there had not been more attempts rather than actually having been an attempt. Lord Benjamin had done well in breaking down barriers within the Shadow Guild and caused many to be more open to diversity within it, but that didn't change the fact that other species and the other gullds would not be as open to his presence. With the recent rise in attacks against his species, it seemed like only a matter of time before Lord Benjamin would be forced to go into hiding. After all, one could only do so much when they were a human.

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Exactly! You can walk and fly! Treasure that and enjoy it because not everyone can do both or either. There was a time when I could not walk or run or ride a horse or jump. All I could do was swim. So I really treasure my mobility now because there's some people out there who can enjoy it."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Think of it this way. You've been able to swim your whole life, so now you treasure being able to do the other stuff. I've been able to do all three for 90% percent of my life. It's lost its luster over the last 90 years."

Izuru Natsume, Kitsune
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya.
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

Izuru smiled at the new arrival. "Nice meet you." she said. She looked up at Valryssa. "You ask about abilities." she said. "I use illusions good, change appearance, and do lots things with fire. Teacher say I advanced for for my training."

((Oh it's going to be so great to see how Valryssa takes Izuru's lack of speaking skills here XD))

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Did you not hear me earlier? I treasure everything I can do! Swimming, walking, and everything else! Not everyone can do it so I treasure it for them. So you should too!" Delbin threw his hands in the air before scrambling to grab back onto Jason. He didn't want to be sent flying since he didn't exactly have wings or anything to enable him to fly. Delbin paused then said, "Hey, I sense a heavy storm coming towards us from the north. Be careful since the amount of water in it means it's probably a thunderstorm and I don't think either of us is too keen on being struck by lightning."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

Jason nodded. "About how long would you say we have before we come across it?" he asked. "I'd like to stay up here and out of sight as long as possible before we have to land."

[FedoraChar]

((The irony that she just made fun of the attendee, asking him if he spoke “Common” xDDDD But yes, it will drive her nuts xD))

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya
[Destination: Tyanis, Dyrin] Gaster


Valryssa returned from preparing the gateway, in time for Izuru to answer her question (the one before Bahram’s annoying interruption). The Kitsune’s reply, however, made Valryssa stop short.

“…You ‘use illusions good’…,” the dragon repeated slowly, eyebrow slowly rising. By the scales of Yelgaboth, the Kitsune could hardly speak! She was stuck with a greenhorn AND a tongue-tied fox. What on Ariel was the Guild thinking?!?! Oh, they were going to get an earful when this was all said and done. They might as well prepare themselves with water-mages for the inferno she would eventually unleash on them.

“Um, I think she means—,” Braham started.

“I KNOW WHAT SHE MEANT!” Valryssa barked at him. Turning on her heel back to the Flames, she hissed, “Let’s get this over with, I’m already sick of both of you!”

Before Braham could offer any interjections, the dragon lady had already stepped through the Flames, and was gone from their sight. The Ifrit sighed and turned to Izuru, smiling apologetically.

“Ladies—er, foxes— first?” he gestured.

[AWA1997]

((I figured. And that irony's why I thought it'd be so great XD To be fair, what she lacks in speech skills, she makes up in magic use, and that's with her being self taught for 3/4 of her life, so Valryssa shouldn't complain too much XD))

Izuru Natsume, Kitsune
Fire Guild
Fire Guild Headquarters, Dracora, Raya.
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

Izuru's ears and tails drooped at Valryssa's outburst, then even more when she voiced how she felt about the two, but perked up a bit at Braham's curtesy. "Thank you." she said politely as she walked through the fire behind the dragon.

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The Rusty Shield Tavern, Savire, Dyrin

I could tell Captain Blackwood had hired assassins before. But this was the first time he had dealt with one that was a faerie. And of course, they always make the same, rookie mistake the first time. So, I get the order on a normal-sized piece of paper, which to them would be like getting an order on a carpet. I had to fly away with it, take it to a quiet area in the ceiling rafters, break the wax seal, and roll out the whole thing and stand on it.

Blacksting,

Vester Dulunt. Head Tax collector on the docks. That bastard is definitely one of Vrell's and he has been having his men collect double duty just for his own pleasures. That sneer-faced hooligan arrives at dawn and harasses the fishermen for the dock tax cut and confiscates the smugglers' goods like the sniveling swine he is. He has lavish tastes and usually wears rich clothing amongst men that can barely afford rags. The man is nearly half-pig with his girth, and he is a drunkard for wine, even at that hour.

Him being dead would do us all a favor. I don't care how you do it, but do it. Sooner the better. And you would do well to destroy this note after you've read it.

~ C.B.

Please. With a smile and a shrug, I had a Darkfire Spark gobble the whole thing up in less than a second. I don't leave stuff like that laying around.

As for Vester, this was a matter of picking exactly how I wanted to do it. And this was an easy hit. Him being a fatso just meant I might have to do double dosage if I use poison, but that was easy. The toughest assassinations were usually mages. Especially necromancers, warlocks, and anything that's undead. But this guy wasn't anything even close to that.

For this one, I decided to be creative. This gave me wriggle room to experiment and wasn't one of those occasions where I'd have to play by the book or risk failure.

[FedoraChar]

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Skybound City, Aquamarine Ocean (Arrived) Gaster


Skybound City was truly a marvel of magic—a civilization suspended above the Aquamarine Ocean, free from any land-bound kingdom and a nation unto itself. Its location and independence made it an ideal center for trade and travel, and certainly for the Circle’s activities. Over the ages, it became a melting pot of cultures, as evidenced by its architecture. Whatever shapes and sizes the buildings came in, most were constructed of white marble that nearly blended in with the clouds that cradled the city.

Valryssa had visited the Skybound City on a few occasions. Each time the city left her with an empty and jealous feeling. Seeing so many of the city’s winged denizens flying freely around them, enjoying the sky to its fullest, made her yearn deeply for her own wings. As she stepped through the Flames and emerged, her first action was to stop and look up at the sky, hand drifting to the stone embedded in the jewelry around her neck.

One little spell, and she could fly higher than them all.

And ruin everything she and so many others had worked for. With a sigh, Valryssa dropped her hands and stepped aside, waiting for her companions to emerge. Once Izuru and Bahram stepped out blinking in the sunlight (it was afternoon in Skybound, rather than evening), she didn’t skip a beat.

“Izuru,” she barked, turning on her heel to face them, “Are you needing any further supplies? Someone—“ she stared pointedly at Bahram, “forgot to bring proper gear for our mission. Would you mind accompanying him to the markets? Meanwhile, I will search out our ice mage guide.”

Bahram frowned, looking down at his bare apparel before looking at Izuru with confusion. “What’s wrong with what I got?”

[AWA1997]

Izuru Natsume
Fire Guild
Skybound City, Aquamarine Ocean
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

Izuru shook her head and pointed at a bag strapped to her back. "I good, but will take Bahrim, ma'am." she said. She looked at him. "We go cold place, your clothes not warm."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
Savire Seaport, Dyrin

Normally, faeries don't care for seafaring. I couldn't say I was a fan of fishy and seawater smells either.

Vester Dulunt was an easy target to spot. Usually the ones with the biggest egos tend to go that way and always want to be the center of attention. He made his way from vendor to vendor, collecting taxes and station rentals. As I could tell, the people of Savire were really irked by it.

I decided to test out what I called Shadowblot Poison. It was my own creation, made from experimenting material both from neurotoxins and Shadow Magic in a nice, nefarious cocktail. Oh, I knew it would definitely be the end of Dulunt, but this was to experiment when. It worked slowly as opposed to instantly. I wanted his sickness to be very slow so it was impossible to trace where he contracted it and when it happened. With him going from vendor to vendor, the chances of them figuring it out were impossible. Not to mention they'd never suspect me, a faerie, to be the one to deliver the sting. For one thing, they'd have no evidence. All it would take is for me to slather a pin, which would be like a rapier to me, with the Shadowblot Poison and prick him in the jugular vein. To him, it would feel like nothing more than a bug bite, but it was much deadlier than that!

I made my move. Sure, Captain Blackwood probably would protest against the idea of me experimenting with this assassination, but this was just how I worked. I quickly flew toward Dulunt, delivered the sting, and quickly flew away before he swatted me.

With the speed a faerie could fly, we were practically invisible. Dulunt wasn't wearing any armor so it made the task easy. I quickly sped to the rooftops, just to watch from above the result.

"Damn, filthy insects," Dulunt grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck before going back to work.

I estimated in about two hours, he'd be stone-cold dead. And in those two hours, all the places he would visit would end up as investigation sites that would yield nothing. They wouldn't be able to tie the Shadowblot Poison with any of these fishermen, captains, ship crew members, or vendors. I would sure they'd either write it up as some kind of new sickness or the result of some nefarious insect.

Captain Blackwood would soon get the news. I was sure in the time between now and then, he might thing I was stalling or taking too long, hence why I was going to stay up on the roof where he wouldn't ever find me. I figured I'd head back to the tavern once I was certain Dulunt's days were over.

In the meantime, I didn't mind Captain Blackwood underestimating faeries and believing we couldn't be assassins, rogues, and dark mages. When the whole world thinks your kind isn't capable of something and you know that's untrue, the ways you can use it to your advantage are endless and so much more effective.

[VeloJello]

Lightthroat Hadran Lurel
Wind Guild (High Speaker)
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild chapter meeting)
ARP’ers: Saraibre Ryu, Alphys

((I feel like now would be a good time to mention that the orphi have their own religion, which they still partially cleave to. I won't get into all of the details here, but suffice to say that most orphi either accept a hybrid of their own native religion and Vinathism, or profess Vinathism and practice their own religion quietly out of fear of public shame. The orphic faith ended up getting deeply corrupted, bloody, and just plain off-track before most orphi began to publicly profess Vinathism, so many people still see the orphic faith as backwards at best and dangerous at worst. For reference, Hadran falls into the "hybrid" category, though she herself isn't terribly religious anyway.))

As a politician, Hadran had a lot of experience keeping her reactions concealed; it was almost second-nature to her. Therefore, when Saryus revealed herself to be a succubus - even going so far as to openly discuss that her own Guildmates had once tried to assassinate her - none of Hadran’s surprise showed. Though that wasn’t to say that she wasn’t a bit startled. While the Wind Guild had never been the most united faction on the face of Ariel, she had never heard of anyone trying to assassinate the higher-ups. Generally, Wind Guilders took more indirect routes when it came to political enemies - discrediting, blackmailing, or bribing their opponents was irritatingly common.

For a moment, Hadran wondered just how many of the myths surrounding succubi were true. Obviously, unless Saryus was some bizarre exception, then they weren’t mindless beasts obsessed with mating with and killing every living thing that crossed their path. Though was it really true that they drew life energy from seducing and consuming others? Were they really creatures of Callum, who hated the children of Sycor and created demons to steal the souls of those who deserved to find peace in the afterlife with the orphic goddess?

The orphus had to resist the urge to shake her head. If every myth and rumor was true, then orphi would just be arrogant savages who sacrificed sapient beings to idols and killed their foes using nothing but their pointed teeth. She felt a bit ashamed for her immediate prejudice, given that she was used to working with so many different species and races in her own Guild. Until she had reason to distrust Saryus, then the succubus was no different than any other creature of magic that Hadran had ever met.

“I understand and respect your caution, Saryus," Hadran said. "Rest assured that there are no hard feelings on my part over your discretion, or your husband’s. I regret that he cannot join us at this time, but I do not begrudge his reluctance.” Having cleared the requisite niceties, Hadran clapped her hands together and looked over her Guildmates. She found herself stifling a sigh of relief. Although a couple of them looked a bit aggressively stoic - like people trying to conceal reactions rather than actually doing it - none of them were reacting in horror or disgust. That sort of thing would have made a diplomatic mission like this completely backfire on her. “Shall we begin? My company and I are eager to meet your Guild members.”

[FedoraChar]

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Skybound City, Aquamarine Ocean Gaster


The Ifrit scratched his head. “Well… If I get too cold, couldn’t I just do this?”

Bahram slammed his knuckles together, and instantly his bronzed skin burst into fire. Nearby denizens of Skybound City started at the sudden explosion of flames, but the easy-to-spot Fire Guild members hardly batted an eye to the human torch, used to such behavior.

Valryssa swatted her apprentice from behind the head, extinguishing his flames in a second. “Idiot! This is an undercover mission—the Guild expects us to lay low and not draw attention to ourselves.” She took a breath, trying to reign in her temper. “Besides that, maintaining open flame against severe temperatures would require a heavy amount of energy. You’d pass out before we ever made it to Tyanis.”

“Just… listen to Izuru and her broken Common, alright?” she lifted her sharp gaze to the Kitsune. “Get him something to cover his horns. The more human we look, the smoother our operation will go. I will see you eventually.”

With that, she stormed away from the Kindred Flames, seeking the identity of their ice mage guide.

Meanwhile, Bahram turned to Izuru with a smile. “Guess that’s that, then. Shall we? Er…” he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “…I don’t actually know where the market is…”

[AWA1997]

Izuru Natsume
Fire Guild
Skybound City, Aquamarine Ocean
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

Izuru backed away slightly at the burst of flames, and waited for the little interaction to end. "I no know, but we find." she said. "Just act as you belong, okay?"

[Morzone]

GeenLeaf LongBranch, Ent
Wind Guild
Multi-Guild outpost near Ezrond, Mavi
Affected RP'ers: None

Greenleaf hummed a light tune, one to match the nice, light day he was enjoying. Or at least, he should've been enjoying. Currently he was sitting outside the window of the small guild outpost on the very edge of Ezrond. Being a ten foot tall ent didn't particularly help when you had to deal with human sized buildings.

"We need more mages! We Must contact the headquarters and request more!" This was Xavier, the leader of the shadow guild group. A good hearted man, but much to worried about everything.

""There isn't time! We need to be focusing on preparing the people of Mavi for War!" This is Phi, the leader of the water guild group. Greenleaf liked her, when she wasn't preparing to battle she would help him tend to the plants.

"The people of Mavi have been preparing on their own, what do you want us to do?" This one was James, a Light mage. He was the kind of guy who always had a serious look on his face, no matter what was going on.

"Mavi is, or was, a peaceful kingdom! They don't have the forces nor the skill to stave off an invasion right now!" This was Phi again.

"Which is exactly why we need more support from the guild headquarters! We can fill in where Mavi lacks!" Xavier again.

Greenleaf sighed. This sort of debate had been going on for days now. The small guild outpost on Ezrond only had about 20 mages total, and they already had members from all five guilds there. They'd been trying to find a feasible plan for defending Mavi, but it had only resulted in endless argument so far. At this point his mind started to wander, toward more peaceful subjects. Like all the birds he'd been meeting ever since he came to Ezrond. There were some really nice Yellow and green ones that sang very beautifully he'd sen the day before. Perhaps Deeproot could-

"LongBranch! Pay attention!"

Greenleaf opened his eyes in surprise, once the arguments started he generally wasn't noticed. The person who'd called out to him, an Elf by the name of Gianus, was the leader of the fire guild's group. Not someone Greenleaf particularly liked.

"You were told to report your work on persuading the ents to join our cause." Gianus demanded.

Greenleaf let out a Ho-Hum and said slowly, "The ents of Windsong forest are very proud. They will not join your cause, you are much to hasty and dangerous for them. However... They are a proud folk indeed, they will defend their forest mightily. They do not care for the troubles outside their woods, So they only wish to protect their homes, even if all the cities in Mavi burned down to nothing but rubble for bugs to live in."

Gianus was not pleased. "Ent! You are the only one I know of from your race that has joined the guild's cause. But if I had my home, family, and friends destroyed, I would put in more a little more effort than what you've given us so far."

Greenleaf let out another Ho-Hum. "Hmm,that is because you are too hasty and don't understand the workings of things. You cannot rush an Ent. The northern boundary of Mavi is safe as long as there are water mages willing to help counter the FIRE used against my people. I myself am planning to help protect This city. Is that not enough for now, Gianus?"

Gianus opened his mouth to retort but was cut across by Jenny, a Dryad and the wind guild leader. "Gianus, it is not your to demand things from members of my guild. Please keep your tongue in check." She turned to Greenleaf, "You've done well to incite the native Ents against the present danger, Greenleaf, but I have a different mission for you than staying here. We do need more people, so I am sending you out to find certain mages and convince them to position themselves in Mavi. Can you do that?"

"Ho... Yes I think I can." he replied in a thoughtful tone.

"Good, come see me later for a list of the mages and where I believe they are now. You are dismissed."

Greenleaf stood up, the window quickly becoming too low to see through. The Ent moved off away from the low building toward the shore. He knew he was going to have to go back into Dyrin. The idea worried him. There was only so much a single person, even a seven and a half centuries old ent like himself, could do. Especially in a place like Dyrin.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin frowned, his brow furrowing in thought as he tried to recall how long it would take them to arrive at their destination.

"Well, I didn't exactly account for us flying, so I actually thought it would take us a week? Since that's how long it usually takes by horseback. But… how much faster than a horse are you going? I can figure it out from there."

Rima Omarah
Shadow Guild
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild Chapter Meeting)
Affected RPers: Velocity, Saraibre Ryu

Lady Saryus seemed pleased with Hadran's response. She nodded and gave a smile, displaying her sharp fangs before turning to the crowd nearby. She snapped her fingers and a tall woman with brown hair, dressed in all black with most of her face concealed, stepped out of the crowd. In her arms were several items, including parchments, maps, and other articles of the sort. Saryus drew one of the scrolls and dismissed the woman back to the crowd. Saryus opened the scroll and used two weight to keep it open so that Hadran might be able to view it as well.

"I am unsure how much you know about Shadow Guild meetings, High Speaker Lurel, so I will preface with the fact that we usually have representatives from all or many of the branches of the guild present. However, with recent events, only a small number of the branches are here today. The crowd you see here are regarded as some of the most capable members from their respective branches. Given our time is limited and we have goals to achieve, I find it would be best if I just introduced a few." Saryus gestured to the scroll. "But if you truly wish to know them all, all the members in attendance today and more are listed here." Saryus turned to the crowd again and barked something in another language. Three women stepped forward, including the one who has delivered the scroll before.

"These are the three most trusted members of my part of this branch, all female to lower the distraction factors, of course. The first member is Ekō Clava, a Popobawa. She is most well known in the guild for her superior instincts at night, given her species is nocturnal, and her extreme stealth abilities. She was one of the first members of my branch of the guild and I would trust her with my life if I had to." Ekō turned to High Speaker Lurel and bowed. She stood barely at five feet with jet black hair with bright violet eyes. Her skin was extremely pale and her upper fangs stuck out past her lips. Overall she seemed to have a very child-like face, but given her species were shapeshifters, it was possible that this appearance was purposeful. Like Saryus, Ekō was wearing a black cloak. Underneath it appeared she was wearing a purple dress, just barely touching the floor, leaving her feet hidden.

"The second member is Raven Sincock, a human assassin trained from a very young age in the arts of thievery and clean kills. She prefers her own skills over magic, as is common to her kind." Raven, the woman who was holding all the supplies, glanced over at Saryus and raised her eyebrows at the succubus. "What? It's the truth." Raven rolled her eyes and snorted but otherwise made no indication of protest. "As you can see, she isn't one for more formal regards, and I probably have aided in this given I have never stopped her from addressing me informally. But given we knew each other long before I was the leader of this branch, I saw no reason to suddenly change that. Nevertheless, she gets the job done exactly how you tell her to do it, and can adapt to virtually any situation. She's, in a word, resourceful." Raven, unable to bow as Ekō did due to the load in her hands, slid her leg behind her and made a curtesy motion. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that trailed down to her shoulder blades. Everything from her nose down was covered in black, presumably a body suit of sorts. It was skin tight and given how all of Raven's movements were soundless, it had to be made of some special material. The muscles on her body were evident, but weren't so big that they didn't seem to fit on her body. Most evident of all though, were her striking brown eyes that seemed to follow Hadran's every movement.

"Lastly, we have Lancelot. Lancelot is a Kagezill, a subspecies of shadow demons that have their own will, rather than being completely consumed by the darkness they manipulate. At least, most of the time. Lancelot is very reliable but her-"

"Mouth and emotions often lead me into worse situations than my demonic nature would. Yes?" Saryus gave Lancelot an annoyed look but didn't hesitate to pick up where the Kagezill left off.

"Indeed. Other than being a little outspoken and feeling rather than thinking, she's a reliable fighter than can manipulate the shadows better than anyone else. It would be wise not to cross her, since then all darkness would be your enemy." Lancelot turned to the Wind Guild group and made a somewhat mocking bow, which earned a set of glares from Ekō and Raven. Lancelot took note but didn't really seem to care. She grinned to the group, displaying her set of two barbed fangs on each side of her mouth. Her eyes were a bright almost reptilian gold and her skin was a pale white in color. Lancelot's hair was a dark brown, almost black in color, currently cut very short, no longer than the base of her neck. Her body was small and lean, but its structure and her stance indicated Lancelot knew she could overpower or out run any threat that would face her. She was dressed very similarly to Raven, except everything from the neck up was uncovered, and the suit's color was more gray than black.

Saryus waved her hand and the three stepped back into the crowd. "We also have two members from the Grim's Reach branch." With that, a young man and woman stepped from the crowd. They were wearing matching clothes, the man in a black and pink suit with a tailcoat and tall top hat and a black cane with a clear crystal on top. The woman was in a black and pink dress that draped to the floor, appearing to be made of a silk material. She also had a talk top hat, but she held a black fan in her hands rather than a cane. Both had markings on their cheeks, the man a pink spade and a black diamond while the woman had a black heart and a pink clover. The man was roughly 5'6 with pale white skin and tortured brown eyes. He has short cut auburn hair and a wicked smile that could almost be attributed to that of a serial killer. The woman was roughly 5'1, her skin bright and flushed with life, and her eyes were a warm brown in contrast to the man's. Her hair was slightly curly, the dark brown locks tumbling down to just past her mid-back. Her smile was soft and sweet, like that of a doll's.

"You may or may not recognize them, their names are Brent Hughes and Amy Risa, but they are better known by their stage names, Madder and Maiden." Madder and Maiden smiled at their announcement, the two being very famous magicians in Dyrin. Their illusions were regarded as some of the best ever displayed in such acts. What wasn't well known is the two were also members of the Shadow Guild. "Beyond their exceptional use of illusionary magic, the two are also blood witches." Blood witches were a rare and somewhat feared species of the witch family that were able to control the actions of others by using the blood that flowed through their veins to control their muscles and actions. Depending on how skilled the blood witch was, the easier and more widespread their control could be, both in quantity and in species.

Madder walked up to Hadran and bowed.

"Good day, High Speaker, a pleasure to meet you. I hope you are able to attend one of our performances one day, if you have not already." Madder took Hadran's hand and kissed it before receiving a smack in the back of his head. Madder released Hadran's hand and glared at Maiden, who was standing behind him with her arms crossed. "What was that for?"

"You know exactly why!" Maiden replied with a glint of jealousy in her eyes. Madder growled and shouted at her in another language that sounded similar to the one they were currently speaking, except the vowels seemed to slur together and they put a particular emphasis on their hard "k" sounds. Maiden responded back very calmly with something that made Madder's face go bright red. He glanced bashfully back at Hadran.

"Please excuse me, High Speaker." Without another word, he returned to Maiden's side. Saryus sighed and shook her head.

"You can see their leader is not too strict with them," she commented before dismissing the two. The two magicians, rather than just merely walking back to the crowd, simply vanished, but given some of the startled shouts from the crowd, it could be presumed they had reappeared somewhere else.

Rima felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she shifted her attention away from the High Speaker to the main event. She could tell that her branch was most likely going to be called next or within the next few summonings. She wasn't surprised when this theory proved correct.

"Next, the Goldsand City branch. Their branch probably sent the most members but the main three to represent would have to be Rima Omarah, Kilyni Obesto, and Kisu Fortune Feather." Rima had to admit, being called as one of the main members for her branch was unusual. Given how new she was, it seemed unlikely. Nevertheless, someone had seen her as worthy enough to list, so she traveled to the front alongside Kilyni and Fortune Feather. Once all three were standing at the front, Saryus introduced them.

"First we have Rima Omarah, a sheikah from one of the tribes near the Fay Oasis. I've only heard good things about her skills when it comes to stealth and despite being very new to the guild, her skills are growing at quite the accelerated rate." Rima stepped forward at her introduction and bowed for the High Speaker, looking over the Wind Guild members briefly before returning to her spot. "Second, we have Kilyni Obesto the Dunmer. Raised in Goldsand City, her knowledge of both its geography and people have aided in the branch's effectiveness." Kilyni stepped forward and executed a perfect curtesy before stepping back in line. "Lastly, Kisu Fortune Feather the Tengu. Fortune Feather is one of the strongest members of the Goldsand branch. He was one of the first members to the branch and, while he is not officially a leader, is regarded as one due to his immense power and commanding demeanor." Fortune Feather stepped forward and bowed, his black feathers glowing in the light. He stretched his wings just slightly as he returned to the group's side. The three were then dismissed.

The next branch members to step forward originated from the Coralay branch. It was another trio, a gargoyle, a dualahan, and what appeared to be a regular man with glowing jade eyes. The gargoyle was made completely out of stone, the ground shaking somewhat as he walked. Just as the rumors often said, the gargoyle was excruciatingly ugly, with the face and fangs of a boar, the horns of a ram, and the claws of a lion. The dullahan seemed to be missing her mount currently, but the horse had to be close or else it could kill the dullahan. She stood tall, almost seven feet, long flowing black hair trailing from her head, tucked safely under her arm. The body was clad in a shining silver armor, like that of a mythical knight. The head had a slight smile on its face, her blue eyes just barely open. Finally came the young man with eyes of glowing jade. He was in a tailored suit with short business cut white hair. He was twirling a rose between his fingers in his right hand, a sly smirk on his face.

"Introducing Goliath the gargoyle, Aife the dullahan, and Crow the Phantasmic Parasite." The three all bowed in unison. "Despite looking quite bulky and slow, Goliath is great for blending in on missions, often doing recon and scouting for his branch. Aife is an expert interrogationist, using her intimidating appearance to her advantage. Lastly, Crow is an undercover man. Having died long ago, Crow cannot actually be killed as long as his touchstone is in place at his branch of the guild. His species allows him to possess others or create a temporary body of his own. Might I inquire which it is today?" Crow smirked and sniffed his rose.

"I'm projecting my appearance today. Other than the white hair and glowing eyes, this is exactly what I looked like the night I died," he answered simply. With that, the three were dismissed. Saryus then signaled the final branch present, of which only one member stepped forward. The crowd parted to let him through, revealing a large white tiger with glowing gold stripes.

"This is Chiying the Byakko Demon, leader of the Diantaga branch." Chiying bowed as best as he could. His tail shifted back and forth as he stood in silence. "Chiying is one of the most powerful demons in this world, though most are not even aware of his existence. Currently though, his powers are somewhat limited due to a seal placed on him just a few months ago." Chiying growled a little at the mention of the seal.

"Thank you for the introduction, Saryus. And thank you for attending, High Speaker. I greatly appreciate your consideration in joining us this meeting, all of us do." The Byakko demon walked over next to Saryus's side. "Shall we proceed then? Do you wish to have introductions on your side as well or should we proceed with our regular order of things?"

[AWA1997]

((So many references I understand in your post, Jan!))

Jason Richardson
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"If it is normally a week by horse, then we should be there in about three or four days." Jason said. "I can fly at roughly twice the speed of a horse, a little less than that if I'm going at a semi leisurely pace such as I am now, so possibly five days, but no more unless we have any sort of unexpected delay."

[Noblejanobii]

((Haha! I hoped you would! I have planned to squeeze in several more but I forgot about them so we'll just have to save them for later.))

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Five days at this constant pace or accounting for stops? I'm not sure how much you know about my species but if I don't return to the water at least once a day I'll forcibly transform back to my dolphin form and could suffocate. I may have mentioned that already but nevertheless, we have to return to a body of water everyday for a few hours at least."

[AWA1997]

((Would Crim be one of them?))

Jason Richardson
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"At this constant speed and whichever way you used to come up with a week using."

[Noblejanobii]

((Indeed she was!))

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Okay, that makes sense and accounts for down time." Delbin laid down on Tony's back a little. "Flying feels so nice," he mumbled. "Why can't everyone fly?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"Not everyone was meant to fly. If everyone could fly, you'd have Rock Golems and Earth Elementals and things like that flying around, clogging up the skies so that nobody else could fly until they decide to land. Flying like that would become like walking in a crowded city."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I doubt everyone would do that. Just like many people do not enjoy walking, many people would probably opt out of flying too," Delbin protested. "Just as I opt out of swimming many times." Delbin frowned, furrowing his brow as he thought over the statement. "Though that mostly stems from my allergies and rashes due to salt water. Can't really help that."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The Rusty Shield Tavern, Savire, Dyrin

I was sure Vester Dulunt had become carrion food quite a while ago. Now, normally I didn't do assassinations for free, but this was a special occasion. I also wasn't big on developing new poisons for strangers, but this also involved killing off Vrell's support quickly and it was a Shadow Guild proposition in the first place.

While waiting for Captain Blackwood, I had created some more Shadowblot Poison. If the people here were worried about fighting, they didn't need to. I was no expert military strategist, but I knew you didn't always need the better equipment to win a war.

"You..." Captain Blackwood spoke as he approached me with a pointed finger, "you're something else!"

"Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?" I asked, smirking.

We met in private, as I didn't want anyone to overhear what had just happened. Once we had taken one of the back rooms to meet, Captain Blackwood looked at me with a dark look in his eyes.

"They found the bastard dead, face-down in a puddle of his own vomit," the captain told me. "No one has any idea it was you."

"A famous assassin isn't a very good one," I told him, getting to the point. "Anyway, normally I never disclose my methods, but this is a special case."

I then presented him with the bottle of the Shadowblot Poison. It was about the size of a shotglass to him, but there was more than enough poison in there to take out a hundred people, just so as long as he only used drops of the stuff.

"All it takes is a few drops of this," I told him. "Shadowblot Poison. It's a new creation of mine, which means it's completely untraceable and undetectable. Prick them with a needle or add a drop to their favorite drink. It works either way. Most healers won't know how to cure it, even if they discover the victim has been poisoned in the first place. This is what you can use to kill Vrell's cronies with. You don't need fancy weapons or armor."

"You trust me that much?" Blackwood almost laughed.

"Of course," I smiled. "That's what friends do. You help us as a thorn in Vrell's side and eliminate his ambassadors, and we preserve our ways of magic. Because if you don't do this, Savire and your way of life are over. Neither of us want Vrell to win now, do we?"

"Never," Blackwood growled.

"So there you go," I smiled with a bow. "And yes, faeries can make for very deadly assassins. I dare say this didn't even take a fraction of the effort I usually employ."

He nodded, taking the bottle and securing it within his coat pocket. I was sure his friends and followers would understand what they needed to do. Using the poison was simple, and the Platinum Crusade would not persecute without proof. And this poison was far beyond their knowledge, even if they discovered it. If their healers found it, they might mistake it for a deadly venom from an insect. But that was even if they found the bodies.

"Fine, we'll honor the agreement," Blackwood told me. "Favor for favor. No one will miss that Dulunt bastard, but they will send another."

"And they will fall just the same." I smirked.

[Morzone]

GreenLeaf LongBranch, Ent
Wind Guild
Edge of Ezrond, Mava

Greenleaf sat and watched the sea. He was looking, he knew, toward his old home, even if the distance kept it from his sight. Memories ached inside of him and he wondered if he'd be going back there at all in his search for these mages. He sat there for several hours, watching the rolling waves and soft rush of the ocean pass by. At length footsteps came to his listening ears and Greenleaf turned.

"There really is no sneaking up on you is there, Greenleaf?" Jenny said, a small laugh in her voice.

"Humm, only because the world is so quiet today. Your steps almost sounded like the breeze on the grass." Greenleaf replied with a smile.

"I'm flattered." she replied, "but I have to talk to you about your mission." Jenny pulled out a small stone tablet and handed it to Greenleaf. "I've enchanted it tohold the names of several nearby mages I want you to recruit to Mava's defense. Most of them are underground mages in Dyrin, hiding for their lives. But one is part of the Shadow guild who is working on his own to stir up resistance. The Shadow mage I believe is closest, but all the mages are relatively nearby the coastline.

Haste is important Greenleaf, I need you to depart at once. But please be careful, you are a very important asset to the cause of the wind guild and I want to know you're safe. In an emergency you can also use that tablet to contact me."

Greenleaf nodded, and Jenny took her leave of him. He couldn't fail her, so he looked down at his tablet. The Shadow mage, who was apparently closest, was a Faerie named Jysan and he was currently in... Savire?! That was right in his old forest home! So he'd be closer than he'd even dared to think. It would make his journey more difficult, especially if they were on the outlook for ents who escaped the burning.

Still, he had his mission and by the Autumn colors he was going to complete it. Placing the tablet on his chest, he allowed the bark on his body to grow over it slightly, securing it safely to him. Then with two giant, running steps, Greenleaf lept into the ocean, and swam for Savire.

[FedoraChar]

Valryssa Scarlet, Dragon
Fire Guild
Skybound City, Aquamarine Ocean

Having placed some distance between her and the Kindred Flames terminal, Valryssa stopped and scanned the crowds. As usual, the city was bustling with life; creatures of all shapes and sizes scurried or flapped their way about. Several individuals stood on the opposite side of the street, clearly waiting for new arrivals. These Valryssa examined closely, wondering if their ice mage waited with them.

As helpful as always, the Guild had neglected to mention their guide’s species—only giving their name. Yet if their superiors were being so careful about selecting human-like agents, then surely their guide wouldn’t be one of the giant brutes she was half—

“You look like a Scarlet if I e’er saw one.”

Valryssa stiffened at the gravelly voice speaking behind (and above) her. Slowly, she turned around, finding a great wall of snow-white fur and armor before her. Beady eyes stared down at her from the shadow of a battered iron helm, right behind a grizzled muzzle full of yellowed teeth. The she-dragon took a step back, if only to get a good look at the creature.

“…A bear is hardly discreet,” she finally concluded.

The polar bear’s lipped curled, revealing several broken teeth. “’Ardly. But you’d be ‘ard-pressed ta find a be’er guide thru the cold dark—one with my availabi’ty at that. Name’s Nunatak.”


-->Sub-character:
Bahram, Ifrit
Fire Guild
Skybound City Gaster

Going off in their own direction, it wasn’t long before Izuru and Bahram immersed themselves in the streets of Skybound, surrounded by a menagerie of Ariel’s inhabitants. The Ifrit’s eyes were wide with wonder as he beheld sights he had never heard of before (and unfortunately he was falling into the habit of staring).

“Gotta be honest here,” Bahram whispered over to his Kitsune companion. “I’ve never been out of Dracora before… And I have no idea where we’re going. Or, what we’re looking for, for that matter.”



((OOC: It took an absurd amount of time to figure out a name for the freakin' bear >>'))

[VeloJello]

Lightthroat Hadran Lurel
Wind Guild (High Speaker)
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild chapter meeting)
ARP’ers: Saraibre Ryu, Alphys

((Apologies for how long this took!!))

Hadran felt a little bit overwhelmed by all of the names - and the unwelcome kiss on the hand, though she managed to cover up her irritation and seem stoic, if not charmed. However, she was fairly certain she would be able to remember them all well enough to get on with them, at least for now. “I feel it would only be fair to introduce the members of my own Guild,” Hadran answered Saryus. “Both out of courtesy and so that you know as well as I do the sort of talents we have to work with.”

“First, we have Gen Hayden, human.” She gestured to the large man on her side opposite Aria-Haizen, who nodded a bit tensely. “Gen is a man of few words but many talents. Having served in Dyrin’s military before the Platinum Crusade, he knows much about the monarchy’s structure and members. Furthermore, he is skilled in subterfuge and subtle arts.”

“And Emella, glaistig, a specialist in illusion-based magics.” The gazelle-legged woman stepped forward, inclining one horned head to Saryus before stepping back into line. “She is best known for her skill in ‘organic’ illusions, using her abilities to disguise herself and others so that they are nearly unrecognizable.”

“Then we have Laurel Kinnet, another human.” The human gave a polite bow to Saryus, extending one palm in a gesture of respect. “Laurel served in the Skybound City’s guard for several years before joining our guild. They have less magical talent than some in our guild, but they make up for it in finesse. You would never hear them coming.”

“Then there is Hakem, sphinx. His most notable talent is manipulation of weather - “ she paused as the grizzled old sphinx appeared to wink out of existence, then slowly reappeared, “ - but he is an expert in invisibility. Furthermore, he is a well-respected guardian of his species - a part of their militia, which means that he has several decades’ worth of field experience. He is also a competent field medic.”

The next member stepped forward, “Sigrun Thornclaw, troll.” The massive woman bowed her head, briefly obscuring her tusked mouth with shaggy, blond braids. “Sigrun, in addition to her ability to transform into a more human shape, has excellent senses and intuitions. She has led several successful raids on Platinum territory over the past several months.”

“And…” she paused, looking down the line. Where was…? Then, she saw their last guild member, who had jumped into Laurel’s arms and was nuzzling under their chin while they tried to look stoic. “Laurel is holding Ginger Akane presently. Akane, if you please?” The orange housecat gave Hadran a mournful look, but obediently jumped out of Laurel’s arms and landed on her hindpaws. She waved one paw at Saryus. “Ginger Akane is a bakaneko, a feline shapeshifter. In addition to having prodigious magical talent, she meets Dyrin military standards for skill in code-breaking and ward-breaking, a valuable asset to have should we recover any encoded or sealed documents.”

“And last is Aria-Haizen, Storm Kyte, a friend of mine,” Hadran said. She didn’t want to introduce the Kyte as a bodyguard, despite the fact that Aria-Haizen considered herself one, for fear of seeming paranoid or rude. “While she will not be participating in any stealth missions in the foreseeable future, I value her input and invited her along accordingly.” The latter part was true at least. Aria-Haizen was, based on Hadran’s impressions, perceptive and a quick learner.

“So,” Hadran asked to finish, “what is the usual order of things for your Guild? I am very curious; I’ve been to as many meetings as I can since my appointment, but haven’t been able to arrange any presided over by your Guild specifically until today.”

[Morzone]

GreenLeaf LongBranch, Ent
Wind Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin.
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Greenleaf sighed as he shook water from his leaves. He was currently cramped on a small spot of land under a pier. The place might have been good for not attracting too much attention right off the bat, but it was horribly uncomfortable for someone of his size. It was only the crampness that was making him unhappy though. The fact that he was so close to his home and had to hide from it brought back bitter and wishful memories.

Leaning back against the wooden pole, something he wasn't quite sure he approved of yet, greenleaf closed his eyes and let the memories wash over him like the water on the shore. He could see her red gold maple leaf hair in the moving in the gentle breeze, her smile as she played with the birds and squirrels and other creatures of the forest. The way she pushed her hair back when she took a drink from the flowing- what was that?

Greenleaf suddenly snapped back to awareness as a large group of people began walking along the pier he was hiding under. They seemed to be a group of fishermen judging by the rattling of their poles and their buckets of bait. Each fishermen was talking quickly and angrily, and each was complaining about the same thing: a tax collector by the name of Vester Dulunt.

Greenleaf sighed, relaxing slightly as the group continued on to the far end of the pier. Now he needed to get down to business. It didn't take long for a seagull to land nearby and as soon as his feathered friend appeared, Greenleaf pointed at it and muttered a quick spell. In a second he was seeing the world through the seagulls eyes rather than his own. Dangerous, as he couldn't see what was going around his actual body, but much more convenient for searching for a Faerie. To anyone else it was just a normal seagull, though with abnormally green eyes, which was a side effect greenleaf's current spell.

It didn't take long to spot the Faerie, which surprised greenleaf, he'd expected the mage to be hiding. Instead the Faerie was sitting on a rooftop, seemingly waiting for something. Greenleaf watched him, being careful to fly with the other seagulls to avoid special attention. He watched until, about 30 minutes later or so, the Faerie left its rooftop. It turned out the Faerie was rather difficult to follow, but with the bird's eye view and the bird's sight he managed to just keep up enough to come to a grubby looking tavern. He supposed the Faerie either had business in there or was simply looking for a good drink, if this place served such things. So he settled the seagull on the edge of the roof and waited. The faerie would come out eventually.

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

Shadowblot Poison was created with some pretty powerful Shadow Magic, but Captain Blackwood and his friends could use it while not having a clue as to what the stuff was actually made of. In fact, it was probably better that they didn't. That one bottle would give him plenty to work with to do what he needed to do per our lovely arrangement, but it also made sure he and his friends didn't make more of the stuff without me knowing about it.

It also made him think twice before assuming all faeries were just harmless, miniature bug people.

After leaving the tavern, I decided my work here was done. Savire would be fine with some well-equipped assassins, and if not, I had so many possible backup plans for these people in case things didn't work the first time. This town was so beautifully politically incorrect, which allowed the options to be open. In fact, it was moments like these that I really enjoyed being creative. Now if Savire was one of those righteous, holier-than-thou kinds of places, this would have been a much more complicated ordeal.

I had taken a moment to survey Savire from the tavern rooftop when I noticed a seagull with unusually green eyes. Very interesting. To everyone else around here, that wouldn't mean anything, even if they got up close enough to notice it in the first place. But to me, that was an indication of something completely different. I wasn't quite sure exactly who they were, but I knew enough to be confident that was no ordinary seagull.

"And good day to you," I smiled to the seagull, knowing whoever this was would get the sign I discovered they were a fellow mage. "What brings you to this lovely little town, my friend?"

[Morzone]

GreenLeaf LongBranch, Ent
Wind Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin.
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Greenleaf mentally sighed. He hadn't expected his bird to e found so quickly. Then again he supposed a seagull sitting still and watching a single person, and a faerie at that, would attract some attention. due to which he had only cast sight sending spells onto the bird, and not voice sending. He supposed he'd just have to bring the Faerie back to the docks where Greenleaf remained hidden.

The seagull bobbed its head to show it understood the Faerie then took off. It remained a few feet above the roof top, flapping its wings and boobing its head in a way trying to convey that it wanted the Faerie to follow it. After a moment of this improvised body language, the Seagull turned and flew off and headed for the docks. It circled with the other seagulls then dived below Greenleaf's pier, landing on the ent's arm. As it landed, Greenleaf took the spell off the bird and returned his sight to his normal body.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Alphys

"I agree that not everyone would, but if everyone could, then enough would to cause that kind of problem. At that point, you'd have crowded streets and crowded skies in many areas."

Izuru Natsume
Fire Guild
Skybound City
Affected RPers: FedoraChar

"I not know neither." Izuru said. "But I pretend before I know. Try not stand out before find out."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

This unusual seagull didn't say anything, but it did bob its head to show I was on the right track. I didn't have a problem with it, considering mages tried to keep our ways secret to everyone else in special cases like these. Not to mention given the current situation with magic, it was totally understandable.

When it took off, I followed and it led me to an ent. My guess was this was definitely a member of the Wind Guild. They had the magic that did this kind of thing all the time. I was a little surprised a member of the Wind Guild had be called in to find me, but then again, far stranger things have happened.

"Well, hello there," I smiled at the ent, wondering what he needed my special services for. "What's the scoop?"

I was ready for any kind of news.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Most people can swim but the seas aren't overcrowded," Delbin countered. "Most people can ride in a boat but the oceans don't have traffic issues. What's to guarantee it'll happen in the skies if it hasn't happen in the seas?" Delbin sneezed to the side. "Is it usually this cold up here? I didn't realize the temperature would be so low up here."

Rima Omarah
Shadow Guild
Lesonia, Raya (Shadow Guild Chapter Meeting)
Affected RPers: Velocity, Saraibre Ryu

Rima followed along quietly as each member was introduced. Much like the Shadow Guild, the Wind Guild members were very diverse. Rima found this interesting and felt she would have little trouble keeping track of them but worse case she knew several other members would have less trouble than her. It was then that the High Speaker inquired what the usual proceedings were for the rest of the meetings.

“Well,” Saryus continued, “it is quite simple really. Usually we have reports from each branch of the guild about progress against the regime as well as other things. Though, lately, many Shadow Guild meetings have been interrupted. It is why the meeting is being held here today. All other locations were deemed too susceptible to attack given the recent increases in invasions of our meetings.” Saryus looked over the crowd that stood before her. “With that we will move forward to the first topic of reports. Currently the largest problem on our scales is the ever growing possibility of traitors lurking in our midst. Each branch has been mandated to search its members for any signs of a shift in loyalty. Were there any such findings?” A deadly silence settled over the hall before Madder and Maiden stepped forward again, their eyes cast low.

“We, um, we found several traitors within our branch,” Madder replied quietly. “It appears they were working on plans to take the branch down, and us with it, but they failed when we got one of the traitors to crack. The Prisoner’s Dilemma is very useful for interrogations but when it works it is somewhat depressing.” Madder cleared his throat. “All of the members that were accused and convicted of being traitors were disposed of. We are still investigating a few leads, but the more we search the deeper this rabbit hole goes, and the more members we lose from our branch. We will keep you all updated on the proceedings of it all but it seems our branch may require member transfers if too many members are weeded out.” With that, Madder and Maiden melted back into the crowd. No one else spoke up on the matter of traitors, a tense air filling the room.

“That is unfortunate, Madder. Our condolences are with you, and we wish your branch only prosperity. Nevertheless, I must remind you that you cannot show any mercy to anyone, no matter their relation to you.” Chiying’s words of warning echoed throughout the room, but the implications were obvious. While it was unlikely, there was always a possibility that Madder and Maiden themselves were traitors, one or both, and if this were true, then they would have to be eradicated as well. “In addition, Lady Saryus I must inquire something.” The Byakko demon turned to the succubus. “Have you taken the necessary precautions to prevent traitors from infiltrating this meeting. A remote location is hardly a deterrent.”

“I have done what I can, but with limited resources comes limited results. We will just have to hope that a remote location was enough of a deterrent, Master Chiying.” Chiying did not seem satisfied with this answer but decided to let it go. Saryus turned back to the crowd. “Unless the High Speaker and her guests have anything to add to the previous topic of discussion, we will move on to the planning of potential missions in this land as well as cooperation with the Wind Guild.”

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Most can swim, but not near as many can live in the water." Jason said. "And for many species, if flying were an option, it wouldn't be near the strain that swimming is as the air is thinner than the water, allowing you to just glide through it without much energy once you level out." Jason nodded. "Yeah, the higher you go, the colder it is because the ground collects the heat. Do you need me to drop down a ways?"

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

Delbin gave Jason a confused look. "Thick? Water is not thick. It is very thin. This air though, it is like passing through syrup for me. Not easy and not comfortable. It is very easy to pass through water, especially with currents there to push you along. I love it. So easy, and takes much less effort than walking." Delbin shook his head. "No it is fine. It gets colder in the water too depending on where you are. This is not the worst I have endeared, I assure you."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"The molecules air are more spread out than the water. To you it may feel thinner, but if I had to guess, I'd say that that's more due to your body being designed for water instead of air. In fact, we're far enough up that the air is really, really thin. And there are air currents as well that serve the same purpose as the water currents." He nodded slightly. "If you say so, but let me know if there is any reason for me to lower myself for you."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Don't talk to me about science, I don't care about science. As far as I'm concerned, water is thin, air is thick, and more people would swim than fly is they were capable of doing both without too much struggle," Delbin replied with a huff. "I will be fine, thank you."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Ugh, you're definitely just as stubborn as Zelda. I heaitate to say this, but you may be worse, actually. I'll know for sure after I get to know you better." Jason said.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"It's impolite to compare someone to someone they don't know," Delbin chided. "Are we even close to there yet?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Sorry. Maybe you'll meet her some day." Jason said. "It hasn't been that long since we started this trip, and it's a five day trip. We're nowhere close to anything."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Maybe. You say she's quite stubborn? What do you mean? Are you all long time friends?" Delbin asked. He frowned and sighed. "I see. Well thanks for letting me know." Delbin shook his head slightly and looked up into the sky. It was nice up here, quite peaceful, but it was quite lonely, being here all by themselves. In the ocean, it may take longer to get places, but Delbin enjoyed talking to the sea creatures. For the most part they were all very nice! Some even helped him by giving him short cuts to his destination. Delbin preferred the journey to the destination in most cases, but this appeared to be a rather boring journey in their future.

In a secluded forest somewhere within this world, a half elf sneezed. She rubbed her nose gently and gazed around, trying to think of who all might be speaking of her this time. Scratching her head, she sighed, fond memories of her old journeys flooding back. "Sis!" The woman looked up to see her brother approaching. "Something the matter?" he asked, noticing her somewhat unfocused expression. "Oh it's nothing," she replied quietly, "I believe one of our old friends is speaking of me." She paused for a moment before growling, "I bet it was one of the evils! Or both! They're out to get me again! Argh! When I see Drake and Nel I'm going to-" The man placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Easy there, tiger. I swear it's like you're still fifteen. Jeez."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

Jason chuckled. "Zelda and I met about 85 years ago. She's a half elf half human who, once her mind was made up about something would never change her mind. Or, if she did, it took at least a year and never changed completely. She is the most stubborn person I've met in my century-long life, but I consider her my best friend, and, she hasn't ever expressly said it, but, aside from her husband, I like to believe that she thinks of me as her best friend as well." he nodded slightly. "I'm sorry, if I could fly any faster or get anywhere even mildly interesting sooner, I would."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"She sounds like a very interesting woman," Delbin replied. The way the werepyre spoke of her, it was obvious he thought fondly of her. It was love, but more of the familial type than the type lovers experienced. It also seemed like it had been a long time since either had seen one another. Hopefully they'll be able to see each other again one day. "She also sounds quite stubborn. Did she ever change her mind on anything? It seems like that type of person would never change on something."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Yes, very much so." Jason said. He paused in thought. "The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is her opinion on me and of her husband. She had had unpleasant experiences with men of the human and kitsune variety, and, if I remember right, she had also never met a werepyre before she met me, so she greatly distrusted, hated, and/or feared us both when we met. Now she's been married to one of us and best friends with the other for decades."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Impressive. It's hard for people of the normal stubbornness to get over traumatic experiences. You all must have been quite influential on her." Delbin paused in thought then added, "Though there must have been more people who never had their impressions of themselves changed in her mind. I kind of feel bad for those people, but what can you do?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Well, the situation we were in called for us to spend quite some time near each other. There were 11 of us in total and, as far as I know, by the end of it all there were only two she had any sort of problem with. I'd introduce you to all of the others, but I'm not sure where to find them all or if they're even all still alive. I only know for sure that one is, and he's well past his expected lifespan, so I'm not sure if you'll be able to meet him."

Meanwhile, a somehow healthy-looking ninety-nine-year-old human man sneezes and chuckles. "Well, at least someone out there remembers me." He said. He then smirked. "It's probably Jason. I'll have to ask him later if I was right."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Eh it's not all that important unless they can aid us on our journey somehow. Another time when we're not at war for the use of magic." Delbin took a deep breath and sighed. "It's awful that this world is at war over such a thing that is vital to so many species and walks of life. I don't understand how people can think taking away such a thing is okay. Can you? I have to wonder if the world has always been fighting over magic and its existence of if that's changed recently."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"I just meant in general." Jason said. He shook his head. "It's never been to this scale, but I'm sure it has happened in the past. Many people think the more power you have, the better you are, and magic is a form of power, so if nobody has magic except a small group of people, that group is superior to all others. No, I don't agree with that line of thinking, but I can see it."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I just don't understand it. I can't see it that way. Magic is life. It's what keeps me alive. It's what allows me to maintain this form. It allows me to breathe air. There's so many things I wouldn't be able to do without magic. It is what keeps me alive," Delbin said. "Non-magic users just don't understand I guess."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"There are many kinds of power, and most people strive to control at least one and sometimes all types of power." Jason said. "Magic, knowledge, wisdom, physical strength, currency, and more. All of them are forms of power, and all of them have been sought after by those who wish to control them. For many of us, magic is more than power, but to others, it is just another way to elevate you over everyone else."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"That's... that's madness! It's like the people back home but... different." Delbin sighed and scratched his head. "Why can't everyone just be content with what they have?" Delbin paused for a second before shaking his head. "I am quite the hypocrite for saying that, now that I think about it. I did leave my home and strand myself here because I wanted to see more of the world, learn more of its people, and... well I wasn't content with my life at home, constantly being told I had to have a female mate." Delbin tilted his head to the side. "I guess that's kind of similar to the greed for power, yeah?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Similar, yes, but not the same." Jason said. "You didn't leave to seek knowledge in order to control knowledge, you didn't leave to seek wisdom or magic or anything else that fell under power in order to control, contain, or abuse it in any way. You're not being greedy about it, you're wanting to better yourself without tearing others down, and that's how the world should work."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"No, I guess not. But I'm still being greedy, in a sense." Delbin sighed. "I left my people because I was attracted to men and forsook them solely based on that preference. I wanted the freedom to choose and once I got a taste of it I wanted more. It's so nice here, and with everything I have experienced so far, I cannot wait to experience more. I can only imagine what might happen to me in the future! It gets me so excited! But I always want more and more, because I will never be satisfied, I think."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"The reason for it means everything." Jason said. "I don't mean this as an insult or anything, but you seem to look at the world the way a child would. That's why you want more. Some people want more for malicious reasons. One reason is good, the other reason is not, but both people want the same thing and go about it the same way, are both people selfish, evil, or anything else along those lines?"

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"My people would argue yes because neither is satisfied with what has been provided to them. Personally, I think they are both selfish, but inherently evil? No. But one must be careful. Someone can truly have good intentions but be inherently evil, and while the same cannot necessarily be said for the opposite role, we must be constantly aware of all possibilities, for without this knowledge, we, as a world, will fall."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"And that is why you should always check yourself in everything you do. There is a degree to which it's okay to be selfish, especially for the right reason, but you have to watch out for that thin line."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Is wanting to date a man so badly that you forsake your people crossing that line?" Delbin asked softly. "I wonder what shame I brought to my family in doing so. Maybe I brought none at all or maybe I brought tons. I tend not to think about it but I do wonder sometimes."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"I can't tell you if that is or isn't." Jason said. "You have to decide for yourself if it was the right choice. Ask yourself if they were being selfish as well, if you would've been miserable living that way, and any other questions you can think of that would pertain to that. Whether or not it was the right choice depends on how you answer those questions."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"Is it selfish if it is tradition? I doubt I am the first to have wanted to deviate from the norm of a mate of the opposite gender. Yet it is rarely heard of for someone to leave the utopia for a reason such as that. We always return, yet I did not. I feel no remorse for the possible shame I brought upon my family either. Is that wrong? Was I right to stay away? Is wanting to do something as simple as loving a man worthy of such actions?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"If those are the questions that come to mind, those are the ones you need to search yourself for the answer of." Jason said. "What do you say about it? What do you think the answers would be if someone asked you your opinions on it?"

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Gaster

"I do not know, which is why I ask you." Delbin sighed and let the wind brush over him. "Personally, I find it wrong that not even my family accepted me. I merely to find my perfect mate, and it just so happens they are not a woman. But no one else saw that same vision, so I left."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

Jason sighed. "I'm sorry, I can't help you answer those questions. Right and wrong are usually opinion and very rarely fact, and that's the premise of those questions. Yes, it will be difficult, but you have to find your own moral compass."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

"That is the point, Tony," Delbin replied. "I am not sure if my moral compass is right. I think what I did was right but... it might not be actually true." Delbin sighed. "You're not really helping me, you know! Friends are supposed to help friends."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"I can't help too much when it comes to your moral compass." Jason said. "If you're questioning it, then you still need to find your moral compass. You have to know for sure on your own whether or not what you did was good or not by your own moral compass before anyone can tell you anything about how your compass is aligned."

[Morzone]

Greenleaf longbranch, ent
Wind guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Greenleaf looked the Faerie over. Certainly this must be the mage he was looking for. He glanced down at the magic stone tablet to double check, but it seemed to match up. Still, no need to rush things quite yet.

"hmm You are Jysan Yes? Shadow guild assassin? My name is quite very long so you may have the hasty version. Greenleaf Longbranch. Hmm I am here to find you, yes. My friends need your help you see. Your help and many other helps yes. You know, it is said that Mavi is Vrell's next target. My friends are in Ezrond preparing to protect, but they are few, many times too few."

He paused and looked over Jysan again. It registered in his head how much smaller the faerie was compared to himself. A mindless detail to some, but perhaps to an assassin it was very special. who knew?

"I have a list, of hiding mages, who we hope will give help in our need. You are on this list, Jysan Shadow Assasin."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

"I get you're supposed to be the wisest man in the world but really the riddles are not amusing," Delbin replied flatly. Honestly. Delbin knew what he had done was right but not having someone confirm it did not help his mood much. If anything Jason was just making Delbin feel sour inside. Too bad. He was really cute too. Delbin scanned the skyline. It was so lonely up here. It was nice and peaceful but in the sea at least there were fish. Here it was just eerie.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"I'm not the wisest person in the world, and I'm not speaking in riddles." Jason said. "Look, I've made my fair share of mistakes in my life, and I'm speaking from experience, asking someone if something is right or wrong won't help you because almost every time you do, the answer is opinion. And even if it wasn't opinion, I couldn't answer. I only know two people aside from you that left to be with someone, and in neither case was it frowned upon aside from possibly the issue of royalty and non-royalty, and I'm not even sure that issue was there. I have no experience with people in your position."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

"Hmm, so you are Jysna, yes?" he asked me. "Shadow guild assassin?"

"That's right," I smiled with a nod. "Happy to know my name's getting out there."

"My name is quite very long so you may have the hasty version," He told me. "Greenleaf Longbranch. Hmm I am here to find you, yes. My friends need your help you see. Your help and many other helps yes. You know, it is said that Mavi is Vrell's next target. My friends are in Ezrond preparing to protect, but they are few, many times too few."

"Mavi, huh?" I asked him, nodding as I figured Vrell was only just getting started with this whole mess.

"I have a list, of hiding mages, who we hope will give help in our need," Greenleaf revealed to me. "You are on this list, Jysan Shadow Assassin."

I looked down and smiled. Another opportunity to experiment on Vrell's cronies? It simply wouldn't be very fair if I turned down an invitation like that.

"I sure had fun in Dyrin, but they're on the road to doing well thanks to a few presents I left them," I told Greenleaf. "Simply wouldn't be fair if I didn't show Mavi the same kind of generosity, now, would it?"

Besides, I didn't want Dyrin to feel like they needed to depend on me. They just needed to be show the way on how to make things happen on their own. Things that obviously said Vrell was just a dumb, daft madman when it came to what he wanted to do.

"Lead the way, I'm always out for invitations to show off my talents," I smirked.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

Delbin frowned. If Jason couldn't help him then why didn't he just say that to start with? All Delbin wanted was a straight answer and he was not getting that. He also wanted a hug but he wasn't getting that either.

"I see. Fine then," he replied sourly, "I guess I'll just be stuck in limbo for the rest of my life, wondering if my decisions are actually right or not because no one will tell me if they are or not."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Look, most of the time there isn't a black-and-white answer to right or wrong." Jason said. "There will always be someone who says that what you did was wrong, but there will also be someone who says you did the right thing. Unless what you did is indisputably one way or the other, both in what you did and why you did it, all that really matters is if you think it's right or wrong." He sighed. "Tell me, I left my family when I was ten because I was turned into a werepyre. I spent five years in isolation in the forest before I found a way to change my appearance, and even then I stayed out of the public eye as much as possible, would you say I did the right thing through all of that, or through any of it?"

[Morzone]

Greenleaf longbranch, Ent
Wind guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Greenleaf nodded gratefully. "Hmm yes, then you have a choice. Accompany me to find other hiding mages, or go to Mavi now. You will be welcomed on any path you choose."

He decided not to comment on the "presents" Jysan had claimed to leave, feeling that it would be rude.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

Well that was a stupid question. Of course it was right. He was keeping everyone safe until he felt he could control his powers. Nothing wrong with that. No selfishness in that. In fact it was more selfless than selfish in Delbin's opinion. Jason didn't seem to agree though since he was asking the question.

"It was a selfless act of protecting those you love. Not like me where I left to be free for my own decisions. I'm not helping anyone but myself."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"The thing is, I didn't leave to protect anyone but myself, I hid out of fear of what they'd do to me." Jason said. "Yes, it did protect them from me and me from anyone in the town that would attack a monster when they saw it, but the reasoning for it was selfish."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

So, help Greenleaf find the other hidden mages, or head off to Mavi right now. Now, normally, I enjoyed working lone wolf, BUT this might be a good time to try something new. Plus I was really hoping these other mages would underestimate me just because I was a faerie. So often they did and like the folks in Savire, I wanted to surprise them.

"Let's get the crew together first," I told Greenleaf with a smug grin. "Wouldn't be fair to rob them of the fun. I'm sure they're itchin' to get in on the action and to harass Vrell's cronies."

Well, at least I was hoping they would be. Nah, we could consider that part of the challenge. Get the other Mages worked into raising some hell and getting into trouble.

"Any leads on where these other mages are?" I asked Greenleaf. "I mean, I have my ways to find some of them, but if you've already got their whereabouts, it would save me the trouble of casting the spells to get an idea of where they might be."

[Morzone]

(tries to breath life into this RP too)

Greenleaf longbranch, Ent
Wind guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

Greenleaf nodded at Jysan's reply, glad to have some one watching his back in the enemy territory.

"Hum, yes I have this to guide us..." Greenleaf explained, the branches making up part of his chest contorting and opening to reveal the stone tablet he'd been giving before leaving Mavi. "hmm very useful, like a secret piece of armor."

Tapping the tablet a few times, the surface rippled and bubbled, then reformed itself into a hard map of Western Dyrin. Small markers noted the location of the mages that he was supposed to find and convince to help him. One was of course over Savire, where Jysan was. Another on the edges of Ianku, one in the middle of the Undar desert, Two at the Fay Oasis, another at the base of the mountains on the edge of Duskfall swamp, and one last on slightly outside Vyram in the water. 7 mages total, including Jysan.

"hum, I suppose Ianku is the next stop, yes." Greenleaf said, reading the map.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

Delbin rolled his eyes slightly at Jason's protests. Could an act not be both? Delbin's actions were certainly not but that did not preclude Jason's actions from being categorized as such. The Encantado brushed back some of his hair and gazed across the sky. Would they ever land? This was taking so long. It was almost as if they had been suspended here for months. He did enjoy the sensation but it was difficult to tell the passage of time here even with the sun.

"I believe you are putting more guilt on yourself than you deserve."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

Greenleaf explained the next step, using a stone tablet to bring up a map of Western Dyrin and markers to indicate where the other mages we were looking for were located. While I was just one of many markers, I could see there were still quite a few others we needed to get to. Well, no problem with me. I felt like I had dealt with stuff way harder than this before, but I wasn't about to say it wasn't important. We already had us, but there were still six others. Might as well get to these and make it happen.

"Ianku, hmm?" I asked, seeing that was pretty close by. "Works for me. Who are we looking for over there?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Maybe I am." Jason said. He smirked. "But if I am, then you're doing the same thing to yourself. You say that I was right in the end. I did it for selfish reasons, but good things came from it, so it was a good decision correct?" he asked. "You say you did what you did for a selfish reason, but we have yet to see if good or bad things come from it. That means that, at the moment, and by your own logic, your choice was neither a good choice nor a bad choice, but if you let good come from it, it will become the right choice, while if you let bad things come from it, it will have been the wrong choice. It all comes down to what you do with yourself after you make the choice, and, from my perspective, you're on the right path."

[Morzone]

Greenleaf Longbranch, Ent
Wind Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RP'ers: Neo Emolga

"Hrmmm.. let us see." Greenleaf hummed, tapping the dot over Ianku. The tablet's surface rippled again, this time coming up with a small bio. "It says We shall be searching for a witch by the name of Fiora, part of the fire guild. She is in hiding because the town was surrounded too quickly for her escape."

Greenleaf placed the tablet back over his chest, the vines quickly covering it again "Hmm, You probably need to prepare for the journey some. We should meet in an hour's time at the northern most part of this Town."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

Delbin frowned and shook his head. "I forsook my people and brought shame upon my family for selfish reasons. You did it to protect them. Very different, Jason, very different. Do not confuse the two. What I did was wrong, and I will never change that opinion of myself. Some good may have come of it, but ultimately it was the wrong decision overall. There is nothing you can say that will convince me otherwise."

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

Jason paused. "Would you mind walking me through your thought process? I thought I understood it, but apparently not." he said. "From what I could see, we had somewhat parallel stories. We both grew up in one world, then left it for another, both of us for selfish reasons. You wanted freedom, something that you felt you lacked at home. I wanted safety, something I felt I lacked everywhere. Protecting my family was never a reason that I left, it was a side effect. Just as what you are doing now was not a reason for you leaving, but it is a side effect. I see no reason for you to say it's the wrong decision for you at this point in time and the right decision for me, but I would very much like to see why you do see reason for it." He finished speaking, thought for a second, then added. "Of course, you don't have to, it's probably asking too much for someone you just met to ask about the way you think."

[Neo Emolga]

Jysan Ryderan, Faerie
Shadow Guild
The docks, Savire, Dyrin
Affected RPers: Morzone

As Jysan watched Greenleaf use the tablet, he nodded and understood what the target was. He had not met Fiora yet, but he knew there were plenty of mages that he had yet to encounter and he wasn't the least bit worried about it. He knew she wouldn't know him either, but as long as she was aware of his name and what they were trying to do, he was sure it wouldn't be a problem at all.

Greenleaf offered to give Jysan an hour to prepare, and while the faerie nodded with a smirk, he was confident he wouldn't need more than five minutes. But he wasn't certain how much of that time Greenleaf would need on his own side.

"Fair enough," Jysan replied. "I just have a few regents to go fetch, but I'll see you then."

It was likely to be more than he needed, but he figured maybe this time he'd overcompensate. Even if it was just for fun. Normally, Jysan wasn't one to overpack for anything and found it fun to improvise, but then again, considering what the mission entailed, he knew he might not be back to Savire for quite some time. By then, everything he had stashed away in his cache might either go bad or be found and stolen.

Jysan flew off back to the Rusty Shield Tavern, flickering his butterfly wings at a very rapid pace to almost become a blur to the naked eye. Once he reached the roof, he located his secret stash between the support column and the wall, where there was just a tiny space for hiding things. To any human, it was nothing and they would never notice it, but to a faerie, it was like the perfect locker to hide all kinds of things.

After going through the belongings, Jysan took whatever was most valuable. Regents and trinkets like enchanted jewelry, books, and artifacts were all taken while the least-needed things were left behind. Whatever he didn't take were all things that he wouldn't be bothered if he never saw them again.

Once he had what he needed, he prepared to meet Greenleaf at the northern part of Savire. He was looking forward to this adventure.

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

"My thought process is I abandoned my people instead of doing what I was told and therefore I did wrong because I brought shame onto my family!" Delbin snapped. He sighed and shook his head. Usually he was very calm and collected but he didn't really want to argue his anymore. He was in the wrong, he just knew it! "Can we just discuss something else?"

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

Jason sighed. "Yeah." he said. "What would you want to talk about?"

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

"Well you mentioned that you had some other adventures? What were those like?" Delbin asked. He had always been a sucker for stories so he was always curious about the adventures of others.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"I'm not the best at telling stories." Jason said. "But I'll try. About 85 years ago, when I was 15, a small group of people, including my younger brother, but he didn't come in until later, were chosen to try and stop a war. Each of us had great skill in certain areas, and aside from my brother, were all at least decent at using some sort of magic. In order to get more people to help us, we had to take care of some major threats, such as a hydra that was terrorizing everyone nearby, but, really, there wasn't much that was too interesting."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

While it may not have seemed that interesting to Jason, it certainly sounded quite interesting to Delbin. A hydra? How epic was that! "You were so young! That's so cool! How did you get signed up for that? Are your friends still alive? Did you take down a dragon? Oooh how about any kitsune? Did you meet any of them? What kinds of adventures did you go on?" Delbin needed alllll the details for something like this.

[AWA1997]

Jason Richardson, Werepyre
Shadow Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: Noblejanobii

"Each of us were chosen by stronger beings, and for certain traits. It took us years to finish, but as far as I know everyone is still alive. My brother is the one with the shortest lifespan, we were all around the same age, and he's still alive." Jason explained. "I do not recall any dragon fights, but there was a chimera once. And, yes, I met many kitsune, at one point, we had a few that were part of our group and at one point we even met Inari, the most powerful of the kitsune. As for the adventures, there wasn't much. Mainly just waiting for new orders, then going to get more allies to try to stop the war. Fight stuff here and there to get on peoples' good sides, act as mediators to stop fighting between werewolves and vampires, stuff like that."

[Noblejanobii]

Delbin Kawa, Encantado
Water Guild
Flying over Dyrin
Affected RPers: AWA1997

As Jason told his story to Delbin, the Encantado's eyes grew wide and a smile spread across his face. Chimeras? Kitsune? So many different creatures! Jason had lived an amazing life up tot his point and he was so mellow about it! Delbin was so jealous! He wished he could have adventures like that! Maybe one day. The Encantado rubbed his nose then said,

"That sounds amazing! I wish I could have adventures like that. You'll have to let me join you for all your crazy adventures! I wanna meet chimeras, kitsune, vampires, werewolves, and so much more! It's sounds like more than I could ever encounter in my home world!"