[Winter SQ] Confusion

by **Sevris** on February 25th, 2014, 10:06 am

Sevris stood there and absorbed in the strangest tale weaved by the women. It was the outside forces of this Rising Dawn that plagued them even with the Ebonstryfe's hands held firmly around their throats. They dare to bite the hand that feeds them.

But there were still many unanswered questions Straightening his face he spoke, "Thank you for sharing that with us. Now that we have more insight, how did you come across this information? Where can we find him now?"

He gave a quick look back at Miro for support, she might have taken more to him than the Lazarin. Turning back to the old one, he tried to press on. "Among those men who wish throw the city out of balance. Is an another that seems to think he can scare our fare city with his antics. I must put a stop to them. Their actions have left me with little choice."

The sympathizer would of course be captured and subjugated to his grandfather Lazerin's terrible interrogation techniques. He was eager to see him at work, this subject brought to light would prove an excellent experiment.

But the lady was solid and playful, something was off about her, he couldn't quite place it. All of a sudden the situation seemed so odd. Who was she?

by **Miro** on February 25th, 2014, 4:34 pm

Miro grew increasingly unsettled by the situation. The woman had said her part, though it seemed so unlikely. It definitely was of no assistance. And the stalker-man, he was not just any stalker, that was for sure. His ability to conceal himself was enough to slip past the undead's eyes, even the Lazarin's, but not the old woman. Another odd thing about the woman. The sense of an Eiyon, it was so strong. The glare of death, it was obviously in the room with him. Now completely unhindered by any means of doubt or concealment, it was plain to the wizard. The Dira marked could only be this man, surely out to end another undead existence.

Though the urge to guide Res to end this miserable being's existence was truly great, there was cause for hesitation. And though hesitate he did, the Chained One still felt a need to protect himself above all. He began to direct his will when suddenly the Paladin spoke. As well he gave a look and subtle gesture to his apprentice, and a halt to the attack was made. The time to choose was now, serve Uldr, or serve Rhysol. Damn Lhex, always so convoluted, twisted in his design. Things could never be simple. But the choice was clear.

Miro scoffed and began to build his Djed. In the small room he had a great influence on the people around him. His presence was well known, and it grated against the others in the room. This gave him power over them. The ability to influence the thoughts and feelings of others was greatest when at such a range, and now, unlike ever before, the need to perform well was apparent. The stakes were high on all fronts, and the Hypnotist would not accept anything less than excellence. He stood tall and grinned beneath the mask. He felt as if his soul had leaked out of his body and poured across the room. The tone of their environment had changed entirely.

Indeed there was something as odd about this woman, just as there was this man. Perhaps she was not as deadly, but surely just as devious. There was that hint to her tone, that glint in her eye, that sense her own presence exuded. For now she would take priority, as the wizard was bound to Sevris' will. He would serve Rhysol and his agents while in his city, as his contract said he must. Though it was slightly odd, almost sickening, this sense of duty. In a way however, it made his resolution even stronger. There was not only a duty to Rhysol, but to all the gods worshiped. However his priorities were apparent. This would not mean the Eiyon would be ignored, least of all forgotten. After this salty old wench was dealt with, he was next.

Miro hobbled closer to the old woman, labored step after labored step, all the while his mind focused on a spell to cast. He had plenty of Djed to spare to get the job done, but knew not what would come next. He could likely not afford to allow himself to become spent here. There was a sense that the words spoken to him were full of lies. The Hypnotist stared down the woman and spoke in a crass tone. It would instill an emotional response of admiration in those in the room, especially the woman whom the spell was directed at. "Cause chaos to upset the God of Chaos? Defile one of their own to spite the defiler? This sounds more an act of praise than anything." He turned his head away and went silent for a moment. When his gaze returned to meet her eyes, it was full of mistrust.

This glare would push a suggestion the longer it was met, "I should be straight with him." He halted his advance towards here, a mere three feet from her. Now Sevris was at his hind and most of the room free from his gaze. It was somewhat unpleasant not to keep an eye on the third party, but all the more reason to finish things quickly. The undead allowed his tone to soften, though still it held a just conviction. "You are a resident of Ravok, and any information you know is of vital importance. A woman like yourself, one who has made a life under his glory, surely you must appreciate all that you have here. To withhold anything from an agent of the Ebonstryfe well..." Miro's tone turned harsh, filled with Djed, and boomed. He empowered his voice with a powerful emotion of fear that would resonate through the room. "That would be an act of treason!"

Miro made his way back to Sevris' side and returned the Eiyon to his sight. Still however he spoke to the entirety of the room. "We must know all that you know without any hint of doubt, or else be forced to act. Those who commit any act of treason are put at the mercy of the Defiler, and under arrest. However, as long as there is no resistance, I can assure your safety. A mere reformation would suffice, as long as it is effective. And again, do not worry if it is effective. Sometimes the lesson is hard learned, but learned it always is." To have dealt with things in such a way got his, well, not his blood, nor his heart, but it caused something to pump. Perhaps just his will and Djed resonated within him and urged for more. Though it was likely that Ink screamed within him as well.

"Very well, you whims of destruction, calls of demoralization," the Chained One thought to himself. "I can hardly resist your beckoning any longer." He made his move to block the door they made their entrance through, though slow his advance was. His Res practically pulsated beneath cloak. A lust for blood built, but would be suppressed to the best of his ability. He had to finish with the woman before any rash move could be made, but still, it could not be suppressed entirely. The wizard spoke plainly to the Lazarin. "Watch the man across the room. He is obviously a miscreant trickster, and potentially dangerous. If he makes any move, do not hesitate to kill him. If he tries anything devious, I will be sure to see him dealt with, whatever the cost."

Oh yes, this was indeed a day full of excitement. Miro clenched his fist and caused a pop in each of his finger's joints. With each burst of tension he felt a tinge of pleasure rise within him. A chill that curled his toes and ran along his spine. He felt ever aware, as if his senses were heightened. Though he fought through the tension to remain collect. It was difficult, but the Aurist began to cut away all distractions. He blocked out everything in the room and channeled this focus on the woman's aura, attempting to attune himself with it. His Djed poured from his body and resonated with her, rebounding back to him with various scarce messages. He continued the process and swept away the chaff. He concentrated on reading only one aspect of her aura, her emotions.

Meanwhile Ender had fallen behind the man who rushed ahead. The Nuit was still behind, likely in pursuit, though this fact unconfirmed. The lead was kept in sight, though always just out of reach. The Familiar trailed after him until finally they turned a corner and were met with a sight. The man had begun to climb a ladder, and the reason why was immediately apparent. A figure with a crossbow was atop the roof, the weapon poised as if a shot was being aligned. Immediately defensive instinct kicked in and the Irylid called upon his Djed to pour from his body as a gaseous Res. The white aura flooded from his body and enveloped him as he grunted against the exertion. His target was clear, though he knew he was to act fast.

Ender held his hands to his side as if they were clenched onto an object and condensed the gaseous Res into a thick gelatinous orb. With his will focused he cast his hands forward and guided the spell forth with great speed and accuracy. He shot it up directly at the crossbow and attempted for it to collide with the weapon and envelop it before being transmuted to ice. If in time, it would wrap about the drawn string and bolt and freeze them in place. He had witnessed the weapon before, though still unfamiliar with it. He could only assume this would be enough to prevent it from being fired. Perhaps with any luck it would even freeze the archer's hands to his weapon.

Though on the other side he could feel a strain upon his Djed from his master. There was magic being cast, whatever was happening. The feelings received, they were harsh, filled with thick tension. It was apparent that they would be in need of Djed to cast between them still, and already the Familiar had used his portion. His replicant form would have to be undone. So he performed the transformation back to his natural form. His body turned silver and his limbs melted and began to slink towards his core. Eventually he reformed his familiar appearance as a silver orb and became solid. Finally his absolute field of vision had returned. With any luck there would be no further need to cast for the sake of these mortals.

Ender drifted from the building and into the air some distance away and watched. With luck Rayage would turn the corner in time, or Lessomm would show himself on the roof. When this would happen, the creature would approach them and make an attempt to seal himself upon their wrist as a bracelet. Though this would leave the creature unable to speak, he would still be able to cast magic in a pinch. However if neither of the rather unreliable allies made themselves known, he would have to make a decision. Seal himself upon this strange ally ascending the ladder, or remain in his quite slow natural form. With any luck he would be able to return to his master's side soon. Things here were so droll. He was sure his partner's situation was much more exciting.

by **Lessomm** on March 2nd, 2014, 4:48 am

As the man before Lessomm stopped his run and knelt down, the Eypharian did the same, slowing down and walking closer towards the man for the last bit of the distance. When the man suddenly turned and pointed the crossbow at Lessomm's chest, the servant felt a little disturbed. He stopped all movements as he locked eyes with the runner. For a moment, Lessomm stared at the crossbow wielder before he let his mind sink deep within his own being. He required the power to protect himself and he drew upon from the very core of his being. His breathing labored, Lessomm focused and grasped with his mind at the orb of Djed that formed his core.

He directed the flow of the magical fuel from his chest towards his arms and finally further towards his fingers. In each of his six palms he gathered the Djed, creating small tendrils of the invisible blue substance as he opened his eyes again. The Djed moved almost on its own as Lessomm started to raise his hands. As he did, he made sure to touch his hands together, softly clinking the metal gauntlets together as he raised his hands up. With every touch, the tendrils intertwined together and merged into one. From Lessomm's point of view it looked like a large empty hexagonal, created by a single piece of blue shimmering string. From the crossbow man's point of view it looked like an Eypharian raising his hands.

With the framework in place, Lessomm focused the Djed in his palms along the strings that connected his hands. The tendrils of Djed reached out, almost like a living thing, and spread along the framework, hooking into one another and reaching out further. First they only seemed to makethe framework thicker. But quickly the tendrils became more numerous and the single string framework turned into a thin sheet of Djed with a hole in the middle. As the Djed continued to move it turned towards a more circular motion, the Djed tendrils moving all towards the left, circling the hole in the middle and making it smaller with every passing microtick. "I'm not here to catch you. I just want to ask a few questions. There's no need for that." The Eypharian nodded towards the crossbow.

As his sentence finished so did the Djed sheet between all six of his hands. Each corner of the hexagon was formed by the palms of his hands. Lessomm focused his eyes on the crossbow and on the bolt that rested on it. He pictured the metal tip of the bolt piercing his chest and he shuddered. With a deep breath, Lessomm steeled himself and sent a task towards the Djed between his hands. Don't let the bolt pierce through. Don't let the steel tip touch my skin. Keep it away from me. No steel is allowed through you. The Djed shimmered for a moment as it accepted its task and solidified between his hands. While it was now strong enough to stop a steel bolt from getting to him, the shield was still as flexible and weightless as a piece of cloth.

While the crossbow wielder saw Lessomm standing with his hands up in the air, Lessomm only saw the crossbow wielder through a haze of shimmering, thin blue. The Eypharian let his eyes shift towards the man's eyes, which he locked on to. If he was going to act, Lessomm would see it there first. He would be able to brace for it in that split tick it would take for the man's finger to pull the trigger. The downside to the crossbow was its long reload time. Unless the man carried another loaded crossbow somewhere in his outfit, Lessomm would, theoretically, be able to overpower the man should his first shot fail.

Although he was as ready as he ever would be when it came to taking a crossbow bolt from point blank range he was still worried. What if something went wrong. He could slip or trip or lose in a melee contest. While he had long lost sight of the others chasing the man, Lessomm hoped that someone was out there, close by, ready to assist him. Now that he stood face to face with the man he had been chasing and was equally out of breath he felt less secure than when he had been running after him. While both men squared off against one another, Lessomm managed to find a moment to regret his decision to climb up the roof, following Ender's command.

The man seemed quite in control and Lessomm wondered why exactly it had been that they had been chasing him. There had been a commotion on the square and then Rayage had ordered him to follow or leave and Lessomm had chosen. And now here he was, standing in front of someone with a crossbow, not really knowing why or who. The only thing he knew was that his master had told him to bring Rayage and that Rayage had set off somewhere else, forcing Lessomm to follow him. At least he could put the blame on Rayage for them being late to his master's wishes. "Just put the weapon down. I don't want to get shot and you have nowhere to go." Lessomm hoped the man would respond, talk in some way, acknowledge the young Eypharian in front of him with more than the quiet stare.

by **Crypt** on March 8th, 2014, 11:42 am

"Ah well. I prefer tea anyway."

Curious. Paladin doesn't seem to have any noticeable reaction to me. But the mage... I am in trouble.

Crypt's eyes darted around the room, seeking an easy means of egress from the deathtrap he had deliberately walked into.

"Ordering a Paladin? A warning? I am but a lowly retainer of the Nitrozian family. As long as I remain in their employ, I will not go against Lord Rhysol or his representatives. By the way, thank you for the compliment - tricksters are hard to become."

A point to a line to a plane.

Crypt had not entirely removed his habit of using a mantra to focus his mind on activating Auristics. The sense came soon enough in a burst of light visible only to Crypt's mind's eye, transmitting random bits of information as his eyes swerved from their original position to one viewing Miro's eerie mien.

The Drykas ignored the presence of the Res, instead relaxing as far as possible without deactivating Auristics. He could not afford to spend Djed on trying to understand Miro, but he could gain a few moments' notice if the Res were to even twitch towards him.

"Do continue, marm. It sounds rather fascinating."

by **Rayage** on March 13th, 2014, 1:11 pm

The chase continued through the streets of Ravok. They seemed to be making no progress throughout, and if there were still buildings for the man to escape by the chase could go on for quite some time. With the nuits slower pace he was falling behind everyone else, but that was good. At least in Rays mind. He would have the advantage of coming in late and possibly being a piece to distort the figures confidence. If he was running, then there was a reason that was for sure.

The nuits mind was racing with the possibilities, contemplating inwardly about the entire situation. Why would he disturb the hanging? Why shoot the leader and cause such uproar? Conspiracies quickly brew in the nuits mind, but without any facts to back up his suspicions they remained just that. If they were to get any answers then they would need to capture the fleeing figure.

Rayage followed the group a few paces behind, and then a few more and a few more. However, as the human grew tired from the running the nuit found himself being able to catch up, a few paces forward, a bit more, but not much. At the end of it the wizard found himself quite a bit away from the man, and completely lost sight of him when the guy rounded the corner. Following him, when the turn came up Rayage rounded it as well, but didn’t see him. Stopping and observing the scene for a moment, as there was no way that the guy could just disappear, the nuit saw the ladder and caught a glimpse of the mans foot climbing the ladder out of the corner of his eye. It was shaking under the weight of the human and the nuit didn’t think that it would be able to hold multiple people. Not only that but the wobbling made the nuit uncomfortable.

Heading towards the ladder Rayage smiled as he placed both of his hands on either side of the ladder trying to steady it to the best of his ability. The ladder still shook under his grasp, but it wasn’t nearly as bad. If he were living he knew he could do a better job as his decomposing body couldn’t stand much physical strain. The nuit were not as strong as the living races, but such was the price of immortality. Just a small part of the price…

Looking up at the man climbing the ladder he seemed to slow trying to quiet his movements. The slow movements lessened the wobbling of the ladder making the nuits job that much easier. However the wizard was not content with just idly standing by and doing nothing. For now, the humans and his goals eclipsed… The human crossed the bridge and the ancient nuit warned him that his world might be changed forever, yet he still accepted his fate. So, he should attempt to help those whose goals align with his.

Humans were such fragile beings, their egos even more so than the nuits. Their minds were not trained, and they blindly follow whatever is powerful. Some resist the flow, but most do not adding to the flows power. This man seemed to go with the flow, but still have some spirit in to investigate into what most would not. Courage that is what this guy had and it was an admirable trait.

Taking a moment the nuit made a quick decision to try to help the man. Courage was admirable, but it was little without the confidence to act upon such thoughts. Courage was the strength to dare trials, but it took confidence to look such things in the face while doing so. This man was confident in something, of his motives Ray did not know. However he could come up with a few conjectures based on the population of Ravok and his experience with the city, one of them being ‘faith’. Rhysol was always a safe bet in Ravok.

Pulling on the very fringes of his being the nuit sought out djed to form his will. Tugging at it the wizard focused feeling the euphoria of casting. Though the happy feeling made him even more likely to cast now, it also made it easier for the nuit to focus on what he needed to accomplish. Eyes locked on the man on the ladder the guy seemed exhausted from the chase. Noting that the nuit continued to focus on his spell repeating what he wanted to instill into the man in his own head. Over and over he repeated the mantra before expelling it out with the force of his will and the aid of his djed. Directing the spell towards the man on the ladder Rayage would put the thought ‘For Rhysol, for Ravok, I must continue on’. Along with the thought a sense of confidence and duty was imbued by the nuit.

Most of Ravok was heavily religious towards Rhysol. Rayage was hoping that he could spur the other on by kindling that faith for his own advantage. When the man acted, Rayage returned his attention to gripping the ladder as it wobbled under the weight of the mans movements. Holding it tighter the nuit positioned his body against the ladder in an attempt to better stabilize it for the man.

One last spell… Rayage was glad the man was acting, and so he thought back to the image of Rhysol, the dark god. Ray imagined the god smiling, which was a little unsettling for the nuit to picture. Such a dark god to smile… However, the nuit tried to make the image as supportive as possible. Not a condescending smile, but a grateful one. And with that firmly in his mind the nuit glanced up at the other once more and used more his djed to push a brief image of the smiling Rhysol into the mans mind. For Rhysol, he will move on. The nuit himself smiled. Religion was such an interesting thing.

In this, the nuits goal was clear. He wanted to help motivate the citizen with Rhysols image smiling upon him, approving of his actions. Now wasn’t the time to be tired, and the ‘gods’ were watching him, even if he couldn’t see them…

OOC :

by **Abstract** on March 19th, 2014, 9:44 pm

The Chase

The man snorted as Lessomm tried to reason with him, shaking his head. "I'm not stupid. Why are you trying to reason with me? And I have no reason to let you go..." He sighed, an expression of pure regret on his face. He looked tired and stressed, worry etched in lines by his eyes. He was an honest man, just upholding his values. He didn't want to kill the strange, multi-armed person, but... he'd been seen. The best thing to do was kill the man and get the hell out of there.

He sighed again, shaking his head. "My apologies," he said, steadying his aim... then falling flat on his face with a shout. Verin's pull had worked, sending him toppling to the ground, frozen crossbow spinning off across the roof. It dropped over the side, creating an audible 'plop' when it hit a canal. Now that it was in the lake... there was no retrieving the weapon.

His fall had gone slightly awry, however. He'd slid back in the movement, and was now half on the roof, and... half on Verin. The extra weight on the ladder, plus the strange angle, sent it rocking back... It would take both Rayage's full strength, plus Lessomm's help, to keep the thing from falling straight back, crushing all three men beneath...

The Talk

The woman simply grinned at Miro spoke to her, seemingly nonplussed by the hypnotism, or demanding attitude. "Isn't if funny? The irony!" she squealed, mouth spread wide to show all of her teeth... which wasn't saying much. It was true... to work against Rhysol generally in turn caused chaos, and pushed the god's own will further. Chaos was a strange thing, and organized chaos even more so.

She grinned again as Miro accused her of treason, but simply shook her head. "Who said treason?" she inquired, then cackled again. "You did of course!" She winked, waved a slow goodbye, then... disappeared.

Well, that was an exaggeration. In fact, if one was, the reason for her disappearance was quite logical. She sort of... collapsed, in a flash of light. Her clothes and other apparel tumbled into a pile, pooling onto the seat of her chair and the floor. There was some movement from it, a squirming, then... nothing. She'd gone completely...

Right! :

by **Miro** on March 28th, 2014, 10:43 pm

Ender watched the events unfold and could see where things would lead. He knew that the way the suspect had been grabbed would result in some misfortune. With the Nuit on the ground and Eypharian on the roof, as things were, a few casualties were likely. But these were Miro's associates, and if he were here, he would use his magic to save them. The man on the ladder was not of as much consequence, but had done well so far. He deserved to be saved for his help. But most of all their target was to be captured alive and taken into Ebonstryfe custody.

As the Irylid saw the hand awkwardness of the fall he began to pour Res from his body and attract water from the river to save Djed. Just as he suspected, the man fell toward the edge. It would not be long before the ladder would fall. Rayage could do something to help brace it, but even with his massive body, it was likely that the weight would be too much. Lessomm could grab the suspect and see that he remained secure for now, and Ender could save them all with his Reimancy. The man on the ladder only needed to stay alive for now.

The Familiar watched the ladder start to teeter backwards with the three men in the path of destruction. Two men near the top of the ladder, one of them half on the roof, and then a person unsafely on the ground and a person unsafely on the roof. It was apparent to the creature they would rely on him, but how to cast his spell was the tricky bit. With no time to come with a perfect solution, the only available answer was to just try. The Res and as much water as could be attracted were sent forth, but to two different locations. A portion at the top and one at the bottom.

The bottom amount of water filled Res moved to secure the bottom of the ladder. It rushed around Rayage from both sides and coalesced against the fore of the ladder. The top amount arrived a moment later as it moved across the sky to reach its destination. For a moment the wave of blue eclipsed the sun and was illuminated. The scattered rays of light that passed through were tinted and illuminated everything below them as the wave crashed into the top of the ladder. Just above Verin, and indeed into the crossbowman, the torrent of Res and water hit hard. The man was drenched, and the force of the spell sent the ladder back upright. Finally the substance was transmuted to secured.

Now the ladder was frozen at the base and top, along with their target. Ender took care to keep his target from being frozen solid or to suffer unnecessary damage, but as well to secure both ladder and man in place. At the bottom of the ladder was a sheet of ice that ran up several rungs of the ladder and branched over to the wall to run along its surface. It would be hard to maneuver, but secure. At the top was something similar, but instead it was the assailant with his legs frozen to the ladder, his arms to the roof, and the area in between secured in ice as well.

Ender focused on one of the more difficult abilities he possessed and began to transmit the sight of his surroundings across the telepathic bond to Miro. As well he relayed important information via telepathy. "Miro, I have secured your rogue crossbowman. Lessomm, Rayage and an unknown assistant are present and unharmed. You see where I am, by Ignori's, if you were to cross to the other side of the execution platform. Just about where we saw the Spot the other day, you know it. As you can see he is frozen in place, and only your mark of Morwen can free him safely. Come, take him into custody immediately." The Fyrdenese knew he had spent more than his share of Djed, but accomplished his objective perfectly.

Miro on the other side of the bond had quite a lot to deal with. The woman grew more and more odd, something obviously not right. As if suddenly she was going to reveal herself to be some threat, she gave a wink and a wave, then vanished. Just vanished, disappeared in a flash, as if she was an illusion all along. This of course was what the undead first came to expect, but then questioned the assumption. Clothes were left behind, which meant somewhere in the world was a naked old woman, or perhaps not.

Everything about the room had changed to a mist of confusion, but then there came another thought. The change, the flash, it could have been some work of magic. An illusion or some other god given ability could be to blame, as such abilities were unknown, but personal magic could always be blamed as well. A hypnotic trick of the mind, or perhaps a cunning Morph. Yeah, that was a thought, a Morph. Perhaps not an actual act of Morphing, but the flash of light, it almost resembled a Kelvic transformation. Perhaps into a rodent or small bird, not that one was seen.

And it was not as if the Chained One looked to find the woman. She wanted to flee, and she was a crafty gal. Perhaps if a Kelvic, she was not as old as she seemed, but perhaps even trickier because of it. The room likely stocked with some hidey hole to safely slip away. Instead the wizard had his attention turned onto the Eiyon. Since now there were no distractions presented by Rhsyol, instead he could begin to serve Uldr. The Reimancer felt a rush through his body he hadn't in some time now. It was the kind that only came from ending another sentient life. Only this was better, this was an Eiyon, one who ended unlife.

The Reimancer drew his focus to cast as his aura filled with a lust to kill, but then all was halted. His mind flashed with images, with words, and his senses were overwhelmed temporarily. He had yet to learn how to fully comprehend the full range of view and Irylid could provide, let alone how to deal with two sets of vision at a time. The words atop of it all left him in a mindless daze for a few ticks. By the time it was over, the two choices each pulled on a chain of desire. He had the chance to please Uldr, and he had a chance to please Rhysol. What would govern his choice was which satisfied his cravings more.

To serve Uldr, to kill an Eiyon, to please Uldr, it was the way he was meant to gain power. How he was meant to gather his power for, to dominate others for. But what this meant for advances to his power, he was not sure. Eventually another mark, but so far the divine had seemed only to forget his chosen servant. To serve Rhysol however, the perks were immediately clear. The Defiler's touch was ever present in Ravok. To gain his favor meant a promotion to solider, a mark from deity, more command and resources in the city. Truly the only surefire way to advance his craving for domination and power were to serve the Ebonstryfe. The choice was made for him.

Miro clenched his jaw tightly and drew his focus from his Res and the urge to kill. He calmed himself and spoke to the room. First he would deal with the Eiyon, but then had business with the Paladin. "You are a servant of Rhysol, retainer of the Nitrozian family, and I assume a citizen. This guarantees you certain rights, including protection, so long as you are lawful. And since you have been, and have cooperated well, you shall leave the residence immediately without questioning. I thank you for your patronage." And with that finished, he turned to inform Sevris. "Dear Paladin, I have good news for you. My agents, the one's I have sent to see your problem is cleared, well, they have done so. We have the culprit captured alive, and they await our arrival."

There was still a thick fog of mistrust that lingered in the wizard's aura, but it would be clear that his words were sincere. Though calm now, it would be clear to any reading his feelings how close to a deadly action he came. The mysterious stranger would be prodded to leave if there was any hesitation, but was safe for now. What Miro aimed to do now was to lead his commanding officer to put under arrest a true violator of Ravokian law. "Come now Sevris, get soldiers for the arrest and I shall lead the way." The apprentice would wait for the arresting officers to be gathered and guide the group to the culprit. From there his Ice Reaving mark would release the man his frozen prison and the soldiers would take care of the rest.

by **Sevris** on April 3rd, 2014, 9:32 pm

The shocking disappearance was very odd to Sevris. Hard to see past his stony expression with his golden mouth mask on but it was apparent that he was taken aback.

She disappeared with a flash. The sort of flash Rhysol gave off the first time they met. Which raised the question, this lady that were speaking to. Was she a God?

He wiped the question from his mind when he turned his attention towards Miro who was just telling him his partner or pet had apprehended the criminal. "I'll have troops headed to arrest him immediately." Then he left the Eiyon to his own business and beckoned for the chained one to follow.

by **Rayage** on April 12th, 2014, 4:32 am

The situation was not exactly ideal. The wizard felt helpless here, and wondered if his magic had done any good at all. The tussle above wasn’t something he was concentrating on. Instead, he focused on holding the ladder in place. Such a physical endeavor was hard for the nuit and he could feel the strain on his body already. It was something that he leaned into, putting the dead weight of his body into it. Grip tightened even more and he held on like his life depended on it.

The ladder began to sway and Ray was caught off guard. Even with his full weight and force against it the thing was still wobbling and the wizard felt himself being pushed back as the ladder began to sway dangerously opposite the wall, it was leaving and there was hardly anything he could do about it. The wizard once again was reminded for all his magic and master of the art of Alchemy, he was still weak and it burned inside him. Grunting with effort the wizard did not give up and tried to steady the ladder, planting his feet firmer and gripping harder. Though for all his effort nothing was being accomplished. He was simply too weak, even in this body.

However he did not give up and pushed on the ladder. No, as a wizard he could not afford to give up. That would mean turning his back upon everything that he sought to build and had built in the lifetimes that he was granted. His own code told him and urged him not to turn his back. He would see this through no matter the end result!

Yelling he put even more effort into steadying the ladder. There was nothing he couldn’t do. He was a wizard after all. The positive thoughts fueled his efforts and hope resided in him, he could not give up. It simply went against everything that he stood for. Be it holding this petching ladder or experimenting with Alchemy, he could not give. If he just quit he would rather die first. He had his pride as a wizard.

Then something amazing happened. His work paid off as water came and swirled around him, magic itself was helping him. Miro, through his familiar, was helping him, and when they came together there was nothing which could stand in their way. Ice formed and froze the ladder in place, curling up the prongs, and connecting to the opposite wall. It was magic that, once again, saved this day and Rayage. Once steadied Ray looked up and smiled, crossing his arms. That was not too bad. Now they could hopefully get some answers. He, again, owed Miro one.

by **Verin Rush** on April 16th, 2014, 4:26 pm

For the briefest of moments, whatever happened next did not matter to Verin – he had seen his God, Rhysol had appeared in front of him as he was climbing the ladder. Verin was not sure if it had been a delusion, that he had actually seen The Defiler appear before him; he had never received a direct answer to his prayers from his patron, nor had he knowingly ever seen his God. But he had seen something, and he wanted to believe that it was Rhysol, who had appeared, spurring him on, giving him that final burst of energy to continue upwards, fighting through the burning pain searing through his thighs, calves and arms.

As soon as he yanked backwards on the assailant’s leg, however he realized instantly that he had pulled too hard and, whilst the bowman had lost a handle on his crossbow, and had lost his footing on the roof, the man had not neatly fallen atop the roof. Instead, his torso had landed on the edge of the roof and the legs had swung over, knocking into Verin. The blond’s heat stopped and his stomach lurched as the force of the fallen man’s body had pushed the ladder and Verin, who was on top of the ladder, away from the support of the wall. Foolishly, he cast his eyes downwards, towards the ground, which was a number of feet below him, and his eyes went wide in the fear of what he knew was coming, but something that he couldn’t do anything to stop.

His mind raced in horror at what was apparently about to be his fate, and he glanced back up to see the bowman slowly beginning to slide off of the roof, no doubt seconds from his own death. He called out, wondering whether or not the man was unconscious and unable to grasp onto something to stop his fall. Nor did he know whether those below or on the roof could help. After the chase, Verin did not want the man to have the easy way out; he wanted to be able to pass him over to the Ebonstryfe and Black Sun. Even if he didn’t find out why the assailant had killed the Rising Dawn member, he wanted the Ravokian officials to have the chance to interrogate the man. But he had to be alive.

Moreover, this was his first real chance at achieving his dream. Granted, he had only been in the right place at the right time, only just happened to be looking the right way to see the assailant flee the execution square. That was luck, but the time since had been anything but, and if the crossbowman died, all his efforts would have been for naught in the eyes of the officials he needed to catch the attention of.

Ice, water and frozen air swirled around Verin, around the ladder, around the bowman. Shivers rippled up the elder Rush twin’s body as he felt the sub-zero temperatures brush against his bare skin and clothes, pushing him and the ladder back towards the wall. As he did, the man’s body, which would have been ticks from falling off of the edge, came to rest against Verin, supported by the left of the ladder, and Verin’s left arm. For a moment, he faltered against the weight, struggling to support himself and the man. But his pale blue eyes followed the freezing swirl which continued around him in wonderment; it looked similar to what he had seen the unknown creature use earlier to create the bridge and, whilst it was not something Verin was used to seeing, it was not entirely unfamiliar.

Glancing up, Verin looked around to see a silvery sphere hovering not far away from him, which seemed to be where the swirl was coming from. Ludicrous as it seemed to the bartender, he made the connection between the little humanoid and the reflective sphere. This creature wasn’t from this world, whatever it was… He knew nothing about Familiars, except knowing of them, and he wondered whether this thing was just that. The swirl continued to envelop him, and it slowly congealed as it closed in around the body, the ladder, and himself, effectively securing them all to the wall and saving them from death. Verin grunted in relative pain as he felt the dry ice harden against his skin and the thin shirt he was wearing, three quarters of the way up his arm. The ladder was secure against the wall, as was the assailant they had been chasing. But so was Verin.