Closed Echoes in the Dark Pt. 1

[Marrick Corvis]

Marrick wove Kiter through tightly wound trees, through shallow creek beds, and over many a tight ravine, and hill. The going wasn’t easy and it seemed that the forest was beginning to close in around him. It was making him horribly claustrophobic. The dichotomy of his position felt odd. He was out away from the group and exposed, yet he felt at home amongst the trees. Almost as if he belonged there. The frosty ground made the massive Mares hoof falls crunch a little over leftover dead leaves from the fall season. Little branches would clack against his armor as they passed a low hanging tree, or snap beneath Kiter’s steps. Her low nickers and heavy breathing filled the otherwise eerie loneliness he felt as they rode. As the pair broke through a small thicket, a small group of song birds took flight in a rush of feathers. Leaving behind the sound of their wings in their wake. Kiter didn’t like the surprise. The massive war mare tossed her head away from the shock and would not calm until Marrick stroked her bastioned shoulders. With his friend quieted, the Kelvic pressed on. As they rode, Marrick made sure to set landmarks in his head so he could back track if he needed to. He didn’t like the idea of being lost and alone out here. He heaved a long sigh adding his breath to the mist that formed from his horses gusting heaves. Marrick felt hard pressed to gage the distance from where he had gone, though he had a vague idea of where the party rode. It was always a danger when you rode through foothills near the Cobalts. Every hill and gully had the potential to turn you around. The rocks were starting to get bigger, and more and more pieces of the bedrock was becoming exposed by the elements where trees refused to grow. It was almost as if the he were walking the streets of the Nettle District. When Kiter rounded a large rock she reacted almost immediately. The great mass of horseflesh stubbornly refused to move forward. She pawed the ground agitated at something unseen. “Easy lass, whoa now.” Marrick cooed in a low pleasant tone to his horse as he pulled back on her reins to get her to back up. She twisted beneath him, and tossed her head from side to side as if she sensed a predator. The dark haired squire looked about him, but naught was about save for barren trees, and a stand of pine. Though he could not see any predators. No animals at all in fact. With some gentle encouragement Marrick turned the massive horse and lead her to a nearby tree away from the disturbance, If the dark haired squire hadn’t known better he’d have sworn she thanked him with each slow blink of her large dark eyes. Her innocent pools still centered on a place through the trees though. A place Marrick couldn’t quite see. Finding an appropriate branch to lash Kiters lead to, he tied her off and gave her a couple soothing pats to her neck. “It’ll be alroight lass.” He said as soft as silk, as he drew his bow from a lash in Kiter’s saddle. As Kiter began to calm down Marrick left the mare behind and walked cautiously toward what he could only describe as a bad feeling. Something was off. Almost like when you taste pie filler to make sure all the ingredients were added, and you could tell something wasn’t right only to realize hours later that you’d forgotten to add the sugar. He had been too distracted by the War Mares agitated behavior to have sensed it on his own. ‘Your too distracted by your environment MArrick’ Ser Whitevine’s words echoed in his head. With the quieted whinny from kiter echoed in his head, he could sense he was almost at the threshold of something ominous. It was like, the animal within him wanted to take flight and flee. It reminded the Kelvic of the fire at the white swan. He had, had to tame his flight reflex then just as he did now. Slowly, step by step over the icy leaves he walked. As he stepped through a stand of pine trees, it was as if something icy had been stabbed through his belly. The Kelvic practically writhed inside. What he saw with his eyes and what he felt with his instincts were entirely contrary. Nothing was amiss. Nothing seemed wrong. A low fir bow blocked his path. Rather than brushing it aside he crouched low and passed beneath it. As he rose to his full height the dark haired squire halted, eyes fixed, and his body still. One hand grasped the grip of his longbow with white knuckles. His other hand tickled the fletchings of an arrow in his quiver. The growing sense of dread he felt, filled him. But he couldn’t put a finger on it. This wasn’t like the feeling of a predator. It was almost like the feeling he would get just before a storm. The Kelvic looked about him quickly until his eyes came to rest with terrifying certainty upon the mouth of a cave. Something about its placement felt natural, but the shape of it could easily have been hand hewn and weather worn. A large outcropping of gray stone jutting out near a large hill. If a storm truly was coming, this would be a good place for them to weather it. Marrick wasn’t sure how long he had stood there staring at it. It was like when a dog stares into what one hopes is an empty closet, and all the terrifying monsters that exist in your mind fill the imaginary space inside that darkness. All cognitive function seemed to shut down as the dark haired squire battled with the concept of the dark, the unknown, and his claustrophobia. He wasn’t even inside the damn thing and he already felt as if he were being squeezed. When he felt a hand touch his shoulder he nearly leapt out of his skin, “Khollus n’ Pechin Ivaks firey arsehole!” he shouted as he turned. His arms bunched in an awkward coil as he almost threw his bow. He even lifted one of his legs and nearly fell over backwards. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped breathing until he took his first gasp of air when he found it had been Oriah who had touched him. Sera Mora must have sent her ahead of the rest to help. Marrick shut his eyes a moment in relief and laughed nervously. Breath came easier to him at last. When he’d drank his fill of air he exhaled a long and relieved sigh. “Yeh bout scared the shyke outa me, love.” He said his eyes wide, and his cheeks crimson. He wanted badly to retreat somewhere far away to hide his embarrassment, but he knew there was nowhere else he wanted to be than her side at that moment. She calmed him more than warm mead, and a blanket. He huffed a puff of misty breath into the cold morning air, and it lingered between them a moment as he looked to her with apologetic eyes. “Oi think Oi found somethin.” He said at last. With a quivering hand Marrick motioned toward the open mouth of the cave with his bow, as he drew a whistler arrow from his quiver. He inspected the bulb shaped head and picked away any debris that had gotten lodged in the holes before he notched it over his hand on the longbow. He took a deep breath as he drew the string back and arched his back, aiming the arrow up into the cloudy morning sky. With a short exhale of air he loosed the shaft, and sent the arrow shrieking into the gray morning light. The arrows cry was loathsome and sad, but its call lingered in the cool morning air. Until it met its fall in the trees far away. One whistler might not have been enough for them, and he drew his second whistler and notched it. Though his attention had already turned back to the dark cave and the Kelvic puzzled over how in the world he had been so captivated by it. Even with Oriah next to him he still felt uneasy. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like it at all. He exchanged a worried glance with her for a long moment before he drew back his second arrow and loosed it into the air. He hoped that the rest would get here quickly and tell him that he was imagining things, then they could at last move on.

[Nivel]

"oh thank you...uh.. what is your name again?" Nivel wasn't sure if the many armed one had told them his name yet, The Pycon figured she probably didn't hear it or that the Multi armed Tall Folk may was so overwhelmed with gratefulness that he forgot to mention his name to his traveling companions. In any event she wanted to know everyones name, not even just for camaraderie sake but because Nivel loved names. She was glad that he had accepted all of his gifts, she knew in her nexus that he would but it was still good to see that it was right. Even Oriah had joined in and Arch apologized for his earlier insensitivity. Nivel had a good feeling about the group she was in, while there was negativity at the beginning it quickly dissolved and even made them more unified. "Ohhhhhh! that's wonderful" After Nivel's tiny outburst, Oriah was quick to correct the Pycons assumptions. It would have been reassuring to find out that there was in fact a goddess in their midst but having someone who was favoured by the gods was just as good. Nivel wondered what this god Yahal was all about, he seemed familiar to her like he'd been mentioned in one of Sera Greys boring lectures. Nivel was normally far to distracted by rocks or birds flying outside to really notice what the women was saying. It was very possible that the God was the subject of may discussions that Nivel had tuned out. Nivel wanted to ask Oriah about the god that had blessed her but like Marrick she was called to charge on ahead. Nivel would just have to wait a bit longer to barrage her new comrade with questions. After about ten chimes, an arrow was shot in the air up ahead. The arrow couldn't be seen but its haunting whistle could be heard. The small group all knew it was a sign of trouble ahead and rushed to aid their comrades. Nivel was the last to enter the scene due to her mounts stubby legs and her inexperience with riding. As soon as she entered the area she could feel the presence of an irregular aura but it wasn't Oriah's she was sensing it was different. Patcha must have sensed it too because the kelvic slowed to a halt, Nivel clumsily dismounted and headed over to where Marrick and Oriah were standing. "I sense something strange..." Nivel shivered "I'm not sure if I like it." Nivel focused on the auras again, and was alarmed at what she saw. The cave she gazed into had an aura that was far more alive than it had any business being. From the brief studies Nivel had done she was certain she had read about this phenomenon. After brief moment of recalling the information from her nexus she was certain the signs could only point to one thing. "I think this is a Called a Qamur.." Nivel finally spoke up and after seeing the confused looks on her companions faces she elaborated "It's a land mass that has been given sentience...It opposes change and kills anything that brings change to it." Nivel trembled as she gave her explanation. She was afraid but it wouldn't stop her from going in if she had the backing of her comrades, she knew that a Qamur would only bring misfortune to those in the area if it wasn't put to rest. After being asked how to kill it Nivel quickly replied with further explanation. "It can't be killed but if we go against its pattern...what ever that means...we can put it to rest for a time. "

[Oriah]

Oriah rode ahead of the others at a steady trot, doing her best not to kick Pie into a full gallop. She worried anytime Marrick was lost from her sights. Which was often, given their respective squirely duties. It didn't help either that the trees had seemed to swallow him and Kiter whole, enveloping them in shadows and withering trees.

An uneasy feeling slithered into her stomach. The Benshira picked up the pace a little, not wanting to lose track of her fellow squire. Something about the way Sera Mora had asked her to move up only strengthened her anxiety. Her patron never did anything without reason. Ever. With this in mind, Oriah led her trusty mare into the wintry gloom of the woods, ducking now and then to avoid the spindled ends of shedding branches. Some leaves still remained, but the rest laid dead and dry at the floor of the forest. They crunched and crackled beneath Pie's hooves. Wincing at the sound, Oriah did her best to lead her mare to clearer paths, not wanting to cause a ruckus in their otherwise quiet surroundings.

It took a few chimes to find Marrick again. She would have liked to claim she succeeded in the end due to her excellent tracking skills, but in truth it was Pie who discovered the raven haired squire first. And only, Oriah suspected, because Kiter's saddlebags may have contained oats.

Oddly enough, Marrick showed no sign that he heard her approach. He just stood there, stock still. Staring. At what? Oriah wondered. The cave? Was something or someone inside of it? What had even happened between the brief time he'd spent out of the rest of the group's sights? Brow knitting with worry, she moved closer and reached out a hand. She didn't know why, but a terrible, terrible feeling was seeping into her veins, spreading throughout her body.

A sense of intense foreboding filled her mind as her hand hovered over his shoulder. It reminded her of that day when Priah had disappeared from her side, only to reappear half a bell later with guilt written all over her face and one fist clenched in a tight ball. Oriah had never known greater despair than the moment she found out what her twin had done. Just thinking about all the events leading up to it--the dread, the suspicion, and finally, the shock and denial--brought on a chilling darkness that she could neither describe nor dispel.

Back in the present, neither squire moved a muscle. It was as if the two of them were locked in a paralyzing spell and the only thing she was able to focus on was one, crisp corner of his capable shoulders.

But then she thought of Priah. Of how she had failed to save her sister, and how she had vowed never to fail the people she loved in the same fashion ever again. The dagger of guilt twisted in her heart and the pain cleared up some of her senses, allowing Oriah to lower her hand just enough to place it gently on Marrick's shoulder. His reaction was so violent, however, that the Benshira snatched her back immediately as though she'd touched fire. As he loosed the most colorful set of curses she'd ever heard him speak, Marrick struggled to catch himself from falling over in sheer fright. Blessed Yahal. Had her steps been that quiet? Oriah wasn't sure whether to apologize or to laugh, but she went with the former due to the crimson that now blossomed across Marrick's features.

"I'm sorry, I did not mean to frighten!" she responded in earnest, placing a hand on his arm as a small gesture of comfort. To her surprise, Marrick seemed sorry as well, his eyes saying as much as they peeked through the white mist of his breath against the icy, Winter air.

When he admitted to having found something, Oriah nodded, her own eyes widening with alarm, and moved to follow without question. She watched with no small amount of trepidation as he drew an arrow and sent it whistling into the sky. By the time his second arrow was launched, the Benshira was already looking around for signs of their group's approach. The signals had been sent. They would be here soon. All the while, Oriah stayed closed by Marrick's side, hand on the hilt of her shortsword and gaze scanning the trees.

It wasn't long before the others arrived. Nivel was last, but she was the first to speak of Marrick's discovery. From the way the Pycon appeared to be focusing, Oriah could only assume she was using her special ability to detect auras again. The Benshira hadn't even known such a thing was possibly before today; her own aura had remained largely a mystery to her before Nivel came along.

A Qamur...Oriah knew nothing of this creature, but from the way Nivel was describing it she got the distinct feeling they should steer clear. As far away as they could possibly manage.

Instead of saying as much, though, she swiveled her gaze to land on the stoic presence of her patron. Sera Mora hadn't said a word thus far. But if past experience was anything to go by, she probably knew exactly what Nivel was talking about. In fact, Oriah wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Chaktawe had brought out their little ensemble for the very purpose of encountering this strange sentience...

"Go against its pattern..." Oriah echoed after Nivel was finished speaking. "A pattern here in the woods? Or something in its own nature?"

She looked uneasily at each of her companions. Worry shone plainly in her azure eyes. "I do not know if this is a good idea..."

[Aventis]

OOCI'm sorry it's so short, guys. I feel bad.

“... My name is Aventis, Nivel.” The squire responded, now adorning the multiple gifts of the party. He had gracefully accepted the girl Oriah’s hat with a nod and the closest thing to a smile he could muster, he had taken Marrick’s cloak and Nivel’s scarf. He had accepted all the generous offerings, save the squirrel’s, reason being it seemed a bit far fetched that a dog could find its way onto a horse, so the squire politely and quietly turned down the offer, yet it was no less appreciated. There was an issue, however. The items were heavy. This alone was no issue but given the way Aventis achieved them weighted his shoulders, which sagged with his guilt. It was no use resonating upon it, however, and the group had begun moving forward anyway. Aventis gripped the reins of his horse with white knuckles and urged it forward a tad faster to keep up with the rest of the group, hesitating a moment before stopping altogether.

“Archailist, wait a moment.” He called out, carefully dismounting from his horse, keeping his upper left hand gripping the reins of his horse. He bit his lip for a moment before squatting down, as if speaking to a child. “Arch… It’s alright with me if you want to ride on the back of my horse or something. I’ll hold the pup. I’m sure he’d like to be kept warm, anyhow.” he said, staring at the group of squires moving farther and farther away.

“Archailist I have a bad feeling. A really bad feeling.” He said, looking deep into Archailist’s… Um… Eyes? “Do you know what’s going on here, Arch? Why all our patrons suddenly call us down to the gates in whatever early in the morning in the winter just to patrol? There’s something. I’m asking you because I think you can give me answers.”

Aventis

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

The longer they went, the smaller their group seemed to become. First it was just Marrick being sent forwards to scout out a path.. then Oriah sent up afterwards to move ahead of the rest. The squirrel, among all the conversation passing overhead, paused for a brief glance towards Sera Mora with a frown. Was it really wise, splitting themselves up so thin.. sure, they'd be able to cover more ground, but at the same time they weren't knights. None of them were, no matter how close or how far they were from their eventual goals. "You really think this is a good idea, Sera?" Rather than pressing forwards and elaborating his concerns, the squirrel played the pronoun game; waiting for her to ask for clarification.

It meant that he could turn elsewhere and play it off as just a passing interest if he didn't really like the answer. With Aventis slowing down to dismount entirely, he could play it off quite well too. ".. If you feel that way, perhaps I should keep Xarex close by. I might need him again later." It obviously wasn't just Aventis who felt this way. Just ahead, he could hear the high whistle that he could only guess was Marrick, since everyone soon moved off in it's direction with an extra kick in their mounts. The squirrel Pycon soon turned back to Aventis with only a glance before pushing Xarex forwards to try and keep ahead. Unfortunately, he was burdened like Nivel with a short-legged mount that could only turn up when all the fun and excitement was long-gone. That didn't mean the multi-armed squire should deal with the same problem. "C'mon, get back up. Looks like we've got work to do."

When he arrived, Marrick and Oriah were already there. Nivel arrived later; he'd overtaken here rather easily on the way over. Only when they were all staring at the same thing did he realize that they'd gathered.. to stare at a cave. Or at least, that's what it definitely looked like. His eyes weren't deceiving him; big dark hole, probably with some bats in there somewhere. He didn't care what the name of the cave was, didn't make a difference. "So, what's so special about cave Qamur."

Then the rest of what Nivel had said sunk in. A land mass, given sentience. Killing stuff that didn't fit with whatever 'pattern' it had. "Hold on, hold on. You just said that this thing.. whatever it is, because I honestly don't see anything different about this cave.. kills whatever goes against the pattern it holds. Then you say that the only way to stop it.. is to go against the pattern it holds. Is anyone else seeing something seriously wrong with this idea?" He turned from Nivel to Aventis, then Marrick and finally Oriah. Regardless of whether or not Nivel knew more about these things than he did.. which she likely did, seeing as she knew what to name it and everything.. there was a serious hole in whatever logic she'd put together.

"I mean.. are you sure there's anything even there? All I see is a cave.. doesn't look or feel like there's anything different about this cave from all the others in the woods."

[Gale Austin McCenry]

ApprovalApproval to GST given by Nightmare via PM

Darkness was never something to take lightly. When shadows were present, it spewed the opportunity of destruction and anguish onto those who were unsuspecting of it's proximity. Which is probably why darkness had such an advantage over mortal beings and creatures that managed to crawl their way into it's grasp.

It's also why caves were notorious graves.

The pitch inside the stone tunnels were like leeches in and of itself, not to mention the eyes that preyed off of what said leeches brought. Refuge in such a structure was unbearable except those with exceptionally hard hearts, and exploration among such creatures was never canny. Those not up to par with such life as these are often quickly consumed by them. If the cave itself hadn't done so already.

But there is two types of darkness. One of which is pure and holds nothing. It's a barren void, bringing and sucking life from the eyes of those who have the displeasure of knowing it. It leaves one with nothing but itself in their gaze, consuming the souls and transforming them into minions of their own demise.

But then there is the living darkness. A darkness in which roams and moves within itself. When an unfortunate soul looks upon it, it does not remove it's will or transform them. It draws the eyes near with it's cryptic dance, just faintly visible enough to spark a glimmer of life, or perhaps even hope in those wondering by. It sways in their eyes and lures them in. Lures them in just long enough to get a faint grasp. Once it does, it grasps the chests with a cold, hard grip, upturning the stomach and pulling a frown down on their face. It whispers ever so softly in their ear what could lie within it's reach. Creatures, monsters, valleys and cave-ins. Death. It gradually sicks it's teeth into their mind, and fear instills.

Unfortunately, this was the one more common, and just so happens to be within the cave the squires looked upon. The faint of heart could notice the life within the cave entrance. That the life was in the darkness itself and that it waited patiently for their arrival. That the fear and the faint life was different than the forest in which they presently stand in. But the eyes of an aurist could more clearly identify the force.

The entrance pulsed calmly within itself. It's aura natural yet ever moving and at peace. For now.

OOCDundun DUN!!! Hooray for overly dramatic posts! I hope my attempt at dark and dreary didn't make you guys laugh too much, but even if it did, there we go!

Your adventure begins here! I hope you guys have fun but if you have any questions or concerns just stop by and ask. (You all know this already)

So, yeah, be careful and have a blast!

NoteJust to make my life and your lives easier, I would really appreciate it if you guys would lock your skills upon your character entering the cave. It's just to make things easier and to keep better track of what level you guys can play and such. It's not a huge deal but it certainly does help. So, if you guys wouldn't mind, that would be great!

Again, if you have any questions or concerns, just let me know!

[Nivel]

Skill Lock : Skill Total Proficiency Acrobatics 40 Competent Unarmed Combat (Pyken Style) 27 Competent Auristics 28 Competent Flux 16 Novice Shielding 3 Novice Escape Artist 11 Novice Weapon (Pebble) 3 Novice Endurance 7 Novice Stealth 4 Novice Running 6 Novice Climbing 6 Novice Flirting 1 Novice Nivel gazed upon the unsettling crevice again and it she could almost feel it starting back at her and mocking her with its existence. It pulsed and quivered in her nexus, and drove her almost to insanity with its tainted aura. The mage jostled her head back and forth to give her clarity but was only given any relief when she stumbled closer to Oriah. She turned her head to the other Pycon, wearing a grim looking expression only he would pick up on. “I know there is something there with every fibre of my being..don’t you feel it’s presence?” she interrogated the squirrel frantically, as if he had said something insulting and full of scandal. The happy go lucky Nivel was replaced with a much more dark and intense one, it was as if she no longer had control of her actions. “This cave isn’t at peace and as future knights of Syliras it is our duty to bring peace to the world” The pycon said with distain as her ears and tails stood erect like a hissing cat and her accompanying arm gestures looked more like attacks than simple visual aids. “I’m going to go in and face this abomination head on, because thats what knights DO” The Mage Squires words didn’t feel like her own and she wasn’t entirely sure where all this anger was coming from but she suspected that it had to do with the Qamur somehow. Weather it was using her like a puppet or if she just felt its essence and it gave her an intense determination to vanquish it, she didn’t know. What she did know was that she was going into the very place that that terrified her to the very core and no one was going to stop her. She turned abruptly towards the cave and with a steady run she dove straight into what would surely try and end her short life. Patcha bounded towards the cave to stop her reckless rider but was too late, the tiny clay creature was already lost to the darkness of the cave. The kelvic was to crippled by her own fear to follow and turned desperately back to the others for assistance. Patcha softly whimpered and then turned back and barked loudly down the cave but only her own cries echoed back.

[Oriah]

Skill Lock :

Skill	Total	Proficiency
Observation	54	Expert
Wilderness Survival	19	Novice
Land Navigation	3	Novice
Climbing	4	Novice
Stealth	5	Novice
Shield: Buckler	5	Novice
Weapon: Short Sword	5	Novice
Weapon: Short Bow	5	Novice
Riding: Horse	13	Novice
Weapon: Tamos	7	Novice
Weapon: Hebrean Sling	14	Novice
Leadership	4	Novice

Oriah listened to her companions, noting to herself how starkly one Pycon contrasted with the other. Where Archailist was skeptical, practical, and doubting in his opinions, Nivel was as believing and receptive to the cave's debilitating effects as if she were standing right inside of it. Perhaps it had to do with the little mage's ability to read auras. Perhaps it was just a matter of belief.

Either way, the Benshira could find fault in neither of their arguments. Involving themselves anymore than they already had with this Qamur didn't seem the most rational course of action possible. But Nivel was right as well. It was their duty to protect the peace of their city. And if Sera Mora showed no intention of deciding for them, then she must have anticipated this all along.

Scorching sands...Oriah should have known.

Before she could so much as confront her patron, a commotion broke out underfoot. It was Nivel, she realized with growing horror, running off on foot.

Straight for the cave.

"Wait!" Oriah cried. She took a step forward but froze, torn between doing what was reasonable and doing what was right. "We cannot let her go alone," the Benshira choked. "We have to bring her back!"

Another tick's worth of indecision. It was so terribly tempting to just stay where she was. Remain here by Marrick's side, under the protection of her fellow squires and patron, let someone else make the decision. But every moment they wasted out here, Nivel could be in grave peril in there. It wasn't really a question of right or wrong anymore. She was just so blanketed in fear she could scarce move.

But her fear was irrelevant. Because someone else's life was on the line. Someone whom she counted as friend and sister in arms.

And that's when she felt the warmth of her god's presence, trickles of tender grace heating along the lines of inked feathers across her back and shoulders. She could sense some of the crippling fear receded a little, like shadows shrinking from the faint glow of a candle. It wasn't much, but it did free her limbs, and within two breath's worth of time she had slung her bow back over her shoulder, exchanged it for her buckler and shortsword, and pelted right past Nivel's whimpering mount. The others would follow, she hoped. The Benshira had faith.

And then she, too, was swallowed by the inky darkness of the cave.

[Aventis]

Skill lock :

Skill	EXP	Total	Proficiency	Threads
Dual Wielding	10 SP, 1	11	Novice	+1
Medicine	2	2	Novice	+1
Intimidation	2	2	Novice	+2
Brawling	1	1	Novice	+1
Acrobatics	4, 1	5	Novice	+4, +1
Planning	3, 1, 1, 1	6	Novice	+3, +1, +1, +1
Intelligence	20 SP, 1	21	Novice	+1
Land Navigation	1	1	Novice	+1
Subterfuge	2	2	Novice	+2
Rhetoric	2, 2, 2, 1, 3, 2	12	Novice	+2 +2, +2, +1, +3, +2
Philosophy	5, 1	6	Novice	+5, +1
Teaching	1	1	Novice	+1
Shortsword	1, 2, 1, 2	6	Novice	+1, +2, +1, +2
Endurance	1, 2, 5, 2, 1	11	Novice	+1, +2, +5, +2, +1
Unarmed Combat	1, 2, 2, 1	5	Novice	+1, +2, +2, +1
Shield	1, 3	4	Novice	+1, +4
Tactics	3, 2, 3	8	Novice	+3, +2, +3
Rapier	10 RB, 20 SP, 2, 1	33	Competent	+2, +1
Observation	1, 3, 4, 5, 3, 2, 2, 2, 5, 4, 3, 4, 2	40	Competent	+1, +3, +4, +5, +3, +2, +2, +2, +5, +4, +3, +4, +2
Socialization	2, 2, 3, 3, 1, 2, 3, 5, 2, 5, 2, 1	30	Competent	+2, +2, +3. +3, +1, +2, +3, +5, +2, +5, +2,
+1

Yes. I just copy/pasted everything. It’s early.

The Eypharian sighed, climbing back atop his horse and beginning to make his way to the other squires, warm ornaments still weighing upon his shoulders. The horse’s flesh seemed much colder than Aventis’ to the touch, and he spent several moments just holding the poor beast and attempting to warm it. The rest of the squad had moved on - still in plain sight, but moved on nonetheless, and Aventis could tell it would take a moment to catch up.

Being somewhat new to equestrianism, Aventis thought it best to keep a slow pace rather to making a fool out of himself and potentially injuring his mount.

The air was still brisk and cold, ever biting at his still exposed flesh, still hexing his breath with a thick fog. The morning had been a tough one, and he could only hope it would get better from here. He knew for certain from previous that it would absolutely not get better. Might as well just live with it.

Aventis had arrived with the group a moment after Nivel’s commotion, and honestly had no idea what was going on, and elected to stay silent. The group stationed themselves just outside the mouth of a cave, which had seemed… Deeper, for reason unbeknownst to the Eypharian squire. Darker. He eyed its opening with a wary gaze.

“Hold on, hold on. You just said that this thing.. whatever it is, because I honestly don't see anything different about this cave.. kills whatever goes against the pattern it holds. Then you say that the only way to stop it.. is to go against the pattern it holds. Is anyone else seeing something seriously wrong with this idea?” Archailist commented, presumably on whatever Nivel had stated.

Aventis, beyond anything else, was confused. This was quite obvious what they were there to do, now. With the five of them… It would be pretty easy whatever it may be. Aventis stared at the cave, nearly entranced by it. He stayed there for a moment, and all else seemed to wash away. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was the thing lurking within it that entranced him, or perhaps the chance of glory.

His gaze was broken by Nivel - the small one - heading into the cave. He watched her descent for a moment, considering reaction. If she was going in…

Aventis dismounted slowly, not breaking contact with the cave, and wordlessly followed Nivel, paying no mind to whatever commotion surrounded him.

Aventis

[Archailist]

My Words | Your Words | My Thoughts

Skill Lock. :

Skill	Total	Level
Acrobatics	100	Master
Observation	100	Master
Climbing	69	Expert
Tactics	60	Expert
Running	55	Expert
Endurance	48	Competent
Riding: Dog	48	Competent
Weapon: Py-Pole	38	Competent
Rhetoric	38	Competent
Land Navigation	18	Novice
Leadership	17	Novice
Persuasion	13	Novice
Investigation	12	Novice
Planning	12	Novice
Stealth	10	Novice
Negotiation	4	Novice

It was pretty obvious that things were getting out of hand, fast. Though he couldn't be certain of anything odd happening with the cave, he could be certain of something very strange going on with Nivel. "Calm down there.. I don't feel anything more or less creepy than any other dark, cold, abandoned cave." Yes, he didn't like caves. Too big and yet closed off to the rest of the world.. not to mention dark and filled with Sylir-knew-what. "Just take a few deep breaths, you're not making any sense here. It's just a cave, it's not living.. a cave can't suddenly not be at peace and neither do we have any obligation to solve it because we're knights.. we protect the peace of people, not of holes in rocks stuck in the ground." Maybe it would be best to turn around and take Nivel back to Syliras, something had obviously spooked her more than anything else he'd seen before.

"Let's just take this one foot at a time and..." If that wasn't the worst choice of words considering what came next, he didn't know what was. Even on the back of Xarex, pushing forwards alongside the other Pycon's mount to barricade the entrance before she simply leaped inside to her doom, he couldn't reach around fast enough to grab Nivel before she dove inside the depths of the cave and almost immediately disappeared from sight inside its inky blackness. Alright then. This really was turning into a mad grab.. but he'd be petched to Hai if he was going to sit back and just let Nivel run into that cave by herself. There could be bears.. could be Yukmen. Could be anything inside there, who the petch knew?

As he jumped off Xarex and dove inside afterwards, the others were already wordlessly lining up behind Nivel and disappearing inside the cave without regards for their personal safety, the welfare of the group, the orders of their superiors or even the coherence to form a decent plan before they jumped inside.. something that could have taken ticks at the longest. He'd have the mind to scold them for such recklessness if he wasn't doing the exact same thing. Then again, this wasn't Aventis whining about a bit of cold.. this was Nivel, usually the rather calm and occasionally timid one suddenly gaining more bravado than many of the knights he'd seen and simply leaping off into a cave that she'd just said was dangerous. Whatever was going on.. whether a simple misunderstanding or a horrible truth.. well, he was in for the long haul now. "Sylir protect us from ourselves." he muttered just before light vanished.

He wished that he'd brought some of his basic equipment.. some flint and stone would be lovely right about now to start a good fire and make a bit of a torch before he'd leaped inside. Alas, spelunking wasn't what he expected when he went on a little trip with some fellow squires and a knight. More idle conversation and a sore arse. Besides, it wasn't like Oriah or Aventis had brought any with them either.. he could tell that immediately. Oh well, he hoped the monster was bioluminescent!