The Golden Age. Act 2: Converging Paths.

[eclipse]

"'course you wouldn't," Kolmar said with a chuckle of his own.  "Can't do everythin' alone, though.  Everyone's gotta sleep soundly sometime.  Easier to do when someone else's takin' watch."  Since he did most of the meal prep, he'd pulled surprisingly few night watches.  Not that it would matter.  Mostly everything left them the hell alone, and Velvet was an especially light sleeper.  "So, you still spinnin' your wheels here?"

[Juliette]

"What, you want to spend our money responsibly?" Velvet teased, pawing at Joviana's shoulder. "I'm not so sure about place of legends here, unless you mean the art museum, and I guess there's always Eaglus Point, which we can, uh... stare at? Unless you have some magic tricks up your arsenal you've been hiding from us, it's absurdly difficult to climb and doesn't exactly change much. You can see it from here, so not really any point walking to it." She gestured as dramatically as possible towards it with both hands, her tail, and even one foot. "Congratulations, you've seen Eaglus Point. Dunno why some people think it's so interesting... apparently it exists because the Dragons messed up when making the world, which I guess is pretty funny."

She resumed a more normal stance quickly enough. "There is always the Castle, and as much as Kaya is loathe to visit it, maybe you'd find it more interesting? It's a big building, and there's plenty of historic things from Koerm there too. Not as much as the museum, but more free, if we can get in. We could try and get a sneak preview of this big important meeting that was being talked about... that could be fun."

[Bluedoom]

Joviana ignored Velvet's teasing, instead turning to where she was pointing at- Eaglus Point. There didn't seem to be anything interesting to look at, but Velvet's dramatic gesture brought a smirk on Joviana's face. "You're pretty funny Velvet. But you're right, I guess we can't climb that. Which is a shame, learning more about the dragons would've been fun." she replied, before hearing about the important meeting. "Oh, the meeting in the castle. That could be...lots of fun! Sneaking around and hearing important things...I haven't done something thrilling like that in a long time. We should go do that, I can already see excitement in your eyes."

[SB.]

Aaron had expected a difficult fight, but this hadn't been... awful. He couldn't help but feel a little smug when Judas hit the floor, but Fia's arrival saved the captain from the brunt of his retort. "So he wasn't the best then?" Aaron commented as  "That makes a lot of sense. I still have a ways to go." He looked upon his axe fondly for a moment, before turning back to Fia.

"Thank you for your praise. If you've managed to take a fight off of Sierra, I don't imagine I'd beat you though. I can't say that I recognise your sword, but I don't think it matters." He regarded the blade with curiosity. Should I know this weapon? While he may have been supposed to, Aaron certainly did not.

[Xinnidy]

The concert had been surprisingly pleasant, an orchestral piece that inspired confidence. Triumphant. That had been a strong uplift against this sense of limited time that plagued Raz. Maybe things will work out... I really hope so. Sighing, she left the exhibit in pretty high spirits, taking her weapons back with a 'thank you' and leaving the House without pause. As interesting as the topic of the stolen artifacts were, it comnected too close to a prior conversation, and unfortunately there wasn't much else Raz could do. Now to... hmm, where's Mikailha?

[riariadne]

A Taste for Adventure

"But going on adventures is fun! I always like it when we get to leave the city to do something new and exciting, I practically had to beg father to let me come here... but, if even you say I should wait, I guess I will." Andrea was very clearly over her nerves by now, enamored with her 'new' big sister, though she glanced away when Kaya asked what she was doing. "Well, he's not... letting me walk around like this? I'm sneaky! And I couldn't just sit in the castle while there's important meetings going on that I can't hear the whole time, I like to be outside."

Travel Time

"Ha! Out of necessity rather than personal preference, in that case? That explains it a lot better. Oh, and sorry, rude not to say who I am... name's Batro." He extended a hand to Kolmar. "With one of the shipping crews. Your face hasn't been spotted in these parts in a long time. If you're in a group... is it one of them recent questing groups, huh? Figure you might strike rich that way?"

Wind Fencer

"No, he's not the best. But he is pretty good- I'm rather impressed." Fia smiled, drawing her sword again for him to look at. "Can't say I'm surprised you wouldn't know it- it's a wind sword, with magical properties. Certainly not one of a kind, but it is rather uncommon, mostly because not a lot of swordfighters are too keen on using magic. I'm not all that strong, but I outmaneuver just about everyone, and magic's harder to defend against than steel- your armor probably wouldn't help you much." She put it away before drawing another sword, this one also unusual. "This one is an uchigatana, from Tethys, another continent. Sierra used to use it before she got her two swords custom-made, then she gave me one. Neither quite as special as the Lionheart."

Beneath the Mask

Mikhaila wasn't too difficult for Raz to find, mostly because she hadn't really strayed all that far from the city's gates in the first place. "Hello, Raz. Lord Yarvus was chatting my ear off about the wonders of Veiro, his regrets that he'd only been here fleetingly and couldn't detail them better, mostly missing hints that I wasn't all that interested. The nobility from Fordright sure do love talking for way too long, if him and the Duchess are much of an indication. What did you do?"

Two Dukes

The pair of smaller women approached Castle Fernait, and were perhaps surprisingly allowed in right away. "Captain Tairn cleared your descriptions- you're permitted to visit the castle. There are a few more chambers that are prohibited, but otherwise, you can stay here and view what you like," one of the four guards at the front gate told them as they stepped aside. "There are some rooms prepared, as well, and although sleep is a bit early, you can drop off any belongings if you'd like."

"C'mon, Jovi!" Velvet whispered excitedly. "I've been here once when the security wasn't so tight, so I know the way a little. Maybe we can figure out some more secrets when we're inside..." Immediately upon entering, the most obvious door had two more guards, probably where the Dukes were meeting, but Velvet walked past them to a hallway on the right, stopping suddenly partway down it. "Heehee! We can't go in, but I might be able to listen in on some things... my ears are really sensitive. I'll tell you if they say anything interesting." She pressed up against the wall, ears twitching as she listened for a few minutes. "Mostly boring so far... they expect most everyone to be here by tomorrow, except Duke Glaivor, who has the longest distance to come from. Oh, hold on..." She quieted herself, gasping at a new development. "The sword stolen from here... it was spotted in the mountains in Balor, held by a man just like the one Regus showed a projection of. And they think that the group that found the Lazarus Gem was really lead by Timaeus... oh, that's veeery baaad..."

--

Alignment adjustments, based on a few things from before:
Velvet: +3 animism
Raz: +5 darkness

[Bluedoom]

Joviana was surprised to be allowed inside the castle without any resistance, but did not say a thing. Her heart started beating faster and she was as eager as Velvet was to eavesdrop on the conversation between the nobles. Upon hearing the news, however, she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Timaeus may have the Lazarus Gem? You mean the Gem of Resurrection? So a power-seeking mage has one of the Gifts with him now...that Is very bad!" she whispered, pausing and thinking about the other information that she had just gained. "The sword...is it important? I'm not sure what all of this means, but perhaps we need to look for clues. A lead on Timaeus would be great, it gets us closer to one of the Gifts."

[scorri]

Kaya winced, glancing around. No guards looking frantically for a girl yet. That was good. "So he doesn't know you're out here? Does anyone know? You should be careful about sneaking out like that. You never know what can happen... These are dangerous times we're living in. He should have told you that if he didn't... Why don't we head back to the castle, ok?" Maybe if she went with Andrea, she'd be more willing to go...

[eclipse]

Kolmar didn't trust the new guy as far as Kaya could throw him.  Still, a handshake was a handshake.  He delivered a firm one, and stepped back.  "The more people an' all, the more likely we gotta stop at every town.  Not everyone can travel light."  His group did a good job of that, of course.  "Can't say it's a bad gig.  I get to travel 'round, an' laugh at 'em as they try to figure out which end o' a boar is up.  They have a knack for findin' quiet places to sleep at night."  They also had leads on the asswipe who nearly killed him, way back when.  Leaving Timaeus as a loose end would most likely end up biting him in the ass.  Even if he wasn't going to strike it rich, Kolmar was going to see this through.  But Batro DEFINITELY didn't need to know that!

[SB.]

"Learning swords and spells together sounds potent, but rather difficult." Aaron nodded. "But if it suits your fighting style, there's no reason to change it. I think I was quite fortunate with the Lionheart. That was my first battle with it, but it still feels natural to use." Perhaps the forgery I had before was better immitation than I'd given it credit for. Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to complain.

"The Lionheart ended up on another continent as well." He glanced at the Uchigatana, wondering why Sierra had even been there in the first place. "It seems to have made it's way back home just in time though, with all of these strange happenings." 

[Xinnidy]

Reaper, Reaper... (January 6th, 3 AM. Camping on their way to Veiro) 

Spoiler

What was probably a decent rest for Raz, as far as resting along the way to Koerm went, was interrupted rather abruptly by a prodding to her shoulder. A strange white bird was perched there, staring at her with green eyes before vanishing in a puff of purple smoke.

Emerging from said smoke instead was a woman with hair the same white as the feathers seen before- and an overall similar look to her two siblings, one that would likely not escape Raz's notice. After a moment, she smirked. "Terribly sorry to disturb your rest, especially after your rather close brush with death earlier... Raz Caecina. I'm sure I needn't introduce myself. Your thoughts are still fuzzy from that, aren't they? But you're fine. It would be too bad if you weren't, since you're so interesting... a quest for the Gifts! And you've been awfully successful as a team. Ah, and speaking of them, don't worry- they won't be awoken by this. I'm considerate like that. Oh, and I'll make up for your lost sleep." Shylah held up the Crusader's Calling in her hand, examining it- evidently she'd taken it before awakening Raz- tapping at it with her nails before placing it back down. "The Gifts, just about the only magic artifacts that aren't totally beneath me. You can keep it, of course, I'm not here to steal- I've mostly found it amusing to watch you all. So many people have boring futures, but none of you. Especially you, Raz... I can't read your future at all! There's very, very few others I can say that about- and two of them are Noctus and Regus, my dearest siblings. I can only wonder what that really means..."

---

The sudden pokes at her shoulder did bring Raz to awareness quickly, her body shifted as quickly as her eyes opened, taking to look at the white raven with indignant surprise before she sat upright. "Uh... who..." It took a moment to collect herself as the puff of smoke dissipated, leaving in place a white haired woman whose identity Raz had some idea. "You are... Shylah, then?" The moment the Magi held up the Gift, Raz's still groggy mind set to work as a tiny gasp left her mouth, reaching for the bag at the side of her bed, plunging a hand to see no sign of the Gift. It was no illusion then. Exhaling hard, Raz did her best to rub the grogginess out of her face as she looked at the Magi again, a bit alarmed, though not hostile to the woman yet. She was Noctus' sibling, after all, and Raz had an idea of how... peculiar, she was.

"...You've come here to talk about my future?" As Shylah put the gift down, Raz had her attention fixed at the woman's face, properly listening to her, and not hiding a frown as some confusion set in. "I suppose I'll be going places, then. I don't think I've ever heard Kaya talk about me in her visions, either." But then again, Kaya didn't really have control over her own visions, it seemed. "Most people here have pretty set objectives, but I still have a long way to go once this search for the Gifts is over." She shrugged.

---

"That's right. You've met both of my brothers by now- you interacted for some time with Noctus long ago, and Regus only briefly, but recently. I know about you... but not like how I know other people." Shylah's tattoos shimmered white for a moment, but instead of any grand motions, she merely shrugged. "I know you based on what I've heard and seen in the present, not by seeing what I can from any of the paths in the future you could walk. Well, now I know more from what your thoughts tell me. But that's a different power- one of many. You seem afraid... does dark magic intimidate you?" This time she waved her hands and they glowed purple, before she let it fade away. "Well, no matter. If the Gifts aren't even your priority, then what is your goal? To say you have a destination well beyond the Gifts- that's certainly a bit arrogant, no?"

---

"Only my present, huh? I suppose I haven't heard of myself in any of Kaya's visions either." There was a sense of pride in that, but Raz didn't quite understand how visions worked that well to nurture it further. The fact that Shylah seemed to have been reading her thoughts, in some capacity, however, quickly alarmed Raz again, doing her best to hide her astonishment. "You do have a lot of unique powers, hmm? Leave it to one of the magi." Raz sighed, watching Shylah's hands as they shone a peculiar purple. So that was the dark magic she was talking about...

"I don't know nearly as much about dark magic as I do light and anima. Is it not human to be cautious of that you know little?" Raz hoped that was answer enough for the magi, staring her down. "My goal... curious, aren't we? I just have my eyes set outside of Titan, magi. Surely you know we've been having visitors. I just have... something in history I want to fix, and for that, one needs power." Arrogant as it was, Raz didn't mind. Only the bold achieved the highest ambitions.

---

"We do have unusual powers. For most people, they're powers better off forgotten about. Rightly so." She smiled as Raz gave a fairly guarded answer to her question of her goals. "Well, of course I'm curious... aren't you, too? But Raz, you've already told me what I need to know just by thinking about an answer at all- not with your words, but your thoughts. In a sense, it was a rhetorical question." She paced around the other woman slowly, hands glowing again. "The magic is strong with you, Raz Caecina... but you are not a master yet."

"Your thoughts and your words are very different, aren't they? What would Kaya think of your goals? To venture towards Dione, your mother's homeland, and seek to... claim power in Planitia. You seem like the kind of person who would love to seek out dark magic, since you seem to have a certain lust for power. Is that why you have a certain lust for Mikhaila, too? Ahahaha!" She twirled around, vanishing in a puff of smoke before reappearing, laying down with her legs crossed. "Why would you going to Planitia be fixing it? Emperor Alexander is beloved by most of the people of Dione, and the people of Titan are enthralled by his hope for an alliance. I've met the man and read his thoughts... if he's lying about his goal for a united world, he would be incredibly clever to hide his thoughts from me when he doesn't know I can read them. That seems like a bit of a skewed priority- especially when there seems to be a much more wicked ruler to deal with right now with Timaeus, hmm?"

---

"Hmm...." Despite her best efforts, Raz's mind was exposed to the Magi, and that certainly left her feeling more vulnerable than usual. Not something she was particularly excited about, as she continued to follow Shylah's glowing hands with her eyes, guarded as ever. To think that Shylah could get that information from her thoughts... even the jab at her relationship with Mikhaila brought a wince to her face. "...I guess you already know everything without me saying it, huh?" The kind of person that could be a real danger to her, what were the chances they would meet...

"Hmph." The words speaking highly of Alexander's were met with a quick frown --it had clearly touched a nerve with Raz. "Such a benevolent ruler... placing himself at the center of it all. When Planitia was subjugated, the nobility crumbled at the seams, and with it everything in Dione changed... but it happened so long ago, I wasn't made aware of it until I grew up. I just want to have what's mine by right, and not be stopped because everybody seems to think Alexander is a saint on earth." It took Raz a bit to collect herself, saying all that in a fairly aggressive tone. She quickly shrugged after the fact, but it was no secret that her guard had lowered some. "I know well about Timaeus, a sneaky man with mysterious past and powers, he's not to be underestimated, but that doesn't mean I don't have my goals, after we put a quick end to him."

---

Shylah listened to Raz as she went on, always with her same confident smirk. "Haha... Ahahahaha! You really are amusing, aren't you?" She pushed herself off the ground beneath her, levitating before Raz, her tattoos and hands aglow. "What's yours by right? Aren't you quite the entitled one now? By whose right exactly- your mother's, who fled because she was upset by no longer being able to live a decadent lifestyle at the top? Planitia has been integrated fairly well into the Dionese empire. Certainly life for the common people has been much improved over the last King of Planitia. Did you not know why he invaded Planitia, that the last king- a usurper, mind you- tried to assassinate him and did not answer for it? If your mother was loyal to the legitimate rulers of Planitia, then she certainly wouldn't have liked its last king when it was its own nation, unless he benefited her. That doesn't fit too well into your narrative, does it? Even if Alexander is not a perfect man- a fair statement, as he has his enemies- I'd hardly say that the past of your mother's homeland is one devoid of betrayals. Nowhere on Dione was."

She leaned in very closely to Raz, feet upon the ground and staring into her eyes. "And how do you plan to put a quick end to Timaeus, exactly? Do you think you can just wave around the Crusader's Calling and he'll be begging for mercy? You say you know well about him, but you hardly know a thing- I do, and he's amassing some of his previous power. Regus couldn't kill him. I saw him recently, and in no future I saw did it even seem worth trying. Do you really see him as just a stepping stone to try and become Queen of a place that you've never been to? My, my, Raz, you're even more power hungry than I thought." She encircled around the girl again, speaking in a hushed tone without her usual echoes into her ear, "Yes... How delightful. I can feel your anger... maybe you are meant to embrace the darkness after all. You fear that someone else can finally see your plans for the future, and that I have questions that are hard for you to answer. I could teach you a great many things, Raz, if you'd like... if what you really desire is power, it's pointless to pretend otherwise with me. Unless you're just pretending to yourself."

---

"Kh..." To say Raz was feeling offended was putting it lightly, she grit her teeth, glaring at the magi as she laughed and scoffed at Raz's claims. Unfortunately... she knew too much for somebody from Titan, even of Planitia's hystory before the fall... how could she? "If you know everything, then why don't you go get your brothers and stop Timaeus in his tracks, surely you have better things to do than taunt me, if that's all you're here for." Raz wasn't angry, she was seething, why did this Magi seem to have time to taunt her, on top of it all. She continued to watch the woman levitate, her glare never leaving as they met eyes.

It was true that Planitia had a long history of betrayal and conflict. The last king had successfully performed a coup d'état with the support of some of the elite from Planitia, including Raz's grandfather, spymaster to the previous king, and was supposed to grant more power to the nobles who backed him after his claim was complete. The ambitious king only wanted more, and his eyes were set on Alexander and his parents... his inability of completing the feat was the downfall of his kingdom, biting more than he could chew, and that led the same ill fate to his supporters. In truth, Raz was so far down in the line of inheritance that only an event like this, where the kingdom collapsed by vengeful conquest, gave her a chance at all... it all seemed like the stars had aligned.

"I have power... well, I'm amassing it, I'm sure of that much. I've been studying about this land... aside from the Lost Age, which is nearly impossible. And this Timaeus, while we're racing against time, we're still fending off his soldiers. He's gaining strength, but we still have time..." She continued to explain herself, annoyed by how Shylah mocked her power... she wasn't that weak, was she? "A great many things? You can't even fight Timaeus, from what you're going on about. Why should I trust you?" She barked back, still offended by how this Magi seemed so content to poke at her and her mind.

---

"Knowing is not the same as being able to do. I learned of Planitia's history the same way I know your history, Raz- I looked into the minds of Emperor Alexander, Major Khan, others when they came here. But I cannot read the mind of Timaeus." For the first time, Shylah's expression turned to a frown. "... Let me tell you a story, Raz. One I think that will interest you a great deal."

"In the Lost Age, there were two Monarchs after the early death of King Nicholas, and only two. One was Archsage Jotun, chosen king after, whose rule did not go terribly unlike Ursula's, as he was very power-hungry and oppressed the people. After three years, he was overthrown by his apprentice. The first child born in the city named after King Jotun, inheritor to a vast magic power, tutored in magic by the greatest mages to live, the young Duke of Fernait, the first true prodigy of Time magic... yes, Timaeus was an idealistic young man, and with eight allies, he overthrew the King. Two died, and two left. I'm sure you can guess who the remaining four are, hm?" She crossed her arms. "He delved into the power of Time spells to stop himself, Dimitrius, Camellia, Mercury, and Valerie from aging. And then he reigned for over a hundred years. The people liked him for a very long time until he, too, eventually went from an idealistic hero to a ruthless leader."

"In their time of need, the people brought the Seven Gifts to the cliffs of Calimdour to call upon the Elder Dragons for help. To answer them, Rhovennes arrived, and used his magic to create three people, embodying the power of Light, Animism, and Darkness. Noctus, Regus, and Shylah." Her hands flared with purple energy. "We are Drakonis- humans created by the dragons rather than born, like the first humans. We, too, are timeless. We banished the five of them under our power, and it became the Wind Age, and we vanished until we would be needed once again. Rhovennes changed history- what was once the Mystic Age became the Lost Age, Timaeus's reign never to be remembered nor repeated."

"But in truth, even Rhovennes' power, though incredible... is not unlimited. His defeat was merely a delay: to the time after the Heroic Age ended, when the sons of Titan would spill their own blood. That's now, of course. Most of Timaeus's power is diminished... but he is still timeless, and cannot be conventionally destroyed. He has spent ages, trapped in time, preparing for us, and now even our spells haven't had much effect. That is why we haven't done anything yet." She pointed to Raz. "Perhaps if you have any plans, you could tell me... but until then, I think it's good to challenge people's thoughts. But yes, Raz. Whether or not I can stop Timaeus... you shouldn't underestimate my power."

---

For once, Shylah's priority hadn't been to make Raz angrier, but rather get her up to date with history --and history no common man would be able to know--. The flood of information was enough to keep Raz's attention on the Magi, even if she harbored some negativity at her previous statements. It was a good feeling that her hunches went in the right direction, and that it all seemed involved with the Lost Age. Mystic Age, is it? Hmm... a tyrant so troublesome it took the interferance of a dragon. It seemed like their journey had somewhat gone in circles, but it was all in vain if they let Timaeus go on with his own schemes.

"The Gifts were used to stop him once, then? Perhaps it'd be wise to collect them again... I'm sure he has his eyes on them as well." How bothersome, but there wasn't much they could do but race against this almost literal personification of time. "If Rhovennes can't delay him again, perhaps they'll have found another weakness. Honestly, all this thing about time magic is pretty untangible... wouldn't you Magi know of how it operates?" Raz could only conjecture, but this information set her a world ahead from where she was before. It was interesting to know the Gifts could be used for that, as well. Nice to see my hunch about Noctus being old was sort of right... "Well, we have to stop Timaeus, regardless, so I can't just give up because you can't. Whatever power it takes, I'll search for it." Underestimate this, underestimate that... honestly, Shylah's greatest value was that she held a world of information some scholars would kill for. "You might be beyond my power, but Timaeus is a bigger threat, and that is what I'm concerned with as of now. Unless you mean to kill me for my ambitions...?" Raz honestly had no idea what was Shylah's modus operandi, even less so with her reveal as a Drakonis. Did she have a vow to stop tyrants, and perceived Raz as such?

---

"Of course he does. He's not going to let the only way he's been defeated strike again, especially when he really only has to find one to stop them from being assembled." Shylah waved her hand, conjuring shadowy images of the Gifts. "Time magic is extraordinarily powerful, and extremely dangerous, even for us, the Magi. I've cast it before, very poorly, and I would prefer to never try again. Yet, it does have limits. When some people think Time magic, they think rewinding time, or reappearing in the past or future, but that's impossible. Time can be slowed, even halted, but never reversed. I'd say much scarier is when time is accelerated. Luckily, he can't just do that simply, it requires a powerful incantation... unluckily, he wrote a tome for it long ago. And he just stole some ancient weapons, didn't he? I'm not sure it's necessarily the same, but it's certainly possible."

Still, at the last bit, she was smiling and laughing again. "Kill you? Why would I want to do that? No, no, you're much too interesting for that. Now that I know what you're like, I should warn you... the fate of those with such ambitions is almost always a dire one, ending with those ambitions broken. I wonder if you'll be any different?"

---

Not good, Timaeus was going to be a tricky foe at best. "It might be wiser to join our efforts. The more you talk, the less I see leaving him be as okay." Raz sighed, trying to make right and left from the information Shylah was constantly dumping about this timelord. "We have to fight him eventually... just have to figure out how to stop the madman. I had no idea of his background before, so... now I can do better, at least." In that sense, and probably only, she was indebted to the confounding magi.

"So you just plan to watch the world break me?" Raz scowled back, not any happier at what passed for entertainment for this woman. "I'll fight for my goals as I can, Shylah. Even if those before me ended up broken, I'll rebuild Planitia my way, one day, and take what I want. For now, I remain in Titan, gathering knowledge, but one day I'll go." Convinced in her resolve, Raz crossed her arms, continuing to stare down the Magi judgingly.

---

"Don't worry. I'm not resigned to Timaeus taking over the continent, and I've been looking into some of the better kept secrets of Titan. There are ancient rituals still buried away, be it from the Lunar Age, or those who honed power in the Mystic Age themselves out of his sight..." Shylah's insufferable smirk certainly wasn't going anywhere. "Sorry, but I'll pass on joining your little team, as much as I'm sure you'd be delighted to be around me all the time... as if! I can sense very much that you don't like me. And that's fine... that hatred, that pure emotion, is what can make you so powerful! But I do like you, Raz, and so I will watch with great interest as to what you do. Are you truly strong enough to break that trend and really achieve what you want? Well, I can't say for sure, since your future is unclear to me. Maybe you'll succeed, maybe you'll die, maybe you'll get partway there and be named as Baroness, maybe you'll decide status isn't all it's played up to be. But I'm done teasing you for now... you can sleep on it. Good night, Raz!" With a wave of her hands and a brief chant, Raz was back in the land of dreams, and the white raven soared through the sky once more.

---

With a huff, Raz continued glaring at Shylah as she went off on her own stupid blabber again, wondering what future awaited them. For such a person to claim they aren't resigned to Timaeus, and yet waste so much time provoking her... Sighing, Raz crossed her arms and was beginning to consider kicking the magi out of her tent, however she could. It didn't take long for the Magi to understand how unwelcome she was, and Raz was unprepared to deal with that sleep spell. Once awake, though, she'd be sure to stress over this quite nosy visitor...

---

Raz had finally found Mikhaila, and it turned out she hadn't gone anywhere since they split. How... very her to not like a big place. "I can't believe you had the patience to sit around, I imagined you'd find an excuse to escape." Raz said, getting close to Mikhaila and wrapping her arms around the warrior, growing a wry smile. "So do you just want to stay outside here? I bet there are good places for fighters inside, or maybe we could buy something useful for you." At least Raz certainly wasn't complaining being this close to Mikhaila, though the latter probably might

[riariadne]

Anwir

"Yes, that makes our quest much harder..." Velvet frowned, thinking of Jovi's question. "Well, I don't know a lot about the sword. But if it was the one taken from here by Timaeus, and if it really was spotted in the mountains, then that would confirm it really is one of his soldiers who seized the Lazarus Gem. I'm... not too sure how helpful it is for them, unless it has hidden powers, seeing as him and his closest soldiers seem to have a hard time dying already, but he has some other normal followers than just those other four and the sand beings." Her eyes widened. "Uh, the meeting seems like it's ending, maybe we shouldn't stick around here?"

Meanwhile, Andrea put on her best pouting face briefly. "Aww, but adventuring is fun. And maybe I'm small, but I'm not super helpless, and besides, even if you're big sis, you're not that much taller than me either!" Andrea protested for a bit, but stopped. "But, if you want to take me back to the castle, then I guess I can go with you, Kaya. The main castle isn't really that far, there's stairs from the wall right next to the castle. So I only ran up them and walked around the wall, that's not so bad!" She lead Kaya along the wall, bouncing around as they went, and sure enough almost nobody was on their way other than a few soldiers posted along the walls.

As Kaya and Andrea were allowed in fairly easily, the door to the meeting room opened, two well-dressed men exiting, the height difference rather comical although their identities were both fairly obvious. Duke Argalian had curled, shoulder length green hair with rather flamboyant robes in Koerm's well-known purple, while Duke Bereen towered over him, his leering blue eyes matched with fiery red hair made him appear quite stern.

"Where were you off to, Andrea?" Anwir asked as the smaller girl walked up to him, then speaking up, "Though you seem to not be the only lady who sneaking around," loud enough that Velvet and Joviana were sure to hear. He scowled at the sight of Kaya. "So your lunatic dragon sect hears of the Gifts being possibly found across the continent, and you really did just go scrambling around pursuing them now? I'd hoped that the rumors weren't completely accurate, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to end up disappointed in that regard."

"Come now, come now!" Barus spoke up before Anwir could go on for too much longer. "No need for such hostilities. Duchess Mazzarin says they've been of great help in Fordright, and we all have a mutual distaste for Timaeus, so let's not be too quick to burn bridges! You must be Kaya- I'm Duke Barus Argalian of Koerm. And I certainly welcome you here, especially after you dealt with those rogue soldiers within Koermese boarders as well!"

Tales of the Road

Batro chuckled at Kolmar's description. "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. Though, if they were deadweight, I'd imagine you'd not be traveling in a group so much. I thought the treasure-hunting plan was nuts, but there's tons of people striking it rich everywhere, even with all the bad news about that wacky mage running about. It really is the change of an age with how crazy the world is these days."

Esteemed Duelists

"They are different. I'm very magically attuned, but I don't work well with tomes for whatever reason." Fia shrugged. "Bladework's in the family, I suppose. If that was your first time using it, that's pretty good. You'd make for a fine knight, though I understand you have current commitments right now, so I'll not do the insistent recruiter gimmick." She brushed her hair over her shoulder, listening to his story. "Dione, presumably? No wonder nobody could find it before now. I'm not sure this exact uchigatana was actually on Tethys, but that's where they originate from. It's a strange forging style, from how I've heard it described, but I guess it's a pretty good one."

Cityscape

"I wasn't exactly sure where to go, but I didn't want to follow him, either. So I just let him talk almost the whole time before he went off... that just took longer than I was hoping for." Mikhaila's face turned half red at Raz's affection, squirming slightly but not making too much of a real attempt to escape. "In the middle of the city? Even if it's not that busy..." she complained meekly. "Well, I don't have anywhere in mind to go..."

[scorri]

"The Order's actions are to do what we think best for the people, Duke Bereen. We do what we must and that is all there is to it." A frosty glare was the only other acknowledgment she gave the man, having no interest in talking to him or treating him like a father.

 

She turned to the other duke and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you Duke Argalian, your kind words are appreciated. My group is doing what we can to help in this time of confusion, and when we saw innocents being harried, we only did what anyone else would have done. We only regret we didn't get there sooner to help." She made a small gesture to her younger sister, trying to get her to go with their father, hoping that if nothing else this would prevent her from getting into trouble.

[eclipse]

The words "wacky mage" made Kolmar frown.  Best not let this guy know that our group has dealt with that asshole.  Who knows where the son of a bitch has ears.  "Everyone's holdin' their cards tighter to their chest.  Dunno what's up with things, but it's annoyin'.  It's a lot harder to go shoppin' when the guards act like every outsider's a troublemaker."  The guards were justified with Kolmar, at least.  The rest of the group was so straight-laced that Kolmar could've used them to prop up a ceiling.  The distant memory of their first meeting came to mind - how they'd defended that ungrateful snake, who'd slithered off to who-knows-where.  Even then, they'd respected the rule of the law, just enough to go outside of town before shutting up that loudmouthed whore for good.  Those were simpler times.  But now we're caught up with that lying piece of monkey shit, and it smells.

[SB.]

"I'm grateful for that, believe me." Aaron wore a wry smile on his face, knowing now that he wouldn't have to talk his way out of anything he wasn't interested in. A knighthood would be one way to gain recognition, but at the same time, they could easily repossess the Lionheart to a higher ranked soldier... And that, of course, was unacceptable.

"It was Dione, yes. We ran into some of the soldiers there, and I ended up making a trade with one of the majors. I wonder how he's getting on now..." Presumably he'd reached the capital now, right? He couldn't imagine much stopping him. "Regardless, I need to get going. Thank you for the the help with the fool." He still didn't have a high opinion of the sword goon.

fuckit baylife

[Bluedoom]

"I don't know what this means, Velvet. It doesn't look like Timaeus cares enough about his followers for him to seek the Lazarus Gem. Maybe he just saw it as an easy catch? He is seeking the Gifts after all, isn't he?"she replied, wondering about what all of that meant."You're right thought. Maybe we should head out-" was all she could say before she overheard the conversation between the Duke and someone else. It seemed that he was aware of their presence. "Velvet!" Joviana whispered,a little frantic about being caught, "We should pretend that we never heard that and just tip toe out of here! I don't think the facing the Dukes would be a good idea..."

[riariadne]

Tension

"Ah, but of course you do," Anwir spoke coolly. "All that is done in the name of the greater good--"

"Anwir!" Barus interrupted more suddenly. "I told you, I will not have your infighting sully the mood in my halls. All of us have more important things to do here than uphold grudges, and there is no need to be condescending, regardless of any past history between the two of you, of which I am sure there is much. I don't want to hear it from either of you- it is clear that there is a level of resentment, but so long as you are guests in Castle Koerm, set it aside. Am I clear?" He paused for a moment, seeming satisfied that Anwir made no retort.

"Tip toe out?! Do you know where the other entrances are?" Velvet whispered to Joviana. "We should just stay here and hope that they don't catch us..."

"Ladies, you are not as stealthy as you'd like to believe. Please do not insult me and think that the security here is so paltry I'd not know of people sneaking right outside my meeting room to try and listen in. Come here," Barus spoke with a tone more of exasperation than anger. Velvet looked meekly to Joviana before taking her hand and walking out to face the two Dukes. "There's a level of trust I put in you by allowing you to enter the castle. While you did not overhear anything truly confidential, I ask that you respect that more."

That Whacky Evil Guy

"Can't say they're too far off the mark about making trouble for you, huh?" Batro clapped Kolmar's shoulder with one hand. "Well, I can't be sticking around chatting forever. If there's anything up that's strange, I'll see if I can let you know of it. Not too hard to get in contact now that we've seen you again, eh? You'd best be careful of people who you don't consider friends now that you've shown your face around these parts. Best be careful in times such as these."

big-time mage aaron

"I see... interesting. It was nice to meet you, then. Can I ask one last thing of you? What is your name?" Fia inquired.

-

"Welcome, sir!" A vendor spoke to Aaron almost as soon as he reached the Bay. "I see that axe of yours, but you... I sense that you have strong magical potential! What say you take a look over here? Even if you've no thoughts of being a mage... there's plenty of enchanted trinkets you could make great use of! Mystic scrolls, empowered gems, books containing long lost secrets to power. I'm almost certain there'll be something that catches your eye here!"

[scorri]

"Of course sir. I would not dream of disrespecting the hospitality that you have shown us. And Velvet, Joviana, please. It is as he says. There are some things that we do not need to know and any information that would be useful to our group, I am sure will be shared with us by the Duke." She was glad for the excuse to focus on something other than her father. "Duke Argalian, did you have rooms for us or should we find a nearby inn? Either is fine by our group and we would not want to burden you if there is a better option."

[SB.]

"Strong magical potential?" Aaron huffed, not believing a word of it. Still, his eyes drifted over the vendor's wares, before a nearby stall which appeared to be in the potion business. He wasn't quite sure what part of it compelled him to empty his wallet, but it was worth it for sure.

Aaron buys and uses various vials depending on stuff I guess

[riariadne]

"Of course. You all helped us a great deal, it would be a disservice to leave you out of the loop of important information. As for rooming, don't trouble yourselves. There is plenty of space in the castle for everyone," Barus assured Kaya. "My good friends Reid, Eliza, and Damas shall be arriving tomorrow, and to avoid needless repetition, I propose reconvening and pooling all of our information together then. Until then, may you all rest well!"

(Aaron also buys all his vials)

----

Chapter 6: The Parting of the Ways

Castle Veiro, 5 AM

Any sleep ended abruptly for the party when their doors were banged on by Mikhaila in turn. "We have to go! Grab everything, we're under attack, it's the army of Timaeus!" She already had her sword drawn and didn't stay long at any one person's door. Belongings were gathered in a scramble, and none too soon as there was fighting audible even just outside. "The soldiers said that the east is much safer, there's a tunnel to Duke Argalian's home that they've escaped to with some of the guards," Mikhaila told them as a few of the Koermese knights signaled where to go.

"They infiltrated the castle too quickly to defend it, but there's still hope to hold out!" one man told them, who only Aaron would've recognized as Judas. "Make your way there... go, swiftly! We can't let them reach our safehold, too." The eight- for they were eight now, Telmara's presence nowhere to be found- shuffled through the hustle and bustle to reach the entrance through the tunnel, which was perhaps less crowded than expected. "Everyone is on the move. The Duchy is important, but all lives must be saved, and we can't let more weapons fall into Timaeus's hands if possible. You guys, you're not trained in all that miscellaneous helping, but we've heard you can fight, so we're speeding you along there," Judas explained as they went. It was surprisingly roomy for a secret passageway, with Lord Yarvus's horse able to move through easily as they descended and then soon enough begun up a slope towards daylight.

Fia and a small group of soldiers were there to meet them at the top. "The first great news all day, you made it soon enough. Good work, Judas, get back as soon as you can." He saluted before running back down the passage. "They've timed their attack too well... somehow they found out about the meeting between Duke Argalian and Duke Bereen, and struck right when we were shifting guards around, so we have a lot of people that are too tired to work at their best. That hurts our manpower a lot, so we need all of you, especially since you have experience fighting against Timaeus's armies. Nobody has seen the man himself yet, but down there, atop that wall..."

She pointed out the window, the silhouette of a woman holding an ornately designed bow staring down across the city. "It's Valerie, his strategist, and unfortunately she lives up to her reputation. So... we can't hold on forever, and we can't bar the doors, there's simply not enough room for us to fight favorably here. That means we have to get out there and keep them from this building! There's fifteen of us right now. That's bad, very bad, but we'll not be alone for too long. More of the soldiers will come here as they finish their tasks. Unfortunately, we can expect more of Timaeus's forces to head from that way too, but luckily for us, there's help outside the city already on the way- Duke Mazzarrin and Duchess Rhodes were expected this morning because of the meeting, and that's a key bit of information they don't know. So we outlast them! Understood?" At that, the group made their way outside of the castle, surrounded on all sides by the Time King's troops. A poor night's sleep or not, there wouldn't be rest for the weary for some time.

--

Primary Objective: Defend the Gate (T7, where Fia is) for 10 turns!
Secondary Objective: Defeat the Ruby Deadeye, Valerie!
Tertiary Objective: Visit all nine homes.

It is turn 1. Player phase begins.

As usual, I suppose it's always best to lay out a few ground rules. The phase order is Players -> allies -> enemies. Fia won't move. You can suggest moves for green units, but they will try not to die if possible. Expect reinforcements in green, red... perhaps even gray, whatever that could mean. Combat experience from allies will count towards bonus experience, so don't worry about that. Please don't take too long with turns, nobody enjoys those taking a week every time.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FcCwlTsG0D4yALkymth1RsRTlsw-u848ADkBVAkSgmM/edit#gid=945975530 Here's the sheet.

[SB.]

Aaron grabbed his armour as quickly as he could when he heard the news, trundling along to meet their foes on the battlefield. Things didn’t sound too good, all things considered. “Let’s hope that the others can do their jobs well, then.” he muttered theough gritted teeth.

The enemies in their immediate area at least seemed to be fairly spread out, which was fortunate. “We should pick them off before any more begin to arrive.” he announced, not wanting to deal with the overflow from other areas of the battlefield. Aaron glanced down at his treasured axe once more, gripping it firmly, before making his way forward It’s first true test was here.

Aaron to R13, Lionheart equipped.

[Xinnidy]

On 2/5/2018 at 5:54 AM, Reinfleche said:

Cityscape

"I wasn't exactly sure where to go, but I didn't want to follow him, either. So I just let him talk almost the whole time before he went off... that just took longer than I was hoping for." Mikhaila's face turned half red at Raz's affection, squirming slightly but not making too much of a real attempt to escape. "In the middle of the city? Even if it's not that busy..." she complained meekly. "Well, I don't have anywhere in mind to go..."

"Mmm? Well, what's so wrong about showing you affection?" Raz smirked, enjoying the reaction she'd gotten from Mikhaila. She had turned so red~. "We could find something interesting for you to do. It's a shame you have no interest in dresses... but at least spend some of your money on your weapons, things aren't getting any easier." Raz stepped back from Mikhaila, holding the flustered girl's hand and taking the lead. "Come on, let's take a look around."

Buy Mikhaila a Falcata, put killer axe in inventory if possible @.@

---

They were under attack, great, Raz readied a bow in hand as she hurried outside. It was still early in the day, Timaeus surely knew how to make unwelcome entrances. It seemed another of his subordinates were there, and these constructs were likely stronger as well, thanks to the natural passing of time. "To attack us at this time... yeah, let's not give them any ground." Sighing, Raz analyzed their options. What about this Valerie made her so special...?

[eclipse]

Screw you, mister I'm-so-chipper-I-attack-in-the-mornings.  You'd sleep in too, if you got laid every now and then.  But even whores have standards, which is why you're probably never going to get any.  Maybe the house over there has coffee.  Or breakfast, I'm hungry.

Kolmar grumpily moves to X9

Edited February 20, 2018 by eclipse

[Bluedoom]

Joviana couldn't think straight as Mikhaila warned the group about the surprise attack. She frowned upon hearing the news, annoyed that she didn't get enough sleep. How would she deal with the enemies if it came to the worst? I hope we get an easy escape, I don't think I can keep up with foes while like this.

Luckily, or so Joviana thought, they quickly met up with Fia and her soldiers. It was a delight to hear that the Duke and allied forces were on their way, but to Joviana's dismay, they had to engage in battle as well. "Enemies are crawling everywhere...and look at all those houses. Curse that Timaeus, even the folk have to get disturbed early in the morning for his nefarious plans!"

 

Joviana switches her Arcane Blast for the Contaminate tome in the convoy. Also, Joviana grogily moves to N8.

[Juliette]

Velvet was absolutely not prepared to be waking up so early in the morning, but she couldn't exactly ask for five more minutes or for food as everyone else scrambled to help the city, so she prepared herself as much as everyone else, her newest dagger prepared for such a situation. "I'm not sure the fact that he's invading in the morning is so much a problem as the fact that he's trying to attack a city, Jovi," she complained as she ran alongside the anima mage. "Let's help how we can and hope that we get enough help soon, because we seem very, very outnumbered."

Yarvus to X4, Irradiate Fighter A, canto to X6

Mikhaila to W10

Velvet to Q10