Chapter VI: Dangerous Paths

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia looks after Koldar, wondering, why his words have hurt her. He is right, his past is not her business - at least as long it doesn‘t catch up with them.

With a sigh, she puts Terras arm around her neck holding her hand, then puts hers around her waist, hoping terra would be able to walk on her own. Carrying her as Koldar must have done it would probably be a bit of a problem.

Though Koldar has asked for the backdoor, Talia decides to take the door she came in, knowing there were no fences or walls they had to climb over. as long as her sword wouldn‘t start to hum, they should be save.

The way back to the inn seemed far longer than when she had looked for the two. Slowly walking Talia notices while passing a blue coloured house with a banded riceau painted on its walls, as well as some plants, one of them Talia recognises as a Yahrl. A few steps down the street, she suddenly stops: This blue house is a temple of Nehtor and there Terra would be looked after much better than Talia was able to.

„Terra, this blue house is a temple of Nehtor, I‘ll bring you there, they know how to look after your head much better than I would be able to - and I can try to meet Koldar a bit earlier.“

The both turn round and are welcomed in the house of the god of the healing. After a few minutes and some coins from Talia for the temple Terra lies on a bed and a healer starts to look after her.

„Don‘t touch her sword“ she advises the staff there, „or she will jump from your bed even if she is unconscious!“

Taking Terras hand and pressing it slightly, she talks to her, now in a low voice.
„Stay here Terra, till you feel considerable better. You have to keep your head down for a while, or you will have a neverending headache. I try to send for Haj for help. ´Don‘t worry about us, you know, I‘m blessed by the gods with a neverending streak of luck.“

Then Talia asks one of the younger men there to bring a note to Haj to the inn. Quickly she writes some lines on a piece of leather found in her pockets, but tells it the boy as well.

„Please go to the inn next to the southern gate. There ask for a tall man called Hajarian Ryelliin. Please tell him, Talia needs help and that he should meet me at the temple of Armeros in about half an hour. It is urgent.“

The boy leaves for the inn , and Talia hurries to the temple of Armeros, praying that her run of good luck will go on.

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Hajarian Ryelliin]

On normal circumstances, being disturbed during his meditations warranted an ill-favoured response to the poor trespasser, but from his run in with Talia only a short time ago, Hajarian expected that a matter would come up where his services may be required. A quick series of taps bounded against the wooden door, which soon creaked open in addition. A young man's head peeped through, obviously cautiously, before he uttered, rather meakly, "Umm, sir? Mr. Ryelliin?" Instantly, the eyes of the magus split open, followed by a slow, calculated glance towards the door. In response, he spoke only one word:

"Yes?"

"I, uh, have a note for you. 's from a lass named Talia. Umm... here." Opening the door only slightly more, the boy shoved an arm through bearing the note. Hajarian nodded, then stood and approached. Grabbing the note from the man, he nonchallantly opened and read it. It was hastily scribed, confirming the note's aura of urgency. Closing it, he placed it in the pocket of his robe and looked at the boy. With a quick grin and nod, the young man scampered off, leaving the mage, once again, alone.

"Well," the sorcerer muttered to himself, "let's see what troubles my fair companions now." And with that, and a quick snatch of his arcane rod from its position by the door, Hajarian set off from the Temple of Armeros.

*****

It took only a short duration to get to the temple, yet with the time it had taken for the boy to get him from the inn, Talia must have been there long before the arcanist arrived. He approached her slowly upon recognition, his rod held tightly in his right hand, radiating a soft and dim red glow. Without a change in expression, he inquired:

"So, what's our newest dilemma?"

- - - - - -
Hajarian Ryelliin
Ice Elven Magus -10th Circle

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Talia has just left  the temple of Armeros, where she has been looking for Koldar, when their fellow mage addresses her, asking in what kind of trouble they are now.

„Oh Hajarian, I can‘t tell you much. This strange flute I bought in Strata told me that both were in danger and needed me. I found both, Koldar and Terra in a dirty hole of an inn, Terra almost dead from a blow on her head, and Koldar in only a slightly better condition. I brought Terra to the temple of Nehtor nearby, but Koldar insisted on securing the street or holding up their enemies or what ever. He told me to meet here in about an hour. This hour should be over by now.“

Talia looks at Hajarian with a  shy smile:

„Now we haven‘t even made a contract and we need you already. Thanks for coming so quickly. I hope I didn‘t call you for nothing. But Koldar and Terra are so excellent fighters, that I assumed, when they are in such a bad condition, that more than some swords are involved. I don‘t know anything, but I fear, it has something to do with this black elven lady we met near the gates - though Koldar didn‘t confirm it.“

Talia sighs, looks for a place to seat down but decides, it may be better to wait standing.

„And I hoped for a quiet evening with some of the stories Koldar promised to tell. Now I met him already some time ago, back in the Herald, but I don‘t know much more about him than about you, Mr. Ryelliin. And I bet as soon as I‘m asking you to tell me something about your travels, something will happen to prevent your answer, even if you would be willing to give me one!“

OCC: I know, something is happening now -darn,  I want a story!!!

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:41

[Avour]

Avour yawned and thought about following Talia once she was out of the room. She laid on the bed and pretended to sleep, her eyes slowly getting heaavier and heavier until she was eventually asleep and subtly snoring.

ooc - had a quick read through it, seems like she'd still be sleeping. Thanks for the email Talia

Youd be lost if I wasnt here to annoy you - Little Sister speaking to Big Sister... (My sister talking to me)

[Terra Artemos]

Terra was in no condition to argue with laying still, her head still throbbed, but the pain had subsided enough that she was now aware of the pain over her entire body. Her body must have be pelted with debree blasted from the walls by the elf womans magic. Terra felt vary fortunate to have survived the encounter, though still in great pain from the many injuries minor and savear she had incured. When Talia pressed Terra's hand, and spoke in a low voice to which Terra responded,

"Don't worry about me. Go and do what must be done. If I am not well enough to travel when it is time to move on, leave me. Get everyone to Milkengrad, and find out why Capher needed to get there so urgently."

Terra paused fo a moment to let her words sink in,

"If I can, I will endever to join you there, but don't wait for me. Time is already against us, and events have stolen our only means of direction in this, and left only clues that must be followed quickly."

Talia seeming to understand, turned to a young man and gave him a message before leaving to meet up with Koldar.

Admin Contact Info: Mortus Pryde/Terra Atremos

'I am grey. All but those like me see only darkness and light, they do not see the grey between them. In this greyness I dwell. I would not wish this fate on any other.'

Edited by: Terra Artemos at: 12/31/03 0:26

[Hajarian Ryelliin]

Hajarian couldn't help but grin at Talia's last statement. "Indeed," he replied, "though I'm not sure how much stories of myself I would be willing to indulge you with if any at all. I am no bard, though I do suppose some of my exploits might be entertaining." He turned to peer around at the temple in which they resided, before continuing. "You just seem to have the unfortunate knack for winding up with the folk who like to keep their secrets, I'm afraid. Assuming that Terra is the same?"


OOC: Bah, short, but, it's 5:00 am and I haven't slept yet.   So no more from me tonight...  

- - - - - -
Hajarian Ryelliin
Ice Elven Magus -10th Circle

Edited by: Hajarian Ryelliin at: 1/2/04 13:54

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

OCC: Was enough to answer you!



„Yeah, you are surely right! I wouldn‘t know on whom to bet, if you would ask me who of the two have more secrets, Terra or Koldar!“

Talia looks around the next corner, if Koldar is coming somewhere, but there is no sight of him. So she returns to Hajarian.

„Well, you had some more time to experience some adventures, but I think - I pray, that yours are not as dark as that of Capher turned out to be. He was such a nice and friendly man. I know he was a shape shifter  - he changed to a female ogre shortly after we left the Herald to save some people from Bium, an ogre who was just about preparing his meal. That was funny, I tell you!“ Talia smiles while thinking back, but soon she is serious again. „But I don‘t know his true form, I don‘t think it is a demon. Normally I have a very good feeling for people, though I don‘t know them for long - and I felt, that Capher was warm-hearted, caring, even if he hided a dark secret in his inner soul. Somehow I had the impressing, that a fight happened inside his head. What could that be, do you have any explanation?“


OCC: Does Haj already know about our goal and our task? How much have we told you already?

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

[Koldar Mondrakken]

Koldar can't tell what he was thinking to distract the two knights while Talia and Terra make a hopefully safe escape. However after strolling through some sidestreets without seeing nor hearing anything about some dark kjnights he was inevitable drawn back to the hut where he had found their hideout. Carefully he sneaks back to the place where these supposedly knights hid.
When he finally finds this backyard again he finds it deserted. Or, at least it seems like that. Not wanting to get fooled again he slowly sneaks into the yard but the door to the hut is wide open, everything looks the way he would imagine it after a fight and a hasty pursuit.
Slowly he walks towards the door expecting anything possible or impossible to happen. His hand touch the wooden doorframe. Carefully he checks all angels for any unseen attacker, but again nothing. Behind the door? Nothing. Any other door or opening? no. - Some trapdoor or hiding place, nothing, absolutely nothing.

Koldar takes a few moment before he begins to realize... nothing at all. The whole hut didn't look inhabited at all, not for rest,  not for meal. You'd expect someone taking this kind of hut as hiding place he wouldn't roam through the cities to find food there and even elves would eat something. The whole room however looked like it hadn't been touched by any living hand in years.
There was something creepy about this. Thinking about it Koldar never heard of elven eyes turning black over casting magic. And these ones behaved strange for not being Drow. And also strange for Knights of the Moonlight...

Koldar knew, he should hurry to find these knights or to meet up with the others but the feeling that something was going even more wrong than on the ship is creeping up Koldar's mind. There are too many incidents in this.

Koldar is about to leave the hutu again continueing his search when he notices something in th corner of his eyes. The floor of the whole room was blank with no furniture in the way. the wood looks old, smoothened by the long years of usage when many feet walked on it from one wall of this tiny room to the other.
But on one wooden panel there's something. A rough spot, darker in its colour than the rest of the whitened wood. Koldar takes a closer look but more than ever he feels something dark crawling up his spine. It looks like carvings ... of sorts, but there were also splinters, not wooden ones. Koldar gulps heavily as he feels his stomach turning upside down. Fingernails! And the dark spots were possibly blood! Whoever did this was either not sane nor sober! This was the deed of a crazed being.

Koldar takes another closer look. That something odd was about these dark knights was now more than evident as the blood clearly was just a few days old. Between the wood he sees something silvry and with the help of a bit of force and his new  blade he dispatches the item quickly from between the wood. The carving looked now more than ever like one side having tried to hid this item in the gap of the wood and the other trying to prevent that. The side trying to hide it obviously won, this time.

When he held the item in his hand he realized what it was: a ring. Shaped like the feathers of a banded riceau on the outside with fine elven runes and a saphire as decoration. He knew this kind of rings! And that the bearer tried to hid it or throw it away somehow was a sure sign that he was not in control of himself. Only death normally could part one from such a ring.

He must go and warn the others, Koldar can only hope they were quick enough to gather at the Shrine of Armeros before these knights show up at the Inn. Koldar rushes through the streets. There might be a thousand considerably sane explanations for his find in the hut but somehow he knew it might be the one he does not want to hear. Not with the memory of Capher turning into a demon for no apparent reason!

[Hajarian Ryelliin]

Hajarian nodded in response to Talia at her words concerning Capher. "Indeed. I have some suspicions... but, I need reference books to confirm them. Which I unfortunately do not have on my person." He looked towards the doors of the temple. "I sensed the conflict within him, though it was amidst a great power. And his name, Capher, I know I have heard that before, somewhere."

Turning back towards Talia, the magus finished, "I know that Chasm Demon form was not his true one, that much is clear. From what I could sense within him, whatever evil, other, I suppose, he bore, managed to win that battle. Hopefully, let us hope that whatever it was did not win the war."

- - - - - -
Hajarian Ryelliin
Ice Elven Magus -10th Circle

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

„Yes, let‘s hope so“ Talia responses to the magus. „I‘m glad you confirmed my feeling, that this demon was not his true form. You don‘t have your books with you, but what do you suspect his true form could be?“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:40

[Koldar Mondrakken]

Koldar - nearly out of breathe - reaches the shrine of Armeros, his dirty green coat flying funny in the wind. With a forceful push he forces the doors to the shrine open. The doors protest with a loud noise making some guards within the shrine grabbing their swords by reflex till the slender figure of a slender but furious Koldar appear in the doorframe. His eyes sweep through the room till they find the shapes of Talia and Haj, Haji... - whatever this freaking sorcerer's name was!   - talking to each other.

Without hesitation Koldar moves to the two a stern expression  in his eyes. Without introduction he introduces them.

"I fear we might have more problems than we thought. I couldn't find the two knights but I found something else. Where are the others? And where's the Heart?"

Koldar is aware that he just revealed something important in the presence of a doubtful figure like this mage but under the circumstances this elf seems like the least of their trouble.

Koldar Mondrakken, Knight of the Moonlight

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:40

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

"I fear we might have more problems than we thought. I couldn't find the two knights but I found something else. Where are the others? And where's the Heart?"


Maybe the magus would have told Talia what he suspected, but with Koldar bursting into the temple, and the chance was gone.

„Terra is in a temple of Nehtor nearby, and Avour is sleeping on her bed in the inn. And the item you mentioned is - hidden.“

Talia isn‘t sure, what she can say in the presence of the magus, though she has a good feeling about him, and they have no choice now, discussion about how much is wise to reveal to him is impossible.

Talias assessment  could be wrong though, she never met a magus of his class before. She turns to him, asking him:

„It seems we have something those people attacking Terra and Koldar want to have. Are you accepting to help us without knowing all we know? It is a risk you are taking, but it could be worth it. I‘m sorry I couldn‘t talk a bit longer to you...“

Talia has laid her hand lightly on Hajarians sleeve, still waiting for his answer, but turns to Koldar telling him:

„We need to bring Avour to Terra, so she can accelerate the healing process, maybe she will be safe there as well. Terra told me to go ahead without her and to ...to accomplish our goal without her, but I don‘t have a good feeling if she stays behind. What do you think would be the best?“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:42

[Hajarian Ryelliin]

Hajarian's answer was put on hold as Koldar finally appeared. He was ragged in appearance, out of breath and hasty. And the way he opened those doors surely wasn't good for the maintenance department....

He approaches Talia and Hajarian looking very serious, and without wasting time on introductions began, "I fear we might have more problems than we thought. I couldn't find the two knights but I found something else. Where are the others? And where's the Heart?"

Heart? This was new. Talia responded with saying it was hidden, before turning to and addressing him: "It seems we have something those people attacking Terra and Koldar want to have. Are you accepting to help us without knowing all we know? It is a risk you are taking, but it could be worth it. I‘m sorry I couldn‘t talk a bit longer to you...“ She turns to say something to Koldar. The magus waits for her to finish before responding to her question.

"Well, it seems I've dragged myself far enough along this adventure that leaving now is impossible. I may be old, even for an elf," he grinned slightly, "but that doesn't mean I still can't get one or two more adventures underneath my belt."

- - - - - -
Hajarian Ryelliin
Ice Elven Magus -10th Circle

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:43

[Ta'lia of the Seven Jewels]

Though Talia is still a bit reserved towards  Hajarian - he is a magus, no way is going past this, he is an elf, a strange one on top, very far away of his home (wherever this may be) - she gets a better feeling for him which results in a broad smile for him:

„Great, I‘m sure you won‘t regret it!“

Turning back to Koldar, she asks:

„Well, what do you propose to do now? Bringing Avour as quickly to Terra, hoping both will be safe, and then, what about our.....belongings in the inn? What do we have to do then?“

***Astropic of the day***
"For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path   that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly. ~Don Juan"

Edited by: Talia Sturmwind  at: 1/7/04 12:39

[Koldar Mondrakken]

Impatient Koldar nods at Hajarians approval to join them  though he didn't know for what purpose at all. Turning his attention back to Talia.

"I'd have wished the two are already here, the temple of Armeros has healers of their own and is far more safe than Nethor but I need to get there anyway because of this..."

He shows quickly the ring to Talia and Hajarian making sure none else in the temple does. "This is a signet ring of Nehtor I found in the hiding place of our new friends. It was under wooden panel stained with blood. Whoever placed it there must have been crazed or worse as I found the streaks of fingernails in the wood. And our friends don't behave the same way at all since the last time I ever heard of them. I need to speak to a priest of Nehtor. We need to get out of here and seek sanctuary. These two knights knew more than they could have discovered in this city on their own, they were sent here by someone on purpose. They were sent after us to get the Heart."

Koldar Mondrakken, Knight of the Moonlight

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