Nirriven: Divided We Fall!

[Tysyacha]

NIRRIVEN: DIVIDED WE FALL!

 

THE VEILED FOREST, OUTSKIRTS OF THE REACHING MOUNTAINS

 

At last, sunset! Perdante Argentys had always loved this time of the evening, when the sun blazed red and the sky cooled to soft blues and purples around it. It was her favorite hour of the day to hunt, for that was when deer and rabbits came to refresh themselves at the stream near her primitive camp. Perdante was good at fighting, being a former Paragon of the vast realm of Nirriven, but hunting was not her forte. If she would have been more skilled, she would have ventured out to catch game in the morning or at midday, but the animals were more skittish then. At sunset they were calm, yearning for sleep instead of fresh activity. Perdante concealed herself among some nearby trees to watch the deer arrive.

 

Something that sounded incredibly large rustled and snapped several branches not far away from where she stood, waiting. Turning her head with a reflexive jerk, the young warrior almost did not have time to scream before a great bear growled, charging headlong at her. Apparently, Perdante was not the only hunter who preferred the sunset's glow to illuminate her prey! Before her mind truly registered what her body was doing, her limber arms unsheathed "Ychec" and "Makht", her trusty, well-worn dagger and longsword. As the bear tried to sink its teeth into her midsection, Perdante stabbed its muzzle with "Ychec". The bear, startled, stumbled backward, but not for long. Even though its muzzle was sensitive, it was not going to lose this chance to feast upon some tasty deer--or an even tastier human! It charged again, relentless.

 

Perdante fought hard, harder than she ever had in any other skirmish save her newly-lost Duel of the Fates, but the bear's girth and claws proved too much for her. It knocked her to the ground, preparing to maul her with a final coup de grace...

[JediMaster12]

"Oro, Malestat!"

 

Jenna Talravin had been wandering the outskirts of the reaching mountains training her magickal arts. She was trying to build up her ability to stand against Faren Mageslayer. He hated her and she abhorred his narrowmindedness. With the old king dying, there was a question of who had the claim to the throne with no heir. Martial right dictated that the second in command had the right to succeed the king but the old king and his lieutenants were driven by force and not reason. For that, Jenna was determined to challenge him as was by law of the land. If she won, she would be the legal heir to the throne.

 

Not something I truly want. Jenna would mutter to herself as she practiced with the elements while walking. Yet she had enough pride to take up a job no matter how difficult or how unorthodox. All except one.

 

That sent her to remembering a time long ago. If I had been as strong with those principles as I am with others... It was a thought best left uncompleted for throughout the course of her musings, her Elemental magick became more accentuated and forceful. It reminded Jenna that magick indeed was bound to teh emotions of the wielder. So she continued through the outskirts of the mountains.

 

She was walking through the forest when she heard a noise. She stepped quickly and came upon a clearing. There she saw that a great bear, the largest of his kind, was after a warrior. The warrior was good from Jenna's standpoint but the bear was more determined for a meal. Still Jenna had to give credit to the woman who was determined to live and was content at watching the spectacle. When the great bear knocked the warrior down and was prepared to swipe its deadly claws, Jenna raised her staff and shouted, "Oro Malastat!"

 

The bear immediately backed off and ran away. Jenna sighed slightly. What a way to ruin the day. Jenna never liked using Inception unless she had to. In this case she did since great bears, once they were on top of you, were hard to get off even if you managed to kill it. Jenna walked over to the warrior and looked down at her. "Most would thing twice before going after a great bear Warrior. Those that do are usually foolish."

[Tysyacha]

Perdante gazed up at the figure--tall, Elven, and female--who had saved her life. Stars were still spinning around the crown of her head, or at least they would have been if they could be seen with the naked eye! "Mayhap so," she rasped, "but I was actually searching for more peaceful prey. There are deer that come to the stream nearby at sunset, and I was hoping to hunt one down. However, sod it! That bear had the same idea, before it spotted something even more delicious." Ruefully, she hoisted herself to her feet. "Thank ye for coming to my rescue," the former Paragon said, breathing hard, "but by what magick did you drive it off? I have not met many of your kind during my...travels," she said after a pause.

 

Suddenly, she came to realize that she had not yet introduced herself. "Ah! Pardon me a thousand times for not giving you a proper greeting. I'm a hunter and gatherer in these parts, entirely new to the Veiled Forest, but an old hand in battle."

[Shana]

Alaire had been making her way through the forest. She had for some reason found a companion in the shape of a small wolf. She had tried to get rid of her but for some reason the female wolf would continue to follow her. At times where the burden of the souls came too heavy, she would slip between her arms to provide the comfort and wipe the tears away. And so she had accepted her presence and without realizing it, she began to welcome it.

 

She came to a halt over a clearing where she watched a young huntress being overwhelmed by a bear but a female elven mage helped the young woman to escape the bear's grasp. She watched from afar as they introduced each other, but the mage had introduced herself correctly. The other, the huntress failed to introduce herself and even neglected to say her name. This was something she could not hold back from and before she knew it, she was speaking.

 

"You failed to introduce yourself twice, huntress. It is customary to give the name before the profession. As an example, not that you would care anyway, my name is Alaire Stechtain, I am a warrior, renegade reaver, but don't let that spook you, I have given up that lifestyle. The burden of the souls gets too heavy to carry for some. But if you're in need of a mercenary or just a helping hand, I am available for a price", Alaire said as she sat down on a large boulder with the small wolf at her feet.

[Tysyacha]

The warrior knew that she herself had spoken amiss, as this newly-arrived Reaver had pointed out ever-so-correctly, but what name should she give--could she give? To be the loser of a Duel of the Fates was a disgrace second only to being a wanted criminal! Her true name, Perdante, would give her away immediately. Fortunately, in the dim light of the setting sun that was filtering through the trees, neither of the other two women could see the red Brand of the Vanquished below her left eye and brushing her pale cheek lightly.

 

"I apologize to you both," the scarlet-haired maiden said at last. "You may call me Rada. It comes from an ancient word in the common tongue meaning glad, and I, for one, am glad to meet you. If it had not been for your quick assistance, my savior mage, I would be dead by now. Secondly, with your arrival, former Reaver, I stand a much better chance of survival in this dark and danger-filled forest than I've ever had before!"

 

She winked at the two, leaning back against the nearest tree. "Do either of you know the shortest way to the base of the Reaching Moutains? I seek refuge with either the Elves or the Dwarves--whichever race will take a wretched beggar in for the night. You see, I have no coin, and it's truly a pity. I was hoping to afford your services of protection, Stechtain, just in case I run into any more ravenous beasts! As for you, honorable Elf," said the former Paragon, "I thank ye again, and hope you know the forest's exit."

[Shana]

"Well I apologize to you Rada, I am afraid I do not know the way to the base of the Reaching Mountains, I am merely trying to cross it myself, but I don't mind protecting you for a while. It doesn't hurt to help every now and then, you never know when you might need a helping hand", Alaire said but didn't bother looking at the elven mage, in a way she resented the elves more than the humans. At least with the humans she had attained reknown and fame as a reaver although most feared her more than they respected her. But she did speak to the elven mage. "Perhaps the mage knows the way".

 

Alaire petted her wolf, she was wiggling her tail as a happy dog but she snarled every now and then towards the mage. It seemed her resentment towards the elves channeled through her wolf and so she petted her to calm her.

 

"Don't mind Larissa, she sometimes tends to get over protective of me", Alaire said.

[Tysyacha]

"Larissa?" Perdante smiled down at the wolf. "Hello", she said to the wild animal, who was glaring at the Elven mage with clear mistrust. At the greeting, the wolf turned her head, but the warrior did not know how to read the look in her eyes. "I'm happy to meet you, too. I've never seen anyone with a companion wolf."

 

She looked at Alaire again, and then the mage. "Would you like to return with me to my camp? I have some salted rabbit jerky and a few nuts and berries left." Her stomach growled audibly. "Sod it! I'm so hungry I could eat the bark off of one of these trees! I don't know how I got myself lost in this forest anyway. One moment, I thought I was on a well-worn trail to the base of the Reaching Mountains, and then..." She trailed off. "I've been trying to survive for a week."

[Shana]

Larissa looked at Perdante and began sniffing her, she didn't recognize any evil intent from her and so she walked around Perdante barking a few times but moving her tail.

 

"It seems Larissa has taken a liking of you Rada, I know having an animal companion is strange but as she began following me, I just couldn't send her away. I guess I got used to her company, and she's an excellent huntress", Alaire said as she reached into her pouch and took out two hares that Larissa had caught. "I guess we can share this with you as well, I feel we would be taking from you, I prefer if we could share, if that is alright with you".

[Alkonium]

(@JM12: That's Kyng, not King)

 

City of Stormrise, Kyng's Court

Ser Jaymes Caran had enough of Faren Mageslayer. First he is named Lieutenant to the Kyng, Second in Command, and then, conveniently enough, the Kyng is taken ill, without much hope of recovery. Too many coincidences. Jaymes thought.

 

"I'm sorry, Faren, but I cannot in good conscience support you. You are the Kyng's lieutenant, but you are also a zealot and a brute. It takes more than that to lead Nirriven." He told the Dwarf.

 

"Such dissent amongst the Kyng's highest ranking officers is unheard of!" One Laird, Bariness Edanna Shran of Seaguard, shouted. "But not without good reason. Ser Jaymes speaks the truth. Nirriven under the rule of Faran Mageslayer is an unsettling though." Eagan Ivar, the Ard of Thunderkeep, pointed out.

 

The Veiled Forest

As Alaire and Perdante sat down to eat the hares, a Wood Troll watched them, blending in perfectly with the rest of the forest. As it prepared to strike, it was pierced in the skull by an Amber arrow.

 

As it dropped to the ground dead, Athra stepped out of the shadows. "You need to be more careful in this part of the forest. Even the trees might try to make you their next meal." She explained, before seeing the elf with them. "Mother?"

[Tysyacha]

THE VEILED FOREST, OUTSKIRTS OF THE REACHING MOUNTAINS

 

For a fleeting moment, Perdante wondered if the hares that she was presently sharing with Alaire, and the Elven mage who had saved her life, had eaten some toadstools which caused you to see things that were not there. The warrior herself had eaten only a few of those, and the frightening visions she had experienced had kept her from going out to hunt for two days straight. Where were all these other people, whether Elven or half-elven, coming from? It seemed to be more than a mere coincidence that all four of them were in this particular section of the Veiled Forest, when it was just as vast an expanse in the western part of Nirriven as the plains were in the east...Was some divine plan at work? It gave her the shivers to think of it.

 

The former Paragon's reverie was interrupted by a Wood Troll, newly-emerged from its cover of foliage, tumbling to the ground with a thud that made the whole earth shake. Perdante screamed and then covered her mouth with her hands, knowing that she had instantly made a fool of herself.

 

"I'm sorry!", she apologized for what seemed the thousandth time in a matter of only an hour. "I didn't know there were such monsters in this forest! I only thought there were animals, such as the bear that tried to maul me not too long ago. My name is Per--er, Rada--and I'm trying to decide if you are real or simply another vision. I don't believe that the toadstool poison I accidentally ingested two days ago has worn off completely. I've only just now come out to hunt, and these two helpful ladies have shared their food and life-saving skills with me.

 

"As have you," she continued. "Do tell me: do you know the way out of here? I've been staying in a clearing nearby for the past week, and I'm tired of it. I'm weak and near-starved. This fine meat truly helps, but I fear I shall not last long if I don't find the base of the Reaching Mountains soon. I seek out the Elves and the Dwarves--whoever will take a young sword-for-hire."

 

All of a sudden, Perdante blinked and looked at the mage, and then back to the half-elven beauty that had just arrived. "You say that the Elven Mage is your mother?"

[Te Darasuum Mandalor]

DUSK AT THE GREAT EASTERN SHORES

 

Boramir II had finally arrived. Just eight months earlier, he was in Minas Tirith receiving orders from his father, Faramir the Steward, and his Majesty, King Aragorn. His mission is to explore and make alliances with the mysterious peoples across the Great Western Sea. After a seventh month sea voyage on a mighty warship, they finally arrived on a new continent, new to them at least. Boramir had full intension to set out the next morning with 143 of his men, leaving six others to guard the ship. "Cherion!" Boramir yelled, "erect a campsite! We are moving inland on the morrow!"

[Tysyacha]

STORMRISE, CAPITAL CITY OF NIRRIVEN, KYNG'S COURT

 

Unfortunately for Ser Jaymes Caran and the Lorrds who supported him, far more of the nobles who were gathered in the Kyng's Court were on Faren Mageslayer's side. For one thing, Faren's martial strength was unparalleled among Nirriven's warriors. Not even Ser Jaymes could match his bestial rage in the heat of battle! Secondly, there were many mages in Nirriven, especially Elementalists and Inceptors, who were using their gifts and talents for evil purposes. They had "gone rogue", or so the saying went, and Faren swore that each one would be brought to justice. He had heard dozens of tales of Elementalists who froze and burned their rival mages to death, or turned them into stone. Worse, he had heard even more tales of Inceptors, whether Human or Elven, who had deceived and enslaved innocent people by controlling the faculties of their minds. Faren bought the loyalty of his supporters not with coin, but with firm promises of retribution and security for the realm of Nirriven, which was far more valuable. Faren scowled at Ser Jaymes.

 

"A zealot and a brute, am I?" he sneered. "I would have liked to see you enter the Duel of the Fates yourself, but you were too much of a coward! I was almost defeated by a woman, and yet in the end, my strength utterly conquered her! Kyng Varhad's throne is mine by martial right, and nothing else. You had your chance to challenge me in battle, good Ser Jaymes, but you refused it. I cannot fathom why! Nevertheless, that chance is lost to you forever, for that was the only Duel of the Fates over which our good Kyng will ever preside. Varhad admires my martial prowess, and that is why he made me his Lieutenant. I won the Duel, and you? You have no right to withdraw your support from me! Such a thing is absolutely unheard of, as has been said.

 

"Secondly, who else is better equipped to apprehend all of these filthy rogue mages? Not you and your shiftless soldiers, my friend. You tolerate magick, which is an abomination against our Creator if it is not of the Healing kind! I suspect you'd grant these so-called 'Elementalists' and 'Inceptors' a full pardon if you were in my place! Their crimes would go unpunished, and the nether-worldly wails of their victims would go unheard. Why do you side with them? The reason that I am a zealot is that non-Healing magicks are wicked, and as you have seen, these mages are using their 'art' for even more wicked ends! I will not have it. You'd ignore the suffering of our people, and I won't!"

 

The nobles surrounding Faren, who vastly outnumbered the nobles surrounding Ser Jaymes, shouted and applauded their champion. The others wilted silently.

 

"As the Lieutenant of our stalwart Varhad," the Mageslayer announced, "I hereby banish you from this Court of the Kyng for all eternity, upon pain of death! Do you wish to say anything else before your sentence is carried out?"

[Alkonium]

"This isn't over, Faren! Only the Kyng has the authority to do that, and even he cannot do so on a whim! How convenient for you that Kyng Varhad falls deathly ill so soon after he makes you his lieutenant!" Ser Jaymes shouted, storming out of the court. Something was wrong here. There was no was Faren should have this much power. There were safeguards in place to keep even the Kyng from becoming to corrupt. Something had to be done. At the very least, his point about the timing between Faren's ascension and the Kyng's illness would raise questions, suspicions, and doubts in Faren's supporters.

[Tysyacha]

STORMRISE, CAPITAL CITY OF NIRRIVEN, KYNG'S COURT

 

Faren Mageslayer simply had to laugh out loud. "The fool!" he guffawed, turning towards his supporters, whether noble or of low estate. "He thinks that I had something to do with our stalwart Kyng falling ill! Of course, if this was true, don't you think Varhad would be denouncing me with a thousand delirious curses upon his deathbed instead of promoting me to his lieutenant? Not even the most grave of fevers can addle someone's wits that much. He is febrile, not poisoned or languishing under some mage's evil spell. That is fact, not fiction! I suppose Ser Jaymes can content himself with his ludicrous fantasies all he wants while he's in exile. That would save him from the nightmare of living with his simplemindedness!" The nobles roared with laughter, and the common folk snickered. Only the Kyng's servants, passing by, looked even a tad bit worried. They glanced at him with lowered eyes.

 

"Well! There's no use standing about lollygagging. As Kyng Varhad's chosen Lieutenant, the very first actions I take will be against these rogue mages. They are wreaking havoc in the land of Nirriven, and dividing it when it should be united! Thus, my first decree is that all who practice magicks other than the Healing arts--that is to say, all Elementalists and Inceptors--shall be slain in the act of practicing their wicked talents, or, if they cannot be caught in the act, these suspected mages are to be apprehended and brought here for trial. If found guilty, they shall be chained to the stake and burned forthwith."

 

"Hear, hear!" cried the nobles, and the common people knelt in thanks to their Creator. Many had suffered under the effects of these rogue mages' deeds.

 

"Who shall become the first Knights Opaque, and reveal these sorcerers for whom they really are? May you be as strong as stone, and just as unyielding!"

 

Almost all of the noblemen, and even a few noblewomen, volunteered.

 

"Then go out and hunt on the morrow! Do not return to this place until ye have soiled your blades with at least one transgressor's blood, or until ye have brought back at least one suspected mage clapped in irons!"

 

The Knights Opaque, newly-dubbed, saluted and departed from the Court.

[Alkonium]

City of Stormrise, Hall of the Blue Knights

 

Ser Jaymes heard enough of Faren's plan on the way out. If Kyng Varhad were in any condition to lead, this would never have happened, and this was exactly what the Blue Knights stood against.

 

"Knights, Faren Mageslayer intends to kill every Elementalist and Inceptor in Nirriven with his newly formed Knights Opaque. What he does not understand is that Elementalists and Inceptors are not inherently evil, just as Healers are not inherently good! If we do not oppose the Knights Opaque, many good people will die. This will be considered an act of rebellion, I cannot order you to commit treason, and I will understand if any of you refuse." Ser Jaymes told the other Knights.

 

Ser Alistair stepped forward. "Ser Jaymes, I believe I speak for everyone here when I say, we stand with you against Faren and his Knights Opaque."

[JediMaster12]

Jenna introduced herself to the warrior, "I am but the Elven mage Jenna Talravin. Th magick you refer to, I'd rather not say except it is an old way." Jenna shifted on her feet to adjust to the weight of the sword on her back and reasserted by planting her staff in the ground. She looked at the warrior intently particularly at the mark but was interrupted by a visitor.

 

Reflexively she moved her hand to be in a position to maneuver her staff but relaxed when she realized that the warrior meant no harm. Upon hearing both their names, Jenna repled, "Honor to ye in meeting ye. I do know my way out of the forest but alas I am on a journey. We travel in the same direction therefore tis reasonable in accompaniment." She had nothing against the half-elven warrior and thought that for a change she would be reasonable against the centuries old distaste for half-breeds.

 

The journey continued until they stopped to camp. Rada had hunted down hares which Jenna was only too glad to eat with her special bread. At the time, she became aware of a presence lurking in the Veiled Forest. She made no obvious move to reach for the sword that was within grabbing reach nor for the staff. She did not want to alert the presence until it was time to strike. However she was beaten to the punch. Her sword was in her hand and in a position to strike when a familiar sight stepped into the light and said, "Mother?"

 

Jenna was in shock that she didn't answer right away. Many a time she wondered if the impossible would become possible and it seemed as if the gods were granting it. In response to Rada's question, she swallowed and said, "This warrior is Athra Talravin, the child of my body."

[Te Darasuum Mandalor]

Boramir and his caravan continued down the western road, until he came to a large and open mountain pass. There was a minor squirmish occuring. The participants looked to be dwarfs and elves. "Try to avoid that battle. We need all if our strenth to continue this journey." A large forest loomed up ahead as the party entered into the realm of Nirreven.

[Tysyacha]

This doesn't seem to be a very happy reunion, if what you say is true, Perdante thought. Perhaps you and your daughter are estranged. If so, I won't pry into your relationship, but I am indeed curious. Instead of voicing her thoughts out loud, however, the warrior simply smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgment--first toward Jenna, and then toward her half-Elven daughter, Athra.

 

"I am glad to make both of your acquaintances," she said with honest warmth. Despite lying about her name (which she considered a mere fib, rather than a malicious falsehood), Perdante was known as a forthright woman in Nirriven. Her outspokenness and tenacity had earned her quite a bit of recognition (and notoriety!) back when she still frequented the court of Kyng Varhad Poryvym. Now that she did not, however, being an exile and a vanquished Paragon besides, she would continue to call herself Rada unless she were recognized by someone else...or pressed.

 

"Mage Talravin," continued Perdante, "I would welcome your companionship as well in attempting to find my way out of this forest. Even though the camp I built is as comfortable as it can be under the circumstances, I want to leave."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Chiron was busy napping in a tree when he awoke to a loud noise. When he finally got himself up to a sitting position he saw a large furry monster running from something...or perhaps someone. He been in this forest for a few days and couldn't find anything to do until now. He spent the first day observing a female solid. She had a nice little camp not too far from where he was but she started to bore him. Now he found himself heading in that direction because that was where the large monster had been running from.

 

Lucky for him when he moved around he didn't have to worry about carrying anything. All he had with him was the "flesh" form he had chosen to wear and his magical abilities. He had just gotten out of sight from his tree when he saw two goblins. He hadn't spent much time with the meat-headed imbeciles because they were not as fascinating to him as the other races were. He decided just to ignore them, however they had other plans.

 

One was a bow and the slightly chubbier one had an axe. The one with the axe charged Chiron screaming in its native tongue.

 

"Are we really doing this?" Chiron asked as he ignited one of his hands.

 

He shot the one with the axe right in the chest with a fireball which sent it to the ground. Chiron turned to the other goblin with and pointed his left hand at him. His left hand became covered in ice as he got ready to deal with the goblin. He hit this goblin in the legs with an ice ball, freezing it in place. Chiron considered the fight over and simply walked away without another word.

 

What he would find next would make Chiron one of the happiest beings alive. Not only did he find the human solid from earlier but a bunch of other solids as well. He saw two half elves, an elf, and some medium sized furry creature. Now he would have just left this group alone but what the woman had said made almost made him jump for joy. She was apparently and exiled human as she was seeking a dwarven or elven camp rather than one of her own; this human just went back to being fascinating.

 

Chiron wanted to look somewhat presentable for this group so he quickly dusted off his purple robes and began to get closer to them. He looked over at the human solid with his glowing red eyes and did his best to smile even though he had a mask that covered his mouth.

 

"Perhaps I could be of assistance then. Lucky for you sol..er travelers, I know how to get to both the Dwarves and the Elves," Chiron said looking around at the group.

 

These solids seem to have united in order to get out of these woods, how fascinating!

[Thanatos9t]

OUTSIDE THE VEILED FOREST, OUTSKIRTS OF THE REACHING MOUNTAINS

 

Thannis stood before the entrance to the veiled forest his formally white paladin armour was scratched and tainted black it shone with an unearthly blue glow that would cause a person to feel cold just looking at it. This was but an indication of the dark power he had as a dark knight.

 

Despite his evil taint he took a moment to take in the surroundings and prepare himself for what might lie ahead, closing his red tinted eyes images of his mentors, family and friends all taken from him unjustly filled his head.

 

I will not let that happen again! Even if I have to kill every wrong doer I will not show mercy!

 

With a swipe of his gauntlet he felled several trees then entered the forest.

[Tysyacha]

((Ninja, please change "untied" to "united". Thanks! ))

 

THE VEILED FOREST, PERDANTE'S CAMP

 

Perdante Argentys had seen many creatures in her travels to the West, once she had been banished from the Court of Kyng Varhad. Even though seeing an Elf was an incredibly rare thing for a Human to do, since most Elves lived on the slopes of the Reaching Mountains, the former Paragon was not afraid. She had also encountered Dwarves before, namely one hot-headed Dwarf, Faren Mageslayer--her unfortunately-triumphant combatant in the Duel of the Fates! Half-elves? Even though they were even more rare and unusual than Elves, they did not cause Perdante to grit her teeth, stifling another scream. This red-eyed and shadowy creature, however, did...

 

"What manner of spirit are you?" Perdante asked once she was reassured she would not soil her underclothing out of sheer terror. "Are you a holy deva? A demon? I know not."

[Alkonium]

"I think he's an Umbral. A Deva would act a lot more pretentious, and a Demon would try to offer us something in exchange for our souls. He clearly means well, though I'm surprised he isn't content to just observe us." Athra suggested. "I for one, would gladly accept your assistance, though as a Ranger, I am very familiar with this forest. My name is Athra Talravin, and you are?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

((Sorry about that, durr moment on my part))

 

Chiron instantly crossed his arms in front of his chest and pouted. While it was his own fault for taking a form that resembled his Umbral spirit instead of a form these solids would be more familiar with, he still felt insulted for being called a demon. He pointed up with his right hand and took in a deep breath to retort when he was taken by surprise. Not only did this half-elf knew what he was but also respected him. This made Chiron take an interest in her as well.

 

"You are correct Athra, I am an Umbral. My name is Chiron Gethyro and it is a pleasure to meet you all."

[Tysyacha]

Perdante bowed in response, and then cocked a curious eyebrow. "Umbral? I have only heard of your kind in story-books, and tales told to me by my mother, who has long vwwb gone to the other side of this life. She said that Umbrals don't interfere in the mortal world, which they call 'solid', because they are indifferent towards us, or else disdainful." After a brief pause, in which she twirled nervously with a bit of her scarlet hair, she continued, "Are those tales true or false? I apologize for calling you a demon."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Chiron looked back to the human solid and let out a long sigh. He wasn't sighing at her, but at the thought of his fellow Umbral. He didn't know why they acted the way they did, but he hated it. Indeed their race was powerful, even though they too could be killed.

 

"Sadly your mother is right. Most Umbral do think of you solids like that. They believe our race to be high and mighty and the solids are not worthy of their time. However I enjoy this world of yours, and the things each race has taught me. Oh and you are forgiven." Chiron responded. "Now where would your group like to go?" he asked.