Nirriven: Divided We Fall!

[Alkonium]

"I don't know where Ser Jaymes is now, but the ruin of Lindaren is a good place to start. And I agree with Alaire. Using a sentient weapon is dangerous and dishonest. On the other hand, it gives us another option. If we could prove that Palach is sentient, the Court would have to strip Faren of his title, and reverse any rulings by him or because of him, but I don't know who it would go to: you, his opponent in the Duel of the Fates, or Ser Jaymes, his immediate subordinate." Athra explained, turning to her mother. "I'd be happy to learn from you. We should get going; the sooner we reach Lindaren, the better."

[Cyborg Ninja]

Chiron got up on his feet and cracked his neck. The constant talk of the axe known as Palach was beginning to bore him. He could have spoken up on the matter but he decided against it. He had a solution in his head but he wanted to see if Perdante would be truly worthy of it. He wanted to see exactly what she was capable of before he would think about risking his own life. For the time being he would voice his opinion on Elementalism.

 

"Oh being an Elementalist is so much fun," he said joyfully while he ignited his right hand with fire. "I can help you teach them Jenna if you'd like," he added in.

 

He then turned his attention back to Alaire. He still wanted to know more about her, why she became a reaver, and what it feels like to be one. He decided he would save those questions for another time. In the mean time he decided to ask her if she too wanted any training seeing that everyone else was.

 

"What about you Alaire, would you like to be trained too?"

[Tysyacha]

THE VEILED FOREST, PERDANTE'S CAMP

 

"I suppose we should move out, then, and set off for Lindaren. I agree with you, Athra," she continued, "that the sooner we move, the better. The Fates only know how sick I am of this forest already! 'Veiled,' indeed! One needs eyes in the back of one's head in order to spot all the hidden creatures and ferocious beasts that are lurking around the corner! Also," she said, a cloud of doubt and suspicion cloaking her own blue eyes, "I suspect Faren has soldiers working for him who are going to be hunting people like us when they're not hunting mages." She shook her head. "Honestly. I don't understand why he thinks that other types of mages besides Healers are wicked. Inceptors? Perhaps, if they use their powers to control others' minds in order to increase their own power. However, Elementalists? I don't really see the connection between their magick and evil."

 

THE EASTERN PLAINS, CRUMBLING TOWER

 

"Are you sure this is the place?" asked Dama. "The Elementalists' hideout?"

 

"Aye. Mages hole themselves up in some drafty old tower like rabbits burrow deep into the ground whenever they're frightened. It's an instinct with them. If you look closely, you can even see sooty bricks and remains of hoarfrost near the highest windows. Those are fresh hallmarks of their sorcery, for sure. Hopefully, we'll catch them practicing, and then all four of us can be eyewitnesses to the fact that they all need to be burned at the stake--in the Creator's name, of course," he added. "We sneak in as quietly as possible and then storm the main halls."

 

"But, what if it's empty?" asked Lad'ya. "Won't that have been a waste?"

 

"Silence! If it's empty, then we'll just move on. However, we have to try and investigate. If we don't, then we'll be betraying our Master and King."

 

The other three out of the Four nodded and moved in closer to the tower.

[JediMaster12]

"Lindarin is a good place to start," Jenna agreed. It was a good thing that she didn't mention that her own sword was something of a partner to her. She wasn't particularly willing to divulge the circumstances that came about to her obtaining such a sword. "However we should wait until dawn is about to break. The bear that Perdante encountered is not the only thing that becomes bold at night."

 

Jenna shifted position that allowed the markings on her staff to become evident though it was not her intention to. "Of course if you wish to travel at night I won't stop you. Just only take heed of my warning. We will meet up with Ser James soon enough. History is never kind to those that try to hurry it."

[Shana]

Alaire was actually surprised to hear that Janna had actually agreed with her. Maybe the elven mage wasn't as bad as she thought she was. Maybe not all elves were bad, and it seemed that Janna, having a half elf as a daughter, was more open towards this race mix than the average elf. She grinned mostly to herself only slightly and then turned to Chiron who asked her if she wanted to learn as well as Perdante.

 

"Me? Elementalism? I don't know, I mean, I hardly know anything about magic, I probably would slow down miss Perdante's training, I... don't know if I'd be any good", Alaire said. She wasn't confident about magic because she had zero training in it, but she did need to change something, even more so if she wanted to leave her reaver days behind her.

[Tysyacha]

THE VEILED FOREST, EN ROUTE TO THE RUIN OF LINDAREN

 

"To be honest, I don't know if I'll be any good, either," Perdante replied, giving Alaire a small, rueful smile. "You see, when I lost the Duel of the Fates and fled into exile afterwards, I found that I'd lost my powers. I can't cast the Paragon auras that I used to--ones for courage, swiftness, alacrity, and so on. It's all gone now, and I don't know if that's because my hidden mind is simply refusing to remember them or that Faren's axe, Palach, had something to do with it. If you would, Alaire," she continued, "please tell me: How does one become a Reaver? Not that I'm interested, of course," she said quickly, "but I'm assuming one doesn't wake up in the morning and say, 'I'm going to feast upon souls instead of bread and butter today.' Aye?" The young warrior paused briefly. "You don't have to answer me if you don't want to, but I am morbidly fascinated." When she said this, the sun passed under a cloud...

 

THE EASTERN PLAINS, NOT FAR FROM THE RUIN OF LINDAREN

 

"Blast it!" Korol' had endured enough. Today, more than any other day of the entire year, had convinced him that Faren Mageslayer was a complete idiot. If he wanted sorcerers slain, then why didn't he himself go out and do the slaying? It was simply unfair to delegate such a wild-goose-chase to others while he got to stay by the Kyng's side, whispering Creator-knew-what lies into his listening ears! "Not only was that infernal tower utterly empty of mages, but I also got bat droppings all over my armor!" Korol' was entirely "put out", as the saying went. "How about the rest of you? Did you dodge them?"

 

"No," replied Dama.

 

"No," grumbled Alfil.

 

"Negative," sighed Lad'ya. "We all had our clothing soiled, so shut your trap!"

 

"That's enough, Lad'ya," Korol' snapped. "Now, listen, all of you: We know this isn't working. Our 'master', or so he likes to call himself, is a complete fool. He's sent us out on this errand to hunt mages, and have we found any? NO! It's absolutely ridiculous. That's why I propose we follow a different strategy: disobeying orders and making sure that Ser Jaymes, whom he's banished from the Court, hasn't had time to rally his pet nobles and plot a revolt against him. I propose we go to Lindaren and see if the old tower's occupied. If it is..."

 

Dama smiled cold-bloodedly. "If it is--off with their heads!"

 

Alfil concurred. "They will roll, and if we had spikes, we'd hoist them high!"

 

Lad'ya said nothing. She was thinking of how on earth she could overpower one of Ser Jaymes' followers, or even the good Knight himself. Being a rogue, she could certainly backstab, but would she be able to sneak behind him?

 

"Then it's settled. Off to Lindaren, and off with their heads!" Korol' shouted.

 

The Four marched on, driven by a new purpose now, mad and ruthless.

[Alkonium]

(@JM12: It was already morning.)

[Cyborg Ninja]

Chiron looked up an noticed the sun passed under a cloud when Perdante had asked Alaire about being Reaver. He suddenly became excited again seeing it as an opportunity to ask his questions as well. He looked over at Alaire again and did his best not to jump up and down with excitement.

 

"Oh yes, please enlighten us. What made you wish to become a reaver?" He paused for a few seconds. "If it helps I'll answer any question you have for me," he added in trying to get Alaire to talk.

[Shana]

Alaire was beginning to feel uncomfortable by the sudden interest of both Perdante and Chiron on her because she was a reaver. Perhaps she should have never mentioned her former job. But it was going to come out sooner or later once they got to the Kyngdom. Alaire simply took a breath and looked away from them.

 

"To become a reaver, all you need is to be consumed by hate. Most of us when we started, we had a deep hate for someone and that someone usually became our first. For me, my first was my entire home village", Alaire said as she looked down, her eyes were beginning to tear. "I had been discriminated, insulted, looked down upon and abused ever since I was a small child in the elven village I grew up in only because of the mix of my blood. When my village was attacked by soldiers, one reaver took me from the hell I was in and put me in another but this time giving me a purpose, a focus. I learned to harness the souls of my enemies for power, to feed on their life as I became stronger and stronger. But the price got too terrible, too heavy to bear. I went back to my rebuilt village, I found most of the people there that used to abuse me, seeing their happy faces, watching them not even remember the half elf girl who once lived like a pig in the horse stable. I snapped. I killed every single one of them, man, woman and child and after that I became second lieutenant. But the voices in my head became louder and louder until all I could hear was them and I couldn't get them out and so I fled".

 

Alaire's tears began running down her face and she cleaned them up as soon as she felt them.

 

"I can still hear them, in my sleep, awake... always", Alaire said.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Though Chiron was not a master of solid emotion he was able to tell that Alaire was sad. At the very least she sounded regretful of what she had done. Either way he found himself walking over to Alaire and doing something no Umbral would ever dare to do; touch a solid.

 

Chiron put his arm around the half elf and looked over at her. While he too was ridiculed by his fellow Umbral and called "Odd" or "Freak" by his peers, he didn't have it nearly as bad as she had described.

 

"You know you and I have more in common than I thought. Obviously most Umbral look down upon this world you have here like we're some type of superior race. They saw me as different for I dared to question the Umbral way. I much like you was unique and sadly all entities fear such things. You need to be proud of what you are not hate it." He put his arm down and shifted in front of her. "Though if you regret what you've become then reconsider what I offered you. You have my word that I will do all I can to teach you, or at the very least help you find something else. What do you say?" he asked holding out his right hand.

[JediMaster12]

((My bad))

 

Jenna looked up at the morning sun. "At least a red sun has not risen." She then looked at her companions and listened to Alaire about becoming a reaver. When she got to the part about the massacre, she softly told Alaire, "One never does forget especially when dealing death. It does stay with you as well as other painful decisions."

 

She began walking eastward towards the Eastern Plains. Using her staff as a walking stick, she trudged the trails with her companions. Along the way, she began teaching Perdante and Athra basics in Elements. "The Elements are the basic blocks of life. Without them, life cannot exist. To be able to learn each element's secrets requires a focused mind. The old masters say it takes a lifetime to learn all four. I would say that you should learn the basics and specialize in one since you are human."

[Shana]

Alaire looked at Chiron. He definitely made sense, and since she was looking for a new path, maybe this was the opportunity she needed.

 

"Alright, I will try it. I do need something else in my life and just moping around about my past is only going to hold me down right?", Alaire said a little bit more optimistically. Larissa jumped in excitement as if she was relieved to see Alaire was finally moving forward. Alaire then looked at Janna as she passed by her and spoke words of truth. She nodded, the elven mage was right. Now she had to live with the choices she had made and maybe try to atone for what she had done. And so with new determination she stepped forward, following her new companions to wherever fate would lead them.

[Tysyacha]

THE VEILED FOREST, TOWARD THE RUINS OF LINDAREN

 

The cloud that had suddenly darkened the skies of Nirriven rolled with thunder. "Oh, dear," Perdante mused. "Chiron? Jenna? Could you please do something about that, perhaps? I don't want it to storm, because we have a long way to go and I don't see any shelter nearby." She cast a wary gaze around the forest. All she could see were trees and more trees--terrible places in a thunderstorm. She instinctively drew closer to Larissa, hoping that the wolf wouldn't growl.

 

All of a sudden, lightning struck with an actinic-violet flash, and Perdante was knocked flat to the ground, lying supine. Was she dead? Hardly! A deep state of unconsciousness had overcome her, however. Also, her weapons, Ychec and Makht...oddly enough, they were keeping her alive, both fully electrified...

[JediMaster12]

Jenna noticed the clouds and was prepared to ask air and water to be kind. She said out loud, "I cannot ask what should happen naturally to not happen. But I can ask it to be kind and wait for us to build a shelter."

 

She had spoken too soon for lightning flashed the sky and struck the ground. She looked around and saw that Perdante was on the ground and her weapons charged. She rushed to Perdante's side and kneeled in a meditative pose, her staff lying beside her. "Rain of fire with earthen winds I call upon thee and ask for your aide. Guide me through that which is unknown."

[Alkonium]

"There's no need for shelter. I can see Lindaren from here." Athra pointed out, pulling out a spyglass and taking a closer look at the old stronghold, spotting four individuals approaching it. Based on their aggressive stances, they did not seem to be friends of the Blue Knights, though the very basic apparel suggested that they intended a surprise attack. Best give them a warning shot, or a diversion. She thought, as she let an arrow fly, just grazing the leader of the group,

[Tysyacha]

Korol' swore as the arrow grazed him, with a foul word spewing forth from his noble mouth that would not even come from the lowest of peasants in Nirriven! Nevertheless, he signaled the rest of the Four forward: "CHAAAAAARGE!"

 

And charge they did. Almost with a berserker's fury infecting them, they fled into the deeper parts of the Veiled Forest, from whence the arrow had come.

[JediMaster12]

Jenna was not aware of what was going on. Rather she was concentrated on finding out and helping Perdante on what may be a magickal journey. She found herself in a swirl of fog indicating that she was in a subconscious. Jenna took a deep breath knowing that if she were to go further, she would need to be careful. Minds were personal and she couldn't force her way in unless the owner was willing though technically she could with Inception. Sighing, she looked around for an indication that Perdante was active in her mind. She saw her but it looked as if Perdante were lost herself.

 

Jenna wondered if this was a journey of sorts. It didn't matter though for she had to guide the way for Perdante but ultimately it was Perdante who made the decision. She strode up to Perdante and said, "Do not be frightened. There is a reason you are in this state and I will help you find a way.

[Alkonium]

Berserker's Fury makes one powerful and dangerous. Some say an enraged berserker can cleave a grown man in half while he's still standing. But as Athra and Ser Jaymes knew, Berserker's Fury also makes one stupid, reckless, and predictable. With a little bit of calculation, she was able to pin Korol's leg with a single shot. The others continued to charge, but they were halted not by Athra's group, or the Blue Knights, but by Archers bearing the Thunder-and-Stone crest of Thunderkeep, after Athra had heard a regal sounding male voice shout, "Archers! Let fly!"

 

When the dust cleared, the Four were unconscious, but alive, and Athra approached the leader of the group from Thunderkeep.

 

"You have our thanks, and I'm sure sure Ser Jaymes will thank you as well when he realised what could have just happened." She told him. "We were glad to be of assistance. I am Ard Eagan Ivar of Thunderkeep. Who might you be?" Ard Eagan asked.

 

"Athra Talravin. I assume you're a friend of Ser Jaymes?" Athra inquired. "We were like brothers, growing up in Thunderkeep. We went our separate ways only because of duty. Come, there is much to be discussed, and it is as much for his ears as it is for yours, or your friends' ears."

[Tysyacha]

All of a sudden, Perdante moaned slightly, and then opened her eyes. "J-Jenna?" she stammered. "Where am I? Did lightning just strike me? That's the last thing I remember..." She tried to raise herself up, but it seemed as if her whole body had turned to a slimy substance. "I can barely move. This isn't good. We have to get away from here, wherever 'here' is..." She trailed off. Noticing that her two blades, Ychec and Makht, were now electrified, she wondered, "How did THAT happen? More to the point, how did THAT happen without killing me?"

[Alkonium]

Noticing Perdante on the ground, Athra stated, "My friend needs help. Something struck her on our way out of the Veiled Forest." As she asked for assistance, Ser Jaymes arrived, along with four other Blue Knights. "Ser Kati, escort the Four to the dungeon, we will deal with them later." He told one of the other Knights. He then approached Perdante, extending his hand. "Remy, take my hand." He told her.

[Tysyacha]

"You...you remember me?" gasped Perdante. "The loser of the Duel of the Fates? Oh, for shame..." She blushed deeply, and tears surfaced despite her attempts to hold them back. "Ser Jaymes, I've fled into exile, I've hoped that I would start anew with strangers and live out the rest of my life in peaceful anonymity..." Nevertheless, she held out her hand, and Ser Jaymes helped her rise to her feet.

[JediMaster12]

Jenna looked at Perdante, "You were lost in a vision realm. For what reason is still a mystery. I called upon the elements to take me to where you were but then you decided to wake up." She then stood up and made to help when Ser Jaymes extended his hand.

 

Jenna said nothing about his rudeness but listened to the introductions. What had just happened was something of a mystery to most but not her. She picked up Ychec and Makht to examine them but she didn't want to give herself completely away so she put the feelings in magickal memory and handed them back to Perdante. "They are quite alright." Her phrase simply meant that they could discuss it later.

[Alkonium]

"Ser Jaymes, this is my mother, Jenna Talravin." Athra explained. "Jenna Talravin? My father often spoke of an Elf Mage by that name. Tell me, did you know a human Inceptor named Rori Caran?" Ser Jaymes asked Jenna, still wondering about the nature of the relationship between his father and the elven mage. Athra recognised what Ser Jaymes was insinuating and thought to herself, Ser Jaymes is my half-brother?

[JediMaster12]

Jenna realized something was about to be revealed when the knight revealed a name that she thought of constantly but hadn't heard in ages. Slowly she replied, "He never considered himself and Inceptor. His greatest talent was in his command of the Elements but he was a great adept. I know this mage you speak of."

[Tysyacha]

Perdante suddenly felt her heart seize up. She was still clutching Ychec and Makht, which were electrified. The young woman could not bear their newfound power, and so in a fit of convulsions, she breathed her last. It seemed that fate had dealt her a final, glorious blow.