Gol'Bron Mission: Trial By Fire. (Open to all)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

((Sorry for my delay))

Standing up from his kneeling position, an odd sense of comfort came from the fact that he had several allies with him on this night. Though he could do without the Harpy and Diamond Jackal's sudden manifestations whenever he wanted to torment the rest of the group, all in all Lorenor figured that it had paid off. I couldn't ask for a better group of warriors even if I tried. This makes the fear somehow less biting. He could sense the impatience of his companions and he nodded towards them. He looked towards the one who called himself The Master and his companion, Cassandra.

"Its time to move on. We must face our fears."

Lorenor said. It was obvious to all of the gathered that Lorenor was afraid of The Endless. One never knew what to expect when dealing with the terrifying creatures. He saw The Master staring at his person, attempting to decipher the strange undead face. Clearly, feelings of worry were etched upon The Master as he was forced to deal with the ghoul. Lorenor observed that but could do nothing to alleviate anyone's anxiety towards the job at hand. "I am afraid too." Lorenor found himself saying without really understanding why. He saw that the Master was ready to take them inside the jail.

"Come with me then, the hour has arrived."

The Master waved his hand and the door to the shop opened where it was once closed. He made his way into the shop. Lorenor saw Cassandra moving towards his person and she placed a hand on the ghoul's shoulder squeezing it gently. She clearly wasn't disturbed by the ghoul's appearance at all. The boy nodded towards her trying his best to hide his fear. Once that matter was taking care of, he clutched the Key in his hand with a tighter grip, suddenly feeling the weight of the object. "Cassandra will be joining you. I can't because I have to maintain the Wards in around the building, if my concentration falters for even a moment the Wards will weaken and allow The Endless to run free. I can already feel them attempting to destroy the Wards I've worked so hard to put in place."

Inside the shop were many oddities. Shelves upon shelves of various archaic texts and enchanted objects lurked all around the inside of the shop. There was a front room, well spaced so that a large group of customers might fit into the general shop area. A single large, ornate, counter lurked in the center gathering area. Lorenor spied some weights where gold was measured on the countered to the exact amount suggested by hagglers and other customers. A sign of the available merchandise was posted upon a wall to his immediate left. Lorenor noticed no windows in the odd building.

The shop had many strange smells. Some sweet, some powdery and other scents bitter coming from various potions and serums. An area behind the counter contained even more shelves stocked to the brim with items of various kinds. Lorenor noticed a purple satin curtain, decorated with many mysterious symbols and eldrich markings. The very air in this large room crackled with power. Lorenor could feel energies of many elemental types flowing about the room and this made the ghoul uncomfortable.

Lorenor saw The Master go behind the counter and open up the curtain. "The door we need to open lurks in the back area, come with me." And he saw The Master enter the back area, Lorenor followed.

[Renjiro]

They’ve got to be around here somewhere, Jiro thought to himself as he turned the street corner. His cloak flapped around behind him as he ran down the stone street jerking his head left and right searching for the meeting place. Everything looked familiar; he had already traveled down this road a couple of times before.

Jiro was beginning to wonder if the information was any good or just some hoax. Like most young cocky new recruits, he had been begging for a piece of action from the Black Hand. After driving some veteran member of the group mad with questions about when he thought they might see some action, the senior member had told him that there was a secret mission that he was sure Sorahn, the leader of the group, would not mind him helping out on and that this would be the best opportunity to prove himself since Sorahn was supposed to be there himself.

Damn, Bernard! Jiro was becoming pissed and frustrated. I’m just going to get to the end of this street. If I haven’t found it by then, then I think it is safe to say Bernar-… THUD! The young elf came to an abrupt stop as he face planted into the ground.

Jiro had tripped over himself when out of the corner of his eye he saw Sorahn. He was sure it was Sorahn because the furry creature was just Bernard had described. The animal like creature was standing with an odd group of people that the elf had passed a couple of time already but had failed to recognize as the party that he was searching for. They were now making their way into the building. The young elf’s heart beat with excitement; he had found them just in time.

Jiro got to his feet and walked over to the group ignoring the blood dripping from his nose. He stood tall and proud facing Sorahn. “Sir,” he said loud enough for all to hear, “I am Jiro, a member of your Black Hand. I beg you; allow me to come with you. Allow me to prove my worth to you and to the guild.”

[Tenki]

Tenki made his way into the building closely behind Lorenor, the Master, and Cassandra. Stepping passed the threshold of the building was, for a moment, like moving in strong water. Tenki could feel himself having to push physically to get inside. The sheer amount of force behind these wards were immense, and the other magical trinkets, oddities, and such only served to make the air inside practically palatable with the power available.

Once actually inside, Tenki was quick to note even the building was built differently than the others of this town. While it merely looked different on the outside, the inside showed many of the unique architecture used to build it. It looked ancient, with purpose and power. Things regarding magic were rarely designed with flourish or unnecessary parts, and in some places that was evident. The walls had runes carved directly into them, and the ceiling was oddly shaped in places, like it had been molded on top of pyramids and other shapes. But what caught Tenki's attention the fastest was that some of the patterns used in the roof... they were of the mid-childa system of magic. The lettering style was unmistakable. The implication had Tenki's mind in overdrive. Was it possible this building had a connection to him as well? Could some of the others have survived? But where were they now? He felt a strong drive to discover these things as soon as possible. But it would need to wait until after tonight. However, Tenki's surprises weren't over yet as Luin piped in.

"Sir, ambient power allows for full repair."The voice came from the pendant around his neck. "Luin, are you sure? I know this place has a lot of energy floating about.. but enough to let you finish your repairs right now?" The surprise on his voice was obvious. "All sure, Tapped power full repairs possible without disruption." "Alright, but do it carefully. If there is that much power loose here, I don't need you overloading on me trying to fix yourself up. I'll perform the necessary steps on my end later." Tenki's voice carried note of optimism now. "I'm on it. Repairing Damaged systems." The Device remained silent after the exchange, and while unknown to anyone but Tenki, if anyone else touched it right now, they would have been likely surprised at the heat it was generating during this time. Not enough to burn someone outright, but more enough most people wouldn't wish to keep a grasp on it. Since Luin was resting under his duster, but on top of his shirt, Tenki undid the top buttons on the duster, to allow the heat being generated to dissipate safely.

All the while, he continued to follow behind Lorenor and the Master, who had gone deeper into the building. And closer to tonight's fated events.

[Sorahn]

Sorahn paid no heed to Shadar’s reply, having already dismissed him as a man unworthy of his attention. Instead he focused on Lorenor, trying to gather as much information on the upcoming trial as he could, however no such information was provided. The group was simply invited inside the building.

He began to make his way toward the door, contemplating summoning his weapon. His instincts were starting to rise; a sense of danger ahead that made him more alert. His heartbeat rose slightly. It wasn’t fear - there were very few things Sorahn truly feared anymore – but rather anticipation.

Suddenly there was a thud directly behind him. Instantly his instincts kicked in. With a clench of his fist a smoky black spear appeared in his hand and he whirled around. Within a second he had his spear at the ready to counter any attack as the adrenaline surged through his veins. But as his would-be “attacker” stood from his embarrassing fall, Sorahn quickly realized it was one of his own men.

He lowered his weapon. Apparently this man was a new recruit, ready to prove his worth to his leader. Sorahn smiled. This was exactly the attitude he wanted from his men. “Welcome then. You made it just in time, and I’m sure there will be plenty of things in here to test your mettle.” With that simple greeting, he turned back and entered the building.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. His honed nose was able to pick up a plethora of different odors. From the sweet smell of potions to the dusty smell of various powders, they were surprisingly not unpleasant. He looked round to see various devices and trinkets, as well as jars of ingredients, many of which he recognized from his alchemy experience, but some were still foreign. For a moment the thought occurred to him to ask this man about his alchemy experiences and compare methods so he could further his art. The thought seemed a bit ridiculous given their current task, but Sorahn was confident he would make it through this.

He followed Lorenor and the master behind the curtain, bringing his spear to the ready again.

[Shadar]

Shadar almost missed a step as he entered the shop, and it was only Brigitte’s pressure that kept him from blocking the doorway. The ambient smells were lost to him, for he had shed the necessity of breathing long ago. However, he could still feel the energy that ran from every shelf and display. It made his gloved fingers tingle greedily, and just a hint of burning to remind him that the objects were content to remain where they were. If he tried to absorb them into the Void beyond his gloves, it would be a losing fight.

That didn’t keep him from scanning the room with a gaze full of delight and desire. Many of the objects were the kind he would expect. Gold and jewels lay over them, functioning as both warnings and enticements. There were staffs of all descriptions, vials of fluids that radiated danger, and many artifacts more ancient and abstract than he could fathom. Occasionally, amid the glamour, were objects of plain wood or metal. They seemed out of place, but not diminished, like ruffian’s who had wormed their way into an extravagant party and carried so much malicious intent that no one had the balls to kick them out.

Shadar only realized he was slowing again when Brigitte pushed at his shoulder once more. He moved back up to pace with the group as he glanced back at her. She had anxious eyes, and it had nothing to do with the magical energies that filled the air like a mist. Over her shoulder, Shadar could see another new arrival. There had been nearly too many people for her on the street. Now, they were in a confined space and the numbers still grew. With an understanding nod, the half-elf dropped back a step to walk shoulder to shoulder with her. “It’ll turn into your kind of party soon” he assured her. His body pushed her forward as much as hers did for him, and she seemed to calm slightly.

Her eyes gravitated to the curtain hiding their destination, and she didn’t look at the smaller space with apprehension. There was probably something behind it that would frighten these people and their radiant wills away, or bloodily thin the herd. Either option would do.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor found himself in a gigantic storing area. Somehow, the smells and scents of the shop room clung to him like a swarm of angry bees. The air was thicker back here than in the front of the shop. Lorenor noticed various intricacies in the walls. They seemed much taller in this section of the building than they looked outside. Lorenor couldn't see the ceiling of the building but he knew there were lights all around.

Some sort of glowing orbs lit up the warehouse section of the building. The ghoul could see many of the orbs stationed upon the walls. A few floated freely and moved around like buoys in an ocean. Lorenor only now started to understand the type of powers that the Master wielded and respected it.

There were crates of all sizes and shapes. Some of the crates floated for some mysterious purpose that Lorenor wouldn't dare guess at. Those crates had a particularly powerful halo about them. All around the room were more mysterious and archaic objects. More artifacts, more supplies of the magical arts and even more tools with mysterious design behind them.

Statues of every type and size, amulets, trinkets of various make and other objects that Lorenor couldn't identify. They were too bizarre. It was now at the presence of such power that the ghoul really understood his own level of weakness. It was a humbling experience. Lorenor followed the Master into the deeper parts of the storage area and then he saw it. Smack in the middle of all the misleading chaos. A door. A door with no room attached to it.

Lorenor would never forget the day he first saw that door. It had a wall attached to it that held the device up in place, but that was all. The door seemed like a spherical amalgam of gears and clock-work made of brass. Even from this distance, Lorenor saw that the door was closed. It had double doors. In the epicenter of the whole mechanism was the locking structure. The ghoul remembered he held the Key in his hands. Suddenly, the weight of their mission hit him. He understood the severity of what they were about to do. Lorenor couldn't negotiate with these Endless. No. These were a new variety of The Endless that the ghoul never saw before.

The Endless within Lorenor sang songs of war. Lorenor felt worry creeping up in his black heart as he saw the door, and what it meant. It stood there ominously, this door to nowhere. The Master moved until he stood approximately five or six feet away from the door. A small staircase lead up to the locking device. Lorenor found his legs moving to the door without him commanding them to. His eyes were fixated.

"Everyone, this is the door. This is a door to nowhere. Everywhere. I found this place many years ago. Like a fool, I used Alchemy to discover a way into the door and once I made a prototype key, made my way into the undiscovered country. It was during my adventures inside the door that I found the key you now hold Lorenor." Lorenor saw that The Master pointed to the object in his hand. "One night going inside the undiscovered country, I encountered The Endless and foolishly engaged them. I paid a dear price that night. It cost me greatly." Lorenor saw that the Master opened up his robes to reveal his left leg. His right leg was replaced with a metallic construct as was his left arm.

"Lorenor proceed to the unlocking device." The ghoul nodded and stepped forward regardless of everyone being there or not. It was time to move on.

[Renjiro]

((Sorry for the wait. It's been a rough week.))

Sorahn did not pay much heed to Renjiro, only enough to assure the eager youth that his presence was welcome before he turned and went inside. Jiro was a bit unnerved by his leader’s brief “hello,” and he timidly shifted his way behind the last pair in the party and followed them into the shop.

The young elf’s eyes darted back and forth absorbing all it was seeing. The shop was filled with ancient magical artifacts and heirlooms from clans and races just like his own. Jiro craned his next in every direction wanting to see more. He had barely been in the party for ten seconds, and he had already lost his focus.

As he admired the ancient prizes with awe, a troubling thought entered his mind. Where had all of these mysterious items come from? How had the Master acquired them? Was he in the business of attacking the innocent for profit? Could he have been the one who sent a small troop to ransack Jiro’s home? Could he have been the one who sought to steal the secrets of Hyra’s special arts?

Jiro knew the there was little reason to suspect this man. Most of the items in the shop had a much darker feel to them than any Hyran artifact. He was also miles away from where his home had been. He doubted that the shop keeper had even heard of his race, but just to be safe, he decided he should keep that information private to himself.

Jumping back to his senses, Jiro was caught off guard as the Master pulled back his robes to reveal a metallic leg and arm. The elf let a small, “Whoa,” escape his lips. He had missed the explanation for the missing limbs, but he was quite sure they must have had something to do with why they were here, which only made the boy yearn for what he had gotten himself involved in.

[Tenki]

Tenki listened to the Master speak. The experiences he relayed certainly could hold valuable. His own loss to the Endless locked here proved their danger. He stared at the door, strafing around it calmly a bit to look at the whole thing. Unlike those few runes in the other room, there was no evidence of mid-childan involvement here it seemed. The door itself was a complex combination of parts from simple metals. But it was still ahead of what most of Althanas was capable of. As the Master finished his tale and exposed the effects of his loss. Gleaming metal prosthetics were revealed attached to his body in replacement of his right leg and left arm.

Upon that point Tenki heard a soft "whoa" echo a bit in the large room. He turned to see another that had joined the group. An elf a bit shorter and with a bit more of an aged look to him than Tenki himself had. Admittedly he was taking a bit of a leap here, but figured since no one else had acted against the elf, he'd joined while Tenki had been taken in by the sights and power of the building at some point. Tenki went a few paces until he was alongside the elf. "I'm afraid I didn't see you join up back there. I don't know how much you know, but we're about to be involved in some pretty dangerous stuff. I believe teamwork will be our best bet of coming out alive. So tell me, can you watch out for your allies?" He hoped he hadn't come across as arrogant, but there was really no time to try and get to know the elf much better than a short bit of questioning.

[Sorahn]

Sorahn blinked several times when he caught sight of the man’s prosthetic limbs. He hadn’t noticed them until now. They served to dramatically underscore the danger of what lay on the other side of the door. Somehow this didn’t frighten Sorahn. He was battle-hardened, and one of an extremely rare few who have already died and been resurrected. Death was not something he feared, but rather dying with regrets about life.

He watched as the boy proceeded forward with the odd shaped key. For the first time Sorahn really noticed the door. It was simply a door, standing freely in the middle of the room, leading to nowhere, lacking the very purpose of a door. Rather, it appeared to lead to nowhere, but Sorahn knew from experience that doors did not have to lead to a place directly behind them in space. He had just recently returned to his home world of Ranoa through a portal device, demonstrating that his planet was not somewhere else in space, but rather in the same place on a different plane of existence.

Sorahn understood very little of this, but he knew the end effect. In this case the end effect was he would be taken to a place on the other side of that door where many evil creatures lived. He instinctively pulled his spear to the ready, mentally preparing himself for inevitable battle.

Ranoan warriors were trained to be fearless. They were trained to face any challenge and conquer it for the glory of Ranoa, or die trying. Sorahn no longer lived on Ranoa, but this belief never faltered. He would fight for the glory of his clan, and to protect his men, or he would not return.

This is what he was bred for. All of the politics of running a clan, the art of his alchemy, all of the things that consumed his time of late, those things weren’t him. He was a warrior. There was nothing he understood better than the heat of battle, facing an enemy, and fighting for what he believed in. It was so basic it was a part of his natural subconscious.

As usually happened, his animal nature was starting to take over. He subconsciously widened his stance, as if preparing for something to leap out of the door. It wouldn’t be long until he was in the midst of battle, and would be able to react without even thinking; fighting purely on instinct. He stared at the door, as if peering into the evils which lay on the other side, carefully watching them and waiting.

The hunter stalking his prey.

[Shadar]

Brigitte seemed to be relaxing in the large space of the store room, but Shadar was so tense that his innards tied themselves in knots over top of knots. He kept his fists closed and pressed to his sides to assure the magical aura’s in the room that he wouldn’t bother them. Unlike those in the shop, the essences here were unsympathetic, unattractive, and fleetingly threatening. The lights, like clumps of fireflies, did well to illuminate every unmarked crate and archaic item, but that did nothing to relieve the tension. There was a reason these objects of power were stored away from the customers, and it certainly wasn’t the fear of theft.

He largely ignored the discussion until the mage revealed his missing limbs. Amid the awed reactions, Shadar made a low, appreciative sound in his throat. He wasn’t the type to respect scars, but some marks were so horrid that they could receive nothing but respect. Strangely, the tension loosened. While the magic surrounding them was an unstable ocean, the false limbs were solid and real. Shadar’s understanding spread to the door, their apparent target, where those limbs had been taken. If what it contained was strong enough to damage such a powerful mortal, then the clockwork portal made perfect sense. It didn’t look like a door, but rather a disconcertingly large lock. People were not meant to travel through this door. It was meant to keep them out and something within; a border between the comfortable world and that which was better left untouched. Perhaps it was childish, but Shadar hated being told what he couldn’t touch.

He smiled and looked at Brigitte. She was smiling too, the kind that had more fire than joy. “We really have a death wish, don’t we?” he asked her with an amused shake of his head.

Her response was a raised eyebrow as she shifted energetically from foot to foot. “What’s a death wish?”

“This,” he said smugly as he stepped toward the door. Both of his hands creaked open as a faint blue light rose from the depths of his gloves. It solidified into veins of prevalida, iridescent with ghostly light, that ran from elbow to fingertip, giving his gloves a disturbingly organic appearance. Brigitte fell into step behind him, her own excitement pushing away the need for modesty as she flexed her wings in preparation. Behind and from all sides, Shadar could feel the charged air leering at him. I’ll leave you in peace, he assured the room, and the pressure decreased as if to say, “Good riddance.”