The Order of the Golden Dawn: A Rising Sun

[Zook Murnig]

Na Crann Ceap read the sign over the bar within the aged tree. Caduceus had no idea what it meant, but that didn't matter. He was more concerned with the task at hand, and meeting the pair that had contacted him, saying that they would join him.

The tavern was relatively quiet that day, with most of the patrons being easily recognized as "the usuals" by their ritualistic behavior. Heavy rains had kept all but the most determined customers away from the hollowed tree. Even Caduceus had been hesitant to come, and he sat in the private booth on the second floor in a simple shirt and trousers, his rainsoaked robes hanging out to dry on the end of his seat. He felt the cloth for a moment, determining that it was still not safe to don the simple raiments.

With a sigh, he leaned back, closing his eyes as he remembered why he was in this wet and wild land. Studying in the Library of Jadet, he had come across a legend that told of an amulet of great elemental power, that lent the strength of each element to its wearer. The Omeldi Crystal. The story said that it lay in a temple deep in the Luthmor forest, in the land of the fae, for they, or their ancestors, had created the artifact.

After a week's research, he had compiled enough information to get a general idea of where this abandoned temple lay, but he needed a guide and an escort, for the jungles of Dheathain were not safe for a lone magician. So he posted a bill upon his arrival requesting the assistance of anyone who could, and would, go with him into the darker reaches of the rainforest.

Opening his eyes again, he scanned the crowd, searching for signs of someone new. Searching for signs of Lasair, the faerie guide, or Karyna, the archer and tracker.

[MoonRunner]

I danna see why we should participate in this wild goose chase, the unusually large wolf trotting just ahead of Karyna's grumbled as they both approached the tavern carved from the center huge tree that had started to show its dark form through the heavy rain. Sadly, Karyna couldn't tell quite what kind of tree it was but it did have the beaty of a silver birch, the comfortable grandure of a redwood, as well as the strength and wisdom of an oak.

I am a member, Kyprith. Karyna replied across their mental link, Plus, our skills would be useful, an’ I thought a treasure hunt would be kinda fun after tha’ mind wrenching mystery we had tae solve with Karu.

We should be trying tae figure out what all ye can do before going on another quest.

My gifts can wait, Kyp I’ve taught myself up till now, why can’t I continue tae do so for a while yet?

Kyprith growled quietly and snapped at the air, the wolf’s equivalent to rolling his eyes, making a person leaving the tavern leap back with a yelp. The wolf and girl ignored the other person and entered, they were used to having people nervous about Kyprith’s presence. Inside he shook himself to somewhat dry his drenched fur, further drenching the entrance way. Karyna decided to ignore the annoyed look on the bartender’s face as she removed her travel cloak, hung it on an available hook by the door, and scraped the mud from her riding boots on the welcome matt.

At the bar that had been roughly hewn out of the tree itself, Karyna ordered a wiskey and cream before scanning the room. It was warm, relaxed, and comfortable. When the weather wasn't keeping everyone in their homes, it had to be a vibrant place. It looked like the furniture had been collected over various years; in one corner a small oval stone table was surrounded by three overstuffed chairs, while closer to the middle of the room there was a long wooden table with matching benches that looked roughly hewn at the first glance, but one could see the caring details if she looked harder. Giving the bartender a few pence too many to make up for the mess Kyprith had made, Karyna grabbed her drink and climbed the stairs to the second floor with the still damp and silently grumbling wolf behind her.

At the top of the stairs, Karyna stopped and quickly sorted through the people in the room, suddenly unsure. She had never met this man before, she had no idea what he looked like, and a small part of her was yelling that she really had no idea what to expect. With a quick glance up and a very silent, almost imagined, mental I told ye so, Kyprith left her side to explore the practically empty room. In one corner were three fae, quietly talking among themselves. There was another fae brooding by a small window. And closer to the back wall, reclined a man next to a pile of wet robes. That had to be him. With the slightest of nods to herself, she strode toward him. Well, whatever she had gotten herself into, she might as well make the best of it. Heck, maybe she could find some more artifacts that could fetch a nice price at her mother's shop. Thinking this, Karyna gently touched her belt bag and was reasured by the soft roundess of an odd but beautiful artifact she had found on her recent adventure.

[Lasair Anubail]

Rain poured from the sky. Heavy fat drops that fell in great succession, causing a curtain of water to fall around and before any that dared to walk in such weather. They pummelled those who had stepped from the safety of their homes, dropping upon their heads and their shoulders and soaking into their clothes, making them heavy and cold. But the humidity in the air created a thick fog that covered the air and made even the areas not exposed to the rain feel hot and sticky and wet with moisture.

Lasair was one such person that braved the rain. She had grown up in Dheathain and lived her life within its familiar forests and plains and as such the weather never really bothered her. She merely donned her cloak, wrapping it tightly around her body and covered her head with the hood. The tightly woven fabric did a good job of repelling the fat drops of rain and keeping her as dry as possible. She had a place to be and a job to do and she was going to let a little rain get in her way. A human had hired her, well she had offered her skills and he had accepted. Humans were such interesting creatures to her and she liked spending time with them, which was why she had decided to take on the job, and the dangerous forest and ruins that the human wanted her to take him to was why there was an extremely tall and imposing Draconian wrapped in a cloak and following at her side.

He was her best friend Tristram, an amazing fighter and someone she trusted with her life. When she’d told him what she was doing he hadn’t taken no for an answer and she knew that there was no point in arguing with him. He was more likely to tie her to up and leave her in her bedroom if she kept refusing him than to just let her walk out the door and be on her merry way. So she’d agreed and hoped that the humans wouldn’t mind her bodyguard.

Through the veil of rain she could just make out the Na Crann Ceap, one of the more unique taverns that lined the outskirts of Donnalaich, the Fae Capitol city. It was built within the confines of an ancient and large tree that had long ago died and rotted, leaving an immense cavity around the husk of the tree and the proprietors had thought it a perfect place to build a tavern. And indeed it was, a cute little establishment hidden within the shadows of the tree and built of a lovely bluish white stone that the majority of Donnalaich was built from.

She moved into the tavern, the dry heat inside of it a welcome reprieve from the rain and the humidity. The inside of the tavern was rather large and spacious, consisting of two floors. Stairs to the second were not too far from the entrance, winding and beautifully carved to represent the branches and leaves of a tree. Off to the left side was the main bar, carved from a dark piece of wood and covered in the depictions of what looked like some kind of dance or festival. Behind the bar counter were shelves lined with liquor bottles like in almost any other bar and barkeep himself was a rather friendly looking male Fae that was a bit on the short side. Tables and chairs lined both floors of the tavern with crystals set upon each table that glowed to provide the gentle light filling the place. No candles needed to burn, but in two large stone hearths a fire burned. The crackle and pop of wood a welcome sound in the almost silent room.

Glancing around at the empty tables and chair, Lasair soon found what she was looking for. There were two humans on the top floor, the only humans in the room and most likely the man Caduceus that had hired her.

Nodding to the barkeep, the tiny Fae moved up to the second floor and approached the table the two humans sat at. Pushing back the hood of her cloak, she allowed her long, red and golden locks to cascade down around her as she smiled softly.

“Is one of you Caduceus?” Her voice was lined with the accent of the area, but having spent time away from Dheathain she was quite good at masking her accent now.

Behind her, Tristram loomed, the large figure of the Draconian removing the black cloak from around his body and shaking the drops of rain from the material. He smoothed down his creamy white vest with his hand, making the navy blue scales along his arm and shoulder flex and shift and reflect the light of the crystals. His shirt was dry thanks for the cloak and once he was pleased with its appearance he allowed his clawed hand to rest upon the hilt of his sword, strapped to his side.

[Papa Dagon]

Dagon made it a point never to follow standards, and that meant standards of all kinds. He didn’t have a home, didn’t have a job, didn’t have a wife and didn’t have a village full of bastard kids running around. Not that he knew of, at least. He also didn’t beat his head around when it came to proper placement of silverware: spoons on the right, forks on the left, tines facing down? No, not for Dagon. Food in hands, utensils in the eyes of the next poor sod who told him he was doing it wrong. And when life gave him lemons, he didn’t make lemonade: he snagged some damn vodka from the nearest liquor store and mixed it up.

But what did Dheathain give him? Nothing but incontinent clouds and a pair of knickers that kept riding up. If there was one standard he even deigned to follow, it was that of the weather. Standard weather. Back in Deru, the standard was warm and dry and potentially lethal. He didn’t care that antelopes and hyenas croaked in indiscriminate mounds every time he crossed the plains, didn’t care to see a few human heads thrown in there as well – he’d seen too many brothers and sisters die to really care anymore.

At least he knew consistency in the merciless sun. Always dry, always warm, always fair to each and all. It threw in a thin rain once every few months for good measure, but that was it, and he liked it that way. Dheathain, however, was a mercurial bitch that got around more than harlot in a convention of middle-aged virgins. Air like sheets of damp cloth near the coastlines, winds like flatulences that fermented under the sea from the swamplands, but a parched haze on the golden grassfields? This was one country that never made up its damn mind.

Today, it was a torrent from above. These weren’t raindrops anymore, they were fat and viscous bird droppings that threatened to knock off his hat every few seconds. Unpleasant. His leather coat did nothing to keep him dry, and it wouldn’t have helped even the slightest if he’d cared enough to sew up the moth-bites riddling it. Every step through the Fae capitol was a squelch of spurting and suction, brewing inside his boots with a galon of his perspiration. That taught him right for walking through Talmhaidh on foot. That, and the blazing blisters on his soles. Everything in this land was wearing him thinner and thinner, including the natives. Centennial Faes frolicking around like children who lived on something stronger than his special ganja, shrill and annoying and fluorescent and shrill. The Draconians he’d met weren’t much better, what with their gruff and inhospitable ways, but heck, at least they were silent.

But he’d have to bear with them, with everything, for a little while longer. This wasn’t a trek for pleasure to start with, it was a business trip. ‘Personal business.’ No number of exotic women or foreign herbs would have brought him here – the women here either had scales or looked like teenagers, for Ogoun’s sake, and there wasn’t much in the way of recreational plants, from what he’d seen. Crystals, yes, but he didn’t think grinding them and snorting the rainbow powders would be quite so entertaining. For one, a sign of quality was when you saw rainbows after inhaling, not before. No, he was here for very serious business. He was here for knowledge, for power – and not the tinsel kind, but the whole gamut. Dheathain, as moody a woman as she was, also bore countless mysteries within her womb. He’d explore her from head to toe, inside and out, like he would any new and unknown lover. Dagon grinned; perhaps one woman, then, had lured him to these faraway lands.

Alas, today, Dagon would not give Dheathain a loving caress, but a thieving kiss. A kiss for every morning, another for every night, and with each he would return with a piece of her soul. He would only consider leaving her when there would be nothing left in the husk of her being, all secrets revealed and mysteries disclosed. It was a despicable thing, he knew, but there was an urgency that drove him, a motive that made him more than just another aimless traveler. When he’d taken all from this country, perhaps he’d leave her with this secret of his own.

“But first things first, to move one step beyond acquaintance,” he said absently as he walked into the Na Crann Ceap, his gimlet eyes, green and luminous like will-o’-wisps, set on the single human harboured beneath its roof. Tipping his hat and shaking the water clear of his ropey dreadlocks, Dagon waved to Caduceus, greeting him with a wide smile and the other patrons gathered at the table with a flourish of the hand. ‘One step beyond, one step closer to the first of many stolen kisses. One step closer to sweet Omeldi.’

[Zook Murnig]

The magician sipped at his glass of a strange wine. The fae made it from the sap of a tree that only grows in Luthmor, and it produced a strange bittersweet flavor that made him want it when he wasn't drinking it, and want to put it down when he was. It was just as well, because it was certainly sterilizing everything it came in contact with from the alcohol content. Nonetheless, he took another sip, smacked his lips quietly, and cringed.

Setting down the glass, he heard the sound of boots on wood as someone approached. Looking up, he saw an attractive young half-elf and a soaked wolf. "Karyna O'Feargail, I take it?" he asked. "Please, have a seat. We'll be joined shortly by the rest of our party." He held his hand out, offering her a place on the other side of the round table. He took another sip of the wine and screwed up his face. "Couldn't tell you the name of the tree they get the sap for this from," he said. "Couldn't pronounce it if I remembered it, I'm sure."

He looked out again over the sparse crowd in the tavern, noting a pair of new arrivals, a faerie woman and her draconian companion. The fae issued a query as to if anyone there went by his name, and he raised a hand to wave her up, not wanting to draw too much attention his way. He hoped that she had caught it. "That'll be Lasair," he explained to Karyna. "And it looks like she's brought an escort."

Moments later, the ragged bohemian caught his eye and waved up at him. Caduceus smiled. "And it looks like everyone's here. Dagon just showed up." The magician rubbed his lightly whiskered jaw as he turned to look the half-elf in the eye. "Don't underestimate Dagon Dessalines. I'll tell you this now, he's sharp. Sharper than you'd think, even despite his...habits. I've met with him briefly before, and he was nothing but an asset," he explained.

[MoonRunner]

Except for the clinking of glasses and gentle murmurings of the other patrons of the Na Crann Ceap, the warm and comfortable tavern was quiet as Karyna smiled at Caduceus, and Kyprith sniffed his cloak before turning to inspect the man himself.

Tapping the tips of her index and middle fingers to her collar bone as a salute Karyna said, “It’s a pleasure tae finally meet ye.”

After sitting, she failed to dissuade the curious wolf with a nudge of her foot. With a glare, she pushed Kyprith to the floor behind the gently carved chair she was sitting in. Behave!

What? He asked, feigning innocence, He has collected some interesting scen – wait, what’s that?!

Karyna rolled her eyes as the great wolf leapt to his feet to greet and sniff the fourth and fifth additions to the party. Heh! Kyp! Careful! I’m sure some won’t appreciate your cold, wet nose! He ignored her.

With a quiet sigh, Karyna stood to salute the newcomers as she did Caduceus, “Greetings Lasair, the name’s Karyna. An’ I apologize for Kyprith, the wolf there, he’s the curious type.”

Kyp was currently starring at the Daconian with his head cocked to the side in an unintended comical fashion. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen a Draconian before, having being born and raised in Dheathain, but there was something different in this one's scent. By now, quite a few of the patrons were glancing fugitively at their small group. But Kyprith was not so interested in the body guard that he didn’t treat the last addition to their party in a similar fashion.

“Habbits?” Karyna asked, having given up on trying to keep the crazy wolf out of trouble for the moment since there didn’t seem to be any sign of anything dire. Then, with the same salute and a smile, she turned to Dagon and said, “I hope yer journey was a good one, sir.”

Then, as Kyprith trotted over to lay on the giant stone hearth, having decided he was too wet to be comfortable and that he could inspect the newcomers further at a later time, Karyna sat back down and asked of Caduceus, “The information ye gave me was a lil vague, what exactly do we ken about what we’ve gotten ourselves intae?”

[Lasair Anubail]

“Oh, no problem!” Lasair said rather cheerfully as she watched the wolf amble off away from the group and towards the roaring fire.

He was rather cute looking and all furry too. She’d love to just wrap him up and huge hug and not let him go! Of course, waiting until he was dry was probably a good idea. Otherwise she’d get all wet and uncomfortable and she had gone out of her way to try and keep the rain off her body. Luckily, her cloak had done just the trick and the only parts on her that were really wet from around her feet and ankles and the bottom of her long green dress, which she revealed when she undid the clasp of her cloak and allowed it to slip from her small frame. The black material was rather heavy considering all the water that it had most likely absorbed into the material, but Tristram quickly reached out one clawed hand littered with dark, blue scales and took it from her. Shortly after, he removed his own cloak from his shoulder, revealing his formidable size, which looked much large around Lasair given her much small one, or maybe it was the other way around. After all, he was nearly seven feet tall and packed down with muscles from years of training with his spear. He had of course brought that weapon with him today too; he never left home without it. Currently he was gripping it loosely in his left hand as he hung their two cloaks over the edge of the railing so they would drip dry upon the hard, wooden floor.

Pulling a chair out, the tiny Fae sat her little bottom down on it as she looked over the members that had gathered here. Caduceus was the one that had hired her so she supposed everyone else were members that would be joining him on his little adventure, just like Tristram had wanted to come with her ‘because there were evil people in this world’, or so he said. Her first glance at the group had been wrong, while Caduceus was certainly human the girl with the furry creature was no, she had somewhat pointy ears like Lasair, but she was certainly not a Fae. Perhaps she was an elf. The man who entered after her was definitely human though and he had a funky hairstyle that she wondered how he got and before she realized it she was staring at him. Tristram gave a bit of a kick to her chair to snap her out of it. He had a strange sense about him that she couldn’t describe.

Turning her eyes from him and back to Caduceus, the Fae smiled as she addressed the matter at hand.

“Yes, you were not very specific with exactly what you needed my assistance for. Merely that you needed a guide to help you through the forests of Luthmor, which I am more than capable of doing.”

Which Lasair of course had no problem doing, she knew Luthmor as if it was her backyard, which considering where her house was it practically was her backyard.

“Ah, and I have brought Tristram with me, he’s my...bodyguard.” He was actually her best friend, but for some reason he hadn’t wanted her to tell them that. She didn’t know why, but he had insisted upon it. He was also currently standing behind her chair with a rather cold and blank expression on his face as he surveyed each person present, almost like he was waiting for one of them to stand up and try something.

[Papa Dagon]

“A good one?” Was she kidding him? What with the torrential rains, dry spells and almost invasive humidity, he’d though the answer pretty self-explanatory. The day by day climate of Dheathain went through more mood swings than a woman with child – and if anything had to be said about Dagon, it’s that he had, as a child, a peculiar knack of vanishing right about the last months of his mother’s many pregnancies. No, Dagon did not have a good journey, and it surprised him that the tracker girl hadn’t sensed it: if she had a nose, she would have smelled the blood in his boots slosh and stew from a mile away.

“Yeah, sure,” he simply said, pulling out his own chair and taking his place in this tavern tryst. No point in getting his panties – no, his manly underwear in a bunch. The girl meant well, her skin wasn’t covered in scales and she didn’t look like she’d just jumped out of a damn storybook. In short, the girl was fine, and thus, so was he. “It’s a pleasure, miss… Karyna, if my memory’s any good?” Caduceus had spoken to him about the proceedings of their enterprise and a bit about this night’s attendees as well. ‘Karyna and Lasair, a tracker and a guide. Both redheads, one tall and the other small.’

Just as he was taking off his soaked coat, extracted streams of water with a twist and folded it on the backrest, he felt a sudden prickle in his hair, like a stare so fervent that it almost tugged on the roots of his dreadlocks. He edged his eyes to the left, noticing the gawking face, gold, wide eyes riveted onto his ropey mane. Dagon had a certain… sensitivity to such things, but that didn’t make him highly-strung in any way; it was just that this kid was too intense for her own good.

“Can I help yo–” he began a bit annoyed, stopping dead in his tracks when he noticed a pair of butterfly wings flutter on her back, little shimmering things that’d been painted by a class of colorblind children. She was one of them, one of those damned little monsters who breathed sugar and danced around giant mushrooms while thinking of cranberry waterfalls and cherry fields. She was Lasair, and she was a Fae. ‘For the sake of all that is good and pure, why?’

That huge lizard of a bloke behind her was giving him a mixed look, one of apology for the fairy’s rudeness and one of a very serious warning, should Dagon try anything strange. ‘Oh boyo, you won’t be worrying about my paws going anywhere near her… except maybe her small and unprotected twig of a neck.’ Dagon paused at the comically murderous joke of a thought, though noting with amusement that the Draconian might be just as sensitive to these things as he was. None of that mattered though, since he’d never go as far as choking the girl: even if he sincerely wanted to, that glimmering spear in the hands of her bodyguard would be deterrent enough. “And you’re miss Lasair. It’s… a pleasure as well.”

They skipped the handshakes, skipped the giggles and smiles, skipped the recounting of last weekend’s event: these women were getting right to the point, and that was a relief to the shaman. As warm and welcoming as the Na Cran Ceap was after the incessant weeping of the land, Dagon didn’t want to waste too much time here. Either they were going to sit this one out until the clouds receded, which wasn’t likely to occur before the opening hours of the morning, or they’d set out on the search straight away. Fatigue was tugging down at his strings, but his hidden thirst for power was something that transcended the body. He’d gladly make his boots spill with blood if it meant curling his hands around that fabled crystal right here, right now.

“It’d be best if you told everyone what you expect out of them, Cad. Roles aren’t nearly enough, since this is about what everyone here’s willing to give… what everyone’s willing to sacrifice. Then you can ask them the same question for their services, eh?”

"Oh, and a good mug of Firewine, please," Dagon said with the widest of smiles to a passing waitress. It almost faded when he'd realized she was also a Fae.

[Zook Murnig]

As the lupine beast sniffed at him, Caduceus reached out to scratch behind its ears, though that only lasted for a few moments before the drowned critter ran off to inspect the other members of his party.

"Our purpose," he began, "is to find and claim an amulet of particular ability. The Omeldi Crystal is said to have the power of an elemental warrior contained within it." He lowered his voice then, making it clear that what followed was not to be repeated outside this gathering, and leaned forward, his expression grave. "I am entrusting each and every one of you not to reveal any information regarding this expedition to anyone. There will be things seen, heard, and felt that should never have been rediscovered, but what we do now we do in order that none other than us may claim Omeldi and use its power for selfish and destructive purposes."

The magician looked to the red-haired fae and her escort. "Lasair and Tristam, you two know more about Luthmor than any of us. I need you to guide us to a temple deep within the wood. I believe you would recognize it as Duilusinn. In addition, this artifact is said to have been created by the ancestors of your people, Miss Anubail. I would suppose it should react more favorably to you than any of the rest of us."

"Karyna," he said, turning to the elfin young woman. "You are our expert on the beasts of the region. This temple has been out of use for hundreds of years, and all manner of creatures are likely to have settled in and made their homes there. You, your wolf, and Tristam are responsible for keeping the rest of us relatively safe. I have my spells, and Dagon has a few tricks up his sleeves, but you three are the muscle here."

"Keep yourself safe, I'm not here to be your bloody bodyguard. My only concern is Lasair," came the response from the large draconian. "If you want to prance around in Luthmor, you better damn well be able to take care of yourselves." With that, Lasair about-faced and smacked her bodyguard hard on his arm, which along with a harsh glare shut the winged warrior right up. The young Qaballist had nearly expected such a response, but he trusted that the large reptilian would know that his employer's safety on this venture would depend on the safety of the group after a certain point.

Caduceus looked up at the tall, ropey haired bohemian. "Dagon already knows his role here, and what is expected of him, but suffice it to say that he is a master of alternative perspectives. He's a man of peculiar skills, and I have found him to be a true asset previously."

"For now, we'll just fill our bellies before we head out. We leave tonight for Duilusinn, and for Omeldi." He sipped once more on his sap wine, and cringed at the taste, nearly spitting it back in the glass. Rather, he would have spat it back into the glass, if it hadn't started turning to the thick, viscous tree blood it had been made from.

Bunny pre-approved.

[MoonRunner]

As dusk fell, the music about their group changed. The creatures of the sunlight quieted and those who enjoyed the night started their bustle. As the jungle song birds and lemurs nestled in for a night’s rest, the owls and bats started the search for food. Spreading her awareness, Karyna was prepared to discourage any predator or, if discouragement wasn’t an option, then warn the others. The six of them were walking at as brisk of a pace as they could through the thick undergrowth of Luthmor. A few hours ago, not too long after they left the tavern, Kyprith had become bored with the slow pace and started to scout the nearby area, circling the group every now and then.

As the visible bits of sky turned from royal purple to black-blue, swarms of tiny Draconic Fireflies* came out, zipping around chasing after each other. One curious little fellow landed on Kary’s nose. With a quiet giggle, she forced herself to close one eye to avoid going cross-eyes in order to inspect the miniscule dragon. Their minds touched, its curiosity almost tickled. After a few seconds, the little dragon flew off.

Ok, that was too cute, she thought as she convinced a larger and testy Algora that they were too much for it to handle in a fight. Then, keeping part of herself aware of their surroundings, she reached her hand into her side pack to touch the item she found on her recent adventure with Karuka. She knew it was probably just a beautiful stone that her mother would be able to sell at a decent price, but something about it made a part of her think there was something more about it, but what exactly that was, she couldn’t tell.

The others in the group were quiet, so Kary assumed that they weren’t interested in any conversation. Instead she focused on the activities of the creatures around her, continuing to explore the possibilities of her telepathic abilities. Just barely inside of her circle of awareness were three young Algorai. The three jungle cats seemed to have recently left their mother and were sticking together in order to increase their chance of survival. A few trees to the left was a mother Sleamhnaigh crawling out of her nest in search of food for her younglings; it was her first hatching and she was nervous about loosing a single one.

*Draconic Fireflies: on average are only 1/8th of an inch long; look like tiny Asian Dragons; have a flicking glow in the dark; possess transparent wings like a dragon fly's; naturally friendly and curious; on average their intellegence is akin to that of creatures like dogs and pixies.

[Lasair Anubail]

Lasair didn’t know if the rain had stopped pouring down from the skies above them or if the thick canopy high above their heads merely kept the fat drops away from her body. Either way, she was thankful of the reprieve that allowed her to pull her hood back from her face and look around the thick rain forest she practically called home without any hindrance. The heavy rainclouds above them may have been a burden to the others and an annoyance to all of them for what they dropped upon the ground, but they helped in one vital way. They reflected the light of the moon off them and created a slightly brighter sky that allowed eyes not so good with the night to pierce through the veil of darkness that was easier. It was still dark and far from the light of the sun, making every step cautious and carefully taken, but it helped.

The forest floor was soaked from the hours of rain. Though the soil was desperately beginning to soak it up, most of it was creating small, makeshift streams in the forest floor and heading along to the closest overflowing river. It was barely visible in the light though, but as the small dragonflies that Lasair loved so much zipped across the forest floor, their blinking lights reflected off the surface of the water her feet were splashing around in. She loved dragonflies; they looked like small stars trapped within the plains of Althanas, instead of the never-ending blackness of the night sky. At night, they called out to their long lost brothers and sisters by shining up towards them as they in turned blinked down upon them. She enjoyed chasing them, or well she normally enjoyed doing such a thing. But when one had gotten too close to her and landed on her outstretched hand, Tristram had glared at her through the veil of his black hair. Clearly he didn’t want her running around chasing cute little balls of glowing light, at least not at the moment. So she had merely let the dragonfly go on its way while very nerve in her body had been pulsing to catch the little thing.

They hadn’t been walking for very long yet, a few hours really. Just long enough for night to truly set in. Though Lasair knew that Tristram had wanted to object when Caddy said they would be travelling through Luthmor at night, she had stopped him. It wasn’t his choice to make and yes, even she knew of the dangers that lurked within the trees. But if the man hired her to guide him at night, then she was going to guide him at night. He was just lucky she knew the forest so well she never got lost in it, day night or any time in between.

Lasair was of course leading the way, with the elf girl Karyna closely following on her heels and everyone else trailing behind her. Tristram, well, like Karyna’s wolf the Draconian had gone on ahead. He was scouting out for possible dangers that her eyes would not be able to see. Not to mention his heightened senses being some kind of evolved dragon put him in tune with the creatures nearby, especially the predators. Usually when he ran into one, it became a starring contest in which she bet they were both pushing their wills against each other and trying to guess who the more dominant animal was. Tristram usually won in the end, though she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

Climbing over a fallen tree, the small Fae turned to the others behind her and addressed Caduceus. “I think within the next hour or two we should stop for the night. There’s a clearly we can get to in that time. It’s slightly elevated, so it won’t be overrun with water. Then we can continue our hike in the morning and hopefully reach the temple by noon.”

Considering how child-like her personality could be at times, the words from the Fae seemed far too mature and logical.

[Zook Murnig]

The magician's robes had barely finished drying out in the tavern before he had pulled them back over himself to head back out into the rainy evening. Every drop that struck the brown cloth darkened it, making it harder and harder to spot the Qaballist, his raiments disappearing into the darkness of night. Through the city, and into the forest, he kept the cowl low over his head, warding off the pelting precipitant.

Several hours into Luthmor, Lasair had spoken up about a clearing ahead, and waiting there until morning. "Reach the temple by noon?" The words floated through his thoughts as he marched onward into the night. "No, we can't afford to stop for that long," Caduceus said quickly and decisively.

Thinking back on the research he and Dagon had done in Jadet, he remembered some less-than-savory individuals who had sat nearby, watching and listening carefully, pretending to be doing study of their own. Then, in Donnalaich, the magician had passed by several men and women who looked suspiciously like the spies from Corone. "We're likely not the only ones seeking Duilusinn and the Omeldi Crystal. I hope I'm wrong, but I have my suspicions."

Continue in the original order. Papa Dagon next, skip me, then Moonrunner and Lasair again.

[Papa Dagon]

No more weeping, no more moaning. In the heart of the rainforest, this country had ceased her lament, leaving only a dampness that clung to the skin like drying tears. Ironically, Dagon felt himself showered with relief. He took off his topper, holding the raggedy old thing by the leather brim as he shook away the pearls of rain. The strange thing made a sonant squeal of discontent as though disapproving of the rough manhandling, but the shaman made nothing of the oddity as he squished it snugly back on his dreadlocked crest. His only regret was that the cramps in his legs hadn’t faded with the storm.

Then, without a warning, the Fae suggested they should stop inches from the finish line. This put a damper on his mood, as he was heatedly against the idea. He wasn’t about to let the blood in his boots cake and stick from idleness in slumber, nor would he lend his muscles any rest to tangle up in a hundred knots. There was also the matter of the crystal itself: a goal that made all other needs pale into oblivion. Caduceus, however, had been quicker to voice his rejection of the idea, though he was supporting it with altogether different arguments.

The revelation had done nothing to change the shaman’s broad-lipped grin, one he never failed to sport as some sort of signature trademark. The spies were old news, and Dagon had a little inkling that the old would soon become stale. Even so, he broke out from the silence he’d purposely let hang, walking up from the stern of the line to catch up with the magician and addressing him a few choice words.

“Having suspicions already puts you a step ahead, Cad.” As he spoke, Dagon wore a meaningful smirk that let the man guess what words he was holding back. ‘While certainty spans a road between us and them,’ he repeated in his mind like a mantra of mischief, slowly falling back to the end of the procession. Every now and then, he scattered pinches of seeds behind them, small things disappearing as dust in the grime and the puddles underfoot, flashing in the dark like the shards of a broken mirror.

Some would think he was planting trees, others that he was setting traps. Only he, however, could think of both acts as one and the same.

[MoonRunner]

Dancing lights, varying curiosity, friendly twitters: the vague thoughts and bright emotions of the miniscule firedragons were wrapping up Karyna’s subconscious in a metaphysical luminescent and warm blanket of comfort and cheer. These were some creatures that she wished she saw more of. She was surprised at their intelligence level, because she had always heard that the larger the dragon, the greater its intelligence. While these friendly dragonets were not at the intelligence level required of dominant races, they weren’t dull minded animals either.

Using her connection to Kyprith to guide her, Karyna let go of most of the physical world, deciding to take the chance to explore her telepathic abilities further with these firedragonets further since they were open to the idea and just as curious as her. First she opened her mind to all of the emotions, colors, and light that the dragonets were sending her way. However, realizing that it was too much to understand and noting that physical size has nothing to do with metaphysical size, she pulled back a bit and focused on the dragonet who seemed to be the alpha female.

In what felt like a short amount of time, Karyna and the Queen Dragonet had a decently strong connection built so that Kary was actually able to focus most of her mind on walking and spreading her awareness slightly. Through this connection and the Queen’s connection with the firedragonets around them, Kary was able to learn not only that Dagon had scattered some odd seeds but that there was a group of travelers an hour or two behind them. She also learned that while she was focused on learning more about her abilities, they had traveled a decent distance and would be at the ruins within the hour.

With that in mind, Kary and Kyp tried to gather information about the wildlife at the ruins: who was friendly, who was neutral, and who wasn’t. Once the dragonets learned what the group’s destination was, they became worried and when pressed blasted an image of a large, monstrous looking wvyrn coiled about what was left of a column. Alarmed by their fear, Kary tried to sooth them by portraying that there were warriors with her that would know how to deal with the wingless-dragon. This seemed to help, but they were still nervous.

So, to get their minds off the guardian dragon, she asked them to check out the group of people behind them. After a short hesitation, they did so while leaving about half of their clan with her so they would be able to continue to communicate. Having caught the feeling that this group of people could be trying to sabotage their quest, Kary couldn’t help but chuckle when she noticed that the young algoras from before were stalking the group. With a smirk, Kary spread a feeling of disliked about the group of rogue-archeologists to the point that their travel time would be greatly lengthened. Hopefully it would give Kary and her comrades enough time to secure the crystal.

With that finished, Kary was brought back to the physical world when she stubbed her toe against a large stone. Sharply inhaling, she stopped, took a breath, and gently wiggled her toes to make sure everything was still working. Satisfied, she looked up and grinned to where her eyes sparked. What a beautiful sight! The sunrise was creeping in through the trees behind an ancient ruined temple with a huge tree growing over one wing of the archaic building. The dew and remnants of the rain from the evening before caused the whole place to glow and sparkle. With the rise of the sun, the firedragonets startled to settle in for the day along with the other night creatures, giving way to the lovers of the sun. Above fruit bats began to stir along with a nearby trope of lemurs.

Sitting halfway between the edge of the clearing and the vine and moss covered remnants of the temple entrance was Kyprith, who was watching their approach with his head cocked in a curious manner. Asking for both the wolf and herself, Kary asked, “Is this it?”

[Lasair Anubail]

Though Lasair had not been happy with the idea of continuing throughout the night, there was nothing she could do about it. She was merely the guide and as such she could not force them to stop. She could of course say that she would not go any further and that they were on their own if they refused to rest for the night. But that could of course backfire on her and then she could be left standing there alone while they moved forward towards a destination they then had no idea how to find. And as much as Lasair knew that stopping would be a wise idea, she would not willingly do that to anyone. They had asked for her help and she was giving it. So the small Fae simply continued to lead the group deeper into the tangled brush of Luthmor, knowing that Tristram was somewhere ahead of her keeping her and the people with her safe.

The hours went by rather slowly to the Fae. She was normally a very energetic and talkative person. She loved talking and well, there were a few things she could certainly talk about to these people but there was this feeling hanging around them that kept her mouth firmly closed. She didn’t know what it was, but it made her feel slightly uncomfortable and even well, a bit unwanted in the group. So she walked in silence and kept to herself, her golden eyes cutting through the weakening hold of the night with relative ease. She avoided the deep holes in the forest floor and led the group through the easier and far less flooded paths.

Eventually she knew she was getting close. The trees looked more familiar, the way the ground rose and fell and the pattern of the rocks along the forest floor were things she had seen before.

Almost there. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they lay their eyes upon the ruins.

As the lingering clouds from the storm began to pass, it revealed a milky sky lying in limbo, caught somewhere between day and night and not knowing which side to balance toward. Day won and as Lasair saw the remains of the ancient ruins come into her view she saw the sky beginning to brighten and fill with the soft, orange glow as the sun began to peak. It emerged as if from under a spell and the appearance of the sun has freed it. Where the trees had hidden the ancient and grey stone from their view before, now it was open and free and leaving them staring upon the crumbling temple slowly losing the battle against time. What they could see was merely a fraction of the ruins for much more of them were hidden behind this large face, consisting of a courtyard and varying underground passageways that lead to empty chambers and dead ends. There were secrets hidden here that had yet to be unlocked, though quite a few Fae had made more than one discovery within these old walls.

Often, Lasair came to ruins like these and just stared at them for hours, imagining what they would look like in their prime. Perhaps this one had wonderfully carved columns that had reached towards the sky, for the remnants of the circular stone rose in the underbrush of the forest, some of them still towering over her. They led the way towards the building and the partially collapsed though still visible entrance.

“Yes...this is it.” Lasair said to the girl as she drew in a deep breath.

Any of her child-like dispositions seemed to have melted away, leaving Lasair standing there with an extremely content and peaceful look upon her face and perhaps a bit of her age and experience shining through in her eyes. Feeling a hand upon her shoulder, she looked up into the black eyes of Tristram as he smiled lightly and nodded his head to her. She knew what it meant without words needing to be exchanged between them. She had done a good job, she had gotten them here without incident and he was proud of her for that.

“Welcome to Duilusinn.” She said to everyone there.