Completed [Seasonal Quest] Upon a Star (Open)

[Fallacy]

Drysalla’s Realm: The World Named Nonexistent Drysalla, their leader, would watch as the animals behaved the way they did. Disgusting creatures. Why did Verlyna find it necessary to control everything she comes in contact with? Sighing after all the antics died down the green lady gave Verlyna a daring look as if to say ‘don’t you dare complain about the state of your dress’, and again order was found. Finding the little Ferret amusing she would bend down to pick up the furry and hyper thing who was now clearly tuckered out. ”I do not wish to set Alvadas on fire.” she started, ”I only wish for a new order to be brought about. It just so happens” her hand would run along the soft fur of the ferret now. It brought a softer looking smile to her face, ”that new ways of thinking are usually paid in blood.” she said simply, ”If that is the price we pay, then we pay it. Our goal is just, our goal is in sight. Alvadas is in chaos.” she stood from her seat, rising about everyone else and looking down at them, ”Everything is going to plan so far... Towers,” her voice grew sharp and steel-like, ”you ready the Leviathan.” she ordered, ”We need to take this state of confusion and milk it for all its worth.” With that Towers nodded, getting up and went to leave the room, ”Oh, one more thing.” she called out to him. The mad inventor stopped and looked over his shoulder, ”Y-yes Drysalla?” A sly smile will come to her face, ”If you fail, don’t bother coming back. I wont save you again.” with that he was dismissed. She had delivered her ultimatum and she meant it. ”Now, Verlyna, we have already discussed what you are going to do. Go.” She said, ”Turn Alvadas against itself, spread even more chaos. Keep the government on its toes, buy me time. Ill be here” She set the ferret down, ”preparing for the finale. If you need me, just call.” With that she sat down on the chair and closed her eyes. ”You sure?” She asked sounding nervous, ”You wont need any assistance convincing… Verlyna was cut off, stopping mid-sentence when Drysalla opened her eyes and stared at the hypnotist. ”Okaaaay” She laughed a little, ”You don’t have to be sooo serious all the time, gosh. Ill go do my job, but you better keep your end of the deal.” She said motioning to the two who followed her in and even to the ferret, ”Lets go have some fun guys” she giggled a little as she started leading the way out of the castle. Past the doors and across the stone bridge, lava bubbled threateningly as the red beauty stopped in her tracks, looking at four men who had arrived at the parameter of the castle. They were agents of the government. She was impressed that they were able to get this far… They must be specializing in illusions. ”Hello.” she waved to them and gave them a big old smile, ”You must be from the that Department of Illusions Drysalla told us about.” she said, her voice catching their attention they watched her carefully unsure of what to expect. The four agents carried swords, but two of them carried bows as well. They all drew their weapons and pointed them at the hypnotist ”Don’t come any closer” one of them warned Verlyna. ”Oh, common,” she almost wined, ”You guys are no fun” her voice was filled with a playful flirtiness. She knew she had no time to waste on these fools. Then two of them started shaking, their swords quivering in their grasps and one of them let out a yell and slashed as one, then the other took out another one with a fierce swipe, dispelling the problem. The surprise and horror on their companions faces as they were cut down by those who were supposed to be allies was devastating and disheartening. What happened? What caused them to do such an act? Realizing what they done, what each other had done, the remaining two glared at one another in horror, but that horror was soon replaced with a fire, a look of determination in their eyes. They were going to kill each other, and so a battle ensued, and the hypnotist walked away calmly waving over to Almech, Kale, and the Ferret to follow her while their foes were distracted with each other. They had places to go and things to do… Finally alone Drysalla smiled, ”Alvadas… she whispered, her words echoing through the power of her illusions ”where do you hide your heart?” OOCYou guys will be headed back to Alvadas. Mirage has something special planned for you

[Eridanus]

The two symenestras agreed to follow Eridanus, and along with the pycon and with a soft prayer to Ionu the four of them traveled forth, not knowing that they were being followed by the silent Menna. Shai was still unconscious, though Dhalvasha was doing an excellent job of carrying her.

The city led them to the Temple, and it was there that they found the horrific aftermath of a slaughter and a battle. Finding an unknown man, along with a familiar figure tending to Shale's wounds - whom Eridanus recognized as the owner of the Akeldama Colosseum - the ethaefal would gasp and call out to Antar. It was a small city indeed, though he doubted that it was pure coincidence. There was a reason why they were spirited away to Alvadas, and it was no surprise that such events centered around the members of their group.

Shale gasped his reason, bringing about unsure glances as to the rationale of his reason. Eridanus was the only one who knew the true reason behind it, but it was not the time to talk. Instead, he silently followed the group as Shale led them to the secret place in the Temple - The Womiyu.

When everyone was finally settled down, Eridanus went ahead to help himself to the food. The challenge that awaited them was going to be tough, and they would need the energy to triumph over the obstacles they would definitely encounter.

He gingerly poked at a purple and glowing slice of cake, nibbling it and realizing with delight that despite its strange appearance it tasted just like a cheese sponge cake, tinged with a hint of raspberry wine. He had no idea how the cook managed to blend the two together, but the strange mix did not make him feel inebriated at the slightest, instead what was accented was the tangy headiness of fermented raspberry and the sweet richness of cheese.

Taking a swig out of a goblet that held a milky concoction that change colors just like how vantha changed their eye colours, he took several sips only to discover that the taste changed depending on the current spectrum of color the liquid happened to be at the time of drinking.

"Good stuff," He commented, watching for everyone to be settled down and comfortable. When that was so, he would call for attention. He would then begin by first greeting his friends, and welcoming the people who he did not know, namely the other man that came with Antar. He would then introduce himself, and then give a quick summary of what happened in the Acumen Asylum.

Karash's theories regarding the Kasai-Dalai Mirror, the fairytales or legends regarding it and Drysalla, the possible connection between all these events. He ended with Karash's quest, thus explaining the reason behind Shale's quest for the bones.

"Therefore, we must get our hands on these bones for us to even stand a chance against these legendary figures, if they were indeed responsible for these events. It may be a fruitless venture if the real reason was something else, but I'd rather be safe than sorry," Eridanus ended his speech, resuming to take a gulp out of his rainbow drink and a bite out of his purple-and-glowing raspberry-wine-cheese-cake.

OOCFor the actual contents of his speech go read up on Fally's previous posts of Eri and Ihnar's experiences in the Acumen Asylum.

[Nyahna Sasin]

The voice that called back was shaky but whoever it was was evidently still alive. The tone of voice… it didn't sound like White Hair, who had basically thrown himself at the golem, and wasn't Top Hat's as far as he could tell. Clothes, then, or someone else entirely. He didn't have the energy to answer, but he wondered the same. One golem was down by his blade, but what of the other? White had gone after that one.

Gods he was tired. He wanted nothing but to go to sleep, collapse on the rubble. He hadn't been this tired a few moments ago. The excitement wearing off, he supposed. Still, he had to get up.

He blinked. White hair was standing in front of him, offering a hand up. Shifting the crossbow to his other hand, he took the hand, and winced as he slithered upright.

They made their introductions, but Sasin said nothing afterwards. Not when Antar appraised Shale's wound, not as another group of people burst in to crash the party, not even when Shale revealed a hidden entrance to a Womiyawhatsit that was apparently under the temple.

The kelvic was explaining some nonsense on the way down, something about bones, and someone called Drysalla. It was all Nader-canoch to him, and he wondered if the ringmaster had gone mad.

When they were all inside, he set down the crossbow, and coiled up in the corner to rest. Looking around, he smirked humorlessly. What a group they made. Shale was injured, badly, Antar and Alric had been using magic extensively, and the other group consisted of a Vantha, a little clay thing, and two Symnestra, one of which was unconscious. Antar seemed to know several of them, oddly enough.

Food was brought in, and to his delight, someone brought in a plate of raw meat and a goblet of what appeared to be blood. Nodding in thanks, he flicked out his tongue, tasting the meat. It smelled like nothing he'd ever eaten before, oddly enough.

Swallowing each piece whole, he found they seemed to change in his mouth, so that while they all just looked like meat, one would taste like ribs, another bone marrow, and another brains. Well, he supposed it was better than the whole group freaking out at what he was eating. The goblet was similar, one minute tasting like pigs blood, then like human's, and also, surprisingly, like Tsana blood, which he had only ever tasted once.

As he ate, he listened, as the Vantha had started talking. The man lost him several times, but Sasin got the general idea. Uncoiling himself partially, he spoke up. "This just brings up more questions. I understand, I suppose, the need for the bones of one who had such a connection to the city. But why a hypnotist? And why did this Karash" An eypharian name. How odd. "not tell you about her? And what the petch is the Sealed Grounds? Or the Womiyu, for that matter?"

He looked around the room. "I was woken up today when a building collapsed. Since then, I have been thrown in the path of a giant golem, been shot at by a crossbow golem, and nearly gotten crushed by ruble. I didn't even have my time to put a shirt on. I suspect many of you feel the same. You say we have time to rest and recover. I say we can do that while you explain so we have more of a chance for surviving whatever it is you want us to do."

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric lay quite still as he listened to the strained explanation Shale gave them. He said he was looking for the Womiyu, and that he was just as surprised as they were about the violence that had broken out at the Temple. Although, from the way he spoke, it seemed that he knew far more about things than what he was sharing. Alric was vaguely aware of another group joining them. Although he couldn't quite place when. His head throbbed too much for proper thinking. Alric opened his eyes wide as Shale revealed a hidden entrance. He had been visiting the Temple for years, and he had never seen anything like it. It made him slightly irratated, that he was still so ignorant to Alvadas's secrets. As Shale slipped into the darkness of the entrance, Alric followed. Shale mentioned something about bones, the bones of Drysalla. Alric had never heard of such a person. And even if he had, how would the remains of anyone help in this situation? The door behind them vanished as they ascended into the darkness. Though Alric could have sworn Shale had said the Womiyu were under the Temple... He had little time to contemplate it, however. They all soon reached an odd chamber, with even odder paintings covering its walls. Alric couldn't look at them, they made his head hurt even more whenever he tried. As Alric kept to the back of the group, he did not see the Womiyu members (Silencers by the look of their uniforms) meet them. However, when they did, they seemed mostly concerned with Shale's well-being. Alric did not blame them. Shale was a mess, far worse off than himself. As the group was lead into another room, Shale gave them instructions. "Now," Shale said trying to get out his last commands, ”I came here in search of a passageway to the Sealed Grounds. Within there are the bones of Drysalla, but that is only half of the mission. We also needs bones of the fabled hypnotist Verlyna. Go to the Sealed Grounds in my behalf. Collect the bones.” He sighed, "Ill wait here. Recover..." "We can escort you to the edge of the Womiyu" one of the two other people watching Shale declared. "But that is as far as we go." He nodded, "There are dangerous things beyond and we don't really want to get tangled up where ever you are going, but first you all should rest. Eat, drink, looks like you have been through a lot up there." At those words, a few bowls of Alvadas dishes were carried into the room. Alric's eyes watered briefly with delight. He was famished. He hadn't had breakfast, and after the harrowing battle upstairs his stomach was roaring with hunger. He quickly grabbed a hearty-looking purple stew and helped himself, sitting far from Shale and the others. Normally, he would worry about being rude. However, under the circumstances, he thought it best to eat in silence. He was wrong, it seemed. As he ate, The others, who had joined their group moments prior, introduced themselves. Alric, still feeling nauseous, was not his usual talkative self, and simply shared his name, allowing the others to talk. As he listened, it became far more apparent that these bones were of grave importance. Alric might not have believed the tale of Eridanus a mere day ago, but today, it seemed a welcome revelation. The stew tasted very bland to Alric, but it was also very filling. He supposed it might be made to accommodate itself to whatever the person wanted to eat, normally. However, Alric just wanted to be full, so it seemed that was all it was doing. He was glad for it, though, as it allowed himself to listen more intently. As the Dhani Sasin, spoke, explaining to Shale the need for them to recover as well, Alric spoke, voicing his agreement. "I need to recover my strength as well. I know I wasn't doing much physical activity up there, but I was doing my best to give you three an advantage," He pointed to Antar, Shale, and Sasin. " I don't think it's a secret anymore, so I'll just say it. I am a Hypnotist, and if I didn't overgive, I came dangerously close. I need a full belly and at least ten minutes to myself before I'm useful to anyone again. And I can be damn useful in the right situation. So speak, Shale, as long as it takes. The more you speak, the more I recover, and in the end, become more useful."

[Mirage]

The battle raged on, and the Myrain made a steady trek toward the small group of adventurers, but whether for good or ill none could say. His eyes shown with a chaotic joy born from battle and bloodshed, and his lips parted to accept the speckle of blood that might land upon him, whither his own or another's it mattered little. He was a picture of carnage, a maelstrom of unstoppable proportions. The great blade he wielded swept in wide arcs, cleaving any that would stand before his might. Another golem fell, but always there was another mechanical monstrosity to take its place. This only made the man smile, Let them come! ***** The shield that Kamalia produced managed to push aside most of the arrows, though a few stray projectiles managed to slip through and fall into the huddled group. With the steady patients and clanking of a machine, the golems reloaded and prepared to fire once more, but the figure of Jaeden and his companion's movements altered their focus. Now every bow turned to fire at the pair that would attempt to break through the lines at its weak point, and the sound of metal scraping metal could be heard as the drew back their weapons and prepared to fire. From the darkness of an alley three shadows moved, sprinting out into the line of golems that wielded the ranged weapons. Their bodies were cloaked and hooded, the black fabric sweeping out behind them in a fantastic way. Nothing of their faces could be seen, nothing but their eyes at least, and each one of their attentions was trained on the line of golems. With movements swift and efficient, the three swept through the line, hitting each golem at one of its weak points so that it fell helplessly to the ground. Then, as silently as they had come, the three turned and split to run off in different directions, the symbol of the Silencers imprinted on their billowing cloaks as they were swallowed up by the city once more... ***** The Myrian's laugh filled the air as he cut down one, and then another of the mechanical contraptions. It mattered little to him if they were conscious or not, and the movements of his great sword spoke of his detachment. The man was happy, truly and utterly content with his lot in life. He had battle, he had the seat on his back and a sword in his hand. Truly, this was how a Myrian should live!! But then the line of golems came to an end... Suddenly the man was freed from the encirclement of the golems, free of their press and jabbing spears. Blinking like a dear in the headlights, he turned his gaze about him, a bit confused as to what he was to do at this point. And then his eyes fell on Ulric and his companions... A smile graced his lips once more as his copper eyes looked over Ulric. He stepped closer, resting his blade on his shoulder as he did. The man's body was covered in scars, both old and new, and the black blood of the golems dripped from him, mingling with his own sweat. The braid that held his hair back was all but gone, the black locks left to float freely where they may as he walked closer and closer to Ulric and those near him. Then, barely an arm's length away, the man whipped the sword from its place on his shoulder, swinging it up and then slamming it down, hard into the ground. Leaning on the hilt the man looked Ulric in the eyes, "Myri would be pleased, you fight well for one of our kind." He laughed, showing perfectly straight teeth. The Golems had not halted their progression, and they moved forward in a steady rhythm. The ground shook with each thundering step, and the clanking sounded more like the grinding of teeth of some great beast. Absently the Myrian glanced over his shoulder at the pressing crowd, his eyes sweeping the situation, almost seeming to analyze it. The smile still had not gone from his lips, but at least the blood-rage had seised to fill his eyes. Raising his voice so that all near would hear him, he raised himself up and snatched his blade from where it rested in the ground, My destination is the Sanity Center. All who don't want there areses handed to them keep close. Lets have some fun in this hell hole!" With another booming laugh the Myrian turned, heading to the point that Jaeden and Red had chosen themselves. In one, fluid motion the Mirian pivoted on one foot, swinging his blade in a wide circle to cleave all of the golems before him at the waist, not bothering to see if Jaeden or Red were out of harms way. So then, with his blade singing through the air once more, the man began carving a path through the golems, holding close to the wall so that those that follwed would not be surrounded and sweeping his blade out before him to cleave a path wide enough for 2 to walk abreast. It was a slow progression, but nearly all of the golems' attention was focused on the Myrian as he cleaved their army asunder with each swing of his sword. Follow the laughter, and you may find a path... OOCI might be posting for this again sooner than next thursday, as I want to move the story along a bit. I will post my decision in the OOC thread if I do. Note, if you follow close behind the man you should have an easy enough path since most of the golems are going to focus on the spearhead of your charge, however if you stay too far back you may just be cut off from the group. Keep that in mind as you go. P.S. Bob I have not forgotten you. Your piece simply comes up in the next post

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s hand snatched out, hearing the laughter approaching, the slight whistle in the air before as the giant blade swung. His fingers gripped tightly along Red’s shirt, pulling her back as the tip of the Myrian’s blade grazed a couple strands of hair, cutting through them like a scythe through grain. “Hey!” Red yelled out. “Watch it numb nuts!”

Jaeden gave a slow exhale of relief for a moment, reaching along his blade as he slid gloved fingers along the side of the edge, the fabric of his glove catching along nicks and grooves along the length caused when the metal clashed against metal. “This will take a time to sharpen out.” Jaeden muttered under his breath as he sheathed his sword and pulled his bow free from his shoulder. “At least there isn’t a crack.”

“Are we really going to follow this violence loving nut?” Red then said, folding her arms for a moment.

“If he cuts a path to the Sanity Center,” Jaeden said with a slight shrug, “why not? Just keep at least ten feet behind him.”

“What if he runs out of golems?” Red then questioned.

“Well, I suppose he’ll get bored and take a nap then. Or turn attack something else, just for shykes and giggles.” Jaeden answered, pulling out and arrow and nocking it into the string. “Right now, there’s too much chaos happening to try and risk another path. Let’s get to some place that has some semblance of organization, and figure out things from there. You’re with me Red. I‘ll cover with bow and arrow if it will do any good.”

“And what do you want me doing?” Red then said.

“Assist and tend to the wounded along the way.” Jaeden replied. “Nothing fancy, just quick patch work to get any of them moving again, or to prevent death.”

Red gave a nod, reaching into a small pouch at her waist as she pulled out and had bandaging readied in hand. As the two of them began to move, Jaeden would stand beside Red, firing arrows at the vulnerable parts of golems that seemed to approach from their or the Myrian’s flank. His shots were quick, not overly and cautiously aimed as he would draw back the string of the bow on the walk, level the arrow at his intended target, and loose the arrow after two ticks of the chime, sending the arrow along its. Sometimes he would miss, others strike true to what he was aiming for. Most often though, he would be off by just a small amount. At the very least, his aim wasn’t so poor that he would hit the Myrian or any others he traveled with by mistake. He hoped some answered of sort would at the very least await them at the Sanity Center.

[Ulric]

Ulric’s vigor was leaking, slugs of sticky crimson crawling over his raw, aching flesh. The slag heap of crushed simulacra towered in his wake, eyes devoid of luster scouring over the squealing, clanging tempest of steel. There was a temporal abyss, as if sucking him into turgid depths. The swim of vision, drowning relics of a vestigial fury. Harshly, they furled around his chest, banding it with an augury of delayed crumpling. Naama, urged his heart, and he waxed for a dread, lonely instant, lashing at a jointed demon. The inscribed brutality was infused by artful congruity, though tinged by clumsy torpor. The inebriate stagger jerking away from gates of peril. 

Around him, everything was fading. The scraps curling over as if hurled back into a jungle of red ember worms, leaving only a blanket of gray. Naama, he growled, trying to cast away the shreds of delirium. There was only her, the sullen tragedy of his love boiling up in his chest. Those lips, he’d perish for just a kiss. Those eyes, he’d ready depart this life if they were the last object that snared his gaze. The hurt in them, poignant in empty ashes, broached the usury of his defiance. The broken body was his cage, but he raged on for her sake.

Vainly, perhaps. The man couldn’t keep from reeling, using the axe’s haft to keep himself up. There wasn’t any escaping his sacrifice. There wasn’t a nerve that didn’t shriek out for discord. The bulwark’s edge, already hanging limply, scraped on the rocks. There wasn’t anything to else to keep her safe, except for himself. The shafts clanged off his plated chest, skewered beyond a joint in his slither of scales to transfix his leg just above the knee. The last, partly fouled by the tapestry of djed, deflected away from his face. Urgh, he grunted. The mangled shard came away, leaving an angry gash beside his eye.

Ulric didn’t cry out.

Naama.

His love was near, but the crash of a huge, dented blade thwarted his unsteady shamble. He glanced up, vanished in a patina of copper. You fought well.

But it wasn’t enough. Bloody froth, clad over broken lips. Debased by the severity of injury, barely a specter of his glory, the spark of defiance erupted from his gaze. “I haven’t begun… to fight,” he rasped, as if vowing they’d convene again, for another purpose.

Broken, he lurched in the warrior’s wake, keeping a weary, sagging vigil over his beloved, and the child he’d never had. 

[Antar]

oocShai taken by Shai's writer's permission

The trip into the temple depths towards the Womiyu was a rather dangerous one for Antar.

All he could do at the moment was ponder what was said on one level, and then ponder why Shai seemed to be knocked unconscious for some reason. Only the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed stopped his precariously balanced psyche, stopped just before the tipping point of overgiving, from turning Dhalvasha into a giant spider crisped meatball that he could feast upon. At least that would perhaps help his cravings for something to eat in order to stave off his weariness.So he bit his tongue, and bided his time up until they were shown into the halls of the womiyu by a few strange men and women, who seemed to have some connections to the Alvadas government.


Without a word as the guide offered them a place for a repast, Antar quickly bridged the gap between himself and dhalvasha and removed Shai from his grasp before following to a slight alcove where the colliseum ringleader was being tended. There were a few couches here, all within sight and earshot of the table and he placed the symenestran woman safely down on one, taking care to tuck the bangs of hair fallen across her face behind her ears. In the confusion, it seemed some of that long hair had come undone from her usual braid, and a slight sign of life could be affirmed within the woman's chest. Sure Dhalvasha was a doctor, but Antar wouldn't trust the symenestra as far as he could throw him. So he motioned to one of the womiyu's staff, an attendant aside one of the doctor's attending to slate to take a look at her.


At that time, Eridanus and the others began to speak, and it was time for Antar to listen. He kept his own council on the mirror. Feeling the artifice beneath his armor; he stalked over to the table to grab some sort of meat bun. Well... he grabbed several of them, and a full pitcher of water. He needed the food to help push the edge back to his limits... for sure, while he was not inclined to use anything arcane, he was still quite capable with his bow, and newfound set of arrows, as well as his blades and wits.

He'd grunt an affirmation at Nyahna's attempts to garner a bit of information, backing his words as he trekked back to the shadowed alcove towards Shai. By now the medical assistant seemed to be taking a look at the symenestran, checking her pulse, and the rogue seemed to fret like a mother hen to those back at the table as he propped a leg up on the side of the sofa. To any bystander it might seem he was just painfully crouching there, almost out of sight in the shadows.
But that did not last for long as he supped a bit on the meat bun, tasting something like steak flavored with curry, yet tasting sweet like a tart. Indeed, he almost inhaled the hasty meal, drinking deep of the water which had the pleasant tastings of strawberry.

Whether this was due to some culinary chef's genius who seemed to pamper those of the Womiyu endlessly or due to the nature of the city itself he didn't know. All he knew was his thoughts soon turned t to the reason he had his leg up in the first place. By now Shale was cursing as an attendant gave him a bottle of liquer to drink , the attendant had two on him... shame the kelvic spat the first one out and tossed the flagon to the ground. Antar quickly grabbed it before its contents could leak, and sniffed the top.

Alcohol, a rather strong brew by the make of it, and boy was he in need of it.
The attendant looked at him funny, half expecting Antar to drink, but seemed perplexed when Antar set it on a small table as he unbuckled the armor round his shins,and rolled up his pant leg of the night leather armor he wore underneath the scale..
The skin was white from being pressed down by the armor, pock marked from old burns and scars, and bloody scrapes marred his skin as the attendant finally noticed where several glassen splinters had imbedded themselves in his flesh. By themselves, they weren't life threatening, indeed not really anything which could make him bleed out, just like a series of wooden splinters.

But the real reason to treat them was for infection.

Taking a bit of water he doused the leg, uncaring that the carpet was getting soaked a little; after all, Shale's blood was marring the furniture a lot more. When he had cleaned the leg he began to remove the splinters, one by one, all the way up to the pelvic area, where thankfully none of them had seemed to find their way towards Antar , Jr. Shai really would have had a problem if anything happened to give him a splinter there... though the rogue would smile a bit as he presumed she might get a laugh from it all.

It was certainly far better than seeing her as she was now.

But the attendant was taking care of her, and indeed he seemed to whisper something to the doctor who was still surveying Shale's wound.
Antar ate another meatbun and took up the alchohol bottle as he raided some of the attendant's supplies for a bit of cloth and a bandage. This was the tough part... he dribbled some of the potent alcohol down upon the wounds, ensuring it entered the bloody pores. He hissed a bit in pain as the stinging feeling of cleansing began. "The things I do to keep from infection." the rogue muttered to himself as he wiped the last of the blood from the removed splinters away. Antar then bandaged the leg in two places, wrapping the thigh and the calf muscle, securing it off before rolling down his pant leg again.
Lastly he buckled back on his shin armor. the layers of the pants and the shin armor would keep the bandages secure , and yet still allow him his freedom of movement.

Then he went to work on the next leg, doing the same thing as the attendant spared him a glance and nodded to him that what he was doing was fine. Whatever the man had spoken to the doctor before had brought out a man carrying a set of tonics of some sort as they tried them one by one on the sleeping woman.
By the fourth or fifth imbibed brew he could see her breathing increase to normal levels as she began to stir... By the time he was finished with his other leg, and did a brief skein search for other splinters he figured it best to go get Shai something to eat, or at the very least to drink.


Returning to the table , Antar gathered a plate and heaped a few more meat buns for himself and a series of fruits for her, not sparing Dhalvasha a single glance. Eridanus' seemed in full swing of his tale of the day, and Antar could almost see the brimming of something more going on behind his eyes, as if there was something he was pondering that was left unsaid. His body language almost confirmed it, though Antar thought it best not to pry right that second. Not when he heard the doctor cursing as Shale let loose a bit of yowl of his own from the alcove after the sound of shattered glass came.
He'd ask Eri later, as soon as they were into the catacombs what it was...
He had more important things right now to consider, even as he wolfed down another meat bun, this one tasting like apricot fondue.

When he arrived back where Shai was, he saw the doctor and the attendant struggling to hold the kelvic still as they began to work on removing the arrow.Shale had tossed the second flagon against a wall in pain and the two were outmatched by his sheer strength.. Without pausing for a thought, and knowing that here was the best place for his talents right now. Antar would set down the plate next to the slowly awakening Shai, use the alcohol on his hands to sanitize and remove any extra particles. He then strode behind the couch where the kelvic lay to wrap the man in a loose around the shoulders hold from the side, using his greater armored weight and position to keep him steady and stable for the doctor and attendant to work on getting the arrow out of the kelvic's chest, so they could get him atop a table to begin the real operation to save his life, stitching and reinflating the lung...

The kelvic's howl was deafened by the alcove, but just enough that Antar would hear no more of the words coming from the table area, though he would check back in a few chimes after the doctor and the attendant requested his assistance to place Shale on the table and leave them to their ministrations. Maybe Dhalvasha, if he had a caring bone in his body would help the man any further. Shale's plight was beyond Antar's range of knowledge.

As the companions from the temple ate, they would find Antar worriedly pacing back and forth between the areas, listening as attentively as he could before walking back to check on the stirring symenestra...

For all intents and purposes, he was hopefully seeming nothing more then a worried professional for an comrade as the dull weight of the mirror under his breastplate reminded him of what he was here to do.
He still didn't know if that rogue illusionist had anything to do with the plight Alvadas' faced right now.

But he was damn sure he was going to find out ... after another meat bun of course! Antar was hungry as could be!

[Shai]

As the opaque curtain of an unremarkable and half remembered dream faded from the spider’s eyes, her first sight was an unfamiliar face in an unfamiliar place. Desperately she ripped through her memories seeking her answer. It was as though she looked upon a picture gallery so many frames seemed yet unfilled. Shai could recall the statue, the people… the golems and the roof. Dhalvasha. As soon as she remembered his presence her recollection of her last moments of consciousness flooded back. Her body flooded with rage, rage of years gone by. Wrath dulled by the passing years, it should have been at the forefront the first moment she had laid eyes upon the doctor on that hard-packed dirt road west of Sunberth. Without regard for the man attending her Shai flipped over and jerked off of the couch while the only thoughts her mind were to find the traitor and make him— Shai smacked hard against the ground, her limbs still hardly awake from the drug that Dhalvasha had introduced to her body. Slowly she propped herself up on her forearms and panted against the floor, in a way she expelled her rage. So she was no less angry but her mind was clearly and reminding her that to strike immediately with force was not her way. The doctor would wait, but his suffering would someday be greater for every heartbeat of respite he had now. Someday the scorned woman would get her retribution for his betrayals which just seemed to continue to stack upon one another. Dhalvasha had forgotten what it meant to be Symenestra, if he ever knew; Shai was unsure anymore. The only thing she could be sure of now, was that in her mind Dhalvasha was no longer one of her blood. Let Viratas curse her for her next thoughts because they cemented the concept; should Dhalvasha ever require her aid in the future he would find himself worse for it. “Filthy Azo” she muttered to herself and the floor before pushing herself up to sit with her back propped against the couch. Staring out of the alcove she found faces that she could recognize. Eridanus… Antar the first was reassuring but the second brought her a comforted sigh of relief. The third face, though it was recognized, she scanned beyond without pause; Dhalvasha was not worth her attention unless it would guarantee his downfall. Pulling herself up and onto her feet with the couch as a crutch, Shai slowly regained her facilities and with it a grumble from her stomach. The others were eating and perhaps doing the same wouldn’t harm her. Conveniently someone had placed a tray of fruit beside her, scooping up several she placed them into her cloak pockets but left the grapes. The grapes were small enough that she could eat them without her venom though it required extensive chewing. Taking the grapes with her, she found a seat nearer the group. Normally new people would concern her, but Antar and Eridanus seemed unconcerned with them, although the howling man was certainly agitating. Pitching her voice out between the screams, “Antar, come here and explain what in the world is going on. Where are we?”

[Fallacy]

The Department of Illusion Alluvia waited for any response, any movement. Nothing. Folding her hands and setting them on the table her eyes drifted from person to person, face to face, ”Well,” she said, sounding a little disappointed, ”Corenlius it seems you were right.” she admitted with a sigh, ”So…” she got up the table vanished, the will for it to exist was gone, with the table came the biscuits and tea. ”It looks like we have to do this ourselves.” she announced, ”Corenlius, the door is ready, yes?” she asked. The Head of the Department of Illusions looked at her, a bit surprised by her announcement. Giving one last look at his nails he placed his hands down, ”Why, yes Alluvia the door is ready.” he said looking at the portal behind the Triad Member. ”Wait” he stopped, ”You want to go yourself?” he asked standing up. ”No” she said, an amused smile crossed her face, ”We, Corenlius, are going.” she said turning around to face the door. A hand reached out to grab the door and push it open, ”Now come on.” her voice had a fierceness of its own; it had lost the polite little twang it had when she was addressing everyone. It now was reborn, it had power and spoke of true authority. Only a fool would go against someone who spoke like that. With the door pushed open, the caverns were revealed and the Triad member walked forth, and in her wake the Head of the Department of Illusions. OOCSince you have not replied in the amount of time given, you are all let go of the quest and will receive no XP or Lore. PM me if you want back in and we will talk about it The Sealed Grounds- Location Link As the food came in and the idol conversation happened, introductions were made, and more food came in. Eventually a medic or two entered the room and got Shale all patched up as well. Shale, listening to the conversation would nod now an then, in between his wound being dressed and his howls of pain he might even make a comment or two not addressed to the doctors which attended to him, but further explanation would not be given until the medics left the room and all that remained were dirty dishes, left-over food, the Silencers, and the little group who had followed the Kelivc into the Womyu. Catching his breath, and trying to calm down he would begin to explain. By this time, however, Shai had woke up and brought another face to the little party. ”Now then,” The Kelivc spoke up as if he hadn’t caused a scene at all, ”I guess I still have a lot of explaining to do. It seems we have time.” he said hoping that they did indeed have the luxury of time, ”Nyahana” he called the snake by his first name, ”You have a good head on your shoulders, I like that” the ringmaster gave him one of his sharky grins, exposing his pointed teeth, ”The Womiyu is an ancient building, as you can see.” he said quite obviously, ”It is the most direct route to the underground and serves as a staircase in itself, but.” he waved a hand dismissingly, ”That is not what you need to know. The Womiyu is also the Alvadas’ own secret police and you happen to be eating their food.” he told them, ”So you all better be grateful.” with that he nodded but laughed, ”Dear Ionu, the Silencers are busy right now…” he muttered, and went on to the next question, ”As to why Karash did not tell this man here about the bones of the hypnotist because it is not as important as collecting the bones of Drysalla.” he sighed, ”We had a little disagreement too about the whole bone thing. He thinks the bones of Verlyna are going to be next to useless.” he said, ”But I think otherwise which is why I included the bones on my to get list.” he said. ”Now, none of us know for sure where these bones are. Some legends even say that Ionu themselves took Drysallas body and buried it in illusion, but the Sealed Grounds is as good a place to look than any.” he started but was cut off by a soft voice. Menna appeared right beside Shale and smiled, ”The Sealed Grounds is where some of my friends are.” she announced, the doll in hand suddenly grasped by two and she shook it in front of her face as she talked, ”They will help us find the Drysalla Bones” she spoke, her voice soft, barely a whisper. She would then disappear again from sight. Silence, then she would reappear by Eridanus, ”We have decided to help you nice people in this undertaking.” she said almost joyfully ”We would not want to see you get hurt by our friends.” she shook her head. If one would look closely a person might see what appears to be an almost visible aura around the small girl, a faint glowing easily overlooked or played as a trick of the eye. ”And Mr.Shale is already hurt” there was an evident frown on her face as she said that, a ting of sadness in her voice, ”We will try our best to make sure the Sealed Grounds is nice to you.” With that promise the girl once again disappeared, fearing that she had drawn too much attention to herself. Though before she blinked out of visibility those looking might have seen a glimpse of a blush. ”Ah,” Shale laughed, ”Menna is here too” he nodded, ”Good to know.” he said laying back trying to relax himself from the torment that the doctors put him through. They were lucky the kelvic did not take a chunk out of them. ”The Sealed Grounds was once Alvadas’ Cemetery. It houses the dead in a great crypt, and there is a possibility that Drysallas body lie in its depths as well.” he said not mentioning the ghosts which inhabit the place. Sometime would pass as the group would finish their conversations and explanations and then the Silencers would once again speak up, ”I believe we have spent enough time here” one of them said, ”Follow us and we will lead you to the Womiyu’s end.” they said leading the way past more pictures odd and otherwise, but then it would slowly change into a much richer place, a place decorated with gold and it seemed there was no expense untaken in this fine place. The floors shined, reflecting the torch light which lined the walls and soon enough they were lead down a grand entrance hall, a massive staircase showcasing the craftsman ship of Ancient Alvadas, and leading out were two enormous doors, made of wood, but decorated with symbols of all kind. Magical or not was hard to tell. At the approach of the Silencers the doors creaked open and beyond the doors there seemed to be a forest, as if Underground Alvadas knew where they were headed and wanted to make sure they were going in the right direction. ”This is where we leave you. Good luck” they said before departing up the stairs. They had other things to attend to. Once the party would cross the threshold of the door the Womiyu itself would disappear leaving the group in a wooded area, but in the distance there could be heard a soft humming carried by the whispering wind. It sounded like a child’s lullaby but with the forest of mostly dead trees surrounding them it could be turned into something darker and even a little creepy. The wind would blow at their backs as if beckoning them to go forward, to follow the voice, but one has to keep in mind the playfulness of Alvadas. As they began their journey crows started their cawing and landing on the branches, slowly more and more coming and coming, cawing and cawing, trying to tell the group they are going in the wrong direction, or maybe it was the reverse? Soon roots from the trees could be seen covering age old stone, growing over and around it; glyphs could be seen carved into the stone itself, faded with time. The woods started thinning and soon a crypt was in sight and they were at the Sealed Grounds. The doors of the crypt were barred shut and it seemed to be sealed. Caw, caw the birds could still be heard… Somewhere in Alvadas Standing on the ramparts of the ever shifting city walls, rigid in his stance as no mortal truly should have a right to be; a man's eyes watched the carnage and fires plaguing the city with a smile on his lips.To imagine... truly imagine how... wonderful the feeling he had right now was beyond the scope of other's imaginings.Perhaps even beyond the city's itself to imagine... for all he could do was smile as this one place in world fashioned itself to burn... Soon, soon he knew his tormentors, his gaolers would soon be forced to move. Leading them like ants to scurry from the safety of their Underground hives... soon he would have a chance to kill the one he loathed the most of all. He would turn to a child, a tool he had used, standing beside him and smile and gestured towards the burning sight of the colosseum, "Tell me my dear, do you like what wishes can bring? Does this make you happy? It makes me happy." The girl just looked at him wide eyed, and wild eyed as she stared at the horrors before them all. The horrors of legends come back to life. "You don't seem to want to speak my girl. Has a cat got your tongue?" the man chuckled as he waited. But there was no reply. "No matter. Your usefulness is at an end my dear..." Indeed for she already paid the price it seemed for the mirror's use... almost lazily the man would give the girl's cheek one last caring caress before placing his hand about her neck as he began to squeeze, lifting her into the air and holding her over the wall's edge.The child did not even kick or scream as she died, and soon her lifeless body was tossed away like a piece of garbage, only for her corpse to splatter on the stone roads of the city, nothing more then a smear upon the dirty streets.One more dead amongst the masses. The man would turn to the burning city once more and his smile would broaden even wider then it had before... "Soon Alluvia, soon I shall do the same to you and with your death; your pitiful Silencers shall trouble me no more." OOCShale has left the Party. Menna, however, joined