Open The Rising Dawn (CITY WIDE QUEST)

[Cassidy Finch]

In the midst of the chaotic throng, Velvet continued to guide, push, and occasionally swear at the confused slaves. Whenever one of the slaves froze in panic, fear, or confusion, the former slave used whatever method she deemed best to get him or her moving again. She understood the desire to stop, stay where she was, and wait for her master to give her direction. It was an instinct that was beaten into every slave at every possible time. Obey your master, or suffer the consequences. That instinct made every move hesitant, it was an instinct that Velvet had made great effort to fight. Only that constant resistance, enduring through years of humiliation and subservience, gave her the willpower to continue on where many others would fail. Velvet's flurry of activity ceased as a loud voice cut through the babble of the crowd, "Get those slaves freed, and then let's get out of here. To the shipyard, all of you!" Siriana's voice. Velvet glanced towards Siriana, having remained within easy seeing distance the whole time. With surprise, the woman noticed that the battle had died down, and all that remained were slaves trying to find the way out. Siriana's proclamation gave them all a goal; a purpose to work towards. Mere moments after Siriana's voice faded, the crowd shifted, all of the slaves and rebels working their way towards the exits of the slave market. It was slow going; with so many people, the way was completely clogged. The press of people disconcerted Velvet; ordinarily, she felt secure in crowds. Normal crowds, not a crowd of escaped slaves and rebels. They were a target for any and all of the city's authorities, if they could get to them fast enough. Images of the battle at the Temple flashed through Velvet's mind, and she glanced down at the dagger that was still clutched tightly in her right hand. It was stained with blood, but it was not the fresh crimson that marked recent bloodshed. Instead, it was a dull, ruddy brown powder that was caked onto the sides of the blade. The dagger had not seen much use in Velvet's hands; all it had been used for was scaring off those who thought her an easy target. Velvet had been lucky in that no one had called her bluff. She had never fought with a blade in her life, and had no plans to do so if she could avoid it. Her thoughts were interrupted by a tug on her dress. Velvet looked down in surprise and saw a little girl, no more than five or six years old, clutching her dress tightly in manacled hands. The chains that undoubtedly bound her to one of the many poles, cages, or walls of the slave market were broken and though she was a bit bruised and scraped, the girl seemed to be well enough. Her brown eyes were wide with fear, and she was looking to Velvet for whatever kind of help she'd seen the woman give to the other slaves. Velvet looked at the girl, puzzled for a few moments. She couldn't very well give directions to the docks; the little girl wouldn't have any clue what to do. The former slave looked around, trying to find someone who could take the girl to the docks. To her frustration, everyone was busy doing the same thing she was. "Take her to the docks," A man behind Velvet shouted; she turned and noticed that he was dragging along two slaves with him, "And hurry, Siriana is waiting." Sighing, the woman nodded to him and gave the girl a tight-lipped smile. She was no good with children; they always seemed too frivolous and impractical to her. That didn't matter now, though. She needed to get the girl to the docks. Velvet would be damned if she'd let the girl go wandering around, just waiting for some thick-muscled bastard to chain her up again. "Come along," Velvet invited, still keeping the same tight-lipped smile. Though it was awkward, the woman did feel sympathy for the girl. She looked much like Velvet imagined that she had shortly after her enslavement; young, foolish, innocent. She remembered crying herself to sleep at night for a very long time after being sold into slavery. It seemed fitting that she'd have the opportunity to save someone else from her fate. "Let's hurry. We've got a ship to catch," Velvet held out her hand encouragingly to the girl, and she quickly grabbed it, fully trusting Velvet to lead her to safety. ____________________________________________ With a cry of pain, the girl tripped and landed hard on the cobblestone streets. Velvet hastily bent down to help the girl to her feet, intent on avoiding the people whose footsteps she heard coming from around a nearby intersection. It wouldn't do to get caught by a soldier when she was so close to freedom. Unfortunately, the girl had other ideas. The pain, fear, and confusion had finally become too much, it seemed, and she began weeping loudly. The woman cursed under her breath and tried to haul the girl upright. She fought back every time Velvet tried to drag her away from the sound of the rapidly approaching footsteps. The hollow sound grew closer with every tick, and Velvet felt her heart begin to pound. She listened more closely for a few moments, and confirmed that the sound was not that of an ordinary shoe; boots had a louder, more distinctive sound. A sound that Velvet currently found to be terrifying. She was so close! Just a few more streets and she would be free of slavery; free of Ravok and of its cruelty. All she had to do was leave the girl to her fate. Leave her to a life of slavery and abuse while Velvet went free. She couldn't do it, she found. No matter how much she wanted to, Velvet simply couldn't bring herself to let the girl be recaptured so easily. With mere moments remaining before the soldiers rounded the corner and found them, Velvet likely wouldn't be able to get away fast enough, anyway. She looked around frantically, trying to find something they could hide behind. Nothing was readily apparent to her. She wracked her brain in an attempt to find a solution. It struck her when she glanced at the girl's chains; of course! Though Velvet had a few blood splatters on her dress, and her feet were soiled with dry blood and dirt, she looked much better off than an escaped slave had any right to. She remembered how she'd saved a woman from slavery, and decided that it could theoretically work again. Velvet would need to make her act convincing. Just as the soldiers turned the corner with their cart, Velvet roughly grabbed the girl by her upper arm and tugged hard, "Get up, you lazy brat! You just got a little scrape! The master's going to have you whipped for this! Up, or the he'll have both our hides!" For good measure, Velvet kept her voice raised nearly to a shout so the soldiers would certainly hear; hopefully, they would assume she was simply a slave being sent to retrieve a runaway. Many slaves would serve their masters even when given the chance to escape, though the woman had never understood why. The girl whimpered piteously, and Velvet felt a pang of guilt. If they made it out of this, she'd be sure to find some way to make it up to the girl. This may have been a necessary evil, but it made her feel horrible even so.

[Verilian]

Things may not have gone exactly according to plan, but all in all, the Rising Dawn had a huge success that day. The distraction that Aislin caused when she 'rose from the dead' not only distracted them long enough for the rebels to make their escape, but it also gave Velvet the chance she needed to flee. While her act may have worked, she would soon see it wasn't necessary as the guards began removing bodies from the guard in a desperate attempt to get to the angry woman beneath who was apparently very much alive. This meant that Velvet had her chance, and assuming she took it, she could escape to the docks. What she didn't know was that the time that was wasted with the little girl ended up being her downfall. By the time she arrived at the docks, both the ships had already set sail, and were too far away to stop or turn back, even if they did notice Velvet and the little girl waving at them. Seeing their hope was lost, the girl began to cry. Velvet, too, might have lost hope, but perhaps she would hold it together for the sake of the girl? The guards would not be far behind, the strange woman had only stalled them for a few chimes, and Velvet needed to find a place to hide. Would she abandon the girl and care for herself, now that she knew she truly was trapped in Ravok, or would try again to save her? As for Valerius, the Rising Dawn failed to notice his presence. His slaves ran off in search of Ebonstryfe, finding that while they could easily locate some, getting any of them to listen was a much more delicate matter. The Ebonstryfe were busy with their own problems, and it wasn't until the slaves dropped the Nitrozian name and mentioned the Rising Dawn that the Stryfe took any interest in them. However, by the time they returned to the market with a small contingent of Ebonstryfe, the terrorists had already moved on and, presumably, Valerius had followed them. Had it not been for the obvious fact that the slaves were missing, and there were dead bodies laying around, the Stryfe might not have believed anything had happened at all. Valerius, if he did indeed follow the Rising Dawn, would watch as they quickly loaded as many slaves as they could onto a pair of water gliders and sailed away. By the time the Ebonstryfe arrived, they were already well out into the water, though the Nitrozian would witness Velvet's arrival with the little girl shortly before them, and possibly even where they hid. While pretty much the entire city was in chaos, with guards searching high and low for the terrorists, or anyone who they even thought might be a member of the Rising Dawn, the scene at the employment center was quite calm. Nobody thought to check the building, as it was not obviously under attack, and it allowed Ervis and Inoadar to speak in peace. Several tense moments passed after Inoadar finished his spiel as the wizard regarded him with curiosity. Finally the stone disk was removed from his chest, allowing him to finally breath properly and make a move if he wished. The stone was tossed casually aside and the wizard lowered his arm, taking a step toward Inoadar. "Very well. I will spare you, and in exchange.. perhaps I will call on you at a later date." The wizard turned and motioned to the room at large, sweeping his arm across it as res expelled from his hands. The mist spread out across the room to the four walls, and even across the floor. Ervis took a step toward the door, then glanced over at Inoadar. "Take anything you need from this place, and then I suggest you get out quickly. I won't wait long." The wizard exited the building and waited for Inoadar just outside the door. Assuming that he acted quickly, Inoadar could grab anything he needed, if he needed anything at all, then exit the building himself before the res was ignited and the entire structure went up in a blaze. Ervis was already walking away when he ignited it, and didn't even bother to look back. The wizard didn't stop until he reached the edge of the canal, then turned back to Inoadar and tossed him what looked to be a the skull of a small bird, covered in strange sigils and glyphs. "Take this. When the time comes, it will allow me to find you. Keep it on you at all times if you wish to meet again." The wizard did not bother to explain anything else. Instead he produced another strange item, a vial of slimly liquid, and held it up to his face. Rather than drink the liquid, he seemed to inhale, placing it against both his mouth and nose separately. The slime caused the wizard to cough, momentarily, but he soon recovered. With a nod and a wave, the old man hopped into the canal and disappeared beneath the surface of the water. Inoadar could wait, but no matter how long he did, the old man would not resurface. At least not anywhere nearby, or any time soon. Not that Inoadar had time to wait, the fire would surely draw the attention of the Ebonstryfe and if he did not wish to be implicated, it would probably be best if he left the scene.. and quickly. OOC : Antar, I sent you a PM telling you why you were skipped this post. You will be added in soon. Inoadar, info concerning your item will be in the closing post. Valerius, sorry for skipping you over. While I wrote in that you stayed on the docks, you could potentially attempt to sneak onto one of the ships if you really wanted to, or even pursue them on a different boat (though you won't find one that you can man by yourself that is fast enough). To those of you who were skipped, sorry.. but you had plenty of time to respond. Any questions, feel free to PM me as always.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar gave a brief nod to the wizard and immediately turned to find the cabinet with the alphabetical listing of current bounties. He hurried to the dead man on the steps and retrieved the key. Knowing he had only moments, he rushed in and slipped the key in and pulled the drawer out, rifling through it to find the bounty sheet for "Inoadar". He slipped it out and saw the red stamp of a circle with the word "PAID" centered in it. He grinned at the knowledge that he was in the clear now.

He thought briefly of Bojovnik, thinking that maybe he'd have the chance to return the favor someday. He hoped the man had choked on the mizas. He grabbed a handful of bounties, not taking the time to scan to see how many others had been collected on. It occurred to him that with the likely destruction of the building, there may be no record of any bounties, but there was no time to go through other drawers. Besides, the documents WERE official, and maybe he could use them to extort some of the targets into paying him to destroy them. Plus, for all he knew, there were copies of them, including his own closed one, on record elsewhere.

He hurried back to the street to see the wizard walking towards the canal. Wind rushed towards and past him as a soft but heavy "whoosh" sounded behind, accompanied by a blast of heat. The street tinted red and Inoadar's shadow stood stark before him against the glow behind. He ran to the canal, instinctively seeking water when fire was behind him.

The man reached the canal before him and turned to face Inoadar. There was something he was toying with in his hand. He looked at Inoadar and tossed the item to him. Inoadar caught it and examined it. A small bird's skull with arcane symbols on it, by all appearances. He pocketed it quickly as the man spoke. "Take this. When the time comes, it will allow me to find you. Keep it on you at all times if you wish to meet again."

The wizard then pulled out a vial and inhaled it, both through his nose and mouth. After a moment and a cough, the man simply dropped into the canal. Inoadar waited for just a moment, not to see if the wizard resurfaced, but to see if the vial bobbed up. He'd LOVE to get a sample of that substance! But no such luck. And speaking of luck, Inoadar decided his would run out shortly if he stayed anywhere near the burning C.E.B. building when the Ebonstryfe arrived. He headed for the nearest alley and melted into the shadows.

OOCThis can be my finish, unless there's some surprise in store for me still

[Cassidy Finch]

Velvet's false anger evaporated as she noticed that, instead of paying her and her charge any attention, the guards were focused on tossing bodies out of the cart that they'd piled them in. The woman allowed her hand to release its too-tight grip on the girl's arm, and turned her gaze to the activity. Something under the bodies was moving! Judging by the tone of its muffled voice, the person wasn't at all happy in the cart. Another woman might have been curious about a body suddenly coming to life in a cart full of corpses; Velvet, however, was not. She saw nothing worth noting except for the guards' distraction; this was their chance! The woman immediately bent down and plucked the girl up by the arm. She must have realized their danger, for she allowed herself to be half-dragged down the street at a breakneck pace. If Velvet had not been holding tightly to her arm, the girl surely would have toppled end-over-end in the street. "Just a little farther," Velvet panted encouragement, her limbs bursting with energy despite the weariness that all the running caused. The chance of escape gave her the energy to continue on; if they didn't hurry, they would be left behind! At their pace, it took the pair fifteen chimes to make it to the docks. As they finally passed through the mouth of the street into the docks area, Velvet exhaled a loud breath in relief, glad that their freedom was finally in sight... Immediately the breath was drawn in again as a gasp of horror, No! Velvet thought as she saw the ships sailing away, already too far for them to have any hope of reaching, We're too late! A weariness the likes of which Velvet had never felt before descended upon her as she realized that her only hope for freedom was floating away on the lake. It was resignation, the desire to simply stop fighting and accept the fate that the gods seemed so determined to assign her. The utter desolation depicted on Velvet's features must have made the girl realize exactly which ships those were, for she began to sob, tears trailing their way down her small face. For a few long chimes, Velvet could do nothing but stand in the mouth of the street and watch the retreating forms of the ships, an expression of hopeless sorrow on her face. All her hopes for the future had been dashed in an instant; any chance of freedom from this damned city had been ripped from her. Velvet was trapped in Ravok, and she had nowhere to go. Inevitably, she would be captured and returned to her master. True to his word, Sevris would surely have her killed out of hand. Then what? Death didn't seem so bad, compared to some of the things she had lived through... For a few brief moments, the woman contemplated the lake, its waves slapping against the moored ships. It would be easy to step out into the water and allow it to take her. So easy... If she ended her life of her own choice, Velvet could at least die a free woman... The former slave shook those thoughts out of her head with a shudder; she couldn't do that, Velvet realized. Suicide would only be acknowledging a final victory over her. It would be proof that she was just a piece of property, nothing more. Though it was difficult, she pulled together the tattered scraps of her determination and hardened them into new resolve. If she still drew breath, there was hope for freedom. Velvet would stop at nothing to gain her freedom; if it took her until her last breath, she would be free! With a new sense of determination, fragile though it was, Velvet felt ready to attend to the business of hiding from the Ebonstryfe. There still was a problem, however. What was she to do about the girl? Velvet knew that the girl's little episode on the street was to blame for their late arrival, though looking at the poor child's tear-streaked face, the woman found that she couldn't be angry at her. The girl still needed Velvet's help; possibly more so now than before. She was even less able to survive in this city than Velvet was. Surely, she would be beaten for escaping, and again for the broken chains. For all Velvet knew, the girl would be put to death for all of this. She couldn't live with herself if she abandoned her to that. So, with a grim smile, Velvet bent down and took the girl's small hand in her own. "We'll find some way out of this. Don't worry... We need to keep moving. You have to stop crying, though. If you make noise, someone will hear you. Can you do that for me?" She stared earnestly into the child's innocent eyes. Her words had been fumbled out, though they were meant to have something of a calming effect. She genuinely wanted the girl to be at peace, and hoped that her blunt, straightforward words would at least allow some of that desire to show through. Regardless of the girl's response, Velvet would try to lead her down a narrow alleyway that was situated between a pair of warehouses, completely in Valerius' field of vision. It was filled with boxes, and the pair would have to weave through them to get into the safety of the shadows. To Velvet's chagrin, the alley was a dead-end and they could not pass more than a couple dozen paces inside. The familiar sound of boots outside announced that there was no chance of escape yet; they would need to wait out the guards. Fortunately, the alley was well-shaded and they could avoid detection as long as no soldiers decided to peer into the alleyway too closely. For good measure, Velvet knelt down behind a large crate and gently pulled the girl towards her so that she could share the woman's hiding spot. Velvet didn't know whether the girl would make noise or not, so she kept herself ready to clamp her hand down on the child's mouth if she had to. Though Velvet had long ago decided that she had been somehow condemned to have poor fortune, she desperately hoped that at least this one thing would go right for her today. If they could escape to the more obscure sections of town, Velvet believed they might be able to lose themselves as workers in the lower class part of Ravok. The woman had no idea how she would manage to keep both herself and the girl fed, but that was a problem for another time. They had more pressing concerns to worry about right now.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

By Rhysol, what was taking his slaves so long? He had told them to fetch a few members of the Ebonstyfe and tell them what the terrorists were about to do. That couldn’t be so hard! Couldn’t those fools follow simple instructions? If they didn’t come back soon, he would punish them when this was over! The Rising Dawn were already fleeing! Why didn’t they come? The Nitrozian looked back and forth, wondering whether he should follow the terrorists (and possibly risk his life in the process) or go back and get the Ebonstryfe himself because his slaves clearly weren’t capable of doing so. In the end he decided to follow the terrorists even though it was dangerous, and he hated getting in danger. They were freeing the slaves. His family were slavers, among other things, so he couldn’t let this happen. Unfortunately they were quite efficient and sailing away in no time. He could have snuck onto one of the ships and gone with them, but that wasn’t simply dangerous, that was suicidal. So he decided to just stay on the dock and wait for the Ebonstryfe. Hopefully they would still be grateful if he just told them where the terrorists had gone. As he waited, he noticed a young woman with a girl trying to get away from the docks. Valerius didn’t like women, and he hated children, but they seemed desperate. Why were they even out here when terrorists were everywhere? For some reason he didn’t assume that they were slaves (or former slaves), but honorable citizens of Ravok that had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and as such they needed to be protected from the evil that was the Rising Dawn. He wouldn’t let anybody fall into their hands, even if they were just commoners. He quickly and quietly followed them down the alleyway, and a moment later he was standing in front of their hiding place. „Don’t be afraid“, he whispered, hoping that Rhysol would appreciate what he did today. He normally didn’t have any interest in being a hero. Heroes often got hurt, and sometimes they even died, and he valued his life. „Come with me. They’ll find you here. They are everywhere. I know a place where you can stay until the situation has calmed down.“

[Verilian]

The voice listened passively as Antar rambled about games and questions, finding the entire matter very curious. Perhaps his mind was addled from overgiving, but never before had she met someone who could speak to her so casually, at least not upon first meeting her, especially when they knew who she was. Her pupilless white eyes stared down at him and finally, when he posed the first of his questions to her, a small smile crept onto her lips. "I cannot speak for the other gods, but I know there are none above my lord. Does he care for the little people? Would this city stand if he did not? Rhysol cares deeply for each and every soul here, and that is why I have come to offer you a reward. But as to what choice I should make.. well, I have chosen mine, but for you that choice is yours alone to make. Believe what you wish, but know that Rhysol smiles upon you this day, whether you realize it or not." The Voice paused, allowing Antar to continue. When he finally posed the original question, she answered again. "The answer to that is simple. I have seen their power, here in the world and elsewhere. For some seeing is believing, and I have met many gods. I know that they exist." Antar spoke some more, and it was clear it was with great effort on his part to continue, but finally he did stop. He was a long winded one, that was for sure, but he was also a curious one. The voice found him interesting, and that could be a good or bad thing. Eventually she answered. "You already have my friendship, and the good will of my lord, Antar. I ask of you only that you live, and that you find what it is you seek. What you do beyond that is up to you." The Voice turned and started to leave, but paused, then suddenly turned back. "Oh, and this." She leaned down quickly and kissed Antar on the cheek. It was a kiss like nothing he had experienced before, and suddenly his body was in agony, as if someone had set fire to his nerve endings one by one over the span of an instant, starting with his cheek. The pain spread throughout him, threatened to consume him, and then suddenly it was over, and he was left with a feeling of pure ecstasy. Beyond that, he would find himself fully healed and rested, both mentally and physically, and he even felt as if he'd recently had a decent meal. The Voice said nothing else, leaving him alone in the feeling of pleasure that would wash over him. It was rare she granted such a boon, but Antar had done well, and he interested her. She wanted him fit, to see what he would do. As for the rest of the city, the search was still on. Valerius had already seen the Rising Dawn escape, and there was nothing he could do about that. But the woman and girl hiding he could at least try to help. At least, he thought so, but as he whispered to them he heard someone shouting his name. Turning at the sound, he saw his slaves running toward him followed by a small regiment of armed Ebonstryfe soldiers. They had finally come through.. but were much too late. And when he looked back to where Velvet and the girl were hiding, he found they'd already run off. The Ebonstryfe questioned him about what he'd seen, told him he'd done a good job and it was a shame they hadn't arrived earlier. Luckily Valerius knew the direction the rebels had sailed, and soon enough Ebonstryfe ships were sent out in pursuit. Valerius himself was promised a reward, to be sent to him later, and more importantly he had gained repute with the Ebonstryfe. As for the two girls.. they were long gone. The rest of the night was a frightful one for those still in the city. While most of the Rising Dawn had escaped on the water gliders, there were still small skirmishes in the streets and it was not safe to be out and about, for fear of being mistaken as an enemy. The people of Ravok huddled in their houses, and when morning came, life began again as normal.. albeit with a deep sense of fear beneath it all. The Ebonstryfe continued it search for the Rising Dawn, but by and large they would not be heard from again for some time. Life went on. ~End AntarSo.. I wanted to mark you, but Gillar never responded. Maybe later >.> ValeriusSo.. Cassidy hasn't logged in in a while, and I wanted to wrap this thread up.. so I just kind of made her escape that way we didn't have to wait for another post that might not come. EveryodyThe experience award, as well as anything else I give you, will come in the next post. I am going to try to award everybody something special, in some way. Some of you have already gotten your rewards, but I'll repost them in the award so you don't forget. Anyway, that should be up soon, I just wanted to go ahead and get this post in so you know I haven't forgotten you.

[Verilian]

. . Thread Award . . Sevris +2 Observation +5 Double-Bladed Sword +2 Acrobatics +2 Intimidation +1 Swimming Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Bested by an Akalak, Fighting the Rising Dawn Notes: Seeing as how Velvet escaped, you obviously no longer have to pay for her living expenses or anything like that. Volinir Orchid +1 Disguise +2 Observation +1 Unarmed Combat +3 Climbing +3 Body Building Lores: The Voice is Back, Reunited with Renalee, The Rising Dawn Attack, Escaping the Fray, Helping Velvet Escape Velvet +1 Dancing +1 Socialization +4 Running +1 Observation +1 Climbing +3 Leadership 1 Acting +1 Stealth Lores: The Voice is Back, Embracing the Crowd, The Rising Dawn Attack, First sigh of Death, Making an Important Choice, Siding with the Rising Dawn, The Joy of Fighting for Freedom Aislin +1 Observation +5 Voiding +5 Hypnotism +3 Unarmed Combat Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Caught in the Flames, Overgiving, Mixing Chaon and Hypnotism, Overgiving: Aislin, due to your over usage of magic (partially my fault >.>) you will suffer overgiving until the end of the coming winter. Aislin will have a strong desire to use her hypnotism magic whenever possible, even if it isn't necessary. Furthermore, about a third of the time, the magic will have a completely random and unexpected result, often mimicking the use of your Chaon. This lasts until the end of Winter 512. Once spring is here, you'll have fully recovered, assuming you don't overgive again before then. Other: Aislin has been noticed. Expect a PM in the future about a thread opportunity. Inoadar +4 Observation +1 Dancing +1 Larceny +3 Unarmed Combat +1 Acrobatics +1 Interrogation +2 Persuasion +2 Investigation +1 Rhetoric Lores: The Voice is Back, Taking Advantage of the Crowd, The Rising Dawn Attack, Siriana: Rising Dawn Member, Harrol: Rising Dawn Member Loot: 20 gold Mizas (from looting), Ravokian Citizenship Papers, Strange Bird Skull*The details of the skull will be in your SS. If you want to investigate it, you can figure out that A. It is the skull of a homing pigeon. B. It is magical. Other than that, you will need moderation to figure it out. Cassandra Coven Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Renalee +3 Observation +1 Socialization +2 Dagger +2 Unarmed Combat +1 Running Lores: The Voice is Back, Choosing Cheese, The Opressive feeling of the Crowd, Reunited with Volinir, The Rising Dawn Attack, Valerius Nitrozian +3 Observation +3 Leadership +3 Stealth Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Noticing the Shift in the Crowd, Using Slaves as Shields, Spying on the Rising Dawn Other: Valerius has impressed certain members of the Ebonstryfe and Black Sun. Expect PMs in the future with thread opportunities. Giph +2 Observation +1 Socialization +3 Running +1 Shortsword +1 Climbing Lores: The Voice is Back, Choosing Cheese, How to move through a crowd, Random Reunions, The Rising Dawn Attack, Loot: Shortsword Raylan Zallow +1 Mandolin +1 Singing Lores: The Voice is Back, Ol' Rhysol's Ravok, The Rising Dawn Attack, Antar +1 Acting +1 Observation +2 Reimancy +1 Gladius +2 Glyphing +2 Rhetoric Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Blending with the Crowd LootAll possessions returned when he leaves the temple 1 Glassbeak Head and Talons Other: The kiss given to Antar by the Voice healed his body fully, and cured him of any overgiving. Also, he has earned the interest of the Voice. This could be a good thing, or a bad thing, but expect a PM with a thread opportunity sometime in the future. Crismento Miren +1 Swimming +2 Observation +3 Drive: Ravosala +1 Acting +1 Stealth Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, Acting like a Ravosalaman Tanjun Vorot +1 Running +1 Acrobatics +2 Glaive Lores: The Voice is Back, The Rising Dawn Attack, You Question My Logic? : So I awarded a lot of XP in this thread, and I certainly can't explain it all, however if you feel I missed anything feel free to PM me with your concerns. Oh, and I don't think I missed anyone, but if I did, let me know. Valerius, I already checked, and I didn't miss you this time, lol. Notes: Great thread, guys. I know it took a long time.. but this was actually one of the fasted resolved big quests I've seen. Only 1 1/2 seasons long. Trust me.. that's pretty quick, lol. So, for a lot of you I already have plots for the next thread in this story. They will be individual plots, but I will try to get them started up soon. ..and by soon, I mean I should probably wrap up a couple of threads first, but you are all on the list, and your threads will be coming at some point. If not this winter, then spring. Uh, so I hope you enjoyed it all. Keep writing everyone!