Seashimmer:
Seashimmer, deep in perusal of the tables, started as she heard someone speak to her. Looking up, she saw a young woman dressed in shades of red. Standing next to her was - a panther? Seashimmer wasn't sure; she had heard of them only in scrolls, and besides, none of the panthers she had read about had possessed wings! She turned her attention to the woman, although her eyes kept straying to the winged cat.

"Not at all, and thank you," she replied, smiling.

As they walked over towards the table, Seashimmer felt a twinge of pain in her remaining hand. Glancing to her left, she saw another woman whose hand was bruised. She closed her eyes and reached out for the pain, taking it carefully onto her own hand. Opening her eyes, she glanced down at her now bruised hand. She'd have to heal herself up soon now, if she wanted to be able to do much.

Angie:
The elven mage was not terribly surprised that Raven was beginning to lose her patience. After all, the elf really had not asked for leadership of anything. She grinned at Solarin and answered, "Why not?" before following Raven to a room tucked into a corner of the building.

(This place was bigger than I thought). As they made their way to the room, she replied to Rainbow's offer, "I have no need for a mount. After all, if I need transportation, I have my magic and the help of a certain Unicorn."

:Fine, draw me into the discussion, Danaa might feel left out!:

:So tell her to come along then!: 'Blade Mindsent back to the Unicorn.

:Hmmph! If that's the way you want it!: And the Presence of the Unicorn faded slightly in her mind.

As each member of the group took their seats around the huge round table plop in the center of the room, 'Blade tried to match faces with names. It seemed like an interesting thing to do. As long as she was careful not to let her mind drift. Beasts aren't likely to track down the names. Besides, the shields on the room and the amount of personal shields present should stave them off.

"Right. So Raven, you were about to say? Or are you going to continue on your tirade? Rainbow," 'Blade nodded to the girl with the interesting aura, "has already started."

She leaned back into her seat, wooden as it was, and, propping her blade on her lap, settled to listen to everyone's explanations - unless someone wanted her to speak.

Andi:
Etain thought she had been surprised by the unicorn and the panther with the whiskey, but she was momentarily speechless when the troll joined their group. "Sorry for the mistake back there. Canst thou find it in thine heart to forgive a humble mage?" Shadowblade whispered in her ear.

"'Twas forgiven ages ago," she smiled. "I don't even remember what it was about!"

She stood, smiled and greeted the troll. "Etain Seaward, warrior fairie, at yer service. 'Tis strange, I ha only seen one of yer kind in me life, I am but fifty-three human years, twenty-three fairie, but it brings great happiness to me to see one of ye again!" She chuckled. "While we do tend to dress in black, I cin assure ye, we are no shadows!"

She followed the rest into the Twilight room, stopping only once to make sure her black mare was stabled correctly. She cornered a stableboy who had come into the inn to warm up.

"Hey, boy, you there. Come here. I willna hurt ye, just tell me, is my beast stabled?"

The boy looked up at her with wide eyes. "Yes, milady."

"Och, child, I am no milady. I am Etain. And you be?"

"Joshes."

"Well, here Joshes, me lad, is a whole silver piece just fer ye if you keep watch on my great black beast. Kin ya do that fer me?"

"Yes."

She tossed him the silver, he caught it, examined it, and smiled back at her. "She'll be the best cared for. I'll watch over her myself."

"Thank ye kind sir." She bowed and smiled. "See that ye do."

After this interchange she entered the Twilight room, a slight tingling moving through her body as she passed through the entranceway. She stood a minute surveying her company before finding her chair. "Dark Lady, defend us this night and bless the cause that brings us together 'cause we'll rightly need it afore this night is over!" she softly offered in prayer. She then took a seat beside Shadowblade and set back to listen and tell her tale. She was greatly curious about the stories of the highborn Lady and the Troll... but she waited patiently for someone to start.

Raven Darkblade:
"Right. So Raven, you were about to say? Or are you going to continue on your tirade? Rainbow has already started." Shadowblade leaned back in her chair, settling in.

Raven nodded slightly, control over herself fully regained. She drew her sword from its sheath and laid it on the table in front of the chair she was about to sit in, the longsword's gleaming black blade pointing toward the center of the table. From behind Raven, the flickering light of the fire traced red-gold over the flawless surface of the Darkblade, whose blade looked like nothing so much as carefully crafted obsidian.

Raven sat, as Solarin drew his twin swords, laying them before him in the same manner Raven had - a conscious echo of the war-council of Teren and Karilanth, before the battle that defeated the Dark Adept. The gold-etched runes that ran down the elfsteel blades blazed in the rich firelight. As he sat and the pair waited for everyone who wished to join them, Raven instructed Mor to wait in the common room for anyone else who ought be guided to the group.

Finally everyone who could sit had, and Raven said, "I apologize for my outburst. This is not quite what I expected when I was directed here." She quirked a wry grin.

"I expect," she continued after a moment's pause, "that I had better begin at the beginning. For some of you I may be telling you what you already know, so please be patient for the moment." Again Raven sighed, and shook her head slightly. "My name, for those of you that do not know, is Raven Darkblade. My partner..." she gestured across the table to Solarin, "... is Solarin Swifthand of the elves of Karilanth. We are mercenaries, although from time to time we are..., bound..., to altruistic causes, by virtue of who we are and the company we keep.

"We sit in the tavern called The Midnight Sun, at the edge of a trade city called Crossroads, in the land known as Jacora, currently a large protectorate of Teren, to the west. This was not always so. Jacora was recently overrun by the forces of a man called Medivh Savar. Savar is better known as the Dark Adept or the Black Adept. He was defeated, finally, by the combined efforts of the Karilanthian elves, the kingdom of Teren, and the mercenary Company of which I was at that time a part, however, Jacora is still muchly in chaos, and there is much rebuilding and healing of lands and lives yet to be done."

Raven's hands, unable to remain idle, moved from the tabletop to her lap to the tabletop and finally to the hilt of the Darkblade, where they finally rested for a while. "Although Savar's main stronghold, Drakehall, lies in the far northeast of Teren, he kept a secondary haven here in the Kaladh Forest. In fact, he invested most of his power there, massing it in the forms of artifacts, magical weapons, and power reserves, and he summoned or created an untold number of fell beasts which he loosed in the Kaladh to guard his safehaven and his stored power. They are still there, and have caused many deaths in this area."

Her so-blue eyes swept around the circumference of the table before settling on Solarin, with whom she shared a meaning-filled look before going on. "Solarin and I were called here because one of our... contacts... recently made a visit to the place at which Medivh Savar hid his power reserves, and decided that the place must be destroyed. Neither Solarin nor myself is a mage, although as an elf of Karilanth Solarin has certain abilities, and my sword, the Darkblade, is imbued with its own power."

:As it is proving now:, Solarin 'Said privately to Raven.

:What?:, Raven asked.

:All the while you have been speaking, it has been steadily revealing its magical nature. There is little chance of it being mistaken for anything other than it is now, I think.: Faint amusement threaded through Solarin's mindvoice.

A corner of Raven's mouth twisted wryly, and she resumed. "How, exactly, we are going to destroy this power-reserve, we do not know. Our contact directed us here. I hesitate to say that he is prescient, but he has the tendency to know things that normal men do not have the ability to know, and occasionally he acts on what he knows." She shrugged. "How he gets his information is not something I spend a great deal of time pondering. At any rate, he may have well intended for Solarin and I to meet the rest of you. I cannot say. All that I know is that there are more of the Folk in this one room than have been seen in these lands in many hundreds of years. Something is afoot, and it centers on us."

Now Solarin spoke up. "Though, as Raven said, she and I have a task laid upon us, I too believe that the one who sent us here intended us to join with you, and the wind which has blown all of us here may not blow in the direction of that task just yet."

Raven nodded agreement.

Looking to Rainbow, she added, "As I said, Solarin and I are not mages. However, we know or know of quite a few, and - if, indeed, none of the mages here are willing or able to teach you - we can arrange for one of the mages that we know and trust to teach you in magic. As to your offer to call pegasi, I would say that it would be best if you and Dee'rina instead remained aground as much as possible. I and Solarin have our own mounts, as I expect do some of the rest of this group - and passing through the Kaladh, we will be somewhat less noticeable if we remain groundbound. With earth under our feet," she said heavily, "there is at least one direction from which the creatures are unlikely to come at us. There is also this, not all of the inhabitants of the Kaladh are the ones which concern me so greatly. Even there, there are some potential allies, and I would make use of that if at all possible."

Lifting a hand from the Darkblade, she brushed her hair away from her face. "I believe that is as much as I can tell of what has been and is yet transpiring."

Angie:
Shadowblade listened to Raven's story unfold, placing her own mage-blade on the table before her, unconsciously mimicking the two other elves.

:I see why she can lose her temper.:

:Yes, what with all that stress, and an unknown contact... could it have been that old man you called your mentor?: Ynys had just arrived, her white coat drying out as she eased herself into the stables, startling a stablehand with her sudden appearance. :I don't think that her contact was unknown to her. It did not sound that way. Ah well. I figure that I had better tag along.: 'Blade ran her fingers through her hair, combing it back into a tail that fell down her back. (Easier to fight, that way,) she smiled grimly.

Speaking up in the silence following Raven's speech, 'Blade offered, " I for one would lend my services to Raven's and Solarin's cause. My mentor, the decrepit old mortal," at that, she grinned, "have decided to inform me of their cause, despite the roundabout manner.

In case any of you Felt a Gate opening and closing, that was Ynys, an old friend of mine Gating in. She's very discreet, so I would not be too surprised if none of you did."

:Thanks for the introduction, 'Blade. You do me injustice though.: Humor coloured the unicorn's Mindvoice, but the mage shrugged it away.

"My story, if any wishes to hear, is not as spectacular as Raven's and Solarin's. My mentor just sent me a note saying 'Meet me at The Midnight Sun. NOW.'" She grinned and the others did too. Her mentor was never one for tact.

"Unfortunately, he was not here. And something might or might not have happened to him. He is only Mortal, no offence to the mortals, and close to the end of his allotted time. I fear for his health, after all, he was a friend, albeit an odd one, but one nonetheless. Whatever it is, I suspect that he may be found along Raven's and Solarin's way. My hunches almost never fail me." A faint smile flickered across the mage's face as she leaned back and waited for the others to speak up in their turn.

Typo:
The sun's rays had begun to redden and lengthen as Erelan peered off down the path. She had fed well in the forest on a young hind, and napped in what was destined to be a briefly bright afternoon. From the look of the clouds gathering in the fading sunlight, the rain was finally upon her. Now she stood, wondering whether to continue with her interesting, if so far unproductive, game of tracking or start looking for a place to weather the storm.

She'd encountered an unusual mixture of scents and prints along the trail, and was now thoroughly delighted with the idea of learning what waited at the path's end. There were humans there, and unless her nose deceived her, an unusually diverse mix of other races - perhaps there was something here to add to her collection of information, or even better, a chance at Adventure. There was magic on this path.... Untalented as she was, she could pick it out, sense it waiting up ahead. The pulling in her bones was enough to draw her farther along the way, following the trail of the human-female-that-had-traveled-far, or the older, mixed scents and faint tracks of what seemed to be elves or at least elf-like creatures. Her curiosity had already gotten the better of her. On the other hand, the thunderclouds looked anything but friendly, and one of the few things she liked less than flying in the rain was walking in it.

(If I fly low - close to the trees - I can probably still pick out the trail. Besides, if I don't make better time, the tracks are going to be washed out long before I reach the end.) With a few short hops to a relatively open area, she leapt toward the darkening sky, spread her wings the instant they cleared the low branches, and used a last hard push with her back legs to propel herself away from the tops of the trees. Once she had gained the open air, she flapped along carefully, her foreclaws nearly brushing the top leaves as she swooped just above the path. For one without a particular destination in mind, she made good time.

In less than two hours, she was fighting just to stay aloft, as she finally broke headfirst into the powerful thunderstorm. Buffeted by wind and narrowly escaping the lightning bolts that occasionally sizzled much too close for comfort, she spent every minute not battling the storm berating herself for succumbing to her curiosity. A downdraft nearly sent her crashing into the trees again, her half-grown weight scarcely enough to keep her even in the air, let alone use the wild winds to travel the storm. Finally spotting a clearing ahead through the driving rain and sank into it at a precarious rush, trying not to get a faceful of tree limbs as she descended. A light up ahead glimmered through the steely darkness, and she lifted her head to see clearly as rain sluiced from her chin and cascaded down her partially-folded wings like a waterfall. There was a building ahead, with windows blazing light, its forbidding darkness without somewhat cheered by the light within. Crouching down nearly on her belly, she slunk toward the inn - an enormous place that the wildly swinging sign identified as The Midnight Sun.

She peered in through the window, trying not to be seen. There didn't seem to be any dragon heads or dragon-hunting spears adorning the walls - always a good sign. She caught sight of the musician performing on one side of the room, a group of shadowy characters at a table in one corner, a winged panther, and a pegasus - and while few of the races within the room were unfamiliar, finding them all together in a bar was a bit out of the ordinary. Her tail flipped absently as she wondered about the groups inside the tavern. She was curious, but also wary. For one thing, several of them reeked of magic - magic enough to make her think twice about entering. They would likely be more than a match for one young dragon, as would anything that might venture to the inn to eat the tasty magic-users. Besides that, who knew if attitudes were friendly in this part of the land? In her short life and long travels, she had already been looked upon as everything from a goddess-avatar to a demon, to a beast of burden to a main course. Some misunderstandings were more pleasant than others.

She shrank back at movement within the common room - the shadowy group was retiring to another part of the enormous inn, leaving behind only a large black bird that scouted with piercing eyes. No one seemed to be looking at the window. She stood there, motionless but for the occasional rustling of dripping wet wings, wishing she dared to enter but uneasy about the reception that waited, wishing the rain would stop slithering down so coldly around her ear flaps, wishing she could at least eavesdrop on the performer and let the music and stories keep her company. With a soft sigh, she sank sadly back on her haunches in the mud and watched the life within silently, green muzzle pressed against the cold glass.

Rainbow:
Rainbow nodded as Raven suggested they go to the Twilight Room. Turning to Muranog she spoke softly, "Are you an Adept?"

The troll looked startled, and Dee commented sardonically, :Rain, look at his aura!: She did and smiled at the troll.

:Rain, as I am going to be part of this _please_ can I change?:

Rainbow was puzzled for a few moments until she remembered the spell Oak had set on Dee. :Oh, Okay, just _don’t_ get your wings in the way like _last_ time?:

"Please excuse Dee for a moment, she just needs to change," Rainbow said politely. She caught some strange looks from the rest of the group and raised eyebrows as well.

Dee nickered softly, Rainbow had the distinct impression that her friend was laughing. Throwing a mental 'rope' to the pegasus she sent some energy down the rope and Dee was wrapped up in a silver cocoon of light. Suddenly the light burst and an ethereal woman stepped out.

"Right," Dee said looking towards Rainbow, unfurling the silver wings she still had, "now I can speak normally let's get down to business."

Rainbow laughed at all the gobsmacked faces, and spoke after a moment, "I really do need some training, as does, um, Dee, and I'd very much like to find this Adept you speak of, Raven. I'd also like some of the people of this realm to meet my parents, the King and Queen of Animi."

Dee grimaced. "Typical, you had to get that invitation in!" The woman's hair was long and white and had rainbow lights in like her mane and tail had had. "What Rainbow's saying is that we need help, any offers?"

As Raven and Shadowblade explained why they were here she listened with interest, then spoke up.

"I am Rainbow Faye, the Heir to the Animiian throne, I came over the mountains with my Pegasus." She glanced sarcastically over to where Dee was sorting out her hair and clothes.

:Nothing like being a flying horse to mess your clothes up!: Dee commented.

:Dee you _are_ a pegasus normally! You were _born_ a pegasus! What is this world coming to?:

Raven spoke up then. "It may be becoming something very bad if we don't _stop_ this evil magic!"

Rainbow nodded in agreement, unsurprised that Raven had heard her Mindspeech. "I can help with my powers, as long as I'm trained. Dee can help, and I suspect so could Muranog."

Muranog:
The armoured troll rose from his couch - none of the chairs in the room had proved to be quite large enough – and smoothly drew his huge white sword and stood it upright, the tip of the seven-foot blade just touching the floor of the chamber. With one hand wrapped around the hilt he closed his eyes and murmured, "In the Name of Graal I invoke protection on this room." Releasing the sword, he sank back down onto the couch, the sword remaining upright, its tip only lightly touching the ground. Runes inscribed along the length of the huge blade glowed a fiery red.

"I have asked the earth to ward this room. As long as I and the sword remain here, nothing said in here may be heard by anyone outside through either mundane or magical means, unless mindbonded with someone already inside. Perhaps unnecessary given the number of personal shields already operating here, but one can never be too safe. Six centuries of war have taught my people that." Noting the suddenly intent looks from the mercs, the troll paused and then continued.

"Now, where to begin. I am Muranog, called Shadowbane, a Battle Adept. My bondmate and I, for anyone in this council who arrived after we did, my bondmate is Sable, the elephant-sized black war sheep resting in the stable, hail from the city of Ironhold, one of six of our troll cities in what I believe the local surface folk call the Worldsend Mountains. We, for obvious reasons, call them the Trollhome Mountains. Each city is ruled by a Duke with the assistance of priests, mage Adepts and assorted other councilors. The Dukes are allied and work together for the good of all the cities, with no one Duke ruling over the others in a way such as your human Kings do.

We are a magical race, created by the gods Graal Earthshaper and his brother K'Sath Firelord from the living rock, powerful in the ways of earth and fire. Even those among us with no true Gift can work a little elemental magic, and our true mages are very strong indeed with those two elements in addition to their other magical powers. From the dawn of time, we were friends with the elves of Karilanth, perhaps we are still remembered among your folk, Solarin? Also friends of several of the Dragon Clans and certain other races of the magical Folk. But it has been six hundred years since any of our folk left the mountains or the deep underearth caverns beneath them, and so, most likely, humans have forgotten us other than in tales, for we have been isolated by war." The troll Adept took a deep swig of water from his tankard before continuing his tale.

"Six hundred years, three months and a few days ago, our miners broke into caverns deeper than we had ever seen before and encountered elves. At first we were pleasantly surprised to find kin to our Karilanthian friends so deep below the ground, and welcomed them into our cities. But before a few weeks were up, we discovered that these were not our trusted allies, the Karilanthian elves. Instead, these were dark elves, followers of the blackest gods, and practitioners of foul sorcery, who had persuaded us to let them into our cities in order that they might study our defenses and our magic. We expelled them from Ironhold and the other cities, but not before some of our leaders had been assassinated by our so-called guests.

Within weeks a huge dark elven army came against us, attacking all of our cities at once. While we trolls are far larger and stronger than any elf ever born, they greatly outnumbered our warriors and Battle Mages. More importantly, they also called thousands of demons from the Abyssal planes to help them and used sorcery against us. Though they did not match our power with earth and fire, they had many sorcerous powers of their own to deploy against us, and we, never having fought these dark elves before, were unprepared for the scale and type of their sorceries and so lost many of our people to them." Muranog took another drink to lubricate his throat before continuing.

"I was born in Ironhold in the two hundred and fifth year of the war. Like most trolls of my generation, I was trained in combat, first among the infantry and then among the elite Iron Knights of Ironhold who ride the war sheep, before my magic asserted itself and I entered Battle Mage training. I earned Master rank together with my majority at twenty-one, Adepthood at seventy. I have been an Adept for three and a quarter centuries now, most of which time I have spent on the front lines of the war. During the fourth century of the war, we discovered at last that the dark elf summoning spells had been their own undoing too. When the war started, they had commanded legions of demons against us, but in their overconfidence they had summoned too many foul beings from the deepest of the lower planes.

Finally, they had summoned Kazyl'thang the Shadow of Death, a powerful Demon Lord, and failed utterly to control him. The dark elves fell from being the masters of the demons and became their servants. The war continued for just under two more centuries, escalating in battles and deaths under the leadership of the accursed Demon Lord. Several times our people tried to destroy him, and several times we failed. Finally our highest priests and Adepts together performed a ritual to invoke the aid of our two gods in our fight against the hellspawn and their dark elven puppets, and the gods provided us with the answer to destroying Kazyl'thang.

Three months ago, after several years of defensive warfare, we launched a mighty counteroffensive simultaneously from all six cities of our troll nation, with many thousands of infantry, mounted knights on war sheep and mages of all ranks assailing the demons and dark elves. While the main battle raged as a diversion, our six strongest Adepts, one from each city, seized as much power from the deepest nodes of the earth as they could hold, teleported into the heart of the enemy host, to where Kazyl'thang himself commanded his hordes, and all six simultaneously invoked Final Strike, sacrificing themselves to unleash great power in the heart of the enemy forces. The blast slew thousands of demons and dark elves, and although even this could not slay the Demon Lord himself, it weakened him greatly.

Then, following the instructions received from our gods in ritual, two dozen more Adepts, the strongest who remained after the sacrifices, teleported to where Kazyl'thang now stood alone and engaged him in combat both with battle spells and powerful enchanted blades. In his weakened state the Demon Lord was defeated, though another four of those twenty-four Adepts died in combat with him first. With Kazyl'thang's death his demonic legions broke and were easily hurled back to their home in the abyssal planes, while the surviving dark elves fled to the deepest reaches of their home realm. With the aid of the gods again we sealed the rift down from our territory to that of the dark elves and then set about rebuilding.

Upon all thirty Adepts involved in the Demon Lord's demise, the Dukes conferred the title of Shadowbane, posthumously where necessary. I was one of the twenty Adepts who fought Kazyl'thang and survived, which is why I bear that title now." Once again the troll Adept paused for a drink and surveyed the reactions of the others in the room before continuing.

"Barely weeks after the defeat of the Demon Lord and his hordes, an anonymous message came to us, parchments seemingly delivered by no visible being, but simply appearing, saying that our old elven allies of Karilanth were beset by great trouble. What was even stranger was that this message appeared simultaneously in the hands of all six Dukes and all their Adepts, wherever in the nation they might be at that moment.

A council was called at Ironhold, and after a few more weeks of deliberation the Dukes decided to send a single envoy to test out the lie of the land, to see how the nations and the politics of the surface had changed during our six centuries of subterranean strife, before we committed ourselves to any new wars. Barely had they decided this when another of these anonymous messages appeared in the council chamber, naming this inn as a meeting place, and so the Dukes decided that the envoy should come here first before going anywhere else. The envoy chosen was me. I have full authority to speak for the troll nation, to enter into treatises and pacts, and even declare war if necessary, though after centuries of warfare I would certainly not wish to rush into such action.

Before I do anything else I must fully understand the politics of this region and its peoples. Clearly things have changed greatly, at least among the human nations, since my people last walked the surface and traded with the humans and elves. This Kaladh Forest sounds like an important place to investigate, given my mission, and so I would be honoured to accompany those of the rest of you who choose to travel there.(/P>

As for the means of our travel, I would agree with Raven that remaining aground would be best. For one thing, it would draw far less attention; if I truly wished to fly I could call a dragon, but all hope of subtlety would be irrevocably lost. For another, my people's magic is bound up intimately with the earth and diminishes with distance from it. We trolls are the masters of earth and fire, but have little power over water or air, unfortunate, given the weather outside right now."

The troll grimaced before continuing. "In the underearth, I am probably stronger than any human or surface-elven Adept who has ever lived. Here on the surface, I am as strong as a powerful Adept of such race, though likely not the most powerful. At sea or in the air, I would probably be reduced in strength to Master-level, although I would still have nearly four hundred years of experience in combative magics. And finally, again as Raven has said, if we remain groundbound we run far less risk of attack from below. Hopefully no risk at all - the dark elves are shattered and no earth elemental will attack a troll unprovoked for they will recognise us as close kin and children of the same god - but of course, for all I know, this Dark Adept may have some tunnelling wyrms or other monsters in his service." Muranog paused once more.

"So, then. Once the rest of us have told our tales, perhaps we will be ready to depart for this Kaladh Forest. I am eager to hear whatever background the rest of us have yet to impart, since my mission is to learn all that I can of how things stand on the surface now after our long isolation. Apologies if I have been longwinded, but it is hard to condense six hundred years of history. Who wishes to speak next?"

Andi:
Etain placed four of her daggers on the table, the soft light glinting off the spirals carved onto their blades.

"I am not always who I seem to be," she said in fluid Commontongue, the soft sounds filling the room, totally unlike her harsh country brogue of before. "I do not know what you know of my folk, but we are a peaceful people perfectly willing to live in the Holt all our lives in search of wisdom and Magic. Unlike the rest of my kin I am a Warrior Fairie, bound to the life of the sword with no magepowers to come to my aid. In the past only one Warrior has been born every hundred years, but in the year I was born there were two. Myself and my Owain. He is my partner and my soulmate.

"The fire of battle runs in our blood, we are restless, ever seeking the object of our Quest. I am Quest-bound, but the bond has brought me here to all of you. Apparently it is trying to tell me something," she grinned, "but as usual I'm too dense to listen. I will join the group for the present, but know this; I can only commit to the present, I am geised to the Quest, and my own will does not matter when it calls. My cousins know of this Quest, it is better the others do not. I just wish for you to understand."

She paused, looking over the table. "As for me, I offer whatever skills I can lend, whether it be of the sword or of the mind.

"My story is not that exciting, Owain had to travel back to the Holt on some business, so I was headed to the city of Rineas when I felt the bond pull me this way. Expecting something quite different, I quickly turned Fea in the direction, and we arrived here!"

Etain sat, and whispered in High Elven to Blade, "What dost thou think?"

Seashimmer:
Seashimmer listened as each person seated at the table told their story. All were much more interesting than hers; everyone else seemed to have mentors and quests and such. Back at home... she had a feeling she was going to get tired of saying that very quickly. When her turn came, she almost missed it. She sat there for a minute before realizing everyone was staring at her. Blushing a bit, she began, laying nothing down on the table but a pouchful of herbs.

"I'm afraid I don't have much to say," she began in the common language. "No epic quests or any such thing. My name is Seashimmer. I'm a healer, or empath as it is called in the lands where I was born. Mostly I sit in easily accessible places and heal. It gets to be boring after a while, though, no matter how much you enjoy helping others, so I started wandering as a kind of second profession. That and map-making, though I'm afraid I'm not very good at the latter. I haven't been in these parts long – I just arrived yesterday, in fact, so these history lessons are welcome. I know a decent amount of magic – nothing fancy, but probably some of it different from what you all know, as each land seems to have different styles." Finished with her short speech, she sat down again, glad to pass on the burden of speaking to someone else; she had never been that good at public speeches.

Sorchafyr:
Sand listened raptly to the stories told among these people. No one had objected as she trailed off with them into the back room, however she failed to realize the salient point of being seated around the table. When the healer, whom she was seated next to, finished her tale, all eyes turned to Sand. Her own eyes widened in response and her breath came faster.

(Another performance,) she thought wildly. (Treat it as a performance.) She shook her head slightly, which had the disconcerting effect of making the stones in her braids click together.

"My name is Sand," she began, "and I was just trying to escape the storm and maybe find a few days work. I have no idea why I am with this group. I have little fighting skill, and if I possess any magic I have yet to be informed of it. My talent is performing, I can manipulate the emotions of an audience with reasonable skill. And I find the songs that live within things. There is no imaginable use for these talents on a journey such as yours. However," she said with a sidelong glance at Muranog, "I have heard so many interesting tales that I could create several new works, and that is just in the space of a few hours." She settled in the chair with an air of desperate defiance.

"You people are the most interesting, diverse group I have ever come across in all my long wanderings, and you'll have to directly tell me to get lost if you want to get rid of me now." Sand hoped that was enough of a story for them. She had left out several salient points, but mostly personal ones. Nothing, she thought, which could endanger the group.

(Nice performance,) she congratulated herself. If she had control over the deep red blush on her face, which always happened when she was speaking as herself, she might even begin to believe it.

As the others proceeded to tell their tales she put her mind to automatically listening, knowing she would remember at a later time when she could sift through the information. Her eyes were drawn to the blades on the table. The Darkblade, was that what that one was called?

Femmy:
Agalein smiled from a shadowed corner of the Twilight Room. It was going according to plan. Medivh had said that they would all be here, and they were. Well, almost all. She knew some were still on their way here. Some were at other gathering places with other of Medivh's agents waiting for them, but that wasn't her concern. Her business was dealing with those inside _this_ inn.

She eyed the ones with magic ability with special interest. All would be useful for the execution of Medivh's plan. If they couldn't be persuaded to follow her lover's lead to conquer and rule the world, she knew she can find other..., uses..., for them. And of course, any princess from any country would always be beneficial to have as a hostage.

She stepped out into the light, aware that her pure white dress is in stark contrast with some of the black outfits in the room. She waited until all eyes are on her.

"Thank you, Raven, for your update on the current situation," she said, clasping her fan close in one hand. "May I introduce myself. I am called Agalein. Unfortunately, not all information you have is correct. I am native to Jacora so I know what's going on in my own land. Teren has ruled over us with an iron hand. They put us under heavy taxes and if we didn't comply, they tortured our people. My father was one of them."

She paused for effect, but unexpectedly a lump came to her throat. She'd loved her father very much and he was her only family. When he died in the hands of the torturers, it was Medivh who came to her rescue.

"Medivh is not an evil person. He's a Jacoran also. He was exiled when Teren first came to rule over us and he fought for his land. When some years ago he came here with his army, it was only to take his land back and drive the Teren rulers away. He was defeated, and now people call him evil."

"As for the place Raven mentioned. Have you ever been to the place you mentioned yourself? Well I have. It's not at all evil as you have implied. Yes, Medivh is gathering artifacts and magical weapons," her eyes drifted to the Darkblade for a quick second, "but it's _merely_ a collection. You can say that it is... his pastime. He is quite fond of magical items and loves to study them. In fact, he planned to share his collection with the world, so we could all marvel at their wonders. He protects his fortress against thieves and robbers as any sane people would do to his treasures. His magical protection must be the cause of death around here, but I guarantee you that his magic is not evil."

Agalein took a deep breath. "Medivh has invited all of you here to ask you for help. He needs your aid to drive away the Teren. Please. I'd do anything to prove that you can trust me."

Agalein looked around the room, waiting for response... and saw a familiar face.

Raven Darkblade:
The woman in the white dress took a deep breath. "Medivh has invited all of you here to ask you for help. He needs your aid to drive away the Teren. Please. I'd do anything to prove that you can trust me."

Before the last words had left Agalein's mouth, Raven was on her feet.

"You lie!" she spat, eyes blazing. "Medivh Savar is a soulless bastard who would have sacrificed his own daughter to dark gods had not her bondmate intervened, and the King of Teren is a just man who would submit to torture himself before subjecting anyone to it!" Her voice was sharp, her words clipped. "Savar has tortured and oppressed, not the King of Teren! I know not who or what you are, woman, but I know that you lie, and if I must I will kill you where you stand!" As she snapped the last word, Raven brought her hand down beside the Darkblade with a Bang

Calmly, Solarin rose to his feet. "You say that Savar's collecting of magic and magical artifacts is innocent. I challenge you, and he. I say that the power stored at the place called the Citadel was derived from blood-magic, from the torture of the people of Jacora and of my kin, whom Medivh Savar hates. Such power bears a taint that cannot be cleansed away. I propose that we travel to the Citadel and see if the taint of blood-Power is there, or if you speak the truth."

Raven glared at Agalein, anger burning in eyes gone the searing blue of the base of a flame. "I suggest," she added with deadly calm, "that you explain how Medivh Savar is innocent, and," her eyes narrowed dangerously, "how he yet lives, when his daughter - my Captain - and the elven Singer buried his ashes in solid stone under the ruins of Drakehall."

At that moment, Mor alerted Raven that something lurked outside The Midnight Sun. Something... big.

Angie:
Shadowblade sat listening to her friend's introduction. As Etain sat down beside her, she whispers in High Elven to Blade, "What dost thou think?" Turning to face the fairie, the elven-mage smiled and replied in kind.

"Thine introduction speaks worthily of thine self. The magic that runs strongly in this inn, thine bond might have been attracted to it."

She was about to say more when Ynys Sent to her.

:Pointy-ears! We've got a new one here! A Dragon, would you believe it? Pressing its nose against the window like a pup in the rain.: Yellow coloured through her mindvoice, Blade absorbed this in silence. Waiting for Seashimmer and Muranog to finish, she digested this news slowly. A dragon. Gods what were they in for that a dragon would appear?

Her plans to speak of the dragon were shattered as Raven burst in fury in reply to an "Agalein's" words.

Hoping to maintain some kind of order, Blade stood up and said, "Please! Solarin, Raven, and you, young lady. Control yourselves. What is going on? If you find that you can explain coherently? I just got word that we have a lonesome dragon outside the inn. Ynys would be trying to approach him/her/it by now. What has this feud of yours done to attract a dragon, for Gods' sake?"

As she said this, she sent a feeling of well-wishing and peace into the shields woven around this inn and room, hoping that the dragon would not feel too intimidated. Nervous dragons were often worse than angry ones.

-*-

Ynys, the Unicorn stepped up carefully to the giant form before her. Contact with the dragon Guardians of Blade's had toughened her up and taught her what to expect from dragons.

:Heyla, dragonkin. Why do you wait in the rain?:

Dax:
"Now where are we?" Zeke asked aloud, seeming to question the rain, clouds and mud simultaneously.

:How should I know? I'm not privy to the destination of every random gate and chaos surge in the known worlds,: came the testy mental reply. :Try using your eyes for something besides mooning at beautiful women. It doesn't really matter where we are as long as we are no longer anywhere near where we were.:

Zeke sighed. Zora had a point; anywhere was better than the middle of a raging battle of magic and demons. But _he_ was the one stuck out here in the pouring rain. He looked down at the tatters of his clothing – much the worse for wear after the battle and the chaos gate. Time could do funny things in a chaos gate. It could be later or earlier or exactly the same time that they had dove through the gate, though it had seemed an eternity in limbo between.

A chaos gate was the little gate that followed a true gate. Kind of like an aftershock after an earthquake. Most people never saw them or knew they existed, but a few, like themselves, could sense them and use them. Unfortunately, if you didn't know where the original gate went... you didn't know where the chaos gate went. And if there were a lot of magic in the area, like during a mage-battle, it could warp the field even more, in which case the gate would likely open near where several other gates had opened.

He ran a hand through rain-soaked hair, disgusted as his fingers tangled in mud, blood, and he didn't want to remember what else. He used a little magic to clean himself and, with another sigh, took off what was left of his shirt.

(There isn't even enough left of it to fashion a new shirt), he thought to himself. (Maybe a vest?)

:Quit worrying about how _fashionable_ you are and start looking to find out _where_ we are,: Zora's mental voice intruded again.

He 'Whimmed the shirt into a vest and put it on. Then, brushing his hair out of his eyes again, he looked around. (Was that...? Yes, it was). He squinted into the night, glad of having vision that would see even in the darkest night.

(Lights!) Lights meant civilization. Civilization meant food, warmth and... women. A little wine and song wouldn't go amiss either. Zeke patted the amulet in his boot that they had stolen from one of the greater demons; it made their aura look normal for whatever race they portrayed to mage-sight and senses. A dangerous endeavor, but well worth the effort if they wanted to continue living in the mortal world. And having escaped the Underworld and the battle in the mountains, Zeke had no intention of _ever_ going back.

(The mage that summoned us is dead and we are free), Zeke thought to himself. He hadn't wanted to serve the evil wretch that had brought them to this Plane, but the mage had their true name and their soul-gem, and so they were forced to serve his every whim. (Which included fighting alongside dark elves against elves of light. I like the light elves much more.)

"Ah, well, there's not likely to be many elves out and about in this part of the world, and even fewer in this kind of weather," he said with a grimace and started slogging towards the light.

:With your luck, there's probably an army of elves in yonder town.: Zora prodded.

:Worse,: Zeke said mentally, as he crouched beside a building, peering through the rain at the sign bearing the name 'The Midnight Sun'. :There's dragons.:

Sorchafyr:
Sand stared at the Darkblade, trying to find its song. Metal weapons had a humming kind of song, but this one was uniquely complex. She was so absorbed in the finding, she completely missed Raven's spoken outburst, but jumped when her hand came crashing down beside the blade.

Disoriented, she quickly tried to sort out what she had only half-consciously heard to find the reason for the anger. Emotions she knew about – she may be able to abate this if she were quick enough. However, before she had put too many coherent thoughts together, the dark woman called Blade started speaking about a dragon outside, shattering any self-possession Sand still had left.

(Just when you think you understand the world, up comes winged panthers and unicorns and... dreams-come-true,) she thought, with a sidelong look at the beautiful woman who had been a pegasus earlier. She sighed away a surge of forlorn longing as she thought of the offer of the princess to provide pegasi for them to ride. (And now I get to see a dragon. No one will believe this, not even from me.) She looked around the room and again wondered what she was doing with these dangerous and powerful people.

Muranog:
Muranog Shadowbane unfolded slowly from his couch and rose to his feet, towering several feet over the rest of the gathering in the Twilight Room, and folded his hands.

"Peace, friends. Let us speak calmly and rationally, as friend Shadowblade has said. Whatever this dragon outside may wish" he paused and directed a quick burst of private-mode Mindspeech to the stables, :Sable, we have a dragon outside. Go and greet him/her/it for me?:

"there is no need to panic. If the dragon is friendly, as the Dragon Clans in the Trollhome Mountains are, I would welcome one more to our little council. If not, it matters but little as long as we stay here: nothing short of a god is getting through my wards, since I invoked a god to raise them. As for this matter of blood-magic, I agree with friend Solarin. Let us travel to this Citadel and examine it for ourselves. If the earth is tainted by blood-magic, rest assured that an earth-Adept such as myself will see it. Perhaps I will be able to cleanse it, and if not I am sure I can call on more powerful allies who can."

Outside, in the pouring rain, Sable reluctantly left the comfy dry warmth of the stable and joined the unicorn and the dragon outside the window of the Inn. :Greetings, O Scaled One, in the name of Ironhold, Trollhome and the Dragon Clans of the Trollhome Mountains. What brings one of your ancient kindred to this place?:

Kathryn:
Fallenangel leaned back into her chair, making herself comfortable, as the others talked. She listened alertly to Raven's out-burst to Agalein's statement. Then came the news that there was a dragon outside.

:What a day!: she mind-sent to Isis.

:Do you get the feeling,: Isis sent back, :that all this has been planned?: Fallenangel looked at her bondmate sharply. :Close. I think that something's up, anyway.:

Taking advantage of a momentary lull in the conversation, she leaned over to Seashimmer.

"Sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Fallenangel. I could've sworn that I did, but...." She shrugged, hoping that the healer would forgive her bad manners.She sat back listening to Muranog's speech.

"As for this matter of blood-magic, I agree with friend Solarin. Let us travel to this Citadel and examine it for ourselves. If the earth is tainted by blood-magic, rest assured that an earth-Adept such as myself will see it. Perhaps I will be able to cleanse it, and if not I am sure I can call on more powerful allies who can" he finished.

"I agree," Fallenangel stated into the silence following Muranog's speech. "I see no reason that we couldn't check it out. After all," she smiled, "there are enough mages, and those with other powers, in this room to determine the truth of the matter. I am an Empath; I'm not aware if others are so gifted, since Seashimmer's power seems to be of a slightly different type. If blood-magic is being used, I should be able to sense it.

"My name is Fallenangel, and this is my bondmate Isis –" she gestured to the winged panther, "-and we arrived here in search of an... acquaintance of mine who I'd like to see again." Fallenangel fought the rage that threatened to surge up with every thought of him.

Prying her fingers off the dagger that she habitually wore, she continued. "Obviously, the message that led us here was mistaken. I believe that this Dark mage takes precedence over my own search, so I would ask to accompany you."

She sat, and looked over the assemblage. Her eyes rested on Agalein, trying to puzzle the woman out. Fallenangel had felt a very real sense of sadness from her when she had mentioned her father, and when she had finished speaking, a sense of startlement. Almost as if she had... recognized someone? Her thoughts were interrupted as Isis bespoke her.

:Are you sure that you want to give him up so quickly?: she asked, concern for her chosen mindmate and anger at Alian flavoring her thoughts.

Fallenangel brushed a lock of hair from her face, glancing down at her bondmate. :This is more important. Alian just wronged me - this mage may ruin many. Besides, look around you. All these people here, now... including a dragon. It can't be a coincidence. Something is happening, and I don't think that we could back out of it now if we tried. Personal vengeance can wait.: Here she smiled, a feral grin. :After all, hasn't it been said that vengeance is a dish best served cold?:

They turned back to the room, waiting to see what would happen next.

Andi:
In the pause after Fallenangel's speech, Etain ventured to speak.

"Are we all decided one way or another? It seems to me that this issue seems to span most of our personal quests," she nodded to Fallenangel, "for blood- magic is a dangerous thing, and I at least would like to get out of here. So many powerful mages and fierce fighters in one place makes me nervous. I still cannot shake the thought that this might be a trap. Does it not seem odd that all of us were somehow consciously or unconsciously called here? Something is amiss." A small pause as she looked around the table for any signs of agreement or... anything else.

She leaned over and picked up her knives, carefully testing the blade of each one. She quickly secreted all but one which she began to toss straight up into the air, catching it by the blade. "And if I find out this _is_ a trap... steel can kill as quickly as magic, so I guess it's just a contest to see who gets there first. Myself or a mage. Either way my guess is it won't be pretty." A small pause.

"So, where is this Citadel? I am unfamiliar with this country. Anyone have a map?"

Axe:
(What an interesting night at the old Midnight Sun,) Xenon thought. (The air is full of magic, and the tarts are sweeter than berry pie and the honeys so rich they melt. Ah yes. And the edgy ones. That athletic build little blackbladed darling over there with old golden brow is a fine specimen of steel and velvet delight. And that little elven empath.... Um! Makes me want to reseek the cradle and see if her gentle sea waves will rock me... perhaps she'll sing a lullaby.) Xenon lounged by himself in the shadows of the Twilight room slowly, sipping his mulled cider.

(Fancy the Fairie warrior lass and I sharing the same taste in fluid refreshment! Think of she and I sharing further refreshment still.) He continued to muse and watch through the able avenue of Kang's farsensing, feeding into his mind. His own farsensing talents were not immense and the shielding of the room would fuzz the outlines of all the interesting folk arriving outside in the common room. Couldn't have that. His musings continued, as did his voyeurism, taking in the cute little princess and her winged friend. He felt his lungs would burst from laughter as she announced herself as a lovely and powerful royal bounty for all takers to one and all out there. Not that any seemed likely to take her up on it though. A nice, if powerful and competent looking lot they were out there, and he deigned to consider that enough power was amassing in the Common room to give even him a turn. And what with all the magical beasties waiting patiently outside and about, the night was sure to be lively indeed. Then the troll walked in, and things began to look more than a little exciting.

:you always underestimate women: Kang said. Xenon took this as truth from Kang, as everything Kang said was as true and accurate. He sent a touch of apology down their personal link and knew Kang picked up his humour with himself at his own failings as well.

(Ah well,) he mused, (here at the Midnight Sun, with the multiple Gate enhanced Storm flailing wildly about outside, it seemed that the good folk were wearing black these days... here in the Black Forest. Perhaps they were becoming a tad mixed up?! Heh.)

His reverie was broken as the Black Sword babe began to launch herself at the door to his Twilight Room, with her entourage of boggles, princesses and fairies in tow. It was all he could do to encase his seat at the little table in the corner of the room in shadow deep and dim, and occlude his aura and magics before they all burst in on him. Only the fact that he was an Adept – his ability with protection and magic shielding magics were unmatched – saved him from their view.

A touch of "not here" magic in a careful mix with the storm, the races entering, and the ambience of the Twilight Room itself excluded him from their sensing. He smiled to himself as he thought of how kind it was of them, really, to bring the show to him. The magic auras in here were like a gaggle of illusionists and light mages holding a convention at an art exhibit. Beautiful it was. Thus they began their discussion and story telling, and it enthralled him. Their faces were lit with emotions (or the absence thereof) which moved the story in several lines at once for the observant. He could see the ways they were going to interact already, the leaders emerging, the followers following, the clueless learning, and the dazzled worshipping. Like a fine game of Kre'ik it was – full of grandeur, pageantry at play. And the sights were fit for his, admittedly, eager eyes. The great troll had had the courtesy to sit to the side of his view, providing a huge white backdrop upon which to view the choice jewels displayed.

(Hmmm. What to do?) he mused. The troll began to speak and Xenon was lost in thought for a moment. He barely noticed the wards going up around the room except to note that they were powerful and well woven... and included him safely inside of their influence. He looked up for a moment as the troll wound down his tale – of which Xenon had known parts already though not the last – and a heartrippingly gorgeous and bountiful little Bard began to speak. His thoughts warred with each other, as to whether to go on with what he had decided or to help her get to know at least one powerful and dangerous person as closely as she would like....

Still, as he listened, he began to feel the tendrils of manipulation, done with a fairly inept hand to his opinion, at play in their stories. And he knew just whom, in this area of the world would be up to such. Oh indeed he did. And, of course, there she was. Sitting as she had been since just before they entered, deep in her own counsels and thus with no moment to spare to see him. He smiled a smile of lazy pleasure as he scanned her well-known form. A vision in white, a wild witch of the snows... and he knew her. Oh yes he did. And surely would like to know her much much better.... Perhaps she would seek his counsels soon. She, of all of those in the room, would know him on first sight. She would know of his necromantic powers, rivaled by none, and of his reputation for disdain of lesser mages. Agalein would know of his mastery of the ways of Making and Creation, mastery of the forces of Life, Death and Spirit, how he loved to Gate to cause storms just such as this (as he had tonight)... and his penchant for new clothes and such as daily fare.

Unfortunately she might also know his limitations as well – his need for new things to assense in order to create them – of the vast amounts of power it took to create for long and how easy it was for him to destroy... well surely that was no weakness was it? Agalein would know much... if he chose to reveal himself. A momentary flit of the mind did cause him to think, however that if he did, his ruby red shirt of jeweled elven silk, and jewelry of precious stones and metals and artisanry... would be as a bright jungle bird upon the nearly unrelieved black... or white these folk seemed to enjoy... did he chose to reveal himself. He basked in the glory of well crafted anonymity.

Her story tore at his heart – partly because she was beautiful and she told it well, partly because he believed elements of it were likely true. He watched the face of the merc go cold white with anger and the Karilanthian elf's demeanor revealed not much less. He was so absorbed in their panorama, that he forgot to truly weave himself out of Agalein's sight... and his attention wandered as Kang suddenly gave him view of the tastefully teal dracoform sitting outside the inn. He was sizing up this newest legend when he felt a premonition of something ready to happen. And then it was too late. Her eyes met his, and her mingled look of fear, and hope and surprised recognition struck him like a blow. He carefully schooled himself, as long hours of practice had trained him to do, and gave her a tiny nod of warning should she reveal him before he was ready. Then the volcano of mercenary wrath exploded into fury.

"You lie!" she spat, eyes blazing. "Medivh Savar is a soulless bastard who would have sacrificed his own daughter to dark gods had not her bondmate intervened, and the King of Teren is a just man who would submit to torture himself before subjecting anyone to it!" Her voice was sharp, her words clipped. "Savar has tortured and oppressed, not the King of Teren! I know not who or what you are, woman, but I know that you lie, and if I must I will kill you where you stand!" As she snapped the last word, Raven brought her hand down beside the Darkblade with a bang!

(Oh must you?) Xenon thought to himself. (Kill her that is. What a waste of beauty!)

Calmly, Solarin rose to his feet. "You say that Savar's collecting of magic and magical artifacts is innocent. I challenge you, and he. I say that the power stored at the place called the Citadel was derived from blood-magic - from the torture of the people of Jacora and of my kin, whom Medivh Savar hates. Such power bears a taint that cannot be cleansed away. I propose that we travel to the Citadel and see if the taint of blood-Power is there, or if you speak the truth."

(Oh Hades and little minnows not _that_!) He laughed, barely able to keep it within. (Oh how _horrible_! Oh Yucky _Blood_ Magic! Oh foul foul foul!). He almost rolled from his seat in delight at the looks of outrage on their faces. How could people, especially an elf who appeared to be of the Karilanthian High Court, believe such a thing as the Citadel was raised by, and gained its power, from _any_ one source? Besides, an elf should know that blood magic had its good uses as well – such as the bond of shield brother to shield brother, or the consecration of sacred things. True, he wasn't much for Medivh Savar's methodology in such things, but....

The dusky beauty glared at Agalein, anger burning in eyes gone the searing blue of the base of a flame.

"I suggest," she added with deadly calm, "that you explain how Medivh Savar is innocent, and," her eyes narrowed dangerously, "how he yet lives, when his daughter - my Captain - and the elven Singer buried his ashes in solid stone under the ruins of Drakehall."

"I agree," the winged babe stated into the silence following Muranog's speech. "I see no reason that we couldn't check it out. After all," she smiled, "there are enough mages, and those with other powers, in this room to determine the truth of the matter. I am an Empath; I'm not aware if others are so gifted, since Seashimmer's power seems to be of a slightly different type. If blood-magic is being used, I should be able to sense it."

(You light my blood up like magic,) Xenon grinned to himself. (Devil's joints, perhaps I should go with these folk after all. A sort of native guide to these parts perhaps. Teach the cute and fiery little princess a spell or two, and chat up some of these fine femmes as well. Heh. I would certainly have little trouble "sensing" blood magic. Heh Yah! Hell's toboggans, if they want to sense a bit of blood magic we can have a goat roast, experiment a bit and all get chummy right after. Rags and riches, elves and witches, I'll even throw in an impling summoning or two for them just to liven up the show!)

:please Xenon my own such levity at the obvious pain of others is unseemly you could be of immense help to them....: Kang's words echoed on their personal link.

The Fairie Warrior femme began a nicely done knife juggling routine, looking like a warm up for a Serenthian Chef.

"And if I find out this _is_ a trap... steel can kill as quickly as magic, so I guess it's just a contest to see who gets there first. Myself or a mage. Either way my guess is it won't be pretty...." A small pause.

"So, where is this Citadel? I am unfamiliar with this country.... Anyone have a map?"

Xenon guessed this was his cue. He glanced at Agalein, filling the glance with fathomless looks, just to keep her wondering a bit, and stepped into the halflight beside the cute little bard. Draping an arm possessively across her shapely shoulders and those of the sweet little elven mage beside her, he let his appearance set in just enough before he began speaking, playing the scene like a master bard.

:Kang, armour me up if the merc or the troll gets anxious and tries to bash me, ok?:

"Well hello one and all!" he said, smiling with real pleasure at the looks on their faces. "I was going to try to get a job here working as a stable boy, figuring to retire early on what they seem to earn hereabouts, but your Quest has perked my interest and wonder in most extraordinary fashion. I am from near here, and though I have no maps upon my person, perhaps I could help as a guide at any rate?"

He continued smoothly, before interruptions could occur. " I want to give you a token of my sincerity. I will answer a question for the dear lady – Raven is it oh dusky goddess of elven light? – such as perhaps how it is that Medivh the Black lives. He lives because I, Xenon Xerxes Zohar, cleft that stone beneath Drakehall in which your Captain and Singer had so finely buried his useless ashes, and raised him back to life once again."

He took just pride in the shock he was seeing, and knew, with a rush of danger like a sweet cold stream in the veins, that the death he so loved to dance with was nigh to swiftly approach. And ah, how satisfying to interject this unexpected piece in the puzzle for all the parties playing.

"You see," he continued, riding the elation of the moment, "Medivh the Black Adept is my Uncle. And, useless as he may be, he did see to my early training, and funded a large portion of my early research. A favour was due to wipe the debt clean, and I have paid it. Thus comes my true freedom, and in the doing, the freedom of my dearest friend. I could not, but take what measure I could to secure his freedom as well as my own. And... though I feel for your losses and pain, if any is to see the finish, finally of my dear uncle, the slayer of my father... it will be me, and in my own time."

He leveled a sidelong glance and smile at Agalein, though keeping the merc, elf, fairie and the troll as well as the other large mages well within field of view.

(I wonder how she will play that, indeed I do,) he thought. (I wonder how she has changed, since last we worked together... and, perhaps, if she is, in certain ways the same.) He nestled the mage and the bard into his sides with reassuring and tender yet firm pressure, showing all was right with the world… and incidentally making certain... flashy shows... a much less likely prospect.

:you cannot hide your pain from me as you do from your self beloved Xenon my own: Kang said. Xenon allowed that to pass through him to deal with another day as he waited for their reactions to his offers... and his performance.

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