Raven Spire

-Gaming related post about my current chronicle -

Ravenspire is one of two territories which guards the eastern border from various invaders. Ravenspire is located north, and to the far south is Uldrak. Ravenspire sits at a very dangerous place, the main city sits at the front of many smaller cities to the west of it, like a shield. Ravenspire houses a massive army, and they employ many tactics unheard of or banned in other territories. The main city of ravenspire is a massive circle, it has walls on the outer most reach of the circle to protect the inner city. Outside of the walls to the west is what is called the commoners district, though it is undefended by the safety of the inner city it has never been attacked, due to the strategic location of the city itself, and the surrounding craggy landscape to the sides of the commoners district. Behind, or west of the commoners district is massive farmlands, and patrols constantly keep watch and vigil over the area to ensure the land isnt invaded. Inside the city the inner wheel is divided into four areas. The Eastern most area is the Military sector. This houses most of the military bases and the eastern wall has massive watch towers that spiral up over the walls. The east gate is almost always kept shut, though it does open in the morning from the 10th morning bell to the 2nd bell. Traveling north around the inner wheel one would stumble walk into the Religious sector, and this area houses massive temples, places for worship, and buildings for higher learning. Universities and libraries are just as common in the religious sector as are the temples, and thanks to Yun and Cynofir many of the temples double as libraries and universities. Traveling West and south one would find the Warehouse and Common sector. The common sector of the inner walls is a bit different and is actually reserved for slightly higher caste than true commoners. The area is massive, though the common sector disapears as you get further south, becoming mostly warehouses and storage houses. As one travels south past the ware houses and begins to come full circle he would move east and meet the trading sector. This massive sector houses stores, shops, craftsman of all sorts and specialists ranging from alchemists to mercenary stations. As you travel further east and then north back towards the military sector you would hit the Adventurers Sector, a nice sized area with inns, bars, taverns, and specialty stores designed to give adventurers more expensive quality goods at there disposal. Since most adventurers head east, most of the taverns inns and bars are fairly close towards the east gate, and the military and adventurer district blur together close to the gate. Aside from the massive outer circle there is an inner circle seperated by smaller walls. The inner circle can be accessed by 4 gates on the 4 main sectors of the city, and most of the time the gates are open, and well guarded. The inner circle houses the nobility. At the center of the inner circle is the Main Palace, a fortress like construction where the Duke lives. The current duke is a quiet, serious man and noted warlord. He is an excellent strategist and a man of war, though the politicians working under him have ran the city quite well and fairly. People of Raven Spire tend to be around 6' tall on average, and all true bloods of raven spire have black hair. The people of raven spire tend to have broad shoulders and high constitution, as ages of constant battle and war have made them premier warriors. Unlike most other places, the women of ravenspire stand just as tall as the men, and women are expected to fight in wars just as men are. Equality exists fairly easily in raven spire, though this is out of necessity more than any defined ettiquette. Resources cannot be squandered, and if a woman can kill a goblin or barbarian, than it is a waste of resources not to use them. Penalties for most serious law offenders in raven spire are death or forced military service, which usually results in death. Murderers and the like are usually put to the battlefield as shock troops or fodder. Some crimes are punishable by death, such as impersonating a messenger, horse theft, and evading military service. All those born or raised in ravenspire are expected to serve in the military for two years when they are considered adults, thus all those living in ravenspire know a thing or two about war, and the horrors of it. People of ravenspire tend to be grim individuals who only speak when it is required. There etiquette often seems forced, though the people do tend to enjoy victory celebrations when they can afford the resources. Noblitiy in raven spire tends to come from powerful tradesmen who offer coin to the city and the war efforts, and to the military leaders and heros who have proven themselves on the battlefields. Politicians who run ravenspire under the duke tend to be tacticians and older military leaders and advisors, with a smattering of tradesman to help with specific aspects of ravenspire.

Adventurers - Places of Interest -
Within the adventurers sector one can find many places to enjoy themselves.

Hallowed Cellar - The cellar as many call it is a comfortable large bar in the basement of a larger building. The Cellar ranges in price, though it caters to most adventurers, and so the price is a bit high. The cellar was once considered a tavern, but these days is considered a high end bar, though they do serve some food during the later bells.

Happy Widow - The happy widow is a larger tavern, it serves food and drink and is a relatively new structure. The prices are high, but the service excellent. The widows owner is an older woman, a renowned war veteran and hero of ravenspire, though she seldom tends the place herself.

Dead Rooster - This dive is for the shadier types of adventures, many wish they'd just place a sign outside that says "evil welcome". Aside from its bad reputation and the common murders happening in and around the place, it is an excellent place to find information of the hard to find and illegal variety.

Crystal Ball - This is an elite tavern and dining spot for the rich adventurers. There is a strict dress code and its a good place for well mannered adventurers to unwind amid-st finer things, but still be among others of there kind. Though expensive, the crystal ball is extremely popular to those that can afford it.

Golden Down - The golden down is a high end arcanists shop. Wands, staves, books, archaic lore, scrolls, magical components, and various magical items can be found within the Golden Down, though they do not sell potions or the like. The golden down always has a high elf maintaining the shop. The prices are high, but the goods are of a quality that makes the price worth it.

Black Vials - Black Vials is an apothecary and potion shop, though they are separated enough to prevent accidents. Black Vials has labeled potions and poisons, and the owner or clerk have detailed information as to who makes and sells the potions and such to them. Black Vials has fair prices, though like most places healing potions and the like tend to be expensive.

Quarter Stalls - This is the nickname given to the private vendors and the like that sell there trades along the adventurer quarters. The stalls usually sell found gear and goods that were acquired from adventurers, though they do as much buying as they do selling. The Quarter Stalls are a nice place to hunt for bargains and surprises, though it can take a fair amount of time, sometimes days, just to find what your looking for.



Temples of Note -

The Crystal Library - A library in the divine sector which is funded by Cynofir. The Crystal Library also has attached buildings which act as a private school. Admission to the school is steep.

The Revealed - The revealed is a new building created and funded by the fallenshield family. It is a temple to Kaylah, and also serves as a library and offers public schooling.

Star Room - The Star Room is a large building which acts as a temple of Ember, though priests of avania are also welcome and common. The Star Room is a massive building where just about any map can be found and purchased, they also pay for copies of maps, specifically of unexplored places, or lost places. Star Room sells guides and also has a teleportation circle within the temple, though it is extremely expensive.

Research Foundry - This large university like building acts as a library, university and government funded research facility. The Research Foundry actually consists of several buildings. For a bit of money the Foundry can rent out labs and research rooms, and they are willing to fund research that looks fruitful, so long as they are offered any results the research turns up.

Other Notes -
 House Void Crest - This is a rival house to the fallenshields, and are politically powerful. Many believe that the house gets there power and knowledge from an ancient pact they are said to have made with Ganniveil, though some whisper the pact was actually made with Fayn, and with there tyrannical style of leading and governing, there may be some truth to it.

Choose your own adventure!

1 - Ravenspire - The duke is dead, killed by a mysterious assailant. Three houses vie for control of the city while lichus prepares for war. Can a new leader rise up in time to save ravenspire? Choose from house Fallen Shield, a god touched family with incredible resources. Choose from house Light Home, a vampire infested house who boasts the first vampire as the houses progenitor. Or choose from house Void Crest, members of an ancient order of politicians and nobles that have sought out the city of ravenspire since its creation.

2 - Volasia - A new queen is born! Join in the celebration as adventurers looking for a gift worthy of her. Get lucky and be the first to meet the queen, or maybe even join her personal guard.Enjoy high adventure, light hearted politics, and murder?

3 - Volasia - A small island appears off of Volasia attracting adventurers. With a promise of great treasure and hidden rewards is the island a haven for high adventure, or is there something far more sinister and ancient going on within the island.

4 - Uldrak - a young princess blessed by the gods must undergo a quest to stop a powerful evil that moves ever closer to the world. As one of her body guards do you have what it takes to keep her alive, and are you prepared to make thered ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the world?

5 - Candomia - A half red dragon claims that candomia was promised to him, and he has the royal seal to prove it! Join in a quest to find out the truth, but be warned, are you ready for the answers you seek, and is there more to this quest than what you know?

 6 - Alborine - A great evil was put to sleep in alborine, be the first to investigate what transpired there. Be warned, for at every turn in your quest will lead you into dark discoveries. Can you be the one to bury the evil in alborine once and for all, or
will you set the stage for a new age of terror and war.

Jiri's First Sonnet

LionHeart stands at the heart of a door
Risking a life that's beyond its repent
Blessing a dignity that lies at his core
Waiting eternity at his descent
Bravery follows his sword and his shield
Pointing a path filled with darkness and light
Holding a power a hero could wield
Grasping for peace in the midst of his fight.
Desperate hands grasp the noblest of cause
Reaching together but always alone
Noble defiance without e'r a pause
Wishing the hand so that he might atone.
A door and a life is what keeps them apart
behind it she holds the last piece of his heart

Travelers Song

At the edge of the Uldrak region running along the three dragons river, there exists a small village known as Jiri. The village is a simple farming village, and is fairly prosperous with its crops and lumber trade, though like all villages it has had its fair share of tragedies as well. Not long ago the village ran afoul of a plague, a wasting disease that spread over the land and infected man, beast, and wildlife alike. The plague was very contagious, and those catching it usually distanced themselves from there peers in hopes to save friends and family. Within the village was a young man, one of eight sons of a distinguished farmer. The young man, like so many of his age, had dreams of leaving the village and traveling elsewhere, though he knew those dreams were only that. He had a duty to his family, and though he longed for a different life, he was born into this one for a reason. Unfortunately for the young man his dreams were cut short. He saw the signs of the plague within himself quite early, and with a heavy heart told his family he would be leaving the village to find a nice quiet place to meet his end. The young man walked for three days, following a stream connected to the Three Dragons River until he found a nice, cool shaded spot with good tree cover and flat stones for him to rest against. The young man had packed lightly, only enough food for a week or so, since he knew the plague would have claimed him by then, and he doubted that after a day or two he would have much of an appetite anyways. At first the young man thought that his last days would be lonely, except for a few hours of him arriving he was greeted with the beautiful song of a yellow tailed songbird. Across the stream, high atop a tree he saw it, and was comforted by its beautiful soft tunes. Time progressed slowly, and as the days passed the plague grew within the young man, slowly consuming him. It was painful, but he was always refreshed by the same, sad song every day. As the days progressed the land around him began to spoil, the plague either catching up to him, or exuding off of him to corrupt the surrounding land. It was hard for him to move at this point, though he did his best to scoop up some rocks and throw them at the bird. The thought of that song being the last thing he ever heard was a comfort, but such a kind creature deserved a better life than succumbing to such a fate. The bird flew away at the assault, but would always fly back, singing that song across the stream. It wasnt long before the young man could no longer move, and he knew by the tone in the birds voice that it too was infected, as the all the land around him had grown sick. He was saddened the bird had fallen ill, but was happy to hear its tune, even as it faded by the hour. Time passed, and the birds singing stopped. The mans heart was heavy, but his life was slipping away as well, his vision had become dark. As the last of the mans breath escaped him, he heard the bird sing one final, short song, as soft as the wind. The man smiled, and sighed out his last breath as the birds tune faded as well. The man found himself afloat in a sea of silver, shapes of the world moving past him, and he knew that he was being swept away to his final rest, but as he was swept along in the eternal river he heard that enchanting song, and he looked over to see the bird keeping pace with him. He smiled at the bird and said to it sadly. "I want to travel" the bird chirped cheerfully as if to say "I want to sing." The young man smiled. "Lets keep our dreams alive, you and I." reaching out his hand, he touched the small songbird. Jiri woke up upon the rocks and blinked. The land around him was barren and wasted, but the wind was clean, and the stream gave everything a nice fresh smell. Stretching his wings and arms he smiled. The world was a place to wander, and he had a song to take to everyone that would hear it. Sure there were alot of questions, but Jiri had but one answer. His Song. Chirping cheerfully the newborn hengeyokai took wing and sailed into the sky. His travels took him far and wide, and within a couple of days he passed over a small, destroyed village. Whatever foulness had came through here had taken the people of this land, and though he had never seen this village before, he felt he knew it somehow. Jiri circled it once, then twice, then lifted a song in the honor of the dead and began flying north.

Life of a Student

Premise -

College Life -

White Tower - An esteemed college for elite arcanists, the courses are extremely difficult and those graduating through the advanced course often have an extremely bright and productive future.

Novice - The novice class is a broad class of all newcomer students, classes are common to all students with a few advanced classes for those extremely gifted. Novice studies last up to 6 years, though all students must pass a base course.

Intermediate - The intermediate course is the primary course, a three year course where novice students are turned into 20 member classes. Those completing the Intermediate course can be considered graduates, though they recieve no guild ring. Graduates of this level can still expect a fairly good career in the study of magic.

Advanced - The advanced course is a two year course that can be made available from the remnants of the intermediate classes. The remaining students are given special training and assignment, and many of these tasks and quests set them up for there future jobs.
-------------------------------
Things of Interest in the Academy Sector of Alborine. - Students within the various colleges in this section of Alborine are expected to utilize the surrounding establishments. Room and board are usually taken care of by the individual academy or institution, though other businesses do make money off of the students. Some of the shops can be pricey, but they are all trusted and honest in there wares and goods, so they tend to be the go to establishments.

- The Timely Rose - A high end tavern and bar. They tend to be a bit pricey, but there foods good and the wine and ales are of a higher standard. The establishment is owned by an aged wizard named Eliriah the Gestalt, She's a human and said to be at least 60 years old or more, but appears to be in her 20's. She has red hair, is lively and energetic, and can always be found at her establishment.

- Paper Works - Paper Works is owned by a hill dwarf craftsman. He creates various types of paper, as well as book bindings and covers. Ambrose of the Tradestone clan owns and operates the business. Aside from paper goods he also sells various inks, quills, and other writing goods. In addition Ambrose buys and sells unique books, and has a nice little library tucked away in his shop, though he only sells his books in small numbers at a time, to keep customers coming back to check on his selections.

- Ellys General Store - This small general store is ran by Elly Summerwill, a young and energetic gnomish woman. Elly sells various general goods as well as a special stock of potions, scrolls, and other expendable magical goods when she can get her hands on them. The store is pretty small, and her stock is fleeting, but she can come across some pretty rare things once in a while and her prices are alot more fair than other shops in the area.

- Demons Pearl - This is a small, quiet bar. The Demons Pearl is a quiet place for those to come and drink, and they sell both alcoholic beverages as well as a number of exotic beverages that dont contain alcohol, including teas and rare juices. Demons Pearl is owned by a practicing warlock named James of the Burning Woods, an ex candomian soldier who ran into some trouble. He's a grim kind of man, and likes his bar quiet, but the atmosphere is pretty relaxing, and many students come to the bar to study and contemplate.

- Expeditious Retreat - This is a nice lively bar. The atmosphere here is usually cheerful and upbeat, and its the prime choice for students to let off some steam and have a good time. The Retreat is a two story building with a balcony on the second floor, a bar from the main floor serves both areas. The Retreat is owned by a middle aged human man named Alexander, though most just call him alex. He's an easy guy to get along with, and can always be found at his bar.

- Thorns Apothecary - This is a small shop in the center of the mages quarter, the apothecary sells various forms of poisons, drugs, and potions. True ownership of the place is unkown, and the attendants running the store change constantly. Thorns Apothecary has fair prices, and is known as an excellent source for potions and poisons.

- Arcane Oddities - Not an actual oddities store, the Arcane as most students call it, is a component, potion, and magical relic shop. The Arcane is extremely pricey, but rare items of all kinds can be found here, from wands and staves to the occasional magical ring and rare tomes. The stock varies constantly, and its a popular place for both students and mages in the quarter, though few enter its doors without a couple thousand coin on hand, at the very least.
---------------------

Set up for the white tower classes. -

There are three main classes in the white tower, as a new class graduates another set of students is accepted into the intermediate ranks, though there are usualy enough teachers on hand to elevate a group every year, though sometimes students are made to wait until suitable and available mentors are ready. The characters belong to Class 2, and the Teachers name is Master Surellacath, a dark elf generalist wizard. He is a calm and patient teacher, and is considered one of the wisest in the white tower.
Student Roster - There were more students, and most classes begin with 20 students, though they get weeded out with tests and exams, the following is a list of those that made it to the end of the intermediate term.

1 - Matts Character - Final test results and personal evaluation pending.

2 - Vics Character - Final test results and personal evaluation pending.

3 - Grim Well - Black Dromite Necromancer - Suprisingly good at magic, and bad at the academic aspect. He has struggled along and made little friends due to his odd nature and mannerisms.

4 - Nara - Wilder Elf Abjurer - Not very good at academics, but she has the best grasp of defensive magics of anyone within class so far. Specializes in warding and sealing magics, though she knows a few offensive spells to balance her out a bit. Wants to become a court spell duelist, and has already recieved some attention from various noble houses.

5 - Edward Sky Crest - Human Generalist - Tactical genius and power house in the academics department. Is a smart, social young human from candomia nobility. Is a fair arcanist, though his origin dealt more with academic training than magical training, still he understands magical theory better than most, and is an excellent researcher.

6 - Zui the Mirror - Human Illusionist - Supposedly descended from a renowned uldrak illusionist, Zui is a charismatic, friendly and popular student. She is very small, though her magic and academic standing has remained near the top during most of the classes existence.  Her honored name, The Mirror, is a name given to her by her family for following in the steps of her ancestor.

7 - Kurai - Hengeyokai Diviner - Another native of uldrak, Kurai is a Raven Hengeyokai. She is somewhat intimidating, but very beautiful. She is fairly studious, and has always maintained good marks. Kurai carries an odd sword with her, she says its a keepsake of a human ancestor. Most believe she has had martial training, though few know her origin for sure, as she's a very hard lady to approach.

8 - Kherathis Ice Drake - Human Transmuter - A native to Raven Spire, Kherathis is a tall, lean man, though he looks formidable with his broad shoulders and typical raven spire features. Kherathis has always gotten average marks, and is a fair user of transmutation magic. Kherathis studied with war mages from his homeland and learned a decent amount of magic before joining an the white tower.

9 - Rahjion - Shadow Elf Conjurer - Rahjion is an odd, but powerful conjurer. His academic studies have always been hit and miss, but his magical studies are fairly well rounded. He knows a good deal about his chosen school, as well as having learned some of his races secret magics. Rahjion has had extensive magical training in the past, though keeps much of what he has learned outside the school a secret. Even though he has an outgoing personality Rahjion has few friends, theres just something odd about him.

10 - Ur - Human Invoker - Ur was a human barbarian who found his way to alborine by the will of Yun, or so he says. Ur is horrible at academics, but seems to get by on his amazing talent for combative magic. Ur says he has been doubly blessed, by both K'vatch and Yun. Ur started off as a pretty rough character, but over the years his personality has calmed down, and he's beginning to take the lessons of Master Surrellacath to heart.

11 - Ellerahna - High Elf Enchanter - Ellerahna is an absolutely beautiful high elf, though she has her races normal aloof and arogant demeanor. Ellerahna is a capable arcanist, and seems to know a bit of defensive and offensive magics as well as her specialty magics. She may be hard to approach, but she seldom turns down requests for help, and is always quick to aid others who are faltering in there studies, be it academic or magical.

12 - Reila - Spirit Folk Generalist - Reila is an odd, dangerous Oceanic Spirit folk. She has a horrible temper, and her powers are formidable. She may not be the most powerful of the students in arcane might or academic prowess, but she has a number of useful abilities she's picked up over her years. Most dont know what origin she hails from, as she seems to have had no formal training. All that is known is that she came from volasia, spawned near the ley lines leading out into the great ocean. Many whisper that Weyleywin has blessed her, or more hopefully, the twin godess.
----------------------------------------

The Fall of the Sky Tower

In its summer months Alborine, the City of Dreams, can be a scary place. Each year the ocean offers up endless storms, powerful and dark, that turn the sky a sickly shade of green like a strange dwemer, or an old bruise.  Off the coast, far above the waters below, there exists a floating city, tall white sand stone towers peaking out from a large island like cloud. On this day, on the eve of a hot summer night, a lone thief flies at the peak of a white tower, her pursuer, a high elf in flowing robes and wielding a sword of lightning and fire makes her escape all but impossible. 

Arel Alurian chased the thief through the sky, his spell of flight letting him pace with the powerful thief, though the woman was no mere thief, that much he knew now. Her escape had nearly gone undetected, and it was probably an accident that she passed over a sigil that alerted others of an intruder. Many had died in the battle that ensued, and Arel was fairly certain that his beloved students, and probably most if not all of his tower staff were dead or dying. The woman flew a bit above him and then stopped, staring back down at the man. Arel was not entirely sure of her true nature, for she was one of the changing folk of the east, one of the Hengeyokai. Her form was that of a tall hybrid black cat, piercing yellow eyes stared down at him, and she had an aura of power about her that he could not deny. She was powerful, he knew that, but she wasnt all powerful. Arel spoke to her as he flew a bit nearer to her, keeping his distance to the opponent. 

"You're a powerful adversary woman. I've met only a few that are your equal, but know that you have met your match. I cant promise you what will become of you, but i know that you must hand over what you have stolen. Those seals are meaningless. The temples they belong to have long been raided, those items are worthless, there purpose has came and went. All this damage, all this death, and your treasure is but a useless bauble." The two flew around each other in a circle as Arel talked. Both were on guard, and Arel could see that she was fixated on him, like a cat ready to pounce. When she spoke, he was suprised at how soft and feminine her voice sounded. "Arel Alurian, you are a fool. Seals designed by sheshensis, and here you think they have but one purpose. Are you so arrogant that you would lose your faith in the gods. The seals were created in the first age, and you think they were designed for temples built in the second age, that it was all some grand scheme. No Arel, even the priests of sheshensis have lost this secret, the fragments of it scattered so well that only a gods divinity could help mortals pick up the trail. For good reason too Arel, should you know the secrets of these seals, you would not rest until you had uncovered at least one of them for yourself. But my purpose here is two fold dear high elf, I certainly did come for the seal, as was my priority, but i also came for you as well." Arel narrowed his eyes, the grip on his sword was tight, and he mentally tested the magical ward the artifact was building around him. He would not underestimate this foe, he had seen the guardians she had summoned, all extraordinarily powerful, all sealed by his magics within the tower below him. He had not seen any of her personal power for himself, but he guessed she was more than some mere summoner, that she had far more tricks up her sleeve. She only payed partial attention to her words, though she had a soothing voice, he had a feeling it was one attuned to lies and deception, he knew the type, and would not be lured in. With a foe like her, he could not afford to lose any ground. He spoke to her curtly. "Foul Witch, whatever your plan is, whatever truths you tell with your lies is unimportant. You have made war against the high towers of Alborine, you have cast your spells against those of the most powerful courts, and you have murdered innocents under the direct protection of one of the Arch Mages of the White Tower. You wont survive this day, ill have that charm in my possession, and you'll lay ruined and smoking on the choppy waves below. I can offer you no leniency, it would be an error on my part. Prepare yourselves, ill let no more words slip past those lips." With that he gestured with his sword, Sky Fire, and blast of fire and lightning streaked out towards the witch, exploding in several cascades of crackling lightning with intermittent balls of fire. He was prepared when she appeared out of the blasts range, more than likely a teleportation or similar effect, and he was already upon her, a blast of lightning shooting from his hands and exploding over the left side of her body as he flew past her. The woman reeled from the damage, her leg and part of her arm were covered in burns, but she was surprisingly alive. She nursed her wound as Arel flew around her, he had taken some of the speed out of her, and more than likely she was incredible pain from the barrage. He kept up his attacks, blasting bolts of lightning towards her to engage her and not give her time to rest. He pointed his sword at her as he continued his attack and spoke. "Stop this now woman, continue this fight and i will seal and destroy your soul, surrender and i will make quick work of you. You will feel no pain and you may go on to your final reward. I give you my word. You cannot win, i sense your power, but I also sense your limitations. All your magic is back within the White Tower, your abominable demons chained by my spells throughout my domain. They cannot aid you, and no help will find you up here." The woman hissed through her pain and glared up at the man, but she spoke softly, and directly. "... This is true, all of my magic is back within that tower. But what else is in that tower I wonder..." Arel stared at her for a moment, he knew the ins and outs of his tower, and he had spells to scry upon it as he desired, there was little he couldnt find out about his property in an instant, and as he flew around he mentally scanned the tower, seeing everything he had expected, His dead staff and students, some dead guards, the bound demons all throughout the tower, and that was.. wait. Arel blinked, he hadnt noticed her before. How long had she been there? The woman smiled as she saw his expression change. She spoke softly. "Thats right, your daughter, tucked away and bound in an old closet. But safe." Arel's face reddened and he looked at the woman, quite ready to kill her now. "Enough! you do all of this and yet wish to sate my anger more by capturing my daughter and hiding her within my tower. Perhaps a trophy to pick up on the way out? Well you are finished Witch. Ill see you dead, ill see your soul destroyed, and ill see the world forgets of the pitiful Hengeyokai that  raised her magics against House Alurian. The woman grinned, more human than catlike now. ".. Oh Arel, I had no intention of keeping her as a trophy. I needed her for you..." Arel motioned, a slight gesture towards the tower. Arel couldnt believe what happened next, The White Tower, a creation of his and the Arch Mages of Alborine, exploded. All throughout the tower the witch's demons exploded with great force, each explosion rocked through the tower, destroying walls and blasting away parts of the tower in great flaming chunks. Arel blinked and flew towards the tower. "Essielle!!!" He screamed his daughters name, but it was all in vain, the explosions were absolute. Arel couldnt believe it, the witch had somehow caused her minions to self detonate, had she planned this whole scenario, but why? Those questions were some of Arel's last. A blast of green fire exploded through the right side of his chest, detonating out of his rib cage, and destroying that side of his body. Arel's vision dimmed as he fell, the remains of his body flickering in green fire. His eyes werent fixated on the victorious witch, but on the strange sight as he fell and his life escaped him. Off to the side, as he plummeted to the ocean below, chunks of fire and ruin fell with him. Today not only would house Alurian fall, but the White Sky Tower of alborine would fall as well. As the light faded from his eyes, Arel heard but one more sound, a soft whisper next to him. "You lose, high elf."

About Aerimar -

Aerimar is a shadow elf, having hailed from the great forests of the Endless dark. He was born within the twisted darkness of the woods, and his family made a living by trading with a nearby lichus settlement. Aerimar's family consisted of his mother, father, two uncles and an aunt, five cousins, and his little sister, Isabella (Her name was actually given to her by a lichus guard who saw her shortly after her birth, and it took, so they kept it.). His Aunt and one of his Uncles died to the monsters of the woods when he was still young and his father made sure to teach him suitable combat skills, focusing on ranged weapons. Aerimar did his best to protect his family, but one day while making the trek to the nearby village his sister was snatched out of the darkness by.. something. Aerimar crashed into the woods to save her, but her body was dragged off into the darkness. After hours of searching, he eventually found the mangled remains of her body, but her head was never found. The tragedy of his family caused them to pick up there things and move as far away from the woods as possible, and his father thought that they could make a good living in Volasia, so they set out to make the long trek there. Aerimar warned them about the things in the darkness, about the monsters he had seen, but the rest of the family seemed to believe that outside the woods, they would be safe. It was not the case. The trek took several months, and during that time, one by one, every single one of his family members was dragged off into the night. Only Aerimar was left, though he felt that whatever was out there was keeping a watch on him. He awoke one night with an odd symbol resting near him, and realized it was a holy symbol of skisk, the god that he had been praying too to keep the monsters at bay. Aerimar made it to Volasia after that without incident, though he used all of his fathers trade goods to make the trek, and had barely any coin left as he entered the gates. Aerimar looked for honest work, though he was turned down for guard work, and for general labor. While looking for employment he also began to tell others to be more mindful of the dark, and the things inside them, but his statements were met with sneers and laughter, and a few times violence. Eventually some guards warned Aerimar that if he preached openly of Skisk within volasia he would be imprisoned. Aerimar kept his faith to himself, but unable to find employment, turned his skill set to a life of crime, something he found out he was incredibly good at. Aerimar eventually met some friends within his life style, though few seemed to be able to tolerate the odd elf for long. Regardless, to this day Aerimar wanders the streets, looking for some easy coin, and always keeping his eyes on the shadows. The people of Volasia might not believe in the monsters of the world, but he knows better. As of late he's picked up a good friend, one who seems able to tolerate his odd behavior, and someone who puts his skills to good use. This has given him a break from the loneliness that was overcoming him, and he's been able to come out of his shell a bit in the past several months.

Aerimar stands about 4'8" tall, and has shoulder length black hair, and pure black eyes. He has the marble white skin that all shadow elves have, and his ears are a bit thinner and longer than a standard wilder elves. Aerimar usually dresses in simple leather armor, and has a mostly empty back pack with him at all times. When formal he wears a dark vest with a white under shirt, and usually sticks  with dark breeches. The only weapon he is usually seen with is a crossbow, as there easier to maintain than a bow.

Stats -
As far as his mental attributes go, Aerimar isnt much more intelligent than the next guy, nor is his reaction time that much better, though with his religion backing him he does have a slightly higher resolve than the average person. Physically he's fairly typical as well, not much stronger or healthier than the next creature, though the exception to this is his physical dexterity, which is probably better than most normal characters. Socially Aerimar displays a normal presence. He's not very handsome, and often comes off as creepy to some. As far as word play goes though, he's pretty good at bending conversations to his whims, probably a trait picked up from his father. And for composure, he seems to be nearly fearless, always seeming a bit unstable, but rarely actually losing his cool.

Skills -
Aerimar had a fairly basic education, his mother and aunt teaching him some history, religion, and basic academics. He was also had some first hand training, as well as some spoken lore about the various odd things that exist in the world, from fey magic and ley lines to rumors and tales of fantastical creatures and myths. A trait that Aerimar has recently picked up is the ability to investigate a scene, pick up on people, objects and other tells just by staking a place out for a bit. Physicaly Aerimar is fairly specialized. He's an excellent shot with a crossbow thanks to his fathers training and the area he lived in, and picked up a little bit about surviving the land for similar reasons. As far as hiding and remaining unnoticed goes, he's second to none, able to use the shadows and other concealment around him to ensure he remains that way. His time in his homeland also prepared him physically, and he is pretty good at climbing, running, swimming, and other forms of basic athletics that he puts to good use with his new profession. Finally he's been picking up the trade of picking locks, and he's pretty good at it now, applying his natural nimbleness to the skill with great effect. Socially he's not as skilled, though he's slowly gaining some practice thanks to his new friend. He's pretty good at spinning words the way he wants them, both to get what he wants, and to cover up what he doesnt want others to hear. He knows his way around a social setting, and has picked up at least a bit of skill in reading people, and in finding the right people to get what he needs.

Powers -
As a priest of Skisk Aerimar has some pretty amazing powers. Those that know him well know that he has some power over the darkness, able to create masses of it at a distance, or to produce a cloud of darkness around him if he so desires. He is also able to see perfectly in darkness, which makes him a useful addition to any night time heist's. A few also know that he seems to be able to manipulate things from afar when he's within the darkness, though some say it seems as if he's manipulating tendrils of darkness around him. A few say that he's also placed the curse of skisk on people before, driving them briefly insane, though with his power some believe that this is just a matter of a person overacting to his control of darkness.

Aerimar's hidden talents are known only to his closest friend. One, he can transform himself into a pool of gray slime, his body seemingly falling apart into clumps of the stuff until he is a mass of ooze. While in this form he can move along walls and ceilings, slip under doors, and move seamlessly atop bodies of water, and if he's on stone or a similar colored surface, appears as little more than wet stone. Another talent he's only used a few times in his life, is an attack that has ended the three he's used it on, though no one honestly knows what he does. Aerimar when cornered, can unleash a host of nightmares upon an opponent. Only the opponent sees the creatures, and only he can effect them. Likewise, the creatures can only effect the target of this ability. What people see when this ability is used on them is as follows:

-Grahl-Fester - This creature is a yellow skinned humanoid with a face similar to that of a hook worm. The creatures body is covered in a tumors, and its hands have two long claws instead of fingers. The thing has short stubby legs, but shambles forward rather quickly. When pressed to attack it rips its claws over its own flesh, puncturing its tumors which release streams of caustic acid that fly towards foes.

-Caleb the Raven-Fox - Caleb has a long black furred body, it has two large black bird like wings that sprout from its back. The creature has no legs, though it has a mass of small worm like tendrils which grow from its belly and propels it along, similar to how a centipede moves. It has a bestial face similar to that of a badger or similar creature, though the eyes are multifaceted black orbs, similar to an insect. It can attack with a mouth full of razor like fangs, or use its long black whip like tail which ends in a 1' long barb.

-Isabella - Isabella appears as a 6'6" naked female humanoid. The creatures flesh is a sickly pallor and has a worm like texture to it. There are cuts and gashes all over the creature, though it does not bleed. Isabella's hands end in massive black claws which she uses as her primary attack. Her head looks relatively normal, though its a bit disfigured, as if it had been dropped from a great height, and it seems small in proportion to the rest of the body, as if a young girls head was placed upon an adults body.

Mantle Stuff for Jacob and Turah

Jacobs and Turah's Awardments!
--------------
Jacob - Gets a point of presence.
-----------------
Point Cost - 3xp a point -
------------
Good Intentions - Just like Mesta, Jacob has good intentions. He might not always be right in his decisions, but his belief in his decisions usually makes things ok.
1 - He adds an additional die when he expends willpower to increase his dice pool.
2 - He adds two levels to the health boxes healed by any of his own healing powers.
3 - He does not expend willpower when using powers to heal others.
4 - He adds an automatic success when he expends a point of willpower to increase his dice pool. He still gains the bonus to his dice pool as well.
5 - Jacobs priestly blessing does not cost willpower, though it can only effect a single target once per day. It adds 3 dice and one success to the roll.
//upgrade// 2 points cures an additional health box on his healing powers, this can be taken twice. / 3 points allows him to use his healing ability twice per day per person.
---------------
Treasure Horde - Just like Mesta, Jacob believes in the sanctity and divinity of money. Theres no need to spend wealth, just having treasure is a power in and of itself.
1 - Jacob regains an extra point of willpower every day he sleeps within sight of his treasure horde.
2 - Jacob can add his treasure rating to a single skill roll once per scene.
3 - Jacob adds his treasure rating to his willpower rating. (maximum of 10 wp)
4 - Jacob gains a number of health boxes equal to his treasure rating.
5 - Jacob chooses a single attribute, that attribute is equal to his treasure rating +1 (this can take the stat above a 5).
//upgrade// 3 points allow jacob to gain a health box when sleeping by his treasure horde as well. / 1 point allows jacob to add his treasure rating an additional time in a scene to a skill. this can be taken twice.
-----------------
Forever Innocent - Jacobs imagination and youthful demeanor are his real strengths, and just like mesta, they need never be corrupted.
1 - Jacob doesnt age, though he can die normaly.
2 - Jacob is immune to negative energy damage and is immune to magical death effects.
3 - Jacob heals one health box per day, and is immune to disease.
4 - The first time jacob is knocked to 0 health in a session, he regains health equal to his presence score the following turn at the beginning of his turn if he is still at 0 health.
5 - Cannot be controlled by magical means, and is immune to mind effecting effects and fear effects.
------------
//Generic Upgrades// 3 points allow for a point of wits / 3 points allow for a point of resolve / 2 points allow for an extra health box, this can be taken 4 times /
//////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////////////////
Turah Gets a point of Strength
------------------
Point cost is 3 xp
----------------
Great River Dragon - Turah likes herself allot.  She likes being a river dragon, she likes being a wujen, and she likes the dragon she's turned out to be. Phaethon rewards those that believe and respect themselves, and Turah gains power for it.
1 - Turah can spend a willpower to turn into mist as a free action on her turn, and can transform back to normal form without expending willpower by taking a free action on her turn.
2 - Turah's breath produces a cloud of mist 10' around her that she can see through. The mist lasts until the start of her next turn.
3 - Turah's breath weapon does 6 levels of cold damage at its base, and requires a stamina check or creatures suffer a -2 dice penalty. This is the same as a wound penalty and can be negated with advantages and abilities that negate wound penalties. These wound penalties stack with other wound penalties. They last a scene.
4 - When in mist form Turah can expend a point of willpower to make a brawl attack as if she were in solid form.
5 - Turah can use her Water Wujen abilities or dragon breath ability while she is in mist form if she so chooses.
//upgrade// 2 points increase the mist cloud duration to three turns. /
---------
War Dragon - Turah likes fighting, but she wasnt as good as it as she professed. Phaethon would see her personal expectations met, with a bit of divine help.
1 - Add +1 to brawl and weaponry attacks Turah makes.
2 - Turah gains a point of physical damage reduction.
3 - Add a level of physical damage to the weaponry and brawl attacks that Turah makes.
4 - Turah can make one additional attack per scene. The attack must be either brawl or weaponry.
5 - Turah gains an automatic success on weaponry and brawl attacks.
//upgrade// 2 points adds an additional +1 to brawl and weaponry attack dice pools. 4 points allow for an additional free attack per scene, though it cannot be used in the same turn as another bonus attack.
--------------
Dragon Friend - Turah likes her friends alot, and she doesnt want to see them come to harm if she can help it. Phaethon respects her honest dedication to what is important to her, and so grants her the ability to protect that which she loves.
1 - Allies riding turah get an automatic success on ride rolls and can breathe underwater with her.
2 - Allies riding turah when she turns into mist can also choose to turn into mist, or can instead fall harmlessly and slowly to the ground. Those turning into mist are subject to the rules of that power, and move with turah.
3 - Turah's wujen powers and dragon breath has no effect on her allies unless she wishes them too.
4 - While mounted she uses the higher defense between her and her ally. Her ally follows the same rule. Both gain a +1 to defense as well.
5 - Turah is immune to fear effects and mind affecting effects. Those riding turah get the same protection.
-------------------------
//Generic Upgrade// 3 points increase strength / 3 points increase stamina / 2 points increase health. This can be taken 4 times. /
/////////////////////////
Avatar Power -
The Avatar's power level has a rating from 1-5 and is equal to the lowest rating of the above mantle powers. An Avatar can only be summoned when its rating is 3 or higher. Summoning an Avatar requires the use of an Artifact associated with your god if the Avatar rating is 3. A level 4 Avatar can be summoned with an Artifact, or with the help of a Greater Angel. A level 5 Avatar can be summoned with a point of willpower.
An Avatar can only be summoned once.

The Chalice of War

Ella stood within the cave of Kezhendrelk, it had been a long time coming, though, seeing her foe, she kind of wish she had the artifact monsters with her. Kaliora would be helpful right now, and that new dagger of Kerrivas would do some good work too. Still, the three of them made a formidable team. Indeera headed the troupe, clad in her full black plate armor, bright red hair flowing behind her, and her enchanted black morning star, the adamantine head swinging heavy at her side. Varrin took up the right flank, today he wore no armor, instead bare chested, wearing leather breeches, and holding his long blackened steel great sword. Already hornets were swirling about him, and a pair of large insectoid wings sprouted from his back. He was ready for this battle, we all were. There foes numbered four, One was the large and powerful looking red dragon they had all heard about. Most of his face was covered in a mask made out of mithril silver, and it looked like it was braketed in plates. To ella, it seemed that the thing was actually holding part of his head together. Another foe before them was an azer, they were dwarvish looking creatures with bronze skin, and beards and hair of fire. This azer had on brass plated scale armor, and was wielding a pair of picks, one in each hand. Another foe before them was a 20' tall pillar of pure fire, an elder fire elemental, These monstrosities were extremely powerful, but ever worse, they were quick. The final foe was the great benefactor Zelekhet, looks like the greed of the half black dragon was bigger than they had thought, that, or he had this worked out with Kezhendrelk from the very beginning. Well, that wasnt all the pieces though, there was the probationary stand in, Etsura. Etsura was the uldrak born arcanist that Kerrivas had recently aquired, and he was more than happy to lend them to the circle for this mission. She had short black hair, wore simple brown breeches and a loose white cotton over shirt. Ella had heard of her powers, and managed to convince Indeera to add the caster to her plans. Indeera motioned to Ella, and that started the battle. From that motion ella whispered in Etsura's ear. "Now!" The arcanist, wide eyed from fear at the foes before her, but still holding herself together with her resolve, she closed her eyes and thrust her hands up into the air, clasping them together and shouting loudly. As etsura shouted a massive wall of water began forming around her, seemingly conjured from nowhere, the volume was massive, and it shot up around her almost 40', then exploded out as a giant wave in all directions. Varrin was already airborn, as was Zellekhet, but everyone else was caught up in the wave. Indeera was flung to the far side of the room, very near Kezhendrelk, and Kezhendrelk was pushed back against the wall, were he hissed in irritation and anger. The fire elemental and the Azer unfortunately met a quick, unfortunate end, there elemental natures giving way to the stronger element. At the top of the Cave, flying about, Zellekhet was throwing bolts of lightning and blasts of fire at Varrin, who was hounding the half dragon mercilessly. Zellekhet, was by far the more skilled of the two, and was making sure to keep out of range of varrins hornets and magical attacks. Unfortunately he had not noticed the invisible ella who had been clinging to the cieling since the start of battle. Already the half dragon had been cursed, and his spells and attacks were suffering, but he was still outmanuevering varrin. Motioning to Etsura she used her illusion on the ground to whisper to the arcanist. "slow him down" Etsura looked up, breathing heavily after her massive spell, and stood upright, motioning to the half dragon. All around Zellekhet the air began getting heavy, frost began forming on the half dragons wings. His flight faltered. Furious he turned to throw a spell down at the arcanist, but it was too late, Varrin was already upon him. Varrin slammed into the mage with the force of a boulder, and all around the hornets began stinging the half dragon mercilessly, slipping under scaled, crawling into his nostrils, mouth, and ears. Varrin was too close for his sword, so dropped it. Instead he wrapped his arms around the half mage, stopping there flight and sending them plummeting to the ground. Zellekhet broke most of Varrins fall, but unfortunately the impact crushed the left side of the half dragon, including most of the magus's head. That fight over, Ella turned her eyes to look at the other fight. Zezhendrelk and Indeera had been facing off for some time, and the elder dragon was almost done. Blood seeped from his scales, poured from his nostrils and mouth, and even oozed from his eyes. His left fore leg and hind leg had been crushed, and his right wing was useless now as well. Each swing of Indeera's mace seemed to cause explosive impacts, blowing off scales and chunks of flesh as if a boulder had been thrown at the dragon. Kezhendrelk had tried his mental persuasions, illusions, and mind tricks, but none of them had worked, or it should be said, Ella had guided her lover through those ruses. Indeera herself was mostly unscathed, there was some blood oozing from her armor, and she was undoubtedly injured on some level, but you couldnt really tell from looking. The dragon, wounded, and overcome with pain, moved from the priestess, cowering backwards as she approached. It hissed out at her, roaring, and showing its fangs, but she wasn't phased. She eyed the dragon coldly and motioned to it. Its eyes bulged as blood erupted from the creatures head. It vomitted a great deal of blood up, stopping its roar, and the dragon thrashed its head back and forth as it hemorrhaged painfully. She motioned again and one of its eyes exploded outwards, it coughed out a final loud wet hacking sound and then thrashed its head solidly onto the ground. It breathed shallowly, but it was faint. Indeera approached the dragon, swung her flail once, and crushed through the thick plates of mithral, through the dragon bone, and smashed Kezhendrelks head on the heated stone of the floor.  Etsura couldnt believe what she had seen, she had heard of the circles power, but this was incredible. Etsura watched as indeera waded through the treasure horde, her prize was setting on an onyx pedestal, a large golden chalice, though the gold had a faint redish tint to it. The chalice wasnt overly lavish, and its design looked fairly simple, aside from being made of solid gold. Indeera stopped at the pedestal and took a breath, then look back to Etsura. "This is not for your eyes." Her voice was cold and hateful. Etsura knew better, and bowed, turning to leave. She never got that far. At first she thought she was flying, as she was lifted off of the air, there was also the incredible pressure that shot through her chest. Her last sight was the cause of that pressure, and she recognized the black steel blade of Varrins sword. She twisted her head to look at the man, and he was smiling, in death, she couldnt tell if that was a smile of pure evil, or simply a smile of pleasure. It may have been both. With a soft sigh Etsura's soul left this world. With a motion Varrin shook his sword, the magus splitting in two and falling beside him. Nonchalantly he picked up the upper torso and threw it to the other side of the room, then did the same with the bottom torso, he then moved towards indeera. "No loose ends." Indeera nodded and motioned for ella, who at this time dropped from the cieling landing on her feet very near her lover. Ella smiled, as best she could in her hybrid form. "This is it love, this is finally yours. I wish the others could see this moment. I really do." Indeera nodded and looked back at the chalice. She spoke softly. "I as well, but there paths demand there freedom, and there tasks are extremely important. We shall be together when the end meets the end. That is whats important." Carefully she removed her iron gauntlets, tossing them to the ground. She then held her hand out, and varrin made quick work in forming a small cut on her palm. She watched as the blood oozed out, smiling, she poured the blood into the chalice, filling it to the very lip. Smiling, she turned to Ella. "This is it my dear, the beginning of your reward. The beginning of all of our destinies." Ella smiled, and pondered how the chalice was also her reward. No matter, let a bit of madness slip into her love at this moment. They had waited so long for this. Indeera rose the chalice. "Kaliora, you made this dream possible. I only wish your sanity could see your great triumph today. Fear not. To all of my circle. The devoted ella, The Malicious Varrin, The Murderous Kerrivas, and the Zealous Kaliora. This is to my circle, and to our destines. Know we shall triumph together." With that, she took the chalice to her lips, drinking the thick, dark liquid. Varrin eyed Indeera, saw as she drank the liquid. There was no transformation, there was no clap of thunder or crashing lightning. Varrin did note onen important thing though, he heard, what he thought, was distant, haunting horns. Aside from that, he felt the immense power that radiated from Indeera, so powerful that it actually made standing difficult. Indeera cold do little as the power poured through her, then varrin noted beside her the scream. Looking over he saw Ella clutching at her head, she was screaming horribly, in a way varrin had never heard before. He felt the power that was flowing through indeera, also coursing through ella, though it seemed that the cat lady was handling the new found power with far less ease. Ella fell down, holding her head, her voice had gone out, and she was simply hissing out air. Varrin moved over to her and slammed a fist down into the side of her head twice. She passed out after the second hit. Varrin stood near her, watching indeera silently. Indeera stood silent for what could have been an hour until finally began moving. Carefully she tied the chalice off to the side of her belt, then put her gauntlets back on. She turned and looked at varrin, then down at Ella, she narrowed her eyes and looked up at varrin who was smiling. "Hey. Dont be pissed, she was screaming and carrying on. I had to knock her out before she started clawing her eyes out or something. Also, she was getting close to you, I had a feeling she might try and reach out to you. I figure you guys touching while that magic stuff was going on was probably bad." Indeera looked at him for a moment, here eyes cold and dark. "A wise decision. This time." She looked around. "Gather the treasure, we could always use more in the coffers. Ill take Ella. I want to make haste back to the circle, soon we will have to implement our coupe." Varrin nodded and went about collecting valuables, he looked back curiously after a few moments. "Why arent you crazy and fucked up like Kerrivas and Kaliora?" Indeera, who was tending to Ella's wounds, looked over at the evil warrior. "Its my boon, as i said before, faynish magics have no ill effect on me, the same goes for his artifacts, though truth be told, most priests suffer little if any drawbacks from holding the powers of their god." Varrin thought about this for a moment, then looked at indeera. "Hey.. if you were to stop being a priest of Fayn do you think they would mess you up?" Indeera got the rest of the blood from her lover and looked over at Varrin. "Undoubtedly, yes." Varrin nodded. "Oh, well shit. Thats good then." Indeera looked at the man and furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?" Varrin who was looking at a small gold idol looked over at Indeera. "Huh? oh. I mean, Its good that thats how it works, I mean, you guys have been saying how this high priest isnt really a high priest of fayn anymore, and more than likely he had one of his artifacts, i mean the fuckers old, so that should be a weakness we can exploit." He then looked back to the idol mumbling something about tor'kir. Indeera blinked, then picked up Ella. "Come varrin, we need to get back to Kaliora, i need her to do some research."

The Troll

All seemed lost, the battle had gone on for days, and there seemed to be no end to the massive hobgoblin horde. What was hurting even worse was the fact that two hobgoblin warlords had entered the fray. The warriors of ravenspire were doing there best to rotate men into the front lines while letting others rest, but the last 24 hours had been so horrible that there were barely enough men to hold the line at all. First Man Kethis Bane-Breaker was a noted warrior and tactition, but even he knew that this battle was lost. The captain had also been missing for the last 4 or so hours, which meant he had either deserted, or died. There was little else Kethis could do however, he really only had one option, the small farming village to there west would fall and become a hob goblin base or staging point, and that was unacceptable. His only option was to hold the area as long as he could, all the way to the last man, and hope that bought enough time for reinforcements to show up and reinforce the area. What Kethis knew for sure, was that he was going to die. Well, he knew this until that man showed up. The man, a mysterious figure, rode in to battle alone. He had a long flowing red cloak, and rode on a night black horse. The man had long raven hair, and had a sword that seemed to dance with crimson in the light of the sun. Dashing into combat, over the lines, the man went war. He was amazing, powerful, and unstoppable. Each swing of his sword sprayed streams of red across the battlefield, and he never once retreaded, constantly pressing forward. Kethis lost sight of the man several times, only catching a glimpse of that flowing red cloak in a sea of blood red every few moments. The First had no clue how much time passed, though it seemed like hours, it was more than likely far less, but in the distance, trotting back on his horse was the man with the red cloak. The day had been one. Trotting past him, the mysterious man kept riding, not saying a word, until Kethis interrupted the silence with a question. "Who.. who the hell are you?" The man stopped a moment later, halting his midnight horse and moving his cloak around him as he turned. "You may call me... Kechupe'" with that, he rode off, no doubt on a quest to pave more red into the depths of the hobgoblin enemies.

Heart of Fayn - Awakened-

The heart of fayn at first was considered a device used to turn sin into power, while allowing the bearer of the artifact to go about showing a sins innate strength. As an awakened device, the Heart of Fayn is attuned to the god of murder himself, and now seeks out to corrupt all with the seven sins of morality. The Heart of Fayn wishes to perpetuate and spread the sins created by fayn, and uses its mortal vessel to do just that. The heart of fayn has an Intelligence of 9 / Wits of 8 / and Resolve of 4 / Heart of Fayn has a Willpower of 8 / The heart of fayn will use its powers to corrupt others into turning into there sins. Its host, already corrupted by the power of sin, is only a puppet vessel at this point, riding high on the amazing power offered by the heart. Unfortunately, as an awakened artifact, very few vessels can ever attune the heart of fayn, for as soon as they do there physical bodies burn away, and there minds are destroyed by the power of fayn himself. Crafty as always, the Awakened heart of fayn has created a means to belay this effect. Regardless, Vessels bound to the artifact can only look forward to a life of a year or two, before there souls and conscience are consumed by the heart itself, leaving only an empty burnt out husk. The vessel of the heart of fayn must posess a mantle, or similar spirtual spark to allow the heart to be attuned, otherwise the physical vessel burns away in a matter of seconds. Characters posessing the heart of fayn must be evil, usually CE and  NE, though any evil character can attempt to attune the heart. In the end, the Heart will use each vessel to spread as much sin and corruption as possible before its vessel burns out.

As the vessel to the Heart of Fayn, Kaliora maintains all of her former abilities and powers associated with all of her advantages. Kaliora is a suitable vessel for the Heart of Fayn, though her soul will undoubtedly burn out within a year or two. Kaliora maintains all abilities and powers gained by the Heart as well, though those after her will no longer suffer the monstrous transformation that she had to endure, as that aspect of the Heart is no longer needed.

Kaliora -
Kaliora maintains her mantles, abilities, powers, and all advantages previously gained. Kaliora maintains all powers associated with the heart of fayn.

1 - Kaliora has all sins of the Heart open at all times. She manifests each sin each day, and has access to all there powers and limitations.

2 - Kaliora's supernatural presence can no longer be detected. Her god mantle, faynish powers, alignment, and thoughs, are all hidden by the power of the faynish heart.

Heart of Fayn's powers - The heart of fayn has a number of powers it can use as it see's fit. Each power costs one point of willpower for it to use. The heart of fayn can only spend one willpower per turn. The heart of fayn gains a point of willpower when a per scene or session ability is used, and refreshes it all at the beginning of the day.

1- Target within 10 yards must make a composure roll or attack the nearest creature.
2 -Target within 10 yards must make a resolve roll or attempt steal or swindle someone this scene.
3 -Target within 10 yards must make a composure roll or attempt to seduce or sate its lust with another creature during the scene.
4 - Target within 10 yards must make a resolve roll or attempt to succeed or win at the first task or success that comes up this scene. Non combat skill rolls will need five successes for the target to be sated.
5 - Target within 10 yards must make a resolve roll or begin to covet a person or item a person has, and must spend the scene trying whatever means necessary to obtain the item or person.
6 - Target within 10 yards must make a composure roll or it spends the scene doing nothing, it will not roll skill rolls, even reflexive, it just relaxes, and ignores all around it. This does not work, and is broken, in combat scenarios.
7 - Target within 10 yards must make a resolve roll or it spends the scene doing nothing but consuming something, or doing nothing but pursuing the consumption of something.
8 - can attempt to take the vessel over for a scene, this is a contested willpower roll, with the one gaining the most successes becoming dominant. Can only be attempted once per scene.

--------------------------

Drawbacks - The heart of fayn corrupts its vessel completely, and the character can take no action unless it is justified by one of the hearts sins. Thus, a character wishing to attack could do so if it was for anger, pride, greed or the like, but not because it was the right thing to do at the time. A character needing to do something can instead give itself over to the heart willingly to artifact, as it can perform any actions it so desires. Mundane actions do not apply as true actions, such as picking up a spoon, talking to someone etc. An action as defined here involves a skill roll, the application of an advantage, or some task with a specific non-mundane goal. This severely limits what a character can do, and causes it to rely more on the artifact itself, which slowly consumes its psyche over time. Evil chracters tend to be able to justify evil things with sin fairly easy, so most vessels are only barred from doing tasks outside of perpetuating evil, which is what the heart wants.

Heart Seeker - Awakened -

The heart seeker in its awakened state is a terrible and powerful tool dedicated to the murder of all living, sentient creatures. Heart Seeker has an insatiable lust for death and the act of ending a life. Heart Seeker enjoys a challenge, but will take pleasure in any murder it commits. Heart Seeker is sentient. Heart Seeker has the following stats. Intelligence 6 / Wits 7 / Resolve 4 / and 7 points of willpower - Heart Seeker can speak to anyone touching the blade, though this has repercussions. As an awakened artifact Heart Seeker is the dominant force, for its power is more in tuned with the gods. No mortal creature touching the blade can survive more than a turn, as attuning the blade to such a creature causes its flesh to rupture and burn as the soul and mind of the creature are simultaneously destroyed. Only a creature possessing a divine blessing, or immortal soul, such as a god mantle or similar ability, could attempt to attune the blade. Becoming perfectly attuned to the blade is unheard of, for the characters soul and make up would have to lie directly in line with the wishes of Heart Seeker, and even the most vile and despicable of mortals could not seek a life of only constant murdering. At best one or two individuals of an age could wield the dagger in perfect attunement, at least for a short time, before its soul burnt out. A character possessing a mantle, and an extremely wicked heart (CE or NE) can attempt to attune the blade, and the comparability of the two are up to the GM. Characters who meld with the blade have there Mantles also tied into the blade, though when the bearer of the mantle dies the mantle is not destroyed, and becomes separate once again.

Heart Seeker as it is now is the blade of murder, and as such, wishes to become an instrument of Fayn so as to maintain its power and influence, and to protect itself from the enemies of its creation. Kerrivas, the mortal vessel binding the blade is an acceptable medium, though his body and soul will burn out within a year or two due to the residual corrupting influence of skiskish energies. Crescea wishes to see any bearer of the blade, as well as the blade itself destroyed, and her followers will recognize and target the bearer of this blade.

Kerrivas and Heart Seeker -
Kerrivas maintains his mantle and all abilities and weaknesses.

Powers and Abilities useable by kerrivas -
1 - 3 successes scored on a weaponry attack with the blade kills any living opponent as the blade pierces the targets vitals. The successes must be scored on a die roll, and automatic successes do not apply to this ability.

2- Heart seeker denies its opponent any defense or damage reduction. Nothing stops the blade from its target.

3- Heart Seeker allows its wielder to make two melee attacks on the same target every turn.

4 - Killing a living sentient creature with heart seeker regenerates all health boxes to the blades wielder.

5 - Bearers of Heart Seeker always go first in a turn unless another character has a similar power, then there initiative is rolled to break the tie.

HATRED - Heart Seeker begins every day with a hatred rating of 10. A point of Hatred is refreshed any time the blade kills a sentient, living opponent. The maximum Hatred trait is a 10.
1 - 1 point can add 2 levels of damage to an attack. Multiple points can be spent.
2 - 1 point can heal a level of damage or refresh a point of willpower. This can be done reflexively.
3 - 1 point can increase the blades attack dice by +3 for a scene. This can only be applied once, and does not stack with itself or similar abilities.
4 - 3 points of hatred can be spent to increase the blades attack roll bonus by +6 for the scene. This is added to the blades normal +1 bonus. This bonus can only be applied once, and does not stack with itself, or similar bonuses utilizing the Hatred Trait.
5 - 3 points of hatred can be spent to add a -5 dice penalty on an attacked opponents roll for the scene. The blade must damage an opponent to apply this penalty.
6 - 3 points of hatred can be spent to add a vile venom to the blade, doing 5 points of poison damage every turn for 5 turns and imposing a -2 pain penalty to the targets dice rolls as well. This trait is applied to the blade for a scene.
7 -5 points of hatred can be spent to ensure the death of an opponent. The opponent is dead, it can never again rise, and this bests versions of reincarnation, regeneration, and immortality. This trait is applied to the blade for the scene.

Heart Seekers Powers -
As a sentient blade Heart Seeker can take an action on its turn by expending a willpower point. Heart Seeker must be in the hands of an attuned vessel to use the following abilities. Heart Seeker refreshes one willpower back per day, and regains one every time it is used to kill a living, sentient creature.
1 - Target within 10 yards must make a roll on a stamina check or die. The creature must be a sentient living creature.
2 - Heart Seeker makes the vessel move and attack, this is in addition of the vessels normal attacks, and is declared and rolled afterwards.
3 - Heart seeker can parry an incoming weaponry attack.
4 - Heart Seeker can also spend a willpower and roll its willpower to try and take over the vessel, this is a contested willpower roll. If Heart Seeker gets more successes it becomes dominant for the scene. 

Heart Seeker is powerful enough to permanently kill named ones with damage alone. Heart Seeker is one of only a handful of weapons that can do this. The 5 point hatred ability must be used for this to take effect.

----------------
Heart Seeker is powerful, but completely corrupts the morals of any creature brave enough to be attuned to it.
The vessel holding Heart Seeker has a Composure score of 0 and automatically fails such rolls.
The vessel holding Heart Seeker has a penalty to all viable social rolls equal to its hatred rating.
Failing to kill a sentient creature in the course of a day causes the vessels willpower to be at 1 for the day. This is the characters rating and value until he kills a sentient living creature. 

Heart Seeker

Heart Seeker is a black, double edged short dagger. There is no curve to the small sharp blade, and the hilt has a half moon guard made of blackened steel. The hilt itself is a simple metal host with a dark leather grip. Heart Seeker, like all small blades, adds +1 to attack dice pools when used with the weaponry skill.

Purpose - Heart Seeker has a simple minded determination. It seeks to kill all sentient life, and harvests an insatiable hatred towards the living. Heart Seeker will always choose opponents who are unsuspecting over those ready, though in the end it longs for the murder itself.

Power - All powers and abilities of this dagger work only on sentient, living creatures with a discernable anatomy.

1 - If a character rolls 5 successes on a weaponry attack roll with this blade, the blade strikes true, finding the creatures vitals and killing it instantly. Automatic successes do not count towards the number of successes needed on the dice roll. The dice roll itself must yield this number.

2 - Heart Seeker absorbs the essence of those murdered. Any time Heart Seeker kills an opponent by denying him his defense, Heart Seeker gains a point of Hatred. This is a special trait unique to this blade.

3 - Heart Seeker will not be denied its target. Ignore armor applied to an opponent, and damage reduction is treated as one less in regards to this weapons attack rolls.

HATRED - Hatred slowly builds in the blade as it is used to murder people. Hatred can be spent on a point for point basis to gain the following benefits. The blades Hatred trait can never exceed 10.

1 point of hatred can be spent to add 2 levels of damage to a successful attack.Multiple points can be spent when an attack roll is made.

1 point of hatred can be spent to replenish a point of willpower, or health. This can be done reflexively, as willpower or health is lost.

1 point of hatred can be spent to increase the blades attack roll bonus by +3 for the scene. This is added to the blades normal +1 bonus. This bonus can only be applied once, and does not stack with itself, or similar bonuses utilizing the Hatred Trait.

3 points of hatred can be spent to increase the blades attack roll bonus by +6 for the scene. This is added to the blades normal +1 bonus. This bonus can only be applied once, and does not stack with itself, or similar bonuses utilizing the Hatred Trait.

3 points of hatred can be spent to add a -5 dice penalty on an attacked opponents roll for the scene.

5 points of hatred can be spent to add a vile venom to the blade, doing 5 points of poison damage every turn for 5 turns and imposing a -2 pain penalty to the targets dice rolls as well. This trait is applied to the blade for a scene.

10 points of hatred can be spent to ensure the death of an opponent. The opponent is dead, it can never again rise, and this bests versions of reincarnation, regeneration, and immortality. This trait is applied to the blade for the scene.

------------------------------

Draw Backs -
Anyone attuning the blade reduces there composure score by 1 point. Due to the Daggers Seething hatred all social dice pools are also further penalized by 1 point, though this penalty is -3 if the Hatred trait is 5 to 9, and -5 if the Hatred trait is 10.

Anytime the character fails a social roll he must kill a sentient creature within the next 24 hours or suffer a -1 to all dice rolls until the dagger is sated. This effect is cumulative if it happens again, though the bonuses dissipate once someone has been murdered with the dagger.

Notes on Gauthic's History

Major Points -

1 - he was a bad ass assassin. Killed a great wyrm blue dragon, was one of the youngest attendants ever appointed to the queen. By the age of 20 he was one of the premiere assassins of his time.
2 - Slept with the queen. The other attendants tried to kill him, he killed 8 of them before the 9th one, his best friend, killed him. Was resurrected by the queen and transported to Alborine. Koull, his half oceanic dragon friend who had killed him, was executed for failing to protect the queens integrity. His death was staged and he too was sent to Alborine to aid gauthic.
3 - The two companions wiped out the lead assassins of the crimson rose, and made plays for power within the organization. They were trying to take it over for themselves, and create a power base to aid in the queens ultimate goal.
4 - The queens ultimate goal was to start a war that would bring the gods down to the continent in there avatar form. The queen believes the citizens take the empire, the gods, and there safety for granted, and wanted to show them the true powers present on the prime material planes, and within the heavens.
5 - Gauthic and Koull could never defeat the high priest, and eventually were lead into a trap and killed by him and his minions. The queen resurrected Gauthic yet again, and gave him a portion of her power, Gauthic in turn resurrected Koull and gave his friend half of his acquired power. The two have made various attempts, but attacking one usually summons the others, and even when killed they tend to resurrect somehow. Gauthic believes indeera is the key to killing him, for its said that the gifts of fayn wont work on her.
6 - Gauthic and Koull have been manipulating events in the background, trying to create a means to usurp the high priest, and put indeera in place, who will in turn fulfill the queens wishes.

Bad Guys -
The High Priest -
Lord Karzzeth - Ancient vampire lord from raven spire.
Black Wind - Keeper of Sorrows - Ancient Black Dragon Dracolich
Sir Udraeus - Death Knight from Candomia - has a host of 6 shadow squires that follow him.
 Mezzverahn - Powerful Mind Flayer sorcerer. Has powerful magics, and powerful mental prowess as well.

Pink Rose - A new comer to the council, she owes everything to the High Priest. Gauthic knows little of her powers, but believes her to be an arcanist of some sort, though its possible she was a former assassin too. Looking into her background was impossible, as all loose ends were killed.

White Rose - Might be a good guy, might be a bad guy. Gauthic thinks its a woman, but the White Rose dresses in heavy, concealing clothes. So far the White Rose is interested in putting Indeera in charge to stabilize and create growth within the crimson rose.

There is more than one way...

Ella woke up with a lazy yawn and carefully got up. There was no light in the room, as Indeera liked the room to be as pitch when she slept. Ella peered over at her lover, her movements light and quiet. Indeera's breathing was regular, her chest moving in a slow, heavy rhythm. Ella placed a kiss softly on her lovers forehead, detecting the scent of blood as she always did when she was in close proximity to Indeera. Quietly she hopped off the bed and moved over towards there chest of drawers, the darkness never impeded her, and she always moved without making much noise. Carefully she gathered the things she thought she would need. Regardless of her precaution she heard a voice from atop the bed, the cold, to the point voice of her lover. "Where are you going." Ella smiled in the darkness and began putting on the clothes she had selected, then starting putting on her jewelry, she answered a few moments later. "Im going to do that thing thats going to get me killed." There was silence in the room, and then she heard Indeera's voice again. "You're still mad about my decision." It was hard to tell if the comment was a statement or a question, but Ella returned an answer regardless. "Indeera, oh blood crazed love of my life, i am simply stating the facts of this horrible situation. Kaliora isnt the same person she was, and she's going to kill me for this." There was no response from indeera for a few moments. "Perhaps, but those resources will be important. Its an unfortunate risk, for you still have an incredible part to play in all of this, but it is a calculated risk. Kaliora is a representation of fayn now, she's become far more important, but her skill set has changed drastically, therefore I need you to do this. Its that simple." Ella sighed heavily and touched a sphere in the corner of the room which began to glow softly. "Kerrivas can get resources, I dont know why I have to stick my neck out like this, I have a lovely neck, Im fond of my behind too, even when it has a tail its still pretty shapely." There was some movement from the bed, then silence. Indeera spoke a moment later. "Kerrivas is busy dealing with his mission from fayn, I cannot take him from that task, and we will need resources, both mundane and magical to attain what we want, should the first part of our game have a winning outcome." Ella listened and nodded, already knowing what her lover was going to say. "Right, everyone has some holy mission except me. I'm stuck doing all the dirty work, all the things that could get a nice pretty girl like me killed. The fact that they dont even like me makes doing all this even more disturbing. Really, the whole things disturbing. But the most disturbing thing, is the part about me pissing off the monster we're keeping in the basement." Indeera set up slowly as ella talked, stretching her arms out before reaching for a small chalice near the bed. "I've seen your reward ella, it is the one that i had initially intended for Kaliora. It is something beyond measure, something far more than what you could expect. Believe me, your reward, as great as it is now, will be far more vast than you could ever imagine." Ella's eyes sparkled at the mention of her reward and she smiled, then sighed happily. "I know I know.. I just love hearing you tell me about it, though I wish you would tell me for sure what im going to be getting, I mean, assuming I live through all of these fun times." Indeera set the chalice of blood down after taking a few drinks and got out of bed slowly. She looked over at her lover and moved near her, getting some garments for the day.  "I wont betray you Ella, you are my chosen, and I am bound by that decision. Even though you may not have been my first choice, you have proven to be far more talented than I could ever have hoped. We will see this through together, and if Kaliora does kill you, I shall see that you are brought back to me. You must see what I see my dear ella, what is in store for us is simply beyond description, so I dare not try." Ella looked at her lover as she spoke, then smiled and nodded. "Fine Fine Fine, I get it. I go be a good girl and I get a treat. Dont worry, the plans already in motion, and things are moving along fine. I just like being difficult I suppose." Ella looked at the mirror and slowly shifted her form to something more suitable. She spoke to Indeera again, her new voice a slightly different tone and dialect. "Alright, Im off, I doubt ill be back for a few days, but Ill be sure to bring good news." Indeera looked at ella as her lover spoke, then nodded. "Bring glory to us Ella. This isnt a choice. Its a command." Ella nodded and moved towards the door, opening it and looking back. She smiled pleasantly to Indeera. "I know, I know. Failure isnt an option, not that most people would choose failure if it were an option. Worry not oh dashing leader, Im too perfect to make a mistake. You have bigger things on your agenda, so its you who should be careful. Id lose all these lovely presents, clothes and this amazing house if anything happened to you." She quirked a smile as Indeera adressed her coldly. "Go." Ella laughed and dashed out the door, shutting it behind her. She stood in front of the two statues of fayn in the next room and prayed solemnly for a moment. She finished her prayers and looked back to her lovers room, her gaze steady and even, a sparkle in her otherwise midnight eyes. With a small flourish she turned and moved out of the temple room, and towards her days goal.