Adrea: Keepers of Destiny(IC Closed)

[Tomia]

The World of Adrea
The world of Adrea is one of magic and wonder, but also danger. It is a land as old as time itself. For millenniums the people of this land lived in small scattered villages and tribes. They were often plagued by wild creatures such as giants, trolls and werewolves. Life was hard during these times, and people lived to survive. That was until a thousand years ago when the great hero Berian the Great was born. He was born in a small village of Calix where Berian saw the hardship of his people as he grew up and was determined to change things. He left home at a young age and gathered a group of followers who he promised a united kingdom, and a better future. This group soon grew into an army and they fought for their new kingdom that they call Adrea. After many battles and hardships the kingdom was finally united and Berian had conquered the continent. He was crowned king and created a new age of wonder and prosperity. He drove back the evil creatures in the land and greatly expanded the use of magic to make the world a better place. He built the capital city out of his old village and renamed it Calixria. It became a beautiful and prosperous city and with in it Berian created an academy where mages could train in peace. Like all mortals Berian passed from the world, but he was never forgotten. He became a part of history, and soon a legend, finally he was worshiped as a god. His descendants continued to rule in his name and though there was some difficulty, there most often peace and prosperity.
This was until 15 years ago, when darkness descended upon the land. King Abarac was reigning over an era of peace, that is before he was betrayed. His Arch-mage Garax was an extremely powerful dark mage who sought the king's crown. He gathered a small group of followers and together they brutally murdered the royal family in the dead of the night. They slaughtered the king, his wife, and all of their children, or so they thought. Their youngest child Kaben, was saved by a group of warriors still loyal to the royal family. Garax then asserted himself as king and his reign of terror over Adrea began. He hunted down those loyal to the old king and banned the Church of Berian. There is hope however, a prophecy that could save the world. "An heir will rise to save the world. The five gates they must pass. Through water, fire, earth, air, and darkness, they must pass, to stop the false king of death. Now the fate of the world rests on the secret heir that the world fears is dead, and their four guardians that are yet unknown. Who will save the world?

[Tomia]

Kaden Darlius
In a wheat field along the country side of Adrea, a young farm boy wiped the sweat away from his forehead. It was the last day of the summer harvest and he and his father were hard at work bringing in the last of their crop. The boy had fair, slightly tan skin from working out in the fields, and had hazel eyes and brown hair. His name was Kaden, but that was all he could tell you about his past. Kaden was an orphanage, and his adopted parents told him that he was merely left in their barn. They said they knew nothing of whom he was or where he came from. Kaden was a kind and goodhearted boy, but there was sadness in his eyes. Some part of him couldn’t help but miss the family he never knew. His adopted parents were very kind to him, but it didn’t feel the same sometimes. He couldn’t help but wonder who his parents were, and why did they leave him? When he and his father finished their work they headed back to their farm house to wash up and have supper. Life was very simple for Kaden, little did he know that was about to change.
Fiona Mirela
Fiona was tending a small shop in the village of Abscila. It was a small town near the farm of Kaden’s adopted family. It was a place she visited often. The Filden family had been chosen very carefully by Fiona’s superiors to care for the rightful heir to Adrean throne. Fiona was a Knight of Berian and her order had been fighting a secret war over the heir’s identity and location for over a decade. They needed to keep him safe so that the prophecy could come true. However, Garax’s forces were closing in on the heir, and it seemed that he wouldn’t be safe for long. Fiona was his guardian, though Kaden simply thought of her as a store girl who smiled at him when he came by. Fiona had been raised by the order, and it took her seventeen years to be given the honor of protecting the heir. She wouldn’t fail, she couldn’t fail. Even though she was surrounded by townsfolk, Fiona felt lonely. She often had felt that way, even in the order. She never had friends her own age, and her training never allowed for much socializing. She wanted very much to have friends, but she knew the mission had to come first.

[Nuridia]

Elia Thoth the Elder- Elia Thoth the Younger
In a large and spacious courtyard in the Sedna Keep, the royal seat of the rulers of Olantis, two girls were standing around an elegantly carved marble fountain painted with blue designs. They looked very similar and one could tell they were close in age, but the younger actually looked about two years younger than she really was. She had curly, golden-red hair, lightly tanned skin and a round freckled face with large aqua colored eyes. The elder one looked at least a year and a half older than she really was, her hair was the fiery color of bright rust lit by a sunset and her skin was a tanner shade than her sister's, with cat-like green eyes and a slender petite frame. Looks weren't the only thing that the two shared, they also shared a name. Members of the royal Thoth family were descended from the divine, the generations born from the coupling of an Olantan queen named Elia and the young sea god Tritus, son of the ocean god and moon goddess. They had a son and five hundred years of their family was descended from them. In honor of their lineage, every female descendant of the Thoth line since then was named Elia after the queen whom the sea god loved. There were no exceptions and although it wasn't law the pattern was never broken for the past five hundred and fifty years, this meant if a king or queen of Olantis from the Thoth line had multiple daughters, either some were given away or they were all named Elia as tradition dictated as in the case of these two sisters. Their personalities were different also, while Ellie dreamed of a happy traditional life with a strong loving husband and many beautiful children the elder Elia's attraction to other women was no secret. Although she still liked men as well and wanted a child, her emotional attachment to and attraction to women was stronger. Fortunately, such things weren't really shunned much in Olantis. The younger was nicknamed Ellie and the older was nicknamed Lia to make it easier, they had a brother named Alaric who was the twin of the elder. The princesses and prince had always been close, but Ellie sometimes felt left out because they tended to shield her and treat her like a baby sometimes. She was just as good a water mage as her sister was if not better, and she was getting tired of their overprotectiveness. She would prove that she could be strong too.


Irina de Valle- Kingdom of Marseille
"By gods, I fear that this may go out of style the minute after I wear it." "Oh but elegance is always timeless." "Not in this court really, fashions change like the wind unfortunately." a female voice said from inside a lavishly elegant bedroom. She was obviously torn between two very different styles of gown laid out on the bed, she had been in this predicament with seven other gowns and jewels and things for the past three hours since she woke up this morning. Many would look at this behavior as one of a spoiled, vain money waster who didn't care about anything but looks. But this girl was more than that, although she acted the arrogant brat most of the time as it was all she knew. Irina de Valle, or Rini as she was nicknamed her whole life was the daughter of the king and queen of Marseille, a kingdom whose lavish court and ever-changing fashions were the talk of the continent. Rini was the eldest, and as such next in line to be queen but she had never felt much pressure to fit into that role. Her parents, ever the busy monarchs often left Rini and her siblings in the care of their tutors and governesses. Although her education was superb and she was quite intelligent in fact, the Princess Irina found that she was never really recognized for getting high marks on her assignments of the beautiful forms of literature she wrote by her parents. They didn't really come around much, but when they did they would fawn over Rini for her beauty like all the courtiers. Her beauty was well known, she was often called the loveliest princess in the whole continent and was given the nickname the Midnight Rose of Marseille for her exceeding beauty and her tendency to set the fashions for the nobles. She was very fashion conscious, and her parents although absent minded loved her in their own way and would shower her with lavish gifts when they visited her as a child, resulting in her becoming very spoiled. But she was not without compassion, she was actually a very kind person but as she felt nobody cared about her personality she often was reserved with people. As a result of this, Rini became very attention-starved and had the belief that people only really spoke to her for her looks. In her search for people to notice her, she became very drawn to her appearance and stood out as much as possible. She had even dyed her hair bright pink with a potion, although it came out after a week of washes and her long wavy hair was now its natural blue-black color. Her deep blue eyes scanned the gowns and close a red, yellow and blue velvet one with a high collar. "I'll take this one, not that it matters." "I'll look fabulous in either one." she said to her ladies as they laced her into the gown.

[Tomia]

Kaden made his way back to his house and went to the bath house to clean up. When he was finished he went to the kitchen and hugged his mother, Hanna. She kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair. 'There's my boy." She said smiling at him. "Mother!" He complained, but he smiled a little. Kaden's adopted parents had never been able to have children of their own so they often spoiled Kaden with affection, trying to be the parents that he had lost. Kaden seemed a little sullen at dinner, not talking very much liked he usually did. Hanna saw this and spoke to him, "Kaden? Are you alright? You're quieter than usual." Kaden noddedd, "I'm fine mother, I'm just a little tired." He told her. He wasn't sure how he felt at the moment, and he didn't want his mother to worry.
Darmis Abrenfor
Darmis was in the headquarters of the Knights of Berian, watching a few of his recruits train. He was the leader of the order that was dedicated to overthrowing Garax and saving the world. The odds were against them though, as they were greatly outnumbered by Garax's empire. Their only hope was the heir of the old dynasty. Darmis had a number of knights secretly watching out for the heir to the throne. They had been fighting a secret covert war with Garax, and Darmis was afraid that the mage tyrant was closing in on Kaden. They would have to move him soon, but they needed to be careful. If he died, their cause died with him.

[The Starlight]

Ellyn Tarembor

Ellyn nodded to the guards as she walked in the Knights of Berian's secret base, having rose in open resistance to the new king. Her plate armor chinked as she continued walking nodding to everyone who greeted her, though remaining silent, lost in her own thoughts. She hoped that she could make a difference in the world of Adrea, by somehow ousting the fake-king Garax. Putting down her few belongings in her quarters, she sat on the bed and rested her body, mind and soul for an hour. Then she arose, and approaching the chief guard of Darmis' room, asked, "I have returned from my previous assignment, and I wish to deliver my report about it and receive information about my next assignment. Is our leader here?"

Elyrn Tarembor,
Calixira Academy

The students whispered and chattered on their first day at the academy, wondering of the glory they knew they would achieve, and the powers they would gain. The body of 25 mages-in-training fell silent as their instructor, the Head-Mage of Water, Elyrn Tarembor walked in, her long blue cape swishing softly on the ground. Shutting the door and turning to the students, Elyrn smiled, and began. "Welcome, mages-in-training to Calixira Academy. Now I know that you want to learn the art of water magic, and you shall, but I must say a few things first. Water is the most versatile element on Adrea. With the right power, you can turn it into solid, liquid and gas. I myself am a bit limited, not being able to convert water to its ice form, but I shall show you later how I amend for it. Water flows within us and every animal, in every plant and every environment, in even the desert, there is water deep within the sand and in the prickly plants that grow there. Therefore, you must be able to make the right choices, always asking yourself, Is it worth it? Am I doing harm to other living beings or to the environment by my methods. So we shall start with the basics, and as I determine your character, I will decide whether this class is worthy of learning the secret hearts. Above all, you must learn to have a kind heart in all things, and never let your emotions cloud your actions, though they can be manipulated to grant you more power, if need be. Any questions? No? Then let us begin," said Elyrn, summoning a ball of water.

[Nuridia]

"Alright then, let's start again shall we?" the elder Elia asked nobody in particular, making the motions with her hands and the water in the fountain spin until a slender vortex had begun to form and rose to nearly the height of herself. It was inbred, the Thoth blood tended to produce very powerful water mages and indeed both Princess Elias were very skilled for their age. Ellie, as the younger was nicknamed brushed the dust off the purple skirt of her gown and smiled. "Oh yeah, then check this out." Ellie waved her hand and the water slowly started to freeze in place. "There are my girls." a voice called behind them. The redheads turned around and a beautiful woman with silvery blue eyes and flowing white-blonde hair come toward them wearing a white gown. It was their mother Queen Leilani, as the daughter of the star-goddess and granddaughter of the moon goddess she was a stunning beauty. She was called Olantis' White Moon. "I see you've been practicing your skills again." she smiled. "Mother!" the girls ran into Leilani's arms and she pulled them to her. As they hugged, the elder Elia felt something flash across her mind. A young boy around her age with brown hair working in the fields and she reached up a hand to grip her forehead in pain. She had been having these visions for a while now, nobody knew what they were caused by so the family called them her fits. She would see this same boy some nights in her sleep, sometimes with a foreign church and a group of knights. She had no idea why, but she assumed it was caused by some sort of accident she had.

"Good morning Princess Rini, how was your day?" her maiden of the bedchamber asked Rini as the princess was having her hair brushed out. The locks had been curled and wrapped in damp strips of fabric, they contained the potion that would dye her hair its famous pink. "Oh, hello Elvira." "My day was as it always was, all eyes on me and everybody told me how beautiful I was." she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible but there was no hiding that unmistakable tone of sadness in her voice whenever she talked about the attention she got for her looks. "I have a letter for you my lady." Elvira held up a letter. Rini's eyes brightened just a bit. "Is it from Mama and Papa?" 'Will they join me and the little ones for breakfast?" she asked, her beauty actually sparkled a bit by that moment of hope. Elvira shook her head, her powdered and rouged face looked sad. "I'm afraid not, but they did send you their love." "They said that they're much too busy but to kiss the little ones for them." "Also there's a box, fine blue gems from Olantis." "Aquamarine, tanzanite, sapphire, iolite." "Any one would go great with your eyes, and the beautiful fine pearls!" a younger lady swooned. Rini turned to the mirror, the small smile twitched a bit before it dropped and the spark in her eyes disappeared. "Oh, well." "I understand that they will be busy." Irina stood up and turned to face a wall. "I will be alone." she said. "But my lady, don't you even want to see the gift they sent?" Elvira asked. "I don't want it Vira, please take it away." Rini said, her voice getting slightly thicker. "Oh ma'..." "I said take it away and go!" "Leave me alone!" Rini shouted in anger not even looking at them. The ladies looked at each other before bowing and leaving, one left the box on the bedroom floor. Rini still looked at the wall, tears blackened with mascara fell down her pale face and a hand was clasped over her mouth. When they were gone, she fell to her knees and allowed herself to cry. She noticed the box and picked it up, looking at the jewels inside. As she looked at the seal she thought about her parents and closed the lid, her hand wrapping around it before Rini looked away and threw the box at the wall, the jewels spilled everywhere with a pinging sound. A vision of men in armor and a boy in rough clothes flashed across her mind but she was too upset to care, the resulting headache only made her cry more, laying on the floor in a total mess.

[Tomia]

The guard outside Darmis' room nodded and bowed his head to her. "Yes m'lady, Lord Darmis is in his chambers. He stepped inside to see Darmis sitting at his desk, going over reports from field agents. "What is it?" He asked the guard when he entered, "My lord, Lady Ellyn has returned and is her to see you." Darmis nodded, "Let her in". The guard stepped back out of the room and turned to Ellyn, "He will see you now my lady."
Meanwhile Kaden had finished his meal and decided to lay down. He was very tired and wanted to clear his head. As he slept he saw strange images of a man and a woman who seemed to be royalty. They were surrounded by what seemed to e their family as children were all running and and playing happily. The scene made Kaden, never knowing the feeling of having siblings. He felt connected to this scene however, as if it was a different memory, but Kaden knew that couldn't be possible. He was sure it was just a wishful dream.

[Auropa]

Drako – The hunter

The cloaked man on horseback was passing a wheat field along the country side of Adrea, in the distance he could see a boy working the fields and began to think to himself. The rider was named Drako, a hunter seeking the prophecy like countless others. He was tempted to stop and see if the boy could point out the nearest inn with a soft bed but decided to keep moving in order to get to the village of Abscilla. For a while now the false king’s men had been showing interest in the area. It took the hunter time to discover this and still only got small glimpses of the whole story but it appeared that they believed the Knights of Berian to be linked to one of the local towns. To what extent however he had no idea. While it wasn’t much to go off, it was still a lead and Drako was in short supply of them these days. Tapping his heels against his mount he steadily sped up as he began to make out the in the distance village. The knights were a slippery bunch and while he trusted them about as far as he could throw them, they would know more about the hero of prophecy than anyone else. Although he doubted that they hadn’t noticed the king’s interest in the town and by now they might’ve already left it far behind them.

Reigning his horse to a standstill, he tried not to think about that last possibility. It had been a long and hard journey with hardly any rests, after all he was trying to out-run the army, and he didn’t want it to all go to waste because he was too slow. Climbing off the horse he felt his limbs moan to him as they protested against his will, but as he put weight on his own two feet the pain and unease steadily diminished and returned to normal as he walked beside his horse. “You know, I blame you for this.” He finally said to his mount as the last of his aches began to disperse. Unsurprisingly there was no response.

Looking around he quickly spotted a small store being run by a young girl. No older than 18 (maybe a young 17) and running a stall all alone. Greaat… he thought to himself. If he heard one more kid do that ‘respectful old-timey’ voice he was going to end up going insane. As he walked towards the stall he suddenly realised that he might not appear as the most kind of customers. After all, he had a sword at his waist and was walking a horse that was visibly holding a shield, a crossbow and maybe a dozen or so quivers. Deciding that he didn’t want to give anyone heart attack he removed his cowl as he came closer and did his best to make the sword less frightening. After all this girl might of never even seen an armoured knight let alone a hunter’s blade.

As he covered the last few steps he had another sudden realisation. This girl was a fighter. It was obvious up close. She hid it well, almost perfectly in fact, but there was one thing she couldn’t hide; her preparation. She very well might not have any ties to the knights but she was still too be a normal townswoman, what’s more her eyes were constantly darting. Observing and predicting the movements of everyone around her. Then again, she’s still a child and you haven’t slept in god knows how long. Maybe you’ve just finally lost it? either way he still had no idea how to get around town and had to ask someone some questions. But maybe he could gather some more Intel in the meantime. “Good day miss, my name is Drako captain of his highness’ scouts” he lied “I’m doing some important work for his majesty and was wondering if you could point me out to any local inns.” As he talked he quickly flashed the badge of a royal captain which he had ‘collected’ during his travels. As he waited for the response he looked closely at the girl and watched for anything that could give her away.

[Nuridia]

Elia woke up in a large spacious canopy bed surrounded with gauzy curtains, it was her own. Ellie was standing on the side busily wringing out cool cloths. Elia randomly put a hand to her neck, making sure it was still there. The it being mentioned was one of the three Sedna, magical gems forged by moth human and divine hands that greatly amplified a water mage's power when worn, however it did not amplify skill so it took already great skill and training to use one. Ellie wore the other as a brooch and the third one was worn by the king himself. Their brother Alaric was a fire Mage like their mother and so he trained with her. "Elle, what happened?" Elia asked weakly. "You had another one of your fits again." "You think it has something to do with the Adrean prophecy, there has to be a reason you see this boy and this church all the time." Ellie placed a cloth on her sister's forehead while Elia stared up at the ceiling, cringing as she saw hazel eyes and symbols.

Rini finally collected herself and got up, having to reapply her makeup and take out the dye wraps herself as she didn't want to call her ladies in for help. She would have to apologize later but her pride wouldn't let her do it now. She saw the scattered gems on the floor and couldn't stand to look at them, her parents gave her everything a girl could want except the one thing she really wanted. Their physical presence and their love, to be tucked into bed and read a story by them, to have breakfast with them, to go on a private outing with them and her siblings, just the seven of them like a normal family. There had been a bread shortage last week, the jewels would do them more good than they'd do her. Rini clumsily gathered them again into an empty box she had, going to sell them and use the money for the people. She'd go gather her siblings again and take them with her, she was kind of like their mother. On top of that, she also had to deal with these strange visions. Anyway, Rini went down the hall, pink curls and all bouncing down her back done with velvet ribbons and nearly fell as another searing headache came on.

[Masimino]

Niccolo Bock
Niccolo was in his quarters, exercising. He didn't have anything better to do, whatever he did to keep him preoccupied, he would remember his family. Each time he did a push up, a seat up, a chin up or any exercise, he would remember how Garax's men, how they slaughtered his village, razed the buildings. He would remember how his father was fighting them off, giving the villagers time to escape. He remembered how he fought with his father, side to side, killing the soldiers one by one. But it was all in vain, his father died when a soldier stabbed him from behind, and remembered how he brutally beat the soldier to death, as he slowly went mad with the fact his father died. It was the day he swore revenge against Garax, one way or another.

He stopped his training and proceeded to Lord Darmis' guards and asked "Is Darmis here?" he wants to do something in his spare time.

[Tomia]

The guard saw Niccolo approach and spoke to him, "Lord Darmis is in a meeting at the moment. Lady Ellyn has recently returned from assignment."
Meanwhile Fiona had noticed a soldier approaching and steeled her nerves and showed no sign of reaction other than what a regular villager would have. "Hello sir," She said in a calm voice, subtly studying him for information. He certainly didn't seem like a royal captain, but she couldn't be sure. "There's a tavern down the road. They should take you in." She told him, pointing her finger down the road toward a large building.
Kaden had a woken from his dreams and saw that it was now dark out. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. That dream had been more vivid and realistic than any he had had before. Who were those people? Why was he seeing them? Kaden was confused, he didn't know what was going on. He wished he knew who these people were, and maybe if they were his family he could find them. Then he could finally not feel alone anymore.

[The Starlight]

Ellyn Tarembor

Ellyn nodded to the guard and walked in, saying "Thanks." Bowing to Lord Darmis, she said, "M'lord, my assignment is complete." She had been sent to the countryside, where several villages had been terrorized by 10 of Garax's troops. She continued, "The band of Garax's men will not harass any villagers anymore." After that, she went into more detail, saying what she had seen and done. Finished, she asked, "Do you have another assignment for me, m'lord?"

[Nuridia]

"She's having yet another fit?" Alaric asked when he walked into the room. He had fierce silver eyes and curling red hair just like his sisters. As the eldest and the heir to the throne, he was often away studying or training or on trips with his father so when he could have down time with his family it was time well relished. He was a very handsome youth as well and the ladies loved him, he had already had a lover or two. "Al." Elia said weakly, smiling at her twin as he walked over to the bed and sat by her. Ellie sat on the other side. "She keeps having these visions, and some of them include herself." "I think that it has something to do with the prophecy." "Anyway, I wanted to help our ally of Adrea by looking for these Gatekeepers." "Maybe the gods are showing me something but what?" "As soon as I'm up I'm going to go to the library and search." the elder Elia said.

Rini had gotten home with her younger siblings, the nurses had tried to make her stay after she had nearly collapsed in the hallway after a headache. She had been getting these a lot lately, although she didn't know why. Also Irina had helped repair the new grain silo in the capital, using her earth magic to do some good. It felt nice to make others smile, even though she'd complained bitterly about getting dirty and how hot it was. She had donated half of the jewels and had no idea what to do with the rest of it. "Rini, can we go on a picnic by the marsh?" her little brother Louis-Charles asked her. "The marsh?" "With all the mosquitoes and the murky water and the rough grass that'll ruin my gown and leave ugly bug bites on my skin?" "No thank you, looking flawless takes work and it'll ruin it all." "How about we have one in the gazebo instead, is that okay?"
"Fine, okay I guess." The boy was obviously a bit disappointed.

[Saolda]

Mari Valencia

Bored and broke. Mari hated those two words, and yet, that was her current state. Her purse would now just emit a slow, sad jingle, evidence that her situation was getting desperate. To add, her foot tapped sporadically, itching to go somewhere to do something, but for now, she waited. The cloaked mercenary knew when to sit still and wait for an opportunity to come to her, because that was a heck of a lot cheaper than bouncing around like a child on a sugar-rush. So, with resigned patience, Mari stood leaning against the outside of the tavern. Luckily, she had an apple to munch on to keep her busy, and if you asked, she would say she totally acquired it by legal means.

In the distance, a crowd bustled around, trying to push from one store to the next in a flurry of bartering, trading, and bickering. Mari loved this people watching, chuckling at the idiosyncrasies of human life. But then, an anomaly pushed through the throng of people. A cloaked man and his horse came up to that stall of a young lady. Intrigued by this stranger, the mercenary kept her eyes locked on him while taking a large bite of her apple.

The two exchanged a few words and then the store owner pointed in Mari's direction. On instinct, her heart jumped. Was he here for her? Had the law finally caught up to her? His weapons were not the standard issue of the king's men, but it was safer to assume all people with weapons were out to get her. She'd only taken a few... okay, it probably all added up to a lot, but still. How? Then, her rationality kicked in as she realized the girl had probably just been referring to the building behind her. Mari suddenly felt glad that her face had been covered by her hood. Hopefully no one saw that brief moment of fear.

As the man came closer, Mari still could not tell where is allegiance lied. King's man or not, it was unwise to cross a man with so many weapons. Still, the woman was desperate and he seemed awfully exhausted. She was hoping for more honest work, but if push came to shove, she would be take someone's purse by the end of the day. So, calling out to the stranger, she said, "Oi, quite a dangerous lookin' horse you got there!" Mari smiled, pointing to all the weapons strapped to the mount. "It ain't gonna hurt nobody, is it?"

[Tomia]

Darmis watched as Ellyn came into his office and bowed before him. He listened to her report and nodded. "Good work Ellyn, the more we protect the people the more they will favor our cause. Now that you're back, I'll see what else I have for you." He searched through his files, "Well, reports of a werewolf bad threatening the city of Amber. If we alleviated their plight, I'm sure they would be grateful. This will not be easy, so I suggest you seek out aid from one of your fellow knights." He told Ellyn.

[The Starlight]

Darmis watched as Ellyn came into his office and bowed before him. He listened to her report and nodded. "Good work Ellyn, the more we protect the people the more they will favor our cause. Now that you're back, I'll see what else I have for you." He searched through his files, "Well, reports of a werewolf bad threatening the city of Amber. If we alleviated their plight, I'm sure they would be grateful. This will not be easy, so I suggest you seek out aid from one of your fellow knights." He told Ellyn.

"Thank you, m'lord, I shall head out immediately with a fellow knight. Pressing a hand to her heart as a salute," she walked out, to see Niccolo Bock, another knight. He was quite the passionate fellow, though for good reason, his village and family being killed by Garax's soldiers. "Niccolo, " she said, "Lord Darmis has given me an assignment, of slaying a werewolf threatening the city of Amber. As he suggested that I take another knight, would you like to come with me?" she asked.

[Aden Protectorate]

Temple of Murals - City of Cobelpan - Kingdom of Puntu

Stone Shark, the High Priest of Puuc, the Envoy of the God stood upon the top of the Temple of Murals. His home ever since his selection as Priest. The Temple was built like a step-pyramid, elaborately decorated. At the very top was a chamber decorated with elaborate murals, depicting the story of the Puntun people. Murals in pearl and in spondylus. Surrounding the chamber were four magnificent stela two showed the form of the God Puuc, another had all the names of past Kings of Puntu, the last had the names of previous High Priests carved into them. In the fourth stele Stone Shark's name was finally after 20 odd years being engraved into the stele, along with on one side a miniature graphic of his face on one side. In total there had been almost 550 High Priests since 1,500 years before Berian, when they had begun to record such facts. He began to walk down the Temple of Murals staircase, towards his residence, which was at the bottom to the right.

He entered the small dwelling, which was no more than a living area and a cooking area, with a small floating garden in the canal behind it. It was late, almost dark, so he quickly rested his head upon his simple mat and textile. Then as he fell into a deep slumber, he saw him. In the haze of his dreams he saw the God Puuc. He had not received a vision from Puuc since the time when he lead his people in the siege of Cobelpan, when Garax had almost destroyed the city, the visions had given him the ability to continue on in a time of great peril. This dream however was different, whereas in other visions he had been spoken to by the god in a setting similar to the Temple of Murals, but int his dream he was drowned, at the bottom of a lake, the seaweed like figures caressing him.

The god Puuc was above him, his form impossible to see because of the bright white light radiating from him. The god ordered him to stand, and so he did. The god stood before him and he spoke.

"Stone Shark, he who is my envoy to the Puntun people, the true blessed people, it has been many years since I have come to you. I see you have done well defending your city and people from the heretic hordes that once knocked on your gates. You have done well Stone Shark."

"However I must warn you. The world will soon be shaken by its pillars. Garax will fall in time. But you have a role to play in his downfall, Stone Shark, you know that often I have sent your predecessors on Vision Quests. Well, good Stone Shark, I must implore you to embark on a Vision Quest for me, one that will have auspicious meaning for all of Adrea."

"Good Stone Shark, I beseech you, head to the city of Calixria, and find the Academy, find the Head-Mage of Water, there I command you to show them the ways of the Puntun Magical Arts, for it shall be essential for the defeat of the dark that control our land. From their I shall give you further instructions.

Outskirts of Cobelpan - Kingdom of Puntu

Stone Shark paddled slowly round the White Cliffs, the limestone cliffs that surrounded the harbour of Cobelpan. He had left the city with much sorrow, though it was common for High Priests to go on Vision Quests. He would land his canoe in the nearby Puntun port of Yihtza were he would embark through the forests that surrounded the kingdom.

Slowly the docks of Yihtza came into view, he docked at a Beach Landing, he was not dressed in his priestly attire, so he was not greeted by anyone, instead he payed a dockhand to help him move the canoe up into a Store House. He would continue on with a Horse. He departed the port via a White Sacbe, a road constructed from Limestone and entered the forest. The trees were thick with Bee Hives he passed a beekeeper and purchased a couple honeycombs wrapped in cloth and put them in his satchel.

Beneath his cloak which was plain brown he wore priestly attire made out of Jaguar Skin, though he would probably have to change this when he got closer to Calixria, into more casual clothes. He continued on, for the next few days he would ride by night and sleep by day, in order to avoid any inconveniences that may derail his path. Soon he was only days away from Calixria and his destination. As he neared the city, being almost a day away, he sent a message to the Head-Mage of Water at the Academy, under the guise of a traveling mage, not a High Priest of Puntu, in order not to attract attention from the Dark Forces at work in the city.

My esteemed fellow practitioner,

I am a traveling mage returning to the city after a long time abroad, studying the magicraft of the foreign peoples, especially the Puntun, I have compiled a journal on the subject of Foreign Water Magical Arts, and I would like to be able to present it to your class. And donate a copy to the library of the Academy.

Please respond with haste,

-X.R. Ceruleus

[The Starlight]

My esteemed fellow practitioner,

I am a traveling mage returning to the city after a long time abroad, studying the magicraft of the foreign peoples, especially the Puntun, I have compiled a journal on the subject of Foreign Water Magical Arts, and I would like to be able to present it to your class. And donate a copy to the library of the Academy.

Please respond with haste,

-X.R. Ceruleus

After the bell rang, Elyrn dismissed her students and walked into her office, the lesson complete. She had been teaching them of how to push and pull water, all around them, from out of water glass and then back into them. Then, demonstrating an attack, she had began to show them how to fire blasts of water and then have the blast separate into smaller blasts of water. Seeing the letter lying on her desk, she read it, and was quite intrigued. She herself had not studied extensively into the arts of Puntun water magic, only covering it and practicing it scarcely. Picking up her quill, she dipped in ink and wrote back.

To X.R. Ceruleus,

I welcome you to Calixira Academy, fellow practitioner, and I look forward to seeing your analysis and display of Puntun water magic, along with reading your journal, as I myself did not study extensively in that particular form. I shall make the necessary arrangements and anticipate your arrival.

Safe travels,

Head-Mage of Water,
Elyrn Tarembor.

[Nuridia]

"Now, let's get ready." "We'll study along the way, right now we have a quest to go on." Elia said, packing her things. She still was a little pale and weak from the vision-induced headaches but she figured that if the prophecy was real they had to get a move on as soon as possible. Her parents were very hesitant about letting their daughter go on a journey alone all by herself to a foreign power.

"I'm going with you right?" "You're not leaving me behind, I totally refuse!" Ellie said resolutely, taking books on Adrea inside of a suitcase as well. "Ellie I do..." "Don't say I'm too young or I'm not strong enough!" "I am strong enough and you know it!" "I understand you and Alaric want to protect me but there's no need to treat me like I'm fragile or a baby!" Ellie said resolutely. Elia couldn't help but crack a smile at it. "Alright, but mother and father wold never allow it." she said. "That's why we won't tell them." Ellie spoke, grabbing her things. It was nightfall and they planned on leaving first thing in the morning when the moon was still out. Right now, they were heading to the library to do some research on this prophecy. Hopefully the kingdom's Archmage would have an idea, but they had to find a way to get to the temple. Wearing dark cloaks, the girls rose from their beds and crept out of their bedchamber. Hopefully nobody would notice they were gone.

[Tomia]

When Fiona was done speaking to the soldier she excused herself and headed to the home se was staying in. She headed to the fire pit and wrote a letter that she enchanted with a spell and tossed in the pit. She sent the letter to Darmis to warn him of the presence of one of Garax's soldiers in the town. It might have been a coincidence but she had to make sure. If Garax knew about Kaden's location they needed to find him as soon as possible. She would visit him soon under the guise of selling his family supplies. She needed to make sure he was alright.

[Aden Protectorate]

Outskirts of Calixria - Adrea

Stone Shark woke, beneath lay his sleeping mat, above him was a sleeping textile, very thin, good for the hot nights of Puntu, but not for the colder nights of Adrea. After sending the letter he had continued on for the rest of the night, before stopping at midnight to rest. When he awoke he found dew on his nose, rather than wipe it off, using his magic he levitated of his nose and onto a nearby flower petal, it then moved down the stem and into the ground. The journal he had spoken of in the letter was real, indeed he had taken a book used for instruction in Puntun Magical Arts from the Temple of Murals.

He got up, and packed his things back into his satchel, the dawn was just breaking, he had slept for barely five hours, no matter. He didn't need much sleep. The dew coated everything, and his bare feet grew cold and raw. He hoped onto his horse, and began to ride, trying to be able to enter the city by midday, and so he did. He and his horse, Pok-ta-pok reached the gates of Calixria just before noon. He had changed out of his priestly robes and stuffed his feathered headress deep into his satchel. He know wore a simple tunic underneath his long cloak. Before he reached the city he put up his hood, in order to hide the colour of his skin, which was slightly darker than the Adreans. The Puntun were not appreciated this far inland.

Getting past the gates he started walking down the main street. He had been in Calixria once before, and vaguely remembered the location of the academy. After some maneuvering and talking with the locals he was directed to the academy. When he got to the Academy he walked in and was greeted by a maid.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

He replied.

"Yes you can help me. I am Mr. X. R. Ceruleus, I believe Head-Mage Elyrn Tarembor is expecting me."

She paused a second to think.

"I believe she is."

She lead him down the hallway towards the Head-Mage's office. Once they reached the door, she turned to face him.

"She is in here."

He knocked on the door.

"Head-Mage Tarembor are you in there?"

[The Starlight]

The next morning, the students had already assembled and Elyrn was preparing to walk out of her office when she heard a knock. Opening the door, she saw the mage who had written to her. Yes, I am here. Welcome, Mr. Ceruleus, to Calixiria Academy. The students have already assembled, and we can go in now unless you have anything else to say." Elyrn said.

[Nuridia]

Temple of the Moon- Olantis
"Well it says the entire Adrean royal family was murdered fifteen years ago in their own castle." "It was their own archmage that did it, and he thought that he had killed everybody but rumor has it that one child survived." Elia said, stdying an Olantan news book. It was a collection of recent events from here and around the world that were recorded, dated and written by messengers. "And legend fortells of some sort of prophecy involving companions or something?" "Five if I recall." "But how does that explain these visions?" the redhead asked herself. "Does it have something to do with the elements?" 'There are five elements, earth, water, air, fire and quintessence, commonly called darkness due to its being the most powerful form of dark energy." Ellie said from her own book. "Well we have the water, but I don't think it means anything." Elia pondered.

Marseille, Valeire Palace
"Louis, come out please." Rini was standing at her younger brother's door. She hated this, everytime she made somebody upset she always felt bad at the end for some reason even though it was no big deal. "Mon petit roi?" Ever since he was born Louis was known as the little king among his family. He was good at leading and taking charge.
"No, it's not fair!" "You used to be so nice and play with us, and now you never want to do anything but pick out dresses and makeup!" "You promised we'd go to the park today, you always lie!" When Rini heard that her eyes widened. She had often told her parents they always lied when they broke promises to her. And now she suddenly realized she was putting him through the same. Before she could speak, there was a trumpet sound that announced the king and queen. A tall man with curly dark hair in the Marseille fashion was accompanied by a woman with an extravagant silver gown and her blonde hair piled and decorated with feathers and beads. "Mama and Papa?" Rini whispered in surprise. "Mama and Papa are here?!" Louis shouted, opening the door in his excitement and accidentally hitting his sister in the face as he ran to his richly dressed parents.

Rini fell on the floor dramatically and grabbed her nose. "Louis!" "If I have an ugly bruise on my face in the morning I'll never forgive you!" she raved, forgetting her objective momentarily as she felt her face.

[Tomia]

A man dressed in dark armor stepped of the deck of a ship docked in Marseille. He was accompanied by two men who appeared to be his body guards. The man was very tall and broad chested, with a scar across his cheek. "Let's move, the palace awaits." He wore no sigil or banner. He was sent by secret to capture the crown princess of Marseille. His mission was to be completely secret, as it would be quite embarrassing for his employer if he was caught. The man moved silently through the city with his guards, he would soon reach the castle and then his job would begin.

[Masimino]

Darmis watched as Ellyn came into his office and bowed before him. He listened to her report and nodded. "Good work Ellyn, the more we protect the people the more they will favor our cause. Now that you're back, I'll see what else I have for you." He searched through his files, "Well, reports of a werewolf bad threatening the city of Amber. If we alleviated their plight, I'm sure they would be grateful. This will not be easy, so I suggest you seek out aid from one of your fellow knights." He told Ellyn.

"Thank you, m'lord, I shall head out immediately with a fellow knight. Pressing a hand to her heart as a salute," she walked out, to see Niccolo Bock, another knight. He was quite the passionate fellow, though for good reason, his village and family being killed by Garax's soldiers. "Niccolo, " she said, "Lord Darmis has given me an assignment, of slaying a werewolf threatening the city of Amber. As he suggested that I take another knight, would you like to come with me?" she asked.

Niccolo thought for it for a minute, and simply nodded in agreement, he wants to do something else instead of being cramped up in the barracks all day. "Outside, I wait for you" he said to Ellyn. He went to his quarters, grabbed his hear and waited for Ellyn.