Song of Heroes IC

[Tomia]

Annabelle
Annabelle listened to Arden and Yvonne, finding herself surprisingly touched by their words. It had been a long now since she had had comrades in arms, those who trusted her to protect them. She still wasn't sure why they were so inclined to befriend her, but she couldn't deny that she was starting to feel a small sense of comradery in return. If they were so invested in her, it seemed dishonorable to just leave them to their fate.

"Well, you had a very wise friend Yvonne. I too come from people who believe that sacrifice and charity are great virtues. You honor me with your words. I still disagree with this venture, but I will accompany you, in order to keep you as safe as possible." She said resolutely. The former warrior princess stood from the table, indicating her willingness to follow her party mates to their destinations. She was starting to find renewed purpose, and it would not be squandered this time around.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

As the legionnaires scrambled to action in the aftermath of the battle against the black beast, Mircella watched with mild concern in her face for the first time since the hunting party had encountered her. To a priestess of the Laughing Wolf pain was not feared threat, but a familiar sensation, and yet to see so much of it caused by the foul beast's blood did not sit well with her. Unfortunately, there was little she could do for them, as her healing magic would only heighten the pain of the legionnaires, and would not cleanse them of the foul blood and its effects, only whatever injury they might have sustained from contact with it.

Pondering what to do, the Zarokin priestess heard shouting and footsteps behind her and turned around to see the city guard coming up the hill towards the Legion's office. "What happened here?" The captain asked.

"These esteemed guests of ours have slain a foul beast that marred our city with its presence." The priestess said as she used a calm yet grand-looking gesture to point at the members of the hunting party who were gathered around the beast in varying states of health. "The least we can do is reward them with care and hospitality. See that the legionnaires are cleansed of the black blood and get someone to purify this place once the beast's carcass is disposed of." The young woman said. The guard captain did not seem to have a desire to disagree and simply nodded before leading his men towards the building to take a closer look at the beast and help the legionnaires wash away the blood.

Meanwhile, those who had heard Simion's orders were already moving to help the injured. As she had been the one to slay the beast, Sylanna was one of the first that her fellow legionnaires tried to aid, and yet, it did not prove to be an easy task. Kneeling on the ground as she clutched the left side of her face with her one clean gauntlet, she was still gripped by pain despite trying her hardest not to make a single noise. One legionnaire tried to pull her hand away while another stood by with a rag and a pail of water, but it wouldn't budge. He called for help, and it took three of them to finally pull it away so that the other man could cleanse the Snow Elf's face.

As the blood went away, so too did the pain - some of it lingered, but its intensity was nothing in comparison. Only a burn mark remained on her face, marring her skin on the spot where the beast's ichor had touched her, though she would not find out for some time, as shortly after the blood had been removed, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"She's still breathing." Someone said.

"Let's take her somewhere she can rest." Another spoke. A third stood up and pointed towards a nearby door.

"There should be some free rooms over there."

The legionnaires and guardsmen gathered around the heroine of Fellhollow nodded in agreement and took her away.

[Idiot People]

Haunted Manor Rescue

Lucan Aburns
Haunted Manor

Lucan, having turned away to look around, didn't catch Thall's comment before exploring. He turned when he felt a tug on his cloak and saw Thall before him, addressing him about the plant from the yard.

"Well, assuming it was teleportation, then it would still be there waiting." He thought for a moment, dragging his mind back to the moment. "Unless you did anything to invoke it originally, I'd say it would have nothing better to do than stay there and guard the courtyard."

Lucan’s eyes ran over the golem’s tall, metallic body and the words came out before he could think. “So, what are you exactly?” He paused before stuttering on, “I-I mean, not to be rude or anything, I-I've just never met anything-- Anyone like you apart from books, and even those can be vague…" He trailed off, his eyes seemingly focused anywhere but the golem.

The sudden banging from the dressing room caught his attention, though, and he dragged his eyes over to it. Then, without any warning besides a cry of surprise, he saw Bettine fall back, a glint of metal catching his eye from the room.

His hand hesitated over his sword, tossing a wary glance at the door in fear of an equipped attacker barreling through. Cautiously, he began to approach Betty, his mind painfully aware of the unknown room and the rider's griffon, which he hoped wouldn't attack him.

[Radea]

Arden Rooke
Antheia Bar – Secret Package delivery contract
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a breath, Arden felt nervousness bubble up in his stomach. Had his words, or Yvonne’s, changed the warrior-woman’s feelings? Thankfully, when Annabell spoke, his prayers were answered. Although she didn’t agree with her fellow legionaries, she would journey with them. Better yet, offer her sword and magic in protection. Arden felt the tension retreat from his neck and shoulders as Annabelle got up to rejoin them on the contract. He was fairly certain he couldn’t make her do anything. Even if he tried, he would end up with a black eye. Or worse. So, it was good that she was volunteering.

Rooke shared a sincere expression of thanks to his Paladin companion, which doubled as gratitude for saving his skin once again. Pushing himself off from his stool, the blue-haired youth motioned for the others to follow, “The others are likely waiting for us. The ship won’t hold in port forever.”

After a few strides on the rough cobble-stone square near the tavern, Arden heard a unique screech of a bird of prey. His head turned rapidly from side to side, looking at eye-level for the hawk before finally gazing upward; his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. Imposingly, yet proudly, sitting atop a roof post was none other than one of Frey’s birds. It screeched again upon being noticed before taking flight with its powerful wings. It circled a few times before gliding towards the docks.

Rooke pointed skyward, “I think Frey sent one of his fowl friends to guide our way. Let’s go.”

A few blocks and near-misses of passing carts later, Arden found himself in the vicinity of the High Elf office near the docks. It had taken a big longer following a circling hawk than hiring a local guide, but it was certainly better than wandering and asking for directions. By now, the others and their High Elf contact were outside the Navy Office. Hopefully that meant negotiations had gone well. "So, which ship is our voyage chartered on?"

[Gudmund]

Haunted Manor Rescue

Lucan Aburns
Haunted Manor

Lucan, having turned away to look around, didn't catch Thall's comment before exploring. He turned when he felt a tug on his cloak and saw Thall before him, addressing him about the plant from the yard.

"Well, assuming it was teleportation, then it would still be there waiting." He thought for a moment, dragging his mind back to the moment. "Unless you did anything to invoke it originally, I'd say it would have nothing better to do than stay there and guard the courtyard."

Lucan’s eyes ran over the golem’s tall, metallic body and the words came out before he could think. “So, what are you exactly?” He paused before stuttering on, “I-I mean, not to be rude or anything, I-I've just never met anything-- Anyone like you apart from books, and even those can be vague…" He trailed off, his eyes seemingly focused anywhere but the golem.

The sudden banging from the dressing room caught his attention, though, and he dragged his eyes over to it. Then, without any warning besides a cry of surprise, he saw Bettine fall back, a glint of metal catching his eye from the room.

His hand hesitated over his sword, tossing a wary glance at the door in fear of an equipped attacker barreling through. Cautiously, he began to approach Betty, his mind painfully aware of the unknown room and the rider's griffon, which he hoped wouldn't attack him.

Thall Lium | Haunted Gabriel Manor

Lucan was unfettered at the mention of the beast, reassuring Thall a bit in his worries, were a traveller to be injured by it he'd forever regret not going back to kill it. Thinking the conversation over, Thall looked around for something to investigate, Lucan's abrupt comment interrupting him. "So, what are you exactly?" Lucan asked, stuttering on after a brief pause, "I-I mean, not to be rude or anything, I-I've just never met anything-- Anyone like you apart from books, and even those can be vague…" he hastily explained, looking away awkwardly.

Thall was used to this kind of talk, many civilians and townspeople often asked him the same thing, and he didn't mind it at all. He much preferred it when people simply spoke with him, instead of running away the moment he appeared. Bawling children were by far the worst, its not like he could change his appearance at will. Shaking those bad memories away, Thall stood tall at the question, thumping his chest with a clang, he leaned down to answer the boy only for Bettine's yelp of surprise to catch his attention. Glancing over he watched her fall, raising his axe in anticipation he followed behind Lucan, realising he might not fit through. Had Bettine triggered a trap somehow? What was her griffon doing?

[Absolon-7]

Roxana Ma'gonid
Through either the luck of the gods or their ingenuity the Legionnaires had survived the day with nary a death among them sans the mirror beast itself. As both were purple cloaks the elven women Roxana and Sylanna along with their party received priority care and the two were left to recover and wake up at their own pace. The carcass of the beast would be handled off to some unlucky taxidermist and tanner who would have to have the hide and skeleton ready for transport by the morning while the beast's organs and blood were collected to be disposed off except for a few samples. The sun would set and then rise the next morning in the city which mean Roxana was about ready to wake up. The elven girl raised herself from her bed and found herself in one of the base's coveted guest rooms. Slowly she left her bed and wandered outside peeking in on the next room over to see Sylanna resting on its bed.

She tiptoed inside and got to her friend's bed leaning in to quietly whisper, "Hey, Syl? Are you alright? I'll be going to the tavern so I can bring you something to eat."

Roxana smiled at her friend and hurried to the infirmary's entrance before taking one last look back. Her head was pounding and it seemed no one was really around except for some novice clerk checking logbooks at the far end of the room. She quickly notified the mage of her leave and went on to the tavern to see it naturally scarce of people so early in the morning. She walked up to the counter and eventually decided to have sausages and eggs to eat with a pint of cider to get her freshened up and some hardy beef for Syl. Roxana wiped her bangs away from her face and cradles it in her hands. She probably still looked like a mess from the catastrophe yesterday.

"Oh Mithra, I need to ask what happened to the beast's corpse," muttered Roxana, "Then we have to travel to the County of Margeride...and that depends if the teleportation circle...blast it!"

The elf wallowed in self pity at her apparent less then desired performance as the morning sun invaded through the windows of the tavern. She wondered if Edward and Simion turned out all right and hopefully not injured. Her delicate finger circled around the wooden table's patterns as a flat bored expression filled her face. Now if only somebody from her party showed up about now.

Secret Package Delivery
Eumenes stroked his mustache at Frey's counter-suggestion about the ladies in their party preferring separate sleeping arrangements and it was reasonable enough. He'd have to check for any spare rooms on board in a few minutes. Eventually the rest of the party arrived and the one known as Arden begged the question of which ship was theirs. Eumenes pointed with his thumb with his at the very ship in front of them in the docks. It was a large galleon-like ship but it didn't look quite like a normal ship as its hull seemed to be a single streamlined wooden shape rather then the multiple planks in normal ships. The sails were also leathery, veined, and green like tree leaves rather then textile.

"Fun fact. We elves grow our ships. And it takes a pretty ducat to get quality seeds," he eagerly said to Arden, "I've had this ship for almost a century and I do say so I'm quite a good handler of it. Worth every coin too. Now all aboard!"

Eumenes would march into the ship indicating for the Legionnaires to follow him and the ship itself would part not long after. Their destination? The a port town on the lowermost of an island chain off the coast of the Heartlands where a naval escort would meet with them as a halfway point and the Legionnaires would then be free to return to Velathri but they still had some time left to go. It was a dark and cloudy night with a sky so thick with clouds it looked like a giant sheet of wool. A modest dinner would be served in Eumenes and the officers' dining quarters where the Legionnaires could join in at around seven'o'clock but trouble would soon rear it ugly head. A loud and violent crack would be heard in storage at the bottom level of the ship and several sailors would rush in in fears of a leakage but there wasn't even a scratch. Little did they know of of their large crates held man sized heavily armored crabs that had received a signal from a master to unleash themselves. For the moment they hid among the darkness ready to pounce on the first Legionnaire that entered the room.

High up in the opposite direction the ship's crow mast would spot a peculiar sight as far off in the distance another ship was heading straight towards them. The sailor handling the position would notify the rest of the crew of its strange nature as it appeared to be very decrepit, a very frayed and ragged sailing mast, and clumps of seaweed and barnacles forming clusters on its sides. word of these events would reach Eumenes and the Legionnaires and as he stuffed a roasted duck leg into his mouth he looked at them.

"Well I suppose this is were your expertise and skill come in eh," he rhetorically asked.

Crystal Village Investigation
Lars rolled his eyes at the elf's outburst and simply crossed his arms while the tall green haired woman that challenged him glared viscous daggers at him. The rest of the group began to disperse but Jocasta remained clinging to the green haired woman looking at Allthador with upmost curiosity. Characteristic creaking of old wood filled the empty air after Dido's series of question left her mouth. The green haired woman stepped in front of Lars and looked at Dido.

"Pardon Lars rudeness, or not most of us don't," she began, "My name is Boetica, and this he was my brother Maurits. He was the first to come into contact with the crystal and not lose himself but he eventually changed to a gigantic monstrous form when the first pulse hit, almost like a two legged lizard but made of crystalline rock, as if he was the crystal's champion. It's become sort of bad luck to mention his name around here. We don't know much else about the crystal as anyone else because we've only seen its effects. Its a complete oddity."

Jocasta now stepped forward and looked on at Allthador, "The crystallized fodder and us are separate creations. While most people turned to those gross things only certain people turned to look like us."

"What we do know what connects everyone of us is that we were all inside or in general strong willed compared to the rest of the villagers. So if you're outside only you'd know which one you end up as when the next pulse is loosed," spoke Boetica, "I don't know what people have been saying outside but this is something bigger then anyone thought. Like Lars said the way to the crystal is pretty straightforward but to avoid the crystal's champion is to avoid stepping in the same location for too long. He seems to be able to sense people better the longer they rest as cruelly as that seems."

Boetica cupped mouth before sighing and facing Dido once again, "If there's anything else you need just say it and I'll see to it you get something. I don't know how long it'll take you to blow up the crystal but you can count on all of our resources as meager as they may be."

Haunted Manor Rescue
As the rest of his motley crew searched the room Siegfried chose to investigate the mysterious bathroom's sounds. Tentatively he opened the door and was astounded by a thin layer of water immediately leaking out as he opened the door. Far more bizarrely was a giant frog tongue darting right for him from the bathroom's tub which he masterfully deflected with his shield. A took a good luck at the room and was flabbergasted by rain inside a building so he simply shut the door. The wizard who owned this estate sure left things in shambles. Betty's sudden pain filled yell brought his attention completely to her. A possessed pair of scissors was doing buys work digging into her leg and the veteran Legionnaire was quick to step to her aide by rapidly pulling out the scissors and then to grab a vial from his belt pouch. He popped off the lid and poured the syrupy liquid onto the wound sealing it shut.

"Tis a poultice made from the gum tree in the southern bog. Closes up cuts nicely but you shouldn't move the muscles there too much," explained Siegfried, "Now for these things."

Siegfried clasped onto the scissors and crushed them in his grip. Turning the old implements into harmless balls of metal. As he squatted next to her a shiny glint of metal under the bed caught his eye and he dutifully walked to the bed's side. He bent downwards and pulled the bed a few steps to the right before pausing to catch his breath. After doing so Siegfried walked on over to the apparent trap door and hummed to some foreign tune as he bent low to slowly open up the doors. What met him was a very large entrance as the sheet metal that made up the doors loudly clanged against the ground.

"Can one of you help dear Betty on to her griffon? I'm sure the beast will know you're helping her. Tally ho downwards!," chanted Siegfried.

The large cluttered room ran almost the entire length of the building. Filled with all manner of strange objects of both occult and mundane nature. In the immediate vicinity a birdcage, a stuffed two headed cat, a pile of fortune telling bones, a hunk of black ore inlaid with veins of red, antique holy symbols from several long dead religions and a what looks like a mummified hand could all be spotted. On the far side of the room a wooden door inlaid with a metallic silver moon with a keyhole in the center was hoarding attention.

"I shall say that the very end of our contract is through that door, I swear on my mum I do," said Siegfried, "Now which one of you lads want to join me in taking a crack at it?"

Little did they know that a giant runic circle, obscured by a thick cake of dust, dominated the ground in half the room and it was enchanted to drastically slow down the movement of anyone passing through it almost as if they were moving in slow motion. A decrepit chandelier swung on the roof despite there being no wind and whoever walked beneath would be victim to it suddenly crashing on top of it.

[Finland SSR]

Roxana Ma'gonid

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

---

The arquebus, or the hand cannon, was a simple tool, and yet one which was difficult to build upon with the limited tools and resources which Simion had available at hand. It, more than any other weapon, required complex and intricate machinery, on an even smaller and more precise scale than an arbalest. Because, you not only had to keep track of the entire complex mechanism of igniting gunpowder, making sure it doesn't blow up in your face, and making sure it propels the bullet enough to cause lethal damage - you also had to make sure the entire mechanism is small enough to fit in your hand and wasn't so heavy that you would struggle to carry it in your arms.

Simion stayed up almost all night trying to resolve the most important issue - the ignition mechanism. He did not sit down because of it, however: initially, he was trying to figure out a way to apply an idea which suddenly popped into his head during the battle, that is, sticking a blade at the end of the barrel for melee - but he soon realized that, as long as his hand cannon uses the current matchlock mechanism, such an idea is unfeasible. Swinging the barrel of his cannon will, at best, put out the flame at the end of the match, and cause the fragile weapon to break from the impact at worst. First, he has to figure out a better lock mechanism, then rework the cannon to a more sturdy construction, then he can consider the original idea.

What other ways are there to cause a strong enough spark to light up gunpowder, aside from a constantly lit up match inside his weapon? Sitting in front of his schematics, Simion come up to a few ideas. If you're stuck in a forest, you built a campfire, how do you light up a fire there? You use a flint, or a similar igneous rock, and something to smack it with, say, a piece of metal. Making a similar mechanism to cause a spark in a gun barrel would be... complex. Since it needs to be a consistent source of flame, it cannot just be a simple lever mechanism based on pulling the trigger of the cannon - it would need to be a mechanism which would slam a piece of flint into the barrel, something akin to clockwork... Perhaps there could be clocksmiths in Velathiri who could help him create such a mechanism, but, although it was an idea, it would be more expensive than Simion could afford - and, most importantly, the marksman preferred figuring this dilemma out himself instead of letting someone else handle it. This is supposed to be his field of expertise, not anyone else's.

Simion's mind drifted to a rather interesting incident which he got a chance to witness two years ago. Then, the marksman offered his services to a company of mercenaries under the payroll of the Tyranny of Thapsus, the so-called Black Hundred. Though his time there was brief and the Nurian parted his ways to continue travelling after the first couple of payments, one moment he remembered vividly was his first time meeting the leader of the group, a gruff looking warrior from Nathdar, who, among other things, carried a tiny trinket with himself, which, when pressed, would emit a small jet of flame which he would use to light up a rolled up joint. As it turns out, it was not a piece of technology, but rather a fire rune embedded within which could be activated through the pressure of one's fingers.

And that's exactly what his weapon needed.

A combination of magic and technology... into a modern weapon of war... Of course, Simion had no magical ability to speak of, nor could he create magic runes. But... that was an option, and it could be cheaper, easier to implement, and more effective than a complex flint lock mechanism.

For now, however, he needed to return home and figure it out in the soothing atmosphere of his room in the Legion headquarters.

And maybe get some sleep.

Because he stepped into the tavern after over 24 hours of consciousness, and while Simion tried his best to maintain his composure and not give off a hint that he was so tired that he could probably sleep for an entire day, it would certainly show to anyone keeping tabs on him. The marksman simply muttered "Some tea" to the tavernskeeper, knowing that he would struggle to say much more, and walked off with his cup to the table where Roxana was sitting and lamenting their situation.

Oh gods, seeing Roxana munch on her breakfast reminded him that he was hungry, too.

"Why are you so frustrated?.." Simion spoke up, ending his sentence with a yawn. "We took that creature down, didn't we... Or did you not get any sleep either?.."

[Gudmund]

Haunted Manor Rescue
As the rest of his motley crew searched the room Siegfried chose to investigate the mysterious bathroom's sounds. Tentatively he opened the door and was astounded by a thin layer of water immediately leaking out as he opened the door. Far more bizarrely was a giant frog tongue darting right for him from the bathroom's tub which he masterfully deflected with his shield. A took a good luck at the room and was flabbergasted by rain inside a building so he simply shut the door. The wizard who owned this estate sure left things in shambles. Betty's sudden pain filled yell brought his attention completely to her. A possessed pair of scissors was doing buys work digging into her leg and the veteran Legionnaire was quick to step to her aide by rapidly pulling out the scissors and then to grab a vial from his belt pouch. He popped off the lid and poured the syrupy liquid onto the wound sealing it shut.

"Tis a poultice made from the gum tree in the southern bog. Closes up cuts nicely but you shouldn't move the muscles there too much," explained Siegfried, "Now for these things."

Siegfried clasped onto the scissors and crushed them in his grip. Turning the old implements into harmless balls of metal. As he squatted next to her a shiny glint of metal under the bed caught his eye and he dutifully walked to the bed's side. He bent downwards and pulled the bed a few steps to the right before pausing to catch his breath. After doing so Siegfried walked on over to the apparent trap door and hummed to some foreign tune as he bent low to slowly open up the doors. What met him was a very large entrance as the sheet metal that made up the doors loudly clanged against the ground.

"Can one of you help dear Betty on to her griffon? I'm sure the beast will know you're helping her. Tally ho downwards!," chanted Siegfried.

The large cluttered room ran almost the entire length of the building. Filled with all manner of strange objects of both occult and mundane nature. In the immediate vicinity a birdcage, a stuffed two headed cat, a pile of fortune telling bones, a hunk of black ore inlaid with veins of red, antique holy symbols from several long dead religions and a what looks like a mummified hand could all be spotted. On the far side of the room a wooden door inlaid with a metallic silver moon with a keyhole in the center was hoarding attention.

"I shall say that the very end of our contract is through that door, I swear on my mum I do," said Siegfried, "Now which one of you lads want to join me in taking a crack at it?"

Little did they know that a giant runic circle, obscured by a thick cake of dust, dominated the ground in half the room and it was enchanted to drastically slow down the movement of anyone passing through it almost as if they were moving in slow motion. A decrepit chandelier swung on the roof despite there being no wind and whoever walked beneath would be victim to it suddenly crashing on top of it.

Thall Lium | Haunted Gabriel Manor

It a matter of moments Siegfried came to Bettines aid, removing a pair a of scissors embedded in leg before pouring a strange liquid over the wound. Leaning his axe against the wall Thall moved passed Lucan, with Siegfried moving the bed sideways to reveal a trapdoor which he loudly opened. "Ah, to think I had been mere footsteps away from such a thing," Thall grumbled, listening to Siegfried as he gently picked up Bettine via princess carry, before slinging her over Matthias with some hesitation.

"I can't say anyone could have expected flying murderous scissors," he joked, turning away to quickly move on. Arriving at the lengthy mess of a room, his eyes eventually landed on the wooden door at the other end. Moving ahead of the rest, Thall decided it was best if he went first, his sturdy body much less likely to be injured. "Allow the walking wall of metal to go first," he said, taking out his axe once again as he jogged towards the other side, wary of the swinging chandelier above. As soon as Thall went passed the vestiges of the hidden runic circle, his body felt as though he was wading through water, yet his inorganic voice remained the same. Dropping his axe, it fell at a normal pace, giving Thall extra clues on the workings of this trap; which thankfully did not drain his mana. It seemed as though it only slowed people, otherwise the now falling chandelier would be unaffected.

"Oh..." he muttered, slowly raising his hands in hopes to block the falling object. Had he not continued to wade further through the magic trap, it likely wouldn't have dropped atop him. "At least it was me and not the others..." He thought, glad that his golem body could shrug off a majority of the damage.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Two battles against the Beast of Soissons in a single day had taken quite a toll by themselves despite their brevity. Adding to that the effects of the creature's foul blood marring her face, one of which was pain so intense that it made her pass out, it was no wonder that Sylanna had spent the rest of that day resting. The following morning, the elven knight woke up much later than she usually would have - in fact, she didn't feel fully rested just yet, but a soothing, pleasant voice had stirred her awake a few moments earlier, though she couldn't remember what it said. She sat up with a groan, noticing that she had only her arming doublet and long breeches on her, as opposed to the ornate plate armor she wore whenever she was on duty. She figured that whoever had brought her here likely decided to take it off for her comfort.

I hope they gave it a clean up... no way I'm touching the gauntlet if it's still covered in that thing's blood.

After a moment of gathering her strength she stood up and looked around the room, noticing that it looked just like the Legion's guest rooms at Velathri, only slightly more austere, likely because the office there received more funds than this one. So they reserved one of these for me? That's awfully nice of them. She thought. As she scanned the room, her eyes fell on a mirror above a chest of drawers. Her blonde hair was a mess as a result of a long day's night, but otherwise everything seemed to be in order... except, of course, for a small but very noticeable shapeless area of scarred tissue on her left cheek, where the monster's blood had touched her. With some hesitation, she raised her hand to touch it, watching her reflection in the mirror do the same thing - she flinched slightly when her fingers made contact, surprised by how sensitive her skin seemed to be there.

As the moment of surprise passed, a scowl appeared on the Snow Elf's face. ...This is what I get for being careless. If I had fought better the first time, then... She shook her head. ...No, it's no use thinking about that now. What's done is done.

A sudden rumble in her stomach took her mind off of her musings and reminded her that she hadn't had a good meal in over half a day, and she prepared to turn back and head to the Legion office's canteen, but something made her hesitate. She wasn't sure she wanted to be seen like this. Don't be stupid, Sylanna. You got a much worse one in Fellhollow... just not on the face. She told herself, letting out an exasperated sigh at her childish indecision. Lowering her gaze, her eyes spied a comb on top of the chest of drawers. Figuring she might as well fix what she could, she picked it up.

A few minutes later, the elven knight walked into the tavern, noticing it was mostly empty and spotting two of her fellow legionnaires sitting by the counter. "Good morning." She said, nodding at Simion and Roxana and sitting down to the left of them to avoid bringing attention to the left side of her face. Her hunger flared up again, but she tried to ignore it; she'd order something when the tavernkeep came back and that'd be the end of that.

Glancing towards Simion, she was met with a sudden feeling of concern. He may have been trying to keep it well-hidden, but his eyes, his posture, they were all signs of a man that was completely exhausted, and Sylanna recognized them easily. "Simion? Are you feeling well?" She asked.

[Tomia]

Tira/Annabelle
Tira had decided to forgo eating in the Captain's cabin. She still didn't trust the man, and she preferred to use that time to explore the contents of the ship without stifling supervision. Certain that there was something off about this endeavor, she explored the cargo area beneath the deck where she was met with startling cracking sounds coming from the larger crates among the cargo. It was ominous to say the least and Annabelle found herself approaching the noises with a drawn sword.

As she approached, the crates suddenly exploded in a violent manner, sending pieces of wood flying across the room. She jumped backwards to avoid the coming shrapnel, and as the dust cleared she saw multiple menacing crabs appear from the wrecked boxes. They were huge monstrosities and had man made armor across their shells.

"Damn it, I fucking knew this was trouble!" She cursed to herself as the crabs started to approach her menacingly. She backed up towards the stairs, as Tira knew she couldn't let these monsters cut her off from the exit. As the lead crab lunged at her with its claw she swung a defensive swing that slashed harmlessly off the creature's armor.

I can't stop and fight them, they're too well defended. They'll tear me apart before I can get in a solid strike. She thought grimly as she continued to back up more and more. She hated it, but she only had one option.

"Help! I need backup down here!"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

Once the rest of the party arrived, Frey followed Eumenes on board, paying little attention to the treelike hull and the leafy texture of the sails - they were certainly impressive, but he'd seen stranger things in his time in the east and, more than anything, he was eager to be out on the seas yet again, an opportunity he did not think he would have so far away from home. While the others headed down to get settled in their quarters or mingle with each other, the blond man rested his arms on the organic ship's railing and stared out into the distance. The open seas brought back plenty of memories, of simpler days and plentiful adventures. Days he did not miss, but held dear nonetheless.

Time passed quickly, and he along with the other legionnaires were invited to dinner by Eumenes, but their meal was cut short as they were informed of a twofold threat: an apparent explosion at the bottom of the ship and what appeared to be a ghost ship approaching. The latter immediately caught Frey's attention, causing him to stand up and completely forget about dinner.

"Someone go check what's going on below, I'll take care of that approaching ship. And someone find Annabelle, she can't be off on her own at a time like this." He said before turning around and leaving the officer's dining quarters. Before long he was out onto the deck, watching the decrepit ship approach. With a scowl on his face, he climbed up onto the crow's nest and then unsheathed his enchanted estoc, pointing it at the ghost vessel's mast.

With a loud crack, a bolt of lightning shot out from the tip towards the enemy ship.

[New Finnish Republic]

Edward

---

A small ray of light fluttered through Edward's window, causing the man to stir from his bed with a small groan. His muscles ached tremendously and his body was practically screaming at him to return back to its previous slumber. He had been up for some time the previous night assisting where he could with the immediate tending to wounds as well as the cleanup afterwards. This resulted in him getting next to no sleep, much to his frustration.

It had been difficult to get a clean enough cut through the beast's neck, the corrosive nature of the blood forcing him to ensure that it did not accidently spill on himself or anyone else. Afterwards he had been forced to wait for the blood to drain as much as possible afterwards from the now severed head, and only then did they wrap up their proof of their completed task in as thick of cloths as could be provided to them. Transporting the thing was going to be tough, but he prayed that the cloths would keep them safe from any remaining liquid from within.

With a loud groan of pain, he managed to get up onto his feet from the bed, wincing slightly as the still healing wounds stung with every movement. A series of bandages were wrapped around both his left arm as well as his chest, a slight reddish stain indicating to him that they needed changing. He began to carefully unravel the dirty bandages around his wounds, biting his lip as the fresh air met the wounds. He had insisted to those capable of restoration magic to tend to those more injured than he was, and thus he had yet to receive any magical treatment that would have otherwise healed them instantly. He didn't mind too much, however, as the wounds were superficial at most, even if they still stung. As long as he continued treating them, they would likely be healed on their own within a week or two.

He began to gingerly wash his naked body with a piece of soap and a cloth that was provided to him with a fresh pale of water. After he had washed the stench of the many days of travel from his body as well as ensured the sites of his wounds were especially cleaned, he began to apply fresh bandages around his arm and chest in a manner that wouldn't obstruct his movements. After he concluded he had done enough to keep them protected, he reached into his pack and grabbed some casual clothes to put on. He doubted they would be heading out for at least a day or so while Sylcella had properly healed, which meant there was little point in donning the less comfortable undergarments he usually wore underneath his armor. In addition to this, his armor was going to need at least the rest of the day to be repaired by the local blacksmiths, so the casual clothes were clearly the best choice.

Making his way out of his room and towards the tavern, Edward couldn't help but glance at the sight of the carnage left behind from their battle with the beast. While the townsfolk were already busy at work repairing what had been damaged, there were still large visible scratch marks gouged into the sides of various structures around them. Large holes had been dug up where the blood of the beast had fallen in order to avoid anyone from being affected by it, making the landscape look as if a barrage of miniature explosions had erupted all around. The people themselves looked a bit rattled by what had all occurred, but the looks of determination on their faces to fix what had been broken made it clear that they weren't going to let it stop them from moving on.

Entering the tavern, he noted the remainder of their party seemed to have already assembled at one of the tables. Everyone seemed to be exhausted from the day before, as was to be expected considering what they had faced. As he approached the table, he saw the Sylanna had received a small scar on her face as a result of the blood hitting her exposed flesh. While he held no sense of romantic feelings towards the elf, he couldn't help but pity her slightly. Elves were known for their seemingly divine beauty, and while it certainly did not remove anything that remained before, Edward hoped that such a mark would not cause her to feel ashamed of herself.

She is a warrior, however. I doubt such a trivial thing will bother her much, Edward thought as he sat down at the table with the others. He gave them all a silent nod, not feeling a need to intervene in what seemed to be an ongoing conversation.

[Finland SSR]

Crystal Village Investigation

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

---

Dido sighed and lowered her pointing hand, listening to the crystallized villagers while they explained the situation. So, the "He" they were constantly blabbering on about was actually this woman's brother, who was transformed into a some sort of crystal aberration and thus became a some sort of crystal "champion". You mean like that scythewielding guy we almost got sliced and diced by? She still felt the discomfort and muscle pain of having released her Spirit Discharge... not that it was going to hold her down.

They explained that the reason why they were different from the zombie-like villagers they met before was not because of more or less exposure to the pulse - apparently, all of them had high willpower and were able to resist the full power of the curse.

"I don't think people get to call themselves strong-willed, lass." Dido immediately shot back, frowning. "People can boast that they are strong willed all the time, but from experience, that willpower usually evaporates as soon as-"

"Alright, alright, let's not get too off-topic." Allthador's calm voice suddenly interfered, the half-elven Patrician raising his hand ever so slightly to order Dido to stand down. "The outside world does not know anywhere near the full extent of what's happening here, if you were interested. And, personally, I'd rather make sure that this remains. Dark clouds are building up over Anthem and I'd rather make sure the panic is contained as long as possible."

Dido wasn't sure what Allthador meant with his last sentence, but didn't bother complaining any longer. "Fine. Joker-sta or whatever your name is, we'll blow that thing up. Trust us."

[Idiot People]

Haunted Manor Rescue

Lucan Aburns
Haunted Manor

Lucan watched the man pull out the scissors and tend to Betty for a moment before going over to the room and taking a tentative look inside. He briefly scanned the room, his eyes landing on the glimmering of the mirror. It was unnatural and drew his attention, but he wasn't about to enter the room that he knew to be hostile.

When he saw no physical threat that could attack them, he turned to find that Siegfried moving the bed aside to reveal the trapdoor. He internally scorned himself for being so close to it and failing to look closely for it. Following closely while Thall helped Bettine behind him, he went through the trapdoor behind Siegfried.

The expanse of the room stretched out before him and he made a quick scan of his surroundings. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the ancient holy symbols, one or two of which he recognized as long dead.

"Allow the walking wall of metal to go first." He heard the golem say as he walked to the other end of the room.

Lucan, however, made a beeline off to the side where the symbols where and began to study them with a curious gaze. He recognized one, Vakna or something similar, that he knew to be 'The Awoken'. Needless to say, it was created in a small, isolated town and died off quickly, but there were one or two works where he read about it, if only briefly. He could only imagine what the other symbols were.

The clang of Thall's axe turned his attention back to see the golem's movement slowed as the chandelier fell. He made a step as if to approach, but he knew he could not do much and hoped the chandelier wouldn't harm him. Strange how quick he was to try and help them, though he was still wary. He could be friendly, but he reminded himself to keep a little guard up.

[Absolon-7]

Roxana Ma'gonid
"No, I slept like a log all through yesterday and the night," sighed Roxana looking up at her subordinate, "Sure we took that weird thing out but I don't know I just feel we could've done better. And lately I've just been been fed up with everything. I'd have thought my sabbatical earlier in the year would've made me all eager for adventure but nope."

Simion was right however in that why was she so frustrated? The beast was taken down and that's what mattered. If anything in this line of work everything being a walk in the park would perhaps make it boring. She awkwardly dipped her head and scratched her neck silently humming her worries away. Sylanna came in to their left and her friend commented on Simion's tiredness and she began to notice it too. His sharp face certainly seemed vexed with exhaustion...She quickly shook her head at the last thought and smiled as the Legion's tavern-keeper came by to deliver her order and to take everyone else's orders.

"You know guys, I wouldn't be opposed to just taking the day off and just sight seeing An'Zarok. We could ask that Mir girl for a tour or something," commented Roxana twirling one of her tied up bunches of hair resting in her shoulder, "I just need to freshen up a bit. I'm pretty sure I stink with all that sweat from fighting."

Secret Package Delivery
As the man sized crab began to surround the warrior princess Tira in the ship's cargo hold, the decrepit ship steering towards the main vessel was struck by Frey's lightning bolt. The portion of the old mast struck by the lightning bolt was disintegrated causing the rest of the main mast to collapse in itself and fall forward crushing many of the surface screw underneath it. There were still several secondary masts but the main driving force of the ship had been lost but all was not what it seemed. At the very back of the ship a cloaked figure raised a large staff into the air and glowing ribbons of blue energy starting emanating from it. The cloaked figure immediately fell to his knees as another rushed to his side. Suddenly, the water beneath the ship churned into a powerful vortexes that propelled it forward enough to have the front of the ram into the Elven vessel. The ship's sturdy body merely bent back and bounced the nigh rotten ship back but the surface layer and been deeply scarred.

The main event would have to be a tide of undead sailors, skin grey from waterlogged moisture, pouring into the ship clumsily waving their cutlasses. Most of the average crew fled to the other side of the ship with a portion of the burlier humans and athletic elves taking up arms against the horde. It seemed at least over three dozen of the undead were clamoring for blood. At the very back of them, a large zombified ogre wielding an anchor as a club was slowly stomping towards the elven vessel paying no attention to its own kind.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

Frey allowed himself a smirk of satisfaction as he saw the mast of the enemy ship shatter upon being struck by his lightning bolt, crushing countless ghost sailors as its flaming remains fell upon the deck. But his small victory was short-lived, as a hooded figure used some sort of spell to propel the ship forward despite the missing sails. Frey held tight onto the mast of Eumenes' ship as the phantom vessel rammed it, managing not to fall off the crow's nest after the impact. Still in his vantage point, he watched as several dozen undead sailors poured onto the deck of the High Elf's ship. Worse yet, some sort of anchor-wielding abomination approached from the rear of the zombie army. You've got to be kidding me.

He pointed his estoc towards the hulking ogre, but after a few seconds, only a spark seemed to come form the tip of the sword. "Son of a bitch, you had to run out of juice now?" The rogue cursed as he sheathed the long blade and instead drew one of his trusty daggers, hurling it at one of the zombified sailors and hitting him square in the chest... only for the fiend to stagger slightly, briefly look up at the crow's nest and then continue boarding the vessel. At this, the ex-pirate let out an irritated sigh. "Oh, for Vadon's sake... I hate zombies."

Making a mental note to recover his knife after the fight, Frey hastily climbed down from the crow's nest to join the armed men below in driving back the unholy tide, unsheathing his cutlass as he reached the deck and holding his remaining dagger in his off hand as a precaution. Spotting an approaching zombie, he quickly sidestepped the clumsy overhead slash and then swiftly decapitated the creature, watching its now inert body fall to the ground. "That's how you use a cutlass, you sorry excuse for a sailor." He scoffed as he raised his main weapon to block another incoming attack and plunged his dagger into the eye of his attacker, seemingly causing enough damage to take him down.

Two down, thirty-four to go. It wasn't much effort, but that didn't mean this was going well. With only a handful of allies with him for the time being, he had to make sure they lasted as long as possible. Spotting a pair of sailors being accosted by a group of four undead, the rogue rushed over, splitting one's head with his cutlass, stabbing another on the back of the head with his dagger and kicking a third down onto the floor, where it was easy enough to run him through. Grateful for the assistance, the two sailors quickly ganged up on the fourth zombie and made short work of him.

Nodding at the two, Frey quickly looked around, surveying the situation. It seemed they were holding their own, for now, but with thirty zombies and an undead abomination still on the way, they would likely be overwhelmed soon. The rogue simply scowled - he had no intention of dying that night.

"Sailor, with me! We can't let any of them belowdecks. And someone man those swivel guns, damn it!" He shouted as he parried an incoming attack with his dagger and swiftly decapitated the ghost mariner. Seven down, twenty-nine to go.

[Radea]

Arden Rooke
The Living Ship – Secret Package delivery contract
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Eumenes gestured to this ship with his thumb, Arden couldn’t help but stare. It was a large vessel but looked like it was sculpted out of marble rather than any wooden material like human ships. His jaw dropped open, in horror and wonder, when the High Elf excitedly mentioned that the large carrack was actually grown, not built. To the human commoner, only two things were grown: plants and animals. He wasn’t certain which one the ship is, so the legionary seemed cautious as he boarded the vessel as if trying to avoid stepping on someone’s toe.

Once out to sea, the clouds grew ominous. The red-cloak had never been on an ocean-going ship of this size, mostly the riverine craft of the Heartlands. He wasn’t certain of their durability. Gently, he petted the railing like he would have the mule from the first leg of their journey. “You’ll do a good job. You… You can do it.” Arden wasn’t sure if the ship understood.

In the evening, the legionaries held a dinner with the enigmatic Eumenes. The food was above average for road rations and common folk meals, but not as lavish as Rooke feared. He wasn’t comfortable eating the high luxury foods nobles often preferred. Even among the officers of the ship, the commoner felt a bit out of place. Even more so among elves. Using what manners he had picked up through his travels with middle-class merchants, Arden picked at his food. Part of him wondered if the food had also been grown like the ship. He couldn’t tell if the thought of that or the roughs seas made him queasy.

A loud crack interrupted the supper, causing an officer to excuse himself. The sound of sailors outside grew louder. One burst through the cabin door and explained no hull damage, but an unknown ship had appeared in the distance and closing. Eumenes, nonplussed, casually stated this is what mercenaries were for.

Gear in hand, Rooke stood on the cloudy deck. Frey brushed right by him, his eyes focused on the ship in the distance. His face seemed to glow with excitement, like a predator returning to old hunting grounds. His orders were all business, however. "Someone go check what's going on below, I'll take care of that approaching ship. And someone find Tira, she can't be off on her own at a time like this."

Frey was right. Annabelle hadn’t been at the dinner and she wasn’t on the deck. “I’ll head below!” Rooke shouted in confirmation, his boots already thudding against the deck as he ran towards the stairway that led beneath. Almost in reply he heard the shout of Annabelle: "Help! I need backup down here!" If she was in trouble, things were more dire than they seemed.
“Annabelle!” Rooke called out as he descended the steps, “Anna-!” His voice cut off as he finally witnessed what the legionary veteran had needed help for. Bulky, dark brown, man-sized crab monsters were approaching her. Arden was frozen in shock. Above deck, a bright light zig-zagged across the sky followed by a booming thunder. Frey had cast at the enemy ghastly ship. This thunderous magic had snapped Rooke into action, like a trumpet for foot soldiers. He drew his axe and shortsword, not for offensive, but to defend. Arden came up beside Annabelle, going past her in the cramped quarters, “I’ll fend off their pincers. No matter what I sound like, just keep carving them up at the joints like crawdads.”

Rooke’s plan was simple. The crab-men were large, for sure, but even Knights had unarmored joints. Annabelle was the quicker, more experienced fighter. Rooke had nothing but his endurance and will to live. As he got into position, the living elf ship shuddered and shook wildly, causing the commoner to brace himself against the wall for a moment to find footing. In moments above deck, the clash of steel and flesh reverberated below deck. Whatever was happening was getting worse by the minute.

Rooke would use the steel of his weapons, and his natural endurance, to deflect the claws of the creatures or pin them in a locked-struggled to give Annabelle a better chance at disarming them at the neck or elbow. "Come on, you abominations!" He taunted.

[Absolon-7]

Crystal Village Investigation
Boetica scoffed at the woman's rudeness but she sighed at her compatriot's suggestion. Did he not see what the crystal could do? All she did was state a hypothesis. She never said she agreed with it and apparently she missed the part where most of them were inside buildings. Jocasta pouted angrily at Dido for the apparent mocking of her name before she sharply turned around to stomp to her tent inside the church.

"If you want to destroy the crystal or take it away be my guest," she relented to Allhador, "Just as long as its out of this town. Well I wish you luck in your endeavor."

Now that the two Legionnaires were free to leave, as Lars had told them earlier the pathway to the crystal started at the top floor of the church where an overhang storing the church's music group was invaded by a fallen tree. The dead plant had broken through the top window and acted as a rough slide to the outside as well as a veil obscuring the glowing hue of the gaping crater. The crater itself was almost cone shaped as the bottom was much smaller then the bottom. If they chose to slid down they would come upon the wall of the crater and a series of perilous crystals jutting parallel to the surface offered a haphazard pathway to the bottom. At the very bottom finally awaited the glowing malevolence from the sky. The crystal was like a straight reptilian tooth with no curves or jagged edges. From deep within its glossy mass a shifting, ephemeral hue of damnably abrasive intensity pulsated on and off every few seconds. If they failed to pay attention they would not notice the mass of crystal villagers throw themselves into the pit once they reached the bottom.

Haunted Manor Rescue
Siegfried was impressed by the golem's enterprise in going first but unfortunately it turned out to be a trap of some kind. Now how to escape this conundrum...Siegfried raised his zweinhander into the air like a javelin and threw it at the door on the opposite side of the room. It found its target and shattered the lock keeping the door open and the door seemingly connected to activating the hidden magic circle released Thall from his sluggish artificial prison. Siegfried made a run for it to retrieve his zweinhander from the ground before the now opened door. Beyond the door there are several tables covered in vials and bottles of various components and materials. A large bookshelf holds several dozen volumes of magic lore. On the table in the middle of the room there is a multicolored wand shaped to resemble a unicorn’s horn. It is sitting in what looks like a magic circle drawn on the tabletop.

"What a great find! The Legion will pay us most handsomely for turning this in!," shouted Siegried as he took a step in but a powerful burst of wind blew him nearly two meters back.

"WHO dares disturb the lair of my solitude!," shouted a ghostly visage that manifested in the doorway, "NONE shall get my unicorn wand!"

With a twist of his hands the earth opened up beneath Siegfried swallowing him up like a giant maw. With the twist of his other hand several glowing orbs were sent flying to all the Legionnaires that would blow up upon contact into bright white lights.

[Finland SSR]

Sylanna

Edward

---

Roxana Ma'gonid

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

---

The rest of their team - or, rather, what's left of it - swiftly gathered in the tavern. Though Edward said nothing and simply sat down by the table, Sylanna immediately raised attention to him, stating that, no matter how much Simion hides it, he looks completely exhausted. The marksman tried to respond at first, but only released a faint yawn - which didn't help his case at all.

"I'm... I'm okay, don't worry." he finally muttered a response, in between sips from his cup of tea. "I was just working all night and didn't get a chance to rest... that's what happens when a divine spark hits, I suppose." He swore to himself that he would only spend an hour or two putting down his ideas after the battle on paper, but then, as he wrote down his thoughts in a more concise manner, more and more ideas started developing out of them, which also had to be analyzed and further developed, until he suddenly realized that it was already morning and he hasn't slept at all...

"I actually wouldn't mind getting refreshed somewhere either..." Simion responded to Roxana's lamenting. "Does An'Zarok have hot springs or something similar, perhaps?"

[Zarkenis Ultima]

---

---

---

Sylanna continued to observe the marksman keenly, even as Edward dropped by and sat down nearby - she briefly looked up and returned the hunter's nod before looking back. Simion's attempt to respond was punctuated by a tired yawn, which only furthered her concern, but he seemed to think it was nothing worth worrying about and explained that it was simply the result of an all-nighter brought about by sudden inspiration, harmless. The Snow Elf raised an eyebrow at this, but ultimately decided to leave it be.

"Well, at least it was work that kept you up all night and not something worse." She said with a small smile before turning her attention to the tavern's owner, who had just come back from the kitchen with eggs, sausages and beef for Roxana, along with a pint of cider. The smell of freshly cooked food instantly reminded the knight of her hunger and, oblivious to the fact that the archer had thought to get something for her as well, she was quick to order a similar meal, albeit replacing the beef with fish - of which there was plenty in An'Zarok thanks to the Gan - and with the addition of some bread to go with it.

Having placed her order, she watched the tavernkeep walk away and turned her attention back to her fellow legionnaires, in time to hear Roxana express interest in taking a day off and bemoaning the fact that all the fighting from the previous day wasn't kind on them.

"Tell me about it." The knight spoke. "At least you wear light leather, not plate armor..."

Speaking of armor, I really should check what happened with it after I'm done here... She thought. But she quickly decided that that was a problem for another time when her order was delivered, and eagerly dug into her meal, the first few bites finally calming her hunger.

"I'm pretty sure there's several luxurious bathhouses in the city." The Snow Elf commented between bites. While most of her life prior to joining the Paean Legion had been spent in Issgard and its surroundings, she had visited the Jewel of the Vale once, shortly before the incident in Fellhollow - though naturally she hadn't had the chance to enjoy what An'Zarok had to offer back then. "But they're private, and with all our stuff still stuck back Lietuva, I'm not sure we can afford them."

She was about to take a bite of bread when her own words gave her pause as a realization set in. "Actually... we did leave all of our stuff back in Lietuva, didn't we? So who's paying for-"

"Oh, there's no need to worry about any of that." Spoke a voice behind Sylanna. The knight hadn't heard anyone besides her group enter the tavern, so she turned around only to find herself face to face with Mircella, who had snuck into the tavern just a moment earlier, stealthy as a mouse. "I've already told the owner to serve you four anything you desire at my expense. It is the least I can do for the heroes who brought down the dangerous beast that threatened our fair city." The young priestess said with her usual soft, sweet voice, smiling at the legionnaires.

"I've also sent your armor for cleansing and repairs, but I've been told it will not be ready before tomorrow morning." She added, looking back at Sylanna for a moment before turning to face all of the legionnaires. "In the meantime, I suggest to enjoy your stay. I'm certain that if you look, you will see that An'Zarok has quite a bit to offer."

[Finland SSR]

Crystal Village Investigation

Dido Ricine, the Elven swordsmaster!

---

Did she somehow predict me? Allthador had mentioned nothing about taking the meteor with him, even though the magical properties of such an object interested him greatly and he would have indeed loved to study it - and yet this woman suddenly brought up the point as if he was planning to do that and vocalized it. The half-elf Patrician did not mention this, however, and instead departed alongside Dido.

The two of them, after making their way through the church, soon reached the top, witnessing a fallen tree trunk which served as a slide downwards, straight towards the crater in the center of the village. A rather intimidating drop, but Dido did not even hesitate, immediately leaping on the tree trunk and sliding down.

"Wooooo!" she yelled, hastening her pace with each passing second and finally springing into the sky, beyond what any average person may manage, getting over the wall of the crater and the crystals protruding around it in a single leap, making a rough landing in the crater itself before getting back on both of her feet. While Allthador caught up with her - he did not even try pulling off such dangerous stunts - she moved back to the wall of the crater and hid from the crystallized villages behind it.

"You could do with a less flamboyant entrance." the magician stated as soon as he caught up. "You'll have to cover me."

Dido responded by igniting the spellblade around both of her falchions and imbuing them with cracks and bolts of black lightning, her mind eager for battle. "And you're gonna blow it to oblivion."

"No, I have a better idea." Allthador suddenly replied, his eyes set upon the meteor in the depths of the crater. "Do you know what we are looking at here? This is not your ordinary magical artifact. It is something completely alien, something which arrived to us from the aether above. Is it really right to eradicate it when there is so much we could learn about the art of magic from it, if we brought it to study instead?"

"That... sounds seriously dangerous. Where would you even store it? It crystallizes anything in a mile's radius. Hell, what do you even need it for anyway?"

"Do you know what the motto of the Grand Republic of Nur is? The words by which all of our citizens, including myself, guide themselves with?"

"Eh?"

"Per Aspera Ad Astra. A phrase from the ancient Healst Empire. It means "through hardship, to the stars". And what you're describing is just the hardship I'll overcome. Now... Cover me, while I take care of the meteor."

---

Haunted Manor Rescue

Bettina Lambert, Master of the Griffon!

---

His unicorn wand...

The wound in Betty's arm was still as painful as ever, so she and Matthias missed a bunch of the events taking place around them - to the griffon, making sure that its rider was safe and protecting it from danger was priority number one, not any sort of investigations or fighting. So, the two of them only caught up when Siegfried picked up a wand and thus promptly summoned a ghost demanding to get it back.

"W-why did you take that wand?! We shouldn't be taking someone else's stuff!" Betty exclaimed from behind the safety of Matthias, who glared at the ghost with great suspicion. "And not in a haunted mansion, either!"

As soon as the ghost began firing orbs at the rest of the crew, Matthias charged forth, using its powerful claw to smash one orb after the other, showering the entire room with powerful bright light, but leaving the opening for Betty's teammates to take advantage of.

[New Finnish Republic]

Edward

---

Edward's eyes glanced over to Simion, watching as the man dismissed the concerns about his lack of sleep. Edward nodded in approval, as he could respect those who were willing to put in extra effort in order to improve themselves. However his gaze narrowed at him when Sylanna made a sly comment about what "else" he could have been doing. Immediately Edward's eyes went over to Roxana, who seemed oblivious at the matter as a large heap of food was delivered to her. Edward quickly averted his gaze towards the tavern owner, joining the elven knight in ordering some food. After the long day and night's worth of physical exertion, he was absolutely famished, which resulted in him ordering a large dish filled with a varied collection of meat. Normally he would not indulge himself to such an extent, but he knew his body needed the nourishment to recover.

As their food arrived, Edward quickly dove into devouring what was in front of him, feeling the strength returning to his body with every bite he took. He had ordered a small mug of mead as well, which caused a warm sensation to travel down his body as the honeyed alcohol relaxed him. It's not as good as what they serve at the tavern back at headquarters, but it will do, he thought to himself as he continued his meal.

Edward had been so entranced by the meal that he hadn't noticed the priestess sneaking up on their group, causing nearly everyone to be startled as she interrupted Sylanna's financial woes. After the initial shock had worn off, Edward listened to what Mircella had to say, becoming slightly frustrated at the news that the repairs were going to take another day. I suppose that means we're staying here for longer than I wanted, he thought as he chewed on the last portion of meat left on his plate. After swallowing, he paused for a few moments as he began to contemplate her offer. If we're going to be here anyways...


"A hot bath would be nice. Plus it will help with our recovery," he said, having finally broken his silence.

[Auropa]

Corven Roche
Secret Package Delivery

“……”
“………………………”
‘I don’t think I like sailing.’ Corven thought to himself as he reluctantly stretched his tired limbs and set about tightening the last few loose straps of his armour.
‘Honestly, I just don’t see the appeal.’ He decided as he left the room with his blade in hand. ‘The food is always either too bland or too salty, the rocking plays hell on my guts and everything is always wet.’ Making his way closer to the top deck, the once muffled sounds of clanging weapons, screams and snapping wood became all too clear to the ex-gladiator as he paused for a moment to allow himself one last frustrated sigh. Then stepping forward with his blade at the ready, he kicked the door to the outside open and charged into the watery maelstrom.

“I WAS TRYING TO SLEEP YOU UNDEAD PRICKS!” He roared as he darted forward, skewering the nearest undead from the side. If there was any upside to this ungodly mess, it was how easy their rotted flesh made telling friend and foe apart was.


After getting their pay rise and some semblance of an answer to their many questions, Corven was more than happy to accept the mysterious elf’s offer. If they were planning to make or use some sort of super-magical-device, then that and the consequences would be theirs and theirs alone. Leave the ethics and morals to those making the choices he figured, all he cared about was getting his gold and protecting his companions (mostly in that order). Since then he had been more than pleased to enjoy the ride as best he could and relax wherever he found the space to. Of course, the sudden attack of the undead put a sudden and abrupt end to that plan.

Blasting three nearby corpses overboard with a wave of force and turning back to narrowly deflect an oncoming blow, Corven considered his options when he overheard Frey’s familiar voice above the chaos. ‘Nothing like a run to warm yourself up’ he thought as he tried to spy a way across the ship while convincing himself the odds weren’t as bad as they seemed. Taking the first chance he found, he ducked under another zombie’s wild swing and surged forward into a tackle. From there he pushed on, relentlessly charging through the undead horde beneath the flimsy and unwilling cover that the corpse provided. ‘Just keep moving!’ He told himself between gritted teeth as a blunt attack crashed against his exposed shoulder and threatened to topple him over. Before another could land however, he reached his goal and had managed to at least partially join up with Frey’s desperate defence. With one last surge of effort, he flung the now very-dead body he had carried with him forward and into another unfortunately located undead sailor, sending it toppling it to deck. Keeping his momentum and not being one to waste good fortune, Corven took one more step forward before plunging his blade through the fallen warrior’s head with a sickening squelch.

“Frey! Where the hell are the others!?!” He began to shout before being cut short as he narrowly ducked under another wild attack. “I swear to the gods, if they turn out to be flirting below decks then I’ll –“ He began to say before launching into his own risky lunge and impaling another of the nearby attackers before being forced back and just barely avoiding its fellow zombies return strikes. “Fine I’ll sass later…” He muttered as he continued his cautious retreat.

As things were, the regulars were already pushing them back through sheer numbers alone, but to make matters ever more dire, the moment their bruiser reached the front-line then any hope of maintaining some sort of defence would be lost. “Damn it all!” He shouted as he remembered Frey’s words and let out another wave of energy to push away the closest undead and give him the chance to pull back and run from the fight. ‘Come on! Just hold out for a little longer!’ He thought to himself as he ran and closed in on his target.

‘Now how the hell do I use this?’ He thought to himself as he aimed the swivel and looked for a trigger of sorts.
‘Come on, you’ve seen the Jans use cannons a thousand times, how different can this- Ah screw it!’ He figured as he went about wildly loading and setting the small canon before turning it to face the oncoming ogre.
‘I feel like I should have a pun about this…’ He thought to himself as he raised his hand above the fuse and released a torrent of sparks into it before the tell-tale signs of a flame began to form.
‘…Isn’t that supposed to-’ he began to wonder before a thunderous crack rang out and the loaded shot blasted outward. Despite his efforts though, his lack of experience was clear as the shot went wide and instead of cleaving through the approaching behemothic abomination he was aiming for, the ball slammed into the lines of the regular undead knocking a few down and tearing another three to pieces.
“Shit! Frey! Buy me time to reload then get me an opening against the big one!” He called out above the chaos as he scrambled for another charge.

‘Okay then. Reloading... It can’t be that hard right?’

9 more undead killed, 20 left above deck.

[Gudmund]

Haunted Manor Rescue

Lucan Aburns
Haunted Manor

Lucan watched the man pull out the scissors and tend to Betty for a moment before going over to the room and taking a tentative look inside. He briefly scanned the room, his eyes landing on the glimmering of the mirror. It was unnatural and drew his attention, but he wasn't about to enter the room that he knew to be hostile.

When he saw no physical threat that could attack them, he turned to find that Siegfried moving the bed aside to reveal the trapdoor. He internally scorned himself for being so close to it and failing to look closely for it. Following closely while Thall helped Bettine behind him, he went through the trapdoor behind Siegfried.

The expanse of the room stretched out before him and he made a quick scan of his surroundings. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the ancient holy symbols, one or two of which he recognized as long dead.

"Allow the walking wall of metal to go first." He heard the golem say as he walked to the other end of the room.

Lucan, however, made a beeline off to the side where the symbols where and began to study them with a curious gaze. He recognized one, Vakna or something similar, that he knew to be 'The Awoken'. Needless to say, it was created in a small, isolated town and died off quickly, but there were one or two works where he read about it, if only briefly. He could only imagine what the other symbols were.

The clang of Thall's axe turned his attention back to see the golem's movement slowed as the chandelier fell. He made a step as if to approach, but he knew he could not do much and hoped the chandelier wouldn't harm him. Strange how quick he was to try and help them, though he was still wary. He could be friendly, but he reminded himself to keep a little guard up.

Haunted Manor Rescue
Siegfried was impressed by the golem's enterprise in going first but unfortunately it turned out to be a trap of some kind. Now how to escape this conundrum...Siegfried raised his zweinhander into the air like a javelin and threw it at the door on the opposite side of the room. It found its target and shattered the lock keeping the door open and the door seemingly connected to activating the hidden magic circle released Thall from his sluggish artificial prison. Siegfried made a run for it to retrieve his zweinhander from the ground before the now opened door. Beyond the door there are several tables covered in vials and bottles of various components and materials. A large bookshelf holds several dozen volumes of magic lore. On the table in the middle of the room there is a multicolored wand shaped to resemble a unicorn’s horn. It is sitting in what looks like a magic circle drawn on the tabletop.

"What a great find! The Legion will pay us most handsomely for turning this in!," shouted Siegried as he took a step in but a powerful burst of wind blew him nearly two meters back.

"WHO dares disturb the lair of my solitude!," shouted a ghostly visage that manifested in the doorway, "NONE shall get my unicorn wand!"

With a twist of his hands the earth opened up beneath Siegfried swallowing him up like a giant maw. With the twist of his other hand several glowing orbs were sent flying to all the Legionnaires that would blow up upon contact into bright white lights.

Haunted Manor Rescue

Bettina Lambert, Master of the Griffon!

---

His unicorn wand...

The wound in Betty's arm was still as painful as ever, so she and Matthias missed a bunch of the events taking place around them - to the griffon, making sure that its rider was safe and protecting it from danger was priority number one, not any sort of investigations or fighting. So, the two of them only caught up when Siegfried picked up a wand and thus promptly summoned a ghost demanding to get it back.

"W-why did you take that wand?! We shouldn't be taking someone else's stuff!" Betty exclaimed from behind the safety of Matthias, who glared at the ghost with great suspicion. "And not in a haunted mansion, either!"

As soon as the ghost began firing orbs at the rest of the crew, Matthias charged forth, using its powerful claw to smash one orb after the other, showering the entire room with powerful bright light, but leaving the opening for Betty's teammates to take advantage of.

Thall Lium | Haunted Gabriel Manor

Siegfried's quick thinking freed Thall from his slowed state, allowing him to narrowly dodge the falling chandelier that scrape his back and shattered across the floor. Reaching into the wreck, Thall recovered his axe, cradling it like a baby after spotting a few dents and scratches. Following after the others, Thall appeared a tad late, observing as a large angry spectre pushed Siegfried backwards with a gust of wind. In the next moment it fired several glowing orbs towards the gathering team, himself included. The wand was still sitting on the table untouched, Bettine's complaints not quite clear to him. Hefting up his enchanted shimmering axe, Thall glanced at Matthias shatter a few orbs, the popped projectiles exploding into bright lights that didn't seem to cause much harm.

"Be a good ghost and stay dead this time!" Thall shouted, trying to draw the target's attention as he charged forward. The orbs his axe missed exploded over him, partially blinding him, but ultimately not doing much to his inorganic eyes. Raising his weapon Thall took a swing at the spectre, utilising all his momentum in the attack.

[Absolon-7]

Simion Valerin, the marksman from Nur!

Roxana Ma'gonid
Thankfully the party seemed to agree wholesale that they needed a good long break for the day but there still remained the question of exactly what they would be doing. Simion brought up the topics of going to a hot spring and the idea was enticing but Sylanna brought up the point about the best ones being private. Then there was also the fact that they were flat broke until they delivered the beast's corpse to the Count that ordered its bounty. As she stuffed her mouth with the eggs on her plate Sylanna's comment on how they were paying for this meal made her eyes open wide in shock. Their luck was seemingly blessed by Mithra this morning, however, as Mira came to their financial rescue.

"How sweet of you, Mircella," gingerly said Roxana turning around in her seat, "Well would you mind coming along with us. I'm afraid most of us don't know our way around here."

A voice that caught her completely off guard was that of dear old Ed that made her ears twitch up, "Eddie did you just agree to relax? That's amazing!"

With agreements all set in place Roxana hurried up to finish her breakfast and to scramble to her room to get ready. As soon as everyone else was in the front to meet together they all headed out to a highly valued bath Mir recommended and for the girls it was a quite fun social event but the looks on Simion and Ed's faces when the got out told her enough that awkward didn't even cover it for them. Evidently it was time for the next event which puzzled Roxana. The group was walking along one of An'Zarok's exquisite market roads when she held her hands behind her back.

"So I'm thinking we can go to a massage parlor or a play. I always like those," said Roxana to her group but her smile turned more mischievous, "What do you guys think? I'm sure the boys would appreciate being pampered up for a change if we go for the massage."

Crystal Village Investigation
The glowing malevolance's sanctum had been invaded by foul outsiders and it could not let such an injustice stand. Its ocean like hue pulsated to a deeper shade and stayed that way. The corrupted ground beneath it began trembling as the final call was taken. The swarm of crystallized villager stood over the crater's wall seemingly drawn to it by some inexplicable means. They simply stared at it like doomed moths to an enticing blue flame and pleasantly ignored the hidden Dido. Silence dominated the scene for a fraction of a second before chaos was set forth. From right in front of the crystal, the ground opened up to a collapsing maw of dirt and out climbed a giant monstrosity,the final champion. It was a blue brute of sheer brawn and crystal armor, its forearms ended in callous bulbs, and a draconic head with a large hammer like bulge dominated the upper body. Evidently the crystal had greatly favored Boetica's brother. The 19 meter long beast had its lower torso in its hole but using its hammer like arms it smashed them against the ground sending waves of debris at the Legionnaires. But there appeared something odd on the base of its neck: an almost human like impression of a face sheathed over in dark blue mineral.