The Necromancer War (IC)

[Northern Davincia]

OOC

Colshar City, Lakar - Royal Parliament - Chamber of Lords
Year 214, Age of Cataclysm

What King Lidas VI was about to discuss with the 500 noblemen patiently awaiting his instruction was fear-inducing. The monarch was in a small meeting room which connected to the main chamber itself, accompanied by top generals and his trusted ally, Captain Arda. In minutes he was going to address the country and warn them of a very real and very dire threat that would bring Lakar to ruin if left unchecked. At the far end of the corridor leading out of the room was the large, intricate podium that he rarely made public mandates from. It was situated high on a set of steps that gave the speaker full view of the many rows of seats within the building. Behind the podium was a massive banner that hung from the gold-plated ceiling. It was the flag that embodied the nation, the one that carried the symbol of the sun on it without hesitation.

Colsha City was built long ago on Colsha Bay, in the far south of Lakar. It was a sunny place with large grassland fields surrounding it, and it derived its name from the rich deposits of coal below the ground. The royal palace, however, was built atop a small (yet elevated) island in the bay. An enormous wooden bridge connected this island with the rest of the city, but few were ever permitted to cross it. The parliament building sat a little ways on the eastern edge of the bay. Captain Arda became very familiar with the area during her time as a Light Raider, as she spent much of her early life as a rural peasant. She was uncomfortable in being so close to politicians who preferred arguing to action. Her free time was better spent at the Cathedral of Nhyeus, but her liege ordered her to stay for the proceedings here.

One of the generals finished the last section of his report, and the king nodded. Everyone in the meeting room stood up, walked slowly through the corridor, and stood beside Lidas VI as he readied himself on the podium. His face was that of an old man whose years of prosperity were long behind him. Now, there would only be difficult times ahead. Lakar could no longer ignore the enemy who had long plotted its destruction. He glanced at the public gallery where his loyal subjects anticipated happier news. The king shuddered to think that either they or their children would be drafted to fight in the upcoming war against Acenath. He received little solace from having remembered his speech by heart.

"Lakar is a kingdom unlike any other. The first story we learn as children is the triumph of Lidas, my forefather, who spoke with the Architect that rules over us all. It was Nhyeus who blessed this land from the very beginning, who forged heroes to his bidding in the name of all that is good. I must inform you, my loyal subjects, to whom I have dedicated every waking moment of my life, that there are dark forces who have infiltrated us. In the shadows lurk the agents of Acenath and their treacherous god, who have recently deposed their queen in a brutal civil war and installed a cruel tyrant. This madman that sits on the throne of our age-old rival has sent out evildoers to put an end to our way of life. People of Lakar, and to the people of the world, I will tell you that the Necromancers have returned from their centuries of hiding. We mistakenly assumed that they were wiped out by the great kings of old, but this was not so."

Lidas VI sighed before he continued. "Our scouts operating in Acenath have confirmed that the Necromancers have begun raising an army, an army of the undead. The number of these abominations grows daily, and we cannot delay our response. Lakar! I call upon you to fight back against the darkness before it sweeps across your beloved home. Let us be a beacon to our allies! Show courage in the days ahead, when food will be scarce and your loved ones will be fighting on distant shores. Their efforts will ultimately bring us victory, and with victory our traditions shall survive forevermore. Let your hearts move you, so that you will join me as we resist the corruption of Hyrodal! This is my declaration: that Lakar is to wage war on Acenath so that the Necromancers will not steal our very souls. There is no time for debate. Instead, I demand that parliament cooperate with my authority to conduct this war, and hopefully end it swiftly. Glory to Lakar!"

The chamber erupted with shouts, each proclaiming "Glory to Lakar!" Captain Arda was impressed by this display of patriotism. She did not expect it to last for very long, but she had more pressing matters to attend to. She would soon mobilize the Light Raiders to push into enemy territory before they got the first strike.

Accepted Characters
Esmae Vassellis - Ceystile
Aurel - Endem
Marten - Kaledoria
Bheith Luddrum - Guuj Xaat Kil
Arda of Josdon - Northern Davincia

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Bheith Luddrum

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

Breath in...

And try again, and tried he did, calling upon the magic to do what he intended for it to do. A simple spell, on paper, but one that has stumped him for more than a decade. The life force emanating from the tree still did not bow to his will, and rapidly dissipated into nothingness, until there was nothing left of the conifer but a withered husk. He sat down in exasperation, there was something that he missed, more than likely, "But what?" He asked himself as he flipped through his journal's pages, which also held everything he jotted down on magical knowledge, all already known, but that missing element still evaded him. He placed it back into his bag and rummaged afterwards.

He pulled out an ornate and battered mask of alabaster white, and from the eyes jutting upwards, red dashes of a shade similar to blood. And from the central nasal hole, a metal part. A mask that he has been hiding behind, a mask that more or less solidified his identity to the world. They would know not of Baetis, that kin-slayer from Vaxolga, but of Bheith Luddrum, a savior in black. "And I intend on keeping it that way," he spoke to himself as he placed the mask upon him and donned his black robe, doing all these calmed him, and meditating on top of that turned him into the epitome of calm, "Once again, once more." And so he would try again, but his mind began to wander.

The horror of discovering his adoptive and proper family dead at his own hand, the black rage that boiled within his blood when he discovered the culprit, the horror of those before him during his slaughter of the Drumms, the black rage those who cowered before him saw, and the melancholy that washed over him afterwards. It was an emotional cacophony, and yet he pushed through the storm and focused, he could not let his emotions get the better of him and ruin his efforts! And yet, a voice in the back of his troubled mind spoke up, "Use your emotions." He would heed it not, but the voice grew louder as the memories flew faster and faster from a mere trickle to a roaring torrent. More voices, more voices spoke up, and some of them familiar. He held out his hand towards one of the largest trees in the forest, one of his markers, and afterwards he closed his eyes. He could visualize it, the eye of the storm swirling around him, who was in the center. The storm of emotions grew and grew, until he could take it no more, and aborted the spell to quiet his thoughts.

It felt odd to him, to feel stronger physically after such mental anguish. "H-how? What, what is this?" He opened his damp eyes slowly, the wetness blurring his eyesight, but soon enough clear vision returned, and the sight of a withered stump in front of him greeted him. "That was the missing element for the spell?" He incredelously asked himself as he fell on his rear onto the forest floor and dragged himself back, "Impossible, simply impossib-" Brown dead grass on where he once stood, he still denied it, but he would try again. Pulling himself up and standing in front of another tree, he made a cut across the back of his hand. Afterwards, he cast Toxify upon the tree and extended his wounded arm towards it. "I can feel it..." he whispered to himself as something unseen began to run through his hand, "The feeling of nearly twelve years of unhindered research, finally achieving its desired results..." The tree withering, and the wound closing.

"At long last, the first step towards immortality has been achieved." He whispered to himself as he packed his bags. Soon he left the forest, and all that was left behind was three withered trees and dead grass in-between. A strange man in black robes behind a mask would be seen disappearing into the forests on the Roscael-Lakar border.

[Endem]

Aurel

A City, somewhere in the middle of Lakar, quite beautiful indeed, however, Aurel could not quite remember its name, what was the point of remembering such a trivial thing like a name of a city anyway, yes, a name of a tavern is worth remembering, a name of a beautiful girl is worth remembering, but, not a name of a city, that is exactly the reason Aurel was in the Grilled Goose tavern, where the best beer was served by the most beautiful of women in the city.

Speaking of it, Aurel was just finishing a conversation with a handsome waitress, let's listen in on the ending, "Sir, I'm still at work!" The freckled face blushed, "Oh, I don't mind waiting, I'm most sure you are just as beautiful, if not more, without your uniform on you" Aurel replied with a wink of an eye, Hilda once again blushed and wandered off while Aurel took a sip from his mug, sure, she was pretty, but the name didn't quite fit, Hilda, so rough sounding.

Then suddenly the door opened and in came the angry lady, she stood before Aurel and hurdled a lot of expletives at him "I got into trouble again, didn't I" Aurel asked himself, the girl, obviously, she didn't know about Aurel's history previously, raised the tone of her voice even more "AGAIN!?" She shouted and begun looking for a weapon of some kind, Aurel, knowing the situation all too well simply grabbed his backpack and the blessed staff, he used rather as a walking stick instead of its healing purpose, and teleported out of the tavern.

"Phew, now, where to" Aurel wondered as he got the backpack, in which were his instruments, onto his back "No, I have no idea" Aurel wondered quite blissfully to the obvious danger of the angry Maxime in the tavern, now probably more murderous, as he only teleported to the back alley behind the tavern, "Right!" Aurel snapped his fingers "What do I know levitation for, if not for this" the half-naked body ( he had pants and boots on as he never wore a shirt since he was 20, makes undressing easier ) of the faun begun to drift upwards.

He took a look down "goodbye Hilda, Anna, Else, and a couple of others" he said as he stopped going up, the faun was now hanging in the sky just a tad bit under the clouds as he looked around, "There's some city there" he said to himself, unaware of the fact it was in fact Colshar, and begun to drift towards that ( Colshar ) city, eventually taking out his lute ( when not in use the staff hangs on his backpack with a leather strap ) and stroking it's two strings playing a melodic tune, hopefully no once notices a flying faun bard once he gets to the city ( i.e to Colshar ).

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Bheith Luddrum

Passing by a border town, he was allowed to come in spite of his menacing appearance, as these people knew him well. 'A black death fighting against the Vaxolgan hordes' they called him, quite ironic as he was a Vaxolgan himself, a distant one but a Vaxolgan nonetheless. Upon entering the town, he immediately beelined for the local library, he had a spell that needed to be learned. He spotted it from afar, with the sign of 'Toggson and Family Library', and upon arriving by its doorstep, opened its door to reveal the modest cache of books within.

The ringing of the doorbell attracted the keeper- although he was a little bit too young to be a keeper, of this library to him, "What brings you here wise one?" The boy asked with a smile.

He simply stared at him from behind the mask, "Aren't you too young to be running a business such as this?" He asked the boy, who from a thorough look, appeared to be around 13 or so.

"Not to worry," he replied with a grin, "Pops told me everything I need to know so I can run the place without him, and he's currently doing a couple of jobs in a village just a mile or so south. Profits are a bit hard to come by these days." As the boy said that last sentence, he crossed his hands by his belly, subtly hinting times of hunger to Bheith.

"Not to worry child, I need book on Levitation, that is all." He told the boy as he looked about the library, it appeared to be slightly run down, but otherwise, quite polished, thanks to, no doubt the efforts of this place's keepers. Then the boy, after a moment of contemplation, responded to him.

"Of course, our section of magical books is located just at the great shelf," he told him with a grin while pointing at a corridor, "At the back of the library to be exact, you can't miss it." And after a quick 'thank you', Bheith left the boy for this 'great shelf' as the young keeper had called it, and as the young teen had told him, he didn't miss it, as it was indeed a large shelf full of various books located on the very back of the library. It had been designed in a way that its shelves wrapped around windows, allowing light to come in and giving the area an esoteric feel. He scoured it from left to right, searching each level of the shelf to find what he wanted, and after a few minutes worth of looking, he had found it, "Ah, 'a Book on Levitation'." He told himself in a pleased tone of voice as he pulled the tome out of its place and placed it on a nearby table, and afterwards, began reading it.

A few hours of reading and testing out the spell passed, and just before he called it a day, the bell once more rang, and he could hear the boy greeting whoever just entered with excitement. Nodding to himself, he closed the book and placed it back, then he went for the doorway. "Greetings, your son is a quick one," he complimented the man and his child, "Better make use of that, and this as well." He placed a couple of gold coins on the counter, and left without a word. He left the town as well for the road, a long, nearly straight stretch of dirt. "Perfect." Indeed it was perfect for what he was about to do, sitting down on the dirt, he began to prepare for his meditation, a preparation that took a few minutes. Minutes then turned into hours, and by then he heard people moving around him, knowing what he was doing.

Then he opened his eyes, his body reinvigorated. And he ran, and ran, as fast as he could, as fast as his feet would allow him to. Then he cast the levitate spell as he was about to jump, and what resulted was him being flung hard into the direction he was running towards, and crashing into a tree. It was luck that allowed him to suffer no injuries that needed Restoration, and his new Drain spell seemed to do the trick to heal whatever scratches and bruises he had. "Hmm, I think some refinement is in order."

A man donning a black robe and a white mask would be seen 'flying' and crashing about, in a southward direction towards Lakar.

[Kaledoria]

Marten

A band of 12 very well-armed warriors of Roscael crossed into Lakar. They were on a diplomatic mission but from the looks it was hard to tell. It was in the first village, they arrived at dusk looking for a place to sleep. The local tavern doubled as the city hall and inn but when the keeper saw the group he was seriously distressed. "Don't worry good man," one of the warriors greeted him, "we are just looking for some drinks and a place to sleep. We are willing to pay." The inn did not have enough space for all of them but a local farmer offered the rest some space in his barn.

Later the evening a man came through the door. He had heard of the band and went straight for they table: "Salute to Nhyeus, strangers. The Architect send you, we are in dire need of some competent mercenaries. Earlier today I had to run from my master's farm, as it was attacked by a monster, a demonic stag, that broke through the outer fences and killed everyone who could not flee in time." - "Well, we are on an important mission," one of them said and looked around. From his look, the "but" was as plain as if he had said it aloud. "...but turning our back on people in need would certainly not be honorable." another one added. Marten, of the Juthungi Clan, had something of his own to add: "And consider, that this would be a rather unlikely coincidence to happen just now, less then two weeks after the seer had his baneful vision. Maybe this has something to do with out mission." The warriors agreed to help the man first thing in the morning and ended the evening early to be well-rested for this alleged "demonic stag".

Midmorning the next day, they arrived at the farm and saw the devastation. The livestock was slaughtered and also a farmhand was found dead on the field. One of them examined the body: "He came running from that direction. He was impaled in the back, it looks like three stab wounds, ... possibly from swords! Used with little proficiency but great strength." A bit away, Fylgja, Marten's familiar manifested next to Marten. Telepathically she told him: "I cannot sense any residue of demonic auras. But be careful, nevertheless. Even if it's a smaller demon, whose presence does not linger for more then a few hours, he could still be to much to handle even for a group like yours."

Siegbert, a warrior whose skills as a hunter had already proven useful to them, when he provided fresh game for the group to eat on the 3rd and 4th day, called them from the southern end of the farm. As soon as the rest had hurried over to him he explained: "Here it exited. From the tracks, it looks like it was indeed a stag. But look at this..." He pointed at a splintered picket which had what seamed to be a patch of fur and tissue on it and sampled it between thump and index finger. " That feels - and definitely smell - as if it is dead for at least two weeks now - and has not been properly bled out and hung dry." He did not speak it out but the implication was that it was no demon but an undead creature, which eased the tension but not by much.

They followed the track and came upon another destroyed hamlet. The peasants were nowhere to be seen, probably fleet in time but the livestock was killed and the less stable surrounding buildings demolished. They did not stay as they had to hurry if they wanted to catch up with whatever did this.

In the evening, they spotted it in the distance. A black, somewhat spiked, large stag, trotted slowly due southeast. "We should lure it into the woods over there," Siegbert suggested and the group made a semicircle around it and took place in some nearby woods. As the stag came closer they noticed, it had blades bolted and tied to its antlers and the back was covered by some crude makeshift barding of rope and metal plates. They started shooting some arrows at it. The arrows did not seam to damage it in any way but sure got it's attention. It started charging at the group, who fell back deeper into the woods. With it's mighty antlers the stag ripped out a small sprig as it closed but the full grown trees were still to strong for it to take on and it stopped. The woods were light enough for the creature to walk through but it could not run or charge in here, what was exactly what the warriors of Roscael had planned. Through the trees the stag spotted Wulfhard of the Semnones in some distance and lowered it's head to attack but as it started to get some speed, Marten appeared to it's right, ducked and swung his hewing spear in a circle low above the ground, clean cutting of one leg at the ankle. It fell but almost immediately tried to get back up again. But at that moment, five warriors with spears came from all sides except for the head with it's blade-topped antlers and they rammed the spears into the torso between the crude plates of the makeshift barding. Then another three jumped in between them and swung their axes and swords at the creatures legs, breaking and cleaving them of, first at the knee then right below the hips. It was still violently struggling and the warriors at the spears could barely pin it down. Marten and another one added they two spears right into the neck of the beast and then Wulfhard stepped in front of it. With his awlpike he could stay just out of reach, aimed and thrusted the weapon directly through the skull into the brain. He twisted it once, pulled it out and the foul magic that had animated the stag vanished.

"So, that is a Zombie." someone stated the obvious, as they carried the rotting corpse to a dry patch outside the woods. None of them had ever seen a zombie but they had heard the stories. Not knowing if the cursed flesh could poison the local carrion feeders, they decided to make a bonfire over it and burn the zombie stag. The stench was awful but they had to leave anyway. At the next cottage they asked for directions to the next outpost of the Raiders of the Light, camped one night under the stars and arrived at the fortified watchtower just after noon the next day.

[Ceystile]

Esmae Vassellis
Lakar’s elven Archwizard was standing behind the king and to the left of the other gathered nobles as the elderly monarch made his speech to the gathered soldiers and generals...the kingdom had been in an absolute uproar ever since this whole necromancer thing spiraled out of control, so she was happy that they finally had a decent idea for once. Everyone had been trying to convince Lidas to make war on Acenath, but understandably he was hesitant...and to be honest, Esmae was too. War was always a very expensive and very bloody business, and a majority of the time she would vote for the kingdom to stay out of it if she could. However, the threat that Acenath posed not only to Lakar, but to the entire continent could not be left alone until it came and ran them over. The Light Raider captain Arda also seemed pleased...that was good, everyone mainly seemed to be of one mind. A nice change from the infighting that often plagued their various factions. However, she far preferred it here rather than ever return to the treacherous fae court of Mystifael.

"We can remain blind to it, but it shall not be ignoring us Sire...normally I would avoid such measures but we need to act. Lives are at stake here, the power of Acenath and the traitorous mages grows day by day. A tide is coming, it will sweep us away and the entire continent along with us soon after if we allow it to remain unchecked." was what she had said in her conversation with His Majesty the other day. It had taken her quite a long time to gain the trust of anyone in court, especially the king. They'd recognized her talent for magic, but as she was a foreigner and her brand of magic wasn't exactly popular with the majority, it doesn't particularly make one very many friends. It'd been hard-won, and damn it all if she wasn't going to hold onto it. Her red robes swished slightly as she tucked her ebony staff under her arm in order to clap somewhat awkwardly along with the advisers, silently observing like she normally did. "You sure don't talk much, do you?" was a question often directed at her.
"Well, I've learned over the years that one tends to learn more by listening and observing rather than chatting." That couldn't have been more true than at this moment.

[Kaledoria]

Marten

"We would like to speak to the man in charge," one of the Roscaelian warrior, it was Wulfhard, addressed the Guardsman of the Raiders' outpost. "It's about our mutual hate for Necromancy."

They were let through the gate but the Guardsman required them to leave their weaponry outside to enter the main building. "You must confuse us with Eastern Roscaelites, we are from the west we are not prone to random violence," one of them said but ultimately they allowed themselves to be disarmed, despite some protest.

Inside they were brought before a middle aged knight, flanked by two of his brothers at arms. In the background there were 4 more men, only one of them in armor. While they were armed, their small number explained, why they were nervous. "I'm Sir Quade Silesis, Knight in charge of this post. Welcome and excuse the tension. You have arrived at an odd time but I guess this is no coincidence. What brings you here exactly?"

The warriors looked at each other and with a few silent nods it was decided that Wulfhard would start the story. He explained how the seer from his tribe had an omen about necromancers. Up to that point, they had firmly believed, that such magic was a thing of the past and nobody was doing it anymore but the vision was too frightening. And so they decided to come to the Raiders, who would probably be the first to know, if there were in fact new necromancers or whether the seer had had a vision of the distant past. Wulfhard looked to his companions for confirmation. Marten continued: "Well, and yesterday, not far north from here we ran into a beast, that confirmed our fears," The others agreed and Siegbert described in detail: "An undead stag, quite large, probably from the border triangle between your kingdom, ours and Vaxolga. Dead for about a month, I'd guess, but I don't know, how the necromancy affected the process of decay. Blades bolted to its antlers and unusual barding gave it a threatening look but the real dangerous factor was, that its strength was significantly increased and that multiple deep stab wounds and even the amputation of its legs only slowed it down when it should have outright killed it."

Sir Quade was confused for a moment because the foreigners did not personally introduce themselves and had no clear leader but shook it off and decided to address them as a group then. "That is indeed troubling news. I'm afraid at the moment I cannot say in detail what we know at the moment but your seer was right to be worried. What I can say for sure because we definitely did not know until now is, that they are already bold enough to practice the Necromantic art here in our lands. This is scandalous."

The warriors nodded and excused themselves, stepped into a corner and discussed what to do next. "I will return to Roscael," Wulfhard said, "and I'd like you, Orwain, to come with me," he addressed one of his clan, "You head to my uncle and tell him what we found out while I will go straight to the great Prince and report to him."
"I would like to stay here," Siegbert talked next, "The stag was animated by a necromancer. We should find him and bring him to justice or better yet, catch him alive and interrogate him. The good knight Quade over there seems like he could use some more men and will probably be willing to work with us on that." Multiple other warriors agreed with the idea but Marten had a third route in mind: "I don't think that necromancer is all that important. A single zombie - even if it was a tough one - on its own? And attacking two random farms with no strategic value? This is not sound, this was not the work of an organized enemy, whether nation, order or cabal. Maybe it was a mishap that this zombie ran away from its master or maybe it was a rogue act, a young necromancer drunk on newfound power, or maybe alcohol, trying out how big of a zombie his limits are. I want to meet with the superiors of the Raiders of the Light, offer myself as a liaison to them and work together with them to find out the real scope of the thread - and hopefully do something against it.

In the end, six warriors stayed with Siegbert, most of them promising to join with Marten, once they had found the necromancer at hand, while Marten and two companions spoke to Sir Quade again: "Sir, we would like to join forces with the Order's headquarter in your capital, do you know, if there is a ship going south the river the next days?" The knight laughed: "Well, of course it is, while you were talking I told my men to get our cog ready because the news you brought are certainly interesting for them, too. You can join the crew if you want, the ship mostly brings supplies to us up here and has a bit of passenger space available when going back south."

[Northern Davincia]

The king of Lakar remembered the words spoken by his elven archwizard, and he felt those words succinctly captured the existential dread faced by the nation as a whole. He possessed a sage-like wisdom in his elder years, and at times he envied the long life that Esmae had endured so far. He wondered what might be accomplished if all great kings lived as long as elves. With regards to the war, Lidas VI sent out Captain Arda on a reconnaissance mission to Roscael, and he worried that she was much too eager to fight. Despite the threat posed by Acenath and the Necromancers, what the king did not require was reckless warmongers who caused just as much trouble as the enemy. He needed leaders with patience and good strategy. After the session in parliament, the monarch was escorted back to the royal palace by his personal guard, but he left a set of instructions for his archwizard. They were relatively simple: find the best possible defense against dark mages if they were to attack the capital. Such a scenario was unthinkable but not impossible.

---

Arda of Josdon

"Captain, I do not see the value of inspecting one of our outposts when the enemy is amassing its forces. Why not take the fight to them now?"

"You are short-sighted, lieutenant. We have neglected our border defenses for too long, and an unannounced visit will indicate whether the Light Raiders can handle any predicament without warning. We can stage no offense if we are unprepared."

"Yes, I understand. Nevertheless, Roscael has contributed greatly in our wars with Vaxolga. They would be the first to discover enemy movements into Lakar."

"The objective is to ensure the enemy cannot move into Lakar, lieutenant."

Arda herself was apprehensive of this mission. The king was testing her, no doubt, to see if she would act impulsively in a way that would be highly uncharacteristic. An order from the king was to be obeyed all the same, regardless of how she felt about it. She was to board a military ship sailing on the Wilgra river, one that carried the golden banner of the Light Raiders. It was expected that they would encounter another ship crewed by knights and exchange letters, whether they be official orders, supply requests, or letters from families. Arda anticipated it as the only significant detour on her journey. Following the rousing speech in the parliament building, the captain gave temporary authority to General Vedrolis while she was away. Arda took one final look at the Fortress of Light before mounting her steed and riding off to the port several miles east of Colsha.

A band of ten troops accompanied her on this little adventure. It was twice the size of her regular security dispatches, but Arda figured that these men would be helpful all the same. Hiryn was the name of their destination, a lavish port city where the bulk of Lakar's navy was stationed. The captain kept to the main road and moved swiftly past the smaller settlements along the way. Time was of the essence. Upon entering the main port of Hiryn, Arda was stunned to see that the ship given to her for this task was a barge. They were bringing cargo, horses, and additional men to the north. To expect the unexpected was the motto she lived by, and now that motto was being put into practice. Arda rolled her eyes before ordering her party to place everything they needed on the barge itself.

[Endem]

Aurel

Finally, was over the city, it took him a couple of hours to fly all the way, enough to compose a song actually, and after juggling a bit between having it in fae language or elven he decided elven was better, such a pretty language to describe such a pretty subject, the song itself spoke of the beauty of the world, of grandeur of life and of the charm of love, needless to say, Aurel was inspired by his journey.

After hanging in the air for a couple of seconds, or maybe it was minutes, or even hours, who has the time for counting time anyway Aurel thought, but eventually, the sunset has started, and he decided that it would be the greatest time to perform his song, but first, he couldn't just start singing while in the air, who would listen to him, the birds!?

However, he couldn't just perform to anyone, not in a tavern, he had much better songs for taverns of heroes, people like such songs, no, he needed to perform it to the nobility, eventually, he saw what was the building that looked like it was the home of a noble the most, he flew towards it, unnoticing he flew over a wooden bridge, actually, he was unaware he was flying to the king's court.

He eventually seated himself on the balcony of one of the chambers, hopefully of a pretty noble lady, seated himself on the ledge, one foot on it as well the second on the ground, he began to gently stroke the strings of the lute and soon came the sounds of it, slow and gentle, melancholical and after it came his voice, higher than usual he begun to sing in elven.

Then the sounds of his lute begun to accelerate, they were more lively, if the notes of his song could be seen they would be dancing all around the balcony, he himself got from the ledge and begun to dance to no one in particular but following the stream of his music and his voice, by now he was obviously spotted.

A minute passed filled with sounds of his lute but then, his music stopped, he had done it, sang and played his song, he was breathing heavily, but in his posture could be seen proudness, he stood before the doors to the balcony, his posture open as if he was about to greet an old friend, because now, he was waiting for his welcoming entourage, most likely composed of guards or mages or whatever but, he wanted them to come badly.

[Kaledoria]

Marten

Sailing down the Wilgra river, Marten was in awe. It had started like an average river he knew from home but as they sailed, tributaries flew into it left and right with no end. And it did not get noticeably faster, just wider and wider After a day it was so wide, Marten doubted, that he could swim across and the captain of the ship claimed, it would get even better the next day.
That evening, they met another ship of the Raiders. "We should exchange information about the current state of events. They will want to hear about your group and maybe they have news for us from the capital," the Captain told the three Warriors of Roscael. As the ships got closer together, the sails were lowered and ropes with grappling hooks and the anchor were readied. Marten did not know, that ships could just dock with each other in the middle of the river but to the sailors here it seamed like the easiest thing to do. At round about two ship length distance, the captain whistled and whispered to Marten: "Hey, look over there, that is the Lioness. Captain Arda. I've seen her two years ago, recognize the armor. Very important member of the Order and has quite the reputation. They say, she even has the ear of the King."

As they had docked, The Roscaelians climbed over to Arda's ship together with members of the Order. Once the captain had time for them, they introduced themselves, then Marten summed up their journey so far: "We are on a mission from the Leader of the Semnones, an important vassal of the prince. But after our initial worried had been confirmed, one of us went back and headed for the capital to get the Prince's support, too. Point is, we ran into a zombie stag, about a day north from the last river port upstream, you have an outpost there. Most of our group - eight in total stayed there reasoning that where there is a zombie, there must be a necromancer somewhere. The rest of us decided to search for the leaders of your order to offer our services and request your information of the Necromancers, in return. I don't have to tell you, that in Roscael, the rest in death is one of the most sacred things, so as far as I'm concerned, we on your side without any reservation."

[Northern Davincia]

Arda of Josdon

The captain stood at the bow of the ship, hands on the railing, when she spotted the vessel that hers was to rendezvous with. With her keen perception, she saw something that was rather unusual. There were several Roscaelians aboard the deck, and Arda feared that either the Raider ship was captured or these men were survivors of an attack. She ordered her own soldiers to ready themselves on top in case things went for the worse. The breeze died down, and the captain allowed her ship to be boarded in order to hear what these men had to say. As it turned out, their leader was Marten, and his clan held a high reputation even in Lakar. It was somewhat relieving that she was speaking with an ally.

"Greetings, Marten Isulfingas. On behalf of His Majesty, King Lidas VI, I wish you good fortunes," said Arda. "It is deeply troubling that the Necromancers are already operating in your land, if your report is true. My troops are ready to lend their aid in order to eliminate this threat."

"Captain?" interrupted the lieutenant. "How do we know that we aren't being led into a trap? Should we request reinforcements?"

"No. It's too late to turn back now, and we are still en route to the outpost. A Necromancer in Roscael means that our enemy is moving quickly, more than we could have guessed."

Arda approached Marten and stretched out her hand. "If you want information, you must know that Lakar has declared war on Acenath. My spies in Vaxolga anticipate an increase in bandit attacks on Roscael. This Necromancer might be the first wave in a larger invasion."

This was a bold display of trust, giving away intelligence to a foreigner. Still, this man had the right to know what was coming. When the conversation was finished, the transfer of letters between ships progressed as normal. Arda made the offer to Marten to continue the journey on her ship. It would not take long now to reach the outpost and the Light Raiders did not reject help often.

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Bheith Luddrum

He was traversing the hilly and forested riverside walking- hopping around quickly tired him, when he spotted barges on the river from behind a tree, and quickly identified them by their symbols. "Light Raiders," he thought as he slowly trailed ahead of the ships, hiding behind trees and shrubs as he did to conceal his presence, "They must've heard of the Necromancers rising, and are probably heading towards that outpost I spotted further north." He quickly went ahead of them towards a large bend in the river, and at the end of that bend, there was a small clearing just next to the river where he could sit down and meditate, he would introduce himself to them this way, disarmed and peaceful, as his looks combined with a dramatic entrance only meant trouble and distrust between them two. And so he went over to the clearing and sat down, meditating with half-lidded and unfocused eyes, and sometimes muttering loudly in his native Vaxolgan tongue. Then he saw it turning the bend and as a result, see him.

What was a dark cloaked man under a mask doing this far south in Lakar? And so he unmasked and took the hood off his head slowly, revealing his black hair and black irises. And an amused grin, of course, "Hello there!" Was all he would say in greeting to the passing ships, who were slowing down most definitely at his presence, no doubt someone would disembark and tell him to come aboard, and not as a guest.

[Kaledoria]

Marten

Marten knew some female militia-women. Not good, not like you would know a warrior, that you crossed the blade with in a tournament, but he was used to seeing women under arms. He was not, however used to one of them being in charge. But he had no doubt, that his ship's captain had not exaggerated when he had praised Arda as one of the important people in the Order, so it was out of question to reject the invitation. To his two companions he said: "I hope you don't mind sailing further south without me but we still need someone in Colshar to react to changes in the situation. Remember, you can't speak for the prince but that also gives you some liberty to give your personal aid without causing diplomatic complications." They said their goodbyes and promised to join forces soon again. He then walked to Arda: "You can command me like one of your men." Then he remembered, that military chain of command was understood to be quite a bit stricter here then he knew it from home and added: "As long as it does not go against my oath to my clan, of course."

[Ceystile]

"Very well Sire, you can count on me." Esmae said to Lidas when he tasked her with finding a magical defense for the capital in case the enemy should attack. One advantage to being a dark mage is that one knew how they thought, and knowing how an enemy thinks is essential to knowing how to guard against them and their dangers. With one last bow, she turned to retire to her chambers, well on the way to anyway, she began turning over everything she'd gathered over the past few months over in her head. I have to gather the mages...I've got a long and busy time ahead of me. They needed results, and results would be had...she'd probably rarely be leaving her chambers for the next couple of weeks at least.

Turning down the Grand Corridor, she began to hear something faint...almost like singing. Probably one of the royal bards practicing again, nothing unusual...but wait. That sound was coming from the direction of the king's chambers, and she quieted her footsteps as she walked closer. The voice was exceedingly lovely, that was true enough and it was in Elvish...for a moment it made her think of her childhood back home. But then she slowly started to realize...she didn't know who that voice belonged to. Who was this person, and why were they singing? Heading more quickly toward her chambers, the mage unlocked the door and noticed the voice got stronger. Glancing around the room, nothing seemed to be out of place...must be coming from outside. Esmae followed the direction of the voice, noticing that it grew stronger around the direction of her windows, which she quickly opened. On her balcony was something...unexpected.
She'd been prepared for a spy or an assassin...maybe even some looter or daredevil just looking for a thrill. Not a faun. Fauns weren't very common around these parts, especially not ones strumming harps and hanging out on archwizards' balconies. All possibilities ran through her mind, and she had to force herself to snap out of her surprise. He looked harmless enough, but this man could be dangerous and she had to keep an eye out. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Her voice was slow, low and serious, guard up and magic crackling just beneath her skin in case she needed to fire off a spell.

[Northern Davincia]

Arda of Josdon

"I am glad that you have decided to accompany us, Sir Marten." The captain stated flatly. She would be certain to keep an eye on the Roscaelian in order to keep the mission free of future troubles. The ships broke off from one another and were readying to follow their respective courses, but Arda heard a voice from the riverside, somewhere along the grass. She glanced over to its origin, and spotted something truly strange. There was an unknown figure sitting in the grass, watching them. Three Light Raiders unsheathed their swords, but Arda raised her arm to stop them. "State your business, stranger! This is an official command from the Light Raider Captain herself!" Her patience was being tested, and it remained unclear if this new presence was a threat. It was not impossible for this fellow to be a Necromancer.

---

"That's exactly how it went down, Simon. The whole tavern broke out into a brawl," said one castle guard to another.

"Just because the barmaid flirted with a knight?"

"Precisely. We miss all the fun stuff because we're stationed here. Since when does anything happen at the castle?"

"Wait, do you hear that?" the guard caught the sound of music in the air, and their suspicions were raised.

The two guards followed a similar path as Esmae, and they quickly noticed that an unfamiliar male voice was singing in the Elven tongue. They were not made aware of any guests today on account of the war declaration; it was assumed that no visitors were to be let in for safety reasons. They knocked on the archwizard's door so as to respect her privacy, but they entered anyways. They were stunned to see a singing Faun sitting leisurely on the balcony. It was completely unexpected, and their training kicked in. Apprehending this Faun was what they were supposed to do in this moment. "Halt, in the name of King Lidas VI! You are under arrest for trespass!"

[Endem]

Aurel

Finally, someone had entered the balcony Aurel was on "I am simply a traveling bard" he replied to the lady then added "and I was practicing the song I wrote while traveling to this city" he walked closer and then bowed before the lady, he continued talking " I have just finished and I would be honored if such a beautiful lady as you would want to listen to it"

Then a couple of guards interrupted the scene before the lady could say anything Aurel teleported closer to the guards "thanks boys, but I'll pass that opportunity, for now, I have music to play" he said before teleporting back to the lady "my offer of singing for you, pretty lady, still stands" Aurel said as he stroke one of the lute's strings

He then teleported again once again sitting on the ledge, gently smiling and having the lute in his hands, all things considered, he took the fact that guards were in the chamber very lightly, almost as he didn't notice them, he sat there preparing to play and waiting for the lady, who by the things in the chamber behind her must be a mage or at least have a knowledge of magic, to reply

[Kaledoria]

Marten

When the ruckus started, Marten got up and watched the stranger at the shore out of curiosity, missing the part where he took of the mask. He grinned as Arda responded that harsh. - But she had a point, there was definitely something off about the stranger. Marten thought about it and realized it was the fact, that his clothes and location did not match. A long cloak like his was a good choice to travel by foot as long as you stayed on the road but walking through the thickets and bushes, like he did right now, would quickly ruin it. He did not look armed but under the wide clothes anything could hide. He probably was some kind of highwayman or poacher, trying to look like an average traveler, but then, why would he just stand around and shout a greeting to a Light Raider ship if this was the case?

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Bheith Luddrum

He placed a hand on his chin, "Ah yes, my business... Hmm." he raised his hand only to put it back on his chin, then a quick nod, "I'm looking for someone to teach, I guess." And teaching someone was something he always looked forward to in the past, so that worked. He raised his hand again, "Oh, and one more thing," he continued as he stood up, revealing much of his coat, which had little to no brambles or shrubs on it, "These necromancers up north are starting things up and I rather attach myself to a party than go about this alone, there is strength in numbers after all." He then took out his greatsword and threw it away towards her, to the floor for all to see. "A gesture of trust, and a payment in trust, I would like a ride on your boat." he said to the Light Raider Captain, "Feel free to accept my offer or not, I have my ways of travel."

It was subtle, but he looked a bit brighter than usual. And all green on his coat had disappeared, all that was left was a smattering of dust.

[Northern Davincia]

Arda of Josdon

The captain's face contorted with uncertainty at the stranger's tossing of his own sword, a gesture of goodwill in most cases. Whoever this person was, they probably had something to gain from joining the expedition. Arda feared that this individual may be seeking to eliminate a competitor, or betray the Raiders at one point or another. Even so, she could not let him walk away freely. This man possessed knowledge of the Necromancers. Perhaps he even had the skills to fight one. "Come aboard!" said the captain to the man on the shore. Two lesser warriors set a plank over the barge's railing, allowing the cloaked figure to come under their custody. The ship lacked a brig - it was much too small for that - but Arda would have happily locked this man in one if it were possible. "Keep your sword ready, Sir Marten. We don't know what he is capable of."

[Kaledoria]

Marten

The ease with which the stranger flung his sword, the low trajectory and the fact that it did not visually damage the wooden deck of the ship seemed suspicious to Marten. He approached it cautiously: "Careful, this might be cursed or something." He looked around and thought it would be great if someone here could read auras. But his familiar did not manifest, Fylgja rarely manifested her spiritual form in the middle of strangers and the barge was packed full. Leaning over the sword but not sure whether to pick it up, he looked around and saw his donkey. Due to the lack of space it was bound and very restrained. But for a moment, it looked Marten right into the eyes and calmly nodded. Marten smiled briefly and mentally thanked his familiar. He knew, it was not easy and uncomfortable for Fylgja to possess an equine, even for a moment. But the calmness reassured him and he picked the sword up. "Hm, it is indeed enchanted with lightness but other then that no witchcraft, that I can tell at a glance," he announced.
"Nice thing, if it's a permanent enchantment, you could probably get a small house for that in Kjell, where I'm from," he said directed at the stranger, while he gave the sword to Arda for safekeeping. "Btw, I'm Marten," he stated what was already clear since Arda had addressed him but it was the polite way to ask the stranger to give them his name, too.

They continued upstream the river and arrived at their destination, the dock near the outpost, where Marten had departed earlier the previous day. As their ship had been spotted, a Guardsman of the Order awaited them: "Hey, wow, you were fast! We did not await you until tomorrow evening, did you ..." then he spotted Captain Arda. "Oh, it's you, Captain," he bowed and stepped closer to her, "You are not the additional Guardsmen we requested but it's still great you are here. Sir Quade decided to take just two men of ours and the whole bunch of Roscaelites to investigate the undead attack." He looked over to Marten and remembered the face so he stepped a bit closer to his Knight-captain: "I was against that, he should have taken more of us on that mission, in case those 'Warriors' turn against him, but he insisted that we cannot leave the fort any more understaffed then it already is. Anyway, a message just arrived that said they had followed the tracks back and found that the two cottages that were devastated were just the last two in a series of four. And the special thing about the first one was, that there were additional tracks of humanoids - living or dead he did not write - around the cottage. Sir Quade speculated, that this was the original target and the additional attackers were there to kill or capture anyone trying to flee the scene. And somewhere in this battle, the Necromancer just lost control of his undead attack beast and so it broke away to devastate three more farms on it's own. They are now further investigating the tracks and they have another pigeon with them for another message."

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

Bheith Luddrum

"Come aboard!" He had heard the captain of the light raiders say, and he simply nodded, his smile disappearing into a serious face. He quickly found a flat and fairly open area in which he could sit down and meditate on things, then his ears perked up to the sound of his sword being taken and the captain saying something, "Keep your sword ready, Sir Marten. We don't know what he is capable of." He simply smiled slightly at this. "Oh you sweet summer children, you know too little about me." He smugly thought to himself as he breathed in the crisp forest air wafting through the ship. Then then whoever had taken his sword, who had left for a bit, returned. "Hmm," he could hear the blade sing as it cut through air in swift experimental strikes, "It is indeed enchanted with lightness but other then that no witchcraft, that I can tell at a glance," he announced.

"Nice thing," Bheith smirked at the compliment of the blade his father, his true father, gave him, "If it's a permanent enchantment, you could probably get a small house for that in Kjell, where I'm from." Interesting, very interesting. By now Bheith had closed his eyes and was preparing to meditate when the man who grabbed and gave the blade to the captain, walked on over to his side, he simply opened one eye towards him, "By the way," he began, "I'm Marten." He simply nodded in response, "Bheith, I will tell you my surname if you earn my trust." He told Marten with a cryptic smile, then he resumed his meditation. Unfortunately for him, the river barge had reached its destination, and unfortunately, he was forced to disembark along with the others. A guardsman of the Order began explaining to Marten and the captain, "Something about a Necromancer and his uncontrolled dead beast hmm?" he thought with a small grin, "How interesting, how very, interesting..."

[Northern Davincia]

Arda of Josdon

Arda could have sworn that she felt a change in the wind when Bheith boarded their vessel. Her brow furrowed, and she took the sword from Marten reluctantly. The craftsmanship was undeniably of high quality, and the captain guessed that the blade was either stolen, or its owner was a man of high rank. The ship returned to its course down the Wilgras River, one of the major lifelines of the kingdom through which thousands relied on for survival. However, Arda saw few other ships throughout the journey. There was an abundance of smaller fishing boats hoisting their plentiful bounties in strong nets. Despite the power afforded to her office, the captain was perhaps envious of them and their simple lives. They were free of the terrible truths that one learned from a lifetime of war. For several hours Arda watched Bheith meditate, patiently waiting for him to slip up in one way or another. She rubbed her forehead as the sun wore down her steely resolve, if only slightly. The Light Raiders worked diligently in cleaning their gear, sorting supplies, or sparring. Arda was pleased by this, as she was an unrelenting commander to the men in her service.

Soon the ship docked fairly close to the outpost, and Arda saluted the officer in charge of it. "At ease, soldier." She glanced over her soldier as the rest of her troops disembarked the immobile barge. Her temper flared as she listened to the officer recount what had happened with Sir Quade and the Roscaelites. If the Necromancer were setting a trap, having men leave the fort was an ideal strategy to capture it. "Tell Sir Quade that we are assuming direct control of this investigation. I want him back here as soon as possible, and once this is done, I and the rest of my units will pursue the enemy. Under no circumstances will this first skirmish be a victory for those wretched cultists."

---

The guards were startled by the bard's teleportation abilities. It would make catching the Faun all the more difficult. They unsheathed their swords, closing in on the balcony slowly. "You can play your music in the dungeon for all we care," said the more abrasive guardsman. His companion, possessing less wit, replied thus: "Should we bring him before the king? He seems talented."

He was promptly elbowed in the sides for making such a foolish remark. "If the wizard has no business with you, you must come with us."

[Kaledoria]

Marten

The Raider at the docks seemed puzzled for a moment, unsure how to interpret the Captain's orders. He then said: "Yes, I will search their party myself. I'll take my squire with me only. They probably continued into the general direction that the last two attacks indicated, so if I take our small boat up the river to the border an then walk east instead of following them the dirt roads north, I should get some time on them. They probably know that their were survivors in the second but not in the first attack by asking around in villages so the locals will probably be able to help me find them soon. Two days, maybe just one if I'm lucky and we should be back here the day after that." It seamed against the point that Arda had made about Sir Quale taking himself and two knights away from the garrison to send another two after them to search them but how else would they be able to reliably deliver the message?

Marten approached Adra: "What is holding us here? Why don't we find them ourselves?"

[Endem]

Aurel

IT'S SHOWING POWERS OFF TIME

Aurel laughed out loud at their proposition of going to the dungeon, and teleported behind them, keeping a safe distance so that they don't wouldn't get any stupid ideas with their swords "boys, I already said I'm not coming anywhere unless I want to" he then picked something from his satchel, no, not from the outside, he picked up a ivy seed that got stuck on it, of course they could see it, but it would likely be ignored, what a seed could do after all.

"Now, to prove the point I'm not going anywhere" he blew on his hand and sent the seed flying for the guard that was abrasive, Aurel didn't like him anyway, as soon as the now magically infused seed, Aurel's magic ability helped infuse it while it was flying, touched the guards chest it quickly the developed with ivy covering him and trying to restrain him in a cocoon made of, well ivy, also it tried to get the sword out of his hand.

As the first guard would struggle with his predicament of sudden ivy growth, Aurel using his cryoinesis ability to have the temperature around the swords decline suddenly, to about the temperatures of liquid nitrogen, the swords simply froze, and Aurel used his ability to shatter them and have the pieces come to him orbiting him, "now, you guy" he pointed at the one who had the proposition with the king "what kind of King you were talking about, wait, where are we, ah right, you're probably talking about Lidas number something, hell yeah I want to play in front of the king"

[Ceystile]

Aurel

Finally, someone had entered the balcony Aurel was on "I am simply a traveling bard" he replied to the lady then added "and I was practicing the song I wrote while traveling to this city" he walked closer and then bowed before the lady, he continued talking " I have just finished and I would be honored if such a beautiful lady as you would want to listen to it"

Then a couple of guards interrupted the scene before the lady could say anything Aurel teleported closer to the guards "thanks boys, but I'll pass that opportunity, for now, I have music to play" he said before teleporting back to the lady "my offer of singing for you, pretty lady, still stands" Aurel said as he stroke one of the lute's strings

He then teleported again once again sitting on the ledge, gently smiling and having the lute in his hands, all things considered, he took the fact that guards were in the chamber very lightly, almost as he didn't notice them, he sat there preparing to play and waiting for the lady, who by the things in the chamber behind her must be a mage or at least have a knowledge of magic, to reply

"Well..." Esmae was a bit taken aback at the odd offer. This man was surrounded by royal guards and yet he seemed absolutely unperturbed, it was unsettling and quite more than a little strange. As they prepared to drag him off to the dungeons, she was left standing there with quite the confused look on her face, very uncharacteristic for the unflappable archmage. Her expression turned into even more shock when the vines suddenly emerged, the faun looking absolutely unperturbed as he offered to sing for her some other time.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” The voice came from one of the palace staff, shaking her out of her stupor and back to reality. “Right! Oh yes...I’m perfectly fine. Just a little jarred, that’s all.”