Through Storm and Fire (Game Thread)

[Not G. Ivingname]

Clow gripped the table hard, trying to quell her anger. Slave was a really taboo word for Kathins, only used in hushed tones and only certain contexts without offending someone. Although, what little the Kathin's knew about the Nameless does lean towards that conclusion, although how one could be a royal and a slave was an interesting question. In either case, the queen has a good point.

"I can agree with that. Though, if you people don't mind, it'll only take the Kolomen a week to find all our materials. Probably less though.. Although, the Kolomen have been experiencing a small... epidemic. A plague is spreading through out Vien, and it's moving towards Catalan. That's why my father, Gorris, couldn't be here. If anyone thinks they could study it, we'd be, well, appreciative I suppose."

An ambassador of Puig, filled with barely constrained tolerance of other races, viewing themselves as magically superior to everyone, is willing to admit a plague is rolling through their lands.

"Medical professionals could be sent to your island to attempt to find out , I will send word to the Congress of Torin to decide," Clow said, not wanting to commit because she did not have the authority to make such decisions, "We could use all information you currently have on the plague. However, we may have to screen all in coming trade to Torin, to avoid spreading it further."

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ambassador Howlis wished he could of demonstrated the goods, but Denstarr's location made transporting the goods to risky. The alliance was the first priority, setting a location for the embassy was the second. With both of those done, and without the goods, the next order of business was... much less pleasant.

Howls looked at Ambassador Plep, who was grabbing the map of the problem. A very rough sketch, sure. Very few were actually willing to go near it, none go in it.

Howls left back into the Council room of Citadel of the Fifteen Fangs.

"There is one more matter we must discuss today," Howlis said as he unveiled the map...

 

[IFS]

Dagrun sat back and said nothing as the Nameless queen and the Al-Andalus councilor made efforts at verbal sparring. Involving herself would accomplish little, though she had to admit it was somewhat amusing to watch.

"Although, the Kolomen have been experiencing a small... epidemic. A plague is spreading through out Vien, and it's moving towards Catalan. That's why my father, Gorris, couldn't be here. If anyone thinks they could study it, we'd be, well, appreciative I suppose."

An epidemic as well as their state of famine, the Kolomen must be suffering badly in the more cramped parts of their cities. Dagrun thought for a moment, the Niwlgeni had skilled healers but no more so than any other race, though some of the rare plants from the southern reaches of their land did help them in that regard. She thought for a moment, offering aid would be the best course, as it was always better to make friends, but it would also be difficult to transport aid to Puig.

"I could see if there is an Oathwraith who will go to Puig, they would be in no danger from a plague, and free to more easily observe it," she began "However we will need transport for them, we are somewhat lacking in ships of our own."

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Monsters in the south, a plague in the west, and shadows at their homefront. Kalia was worried by these announcements but like the other council members, this problem had to be dealt with vigilance and resolve. She wrote down more notes in her ledger with reports to bring up in their own Verai-Kai council.

"Are we all in agreement?"

"I agree. Hopefully then we will somewhat of an idea on how to deal with this oncoming tide. As for your people, Councilor Wynne, I offer my condolences to your unfortunate events. If you need anything from the Anzi then we would be happy to oblige." Kalia said. The Niwlgeni had also lent their hand to support, willing to cross boundaries to forge alliances which is what Kalia also intended to do.

 

[Terratina.]

Nulle simply shook his head. News of shadows, plagues and other things was foreboding to say the least. The Viltur leant forward with interest. The only signs of a coming age of darkness in Krummholz were a black beast prowling the Forest and gossip among the younglings that the Forest seemed a bit agitated. All things that could be dismissed with a wave of a hand. There were always beasts in the Forest and it was always agitated about something. It would be meaningless to contribute anything to the current discussion anyway. Despite his hopes of making a difference here. The same stubborness he saw in Eicheherzen was present here after all.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chetyre give a sigh as the beast fell. With the sheer amount of spears stuck in its hide, many would mistake it for some sort of giant wooden hedgehog. But this particular specimen had taken down at least four of the hunters, and only the Forest knows how many innocent lives it had taken. She inspected the belly of the beast, a great slash had split the stomach. A hand stuck out from the usual fodder of animals. Another Jennyskin. How long before they realised that this place was deadly to outsiders? She bared the scars of the Forest's fury herself. She hastely wrote a message and send a carrier pigeon away to Ember. Yet another complaint...

 

[Doc Gnosis]

Warrior Bran, Ulasson, known as 'The Giant'

"Is that so? Then I issue the same warning I do to all foreigners... I am Arvanskr Shand, captain of Sundrr's Proven Legion and overseer of our Proving. I warn you now - we do not use the blunted weapons of other contests. One of five men die in our tests, and of those that survive, only five in one hundred pass... Do you find those odds acceptable, foreigner?"

"I'll kill as many as 't takes, and wear their heads proudly." The giant boasted. His mind thought back to he weapons he brought with him: a silver greatsword against his back, a door braced into a makeshift shield, and five bronze swords for throwing daggers. 'They'll find some use.' He thought wryly.
___________________________________________________________________


Belenos

"Forgetting, too much lost. I am sworn..."

Belenos' brow furrowed at the Mistborn's words; they were distressing, but there was a strangeness. He remembered his da telling him about warriors who fought against the mist when he was a child; Oathsworn he called them who were given great power by the oaths they swear. Is this one of these Oathsworn? A smile came upon his face as the thought of adventure came to mind; surely he wouldn't be here unless it would be for some combat against the mist monsters.

"Where happened to-"

"Ah its always good to see one of the kin."

The kin jumped at those words and immediately turned around to see a well-dressed Mistborn; he thanked Brann for a life with the Niwlgeni lest he'd jump out of his skin.

"Praise Brann the mists have been a bit thin lately, or I might have missed your arrival."

"Yea... Sometimes it's hard to tell where anything is here. I am Belenos." He trailed off, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"What brings you to our fine city?"

"I've come to pay worship to Brann sir... That and well, for all my life here I've never once seen Branngraven." Belenos said, recalling one of his reasons for coming here. He turned his head back to where he last saw the Mistborn. "Also there's someone here. He's hurt."

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

They turned to her, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe because she had been the first one to speak, but she had no authority over anyone here. Lost Song nodded, smiled and gave them short answers whenever they asked her about the council's proceedings.

Eventually more council members arrived, and she could take a more passive stance during the meeting. She listened to what was said, and it bothered her. Their countries didn't seem to have been affected as badly as she feared The Cat Empire's friends in the east might have been. Where was the ambassador from Khedive Rex anyway?

"A month is a long time." She said, when the Nameless proposed that they wait. It was strange to realize that her people had been proactive for once. Long ago they had been a great empire though, now they were able to enjoy the benefits of past glory. "A few weeks ago, there were news about a previously unknown beast close to one of our mountain cities. Normally this would have been no cause for concern, but the water there became poisoned at around the same time. Ten of our greatest hunters went off to kill it. Only two returned, and while they appeared to be taken by the rhythm.* They did bring the beast back with them."

Lost Song hesitated about telling them the rest. She had acted on her own, thinking the beast had been killed. It had been declared dead after all.

"Before I continue, I must assure you that it was dead for a few days at least. I would have consulted you all, before doing it otherwise. Anyway, since my people are dancers**, I figured we would be better of seeking help from scholars from other nations."

She took one of the scrolls she had brought with her, and unrolled it carefully. It was old and had been stored in their archives. After opening it, she put it on the table for everyone to take a look at the drawing. "It was stored in our archives. The beast I arranged to bring to Ember, and which is now sealed by some of the strongest trumpeters, or illusionist if you prefer, that we have, looks like that. This drawing is believed to be from an age, which some of you refer to as the dark age."

<spoiler=Drawing>

"Furthermore, I am concerned about our friends in the east, which I have not heard anything from for too long. Has anyone else heard anything from the nation of Khedive Rex?"

Lost Song felt the need to hide, after telling them about the beast, but it was still necessary to ask if anyone knew about the allies of The Cat Empire. "Oh, and we can provide a ship for transportation to Puig." She piped up, then blushed and sunk into her chair.

*taken by the rhythm = High on drugs, or insane.
**dancers = lazy as few others.
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"The Republic of Torin has a business proposal for the fine craftsmanship of the Cat Empire...."

The two male morghulis hadn't been expecting to be approached by outsiders. They had heard of the country they mentioned before, but it wasn't up to them to strike deals with outsiders. They looked at each other, and said some phrases in a heavy accent, which contained quite a few swears. However, it would be difficult for any outsider to understand what they said, but after a short while one of the males walked away.

The one who was left sat down and leaned against a wall, then stared at the sky, like if the visitors weren't there at all.

After an hour, a female who was wearing exquisite colorful clothes, that didn't cover much, showed up. "Aye, you must be the Kathins. Damn, you've come to the wrong port, mates, but sail up the coast. I will come with you to Brighter Than Gold."

 

[Green Shoes]

Rostahn was gobsmacked by the callous carelessness of the other nations, though he maintained his composure, listening intently to Lost Song. He looked over the drawing, studying it carefully, taking into consideration possible exaggerations. The other nations could pilfer and waste their armies on unknown enemies; Paxos would not fall due to ignorance.

He rounded the table and spoke to Lost Song directly, looking up at her from his smaller stature.

"Would you mind if I traced the drawing? I would very much like to consult other academics on their opinions. Also, about the...corpse..."

He lowered his voice to a whisper. Not only did he want to exclude other nations from their conversation, but give the winged-creature a sense of exclusivity.

"While others" rolling his eyes to the arrogant Queen, "show no interest in studying the beast, I'm sure you can appreciate the value of knowing ones enemies. With your express permission, I would like to bring in an expert from Paxos to inspect it. Your call; I'll be waiting."
Turning to the rest of the council, he spoke, this time with far more humility and moderation.

"If you would have us do naught, then so be it. All I offer is Paxian knowledge, both arcane and mundane. If that is of any use to any of you, please, let me know. All I wish to do is help."

He looked directly at representatives from Niwlgeni.

"I urge you, of all nations, to consider this threat. The mist will hide the shadows, and no fire will save you."

 

[IFS]

"I've come to pay worship to Brann sir... That and well, for all my life here I've never once seen Branngraven." Belenos said, recalling one of his reasons for coming here. He turned his head back to where he last saw the Mistborn. "Also there's someone here. He's hurt."

Olav was intrigued by this, a wide grin and a curious look spreading across his face, "Do not worry about Enid, his troubles are not the sort that can be healed, but he will recover from his injuries," he said as Enid continued to march past, on his way deeper into the keep to see the steward.

"But you say you are here to worship Brann?" Olav continued, clapping his hands together "The his flames have guided you well indeed, I am Olav the High Branntunge, and it would be my pleasure to instruct one of the kin in the teachings of Brann."

He turned and gestured at the tallest tower of the keep, atop which a great eternal flame burned, "Why don't we head up there, above the mists, I find the atmosphere better for instruction up there, and please feel free to ask any questions you might have along the way," with that Olav set off at a leisurely pace towards the keep.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Furthermore, I am concerned about our friends in the east, which I have not heard anything from for too long. Has anyone else heard anything from the nation of Khedive Rex?"

Dagrun shook her head "No, we have had strangely little word from them lately, in light of this news I will be certain to have wraiths sent across the border, to see if any ill has befallen them," she said, considering what the others were saying about how long they should take "If we are meeting again in a few weeks rather than a month, then might I suggest we do so in Branngraven? In a few weeks time the Niwlgeni will be hosting a grand feast, and we would welcome representatives of other nations."

"I urge you, of all nations, to consider this threat. The mist will hide the shadows, and no fire will save you."

She turned the Paxian Councilor, who had previously been whispering something to Lost Song "I assure you whatever this threat is we will be ready for it, the mists are our burden, one which has forced us to become strong enough to bear it, and should this threat challenge us that strength will not be found lacking," she took a breath "However we are also happy to share that strength with those in need, provided they are willing to aid us in turn, this may prove a threat to us all and we should be united in facing it." Her tone as she spoke was proud, but also friendly, reassuringly so in fact.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Clow noticed the whispers of the Paxian, wondering what was being said. Whtever it was, it isn't as important as the matter at hand. "May we also have a trace of this drawing? Torin's offer to study any of the creatures you lay your hands we gave the Anzi also applies to any other nation. I can send a Kathin ship to Khedive Rex within the hour, and they should be able to get there within three days as long as the wind isn't against them."

 

[Redryhno]

Amy studied the drawing as it was passed around the table, noticing small things that some of the others might have, well, would have, missed. Seeing as none of these councilors had been allowed on Satanza, at least to her knowledge, they wouldn't know that this creature had many similarities with many of the most vicious predators in the jungle. The bony, yet still unimaginably muscled body of the Tree-Hopper. The eyes quite similar, but much fewer in number on this beast, of her personal favorite, The Spider-that-is-not-a-spider, a long name indeed, but that was the common name for it none the less. But the combination of both fur and scales troubled her, both were seen in abundance on the island, but not in conjunction with one another, in fact, it looked almost hilarious, as if this were an image pulled from the mind of a Nameless who was still in their first year of training and had been taken to the jungle to observe the wildlife.

But these were still supposedly seen in the dark with these Morghulis, a race known for, and prided upon themselves, their copious amounts of alcohol, barbiturates,spices, and other sense-depriving and "heightening" materials. Some of which were made specially by Nameless and their own people, many simply imported.

Looking up from it and passing it along, she noticed the eye-rolling of the Paxian. And judging from his whispered words, it wasn't something he wanted everyone to know. Unfortunately for him, the Nameless Queen had been taught and trained to "lead" her people, and how to learn the most she could with the smallest bit to go on. Reading lips was something that was quite easy for her, although she had spent very little time around the Paxians, as rude as they were to anyone not of their kind or anyone that thought themselves equal to Paxos, she'd not been able to pick up all of their facial tells and body language, but she got enough to know that another one of his "experts", which was a laughable concept.

So few of their specialists left the safety of their libraries until their reports were near to being due, whereas the Nameless spent an obscene amount of time in the field looking for things, and the people of the island were indeed well-versed with the wildlife of the jungle surrounding them.

"I believe that what we are dealing with is not so much a creature of the proof of this coming Dark Age, so much as possibly some magic gone awry. We have many creatures throughout our nations that share many similarities I'm sure. The Cat Empire for instance, you can't have found every single one of your species in your wilds, can you? Your people can barely set foot on the road without some kind of beast mauling them, our jungle holds a multitude of creatures we have painstakingly cataloged over generations, and yet, we still find new species every few weeks or months,"She began using her hands as she spoke, attempting to give meaning to each word as she spoke it,"I mean no disrespect when I say this, but you all seem very much inclined to jump on the first hypothesis given, and I am not sure if I should be afraid for your lack of rationale, or if I should actually believe this as well. For the moment, it appears that you all are so afraid of children's bedtime stories - I am correct in assuming that you do tell these to your young, right? - That you do not wish to think of any other possibility. However still, the People of Sanz wish well on the populace of Puig, and within the week, we should have ships laden with medicines and a handful of Nameless to distribute and practice their crafts on those unfortunate enough to have contracted this plague."

"And I will now respond to the offer of hosting our next meeting. I will travel there as soon as I am able to. However I assume that our frail councilor,"She looked straight at the Paxian,"Will need even more help traveling that distance, his kind are such a weak and frail race, and I humbly offer my assistance and the pleasure of my retinue's company during our travels, should he so wish it."

 

[Doc Gnosis]

On the Way Home

Nine times the Druid walked around the spot where the Morghulis killed it, her body covered in indigo and nothing else, and reeking of fish and sage. Her gaze was fixed on the path before her but from the corner of her eye she saw dry ashen spots where blood was left. It was hard to focus on prayer, but she brought herself back to the ritual with a reed flute a friend had given her.

The ritual to purify the kill site was complete but some part of her was not satisfied. Part of her wanted to enact the same ritual again, to render it holy but she couldn't understand her own motives in that.

The female morghulis had guided the Druid from the Jennyskin to the spot where the beast had been caught. She'd heard rumors about how it had risen from the dead. It didn't bother her, the creature was far away by now.

She sat down on a rock, and made smoke rings from her pipe float around her. "You finished soon, mate?"

They couldn't sit around in the jungle for long, and she was already getting nervous. They should have been attacked by now. The others probably didn't want her to return, or they would have sent more than two. Well, she doubted the druid would be any help if it came down to fighting one of the cats.

"Need to leave soon or get eaten. Basically."

"Yea, let's go." The Druid said, looking back at the Morghulis but her face still carried the weight of thought. Part of her was still undecided over further strengthening the blessings, but her comrade was right. Maybe I should've asked for Warriors from the Gwynedd Hall...

She walked back to the village, but every moment of so she stopped and turned her head back to the kill site. In her head she could find no reason why the blessing would fail. Then again she never had heard of a creature that could corrupt the land.

"What else did the hunters say about this thing?"

"Gibberish." She stood up and lead the way, while the smoke followed behind her. The smell was as likely to keep animals away as it was to attract the more fierce ones, but thankfully they were rare. "They were taken by the rhythm. Dunno what happened to them later."

Bedlam? The Druid turned to the Morghulis, concern lining her face. "Do you think they'll be all right?"

"I wish I'd been taken by the rhythm, lucky bastards." She grumbled and then laughed. "They won't need to inject or inhale anything to feel good anymore."

The Druid's brows knitted, and an ill image came to her that stopped her in her tracks. "I just remembered something." The words came subdued and lacking the presence of mind.

"Long ago there were kin who were afflicted with disease unlike anything we've ever seen." She paused to remember more. "They weren't just plague-bearers, they... were creatures who caused all things to go wrong. Food, magic, land, all those things became twisted by their presence." She paused again. There was very little spoken of these creatures and the time they hailed from.

"I would like to see them as soon as I can."

"Well, I suppose you could camp out here, hope for the best, mate." She said. "Though you'll die before you get to see anything. Lost Song had the dead one brought to Ember, where it supposedly came to life again. Best head there, instead of forcing women like myself into the jungle. Hell, I just wanted a nice relaxing day in the sun."

"What?... No I mean I would like to see the folk hurt by this beast." The Druid explained. "The Taliesin can handle the beasts, but I want to heal the damage the thing had done."

"Damn, wagon load of rocks." The morghulis took a long draft from her pipe. "Weren't you listening? They don't want no healing. They're better off this way."

The Druid felt her heart skip a beat. "What do you mean?" Her eyes grew wide and her jaw slackened. "Why... How-... Why are they better off???"

"They've been taken by the rhythm." She repeated, tired of doing just that, repeating herself. How hard was it to understand? "Why'd you think I smoke?"

How would such tinctures fix this? The Druid gathered her thoughts, seeing that her Morghulis comrade was starting to suffer her questions. "I'll visit them anyway." She said solemnly. "'I'll also be along tomorrow with some friends to try and remove the taint in the waters."

She sighed and groaned audibly, but they finally arrived at the edge of the mountain, which meant she didn't have to deal with the woman anymore. Without a word, she stretched her wings and took to the sky.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taliesin Teutorix IX, Gwynisson

"...The beast I arranged to bring to Ember, and which is now sealed by some of the strongest trumpeters, or illusionist if you prefer, that we have, looks like that. This drawing is believed to be from an age, which some of you refer to as the dark age."

Teutorix eyed the drawing and a pit formed in his stomache. There was fur where the beast shouldn't but the profile seemed hard to histake. They can't be coming back!

"I don't imagine this will be the last of these vile beasts." The kin spoke up, his face pale like he had seen a ghost and lips pursed into a visible scowl despite the thick beard. "With your blessing I'll see that the Jennyskin will smite these beasts before they cause any further damage."

As he spoke his piece to Lost Song he noticed the Paxian Representative speak to her; he couldn't hear anything but he knew they were talking about the beast's body. They had to be. Then came the Paxian's declaration.

"The corpse however..." His dark jade eyes turned to Rostahn before returning to Lost Song. "It needs to be sanctioned or destroyed. Place the body on a ship for safety if you want to learn about this beast, but I know this beast as a Cu. A chaos spawn that needs to be sanctioned before it can cause more harm." Teutorix tried his best to sound even and calm, but concern and fear crept into his voice. Other matters like Khedive Rex could wait.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Belenos

The kin nodded and followed Olav to the tower. Walking through Branngraven Belenos was surprised at just how many people there were throughout the streets; there were bards playing at every part of the route, vendors demonstrating and trading their goods in public, and mobs of people obscuring his sights. It was with one kiosk that Belenos remembered he was carrying a wolf, and stopped to sell it. He did notice a large group of Jennyskin, and a few of them called out to Belenos, "Kinsman, the time has come for Iceni. Don't be late!" But Belenos paid no heed; the words mean nothing to him, and all he knew in his life was the forest and what family he had. Despite him being kin to them, he had no other connection, and you can't just be with people because you're the same race as they are. No he continued following the Branntunge.

At the foot of the tower, the kin was struck by how tall it was; it was bigger than even the tallest tree he had seen in the village. Wandering thoughts came out of his mouth as he took the large structure in.

"Da had told me once about three kings chosen by Brann. The way he told it, it was like these kings were born anew with powers beyond ken..."

<spoiler=Notes>Da is another word for father; Mam meanwhile is another word for mother.

On another note, Iceni is a time of prayer and enactment, usually associated with questing.

 

[Sehnsucht Engel]

Lost Song cursed quietly, and blamed herself for not being clear enough for them to grasp the situation. "I apologize for my incomprehensive report of the creature's situation. We wouldn't withhold the corpse, if there was one. Like I said, it was dead. It's not dead now though. After arriving at the port, it came to life again, despite having a large open gash across its throat."

She gestured towards the scroll with the drawing of the creature. "Feel free to trace the drawing, those of you who want too."

The councilor from Niwlgeni suggested that they meet in his kingdom, but she saw no reason for that. Besides, she couldn't leave, so if the rest of them intended to do that she would have to send someone in her place. "Ember is neutral ground for a reason, and I will personally have to decline your invitation, but if the majority votes for it, then I shall have to find a suitable replacement to travel in my stead."

"I believe that what we are dealing with is not so much a creature of the proof of this coming Dark Age, so much as possibly some magic gone awry.(Snip) However still, the People of Sanz wish well on the populace of Puig, and within the week, we should have ships laden with medicines and a handful of Nameless to distribute and practice their crafts on those unfortunate enough to have contracted this plague."

She listened to the nameless speak, and waited until after she had insulted the paxian councilor to answer. "You are right. We do have plenty of beasts within our borders, and in the jungle particularly. However, none of them have been known to awake, after being seemingly dead for some days. I do not know if I believe in this talk about demons either, even if the dark age was real. I simply had it brought here to ask for scholars to take a look at it. Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have brought it up in the first place, it could have been handled under the table, so to speak. But, I don't think this beast is normal."

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Clow turned to Long Song.

"It came back to life?" Clow said in shock. The closest thing the Kathins have ever heard of anything even close to that was the Ursan ability to summon the power of the ancestors, "My people at have no skills in the mystical arts, but doesn't that go against the fundamentals of magic? We know it goes against all the rules of normal life."

Clow throught for a second, wondering how to stop such a creature.

"I would suggest the next time you incapacitate a creature, remove it's limbs, nail it's body to a strong surface of some sort, and nail it's limbs to other boards. Even if it does awake, it shouldn't be a threat and we should be able to study it. Any further creatures should just be burned to a crisp."

Clow turned to Kalia.

"If the shadows your people have spotted are related to this monster, I would suggest your workers take the same precautions if they managed to kill one."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Ambassador Howlis bowed his head. This result was expected.

"That is all we can ask of you. We will keep you informed of any developments..."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On a ship in the middle of the ocean, in the rest deck of a Kathin ship, Captain Jul wrote his daily report, still fighting down the headache caused by last night.

Captain's log, day 1 of the year 156 EB on patrol around Tiblan, as close to Ember as a military ship is allowed. The cloud's cleared up for last night's celebration, a nice change of pace on what has been a very dull patrol. We haven't seen any threatening fleets, no pirates of any flag, or even a smuggler trying to ship out illegal goods. I am starting to wish for a storm, just to-

The Kathin lurched forward as the ship came to a very sudden stop. Quickly abandoning the report, Jul ran up to the deck.

"Have we come aground?" Jul said as he came onto the deck.

"NO!" Yelled Sailer Lutin looking over the bow, "There is not an inlet nor a reef that any of us can see!"

Lutin went for another look. He screamed in horror, as tentacle like hand reached up and pulled the poor sailor under. Several more "hand" of the abominations rose up, grabbing the sides of the ship.

"ARMS! TO ARMS!" Jul quickly yelled, pulling out his pistol and plithin sword.

Some of the crew panicked, but others ran to the armory, throwing out spears, matchlocks, and swords. Jul fired at the nearest of the hands, only to barely do anything. The spear Helmsthin Twin stabbed into the arm made it react in obvious pain. The arm attack next to where the helmsthin stood. Obviously, these things react to touch, not sight. Still, the arms seemed intent of causing as much damage as they could, while four of them seemed to be trying to pull the ship apart.

"AiM FOR THE ONES GRABBING THE DECK!" Jul yelled to his sailors, "DON'T LET THIS BEAST BREAK THIS SHIP APART!"

Jul ran below deck.

"LOAD THE CANNONS! CHAIN SHOT IF YOU CAN!"

The crewmen were scared, but still they went to work, stuffing powder then chain linked cannon balls.

"FIRE!"

The cannons blasted out, most shots missing but some slammed into the arms of the monster. What ever this monster was, it still was some kind of squid, and squids are squishy.

The monster retreated under the sea, leaving behind a trail of black blood.

Jul came back out to the deck. The battle was short, but the even the vaguest headcount showed the toll was high. Much of the crew was wounded or dead, a lot of the rigging was torn to pieces. Jul went up to the wheel.

"Make a direct course to Tiblan, use all the sails we still can, set men to the oars if we must," Jul said grimly to the helmsthin, "I need to set up the funerals for the dead..."

 

[IFS]

"Ember is neutral ground for a reason, and I will personally have to decline your invitation, but if the majority votes for it, then I shall have to find a suitable replacement to travel in my stead."

Dagrun nodded, "I assure you every effort would be made to maintain the security of our guests, but if that is your choice then so be it, even if the next meeting it here representatives will remain welcome at the feast" the other news about the beast reanimating was far more troubling of course, but others soon began to focus on that.

"My people at have no skills in the mystical arts, but doesn't that go against the fundamentals of magic? We know it goes against all the rules of normal life."

"The Oathwraiths certainly return to life, but when an Oathbound's* body dies it is the spirit that carries on, not the flesh," Dagrun said, somewhat puzzled by this, "We are somewhat fortunate that is not the case here, but do you know if its wounds were healing upon its revival or do they remain?"

There were other questions to be asked of course, even in the mists where there might be creatures that looked as though they ought to be dead, twisted amalgams of flesh and bone, she had never heard of one restoring itself days after apparently being killed. She wondered if they might be somehow related to the undead oathwraiths, but no the beast had not revived itself from flame, if they had any relation then it was as a twisted abomination, perhaps a corruption of Hywell's gift. This detail especially demanded the attention of the Våkenatt and the Branntunges.

*Oathbound refers to a Niwlgeni who has sworn an Oath and had it accepted, but has not yet died and lost their flesh.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Da had told me once about three kings chosen by Brann. The way he told it, it was like these kings were born anew with powers beyond ken..."

Olav had taken note of how Belanos had ignored the words of his kin, it seemed the man was serious about coming to worship Brann, something which intrigued Olav even more. He briefly considered how best to answer the kin's question before speaking.

"Yes, the three kings, one of our oldest stories," he began, having decided to summarize rather than recite the teachings word for word, "You see long after the three tribes had been guided to this land, away from the war of kings, Brann sought to bless and strengthen his people and so he went to each of the kings of the tribes in turn and offered them a blessing of their choice, King Hywell asked that his blessing give him the strength to aid others in fulfilling their sworn duties for he had seen many fail in the charges they had been given, and so he was granted the gift of Oaths. The Nameless King wished to be strong and wise enough to better lead his people, and so Brann gifted him with might in both strength and vitality, for Brann knew that wisdom cannot be truly given, but rather gained through experience, so the king's new vitality would bring him wisdom as he aged. Finally he came to King Arild, the youngest of the three kings, Arild knelt before the bonfire from which Brann spoke, and asked only that his people might hear Brann's voice, so that they like him might feel the inspiration of the holy flame, Brann was impressed by the young king's humility and granted him the power to create a fire in men's hearts and upon their blades, and he became known as King Arild the Inspirational."

He paused to catch his breath, they had reached the foot of the stairs spiraling up into the tower. He sighed, then turned back to Belanos "If you wish we can rest before climbing the tower, I'm sure your journey here has been long," he paused, unsure whether or not it was right to challenge the man's conviction, but he knew he could not let him deceive himself "Before we begin, I want to be sure you are aware that while I do not think Brann will reject your worship you will never be Niwlgeni, one of his chosen," he smiled "though from what little I have seen you are very Niwlgeni in spirit."

 

[Arcanist]

Noela listened silently as the other ambassadors discussed the strange beast found in the Cat Empire's jungle. She'd heard tales of strange creatures wandering its grounds, but the monstrosity iin the sketch before her was something else entirely. She wondered if one of the traveling Mysteres would know something about...

Wait. Where was the representative from Khedive Rex, anyway?

Cocking an eyebrow, she shuffled through some of her papers to find the trade ledgers offered up by each of the city-states. She leafed through it to confirm her suspicion - the latest trade caravan due to Sundrr from Khedive Rex was late by almost two weeks. This was odd, to say the least - if there was one thing you could count on, it was Rexians being punctual when gold was on the line.

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

Corvon couldn't believe his eyes. The entire village looked as though each house had been torn from its foundations and the debris strewn about by a massive beast. Everything had been crushed or burnt to the ground - homes, shops, foundries, granaries, everything. But what unsettled him the most were the new... inhabitants.

Prowling about the grounds where beasts twice a man's size. Not all of them looked alike, but they all seemed to be made of coalesced shadows, shifting and undulating as though they where about to change form. Some appeared as nightmarish lions, with fangs the size of a man's wrist, others as bears with paws strong enough to crush solid stone. They sifted through the rubble, tossing corpses about haphazardly as they did so, sniffing and searching for survivors.

Trying to keep his voice low and even, he turned to the leader of his scouting party. "Graan, what the hell are those things?" Graan chanced a look himself from their makeshift hiding spot, drawing his bow as he did so. "I don't know, Corv. But those things will kill us too if we stay around much longer."

Crovon almost gasped in shock, turning to his commanding officer with an indignant look on his face. "Are you seriously suggesting we leave? Those monsters killed Arvren! And Shorr! We can't just leave their bodies!"

"We can, and we will. If we don't warn Sundrr..." Graan fell silent as one of the beasts prowling about jerked its head in the direction of their hiding spot. Corvon could feel his voice catch in his throat, fear starting to work is way into his limbs. Something that large... he wasn't sure he could outrun it. He wasn't sure ANYTHING could outrun it.


It let out a feral hiss and bounded towards them, fangs bared. Almost in unison, Corvon and Graan beat down the back of their hiding spot with a swift kick and started running. Corvon managed to nock an arrow as they did so, drawing back and firing at the monster before turning to flee.

But as fast as a Ronar scout could run, the monster could run faster. Corvon could hear its steps grow ever closer. Ir was only a matter of time...

Until he heard Graan stop running. Turning back for a moment, Corvon saw him as he picked up an errant spear, planting his feet in place. "Corv, keep running."

"What? I'm not leaving without-"

"THAT'S AN ORDER, SOLDIER! MOVE!"

The beast was upon him almost instantly. With a deft step back, Graan managed to plant the spear in the monster's shoulder, but with one swipe of its claws he was sent flying back into the wall of a ruined house. "GO! NOW!"

Corvon didn't look back until he crossed the border. Now he just hoped that Sundrr's army would believe him...

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Kalia grew increasingly worried with the reports from the Cat Empire regarding monsters being seen in their jungles. Kalia knew her assumptions about the coming of the Dark Age was correct but she didn't assume that it was already in the progress of blanketing the entire world. The fact that Khedive Rex's representative wasn't in session worried her even more but another opportunity rose in the process.

"If the shadows your people have spotted are related to this monster, I would suggest your workers take the same precautions if they managed to kill one."

"I will, Ambassador Clow. Thank you for your suggestion." Kalia whispered to him. Then she turned to the rest of the council. "I propose an expedition into Khedive's land then. There will be no large armies but essentially a scouting party from all of our respective nations closest to Rex. If need be, my people can do the scouting. If it is true that Khedive has been unresponsive to our messengers or convoys then I fear for them. They are our close neighbors and I doubt they would take to isolation to suddenly without proper warning. But the lack of a representative confirms that maybe there is something happening in their kingdom and I think it is in our best interest as to figure out what and I have a hunch that it relates to your monsters, Lost Song."

 

[EmperorZuma]

"I propose an expedition into Khedive's land then. There will be no large armies but essentially a scouting party from all of our respective nations closest to Rex."

Torak lifted his eyes from his little paperwork and took hold of his staff, if only for symbolic usage. "The Rexians have proved to be a problem when their country is in the midst of unrest. Not to mention the fruit of their fields are a resource many of us value. The Dominion would like to me a part of this expedition, our ships can investigate the Khedive coast."

 

[IFS]

"I propose an expedition into Khedive's land then. There will be no large armies but essentially a scouting party from all of our respective nations closest to Rex."

Dagrun nodded "I have already said that my people will send Oathwraiths to investigate, it might be best to allow them to scout the land while the Ursa scout the coast, that way even if there are monsters in the nation we do not risk lives," she said "even if an oathwraith is destroyed by one of the monsters it will be able to report on what it found once it has reformed."

She hoped that this came across as genuine an offer as it was, risking lives needlessly was something she wished to avert if possible, though she knew there would be some who might suspect or accuse her of trying to give the Niwlgeni an advantage in terms of information. A ridiculous suggestion but no doubt one that some might feel the need to make.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

"I propose an expedition into Khedive's land then. There will be no large armies but essentially a scouting party from all of our respective nations closest to Rex."

"I wonder who will break that agreement first?" Clow thought.

"The Dominion would like to me a part of this expedition, our ships can investigate the Khedive coast.

Clow had to raise an eyebrow. Ursans had never struck her as sailors.

"The nearest Kathin fleet is much closer, just East of here in Tiblan," Clow said to Torak, "We would be able to get a message to them to investigate the coast and major river systems by the end of the week, it will take far to much time to get word to your people to find out what is going on. However, the Oathwraiths do sound like they have a much greater advantage to us for learning what is happening inland."

 

[Arcanist]

Corvon was thoroughly out of breath by the time he reached Sundrr's walls. Summoning the last of his strength, he bolted to the city gates, and was relieved to see Captain Shand already there speaking to some foreigner. He bolted over to him, almost collapsing onto the ground as he approached. "Captain... I... it's..."

"Calm down, soldier. You look like you just ran the length of the valley. Take a minute to..."

"NO TIME!" Even though he knew he had outrun that monster, he could still hear its footsteps in the back of his mind. They where coming to Sundrr next, he just knew it. "I... we were sent to Khedive to see why their convoys were late. Horrible monsters have torn up their border towns, and I think they're heading this way! I barely got out alive."

Arvanskr's eyes widened visibly, even under his helmet's visor. "What?" He turned to the other men manning the gates, pointing to one of the more lightly armored guards. "You! Send a message to the Judicator. I'm taking a division of men to investigate this." The soldier saluted and ran off. Arvanskr then turned to the giant Jennyskin, his stoic demeanor returning. "As for you, foreigner. Change of plans. Follow me, and try not to die."