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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 3098747" data-attributes="member: 35788">After a time of eating and hurried fellowship among the community, the villagers began to disappear into their primitive homes.  Xando nodded to Charis from across the flames that still leapt up as if in a mad frenzied attempt to lick the stars.  Charis received the nod and mentally flashed back to her life within the village from only a few months ago.  A few moments later she turned back to Ischarus and with a wordless look had his attention.  Charis turned her head to one of the primitive wood and sod constructions and nodded.  “Xando is retiring.  I think it is probably a good idea that we follow him individually and not as a group.  Ischarus should go first and make sure that everything is ready.  Watch as the people come into the building.  We’ve been well received so far, but I can’t help but believe that there has to be a few in the village that would prefer to betray us to win the favor of my father dragon.  Even though he is a tyrant, there are those that only care about evading his wrath.  A few in this village would even do so at the expense of their own village.”Ischarus walked past Semeion on his way to Xando’s home.  As he did, Ischarus looked into the cage at the poor man who was present.  Druff was in such obvious discomfort and from this distance Ischarus could hardly believe this was the same man that had opposed him so efficiently a few months back.  As he passed by, he gave a nod of honor in the direction of Druff.Charis turned to Rhema once Ischarus had departed.  “Rhema, follow him shortly and work with the crowd that is gathering in Xando’s home.  Don’t be afraid to use your methods of attraction and your charming personality.  Xando and I can make anything seem natural.  Besides, from what I understand we simply need to make sure nothing happens until Druff arrives.”Rhema nodded without replying.  She scouted out another path to use to get to Xando’s home.  Once Ischarus was inside Rhema departed.  Semeion turned to scout out Charis, noticing that the crowd was beginning to thin.  Charis caught his eye and gave him a simple smile.  That was all that was needed to be reassured that the plan was going well.Semeion’s hand slipped out of the end of his sleeve and he raised it just outside the bars.  The frail hand of Druff reached out for a brief second and Semeion softly chanted the magical words which would unlock the desired power.  “Su-ah Skrie-tok”  Once Semeion had run through the chant a few times Druff began to feel the magic at work inside.  Semeion quickly nodded and Druff removed his hand before the dark gray magical light that was enveloping him could be seen from outside the cage.Druff’s body began to shrink inside the cage.  Slowly he was reduced to half his regular size.  A brief smile came over his face as he realized that his six foot frame was now only three feet tall.  He rose to his feet unsteadily and discovered that he was easily able to stand within the confines of the cage.  He stretched, curling his arms over his head and snapping the kinks out of his neck.Semeion looked pleased to see Druff’s burden relieved even if for so short a time.  “Come, Druff.  The spell will only work for a few minutes.  We must have you inside Xando’s home before it wears off.  Otherwise the magical energy will be detectable by sight if your dragon father is watching.”Druff nodded and ended his stretch prematurely.  “Very well, let’s go then.”  He slipped through the bars of the cage.  It was still a tight fit, but he managed to do it without much difficulty.  The cage only swayed briefly before Semeion casually reach out to hold it steady.  In a second Druff had jumped to the ground and slipped inside Semeion’s robe.  The magically shortened figure clung to Druff’s waist and his body draped itself along Semeion’s right leg.  Druff stood on the top of Semeion’s foot so that as Semeion walked Druff’s own feet could not be seen.Rhema climbed the steps to Xando’s home.  As she slipped inside, she could see that Semeion was quickly making his way for the home.  He took the most direct route possible knowing that the magic would not last long.  She slipped inside and waited for the sound of Semeion climbing the steps.  When she heard the sound of his feet laboring to move under the added weight, she cautiously opened the door and allowed Semeion to enter with his pint sized baggage.  Once inside, Druff emerged from Semeion’s cloak.Rhema and Ischarus were both surprised to see Druff come out so small.  They weren’t sure what exactly Semeion was planning, but somehow this was not what they expected.  The few villagers who had already been gathered into the home gasped with wide-eyed terror.  They clamored for an explanation in outrage.Druff raised his hands.  It was a move that he typically made to get people’s attention, but now he was small enough for it to only be seen by those immediately present.  Xando was more able to draw their attention and bring them to silence.  Yet before Druff could speak the magical dark gray energy surrounded him once more and he began to expand.  In a matter of seconds he reverted back to his original size.  He naturally hunched over due to spending so much time in the cage.The door to the outside opened once more and Charis came in.  She was quickly followed by several villagers.  Ischarus quickly allowed the villagers in and then examined them for hidden weapons.  Finding none, he admitted them into the room.  This procedure happened frequently over the next half hour.  One or two villagers would discretely come to the door and almost magically be sucked inside out of view from above.  The fire had begun to die and the sun was now completely gone from the sky.  Visibility was more and more difficult and this allowed the villagers to feel confident about gathering.Once they were all present, Xando rose to his feet and helped Druff to stand.  “Friends,” Xando began, using the voice that he had often use to speak to crowds, “You all know of the sacrifice that Druff bears for our village.  We live in freedom because he is enslaved.  But if you are courageous we can all be free – especially Druff.”Most of the villagers looked over to the Charis and her three friends with suspicion.  One villager interrupted Xando and yelled, “We tried this before, and most of us were captured or left for dead.  We have no desire to increase the brutality of our enslavement!”Druff smiled underneath his long greasy hair.  He reached up a hand to pull back the bangs so that his scarred face could be seen and his smile exposed.  “Timmon, friend.  I know you are merely looking out for what is best for your family.  But the escape before was unplanned.  It was a spur of the moment decision and in truth our escape was simply a means to provide an escape route for our Provenience.  It was the best that could be done at the time because the pieces necessary to successfully leave were not in place.  Too many of us wanted to live under the father dragon to be convinced to leave reasonably.  Too many of us, myself included, had not seen the cruelty of our father dragon for what it truly is.  Plans simply could not have been made because we would not have been willing to listen.  Rather, we would have told on those who would seek to free us in an attempt to impress our father dragon.  Now that is not the case.”Timmon looked to the floor, unwilling to counter Druff’s speech.  Another man spoke up, “How do we know we can trust them?  They left us for dead before!”Druff smiled again, and he began to rock back and forth as his legs grew tired from standing.  Xando offered an arm of support to Druff but the weary leader of his people refused politely.  “Andrus, what you say is true.  But the elders of our people knew what they were doing when they chose the Provenience.  They knew she was filled with compassion.  These four need not have come back into this land to risk their lives.  We did not even ask them too.  In fact, several of our father dragon’s warriors were sent forth with a mission to kill the Provenience and anyone that got in their way.  By all rights, they should have stayed away in their own freedom.  But the Provenience could not stay away from her people.  She has come to bring healing to our people.  Not in the way that our elders planned before, of course.  She has come to bring permanent healing to our people.  Before, these people came to disrupt our dragon father’s cycle of reproducing warriors through our Provenience.  This time they have come with the freedom of the whole village as their goal.”Druff’s voice slowed and he spoke with a slow rhythm that occasionally sounded more like a gasp of air than an actual attempt to speak.  The villagers seemed to have no trouble understanding him.  Charis, Rhema, Ischarus, and Semeion each had to strain to make out his words.  For the moment, the villagers seemed quite captured by his words and belief in the plan for freedom.[Sblock=Color-Free Speech Section]After a time of eating and hurried fellowship among the community, the villagers began to disappear into their primitive homes. Xando nodded to Charis from across the flames that still leapt up as if in a mad frenzied attempt to lick the stars. Charis received the nod and mentally flashed back to her life within the village from only a few months ago. A few moments later she turned back to Ischarus and with a wordless look had his attention. Charis turned her head to one of the primitive wood and sod constructions and nodded. “Xando is retiring. I think it is probably a good idea that we follow him individually and not as a group. Ischarus should go first and make sure that everything is ready. Watch as the people come into the building. We’ve been well received so far, but I can’t help but believe that there has to be a few in the village that would prefer to betray us to win the favor of my father dragon. Even though he is a tyrant, there are those that only care about evading his wrath. A few in this village would even do so at the expense of their own village.”Ischarus walked past Semeion on his way to Xando’s home. As he did, Ischarus looked into the cage at the poor man who was present. Druff was in such obvious discomfort and from this distance Ischarus could hardly believe this was the same man that had opposed him so efficiently a few months back. As he passed by, he gave a nod of honor in the direction of Druff.Charis turned to Rhema once Ischarus had departed. “Rhema, follow him shortly and work with the crowd that is gathering in Xando’s home. Don’t be afraid to use your methods of attraction and your charming personality. Xando and I can make anything seem natural. Besides, from what I understand we simply need to make sure nothing happens until Druff arrives.”Rhema nodded without replying. She scouted out another path to use to get to Xando’s home. Once Ischarus was inside Rhema departed. Semeion turned to scout out Charis, noticing that the crowd was beginning to thin. Charis caught his eye and gave him a simple smile. That was all that was needed to be reassured that the plan was going well.Semeion’s hand slipped out of the end of his sleeve and he raised it just outside the bars. The frail hand of Druff reached out for a brief second and Semeion softly chanted the magical words which would unlock the desired power. “Su-ah Skrie-tok” Once Semeion had run through the chant a few times Druff began to feel the magic at work inside. Semeion quickly nodded and Druff removed his hand before the dark gray magical light that was enveloping him could be seen from outside the cage.Druff’s body began to shrink inside the cage. Slowly he was reduced to half his regular size. A brief smile came over his face as he realized that his six foot frame was now only three feet tall. He rose to his feet unsteadily and discovered that he was easily able to stand within the confines of the cage. He stretched, curling his arms over his head and snapping the kinks out of his neck.Semeion looked pleased to see Druff’s burden relieved even if for so short a time. “Come, Druff. The spell will only work for a few minutes. We must have you inside Xando’s home before it wears off. Otherwise the magical energy will be detectable by sight if your dragon father is watching.”Druff nodded and ended his stretch prematurely. “Very well, let’s go then.” He slipped through the bars of the cage. It was still a tight fit, but he managed to do it without much difficulty. The cage only swayed briefly before Semeion casually reach out to hold it steady. In a second Druff had jumped to the ground and slipped inside Semeion’s robe. The magically shortened figure clung to Druff’s waist and his body draped itself along Semeion’s right leg. Druff stood on the top of Semeion’s foot so that as Semeion walked Druff’s own feet could not be seen.Rhema climbed the steps to Xando’s home. As she slipped inside, she could see that Semeion was quickly making his way for the home. He took the most direct route possible knowing that the magic would not last long. She slipped inside and waited for the sound of Semeion climbing the steps. When she heard the sound of his feet laboring to move under the added weight, she cautiously opened the door and allowed Semeion to enter with his pint sized baggage. Once inside, Druff emerged from Semeion’s cloak.Rhema and Ischarus were both surprised to see Druff come out so small. They weren’t sure what exactly Semeion was planning, but somehow this was not what they expected. The few villagers who had already been gathered into the home gasped with wide-eyed terror. They clamored for an explanation in outrage.Druff raised his hands. It was a move that he typically made to get people’s attention, but now he was small enough for it to only be seen by those immediately present. Xando was more able to draw their attention and bring them to silence. Yet before Druff could speak the magical dark gray energy surrounded him once more and he began to expand. In a matter of seconds he reverted back to his original size. He naturally hunched over due to spending so much time in the cage.The door to the outside opened once more and Charis came in. She was quickly followed by several villagers. Ischarus quickly allowed the villagers in and then examined them for hidden weapons. Finding none, he admitted them into the room. This procedure happened frequently over the next half hour. One or two villagers would discretely come to the door and almost magically be sucked inside out of view from above. The fire had begun to die and the sun was now completely gone from the sky. Visibility was more and more difficult and this allowed the villagers to feel confident about gathering.Once they were all present, Xando rose to his feet and helped Druff to stand. “Friends,” Xando began, using the voice that he had often use to speak to crowds, “You all know of the sacrifice that Druff bears for our village. We live in freedom because he is enslaved. But if you are courageous we can all be free – especially Druff.”Most of the villagers looked over to the Charis and her three friends with suspicion. One villager interrupted Xando and yelled, “We tried this before, and most of us were captured or left for dead. We have no desire to increase the brutality of our enslavement!”Druff smiled underneath his long greasy hair. He reached up a hand to pull back the bangs so that his scarred face could be seen and his smile exposed. “Timmon, friend. I know you are merely looking out for what is best for your family. But the escape before was unplanned. It was a spur of the moment decision and in truth our escape was simply a means to provide an escape route for our Provenience. It was the best that could be done at the time because the pieces necessary to successfully leave were not in place. Too many of us wanted to live under the father dragon to be convinced to leave reasonably. Too many of us, myself included, had not seen the cruelty of our father dragon for what it truly is. Plans simply could not have been made because we would not have been willing to listen. Rather, we would have told on those who would seek to free us in an attempt to impress our father dragon. Now that is not the case.”Timmon looked to the floor, unwilling to counter Druff’s speech. Another man spoke up, “How do we know we can trust them? They left us for dead before!”Druff smiled again, and he began to rock back and forth as his legs grew tired from standing. Xando offered an arm of support to Druff but the weary leader of his people refused politely. “Andrus, what you say is true. But the elders of our people knew what they were doing when they chose the Provenience. They knew she was filled with compassion. These four need not have come back into this land to risk their lives. We did not even ask them too. In fact, several of our father dragon’s warriors were sent forth with a mission to kill the Provenience and anyone that got in their way. By all rights, they should have stayed away in their own freedom. But the Provenience could not stay away from her people. She has come to bring healing to our people. Not in the way that our elders planned before, of course. She has come to bring permanent healing to our people. Before, these people came to disrupt our dragon father’s cycle of reproducing warriors through our Provenience. This time they have come with the freedom of the whole village as their goal.”Druff’s voice slowed and he spoke with a slow rhythm that occasionally sounded more like a gasp of air than an actual attempt to speak. The villagers seemed to have no trouble understanding him. Charis, Rhema, Ischarus, and Semeion each had to strain to make out his words. For the moment, the villagers seemed quite captured by his words and belief in the plan for freedom.[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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