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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carnifex" data-source="post: 1353290" data-attributes="member: 227">Mel drifted down the valley, her mind too overflowed with the tower to take offense at Sebastion's macho strategy to approach without letting the girls stray into harm's way. As the ancient, snaking stone grew to fill her field of vision, a mystic case of goosebumps rushed over her blue skin. What weird customs and unworldly rituals lay still imprinted in the arcane fabric of this place? Surely such an old and learned race left its footprint on the magic weave of the world. She strained her mind to sense it, to pull gingerly on the strings of arcana she held tenuously in the mental fingers of a sorceress, and see what might happen. The temptation was to enhance her vision, but this would be counter-productive until a moment when she could stand still, close by the breathing bulk of the tower, and concentrate. She wondered if the stone would feel warm to the touch. Soon she had ridden up into the very midst of the abandoned camp, mostly oblivious to the implications the others were discussing--these were a mere formality as far as she was concerned. She wanted to explore the tower. It didn't matter to her who else had explored it or when.* * *Strangely enough, the camps seemed deserted, or they appeared to be that way. No movement, save for that from the horses, had been seen at all. The strange and alien smell of the manipulated horse assaulted Meg'anna's nostrils, causing her to manuever around to a position where the smell was not so potient. A slight rustle behind her instantly put the druidess on the defensive, her spear springing into her hand. Taking a silent step backwards, Meg called a simple defensive spell to mind. To her relief, a small red fox appeared from the undergrowth. Micah! You scared me nearly to death! What am I going to do with you, huh? Not that you could understand me anyway. We'll see if after we finish this little errand, we can do something about that. The small fox merely cocked its head at the druidess in a look of confusion before pressing forward through the thicket. Meg'anna merely smiled and stepped forward, looking for what had caused the little canine to move ahead. Probably a shiny beetle or a shrew. He might as well be a stomach with red fur. Propping her spear against the tree, Meg'anna eased the bough out of her line of sight, peering around the campsites, seeing no more than she had all morning. The horses had moved around somewhat, but that wasnt the strange thing. The druidess gasped inaudibly as she saw another group approaching the tower as well. She jockeyed around in the thicket to get a better vantage point, looking for some sort of insignia or device that might identify the newcomers. Not that she would have been able to identify one if it were present, but something would have been better than nothing. The newcomers swept down the road, moving cautiously, yet with measured force towards the campsite. They had begun poking around when Meg'anna had finally gotten a good look at them. Most were of no real circumstance to her, they had the look of rugged scholars, one or two carried weapons that introduced them as the vanguard of this group. But there was something strangely familar about a pair of the company. Meg couldn't quite place what exactly it was about the man and woman that was familar, that was until Melisande walked into view. Her skin flushed cold for a moment as the dreadful though that her former companions were behind this strange illness that faced the land, and even worse that they were somehow linked to the mysterious fate of Storm Dancer. She quickly dismissed the thought, as she watched them poke around the campsite, seemingly looking for the former occupants. They were here looking for answers too. What should I do? I could eaily reveal myself to them, though I fear that they might have betrayed our trust. Perhaps I should merely watch from afar. Or even follow them. Her thoughts were deliberate, as she tried to remind herself that not everything was as it seemed. Her former friends had brought a lot of firepower with them to this tower, and they were prehaps involved with the denizens therein. But, in the pit of her stomach, Meg yearned to be re-united with her friends, to call out to them and talk about all the time they had been apart. But she could never do that, not before and certainly not now. Taking a deep breath, Meg'anna made her decision. Taking a moment to shoulder her hidden pack as her spear, Meg pushed her way out of the thicket and approached the campsite with slow, deliberate steps. * * *When a stranger stepped into the campsite from the nearby copse Mel did actually stop wondering about the tower abruptly. The tall, dusky woman was staring straight at her. She gaped, double-gaped, and then flew off her horse laughing. "Meg'anna? Meg'anna! It's you! What a coincidence! I never dreamed we'd see you again!" Digging awkwardly for her naturalist's book and a pencil, she rushed over at once to embrace her old friend--her first friend from the outside world, who had reappeared miraculously here at the tower. She thrust out the book and pencil, changed her mind, and embraced the tall druid, then eagerly handed over a blank page. "You'll have cramps in your hands, dear, because I want you to tell me everything!" Though she was expecting some sort of welcome, Meg'anna could not be prepared for the sight of Melisande toppling off of her horse and bounding towards her, tearing through her pack the entire way. Meg'anna flushed a deep crimson and smiled at her, hoping to get an equally receptive response from the others in Mel's group. She opened her mouth to speak, and as she tried, the memory of her inability to communicate verbally hit her hard. There was little in the way of talking to in the forest by oneself, so the memory tended to fade while traveling alone. Thats why Melisande was getting a notebook out, because she remembered the druidess' handicap. Her smile faded instantly, replaced by a look of hopelessness. Eventually, she would find a way to talk to others. She just had too. The completely confident tone of Melisande's voice put Meg in a better mood. She was still depressed by her issue, but there was a way to communicate with others. She was still intelligent, after all. Nodding to the young woman, the druidess took the sheafs of parchement and in a very neat, fine script she began to detail her journey to the south, to seek advice from the druid elders."Having no need to seek out information in the city, I turned to the south, seeking out my own answers for why the illness is spreading, and what I could do to stop it. I found, however, that there was little that my meager knowledge would allow me to do. Having experimented with some rather rare reagents, I found that perhaps if certain extracts were augmented with the power of natural energies, that we may have a chance to combat this illness. Knowing that I did not have the strength to pull these energies on my own, I traveled to a conclave of my peers. Here I presented my work before them, trying to pry out anymore information or garner some sort of help. As it turned out, my works had been presented some dozens of times before the Council Members, and each time the theory had been disproved. I was congradulated for my work, however, and allowed to seek out some of the elders for more information. This also got me no where. Apparently, there is no magic that can combat the sickness, and in some circles, it is thought that any attempt to curb the spread of the illness will, in fact, curse the one attempting it. Most of all this is simply hearsay, and I don't believe it for a moment. Yet, there is something that I was not being told, I could feel it. Perhaps I am just in denial. Regardless, I found myself contemplating what my next move should be. I figured that I should probably continue my search back where I left off. Nature always has a tendacy tol right itself during these things, yet the sway of magics over nature often overturns that balancing act, stunting it for years or longer. Other times, nature simply falls into a chaotic retinue, letting the more destructive forces of nature to be allowed to run rampant. Perhaps that is what this blight is. Though I highly doubt it. Hurricanes, typhoons, and drought are all within nature's grasp, these things rage for a brief period of time, annihilating everything in their path, thereby allowing the natural course continue on with things. Blights and poisons are often the handiwork of man-kind. They find no reason to protect what provided for them, often viewing nature as an obstacle to overcome, rather than work with. I hold my suspicions that this blight is created by the hands of men. So, I traveled north, finding myself seeking out suspected niches of evil men. Those whom would have the capacity to do soemthing so evil. Through my sources, I had been told that this is such a place. And, here I am. What have you been doing this whole time? Why are you here?" Though she had written most of the truth, Meg was still unsure about whether to tell Melisande the entire reason for her being at the Tower. She had agreed to look after Storm Dancer, and to report his fate. But that was her mission, not that of her friends. And it would be better to know what she was doing here first, before giving up the complete truth.* * *Jarvis nodded at Sebastion's appraisal, looking over the tracks of the camp. "First group turns up, heads in. Second group turns up, probably ransacked the first group's camp by the look of it, and headed in themselves. It seems others have an interest in this place as well as us..." It was at this point that Meg'anna emerged from the trees and Melisande so eagerly greeted her. The suddenly tensed poses of a number of the ragtag band who did not know Meg'anna subsided again as it became clear that she was a friend and not a foe, though the druidess could not help but notice many eyes remained suspiciously trained on her.That's got to be some coincidence! Wyshira thought when she realized that she was witnessing the reunion of two old friends. Afterall, she knew how long a journey Melisande had made, just from the Truthseeker's home, to reach this tower. How odd that an earlier companion of the sorceress had made the same journey, but by a different path. She wouldn't intrude on the friends' meeting, although she made herself available to be introduced to the newcomer just in case it occurred to Mel to make introductions. Meanwhile, she looked around the two camps a bit, making sure to avoid the manipulated horse. She was especially interested in the lesser camp, the one that had apparently been destroyed by the usurping second-comers. She examined the remains of the threadbare tents, looking for some recognizable insignia or something. There didn't seem to be anything of any of value left here whatsoever. * * *Melisande read along eagerly as Meg'anna wrote, and pronounced the words aloud so that the others who might be interested could hear. "Oh, what we've been doing--it's a very long story. I'll tell you everything later on. We went on to Tarravus and met Lord Ecurius, who is a Naserian sorcerer and Truth-Seeker (and you should meet him, he's a real dreamboat), and he asked us to explore this tower for him, and we joined with some other er, adventurers--Kale, Wyshira, and Burl, there. It's all very exciting. But right now I guess we need to find out who went into this tower before we did and how long ago, and why, and all that. Do you know anything about them? Look at that horse! He's Manipped for sure." Gesturing for Meg'anna to follow, and not waiting for an answer to her own questions, Mel started across the copse toward the unnatural-looking horse. She approached him warily, knowing it was no ordinary animal and probably trained to display its mistrust for strangers with reinforced hooves and teeth. Meg'anna nodded to Melisande as she began to leave for the strange manipulated horse, but stopped in horror as she watched the sorceress approach the creature. The manipulated beast had a feint odor to it, making it nearly unbearable for the druidess to go near. Motioning for Melisande to continue on her own, Meg'anna began quickly, but carefully going through the campsite, looking for clues as to what happened to the former residents. As she moved from tent to tent, a small rust coloured blur raced from the confines of the trees to wrap itself around the druidess' legs. A small fox made it rather adamant that he was not leaving her side, at least for the moment. Oblivious to Meg'anna's disgust at the flesh-twisted horse, Melisande spoke confidently to the creature. "Hello there, boy. You're a long way from Carthagia, just like me. Want an apple?" She rummaged for one from her pack. "...Or some jerky? Are you that kind of horse?" She stood out of his range, testing his reaction with an apple in one hand and jerky in the other. He didn't look Manipped enough to talk, but then again she never worked with the horses; still, even his tack might reveal something of his origin.* * *Stood in the midst of the two contrasting sets of tents, Sebastion watched Mel's enthusiastic, ebullient display with equal parts amusement and despair. The soldier in him cast numerous looks about the site, wondering who - or what - might be attracted by the noise, but he couldn't help but be buoyed a little by her seemingly unquenchable drive to babble. Despite the return of a familiar face, however, there was still work to be done, and he quickly turned his eyes about to see what it was. "Kale, you and Jarvis take a good look through this lot, see what you can make out. Wyshira, see if you can't get Mel to quieten down a little. Why she needs to shout at a deaf woman I'll never know.""I'm going to circle the site - and the tower - make sure neither of these two groups is still out and about. I'd appreciate some company?" he finished, looking at Cazamir, with a querying expression.* * *After Melisande went off to make friends with the strange, manipulated horse, Wyshira followed Meg'anna as she began to search the campsite for clues. "I already looked through all that," Wyshira said in a helpful tone as the druidess began to open a ramshackle crate. "Although maybe you would find something in it that was meaningless to me. Meg jumped slightly as the blue-tinted woman appeared up beside her. Her face flushed pale, before a nervous smile appeared on the druidess' face."I'm Wyshira, by the way, priestess of Ishrak." Wyshira offered Meg'anna a pale blue hand, and serenely dipped her head in greeting. "Mel rather hurried through the introductions, didn't she? But that's Melisande! I'm afraid I can't relate to her interest in those unnatural creatures," she added with a slight shudder and a glance toward the manipulated horse. For once, Meg'anna felt like someone finally understood her problem. Manipulated creatures were inherently evil. They were abominations, with no place on the earth. They are creatures that should be put out of their misery. Unfortunately, Meg could only shake her head."I hope you don't mind my curiosity, but is what Melisande read true? Your sources warned you that this Tower might harbor men of evil? Do you mean currently, or in the past?" "I'm sorry... I don't have any paper or a pen......" She lapsed into awkward silence as she waited to see how Meg'anna would communicate with her. Slinging her pack over her shoulder, Meg'anna quickly produced a small slate board and a piece of phosporescent chalk. Unfortunately, I have no way of telling whether my information was meant ot be past or present. I, however.... Giving her a moment to read what Meg'anna wrote, the druidess then wiped the slate clean and continued. ...believe that whomever is here, has to be somehow aligned with the blight. I came here simply as it was thought to be a place... Wiped clean once more. ...where I could find some answers. Perhaps, we will find out soon whether or not I am correct in my assumption.Next Time: A shocking discovery for Melisande, and preparations to enter the Tower itself...</blockquote>

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