Knights of the Daystorm

[Jeremy]

Collin spent some time with Atilly and Frederick spoke with Argus. Both heard about increasing troubles in the area as if something was stirring up the already frenzied creatures. Frederick had serious suspicions about the brown/black haze over the mountains to the west while Collin tried to pry out of Atilly what it was she was researching. "Ancient magicks," was the only answer he got.

The little fishing village actually provided a very nice and very welcome respite with hot meals and warm baths and waking every morning to the crystal blue lake. But both Frederick and Collin wished to visit Galearon.

As they were talking Tylette's head snapped up and she looked around worried.

"What is it?" Frederick asked.

Tylette's answer was a foreboding shudder, "I don't know, but something is very wrong. We should go. We should go now.."

Five air walk spells later the group was being ferried along on a continuous gust of wind Zerin generated to fill his wings with the Air Key. The wind chimes played softly as they shot over the jungle and back towards the Sara Ardon. As they began to slow Zerin's draconic vision spotted movement on the deck, a quick glimpse of a red-hued face and what he assumed to be a tail popped up from below decks, then returned. Zerin growled a gravelly sound deep in his chest and told the others what he'd seen.

Collin's usually pleasant demeanor immediately acquired a fire in his eyes and malevolent expression that would have caused Khuuld to back up a step. "NOBODY messes with this ship..."

They hit the deck and Zerin took a defensive position infront of one of the doors to below decks as Frederick and Collin buffed and summoned. Collin sent two absolutely massive crocodiles into the water to cut off any unorthodox escape as they prepared to send a very painful message to the intruders. A sound like an arrow's flight reached their ears as they proceeded down the stairs each covering each other checking room by room methodically.

 

[Jeremy]

Frederick's room was ransacked and there wasn't a single intruder to be found.

So they ransacked Frederick's room again for good measure.

A thorough search revealed a book missing and yielded a single odd tuft of red hair, odd in that Frederick's hair is very black. Of course it could be a lighter bit of Collin's hair or a darker bit of Andrew's still floating around, but when one has a Seer around, nothing is hidden.

Tylette concentrated on the hair for a moment and formed a picture in her mind of a tiger-faced humanoid with glowing green eyes. The book that was missing: Andrew's mysterious tome of fighting.

Not sure whether to be frustrated or relieved that the thieves were gone by the time they arrived, the party did what it was getting used to doing.

They shrugged and moved on.

Durchek nodded approvingly.

Collin and Frederick still wanted to visit Galearon and no one else had pressing affairs that they wanted to speak about, so the Sara Ardon once more rocketed through the seas, docking soon after in the quiet harbor port south of Galearon.

As they tied off the moorings and disembarked, the sounds of a distant horn reached them ever so faintly. They shrugged and moved on.

Enjoying the, by comparison, extremely normal mode of transportation---riding on magically summoned horses, the weather was kind to them. Chillwind was losing it's grip on the land and the dark clouds above promised warm rain instead of icy sleet.

Galearon was as quiet as they remembered it. The town proper had no one walking about through it's winding wooded walkways, and it's meandering brook splashed softly on smooth stones. Strangely, there weren't any archers to be seen manning the parapet walls of the palace, nor were there even the occasional elf going about his or her business. Galearon is a quiet town without many inhabitants, but this seemed more like a ghost town.

After a few moments of calling out, tensions rose. They rode for the inn, dismounted, and ran in. Calling out for Glywen resulted in a unnervingly long silence. As he appeared, the party found they had been holding their breath. Glywen's face was hard to read, his blank eyes and courteous demeanor could be read in any number of ways.

"Glywen? Where is everybody?"

 

[Piratecat]

Tylette concentrated on the hair for a moment and formed a picture in her mind of a tiger-faced humanoid with glowing green eyes.

Is it what I think it is? Does its fingers curve backwards?

 

[Jeremy]

Rawr.

 

[Piratecat]

Ohhhh, are they in trouble. *grin*

 

[Calim]

piratecat is not the only one who is behind

 

[Calim]

Since Last we saw our intrepid knights

Fought an Army, rescued a kid, discovered how to make a lot of noise, and traveled through an underground river full of some blind guys
I will leave the writing to Jeremy

 

[Jeremy]

Glywen slowly intoned in his eternal monotone, "Many have fallen, the rest fight to spare what is left. Every husband, wife, and child who can lift a bow."

There was little sound in the room, Frederick's gloves ground over the leather-wrapped grip of his mace, Zerin growled low in his throat as Collin's eyes lit with fire, Tylette blinked back tears, and Durchek sighed with resignation.

"Where?" Collin growled.

"The same. The ogres and goblins march in ordered ranks backed by hobgoblins and bugbears."

"What of Celethiel?" Tylette offered, Collin was right on top of her and added, "and Praelesian?"

"Celethiel disappeared just before the first attack," Celethiel's form wavered and faded as his head tilted back. When his visage stabilized he regarded Collin with a terrifying lack of expression, "And Praelesian yet lives."

Collin let out the breath he realized he had been holding as Glywen finally finished the important syllables. He turned abrubtly on his heel and strode out the door followed silently by Zerin's massive form. Frederick nodded his thanks to Glywen and proceeded out with Tylette and Durchek.

Outside, Collin had already mounted his summoned horse and was looking at first to the east, then to the south. He wheeled his horse around as Frederick came out. Frederick and Collin, while different as night and day in their confidence and manner, had always grasped situations intuitively. Frederick shook his head wordlessly at Collin.

"No more. We've left this for too long," Collin argued.

"Borindra and her allies could mean the difference, and this is there home. They deserve the right to defend it. And we owe them. Big," Frederick put into words the thoughts Collin was already fighting with.

Durchek stumped by Collin and patted his leg twice before trotting off alone to the east. Collin grunted and snapped his reigns savagely galloping south across the plain of cropped grass that encircled Galearon. In a great downsweep of his wings Zerin launched into the air, followed soon after by a great rush of air as he used the Wind Key to fill his wings and send himself rocketing away to the south towards the Sara Ardon.

Frederick and Tylette vaulted into their saddles and followed with Phillip to the south. The rest of the crew began to the east to support the elves as best they could.

Durchek ahead of them paused in his trot and concentrated for a moment. Just as abruptly he started off again to the east, but before he had reached the treeline Imver, Valhallet, Lilly, and Lisara had teleported in aside him in full flight. With a touch from Lilly, Durchek too took to the sky as they sped off to the east.

Phillip pointed this out and Frederick and Tylette nodded as they galloped to the south.

To be Continued...

 

[Jeremy]

Collin took the steps four at a time as he ran below decks. The others had just gotten below when Collin vaulted into the helm he had constructed and pulled the Water Key into place brusquely. Water spiraled away in a great cascade from the ship as it formed and seemed to float in it's little bubble of protection. The thunder off to the southeast suited Collin's mood perfectly as he shot off along the coastline with a will.

He didn't bother with the charts and maps and merely relied on his memory and his reflexes to skirt the coastline west and around the southern tip before ripping around to the north towards New Galdomond. Sweat beaded on his forhead and his concentration on the rope thick magical energies surrounding them was intense.

Frederick sat in brooding silence with Phillip wondering how he was going to breach this to Borindra. Zerin stood stalwart behind the helm watching the coastline scream by at well over 200 miles per hour. Tylette scraped tears away angrily as her eyes glowed faintly with crackling silver energy.

As the ship came to a stop amid the sunken wrecks at New Galdomond's port Borindra, Vithas, Zon, Two Moons, and even Grulvani stood at the end of the docks. As Frederick came on deck and saw them he was slightly taken aback, but promptly lowered the gang plank with Phillip's help as Collin held the ship in place.

There was little conversation as expressions were still grim and Collin turned right around heading back to Galearon with visions of fire storms and acid fogs playing before his eyes.

Night had begun to fall as ten severe-looking adventurers deployed from the deck of the Sara Ardon. By land and air they set off directly to the east. Zerin scooped up Frederick and Phillip and flew off alongside Two Moons who had taken the form of an eagle.

Collin and the others began to encounter the scattered retreat of the elves soon after they entered the tree line. They were being rallied along by dark-faced members of Durchek's company and hurried back to Galearon. As the adventurer's divided, providing aid where it was needed and encouragement where they could Collin rode ahead asking repeatedly after his Praelesian.

Meanwhile Frederick, Phillp, Zerin, and Two Moons landed on the now dark field of battle. Arrow riddled corpses of elves lay in various states at the edge of the tree line accompanied by the grotesque forms of elves incased partially or totally in sheathes of ice. There forms were in cases blue and frozen in expressions of terror, or shattered in gruesome pieces. The outlines of the icy blasts were clearly visible and the elves within them were one and all dead. Frederick, Two Moons, and Phillip began searching for signs of life as Zerin unlimbered shield and sword and stood watch.

Collecting and arranging corpses as best they could Frederick and Two Moons found scant few their healing magicks could save.

Someone said they had seen her near the front lines in the north, someone else thought she was heading back with some of the other elves in the south, another thought he had seen her with bow in hand guarding over the retreat of others. Too many simply shook their heads. Collin did not allow himself to feel as he searched, he lost himself in mathmatics and geography. His horse did it's best not to break it's ankles among the underbrush of the dark forest.

Eventually he broke the tree line and saw Frederick and others seeing to the fallen.

To be Continued...

 

[Jeremy]

As Collin walked the lines of the dead he came to rest at Praelesian's body. Her face was poignant and beautiful, a measure of peace on her face that made it seem as if she merely slept. The left side of her body was incased in ice and her left arm below the elbow was missing. Collin had no words or emotion to show, on the inside a countdown had started this morning and it was ticking down swiftly. His heart boiled and raged but he didn't feel any of it, his mind was in total control. Logic and mathematics.

Part of her arm is missing. Search and find it.

He scoured the ice encased trees theorizing that if the left side of her body was frozen she was on the edge of one of the blasts that must have come from the silver dragon.

How many times had they crossed swords with the strange ogres and organized goblins? How long had it been since the silver---it had to be the same silver that had helped them so long ago---had heeded the horn trumpets of the ogres and landed in their midst? How long? Probably even longer since Taviel's urgent message. Action/Reaction. Action. Reaction.

Reaction.

Too short. Male arm. Right hand. Left forearm. Left hand. Match.

Collin moved stiff and mechanical and came back with three pieces, one complete and one in two pieces that might be the correct appendage. Frederick tried to offer words, Collin walked right past him to Two Moons, "You. I need your help."

Two Moons, who had seen so much death so close to him, Dawn Mist, Rudderly, countless townspeople, Frederick, Khuuld, some quiet, some savage and final, but so much of it... Two Moons looked with sad eyes on Collin, "I can't. She is beyond my reach."

"Not mine damn you. Just say you'll help me." His voice lacked the vehemence of his words and it came across cold and unconcerned but Two Moons nodded none the less. "Zerin. I need you as well."

The black dragonkin nodded his massive head wordlessly. Collin pulled matter from the ether and constructed it into a harness for himself and Praelesian and Two Moons.

"Collin? What are you going to do? Collin? Collin!" Frederick looked at Collin and saw dead eyes and concentration and it scared him terribly.

Zerin shrugged into the harness and spread his wings as Collin finished securing Praelesian and motioned for Two Moons to do the same. "I'll be back," Collin said curtly as he fastened himself in and nodded to Zerin. Frederick backed up the Wind Key launched Zerin's massive frame into the air and sent them hurtling off to the west.

Collin directed Zerin south to the Sara Ardon and walked briskly downstairs. Seating himself once more at the helm he grabbed hold of the Water Key and the ocean spiraled away from the ship in a torrent. By moonlight he set off to the east, rounded the southern cape and came up just southeast of Crescent Lake.

Faced with the tumultuous jungles surrounding the tiny lake town, Zerin was forced to ferry Collin and Two Moons over. They touched down on the grassy half-meadow on its stilted supports. Two Moons had heard of the Circle of Oaks before, both in legend and from Collin as he related the tale in the past.

Zerin had been silent for the entire journey and was troubled both by their location and by Collin’s apparent plan. But he held his peace and stood vigil.

Collin paced for a moment, gazed at the stars and the position of the moon, and sat down to wait out the rest of the night. Meanwhile Two Moons set to gently thawing Praelesian as best he could. When he finished, he used needle and thread to mend her body at least on the outside so that she could rest whole and complete. It took him most of the night but it kept his mind occupied. Collin had no such distractions and drilled himself mercilessly to keep himself awake, eventually exhaustion, both physical and emotional from suppressing so many intense emotions, overcame him and he slipped into unconsciousness.

The night passed to the sounds of the jungle’s endless uproar.

Zerin woke Two Moons from where he had slumped over as the sky began to lighten then went back to where he had stood vigil through the night. As the mists rose he carried Collin’s sleeping form off the platform.

The mists from the lake swept over Two Moons and Praelesian and swallowed them from sight. As the sun rose the mists burned away but Praelesian and Two Moons did not return. This troubled Zerin even more and he woke Collin remarkably gently.

Collin looked around, blinked in the sunlight and took in his surroundings. Pieces fell together and Collin’s expression became harder and colder. The walls around his emotions were doubled and redoubled as he headed swiftly to Argus’s little chapel with long purpose-filled strides.

Argus was setting up little cups upon the simple altar when Collin entered. He called out greeting but his old face saddened as he took in Collin’s fiery haired demeanor.

“The Circle of Oaks,” Collin began, “Do people ever fail to come back?”

Argus straightened and his heart reached out to the young man who tried to take on so many of the world’s problems. “The Circle of Oaks offers great wisdom, but at a dear price. Sometimes, that price is too high.”

“Has anyone ever returned after the mists have cleared? The next day? After?” Collin’s tone was flinty and cold, it held no emotion whatsoever.

“I’m very sorry, my son.”

At that moment, something inside Collin changed drastically.

To be Continued…