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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jon Potter" data-source="post: 1307354" data-attributes="member: 2323">[PLAIN][Realms #252] Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes..[/PLAIN]"Ah dinna like tha wee hobbit roamin' free about tha manor," Gellir grumbled as he led Feln down a passage off the greathall. The dwarf's incessant complaints allowed the blind martial artist to follow behind him without fear of becoming lost. And despite the fact that Feln was forced to slow his normally swift gate to what seemed a crawl, it was still sufficient to keep pace with his short-legged guide. "Thieves an' sneaks, tha lot of 'em! Mark me words, orcblood, e'en now 'e be fillin' his pockets with Roderick's heirlooms.""I think you judge Vade poorly, dwarf," Feln said bluntly and he heard Gellir suck in his breath. The dwarf stopped suddenly and the martial artist nearly slammed into him, but his training allowed him to narrowly avoid the collision."Ah'd expect as much comin' from an orcblood," Gellir snarled up at Feln and the half-orc could smell beer and sausages and pipe smoke on the dwarf's breath. "But what ah dinna ken be wha' Ledare be doin' with the likes. She was raised better than tha!"Gellir harrumphed and began walking again."Dwarf, would you humor a blind traveller and spar with me?" Feln asked. It sounded more like a challenge than a request. "Do you have a practice room or fighting yard?" He heard the dwarf stop short again, but this time he had no trouble avoiding any collision."There be no valor in fightin' a blind warrior," Gellir told him. "But ye'd do well ta watch yer tongue. There be many who dinna share me sense o' honor.""Ooo! Ooo! Can I play?" Vade's voice issued from Feln's left."Where've ye been hiding, hobbit?" Gellir demanded."I've been right here all along," the halfling insisted and Feln suspected that Vade was getting some use out of the Ring of Invisibility. "I'm surprised you didn't see me!"Feln heard Gellir's sharp intake of breath and suspected another tirade to ensue. He quickly cut off the dwarf by speaking directly to Vade. "Perhaps we can devise a game of sorts, humble warrior," the martial artist suggested. "I could have something in my pocket and you could try to take it from me without my noticing. If I caught you in the act, I would have to snatch your arm or wrist or otherwise prevent you from taking it. The winner would be obvious."Vade giggled and clapped his little hands with delight. "Mama and Papa used to play this game with me. They always kept candy in their pockets. They said my brothers and I were welcome to it and could help ourselves as long as they did not know about it. Duece and Trey were good, but I was the best," Vade said with a wide grin. "I think it is because I am so huggable. I would have worked even harder if they kept fruit in their pocket...healthier you know. I usually gave my candy to Duece....he was kind of fat.""So we will play with fruit?" Feln asked, bemused at his eager sparring partner. "Is that it?""Sure!" Vade asserted and Feln felt tiny hands shoving things into the pockets of his rough clothes. "Here, Feln.... Put some fruit in your pockets... No, I did not take anything yet. The game doesn't start until you say go.""An' there'll be nae roughhousin' in yer chamber!" Gellir rumbled. "If yer ta be playin' games an' sparrin' an' such, ye'll be doin' it in the greathall where ye won't break anythin'!""As you wish," Feln replied with a nod. "Please lead the way.""Mr. Dwarf, sir, would you like to play too?" Vade asked after Gellir had taken a few steps back toward the greathall. "I bet you would be good at it, being a dwarf, who I know have such keen senses... Hee hee hee."Gellir only harrumphed in reply."Set him down on your bed, Morier," Angwyn ap-Llewellyn instructed, pointing toward a narrow sleeping pallet built into a recess in the wall. The wizard bent over one of the workbenches nearly overflowing with vials and alembics, one hand dancing among the various alchemical apperati while the other kept his beard from trailing across the workbench itself. "I think I've still got one of Malcolm's Cure-"He was interrupted as Windstryder darted in through the front door with her bow in hand and her hawk perched on her shoulder. She carried Morier's sword in her other hand and she leaned it up against the wall. "It seems we have not been followed by the creatures," she stated without preamble. "Of course they could have flown over me although Anta would have alerted me were that the case." Anta screeched as if to acknowledge this and ap-Llewellyn sputtered angrily."Who is this?!" the wizard asked Morier. "Another of your friends?""This is Windstryder," the albino elf said as he and Ixin lowered Arwold Wyverneye onto the narrow pallet. "She's a ranger, father. Like Arwold."The old man made a huffing sound with his lips. "She has the manners of a bugbear!" he said before turning back to his workbench."This is your father!?" Windstryder said with a chuckle as she took in the familiar contents of a dedicated wizard's home with a glance."My adoptive father," the albino said although it was clear that no human wizard could ever sire a full-blooded elf."Well, it seems we have more in common then our blood, Losso," she replied and Angwyn looked up at her sharply as she called Morier by the nickname she had chosen for him. She didn't notice. "Are the others here?""Others? I've no time to host parties for your friends, boy!" the wizard said, and Morier raised a calming hand."They're not here," he told Windstryder. "They most likely took the girl to Arundel Manor.""Can your father care for the Archer or shall I send for clerical aid?" the ranger asked. "If my scouting is correct we should be very near Hillville Junction where the one-handed cleric resides.""Aye. Head northeast along the path until you reach the fields," ap-Llewellyn said without looking up from his search of the workbench. "The village should be easy enough to spot from there. But we've no need for Maerwynn's aid this night."Windstryder looked questioningly at Morier and Ixin. The two nodded and she shrugged before heading for the door. "I will away to Maerwynn to report what we have found on the bug creatures and to find the girl." And saying thus, she slipped out into the night.The wizard groaned and gestured at the door. It slammed shut immediately and the old man looked up angrily at Morier. "I don't like her," he said flatly and the eldritch warrior sighed."Father, she's-" he started but ap-Llewellyn silenced him with a cautionary finger."That name she calls you. Losso." He spit the word as if it tasted bad in his mouth. "It's elvish. Did she tell you what it means?""I-" Morier began, but the wizard cut him off again."It's no more flattering that the name your parents chose for you," ap-Llewellyn said and an awkward silence settled on the room. Ixin's stomach broke the tension by growling loudly."Sorry," the sorcerer said, clutching her belly and turning an even darker shade of red than was normal for her. "I suddenly find myself very hungry. Do you happen to have anything to eat?"Vade was in his glory.His touch had never been lighter. His fingers had never felt so nimble. He snatched three of the five pieces of fruit that he had deposited on Feln without the martial artist even reacting. He surprised even himself with his skill.On the fourth try, his thumb accidentally brushed against Feln's trousers, and the martial artist's hands lashed out like twin cobras. Fortunately for Vade, the half-orc was blind, and the grapple attempt missed by a wide margin.Vade laughed good-naturedly. "That was close, Feln," the halfling lied. "Are you sure that you're blind.""Perhaps you're just clumsy, my friend," the martial artist replied. A smile played across his lips until he realized that Vade had reached in and taken the last apple while they were talking. The halfling had taken something else as well."Oops!" Vade said as if he'd reached into Feln's pocket and found a rat trap there. "F-Feln? C-Can I try for your dagger, too... if I promise not to protect it for you too long... or... or would you have to hurt the person who was protecting it for you?"Feln's hand went instinctively to the now-empty hidden pocket where he normally kept the eagle-hilted dagger. He felt sure that the halfling hadn't taken the knife on purpose; he was just playing the game and run out of fruit. He smiled. "Vade, the dagger is a prized possession of mine but I think I would trust you to hold it from time to time," he said."You trust me! Thank you!" Vade said and impulsively threw his arms around Feln's muscular torso. The half-orc returned the gesture with some reluctance. "That means so much. I won't let you down!""Please remember its importance to me," Feln said, patting the halfling's back reassuringly.Vade felt the martial artist clumsily take one of the mithril coins from his pocket but didn't say anything. Especially since Feln hadn't noticed him lifting the Hat of Disguise right off the half orc's head.Windstryder moved through the dark streets of Hillville Junction like a shadow. Her low-light vision, coupled with the light of the moon hanging low in the sky, was more than adequate to keep her from stepping on a fallen branch or kicking a loose stone. None were alerted to her presence, least of all the cleric Maerwynn or the armsman who escorted her home from Arundel Manor. The ranger spotted them easily enough and appeared in their path before either of them knew she was there.The armsman was too surprised to get off a shot, but he raised his crossbow even as Windstryder knelt down and bowed her head. "H-halt!" he stammered. "What- who goes there?""Oh, Great Holy One," Windstryder said, ignoring the man's question. "I seek to advise you we found a nest of the bug creatures and have dispatched their Queen and her lieutenants. I do not think a counter attack is imminent but you may want to post a watch to the South where the Lair is.""Who are you?" the armsman asked again. "Do you know this elf, Orderbringer?"Maerwynn looked at the ranger and nodded. "I believe I do," she said. "We met this afternoon. You're with Ledare, are you not?""We serve a common cause," Windstryder answered. "Have you seen the Lord Janissary this night?""I have," the cleric replied. "She is with her uncle in his manor. A halfling and a half-orc are with her.""Very good," Windstryder replied. "Also, I must ask of the girl Ilea. Where is she? It was my duty to find and protect her. Do you knowest where I may find her?""She too is at Arundel Manor," Maerwynn told her. "I was just there tending to their many wounds."As if she had just remembered her own sorry state of health, Windstryder stood and looked hopefully at the cleric. "If I may further inquire," she began. "My own wounds are beyond my healing ability. May I ask as the King's servant for some healing so I may continue my quest to return the Miracle One to the King?""Were it within my power, gentle lady" she replied. "But I have used the last of my healing to mend the others. The half-orc, Feln, is coming to see me tomorrow about his blindness. Join him when he does and I will offer what aid I may then.""Thank you, Holy One," the ranger replied and dropped again to one knee."But now I must take my leave," Maerwynn said, urging her chaperon to get her home. "Without sleep, I will be ill-prepared to seek divine blessings come the 'morrow. Good night to you.""And to you," Windstryder returned before vanishing once more into the night.Moonsday, the 12th of Wealsun, 1269 AEMorier was jerked out of his trance state by a woman's scream. He leapt nimbly to his feet, a spell coming almost unbidden to the forefront of his mind. Sparks seemed to dance in his red eyes and across his fingertips.It was Ixin who had screamed, and she sat bolt upright on the floor across the room. She was naked to the waist and her sheets and blankets were pooled around her hips. They were bright with blood."Are you alright?" Morier asked as he looked around for some sign of the mage's attacker. Ixin groaned in response and raised an arm to demurely shield her breasts. She turned with some effort to face away from him and Morier's jaw dropped open with a snap.The sorcerer's back was broad and plated with flexible scales. A raised set of spiny nodules traced the curve of her spine from her hairline down to below the drift of white blankets. Her entire back was wet with blood that streamed down from two rents in the flesh that covered her shoulders. Small, membranous wings hung there, dripping with fluid where they had broken though the scales.Ixin looked at Morier over her left shoulder and she smiled. "Looks like my wings finally came in," she said.</blockquote>

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