Day and Night: The Search for the Sacred Items

[kathryn]

Léoht und Niht
Day and Night
The Search for the Sacred Items
An Epic Fantasy RPG

In the lands of Léoht, where mountains grow high, rivers run deep, deserts blaze hot, and forests grow tall and wide, there was a peaceful kingdom. The ruler of Léoht was King Edvard, a centaur of royal blood. He ruled the land in peace with each of the noble families. To maintain balance, selected races were given power and prestige. They included the Sphinxes, the Elves, the Mermaids, the Kitsunes, the Dragons, the Witch people, the Satyr, and the Humans. Each ruled their individual lands, but though there was peace, in the land itself it was sometimes wild, vast, where smaller kingdoms and peoples could grow out from the control of King Edvard.

In the deep forests, fairies and trolls and nymphs and all manner of creatures lurked. Some were kind to those who were kind to them, but others were vicious, killing any in their path, usually for food.

Across the mountains is the land of Niht, there arose a dangerous and powerful evil. Axwulf, the giant king of Niht, was assassinated. The royal family was scattered, and the usurper took the throne. Before then, Niht was a land of good, like Léoht was, filled with it's own monarchy and it's own peoples; the Alchemists, the dwarves, the Raven Lords, the Berserker men, the Troll-Elves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_elf), the Jötnar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_giants) (Singular Jötunn), and the Tengu. Many of these noble families fled, and many of the peoples became twisted under the usurper's power.

Before King Axwulf died, he told the secrets of his magic to his children. They transformed themselves and fled the lands, becoming one with the peoples of Léoht until such a time that they could once again rule the lands of Niht.

Meanwhile, the dangerous evil spread. It was only known by one name to everyone there; Tenebris. No one knew much about it, only that it was a single being with the power of the gods. Tenebris was able to change the heart of a good creature, twist it, and create a monster under Tenebris' power. The noble families that remained became twisted monsters, seeking destruction and misery from all. Tenebris raised an army with this power, spreading his reach over the looming Dwarven mountains that separated Niht from Léoht. His evil touched the plains of the humans. Panic arose in the kingdom, and word quickly spread to King Edvard.

As the shadow spread, everyone seemed to gather to the capital in search of safe haven, and King Edvard was quick to sound a call for battle. And while Edvard's army was able to drive back the army of Tenebris, Edvard knew that each victory he made was going to eventually turn into failure.

A legend was told through the kingdoms that seven sacred items of power would find it's way to different holders and together, the items would be able to defeat any evil. Though the legend was just thought to be a fairy tale story told to children, there are those seeking any miracle before the Shadow consumes them all.

[kathryn]

Rules

Your character starts off in Léoht, in the capital. If your character isn't in the capital on your first post, he or she should be in the next few posts.

No god-moding, no Mary-Sues or Marty-Stus, no stealing character ideas from others. I want original, well thought out, unique characters. Challenge yourself to do something new and don't base your characters purely on what you think would be the best "main character" or the most attractive "hero". You're in a role playing thread with other people, so never treat your character like they are better than others (unless that's part of the character's personality).

If you want another character besides the one(s) you created, you must first kill off one or all of your characters first. This is also true if you want to drop out. Either "give" your characters to someone else to control, or kill them off.

You can make up to three characters. I will count twins or the like as one character if they have the same personality (basically, if multiple characters look and act the same, then I will count them as a single character).

If you make an NPC, establish whether other people can control it or not. This is vital if you have a certain plan for the NPC.

If you want your character to be from one of the noble houses listed or from a royal house, then pm me. I'll most probably let you do it.

Your character can be any race, as long as it's an established myth. Valkyrie, ice giant, shapeshifting spider, vampire, tengu, anything. If you're becoming a specific type of creature or if you choose a creature that isn't well known, please leave a short description of it under race.

On the back of the last rule is this: You cannot take any fictional race or creature if there is no clear basis in mythology, such as (but not exclusive to) orcs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orc), dragonborn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonborn), halfling/hobbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbit), illithid, drow, lich, etc.. If you want your character to be a certain race, such as orc or elf, you are to take the traditional mythology of elves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elf), or of orcs (in this case, you would search ogre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogre) or troll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll)).

If you wish to edit the original myth to suit your character, as long as it has the basics in there, then I'll accept it.

If you don't take human as your race, please leave a link to the race you are basing your character on.

Any class or job is allowed in this setting as long as it fits a fantasy setting.

No lazer guns, no weapon technology past long bows, no crossbows, no gunpowder save for that used in the simplest of explosive devices but not in projectile weaponry, etc.. You can go crazy on magic though, as long as it's pretty reasonable and as long as you don't go overboard.

Use the character skeleton below. (Descriptions are attached when necessary).

Character Sheet

Name:
Gender:
Age:
Race:
Race Description: (If you are choosing something other than human, put a short description of the race here along with a link to where you found it.)
Class/Job: (What you are trained in and what you do for a living.)
Class/Job Description: (thieves steal, mages have magic, etc. For instance, if you choose student, say what you are studying. If you are making a class up, then describe it.)(Optional)

Appearance: (Include height, weight or body type, how old your character looks, the general feel of your character, etc.)
Clothing: (clothing goes here. If you have a change of clothes or if your character changes clothes many times, put that here, but always put what clothes your character starts out in. Clothing is optional)
General Items: (money, important documents, magical items, tools of the trade (except for weapons) goes here)
Weapons: (If your character has any weapons, list them here.)

Skills: (Including fighting skills. Keep it reasonable)
Magic: (Optional. These are magical skills that are not already part of the character's race.)
Race Skills: (These are the skills you have due to your being a certain race. Mermaids can breathe under water, Kitsunes can shapeshift, etc.)

Weaknesses: (If you character has a certain weakness, such as a fear or even having a love of someone dear, then put it here.)

Personality: (Whatever you put in personality, keep to it when roleplaying)

Biography: (List what you think is important to the story here.)

A word from Kathryn

Yikes! That's a lot of words.

Um, this is a little bit of an experiment. I love mythology and I like to roleplay with everyone on here. This is my attempt to do a general fantasy setting roleplay, like those found in RPGs, but with a twist: I challenge everyone to look for a certain mythological creature to roleplay as. Don't just say "lyncanthrope", look up berserkers and read about how in the heat of battle they change into wild bulls or wolves or bears. Don't just put down "vampires". Look up the different vampiric creatures of the world. There are also multitudes of different troll and elf myths, some of them with kind, helpful creatures, others that are dark and dangerous.

As long as it's an established myth, I will accept it.

About the story.

The seven sacred items aren't just weapons, so this is different than the "magical weapons" rps that you've seen. Who gets what is random and will be revealed as the story goes on.

Also, if you have an idea for a sacred item, don't bother. I already made a short list.

About the rules

I will allow certain "races" that aren't exactly classified as a mythological creature, such as talking animals, humans made from stone (or other substances like that. Not exactly golems), cursed creatures (if you started as a human but are cursed to look like something not classified in mythology, etc.)... you get the picture I think.

Killing characters off doesn't actually mean making them die in the story. It could mean making them unplayable. They could go separate ways from the heroes, or be cursed to be a frog, or fall in love with an elven woman and run off with her. As long as they are out of the story from then on, it's the same as if they died.

Extra

If you have questions, concerns, or if you just need me to give you the basics of the story before you join, just pm me and I'll be glad to help.

EDITED EXTRAS

Concerning questions about currency;

Coins are mostly used in larger cities. There's three kinds of coins, copper, silver, and gold. Then those three are different sized. There's small, medium, and large. Five large coppers equals one silver, Five large silvers equals one gold, etc.

Bank notes are also used, but they aren't policed by the government, so some of them aren't accepted by other banks or by merchants.

Mostly, bartering is what is common.

[kathryn]

It was a quiet summer day in the forest. Birds were mindlessly chirping of the new day, and of their nests. A small clear river rushed over stones. And a small gathering of deer looked about cautiously as they made their way through a field. One doe, heavily pregnant, knelt in the tall grass and went into labor. A large buck stood by watching for any trouble.

And then there was a presence. It was calming to the deer. A man clothed in white, with large soft wings and a halo about his head came to the pregnant doe and knelt by it's side. He placed a hand on her stomach and felt the heart beat.

It was a few hours of him keeping watch of the doe before a small deer was born. Unsteady at first, it slowly got onto it's hooves and walked about. On it's rump was a white handprint. Glad for the new birth and anxious to teach it, the mom got up and the deer slowly made their way into the woods.

The angel sighed in a calm happiness and rose to his feet. The birth of new life is so beautiful. He smiled and looked up at the sun, glad in his heart.

That smile was still on his face as the spear pierced through him, the tall grass stained with his blood. The angel fell dead to the ground. The birds went silent, and for a moment it seemed that the sun shone a bit less bright.

A man walked calmly out of the woods. He was obviously a hunter, his steps were as quiet as a mouse. He reached the angel and took out the spear with a sharp tug. A squirt of blood gushed out, and a hiss of air went out of the body. The man knelt beside the body.

A small creature, what looked to be like a woman less than a foot tall, got out of the pack on the man's back, and walked over to the angel, putting a small hand on it's soft wings. She looked up at the man. He had already started harvesting the feathers from the not yet cold body.

"One less angel," was all he said to her.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++

Name: Engel Jäger (Also spelled Jaeger)
Gender: Male
Age: 120
Race: Human
Class/Job: Angel Hunter
Class/Job Description: He hunts angels and angelic creatures, harvests the feathers, bone, and weapons from their bodies, and then sells it to potential buyers. Will also hunt demons if the price is right, but mostly keeps to angels.

Appearance: 6' 2", muscular. Looks like he stopped aging at 40. Black eyes, stern face and features. His hair is long, with half white up and half black down. He has a black tattoo over his right eye, with three claw marks, both going from his jaw to his hairline. His right arm has metal plating grafted over it up to his shoulder. From the metal plating, there is a bright red scar gouged out of his skin and muscle. His skin is dark. In his hair there are white bone beads, and his ears are pierced with white clips. A single almost glowing feather dangles behind his right ear. (http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i88/Sephrenia0110/Picture2-3.png)
Clothing: He wears the traditional clothing of his people; hardened leather boots, leather gloves, soft leather pants, a large sash belt that goes below his waist like a skirt, a leather vest. He also has a large cloak of a dark green color for when he needs to hide in the forest.
General Items: Utari's cage and supplies, survival kit, a sack of angel feathers.
Weapons: A long spear made from foreign materials, a few knives, and a short bow.

Skills: Survival skills, hunting, stealth.
Magic: Has a lengthened life line due to his bond with a Jenglot.
Race Skills: None

Weaknesses: If the Jenglot is killed, then he is instantly killed.

Personality: Stern, stoic, and singleminded. He is good hearted and if he sees someone in trouble, he will go out of his way to help the person. If it was the choice between helping someone and killing an angel, he would help the person.

Biography: He belonged to a small village that was cut off from the rest of the world for the most part. Technically it was in the forests of the Elves, but the village didn't know that. One day, the Hunter was out gathering food for his people. He didn't know that there was a devil worshiper among the people, and he didn't know that the lands under their very feet were being tainted by the evil. The hunter was sometimes away for days, so the taint never touched him, but it did touch his wife and two sons. He also didn't know that the angels had been watching this devil worshiper, and he didn't know that the devil worshiper had gathered enough energy to raise a whole demon.

The angels scorched the earth with their heavenly fire just as the Hunter returned. He saw his village gone in a second. The angels had turned to leave, but the hunter threw his spear at one and caught it in the wing. It fell to earth, left there by it's fellow angels. And there, the Hunter slew his first angel.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Name: Utari
Gender: Female
Age: 423
Race: Jenglot
Race Description: A tiny doll-like vampire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenglot)
Class/Job: Magical Creature

Appearance: 8 inches tall. Up close it looks like a gorgeous woman, dark skinned, long black hair, red eyes, pursed lips. Looks very mature without looking "old". Sharp teeth and long needle like nails.
Clothing: A small revealing dress made from rags.
General Items: A quill, a small ink jar, a bit of charcoal, and paper.
Weapons: Her teeth and nails. She also keeps an actual sewing needle as a sort of sword, sewing thread included.

Skills: Drawing, writing, dancing. She is really good at hiding (being so small), and has excellent hearing.
Magic: If someone gives her blood directly from their finger, she lengthens their life force by giving them some of hers. Since she's technically immortal, the person she is bound to can possibly live forever. This doesn't make them invulnerable to any magics or weapons.
Race Skills: Immortal, but not invulnerable.

Weaknesses: If her keeper is hurt, she becomes hurt. If the keeper dies, she dries up, becoming like a doll, and is unable to move until someone drops blood on her. Needs to drink goats blood or human blood in order to live. She can be killed while bonded to her keeper.

Personality: She is quiet and is unable to speak. She usually writes messages down when she needs to talk, or she uses her hands. Otherwise, she lets her keeper talk for her.

Biography: She was once human, but learned how to become a Jenglot through meditation. Of course, she has no recollection of whether she allowed herself to do this or if she was forced. She only remembers the last hundred years when she was captured by a witch man and sold to a man. She has been with this same man since, keeping him alive with her magic.

[Rylias Shadow]

Name: Rukashiki
Gender: Female
Age: 25
Race: ?
Class/Job: Rogue/Raven Lord
Class Description: The rogue is a thief and a trickster, usually living in the dark edge of things, unseen and overlooked by most. Until things begin to go missing, of course. They are usually skilled in small weapons and up close, hand to hand combat. The Raven Lord is a magical being of a noble house in Niht, focused around the raven; speaking to them, charming them, even taking their shape. A specialized magic caster, essentially.

Appearance: Rukashiki, called Ruka for short, is tall for a female, standing at six feet. She's very muscular, although still clearly female. Her long midnight black hair is tied into a tight braid that falls down her back, her almond shaped eyes a startlingly rich sapphire blue. She's usually seen in brown leather boots, dark breeches, and navy blue tunic and a long hooded black cloak that looks rather like it has been made of raven wings, the hood (when pulled over her head) naturally falling into the shape of a sharp beak.

General Items: Anyone who gets close enough to Ruka will see a chain around her neck, pulled down tightly enough to suggest that something heavy is strung on it, but whatever it is is constantly tucked into her clothes, hidden from sight. She also carries a coin purse on her person, usually it's from someone else's pocket. Sometimes she has more than one. But she always has hers.

Weapons: Ruka doesn't carry many weapons, preferring to use her magical skills to fight instead. What she does carry is several smoke bombs as well as a blow gun with poison tipped darts.

Skills: Ruka is trained in battle axes, war mauls, spear throwing, and bastard swords/claymores.

Magic: Ruka has great skill in shape-shifting, even her clothes shift with her. She also has a few minor healing spells, mostly sealing up small wounds; healing a shattered bone is about the current extent of her healing magic.

Weaknesses: Ruka has a slight arrogance problem, along with an overly large sense of entitlement. She's also sensitive about the topic of her parents and past.

Personality: Ruka seems cold and brooding if looked upon by the eyes of a stranger, but a friend will see a twisted sense of humor, a devilish wit and a silver tongue, if not as well a recently jaded edge and a hot temper.

Bio: Not much is known about Ruka or her past before she was noticed living life as a rogue in the land of Léoht. The only thing known of her is that before turning up in Léoht, she allied herself with the Raven Lords in the land of Niht.

----------

Ruka had spent the night in a shabby inn within a small town outside the borders of the capitol city of the lands of Léoht. She had awoken without any rapping on her door as she'd expected, and dressed herself fairly quickly. She'd slept well, and there was no reason to remain where she was when she had things to do. She was looking for King Edvard.

She pulled her chain from its hiding place and hung it around her neck again, tucking it within her tunic. Once her boots had been pulled on, she tied her long cloak around her throat. She pulled her hood down to hide her face and slipped out of the room and down to the tavern main floor of the inn.

She looked around at the grimy tables, stinking patrons and sticky floor and fought back a sneer. She made her way to the bar stiffly, wondering if they served anything edible, and continued looking around the tavern, her eyes passing over the same things over and over.

Where the hell is he?

[Cahalith]

Name: Naomi
Gender: female
Age: 120
Race: ASRAI (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asrai) (Cursed)

Race Description: “the Asrai are extremely beautiful, but slightly built so fragile and fluid that one would think it possible to see right through them. They have the precious bodies of aquatic dancers. Slender, oval faces, with blue lips, eyes of water, and long hair that is very pale green and phosphorescent. Webbed feet. The Asrai shine in the darkness: it is the Asrai who causes the short of lighting flash effect that is seen from time to time passing fleetingly across dark water….” PG 88 –the complete encyclopedia of Elves Goblins and Other little Creatures Serents revealed by Pierre Dubios

Class/Job: Healer

Class/Job Description: She is the one that heals others using her knowledge of brewing potions, plant life (holistic/magical) and basic healing techniques such as dressing wounds.

Appearance: Naomi has a slim fragile looking 19 year old looking body, standing at about 4’ 9” she has water blue eyes and dark green hair, and when you look into her eyes its like staring into two pools of empty crystal clear water. Her flesh is very pale like it has been bleached by the moon.
embedded into her flesh on her sternum is a mark, that was placed on her like a brand by her captures. It makes her nearly mortal. The mark cannot be cut out of her.

Clothing: She is adorned with a loose fitted toga-esk robe that looks to been storm beaten. On her feet she has no shoes, and a belt at her hips. The mark of her curse is hidden by her clothing.

General Items: a few pouches with herbs from her home, a needle and thread,

Weapons: a small silver dagger

Skills: can heal, knows plants medical qualities, Knows poisons plants, Brew potions.

Magic: Can close none magical wounds with a light kiss on the injury spot.

Race Skills: Breath underwater , a frosty touch that burns, ageless, can turn into water.

Weaknesses: is cursed, she cannot breathe underwater and use her frosty touch ability. She appears to be a mortal girl with green hair and strange eyes. Has little skills despite her age outside of healing.

Personality: Naomi is like her people timid and shy, until she warms up to you. She doesn’t trust easily (Specially men) having been cursed by mortal men. Once she warms up your dearest and most trusted friend. because she has never found any one worth giving a care about she comes across as cold and heartless.

Biography: Naomi was the healer to her people in a small community of Asrai for most of her life, she was not blessed with the gift of prophecy like others but she made due with what she had. She took pride in her work and eventually found people from other waters coming seeking healing from her.
Naomi was under so much stress to heal so many people that she was careless and was captured by not by the means that she was accustom to where they try and wrap one in waterweed, she would have just turned into water and escaped before they could hold her. But they used a magical spell that turned her nearly mortal diving under water with out realizing this she swam until she fell unconscious and awoke captured. Since then she has been traveling to try and remove the curse.


______


Naomi awoke gasping for air as she coughed water escaped her lungs she brought a slender hand to her chest and felt her body wrapped in a sheet she heard a woman's voice it was old.

"good thing you made it there beauty."

Naomi was scared what was going on? what was this constricting fabric on her? She pulled at her clothing and let out sound of panic.

"Calm down there beauty its okay granny is going to take care of you." the old woman said as she pulled out a bowl and put some stew in the cut. "Thrashing about like that is just going to hurt you."

Naomi looked at the woman puzzled as she was handed the strange liquid and a spoon.

"Now ones you get your strength up you got to go." She said sadly. "not that i mind taking care of you."

Naomi looked more quizzing at the strange wrinkled woman. "who, what, what are you?"

The woman blinked a few times surprised by this question "Why I am just an old woman, don't you have granny's in your village?"

Naomi shook her head no, she was confused all she could remember was the searing pain in her chest as
she drown? how strange, and was that? She realized she was in daylight and it was not burning her, confused she looked at the woman and frowned some more "What happened"

the woman shook her head and reached over unlocking the mettle shackles that held her and put the key to her lips and said "shh"

Naomi nodded "thank you" whispering and began to creep when she opened the door she was surprised to see a city full of people, human people. Where was she?

[kathryn]

Jaeger walked through the city, which smelled dirty and crowded. Overcrowded due to the war. He looked up at the tall castle, which seemed to outshine and escape the threat of suffocation in the lower parts.

The hunter turned down a corner and went through an unmarked door. The satyr at the counter looked up at the Hunter and grinned. "So you caught another, eh? Bring it here, let's see the quality of them."

The hunter went to the counter and put down his pack. From the mess of stuff inside, he pulled out a sack and plopped it on the counter. He also pulled out a small cage and opened it. A tiny head popped out and looked around.

"Hello Utari!" the satyr said with a grin and then went to work. Utari smiled back and watched the satyr work.

The satyr pulled out the contents of the bag. Bone, cloth, metal beads, but he put these aside for others. What he was after was the feathers. "Looks like you got a cupid. Silly little things, could get them a dime a dozen. Get me an archangel and I could pay you more than this," he said, pulling out a few notes.

The hunter took the paper. "What is this," he asked.

"It's a money note. Take it to the bank to change it to coins."

The hunter thrust the note back. "I take gold. Don't try to trick me with paper money, you know not all banks take those. Give me gold or I take my business elsewhere."

The satyr blinked, swallowed hard, and then gave a weak laugh. "S-sure! Right away Jaeger. Sorry." He put away the note and reached under the counter, pulling out a purse of gold. He counted seven smaller coins into Jaeger's hands, and then took the feathers. "Nice doing business with you," the satyr said weakly.

But Jaeger, Utari, and the sack of merchandise was already gone.

[Cahalith]

This city was disgusting it was over crowded and smelt of filth, Naomi gagged as she walked shoeless down the streets trying desperately trying to avoid stepping in something she would have to wash off later.

With feet already dirt stained she kept walking until she heard the sounds of men she turned to see what looked like caged people in a panic she felt some one grab her hand she pulled away fiercely and began to run closing her eyes trying to run as fast as her thin legs could carry her.

Suddenly SMACK, She fell to the ground hitting something solid and firm, she looked up and scooted back a man, She looked behind her and saw more men, she was trapped. Panicked she cried out "help please... any one."

[kathryn]

Jaeger blinked in surprise as a small creature thumped against him and fell back onto the ground. It looked like a young elf, but with the fae one could never tell the age. When she started begging for help, that's when he reached out a hand to her.

"Hey, kid. Get up, you're going to get trampled like that."

[Cahalith]

She recognized the garb the men where waring it was the uniform they where some of the men that had captured her. She however did not get up, she stayed down low to the ground and tried to not be seen.

They must of figured out she had been let out, that poor woman would pay with something.

The men ran past one stopping and asked "have you seen a girl with Green hair and blue eyes?"

[kathryn]

Jaeger looked at the guy who asked the question. He casually moved in front of the girl. "Yeah, she went that way," he said, pointing further down the street.

The man looked down and continued. Jaeger on the other hand looked back at the frightened girl. "Get up," he simply said, gripping her upper arm and pulling her to her feet. "It looks like there's more of those guys after you," he said and began to pull her down a dark and empty side street.

[Cahalith]

Naomi was not used to being handled so roughly she wished to return to her home where she could be one with the water, but her body contained her trapped her here. She was stuck in the grasps of this man that she was unsure was friend or foe- despite his recent help.

She bit her lip and allowed herself be pulled along walking as fast as she could trying not to trip over the dirty streets, as she allowed herself be pulled into a dark street she felt a little more at peace in the emptiness that darkness brought. She sighed and wrapped her free arm around her hugging herself. She was still frightened and unsure as to what to think, this man was helping her but he was still a man and could very well be leading her to her demise.

She had to choose now to trust him or run.

when the footsteps stopped she looked up at him and very quietly said "thank you." her voice was like a faint reminder of a river trickling in spring.

[kathryn]

He looked carefully at her. She looked like a fae... the coloring was a little different though. "Are you a Selkie? Shouldn't you be in the lakes or rivers?"

[Cahalith]

Naomi looked at him and her head dropped sorrowfully, he was right she should be in a lake right now tending to the wounded feasting on moon's mist and the incense of water lilies but no, she was here in this filthy disgusting place that humans dwell.

Then he called her a Selkie! How could he not know what she was, with green hair, blue lips, pale flesh and eyes like water, her figure and form?

She obviously hadn't seen herself recently, she no longer looked like an Asrai, but a strange human with green hair and odd eyes and a slight build.

"I am an Asrai!" she corrected him calmly as she slightly pouted forgetting her troubles and fear for a moment.

[kathryn]

"Oh! I'm sorry, I- ow!" he suddenly said, reaching at his ear. While they were talking, Utari crept out of her cage and onto his shoulder. She also didn't know what the little woman was, but she did know it wasn't a selkie.

Utari was so suddenly angry at his little slip up that she started chewing his ear off. Literally.

"Ow! Utari, stop- ow!" he started to say then he pulled the Jenglot off of the side of his face. "Stop that! I already apologized."

Utari stuck a little tongue out at him and crossed her arms.

"Alright, next time I'll look up what a selkie is. Isn't it a water nymph?"

Utari scrunched her face in anger and bit his thumb.

"Ow!"

[Cahalith]

She looked at him and noticed blood coming out of his ear her eye's widened as he said he was sorry, then she saw the pain. She without thinking looked at the pretty creature and said "its okay- He saved me he is allowed to call me what ever he wants."

She looked at the man that saved her and said "your bleeding let me tend to your wounds its the least I can do." her voice soft and gentle like a shallow brook.

[kathryn]

He looked at the girl again and Utari stopped gnawing on his thumb. "You don't have to do that, it's just flesh wounds..." he said, putting the now placated Jenglot on his shoulder. Utari held onto his hair and looked at the girl. She smiled, revealing tiny razor sharp teeth.

[Cahalith]

Naomi looked at him and shook her head "no I insist." She told him "I owe you." she was Fae and owing a debt was something one wanted to get rid of as quickly as possible.

She looked up at the strange doll like creature she was so lovely and small then she smiled- Naomi wondered what sort of Fae she was she had never seen anything like it before. What court did she hail? "beautiful." she tilted her head never seeing anything quite like her before. She found her distinctly interesting, a living doll with fish teeth. she smiled back and looked up at the man then looked down "please let me heal you." getting shy again.

[kathryn]

Utari blushed and hid among the hair, peeping out at the Asrai.

Jaeger sighed and lifted his hands. "Alright, you can heal me if it makes you feel better. So, what do you need to do?"

[Cahalith]

She looked up at him and then silently walked over stood on her tip toes she wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning in closely she lay a kiss upon his ear, it was cold at first but then it warmed up much like getting accustom to water. Then dropped herself from him letting her feet hit the dirty floor again.

Taking a few steps back she had blood on her lips but his ear was healed. Raising her hand to her lips she wiped the blood away from her lips and looked up at him her cheek red she never kissed a mortal man before, it was odd.

[kathryn]

(OOC: I made a note about currency under the rules. If anyone is interested, go look at it. If not, just know that bartering is the common outside of cities.)

Jaeger was surprised at the kiss, and more so that he was healed up by it. He had heard of some magic of the fae, but never actually experienced it before. It was... interesting. She looked like a little girl to him, so he didn't get excited about it, but he did smile.

"Thank you," he stated simply. Now what? He thought to himself a moment. Now there wasn't really anything tying them together, but he wanted to make sure that she was safe. It would have been useless to help her escape those men just to end up back in the same spot.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

[Cahalith]

Naomi looked at him and looked down at the ground she shook her head no. She Had no where. "I don't even know where I am truth be told." She admitted after a moment of wondering. If he was going to give her back to the men that captured her he would have, right?

She had nothing left to do but have faith.

[Bane]

Name: Valaryn Loki De'juren
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Race: Half forest Troll, Half Jötunn
Race Description: Valaryn was born of a forest troll woman, and a Jötunn father.

Class/Job: Hound Master/ Servant

Class/Job Description: Valaryn is a servant in the very sense of the word. He waits on and tends to his master; feeding them, washing their clothes, repairing items, the whole deal. He also serves as his master's bodyguard, even to the point of risking his own life to protect theirs. His other job is that of a hound master, due to his natural affinity for canines of all breeds he is able to tame, train and communicate with dogs very easily. His job is to do just that.

Race Skills: Valaryn, being born of a frost giant and a forest troll, has above average stamina and strength, his speed however is lacking in that department. The other bit of skills he gains from his race is minor control over and resistance to ice. His control is limited to giving a slight coating on either wet ground or his weapon.

Appearance: Valaryn stands at just under six feet tall. His hair is a sandy blond with a slight green tint. His skin a dark brownish green in hue. The left side of his face is marred by a long jagged scar across his left eye, it starts at the brow and ends just above his lip. Naturally because of the scar, he cannot see out of that eye. His right eye however is a bright blue-green color. Valaryn does not wear shoes as he only has three toes. His frame is usually covered in trousers which are in slight disrepair and a sleeveless brown tunic. With him at all times are three very large canines of an odd breed. The dogs are his personal guard dogs and hunters. The first is called Hati, The second Skoll, and the third and largest dog is called Fenrir. Fenrir is the largest of the dogs, standing at nearly his master's chest on all fours. The dogs are a special breed made up of Jackal, Worg, Huskey, and Shepperd dog. Their coats are dark brown with black spots from the neck down. From the neck up their coats fade to pure black. They each have dark gold eyes and are far more intelligent than your average dog. Their claws are slightly longer and curved to help them dig and climb. Their teeth are long and jagged on the edges, bred that way to give them greater killing power.

General Items: Valaryn carries with him, a dog whistle, a bag of jerky for the dogs, and a bag of provisions for himself and his master.

Weapons: Valaryn's true weapons are his three dogs, but he also carries with him a single skinning knife, and a dagger.

Skills: Valaryn is a talented dog trainer, he is even able to understand dogs the way people understand each other. He is unsure of whether the dogs understand him on the same level but he can always tell what a dog is trying to say. He is a decent hunter and trapper as well, though again his dogs do most of the work.

Magic: Valaryn has a peculiar bond with canine and all subspecies therein. Basically if it's a dog, or one of it's wild cousins, he can call it to him, and even control them. He also just generally likes canines of all types. He also can create small balls of snow or ice, his control over this power is very limited and is very tiring to him. Due to his troll nature he also regenerates his health and limbs slightly faster than a human, though if the wound is sealed or cauterized it will not ever grow back.

Weaknesses: Valaryn is highly phobic of lightning, and thunder. He can't explain his fear of them, but has always been terrified of them. He is also weak against fire, it stunts his regenerative abilities and does much more damage than your standard weapons. Valaryn due to missing one eye, is also very nearsighted.

Personality: Normally Valaryn is very quiet and calm, often seen as reserved and respectful. The only time this differs is when he is in combat. Once in combat his more feral instincts kick in and he fights until he cannot fight anymore. Outside of this occurrence he is a very quiet and respectful person, most attribute this to a lower intelligence (a common misconception about his people) and he accepts this.

Bio: Valaryn grew up the servant of the Raven lords, his mother was one, and her mother before her and so on and so on. He never knew how his mother and father met, and never truly cared; it didn't matter. So Valaryn grew up among the raven lords, being taught how to serve and guard those around him all his life he learned the common household chores, and even how to tame hounds. His family there had even bred a special type of dog for their duties with the Raven Lords, and at age six, Valaryn got his first set of dogs to train. Three dogs in total for each member of his family. He raised and trained the dogs until they worked as a cohesive unit, and his hard work paid off. Valaryn and his dogs need to exchange no orders past the initial order to defend, attack or lead. The dogs will actively decide on a target, take it down and switch until the targets are all gone. Valaryn and his three dogs lived among the raven lords all their lives, until about three years ago when he was ordered to guard the newest of the Raven Lords, Rukashiki. He has been with her since that day and guards her with her life.
Even his dogs are fiercely loyal to the girl.



Valaryn was sitting quietly on the edge of town, atop the shambles of an old stone fence. He had stepped out of the stuffy Inn to try and clear his head. After a while he remembered, he hadn't told Ruka where he had gone, and she'd probably be up by now.

He chuckled lightly, and got up, stretching his back for a moment before he gave a sharp whistle to his pups, which were goofing off around him, the dogs ears perked up immideatly and they barked once, a loud ferocious bark before rushing to their master's side. Valaryn yawned faintly and started back towards the Inn, not bothering to stick to alleys or side streets, he didn't mind walking the main roads, and often would do so unless His master was doing her...mischief. On those occasions he stuck to the shadows and made sure she didn't get in too much trouble.

As he walked through the town, he noticed two people standing in the middle of the road, talking. His pups moved up in front of him, sniffing at the ground and giving sharp yips to each other. Valaryn listened quietly, not saying a word but he made a single swift jerk of his right hand, and the three dogs resumed their normal walking speed and attitude, which was them running around nipping at each other and growling.

After a short walk through town he arrived at the Inn, and after pushing the door open and stepping inside, closely followed by his pups, all of which were suddenly silent and well behaved. "Mornin' little raven." he called out, his voice a deep gravely tone.

[Rylias Shadow]

Ruka faced Valaryn as he entered the tavern, glaring down at him at him from under the edge of her hood.

"You're late." She told him shortly. "Come on, this filth of this place has made me lose my appetite." She said, and quickly turned and strode to the door, her cloak whipping and snapping after her. She pushed out of the door and looked up and down the road.

"We'll find something to eat somewhere else." She called back to him, holding the door open for him to follow her.

[fenrir]

Name: Aeron
Gender: Male
Age: 90

Race: Dullahan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dullahan)
Race Description: The Irish Dullahan is a type of unseelie fairie. It is headless, usually seen riding a black horse and carrying his head under one arm. The head's eyes are massive and constantly dart about like flies, while the mouth is constantly in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese or stale dough. The Dullahan's whip is actually a human corpse's spine.
Class/Job: Mercenary
Class/Job Description: He kills things for money. Simple enough.

Appearance: Six feet tall and weighing nearly two hundred pounds headless, he is a solidly build person with broad shoulders and a wide chest. His face is sharp with a pointed chin and pointed nose, made only more striking by his oversized yet still somehow beady black eyes and wide near-permanent grin that stretches across his face.
Clothing: Wears all black; black breeches, black shirt with a high collar and a black leather vest over the top and all covered by a long black coat. Black leather riding boots finish the costume.

General Items: Not much, a few silver and bronze coins – no gold for reasons explained below – and a few banks notes. Nothing in the way of personal effects and the only objects his trade requires are his weapons.
Weapons: Two short swords, one worn on each hip. One whip made from the spines of three humans joined together and with a sharpened tip attached to the back of his belt.

Skills: Talented swordsman, expect with a whip (pretty much a requirement for a Dullahan) and a skilled tracker and horse rider.
Magic: None other than what being a fairie grants him.
Race Skills: His head can be separated from his body, at which point his skin will take on the texture and colour of stale dough and his eyes will begin darting around wildly while his mouth is locked into a disturbingly wide grin. While separated his head has the ability to breath fire and his body becomes nearly unkillable; additionally it can only speak once while separated and then never speak again until it has been reattached. Lastly, no lock can stop a Dullahan, every barrier and lock in their path opens for them automatically.

Weaknesses: His body may be nearly unkillable, but it can be temporarily disabled if enough damage is done. Also, destroying the head while it is separated will kill him. But his biggest weakness, the one shard by all Dullahan, is that he has a complete and utter aversion to gold. He can barely stand to be in the same room as even a single gold coin once he knows its there, though living in a place where gold coins are currency he has learnt to deal with this. When presented with gold he will seem to freeze up, though it depends on the amount of gold in question; small gold coins or similarly sized objects will work to ward him away, larger amounts will make him shake with fear and make his movements slow and hesitant. If he should come into contact with gold he will freeze completely and immediately until the gold is removed from his person.

Personality: Aeron is a jovial, cheerful person who tends to be quick to make a joke and equally quick to make acquaintances; nonetheless, he is not a particularly friendly person. While cheerful and jovial he tends to rub people the wrong way, making somewhat harsh comments that, while not quite to the level of insulting, do tend to anger people. And while he is quick to make acquaintances, he does not stick around long enough to make friends if he can help it; such situations tend to lead to conflict if he is allowed to talk too much and while he is not averse to fighting, he is averse to fighting when he isn’t getting paid for it.

Also, he is aware that most humans and other creatures tend to find Dullahan creepy, especially when the head is removed and he is fully willing to take advantage of this fact for a psychological advantage in a fight, or alternatively for a laugh.

Biography: Aeron was originally a soldier in the army of Kind Axwulf before the kingdom was usurped. While much of the armies, like many of the people, were corrupted by the usurpers power once they took the throne, Aeron was lucky enough to be away from the capital when this occurred. When news reached him he fled, across the mountains, into Léoht.

Since that time he has spent much just trying to survive, using his skills from combat to try and make some money as a mercenary. He is fine living in Léoht and has gotten used to the differences in culture, style and even in the inhabitants; nonetheless he misses his homeland quite a bit.

****

Aeron was bored; he sat in a dark corner of the inn – though in this particular inn all the corners were dark – with his feet up on the table and his chair pushed back onto two legs. There just wasn’t much call for someone of his talents these days, even with – or maybe because of – the overhanging threat of war there just wasn’t enough conflict spilling over for him to make some money off of. Hence, he was bored.

When the hulking form of a forest troll walked into the inn, trailed by three large dogs however, his interest was gained. You didn’t often see beings like that in the lands of Léoht; they were more the sort of thing you would see in his homeland. He watched as the troll walk over and talk to someone equally interesting; she wouldn’t happen to be wearing the familiar hood of a Raven Lord now would she?

When they left soon after, Aeron was just bored enough and just intrigued enough to drop his seat back onto all fours, swing his feet off the table and back onto the ground and get up to follow them, subtly of course, a little after they had gone.

(OOC: I know you haven’t left yet, but I wanted to get this up, just act as if I haven’t done anything until after you guys leave)

[Bane]

Valaryn chuckled deeply at his master's short temper over his being "late" as she claimed. HE shrugged faintly and moved to follow her out, his steps slow and steady, though honestly he was taking his time to get a good bearing on the occupants of the room.

Nothing stood out to him so he moved forwards at a slightly faster pace. Once he started to move the three hounds got up from their position where he had stood a moment ago and followed their master out the door.

Once outside the smallest of the three hounds, Skoll came forward and nuzzled gently against Valaryn's hand, it was their sign that they had caught someone following the group. Immediately the other two hounds moved up and stepped ahead of Ruka, taking the lead just in case of a flank, Valaryn had trained them well. Valaryn made no move other than to keep walking at a normal easy pace, if they were being followed, he would wait for their shadow to move, he didn't need to go on the offensive now that he was alert to them.

[Rylias Shadow]

Ruka headed down the street as Valaryn and his hounds followed behind her and ahead of her. She watched as Fenrir and Hati moved to walk side by side ahead of her. Fenrir was the biggest of the trio, about the size of a small pony. Hati was a little larger than a Great Dane. Ruka could hear Skoll trotting right behind her, this hound was the smallest of the three and behind her walked their Hound Master and her loyal servant, Valaryn.

Ruka narrowed her eyes; the hounds had surrounded her, meaning that they saw something in the area as a potential threat to her. Valaryn hanging so far back only confirmed this theory. However, the hounds were only on the defensive, and they were not even growling. There was no cause for alarm just yet.

She continued down the road, knowing her and her little procession made quite the scene. In the middle of the road before theme, they soon came upon a tall scarred man who looked rather like a warrior and perhaps a water fairy of some sort. She wondered when and if they'd move out of the street before they got within a certain range.

[kathryn]

Utari looked at the little fae and began to tug on Jaeger's ear earnestly. But Jaeger was already coming to the conclusion his little companion came to.

"I don't want you to fall back into the hands of whoever is after you. How about you stay with me for now? I'll protect you while we are in the city, and when we leave I'll guide you to your home. Is that acceptable?" he asked, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder.

[Cahalith]

Naomi nodded and smiled gratefully, though she was worried what would she owe him for his kindness? Right now her magic was limited and if she could not lift the curse her magic would be forever limited. She could not even be with her people then.

Despite the gratitude in her smile there was a hint of sorrow in the deep watery eyes of hers. She was worried, Worried that in the end even if this man was trust worthy she would owe him a boon and never be able to swim amongst her people again. "thank you." her tone quite and soft as she looked down thinking of what could have caused such and awful curse.

[fenrir]

Almost as soon as he had left the inn the mutts with the Troll had moved into a protective formation around the Raven Lord, or at least that’s what it looked like to him; two in front, one behind. They must have been trained as guard dogs or something; maybe the troll was the Raven Lords bodyguard?

Question was, did they always travel like this or had they picked up on him following them already? Well, it wasn’t like he was making an effort to hide his presence, not like he was really following them either, he was just board enough to want to see what two former citizens of Niht were doing in a place like this.

Up ahead another pair of people caught his eye; an exotic looking human and an elvish looking girl. Yet another couple of beings who stood out in a crowd what it was about today that was bringing out all of the strangers?

[Bane]

Valaryn and his hounds walked closely, each one taking strides in slow easy steps, the two at the lead sniffing the ground ahead of them, and barring their teeth at anyone who dared to get close to them.

The smallest of the three hounds faded back to stand beside her master, snout was placed up under his hand a low whine was given. Valaryn blinked faintly and tilted his head, eyes meeting with the hounds before he spoke up, his drawl was slow and steady, but with a very guttural sound to it"If ya be followin' us ta rob us, you be disappointed, we aint got much..."he didn't know who or what was following them, and neither did the hounds, his scent was odd, and very hard for them to pick up.

[fenrir]

Aeron was just thinking that this little endeavour was a dead end when the Troll spoke to him; the voice was low and guttural, but it carried across to him even with the distance he was putting between them.

Letting out a sigh, Aeron sped up his pace until he was more level with the Troll and his hounds. No point in trying to pretend anymore; he’d been caught and trying to hide himself now would probably just lead to a situation he’d rather not get into.

“Don’t get the wrong idea there my oddly-out-of-place friend. I was just wondering what you and the Raven Lord were doing so far from our homeland”

[Rylias Shadow]

At the sound of Valaryn speaking to someone who she gleaned was following them, Ruka stopped in her tracks and turned her head to the side. She peered out at the people in the road behind her from under the edge of her hood and spotted the Dullahan approaching them. She felt her heart drop at the sight of him, and looked forward again swiftly.

Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn, calm down Rukashiki...

Hoping he had not seen her uniquely sapphire colored eyes, she felt her shape-shifting magic wash over her. She was already six feet tall and lean, so that she did not change. She didn't want the Dullahan to know she was changing her appearance, after all. She did, however, change quite a bit. She relaxed once she had taken on her disguise, and she then turned completely around to face Valaryn and the Dullahan just as he posed a question to her and her servant.

I will let Valaryn answer his query. She thought.

[Bane]

Valaryn snorted lightly when the creature got up closer to him. In an instant two of the dogs shifted position. THe smallest pup moving to the front while Fenrir, the largest of the three moved to stand Beside Valaryn, teeth barred and growling a very low angry growl at the man speaking with it's master.

"It be a bad idea to rush a troll mon...we tend to swing..."he grinned a big toothy grin at the man, slightly sinister in appearance, but there was no malice, or even movement towards Malice.

He chuckled lightly, his laughter a loud clicking sound, also another signal to the hounds to be alert. The two at the front kept themselves on the defensive, staring at the crowd, eyes alert and ears twitching for sounds of an attack.

Valaryn tilted his head lightly, and considered the question as to why they were here, the man hadn't been insulting or even rude, and he had made no real threat against them.

"Me master and I be here ta train dogs fer some noble in da main city."he stated, and in truth he had been asked to come and train some dogs, even had a letter stating as much. But they had other reasons he wouldn't tell to a living soul.

"And whats a creature like you doin' here?"he asked, his own curiosity peaking. Fenrir relaxed as he felt the tension between his master and this new creature subside slowly. However, he remained by Valaryn's side, but stopped growling, just for the moment.

[kathryn]

Jaeger looked over at the fight that was threatening to result from the Troll, the tall woman, and the male fae. Just as a precaution, he took out his spear and rested against it.

"Speaking of protection... Perhaps if we went elsewhere, it would be safer. The sooner we are out of the city the better," he said softly, not wanting to draw the attention of the large dogs or of the people.

[fenrir]

(OOC: Is it just me, or is that Troll speaking in a Jamaican accent?)

“I think I can handle myself”, Aeron cast a glance over the Troll’s shoulder as the Raven Lord turned to face him as well; he had met a few of the shapeshifters over the years, being in the army meant he had worked with them a few times, but she didn’t look like any of the ones he had seen before.

He turned back to the Troll again with a smirk as he told him why they were there. Things seemed to have settled down somewhat since the rocky opening and now even the dogs were calming down a little bit; such obviously highly trained animals were probably still on guard for any sudden movements, but at least they weren’t bearing their teeth anymore.

“Job opportunities, same as you. I fled here after the Usurper took power, I don’t much fancy joining the ranks of Leoht’s army – or any other land’s army for that matter – but there was no way in hell I was staying and fighting under the rule of Tenebris. There’s not a lot of call for an out of work soldier with no transferable skills these days, but I make do with the occasional odd job”

[Cahalith]

Looking up at him nodding, Naomi wondered what all the fuss was about with the group of three outside the ally way, She was curious but she had to stay focused on getting home, had to fix this curse and become what she was again. There was no room for other things, interesting or not.

"your probably right. I have never been to a City to know. but i suspect its like a different type of forest, and ugly forest." She wrinkled her nose not liking it here very much the buildings like tall tress hovering over her oppressively, it was the closest thing she could think of with her limited knowledge.

((OOC: sorry I haven't been on as much, my school is taking more time than i expected))

[Rylias Shadow]

Ruka tilted her head when the Dullahan mentioned that he took odd jobs, but she doubted that he would be able to help them find who they were looking for. He was from Nigt, after all. She needed a native of Leoht if she needed anyone. However...she decided asking couldn't hurt.

She lifted her hands and pulled her hood off, letting it pool on her back. Her face was even leaner now and her skin very pale. Her ears were long and sharp and her blond hair hung around her face like a silk sheet. Her eyes glittered like emeralds and she smiled brightly at the Dullahan as she took a step or two closer.

"Odd jobs, you say? You don't happen to know where the palace of Edvard, King of Leoht is, do you? Valaryn would be happy to pay you for your service as a guide." She asked in a voice of sugar to go with the pretty elf form she'd taken. Her sweet voice still carried a fair distance in the quiet town street, however, being as tall as she was. Hopefully someone who could help her (if the Dullahan couldn't) had heard her.

[kathryn]

(and then suddenly... MOVING FORWARD THE STORY!)

A small boy ran through the streets, being chased by a rabble of soldiers. Well, one says boy, but it was a young centaur. Since his body was sleek and built nicely enough to run really fast, that's what he did- run really fast.

But as he turned a corner, he panicked as he saw a group of people ahead of him.

Jaeger had heard the galloping and flattened himself and the young girl against the wall, so luckily the centaur missed them both.

The centaur just had the luck to knock over a very tall woman, tumbling over his hooves in panic.

(OOC: Sorry Ryl! Ruka's been run over!)

[Rylias Shadow]

((OOC: What about everyone else in the road?? :confused: ))

Ruka didn't even see the swift little centaur boy as he came barreling towards her until it was too late to avoid a collision. She tumbled to the ground, tangled in her cloak and quickly looked up as the centaur boy continued by. She growled furiously for a moment before she had an idea. A centaur would know where their King resided for sure.

She transformed into a raven, knowing her Raven Lord cloak would follow after her carrying her chain. She fluttered up from the street and after the centaur boy. Her cloak mimicked her transformation, twisting itself around her chain and into a raven, and fluttered after her. Ruka cawed out to Valaryn, hoping he would follow her.

[fenrir]

(OOC: Wouldn’t the King just… live in the castle?)

Aeron saw the Centaur boy running towards them from over the Troll’s shoulder and easily stepped aside as he stormed past. The Raven Lord wasn’t quite so lucky and ended up being knocked over; she looked furious for a moment as she woke up but seemed to have a change of heart and instead shapeshifted and chased after the boy herself instead.

“I knew following you two would alleviate my boredom. Now, let’s find out what this is all about”

Aeron stepped out into the middle of the street and held his arms out to either side, blocking the way for the group of soldiers who soon reached and stopped. “Move aside!”

“Now, now, you should all know better than to try chasing a Centaur on foot, you’ll never catch him that way. However, if you tell me why you’re after him, I might consent towards lending you my expertise in apprehending him; for a fee of course”

[Cahalith]

Naomi heard the strange sound of galloping horse hooves she had heard this sound before but did not not know what creature made these noises-she had never seen a horse nor a Centaur and so as the boy came flying down the road her eyes widened with surprise and shock.

Thankfully Jaeger had acted fast or she would have been trampled, being pressed to the wall out of the way of danger. She owed him- again.

[kathryn]

(OOC: Okay, I couldn't think of anything else. Please edit your post to suit this.)

The boy, despite what everyone else expected, laid on the ground for a moment, thinking to himself how stupid he was to run into another person.

Jaeger looked at the young centaur on the ground and, worried that he was hurt, came to help him. The hunter felt another tug on his ear and he went over to the young man and helped him up. He would have helped the woman, but she changed into a bird and flew up into the air.

"Thanks..." the young centaur said, gripping the hand and pulling himself up. "Hey wait... Where did that woman I ran into go?"

[Rylias Shadow]

Ruka had been expecting the boy to regain his footing quickly and continue with his evasion plot, but the boy must have been dazed by his fall. Ruka whipped around with a flutter of her wings, and transformed back into the blond haired elf she had presented herself to be.

"I didn't get far. Are you alright, you're not hurt are you?" She asked of the centaur boy, holding out a hand to him. In truth, she was still a little miffed at him for toppling her the way he had, but if she wanted a favor from him, it would do her no good to show him hostility.

The raven her cloak had become fluttered just above her head a moment before it seemed to explode out into the feathery-looking material of her cloak, draping itself over her shoulders. She felt the weight of her chain in her inside pocket, and she was comforted by it resting so near her, but unnerved by it not being safely around her neck.

[fenrir]

Aeron stood just outside the mouth of the alleyway, blocking the soldiers from moving any further and seeing that the Centaur had fallen and had yet to start moving again. He couldn’t let them just grab the boy before he found out what was going on after all – and maybe making a little money in the process.

“Bloody mercenaries; out of our way!”

“Won’t do you any good; that boy is long gone by now. Just tell me why you are after him and maybe I’ll help you track him down again. Hell, if the reason is good enough I might even give you a discount”, Aeron locked his beady black eyes on the lead soldier and spread his mouth out into a Dullahan’s trademark ‘too wide to be human’ grin. Some of the younger looking guards looked uneasy at the sight but the more experienced soldier he was dealing with wasn’t fazed at all.

“Alright Dullahan, you want to know so badly? He’s the Prince of Léoht; he escaped the castle against the Kings orders and we’re trying to bring him back”

Aeron’s eyes lit up at the news and, if it was even possible, his grin spread even further. “A Prince you say”, the mercenary spoke just loud enough to make the guards look around uneasily and just loud enough for the sound to carry back into the alleyway where the Centaur was still hiding. “I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for him then. We can talk about rewards once I bring him back to the castle for you”

The lead guard frowned and spoke lowly and threateningly. “We can speak about your prison sentence if you bring him back with even a scratch on him”

“Of course. Well, I’d best be going; I suggest you stick to the main streets though, lots of unsavoury characters in these back alleys you know?”

He guards turned and left after this – and one more parting glare from the lead guard – and began walking away from the alleys entrance. Aeron turned around and walked back towards the waiting group.

“I think His Highness has some explaining to do?”

[Cahalith]

Naomi had over heard the conversation and looked to the man who had offered to help her. "prince? escape his own castle- why on earth would he be a prisoner?" She understood what it was like to be a prisoner, captured then escape. But she could not wrap her head around why a prince would be held captive in his own castle. She bit her lip thinking about how odd this surface world was.