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Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

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Status:
Alazais - HP: 28/28, WP 17/17

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The goddess gave another laugh at the figure's words. "Oh my, you desire a private audience, little one?" she asks, leaning back slightly and bringing her hand to her chin, a single extended finger resting at the curve of her lips. "Very well, I accept your proposal," she says, her eyes narrowing and smile broadening into a grin and for a moment, just a flash, her teeth appeared sharp and pointed to Alazais. At second glance, they appeared as the more or less flat teeth which was common amongst most of the non-predatory sentients of Vira.

"Bring her," the goddess instructed and Celine and a small number of the villagers detached from the crowd, following after a twirling Auricael who led them to the largest building in the village, some sort of great meeting hall. The goddess flew down to the far end of the hall and hovered in the air, still twirling and giggling softly to herself, as the oracle was released and the doors closed behind her, leaving the pair alone. The hall was plain and sparsely decorated, a pair of long tables with chairs facing inwards the only real furniture present save for a place of honour at the far end, near where Auricael danced in the air.


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Celine was lost, lost inside her own mind. In a dreamlike state, she saw the village she had only moments before been trapped by a crowd in and perhaps unsurprisingly, in her dreams she still was, with one major difference. Here, she was alone, in far more of a literal sense that she may have liked; encircling her, chanting in unison, was a crowd of herself. Each figure, identical, a perfect replica of herself, all beckoning her to join the dance, to stay for the party. Overhead, in the sky, was a giant figure of the goddess Auricael, seemingly looking down from the heavens, holding in one hand a giant set of puppeteers strings that dangled down, fading as they got closer to the ground. "Dance, puppet, dance..." she commanded from above, before giving off a silvery laugh that reverberated throughout the dreamscape.
 
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Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

Alazais keeps up her humble, submissive stance all the way to the doors of the meeting hall. She turns to the crowd, with one last flash of golden eyes seeking out Celine.. before the doors close, trapping her in the hall with this so-called Goddess. She tests the fastening of the threshold.. ensuring it'll keep out unwanted guests.. before turning.

Robed back placed against the door, one hand vanishing into her pocket, and the Oracle swallows, preparing to dodge to the side, or crush a mental assault, whichever came first.

"So. As you have asked me to unveil myself... I consider it only polite to ask the same of you. True forms to one another. Or, if you want, we could just fight to the death, here and now. But I assure you, it will not be my death."

Coldly spoken, with all the detachment she could muster, like a true Oracle. A beat later, though, before Auricael can reply, she continues, in a slightly warmer tone.

"Not that I hold you any ill-will. I care not for the inhabitants of this village. You keep them alive, happy, and well.. in exchange for whatever it is you take from them. And I'm certain that despite your earlier words, you're not stupid enough to ignore my warnings. In fact.. I'm happier leaving them in your care, than I would be leaving them alone."

Golden eyes lifted to the so-called Goddess.. and a white-gloved hand lifted with them. Fingertips slipped beneath the hood, drawing first the lower covering from her mouth and nose.. then the cloth from her head, baring white hair, pale skin.. and divine heritage, golden glow suffusing her skin, for the Goddess to see.

"As a gesture of good faith. Now, you..?"

((All AP into defence. I am not a moron!))
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

"Oh, I'm sure once you've seen what you've asked to see, you'll change that opinion," Auricael replied, although as she spoke her voice changed, or rather, another voice faded in as the sweet voice she usually possessed faded out, a deeper, albeit still feminine voice with slight lisp and a much darker, crueller tone. As she whirled and twirled, the colours began to fade out of her figure, the blonde hair slowly bleaching white as her pale skin darkened into a distinctive grape colour. The pointed teeth she had caught a glimpse of earlier made a return, for good this time, sharp looking things one would not enjoy being bitten by. The glowing blue eyes turned first purple and then a dark red and finally, the dress itself disappeared as a whole, revealing a very different outfit.

She wore a tight fitting outfit of black, decorated with red trimmings, although it covered a lot less than the flowing dress she had been seemingly wearing. Upon her legs she wore but a pair of shorts, revealing her long yet muscled grape coloured legs which remained bare all the way down to her pointed toes as she pirouetted on the spot, in the air. Her torso was slightly more covered, a matching piece of the outfit that, although tightly fitted, covered most of her body, although it was sleeveless. Upon her wrists sat a pair of bands, from which hung long dark red ribbons which trailed down to her ankles and extending from the back of her top was a tail of matching ribbons, all of which flew around in circles as she danced until at last she turned to a stop, facing the oracle with her arms out, posing and presenting herself. "What do you think, little oracle?" she said, before giving off another laugh, much more sinister than her earlier ones in this new voice as her ribbons slowly floated towards the ground, much more bound by gravity than she herself, apparently.

She was a servant of the accursed. A being born from darkness to sow chaos and confusion and to wear down resistance ahead of the main force, Alazais was almost positive. It would certainly explain what she had already seen here, this particular creature was cunning and manipulative, but not particularly intelligent, which would explain the remote location. They were usually left fairly autonomous because their egos made them difficult to manage and do not work well together in groups. If the oracle was remembering correctly, they were also extremely narcissistic. Oh yeah, and the ribbons were bad news, not nearly as harmless as they may look.
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

A long, heavy sigh, and Alazais shakes her head in disappointment. She'd really hoped to get through this one without having to resort to fighting. The hand in her pocket emerges.. wand gripped loosely between fingers, but it remains at her side.

"I don't suppose.. there's anything I can say to make you change your course...? Perhaps you'd consider joining me..? Joining the winning side..? I can't promise the rape and pillaging that the Dark doubtless offered you, but I can spare your life. I'll even yield you this village if you want it that much.. though there's hardly much to be had here."

As the knowledge trickles back from years of academia, a better tack emerges.

"Although.. before we fight, I -am- curious. What made them decide to send you here, of all places..? I mean.. did they seriously need an agent of your stature.. not to mention, beauty.."

Compliments never hurt.

"To deal with such a nowhere little town. I wouldn't even have bothered stopping here, but I was out of water.."

Half a smile flashed, almost -shyly- at the darkness-spawn. Light how good it felt to have her features free for expression!

"Now, of course, I'm glad I did. So.. can we deal? I don't particularly want to have to kill anyone. Not today, with the sun shining and the festivities going on outside.."
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

The dancer tilted her head to one side, grinning as she seemed to consider the offer. "Mm... I was made to serve them, and I do so enjoy the rape and pillage," she replies, slowly drifting slightly closer as she sways back and forth through the air, arms twirling although she refrains from restarting the full body spins. "But you are right, this place hardly suits me. Look at how easily it crumbled before me, how boring. You alone had the strength to resist me..."

She danced a little closer again, although still a ways off. "What kind of a deal are you proposing, oh enemy of mine? Curiosity dictates I at least hear you out."
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

In contrast to the constantly-in-motion dancer, Alazais stands tall, and composed. Her wand hand, and her free hand, draw together.. then fold across her chest as the Oracle leans back against the door. Keeping her eyes, of course, high, despite the temptation to take advantage of Auricael's.. revealing outfit.

"Come with me. Leave this pathetic place to fend for itself. As you know, I travel to warn every race on the surface of this world that your.. current Masters are coming. I can at the least promise that it will be more interesting than staying here. And at the end of things.."

Presuming you haven't picked a convenient moment to switch sides..

"When the forces of Light are arrayed against the Dark.. and the Darkness is banished once more, as I assure you it will be.. rather than being struck back to whatever hole our leaders see fit to send you, you may remain in the world of light, of sun and warmth and life. Naturally, though.."

A sharp smile, and her arms unfold as the Oracle shifts position, leaning on the other leg for comfort, shifting to press her left shoulder against the door, rather than her right.

"That's all a long way off. As for now.. travel with me. See more of the world than ever you could staying here.. or dying at my hand. I have no doubt some of your abilities may come in useful for my mission. Truth be told.."

A sigh, and golden eyes drop to the floor.

"I've.. not been encountering much success. My message gets laughed at. The reaction of every village resembles this one. But with you standing as proof by my side.. there could be no doubt..! Of course you'd be under my protection, as well.."

A swallow, then she steps away from the door, stance and jaw set firm.

"Then those are my terms. Come with me.. not as a servant but as a companion.. even a friend. Travel the lands, see the world.. and ingratiate yourself with the winning side. Should we fail... you can always claim you've been sabotaging my efforts, and thus be rewarded by the other side. If you have any other requests.. speak them. I have some sway among my own people.. and there may be boons I can grant."
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

The creature laughs, not a cruel mocking one, but a laugh of genuine humour. "Really? Are all of your kind so open and accepting? It's a wonder my dark masters, as you call them, have been driven back or stopped so many times," she said mockingly, before straightening up once more.

"Well, I will admit your offer is... interesting. But you are wrong on a few counts. The most obvious one is that should the darkness be turned back, I won't spend any time in a hole in the ground, I will simply and painlessly cease to exist; without the dark ones, beings such as I cannot exist. So there would be no world of light, no sun, no life, no warmth. So whether that occurs now by your hand, down the track as I'm killed by one of your kin or sympathisers, or simply by the banishment of the awakening lords doesn't matter much to me. Certainly, later would be nice, and claiming this world as ours so that I may forever-more dance is certainly a preference, but I am not afraid of death."

She ran her hands loosely through her long white hair, one either side of her head which had the effect of pushing her chest out and she let out a soft "Mmm..." before glancing back to the oracle once more. "The way I see it, we fight, I win, this village is mine. I warp their minds a little more, hold another little party or two, open a nexus in which my kindred can enter this world more easily. Nothing amazingly exciting, but it has its moments. Or I lose to you, die and go back to oblivion. Your proposal just doesn't really have anything for me, travelling is nice and all, but where's the fun in rallying people against the shadow, unifying them as one? It just isn't me, I'm afraid." Her voice is rather frank and open throughout all of this, at least until her last few words, where a distinctly predatory grin emerges as she eyes the oracle.

"It has been fun mincing words with you, but I just don't see how this is going to work out."
 
Re: An Ancient Compact (Farren, Gargantuablarg, Copper)

Keti bit the nail of his thumb as the group talked. He stood behind close to Nae, hoping to find some form of calm in her proximity - his nerves were already frazzled by attack out of nowhere on his life not even a half-hour ago, and the thought had dawned on him as he walked into the village - that they'd simply let them in to trap them and string them up like the prize catch of the day - did little to assuage his anxiety. Neither was it guaranteed Atair would be on their side, should the village turn on them - if he concluded that they had done the ludicrous things the village were accusing them of, he might even join them.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down - tried to focus on the three suspects.

The militiaelf would probably know the one that had shot at them, and might have gone with Norris, either seeing him leave and following him - or perhaps having been asked by Norris, and conspiring to set a spark... or something. He disposed of that motive, it was just too far-fetched and paranoid. The one he'd seen with Norris wasn't armed, though, and surely a militiaman would have been carrying a weapon?

The second man was down by the dock, working on a net. It was a safe bet he was a fisherman, rather than, say one of the village craftsmen - so, with the problems arising from the Sirens relaxing their control on the seas around their village, it was possible he might've lost a friend to the waves, giving him a motive. And yet... why would he have gone to attack them without some kind of weapon? He'd have to have just started working on the net, too - their attackers probably would have reached town not much earlier than they had. If someone could place him there, their accusation would fall flat.

The woman... Keti wasn't sure about her. He wondered... wasn't it a bit odd to go out and hang laundry, when the entire village had just scrambled to-arms but moments ago? She'd been in the mob, hadn't she...? So she couldn't have used the time the mob had bought for her for anything... right? The flower Siren couldn't envision any use in washing something in the scant minutes she had between her would-be arrival and theirs...

Surely, he'd learned something of these three people? He'd lived here for some twenty years, after all, and while he'd not ventured down to the village often, he'd never been a complete hermit. Meanwhile, he communicated his thoughts on the three suspected assailants to the Nekomata and Nae, using a great deal of signing and pantomime, interspersed with written words on his slate to communicate more complex ideas. He hoped Atair could understand him as well...
 
Re: Baptism by Fire (Occam, Squid, Kathy)

Drago had arrived on scene, but was much too close for him to use his handcannon effectively. He would turn and fly away before snapping about and taking a shot at the Harpy wielding the spear, then taking his time to reload, knowing full well he'd have enough time to prepare for the incoming enemy.

[AP1 to shift to A10]
[AP2 to fire handcannon]
[AP4 to reload.]
 
Re: Escape from Dracholt (Sinfulwolf)

Taking off down the tunnel, the vampyre quickly moved out of hearing range of the somewhat disturbing sounds of transformation occurring. She did hear, from behind her, a shriek of fright that sounded like it came from Saerus, but it was soon followed by equally loud cries of pleasure that informed Meaghan that pursuit seemed unlikely at this stage, allowing her to at least relax a little; but the question remained, what the hell was that? Was it the transformations he was been speaking of?

The tunnel appeared to branch off regularly also, which wasn't a good sign, but one route was clearly more travelled, as well as being lit irregularly by the dim lanterns preferred by the citizens of Dracholt. Probably the correct path, but in truth, she had no definite way of knowing.
 
Re: An Ancient Compact (Farren, Gargantuablarg, Copper)

Keti...was going to be, well, Atair didn't want to say a problem, but deciphering the siren's gestures was proving difficult. More often than not, he found himself looking to Nae for a translation. Of course, he did try to figure them out on his own, often with results that might have been humorous had the timing been different. Still, he kept his tongue in check. The handicap was not the siren's fault and it only affirmed to him that Keti did lack the ability to speak; that it wasn't an elaborate ruse. He had a feeling that anyone else likely would have given in out of pure frustration at this point.

As they discussed their suspects further, he added a few more of his own thoughts on the matter. The militia were probably going to stick up for their own, of that he had no doubt. If their suspect were on patrol, he at least would have a partner to collaborate his story and possibly other witnesses to his whereabouts. By now, too, word would have likely spread through the village as to why the sirens were here, so if the village was going to protect one of their own, they could likely do it easily.

Of the other two, he agreed the fisherman might have the best motive but agreed with the logic behind ruling him out. As for the woman, well, if Norris were covering for someone, a female would be the next most likely outside of kin, especially if there were any sort of relationship between them. It still wouldn't quite explain her presence, but it was putting her a little further up on the list.
 
Re: A Nighttime Rendezvous (Blueslime, Chibi)

"You can go get a book if you'd like," he responded. "Even if you end up that way, I've got a memory for faces and expressions, remember?"
 
Re: The Ill-Portented Expedition (crossgrave, blueslime, chibi)

Sroen put his journal away with a sigh, and moved between the Professor and the rest of the group. If the idiot couldn't see, then maybe he couldn't touch or hurt something that might kill them.
 
Re: The Village of the Wayward Lambs (Pale, Oamp)

A shrug. Simple as that. No more grandstanding, no more speeches, just a shrug. And a last barb, just aimed to rouse suspicions and temptations in the creature's excuse for a mind.

"Too bad. I would have made it.. worth your while. Without further ado, then."

And with that, she unfolds. Wand slashed through the air once, then twice, slicing through the space before her as if shredding a curtain with a sword, sending two, brilliantly glowing bolts of light arcing through the air towards the Shadow-servant. Diplomacy had officially failed.

((Attack with Elemental Bolt, Light, times two!))
 
Re: An Ancient Compact (Farren, Gargantuablarg, Copper)

Nae listened to the pair explain their reasoning, translating for Keti when Altair looked confused. His gestures were pretty much second nature to her at this point and any that she was confused by it wasn't normally hard to work around.

She pointed out that if the fisherman might well have left a half started net to give the impression that he'd been working on it while the commotion was going on. He did have the most likely motive, especially considering how the village seemed very upset with the schools decision to withdraw their protection over the fishing disputes. Bringing that up would possibly not bode well for them though, despite the logic behind it. She couldn't do much to sway the school to reconsider the course of action until the village opened a proper dialogue with them.

The woman was a possible, maybe they should at least check on her connection to Norris to make sure they weren't involved. The motive wasn't so easy, but they had little enough to go on as it was. She could understand that if Norris was wanting to cover for someone though that a girl would be higher up the list than most.

She sighed a little, making sure to keep half an eye on their surroundings as she stayed close to Keti. She didn't want to think anyone would attack them in town, but she wasn't about to let anyone lay a hand on Keti.
 
Re: Escape from Dracholt (Sinfulwolf)

Meaghan took a breath when she heard the sounds of pleasure, and didn't really care if it was whatever Etiel had become fucking his sister's corpse, or they were just having a nice incestual tryst. A shame that Saerus had to turn out to be such a bitch... she was rather cute.

Meaghan let her eyes drift down the tunnel as she made sure the pack was secure. Drawing her sword, not sure of what lay down here, she followed the traveled path, and hoped that it would lead her outside the walls.
 
Re: Baptism by Fire (Occam, Squid, Kathy)

"Something's wrong..." Flow whispered as she watched the harpies scatter beneath her.

They should've been outnumbered, overwhelmed easily, it would have been enough to force the small group battling in the air to retreat and force a second conflict later on, while the group that had been putting out the fire was exhausted.

"This isn't right! Watch yourselves!" Flow called out as she threw herself towards the harpy with the spear again, wind magic flowing around her as she moved deftly towards him, taking a quick dive, something that should've given her foe the clear advantage of height, before the skinny, long winged avian threw her wings wide, and let her magic act to recover her height in no time, rushing back up at the figure almost completely upside-down from the unusual motion she'd made, her blade lashed at him time and again from beneath, striking at him from an angle that most harpies were unaccustomed to fighting from, and even fewer prepared to defend against it, as her violent blade thrusts jabbed at his legs and lower body, aiming to slice and burn at his limbs until he would be unable to wield his weapon, forcing him to give up the battle, so she could capture him properly, without fear of his counterattack.

(mostly fluff, but if he falters in the battle, she will attempt to grab him by the wings and drag him off like harpies would any other prey. Attack x4)
 
Re: The Ill-Portented Expedition (crossgrave, blueslime, chibi)

"Who are you to come to this place?" a voice rang out through the ruins. An easily missed figure, his dark clothing blending in to the backdrop of the ruins, it wasn't until he stepped forth that he became clear to see. Raven black hair and red eyes contrasting sharply to pale skin with a toothy grin that added up to only one possibility. Vampyre. And in his hand, a sword, pointed towards the group.

He stood upon higher ground, one of only a few places remaining where the ruins had a floor above the ground, little more than a ledge, but it certainly made for a cinematic vantage point and such theatrics were preferred by many vampyres. ”You disturb the ruins of the dark lords, turn back now and you may yet live,” he warned.

Naturally, Jontus was not one to leave that alone, much to the dismay of the others. ”Ignorant fool, I am the foremost expert in such ruins and seek to uncover ancient mysteries of my kind traced to here. You shall not stand in our way!” he declared, pulling out his book and talisman.

The vampire gave a throaty laugh. ”Then this ruins shall be your tomb, for I have seen, there will be much death here today,” he replied, and a number of shadowy figures began to appear at various places throughout the ruins. Small shapes, perhaps the size of a small predatory animal, made of some sort of translucent dark light began to form; clearly some kind of magical beings, although whether they were some sort of summoned creature, dark projection, magical anomaly or simply an illusion was not clear at this stage. Either way, a fight for the ruins seemed inevitable at this point.
 
Re: The Ill-Portented Expedition (crossgrave, blueslime, chibi)

Soren couldn't contain himself any longer. "You idiot! You ahve got to stop provoking everything into attacking us!" he said as he pulled out his wand.
 
Re: A Nighttime Rendezvous (Blueslime, Chibi)

"Nah, that's okay, I'll just stare back at you as you stare at me." She grinned and had a playful look to her. Despite being told to remain absolutely still, she did swish the tip of her tail around a bit. But it was so long and far away that she doubted he was sketching her lower extremities.

She watched the concentration on Soren's face for a while, admiring how he pushed all outside influence away and concentrated solely on the task at hand. Instinctively she wanted to try to push the boundaries of his concentration, but decided that such would be a rude thing, considering she had wanted to pose for him in the first place, and posers didn't disrupt artists. So after watching him for a while she started to day dream about various things, such as memories from her childhood, songs out of the past, or current ongoing projects at the engineering headquarters in the Lamian capital.
 
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