Return of the Dragon Tamers: The Plague of Ogual

[Soulserenity20]

[btn=modc|https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/return-of-the-dragon-tamers-the-plague-of-ogual-ooc.52827/]OOC[/btn][btn=modc|http://www.soulroleplays.com/]Information Site[/btn][btn=modc|https://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/micro-return-of-the-dragon-tamers-courting-thread.154410/]Courting Thread[/btn]

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• 
  
  
  
  
  
  Return of the Dragon Tamers
  The time has come for the dragons and the humans to join forces once again...​
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  
  Hunting the Blackshire Stags
  
  Narien, Illyria, Avren, Pomona
  
  Reverie, Xylia, Alder, Saira
  
  ​
  ​
• 
  
  Terria has been rescued and returned safely to the meadow. Her retrieval came at the cost of another talented tamer: Goliath, and his dragon Hezekiah. Terria slumbers in sickness of the body and the mind even as Merrik has spent more than a week at her side, healing her thrice daily, doing everything in his power to bring her back to the Order.
  
  The party that ventured to eastern Galidus to sort out the issues in Kibran returned with a new stranger who turned out to be the bondmate of the Valor dragoness, Andraste. Alder Grey has joined the ranks of the Order and now works to find his place.
  
  Shortly after the Order's reuniting in the meadow, a council was called the a vote was ordered for the army's next tactical move. With the votes in, the Order is now set on unlocking the memories of the strange man Bren and travelling to Galidus to meet with the new king, Kylvest Brohn of Trespa while simultaneously meeting with the People of Dragons elders.
  
  Before the Order sets off once more, they are taking time to return to their training at the meadow and heal their hearts and bodies. At current, Merrik has chosen to mix things up and brought the Order out to the north-eastern woods to hunt for Obsidian Nova's favorite game: Blackshire Stags. After a great deal of drama in Kibran regarding Merrik's decisions on leadership, he hopes that the Order will begin to sort itself out within the ranks and grow to trust each other more deeply in a time when trust among comrades is a necessity.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Character Hex Colors
  [spoili]
  Aerarya is #800080
  Saira is #33cccc
  Merrik is Red
  Nova is Black with Shadow and Italic.
  Avren is Green
  Viridian is Yellow Green with Italic.
  Terria is Dark Azure
  Taega is Medium Gray with Glow and Italic.
  Requiem is Maroon
  Aleria is Dark Green.
  Agni color is #999999
  Narien is #0092b3
  
  [/spoili]​
  Soulserenity20 ---- Merrik Tetra ----- Obsidian Nova, Nightmare Dragon
  Soulserenity20 -----Terria Tetra ----- Ataegana Kuu'iah, Lunar Dragon
  Soulserenity20 -----Avren Lebram ----- Viridian, Forest Dragon
  Rainjay -----Saira Rinien ----- Aerarya, Atmosphere Dragon
  Rainjay -----Illyria Rowena Renthir ----- Mirazh, Desert Dragon
  Firejay1 -----Narien Ki'ila ----- Angi, Arcane Dragon
  White -----Rèverie Gray ----- Celeste, Celestial Dragon
  Mowkie ----- Pomona Ayelet Muldell ----- Katla, Vanity Dragon
  Mowkie ----- Alder Balthazar Grey ----- Andraste, Valor Dragon
  Crimson77 ----- Xylia Kalei Iwalani ----- Deventh, Swamp Dragon
  
• 
  Tetra Estate - Coliseum, 8:17am
  
  The morning air was cool and crisp, the last signs of Winter nipping at Spring's hold on the lands. There was a deep fog rolling in over the eastern forest, blanketing the ancient trees with an eerie, chilling veil. A pair of deep green eyes scanned the surrounding landscape from a hundred feet in the air. Their owner felt no fear, no discomfort of the altitude, being as much at home in the skies as he was on the earth. While the height and the crisp morning air did not bother him, a deep concern was festering within the corners of his mind. It was not unusual for worry and concern to waft about in his thoughts, but the intensity of today's concern was unprecedented.
  
  There was a silence that surrounded him, cocooning him in its peaceful tendrils, broken only by the steady whoosh of powerful wings. With each heavy downbeat, the man in the sky would exhale, taking in the pristine air the ancient woods provided and letting it out in a meditative manner. His dark hair swayed gently, not by breeze, but by wing-beat. The man was concentrating on the legend that was about to begin a hundred feet below him. The man was sorting out his thoughts, organizing his concerns, perfecting his plan of action. Worrying. Concerning himself. Stressing.
  
  The mind is of no use when it is tangled and knotted with stress and worry.
  
  Merrik Tetra opened his eyes as a wave of reassurance swept into his mind, settling what had been stirred up, putting his last lingering thoughts in the right place, and shouldering the mental burden that so commonly threatened to crush him.
  
  "Your wisdom could not have been more welcome. But to execute concern would be unwise. Today the stories of the world will shift mid-sentence, a new chapter forcing its way into a tale of growing darkness. Today the legends of old will be reborn, history repeating itself at the hands of peril upon these lands." Though his lips did not move and no sound rang out into the air, his words found their way into the mind that commanded the wings beating powerfully at Merrik's sides.
  
  The man in the sky was not alone.
  
  A hundred feet above the Tetra Estate, a creature of myth lingered in the air, sustained by the grip of its thick wing membranes on the cool morning air. The creature was massive, larger than any common animal of the lands, and it wore a cloak of scales as black as a night sky devoid of any stars. Blood red eyes that made every onlooker feel like prey blinked slowly as they stared at the distant fog bank. It's vast wings, cloaked in the same obsidian scales that coated the beast's muscular body, wore rings, red as the most scalding lava.
  
  The creature was a dragon. A Nightmare Dragon, to be specific; a beast of legends and fairy tales from a time long ago, long before the memories of even the oldest human. For hundreds of years the sound of heavy wing-beats parting the air could not be heard in these lands, or any other for that matter. For hundreds of years, the great draconic race was thought to have been extinct, perished by the hands of elves or man or even time itself.
  
  Few would believe their eyes. But Merrik Tetra would not so much as blink at the site of such a creature, for the dragon of nightmares and terror that claimed the skies was his dragon, and Merrik was its human. They were soulmates, best friends, companions, one.
  
  More than 2 decades ago, when Merrik was just a little boy, he was brought down into a damp, dark cellar in the depths of his family's manor. There, he received an egg. From within that egg came a voice, though not one any other person would hear, unless it so chose to be heard. Within that egg was a hatchling nightmare dragon, the same drake upon which Merrik sat at that very moment. The dragon was given to him by a strange, mysterious old man who called himself The Oracle. This man changed Merrik's life, shifted his path of fate to one of severity and ultimatum. His life for the next two years was leading up to this moment, this cool spring morning.
  
  Today, Merrik was going to form an army, a re-birthed order of old, summoned up again to bring forth a the great protectors of Illos. Today, Merrik was going to change the lives of a group of individuals, the very same individuals that stood a hundred feet below him in the center of a coliseum. Behind the doors that lined the walls of the coliseum were more dragons. More disbelief shattered by flesh and blood. Two years ago, Merrik had once again been summoned into that musky cellar where The Oracle appeared once agian. This time, Merrik didn't receive one egg; he received an entire clutch, each one a different color, texture and size.
  
  From those eggs hatched dragons, one of each of the draconic species, apart from the Nightmares. Those hatchlings had spent the last two years of their lives growing and learning from Merrik and his dragon, Obsidian Nova. They were being trained and prepared for this very day, this moment. Each of the drakes behind those heavy wooden doors lacked a piece of its soul, a part of it that could never have been filled. Not until now.
  
  The group of people standing, uncertain in the middle of the coliseum, were chosen long ago, though they could not have known it. The Oracle had selected them at birth, when their souls entered into their bodies with their first breath. Each soul chosen, was the missing half of one of the dragons below. And today, those two souls would collide and fuse together, changing the fate of Illos forever.
  
  "They know so little of what is to come." Came Merrik's soundless voice from his own mind into the dragon's.
  The less they know, the less they can fear and fight what is to be. Though we know that each of the humans below is the soulmate of one of our yearlings, the yearlings do not know for certain. They believe that these are mere potential candidates for the bond. They will test them just as a wild dragon would have tested the first of the dragonlords so long ago. The humans will pass these tests, of this we have been assured by The Oracle. Everything is set into motion.
  
  Let their oblivion be their guide, for both dragon and human. Let the bond work in its natural ways, it will give them strength in the long run. The humans MUST prove themselves to their drake, not only for tradition's sake, but to unlock the power that hides within their blood. Tamers are not made, they are born at the very moment a dragon's soul awakens. In that moment, the two become connected, separated only by distance and time. The tamers have an ancient magic within their veins, though they do not know it yet.
  
  Today, the bond with unlock that magic and change their lives forever. We should not delay it any longer.
  
  Obsidian Nova had a way about him that commanded submission and trust. There was no one else in the world that could calm and reassure Merrik in such a way as the black dragon. Nova had an ancient wisdom to him that came with being a direct descendant of one of the first bonded dragons of the Order of Old. Though merely 21 by age, the dragon's wisdom went on for centuries. Merrik agreed without a word or thought.
  
  With perfect intent-directed synchrony, the dragon descended, lowing the pair and coming to rest on a great stone perch that sat at the head of the coliseum. As the dragon's talons touched down on the stone and his great wingspan retracted to a resting position, Merrik stood up from his place at the base of Nova's neck and slipped down off the dragon's back without a sliver of difficulty, landing on the thick, stone perch below.
  
  The attention of the visitors in the centre of the round mass of earth focused on him. Some eyes shone with excitement, others with a sly intent, and others with a plain annoyance. There was too much personality within that circle for Merrik to handle all at once. He silently thanked the gods of old that he didn't have to get up close and personal with the entire group just yet. For now, the focus of attention was on dragons, and Merrik was completely at home in the realm of dragons.
  
  "You have all be told of your purpose for standing her today. I can understand if some or many of your minds linger in disbelief, this is an event of dreams and myth. But make no mistake, you are here to become heroes, legends, and leaders. You are here to become one with beasts of old, powerful creatures not seen in these lands for hundreds of years." He walked to the end of the perch, balancing casually on the round, stone hold.
  
  "The doors that surround you are the temporary dens of the dragons of Illos. The doors will open in a few moments. You must all be strong, be fast, and be brave. Today, you become dragon tamers."
  Then, Merrik's deep green eyes became twice as vibrant as any human's and he swirled his right index finger in a curious manner, concentration clear on his expression. The doors slid open, lifting up to reveals cascading plumes of steam as the temperature difference made itself apparent. The cool morning air welcomed the sound of wingbeats, too many to count, as a mass of dragons shot out of the dark spaces and soared up into the air. Flames of every color decorated the skies, scaled beasts of every shape, size and color bolted about before peeling off from the group and honing in on select individuals.
  
  One of the dragons shot a jet of colored flame down at the ground, nearing searing one of the soon-to-be tamers. The tests had begun.
  
  Merrik and Nova watched silently as the young dragons they had raised from hatchlings attacked, questioned, chased, scared, and tested the group of visitors. Each was seeking a human worthy of their soul, of their life, of their bond. Each would find a human, though they did not know it, and until then, they would test their worthiness endlessly. Merrik pitied the men and women below, for they had not been informed of what the bond was, nor were they informed of the fact that the tests the dragons subjected them to would look more like an attack than anything, despite the fact that the drakes would not actually harm them. This pity went away mere moments after it arrived as Nova's presence in his soul shifted with the drake's emotion. Any amount of terror and confusion was worth the bond of dragon and tamer.
  
• 
  
  Combat Event Guide
  +Steps+
  

  1. GM Scenario Introduction.​
  2. Player Response. Combat Begins.​
  3. GM Response to Combat. Required die roll will be presented.​
  4. Player Response. Player Roll. Player may close combat.​
  5. GM Combat Close Response (if necessary)​

  
  +Basics Behind the Rolls+
  
  Three Types of Opponents: Basic, Challenging, and Boss.
  Basic: Just classic battling. It is generally expected that your character can handle this with general ease.
  Challenging: These will require higher rolls and a bit of strength in whatever technique the character uses to attack.
  Boss: These will require the best rolls, the most creativity, and the best weaponry/spells/approaches suited to the character.
  
  Three Types of Character Approaches: Strength, Weakness, Long Shot.
  Strength: The character attacks within their class/strength/ability.
  Weakness: The player attacks in a class/ability that they are not necessarily comfortable or entirely skilled at.
  Long Shot: The player is being an idiot and doing something that would never work unless the die gods are on their sides.
  
  +How Opponent Types and Character Approaches work together+
  BASIC OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 12
  Weakness Base Roll: 14
  Long Shot Base Roll: 16
  
  CHALLENGING OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 14
  Weakness Base Roll: 16
  Long Shot Base Roll: 20
  
  BOSS OPPONENT
  Strength Base Roll: 18
  Weakness Base Roll: 20
  Long Shot Base Roll: 25 (requires stat bonus)
  
  NOTE: In a boss battle, there will be much more discretion for creativity and teamwork between players. Successful rolls will mean successful hits, NOT kills. Furthermore, for boss rolls, because they are much more difficult, the player will get a 'second chance' roll if their first roll is not successful.
  In Step 3, where the GM presents the required roll, it will have the relevant stats already added in and will be presented in a manner to explain the reason the roll is what it is. Stats are applied by level of skill, as portrayed:
  5% = Beginner ----> No Mod
  10% = Applicable ----> No Mod
  20% = Novice ----> +1
  30% = Adept ----> +2
  45% = Advanced ----> +3
  50% = Expert ----> +4
  65% = Sage (Mortal Mastery) ----> + 5
  
  Example:
  Shirin Vs. Challenging Opponent, Strength (Longsword)
  Base Roll: 14
  35% in long sword, +2 Bonus
  14% in valor, +1 Bonus
  14% in strength, +1 Bonus.
  
  14 - 2 - 1 - 1 = 10 Required.
  
  The player will then post a blank post with "Rolling..." posted and then roll a 20 sided dice (D20) on that post. Then the player will post a SECOND post with their response in accordance with how their roll went. They can wrap it up themselves (Step 4), or the GM can add a post in at the end to wrap it up accordingly.
  
  WARNING: If you delete ANY POSTS in these events, I will assume you're trying to cheat and get a better roll. I don't want any explanations, I won't believe a word you say, and I'll roll FOR you with a penalty of 5 added onto the battle. This means, for example, Shirin would need a 15 instead of a 10. If you make a mistake, for example, roll a D6, or roll twice. LEAVE IT. I have eyes. I can see the mistakes.​

[spoili][/spoili]

 

[firejay1]

Agni's reply to Katla was short, but held the slightest note of amusement. Narien says you and Pomona should advance already as you see fit. We will be arriving shortly to support you. Is there a way for us to find you? Myself and Mirazh will hold back from the fray at first, but the humans will join you soon. She did not mention that he had also asked her irritatedly why they cared so much about his authority that they also chose to ignore his advice if it was not voiced as an absolute order. Human. Agni addressed Alder. Narien asks I inform you that he is not a leader and few have been listening to what little he does have to say, so do not expect coordination, experience, or harmony, but this I will not say with conviction. I will say that whatever you have heard of the Order, they are a small group of naught but children, some troubled and some troubling, but together nonetheless through necessity and their will to defy the dominion of Ogual. For our time together as allies I ask that you help them. Befriend them. See them as they are. For heavy is the burden they carry, and they could use friends. You shall stay with me in the skies as Narien and Illyria join the others in the forest. If you are not also impatient for action, as Avren was. She gave a low, dragon chuckle that Alder must have felt rumbling through her body.

Narien sped through the perimeter check, eyes peeled. There was nothing to see, though, it seemed. Perhaps his caution had been for nothing. He believed it had not been foolish at least. Pulling the horse around, he entered the forest, but quickly disembarked and left the horse tied at the edge. He proceeded on foot, moving as quietly as possible, knife in hand.

 

[Rainjay]

Illyria followed Avren to Viridian's side, and filled him in on what he seemed not to know. She told him she believed Narien was on his way, but that the others seemed likely to stay in the sky, of Alder who remained in the village with Mirazh and Agni and, briefly put, restated Narien's seeming unwillingness to lead. "You are stupid," she told him, "But we are here now and following you; makes you a greater leader than him, I suppose."

She craned her neck so she could see this war machine for herself. She couldn't fathom why they would require such a thing for such a small, defenseless village. "You don't think they're trying to burn their way to Televar?" she questioned. "That would make them stupider than you, but why would they need a greater weapon than a blade, unless this town is hiding something from us?"

"How many do you reckon there are, Avren? Enough for us to fight, and destroy that thing?"

 

[Soulserenity20]

Avren was about to respond but his attention was redirected by the sound of footsteps in the woods. A handful of the Fallen were looking around the woods and it would only be a matter of time before they found the group.

"We can take them," was all he said, quietly before he slipped of Viridian's back and fell into the rhythm of the wilds.

"Is it terrible of me to assume you lack the hunting skills Avren possesses? Perhaps it would be best if you stuck with me until he accomplishes his ambush." Viridian spoke with a calm tone, keeping his body still and continuing on his work on the contraption.

Meanwhile, Avren moved swiftly and sure-footedly through the woods. He was completely at home in almost any forest at this point in his life and while the northern region was less familiar, it was summer here and he was able to adapt to the change in surroundings. He circled carefully around the group as he worked out a plan to deal with them. They needed the others to arrive before they could truly take out the horde but the handful of stragglers would be no problem for him.

The first two were ripped up into the canopy by branches that made it impossible for them to yell and scream as their throats were completely closed off. He knew it wouldn't kill them, as they were already somehow dead, but it would keep them out of his way while he dealt with the other two that were now angrily and frantically looking around. If he didn't act quickly, they'd call for reinforcements. And so, he summoned up a trail of stone mana and forced it down the throat of one while he rushed forward to decapitate the other, severing its head from its lungs and effectively preventing it from causing any more problems. When he had finished, he stared up at the two bodies hanging in the canopy and let them slow descend. He used extra roots and limbs to hold their own arms and legs away from him while he severed their heads, whispering an old poem to himself all the while to try and keep the heebie jeebies at bay. Decapitation had once horrified him, bothered him to no end, and yet, he had been forced to get used to it as it was the simplest way to get rid of them.

He calmed his breathing and slunk back into the woods, moving back to where Illyria and Viridian were. Glancing out into the clearing, he saw that more were beginning to look into the woods and he knew the time had come. "Illyria, get down. We have to attack now. They're on to us, they see the treeline as a source of a threat. We can't afford to have them collect themselves and come after us, we need to strike first. Is Mirazh near? With two dragons and the two of us, we'll be able to make a dent in their numbers while the others join us."

It was then that a battle cry rang out and the hordes rallied in anger at the sound of wingbeats from above. The horde's archers set and aimed, firing blackened arrows into the skies, raking the scales of the dragons above. Avren turned to Illyria and grinned. "It looks like our allies have arrived."

And with that, he drew his jagged blades and took off into the clearing towards where the massive wood and steel device, the roots that worked its wheels now violent and strong, snapping through the spokes and threatening the wheel rim with their might. Viridian burst from the woods, a storm of emerald fire adorning the skies as he joined his companions in the battle.

 

[Mowkie]

~Viridian has left a trail of white flowers that is hard to miss from the skies. Come to the North side of Kibran, and from there, you should find the path leading us. Best of luck, Sister.~

As Katla silenced her mind, she looked down at her tamer, her gaze showing complete trust. Pomona was a warrior at heart, and while she made many mistakes in a group, she had an unyeildy way of leading in the strangest of times. She knew how to listen to others when it was absolutely necessary - at least when it came to battle. Perhaps not so much in the way of life. That was why Katla adored her so. A child in so many aspects, yet where it counted, Pomona was harder than stone. She had to be, after all she had been through. Pomona gave a nod and stepped forward, following the trail of flowers on foot with her dragoness behind her, Baern sitting upon the Amethyst's back.

It didn't take them very long to make it past the largest part of the hoard. With Deventh in the skies, she had eyes where she needed them, and every step was carefully calculated. Before long, they reached Avren. Just in time to watch four of the plagued be slaughtered by his blade with such ease.

The alarm sounded. The plagued had caught their scent. Pomona quickly took action, drawing upon the stream of mana that flowed to her through the Bond. At once, it responded with the strange abilities unique only to her dragoness and herself. Her body began to hint at a strange, glittery appearance, and the now familiar sword once more appeared in her hand. "Katla, keep the rear. Be ready to release fire and burn away the bulk." She looked up at Deventh, who now found himself in danger of being shot down. Then, towards Viridian, who seemed focused on something else, entirely. "Looks like your flame will have to do, my friend. On my mark."

She moved forward then, keeping herself out of the blast radius of Katla's fire. Katla waited patiently, her muscles twitching in anticipation. As Viridian and Avren bounded towards whatever it was that had caused such a ruccus, Pomona ran for the clearing, her eyes gazing for the first time at the machine that was the reason for burning all of the trees. Viridian had burst forth with a blast of emerald colored flame, and Avren followed suit. They were so very eager to prove themselves, it seemed, even if it meant charging head first without any kind of plan.

~Katla, take to the skies. They are attacking. Watch for the arrows, and rain fire upon our enemies!~

Trees rustled beneath the powerful shove of Katla's wings, almost instantly responding to her tamer's command with a mighty bellow into the skies. She soared high, Baern clinging desperately to her scales, and then tucked her wings tight against her sides, holding tight to the soldier's feet to keep him from falling. For a moment, they seemed to hang in the air, the dragoness's body twisting to the side so that her nose faced the ground. Her usually dull scales seemed to glitter in the same strange manner as her tamer's skin, and as she began her frighteningly fast dive, she let out a blast of flame towards the thickest group of creatures. At the last second, her wings snapped out, catching the wind and sending her and Baern over the battlefield. Once on the outskirts, she landed and lowered herself. ~My apologies, human. That must have been quite frightening. If you are able, continue on foot. I will be behind you to keep you protected.~

Pride filled the mercenary's heart then. Her dragon was beautiful, glorious, and deadly. What warrior would ever ask for more than that? As the second passed, though, she let her mind focus once more on the battle, charging forward and quickly coming to collide with a small group. A quick swing lead into a twirl, decapitating two of the creatures as she danced sideways, maneuvering around blades as though the creatures were nothing more than playful partners in a ballroom. The battle had finally begun, and she could not be happier that it was here at last.

[dash=#800000]

[dash=#800000]
Alder listened quietly to the words of the wise dragoness. His heart ached at the terrible ways the world threw unwilling people into necessary things. Narien was an odd fellow, but he had the capabilities to lead if only he were willing to. Yet he seemed completely unwilling, and that was cause for mutiny, anger, and confusion. A leader had to coordinate. He had to have some sort of experience. Otherwise, there would be no harmony. But the old sentinel had no real foresight into these people's experience or ideas. He had no reason to judge them poorly, for they had already made it through so much hardship.

Biting his lip, he gave a slow nod. "I will do whatever I can to help the Order achieve its goal of conquering the Dark Lord and rescuing Illos from this plague. If it means I must make friends with them, I will do my very best. I do not judge them poorly, for I hardly know them. But I am sure that - with the wisdom of dragons - they can be guided to be the very best people they are capable of being. Perhaps, all your tamer needs, Lady Agni, is guidance and a willingness to pursue more. For the sake of now, however, I will simply go into battle with you all. We will worry about making friends after the immediate danger is over with."

He gave a small smile, drawing his blade and holding tight to the dragoness as she began to modify her trajectory to make her way towards the battle. He was ready for anything now, it seemed. Death for Illos.
[/dash]

[/dash]

 

[Crimson77]

[fieldbox="Jump, seagreen, dashed, 10, Tahoma"]Xylia nodded her head at Pomona's words at first. Keeping in sight where the white flowers and the closeness of it to enemy grounds. Before she knew it an alarm had sounded, "Fiddleweed! Deventh!" Xylia cried out, a cry that intuitively screamed for preparation.

Deventh, instinctively, had already prepared himself, eyes squinted he prepared his olive scales for the impact he was about to experience. It was too little time, as the both of them knew, that he wasn't able to avoid or breathe enough fire to get rid of all the arrows headed in their direction on time. "Xylia! Get out of range!" he demanded and his tamer did as told, hooking herself onto the saddle strategically using her staff and arms. Deventh allowed himself to beat his wings once, to adjust himself before allowing the arrows to hit him. Xylia watched as most of the arrows failed to pierce her dragon and those that did merely snapped the second time he waved his wings once more. "We will get rid of those later, right now, we must assist the others." he stated quickly, circling around randomly to avoid getting hit by any more arrows.

Xylia released her grip and sat upright on her dragon, "You can try to get me to that droopy fern haired Arven, I fear that e' is in need of more allies than we anticipated." she stated, as she hooked her staff to her back and pulled her blade from their scabbard, still not used to its odd grip and weight, she played with them in her hands.

"I can only get you so close. If anything you might have to jump, little one." Deventh commented, before immediately allowing himself to freefall from the height he was at, tucking his wings in as he swerved past arrows getting close enough just before breathing his moss-green fire when he spotted a group of Ogual's followers and releasing his wings late, allowing the trees tips to snap due to it as he took back off upwards.

"T'at was ridiculous, Deventh!" Xylia exclaimed, "You pulled it off, freakin' Fiddleweed!" she cussed as she readjusted her grip on his back. Deventh merely hummed in satisfaction. "Ah, now you've got me excited, why didn't you do stuff like that before?" she grinned and cheered.

"I can jump, don't worry, little scratches don't do much, we can get rid of those later." she mocked, making Deventh huff a reply as she shuffled around the saddle, holding onto the ropes, crouching on the sides as Deventh beelined to the last he spotted the odd contraption, assuming Arven and Viridian had already shown themselves. Then he spotted the emerald flames that assured himof their location.

"I'm much better on land anyways." Xylia mumbled to herself, as she hung herself properly on his side, something they did often when she helped him hunt for food. "You take to the skies. Dev'! Use that Hard Head of yours to help the others, unless you much prefer to be by Viridian's side."

Deventh sharply glared at the approaching area as he dodged arrows before commenting, "I will do what I see fit, feathers, now prepare yourself. I can only let you off safely in that area, get ready!"

Xylia grumbled at the nickname, preparing to jump Xylia noticed the wood-steel contraption and stared at it longer despite flying past it. It looked horrific and extremely monstrous. Her heart pounded in her ears as she waited for her queue. Deventh was about to take another round to allow her the chance to properly land but the next thing she knew, she had leaped off her dragon to the narrowest opening on a dirt-grass terrain. "That," the olive drake paused, "was ridiculous. You could have broken something, Xylia!" she heard in her mind and shrugged it off with a sigh from Deventh as he defended the skies.

It wasn't the prettiest landing but it had to be done, she was only a few away from Arven now because of her careless jump. "Hypocrite.." She huffed. Xylia played with the blade in her hands once again, trying to get used to its weight before stalking off to her fellow tamer's direction. Xylia ran and attacked until she reached the clearing and spotted him and Illyria along with Viridian. She spotted a strangler about to pounce and immediately drew out a blade from her side and threw it at the thing before running forth and decapitating it; the sight still bothered her but it had to be done. "Hi." she grinned, panting to catch her breath as she did.[/fieldbox]

 

[Soulserenity20]

[dash=yellowgreen]Avren grinned back at her. The wild heart of the woman made him feel very much as home, as if he were back in the Drowning Marshes with dear old Mom, without a care in the world for social correctness. Her kill of what had been a straggler looking to get Avren when he wasn't looking was an impressive one that left him bowing in a dramatic act of thanks, a bit of a joke aimed at the formalities of the common folk that were so unusual to people like Xylia and Avren. "Good one! Come, we need to go get rid of the machine. Viridian, go set it on fire while we distract its guardians!" The dragon above roared and whizzed through the air, throwing aside the pieces of a fallen's body.

He soared in the open air above, his shadow casting a guiding image about the ground as Avren ran across the open field, his movements natural and swift. As he neared the dozen or so brutes that protected the large wooden device, he chose a less mature route and summoned water from the surroundings, frozen it into a ball of snow, and then threw it at the thick skull of one of the larger ones. He started laughing, feeling half amused, and half bothered by how comfortable he had become in battle. He was almost as comfortable with it at this point as he was with being in the hunt. Perhaps that was what was going on, perhaps he was subconsciously turning a battle into a hunt and the fallen into the animals he killed. . . He paused then. "No. . ." that wasn't it. He had a lot of respect for the animals he killed. He didn't slaughter them and leave their bodies to rot, he welcomed them into their next stage of existence with reverence and he made sure he didn't allow any of their bodies to go to waste, out of respect.

He wanted to think about it, he wanted to sit down and have a long, hard think about what exactly was happening to him that made him so comfortable slaughtering living beings. Sure, their souls were blackened and their bodies contorted into an image more suiting to their souls, but they were alive. Were they evil? Not by choice, certainly, but -- a heavy club collided with his gut and sent him flying back, his body striking the ground hard and stealing away his breath. The beast moved far more swiftly than he expected towards him and he was vulnerable, unable to stand up, as the brute approached. Fear grew in his pit, the same fear that had met him when he had accidentally encountered a very hungry and very angry Lowland Spire Bear. The fear grew, but a movement from his peripherals sent a wave of calm over him as moments later, a massive, emerald figure landed heavily on the land between the pair and snapped shut its mighty jaws around the upper body of the beast, quickly spitting it out through a disgust both of the taste and of the idea of meat.

Avren was given the time to recollect himself and stifle the pain with a sharp bout of healing mana but Viridian was quickly in a position of trouble himself. Six more of the brutes, all towering at 8 feet tall, ran up to Viridian and began hacking at the dragon's body with long, blackened blades with gnarled edges and heavy clubs, some of which had long spikes. Viridian was strong, but he was not invincible. The dragon blasted one with emerald flames, scorching it to state of immobility, but as he turned to strike another with the hard edge of his wing, one hacked at his flank, a sharp pain searing through his muscles.

Avren intercepted as best he could, slicing off the hand of the Fallen that had injured his soulmate before following his strike downward with his body's momentum and hacking open the ankles of the beast. It fell hard, knocking Avren in the head before he managed to scramble out of there. The pain was immense but luckily his vision and balance were unaffected. Viridian spun around grabbed one of the assailants by the head, crushing the brute down onto the soil and physically stomping it flat with his weight, his claws piercing wholly through the corpse and into the earth. Feeling the dragon's disgust, Avren summoned the earth to his will, opening up the soils and pulling the bodies down into the earth where they would remain for many years before returning wholly to the natural world.

There were still at least 7 of the beasts for the pair to deal with before they could reach the device and the battle was not getting any easier. The brutes were massive, faster than what they appeared, and Avren had enough experience fighting them to know that they could end a man's life with one heavy strike if he wasn't careful. Teamwork would be the best bet here, and so Avren turned to see which of his companions had followed. "Come, let's get rid of this plague and destroy that machine while we have the chance!"[/dash]

 

[Rainjay]

Illyria emerged from the safety of Viridian's side as the pair began to move. She shifted to a position behind a broad tree, waiting while Avren ran on ahead. He and Viridian were right. She had no weapon and little combat experience on the ground, and it made her nervous. At Kuhl, she'd been entirely with the support of Mirazh, who although was on his way wasn't yet at the clearing. But she couldn't simply sit and watch while the others fought. She certainly didn't want to be seen as a coward.

After she saw Xylia come, landing heavily from a jump, she stepped from her hiding spot, determined to help. Illyria wasn't sure if she was smart, or if she were reckless; maybe both, and lucky to boot. She didn't seem afraid, though, and jumped right to business. She, Pomona and Avren were already taking the brunt of the attack, while the others seemed to be approaching from the sky with the dragons. It seemed as good a time as ready to tear down that strange machine, while it's guardians were focused elsewhere.

She ran towards it, forming spheres of fire in her hands--something she was good at. Touching her hands to the wheels of the thing, she willed it to set aflame, only to be knocked aside in the middle of her action to the ground. She landed heavily, head hitting the ground and stars lighting her vision. When her sight cleared, she saw Mirazh's broad paws crushing down on the body of one of the plagued men, inches away from where she stood.

Illyria... he said to her as kindly as he could through his agitation, The greatest warriors have eyes in the back of their heads.

"No they don't," she said in a huff as she rose to her feet.

They are aware of their surroundings before running through a battle.

He lifted his foot up, a sword sticking out like a splinter from underneath. She moved forward to pull it free, but the dragon recoiled. Leave it. Avren can remove it better later. Let's destroy this thing. He straightened, leaving his weight on his hindlegs before releasing a gust of firey breath over the span of the machine.

 

[White]

She watched as the sun slowly disappeared behind the trees and then got up. She thanked the two of them for the beautiful evening and explained that she still has to do a bit of practising and training to catch up to her self set training routine. Naturally she also extended an offer for either of them to join her after she changed into dryer clothing.
Moving back to shore and back to her chamber her mind glowed with thoughts of joy of having made meaningful bond with Merrik and Saira. In her mind, she would protect the two of them more than she would have before.
Celeste meanwhile made her own way over to the training grounds.

The mock battles that the two of them did grew to be more dangerous but the two also developed a stronger bond by learning how the other was most likely going to react. Reverie joined Celeste and the two of them would try to fly through the skies at the highest speed they could achieve while Rev would hold on and attempt to hold stable and to focus her attention on the area of vision that Celeste could not see all while casting spells.
It would train Celeste's speed, their bond, as they would watch over one another and Reverie's usage of mana.

When the two of them finished their quota, they landed and with a bit of hesitation Rev grabbed a practise sword from the racks, she did not want to see another she cared for die and so continued where they mornally would have stopped.

 

[Mowkie]

So many blades swinging through the air like dancing lights in a summer's eve. With each swing, a limb was lost, a head rolled. A body was left to the darkness of death. Pomona was quick to shower herself with the blood of her foes, dark and rank with plague. Behind her was a trail of death, followed quickly by even more living bodies pushing forward.

She was making her way towards Avren, who had found himself in quite a predicament. Though she could not feel the pain he or his dragon were in, she knew that such physical duress had to have taken its toll. So, she charged forward, leaping up to the back of one of the seven remaining brute's leg and using it to propel herself to its back. As she did so, she let her blade come around its throat, and as though it were as simple as cutting a potato for her favorite stew, she let the edge pierce the creature's skin, the momentum mixed with the force behind her body fluidly moving away pulling the blade through the spine as though it were nothing more than soft fruit. The brute's head rolled, leaving only six. But this ambush attack could only work once. As she landed once more upon the ground, her mind called out to Katla, who responded almost instantaneously.

The dragoness, having left Baern in a less dangerous area to move in his own way against the plagued creatures, soared back towards Viridian's location, letting herself dive towards him swiftly and with surprising agility. It was a risky move, she knew, but she could not afford to allow continual harm come to her clutchmate. Her talons extended, and she grabbed the one just before her tamer. So close was she that her scales almost brushed the tip of Pomona's nose. So close was she that, had Viridian moved in any other way, she would have collided. It was lucky, and this time, it worked. She grasped the creature in her talon by its head, and as she forced herself higher into the sky, she worked its body into her other foreclaw before bringing her rear claws forward. Each talon grabbed a limb, and once she was high enough to focus more on pulling and less on flying, she did so.

Her body dropped as she pulled with all her might. She could feel the sinews tearing, the bones shattering beneath the pressure. Within seconds, all four limbs popped off with a shower of blackened blood, and the torso began its descent back towards the ground. Her wings once more began to push her upwards, stabilizing herself as she dropped the remaining limbs on a small group of the creatures still alive on the ground. Then, she dipped back and soared back towards Baern to make sure he was safe.

Was it bloodlust that drove Pomona into her need to continue the slaughter? Or was it the simple desire to see the battle to its end? She did not know, nor could her mind comprehend such questions at the time. She charged for the next brute, slicing it at its knee and watching as its ligaments split, rendering the joint useless. The creature tumbled down into a kneeling position, its eyes now turned to see her. It roared angrily and swung its spiked club at her chest. One of the spikes pierced the side of her armor, the tip wedging itself between two ribs before the momentum of the blow threw her several feet away like a ragdoll, stopped hard by the thick trunk of a tree. Had her diamond skin not been activated, she would have lost much more than she had. Instead of a pierced lung, it was only her chest cavity. But still, she found herself unable to get air, gasping on the ground like a fish out of water.

Panic filled her, and her mana fell away. She didn't know how to heal herself. She didn't know much more than being a warrior. So, despite her anger towards her comrade, she knew that she needed him more than she ever had before.

"Avren," she managed to gasp, desperately hoping that he would hear her.

Katla had begged Baern to once more climb upon her back, and the moment he was in place, she rushed back to her tamer's side, chomping upon the brute that had hurt Pomona so. Anger had filled her, and it was anger that fueled the flames she blasted at the next brute, knowing that they would do no harm to Viridian. Whether or not Baern slipped from the dragoness's back was completely up to him.

 

[Soulserenity20]

Baern slid off the dragoness's back swiftly and drew his longsword before running directly towards the last three brutes that worked at extinguishing the flames on the war machine. He hacked one's head off, rolled under the belly of the war beast, and sliced through the ankles of another of the brutes as it scrambled to gather itself for an attack. The burning mass above him was blazing hot and he quickly realized he had made a mistake rolling under the machine and so as quick as he could he scrambled out and took on the last of the three in a one-on-one, good old-fashioned swordfight. Baern was in his prime, fighting for a purpose, fighting with hope and without pain. This battle would signal a new victory, a new future for his people, and for all people.

Meanwhile, Avren struggled to focus both on dealing with the immense pain that coursed through his skull while staying in the battle. Pomona came in like wildfire and took out some of the problem, but there were others and the warrior woman took a hit that sent her to Avren, gasping for air and begging for help as her eyes betrayed the immense amount of pain she was in. He took a deep breath and calmed himself before swiftly raising his arms up above his head to clap his hands together. At his motion, thick roots welled up out of the earth and encased them in a cocoon with only a dozen small slits remaining to filter in air and light. Once it was erected, Avren calmed and quickly went to work. He laid Pomona down as best he could and assessed her injury. It was a simple puncture wound and it took him very little time to formulate a healing approach, but she was bleeding rapidly enough that he had a healthy dose of fear driving him to work quickly.

He said nothing until he was done. Sitting back he took another deep breath and sat there for a moment, setting his resolve before entering the fray once more. Looking to Pomona, he spoke in a low tone. "Are you ready to finish this?"

A minute later, the two warriors emerged from the roots as they sunk back into the earth and met their draconic comrades in battle to finish what began with a sentinel's warning.

Four hours was all it took after that. Four hours of hard, bloody fighting and the field of 200 was a graveyard for the plagued beasts whose bodies lay torn and scattered across the cleared alley in the woods. Avren was exhausted, Baern was on fire with adrenaline and excitement and all the way back, he and Alder went on and one about the future and about hope and about all the things that would come.

It was three days after the fight, when news had spread that Baern had stepped up, healed by the grace of the heroes of the gods, had gone into battle with the warriors and emerged victorious, the town was buzzing with emotion. Baern was encouraged to take steps towards leadership by the tamers and he played the role with great pride and ease, becoming a figurehead for a changing time where faith would be placed in the heroes of the land, not simply in the priests who sat in their churches, idle while good people died. The heroes of Illos, riders of dragons and keepers of mana would be the new object of worship and while the Church of the Four expressed outrage at the blasphemy of the changes in play, they were, for a time, silenced by Baern and the new leadership he formed in the town.

The tamers were preparing to leave on the eve of the fourth day and met with Alder, Baern, and the mayor's daughters to receive warm thanks and well wishes on their journeys. Alder, however, had a request of the tamers, and he approached them in private as they prepared their bags and mounts to depart from the cold, northern settlement.

 

[Mowkie]

He was nervous. His hands shook with the amount of anxiety he had felt in his very core. After having seen the power of the tamers first hand, Alder had come to realize with great excitement that he wanted to see how things would be at the Meadow, where they trained. Where they laughed, cried, fought, and became who they were. And there was something more...a desire from deep within his heart that called him to that place. He hadn't mentioned it right after the battle, as his adrenaline pushed him to chatter excitedly to Baern over all that had happened. Then came the next few days where Baern took it upon himself to truly step up and lead. To be the man that the old sentinel had always seen. Alder was beside himself with pride.

But when the tamers began to pack, Alder knew it was now or never. So, as he came with Baern and the two lovely ladies of the late mayor, he brought a few of his essentials, having passed Cloud over to the care of his greatest friend. Stepping forward, he gave a low and deep bow. "Great tamers, I wish to accompany you back to your home to see how you work and train and live. I have a calling within me that I wish could be met, and I feel as though it can only be met there. Would you be willing to take me with you, so that I may possibly serve a greater purpose in serving the Order?"

 

[Soulserenity20]

There would be no saying no to Alder that day. Avren knew what the itching was, or at least he had a sense of what it was. He, too, had felt that driving pull, that in-explainable urge to get to the meadow. He grinned and gave Alder a clap on the back. "Welcome aboard, noble sir. You'll ride with me! I-if you want to. . . that is. Viridian's mane makes the ride a lot less uncomfortable. I use it as a cushion!" The grin would not die. Any protest to Avren's very bold choice would have seen the wild man's assurance that if Merrik was displeased, he would take full responsibility for Alder and see him back home if it came to it, though he was sure it wouldn't come to it.

They left not long after that. Alder took little time to prepare, a man used to light traveling. He said his goodbyes to Baern, to the land, and boarder the emerald drake of the woods, Avren insisting that he secure his waist to Viridian for the flight to ensure they all arrived alive and intact. He didn't want to forget Merrik's very helpful lessons, after all.

The flight took almost three days but when the meadow broke the forested horizon of the Ancient Woods, the entire party felt a welcome relief at the sight of home. Merrik and the others waited for their arrival, having been notified of their presence as soon as their minds would connect. Another dragon stood in the field, however. One that had arrived only a few hours before. Her name was Andraste and Reverie and Saira had not been given a clear explanation on why she had arrived from the monastery. Merrik knew only that the dragoness had felt the pull of the bond and had felt the need to go to the meadow. This baffled Merrik because most often, the dragons felt a pull to the location of their bondmate.

When the dragons made contact, everything made sense. Avren had picked up a stray and had delivered him across the lands to the meadow. The arrival of Andraste suddenly made sense and while Merrik was still focused too greatly on Terria's recovery to give Andraste a proper welcome, the dragoness had settled in and made herself at home once more, after a nearly 6 month absence from the meadow. Terria had not yet woken, and Merrik was due to deliver another healing session very soon now. He had, with great difficulty, come to the decision that he would postpone the session to tend to matters of the Order, including the newly arrived Galidian.

When the party landed, Merrik waited patiently, glad to see the lot of them alive and well, not another dead and gone. He approached Narien for a report before going to find Avren and the newcomer. He looked from the wild-haired man to the stranger, a stern look about his face as he eyed up Avren. "You will see me out later and we will discuss what happened in Kibran."

Avren felt a wave of fear sweep over him. All the valor and nerve that had pushed him along in Kibran had all but disappeared and his regular, nervous attitude had returned. He respected Merrik, feared him a bit, but respected him greatly. He had not thought about his actions angering the elder Tetra but now that he was back in the very normal and very boring meadow, he realized he lookeed like a fallowbrute that couldn't follow orders. He quickly looked for an escape, bowing and agreeing to meet Merrik later before he slipped out of the meadow and went to his shack in the woods.

Merrik looked to Alder then, unsure of who the man was or what had led to his arrival here, but the fact that he could enter the forest of the Estate at all told Merrik he was an ally to the Order. "My name is Merrik Tetra. Welcome to my home, to the Order's home. This is where we train, where we live. You are welcome as our guest." He stooped into a bow, maintaining all the formalities of his high class upbringing, before letting himself slide back into his more natural attitude.

"I'd like to speak with you once you've settled. I'll show you to where you can stay and you can unload your bags and eat if you'd like. Come, these are the stables." And Merrik led the newcomer into the resting place of the legends of old, welcoming him with kindness, if not a healthy dose of suspicion.

 

[Mowkie]

The sudden enthusiasm of the string-haired man made Alder chuckle slightly, his nerves slipping away to a sense of ease as he nodded and gave a small bow of his head. "I appreciate the gesture, Avren. If it is fine with Viridian as well, then I will be more than happy to ride behind you." While the proud old sentinel wanted to refuse securing himself to the dragon after having ridden Agni into battle without any restraints, he bit his tongue and agreed, understanding that he had never made a long-distance flight, and it would be a long time before he was proficient enough to consider riding without some sort of security.

Each flight up was exhilarating, each landing one of exhaustion. Yet still he found himself helping keep watch as the tamers slept and regained their strength. By the time the Ancient Woods came into view, his body had once more succumbed to the gentle blanket of fatigue and adrenaline. The closer they got to the Meadow, the harder he felt his chest pound. Something was there, waiting for him. He just knew it. But whatever it was, he had no idea. Perhaps his destiny lay in wait for him as an advisor to Merrik Tetra, or as something as simple as a ground scout or stable cleaner. He had no idea. All he knew was that it was important, and he needed to get there.

They were all greeted by those who had already made it back from the other mission that had forced the Order to separate to begin with. Merrik was at the head of this, and he went to the supposed leader of the small party first, asking for a report on all that had happened during their stay in Kibran. Narien was a friendly fellow, Alder thought, but he lacked necessary drive and qualities that could make a leader. Perhaps that was the reason for the group nearly falling apart in the end. His mind wandered while Narien gave his report, but his body remain still, standing beside Avren with his hands held fast behind his back, body straight but slightly relaxed.

Avren's reaction to Merrik was surprising, after all that the sentinel had seen of the man. He had strayed from the confident, bold individual that Alder had come to know into little more than a puppy who had dug a hole in the yard, whimpering and scampering away with his tail tucked between his legs. Yet, despite this appearance of the man's sudden mood shift, Alder let the idea slide from his mind, continuing the respect and slight fondness for the lad to rest deep in his thoughts.

When Merrik finally turned his attention towards the sentinel and spoke, he found himself straightening slightly and returning the bow with his own small introduction. "It is a great honor and pleasure to finally meet you, Lord Tetra. My name is Alder Grey. I hope you do not think I am imposing upon your efforts here in the war. I simply wish to help in any way I can."

Then, he was led deeper into the stables by the leader of the Order, and as he passed a couple of stalls, he felt his chest heave, his breath leaving him as a dragon he had not yet seen stepped out from the shade of her own stall.

She was tall and brilliant, golden plates shimmering across her chest with duller, blue-gray scales stretching across the rest of her expanse. Long, lithe, and regal in pose, she stared down at him with hard, glowing eyes, her mind entering his forcefully to explore him.

~You are the one who has called to my soul, mortal. What say you to this realm of dragons, darkness, and war?~

He was stunned - dazed and confused over her demanding words in his thoughts. After all, she was only the third dragon he had ever actually spoken to, and the others always kept their words short and gentle. Her words were forceful, harsh, and hastened. It took him a moment to regather his mind and formulate an answer.

"I say that war is the injury that we must heal for this world, and darkness is the infection that, if not stopped, will steal away the life in Illos. As for dragons...well..." He gave a lopsided smile towards the creature, his steel blue eyes sparkling as she pulled her head back and narrowed her gaze towards him. "You are magnificent, m'lady." He swooped into a bow then, sending himself down onto a knee with his fist over his heart. "How may I serve you?"

She gave a huff of blue smoke before nodding in approval and lowering her head. ~You may serve me by joining my comrades and I in ending this war. Be my partner, and we will rise through this darkness together.~ With that, she let her nose touch his forehead gently, and they were sent spiraling into the depths of the Bond. As his mind, memories, and soul were shown to her, so, too, were her thoughts, dreams, and ambitions. Her driving need to end this darkness and once more let her scales glimmer brightly as they should.

~Greetings, Alder Grey, Sentinel of Otamur. And welcome to the New Order.~

Alder took a breath, his eyes popping open as he forced his head to rise from its bowed position. Blinking a few times, he slowly rose to his feet. "What just happened?"

Andraste gave a smile, her crest thrumming with pleasure. She looked to Merrik, who had waited patiently for the Bond to complete. ~I thank you for your patience. Now that I am Bonded, I can finally be of use to this world.~

"Andraste...your name is Andraste?" Alder looked back up at her, his brow furrowing. "How do I know that?"

~You have made the Bond with me, and now our souls are as one. You know me as well as you know yourself. And I know you better. You have a lot of catching up to do, but not to fear. We will get you ready for war quickly, I am sure.~

Finally, he looked to Merrik. "I did not expect such an outcome of my coming here. I thank you kindly for your hospitality, and your grace for my seemingly absurd need for coming here. Now...I understand why I had such a need."

 

[Soulserenity20]

[dash=grey]

Merrik smiled and nodded in a kind gesture to Andraste before addressing her new tamer. "There is much to come of you yet, Alder Grey. And we will work to sow early seeds of success for the coming war. We've lost too many in recent weeks so a new tamer brings new hope. I welcome you formally to the New Order of the Dragon Tamers. You are a hero now. The people will look upon you with great expectations. We must strive to never let them down. I know you didn't ask for it, but you now hold a responsibility to all of Illos. Try not to think too much about it or it'll eat you alive." He laughed lightly, setting the mood as a casual and welcoming one.

"Come, we need to summon a meeting to discuss our next steps. Tomorrow we'll get back to our daily training schedule so be prepared for an early awakening." He led a likely overwhelmed Alder down the hall and out to the meadow. With each occupied stall that he passed, he leaned in and informed its inhabitants of a meeting to be called in a few minutes time at the center of the meadow in the ring of the white oaks. When everyone had been summoned, he and Alder went and sat down at the stone table and waited for the others as they arrived, one by one. Nova had informed Viridian who had, in turn, informed Avren and the green tamer was one of the first to arrive. He seemed to be refreshed, feeling a great deal less guilt and seemingly much more capable of looking Merrik in the eye. As he sat and waited, he chewed on a sweet root and worked on healing some of his wounds at a slow and casual pace so as not to expend too much of his mana. He fully intended to help Merrik with Terria and so he did not wish to drain his mana pool tending to his own minor injuries. Avren was most curious about the younger Tetra but didn't dare ask, unsure of where the line was and harboring a great deal of fear of stumbling across it by accident.


As each of the tamers eventually arrived, Merrik called the meeting to Order and spoke. "Much has happened since we parted ways. The first and most upsetting news I must share is that while Terria was rescued and returned safely to our meadow, Goliath and Hezekiah didn't make it out of Ogual's lair. After insisting we part ways to look for Terria's holding cell, Goliath and Hezeikah went off. A short while later, the dragons suffered the wave of upset that only comes with the death of a clutchmate. We do not know exactly what happened, but we were unable to retrieve their bodies. Rest easy knowing they are not and will not be forgotten. The moment this war is over, we will raid the volcano and find our fallen comrades, retrieve their remains, and deliver them to the Silent Peaks where their souls may rest ever in peace."

He paused, giving it time to sink in before carefully switching the topic to Terria. "My sister slumbers in a deep, sickly sleep. She hasn't stirred in the week that we've been back, but she is growing stronger. Taega monitors her heart and mind, assuring me that hope is not lost, but rather growing stronger with each passing day. She will return to us with time." Another moment, but more swiftly this time, he moved on to Kibran and the most pressing matters of their next moves in the war.

"I'll need a full report of what happened at Kibran and we'll need to make a decision on our move. We'll remain at the meadow for the next several weeks to recollect ourselves, but there are countless needs across the lands. Kylvest Brohn has contacted with an offer of aid in exchange for a fulfilled request of assistance in Galidian matters. The Council of the People of Dragons has requested an emergency meeting to discuss Bren and what will come of our task to seek out the Scorched Halls. Furthermore, the crime gang that ruled in Stormwind has moved south to Calidar, away from the reaches of the plague, and now threatens the Secret Glade, heart of the Don'hara Clan. They have requested our aid in bringing the conflict to a peaceful close, lest war break out among the Centaurs and the refugees, which would only threaten Calidar's stability and risk the wrath of Valaeria."

"So," he said, looking to each of the tamers, "let's begin with Kibran. What happened?"[/dash]

 

[Rainjay]

If there was one thing to be learned from the trip to Kibran, it was that young Illyria needed help quite desperately. On dragonback at Kuhl she had fared fine, but on foot at Kibran, she'd done miserably. She'd set the strange contraption alight with ease, but it was the actual fighting that troubled her. Simply put, she feared she was the worst and most unwilling fighter in the whole of the Order. Though fortunate enough to only have taken the most superficial of injuries thanks to the help of the other tamers and dragons, she'd been so useless she might as well have not even been there.

There is a transition between training and actual practice, and I am missing it, she whined to Mirazh on their return journey.

The tan dragon had laughed at that, and replied simply with the words, No, you are merely scared.

He didn't want to blame his small treasure for her fear. After all, she was bold enough to try. But he did not view her as a warrior, and even though he valued her efforts he knew it would not be enough when the time came in the future where she did not have the help of her comrades. She did need to learn, before her weaknesses killed her. On the flight home he decided he needed to push his other half harder, and that she needed somebody, though he knew not who, to guide her.

Nearing the meadow, he could sense something was different. This feeling remained unnamed until the Order gathered between the oaks and he realized somebody was missing. He knew before Merrik began his explanation that his brother was gone. The pain ached in his chest, a hollow pain--three brothers, now, had been lost. He was both grateful and anguished that he had not been there in the great volcano with his clutchmates. There was truly no saying if he could have, in any way, changed the course of fate... but he knew he did not want the torture of remembering in crystal clarity the loss Nova, Aerarya and Celeste had certainly felt.

His sense of urgency grew stronger. If somebody as strong as Goliath could be felled so simply, how easily could Ria perish?

The tamer seemed to have different thoughts. She didn't know Goliath well enough to truly feel grief, but something strange burdened her. It was Mirazh's worry and her own doubts, but she tucked these feelings away and forced herself to focus instead on the now. "The village is safe. No casualties." She explained the situation they had found the village in, the course of the battle--including the strange contraption and the burning of the forest--and the ultimate selection for leadership, "though I suppose we will see if an old, despondent dog can truly regain his spirit". It was clear she doubted Baern, but it was also outside of their responsibility now, and so she moved on. "But you," she said, glaring towards Avren, "Have you or Narien told Merrik of your foolishness? Heroism and valor are one thing, but that was dangerous, and stupid."

Saira, who sat halfway between where Illyria and Avren were positioned at the table, glanced between them before asking to neither party in particular, "What exactly happened?"

"He decided to go into the woods on his own to investigate and deal with the problem. Not like I can blame him, not wanting to wait for Narien to finally make a decision, but if we had not responded as fast as we did--"

"Was he told not to go?"

"I mean, I don't think so, but--"

"And I'm sure he didn't carelessly engage, either. He's still alive. You said it yourself, no casualties. No offense to Narien, but it sounds to me like there was a lack of leadership and communication... and that without his actions, though poorly considered, nothing would have been accomplished."

Although fuming, Illyria had to admit Saira had a fair point. "But we will not always be so lucky. Somebody could have gotten hurt."

"By now, I think we all acknowledge that the worst could happen at any time, regardless of how cautious we are. I think if are to divide ourselves in the future," Saira looked at Merrik then, "group composition may need to be considered differently, even though the confines of number and skill make it a challenge."

 

[Soulserenity20]

When Illyria addressed Avren, putting the heat on him for what had happened in Kibran, Avren's mouth dropped open. She had fought along side him! Without a Narien to be seen! And now she was pinning him in the light of a whelp? The audacity! He snapped his mouth shut, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to offend her, because she had actually been a faithful companion at war, but he didn't want Merrik to think poorly of him. He. . . he had done what Merrik would have done.

When Saira spoke up, however, Avren fell apart. Turning quickly from a fuming member of the Order into a puddle of mush, he simply stared as Saira as she spoke, falling more in love with her with each reasonable and logical word. She was magical -- and not simply in the sense of her possessing mana, but rather, she was magical. When she finished speaking, he kept staring, a smile creeping onto his lips as his noticed how beautiful she looked when she was fiercely defending his questionably noble decisions. A strand of her hair had fallen down from its place and he struggled to stop himself from reaching out to brush it back to where it belonged. She was just so beautiful.

Merrik cleared his throat then, snapping Avren out of his daze. "What were you thinking, Avren? Narien was put in charge. You didn't think to ask him before barging into a battle? It's unlike you to act so rashly."

"I -- Hey! It was not rashly. Rash. It wasn't that at all." He sat up straight, remembering that posture was important, and spoke as clearly as he could, ignoring Saira and her loose hair as best he could. "I didn't think to ask Narien because Narien didn't seem sure of what he or anyone else should be doing. Merrik. I respect you as a leader and I respect that you chose Narien to lead us. . . but I . . . . I think you made a mistake choosing him. He wasn't prepared to do anything to solve any of the problems those people were suffering. They needed help. If you were there, you would have helped them, just the same as I did. I healed Baern's leg. He's leading the town now. I got the entire Order out to the fight and we won. We got it done. . . the people are no longer in danger and they have a good leader. I just. . . . I did what needed to be done, just like you always do."

Merrik stared hard at him, clearly conflicted. Would he have acted the way Avren did? He wasn't sure, but he knew it was not an effective way to operate an army. "Regardless, Avren, you acted out of line. If you respect my leadership, you'll respect my decisions and follow your orders. You went against my one command."

"I did not! Your command was that Narien lead our party! But he didn't! He went against your wishes and failed to do anything while we were there. You sent us on an mission and it got completed without any deaths or casualies." He stumbled over the word. Much of this language was new to him still, though he tried his best to remember all the war jargon. "We completed our mission. We helped those people. They needed help, and we helped them. Would you really have asked us to sit idle as Narien question every one in town while an army of Fallen march nearer and nearer a village full of helpless people with a giant war machine?" He was angry. This was as angry as Avren had ever been and it felt. . . well, odd. He didn't really know what to do with the anger.

Was this what happened when people were made to live together? To work together? Anger? He never felt this anger in the wilds. The wilds don't cause anger. People caused anger. Or at least, that was how it felt to him at the time.

Avren huffed settling back into his chair before speaking his last piece. "Whatever happens next, please don't send me on a mission under Narien's leadership again. I signed up to follow you." He hadn't really signed up for anything, but as time had passed, he had chosen to dedicate himself to Merrik as his leader. He respected Merrik greatly and his anger was directed, quite possibly along with jealousy, towards Narien.

Merrik furrowed his brow, taking a breath and letting the issue sit for a moment. Then, he looked at Pomona, as if she could give him some more insight into the matter. She was, after all, more experienced with independent work and with matters of war. Perhaps she had another perspective that would shine light on the issue of what happened at Kibran. Addressing the whole group, with attention on Pommona, he asked "what have you to say, regarding Kibran, regarding everything."

 

[firejay1]

Narien let Avren and Illyria say what needed to be said without interruption. He could tell they both had their fair share of frustrations. His own sentiments were not far from theirs. For half a second, he was tempted to put up his farce a little longer, but he had come to the conclusion there was no point attempting to be anyone but himself here among the Order. He was winning distrust and dislike anyways. He turned and addressed Merrik, meeting the man's eyes coldly. "Avren is right. His actions were rash, he asked no help from the others, and had it been an ambush we would have been sorely unprepared for it, but this stems from my own inability to lead and communicate. I am the culpable one, here. More so because I did not argue harder against my appointment. I am not a warrior, Merrik. I do not have their respect," he gestured at the rest of them, "nor do I have the skills or the knowledge to earn it. I do not even know why I have yours. What little I did ask of them, they ignored and for good reason. I did not sign up to follow you. I did not sign up for any of this. I am here because you need me. You need me for no other reason than because I am a dragon tamer. Do not fool yourself into believing I have something else to offer. The outcome this time was a lucky one, and what good came of it can be attributed to Avren's good will despite his hasty actions." He folded his arms across his chest, unflinching.

 

[Mowkie]

She was cool, now. Calm and collected, her thoughts in order as the arguing ensued before her. Having sat directly across from Merrik at the table within the White Oaks, Pomona found herself crossing her arms across her chest and listening to the rabble for a bit. Much of the words spoken - on both sides - were agreeable. Avren was out of line, but so, too, was Narien. Kibran was undoubtedly a mistake that could not be duplicated, lest they run out of luck the next time.

When her leader finally set his eyes on her, the mercenary leaned forward, placing crossed fingers beneath her chin, missmatched eyes gazing unmovingly at her leader as her lips pursed. She needed to choose her words carefully - make sure the entirety of the story was told without fail. So that this would not happen again.

"Avren and I paired up in the beginning. We wished to know who Baern was, where he was from, why he was so broken. When we found out, we showed him there was still something to hope for. In that mindset, Avren was key. He knew how to heal a broken soul in ways I could not fathom. He showed Baern that we are not simple folk, but those with the power of dragons. Avren and I sparred before the man, and in an instant, that man had hope. Shortly after, Alder appeared, and Avren healed Baern's leg."

She paused then, glanding at Avren, mild irritation in her eyes before turning back to Merrik and leaning back in her seat. "With renewed vigor and excitement, Avren wished to go into the woods, just the four of us - Avren, Alder, Baern, and myself. I told him it was suicide, and that neither of us had been given the position of leader. We needed to at least gain Narien's grace, as he was the one appointed by you. We had gone to see one of the town Elders...I can't remember his name...but he told us they were burning trees, and that there were only two hundred. Naturally, I knew that burning trees meant they had to be creating a path for something bigger. So, again, I said that we needed to speak to Narien first before doing anything else - so that the Order knew what was going on, and as a group, we could determine what our next move would be." Sighing, she shook her head.

"He did go to speak to Narien. In fact, he stormed off before I could thank the old gentleman and leave with a little dignity. He gave a very short report before storming away into the woods without so much as a yes or no from Narien. That was where the panic ensued. By the time I caught up, Avren was gone, Narien was shouting orders, and we were kicking into high gear, as it were."

She looked to Narien then, as he spoke. Then, she spoke her mind. "You are a terrible leader - I'll give you that. But you were still appointed by Merrik, and to show my respect to our true leader, I asked your opinion at every turn." She looked back at Merrik then. "I drove Avren crazy with my demands to act as a group and not as individuals. I know first hand that acting alone is what gets a person killed faster. But not acting at all can have just as dire consequences. Avren was smart about heading out alone. He used his and Viridian's connection with the woods to hide himself, and they continued to report back. They were excellent fighters, and as a team, we all managed to wipe away the enemy. At the end of the day, though Avren and Narien both failed to follow your orders, we did save those people, and no one died. However, I would not advise that we split our party like that again."

She fell silent then, her gaze falling on Alder. Alder cleared his throat, bowing his head towards Merrik. "I don't know about that first part, Lord Tetra, but I was there for the rest of it. What the lady says is true. Avren is still a young lad and has much to learn, but he showed great valor where it counted. He is the main reason that strange contraption did not make it all the way to Kibran. But I feel as though Narien is simply not comfortable as a leader, and as his lovely dragoness pointed out to me, there are many individuals in this Order. It is up to us to make friends with one another, work together as a team, and fight this darkness as a single force instead of as a group of individuals."

 

[White]

A frown displayed on her face when she saw them return. The tense impression, specifically Avren, the odd look on Narien to the glimmer of anger in their eyes. She did not like it at all, remembering how childish, petty and inorderly the arguement seemed before they had brought Terria back and the others went off to Kibran.
When would it end? she thought to herself, no longer able to comprehend the distrust, the hesitations that the others showed towards Merrik's decisions.
And so, she simply stepped the other way when people gathered for the report. Celeste still made herself comfortable nearby, observed the conflict and would share it with her Tamer later and told Merrik that Rev would join later, after the Kibran-report had concluded.

Reverie instead made her way out the door and out into the open, out into the fresh air, out into the freedom away from this conflict, the disappointments, the anger, the opinions and disagreements. Her mind continued to dwell on the whole situation. Of course, nobody here was asked to become a tamer, to risk their lives..., she thought. But at least people could learn to work together, rely on one another. Increased efficency. The thought continued on to feeling a bit guilty to not attending and to not properly supporting Merrik... Especially now. Her hand traveled down to the locket that she took out of Goliath's chamber. Especially now with him dead...
Absent mindedly she said "Hello Bren." Her eyes focused on him as an idea crossed her. She had almost forgotten as she had gotten more used to his presence in the recent day and her increasing trust with Merrik's decisions. Casually she looked at him, then swiftly said, smiling: "You just gave me a pretty good idea. Thank you!" And turned to go before he could respond.

Now standing infront of the door where she could hear Pomona speak. She had returned to her to pick up her sword, a map and two arrows. She removed the tips from the shaft and bound a thread around each of them and then the thread further up. Together with her blade it rested on her hip while she held the map like a scroll in her hand.
She opened the door and stepped in, looking without a particular emotion to Merrik all while Alder spoke what he wanted to say. Every step she took had the arrow tips hit one another, making a small metalic sound that would distract and attempt to draw attention to her.
The moment Narien had finished his words, Reverie spoke up. "So, with Kibran secured and Terria finally returned to us, we can now decide on the next steps.", Reverie spoke, stepping towards Merrik and then the table on the side to place the map on. "We still need to decide on what it is we will do with Bren." She paused to look at the map before pointing towards Galidus. "What about the alliance? Is it still holding as is? What about King Brohn? He was absent on the council, should we not seek to ensure his support and commitment?" Her eyes turned to look at Merrik, smiling gently. "What does our commander say?"

 

[Soulserenity20]

[dash=grey]

Merrik listened carefully to what Pomona had to say, then to what Alder added. He found himself content in the outcome. He never, for even a minute, expected things to go smoothly. How could he? He had been trained to lead the army for more than two decades and it was still an unpredictable and messy business. He never expected Narien to take command without hesitation, nor did he expect the others to take it all in stride. What he had expected was for Narien to try harder. He looked at Narien then, who sat so defiantly in his own secluded mind. Why hadn't he tried harder? What would it take? There was spirit, that much was certain. Folk without strong spirits didn't fly through the air in an attack against a centaur necromancer while screaming highly amusing battlecries and delivering acts of valor. And he had a mind about him. . . a large, complex, and very secretive mind. Narien had potential of some kind and Merrik was intent on unlocking it. He wasn't sure how he would unlock it, but like it or not, Narien hadn't seen the last of Merrik's pushing.

"I thank you for your reports, everyone. I will take some time to think on the matter. At the very least, we can call the events at Kibran a successful mission, and it seems Avren is, in part, to thank for that. I offer you all my thanks, and surely the people of Kibran feel the same way. You have done well by them and well by the Order."

Reverie redirected the discussion very effectively to other matters at hand. Looking to Pomona, he spoke when Reverie had finished. "While I thank you for your very professional and very helpful input, I fear I will cannot meet your desire to keep the Order together. There is too much to be done and too little time to do it. The world knows of us now and we are seen as the Old Order once was: as ambassadors and protectors of all. "

He looked over at the open field where Obsidian Nova lay quietly, a dark mass with piercing eyes that peered directly into Merrik's mind and flicked its tail in annoyance at what was to come next. "I've decided that Bren cannot be ignored. We must get to the bottom of this unusual encounter, if only for the security of our Order. We will travel to Origin Island and see what we can find. Nova will not offer us his aid in seeking out the Scorched Halls, but we can go without him and look nonetheless. We can only hope that he has a change of heart if we manage to find what we're looking for and perhaps he will help us. There's no point in bothering him any further. He knows what's at stake and he will make his own decisions."

A thick, black plume of smoke began to fill the distant air as Nova growled deeply, turning away from the group and resting his head on his dark arms, becoming a large, roundish mass in the field. "I propose we meet with the People of Dragons and send word to Kylvest to ensure he attends this meeting. If he wants our help, he needs to show that he is willing to help himself. I have no desire to venture into the new capital without first meeting with the leader and assessing the political situation of Galidus. It is almost certain that not everyone accepts this new king and we dare not allow the appearance of our allegiance to him until we know for certain what will come of it. We will hold the meeting at the Temple of the Moon in Galidus to ensure him ease of travel to attend."

He quieted for a moment, looking for input from the others.[/dash]