[System]
Species: Saiyan
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Appearance

Personality: Tabaga used to be an enthusiastic warrior who never ran from a fight. After the destruction of her home-world, she entered into a sort of catatonic state after unlocking her Super Saiyan transformation which lasted a number of days. At the moment, her grasp on mental stability is tenuous to put it mildly.

Bio: Tabaga was one of the elites on Planet Vegeta. Born to a high ranking family and born with an above average power level she quickly began to rise through the ranks as she began her training. She was known for being a ruthless sparring partner and an even more ruthless warrior. The Saiyans of her universe never knew how fortunate they were, as the Freeze force did not exist in their universe. Without Freeza and his family to limit their growth, The Saiyans were able to expand beyond Planet Vegeta eventually although it took quite a bit longer. They eventually set out to conquer their home galaxy and nearly succeeded in doing so. Unknown to the war-hungry Saiyans however, another, far more ancient and vicious race had set their sights on the Saiyan's home galaxy after annihilating the inhabitants of the East, West and South Galaxies and adding them to their own Empire.

Although the Saiyans attempted to do what they did best, the unknown warriors cut through them without much effort over years of bloody battle and more and more planets began to fall to the unknown warriors. Eventually, the Saiyans were beat back to Planet Vegeta and the Planet itself was wiped clean of all life after a massive battle. Tabaga, whose grip on her mental stability was already hanging by a thread after continued losses to the invaders, was forced to watch and know she could do nothing as Planet Vegeta finally fell. As she watched flames engulf her home planet, something inside her snapped. She could feel her power rising exponentially and a massive golden aura began to surround her. She didn't exactly remember what happened next, but she had flashes of memory of the invaders being cut down by the dozens and of a massive explosion that wiped out all life in Planet Vegeta's solar system. The last flash of memory she had was a rather tall unknown figure placing her in an attack ball, looking down at her and telling her everything would be fine as the hibernation sequence began to activate.

What seemed like minutes for her were actually years outside of the attack ball. Unknown to Tabaga, her attack ball had been moved. It was no longer in her home universe, rather it sitting outside of a ruined temple.

Techniques:
Ki Sword:

Dragon Cannon:

Dragon's roar: Tabaga unleashes a massive Ki blast from her mouth that causes expanding waves of destruction. Not very effective in range unless she is in Super Saiyan form or above.))

Transformations:

Super Saiyan: Tabaga unlocked this technique after the fall of the Saiyan Home world. It may not have allowed her to save her home-world but it allowed her to take revenge on those who aided in it's destruction.

Other Info: A universal war between the Saiyan Race and a race of unknown warriors who annihilated everything in their path is what destroyed Tabaga's home galaxy. The Unknown warriors couldn't be stopped through normal means and cut down everything in front of them.

[User]
Mia was following the discussion intently. Well, as intently as one can when stuffing one self with food and coffee at an alarming rate. Alarming for her calorie count that is. There was quite enough to go around. She on the other hand hadn't eaten properly in almost a day and was most assuredly making up for lost time. And besides, she'd burn it off sooner rather than later.

At some point though she was finished, or close to it anyway, and the time had come to chime in. Or at the very least point out the plainly obvious.
"None taken."
"And somehow I think that's, like, the point." She took another sip of coffee.
"I don't know about you guys but I am no detective. Not unless you count punching as an investigative skill. And this whole universe destruction stuff is frankly going over my head."

She had a point. Something destroying universes was not just a physical impossibility for the most part but also just a matter of logistics. I mean, how the bloody hell do you destroy a whole universe? The energy required to do so alone would need to be... universal. Mia wasn't stupid, far from it, but it didn't take a genius to realize they were missing pieces of the puzzle here. Either that or they were going up against a literal god. She hoped it was the former.

Thus, she continued "So my guess is our best bet is to go in there, find one of those whatevers that were messing the place up and hit him or her repeatedly some place soft until we get some answers. Or at least the name of the next person up to 'visit'."

"And if they happen to find us first that just makes our job easier."

She said this fully seriously, and with a honest smile that lacked any malice. It was just a statement of fact, nothing more. And yet it was exactly that which make the fact that she was talking about finding someone to torture for information somewhat awkward.

You would expect such reasoning from most of you. But you had been through wars and done nasty things. She hadn't. Not that you knew this. But even so would any of you really said it so matter of fact and without dropping their morning coffee smile? Maybe you would. In which case this was you looking into a mirror you might not have wanted to see.

Mia for her part was equally surprised. This was not exactly her usual style after all. And maybe it was this strange alien coffee speaking but honestly at this point she didn't give a bleep. She wanted some answers. And frankly some payback as well. And while she wasn't quite ready to kill for them just yet a little percussive persuasion was a line she would cross happily.

As she said this she took another long and slow sip from the cup whilst casting a careful look over the team. They knew she was right. Or at least that no matter what the plan was this is how it would inevitably turn out. How they would make it turn out...

You don't just take a bunch of really strong people and kill everyone they love without making it personal.

[Assistant]
The Kai listened to the concerns that were brought up and did her best to answer them as best she could. She wasn't exactly sure what awaited them in Tabaga's universe since the Dimensional Scanner couldn't read into the universe itself, all it could say was that Tabaga's universe was still intact.

"But we're just the victims of all this. How are we supposed to know what to look for? How are we supposed to recognize something important even if we do see it? We're going to a completely different universe," for most of them anyway, "everything is likely to seem strange to us to begin with. I do hope your plan extends beyond sending us there in the first place."

"Right now, we're simply going to go into Tabaga's universe and see what we're dealing with and that's it. I don't want any of you to engage in any fighting with anyone or anything. I believe the term a few of my time patrollers often used was "Recon". As far as I'm concerned you'll be staying for less than ten minutes. The Dimensional Scanner can't look into her universe for some reason, all it's been able to say is that Tabaga's universe is intact."

"I'm not especially looking forward to running into people asking me what I'm doing with saiyans for example. My people tend to be aggressive warriors in my universe, and we don't get along with saiyans. I bet Tabaga's version of my people are either completely different, or very similar. I'm just worried about the dynamics of our team. I mean no offense to those who are here."

Tabaga finally spoke up after Darbin finished speaking. "Sorry to break it to you big guy, but before I was brought here I'd never seen one of your people as a threat to the saiyans before in my life. We were actually on pretty good terms with your people. One of you actually set up shop on Planet Vegeta as a shopkeeper before the end. And remember, the enemy we were fighting back in my home universe didn't leave survivors. They would just burn all life from a world and then move onto the next. I honestly doubt we'll find anything alive in my universe but I'm tempted to indulge the Kai here."

[User]
Yaksha finished sipping his coffee, paying no heed to the display of gluttony of others that had been lured by the buffet. At least that seemed to pacify some people, which was integral to building spirit. Yet to his surprise, a Saiyan out of all things, had not even tried to touch the entincing food.

The same saiyan that had grabbed his neck earlier. Good grief, such a troublemaker... always standing.

He took a piece of bread and gnawed it without much care and manners, eating aggressively as ideas were traded back and forth. He was annoyed by several things that had been sail. He chewed and gulped and then he spoke.

"What do we know is these are a multiversal army, with enough troops to overthrow a multi-planetary regime. Even if Saiyans are known to ape it when it comes to management, they probably have enough enemies to drown us in a tide of never ending battles. We are few. They are many. And well equipped. We can't fight them on even ground."

"So we will use wits and smarts, and use any piece of information we can find." Yaksha said. "Besides..."

"What they have done to all of us, doesn't deserve an easy way out. I want to crush them so badly, deny their grandiose plans, and make them die, cursing in fear and confusion. Such is a fitting end for those who crush Universes worth of people. Regardless of our background, or how mismatched we are, we are avengers now. Our fists carry the conviction of trillions of deaths. We cannot afford a misstep."

Yaksha said.

"Our first stop should be a peculiarity of any given Universe. A place that is unbreachable, even for those who can use Instant Transmission, unless they somehow gain the ability to sense godly ki. From that place, one can sense the entire universe. " Yaksha said, taking a slurp of juice absently-minded. His throat was a little dry.

"The World of the Supreme Kais. Perhaps we might find others who we can liason with." He paused. He sincerely wished more Kais were alive, but even that was doubtful. "Regardless of it, if one does know the technique that attendants of Supreme Kai learn, we could instantly move to any point of the universe back and forth, and use that place as vantage point."

"Fortunately, Lady Chronoa is the second Supreme Kai I have the pleasure to work with. So I do know said technique."

[Assistant]
The Kai smiled at Yaksha's words and began inputting commands into the Dimensional Scanner. The device flashed green twice and a soft beeping sound began to fill the air as a moment later, a large swirling greenish-blue portal appeared in front of the group. "As you can see, the portal is now open and the time is now." She said simply. "Remember, I just want you all to take a quick look around and if you see anything or anyone that looks hostile, Do. Not. Fight. It. Your mission here is to observe and that's it."

Tabaga slowly rose to her feet and stepped towards the portal and took a deep breath.

"I'm not expecting home to look like anything I remember. But at the least maybe I'll be able to put some demons to rest." She said quietly as she stepped though the portal and it shimmered slightly behind her.

[User]
Maize finished scuffing down what she could when it became clear that it was time to go. She didn't care much for the conversation before and didn't care much for the Kai's Observe Only order. She started walking towards the shimmering green-ish blue purple and turned her head to look at the Supreme Kai. "No promises. Recon missions don't typically stay recon for long. I'll at least try to punch answers out of them if it comes to it."

Before Lady Chronoa could object Maize walked through the portal causing it to shimmer once more behind her.

[Assistant]
Titanius

[M-3]

Titanius drank in as much information as possible, which did include the food as well, though only a sampling of each item just to taste test everything. There was some more talking but then at last things were starting to move forward. A portal was opened by the Supreme Kai through which his sensors failed to pick up anything, no doubt the transference into another universe being the key problem.

"Information is the key element we lack at the moment and so prioritizing recon is a must." He said it as a reminder, but he had no idea if anyone in the vicinity would heed his words, pure organics tended to be rather emotionally based after all. Maize's statement upon entering the portal did pose quite a few problems but there was nothing to do about it now.

The main objective was to try and figure out by what mechanism the enemy was destroying universes and what was preventing them from doing so in this one. A tall order to be sure but most likely the answer would be hidden in a location not obliterated by the enemy. With his main objective firmly planted in his mind, he stepped through the portal and found himself...

[User]
Yaksha urged the temptation to facepalm. Chronoa should not have asked the help from any saiyan whatsoever. He was being proven right, as one of the uncivilized monkey girls seemed to be roused at the prospect of battle, ignoring completely the strategy. The Earthling sighed. "Monkeys..."

With a tired expression, he gave a last glance at the Supreme Kai. "I will try to stop her if necessary." He then snapped his fingers, being enveloped in the telltale cloud of Transformation magic, and coming out as someone completely different.

"Wish me luck, then." "She" then stepped inside the portal.

[Assistant] Given the circumstances things could certainly become dire in an instant, with a whole galaxy's timeline flayed, what kind of horrors would await them in the wreck? Was there anything even there besides the destroyers? It was a quagmire of uncertainty and doubt that kept Darbin from wondering just how exactly the Kai intended to get to the bottom of this. He was no detective, or mastermind strategist he was a soldier. All the same doubt was not something he could afford. Darbin stepped through the portal with no doubt in his mind about what he was going to do once this all came to a conclusion. He hoped it would be at least one that he wouldn't find repulsive.


[System]
Sheets
(Pic here. Please no anime.)
Gen:
Allegiance:
Nature/demeanor: (optional)

Strength:
Dexterity:
Stamina:

Charisma:
Manipulation:
Appearance:

Perception:
Wits:
Intelligence:

Abilities: (I'm not listing them, just fill in what you have at what)

Backgrounds: (don't bother with Gen, I get it)

Disciplines:

Humanity:

History:

Plans for the Apocalypse:

(Pics here human and apocalyptic. Please no anime.)

Name:
House:
Faction:
Visage:
Nature/demeanor: (optional)

Strength:
Dexterity:
Stamina:

Charisma:
Manipulation:
Appearance:

Perception:
Wits:
Intelligence:

Abilities: (I'm not listing them, just fill in what you have at what)

Backgrounds: (don't bother with Gen, I get it)

Lore:

Torment:

History(human and demon):

Plans for the Apocalypse:
(Pic here. Please no anime.)
Name:
Allegiance:
Nature/demeanor: (optional)

Strength:
Dexterity:
Stamina:

Charisma:
Manipulation:
Appearance:

Perception:
Wits:
Intelligence:

Abilities: (I'm not listing them, just fill in what you have at what)

Backgrounds:

Humanity:

History:

Plans for the Apocalypse:

[User]
Stover was a tiny town in the middle of Missouri. Two major roads met in T that connected the north east side of Missouri to the major tourist attraction, the Lake of the Ozarks.

The town had a feed store, a grocery store, two gas stations, three churches, a bar, and a diner. There was a single school that covered all grades k-12. The population never seemed to climb above 1,000, as most of the young folk who were not connected to a family farm or business skipped town as soon as they could. Stover had its rednecks, but surprisingly few, actually housing decent country folk. This was not a town to hold a healthy supernatural population... Except for two things.

In the forest south of town was one of the biggest fonts of energy in the region. Changlings, Mages, wraiths, and the changing breeds quarreled over the font for generations until a lone vampire came and brought order to the region. Under a loose, but binding treaty, the supernatural population in and around Stover worked together to protect the font, and the people, from outside threats. This Union didn't set well with many of the supernatural communities, but many could not find a reason or way to object.

The second feature was the tourists. With an almost constant stream of strangers going through town, it was easy to have strange people come and go with little question. With the entirety of the law, church, and media under someone in the union's control, the supernatural population of Stover were free to operate in peace. The Vampire did not hold his own kind above that of the others, working deals and trade with every kind, ensuring everyone had what they needed without infighting.

Even before the flash on the screen faded, something deep inside whispered a disbelieving memory. 'The Morning Star'. There was an instant urge to get back to L.A. The image of the Angel burned into the eyes so that even after the screen turned to snow, the image of Lucifer in all his glory could still be seen. It was truly him. Somewhere deep inside, he just knew. The Devil himself was in the city of angels. Two other feels, like a sixth sense arose. The sense of God... No, not quite, but something Truly Holy. And a burning fear. A dread that something far worse is coming.

The current job, investigation of a family known as the Giovanni, known to have ties to both vampirism and necromancy, had taken James to the East coast. After a month of of paper trails and stake outs, James had found the house, but no Giovanni. None living or undead anyway. The mansion on the coast was crawling with zombies and wraiths. Not simple ones either. These were old souls, and the things they animated were no joke either. The Giovanni meeting seemed to be at an end, however, as some of the zombies happened to be some of the family he had followed here. He had just gotten back to the motel when the news peeked. He would still have to pack and head out.

The roads all across the country were crazy. Looters, doom sayers, evacuators, all trying to get somewhere, and James was forced to stay on the back roads on his was to L.A. Once, when reentering some semblance of life along the outskirts of St. Lewis, MO, reception returned to James' phone, showing he had a voicemail. It said it was from Lauren, but there was a woman on the message.

"James. My name is Fara, and I am calling on behalf of Lauren, as he is recovering. He was in the fight in L.A. and can't speak at the moment, but he suggested you may be able to help us with something. L.A. is in ruin right now, and the military has it quarantined, so you can not return there yet. There was a group that appeared in LA in the middle of the battle, then vanished as it ended. This group is a legend. A myth. But there were far too many witnesses to disbelieve. This group calls itself the Carnival of Chaos. Werewolves have very little dealings with them except that it is said they have an abomination in their ranks. An abomination that once was a writer of our sacred books. We need you to see what you can find on them. We need to know if they have anything to do with the Apocalypse, and what side they are on. We would go, but we have too many injured. Lauren seems to think you may be on your way back to LA... The only thing we could get from the group is that it is supposed to contain a collection of several kinds of supernaturals, and they may have something to do with odd occurrences in a place called Stover Missouri.

James. Don't jack around. These people have been said to topple entire towns, killing vampire princes and everyone involved with them. This is serious, which is why we need to know their intent. Be careful. Lauren will be OK, and I will have him call when he can." *Click*
If James tried to call back, he would get a voicemail.

The Society of Leopold has been on the move as a whole for months. All over the world, supernatural activity has surfaced on a larger scale than any time since the dark ages. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and even Demons have made themselves known in some kind of panic. A band of priests and paladins had been sent to Cairo and Los Angeles, and though they were told not to hold back, neither returned. The Sisterhood of Saint Claire had been sent to both these locations with another small band of hunters to see if anything could be done, Sister Meredith being sent to America.

After landing in Florida, the group had acquired a pair of RVs, one for the nuns, the other for the hunters, and had headed west. The events of the L.A. battle occurred while the group sat at the family ran diner of "Mom and Dads" for lunch in Stover Missouri. The four other customers, plus 5 staff members all glued to the small ceiling mounted TV. Drinks were clumsily refilled, and checks not even printed, as the day wore on, but no one moved from their seats. Then came the Morning Star. A flash of brilliant light followed by the image of an angel bathed in light and glory. A couple of the nuns reflexively crossed themselves, tears pouring from their eyes.

The hunters immediately left as the TV suddenly clicked to static, the image of the angel still burned on the screen. The nuns however, sat, all looking to Meredith. There was a mix of reactions around them. One of the cooks instantly went back to work, though his blank stare showed he wasn't really home upstairs. Many quietly got up and left as if they had all paid and were simply through. One of the waitresses broke down, fell to her knees and began to pray. Someone else was praying as well in the back, though it was in another language. The manager simply turned and went into his office, a solid click showing it was firmly locked.
There is a sudden spark of terror that strikes all Malkavians at once. It it there only a moment with the thought of Caine. Then it is gone. More echoes follow of panic, fear, elation, and triumph from lesser malks all around the world. The first however, was the strongest ever felt by the madness network. After this there is nothing but static. Excited static, but no more than is ever buzzing the cobweds. Then came a vision. A lone Malk. Anthous, or Anthony or ant colony, who knows. There are images of a circus, a freak show. Supernatural beings acting for humans. Beings pretending to be humans pretending to be beings. Wasn't that in a movie once? Moving on. Caine! Mark of of the lord keeps Caine safe, but the lord isn't here. Who's keeping Caine safe? Caine keeps Caine safe. Safe to walk the halls of his city. The first city, the dead city. Were the dead live. Caine is Hungry.

Another wave of fear from that strongest source.

Angel of death. No. No angel, no demon. Reaper. Caine's last chance. Never! Rage, contempt, pride. Lucifer! But not. The morning star. Execution, the end, the end times. A black marble? What the hell? Moving on. The marble is cracked. Breaking more as it spins in nothing. Not nothing, a labyrinth?

Image of the old wooden Labyrinth game.

Something's coming from the ball. Light and anti light. Like a firework. Fourth of July?

Something else among us. "They Live". Good movie. Seen it? Moving on.

L.A. city of angels. All Too True. Angel, and devil, and death! It begins. The trinity has come together. The truth is out there. Not a fan. Aliens? Really? Aren't we fucked up enough? L.A. Been there, done that, got a bloody T-shirt. I have seen the devil. Huh.

A circus ticket appears
"Carnival of Chaos"
701 N Oak St, Stover, MO 65078

Be there or be squared.... Or dead...

[Assistant]
James redirected himself on the road, heading for a place called Stover. James hadn't operated in the back country much, especially not that of the Midwest, and he was still a bit on-edge from the Giovanni case, and the news spectacle from L.A. He was also worried about Lauren, and desperate to talk to him, especially given the recent...memories transpiring in James' head. Akiel... This name reverberated through the whole of James' being, causing a nagging feeling that something else was with him. Something...ancient. There was also a spiritual feeling, one of an entity that felt both new and familiar to James, the presence of something powerful and Holy. These thoughts wrapped themselves around James' mind as he drove, and would not cease for another hour.

Pulling into the town of Stover, James located the center of town, looking over the various businesses and houses in the small town. Locating a bar, James pulled into the parking lot, stepped out of his car, and walked in. The bar was rather full given the time of day, but James supposed it was natural given the events that had recently transpired. Ignoring the looks parted on him by the townsfolk, he stepped up to the bar and took a seat at a stool, waiting quietly for the bartender to approach him. "Whiskey, on the rocks, with a water back." He said to the bartender, who walked of to prepare his drink. Gently tapping his fingers against the bar, James would simply watch the muted news broadcast on TV waiting for his drink to arrive.

When the bartender returned, James thanked him, but spoke to him before he could walk off. "James Odeman, private investigator. I'm in town as part of a case, and in need of some information. Recent events have brought me here, and I was wondering if you could help me. See, I'm looking for a carnival supposed to be in this area. Would you happen to know anything about that, or know anyone who might?" As he waited for the bartender's reply, James sipped at his drink, watching the person carefully.


[System]
Age: 16

Race: Human

Gender: Female

Appearance:

A bright eyed girl from the Steppes of the Northeastern highlands, she carries with her a brightness and optimism that would lead one to believe her a simple runaway girl with dreams of adventure. Her complexion is tanned from her time spent under the open sky, and she seems to be in a perpetual good mood, judging from her omnipresent smile. She is of a lithe build, and has a slightly bowlegged stance from her life spent riding on a horse. Her arms and legs are fairly toned and muscular for her frame, making her a lot stronger than your average girl from a farm.

She is almost perpetually seen with her hair in a ratty mess, the only restraint to it being her hairband that keeps her bangs from blocking her vision entirely. Her outfit usually consists of a traditional tunic of the Steppe, with large sleeves that give her arms free movement, a black long skirt that has been ripped at the sides to allow her legs more freedom, and a pair of leather sandals. When adventuring, she wears a leather breastplate beneath her dress for added protection.

Height: 5'7"
Eye Color: Amber
Hair Color: White

Personality:
A little ball of sunshine and happiness, there doesn't seem to be much in this life that can get the Steppe Archer down. She carries with her an almost infectious energy that brightens up the room, seemingly always in high spirits.

Her optimism is matched by her keen observation skills. In just a few minutes, she can identify the people in a room at a glance, and tell how someone is feeling by their expression. Despite her perceptive nature, she herself is very blunt, and often unable to think before she speaks. It is not uncommon for something she says to come across as harsh due to her lack of common sense compared to most other people.

Likes: Horses, Sweet Meats, and Flowers
Dislikes: Enclosed spaces, Negative thinking, and Insects
Hobbies: Leather working, Cooking, and Stargazing

History:
On the large rolling plains of the Northeastern Highlands, one is born, lives, and dies on the move. There is no pause available to the nomadic people, with each waking moment spent with focus being on procuring food, supplies, and, once those begin to run low, the focus shifts to uprooting the camps and moving elsewhere on the Steppe. Their society is organized by numerous small "tribes" that have banded together to form a Confederacy, overseen by a leader who rules for a period of ten years after a martial tournament is held between the greatest fighters of the tribes.

Before she was born, her father was heralded as the mightiest man on the Steppe, unbested in archery, and a master of wrestling. On the second year after she was born, he was dethroned and retired to his previous life of being a hunter to provide. In the time she spent with her father, she would learn the art of the hunt, and come to grow into a young girl. Life would proceed as it did, the circle of life in an unending loop, marching onwards with the beat of the people who's lives were spent chasing life. It wasn't all bad, not in the slightest. The meat was plentiful, the hunt was thrilling, and the life lead was one far from purposeless.

Eventually however, the decade-held tournament would be held, and with the rise of a new chief came new and bizarre laws. One of which being that a "bride" of each tribe was to be offered to his son, as if they were pieces of meat to be handed out. And quite unfortunately, she was "selected" as the delegated bride. Rather than accept some impish demand for her virtue and hand in marriage to some spineless whelp, she would instead flee the Steppe with her father and mother's blessings, figuring that she could eek out a living as a mercenary or adventurer.

With no military willing to accept such a young girl despite her demonstrated skills, she was left with no avenue but to become an adventurer, arriving in Palisade town on the Frontier due to its closeness to home.

Adventuring Rank: Porcelain

Equipment:
Nomad Bow: A composite recurve bow of Steppe Archer's own making, made out of horn, wood, and sinew. It is well used from the years that Steppe Archer has spent hunting. Due to its smaller overall size compared to a normal bow, it is ideal for shooting on horseback and while moving, while not sacrificing the power of a full bow.

Nomad's Sword: A steel curved sword resembling a slightly less curved scimitar. Ideal for slashing things apart, or gliding past something with a slash. Has a large enough grip to be two-handed.

Torchfire: A beautiful mature auburn colored horse that Steppe Archer rode into town on. Despite the fact that she isn't able to bring it on many adventures due to the danger, she still insists on keeping it stabled up in Palisade Town, just in case she needs it. She is Steppe Archer's pride and joy, and her greatest asset in battle on a more open plain.

Skinning Knife: A small knife that's sharp enough to cut through flesh. Usually used by Steppe Archer to skin the beasts that she slays, in order to sell the pelts for a sizable sum. Steppe life taught her never to be wasteful.

Steppe Ensemble: Steppe Archer's protective leather breastplate beneath her folk-style dress. Her clothes keep her cool in just about any climate, and the leather armor beneath provides enough protection to shield her from light damage.

Porcelain Adventurer's Tag

Skills:
Horseback Riding: There are few that can match the riders of the Steppe when it comes to equestrian based combat, and as a proud Steppe child, Steppe Archer can ride with the best of them.

Trap Setting/Disarming: Much of the Steppe's hunting is done using traps to catch prey. As such, Steppe Archer is proficient in finding the perfect spots to place traps, whether that be to aid her friends, or harm her foes.

Handy Woman: On the Steppe, work is divided amongst the men and women equally. As such, Steppe Archer is skilled with physical labor, capable of many tasks that many in the realm would consider "men's" work.

[User]
When told that Druid girl needed some herbs, Steppe Archer wasted absolutely no time in leaving with her little fairy friend to go and find them. "You got it!" she said before scampering off into the night with the fairy on her shoulder. With a description of the flower in question, the nomad girl headed off to the north of the goblin cave by following a constellation. It was easier to make her way back from coming North, since she just had to find the constellation again and walk in the opposite direction. Thankfully she would find a cluster of the flowers in place not too far away from the nest. With ginger precision she would pluck the flowers out from the roots, getting a grand total of eight of the herbs. She had no idea how many were needed, but she had to imagine that this many must be sufficient. And if she needed more, she could always circle the area...at least that's what she thought until her keen eyes caught the signs of old wolf tracks. They weren't close by, but it was a good indication that going further out meant venturing into dangerous territory.

With her bounty in hand, the archer would return after shooing off some badgers that seemed to be attracted to the smell about her. She was glad that animals seemed to steer clear from the goblin's nest, making her trek back fairly uneventful. When she came upon the druid girl once again, she proudly presented her eight herbs, asking: These are the ones, right? Do you need some more, or is this enough?"

[Assistant]
Druid Girl nodded as Steppe Archer accepted the task she'd been requested to do. She then perked up as Big Red rumbled his musings about herbs not being able to cure a dislocated foot. True enough, there wasn't a plant on the planet that could pop your joints back into place by merely being applied, but then again a dislocated foot couldn't kill you, unlike a still-bleeding or open wound which could get infected. The caramel-skinned girl decided not to say anything about that topic though, no need to go into semantics when the big fella was just trying to be helpful... In his own, awkward way...

She made a slight grimace when the reptilian man, rather brusquely, popped the goblin victim's foot back into place. The red-head herself made a quick, nasaly whine and blinked just as the sensation of pain coursed through her body, but other than that she made no discenrable or noteworthy sounds or movements that would indicate that she'd been much afflicted by the sudden treatment... Which was just depressing. Druid Girl gently stroked the poor thing's forehead in a vain attempt to comfort her. She didn't much care for the choice words that Big Red had used about him not liking to waste things...

"Helping someone is never wasteful." The druid state rather quickly after the lizard had spoken, and rather curtly. It was rather obvious that her kindness didn't agree with pragmatism or cold logic.

Still, she was gracious enough to thank the lizardman for giving up his potion, and she wasted little time administering it. After that, she told Big Red to be careful before he went back into the cave to retrieve the other bodies. Not that there was likely anything inside left that could actually hurt the behemoth, but it never hurt to wish someone well, and to remind them to be careful, no matter how big and broad their shoulders were.

Soon enough, the nomad returned triumphantly, brandishing the bounty which she had collected. Druid Girl smiled warmly as she took the plucked plants.

"These will do fine, thank you." She said, setting to work almost at once. She would strip the small saw-toothed leaves from the stems and then, using the very tip of her sickle, would cut into the plant's side, causing a small, translucent but still misty liquid to seep out.

She began to gently rub this syrup-y goo onto the places and injuries which their potions hadn't been able to fully close or heal. The dark skinned girl worked fast and efficently, but still managed to be both gentle and firm at the same time. Of course, her teacher would've been much better and done a far better job, not having wasted any of the flowers, but with what they had, the girl did just fine. When she was finally done, and all the wounds had been sutiably smeared, the raven-haired girl let out a sigh of relief, apparently having been holding her breath while she'd been working. With a soft smile she looked over at Steppe Archer.

"Good work, this'll really help her body recover, and I couldn't have done it without your help." She said, looking back to the poor girl on the dirt ground infront of her and gently stroking her forehead again. "Once Big Red gets back with... The other two... Do you think you could help him set up the pyre too? I want to stay and keep an eye on her." She paused. "And the sooner we send the others off, the quicker we can get back and ask that man if we can borrow his barn for the rest of the night." She added, furrowing her brow at the mention of the farmer. It wasn't like her to be angry at someone this long, but that man had just ruffled her feathers.

[User]
The Fighter was genuinely surprised by the lack of any thrashing or screams at the joint being put back in place. Was the girl that broken that she couldn't even instinctively make the effort to fight against pain? Just lay there and accept it? If she was going to be like this forever it honestly felt like it'd be a mercy to end her mental suffering. But he wasn't a Seer, he couldn't check the futures of anyone to see what it held for them.

Druid Girl commented on his words, making him shrug. "If there's little to no benefit to something helping it's a waste of what was provided aside from morale and moralities sake." He said as he vanished into the dark of the cave once more.

Upon returning to the group with the bodies and his own figure bristling with crude weaponry, and laying them out, he finally sat down. Reaching into his pack he pulled out a big chunk of jerky and tossed it into his maw before chewing. Tough meat, but still yummy. While he was chewing he pulled off all the weapons and tools he had gathered. Some of them seemed salvageable, mainly the tools since they were built hardier than a typical weapon.

Pulling out a rag he began wiping the sludge off the weapons and tools while he waited for Archer Girl to return to the makeshift camp while Druid Girl tended to the injured and fire. Getting rust off would take chemicals he didn't keep on his person, and the deep nicks couldn't be worked out with a simple whetstone. The handaxe and hatchet could be worked over though, same with the higher quality knives and the longsword.

Speaking of the floofy girl returned rather quick, clutching a fistful of the plant Druid Girl wanted. While those two took care of the salve...or whatever it was Druid Girl was going to do with it he set about gathered old and new wood. The green would burn longer, the old would catch faster. He kept it local, not moving too far out because of the darkness. But still it didn't take too long to gather a portion of lumber.

[Assistant]
There was no need to even ask the nomadic girl if she wished to help with the pyre or not; all people deserved a burial, regardless of who they were. Even a cremation counted in her eyes. Her task off providing the herbs to soothe the girl's injuries was over, so now she could help their lizard friend build up their stock of wood to burn. Human bodies would burn, but to actually turn most of the bones to ash would take a lot of heat.

She would gather wood as well as, focusing on gathering the dryer woods to get the temperature up quickly. ...Unfortunately, no matter what they did, this was going to reek like death. A burning corpse wasn't a pleasant smell. With her wood gathered, Steppe Archer would turn to the corpses laying on the ground and knit her hands together in prayer. "Spirits of ancestry, witnesses of your children's deeds, let these brave souls pass peacefully into your embrace..." she said, giving the best prayer her culture could manage; one reserved for warriors that died in battle defending their families. It may not have been the most accurate, but without a proper priestess, a prayer for fallen warriors was the best the Steppe Archer could do.


[System]
Real: Skadi Türkis
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Nationality: Atlesian
Color: #6ecff6
Emblem: A clipart of a brilliant cut diamond
Voice actor: Shirley Manson

Themes:
Main - Neutral - Happy - Angry - Sad - Semblance - Fighting - Victorious - Defeated
Appearance:

Diamond is a rather tall woman with a lean build, being 178 centimeters tall. She's only as strong as she needs to be, having developed a physique for slipping into tight spots and blending in with the crowd. The woman weighs around 62 kilos with slightly lower than average percentage of body fat.

The dominant feature of her face are her eyes, which are sky blue and have a turquoise glow to them due to her dust implant. Her hair is golden in color and cut short, styled into backwards facing spikes. As a northerner from Atlas, Diamond's skin is very pale.

The dust implanted in her caused a blue pattern to develop on her back and an overuse left a crystalline blue weblike pattern on her right arm. If she uses her ice spells, these along with her eyes glow blue, and her eyes flash into white when casting a kinetic spell.

She doesn't wear a battledress in the traditional sense, preferring not to be hindered by armor of any sort. With her semblance and dust implant she also prefers to leave her arms exposed, usually wearing a pair of sturdy boots, pants and a vest.

Diamond carries herself with pride most of the time and makes good use of nonverbal communication, having learned the meaning of various gestures and being able to use them to convey a different meaning from what she is actually saying. In combat she moves with the fluidity of a gymnast.

History:
During a particularly nasty winter, a child was born to an uncaring mother who barely had enough mercy to leave the girl on the doorstep of the first house far enough. As it so happened a rather poor elderly woman lived there and upon finding the crying newborn took her in. She gave the girl the name Diamond due to her blue eyes.
Unfortunately, five years later Diamond's adoptive mother died, leaving the girl to fend for herself on the streets. A crafty little thing, she quickly found out that instead of begging for the food, it was easier to simply take it when no one was looking.

Living in poverty, the girl has had enough after two more years. Growing stronger, nimbler and bolder, Diamond started rifling the pockets of unsuspecting passer-bys. It didn't take long for the gang whose territory she was on to threaten her into joining. Having nothing to lose and all to gain, Diamond was happy to accept.

In the next few years, Diamond slowly but steadily became great at her craft, rising through the gang's ranks nicely. It all came to an abrupt end however when another gang made a move on their territory. During the fight her semblance manifested and gave her the means of escaping the brawl without getting hurt. Afterwards, she went solo again.

After honing her skills for several more years and nearly getting caught a few times, Diamond made a reputation for herself in the underworld. Finally, she got contracted to pull an art heist for the first time. She started working as a hired gun, taking items of opportunity for herself along her jobs. For the next year, she lived quite the luxurious life and amassed significant wealth for her age.

Growing careless, Diamond got caught by an undercover cop while pickpocketing for change. Having nothing on her other than the pickpocketing, her sentence was just a year in juvenile detention.

Coming face to face with several less than pleasant experiences and generally starting to understand that when she barely survived a month of Atlesian Juvy, she would die in a lifetime in an Atlesian prison, Diamond started working her hide off to make something of herself, moving to Vale and paying herself a crash course to drastically improve her combat abilities.
A year later, she made it into Beacon.

Personality:
In one word, Diamond is a bitch. Sarcastic and cynical, she has nearly no moral blocks and will happily relieve you of money you didn't guard well enough just to show you she can. The concept of friendship is something new to her and it shows in her opinion on people swinging easily. Diamond can feed you complete garbage without losing a serious expression on her face. If you piss her off, prepare to suffer a thoroughly planned humiliation.

She might be a criminal, but she is a classy one. Violent crimes are a strict no-go unless something has gone horribly wrong. She quite enjoys the thrill of sneaking around and defeating various obstacles like motion sensors and locks. In her mind, every moron can rob a dust store at gunpoint, but it takes skill to do it in a way that makes the owner notice only a day afterwards.

Apparently she is not past redemption, because after Juvy, she decided to do something with herself and applied to be a huntress, even though her main reason is to hone her skills rather than to protect the people.

Skills:
* Combat
	+ Hand-to-hand: Average
	+ Short blades: Expert
	+ Long blades and polearms: Proficient
	+ Firearms: Lacking
	+ Dust: Beginner, talented
* Common
	+ Leading: She has what it takes to do well enough, but lacks self-confidence
	+ Lockpicking: Expert
	+ Hacking: Skilled with older systems, haven't kept up with recent advances
	+ Pickpocketing: Proficient
	+ Cooking: Wizard
	+ Drinking: Practice makes perfect

Powers:
* Inborn
	+ Shadowshifter - Diamond absorbs her shadow into her own being, gaining the ability to alter her own body much like the shadow before. She can turn any part of her body into a shadow form. In such a state, she is more resistant to physical damage, although her senses are somewhat dulled. The true ability is that Diamond can alter her shape within some bounds. Her shape has to remain humanoid in essence, but her limbs can stretch, sharpen or bulk up, for example she can grow talons or change her entire forearm into a blade. She can also turn flatten herself into a shadow to pass through small gaps like under the door.
* Acquired
	+ Ice dust implant - Diamond had Ice dust fused into her nervous system, giving her the ability to cast spells through her fantasy alone. This kind of dust allows her to create and manipulate ice. It comes with downsides though - too voluminous or quick casting will damage her nerves, or other tissues in later stages.
	+ Kinetic dust implant - Same as above, granting Diamond telekinetic abilities. Other than moving things with her mind she can also use this to project physical attacks over distance.

Relationships:
* Cobalt Chideta: "A passive lad. I don't mind him, but I also fail to notice he's in the room half of the time."
* Oswald Connoly: "Ugh! His attitude can be infuriating, especially when he's not much better than I am. It's in his eyes. He's seen - and done - some nasty things."
* Emerald Felicia: "Lovable goof, infuriating airhead. Just friends."
* Esther Vanhomrigh: "Just benefits."
* Träd Oak: "Smoking and drinking buddy. Quite possibly the only person in this school that I can stand without any reservations."
* Sapphire Rode: "Someone from an entirely different world than I. She has the right to her opinions. They're mostly wrong, of course, but hey."
* Kuhaku Shiro: "Infuriating klutz, comedic relief. Generally harmless and epically innocent."
* Skyra Dawn: "Very recent acquaintance. Dunno. Seems to follow the general feline faunus trend though."
* Amaranth Desire: "The reminder of the past I want to forget. Business, that's all it was."

Trivia:
* Diamond is left handed.
* She is afraid of deep waters.
* A quitting smoker.
* She likes red meat and high quality alcohol.

[User]
Luke Schwarze -- Gambit Success!

"I worked fast food a couple summers ago. Seen things you'd never believe." Luke replied with a smirk. Within seconds, the wristwatches were gauntlets once more and he turned to face the two leader-types left standing. He liked these odds much better than before. Much, much better.

Stepping his right foot back but not quite bringing his guard up just yet, he scrutinized the two further. Not much to tell besides "White Fang Member a step above the fodder".

Hm.

So I don't know anything 'till they show me.

With that in mind...

"Mind if I ask what the odds of us coming to a peaceful resolution here are? I'd rather we have a chat than get our hands dirty."

Two parts bravado, one part actual truth. It ended up coming out sounding much cooler than the fact of the matter. He wasn't too enthused about fighting somebody he knew nothing about.

They didn't need to know, though.

[Assistant]
Marcus Goldstein - Convoy Escort

"Go around? Dude you have a giant gun can't you just blow it up?" truck driver 3 complained. The tall wiry man Marcus privately dubbed 'captain hook' given the unfortunate shape of his nose and his tendency to assume he was in charge.

"Negative three. Might as well ring a giant dinner bell that we're here. I don't want to attract the attention." Macus replied coolly. His gun remained pointed at the fallen pile regardless. Optics zoomed in at the base of the quartz pillar, searching for the signs of the work of men. Pickaxes, high explosives, water cutters and their like all left highly tell-tale marks, if one knew what to look for. The thing that stood out in this case was the honeycomb of small tunnels cut through the rock at the base.

Marcus chuckled when the answer struck him.

"People, it was the bugs themselves that did it. I took a closer look at the pillar, they made so many tunnels at it's base that it became unable to support itself and just fell over." he said over the radio. He chuckled again, sitting up straighter. Stupid bugs got him all excited for nothing.

"Mister Rice I make up only a quarter of this team. Be assured that Oswald, Diamond and Aurellius are very capable in combat as well. Anyway Oswald the basic plan for the trucks is to make a run for it should something happen, remember?" Marcus said. Had he not been clear enough in his briefing? Whatever the case, it could wait, truck two spotted something ahead of them.

"The hell?" Marcus muttered as he zoomed in on their destination. The camp was surrounded by the wrecks of the previous convoys, fortified to hell and back. One convenient bottleneck remained as a pseudo entrance. This wasn't good. He counted at least seven different weapon traces in the battered transports. A fuzz entered his mind as the tank crossed some invisible threshold.

"Fuckblaarghaaddam." he snarled and threw a specific switch. Instantly nearly a full half of his sensors dropped dead. There was only so much military surplus a teenager could get his mitts on even with his parents helping out with paperwork. So by necessity a lot of the after-market electronics he'd strapped on where not rated against this level of jamming.

He blinked as he absorbed what Diamond yelled at him up on the turret. Okay, get a grip now Goldstein.

"To sum up: Radio's gone, a lot of my sensors are shot, and the camp is a write-off. That jamming means the ambush is already started. By the time reinforcements get here either we're dead or they're gone. Instead, Oswald, Aurell and me are going to attack them from the left. You sneak around and shut down that jammer. If you can grab paperwork or anything else that points to who is behind this and how they worked." he half shouted. These orders needed to be crystal clear, no pun intended. That done he slowed down to let Diamond off if she wanted to.

Further forward Oswald had the common sense to stop the trucks instead of run forward into an obvious choke-point. Marcus just prayed the drivers kept their engines idle. Breaks squealed as the tank came to a halt next to the lead truck.

"Trucks, back to Vale! We are clearing the camp and we'll radio you when we're done. Oswald, Aurellius on me, we are going to bust a wall down and sweep this place clean." the young officer ordered. Implied was the order that if no word was received from MODA the truckers were supposed to keep running all the way back and get them reinforcements. Or at least arrange a nice funeral. Once the two hunters had joined Marcus he went into a bit more detail. As he spoke he drove away from the entrance, going around the camp in a wide arc.

"Diamond's off to look for the radio jammer, we are the distraction. The enemy is a humanoid rebel group of some description. Check your targets! Could be prisoners or Diamond in there. For the rest, make some noise. We want all of their attention on us!" Marcus outlined.

"Can do!" Aurellius replied with an eager grin. The whine of his minigun spinning up underlined his words.


[System]
Age: Twenties
Short Bio: Originally born somewhere in Haiti as "Tallulah Black", Vivienne was born to a poor English mother, before she was abducted by slave traders, and forced into servitude under a retired-pirate named Albinus. After countless suffering, Vivienne finally shot him in self-defense, and escaped to New Providence, where she became a very intelligent con-artist, posing as a tavern prostitute, and stealing high-valued items from its customers. Eventually becoming a full-time buccaneer, hiring a crew that consisted John Silver as quartermaster, Vivienne went on many conquests and cunning crusades on her ship "Red Rose" to collect many different treasures and artifacts, becoming the first notorious female pirate to ever arise in the Caribbean. Since the discovery of Salazar's treasure, her personality started to change for the worst.

~ ~ ~

Name: John Silver
Age: Late Twenties
Short Bio: Also known as 'Long' John Silver, due to his claim of having a "long memory", charming con-man John is a walking-mystery to all. With a past most-unknown, and skills rivaling that of Vivienne Black, he originally insinuated himself into the crew of Captain James Flint, after their attack on a merchant ship John was upon. While visiting the brothel, John receives an offer he just couldn't refuse, after he found himself seduced by the 'beauty-of-the-sea': He willingly dived into opportunities, after becoming quartermaster to the crew of Vivienne's Black 'Red Rose'. Some speculate that it's just about looking out for number one, but others speculate that bonds and ties may have made him a bit too staunch...especially when it involves the Lord's daughter.

[User]
Vivienne listened to the young girl's response, and a look of sympathy appeared on her beautiful, coy-looking face. The pirate is more surprised at this girl's courage, and the last thing she wanted, was to make tensions go higher. So she was quite impressed with her wit. Speaking of this said-wit, Abigail willingly turned around to face the woman, and Vivienne allowed the girl to do so, but still kept the silver blade at her neck. "Once again, I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Abigail", she lowly, and softly responded in confirmation.

The pirate had to admit that she felt a slight bit of fondness for the girl before her, and she did feel a tad bit regretful to put her in such a position. But she was her ticket to get out of the hands of authority right now, so she kept up the act in this very dangerous game.

Abigail was only at least five-foot five or so, and the task at hand wasn't hard. The pirate perked her eyes up in a challenging way with a coy smirk towards the English, before turning her attention back to the girl before her. "It's been a pleasure. A young woman, who has a whole life ahead of her, does not deserve such an early fate", she simply said, with that grin again. "I appreciate your concern, but I've come prepared", she added with a wink, before carefully turning her back around.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'd love to stick around and chat, but I have some business to attend to!", the brunette announced as she walked backwards slowly, with Abigail still in her grip. Suddenly, she let her go, pushing her back to them, before grabbing a rope behind her that was tied to a tall gantry. Kicking a belaying pin nearby, and allowing a counterweight to fall, she was being lifted up to the top of the structure.

[Assistant]
Facing her uncle and the others, Abigail kept her chin up. She could make out Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye. Her cousin looked extremely worried. It was touching a bit but honestly, she didn't feel like there was any danger. Feeling Vivienne slowly pull her along, moving backwards, she did her best not to trip as that would work against Vivienne.

If she was trying to escape, that would have been ideal. A slight trip backward, use her weight to push back against the woman behind her. She might get nicked but all in all, she'd probably come out alright. But Abigail couldn't - wouldn't - do that. If the woman was captured again, she'd be hanged and that was something Abigail couldn't stomach.

She had seen a few hangings in her time. The daughter of a lord and governor of a province, she had been required to go to a few public executions. Thankfully for her, most of her time was spent in London or here at Port Royal. The former - justice was carried out by others and thus she didn't have to go. The latter, she was spared due to the fact her uncle was a bit more tender toward her and Elizabeth and tried to shield them. Still, the few that she had seen had left her a bit sick. The snapping of the neck, or worse - the death from suffication, where the body twisted and turned trying to get air - even now the thought of it made her have to swallow.

She would not let her rescuer get that fate.

So when she was surprisingly pushed forward and released, Abigail quickly thought on her feet and took the off-balance push and letting it fall into a more clumsy fall that put her in the pash of the soldiers. It wasn't obvious as it happened quickly and no one but her and Vivienne had known how much force had been in that push.

As she was grabbed and handed out of the way, Abigail felt her cousin's arms engulf her in a hug, even as she watched the woman flee.

[User]
"Now will you shoot her?!", the governor demanded of the Commodore, and the order was made by the man himself, as the muskets began to blaze. "Open fire!"

They were shooting at her now, and a shot grazed one of her bare legs, as she used her strength to jump from the tall structure, and on top of another. Wasting no time, Vivienne snapped the manacle chain over a line before her, and zip-lined herself down from the structure, eventually landing on her feet upon the ground of dirt, a few yards away from the dock, and running. Running as her organza bustle gently waved behind her in the wind, keeping herself low from the bullets of the muskets. A few women screamed in terror as a few of the men's shots ricocheted, and came perilously close to them as they whizzed by. Vivienne ran through the gunfire, sprinting across the bridge and passed the terrified ladies.

Clearly, she had no idea where she was going. Vivienne may have been to many ports, but Port Royal wasn't one of them. Not to mention that the British now use it as a non-pirate port. For that, she had no direction on where she was going; only ending up at the port's market. Trying hard to steer clear, it was now becoming difficult on where to go. Coming out of her hiding spot behind the smithy's statue. So far, there was no where beyond the smithy for her to go; 'red coats' were everywhere, looking and searching.

Slipping herself into the working smithy, Vivienne figured that there would be something in there that could get the stubborn manacles off of her. Not to mention that she had an injury to tend on her leg. Seeing the fire nearby, she placed her wrists inside the fire pit, so the blazing heat will allow her to break the iron. Wincing a bit in pain, she gave her wrists a mighty tug, until it snapped, making the chain break. With that out of the way, and placing her pistol nearby on the work bench, she ripped off a parchment of her dress to wrap it around the spot where one of the British soldiers grazed her. It was bleeding, and the bullet had to be removed, but with time being an ass, Vivienne couldn't. Not until proper treatment. For now, she just wrapped it around her right thigh.

[Assistant]
Abigail watched as the woman made her escape. It was amazing. Brilliant. Still, she bit her lip slightly as the muskets went off. Thankfully nothing hit the other woman. She didn't get to watch much more as Elizabeth pulled her away from it.

"I'm fine." Her insistence was ignored, as had been her earlier pleas to let the woman go. That was one disadvantage for being young and female. Nobody seemed to take her seriously.

After Elizabeth ensured she was fine, then her uncle, and finally the Commodore - Abigail found herself whisked off with a safe escort back to the governor's mansion. She glanced over at Elizabeth.

"Sorry I fell off during the wedding. Had you said the vows yet?" She asked. She figured it probably wouldn't be good idea to bring up that they just let Vivienne go. Especially with her uncle across from her.

Still, her mind was slightly distracted as she wondered if the woman made it.

~ ~ ~

He should have been back to the blacksmith shop by now. But honestly, Will hadn't been overly eager to head back. His master was probably drunk and the streets had been fairly deserted what with everyone up at the wedding. It gave him some time to think. Time, he probably shouldn't have used as it had just made the whole situation more depressing. The girl he loved was marrying another. It would have never worked but that didn't make the pain any easier. He felt like someone had punched him hard in the gut and then jabbed a knife or two into his heart before leaving him.

And the solitary walk hadn't helped any.

Entering the shop, he glanced over toward the corner. He made a disgusted noise in his throat and shook his head. Sure enough, his master had been drinking and was out drunk. "Right where I left you." He shook his head. He moved forward and then stopped. Looking down at a tool he frowned. "Not where I left you."

He looked up. That's when he saw her. She was very attractive and in her current position, a bit immodest. But that quickly slipped his mind as he saw the shackles, the weapons and realized who she was.

Lightning fast he drew a sword and held it out toward her. "You're the one everyone's talking about," he said. "The one that kidnapped the Governor's niece."

He had picked up the news on his final leg back. He would have gone to check on if Elizabeth and her cousin was ok but he figured they were now. No doubt heavily guarded and his going over there would not be appreciated. Especially as he'd then have to explain why.

But it worked out. Because right here was the woman who had threatened the life of Elizabeth's cousin. And that meant she brought grief and stress to Elizabeth. Something he would not tolerate.


[System]
Age: 16

Appearance:

Occupation: Princess

Personality: Living a sheltered life where everything is taken care of for you results in a fairly selfish attitude. Anise is a confident girl who believes that she can get whatever she wants so long as she asks for it. She is impatient. She loves stories and art. She is a proud girl with a know-it-all attitude. The only people allowed to tell her what to do in her mind are her father and her fiance. She can be headstrong from time to time, and will often take action without thinking it through. She is extraordinarily naive. Overall... she certainly is quite the princess.

History: Anise grew up without want or need for anything. Everything she asked for she received. Her whole life was perfect as far as she was concerned. She had a personal maid that did everything the told her to. She never learned what fear was. She never knew true hunger. She lived a carefree life in her Father's castle reading books and painting. Her only outside time was spent in the garden on the castle's grounds where she learned about the flowers there. Father had found the perfect prince for her to marry, Harrison Lyons. Never had she actually met the young man, but that didn't matter to her, after all Father knew best. The wedding was supposed to be soon, but now that is completely up in the air, after all she has been spirited away.

[User]
Anise listened as Morly explained that the lake was forbidden. However, forbidden or not, she knew what she had to do. She smiled as he stated that he had never broken the rules before and let her get onto the boat.

Anise already liked Morly. He was just as fun and exciting to be with as Tyaelaem was even though they had just met. She was just caught off guard by Reus' sudden attempting to climb into the boat. She didn't think that he would try so suddenly. At least he was careful enough not to capsize the boat.

Anise found it quite amusing to watch the theatrics happen between Morly and Reus. Reus stubbornly stood his ground as he was told to go back to the witch's house. Anise didn't like the sound of witch, but remained quiet while she thought of a solution. He probably ran away from the witch and that's why he chose to follow her after they met the last time. "Reus, could you follow from the shore?" She gently as possible connected to his mind using the lantern to get a clear response from him. She also wanted to know anything else he might have to say about Morly.

She faced Morly and brightly said. "Thank you, Morly, I won't let you get into trouble because of us."

[Assistant]
Artemis raised an eyebrow at the knight's back. Enthusiastic old codger, wasn't he? But then she paused when she watched him clamber up onto the platform – and the metal remained dull and lifeless. Scrunching her eyebrows together, she glanced up at him and then down to the metal again. Why wasn't it glowing like it did for her? She watched as he climbed up the tree, idly wondering at the sight of a rusty old knight scooting his way along the branches. All the while she took in his words, desperate for any clues to explain her new situation.

"Please be careful up there, Sir Neary," she called. He was the only resource she had. Wouldn't that just be grand if he fell and injured himself when she still had no clue as to where she was? "Have you ever seen such a tree before?"

Her eyes widened when he waved away some bizarre bat-monkey creature.

So chimeras were commonplace, based on his reaction. Ticking trees were not, but not so out of the ordinary as to be wonders. The runes did not glow for him.

Artemis looked back to the man when he called for her to stand under the lantern. She eyed the platform warily. But… he had a point. Gathering herself and clutching her staff just a bit tighter, she stepped up. Sure enough, the runes came to life, their glow mingling with the lantern's crimson light. Artemis stepped forward, trying not to look hesitant, until she was standing under the lantern, arms held out to catch it. Her staff sat upright, leaning against her shoulder.

"I'm ready."

[User]
Reus snorted and flicked an ear, glaring stubbornly at Anise -- but he finally sat on the shore with an irritable huff. Anise would once again get the feeling that he highly objected to having his mind probed by the lantern, but this time he allowed her just enough access to assure her of Morly's trustworthiness. The young kith perpetually traversed the length of the river; Reus had never seen him on shore. Morly transported supplies and passengers for Kith and Pirate alike, declaring the river to be a neutral zone, and so was left on his own.

Morly pushed away from the shore with his stick. "As long as we're on the river we're safe. Everybody knows that. But once we cross the witch's barrier at the lake, she'll come running. We just gotta be quick. I'm the quickest, though."

As the raft began to float downstream, Reus stood and began to follow along on the shore. He lowered his head and flicked an ear, peering across at Anise, and willingly communicated with the Lantern.

The last time the wolf had seen the witch, she had been leading Simon away from the red Lantern where the boy had first appeared. Reus would have liked to blame Simon for the witch's disappearance, but his investigations had proven differently.

The witch was gone, as far as he knew. Arin -- the murderer whose corpse had provided the blue lantern to Anise's possession now -- had maliciously destroyed the source of the witch's power and protection. The witch, unknowing, had led Simon into her house -- and then the wild trees had broken into the house and snatched both Simon and the witch away into the forest. Reus had searched for her -- but had found Anise, Randold and Hania instead.

But Simon was here, alive. Perhaps the witch was alive somewhere, too.

The raft was picking up speed, and Reus broke into a trot to keep up.

"So yer lookin' for the pirate ship, huh?" Morly called over the sound of the rushing water. "There's lotsa neat things on the ship, I heard. Maybe even a dragon egg. How're you plannin' to get past the gryphons, then? They like to sit on the mast. Everybody knows that."

---

"Hm?" Sir Neary hummed as he scooted along the branch, knife in-hand. "Oh yes, my lady, I certainly know a thing or two about these ticking trees! They were created by the first artificers, centuries ago, in order to keep the dragon eggs in a weakened state. The clockwork enchantments suck power from the egg continuously, so it may do no more harm." He paused, huffing, and wiped his brow with a gauntleted hand. "The eggs must be kept trapped and separate, or risk the end of this world as we know it. This tree is a very important prison." He put the knife to the glimmering thread that held the lantern.

"But the situation has changed." He sawed at the thread. His voice had changed to an airy hiss. "There's an alternative plan."

The thread snapped and the lantern plummeted.

The tree clanged and clattered, broken with a metallic clamor inside the hollow trunk.

In the same instant, the glowing metal floor dropped out from under Artemis, and she -- with the Lantern glowing steadily red -- fell into the gaping cool abyss below.

As she fell, the form of Sir Neary vanished. In his place was a dark shadow with hollow gray eyes, watching her fall.

Artemis would hear the rushing rapids before she splashed into cold foamy water. The rapids whisked her away down a sloping dark passage, twisting and turning and dropping, and the Lantern tumbled after her.

The speed of the water slowed by degrees, and Artemis dropped, finally, into deep water.

When she raised her head to the surface, she would draw a breath of fresh night air. She had ended up in a narrow river that cut through the forest. Stars glimmered overhead.

There were voices approaching, and a bright blue light that moved along the water toward her.

"So yer lookin' for the pirate ship, huh?" a child's voice said in the distance. There were at least two people aboard a raft, coming closer. It would pass her by within a few moments. "There's lotsa neat things on the ship, I heard. Maybe even a dragon egg. How're you plannin' to get past the gryphons, then? They like to sit on the mast. Everybody knows that."

The red Lantern lay on the river floor, beneath Artemis.

[Assistant]
Anise nodded as Morly explained how the river was safe, but the sound of witch was a bit unnerving. "That's good the river's safe. How long should it take for us to get there? How quick will the witch take to come?"

She felt a bit of a rush as soon as the boat started to pick up speed. There was no way that they were far from their destination. This left her feeling eager to return the Lady of the Pond to her home and get to her next objective: the remaining lanterns. She knew there was one at the pirate ship, and if she made it there safely then she could get right to work on returning the forest to its natural state.

Anise opened mouth and then closed it to think a bit. So they were called gryphons? Like the fairy tale monsters? "Do you know any way to calm them and maybe keep them from hurting my and my friends?" She felt she could actually calm them down with the help of the Spirit Egg, but she wanted to have another option available just in case that wouldn't work. "I don't want to have to fight them if I can help it."

She the suddenly thought up an idea as the Lantern passed her thoughts. She concentrated on the egg within the lantern itself and tried to make contact with it. Hello, I'm Anise Sinclair, Princess of Riverforde. I want to help bring the forest back into its proper balance, and there are going to be gryphons in my near future. Can you help me? If the lantern held an egg within it that meant she was carrying a living thing, and this egg seemed to be beyond normal conventions. Thus she thought perhaps she could communicate with it on some level.

[User]
Artemis scrunched her eyebrows together and tilted her head to the side as she tried to make sense of his words. Dragon… eggs? Tree prisons? But her thoughts halted when the old knight's voice turned chilling as the night wind. She stood a little straighter, the hairs on the back of her neck bristling. Since waking up she'd felt confusion, nervousness, frustration… but for the first time she felt a very real trickle of fear trailing up her spine.

And then the ground left her. Artemis could only look up to see the haunting grey eyes of the shade – pulled from the darkest corners of her childhood tales – drift farther away as she fell.

She wasn't prepared for the water. It stunned her with a gasp – that she immediately regretted when water rushed into her lungs. Flailing for some sort of hold on the situation, Artemis spluttered and coughed, desperate for air. She was helpless to the currents as they pulled her along. All she could think was that this was how she died. All her life, her pain, her mistakes had lead to this one, confusing, unimportant end.

I want my brother.

The thought suffocated her more than the water did, unbidden and more powerful than it'd been in so long. She did not deserve her brother. But at least she would see him again.

She couldn't do much when she found herself dropped down again, but the water she met was calm and languid. Breaking the stillness of the river, she flailed and coughed some more, blind to everything but the fear in her heart and fire in her lungs. Artemis managed to keep her head above water long enough to cough out most of the water from her lungs. Her eyes watered from the pain, but then it was difficult to tell since water was just about everywhere. Water and voices. As Artemis returned to her senses, she felt more thoughtless panic bubble up inside of her. She didn't have time to register any more than her desperate need to hide, protect yourself, there are hungry shadows here and you don't understand.

I want my brother.

The thought echoed in her head again, sadder and softer, but still desperate. Artemis breathed out ragged gasps as she tried to shove the thought down. Frantic, she looked around for some sort of escape. The voices – accompanied by an eerie blue light – were almost upon her. Soon their owners would see her.

A red glow below her drew her eye then. Artemis looked from the glow to the river's edge, where a brush of reeds grew, to the blue light. Making her decision, she sucked in as much air as her pained lungs could hold, and dove. The river was dark and murky, but not terribly deep. Soon enough Artemis found the lantern and pulled at the heavy shawl pinned around her waist. (The scarf tied at her wrist had slipped away in the rapids, as had the feathers pinned to her hair. The marking painted on her skin were a dripping, ugly mess. She hadn't spent an hour in this world, and already it was dismantling her piece by piece.) Scooping the Lantern up, she wrapped the shawl around it, hoping the fabric would be enough to stifle the crimson light it emitted. Then with all the force she could muster, she kicked off of the river's floor towards the edge, where she remembered the reeds growing.

When Artemis surfaced among the brush – as quietly as she could – the boat was already passing over where she'd landed. She clamped her free hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle her pained breaths and pushed herself further into the plants. The swaddled Lantern was held close against her stomach, under the water's surface. Artemis was too focused on the thundering in her heart and the fire in her lungs to notice anything else that might've stalked the shore.

[Assistant]
Just as Anise finished her thought, she barely had time to wait for a response when she saw in the water a red glow. However, it was briefly as it went out before she could inspect it more closely. She reached out with the Spirit lantern probing for whomever or whatever was there. There was only one thing that she thought could make such an odd red light: another Lantern.

She decided to take the initiative. "Hello? I saw your light. My name is Anise. What is yours?" Her nerves spiked with anticipation as she prepared to duel in a battle of wills with the Spirit lantern.


[System]
Class: Discipline Priest

Age: 27

Sex: Female

Race: Human

Gear:
weapon:

History: Witty, brash and carrying a world-weary sophistication about her, Alina is something of an anomaly in the eyes of the followers of the light. However, she has slowly risen to become a renowned Priest in the eyes of Stormwind...

Her early adolescent days were spent living in alley ways, stealing what she needed to survive from day to day in Stormwind. It was this lifestyle that led her to crossing paths with a Priest, only due to how she attempted to pickpocket him. It did not take the Priest long to sense Alina's affinity for the light, and offered to take her to the Church of the Holy Light so that she could gain a better understanding with the powers that were dormant inside her. However, her studies did not only consist of light, nor darkness, but rather, a mix. Her instructor understood that light cast shadows, and that darkness is defined by light. True discipline came from one's ability to balance these forces. And with this balanced teaching, Alina was able to grasp that the light is something that can be used effectively if she is doing what she believes is right, and so she doesn't act graceful despite being a priest.

However, Alina has an undeniable appreciation of the Church of the Holy Light, and though she may often question the teachings of them, her optimism combined with never-ending desire to prevent mass destruction makes her a valuable ally.

Why are you joining up with the Wardens: She wants to take action in the fight against the legion, and this was the perfect excuse to do so. She wants to use the teachings that she has learned and applied on several occasions for a greater good. Whether that is by afflicting minds or healing wounds, she has a vast arsenal of spells that she isn't afraid to use.

[User]
Alina wasn't entirely sure what the rogue's response pertained to, simply rolling her eyes and shrugging as she turned her attention to the wounded. Alchemy was not her forte, she much preferred to work with various cloths to create bags or clothing. She could not think of drinking some sort of concoction to heal you, believing it was a duty of the light or nature, not creations of Azeroth's inhabitants. And while she didn't particularly understand how they could brew something that started the healing process, it was far inferior to that of the light, or even something like a druid's power, or a shamans. Even a monk could channel their chi into soothing mists that healed those who were exposed to it, and it was far faster than that potion seemed to be.

Alchemy aside, Alina spotted an injured Night Elf guard, laying in pain with claw marks and wounds from what Alina assumed were the Legion's weapons. She would not be longer in this realm if help did not come, and so the Priestess slowly walked over to the dying Elf, placing her cowl back on as she got closer. Death was nothing new to her, but perhaps she try to stop it here, as she knew one of her jobs was to do so. As she knelt down to inspect the wounds, the Elf attempted to move to see the Priestess, but Alina simply shook her head no.
"Shhh... Be still. You fought valiantly, but your wounds are severe. I will do everything in my power to heal you, and so may Elune grant me the strength I need to do so." She watched as the Night Elf smiled, a glimmer of hope across her face with tears of gentle joy coming.
"T..Thank.. You..."

In truth, Alina knew her strength would not come from Elune, but from the Light she believed in. But she had studied the Moon Goddess, knowing fully well that the Kaldorei believed in her, so much so that it was hard to argue over how they had control over powers very similar to that of Alina herself. Perhaps the Light and Elune were not so different, but for now, those thoughts were shoved aside. Standing up, Alina began to feel the radiance of the Light surge within her, allowing herself to be the light that this elf believed in. Upon this elf she spoke a Power Word of Radiance, the light immediately transferring into the Elf. Alina did not hesitate next, this time sending holy light directly into the Elf.

It was a miracle to Alina that her spells actually began to work, watching as the light began to heal in a rapid manner the wounds that once plagued the dying Night Elf. Under her hood, Alina smiled, glad that another would start the slow process of recovery. The Night Elf's wounds were too severe to fully heal her, but it was enough to ensure she would not die. She would leave the rest of the healing up to another as she turned her attention to the group she had come here with.

She had no objections to heading towards their next destination, however a day of walking was less than ideal for her. But, she knew better than to question the wardens, even if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, she nodded at them, slightly distancing herself from the others and waiting until they would finally depart.

[Assistant]
Sprinting over to the wounded temple guard who laid upon the ground, Nesalla managed to catch Thalion in the middle of attempting to steal the weapon from the guard who was bent over her wounded friend, desperately trying to tend to the severe wounds upon her body. "Stay your hand Thalion, or I will have to act upon your poor choice of judgment." As the Warden ran to the side of the wounded temple guard, she kept her right hand on the hilt of her own blade. When the rogue backed off, her hand moved quickly to the small backpack she had hidden under her armor. Taking a knee next to the wounded temple guard, she placed her backpack down upon the ground and quickly opened it, pulling out the same advanced first aid kit she had used a short while ago on Thalion. Glancing down into the bag, she gathered what supplies she would need to quickly tend to the temple guards wound, only managing to catch Thalion pour the flask of crimson liquid down the woman's throat.

"A fair trade indeed, your friend here is quite lucky to find such a generous Rogue." Nesalla let the two temple guards embrace each other for a while before gently pulling the wounded temple guard away from her friend gently, lightly laying her back down upon the stone ground beneath her. "Now rest guardian, and let me ensure your wounds are healing." The temple guard did as she was told, and let herself relax as much as she could. A few moments would pass by while Nesalla checked over the woman's wounds, not only impressed but thankful to see that the wounds were in fact healing at a rapid rate. Placing a hand upon the woman's neck, she checked her pulse and noted that it had returned to normal. "All your vitals check out, I will have the flight master send both you and your friend back to a safe zone upon the mainland of Azeroth very shortly. Until then, just let yourself rest."

It was at that moment that Nesalla heard Solares yell out that they were moving out. Quickly moving to her feet, she rushed forward in the direction of the flight master and gave her orders to send both of them to the mainland of Azeroth on one of her best griffins. The flight master insured her it would be done swiftly and to the letter, that was all Nesalla needed to know. "Solares, you said it will take us around a day of walking to reach Black Rook Hold. I think we should find a place to rest and regain our strength before heading out once more. We have wounded and I am sure some of us would like to at least get a couple hours of proper rest before heading out into the wilds once more." Solares nodded her head in agreement, "There is a druid ran inn not that far from where we currently are. I will permit four hours of rest and relaxation once we arrive, until then I want all of us moving." Without another word, the leader of their group started their walk towards the Druid ran Inn and Black Rook hold. Nesalla hung at the back of the group while they walked, keeping a close eye on all those in front of her as well as her soundings.

[User]
"I am also fine by the way," replied Rina, passing by Solares at the front. Namely she had a colder look than before, as she soon walked alone. Obviously not liking something about them.

Starbreeze was currently boiling in her own mind. What were doing here, she would be likely more useful at the front fighting demons. Not playing around with her kin whom less accepted her.

She touched the slight wound on her right shoulder. It had dried up by now - Death Knight's didn't feel pain but they still bled. Well, nobody needed to care for Rina anyway since she was already considered dead by a few Wardens.

[Assistant]
Eantu looked over the survivors of the assault by the legion and then at his allies before mentally smacking himself. He was a paladin: Sworn to protect and defend others and he hadn't offered to heal anyone. All he had focused on was killing demons. Am I really so hate filled where the burning legion is concerned? Have I forgotten the oath I pledged when I became what I am?

He let out a sigh. It was better to start helping others later then to never do it at all. He turned to look at the Death Knight who had dried blood on her shoulder where she had been wounded. "Rina," He asked quietly. "I can attempt to heal your wound if you'll let me." He said carefully as he slowly approached her with his hands outstretched.

[User]
"I am Death Knight paladin," replied Rina, growling at his disunderstandment. "Might as well take a torch and cauterize it myself. It'll be less painful and torturing that way. Nor not reminding me, that I do not walk in the Light' path - like many have rubbed it in my face."

Rina sighed at that, ancient years of knowledge - and yet still they do not understand, that Death Knights aren't like many.

(Okay, one should know what Holy Light does to Death Knights in WC3)

[Assistant]
Alina kept a steady walk behind the Paladin and Death Knight, having done so so that she could keep an eye out on what she considered an abomination in its own right. The Light and the undead were always at ends, and while Alina herself had studied and learned several spells from the void, she often did not use them. To her, it was information, information needed to balance out the Light she used, and maybe even hurt those who were at odds with her. Unfortunately, she knew these spells would not to much, if anything to the Death Knight, knowing that the Light was a much more powerful tool against them and the legion alike.

So when Eantu told Rina that he could heal her, it almost made her scoff under her breath, and to a further extent under her hood. She expected a Draenei to know what the Light would do to the Death Knight. Sure, it would heal them, but it wouldn't feel like that. In the simplest terms she could think of, Alina compared it to burning them alive. A scorching feeling that you can't get rid of, and besides, it wasn't like that wound was going to hurt the Death Knight anyway. As she said, torching it would do less damage, seeing as Death Knight's don't feel regular pain.

Still, as much as she didn't want to, she couldn't have an ally be injured, not one who could be an unstoppable killing machine. They were deadly, she gave them that, but alas they were also the antithesis of what the Light stood for. Luckily for her, she wasn't going to use the Light.

"If I may be so bold, Death Knight, I could just as easily heal that wound," She told Rina, her hands becoming enveloped in spheres of darkness before continuing, "If you were a regular person, I wouldn't use this form of healing as it also inflicts pain, but, seeing as you don't feel pain and you can't be healed by the Light without burning from it, I'm willing to use the Shadows to mend you."

[User]
"If you think so, priest," replied Rina - she was atleast glad somebody understood her predicament.

Albeit the priest was giving her the same dirty look as others among the living did. Yet judging by her option to help, it proved to Rina that she was willing to work and not judge during their mission against the Legion.

"If you can help, that would be appreciated," she also added. A hint of warmth noted in her usually cold echo tone.

[Assistant]
"I didn't forget you Miss Rina! I just have to tend to the more seriously wounded first, then work my way down the line." said Nesalla from the back of the group. The Warden quickly made her way towards the Death Knight and now walked alongside her, keeping pace. At Alina's mention of using the shadows to mend Rina's injury, Nesalla remained by her side out of curiosity and care to see if such a technique would prove successful. "That is honestly a good idea, either it will work flawlessly and we will all learn something today or Miss Rina here will end up in extreme pain." Nesalla lightly nudged Rina in her left ribcage as a tease.

At the front of the group Solares remained silent and steadfast, leading her squad forward into the lush forest as the tranquil night slowly set upon the Broken Shores. It would not take much longer now for the group to arrived at the Druid ran Inn that was almost visible in the far distance.