Ley Winds, Arch I

[Sirion]

THE ARCH HAS STARTED, BUT LEY WINDS PLAYERS ARE WELCOME TO JOIN AT ANY TIME.

THE SIGN UP THREAD CAN BE FOUND HERE (http://www.warboards.org/showthread.php?t=37535)
Please read and join this RP there, for the time being, thank you

The ship pulled anchor early in the morning, merely two days after its arrival and the subsequent slaying of the beast. The townsfolk had nearly begged them to stay, but the captain would not hear it. So without delay they took to the skies; above the clouds they floated, into the strong streams they could find. To the newcomers it was wondrous, to the crew it was life. After the magic wore off, chores were assigned and beds doled out; after a long first day, they rested soundly.

*****

“The streams are thinning.” I said to the captain, looking away as she dressed.

“And? You are competent; I gave you the job of second in command for that very reason. Why would you disturb me?”

“Perhaps thinning isn't the correct word. The streams are gone, the ship has stopped.”

“Which I assume is why we are not moving?”

“The engines are still damaged.”

She sighed, holding her head in her hand as if terribly annoyed. The ship had not been in good repair since we found it, and we hadn't the time or resources to maintain it. Its breakdowns were often, and always at the most inopportune time. While I reflected on this, she slipped on her rune-scrawled armor.

“I spotted some ruins in the distance earlier, before you entered. If we're stalled like this, we may as well search them. We might find parts.”

“I will ready a party.” I said frankly, as I left.

*****

It's been a week since your departure, and you have traveled many leagues. The ship slowed earlier, and a massive explosion rocked the ship as an engine overheated. The doldrums have a few anxious, but the more experienced members have experienced it before. The first mate has called a summons on the main deck, and you all attend.

The man stands tall a lithe, with a sort of humble pride. His skin is fair, his hair dark, his face not altogether unattractive. The crowds quiets, and he begins to speak.

“We are landing for the time being, allowing the engineers to conduct repairs. While they work, the captain and I will be heading off to some ruins spotted in the distance, at the break of dawn tomorrow. Are there any volunteers to join us?”

You raise your hands one by one, and he nods without so much as a smile.

“Pack whatever you may need and be ready to leave early. We will not wait for you.”

*****

Hell, it's about time.

Note: You all boarded the airship at some time in between the events at the village and the current predicament, if you wish to include this in your post do so.

EVERYONE please post preparation and/or meeting in the morning.

Now, for a few clarifications


-Magic

There are two major methods for the channeling of mana, though others do exist. The simpler and more offensive method is known as Malais. It consists of drawing the mana from a store, the environment (the earth, plants, even other living beings), or the ley winds themselves. The mana drawn coalesces in the air in pure form, and can then be directed by the mage. The simplest way to do this is to simply force the mana into an object, which depending on the rate will cause the object to either either become a store or explode. Masterful mages can create mana currents in midair, which can have varied effects depending on the pattern of the current.

Gurais, or rune based magic, is solely the manipulation of mana currents. As mentioned above, it is possible to create runes in the air, with only mana and the power of the mage. The more common method is to use a mana conducive material, usually gold, to create the currents. They can be layered on or carved into the material, and then activated by being attached to a mana store. The currents create many effects, from making armor lighter to making swords more powerful, and much more.


-The Airship

The airship is the last of its kind. It's massive frame stretches longer than a thousand feet, a mixture of wood and steel that can withstand nearly any assault. It is built in a late Victorian era style, and looks highly empirical and majestic. There are two command centers; One that extends upward, and one that juts down, connected by an express command elevator.

The innards of the vessel are a maze of brass piping, the guts of the machine. The engines themselves are based on mana, creating a force similar to the ley streams. All of this is powered by the central crystal, an incredibly intricate and complex gem. The command center is connected to the rest of the ship via telegram. The captain gives her orders from there, and the crew responds as quickly as they may.

The ship is heavily armed. Titanic three barreled canons sit on top, whilst smaller canons line the sides. Machine gun emplacements surround the ship, along with flak canons. Bombing bays are on the underside of the ship, and several hangers have been placed on the sides. Only a few fighters are carried currently, but they are swift and powerful.

The ship requires a barebones crew of a hundred people, it currently has around two hundred and fifty, and it can support over a thousand.

Edit: Unauthorized personnel aren't allowed in the command centers without good reason. No one is allowed near the crystal. Beyond that, you can wander the ship to your hearts content, though people may yell at you for getting in there way.

[Vhaeraun]

Belstor had somehow managed to make it up the incline to stand on the impressive vessel. He was awed at the size; not even in his home city of Covalise had he seen such a beautiful vessel. He personally took all the time he needed to walk through the vessel and acquaint himself with the inner workings. Being a magician himself, he was fascinated by how the ship worked, and asked questions whenever possible - usually at the chagrin of those few he could find on the ship. Unfortunately, there was much he wasn't able to see, which frustrated him. Still, he managed to get a look at the engines, which were impressive, but he wanted to see them in action.

The ship took off early in the morning not long after Belstor had finished his self-directed tour of the ship. The feeling of upwards movement wasn't entirely unpleasant, as it was a large upgrade from walking. Belstor had managed to procure a room close to the maindecks, where he spent little of his time - he only slept 2 hours a night - and most of his waking hours on the maindecks watching the crew go about their business.

A day after leaving, Belstor went into the engine room and looked at the behemoths working. The smell of power wafted through the room raising the hair on his neck. There was a door in the engine room which led to who-knows-where, but it was locked, and he didn't much like the idea of breaking in.

A couple days after leaving Niben, Belstor tried to get onto the bridge to see what he could, but found that they didn't take a liking to new people trying - he subsequently spent the next day locked in his room, much to his dismay. When he left, he tried talking with everyone he could, but many looked at him with a cross of fear and curosity, mostly because of his age.

He found the hangar on the third day. There were a few small winged vessels there - Belstor vaguely remembered reading about these vessels years ago, recalling that they were called 'ornithopters', the meaning of which were lost onto the sands of time.

The next couple days required Belstor to navigate stairs, which he loathed, but will do in the name of learning. He found the weapon storage, and the equipment racks. He wasn't interested in either of these, so he continued.

Finally, he managed to make it to the bottom of the ship. He found many unused rooms - this ship could possibly hold the entire population of a small city, Belstor found - and the cargo hold. There were large hinges on the floor, and Belstor thought with a gasp that this could be opened and cargo could be loaded directly into here.

Satisfied with his searches - he had spent the last couple days downstairs from his room - he hiked the stairs back to where he slept. He even forewent his usual routine to let his strength return. As always, he sat on his bed and rested his arm on Bastion. When the ship settled to a stop, and the call for a meeting was sounded, Belstor hobbled to the deck and took a position near the man. After the meeting and his volunteering, he returned to his room. The entire way he muttered to himself, "Why the devil do I volunteer for these fool's errands?"

He sat on the bed and once again laid his arm on Bastion. He stroked the air and said, "Well, at least I won't have to fight too terribly hard; after all, a dozen or so also volunteered."

With a defeated shrug, Belstor drifted off to sleep.

----------------------

He was awake 2 hours later, and since he traveled light - carrying scarcely more than what he had in his numerous pockets - he felt no need to pack, and went to get some food. As he left, he snagged some for Bastion, who usually awakes a bit after Belstor did. He dropped the wooden bowl in the room and went to the deck. One of the others was there. When he arrived, the other said with a chuckle, "Where's your 'dog'? Is he around?"

Belstor stood straight and smiled, his remaining teeth seeming to glare from his head, "He's still in the room; I don't figure I need him when there are so many on this most glorious expedition. Of course, I would possibly vest more faith in his able....paws? I don't assume hands would be appropriate for a dog, after all. Tell me, are you a fan of dogs? I find their physiology fascinating..."

Belstor trailed off, not expecting an answer as his mind went off on a tangent as he seemed to spot a cloud that seemed to be shaped like a dog.

[DarkMirror]

Krii had been busy after the explosion, working on repairing the cracks and breaches that the hull had suffered in the resulting small fires and structural stresses. She scuttled around the hull, patching the damage with simple bolts and sealants while marking them for further repairs once they were grounded, hoping that the current repairs would do until then. Afterwards, she retreated to her room, which was actually an unused supplies room filled with boxes and old furniture. Once she had been taken onto the ship, she had busied herself spinning webs through it, making it a maze-like cathedral of white fluffy walls, which most people avoided.

Eventually they did learn that they would be landing, and she prepared to be called away from a rest once again to continue the repairs. However, the first mate had offered to take anyone who asked along with him and the captain. She had considered, then finally raised her hand, hoping for a change of pace.

On the deck, a few people stood, one of which a slightly crazy old man that she had had to go around in the hallways a few times, which was difficult to say the least for someone like her, as the halls were meant for humans, and her spider-body barely fit in the first place. He had even poked into her room at one point, much to her amusement.

She took a small sip from her blood-filled waterskin, relishing the salty taste. Deciding to strike up a conversation, she said to no one in particular, "What do you expect to find in the ruins?"

[Seal]

I'm not supposed to be woken up this early.. Bezhai must have a dire issue at hand..

Lumaia opens her eyes and rises slowly from her bed, only her light nightgown covering her. Walking herself to the minor wardrobe next to the bed, she starts to change.

What is it, anyway?

The streams are thinning.

And? You are competent; I gave you the job of second in command for that very reason. Why would you disturb me?



She idly slips herself into her underdress, still not quite awake.

Perhaps thinning isn't the correct word. The streams are gone, the ship has stopped.

Which I assume is why we are not moving?

The engines are still damaged.

I should have known... the engines were barely making it back then in escaping from the forsaken ruins of Timata.. I did spot some ruins in the distance last evening.. If we're stalled like this, we may as well search them. We might find the parts we need.

I will ready a party.

Do so.

Lumaia summons her servant, commits her morning ritual and then stops for a moment. She removes her underdress, calls her servant to help with the armor –one piece of flexible plating at a time: the delicately and conservatively decorated calf leggings binding to the ankle graft and supporting the knee articulation that magically provides natural movement, that in turn supporting the thigh leggings continuing the delicate patterns. On the torso belongs a to-form plate with its own slightly more elaborate decorative pattern, supporting the thigh leggings and the flexible reinforced skirt extending the torso patterns covering halfway through the thighs length. The arms are similarly covered: from the flexible points on the shoulders and elbows to the rigid plating over the arms and forearms, forearms linking themselves to the wrist grafts. The arms bear a pattern similar to the legs.

The armor is ancient, yet not particularly spectacular for one: Empire soldiers had very similar. The armies were highly effective because, among other things, the armor was designed to allow being worn for weeks at a time. Lumaia's however has become rather customized during its service.

I'm not expecting resistance.. but I have a creepy feeling of what's down there..

For a good part of the day Lumaia communicates with the various professions of the ship, arranging for the downtime to come, finally to arrive to the staging platform to inquire about the assembling party.

I dearly hope this bunch isn't as effective as the bulk of them. Now are you? You may call me captain Ominela.

[Graeme]

OOC: Just part 1 of my post. Need some sleep and I’ll finish this off tomorrow.

I had about 3 different drafts of this story going, but ended up scrapping a lot of content so I can build it more slowly. I have a really cool idea in store though! On that note, Sirion! I need to grab you on IRC to discuss a few things wrt storyline sometime in the next few days.

A soft voice filled Gon’s entire being as he drifted in and out of sleep. A presence beside him sang gently as she rubbed his arm, back and forth, as if calling him slowly to consciousness. Gon’s world materialized from the depths of his slumber that seemed to have lasted an eternity. His eyes opened only momentarily, as he was blinded by the harsh light in the room and forced his eyelids shut in an instant. Noticing that he had finally responded to her, the woman pushed her face against his and whispered, “Shhh, slowly now . . .” into his ear.

As the woman brushed up against him, Gon smelled the scent of a sweet and slightly flowery perfume. Her warmth had sent a shiver through his body, which she must have noticed as she giggled inwardly. Gon tried to speak; however, what felt like days of inactivity had left his voice in a rough condition. A harsh, crackly voice managed to escape from his mouth, “ . . .w-what happened? Where is this?”

The woman ignored his question and instead posed one of her own, “How are you feeling? Does anything feel strange for you?”

From the loudness of her voice and the crisp sounds of her lips and tongue, Gon could tell that her face was still directly next to his ear. Each word seemed pronounced, and each breath drawn resonated through his eardrum. This sensation made him shiver again. As Gon’s memories began to formulate in his head, a sudden sense of worry washed over him. The world didn’t seem as groggy as it had seconds ago – this sense of urgency sent adrenaline through his body, forcing him awake. He sat up in the bed and forced his eyes to endure the blinding light.

The woman beside Gon jumped back at the shock of his sudden liveliness, and at the same time exhibited a look of worry. Gon glanced upon her, taking in all of her features at once. Light blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, reflecting the dim light of the room and bringing a playful look to her. Her facial features were absolutely stunning: a cute kitten nose, well-defined jawbones, blue eyes that could pierce the heart of any man, or Parum, for that matter, full lips with a slight hint of rouge and a strong chin that poked downward in a manner that seemed fitting of her character. She wore a black dress, which seemed to flow freely as she moved her arms to pull her hair away from her eyes. While she appeared playful and fun, she also had an air of importance around her and Gon believed that she would have no trouble ordering around the largest brutes of Niben.

Niben – that’s what had worried him. Gon instinctively knew that he was no longer in Niben, and that the loud noise and pressure he felt before his world fell into darkness must have been the cause. Gon looked at the woman in front of him and hurriedly asked, “Niben . . . what of Niben . . . are the people alright? Did they also suffer the same injuries I suffered?”

The woman smiled and placed her hand on Gon’s head, bringing it around to his chin, which she rubbed softly, as if consoling a small child whose pet had died. Her voice, almost melodic, floated on the air until its meaning and weight stabbed Gon with shocking realization, “I’m sorry, I really am. We did our best, but the beast had arrived before we had a chance. You’re the only survivor – the town of Niben is no more.”

Gon almost choked as the words echoed in his head. Niben is . . . no more. No. This wasn’t right. Gon knew it wasn’t right . . . he didn’t know how, but this woman was lying. Her words were untrue, but why would she lie? She had obviously nursed him back to health after the beast attack, and he was otherwise a stranger to her, so why would she have any motives to lie to him? Despite this, something in the back of Gon’s head was telling him that the people of Niben were alive and well, as though he could feel their presence still within the universe. Gon glared at the woman in front of him, who, in his distrust, now appeared more like a snake than the beauty he had seen earlier, “You’re lying.”

The woman exhibited a look of shock, “And why would I lie to you? I found you in a pile of rubble, I rescued you from underneath the boards of your shack, I nursed you back to health over the past three days, and you have the audacity to stand here and call me a liar? I don’t need to lie to you, so why would I? I tell only the truth – Niben is gone.”

There those words were again – Niben is gone. The thought stung at Gon, to imagine all of those lost lives, all of those wonderful people no longer in our world, as if their flames had been extinguished in a terrible rainstorm. However Gon knew better than to take this snake’s words as truth. While her words hurt, Gon knew they had no merit because he felt the flame – he felt the presence of the people that he had worked for and, although he would never admit it, had come to love.

With a newfound sense of understanding, Gon exclaimed, “They’re not dead! I know they’re not dead, because I can feel them! I can’t describe it well, but I know the town of Niben is well!”

The woman smirked, “Oh, please, do tell. How do you know such things that are so obviously impossible to know?”

Gon became impatient with her condescending tone and blurted out the first thing that seemed natural, “Their path, it’s still present. I’m not on the path that I was once on, I can see that. I’m so far away from their path, but I know that it still continues forward. I can feel it!”

The woman smiled widely, restoring Gon’s image of her beauty. Her face lit up upon hearing the words that she had been obviously, and impatiently, trying to coax out of Gon. She threw herself around Gon and hugged him tightly. Gon hadn’t even understood what he had said – it was a feeling deep within him, something that he had always felt, but never vocalized or tried to understand. The woman whispered lightly in Gon’s ear, “I’m so sorry I had to put you through that. You’re quite right, the town of Niben is safe.”

Gon sighed as the feeling of dread disappeared from the pit of his stomach. However, this feeling was short-lived, as a new sense of panic swept over Gon. Seemingly anticipating Gon’s worries, the woman provided a pre-emptive answer, “And before you worry about your farming duties, we’ve supplied Niben with enough rations to last them the winter. After the winter, and with the beast slain, trade should pick up and they’ll surely find a new farmhand to replace your duties. Now, why don’t you go back to sleep. You’ll need rest, tomorrow will be a big day for you.”

The woman swept her hand across Gon’s head, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Gon’s eyelids became heavy and he passed out immediately.

[SilverCrusader]

"What the hell are you blokes doing! Fools!" Romell shouted down in the engine room. It was chaos here. He didn't even know why the engines were even on, they weren't going anywhere, all they were doing was floating. The ship was in horrible shape and desperately needed repairs, though it desperately needs repairs all of the time regardless of how much they repaired it before.

A huge explosion rocked the massive room as an engine 7 exploded, probably due to overheat.

"What are you guys doing! Why wasn't that engine being cooled!"

"The main cooling pipe was damaged and needed replaced," he heard from a nearby mechanic.

"And you didn't care to shut off the engine and allow it cool before you did it?!"

Romell felt like banging his head against a the wall a few times, maybe it would make all these problems go away.
He got to work on some other things that required his attention. The sylth scurried about around him, possibly the only competent members of the crew it seemed. Why did it seem like he was always the one fixing everything. Meanwhile a pipe next to him burst a seam, which in turn allowed a jet of superheated steam fly everywhere. He continued on his work while the other distractions went on.
Finally he was finished, but while he was working on that single one area, ten others were in critical condition.
This job was impossible.

"Romell, you've been called to the staging platform," He heard someone shout.

"Tell them I'm busy, I haven't got time for that. We already lost one engine, what would we do if we lost another one!"

"The order is from the captain."

To this Romell left what he was doing aside and bolted out of the engine room. One doesn't horse around when the captain wants something. What the captain wants, the captain gets, no questions asked.
When he got to the staging deck he was breathing heavily and realized the state of his appearance. Everyone looked clean. He, on the other hand, looked like the engine ate him. For all he knew it did.

The first mate's speech gave him relief. They were going to land and find things to fix the ship up with. Given enough time they could fix it up better than what they found it in. Knowing the captain, they wouldn't have much time to do anything but make the ship barely functional.
He went back to his quarters and got a fresh set of clothes and more tools. Including his giant wrench. It was polished well enough to give it a sleek and shiny look. It can fix more than just engines. Romell smiled at the thought.
He went back to the staging area at the set time. The captain was standing there in front of them all.
"I dearly hope this bunch isn't as effective as the bulk of them. Now are you? You may call me captain Ominelia," He heard the captain say. This was the first time he heard the captain speak in person. She was still the graceful person he saw a few days ago, but had a commanding air about her. She didn't seem like the type who would like jokes, or even get them.
"Romell Kyre at your service captain," Romell said as he leaned on his giant wrench.

[Ender]

Indrani answered the summons, but only because she had nothing else to do. After she had gotten on the ship she had promptly cut the throat of the man who thought he was about to bed her. He was too large to carry and dump over the edge of the airship, but by some miracle he had his own room, so Indrani left him there. She had no idea when or if he'd be discovered - she suspected the stench would cause someone to eventually open the door - and she didn't really care.

She took the assignment with slight confusion - she didn't know that being onboard the ship meant she was drafted into being a member of the crew, but she couldn't skip the mission. She was too conspicuous - an odd trait for an assassin, but she wasn't the kind that blended in with crowds. It was hard with the way she looked. Indrani was more the stalk and kill in the depth of the night type. She knew her absence would be noted, which would lead to questions of where she went, why she was on the ship, so on and so forth, and that was the last thing she wanted.

She doubted the captain and crew would react favorably to her goals.

So she was going on this mission, and when everyone else hurried off to prepare, Indrani simply stood there. Everything she needed she carried on her person, so she was already prepared.

[neobowman]

Guy was thinking. About Niben. About the Beast. About the ship. About the others who boarded. One thought was above the rest. The captain. During the brief time that he had saw her fight, he had witnessed amazing strength. She fought with the elegance that he did not relate to a battle.
"How did she become so powerful, sweeping away the monster with no effort at all?"
Guy left that thought stored in the back of his head for later. He had taken the time on the ship to clean up and rest well. There was food and water aboard the ship, better than he had tasted in a while.
"Not the best I've ever tasted though"
Guy had been offered a tour of the airship but he declined. The only reason that he had come aboard the ship in the first place was to learn how to get stronger. He did not have any love for the magics of the world.
Guy decided that the best way to increase his skill was to follow the rest of the group. Guy chuckled at his own logic. It was flimsy reasoning yes, but there were some new members who boarded the ship that were stronger than he.
"I should be able to keep up with the others for now. I may be able to learn from them too before I gaining information about the captain's powers."
Most of the group did not use bows but that did not matter as his own bow was specially made. It was greatly decorated and differed from his other belongings that it was never damaged or dirty. He did not consciously try to keep it clean. It just did. He also felt that it had other secrets that he did not know yet. His knife on the other hand, did not have any special properties. He kept it in a built in scabbard on the bow. He was not as proficient with it as he was with the bow, but he could still kill with it.
"I'll rest right now. I'll get going when I need to"

Around a week after the airship left, the first mate calls for a meeting on the deck. Guy attends, hoping on gaining information on the explosion that had happened. He did not trust magic and his minor nasuea was not comforting him in the least. Then a man who Guy recognized as the first mate spoke.
“We are landing for the time being, allowing the engineers to conduct repairs. While they work, the captain and I will be heading off to some ruins spotted in the distance, at the break of dawn tomorrow. Are there any volunteers to join us?”
Guy raised his hand.

[Sikawtic]

Jakkin
In a corner of the residential sections
~~~~~~

Jakkin dreamed of fantastic things, flying through the air, which wasn't out of the norm, but alas- he dreamed of terrific sight and of fire raining from the sky. He dreamed of people living and people dying, and other times of just the wilderness. The final thought of his dream was of him flying directly into the ground - instead of impacting, he cut right through it finally reaching rivers of magma underneath the earth.

He awoke suddenly. Often his dreams influenced his abilities, and this time had been like no other. He had a new project at hand... something to occupy his mind with. He could speculate now, but he sighed... the actual work would have to come when he could manage his hands on a new magic store - something he himself had never created.

It was true, he was gifted in some aspects of magic... but they were few, and highly unique. He had a natural ability changing the flesh. Of course, accidents happened... he looked briefly to his metallic legs and sighed. If only I'd been more careful... Other times, however: great things had come of it. The tattoos on his body held his current modification together - his wings. His first and greatest modification on himself. The ones of his face holding together his gills - a feature he didn't often use, but had saved his life on more than one occasion.

He was running out of space, however... and would have to learn less barbaric magic uses if he was to continue his experiments. Alas, the more important aspect once again - he needed a new store. The rest of the week was spent in speculation and planning.

***

"Do I have any volunteers?" asked the man in front of the crowd on the deck of the airship.

Jakkin could not turn this chance down, maybe he would find new secrets or possibly - could unearth a material to be made into a store. It was time he attempted to create a store of his own.

He raised his hand.

[Graeme]

OOC: WTB more interaction w/ characters, so I’m bunking with you Mag! Pardon me for stealing you a bit, but RPs are only fun if you can bug other peoples’ characters, muahaha!
A week had passed since Gon’s encounter with the blonde-haired woman. He had begun to think the entire incident a dream. When he had awoken the following day he was in a cabin on an airship, bunking with a very peculiar man. The man appeared to be human, but he had an odd air about him – beyond the fact that he was a drunkard. Through some awkward discussion filled with numerous epithets and swears, Gon managed to arrive at the conclusion that the man’s name was Dauchen. Gon also found out that Dauchen had been the one who pulled him from the rubble of his cabin after it had been so rudely destroyed by the airship’s anchor.

Gon hadn’t imagined that any airships could have survived the fall of the Empire. This airship in particular was massive – it must have been a military ship used by Empire generals in their efforts to ‘modernize’ the barbarian tribes as they saw fit. Gon had read about such things in his childhood. This entire situation seemed so unreal, so unlikely to Gon. In the back of his head, Gon held hope that this journey was a fantastic dream, and he would soon awake in his cabin, able to tend to the farms. However, based on the same feelings that he felt with that blonde woman, Gon knew that this was indeed reality, and he would need to accept his new life in order to survive.

Both Dauchen and Gon were assigned to kitchen duty aboard the vessel, although it was clear that Dauchen’s attempts to help in the kitchen were often a hindrance. He would eat half of the food he prepared, and the food he did manage to get out of the kitchen was often burnt or worse. Despite his peculiarities, Gon had come to enjoy the gregarious human’s company, although he would never let him know of such feelings.

This morning started differently than those of the past week. The first mate called a summons on the main deck, forcing Gon to take some time off from his kitchen duties. His dedication to this part-time job in the kitchen was similar to the work he did on the farm. Gon viewed himself as an integral part of the ship’s functionality, and truly enjoyed seeing the faces of the crew as they ate the food that he worked so hard to cook. Gon made his way to the main deck with due haste to find a large crowd already gathered before the first mate.

As Gon entered the floor to join the crowds of people, he heard the first mate finish his speech, “. . . any volunteers?” Gon fully intended to stick to his assigned duties, so he began to shuffle back toward the exit in order to return to the kitchen. As he made his way to the exit, he felt someone behind him grab his hand and throw it forcefully into the air. Before he had time to react, he was acknowledged as a volunteer.

[Faiien]

As the golden sun rose over the grassy hills I opened my eyes to find a most pleasant surprise presented in front of me. It was a Kylk, a messenger of sorts among the Varen, that had placed itself a few meter from my face. The Kylk somewhat resembled the many butterflies that I had seen on my travels. It's only distinction was that it was as white as the first snowflake that had blessed the Earth. As I sat up the Kylk moved closer to my ear as if it wanted to whisper to me in the ancient language but I knew what the Kylk wanted. I presented my finger as a perch for the Kylk and as it landed I softly blew it away as if it were nothing more than a powder. As my breath hit the Kylk it slowly dissolved into millions of fragments of glass. The glass slowly took form as I stood and before I could blink the Queen of the sacred, my sister, stood before me. She was a breathtaking sight to behold. Draped in golden robes and silver linings with her golden hair reflecting the sun's light it was hard to look directly at her but I had grown accustomed to the sight. As her red eyes pierced my heart I involuntarily shed a tear. She must have seen this for she moved closer to me and ran her hand across my face. As her touch moved across my skin more tears fell from my eyes. She said nothing but nothing needed to be said.After a minute had passed the image of my sister once again dissolved into fragments of glass and reformed on the ground as a cocoon. In another day I would be able to see her again but I was afraid. Afraid the pain would be too great to bear. Afraid that the next time would be the last time. This was all I had left of her, this small piece of her soul was all that remained after the last war.

My parents had sacrificed themselves to slow down the dark ones. They had walked into the battle knowing that they would never return yet they pushed forward regardless of what would happen. After they left my sister and I were the only vessels to carry the royal blood. Years went by as peace prevailed on Earth because of the sacrifice my parents had made. They had hurt the dark ones greatly and caused them great damage but centuries later the dark ones rose again apparently healed from all wounds. The Varen could feel the darkness rising within the Earth as the dark ones rose to power. But instead of coming to battle, this time, the council had decided that enough Varen had been lost to the cause. This time Earth would have to fend for herself. But she could not bear it. She could not stand by and watch as billions of lives were lost. In the darkness of the night she made the sacrifice, just like our parents. She managed to push the darkness back once again but the light was dim. It wouldn't be able to hold the darkness back for long and she knew this but she believed that every second was valuable. After her death I left the sacred lands in hopes of finding a solution. Besides, the council wouldn't need a child to tell them what to do.

As I walked from the forest I slowly gathered the mana around me to cover my true appearance and slipped on my Thioxite necklace from my knapsack. The necklace was a gift my parents had given my sister and I before that fateful day. I wore it purely for luck and the strength to fight any adversities. When I had arrived into town I asked around to investigate where the great air ship I had seen the day before had gone. I had a feeling that something was calling to me. After much time had passed I was able to discern the specific location of the ship. Apparently the ship was headed towards the ruins of Northwind. Among the Varn it was known as a residence to a few of the first borns centuries ago. No doubt the ship was headed to investigate the ruins. If all went well I would be able to investigate what these explorers were up to and what this feeling tugging at my heart was.

[Biohazard]

After several days of travel, Sor had ventured only once from his post at the top of the mast. His stationary position allowed him to observe the strange creatures below; he had learned quite a lot by watching and listening to them. His father had many books and stories of creatures beyond their eyrie, Sor was well read but experiencing something is far different than simply reading about it.

One afternoon Sor had spotted a rather large rabbit running across an open field, being pursued by a coyote. He leapt off his perch, tucking his wings, and dove like a rocket towards the chase. The wind whipped past his face, this was his favorite part of the hunt. The exhilarating dive, the sudden deceleration, his muscles being pushed to their limits; it was what his body was built for.

After about thirty seconds of diving, he spread his wings which slowed his descent dramatically, after another five seconds of falling he landed on top of the coyote, snapping its spine with his powerful rear legs. Sor grasped the limp body in his talons and leapt into the air once more, flapping his muscular wings to quickly gain altitude. As he flew higher into the air, Sor tore into the flesh of the creature, swallowing a large chunk of the creature whole.

Sor soon approached the side of the massive airship, the hull was in a state of great disrepair as if it had been left to sit somewhere for years before being picked up by the current crew. There were even places where the hull was completely gone and Sor could see members of the crew attempting to patch the holes from the inside. Suddenly Sor was rocked by a massive explosion at the stern of the ship which caused him to drop his lunch. Sor, in frustration, flew up to the deck at the aft section of the ship to investigate.

Crew members scattered out of his way as he made his way to the rear of the ship, he didn’t necessarily know what he was going to accomplish by this. Sor knew nothing about engineering, let alone ancient airships. After determining that the explosion had come from within the ship, Sor gave up trying to figure out what to do and flew back up to his perch.

Several hours later Sor noticed a gathering on the deck, a man was putting together a team of volunteers to head into nearby ruins to look for parts to repair the ship. Sor knew that the expedition was going to be entirely more dangerous than they figured it would be. Sor flew down from the mast and landed with a loud thump behind the crowd of people. The throng parted as he made his way towards the first mate; he truly towered over all of them; he stopped before the crewman.

“I will accompany you on your journey,” everyone seemed surprised that he was capable of speech.


(Not proof read, sorry.)

[3Vee]

Apparently, the airship - did it have a name? He would have to find out - had no room for passengers. Or maybe it was the captain's idea. Eiill had looked on as one after another of the new arrivals was assigned a bunk and a list of chores. As the room cleared, he almost hoped he had been overlooked. Invisibility was beyond him, but a little bit of not being noticed was well within his capabilities.

Only, he didn't get the glamour set before the room had all but cleared. One man was left consulting with a crewman, a woman had come in again, obviously lost. And then the orderly who had been sorting them all out came over and stood there in front of him.

"Er, yes?" He looked up at the woman standing there, and slowly rose to his feet. Hmm, discipline. Not usually one of his strongpoints.

"Yes. Yes indeed. You had the arrogance, or ignorance, to carry that weapon on board. On your person. For now, we're assuming you were justified. You have a bunk on the second lower deck, near the ship's Guard quarters. You have - some weeks - to train with them. Else, you can keep the sword - we are not thieves - but you may not carry it on board."

Eiill nodded, caught himself, half-saluted, and tried hard not to scurry away to find his quarters. No more than a bunk he could live with. He wondered - the orderly had noted the nature of the greatsword, but did she know about his own weapons? One of his bunkmates was a guard and had his own bunk, but the other three - he guessed one was Varen and a newcomer. The other two seemed to be old crew, and one of them at least was a Parum. He shared a bunk with the Var, which was a mercy.

At first training with the guards seemed the easiest job aboard. He could tell they were trained far beyond his skill level, but he thought it was training only. He would lay odds he could talk any of them into giving him his shirt for less than a pittance. But that wasn't the type of work at hand.

Then he discovered that the guard was also responsible for swabbing the decks - or at least, as much of the deck as they felt safe cleaning without disturbing the mysterious machinery. There were parts of the ship the engineers wouldn't let them touch, and other the engineers themselves wouldn't go near, keeping them locked off at all times.

All this time he drew no real duty. He kept watch with the guard, but no watch on the secured areas, and never caught a sight of so much as a hair of the captain. He was only incidentally aware of how to reach the bridge. His only moment of glory came in training, when one day, in desperation at another onrushing loss in the sparring ring, he threw his sword upright between himself and his opponent, shunting whatever power he could lay hands on in himself into the sword through its gold-carved runes to hold it in place. Just in time he remembered not to bring out his knives - they had not had edges covered for the training rings. So he stood looking foolish, sword hanging in midair, his opponent realizing he couldn't move without laying himself open - but Eiill couldn't grab his sword again either. The sergeant, looking mystified, halted the bout and sent the men back to duty, but he had heard nothing more. Still, they let him wear the sword, and the quips were getting fewer.

On watch early in the morning, Eiill heard the crash from below, but held his post. Then the first mate called the crew, and travelers, and... everyone except the captain, apparently... together. He was looking for some help with an expedition. As he spoke, one thing seemed clear. Eiill's hand was raised somewhere within his perception, but it didn't matter. "Volunteers" meant the newcomers, and those others who might not already know something of what would be coming. He shuddered vaguely, and checked his weapons. His pack, periodically refreshed, lay in a rack beneath his bunk. That was all he needed.

As he passed a spider - a spider? Wait. No, yes, a spider - on his way below, he heard her - he guessed - ask what he expected. "More of what I'm beginning to expect on this ship," he said, stopping for a minute. "In other words, boredom and I-haven't-a-bloody-clue." He paused. "Or, sheer terror and I-haven't-a-bloody-clue. Take your pick, and I suppose I'll see you down there." He went below.

[OOC: I forgot how much time good RP takes.]

[KillerKow]

I suppose I should be thankful to the people who designed this ship. There are plenty of places to hide. I've been staying around what I think is closer to the engine of the ship. Everything in this area seems a lot more rugged. There is brass piping lining the halls, and every now and then a steam valve will pop open.

And while I'm being thankful to the people who designed the thing, I can't say nearly as much for the people maintaining it. I've been hearing clunking, explosions, and everything else that could possibly sound wrong with the ship. From what I've gathered stalking around the ship, we've stopped moving, and a party is being sent down to some local ruins.

Unfortunately, I am yet to have even a glimpse of the women who had slain the beast of Biden. I dare not travel into the fancier decks, however. There are far less places to hide, and far more people to find me. And while I'm probably going to have to reveal myself eventually... Well, I don't plan on doing that soon.

In my short time in this particular area, I've grown familiar with some of the maintenance crew (as incompetent as they seem to be). The only crew that seem to be even remotely useful are the Sylth. From what he had gathered from their primitive communication, some of the human crew had overheated one of the engines, although I don't know enough about the ship to know how big of a problem that really is. Although based on the reaction of the man who seems to be in charge - Romell - it can't be good.

Now that we have apparently stopped, it seems that a crew is being sent off the ship to explore some local ruins. I overheard a man asking for volunteers. He looked like a man of authority, and it seemed like there was more to these ruins than he was letting on. Was there something down there that the captain wanted? Something powerful?

Needless to say, I have to find out. I need to find a way to get back off the ship and into those ruins.

OOC: My posts always seem longer when I'm writing them :(

[Magmaniac]

Dauchen
----------------
A dark man had come into town that day. In the Lumin village of Rihsan hidden far out in the forests where even the Empire knew little, it was not often that outsiders came into town. He was a human. The townspeople stared at him as he walked down the streets towards the center of town. He wore a black cape that concealed most of him, but occasionally when it flared in the wind, one could see the golden runes inscribed on the inside of his cloak and on his breastplate. It was that mostly that caught the gaze of the townspeople, that and the gun. He wielded a large and unusual gun. It was like a musket, but the barrel was much longer and was not a perfect shape, it was cylindrical at some parts, square at others. Runes were carved all over the gun. It was not often that the townspeople saw guns, except when they had to dig out the few old ones left in the town to fend off wild animals.

He came into my parents' inn and rented out the only room. He was down at the bar that day when I came back from working the field. My father, working the bar, looked pale as a ghost just being near the man. As far as I could tell, the man had been drinking heavily, at least enough to make up for the lack of other customers that we normally would have had at that time of day.

I asked my father if he needed me to help with anything. As usual he had me mop the floors and clean up around the kitchen. The man was sitting there at the bar as I was mopping, his eyes hidden in shadows as his head was hunched over his eleventh bottle of ale. My father was taking a moment to himself in the backroom (sipping off his flask.) As I moved closer to the dark man to clean the floor, a strange feeling overcame me. I suddenly felt as if the entire world was on fire, and the screams of all the living creatures of the planet were in my head. I winced and moved away, deciding to mop after he left. As I did this, he appeared to stir.

I finished my duties and returned the cleaning equipment to the cabinet at the top of the stairs. I went back down the stairs to make myself some food in the kitchen, as I was hungry from a long days work. As I turned the corner in the stairwell, I ran into him. I nearly screamed, but I held my composure. "E-excuse me sir," I spurted so that I could slip past, but he did not move. Terrified, I looked up into his eyes, those eyes, so cruel and alien. They were not like any eyes I have seen before or since, they swirled in clouds of gold and blood red. They pierced me to the core. I took a step backwards against the wall, and he took a step towards me. He leaned in, his horrible eyes only inches from my own, and he whispered to me in a cold voice,
"Her name is Elizabeth. Protect her."
Then he quickly turned and went up into his room, closing the door behind him and leaving me terrified and trembling in the stairway. I took a few minutes to gather my wits and go back down the stairs again. I made myself a sandwich in the kitchen and ate it quickly, wanting to fall into sleep and forget about what had happened. I went back upstairs to my bedroom, removed my clothes and slipped into my bed next to the window. I laid in bed for an hour or more, not able to sleep. I heard my father and mother go to sleep in the room to my left, and heard not a sound from the man in the room on my right. Another sleepless hour passed, and just as I was falling into the first stages of sleep, a scream pierced the night, coming from the dark man's room. I jumped out of my bed and threw my pants on. Without even thinking about it, I ran into the man's room.
What I saw horrified me. The small inn bedroom that had seen many happy travelers in it's time was covered inch by inch in blood. It dripped from the ceiling, pooled on the floor, covered the walls, tinted the window. The man was nowhere to be seen. Maybe the blood was his, I had no way of knowing.
It was then that I heard her voice,
"Dauchen!"
calling to me from the bed. I ran to it. I saw the man's gun laying there, emitting a golden light on the blood around it.
"DAUCHEN!"
it called to me again, louder. I reached towards it hesitantly, not knowing what to expect. I grasped the barrel with one hand and the butt with my other, and a cold white light enveloped me.
"DAUCHEN!" It screamed from inside me and from everywhere.
The white light burned my eyes, so I closed them, I tried to drop the gun, but I could no longer control myself. My vision faded into the white and I began to see things. Horrible things. I saw children torn to shreds being fed upon by beasts. I saw children torn to shreds being fed upon by humans. I saw man-like being with a knife carving out his intestines. I saw a woman next to an upturned grave, masturbating with the fingers of a fresh corpse. I saw things I cannot begin to understand. I saw forever.
When the light faded, I was laying in the middle of town, still clutching the gun. It was dawn, and the light of day showed me another gruesome sight. The bodies of everybody in town piled around me. Most of them were not whole, with large holes bored through them. Next to me was the torso of my father, with only his left leg attached. I was soaked in blood. My hair, my skin, my clothes. It was in my eyes and under my fingernails. I screamed. I took the flask from my father's front pocket and climbed over the pile of everyone I had ever known. I ran into the forest and never looked back.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Back on the airship)
"AHHH!"
I screamed as I awoke, thinking I was covered in blood. Just that dream again. The memory from my childhood that came back whenever I let it. I wasn't covered in blood, just my sheets covered with my sweat.
I looked over at Gon, who was still asleep in his bed. I found it ironic when he told me about how the one who had nursed him to help told him he was the only survivor from his town. Thank the Ley that the story hadn't been true.
My head ached. I looked out the porthole window and saw that the sun was nearly rising.

I got out of bed and stepped into my clothes, and walked out of the room. I was supposed to work the early shift in the kitchen that I had been assigned to work in. I hadn't even been in a kitchen since that day, until I was assigned this job to help on the ship. I took my time as I walked to the kitchen, taking a few hits off of my flask as I went.

so when i got to workin that day i mostly forgot about the dream after a while, 'slong as i keep my mind occupied i usually can keep myself fine. gon hadn' been assigned to work that day so i had more work to do meself but acause of the day it was i figure it wouldnt be too hard, not as many people eatin there today. we wasn' movin the ship acause of engines failed.

i made up the mornin dish an put it out on the line fer dishin it out to the crew and seeing tha there wasn' anyone up yet i thought id take a bit back in the backroom and have mese'f a bit more offa me flask yeah

so i says to the firs guy who comes up "MORNIN' TO YA!" i says an he up n looks at me like im some stain' an he jus' holds out a bowl fer me to dish in so i goes an dishes him some and he goes off n' sits and a coupla more of them come in over some time an soon its almos time fer lunch, which ain't my shift god damnitt i aint workin that lunch shift after breakfast again someone else suposta do that im gona complain to the captain bout it if noone else is a come for the job but here comes two men right here! they look at each other a bit and at me and are talkin about somethin i can't make out wat exactly and so I says to em I says "EY you workin lunch shift? oho" an the one man says "yea i suppose so" an the other man says "You are dauchen eh?" and I says "SURE as a human in a brothel!" an he looks at me again like that he did afore and he says "come with me the captain wants you" AH the captain! finaly i wil get to meet her i am gonna marry her you know she soun's like nothn but wondrful an i told the man "alright! the CAP'N an I we gona get married one day ya know" an the man looked at me again like that an i folowd him too a place wher there were a buncha people about an the captain came up in an was beautful as ida hoped and i was gona tel her so but she was talkin somethin 'portant bout goin to the ground and lookin for new mana store for the ship and axin for volunters an so when she akse i rais my hand

[Sirion]

NOTE: THIS ARCH IS STILL OPEN TO ANY OTHER LEY WINDS PLAYERS. Just jump in guys...

Name: Kryx
Race: Rax
Gender: Male
Age: 32

*****

Kryx had been awake since dawn. The gentle rays of the waxing sun slid across the deck, interrupted only occasionally by a passing cloud. It was at these times that the world was quietest, that he could relax his mind and be at rest. They were too rare, and not long enough.

The party arrived, piece by piece. As a veteran on the ship, he would be the senior in the party, aside from the captain. Brezhai asked him personally, and Kryx couldn't refuse a favor from a friend. Still he couldn't for himself to be satisfied with such a menial task, this babysitting job.

The last person arrived. Kryx stood slowly, coming to a halt a foot taller than anyone else. His mostly brown feathers ruffled, his sharp yellow beak opened, and he spoke, "We will leave now, and most likely make the ruins by nightfall. We'll camp there, I hope you're prepared."

He looked at them; some had eagerness written on their face, others reluctant, and still more looked scared. Would they follow? He hardly knew. He waited for his commanding officer to take her leave of the vessel, then turned and marched off the ship, into the woods. Footsteps followed, as he'd hoped.

[Defil3r]

Now this was odd.

He recalled that only days - Was it weeks? Slyth had poor conception of time - ago he was sitting in that assembly, wondering why he was there. It was strange. The summon had slowly made it's way down through the chain of command, from Man to Man to Rax to Rax and so-on to so-on. When his fellow engineer finally called to him in the lazy voice, Yhsy was baffled. Him, out of all people? It made little sense.

Regardless, who was he to question a little light adventure? Upon arrival, not only did he find himself to be about a foot shorter than everyone else - Oddly surprising - , he found the meeting to already be underway. As he trotted in, no one seemed to notice his presence. He wasn't surprised and, frankly, he didn't mind. The man, the first mate, briefly explained the situation and lazily asked for the assistance of any volunteers to go on some stupid exploration of some stupid ruins on some stupid island for some stupid reason. Stupid.

The whole thing was stupid, Yhsy had decided. The little thought he had suppressed in previous occasions was now assured; This request was meant for someone else. He remembered how he had tried to inquire on details and, possibly, discover who the true recipient was.

This never occurred, and, in the end, he was on the beach, awaiting the arrival for the rest of the volunteers. He was laying across an open rock, pondering over the usefulness of his presence. The Sylth was dressed casually, perhaps in the first time in five years, wearing some frayed, patchwork sack-cloth pants and worn sandals he stole from some ignorant who wasn’t paying attention. The only thing unchanged about his attire was that same grime-covered vest he always wears. It had become something of his signature...
... Though, he did bring along the welding mask, hastily into his pack, wedged in between rusty tools. Truth be told, it had grown on him.

For now, he relaxed, twirling his unloaded pistol in the midday sun and awaiting further orders. That was something he was going to have to get used to. Orders.

[OOC: If you didn't notice, I kinda skipped everyone's post. I'm feeling lazy.]

[Seal]

The morning sun shines its last rays, giving its crown to the light of the noon.

The volunteers seem quite unique, all of them. They ought to find their niche down here... even the humans.. and what the hell, I thought the griffons gone extinct with the rest of us..

Lumaia finishes looking through the group of volunteers and determinedly leaves the vessel, the landing ramp faintly squirming under the feet. Her gear of the old moves along the body with a ghastly silence. Not long after other sounds of movement reach Lumaia, a faint smile twists her face. The heavy wheels of a couple of transport wagons used for essential supplies roll down as well.

Lumaia stops for a moment and looks around the silent surroundings, with only a few birds daring to sing.

Do keep your guard up, here. You should know better than my crew did on Niben.

The march continues through the rather cold landscape, surrounded by ruins of old and wild forests. The path Lumaia follows is faint, non-existent at places, yet she appears not to doubt its way. An ancient tree looms over the path, devoid of leaves -- devoid of life. Lumaia stops briefly to look at its withered might. Not far from the tree a view to the vast ruined city of Tima-Iek stops her again. A ruined cobblestone road is extending down the hill to the former gates of the former city.

Behold, the city of.. Tima-Iek. Our salvation is to be found there. But now I.. I may be needing some rest now.. Kryx does know the camp site..

Lumaia climbs on the other cargo wagon and disappears inside.

[Magmaniac]

so we's a reglar wagon train a movin throu the woods toward them ruins off ahead n' I reckon's a good a place n time as any fer me to make up some more ammunitions fer 'Beth.
So as we was goin along (the captain were leadin us, though ther didn seem to be much rhyme or reason to where we was goin, oho) I ran offa the path to grab some small stones and put a handful of em in my pocket. an as we was walkin 'long I sat n' carved small runes into the stones one by one (some fer explodin' an some fer speed an some fer more powerful hit) an I put em in my satchel fer to use later. its an aggritizin thing to do but it's sure saved my hide on more 'n one occasion to be firin' shots more powerful than jus some rock.
i musta carved about 20 or 30 of em' as we was walkin afore somen' near me caught sight an asked me what i was doin. "makin ammunitions!" i said to him an grinned an took a swig offa my flask. I held my flask out to him an asked "ye want some? by the way folks call me Dauchen an cause thas whats my name"

<OPEN TAG>

[neobowman]

“We are landing for the time being, allowing the engineers to conduct repairs. While they work, the captain and I will be heading off to some ruins spotted in the distance, at the break of dawn tomorrow. Are there any volunteers to join us?”
Guy raised his hand.
He was mildly surprised when another dozen people also volunteered. There were a few other strange developments such as the supposedly mythical gryphon flying down who could talk.

The captain led the way out onto solid ground. Guy scanned over the motley crew who departed the vessal while heading down the ship's ramp. He recognized many different races but once again, the captain stood out from the rest.
"She's leading us to nowhere."
There were no recognizable landmarks but eventually, she somehow led them to the ruins.
"Oh my god" uttered Guy, half out of surprise that she had found the place and half out of sheer awe.

They rested at the area before the ruins and he talked to a few of the other volunteers. Most of them did indeed use magic as he had suspected.
"I doubt we'll have much more rest. I should sleep while I still have the luxury of doing so"
And so he did.

[OOC: A bit of advice on how I'm doing would be helpful.]

[Sirion]

[OOC: You're doing fine neo, just keep on posting and take more time to describe what happens on the trek. As a note to everyone else, please to whatever you want at this point. Lets keep this alive!]

Kryx
The woods
******

The strange Lumin stood before Kryx, a flask outstretched in his direction with a strong scent of liquor drifting from its opening. He didn't drink, ever; it didn't befit his position on the ship. Grimacing unintentionally, he pushed it away as he murmured a 'no thank you'.

After a moment of two of silence, he turned back to the man, "Those bullets, may I see them?"

He smiled, pulled a few out of his back and tossed them up in the air. Kryx caught one, letting the rest drop, much to the creator's dismay. As he bent down drunkenly to pick them all up, Kryx examined his handiwork.

"What was it...Dauchen? These bullets are pretty decent. You should consider work in the armory, it might suit you. Where did you learn to engrave these ruins?"

[Tag Magmaniac]

*****

Several hours passed, the sun was high in the sky by now. The heat had taken its toll on several of the newer members, but Kryx had endured worse. Tiring slightly of the walking, he longed to take to the air, but the trees were to thick to launch from the trail. Perhaps if he climbed a tree.

A strong, thick tree stood not too far off, and looked very climbable. He jogged over, mounted a branch and began his ascent, branch by branch. About halfway up he breach the tree line and felt the open air. Wind swept across his face, cooling his brow. He gazed toward the ruins in the distance, and then closer to the party.

Something wasn't right.

Something was moving, very fast. Many things, all toward the party. Large things. Adrenaline pumped through his body, he shoved with his legs and flapped hard with his wings; he soared through the air to warn his companions.

From over their heads, all he could do was yell, "Ambush!"

[Tag everyone]

[Ender]

Name: Indrani
Race: Valda
Age: 31


"Ambush!" somebody yelled from high above.

Indrani's first response? Hide behind a rock.

So she did, leaping into a low ground roll from her seat behind a large boulder. The small woman looked up at the avian creature called Kryx (she picked the name up during the trip) soaring in the sky, pointing at something - Indrani assumed it was the source of the vibrations she felt coming through the ground. All around her the group was leaping to its feet and drawing weapons, the more organized of them forming into distinct battle formations. She smiled and got low, bouncing from cover to cover, staying in the minimal shadows provided by the landscape - with it being midday, the sun bathed everything in blinding light, making hiding very difficult for the tiny assassin. Nevertheless, the quickly got behind the main formation of her compatriots and began moving around and outside the group, seeking to get behind the oncoming enemy. She wasn't the type to enter into a huge melee - she'd be more useful in other ways.

[neobowman]

The words echoed through Guy's head.
"Ambush!"

(All around him was blood, soaking his clothes and staining the carpet beneath him. Breathing hard, Guy ran. Ran as fast as he could.)

Then Guy was Jolted to reality with a sharp pain on his left arm.
"Damn."
Grabbing his Bow, Guy ran for cover. Quickly scanning the area, he could not find much. It didn't help that his arm was hurting like hell. Guy dove behind a small boulder to gather himself. They were under attack. Guy saw out of the corner of his eye others engaging the enemies. Most of their party had drawn their weapons and it seemed that some were gathering in small groups to fight, however, Guy's dazed mind could not make sure for certain.

(NO! Don't do it!)

Memories flashed in Guy's brain. A mansion bathed in flames. A village razed to the ground
"Why now!"
Some of the group were taking cover as he was. Others were fighting. He had an injured arm so he would not be able to shoot if the need arose. His memory flashes were also affecting his concentration. There was no other choice but combat however. Grabbing his knife out of his bow's slot, Guy prepared himself. Guy took one last breath and closed his eyes for a moment before slinging the bow behind his back and jumping out from behind the rock.
[OOC: Thanks for the advice. I tried to add more detail to everything. I'm still working on my skills though.]

[SilverCrusader]

Romell woke with a start at the word ambush.
"Ambush... What ambush..."

"Oh... AMBUSH!"
He jumped out of bed with a start. Frantically he looked around for his trusty wrench. It was lying beside him. He grabbed it and evaluated the situation... Or tried to. Everyone was running around doing who knows what. It was chaos.

Romell smiled. Chaos was his specialty. So what to do first. He couldn't necessarily fight, but he had other ways. He ran over to a wagon and got out a large object covered in cloth. He quickly unwrapped it and grinned with satisfaction. She was a beauty. The iron gleamed in the sun and of course it was in pieces. He grabbed the base and stuck it on the ground a little ways from the wagon and undid the tripod, screwing the bolts firmly into the ground. On top of this stuck another section... The gun.
No, not gun, it was more of a cannon. It fires .470 caliber rounds.
Nearby a there was a Sylth, the only one here.
"Could you help me with this!"

[Magmaniac]

(OOC are we being ambushed by anything specific or are we free to come up with that as we may please?)

[KillerKow]

OOC: How's this tag stuff work? I'm new :(

[Faiien]

As I approached the clearing I heard thunderous noises coming from all directions. I began running towards the ruins at full speed to investigate the situation.

As I came closer to the clearing I saw what had been making the noise. Apparently a man was shooting many projectiles out of some sort of cannon at the surrounding. I quickly glanced around to see what the man had been firing at. At first I could not see them but as my sight adjusted I could start to see faint outlines. They appeared to be natives of this region for their camouflage was highly effective. I could not depict their shape or any details about them but they were large...creatures, whatever they were. It seemed they we're taking cover, waiting for the opportune time to strike their foes.

Before I knew it, one was behind me.

I quickly turned around to see the creature. This one was still under camouflage so I could not make out much. The one thing I could make out was his eyes. They were the color of the blood that runs deep within all beings. He seemed to be judging me. I stood perfectly still for fear had overcome my senses. After several tense seconds he moved back a step. Not enough for me to lower my guard, but enough for me to remember how to breath again.

Slowly a voice came from under the cloak. It was spoken in ancient and had a strange accent to it, not only that but the voice was deep and tomber, much like that of an old tree. I could hardly understand it but I managed to pick up on a few words and pieced them together. "Varen...why are you here...your kind has left for the ancient lands have they not? Abandoned us at our time of need? Left us for dead?"

I did not understand. Who was this being?

"Why do you not reply Varen?"
"Do you not know who we are?"
"Has your race forgotten us?"
"Those that you betrayed?"

"Allow me to refresh your memory."

Before I could act the creature swiftly put his hand on my forehead and suddenly a thousand flashing images assaulted my mind. At first I managed to hold them back, but I knew resistance was futile. It felt as if I was trying to hold back the sea from washing upon the shore. My defenses finally fell and the images washed over me. Everything ceased to exist. Then I saw it. A bright light, shining in the foreground. Then two creatures appeared. One was Varen, the other I could not depict. The Varen was beautiful, it was a female, dressed from head to toe in royal robes. The creature in front of her seemed just as beautiful but in his own way. After some time, the Varen moved her hand forward and the creature placed his hand on her palm. This was the Oath. As the two beings held each other' s hands a faint light glowed over their palms and as suddenly as it started everything went black again.

Fire, as far as the eye could see. Everything had been burned to the ground. Many had been killed, and their bodies were sprawled out on the dirt. This was certainly the same creature that I had just seen. Except now, he was dead. It seemed many of his kind had been slayed in some battle. They were all dragged into a great fire by some creatures unknown to me. Woman, children, young and old. All were burned in the flame. Then it felt as if the great waves were being pulled back. I slowly regained control of my mind once again and I pushed my way back to reality.

"Do you remember now Varen?
"How your race abandoned us to die?"
"How your "Council" turned their backs on us in our time of need?"
"We should never have trusted you."

[DNCMF036]

036

Darkness. It was the only thing until this faint white dot showed up in front of me. It slowly began to grow brighter and brighter until blinding white light surrounded me. Strange pictures of oddly familiar events came flashing toward me. It kept on coming, seemingly endless until I came face-to-face with a metal being. It was grabbing my collar raising me from the ground inch by inch. It was man-made by the strange runes carved on his limbs and chest. His eyes were brightly glowing and his right hand was a double edged ax with glowing edges. As I looked around me, I saw buildings burning, the blood-red sky, people running around, screaming as they try to outrun the beasts that are not of this earth. The creatures were four-legged, covered in bony platings and eyes emitting a blood-red, evil glow. The metal being dropped me to the floor, raising its ax as if it was gonna cut me in half and then....

KABAM! I felt a flat smooth object hit my face. As I felt it, I realized that I fell on the floor, face first. "Damn, that hurt." I whisper as I touch my nose if it was gonna fall if I didn't. I got released from the hospital a few weeks ago. I lumbered my way to the bathroom and washed my face. I then grabbed my shirt and pants and fitted my metal vest. I then approached the deck, hearing a loud explosion from the engine room. A few moments later, the peoples' attention were called and a meeting began. “We are landing for the time being, allowing the engineers to conduct repairs. While they work, the captain and I will be heading off to some ruins spotted in the distance, at the break of dawn tomorrow. Are there any volunteers to join us?” the first man calls out and I raised my hand.

I then packed up by the evening, bringing my arnis poles and weird sword with me, and then slept. Upon waking up, I noticed it was already morning, "S**t! I'm late again." I yelled as I took on my metal vest and hurriedly ran to the deck. The others were already far in the distance with a few supply wagons behind them. This didn't stop me, I observed the landscape, looking for some sort of shortcut. I spotted a cliff on nearby and thought that I can reach them faster if I can climb it. So I did.

After hours of a painstaking ascent, I reached the wagons. I then hopped in. I found a comfortable spot to take a nap and then, after positioning myself, I slept.

"Ambush!" someone yelled, I was startled and then I hurriedly hopped off the wagon and looked around. I spotted an insanely huge army of natives running toward our direction. An engineer was prepping up some sort of cannon made from one of the wagons. I grinned greedily and then pulled out my sword, charging to meet the enemy. "This is gonna be fun!" I yelled as I neared the enemy.

[ooc: Sorry I got late]

[3Vee]

Eiill had made it to his bunkroom and back to the hatchway - not, he noticed, the one by which he had originally boarded the ship - in too much plenty of time. He stood there uncomfortably as the other adventurous souls gathered. He smiled ruefully to himself as he realized how many of them he had never met during his weeks on the airship. How big was this thing, anyway? He would have sworn that standing watch had taken him across the entirety of the ship - a ship whose name, despite his best passive efforts, he still did not know.

At last everyone was assembled, and they moved out, led by some of the ship's more experienced crew, and, he thought, the first mate who had called them together. Kryx was his name, right? Or was that some other person? He was getting muddled. He hadn't seen anyone he recognized lately, not even the spider. He had worked himself up towards the front of the pack, but now he paused to fetch his water-skin from his pack and take a drink. No use getting dried out and stupid.

As he replaced the water-skin, he realized he was further towards the back now than he had thought, and very much on the edge of the group. The ruins were getting very close indeed. As he picked his pack up, a voice from the sky screamed, "Ambush!" He flipped the pack into a nearby bush - he could get it later - and almost in the same motion swept the greatsword off his back and through a guarding motion which, unfortunately, caught almost nothing but air. The "almost nothing", though, was an arrow, which, deflected, scraped a deep cut in his cheek as it passed. He wondered idly where it had been aimed, at the same time dropping into a crouch and reaching tendrils of energy out to try to find the attackers. He could barely see movement, and a few more arrows came past, but no more bit on him. He guessed that the attackers were trying to decide how to continue - did they face hapless travelers, or organized military forces?

Then a rush came, and he rose to his feet facing it. Praying someone had his back, he swung the greatsword into motion, using his concentration of energy now to make the weapon "sing" - a low moaning as it arced through the air, rising to a shriek of triumph when it bit into enemy flesh or armor. After a few of their number fell or fell back wounded, the enemy began to split around him. But some had gotten through - his left leg was bleeding from a slight cut above the knee, and his right shoulder was stiff and bruised from a blow from a weapon he had not seen clearly.

Then it got worse - he felt movement behind him, and as he swung in a full circle to clear the area around himself, he realized that although he had barely moved, most of the fight had moved away. He took a quick look, sheathed the greatsword, and dashed towards the main group - yes, leaving the pack where it lay.

A bad move, he thought a minute later, as another arrow bit through his jerkin and scratched the back of his ribs, and more whistled overhead. But just a few more yards, and maybe he'd make it to the relative safety of numbers.

[Seal]

The convoy shouldn't have stopped yet..

Picking up her staves, tightening her gear slightly, Lumaia rises from her resting spot of choice. On top of a couple crates. Looking from the wagon out to the secluded, ancient road thus disturbed she waits a moment.

The forest folk.. The Metell.. Oh, just as nasty as they should be. They do not.. however.. deserve this slaughter...

The gray-haired enchantress jumps down quickly, dodging a hurled javelin and engages her armory. A group of defenders, humans, have got back at them just nearby. In haste she leaps towards a Metell ambusher about to deliver a blow o'hurt with its great axe. Using the staff she redirects the swing, putting its undertaker off balance, its victim without harm. The captain looks at her almost-unfortunate follower, a rather handsome human, in the eyes briefly:

(OOC: Tag any humans grouped)

You humans should get to the others, immediately. There'll be more of them in no time.

-- Yes.. .. definitely..

Distracting another ambusher to give her companions just the time Lumaia moves out back to the convoy, to help organize the defense.

The forest folk are on the defensive here, trying to frighten us out of their land. I do have found them negotiable with, however. I suggest we do not .. aggravate unreasonably, for their chief might show up any moment now.

(OOC: Tag everyone)

The rain of arrows and javelins alike continues for a few moments.

[neobowman]

After fighting some of the enemies for a while, Guy's vision caught a sight of the Captain defending one human who was being attacked. Guy quickly focused his attention on his own unlucky victim. Guy pinned her down, knocked her unconcious and joined the human group retreating to the bulk of the crew.

"What the hell is attacking us anyway?"

Knocking as many flying spears down as possible with his bow with his uninjured hand while trying to run at full speed at the same time was not an easy task but Guy barely managed. Arrows grazed his body and landed inches from his position.

"That's the ninth time that's happened. My odds must be getting short."

His injured arm hanging limp at his side, Guy glanced at the convoy. It seemed that the fighting was concentrated there. Guy's arm was numb and the group was under heavy fire. The only thing going for him was that the flashbacks had stopped. Dodging random arrows and spears stuck in the ground, Guy slid into the defense, trying to stay back until he could shoot arrows. He could feel it wearing off but his arm was useless for the time being. It would be at least five minutes until he could fire off a shot.

"I hope I survive until then"

[KillerKow]

OOC: How's this tag stuff work? I'm new :(

OOC: This is really just for the required 5 character thing.

[DNCMF036]

036

"Eat this!" I yell at one native as I reached them, stabbing my sword through his chest with laughable ease. The other natives came and swung their swords on me as I jumped back and swung my sword again. I gave off a devilistic grin as arrows and spears began to rain on me. I scanned the ground for something to protect me and found a wooden shield. A native swung his sword over me as I ducked and and sprinted toward the round object. I leaped and grabbed the handle and rolled with the shield over me. The arrows kept on raining over me as I noticed someone ran behind me. My eyes followed him and noticed the others taking up defensive positions by the wagons.

After noticing this, I sheathed my sword behind me. I immediately began running backwards toward the others, blocking and dodging the incoming arrows and javelins. As I reached the rest of the team, I crouched facing against the enemy raising my shield.

[Tag anyone]

"Hey! What the hell is going on?" I asked someone beside me. "Lumaia told us not to attack the guys. Their boss my come any minute now." he replies, "He'd better come soon. I'm loosing my patience." I replied as I picked up a biscuit wrapper from my satchel.

[SilverCrusader]

Romell Kyre heard someone trying shout something over the noise of his gun.

"WHAT IS IT?!"

"THE CAPTAIN WANTS YOU TO STOP FIRING!" The man said. And as Romell deciphered the words he stopped and looked over at the man who said it.

"Stop...? Well if the captain said so..."

He finally withdrew his hands from the trigger and stepped away. Apparently it caused an amount of confusion among the battle. He was pretty much the center of attention for the enemy. Of course he never actually hit anything... He was never a good marksman.
He ran over to where there was cover and hid.