Tyden Konrad - Hunter

As he was busying myself with eating the kitchen leg that he grabbed earlier as he quickly emptied his cup of wine. In a very short time the large hall became very lively full of hunters and servants walking back and forth and talking to each other. He admitted he wasn't exactly the sociable type. Probably because all his life has been composed of nothing but training to be a hunter and the hunting itself. And that left no room for a social life.

But he couldn't complain. He liked his life and he couldn't imagine himself doing anything else. Even if he had a choice he wouldn't know what to do. This is all he knew, all he was good at. He then set my sights on a roasted turkey as he grabbed a knife and sliced himself a hefty piece and putting it in his plate together with a butter covered potato. After weeks of tiresome travelling and innapropriate eating it was good to finally eat accordingly. He was a man with a big apetite and a good metabolism.

Then a servant approached him. "May I fill your cup Sir." He asked him politly and humbly. "Sure!" Tyden said as he looked at him and grabbed his empty cup, pointing it in his direction. After he finished pouring the wine Tyden turned around, took a sip of the cup and observed everyone. He loved that. It's more entertaining to him then anythying. As he let down his cup and started eating he couldn't help but smirk at Eva's colorful laugh. It almost made everything a whole lot better.

Tyden couldn't help but notice the considerable ammount of elves in the hall. Hunters in Seisau were taught to dislike anything not human. They were also forbidden any kind of relation with the "non-humans". This category included elves as well.He didn't knew why. That was their doctrine he guessed. Tyden tried not to think too much about it. Then the king showed up in the room. The man looked amazing. Very well built character, and he comanded respect.

Heavy steps were heard as the floor shook slightly at the movement of the mountainous man, his long white and grey beard swaying just above his portly belly. He looked at everyone and yet spoke not a word as he walked through the grand hall and approached a small podium of sorts, the floor raised just so where the wooden structure beckoned everyone's attention. He looked about the crowd, age and exhaustion playing perfectly content along his long features. He cleared his throat and the room grew quiet as each person turned to show respect to the man that held their great lands together and had seemingly lost more men, family and blood to the recent devistation than any other that could raise defense.

"Thank you all for responding to our call for assistance. Adin... no, Capernaum thanks you for simply answering the cry of the people. Whether you are here out of the kindness of your heart, the desire to fight a dark battle, or the ache for riches and perhaps immortality - we welcome you and hope to give you the right information in a timely manner to set you on a course that might prove pivotal in our battle against the Shade." He stopped only to take a long drink of a dark mead that was handed to him by a small waif of a woman. "Most of your villages and provinces have felt the icy hand of darkness that has brushed across our land, bruising and taking wherever he delights. My own men have fallen by three quarters due to our over zealous desire to put down that which seemingly doesn't exist."

His sigh was full of angst and the air felt as it had been sucked from the four corners of the room. A once great and mighty leader was faced with not only relying on others, some of which he'd rather not, but the resolution was unclear and quite difficult to imagine at all. He tapped his large meaty fingers along the aging wood, his peircing blue gaze locking on a few old friends that were only deemed so by a quick nod of his head.

"The Cup of Eden was removed from my treasury last night and whether you believe in its powers are not are quite irrelevant. The ruling bodies of Capernaum are at the end of options and that is where you come in." He paused for a moment. "You will be given a map of the Caspian mountains to study tonight and we ask that you leave first thing in the morning. The shade has many children and rest assured they are working hard to break the spell of holiness that lays on the cup. One drink from it and a being of original immortality will become a God, one drink for you and you will become immortal. That as well as a large ransom for those of you whom survive is what I offer. Please understand that the journey you attend will most likely call for your life and put you before evil so great that it might just corrupt your soul."

He rubbed his large chest, just above his heart as if in pain. "Please... ask me anything and if I am able to respond, I will."

Evangelina Vertesca - Huntress (Narrator)

Evangelina turned from the kings attendant to watch the brave, strong warrior she'd met as a child use all his strength to simply keep himself standing up right. Her heart ached for the situation and yet she knew that emotions and feelings would get her no where in the current situation. She took a quick drink of her mead and pressed her attention toward the front of the room, a well dressed man entering just before the king catching her eye. The rulers steps seem to echo around her and take forever as she decided to remove her gaze from him and look around at those that would be in attendance with her on this new journey. The sound of a different language grabbed Eva and caused her to shift uncomfortably. Surely not... she'd only heard that language spoken once as an adolescent, her father working with the Elven leaders to gain their assistance. It almost seemed a sin to look upon a creature so beautiful and yet Eva had yet to back down from anything.

So much movement around her and although her eyes moved with the darkest hunter in the house she pulled her attention from the corner that he hovered in and looked to the king as the older man began to speak. She listened patiently, unsure of what she truly believed in the way of mythical objects, but willing to fight the battle to the bloody end to gain the acknowledgment that she desired so bad from her own father. When the proposal for questions came up, Eva lifted her hand and spoke up loud and clear.

"I do realize that you called for volunteers, but do you not worry that one or more of the men in this room might not side with the very entity that you send us into the dawn after, great King?" She bowed her head a little, her long dress spanning out around her and yet hugging her perfect as she stood at the table, her attention on the older man that called their honor, or was it their greed to center stage.

"Ahh.. Evangelina. Your father's strength and your mothers beauty. I do find it quite amazing that you stand here in the place of your father's greatest soldier and yet you earned it, did you not?"

She smiled and nodded, speaking not.

"To answer you question, I do believe that some of the men or perhaps women in our midst have or will fall pray to the darkness for it pulls hard and offers what seems like a lot. The witches and warlocks that have been birthed from the dark Shade are alluring and majestic, their ability to capture the hearts of men is without effort. The question becomes, will you fall pray? You cannot concern yourself with those around you child, but only with the battle that you will face. Rest assured each of you will be challenged in ways you could never expect. Search within yourself and find your core before you leave in the morning or you will not return."

Evangelina nodded and sat, her eyes moving back to the hooded figure in the corner and not letting up as she analyze him closely. He was darkness incarnate and she felt a twinge of concern at his present position as anger and hate radiated from him in waves of black and grey before her eyes.

Arralina - Witch

A quick trip to the edge of the valley they stayed upon gave her the trinket her father kept hidden deep in a large oak tree. Nothing more than fire from her own fingertips burnt deep into the core of the tree, her lithe arm pushing hard as smoke rose around her and a soft grunt left her full crimson lips. She grabbed the cup and pulled hard, slipping the silver object into a small napstack she had stretch across her back. She picked up her walk to a jog as she made her way back to the camp, several new arrivals coming to join them as Vitra spoke with several of them. A large hulk of a man approached and stood beside an Asian-looking woman, her long chocolate hair moving about her lithe frame. Lina nodded to the girl as a sign of acceptance and turned to answer the male.

"He wants us to complete a mission for him and I'd be careful of your tone, loverboy. He's in a mood this evening." She smirked as the wind picked up and pushed her forward, Lina stumbling as she plowed into her sister. "Sorry..." she growled and moved to the edge of their path, others moving in to follow them.

The wind not only brought her father's punishment, but a witch that looked like the colors of a strained sunset, her body hovering just above them. Lina disliked the wind, the very essence of it stealing her own powers as all oxygen was sucked from the vicinity. "Come down here (Zara) and let us head out before the dawn ruins our plans and creates tracks for our pursuers."

Running her fingers through her dark hair she turned to look at Vitra. "We must go now." She turned to the others, "The time is upon us and once we might it just beyond the Capsian mountains and day breaks I will explain where we are going and for what father has called the handful of us to do." She pointed to her sisters horse as if to remind her that she needed to take it with the group so that Vitra's escape was assured... Lina demanded that alone.

Lily stood silent, a goblet of untouched liquid in her hand. She hadn't had anything to eat, nor drink. She had been studying the other people there, ignoring any of the servants. Mostly, she had just tried to be unnoticeable.

Call for volunteers. Lily felt like she hadn't had a choice. She would do anything to protect the land she loved, even if no one recognized her. If she died, so be it. But she wasn't going to die.

She set her goblet down, looking about. It would bode well to have allies. Yet she was never any good at speaking to someone first. Who would be a good choice? She mused, then started to wander around the room as if she hadn't a care in the world.

She wasn't scared. She had her bow. How could she ever be scared, as long as she had that?

Marcus-Hunter

Marcus let himself into the grand room, taking a seat with a soft grunt. He stretched his legs out before him and took whatever drink he was offered. He didn't look to see what it was, just downed it. He glanced at the goblet in surprise, it was actually decent. It was replaced with another and he took a moment before taking a swallow. He'd hate to have an outburst here. He might break something or get thrown in jail. Although, that wouldn't be half bad. He considered it, but then remembered that he wasn't allowed to drink while in jail. Those had been the worst four days of his life. No, he'd play it safe for now. He let the cup find it's way to the table as someone he could only assume was the king, walked into the room. His eyes watched the grey bearded man walk, seeing that perhaps he would like him. He wasn't overly adorned, nor did he seem overly egotistical.

'Color me surprised,' He thought to himself. As the king began to speak, Marcus took another drink, only half paying attention. He got the gist of the assignment, get the cup, bring it back, don't die. Although when a woman stood and addressed the king, it captured his attention. Darkness. He barely avoided snorting and downed the drink in his hand. Darkness could only corrupt beings with a beating heart. His heart was no longer beating. He wasn't even sure it was still there. He glanced over as another goblet appeared. Perhaps when he was rewarded for this ludacris assignment, he would hire a maid.

Vitrlese

As Lina was gone, picking up their important package, Vitralese stood silently since no one felt the need to greet her. She was not one who often interacted. Of course most of the reason was that she was not allowed to or capable of doing so as her father had kept her under lock and key for a very long time. Now that she had a chance to greet her siblings she felt uncomfortable and awkward, stuck standing next to her horse and looking off into the distance where Lina had disappeared. As she returned Vitra smiled and turned her horse about before hoping atop the stallion, setting herself sidesaddle in her heavy elegant dress.
As her sister made her way to her side she spoke to her, her voice both soft and crackled from lack of use. “We should all attain steeds; our progress will be slowed else wise.”

Lina nodded and looked back toward the eastern border of the camp. "You're right, however I know there are several of us with power that will not allow the horse to carry us. He would revolt to say the least. I will gather a few of them and those that can ride, will. The rest will have to move in whatever form or fashion they can to ensure that we keep up a steady pace."

Vitra kicked her horse forward and moved slowly next to her only full sibling. “When do you plan to camp?” She looked behind her, where the others were, before looking back to her sister in the darkness of night.

Lina enjoyed the sound of the leaves crunching under her feet, the reminder that fall was almost over and winter would soon be there almost gave her a sense of purpose. "The next town is only seven hours travel from here, so we can stop there for rest and food. I think traveling by night might be the best way for us to remain safe. Father will provide shadows, but I still prefer to be careful."

Vitra nodded. She was not pleased of the idea of traveling in the light of day but if it was necessary than she didn’t much have a choice. She watched as Lina held her package gingerly, noticing how her stance gave away a bit of stress. “Should I?” She spoke as she nodded softly to the bagged item.

Lina followed her gaze and felt a flutter in her heart. Would it put her sister in danger to hold it? Surely their father would protect Vitra no matter what. "I'd be grateful if you did." She took out the cup and reached up to give it to her sister.

Vitra grasped the cup and brought it close, tucking into the folds of her cloak and securing it. “Let us get into some trouble now.” She looked out of the corner of her eye and grinned, pleased to be free for a bit.

Joshua happened to look up from his conversation with the Woad Maiden and caught the glance of the red haired female, though the countenance of her face shown not a sign of recognition, her eyes betrayed a knowledge of understanding, that in fact what she thought she might of heard was indeed what she had heard. For a moment this puzzled him, she would of had to of been among Elven before to of had recognized what she thought to of heard now to be Elven,but yet she looked much too young to have been alive during the time the Elven last walked among the humans.

Joshua's thoughts were interrupted with the entrance of the King and his heart grew heavy as he watched the man make his way to the throne. The once proud and noble bearing that commanded respect now seemed tired and worn, shoulders once broad and strong now seemed stooped and weak from years of bearing the burden of running a Kingdom. The once muscular physique from years of training and battle, now obese and soft by even longer years of inactivity, age was not kind to humankind, even less so to one whom bore the weight of a Kingdoms survival, but although the King may not now be the man he once was, there was still a fire and determination in his eyes that told of a formidable adversary still within the aged body that would battle onto death anyone or anything that threatened his Kingdom and people.

Once again his attention was drawn back to the red haired woman as the King called upon her to speak, the fact that he not only knew her, but her Father as well meant she and her family held a measure of influence and prestige at the Kings court, something that would make her quite formidable in her own right when it came down to whom would actually recover the lost cup, for it was his intentions the cup never to return to human hands again, least they ever discover its true powers and bring forth the wrath of the gods down upon themselves and the rest of the world. He turned to look briefly at the Woad Maiden and pondered why she was here, had the Elves come to a similar conclusion?, enough time later for such questions, he concluded then turned to hear what any others or the King might have to say.

Jonathan - Hunter

He looked up as the king entered the room, his bulk moving over the floor ponderously, many chins showing underneath his own. The man had once been one of considerable muscle, he could tell. Stories had been told, but the way that the fat was draped across his frame told of once a mighty and stoic fighter, maybe even with such fanciful notions as honor and love in his mind as he rode out to combat what he saw as evil. But, as always, power, riches and comforts came at a price. Thankfully, the price had been his health and not the corruption of his soul, which Jonathan would have found considerably more likely, given the circumstances. He wasn't here to recover any bloody cup, despite what they might have thought. He had heard of it in the soft night whispers of his mother during his time alone in the forest, how great it was, how deep was its meaning. He was almost happy that she held it now. He knew that his mother would never take him back, not with his power so deeply... marred. He was here to show them the paths of the darkness, how to beat it, how to fight fire with fire, as the analogy went.

His eyes flickered lightly on the young woman as she spoke to the king. Her easy manner with the king and the way that he greeted her told him that she was more than just any other hunter. It was a bad thing, he thought. Rich people had a tendency to think that they were somehow better than their fellow man, and thus had little or nothing to learn from them. She was a warrior, not a hunter. She had no knowledge of the shadows, and wouldn't learn what he had to teach. If he had money on it, he would bet that she would be among the first to fall, either killed or, as she proposed, fallen to the pleasures of the Shade, pleasures that he was only too familiar with.

Hearing her question was irritating enough, but the kings answer drew a low, deep growl from his throat. He stood at his full height, covering his body entirely except his face, whose mask was lifted to show his sickly-pale skin, and his icy blue eyes," What does my lord the king know of darkness?" His voice boomed through the chamber, demanding attention," Or you... Evangelina, was it? What do any of you know of the tantalizing pleasures of its presence? What do you know, my king, of how we will be tested? Have you been tested as we will?" He stepped forward, keeping his face in the shadows," Have you, young princess? What do you know of the dangers we face? We do not fight the decadent and dying creatures that The Mother spawns, the mindless beasts that are all too easy to cut down. We fight her children. Her finest. Those most powerful as imbued by the power the Shade.The cream of the proverbial crop, as it were, and that, my friends, is not something you are prepared to face, or my eyes greatly deceive me," He moved back into his corner again, having said his piece and content to leave them to think on his words as he sipped his cup of mead.

Evangelina Vertesca - Huntress (Narrator)

As the shadow moved and the man took form once again, Eva realized that he was not what he appeared to be and yet she could not place the feeling that darkness loomed ahead for them all and this male would be at the epicenter of disaster. She lifted her chin a little as he spoke, letting him finish his rant before slipping from the table and moving to stand before him, her voice soft and only for his tainted ears to hear.

"I do not placate myself with the fantasy that I might survive this journey, but if you believe yourself the only one having stood before the great void that is the dark and lived to tell about it, you Sir, are wrong. Arrogance is for the weak and yet the strong use it for defense. The question beckoning to be answered is which are you? Are you weak or are you hiding?" She looked about the darkened corner in which they stood and smiled, a bit of nefarious intent in her innocent appeal. "You fool me not and yet I desire to know why you're here more than how you will perform, but I suppose that is for another time and place, hmmm?"

The King

The King refocused his attention on other members of the entourage, his eyes touching again and again on a lovely young maiden who appeared to not jog his memory and yet there was something about her. He called his adviser to his side and pointed her out, asking whom she might be. His adviser shook his head and looked around to try and catch the eye of a guard to no avail.

"Sire, I will go and see if I can find out myself. She seems to be quite comfortable with the well-dressed fellow beside her." Zakariah tilted his head a little, trying to get a read on her. "She almost holds herself with regalia. Is she a princess or a warrior?"

The King grunted, "As I said... go find out who she is, boy."

Zakariah moved from the presence of his king and stood just before the lovely maiden, her chestnut hair wispy and appearing quite soft to the touch. A lovely ruby broach sat upon her head, the color bringing out the unusual shade of her flawless skin. He nodded to the male next to the woman and turned his gaze back to her, "Madam... the king has inquired of you. Would you care to join him at the front for a brief work and introduction?"

JOSHUA

From the back of the gathered group, he heard a distinct low growl and he turned to look upon its source. Joshua's attention was drawn to the imposing figure of the masked one as he stepped from the shadows, the Hunter with the Mask posture conveyed an aire of arrogance, almost as if he was contemptuous of the others gathered in the hall. The man was also self-assured and self-confident as he strode boldly forward. The Hunter with the Mask line of questioning was quite intriguing as well and spoke perhaps that the man had himself experienced all the he was now questioning the others about, which of course raised the questions in his mind, 'How does the mask one know of what he speaks, no one has ever encountered the Shade and not walked away unscathed... was that the reason for the mask?, was it possible the masked one was a spy... had those of the Shade grown so bold as to send one of their into the midst of the very Castle itself?, but then again, if he be a spy, why flaunt the knowledge of possibly be touched by the darkness by his line of questions?' The Hunter with the Mask would be one that bared being watched indeed.

Joshuas attention was forced away from the Hunter to the servant that had moments ago been at the Kings side, h e perked a brow as the servant spoke, thinking that one having the confidence of the King would of had a more respectful display of etiquette and proper manners. Joshua held up a hand and addressed the man, his smile belaying his intention,

"Forgive me young one, but have things come to such a low in the Kingdom, that a Servant of the King lacks the forethought to bow before a Lady and make proper introductions, before stating a request?, for instance, before bringing her before the King, it would be prudent to know the Ladys name so one would know how to address her before the King would it not?" , it wasn't that he wanted to embarrass the man, but he also knew how the Elven valued the use of proper manners and the value of first impressions, if the Elves thought it important enough, and current events dire enough to send an envoy to meet the King, then it would be in the humans best interest to gain the Elves confidence, though he did realize at that the moment, none knew she was Elven.

Arlese watched as the other hunter’s milled about, spoke to each other or the king. Some seemed to be familiar to each other; the red haired woman was apparently on a first name basis with the human monarch. There was another curiosity. A pale man she had noticed before who was clearly neither elf nor fully human, yet the aura of a child of the Shade was not present so he was not that wither as far as she could tell. Her curiosity began to peak as a man approached her and spoke softly. “"Madam... the king has inquired of you. Would you care to join him at the front for a brief work and introduction?"

As the large male beside the beautiful woman spoke, the King's advisor turned and nodded to the male, acknowledging the truth of his words. "You are right, kind Sir. It has been so very long since we have had guest in our courts. Forgive me." He turned back to the woman, "Might I have your name to present you to my King, Milady?"
Her words were fluid and soft as she spoke despite her otherwise stunted use of the human language as she returned a nod to the human servant. “I am Arlese.”
The advisor nodded politely and turned to walk her toward the king, the scent of her perfume or perhaps essence itself almost floral in nature.’ As they arrived, the advisor bowed to the king and presented the young women. "Sire, this is Arlese, as requested.”

She bowed her head before the king, as she had before her previous companion, but with a bit more clarity. The king had no secrecy to protect and so she could act differently with him even if his presence was drastically less amazing than that of a dragon. As she raised her head she let her face show from under the hood, gleaming a bit in the light of the room and smiled.

“It is honor to meet you your Majesty.”

Arlese smiled as the King took her hand and kissed it, knowing she had peaked the old man's curiosity. Humans live very short lives but even though the eldest human was but a child in years to an elf they respected the elders of the human world; it was not easy to survive in such violence. "I come from White Kingdom." Her voice was quite, still wishing to keep her race an identity till they left the city. "Your...." She fought for words, attempting to think of the correct title she needed. "man was very persuasive."

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes moving across the woman's alabaster face with a bit of curiosity in his gaze. She was something other than ordinary and he found the echoance of his youth wanting to know exactly what that something was. "I am pleased to meet you acquaintance, Arlese." He extended his hand in an effort to take hers for a small kiss on her long fingers. "Do tell me who you represent as you head out tomorrow to assist us in this battle."

He nodded and felt the desire to dig further as if a great mystery sat at the edge of his fingertips, but knew that it would be rude and unbecoming of his position. "Well, I am very pleased that you've decided to join us. I wish you success and bravery as you forge ahead tomorrow morning."

"I thank you good Lord. It is a most worthy task you have given us." She bowed once again and raised her head before speaking with discomfort. "Lord it is rude but my King requires of me to ask. What does your lordship plan to do with the recovered cup?"

The king felt himself stiffen a little. The cup was a treasure amongst treasure and yet to have someone inquire of it wasn't per sae rude, but showed that she felt herself worthy of the knowledge. Interested. "We plan to keep it in our treasury. My father was a knight of the great table of kings and promised that my ancestors would always protect the cup and keep it from its intended use. I will honor that and give my life to return it to my vault where it will stay until my son can protect it and his son after that."
Arlese shifted then and nodded again to show her respect. "That is great mission...powerful promise of your ancestors. I will inform my King; I hope you understand his well idea....intentions."

The king felt his brow lift. "Your kings intentions? And what might those be, Arlese?"

"The same as you my lord, to keep the cup safe from those who might do harm with it."

The king nodded and made a note to himself to speak with one of his own men to watch the beautiful young woman. Things weren't always what they seemed and she was very much point and case. He bowed again slightly and moved to the side of her to make his exist. "Then your king and I would find ourselves on the right side of this battle, my dear. Please do excuse me. An old man needs his rest."

Arlese bowed and waited as the King moved away and then returned to where the dragon stood, her face disconcerted.

Arralina - Witch

Arralina smiled at her sisters nefarious intent. If anyone were capable of getting into trouble, it was the two of them together. They quickly gathered the horses, each of her brothers and sisters taking an animal and mounting it. Some of the beasts were rather attuned to the entity that rode atop them and showed the fear of such an occurrence in their hint of terror in their eyes. Lina pointed the general direction they would be traveling and kept her horse beside Vitrlese's for the majority of the trip. The night seemed to continue on forever and a few members of their party turned back, lack of comfort and fear tugging at the heart of the children of the great Shade.

Lina ignored the situation, not interested in who would be in attendance with them when they reached their destination, but that they would be successful. Her father was violent and as dark as night - his soul lost to hell upon its creation. She snuck a quick glance at her sister and found peace in the serenity that sat upon Vitrlese's lovely features. They could do this together and if they failed then she alone would take the punishment. The cup held power unlike anything known to man and yet for an immortal it was the bridge to becoming a deity. Part of her wondered if she an Vitrlese were to drink from the cup would they succeed in rising above their father and therefore have the ability to shut him down completely? The very thought of such an event caused her to chuckle with delight.

Her soft sounds of enjoyment were cut off quickly at the sound of repetitive howling. The woods were filled with various types of beasts and the stuff of legends and tales was far more true than one might expect. A large wolf stood in the pathway a bit ahead of them and Lina reached out to stop her horse and Vitrlese's. "This should be interesting, sister. Do we expect him friend or foe?"

Jonathan - Hunter

Someone was talking to him. How annoying, he thought as he looked up, his eyes narrowing, licking his pale blue lips as he stood once more. The person that was addressing him was the Rich warrior woman that he had noted earlier, her eyes flashing with irritation at having been bunched with the others in his address. His lips peeled up in a sneer as he heard her question. It was naive in the extreme, seeing the world of darkness and light in the simple two shades of black and white, not seeing the interminable grey area that he currently inhabited. When it came to fighting, he knew, grey got men killed. When a man came charging at you with a spear, you couldn't contemplate whether this man had a wife or children, whether his reasoning in attacking you was just or not. If you did that, by the time you decided whether it was morally right to defend yourself, you would already be trying to slip your entrails back into your body.

So he couldn't blame her. Not really. If he was a warrior and not an assassin, he would be seeing the world in a similar fashion.

"Once I was a lamb, playing in a green field. Then the wolves came. Now I am an eagle and I fly in a different universe," He whispered the quote from a book that he had read in the church. It had been written by a priest who had become a warrior after his church had been burnt, his brothers slain and him tortured for weeks. Eventually, he had become one of the greatest fighters in history, a bladesman beyond compare. When the abbot of the church that he had served denied him sanctuary on holy ground, he was asked why he did not don the robes of his order once more, enter the church, and be allowed sanctuary, and he had said that. It was interesting, and very applicable.

"You mistake confidence for arrogance, young princess," He growled, standing again," But I will forgive you. The line is hard to see by those who lack the skill to have confidence," The statement was not made with a smile of glee, or as an insult. Merely statement of fact, and his face was deadpan as he delivered it," You do not want to know why I am here, nor how I will perform. The first I will not oblige you, the second will come in time. I am not the only one that has faced the darkness, no, but among us, I think I am the only one that has fought on both sides of the spectrum, if you take my meaning. Now speak to me of hiding, of arrogance, or hold your tongue on matters you know not of," He scowled at her, irritated that she had moved him out of his comfortable corner, and moved back into it with no intention of further baiting her for the moment. Any more and a fight might break out, and while the idea of being hunted by a king for brutally murdering his baby girl was appealing, the Church would not have it.

Vitralese

Vitralese was glad to see her sister gain a stead, the best available, but the others were not her problem or her concern. When they began to leave Vitralese said nothing more than a sneer and grumble. Their cowardice would be paid back in full, it was just a matter of time before Father taught them the importance of following orders. Once they were gone of course Vitra could not help but feel more relaxed once she was alone with her sister. As the woman snickered Vitra turned to look at her while riding forward.

“What is my sister?” Before Lina could respond she had stopped both their horses and drew their gazes forward. A large wolf stood before them, alone and growling fiercely. “Clearly he has no pack but let us find out.” With that Vitra slipped from her horse and stepped forward slowly, looking at the wolf with her hard eyes. The wolf’s sight was very good and soon he began to shift unhappily, growling and hunching over.

“Seems he is not friendly.” Her voice was calm, intrigued. “What do you wish to do?” It was then that more wolves stepped forward, apparently hungry. “Seems I was mistaken.” Her voice shifted but she held her ground, if she rushed away the wolves would attack. "Shall I scare them off or let us have fun." She could feel the energy of the wolves. They were more fearsome than most, half crazed and full of a type of slimy life force. These were creatures of the shadows brought likely by their father...or created by him. As she watched Vitralese lifted a delicate hand up and released the clap about her neck which held the large cloak in place. The red velvet number swiftly fell and pooled behind her, showing the entirety of her white and heavy dress. Her arms now bare, almost painfully pale, she reached out her hand and grasped the handle of a dark whip as of suddenly appeared.

Arlese

Arlese had made her way from the King and stopped by her previous conversational partner, sipping the juice she had been given. It was a wonderful drink. It was of course not like anything she had in her own country but it was very nice otherwise. As she drank she turned to see what the ruckus was about as several people had begun chatting while she had been with the king. She had begun to look him over but the King then stood and spoke, gaining her attention.

“It is the time I wish to have my servants show you to your rooms for the night. You leave at dawn and the night moves swiftly.” With that several people moved forward, each addressing a specific member of the hunter team, and bowed before showing them their way to bed rooms.

Arlese followed the prim looking man who had approached her, first addressing and wishing a pleasant night to the dragon. She was led to the left of the great room down a large hall where door lined each side occasionally as she reached near the end the man before her stopped and turned. “This is your room my lady. Is there anything you require?”

“No, but thank you.” She nodded then and turned to open her door. The room was a single bedroom with a large over stuffed bed and a large window that looked out to a garden. This couldn’t help but make her smile as she stood looking in.

Evangelina Vertesca - Huntress (Narrator)

Eva listened carefully to the haunted male, his words no more than a whisper and yet the tone he took and the descriptions chosen left her soul aching for whatever darkness he lived him. She simple did what she thought best at the time and nodded, turning to talk from the room as was requested of them. There was no point in speaking to someone that believed themselves alone and the only one capable of defeating the darkness. That he thought her a princess was almost humorous, but she'd not correct him. Let him believe what he would believe. She proved herself to no one and cared not what he thought, only that he could fight.

Why he was here was the mystery that began to plague her.

The long ornate hall was lined with the kinds before this one, family portraits that were meant to be serious in nature, but came out almost comical. Eva felt her spirit lighten having left the hall where heaviness and opportunity met on the mat. She would gather herself as she always did and make sure that by morning she was completely prepared to uphold her family name by doing whatever necessary to bring the cup back to its rightful owner. Whether the cup actually held power or if it were a thing of myth was beyond her, but either way she would do what she came to do.

A hot bath and glass of port later and she slipped into the covers, the large white moon sat high in the sky just beyond her window, it's light bathing her room in its luminescent glow. She yawned and stretched, sleep reaching up and pulled her down into its dark embrace.

Tyden Konrad - Hunter

The welcoming party eventually came to an end as everyone was directed by servants to their respective rooms. Tyden rose from the table as a male servant came close to him. "Please follow me sir!" Said the servant as Tyden followed him to his room. "This is it sir! Do you need anything?" He asked while keeping his head down. "I'm fine thanks!" Said Tyden as the servant walked away and he entered his room.

He then proceeded into taking off his clothes and doing a hot bath. It left so good to finally do a decent bath after so much travelling. He stood in the bath tub for about 30 minutes and the got and started drying himself. He then put his clothes on an sat on the bed. As he covered himself with the sheets ansd put his hands behind his head, Tyden started looking towards the window. Tomorow is the big day.

JOSHUA

Joshua observed the Elve woman as she returned from meeting the King and it was his impression that she did not have much confidence in the Kings words, or that the human King held the Elve Maidens words in any higher regard, quite possibly even less so. Other then a brief nod of greeting upon her return, they both remained silent as she sipped her juice and he from his mug. As the Kings servants went about the Hunters to fulfill they're duties prescribed by the Kings pronouncement that it was time for all to rest, he bid the Elve Maiden a pleasant eve before she left with the servant that approached her.

Joshua caught the eyesight of one particular servant whom veered course and headed toward him, already knowing what the young man was about the say, Joshua stayed the mans tongue by a raise of his righthand,"I've made accommodations, thank you", he informed the servant with as polite sounding command as possible before moving forward and getting lost in the shuffle of people before the servant could utter an equally polite protest. Once outside the Castle gates he stopped and looked about the city, though the blanket of darkness had just but shrouded the sky, the streets were near deserted, what few stragglers still on the streets were encourage by roaming units of the Kings Guard to return to their homes or spend the night in a cell.

By the time he had reached the outskirts of the city, the skies above had become thick with an overcast that hid the stars from view, for some odd reason a sense of foreboding touched him and caused him to shiver. He cast his eyes northward toward the Carpathian mountains then spoke softly under his breath with a questioning tone as if someone was standing before him,"Do tell Lord of shadows, what evils send you forth this very eve, eh?", He paused as if to expect an answer in return, he continued on his way into the forest, seeking sanctuary deep within the remotest section of the trees.

"Lema ed' templa sina edan quenat" came the words of the transformation spell from his lips with authority, the words had no sooner been uttered when the ground around him became a spinning vortex of dirt and leaves, shrouded within the spinning debris, a spectrum of colors near too bright for eyes to behold flashed and faded, then flashed again. Bael'Ka-Na'Har'Onna beat his powerful wings downward using the updraft of the vortex to gain lift. Once in the air the vortex of dirt and leaves dissipated and fell. With a few more powerful strokes of his wings, he shot through the overcast and continued to climb skyward, now free of the confinement of human form, he relished the feel of the air flowing across his massive Dragon body. He twisted and turned, dived and climbed giving his wing muscles a much needed workout before raising higher to glide upon the thermal drifts.

He turned his orbs to the heavens and sought the constellation of Draco, gaining a sense of solace in the star shaped form if his Patron. In his mind three questions were asked of himself, allow the humans to retrieve and keep the cup?, return the cup to be kept from humankind under the protection of the enclave of Elven Mages?, or keep the cup from both and ensure neither ever unlocked the hidden knowledge that came with the immortality the cup offered?. Several hours later, with dawn not long from cresting the far eastern horizon, he was still weighing the pro's and con's of all three questions.

Jonathan - Hunter

His words had caused their spark, he knew. It wasn't the words themselves either. It was the chilling confidence with which he had spoken them. It was like a challenge to the hubris of men. Wiser men, older men like the one that had had insulted previously, would ignore it, or maybe take it into consideration, learning more about their travelling companion. These would be those that were the most likely to endure the tempest that was his mother. The ones that would take his appearance and words as a threat, either to their manhood or their cause would be among the first to fall or worse, get those that were better than them killed. His eyes looked over the gathering, picking and choosing those that qualified to his criteria. The numbers were sadly low. He hoped, for the sake of the success of their mission, that he was wrong.

His eyes bored into the well dressed man that was talking to the elf. At least he assumed she was an elf. The church had several paintings of elves from the ancient times. but he himself had never laid eyes on one. Unless he was much mistake, few humans had laid eyes on them in the last hundred or so years. He had even tried to learn some small bits of their language from a book written entirely in their tongue that he found in the Abbot's library, but he found the wording too complex, the subtleties of the language too difficult to remember. He still recalled a few words and greetings, however.

The well dressed man moved away as the elf was summoned, moving out of the hall. The man was interesting, but Jonathan had no idea why. The man moved like a man, walked like a man, even smelled like a man, but something about him was off, something about his bearing was just a bit too confident. Maybe it was because Jonathan sensed in the man another Alpha Male and his ego demanded that he test himself against him to prove himself the greater leader. It was odd, a mystery. And Jonathan hated mysteries. He moved silently, avoiding the light as he made his way to follow Joshua.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he reacted in instinct. He had been too drawn by the odd man that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. He spun around, seeing a servant and withholding stabbing the man through the heart with the knife that he had already drawn," Not a wise thing to touch me lad," He growled at the man," Not if you like that hand in any particular amount."

The servant took a step back, but he saw that the man had refused to be completely intimidated. How quaint," I am to escort you to your quarters for the night, sir," he said, his voice quivering gently. Jonathan nodded, sheathing his knife again and smiling. He tried to make it a pleasant smile, like the Father taught him, but it was hard. He watched the servant shiver at the sight," This way please."

Night was falling, and he was sure they were lighting the fireplace in his room already. He would rectify that.

They arrived at the room and the servant held the door open for the Hunter, but as he saw the fire already lit in the room, he took a step back," Put the fire out, and any candles in there. I will wait out here until you do," His voice was annoyed, almost growling, looking around himself, hoping that he was alone. His eyes caught to someone far along in the corridor, looking into another room. He growled again and looked away.