@Darkwatck01

The hunter; a hound.
Tattoos branded the man as one of a few, and none of them would deserve her audience; best left to spymasters, taskers and executioners, such dealings were taboo for herself to handle. This was, however, an unusual circumstance that set the two in unfortunately like-minded company. Their foe was not one that could be overcome with whispers and subterfuge, and Kaitra was, in some ways, glad that their meeting could be so fortuitously opportune. It was...not her idea of an ideal meeting, however. The tattoos marred their face to the point of irrelevance and the princess felt only shame and a brief sting of contempt for the reminder of her heritage's sordid history.
Who this man used to be apparently no longer mattered, and his revealing only further disappointed Kaitra as they were not beyond admittance of their resolve; a weapon, a puppet of darkness, a slave to a twisted and shallow justice spoken only in brief reference as if names would evoke their wrath.

Kaitra's eyes narrowed, a nostril tilting as to accentuate the will to frown upon seeing Nebel's face. She had no knowledge of whom she looked upon, but lessons of the occult and slights in reference to Isparia's hidden methods looked her dead in the eye, and she could only oh-so-slightly wince at the ugly truth of the realism behind the hollow eyes that looked back.

Best friends...

It spoke and then so simply turned to walk off, letting their wake impose itself upon the managers of the establishment. Kaitra followed, already having much to hold the nameless hunter accountable for even before they entered the meeting room.

She waited at the threshold, hearing the man work until his efforts ceased.
Her brow lowered and an understanding determination compelling her to toe the line, Kaitra shook her arms in a nervous manner, not at all truly keen on entering this lion's den.
With herself not even being actually invited, walking into an obvious trap seemed all too quaint. This was not the rational thought that she should have had when she stepped in and flinched ever so slightly from the slamming door and silence that pervaded the room. It was not so much how their motions made no noise, but how the armature musicians and conversations abruptly cut out that Kaitra did suddenly find herself tensely locked in this exchange with the nameless hunter and their guest.
Strangely, the man began to part with their armor. Tradition as it may seem, as they specifically made an effort in a way that implied that the princess is encouraged to mirror their method, she did.

"Ich bin sehr daran interessiert, was mit deinen Spielsachen passieren wird, wenn ich dir den Hals brechen sollte," Kaitra slowly spoke, unbuckling the sides of her plate before pulling it off to the side in a swing, exposing the woven mithril surcoat which they unbuttoned as they hissed, "Ich hoffe du verstehst was ich vorhabe, falls du mich angreifst?"
She pulled the garment down enough to expose the mark on her shoulder as well as the left half of her bra in the process. A clean and straight scar ran from her shoulder to her collarbone, seeming recently healed.

"Dein Name, Jäger!" Kaitra barked, taking a step towards the man, "Dies ist der Punkt, an dem Sie mir Ihren Namen sagen oder Ihre Absichten, ein Attentäter zu sein, offenbaren!"

Rage, blinding rage was building up. Only to be squashed by a feeling of shame once he saw that marking on her body. It wasn't a new feeling, but it burned all the same. While in his humble thought, nothing hurt worse then getting his Tattoo's all over his body this was a close second. Looking up at the woman dead in the eye and giving her enough respect not to look away or huff the Monster stood up and then, to many this might be a shock, infront of the woman and droped to both knees planting his head on the ground with his hands to the side of his head. His Malice was still quite thick in the air as the Hex burned away in the corner, the soft burning of the candles and hissing of the dark flames leaving the eye sockets of the skull.

With out lifting his head Nebel spoke, more dead then alive at this point as his mind told him who he was in front of once more. "Ich heiße Nebel Asteri Mesanychta! Der Albtraum von Ispar."

Keeping his head down Nebel kept his body clam as his Malice leaked off him. Fear wasn't an emotion he felt often, unless his enemies felt it, but right now he felt something even worse then fear, the disappointment in his actions or rather inaction. He tried that night he left his home, he really did, but the King wouldn't hear him. It seemed his atempts to save the people he respect failed and the proof was currently standing before him baring the mark of both his pride and shame.

Lifting himself back up to full height with both feet planted on the ground Nebel looked down at the Woman, his lower face showing no emotion but if she could of seen his Yellow eyes, she might of seen the shame and guilt that stung his soul. He was about to say things he wish he couldn't but knew he had a duty to say. Taking a deep breath Nebel went over and grabbed his chair and set it infront of her only to take a seat himself.

Setz dich, ich habe eine Geschichte zu erzählen und ich werde nicht schön sein. Erstens bin ich kein Attentäter. Ich würde niemals einen deiner Namen verletzen. Ich würde mich zuerst für den Tod brandmarken, bevor ich überhaupt daran dachte, so etwas zu tun" As he spoke, emotion slowly started to come to his normally dead voice. And it was nothing short of shame. "Ich bin sicher, Sie kennen mich als jemanden des Okkulten. Einer, der mit dem Jenseits geht und mit den Toten spielt. Aber was ich getan habe, war zum Wohle unseres Volkes! Aber nein, ich bin, wie Sie sagten, ein namenloser Jäger geworden. Auch um Ihre Frage zu beantworten. Brich mir den Hals und es wird nicht aufhören. Ein Hex ist nach dem Start autark.

Leaning back in his chair Nebel looked deeper into the Woman's eyes. His hollow eye sockets showing nothing but his body language perhaps saying something as he seemed to relax slightly into the seat.

"Es mag kalt sein oder vielleicht nicht mein Platz, aber ich muss fragen. Wie wurden Sie von ihnen angeworben? Oder haben Sie zuerst weitere Fragen?"

@Thinslayer

"Except I am no king, just a second Prince, mother." Darvus shook his head. "Gerald is the crown Prince, he is the one destined to do so. In case you have forgotten, I do not deal well with people. And my talents are a pale shade of yours and father. I am weak, young, inexperienced, and I do not have illusions nor dreams." Darvus said as he took the mana gauge, a small, tired smile appearing in his corner.

"If i wasn't able to forgive my own mother for trying to see what's best for me, I'd be hopeless as a human being." He added as he took the pocket watch, and adjusting his belongings began walking to meet the others.

"Still, because I am weak... I keep thinking. And thinking. Until the gears turn. Until the pieces fit." He said before stopping. "I must confess, there's a big shadow of dread in my back. This world... feels wrong, somehow. The fog of ages has probably hidden something dreadful. And that dragon..." He paused.

"Nevermind, that'd be speculation." He shook his head. "No use at this point."

Vali clutched at her chest as he spoke. She should have chided him for his self-deprecation - always did when he was younger. But like the fool she was, it still moved her. Like a fool, she wanted nothing more than to reassure him that he was smart, capable, and good.

"You're not hopeless..." she whispered.

She listened to his speculation about the wrongness of the world. A shadow of dread filled her too - not because of the darkness threatening the world, but because her child was becoming aware of it.

Vali seated herself on a nearby bench. "No, you have the right of it. Oh dear God...you have no idea."

She groaned and dragged her hands down her face, lingering a few moments as if rethinking all her life choices.

"Ask the King of Riftgard about the Emerald Key," she said at length. "That is all I should say on the matter. Darvus...come back, you hear me? You come back home with your sister. If you die, so help me, I will drag your sorry butt back from the afterlife so I can kick it to hell and back. Promise me, Darvus!"

With the invitation, Kaitra sat, crossing one leg over the other and going about recomposing her attire after her associate found satisfaction in confirmation through the ascertation of her identification. Grammar aside, the offering of his own stained names did little to break the princess's neutral-unammused expression. "Ich kenne einen Schatten mit diesem Namen, Jäger. Stellen Sie sich meine Enttäuschung vor, endlich den Fokus so vieler schrecklicher Fabeln zu finden," she began, raising an eyebrow while her eyes bored into his. Taking a break she closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose to sooth a small headache while softly commenting, "My, I could certainly go for zeht stout about now..."

Refocusing herself as Nebel spoke of what the tickle in the back of her mind teased at. Sure, snapping the man's neck would bring her some small comfort, though if he was what all evidence claimed him to be, it would be a wasted gesture that would only waste time. In the same sentiment, Kaitra could not be more fortunate to be on understanding terms with such a monster. Regardless of their past, he was...unfortunately...perfect for her plans. "Dies sind...verschiedene Zeiten, und so verzerrt Ihre Perspektive auch ist, würde ich es nicht genießen, Sie wegen Hochverrats zu brechen. Nein...für deine Verbrechen fordere ich deine Ehre als einst vereidigter Ritter von Ispar heraus," Kaitra spoke after a tense moment of silence after Nebel asked his question. The implication was clear, she was refusing to acknowledge his status, and as the last of the bloodline and rightful heir to the throne, he may as well have been stripped of his knighthood then and there.

"Ihr Job ist die, namenlose Jägerin: Es gab einen Fehler mit der örtlichen Einrichtung, zu der wir nie eingeladen wurden. Aufgrund dieser Umstände sind wir mit unseren Zielen allein," Kaitra unceremoniously began, looking out the window of the door and lowering her voice, "Der Brief, den ich erhielt, hatte keinen Namen, aber sie wussten, wer ich war. Mit dem Versprechen von Isparia und zehntausend Gold soll ich Dragengards Prinzessin zum Schloss zurückbringen...und die Artefakte dann zur Verwahrung nach Northaven bringen."
Glancing over to their still hopefully unconscious friend, Kaitra watched him to make sure he was still breathing before asking, "Was hat dein Brief gesagt, Jäger?"

@Lumiere @Thinslayer

Take down a peg would of put it mildly. After having not only his pride as a Knight of Ispar taken in all but official act, which considering in his mind who said it, it might as well have been an official act, Nebel felt his heart weep like an open wound. Still he kept his expressions under control as she stood on. It made since they where alone in taking back their home, for it seems that this country had no interest in aiding a fallen kingdom, even if they where allies at one point in time. Chalk that up to people trying to secure their own power first and if it helps then others second.

Gripping the arms of his chair tighter, if but slightly, he felt that old calling. His want for a culling of those who seek power over all else. Internally he was having a struggle and it was starting to show slightly as his Hex was getting a little stronger, feeding of his raw anger was was reaching its boiling point.

"Es bot mir eine Menge Münzen und eines dieser Artefakte, über die sie gesprochen hatten. Die Bitte war, das Kind des Königs zurückzugeben, es gab keine Bestimmungen über die Gesundheit, nur lebend." Reaching up he started tapping his chin.

In his mind he started to ponder a few things, somethings he had already done so that now where taking the forefront of his mind. For her they wanted to keep the artifact, but for him they where willing to part with it. Added to it the Kingdom she lost to that, scourge, it made since. Yet why not offer it to him as well, surely they knew he was an Isparian Knight, Hexer Knight but Knight none the less. If the requests he had taken before where any indication, most times the person making the request would offer things not only within their power, but add a few things they might be able to make the deal more appealing to.

"I...see." He said, his accent showing as well as is lack of usage of the common tongue. "It, does not make since, yet it does."

Looking over at their friend who was currently passed out on the table Nebel felt his rational mind starting to work over time. He, after all, had more pieces to the puzzle. Who ever requested their air knew not only who he was, but her as well. The whole deal was starting to stink, but he had been out in the cold too long and his nose wasn't working right when he took the request. This little bit of information felt like a warm soup that always helped clear up the scenes.

"Wir sollten unsere Augen offen halten, es fühlt sich jetzt nicht gut an, wenn ich darüber nachdenke."

@Lumiere@Darkwatck01
"Genau. Halte deine Augen weit offen, damit der Siebente dich nicht täuscht."

A woman in a gray cloak and hood leaned against the doorpost with her arms folded. "I identified the author of the letters," she continued, "and they are not from the Crown. I believe the Seventh wrote them. Follow their instructions for now, but do not trust them."

She pulled up a chair to sit across from them and pushed back the hood, letting her midnight hair fall over her shoulder. For the first time, Vali beheld the faces of the two knights, and a small gasp escaped her lips.

Princess Kaitra?

Her heart melted. This was none other than the innocent 4-year-old girl she'd met in the palace at Gran Norte that day 20 years ago, the only one of millions in whom there was no Shadow of the Tainted. And Nebel...how could she forget him? To see his masked persona was one thing, but beholding his true face brought back memories of One to whom his allegiance truly belonged - the One she wished never to offend.

The queen bowed her head to the table and clasped her hands. "Please, Princess Kaitra and Sir Nebel, forgive us our slight. We should have been honest with you from the start. In truth, your assistance was an unexpected boon for us, and we- no, I- should have treated you with respect. Please forgive me."

Rhayven had been looking over the titles of the books as soon as they were set down seeing where Rose had started where she had begun stacking up titles, and where she had indicated he should start he had begun to feel a tickle like something just on the edge of memory. As he mulled the feeling over he looked over at her watching, luckily too because left unattended she might have caused a calamitous sound in the other wise silent library. With a deft move he leaned over and righted her stack his hand coming to rest on one of the titles. As his eyes darted along the title it clicked. Not from his reading and research but from his practical delving.

“Rose, I have just had a stunning realization, and there is something I need to retrieve as a result. Would you be a dear, and synthesize the information from these three books, on a ruin they reference, try to ascertain all pertinent details on its location. It occurs to me, that when I was working in one of the ruins of the ancients recently, that I came across something I believe refers to a location described in these three books, only, the descriptions are wildly different, and only the connection to the item I found made me wonder if without the key, different people experienced the ruins differently.”

Rhayven deftly plucked out three titles from the two piles of books, The Knight and the Fairy, Records from MidHaven, and The Lost War: a Retrospective. He wasn’t sure about the last as it had been years since he had read a copy of that particular volume but it wouldnt surprise him to find that all three sites were connected to one of the sites of the lost war, in fact if he was right, and the item was connected it would guarantee that the site was a lost war ruin. “When you are finished we need to find the others, but we will have to do so separately, we can try to find the prince, or go looking for the two foreigners, I am inclined to say we go after the foreigners in town, as if my suspicion is correct the site described will be tied to their once illustrious homeland. I’ll meet up with you after I find the treatise I wrote on the object and the ruin I found it in.”

With that Rhayven stood up, by his mannerism it was clear the connection in his head rated as urgent. However Rhayven’s Lord Father had drilled the boy with proper mannerisms, so as he stood fixing his seat at the reading table while waiting for her response. He was not so rude as to pile up the rest of the books as that would dismiss any of the young doctor’s insights, and he was loathe to ever do that. So he watched her head slighly tilted to see what her response would be, the sparkle of knowing something now he hadnt known before glinting from his blue eyes, while a slight smile of discovery played across his lips.

@Rhiven Knight
Surely the whole library could hear the alacritous pace of her heart! Had Rhayven not provided his steadying hand, her impending tumble would have been disastrous and not a little embarrassing. Profuse thanks tumbled from her lips unheeded as Rhayven identified three books of interest.

“Rose, I have just had a stunning realization, and there is something I need to retrieve as a result. Would you be a dear and synthesize the information from these three books on a ruin they reference? Try to ascertain all pertinent details on its location. It occurs to me that when I was working in one of the ruins of the Ancients recently, I came across something I believe refers to a location described in these three books- only, the descriptions are wildly different, and only the connection to the item I found made me wonder if, without the key, different people experienced the ruins differently.”

He selected The Knight and the Fairy, Records from Midhaven, and The Lost War: A Retrospective from her stack. "When you are finished," he continued, "we need to find the others, but we will have to do so separately. We can try to find the prince, or go looking for the two foreigners. I am inclined to say we go after the foreigners in town, as if my suspicion is correct, the site described will be tied to their once-illustrious homeland. I’ll meet up with you after I find the treatise I wrote on the object and the ruin I found it in.”

Would you be a dear? he'd said. Rose lifted an eyebrow and tried (unsuccessfully) to stifle back a smirk. "If synthesizing information for you makes me a dear, heaven help me if you take an interest in my research papers." She made eyes at him for a moment before delving into the content.

The Knight and the Fairy was a popular children's book in which a Fairy, discarded by a cruel adventurer on account of her clipped wings, was rescued by a Knight in Shining Armor. Because she could not fly, he swore to escort her back home to "where the good things lie." Her home, it turned out, lay across the "Sea of Despair" and was only reachable by ship. When they came to the last ship in the harbor, the captain said it was too full, but he would send another later. So the Knight and the Fairy had to survive until the next ship arrived.

That was easier said than done. A vast army of hideous "Shadows" emerged from the Sea of Despair and ravaged the whole country, and the Knight barely survived an encounter with one of them on his way to the harbor. To improve their chances of survival, Fairy agreed to accompany Knight as he searched for the Four Sacred Keys, the Four Dungeons they unlocked, and the Sacred Gears they guarded. Each key was hidden by the Four Kings, who ruled nations along the four cardinal directions of the land.

The first was the Jade Key, held by the Dwarf Lord of the West. It unlocked the dungeon for Aegis, a sturdy shield that even the Shadows could not break. The second was the Skull Key, held by the Beast Lord of the North. It unlocked the Aurum Fists, a pair of magical gauntlets that allowed Knight to cast Fairy spells. The third was the Leaf Key, held by the Elf Lord of the East. It unlocked Luna, a legendary bow whose arrows flew straight and true, never ran out, and could pierce any armor. Last, there was the Dragon Key, held by the High Lady of the South. It unlocked Titan, powerful armor that gave godlike strength.

Alas, Knight could not find all the Sacred Gears in time for the next ship to arrive. Together, Knight and Fairy fled to the harbor, and Knight stood guard against all the armies of Shadow while the captain prepared to set sail with Fairy. As the ship floated away, Fairy watched the Shadows slay the Knight in Shining Armor, so she swore that she would remember him for the rest of her days.

Rose put the book down and wiped her eyes. "Welp, that's one book down. Good lord, I'd forgotten how sad that story is! Anyway, if we assume that there is some truth to this fantasy tale, it indicates that your 'ruins' are actually 'dungeons,' which are basically dangerous vaults that drive off the unworthy from taking their contents. There are four dungeons, one in each cardinal direction, and to access them, you need the 'key' for each one. Each key is guarded by a 'king.' Unlock them, and you get a super-shield, super-bow, super-gloves, and super-armor."

Rhayven drummed his fingers on the edge of the table thinking, it was possible he had found a dungeon, but he suspected he had found a key, though it was also possible he had simply found the first step in a series of steps leading to one of the kings and keys. In his head he worked over what had been in the treatise, he knew he had included a map and its location relative to all nearby known habitations of the current era to make it easier to cross reference. He had he believed also included an esoteric discussion on the ancient name and what it might mean in translation and how that might influence or reveal the sites original purpose. As Rose read the book he strolled through the shelves looking for what had been bothering him, to see if a copy of the treatise had been sent to the castle, he knew he had one at home, another at his manse in the north country, and the college had a copy, but he wasnt sure the material was suitable to the generic subject matter of this library. Still listening to Rose he moved to the counter and penned a note to the librarian asking if a copy of the treatise had been submitted to the castle library.

There wasnt much for Rhayven to do as he waited for Rose to continue her reading. He went over the details in his head. As she finished her assessment of the first book he made a few mental notes. "That so far as we know corresponds with the legends concerning the weapons of the ancient war. It follows that more than a kernal of that story should ring true." His comments came in response to her final assessment as he wandered back towards the librarian to see if she had found the treatise he had written, or if it was even in the library. He was hoping not against hope but against probability that a copy was conveniently in hand.

@Thinslayer@Rhiven Knight

"But you want to say much more... but a secret is a secret as long as is not told and some secrets are known to sunder kingdoms." Darvus droned, as he hefted his equipment. "Farewell, mother." Darvus said, allowing himself to stare at his mother once more."It's high time the bird leaves the nest." He finally conceded, as he walked hastily outside of the room.

Keys... uh. Maybe I can find some of these secrets before I depart. He made a mental note to take a turn, before finding the doctor and Sir Draven perusing the same library he wanted to have a look. His frown was made patent, as it was obvious his search would be impeded.

Well, I guess this means mother won't try to portray her as possible match anymore. He thought to himself.

@Darkwatck01

John Dersmitt steadied his breath as his wife, brother, and children gathered around his bed. The time was close now; he could almost count how many more breaths he had left to draw.

"Ann..." he whispered in a labored breath, "my dearest love, watch over the family for me."
His wife nodded, her own wrinkled hand clasped in his. As the family began their solemn prayer, he drew his final breath. Over the next several seconds, memories of his life flooded back to him. Then, at last, darkness.

His soul, now immersed in the endless void of the astral plane, began its final journey to the light of paradise that lay at the End of all things. He did not get far, however, before something else took hold of him.

Terror- pure, mortal terror filled him as a dark fiend bared its gaping maw and dug its teeth into his soul.

"Mmm...delicious." Pain unlike anything he'd ever felt before burned into his mind, and precious memories began to trickle away - replaced by horrors he could never unsee.

John screamed. He saw visions of his children melting to blood, his wife and siblings skinned alive, his home and all his possessions burned with fire. He listened to their agonized screams, their desperate pleas for relief, and the tormented writhing of their innocent souls.

This...surely this could not be the afterlife!

He could not remember the happy days anymore, those blissful moments of peace that every father yearns for. He could not remember the last time he got to embrace his wife- what was her name?

He had forgotten her name. He forgot his siblings' names. He forgot his mother's name. His daughter's name was slipping away.

"Please..." he begged, "don't take them away from me!"

The fiend merely laughed and devoured more of his memories. Now their faces slipped away from him- or what was left of them from his horrific visions of them.

As the last dregs of hope trickled away, he heard a still, small voice whisper to him:

"Rest now, I've found thee."

A warm, gentle soul embraced him to shield him from the gluttonous fiend. Enraged, the creature turned its maw to the Voice and fought to rip her off him, shredding her mind and memories instead. Though she cried out in agony, she did not waver, and even fought back, chipping away at the fiend for every memory gouged from her mind.

Little by little, everything started to come back to him as the Voice battled to piece him back together. His wife's name was Ann! He remembered her eyes, how they changed so many colors in the light. He remembered his daughter and her infectious laugh. He remembered the joyous family meals and precious moments with his siblings. He remembered everything. The Voice had given it back to him.

Finally, the fiend had enough, annoyed as it was from the numerous wounds the Voice has inflicted. Only when it fled into the void did the Voice release John from her embrace.

Her spirit reached out to touch him.

"Fly, and be free."

Before resuming his journey upwards, he asked, "Tell me, are you an angel?"

The Voice replied, "I am human."

The light of the afterlife grew brighter and brighter, until at last John awoke on a field of green.
___

The Voice, however, had not been so lucky. Beaten, battered, and shredded of countless memories, she limped back to her home base, barely clinging to life. She reached out to merge with the Tome of Memories, a magical place she'd created to restore her mind, before emerging from the astral plane.

From the portal emerged a vaguely humanoid creature, armored with scales and bone plates and wrapped in shadows. When all coverings were shed from her body, they left behind a human woman, whose dark complexion and gentle features were covered by a simple black robe. She knelt down, picked up a rock, and etched another tallymark on a large nearby stone bearing nearly a thousand such marks.

While she fought to rescue that soul from the clutches of the Voidspawn, she'd sensed two familiar souls nearby- a friend and a lover.

Could it be true? she mused, the two people in the world whom I love the most, together in one place? There could be no better time to visit them. The woman portalled back through the astral plane toward where she last felt them, and emerged in front of the Brewer's Guild in Southaven.

The bouncer guarding the entrance nearly jumped out of his skin. The individual standing before him, robed all in black and bearing a battle-scythe on her back, was the very image of Death itself. The man turned pale and dropped to his knees.

"Spare me!" he croaked.

The woman chuckled and lifted him to his feet. "Fear not, I have not come for thy soul. Be at peace, friend. Pray tell, hast thou seen a Marked Knight pass this way?"

The bouncer scratched his head, then frowned. "You mean that- you mean that Isparan bounty hunter? Sir Mesanychta?"

The woman smiled. "Yes, the very one. Is he here?"

"If you've come to take his soul, yeah."

She chuckled again and flipped back her hood before entering the guildhall. All manner of wonderful sights, sounds, and smells greeted her, things she'd dearly missed during her many long days in the void. Nebel, she sensed, was not in the main hall, but behind the door to a side room.

The woman took a moment to calm her rapidly beating heart and laid a hand on the door handle.

@Rhiven Knight
Could the story be true?

The idea nearly had her dancing. As a young girl, she'd always thought the tale was just that: a tale, albeit one she enjoyed father reading to her some nights. But Rhayven had given that little girl hope that her childhood fantasies weren't so fantastical after all. The scholar in her, though, wondered how much of the fantasy was true. More than a kernel? Likely. Much more than a kernel? Preposterous - yet, given that the Queen herself supported the idea that epic artifacts were just lying around, Rose couldn't help but wonder if the author had wrapped a true eyewitness story in fantasy clothes.

If so, could all of it be true, in a sense?

Rose followed him to the front desk, deep in thought.

The librarian George returned with Rhayven's treatise in hand. "Hard to find. Someone misplaced it. Enjoy." He handed it over and stomped off again.

Rose peered around his shoulder to look at it. "What's that?"

Rhayven smiled at the librarian and shook his head at the misplaced comment. Glancing back over his shoulder he found rose peering at the sheaf of papers loosely bound. As he turned to offer it to her he caught sight of Prince Darvus. "As hello Prince Darvus, we werent expecting anyone to join us in our research. As to your question Rose, that is a treatise I wrote, and recently, on a ruin I explored, and the nature of the magical secrets I discovered within and its relation to our known history. That is what I do, I explore, mostly as a way to study magic,to deepen my understanding, our understanding of the magic we use. It also helps further my research into the development of new forms of magic." As he handed her the sheaf of papers he tapped his chin thoughtfully, turning to include the prince in the discussion they were having. Tilting his head slightly he lined up what they had reviewed so he could share since he had no idea how long the prince had been in the library for.

"Still it is a pleasure to have you join our research inquiry your highness, what Rose and I have been researching is a confluence of historical detail and fictional writing. Which is to say, some of the presented fairy tales bare a striking resemblance to places of historical fact, and that appear to connect to the artifacts of legend. It is far from a settled matter but our current theory is that the truth of the weapons lies somewhere between the truth of established history, and the supposition of folk lore, and it should mean we have deciphered candidates for probably places to look for specific weapons. Further I think, though Rose will need to look over that treatise I wrote, that I have been to a sight linked to one of these sights and might be in possession of an artifact to facilitate gaining entry into the dungeon in which it is stored one of the so called keys." As he finished the explanation he look to Rose to see if she had anything to add, or if she had already started skimming through the work he had written on the subject matter.

@Thinslayer@Darkwatck01

Kaitra almost jumped when she heard another voice chiming in, instinctively having already pulled her sword an inch from the sheath before noting the familiar face. She sighed in exasperation and sank back into her seat, confused why the queen was out and about, visiting mead halls no less. Regardless, she supposed it would be a while longer before given the opportunity to properly relax. "Nohszink comes from zee Crown, anymore..." Kaitra stated flatly, eschewing formalities due to the surprise nature of their meeting. "...Eit vahz leveled by your dragon, remember?" she continued, tapping a finger on the table and giving a sideways half-glare at the queen. The comment was based on her previous request that the dragon not be harmed, and based on her experience today combined with the queen's admittance, the venom was richly brined in cynicism.

The princess acknowledged the queen's apology with a quiet nod of the head, briefly glancing to their unconscious friend. "Zee Seventh...vaht?" Kaitra asked, not needing to be told what not to trust after seeing the dumbfounded faces of the court. "Paerdon, Lady Vali, but in Isparia, our ghosts vehr not given names beholding their lineage..." the musing continued, giving a knowing yet hauntingly neutral look at Nebel after Vali announced him as 'Sir'. "...Eit makes me curious vaht your painted spooks have done to earn recognition, ehn vaht faces zeis enemy vears" The demands calmly came, Kaitra's tone having grown annoyedly tense under her otherwise formal demeanor, quickly losing patience in this land's surprises.

@Lumiere @Thinslayer

Still calm, still watching with hollow eyes Nebel felt every jab at his pride his forced abdicated Princess laid into him. Yet he did not snap back, just let them talk while he watched. In his mind he was already doing something that should of been done the moment he laid eyes on this lands Queen. She wasn't human, or at least he was thinking that. No human could of come into a room sealed by his Hex let alone the fact he could not since the spirit powering the hex which lead to a different Train of thought. The creatures and spirits of the Occult are not something to be trifled with, let alone meeting with when in confinement of a seal.

Looking over at Kaitra for a moment he had to stifle a chuckle. It seems she forgot that they were unarmed coming into this place and was grasping at ghosts at her side. Still he leaned forwards, while he could feel no anger nor malice coming from their new guest hew as going to be ready just encase. Dishonored or not, he was still of Ispar and as such he had a duty to protect what he believed to be one of the last non-corrupted elements of his old home. This was, till he felt it. That warm feeling of someone whom he spent so long with.

Standing quickly, quick enough that his chair feel over, Nebel looked over at the door and with his left hand pointed at the hex. Oh that energy he felt coming from the door was like the warm summer's sun. With his first honest smile the Monster of Ispar gave a command, his words echoing with each sound that came.

"Ich gebe dir Passage."

With that the door swung open, and before them stood the only person that Nebel truly felt for. With a wide grin he reached forwards and dropped to his knee. Taking her and and kissing it softly. "Oh, ich habe dich vermisst. Mein Herz tat mir weh, seit wir uns das letzte Mal getrennt hatten" With that said he reached for her, wanting to wisk her to a chair, somewhere he could make her pleased in this cramped meeting hall. All he could offer, was his own chair.

With a slam of the door, the Hex returned to normal. Glowing in the corner now with Five creatures to make it stronger. The room, growing colder, and seemed to hold a much more defined stiffness in sound alone.

@Rhiven Knight@AtomicNut
Rose had oftened imagined this moment to be filled with sunshine and rainbows, with gentle harps strumming somewhere in the distance as Prince Darvus Dragan walked into her life.

Instead, it was rather...quiet, dusty, and smelled of old books. Much like the library.

Rhayven hardly broke a sweat. "Ah, hello Prince Darvus! We werent expecting anyone to join us in our research." With that brief greeting, he resumed his conversation with Rose, as if she were more important to him than the Prince of Drakengard.

It felt nice.

"As to your question, Rose," he continued, "that is a treatise I wrote, and recently, on a ruin I explored, and the nature of the magical secrets I discovered within and its relation to our known history. That is what I do: I explore, mostly as a way to study magic, to deepen my understanding- our understanding- of the magic we use. It also helps further my research into the development of new forms of magic."

She touched her chin and nodded. His methods, while uncommon, were not wholly outlandish. After all, whether one studies magic from a book or from a ruin, they're still learning it from dead people, are they not? And, to learn the magical technology of a superior civilization from ages long past surely could not be inferior to learning from a book written only a few decades ago.

Rhayven attempted to loop Darvus into their conversation. "Still, it is a pleasure to have you join our research inquiry, Your Highness. What Rose and I have been researching is a confluence of historical detail and fictional writing. Which is to say, some of the presented fairy tales bare a striking resemblance to places of historical fact, and that appear to connect to the artifacts of legend. It is far from a settled matter, but our current theory is that the truth of the weapons lies somewhere between the truth of established history and the supposition of folk lore, and it should mean we have deciphered candidates for probable places to look for specific weapons. Further, I think (though Rose will need to look over that treatise I wrote), that I have been to a site linked to one of these sites and might be in possession of an artifact to facilitate gaining entry into the dungeon, in which is stored one of the so-called keys."

Rose paged through the treatise. His meticulous style made it easy to read, despite its dense content, which earned him some kudos in her view. Rhayven had visited numerous ruins in his time, some fruitful, some sparse, all of them interesting. Most ruins, he'd found, were found in desert regions, and grew less and less ruinous as they drew closer to the Haven towers- with the notable exception of Midhaven. Despite having no access to the immediate area around Midhaven Tower, thanks to the odd wall that cropped up around it in recent years, Rhayven found pieces of man-made materials all around the area, and in fairly dense scattering, which strongly suggested a previously inhabited area. He'd speculated, as other historians did, that the region was Ground Zero of the Apocalypse War.

Though the ruins of Ancient cities were endlessly interesting for a variety of reasons, of peculiar interest were the golems. Throughout his journeys, he kept finding them in all shapes and sizes- small golems, large golems, epic golems, battle golems, frail golems- humanoid constructs made by the Ancients for all kinds of functions. A few were in sufficiently good condition that he was able to confirm that they were, in essence, machines, and as an inventor, he knew full well that all machines need maintenance. And the biggest, baddest golems would need the biggest, baddest maintenance.

Which meant, of course, that they needed the biggest, baddest infrastructure to maintain them. That was how, over a year ago, Rhayven became the first man on Aion to discover an Ancint Stronghold. The place was a veritable treasure trove of Ancient engineering, with partially intact war golems, damaged magitech equipment, advanced materials and architecture, and even electronic systems resembling those created in modern sages' laboratories (albeit advanced to incomprehensibility).

The main problem was getting inside. While the advent of teleporting magic theoretically meant one could go inside whenever they wanted, there was no telling whether there was sufficient space to teleport into, since the vast majority of the structure had collapsed. The government whose territory it was in, Drakengard, was curiously reluctant to help clear it, so the stronghold's contents had yet to be explored.

Rose piped up. "The stronghold Sir Rhayven discovered is mostly obscured by debris, which the Crown has been unwilling to deal with. If I may be so bold, Your Highness, do you have any...pull? Can you...you know...get help with that?"