_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

”Crushed?” Luana chuckled. ”No, I was not 'crushed.' I was fortunate that my body partially dropped into a void where the tree had been rooted. I assure you I'd have crushed down quite flat if your mark had fallen on me directly. As it were, I think I've cracked a few ribs. Moving is uncomfortable, but the adrenaline hasn't worn off yet.” Her grin only widened. ”Not to dodge your question, of course. For the longest time I made my home in the outskirts of Lymensari forest. Before that I lived in a small town to the east of Harzelslack called Gillia. The Roycroft name belongs to a long line of Gillian hunters. They didn't care if they had daughters or sons, that was our life calling before we left the womb. The last person you'd expect to know any form of spell craft, right?” She drew her spear and stood beside Ethelred. ”During a hunting expedition, we chased a wild animal into Lymensari forest. I was saved by some elves, and one of them left me this spear. Endless Eclipse use to speak to me a long time ago. It was my teacher for my druidcraft, but now it just shows me things.” If Ethelred cared to look towards the blade on the spear. he might have seen Sorcha looking back at him. ”Do you see her? I originally came to Hrelskins' Fall because of the fey. I've always wanted to meet an elf, you see. I figured they might know a trick. But my spear wants me to meet this woman. I have to confess, my spear has shown me images of you with her. This is the first time we've met, but not the first time I've seen you. I apologize if your relationship with that woman is different than how I saw it. My spear is unable to do more than show images. I've never heard her voice and have no context for what I see. Your helmet has made your interactions with her hard to read.” She tucked the spear behind her back.

”I'm afraid turning into animals and accelerating growth is about all I can do with my magic.” She huffed. ”Which is why we need a tomato so that I can make a remedy for him.” Luana pointed back towards town. ”So let us return! Such things do not grow in areas like this. We will have to procure what we need from the market!”

As the two made their way up the hill, Luna was at a little bit more than brisk pace. She had considered the worst but was pleasantly surprised that Sucaria was just standing at the top of the hill, transfixed on the shoreline below. Looking toward where the girl was looking, Luna joined in gazing towards an oddity on crawling along with a Fomorian entourage. It was a terrifying sight, realistically, even so far away. The tide could have easily swept her and Sucaria up if it wanted.

As she looked on, horrified by what she was witnessing, the cyclopian formorian spoke. Informing her as to what they were seeing. Ollipheist. A beast. "An Elder Beast?" She had heard rumors, perhaps, of an Elder Beast this way but she had never really put much consideration into it. "One that can control an army of Fomorians is... Do the Elves know just how close they were to this?" The Knightess asked before turning her attention back to her maid.

Frowning, Luna was worried of what Sucaria might do in such a state. Perhaps because she was only part Fomorian she could resist it to an extent. Concerned, Lady Lightsword trotted over to Sucaria and swept her up like a bride on her wedding day. "Sucaria?" She questioned as she walked back towards the one-eyed fomorian. "Snap out of it." An order seeded by worry.

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

“Hah…this lot? Not a bit.” The Cyclops responded with a derisive chuckle. “Not that they care, they seem more bloodthirsty then the elves I know. They’d probably welcome the challenge. Odd, for Lymensari elves.”

“...nhn?” Sucaria only responded briefly, head still locked towards the enchanting, golden flames of the beast below as she was swept off her feet. It wasn’t until Luna had turned away did she seemingly come back to a bit of her senses. “...Lady Luna…have you seen my heart? I think someone might have taken it…”

The cyclopes let out a loud laugh at that before stifling himself.

“...thank you. That thing was…saying something. I couldn’t stop listening…” Sucaria frowned. “...Mistress can I sleep with you the rest of the night?”

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall, Forest
@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise

---

“T…tomatoes?” Lugh questioned, wondering why he would need to eat such a yucky vegetable…fruit? For getting the skunk smell out.

Elnith remained mostly silent, looking across the now dead, hollow fallen trunk that had served as the Unseelies body. A brief melancholic prayer was offered, but she’d soon turn her attention back toward her companions and the newcomer.

“I do believe its a remedy for that smell of yours.” Elnith replied. “A pleasure to meet you. Elnith, though you may have heard of me. The boy here is Lugh.” She’d introduce herself and Lugh, giving the Tuatha a pat on the head, rubbing his ears. “The village we passed might have some tomatoes at the market or whatever general goods store they might have if any, but we shall see. It isn’t far.”

Suddenly, Lugh would perk his ears up, quietly glancing away from the group towards the forest. He’d frown, furrowing his brow briefly before shaking his head and turning back to the group.

“...does it have to be tomatoes…?” Lugh frowned. “”

Location:
Airedale Forests

Queens Quarters
@VitaVitaAR

---

“W-wa-wait I didn’t mean it!” The unseelie shouted as she realized what Fio was up to. Unfortunately, the small pixie lacked any sort of physical or magical strength in order to prevent herself from being tossed into fairy prison. While it was a question as to why the queen had these things in the first place (though it smelled faintly of some sort of fruit) it ultimately didn’t matter.

“Rudeness! Unforgivable!” She would immediately, however, start shouting about how this was the greatest sin in the world. “Do you have any idea what I’ll do to you! I’ll curse you so your hair is always messy! Or your eyebrows to fall off! I will I mean it!” She’d shout, pressing her hands against the glass cage she had been put in.

“And I’m a fairy! I go where I want! Its not like I’m here to observe this backwater village. I’m just here to ya know…do fairy things. Like cursing someone’s underwear to mysteriously be soiled or make someone's water taste like sand.” The Fairy glanced around the room, eyes falling on the bed and then on Fio.

“...hehe, hey, maybe you should let me go before Miss Queenie comes back and I tell her your...secrets!” What those secrets were, the fairy didn't seem keen on elaborating.

"Ah yes, I'm sure you know so many secrets of mine you can share," Fio commented with an idle wave of her hand, one eyebrow raised. The little unseelie's threats didn't phase her in the least. She'd already seen the full extent of the fey's capabilities and to call them lacking would be an understatement.

She could dispel such curses with her eyes closed, if they even managed to reach her.

"After all, you've clearly been observing me for some time, given how you didn't know my name and you thought I was a child," she continued, tilting the jar from side to side as she spoke, intent on keeping the fairy off-kilter, "I'm so afraid of what deep knowledge you must have of me, you're such a genius spy I never even realized. It was almost like you weren't there at all."

Even this little idiot would have to be able to pick up on the sarcasm dripping from Fio's voice.

"... In any case, if you've been hanging around here that frequently... well, I suppose you could just be causing mischief, but I might as well make sure," the Sword Witch gave the fairy in the jar a smirk.

The unseelie had earned every single moment of this punishment.

"Even if you're not, you're clearly bothering people, so I don't think I'm going to be letting you out."

@Rune_Alchemist

_{@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist}

”You'll have to tell me more about yourself on the way back, Ethelred. Being the mysterious helmeted knight that you are.”

Maybe Ethelred had more to say, maybe he was content, but Luana turned towards the others as soon as they started speaking.

”I have heard of you, and Lugh too.” She answered Elnith. ”But that was only because Ethelred introduced us. With all this excitement you forgot, huh?” Come to think of it, Ethelred had mentioned they worked for a Queen Sorcha. That had to be the woman she was looking for. Her apologizing for making an assumption earlier was kind of silly. Seemed even she wasn't above forgetting things in excitement. ”But why not? I'm Luana, in case you forgot. You likely haven't heard of me. I was a hermit up until a month or so ago.”

She turned to Lugh. ”Why not tomatoes? They are delicious and nutritious... which makes it a bit sad that we won't be eating them.” Luana shrugged her shoulders. ”You're going to bathe in them. I'm no chemist, so I can't explain why it works. It's very effective for getting skunk mush off of yourself and your clothes.” She pat him on the back. ”And then we'll have to rinse you off afterwards, so if you like bathing, you get to do it twice! And I do have an assortment of flower seeds we can use to freshen you up afterwards! Do you like lavender? Roses? Jasmine? Or would you prefer a more citrus-like scent like lemon or grapefruit?”

It didn't look like Luana was going to be done with Lugh any time soon.

Hmm. Well, the Fomorian was right. These elves were definitely some tough folk. Well, it should be fine for now at least. "Sucaria, your heart is in the same cavity in your chest it's always at. You can't fool me." Luna said, missing any semblance of figurative speech her maid might have been attempting. That made her a little more confused at the hearty laugh the Fomorian had let out. Perhaps it's just because of how close they have always been the thought never really crossed Luna's mind.

"And... Yes. Sure. We'll sleep together so you can't go wandering off again without my knowning." Luna mentioned, more worried about Sucaria wandering off without her than any implications it might carry. "Just don't go pulling your heart out in the middle of the night alright?" With that, Luna turned to head back down the way they came up. "That said, perhaps we should just head on back to the camp."

She had no intention to be out in the open where they might get caught by an army of Fomorians. As strong as their new cyclops friend seemed to be, she doubted the three of them could fight off an army. "That said, I haven't caught your name." She mentioned to the cyclops as she started head down the hill with Sucaria in her arms. "I'm Lunalel Lightsword and this is Sucaria." She offered their names first, "Would you grant us your name as well?" She asked, curious. As far as Fomorians went, he didn't seem all too bad. Perhaps it was out of a sense of unease of his kind being enthralled by this Elder Beast, but he did inform Luna of Sucaria's situation.

"Very well, I'll trust that you understand this this better than I do," he spoke to Luana. "There's no sense in sticking around here any longer, it's best we head back to the village to inform them of our victory, then return to Queen Sorcha. First, however, I'll need to recover my horse."

Luana had no magical solution to Lugh, but it sounded like she knew a remedy. Ethelred shrugged- with any luck, the druid knew exactly what she was doing. With no reason to stick around, it looked like it was time for them to depart. It's give him plenty of time to answer any questions Luana might have about him.

"Since you're curious about myself, I can tell you a little," he began. "I grew up in Ceolread Castle, near Redwater Point. We're didn't have much of a tradition of knighthood since our family only came to Albion some time after after the old king's fall, but my father had brought one into his service as a housecarl...err, household guard. Since I was young I always had a great interest in the knights of Albion, and my father was gracious enough to allow his subordinate to teach me their ways."

If Luana was familiar with the region, she'd know that Ceolread castle had been reduced ruin approximately four decades ago.

"I was just an ordinary man back then, with an ordinary horse and ordinary arms and armor." Ethelred said, gesturing at his armored frame. "I traveled the land as a knight-errant, until I ran afoul of a powerful Unseelie. They struck me with magic that froze me- and my horse- in ice, and I thought that was the end. Then, many, many years later, Queen Sorcha found me and freed me from the ice, where I found that I had been turned into a being of cold, fused with my now icy armor and unable to remove it. However, I still had my wits, and my horse, who had also been transformed. When I learned of the woman who freed me, and the cause she fought for, I joined up with her, and have been one of her knights ever since."

Ethelred couldn't help but wonder if the ice block he had been trapped in had also served as his cocoon as he transformed, just as the tree appears to have been for the Unseelie within. Did it protect him as he was slowly reshaped, just as the tree seemingly did for the Unseelie until it was broken open?

@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

Location:
Nids End
@Pyromania99

---

“...so it is…” Sucaria replied quietly, seeming almost a bit sad though her neutral tone hid it well as she’d lay herself down on Luna’s bed.

“Mine? Not needed, human.” He grunted. “We’ll likely meet on the battlefield and kill each other sooner or later. I only helped out of respect for the elves and you as a fellow warrior. Nothing more, nothing less.” A pause. “But if you must…you can call me Irgoll. Feel free to rest. I’ll take the rest of the night watch.”

Unless there was anything else Luna wanted to ask, Irgoll would fall silent, sitting against one of the large, craggy walls and throwing a bit more wood onto the large bonfire. There were still a few hours left until sunrise, and the rest of the elves seemed content with sleeping for a bit longer.

When morning finally came Sarah greeted the two of them with a friendly grin, cooked up some breakfast for them and offered them several bits of rations for their travel back to Airedale. She said she’d like to see them again, and said perhaps they’d run into her again before they left. They eagerly saw them off, though Irgoll was doing some fishing out in the ocean, not bothering himself.

The trip back to Airedale, would be relatively uneventful thankfully.

Location:
Hjrelskins Fall, Forest
@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise

---

With the Unseelie driven off, it seemed as though things for the village was going to go back to normal very soon. The small little imps had been driven off, and the problematic cursed tree had been felled. Luana would grow a small gourd, fashioning it briefly into a container and scooping up some of the remains of the Unseelie's innards before it completely dissolved. Whatever it was seemed dangerous...perhaps it might have some alchemical properties or something but in its current state Luana might find a hard use for it.

The village though, seemed relieved to hear that their trouble was over, though some were more than a little skeptical.

There was only one snag.

The house that held the girl they had spoken to, was apparently, completely abandoned. Apparently the man that lived there had disappeared into the forest some years ago and his daughter was later kidnapped by Unseelie after heading into the forest looking for him. Which…left some odd questions about who exactly they saw there.

But there was no one there now, and there didn’t seem to be anyway to confirm what they actually had seen.

The rest of the trip back would mostly be uneventful with little of note happening.

Queens Quarters
@VitaVitaAR

---

“...Y-you don’t believe me!?” The fairy pouted. “I-I’m a strong fairy. Let me out and I’ll prove it!” She’d shout, placing her hands against the glass walls of the jar, giving Fio the most innocent look she could muster despite her somewhat alien appearance. “I-I can tell you lots! And I can do lots, too! Lemme prove it, c’mon you coward human!”

thunk

“Mmngh, that was a nice stroll. I should do that more often.”

Before either could say anything else through there was the sound of something on the balcony. Or rather, someone. That someone being the Queen’s voice. Fio had about ten seconds before the Queen would finish a small stretch, pushing open the balcony doors and walk into her room proper.

Well.

It was definitely the queen, at least, but she wasn’t wearing her usual white and gold dress or her armor. Instead, she was wearing what was an exquisite red and gold trimmed suit a noble might wear at some fancy ball. Her long, flowing blond hair had been tied up in several braids, almost creating a little crown of hair along the top of her head while the rest had been tied back making it seem much shorter than it actually was. It would have been rather easy to mistake her for a rather beautiful man like this, considering the suit seemed to obscure her chest rather well.

She locked eyes with Fio.

A few awkward seconds of silence followed as the queen's face shifted from an embarrassing shade of red briefly before the color started draining from her face.

Before Fio could react, she’d find the queen scooping her up in her arms, shoving her out of her room and slamming the door behind her. A few seconds later the queen opened the door again.

“Tell anyone what you saw and I will deny everything and also remove you from this castle.” The door shut again, leaving Fio outside of the room, not having been able to get a word in edgewise and having the mischievous fairy still in her arms.

Airedale Keep
@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99@Guy0fV4lor

---

It had been about a week since everyone left to deal with respective problems around the region. Cethlann had been mostly tight lipped, without say too much else to Fio, and since her first mental dive, the Fomorian seemed to have set up some mental wards to make it much harder for Fio to interfere in such things. She had also received a letter from a ‘Great Witch Morgan’ - one of the premier witches in the region requesting an audience with both her and Sorcha both, delivered by her apprentice.

She was free to decline, but she’d need to write a response at some point. The only issue was…well, the ‘Great Witch Morgan’ was the royal mage of Harzelslack.

Lugh spent the time training as usual, and Vyrell would spend the time interrogating Cethlann more through less than human means, though he’d make only a little progress regarding their plans. She was a particularly tough fomorian to crack, it seemed.

It would be early morning when the Queen sent the order - the knights needed to meet in the strategy room, and Luana would also be invited to come.

“Ugh, I still smell like tomatoes…”

“Hehe, but you don’t smell like skunk at least.” Elnith responded to a still somewhat indignant Lugh, who was polishing his blade as he sat on a pile of boxes stacked against a wall.

“Luana mean…” he’d pout.

“Don’t say that. She helped us quite a lot, you know.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like her…” Lugh rebutted, grumbling quietly earning another little chuckle from Elnith.

“Has anyone seen Reinhardt? Her majesty requested his presence specifically early and quickly.” Vyrell cut in, leaving the question hanging in the air.

Turns out, there weren’t too many ways to collect a trophy from a unseelie. The thing just boiled down into goo and entrails. Luana had initially collected it as a trophy to show that the others had done their job, but it seemed like they were fine just taking Ethelred’s word for it. They weren’t too interested in some unseelie organs, nor did they seem to like the idea of her disposing of it nearby. One thing led to another, and now Luana had an unseelie’s heart in a glass jar, floating among other organs. A macabre thing to have in one’s possession, but unseelie were related to elves. Who knew what kind of mysteries this jar held.

But there was no time to dwell on that! It seemed like she was finally going to get her audience with the queen. There would be others around, but that was fine. Just getting to meet her should be enough to get things going in the right direction. She hadn’t had time to talk to many of the others. Ethelred, Lugh, and Elnith were the only ones she really knew. You could talk to someone for hours, but unless you hunted a creature with someone, you wouldn’t really understand what they were all about.

Which wasn’t to say that talking to someone wasn’t appreciated. Ethelred had revealed his condition to her. She wasn’t well traveled enough to know about a castle on the south end of the continent. It had to be a confusing existence. He was making the most of a curse he had been afflicted with. Luana might have been less formidable in a direct fight, but at least her spear’s power wasn’t so invasive. Though that couldn’t have been the full story. Even Luana hadn’t told her new friend everything about her spear. Just enough to explain why she was there. Something was preventing that curse from taking over Ethelred’s mind, and he likely knew what it was. But everyone had a secret or two.

But enough daydreaming. She needed to get dressed.

---

Luana was not so out of touch with civilization. She left her bedchambers wearing a tunic. Her braids had been opened up, and her long hair fell down her tunic.Aside from her boots, her worn out hunting gear had all been left in her chambers. Even her jewelry remained behind. Though if one looked closely at her back, they might see the shape of her spear head pressing through her cloak. A cloak that, while small, could easily hide a few pouches.

She stepped between Lugh and Elnith. ”Good morning!” For some reason her ears were burning. Had someone been talking about her? It didn't matter. ”You smell a lot better than you did the other day. In hindsight, I could have probably hit the tree, but we were all spread out, and I wanted to make sure you were protected!” She set a hand on Lugh's shoulder. ”I'm not sure how these meetings go, but I hope the four of us get to hunt something again.” She raised an eyebrow. ”At least, I assume that's why I'm here. Everything's been a blur.”

"..."

Throughout the entire process of being kicked out of Sorcha's room, Fio had been entirely unable to articulate herself. Mutely holding the jar as the crossdressing queen picked her up unceremoniously and tossed her from her room, a stream of questions ran through her mind repeatedly.

What was she doing?

Why was she doing it?

Was she meeting someone?

Why did she look so good?

When the door shut behind her, the diminutive witch simply stood there, still holding the jar, for some time.

Eventually, she mutely returned to her room.

Somehow she doubted any of those questions would ever be answered.

---

In a week's time, the unseelie fae was still in the jar.

She'd hardly given Fio a reason to even consider letting her free. Still, as obnoxious as she was, it would be utterly inhumane not to feed her and give her something to rest on. Meals of honey bread were given daily, and a small bed of cotton had been added to the jar. But any prospect of freedom was an extremely distant one.

And every irritating comment lengthened her sentence. The last one had even prompted Fio to threaten the unseelie with centipedes. It was a threat she'd never follow on, both because the prospect of even going near the many-legged arthropods gave her chills and because tossing centipedes into the jar was both cruel and unusual.

But that wasn't the only matter to attend to. She'd already informed the Queen of her findings from her mental dive, and subsequent dives had yielded little worthwhile information. Cethlann had prepared for them, it seemed. Little had moved on that front, but that wasn't all.

Sir Ethelred had asked her about a stone given to him by the very same unseelie that was now her prisoner. It was more proof that the fae had been hanging around and causing all sorts of mischief, even if she seemingly had some level of understanding reciprocating good deeds. While she hadn't been very helpful so far, a little bit of research had allowed Fio to discern its likely purpose at least, and she planned on informing Sir Ethelred today.

And then there was the matter of the invitation.

On its face, it was already difficult to turn down. And as much thought as Fio put into it, it didn't help.

Really, it seemed as if sending a letter back accepting the invitation, then preparing herself in every way possible, was the only option.

First, however, it was time to get ready for the meeting.

Fio covered the jar before bathing, drying herself, and putting on her clothing for the day, only uncovering it afterwards, and headed to the meeting room.

She'd speak with Sir Ethelred as soon as she got the opportunity.

@Rune_Alchemist@Crimson Paladin

It had been a week since the encounter with the Unseelie tree. He had continued to think about the creature's bizarre death, how it sped its own demise by helping to crack itself open. What it had done- hypnotizing humans and devouring them- was monstrous, but the way it spoke, it made him wonder about Unseelie and their nature. He never really had given much thought to the disturbingly playful banter of the corrupted fey- after all, it was surely just a facet of their twisted, sadistic personalities- but the tree creature's dying words were something he didn't think that he'd ever hear from them.

Were the Unseelie inherently evil, bound to an innate compulsion to be cruel and sadistic by the Betrayed God's curse? Did the curse only twist their bodies to match minds that were already warped enough to slay him? Or was it a learned thing? After all, during their adventures in the woods, Luna had apparently come into contact with a non-hostile Fomorian, a far cry from the malevolent creatures at Redwater, or the wicked creature held prisoner in the castle.

Ethelred wasn't intent on faltering in his resolve, however. Whether they were misguided or rotten to the core by their very nature, the Unseelie were an ongoing threat to the good people of Albion. If anything, it was a bit of a relief to know that Fio had captured the fairy from earlier and stuck her in a jar, because it not only kept her out of trouble, it'd keep her from getting hurt as a consequence. From what he had asked, the fairy's powers were quite miniscule, and its intentions quite petty.

Assuming he had permission from Fio, Ethelred would visit the fairy a few times during the week. Any attempts to bargain with the fairy. He didn't believe her, but he was willing to move the jar in or out of the shade if she complained about it being too hot or cold, or if she merely wanted a slight change in scenery. His reply to her pleas would be assurance that he didn't want her to get hurt, and with the way that things were going in Albion, she'd be safer in the jar for the time being. Beyond that, the fairy was Fio's prisoner and her responsibility, so he wouldn't do anything else with the jar and its occupant.

Ethelred walked through the door to the strategy room, having been notified of the queen's summons. In addition to the matter of whatever matter Queen Sorcha had called them here for, he also needed to speak to Fio about the trinket that the Unseelie had given him. Whether it was a genuine gift, a useless trinket, or a tiny curse, he was eager to find out, and he had entrusted it to the Sword Witch to discern its nature.

Lugh, Elnith, and Luana had already arrived. Lugh smelled like tomatoes, a sign that Luana's remedy was still ongoing. It was good, and a little surprising, that the druid had stuck around. If she was willing to stick around for the long run, it could be a great boon so them.

Ethelred said nothing as he arrived. He would silently await Fio to arrive and inform him what she learned, and for the other knights to arrive so that the briefing could begin.

@VitaVitaAR@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

It had been a calm week following their departure from Nids End and Luna had kept a close eye on Sucaria just in case something remained with her but it seemed that there was little to worry about. She was half worried that the maid would up and leave in the middle of the night with little to seem worried of. Regardless, she had reported the threat of the Fomorian-gathering Elder Beast as soon as she had arrived as just another drop into the sea of worries that gathered around Airedale Castle.

For today, they were having a full fledge meeting. Luna had already finished a her usual bits of training on days off to keep herself at tip-top shape so when she was done, she came back to her quarters to see Sucaria and double check that she was fine before. "I'm going to wash my face off and then it's time to head to the hall." Luna went to her water basin to wash her face off and equipped her armor after to ready for the meeting.

After finishing preparing for the day, she went up to Sucaria. "Alright, my dear maid, shall we get going?" She asked, smiling at her both maid and friend. It didn't take long for the two of them to arrive where they needed. Once there, she saw everyone that had gathered already. "Greetings everyone! A fine day, is it not?" The knightess asked, looking toward everyone noting Reinhardt missing still. Well, at least she wasn't last. On top of that, there was that new woman, Luana. Luna hadn't really interacted much with her so it was hard to make a judgement on her yet but she didn't foresee having any problems. Their names were similar to Luana, Lunalel, perhaps they could get along quite well.

---

@Rune_Alchemist@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99

Despite having led Raella straight through Airedale and into the keep without guards even giving the two of them a second glance-- it never seemed that the Mage in question registered the fact that the person who'd run across her little experiment was a bona-fide Knight from the Queen's personal retinue.

But Reinhardt didn't particularly mind that.

If anything-- it just made her casual belittling of his intellect and importance all the more amusing.

After the Mage delivered her message and left; the rest of the week rather uneventful. Unlike most of the others who left Airedale on their own small expeditions, Elias spent the week licking his wounds and training his skills while waiting for his armor adjustments to be completed...

---

"Apologies for my tardiness--" Elias spoke as he stepped into the room; adjusting the left gauntlet of his armor slightly. "The armor adjustments have just been completed and I had to perform some testing to ensure nothing would break when I have to start fighting."

Without pause, the Knight circled the table and took his place within the room-- noting a new face among the group of Knights, and the distinct smell of.... Tomatoes?

Clearly much had happened in the last week... And the recent bout of seclusion had left much of the information regarding the goings unknown to the Knight.

Reinhardt shook his head, dismissing the train of thoughts-- if there was anything he needed to be informed of, it would happen in the following meeting.

Location:
Airedale Keep, Meeting Room
@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99@Guy0fV4lor

---

“Reinhardt, good to see you.” Vyrell greeted. “I was just about to send a search party.”

“Luana, good to see you again.” Elnith offered the Druid a friendly smile as Lugh grimaced.

“...but tomatoes.” Lugh merely complained again.

“Hehe, don’t mind him. He’s a good kid.” Elnith gave him another pat on the head. “Her majesty should be arriving soon to speak with you, I think. I’m not sure whether you’ll be sent hunting any time soon or not, but Queen Sorcha is always looking for talented persons to call to her banner.”

“The fact that you’ve caught her eye should say volumes about her opinion of you, Lady Luana.” Vyrell briefly interjected, turning his head to Luna. “Lady Luna. I understand you met Elves out at Nids end? I’m somewhat hesitant to believe your report.”

Sucaria moved quietly, not speaking except for bowing to others present.

“There is no reason to question Luna’s report, Vyrell.” The Queen’s voice interrupted the conversation as the golden haired woman walked into the meeting hall, a serious, though thoughtful expression worn as her eyes briefly glanced over to Fio. Coincidentally, she’d quickly look away from the mage, a small bit of red coloring her cheeks as she moved towards Luna. “We’ll conduct this meeting in a moment. I’ve been a bit busy since then, but Luna there’s something I wish to confirm before we get started. These elves…one’s name was Sarah and they were in boats, carrying a crest of a Tree?”

“Reinhardt, before we begin,” Vyrell would speak to the other Knight. “To briefly fill you in. Ethelred, Elnith, and Lugh stopped some rogue Unseelie from interfering in a small village near Hjrelskins fall. Luna found some elves in Nids End, along with a sighting of the Ophiliest. I’m sure you’ve heard of it, but apparently its got a large following of Fomor.” He frowned. “That will be troubling to deal with when we have to. Oh, right,” He nodded towards Luana. “That’s Luana. Apparently the queen wishes to knight her. Helped Ethelred and Elnith with that Unseelie problem.”

Luana placed a hand on Lugh's head and ruffled his hair. ”There there. Far be it for me to critique your diet, but if you ate more things like tomatoes you’d be a lot taller. Potatoes, eggs, salmon, and milk are all really good for you!” Were those anything like tomatoes? Luana seemed to think so.

She was about to say something to Elnith, but Vyrell managed to beat her to the punch. Luana closed her mouth and nodded at their comments. ”Glad the tales about me impress.” She cracked a nervous smile as Vyrell turned away. ”Who was that guy?” Luana spoke to Lugh and Elnith while watching the prodigal knight. ”Something about his features seems familiar.”

But neither Lugh nor Elnith would have a chance to respond before Luana was utterly captivated by something he said. The hermit’s eyes expanded and her mouth hung agape. Even as the queen was speaking, she walked towards the knight and maid in a trance. She finally came to a stop beside the queen, who was also standing in front of Lunalel.

”Yes, yes! Tell us everything about the elves!” She leaned in towards Lunalel. ”So they travel around by boat? How did the boat look? I bet it was built with some crazy architecture. Like they probably willed a tree to grow into the correct shape, creating an ergonomic interior and a hydrodynamic exterior! Did you get to stand on the ship? It probably felt like magic under your feet! And of course they would have a crest that looks like a tree! They live in the forest right? But the elves themselves, how did they look? Did they look healthy? Anything that can survive in the forest like that has to be pretty fit! I bet Sarah was like, tall, skilled with her weapon, and a lot stronger than she looked. You probably had difficulty tracing her movements, just because of how graceful and fluid-like they were. Did she move like a river, or the wind off a frigid mountain?” Luana placed a hand on Lunalel’s shoulder. ”Or did you not get to see her fight? That would be a shame if you didn’t. Or maybe, yes! You look scholarly enough that you probably, wait, no, let me confirm.” She reached into her cloak and pulled out something wrapped in cloth out from her cloak. She gently peeled back the cloth to reveal the head of Endless Eclipse. The blade’s sheen vanished as Lunalel’s “sparring match” with Sarah started to play out across the blade. ”I knew it!” She practically shouted the words. ”You tested your steel in a once in a lifetime encounter with an elf! I’m so jealous!” After pausing for a moment, her eyes shifted between Lunalel and Sorcha. ”...Right, sorry! Just got a little excited.” She folded the cloth back over the spearhead before shooting a grin at Lunalel. ”I’m Luana, by the way. I think we’re going to be good friends.” She took a deep breath. ”Tell you what? You can call me Luna.” With a nod, she turned around. ”I’ll um, just go back over there ‘till im needed.” She prepared to scuff back towards Lugh and Elnith.

Fio paused for a few moments to listen to the Queen, uncertain how to respond when she noticed her cheeks reddening upon looking at her, but soon enough she made her way to Ethelred. After all, she'd completed her research over the week with the intent of being able to deliver the information as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it wasn't as detailed as she'd hoped, but it would still shed some light on the nature of the strange stone all the same.

"Sir Ethelred," she began, stopping in front of him, "I did some research on the stone that little idiot gave you."

Reaching into her bag, she retrieved a sheet of her notes, handing it over.

"It's a fairy stone. You can think of them sort of like keys, thought not necessarily in the way you might understand one," she continued, "Sometimes they unlock objects, but other times they might dispel illusions or remove an enchantment, things of that nature. I tried getting more information out of her, all she'd say is she just picked it up."

The Sword Witch sighed heavily.

"Unfortunately, being a bad liar doesn't really matter if all you do is repeat that lie."

@Crimson Paladin@Rune_Alchemist

"A key? Quite interesting," Ethelred responded to Fio's explanation of the trinket. "I wonder why she would give such a thing to me."

Ethelred was doubtful that the fairy could have crafted it herself. She wasn't exactly a very powerful unseelie. The fact that Fio kept her in a jar suggested that the Sword Witch had no fear of the fairy's power. Perhaps she swiped it from another Unseelie. That'd explain why she'd be willing to hand it over.

"On the matter of Luana, she proved to be a great help in dealing with the Unseelie," he acknowledged the druid. "She's a bit talkative, but I can vouch that she's a courageous woman."

There wasn't much else to say, for now. Ethelred was still awaiting a more detailed debriefing from Luna about her elf encounter. Even if he wasn't quite as invested in it as Luana was, the mention of a boat, and Sorcha's own seeming interest in the topic meant that this was worth closely listening to. Furthermore, he didn't want to delay Sorcha's own announcement, because she wouldn't have called them all here just to share stories of their last mission.

@VitaVitaAR@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

The first thing Luna got as she entered the hall was Vyrell giving his slight doubts about her report. Her eyes lowered into a look of tired annoyance. "Oh? And what reason do you have to--" Where she was cute off by the Queen before she could add another word to that statement. That conversation was over as the Queen made her way over to doubly confirm some details in the report. "Indeed, your Majesty. One was named Sarah and they carried such a crest as such I remember." The Knightess confirmed while adding, "I think beautiful would describe her." Luna added with a small blush before continuing. "She said that she was looking for someone. Tall, Eyes reminiscent of a clear blue sky. Long blonde hair while 'incredibly handsome and knightly disposition' though always incredibly irritable and constantly scowling." Luna got a good look at her Queen with somewhat scrutinizing eyes.

"Queen Sorcha, I had a sn-" That is, until she noticed a certain woman standing as if in a trance besides Queen Sorcha. And just as soon as she had arrived, she started to speak. Constantly. On and on about elves. Questioning about them and then answering her own question in half the time she even asked. Luna was unable to get a word in edgewise and merely stood there flabbergasted until the hermit pulled out a spear-head and she witnessed the sight of her fight with Sarah. Almost weakly replying to the comment about being jealous about testing steel against an elf, "Are... you?"

Soon enough the woman finally introduced herself as Luana which, really, was easy enough to surmise but Luna had little time to think with the constant barrage of words, questions and thoughts. Once she was finished with proclaiming her love for elves, Luana had mentioned that they would become good friends and to call her Luna as well. When she said she would go back until she was needed, Luna merely answered, "Y-yes. Let us talk later then..."

With that... Situation finished, Luna turned back to Sorcha with a slightly confused face. "Umm, I guess there are two Lunas now." She mentioned before trying to return to the original topic. "Yes, well. Back to the topic of..." Luna looked back toward Luana and carefully chose her words. "Sarah's people. Well, if you have any more questions about the report I am at your service. Though, I would wonder if I had any of my own." Luna mentioned, thinking about how Sarah's face changed when the Queen's name was mentioned.

Location:
Airedale Keep, Meeting Room
@VitaVitaAR@Crimson Paladin@BrokenPromise@Pyromania99@Guy0fV4lor

---

“You must be Luana.” Sorcha would respond to the hermit, unfazed by her excitement. “If you wish to talk about elves, I would be willing to at length. I lived among them myself for quite a while until a few years ago.” Sorcha offered Luana a smile. “I could tell you at length about their civilization and nature.” The Queen’s eyes slowly fell to Luana’s spear, and though she said nothing it was clear her sight lingered on it for a few longer seconds then likely was necessary before turning back to Luna.

“I see, Sarah…hm…well, no one I know at least. Perhaps she’ll make her way towards Airedale, we’ll be sure to give them quite a warm welcome then.” She’d turn away from Luna, walking by Luana. “A pleasure to meet you, we can talk a bit after this meeting. I would very much be interested in and if you would be willing - be knighted into my service.” She’d give Luana a friendly, if somewhat strong pat on the back that would cause the hermit to stumble as she’d laugh, and move towards the table next to Vyrell.

“OKAY! Good, you’re all here!” She’d shout, loud enough to be heard outside of the room just to get everyone’s attention. “I want to thank you all for your assistance and endeavors these past few weeks. Especially you, Sir Ethelred, Sir Reinhardt, and Dame Elnith.” She inhaled. “To think that a Wyvern Lord of all things would be the cause of that destruction.” She shook her head. “Dragons have not been seen in Albion since the time of the Old King and the fall of Varakel. To say this is…troubling is quite the understatement. The fact you could even slay such a beast is merely a fortunate coincidence that Reinhardt happened to be present.” A pause as she’d let the knights take in the words before moving on.

“On that topic as well, Vyrell and I have been corresponding with Harzelslack and a knight by the name of Sir Lonan. We have come to an agreement regarding said Wyvern. We will share half the spoils from it. We shall get the scales…and they shall have its bones. Its meat shall be split between us. In return, we shall also make a joint operation to clean up some Wyverns near the Llothbrokr mountains. Since we killed it, more Wyverns have only shown up and have been terrorizing the surrounding areas. To handle it, I will personally take Sir Ethelred, Sir Reinhardt, and Lady Luana, if she would be willing, on a cleanup mission along with Sir Lonan, his Squire, and another of the Harzel Knights. As for Fio, Luna, and Elnith, I have something more personal in mind for the three of you considering Luna and Elnith’s relationship with the Giants of the mountains.” Sorcha turned her head towards Luna. “Find us a Giant smith. One that can work Dragon Scale in a forge into weapons and armor. We shall have need of it.”

She seemed awfully certain of that.

“Fio, I’ll put you in charge of that operation. See to complete it however you see fit as long as we get ourselves a Giant Smith.”

Having already said far more than she probably should have, Luana had decided she was going to remain quiet for the rest of the meeting. She gave Ethelred a nod when he mentioned her. She wasn’t sure why he had felt the need to include that she was talkative, but figured it was because he was a man of few words. Yes, that made the most sense.

But the most impressive development was that Sorcha seemed to be an elf scholar of sorts. Luana could barely contain her excitement, but the tug of war in her mind between expressing that excitement and keeping quiet caused her to freeze in place. When Sorcha slapped her on the back, she didn’t stumble, but tipped forward like a vase falling off a desk. She didn’t hit the floor until Sorcha was well away from her. But this was good. This had to be why she was destined to meet this woman. Anyone who knew that much about elves would be instrumental in getting her in close proximity to them.

The meeting continued. It seemed that she was going to get paired up with Ethelred again, along with Reinhardt. Initially it seemed a little odd that Sorcha and Luana were the only woman going up against the wyverns, but it did make sense. Woman were more charismatic than men were, which made them a good choice for locating a giant smith. Whereas slaying wyvern was definitely more of a guy’s job. Luana would be fooling herself if she thought her spear arm was as strong as any mans. Though her ability to find her prey and general knowledge of creatures was sure to be a boon to the group, and Sorcha would want to see her in action. It was a little unfortunate that she wouldn’t get to do any bonding with Lunalel or Fio, but she knew Elnith would keep them safe. Moreover, as an isolated hermit, she didn’t mind being surrounded by men once more. It had been a very long time since she had gone hunting, and there was something nostalgic about clearing beasts out of an area. She was looking forward to it.

She hadn’t heard Lugh’s name called. Was he the squire? If so, that meant they’d get to spend even more time together!

But there was little reason to speak up at this time. After picking herself up, Luana allowed herself to be an observer.