[IC] From The Light Darkness Rises: A Medieval Roleplay

[EWillden]

Three days have passed sense the letters were sent out by Heinrich, the head mage of the guild's Krystallen branch. They expected that it would take them that long to get here seeing as the letters were sent by representatives of the guild who used their powers to locate the selected people and teleported to them. Right not Heinrich sat at a long table within the tavern known simply by The Raven. It had a lively bunch of people within it ,and the oddest part was that it was run and owned by a orc. At the door stood two Gnolls. These Gnolls were well equipped with axes big enough to cleave someone's head off. They were simply muscle for the orc in case someone started to create some trouble within. Standing beside Heinrich was Ishmael as he looked to those who had already arrived. Heinrich glanced up at him and then back to the two people that had come so far. They were a odd group. "Did Father Daniel really send invites to these people?..." he asked Ishmael. Ishmael then pulled forth the letters the two had handed him. "According to these two letters they have been. Impossible it would be if they had these if they were not chosen." Was Ishmael's response to him. He looked to the letter and read the names. "Cassandra The Drow" and "Urthak of the Lizardfolk tribes" and sighed as he looked up to them. He rose a brow up and decided to move and sit across from the drow elf.
Cassandra wore a interesting piece of armor which most certainly marked her as a follower of Lolth. The design of a black widow into its center and the web about her beasts. That was only leather though for underneath she likely wore a chain shirt made and crafted by her people. He could see the collar of it poking its way out. "Lady Cassandra was it?" He asked. To which she replied with "Just Cassandra thank you,... Drop the formalities please." She said as she looked up at him. She found him to be quite the handsome one for a human. However, his looks will not buy him any special privileges from me. He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement to her words.
"Did the guards at the gate give you a hard time?" He asked her and she smirked. "Yes they did, until I showed them the letter with the Church's seal on it. I guess some people still have a bitter resentment towards my kin, and who would blame them. My people did some sick stuff to earn that hatred. Which is why I left my people of course." She said.
She then looked to the door and back to him. "I am guessing that we are expecting a few more people right?" She asked."How many people did this Daniel send letters too?"
"I am not sure myself, I did not get the chance to count them, nor do I know who will be coming. Each person was hand picked by Father Daniel." He answered leaning back in his chair and letting his shoulders drop a little."I am expecting that each pick was for a reason and each one of you has a special skill that will bring us towards our goal."

"Where is this Father Daniel anyways?" She asked as she turned her eyes right back at him. "I mean I half expected him to be here to relay us the details of this "mission" himself." Ishmael shrugged at her question and answered with. "I figured he would too, perhaps he will once everyone is here." This answer caused her to sigh. she looked over to Urthak the lizardkin and rose a brow as he took advantage of the guild's compensation for the meal. She almost laughed a little bit and she had to touch his arm to get his attention. "Even though the Guild is paying for it you shouldn't pig out too much alright? I mean we will be working together so I don't want you so bloated that you can't fight."

Urthak chuckled and nodded. "I guess your right, but it's been ages sense I could pig out like this. I never got to eat much when I lived in my village or sense I began to travel." He answered and Cassandra rose a brow at him. I guess life in those swamps are tough the way this guy goes on. As for traveling, maybe it could be hard but seeing as he is strictly a meat eater she could see why. Not many animals are just going to stand there and let you eat them.

[LadyNova]

Nova flung her arms over her dual bladed glaive as it rested on her shoulder. She then stretched as she tried to loosen up her muscles. She then brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "We made it finally brother, have you seen anything like it before?" She asked.
"No, but I heard of it from traveling merchants." Responded Erandur. He heard the panting of Ajax and turned his to the wolf and then to it's partner Elendil. "I am eager to see your abilities Elendil, I never seen our elven rangers in action before."
Elendil smirked as he pulled backed his cowl. "From what my gut tells me Captain Silverblood, I think you will see plenty of it." He responded. He then pulled from a small satchel a peace of jerky, not for him but for Ajax. He brought the jerky down to the wolf's level so he could snatch it from his fingers. It did not take long for Ajax to gobble it, the wolf leaned it's head towards Elendil so that he could scratch behind his ears. "Well let's go find this tavern and see what kind of mission we are going on." He said as he stopped petting Ajax and moved forward the wolf following behind him.
Erandur and Nova nodded in agreement and followed from behind. Both the Church and the Mages Guild made the request for them. Whatever the mission was it had to be important.

[Kyoto]

Kyoto was already within the city moving about the streets looking for the tavern known as The Raven. He eventually stopped a guard and asked him for directions. "Do you know where The Raven is?" He said as he showed him the letter which held the seal of the church. The guard nodded and pointed, "Take a left on that road there and then a right at the first street. The third building down should be the tavern." He answered. Kyoto nodded stuffing the letter into its place between his chest and his armor. He then continued on walking following the guards directions to the letter. He passed many shops and homes on his way there. He did not take time to be caught up in the architecture like most newcomers to the city. He did not come here for that, he was summoned for some mission and he would take up that one mission. 500,000 gold total... for that price this mission must be dangerous. The kind of danger Kyoto could go for. Once he spotted the tavern sign which had a raven on it over compassing a moon. He smiled and patted the side of his sword hidden inside its scabbard. "Well Icingdeath looks like we might get to go on yet another death defying mission, with the odds neatly stacked against us." He said mainly to his sword. He then stepped forward his wooden sandals clacking on the cobble stone street. He could tell that the people saw him as a oddity seeing as his armor and arsenal was something they likely never seen before. Plus his eyes were different as well, plus he just talked to his sword so they probably figured him insane too. He chuckled a little at that thought as he entered the tavern. He looked about the room trying to find any resemblance of a client. He then looked to his side to one of the gnoll guards. He pulled his letter out and before he could say anything the thing pointed to the table he was looking for. What he saw was a dark skinned, pointy ears human looking female with silver hair , a giant walking monitor lizard looking thing, and two regular humans. One encased in heavy steel armor and one in dark robes. The robed man must be the client and the other three other mercenaries such as himself. He gave the gnoll a thumbs up and walked on over and found a seat tossing his letter onto the table and gave a respectful nod to each of the people there. "My name is Kyoto Yamisaki, you sent for me.." He said

---

Ryoko was hopping from tree branch to tree branch using her weight to help her fly for only a couple seconds. She eventually stopped and pushed away the branches in front of her getting a great few of the main and walls of the city known as Krystallem. The gems sparkling from its wall gave it a beauty she never seen before. With that she pulled back her cowl and her face mask to breathe in the air around her. She smiled and took a deep breathe and let it out. "I made it,... the people who live in here must be wealthy. Perhaps even after this mission I could stick around and bring a wagon full of gold to my clan." She said as she pressed her thumb against the side of her nose. She decided to drop down from the tree landing into a kneeling position. She then used the strength of her legs to bring her up full height. She saw the unusually looking humans though. They had super long ears and one even had pink hair. The people in this country sure are a odd sort. She then began to walk forward and as she reached the gate she saw two guards standing by it. She then moved to one and bowed to him with her hands pressed up against each other. "Greetings,... by chance do you know where the Raven is? I got a letter from some thing called a church and a mages guild and they told me to go there." She explained as she removed the letter from underneath her coverings and showed it to him. He looked at it for a second and gave her the directions to the tavern. She nodded and bowed again. "Thank you." She said smiling and headed in the direction she was pointed.

Not knowing that the elves were likely heading to the same place she moved past them and as she did she decided to take a side glance at them and noticed they had olive like eyes too. Do they come from her country?... no they couldn't have I would have known what they were if they had. She concluded and then continued on. When she reached the tavern she opened it's door and noticed a samurai looking fellow and a table full of people and she rose a brow. "I am to be working with people?... that means the pay will be split then huh?" She sighed and felt a little disappointed. Well there was five of them, including her that made six people. In other words the whole amount may be way less then 500,000 gold. Well too late to turn back now. She moved over to the table and was trying to figure out who the leader was. The man in the robes seemed to be the one more likely hiring them. She stood closest to him and removed her letter from her person and placed it on the table close to him. "Ryoko Tomai, representing the clan of the great dragon serpent Emolgai." She said. "I take it I wont be doing this mission alone?" She asked wanting it clarified. "...also are you expecting more?"

---

Kyoko Senpachi was already in the city as well and already learned of the tavern's location. Problem was he felt himself a little distracted by a merchant with a bunch of rugs and assorted cloth. He was examining them one by one and he sighed. "Perhaps once the mission is over I can do some buying,... all I got is yen and I doubt you accept that kind of payment..." He said and he did not have to look to the merchant to know he was confirming his words with a gesture of his head. "Well when I do get some of this country's currency expect to see me coming around here. You have some fine works here. Do you weave any of these yourself?" He asked.
"... No, a lady from my village does and I take them as well as a few other things to this here city and set up a stall. I keep about a percentage of the coin while she and the others get the rest." He answered and Kyoko nodded and rubbed the top of his bold head rolling up one piece back up and placing it back on the rack. "Well see you some other time then." Kyoko responded and left the merchant to go to the tavern.

[TheCaptainQ]

DE had rode in on his black Clydesdale horse into the Krystallen city. It was really remarkable and the name really made sense. He slowly drove his horse with the flow of the city folk and wandered around for a while. Stopping by the black smiths to see if he could find anything he could add to his attire. He wore great reflective silver armor that, on sundown would shine the pink orange light beautifully and in moon light, it reflected a hint of blue.
From looking upon the wares of the shop keepers he decided to stop sight seeing and head for the Raven tavern as instructed by the letter. He tied his horse up outside the tavern and walked in confidently. As he entered he saw an' arrange of characters that were elvish and pink haired and a group of asianic folk. course he has only heard tales of these legendary folk. As he surveyed the area he remained quiet and then moved to sit down.

[EWillden]

As if all the arrivals were predicted, High Priest Daniel or known by his fellow priests and the people of Krystallem Father Daniel, entered the tavern. He did not waste any time at all as he moved to the table. He surveyed the group and with satisfaction he looked to Heinrich and gestured to him. On cue Heinrich, with a wave of his hand, summoned 9 sacks of gold coins that together equaled 250,000. He then cleared his throat and began to address the group. "Greetings, friends, those who have answered my call, many letters I have sent but only nine of you showed up. I suppose that only means that you nine saw the risk but found something in it to be worth checking out. Perhaps the gold was too much to pass up or perhaps you to notice that the mission must be very important if not only the Church was requesting you but the Mages Guild as well." he said but then moved to a spot to sit. He then gestured to Heinrich once more who stood and removed from the satchel at his side scrolls for the group to look at. On these scrolls was a image of a chalice sitting upon a pedestal and next to it a image of a door with a great seal on it. "This Chalice is your mission, I recently commissioned Heinrich of the Mages Guild to search for its location with scrying spells and tomes. What he came up with was what you see before you. This Chalice is known as the Chalice of Silence. I confirmed this with the markings on the chalice matching it's description within my own knowledge." He paused and saw the look Ishmael was given him and that of Cassandra and Urthak telling him that they knew nothing of this Chalice. Ishmael was young and likely never heard of it and of course the others.

"The Chalice of Silence has the power, if in the wrong hands can destroy everything we hold dear but in the right hands has the power to cure any disease, banish any curse placed upon someone. The problem is that from what Heinrich told me, the seal of protection has weakened and soon will be no longer keeping out the evils of the world. I doubt we are the only ones who know about it and to prevent evil from taking hold of it I am asking you brave nine to take it and bring it to me where it can be under the protection of the Church." He explained. "However, I am too old to go with you so I am leaving Ishmael to go in my stead and with Heinrich's guidance you should make it there for he knows the way." He coughed a little bit and once he stopped he looked to each one of them. "I pray that despite the pay being split between you, that you will see that this is not a matter of gold but a matter of great importance and accept this mission. Just by arriving you have already been paid ,but that gold will matter nothing if someone very evil or something got it's hands on that chalice and with it used its power to bring chaos and despair." He finished and then stood. "Decide now and I pray for your safety whether you accept or don't." With that he left them to their thoughts heading towards the door and as he left he could already hear voices scattering about. Some of them about their little conversation and some were not.

---

Cassandra the drow sighed as she heard the words coming from the old priest and as she looked at the chalice and then to the door with the seal on it she found herself in thought. She eventually smirked as he finished and looked up at Ishmael. "I have no choice in the matter, I am in. Why?... I come from a line of race that would be happy to have this "Chalice of Silence" for their own personal gains. The drow people just love to spread chaos and spill the blood of the surface people the so hate with a passion. If he is right that he is not the only one who knows about this then my people might be one of them. In fact for all we know that door could have been sealed to hide such a object from my kin specifically." Cassandra hated her own people and knew what they were capable of. The drow people she knew would use that chalice to enslave everyone in this world and would use it to kill anyone who got in their way.

Urthak quit eating once he heard all that was said. After listening to Cassandra it further convinced him that he had to do this mission. If her kin were as bad as she said they were then likely to even use his own people as slaves or kill them. His people were prideful and would either join the drow as slaves out of envy of the power the chalice brought or be destroyed because they refused to be pawns to them. He pushed the plate aside losing his appetite which did not happen often. "I am in as well, the people I left in my village... they are not all smart like some but there are a few , so there are two paths for them to take on this. Slavery, or destruction from whatever evil that got a hold on it." With that he looked about to the others. The elves where in,... the goody goody elves would not allow the risk of it ending up in some greedy human's hand or that of the drow elves that Cassandra spoke of.

Heinrich smiled at the two and found Ishmael doing the same. He leaned in and wondered if the others were in as well. "I hate to say this but we will be leaving right now, so if your in just follow me out that door and we can discuss your reasons for going on this mission on our way. We should get as much distance as possible before nightfall. It will take us five days to get there and I do not plan on getting there any day later then that. By looking at the seal through my scrying orbs in my sanctum I would say that the seal would be fully faded by the time we get there or already faded." With that he stood and gave a slight bowing of the head to them. He did not even wait for Ishmael to be by his side yet.
As he rose up to leave Ishmael did so as well, smiling at Cassandra as he did so. "Pleasure to be working with you." He said just before turning on his feet and moving to join Heinrich. Cassandra rose a brow at the holy knight and shook her head as she rose up as well. She took one final drink of the glass of wine and looked at the food they were leaving. The food was already cooked and could spoil if they took it all with them. Well no point on dwelling on it. She looked to De and she found his hair style to be a bit odd but she wouldn't judge. There were plenty of people out there who had worse hair styles. His was just unkempt. She heard the sounds of Urthak's talons hitting up against the wood floor and had a smile grow on her face. She then waited for the sounds of the others and hoped that the others would come. She doubted that their little force could take on much but it was better then nothing. As she left though she stopped and turned around to face Urthak.
"You have a unique sense of smell my friend." She said and she looked about the tavern. "Take all the scents in here to mind as we leave and that of the city. That way if we end up being followed by any of them we will know it." She said and Urthak looked around. He took in the scents as she said with a couple flicks of his tongue and then he looked back to her and gave her a nod. She then turned around and continued out. His next thoughts were of her. That kind of thinking may benefit them in the future. He wasn't stupid but the idea of remembering the smell of the people in here escaped him. She wasn't too bad looking either for a soft skin.

[Kyoto]

'What would be the point in taking this gold for her clan if there was a chance that her clan could be no more.' Ryoko thought to herself. She rose up and as she did so looked to the people at the table and to the ones leaving. They all looked tough, and were more likely stronger then her ten fold but what if they failed and some evil warlord or something got that chalice and did with it just like what the high priest said. No there was more at stake then just gold right now. Of course she took the sack anyways but felt it was a bit heavy. She sighed and decided to put what she figured would be enough for her and with the rest moved to the owner of the tavern. "Hey can you hold onto this for me and possibly all the gold the others leave as well. If you do I will let you keep a good mount of it." She said and then ran quickly to join the others leaving.

Kyoto smiled at the energy of the ninja girl and shook his head. He looked to the sack of gold that was for him and then shrugged. He didn't come here for the gold anyways. He came here for the thrill of battle that would likely come. Surely there would be something to fight on their way to this Chalice. I doubt a sealed door is the only thing protecting it. He then started thinking. "I wonder if you guys have any creatures like the ones I have back in my country. If so then this might be fun sense I can think of a good few that could be used to guard this thing." He said. The monk Kyoko was right behind him as well. He noticed that he did not grab his share either and found that the monk likely found the pros and cons like the other certainly will and decided to come along.

Kyoko did not need to even think when he rose up to follow them. His elders would not care a single bit about the gold at all. He was sent here to see what the mission would be about and it sounded like a fight against good and evil and he knew that if he did not take part in this he may regret it forever.

[LadyNova]

The three elves rose up from their seats deciding that they would also partake on this grand adventure. Nova figured that if they didn't after hearing all of that what said that their queen would be scorn with them. To learn that there was such a thing in existence and what it was capable of and ignore the call would be maddening. As Elendil and Erandur moved to leave she looked to the table and the scrolls and about the tavern. The dark elf had the right to suspect the occupants in the room and give a word of caussion , so what shall she do? "How about this..." She said as she touched her hand to the scrolls and with a thought she sent heat to each one except one. One was all that they needed and grabbed it as the others turned to ashes. She turned and saw De and her eyes had the look of someone a little surprised. She then chuckled. "To think that someone else out there didn't have the concept of neat hair." She ended with a giggle. She commented that due to that her own hair was not all that perfect. She wondered if he would come along with them. A man so huge like him might be able to help out in areas the others couldn't. There was a spell out there for everything but the less she had to use the better. Seeing as the spells would weaken her, perhaps not as much as a human but they would drain her depending on the power of the spell. She looked to Elendil and Erandur and let her shoulders drop as she walked. With them by her side she felt she would not have to worry. With her brother there to protect her and the others who would do the physical work so she wouldn't have to. She could focus solely on her spells, not saying she couldn't fight in that way but she was more skilled in the arcane. She lifted up her dual bladed glaive and moved quickly so that she wouldn't be to far behind.

Elendil felt his companion brush against him as Ajax went with them. The elven ranger kept thinking about the current situation. Here they were off to go find some chalice and after what the drow just said, which was very accurate seeing as he fought drow before and knew what they were capable of, he wondered what the fates had in store for them and what evils and challenges would be thrown at them. With the stakes set at maximum he knew that they would have all their skills put to the test. His gut told him this.

Erandur turned his head behind him to see what Nova was doing and he saw her take one of the scrolls as the others were turned to ash. The scroll in one hand and her glaive in the other. He then noticed her reaction to the walking paint brush and rolled his eyes. You are too friendly sometimes sister. Once she caught up he leaned in. "I think it best that you don't get to attached to that human, remember we have a job to do. The less personal it gets the better. Also act a little bit more professional." He said and Nova rose her hand up to salute him. "Yes Captain Silvermoon." She said and he shook his head. Smart ass,.... He said in the back of his mind.

[TheCaptainQ]

Frankly De felt a little out of place as it seemed he was the only one to come alone. Quietly he sat and listened to their supposed commissioners and they gave their spiel about their mission and should anyone unsavory get their hands on this chalice of silence. After they were done, others began to converse such as the strange beauty of a drow, Cassandra, the lizard kin and so on and so forth. Quickly they all took what they needed and just as De was in the middle of rising from his seat, the elvish woman made a funny at him. He looked up briefly and then returned his gaze to the floor as he stood, rotating his shoulders with his armor. He smirked, half annoyed, " heh, yes. Well- it keeps the blood from falling into my armor. Plus I do not fight to look good, I fight to crush my opponents skull like popping a cherry." He said as a means to both intimidate and warn not to discuss his hair. He's had enough of that through random folk looking at him like a dumb deer.

He followed behind the mass of people, having his gold in hand and idly peeking inside to see. Yes, it was there all in full, so this operation surely must be legitimate. He walked with a heavy trudge at times as it was impossible to move any more silent than an ox.

[EWillden]

Hienrich was able to hear the conversations behind him pretty well. Some of then were pleasing for him to hear and others not so much. Well just one to be honest and that was the very brief comment from the elf woman and the giant knight. The elf woman made a fatal error and that was commenting on the mans hair. Which he got annoyed of... Most humans such as himself take their hair rather seriously. Plus we don't like it when it is mocked or used as a joke. The knight didn't press it afterwards so he let it go this time. The woman will have to learn her place in all of this. He put that event out of his mind and as they moved through the streets a large abomination joined them. What was so abominal about it? The fact that it was made of dirt and clay and moved as if it had no soul at all. However, those who knew plenty about golems and how to make them knew exactly what it was. The Clay golem carried with it a staff and when it reached Hienrich it handed it to him. Hienrich smiled at it and happily retrieved his staff from it's hand. He then gave it a simple order. "Follow" and it acknowledged that order by following Heinrich as he continued to lead the group outside the city. As they neared the exit he could see the diamonds and crystals sparkling from it. He turned his head slightly to address the group. "Is this the first time you set foot in this city?" He asked."If so gents and ladies, what do you think?... The giant walls and the keep which holds The Lord of this land were all crafted and built by the Dwarves and I was quite taken by the sight of it when I first arrived." He explained.

Ishmael smirked at the sight of the golem and he simply shook his head as he walked. Clever,... People, mainly thieves and bandits or what not will most likely be thinking differently about pursuit at the sight of a thing like that. To be honest though, if a thief still followed us after seeing the likes of those with us, mainly the drow, the lizard, the three elves, and the giant knight then it would probably have no effect what so ever. He only prayed that the group would all make it out of this okay. Then Heinrich mentioned something about the city and asked them what they thought of it. "A worthy place for a church I would say,..." He answered.

Cassandra wasn't all that surprised or shocked by the golem. She lived in the underdark for most of her life, at this point nothing scared her more then the horrors within the dark places of the earth. A golem would likely not be any source of fear for her. When Heinrich asked them if it was their first time here and what they thought of it she decided to indulge him. "Yes, it is a first for me, however all expectations of the city went out the window when I had spears aimed at me. The stonework is beautifull yes but the people within, not so much. " She wasn't over exaggerating about her arrival, the city had been in itself not so friendly to her. Even now as they left she could feel eyes upon her. Drow are hated and they had only themselves to blame. If it wasn't for the drow commiting to acts of slaughter upon those of the surface world then perhaps people like her wouldn't be treated so badly. She sighed, "the sooner we gone from here the better."

Urthak knew little about the history of drow and the wars they had invoked upon most of the world so he had little idea to her problem. He wasn't going to press it either. "The city is different from others I have seen before." He answered.

[LadyNova]

From De's response she knew that her little mirth and purpose to create a laugh between her and him had backfired, and she wanted to apologize but before she could do so Erandur already stepped in. He walked her along keeping her from looking back towards the knight and eventually he bent his head forward towards her. " Do not bother to continue the conversation. Humans, especially the males, are very easy to anger and your voice of reasoning and of apology might not reach him. Besides, you should not grow so attached to any member of this group for we may not be with them for very long. If this journey does turn out to be rather difficult anyone here could possibly fall to the challenges and the results of such events might damage your calm and thinking." He said to her and as much as she wanted to say that he was wrong, she knew he was right in most cases. She would still apologize though despite what he said. She will have to work with this group and she could not afford one thinking ill of her because she passed a joke about their hair.
All thoughts however left her mind the moment Heinrich was approached by a golem made of clay and dirt. This creature handed the mage a staff most likely his own and then he gave a simple order to it and it began to follow him. What kind of magic did this Heinrich of the mages guild follow? They must all have diverse teachings if one works in the art of creating golems. It was something she expected from people she has often fought against. He didn't seem like a warlock of some kind though. Unless he is hiding his evil aura very well she could tell that this Heinrich was indeed a friend.

Erandur sneered at it and as everyone continued to follow Heinrich, he began to question this mage's alignment... but if he had fooled the church perhaps he is just jumping at shadows unless. Unless the church itself has become clouded in mind, rare it would be but not impossible if its clergy were corrupted by some evil. He couldn't sense anything about him though and decided to move from Nova to Elendil the elf Ranger. "Elendil,... keep an eye on the mage, golemtry doesn't often fall upon those who are, well on the good alignment." He suggested. Elendil nodded and had to calm his own companion Ajax for the golem had startled it. Then Heinrich himself spoke to the whole group asking if it was their first time to Krystallem and what they thought of it. Erandur shrugged and decided to indulge the man. "The walls itself are beautiful but the people within are widely diverse. I have never seen so many of Kurn's inhabitants in one place before.

Elendil snorted at the response Erandur made. "I think its a wonderful place, seeing so many living together in a peaceful manner is quite a good thing in my opinion." He said. Erandur was too prideful of his own cities to be able to complement one that belongs to another race. He then listened for Nova's response to see if she has better manners then her stuck up brother.

"Well that explains the well craftsmenship then. The dwarves are rather good in their constructions." She answered taking the time took at the stones within the wall and its design as well.

[Kyoto]

Ryoko liked the pace so far that they were taking, not too fast and not too slow. She had been running for most of the day just to get here and more some. To slow it down would be rather good for her legs right now. She wondered how far their destination would be and how long it would take them to get there. Hell she did not even know where it was. Then the golem appeared and her eyes widened. "That is so cool!" She yelled in response and ran to join the side of Heinrich. "You own your very own golem? Certain people in my home country can do something like that,... they mold the clay to make it look like a soldier though, but still good." She said. When he asked about what they thought of Krystallem though she looked to it's walls that he was referring to and she saw the gems imbedded in it once more and smiled. "I think its very unique, I never seen that idea come into anyone's thought when constructing something in my country." She responded.

Kyoto listened to the girl talk and nodded to her words. "I think the lady pretty much said what our answer would have been, seeing as me and Kyoko here have come from the same country as her." He said and Ryoko looked over at him and then pretended to not know who he was talking about. "What lady?... me?" She said and laughed waving her hand about the front of her face in a gesture. "I wouldn't see myself as a lady from what I have done." She said and Kyoto smirked.
"Oh really?..interesting. What clan do you belong to?" He asked her and she was a bit hesitant and he rose a hand up to stop her from saying anything. "Sorry most people in your line of work keep that stuff secret."

Kyoko shook his head at the two. One is a samurai mercenary and the other is a ninja, both have dealt their share of blood he would suppose. However, they seem to be rather friendly despite that so perhaps their kills were not ones of evil intent but with good purpose. The lady was right though he had not seen anything like the city of Krystallem. Then again this whole country of Kurn is very different to him.

[TheCaptainQ]

As they continued to move, De was taken aback as an' elvish man separated him and the elvish woman. It was an' obvious attempt to 'guard her' from him but the worse part is hearing what he said. Humans have ears, heck even the walls have ears and with everyone densely packed together so that they may exit the building did not make their little lesson exactly.. discrete.
"Are you real?" He asked, his eyes squinting slightly at Erandur.
"Who ever you may be, don't analyze me like im some sort of animal in the wild, secondly you do not tell the woman how to speak, she must learn to speak for herself or she will not learn anything.
Before coming here I have not seen any folk like you before in my entire life and god forbid I ask that you at least treat me like im your equal. We are all dogs here, so please if you could just lower yourself for the rest of us to have a spot on your pedestal that would be sufficient. Thank you and my name is DE."

His tone was stoic and it sounded tired. Perhaps it was just the weary travels that had drained him of his patience, or the fact that he figured he should set boundaries now before shoving off and so far everyone else has been fairly great. Barely a peep out of them.

Suddenly they were outside and a large clay golem took up more than half his vision, he glared flinched at first but then looked upon it with wide open eyes. As he watched Heinrich seem comfortable with the fellow, De became wary. Is it alive? If the golem was alive then, does it have wants of it's own instead of blindly following it's caster?
Clearly De has never been around magic neither and he watched with blinking eyes and a concerned face as he followed Heinrich further outside the city. Then he turned slightly and wanted to know what they had thought of his beloved homeworld. " I think it is the pinnacle of a good economy." He said dryly, while others would only say something about the aesthetics of the city.

[EWillden]

Ishmael turned to look behind him and he interjected in the event between the Erandur and De. He placed a hand upon Erandur's shoulder and said. "Enough, if you keep fighting like this we will have the eyes of the whole town." He said mostly to Erandur. "Your a elf, you should behave much better then this." He added and then turned away from them to follow Heinrich once more.

Heinrich lead them from the location of the Raven to the large gates of the south exit of Krystallem. He chose this spot to exit not because it was the closest to them and the Raven but because south would be where they were going. They head for a place called the Island of Spires. It was located right on the beaches of Kurn and the journey would be a long one or a short one depending on how the group acts and whether or not they run into any hostiles on the way. He hoped for none of the sort and hoped for a quick journey. However, he was the head mage of this sector of Kurn, he knew full well that other eyes were on the chalice. They will likely see opposition on the way. Then Ryoko ran up to him all cheerful and excited by his Golem and she complemented the walls as well. He smirked and decided he would save Golemtry for a later conversation. "Perhaps later I shall discuss the history between me and this particular golem but lets wait until we are a good long ways away from the city and make first camp."

Cassandra was glad the paladin stopped the bickering and he was right. We are trying to retrieve a very powerful artifact,... the less people concerned with us the better. Although she did enjoy the sound of the knight De slamming into Erandur with his words. Most elves behave just like Erandur here and the excuse for that is they have stayed too long in their safe havens and believe what rumors of the outside world tell them. As they neared the gates, she decided to draw her hand crossbow and make sure that a bolt was already fitted into it. The locking mechanism would keep it from shooting her in the foot which is a good thing. The bolt,... all of her bolts have been coated with a deadly poison from a giant black scorpion from the deep darkness and it is very deadly. Once she was done inspecting it she placed it back in her holster and then pushed the hilt of her rapier forward so it would be easy to draw.

Hopefully the whole mission would go nice and peaceful but it wouldn't hurt to be ready for anything.

Heinrich lead them beyond the gates and farther out and the sounds of voices were dying down and being replaced by more sounds of birds and other wildlife. There was even a mild wind about and Heinrich couldn't help but to pull more of his hair so it could feel the breeze more. He had exceptionally long dark hair that hid mostly withing his robes.

[LadyNova]

Nova felt her self a little embarrassed by the whole event and she turned around and bowed slightly to De. "I apologize for the joke and for my older brothers attitude. He can be nicer then this at times." She tried her best to fix the situation. Whether De would accept it or not would be up to him. She then looked to her brother and glared at him. "The queen set us here to understand what ever mission we would be sent on and if needed complete it,... she did not say make enemies with every human we come across and puff out your ego. Grow up brother and stop protecting me,.. you know that with my training I do not need it." She said with a raised voice. She then walked past him. She wanted to apologize to De but not in this way. Perhaps she would later with more formality.

Erandur felt the hand of Ishmael touch his shoulder and looked to him listening to his words and Ishmael's words hit its mark with more truth then he wanted. IF that wasn't enough Nova chewing him out was even more damaging. She was also right. They were sent here for a mission and rather then that he let his feelings get in the way and she was right. She was more then capable of defending her self. He felt a sigh come forth and he looked back to De, after his eyes had followed her. He bowed his head..."Sorry,..." Was all he could say as he turned the other way and continued to follow the group.

Elendil had no desire to hop on that train and decided to let it go its course speeding up his pace so he was farther up the line, dragging Ajax with him. Ajax was feeling more relaxed then ever now that they were leaving the populated city of Krystallem. In his opinion it was already too late... if the civilians they passed did not notice them after then that, then they must be truly dense as hell would have it. He doubt it though and they would likely pay for Erandur's pride and bickering later.

[Insomnia]

"Deedlith, my feet are sore. We've been walking for hours now!" Areia whined, dragging her feet along the cobblestone path. She slumped down on a cluster of rocks to the side and let her arms fall limp between her legs. "Can we take a break? I need to rest my legs."

The Elf turned to look at the red-haired girl, who looked as though she had simply died to the left of the road. She smiled at her and gently took her wrist. "Come on, we're nearly there," she reassured, tugging on the knight's arm. "We rested not long ago." She pulled Areia to her feet, who sighed and started walking ahead. Deedlith followed, taking just a few strides to catch up. Peon, her owl companion, hooted and landed on her master's shoulder, burrowing it's head into Deedlith's hair. It was apparent that Areia wasn't the only one who was exhausted from the long trek.

"It's been a while since your last journey, hasn't it?" Deedlith asked, petting Peon's soft wings. "It's understandable that you're feeling tired."

Areia groaned, throwing her head back and shuffling her feet. "Even so, I never walked for any longer than six hours at a time! We're travelling for at least a day straight!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air in frustration.

"But if we walk in shorter intervals, we'll never make it in time. That's why-" Deedlith was interrupted by Areia abruptly running down the path, her eyes locked onto a large shape in the distance. "Areia? What is it?" The Elf called after her, picking up her own pace.

"Gates!" the redhead shouted, bolting at full speed - which was quite fast for someone equipped with full armour. She noticed a group of people standing just outside of the gate, accompanied by a large creature made of rocks and stone and began to stare in awe at it. Throughout all her travels as a bard, she had never seen something quite like that. "Check it out Deedlith. What is that?" She didn't even wait for a reply before approaching a man dressed in attire similar to that of a samurai and a Y-shaped scar on his cheek. "Excuse me, what is that?" She asked, pointing at the earth creature.

Deedlith arrived at Areia's side along with Peon, who had returned to flapping her wings quite happily in the air, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry to bother you, sir, but did you happen to know where the Raven tavern is?" She pulled out a small letter from a hidden pocket and presented it to the man. Hopefully, they weren't too late.

[Kyoto]

Kyoto looked to the owners of the voices addressing him. The red head asked about the golem beside Heinrich and the other about the Raven and held out a letter. He recognized the letter and removed his own from his breast plate. Only pulling it out far enough for her to see the seal. "Any later and you would have missed us." He said to Deedlith. "The names Kyoto by the way." He then pointed with his finger to the robed man in front who was followed by the Golem that was the center of Aeria's attention. "You can talk to him if you want to know the full detail of our mission, also here..." He handed her what was his cut of the first payment. "Don't worry the gold means nothing to me, I came here to test Icingdeath's power and my own."

He then looked to Aeria to answer her question. "That is a clay golem, it belongs to Heinrich. It history is unknown to me." He said he then offered a hand for them to shake. "Welcome aboard,... Aeria if you want your cut of the first half of the payment go ahead and let Heinrich know. The stuff will weigh you down though." He said to her.

Ryoko smiled a bit and then looked to the new arrivals. "Well looks like we are two people stronger,... how do you think this will all play out?" She said looking back to Heinrich. "You know, what kind of opposition will we be facing?" She asked as she accompanied him.

Kyoko rose a brow to the new comer. One was a elf but dressed rather oddly compared to the other three and she traveled with a human. Perhaps this one wasn't going to be as stubborn and thick headed as Erandur..One could only hope though. He was a simple monk though and so far he felt they were all going to be well taken care of. They had Ishmael to heal wounds and a elven ranger named Elendil... he wondered what kind of field of study she followed.

[TheCaptainQ]

De gave a huff towards the Pink haired elvish girl, giving a defeated look despite his grandeur words to stand up for himself. After a small while he nodded to her and his resolve turned into that of a fat sleeping tom cat, his eyes half closed and slow to blink. " Apology accepted. The... joke.. just did not carry with me- im sorry for being so abrupt with a lady, I do not like it I assure you." His face briefly turned an uncomfortable look but with a sigh he returned to his normal relaxed pose. Still, he glanced at the elvish woman as she continued to reem her older brother and then he too apologized, to which he simply nodded.

As they drew further away from the city, the ambiance of the wild began to over take him. The group was quieting down and things turned begnin. De was enjoying the quiet and even had begun to walk with his eyes closed. It was only when, by seemingly something random that a girl taking notice of the golem. He was taken by surprise as two women walked to the orientals about their letter. Once De saw the letter, he relaxed again.

[EWillden]

[Heinrich]
As the group continued farther out of the city Heinrich took notice of the commotion in back and noticed they were two people stronger. Two woman had joined them and from what he saw they carried letters of introduction as well. He smirked and wondered if they should have waited longer then before.. oh well no sense on dwelling on it. He had to lead the group still so he decided to just wave over at them in a gesture, the gesture was one of 'come here' kind. Once they had reached him , which they certainly would, he then began to explain once they were out of eavesdropping from the cities locals who stepped outside the city. "Greetings,...as you know from the man, I am Heinrich. I am leading this mission for which you are called for." He explained. He then turned slightly and aimed the tip of his staff towards Aeria and the jewel at the top of it glowed at his will and acted as a extension of his mind. Then magically in the air in front of her a bag full of gold dropped which would equal to her share of the gold. "That is your share of the gold for just coming to this calling. Now on to me explaining more about this mission,... Nova would you be a dear and show her the piece of paper you took from the table that has the picture of the chalice and the door to the two young women? Thanks, that chalice you will see is our target, that is a ancient artifact that if in the wrong hands can spell the doom for us all. The door you see there has a seal on it which is weakening and will soon vanish." He paused as he let the words he spoke bounce around in their heads. "We are pretty much liberating it from its resting place, the Chalice of Silence, I doubt that myself and the high priest are the only ones looking for it, nor are we the only ones looking into that chamber or the door. I know this because I am not the only one in this world who knows how to use scrying spells." He left them with that knowledge and finished speaking. Introductions from the others will be at their expense not his. They could introduce themselves to the new arrivals themselves.

The Golem continued to follow Heinrich with little emotion or without care that it was being observed by the odd human.

---

[Cassandra]
Cassandra turned head to observe the newcomers and she rose her brow. More people?... wonder if there are more coming and if we will be running into more people. However, they were rather late then usual and already she had suspicions. There could have been rumors about everything and they did come from within the city. Yes they could have entered from the other entrances and found their way here ,but what if its not a coincidence. I am sure there are rumors about letters being handed to random people about Kurn and it would be easy to fabricate them with magic as well... She then sighed and raised her shoulder, or I could just be paranoid and they could actually be adventurers and that they were just late to the show.

She was then joined by Ishmael who moved to stand beside her. "Don't worry they are safe, I do have the ability to sense auras and theirs are good." He said and she nodded. Ishmael the paladin continued to stand by her for the duration and the pace they had set was getting them more and more distant from the city. She liked it better out here. The air was thinner and less thick with that of sweat and food. That scent was replaced by the smell of the party itself and the surrounding area. The sound of the birds was heard more loudly as well and were of the wild birds not domesticated pigeons or doves. She then looked to Ishmael and she thought of starting a conversation ,but... she kind of already had one with him. Perhaps it was time to start to converse with the others and when she thought of who she could talk to she decided that De would be the next one. From him she would work her way up and start to understand them. You can tell about someone from the way they talk.

She simply just stopped walking and waited for De to reach her and continued the pace at his side. He was big for a human just like Ishmael..well he was bigger then the paladin but that didn't matter so much. "De was it?... names Cassandra, you can call me Cass for short if you wish." She waited for a response to see what kind of response or reaction he would have. To see if he could handle walking, talking, and whether he could work with a drow. Most people have heard of her kind ,but if his area was a little out of the way then most cities he may not have.

Urthak's flicked his tongue as he took in two new smells. One from a red headed human and one from a elf. He watched them carefully as the conversation behind him started. He studied their faces a bit as they were told of the mission.
================
{Meanwhile,back in Krystallen}

Father Daniel was moving about the city as he headed back to the center of the city where the church was located. He was being escorted by a two knights of the city for protection. He did not want it ,but the lord of this city told him he would have to suffer their presence because he was a important figure for the people. You could see the truth in it as some people would suddenly begin to pray as he walked by seeing that his appearance was a blessing for them. Once he arrived at the church the knights followed him inside, he sighed and shook his head. 'They were ordered to replace Ishmael as my personal protection' He concluded and as he moved around the benches and exited the praying chamber and into the hall in the back he back to notice something wrong. In the back of the hallway the door, that led to his chambers, was open. He looked to the two knights and nodded to them. They quickly brought their hands to their hilts and moved in front of him. He began to notice something as the three of them progressed forward. The other priests were missing it would seem... until he looked out from a window in the hall way. This window gave him a view of the church's courtyard and what he saw were bodies. Dead bodies of the priests and he grimaced at the way they were slaughtered. Their limbs severed and he could swear some had been killed from blunt trauma alone. He looked forward to the knights who had gained a bit of feet from him and moved to join them. When they reached the door and began to move through their door way he saw a woman sitting on his desk. She held two long swords in her hands as she smiled. Once they were all inside the door behind them slammed closed and locked. When they turned to look behind them and then forward again what they saw was the woman's legs replaced by a long powerful reptilian tail and she had gained two extra arms with two more swords in those hands. He long hair dropping down her back.
"A... Marilith" Spoke Daniel and he could sense that the two knights were bit terrified.
"Easy you two I will pro...tect you." He was about to finish when she threw two of her swords impaling the knights and sending them to fall onto the floor.
"Now, now... don't make this difficult... where is Ishmael? If you tell me I will make your death quick." She asked. Daniel narrowed his eyes at her and moved into a combative pose as he began to be surrounded by a white aura.
"Who are you?..." he responded. His ignoring of her question with a question seemed to irritate her. She showed it with a sigh and then with a twist of her body her tail flung around slamming him against the wall. The hit made him feel dazed and out of breathe but before he could recover he felt her cold hands press up against his neck as she pinned him to the wall. Her snake liked tongue slithering out. "You are not asking the questions,.. I AM."

[LadyNova]

Nova heard Heinrich call her name and listened as he gave her instructions. She nodded and moved to Aeria and Deedlith and removed from her person the paper. It showed exactly to them what Heinrich was talking about. A chalice sitting on a pedestal and a door with a large seal placed upon it. As he explained more in their walk she kept by them and once it was all over with she bowed her head slightly. "I'm Nova, this is my brother Erandur,.." She said as she pointed to the tall elf with blond hair. She then pointed to a elf with brown colored hair. "His name is Elendil, these two also got letters as well as me." She explained.

Erandur remained quiet and just bowed his head towards them. The elf could be trustworthy but what of the human?... He sighed and looked away not wanting to start another argument. Elendil however gave a slight wave to the two newcomers. Erandur just shook his head at him.

[Insomnia]

Deedlith smiled at the samurai, who introduced himself as Kyoto, and shook his hand with her own gloved and delicate hand. "Pleased to meet you, Kyoto. Deedlith," she said as the man held out a bag of coins. She exhaled through her nose, looking at the man through his olive-shaped eyes. "I have no need for trifles such as money, but thank you for the offer nonetheless. I too am here merely to test my own skills, however, if you were to ask my companion, her answer may differ from mine."

In all honesty, the elf didn't know why she agreed to journey to Krystallem. She certainly didn't need the money and she preferred keeping to the confines of her home rather than adventuring and fooling about outside. While she did want to test her skills, she could tell by the form of the letter that this particular mission would grant her knowledge that not even the largest of libraries could contain.

Areia, unlike her companion, had nothing on her mind other than the strangeness of the so-called "golem". She reached out hesitantly to touch it, but flinched and retracted her hand. She stood in awe for a few more moments before noticing the samurai making a comment as she turned to face him. "W-weigh me down?!" She exclaimed, astonished at the man's take on money. "Coin will never weigh me down! The only thing that will weigh me down is the thought of lacking coin!" Her logic was flawed, but she appreciated any good reward, no matter the challenge.

Deedlith let out a small laugh at the similarities between her and Kyoto. "Glad to see someone who shares the same point of view. How are you supposed to keep light on your feet when you have the burden of piles of money?"

The red-head scoffed and threw a hand onto her oversized blade, running her fingers along the hilt. "Do I really look like I could be weighed down any more than I am? Besides, I always have room for money," she laughed, flicking the sword. Her eyes widened as a bag of gold appeared before her and grabbed it instantly. It did feel heavy in her hands, but she stuffed it in her pockets happily.

The elf listened to the man called Heinrich as he explained their goals as well as examined the rest of their group. She knew that Areia wouldn't listen, but she surely would have time to explain later. It was a rather large group, but the more the merrier. She was used to travelling in small, agile units all with similar fighting styles. Even Areia's way of combat was unusual to her. But she was skilled at adapting to the situation at hand, and so she would as that situation came. Deedlith noticed a trio of elves, a young female elf with rather odd red eyes, a male elf who looked somewhat similar to the girl, yet their features were almost polar opposites and another male clad in dark attire, carrying a bow. To his side was a grey wolf, a beautiful creature indeed. That particular elf intrigued her especially, more so than the other two, and she couldn't help but find herself staring at him and watching his movements. She wondered where they were from as they were dressed much differently to her, particularly the one wielding the long blade. Almost every member in House Araviel, in fact all members were some form of skilled bowmen. It was the perfect time to learn, Deedlith supposed.