[IC] Age of Kaaos (Fantasy RP)

[Ariamis]

A heavy rain swept over the dank and musty town of Myrskyburg, an infamous port town barely holding itself together due to the squalor and turmoil between the three races. The 50% human, 30 griffin and 20% djinn population has mostly been blamed on the port's numerous merchant ships that have brought entrepreneurs, refugees and pirates all wishing to find a better life. The city flies the purple, black and green colors of Kaaos' flag, but his forces have only a nominal presence on the local law enforcement; the local officers have instead elected a town watch from volunteers while keeping to themselves; loyalists call it sloth, but rebels call it freedom.

The newest batch of recruited or transferred militia, of which Annelie is a member of, have just recently arrived to replace some injured watchmen after a particularly bloody scuffle at one of the local taverns, the Drunken Dragon. There are also others who have shown interest in this seemingly innocuous pen of alcohol and pirates, and they all share a common motive: a letter. Some were given the letter by passing strangers, others by more familiar faces, and some may have simply found it among their possessions one morning, but they all shared the same message: Someone wanted to meet them at this particular tavern, and in private, no less. An adventure was about to begin.

[DarkRecon]

Two people in particular could be seen approaching the Drunken Dragon. To anyone else, they both seemed like ordinary travelers. Both were wearning brown cloaks and as such didn't show much in appearances. But some long black hair can be seen coming out of their hoodies slightly.

They didn't seem to mingle with the locals long before they entetered the said tavern. Both noted some dried blood on the ground. It seems this place already had an atmosphere of intensity and perhaps disorder. Then again, both knew this town wasn't fully in the grasp of Kaaos considering the lack of his men's presence here.

But if there's anything they've learned about Kaaos is that no matter how remote of a location nor how harsh it's environment was, if he didn't control it...it NEEDED to be controlled. It was just a shame how many were forced to most likely choose between "the sword or the knee" when it came to his rule.

As well as the blood they had spilled just to stay alive...as well as to protect innocents...and for any who serve Kaaos...the man who wiped out their entire bloodline...

Which brought up this little senario they were in. Both knew they were taking a risk with the mysterious letter they had received. Not only because they won't be protecting their new "remote" location they called home but if this was indeed a trap, then Kaaos was truly a man with a sick sense of humor. If he knew where they were, they would have already been dead or being attacked...but instead, it simply told them to come to this port town called Myrskyburg. To come to the tavern of the Drunken Dragon.

And to tell the bartender the "password" so to speak.

As they walked in, they spotted the bar immedately but took stock of their surroundings first to understand the environment they were in...

[TeddyThePsycho]

The small crowds of Myrkysburg were calm, no one stood out in the ocean of different races, each to their own activities. people going on with their daily boring lives, although some in this multitude of people, had come to this port, for a particularly intriguing event that would come to change the course of their lives from now on. In this crowd one particular person, or rather, one particular djinn is to be noted. Sark had come to these ports after receiving a letter from a noble in a gathering a while back.

This mysterious letter had informed him to head to the Drunken dragon inn, and to head to the back room by saying a key sentence to the bartender. With this in mind, he entered a shaggy looking inn with a plaque saying "Drunken Dragon Inn" on the outside. Sark took a seat in a corner, and observed the bar from a distance, considering the situation. Half of him was curious as to what this implied, and just wanted to head in, but another half was suspicious, fearing the threat of a trap to catch rebells.

Deciding to try a slightly more subtle approach, Sark got up and took a seat by the bar, asking for a glass of water. After drinking some, he turned to the bartender, waiting for him to not seem busy, and begun.

" Tell me sir, for I am troubled.. These waters, they bring many things with the tides, but can they take thing away? can they as the tide goes, take my troubles away?"

The old looking man turned to Sark with an expression of mixed confusion and amusement and gave a fairly simple reply.

"Well, i'm not sure quite what you mean.. But, for a troubled mind, a good mug of beer is the best medicine"

Seizing his opportunity, he hid a smile in his sandy skin and replied.

"True.. but a beer can't let me start over, undo my mistakes.. it can't let me begin again"

with that he went silent and waited.

[Roundabout]

For what had to have been the tenth time that day, Annelie had studied the letter in her hand. The edges had become worn and a line was visible from where it had been folded and refolded repeatedly. She squinted her eyes into a glare, hoping against hope that it would crumble and reveal it's secrets if she just stared at it hard enough. But no, nothing.
She sighed, folding it again and neatly placing it back into her belt pouch. It had to have been some kind of mistake. She'd received the letter at the same time as she had been given back a book she'd lent to an acquaintance. It had been hidden between two of the pages, and chances were she'd missed it if it hadn't fallen out as she was putting the book back in it's proper place among her meager belongings. Assuming it belonged to her colleague, she's sought her out to hand it back. She'd known nothing of it, however, claiming she'd never seen it before.

Annelie had considered just ignoring it. She was busy with her work as a guard - this town really was a handful and they were short handed even after receiving new recruits. Besides, she suspected it was just some kind of joke. She had few friends, and those she had wouldn't mess around like this. But curiosity had gotten the better of her, so after finishing her shift, she'd changed from her guard armor to her own one and headed out. If there was anyone there to meet her at all, she'd simply hand the letter back and tell them to stop bothering her with cryptic messages.

'The Drunken Dragon'. Annelie read the sign with a frown. She'd only been in town for a short while, but already she knew it was a seedy place. But as the rain pattered against her pauldrons and she was in no hurry to get more soaked than she already was, she put a hand to the hilt of her sword and went inside. The place wasn't packed, but filled with enough people for the place to receive a decent profit from it. Thinking it best to get it over with quickly, she headed for the bar.

"...-can't let me begin again."

Annelie stilled, having caught the last bit of a conversation between the bartender and a guest. It could have been a pure coincident, but still...
Trying to be discreet, she observed the conversation, hoping they wouldn't notice her scrutiny.

[Eodwyn Aether]

Three days earlier,

“Have your men get some sleep for the day. They need to be in top shape for the coming battle.” Said a cloaked figure to what seemed like the head of a small militia of armed men. A small detachment of Kaaos warriors were being sent to wipe out the small village for not choosing the knee as the locals called it. The cloaked figure looked around the room before letting out a small sigh. “How many men do we have and how many men are expected to attack us?” He said now looking to another man in the room, who looked to be a scout.

“There are a total of 50 men said to be approaching our position. We only have 35.” The scout said looking more worried with each passing minute.

“Shit, shit shit shit shit SHIT” The leader said banging his fist against the table with each word he uttered. “THIS IS HOPLESS! How are we to defend against them?! These people are but farmers and are basically fodder for the Kaaos, we must retreat.” He said looking to the cloaked figure, all hope seeming to have vanished from his once haughty appearance.

“We will win, I guarantee it. He probably sent a few recruits and maybe one or two vets. As long as you, and your men, keep level heads and have hope, we will survive. Trust me.” He said as he opened the door and exited the room, preparing for what would lie ahead.

That night,

All 35 men sat at the ready, hands clenching their weapons as tight as humanely possible. No one dared move and make a sound. When they heard that help would come they expected the legendary, katana wielding duo who protected whole towns . But instead that got this cloaked figure calling himself the dawnrider.

All thought was lost when scouts ran through the city. “THEY ARE HERE MAN YOUR POSITIONS THEY ARE UPON US.” With that every man jumped and ran towards the entrance of their village. They waited, and waited, and waited until finally a thunderous roar was heard and the Kaaos detachment came running towards them. 5 minutes into the fight, 5 arrows hit, and executed, 5 of the Kaaos’s men. Then after that a ice wolf that stood around 4’9 ft tall charged in headfirst together with its hooded master into the swarm of the Kaaos.

6 hours later,

The hooded figure, known only as Eodwyn, sat near a fire tending to his wounds while his wolf Oragnar licked itself. Laughter could be heard all around the village, news was being sent to all other villages of the victory this village achieved. Eodwyn gave a slight chuckle as he looked to his companion. “ Told ya we would win. Can’t believe you ever doubted me” he said as his wolf looked at him with an almost confused look before going back to licking its small cuts. It was then that a small boy ran up the Eodwyn and handed him a letter, before running off into the crowd of joyous people, never once uttering a word. Eodwyn opened the small letter before reading it and frowned slightly.

After reading the letter he stood up and threw it into a nearby fire. “Cmon lets go. We have to head into that cursed town again.” He sighed as his companion gave a slight growl.

Present Day,

“So whaddya think orag, should we go in and possibly be caught in a trap, or just leave and maybe miss out on some real action…..Ora- GAH!” He said as he realized that his wolf had put a half-eaten corpse of a rat in his hand before sitting down and wagging its tail.
“O-kay I think that means we should get out of this rain and check this little meeting out.” He sighed as he slowly exited the dark alley he was in and walked straight ahead, into the Drunken Dragon. As he did he saw a variety of people and races with varying personalities. He slowly went up to the bar “Hey bartender guess what. Me wife caught me cheating wit another woman. Could you imagine me luck? Well I guess its time to begin again am I right?” He said as he let out a huge, fake, laugh and took in the inn and everyone in it.

[DarkRecon]

As the two brown-wearing cloaked figures looked around near the entrance, they spied one or two suspicious individuals at the bar itself. It seemed, from here, that they were trying to strike up a chat with the bartender or perhaps ordering drinks.

Keeping their wits up, they spotted an empty table near the bar. Slowly moving towards it and avoiding bumping into or distrubing any of the other people and individuals, they both moved to it and took seats opposite to each other. They simply continued to observe.

Being hunted, they always had to watch for potential troublemakers. And this place seemed prime for an ambush or, sadly, some random drunk that get's a chip on their shoulder, thinking that they're blessed by some random god or other silly fantasy.

The female, Rutilus, kept a watchful eye at the bar while Indigo looked elsewhere. This town wasn't fully under Kaaos's control per say but his loyalists WERE still here none the less. All it would take is some ill-misfortune if one or more happened to be here. So far, to Indigo anyways, that didn't appear to be the case.

"...that man...that could be who I think it is...", Rutilus muttered to Indigo.

Indigo shot a quick glance towards the bar before returning to looking at other parts of the tavern.

"...if so, then we weren't the only ones who got a letter...", Indigo mutteres in return.

"...should we leave then?"

"...no...let's see...how this plays out..."

"...as you say my brother..."

After that muttered conversation, the two continued to wait and observe. Though both tried to look as if they were waiting for some form of service...

[BytheSpleen]

Observing all of the squalor was a small figure, no doubt a child by stature and countenance. While she herself was to be considered very well a part of what would be an upcoming insurrection, the cloaked adolescent merely bided her time on the lap of the safest wench she could hire. She was used to pillows, but in a place akin to Myrskyburg, she figured even defiled flesh was less ridden with all manners of plagues than the surfaces she could sit or lie upon.

With eyes as red as a coal in a furnace, Khadila Usksha had surveyed the patrons filling up one by one, crying out the same lament in hushed whispers :

"Begin again."

It just came to mind that for her, her beginning was where they went wrong. It just came to mind, then, that perhaps before she was born, there were better opportunities...

...perhaps it was what these downtrodden mongrels wanted, or if they spoke truthfully, there would be a profit to turn in this upcoming attrition.

God forbid she would grow up to be the latter-minded.

[Ariamis]

When the twins took a look around the Drunken Dragon, they noticed that the tavern was as you would expect from a backwater town like Myrskyburg; it leaked in a couple of holes in the corners, and smelled of fish, sweat and beer. In various tables were sailors and fishermen drinking and gambling, and in one corner table there was a group of griffins huddled together who exuded the kind of danger only cutthroat pirates could. One of them threw a dagger at what looked like a crude drawing of Kaaos, hitting it right between the eyes. Some of them noticed the twins as they took their seats, and the gaze of their eagle eyes was like under the observation of a predator about to pounce on a rodent. However, their attention didn't last, and they resumed their game of poker.

The bartender was a djinn with a long beard that floated in the air like a wisp of smoke. He was cleaning a beer mug when Sark went to talk to him.

Deciding to try a slightly more subtle approach, Sark got up and took a seat by the bar, asking for a glass of water. After drinking some, he turned to the bartender, waiting for him to not seem busy, and begun.

" Tell me sir, for I am troubled.. These waters, they bring many things with the tides, but can they take thing away? can they as the tide goes, take my troubles away?"

The old looking man turned to Sark with an expression of mixed confusion and amusement and gave a fairly simple reply.

"Well, i'm not sure quite what you mean.. But, for a troubled mind, a good mug of beer is the best medicine"

Seizing his opportunity, he hid a smile in his sandy skin and replied.

"True.. but a beer can't let me start over, undo my mistakes.. it can't let me begin again"

with that he went silent and waited.

@TeddyThePsycho

It was hard to notice, but there was a glint in his eyes as he heard his kinsman's words, before resuming his glass-cleaning.
"We all make mistakes in life," he responded. "But it's the wise people who learn from them and move on." He noticed that Annelie was eavesdropping on their conversation, so he leaned a bit over to Sark, looking like he was focused on scraping the bottom of the mug, and spoke in a low voice so she couldn't hear.

"He's waiting. Don't worry, you're gonna be in good TK*, lad." The door to the back door was then opened, as if by itself, and Sark disappeared through it.

He slowly went up to the bar “Hey bartender guess what. Me wife caught me cheating wit another woman. Could you imagine me luck? Well I guess its time to begin again am I right?” He said as he let out a huge, fake, laugh and took in the inn and everyone in it.

@Eodwyn Aether

The other patrons of the tavern took a puzzled look at the exuberant man, before resuming their business, but one drunken sailor did raise a beer to his words, before he passed out. The bartender gave a chuckle.

"True, true. There's nothing in life like a woman scorned." He then leaned over. "You're pretty smart for a human." Once again, he discreetly opened the door to the back room, and Eodwyn passed through it.

Meanwhile, at one of the far tables of the tavern was an odd sight that drew a bit of attention from the patrons, human ones in particular: a djinn girl in the company of a human wench. The wench was conflicted, not sure of what to think of the situation due to mostly serving rugged men, but kept on smiling while holding the girl in her warm lap.

---

Beyond the back door was a dimly lit room with a long table set sideways in the middle. The back wall was pinned full of maps and scrolls, while the side walls were draped in black curtains. The blue-hooded human that sat at the other side of the table had his face shrouded by the combination of the hood and the surrounding shadows. He wore an armlet on his left arm which had a worn out insignia of some sort, and calmly clasped his fingers when Sark arrived. The man spoke in a polite tone, yet there was age and roughness in his voice.

"We will begin once the others have arrived. You must have travelled a far journey, so feel free to take a seat." He spoke again when Eodwyn arrived soon after. "Ah, another has arrived. Please take a seat. Once the last person has arrived I will explain why you are here."

[Verdaux]

Gah! Wrong place!

[BytheSpleen]

After a few minutes had passed, Khadila hopped off of the wench's lap, and gave a slight bow as thanks for the service as a glorified seat. With tiny pitter-patter steps, the small djinn wove her way through the crowds of drunks, gamblers, and other unfortunates to the bartender.

"Can we begin this night, again, with...hmm..."

Within the folds of her robes, she procures 200 pieces of gold to hand over to the bartender.

"...a few kegs of ale? I almost fell asleep with so much liveliness around me. Fairly certain the birds and bees here might get buzzing again if they had another draught bubbling in their guzzards, hm?"

[TeddyThePsycho]

The bartender had pointed Sark to a door in the back, so getting up from his seat and nodding his head to the djinn behind the counter he went through it. walking in the door he saw a man adorning blue robes and a few trinkets, the man greeted him and in reply Sark said as he made his way towards the long table to take a seat.

"The travel was in fact arduous, but under the circumstances" he paused as he looked around the room, noticing the several maps, scrolls and other things that lined the room, before looking back to the robed man "I feel like it shall be worth while"

it wasn't long after he took a seat in which another person entered the room, a human, was welcomed by the man in blue robes, and soon there after by Sark himself, who, although not bothering to lift from his seat, nodded his head towards the human and greeted him

[Roundabout]

After watching one man and one djinn be let into the back room, Annelie had started to rethink her assumption that it was all a joke. And now a young djinn girl was talking to the bartender, speaking those words. Something was definitely going on here. She still wasn't convinced she hadn't gotten her letter by mistake, but whatever the case, it was a prime opportunity to get to the bottom of whatever was happening. If it was a crime brewing or some other malicious activity, she'd do her best to put a stop to it or at least report it to her superiors.

Stepping closer to the bar, Annelie signaled to the bartender that she'd like a moment of his time as soon as he was avaliable. She'd waste no time with riddles and get straight to the point, saying the password, and hopefully she'd be let in without a fuss.

[DarkRecon]

The siblings observed the few individuals then being led to some other part of the tavern. It would seemed to be some sort of private meeting.

"...I see...", Indigo muttered.

"...the rumored "resistance" perhaps?", Rutilus muttered back.

"...perhaps...but..."

"I understand brother...we swore to protect those last few towns not under Kaaos's rule but-"

"As usual. You know me too well...they all wished for us to end the terror gripping them...they all "voted" for us to leave...but still..."

Both then rose from their seats and then sat at the bar next to each other, their cloaks still covering their heads.

"Excuse me good sir", Rutilus then spoke normally.

"We've waited to be serviced for some time", Indigo then says.

"So if it's all the same, we'd like to 'begin again' to avoid waiting further", Rutilus says.

"Though if you don't mind, could we wait a little to look through your menu?", Indigo then says.

They said the password but the last part Indigo said to see the menu was their way of saying simply "we need time to think about this". Though the password itself made hiding suspicion difficult in that sentence, it was the best both could come up with.

[Ariamis]

"Can we begin this night, again, with...hmm..."

Within the folds of her robes, she procures 200 pieces of gold to hand over to the bartender.

"...a few kegs of ale? I almost fell asleep with so much liveliness around me. Fairly certain the birds and bees here might get buzzing again if they had another draught bubbling in their guzzards, hm?"

@BytheSpleen

The bartender smiled. "Certainly. Take a look in the back and see what I got on offer." Once Khadila passed through, Annelie also approached him and gave the password, granting her access as well. They were the last ones to enter the room, and there was tension in the air as the group of people anticipated what would happen next.

"The rest have arrived, it seems. Now then..." The man lifted his hood, and revealed to have visceral burn marks on the left side of his face.

"Once people knew me as Edward Bastillon. You might recognize the name, since I was part of the Dawn Guard," he said, referring to the order of knights who served as bodyguards to the king of the humans, Richard IX, before his untimely demise by the hands of Kaaos and the subsequent disbanding of the order. The order was known for its collection of swords called dawnriders, which were used by its most high-ranking members before they too were lost following the war.

"After a time of observing you, I have chosen to invite you to join us in our fight against the tyranny of Kaaos and end his reign of terror. We have seen him send the people against each other and thrive on it. We have observed as he encourages the mad behaviour he is known for on his peasants. This land can't survive with an insane king like him. But a revolution is possible, and with enough willpower, even impossible things can be made a reality. However, that requires brave hearts willing to achieve a new age in this land. So I ask you: will you join us, and help us bring freedom to Evania? If you have questions, you may ask them."

[Roundabout]

After entering the back room, Annelie had only a short moment to take in her new surroundings and the people gathered before the hooded figure revealed himself and started talking. She stood straight, back rigid, while he spoke and her hand hadn't left her sword since she entered the tavern. Her eyebrows rose slightly when he said his name. Of course she'd heard of him, being a guard herself. It was a name whispered in awe.

It unnerved her that she'd apparently been watched. Annelie frowned. She agreed with what he said; the king was mad, and the land would be better of without him. Still, these were dangerous times and only fools trusted blindly.
"Plotting against the king is a grievous crime, punishable by death if one's lucky. Just hearing your words puts us all at risk. If what you say is true, however, it would be a risk worthy to take. But I'd hear more details before I offer my sword. For starters, if I were to agree, what then?"

She had to make sure this revolution was legit, and not some crazed fanatics folly. She'd give much to see these lands set free, but she wouldn't sacrifice her time and maybe even her life for an operation doomed to fail from the start.

[Eodwyn Aether]

As the bartender opened the back door, Eodwyn entered bowing slightly to the djinn before he and his furry companion disappeared into the back. “Well this looks rather cosy” Eodwyn Said with a slight chuckle before bowing towards the djinn sitting down and taking a seat, Oragnar laying down just beside him. As more people entered, Eodwyn shifted slightly slowly placing his hand on his sword, just in case it was after all a trap. As they all took their places the hooded man that welcomed them in pushed back the hood to reveal a heavily burned man. A man Eodwyn knew all too well. Edward Bastillion.

Eodwyn’s Grandfather would talk about the Dawn Guard, A group of highly trained individuals who were the only ones allowed to carry the dawnriders, the weapons his grandfather crafted by hand. Eodwyn yet again shifted uncomfortably as he heard Mr Bastillion’s speech. As he finished Eodwyn let out a slight chuckle before looking at the group. “I think both you and I and everyone here know the power of Kaaos himself. Even if we were to agree to this little adventure, how the hell do you suppose we get close to him, let alone try to eradicate him? And secondly why us? Why this group? Surely you did not send this invitation of yours to any Tom, Dick and Harry who was against the Kaaos. What makes us so special?” Eodwyn said, never taking his eyes off Edward. Was this truly one of the Dawn Guards? Did he have possession of his blade? Does he know who Eodwyn truly is? All questions that could be answered at a later date. Eodwyn thought as he awaited a response.

[TeddyThePsycho]

Sark had remain in place, watching as others entered the room and took their seats, mindlessly he toyed with one of the needless using TK, spinning it, and weaving it around the belt. he greeted each person as they entered, and as they came he became more and more curious as to whom had in fact brought them here, and why.

Eventually, after everyone was seated, the man had lifted his hood and revealed the truth behind this meeting, and extended an invitation of sorts. Sark's confusion hadn't quite abandoned him even after the explanation, for new questions arose. he was going to ask them, but others started asking questions, many of them which he planned on asking himself, so Sark decided to simply watch, listening to the others and the replies they got. so he continued sitting down.

[DarkRecon]

The bartender smiled. "Certainly. Take a look in the back and see what I got on offer."

The siblings noted that the bartender was now addressing some newcomers who had also given the password in their sentences. Deciding that they weren't going to be given time to "decide" at the bar, they went into the back room with the other individuals.

Inside, the siblings still had their hoods on. Perhaps suspicious to any who saw them enter from the bar but it seemed the bartender didn't mind. Still, the other individuals they saw at the bar didn't look like spies of any sort but they knew better.

Both of them had their hands inside their brown cloaks...ready to draw their swords. They lightened up though when they saw some of the others. One of which with the "animal" with him they heard stories about. Others through heresay and stories from travelers they sometimes happen across at times. The siblings didn't take their seats though. Standing near the doorway just in case.

But it was the man both knew about as Edward Bastillon. Much like the Twilights, the Bastillon were "said or rumored" to have been a family or house to serviced under one of the three flags back in it's day. Perhaps they were even rivals or enemies of the Twilights but they wouldn't know. That history was lost even to them. But much like the Twilights, both heard that they were wiped out by Kaaos himself supposedly.

But just like them, it seemed one or perhaps more had survived such carnage.

Seeing that this man was no threat, both siblings moved their hands away from the hilt of their swords under their brown cloaks. Then both of their hands came up to push their hoodies back to reveal long black hair on both.

They weren't talkative...but during everyone's questioning, both gave a respectful bow of their heads and held it there till Bastillon acknowledged them.

[BytheSpleen]

Khadila sighed, and finally let out the question she had been meaning to ask for a while...

"Will our goals seek to revert the races' states as before Kaaos had taken our lands, or will we be continuing this...experiment of unity, even after Kaaos's downfall? I ask this only to prepare myself to act in the best interest of either of these goals; what Kaaos has done has given us a common enemy, but...I do fear our success, sometimes..."

Her ankles rubbed against each other as her eyes trailed to just below Edward's face, and waited for any objections or clarifications.

[Ariamis]

As the others asked their questions, Edward nodded in return to the twins, and then moved on to answering them punctually.

"Plotting against the king is a grievous crime, punishable by death if one's lucky. Just hearing your words puts us all at risk. If what you say is true, however, it would be a risk worthy to take. But I'd hear more details before I offer my sword. For starters, if I were to agree, what then?"

@Roundabout

“I think both you and I and everyone here know the power of Kaaos himself. Even if we were to agree to this little adventure, how the hell do you suppose we get close to him, let alone try to eradicate him? And secondly why us? Why this group? Surely you did not send this invitation of yours to any Tom, Dick and Harry who was against the Kaaos. What makes us so special?” Eodwyn said, never taking his eyes off Edward. Was this truly one of the Dawn Guards? Did he have possession of his blade? Does he know who Eodwyn truly is? All questions that could be answered at a later date. Eodwyn thought as he awaited a response.

@Eodwyn Aether

"To answer the both of you, I have brought this," Edward said, and pulled a scroll from his sleeve.
"As you may know, Kaaos has incredible power, almost rivaling a god. He can't be killed by swords or sorcery, as we have learned over time. But then we found something of great interest: It took our scribes weeks, but they managed to translate an old prophecy. It has mention of discord in it, and we believe it was left by powers stronger than even Kaaos. If they have the same kind of magic that the legendary Jani the Wise wielded against the Efreet, it would surely be enough to end the cursed king. This is a copy of the translation."

He handed over the scripture, and as the party read the prophecy he answered another question from Khadila.

"Will our goals seek to revert the races' states as before Kaaos had taken our lands, or will we be continuing this...experiment of unity, even after Kaaos's downfall? I ask this only to prepare myself to act in the best interest of either of these goals; what Kaaos has done has given us a common enemy, but...I do fear our success, sometimes..."

@BytheSpleen

"I am but a servant of the realm, so I can't say for sure. However, I know without a single thought of doubt that letting that vile demon continue his torment over Evania has to end. The land may divide again after his overthrowing, but I believe that we can peace again achieve that age of piece together what we once had and have peace among our respective kin if we just work hard enough."

Once the scroll passed through the entire group and returned back to Edward he said: "We have plans for searching areas that-"

Then, suddenly a djinn with a white mask entered the room. Her black cloak weaved in the air and revealed her to be quite proportioned as she briskly walked over to Edward without making a single sound. Her voice was beautiful and ethereal, and had an enchanting quality to it; Eodwyn and Indigo in particular had to keep their resolve up to resist the charming effect her voice had.

"Sir, a message from the council just arrived. Your presence is requested at the capital." She had a black scroll float to Edward's hands. "It is a matter of utmost urgency."

Edward lited one of his eyebrows. "Can't you see I have other things to attend to, Mirage? What could possibly be so important for the council to contact me?"

"They are speaking of betrayal, sir. They need all officers immediately headed for Taistolot."

The burned man rose up from his seat. "I must be off then. But first, what are your decisions? Would you fight for a better future?"