Avalyn shook her head sadly,

"That I do not know... It seems to me that all of us have alot of work to do before we can fight as one cause, or else all I can see in our future is civil war."

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You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

"Aye" Koltok agreed. "A civil war within a civil war would be depressing."

"Aye, people will laugh and look down on us for generations to come... And I would have to watch it all..." Avalyns eyes became glased over, and her face suddenly looked much older and wiser than it had before.

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You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

The vritch's bright green eyes flickered towards the dwarf. Of all idiots I got him in my company. But her attention quickly snapped back towards her opponent.

Behind the elf, a large rock slowly rose. Lana made sure she kept her gaze on Erkanis and not the rock. It hovered in the air for a second before shooting forward, speeding towards his lower back.

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(bumps. If anyone has some plot ideas let me know in the thread in the help/suggestions section)

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((Plot idea in action! Let me know if any of this doesn't work, and I hope it's okay if I play Galias, for effect))

In the sprawling capital city of Silcen, with its extensive and beautiful palace, few knew of the passages that dove far underground, into dark places that the inhabitants of the palace seldom walked. Long had they been empty, almost devoid of life, but as the Duke Galias made a foray underground he remembered that there was in fact one inhabitant - one whose mother had been there before her and faded away, unable to withstand cruel imprisonment. She had died when the child was rather small and Galias, furious at the rebellion of the people and their Vritch allies, resolved to prevent at least one Vritch from joining their ranks.

As he walked, as the passages became darker, he remembered more and more - and as he neared the nearly deserted place, unvisited but for a servant who gave the girl food (most of the time) his memory was made more vivid by a pair of vengeful violet eyes that met his with scorn.

"So it seems I am not forgotten, does it," she spat at him from her place on the cold stone floor, a shackle around one of her painfully thin ankles. She was perhaps fifteen or sixteen, petite and very thin. "Might one inquire as to what would induce a monarch such as yourself to make such a foray into memory?"

Galias had failed to recollect her very biting tongue. "Silence," he snapped, hastening his pace.

She only looked at him contemptuously and, to his surprise, faded from view for a moment. After a few seconds she reappeared and proceeded to completely ignore him, as though the sudden bout of invisibility had been a way to remind his spitefully that she was, in fact, a Vritch.

Galias continued his stroll, and as he passed by the cell again he was relieved to observe through the bars that she was obstinately invisible. He failed to observe, however (understandably), that an invisible hand snaked through the bars and slipped a note slyly into his pocket. As he neared the sunny regions of the rest of the palace Galias heaved a sigh of relief and leaned on the edge of a balcony, breathing deeply. The note fluttered from his pocket and was silently pounced upon by a watchful seagull, who immediately winged his way off.

Some time later (very strangely) a seagull alighted in the middle of the rebel camp - in the woods where a gull had absolutely no right to be - and dropped the note unceremoniously on the head of the Vritch [Lana] there before flying hurriedly away.

It read, in hurried and slightly wobbly letters: My name is Ilythiiri - I am a Vritch and a rebel. Held captive by Galias in Silcen, assistance most welcome.

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(That's amazing. I'm glad somebody here has great ideas)

Korinth gazed upwards. A strange shadow passed over head, one that belonged to the sea, not the forest. The gull swopped down, leaving a note at Lana's feet. The bird took off again and flew quickly away. He jogged over to her. "What does it say?" He asked.

Avalyn walked calmly over to Lana and Korinth, he curiosity having been brought forth. She quietly walked up behind the two, leaning on a tree, waiting to hear the news.

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You may (or may not) know me elsewhere as Elfpen

((Thanks!))

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Lana hooked the glaive under one arm to keep it from falling before snatching to note out of her white hair. She quickly unfolded it, though she was slightly shocked that a seagull had landed on her head. Her eyes scanned across the few sentences very quickly. "There is a rebel Vritch being held captive in Silcen by Galias," she said with an expressionless tone. With that she turned on heel and marched toward her tent.

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(Sweet I can finally use this character.)

Ethen gathered a few articles of food into her small wicker basket. There was half of a loaf of slightly stale bread, a small apple, a water skin of warm water, and a small wooden goblet. The rations were small and insignificant. It was a feast for any prisoner held within the palace dungeons. Covering the food with a small cloth, she proceeded down the slick, steep stairs that led to the cells.

The handmaiden was a small, dirty creature. Her apron was stained and her hands were callused. Her long, dark blonde hair was held out of her face with a long piece of cloth. Her feet were bare and had mud smeared on parts of them. The features of her face were not homely. In fact, under the dirt and the bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, she might be quite pretty. Her nose was delicate and her lips were a soft shade of red. But in this state of dishevel, she did not hold the extravagant beauty of the courtiers.

She walked down the dark passages, her bare feet lightly slapping against the cold, stone floor. Finally, she stopped. She took a key from her pocket and unlocked one of the cells. Before entering the cell however, she hanged the key on a piece of wood nailed into the way. She did not like entering the cell with a key, fearful that the prisoner might snatch it from her. The wood was far away enough that prisoners could not reach it. The wood had also been protected by mages so that it could not be taken by means of magic or telekinetics.

“Hello Ilythiiri,” she called out as she entered the cell. “I’ve brought your lunch.”

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The girl glanced up, and flickered fully into view from her state of half-invisibility. She had seemed to be doing that quite a bit lately. "Oh, hello, Ethen." As always, her violet eyes flickered towards the key that Ethen always hung up, and she sighed inwardly. The shackle around her ankle clattered as she stood. "I thank you," she continued in surprise, looking at the contents of the basket as though she'd never seen such an abundance of food. Ilythiiri looked weary, which was normal, but slightly nervous or excited, which was not.

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Meleth looked after Lana in surprise, seeming suddenly very interested. "I would guess some of us will be departing soon..." she mused, long fingers tapping the hilt of one of her knives - something she seemed to do habitually without realizing.

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Ethen noticed the change in the young Vritch's mood. "Is everything all right?" she said with concern.

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Lana spread a map over her table. Silcen was practically on the other side of the country. How the seagull had made it that far was beyond her. It must have followed the coast. It was a long journey as well. Across the Appaline Mountains and then through the Plandin Plains. It would take many provisions and also a stop at the Snow Camp to make it. War was also closing in. The rebels were planning to officially strike within two months. They would attack in winter when Galias least expected it. Could she really abandon the camp for the sake on one vritch? Her emotions began to swing. There was so much to risk. Should she leave? There were always others to take over but..... What if she went and was captured? What would happen to her troups? What if the Nocturn attacked? Or what would happen to the party if she stayed? She knew Silcen well, especially the palace. She'd been held captive there for ten years. Her eyes blinked rapidly as she remembered the pain, the beatings....what was to be done? And who would go?

(if you could list your characters' prefrences on going in the rescue party or staying to prepare for war in your next post it would be much appreciated. Then I'll at least have a general idea of what everyone wants before deciding.)

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"What?" said Ilythiiri, not listening. "That's rather a silly question, don't you think?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Would you really expect everything to be all right? Though I suppose I can thank my lucky stars that that horrible duke hasn't remembered lately he's still got a captive Vritch to mistreat." This last was added rather spitefully, as she knew Ethen was fond of the duke. "But other than that I suppose I'm fine, other than not having seen daylight since I was, oh, about five." She seemed either worried or in a very bad mood now.

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Meleth paced, going unconsciously closer to Lana's tent. Finally, something might happen! Though she wondered if the General would decide to go after this captive - it was only one Vritch, after all. She hoped so. Meleth gave a shudder, thinking of captivity for so long.

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"Oh Miss!" exclaimed Ethen. "I didn't mean it like that! I just noticed there was a change in you mood today." She poured some water from the water skin into the goblet and offered it to her.

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Ilythiiri took the offered water and sipped it contemplatively. After a moment she said, "That was rather rude - do forgive me, Ethen..." she started to say more, but trailed off and gave Ethen an apologetic violet-eyed look.

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Korinth and Koltok approached the tent. "Lana," Korinth began, his purple eyes bright with energy. "Do we have a plan?" If so, Koltok and I will assist you."