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CELI

Celi, still as taut as a bowstring from her anger at Daxia's rude arrogance, made her way to the side of the injured covener, where she knelt and did her best to comfort her. She had considerable skill with animals; and humans were after all part of the same life stuff.

As she murmured the same condolences her Gram had, she passed the scene to Stormrunner; the woman may have had her own spirit familiar once upon a time.

"Bekkah? What... what else should I do here?"

Bekkah

While Bekkah made her way down, she wasn't certain that she'd be able to climb back up. In fact she was certain that she couldn't. For now she focused on her surroundings. When Dazi began to chastise Celi, she gave her sister a disappointed look. She could tell that Dazi didn't like Celi, but Celi was here to help. To help Dazi at a risk to herself. That in itself should earn her respect.

She followed Celi to see if she could help, then looked for anyone she could aid with Lady Attera's blessings.

[ooc: Any chance of a super summary. Or at least for Bekkah's sake a summary of what she can do healing wise.]

Darian

She passed over the bow and quiver and waited for Dazi to lead on then followed her down the tunnel, torch in hand.

Celi

What an annoying person, Celi thought to herself. She took a deep breath, and let the calm rush through her veins like cool water. All she had intended was to give some small visual measure of support and consolation to the injured covener. She was letting her know, by her brief demonstration of the Dance, who she was.

But Daxia's insistence on being the core of every element, of attempting to deride anything Celi did while giving lip service to accomodation, had insulted even that simple measure of cameraderie. There was going to be no satisfying the woman, so Celi simply would do her best and not let it bother her further.

Stormrunner: there is an injured covener here, victim of some demonic ritual, it appears, which we intend to destroy. The ritual, not the covener. I must attend to her.

Celi went straightaway to the injured covener, and knelt beside her, intent on doing her best to assuage the covener's pain and injuries. She had some spiritual skills doing that for animals; perhaps some of it would work as well on people. "Bekkah? I would be grateful for any guidance you could give me in my efforts."

(OOC - Two correction in Daxia's posts. Mikal is not there, luckily, to see or hear this. He is with the smith at the Jvrillian guildhouse and will not arrive for likely an hour or so after everyone else.)

ooc : Tashka's Story post has been edited to clarify; the intent was to get everyone in sync again.

Cesare

Up at the top Cesare had answered Celi's question with a simple..

"Darian will always be concerned about Longtooth. They are a pairing."

And also thanked her for her efforts with the rope. When it was his turn to climb down, he wrapped one rope around his middle, keeping it taut and letting out a little at a time as he climbed down. He leave the ropes in place for Mikal to follow but he assumes they are likely to need to return the same way.

Whatever he had expected down there, it was so much removed from any image he could have conjured up, that he was dumbstruck. His eyes moving from side to side as he took in the horrors of that place. Only the aching of a jaw tightening on every step told of his growing anger at the outrage committed here, the anger growing as he catches the tale and realises the magnitude of the atrosity. This is not close to him in the way in must be to some of the others but no human deserves even a tiny fraction of what has been occurring here.

"I will do what I can Daxia to stop this. It needs to be stopped. And, like Celi, I do this because I want to and because it is right. We are not all the same, as you say."

He moves forward now towards the one who had been telling the tale.

"I am Cesare. I would like to take a close look at your shackles."

He is not sure if there is anything he can do but he knows metals and he knows locks.

CELI

When still at the top speaking to Cesare, Celi had offered one additional thought for him, based on his response. "If you have a chance to tell Darian and thereby ease her mind, my companion will watch out for Longtooth, without making any show of it. I doubt her hound will require such attention, but ... if anything awful should occur, Stormrunner will be there to help Longtooth, and Stormrunner is very good at such things."

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Almost Noon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Longtooth and ...

True, the dangers faced by those left above are many and terrible! For Longtooth it was a horrible ordeal.

It started with the fire ...

Which was warm and comfortable against the cool air of the Storm Season. The hearthstones were just the right height for a nose to rest on, especially one gnawing upon the thighbone of a hart.

"There you go, boy. I am sure your friends will be fine, they have a nice Squire and one of or Sisters to look after them and all."

Lady Kay smiled as she then went about her tasks for the day. Cleaning, cooking, tending to the wash and her own studies.

She reached down, every now and then, to skritch the snarkhound between the ears.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Almost Noon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

Stormrunner

True, the dangers faced by those left above are many and terrible! For Stormrunner it was a horrible ordeal.

It started with the stalking ...

... ahah! stalk quiet, stalk, fierce, sneak a sneak and then a pounce! Raaaaawwwwllr!

The sunbeam was successfully subdued.

Celi

Celi had to work hard not to grin cheerfully during the rope climb, with that sort of feedback from Stormrunner. She could easily envision him at his "stalk", moving like like a tabby the size of an ox, frisking and bounding about, occasionally rolling in the grass and then suddenly battling his own tail, then snapping at puffs of pollen exploding outward from twists and thumps of his huge body.

She remembered being at play *with* him, which is how she learned to stalk, to freeze in the long grass so as to go invisible, to not even quiver while her ears and nose and eyes did the stalking, then to move as silently as Srtormrunner himself, and *pounce*, grabbing his tail and tugging then running, shrieking like a madwoman with laughter when he gave playful chase just hard enough to make her work at it.

THe best of times

Cesare

Up above. he had nodded to Celi's offer of her companion's help in guarding Longtooth, and smiled, knowing she is trying to help and really not understanding why everyone thinks so badly of her. He has yet to meet this companion, and he is curious to do so, but knows it will need to be when Celi is comfortable enough to share that knowledge. He makes no attempt to push her.

[OOC Loved the two animal asides Wolf! ]

Bekkah

She followed Celi to look at the captives and her expression went grim.

"There is little I can do for either of you, save help you sleep. Any healing would just be undone by your bonds. Once free, my Lady's grace will aid you more fully."

She stepped back to look at Dazi and then Kadri, instantly seeing that Kadri was hurt.

"Kadri! Goodness, you need to speak up. Striving to be as stubborn as the Jvrillians does you no good."

She knelt by Kadri's side and looked at her wound to determine the extent of the injury. While she worked, she looked up at Daxia. And as their eyes met, Dazi would probably know exactly what she was thinking. They'd taken big risks, too big. Seeing what they'd found, she understood why Daxia had come down here, but her sister could have gotten help instead of having to do everything by herself and her impetuousness had resulted in Kadri's injury.

She returned her attentions to Kadri.

"My Lady please grant me your blessings to aid this misguided, but well-meaning girl." she said as power flowed from her hands to Kadri's shoulder. She concentrated, adding as much power as needed to bring Kadri back to full strength or as near as she could get her. At least she did not have to reattach the arm.

Kadri:

She looks over.

"Bekkah - other people needed looking at first. I can wait. Had pain before, and I know I'll have it again. Besides. This?"

She looks around.

"Cannot stand."

Her face, however, shows relief as the touch eases the pain. . .

Bekkah

"I cannot do anything for them as long as they wear those restraints. You I can help." she said calming Kadri.

"You know this was foolish. She is headstrong, my little sister, but she trusts you and will listen, but you will have to be more forceful."

"And my friend, if you are going to fight things that can do this to you, you should invest in a longer weapon." she added with a soft smile as Kadri's pain eased.

[ooc: Let me know how long Kadri's healing takes boss ]

[ooc: sent you some PRI mail questions about the big lizards...]

Mikal

He arrived towards the end of the talking, reaching the entrance to the chamber just in time to hear Celi's procalamation of being a Covener and her display with her knives.

He stops stock still, and after a second or two he drops his head and sighs. He then moves over to lean on the wall, arms crossed and quiet, while the others talk.

When Daxia comes near he looks at her, expressionless, no reaction to her suggestion about getting thru the next two night before addressing it. When she goes on to say she is going to show Darian the entrance to the lower levels, he nods, shortly, adding, "If we can find the exit to the outside, perhaps we can clear it and let the others inside", he glances at Darian, and very briefly at Celi.

As Daxia and Darian leave, he moves closer to the chained women, asking, "Any idea if we can simply smash the wall and break the stone around the pins holding the chains in place? You'd still be collared, but at least you'd be free to move."

Daxia
with the Gang, Tashka and Linette in the Temple On The Border West Chapel

Daxia and Darian were not gone long... enough time to point out the stairway down to the lower level and explain the layouts of both levels. As she re-entered the chapel, Daxia slid her sword back into her scabbard, surveying the scene. She nodded to Darian before taking up a post beside the entryway. She looked relaxed, but the arm resting across her midriff within easy reach of the sword hilt was evidence that she was anything but relaxed.

Darian

As she and the swordswoman returned, the Hunter split off and went directly towards the imprisoned women. She waited until Mikal had his answer before posing one of her own to Daxia's temple sister.

"Beasts trained or spelled? Not know, tell how behave when come."

CELI

Celi urgently signaled Bekkah, then whispered to her so as not to burden anyone else with this bit of knowledge.

"Tell your sister I can speak to the lizards. Or at least, if they are no different than other animals in that respect, I am confident I can. It is a simple enough spell. But I wouldn't know what to ask them that would aid her, so maybe she ought to steer my questions.
Or Mikal or someone warlike who could best make use of the knowledge."

She looked over her shoulder at Daxia, and sighed. It would be a lot simpler to speak to her directly, but she didn't relish the surfeit of insults that would engender. Some day, maybe she would get to that point. Until then, speaking to Bekkah had been refreshingly devoid of insults and accusation.

The Heartwood
Bordertown
Almost Noon
Rameday, The Twenty-First Day of the Month of Crown of Ice, 2623

In the Temple Ruins

"I ... I ... I ... d-d-d-d-don't kn-kn-know."

Linette looked down at Darian's question.

"I ... I ... well ... I only answered my Ladies call ... not long ago. I'm ... I'm ... n-n-n-not very smart-t-t-t I-I-I-I g-g-guess."

"Linette ..."

Tashka interrupted the young coverner. The elder Dayalan looked as if she were going to speak again when, in turn she was interrupted.

"I do."

Romana peeked out of her dark hood, swallowing, as she carefully put her earrings back on.

"Yes."

She blinked, nodding, as if she had just completely answered darian. After an awkward moment she continued.

"They have magics, they have skills, they are trained ... they are ... everywhere. Need guard home? Need company when old and tired? In towns here, Cragsides, Bordertowns, see children play with ruffs and kittens? Children play, they play, they protects. Every prince has beasts, to look and see. train protects, trains attack, trains guards, trains looks, trains see, fastest messages, so fast, no way faster ... never forgets, beasts smarts, beasts cunnings, what one sees all sees ... Darian ... Darian has smart Loongtooths, yes?

"Corhlayyans have Hunting Beasts.

"Only beastmasters talk to Hunting beasts. Beastmasters start strange, always end up ... stranger.

The slender woman drew her cloak back up tight about her.

"These ...

"Romanas suspects ...

"Are not for guarding.

"These live to hunt.

"These trained to kill."

CELI

"Cesare. Didn't you say you know something of locks and metals? Would you look at the shackles and chains, and see if there is some way to remove them? Then Bekkah's healing arts would be able to work properly. Maybe there is some way to pick the locks or whatever holds them in place," Celi suggested.

Darian

She turned to Romanas when the girl started speaking. And just to be perfectly sure she understood, she said, "Romanas, Darian want sure understand. Beasts magicked? Or Beasts use magics? Or both?"

And she thought that she would very much like to have a pack of snarkhounds with her now.