RP Story

Here's Thenaius again:

Thenaius groaned miserably, then slowly fought his way back to consiousness as dawn's first rays pounded into his head. Sitting up, he looked around cautiously, so as not to disturb his terrible headache. He had been lying face down on one of the tables in the pub. Beside him lay an empty sheath, a note, and a roughly made pile of scrolls. My scrolls , he thought with a start that sent his head reeling.
Staying absolutely still, he tried to recall all that had happened last night. Alcohol does not cloud the memories of an elf the way it does for a human - it often left Thenaius wondering why he'd ever thought of the bottle as a way to escape his embittered past.
Sighing, Thenaius wished a pox on the entire human race. Certainly, it had been the humans who had taught him the benefits of ambition, allowing him to gather such power to himself despite his young age. But humans had also taught him betrayal, and told him the old farmer's cure for aching memories - hard beer. Thenaius was ashamed of his dependency on the stuff now, but it did him little good to fight the addiction. If only -
He was getting off track. Looking back, Thenaius recalled a pair of warriors: a high elf like himself, and the large, odd-looking human accompanying him. Thenaius grimly remembered the fool he had made of himself, as he did almost weekly, and the last, cutting words the elf had said as Thenaius slipped away into sleep.
Thinking hard over these events, Thenaius gazed at the letter placed before him. Picking it up gently, he scanned through it quickly.

Fellow Elf,
You think you can find who we're looking for? Here's one chance. - Kol'Aronos

Puzzling over the riddle, Thenaius turned to the scabbard. It was intricately designed, with emblazoned leaves and a deep, earthy scent to it. Perhaps it belonged to the one this Kol sought?
Breathing deeply so as to better clear his head, Thenaius began to mutter a complex divination, ignoring the growing pain in his temple.
_________________________________________________________________

"I believe we're getting close," Kol told his companion. Varall only nodded in agreement, still not quite certain what was going on.
Suddenly struck by curiousity, Kol turned back to Varall once again, "How did our sodden 'mage' fare in the tavern?"
Varall shrugged. "Still sleeping where I left him. The bartender promised no harm would come to him, so I hurried back as quickly as I could after that."
Something about what Varall said nagged at Kol. Thinking about it, he realized what. "Didn't you go withdraw our entries from the tournament?"
Varall stopped, stunned, then shrugged again in embarrassment. "I completely forgot about it! When I was setting that fool of a wizard down, something must have triggered, for suddenly a flurry of scrolls shot out of his robes like a whirlwind. I was so busy cursing the elf's ancestors as I picked up all his papers, the tournament completely slipped my mind!"
"Now, why would you want to exit the tournament? There's good money in that!"
Kol turned, ready to impale this new voice, but he stopped when he saw who it was. Thenaius stood no more than six feet behind him, leaning casually on a white marble staff. No longer the stumbling drunk, he seemed more akin to a member of the Silver Circle, his eyes bearing curiosity as he looked back.
Forget that he's an elf , Kol thought, this wizard is starting to get on my nerves. Out loud, he asked the newcomer, "I admit, after you 'charming' display last night, I'm surprised that you could find us. What do you want?"
Thenaius winced at Kol's mention of last night, but otherwise seemed unconcerned. "I was simply wondering what you are doing out here, when I thought you were looking for someone."
Becoming enraged with the spellcaster's light attitude, Kol barely held himself in check. "We're not just looking for her - we need to rescue her and a friend before something terrible happens to them."
The mage's reaction of surprise did not startle Kol, but what the elf said next nearly knocked him off his feet.
"But why are you out here, when she is still in the city?"

[edit]: I'm sorry if the second part is a little out of line, but I didn't think the part at the end would be so shocking if I did it from my perspective.

I Just wanted to post a character ive made for a campaign its not for bt
But the biogrphy is a litle long
NAME OF CHARACTER:Amara Crystaldark
AGE:30
GENDER:female
RACE:undead high elf
APPEARANCE:look at my avatar
ITEMS: orb of darkness
PROFESSION AND SPECIALITY:Assasination
BIOGRAPHY:Once every 1000 years a high elf is born with great dark power and evil impulses. In her home village, small children would periodically go missing. They were being ritually sacrificed in the woods by Amara. This went on for several years until the village elders realized that Amara was the person doing it. Their origional plan was to kill her, but they found that they were too good and civilized to kill one of their own kind, even if Amara was irrediemably evil. As a compromize, they left her deep in the dark forestland to live out her life in isolation. She did for several years, becoming a savage creature, but still retaining her elven intelligence, until she was found by a band of dark orcs who had split from the Shadow Moon clan. The band's shaman saw the girl's power and took her in, teaching her to control her brutal, animalistic darkness and use it, turning Amara into a cold, calculating and utterly malevolent killer.
Then the Burning Legion attacked, killing everyone in her clan. The dreadlord in command of the attack-force noticed her ability to create and manipulate dark energy, and had her spared (although it is questionable as to whether she would be killable had he not). She was sent to the lower planes to hone her abilities and returned some time later to serve as a powerful agent of the Legion. She stood in this role well, using her powers to kill and maim, until she was murder in her sleep by servants of Arthas during his dissent from the Legion. Kel'Thuzad too saw the power of her life-force and had her raised as a Dark Harbringer, and she now serves the Scourge, using a combination of her vile powers and her bow to bring ruin to living

Pherexio: The greatest skill to possess when writing with a group: Improvization. Anyways...
"'In the city?" Köl's temper died a little at the input from the mage.
'Yes, she's still inside Ragnatan.'
'I should have checked first...' Köl thought, slightly ashamed of his own 'Well, it seems you may have been a help after all. I was simply going to head straight for the headquarters.'
Thenaius gave a quiet grunt of triumph and quickly regretted it because it made his temples pound. when he recovered, he said, 'Looks like you could use a mage on your side. heh...heh.'
'I don't think we need a hangover on our side though.' Varall interjected. Thenaius gave a glare at him.
'At any rate, we must be going, but first...' Köl removed one of the shifting-gems from his pocket. He tapped it three times and it turned yellow, orange, then red. He placed it to his temple to communicate.
'Siroff.'
After a few moments, a reply came. 'What is it? Where are you, the tournament is going to start again in an hour!' It was Siroff.
'We're looking into something of the utmost importance... how long can you delay the tournament?'
'By the looks of the gnoll... I'd say as long as need-be.'
'Good, we need as long as can-be.'
'What is wrong? Should I come to help? Your name is still on the list.'
'I'll tell you after it's done, so stay there and keep the tournament going... oh, and if they get to one of my fights, Varall's, Firessa's, or Kar's, take us off the list.'
'Hmm... alright.'
'Thanks. I have to go.... oh... one more thing.'
'What?'
'If you don't hear from, or see me within three days' time...' An uneasy silence. Köl could see Varall explaining the gem to the Thenaius; he couldn't hear them however.
'Alright. I understand. Best of luck to you. I wish I could help in some other way.'
'Just keep that tournament going. Check the shifting-gem after your fight, just in case.'
'Alright.' The conversation ended there. Soldiers don't know how to say goodbye very well. Siroff and Köl understood what they wanted to say, but didn't know how. The warrior's path can sometimes be difficult, but such is how it is.
The group headed into the city wihtout another word."


Kar: Ok, this is a much better solution to the prisoner problem than Pherexio came up with. In any case, a quick little OOC preface to Kar's past:
I use one of Pherexio's characters as my own (with express written permission of course), so that's why her history is rooted into his world's events (that's why there are a bunch of small, yet noticable, differences in what the characters may say, and WC world standards [archimonde's invasion, for example, seems to be "The Wars Long Ago" in this RP]). But enough of my disclaimer; On with the show! ^_^

"The silent moment after she agreed to Firessa's demand seemed to go on forever. When she broke the silence, Kar hardly believed she had said a word.
'Where to start....' Again there was a short silence.
'Home. Home sounds like a good place to start any journy from.'
'Any journy but mine.'
'Why is that?'
'I...' Kar was having some difficulty. She was trying to remember the past, 'I don't remember much from my home.'
'Well, start from wherever Tir became the nuisance that he is.'
'Well that's simple...' Kar began her story.

Tir first became an annoyance when the leader of the Elven Nation was selecting the supreme commander of his armies. Both Tir and Köl were prime candidates. Everyone knew one of them would become the High Commander, but their skills were so closely matched, it seemed delegations would drag on forever (which isn't too long for most of us), but the urgency and need at that time made it of the utmost importance to have a High Commander as soon as possible. Before one of the meetings, Tir bumped into me in one of the halls. He was apologizing as he was getting up, and froze when he saw me. To this day, I wonder why he took such care with his words and actions around me, for elves are rarely hasty with anyone they meet.

After that incident, he went out of his way to find me every time he could spare a few moments. It took me only a week to become very annoyed with him, as the Council was fast making their decision on who would be the High Commander. Tir was getting more and more confident that he would hold the position, and I nearly believed him once, for the Council meeting on the issue were becoming fewer and fewer.
The day the decision was announced, Tir ran from the city. Köl had been selected, and Tir was enraged. When he was caught four months later, he was brought to trial. He was found innocent of all his crimes because Köl had asked he not be punished; this pirceless benevolence would be betrayed only a few short years later.

Köl won one of the most important battles in our history which ended the Wars Long Ago. The strategy was perfect, even though Köl had every disadvantage (it's still taught in the texts today if I remember correctly). Well, at the end of the War, there was a great crisis in the capital. Elves were evacuating to all corners of the world. My father, who was obviously an important person (alas, for I remember him not) asked that I be given a bodyguard for my exodus....

Firessa broke in suddenly, 'wait, you don't remember your father?'
'No, I don't even remember what his job was.'
'A pity... I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Please, go on.'
'Ok....'

As I said, I was ordered to have a bodyguard (I'm very thankful for that) because at the time, I would have been only about twenty three. Well, of course Köl, Tir, and a host of other elven warriors were up to the challenge. A great melee of four hundred elves was held. The whole thing was bloodless, save one man. Tir had killed an opponent when it was the only way he could take him down. When he was informed that he was disqualified because of it, he went into a rage.

He swore revenge against the Elven Nation, because he had been 'robbed of all that was his.' He was locked in a prison cell for the duration I stayed in the area. When Köl was the winner of the contest, Tir went even more crazy.

Köl and I left with all haste. For a number of years we saw neither hide nor tail of Tir. We had heard that he had escaped his prison, and was abroad in the world. It was nearly a hundred years (give-or-take) until we had seen or heard from him. He had climbed to one of the most powerful positions in the Human military. We had learned that he had studied magic in Dalaran for a number of decades and then entered the military.

One message was dispatched to us. Written on fine parchemnt in his own hand, Tir had sent us the one thing that made our blood run cold.

'Spiteful enemies,
I, Tir'Aronos, from the house of Mannor'Os declare
that you are the one target all of the Human
Military are searching for. I will have you both
dead afore long.
Tir'Aronos, General Second Class'
...
'To this day, we have been fighting and evading Tir and his human lakeys. So far, it's been a successful fight.' Firessa was having obvious difficulty finding something to say.
'Awful....' was all she could think of.
'It will end someday.'
'I suppose.' There was a brief silence. 'Haven't you ever asked Köl about your father?'
'Only once. He told me he had sworn an oath to my father. He said, 'Of all the things I wish I could do for you ... that is the one thing I cannot.' I've never really asked him since. He'll tell me someday, I'm sure of it.'
'Oh... I see.' Firessa yawned. 'Why am I so tired all of a sudden...?'
'I don't know... but I am too...' Both nodded off into a magic-induced sleep."

And that's just the short version. :o Anyways, now you get the general idea. Where will this RP send these time-tempered characters now I wonder...

Varall shared a glance with Kol. It was with a unsure tone that he responded.

"In the town? Are you sure?"

"Yes" The strange elf responded with an arrogant glint in his eye

Kol was even less sure of this elf, and it was in a mocking tone that he spoke with in his next comment.

"Why would anyone bother to use magic if they were only to stay in the town? You're speaking nonsense... whoever you are. What was your name?"

"Thenaius" Thenaius said, "and you ask me this question of why, but look at where you find yourself. With the mere sight of magic, you assume that the distance must be great. We Wizards are not so foolish as to always use the same tricks. It is fools such as yourself that make our jobs so easy... and rewarding"

Varall stoodback and looked at the two elves, for they were both squaring up. If it had been any race other than elves, Varall would have said that this would come to blows.

"How" Varall said suddenly "do you know this? We assumed that this Tir that Kol has been eluding was responsible. We were heading to his lands at the moment. How is it that you know otherwise, and why should we believe you. We have little time to spare on false leads and foolishness."

"It is your choice as to whether to believe me or not," Thenaius said this with a hint of annoyance. Varall could see the frustration building on the elf's face, as if he was used to being ignored. "But you would be foolish to do so. I am an acomplished reader of the auspices. I require only a possesion of the person i seek to know their history and location. I believe the owner of this" he pulled out the scabbard from the folds in his robes "is named... Firessa? She is a night elf, with a firey spirit and an unbreakable will, though she sometimes suffers from stubborness"

The expression of disdain upon Kol's face softened, but he was still reluctant to believe this intruder.
==============================
I'm done, i would write more, but i just finished my AP US history test and I'm beat.

[EDIT: Dangit! you posted while i was writing! well, your's is more complete, so just ignore mine]

Pherexio: Funny, that test was just given to the Juniors at my school. In any case, we can't just ignore an update.... let's just say that little exchange took place on their way to Firessa; that way it's in, and Thenaius has officially introduced himself.

Defi: The cryptic foreshadowing returns!
(Hellisius' point of view):
"'It seems to work exceptionally sir.' One of the technicians gave his report to Helisius.
'I hope it produces similar results on the other subjects.'
'I'm sure it will sir.'
'Continue your testing, I want to be positive that they will be incipacitated, not killed.'
'Yes sir.' The tech began to walk away.
'Tech, I trust you understand... if you mess up.'
The tech took a gulp and nodded, 'y-yes sir.'
'Good... you had better be careful, or my new spell may have its debut with you in stead.'
The tech gulped again, 'I-it w-won't come to that sir. I-I assure you.'
'Good. Dissmissed.'"

How long does it take to scour a city??? >:)

"Oh yes, and a night elf as well. Not too surprising, considering the . . . robust company you keep. It would not surprise me a bit to see an orc -"
Thenaius stopped. Something was wrong - he never spoke so rudely, especially to one of his kin. If only the headache would stop, allow him to think clearly! But in response, it only seemed to get worse, making Thenaius feel especially waspish.
Looking towards his new "companions" he noticed that Kol's anger towards him seemed renewed. The other likewise seemed infuriated by the last comment, though why was beyond the mage. Thenaius was getting a little put off with the pair as well. If they thought to fight him, he was more than ready to scatter their ashes to the wind if need be! Upstart little -
The first rays of the sun struck his face from the tops of the trees, drawing out one small fact from his struggling mind - no hangover of his should have lasted this long.
Thenaius started at the realization, then cast a quick incantation. Blinking through his newly endowed magesight, Thenaius saw it was true - a hazy green aura surrounded the three of them. At least the other two still had some control - the wizard was surprised they hadn't tried to rip him to shreds when they saw him casting a spell.
Turning to Kol, he tried to speak volumes through a look. From the confusion on Kol's face, he had failed; hardly surprising. Why hadn't Thenaius prepared that mind-speak spell?
Deciding to take the risk, Thenaius spoke hurriedly to the other elf in Thalassian, "Someone is tampering with our emotions!"
He prayed to the Light that whatever it was didn't speak the language of the elves.

Defi: Convenient....

"'Bah!' The outcry startled everyone in the hidden prison, and nearly woke the sleeping elves. 'They've figured it out... I shall have to be more secrative from now on.' Helisius grumbled his anger at the new elf's skill in detecting magics. 'I shall have to disable that one's power somehow as well.... we've not encountered a sightmage before... he may not even be one, but.... I shall have to find out--GAH!' The sudden yelp of pain threw the two imprisoned women from their slumber, and startled each of the guards. Helisius' psychic spell was broken.
'Helisius!' A faintly glowing figure of an elf stood in the centre of the room.
'Lord Tir!'
'Quiet! How goes the plan?'
'The plan moves uwell sir.'
'How so!? Explain!' Helisius pointed to the occupied cell. The apparition of Tir spat his dissaproval.
'Why did you take them!? This makes the plan worthless! You had best have one hell of a backup.'
'Oh believe me, I do, and it will be quite effective, maybe even moreso than you would have hoped for.'
'You had better be telling the truth Korell. I may know you as well as I do, but you know that I show no mercy to sbordinates!'
'Yes, lord.'
'Good... see to it they are brought.... alive.' With that, the illusion faded, leaving Helisius and a room of startled humans and elves with a foreboding feeling to it.
'Now... if I could just get something that will work so well...' At that moment, there was a loud explosion at th e entrance to the prison......

.....

Another prisoner had been added to Helisius' chamber, and the short green man would prove to be integral in the plan Helisius had just hatched for Köl, Varall, and Thenaius' capture."

Sorry, I'm not too good at writing battles; I usually have someone else write them for me, that's why there's that gap there.

Well, here I go again:

Then pounding in his temples lessened, as if recoiling at his discovery. So the caster is connected to the magic somewhow - but the perpetrator was already slipping out of his grasp. Mentally, Thenaius reached out for it, wrapping mana-bound fingers around its last vestiges. If he could only grab it -
Thenaius felt an explosion inside his head, and the next thing he knew, Kol and his companion stood over him. I seem to be lying on the ground , he thought, a little delirious from the attack.
"What happened?" Kol asked, dead serious.
Thenaius blinked a few times. "He escaped, whoever he was; I had justed snagged his energy trail when some other power seperated us . . . by force." The echoes of the boom still resounded in his mind.
There was shouting in the distance. The human stood up, tensed.
"How close are we to this - Tir's - base?" he asked uncertainly.
Kol was looking as well, and he seemed concerned. "It seems we are close enough, Varall," the elf replied grimly.
Kol and Varall moved into positions for ambush, momentarily forgeting their other ally, who took his time standing up. With a gesture, Thenaius removed the dirt and stains from his robe, then looked up.
To see a score of footmen converged around him.
Their leader, a tall figure with no helm and long, dark hair, brought his sword to the level, and stared intently at the mage. "We're sorry, sir, but we have orders to take in any elves discovered along this patrol for questioning."
Thenaius was shocked - these were soldiers of the Alliance! "What! What has my race done to the nobles of Theramore to deserve such disrespect! Do you realize the implications of such an act! Take me in, captain, and you'll have trampled on all that the Alliance stands for!!"
Many of the soldiers seemed unimpressed. "Funny how the elves are always our allies when it digs them out of a hole," one remarked callously, and his fellows murmured their agreement.
The captain, however, seemed almost apologetic. "Forgive me, sir, but orders are orders. Now, set down your staff and -"
"Enough!" a voice bellowed through the canopy, and Kol dropped into the midst of the soldiers, pike at the ready. "It's me you want." Weighing their chances between a spellcaster and what seemed to be a simple warrior, the footmen were only to happy to comply, turning to face this new foe.
"And it is you," Kol said to Thenaius, "who now has to make a choice."
That elf must be a mind-reader , Thenaius thought, stricken between two choices. On one hand, soldiers of the Alliance, men he may very well have fought alongside with during the Reign of Chaos, seemed to be tracking the elf, who very well might be a criminal of the law. In fact, very little suggested otherwise.
But, for some strange reason, Thenaius found it almost impossible that this elf, who had fought nobly in the tournament and even saved the lives of more than a few contestants, to be anything but an honorable warrior. Thenaius' mind was reeling.
Then his eyes met Kol's, and they locked together, two deep stares that almost seemed to say far more than words alone could describe.
Thenaius would spend many nights after today wondering why he chose as he did, would ask himself what it was about the decision that seemed so right.
Breaking the stare, Thenaius nodded to his fellow elf. He could here Varall behind him, moving into position.
"Very well, Kol'Aronos. But I cannot kill them."
"No one shall ask you to," Kol replied.

Pherexio: This is progressing much better than I could have hoped for :D :D
I'd post an update now, but I unfortunately don't have my proofer around, and it is almost 10:00 on a Monday.... so I guess I'll have to do so tommorrow.
Polaris, Blades, Count, (and anyone I forgot) I would like to say that I am thoroughly impressed by your skills as writers. My hat is off to you, for you are indeed talented. All you need to do is have some more confidence in yourselves, and your writing skills could truly explode! I daresay that writing fictions on things you enjoy is a good way to practice for professional novel writing. I again must hand my approval to you all. :8

You know, Pherexio, you sound like a teacher or an adult who know what the proffession of writer is. I understand you are creating stories with Kar but I didn't expect that kind of comment... You are a good writer too, so are the rest of the team... I'm very happy about this RP. What is the cause of that explosion? I'm planning on an escape just when Kol and others will strike. Wonder how this will turn out....

Pherexio: People tell me all the time that I act too mature for my age; something I have been guilty of a few times myself...

"The swordsmen were cricleing Köl and Thenaius. Varall was almost completely ignored. There were fourty in all: each armed with sword and buckler, clad in iron mail.
'This may not be the wisest action I've taken all day...'
'True, it may not.' Köl was so used to mind-speaking that he had taken no surprise in Thenaius' remark until Varall piped in.
'Woah! That was odd, another contraption of yours Köl?
'No, mine. It's a simple spell, but now is not the time to cover the basics of vocational magic. What is the plan?'
'Disable them temporarily, or escape. Quickly, we must choose.'
'Let's fight 'em.... that's the quickest way.'
'I disagree.' Thenaius' contradictions looked as if they might be annoy Varall.
'Explain quickly.' Köl was readying his weapon in case combat broke out before they could decide.
'I'll simply cast a temporary invisibility spell-that'll work won't it?'
'Varall, keep them off him until he finishes his spell. Thenaius, start casting.' The silent exchange ended there. When Thenaius began his chant, some of the footmen panicked and rushed him.
Varall proved to be more effective when his enemy wasn't expecting him. He bowled over three of the footmen, and then the real brawl began.
Varall continued using his fists so he wouldn't harm the humans too badly. Thenaius shot sparks from his fingertips when the need presented itself. Köl kept blocking and parrying, considering his mana pool had been running dry all day, and he didn't want to hurt the men.
The fighting ended abruptly as Thenaius spoke the final syllables with an energy he had lacked before. When he finished, a sudden flash of light stunned everyone, and noone noticed that the elves and half-orc had vanished."

BTW: Explode. syn: Flare up, blaze. I meant that you might enjoy success if you continued to improve your writing skill and put some confidence forward. That's all I meant by that, but now that you mentin it, something just might "explode."

I think Arching Blades meant the explosion in the story, but I could be wrong.

*/
Varall stood for a moment, bemused at the looks of confusion that entered the assinine faces of the footsoldiers. one of them, who was especially foolish looking, spoke,

"Uh captain, where did they go?"

The captain had a puzzled look on his face. Varall could see him pondering the issue, his mustache a-twitch. he slowly responded,

"Perhaps... they blinked away? That one in the middle looked like the magicky type, you should never truly trust those magic folk"

"But boss! only those Night Elves can Blink! Those hot wardens in that kinky armor and those bear things. None of those guys was a Nightelf; they all have purple skin and freaky hair. I would know, i was put into one of their units during the war"

A sudden crushing thought entered Varall's mind, it seems as if this "Mind-speak" was to be the choice mode of communication.

'DO NOT MAKE A SOUND! Just because we are unable to be seen does not prevent them from using their other senses. We shall not be able to sneak in, but we should be able to escape these humans with minimal injury to both us and them'

*/
{} denotes the asides of the humans
/*

{"Do you think it could have been burrow? I've heard of some of the enemy using that tactic"

"No boss, only the undead can burrow that fast, and besides we'd see a pile of dirt or something, right? None of those guys looked like they had croaked to me"}

'good' Varall thought to himself 'This opportunity will not be entirely wasted...' 'May I request that i take the lead? I think that the day will be a waste unless I manage to bash some of the pink skin's skulls in'

Varall could see the new elf, Tenaius was it?, shudder slightly, as if his suggestion was to barbaric to allow. It was strange, but it was at these times that Varall felt his orcish heritage emerge.

Varall could sense Kol's response 'Certainly, I will do more good in the back regardless. After they are alerted to our presence, I will be able to hold them at bay with my spear far more effectively than is possible with fists.'

{"Boss, maybe its an [invisibility potion!"

"Hey could it be that invidisiobilocity I've heard of? Those gobo stores sell potions that say that they will do that!"

"Wow boss, I wish I was as smart as you..."

"Maybe in time son, maybe in time. Surround the Area, we need to seal them off"}

Varall took the lead, wondering slightly why it was that he was able to see his companions if they were all invisible... or himself for that matter. Tenaius got behind him, still chanting softly, ever so softly, in order to maintain the channeled spell, and Kol slipped silently to the back of the small group, spear at the ready.

Varall charged silently forward, toward the south where the town lay. He swung his fists hard, knocking two of the soldiers out on impact, and then he came back to smash the heads of the next two together. Bedlam erupted in the soldiers as Varall and his companions reappeared outside the circle by the bodies of 4 soldiers. The captain shouted to his troops, urging them to capture Varall and his companions, but a sudden heat erupted in Varall's chest. 'Think they can catch me do they! I'll show them how fast we can be.'

It was as if the burdens of the last few days were free of them, and the companions felt their endurace restored (Tenaius was finally free of his hangover to his relief) and they ran as swiftly as if they had had a week's good rest. Quickly outdistancing their opponents, Varall and his companions slowed down. Tenaius looked over at Kol,

"Why didn't you tell me that you had Endurance Aura! Our escape could have been far more smooth if you had simply told me."

Kol looked surprised, "I have no such ability! Was it not you who cast the spell?"

Tenaius looked over at Varall, who was jogging along side the running elves, looking as if he had not exerted himself at all. "I certainly do not. The spell and its execution is a mystery to the sorcerer's of the elves. Indeed, only the orcs have a afinity for that particular spell. Now that i take a moment to observe, Varall, are you not in fact a pure human?"

"No" Varall said gruffly "My father was an orc, a chief of some sort, but that is irrelevant. I do not use magic nor do i have much respect for those who make their lives around it. The gate is ahead, if you could direct us to the location of our missing companions I would greatly appreciate it"

Good to see you, Count. Let's hurry up and get to Kar and Firessa so that Arching Blades can start posting again.

And Carigon, for future reference, Thenaius is not arrogant, though he does possess some high elf prejudices. He can be curious to the point of rudeness, however.

Here's Thenaius again:
Though it seemed like only moments before they reached Raignaton, Thenaius knew that time was running out. If they didn't discover the location, and soon, the divination spell he had cast would fade from his mind, something that would probably be in his best interests if the others did not find out. With Kol and Varall in close step, Thenaius led the way through the curving streets of Raignaton.
As they traveled, Thenaius allowed part of his mind draw back, to reflect upon his new companions. Kol seemed very noble to the mage, young, strong, and hot-blooded. But his eyes betrayed an age beyond his physique, and the mage found himself all the more curious about this charismatic outlaw.
Then there was Varall – Thenaius repressed a shudder. An orc and a human – even if it was only a human – was too disturbing to bear. Thenaius had had enough of orcs a long time ago, and now, he found himself forced to stand their barbaric, demon-enhanced nature again – even if it was only through heritage.
Whatever feelings Thenaius had for the half-orc, they seemed to be mutual. The warrior clearly did not trust the mage's powers, even seemed to despise them – a fact that was not lost on Thenaius. This would be a rough association indeed.
Thenaius stopped. Before him stood a small, crudely-built inn firmly entrenched between two larger businesses. There were clear sounds of argument coming from within, and over the sign had been laid a panel that simply stated:

Closed.

I sure hope that whoever's behind this didn't put a lot of thought into the disguise, Thenaius declared mentally, because it would gravely lower my opinion of the character. Out loud, he said, “We've arrived.�
“Thank you, Thenaius,� Kol said, “Everyone be ready for combat. I'll go in first.�
With a single kick, the door came crashing down, interrupting the two within from their conversation. The smaller of the pair, a wiry man with a beaked nose, squeaked and dove under the bar. The other, a huge pandaren dressed in simple clothes, simply turned to face them, smiling. It was not a comforting smile.
“You see what happens when you do not trust me to do what is asked?� he said matter-of-factly, “The job remains half-done.�
The quivering man hastened to speak on his master's defense, “Ss-sir Helisius is confident he can –“
“Confident? He must be very confident, indeed, if he allows them to walk into his very doorstep! No, I think he will fail, and more the fool he for not trusting in my skills.�
“You say you can take them?� the frail man asked, a small dose of anger temporarily taking the bite out of his fear. “Then take them now, with Tir's blessing!�
The huge pandaren paused, considering. It was a very intimidating pose – even through the fur, his thick musculature showed through, and he never took his eyes off the pair, assessing their strengths and weaknesses with a look. Even together, Thenaius found himself uncertain they could take the giant bear-man without some losses.
But the pandaren shook his head. “No, you made them your problem; so, your problem they will remain. If I fight them, it will be as I am winning the tournament.� With that, the pandaren departed with a gait revealing the hidden grace behind his bulk.
Suddenly finding himself alone with the three, the man broke. “Th-they're in the d-dungeonss-s within the ss-cellar!� he managed to say, pointing a quivering hand toward the back.
He spoke the truth; soon the three were on their way to the rescue of Kol's companions.
“Well,� Thenaius spoke up, albeit softly, “that was the easiest encounter I've ever been through. We didn't even have to say a word!�

Pherexio:
"'Those are the best ecounters fellow... the best indeed. Thither now! We must hurry!' Köl began to half-jog toward the cellar entrance. He paused when he heard an enormous thump.
When he looked behind him at the source of the noise, he noticed the thin man slumped in a corner, unconcious. Varall had decided to make sure they were unannounced.
The three descended into the cellar. The smell of old wine casks perforated the air, dusty kegs of ale gave off a weathered odour. All around them was the smell of aged alchohol. To Köl, it seemed pleasant, almost too pleasant. Varall hated the smell; his orc senses must have been going insane with all of the different aromas. Thenaius seemed at home, lost within a bottle. Something seemed wrong however.
Varall was growing very animated, and the two elves seemed almost melancholy.
Köl's vision grew dim. Barrels seemed hazy. Black dots began to swirl before his eyes. He detected something strange mixed with the smell of alcohol.
He passed out. Thenaius did as well. Varall became worried."

Defi:
"'A little strong for your tastes?' Helisius spoke triumphantly. 'Perhaps you whould investigate before rushing into things.' He turned the corner and silently cursed his techniciains. The half-orc was still awake, and seeemed ready to rip apart the very building he stood in.
'What have you done to them!?' Helisius cold detect the rage from the orc.
'Sulfer must upset orcs; I shall have to remember this.' Varall began to charge at him. 'I wouldn't do that halfbreed. Fourteen of the casks in this cellar are filled to the brim with an explosive powder that proved itself to be very effective.' Varall stopped short; even he understood how much exlosive it would take to wipe Ragnatan from all maps. 'It just so happens, that I can set them all off with a mere thought.' Varall stiffened. 'It is wise that you stop. I suggest you leave now, and save your life. Tir has no use for you.'
'I will not leave them.'
'Haha! A sporting man! Very well... If you can disarm all fourteen casks before I destroy Ragnatan... I'll let you go.'
'What!?'
'I was going to let you go, but now I can see you want it difficult. So here you are.' Five footmen clad in steel plates, wielding blades twice arm's length came striding into the cellar. 'Tick tock, tick tock.' Them men charged at Varall."

Karazai:
"'Did you hear that? Firessa! Firessa, wake up!' Kar shook the other elf awake. 'They're here! We must escape now!'
'Wha-- whos here? And how do we escape?'
'Köl is here! And I'll show you how we get out. Stand back from the door.' Kar walked over to the door and made a clicking noise with her tongue. A simple looking metal rod appeared in her hand. She began furiously trying to open the lock.
'What in the!? If you could do that all along, why did you wait until now?'
'Because, if we had gotten out before we could escape, they would have increased the measures keeping us in. Then I might not have been able to get us out. Drat! I never was very good at this!'
'Let me try.' Firessa walked to the door and began trying to unlock it. The sounds of fighting bove them continued, and seemed to intensify. Finally the bolt clicked and the door opened.
'Finally!'
'At last!' The two were jubilant at their escape. They looked around for their things and found them nowhere. Unfortunately, what they did find horrified them."

Hehe.... the evil foreshadowing strikes again!