Rhoekk signals the massive swordsman to take position should there be any threats outside the door.
"Fialain! Litheene's blood trail leads outside. I am going to open the portal; your assistance would be appreciated."
Once all the others that appear interested get into position, Rhoekk will raise his veil into position, and then open the door with his buckler hand.
"Of course Rhoekk." The apprentice nods and stands behind the other Aiel as he opens the door and peers out past him through the portal.
Sword in hand, the massive fighter takes a ready stance just to the side of the door. "Give the word to breach." he says to the others.
Ryland grips his stone sword an frowns.
Alathea nods grimly. "I am ready."
"On three," Ryvin says while she gathers flows of Air and Spirit. "One... two..."
As soon as the dome is lifted -- or at least altered so the group can get out without being smooshed by the tree -- Ryvin unleashes a blast of below-zero wind and snow.
" I hope she is alright, I mean she wasn't doing well but nothing like this..."She let is trail off as she looked down nervous as she let her had grip her sword hilt and waited.
"It is because of Amorial I suspect." Fia says grimly, still searching out beyond Rhoekk's shoulder.
reading their weapons, everyone resolves themselves to whatever neccesity may arise, from hoping to help a dear friend and travel companion to being forced to take kinetic action against said friend.
Ryland steps forward and grasps the door handle. breathing slowly, he looks at everyone, and with a final nod from Rhoekk, pulls the door open.
Immediately rhoekk leaps through the door clear to the other side of the 5 foot wide hall. He is quickly followed by chen and his massive girth and then Fia. Ryland steps out looking around and smelling.
Ryland immediately coughs and gags.
It's her, but not her. Her blood, it's tainted! He coughs again, bending over and retching.
Everyone stands still in shock as they see a scene from their deepest nightmares.
splashed across the walls is blood. Large volumes of blood. Bright red in some areas, and dark brown in others. Yet, you see something odd laying in the middle of the long hallway floor. you look closer and see not a single something odd, but multiple somethings. stepping closer, you see its shape. Small, pale in color, yet the ends with a polished look.
You see four individual fingers, torn from the hand.
Modling the dome to accomodate an opening for a person to run through, alathea steps out of the way and allows ryvin to step up and blast a massive cone of cold frost out. THe ice crystals instantly form, but due to the heat of the fire instantly turn to water. the water falls to the ground and extinguishes the flames, leaving another huge plume of steam to rise from the ground. a slight breeze pushes steam cloud away, revealing glowing coals upon the floor.
Argrand motions for the Aes Sedai and their Warders to come in his direction.
"Nothing to it but to do it, I suppose," Ryvin says, grimacing at the less-than-optimal effect of her weave.
Hoisting her skirts up to knee-height with one hand, blade of flame in the other, the Ebou Dari charges towards the stranger. Unfortunately, she does not quite manage to escape the ill effects of the embers; by the time she reaches the stranger, Ryvin is cursing sulphurously in the Old Tongue and rips the tatters of her boots off her blistered feet.
"Are you alright Aes Sedai?" he asks as Ryvin arrives.
"I am afraid I do not know a weave to heal your wounds. Tell me, what were you and your companions doing here and how did you get here?"
"I'm not Aes Sedai," Ryvin replies, squatting to rip the last smouldering strips of leather off her feet. "But you'd better be Asha'man, to be talking of using weaves, man. As for what we were doing -- running from Trollocs after trying to help someone reexperience a treasured childhood memory."
Analin runs across the hot coals with as much dignity as one can muster while hiking up one's skirts and sprinting. She shakes her head at Ryvin and the stranger as she passes them, headed for the portal. "We can talk when we're through the portal. Neither the forest nor the trollocs will wait for us to make introductions. Run!"
Argrand flips his collar showing Ryvin his Asha'man pin.
Argrand shrugs up on his horse, "Yes, I am fine with that. What portal are you speaking of? When we reach this place we should discuss how exactly you got here and why you are here?" He trots along with her as she moves.
With a better view of the group still by the tree he sees the wounded man.
"Do you wish my horse to carry your wounded?"
Argrand is dressed in the most recent Andoran fashions. As he dismounts from his horse both women can see the greatsword sheathed on his back is a Heron Marked Blade.
[spoiler=Rizzen]Will get to my Backstory this week no later that the weekend, last weekend got away from me.[/ooc]
Gritting her teeth against the pain, Alathea hobbles across the embers, following Ryvin's lead.
Carrying Dengorin is too much to allow Keelix to entirely avoid the coals. By the time he reaches safe ground, his boots are in smoking ruin and he is limping, though his face shows nothing of the pain.
Fia gathers the others near her quickly and whispers. "If this is not the work of some blight creature, then she has gone mad due to the bond with Amorial." She looks at Ryland then Rhoekk, catching each man's eye before continuing. "If my fear is right, I do not need tell you how dangerous she could be. We must move swiftly and silently to try to overtake her before she is aware we are here."
She grimaces.
"Which means I may have to not be holding the power or she will sense me. Rhoekk, you are quickest and the most stealthy here, you go first. Beckon us forward as it is clear. Ryland, guard me and be ready to aid him. Chen... you are far too noisome for this. You too Vala. This is not for someone in your condition. Stay here and listen for the sound of fighting in case we need you."
"Don't take chances. We'll try to knock her out before she knows we're back. We can speak with her afterwards."
"C'mere," Ryvin says, grabbing Alathea by the shoulder. An icy rush flows through the Red sister-in-waiting, and the worst blisters on her feet close, leaving only a dull ache.
"Do me, if you don't mind," Ryvin says, Air swirling around her. "Then use Air to make yourself some new shoes. We can't go barefoot in this mess."
Turning to Argrand, Ryvin squints in thought.
"Yeah, it'd be good if you could carry the wounded," she agrees. "Thanks."
Rhoekk nods but then pauses for a second, "I thought when the bond was broken, it was only the warders that went mad? After Dumai's Wells, there were many Aes Sedai there that had lost warders. I had heard the Aes Sedai became... despondent, but never mad. Regardless, I will take her down quickly, if it is indeed her. We should be prepared in case another party was involved."
Without a sound, Rhoekk vanishes forward, almost instantly disappearing from view.
"Thats the thing I dont feel anything?"Vala says looking at Rhoekk before she looks into the room and nods.
"Please if something has corrupted her make it swift she does not deserve less for someone so valiant" Vala continued on as she sheathed her weapon and stood at the door.In the back of her mind she tried to search for the connection she shared with Litheene.
Chen nodded at Fia. "Go with honor. Sound the call if need be." he said in his always serious ken.
He was probably as stealthy as was possible for a twelve foot monster in full plate, but no Ogier, and certainly no Deathwatch Guard, could match the speed and quiet grace of the Aiel. And one so trained in their ways as Rhoekk would pass unseen by all but the most observant of foes.
Ryland stands knells and examines the fingers with out touching them.
Perception
Dengorin stirs slightly as he is placed atop the horse, but remains unconscious.
as rhoekk moves down the stairs, chen and Vala settle back as ryland steps forwad and squats down over the fingers.
looking at the fingers, you see that parts of the bones that connect to the knuckles on the hand have been severed, and the skin and flesh has been peeled back, as if the person scraped back the flesh to expose the bone before removing it. the four fingers are that, fingers. you do not see a thumb.
as you look at the blood on the floor, you see that it has taken to an odd pattern. standing up, you see taht its a very unique pattern. its writting. and its in common
the heart and the lord shall beckon the Nine, and bend the Nine to their will
Chen and vala both glance about, keeping an eye on ryland and the rest of the hall, expecting something to leap out. as they stand ready, Chen spots something odd on one of the walls. tilting his head, he picks out letters and words amongst the blood spray.
when disproportion comes
the lord and heart must unite
with the betrayal
suddenly the bone jarring distortion that blurs your vision and leaves you slightly disorientated occurs. you need only a moment to realize that someone has just left through the front door.
"Let's move as quick as we can, to keep ahead of the fire," Ryvin suggests. "But no more bloody running. We'll kill ourselves if we try..."
Analin nods at Ryvin. "Agreed."
Ryland points to the blood trail. "It is written in blood there."
Stirring, Dengorin opens his eyes. His first surprise is that he was able to open them at all. His second, is that he was apparently on a horse. Looking about, he saw some of the people he had just met, as well as another man whom he had not. He did not see either Ogier, though, and several others were missing. Looking about, he asked, "Do we no be dead?" His voice was weak and thready, and he felt as though he'd been on a 5 day bender during the Festival of Lights.
Survival
Argrand remains silent seeing that the group has gone through quite the harrowing experience. Though once Dengorin stirs on his horse he responds, "Not dead yet Borderlander. I sincerely hope we are not dying any time soon. Logain will have my head if I fail at my mission".
"I do no be a Borderlander. I do be from Illian, and my name be Dengorin Kaltaneos. Wait, you do no mean the false Dragon Logain? He do be dead! The Aes Sedai did take away his ability to channel and execute him." A little passion seems to come into his voice, though it is weak, clearly a shadow of however he would have spoken before.
"The same. His abilities were restored! Yes, I know it is hard to believe but it is possible it seems to be restored".
Alathea nods at Ryvin's suggestion, but is too tired to speak. Instead, she draws upon the One Power and to hurriedly heal Ryvin.
At the lurching of reality, Rhoekk's eyes widen, and then narrow as he rushes towards the front entrance. Images of all the worst case scenarios flit through his mind, from Trollocs rushing in the entrance, to someone waiting in ambush to see who comes running in heedlessly. He grips his spear, and keeps his buckler ready as he dashes into the vestibule.
you rush forward, and as the door swings shut, you catch a glimpse of Litheene disappear from sight.
Pausing for a split second, Rhoekk turns his head and calls back, "She has left the sanctuary; I will pursue her!"
Hoping that the closed door and strange nature of the place enabled him to call out as he did without giving away his presence on her heels, Rhoekk then pulls open the door in pursuit of the mad woman.
Vala stood semi frozen trying to figure out what exactly was happening. She blinked at Rhoekks' call but still did not move.
Struggling with the strange void she spoke."I can't..can
't feel her? Litheene has left me?"
Fia frowns down at the blood writing and shakes her head. The words made less than no sense to her and seemed to confirm Rhoekk’s assertion that someone else may have been here, for this did not sound like Litheene, mad or no. What was this nonsense about ‘lords’ and ‘the nine’??
Just then, however, she felt the air lurch about her, and heard Rhoekk’s call that he had found her leaving a moment later. Perhaps it was her after all? There was no answer here. She looks up, lifts her very annoying skirts up and nimbly sidesteps the gore as she begins to run towards the sound of Rhoekk’s voice, which must have been by the entrance. ”Come on!” she calls back to the others.
the familiar lurch and blurred vision hits everyone except rhoekk, who opened the door.
Looking out beyond the door, into the world beyond, you see a tide of Trollocs for as far as the eye can see.
Trollocs, Myrddraal, Dreadlords, Draghkar, Darkhounds, and other lumbering types of shadowspawn that do not have a name flow across the land further into the misty mountains.
A flash of fabric catches your attention to your left, and you focus on it. you see it belong to Litheene. She doesnt acknowledge anyone or anything that is happening arround her.
A black vertical line appears in front of her, and suddenly opens into a gateway. On the otherside you see white houses set upon a narrow road. Cobble stones pave the road, and people move about the city streets.
Litheene steps through the opening, causing those around her to gasp at her sudden appearance. she pays them no heed as she steps through. A short distance away you see several guardsmen with the white flame of Tar Valon set upon their jerkins begin to approach her.
The opening begins to close itself shut...
Fia and the rest get to the bottom of the stairs and see rhoekk standing in the doorway. beyond him is the color black.
With fire blazing around, the group left behind begin the long trek back to the tree where the portal had opened.
moving carefully to avoid that largest conflagrations, landa leads the group on a windy path that, while hot, isnt life threatening.
as you move about the forest fire, you notice that the trees that are afflicted with the blight burn much faster, depending on how much taint there is upon the tree. like throwing a lit candle into a bucket of lamp oil.
Eyes widening at the stranger's words, Dengorun shouts, "Restored!? Do no sound glad about that, man! He'll go mad and destroy the world! We must no go near him, else he will surely kill us!"
Fearfully avoiding the eye of the man who follows Logain, Dengorin studied the land around him, and in doing so, he noticed that the trees tainted with the Blight burned more quickly than the normal trees. Fortune prick me, I do no like this place.
Argrand chuckles, "Mad? We all go a little mad... sometimes".
Argrand removes his coat and slings it over the back of the saddle, without it on, Dengorin can clearly see the Asha'man pin on Argrand's lapel.
"Fortune prick me, it do be hot, but I will no be taking off my coat while in this place."
Noting the nicely enameled pin, he thought the man had good taste in fashion, if not in choice of leader.
Keelix, trying to ignore both heat and burned, bare feet, struggles to keep up. Only the fact that he moves more easily through the forest than the others do allows him to keep the pace that Landa sets.
"Hang on," Ryvin says, finally noticing Keelix' discomfort.
The Ebou Dari lays a hand on her Warder's arm, looks him in the eye -- and nods. "Better," she says before moving on.
Keelix smiles a slight smile, "Thank you, Ryvin."