Frowning at the closing tear, Analin pulls against Argrand's arm. "A moment, Warder Argrand!"
Keelix freezes, torn between two duties. He turns to Vala, and the conflict is plain to see in his face, "He knows where the Dragon is, and can take me there. But he can only take me."
With a roar Chen pounds up the air stairs, hoping to scare the upper inhabitants into not stampeding down until he and Ryvin were up.
Jasmine looks at Keelix and says You must go, he is too important. We will be fine and I will guard your child with my life while Vala, and Fia guard me.
Vala looks at Keelix and smiles."Go we are fine, I mean I am no novice of blades. Go save the dragon, we three shall protect Litheene. She will be safe I swear"
Keelix steps forward to embrace Vala fiercely, and takes his shortsword and its scabbard from his belt as he steps back from her, "I will go to him, but take this. It is better than nothing. Stay safe!"
With that he turns back to the Wolf.
With a roar of a thousand men seeking retribution in battle, Chen charges up the stairs as if he was a god of war! Men and women, novice and Aes Sedai alike, guardsmen and servants, all quail and flounder out of the way of the hulking behemouth as it charges up the air stairs.
Several of the more shocked humans see this terrible visage and find that it would be better to jump to the next landing.
As they leap, Ryvin swears a curse and creates a massive air slide to guide the people to the landing they were on.
Ryland grunts in annoyance. we must hurry. I hear the Wolf speaking to Longfang, and they are moving this way fast
Sprinting up the stairs, no one shows any sign of distress or fatigue. Shock, amazement, stress all provide a lift to their energy to get them up the stairs.
This way! hurry Both Ryvin and Ryland speak out at the same time, one from personal knowledge, one from a beckoning.
Everyone turns and Rushes down the hall towards two very large, very solid, Granite doors. Iron straps and rivets reinforce this already impressive door.
Well, this is different Ryvin says, as she compares her worlds Amyrlin chamber doors to this worlds.
With a sudden burst of pain appearing within everyone's head, The Wolf and Keelix appear, standing next to everyone.
Before everyone can react to the sudden appearance of almost everyone brought together, the Tower groans and dust filters from the ceiling.
The iron straps appear to rapidly rust, and the stone work itself begins to crack and crumble at the same pace.
THe door frame that holds up these large doors, and the walls and ceiling above by the door, also suffer from the same degradation.
Hello! is anyone down here? a voice calls out. a flicker of light shows someone bearing a torch into the basement of the tower.
"We can batter it down," Ryvin says after the first moment of shock. "Chen, the woman who is in there can channel and must be strong, to qualify for Amyrlin. She may have others with her. Will you take point? Overwhelm and overawe them. No killing unless they won't startle bad enough for us to get what we came for.
Ryland, Keelix, I need you to screen me. If I'm Shielded, we're in deep sheepdip. If we can grab the Dragon, I can weave a Gateway. ... This means these women will learn the weave, but we'll have to burn that bridge when we come to it."
Keelix glances at Ryvin, his movement still showing deep exhaustion, "I am still badly wounded, Ryvin, and the wolf dream took its toll. Though I will do my utmost." With that he raises his greatsword to a low guard.
Argrnd pauses for exactly a split second before he picks up the Aes Sedai and slings her over his shoulder running for the nearest stairwell, "That's enough time, we need to get away from her!"
Ryland growls and nods his head. "I will do what needs to be done."
Analin growls as she realizes what must have just happened. "She was one of the Forsaken! Light blind her!" The blonde Aes Sedai turns for the doors. "We probably won't make it out of the Tower before this place shakes down around us. Stay close; I can ward us against rubble and falling, but you will need to be within arm's reach of me."
"No, we need to go one level down, now!"
A loud groan and the grate of stone drowns out any thoughts and sounds. Several of the support columns buckle and fall over, turning to ash as they hit the ground.
Blood and ashes! Let's get out of here! a man screams as the sounds subside.
No! we do our duty! We search the lower hall! Another man says.
The Dark One take them, I am out of here! the man screams is silent then, as another groan fills the air.
-YOU HEAR ME! I WILL HAVE YOUR COWARDLY HEAD FOR THIS MICKLY! the man screams can be heard as the noise subsides.
Argrand goes to grab Analin and carry her out of harms way, but she puts her hands out and stops him. Analin growls as she realizes what must have just happened. She was one of the Forsaken! Light blind her!" The blonde Aes Sedai turns for the doors. "We probably won't make it out of the Tower before this place shakes down around us. Stay close; I can ward us against rubble and falling, but you will need to be within arm's reach of me.
As if suiting words to action, the Tower groans and gives a very noticable shift as it leans slightly to the east. Some trays and platters shift a bit as the tower leans, but otherwise it isnt a very large shift.
Argrand and Analin only have time to look at each other as they both suddenly drop through the floor as it turns into dust beneath their feet.
They yelp in surprise and fall to the floor below. before they both can channel some soft of aide for themselves, they are suddenly swallowed up by grainy gritty blankets.
a quick struggle and they are able to help each other stand up and look about the room.
Analin's face suddenly grows red, and then her mouth drops in shock.
we are in the Amyrlin's bedroom! She whispers
looking about the room is a sight of luxury all around. The bed, now broken, appears to be a large 4 posted king size bed with goose down mattress and pillows, red velvet blanket and sheets. The large carpet on the floor is red overlain with gold symbols of the amyrlin seal. The chairs, couches, loungers, all denote a shade of red.
Hanging upon the walls are several tapestries and portraits. THe portraits are those of the old Amyrlin's from olden time.
you all hear, from your positions, shouting.
A woman shouts.
another woman shouts.
the original woman shouts back.
a man shouts loudly!
Argrand turns to Analin, "That is the Dragon you hear, come we must help him escape, our own lives be damned!"
This time he makes no attempt to bring her with him, before he dies, Argrand will lay eyes on the man he has sworn his life to! He draws his Heroin marked blade and rushes to the sound of the voices.
Fia gapes with shock for a moment then looks at Jasmine questioningly. The tower groans above them, dust filtering down from the ceiling. ”We need to go before this place comes down upon our heads.” There was a twinge as she thought of Ryland above. She hoped he and the others would be fine. But she had to get the child and Vala out first before she could worry about that. Quietly she leans in close to Jasmine
Then she leads the way out of the room.
"Let us get out of here. When clear we can regroup and hopefully get back to saving the Dragon!" She says her face becoming stern as she staggers but begins to move forwards the exit. She made sure litheene was near and smiled as she looked at her before she continued moving shaking her body still not fully read for this.
Ryvin reaches out and lays her free hand on Keelix. A surge of health floods into the wolf-eyed Warder; not enough to fix everything, but enough to take the worst edge off.
"Best I can do for you right now. Alright, gentlemen... Let's take it away! Knock the door down!"
Jasmine says to the girl We are here child but you must leave quickly, the tower is not stable.
Ryland snarls and throws himself at the door.
Str :
Analin flops out of the bed and turns toward the shouting. "Argrand, Landa, free the Dragon if we find him."
The two ladies scream at each other, while the man moans NO! over and over again.
He is too powerful! he is consuming me! one of the ladies says in a hesterical scream
He is just a man! Beat him back! the other lady, more mature, older, the sound of experience coming through her tone, berates the other woman.
I cannot! he has me! He is entering my mind! the first lady screams, and both her and the man both scream at the same time the same word NO
The back door to the Amyrlin's private chamber flies open and out rush two men and a woman, an Aes Sedai.
The older woman, The Amylrin, looks at the Aes Sedai. Analin! Quick to me!
The large front doors explode into dust as another man flies through them as if they were dust balls. He looses his balance, expecting resistance, and rolls, but quickly leaps to his feet, his fangs bared.
Others run in, Another Aes Sedai, a woman, another man, and an Ogier.
You! Eladia screams loudly, kicking Alviarin to bring some sort of sense to her. The kick cuts the scream short and a momentary sanity returns to her eyes.
Alviarin, shocked beyond belief as to what has happened, snaps off the black band that hangs upon her wrist and let's it fall. It drops shortly but is then held up by a thin silver braid about five feet long. Alviarin rolls along the floor scrambles behind a sitting couch, hidden from view.
[ooc]the basement[/b]
The Toddler, litheene, reaches out her hand and grasps her mothers hand.
The Soldier, done screaming, turns and looks down the hall. SHock appears on his face as he sees three women and a child appear from the dust filled corridor, looking like apparitions.
Please! come quick! the man runs down the hall and approaches the small group.
The building is collapsing! we must go! he says, reaching down and picking up Litheene, who smiles and kisses him on the cheek.
Holding the child by one hand, the soldier grasps Vala's arm. Come, follow me.
And he begins to lead the 4 of you up to the stairs.
Inside a Wilder's mind, time seems to freeze for a moment. Then her thoughts race to a hideous conclusion, based on what she just saw. Hideous - but with an easy enough solution.
"Get that band off her wrist," Ryvin says as she flings a weave at both Elaida and the man she is tormenting. "Cut it off of her if you have to!"
The weave starts to take shape around Elaida and who Ryvin assumes must be the Dragon Reborn: a Ward Against the One Power!
Argrand charges at the Dragon and tries to cut the silver braid with his Heron Marked Blade, "Foul magic!"
Melee Attack #1
Damage
Melee Attack #2
Damage
Jasmine nods and begins to move with the child Keep your sword handy Vala. I have the little one.
Keelix's blade sweeps up and he rushes forward. The blade whistles through the air as Keelix aims at the slender silver braid.
Vala smiles at litheene and nods as she heads towards the man. Despite all that happened it appeared that she and her daughter would be safe and able to live together with out it being more torturous than it has to be.
When Jasmine speaks Vala looks to her and nods." I would love to but swords i do not have. they were taken when I came to the hall" she said gripping her daughter's hand more firmly as she lead them to the man
Jasmine nods and says with a tired laugh, My apologies, apparently I am seeing swords where there are none due to my weariness from working that weave.
Vala smiles at litheene and nods as she heads towards the man. Despite all that happened it appeared that she and her daughter would be safe and able to live together with out it being more torturous than it has to be.
When Jasmine speaks Vala looks to her and nods." I would love to but swords i do not have. they were taken when I came to the hall" she said gripping her daughter's hand more firmly as she lead them to the man
Keelix steps forward to embrace Vala fiercely, and takes his shortsword and its scabbard from his belt as he steps back from her, "I will go to him, but take this. It is better than nothing. Stay safe!"
With that he turns back to the Wolf.
The man howls again, anger and rage, and then he stops. It is quiet.
He blinks, and his gaze focuses upon what is in front of him.
He stares down at the strange weight upon his neck.
A hand, bound at the wrist by the dreaded black bracelet, hangs by the silver braid.
Looking up, he sees two men standing before him, breathing, but wary.
Looking in front of him, he sees a woman, dressed in red.
The stump of what was her arm remains outstretched as it pumps blood out with each heartbeath. The cuts from the power swords so perfect, so clean, that several more heartbeats pass before she feels the sudden pain of loosing her arm at the elbow.
His hand raises up, and he points a finger at the woman in red.
He breathes, calmly, detached.
a beam of liquid light connects his finger to her, and suddenly she is gone. The blood from her arm disappears from sight.
The room begins to shift slightly, leaning, slight at first, but more pronounced...
Running up the long incline, Fia, for once, doesnt have to hold back to allow the others to keep up with her. For once, they run just as fast as she does, at full sprint!
The columns crumble to dust beneath them, causing the tower to shift to the West.
The floor behind them crumbles to dust as they rush up, and enter the landing with the main exit.
hurry! the guard, carrying the child, shouts as they make for the door.
the ceiling crumbles around them, 1-ton chunks of masonry and plaster fall around them, crushing everything around them.
The group, with an eye to the ceiling, deftly dodges around the large falling debris, but are showered with numerous shards of stone and rock. cuts upon the skin, and shrapnel lodged within the body, the group staggers out of the building and, with the help of some other brave soldiers, are dragged further away from the Tower.
The White Tower, the pillar of Civilization for Thousands of years, leans to the West as it's foundation and intermittent levels are destroyed. The more destruction, the further it leans, until finally it passes the critical point and begins to collapse.
Like a stone falling from a child's hand, the Tower drops to the ground with a roar heard throughout the land. Massive dust clouds billow up into the air, coating everything with the dust. Small and large rocks fall from higher up rebound off the ground and crash within the vicinity, causing further carnage and chaos.
People stand in shock...
The White Tower is destroyed.
"It's falling..."
As everything starts to go right to the Pit of Doom, Ryvin channels.
"We need to get out!"
A line of light appears, turns, and widens into a window leading elsewhere.
"Everybody pile through!" Ryvin howls. "Through the gateway! For the Light's sake, HURRY!"
Keelix extends a hand to the man on the ground, "My Lord Dragon, I presume. Please forgive my presumption." He then seizes the man's outstretched hand and hauls him to his feet, dragging the Dragon after him as he plunges through the gateway, "Ryvin! Get through! You can hold it from the other side!"
"I'm not even sure where we're going! I just opened a door!" Ryvin shouts. "Keelix, wait! Ryland! Chen! We need a vanguard! We can't risk the Dragon Reborn!"
Argrand sheathes his blade and grabs the Dragon's legs to assist Keelix with helping him through the portal that Ryvin has created, "Come quickly Analin Sedai!" He hustles through holding the man he has sworn to follow having not even formally met him yet.