The wind picks up, from a slight breeze to something stronger. Instead of howling, it seems to caress, to sooth, to desire. the voices intensify in their meloncholic description of desire for warmth of flesh, of ripeness of emotions, the tartness of sanity.
you rush up the long bridge, the lone lantern flashing and bouncing on Lazar's staff, the light casting a fitful glow, barely able to see the bridge below your feet. the faint white line grows fitfull, chipped and flaking away.
It's the flaking paint, suddenly gone from the stone below, that is your only warning that something equally dangerous will affect you. All of you glance up, and the singe lanterns glow cast aside the darkness (and the wind) long enough to show a gap in the bridge. A ten foot gap, across is salvation from Machin shin, but falling through that gap indicates either a short death from the black wind, or the long fall into nothingness beyond....
"I'm going for it, some help the mounts or at least throw the gear down after, " Lazar says as he lifts the lantern up high and goes for the leap.
Ceirn leaps!
Hot on the heels of Navarre, the horses leap the gap...
the sudden impact upon the bridge of both horses causes some of the stones to give away. With a horrific neigh, one of the horses falls with the stones, its scream sounding disjointed in the vastness of the Ways.
However, with the horse sudden fall, the Black Wind blows away from the group. A moment later, it's presence is revealed as the horses scream suddenly rises to a trill and suddenly cuts off!
You rush down the bridge and quickly find the white path. you follow it to the island that stands before the large opening of a Gateway. Luckily, you spot the Avendesora leaf still resting within the Gateway doors itself.
"MY PACK MULE!!!!"Lazar says as he drops to his knees and cries! He then stands up and remembers the evil wind and doubles his effort.
Lazar fiddles with the leaf and looks back, a tear fr his mule and equipment as he then looks at the others."Gates open let's get outta here!"
Ceirn goes through.
Once the others leave, Lazar runs the back of his flat fingers chin in a salute that many consider quite obscene. After that, he then walks into the portal and on the other side shifts and moves the leaf back in place closing the portal.
You plunge through the Gate, the icy freeze of transitioning between worlds (perhaps through worlds?) flashes over your, taking forever to move through your body, yet only lasted only an instant.
Whereas other Gateways all of them, there is a mound of earth, or a platform that allows someone to step through without stepping up or down.
this Gateway though, there is a sudden step down.
A two foot drop forces all three of you to sprawl out and stumble, hoping to retain your feet.
Around you loom tall, rocky mountains, large streaks of marble veining through granite peaks. Shrubs and scrub grass grow wherever a perch, a crack, a crag, anything that can accumulate dirt and water can provide nutrients for the vegetation. further around, thick clumps of stunted pine and cedar trees grow, several of them twisted and contorted due to winds and sun patterns.
You notice that a road, rather a hard packed trail runs several feet from beyond the Gate, perpendicular to the entrance. The path rounds a narrow corner to the left, and appears to follow a narrow ledge up further into the mountains.
Clouds are thick in the air above, dark, gray, rolling with activity. A flash of light illuminates the air mass above your heads, and a moment later the intense explosion of thunder hammers through the mountain pass. another light flash, followed immediately by another explosion of thunder! The very rock you stand upon shakes and vibrates with each retort. Your ears scream in agony from the intense assault, any sound is drowned out by the concussive blasts.
Adding to the confusion, you spot a young woman dressed in an odd brownish white dress sprinting down around the upward curve of the path. Her arms pump up and down, her legs fully stretched out, kicking up her dress, flashing brown slippers. Her hair flows behind her, and even from this extreme of distance, you can easily tell that she is running for her life from whatever is around the corner of the pass.
Ceirn quickly pulls his veil into place and crouches down pulling out a wooden knife.
Lazar step backwards into the portal.
He manages to step back and down with little issue. It was oddly smooth for a man like him. As he reconstitutes to the outside world he sees a woman running and works to get the lantern off the end of his staff."I think troubles coming our way lads"
The domani man finally gets the lantern off and sets it diwn while working his staff, making sure it was still fine. Readjusting for balance he smiles and looks to Navarre the. To Ceirn.
" Ill secure the woman you two, hold off whatever is chasing her+" the man says with a chuckle
the woman screams out at the top of her lungs, a sound that barely hits your ear as another thubderclap overwhelms the sound.
The horse settles into an alert posture,his gaze focused upon the woman voming towards you, ears laid back.
Lazar whirls his staff abs rhen reahmched out his hand goinf to the womans shoulder.[b]"Dont fret we can protector The big guy on the horse is a warrior of no real reknown and the other is an Aeil! Well be fine!" Lazar says leaving himself out of it.
"Get to cover!" the woman says loudly, squirming ineffectually in Lazar's grasp. "It is not blades that follow!"
Her plain brown hair is disheveled and her face somewhat gaunt—she seems to be somewhat deprived, perhaps from too long on the road, or becoming lost in the mountains.
"Did you not hear the thunder? That lightning is not natural!" she says, breathing hard.
Lazar looks about and then takes a deep breath.
As he does he looks to rhe woman and raises a brow. He keeps his rhoughts to himself bur looks about for anythinf thay can protect from thw lighting.
"Ceirn we need shelter from the storm, so.ething that Lighting cant easily breech!" the Domani says placing a hans on his hat.
"There is a male channeler coming." Ceirn warns as he shifts away from the others and then works to create a weave on his wooden dagger before tying it off.
" So thats what it smells like" Lazar says and sighs as he looks about at rhe terrian. He then foes to find a place to hide. He was better at striking from the shadows. Let Ceirn and Navarre soften him up.
Of course that's a man channeling! That's definitely not a woman! the woman snaps off angrily.
You dont understand! there is a man. an injured man! Back up the pass! Noleem's time is short! she shouts loudly, grasping at navarres arm and pulling hard, a desperation to her urging. Please! she begs, tears flowing down her eyes.
The woman turns to look back up the mountainside and points.
"That way—but I do not know if he has escaped the lightning."
" Great, Just Bloody great!"He says drom his hidinf spot and then moves heading towards the snell rethinking his lige.
Ceirn also begins moving forwards stealthily.
As you approach the gap, the wind begins to pick up. It howls and screams though the narrow gap. A fine mist begins to form in the air.
[ooc]you can make a weavesight check.
Perhaps unexpectedly, the woman turns back toward the mountain. "I'm not leaving Noleem behind. But we can't get caught out in the open with that storm!"
Ceirn grasps Lazar's shoulder, and gently tugs him back a step. When Lazar looks back at him, ceirn simply motions the man to stay still a moment.
Ceirn, holding close to the cliff wall, and pushing through the driving rain, sneaks around the bend.
With the rain and the wind, along with his Caidin'sor, Ceirn seems to be absorbed into the rock wall. THunder and lightning hammer face narrow gap, the lightning seeming to crack and snap more and more.
Between lighting bolts, between the thunderclaps, Ceirn just appears.
He leans in close to Navarre and Lazar to be heard.
There's a man. He stands without pants atop a rocky outcrop. Must be 20 feet tall above the ground. Around him, on the ground, the rock looks... the aielman lifts his hand, a confused look on his face. I know not what it is, but the rock looks like wetlander water. he moves his hand in an up and down undulation. I saw your children once, throwing rocks into a large water. What's the word? Pond? Into a large basin. the way the water moved, the up down. the rocks here, have that. He proceeds to describe the layout of the beyond as best he could, with Jocasta adding key details
" Ceirn and I should avoid that rock stuff get to those trees and then try and attack the hooded guy. The. We can save our bookkeeper. Or someone saves Norm and the rest of us attack the channeler." he says as he slips the staff into the crux of his arms and then checks his knives. His many many knives
The woman crouches near one of the stones to make herself a smaller target. "He can't maintain the lightning strikes forever... can he?" she says.
Ceirn nods once.
Lazar and i sneak to the trees. Slow count to 10, Navarre, then come up the gap. MIss the wiel looks at Jocasta, You look as if the wise ones took you to task for being too stubborn. It is good to care for another, but in this task, it may be best for you to wait here. should we fail, you can still ride down the trail with the horse and get help.
Not waiting for a reply from jocasta, Ceirn looks at Lazar. Let us go dance with this man.
and he slips off...
" Solid plan, savw the dancing, I dont think he is up for it!" Lazar smiles as he the. Slips into the surroundings.
Ceirn moves stealthily into position.
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