NationStates Jolt Archive

A young woman sat upon a large flat boulder over-looking the river that borders Vorena and Khadrim. It had been agreed that the leader of Vorena would meet one of the council members here and then would be guided to the dragonic mountains where the gathering of leaders would be held.

Although she appeared to be an ordinary young woman clad in light golden robes, Ryath was quite the opposite. Thousands of years lay behind her path as a golden dragon and a council member. She prefered to meet other humans in this form so as to not intimidate her allies, and it was more convenient in many cases. With an unlimited patience, she continued to wait in the warmth of the daylight.
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Bifrost grumbled angrily as he sat upon the other side of the mountain range dividing Mar-nu-Falmar and Khadrim. He had arrived surprisingly early and had been waiting for several hours for the leader of Mar-nu-Falmar to make an appearance. He was to play guide through the dwarven tunnels of the mountain range until he reached the dragonic mountains, where everyone would meet.

The stocky dwarf sharpened his battle axe with a whetstone whilst he waited. He hated being idle, especially for hours on end. Once the guests arrived, he would be sure to get through the mountain as fast as his short legs could take him.

Princess Vorina looked at the figure of the young woman waiting at the large flat boulder over-looking the river as she rode her Vorenan Battle steed. Around her there was an small escort half an dozen light knights along an score of Vorenan light calvary and horse archers. It would seem at frist to be rather an heavy escort however as they came closer it could be seen that their clothing and armor had dried blood on them and their clothing was torn, it was ovious the Vorenan delgation had been attacked several times before coming to the meeting place.

#tagged...

Ryath calmly stepped off the rock and approached the Vorenian group. Although she only took a few steps, the golden dragon now stood directly in front of the Princess. With the practiced grace of royalty, Ryath bowed her head to her guests.

"Greetings princess. It is sad to see you hade to struggle to make the destination, perhaps I can be of service with my healing abilities?"

Princess Vorina sighed warly and nodded as the group came to an stop. Her chainmail was stained black with icor and her clothing was torn in places. "That would be welcome, something has gotten the grass goblins scared enough to come out during the day out of their barrows, the monsters are roaming away from the ancient ruins, nightmares have been spotted at night roaming the plains, and the barrow wrights have become active, the journey was not pleasant I am indeed afraid. Any aid would be welcome, I am glad we have arrived at all, things have become most dangerous in the realm as of late."

The sun began to rise over the Alqualonde Palace, the while marble walls catching and reflecting the fingers of light across the city. The people awoke and the slowly growing bustle of everyday life seeped into the once quiet streets, until they sang to the voices of the young and the old, as they played or carried out their chores.

Deep inside the Palace, the morning light shone through the huge window in the main audience chamber. The statue of Kementari stood in all her glory, watching over the three men that stood in the room, one of whom was preparing to travel, his long travelling cloak spoiling the otherwise identical outfits the men wore.

Lord Hallacar straightened the long flowing material around his body, his movements causing it to bellow out around him, before settling loosely about his form, the hem brushing lightly across the ground. His companions, Lord Cirdan and Lord Vardamir watched with varying degrees of interest.

Suddenly all three men were drawn to the sound of a door opening, and their eyes fell upon the graceful woman, dressed entirely in white, who entered the room. Her gown seemed to shimmer with a thousand stars as she walked, the sunlight reflecting off the her golden hair.

As she neared, the three Lords all bowed their heads and fell to their knee. Returning to a standing position as she spoke. “My Lords, today we set upon a journey of allegiance, one that will strengthen our ties to our neighbours.” She smiled at the three men, until her eyes fell upon Lord Hallacar and lingered. “Lord Hallacar, you are the messenger of Mar-nu-Falmar. Speak in my name, and bring about a friendship between Khadrim, Vorena and me.” She leant forward and pressed her lips to his right cheek, and then the left. “May the light of Kementari lead you.”

As if a signal, the three men bowed their heads, as they stood upright again, Lord Hallacar smiled to Lady Inzilbeth and began his walk to the main doors. His companions and the ruler of Mar-nu-Falmar watched him until he disappeared out of sight.

* * * * *

The journey had been slow and arduous. A column of mounted soldiers, thirty in total, accompanied Lord Hallacar on his journey to Khadrim. He was not the best of horsemen, preferring to remain within the confines of the city and allow others to bring him back news from around Daegor.

As they neared the border, one of the soldiers broke formation and rode up alongside Hallacar. “My Lord, upon the ridge there, I think that is our guide.”

Squinting into the distance, Lord Hallacar could just make out the form of a man, who seemed to be holding an axe. “Yes, it does appear to be, but we should be weary, to many times have travellers been ambushed by what appears to be only a single man.”

The party edged slowly towards the point where the man waited, the soldiers alert and looking for signs of trouble; their weapons within easy reach. As they got near enough to discern the man’s features, Lord Hallacar called out. “Greetings. We come from Nin-in-Eilph, on behalf of Lady Inzilbeth, glorious Guardian of Mar-nu-Falmar.”

Ryath released a warm smile that seemed to lighten the mood slightly.

"I see, this is troubling news indeed. I shall definitely mention this to outposts upon the borders. Now, as for the healing..."

Rayth stepped back a little and jumped gracefully back onto her rock, allowing her a view of all the men within the party. The wounds varied in degree, but none appeared to be fatal within the immediate future. This wouldn't be any trouble to heal.

The young woman spread her arms in a circle, encompassing the princess and her soldiers. A soft golden glow erupted around her figure, which quickl spread around the Vorenian visitors. A slight tingling feeling came over the soldiers and princess as their bodie's healing process was dramatically sped up. Within five minutes, all wounds were closed.

"That should do it. You will be experiencing a larger appetite than usual to compensate for the energies used to by your body to heal, but no harm will come of it. If any of you have any further problems, don't hesitate to ask me."
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Bifrost finally rose to his feet when he noticed the guests approaching him. He was angry that he had to wait so long, but he was not about to take it out on his guests, diplomacy was an important virtue in his profession.

Bifrost rose the arm holding the axe, yet the weapon was lazily gripped and obviously not a threatening gesture.

"Greetings, I am Bifrost of the High Council. I'll be your guide through the tunnels and to the gathering. I trust your travels were easy and without peril?"

Lord Hallacar looked at their guide and nodded slowly, as a smile broke out upon his face. “Bifrost, we are most honoured to have you here to aid us on our journey.” He could sense the guards behind him begin to settle down, their hands moving away from their weapons, but not enough to slow their movements if this was some form of a trap. “I am pleased to say that our journey was uneventful, otherwise you might have been waiting here far longer for our arrival.”

A grin also emerged from behind the dwarven beared.

"That is good, I was getting bored after having sharpened all my weapons. Shall we continue?"

Bifrost indicated the large entrance into the dwarven tunnels of the mountains, waiting to be travelled.

Looking ahead to where Bifrost had indicated, Lord Hallacar nodded his head for the dwarf to lead the way. Behind him, he could hear the rustling of chain mail and the clank of metal, as the soldier readied themselves to leave. He turned to his companion. “I imagine that as important as sharpening a weapon is, a tedium could arise from excess practice. I am glad that we arrived when we did.” He chuckled slightly. “Please, lead on.”

Princess Lorina nodded along with the rest of her party in gratutude. "Thank you, I am glad to arrive, the monsters have not been so bad since the ancient darkness that shall not be named returned during my father's reign and nearly covered all the realm in darkness. It is troubled times we live in and the realm of the Light Lord and the Shadow Queen. But still we have arrived and I have hopes the rest of the journey will be less eventful."

Bifrost nodded.

"That is indeed true my friend, tis good to be moving now."

The dwarf made his way to the massive entrance rather quickly for his kind and disappeared into the darkness for a moment. The cavern was extremely large for dwarven standards, for the main reason of accomodating humans and other such creatures.

Without warning the tunnel lit up with the soft, illuminating glow of several lamp crystals lined across the walls. There was no flame involved, but those that visited the tunnels could usually sense the magic within the place. The dwarves were perhaps the weakest magic users in Khadrim, but they still found uses for it when applying their great technological abilities to the situation.

"Come, it will take us the better part of the day to make it through the mountains, then we shall camp near the woods on the other side."
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Ryath nodded in understanding.

"There is little to worry about in these lands, save for some unsavoury creatures within the Tainted Wood. We have one day of conventional travel ahead of us, then we shall be using.... faster means."

The young woman slipped off the rock once again and took up a position next to the princess as she led the party down a commonly used dirt road.

"So how fairs things in your land princess?"

Princess Lorina spoke. "The Tainted Wood that was where that accursed ancient undead knight finally met defeat was it not. My land has besides monsters becoming greatly active has been well, the herds are thriving on the great Vorenan plain, the farming is good and the mines have not been enfested with monsters as of yet. The Trade Caravans taking our famed horses, weapons and armor are mostly making it across the plains and northern and southern mountains to other lands though there has been more attacks on them than in some time."

Ryath nodded at the comment about the undead knight.

"That is indeed the place he met his end, unfortunately it was not without cost to the land. The wood is forever corrupted due to his works within, it is a place of darkness that not even we can heal."

The path continued to wind as it moved into a valley of long grass.

"It is good to hear things fare well in spite of the evils within our world. Although there has not been much activity from tainted creatures, we suspect something may be about to happen. I think it is an issue we should bring to discussion upon our gathering, perhaps we can instigate a regional effort to cleanse our land."

Princess Lorina nodded. "Prehaps, though the darkness in Vorena very ancient and very powerful. Especally in the accursed ancient ruins or in the dark forest, many powerful priests and warriors have dispeared in such places, few return sane especally from the dark forest."

The beast bore him well, lofting high despite its weakness. He helped the poor wretch - they were not strong, not yet. One strong beast had been born, and he would not waste Chk'Gth on such an expedition. Kj would do, and Kj was worthy of his two letters alone.

Still, he looked impressive. He was large, powerful-looking. In truth, he needed to consume so much that after short periods he could find himself exceptionally tired - unless he had Shektar to nourish him. And Shektar did so - for his own gain alone. The beast would die upon their return to Gor; it would serve its purpose, and it would die glad to have felt the boots of the God-Dominar upon its hide.

Yes, the beast assented.

Beasts were more malleable...

But this beast did have a strong point. It was strong in mind... it had tracked the parties by their whiff, their foulness, some of them carrying so much good - anti-chaos - that they disgusted both mount and mounted.

Still, that would not be shown.

They swept down, together, towards the goal of those who were trekking below.

The dragon landed with a swish, and, taking a glance at his surroundings, Shektar dismounted.

And stood silently... waiting.

Princess Lorina nodded. "Prehaps, though the darkness in Vorena very ancient and very powerful. Especally in the accursed ancient ruins or in the dark forest, many powerful priests and warriors have dispeared in such places, few return sane especally from the dark forest."

"That I do not doubt, princess. That is why I believe we need to form a large force to deal with such, a force dedicated to taking care of such, to cleanse our entire region."

Ryath suddenly stopped speaking as her earth link resonated a message to her. Something not native of Khadrim had just touched the land. She was not sure of its intent, yet caution always overode hospitality. The party continued down the road, yet Ryath was especially sensetive now.

Princess Lorina. "hmm yes such an thing would be useful but theres many things to talk about. Dark times are upon us after all." The light knights were getting nervious, something wasn't quite right and they didn't know what.

Lord Hallacar could not help but gaze around the tunnels as they entered, he had heard of such things in the tales brought back to Nin-in-Eilph by travellers, but he had always imagined them to be exaggerated, but now seeing one for himself, he was sure that they had been understated in their magnificence. The lighting, though dim, as enough for the soldiers to feel more at ease as they entered; thirty pairs of eyes flicking around searching for traces of an ambush.

His Lordship was not concerned, and other than the glances at the features that surrounded him, he kept his attention mostly turned upon their guide. Breaking off only to observe another wonder, before returning once his curiosity was sated.

“These are truly magnificent.” He spoke as he once again turned back to Bifrost, his eyes still wide from his latest wonder. “Are they natural, or Dwarven?” His hand itched to reach out and touch the rock, to feel the roughness of the surface upon his hand.

Remembering himself suddenly, he acknowledged that the other man had spoken. “We have been on the road for several days, one more will be little hardship. And it is always good to arrive refreshed at one’s destination.” Not that he knew, he had rarely left the capital.

Bifrost smiled as he noticed the lord admiring the tunnels. He took pride in the work of his people and what a little ingenuity with the aid of technology and magic could do.

"These are indeed Dwarven tunnels. There are some natural passages lower down that have had minimal work needed, but all that we shall pass through are of our own craft. You may touch it if you wish, the walls are not spelled."

Once Bifrost took his guests through the mountains, he intended to camp the night before attempting to meet up with Ryath and Vorenian delegation.
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Ryath stopped in midsentence as the sense of something not quite right within her lands was amiss. The problem with the earth link being that it could not give specifics, merely an idea. She began to call forth power to herself, keeping it at the ready in case it was needed.

"Princess, I do detect there is something odd not far from us. Please remain on your guard."

Princess Lorina nodded. "How long of an ride do we have until we arrive?"

Ryath looked at the sun and a few landmarks around their position.

"We have about one more hour of daylight, then we shall camp. Tomorrow morning we have 2 hours. Once we arrive at a certain destination, we shall be able to get to the gathering within minutes."

Princess Vorina looked slightly puzzled then nodded. "That is good to know."

Ryath smiled at the princess' apparent confusion.

"Perhaps I should explain. Khadrim is a land based on pure magical energies. These ernergies flow all over the land, but beneath the surface. At certain points around the surface the barrier keeping the energies under the surface is weaker than normal. We have constructed alters at these places so that we may pass into the flowing energy of the land. With the right spells at these alters, we are able to travel to other alters over the land in a short period of time."

The sun was quickly plunging into the horizon, seeping light from the sky and releasing the darkness. The party would have to camp soon.

Princess Lorina nodded. "Ah, an unusual thing to do with magic and seems to me an little dangerious."

"It can be quite dangerous to those that do not know how to invoke the correct spells, but I can assure you that this method of travel is perfectly safe under the guidance of a High Council member."

The party came over a large hill and found themselves looking over wild grass fields for some distance. There was no other reasonable place to camp save for the hill and so Ryath halted and began surveying the best position to setup.

"We should camp here for the night. Lookout will be much better from this vantage point."

Princess Vorina spoke. "And we will be easier to spot as well, but you know the land best."

Ryath nodded as she indicated a reasonable position to begin setting up camp.

"That is true, but I would prefer to be able to see my enemy coming than be in the grasslands where they have a stealthy advantage. There is nothing native to this land that would bother us here, but be wary of nonetheless."

The hilltop was relatively flat with a few trees and large boulders that roughly created a campsite. Atop the boulders it was easy to see anything heading towards the hill.

Princess Vorina shrugged. "It depends wither your more worried what is above or what is on the ground."

Ryath took a quick glance at the sky.

"I am not concerned with the sky. As a dragon, the air is my domain and I can watch over it easily enough."

Princess Vorina. "I have reason enough to be concerned coming from Vorena. Besides dragons are not the most dangerious things in the air and an Phoenix is just as dangerous as an dragon can be.

Ryath nodded her understanding.

"That is true. But I can assure you that I have the sky guarded. I would not put us in needless danger. The camp shall be spelled when we sleep and I shall remain ever vigilant against threats."

Princess Vorina nodded. "Very well."

Continuing through the tunnels, Lord Hallacar listened to Bifrost as he let his gaze wander, refraining from touching the walls so as not to slow their progress, he knew that it was not fitting to be late for an appointment, especially if you were hoping to strengthen ties with neighbouring nations.

He turned to Bifrost and looked at his guide, taking in the man’s appearance. He had never left Mar-nu-Falmar, if he could help it he tried not to leave the city of Nin-in-Eilph. He had met dwarves before, and was fascinated in the many cultures that made up Daegor, but he had never witnessed one in their favoured habitat, deep under the ground. “This tunnel is old, I remember tales that have passed through the generations.” He grinned slightly as his mind filled with childhood memories.

Drawing himself back to the moment, he nodded in the direction before him. “You plan for us to make camp at the other end of the passage?” He could hear soft mumblings from one of the guards as the man talked to his companion about their journey. “We can quicken our pace, get out of the saddles earlier.” Hallacar had never been so long on a horse before.

Shektar still stood unmoving. He had no need to move, and so he did not. Also, he was rather busy occupying the mind and body of a servant born for that very task, back in Angagor. The servant would die after several days of such use, but that was of little issue. Shektar was rarely away from the capital city of the Istima Dominion, Gor, and so such servants were - currently - in rich supply.

He amused himself with the servant, testing its capabilities; this particular servant was becoming less useful, and so he was not so careful. Broken bones didn't bother him.

And so his time was not wasted.

Just used... differently.

And of course, the dragon slept.

Bifrost nodded at Hallacar's statement.

"These are indeed old tunnels. This one in particular was created close to the beginning of our presence in this range, as a way to pass through to your lands easily."

The Dwarf grinned proudly at hearing that legends of these tunnels had reached Mar-Nu-Falmar. The dwarf quickened his pace at the mention of such, happy to move faster throughout the tunnels. Obviously the dwarf could not move as fast as a human, but the years had left him fit and easily able to endure long walks at a reasonable pace.

"We shall be out of here soon enough my friend, then we can enjoy a cool summer night around a campfire."
________

Ryath casually walked around the perimeter of the camp. As she moved, a line of golden power followed her closely before fading from visibility. Many of the soldiers were preparing for sleep and the night watch was already posted atop any high points available such as trees or rocks.

The spell was a simple barrier that prevented anything of a physical nature to move through it. It was not extremely powerful, yet Ryath thought it enough to prevent anything that might wander close whilst they slept.

Princess Vorina was taking no chances about anything happening, at her side was the ancient ancestorial sword of her family, the blessed blade that had struck down the leader of the dreaded Keresti in the very moment that would have been its victory. The sword would be strong enough to slay anything unholy that attacked and got though any barriers.

OOC: I want to get this moving a little faster. Angagor, if you want to make a move, do so. Otherwise I'll RP the night without any issues and continue the journey.

Hallacar nodded, and as one the group increased their pace, and though still able to acknowledge the rough beauty of the tunnels, his eyes and thoughts were now focused on reaching their destination. He was beginning to grow weary, the journey slowly tiring him out. He was not a young man after all.

“I am not afraid to admit, that I will be pleased when I can stop moving for a while.” He grinned slightly, recalling all the rest that he got back in Nin-in-Eilph. He was certain that he had journeyed further over the last few days than he had in the rest of his life; which was not exactly true but his aching bones would not be convinced at the moment.

They continued on through the tunnels, Hallacar asking Bifrost different questions as points of interest presented themselves, but it was with a happy heart that the group finally broke out into the open, and almost as one the company from Mar-nu-Falmar inhaled the refreshing evening air.

Taking another deep breath, Hallacar turned to his guide and smiled. “No matter how stunning the tunnels and other created features are, they can never surpass the brilliance of the sky at night, the blanket of stars, and the shining beauty of the moon.” He smiled as he gaze up into the slowly darkening sky.

Bifrost took in a huge swig of night air. The sun had just plunged into the horizon, leaving very little light for the group. Within minutes Bifrost had scouted out a little clearing that backed onto a vertical cliff whilst facing the grassy hills of southern Khadrim.

The stocky dwarf quickly looked around at some random boulders and trees before smiling to himself. This was a warded campsite, so they would be safe for the night. It wasn't a long journey to the transportation, then they would meet up with Ryath and Vorenian delegation.

"Here's where we shall camp."

Finally arriving at the camp, Hallacar gladly gave his horse over to one of his guards to care for as he looked around the clearing, glad to be able to rest his weary body. The air was cool and refreshing on his skin, making him smile, as he said a silent prayer to Kementari for the safe deliverance of his men and himself.

Turning back to Bifrost he smiled. “How far is it to our destination?” He looked at the man, his eyes fixed firmly on the dwarf, as if he thought he would disappear the moment he blinked. “I will be more than pleased once this journey comes to an end, and we can begin to build ties with Khadrim and our other neighbours.”

He even included Angagor in his thoughts, although he was not sure why Lady Inzilbeth would want Mar-nu-Falmar too closely connected with that particular neighbour. Although he recalled her remarking something about keeping your friends close and you enemies closer.

Bifrost took a quick glance at his surroundings and the horizon, getting a good idea of the quickest path to take in the morning. It was almost completely dark, yet the dwarf had no issues with darkness, he was more just as easily comfortable in it as light.

"I'd say about 2 1/2 hours reasonable pace tomorrow. Then we'll take some faster means of travel to the gathering, that will be a few minutes. We shouldn't have any trouble, although we do have to pass the Dark Woods, I doubt anything from there will bother us."

Several fires had now been started as the men became comfortable. Bifrost was not worried about the watch as he had full confidence in the wards around the campsite.
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Ryath sat quietly upon the branch of a large, bare tree. She was content to sit and watch over the campsite whilst most of the delegation slept. It would not be long until morning, then they could continue and finally reach their destination within a few hours.

Lord Hallacar listened intently to Bifrost, the news that the journey would be over by midday made him feel a lot better. “Faster means of travel?” The man creased his brow, his eyes open wide in wonder. “We will not be taking the horses?” He was sure he must have misheard. He knew there were faster creatures than horses, but none that he felt as comfortable on, and he really did not enjoy riding at all.

“I admit I am most looking forward to seeing Khadrim, not to mention the chance of meeting some of your neighbours.” He turned his gaze fully onto the dwarf, having been following his companion’s example and had been staring into the darkness, his eyes not so accustomed to seeing in the dark. “Do you know who is attending? Which nations have accepted the invitation?”

"The horses will accompany us, but we have a much faster means of moving. I'll explain when we arrive, you'll soon understand."

Darkness now fully engulfed the camp, save for the light given off by the blazing fire.

"I believe our only other guest will be the princess of Vorena herself. Unfortunately, the lands of Daegor are sparcely populated these days."

Bifrost kept his attention beyond the camp, keeping a constant watch for any threat to the camp, even though he had reasonable faith in the wards.

Princess Lorina woke with an start, it was the nightmare again, the one had had started ever since that Undead knight had meet his end in Khadrim. She never could remember much of it, just darkness, blood and an horrid overwelming sense of an evil presence too terrible to describe and that somewhere something truely vile had happened to her sister. She shook her head, it would be best not to go back to sleep. Morning would come soon enough. She gripped her family's sword getting an sense of comfort as she waited for morning and the light lord's blessed dawn to come.

A young-looking man dressed in black with no irises or pupils visible in the firelight stepped out from a shadow with an eerie silence; it probably dawns on those present that the shadow had never really been quite natural, but their eyes had slid away from it, not quite paying attention the way they ought to. "You really ought to keep watch more carefully," he informs those gathered softly. "I have been standing here watching for some time; indeed, I was here when you arrived. Quite rude of you not to say hello." His words would hold humour from any other mouth - but they are flat, unamused. Cold.

The man is quite recognizable: he has ruled Angagor for so many years, it would be hard for one not to know him. Still, he announces, "Dominar Shektar with the dramatic entrance, of course."

The 'man' - rumours have it that he is an immortal wizard-ruler, and other rumours have it that 'Shektar' is just a name passed on, generation to generation, but rumours can be wrong - has a rather strange presence. The horses - who had not appeared at all worried previously - become quite, quite nervous at his appearance, although they don't bolt or do anything quite so dramatic.

He had appeared amiable at first, but his mood changes. Scowling, he strides towards the fire, and can be heard clearly to say, "You ought kneel in my presence, but I have enough grace to allow all to stand."

Charming fellow.

OOC:Nice to see you back Angagor. I am guessing your in the Mar-nu-Falmar camp?

Nodding as Bifrost mentioned Princess Vorena attending, Lord Hallacar was just about to answer when the other voice reached his ears and drew his attention to the speaker. His eyes narrowed, as he grew suspicious of the new arrival. His guide had not mentioned that there were to be meeting anyone on the way, and he disliked anyone who emerged from shadows. The teachings of Mar-nu-Falmar taught that nothing good came out of the darkness.

When the man mentioned his name, Hallacar’s eyes opened wide. He certainly was not informed that the ruler of Angagor would be attending, this certainly put a different light on matters. Stepping forward he gave and honorary bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Dominar Shektar.” He smiled graciously. “If we had known of your presence, we would have greeted you sooner.” He knew it paid to be courteous, even if the man before you was not one that made you want to be.

Bifrost grunted as the man stepped out of the darkness, drawing his battle axe. After announcing himself, the dwarf replaced the weapon upon his belt. He knew an invitation had been sent to Dominar Shektar, but no reply had come at all.

The dwarf didn't like him already, but he would put his personal feelings aside so as not to ruin the occassion. He gave the man a bow of greeting before speaking.

"Welcome Dominar Shektar, we were not aware that you were coming since we recieved no reply indicating such. Either way, you are of course welcome to join us as we travel toward our diplomatic gathering, if you wish so."
_______

Ryath watched as the sun slowly began to rise. The men were waking up and cooking breakfast as Ryath continued to keep watch. Nothing had bothered the camp during the night, which she was thankful for. It wouldn't be long before they reached the gathering and united with Bifrost and the other visitors.

Princess Vorina rose and set about an morning routine, something that was noticable about the Voreni was they tended to their war horses and battle steads before they even ate.

Ryath approached the princess with a warm smile upon her face. It was just past dawn and the camp was almost completely packed and ready to move on.

"Good morning princess. I trust you slept well?"

Princess Vorina spoke. "About as well as I always do lately. I look forward to our arrival."

Within an hour of rising, the camp was fed and ready to leave. Ryath stood beside the mounted Princess as she looked over the plains below the camp. It would not be long before they reached the ruins beyond Dark Wood, then they could get to the meeting much faster.

"A few hours travel left, then we shall meet up with the others at the venue."
_____

OOC: Anagor, you're kind of holding things up.

Princess Vorina smiled. "That is good to know may the lightlord and the shadow queen guide us swiftly."