The City/Village/Town, Whatever we decide. The event hotspot.

[Sarurun Kamui]

Kali held up the sword and frowned. It didn't quite feel balanced enough, and she had been working on it how long? Several days? Three at the least. She tried to balance it on her finger to get a sense of where the weight needed to go--which was actually quite a feat, judging by how many serrations and points she had added.
Suddenly a drop of water appeared on the blade. Rain? she thought in surprise. What's with the rain?
Another drop appeared, this time on Kali's finger. But it wasn't rain--a fleeting moment before it turned completely to water, she saw some ice.
Great, snow, she mused. Again.

[Talico]

Got you!
Kae'lassa laughed and struggled as a gray blur of fur bowled into her, sending them both down into a snowdrift. Thunder, you big furball! the elf told the grinning wolf as she sat up and spat out a mouthful of snow. The small wolf just tilted her head cockily, a glint of laughter in her eyes. Aww, is the big bad bareskin cold? Too bad you don't have fur.
I'll give you fur! Kae'lassa growled playfully, and in mid-tackle turned into a white wolf. After tussling and romping in the snow for a while, they both sat up, exhausted.
All this snow isn't good, is it? Thunder asked, suddenly somber. Kae'lassa sighed, her breath billowing out in front of her muzzle.
No. Thunder, all the elves are talking about leaving. It's not even winter yet - there shouldn't be this much snow, and there's only going to be worse. The ocean itself is freezing over. We have to leave. Kae'lassa took the Life Magic hanging in the air and shifted back into human form. There seemed to be more of it than usual, with everything dying. She sighed again and blinked away the snowflakes on her eyelashes as she buried her hand in Thunder's ruff. Ralthiad is my home, though. I can't imagine ever living anyplace else. Who knows if there's anyplace else?
Thunder snuggled close for comfort and warmth, and together they looked out over the makeshift camp.

[Candoria]

Magadha's young charge and his manservant wandered randomly through the city streets, enjoying himself regardless of the cold. It chafed to be guarding a twelve-year-old and his babysitter, but he was both sensible enough to stay within Palace District instead of wandering into more dubious regions of town and wealthy enough to make any objections she might have wither before her eyes. Money was the object here. She followed them closely enough that she could intervene immediately if trouble threatened, but not so close as to make them uncomfortable or to attract unwanted attention. Bodyguards meant money; money meant someone was worth attempting to rob, especially if the bodyguard was a foot shorter than you. Her partner, tailing the child on his other side, made up for that, though; he was easily two feet taller and twice as heavy as she was. She had fought him to a draw that morning, though. He was good, and didn't rely on his size and strength to solve all problems. His eyes, as hers, were constantly scanning the crowd around them, watching for signs of danger programmed into their subconscious after years of experience. Maga saw a loitering beggar seemingly idly study their group; his hand moved slightly, doubtless for a hidden dagger. She caught his eye and shifted her grip on her steel-capped stave slightly; he glared back and held his hands slightly up. What? Myra kept a watch on him until they rounded the next corner.

[Mercelyssatyr]

Naehina's breath was clearly visible in the frosty air as she trudged through the snow toward her E'kel. She hated the cold. It made her feel weak and vulnerable, and she couldn't stand it. She felt dizzy and noxious, as if she were falling, falling, with nothing to grab onto. She glanced up at the distant form of what had come to be known as the Fire Mountain, and she nearly found herself wishing for its warm stream of liquid Fire. But that was ridiculous, of course. So many people had died in the eruption, and even more had perished in the simultaneous battle with Shanemaru. Like Kiladra. She shivered violently, and not just because of the cold.

Naehina knew that she had been rather out of spirits ever since the War, but she had always been able to distract herself with other things. There was always so much to do, and Empress Rahalia always had things to delegate to her few trusted followers. However, this recent cold was bringing up all of her past fears and pains as well as adding more worries. Though still unspoken, all of the elves seemed to realize that they wouldn't be able to stay in Ralthiad much longer. They were one of the last to leave aside from the wolf packs. In fact, Naehina was just returning from saying farewell to her dragon friends, who were all flying south to escape this cursed freeze.

Naehina shook her head to clear it of these depressing thoughts. She changed her direction and began heading towards the main city instead, in the hopes of finding a friend to help cheer her up. She smiled as she thought of Caz and Kae'lassa, who had recently been married. There was still some happiness in the world that wasn't covered up with ice. To distract herself, she began to wonder what their future children would look like and how soon she would be able to expect them.

[Sarurun Kamui]

After a few more hours of work, Kali decided the blade was finished. Finally. She held out a finger and put the sword on top of it, on the flat and right next to the guard, and sighed with relief. It was balanced perfectly.
A white-spattered crow perched above the forge's furnace squawked happily. Kali glanced at the bird and smiled contentedly. "Thank you, Shira." She pulled a second sword from a scabbard hanging at her side and held the two together. They were more or less matching, with this second one intentionally shorter by a few inches. Her secondary hand couldn't deal with the weight or momentum a larger sword would have.
Pleased, Kali put both swords into their respective sheaths--she had made the second one a few nights ago--put out the forge's fires, and left, Shira now perched on her shoulder.
"Let's go find something to cut up, eh?" the girl suggested. Shira made a strange gaggling noise. Kali raised an eyebrow. "What was that for? It can't be getting to cold for you, can it? Not with all those feathers, certainly." She shrugged, which threw the crow off-balance so she flared her tail and wings, one of which struck Kali in the face.
"Ptah! Eh, go find yourself some better place to be, then," she said, waving her hands at Shira in a shooing motion. "I'm going to the practice grounds. You go do... whatever you birds do. Make a nest or something."
Shira shrieked as if she were driving off a raptor and flew away. Kali chuckled to herself and walked off, studying the forlorn ruins and distant lava floes on the way. My life is surrounded in destruction, isn't it? she mused. A ruined city, a volcanic waste land, a scavenger-hunter bird companion, lethal swords... and now a world sinking into an ice age. It's the whole 'fire and ice' thing again, isn't it?
She decided that it might be good to visit the Stonewood soon to pay her respects to the lava-buried forest.

[Talico]

Your friend the Fire mage is coming in, Thunder commented.
Kae'lassa turned to look at the entrance. Sure enough, Naehina was coming up the frozen road to the center of the city. Kae'lassa felt her spirits lift -- it was good to see the red-haired mage, especially after the war. Ever since Kiladra died, Naehina had been out of sorts. She gathered some of Thunder's and her own Spirit magic and touched her friend's mind.
Naehina! We're over here, at the fringe of the forest. Naehina glanced over to them and a brief smile lit up her face when Kae'lassa waved. It was also slightly mischievous, as Kae'lassa's sharp eyes could make out. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Had Naehina been thinking about her just then?
Within a short time Naehina reached them and Kae'lassa jumped up with a shy grin.

[Mercelyssatyr]

"What are you smiling about?" Kae'lassa demanded as soon as Naehina was within hearing.

"Who, me? No reason," Naehina grinned back innocently.

"Oh, don't give me that. You've always been a horrible liar."

"I know," Naehina admitted, "but I still don't have to tell you."

Kae'lassa glared playfully. "Fine. Then at the very least, will you tell me where you're coming from?"

Naehina's face fell somewhat. "The dragons have just left Ralthiad."

Kae'lassa's smile faded as well. "I'm not surprised. The wolves are planning on leaving soon, too."

Suddenly, an insistent chorus of bells rang out from the city. It was the call for an assembly, though Naehina had not heard of any plans for one. By the look of Kae'lassa's face, she hadn't either. Nevertheless, they both took off towards the palace as quickly as they could.

Within ten minutes, Naehina and Kae'lassa were standing with the rest of the people in the entire city in front of the palace, just beneath the balcony from which the Empress made announcements and gave speeches. Rahalia was standing there now, looking grave and determined. Only a few moments later, she stepped forward to address the crowd. The silence that descended was downright eerie as everyone listened in anticipation.

"My good people of Ralthiad, we have suffered this long and bitter winter. Though I hate to say it, things are only going to become worse. We may be strong, but we are no match for Nature. We are left with but one option; to leave our home and search out a new land in the south, just as all the other creatures of the Tribelands have done. I also cannot pretend that our journey will be easy or safe -- many lives will be lost as we walk across the frozen waters of the ocean, and there is no guarantee that we will even succeed. Because of this, I will force no one to come with us. Everyone must make the decision for him- or herself. However, I am certain that anyone who stays will be dead within the month.

"Tomorrow, I will set out with a small group of select individuals as a scouting party, as will several other groups. For the rest of you, whoever decides to come should pack up their belongings. Only bring what you can carry. In approximately a week, you will follow us in groups of about 100 people each. The group lists have been written up and shall be posted throughout the city. We have made sure to include Kea'datra, Rangers, and E'karasti in each group. Some of the Tribes may join us as well, such as the wolves and hawks. I expect you all to be cooperative with them as well as each other.

"There is no denying that hard times face us. However, did we give up when Shanemaru threatened us with hordes of Undead, Deathhounds, and a mountain that spurted fire? No! We stood our ground and fought, and against all odds, we defeated him. Once again, we find our very lives in jeopardy, but we will fight and we will succeed!"

The crowd erupted in a deafening roar. Naehina thought wryly to herself that it was a good thing that she wasn't the Empress; she was far too pessimistic to give encouraging pep talks like this.

When the cry died down, Rahalia closed the assembly. "My officers shall be stationed around the city, so feel free to ask them questions about the journey. I would like to speak with the members of my party in a few minutes; you know who you are. For the rest of you, go with lifted hearts, and know that we will all get through this together."

As she retreated into the palace and out of sight, the people gave another cheer and began to disperse. The faces that passed Naehina certainly weren't any less anxious or frightened than they had been before, but now there was also a glimmer of hope behind all of those eyes.

Naehina and Kae'lassa silently began making their way towards the palace, going against the flow of the rest of the crowd. It made slow going, and it gave Naehina time to wonder who else had been chosen to join Rahalia's party. Some were obvious, such as Ragner, Caz, and Magadha. The others, she supposed she would meet in a few minutes.

{{Sorry for RPing Rahalia, Megan, but you haven't even made her character description yet . . . .}}

{Absolutly fine, I didn't even know this existed, and you did a good job so.... ^^}

[Candoria]

Maga caught sight of a page running headlong through the crowd toward her and the young noble, heedlessly knocking merchants and people aside without stopping to apologize. "Magadha-karasti--letter from the Empress--assembly--urgent," he gasped out. She frowned and took the official-looking scroll, making sure her partner was watching the nobles. She broke the seal and scanned the letter. It was short and to the point, if totally unexpected. She turned to the rest of her group; a small crowd had formed around them because of the young page's obvious agitation. "I need to go. Now. Can you take the boy back to his house? Don't worry about the money," she reassured him when he started to protest. "The Empress will compensate us, or at least she'd better. Now--" But at that moment, the assembly bells started to ring, and Maga turned and headed toward the square with the rest of the crowd.

After the assembly, Maga made her way up to the Empress' podium, feeling satisfied at having prevented fully three cutpurses from plying their trade amidst the jubilant chaos. A few other people were already there; she recognized Aldicaz, a Ranger who had trained with her for a while, and the others looked like mages of one kind or another.

[Kshatriya]

Al'gar stood silently, leaning against the door leading back out onto the balcony. Rahalia's assortment of Kea'datra, E'karasti, and Rangers sat in chairs at the large, round table in the center of the room. It was a warm, cozy room for Rahalia's private use. It was sparsely but comfortably furnished with a soft armchair, sofa, and large fireplace. A anxious silence had settled over those gathered. Few looked his way, and only Magadha really recognized him from the Royal Army. No one questioned his presence, though.
Rahalia began speaking from her seat. To Al'gar, this indicated that she wanted an informal setting. "Please," she said. "Let's not be hindered by rules and codes. We are friends, let us speak as freely and comfortably as such. I have had far too much of nobles for at least a full cycle of the moon." Tension seemed to flood out of the room, and yet remnants seemed to hang here and there. It was obvious that weather was dampening their moods, and the pressing matter at hand was simply too large to ignore completely.
Rahalia spoke again. "To fully explain the plan and methods of evacuation, I would like to you welcome Al'gar, the commander of the Royal Army." She nodded to him.
Al'gar sighed, then started walking toward the table. As they started to rise, he snorted and said "Sit back down, there's no need for silly things like that." He came to stand between Rahalia and a fiery-eyed redhead that turned her back to him immediately. "Don't worry," he muttered. "They defanged me before letting me in." He wasn't quit sure if her reaction was a chuckle or suppressed urge to hit him. Experience told him it was the latter. Putting such random thoughts aside, Al'gar loked around at the gathering. He was met by curious and calculating faces.
"Well, I take it we're here to talk about the weather," he began. "I might as well get right to it.
"We're trying to cross the ocean to the shores beyond. Some patriotic citizens have already confirmed that it is, in fact, strong enough to hold three teenagers, one sled, 10 meters of rope, and a plank of wood. One can only imagine the possibilities... Additionally, various Water and Fire Kea'datra have confirmed the depth of the ice to average 20 meters thick. To continue, we will require the assistance of a skilled Kea'datra to ask birds for info on the distance to the other side of the ocean. Are there any our group capable of this task?"

[Talico]

Kae'lassa bit her lip in thought. "I suppose I could do that," she spoke up shyly. "The best birds who would know the distance are the migratory ones, but they've all flown south. There are some hardy gulls that haven't left -- yet -- and hopefully, they would know."
Thunder nuzzled her hand. Kae'lassa could tell the wolf wanted to tell her something, but it would have to wait, because Al'gar was already talking again.
(Skimpy.. I know.)

[Kshatriya]

"Finally, a bit of good news," Al'gar continued. "So this will allow us to account for food, clothing, and other necessities.
"We will likely have to travel on our feet, simply because keeping stock for horses would become a troublesome task. Also, the ice presents a problem when it comes to their excretory needs...
"Other than that, the details will have to be worked out as we go. As the forward party, we will be needing you to scout for additional sources of food from the islands frozen in the ocean. I, with the non-cowardly forces of Her Majesty's Army will be with the main party, however communication can take place through runners and messengers.
"Do you any of you have questions or concerns as to the grand scheme of things?"

[Candoria]

After a moment's hesitation, Magadha spoke up, unusually shyly. "I may be able to help with the birds," she said. "It's a long story, but in short, during the fiasco with Shamenaru and the volcano, I discovered that I could...talk to the hawks...I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. I can shapeshift into a hawk, too, with enough preparation time, but it takes a lot of effort and energy. Since then, I've been practicing a bit, and I can talk to all kinds of birds now, but smaller birds are usually so distractable they're useless. And I'm practicing shifting when I can, but that's been hard without a teacher. I think with enough practice, I could shift into any kind of bird, but the more different it is from a hawk, the harder it is, since I already know a hawk, so..." She realized she was rambling and stopped.

[Talico]

The general nodded. "You can help the Spirit Kea'datra with that, then." There was a brief silence as he looked around the room, waiting for any other questions. When no one said anything, he nodded briskly.
"If there are no other questions, then this meeting is over. I advise packing up all you need for the journey now. We need to travel lightly, so only pack as much as you can carry without hampering you or your abilities. We will be leaving early in the morning tomorrow; be at the palace front at first light. The other main groups will be following half a day to a day behind." He looked at Kae'lassa and Magadha. "You two can report what you find to either Rahalia or me." He paused again, for breath, then said with finality, "Any questions or problems that arise can be asked to me, Rahalia, or any of my officers."
As he stepped away from the table, a short murmur rippled around the seated elves, and they got up to leave, exchanging brief words with each other. Kae'lassa scanned the group - she recognized them all, and knew most of them well - and tried to attach faces to names. Caz, Naehina, and Magdha she recognized instantly, but there were quite a few others she had just talked to briefly - there was a ranger (Kali), a water mage, and an energy mage, plus a dark-haired girl she had only seen in passing. That made ten, including Rahalia and Al'gar.
Shy, Kae'lassa didn't say anything to Magadha, but they left the palace quickly, Thunder trotting at Kae'lassa's side.
What did you want to say earlier?
Thunder hesitated, then shook her head. Nothing. It was a crazy notion.
Are you sure? Kae'lassa asked curiously. Before Thunder could reply, Magadha spoke up. They were out of the city gates.
"Should we fly from here? To the beach, right?" the e'karasti asked, smiling at her.
Kae'lassa smiled back shyly. "Sure," she replied agreeably. "The gulls we're looking for are on the west side of the island." That's where we'll set off across the ice, she thought suddenly. The enormity of what was happening surged over her again. They would leave Ralthiad - forever.
Magadha was already changing shape, turning smaller, golden feathers rippling and extending on her arms.
See you on the shore, Thunder laughed, and she shot away through the woods.
"Not if I can help it," Kae'lassa grumbled. Magadha was already waiting for her as a golden hawk, a bright eye curiously watching her. Kae'lassa quickly chose her shape and effortlessly fixed it in her mind; within a few seconds, she ruffled pure white feathers and launched into flight. The gold hawk and the gyrfalcon quickly rose upon the wind and raced towards the shore, while a silver wolf tirelessly loped beneath.

[Sarurun Kamui]

Shira watched the racing raptors from the window and cawed, puffing up the feathers on her neck and wings. Kali sighed and got up to retrieve her. She scooched the bird onto a hand and put a hand over her eyes to silence her. "Those are friends, Shira," she hissed, though she knew her words meant nothing to the crow, "not egg-stealers or chick-eaters. I know you can't tell the difference easily, but you should, and despite what you grew up believing, not all raptors are evil."
Kali turned to face the rest of the assembly surrounding the table. Some of them were giving her looks of slight confusion, others of plain annoyance. She smiled meekly. "My apologies," she offered. "I'm sorry if you don't entirely appreciate Shira's presence, but she would not stand to be left behind... and she seemed rather interested in Magadha. I don't know what she'll think now that Magadha appears to her an enemy, though."
A few slight sounds of laughter rose from the table and Kali returned to her chair. She didn't sit down, but rather checked for anything she might have left--she couldn't entirely remember what she had brought--before reluctantly standing back and making to leave.
She was far from ready to leave Ralthiad, especially in this manner. My mind's not mature enough to deal with this, she mused, imagining her mental voice to be whiny and upset. Why do we have to cross the ice? Surely the land would be safer--and more stable.
Kali heard a strangely familiar voice echoing about the room, and she realized that the had said this last thought aloud.

[Rhiannon]

Kali was one of the last people in the room, and as she muttered her complaint, if slightly incoherent, and clearly unintentional, Rahalia stood up and walked over to her. Rahalia beckoned her to a window seat, and both sat down. The view displayed before them was one of utter destruction. The entire north quarter of the city had been covered in the hard lava rock, and the forest beyond was little more then rows upon rows of blackened falling trees. The falling snow had turned the entire landscape into something from either a dream, or a nightmare.

After letting Kali take in the view that the window gave, Rahalia spoke up. "You know that the line of emperors has the power to control all of the spiritual forces, correct?" Kali nodded, "Well, at the beginning of my father's reign, there was another time like this, when snow covered the land in a season in which the land should be blanketed with flowers and new life. He simply pointed at the sky, and told the snow to go away, and it did. At the time, I thought it was his immeasurable power that made this possible, but I have groaned to realize that this was simply the beginning of his transformation. I was but half a century old at the time, and he was the perfect ruler. Strong, handsome, charismatic, but none of this protected him from what he found, and what I have learned of. There is a shortcut to gain power, and all are tempted to walk the path, although few can follow it all the way. The want to use the power of the earth to fuel our power. To some extent, that is all magic is, the taking of the power of the earth, but with proper research, it is possible to take the very power of living things themselves before they die. It is my assumption that this was the core of my father's powers, and now, centuries after the first time my father quelled the storm, the natural time for an untimely winter has come again, but this time the gods are angry, as my father was using the life of the earth itself to stop the natural cycle. I fear the winter here will not let up for many many years, perhaps even several centuries. While it is true we might be able to make a semblance of an existence here, most of us would die. I am not going to gamble people's lives on the stupidity of my father. I have heard of lands distant from ours, and while they will surely be odd and different, I think discomfort is better then the death of all my people. I know to most it seems unfair to have to leave, but I beg of you, please help those who cannot understand. The people here are my most trusted, but even to them I cannot tell everything." Rahalia sighed and turned away with this, "That was probably a pretty boring speech for you, but please, think about what I have said. I know you most likely need to finish packing, so please, go and do what you must."
With that she stood up and left the room. She climbed the twisting turning stairs up many many flights, ignoring the many doors at landings along the way until she reached the very top door, and with the key only she held, opened up the solid obsidian door, the door that should never be opened.

This post has been edited by Talico on Aug 22 2008, 07:53 PM