"Well maybe you can keep it as a souvenir when this is all over" replied Swift with a wry smirk.
Her expression quickly changed to shock at the sight of the lorestones however.
"Where did you find them?" she asked, looking back at the corpse of the strange creature.
"We've seen something similar to these things before" she said, pointing to it.
"I'm not sure how much you've found out already, but someone is experimenting on the captive Kai, turning them into monsters.  Some of them were preparing to set out to attack the Monastery in a campsite we found before, armed with crystal explosive weapons created by the Brotherhood of the Crystal Star, apparently smuggled out here by a traitor in their ranks.  We destroyed the camp, but some of the hybrids escaped on a Kraan.  Not enough though, if they attack the Monastery with that handful of troops they'll surely be crushed."

She paused and scratched her head, looking thoughtfully at the lorestones.
"From a map I saw in the camp, their target seemed to be something in the Vault of the Sun.  After the Grandmaster's mission to investigate the Maaken area, I had wondered if someone had been seeking the Dagger of Vashna again, but perhaps they were after something else."

She shook her head, returning her attention to Shark's wounds.
"Whatever twisted plot is going on around here has to be destroyed.  I have a map that shows what I believe to be the centre of their operations.  Also, I think Silver Raven is alive and being held here until he can be transformed like the others.  That's why I'm here.  I refuse to let that happen to him.  Then I intend to find that traitor and drag him back to Toran.  In pieces if necessary!"
She closed her eyes and sighed, clearly making an effort to suppress her rising anger.

Opening her eyes again, she approached Shark and examined the spike in her shoulder.
"This might hurt a bit" she remarked, tearing off a piece of her cloak and pressing it around the area where the spike had penetrated to try to slow any blood loss as much as possible.
"I'm not as good at this as White Mantis, although I've seen her work often enough since she used to patch me up a lot.  Though a while back I discovered something in the forest that...  It's hard to explain."
She shrugged lightly and gripped the spike, hesitating a moment before slowly drawing it out.
As she did, she focused on the strange power she had awoken when she healed the falcon before, willing it to repair the damage to Shark's shoulder...


OOC: *crosses fingers* Hope this works ;)

Yeah, it does works. Shark, you get healed back to full - that's a 12 END recover.

As Swift Fox focused over healing Laughing Shark, three of the diamonds in her diadem slowly darkened, losing a small bit of their light and looking somewhat less magical than they had until then.

Having been relieved that his fellows' actions had saved him further draining his dwindling inner resources, Frost Ferret followed the others away from the kraan and looked around the landing chamber to which they been brought. His eyes alighted only briefly and sporadically on Laughing Shark until after Swift Fox had apparently helped heal her wounds.

"Why send a force to gain access to the Vault of the Sun," he said then, "when they must already have done so to take two of its most precious artefacts?" He looked at Laughing shark, frowning. "How did this creature get the lorestones?"

Um...so...what's a lorestone? Some kind of magical Kai item, I'm guessing?

They're explained in the list of terms I put up for you in the infodump, Dusk Rat, so you can check there for more details, but to make it short, a lorestone is a golwing marble which contains Kai's power; when he was young, Lone Wolf went on a quest to collect all seven of them, and they're currently kept in the Vault of the Sun at the Monastery - the room where we started the game. The most important thing to know about the Lorestones is that, if a Kai Lord or Lady absorbs the energy within, they will immediately learn one of the Magnakai Disciplines - so, in gameplay terms, this is an item that grants you lot an instantaneous level up. However, after a Lorestone is used, it takes it three full years to recharge, and in the meantime it has no powers and cannot be used.

Makes you wonder what these guys who are creating half-Kai monsters might need the Lorestones for, isn't it? ^_^

Also, Frost, I shall point out for you that your Kraans were flying at a relaxed pace, while the one Shark was on reached you moving at breakneck speed - what with being under an unbreakable compulsion to get back to the fortress as soon as possible that it would rather die than not comply with, and all that. Just thought that might be important. ;)

This message was last edited by the GM at 17:17, Thu 21 Mar 2013.

Oh...hmm so is that a "quick, use the Lorestones now so they're useless to the bad guys for the time being even though there aren't enough of them to go round the four of you so you can fight it out" sort of hint? ;)

That's a multipurpose hint; part of it was so that you could guess what the villains are palnning to use them for, but what you suggested do is one of the possibilities, yes.  :)

You see, normally authorization from the Grand Master is required to use the Lorestones, but, well, the Grand Master is currently MIA, and considering the circumstances, you could justify it exactly as you just had, with a "it was a precautionary measure" excuse...

Also, what does it matter if there's only two? They could both be used by the same person, you know, granting a double level up. Or you could not use them at all, and just make sure to keep them safe. If you do carry them, each one count as a special item - and both together count as only 1 Backpack item, since they're small.

Up to you to decide what to do... and of course, perhaps you would want to wait and hear what Laughing Shark story about how she ended up with them actually is? ^_^

Hmm yeah, I could do that, lol. Mind you, considering the circumstances between Shark and Rat when they last parted I'm not 100% sure Rat will have much to say to Shark. Still...hearing the explanation of wtf happened might be useful, at least ;).

Shark nodded when Swift warned her of the pain, biting onto an edge of her cloak. When Swift Fox pulled the spike out, Shark muffled her scream as she bit onto the fabric. When Swift released her shoulder, Shark doubled over in pain.

"Oyi mate, that 'urts like 'ell! Thanks, though." Shark said as Swift healed her wounds. She also took the time to pocket the two stones, hiding them from general view. She'd never planned to announce their presence but the damn things had to light up like some damned beacon and attract the attention of all those present.

"'at creature there be one'ov yer fusion beasties. It tried ta break into the vault while a bunch'ov its mates attacked the gates." She chuckled, "I jus'appened ta be ina right place ata right time an, well-" she nodded at the dead creature, "ye can see 'ow at went."

Swift frowned at the dead creature.
"So you were back at the Monastery?  That might have been one of the survivors that escaped from the campsite before we destroyed it.  Hopefully the other Lorestones will be safe at least, and we can always return these two when we're done here."

She moved over to the creature and poked it cautiously with the tip of her boot.
"The Lorestones contain the power and the wisdom that allow us to reach our full potential" she mused.  "Since our enemies here are experimenting with creating hybrid mockeries of the Kai like these, they must intend to use the Lorestones to boost the power of their twisted puppets considerably.  All the more reason to stop their plot now before they realise what we did to their raiding party back there and arrange something else.  If we can find Silver Raven alive here, he may be able to tell us more."

She looked back up at Shark.
"By the way, did you find out anything after we separated in Toran?"

Ferret's frown deepened as Laughing Shark spoke. He added to Swift Fox's questions. "Why did you come here? And with the Lorestones? Is the Monastery taken?"

Shark shrugged, "nothing more an ye'd expect. Valador's involved in all manner of nasty business, kai mutants are runnin 'bout, somethin bout darkland creatures an all other sorts of terriblness - not sure up'ere waitin for more critters ta kill us is a best time ta go discussin it though.

As fer why'm ere, well, I hitched a ride wit'at critter after'e took a stones, and this is where it took me - what 'bout you lot?"

Dusk Rat says nothing, but steps away from the remains of the creature.

Suddenly, the kraan Laughing Shark had been riding on, and how had been on the point of falling asleep, perked up, and in a quick, single motion, closed its beak around the remains of the half-kai creature, swallowing it in a single gulf before coiling on itself again and setting down to sleep, clearly tired.

Swift poked at the corpse again with her boot, then jumped back quickly as the Kraan snapped up the body.
"Good way to lose a body part or two" she muttered to herself then turned her attention to the room itself, walking slowly around and examining the walls for exits visible or hidden.

As she went, she replied to Shark's question, keeping her voice low to prevent the sound echoing out of the room.
"Well we set out to examine the place north of Shadow Pass where Silver Raven was last reported to be heading for.  There we found a passageway leading through the mountains into the Darklands.  Most likely created by magic, probably with Valador's help.  He's been using the teleportation power of his staff to transport creatures around quickly within Sommerlund."

She paused and frowned, remembering something else, looking back over at Laughing Shark.
"We also encountered a group of assassins sent to capture us and bring us to an unknown location, supposedly for our own protection so that we didn't disappear along with the others.  They weren't about to take no for an answer, so we were forced to kill two of them and injure their leader.  We let him return to his master with a warning to stay out of our way in future.  He mentioned once fighting someone he knew by the name of Ly who turned out to be a Kai infiltrating the old Thieves' Guild in Toran.  Together with something Banedon mentioned to me when I spoke with him, it made me think it might have been you actually, I'm not sure.  He called himself Sylon.  Do you have any idea who he might have been working for?"


OOC: May as well ask before I forget :)
Also taking a look around the room.  Can Pathmanship and/or Sixth Sense give me any hints as to where any exits might lead to or find any hidden doors?
This message was last edited by the player at 22:36, Fri 22 Mar 2013.

There is one door that likely leads down, and a staircase that circles around the external walls, heading to the rooftops. Other than that, there are no other exits from the room.

Well, unless you consider the open air out of the terrace, which can be accessed by flyign, to be an exit, that is. :)

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:50, Fri 22 Mar 2013.

Shark chuckled at that, "I may know a thing or two about at." She shook her head, "suppose there was nothin could be done for a ones killed."

Swift peered at her for a moment, her expression unreadable, then she shrugged and wandered over to the edge of the terrace, peering out at the city walls below.
"Well, one of them killed Rasha, so that was an eye for an eye you might say."
She looked up at the distant horizon, the wind ruffling her hair and causing her cloak to rise up, briefly revealing the mirrored shield slung over her back beneath it.
Her next words were spoken softly almost to herself.
"I didn't really want to kill Sylon.  He kind of reminded me of who I used to be.  Just someone else's puppet.  No-one pulled him back from that hell though..."

She shook her head and turned away from the edge.
"All the same, I warned him that if he got in my way again I would kill him.  Nothing personal.  I only asked because I wondered if the person he works for is someone who could become a threat to us.  It would be useful to know about it.  If you'd rather not say though, I understand."
She moved over to the door and peered around the edge, one hand wrapping around the hilt of the Jade Spike as she examined the area beyond the door, looking for any more guards...


OOC: Taking a peek through the door leading downwards...  Also being slightly creepy again :)  hehe.

"an eye fer an eye makes a whole world blind, mate." Shark replied, "ye didn't kill Sylon did ye?"

"The only eye I wanted I never got a chance to take" replied Swift cryptically.

She glanced back at Shark for a moment.
"I injured his shoulder during the fight, but I didn't kill him.  I assume he went back to his master, I don't know what happened to him after that."
Swift's voice sounded a little too monotone, as if she was making a particular effort to separate her own emotions from the discussion.

"We should move on anyway.  The hybrid we killed at the campsite said something about their prototype being worked on in Argazaad's dungeons.  I suspect they'll be somewhere below us."


OOC: Touchy subject :)

Only the sudden movement of the kraan prevented Ferret asking further questions, taken aback as he was at the report that the Vault of the Sun had been breached. He saw the sense in Laughing Shark's comment about prolonging the discussion and as she and Swift Fox moved off in what he felt to be fruitless conversation, he moved to the door and pressed his ear to it, wondering if he might hear any obvious activity outside. Even as he did so he glanced at Dusk Rat, whose ability to tell what might lie i.n wait for them out of sight and out of earshot he knew to be much greater than his own.

Whlie Swift Fox and Laughing Shark get on with swapping news on what they've each learned since parting company, Dusk Rat takes a careful stroll around the room, peering into corners and takign note of any important features.

Anything I should probably know about the description of the room that hasn't been mentioned already?

Swift moved away from the door and took off her backpack.
Removing the blue-handled dagger from her belt, she put it into the pack and withdrew a pink-handled one with the same flower design on the sheath, recognisable as the one she had used in the battle against the Vordaks and the Helghast-possessed villagers in the forest during the journey to Toran.  This one she attached to her belt in place of the blue one.

"Is anyone else hurt?" she asked quietly.  "I have one more dose of Laumspur, and two Moon Balm herbs left.  We'll need our strength about us for this task."


OOC: A good leader makes sure their team is in good shape, right? :)
For reference, the Laumspur is +4 END, and the Moon Balm restores up to 5 CS.

EDIT: Fixed the Moon Balm effect.  Thanks for pointing that out :)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:24, Sat 23 Mar 2013.

Actually, Moonbalm makes you recover your CS, basically removing up to 5 points of fatigue one has collected; it does not increase your CS above its maximum. Just clarifying things here. ^_^

Dusk Rat stands motionless for several moments, eyes out of focus as she concantrates on other senses besides her physical ones. Eventually she blinks and looks around at those in the room.

"Am I the only one able to sense the creatures of this place?" she asks.

Dusk Rat will have missed your inquiry, Swift, 'cause her concentration was elsewhere. And the above question is being asked in an entirely neutral tone - she wants to see if anyone else can detect what she can so that she knows which members of the group won't yet know what's inside this fortress. Because, you know, having a knowledge of what kind of life forms exist in this place is kind of an obvious advantage, but she won't waste time explaining it if everyone else can detect them too. Ordinarily she wouldn't waste time if no-one bothered to ask her about it, but considering the situation it's probably best to make sure that everyone's as informed as possible, given that we're sort of a bit far away from help and very close to zillions of nasty critters who'll try to turn us into weird hybrid thingys intent on desrtoying the world or whatever ;).