RP:The Blue-Eyed White Dragon: Part One

Part of the Through The Looking-Glass: Return To Wonderland Arc

Part of the Magic, Madness, and Mayhem Arc

This is a Devout's Guild RP.

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: Members of the Devout's and Warrior's Guild bands together, to help Rorin, to rid Xalious of its undead dwarf and wyvern problem. They succeed, but not without grave injuries, and once the dust clears, Rorin realizes that the fight against the undead has only just begun. The next stop? Frostmaw.

Devout's Guild Quest:
The Blue-eyed White Dragon - Evil lurks within the mountains of Frostmaw once more. More beast than sentient creature, a young blue-eyed white dragon has been on a rampage, sending droves of winter wolves and wyverns down the mountain-side, leaving them no choice but to attack miners in the caverns of Xalious to survive. They’ve got to eat, after all! There’s something strange about these creatures… as well as the dragon that’s scared them off: they’re rotting from the inside-out. The smell is unmistakable and anyone sensitive to magic can sense the darkness within the beasts and eventually their victims--the dark magic from the dragon being the strongest of all, should someone get close to it. Find the necromancer, Kaibbah, that’s pulling the strings and slay him before the attacks worsen and beware the deadly blue-eyed white dragon…

Frozen Walk, Xalious

Rorin || The palace to the North shines like a glittering jewel with the pre-noon sky nearly cloudless above. The crack in the ground, and the subsequent hole, stand out against the dazzling white backdrop of the mountains due to the small construction now sitting over the widened crevice. Lanterns swing unlit from their hooks and the ground has been leveled and worked for carts of various sizes going down into the potential mine shaft. A small gust of hot, putrid air comes from somewhere inside, carrying with it a sickening groaning sound that would induce a shudder in those unaccustomed to the horrors of the dark.

Rorin had some terrible idea of what was in there. After accepting this quest from the guild boards he had gone to talk to the source of the posting, a shell shocked survivor of a dwarf that had recounted the grisly tale to him in full. A team of prospective miners came down here smelling a fortune waiting to be had, but instead they found themselves trapped inside when the cave had attacked by ravenous undead creatures, the worst among them a wyvern that had cornered them and nearly slaughtered them all. Only a narrow escape had been afforded him, all the others fell to the beasts, or to sickness soon after. Even he had suffered some not quite critical wound. Once Rorin had gotten the survivors word of things, he had gone to seek someone who would know of the area and the mine works, and sought out Masbane, who reported some similar events both before and after the attack. The longer the wait, the more ground would have to be covered to eliminate the sickness from the undead scourge as it spread. Rorin opened up an invitation for help, knowing there could be no ounce of cursed flesh left. It all had to burn.

Khitti || A call for help had been put out for a quest that’d been on that board for awhile now. Normally, Khitti was fine with providing aid. But, normally, Khitti doesn’t usually have magic-induced near-heart attacks when she’s providing said aid. After much time considering it--and probably a bit too much to drink--Khitti would eventually relent to join Rorin’s cause. As per usual, her tikifhlee served to bring her to where the templar was needed, the cat left to its own devices near where the mission would take place. It likely would’ve been nice to have it help the group, buuuut there’s only so much room in a pit. Khitti didn’t have the same air about her as she did before, ie: stoic and very Meri-like. Though she was quiet, she had her customer service face on. Gotta hide that worry, you know. Out of everyone? Probably only Lanara would notice this. And if the witch asked about it? She’d get a strained “I’m fine! Just fine.” Lanara would get a polite smile about it too. Okay, maybe Khitti was being -a little- like Meri right now, because she wasn’t going to talk about this around others. Sorry, Lanara. Greetings were given where needed, and once that was finished, Khitti’d shift her attention to Rorin, “You’re leading this, kid.” Yes, she was still going to call him a ‘kid’. She was at least ten years older than him. “You go down first and I’ll take the back.” Khitti was going to take Brand’s advice from two years ago after she came back from the dead: do -not- throw yourself into the fray if you can help it. Let the younger folk deal with it. And well, Rorin was definitely younger folk compared to her. “We do this quickly. Get in, get out. Keep together and all that stuff.”

Lanara had read the notice at the sanctum and immediately set her sights on the north, clad in fitting attire for the colder climate, yet comfortable enough for movement. There isn’t an animal companion at her side, which is odd for the woman, but since she hasn’t secured a permanent place to live just yet it’s likely that they are penned elsewhere. Rorin’s message had sounded urgent, as it should, considering the piling up of dead bodies could create a plague or be used for nefarious means. People had some strange fantasies… Along with the necromancers that roamed the lands! The witch arrives and immediately sets her sights on Khitti, her best friend and the leader of the Devout’s Guild, whom this mission was being done. Narrowing her gaze on the redhead, she instantly knows something is amiss, but after receiving a well practiced ‘I’m fine’ she sighs and shakes her head. “We will talk later…” There is no way she’s getting out of this conversation! “Is is just us?” Lana glances around the area, the stench of the dead reaching her nostrils and nearly causing her to retch, and she knows it’s best that they act fast. Inching closer to Khitti, she gives a polite nod to Rorin as it’s decided that he will take the lead. That sounds good… Neither of them were looking forward to encountering a bunch of stiffs in a mine shaft.

Kailani :: If anyone should be throwing around the title of 'kid' it was Kailani, not that anyone would really be able to tell she was -maybe- the most senior person her. Maybe. The only other person who might be close to her in age was Lanara, the other half-elf that was present....Though if they were both the eldest members of this expedition, neither of them came close to looking at it. As per the norm, it would be hard to miss Kailani's arrival. Her hair is such a deep shade of blue that it usually calls attention to herself fairly quickly, she has become an expert at ignoring this phenomenon over the years. The druid has dressed herself for both warmth and safety, donning hardened leather armor that is worn beneath a thick fur cloak. Within the grasp one hand is the druid's preferred weapon of choice, a ranseur. Socializing was not the reclusive woman's strong suit and the only face present that she is even close to familiar with is Khitti's. With that in mind, the gathered party is greeted with a terse nod for a hello.

Quintessa was always one to jump on a chance to test her might against powerful beast, a trait that her Master, Kasyr, had made sure was nurtured and fed into. After all, Kasyr, too, loved to take on giant monsters and had trained Quintessa specifically for tasks like this. However, it was Rorin this time that had asked her about slaying an undead wyvern, and the changeling couldn't help but take her new acquaintance up on his offer to allow her to tag along. She wanted to head back to House Dragana first, however, so she got the location of their quarry and headed to her manor to get the things she needed. After all, it was foolish to track down an undead saurian without coming fully prepared. Equipped with her Catalian katana and her invisibility cloak, Quintessa makes the trek through the Xalious Mountains looking for her companions. The young spellcaster missed all the 'kid' talk, but if anyone here was worthy of that title it would certainly be the teenaged hex blade. "Ah, just caught them," she says to herself as she brings up rear, noticing first Khitti and then Lanara before her mismatched eyes of blue and hazel eye Kailani with curiosity. "Good, reinforcements." she says, unsure who Kailani was and why Lanara tagged along but glad for the added support anyway. "Yo, Rorin, I'm finally here," Quintessa does her best to push her way to the front. "Did I miss the briefing?"

Rorin gave Khitti a short and informal salute, having donned his more serious half plate earlier and looking all the more grim servitor of justice for it. He held his shield and sword at the ready, needing no light for his half-elven eyes. If Khitti was in any kind of mood he doubtless wouldn’t notice - they’d so rarely spoken privately to each other, he’d have trouble telling you exactly what she was like. She was the boss though, even if he was leading this one, he had due respect for her and the many trials she had gone through. Lanara he was slightly more familiar with - or perhaps, he felt her easier to understand. To her he simply shrugged. Not many people fight on the frontlines, nor many knew what was waiting for them in the bushes of love. The young paladins full helm gave no indication of his own feelings, and he was too closed off and quiet to report them. All business, for it was a business of dire importance they took to, as his own sworn duty dictated. The third one, he isn’t at all familiar with, but he gives her a terse nod in return. As he had stated, he needed all the help he could get with this one - and this was only a symptom of the true problem. All hands would be called when it came time to deal with that one. As Quintessa arrived he actually smiled, not that it was visible for anything but a loose shrug and a less tense posture. “There are undead, we need to make them more dead. One of them happens to be a wyvern.” It all seemed simple enough to him. He gathered himself up and marched forward in a slight crouch with arms at the ready

Winding Pit, Xalious

Rorin || The sickly sweet smell of rotting meat threatens to burn uncovered nostrils here in the main shaft. Unlit torches line the walls and braces mount the ceiling with icicles dangling from on high. The stairs here are much less steep now and accompany a bare stretch of earth laden with tracks for carts. A waxy yellow light flickers not far off now, casting lumbering shadows on the wall. As the heroes move forward they can hear rustling and shuffling that soon becomes a roaring echo heading towards them up the mine- a blue of movement and darkness overcomes them before flying out into the sun. Just bats... until attention returns to the noise. Around the winding tunnel come a huddled group of zombies dwarves, dragging picks and shovels in their hands. Helmets, hats, and workers clothes stained and ripped over gashes with rancid innards coming out. Milky eyed and bloated corpses stumble forward and prepare to attack!

Rorin faced the crowd of undead miners head on, bowling one away his shield, parrying a pickaxe, and cutting off an arm before going for a head. He was in the thick of the fray before he knew what to do with himself, and although confronted with a larger number of zombie dwarves than he felt comfortable with, he showed no signs of retreating. When he was pushed, he pushed back, staggering more than a few of them and giving him an opening to his his shield magics he held so dearly to finer potential. A wall of light spread before his round shield, and is it was struck it struck in return, easily setting alight some of the dryer undead, forcing them back into the corner and separating them for easy pickings as the rest tumbled on.

Khitti cringed when Quintessa showed up. Ugh, no please. The last time the two met, they agreed on fighting the next time they crossed paths! Well, sorry but today was not that day. Tomorrow probably wouldn’t be either. Or the day after. She followed along behind the rest of the group, Tenbatsu Kaji and Embershard unsheathed and ready to get stabby. There’d be a suspicious lack of Khitti’s magic today. But maybe they wouldn’t notice? Naw. Things are cool. It’s fine. See? Tenbatsu Kaji is on fire, as per usual. It’s fiiiine. Forget the fact that that’s not even from Khitti’s magic anyway, and is instead from the sprite, Seika, within the sword. Please don’t let this be as bad as the other cave. Pleaaaaase.

Khitti || Nope. This was gonna be bad. The bats? Those were nothing. But the dwarves? Sigh. “I need to have a serious talk with someone about all of these necromancers necromancin’ everywhere. I’m tired of looking at shambling corpses. I’ve looked at them for the past twenty years for frak’s sake.” Rorin would go barreling forward into herd of bitey short people and Khitti muttered all the curses she knew. Common, Dhavislaavian, Catalian--she’d swear in all of them. One of the dwarves sought to sink its teeth into any open spot on the paladin and it’d be met with Tenbatsu Kaji flung at the back of its head, the fire about the sword growing in strength to make sure the damn thing was dead. A hand was outstretched towards the katana, the blade shaking as it pried itself out of the undead’s skull and returned to Khitti. Others would be picked off here and there, all the while Khitti kept an eye on their only exit.

Lanara continues to look around the area, shivering slightly from the cold, as Rorin is making preparations for their descent into the pit. She makes some small talk about the weather, though it’s rather asinine to bring up the chill in the air, as it –is- winter. Lanara is notorious for stating the obvious, and often will fill any silence with endless babble, merely because she’s either nervous or bored, likely a combination of both. Turning to the right she catches a glimpse of blue and as Kailani nears their little gathering she gives the half elf a small smile, delighted to see that another has joined in on the adventure. “Hiya! I’m Lanara!” Extending a dainty hand, she tries to make the acquaintance of the woman, clearly not realizing that Kailani isn’t the type to bond with strangers. That cheeky grin would fade as Quintessa appears and once introductions ceased with the half elf, Lana lightly elbows Khitti in the ribs, “What is –she- doing here?!” They were enemies, right?! At least she assumed they were, since the redhead was screaming insults at Tessa as she fought against Gevurah a few weeks prior. Plus, this one had ties to Larewen, and those that knew the witch knew that she loathed the vampiress. Unsure if she should be downright rude, indifferent, or sweet to the girl, Lanara follows closely behind Rorin and steps into the designated area. The smell takes her breath away and several times she presses a hand to her mouth to muffle the stench. Why couldn’t they go and pray with the relatives of the undead? Why did they have to traipse over corpses and burn them to ashes? “Undead…Wyvern?” If the area weren’t so dim, the sadness that reflects in those chocolate hues would be palpable, as the animal empath’s powers were moot against undead animals. They were beyond saving, and she didn’t have the heart to slay a beast of any kind. Lanara slows her steps as she hears the sickening slithering of what she assumed were corpses coming back to life, and she glances over her shoulder to peer at Khitti, at the precise moment that Rorin leaps into battle. The area is suddenly ablaze with holy light, and she squints, “Dwarves?!” Of course there are dwarves, she thinks, wondering why she thought they’d be searching for average sized humans. Undead dwarves, to be exact! “They won’t respond to lap dances, that’s for sure…” she mutters beneath her breath, to no one in particular, before she lifts both her hands and mutters an incantation in sylvan. Within seconds two flaming orbs appear on her palms and she hurls the fireballs at each dwarf that nears her location, as she backs into a rock wall. “Corner me… I dare you.” Lana’s facial expression contorts into one of sheer disgust as the decaying midgets shuffle her way, each to be met with a lick of flame. A few run past to try and take a bite out of the others, one lies dead at her feet, and a handful scatter aimlessly about the area, trying to stifle the fire that threatens to consume.

Kailani barely had a chance to process the explanation that was given. It might seem simple to Rorin, but the druid had her doubts for there was very little in life that she has found to be so truly black and white. The blue-haired woman would be unable to illuminate who she might be and why she might be here, not that there was really any time for introductions. Lanara might have started to try and introduce herself, but Kailani did not manage to give her name back. Mostly in part because returning the introduction would require some sort of social awareness on her part, and that's just a lot of work, okay? Before anyone knew it, the undead that Rorin wanted to see destroyed was descending upon them. Numbers were on the side of the undead at present, but the party come to eliminate them had numerous strengths of their own that they seemed to be able to hold their own against the undead. The majority of the party fighting alongside Kailani may not even know the woman's name, but they would soon learn that she was comfortable and quite at ease in battle. The druid may not wield a shield, but she seems proficient enough with her pole-arm of choice that she is able to at the keep the undead from gaining much distance on her. The druid is more than capable of tapping into elemental magic, she could be joining the fray by summoning her own fire (she prefers water though, duh)....but she doesn't. She instead seems to be slowly fighting her way closer toward Lanara, like she has recognized the witch could perhaps use a bit of support while she slings fireballs left and right. She sets them on fire, Kailani skewers them with her ranseur. It seems quite an efficient way to work in the druid's view.

Quintessa grins as Rorin lunges forward and it takes all of her restraint not to rush into the fray with him. She had fought him before, so she was certain he could handle a few run-of-the-mill undead. These dwarves were practically mindless, an apprentice could defeat one. But an entire hoard? Quintessa chuckles darkly as she reaches into her cloak for the book she had taken from Larewen's Library. From the arcane symbols etched into the cover, one might be able to tell that this was clearly a book on necromancy. Flipping through the pages frantically as Khitti gives Rorin support, Kailani skewers them with her ranseur, and Lanara hurls fireballs at them, her mismatched eyes flicker back and forth from her spellbook to the attacking horde. The changeling had never seen the witch in combat before, but she was not disappointed. Perhaps there were things Quintessa could learn from a witch... Forcing her errant imagination to the back of her mind, the hex blade begins to read aloud from her book in some ancient, unknown language, chanting "Bydd y meirw yn ufuddhau," as her dark magic reached forward in an attempt to rebuke these living dead dwarves. Quintessa wasn't a powerful enough necromancer to fully command these undead, but she could control them subtly enough in other ways. One give slight hesitation before an attack, giving the druid an opening with her polearm and another group of zombies halt entirely as Lanara's spells burn them up and Rorin cuts them down. But these were all small fries compared to the wyvern, which was no doubt lurking nearby. As Quintessa's black magic does its work, she remains constantly vigilant, her hag-borne eyes gazing into the darkness of the cave every once in a while searching for the beast that lie in wait for them. "I have a bad feeling about this," she mutters to herself.

Rorin would have given Lanara a few cursory looks as they made their descent. He wasn’t sure exactly what she had been expecting, and though he knew she would be capable, but to be frank, she seemed like she would be more suited to a homelier life than fighting admittedly disgusting remnants of people and animals in a dank smelly cave. Similarly when he charged into battle, he didn’t think about how he was also turned to the wall but was quickly reminded as the bite of a pick and the slam of a shovel drove into his back. Forced onto a knee, the pilgrim returned with a vicious swipe of his sword, rending light and flame through the air, as well as through his attackers. He would turn to meet the group of walking corpses and put his shield up once again, a blue barrier half domed over him, the spell making his legs feel as if he were walking through thick jellied water.

Rorin || As he pushed back, Khitti had her own flames going, slicing and dicing the opposition into chunks and pieces, the sluggish bloating incapable of dodging her, while Lanara did prove more than capable at flash frying a few fettered fiends. Kailani makes her way through the crowd with ease and deadly efficiency, grouping back together with flames dancing all around. As Quintessa begins her dark work, Rorin has fully charged his rebuttal attack. Stolen strength of the cursed beings beating against his shield transformed into holy energy, wearing away at Rorins body without causing true injury all the while. Breaking his mystic shield, the paladin went through the memetic motions to create several lances of light lashing out. Skewered, sliced, stabbed, and stir-fried, the dwarves fell.

Rorin || Not long after it had began, the initial attack was done, none but the slayers still stirred. Rorin took a breath and felt his muscles having stretched. This was progress, but the true task was yet to come. “After it’s done,” the young man spoke projecting a gravelly dark tone from his helmet, “we’ll use the barrels of lantern oil they stored here. Soak the corpses, and leave nothing left.” The place already stunk to high heavens but that was nothing compared to what it would be after they were set up. “Take a moment, we’ll say a few words for these fallen before we move on.” He sighed deeply. He had seen even before his first sword stroke that none of them here could have been brought back. Even if the cursed sickness could have been cured, their bodies were spoilt, too much blood and organs spilt. There was nothing that could be done.

Khitti || “She’s here, because she’s in the Warrior’s Guild like Rorin and I,” Khitti eventually said to Lanara with a sigh once the slaying of undead dwarves had been dealt with. “That brother of mine let her in because she tried to kill him.” She made sure to leave out the part that -she’d- been the one to send out that bounty, even if it was on several tavern boards. “I’ve since discovered why--she’s apparently quite a bit like me.” She made no effort to muffle their conversation. She didn’t care if the changeling heard or not. “It also explains why Larewen liked her.” The elder vampiress had had a habit of picking up strays--and Khitti had been one of them. She’d been used and abused just like everyone else that had set foot within that mansion. The memories from days long since passed in that house brought back a little of that fire Khitti usually had. It made her angry that it was even something she still had to deal with. To warn other people of Larewen’s habits. Both swords were sheathed and no sooner had Khitti done this was there terrible banshee-like screeching. -And screaming.- She wouldn’t have a chance to acknowledge Rorin’s plan for after they’d finished here. “Son of a bitch…” is all that was said as the redhead took off further down the path to the bottom of the pit, shadow-stepping her way down in an attempt to help whoever the frak was in trouble… Turns out, one of those miners had managed to hide herself away behind some rocks where the wyvern couldn’t reach. It also turns out that not even Khitti with her shadow-stepping was quick enough. The wyvern had already bitten into the poor dwarf, taking the entire top half of her body, while leaving the lower half to spurt blood and twitch for a few moments before the undead beast finished it off. “I really need to stop going into caves.” Unfortunately for Khitti, she’d continue to go into random caves in Lithrydel for the foreseeable future and end up saying that exact same line every single time.

Pit's Bottom, Xalious

Khitti || The wyvern let out another screech, this time at Khitti as it barreled towards her. She shadow-stepped out of its way, but she was still not out of the woods. The wyvern was in a blood-frenzy now after its most recent snack and the redhead was next on its list. The scent of a tasty human morsel to the beast’s left was enough to get the wyvern to direct its attacks there as it reared up and snapped its wings forward in Khitti’s direction. The gust of wind from such a thing was enough on its own to stun someone, but… a frenzied undead? Against a puny human? Yeah. It doesn’t pan out well. Khitti’s sent flying to the nearest wall and hit it with a loud smack before sliding down the wall itself, and crumpling onto the floor. With another victory screech, the wyvern made its way to the knocked out templar, intent on making her its next meal.

Lanara tilts her head at Kailani as the druid nears her spot against the rock wall as she wasn’t used to joining forces with another outside of her inner circle, but she welcomes the assistance and even points to one or two dwarves that manage to dodge a fireball. The ranseur is brought down with expertise and it’s obvious that the druid can hold her own, so together they are an unbeatable force, at least until the wyvern makes it’s appearance. As a group of zombies pauses in their attack and study the brunette with their lifeless eyes, Lanara trails her gaze to Quintessa and offers a nod of thanks. She had seen the changeling whip out her spellbook from her peripheral, and once the horde seems to pause as many of them are dying for a second time, she addresses Tessa with her concern, “When in battle it’s best not to bring your book, as it’s far too distracting. Only cast spells that you know by heart! Memorize every incantation until you know it like the back of your magical hands, and use your spellbook in isolated places without threats lurking around every corner.” Didn’t her mentors show her the ropes? Was Quintessa just learning how to wield her powers? Lana doesn’t offer to tutor the girl, as she dislikes practicing with those she doesn’t trust, but for a fraction of a moment she shows that she cares. One wrong word or misstep could lead to the changeling’s death, or the death of a loved one. The witch leaves Kailani’s side once the final dwarf falls and the cavern seems to be in a state of calm, and she walks over to Khitti. “Are you alright? She tried to kill Lionel?!” Rorin is speaking again and commands the attention of the group as he mentions that they should all say a few words and offer a moment of silence to the recently fallen. Lana nods fervently and after making certain that her friend hasn’t been harmed, she makes her way over to the paladin and stands at his side. She wasn’t the biggest fan of half-pint people, least of all those that had contracted the zombie plague, but the dozens of bodies that loiter the area places the woman in a somber mood. It sickens her that this was their downfall, and after a moment she clears her throat and locks eyes with Rorin, waiting for him to lead them all into a brief prayer. It’s at this precise moment that Lanara is preparing to catch her breath and possibly shed a tear for the dwarves, when Khitti hears something and takes off like a bat fleeing the depths of hell! “Khitti? Wait!” Giving chase, the witch is only about fifty feet behind the redhead when she’s violently tossed against the rock wall, bringing a case of déjà vu and fear. “Rorin! Blue Haired Girl! Larewen’s House Robber! HELP!” Not knowing what else to do, the witch decides to taunt the undead wyvern by darting to the left and right, hoping she’d look like a tasty little morsel. A part of her wanted to tend to Khitti’s likely injuries, but the sane side of her knew she had to save her life, first. Eventually the wyvern glances her way and hopefully will give into the game of cat and mouse, at least long enough so someone can slay the beast.

Kailani was unwilling to relax too much, for it was made known to her from the start that undead dwarves was not the only issue that they were here to deal with. She would not be lulled into conversation easily, which means that she is not far behind Khitti and then Lanara as they....just go breaking off from the group and doing whatever it is they deem fit to do. Reckless. Stupid. Kailani sneers out of frustration for the situation they now find themselves in as a result, with Khitti having been violently flung against a wall and Lanara now trying to distract the wyvern with movement. Kailani does what she can while trying to close the distance between herself and the wyvern, evidently willing to throw herself right in the middle of the fray....but not without trying to weaken the beast first. It was subtle enough that it those not in tune with magic may not attribute this to any action on Kailani's part, but the stalactites in this frozen cave directly above the wyvern suddenly break away and rain down on the undead beast. Best case scenario, it would be impaled by some of the larger chunks of the frozen shards...which in itself was probably not enough to kill the beast? Worst case, the falling fragments of ice are just one more annoying distraction to keep Khitti from being eaten....so that Kailani can get close enough to shove her ranseur down the beasts throat for being so damn annoying…

Quintessa snaps her book closed the moment the zombies had been dispatched and she raises a brow a Lanara's scolding. "Y-yeah, but I- Look, necromancy is hard and I don't have a proper Dark-arts teacher now that both Daath and Larewen have sodded off. I'm much better at my other studies, I assure you." She puts her book away as she scoffs at Khitti for running toward the screaming and Lanara for giving chase. She preferred party members like Kailani who could maintain a calm head so that Quintessa could be the one to recklessly charge in. "They'll be no words for this lot yet," the changeling says to Rorin as she draws her sword, following slowly after the other three women. By the time she finds them three of them, Khitti has been downed and Lanara has become bait while Kailani pelts the monster with ice. "That's not my name!" Quintessa yells at Lanara, annoyed with this whole 'Robber of House Dragana' business. As her anger builds, she recalls Khitti's advice to use it and the changeling focuses on all of the things that had pissed her off recently. Nothing in all of Lithrydel could invoke her fury like the thought of Gevurah did. "Everything I have, I EARNED!" Waves of arcane magic wash over the area as she speaks, Quintessa the obvious focal point as she channels her emotions into her mana pool. "Cleddyf tân!" she screams, her sword setting aflame as the magic fed into her spell, the lithe form of the swordswoman sprinting closer to the undead wyvern. "Cadwynau fflam!" With only a couple of meters between them, Quintessa skids to a stop, her sword pointed at her target as the flames begin to take a new form. Like a ribbon of fire, her spell collects into a solid form that attempts to wrap around the monster, burning it slowly as it restricts its movement. This, she hopes will give the rest of the party time to either defeat this foe or get Khitti to safety, whatever came first.

Rorin didn’t really catch Lanara and Khitti having a conversation, nor her and Quintessa, or even Quintessa having words at him, though he had felt the dark magic stirring from the changeling amid the druids natural forces. He was right behind Khitti after that ear splitting screech, and kept on after her as she jumped down into the wyvern pit below. He was just in time to see a poor dwarf woman lose her head, and was ready to rush to Khitti as the beast set upon her. Rorin had spent some time with Frostmaw Eyrie, but he still wasn’t prepared for the size and the sheer smell of the thing. By the look in its pale blue eyes, he hoped it was blind, or perhaps maddened in its undead state. While Kailani rained icy true death down on it, Lanara tried distracting it, and Quintessa yelled and brought flaming sword to it, Rorin was concerned solely with procuring Khitti and recovering her enough to limp out the door. Mentally he reached out towards her blade first, hoping it would remain conscious without her, and perhaps that it had someway to jump start her awake. His own armament spoke with him in that sub-physical way as he slid into position over her, raising his shield with on arm and casting a great ward as he laid the other over her. Quiet, steady pulses of healing magic would flow between them, Rorin already having mixed his priorities up - if he got her running, how could they escape the wyvern? Even if she would rise up, she wouldn’t be any more safe. He cursed his damnable disposition to help before harming and tried to think of a way out of this mess. Any time not looking at Khitti was spent studying the wyvern for weak spots- something this disgusting and massive had to have one.

Khitti || The wyvern almost wasn’t going to go after Lanara. -Almost-. Were this a completely alive and totally sentient creature, it would probably sigh at all of Lanara’s screaming. Or it’d just eat her. It really would’ve depended on its mood for the day. Its mood today though? Not happy. You wouldn’t be happy either if you were undead--just ask Khitti! Wait, you can’t. RIP. The wyvern just wanted to snack on people in peace! Sheesh. Well, that doesn’t happen. Because Lanara’s a total buzzkill. It screeched and veered right towards Lanara to snap her up like it had that dwarf woman only for it to be rudely rained on with sharp pointy sky-objects. The stalactites pierce the wyvern’s rotting flesh, slicing through a wing with ease and sticking in various other parts of its body. It’s not taken down entirely but Quintessa and Rorin quickly see to that. The ribbon of fire wrapped around the wyvern, the beast letting out a howl in anger. It doesn’t want to be pinned down--it wanted to EAT. Held in place and weighed down by the sharp spikes of Kailani’s stalactites, the wyvern struggled to fight back as the bipedal creature swiped at its assailants and snapped its jaws at them.

Khitti || Meanwhile, Rorin had set to work on waking up that insufferable redhead. It’s a good thing she wasn’t a vampire anymore, or else they’d have Krispy Fried Khat Part 2: Holy Magic Boogaloo. His attempts had not been alone, for Seika too had been trying to get through to her. Tenbatsu Kaji glowed bright red as Rorin reached out to it, as if to say “I’m well aware my idiot is unconscious thankyouverymuch”. Between the two of them, it does eventually work and Khitti awakened with a groan. “I need a vacation… I need my honeymoon… I need… a goddamn drink.” She slowly pushed herself up off the floor, using the wall to brace herself. Once she was standing, she shoved Rorin lightly in the shoulder, “Go deal with that. They need you.” They don’t need -me-. If he didn’t go, he’d get shoved again and make even a few choice words until he did leave to go finish the beast off. “You know what needs to be done with undead.” It needed a good ol’ blast of holy magic, of course, regardless of whether or not there was a weak spot.

Khitti || The wyvern continued to thrash, trying to fight its way through Quintessa’s fire. The need to feed tore at its mind, cried out that that was the only thing that mattered. It didn’t matter that its wing was torn, that its flesh was burning as it struggled. More angry screeches came from the beast, as Khitti remained where she was, watching the four of them and the wyvern battle on, in silence.

Lanara is grateful that Kailani wasn’t far behind and answered her call for help, as her empathic abilities were useless against the undead wyvern, and the witch didn’t think to bring a weapon with her on this particular adventure. Rorin mentioned burning some bodies, and naturally she thought it would be a simple cremation and nothing more. Clearly, the witch had her wires crossed! As the ranseur is wielded by the capable druid and the frozen rock and debris begin to rain down upon them, Lana darts from side to side. No longer is she playing the part of the prey as the beast is distracted by the rocks and the blue haired woman with the weapon, so she aims to get nearer to the fallen redhead. A few rogue rocks smash against Lana’s shoulders and arms, a dull ache remaining on her tender collarbone, but still she perseveres until she’s at Khitti’s side. Dropping to her knees, she assesses her friends injuries with worried eyes, aiming out to check for a pulse, and relieved greatly when she finds that she’s still alive. “Khitti… Come on, wake up…” As she’s trying to coax the woman back to consciousness, Quintessa appears and is obviously annoyed by her choice of a name, and were they not in the midst of great danger the witch would have laughed. Lana can think of nothing more deserving for Larewen, than to be stripped of her title and house, so the changeling is scoring points in that area. “See how well you do without your spellbook? It’s a tool, but not a crutch!” Oddly, Lana finds the commentary welcome, as it keeps her sharp and settles some of the anxiety. Always a chatterbox! Dark hues linger on the beast that has met his demise between Kailani and Quintessa’s combined forces, before she looks up at Rorin and watches as he uses his powers and places a shield over Khitti. It’s the first time that Lanara has looked at Rorin as more than one of Lionel’s lackeys, and truly as a grown man with immense powers. “Thank you… She really needs to get to a healer. I can bring her to the one in Sage Forest.” Yerrel’s Hut was where Penelope worked, and Lana trusts that Khitti will get the best of care from the healer. As the witch is –still- rattling on like a nervous schoolgirl at prom, Khitti is nudged awake by Seika and Rorin, “Thank the Goddess! Once that thing is dead, I’m escorting you to the healer. How are you feeling? Think anything is broken? How many fingers am I holding up?” This would continue, well past the slaying of the beast, likely until the witch is assured that her best friend is safe and sound.

Kailani :: Were this left up to Kailani, she'd probably opt to freeze the wyvern within a frozen block of ice -- if only because defeating the beast is proving to be particularly troublesome. It is undead, Kailani did not seem to be tapping into the magics that would more easily defeat the beast -- not like Rorin could or Quintessa was learning to. This was not left up to Kailani though, Rorin was present as was Quintessa. The druid has already recognized where they would be more easily able to lend to the defeat of this particular undead than she. Khitti is clearly now being guarded by Lanara, the two would be more than capable of holding their own especially since Khitti has returned to consciousness. So the druid does what she believes to be the most logical and reasonable course of action, she remains engaged in battle with the wyvern. She may not be able to defeat the creature on her own, but she was definitely doing enough harm that she was a significant annoyance...And the more annoying she could be? The easier it would be for Quintessa and Rorin.

Quintessa grinds her sharp teeth together as she struggles to keep the wyvern contained within her chains of fire. Even fueled by her wrath, the spell was sapping Quintessa of a huge amount of her mana simply maintaining the hold. Every thrash from the undead saurian pulls the changeling a bit closer, her stance breaking as she tugs on her molten ribbon like a fishing line. The wyvern must still possess enough agency to notice this, for it begins to thrash in Quintessa's direction, using a massive wing to gain leverage against her. The flame-chains cut into the flesh of the beast, but not enough to stop it from raising a wing high into the air (as high as the cave allows) and shaking it wildly about. The hex blade is jerked into the air as the wyvern uses her own attack against her, swinging her around the room like an improvised whip. With a quick snap of its wing, Quintessa is slammed hard into the ground, her voice crying out from the dust and rubble kicked up by such an attack. She wasn't ready to give up, even after being battered on the ground like that. From her place on the rocky floor, Quintessa gives one last solid tug of her fire-ribbon and it constricts around the wing it had used against her, tightening until it cleanly severed the limb from the body. The changeling smirks smugly at what she had managed to accomplish before her spell fades away, the tip of her katana digging into the soft earth below her as she attempts to regain her composure. That blow had made her more dizzy than she realized at first.

Rorin nodded and acknowledged Lanara - wow, she really liked to talk - before he went to see to the beast, stepping up to its level through the use of hardened light platforms appearing and disappearing beneath his feet. Whispering a word to the Guardian spirit that had been slumbering within him, Rorins shield and sword disappeared in a flash along with most of his armor, leaving him a frail but quickly flying deadly object as Kailani continued her own battle with it. Her own speed and strength kept it busy enough for him to land with a flying kick to stomp its jaws shut, leaping off as huge claws of light formed over his hands from his wrists to dig into the beast side as he flipped and flew around. Thorny chains of energy would shoot off, winding around and digging into the beast as Rorin performed his acrobatics, attempting to bind its legs, its teeth, and its wings. Along with Quintessa chains and Kailani's help, they were sure to bring it down. He would seek to land between its shoulders, giving a twist and a pull - grunting out a prayer in a language vastly unknown to give him the tremendous strength necessary to pull this off. As it thrashed and kicked, a massive cloud of dust and dirt would be blown up as it fell, sending a tremor when it crashed to its side. The chains would shatter and disappear as Rorin landed a few feet off and sprinted to the beasts head. With a leap he raised his hands above his head and conjured a flaming holy lance, burying it in the beasts head in the socket above it’s whirling blue eye. He would twist viciously, hanging on for dear life as the beast shuddered and twitched, shouting out more prayers to battle the cursed magic keeping it beyond life. With one final thrust he could feel the magic sever within it, the power rushing out of it all at once in a rank miasma.

Rorin || The next moment Rorin looked, there was little but blackened ash and charred bone left, already brittle and flaking away. The pilgrim held not a lance, but a simple sword and shield once again, leaning against them before his back turned and bottom sank to the ground. It was finally done, and he felt exhausted even before landing the final blow. Hugging and puffing, the paladin would need a moment to recover himself before they could see through with the plan to see this place reduced to burnt rubble, hopefully unable to infect anyone else ever again. He was sure it was only a matter of time however before it was opened back up into a random hole in the ground. What had this place been previously anywhere, he wondered idly with a sluggish brain. No one he had talked to had actually mentioned it, seeming to pass off the place as something best overlooked

Khitti’s body tensed up somewhat, the usual reaction Khitti had to most healers that wasn’t the one on the Tranquility, despite the fact that Lanara was one of her closest friends. “Please, Lanara… don’t touch me...” She shied away from the witch, but didn’t entirely move away from her. She opened her mouth, to protest about going Kelay’s healer, but she eventually just shut her mouth and frowned. If she didn’t go, she wasn’t gonna hear the end of it. It’d be even worse if Meri was here… Sigh. Whatever had happened to Khitti in the mining cave nearby, it seemed to still have Khitti shook. “I’m not going to some frakkin’ healer I don’t know. I want to go see Lennier. On the ship.” She moved away from the wall entirely, but soon stopped when the room began to spin. It was clear she -wasn’t- going to make it all the way to Cenril without possibly passing out again. “Goddamn it,” Khitti said… and then she threw up. Looks like she’ll have to listen to Lanara after all.

Khitti || While the witch was dealing with Khitti, the other three each used their own specific skills to take down the wyvern--and they did it well. Khitti would be proud of them--maaaaybe even Quintessa too--except she’s too busy seeing stars at the moment. “I need to go… I need to go to the ship. I need to go see Brand…” Mmm, nope. That’s not gonna happen right now. The redhead’s body decided it was a good time to pass out again, leaving Lanara and Kailani to deal with Khitti. Thankfully, for the two of them, the telltale ‘MOWROWR!’ of Khitti’s tikifhlee echoed down into the pit. It wouldn’t take long for the cat to make its way down where everyone else was, the cat half-melded with the shadows. It nuzzled at Khitti’s face and laid down next to her, its attention shifting towards Lanara. “Mowrowr,” it said calmly to the witch, recognizing her as one of two that took care of one of its cubs. Yes, that cat is pretty damn sentient. It probably wants -someone- to shove Khitti on its back so they can all get the hell out of there.

Lanara is finally silent as the battle comes to an end, and the once majestic wyvern is little more than ash and some skeletal remains. It’s obvious that Khitti and Quintessa both were in dire need of a healer, and that Rorin and Kailani were greatly weakened as they had used such force against the undead dwarves and beast. Even though Lanara had only used a minute amount of her mana by commanding the element of fire, she feels equally as exhausted, merely from watching this entire scene unfold and for seeing the lives of both animal and half-men reduced to nothing. Their bodies would burn, this entire place would burn, and with it the zombie plague. All that would exit would be the five souls that were brave enough to foray into the unknown, to set things right, and to carry their memories to whatever audience they all returned. Lana is scowling at Khitti as the woman doesn’t want to be touched, refuses to see a healer, and makes claims about needing to go on a ship. “There won’t be any sailing, Khitti, you are injured. You may have a concussion!” She pleads with the redhead for the next ten minutes, but she falls silent as she watches her vomit off to the side and dizzily relax. The sight and sounds of the tikifhlee are a welcome reprieve from bickering with her best friend and Lana beckons Kailani to assist her in helping Khitti onto the massive shadow cat’s back. Without words, the witch pats the cat atop her velvety head and the two come to an understanding. The feline would choose the place and the healer, be it Lennier on the shop, Penelope in Sage Forest, or even Kailani, just outside of this wretched soon-to-be-burned place. Either way, the witch and likely the druid would be in tow, worried sick about their friend! Before taking their leave, Lana glances at Rorin and Quintessa, offering each of them a small smile, “Safe travels… Maybe you should see a healer too, Quintessa – Robber of Residences.” She winks, to show she’s merely jesting, before following the tikifhlee to whichever location she desired.

Kailani understood that there were still items on Rorin's checklist that he wanted to accomplish today, but that was not going to be something that the druid was going to offer assistance in. She was all for helping more, up until the point that Khitti collapsed. Quintessa was not faring so well herself either as far as Kailani could tell. "I am going to see them all out of here," Kailani declares to Rorin. And by them all? She makes motion to Khitti, Quintessa and Lanara. "They are all injured and that is priority." The only person that Kailani would accept any amount of objection from is Quintessa, as the woman was at least conscious. Regardless of if Quintessa decides to stay or to go, it would seem Kailani would be departing to help see to the injured.

Quintessa slowly stands, using her sword as a sort of cane to get around with. The swordswoman had taken hits like that before but her equilibrium had always corrected itself by now. "Oh what are we talking about?" Quintessa finally staggers over, a light trickle of blood winding its way down her face as she joins them. She has no idea what's going on right now and the cave won't stop spinning. "Healer? Yes, I need a healer. I'm not feeling well." An understatement. The status of Khitti's concussion might have been unknown, but Quintessa had certainly been hit in the head hard enough to cause such. Mismatched eyes try hard to focus on Kailani as she speaks, and the changeling cracks a smile at her. "I knew you could talk." she says, amusement in her voice. "I'll go with you, fine. I'm having an issue walking anyway." Using the cave wall to keep herself balanced instead of using her weapon, she carefully returns her katana to her sheath and wait expectantly for someone to help her. She wouldn't be able to get far by herself in this state.

Rorin watched Khitti throw up and vaguely wondered if she was pregnant again (she had a kid right? At least one, with that Brand guy?) Rorin needed to keep up with his teammates personal lives better... “Get her loaded up, we can take care of this.” He assured Lanara that Khitti was now, obviously, a priority, and that burning things could wait a moment later. Once she was gone he would eventually get up and start to have a look around. The dwarves has left blasting caps, powder, oil, plenty of useful tools for the job that needed to be done. He agreed with Kailani though, the injured needed aid. He could handle this himself if he had too, though he thought perhaps he had enough in him left to fix a few scrapes and bruises and would have mentioned so had he not noticed Quintessa and her concussion. He vaguely thought about how nice it would be to walk her out of here like a real hero of those old childhood tales, but swept the notion from his mind just as quickly. Real life was much messier, he had since learned, and rarely gave itself to such precious moments. He sighed and went about his work, taking his time, being careful, and eventually met the others outside to watch it burn. It was there he decided to mention that this would only be the first of many such fires they would have to set to counteract the spread of the plague from its source. Up above in frostmaw, outcast giants with blue eyes and rotting bodies had attacked the gates, strange wolves with wrongly made fur and dripping blackened blood had taken to the frostmares, and those had spread wild and free in their flight. It would be difficult to find all the little outbreaks, and that was just a start. In the time it would take to stop them, more would come, until they dealt with the source of the accursed affliction. A true dragon, a great white thing, had been seen wheeling in the skies, a ghostly image - a living corpse, spreading its disease. And from there, they would still not be done. This was all started by a necromancer who was planning something more, something big. This was just the start of it. Rorin had a lot of work to do...