Key to the Sky (RP. Please see OOC if wishing to join)

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

Kirsiari walked the length of the stone hall again and again, awaiting Tavin. She'd been waiting in Ternata Tehortha, a mountain city, for three days now. He couldn't blame his absence on the snow. No, the summer heat was scortching the Kaltolam planes to the south, and the road was kept in fair condition from Esteme Ketor to here. There was no excuse.

She'd chosen the man as her captain for good reason. He was a warrior from birth, a decendent of the Kings of Gondor in the Westlands. He'd sworn to give all the aid he could in defending Rathlas from Bathsham. He'd sworn to aid her in bringing down Areanna as well. Talwren Davion was wearing her patients thin by making so manny promises that he wouldn't be able to keep if he failed in even one.

Tavin, as he was called outside of the court, had sent word to her a month ago that he had come by a piece of the coveted Skystone. He should have been here by now. He took the road, yes, but the one bearing the message for her couldn't have given his words to any one else, for the messenger was Ilena, third highest ranking of the Wolf Clan of the Shaw Tree Woods east of here.

The Wolf Clan were actually people who could change into large wolves at any time they wished. Kirsinari herself had began the Wolf Clan, for she was the Fala Naera, the Wolf of Story in history who had origionally come to Rathlas with her sister the Amala Daera, Areanna, to fight against Bathsham at the order of the goddess of ballence commonly known here as Onem.

What if Tavin never came? What if Ilena had been intersepted by one of Areanna's pupets from Pareln or one of the Maya tribespeople?

"My lady," Acren, the chief of servents, called her attention. "Talwren Davion has come. He was taken to the Healing rooms for wounds. My lady, they seemed to have been made by a large dog of some sort."

She'd almost forgotten that the people here didn't know her as the Fala Naera becaus they were so far remooved from the rest of Rathlas' people. They simply knew her as the Lady of Ternata Tehortha, daughter and successor of the late King Telentari. They didn't know what she really was.

"Did he say how he got them?"

"Mumbled something about a Wolf Clan, Lady, but I didn't understand mutch more." Acren said.

Just like Tavin to speak in Old Nedarin rather than something a bit easyer for the servants to understand. He seemed to like confusing people by mixing langueges every now and again. He'd even mixed her up a few times.

Kirsinari nodded. "Show me to him."

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

"Tavin," Kirsinari cought the Westlander's attention, startling the nurse even though she spoke softly.

"Kiri," Tavin smiled and nodded, then grimaced as the healer rubbed ointment into a wound on his forearm.

"Who?" she didn't have to ask more.

"Parel." Tavin said through gritted teeth. "Ilena knew he was following her, but she'd been able to out run him. I took...Malthin! Can't you find something less painful, woman?...I took to long getting out of town and he cought up to me."

"And?"

"The vultiures are feeding off his carcas as we speak."

The healer gave him a dissaprooving look before leaving them with a slight bow to Kirsinari. All the better, because one worried woman was about to give her second in comand a warning to remember.

"What the Bathok were you thinking, Talwren Davion?" she yelled, corssong the distance between them in two long strides. "Three days? I was worried sick! You could have sent word through any messenger. I know you're nowhere near poor, so don't try to say that you didn't have enough coins! I couldn't eat or sleep not knowing what had happened to you!"

"All that about my whereabouts, and yet you still haven't asked about what Ilena said." he looked at her a bit differently. "Are you going against what you said to me before?"

Kirsinari gasped as she realized what had just come out of her mouth. When she'd taken him under her wing, she'd said that their relationship would be strictly between comander and the Lady he served, in order to tell him that he had no chance at getting into her bed. Now she heard her own words replay in her head. She'd worried about him, hadn't been able to sleep. Hadn't even eaten in the past three days either.

"I care about thoes who are still loyal to Alklen and Onem." she said, a bit detatched, trying to explain. "I didn't mean..."

"Didn't mean to say that you love me?" he stood up, facing her now as an equal.

"I didn not say that, Talwren!" she said venimously.

"Not directly." he countered.

[trolls' bane]

For the villagers of small forest-towns in the Northern Shaw Tree Woods, life hadn’t been better for a long time. But for the orc population of the area, which lived in a cave stronghold just within the eaves, fear and dread became ever more present. Both these changes were due to the appearance of supernatural foes of the orcs, plus a slight change in the original forest inhabitants: the ents, huorns, faeries of both types, and even a few smaller, less powerful creatures. These curious happenings started a few months before, and (to the orcs) got worse and frightfully closer toward them.
First, it started with small groups of orcs entering the deep forest, usually on their way to raid one of the walled towns (which were walled against them, though they snuck right over the walls), and them returning with one or two less of its members. Then, entire groups, with around ten to fifteen in strength, began disappearing. Survivors began returning with reports of a colossal ent, and a few other strange sights. Then, every now and then, came a report of this ent-tree engulfing orcs whole, not by eating them, but by the orcs literally becoming part of the wood of it when it was caught by one of the many finger-like branches. Then, the tree came further out, so anyone who ventured into the forest reported it, but only the orcs had any trouble getting out alive. With everyone, several new creatures came into the pictures: a fourteen foot at the shoulder hound, apparently with some wolf-blood, occasionally phosphorescent; a seven foot rat from head to tail; a very powerful something that was always something small (i.e. a cat, a shrub, a mouse, a rock, etc.) but caused unusually devastating amounts of destruction, usually by exploding, becoming a miniature “black hole,” or melting onto something; two warrior faeries (one of each type), and a man with a sword shaped very much like the leaves of the Tree. Plus more ent and huorn sightings. Some began thinking that there was a connection between these events, especially between the man and the Tree. This was proved soon after the beliefs started, for someone ventured into a deep valley in the forest witnessed something that few elves and fewer men ever see: an Entmoot. Among the ents there, there were the strange creatures, all except the man. They were all talking in Entish, and seemed to be debating something, and over them towered the Tree, speaking in an almost human tone. Within a week of this, the ents were seen marching, and at their head the Tree, and with him the creatures.
The leader of the orcs at the time, Kurztphraagat the Black, deciding that no one should hinder their raids, emptied the stronghold of all the orcs and the trolls, and went into the forest. A quarter of them never returned, among them Kurztphraagat. Few orcs from then on passed the timber line.
Around a year later, the Tree and half the forest had been seen marching away.

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

(OOC: TB, You could use the Northern Shaw Tree Woods, or the Eastern Black Woods for this if you like. The Southern Salin Mala forrest is too inhabited by Telokin and other lesser races of men. I'd suggest the Shaw Tree Woods since the only ones who come out of there unscathed are hunters and thoes just wishing to pass through with as little harm as possible intended.)

"My Lady Kirsinari!" Pathan, a long riding sientiel called her over to the door, breaking her thoughts on how to counter Tavin.

"Yes," she snaped back, her dress whorreling as she spun around on heal.

"The woods have litterally come alive!" he said, clearly bewildered.

"What?" Tavin and Kirsinari asked at the same time.

"I was turning back around the southern boarders of the Wood, and I saw hundreds, if not thousands, of the trees begin to moove of their own acord, like people, my lady! They made sounds as if talking to one another."

"Then the roumours were true." Tavin said.

"Onem once spoke of this to me." Kirsinari said. "She knew the Entfolk would take arms once more, but not why or when."

"What are Entfolk?" Pathan asked before Tavin could.

"Nateka." Tavin said.

"The Nateka? I thought that was just an old Nedarin Age legend, not fact." Pathan said.

"No," Kirsinari said. "They truly do exist."

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

The moon was nearing fullness, and lit up the land beneath it nearly as well as the sun would if it turned silvery. The stars' light barely shown through the mixture of the moon's light and the whispy clouds.

Tavin's room was in sutch a state that even the servants who cleaned the children's rooms refused to set foot inside to put it to rights. Tonight, though, it did show some signs of his earlyer attempts to straighten things out a bit, but the cuts and brusies from the fight with Parel.

The window was wide open, the curtins mooved languidly in the chill breeze. The blankets were all twisted and tangled from Tavin's tossing and turning. He was hot with feavor, but freezing from the air coming in the window that he refused to shut because of old nightmares.

Thoes nightmares were comming back again, but worse this time. Kiri was in them. He drempt that Onem had decided to take sides with Areanna, ending balence forever and deminishing Kiri's power. He drempt that the Wolf Clan had turned against them and that she lay dying in his arms from not being able to defend herself from them all at once.

A baby squalled. His.


"Tavin?" Kirsinari arose, thinking that she'd heard a knock on the door. "Pathan?... Acren?" The knocking sound came again. "Who's there?" she asked, still simply curious as she slit a candle using her power and stepped lightly over to the door.

Kirsinari opened the door as quietly as possible. A little boy faced her, dirty and wearing only tattered pants, but smiling none the less as he stroked the dog that he sat upon. Confusement took over now. How had this child and his dog sliped passed the gaurds?

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Nakra." he said. "This is Felin."

"What are you doing here?"

"Look for Fala Naera." he pulled out a bit of dirty parchment folded into fourths. "Felin's master says give this to Fala Naera."

[PippinTook]

Evelyn urged her horse on in the night. She had been riding for days trying to reach the city where Lady Kirsinari lived. She had news of the faeries, and all the goings on in that part of the world. Dust flew up from behind her galloping horse as she bent forward to push the beast on. Evelyn wasn't a very well known Ranareth, she had next to no friends and enjoyed fighting for what was right. She despised the Ompathan ((heck I know I got that wrong)) the darker faeries. She hated sharing the same race as them, evil dirty twisted beings. She snarled slightly beneath the hood of her cloak.

They were being assaulted. Opposing tribes and other evil creatures were attacking the strongholds of the Ranareth. They could not withstand much more pressure. Evelyn did not really feel loyalty to her leaders, though she obeyed in battle she was somewhat reluctant to do so otherwise. She was her own master now. She had come to tell Lady Kirsinari of their problems, but most of all she came to run away. She didn't want to stay in one place any longer. Hopefully she would join with the main Army and travel across the lands, risking her life and having adventures.

The city stood before her, silouhetted by a deeper dark in the night. She was let into the city and made her way to the stronghold of Kirsinari. She got off her horse and waited for a guard to let her in. He whispered to one of his fellow guards and the other nodded. The man said, "I cannot allow you to come in, Master Faerie–" She pulled her hood down and looked at him pointedly. "–Mistress Faerie that is."
"And why not? I have come with orders to give tidings of the Ranareth to Lady Kirsinari." Evelyn retorted indignantly.
"The fortress is locked down, and security is tight. I will have to take you into custody until the Lady can be contacted." He took her arm and another man took her horse. She growled under her breath and was escorted into the fortess.

The men took her weapons, a bow and two long knives, which she was reluctant to part with. They put her in a dark room and she waited for morning's grey light. All the time she mumbled to herself about the wonderful hospitality she was recieveing.

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

(OOC: That was great, Pippin! Definitly something to work with. Don't worry about the Ompathan thing. Cloce enough to Ompatha'in to tell what you ment. Heck, you can see how great my spelling is... )

Kirsinari woke with an odd fealing. Was it a dream, or reality, that boy she'd seen outside her door? The memory of him passed out of her mind quickly, as water through her fingers. She looked out the window facing the city of Ternata Tehortha below.

Though she lived here in the mountains in the northmost parts of Rathlas, Kirsinari would always remember the Hills of Hefelo to the south east, just before the desert of Lelas, that she called home in her heart. The mountains had their own beauty, as did the flat lands, but she was in agreement with the people of Calar to the south-west, the hills were the most welcoming sight one could ever see.

Distantly, beyond the edges of the city, she could make out the strip of hills seperating the mountains from the Kaltolam Planes directly to the south of the lands included by Ternata Tehortha.


"Lady," Arlen, one of the main fortress' gate gaurds approached her when she was nearly finished with her meal. His sandy brown hair and sea blue eyes always made her feal uncomfortable when they met hers, as if he expected to have a different kind of treatment from the rest of the gaurds simply for being the head of his section, a kind of treatment she gave to none.

"Yes," she said, indifferently, hiding her want to squerm.

"One of the Fae came in the night."

"And?"

"She insisted on meeting with you."

"But?"

"We are holding her in the temporary cells courently. Her weapons have been confenscated as well."

"Why did you not send word?" she asked, her voice still low, but Arlen cought the anger underlying it.

"Who can tell if she is Ranareth or Ompatha'in? It was a nessisary precaution, Lady." he tried to explain himself without sounding indignent.

"If you continue to make decisions like that, Arlen, you could find yourself as target practice for the trainees." she said, still in a low voice, but the way she sat in the high backed chair belied the casual tone. "Return all her posessions and send her in clean and ready to eat a sencible meal."

"Yes, Lady." Arlen nodded sharply and turned on heel.

"And, Arlen..." Kirsinari called after him. "Do not forget what happened to the last man who made sutch decisions. I am not a princess to be protected. Try to remember that I am a Queen who can fight her own battles."

[ethuiliel]

Calyniel walked home as quickly as she could without attracting attention to herself. Once inside, she belted on her sword, and grabbed her cloak, putting it on to hide the sword and her oh-so-distinctive hair. She then slipped out her back door, and left the city, heading towards Kirsinari. A few miles out of the city, she picked up her horse from the obscure inn where she kept it. She then raced on. Finally, she reached the fortress. The guard stopped her, and she simply said, "Tell Kirsinari that Calyniel is here." While she waited for a reply, she turned, watching for anyone who might have followed her.

[PippinTook]

Evelyn scratched at a hole in the wooden floor with a stick that had been left in the cell. "Lovely," she said aloud. "If this is the best–" the door opened and light streamed into the dim room.
"The Lady Kirsinari requests your presence." said a rather slow lookig guard.
"Finally!" said Evelyn leaping up. She stuck her nose in the air and glared at the guard. "My affects, please." The man reluctantly handed over her bow and knives. She strapped on her weapons and felt balanced again.

He led her through a few halls and stairs, the man glancing furtively at her occasionally. Evelyn strode lightly behind him, her hands in her pockets and her long coat fluttering behind. The man opened up two double doors and let her in. She walked briskly by the man and into the room. There was a very lovely woman sitting at a table.

Evelyn bowed, she never curtsied, and said, "Thank you for seeing me, my Lady Kirsinari, though your hospitality towards the Ranareth seems to have lessened lately."

[ethuiliel]

Having satisfied herself that no one was following her, Calyniel got off her horse, and leaned on the wall. She closed her eyes to try to calm down. But that didn't help, as as soon as her eyes were closed, she saw the image that she was sure would haunt her nightmares for a very long time, quickly followed by another, even more frightening. She quickly opened her eyes and looked around, but no one was there. She continued to lean on the wall, but kept her eyes open this time, and watched for any movement around the fortress.

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

Kirsinari was impressed with the Ranareth before her. Straightforward, and proud enough not to curtsy like a lady was expected to. If only a thenth of the people she met with were like this...

"Yes, indeed." she answered the woman. "Though not by my personal orders." she glanced towards Arlen. "My opologies, miss....?"

"Evelyn." she stated propmptly.

"Evelyn." Kirsinari nodded. "With the roumours comming from the East of the Nateka, and the mixed relations with the people of the Western boarders, you can surley understand why my gaurds made sutch decisions without my knoledge first."

Kirsinari waited, but the woman didn't seem to be taking too well to thecourtly talk, so Kirsinari switched her attitude to suit that of Evelyn. "What is it that you have come here for?" she asked.

[PippinTook]

She had come there to get away from where she came from, but she didn't think that was the answer Kirsinari was looking for.
"The Ranareth are fighting off Maya and other beasts of the enemy valiantly, though they are running out of ammunition and the people are waning quickly. The Ompatha'in are attacking hard and relentlessly. If not for the Ranareth Rathlas would have a great deal many more enemies roaming, though I would not want to take too much credit, your Majesty."

"I was thinking," she began hesitantly. "That it might be helpful to have an experienced Ranareth warrior at your side. We vary much from men elves, you see when it comes to battle strategy and knowledge of the enemy." She hoped she was keeping Kirsinari's interest. To be one of the queen's head assistants would serve her well, though she hoped it meant she could still go to battle. She smiled and blinked and waited some approval.

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

Kirsinari didn't have time to respond to Evelyn, for another of the gate gaurds appeared.

"Forgive me, Lady," he said.

"Go on," Kirsinari nodded.

"A Kishin by the name of Calyniel has come." he said.

"Good," Kirsinari said. "Perhaps you and she should speak to one another." she said to Evelyn. "After she shears her reason for being here, we may be able to see what it is we can do for one another. Bring her in."

[ethuiliel]

Calyniel came in and looked at Kirsinari, then at the Ranareth, suddenly feeling trapped. She bowed her head slightly, then looked at Kirsinari. "It's Eladda. He's..." Suddenly, overcome with the emotions that had been bottled up all the time she was a spy, she couldn't finish.

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

Kirsinari claped her hands twice and called for a servant named Alaniel the moment she saw the storm to come in Calyniel's eyes.

"Take Evelyn to more suitibal rooms." she said, then added to the Ranareth, "You must forgive me this once, but this is pressing. We haven't had word of Eladda for many months..."

The Evelyn began to protest, to say that she also had pressing matters to be attended to, but Kirsinari headed her off.

"I need time to concider what you have said," Kirsinari said. "While I think on that, I need to speak with Calyniel. Oh, and Alaniel, send for Talwren Davion for us as well, will you? We'll be in my quarters."

After the servant and Evelyn were gone, Kirsinar laied aside the Lady and became the Fala Naera once more. She rushed over to Calyniel and took the Kishin's hands in her own.

"Come, let us go and wait for Tavin. I was beginning to worry about you as well," she said.

The two women walked through the corridors and up three flights of stepps before comming to Kirsinari's rooms. Though they were in the mountains far to the north-western boarders of Rathlas in Edeme Lium, stepping into Kirsinari's living quarters on this side seemed to transport one south-west into the city of Kemala in Lelas, the deserts between Wasim and Farna Silillian.

Rich reds and golds, royal blues and purples, vibrent yellows, and emerald greens emboidered edged and paterened with bright oarnges were everywhere. The walls were a pale purple, and manny brightly colored tappistries and portrats hung allong their length, floor to ceiling. Low tables and cushy chairs (like beanbag chairs, but with feathers and other fibers) lined the walls on the floor with mats at their fronts. Throw pillows and scarves were decorativly strewn across them. One large, yet still low, rounded table sat in the middle of the rectangular room.

Lighting seemed to be a bit of a problem in here, dispite the overwhelming colors. No windows directly opened in this room, but the bedroom had a large bay window from which light was pouring effortlessly through the door into the room, and another from a small library to the left. the other doors were closed to them. Thus it was that the light was mostly by candel, and Kirsinari had verry few lit.

"Let's have a bit more light in here, shall we?" Kirsinari said, trying to sound cheerful, but failing horribly at it as she waved her hand around the room in one great swoop.

At first, the candels that were there disspaeared and the room went dark as the doors closed a second after. The Fala Naera spun around again, and hundreds of black and whie candels filled the room and lit themselves, finding places on the tables, in corners, and even floating above them in mid air.

[ethuiliel]

Calyniel came in and sat down, trying to get her thoughts together to tell Kirsinari what happened. Even for her, always able to control and hide her feelings, it was dificult to speak of it.

OOC: I'll tell her story tonight, but I'm busy now. (Homework, and we're going out to dinner, so I have to finish it asap)

[ethuiliel]

OOC: Okay, here it is, or as much as I can write before I have to go to bed.

IC:
Calyniel sighed, and began to speak.
"I'm sorry for not contacting you earlier," she began, starting with the easy stuff, "but we couldn't get out easily, and for the past few months we've been having trouble getting any good information." She stopped, closed her eyes, then suddenly openned them again, and sighed. She continued. "Then, about a week ago, Eladda found a way to get into the palace. (OOC: I'm assuming Areanna has some sort of palace) He didn't tell me exactly how... we both thought it'd be safer if I didn't know, but I suspect he had some sort of contact in the palace, who helped us, somehow. Apparently that person wasn't as trustworthy as Eladda thought."

OOC: gotta go, sorry.

[ethuiliel]

"But that was all a guess. All I know is that Eladda was somehow caught, though I'm still not quite sure how. I was still in the palace when I noticed that something was happening. By the time I figured out what though, it was to late." With a sigh, Calyniel continued. "They executed -- beheaded -- him as soon as they could, and I could do nothing but watch helplessly." A tear silently rolled down her cheek. "I had to watch because it was quite public, and I could do nothing to help him without joining him."

After a moment of thought, she added, "I fear they know he wasn't working alone, but I'll continue to do what I can."

[Narinya_Cocachitawa]

Tavin walked into Kiri's rooms without thought. He never had to knock here. Aparently, the Kishin woman hadn't noticed him as of yet. Kirsinari had flicked her eyes up for only a brief glance o say she'd heard him before returning to listen to the Kishin.

Most Kishin women were delacate and reseved, outwardly at least. However, Tavin knew better than that. Areanna and Kirsinari had chosen their forms to be taht of Kishin women for that reason alone, the reputation of eing delacate and compleatly courtly. How he'd paied for making his first mistake...

Yet, even factoring in the Fala Naera and the Amala Daera, this one seemed a bit different right off. Her golden hair was extreemly long, hanging in thick braids down her back and spilling onto the floor around the place she sat. When she fell silent, he crossed the room and sat in a chair that looked rather worn across from her, and it was then that what struck him about the woman being so compleatly different.

Green eyes.

"Talwren Davion," he said confidently, hiding his inner thoughts as best he could as he held out an arm of greeting.

[PippinTook]

Evelyn waited for Kirsinari and the Kishin to leave before she let the guard lead her to a room. It was small but comfortable and looked rich, but then again she doubted if anything wasn't lavish in this palace. She sat down for a few minutes taking in the scenery.

"Okay, bored now." she said to the table in front of her. It didn't want to talk apparently, though she could hardly admit that her furniture had conversations with her much, that is, unless she had drinken too much wine. She stood and walked out of the room, and wondered how long Kirsinari was going to take. She seemed to know the Kishin fairly well, and has asked for the accompanyment of this other man, Tarwain or whoever. She wondered curiously who that was.

If she was going to be the Queen's right-faerie, she would know all these secret dealings. Maybe she could get in with the Kishin, she seemed to have a traveled look about her. Evelyn was 29 now, though she hardly felt that od. In fact, 29 was not old at all, but it was older than 22.

Her abounding curiosity got the best of her and she asked a servant directions to Kirsinari's rooms. She walked and walked for what seemed to be an hour before she found the room. She stood and looked at the door, she could hear voices faintly, though there was no way she could discern what they were saying. She made sure no one was coming and leaned down and pressed her ear to the crease in the door.

She heard the Kishin talk and Evelyn heard the words, Areanna, Palace, Eladda who was apparently her partner and the tale of his demise. The kishin woman seemed to be heavily hurt by this and there was a slight pang of guilt in Evelyn's heart that she was listening in on something like this, but it did not last lonmg.

So, she's a spy, Evelyn thought to herself. And by the sounds of it got to do all sorts of dangerous stuff. Evelyn would have to get in with this girl, being a spy would be wonderful.

Her fantasies were cut short by the door opening...