The Seven Keys.

[Lady_Siren]

Elle approached the slave market entrance her eyes searching out the crowd. The wise one had said this was where she would meet her guide. Now where was he. Her gaze was drawn to one figure in particular. She approached that figure without hesitation trusting in her instincts. He had a couple campanions with him. She ignored them and stopped right in from of him. "Yris? The wise one has sent me. You are to be my guide." was all she said.

 

[Strolling Gecko]

This was getting irritating. Yris was turning out to be absolutely nothing like I expected. In fact, he was worse. Brash, arrogant, condescending. Nothing at all like the noble warrior that Lan had told me about. He was beginning to remind me of why I didn't like orcs very much. I looked right at Yrismir.

"I meant that Nova could conure up an invisiblity spell to get us inside, not make an invitation," I said with some harshness behind my words. "And personally, I've never been a fan of stealing for any reason. But since you seem to disregard any plan or input I try to give, you'll probably just do the same here." I spun on my heel and begin to walk away when a woman approached waded through the party and walked right up to Yrismir.

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

"Well, this is an odd turn of events," I said to no one in particular. "Not even out the gate and they're bickering as we'd been stuck on a cruise to Nehtla with only bread and water aboard."
Shaking my head, I walked past the new girl and laid a hand on Yris' shoulder. "I"m going to go change, I'll be back in about twenty or so. Should give you time to smooth all these ruffled feathers."
I walked off, whisling a pirate's dity, at ease and alert to my surroundings.

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir sighed, and reached around, grabbing the novice knight and dragging him back. He motioned the new woman to wait a moment, and looked right into the Knight's eyes. "So you want him to illusion us not being there, huh? And what happens when we need to open the doors? What happens to our fottsteps? What happens when we find the girl and she suddenly disappears?"

He looked into his eyes, assessing the man. "Look. I don't like this place, and I don't like myself. You don't have to either. But we have to work together. You go ahead and hate me, it's good for both of us. But you wait until tomorrow, when I'm sober, than you pass judgement on me. Tonight, you see the part of me I've been selling out to slavers, murderers, and pirates. Tomorrow you see Yrismir. Tonight, you deal with Yris. Drunk mercenary wizard."

He turned to the woman, and sighed. "Mother sent you, huh? Amazing. She's been gone for years. So, we're off to liberate us a slave, and Hell, we might as well kill the slavers, too. Wanna join in?"

 

[LadyRozes]

Baddies

Inside the small room there seemed to be fifty girls. They all looked around unsure of what was expected. A few were huddled in the corner. Another few were.. restrained agaist a wall. None of them were exactly a like in appearence. Some small some large some tall some short. SOme thick some fraile.


Here in the dark room all of them looked at the interesting buyers .. some looked furious, some scared. All were unsure as to what they expected.

Snider walked into the room and looked around at all the girls. He hated having to do anything for someone else, but the promise of power was too great to deny. He looked over the girls and grabbed their hands one by one opening their right hands.

After what seemed like at least an hour he came back and grabbed the fat man by thte beck of his tunic. "You ungrateful mongrel.. none of them bear the mark...!!! I am.. I mean We are looking for the one bearing the mark. "

With that screamed at the fat man he sat there shivering, "I donno about da mark m';lord I only know they were supposed to be innocent and human. and born on the same day.. I didna no about no mark?!"

With all the loud noisees going on a few of the girls whispered among themselves."What do you think they are looking for .. "

"do you have a mark anywhere?"

"No Do you?" SO many of the girls shook their heads in agreement, it seemed that none of them bore a mark to speak of.

A young girl looked around listening to the bustle of all the girls discussing that the people were looking for a girl bearing a mark. A slight stiffening of her shoulders was the only indications that she even acknowledged what she heard. Curious she looked around the other girls to get a glimpse of their would be buyers and noticed that none of them were the ones she ran away from. None of them looked nice either. She shivered and huddled back with the smaller looking girls in the corner of the room. they were hidden behind some of the taller more brazen girls... the girls waited to see what the others would do...

 

[Lady_Siren]

Elle hesitated a moment then nodded "I will help you in this" she said decisively. She was told this was her destiny and she was going to fullfill it the best she could.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Micaelae and AMbrasia
Micaelae stepped throught eh portal,cloak swirling in a thearical entrtance,ruined by Ambrasia's full form barreling out of the portal,simpering and cluthcing at his arm.He threw her off,much to her whining and chargrin,and walked along past the slaves.
He passed a pair of girl,both almsot identical but for one was black haired,another a light blonde.
The black haired one seemed to be about 16,younger then the other,and a bit tired looking as she sunkbehind the other blonde one.obviouslyly related.
THe blond one smiled at him and seemed older,and was voluptious,curvy and inviting.He himself only managed ot maintain the illusion of nto looking,though his eyes went up and down.He blinked suddenly and reache dout,and with a swiftness that suprised the girl slapepd her a ringing blow to the face.Her form wavered and collapsed itno that of a much younger,more sullen looking girl of the same age of the other.She gasped and seemed ot swell wiht rage.
"quiet,speak and ill hit you again."He said simply and tunre,dgestring to the slaveowner.He puleld a thick money pouch form unde rhis cloak and dropped it into the mans hand."ill take the two."He said simply again and turned back to teh two girls,the more forward blonde one glaring angrily and resentfully at him as he looekd over them."what are your names?".The blonde started to take a breath to say soemthign rude,but ed one stepped forward and cut her off."M'lord,i am Lucia(lu-see-a)and this is my twin Cecilia."She said smoothly and he raised an eyebrow at the blonde,whoa fter giving a small yelp sullenly stayed quiet as her twin's foot found ehr own.
"hm...well i know boht of you have talent,i can almost smell it off of both of you,and you"he pointe dot the blonde now."you alreayd have some aptitude,btu don't expect that makes you good,never that."He smiled softly and wihtout even turning a hand slapped Ambrasia as she glared at the two girls that tooka way attention from her love."AMbrasia,if you try anything i iwll torture you to teh last piece of your life,which is what i should do."She squawked offended outrage as he snapped his fingers,both girls becoming clothed in loose dresses meant for comfort,and strode away from teh group.

 

[LadyRozes]

Snider threw the Fat man against the floor, "Stupid mongrel, I cannot believe that you had the audacity to call us when you couldnt even find the girl.. "

Sobbing from fear the fat man, practically urinated on himself, "P-pp-please S--ir I a-assure you.. I found each and .. e-every girl that fit the discription that your masters gave.. It took us months to find .. every one.. You.. said .. human.. and born when the great star appeared.. all of them.. they are all of the same age.. none of them have been touched in any way.. I-I p-prominse.. "

THe man groveled at Snider's feet. He was digusted with the way the fat man begged. Confused, he could see that the few that had signed the contracts as he did were roaming about checking the goods, shrugging the inviation did say to enjoy the ones that wernt it, perhaps some convincing might help, "May I have your lovely attentions.. " he said in a vilely overly done sarastically sweet voice.

"I must warn you .. that if you are not the ones we are looking for , you will be violated in the worst way... we all will take great pleasure in making sure that one of you might have the mark"

The girls shivered and huddled together, they didnt know what to think. All they could think of was wanting to run .. perhaps..if they pretended that they had the mark, then they would be freed from this thread....

"Now for the second time I will ask .. DO any of you bear a birth mark..?"

At the end of Sniders speech , he saw that nearly half of the girls had raised their hands. He knew that some of them were lying to protect themselves from the fate that he had discribed, but it was no matter he would find out for sure ..one way or the other..

 

[poohlive]

A slavers den.
Not something he frequented on occasion. Every once in a while he would come here, but not for a slave. He didn't need slaves, at least not ones that could be bought at an auction. He did, from time to time, need parts though.
Goven stared at the wooden building, squinting his eyes. For a moment, something twitched his nose, like a spring breeze that swirled around him.
He paused, cocking his head to the side, letting his tongue come out to taste the air, just as a snake would.
Magic.
Here?
He looked through the small crowd, which diminished since night had fallen. Magic? What would magic be doing here? He didn't think it was anyone from the meeting earlier tonight, they all had a stench around them that was easily recognizable.
This was... the best way he could describe it was, flowery, edgy, almost pure. How odd. He shook his head, going up to the building.
The ogre followed him, with a quiet that seemed to contradict his size.
"Stay outside," Goven said, pausing at the door, looking back one more time.
Something...
He turned to Ophelia, "So, you know what mark we are looking for?" (I don't know about anyone else, but I never got an email)
After several corridors, filled with blood, shit, guts, and rats that were eating a combination of all three, he entered a room where girls were all huddled.
All about the same age, but different shapes and sizes. Some were crying, others talking in a hushed manner, some stared up at him as if he were Death himself. Goven smiled at this, a deadly sharp smile.
So many possibilities.
He picked two of them, just for fodder. Two tall girls that were holding each other and trying to forget where they were.
Then he stood in the center of the room, peering at the squabble of girls surrounding him.
"Ophelia, any luck?"

 

[LadyRozes]

Snider saw two others showing up in the den.. well it was about time someone showed up.. he was thinking that he was doing all the dirty workApproaching the arrivals, he spoke in a loud tone.

"well, well well.. better later then never I always say.. I cant find the dam girl.. none of them seem to have the mark.. and half of them claim they do .. .. its enough to make a man very unhappy.."

 

[RoneLith]

((Please excuse my absence, I have had Virus problems of late both in the computer and in my body, everything fixed now so my play can resume))

Jandar rose from his stool and looked at the bartender. "Any idea where I can find the slave quaters that the others may have gone too?" He asked. "Something tells me they will need my help."

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I was quick in my changing, stripping off the flashy boots and shirt.
A change in undergarmets was called for as well- being moderatly endowed isn't the best thing for running if they're not fixed in place.
Over this, a long sleeved black shirt, black mid-calf boots and a deep violet bandana. I switched my belt out too for one in muted black, no shine on it. My shortsword went on my left side for a crossdraw, the whip on my right. Daggers and stilletos in assorted places, a ball of smoke tucked into either sleeve and I was good to go.
I looked like what I was- something deadly, something not very nice. I left my room and strolled back to the tavern to rejoin Yris and friends.
Walking up, I smiled at the new elf gal (what's with all the elves???) and said, "Hey- I'm back. We ready to head out yet?"

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir grunted, and stretched his arms. He glanced over at Cali, who had returned from changing, and then directed a look at the rest of their little band. He shrugged, and sighed.

"Well, I'm gonna go. The rest of you can either come aloing and be useful, or wait at the tavern for our return. Doesn't matter to me. Wasted enbough time tonight, and we need rest before we set out on the morrow."

He turned, making a quick decision using his knowledge of the area and where the auction they were most likely looking for was most likely gonna take place. He set out, holding his staff parallel to the ground and lifting his shortsword a few inches before letting it slip back into place.

He'd forgotten his shield, a small voice from the back of his head told him. He told the voice to shut up, he had more important worries. He rolled his shoulders, taking on the air of someone very arrogant and angry, releasing a trickle of his own power to augment the staff's natural power, wanting to ensure the slavers thought of him as being as vile a person as possible.

He should probably give a few of them solid thwacks to ensure they had that sense of dread that would make them shy away from him. Good thing he'd carefully been getting a reputation for being a drunk and a killer while he'd been here.

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I took my que from Yris and fel in a step behind him to the left, like a good little bodyguard should.
It was an easy thing, I'd done a couple of hired muscle gigs.

 

[usmc_sgt]

"This has got to be the most ragtag group I've ever travelled with." I thought to myself. I was seriously considering cutting my losses and finding the nearest tavern with a good whiskey. I couldn't do it though. Every night found me in some dump, drinking myself into oblivion. Sometimes I had friends with me, but I was always alone. I had an emptiness inside that nothing would fill. Now that I had the chance to fill it, there was no way I'd let it go.

I would lay awake some nights and ponder myself...my life. I had decided that my little jokes were my own little security blanket. Something to remind me of home, when I had people who cared about me. But that didn't mean I didn't enjoy them all the same. Now I was being dragged into this mess. With these people.

I looked around at the faces. I guess they weren't that bad. Cali seemed to have that thieves loyalty. I felt sure she would slice someones throat for staring at one of her friends wrong. Dangerous, but at least you usually knew where you stood with those types. I had always respected that.

I wasn't sure why, but I liked Ramas. I think it was his honesty. I had met many a knight that didn't have the high standards people had learned to associate with the kinghthoods. He seemed to have those traits. I couldn't help but wonder if the lack of discipline and chivalry I had seen in some knights had disenchanted him. He had said his father had been a knight. Maybe he still believed in the high standards he had learned as a boy and didn't feel that the knighthood was all that he felt it should be.

I also liked the elf girl. She reminded me so much of my own mother. Truly lovely. I actually felt a little bad about my joke at the bar, though not in the least due to the embarrasment of the couple. Man she had had a nice rack. But I didn't like thinking I had made an ass of myself in front of Trianna. I'd TRY to behave, for now.

And then there was Yris. I had seen his kind before. Battle worn veterans, they had seen the terrors of countless battles, they knew what it was to have friends die in your arms. With that knowledge usually came the attitude. They wanted to be in control, constantly, for fear they would lose more friends. Is Yris an ass? Deifinitley. Can he hold his own in a fight? I was sure of it. But, could he pull this group together and lead us all 'till the end? That remained to be seen, and I had my doubts. But I wouldn't quit, not yet anyway. His sarcsam was a way of distancing himself. It's easier to watch friends die, when you don't have any. And if I was wrong, I'd walk away...assuming I was still breathing.

Besides, I had more in this than simply saving the world. I wasn't suicidal, but I knew that without other motivations, I would have walked out on this from the start.

I took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and turned to follow the others.

 

[poohlive]

Ophelia, at least for the moment, seemed interested in her own batch of children at the far wall. Goven paused for a moment, watching her, seeing the small curves glide off of her, like water off a duck's back. For a moment, he wondered if maybe she was doing this to him on purpose...
But, it passed.
He went through, eyeing one child, and then the next, none of them keeping his attention for longer than a few minutes. None of them had any distinguishable marks, apart from caked on blood and dried mud that clung to them like a second skin.
He supposed, if it were necessary, to strip them all of clothing, and check every inch of them, for this apparent mark upon one girl in a hundred. He doubted that avenue would produce much of anything, except a lot of scared girls and perhaps a few turned on slave traders.
No, he could pick the right girl, with her mark, and look at her every day for a year, and never see what made her different from any other. What they were looking for couldn't be seen, at least not here... not now.
He ruffled through a pouch that hung at his side. What he pulled out could have been mistaken for a marble, tiny, glassy, with a blue glow that seemed to emit even when he closed his hand like a fist.
This was Moon's bane. Something he had gotten from some old with hunter friends. It was supposed to call out werewolves day or night, producing the inner monster deep within the tortured soul. A cheap parlor trick, to tell the truth, just what some modern day scientists would call a flashlight with a blue filter.
He let the marble drop in the middle of the room. It bounced once, the sound a dull thud instead of a high clank that any normal marble would have produced.
As it came back up, it didn't drop a second time. It stayed, hovering in the air, sending out its tiny shard of moonlight. Then, as a beacon, it exploded, and the entire room was filled with its eerie blinding insides. It poured out in all directions, every corner of this dark and putrid cell being examined for the first time.
Goven smiled, already seeing his prize. The girl, huddled behind a group of others, smaller, weaker than the rest. Something reflected off of her that did not from the rest.
Goven walked to her, kneeling down.
A star.
A colored start birthmark.
"The moonlight," He gave a smile, pointing her out, "I think we have what we came for..."

 

[LadyRozes]

The little girl with the mark on her hand.. looked at the mark incredously, how can this be .. why is it showing... she was so sonfused adn scared, maybe she shouldnt have run from those people that said that they were there to help her.

She looked up and started at the man that pointed her out, she stuffed her hand in her pocket and just stood there waiting to see what he would do.

 

[poohlive]

He grabbed her arm, pulling her out beside him, away from the others.
"Well then, these three ought to do it," He let a small satchel of gold ease its way into one of the slaver's hands.

 

[Neale]

Sixtus

Having not the slightest clue as to how to find the particular girl they'd been tasked to retrieve, Sixtus had decided on buying all the girls and torturing them until something could be decided. The actions of the one with the moonstone were a pleasant surprise, not that his original plan wouldn't have been fun, too.

"So, this little girl is the one? Why is it always the most innocuous ones that wind up the most interesting?" He walked over to the small group that had found the girl.

First forming a slight prayer to ensure his words would only carry to those who had come here for the girl, he addressed the others. "My name is Sixtus, and I have also been tasked with this by our dark masters. Might I suggest we slay everyone here, to avoid any... entanglements? Surely the gods of light also have an interest here. While slaughtering their agents, should they actually manage to find this place, would be entertaining, it may delay us from our goals."

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

He pulled up to a stop at the end of a street. He turned to the others, and nodded to them. He walked around, looking them over, stopping them from walking any further. He made sure they were standing upright, and came to the front, frowning.

"Scowl. Look self important. Curse a lot. At anything. The weather, anyone we happen to see. Each other. The slavers are on the street just around the corner. I'll take the lead. I'll take the lead, since I know how they expect me to act. You all are going to be the hired muscle and magic. Try to stay together, look like you're all used to working together, but don't look too trusting of each other. Feel free to play with any small blades but whatever you do,..."

He looked them over. "Never look directly at me. Never talk to me. Just follow my orders like anything I say is what you wanted to do in the first place. I'm going to phrase it like instead of ordering you I'm letting you loose. Those are the most dangerous and loyal kinds of muscle."

He rolled his shoulders, letting his darkest expression cover his face. He motioned them to follow him, and started out, turning the corner and heading towards the door, ignoring the guards. Their job was to get in his way. And if he was going to play the part, he had to act like they were insignificant.

 

[LadyRozes]

the little girl's golden brown eyes filled with soft tears. Letting the man that had grabbed her. AS they traveled out of the building, she noticed the unruly group approachimg, the creature leading them looked extremely menacing, but ,looking at the others in the group she noticed, the human, in erlvin half plate and wondered. Something about the group didnt seem quite right.

Suddenly just as her eyes roamed over the back fellow something in the boy's eyes made her feel as though she might have a savior with her eyes she pleads with him. Taking all the courage that she could muster, she stopped walking, and then stomped onto the wizard's foot.

Surprised the wizarsd loosed his grip slighty and the girl managed to yank her hand out of his. Then she ran towards the fellow as if the hounds of hells were after her, "Please help me ...
please ..." she calls out.

 

[RoneLith]

As Jandar walked outside into the street he heard the distant scream of a young girl. He knew from the distence that he should never have been able to hear it, giving him the distinct impression that somehow his God was willing him to go to her. Never one to disobey his God, Jandar drew his swords and ran to the scream. Years of traveling and fighting in his armor and weapons had countered most of the debilitating effects that the bulk came with, he moved swiftly, faster than most those as armored as he but still slower than an unarmored man. He knew from experience that faster and smaller weapons would be a key to winning this battle, his Ax, though his favorite and best weapon would undoubtedly prove to be to slow and unweildy in the cramped spaces of an ally way he was sure to be fighting in.

 

[The GrandMage]

Yrismir

Yrismir raised an eyebrow.

Girl. In trouble. He turned quickly, looking at the girl. Instinct took over. He tossed his staff, catching in it his left hand as he drew forth his sword. He moved towards the girl, his first instincts to help her.

Silently he cursed himself as he realized this was going to burst their cover.

But he couldn't bring himself to care.

 

[DarkThoughts01]

Micaelae and Ambrasia and Cecilia and Lucia
Micaelae stepped through teh sswirl of his cloak and was gone from the slaver,and almsot immediatyl aspun around again,pushing the two slaves into Ambrasia with a "watch them,if they are treated wrongly,maimed,kille,dor frightened unduly You will be punished"This last to Ambrasia,and he was gone again,cloak fluttering as he dropped down into the alleyway out of nothingness,standing calmly next to Govin."I heard a scream before i left,somehting teh matter?I thought my partners could ahndle finding a simple slave girl without me"He said imperiously,cloak falling perfectly into place.

 

[Vixandra]

Cali

I heard the scream and tensed, hand flying to my whip.
I took off, close on Yris' heels, more in a desire for some action then a driving need to help the girl. I mean, I'd have helped her if the opportunity presented itself, but I wasn't going to go out of my way or kill my group memebers to save her.
Apparently, they felt differently. I shrugged and ran after them, whip coiled in my hand, sword set for a quick draw, though I didn't pull it out. I didn't want to accidently cut the girl if I could avoid it.
I felt an odd tingling on my back but shrugged it off for the moment.
I smiled like a beast who's master was about to let her free to hunt. The analogy was more true then others might have realized- this was Yris' show and I'd follow until he proved himself incompitant.