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Vivien-I'd love to continue our moment,but I have to go to school now .Perhaps we can do this when you have more time to spend .Goodbye for now

Loner sat up, staring at Kramo. This was all very, very strange.

Flashbacks. She'd had her own often enough. "There's nothing to forgive, Kramo," she said. "But I want to know...you are a member of the Order of the Radiant Heart?! And...did you say that...Darkpoet...has been a member too?!?...So...you were sent here under cover, to watch over Anomen? To make sure he didn't fall, is that it?..."

She got up off the bed. "You have not failed, Kramo," she said. "I don't know why you would think that. Gods know I've had failure enough of my own...Everything that has happened, has been completely beyond your control."

Then suddenly, Loner had an inspiration. "There may be a chance for you to make up for what you see as your failure," she said to Kramo. "I am on my way to find Anomen and bring him back from...wherever he is. If you come with me, I know you will be redeemed in your own eyes. First however I must return to the druid grove. Then I shall be on my way. What do you say, Kramo? Are you with me?..."

Brink: *hug* Had to go home, and I think I missed you. Yes, let's continue when we both have time.
Ooc: Off to move a couch (I'm moving into a new residence tomorrow)

Dragon Wench sat on one of the small, jute covered cushions in the Druid temple. The last few days were a hazy blur. She also wondered about Loner's sudden determination to rescue their wayward knight. Had she forgiven Anomen, or had she taken this chance to extract a truly terrible revenge upon his hapless soul ( )?
Well, she would wait for Loner's return and in the meanwhile sip tea with the two Paladins. While contemplating her tea cup she was suddenly startled to hear Keldorn saying, "I believe that this brew could be much improved upon by the addition of a few drops of Tia Maria." Sir Ryan sternly replied, "T'is enough to have to contend with one errent knight, I had hoped you were above such corrupting influences."
Dragon Wench shifted uneasily, remembering that it was the Harem that had instilled in Anomen a fondness for the liquor (and many other things besides ). Could it be, she wondered, that her and her friends were in fact partially to blame for this current chain of events? But, she thought, "we have nothing to do with the rival order, that couldn't be true, could it?!?"

Kramo got up off the bed, went over to the table, and placed the emblem in Loners hand. "Yes, I'm with the Radiant Heart, well I was."
Kramo formed fists and squeezed real hard.
"I was sent to watch over Anomen, he had some serious problems. We think it had to do with his family. We are still not sure, But they knighted him anyway. He would disappear from time to time, and come back drunk and rowdy. When you ladies took him, I was to stay in the shadows. To find who he was seeing, one you almost killed. The other, we still don't know about.
When I saw Darkpoet, as your servant, I was surprised. He was one of the best fighters the order ever had. We fought side by side, in the Drow wars. We lost a lot of friends, on those battle fields. When the wars were over, he did his duties for two years, then disappeared. I thought he was banished, but I found out today, he resigned. He was selling his sword, to anyone who paid. He always helped the unfortunate ones, for no money at all. That's why I was surprised, he was serving you ladies."

Looking at Loner's surprised expression, made Kramo smile. He put his hand on the side of her face and whispered.

"Yes, I will travel with you, and thank you for your understanding."

It was an odd sensation for Loner, having Kramo's hand on her face like that...but not an entirely unpleasant one...

She looked down at the Radiant Heart emblem in her hand. "I too have a...past with the Order," she said distantly, and sighed. "But now is not the time for that. You know, somehow deep down I can see what you describe of Darkpoet...

"Well, let us go, then," she continued. "We must go back to the Druid Grove. They may know something about where and how to start looking. I am glad to have your company..."

And, wearing an armor unfamiliar to the Harem, a dark armor she had not worn since her long-ago days in Kara-Tur, she left the Tent with Kramo...

Some time later, Loner and Kramo arrived back at the Grove. Loner saw Dragon Wench pensively sipping a delightful-smelling tea.

"Hail, friend," she said as they approached. "I am ready for my mission, and Kramo here has agreed to join me."

Loner shifted the great katana that lay slung across her back. "Have you seen Vivien?" she asked Dragon Wench. "Does anyone know where she is? I'm getting worried; I have this feeling...Someone should probably seek for her...oh, there's so much...perhaps this has been part of the plan of...whoever is behind all this, the Gilded Rose, I don't know...perhaps they want to divide and overwhelm us..."

Loner then went to Conrad. "I need to find where Anomen has gone, she said.

Conrad looked amazed. "My lady," he answered, "that may be impossible...even if we could discern where he has gone, you may not be able to journey there safely...and he may be..."

"I realize he may be dead, Conrad; you needn't soften the situation for me. Can you determine his location?"

Conrad sighed. "I...I can try..."

Conrad was indeed successful in divining that Anomen had been sent to another plane by some dark magic...who was responsible, however, he could not see. "It is a dark and terrible plane, my lady," he said, visibly shaken. "It is full of demons and dark shapes that feed on the life force of other creatures...I beg you, my lady Loner, do not go there. Anomen is surely gone by now."

Loner had to silently admit to herself, she was having reservations. But she looked at Kramo, and answered Conrad: "This is necessary, for both of us. Should we not return, at least we will both know, we did what had to be done. Can you send us there?"

With great reluctance, and only after being hard pressed, Conrad admitted that there were druids there with that power.

Loner then went back outside. She wanted to see Dragon Wench and Georgi again...perhaps, for one last time...

Supporting herself with a quarterstaff, Georgi made her way over to where Dragonwench was sitting with the two knights. Sir Ryan and Keldorn immediately jumped up to help the ailing lady. She sat down.
"Well, where do we go from here? I'm not exactly," she broke off in a fit of coughing, her throat thick with the taste of blood, "... fit for fighting," she finished, with a wry smile.

"Ah, Georgi, my friend," said Loner. "I am about to undertake a very perilous mission, and I wanted to say...I wanted to say farewell, should I not return...Kramo is going to accompany me. I am glad to see you recovering..."

Dragon Wench looked at her friend. "I think," she said "that we need to get you back to Trademeet." "It would not be wise to leave you alone in the tent though, unless Gwalchmai is able to watch out for you. If we can't find him, I propose that we bring you to Mazzy's house, she was so helpful before. After we make sure that you are safe I will go in search of Vivien, she has been curiously absent and I am worried."
"Do you feel ready to travel, or would you prefer to rest here the night?"

Then Dragon Wench looked at Loner and KramoR, "I bid you both a good journey", she said, her eyes suddenly very shiny. Please return soon.

[ 05-24-2001: Message edited by: dragon wench ]

"Take care, sister... I doubt not that we shall meet again, and that you will bring our knight back to us. I... I have faith in you, even if you do not. Helm will watch over thee... and so, I think, will Kramor. I regret that I am unable to travel with you, but my thoughts will be with you. The gods speed you on your quest."
Loner and Georgi briefly embraced.

Georgi turned to Dragonwench.
"Much as I shall hate to do nothing, I am afraid you are right. Let us leave presently... I am strong enough to travel, I think."

[ 05-24-2001: Message edited by: Georgi ]

Loner embraced her friends and struggled to hold back the tears. Then she turned and went back to the druid temple.

"Conrad," she said. "We are ready now."

Conrad shook his head. "It is a shame, to see you throw your lives away..."

Nevertheless, he led them to a room at the back of the temple. It was a room with no windows, only the blazing of many torches, and several hooded druids standing around a stone circle on the floor. One of them approached. "Please," he said, and gestured toward the circle. Loner and Kramo entered.

"They are going to cast a blessing on you; it is a very powerful enchantment," said Conrad. "But it is not fail-safe. Nothing is...even the katana I see on your back, Loner. Its power will only go so far in this place of horror to which you are going. *sigh*...please, hurry as fast as you can. If you cannot find Anomen soon, leave him."

Loner looked at him with a steeled expression. "We will do what is right," she said.

When the druids had finished their chant, they began murmuring in strange voice, in a tongue Loner had never heard before...the room began to spin, all went dark, and she felt as if she were being lifted from the ground. She grasped Kramo's arm, just before her vision was taken...

When she was again aware, she was standing in a desolate landscape, with a black sky and heavy, foul air. She hoped this wasn't daylight...

[ 05-24-2001: Message edited by: loner72 ]

Gwalchmai, who had been standing there the whole time, but not saying much because he was still a little dazed by KramoR's violent outburst that had thrown Gwalchmai against the wall, and Gwalchmai, livid, but also still trying to push down the memories of his embarassing test-attire back when he was hanging out with the Orchid Druids, and in an attempt to make the longest sentence possible, was, as I said before, standing there, but moved forward to gently escort Georgi to a safe haven where he might tend to her during her convalencence. (Whew!)

[ 05-24-2001: Message edited by: Gwalchmai ]

Dragon Wench embraced Loner and KramoR. Then, trying to hide behind the swath of hair that constantly fell into her face, she began to collect both her and Georgi's belongings.

Darkpoet toiled under the hot sun, planting acorns. He didn't mind doing the work, sweating helped him, get rid of his inter-demons. As he continued on, the field started to remind him of, one of the battle fields, durning the war. He fought to control himself, keeping the flashback deep inside. The half orge, saw Darkpoet slow down. He went over and kicked him in the side. Grabbing him by his hair,
"You killed my brother, I can't kill you. But, I make you wished you were. Now, get back to work!"
The half orge, slammed Darkpoet's head into the ground. Darkpoet shook the cobwebs, put of his head, and started to put a plan together to escape. Even if it meant to kill again. All the while, he continued planting.

The paladins came over to Dragonwench and Georgi, as they finished packing to leave.

"We shall escort you back to Trademeet, my ladies... After that, it is up to you Lady Dragonwench, whether you remain there with your friend, or accompany us to the Gilded Rose... At the moment, this is a diplomatic mission, nothing more. There is some great deception afoot, and we must determine their involvement. I doubt that the Gilded Rose would be foolish enough to wage war on the Radiant Heart."

"Very well, let us return to Trademeet, and I shall consider my next step along the way," replied Dragonwench. They bade farewell to the druids, and along with Gwalchmai, set off slowly back home.

“They have dispersed like squirrels before a wolf. This is more than I had bargained for, I’ll never be able to track them all.” Waverly pulls a small amber stone from his pocket and gazes into it. He is greeted with a vision of Viv, beautiful once more, clothed only in sparse leaves. “Damn it, now what have I missed? And what happened to the troll wench? Ack, such a clever little trollop, she must have duped me. Seems she has met her match with the dryads, though. I could use the stone to release her, but no, I think not.”

Waverly mutters to himself while once again changing form and clothing. “The others will either be stupid enough to get caught by the Gilded Rose, or be bold enough to approach them with diplomacy. I doubt they are clever or devious enough to take up the task any other way. I best get down there and great them once again.”

Moments later, Waverly’s black steed is speeding southward, it’s rider none other than the Gilded Rose’s oft missing journeyman brother, Vale. “I just need to catch one of them, any of them, prior to their reaching the Great Hall and give them this as a token of friendship…” Waverly chuckles to himself as his hand instinctively moves to his pocket to be sure the medallion is still there.

Waverly hoped that he could avoid bloodshed in his latest ruse. In truth he hated killing, and had seldom killed in anger, and never in cold blood. Though truth be told, he had left many an unfortunate to precarious fate while he framed them for his own misdeeds and fled the scene. He preferred not to think of it that way, though…

[yawn. I'm really off to bed now]

i never seem to in on time to get any actions. oh well, feel free add me to your story. i can't keep up with it all

please watch your backs ladies and gents, when waverly's a foot!

Vivien-I missed you too and I hope that your moving day tomorrow goes well *hug* We can dance after the walk,malady (btw,I don't think that this is the appropriate thread to post about our moment )

[ 05-25-2001: Message edited by: Brink ]