[quote="Lasbelingur"]Aranthor silently fought with herself, He is my friend!!! He just asked for it!!! He is just mad. Why are you making excuses for him!!!! The other side of her mind fell silent for a while. Because I like him, I love him. Aranthor shocked herself with her own answer. I love him??? Aranthor made up her mind. She brought down the sword with such power, that when it went a hair breadth away from Azra's head, it slammed into the ground and stayed there. It was so hard stuck in there, she had trouble getting it out. When she sheathed it, then walked over to their home, and slamed the door behind her.
She sat down, Why do you love him? she asked herself trying to get it straight. You need to open your eyes, how much is he like you? She thought about it. Alot. Exactly!!! But why do I love him!!! I don't know. [quote]

Aranthor was very confussed when the answer came. I don't understand.

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Thanks Nurratiel, *Ennostiel*, PD, and Githoniel

It was such a rare sight that every time it happened the villagers gathered in front of their houses to stare at the old man passing by, out of respect and pure interest Nolgos guessed. Yet this time he created pure fear in them, wearing his armor he and full combat gear that included a flexible chain mail protection alongside with a helmet. Some of the villagers thought that a long dead warrior had risen from the grave at first, but recognized the old sage after a while to staring. Nolgos made his way trough the village main street, the only street to be exact, to the town hall.

As Nolgos pushed the door open he was greeted by the rather shocked stares of the mayor and the head of the militia, who were apparently holding a meeting of some sort. Nolgos walked up to them and greeted politely.

"Mayor, I must apologize for the intrusion and... my set of clothing, but there are more pressing matters at hand and I believe the militia has already known that for a while."

Nolgos said with a strict tone, appearing as official and serious as he could.

"No need to apologize sage, you are more than welcome here as you are the only skilled healer in the valley. What matter brings you to the village?"

The mayor inquired as the head of militia examined Nolgos quietly, but before Nolgos could answer, the question was already answered by another.

"Bandits, they have been hounding refugees and travelers long enough, but we do not have the means to wipe them out of the mountains and we need to focus to keep them out of the valley."

The militia head, Haeg said with a grin as he admitted that he could not act as he wished. Nolgos nodded and gazed at the mayor.

"I would like to take part in the militias work to keep the village safe and to wipe out the bandits, I believe that my experience will prove more than useful in wiping them out. Actually I would ask your permission to inspect the militia and to take a few out for a small mission."

This request did not obviously go well with Heag whose authority would have no effect, if Nolgos received a permission from the mayor. The mayor realized this, but seemed hesitant to oppose either of them as both had an important role in the villages survival.

"Why not... it couldn`t hurt, but about this idea of yours you should really get Haeg`s opinion and agreement..."

The mayor said before stepping back as the two older men, Nolgos and Haeg were left to stand there, they had both long ago worked as mercenaries in the same unit. Haeg had done it for the glory and the money as where for Nolgos it was the only thing he was ever good at, thus it was about having a place in the world. They both had retreated to this distant valley, they hadn`t ever fought each other, but never got along too well. Nolgos hmhed quietly with a shrug and Haeg simply smirked as the mayor disappeared into his chambers.

"So `healer` what really brought you here?" Haeg inquired.

"The fact that bodies began to pile up, more wounded come in every day and the graveyard just besides my house makes me more of a grave keeper than a healer. I`ve grown sick of it." Nolgos said with an irritated tone, concealing his true reasons.

"Aye... I see where you stand... well lets see what we can conjure up for these bandits together shall we? The plan you mentioned, I might as well hear it all tough I have already probably considered it." Haeg said, continuing the inquiry.

"I need the best huntsmen or scouts the village has in order to pinpoint the location of the bandit camp or camps..." Nolgos explained.

"Tried it, they move around and are impossible to get by surprise..." Heag protested.

"Come now, even these bandits have a base camp where they keep most of their supplies. Have your scouts ever spotted crates or possible supply containers in these camps?" Nolgos asked in turn.

Heag grinned. "No" And Nolgos raised his index finger with a smirk. "These aren`t just traveling rabble, the damage made by them is too great for them to be unorganized. If they weren`t organized then they wouldn`t have proper knowledge of the caravans or refugees coming in..."

Heag sighed and cursed quietly as, if he would have been in denial of that fact, which Nolgos thought was obvious.

"Let`s hope that you are right, it might be a greater risk than we might expect. I will assemble the scouts and instruct them to use great caution."

Heag said in exhaustion, hoping that Nolgos was right. Nolgos nodded as Heag left him alone in the hall and Nolgos gazed around quietly, but his eyes stopped to stare at a carving in a wooden column supporting the roof. It had a name carved on it, Asmudr, Nolgos blinked and ran his fingers on the wooden surface of the carving. Nolgos turned to gaze at the rest of the columns and he realized that the hall was of older origin than he had thought. It had been built by someone who believed in the gods, even worshiped them as each column had symbols relating to each god and their names were carved in them.

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Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Estelle smiled slightly as she watched Devarion depart. "Good night." she whispered to his retreating form though she knew he probably did not hear her. Sighing she stared around the room once more before entering her meditative state again. Yet, she could see nothing-feel nothing. It was if some force was blocking some of her power. Sighing in frustration, she struggled to keep from cursing. Glancing around the room once more, she gazed up at the deepening night, sadden that the stars themselves seem to have vanished, knowing that this itself was the work of the Elder God. After some moments she made her way down from the dais and walked in the direction that Devarion had gone. Finally finding the sleeping quarters, she entered to find each god occupying a single bed. Shutting the door silently, she walked up to the only free bed and quietly sat the down. Taking off her weapons and setting them beside the bed, she stared for a brief moment at nothing. Lying down, she gazed at the ceiling for some moments before finally rolling over and shutting her eyes in an attempt to get some rest.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Estelle awoke as the morning rays of the morning lit the heavens, banishing the gloom of the day before. Stretching for a brief moment, she saw that Devarion was already up, no doubt in the Chamber of Stars. Quietly climbing out of bed, she strapped her weapons to her back and silently exited the bed chambers. She walked to the Chamber of Stars and stood silently at the entrance of the chamber where the three had gathered the night before. She glanced swiftly at Devarion when he slammed his hand on the stone, slightly startled. "What is it?" she asked, as she entered the room and walked quickly over to the dais.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Azra sudenly staggered as realisation hit him. Forthe last our he had walked though the forests trying to work out Aranthor's and his own behavior. The answer at last presented itself, as much as he hated it, it was the only the fitted.
I love her?

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Made by Lembas

Estelle quickly raced back to the sleeping quarters and gently shook Kena. "Kena! she whispered. "Devarion's Glaive is missing! The thief must be caught!" she whispered urgently.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Kena awoke with an unpleasant jolt and looked at Estelle wild-eyed for a moment before quite registering what the other had said. "His glaive?" she said, frowning and extricating herself from the untidy mass of bedding that had built itself around her restlessly sleeping form. A few more moments and she was up and out the door, already examining possible reasons the weapon could have been stolen.

So it seemed perfectly natural to her to charge into the large central room already full of questions, though perhaps it would seem not a little abrupt to anyone happening to observe. "Devarion - "

But that was as far as Kena got. She broke off, mien anxious, upon observing the irate god, and checked her barrage of inquiries.

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Estelle quickly followed Kena back into the main chamber. She was about to speak but thinking better of it, stood silently at the other goddess' side.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Estelle swiftly followed Devarion in silence. Standing on one of side him, she peered down over the ledge, her vision slightly obscured by the gathering mist. Nevertheless, she thought she saw a dark figure below them. Reaching for her bow, she clutched it tightly in her hand, ready to shoot if need be. "What is your plan?" she whispered back to him.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

'If we speak of sneaking," said Kena from behind the two, "I must interject that I think myself rather more adept at the art than the pair of you - and know these cliffs or not, Devarion, no mountain goat can outstrip me in nimbleness." A brief grin flashed across her face to let him know she was halfway teasing. "I have no weapon to shoot our thief with."

Even in these strange circumstances her sense of humor seemed irrepressible, but her suggestion made sense. Kena did not use or carry any weapon, and she had traversed enough land for a clifftop passage to be a simple task.

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Estelle nodded, catching Devarion's emphasis about the intruder as a smirk crossed her face at his mock-bow. "So be it." she replied quietly. "I will stand back with my bow, if it should be needed. The two of you can decide who shall track our prey-unless you both decide to. But whatever you decide, let us act soon."

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

(waits for Laslis)

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Made by Lembas

(( Is that me ))

Aranthor came back out of their home and acted as if nothing happened. "So where do you think Kena and the rest went?" She asked Eydis, ignoring Azra. I don't want to love him. She told herself, though she knew it was not true.

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Thanks Nurratiel, *Ennostiel*, PD, and Githoniel

Kena moved like a mountain goat, sure-footed among the rocks even barefoot as she was, and soundless. She moved to land in a crouch behind a rocky outcropping further down - and for a moment it seemed the mist cleared, and the lone figure through it was strangely familiar. Caught by surprise Kena stared down for a moment, frowning in consternation. She could not be sure, but even through the fog...she knew that walk, somehow...

Shaking herself Kena moved on, inwardly berating herself for getting distracted. She glanced in Devarion's direction after another silent moment, wordlessly querying about his plan of action. A light sprinkle of rain was in the air, making the rocks dangerously slippery - and Kena found it out unpleasantly upon shifting her position.

With a clatter of loose shale she slipped and half slid down a steep rocky slope, fingers grasping for any sort of crevice, and landed almost winded on another precarious perch. But the sliding stone had alerted the figure below, and it turned to survey the mountainside warily.

Kena gave an involuntary gasp upon seeing its face and nearly lost her grip again. Aye, she knew it! But another glance up at Devarion told her it could not be he - could it?

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Estelle followed Devarion, as Kena raced ahead. She held her bow at her side, ready to shoot should she be given a clear shot. There was something familiar about their prey's movements, a feeling that she could not quite grasp. As the stone slid down the mountain, Estelle winced to herself, feeling as if the sound of the single stone reverberated in the silence. Her hand tightened instinctively on her bow, as she waited for their next move.

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AWESOME set by the AMAZING Lembas!!!

Kena stood frozen, speechless in shock. That wasn't - couldn't be - Devarion! But it was!

She whirled, catching his hand as the treacherous rock shifted under both their feet. The rain came faster and harder now along with darkness swirling around them, making for both reduced visibility and dangerously slick footing. The fingers of her other hand scrabbling for a handhold, Kena turned from staring speechless at Devarion's doppelgänger below and concentrated on keeping the real one from plummeting from their rocky perch.

"You're - heavy -" she grated, fighting to keep a hold on his hand.

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