Ghyreian gingerly picked her way through the ash. The townsfolk of Solace, sooty like their village, stopped in their work to glare at them - specifically her - balefully. She ignored them. After nearly a week of sleeping in sand, she would not be driven out to sleep on the ground again.

They entered the Inn of the Last Home. It was unusually empty, a stark contrast to the days before the war. Otik looked up from scrubbing the bar. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the Black Robe, but he would never drive away a customer. He came to usher them to a table.

"Food for one night," Ghyreian said. "And elven wine for me if you have any."

Otik's face fell. "We're out of wine," he said softly. "The dragons burned down the wine cellar..." His eyes misted over but he quickly regained his composure. "But we do have spiced potatoes.

_________________

Edwin sat down and looked at Otik.

"Bring me some and... something to drink, nothing strong, bu still so that it might replace the wine...."

Edwin looked around, the place seemed to be fixed after some damage and the the oak desk seemed to have cracked slightly. The other customers seemed suspecting and looked at them with narrowed eyes.

"Well... not much has really changed here..."

_________________

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!

Ghyreian pulled her hood over her head to shadow her face. Otik waddled over the bar to get their orders.

"Cyan will probably be all the way in Ergoth by now," she mused. "What do you think he's fleeing for? He could easily destroy us."

_________________

"I don`t know... I think that there is a far more stronger force driving him to gods know where... perhaps he has been ordered or he is being driven by he fear of something else... but if he had been rebellious then he is probably going to punished..."

Edwin leaned back on his chair.

_________________

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!

Otik returned with the spiced potatoes and asked them if that was all they wanted. His eyes kept shifting to Ghyreian, then back. Ghyreian was surprised at the potent of the bitterness she saw in them. Dragons had burned down everything that the people of Solace had ever known, and in a way she was the epitome of this evil.

She smiled and shrugged the sensation off. They really must learn how to get on with their lives.

She tasted the spiced potatoes and found that they were strangely to her liking. She pushed away the ale and washed her food down with a glass of water instead. After they finished they sorted out their plans for the next day and prepared to go upstairs to bed.

_________________

Edwin climbed up stairs and opened his door, he looked back at Ghyreian with a smile.

"Let`s just hope that this doesn`t end up like the last time we were in an inn..."

Edwin entered and closed the door, he pulled out his pipe and began burning it as he sat down by the window, he looked out of the window in the pale moon light of the solinari.

_________________

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!

Gwyn walked in, threw the quiver of arrows beside her, and collapsed on the bed. She stared up at the celing, thinking...

Pretty soon, still deep in thought, she closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.

_________________
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In her room, Ghyreian found a tub of hot water and a bed. She washed away the dust and grime from the Plains of Dust, rebraided her hair, changed her robes, and dabbed a bit of perfume to mask the smell of her spell components.

Feeling no urge to sleep, she went downstairs and faced Otik as he was closing up the inn. At first Otik pretended not to notice her, then jumped as Ghyreian began to speak.

"Tell me of the dragons that burned down Solace."

Otik turned and fixed her with a judging stare. His words were not harsh, but they had a certain biting edge to them. "I would expect you to know all about them, my dear."

"Tell me specifically," Ghyreian pressed. "If you saw any green ones."

Otik regarded her in suspicion. "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity," she replied without expression.

Otik thought for a while. "No, there wasn't."

Of course, Ghyreian thought in perplexity. Cyan wouldn't want to be noticed by his brethren. Seeing that Otik's eyes were shifting nervously as though he knew something, she tried a different approach.

"Have any greens been sighted?"

"One north of here," he grumbled, "over Crystalmir Lake."

"Are you certain?" she persisted.

"Rumors, lady. No one can be certain. But it was flying northwest, towards the Straits of - "

But the dark elf was already past him and out the door of the inn, ignoring his protests.

_________________

Edwin`s eyebrown rose as he saw a black robed figure exit the inn, he opened the window and leaned on the window.

"Where are you going Ghyreian?"

_________________

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!

"Taking a nighttime stroll," Ghyreian called back before she vanished into the shadows.

It took her only a moment to get to the edge of Crystalmir (sp?) Lake. She gazed across the vast expanse of glassy water and frowned. If Otik had lied, she would string him up and blast him to the Abyss. She sighed and began to inspect its banks for signs of the dragon.

_________________

Edwin knew that she could take care of herself, but couldn`t feel paranoid and interested why she had left outside so he was soon coming down the stairs. He looked at Otik who was behind the counter and passed him quickly after trading looks with him, Otik seemed to be aware of something.

Edwin stepped outside and followed Ghyreian to the night, but he was still far away from her so he lost sight of her soon.

_________________

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!

Ghyreian's search led her all the way down the banks of the lake. She had looked for hours already, and had found no sign of the dragon. She slumped down and gazed wearily across Crystalmir. She was almost on the far side of the lake, directly north of Solace.

Fruitless, she chastened herself angrily. So what? Otik lied. The White Robe lied.

With an exhausted sigh she got back to her feet and resumed her task.

_________________

Gwyn heard footsteps outside in the hall. She peeked, to find Ghyerian walking out into the full moon. Quietly and silently, Gwyn followed her...

*after your post*
"Wait." she hollered. She stepped out of the shadows.
"Cyan did not step on land. He must have just flew past this place..." she gestured towards a nearby tree. To anyone, it would have looked like an ordinary old oak.
"See how it's bent? It didn't bend because of its weight. And branches are missing."
She looked at Ghyreian, waiting for a response...which she decided was not going to be too nice...

_________________
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Ghyreian stared at her, not comprehending. She drew herself tall in spite of her weariness, determined not to show any weakness before this elf woman from Silvanesti.

"What do you mean it's bent? You're not saying Cyan landed in the tree are you?"

_________________

Edwin found the speaking to each others and approached quietly not wanting to scare them, he stepped out as he had heard the possibility that Gwhyn had offered.

"That sounds odd, but could be possible and no one would regonize a green dragon from there perhaps... and by the way you might wish to inform me of your nightwalks so that I wouldn`t have to bother because of my curiosity..."

_________________

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!

"It means he flew by here." she said. "Paladine knows why, but he flew pretty close to this lake, and he may have brushed his wing against the tree. He probably flew pretty close to the ground to intimidate people..."

She looked at the moons, wondering why she was following these people. She just was.

"Do any of us have a good reason for finding the dragon orb?"

_________________
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