[ah sorry. we couldn't decide what to do with your character after he failed. the sea elves have you captive right now. they'll formulate some punishment, then set you free]

"Unimpressive," Ghyreian remarked. She hunched into her fur cloak and shivered, glancing at the blizzard outside. Nothing to do now but wait it out.

Exhaustion eventually overcame her and she fell asleep.

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(lol, ok whatever...)

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Halarond

The sea elves escorted Meneldor to another crystalline chamber of sorts. The old sea elf advanced, a slender rod of ice in his hand.

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"What do you want of me?" he asked. "And why did I fail, when the rest passed? I did as much work."

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Halarond

"Your power and bravery go unquestioned," the other responded smoothly. "But it is your purity of heart and nobility that shames E'li."

He ripped open Meneldor's robes, baring his shoulder. The ice rod came down, sending shock waves of pain coursing through the Black Robe's body. When at last it receded, Meneldor's shoulder had been branded with a mark of disgrace.

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"Wh- Why do you do this to me?!" he snarled. "The rest are Black robes, and would kill their best friend to get that compass! I just tagged along!"

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Halarond

Edwn chuckled at Ghyreian`s remark before he sat down against the wall to rest and placed the compass in his pocket, he then realised what else was in the pocket already and tookout his pipe that he hadn`t actually come to use in a long while. He lighted it and took a long, relaxing breath, which he then blew out as a small smoke cloud.

At first he slightly smiled, but then began to cough and hit his chest. As the coughing stopped he looked at Ghyreian quietly and decided not to sleep as someone had to keep guard.

_________________

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!

Wordlessly, the sea elves tossed Meneldor to the floor. The older sea elf began casting a teleport that would send Meneldor back to the lake's surface. Five seconds later, the air in the cavern housing the lake shimmered and deposited Meneldor on the cavern floor.

-------------

Hours later, Ghyreian jerked awake from a deep slumber. She noticed Edwin smoking his pipe and keeping guard. Inwardly she smiled, for that pipe invoked some fond memories.

"Rest," she told him, placing a hand on his arm. "I'll stand watch."

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"Sure"

Edwin muttered and placed his pipe into his pocket where the compass was, he leaned back to get a comfortable position and crossed his hands before closing his eyes to get some rest.

_________________

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 waited an hour or two, then surreptitiously plucked the compass out of Edwin's pocket. She crawled out of their sheltered alcove, into the blizzard outside. The snowstorm did seem to be abating a bit. In a few more hours, she could expect it to be completely gone.

Squinting to see better in the veil of white, she looked up and down the ravine they were in. She took out the compass. The arrow pointed northwest, in the direction they'd been traveling. She dropped the compass back into its brown sack and proceeded to reenter the alcove.

An inhuman cry somewhere in the ravine above drew her attention. She glimpsed a white outline, nearly invisible against the snowy backdrop, bound across a ledge. A second later it was gone.

She stood there for a long while, watching the surrounding area warily. Nothing susupicious ever appeared again, and the freeze was biting her skin. With a last apprehensive glance up at the ledge, she crawled back into the alcove.

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Edwin sat where he had been earlier, but his eyes were open and he stared at Ghyreian quietly.

"Your curiosity got the best of you?"

He inquired as she had taken the compass from his pocket and didn`t inform him of leaving as she might as well have woken him up.

_________________

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!

She shrugged it off. "I saw no need to interrupt your sleep. I was simply checking to make certain the compass worked." She tossed the brown sack back into his lap.

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"Well I wouldn`t have minded and certainly there should not have been any need for that, if it wouldn`t have worked we would have at least been together instead of lost and seperated. That is, if you hadn`t found your way back.."

Edwin said as he stumbled up and threw on his hood, he quickly brushed his beard with his hand and then grabbed his staff. He took the sack that was on the ground now and hanged it on his belt.

"Lets get going, the faster we get this over the better"

_________________

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 snorted and scrambled back out into the blizzard. "That way," she shouted, pointing northwest down the ravine. The snow reached her knees. She cast a fireball, burning a trail in the snow before them.

_________________

The mage stood, werily. He saw a flash of light, and guessed it's purpose, he made out for the light at a stumble.

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Halarond

Edwin stepped to the path and quickly procceeded along it as the snow was coming down so heavily there was no time to stop nor had they a reason to stop. He looked at Ghyreian quickly pondering could he ever trust her.

_________________

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!