Chapter 15

Having travelled throughout the night, Kyrial spies the small fire. I wonder whether these folks have left any food lying around unattended?

Cloaking herself in the shadows she sneaks closer. Surprised, she sees Gwenh's silver hair as the elf is standing watch. An elf with silver hair? Intriguing...

At this moment, a gnat decides to settle on Kyrial's face.. annoyed, she slaps it away. Where's the insect repellent when you need it?

Falling Leaf hears the slapping sound, obviously not something made by a small vermin. It seems closer to Gwenh, so she leaves initial investigation to her. Turning, she whips three throwing spikes into the ground, near the heads of the sleeping party members, rather than yelling an alarm. That would bring most warriors out of sleep and to arms on pure reflex.

Cael, although groggy, immediately wakes when the thorwing spike hits near his head. He practically yelps "What the fu..!" as he rolls away from it. Damn elf has snapped! She's trying to kill me!

Scrunching his eyes shut, he thinks This'll teach her not to mess with a sun priest! and shouts out a brief word of power. Suddenly bright light, almost as bright as the noonday sun, comes streaming out of his uplifted clenched hand. The whole area lights up as if it had become daylight.

Cael risks opening his eyes a fraction to see what effect his spell had on Falling Leaf.

Brygund jumps up with a start. grasping his mace he stretches it out and swivels it around showing off his "prowess" with his mace. "Ha-ha! Foul being! Stand and take your just desserts!"Brygund says with a serious look upon his face although he is blinded by Cael's spell.

When the spike struck the ground near him, Toshiro rolled over and sprang to his feet, katana in hand. As his eyes adjusted to the faint light in the air, his sight was instantly slammed by Cael's light spell. Argh! Damn, that sucks! Diving into the woodline edge, he turned back toward the party and looked to what caused the alarm.

Seeing everyones reactions, Toshiro spied the drow at the edge near Gwenh. Lovely.... a dark one. Rare at home and I would think just as here. However, it hasn't attacked.... Quickly circling around to the rear of the being, he made ready to spring, just in case.

Kyrial scrunches her eyes painfully as the sun blinds her. Oh mother, what have I stumbled into here? Slowly adjusting her eyes, she stands boldly in the light.

"Mind turning that down?!?"

Gwenh squints in the light, but turns her back to it and looks at the dark elf. "Who the hell..." She can barely see anything thanks to the light streaming over her shoulders and around her body, especially since her metallic hair reflected the light oh so nicely.

Unsheathing her sword, she makes a few steps toward the dark elf. Should I shift? Damn it, I can barely wield a sword properly...What if I mess up? I'ld look like such an idiot, a dragon that can be bested at swordplay, who's ever heard of that? Oh how many hear have really ever heard of a dragon before? Damn it Gwenh concentrate... "Who are you?"

Falling Leaf is more surprised that Cael thought to act that quickly than his actual response. She closes her eyes at the shock of the light and keeps them closed, trying to listen for the interloper. She hears Gwenh addressing someone and, assuming that Gwenh is facing the intruder, positions herself for a throw in that direction as she waits for her eyes to finish adjusting.

Cael sees Falling Leaf crouched with her eyes closed, a knife in her hand, and her attention on a point about sixty degrees to his left.

Cael risks a quick glance over his shoulder to see who Gwehn is talking to, and does a double take. Drow?!? What the.... One of his grandfather's old war stories comes unbidden to his mind. When drow come to the surface to raid, they don't do it solo.

Suddenly realising what an easy target he makes holding the sunglobe, Cael tosses it into the air, to let it slowly drift down to the ground. He prepares to start pummelling the woods behind the drow with fire, but checks himself before he even begins to cast. No. If Thorn were still around, she wouldn't like that. Besides, this drow isn't attacking, and I don't see any more of her kind behind her. Still, he scans the forest, looking for any telltale movements that would reveal other drow.

Still trying to adjust to the light, Kyrial closes her eyes. Damn light spell.

"Sorry to disturb your camp. I had only wished to discover who was resting here. I am on a search for someone, and wished to find out without having to deal with bladewielders. Now if you would be so kind as to get out of the woods and into the glade?" She looks towards her back, where she'd heard rustling as Toshiro had been circling. "No need for violence." Perhaps.

Drat. Toshiro thinks as the newcomer shifted slightly. Heard me. Thankfully can't see me.

Leaf adjusted her position as spoken words gave her a better idea of where to aim. Her eyes were adjusting to the light and she opened them as another part of her brain tried to remember if she'd heard the voice before.

A dark elf. Eyes and ears confirmed. That dark elf.

"You took the wrong tunnel. Your targets are further south than this, aren't they?"

Gwenh lowers her blade very reluctantly and sheathed it. Why does this elf look so strange... She glanced over at Falling Leaf, who seemed to know the strange elf.

Recognizing the voice, Kyrial smiles. "Greetings, Dark One. My search has led me to a lot of places. How do you fare?" Her eyes are still closed, concentrating on her other senses, her hand on her staff.

"I will fare better when I know what you are up to." Falling Leaf moves slowly towards the dark elf. Although she had run-ins with this one before, she didn't know her name. "For whom do you search? There is no sense in duplicating efforts again."

"Falling Leaf, you've stooped to associating with Drow?" Cael sneers. "Would have thought better, even for you." He reaches for his staff. If these two are working together, things could get ugly, fast.

"Can I get a cup of tea, and perhaps turn that light off, so we can talk peacefully?" Kyrial asked sweetly. Anything to be able to see who is here.

"'Associating' is not the right word. I think your colloquialism, 'taking the rap for' would be better suited," 'Leaf spat. That had been annoying...her target already dead and the guards alerted... "We can perhaps turn the light off once you tell us for whom you search." She might lie. But, unless the target was Falling Leaf herself, the drow didn't know who was present, and making up a name might be as dangerous as giving the real one.

As the confrontation expanded, Toshiro heard the drow mention Leaf by name and Cael's response. Not too bright.... but understandable, considering everything.

Shifting ever so slightly, Toshiro eased a tanto loose from a wrist sheath as he allowed his 'other sense' to take over for his vision, being the light was bright, even for him. Slipping forward, he made certain that Leaf could see him and possibly make the Drow nervous if she noticed.

When it became apparent that he wasn't hidden well enough... Oh screw it.... "It isn't an unreasonable question. Especially since the two of you apparently have an interesting past acquaintance. If you will place your staff on the ground, I am certain everything can be resolved peacable-like." Sheathing his katana and the tanto, Toshiro moved over and to the side of the drow, staying roughly ten feet from her. "And I suppose my associate can 'turn it down' a small bit."

Blinking the stars out his eyes, Brygund watches as Cael looks prepared for a very big confrontation. Brygund turns away as he replaces his mace at his hip, quickly preparing a spell and is waiting to cast the actually components at a moment's notice.

Sighing slightly, Cael lets the sunglobe fade until the area dims to twilight. "I hope I'm not going to regret having done that." And I hope I'm not going to regret this, as well. "Falling Leaf, can you vouch for this one?" Throughout the conversation, Cael hasn't lowers his hands; he's still ready to throw a spell at either the drow or the treeline behind her.

'Leaf replies, "I have only seen her to be extremely professional. Random violence is not her calling card."

A thought occurs to her and she addresses the drow directly. "Our goals have often been similar in the past. These folk seem to share them - or aspects of them - as well. It may do us all good to work towards them together. I was skeptical of the idea at first myself, but am beginning to see the possibilities." She carefully seats herself near the fire. "Perhaps we should discuss our exact aims and see where they meet in common. For my part, I wish to see the threat to the elves removed. I am currently considering other methods to acheive those ends than those I have previously employed."

Blinking slightly, Kyrial gives a quick glance around. Noticing the preparedness of everyone, she nods to herself. No wonder the Dark One is working with them. And no Ehosian bastards either. "Flaming.. Falling Leaf, I have information regarding a specific threat to the elves. But first I must know.. what is your companions' feeling regarding the so-called Priests of Ehosia?"

Wrenching throwing spikes free from the ground, Leaf answers, "I have my list of those who have wronged my people. While I bear no love for these clergy and they had best not get in my way, only my assigned targets need truly fear." She hesitates. "I... I think the reforms these here," she gestures to the party, "are perhaps beneficial for the long run, and will do more lasting good than killing individual malefactors. I have scarecely known these people a few days and do not presume to speak for them on this issue."

"No," Cael says, "the random slaying of priests does nothing but incite them to hunt down and kill more elves. And elf-kin, like the centaurs." Now that the light has died down, Kyrial, can see Cael and realizes that he is, in fact, one of those "Ehosian bastards." He isn't wearing their garb, hoever, which is what threw her off.

Raising and eyebrow Kyrial stares at Cael. Who is he?

Cael continues talking, oblivious to Kyrial's reaction. "The only way to truely stop the attacks of the priests is to bring them back to the true path of Eho. Those who fight the return of Eho, those are the ones we must deal with. One way or another."

"And there lies the crux of our mission." Toshiro interjects as he watches Kyrial's face for a hint of reaction. "As I have a bit of experience in 'reformations' of this nature, I can assure you that those that deserve their fate will not be hard to find."

Bending down, he retrieves the sheath for his katana. Nicking himself, he mutters something as he puts it away. Looking back at everyone, he takes in their expressions (or lack thereof in Leaf) and continues. "If it is to be done right, one should learn what is the center of this falsehood and attempt to dispose of it. Once removed, we can set about removing the remaining cancer which..." He looks at Falling Leaf and then Kyrial before finishing, "allows vengence for the dead to be sated."

"I was not suggesting random slaughter. However amusing it may be to kill the sheep, I am aiming a little higher. If I may?" Let's humor the aggressive ones here. Reaching into a pocket she smiles as Toshiro starts to pull out his blade again and Falling Leaf gets into the ready position. "Do not fear..." and finishes pulling out a scroll. As she unrolls it (placing stones on the corner of the map), those of you close enough to see, see a drawing.

"This is a map of the Church of the First Light which is where my objective lies. THIS is my target... Their head priest has condoned the random slaughter of elves everywhere." Not that a few light elves less ever hurt anyone, but at least they are civilized. Somewhat. "My objective is to silence him." Painfully. "His name is Connal Defeira." Looking up she takes a closer look at the Ehosian, wondering how he taking this.

Cael looks at the map, but stays standing. No need to trust this dark one too far.

"Taking on an Archquisitor? A formidable task, that. Falling Leaf was correct, as well. This church is a dozen or so leagues to the south. You won't be able to use the Gates to get there, either. Have to walk the whole distance." There is a slightly awkward silence. No one really wants to protest the killing of the Archinquisitor, but no one (except possibly 'Leaf, who acknowledges that he is one of her targets as well) is really ready to condemn him to death. But the silence does imply consent, and the group journeys together.

It is a week later. Kyrial hasn't knifed anyone in the back yet, even once.

Toshiro has been helping Gwenh with her swordwork, and she's been teaching him "See Spot Run" in draconic.

'Leaf continues to read out of her little red leather book.

The group has camped, and Toshiro and Brygund are on watch. Toshiro is trying to demonstrate to him how to actually swing a mace rather than swivel it. They both hear a sort of thumping noise coming from Brygund's cart, as if something had fallen over inside it.