Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

Posted: **Sun Oct 02, 2022 2:52 am**

TIME STAMP

Rene was preparing for this event and now the day has come to finally put an end to the revelry of Dahlia Senerite, he had been planning and plotting against her for years and now there are four who could potentially stop her. One who already has an existing vendetta against her and others who seek to climb to the glory of power and fame within the world of the Entente. His plans and intentions are not clear to the others but it would be best, especially since Rene was doing it for his own benefit, but there was also an empathetic side to him. He understood this through the delving of dreamscapes as well as the understanding behind their philosophy and morals.

It was the engrams of those that lead them here.

"You're probably all wondering why you're here in the first place, so I'm going to start. I have delved into your minds, seeked out the various desires that you so forth choose to pursue, but also delved into your biggest fears, the things that stop you..." He said before staring at the gnome, wondering if she was going to process all of that information. He winced at her before beckoning Andre forward "I think she might be high on Purgatory" He whispered in his ear as Andre would glare at him, eventually he sighed "You want me to babysit her?"

"Bring her some water... She'll need to sober up so she can process what I am about to say..." He looked to the other three.

"Salen, your angry because of how this society has treated you in the past and yet you still take that anger out on others who maybe useful allies to you... You need to suppress that emotion... Tiberius your lover, who I am sorry to hear may have tragically died but he left an imprint on your soul... A Mark of Control... It's impressive that a man like you is able to achieve such feats of magical talent over the years and yet you still have a lot to learn... Your accomplishment as a Remnomancer is... Prodigal should I say, one talent I have never witnessed and you keep excelling, despite your struggles..." He paused for a moment "Start using it... I would like you to analyse Hugo and Jared's mural."

He paced over to Hugo and smiled "Hugo, for one such bold as you... I see you find it difficult to fit into society ever since your mother and father have passed away, I am sorry for your loss. I too share the same struggles as you do, for it is part of the Entente way, we defend our own enemies because of class but we could also expect a knife in our back at any point." He stood still and looked down at Hugo in the eyes "Yet, I sense you seek a way to make Daravin a much more... fairer place for us all... It may seem an impossible feat at the moment, but it's a journey... A journey that you must take, but you must remember... United you'll stand... Divided you'll fall..." He nodded to the man in honour.

"And finally, Jared... You share pain, much like when you was initiated and left to die. You share insecurities that you need to let out and seek to become confident." He paused for a moment as he could feel a presence around him.

"Hugo... I sense something, do you mind using your Ethersight?" He seemed to be interrupted by the presence in the room, but the question is what was it?

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:25 am**

As Jared was being escorted to more of the private sections within the manor by Andre, a brief but suddenly halted movement caused the nightfallen magus to panic for a brief moment as this sensation of freezing was something outside his usual patterns of activities.

“Something doesn't seem right….”

The amber-eyed thief mutters as he tries to figure out why his body has this odd jerking feeling he has never experienced before. Still, his attention is immediately brought back to his mysterious patron. Briefly taking a moment to explain why he chose the following individuals for his service & schemes but what disturbed the apprentice thief was the fact that this man, whom he called himself Rene, just casually strolled into his dreams & desires, which to Jared was rather deeply offended as he preferred people to not poke into the depths of his brain.

Listening carefully to how Rene structured his words and how he phrased his sentences, immediately told Jared that this man was dangerous as his words had many meanings depending on the angle & approach one would view his comments. Another aspect that made Jared feel weary and somewhat defensive about Rene was the fact that he was going into deep depths about Hugo & Salen’s motivations, but the fact that the Sil’norai understood where Jared’s internal turmoil was what bothered him and said that he understood him & sharing one of the most nightmarish moments in his life become more public news which out even considering about his choice in the matter laced his thoughts with a profound degree of fear & anger as his thoughts were his alone; almost venomous as it was a memory that Jared would have buried 6ft under and never to be seen in the broadest daylight.

But the thief couldn’t explain why despite having a bit of hostility toward this stranger he had just met, something about his gaze kind of had a weird disarming effect on him. It was ironic that Jared was surrounded by many people he would consider attractive in various aspects. Still, all of this was backed up by his internal thoughts of being an unappealing street rat that just happens to be strung along to this weird mess.

“Of all the people you could gather, why us four…. It doesn’t make any sense to me….”

Jared couldn’t help but think that his habit of making internal dialogue to process his next course of action was one of the main reasons the amber-eyed thief was constantly thinking ahead & being creative with what tools he had on hand.

But for now, the thief could only remain silent; observing as much as his ability to investigate many matters could lead him, backed up by his internal monologue, which acts as his guide & comfort in this weird circumstance and his habit of processing information internally could teach him.

Posted: **Sun Oct 02, 2022 12:53 pm**

Salen could feel the tension in the air as he knew something wasn't quite right about this place. Had he walked into a trap? He eventually found himself between Hugo and Jared, before staring straight ahead at Rene. He explained why he was here in the first place, thus remembering that he had given him the contract days prior, but he was invited to this place for a reason. To retain allies perhaps? It would seem unlikely that they Rene wouldn't be doing this unless it served his ambitions, for which remained unknown. That's what bothered Salen, the fact that everyone seemed to have a hidden political agenda. He knew he was hiding something but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He gazed at the female who sat down with her venetian mask over her face, she appeared to be staring at Salen intently. He was beginning to become nervous as his shoulders were shaking. Salen heard the speech that Rene gave towards him, whilst it was all true, he couldn't help but wonder the reason why the other four were invited. A gnome he saw on that expedition, followed by Hugo and the thief kid he once set on fire at a party.

Well, a suave man such as Salen couldn't help but take a good opportunity to keep the Valran away from a haphazard assassination attempt. He sighed as things began to get poignant, as if he was holding back a tear for a moment. The mention of Tiberius was enough to force him into another, that's when Salen could feel the urge to relinquish sad emotions. Some kind of magic was at play, he tried to hold it off but he could feel the intense sadness burn inside him. He could see the shadow of a feminine figure in the corner of the room, appearing to be in casting stance, like she was using her tethers upon him.

Tragedian, thats what she was using...

It wasn't until he realised that something was up when he wanted him to look into Hugo and Jared's mural for a moment, but the intense sadness appeared to be crippling for him to perform any action. It was like he was in the room, being tortured by his emotions. This was one way to inflict Salen into pure rage... He needed to remain calm, especially in a situation like this as it appeared to be difficult.

"Alright... I... I'll look into it..." He spoke as if he was almost about to cry as he lifts out his hand and casts a purple holographic ray over Jared's face, he could sense that viewing the emotion was being blocked by another tether. He moved the ray over to Hugo and it appeared to be the same effect.

"I can't view their mural..." He said.

The difficult thing was facing the emotional imbalances created through Mentalism, he was sure that someone was messing with him.

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Sun Oct 02, 2022 3:08 pm**

Vinsue remained quiet but it was apparent she was focused on the small handful of stuff she had managed to grab and not the fact she was in a room full of magic people. Nore was she focused on what the man talking had to say.

In her hand was a flower she somehow snatched from a vase on her way down. There were also some feathers and a mask that she grabbed from the faces of various people. The most important was a key from whom she got it she did not know. Though if asked she would blame a bird. She however had hid the key in her hair so no one would know she had it. This however does not mean it was well hidden.

Her gaze finally left her hands as she finally realized she was no longer riding like a sack on a shoulder. She then looked at each of the others in the room for a long moment. Due to her currently being drugged she seemed to look through the soul of each person. Slowly she realized she knew some of them.

When offered water she took and drank it. As she began to sober a slight headache began to set in. She looked up to realize magic was in use but not quite sober enough to care. "Why so sad?" She would ask Salen.

She didn't like people being sad and twice so when she was so happy. She got off her seat causing everything in her lap to hit the floor. She picked up the feather and the flower. This was not her original plan, however originally she was going to start a food fight but it was kinda hard to reach the food when it was all on the ground and she was on the shoulder. But cheering up a person seemed a worthy cause for her collection. She would hand him the flower then attempt to use the feather to tickle his face.

Posted: **Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:08 pm**

The woman watched from her hidden mural as she appeared to be lurking in the shadows, she saw Rene talking about the two that she wanted to peak into the private quarters, eventually she found Salen, Hugo, Jared and Vinsue all conversing. She would eventually lock a final tether on Salen before casting Tragedian upon him. She did this, knowing of his weakness and the recent grief he feels from the loss of his lover. It couldn't be long, but it wasn't a goal that he could pursue much longer.

She began to realise that with the amount of tethers she has used that she was overstepping, forcing her to let go off Jared's tethers to relief the stress. There was something interesting about Hugo's mural. The fact that there was residual anger as well as ambition. Perhaps this was some information he could use against him, knowing he could be seen as a major threat to Daravin's empire as well as a weak Veir, easier to ruin. There was no telling her intentions, but she did not like the look of Hugo's mural. It was a threat to her goals and her need to acquire status and power.

He had to be exposed somehow, but how was she going to do that? There had to be one plan she could initiate.

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Tue Oct 04, 2022 3:56 pm**

Hugo tried to keep his expression blank as he heard Rene speak. He listened as the other Veir so quickly shared the fact that his mother and father were both dead. There was only a light stab in the hearth as his father was mentioned, but his mother had been dead for years. The reference did not emotionally hurt Hugo, but it did begin to make a feeling gather as Rene began to show a point of weakness, perhaps to garner sympathy or make Hugo an object of pity. He did not know, but the speech that the man made did not bring Hugo any positive emotion as he quickly described the daily life of an Entente. Then he froze as Rene laid bare, if only a little, Hugo's desire and ambition. Sharing his closest-held secret to a company of mostly strangers, and certainly not people who Hugo wanted to know of his ambitions. Even the odd comment about unity did not erase the impact left by the first part of the sentence.

As Rene spoke Hugo tried to act as a true noble, not showing any signs of true personal emotions on his face. Something that he was able to achieve on most occasions but which he was not able to fully achieve at this moment. His demeanour was mostly blank as if carefully listening, but any skilled observer would see the signs of great anger in Hugo's posture. From the way, his hands were put together in a tight grip, the way his teeth clenched together, the way his eyebrows were furrowed, but mostly in the expression of his eyes. The eyes of a man who feels as if he has been treated unjustly. An expression which often led to a lot of unforeseen and unwanted compilations.

Even with his anger, Hugo kept listening as Rene spoke and only responded as Jared voiced his own question. "I must agree with my compatriot here. Though it appears you know much about us you have not elaborated as to what purpose we are gathered here today." As he spoke Hugo looked Rene clear in the eye. Though not verbally saying anything to offend or speak against him, he was conveying in non-verbal terms his clear anger at the information that Rene was so liberally sharing. For once Hugo was disregarding his upbringing just so he could make that very clear.

After that exchange, Hugo tried to relax a little and listened as René finished his line of questioning, only to be....... interrupted. Which was odd, as Rene seemed to have been quite focused on his spiel and the entire conversation. Had probably practised it a few times in the mirror just so he could cause the greatest amount of confusion and anger. Regardless, the man seemed to be quite perturbed by something, before the man's gaze shifted towards Hugo. He was requested to......... use his ethersight ? That was unexpected, maybe....... did it have to do with the odd feeling that he had gotten earlier? That the magic in question did not come from Rene. That would be quite worrying. Thus despite the emotion brewing within him, Hugo did as the senior Veir asked.

He began drawing ether into him, feeling the raw almost painful feeling as it entered his core. Then this energy gathered near his chest, where minor wisps of it went towards his head area. The previously slightly uncomfortable energy becoming more charged and focused. Something akin to the shock one occasionally got if they touched a metal object. With careful consideration, this energy made its way into Hugo's fleshy eyeballs, slowly beginning to form an extra layer in front of it. A lens through which Hugo could see another colour. Another form of vision was made clear, not a vision but something else. A bright energy which was present everywhere, but was especially prominent in the individuals in front of him.

From those individuals, and from a glowing purple thread that was connecting to him. Shining into his eyes so Hugo had to adjust his vision as it tried to adjust. A moment later he followed the thread and could see the clear sign of a person's Ether in a corner. Despite the fact that his normal vision said there was nothing present there. But by now Hugo had learnt that Ethersight did not lie. His eyes widened a tiny bit at the sight, as Hugo's hands moved towards his chest. Then in a quick and almost painful burst Hugo channelled more raw Ether into his body. Then in a slow but graceful action, an apparition began to appear from Hugo's chest. A heft of a weapon appears, and then seconds later the rest of a type of sword seems to have formed. One could see what appeared to be a shortsword of sorts, but glowing with an ethereal light. Plain in appearance but seemingly effective in function.

With a harsh voice, and a clear note of anger and suspicion in his voice Hugo spoke. "I assume this is not one of yours then. If not speak plainly, for I do not appreciate one looking into my emotions or an invisible person hearing them spoken." Hugo began to move as if to stand up, a devised shortsword in his right hand with wisps of galvanized ether gathering in his left hand.

Posted: **Wed Oct 05, 2022 4:06 am**

TIME STAMP

Rene couldn't help but notice the anger on everyone's faces including Salen's who was affected by Tragedian. Rene would eventually beckon the masked female sitting forth before she would pace back and forth before stopping in front of him. She eventually took a glance at Salen for a moment before making her way to Hugo, looking over at him for a moment as she stared at the corner, noticing a shadow of another female in the mists. Rene would eventually nod towards her as he stepped forth, like as if there was some kind of code going on. It was as if they were predicting an event together; it was odd and it would cause quite alot of confusion for the four chosen patrons.

"Fear not, I know you're all angry, confused and even resent me for bringing forth your complications in society, but I offer you all a boon in exchange for a service... Salen, you had everything taken away from you and you were never given a chance in life, I offered the contract that would restore your house once and for all... However, it appears that this contract has much more greater consequences and must be done in a subtle way..." He paused as he looked at Hugo "Sometimes in these intricate plots, you must use wits rather than brawn and I am giving you all a lesson here, including you Hugo... You may resent me right now, but you'll thank me one day." He smirked as he continued to pace around.

"My ex wife, Dahlia has grown stronger since we last met... She's recognised as a mage worthy of ascension, but she has a weakness... She's arrogant and naive, and although she may be cunning she is bound to slip up... Hence why I have chosen you four... Salen, you're a strong fighter but your thirst for vengeance may dampen your mind, whilst Hugo is... Much more versed in such areas, but yet with all you four lies a strength and a weakness and only unity can unlock the full potential of a team." He would pause yet again as he walked around the room towards Jared and smiled "Forget resentment, I know you want some sort of place in society..."

He noticed Vinsue approaching Salen for a moment as he watched the sweet and charming gnome try to cheer him up before he chuckled lightly and adjusted his tone "As for this young man... He's been affected by magic, which I know you have a deep fear against... But don't worry, I want to help you..." He asked, hoping she was no longer high when he spoke to her.

Suddenly an inky substance comes flying at Hugo, hitting him in the face with the direction he was facing. He would begin to feel weakened, his muscles would feel heavier as if they are dragging him down to the floor. It appeared the assailant had thrown pathos infected with Sap at him. A female would laugh and reveal herself, her henchmen surrounded the corners of the room before she begin to speak.

"Oh, Rene... I see you're always the one who was too trusting, too compassionate for your own good..." She proceeded to walk forward from where Hugo was before looking down at him "Hmm... Shame... Too bad I have to crash this glorious and wonderous party... It seems you've forgotten my bargain..."

"Your head is on a silver platter, darling, it appears that the Entente no longer applies to your status..." He said with a chuckle.

"Don't be absurd... Not if your head is first..."

"You remember our bargain? Oh yes, I know very well... That I wouldn't reveal the wicked act you did to Salen's poor father... Yes, I know, Remnomancy is a gift you see... A political gift that only the simplest minds can never comprehend... It's all psychology after all."

"You enforced it upon me by playing with my mind, I bet you've been playing with every other mind you've sired recently havent you..." Rene's anger rumbled

"How could I when all I had was you wanting to kill me... Yes, it's a funny thing, but somehow I manage to spin doctor every game you played, but still you waited patiently for the moment... And now... I'm going to watch you destroy yourself..."

"I think your forgetting one thing, Dahlia..." Cordelia spoke, revealing her mask as she channeled her ether, creating water with the concentrated water vapour in the air and proceeding to wrap Hugo in it, cleansing him of his Bane that had been inflicted upon him "Karma is a bitch and someone has caught you..."

"Oh sister, I wasn't expecting you here... Back to have your head on a silver platter, well... Quite the story you and I... How two sisters tragically quested for power, except I was able to outsmart your weak mind when you married that... Veir. Yes you gave me a opportunity to stir trouble and tarnish your good name... So much so, that you are outlawed here..."

"You were jealous..."

"Maybe... but I'm surely going to enjoy putting you in your grave."

"ATTACK!"

Dahlia's henchmen would surround the four as Andre and Synthar would step in to help. It appears the four have a battle on their hands. Charlotte would begin to malform herself into a black bear as she roared loudly, looking at her prey desperately and hungrily before she instantly eyed Hugo, as if she was preparing to charge.

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:19 pm**

Salen appeared to be confused, angry by the sudden turn of events, that Rene had forgotten one thing. The Candor appeared to be broken at this very second and divulging their information appeared to be a grave mistake for him, particularly when Dahlia was influencing him, but still he remained calm whilst in his melancholic state before eyeing Hugo, watching the blue wisps of Galvanized Ether in his hand, followed by the recently devise shortsword. He could sense there was anger there, particularly when a noble like him had his greatest secrets and desires exposed.

He couldn't help but notice the sweet and benevolent nature of the gnome, there was some strange innocence about her with the way he tried to cheer him up, but it wasn't in comparison with the gnome he met at Levarin. The stubborn troubadour that appeared to be looking towards the badlands for answers of a mystery treasure map. He wondered if they were somehow both related "T-Thank you..." He spoke as he eventually appeared to step up to Rene at the moment before he tried to express his anger "So... You invite us all to this party, and then you come to jeopardise us when we first step foot, firstly that is a breaking your code of honor and secondly, you have no right to divulge such information." He appeared to be angry as he looked towards Hugo, before looking back at Jared, laughing in a manic fashion.

"You've screwed us over... You've totally screwed us over and you expect me to believe your helping? All of you are insane, you enjoy your games and your sadistic torment amongst the lowborns of Daravin, you think it's funny? I don't that's why... I'm done... I'm leaving! I'm tired of this bullshit."

As Salen was about to leave, he noticed Hugo receive the blow of Pathos, before Dahlia came in and gave her speech, letting her henchmen leave. Salen was kicked to the ground by Eric. He winced, getting up as Dahlia approached Rene, he listened to them conversing and began to realise there was some truth to Rene's intentions, that she was the true cause of his mess and perhaps ending her existence was the only way of getting out; he had trust issues, but right now this was the only way he was going to sort his current situation out, before things become irreversible. He didn't like that his business was divulged to Dahlia, but perhaps there was a reason in his judgement. There was no question that she is considered a greater threat to Salen. He had to go with Rene's plan to ensure everything was going to be secure. He hated that idea, but it was the only option.

He came face to face with Eric, the first opponent to engage into combat with Salen as he analysed his battle style, he began manipulating light photons around them, forming them into spherical compasses. He used his weave to keep them levitated in the air for ease of use, before impelling one straight at Eric and activating Volley once they were at close range. The blunt force was enough to knock him out. As Salen looked at Eric, he would eventually use one of his compasses to cast Shepherd, as two gaseous wings would appear amongst his shoulder blades.

Eventually, Salen would use the force of his wings to propel him upwards towards the crystal chandelier and latched himself onwards. The chandelier was rocking back and forth with the weight of Salen's momentum, taking a while to become stable. Once he had gained stability, he began channeling ether preparing himself for an extremely taxxing ability. A pink coloured cloudy wisp would eventually take form as Salen would cast a greater ability of mass illusory application as the room will be filled with a pink cloudy rolling light, transforming the place. He astralises the location and transports everyone into a fragment of Salen's mindscape. A hallway surrounded by a endless hallway of mirrors. Salen would continue to channel providing a battleground for others to use to their advantage.

Maybe perhaps both a boon and a detriment.

► Show Spoiler

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2022 6:06 am**

Anger was at the forefront of Jared's emotional state, and he didn't understand what was going on or what rules were placed. Hugo & Salen would know more about this so-called Candor they were speaking of.

Though the tension breaks for a moment as his drugged-up friend of a gnome makes her way over to Salen, who is notably saddened by something which he could tell was bothering him to the point that it would hinder his ability to process things.

As Rene releases information about his ex-wife Dahlia, it causes Jared to raise a brow as to what she has to do with all of this, but from what his observant nature could see; Salen, Rene, the mysterious figure & Rene’s retainers knows more about this lady than he could gather and be left in the dark was not great since it puts the thief at a disadvantage.

As the Entente half, Sil’Norai/Half Rathor man continues to speak, briefly pausing before making his way over towards Jared & speaking about wanting to have some sort of place in society. It raises a bout of confusion as the amber-eyed thief didn’t think about status but instead being able to live by the beat of his drum, or maybe it was his heart or soul yearning to find a place he could be a part, some that the thief has yet to know.

One thing that caught the thief’s eye for detail was the flickering sparks of ether conjured by Hugo, who he had seen before in his previous encounters with various guards and soldiers on the battlefield. From his memory, it was another type of magic known as Brand, but The raw magic itself limited the extent it could provide from what the apprentice thief could gather. All the thief had seen was that it could throw bolts of energy that could disintegrate walls and conjure up weapons on the flip of a dime.

Still, this action alone was enough to put Jared on edge, as his habit was not to rest his guard unless he was alone.

“What is going on?!”

He only noticed a shadow briefly moving before a sudden surge of black and decaying pathos flew over. Breaching through the small group before squarely hitting Hugo’s face, quickly seeming to deteriorate as his body gives way to the weight of his armour and clothing as if Hugo had replaced his muscles with straw.

From there, a woman came out of the shadows, manically laughing as she spews out leisurely conversations with the group. How one can causally talk about killing another person is somewhat perplexing for the thief as there wasn’t much to gain from his point of view. Still, his limited knowledge of Entente & Candor operates limits his scope of interpretation.

As the thief attempts to make sense of all this madness, it was then the mysterious figure reveals themselves to be a relative or rather a twin, which isn’t something you see too often but reading the atmosphere in the room, Jared could immediately tell that a fight was brewing and if you weren’t careful, getting a cut is the least of anyone’s concerns.

Just as Jared was about to react to the situation, all hell broke loose as Deliha called forth her accomplices, looming in the shadows and began their assault on the group. The lady he saw in the ballroom suddenly transforms into a black bear before charging at the weakened Hugo whilst the other three supporters split off to fight the rest of the group.

"Well, shit…."

Immediately putting a bit of pressure on his right foot, the thief conjures a small amount of umbralplasm, which plasters itself on the soles of his boots; mimicking the mechanical texture of springs as he pushes off and darts over to an unclaimed section of the room to gain some distance from boiling cauldron of chaos that is running rampant.

It was only then he realised that Vinsue was in this tangled battle as well and recalled from the expedition that she wasn't a fighter or someone who had dealt with combat in general. His innate reflexes begin to take hold as he lashes out a whip of Umbralplasm using Statrum around the gnome's waist before swinging her out of harm's way to the best of his ability with his strength before letting go, which causes the Umbralplasm to snap back, towards Vinsue. An orb of congealing darkness bounces onto the ground in front of the gnome's feet, hovering about an inch or two from the ground as if it were defying gravity entirely.

As he glides slightly with each spring-induced step through the room, the Nightfallen thief quickly twists his back and turns his face towards Hugo to get a better angle. As he quickly fires off a condensed Compass that sprays itself on the floor, which rapidly spreads as if a cauldron of oil spills over a large area that would intercept between the black bear & Hugo.

His main concern at the moment was to get Vinsue out of harm's way while being able to support Salen & Hugo by any means necessary.

But all of this seems to change on a whim as a roiling cloud of iridescent light cascades all over the room, causing reality to shift into a hallway of crystalising mirrors. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to figure out what Salen was doing on top of the chandelier, but he could guess it was his doing, at the very least, unless another mage took part in this grand illusion.

From there, the thief could see from the corner of his eye that Salen’s opponent Eric, would turn to Jared & immediately make his way over to the thief; Not only that, he also had to deal with another man who was on his tail, but there was something that caught his larcenist’s eyes; an emblem of sorts which he didn't know the significance of but it was enough to make the thief plan ahead to take those if he had the chance once he manages to hinder his opponents.

“Two against one for we little me?”

Jared couldn’t help but comment as one of his many nervous ticks triggers under the amount of stress he is currently undergoing. As the amber-eyed vagabond quickly channelled his ether into condensing more darkness into Umbralplasm, Jared couldn’t help but notice that there was less of a burden applied to his body which he could on surmise to the fact that this random hallway of mirrors was affecting his abilities to manipulate darkness to a finer degree.

Using this knowledge to his advantage, Jared beings to fire off a few Compasses which were directed at very odd angles to the point that an observer would think that he was missing his shots when in reality, the Nightfallen mage was using the properties of Umbralplasm to mimic balls of rubber which would fly around at a relatively fast speed but if one were to look & listen, it would soon be apparent that these orbs of congealing darkness have much more weight as a nearby orb bounces onto a random wall, letting out a loud thudas it wildly ricochets into another direction, leaving behind a sizable impact crater.

To Jared, this was all so that he could attack people in wildly random directions that would make it very hard for someone to dodge amid the chaos. Then, he would immediately fire a few heavy streams of Volley from the dancing spheres of umbralplasm at Klade & Eric as they attempted to close the distance on him & strike with Stratum as bladed whips arcs through the room.

“Come on, Jared, just need to get them distracted enough until you can make the steal.”

Posted: **Thu Oct 06, 2022 4:13 pm**

Salen was trying his best to keep up the grandiose illusion for the others and even changing and fabricating certain aspects as he changed the phantasmal structure of his astralised mindscape. As he noticed Jared was in trouble with Klade and Eric still appeared to be worthy opponents as Klade would use his weave to protect himself from the upcoming volley's. Eventually, Salen decided to change aspects of his mindscape, changing the corridors and structures of the labyrinth and making a pathway for Vinsue, Jared and Hugo to follow safely. It appeared to be a huge game of chess for him and perhaps it was a game to save a few lives away from Dahlia's mad henchmen.

He winced as he felt a sharp radiating pain in his head; the bear had appeared to break through certain parts of the mirrored landscape, recklessly as he looked over at Hugo for a moment, looking at him angrily. On the other side of the labyrinth, Cordelia, Andre and Synthar appeared to be fighting Dahlia whilst he noticed Rene standing next to him "Salen! Stop! You're going to overwork yourself, save your strength!"

"Oh, so now you care... What happened are you going to deprive them of every morsel of freedom aswell? You're all the same... Broken promises..."

"Just trust me Salen... Fulfill the contract and you can experience freedom."

"What about them? Will they? Or will we be bound by the clutches of another religious sect that cripples the freedom in Daravin's people, makes nothing but a lawless and unforgiving society! Do you think I can bare anymore lies from a mouth of a zealot!"

"I don't believe in Ulen! I'm a Brother of Scaeva and we look after our own, whilst achieving our own selfish political goals, but brotherhood comes first..." Rene said.

Salen gave things a second thought as he continued channelling his ether "I still have a responsibility... No matter what I can't let these people die by the hands of some madwoman... It's not right, not what I believe in... I've done bad things but mostly I've been searching for the chance to do the right thing... I know I've failed on many accounts and that's where my bitterness comes from... Failure." He paused as he looked at his astralised mindscape, still channeling his strength into it as he spoke.

"I understand but I must right my wrongs, especially within a society that thrives on exploitation. I realise no matter how hard I try to run away from it, it'll always come back to haunt me, I realise that I should face it..." Rene eventually stepped up to Salen's podium and converged his ether with his, strengthening the illusory palace with his own; there were hints of red sunset skies, followed by the paradise breeze within the mindscape. Rene appeared to be strengthening Salen's astralised mindscape with his ether.

"Let them in... Let them help you..."

Salen flashes back to points at the expedition, from the point that Hugo saved him and gave him a home for the season and from the sweet gesture that Vinsue made. It was all making sense. He needed stability and it appeared that these four provided that.

"Perhaps..."

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