Gorthyn sat slumped in his favourite chair in the front room of his house, staring moodily into the dying embers of the hearth. He had lost track of quite how long he had been sat there - Three hours ? Four ? maybe more.....

He was troubled, his mood soured of late by a seemingly unstinting trail of bad news - good friends leaving the lands, wars and petty rivalries breaking out between the towns and cities of Sosaria, not to mention the incursions of the Jukas and the infestation of Yew by host of damned creatures he had never before seen the like of.

His mind drifted back over the years to when he had first ventured out into the world, determined to right as many wrongs as he could. He remembered leading his guild of virtuous men and women, The Gladiators, into the darkest corners of the land, smiting creatures that threatened to overun the countryside and upholding the principles that he knew helped bind the world together. Later he had joined in the defence of Vesper from a horde of evil opponents who each seeked its destruction. He had saved lives of the innocent and helped secure the town that he loved.

And now ? Now he was not sure quite what he was doing with his life. He found himself a foot soldier in a guild that had no battles to fight, a guild who though he considered all its members as friends, was determined to stay out of any situation that might compromise their ideals. He respected their views on balance, but increasingly felt it harder to hold to them. He wanted to help make a difference again, not just find himself watching from the side lines.

He sighed and looked up. Through the half closed window shutter he noticed the the silvery light of dawn. Stretching , he rose and walked outside onto the beach. In the fresh daylight he could see that the sand was totally smooth, all traces of yesterdays foot prints and driftwood wiped clean by the incoming tide. He stared at the the scene thinking "This is like all the mark I have left in the world - all my achievements have been eroded by time. Well no longer - it is time I stood up to be counted once more"

With that he turned and strode purposefully back into the house. He had plans to make.
___________________

Callum sat reading the message from Gorthyn and frowned , then smiled .

" Sometimes the best course of action is inaction , " he wrote upon a piece of paper , " yet that is rarely the case . Go out into the world and look upon it with fresh eyes Sir . See its beauty ... and then decide . I shall always be your friend . I have enjoyed fighting alongside thee , and talking to thee . Keep in touch old friend "

He attached the note to a pigeon and laughed as the bird eagerly flew from his hands up into the bright blue sky .
____________________


It's odd", mused Muldran.

"Times have changed so much since I first became a Tailor... Then came that fateful day when the Trolls invaded Vesper, and I started teaching myself Magery... All of us in Vesper, fighting to save our homes..."

Muldran sighs, and turns to the figure beside him.

"Times change often, fool!" she snorted. "You'll not know what's happening one minute if you try to control everything. People come, and people go, but the land remains."

The woman paused for a moment, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "But the people return. The land remains. Don't seek to control others, Skully. Let them wander, and return. They will find what they seek... and then come back home."

Leaning forward she blew out a candle. "It's just a matter of time and task. Surely the great Muldran Skully can understand that?"

Muldran sighed. "I should have known I'd never get a straight answer from you." He turned and walked towards the door.

"Trust me," the woman murmured, "Gorthryn will make whatever decision he feels happy with..."

There was a slam from somewhere in the distance, and a few shards of stone fell around the temple door...
____________________

a'Karn Moon sat on the throne of the spectral court temple.
His mind far away from his body and watched the being of the new days light.
The comm crystal with sat next to him hummed in to life.

Oran held the crystal as he sat cloaked by the shadows out side a house on the beach.

"My lord" He said in a low tone. "The one called Gorthyn seems to be musing on the past."

"Keep watch Oran" Said the voice from the crystal .

Nur watch the small bird fly away from Callums hands. He waited following it with his eyes through the blue sky. He waited untill callum turned his head. An arrow flew through the wind hitting the bird through the chest. Nur was quick to pick up the letter.

" Sometimes the best course of action is inaction " yet that is rarely the case . Go out into the world and look upon it with fresh eyes Sir . See its beauty ... and then decide . I shall always be your friend . I have enjoyed fighting alongside thee , and talking to thee . Keep in touch old friend "

Nurs words rolled over the comm crystal.
"What shall i do with the letter my lord?"He asked.

The voice from the end of the crystal sounded far away.

"Burn it, the more of them that feel alone the weaker they will become." you could almost feel the dark hard voice grinning.

"Yes My lord" And with that Nur spoke a few words and a sparks of fire leapt from his hand, burning the letter.

Vor'lash Hanged from a rope, he had been watching Murdlran for two days now the shadows held him tightly as tightly as his hands held the rope. He watched.

"I should have known I'd never get a straight answer from you."

"Trust me," the woman murmured, "Gorthryn will make whatever decision he feels happy with..."

Vor'lash made his way out of the temple. and watched Murdlan walk away. He held his crystal up and wishpered something in to it.

"Good work childe" Said the voice. "keep an eye on the woman too" It told. Vor'Lash nodded to himself. and left that place.

On a hill far away some one stood. his hair blowing around in the cool wind.
He looked down to the comm crystal in his hand and listened to all that was said. He looked to the land and the line of sky, it was gray turning black. All the figer could do was simle.

"There is a storm coming" He said, his voice was deep and beautiful some would say it sounded "Angelic"........
___________________

Samba concentrated on the two balls of energy floating before him, his will holding them apart. Great fires crackled between them, as the two spheres swirled around each other. Slowly, they began to seperate, their orbits around each other slowly widening.

A grin started to form across Samba's face as he pulled the two balls of energy apart, working against the forces that strove to bring them together. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow as he enforced his will on the two balls of flaming energy.

A slight twinge of pain struck through his head, causing him to wince, and the two balls of light wobbled slightly.

With an annoyed expression, Samba ignored the pain and continued to concentrate on the two balls.

Again, a stab of pain caused Samba to wince, and the two balls pulled away from his control momentarily, spinning back towards each other, almost striking each other before Samba was able to regain control, his voice a bare whisper

"Not now Dammit, can't people just leave the court alone for five minutes."

A third time, a stab of pain lanced through his head, causing him to involuntarily grit his teeth, but the damage was done, the two balls of energy surged together, striking each other and exploding. A coruscant wave of energy blasted outwards, but seemed to vanish about a yard away from the two energy balls.

With a wave of his hand, the image of the two balls vanished, and Samba turned back to his scrying crystal to see who and what was spying on the court so frequently. Up in the night sky, a flare of light momentarily brought a single dot of light to the brightness of the north star, before it faded entirely.

As Samba approached the crystal, a voice echoed through the chamber, a voice which brought about an almost instinctive response from Samba

"Ah hell, why can't i just have a quiet century or two, i'm getting too old for this."

As he rubbed his forehead, the echo of the words slowly faded.

"There is a storm coming"
_______________________

Callum strode into Gorthyn's tower .

" So you didnt get my note then ? ... Well apparently there is a storm coming . Forgive me if I do not look to worried , we have been threatened with a greater darkness and storms for some time . I have bought some oil cloth for us both , we can make our capes waterproof . May I sit here a while ? "

Callum slumped into the armchair and fell soundly asleep .
_______________________

Gorthyn stood staring at the sleeping form of Callum, a quizzical smile upon his face.

"A storm approaches eh Cal ? " he muttered to himself. "Well let us hope it breaks soon or else I fear I may not be able to assist the Court in their struggle"

There was a brief flash of light in the centre of the room that made him jump - he bit back an oath as he saw a familiar figure materialise in front of him.

"Hello Repi" he said "Glad you could make it - I need your advice"
________________________

Repi always enjoyed startling people with sudden appearances, and the look on Gorthyns face was a treat. She was about to make some remark but then remembered how troubled her old friend was and so bit her tongue and remained silent.

She glanced over at the snoring form of Callum and briefly toyed with the idea of turning him into a slime or gating him into the middle of Hyloth as he slept.....

"Now, now" she thought to herself "concentrate on the matter in hand. Plenty of time to play with Cal later"

With that she sat down and listened intently to what Gorthyn had to say. He spoke of his hopes and plans for the future, but also of his doubts as to what path he should choose. At the end he asked if she would join him in his new enterprise.

Repi shook her head sadly "Ah Gorth - I admire your moral certainty...Me ? I am just a harlots daughter from the back alleys of Buccs' Den. I am not sure I can follow you on your journey"

Gorthyn sat still for a moment then said "Well I shall miss you my dear , I truly will"

Repis' eyes unexpectedly filled with hot tears. "And I you, but I will be watching over you and who knows I might yet change my mind...." her voice trailed off as both she and Gorthyn realised that this would never be the case.

They sat together for a while in sad silence, then as Callum began to stir Repi rose to her feet.

She kissed Gorthyn gently on the cheek. "Let me know of your decision Gorth just as soon as you can - I know whatever you choose will be the right thing for you"

With that she was gone.