Eowyna sheltered at the old keep near Trinsic, Fel, for several days. She rode the unicorn far afield each day searching for signs of Maddux's passing. However, her tracking skills were not particularly good and his stealthing skills were excellent, so she wasn't sure what she expected to find. But somehow she thought she would know...but nothing came to her. In fact, she met no one on the road, other than a band of murders, who seemed disinclined to discuss the whereabouts of a wounded elf.

At first there was no sign of the black riders, but by the second day they had found her again. Her forays into the forest were more curtailed after that. She attempted several times to peer into the waters of a still pool when she happened across one, but she was blessed with no visions. This she realized would get her no where. She couldn't find him here.

She sent a pidgeon to Skatha to inquire about the progress of the quest she, herself, had abandoned (at least temporarily), another to Ann checking on the state of affairs in the Enclave, and a third to Miacus, whose quest was finished by now, and who might have learned something further about the Drow. She couldn't help feeling discouraged; she'd been so sure she could trace him from here.

So she needed to return to a place where she had natural power. Somewhere where she could use her own skills. The wolves in this place were silent; they did not speak to her. The pools were still; their waters did not show her things. She cast a gate, and stepped through.

Skatha slowly climbed the many steps of the temple, she wore a simple gown, no adornments on her body or in her hair, shoeless; she carried no weapons, no food, no water. She knelt, then moved into the classic position of meditation; her legs crossed, her hands resting, palms up, on her legs. Her recent choices had not been good. All seemed to lead to a dead end. Seeking wisdom and peace, an end to the struggles, she began to meditate.

Closing out the world surrounding her, she easily slipped into a trance, opening her mind to whatever might choose to enter there. Minutes passed, becoming hours. Time ceased, she became aware of the presence of her gods, comforting, nurturing, she felt stronger, becoming one with their essence. Total peace.

Screams, intense heat, discord, visions of violence shattered the peace as evil flowed into the open mind, so at peace less than a breath before, now engulfed in fear and terror. The essence of the gods and of evil struggled now for control.

Others may have come and gone in the temple, there may have been storms of cataclysmic proportions, it mattered not, for she was aware of nothing except that there was a battle for her soul, one over which she had no control.

No muscle twitched, no eye blinked, no clue was visible to others -- she retained the countenance of one at peace.

How long she sat thusly she had no idea, slowly she became aware of the whisper of the chimes as the wind moved through them, aware of gentle raindrops, and an overwhelming feeling of being at one with the universe. Calmly she walked through the rain, wondering at the warmth of the water on her bare feet as she walked through the puddles, aware of the warm rain that dampened her hair and robe.

She would be guided now, as she attempted to fulfill her duties, bringing strength and wisdom to the Justicars.

Peace...................

He had sat in that tavern for what seemed days without a sound of this enclaves Justicars. A frown crossed that pale elven face "Where could they be? My own quest told me nothing about these riders, She only told me vengence and that is all I feel" shake of his head "but vengence towards whom I dont know. I must find Eowyna or Skatha to see what they might have found out in this wisp dungeon. Hood once again pulled up over his head as he walked out to his steed "ahh glorious rain wash away the day's troubles" he spoke softly to himself.


He mounted that dark steed he aquired, obviously sent to him by his goddess along with the dark cloak, he rubbed his sword hand briefly before taking the reins and with a Kal Ort Por he vanished to his temporary home and his mirror.


He pulled off his gloves as he entered and tossed them next to the mongbat dartboard as he step on the house porter to his room. He gazed into the mirror "Kiaransalee, Jous ussa vel'bol Usstan lac" He rubbed that same hand as he watched the fog lift from the mirror showing Skatha leaving the temple then fades to a pixie. He stopped the vision without knowing, his hand hot with searing pain. He glanced down at that hand and saw it there for the first time. "Vel'bol zhah nindol? Zhah nindol lu'oh dos ssinssrin a nar'hethi quarval-sharess?" slow nod as he began to understand "nindol zhah ele dos doerrus ulu ussa, as you wish" he turned from the mirror and went back down to the bottom floor, he quickly pulled on this gloves to cover his hand from sight. "Ulnin ussta quarval-sharess, jhal naut nin"

POSTED FOR ANNWYN GWYDDEN:

"I arrived at the Tavern with every hope of a quiet evening. In the absence of Maddux and Eowyna, the Justicars under the command of Skatha, were keeping an eye on the well-being of the Enclave. I'd just finished riding a circuit, thinking as I went about the next step to be revealed in the quest for Armageddon. A bit of quiet relaxation seemed in order. And here, I found Miacus, recently returned from his Temple Quest.

He seemed a bit different to me, although our association has not been of long-standing. I resisted a little instinctive urge to reach for my bow. Instead I sent Amar off to tell Skatha that Miacus had returned.
I greeted him, and we set about talking of the affair of the black riders. This Dark Warlock told me that he had discovered that these riders were Drow and in fact were renegade priests of his goddess--the radiant diamond being the mark of her priesthood. He said they had no particular magical skill, which explains why Eowyna can use magic to hide from them, but that their tracking skills are beyond compare. He seemed to be open and honest about his findings. Still, that uneasy feeling stayed with me. But Eowyna trusts him so, who am I to question.

Skatha arrived. I could tell that the added responsibility of late wore heavily upon her. She seemed troubled, and reluctant, as I was to trust the Dark One. But she handled the situation masterfully, down to asking Miacus where his loyalty would lie, should his goddess command him at odds with the Enclave. His answer--that he was loyal, but his goddess must be first--seemed to please her well. She even upbraided me for speaking ill of Eowyna--and her propensity to relenquish responsibility to seek her lover. I understand the need to be loyal, and hope that I am, but I still believe Eowyna to be irresponsible. I'll just keep it to myself next time.

It was then that the Dark Warlock revealed his hand to us--and there we beheld the mark!--the radiant diamond. He is one of them! I could not help arming my bow at this point. In fact, I still don't know what to think about this. My commander tells me to obey, and I will. But this Dark One, I will certainly keep an eye on."
--------Ann, Justicar

Upon receiving the message from Ann, I immediately set out for the Pub. Upon arrival, i was delighted to see Miacus, recently returned from his quest, and offered Congratulations.

His attitude was less than coridal though; and there was an immediate clash of personalities. The drow, Miacus, seemed to take great delight in making marginally acceptable comments, which he often phrased as challenges and/or threats. It was necessary on more than one occasion to ask Ann to stand by and take no actions against him.

*This one needs watching, Ann," I said, "I shall entrust that to you."
She readily accepted the task, and i am certain will do an excellent job.

Due to the absence of Maddux and Eowyna, I assumed the authority of management of the enclave, and would gladly have shared that with the Warlord had he been available... but alas, he was not. So things became quite tense when the Drow informed me that i had no authority over him. Perhaps the chain of command needs to be made clear in case of future conflicts. I tried to be careful in phrasing my conversation with him, and it was truly a challenge. He appeared to thirst for conflict.

Miacus said there were actually four renegade black riders, not the two or three that we had suspected, and that his Goddess wished to take vengence upon them. He has a Drow friend that he is contacting who may be able to assist him, perhaps shed a bit more light on the situation.

Miacus immediately sent the spirit of his raven to another, a drow, he said, who would be able to assist him. He would not reveal thename of his friend in order that i would not gain control of him. Little does he realize that i have no ambition to control anyone. 'Tis not my style.

We wait now for word....... we have a black rider amongst us, his Goddess awarded him this rank.

and Eowyan and Maddux? No word from either this day.

He had spent most of the day in quiet meditation before the alter of his goddess deep within the halls of the ruined temple. The symbol onhis hand glowed brightly even through the gloves her wore as he listened intently to her words. "Yes, I will do as you ask.....*brow arched slightly* I see, and after they are handled? *silent again as he listened* "as you wish Kiaransalee"

He slowly withdrew from his trance like state, the radiance of the diamond slowly fading. He turn from the alter and made his way to the upper levels and the entrance. Blinks at the brightness of the fading sun, "soon it will be night fall and that is when they will make thier move, I will have to warn the justicars"

He spoke a few words to the spirit raven who always stayed at his shoulder "Find Skatha and Ann, tell them what she said about the riders but nothing else, the rest will be saved for later" The spirit disappeared, traveling paths know to it and his necromancer master. "Time is of the essence now justicars, they want what they think she knows"

Mounting the dark steed he sped off to the moongate and the enclave tavern to await the justicars.

Eowyna had returned to the forest of Spirituality in Ilshenar. She knew he wasn't here, but the pool was. When all else failed her, this pool of still water never had--especially when she was seeking Maddux. They had shared its water so often that the pool knew them well. It wouldn't fail her this time... it couldn't.

Dusk was falling, and she had just travelled through the ether, so she felt safe for a little while. But she wasted no time and went straight to the pool south of Twin Oaks Tavern. She knelt at the edge of this pond once more, but instead of peace there was the whistling flutter of many tiny wings, and about her head dozens of pixies flitted excitedly about twittering in their chiming little voices. She tried to ignore them and concentrate upon calling a vision to the surface of the water, but all she saw was the reflection of all these pesky pixies! Eowyna looked up and frowned, waving her hand to gently shoo them away. But her attention, seemed to excite them further. There was a veritable cacaphony of piping voices and they dipped and fluttered toward the surface of the pool. In the distance she heard the mournful sound of a howling wolf... but not in the distance--far, yet at hand. And then it dawned. The pixes knew something, and she looked down again at the surface of the pool.

Yes, pixies reflected, but something else, deeper into the reflecting pond. A single pixie, and a lone wolf, his cry piercing the loneliness of twilight. And an ankh, stained by blood, blood flowing onto the carving of a teardrop--a shrine to sacrifice, surrounded by barren trees and scattered pelvic bones--and, a single pixie. Eowyna offered up a prayer to Fenmarel, relief--she knew where to go. A thank you to the god of outcasts and a vow to the pixies to destroy every pixie swatter she ever came across.

"Vas Rel Por" she stepped through the red gate and emerged in Felucca at the Shrine of Sacrifice. There, the pixie, Arielle hovering over the broken body of Maddux, casting little healing spells. Eowyna sank down beside him. He lived, but he was greivously injured. Probably Arielle and her continual small heals were all that had kept him alive. She began to sing the healing songs of the elves. More magic was needed here than simple healing. The song would take some time and even then it would be many days before he healed completely.

She never thought, her attention never waivered from her task. The song was everything. So she never noticed, never heard their approach. Arielle flittered away, escaping evil, and still Eowyna never looked up. Three riders converged upon the shrine, shrouded in black.

He had returned home to scry through his mirror shortly after speaking with Ann and Skatha on the matters at hand, he warned them the riders would get Eowyna this night. So here he sat in his meditation room the mirror working at his command, searching for her and the Bandit King. The diamond radiated brightly, lighting the darken room with a pale blue glow, "where are they, I now know who that damned pixie was" He paced the length of the room passing the mirror several times. When at last it found what he wanted, catching a glimpse before his full attention was given...."What is this? there they are, Sacrifice in their lands.....no!" And the riders where there closing in on Eowyna "No time to alert the others *shakes his head* Kiaransalee how will I reach them in time?...." He offered a silent prayer to her "what? But that would mean.....I understand, yes I know she will preform the resserection magic on me but if I'm to late?......" he listened intently all the while the symbol glowed brighter" a lich? if that is my only way then it shall be done that way, for atleast I will still be alive to fight them"

He turned from the mirror, the vision still present within its foggy reflection, "Rel Xen Corp Ort" he spoke the words to change to a lich, with an evil laugh he turned to look apon the mirror. His voice that of the ancients " take me along the spirit roads Kiaransalee, take me to the riders and Eowyna so I may finish your task" The mirror expanded to accomodate his form and in he stepped to walk in death's shadow.

He had hoped he wasn't too late to be of help and find the broken bodies of his friends at the alter of the shrine. He summoned up his vampiric form as the shrine came within sight. "Rel Xen An Sanct, return me to my true form" He spoke the words as he stepped out behind the riders under the cover of the trees.

He was just in time to see Maddox throw his smoke bomb, but strangely him and Eowyna remained. He stood by calling up a small force of undead quietly as the riders struck the two down. "what is this?" whispered softly. "they vanish without a trace" He then realized it was The Bandit King's rogue abilities, he let loose a small chuckle before sending the undead to engage the riders.


He stayed back under the cover of the forest to watch for Maddox and Eowyna, hoping they would use this to make tracks out of the shrine and keep that damn pixie from doing him harm as well as the riders.

The undead creatures soon drove the riders back and he watched as they made a quick exit. As the last creature was destroyed by that damned pixie, he still saw no sign of Maddox nor Eowyna. "My purpose has been served this day, Maddox will hopefully live to combat these riders again" he stepped back through the dark gate the words of the lich spell spoken out loud mocking the damned pixie "Rel Xen Corp Ort" the ancient laugh as he vanished within deaths shadows once more.