~~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~~

Subject: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Tue Apr 19, 2011 6:06 pm

Welcome to board 8 of the Plot. This roleplay group is only for those with guardian dragons, because as you may have already have noticed, hell has broken loose. So yes, if you have a guardian character, you are required to take part in this roleplay. The approximate time is dawn, between 5am and 6am, with light just beginning to show over the horizon. It is taking place at ‘Guardians Peak’ to those of you know don’t know, is T5 on the map:
https://i.servimg.com/u/f69/13/39/62/08/themap12.jpg

It is set one week after the battle in Racksom, board 5.
There is no posting order, for all that is required is common sense.
We will not be taking on anymore roleplayers.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:03 pm

A cool breeze ruffled the grass softly as it made its way through the small, hidden mountain range. The morning sunlight was just overlooking the horizon, giving off a pale, orange colour which engulfed the land. Everything looked so peaceful, undisturbed. Probably because hardly any human had heard of the place, just a distant legend told to the younger generation. This was Guardians Peak, unknown to practically all. It had been a long time since any beast had stepped foot there, after three thousand years of complete peace, there had been no need. But now, those time shad changed, and the peace was no more.

A slender, purple figure moved uneasily through the rocks. After arriving a few days before, it had proved to be a long journey, too familiar to her to want to recall. The purple guardian was alone, resting and waiting for the others to come, which should be soon. A couple of days rest had proven to be a long, agonizing wait she didn’t wish to prolong any further. It seemed barely minutes since she had left those men, taking Atleon to a place she hoped no man should ever have to enter. And after hearing vaguely about the situation at Racksom, she had set off to the mountains straight away. She had almost come to believe that the peace on the cove could have lasted forever, but everything came to an end eventually.

She knew the time had come for the guardians to come together once more. They had to sort this out, they had to help the people, guard the isle from the evil which was soon to come if things didn’t change…soon. And she had a terrible feeling they wouldn’t. But they had too.
Vitreasa turned her head to the skies, searching the distant skies for any sign of the others. It shouldn’t be long before they came now. But time now, seemed all that more precious.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:02 am

How many years had it been since she last saw these craggy peaks? The undisturbed wealth of pure solitude, for the land only had the Guardians as infrequent residents, the local fauna skittering out of the way at the sight of the huge dragon winging its way over the broken mountains. Whatever the timespan since last she had been here, it seemed that the place had remained utterly unchanged, the meeting place high above where most humans dared not to tread.

Feronia flapped slowly as she made the ascension up the mountain, her mind filled with questions, theories and possible answers. She had spent a few decades simply roaming the far corners of Dragons Cove, making the presence of the Guardians known to those folks that lived on the extreme edges of civilization. In the years of peace, the reputation that the five protectors had grown into something of mythic proportions; and she was not one to let that sort of renown go to waste. There were benefits to reminding everyone that though made up of legends, she and her kin were no mere phantoms of imagination, but real living and breathing creatures. She knew that their presence alone in no small part had been cause for the mortals of the land to avoid blood shed, knowing that retribution from The Five would be short in following.

When she received the summons for a meeting from Silverwing, Feronia had been a little surprised at the abruptness of it all. So far removed from the center of things, she had been completely unaware that a war had been brewing on the other side of Dragons Cove. Heeding the call immediately, she also hadn't had time to gather information that was at all legitimate about what was happening, and so wasn't able to reach any real solid conclusion on what to do about the matter. It was all guess work, and she eagerly awaited hearing what it was that was the source of this meeting. It had to be serious, something more far more dastardly going on than anything she had seen since their original conception and could only hope that she was wrong about that matter.

The next peak she crested turned out to be the last one, and she set her wings to a gliding angle, zeroing in on her fellow purple Guardian, bellowing a short roar to announce her presence. The sound echoed all throughout the mountains, reflecting back to her many times with less intensity upon each repeat. Flaring, Feronia settled on the flat, her claws sinking into the grass. "Greetings, sister." She said somberly, folding her feather-and-skin wings against her back and walked forward. "I wish that it 'twas for a happier reason that we were called to see each other once more."

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 21, 2011 7:08 am

When the call came, Sebantais abruptly raised his head, blinking briefly as any thought of sleep vanished from his mind. How long had it been since he had heard the call of another guardian dragon, especially one that was speaking of urgency and danger? Yet, the green guardian did not mull over the possible meanings of such a call but simply spread his wings in a long stretch and hopped off the huge tree he had been dozing on. The flight would be a long one and he did not have any time to waste.

Leaving behind his beloved greenery for the first time in what seemed like countless decades felt somewhat odd to Sebantais. He had been hiding out in the jungles, where his emerald hide was hard to spot even for those who knew exactly what to look for. Always having been someone who preferred to keep to himself as far as possible, he had for many years reveled in the peace and quiet that was surrounding him at all times within the exotic trees, the jungle not being a place bustling with noisy activity. Rarely had he shown himself to anyone, his presence more and more fading into the realm of myths, even though the knowledge of his existence never completely disappearing.

As he came closer to the peaks, his thoughts wandered back to the possible origin of this summons. Secluded though he was living, he surely would have heard of anything major happening on the island, and it struck him as quite a surprise that nothing had simmered through to him, which in that case could only mean that – if there had really been an attack – it had come so swiftly that the news did not yet have time to spread. The roar suddenly echoing through the otherwise quiet mountains brought a spark of excitement to Sebantais and it swayed him away from his dark brooding. He was not the first to arrive and despite the urgent circumstances this meeting seemed to surround, he was nevertheless looking forward to once again meet the other four.

With a last elegant swoosh of his wings, he gracefully landed next to the purple and red guardians, bowing his head in gentle and polite greeting. “Ladies, it’s been a while.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 21, 2011 8:04 am

And so it begins. Týphon thought, as if he had known that the war would come to this. Luckily, he was resting in a cave near Shayenne when the call was sent out, so it would be a veritable hop, skip and a jump to the Peak. The great golden guardian strode to the entrance of the cave, stretched and flexed his wings, and took to the sky, wings beating powerfully to keep his weight from touching the ground. The wind buffeting his face and filling his wings helped him to think on the world, and they weren't happy thoughts. All because those humans came here... horrible.

In what seemed like no time at all, he arrived, and was looking down at the beauty before him with sorrow. Soon, even this will be gone, thanks to them. They'll find it and ruin it, like they always do. These thoughts filled him with anger, an anger which he quelled as he spotted his kin and alighted near them. "Greetings." He grumbled to them, making a head count. Silverwing is missing... He thought grumpily. Hopefully, he'll show up soon. But until then, all they could do was wait. Great.

((Fail x.x))

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 21, 2011 4:16 pm

To her surprise, it didn’t take long before Vitreasa spotted a red glow, forming into the shape of a dragon in the distance. She blended in quite nicely with the glow emerging from the sun, making her a lot harder to spot. She followed Feronia’s route until her great, feathered wings tucked themselves neatly into her sides and she landed. After all of those years gone by, the face of the other guardian was the same as any other. Seeing her face again made her recall of the older days when any sign of worry was a whole other world away. But now, everything was about to change. “Indeed,” she muttered quietly, half to herself, half to the dragon in front of her. “But we must make the best of what we have,” she added, lifting her head slightly to the direction of another upcoming dragon not too far away.

“Sebantais,” she nodded in return as the green beast softly landed next to them. Her face straight, with hardly any sign of emotion. Vitreasa had no idea what the other guardians knew, whether they had any understanding of the war, or the rebels. There was no time for secrets anymore.
The ever familiar grumble echoed in her ears and she watched as another familiar figure descended from the sky not long later. What guess he’s in a bad mood again? She thought to Feronia, not taking her gaze from the golden dragon. His expression clearly showing how happy he was. War had broken out, and chaos was on the brink of exploding, there wasn’t time to put up with sour moods or side queries.

With that, Vitreasa slowly made her way over to one of the small edges, overlooking the other mountains in the distance. They were surrounded by fog and clouds, so it was hard to make out anything moving, but so far, she couldn’t see anything. She started to feel a tiny bit anxious, he should be here by now. After all, it was him who gave out the call in the first place, so he couldn’t be that far away. Could he?
It was then, that a small hint of silver glimmered in the clouds, followed by a flash of blue. She couldn’t help but feel somewhat relieved he had finally arrived.

Silverwing glided through the clouds, banking sideways slightly every now and again to avoid each mountain individually. It wasn’t long before four colours in the foggy air caught his attention, sticking out like a sore thumb in the silvery glow of the mountains mixing with the red sun. He began to descend from the sky, his great wings giving one last flap before landing opposite the dragons before him. His claws grasped the soft earth to support his great body as the ground came closer. He looked up with a grave, tired expression on his face, which he tried to hide as much as possible.

The journey there had been a long and hard one, considering he had to travel all the way across the island with little time at all. He had flown straight from Racksom, leaving the burning cinders from the war to die out on their own. Staying there wouldn’t do any more good. Zartear had taken over, and he knew when a cause should be left, in order for a better one to begin. Meeting with the others held a greater importance now. He had taken very few breaks, within the flight in an attempt to get there as soon as possible. For every day they waited, was another day down the line and he didn’t know how much one-day’s disadvantage would cost them in the long run.

Silverwing nodded his head gracefully. As much as he would have liked to talk to them about anything and everything that had happened before touching on the darker topic at hand, he knew he couldn’t, there was no time. So he thought it best to begin straight away.
“Greetings,” he began with a solemn look around the group. “This is not how I planned for our next reunion to happen, but there is a greater cause at stake.” He paused for a second; “I can’t help but think there won’t be many more moments like this.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:04 pm

Feronia nodded her head when Sebantais came floating down, replying with a quiet return greeting, tracking the movement as Týphon came down to join them. I would think that this would be a good as an occasion as any to be in a bad mood.She replied to Vitereasa's thought, a hint of humor coloring her voice as she did so. Silverwing's arrival came swiftly enough, the silver dragon looking a little worn and travel stained. Feronia listened to what little he had to say upon landing, taking his dour mood in stride.

"So then this is as dire as a situation as I had come to guess?" She spoke aloud, taking a step forward slightly in the ring that the five had created, her gaze fixed on Silverwing. "Out on the East Coast I have heard little of what goes on in the other regions of our domain. We hear little in the way of news in such far corners of the world, and aside from the occasional attack by sea pirates, there is no excitement to be had. I think it would be beneficial for any with knowledge on what is going on to speak first, for I am quite curious to hear what it is that has called us together in such a great rush." She had noted that Silverwing also had something in the way of what looked like dried blood splattered on his scales, and wondered what sort of battle the dragon had seen to make him appear so. Briefly she looked over to Sebantais, thinking that her green-scaled brother would probably have about as much knowledge about the goings-on of Dragons Cove as she did.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:10 pm

Sebantais could feel Týphon’s bad mood before the golden guardian had even set foot on the ground beside the three that had already arrived and he was dreading the decrease in that mood once the reasons for this meeting were going to be explained. The green guardian gently dipped his head in response to the two female dragons’ greetings and did the same for Týphon once he had landed, keeping his expression guarded, even when he could see the growing worry on Vitreasa’s face as she stepped away from them to keep a lookout for Silverwing. Something bad seemed to be going on and the fact that no word had gotten up to the jungle yet made Sebantais more and more weary of the consequences this knowledge might entail. But he didn’t want to jump to conclusions before he knew more.

It wasn’t long before the silvery figure of the fifth and final guardian dragon showed up in the sky and headed straight towards them, thus completing their circle. The blue guardian looked like he had been through hell and back, though as was usual for him, he did not waste time on anything but rather cut straight to the chase. The few words Silverwing spoke were rather grave already, hinting towards what was to follow, and Sebantais knew that his tail could only grow worse than the state he was in already went to show, otherwise they would not all be here. Sensing rather than seeing Feronia’s look, he briefly glanced at her to show his agreement, before he himself spoke. “No word has reached the jungle in the north-western regions and it would be an understatement to say that such worries me deeply. It only speaks of a very swift attack and it pains me to see that we have failed in preventing a battle from arising.” Even though he was not certain on what exactly was happening on Dragon’s Cove, Silverwing’s state didn’t need a lot of explanation, the exhaustion and blood speaking volumes by themselves. "As Feronia has so rightly put it, someone with more knowledge on the current situation should enlighten the rest of us as quickly as possible."

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:19 pm

Týphon dipped his head in greting as the last of their number touched down, looking a bit worse-for-wear. It's worse than I thought. He thought solemly, looking Silverwing over once. If they could do that to a Guarian, who knows what the rebels could do with a litle more power. The golden guardians tail flicked in agitation as he listened to his bretheren, still worrying about how the balances were tipping to the favor of chaos.

"I have heard as much of this war as I possibly could, I'd rather not be taken by surprise. My informants have told me that the leader of these rebels, a human named 'Zartear', is responsible for this whole mess. He is appearantly trying to harness the power of the Stones for his own purpouses. And, though I am merely guessing this, it seems as if the balance is tipping in favor of Blood. However..." Týphons eyes landed on Silverwing. "I would like to hear the story from the one who is appearantly knee deep in this war." He said, nodding to his sapphire-scaled brother.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:22 pm

Silverwing stayed silent for a while as he listened to the three of the guardians talking, each stating what they had heard and/or seen. He noticed Typhon’s eyes stray to some of the blood which had fallen and dried upon a few of his scales from the battle. But there was nothing to hide anymore, so he merely stared straight ahead as he had been doing while he looked round gradually. “Yes,” he said simply to Feronia, his voice dictating the slightest bit of tiredness from it after his flight. “The situation is far worse than I had first expected.” His eyes glimmered over to where Vitreasa stood, half expecting her to chip in her art of the story, but at her silence, he continued.

“The city of Racksom was attacked little more than a week ago by a group who call themselves the ‘Surahnians’.” He paused for a quick second, thinking quickly how he should continue to explain the situation without laying it out too harshly. As good as he was at hiding most of the moods he was in, the toll of the battle, flight and fact that it hadn’t gone his way wasn’t going to be something he could express easily. “As Typhon stated, a man called ‘Zartear’ has the intentions of taking all five stones to use for himself. He wants to harvest their power and no doubt use it to take over, or tear the isle apart. Even though we know Racksom isn’t the most advanced, heroic and strong city out there, it worries me that they lost the war.” He couldn’t help but say the last sentences with the slight tone of bitterness and frustration. “I do not know how he managed to gather so many forces, but he did it. And in the little time gone by, he has destroyed a whole city. What he plans to do with it, I do not know. Whether he wants to take it for his own, or move on, I have no idea.” Again, he paused before moving onto the war itself. “The battle itself was bloody enough to unearth a Tribal Battleblood. As we know, they don’t care much for sides, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this man had some way of reasoning with it. I left when it was clear that the city could no longer be rescued. I thought maybe this could all be stopped before anything major happened, but it turns out that what I thought was a little spark, was in fact a full-blown disaster. If I had left it any longer to inform you all, then who knows what this Zartear could manage.”

Vitreasa merely stood there, her gaze focused on the earth beneath her feet. She listened intently as Silverwing explained with distaste at what had happened. It had been a long time, a very long time since she had heard him speak like that. She noted how he didn’t mention how he had come across Zartear before, back when he was a slayer with no army. That was the first time they had both met the man. Whether he wanted it brought up or not, and she could see why he wouldn’t, she had to mention it.

“Racksom isn’t the first time Zartear has come onto the scene,” she began, her eyes still staring at the ground and her head lowered. “Back at Quinsilla, when his army was just coming into play, he managed to take Atleon, the prince, to Surselea.” She took a breath, dreading to even say the word of a place of such horrible torture. She hated how she had failed to rescue the poor man, she could even feel her conscience begin to eat away at her again. “I think he wanted to find out what he knew of the stones. Maybe that’s how Zartear found out there was one situated at Racksom, I don’t know. But we cannot blame Atleon for talking, if he did. I failed to rescue him; it was as if Zartear expected one of us to go after him. But he was too strong.” She took another pause, this time raising her head to make eye contact with the other guardians around her.

“But he had even come onto the scene well before then...” Vitreasa took a quick glance over at Silverwing, but as she caught his grave expression, she looked away. Yes, he knew exactly what she was about to say. “Me and Silverwing had met him before. We underestimated him. He isn’t just a normal dragon slayer, not anymore. He had this...weapon. It transforms to whatever he wants at his very touch. We barely managed to get away alive. And from that, he knows how we fight. We didn’t know anything else would come from it, but by the time we knew, it was all too late...” She trailed off, not exactly sure where to look, what to think or what the others would say. The main thing now, was they had to pull together and devise a plan to get rid of this man. But the big question was how. If they couldn’t defeat him pretty much alone, what could they do now he had an army, and an entire city at his disposal?

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Sun May 01, 2011 1:05 am

She listened to Silverwing's speech, compiling the facts as they were divulged to her, taking into account what Týphon had said on the subject as well, knowing that his bias against all non-dragons was profound and justified in its own way. She could understand such a thing, given what they had gone through. Immediately she knew that the stakes were high when Racksom was brought up, knowing as well as any of the others that one of the stones they had sworn to protect stood in that very city, the civilization there revolving entirely around its presence. "So a city is lost to us." Feronia stated simply, narrowing her eyes in throughout. News that even the Battle Blood had risen from its self-imposed slumber was troubling enough indeed, but to think that the times of civil war all over DC had been revived in such a short time… It brought back flashes of blood and the scent of death from years ago when the world was new to them and the ground was soaked crimson.

Vitreasa did not make the situation seem any better. If this man was of such a high caliber that he could even take on two Guardians and come out alive while sending her brother and sister fleeing for their lives… it was a terrible outcome indeed. "Well, then I only see that there is one action to take." She finally declared, meeting the eyes of her fellows there. "You have underestimated him once, let us not do so again. We must quash this rebellion before the infection grows. From the sound of things, it seems like the fragile balance that we have kept all of these years is near the brink of breaking. If one or two of us are not enough to defeat this single man, then we go at him together. The five of us when combined should put this man to rest. Cut off the head and the body will die. If he is a foreigner then he does not know our lore or what we are capable of, which would be more to his folly. But the others will know. If he has taken in natives of our land into his ranks, then their foolishness in disturbing the peace should become apparent if we make an advance on the field. But what of the defenders? If there was a war, then there had to be those that were fighting for their homes. If there are any left from the battle at Racksom then we can rally them to fight. And others, what of Didienne? You mentioned Atleon," Feronia nodded at Vitreasa briefly in acknowledgment. "The royal family must be worried about their son. The citizens of Didienne have to have those among their numbers that would fight for their homes as well. We present our hand in full end end this before the scales are tipped too far to one side. Balance must be maintained."

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Tue May 10, 2011 7:02 pm

Silverwings description of the war was much more informative than anything his informants had dug up. Losing Racksom was a mighty blow indeed, and Týphon couldn't help but congratulate Zartear on his tactics. It was probably the easiest stone to unearth. The golden beast inwardly confessed, lips pursed in thought. And the news that one of their own couldn't prevent the city's downfall was worse news still, a truth which Týphon had to struggle to accept without his hackles raising and a fire rumbling in his belly. But at least this news was swift, swift enough so they had this quick respite to puzzle over a plan to... "You've what?"

This time, the anger was almost unquelled. The two had faced this bloody human before, greatly outnumbering in size and strength, and lost!? What sort of sick joke was this!? This terrible tale was doing nothing to help the Guardian deal with his anger management issues. And why hadn't he heard of Atleon's capture? His informants had assured him that Atleon was simply on a trip, but kidnapping!? But this all made the beasy wonder: What manner of weapon could be powerful enough, could bestow just one human with so much power, that Zartear had the ability to send two enormous Guardian Dragons fleeing for their lives? Quelling these questions for a more appropriate time, Týphon added his opinion into the mix. "I agree with Feronia." He began, a few moments after the dragon in question finished her input. "In that we need to face this Zartear man head-on. But I worry about this 'weapon' that Vitreasa mentioned. I have heard of many weapons in my time and, indeed, of even a few shapeshifting blades. But I have never, in all of my days, even heard of a weapon, magic or not, that had the possibility of sending two of our own kind fleeing. "I worry that this might mean that this man came from a land with highly advanced weaponry. So this is what I suggest:" He paused for a beat, eyed each of his siblings, then spoke. "I suggest we throw in a spy, someone loyal to the Cove but currently unknown to Zartear, someone whom is thusfar uninvolved with the war. Perhaps someone whom Zartear has his eyes on for recruiting." He took another look, then continued. "This person could climb the ranks, learn what he can, and discretly feed the information to us, perhaps point out chinks in the Surahnians armour. Maybe even give us information on this mystery weapon in Zartears possesion."

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Sat Jul 02, 2011 1:26 pm

Vitreasa kept her head low listening to the silence of the wind after she had finished speaking, hoping that it wouldn’t last too long. Yes, she felt bad beyond words for failing to stop this man, especially now he practically had a stone I his grasp, but what else could she do? They had no idea what this man had in store, or what he had planned to do in the first place, how could anyone know? It wasn’t their fault, right? Need she not mention, that none of the others had fought this man, no others tried to prevent this from happening, so they could not be mad.
When Feronia spoke, Vitreasa raised her head slightly, listening intently to whatever she had to say. For at the moment, all suggestions could be vital. The mention of the loss of Racksom now lingered over her like a dark cloud, and that within that cloud, was Zartear, the lightning ready to strike at any moment. Only, he had already struck, and succeeded. So wherever next he would go, he would have more force, and more chance of success. Oh how could this have happened.
Vitreasa’s conscience was never one to help matter. It was always their, nagging away at her at whatever move she made; right now, it was as annoying as ever. When the royal family and ‘Didienne’ was brought up, Vitreasa merely shook her head. She wasn’t familiar with them as such, and didn’t even know if she knew that name. The royal family wasn’t her part, thus the lack of knowledge. Whatever they did was their business. But when it was said they may be worried for Atleon’s sake, she couldn’t help butt in. With a city burning and lost, hundreds of people would be beyond scared. “I don’t think worried is the word. And I don’t think they’re the only one.” She wasn’t going to dwell on a few people being worried with the whereabouts of their own son, when hundreds had just died fighting – they actually did
something. As far as she knew, Atleon was the only one who had batted an eyelid so far.

At the sharp tone of Týphon’s snarl, Silverwing felt his muscles tense, in anger more than anything. Merely at the defense of their own backs. He half wanted to speak up, ask exactly where he was when Racksom was burning. But if they started fighting amongst themselves, then there was no hope for the cove. Besides, unlike him, Silverwing could control his emotions.
He merely flicked a stern gaze over to the golden dragon’s direction, before returning to his more casual stance. But he couldn’t help his claws twitch with frustration as once again, the word fleeing was brought up. No, they didn’t flee from battle. Zartear was the one who got up and left the burning forest. Once the had woken up, he was gone.
“You forget that no weapon is indestructible. And you miss the fact that if it were so powerful, we wouldn’t have fought against it.” [/I]Besides, it wasn’t two on one, it was two on two.[/I] He half-remembered that woman by the man’s side who also put up quite a fight being obviously gifted I the magical arts. But as he thought it, he held his breath as he wondered whether he did actually just think that, or send it out through a mind-link in his frustration.
“Wherever this man came from,” he began, quickly changing the subject “is something we shouldn’t dwell on. What is done is done.” Silverwing flicked his tail with interest however, at the idea of sending someone deep into Zartear’s forces as a spy. But as good as an idea it was, whom would they use? Who did they trust enough? And who had Zartear not met yet? Even then, it was against the idea of all of them attacking Zartear at once.
“Both ideas are appealing in their own sense, but I fear we cannot all come together as one big force and put ourselves up to leave the rest of the land vulnerable. Need I remind you we have no idea where Zartear is heading next, and whether we should leave the stones any easier for him to retrieve with even littler protection. But that is my opinion.” He dipped his head on the last sentence, welcoming the others to voice their own.
“Týphon, who would you suggest we use? Planning to put someone high up in the ranks is easy, but actually doing so would take time, and at what cost?”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:41 pm

The air was unusually quiet around the Guardian’s Peak and there was almost nothing to be heard apart from the individual voices of the dragons, one louder than the other, one stronger than the other as they each voiced their opinions. Sebantais listened quietly to the reports of the purple and blue guardians, not feeling the need to repeat what the red and gold had already said. It was definitely time for action, none of them denied this, yet rushing headlong into a situation they still had not clearly established would not be of any use. He barely suppressed a sigh at Týphon’s sudden angry outburst, not even having himself considered the possibility of accusing either Vitreasa or Silverwing of fleeing or having done the wrong thing.

“Nobody could have known who this man was back in the days. He could have been just any slayer, like so many others before him,” the green guardian put in gently, his voice low and calm. What has come to pass, cannot be changed, as Silverwing so rightly stated himself. Following his fellow’s lead however, he immediately snatched up the opportunity to divert from this rather delicate topic. “Infiltrating Zartear’s side would indeed take a lot of time and someone we could trust without the shadow of a doubt. Finding someone like that we do not need on our own side might be relatively hard to achieve. Mostly anyone who could be considered for such an important mission would be desperately needed with the defenders, especially now that Zartear is seemingly building a stronghold so quickly.” Sebantais let his words sink in a bit, evidently also giving the others a chance to chip anything in whatever they felt the need to say.

“Considering Feronia’s idea, I think you’re underestimating the situation a little when you think we can simply go in all five of us and attack him. If he has taken Racksom so swiftly, he will have quite the force with him and much more powerful allies than we might know. If we blindly try to rid us of this man without careful consideration, we might sustain even more severe losses than we already have, and if we lose only one of us…” The emerald dragon did not finish the sentence, they all knew what was at stake should one of the guardians fall and in times of need, it was not something they could afford. “I know we will lose precious time in gathering more information and consolidating our own defenses, which is what we should focus on, but it is necessary in my opinion. The ease with which our army in Racksom, small as it was, has been crushed does not bode well for what we will have to face in the future and we should prepare for the very likely event that every major city in Dragon’s Cove will fall prey to an attack of Zartear’s army.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:59 am

"I understand your apprehension, Sebantias." Týphon spoke, turning to him. "Indeed, even the lowest of skill is greatly needed in our army. But who said they needed to be from our ranks?" He flicked his tail, an obvious sign that he had something in store. "Instead, I suggest a mercenary. Someone who would have cause to join the Surahnians, yet also a reason to stay loyal to us. Someone with ties to the land and its magic." He looked at the dragons before him, each in turn, prepared to gauge their reactions as he spoke. "And I believe I know the perfect man for the job."

Though his knowledge of this man was fuzzy even for himself, Týphon began: "I have heard tale of such a man, said to be tall and extremely pale, and dressed in a hood of white. Those whom have seen him describe him as a floating specter, some going as far to even proclaim him to be a white reaper, for he wields a one-of-a-kind weapon: a crystal scythe." This was where facts became speculation, but he had to do his best. Hopefully, his theory was right. "From the description of the blade, and a few more details on the man himself, I have made the assumption that two things set him apart from other scythe meisters, two things that could make him the perfect candidate for our plight: One, the scythe he wields appears to be made of an ancient stone, infused with magic from back when even we were young, perhaps even before. And two, he seems to be cursed with an affliction of the tongue, making his speech difficult to understand without the utmost concentration. That magic he gains from his scythe must be greatly tied with the earth, and, if I'm right, should the balance be disturbed, his powers would be useless. And his curse would give him reason to do almost anything for anyone, as it seems his whole life must be centered around removing it. A reason for loyalty, and a alibi should Zartear prove curious." Explanation and summary complete, he watched the other guardians for their opinions: it was an ill-informed plan, he knew, but it was the best he could think of, shy of a full-scale attack like Vitreasa suggested.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:30 am

If she were a bird, Feronia probably would have ruffled her feathers at the barbed tones that crossed the other's lips as they debated, her eyes snapping between Silvering and Týphon as the two had at each other for a brief moment. She half agreed with her more volatile companion, regardless of what the others that had faced this 'Zartear' had said. She sputtered to think that two Guardians could be knocked to unconsciousness by a single human, or even two for that matter. It should be no small feat to defeat a single one of them in battle, let alone two working in tandem. However, when it came to the statement that simply rallying their forces in retaliation to the attack on Racksom was perceived to be an idea full of folly, she barely restrained a snort of derision. Sebantias, despite his calm tone of voice, did nothing to ease the great temptation, but she listened quietly and waited until the others were done voicing their ideas.

After Týphon had his say, however, she could no longer contain her incredulity, raising a scaly eyebrow at the suggestion of this 'white reaper'. "That is your beyond a shadow of a doubt man? A mercenary that possess a magical scythe? Please, correct me if I am misunderstanding something, but you are banking the hopes of being able to keep him under control with the assumption that offering to relieve him of this speech impediment curse will secure his loyalties? I hope you know more about undoing hexes than I, brother, else he may see through our lies and turn on us out of spite." Shaking her head, Feronia sighed in a great exhale. "We all would need to be convinced of this mercenary's intents before proceeding on with your plan, but if the mercenary is what you think may be our best candidate, then perhaps there is little other choice in the matter. Time is of the essence now." Here, she turned a pointed look at Silverwing. "If you left Racksom in the middle of the battle, then we have no time to waste in reminding the citizens of the Cove that we are not simple common dragons to be pushed about at the whims of some invader. It has always been our duty to protect the stones, and now one is in the clutches of this heedless invader. Whatever the rest of you may think, this can not go without an immediate and swift response.

"We need to present a united front and rally who we can. The Elites, the standing armies, and summon who we can that is willing to lay down their lives in order to help us accomplish this goal. We have performed admirably in keeping the land free of war and strife, but in the years the people have grown complacent. Perhaps we too, have grown complacent in the long centuries of easy vigil. Our lax attitude as a whole, not as one individual, has allowed this to happen." Drawing herself up, Feronia glanced once to the sky, recalling the layout of Dragon's Cove in her mind and placing the natural barriers that would interfere with Zartear's advancements. "If the invader continues a march inland, then his movements will be predictable. The cliffs north of Racksom will prevent unchecked movement to the north, and the great inland sea that the Everbridge spans will check his movement to the east. His only options then seems to me to head back to the sea and attack from the water again, or else move north along the beach or north-east to Kaionar across the desert."

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:46 am

At the mention of employing a mercenary, Sebantais barely refrained from sucking in a sharp breath. The idea bordered on madness. A mercenary! Outraged despite his usually calm nature, the emerald dragon wanted to immediately crush that idea into a thousand pieces, but Feronia beat him to it. Nodding along to her words, he just looked from one to the other, the tension amongst the guardians starting to grow even more with every word that was spoken. He could not have phrased it better than the red dragon had just put it and he was deeply perturbed by the idea of making the positive outcome of this quarrel over Dragon’s Cove dependent on a mercenary of all things.

It would not work. It could not work. At least, Sebantais had never in the past been one to completely trust mercenaries. They always had their own agenda, no matter how loyal they appeared to be on the outside and no matter how well they did their jobs. In the end, there was usually always something twisted. Of course, there was the exception to the rule but mercenaries worked for the ones who paid best, whether it was hard currency or something else they wanted. Maybe, just maybe, this white reaper was different from the mercenaries he had encountered so far but it did not ease his mind on the whole notion. However, he was willing to at least hear what else Týphon had to bring to the table regarding this matter.

“Let’s say, we actually were able to provide him with a cure for his so-called curse. What is to say that our enemy would not be able to provide a cure as well and take him off our ends by adding something on top of a cure?” Doubts began nagging even as he spoke and he quickly deviated from at least trying to be open to the idea to considering this discussion nothing more than an obstacle to the actual plans they needed to make to fulfill their purpose and defend Dragon’s Cove. Sebantais shifted uneasily in his spot, various scenarios of possible outcomes to this war springing to mind, but he pushed them all back, not wanting to consider any of Dragon’s Cove’s options, should the guardian dragons fail. There would be time for that some other day, but not today, even though the possibility of the guardian dragons failing was very present within his mind, maybe more than it should. Yet, he kept such thoughts to himself. For now.

“Other than that little problem, I agree with Feronia, the army’s movement will be strongly impeded by the landscape at this stage and it might be our best chance to strike early, maybe our only one. Who knows what else could happen before such a blatant possibility for cornering the enemy presents itself to us again,” Sebantais knew that they would have to act quickly and he was afraid that maybe they wouldn’t have enough time to prepare a proper assault before their moment had passed but they would have to give it a try. Failing such an attempt however would be disastrous to say the least.

“Is there anything you might have heard about Zartear’s future plan?” the emerald dragon added, looking from Silverwing to Vitreasa, hoping that there was some tiny shred of information that could help them in their preparations. “We need to plan this thoroughly, even if hastily, otherwise we will doom ourselves and Dragon’s Cove with it.” There was no need, in his opinion, to reply to Feronia’s statement about them having grown complacent and somewhat lazy with time. It was not even a question whether they had or not, it was merely a question of how much this was going to hinder them in the important task at hand.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:48 am

"I'd like to believe my centuries have been spent wisely, dear Feronia." Týphon replied, though he understood her outburst: Even he was unsue how loyal this man could be, but he was the only candidate his informants could find. And she pressed too powerful a point: they had become too lax, too arrogant in their work. Perhaps they had believed themselves to be too strong to be contended against. Or maybe easy life had dulled their judgement. Nevertheless, her plan seemed to be the most stable, if no more dreamed up than the others.

"Where we will find the numbers necessary, I know not. But my roots of influence run far and deep, so I may be able to scrounge up a few scores of warriors." Though what warriors willing to fight that weren't already recruited may not be the greatest, at this moment they could not afford to be discriminatory. More than likely they'd even take the more savage races in the Cove, should they find a way to recruit them. "I suppose I must agree with Feronia as well. But perhaps we could use the mercenary as well, if nothing but a back-up plan? If he really works for selfish reasons, we would know no loss: even if he were in our numbers, if he was a lover of prizes he would still join Zartear, what with the promises I hear the man makes." He spoke to Sebatias, in answer to his question.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:09 pm

Though still unsure if the mercenary was at all what could be considered a back-up plan, Feronia nodded at the idea. It did make sense at least in some part, and Týphon’s assessment that he would join whichever side suited him best comforted her in the thought that at least the gold dragon could see reason. “Then find out exactly what this mercenary would require. This matter is too important to let sit for long, and if your man is the only one that seems capable of the job, then I suppose he’s our only choice. I would just caution that the man never be exposed to the depths of our planning in this war. Even if he doesn’t betray us, he could be exposed as a spy and tortured for the knowledge, and such as thing as that would do us no good.” Taking a deep breath, she considered the issue of their lack of manpower before continuing. “It seems that our only option for recruitment would be to spread out and pull what allies we can from all the corners of the Cove. Either by sending runners or going ourselves, the matter of Zartear’s advancing forces cannot be left unchecked. Furthermore, one of us should go to the High Council and give an inspection of the members while rallying all that we can from that resource. I find it hard to swallow that they were completely ignorant of the invasion of our land and therefore did not send troops to aid Racksom. Something should have been done before the city was taken, and I want to know through what means we are now in this desperate situation.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Mon Jan 02, 2012 9:19 pm

Silverwing looked at the ground to contain a snort if disproval. Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one who thought putting their faith in a mercenary was a complete waste of time talking about. Although, the fact they were giving this some thought was slightly worrying. “We shouldn’t, in our right mind, put so much dependence in someone we don’t even know as of yet.” He merely stated. Honestly, he didn’t want to raise any more talk of the matter, too much had gone on about it already in his mind.
As they continued to speak, he rested his eyes on the fellow guardian, hoping the subject would change pretty soon. Until another idea came from Feronia’s mouth. It irked him slightly at what she said about him leaving mid-battle. Yes, it was true, but it had to be done.
“If I hadn’t have left,” he began, “then this meeting would have come all too late. We could be having this exact same conversation with the only difference that Zartear may have two, three stones rather than one. If an entire army failed to stop him, one mercenary isn’t going to save the day.” He paused for a few moments. “I think however, we mustn’t forget about those who thought in the battle of Racksom. If you are looking for numbers, the first place I suggest we look is in finding them. They fought then for a reason, so it wouldn’t take a lot of persuading to get them to fight again.” He only hoped that his words were true in that they hadn’t lost hope completely. He knew all too well that it didn’t take a lot to shake some peoples faith, but he also knew that some would never lose hope. He only wished they weren’t in the latter.

At Sebantais’ question, he turned to look at his brother. He didn’t answer straight away, since he didn’t have the answer he would have like to have given. He conveyed the glimmer of hope that might have been there at that moment. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. He knew as much as everyone around him in terms of plans, in terms of knowledge about future possibilities and what the hell they should do next.
He allowed his gaze to rest upon the ground as he spoke coolly. “No.” He said. “If I had gotten close enough to hear anything from Zartear, then I would have killed him to save everyone the trouble.” He couldn’t help but grit his teeth slightly in warning for any snide comment to be made about how he had failed to do last time.
“I knew him, you might say, before anything like this was even a thought. Before he had followers and before any of this was in the question. Now I doubt he’s acting alone. If he can conjure up an army, then I dare to think about who else he might have on his side.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:46 am

Sebantais listened to Silverwing’s reply, wondering why it was that each and every single one of the five guardians felt the need to immediately jump to the defensive on almost every subject they touched. Almost as if they all felt guilty about something and didn’t want the others to prod. “There are more people than just Zartear who know about his future plans,” the emerald dragon grumbled but swiftly moved away from this specific topic, not wanting the blame game to start all over again, just like Silverwing. It was unnecessary and wouldn’t solve anything. They were all to blame no matter how they looked at it.

“If what you fear turns out to be correct however, Zartear must have a few very powerful allies by his side,” Sebantais offered as he mulled this over once again. The thought had struck him as well and it worried him deeply, more than he had admitted so far, that Zartear had been able to take two of Dragon’s Cove cities already. The fact that the Council had not set troops, as Feronia had already pointed out, was worrisome as well, to say the least. It did not bode well for their political organisation and doubts were raised concerning the loyalty of those in the Council.

“As far as the mercenary is concerned,” Sebantais turned to look at Týphon again as he went on with a sigh, “if you insist on trying, I am not going to oppose you. I agree with Feronia on this bit as well. The man’s work will have to be restrained by strict conditions, especially with regards to the information he is to receive. We would run a constant risk that he might switch sides and we cannot allow him to learn valuable information he could then relate to Zartear. Or have tortured out of him,” he added with a quick nod to the red dragoness.

Ideas and suggestions had been given in the plenty already, if still not as many as the green guardian had hoped for but none of them seemed to be willing to take any kind of decision. Maybe that was one of their problems as well, the lack of decisions they had taken over the last years. “Alright,” Sebantais decided to take control now, no matter what the others thought, “dispatch your runners into the most secluded corners possible in order to rally as many as we can manage for our cause of defending Dragon’s Cove against Zartear’s invading force. Take flight yourselves and head to the Council and the royal court; recruit this ominous mercenary; the Elites need to be informed and rallied, potential new recruits for them need to be found as well. Recruit as many brilliant blacksmiths and strategists you can find along the way as we will need more of those than ever before. Try to find rich allies, this war will not come cheap,” Sebantais added as an afterthought, his face darkening at the thought. “This is only a small portion of what needs to be done, and done quickly. We need the resources, in every aspect, if we want to stand a fighting chance and we absolutely need to find out more about Zartear’s army, his allies and his plans. And we will most definitely need to find the Racksom survivors, if there are many left.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:40 am

She kept her tongue when Silverwing spoke, deciding that it was a topic best left resting and turned her attention to Sebantais, relieved that finally she wasn't the only one that wanted to talk of what needed to be done immediately to put a hold on this crisis, or at least begin the means of an attempt to stopper it. The issue of the mercenary Týphon could handle under his own advisement since it was his idea, so catching onto the topic that her emerald-scaled brother had proposed, she was content to add her agreement. "I've spent the majority of the past handful of years patrolling around Tarz, so I will cover that area and use what influence I've gained to rally whom I can from the numbers of that city. The river and the coastal cities will heed the call to defend our land." There was a hint of a threat in her voice as she spoke, but was so subtle as to possibly be missed. "Furthermore, I would like to see for myself how far Zartear's forces have managed to go. After securing the loyalty of Tarz, Harglen, and have runners sent to the people neighboring the delta and river valley, I will fly west to the Everbridge and scout the front lines myself. It's high past time that I've been ignorant of this subject, and continuing to insist on blindness would be a play of folly.

"Didienne is directly in my path, so I will head there as soon as we come to an agreement and end this meeting. The question is what will the rest of you do, and how should we go about this situation once we've gathered our forces? The non-dragons will need some sort of leadership. Silverwing, You have a rider, yes? Will your partner suffice if there is no other leader from amongst the humans on which we can rely?" She knew very little of the other guardian's rider, only that the woman existed, but assumed that if she were worthy of mounting and partnering with a Guardian, then she must have been made of exceptional mettle.

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:48 pm

Finally, they were on the same page it seemed, at least Feronia immediately agreed with Sebantais’ suggestion, but then again, she had always been the one to act quickly amongst the group, yet not without at least briefly thinking her course of action through beforehand. “Alright,” the emerald guardian nodded, satisfied with the red dragon’s offer, “I shall head back to the jungle and try to persuade the artisans of Yarrowitz to lend us a helping hand. Even if they do not want to be involved in any of this – I am sure this will not change even in the face of a war – I will try to do my best to at least have their services at their disposal, if not any other involvement in this battle. I shall also head to Golam and see if I can gather a few provisions from the farmers. Any Elites I will find along the way, I will take to Yarrowitz with me. The city needs to be reinforced in case Zartear wants to head in that direction after Racksom, which is why I am also going to send runners to Bolarf to warn its inhabitants. Since we know nothing more than what Silverwing could report, we will have to take into consideration any possible direction his army could take, even if this is the less likely one. We need to be prepared nonetheless and we cannot leave Yarrowitz without any protection whatsoever. After doing our individual jobs, we should reconvene in Didienne. It is the capital after all and it is most certainly where Zartear will be headed sooner or later.”

In all honesty, Sebantais dreaded the oncoming mission and the war looming over all their heads. He preferred his peace and quiet. Probably, most likely even, he had grown far too used to being left in peace, keeping to himself and rarely revealing himself to anyone. It had been his way of life, for a long time now and he was reluctant to change this, but alas, it was necessary now and there was no way he could hide from his obligations now. Dragon’s Cove could not be deserted and it could not fall into the hands of an invading army.

As Feronia addressed Silverwing with her next question, he wondered about the capacities of the blue dragon’s rider as well. He had never met her either but he knew that she had to be quite something to bond with a guardian dragon. He himself had never considered a rider but maybe it was not such a bad idea with regards to what they were about to face now. Someone to watch the guardians’ backs while they were occupied with something else. Continuing on that line of thought, Sebantais suddenly swallowed hard. “We need to make sure the stones are safe,” the green dragon whispered. “We need to make sure the Racksom stone is still safe despite Zartear having won that battle.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Sat Jan 07, 2012 3:14 pm

Silverwing stayed silent for a short while as he listened to Feronia and Sebantais discuss openly what they were planning to do. Thankfully, the discussion headed towards leaving Týphon’s suggested about the mercenary with him. Perhaps that was for the best; besides the fact he wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, he didn’t own a great deal of knowledge about mercenaries compared to him anyway. Linking one decision to one’s preferred matter was the best way.
His anger was leveling out once again, to his surprise. Perhaps it was because action was actually in the means of discussion and accusations were finally put aside. However, he knew the real reason for his odd mutterings and disheartened explanations were undoubtedly due to the exhaustion that was beginning to take its toll on him. It seemed like years had gone by since he left the battle and began the long journey to Guardians Peak. He had wanted the whole situation to become talkable and reasonable a lot sooner, and he only found himself getting more and more frustrated. But nevertheless, action was falling into reach.

When Feronia mentioned Sandy however, he couldn’t help but feel pang of guilt swell up inside him, and he didn’t know why. The last time he had seen his rider was back at the battle, and even then he hadn’t mentioned about leaving to meet up with the others, even though he knew she may have guessed as such; she wasn’t stupid. Leaving someone in the midst of war was never a good option, hell, it was completely ridiculous, but he had had no other choice.
His eyes strayed to the ground again as he thought to himself for a moment. “There is no doubt she could be a leader, but I think that wouldn’t be the more wise option.” He began, finally raising his head up again. “There is already an unseen argument between two possible leaders of the defenders. There was the prince, Atleon, otherwise in Zartear’s capture at the start, and an avian named Talos. So there are two leaders up front already, and I think if we pushed Sandy into the light then only more arguments would come about.” He turned away and looked to the sky. “Besides, the fact she is a guardian rider is unknown to practically everyone. Perhaps it is best to keep it that way. No, she shouldn’t lead the defenders, she will be of more use to us elsewhere. We can trust her so maybe it is best to use that to our advantage for other things; when we need things to be done we can otherwise not do.”

“As for setting off to rally up our allies,” he quickly added, “she will be with the survivors of Racksom no doubt, and I will have to find her. Maybe it is best I scout West to find them.” His last sentence came with a slight tinge of reluctance, for he knew meeting the troops he had had apparently ‘abandoned’ would host no good measure straight away. There would be arguments, more accusations and anger. But if he didn’t go back and speak to them, then they would never know the reason he left and their courage would remain hindered. “I think I need to rebuild their hope and teach them that when guardians leave it is for good intentions. And that we always come back.”

Subject: Re: ~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~ Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:59 am

"Well then, it seems we have everything in order, we all have our things to do." Typhon said, addressing them all. Turning his head to Feronia, he added. "Perhaps I should come with you as well though, sister. It may spark the fighters' hope to see another guardian as well, and I can send a scout to find the mercenary." He tilted his head somewhat, adding "And I'd like to see what we have to work with so far. I tend to learn things a bit faster than most, so I may be of use to them in a bind."

((Freaking worse post ever, but there you go >3>))

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~*~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~*~

~~ Guardians Peak (8th Board) ~~