The Last Stand (The Storm Breaks) (Open SG & WT RP)

[Osangar]

Relentless anger raged against the void, threatening to destroy it, anger against his Master and anger towards the Aes Sedai's meddling.

 

Pointing his finger at his Master, he spoke with an icy cool anger, "You are nothing but a pathetic old man, a useless Relic from an Age long gone," as he spoke he drew upon the power of the True Source, seizing it, taking as much as he could hold, "It is time for your cowardly ways to end, but first I have a surprise."

 

Osan'gar drew himself up, his illusion of shadows swirling around him. "You dare speak to me in this manner Servant! Tell me why I should not strike you down this instant. I will teach you the ..."

 

Osan'gar's rant ended quickly as his servant started drawing more of the One Power, equalling his own strength. His servant gave him a cold smile and then spoke again. "This is only the beginning."

 

Drawing deeper on Saidin his servant stuck out at Osan'gar's Illusion weave, severing it. His Master took a step back as the weave snapped back on him. For a brief moment his real self could be seen, before the illusion was back in place.

 

“You will pay for that Servant.†A surge of tension filled the room as the two attacked and countered each other. Servant against Master. Before long the out come was apparent. The servant broke through Osan’gar’s defence and placed a shield around him.

 

“Remember Chosen Osan’gar, that I defeated you. Your own servant that you had entrusted with so much.†Lifting Osan’gar up with Air he tied off the shield and walked towards him, “And remember that I, Caladesh, Mae’shadar of your own order, defeated you with ease.†Dropping Osan’gar to the ground Caladesh turned around and wove a gateway to the prison cell he had recently escaped from.

 

“When I am finished with the White Tower, I will come after you.†Taking a step into the Gateway he failed to notice Osan’gar stand up. Breaking the shield quickly the only warning Caladesh had was a surge of power from Osan’gar. A blade of solid Spirit lashed out at him, to fast to counter, and Caladesh felt something snap.

 

Feeling with growing horror the feel of the taint sliding onto him, his protection gone, and laughter came through the closing gateway, “And you should learn the reason we were Chosen.†Feeling the taint wash over him, Caladesh fought the reflex to release Saidin, knowing the cost would be greater than he was willing to pay.

 

Howling in rage he looked around, for the first time noticing the Goosebumps on his arms and stared at the Aes Sedai in front of him. Flinging Fireballs wildly he opened a skimming portal and skimmed to the grand hall, here I will cleanse the White Tower.

 

Skimming into the centre of the Great Hall he stepped out of the portal. Surrounded by running women and girls, as well as Aes Sedai he wove a shield around himself. Ignoring the stares he wove as much Air as he could and threaded Earth and Fire through it, before slamming it against the main doors.

 

A resounding crash, louder than thunder echoed though the hall as the great doors flew off of their hinges, taking huge chunks of the wall with them. Not looking at the destruction caused by his actions he wove an illusion over himself, making him appear a giant in the hall, and altered his voice.

 

“Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.â€

 

Weaving Fire and Air around himself, using brute strength instead of skill as he wove spears of fire and hurled them at the walls. Over the crashing of ages old stone Caladesh could still be heard.

 

“Today is the Reckoning of the White Tower.â€

 

Caladesh

Mae’shadar

 

OOC: ok time for you girls to post something. Was this worth the wait?

[Lannie]

OOC: Of course it was, Cala. Thanks :D

Feel free to post, dear people. It will take a bit before Lyanna and Lannie are downstairs, and lots of things are going to happen simultaneously, as they usually do during battle. Have fun! :D

 

 

Evacuate

Assemble here

Soil's song

in your throat

Future, death

in your reach...

~Katatonia, "Soil's song"

 

Over a quarter of a millennium had passed since Lanfir Leah Marithsen had first seen the first Light in her eyes as a newborn baby. Most of that quarter of a millennium had she been an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah -- and most of that she had been involved with or training for battle. She had seen more fighting than many people during their whole lives, and such a way of living creates survival instincts, deeply ingrained in your bones. As deep as the Oaths she'd sworn on the Oath Rod, she sometimes reflected.

 

Those survival instincts can be dormant for years but never truly leave your system, even when the last time you've truly fought for your life is over two years ago. Your body might forget (and in Lannie's case even that didn't hold true for she had trained vigorously for battle - she was ready), but your instincts never truly dull out.

 

There's always something inside of you that is always aware, always on the outlook for possible danger... even on quiet afternoons when you're sitting with your lover and colleague amidst heaps of paperwork and with a glass of wine in your hand, while the brilliant sunlights slants through the high windows in your office.

 

Even when all you've been doing in the past two years is politics, those battle instincts remain alert. Even then. Perhaps especially then, because after the calm before the storm, the actual sound of the storm hitting seems so much louder and intense. Battle instincts: from dormant to full alert in half a heartbeat.

 

So when the crashing and rumbling occurred all those stories below in the White Tower, Lanfir was on her feet before she even truly registered the sound. And so was Lyanna. The peaceful feeling that they had shared during their administrative work and the sips of wine was gone and replace with alertness as if it had never been there.

 

They could feel channeling all of a sudden, and a lot more than was normal for the bastion of saidar that the White Tower represented. The amount of Power channeled suddenly spiked, and then remained as such, fluctuating in irregular bursts of intensity. It felt like battle. "What in the name of the Light was that?" Lannie breathed, all tensed up, all adrenaline thundering through her veins and saidar enhancing her senses. "That was no accident..."

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

We've been brought here for a reason

Be it fate words and all treason

Things will be saved

Only a days waged

As we plead for something to believe in.

 

Maegan Sedai frowned at the Brown sister that was walking beside her.

 

"That's not what i read. Acording to the Blues back then, there had always been a place of refuge for those that needed it outside of the Tower. Infact, the towere was mearly a place of living and not a hide away from the world as it is now."

 

"The Tower was built AS a sanctuary to those that needed it." The sister stated, and they continued on with facts from various books as they passed through the Main Hall on thier search for edible substance in the kitchen.

 

But as they were passing through, a powerful flux in the room nearly knocked both of them to thier feet. Loosing her glasses, she looked around at her feet as she was knocked over as her and Muirielle Sedai were knocked off balance from the shaking of the walls that cracked and the vast Hall door was shot out over thier heads. With lightening quick relfexes Maegan wove a shield around her and those closest to her. Looking up hrough her blind eyes as the sweetensws of Saidar cleared her vision. Horro and chaos halted for but an instant as sheer waves of shock riveted through the room.

 

“Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.â€

 

Weaving Fire and Air around himself, using brute strength instead of skill as he wove spears of fire and hurled them at the walls. Over the crashing of ages old stone Caladesh could still be heard. maegan held her shield as a few other sisters followed her lead, trying thier best to protect those that she could. The large stone that was above them broke through her shield enough to trap Muirelle by her legs. Her screams filled her ears as Maegans mind broke to a place of pure calm.

 

“Today is the Reckoning of the White Tower.â€

 

Looking up, she ignored the screaming of panic.

 

Dead was nothing new to her.

 

 

 

 

Maegan Sedai

Sitter of the Crimson Banner

 

 

Ooc: not the happies with this post, i might end up editing it... but it's a shot!

 

[nowhere to go - mushroomhead]

[Guest Estel]

The reason why she was leaving the Grand Hall fled from her mind as the doors burst open, a chunk of wood crashing into her stomach and sending her flying backwards. Gasping for breath, it took her a moment to register what was happening.

 

“Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.â€

 

The voice pounded through her skull and she was forced to sieze saidar and protect herself from the onslaught of rock falling from the cieling. With the sweetness of saidar came the awareness and the pain in her abdomen was all the more sharp. Groaning she looked up toward the cause of the destruction.

 

The man, obivously a male channeller, was causing mayhem in the Grand Hall. Looking about the room, Estel saw not ten feet from her a Novice whose entire torso was crushed beneath the weight of a larg chunk of the roof. Estel prayed a silent prayer for the poor girl's soul before adding her own to the Creator. She didn't want to die yet, she had duties.

 

It was too late to attempt a Shield. The man obviously held the Source and while she doubted his claim that 'he was more powerful than the Forsaken' was true, he was powerful.

 

Weaving quickly, she sent a spear of Air hurtling towards the man's head. Almost lazily, he cut her weave. The recoil was such that she collapsed from pain and was forced to throw up another Shield against another avalanche of rock.

 

Amplifying her voice using the Power she sent out a desperate call for help. "Quickly, all Sisters to the Grand Hall! Emergency! Rogue male..." her plea was cut short as a scream burst from her lips. A smaller chunk of rock had come hurlting from the wall crashing into her shoulder, casting her into a world of pain.

[Lyanna]

The wine in her glass trembled, and she let go of the glass, rushing to her feet and already on her way over to Lanfir before the liquid hit the floor along with a multitude of glass shards. Her brain registered her movements a fraction later.

 

She had to protect Lanfir, especially now that Alec was gone. The aura of the One Power winked on around her, and she anticipated Javaran to come crashing through the wall now, debris floating behind her and an insane smile on her face. It had been a recurrent image in Lyanna"s dreams for weeks now, ever since that fateful day. But no, no cracking walls, no mad Forsaken. Just another rumble and a tremor, and for one second Lyanna thought she was making a lot out of an earhquake.

 

That was before the channeling ensued though, somewhere downstairs.

 

"What in the name of Light was that?"

 

Lanfirs voice sounded haggard and short of breath, and Lyanna could see how the blood had drained from her face. "That was no accident..."

 

"I dont know, but it certainly feels like mahem down there." Another tremor wracked the room, and a delicate vase holding one red rose crashed to pieces on the floor. Lyanna didnt care. All her senses were honed on what she felt of the power, what she saw in Lanfirs face. Could this be it? Could this be the final battle descending upon them in their own home?

 

"We need to go downstairs NOW!"

 

She started for the door, feeling Lanfir follow her more than she consciously saw her. It was as it always had been. They were one, in this also.

[Robin]

"Now, don't do that again. It won't get you anywhere." Aleanda said severely to a novice. "Crying is a waste of time, and it solves nothing." She eyed the novice who looked down to the ground. Aleanda took the chin of the novice in her hand and forced the girl to look into her eyes. With the other hand she wiped the tears from the child’s face. "Now come at the end of this afternoon to my office and we'll talk about this." The Novice nodded. When Aleanda looked over the girls head to look for the reason why people were starting to run and shout so suddenly Lea saw a man. Something was wrong, totally wrong. Aleanda's feeling was proved right when the man spoke. “Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.â€

 

Aleanda shook her head. This could not be possible. It couldn't. Aleanda bended down to the Novice. "Child, run. Run back to your room. Take every novice that you see on your way with you to your quarter. Send all Aes Sedai this way." Aleanda spoke in a rush to the girl. "Run!" The Novice ran away to the stairs, which were pretty close to where they had been standing. Aleanda couldn't believe what she'd heard, she'd read much about the chosen, no one was stronger than they were. This had to be a crazy male channeller, the taint must have gotten him, he must be mad. “Today is the Reckoning of the White Tower.â€Aleanda heard the man saying while he shot around fire and air to damage the Great Hall. People ran and people fell. Aleanda hated everything that was done against the tower as a building. But she hated more that this would be a spot on the Tower’s reputation. A male channeller in the Great Hall could be seen as a failure of the Tower.

 

Aleanda had gotten hold of the source and now stood up. This man had to be stopped, now. Aleanda made an elemental blade of air and spirit and threw it to Caladesh. But it had no effect as the man had created a shield against their weaves. The weaves must be stronger to cut trough it. They must link. “Circles must be created!†Aleanda shouted to everyone who would hear it and started to look for one she could link with. She’d done it before to try it out, on the fields she had linked with several people the result was amazing. When Aleanda had found an Aes Sedai they linked. Aleanda led the circle and started to throw attack weaves, she’d learned from several teachers, to the male channeller in the centre of the Hall with no success. In the mean time she had to be careful to avoid the weaves Caladesh was sending back. To her and all other Aes Sedai who were linking now as well, and trying to cut him from the source, or to damage him. All with no success.

 

Aleanda Antori

Sister of the White

[TaeaDawn]

“Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.â€

 

The words seemed to echo in Aramina's head as she reeled to one side, pushing herself up on a wall. She had been walking through the Great Hall when suddenly everything was in chaos. She's barely had time to shield herself when the doors blew. Not quite time enough actually, she thought as she felt at her cheek. Shards of stone had gotten to her before she had formed the shield and blood smeared her cheek now. The shield was still up and she looked around trying to get her bearings. The man in the center of it all, the mad man channeling and claiming the strength of the Foresaken, the man whose words were echoing off the inside of her skull. In the back of her mind she realized that the sounds of the initial blast must have damamged her ears somewhat as all other sounds seemed to be dim beyond hearing.

 

She saw Novices and Accepted scrambling and she screamed for them to get out before the mad man could attack them. Predators often picked off the weak and Aramina wasn't about to watch the White Tower get culled. There were never enough Aes Sedai for what the world needed and their youngsters were a precious commodity that she hoped to see gain their full strength.

 

A White Sister was spurning them on also so Aramina turned her attention back to the mad man. Give them time, make him strike where it can be defended. She hoped anyway. She tied off the shield around her and began working the One Power, working the weaves she had learned so long ago as a member of the Green Ajah. She threw attack after attack that seemed to be completely ineffective against the strength he had. She could see other Aes Sedai entering, circles being formed, but she didn't leave off her barage of attacks yet. Perhaps fighting off the small attacks would allow their youngsters to get out of the Hall and others the time to overpower him as they linked.

[Lavinya]

Lavinya strode between the neat rows of desks, inspecting the weaves as they were created by the novices in white, seated at the desks. Occasionally she paused, helping a confused girl, stopping to nod at another. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her spine straight as she walked, her step smooth one could almost imagine she was floating.

 

Encased in expensive silks of russet, her fiery curls tumbled free down her back, apparantly in a casual manner, though anyone who knew Lavinya well knew she was a vain woman, and would not leave her chambers until she was coiffed to perfection.

 

Turning at the front of the class, she made to address the girls, when a loud crash, like thunder, echoed through into the room. Startled, she instantly snapped her head in the direction the sound had come, instinctively embracing the source, heightening her hearing as the rumbles continued. The fine hair at her nape stood on end as she picked out panicked screaming amongst the noise. Something was wrong. Deadly wrong.

 

"All of you, stay here. Do not leave this room!" She snapped, her voice icy as she turned on her heel, striding out of the room and closing the door behind her. She quickened her steps as she followed the twisted hallways, heading towards the sound, the noise ever increasing, the screams causing her stomach to knot in anguish.

 

As she neared the main hall, chaos began errupting around her, girls in white running past her, screams echoing in her ears. A loud voice reached her among the throng, obviously amplified with the One Power. "Quickly, all Sisters to the Grand Hall! Emergency! Rogue male..."The voice abruptly ended, and Lavinya gasped, catching her first glimpse of the Grand Hall.

 

Flames erupted, the Main Doors, that had once stood so proudly, were now nothing but a charred mess. WHat drew her eyes though, and caused her to clench her fists in her skirts in fear, was a man, standing in the middle of the room. She could not see the weaves, but she knew the spears of fire flying through the air were his creation. A man, channelling, in the White Tower. The light spare us all.

 

Any further thought was banished as debris flew from the wall beside her, hte man's gaze drawn in her direction. Pulsing with the life of the One Power, she wove unhesitatingly, even as her feet took her in another direction. The fireball she had hurled in his direction might as well have been a leaf on the breeze, for all the effect it had, the man deflecting it with an ease that made bile rise in Lavinya's throat as she hid herself behind a pillar, taking what cover she could.

 

Forcing herself to maintain her grip on Saidar, Lavinya looked around at the other sisters, valiantly trying to defend their tower. Young Novices and Accepted ran in a flurry of white, seeking safety elsewhere. Just as well, they were not equipped to deal with the likes of that man. For that matter, Lavinya was worried the Aes Sedai were't equipped well enough, all of their attacks seemingly nothing.

 

Several began linking, and Lavinya looked around for a partner, knowing her strength alone was nothing. A woman caught her eye, slumped on the cold tile floor. Casting her eyes towards the madman, Lavinya scurried to the woman, all thoughts of her appearance long gone. She would NOT see one of her sister's die at the hands of this...beast!

 

Kneeling, she recognised the face of Estel, a Blue with a grudge against her, and good reason, if she was honest. Still, there was no place for that now. Laying a hand against her cheek Lavinya quickly delved her, wincing as she encountered the injured shoulder. Weaving as deftly as she could, she prayed she could help the woman before the creature in the middle of the room could prevent her.

[Shaneevae]

The city was a hectic rumble of carts and bargaining merchants shouting their wares to make a hard-earned coin. Shaneevae brushed her hand across a table of one merchant admiring the turquoise stones with silver worked intricately around them. One piece in particular gave her pause, but alas, she had not brought any coin. Rearranging the basket of jarred salamander samples across her arm, she headed towards the Tower, her mind fussing over the ruined hem of her pale linen skirts. How she had missed that dingy puddle in her path, she would never know, but she did know that her own distractedness would be her downfall.

 

Making her way up the steps of the grand entrance of the White Tower keeping her eyes down, she continued to fume over her ruined gown. Walking through the doors oblivious to their absence, she wondered why there were so many sisters in the entrance and why flurries of white scurried by. Blinking, she turned in the direction from which she came. Her blue-green eyes wide as took in the charred and splintered double doors and suddenly it was as if her hearing had been restored. Shrieks and wails of fearful confusion filled her senses and her basket of glass jars fell to the floor all but forgotten.

 

Hiking her skirts, eyes darting about the hall, she sought where she could be of some assistance. Taking no more than a handful of steps the stone walls began to crumble giving way as huge chunks began to fall. Not being able to see through the dust, she ducked and covered her head, but not before a stone feeling to weigh as much as she fell squarely onto her back throwing her to the floor. Tears immediately welled up within her eyes as she struggled to find the breath that had been robbed from her lungs. As she lay there struggling for breath, her lungs on fire, she heard him.

 

“Today is the Reckoning of the White Tower.â€

 

Blind rage coursed through her as she at last found her breath with a great angry gulp. Glaring at the man that had caused such destruction, she struggled to her hands and knees, rocks falling from her form. Securing her position, Shaneevae stayed crouched like animal sucking air deeply into her starved lungs. Gaze narrowed upon her target, Saidar rose within her, more than she had ever contained before.

 

Shaneevae Sedai

Head of the Brown Ajah

[Osangar]

Caladesh laughed dirlesiously as he continued his onslaught of Saidin. He could feel impacts on his shield from the pitiful Aes Sedai's attempts. He felt the strength of the Aes Sedai's circles increasing, Still not as strong as me. But they are starting to increase the strain.

 

Weaving Water and Fire together he formed a dim mist around the hall, increasing its strength slowly. as the fog started to form he saw something he was not expecting. A tall blonde man stood next to a petite woman in a green dress, with her brown hair framing her pretty face.

 

"Daenara!" Unnoticed the weave to make himself louder was still tied off, making his voice boom through the hall. Shrinking his shield to just around him he moved forward, pouring his power into the fog. Great winds pushed the fog around, making it even harder to see as the dirt was thrown around.

 

Weaving Spirit into a blade and struck towards the Aes Sedai. Feeling resistance he pushed harder until he Severed her. The man next to her called out in anger, but Caladesh just used Air to crush his windpipe.

 

Using Air to pick Daenara up he walked closer to her. "You are the reason I am here today, you and the way you treated me the last time I was here" using Air he lifted her into the air. Weaving Earth and Water into the ground below her, he the floor move upwards, incasing her in solid rock.

 

Making sure her form was still visable, he turned around. The fog had started to be disolved by the various Aes Sedai, pouring more Saidin into the fog it started to gain strength again.

 

Stopping for a moment he watched the lines of fire moving though the fog he had created. Weaving again he formed several illusions of himself, and set them moving though the fog. Drawing his sword he crouched low. It wont be long before they discover the trickery, I must move quickly.

 

Moving towards the stairs for the higher levels he was stopped by and Aes Sedai. "Move out of the way Witch, I have things to do." Assuming her to be weaker he wove Air to knock her out of the way. Suddenly his weave snapped back on him and he flew backwards as he was hit with Air himself.

 

Dropping his sword, he wove Earth into the ground to reach up and catch him. My Talent has always been a advantage. Standing upright he stared in the direction on the Aes Sedai, who had since dissapeared. Such strength, only a Chosen could of done that.

 

Weaving Earth into the ground around him in a circle, he kept increasing the size of the threads, and crisscrossing them over each other. "Hear me now Aes Sedai, Today no matter what help is rended to you, I will destroy you." As he finished speaking he pulled the threads towards him.

 

Releasing the weaves he listened as there was a low rumble echoing in the hall. Confused voices called out as the rumble increased and the ground started to shake. A half destroyed column fell over, the debris hitting the Aes Sedai sheltering under it.

 

Laughing, Caladesh stood in the eye of the destruction he was causing. Suddenly a flash of fire crossed his sight. Pushing his shield out he felt it start to strain as an onslaught of fire washed over him. Yelling out in frustration he wove Fire and Air together, thinking to fight Fire with Fire.

 

Circling the threads around him, he created a whirlwind of fire around himself, sweeping up the attacks and moving them towards the ceiling. Feeling the heat though his shield, Caladesh created another one closer to him. Hearing a crack Caladesh looked up towards the ceiling.

 

The heat from the inferno he had created was forming cracks in the ceiling, bits of the roof falling towards him. Using Air the deflect the bits that was falling towards him.

 

How am I ment to escape this? I must of been betrayed somehow. The taint coursing though him effected his thoughts, yet he didnt notice himself being affected. Another crack sounded, this time from the ground under him, so he released the weave, and stood ready for whatever came next.

 

Caladesh

Mae'shadar

[Jaydena]

Jaydena strode through the Tower, her face encased in the mask that she now wore to cover the horror that was her once beautiful face. She had regained sight in her eye but only through the grace of the creator. Without that her eye would still be a sick and blackened hole instead of a emerald blazing from within the burns. Reaching the Green Quarters she was about to enter her room when she heard a strange noise coming from below her. She felt the shaking start first and her connection to the element of her told her something wasn't right. Moving quickly she bounded down the steps leading to the Great Hall and heard the screaming and felt the heat first. Horror shot through her, she couldn't face being burned again. She had lost so much already, her lover, her friends, her beauty, and the position she had wanted for as long as she could remember. She shrank back and then realized how that would look. A famed battle sister, not only that but eldest Sitter in her ajah, running from a fight.

 

She embraced the source and stepping through the doors embraced the madness within. A young man she barely recognized was speaking, “Aes Sedai! I am Caladesh Vilmyr. Mae’shadar of the Shadow. You have become a vile curse on the world and I will remove you. Resistance is useless as I am even stronger than the Chosen.†Rolling her eyes at his next words, she stepped forward and made her way into the corner of the Great Hall, watching for an oppurtunity and analizing the situation. She couldn't afford to kill any of the other sisters, that were fighting him. Especially not the greens, they had already lost to many of their great warriors in the last years. Preparing several weaves she embraced through the Earth angreal that she wore on her finger that increased her strength even more. Reaching into the earth below them she felt for a vein using her talent of delving and hit it's center with a quick surge of Spirit. The earth shook beneath him and he hit the ground before quickly regaining his feet. She faded back into the darkness of the corner and watched in horror as he began to attack her once mintee Dae. Before she could do anything to stop it the woman was encased in rock. Jade shut herself off from her emotions and moved forward. Delving again she opened the rock up where her mintee was and removed her with air, as the man's back was turned. She pulled the woman forward and checked to see if she was still breathing. When she was sure of that she pulled her out to the edge of the great hall and moved back to fight. Caladesh spoke again, "Hear me now Aes Sedai, Today no matter what help is rended to you, I will destroy you." She snorted loudly and thought, "Wow the boy is out of his mind, he actually thinks that he can beat a Tower." Finally stepping into the light she walked forward and began to fight with the other greens that stood in Hall...

 

Jaydena

[Lannie]

Breathing each others lives,

Holding this in mind,

That if we fall, we all fall,

And we fall alone...

System of a Down - "Attack"

 

 

The feeling of so much saidar being channeled only enhanced the feeling of urgency and danger as Lanfir and Lyanna rushed down the stairs of the White Tower. Heart pounding in her throat, adrenaline coursing through her veins, blazing with saidar in her embrace, they ran down and down the winding steps. Too long, this is taking too bloody long!! Who had thought it'd be a bright idea to put the Amyrlin's office so high up in the Tower anyway? The polished marble stairs seemed more endless to her today than they had ever did before.

 

They did not really speak, they just ran to preserve their breath and their energy. Lanfir held her skirts in one hand and the other on the railing, cursing the idea that the Amyrlin had to look presentable as much as the stairs that were between her and the main Hall. The wide skirts bothered her terribly, threatening to tangle her sprint and make her end up down the stairs in a way she would certainly not prefer to be right now. What she wouldn't have given to have worn her training outfit right now... as much as she would have given much to be not so far away from the danger right now.

 

Like Lyanna, her first thought had been of Serashada coming back for her ultimate and final revenge, but the channeling patterns seemed all wrong, and the spikes of Power that they had felt indicated linking rather than one very powerful female channeler going all-out on the Tower. The shaking and rumbling that was going on, however, seemed to speak wholly different volumes. It almost seemed like there was a male channeler wreaking havoc in the main entrance hall of the White Tower, but that sounded rather outrageous - especially since it was very possible for male channelers to be stilled by a circle of thirteen. And blowing up the White Tower like this... that would be pretty much a suicide mission. Who would do a thing like that?

 

"We should link," Lyanna said as they finally left the stairhouse and entered one of the hallways connecting them to the Main Hall. Particles of dust were floating in the air here, and the ground beneath Lannie's slippered feet was shaking dangerously. It felt like an earthquake.

 

Lanfir shared one look with her Keeper and then wordlessly opened herself for a link. It had been so long since they linked last, but the acceptance went smoothly, as if they had practiced this just yesterday. In a way, it felt like coming home - fighting together again with her Battle Sister who she had come such a long way with. It also seemed ironic, because it had been only today that they had regretted not being able to fight anymore... and now this was happening. Was it so strange then, that they linked so seamlessly, that the Power was shared and enhanced between them, as if they'd never done anything different?

 

They ran towards danger without any regard of their station, to the fact that they would have to kept from danger, perhaps. It was all instinct for Lannie at least: saidar, power, and the pure and primal need to defend her home. She needed to defend her people and her home, and defeat whoever was threatened her sisters and the helpless novices and visitors that were in the White Tower right now. Was there any duty beyond that? To Lanfir, this was the most important thing in the world at the moment. She was a Green, she fought to preserve the Light and her home. Could it be any different?

They passed fleeing novices and visitors, fear and the scent of blood and fire headily in the air. Battle in the Tower, and they were running towards it, even though dust was raining down on it and they could see the strange lights reflecting on the tiled walls. It had been a long time since Lanfir had sensed so much channeling going on in such a secluded place and the structure of the White Tower wasn't responding to it very gracefully. Earth and Fire were ravaging the building and it's inhabitants, only reinforcing Lanfir's belief that it was indeed a male channeler (or, Light forbid, multiple of them) attacking the place.

 

And then they reached the mayhem that was the main hall. Fire and Earth were spiralling through the air and would under any other circumstance be a breathtaking sight, but Lanfir and Lyanna didn't really waste any time on the view. There was death in the air, as much as there was blood and wounded. Lanfir could see a few dying or dead sisters and young women, some trying to flee... and brave sisters linking up and attacking the man in the eye of the madness... a man she recognized as Caladesh – the male channeler that they had locked up in the Tower for quite some time before he escaped.

 

Seems like someone else but Serashada had decided to take revenge on the institution that had chained him. Lanfir had only seen him once, from a distance, but she immediately recognized his face. And he was laughing, of all things... delirious laughter was ringing through the air and reached her ears over the rumbling, over the screaming and shouting, over the horrible sounds of battle. He's lost himself to the madness of saidin... he's gone crazy. Oh, why did we ever let him go? One man... and he was causing this much destruction. How could this have happened? Lanfir thought in that one heartbeat that she and Lyanna needed to take in the situation.

 

Lanfir wove Air and a slight tendril of Spirit to protect herself and her lover, a first line of defense, while next to her a novice with blood streaming over her face darted past them and into the hallway – away from the fight, away from the madness. “We need to get him out of here,†Lanfir shouted to Lyanna. “He's causing too much destruction; too much death...â€

 

But what could they do?

[Lyanna]

I can see it

I can feel it

This my waking hour

This is my place

I can hear it

I feel the power in my heart

And it’s my moment

It is right there

And it’s staring me in the face

The Gathering - "Waking Hour"

 

On their way down they could already hear the screams, and with a glance at eachother, Lyanna and Lannie broke into a quick trot, both hiking up their long flowing skirts. For yet another moment, Lyanna cursed the day that had made her Keeper - if she hadn’t been in this position, she probably would have been training with her quarterstaff in the yards right now and in a much more suitable attire for ensuing battle. Then again, it actually felt good to be in the exilaration of an impending fight again. She could already feel the battle fever settle down on her, that strange translucid state where time seemed to slide by at a slow pace and she was very aware of her surroundings.

 

Right before the grand doors to main hall, both halted. Lyanna was just about to turn to Lanfir to say something when the doors shuddered in their hinges and a large patch of smoldering timber appeared on their side. Acrid smoke twirled up in strands, choking them and making their eyes sting.

 

“We should link,†Lyanna offered, and Lannie nodded, pushing the stray white-blonde locks out of her face. It had been a long time since they had done anything of the sort, in fact, it had literally been more than a century. A sharp pang of regret still spiked through Lyanna each time she thought of Gytta, the young Aes Sedai who had died in the circle they had formed in Fal Dara, when trying to save the girl’s dying Warder. Gytta had let the weave unravel, one of the most frightening visages Lyanna had ever seen, and the backlash had been horrible. It had left Lya and Lannie unable to channel for days - and Gytta very dead. It could have been worse, they could all have been killed or Stilled for that matter. Lannie took it hard, being Captain General at that time. After Fal Dara and the betrayal of her Warder Lannie had left the Tower for a long time, and Lya with her. It was the basis of their lifelong friendship and looking at her friend now, she could not imagine a life without her.

 

The link went so smoothly that it almost took Lyanna's breath away. There was a moment of utter surrender, even greater than when opening yourself for Saidar, and within moments she felt the power flowing through her, but much more than she on her own could ever have held. It even seemed greater than the sum of both their strengths - Lanfir had to have an angreal somewhere on her. The ground shook still, and large cracks had appeared in the walls of the hall coursing towards the main hall, and there were so many wounded .. it seemed like a true battlefield. But here? In the heart of the White Tower? How in the Light could it be?

 

When they made their way into the main Hall, Lyanna had barely a moment to take in the scene, but her acute battle sense did anyway. There was fire all around, people screaming, and the beacons of Saidar light took her breath away. Many of the Sisters were linked, and some were fighting on their own, and all of them had their attention focused on one man in the middle, one man she recognized instantly. Caladesh. Why on earth had he come back here? Had the madness of the taint finally overpowered him then? Taking in the situation, and extrapolating the damage to what would happen if they had dozens of these madmen against them, Lyanna shuddered all of a sudden at the thought of the final battle.

 

But this clearly wasn't it. This was a mishap, a freak of nature, someone gone berserk and what was better than the Battle Amyrlin and Keeper right in the heart of it? Lanfir felt the same, for at the same split second Lyanna heard Lanfir's hoarse voice over the din: "“We need to get him out of here, he's causing too much destruction; too much death...â€

 

But it seemed that Caladesh already did the deed for them. With a weave none of them could see, but which' results were all too clearly visible, he deflected the Fire strands that were directed at him, sending them up and down in a derwish of flames, baking the ceiling and the ground. A loud crack followed as the ceiling started to succumb under the pressure of the heat, and debris started to fall down. An invisible Saidin shield caused the debris to bounce off of Caladesh just moments before it would hit him, and thudded loudly on the ground all around him. Another crack reverberated through the hall, this time from the ground, and Lyanna could see the cracks around the crazy channeler growing faster rapidly.

 

She shouted towards Lanfir: "The floor won't hold! We can trap him in the cellar if we are quick, get him out of harms way. MOVE!"

[Lannie]

The fountain of fire that was deflecting off the crazy male channeler's shield licked its way unto the ceiling and scorched the marble-and-mortar over their heads. Normally the ceiling should have been able to withstand quite a bit, but the flames were just too incredibly hot - the crack with which it burst was ear-deafening.

 

Immediately dust and bits of ceiling started pouring down on the people within the Hall, but mostly on its initiator: Caladesh. He had obviously shielded himself in a similar matter to the shield that was protecting Lanfir and Lyanna; debris seemed to slide off him with no harm done.

 

The floor, however... the floor seemed to mimic the ceiling's destruction. Lanfir could tell that there had been Earth and Fire channeled into it, because it sounded (and felt) like metal scraping and marble exploding under their feet. The Main Hall was a warzone. Fire and debris were everywhere. Pure insanity, and it all happened within mere heartbeats.

 

A block of marble that was the size of a person's body collided with the floor next to the rogue channeler, and the floor simply began to cave in underneath his feet. We need to get him out of here...

 

Lyanna seemed to see an answer to Lanfir's shouted suggestion. She thought fast and practical and came up with a way to indeed make sure that he was out of the direct entrance to the White Tower: "The floor won't hold! We can trap him in the cellar if we are quick, get him out of harms way. MOVE!"

 

Bless her bright spirit, Lanfir thought incoherently, already picking up on the idea, already coming into action. Lyanna and she were so tuned to one another where it came to fighting - the way they shared ideas seemed akin to a bond sometimes. Sisters in battle, indeed.

 

One look of understanding was all it took, before they came into action. Lanfir reinforced their shield of Air and Spirit and they ran while underneath them the floor was groaning with a near human-like voice.

 

"Get OUT of here!" Lanfir yelled on top of her lungs at the people that were still trying to battle the crazed Caladesh. "This place is going to blow!"

 

Caladesh himself'd had his back turned to them to fight off an attack from one of the Aes Sedai, but he half turned around at the sound of Lanfir's shout. Fire as liquid-hot as lightning danced between his hands and she could tell that he was about to channel an offensive weave right at them - but Lanfir had reflexes that were used to act quickly, and the perfected skill of over two hundred years of channeling under her belt. And on top of that, she was pretty good with Earth.

 

And so she channeled Earth and Fire into a familiar weave that she had learned so long ago from a woman who had been a true Legend – a Grenade - lifted up the weave; and slammed it down on the ground between herself, Lyanna, and Caladesh. BOOOM! The Grenade weave exploded with an overwhelming intensity that slammed all of the air out of Lanfir's lungs. For one moment there was a sensation of being tossed into the air, a moment of panic while she was falling - and then she collided with the ground painfully.

 

There was less than a heartbeat of blackout, before she scrambled to her feet again with knees that were trembling like straws. She found herself amidst a pile of rubble and dust that reached as high as her hips. There was fire burning, Lanfir could smell the stench of her own singed hair and she was aching from a dozen bruises and lacerations all over... but they were not in the main Hall anymore.

 

They were in the cellar directly below it, and Lyanna, Caladesh and herself were the only ones present and in condition to fight at present time. Next to her, Lyanna got to her feet as well. She looked scorched and bruised and about as battered as Lanfir felt, but her green eyes were glittering with intense concentration.

 

Near delirious with battle fever, Lanfir grinned at her friend, glad to see her alright and ready to fight. "Time to end this," she said, and turned to the insane male channeler on the opposite end of the room...

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

Ooc: To Lannie and Lyanna, you have done an old Green Proud. I hope i get to blow up part of the Tower one day.. ;)

 

Ic:

 

[[breakdown - All the walls have fallen

My soul solely rages on

Storm the palace seize the crown

Soul solely rages

Whispered winds soon sound the calling

My soul solely rages on

Betray your malice heed your vows

On and on and on and on

Soul solely rages on]]

 

 

::: She would not give in to the darkness. She would not give in to the weakness. She was not weak. Looking to her captor, she knew what she needed to do, the One Power opened her up, filling her eyes with color, and his Death. His life was hers. And with the simplest of weaves, She took it. She was not afraid to do as she must to survive. He would have killed her. It was not allowed. Without the Oaths around her bones yet, his life became hers. And no one would ever know. ::: [[915 NE]]

 

 

The one power scorched through her veins as she watched the horror around her unfold. Her own touch made her ever more aware of those that were channeling around her. Reaching out, she offered herself a link for the weaker sisters. A gray, Lavinya, and a few others grasped hold, as she weaved a shield to sever the man's touch with the one power. But as she placed it around him, he severed it as if it were glass. I need more sisters.. she muttered in her mind. Desperately she searched out for others, but surprisingly there were fewer sisters in the room than there should be. Light! Where was everyone?

 

It was then, under her feet, the world trembled, a few sisters breaking the link that Maegan held, causing herself to backlash. Pulling on more power, she barely maintained her hold on those still attached. But not without her falling to her knees, knocking her spectacles that shattered upon impact with the floor. Bloody, i hope Ata has a back up. The power of Fire and Earth snaked it's way under her touch. She did not need the touch of the one power to know that the floor was going to give way. Her own sensitivity to the one power screamed at her to back away. She should back away. But she couldn't.

 

She wouldn't.

 

Her jaw set, she reached out with Earth and Spirit, using the link to force more power into the weave, building a bridge under the sisters through the floor. She would not let her sisters fall to their death. Regardless.

 

"Pull who you can from the Center. Those that can, GET OUT!" She boomed through her own weave of Air that passed by the sisters in sight. She watched as those unable to link pulled injured out of the center.

 

But within seconds of her own weave within the floor, the Brilliance of a Linked Power entered the Hall. Through her Sight* the cascade of the Striped Stole and the Keepers staff became a relief.

 

"Get OUT of here!" Lanfir yelled on top of her lungs at the people that were still trying to battle the crazed Caladesh. "This place is going to blow!"

 

The floor around her weave shattered as a weave she had not seen before broke away the floor. Her own prerogative was the shattered floor below her. Shielding herself with but her arms, debris bit into her as bits of rock and marble short past her, slicing open her arm. Fire danced around her, threatening to throw her into the wall. She barely noticed her singed hair as she concentrated. Clouds of dust filled her nostrils, but she held on to that link. it was growing weaker as many were forced to let go. Maegan only prayed that they had not been burnt out. herself demanded much power, but with the weave in place, maintaining it required-less.

 

Looking up, as the clouds gave way moments later, All she could see was a gaping hole that ended merely inches from where she was planted. Below the Amrylin and the Keeper along with the rouge male Channeler had fallen. Horror filled her already numbing senses.

 

Light take us. She breathed in barely a whisper. They had become spectators in a game. Lyanna and Lanfir as the victims, Caladesh the prey.

 

 

 

 

Maegan Ryanne

Sitter

 

 

* Maegan can see when Channeling, or with Spectacles. Once she lets go of the One Power, she's "Legally Blind"

[[The War Inside - Mushroomhead]]

[Sirayn]

Sell me the infection, it is only for the weak

No need for sympathy, the misery that is me

Sell me the infection, it is only for the weak

On bleeding knees, I accept my fate

- "Only For The Weak", In Flames

 

As with all of life's most dramatic moments it came unannounced, unexpected, and brutally fast. One moment somewhere in the quiet quarters a sister immersed herself in paperwork, interest barely engaged with the work at hand, facts and figures dancing for her amusement; the next a shattering crash echoed through all the halls of the citadel. A glass fell off her desk and smashed on the floor. Light winked among broken glass and spilling water. That colossal sound revived, in the work of an instant, everything she had done her best to suppress; lit all her soldier’s instincts to burning; and when Sirayn Sedai rose to her feet it was no longer as a schemer, a conspirator, always calculating but as the old and savage general she remained underneath.

 

Ten steps out into the hall made a hundred too few. Novices scattered shrieking all about her. Already through a maze of twisting corridors she glimpsed a haze of dust and chaos, folk shouting, and here and there a glimpse of bright red blood. And the sound of breaking stone met the sharp high song of screams, touched the shuddering beneath her feet recognised so keenly through her mastery of earth, and it could have been a hundred places: a hundred years, a hundred battles, bound to something wild and predatory in her heart which no amount of denying would cause to die out. All the ways and all the times she had wanted so intensely to once again meet the Shadow in the open and it seemed they had come at last. Finally, in that perfect and fragile intuition that comes only a few times in one’s lifetime, she knew exactly what to do. Moments later her shout rang out at shattering pitch through the halls of the Tower’s most feared force.

 

"BATTLE AJAH TO ME!"

 

Cries, a pause, an instant: images beyond number filling that quick moment’s silence: and then up and down the halls doors opened and sisters came spilling out. She had dreamed this before, so many soldiers coming to her call. Centuries’ worth of knowledge. Discipline and strength beneath a green banner not lifted this day. Nobody faltered; the young and the green she gathered to her, the eldest, knowing their places in a fearsome machine; even the newest knew those silent signals the soldiers used to communicate. Even in that single, sweeping glance as they headed toward the grand hall, she measured a multitude of dark miracles: fire and blood and steel in a place once so pale and hallowed: dying and frantic desperation.

 

Beneath some great and gaping hole in the floor her old rivals battled a madman, all so bright with the One Power that they blazed, a sport for fools like the gladiator's challenges of those old stone arenas far in the past. All around her raged the dying skirmishes of a battle so tremendous it had shaken the very foundations of the White Tower. A hall once serene and pristine had shattered to broken fragments. Stone and slate still screamed if one had the skill to sense it. Smoke and dust rose amid the wreckage; people were bleeding, crawling, all about them some great work of saidar moved. And she understood ... finally and completely ... that from this hour on Tar Valon was at war.

 

"FORWARD THE BATTLE AJAH!"

[TaeaDawn]

"FORWARD THE BATTLE AJAH!"

 

For the second time in just a few moments time, another voice echoed in her head. This time, Aramina Sedai recognized it's speaker. She was raged looking, she knew. She felt blood trickle down her cheek and dared not look to the state of her dress from the battle that had taken place, but she was who she was and noticed those sort of things in the back of her mind even when she didn't want to. Too many things to notice and catalog that she didn't want to remember when it was all over. Like bits and pieces of fabric, catching her eye, people that didn't move though the whole of the Tower shuddered.

 

The channeler had beaten back every attempt at cutting him off and even the linked circles had little effect on him. Aramina had watched as novices and accepted had run and she had used her waeves to protect them as she could, or attack him to keep him from turning on the children. She was a lone chaneller though and he hadn't turned his true attention on her when the circles were more of a danger to him. The hall had been as cleared of the girls as could be when Aramina began moving to try to join one of the circles, to add her experience and battle knowledge to her sisters, when the Amyrlin had entered. Moments later, chaos had become 10 fold when the floor had caved, taking the Amyrlin, Keeper, and the man with them. Even now, she could feel the battle continuing beneath them.

 

The Captain General called for them, called for the Battle Ajah now though and Aramina was a soldier. Long ago, Sirayn had decided to keep Aramina as a sword for the green, and as a weapon in her more personal scheming as well. It was time to fall into the ranks once again. She pushed herself up onto her feet, once again getting her barings from being knocked down. She took a deep breath and drew herself up to her full height and composure. Her face showed no sign of fear or anger, but her eyes shot daggers around her as she surveyed the damage and as she turned grey eyes onto the Captain General, hate rang through her gaze at the destruction of their home.

 

"I stand ready!"

[Jaydena]

Jaydena stepped forward and shot another burst of flame at the madman across the room. She had decided it was time to take him down, even if he was much stronger than her. He was foolish to have entered the White Tower and try and take apart that which no one had ever been able to take apart. Watching him closely she moved forward and flung a graenade in his direction. It exploded against the sheild and she quickly prepared another attack weave. Just as she threw it at him she noticed the cracks in the marble floor, her eyes shot upwards and she saw the same cracks in the ceiling above. The Hall was going to collapse with all of her sisters inside. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Keeper and the Amyrlin coming into the room. For an instant her mind shouted that they shouldn't be here before she turned her attention back to a flame that had just shot straight at her. Thankfully her reflexes were quick and she had been working with the power long enough that she was able to deflect it, though it did shoot straight up and hit the already burned ceiling.

 

She heard one of the once Sisters of the green scream something about the cellar from near her and she nodded. It made sense, and yet how could they save those already not laying on the floor unmoving. Some of the women on the ground were trying to gain their feet and she saw one of the Yellows missing an arm and a leg but still trying to gain her feet. Shaking her head at the horror of this, the waste of so many fine sisters, she looked at the floor again. The red she had seen earlier began to weave a stabalizing weave into the floor and then magnified her voice as she shouted, "Pull who you can from the Center. Those that can, GET OUT!" Jaydena nodded and then seeing the weave she was using, used the power of earth that she had embraced through the angreal, she set about re-enforcing the weave Maegan was using. She noticed the Novices and Accepted running and Aramina working her best to fight off the weaves that the madman was shooting at the youngsters. Her strength wasn't such that she could help and they needed to save these fully trained Sisters more than the novices and accepted. It was a hard choice but a general often had to do that in war. She tightened the weave on the floor and then heard Lanfir shout, "Get OUT of here! This place is going to blow!" Jaydena backed up slowly but kept the weave on the floor. Suddenly the ceiling started to fall and she was knocked to the floor by one of the tiles. The weave she had been holding on the floor flashed back at her and she groaned in response. Lights danced in front of her eyes and she watched in fuzzy horror as the floor crashed in, taking their leaders and the madman into the depths of the tower. Just as suddenly she heard a familar voice shout, "FORWARD THE BATTLE AJAH!" She crawled forward and found a large marble block from the ceiling. Using it as a wench she pulled herself to her feet and staggered over to Sirayn. Blood poured down the side of her face and her left shoulder seemed to be dislocated but she could still walk and that enough. Approaching her Captain she said, "I am here Sirayn."

Jaydena Sedai

[Osangar]

Caladesh turned to see two women enter the ruined Hall. They had a sense of Duty and Nobility. A perfect target for a Madman like Me. Hurling Fire in all directions still he concentrated on the newcomers, intent on seeing their actions.

 

Beware, they are dangerous! A voice echoed though his head, an old raspy voice he hadn't heard for ages, "Mynar... Show your self!" Turning around franticly he doubled his attacks, searching desperately for his old mentor.

 

"I will kill you!" The taint was taking its toll now, and Caladesh could no longer tell if the voice was a hallucination or real. No I killed you... I killed you Mynar you are dead. Caladesh thought for a moment he could hear soft mocking laughter, before he was suddenly made aware of his surroundings.

 

"This place is going to blow!" Those words ripped though his awareness, just before the ground beneath him exploded. First going up into the air, he wove Earth franticly, surrounding himself with an earthen shield of rubble. Unable to see through it Caladesh plummeted into the dark.

 

After a moment of falling, Caladesh felt a hard jarring as his shield hit the ground, cracking his shoulder against the side. Using Air he pushed at his self made prison until it exploded outwards.

 

Like the rebirth of some ancient evil, he walked out from the rubble, eyes still glowing from his weave and debris falling all around him. Looking at his surroundings, he could see the two women who had entered the Hall moments ago. Cocking his head to the side he released the illusion of his glowing eyes, and studied them.

 

Looking at their stoles he finally realised who they were. "Ah the Keeper and the Armylin, how nice to see you again. What a lovely place you have..." Bowing slightly he wove Fire and Air together into a small ball, and sent it above them, "Oh, Sorry about the mess."

 

Laughing at his own joke, he ignored the voices in his head, damning the Taint that filled him. Tying the light off above them, he stopped for a moment to appreciate the eerie shadows it caused.

 

Using multiple weaves of Air he snatched their Shawls, lifting them above their heads. Using Fire he tried to burn them, only to feel his weaves snap back at him. "Temper, temper little ones. You mustn't make me made."

 

Shaking his finger at them he continued. "I know for a fact that both of you cannot hope to match me. Even linked... oh sorry, I mean even if you "form a circle", you have no hope against me. Though you have shown me what I must do."

 

Gesturing upwards he gave them a cold smirk, "I must take the Aes Sedai apart piece by piece, not all at once. When I am finished with you two I will start again on them, and finally erase you evil witches from the Wheel."

 

"I will of course be sporting and give you one last shot, A chance however small it may be, of beating me." While he spoke Caladesh wove all of the elements together behind him, preparing his favourite weave, Lightning.

 

"Oh but please speak first, your Last Words and whatnot. I will even engrave them on the White Tower's tombstone." Waiting for their answer he held the last part of the weave, ready for its completion and their end.

 

Caladesh

Nemesis of the White Tower

[Lavinya]

Lavinya moved towards where other sisters stood, forming another circle with which to battle the rogue male as he wreaked havock on the Hall, the groanings of the structure sickening as he unleashed careless distruction upon it.

 

Everything was happening so quickly, debris flying about her, the glow surrounding the female channellers visible all around the room, along with their weaves of attack. It seemed useless, the man was proving to adept and powerful for what appeared pitiful attempts. Still, they would never give up the fight, the Light would prove triumphant. It HAD to, lest they all die by this man's hands.

 

The groaning of the floor continued as Lavinya scurried, hoping to avoid the notice of the male channeller, when the Amyrlin's voice rang out in warning above the turmoil - the warning proving too late as the floor disintegrated beneath Lavinya's feet. Panic wrested a strangled cry from her throat as the earth beneath her was suddenly no longer, and she fell, crashing to the floor with a force that knocked the air from her lungs.

 

Fire burned her lungs as she struggled to regain her breathe, when a large piece of debris fell from what was the floor above, pinning her to the floor as she lost her precious grip on Saidar. Moaning in pain, Lavinya struggled vainly against the vice pinning her chest, until she could bear the pain no longer, the darkness slowly drawing her into its quiet depths as the battle continued on in the cellar, unnoticed by her unconscious form.

[Guest Estel]

It was moments, though it seemed like hours, of lying on the floor, completly helpless in the maelstrom of destruction. Saidar had fled her grasp in the wake of her obviously shattered shoulder.

 

Then, she felt hands touch her and felt the Power pulsing beside her. A shiver went through her body: Delving. Craning her neck and groaning, she turned to see who her saviour was, and then wished she hadn't. With a growl having nothing to do with her ruined shoulder, she contemplated pushing hereself away.

 

'Fool woman! Even after over fifty years can you not let go of a grudge to save your life! Blood and ashes woman, you are no better than the naive Sister who took the Shawl those many years ago!'

 

Before she could further her self-scolding though, her body tingled. An indescribable sensation swept through her body. She felt all her muscles contract as he body arched, supported only by her head and feet.

 

Quick as it came, it was gone. Leaving her bereft of energy, like a drowning sailor groping for a safety line in a storm, she clawed her way towards saidar. After a minute's struggle, she felt the Power flood into her soul, only to have to release it and hold herself on the very verge to Link with the very person who had saved her.

 

Of course it wasn't just Lavinya and her, Maeghan led the circle and there were other unknown to Estel, or else their names lost to her in her preoccupation with the onslaught comming from incredible young man across the room.

 

Suddenly shouts rang out above the din of battle. The floor was going to collapse! Almost on cue, she saw the floor beginning to crumble.

 

Hysteria, higher than at any previous point of the battle insued as Sisters stampeded, trampling over others like animals to avoid certain death. Estel flung herself towards the nearest wall and was engulfed by a great clound of dust: the floor and parts of the cieling had collapsed.

 

As the dust cleared, a huge crater in the Great Hall's floor was exposed. Rumours ran rampid amongst the Sisters still standing in wonderment but two things were for certain; the young man had fallen through that whole and so had the Amyrlin and the Keeper.

[Muirenn]

Muirenn was in her rooms working on some of her reports when it began. She heard a boom as of thunder, which was completely wrong. She had been sensing a storm about to break for days, but today was completely clear. No. It must be another type of storm. She groaned, cursing again that her Talent did not differentiate between storms of emotion and those of the more mundane variety. And then the wave hit. Panic. Fear. Anger. She stood quickly and almost fell, her knees wanting to buckle from the weight of it all. And then she heard the voice. She knew that voice. Had confronted it's owner once before. Muirenn took herself in hand and force herself to stand upright, embracing saidar as she did so. The White Tower was hers! She would show this interloper what it meant to tread on her territory.

 

Downstairs, something was very wrong, and Muirenn would do something about it. She ran out of her rooms, calling the Red Ajah to arms, letting some of her Aes Sedai dignity slip of necessity. She had dealt with male channelers before, she was confident that such would be done now. But she had to be swift. Spotting a few Reds peeking out of their doors, Muirenn snapped at them, "Link with me! Now! There is no time to waste!" The two young sisters did so, Muirenn noted that they were two of the most newly raised, this would likely be their first encounter with a man who could channel. Hopefully not their last. She pushed that last thought out of her head as she continued into the hallways. Thirteen. She must have thirteen. Likely it could be done with less, but there was no room for error here. She could feel the cresting waves of panic and struggled to keep herself upright. No, it must be thirteen.

 

She pulled every sister she encountered into the link, mostly Reds, but there were others, Yellows, Grays, Browns, even a Blue and an older Accepted. She hated that last. But there really was not a moment to spare. It had been mere minutes before the link had been completed, but minutes could mean the difference between life and death for all those below. When she had the thirteen, she began to weave, and a shimmering silver line appeared in the air, rotating slowly to form a gateway. It opened onto a side hallway just off the entry hall of the White Tower. It opened into chaos.

 

She ushered the twelve others through quickly, each knowing what they must do. A Red and a Blue each holding a hand of the Accepted, murmering into her ears, calming her fears. It was a scene that would never have happened under normal circumstances. Perhaps never would again. Muirenn stepped through and allowed the gateway to snap shut again. She was just in time to see the center of the great hall collapse, taking with it the dreadlord Caladesh along with the Amyrlin and Keeper. Muirenn hiked up her skirts, and pushed through the crowd, calling for the circle to follow as best they could. She finally reached the edge of the chasm and began to weave, praying that it would be enough. She would show him. Whatever else happened, she would show him.

 

-Muirenn Lina Alianin

Sitter for the Red Ajah

[Guest Arie Ronshor]

The last that linked to her snapped. And even with the added weave from Jaydena Sedai, Maegan could not hold it for much longer. The floor would fall, all around the Hall, leaving only the doors intact. One step into to the door and they would be taking a fall into the cellars.

 

She had to move, she had to get back, or else when she lost consousness and released her weave, she would fall down into the pit with the rest that fell in. Crawling back, she reached the doorway just as Muirenn and her team were linked. Maegan's touch with the power was only haning by a thread. Holding her arm out to halut the crowd, she leaned her head on the door frame, closing here eyes. Releasing the weave in the floor, everything collapsed. Tattered, ruised, and broken, her hair badely singed from the Grenade, meagen gave into the darkness, allowing the sweetness of it to carry her away from the horror that she wished her eyes had never seen.

 

 

 

Maegan

A 'nearly' burnt out

[silhouette]

The Grove was silent except for the sound of lathe clashing against lathe. Lathes locked and twined, twisted. A grin flashed on her face as she saw an opening and used it. Turn away, rotate, thrust. She let out a cheerful laugh when her lathe struck her opponent square in the chest, causing him to stumble back a few steps. Despite his loss, there was a merry twinkle in Alden’s eye, that told Rosheen her old mentor was still ecstatic about the fact that a student of his could beat him in a fair fight. “I’d like to see you try that with your naginata.†He said, laughing. It wouldn’t matter much. She could take him with the naginata as well. Seeing Alden there, panting slightly and touching the sore spot in his chest sent a pang of regret through Rosheen. She had strived to best him for years, and now that it had finally happened… well… it still felt strange. As if a part of her life’s goal was fulfilled.

 

He gave her a nudge, as if he knew what she was thinking. After training with him for ten years, Rosheen was quite sure he knew precisely that. Ten years… It was an impressive feat. Ten years, and she had attained the rank of Blade master. He had been so proud of her. The way she imagined her father would be proud, if he heard. He glanced at the sun, seeing it was well past the time they should have been back at the yards. There were other trainees to attend to, after all. She mused for a moment on the progress of the trainees she had under her wing. Perhaps some of them would reach the rank of Tower Guard soon. She smiled at the thought. Perhaps some would even bond soon.

 

That directed her thoughts to her own upcoming bond. Lyanna. Alden nudged her again, this time knowing exactly what she was thinking. “You’re a Blademaster now.†He said. She nodded, her mind on the promise she had made. When Tarmon Gaidon came, she would be there, standing at the brunt of it with Lyanna al’Ellisande. Perhaps now was as good a time as any to make that promise a little more official though. “That I am.†She replied to Alden, picking up the cloak she had discarded in favour of a spar. They walked back to the tower grounds in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

 

At first it seemed as though nothing was wrong. As if it was just an ordinary day in Tar Valon. Yet the closer to the White Tower they came, the stranger things got. There was an air of anticipation, lingering in the streets. Merchants were almost quiet, and no maid lingered outside longer than she should. Each and every soul out on the streets glanced at the White Tower with a hint of fear in their eyes. And that was odd, for this was Tar Valon, and in Tar Valon people had faith in the White Tower. People took pride in the White Tower. And yet today it seemed as though people felt a snake resided there. A great poisonous snake, ready to lash out at the world. “Something is wrong.†Rosheen said, walking just a little faster. Alden grunted something, but he didn’t fall behind.

 

By the time the first screams reached them they were both running, Alden matching Rosheen’s stride for stride, as if he didn’t feel his age in his bones. Perhaps he didn’t. Wrapped tightly in the spring, Rosheen was aware of her mentor the way she was aware of everything. Servants of the White Tower, running away from it. Novices, running away from it. A few Tower Guards and Warders rushing towards it. A chill clasped around Rosheen’s heart, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t push it back in the void. Lyanna… no! her heart pounded in her chest, but she did not slow, not until she crashed into a panicking Novice, sending them both sprawling.

 

As she picked herself up, Alden was already there to help the Novice stand. The girl’s eyes were wide with fear and shock, and yet there was something about her that told Rosheen that the girl simply didn’t believe what she had seen. Her blood was rushing in her ears, making sure she barely heard Ask his questions. Only her answers were clear. A male channeller gone mad within the White Tower. Nothing like she’d ever seen or heard before, so powerful. Rosheen inhaled sharply, thinking of the damage he could do. “…Dozens are dead already.†The girl ended with a sob. Rosheen stopped breathing for a moment as she looked at Alden. Dozens dead. No! Without another word they ran, side by side as equals, pushing through the crowd to reach the White Tower on time.

 

Finally they reached the steps that lead to the petitioners hall. Screams reached her ears, and shouts. “FORWARD TH BATTLE AJAH!†she heard the familiar voice of Sirayn Sedai reach her, enhanced by Saidar. Too far away. Everything was too far away as she pushed past Novices, Accepted and Aes Sedai alike, desperately needing to be there, in the thick of it, where she knew Lyanna would be. She knew. A Battle sister in her heart and soul, she would be there, by Lanfir’s side. Rosheen closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back the panic that filled her. The spring was a mere hint of what it should be, fear for the life of her promised reigning over it. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, her eyes on a statue. Only it was not a statue, it was an Aes Sedai trapped in stone, suffocated and crushed by the stone. By the stone woman’s side a warder lay, his glazy eyes open and staring past the ceiling above them. “Not Lyanna.†She breathed, too worried still for it to be a breath of relief.

 

She had stopped no more than a moment. No more, and yet it was too long. The ground beneath her feet shook, sending her to the ground. She saw Alden go down next to her, where he had stood watching the same Aes Sedai. When Rosheen lifted her head again she saw the source of the shaking. The floor had fallen through. The White Tower shook still as the dust settled. Cries reached her ears as people realised what was going on. In a flash she saw Sylandia rush off somewhere, probably in search of a way to reach Lanfir. Voices reached her, telling her the Amyrlin was down there, with the madman. Down where the floor had fallen. Rosheen felt the strength seeping from her limbs. Down there, but she would not have to face him alone. Lyanna would be there. She crawled to her feet again, pushing Alden away as he tried to stop her. “Lyanna! No!†she shouted, knowing that her cry went unheard, swallowed by the cries of the Aes Sedai gathered at the edge of the hole. Rosheen tried to move to the edge as well, perhaps to leap down from it. “Move!†she shouted, but it was no use. There was no way to get down there on time.

 

Somewhere from within the depth of the gap she could hear a cry, as clearly as though it was uttered right beside her ear. “SYL!†That cry sent Rosheen to her knees again. Sylandia had found a way down. Syl was where she was meant to be, fighting for her bondmate. Then why couldn’t she find a way? “It’s no use.†Alden’s voice was filled with sadness, as if he knew… No…

 

 

ooc: addition from Rosheen. Couldn't just have her be 'away' somewhere.