Heehee. I even got the old Namandar RP up now, thanks to Jaydena. I'm good at bringing back old memories, I think, LOL

Jagen shook her head. Her brows knitted as she spoke, "They take their losses, supposedly. If a man dies because he drew too much, or he made a mistake and hurt himself, they... my understanding, it is they just accept the loss and move on, whether he burnt himself out or died as a result." That she had learned from word of mouth. "Admittedly, this was not something I asked first hand, but we should make a point to verify it."

 

"Still... their only requirement seems to be 'Can you destroy things with these Weaves, and do you have control?'" She shook her head, beaded braids clicking.  After she took a few swallows of the tea, she answered, "In a couple of days, perhaps a few; that is when we shall go. Enough time to gather a few other sisters. In any case, I plan on going whether it's just a few of us, or a dozen." She grinned. "Maybe not a dozen at once. But you understand my meaning, yes?"

This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9 is the Last]

 

Homecoming (Nam)

Players- Lannie Sedai, Lyanna Sedai, Taya Sedai, Sirayn Sedai, Arette Sedai

Posted on Jan. 29, 2003

Link: http://www.dragonmount.com/psw/boards/viewtopic.php?t=4212

OOC: this is at the return from Namandar.

IC: On the day that Lanfir Leah Marithsen returned to the city of Tar Valon, the sun was shining in an ice blue sky. The sunlight was sharp and silver, making the White Tower gleam as brightly like a precious jewel. The light also shimmered on the houses below, brightening their brilliant colors until Lanfir felt her heart would burst at the sight of this sheer beauty. This was exactly how she had kept the city in her heart, and deep down inside she had prayed to the Creator that she would return to Tar Valon on a day of sunshine and beauty.

And today she did. Lanfir held her mare in and just looked at Tar Valon, not even trying to blink the tears away. She was home. Home at last. And today of all of this days after so much rain and bad weather, the Light was blessing her by illuminating her path back to the White Tower. It had to be a sign.

The rest of the travelling party was still behind her. Impatient as she was, she had left the wagons and galloped forward to have a moment alone when she would see Tar Valon again. She had not seen it in over a century, and it was as glorious as she had ever dreamed.

The contrast with her last return to Tar Valon could not be greater. On that day, over a century ago, she had returned from Fal Dara with inner wounds and a sense of failure that she thought would never heal. It had been a sharp reminder of the naive Green Sister that had left - still thinking she had the world at her feet and hoping of a glorious return to the Tower after a delivering a devastating defeat to the Shadow. But on the day of that return, it had been drizzling with rain and the day seemed shrouded in an eternal twilight. As a young girl, she had dreamed of cheering masses welcoming her home, but there had been none to greet her but the rain that day. It had broken what was left of her heart into a million pieces.

Now it only seemed that the glorious return had just been postponed. Lanfir was older and wiser, so she was not foolishly hoping for the love of the masses and their cheering and whistling with glee at her return, but the precious jewel that was the fabled city of Tar Valon was glorious enough by itself.

She heard Taya's horse whinney behind her, but paid no attention to that for now. This was her moment... it would pass soon enough.

"Hello Tar Valon," she whispered with a voice that was thick with emotion. "Your lost child has returned home..."


~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Green Ajah

***********************************

It was a moment of great power as Taya rode up to have her first view in a long time of the great city of Tar Valon. The day was so splendid it took her breath away. All she could do for a moment was sit her horse and stare. The awe and joy she felt at this sight were contained securely within. Outwardly she was as calm and collected as ever. Well, as I always am on a good day, anyway, she thought wryly, recalling that in recent months she'd had quite a few bad days. But I am home now...and how different it is to what I expected when I left.

The Namandar expedition had led to the uncovering of several great treasures. No doubt the Browns, and even some Greens, believed the lost city to be the greatest treasure of all. But Taya had a hard time comparing it favourably in value to the woman sitting on a horse just ahead of her, and the other riding somewhere behind. Two lost Greens now recovered, and on their way back to the Tower they had left so long ago. It must be especially strange for Lanfir to be standing here, beholding the city after more than one hundred years away. But Lanfir didn't seem disturbed. She seemed taken aback, deeply moved...but happy.

Then old and bitter memories do not swarm in and consume her, Taya thought as she turned her attention to Lanfir's back, her curly blonde hair lifting in the slight breeze, her horse shifting gently beneath her. She is truly at peace with past events. And shouldn't we all be? It has been long enough!

Taya did feel peaceful at this moment. But she knew that even the most distant experiences had the tendency to come back and bite her. She didn't know why, only knew that she sometimes felt like she had missed the lesson where Aes Sedai learned to grow wise and all-knowing.

It didn't matter to Taya presently. She was too happy to be home to dwell on what moods might take her in the future.

Taya heard Lanfir whisper something, but couldn't make it out. Perhaps if she'd been embracing saidar she would have picked up on it. But she didn't really need to hear the woman's exact words. She gave Lanfir a few moments more, and meet her grey gaze as swung around. "We are nearly there, my friend," Taya said softly. "Why stop now?"

And she rode forward and past Lanfir, heading down the gentle slope towards the bejewelled spectacle of a city below. She too had come home, and she didn't feel too eager to leave again anytime soon.


Taya Sedai
Bonded to Old Man Eos

****************************

: : : : Failure. Every breath she took was tainted with it, her sleeping haunted with it, her bleak mood stained with it. Its icy tendrils had filtered into her heart and left her cold inside and out. She wiped dust from her face with an unsteady hand and found her cheek as chill and pale as marble; she willed her countenance to adopt a likewise still, imperturbable expression, but her mouth was set tight and hard and she guessed her expression was austere and forbidding rather than calm. It matched her mood more closely. Inside she was numb and frozen; the mechanical part of her mind prepared her report and gathered her strength for the impending confrontation with Arette and Karana, delegated tasks to various lieutenants, carefully constructed a wall round her grief and anger- and looked vainly for excuses. She had handled every accident and incident along the route with calm and confidence. She had recovered many valuable treasures from Namandar. She had showed true skill with her strategy during the battle. She had commanded the earthquake as other Aes Sedai could only dream of and saved the lives of everyone present.

: : : : Logically Sirayn understood this to be true. But her heart still cried out in grief and guilt for losing the city. My responsibility. My charge. My fault. She felt bruised and battered both inside and out. She felt like a complete failure. As a leader, a warrior and a sister, she had failed spectacularly, the shooting star crashed to earth once more. Any of her counterparts could have done a better job. And it was hard to sit still while they patted her on the shoulder and commiserated and said how well she’d done, and spoke of how they owed their lives to her … didn’t they all know that Taya or Raeyn should have taken her place? Sirayn didn’t want to even think about Lanfir. Though damn, there she’d gone and done it again. Despite the fact that for a week she hadn’t been able to look at Lanfir without a smile she couldn’t resist and touching her ribs ruefully where she had punched the older sister but good, Lanfir would have been ten times better. She should have handed over as soon as they reached Tanchico. Perhaps Lanfir could have saved the city. Perhaps anyone but she could have managed it.

: : : : Sirayn had been riding silently for a long time. She thought she’d been riding with head bowed and shoulders slumped never daring to look up for months and it felt like the party’s cares all rested on her. She would gladly have shouldered all the weight of the world for Taya and Lanfir but fortunately enough they didn’t know it. Seiaman rode at her left hand, Losyn at her right, while other Aes Sedai rode in loose formation with their Warders and Tower Guards close by. The wagons rolled along at the rear of the party flanked by a small guard. The brilliant weather and proximity of Tar Valon had lightened the subdued mood enough for several conversations to break out and to all intents and purposes, it was a contented party Sirayn was bringing home. Except for her. Her mood was so heavy and dark she couldn’t remember ever being happy … and with a small shock she realised that she had never been genuinely happy since the year of her raising. And that was long past. What had she been doing during those intervening years? Not truly living. Merely surviving and trying to fulfil what was expected of her while supporting everyone who needed her. Somewhere along the line she had forgotten what it was like to be happy. No wonder Lanfir would have been better. You can’t even sort out your own life, let alone sort out everyone else’s.

: : : : The sound of hooves drew her out of her thoughts and Sirayn glanced up to see the object of her considerations gallop on ahead. Taya gave her a moment and went on after her. Sirayn realised that they were very close to Tar Valon and that Lanfir would get her first sight of the White Tower in several decades. And isn’t the weather perfect for it? Sirayn thought, half bitterly. This was Lanfir’s moment, not hers, and as she watched Lanfir and Taya ride ahead, she felt the disappointment keenly. It should have been a glorious homecoming for her as the leader of a triumphant party bearing great treasures for the Amyrlin’s pleasure. Instead she was left sitting here watching. On an impulse Sirayn urged her horse ahead and rode after them, drawing up right behind Taya and Lanfir as they gazed down at the city. Looking at them Sirayn felt like the ghost at a funeral. She was black to their white, shadow to their light, defeated to their triumphant and she had rarely felt more out of place. One glance at the glory of Tar Valon glittering in the sunshine and her grief broke loose. Her eyes stung and her throat tightened, and she clenched one hand into a fist and cursed softly, fighting back her grief and fury. And no, she would not cry. Not here. Not now. Not in front of them. But if she had a life to give in exchange for all that had been lost in Namandar beneath the ground, she would … but the one she possessed was sworn over to the Battle Ajah and not hers to waste.

 

~ Sirayn ~

**********************

Grief crashed down on her as a waterfall to a small pebble. This trip, this light forsaken trip had taken her heart and ripped it wholly out of her chest. She had thought that Ebou Dar was bad, oh no Ebou Dar was a pittance compared to this. For she had lost a promised in Ebou Dar, but she still lived yes she still lived. Her warder dead, perished in the depths of the city lost. A love rediscovered yet she was unable to accept that love or return it the way it deserved. She had lost Jared and what did she have to show for it, absolutely nothing. A few pittance of Angreal that had been found, when they should have had a treasure house full.

Jade glanced up and saw the tower in the distance, she sneered, unable to stop the look from crossing her face. Why do I have to deal with this curse, why couldn't I just be dead, I should have perished in that dome with my warder. Why oh why am I still alive while he lays shrouded under dirt outside Namandar. She looked in front of her and saw that Sirayn, Lanfir, and Taya all sat on their steeds staring at the tower in the distance. She wondered at each woman's thoughts and sent reassurance through the bond as she felt the concern coming through it. She almost must turned around and smiled but decided to ride up toward the other woman.

She rode her horse forward and came to breast with Sirayn, she saw the concerned look cross her friends face and she realized that she must not be concealing her hurt as well as she thought. Jade squeezed her friends hand on the reins and then straightened her backbone, sucking in the pain and plastering the Aes Sedai calm onto her face. This look had become harder and harder to manage over the months. She thought back to her collapse after the attack and the death of her gaidin. Strength had gotten her back to the camp and into her tent. The pain had crashed in on her and she had been incoherent for days. Seia was a constant companion in her tent, trying to get her to eat, so sleep, to wash. Nothing had seemed to matter and her gaidin had watched her with concern and protectiveness. Jade returned to the present day and glanced at the woman near her, What would the future bring for each of them, what hurt and joy would each of them experience. She turned her face away from them and gazed up at the tower...

Jaydena Sedai

*********************

There it was. The Shining Walls of Tar Valon. She didn't know where she had read that, but oh, the words were so well chosen, particularly on this day. The sun shone on the walls and the all encompassing Tower ahead, and made them shine as if they were made of mother-of-pearl. It took Lyanna's breath away. Up in the distance, Taya and Lanfir stood, horses abreast, taking in the view. She could only guess what Lanfir was feeling after havind been away for a century. Lanfir returned home, the woman who had lost everything was left behind in the ashes of Namandar and the slate had been wiped clean.

I wonder what the future will bring her. What the Tower will bring her, Lyanna wondered silently. Lanfir would walk in there, a living Legend who's portrait decorated the walls in more than one place. She would encounter Sisters whom she had never met, but whom would instantly recognize her. I walk in her shadow always, Lyanna thought to herself, but without bitterness. She wasn't sure whether she would ever want to be in Lanfir's shoes. Lanfir had a way to go, she would be a rising star within the Tower, Lyanna was sure of that.

And yet, she herself had been welcomed back into the Ajah like another Legend walking. Lyanna didn't really know what to think of that. Yes, she had been away from the Tower long, but not nearly as long as Lanfir. Yes, they had presumed her dead and now she seemed arisen. But she had never been a battle leader or a general. She was exceptional with Fire, and a true veteran by this time, but so many Sedai had been that before her. I hope they will get used to seeing my face in the halls again, she mused. Now that I am back, I want to make a difference. I want to give my soul and my whole livelihood to this place that will always accept me, no matter where I have been and how I have fared. I must find a way to pay the Mother back.

The Tower. The Future. What would it bring her? They brought news of a mission that had not succeeded, yet not failed either. Sirayn seemed torn by inner turmoil, as if Namandar's dome had crashed down upon her instead of upon numerous shadowspawn and the withered corpse of one of their beloved Sisters. She had not failed, instead had saved many lives, yet it didn't seem to register. The woman seemed intent of considering herself responsible for everything amiss in the world. And Jade, oh poor Jade. The loss of a Warder was devastating and some Sisters had been known to loose their minds. Hells, it had brought her to the bottle. And even now that she was Healed, and another bond filled up her mind - thank the Light for Lukas, even though he had almost managed to get himself killed in this very first battle - she felt the void where Mikalen had been. Jared lay buried outside Namandar, but Jade would always carry him with her. A long life was a blessing, but could be a curse as well.

Lyanna spurred on her horse, and left the rest of the party behind her in a whirl of dust. While Taya and Lanfir sped down towards the city, she overtook them and moved her horse in unison with them. The three of them galloped towards one of the bridges which spanned the Erinin like petrified froth. It looked delicate, but it held them with ease as they thundered across it, towards the great bronze gates that seemed to be beckoning. They were home.


Lyanna al'Ellisande
Battle Sister returned
Bonded to Lukas Talinko

***************************

It had been a perfectly ordinary day for Arette. She had been doing the paper work of the Tower as always and for a first time in a long while, her thoughts got to sidetracks. The last parchment she had been eyeing was a report of the servant in charge of the neatness of the Green Ajah quarters.

Those Greens... Arette had been in surprisingly good mood for a long time since the Hall had approved the new Law she had arranged to be brought before the Sitters after the representatives of the Greens had barged off to Namandar. She wished everything good for the party as a city dating from times of Age of Legends was the discovery of the Age. She wasn't petty enough to pray for failure of Greens when it would endanger reaching a goal like that. And the Brawlers had already got what they deserved.

Name the evil and it appeared. Her door was knocked respectfully and a Tower Guard entered at her call. The young man was wise enough to not waste her time but went straight to business.

"Arette Sedai, as you requested, the Guards of the main gate now report of the return of the Namandar party."

The Brown was greatly tempted to rush to Raeyn immediately to hear all about the wonders they had uncovered but she was the Keeper of the Chronicles and Sirayn would come to give her report to Mother as soon as possible. She was needed then. She dismissed the Guard and went to find Karana wishing that she would not bump into the Battle Ajah's Sitters. Surely the Greens left to the Tower had rushed to them by now to carry the tale of what had happened since Arette had got a word of their return too. And she had no desire to get into any confrontation until she had heard what all had been found from Namandar.

Arette Nenatiar
Keeper of the Chronicles
Raised from the Brown Ajah
Vindictive as an Erinyi

***************************

OOC: Dude, that is so cool *bursts into sentimental tears*

IC: Taya couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so exhilarated. The wind streamed through her hair, and she was tempted to close her eyes but for the fact that she had to keep directing her horse. She breathed in the morning scents and inhaled the fresh air – it burned her throat with its force. Her two companions might even have thought they heard a faint tinkling of laughter from her as she flew down the hill on horseback. She rode like the wind with her sisters beside her, and with Tar Valon and the Tower in her sights. She came back to life.

They crossed the Erinin and entered the city, by that time having slowed to a trot so that they could greet the guards. Once inside they maintained their slow pace, giving themselves the chance to talk if they so wished. The exhilaration had passed, at least for Taya, and been replaced by a contemplativeness that was almost peaceful. They nodded to the odd sister who passed them by, seeing looks of recognition in some of those faces. They hadn’t been gone all that long, but their mission had been of crucial importance, and well publicised. There was certainly no fanfare to greet them, but since when had the world seen Aes Sedai as worthy of an army’s reception? Even if we are their greatest hope, they haven’t realised it yet, Taya mused calmly as she turned a corner still abreast of her two sisters. Even if they’ll be doomed without us, when Tarmon Gai’don descends, many of us may not live through that battle to receive the recognition they might in hindsight want to give us.

“But that is okay,” Taya whispered as she patted her horse’s glistening neck gently, “for I will die not knowing.” It wasn’t precisely a comforting thought, merely a branch of logic she sometimes ventured down. No matter which Ajah you joined, you were bound to be logical now and then at Taya’s age.

“Did you say something?” Lyanna asked, her familiar voice bringing instant warmth to Taya’s heart. Taya turned to smile at her, and shook her head. “Well, yes I did,” she explained, “But nothing important.” She regarded her friends for a moment before adding, “Yet in fact I do have something I want to say.”

She kept her horse at its relaxed pace and continued to glance now and then ahead of her while addressing her sisters. She kept her tone so soft that only they would hear. “Welcome home, both of you. You have each waited so long…one rather longer than the other…” She smiled mischievously at Lanfir, who returned the smile with her eyes. “…But you are finally here again. I cannot say how proud I am to be here with you, to be your sister. I know I have said it before, in the past…but it remains true.”

And with her piece said, and rather long-windedly compared to how she had usually been speaking of late, Taya fell silent.

Taya Sedai

********************

Tar Valon had not changed much. Some streets were subtly different from what Lanfir remembered and some shops and buildings were gone or replaced, but the feeling of the great city remained much the same as she rode through it.

Deep down inside, she could not stop comparing this glorious day to that other return from that other mission - another battle fought to a draw, but this time she saw where they had won, and this time they had come home with a prize. Judging from the tight look and Sirayn's tension she did not think of it that way, and poor Jaydena had lost her warder, but they had fulfilled their mission and they could return with raised heads and their pride still intact.

She made a mental note to herself to offer Sirayn her services if she'd need some advice in breaking the news of the mission to the new Amyrlin. Karana Majin, the Amyrlin Seat. She had been saddened to hear of Kathana's death, but she had known Karana from many meetings in the Hall and knew her to be able and cunning enough for the job. She wondered if she should present herself to the Amyrlin. She probably should pay the Keeper a visit, just to make sure she wasn't listed as 'dead' or 'missing in action' anymore in the Chronicles.

Before her, Lyanna and Taya were exchanging some words. It felt right, to see them there on their horses, the sunlight gleaming on their hair and looking a bit travel-weary, but content. But most of all, to see them together. Lanfir guided her horse next to them when the broadness of the street allowed her to. Lyanna was just asking Taya what she had said.

"In fact I do have something I want to say," Taya told her, extending her smile to Lanfir as well. "Welcome home, both of you. You have each waited so long…one rather longer than the other…" She shot Lanfir one of her well-known trademarked grins that reminded her of the young woman Taya once had been. "...But you are finally here again. I cannot say how proud I am to be here with you, to be your sister. I know I have said it before, in the past...but it remains true."

"It's good to be home, Taya," Lanfir smiled back. "I can't wait to set foot back in the Green Quarters again, and truly be an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah again."

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
Finally home.

***********************

She watched dully as Taya, Lanfir, and Lyanna went galloping over the bridges and into the city of Tar Valon. Turning her eyes to Sirayn's she could help but roll her eyes at their actions. Nodding at Sirayn they urged their horses into a walk. A much more Aes Sedai like gait, and headed into the city they had been gone from for many months. Glancing back she saw Corbin and Coran riding right behind her. Corbin kept Jared's QS at his side, they had decided as a group to give the weapon to Jared's best friend Terren. She was just sad that they hadn't been able to bring Jared's body back to the tower for burial. Yet she wasn't the only one who had lost someone in that fight and all those bodies had been buried in the soil outside the ruined city.

Increasing her speed in her urge to get back to her rooms and just die, she rode across the bridge and saw the three woman stopped in front of them. Taya was talking to the two sisters and she wore a large smile on her face as she turned to look at each of them. She glanced over at Sirayn and shook her head at the crazy antics of her fellow sitter these last months. They had much time discussing if the sister had gone crazy or something, both of them hoped she hadn't, but then it wouldn't be the first time a Green had lost their mind. No one ever said that their duty was easy and woman had been known to just loose their mind, these woman were quickly retired to someplace away from the tower. Then there were those that just faded out slowly. She nodded sadly and then approached the other woman in the party...

Jaydena Sedai

**********************

Lanfir's answer only served to warm the day further. Taya's smile faded however as she spotted Jaydena drawing nearer. The woman was sallow-faced and downtrodden, in spite of the Aes Sedai serenity she clung to with determination. No wonder, after the losses she had suffered - they all had. Taya did not feel guilty for the moments of happiness she'd experienced today, however. After all the losses she had suffered, all the hard work she'd put into her Ajah, she deserved a little peace of mind now and then.

She wasn't insensitive enough to flaunt her happiness as Jaydena approached though. She smiled faintly, sadly, and turned her horse away to face the White Tower in the distance. She moved at a far more sedate pace now, knowing that the rest of the party would soon catch up. There were times for celebration and a smile, and then there were times for getting back to business. This was one such time.

Taya shivered inwardly at the thought of the amount of paperwork that might await her when she returned to her office after all this time away.

OOC: muahaha...poor ole Taya has more of a surprise than that in store *G* She's gonna be SO mad!

Taya

***************************

 

This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6] [Link 7]

 

Aftermath: Confrontation

Players: Jaydena Sedai, Lanfir Sedai, and Sirayn Sedai

 

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 6:19 am

Having managed a tavern for a while, it was really strange to stay over in an Inn. Naturally, there were differences between the two sorts of establishments, but there was a bar downstairs and seeing how the place was managed was enough to make her heart ache for the Green Nature. She missed her tavern terribly today.

The fact that she was still hyped up after the showdown in Namandar did not help much either. She was still buzzing on adrenaline – night rest had not done much to make that particular feeling go away. In a way, it was lovely to be in battle again. It had been horrible, terrible, awful, but she had survived and so had her friends – and for that she was grateful. It made her feel alive. And for now, that should be enough. Except that it wasn’t. Because Namandar was lost.

Lanfir was moping through the hallway that connected the rooms on the first floor, where the Aes Sedai had rented their rooms. She needed to talk to someone, but most of the Aes Sedai were out in the village or doing something downstairs. She did not feel like going downstairs, so she turned to the first door that came before her feet. Sirayn’s door. Well, she might as well say hi to the young green. She had been the leader of this mission and she had not been able to save the city as she had intended to do. Sirayn could probably use some friendly words…. Cringing, she remembered herself on the boat back to Tar Valon after the siege of Fal Dara. She had been a wreck. If it had not been for Taya and Lyanna – no, let’s not pursue *that* thought. She stood before the oaken door and ran her hands through her hair. Her braids were itching after the battle. Perhaps she should take them out soon; after all, she wasn’t in Tarabon anymore.

After her much-needed bath, she had dressed in a simple shirt and skirts that she had often worn as the owner of the Green Nature: black skirts and a white, sleeveless and cotton shirt that was mostly very comfortable. Well, she looked presentable enough. She knocked three times and then opened the door. “Hello Sirayn,” she greeted the young Green, who was sitting on a chair before the window. “I was wondering if you needed something.”

“I don’t need anything,” the dark haired Aes Sedai said sharply, without even bothering to look at her.

Oh, she was definitely having a hard time. Lanfir could tell from the strain in the woman’s shoulders and the empty look on her face. She knew that look too well. Her heart was bleeding. “You look troubled. Perhaps I can help?”


~Lanfir Sedai
Greenie

 

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 2:58 pm

: : : : Sirayn stared blankly out of the window. The verdant glade outside held no solace for her weary eyes, and the filtered sunlight spilling through the glass dappled her face, but gave no warmth, as though the sun itself had withdrawn its comforting arms in vengeance. She felt empty, numb. Someone had ripped out her heart and her strength and left only a gaping hole in its wake. Bowing her head Sirayn rested her eyes on the pattern of ugly scars on her hands and wrists and searched desperately for something, anything to occupy her tired and wandering mind. But it was not to be. Every time she closed her eyes an array of vivid scenes played across the back of her eyelids.

: : : : The shattering thunder, the explosion of gritty smoke and dust as the ground collapsed in upon the greatest treasure of ages past. The way the Dreadlord’s face distorted grotesquely as Sirayn twisted her fingers in his hair and sliced away his scalp as a trophy. Raisa’s shriek, so high and rending Sirayn still heard a faint echo ringing in her ears, as she fell to her knees and sobbed in the midst of battle. The crashing realization that in a careless fury she had killed another sister. Sirayn shut her eyes tight, forcing back a welter of pictures and memories as she struggled to find some peace. It should never have been me, she wanted to wail desperately. I was too young, I wasn’t good enough, I couldn’t do it. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to unwind the Wheel of Time and stay down in the dark as the ceiling collapsed with a thunderous din and obliterated all her thoughts forever.

: : : : The first knock at the door skittered over the outskirts of her tortured thoughts. The second penetrated deeper and Sirayn half lifted her head, imposing a mask of empty rigidity over her face. The third heralded the appearance of one of the very last women Sirayn wanted to see. The great, victorious, beloved, oh so perfect Lanfir Leah Marithsen. Lanfir, who could have eased Sirayn’s path into sisterhood. Lanfir, who could have kept alive Sirayn’s dying belief in friendship and love. Lanfir, who could have borne this burden in Sirayn’s place. It should have been you, Sirayn thought with the first smoulder of resentment. You were made for this, not me. And yet she drifted back into that first meeting, heard Seiaman’s voice - Join them. You were born to be their leader. But not like this! Not like this, Sirayn wailed silently, desperately. It had gone so terribly wrong. Somewhere along the line, the friendly, feisty little novice had become a cataclysmic failure: as a friend, as a leader, as a sister. She wished she had the final austere resolve to confess her crimes and ask Lanfir to end it all here and now. But she did not. She had a duty to fulfil, and as much as Sirayn wanted that oblivion, she would not fail this final obligation.

: : : : “Hello, Sirayn,” Lanfir greeted her in a friendly tone. It grated against Sirayn’s hearing. Lanfir should have shouted, screamed, accused her. She could have dealt with blame and the pointing of fingers; a more subtle and seemingly pleasant form of indictment left her uncertain and helpless. “I was wondering if you needed anything?” Peace, perhaps. Absolution. To turn back the Wheel of Time and undo everything that had crashed to dust under the great dome of Namandar. Nobody could forgive her but the dead, and even they could not wind back time, so she would have to survive. “I don’t need anything,” Sirayn snapped. “You look troubled,” Lanfir said gently, almost sympathetically. “Maybe I can help?”

: : : : Sirayn felt a familiar crackle of anger spark inside her. It warmed her, filled a little of the space. She didn’t need Lanfir’s pity! She needed nothing this living legend could give her. Her mistakes were her own, her failure had potentially damned the world but she would deal with that guilt alone and in her own way. “Not everyone is as bloody perfect as you, Lanfir,” Sirayn sneered, “but we can survive!” Her tone was outright vicious and Lanfir looked fractionally startled before retaliating, “Perfect? Did I ever say I was? What is bloody wrong with you? I was just trying to help you out!” Sirayn was moving onto safer ground with each word flung in anger. She had spent almost her entire sisterhood screaming at people or being screamed at for various reasons, and the art of the phrase crafted in spite was well within her bounds now. “It may surprise you, Lanfir, but not everyone needs your help!”

: : : : “I’m glad you don’t need my help,” Lanfir gave back coldly. “I’m also glad you know my name so well - is there any particular reason you're stressing it so much?” Sirayn smiled a slow cold smile. Lanfir was digging herself deeper with every word. Sirayn could match anyone in a verbal battle of wills and perhaps hurting someone would make up for the dreadful loss of Namandar. “I wonder where you'd be without your name Lanfir. It seems to open many doors. Well, it's a charm that doesn't work on me, it only casts a spell if I let it and I am sick and tired of plummeting to the ground in awe because of your name. Take it somewhere else.” Along with the rest of her, Sirayn prayed silently. Lanfir should by rights have been her Ajah head. It should have been Lanfir all the time! It should have been Lanfir sitting here grasping vainly for words to articulate her true feelings, finding none, and resorting to a vicious attempt to justify herself by other means. Maybe if she could drive Lanfir sobbing from this room it would prove that there was still something she could do. Even if that sole talent was as destructive as the rest of her.

: : : : Lanfir narrowed her eyes. The former Captain-General wore a forbidding aspect now but at least Sirayn didn’t have to worry about the guilt of hurting a fragile person. Lanfir was the perfect one here, the legend, the idol, she could take a lacerating attack without a qualm. “My name is not something I am proud of. The doors open because of my accomplishments, not because of my name. I had to fight for every bit of recognition that I receive now. I even had to fight harder because of my very name. Do not speak of things you do not know about.” Sirayn’s face darkened to a sudden snarl. Lanfir had Taya clinging to her skirts, everyone else lying eagerly at her feet, and she complained about it? “Oh yes, it must be hard, mustn't it? It's so awful having Taya collapse on her knees every time your name is mentioned. Perhaps you should change it so you don't have to put up with the unwashed masses paying homage to your name? After all, someone so far above us shouldn't have to deal with adulation!” Burn you Lanfir, Sirayn thought bitterly. It should have been you.

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Professional Killer

 

Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2004 5:55 pm

This was ridiculous, yet she could not fight the anger growing inside of her. Sometimes she was too passionate for her own good. It had been a long time since she had seriously spent her days psycho-analyzing the people around her, and it showed. It felt as if she had made a serious setback where it came to dealing with other human beings in the past century. She had been on her own for too long – she knew that. She knew that Sirayn’s anger was sparked by something else and that she was just trying to vent excess anger at the first unfortunate sod that would cross her path. And she was such an unfortunate sod right now, it appeared. Lanfir knew exactly what was happening here, but she could not control her emotions enough to avoid that storm that was about to break over their heads. She just could not. Her nerves were too ragged after everything that had happened in the buried city, and she had become too unpracticed in the fine art of arguing.

On top of that, the young Green was deftly pushing all of her buttons. But Lanfir had been Aes Sedai for much longer than Sirayn had been, and she had been insulted and taunted mercilessly by the children in the street when she was still young and living with Marisah. Lanfir hardly had entered this battle unarmed. But why does it have to be a battle? Sirayn is your sister-to-arms, foolish woman! she accused herself, but still she felt her anger rising.

As she heard the acid words that Sirayn flung in her face, she could not help responding just as acidly: "What in the name of the Light are you talking about? You know, you sound like you are jealous of the bond that Taya and I have. It's called friendship, Sirayn. Something you will never attain if you keep up this attitude."

It was a low shot, and it hit home just as hard as Sirayns verbal lashes. Lanfir could not help feeling a flash of satisfaction as Sirayns cheeks flushed abruptly as if she were offended. She probably was, considering her tone of voice. "I can stand up for myself; I don't need Taya to lick my feet! I'd like to see how YOU do without your slavish minions to back you up."

Another button. Light, how could this woman even say these words? Had she no respect? Taya was a Sitter, for crying out loud! She was the next in line for the position of Captain-General and Sirayn had to know it. But most of all, Taya was her friend. Sirayn simply had no right to speak this way. She felt her cheeks flush just as red as she spat: "Slavish minions? How can you even think so? You should be ashamed of yourself! I started out the same as you. I was born, I went to the Tower, and as EVERY Aes Sedai in history I had to fight for what I wanted. Taya is my friend for longer than you have lived. I would walk through fire for her. I will not allow a snot-nosed brat like you talk this way about her!"

Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Ajah

 

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 7:09 pm

: : : : Sirayn opened her mouth for an angry retort. She did have friends. Lwena, Jaydena, Jehanine -- Lwena whom she had brought into danger after danger, Jaydena whose lover she had stolen and never had the courage to face stilling to give Seiaman back, Jehanine whom Sirayn had loved as a sister and let go without doing all she should. She shold have clung to Jehanine like a conjoined twin, not walk away! What was she without Jehanine? What was she beside Jehanine? She was nothing and nothing was her. “Do you even believe what you're saying?” Sirayn shook her head coldly, “I've heard much talk of the vaunted Green Ajah comradeship, and I have never actually seen it. Nowhere.” A catch in her voice; “It doesn't exist Lanfir, this is all a lie!” She's starting to look upset now, not just angry but upset. “I've given my life for the Tower once already, and you know what it means? Nothing! It all means nothing Lanfir! You and Taya and Kaylan and Lyanna and everything, it's all just words, it means nothing!”

: : : : Lanfir was starting to look very angry indeed. “DON'T assume that you know anything about me or my friends. Taya and Lyanna have saved my life and my sanity on a few occasions... I would do anything for them, as they have done for me. I don't care that you don't believe in friendship or love, but DON'T assume it doesnt exist for others.”

: : : : “You may think so Lanfir, and I wish I could believe it too. But you're a fool for thinking it. Excuse my bluntness.” Sirayn's smile was very cold. “They will save their own flawless hides first. As would everyone else who wears the shawl. That's just the way we get programmed at the Tower, Lanfir, don't blame your so-called friends."

: : : : Lanfir shook her head. "You are confusing self-preservation and friendship. I have no illusions in that regard. It amuses me that you seem to think I do." She will pause for a moment. "And could you please spit out what the hell is wrong with my name? Is it too much to ask to address your sister in arms in a normal fashion?"

: : : : Sirayn was infuriated. Now the damn woman wasn’t even reacting. "You are NOT my sister in arms, and your name is... so oddly familiar to me that I confuse it sometimes with the name Lanfear." Sirayn smiled cruelly. "It's not deliberate by any chance, is it? Your family were particularly friendly with her servants?" And she smirked, hoping she’d struck deep.

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
... having learnt entirely too much from Seiaman, now being all-out vicious!

Suddenly the Wheel of Time seemed to spin back to a century ago – to a boat called the Riverdancer, and to two Aes Sedai facing eachother in much the same way as they were doing now. Lanfir had been younger than she was now, more unstable and hot-headed, but the woman facing her had been Ryell Jagad of all people. A Sitter of her Ajah, and not in her best of moments. She remembered her words as if Ryell had spoken them yesterday. The images were so clear as if someone had painted a life-like image of the scene. It had made an enormous impression on her. Ryell had been behaving outrageously, and they had been calling her to order. It had not worked.

The Sitter had balled her fists, her light-colored eyes burning with feverish intensity as she hissed: “I do NOT need advice about battle from a bunch of girls. Look at you! Half of you still think this is a crazy adventure. Peace shelter me, most of you have never even killed so much as a fly! And suddenly you believe you are capable of defeating an army of Shadowspawn? O please. It takes years before you get numb enough for that. I give most of you an hour in the battle, at very, very best. And DO NOT presume to say anything about me, Lanfir, or you Taya. I am in no way in need of advice from a Darkfriends daughter and daddys spoiled little princess.”

The red haze had crept over her vision much like it was doing now. Back then, only the fact that she was Aes Sedai and thus not allowed to use the One Power to kill, had been the only thing keeping her from obliterating Ryell. She had hit a sore spot with Lanfir, and deliberately.

Flashforward to today. Lanfir found herself staring in a face of a young Aes Sedai after her first mission, perhaps just as pained as Ryell had been before Fal Dara, and Lanfir had been afterwards. So she did not explode. Not quite yet. Because of Ryell.

So she wouldn’t comment on the sisters-in-arms jape that Sirayn Sedai had spat, but she answered in the only way she knew how: by retaliating. This had truly turned out to be a battle, and the similarity with the battle so long ago sent sharp stabs of pain through her heart.

But Sirayn had talked about Lanfir’s parents. The people that had conceived and named her, the people that had been Darkfriends and hanged by Whitecloaks on the central square in Whitebridge. She had never known her parents, but she had carried their curse with them for the rest of her life. And she didn’t even want to think about what she had seen of them during her testing for Accepted.

"So what if they were? What is it to you?” Lanfir hissed, desperately trying to fight down her red haze. “I'm sure YOUR parents were all high and mighty! They must have been the scum of the earth to produce an awful being like you!"

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
She who is pissed off

 

 

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:41 pm

: : : : “A high and mighty prostitute is an oxymoron!” Sirayn’s voice was a lash now, bitingly cold and angry. Lanfir was talking about her parents! Sirayn started it first, but still, nobody insulted her parents. "Am I right, Lanfear? I'm so sorry," Sirayn smiled sweetly, "I meant Lanfir. Am I right? Your parents were Darkfriends?”

: : : : “YES!" Lanfir burst out. She lashed out blindly catching Sirayn completely unbalanced and unprepared. Sirayn went down like a stone, her head ringing, and her first action was to give the imperative signal through the bond that Seiaman must absolutely definitely not come. “They were hanged when I was three! I don’t remember them but I carry their bloody BURDEN every lightforsaken DAY!"

: : : : Bloody hell. Lanfir had just punched her. Lanfir just her. Sirayn got dizzily to her knees, wiping her face, and saw that Lanfir looked about ready to hit her again. Sirayn lurched to her feet. Might as well fight standing up. The killing fury called to her sweetly and she could imagine just how precious it would be to lose herself in the joy of hurting Lanfir - she could see just where to strike and what to do to reduce Lanfir to a heap of crumpled bones. "I've given myself worse wounds by accident." Sirayn smirked slightly as her fingers strayed close to the dagger in her sleeve. She pulled her hand away. No. "Is that your only trick," Sirayn taunted Lanfir mercilessly, "or is there something else you can do apart from trot out self-pity, Lanfear?"

: : : : “Do not CALL me that!" Lanfir screamed, throwing herself towards Sirayn.

: : : : Sirayn smirked, knowing she'd hit home. In the next moment Lanfir landed a flying kick in Sirayn's stomach. Ouch! Sirayn managed to twist, take the force out of the blow, and that left them standing close and Lanfir unbalanced. Sirayn drew back her fist and lets fly with the legendary punch that had felled several sisters. Lanfir staggered back. Advancing quickly Sirayn punched her again, high in the ribs where it will seriously hurt. Sirayn was too close to the edge and she knows it. Only a fragile self control was stopping her hands closing round Lanfir's throat. With a snarl of fury Sirayn dealt a final crashing punch that puts Lanfir on the ground. "Yield!" Sirayn yelled, glaring down at the fallen legend.

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Almost completely out of control

 

 

Posted: Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:47 pm

There was a battle going on in Lanfir’s head. A battle for control. She had been grasping for it with her fingernails, clawing at it in a desperate attempt to remain calm and to remain sane. But her ragged nerves after Namandar combined with the painful memories of Ryell got the better of her. Sirayn was pushing all of her buttons unwittingly but with a precision that should make Lanfir suspicious.

Am I right? Your parents were Darkfriends?

Lanfir had no time to be suspicious as to how Sirayn knew or guessed all these things about her. Oh, no. She was far too busy exploding.

"YES! Yes, they bloody were!"

And with that tortured scream, she felt her body exploding into action. Her hand balled into a fist, and she sprung into action, too fast for the other woman to react. She felt the rush and the strain for a moment, before her fist connected with Sirayn’s face.

It felt oddly satisfying, but it did not diminish any of the red-hot anger and the mental pain she was going through. If only, it added to it. It felt like battle fever – channeling her anger into physical action. She wanted to hit whatever she could get her hands on.

Through the haze and the thundering of blood in her ears, she could hear herself shout:
"They were hanged when I was three years old! I don’t remember them, but I carry their bloody BURDEN every lightforsaken DAY!"

Across from her, on the ground and touching her face in what seemed like surprise and confusion, Sirayn got up. She had fallen over because Lanfir had caught her off-guard. Then the face of the other sister darkened; grey eyes coloring almost black with anger. Lanfir saw none of it, though. She balled her fists some more and almost hoped that Sirayn would retaliate. She needed to let go of these feelings, this nervous and red-hot energy thrumming inside of her.

Sirayn was not to be outdone, though. She seemed shocked, but recovered quickly: "I've given myself worse wounds by accident. Is that your only trick, or is there something else you can do apart from trot out self-pity, LANFEAR?"

"Do not CALL me that!" Lanfir screamed, throwing herself towards Sirayn. Blind rage took over every instinct she possessed, battle fever and calculated moves were thrown out of the window. Lanfir completely lost all control. And Sirayn, who kept a better reign over her temper, took advantage of that.

Sirayn must have been trained in martial arts, was all Lanfir could think hazily, as she found herself on her back the next moment. The pain in her ribs was excruciating. They were bruised or perhaps even cracked, she figured. She was aching all over – Sirayn had surely done a number on her, the treacherous bitch.

“YIELD!” Sirayn yelled; her voice breathless with an anger that seemed as red-hot as Lanfir’s own. Her storm grey eyes were gleaming with violence and a danger she had not seen before in anyone’s eyes. No one, except for the deserter she had encountered in the barracks in Kandor, when he had killed one of his fellow soldiers and had run off into the Blight. He had looked exactly as Sirayn did now: crazed and angered, but most of all: ready to kill.

She knew that where it would come to hand-to-hand combat, Sirayn far outranked her. And she refused to give into a snot-nosed brat as Sirayn was, mission leader and fighter or ready to kill or not. She refused to.

So then there was only one thing left to do. “Never!” Lanfir told her, leaning on her elbows and trying to get up. Within a flash, she opened herself to saidar and felt the sweetness of life cascade into her. She gasped for an instant as her senses heightened and she felt the full extent of her cracked ribs, but she was battle-hardened and her reflexes were still sharp. She had lived through worse at her testing to become Aes Sedai. So she seized saidar and drew on Air.

It all happened before Sirayn could do anything. She had not been prepared, so Lanfir had the element of surprise once more. The weave swooshed hotly in Sirayn’s direction, pushing her roughly away from Lanfir.

With a sickening crash, the other Aes Sedai connected with the wall on the other end of the room. Lanfir quickly got up from her position on the floor, wincing when a silver pain seemed to course through her ribs like a hundred daggers. Still, she maintained her hold upon saidar and shielded Sirayn quickly. The other Green was weak with the One Power, aside from her talent with Earth, but Lanfir had seen her dangerous and brilliant creativity during the battle in Namandar, so she was not about to take any chances.

Then she blinked. Once. Twice. Realization was dawning upon her, as bright as a winter morning.
Sirayn was her sister-in-arms. She had just been fighting like a cat with a woman who was supposed to guard her back in battle. Light, she had just punched an Aes Sedai on the nose!

"Light, what have we done?!" She covered her face in her hands for a moment, as guilt seemed to rush in. What kind of Aes Sedai was she? What kind of a Sister?! How could she ever look any of her fellow sisters into the eyes again, knowing that today she had lowered herself as to punch one of her own sisters? She did not know how fast she had to run over to Sirayn. Lanfir kneeled next to the other Green, out of direct reach but still close by, maintaining the shield for safety measures. Sirayn seemed to be too busy seeing stars, but she had to be careful.

Her breath caught in her throat as she wondered whether she had truly hurt her sister. What if she had a head wound? What if Lanfir had knocked all sense out of her? "Light Sirayn, I am so sorry. Are you alright?"


~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Ajah
She who you shouldn't piss off

   

Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2004 10:24 pm

Jaydena sat in her suite in the inn they had found for the night. It had been awhile since they had had accommodations and she had taken advantage of it. Her hair still curled wet down her back as it tended to do when she didn't use the power to tame it. Her curvy body was encased in an emerald green satin dressing gown with matching slippers and golden designs of roses across the fabric. She sat at the desk in her room and tried to concentrate on writing her feelings about Jared's recent death and the event's that had occurred at Namandar. Her travel journal was full of writings and sketches from the trip but she hadn't been able to bring herself to write of his death. Duty had held her together this long and she had only had the one breakdown after his burial inside her tent.

She looked up from her blank travel journal page when she heard screaming coming from Sirayn's room next door. The voices were muffled and she couldn't hear the words being screamed but she certainly had heard Sirayn's voice often enough to recognize the pitch and tone as one of the voices screaming. The other voice wasn't one she recognized and so she knew that it wasn't Seiaman. Plus Seiaman wouldn't yell at Sirayn when they were staying next door for she knew that Jaydena was angered when she treated Sirayn like a tavern wench. Of course that's what she likes in her bed so why shouldn't she? Staring at the wall between the two rooms and rolled her eyes as the pitch increased and stood up in a burst of restless anger. Why in the world would she scream like that and what could cause her to do that. Who is she fighting with, she and I have talked often enough that she knows that any action limit her chances of ever becoming a sitter.

Picking her journal up she began to wrap it in it's leather case, for she would get no work done with the racket coming from next door. She knew her sister could handle herself and she need not interfere. Setting the journal aside with a sign she headed toward the bedroom. She hadn't been sleeping well since the battle and had even been given herbs by Lwena to help her sleep, though they didn't work part of the time. She had been so distraught and lost since he died that she knew the only keeping her alive was her duty to keep her party home to the tower and to bring his staff to his best friend Terren. As she began to recline she heard a loud thump come from next door and realized that someone had channeled next door.

Embracing the source through the Angreal pined to her dressing gown she ran out of the room with her dagger in her hand. The dagger had been given to her long ago by Seia and she didn't go anywhere without it. She ran out into the hall and pushed the door open, both woman were to absorbed in what was taking place to even notice her open to the source and couldn't see her as she was facing both of them. Her friend lay against the wall which explained the crash she had heard. Lanfir had Sirayn shielded and the weave she had used on Sira was fading from the air. Why in the light would she attack another sister with the power, what could have made the perfect Lanfir mad enough to do something like this?

Jade wove a shield around herself and watched silently as Lanfir said something softly and buried her face in her hands. It appeared the woman had realized her mistake but Jade wasn't stupid. Sirayn was still knocked out but she seemed to be stirring as Lanfir ran to her and began to speak, "Light Sirayn, I am so sorry. Are you alright?" The mask of coldness slid into place and Jade stepped into the room, walking toward Lanfir she said, "You had better hope she is all right Lanfir Sedai, you could very well face a public birching, not to mention the fact that you should receive a private penance for even thinking to attack another sister with the power. What in the Light could she possibly have done or said that would have caused you to do this. Lanfir you know better than this, you just attacked a fellow green sister, your sister in battle, who bloody well saved your life just days ago. She saved all of our lives and this is how you repay her. What just happened Lanfir?"

With an arch of her eyebrow she knelt down and took her friends head in her hands. She delved quickly and checked for injuries. The only injury she seemed to have besides several bruises and cuts was a broken or largely fractured rib. Her power in healing wasn't enough for her to mend it so she glanced at Lanfir and said, "Before you answer that you need to heal Sirayn, her flaming rib is broken thanks to you." Nodding she waited for Lanfir to heal her friend and prepared several deadly weaves just in case the Aes Sedai tried to kill her dearest friend.

Jaydena Sedai

 

Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 6:56 am

 

Just great... a horrible situation just got worse. Lanfir almost groaned when Jaydena burst in and began her angry tirade, all the while glowing brightly with the One Power. "You had better hope she is all right Lanfir Sedai, you could very well face a public birching, not to mention the fact that you should receive a private penance for even thinking to attack another sister with the power. What in the Light could she possibly have done or said that would have caused you to do this. Lanfir you know better than this, you just attacked a fellow green sister, your sister in battle, who bloody well saved your life just days ago. She saved all of our lives and this is how you repay her. What just happened Lanfir?" Jaydena did not wait for answer, but knelt down next to Sirayn for a quick delving. It was more than obvious whose side she had taken in the argument. Lanfir wanted to kick her. "Before you answer that you need to heal Sirayn, her flaming rib is broken thanks to you."

Most of her burning rage had gone after her powerful burst of saidar, but she was still battling for control over herself. "Jaydena, I was just about to. Please don't make assumptions if you do not know the situation." Wrapping her arms around her own wounded ribcage, she slowly sat down next to Sirayn and weaved Air and Water to Heal the other Green. Sirayn shuddered a bit and opened her eyes: "You cheated," she croaked. "I had you beaten Lanfir. Admit it."

Well, at least someone here had retained a tendril of good humour. Lanfir gave her a wry smile and dissolved the shielding weave. "Yes, you had. But since there weren't any rules, I don't think I cheated. Sorry about your head and the wall. I only meant to get you off me, not to get you knocked unconscious."

She turned to Jaydena and sighed, finally able to let go of her battle rage and becoming her own usually so stable self again. "Before I'll explain to you what happens, I'd like to ask you to let go of whatever assumption you're sporting right now. It's probably not true, because what happened here is not what it seems..."

~Lannie
in for a whole lot of explaining

OOC: I thought you'd better take it from here, Sira. Jade'll prolly trust you more and believe you earlier.

 

Ooc: funnily enough I came straight from breaking Sirayn’s ribs in a channeling accident with Moira, to breaking a few more here

: : : : The sharp spike in her ribs stabbed every time she drew a breath. She muttered a bit wishing it would stop hurting and tried not to move. Her head ached with the kind of cautious throb that warned things would get a great deal worse if she even twitched. Oblivious to the drama going on over her semi-conscious form Sirayn lay peacefully. Then, gentle hands found her head and she yelped aloud and opened one eye with a baleful glare. A familiar flawless face met her one-sided gaze and Sirayn blinked feebly trying to work out what under the Light Jaydena was doing holding her head. She shivered slightly as a sudden chill passed through her. A few more angry words were exchanged over her head and then Lanfir sat down firmly beside her. Sirayn eyed the other woman cautiously still not quite daring to move. The fierce ice-cold of healing shuddered straight through her and she shuddered, strangling down a gasp of shock, as a flood of sudden memories returned. Lanfir had caused this headache. And doubtless, Sirayn had given quite a headache before that, without use of the One Power. Well what do you know, my training paid off, she reflected with a certain vindictive pride. I can beat up … another … sister … Oh bloody hell. She’d thrashed Lanfir in a fist fight. “You cheated,” Sirayn croaked, slanting a tentative mirthful glance at Lanfir. “I had you beaten, Lanfir. Admit it.”

: : : : Lanfir smiled back wryly and the shield dropped. Sirayn took a deep breath, feeling more secure, and smirked a bit at Lanfir’s words, “Looks like I was doing a more thorough job than I anticipated.” She realised with a sense of sinking dismay that Jaydena had immediately assumed that Lanfir was the aggressor, as indeed one would when seeing one sister on the floor and another one standing over her full of saidar. Sirayn reflected wryly that she had quite some explaining to do. “What happened here is not what it seems … “

: : : : Sirayn sat bolt upright, ignoring the sudden stabbing pain in her head. “Indeed,” Sirayn said with a sharp bite to her voice, “because Lanfir wouldn’t do something so dishonourable as pick a fight with another sister. That distinction belongs to me and me alone.” She smiled unpleasantly, “I do fear I am particularly good with an insult. Although not, it seems, with politics.” Her voice became light, dangerous, “A public penance is the least of what I deserve. I picked a fight with a greatly higher ranked sister of the Battle Ajah, made derogatory remarks about her parentage, punched her several times and I seem to recall there was a kick in there too … What am I looking at Jaydena, exile to the Farm? Or is that just for misbehaving novices? I forget. Back to the initiation period and learning again what it is to be Green Ajah? I do fear I didn’t entirely make the most of that opportunity, was too busy plotting to seriously hurt people. Perhaps a return to novice whites would do me good.” Sirayn took a deep breath, cleansing the bitter sarcasm, and looked squarely at the two women, unflinching from retribution; “You might as well decide my punishment ladies … although if you think it’s appropriate to confide this to the rest of the known world,” she grimaced slightly at the thought, “so be it. I’m sure it would provide Arette with endless entertainment.”

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Nasty

 

Posted

A sigh passed through Lanfir's lips and she said, "Jaydena, I was just about to. Please don't make assumptions if you do not know the situation." The older sister moved slowly toward Sirayn, and Jade realized that she was sporting some pain of her own. Lanfir laid her hands on Sirayn and healed her with a practiced ease. Jade nodded her head glad that the sister hadn't done something stupid like kill Sirayn. Her sister opened her eyes and focused her eyes in on Lanfir before saying, "You cheated, I had you beaten Lanfir. Admit it."

Staring coldly at both woman she wondered why they were acting like this absurdity was a game. "Yes, you had. But since there weren't any rules, I don't think I cheated. Sorry about your head and the wall. I only meant to get you off me, not to get you knocked unconscious." An uneasy glance landed on Sirayn and she saw her friend smirk as she replied, “Looks like I was doing a more thorough job than I anticipated.” The older sister nodded and then turned to her.

Jaydena arched her eyebrow at the woman and waited for her to explain her actions, "Before I'll explain to you what happens, I'd like to ask you to let go of whatever assumption you're sporting right now. It's probably not true, because what happened here is not what it seems..." Nodding slowly she turned as Sirayn sat up suddenly and winced softly, “Indeed, because Lanfir wouldn't do something so dishonorable as pick a fight with another sister. That distinction belongs to me and me alone.” Jade leaned back on her haunches and nodded slowly to show that she was listening, though the shock was hard to conceal. “I do fear I am particularly good with an insult. Although not, it seems, with politics. A public penance is the least of what I deserve. I picked a fight with a greatly higher ranked sister of the Battle Ajah, made derogatory remarks about her parentage, punched her several times and I seem to recall there was a kick in there too … What am I looking at Jaydena, exile to the Farm? Or is that just for misbehaving novices? I forget. Back to the initiation period and learning again what it is to be Green Ajah? I do fear I didn't entirely make the most of that opportunity, was too busy plotting to seriously hurt people. Perhaps a return to novice whites would do me good.”

With a sigh she opened her mouth to retort but before she had a chance her friend continued in that same bitter voice, “You might as well decide my punishment ladies … although if you think it's appropriate to confide this to the rest of the known world, so be it. I’m sure it would provide Arette with endless entertainment.” Her feelings were clear on this issue and she turned to Lanfir. "Weather you were provoked by Sirayn or not we both know that what you did was not becoming a sister of the green. Especially one with your service record and history. I hate to think that a stable-boy could insult your parents and you might attack him with the power. I know the oaths bar you from doing that but he only has to attack you in some way for you to go after him. Remember we are not the sum of our parents but what we have become. What you are is a former ajah head of the battle ajah and one who should know better than to attack another sister for comments made."

Turning back to her best friend she tried to calm her expression, "Sirayn you of all people should know how much it hurts when someone makes comments about your parents. Weather Lanfir was gone for 100 years or not she is now our battle sister and deserves to be treated with respect. I'm not sure what happened her today but I surely don't want it to get out that two battle sisters fought each other and one even used the power. So my suggestion. How about you set each other's punishment. Also I think that Lanfir needs to be healed by me unless it's to serious of an injury. I really don't want word of this to leak out to the Brown's." Nodding her head she glanced at both the women and waited for them to speak...

Jaydena Sedai

************************************

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:51 am

: : : : Sirayn shifted uncomfortably under Jaydena’s rebuke. An official reprimand from a Sitter for her Ajah; the first of many, Sirayn had no doubt. She hated feeling that her friend was scolding her from the position of being higher-ranking than her. “I do respect her,” Sirayn muttered. “She doesn’t want respect. She wants everyone to bloody well love her.” She sounded outraged at the very suggestion. Sirayn hated meekly co-operating with people and the idea that this was what Lanfir wanted from her, caused her contrary side to kick in. “As far as I’m concerned, no punishment for Lanfir. She’s forgiven. Wouldn’t want her to get her pretty white hands dirty.” The silence that followed this remark was thunderous. Sirayn shut her eyes with a wince. “Sorry. Temper gets the best of me.” Lifting her hand, she laced her fingers gently through Jaydena’s, “Thanks for coming, sister.”

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Short on posts, short on height, long on being difficult!

 

 

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2004 10:04 pm

"Whether you were provoked by Sirayn or not we both know that what you did was not becoming a sister of the green. Especially one with your service record and history. I hate to think that a stable-boy could insult your parents and you might attack him with the power. I know the oaths bar you from doing that but he only has to attack you in some way for you to go after him. Remember we are not the sum of our parents but what we have become. What you are is a former ajah head of the battle ajah and one who should know better than to attack another sister for comments made."

Lanfir bit on the inside of her cheek while Jaydena was telling her what to do. I was Aes Sedai before your grandmother was born, was bubbling on her lips, but she swallowed the words back and realized that she had been gone from the Tower for a period that was almost just as long, and that she’d better pay Jaydena some respect. She was a Sitter after all. No matter that she was telling Lanfir things she already knew, she would have to bow her head and agree.

It felt good when the Green Sitter turned to Sirayn and proposed a punishment. Lanfir hoped that the unpredictable young battle leader wouldn’t make this nasty situation even nastier, but the Light did not see fit to answer that little prayer.

“She doesn’t want respect. She wants everyone to bloody well love her. As far as I’m concerned, no punishment for Lanfir. She’s forgiven. Wouldn’t want her to get her pretty white hands dirty.”

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten… rosebud opening to sunlight… I am NOT going to scream, I am not going to scream! And thankfully, she didn’t. She was silent, because she did not trust her own voice. Jaydena shared her silence – it hung like a web between the three women.

Sirayn closed her eyes. “Sorry. Temper gets the best of me.” Her fingers twined with Jaydena’s for a moment. “Thanks for coming, sister.”

“No punishment for Sirayn, either,” Lanfir said, her voice controlled and calm, like it should be. Internally, she congratulated herself with that. “Post-battle adrenaline makes us all a little crazy sometimes. I agree that our behavior was out of line, and I assure you that I will do my utmost best to keep my temper in check. This is indeed not becoming of Aes Sedai and the Green Ajah alike.” She shot Sirayn a quick look. “I do think we need a talk one of these days, however.”


~Lannie

 

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2004 10:25 pm

: : : : Lannie sounded excessively polite in her response, but the quick glance she shot at Sirayn wasn’t so meek; a flame of anger still smouldered there and Sirayn bit her tongue wondering ruefully why she always had to let rip with the most scathing comment that came to mind. She might have made a mortal enemy this day and one who could cause her serious trouble for as long as Taya was in her pocket. “If there’s something you want to say to me, Lanfir,” her voice was very level, deliberately not stressing the name, “you can say it in front of Jaydena, as far as I’m concerned.” She squeezed Jaydena’s hand gently, and remembered with a sudden flash of anger Lanfir’s remark about Sirayn having no friends. She didn’t make friends easily, that was true, but perhaps if the golden Lanfir had gone through half of what Sirayn had been through, she would find it hard to make friends too. If she hadn’t had everything handed to her on a plate. “My remarks were out of line, and I apologise,” she tried not to sound too strangled, “for what it’s worth. But I’m a nasty piece of work and I do keep making these comments so if you have a delicate ego, we had better stay away from each other.” I have friends of my own. You have Lyanna and Taya … go enjoy yourself. Enjoy the golden time when you have it. And she remembered Seiaman’s words back in Tanchico, that Lanfir’s time was over and now it was Sirayn’s turn to be the shining star … and smiled a bit ruefully at the absurdity of the idea.

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Still short posting

   

Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2004 11:02 pm

Sirayn's voice was dangerously level. “If there’s something you want to say to me, Lanfir, you can say it in front of Jaydena, as far as I’m concerned.” Well, at least she pronounced it normally this time. Sirayn paused for a moment before she continued: “My remarks were out of line, and I apologise, for what it’s worth. But I’m a nasty piece of work and I do keep making these comments so if you have a delicate ego, we had better stay away from each other.”

Her fingers were still entwined with Jaydena's. There was a message there in that touch, and Lanfir thought she might know what it meant. It didn't matter though. Lanfir sighed and shook her head. "You know, Sirayn, all I wanted was to offer a bit of support to a battle leader after a gruesome battle. As colleagues. Or sisters to battle. Or as two women. I admire your strength and how you pulled us through this, and I wanted to tell you that." She shrugged, suddenly very tired. "This whole ordeal," she gestured vaguely at the wall, which thankfully wasnt cracked by some miracle, "was the last thing I wanted. I hope this all was caused by post battle stress as much for you as it was for me, and that we can at least be sisters. I don't have to be your friend, Sirayn. I just want to guard your back, and I 'd like you to guard mine. You fight well, and you're a treasure on the side of the Light."

Lanfir spread her hands. Suddenly there weren't any words anymore. She didn't care anymore what Sirayn thought of her, or what she wanted. All she wanted was a stiff drink and a bath. And sleeping. Although she wasn't quite sure in what order yet. "That's all," she concluded.


~Lannie

 

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2004 12:21 am

Her friend shifted under her gaze and spoke in a scornful voice, “I do respect her, She doesn't want respect. She wants everyone to bloody well love her.” Nodding silently she wondered if her friend was right for she had noticed some things that suggested that Sirayn might have a basis for her belief, but then she didn't know the older sister at all and that just might be the way she was. “As far as I'm concerned, no punishment for Lanfir. She's forgiven. Wouldn't want her to get her pretty white hands dirty.” Jade sent Sirayn a warning look and lowered her hand down to indicate that the sister needed to calm down. Over the years they had developed a system of hand signals and looks that helped them both to stay calm in volatile situations.

Sirayn winced at the motion and closed her eyes before speaking, “Sorry. Temper gets the best of me.” Jade smiled softly and wondered if her sister had been counting to 10 or 20 as Sirayn often needed to calm herself. Sira returned her smile and reached over to link fingers with her before speaking, “Thanks for coming, sister.” Jade squeezed her fingers and nodded to acknowledge that no thanks was needed for they would always guard each other's backs as long as they lived. She turned her attention back to Lanfir and raised her eyebrows, waiting for the woman to declare Sirayn's punishment for her acts. “No punishment for Sirayn, either, Post-battle adrenaline makes us all a little crazy sometimes. I agree that our behavior was out of line, and I assure you that I will do my utmost best to keep my temper in check. This is indeed not becoming of Aes Sedai and the Green Ajah alike. I do think we need a talk one of these days, however.”

Jade nodded and waited with almost bated breath to find out how Sirayn would react to what Lanfir had said. “If there's something you want to say to me, Lanfir, you can say it in front of Jaydena, as far as I'm concerned. My remarks were out of line, and I apologise, for what it’s worth. But I'm a nasty piece of work and I do keep making these comments so if you have a delicate ego, we had better stay away from each other.” Chuckling ruefully she almost snorted at the truth of that comment. Her friend was contrary and prickly and proud of it. Sira squeezed her hand and set her steely gaze on the former ajah head.

"You know, Sirayn, all I wanted was to offer a bit of support to a battle leader after a gruesome battle. As colleagues. Or sisters to battle. Or as two women. I admire your strength and how you pulled us through this, and I wanted to tell you that." Jaydena smiled at that comment and was glad to see that Lanfir indeed did have some sense in her. Lanfir shrugged and then continued, "This whole ordeal, was the last thing I wanted. I hope this all was caused by post battle stress as much for you as it was for me, and that we can at least be sisters. I don't have to be your friend, Sirayn. I just want to guard your back, and I'd like you to guard mine. You fight well, and you're a treasure on the side of the Light." Jade gazed at Lanfir, maybe there was more to see then met the eye with this one and she hoped she would get a chance to find out what. Taya obviously liked her and Jade valued Taya's opinion highly. Though she found her puppy dog attitude of late un befitting a sitter. Lanfir was silent for a moment and then said, "That's all. Jade nodded and then stood helping Sirayn to her feet as the two woman stared each other down...

Jaydena Sedai

 

Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2004 12:35 am

: : : : Sirayn bit her tongue and said nothing when Lanfir said that she had only wanted to support her. As though she had any place accepting support from someone of Lanfir’s status as a living legend. As though she’d done anything but destroy the only Age of Legends city they were ever likely to find intact? Hearing the excuse of battle stress Sirayn resisted the temptation to snarl back that actually, she was this mean all the time, and not in the slightest ashamed of it. And at the insinuation she read into Lanfir’s words, that she wouldn’t protect Lanfir if it came to a battle, Sirayn prickled angrily. The harsh words came so easily to her tongue. I’m very good at risking my life for people who don’t care for me one jot; I may not be the shining star the Green Ajah wants, but I’m no traitor. But she restrained herself with an effort, and realised then that she had been reacting strongly to perceived slights, and had let rip with the scathing hostility that came so easily to her. Of course it didn’t help that when she got defensive, she had to react with a counter-attack.

: : : : I am losing a golden moment here. “Hold a moment, Lanfir.” Sirayn pushed herself suddenly and gracelessly to her feet, wincing and glad to accept Jaydena’s help, and faced the taller sister directly, “I’m sorry. I’m not myself. I never tried to obliterate an Age of Legends city that could have provided invaluable knowledge before, but it doesn’t sit too well with me. Not a habit to take up.” She wrinkled her nose with weary good humour, “I think circumstances are conspiring to let you see me at my worst every time we meet. I’d offer to take you out for a drink to make up for it, if I drank at all … guess I will have to be a bit more creative.” Sirayn took a deep breath and wondered suddenly and dispiritedly why she had to ruin everything. “Anyway, I’m sure you have things to do so I apologise & will guard my tongue better when we next meet. Thanks for the good intentions behind your visit.” There was a tiny spark of laughter in her eyes and in her voice as she said that considering the outcome of such innocence. “We shall speak anon.”

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Learning diplomacy?

This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [Part 6]

 

The Hunt for Namandar #7 Quake

Posted on March 21, 2004

Players- Sirayn Sedai, Duram Laddel Cham(TPC BY James), Leif Osmond (TPC BY James), Rei'sam Kilm (TPC BY Seia), Aldreth Verasin (TPC BY Messana), Taya Sedai, Eos Gaidin, Jaydena Sedai, Jared Gaidin, Coran Gaidin, Jerad Gaidin, Lwena Sedai, Raisa Gaidin,

Link: http://www.dragonmount.com/psw/boards/viewtopic.php?t=5329

 

Ooc: This is the penultimate phase of Namandar. Phase #8, Aftermath, will be the last one and will conclude the Hunt for Namandar RP.

: : : : A haze of smoke lay low over the city. The glittering expanse of Namandar, all graceful lines and strangely organic beauty, was reduced to half-hidden shimmers in the gritty vapour; criss-crossing weaves sliced from the gloom and vanished in an instant, screams hung eerily on the thin air, patrols of monsters marched in orderly lines through the streets. Standing at the gates, the massed might of half the Battle Ajah behind her, Sirayn leaned on her sword catching her breath and took stock of the situation for the hundredth time in a short space. Many of the recovering party were still desperately combing through the university with a few stolid battlers defending them. The fighting there was bad and Sirayn had been sending reinforcements steadily for some time and no improvement was being reported. She had the sudden, irrational thought that she was sending her people into a hole where they’d all be sucked up and she’d never hear from them again. A few courageous warriors were roaming the streets in bands, taking on the shadow’s patrols. Not long ago a red flare had been sent up in obvious desperation of a sister in dire difficulty and Sirayn had immediately fired a green flare in response and dispatched a small patrol to aid the struggling sister. She hadn’t heard back from them either and feared from the ominous silence that some dark fate had befallen them. For the most part, the battle party was still defending the gates -- but from the inside. The threat lay inside the city and if they didn’t keep the gates clear and their only route of escape still open, they were beyond all hope. Sirayn’s warriors had far exceeded her expectations. Valiant, ferocious in battle, they had repelled charge after charge, intent on defending the gates and whittling down the shadow’s dwindling number while making sure at least a few people would survive this bloody day. In the despair and horror of these last hours stretching into a dark infinity nobody would ever know how many had broken under the weight of fear and run cravenly from the field of battle … equally, no-one would tell the tale of the unsung heroes who’d fallen before their deeds of bravery had been noted but Sirayn marked them all. And each time she saw someone die, she winced again, and it was imprinted on her memory that that one too had died for her.

: : : : Sirayn straightened up wearily pushing a stray strand of hair back from her face. Her back ached from a blow she’d taken that she’d barely noticed in her battle fury, and fatigue dulled her reflexes and weighed down her arms with lead. She was long past tired and into an exhausted, Ebou Dar-style state of imminent collapse. Prickling briefly to think of that long ago time she kept her stance crisp and martial, a cold smile curling her mouth as she glanced across the carnage strewn field, her severity of appearance suiting the location well; small and arrow-straight with the pride of a queen in her bearing she looked every inch the general and with the urgency of the situation even she had no time to doubt her own competence. There was only time to counter and counter again the blind waves of foes thrown against them. The streets rumbled softly with growing trouble and Sirayn interpreting the signs correctly called out sharply, “Hold the line!” They waited, this ragged line of defenders fierce in their courage, and she stood boldly ahead of them waiting for the coming storm. Somehow, somewhere, her killing fury had left her and her mind was ice cold like the trickle of a mountain stream in deepest winter. The berserker warrior was gone; now the general stood. Clasping saidar wearily Sirayn waited as the next wave gathered itself together, then the charge began, streaming unevenly across a field covered in broken bodies. They were more cautious than the charges before them and some of them managed to catch their balance when a yawning chasm split in the earth under their feet; others heard the telltale whine and flung themselves flat in time to avoid the wicked whiplash explosion of a grenade. The vast majority weren’t so lucky. And within moments, the battle line erupted in explosions and fast-flung weaves which thickened their air with their destructive tension. The screams of dying humans and beasts alike had long ago blended into one long shrill scream in which seemed to be repeated the cries of her mother, of Los, of her poor abandoned twins, everyone she had killed or hurt; it grated against her awareness but she couldn’t afford to be distracted and refocused determinedly on thhe field ahead of her, the killing ground. The earth danced at her command, and the whine of grenades overlaid one another in an eerily perfect melody as Sirayn wreaked havoc among the ranks,

: : : : They repelled that charge, as they had so many others, with minimal loss of life. Sirayn could see the innate chivalry of well-brought up young warriors at work with the strong, experienced fighters taking care of the rookies who were simply overwhelmed and devastated by the constant attack. She noted abstractedly that Jaydena was covering her back like the fearless warrior she was and they exchanged a brief, wry glance conveying a wealth of humour and warm affection before turning to their respective duties. Sirayn frowned absently at the slaughter before her, barely glancing at the red ruin of lives, as a hundred strategies chased each other round her head. And standing there with arms folded casually, looking as cool and unmoved as a dinner party guest yet knee deep in spilled intestines, she wondered with a sudden dark thrill what she had been doing. She had absolutely no recollection of what she’d been doing in the past half hour and from the glances her Warders kept slanting at her when they thought she wasn’t looking -- a cold hand gripped her belly for she knew with a deepening certainty that she had done something terrible. Yet she hadn’t known. She didn’t even remember. Yet, she didn’t care if she’d been killing children, so long as she won this battle. All other concerns could wait until afterward; right now, she had the gates to defend, the city to liberate, and many lives to protect.

: : : : Then she felt it. A soft rumble shuddered through the earth under her feet. An overwhelming sense of indefinable wrong assailed her. Sirayn spat a curse and twisted looking round blankly. And cold horror struck her. The pillars which held up the great dome were swaying.

: : : : “Blood and bloody ashes!” Her snarl was half furious, half disbelieving, and she grabbed at saidar once more, drew it in until the heat changed to a prickle of warning. “Light! The dome is coming down!” She stared tcross to the high peaked towers of the university as a second, chilling realisation struck her. There were still sisters in there. And the dome was coming down.

: : : : She bit back a scream of fury and outrage. We’re dead if we don’t run. They’re dead if I don’t do something! And once again – just as had occurred in the depths of the Rahad with a dying woman in her arms – a feeling of cold, crystal clarity stole over her.

: : : : She was the only one who could save them.

: : : : Sirayn spun. “Repel.” The soldiers near her straightened at her cold snapped command and she knew that the battle party understood her orders and would continue to resist the charges. Air and Spirit amplified her voice as it boomed out, “Recovering party! Withdraw to the gates!” Stepping back into the shadow of the wall Sirayn sensed Seiaman and Losyn moving into position to protect her, saw Raisa close by, Lwena with fire crackling at her fingertips. Her keen searching gaze picked out Jaydena next to her and Sirayn turned to her with an urgent light in the steely grey gaze, “Sister, help me hold up the dome! Some twisted son of a Trolloc has triggered an earthquake.” Turning toward the city once more Sirayn closed her eyes briefly. This had to work. It had to. She was the only one who could come anywhere near to stopping this. And as a second, more urgent tremor rippled through the ground, sending the unwary staggering, Sirayn set her jaw grimly and called upon all the strength & expertise at her command. Here it began … the true test, the test of courage and mettle, whether they could possibly hold off this earthquake for long enough to get the sisters out alive!

Ooc: Make your way to the gates recovery people. Battle party, we have some people to protect! And watch out for the earthquake

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Namandar General and soon to be revealed Earth Singer

**************************************************

Duram nodded to himself as the tremors began to take a hold of the city, spreading slowly, but surely as their intensity increased. Standing atop of the Council Hall, the tallest building of the city, Duram wove a new set of eyes for himself as he looked through the city, piercing the dust and the gloom with the saidin woven sight. The Aes Sedai didn't take long to respond and he could sense something was blocking the tremors. It didn't take him long to find the cause, one of the Aes Sedai, a Green, was lost in concentration. Doubtful she was holding it up herself, but she'd have to have some natural ability, an earthsinger, to be handling it so. The Aes Sedai of this age didn't have the training to handle such a thing.

How tempting it was to simply kill her, strike her down then and there. It would have been simple to reach out from where he was and crush her throat, set her alight, shred her where she stood, yet Duram did none of these things. He had his own agenda, one that was more important than the temptation to strike down one of the little barbarians. After all, if he'd truly wanted to kill them, he could have struck down every single one of them from the shadows before they had even known what was happening.

Feeling Eden's hand slip into his, Duram turned as he released his viewing weave and smiled slightly, reassuring more than anything else. "We have finished here, the others will make their way back soon enough. We have taken what we came here for, and we have sent our message. Now we can only wait and see how it is taken."

Boring a silver hole through reality, the gateway loomed before them. Duram hesitated for a moment, then stepped through. The child didn't have enough power to completely subdue what he had done, she could hold it off for a time, but her strength after so much fighting would be done, even with the aid of a link. His work was done for now.....



Leif took a swig of the bottle as he looked to the others of the circle. Those witches were going to pay, yes they were, whores the lot of them. "Three groups like the Master said! Lesley and Davin lead two of the groups, I'll take the third! Rochen, Sari and Nera with me!" Releasing the circle then taking the power of the three he took with him, he led his group in a not quite straight line as he began to make his way around the buildings. He intended to flank them and kill as many Aes Sedai as he could before they knew what was happening.

Finishing the bottle, Leif gripped his axe in one hand and a mace in the other, Leif levelled them both into the door before him a few times before it snapped off its hinges, rusted as they were by time. Striding through the house with the circle behind him, Leif ignored what was inside as he made his way to the other side of the house. The building faced directly into a segment of Tower Guard that were holding the street against trollocs that were trying to get through.

Laying a weave on the wall, Leif signalled for the others to get back as he turned away. As he ran for the doorway, his feet slipped on a rug and sent him flat on his face. Before he could flounder to his feet, an invisible force smashed him in the back as the wall of the building blew outwards, ripping into the group of Tower Guard and the trollocs that had been fighting them, making the way clear for more trollocs....

Shaking his head woozily, Leif got to his feet as he grasped his axe and mace once more. The others came out from their hiding places as he gestured for them to draw their weapons, Leif wasn't leaving until every single Aes Sedai was slain. Screaming in rage, he charged across the rubble with trollocs running alongside him as they smashed straight into the the Aes Sedai party guarding the gates. His axe and mace found their mark everytime they were swung, featureless faces with crimson cloaks fell as did women of many shawls.

Fighting their way to the centre of the Aes Sedai, Leif saw their leader loom before him, a woman in armour wielding a Katana. Leaning forward, his weapons before him, Leif snarled at his opponent as they squared off, the battle raging around them. Catching the first blow with his mace, his axe found blood as he caught the woman in the thigh with his blinding speed. Her cry was shrill as she stumbled back, and her blow weak as she attempted to slice at him as he stepped forward. Catching the blow with his axe, he swung his mace at the Katana, shattering it with a single blow.

As she fell to her knees, begging for mercy, Leif's only answer was a yell of victory as his axe cleaved her head in two. As the corpse fell to the ground, Leif held up both his weapons as he roared, a roar that swelled and grew louder and louder.....

Shaking his head groggily, the noise of the tremor beat at Leif like a crazed drum as his eyes cracked open. As he tried to get to his feet, he fell as another tremor struck, sending him to the ground again. Turning about, Leif saw the corpses of his companions, charred by Aes Sedai most likely as they had tried to fill the breach he had created but been too few.

Reaching for his hip flask and taking a swig, Leif began laughing to himself as he reached for his axe with his other free hand, using it to get to his feet. He might not have killed the witch that led the Aes Sedai just yet, but he was going to do it now if it was the last thing he did.

Scrambling over the rocks, Leif clambered over corpses as he made his way towards the Aes Sedai and their Tower Guard. They were paying minimal attention to where he was, his explosion having sealed off the streets to the trollocs and ending that end as a threat, or so they thought. Focusing through his drunken haze at a trio of sisters, probably linked together judging from the way they stood, Leif began to weave a present for them.

The threads slipped a few times, but soon enough it was ready. Screaming a wordless warcry, Leif charged down the rubble and bodies with axe in one hand and hip flask in the other. Even as the trio of Aes Sedai looked towards him, fire and ice erupted between them, sending gouts of flame and daggers of ice in all directions, ripping the trio to shreds and taking a couple of Tower Guard with them.

As he reached the first Tower Guard, Leif stumbled aside as the earth rumbled to the ground. Lashing out with his axe, he took off the man's foot who fell to the ground. Getting to his feet, Leif brought the axe down, beating past the desperate parry and burying itself deep in the man's chest. Ripping the axe clear, Leif was unprepared for the blade that caught him in his potbelly, then ripped upwards.

Looking up at the shadow of a face that loomed over him as his axe slipped from his fingers, Leif let loose his death rattle as he sank to his knees as the blade was ripped clear. Collapsing amongst the corpses, he became one of many to now inhabit the grave of Namandar.


Duram Laddel Cham
Be`lal, The Netweaver

Leif Osmond
Loyal Servant of Be`lal (now deceased)

***************************************

Rei'sam shivered slightly as he felt the channeling deep into the earth. Be'lal triggered the earthquake and Rei'sam closed his eyes, feeling his weaves of Air surround the pillars, tightening its hold until he felt the stone crack underneath the pressure. There would be no way that the Aes Sedai would be able to hold the dome up and all of those witches that still remained in the city would die under a crushing avalanche of stone. And while their pitiful leader struggled to save all of them, she would be vulnerable to his attack. And she would die.

Releasing his weaves, he looked up with satisfaction as he watched the pillars sway under the intense loss of support. They would hold up but not too long. Moving quickly, he strode down the streets towards the gates as he heard the amplified words through the dome. “Recovering party! Withdraw to the gates!” Rei'sam smirked as he turned out of a corner, watching the Aes Sedai gather to stop the dome from falling. "Time for your death, witches." He stepped out visibly and at that moment, a tall man spotted him and screamed on the top of his lungs, charging towards him. Rei'sam made a Blade of Fire and it burned through his pitiful quarterstaff, slicing down his shoulder. He screamed and kept charging and Rei'sam yawned mockingly. "You think you can hurt me?" He let out a laugh as he channeled a thread of Air around the boy's waist and halted him, thrusting his Blade through the boy's chest, sticking out of his back. His eyes widened and he heard a woman scream, "Jared!!" He twisted the Blade in a full rotational arc and the boy gasped, his body convulsing as the blood streamed down his chest and back.

The Blade and Air weave disappeared, the dead body crumpling to the ground. He threw a grenade towards the lead battle party, meant to distract while he shifted his next target to the female Warder of the leader. Rei'sam knew that woman was the pillar of support for the petite witch, and if he toppled her ... the White Tower would lose pitifully.

Rei'sam Kilm
Dreadlord
Servant of the Dark One and Be'lal
Murderer of Jared Damodred
Hunter of Witches

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Aldreth Verasin grinned with pure excstacy as he channeled the immense Power that rolled through him. His own circle consisted of 5, 3 women and 2 men. The other under his command consisted of 6 women and 2 men. Thirteen all together, a force to be reckoned with, and more so due to the vile nature of their commander.

He had given one of the women in the other group control of that circle, she was a purely evil woman who would tear those witches from Tar Valon to shreds, or so he hoped. Letting the flows of saidin flow out of him simultaneously in an attempt to hault the offensive and defensive maneuvers of the Tar Valon force. He let his mouth curve into a snarl as a Sister appeared from behind the corner of a building. He motioned quickly to the other circle who began to unleash viscious attacks on the woman. And then foolishly another appeared from behind a corner and charged towards the group. In the circle as he was, he could feel her drawing upon saidar heavily, surely more than she could unaided. Did she have an angreal or better yet and even more unlikely, a sa'angreal? Without wasting time on answering the questions, he unleashed his own attacks, both on this woman and the other witch who was pitifully defending her ground and her life.

Both women surely perished under such an onslaught, but Aldreth noticed that the other circle was crumbling, two of the women were down and one of the man seemed on the brink of loosing his grasp of saidin. And suddenly he felt his own link crumble, and a huge flash of searing light bloomed and he hit the ground hard, his hold on the Power slipping rapidly. The light did not cease and it seared into both his mind and his flesh with a force unlike any he had felt before. His senses began to wan, first his sight and then his sense of touch, he couldn't smell the burning of his own flesh and then at last he closed his eyes and drifted away, the life slowly pouring out of him and rising up into the air as the smoke and steam of his own body rose higher and higher.

Chau,

Aldreth Verasin
Dreadlord of Be`lal
~TPC~

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Taya cocked her head and blinked at the darkness beyond the sphere of light she maintained ahead of her. Eos moved on silent feet beside her, and she sensed rather than heard him stiffen and attune his hearing more carefully. He sent her askance through the bond and she held up her hand to indicate that she was thinking. Listening too.

Her satchels and pockets were bursting at the seams with treasures she'd picked up. Some may end up being thrown away with the waste when they were all back in Tar Valon, but Taya thought it highly doubtful. Some might even turn out to be artefacts of the Power. She knew her task was important, but she sensed danger, and she wasn't willing to die here, when she hadn't delivered her finds yet. She'd see it as wasteful also, losing her life before the Last Battle. In the lead-up to Tarmon Gai'don, there are many last battles, she thought, the voice of her older sister echoing in her memory. Jaida had used to read to her out of adventure books, but only until Taya was ten. At that age girls became young women, at least in one sense. They weren't allowed to be little girls anymore. They had to become serious and adult. That was what Taya had done, but she had never forgotten her older sister's kindness, nor the way her voice had sounded as she read from old manuscripts.

This was a last battle, in a sense. A battle to salvage what none of them had ever thought to stumble across in the first place. A battle to save treasures of the past and advance the Tower's cause. A fight to prepare the world that one bit better for the final battle of them all. But I still do not wish to die here. I won't tolerate it, either.

In the near deathly silence surrounding them, Taya became aware of a slight shift in the air. Her booted feet tingled as the stone seemed to begin to hum softly beneath them. She frowned and then she heard it for sure, and knew she hadn't imagined it - a humming sound growing steadily louder, the ground buzzing below, the air growing sharp. Taya looked up and noticed a fine mist of dust floating down into the sphere of light she maintained. The sight was enough of a clue. She looked at Eos and said, "We'll leave now." He nodded and took the first step even before she had.

They walked at first, striding swiftly but trying to maintain their stealth. Taya's arms began to ache after carrying her satchels this long. She had four bags full of items - Eos had three slung over his back, but he had to keep his arms unhampered so that he was able to defend if they were attacked. They could have retrieved more if the earth hadn't begun to protest so strongly at their presence. What they had would have to be enough, even though they had left countless untold treasures behind. Taya's stride turned into a near jog. Her heart thundered in her ears from exertion as well as from exhilaration. She clutched tightly to Eos through the bond, and felt him embrace her and hold her tightly in turn.

The pair rounded a corner, and spotted another Aes Sedai, dark-haired Ellvara Andred, up ahead. As they moved towards her, the thrumming grew into a rumble. "Ellvara!" Taya cried, having to raise her voice to be heard above the growing cacophany. The White sister glanced back and, recognising Taya, nodded. She had two satchels of her own, one bulging with items and the other half-full. Taya's heart sank. Why didn't she gather more? But there was no time to question Ellvara now.

As Taya drew up beside her, Ellvara too began to move, matching paces with her and Eos. "Landslide, do you think?" the White sister asked, her voice as calm as it ever would be even though she too had to raise it to be heard. Taya had known Ellvara for thirty-nine years now, and even when the woman was angry, or what Taya believed to be angry, she didn't shout. Her voice demonstrated quite clearly that she was brooking nonsense no more, but she never raised it.

Taya wondered where Ellvara's Warder, Dien, had got to. Ellvara didn't seem flustered or upset, so that was a good sign that Dien hadn't come to any harm. Even Whites had to react to the death of a Warder...

The trio ducked through a pointed arch and heard the stone cracking behind them. Taya's blood lept in her veins. Now she literally felt the floor trembling beneath her. Dust was not all that fell from the ceilings either - small stones pelted them, and then larger ones. The rumble became a roar, and Taya cried, "Run!" as she should have done minutes earlier. Nobody would hear them now anyway, above the sound that the earth itself was making. And so all three of them ran, seeking the outdoors, seeking an escape from the disaster that lay on all sides.

Taya had a thought that she didn't like to dwell on. Will the roof cave in on us? she wondered as she swerved around corners and descended staircases. Will we all be buried alive?

Oh, Light! This could turn into complete disaster! But Sirayn had potential... Taya could only hope the woman realised it to its full extent. And that the rest of the Green Ajah kept their wits about them. It was not just their own lives that were at stake. It was the lives of countless others who would come to rely on them in coming years. The lives of those who relied on the Battle Ajah for defence daily, and who would need them more than ever during the Last Battle.

Taya sought freedom from the confines of the building in which she ran with a renewed determination.

OOC: James, I'll take 'em later *g* I didn't wanna make this too long just yet. I'll post again after someone else does!

Taya Sedai

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Jaydena Sedai sighed and turned her head to look at Seia and Losyn. Flanking their Aes Sedai they looked fierce and true and ready to die for her. She could feel her own warders behind her and she knew that Corbin had a large cut on his thigh that would need healing and Jared a slice across his forearm where a blade had went through his defenses. Despite the pain he was in he fought on with a contained fury and had taken down many a foe. She leaned on her own sword as she saw Sirayn doing and rested for a moment before the next onslaught. Turning her attention back to Seiaman Kera, she wondered what has caused the Aes Sedai to leave Sirayn's side earlier, and vowed to have a talk with her once they had this under control. She no longer doubted that she would live, for she knew that she was destined to live and to fight another day.

A slight rumbling appeared under their feet and she nodded her head before preparing another weave. Sirayn called out in the battle voice they all learned during training, “Hold the line!” Jade met her friends eyes and sent her an encouraging nod before sending out a string of deadly weaves. The Air Razors sliced the attackers anywhere it touched and cut of heads and body parts. She let the weave go and prepared a second set of weaves, this time the Air Clubs slammed down on Trollocs Heads and crushed their morbid skulls into their necks. Her next weave was one of her favorites, one that she had come up with herself. Scorching hot water weaves poured over the Trollocs and burned their eyes and outward extremities, when they opened their mouths to scream in pain, the water flowed down their throat and burned their lungs and drowned them in boiling water. As she watched the Trollocs die she shook her fists at the ceiling and checked on Sirayn before moving her position once more to guard her leaders back as Sirayn did for her.

Jade looked grimly around her and saw many missing faces and many sisters who had been healed as best they could and sent up the platform to be healed by the healers. She could also see sisters covered in blood, their proud ajah colors dulled by their own life's breath and those who lay around them. They had suffered far to many losses though not as devastating as the shadow had. She pushed the guilt down that it was the green sisters fault for ever finding this city and stared down at the ground at her feet. Her affinity with earth showed her that something had just happened, she knew that only the power could cause this feeling, but it wasn't coming from a woman or she would have felt the weaves in her bones. That had to mean that they had male channelers with them and this sent fear crashing through her heart. “Light! The dome is coming down!” Jade nodded her head at her friends statement and sent a quick prayer to the creator that they would survive this day.

She listened with grim purpose as her sister sent out battle orders to the recovery team and to the defending team. Her body sang with the earth that moved and shook around her and she turned back to her with an urgent look on her face. “Sister, help me hold up the dome! Some twisted son of a Trolloc has triggered an earthquake.” Jade smiled but the grin didn't reach her eyes, their green depths shone with a light of purpose and she motioned to her warders. Turning to her sister she said, "Shoulder to shoulder we shall fight..." She nodded with satisfaction as her sister finished their mantra and began to weave into the earthen dome. Embracing the source through the Angreal she wore pinned to her shoulder she delved into the ceiling and began to use her talent to shore up the cracks in the domes depths. Her talent sought out rock deposits and strengthened them with weaves of Earth and Spirit.

She focused her attention on the dome and was oblivious to the fighting around her or the staggering return of several members of the recovery party. As exhaustion pushed at her she pushed back and continued to work her magic on the roof. Beside her Sirayn appeared to be controlling the earth quake though she wasn't quite sure how she was doing this. Suddenly she felt Jared move out of the fold, she kept her gaze on the ceiling and heard him yelling his battle cry. A ripping pain shoot through her chest and she cried out as she felt the bond snap back at her. Turning her head she stumbled to the ground and watched her warder fall to the ground with blood pouring from his chest. His eyes were wide and glazed and she knew that he was already dead and beyond healing.

She let out a sob of fury and saw the images of him pour through her mind and her heart. The love they had shared, the nights of passion, the times he had saved her life and the life of those she held dearest. Pushing the pain into a corner of her heart she tried to get up. As she did she saw a Trolloc bearing down on her and she began to prepare a weave to stop him, somehow he had made it through their defenses. He brought his ax up above her head and she whispered good-bye to her warders still living and prepared to die. Blood sprayed across her face and she looked up to see the Trolloc twitching with a sword through his chest. Seia pushed at his chest with her foot and ripped the sword out before smiling at her, her teeth shining through the blood as she helped her up. Jaydena took her hand though it was slick with blood and looked up at the ceiling. As the tears streamed down her face she grinned and began to scream with the weaves shoring up the ceiling once more, "I will not die here today, I will fight and I will take the shadow down. This I swear to you Jared Damodred, bloody hell I know you can hear me. I will not let you die unavenged." She wipped the blood on her skirts and felt Corbin and Coran return with Jared's body...

Jaydena Sedai

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They were holding the Gate. Even though the fighting was fiercest at the City Gate, they were holding their own. It was the only conscious thought Lanfir had for a long time. It had come to her in one second that hadn’t been dominated by fire and blood – the fact that they were still here, they were still alive. She was calling Air and Fire and she was weaving, sweat dripping over her face and back, head pounding because of the prolonged immense concentration. It was all drowned in the roar of battle and the feeling of saidar and adrenaline in her blood.

Her Sister and best friend was fighting right next to her, sometimes even fighting back to back with her, when they disregarded their long distance weaves and ventured deeper into the fighting. Lyanna was fighting as fiercely as Lanfir remembered her, and Lanfir wouldn’t have wanted to have anyone else at her back. Lukas was proving himself the skilled fighter she hoped him to be, fooling Death with his speed and his grace and skill time after time. He had to be falling over with fatigue, but he kept dancing and fighting. He was brilliant, every bit as brilliant as they needed him to be.

People were dying around her – her own sisters and warders. Lanfir worried distantly about her sisters that were in the City, and crazily enough, she was glad she didn’t know all of them. The thought alone felt treacherous, but she wasn’t sure if she could take another Fal Dara again. Losses were inevitably part of any battle, but if the losses were less personal, she could cope. She did worry about them, and surely her mind must have played tricks on her, because for one crazy moment she had thought she had seen Daeralle among the horde, fighting like the Green she was and how Lanfir remembered her. Silly woman, Daeralle is either dead or in the Tower, there’s no way she can be here. Next thing you know, you’ll be seeing Miraina. Concentrate, burn you!

And so she did. She concentrated and fought for all she was worth, saidar singing in her body, until the trembling Earth under her foot jerked her out of her battle fever. This was not a Weave of her hand or of one of her sisters. Lanfir spun around to see where it came from, and burst into curses when she recognised the source of the tremors. The pillars of the dome – they were swaying. “No,” she gasped. “This can’t be!”

She was about to let up a flare to warn Sirayn, when the voice of the battle leader boomed through the underground city: “Recovering party! Withdraw to the gates!”

Lanfir’s stomach clenched. Taya and a lot of others were still in the city, and under her feet, the earth was spasming and shuddering. If the dome would come down, they would all be dead. She weaved and killed and prayed that they would have enough time to save their sisters.


~Lannie
Battle girlie

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Saidar raged through Lwena as she overlooked the city during a brief moment of respite; it still held a sort of alien beauty despite the fact that the smoke from fire hung above it, blood splattered most of the smooth, curving walls, and screams echoed through the streets. There were hordes of shadowspawn marching below, more organised than Lwena would have ever imagined-the trollocs were half animal, and she wouldn't have thought they would have even been smart enough to effectivly wield their weapons. She was obviously wrong. Another wave of trollocs appeared and instantly Lwena, along with most of the Battle Sisters around her, began weaving furiously; fire flew from her fingertips as she aided this party of trolloc's demise. It was rather ironic, actually, that a Sister of Healing was part of the battle party. But she could hold her own in a fight, and that was what counted in a situation like this.

All of the sudden, Sirayn spat a curse harsh enough to catch Lwena's attention and she gave her leader a questioning glance as she wiped splattered blood from her forehead. The Green sister was twisting around blankly, and Lwena noticed what she did as scant second later; the pillars. They weren't solid any longer, but instead swaying. Light, no!

"Light! The dome is coming down!" Sirayn's statement only confirmed Lwena's fears. She bit her lip as she surveyed the city, a cold fear settling in her stomach as she realised there were still Sisters in there. Light, no. She turned to Sirayn, at a loss for what to do; she wasn't even sure if it was possible to use Saidar to hold up the dome. She stepped up next to Sirayn as the Green sister ordered the Battle Party-"Repel"-and looked out over the city with fire crackling in her fingers.

"Sister, help me hold up the dome! Some twisted son of a Trolloc has triggered an earthquake." Lwena glanced at Jaydena briefly and then looked back over the city. They would need someone besides their Warders to watch their back, and even if Sirayn disagreed, Lwena could-and would!-defend her to the best of her ability.

Lwena

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: : : : Sirayn felt sick. The earthquake that was building steadily under their feet, each successive tremor more fierce, was no simple woman’s weave she could slice … something deep underground had been triggered and the earthquake would keep coming until it had worn itself out. And she was the only one who could stop it. Closing her eyes briefly, she fought down the sharp icy panic that twisted her belly like a cold hand, pushed away the images of her friends’ twisted bodies lying unnaturally still because she hadn’t been able to save them. So much could go wrong so easily. The lives of all her friends and sisters depended on her now! It was the greatest challenge she’d ever faced and for one cold moment she wavered doubting whether she could even undertake to defeat the Shadow, protect the city and save her sisters’ lives. Let me flinch, let me waver, she thought with sudden desperation, don’t make me responsible, don’t make me to blame. Her insides clenched with fear and fury but she raised her chin defiantly and bracing herself against the wall at her back, embraced saidar, pulled it in until the sweet song became a warning prickle. The earth jolted violently beneath her feet. Cursing softly Sirayn tried to ignore the shrieking agony around her, the beguiling scent of blood, her own exhaustion, and narrowed her concentration only on the earthquake.

: : : : Deep below the ground she wove her strongest shield which she set to protect and buffer the cavern, to save those precious pillars and prevent the dome crashing down and obliterating them all. Another tremor came and Sirayn flung her strength against it awkwardly, forced it down, fought it back. She felt barely a whisper underfoot. “It’s working,” someone whispered. Sirayn didn’t have the heart to say that it had only just started. Another tremor washed against her shield, far stronger than the first and Sirayn sweated and cursed with the effort of fighting it down. In a moment of blessed peace Sirayn realised the ache in her muscles, that she had been worn out to start with, she couldn’t possibly keep channelling at this magnitude for long … a third tremor crashed into her shield and bounced back and two tremors collided with a shattering impact that jolted some clean off their feet. Sirayn gave vent to a shriek of frustration and fury and she dropped the shield before it was ripped from her. There had to be another way! A tremor came and without the shielding the ground bucked beneath them. A pillar lurched. Sirayn saw with horror that the top was sliding loose of the dome. “Do something!” someone yelled at her, “You’re the only one who can!” The words whispered past her startled awareness as she took in the damage that last tremor had caused. A sister of the Brown Ajah beside her had fallen to one knee and was openly weeping for the devastation in the city. “I’m flaming well trying,” Sirayn muttered savagely. Another tremor jolted. Sirayn cursed. “I can do this. I can do this!” she hissed under her breath, half sobbing, half pleading.

: : : : The knowledge lurked somewhere. This wasn’t right, this wasn’t the way, she couldn’t feel this. “I don’t have a clue what I’m bloody doing!” Sirayn growled aloud in frustrated fury, and Seiaman yelled back, “Well it’s working, so keep doing it!” Snarling under her breath, she didn’t want this burden, had never wanted it, but despairingly she drank in saidar again, so swift and strong the joy of it crashed through her. Another tremor was racing toward them. Sirayn gathered her strength and in an instant she threw herself against the tremor, grappling, hardening the earth in its path, slowing and choking and stifling its power. The tremor petered out before they could feel anything. A tremor came swift and fast and Sirayn ran with that one too, grabbed it and muffled it into extinction. The scale of her weaving was colossal. She barely knew what she was doing. It was all instinct, the knowledge of when and where the tremor would come, how to control the earthquake, keep it firmly under wraps. Sirayn fought another tremor to silence, cursing and sweating and struggling. “They’re coming out,” someone said softly. “The recovering party is gathering.”

: : : : “About bloody time!” Her voice was taut and jagged with strain. Cursing even more profusely she split as much as her attention as she dared and tried to think what to do next. “Battle party,” her words were weak and barely audible. She trembled with effort as she managed to make an amplifying weave while still braced against the earthquake. “Battle party!” Her voice boomed out now strong and clear. “Withdraw! Protect the recovering party at all costs! Withdraw! Back to the platform!” She sobbed inwardly, hearing someone snap at her whether she could save the city, gritted her teeth as another tremor smashed through her shielding. Sirayn wove again, caught the tremor, stifled it. “Light!” Sirayn half snarled, “I can’t save the flaming Aes Sedai, let alone the flaming city! You have to get out-“ Sirayn growled in fury again as she fought another tremor down. The tremor was hard and fast like none before. It was getting stronger! The flaming earthquake was getting stronger! How by all that was holy was she going to save them? “I will do this,” she gritted out through clenched teeth, her white face locked rigid with concentration. “I will. Save. Them.”

ooc: just keeping it moving, folks

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Bonded to Seiaman & Losyn
Namandar General
... in dire straits

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OOC:and introducing….CORAN in one of his (lately) rare appearances. *G*

IC:It had become a blur…Trollocs rushed forward and the wall of Aes Sedai, Warders, and Tower Guards kept them back.

Coran had watched as Jaydena ran off away from the group after Seia. Corbin had run forward to guard her back and he felt the Sending for him to stay…stay and protect the others. And Coarn knew fear…waited and watched out for her with each breath knowing that any moment he would feel the pain of her mortal wounds.

You will not die, Jaydena Sedai. You will not die while I stand.

The urge to go find her and drag her back to safety was overwhelming. And then she was back, with Raisa.

Relief flooded him and his sword whirred with the energy of seeing her back unharmed. Trollocs fell. He looked over at Jared…Intense concentration painted on his face. Death dealt from his sword.

Then the ground shook…Bodies fell and Coran could feel Jaydena divert all her attention to something else, but he kept to his post, keeping away these blight blinded monsters from the Sedai.

A group of them rushed forward. Coran jumeped forward to ward them from where Jade was and then he felt it. It felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest. He looked down, surprised that he still lived and looked at Jaydena, who had fallen but was moving…looking past him.

Turning, he saw the lifeless eyes of Jared lying on the ground beneath an eagle headed trolloc. Though, he knew it was too late (He could feel the barrage of grief and pain from Jaydena…he knew that Jared was gone), he rushed forward…the forms parting the sea of trollocs until he reached the one standing above Jared. Sword met axe in a flurry of moves and moments later, Coran was helping Corbin drag Jared’s body back.

Jaydena and Sirayn were in a delicate position….both with their attention on the Dome. Coran could feel the intensity of what Jade was doing.

“I am not going to die today…get out of here…I will not let you die….un avenenged…they will pay with their bloody hides…” Jaydena was muttering out loud but clearly not able to focus on what was going on around her.

Coran, Seia, Losyn, and Corbin made a ring around the Two Aes Sedai…a ring that nothing would pass upon their lives.

“Battle party……Withdraw!” Sirayn was saying with clenched teeth, her voice a well edged sword.

Coran took up the call. “On Sirayn’s Command!!! Battle Party Withdraw!!! BATTLE PARTY WITHDRAW!!!”

The call went out…and with another small tremor rumbling through the Dome, Coran knew that their time was quickly running out.

OOC:Sorry about my absence, But I had a spare moment and thought I would drop in.

Coran Gaidin
Jade’s Warder
Student of Me’Arearth

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Explosions and thunder had become the sum of Taya's experience - ground thrumming underfoot also, when it wasn't shuddering outright. Where are they all? she wondered frantically, thinking of her brethren. She approached the corner of a building and peered cautiously around it, hoping to see some sign of the members of the recovery party, or at least someone she recognised. The sight that greeted her took her mind completely off them.

She thought for a moment they just might be allies, people she didn't recognise because there were surely some in the Tower she'd never met. It was a rarity for Taya to not recognise a face in the Tower, for she made it her business to know as much as she could about members of the other Ajahs. Particularly when a small number of Aes Sedai were recruited for a mission, she'd be bound to know all of them at least to a degree. But for a moment she hoped that logic wouldn't win out in this situation - that these were friends and not foes.

But they were linked, and she saw the glow of saidar surrounding several of them. Others were men, and Taya's blood grew chill at the implications of that. Oh, Light...what have we here? Logic reigned, and these were the enemy. Taya knew it, especially well when the strangers attacked. Head still ringing from the realisation that these were channellers, Taya threw up a shield of Air ahead of her, but not soon enough to ward against the fireball that hurtled at her. She flung herself backwards and riccocheted off the wall, ducking out of the way just in time to avoid being singed to death. She also managed to maintain her shield, even as she completed preparations on several weaves and held them at the ready. She stepped back out, protected now by her shield, and loosed her attacks one after the other. She struck blows several times before becoming aware of rapid movement in the corner of her vision.

She watched in shock as Ellvara raced toward the enemies hurling offensive weaves one after the other. "Ellvara, stay back!" Taya cried, but the White sister wasn't listening. Taya kept up her own attack but for a moment she had lost concentration, and weaves were striking her shield, weakening it. She hastily put her mind back on the task at hand and created some of the most deadly weaves she knew, aiming at producing some powerful attacks that would get the job done quickly. She didn't have time to waste. And then there was Ellvara...

The enemy circles crumbled slowly, and it seemed somehow humorous to Taya that two Aes Sedai could reap such havoc upon a supposedly organised group of enemies that far outnumbered them. But perhaps luck was on their side... Soon they had all but disposed of their opponents. Several members of the enemy circles fled, and Ellvara made as if to run after them and hunt them down, but Taya called to her. "Enough!" she cried. "We must get out of here. We have done all we can." Ellvara had turned towards her, and in spite of the fact that some strands of hair had come loose and floated around her face, and a fine sheen of sweat had appeared on her face, the woman looked as White as ever. Light...what sort of killing machine has the White Ajah created here...? But there was no time to answer that question. They had to run, and run fast.

~*~*~*~*~

Taya had half expected that one of them would end up dead along the way. Perhaps someone would recieve a throwing knife in the back, or be consumed by black fire from Darkfriend fingertips... Maybe a twist of fate would merely cause one of them to twist her ankle on a jagged piece of rock and fall, breaking her neck. The further they ran, the more people joined them. Surely someone out of this group would die before they reached the exit? It seemed like too much to ask for all of them to survive. But they passed dead bodies too, people dead or dying, and they had to leave some behind. Taya came to believe that the horrible feeling she had each time she had to abandon another person in need amounted to enough suffering.

She did stop, or others did, to offer a few comforting words to those dying. Sometimes they were too late, and other times they got there just in time. "Can you run with us?" Taya asked one man, a hired mercenary they had taken from Tanchico, and he shook his head as tears leaked down his cheeks and dripped onto the dusty ground. "Go, save yourselves," he muttered, "and give my wife my love." Taya would have asked who his wife was, but the man died before she could even open her mouth. She opened it anyway and said, "Creator shelter your soul," and released his hand. She moved on, frustrated but determined to do whatever she could, where she could.

At one moment she knelt beside a dark-haired beauty in a blood-splattered gown and went to take her hand, intending to squeeze it in comfort. She hadn't been thinking straight, and if she had she'd have realised that not knowing this woman indicated she wasn't a friend. But she was used to being in battle where civilians died alongside soldiers. Before she could make another move, she caught the woman's stare and saw that it was hate-filled. Taken aback, she listened as the woman hissed, "May the Great Lord reign supreme, and you Lightfools cower in despair and fear. Your stupidity will haunt you someday!" Taya recoiled in horror. Then, life fled that cursed body and Taya straightened again, trying to pull herself together. She swallowed to try and rid herself of the sick feeling, and then turned her mind to catching up to the others who had raced ahead in search of their saviour. A few members of the battle party had joined them along the way, women and men who had been left behind as the rest fled the dome.

Not long now, surely, Taya thought as her throat grew more parched and her vision more blurry from fatigue. We must nearly be there...


Taya Sedai
Bonded to Eos [and Stones in future *G*]
Greenie

*******************************************************

Protect the Recovery Party at all cost! Sirayn had commanded, but now that they had fought their way out of the gate and the earth under their feet was shuddering and spasming and huge amounts of dust and sand were pouring down upon them, Lanfir wasn't so sure.

Sirayn was glowing with saidar and creating weaves of Earth to stop the tremors and hardening the ground below her feet once more. Cracks in the surface healed like they had never broken, and sweat was running the young battle leader's face. The weaves she created were too powerful for Lanfir to ever attempt to recreate - there was too much Earth that Sirayn was throwing around and using to keep the ground and the ceiling together. Seiaman, her warder, was fighting like the fury, but it was not enough. She couldn't hold off everything, and they did not see the Myrddraal in her blind spot. Before she knew it, the weave of Spirit and Fire swooshed through the air and black blood splattered. The Fade was not quite dead yet, though. It turned it's eyeless face and it stared at Lanfir as if he knew her. Lanfir was just in time to blink the icy fear away and weave again. Air and Fire. Spirit and Fire. As she charged towards her, she took chunks and bits out of him until he finally crashed to the earth a few yards away from her.

But there was more. "Lya!" Lanfir shouted to get her friend's attention. Lyanna was fast. One jerk of Lanfir's head in the direction of their battle leader was enough to make Lyanna understand. Of the two of them, Lyanna was more adept with Fire, and now they fought together to protect Sirayn's back while she was doing whatever she could to smother the tremors.

The earth around them thundered and scraped and screamed until Lanfir wanted to scream with it. We'll all die down here, smothered and covered in all that earth, if we don't get out of here, a panicked thought ran through her mind, while she weaved and battled. They HAD to get out of here. Dammit, I didnt come back to my Green Sisters to get buried with them before I ever had a chance to get to know them!

And meanwhile, the tremors seemed to become stronger while Sirayn did all she could to smother them. Jaydena joined her, and Lanfir prayed it would be enough.


~Lannie
getting claustrophobic

************************************************************

Lya!

It was an almost desperate cry, one that Lyanna had never heard from her friend, not even at Fal Dara as far as she could remember. She jerked around, away from her position against Lanfir's back, and instantly saw what her friend was trying to convey. The amounts of Earth Sirayn was weaving was staggering, unbelievable actually, but she was so busy holding off the tremors that raked the ground underneath that she lost all sight of her own protection. Seia was dancing around her, but couldn't be at all places at once, and from the looks of it, at least one Fade had managed to get through the woman's defense.

Three Trollocs charged up on Seia and Sirayn, as if they felt that if they destroyed this pillar of determination, the whole search party would come crumbling down. Lyanna wove Flame Arrows, concoctions of Air which she rigged with Fire and shot them at the charging lot, so that they burst into charring flames. They shrieked, but Lyanna already focused on another incoming Fade which would get by Seia, who was busy fighting another one. Again she wove Fire, this time a more vicious Weave, one of her own. She encompassed the Fade with the thread, wove it thicker and thicker, more intricate so that an entire net of Fire enveloped the Fade, and then tied it off. The creature instantly turned into a living fireball. It stumbled backwards, agains the wall, and writhed and screetched until it sagged lifeless agains the Gates, leaving a sooty trail behind it.

And on and on it went, Sirayn riding the earthquake, while Lanfir and Lyanna did the best they could in keeping her and her Warder alive...

 

Lyanna

************************************************

ooc: here we go with the promised climax of the Namandar Earthquake!

: : : : She spared a moment to rake the stray strands of hair out of her face with a trembling hand. Shock and exhaustion had weakened her to the point that she was chilled to the bone and trembling with shudders she could not suppress; her ice white face was streaked with mud and blood, set rigid in an expression of terrible purpose, and she stood straight and proud despite the burden weighing down her shoulders until she wanted to just curl up and let it all go. The quake pounded relentlessly against her barriers, each tremor fiercer and more draining than the next, like a vast sea crashing against the coast. And just like a cliff face she felt herself eroding, wearing away, her fragile form unable to restrain any longer the savage forces that threatened to rip the city apart entirely. Never, I will never give in, she repeated over and over to herself, half sobbing in the chaos of her own head, gritted her teeth and flung herself against another tremor that wanted to ruin them all. Distantly, as though from some far away isle, she heard voices … telling her that the recovering party was gathered at the platform, that the battle party stood ready to protect them as few by few they were raised to safety, and should they themselves withdraw? Sirayn nodded, blind, concentrated solely on the great fierce monster that lurked beneath their feet, and did not resist as Seiaman laid hands on her gently and pulled her back. She registered dimly that sisters still fought close by, defended her with flame and sword, but could not spare a moment to thank them. She was swaying on her feet now with exhaustion … cannot give in … never! and she channelled her precious last reserves of furious strength into her weaving.

: : : : There were still so many people waiting to go up. It was hopeless. She’d never do it. Clinging on desperately, she somehow managed to absorb and deflect another tremor; she could feel her grip on saidar slipping, like feeling her fingernails being peeled away, and she hung on grimly knowing the bleak consequences if it were to be ripped away. I’m going to burn out, I’m going to die, we’re all going to die, a manic voice chanted. She gritted her teeth against the pain as another tremor washed against them, her failing strength barely checked it this time and the rumble reverberated ominously through the cavern. Strong arms clasped her and half dragged her backward, onto the platform; voices shrilled past her hearing. She slipped weakly and fell onto one knee. The jolt almost parted her from her weaving and her fists clenched tight in exhausted rage as in the last moments she railed in defiance against the cruel twist of fate that had led her here to die in a dark choking madness deep underground … and just as the fast rising platform burst into sunshine and fresh air the world turned white and blinding and the dome crashed down with a great rending scream of stone to obliterate everything.

Ooc: well, I think I’m unconscious. *g* You can all post at your leisure … interest in an aftermath thread seems to be minimal, so we’ll keep it to this last phase. So this is effectively the end of the urgency and we can all recover at our own pace. *hugs* I’d just like to say how much fun I’ve had with this RP and that I’ve learnt a great deal from it. Thank you all for making the Hunt for Namandar as dramatic, occasionally spine chilling and always enjoyable as it has been.

Sirayn Sedai
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Proud Leader & Organiser of the Hunt for Namandar RP

************************************************************************

Long since deaf, Taya abandoned all attempts to keep the party in order - she couldn't even see the others, not with all this dust in the air! - and dashed for the exit, which had now come into sight. An alarmingly large crowd gathered there, everybody waiting for his or her turn on the platform. Taya approached the outermost fringes on unsteady legs, and saw the crowd part to make way for her. As she walked swiftly down that makeshift corridor she felt her soul tearing. These people were lessening their chances of survival, for her sake. She clutched her satchels to her desperately as she clambered onto the platform, melting into the numbers of people already on it. Struggling to accept the reality of the situation - that many people would surely die today, for how on earth could they all escape? It was clear the Dome was on the verge of collapse.

Taya craned her neck upwards, struggling to make out the hole in the ground through which they'd come what seemed so long ago. She couldn't see anything, and she couldn't face upward for long. Rocks fell from above, and she had to shield herself. The ground lurched and so did the platform...Taya nearly lost her balance, but stumbled into the person ahead of her. That made her aware of how much spare space there was on the platform. Her teeth chattered. She dared herself to look at the crowd beyond the platform - those who were still waiting for a chance to escape themselves.

She saw fear in those eyes, fear and hope but mostly the former. She felt sick knowing she was one step closer than they to earning her life back. But who is to say they worked any less hard for that chance than I did? She looked to the left and saw Ellvara nearby. The White had obviously had the same treatment Taya had.

The platform lurched again, and Taya screamed, "We have more room! Grab some more of them!"

And the people at the outer edges of the platform did as she commanded, as the ones behind pressed even closer together, painfully aware that it was a very dangerous game they played. A ridiculous game, Taya thought, wondering just what had become of Sirayn and the rest of the battle party. Perhaps we shouldn't have split up, she thought as several more people scrambled aboard the platform, and others nearly lost their balance with the upward motion of it. Taya's heart broke as she looked again at the crowds down there. She made herself look, because only a coward would look away. When finally she lost sight of them, she looked again at Ellvara, and saw that the White was still gazing downard. Clearly the woman had a similar philosophy about gutlessness as Taya did.

Taya fought hard to suppress her panic. But she did cling to the nearest people, holding tightly to a forearm on one side and a hand on the other. She didn't know those people, but she needed to be with someone, be close to someone...anyone.

The rise through the dusty darkness seemed to take an eternity, and the roaring of the earth, wanting to fill the void that had been here for so long since Namandar's demise, was matched by the roaring within Taya. Her head swam and cleared, swam and steadied, and she blinked repeatedly and prayed, prayed to the Creator not only to spare her own life but to lend those people below some more precious moments - just enough that they could escape. Injuries could be treated later. Death could never be Healed. And what a horrid death they'd suffer...

The din reached its crescendo and Taya thought she must be in the ocean, riding a tidal wave and well and truly lost to the world. She squeezed her companion's hand so hard she thought she might have broken bones, but he squeezed back, and she didn't feel any pain herself. She realised that things were more illuminated now - she could see far more clearly. And the source of light came from above. The opening to the outside. Oh, Light, please...

She felt a fresh breeze, smelt it, and then the platform burst into the open and at the same time, the Dome collapsed beneath them. The people on the platform stumbled and staggered. Taya lost her grip on both of the strangers and went hurtling forward herself, collapsing in a heap on ground...real ground... She couldn't open her eyes because the brightness of day hurt too much. She was aware that tears streaked her cheeks, though...not for herself, but for those who had been lost. So many! The rumbling hadn't stopped, and the sound of it only grew worse. Taya lay on the ground, weeping silent tears and pressing her hand hard into her mouth in an attempt to stem their flow.

 

Taya

********************************

The Recovery Party had made it to the platform, but Lanfir could not see them anymore. The flickering light of fire reflected on the dust that was showering around her and on her seemed to render the world to a living nightmare. She had gone into true battle-mode, only fighting for survival, only breathing to kill. All thoughts of impending doom were gone. Around her, rocks and dust were clouding the air and she found her breath rasping with all the dust that was gathering in her throat, but she couldn’t stop to care about it. She had to fight, she had to keep fighting, or all would be lost. If only she could support Sirayn her strength during her battle with the elements, but she could only guard the other Green’s back while the young mission leader was fighting for their lives.

Lanfir weaved wind and fire and even more wind, until it felt that her sheer body was scorched by Saidar and the temptation to give into its sweet song was threatening to become stronger than her desire to survive this horror. Eventually, all the light she could see was the way out, vaguely outlined above her, and the glow of saidar around the sisters in the Battle Party. “The Platform!” Lyanna shouted in her ear over the screeching of the earth and Lanfir could see it was true: it was descending again, the Recovery Party was safe already. Now just to get on the platform. They stumbled onto the platform and held each other tightly as a weave of Air enveloped them and pushed it upwards. Someone had created a wall of fire that did not allow their enemies to get on the platform, and Lanfir saw it shimmer spookily through the curtains of dust and grime that hung in the air.

Lyanna and she were standing awfully close to the edge of the platform, so Lanfir whispered breathless: “Don’t let go, Lyanna,” her arms tightening around her friend, clinging onto her while she did not dare to let go of saidar yet.

“I won’t,” Lyanna promised hoarsely, holding her and Lukas both.

Above them, the Light was rushing downwards to meet them… or perhaps it was the other way around. For one crazy moment Lanfir thought that they were meeting the Creator, but suddenly the sharp light softened and she could see the world around her. Trees. Grass. Sky. Fresh air.

Lanfir let go of her friend and took two tentative steps before she finally released her deathgrip onto saidar. She had already been on her way to sit down, because she knew what would happen, but she was too slow. Her knees turned to water and she sagged through, the ground slamming all air out of her lungs. She didn’t mind, though. She felt as if she had been smacked upside the head and lost most of her hearing, vision and smell. Light, the world seemed so dull, all of a sudden. One second that feeling lasted, until the thundering sound of the crashing dome behind her filled her ears.

Namandar was gone.

And I have no idea who lived and who died there… I hope my sisters made it out. She couldn’t bring herself to check upon them, though. Perhaps in a minute, when her shivers subsided. But not yet. Not yet.

 

Lannie

***************************************

OOC- Taya the whole group was supposed to make it up to the top, but I actually like your way better, so I talked to Sirayn and I can write it that way too. *nods*

Jaydena focused her dust filled eyes on the ceiling above them, she could see the large cracks in it's surface, and felt the failure and impending doom as she realized that despite her fight and her talent, she wouldn't be able to save Namandar. That Sirayn's control of the earthquake would mean nothing as the city would be forever crushed under tons of rock. The greatest discovery of their age would be lost because she hadn't been strong enough, talented enough, or good enough. She dimly heard Sirayn's voice echo through the dome, “Recovering party! Withdraw to the gates!” Nodding her head slightly at Sirayn's order she pushed another securing weave into place. The rumbling in the earth shook her body as she felt Sirayn's shield slide into place. She heard someone shout behind them, "Do something! You're the only one who can!” Her sister mumbled next to her and Jade caught part of her words. She grinned fiercely at her sisters courage and saw her warders and Sirayn's surround them in a circle.

Focusing all her attention back on that ceiling, hoping that she could save her sisters and warders, that she could help Sirayn to save the city. Her friend growled out, “I don't have a clue what I'm bloody doing!” Seia screamed back over the noise, “Well it's working, so keep doing it!” Jaydena heard one of her sisters call out, “They’re coming out, The recovering party is gathering.” Jaydena nodded as Sirayn spoke in anger and silently agreed with Sirayn's sentiment, she took deep breaths and prayed to the light that they would all make it up. Jade looked over at Sirayn as her shaken voice screamed out, “Battle party, Battle party! Withdraw! Protect the recovering party at all costs! Withdraw! Back to the platform!” A Brown sister called out to them in an angry voice for them to save the city and Jade couldn't help but grit her teeth at the stupidity of that comment, trust a Brown to say that, when she might just die. “Light! I can't save the flaming Aes Sedai, let alone the flaming city! You have to get out-“

Her sister muttered about her being able to do it and Jade nodded and whispered to Sirayn, "Yes you can Sirayn." Jaydena shivered as the earth quake pounded against her weaves, the more she shored up, the more cracks there were within the stone. She gritted her teeth again the exhaustion filling her and sparred a glance at Sirayn, utter exhaustion shone through the blood and Jade prayed that her sister would hold out against the urge to give in. Her own body ached with the promise of that death, the chance to end all the pain, she gazed over at her warders body and just wanted to let go of it all. Yet she couldn't for if she did the city would be lost with them inside, Sirayn needed her now more than ever and she wouldn't give up on her.

She heard words through her pain, the recovering party had made it to the surface and now the battle party was being loaded up. Coran urged her to make her way to the platform, she nodded and saw that Sirayn was being pulled backwards by Seiaman. Her teeth bared as she continued to weave into the ceiling. Jade worked her own weaves and Corbin carried Jared out and up onto the platform. Jade walked backward through the throng that was still waiting to load onto the platform, knowing that once she made it to the surface the dome would collapse and kill all these fine defenders of the light. She stepped up onto the platform and looked down at the people standing there, she called out, "Thank you all, today you have saved the Battle Ajah and there is no finer death than to die fighting." She saw several of the Tower Guard nod as they fought the Trollocs, their faces tense and accepting the knowledge that they were going to die in the service of the Tower and Aes Sedai.

She wondered for a moment if they regretted their choice, she shook her head as she saw a man slaying everything in his path. His teeth bared in a fierce smile as he laughed. Jade thought that he looked like he was having the time of his life. Jaydena bowed her head and prayed to the Light for all these men's souls, their sacrifice had been great and they would go down in history as having helped find Namandar. The platform started to raise into the sky and she saw the Trollocs running to board their platform, going after Sirayn no doubt. She used the last ounce of her strength and sent up a wall of fire many feet tall to block their progress. She lost saidar in that moment and crashed down onto the platform floor. Pain shot through her and she gripped her head in response. Someone knelt down next to her and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. Jaydena kept her eyes screw tight and felt the air touch her skin as the platform reached the ceiling. She tried to stand but her legs refused to carry her, someone picked her up and carried her out onto the grass where she was set gently down. As the dome crashed down behind her she flinched and let the tears fall heedlessly down her cheeks. All those people, had died for them, they had died while she worthless Aes Sedai who should never have survived...

Jaydena Sedai

**************************************

They had managed to make it to the platform. It had taken some doing, trying to guide Sirayn and Jade while keeping the last wave of trollocs back.

Coran guided Jade onto the Platform while Corbin carried Jared's body. Seia ushered Sirayn onto the platform and other Aes Sedai boarded along with their Warders.

No!!! Coran thought. He looked at all the tower guards still on the ground, holding back the Trollocs. He looked at the platform...full...no room.

He knew that once they were out that Sirayn and Jade could not hold off the destruction of Namandar any longer. Already, the tremors were starting to worsen.

May the Creator and the Light Guide you home. He thought looking out onto those left behind. The men knew of course...knew what they were there to do. Knew that they would not see that light of day again.

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!" Coran screamed into the falling dome. Flame burst out around them and then Coran felt Jaydena's strength give as she fell to the floor of the platform.

At once he was beside her. "We are almost up." He said to her, "I am here and we will be on solid ground again soon. Hold on....Hold on...It's ok." He kept telling her, not knowing if she heard or not.

Finally they reached the top and Coran led Jaydena out onto the ground. The dome collapsed....and if there were screams of the dying below, they were drowned by the topling earth. He felt...hollow....The loss. Jared. The Tower guards...Some of whom he trained. Lost.

He looked at Corbin... at Jaydena...Sirayn and Seiaman. He looked around at the people around them. Grieving would have to wait...The injured were still around them and the ground was still unstable beneath them. Already motions were being put into action to clear out the group.

"Seia...Corbin...We need to move away from here." Coran nodded and they began to move toward safety.

OOC:I had a break this weekend and thought I would jump in again...I will check around again before the end of the weekend.

Coran
Still Jade's Warder
Still alive and well...hmmmm....alive anyway

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Even enveloped in the Void as he was, Corbin felt every bit of shock from Jade as he saw Jared's ruined body crumple to the ground. But the Void quickly reclaimed it's hold over his mind. Redoubling hs efforts, Corbin slashed down Trolloc after Trolloc. Some of their vile blades coming close to him, but never quite close enough to do more than scratch at the scant armor he wore.

Corbin, along with the other Warders and Tower Gaurds continued to hold the horde at bay until the rest of the groups could be loaded onto the platform. Corbin grabbed Jared's body andcarried it to the platform. His body would not be left to rot under a heap of stone along with the Trollocs. Rising up on the platform, Jared's corpse over his shoulder, Corbin sent a silent prayer to the Creator for the souls of those men they'd left behind. He forced himself to watch until the last second. His final honor to the Lost.

Corbin
Bonded to Jade
Student of Cuen'd'Eren

****************************************************

Jade looked up as Coran rubbed her back, she remembered his words as they rose out the pit. "We are almost up. I am here and we will be on solid ground again soon. Hold on....Hold on...It's ok." It hadn't had meant so much to know that Corbin and Coran had made it out of that cesspit of death and despair. As she stared at the hole in the ground where they had risen from, she wondered what had happened to all the people who had lived in that city, where had they gone, why were their no signs of struggle, no blood on the wall, and no bones. Even after all these years, their should have been signs of death in a preserved city, instead all they had found was a perfectly preserved city, with clean rooms, and beds made. She turned her eyes away from that hole and closed her eyes, it was cowardice and she knew it, but did she always need to be so strong, bloody hell she was only human.

Coughing against the dust she sat up and looked around here, the group was broken apart and lost. So many sisters lay weeping on the ground, or staring around in horror at the wounded. Jade watched as the yellows began healing any that they could. The browns stood examine the treasures they had found instead of mourning the dead or healing the living. Bloody browns! How could they ignore the death at their feet and smile as they looked over the treasures from that haunted and dead city. She growled and was so angry that she stood up to attack one of them. Before she did she looked down and saw Corbin kneeling near her with Jared's body at his face. Her warder had closed his eyes and covered his body and the gaping bleeding hole with his fancloak. Jaydena dropped to the ground and let out a scream of mourning.

How could this vibrant, and loving man be dead. She had felt his arms around her only last night, her body had ached with his lovemaking, and now he was dead. Damn his for his arrogance, damn him for thinking he could kill that channeler. Why did he have to leave me, I'm to young to lose a warder, to young to mourn a gaidin who should have lived many years more. She wiped the tears away and embraced the source carefully, she weaves water and washed the blood from his body, she couldn't heal him but she could make sure he went to his grave without blood covering him. When she was finished she gratefully released the source and removed his dagger and ring that he wore, a gift from Terren so long ago. She figured that Jared's best friend would want it to remember him by, she rewrapped his fancloak around his broken body, she ran a hand gently over his still cheek and turned away.
She heard Coran speak to the two gaidin near him, "Seia...Corbin...We need to move away from here." Jaydena nodded slowly and stood up again, she nodded her head at Sirayn and waited for their battle leader to call a move away from the site of all this death and carnage...

Jaydena Sedai

***********************************

Seiaman moved with a deadly grace in a half arc around Sirayn, cutting down any trolloc who dared come close. Her mucles screamed for rest but she wouldn't. She couldn't. Losyn was a few steps ahead of her, killing as much as he could and those who got past, met with Seiaman's mericless death. Raisa was nearby, her eyes in a blinded rage towards the Shadow, those whom she thought was respsonsible for her Sedai's death. But in the back of her mind, Seiaman knew. As she pivoted while cutting through a leg artery of a trolloc intent to behead her, she saw Jaydena sending forth her weaves of destruction.

The tremors rocked underneath her feet but she kept a mindframe that it was just like those tremors that Sirayn would send out during one of their spars. All she had to do was keep her feet moving on the balls of her feet and her knees loose. The trollocs were stupid enough not to realize this as they fell over either from losing their balance or having their flesh sliced open. Arrows of fire darted past her head as another group of Trollocs closed in around them. Losyn was somewhere and she growled, We have to get out of here. A live fireball exploded too close for comfort as a trolloc's axe cut deeply into her shoulder. A dagger came loose in her hand and into the trolloc's eye, "Too many." In a pivot, she saw Lanfir and Lyanna with fierce concentration in their eyes and she knew they were helping.

"Seiaman!!" She turned quickly and saw a trolloc bearing down towards Sirayn, a large hammer being ready to slam into her headfirst. She ran and leapt through the air, catching the trolloc off guard as they crashed to the ground. And in the middle of the roll, her dagger slid into its neck as she twisted fiercely and pulled to cut the throat in half. Blood spurted onto her face and the sweat burned her eyes as she pulled herself out from under the body. The bond was growing faint ... weak. "No!" Another trolloc came rushing towards Sirayn and Seiaman ran only to watch as a fire arrow cut through the creature's chest. Just when she almost got to Sirayn, something sharp pierced into her hamstring and she screamed but refused to fall. Her arms went around her Sedai, the woman didn't even acknowledge her. The pain from herself and Sirayn was great, I have to keep my focus. Iron daggers flew from her free hand towards the rushing trollocs as she pulled the woman back, ignoring the rippings of her hamstring.

They came onto a dark stone platform, there were others of their party all bloody and fighting. Sirayn slipped from her grasp and fell to a knee and Seiaman instinctively move in front of her so the woman was protected with her Gaidin in front and her Sisters at her back. A dagger caught in her shoulder and she grunted as she pivoted, her scimitar slicing diagonally over a trolloc's face as it was trying to break the line. Blood and sweat trickled down her face and body, her hair clinging as if they dared not to part from her. She felt herself growing weaker from her own physical extertion and from Sirayn. The woman was pulling onto her life strength but Seiaman could tell it was not helping. Enough.

The platform lurched and Seiaman screamed as it sent a jolt of pain up through her hamstring. Hands clasped at her shoulder and pulled her back, to make room on the platform for others who needed to escape. She ripped herself out of their grip and at that moment, the platform rushed. Seiaman sheathed her scimitar and turned towards Sirayn, pulling the unconscious woman in her arms, brushing her hair back from her face. The dome crashing didn't register in her mind, all that mattered was her Aes Sedai. Her bloodied fingers felt for a pulse and she barely found it. "Sirayn..." She closed her eyes and focused onto the bond, pulling herself into it. It was a known fact that a Gaidin could not consciously give the Aes Sedai her own strength, but it would not stop her from trying.

Soft voices spoke as a gust of wind brushed over her skin as she felt a hand brush her cheek. Her eyes flew open, to meet with Sirayn's grey eyes. "Sirayn ..." The woman's face was not as pale as recently but Seiaman found that she could not even move without being in pain. Her immense relief and joy that Sirayn still lived could not be worded. "Get me up." Seiaman groaned and nodded, only to have a jab of concern shoot through the bond. "Tis ... I'm ... fine." She rose slowly, pushing down the tears that that pain brough as she helped Sirayn to her feet. Faces turned towards their battle leader to receive their last order, who spoke softly to them. But it took all of Seiaman's strength to remain standing, her vision grew blurred and her breathing was heavy. "Sirayn." Her grip tightened on her scimitar, fear rose that the Dark One could send its minions to kill Sirayn while she was at her weakest. She dared to look up, searching through the crowd for the one familair figure that she would recognize. And she came across the figure and wished that she could see Jaydena one more time, "Not ... fine any... more."

~ Seiaman Kera
Poisoned ... dying .. and living!

**********************************************

 

OOC: Not sure if this is going to be good, or even fit properly, but here goes...

Seia had fallen. After all the fighting and death, Jerad was not really sure where he was, or how he had gotten there. The aftermath of the brutal battle had left him a little dazed. His head cleared as he rushed to Seia, unsure of what he could do for her, or how badly she was wounded, but the way she had collapsed left no doubt in his mind that it was serious.

Unsure of what to do, Jerad gave a tug on the arrow, and managed to pull it out. The wound was not enough on its own, but the arrowhead contained more than blood. A quick taste confirmed the poison Jerad had feared. He didn't know much about the arts of healing, but it would have to do. Tearing a strip of cloth from his battleworn shirt, he began wrapping it around the injured limb. He slowly formed a crude tourniquet.

'Enough to slow the circulation, and the poison as well, if I'm lucky'

After securing his work, he sat down beside his injured comrade. He needed to keep an eye on her.

'Light, I have no clue what I'm doing...she needs more help than that, but that's the best I can do. Don't die on me, Seia, don't you dare...there's been enough death already...'

He waited...

 

Jerad

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ic: A more than slightly shaken Lwena stumbled from the platform as soon as it was safe to go, pushing through the people and into more open air; that was too close for her liking. Drawing in a shaking breath, she clenched her fists tight enough to draw blood from her palms and reminded herself that her job had only begun. There were far to many wounded for her alone to handle, but as the only Yellow sister there she knew that she would be taking care of the majority of the wounded, the most injured of them all.

"Lwena!" Someone, she wasn't sure who, called out to her, sounding slightly panicked, and she whirled about, trying to locate the source; while through her fog of exhaustion she could not tell who it had been, she could at least tell where it had come from. She pushed back through the crowd towards the platform, the glow of saidar bursting to life around her as strong as ever, and she dropped down to her knees beside the fallen Gaidin as another pulled the arrow from her leg, and he tied a rough tourniquet around the wound before Lwena shooed him off so that she could do her work. It was Seiaman, Lwena realised distantly, Sirayn's Gaidin.

There were several obvious wounds that most Gaidin had, but as she delved her attention was instantly drawn to the poison spreading from the wound in her leg. Bloody ashes, Lwena grumbled mentally, not quite tired enough to let down her Aes Sedai composure. This would make her job more difficult, though it wasn't something she couldn't manage. First, the poison; drawing on all five elements of Saidar, she drew the poison out back through the wound where it soaked into the strip of cloth wrapped around it. Tearing the poison-drenched cloth away, Lwena ignited it while she again used all five of the elements to Heal the wounds, only vaguely aware of several worried people crowding around her. Finally she sat back on her heels, glancing around.

"She should be fine," Even to herself, her voice sounded exhausted; that would not do. She still had too much work to do. "Tired, hungry, but she'll survive. I've got to go-" She stood up and glanced around. "There's too many more injured people-" She shook her head to herself and let her sentence trail off before pushing back through the crowd until she reached a large clear space that would now double as an Infirmary and weaving a voice-amplifiying weave.

"Would the wounded please all come here." It was more of an order, and she hoped she wasn't infringing on Sirayn's right as leader, but she needed to take charge of the wounded, and currently this was the best way to do it. She'd need to get someone to set up pallets and some large tents or tarps, and find all the Aes Sedai who could Heal...Lwena let her thoughts trail off as the first of the wounded arrived.

***

Raisa, only one sword out, glanced around at the trollocs, her mouth twitching into a merciless grin before she confronted the first of them; anger powered the Spring now, a fierce, burning anger that burned through her faster than she could compress it. It gave her energy, more than she could ever have expected, and she was doing much better than she normally did one-handed, even with one hand holding Nydi's body tightly and throwing her off balance. There was only one thought in her mind: kill them all. She knew it wouldn't avenge Nydi's death, but it was a start; at this point she wasn't sure if she even wanted to die or to live, but she would instead let fate take it's course.

Currently, it seemed that she was to die, or at least felt that way as a trolloc's sword bit into her forearm; this wasn't the first injury she'd recieved. A slash burned along her ribs, and another along her scalp from when she'd ducked, but not fast enough. She began retreating towards the platform, knowing that there were too many, and it felt like ages before she felt the platform lurch. Sagging as she realised that they were almost out, she glanced around her and tried to push away the feeling of exhaustion that nearly swamped her as the anger left her veins. For now.

Then they were at the top; she hardly noticed Seia falling, but a sudden sense of obligation came down on her shoulders as she realised what exactly had happened. Seia had stayed behind for her in Namandar when Nydi had fallen; it only seemed fair for Raisa to remain and make sure the other Gaidin was alright; Raisa didn't really feel like being around people, but she remained anyway.

She was shoved aside by a small Yellow a few moments after she decided to stay behind with Seia and Sirayn, and as she watched the Yellow go to work, she felt a slight burning anger; where had that Sedai been when Nydi had died? She should have been there. Of course this thought was unfair, but Raisa wasn't currently in a particularily forgiving mood. As the Yellow stood again and pushed back through the crowd Raisa hesitated a moment and then left as well, though in in the opposite direction.

She needed to be alone.

Lwena Sedai
First Weaver of the Yellow Ajah


Raisa
Tower Guard

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Jaydena glanced up and saw that Seia has sunk to the ground outside the hole, Sirayn was bent over her, she turned her head away as the pain echoed through her body. She took a deep breath that sounded to much like the sob that wanted to rush up into her throat. Only feet separated them yet they might as well have been miles apart for all the good it did. She walked forward and motioned to her warders, they picked Jared's limp body up and carried him away from the people who had survived. The walked for some time before she found a green leafy tree with ground soft enough to lay him inside. She bent down and looked into his face, her hear aching with the love that had been so strong, that had faded and the regret that it had done so.

She ran a hand gently over that still and silent face and a ragged sob rushed up out of her mouth. A keening wail escaped and she fell to her knees. The strength that she held onto for so long gone in the face of the lose. No one could see her, no one could the ever strong Sitter for the green fall to her knees and lose herself in grief. She lay her head on his unmoving chest and let the tears fall until they soaked his fancloak, until she was empty of all emotion. Jade stood up and took a deep gulping breath, a hand reached out and began to wipe the tears from her face. She smiled a wavering smile at him and embraced the source. Exhaustion slammed into her and she ignored it, drawing through the Angreal she wore on her dress.

Causing the ground to collapse into itself she bent down and kissed Jared's cold lips one last time. With a weave of air she lifted him into the Air and placed his body into the deep hole. With a last burst of strength she covered the hole in with dirt and packed it with air. She let the source go and turned away, leaning on Coran's shoulder she turned away and began to walk away from the grave, the grave of her friend, her lover, and her gaidin. Looking back would surely have undone her so she squared her shoulders and walked back to the scene of so much death. The closer they got to the city the more she stood on her own. Until when she reached the group she walked on her own, her face clear of all signs of mourning and calm as a still lake. She saw that Sirayn was organizing the group to leave and looked to be in control. Jaydena nodded and went to find he horse, so she could return to her tent at the camp and wallow in her pain...

Jaydena Sedai

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Corbin sat kneeling, staring into the face of the dead man, the dead Gaidin. He knew his own face was a mixture of emotions. He hadn't liked Jared asmuch as some. But he'd done a good job, and had died protecting Jade. To Corbin, that made him as good a man as could ever be.
"Seia...Corbin...We need to move away from here."
As they moved Jared's body away from the scene a bit, Corbin's mind started to retrace the entire time he'd known the man. Starting when they'd met in the Yard, with Jade. What a surprise that had been...Then their first spar, how close it had turned out...
The burial was short and silent. And as they walked back to rejoin the group Corbin could see Jade wipe it all off of her face, out of her step, it was as if nothing had happened. Except for that ball of emotion screaming in agony in his head. Before they were too close tothe group he approached her shoulder and whispered, "If you need me tonight, I'll be right outside your tent. And If you'd rather be alone, I'll stay there." As he fell back a step from her, he gave her arm a reassuring squeeze that he was sure couldn't be seen by the others. She obviously didn't want to look as if it were bothering her.

Corbin LaGosse
Bonded to Jaydena

*********************************

This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

 

The Hunt for Namandar #6 - The Dramatic Battle

Posted on Feb. 13, 2004

Players- Duram aka Belal Forsaken, Corwin Gaidin, Seiaman Gaidin, Rei'sam Kilm- Dreadlord (TPC PLAYED by Seia), Sirayn Sedai, Jaydena Sedai, Corbin Gaidin, Kaylan Sedai, Taya Sedai, Calya Giadin, Vira Sedai, Lanfir Sedai, Jozan-TG, Coran Gaidin, Nydylia Sedai (TPC PLAYED by Seia), Neroin- TG, Lwena Sedai, Raisa Gaidin, Daeralle Sedai (TPC PLAYED by Taya),

Link: http://www.dragonmount.com/psw/boards/viewtopic.php?t=4592

 

OOC: There was a slight communication mix-up which has led the RP slightly out of kilter timewise. As a result, I'm kicking off the sixth section with Arette's auspices to bring everything back into line. Sorry for the inconvenience and the slight RP of your characters to bring things into line in advance.

Essentially how this works is that the first wave that you're all meant to be fighting is going to be killed by Be`lal. Trollocs are all linked to Myrddraal, Be`lal is going to execute every single one of them to give you a scare.

Those of you at the gate get to see Duram (Be`lal) being a smart arse and playing his little games while those still in the university will probably be looting everything in sight while there is a lull. That lull will disappear before long however, and then the battle of Namandar truly begins.

IC:

Duram Laddel Cham smiled as he watched the barbarians enter Namandar slowly, but surely. The lightfools saw wonder beyond their wildest dreams, yet to Duram this place was a deathpit. In fact, it was a deathpit of his forging to be more specific. When he had led the forces of Shayol Ghul, when he had born more than simply the name the sheep had given him, Be`lal. They had called him 'The Envious' to vilify him, to try and make his reasons for serving the Shadow since the beginning of The Collapse ones of mere pride and jealousy. He had been far above that, to a degree.

After all, he had been presented an offer he couldn't refuse, he had the chance to wake society from it's decadence, to allow people to find what had made them heroes. In his day before the Great Lord had revealed himself, heroes had been poets and artistic men. Not even necessarily of real talent, but ones that simply fulfilled forms to impress the social elite. The elite being those of the third name, the ones who had done the most for the society, like himself, with their services. There was no struggle, and with no struggle society had stagnated.

Which had essentially been the worst thing the Age of Legends had ever created. With such a peace loving society, people did not choose between good and evil, they made the choice between being exceedingly good or apathetic. And of course, those who had been apathetic were 're-educated' into nice community minded citizens. Of course, the fact that the Great Lord would have killed him if he'd refused had been an incentive of a sort, he had held no wish to die after all. But still, he had gotten what he wanted, to overturn society, to reintroduce the choice between good and evil into the world.

Which had led to this place, the city of Namandar that had existed both above and below ground. During the Great War, Be`lal's forces had destroyed vast segments of the above ground portion. The underground had been utilised as a shelter of sorts, as the Lightfools had attempted to evacuate people by travelling until he had been able to erect barriers to stop such escape. Since they had refused to come out, Duram had taken the easiest option which led to minimal losses amongst his forces. They sealed the entire city in, unleashing poison in the air itself within before doing so, turning the 'inner city' of Namandar as it had been known into a graveyard, the shimmering jewel of Namandar a tombstone for the thousands that had gasped their last under it's dome.

Three Millenia later and it had long past, as had the remains of those who had died. Watching the lightfools as their numbers swelled, Duram wondered if they could even appreciate what little was around them. Namandar's design had been one of artistic license without restraint when it came to the inner city. Someone had thought curved buildings were a good idea, and with the help of Ogier and the Nym, they had reproduced the effect throughout the entire complex. Here had resided Namandar's elite, the artists, the politicians and sports heroes of the day. Jo-cars had run through the streets and Nym had patrolled the streets to take care of the chora tree's that had once been in abundance amongst the other delights of the Age of Legends. Yet they had withered away with the disappearance of the Nym, the glory of the proud had been reduced to dust.

Dismissing such thoughts, Duram hoped the others had finished looting the specific objects he had come for. Namandar had never been rich in angreal of any kind, but then again he hadn't really desired any such anyway. He had his own game to play, which ran counter to that of every other Chosen, as was the way of the Chosen. Yet he waited as he watched for the rest of the Lightfools to arrive. It was also with amusement that he watched them set up a guard for their entrance with the Tower Guard, it was one of the Tower Guard that had alerted him to Namandar in the first place. He would have thought the fools more cautious and to attempt to keep what they were doing secret, yet they had thrown such discretion to the winds as he learnt.

As he watched a group leave the gate to explore the city, Duram couldn't help but feel disgust. They were tomb robbers, thieves, they had no right to what lay wherein. He had buried this city himself, this city had been his conquered spoils. Yet then again, the Aes Sedai of this age were nothing compared to those who had existed in his time. He had once born the mantle of Aes Sedai and had been one of their foremost, a man famous for his historical works, his contributions and practice of law, his works with the one power under the guidance of the man who had taken on the mantle of Dragon and Lord of Morning, even as Duram had been known as the Lord of Twilight. Before he had been.... replaced, by Barid.

The way they fawned over trinkets and the like only increased his disgust. These children thought they possessed great treasures when they had been but baubles of his time. Namandar itself had been but a small city in comparison to places such as Paaren Disen, or his home of M'Jinn, home to the Festival of Winds amongst other wonders. This pitiful creatures knew nothing, of it, absolutely nothing.

Feeling a tap on his shoulder that disturbed him from his thoughts, Duram turned to find Leif before him. A follower that had proven loyal, the gnomish creature wielded saidin like a fish moved through water with such natural ease. The man informed him that the dreadlords were assembled, and were ready to open the gates for the first invasion. All Dreadladies had been forbidden from channeling as to not give away their position to the Aes Sedai, but Dreadlords were a different matter. Looking down from his view from the Aes Sedai Chapterhouse, Duram nodded and said to give the Aes Sedai ten minutes before they unleashed the first wave, it was time to shock these little invaders. Duram had also wanted to watch what the reaction of the Aes Sedai would be.

Cries of shock soon followed as the Myrddraal for the first attack directed their trollocs against the Aes Sedai. The flares matched the description of Green Ajah tactics he had been given, though the cry of one Aes Sedai as she raised her voice made even Duram wince slightly. That they couldn't even attach a sound ward to a specific location or object to communicate more effectively was laughable. Yet it did give Duram an advantage, any large battle commands given by the enemy he would be able to hear and take into account.

Waiting for the initial contact to occur, Duram smirked as he quite deliberately took hold of all the wards he had woven on the Myrddraal currently in command. He made no use of them or trollocs where he could avoid it in this age, but these he had stolen from the Blight with the visage of Rahvin upon him. Not that it would matter, none would survive in this wave to speak of it later. Taking grip of every single ward he had woven on the first wave Myrddraal, he triggered every single one of them with a smirk. Using a weave of sight to enhance his eyesight for longer distance, Duram watched as one of the Myrddraal leading a fist against the gates explode in a gorey shower of blood, bone and viscera. Trollocs simply collapsed as the Myrddraal died, their minds dying with the Myrddraal they were linked to, leaving nothing but corpses growing colder by the moment.

The apparent confusion was obvious as a still quiet filled the air. It was only a few minutes before a couple of the Aes Sedai that had been ransacking the place had left to find the main force at the gate, which Duram waited for to arrive there and exchange the strange news. Smirking, Duram watched as they played right into his hands. Now was the time to play one of his tricks, one which would shed the blame off himself and place it neatly on his fellow Chosen.

This took a bit of focus, but hadn't been uncommon in his time. A projection was in someways projecting yourself and your senses, though that didn't quite do it justice either. Forming a projection from all the way in the University, Duram let it form slowly behind a building near the Aes Sedai. The first thing was to form the senses around a core of spirit, and from there build with air for communication, water and fire mixed with spirit to create the illusion of Rahvin in one of his more 'dashing' leather outfits he'd heard the man had used a few times recently from his spies, before they'd been killed of course. Lastly, a bit of earth to give it presence and make it slightly solid.

The projection was also sometimes called the simulcrum, and had been favoured by Rahvin on occasion, so that in itself would identify him to Mesaana as Be`lal had never used it, prefering to stand himself infront of his foe. It was weird moving the simulcrum, because he also saw out of the simulcrum's eyes creating a double vision, but he'd had enough practice to do it flawlessly, as all Chosen did things after all.

The simulcrum grinned winningly at the Aes Sedai as he strode into sight, a ball of light that slowly changed from one colour to another formed above his head as he caught their attention. "You! Over here!"

Duram could see the surprise through the simulcrum's eyes as he walked closer, willing to bet they had tried to shield him, except for the problem that the simulcrum wasn't him, therefore shielding was going to be of little use. He stopped two dozen yards away as the voice was warped to fit Rahvin's tone as he spoke.

"I see the prostitutes have finally managed to make it all the way from that whorehouse otherwise known as the White Tower. You have the distinct pleasure of being addressed by Fenwin Carsol, Dreadlord without peer. And no, you can't shield me, so don't bother." Not only was the arrogance Rahvin's hallmark, Fenwin Carsol had been an agent of Rahvin's in another age who had died at Mesaana's orders, when the Shadow had fought each other as eagerly as the Lightfools. In some respects, they still did.

"You know, I do sort of find it amusing to find you picking at my scraps. Sort of like dogs getting tossed a bone from the lord. Of course, the analogy goes further, but why state the obvious?" Growling as one of them had the mind to slice at his weave and destroy his simulcrum, Duram reformed it on the spot, along with a few weaves of spirit to deflect any further individual efforts. "Do you mind? Its rude to interrupt, now back to what I was saying."

"Needless to say, these wretches" The simulcrum kicked one of the corpses, showing that he was in fact solid as the corpse shifted "are hardly all you will contend with. In fact, since you Aes Sedai are so fond of flares, perhaps I had better show you how its done. Now that you have had the distinct privilige of hearing me speak, now it is time for you to die."

Spinning the illusion in place even as he dispensed with the simulcrum's auditory and visual senses, the illusion quickly spun into a maelstrom of colour before shooting high into the air. As it came close to the dome, the ball of colour exploded into a thousand different shades and colours which in turn exploded again, far more brilliant than any illuminator's show. Duram was more than happy to show the Aes Sedai that his fictitious Dreadlord was more powerful than they could have guessed, it would give them something to give them pause if nothing else.

It was also the signal for his dreadlords to unleash the next wave of shadowspawn which were brought through by Myrddraal. Duram had tagged them all like he had the previous Myrddraal, but more for insurance than anything else. He was not known, and would remain unknown. He had split his dreadlords into three different groups, each under a different command as such. Aldreth Verasin commanded one group, far to the west in the city, while Leif had been given the eastern contingent. He had given Kilm full freedom to move where he wished. All the groups would eventually converge, but for now they ferried in new troops from the Blight they had swiped clean from the land, allowing some of the fists to charge straight away to give the Aes Sedai the impression their dreadlord was simply throwing shadowspawn at them.

They would join battle again within a minute, two at most and from the numbers massing and readying for battle as they charged down the corridors, the Myrddraal driving them forward with their circles readying themselves to defend them as best as possible from Aes Sedai onslaught, Duram couldn't help but smile to himself from his vantage point. He had doubts about a couple of his people, Eden for one he was unsure if she was ready for this. But steel could only be forged in fire, and he would be watching her as she accompanied Leif and gave her power to feed his circle.

All his plans were neatly fitting into place, as always. Duram had been named the netweaver for good reason after all....


Duram Laddel Cham
Be`lal, The Netweaver

OOC: Just a quick summary. Myrddraal and Trollocs of first wave killed by Be`lal. Be`lal uses an illusion to taunt Aes Sedai, threaten and be obnoxious. Specifically so Black Ajah can report later to Mesaana what occurred and the man's appearance. People are pretty much exactly where they were in the last thread so its all good.

You've all got moments to prepare for the trolloc onslaught, this time backed by the one power which'll be used primarily to defend the trollocs to allow them to get close enough to do damage (and to give the warders/TG a chance to rp some heavy fighting), though I'm sure a few of you will get into some one power fights. Leif's (General Sam's) group will lose 4 dreads, Kilm's (Seia's) will lose 4, Aldreth's (Liam's) loses two.

They will each post their own circle's involvement in turn. Pretty much, no one power fight till they appear, just stick to slaughtering trollocs and Myrddraal like always. And no, the Myrddraal aren't linked when they get within range, so no killing a fist in one hit by knocking off the fade first.

I leave posting the initial onslaught to you Sirayn and your Green Ajah. Sorry about the miscommunication again, but its been cleared up now. Enjoy the RP now complete with Dreads and all (once they post)

**************************************

OOC: sorry people but Elle posted me fighting the Myrddraal so I'm just going with that.

IC:
As the Eyeless approached, Corwin charged in. Being from Arafel, Corwin was able to shake the fear off fairly easily. Corwin could hear steal crashing on steal and Corwin's right blade led in to the Eyeless's. Corwin flowed from form to form. Left blade starting low and rising while his right thrust in. Corwin then spun and got kicked in the back by the Myrddraal. Corwin then rolled as the blade stuck the groud where his head was. Corwin then sprang up to see Teslan charging in. Corwin then called, "This is my fight, not yers." Corwin then charged back in. However, before Corwin or the Eyeless could score a hit, a man interupted. However, Corwin and the Myrddraal didn't stop their dance. Suddenly, the Myrddraal exploded. Corwin ducked and the blade sailed into the wall right behind him.

Corwin

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ooc: Kilm is actually the last name of Rei'sam ... meet your maker, ladies and gentlemen. Warders/TG .. watch your backs as Kilm will target you first to leave the AS vulnerable.

ic: Rei'sam retreated from his delving, adrenaline running through his blood as his vision and hearing was enhanced. The lost city was his treasure now, Be'lal's treasure. His knowledge on architecture had proved valuable when they first came to the city and he took every free second to explore the city, seeking out its weaknesses until he had found the main pillar of support that held the dome up. It would take a mere thread of Fire woven inside the beam to explode the fine material. His tongue frantically went over his dried lips as he heard a soft crunching nearby. He looked at the Myrddraal nearby and gestured for it to proceed. Rei'sam had given all those under his command to kill the Warders and Tower Guards. But the Aes Sedai, "They're mine." He smirked sadistically as he contemplated what he would do to these witches of the Tower. Skin them. Gouge out their eyes. Make them scream. Hurt them.

His forces were deep within the city, from the core center and expanding its circle, killing any who crossed their path. The other two main forces were on the eastern and western contingent while Rei'sam would flush out the Lightfools out of the city to their deaths. If they refused, they would die where they stood. Be'lal's words boomed through Namander and he stepped out of the shadows as the Myddraal fought the two Warders of the vulnerable Aes Sedai. "Hello, m'dear." The palms of his hands faced each other as his fingers twirled then suddenly shot outright as a weave of invisible Air spikes shot out small holes in the cracked walls and embedded deeply into the Aes Sedai.

She cried out and her Warders turned from the Myddraal to run to her side. And Rei'sam wove a wall of Air around them with a thread of Fire igniting inside. Their screams echoed through the city, being burned to death. A smile was on his face as he stepped closer to the Aes Sedai, her blood pooling underneath her. He channeled a thread of Air around the pitiful sight and tightened it around her neck, watching her gasp for breath until her body eventually collasped.

Licking his lips, he made the motion to signal his forces to keep expanding, to keep seeking for the light fools. To bring Death down on them.

~ Rei'sam Kilm
Dreadlord of Be'lal
Hunter of Aes Sedai
Blood-hungry

ooc: the AS is an NPC. hope no one minds but just so you know how Rei'sam will work. And pray you do not cross his path. *eg*

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Ooc: LOL, just noticed that Sirayn was right about a fatal poison in the air. –shakes head- I do hope age has neutralised it. I apologise for tweaking the outline repeatedly. Those who saw the initial outline might have noticed that it had maybe 13, 14 scenes so I have been shortening the outline to make things more streamlined. The plan is for the major battle to occur in this scene. I gather that we’re not actually defending the gates as was clearly set out in the original plan but instead, tackling these three big groups already inside the city. Recovering party, you’re still picking up everything valuable you can carry, against resistance from Be’lal’s people. Battle party, you’re hunting out the Shadow and defending the recoverers. Jaydena, Seiaman, Raisa, I think the planned order was for Jared to die, then Sirayn to kill his killer [not Seiaman’s Dreadlord now? A random Dread in your group?] and then for Nydi to die. Check in with me if you have suggestions. This thread ends when the earthquake begins; I’ll start an OOC thread for everyone to check in when they’re ready for the ‘quake. The Hunt for Namandar #7 will carry on from there while you’re all bailing out. Jaydena & Sirayn will pull their stunt with the ceiling. The Hunt for Namandar #8 covers the aftermath. Again, problems, you know where to find me.

 

: : : : As her sisters gathered round her Sirayn snapped out a rapid command and paused a moment to observe their response. The battle party assembled without hesitation into a martial order whose inspiration had been borrowed from the northern style of fighting. Sirayn glanced casually over the advancing enemy keeping her face stern even as a cold hand gripped her heart to see the shadow people like wheat upon the ground. The stakes were far higher than she could ever have assumed. And it was all up to her. It was she, the whore’s daughter, the true steel, who now faced this ultimate task. Even as the thought passed through her mind Sirayn felt all the worries and cares of the arduous journey fall away from her shoulders until she was just standing here, between the Light and the Shadow, living the life she was born for. Seiaman had been right. She was made for this. A small, satisfied smile curved her lips as Sirayn laced her fingers together and stretched her arms lazily, unsheathed one katana, spun it left then right to loosen her wrist. A quick glance marked those still arriving and with sudden surprise Sirayn noted just who was standing with her. Jaydena and her three Gaidin; Jared who was Sirayn’s cousin, Corbin who had promised to repay her for helping Jaydena in Ebou Dar, and Coran, her meeting with whom Sirayn remembered with startling clarity. Jehanine was close by as well with Jerad and as Sirayn looked sideways at her former friend, she felt none of the old bitterness, only a sense of loss. She hesitated wondering if she should say anything. What if this was the last time they saw each other? Sirayn abandoned her post for just a moment and approached Jehanine and said softly, “If you die now I will hunt down your soul in the afterlife and drag you back kicking and screaming all the way.” Her voice became suddenly stronger, “I haven’t given up on you yet. Nor will I.” Turning away Sirayn found her steadfast Gaidin at her back and quirked a smile for them. She went past them, acutely aware that time was shortening, and nodded curtly to Lwena. She had faith that the Yellow Sister would turn out to be every bit as deadly a weapon as she was an excellent healer.

: : : : Sirayn took up her position once more at the furthest point of the arc. The gates were directly behind her and everyone was massed either to her left or right. She had a perfect view across the battle field and over the advancing enemy. Sirayn found herself shaking her head slightly with a disbelieving smile. After all the gruelling politics and attrition by sabotage that had led them here, it all came down to this. A straight battle for the city. Sirayn took a deep breath and rested the point of her katana in the glittering dirt, simply breathing in two thousand year-old air, and preparing herself for battle. She knew now why she had been chosen. Because she won her battles. A hush had fallen in the eve of battle and she took the opportunity to speak out; “Stand ready,” Sirayn’s voice drifted softly, warningly over the party. “They may have channellers.” They could throw as many channellers as they liked into the mix. Few of them would be a match for Aes Sedai with sixty years’ channelling behind them. They could certainly prove troublesome but still … Sirayn was weak in the One Power save for Earth and Air but she expected to have the upper hand in a duel of the Power. The Trollocs might prove more troublesome overall because there were just so many of the monsters. And the Fades. Sirayn stood tall as the gaze of one of those pasty eyeless faces passed over her, strongly resisting the fear it caused, but she still felt a shiver of anxiety. She did not plan to fight a Lurk with steel. She’d channel all her miserable strength in Fire and ignite the thing to screaming death before she let it get anywhere near her. The opposing force was drawing very close now. Sirayn could pick out individual faces. A wolf-headed monster was directly opposite her and its wet, rasping breaths inspired only revulsion. She sneered back at it. Death was very close; she could smell it, almost taste it on the air, in the thickening of tension between the two forces. A killer herself, she had no qualms about bringing the war to the other side, for she knew that as long as she had the strength and the audacity to walk along the knife edge of battle, death was hers to command. Looking upon the nearing opponents her smile widened slightly. Little did they know that the very ground beneath their feet was loyal to her and would eat them without hesitation.

: : : : In the space between one moment and the next one of the Lurks exploded in a shower of blood and bits. The fist linked to it fell dying and just like that, another Fade exploded, and another. All down the line the tall pasty-faced slugs were bursting like overripe fruit and the monsters they commanded fell where they had stood. Sirayn bit down on her lip and counted out silently fifteen seconds before the field was strewn with corpses and nothing stirred. She raised a brow coolly at the carnage wondering what under the Light was going on. “Evidently my most successful tactic to date,” Sirayn quipped to Seiaman, but pitching her voice to carry to a certain few young, untested and doubtless very edgy sisters. Sirayn herself kept up a cold mask but inside, she was rattled. Her enemy clearly had enough people under his command that he could afford to just slaughter the whole lot of them to throw a fright into the battle party. It was complete lunacy. Arrogance, to think that he could afford to kill them all, and Sirayn’s people wouldn’t wipe the floor with his depleted force. Well if this madman wanted to make her job easier all power to him. “I could get used to the other side killing themselves before we have to lift a finger!” Now what were they going to do? She couldn’t just disband the battle party and let them return to treasure-hunting because if one force had spontaneously combusted, another, bigger force was undoubtedly waiting in the wings. On the other hand, they were going to look rather stupid standing obediently outside the gates waiting for an attack that never came. Maybe it was a decoy? Perhaps the whole thing had been an illusion. Frowning slightly Sirayn turned to look behind them and her eyes widened as through the open gates, she saw someone step out onto the main street, where almost everyone in the city could see him. That wasn’t surprising in itself but a little coloured ball of light was bobbing above his head and it was not saidar. Sirayn tugged on the bonds and calmly walked through the gates and onto the street approaching him cautiously. He was a male channeller with good control, therefore, he was the enemy. And he was either mad or arrogant beyond belief to appear in the midst of a group of Aes Sedai. As she watched one of the closer Aes Sedai tried to shield him but the shield just passed through him without any effect.

: : : : Sirayn chewed on her lip. Evidently he wasn’t actually there at all. She formed a tiny razor to slice whatever Illusion held him to his place but held her strike until he spoke. His first words proved right Sirayn’s assumption that he was a Dreadlord and also, one of unshakeable conceit; his self-importance was beginning to grate on her after a few moments so Sirayn loosed her razor and sliced his weave. As predicted, he fell apart, but whoever was controlling the illusion reformed him immediately. Sirayn tried again and her attempt bounced off. Entirely curious Sirayn sheathed her katana and observed the smug tirade for a short while longer until the whole illusion melted and reformed into a brilliant flare. He was no weakling, whoever had crafted this illusion. Still watching the flare glowing brightly with iridescent colours plastered shimmering on the dome Sirayn started slightly as Seiaman touched her arm. And looking down from the flare, she found herself staring directly at a wave of Shadowspawn spreading outward from the centre of the city. A large group detached and came straight for her. “Battle party into the city!” her voice thundered out. She exchanged a glance with Losyn and shrugged. “Let’s move.” Lifting both hands, a long wickedly-edged projectile sprang into being along with other smaller lances hovering inches above her fingers. Sirayn flung them at the lead monster. The huge projectile went straight through him impaling him onto the one immediately behind him. The other lances scattered, biting into the first wave of Trollocs, even as Sirayn unearthed a stone from the ground, wove swiftly and flung that too. And the middle of the group exploded in a shower of burning earth and flesh as the grenade detonated on impact. Sirayn paused for a moment to watch the scene. Steel eyes glittered softly while she revelled in the slaughter. Then advancing with spikes springing into her hands, Sirayn prepared her next attack, even as the ground itself rumbled softly with the fierce joy of killing. Here and now she was in her element.

Ooc: Seiaman, this is your group I think I’m playing with, so if you want to mess with me, go ahead and mess!

 

~ Sirayn ~

*****************************************************

Jaydena looked carefully at her friend and saw no signs of strain. The woman seemed to be handling the incoming attack without worry, but then she was a master at schooling her emotions. Following Sirayn's orders she moved into the battle formation that they had talked about. She smiled fiercely as Sirayn finally noticed her presence and saw her standing there. Sira's eyes glanced behind her and she turned to see Jehanine and Lwena behind her. Nodding coldly to each woman she prepared herself to fight the shadow. Unhooking her sword to have it ready she checked the Angreal that the green sitters had been given. It hadn't been believed that the sitters or the greens for that matter would need to use them but they had been given just in case there was a fight. Jade laughed scornfully at how naive they had been and watched coldly as Sirayn approached Jeha and spoke to her in undertones. As Sirayn finished and moved back to her side she fleetingly wondered what she had said to Jehanine. “Stand ready, They may have channellers.” Jade nodded at Sirayn's words and turned to speak to her.

However before she even had a chance to say anything she looked up to see a massive attack of Fade's and Trolloc's descending at them. She embraced the source and wove several traps, ready to let loose the moment they were within range. Staring at the enemy she blinked fierce tears from her eyes. This was the moment she had been waiting for, she was meant to die fighting the shadow, to fall and with her dying breath spit in the Dark One's eyes. With a grin she turned to look at Sirayn and saw shock flash across her face. Turning back to the scene she saw the Fade after Fade was exploding in a rain of blood and guts. Jaydena's eyes widened and she barely stopped herself from raising a hand to her mouth in shock. Why would the enemy kill his own forces, what in the Light is going on. The only way he could afford to do this is if he has a larger contingent of soldiers waiting to attack. Jade listened to Sirayn quip something at Seiaman and then almost chuckled as her friends voice rang out over the shocked sisters. “I could get used to the other side killing themselves before we have to lift a finger!”

Jade nodded in response to Sirayn and glanced at the assembled sisters and saw some of them shake themselves and seem to come back to their own. Proudly she looked over Sirayn and held close to her the fact that her friend had become a battle leader in the space of moments. Glancing at her warders she saw the cold determination on their face and the grace that was a gaidin. She nodded silently to them and sent them awareness through the bond. Turning back to her Sirayn she saw the woman's attention captured by something else. A man stood with a glowing ball over the top of his head. A male channeler here in Namandar. We may be doomed if they have any more of them, for we can't see their weaves. As the man began to speak she saw Sirayn shoot a weave out and part of his weave collapsed proving without a doubt that it was an image not a man. Jaydena sneered at his words and waited for him to finish his self righteous tirade of them. When he finished she noticed that he had been blocking the advance of the shadow.

With a growl she backed toward the group she had strayed from during his talk and prepared to face the shadow and win. Sirayn's battle command rang out across the canyon, “Battle party into the city! Lets move.” Following her orders she moved into the city and saw how close the shadow was. Weaving a giant fireball she set it loose within their ranks. Trollocs screamed as they met their fortunate death, following this weave she began to shoot grenades of air, her skill and her strength in air were deadly and Trolloc after Trolloc fell with shards of earth sticking straight through the armor on their heads. Moving farther into the city she began to weave spears of earth and sent them flying at the Trollocs. Her attacks seemed to have no effect and rolling wave of Trollocs and fades continued to come at them...

Jaydena Sedai

*****************************

Corbin, standing behind Jade's right shoulder immersed himself fully into the Void. His claymore seemed to increase in weight on his back as he did so.
“Battle party into the city! Lets move.”
As the order was given, they began to move as one. Jade began her weaving, and though Corbin had seen it's like before, he still did not think he would ever begin to be used to it. Though through the Void all that registered were the numbers each of her attacks subtracted from the total he and the other Gadin would need to be able to slay to keep the Aes Sedai alive.
Drawing the claymore, Corbin assumed a gaurd role and watched the edges of their party. As soon as something Shadow-tainted was within reach it would meet it's end on his blade.

Corbin LaGosse
Bonded to Jade
Student of Cuen'd'Eren

*****************************

Kaylan's eyes swept over the Battlefield, watching the army opposite. Her sword gleamed on her hip, ready to be taken out at a moments notice, and she barely flickered an eyelid at the stray lock of waist length hair that hung limply in front of her face. She registered the cold and ignored it, concentrating instead on those around her. Leilani, a younger Green, but one who had helped Kaylan overcome her difficulty with Water Weaves, at least as much as was possible, smiled grimly from her place. She was kneeling over one of the fallen, checking for vital signs.
Mercury stood in front of her, incredibly large sword out and ready. The enemy was not amoung them yet, but her three Warders stood ready for them to be. Calya was to her right side and Jumael to her left, the two ambidextrous Warders taking full advantage of the fact, holding swords further away from Kaylan, aiming to protect her from everything that came close.
Kaylan glanced around at the other Greens, who were mostly pacing, forming Weaves and readying for the next strike. Some were looking at the roof, watching with worry at the hardened case.
Kaylan was readying a weave of her own, several static Bombs, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a streak of silver. She turned to look, seeing the volley of arrows. So close, too close! They were headed straight toward Leilani... and straight toward Jumael.
"Leilani!" She cried out, raising her hand instinctively to throw up a Shield of Air around her Warder, her love. The other Green's blue eyes widened as she saw the arrows, too late. Her body was pincusioned, and Kaylan failed to notice the arrow piercing her own left arm.
"Jumael..." Kaylan's eyes widened as she realised what she had done. She leant over Leilani, watching the life leave her eyes, and tenderly removed the other Green's necklace. She shoved it into her bag as she wove Healing, even though she knew that her Talent was too weak, and death could not be Healed.
"No! Not another one of my Sisters!" Her eyes flared with anger, and her gift flared with Fire, the entire section of Archers being consumed with flames where they stood. Kaylan sagged, sobbing, before dimly realising she was bleeding, heavily.
"I... Oh, dear Creator." She blacked out, collapsing to the ground.

Kaylan Morin
Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
Bonded to Mercury Sansiria, Calya Gille and Jumael Tallanor

********************************************************

Under attack, Calya felt strangely at home, and didn't feel concerned about that fact as she had in the past. She was an experienced Gaidin, middle-aged by Gaidin standards and with the skill to match her age. She had seen so many battles and expended such effort in peacetime that she was completely used to it by now.

She stuck near to Kaylan, moving when the Green moved, pacing around her when she stood still, but usually standing on the spot, at the ready at all times. Her eyes darted left, right, up and down repeatedly, her vigil never ending. This was the moment of truth, the kind she'd known many times in the past. Her sword waited to greet any enemies that would be foolish enough to get too close.

Calya knew Kaylan was readying weaves - she always got that sense via the bond of acute concentration and centredness. Calya's muscles tensed as she sought the enemy Kaylan too was seeking. But then things began to go wrong. Arrows were coming at them, and Calya moved towards her bondholder, intending to throw her to the ground. Kaylan was facing away from her, a horrified expression on her face as she channelled and called out at the same time. She called her fellow Green's name, Leilani Sedai who was a target for the arrows. As Calya watched in her own mounting horror, the arrows streaked also towards Jumael, and Kaylan threw up a shield...over him!

Leilani had been struck multiple times. Calya saw an arrow straying in Kaylan's direction and grabbed her by the arm, trying to drag her backwards. Too late. The arrow struck, but thankfully not in the neck it had been heading for. Calya heard Kaylan murmur, "Jumael..." and then the Green's eyes widened. Realisation flooded through the bond - realisation and a lot more. Calya regarded her bondholder in a dread that started so deeply within her soul that it seemed to rise up from the very earth beneath her, and seep through all her pores. How will she ever live with herself, when it sinks in? Calya found herself thinking as she shifted her gaze to meet Jumael's. The man was clearly in shock, and no wonder. He'd come close to death. Only Kaylan's love for him had saved him. But he knew as well as the rest that his life had also been saved at the expense of another's - an Aes Sedai, to boot. Calya felt sick.

Kaylan was leaning over Leilani. Calya said, "We must take cover," but she didn't think Kaylan heard her. Instead Calya turned her attention back to her job - keeping a watch out for approaching enemies and more attacks. She fought down the sense of despair that rose in her heart at the loss of Leilani, a fine warrior and finer Green sister. These things happened. As terrible as it was, there was a place back in the Tower that would soon be filled with Leilani's belongings. This sister would be mourned on Rashima Day along with the hundreds of others who had passed over the years. Yet mourning was for the future. They had a city to defend - and moreover, they had their own lives to save.

"No! Not another one of my Sisters!" Calya heard Kalyan cry behind her, hoping that either Mercury or Jumael would take the time to comfort her while Calya kept watch. A few more moments passed, before she heard Kaylan murmur something else that was inaudible. Then she heard Mercury call to her, and turned around briefly to see that Kaylan had fainted.

"We have to get her out," Mercury said simply.

Calya responded, "Jumael and I will guard - you carry her."


Calya Gaidin
Bonded to Kaylan Sedai
Master of Cuen'd'eren

 

~*~*~*~

Vira's heart tore as she saw Leilani fall. She did not rail against the injustice of it - she knew that Greens signed up for a certain job, and expected to have to do that job even if it meant giving their own lives. But she hated the thought that she would never see Leilani alive again. She would never speak to her in the hallways or share tea with her. She would never laugh with her. Leilani would never laugh with anyone.

She raced to Leilani's side, watching as Kaylan tenderly removed the necklace from Leilani's neck and began with a Healing weave. It was too late. Leilani was gone.

A moment later Kaylan had passed out, and her Gaidin were organising to carry her out of the fray. Vira crouched beside the dead Leilani, disbelief making her numb. She felt hands on her back and arms and knew that her Gaidin had come. But she coudln't hear what they said, only the concern and warmth that flowed through the bonds. She sobbed as she closed Leilani's eyes and reached for the woman's sword. "I must take this back with me," she murmured as she cradled the sheathed weapon in her arms. "It must go in the Vault."

And her Gaidin lifted her too her feet in spite of her soft-voiced protests, reminding her that the battle was not yet done.

She strapped Vira's sword onto her own belt and met Jethraya's stone cold gaze. That gaze belied the wondrous warmth of the soul within. "Very well," Vira said with some of her usual steel in her voice. "Where are those who killed her? I want to slay them with my own hands."

She and her Warders swept back into battle.


Vira Demarcias
TPC Greenie

 

~*~*~*~

Taya was stuffing her satchels with items of unknown nature, knowing that no matter what they were, they were priceless. Items from a city so long abandoned were worth preserving at almost any cost. Eos was already holding a satchel full of recovered items, but he didn't do any of the collecting. He was too busy keeping guard of her back.

"This is not how it was supposed to be," Taya muttered beneath her breath as she paused briefly to study the statuette of a Lion-headed God, made of what looked like ancient porcelain. "Curse the Shadow and its disrespect!" She laid the statuette in her satchel, trying to be gentle yet quick in her movements. She had a lot more to gather before she was ready to retreat.

"I think we should get out of here," Eos said from behind her. "I don't like the sound of what I'm hearing out there."

Taya didn't look at him. "We'll get out. But I am not done here."

He didn't argue - he knew all too well how useless it would be. All he had to do was his job, and he was doing that perfectly well.

In a moment she'd move onto the next chamber, but first she'd explore the farther recesses of this one. So much to gather, and so little time to do it in. There was a sense of despair that accompanied this knowledge.

Taya ignored it as best she could and kept on gathering.


Taya Sedai
Oldbie Green

********************************

Lanfir, Lyanna and Lukas had almost reached the city gates to back up their sisters when a brilliant flare lit up the dark dome above them. Myriads of colors of light were twinkling and shimmering, giving the city an even eerier look about it. The shifting shadows and the unearthly colors were awe-inspiring. In another time, she would have taken the time to watch the lightshow, but not now. "This is not right," Lanfir murmured, rounding another corner. "Something bad is going on there!"

Lyanna was on her heels, with Lukas covering their backs. They shared a worried look but did not waste any time talking. They had heard the horrible cries of trollocs and they had smelled the blood. There was slaughter going on at the city gates. They had to get there quickly.

Thankfully, it had been a logical mind that had designed the streetplan of Namandar. Lanfir could easily recall how they had walked and the route back to the city gates. It was a very intuitive route, something she was glad for with saidar and adrenaline both heightening her senses. She knew that the information overload would come later, but she'd cross that bridge when she'd come to it. For now, all that mattered was her sisters. And a flare like that, whoever made it, must mean serious business.

It did. They rounded the last corner to the main street of the city, but while the last bits of the multi-colored flare died out above them, Lanfir could not see the gate anymore. Her view was obstructed by a fist of trollocs and her fighting sisters. "Light," she breathed, opening herself further to the sweet song of saidar. This was the massacre at Fal Dara all over again.

"Be strong," she told Lyanna and Lukas, desperately wishing she had Souvan or Jaksyn still at her back. Weaving Air and Water, she sent a Tornado into the fist of trollocs, nimbly working around her Sisters. That would confuse them enough for her to jump in and kick ass. A Lightning Storm and Fireballs followed. saidar sang to her, and she felt the old familiar battle fever take a hold of her again.

Fear, anxiety, thoughts of death, they all melted away as she slipped back into battle mode as if she had never stopped fighting.

To spit in the Dark One's eyes, Taya had said once, and that's exactly what she was planning to do. She would be the Light today, searing all the Shadows out of Namandar. The Shadow had no right to be here. She would see to that.

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Ajah

******************************

Jozan was left alone with no towerguard or aes sedai at his side but he knew that might happen and now it had and he had to fight for his life to get out of the city and up to the surfice again. He stood against a wall when suddenly he heard footsteps close in on his position and he were right because it didn´t take long before three trollocks came closer to him and suddenly one of them cackled out and they all raised their weapons and moved fast towards Jozan.

Jozan saw one of them advancing towards him and when he was just a bit away Jozan took out his foot and watched as the trollock fell to the ground. The trollock were very angry when he got up but Jozan didn´t care instead he stood ready with his staff in his hand. The trollock swinged his axe in the air in front of Jozan without hiting him and Jozan decided to move in and dance with him in a deadly fight. Jozan attacked and the trollock defended but Jozan never got a chance to finish him off. Jozan kept attacking and suddenly the trollock got off balance and Jozan hit the trollock on his knee and moved quickly on the final strike and hit him on the head and killing the ugly beast. The other trollocks were easier targets and was killed after a short but fierce battle and Jozan moved towards the gate.

When Jozan came close to the scene at the gate he moved quicker towards it but suddenly saw two trollocks moving behind two aes sedai and one towerguard and Jozan knew that they would need his help. He saw a nearby house with a window close to the trollocks so he walked into the house and up the stairs and to the window. Jozan took his bow and strainghed it and put a arrow and aimed towards the trollock. He had the aim on the trollocks neck and fired and he watched as the arrow flow towards the trollock and hit the beast in the neck and almost killing it instantly. Jozan aimed fast on the other trollocks head and fired and this time killing the beast on impact.

Jozan

************************************

Coran watched fixing this new feeling of wrongness into his bones...the feeling of shadowspawn near. He stayed close to Jaydena, Jared, and Corbin, but intent on the beasts rushing forward. Arrows flew like death coming towards them, while the Aes Sedai were throwing their own version of death back at them.

Coran could feel the elation and intention coming from Jade. Her edge feeding into his Spring and fortifying him. He watched as the arrows flew, but not near them at this point.

Then, even with the might of the Aes Sedai holding the beasts at bay, they came forward and the warders went to work. Coran moved forward. He was not going to let the Spawn close to his Aes Sedai. Next to him were Corbin and Jared. as one, they made a wall. It was as if they were one person. Nothing moved through them as their swords worked almost in perfect unison warding off attack. One after another, trollocs fell.

Arc of the Moon to the Falling leaf to Cat on a hot Stand, to Tower of Morning to The Courtier Taps His Fan. One after the other, the forms flowed through Coran like a gentle but unstoppable stream.

Jaydena would not fall here...nor anywhere that Coran was. There was nothing that he would not give to have Jaydena succeed and thrive. and each movement...each stroke of his sword was for this intention alone. My life for hers!

Coran smiled...and the Stream became a River.

Coran Gaidin
Jade's Warder

***************************

Be Safe Lanfir told them as they faced the seething mass of Trollocs and other shadowspawn between them and their fellow Sisters at the gate. Lyanna's breath choked. She saw Sisters fall, shadowspawn fall, and before long the ancient dust beneath their feet was caked with blood. It reminded her of the bloodred slush so long ago.

As they proceeded forward, Lyanna drew on the Source heavily and laid a Flashfire around the three of them. The Firestrands were intricate, and didn't touch either of her friends, and when she let them go, a circle of flames, all consuming fire, burst outwards and away from them, ever growing bigger and racing towards the enemy. She knew that it was not big enough to reach her Sisters at the gates, a Forsaken would be the only one able to weave that big a weave, and it would take out the hind forces of the shadow army before them.

Several Trollocs burst into flames, their charred corpses smoking and smelling. A Fade ran mindlessly in between them, burning and screeching so high that Lyanna imagined that she could feel the screams rather than hear them. Lukas was a bundle of determination beside her, fighting whatever came his way. Lyanna's fear was a trickle of emotion, swept away in the sweetness of Saidar filling her, and she formed other weaves, all Fire-created, and hurled everything she had at the enemy in front of her.

And let the Battle Ajah ride again on the Winds of Time... She had returned. And she would be damned if she let anyone die if she could help it.

Lyanna al'Ellisande

OOC: Lukas, you can go ahead as planned. Both Lannie and I have the talent for Healing, and both of us can Remove Taint...so if you are caught in the back by shadow steel, we will be able to Heal you on the spot if we are quick enough

*****************************************************************

Lukas braced himself as he watched the Shadowspawn advance on the defender’s line, it was a sight that he would not wish on anyone and it was one that he wished he did not have to witness. Bestial creatures out of nightmares rushed forward in an unorderly, chaotic mass, their half animal, half human bodies surging forward without fear or anxiety the only thing occupying their minds was their hatred for the Sedai and their Warders and their love of violence. Their sickening weapons bobbing up and down as they ran, giant axes, chipped and rusted swords, lengthy spears and other weapons that were a mix of a number of things all threatened the battle line. But before they could do any harm the Trollocs and their Myrdrraal overseers were torn to bits by the One Power, Lukas could not see where the weaves originated from but he could see their result and he was glad that his side was the one using the Power and not the other side. Although the light display of earlier suggested otherwise. But for now Lukas kept his mind on the task infront of him leaving the Dreadlords and the One Power to the Sedai.

The Trolloc line drew closer but before it could reach him Lyanna attacked outwards with the One Power and a ring of flames exploded outwards around him taking down Trolloc and Myrdrraal alike but luckily avoiding any of the defending party. Seeing that this strike did not slow their line Lukas held his sword steady in both of his hands and rushed forward with the intent of stalling the beasts from reaching Lyanna or Lanfir. His feet felt leaden as he moved forward and he felt fear gripping his heart as he approached the terrifying line but he fed his weakness into the Spring and allowed his emotions to guide him. Fifteen feet away, ten feet, five feet.....Lukas heard a whistling sound over the din of battle and then he felt a stabbing pain in his shoulder.

Looking at his left shoulder he saw a crude arrow, its shaft as thick as his thumb and its fletchings crooked and broken. The arrow had struck one of the metal studs whose purpose it was to stop any such arrows piercing the skin, unfortunately the stud hadn’t been as strong as he had thought and instead of repelling the arrow it had shattered under the pressure and now arrow, leather and shards of jagged metal where all embedded in his shoulder. The pain of the arrow was enormous as every movement caused it to tear further muscle and tissue but he could do nothing to ease the pain as the battle line was upon him. Gritting his teeth and forcing the pain into the Spring he started to hack away at his opponents.

Lukas’ size aided him as he forced his way through his opponents, their weapons were not able to reach the diminutive Warder who did not even reach half of the Trolloc’s height but this allowed him to duck and weave, thrust and slash and generally cause havoc. The throbbing of his shoulder was forgotten as he became consumed by bloodlust which fueled his Spring to new levels. Courtier Taps His Fan, Boar Rushes Down the Mountain, Tower of Morning. On the practice field these forms were smooth and graceful but here underground in this pit of death the forms were basic and crude, their purpose to kill with the least effort. This style of fighting was reminiscent of the duels back in the Rahad and this familiarity suited Lukas who found that simple aggression was often the best especially in situations where one’s opponent only understood brute strength and violence.

Lukas spared himself the briefest of moments to take a look at the battle going on around him and from what he could see the defending force was doing a fair job of holding back the tides of Shadow. Warders and Tower Guards alike were all engaged in situations similar situations to himself and the Aes Sedai were all standing back from the battle line carving huge chunks out of the enemy with their One Power. And so far all the enemy had brought to the party was a motley crew of Trollocs and.... swish!!!

Lukas ripped his head back to the battle right in front of him and immediately had to wrench his katana upwards to deflect a lightning quick strike by a Myrdrraal, the pasty, eyeless creature had appeared out of nowhere and was intent on slaying Lukas. Parrying another strike by the Fade Lukas was being made aware of just how much the arrow sticking out of his left shoulder was hindering him, every time he was made to place pressure on his left shoulder his parries lack conviction and his strikes were feeble at best and the Fade seemed to know it. As it continued its fast and fluid series of attacks it pressured Lukas to use his left arm more and more until suddenly it struck with the speed of a king cobra, stabbing down on the katana, chipping its blade as Lukas was made to use the blade to stop the stirke in its tracks. And then he felt the punch to his shoulder, it was a dirty trick that he had not expected coming from this fear inspiring creature but it had performed the move none the less and its effect was profound. Lukas’ eyes teared up, his body hunched over in reflex and the katana dropped from his hands as the pain caused his hands to convulse into fists. Then he felt a searing pain worse then he had ever known, the Myrdrraal had not waited to strike and had drawn its Thakandar forged blade over the wounded Warder’s back, the blade slicing through the leather like a hot knife through butter. Skin peeled away just as easily and blood flowed freely into the dank cavern air, the excruciating pain of the attack caused Lukas to scream at the top of his lungs and made the Spring disappear, the full brunt of both attacks now able to ravage the already weakened Ebou Dari.

Then came the final blow, no longer a slash but a full bodied stabbing action that pierced Lukas through the lower back, this time along with the pain came darkness. Not the calming, peaceful darkness of sleep but the tormented, wrenching darkness of death and torture.

Lukas Talinko
Not dead but pretty danged close

*********************************************************

Daeralle knew this feeling. She knew how it was to embrace the Source with the full knowledge that things were going to die at your hands. She had killed so many things in her lifetime - creatures to eat on the road; Shadowspawn just because they didn't deserve to exis; even humans now and then. If Darkfriends could be called human, she had killed quite a few of them. But the knowledge remained that this was her last stand. Nobody had noticed her yet, that she knew. But they'd notice her in the end. She didn't really want them to feel guilty. She merely wanted them to see that they'd been wrong. She wanted her death to be proof that they'd misjudged her.

Things hadn't gone exactly as planned since she was lowered down into this subterranean wonderland from an age of legends long past. Amongst those things that had surprised her were the reappearances of several sisters she'd thought long gone. Lanfir was the icing on the cake. Her protégé from so long ago, Lanfir had appeared to her as in a vision sent from the Creator - golden and shining, a relic of years past even in her evident mortality. Daeralle's heart had squeezed at the first sight. Then she had filled with warmth and love for this woman she had helped to shape into the warrior she was, the woman she had once seen as a daughter and loved just as much as any she might have had in a different life. Finally she had felt sadness at the fact that she'd never get to say a proper goodbye. This was the end of the road for not only Daeralle but for their friendship - and Lanfir wouldn't realise it until it was too late. Daeralle had murmured an apology then, before turning fluidly away and melting into the crowd. She left Lanfir behind in her thoughts as she turned her attention to the task at hand. So much to do, and so little time to do it in.

She had been working since that moment to put a big dent in the Shadow's defences. She wouldn't go down as a waste of space, but would take as many of the enemy down with her. She was so practised that it almost seemed ridiculous at times. And they said her mind was failing! What did they think she was?

I'll never see Tarmon Gai'don, she thought as she rounded the corner and moved into yet another cobbled street. But I will make this my Last Battle.

OOC: Rae...wanna get on with the killing? *G* Shall it happen somewhere where pillars will collapse, and whatnot?

Daeralle Tpc by Taya

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Lukas advanced while Lanfir and Lyanna stayed behind, using their longer range and deadly One Power force to attack the Shadow from behind. The sight of the Shadow army was ghastly, the hunched forms of the Trollocs almost overpowering the senses. Lyanna briefly wondered where Taya was, cause she didn't seem to be with the party here at the gates. She must still be in the city proper. She sent up a silent prayer that her long lost friend would be alright.

Lukas fought as if he had never done anything else. She could see how his height gave him the advantage: most of the horrid creatures he was fighting towered over him and couldn't reach him properly as he ducked and slid their hamstrings or plunged his katana into their bellies. He left more than a few twitching on the floor of the cavern, thrashing in death throes. He was doing alright!

Issuing out Flame Arrows and Fireballs, she focussed on the rest of the battlefield. The party at the gates took great care not to be squashed against the walls behind their back and the large Shadow army in front of them, and it seemed as if the fight was getting desparate. Lyanna contemplated sending out another Flashfire, but she couldn't really because there were too many Sisters and Gaidin in between her and the enemy. She would take them out as well - fire wasn't picky. She had to content herself with smaller weaves, and using Air Razors the moment the beasts got too close. One of them she sliced in half before it even realized it was dead. She started to form another weave, and then dropped it with a startled yelp as the tight knot of emotions in her head was pierced by a flaming pain and her own shoulder throbbed in unison for a while. Lukas was a good twenty paces away, but she could clearly see the arrow shaft stick out of his body, his left shoulder to be precise. Still, he continued, and it didn't seem as if he was very hindered by it, though the pain in her head belied that notion. Yet again she couldn't help but admire the sturdy Gaidin around her. They fought until they no longer could, were trained to ignore pain and continue. She wasn't sure if she could do that herself. Yet again...she thought of how she had taken on her Sister in Fal Dara so long ago. She had been wounded after that as well, mentally that was, and still she continued, until that fatal weave that had killed Gytta...

The beasts came at them in waves, and Lanfir and she finally found themselves standing back to back, with the wounded Lukas dancing at the peremiter of her view, and the corpses of the slayn at their feet. Lyanna was getting tired, but she brushed that aside. She had been on her feet longer before, and this time was no different. The next thing she knew, was another volley of pain which cascaded down her back, and she jerked her head around, just in time to see Lukas drop his katana as his body convulsed in pain. The large black creature just opposite him, with its maggotlike face, didn't convey any expression, but it seemed as if its body writhed in anticipation and joy as it heaved its blade, and let it come down with the sharp edge across Lukas's back, drawing it back with a vehement twist which made the leather tear and ripped open Lukas' flesh. She heard his high pitched scream over the roar of the battle and it echoed in her head, making her almost drop the Source and letting her body cringe. Lanfir immediately noticed and grabbed both her wrists, jerking her upright again. "Lukas!" The scream had left her mouth before she realized, and Lanfir and she started to fight their way over to the fallen Warder. The Fade obviously had found better prey and had moved on, convinced that he had rendered his opponent useless.

Lyanna fought like mad, slashing and thrashing the One Power around her, blowing whatever came upon her out of her way, until she had made a clear path and was able to kneel down where Lukas lay. His back was badly wounded, and he was unconscious. She looked up desperately at Lanfir, who was keeping whatever enemy came at them at bay.

"We have to heal him now, Lannie, or he will perish right before our eyes. I can't loose another one, not now, not now the hole in my head has only just been healed, I WILL NOT LET HIM DIE HERE!"

As Lanfir nodded, and knelt down as well, Lyanna drew onto the source, held as much as she could without searing herself out of the Pattern, and formed the largest Flame Aura she had ever constructed. The fire shield covered the three of them, forming a small dome over her head, and from the outside it must have seemed like three people in a fiery ball. At least, no one would dare come close now. As Lyanna held onto her weave and kept feeding it, she watched Lanfir prepare herself. Light, let him live, I cannot go on if he dies, Light, please...

Lyanna
Desperate

************************************************

"We have to heal him now, Lannie, or he will perish right before our eyes. I can't loose another one, not now, not now the hole in my head has only just been healed, I WILL NOT LET HIM DIE HERE!"

Lanfir knelt next to Lyanna’s fallen warder. For one moment, the look of desperation in Lyanna’s green eyes reminded her unsettlingly of Gytta’s similar desperate plea, a century ago, but she quickly shoved those associations away and focused on the task at hand. Circumstances were different this time. Lukas would live, if she was fast enough. Jeran had never had a chance.

A Myrddraal Blade was deadly. Its poison spread too quickly for any Healer to treat, unless you were an Aes Sedai, that is. During the Age of Legends one smart Aes Sedai had found the way to remove the taint from the victim, and the weave had never been lost. Better even, being a Green, Lanfir knew the weave. Any Green knew how the weave was constructed, even if she did not have the strength or skill to carry it out. Lanfir embraced saidar and channelled large amounts of Air and Spirit to cleanse the poison out of the young man’s body. Lukas was sweating and shivering, as if he was holding onto his consciousness by his fingernails. “Lay still, Lukas,” Lanfir told him briskly, weaving Air and Spirit and Water. Tiny amounts of Earth and Fire were added to her weave and she saw it sinking into his body. Lukas convulsed for a few moments, but the weave seemed to do its trick nicely.

The roaring of the Flame Aura that Lyanna was maintaining drowned out all the sounds of the battle. At this moment, all that existed was the three of them in their fiery bubble of safety. Lanfir admired how Lyanna managed to maintain the Flame Aura while she was being heavily distracted by the pain that her warder was experiencing. She was holding up fantastically, Lanfir thought while Delving Lukas extensively. The poison from the blade had vanished out of his system. All that was left now was the arrow in his shoulder. Spreading her fingers around the wound, she steadied the skin. Bracing herself to pull it out with her other hand, she murmured: “This should hurt a bit, Lukas,” and proceeded to twist it out. The arrow had some nasty hooks on it, so she could not help tearing through some tissue. Lukas whimpered softly – something that surprised Lanfir. The pain had to be excruciating. Here was truly a brave warrior, Lyanna had chosen him well.

She tugged his clothes away and focused on the wound – it was looking downright horrible right now. Clunks of flesh and tissue were drowning in oozing blood, trickling over his skin. Lukas had walked around longer than he should have with the arrow in his body. Lots of muscle tissue was heavily damaged by his continued fighting. Fool boy. For a moment Lanfir wanted to scold the young warder, but instead used Air and Water and Spirit to knit muscle and skin back together. It was a delicate job, but she had healed on the battlefield before. She did not possess the skill of her sisters of the Yellow Ajah, but she had done some studying with a Yellow Sister named Soraya when she had not been sure what Ajah to join yet. And she was strong with the elements that were usually needed for Healing, so she managed to pull it off nicely.

Lukas shuddered when she finished the weave. “I—Is it done?” he stuttered.

“Yes it is. I want you to look up a Yellow on the earliest occasion we have, Lukas,” Lanfir told him. “This is battlefield healing, and you probably feel as weak as a newborn baby right now. I want a honest and fair answer from you, Lukas. Can you still fight?”

Lanfir

**********************************

The pain was more excruciating than anything he had ever endured up to this point, flames a thousand times hotter than the pits of hell burned underneath his flesh, daggers stabbed inside his head and waves of icy coldness caused his body to shiver. Nothing in his training had prepared him for this and he was sure that here in the ancient city of Namander he would perish alone after failing his Sedai in the first task that she had set him. And as his battle with death raged on he didn’t know what was worse the physical pain that was killing him swiftly or the mental pain that was threatening to make his last moments on this world a living madness. His mind seemed bent on driving him past the point of sanity and it tormented him with images of his past.

Images of the Rahad where he had killed an innocent man all because Ebou Dari honour demanded it, pride had made him kill and now it was pride that was killing him. Images of his family and the contempt that his father and brother had held for him, the beatings and slurs that they had made him endure all because he was able to bring some small money to the family due to his size and skill as a rider. His mind did not even pause at altering memories either, Lukas was forced to watch as Coran was beheaded by the group of Darkfriends after they had trapped him using Lukas as a lure, he saw Alriand have a knife plunged into his back and his neck snapped as he burst through the window to save his Andoran friend. Then he was back in the wilderness for his survival training and instead of just making the Tower Guard cough and splutter as he crammed the ‘Altaran powder” down his mouth he now saw that by cramming it down his mouth the man was unable to breath and before his mind’s eye he watched the man’s eyes fill with water, his face fill with blood, his hands wrapped around his own neck trying to clear it and then finally watched as the man died convulsing. On and on the memories and warped images haunted him until finally they rested on an image of Lyanna being tortured, raped and then finally killed by Trollocs and Myrdrraal all because he had failed her.

Then wave upon wave of chilling shivers racked his body but this time the coldness was somehow more comforting than the tormenting chills that had savaged his body but moments ago. This time the iciness seemed to be fighting the firey pain and winning!!! Where before he had felt like his body was being torn apart now it felt like it was being stitched back together, it was not a pleasant feeling but at least it didn’t feel like it was doing any more damage than he had already sustained. Maybe Death is finally claiming me. Lukas didn’t know if the thought scared him or terrified him but he accepted it knowing that there was nothing anybody could do to save him now. And then his eyes opened...

All around him were sheets of flame, there were no more Trollocs or Myrdrraal, no more Namander, no more battlefield only Lyanna, Lanfir and himself. Lanfir was bent over his body and from the haggard expression on her face she had just performed a momentous feat. Lukas wondered what it was for a moment and then his brain kicked in as he realised he wasn’t dead, she had Healed him!!!!!

“I—Is it done?” he stuttered, his mind still finding it hard to comprehend how he was not face to face with the Creator at this point.

“Yes it is. I want you to look up a Yellow on the earliest occasion we have, Lukas. This is battlefield healing, and you probably feel as weak as a newborn baby right now. I want a honest and fair answer from you, Lukas. Can you still fight?”

Lyanna Ellisande Aes Sedai, I do hereby pledge my sword and my soul to your service. My life before yours. The oath he had pledged to Lyanna only weeks before came to his mind as Lanfir asked him whether he was ready for battle, even though he knew his body was weak and tired he also knew that he couldn’t not fight. If he was to leave Lyanna on her own here and she died he could never forgive himself.

“Lannie I have to continue on fighting!!! Lya can’t keep up this dome forever and you aren’t looking your best at the moment, if I don’t find I would be condemning all three of us to death.”

Pushing himself shakily to his feet he realised just how weak he was, Lannie hadn’t been lying when she said that he would feel weak as a newborn baby but he had to keep fighting. So channeling his weakness, Lyanna’s fear and anxiety and his own nerves into the Spring and as it engulfed him once more he found that some of his strength and vitality returned. ”The Spring allows you to push through the boundaries your body sets, hold it for too long and you can literally run yourself to death.” Coran’s words haunted him as he gripped his fallen katana in his right hand but he didn’t care, he had already dodged death once this day and he would do it again if it would save his Sedai.

“Ladies I’m sorry to give you such a scare but Death wanted me to dance with her and I’m a sucker for a good jig.” Smiling weakly at the two Sedai he held as dear as his own mother he then moved over and gripped Lyanna’s shoulder. “Don’t worry so much Lya it will take more than a Myrdrraal to stop me from protecting you. Now lets show them what we’ve got!!!!!!”

Lukas Talinko
Back from the dead

********************************************

ooc: lyanna, lukas, lanfir .. your posts were amazing! Kudos!

ic: Rei'sam watched with pleasure as his forces wrecked havoc onto the lines of the Light fools. Screams and the dun of battle echoed throughout the city as he and his personal escort of Myddraal and Trollocs surrounded him. "More. Kill more of them." A figure darted across the street and he reacted, ducking into a parallel street and merging out to see a lone Aes Sedai and her Warder. "A female Warder. The Tower must be desperate." He mocked with a chuckle. The woman wore a blue shawl and with a flick of his wrist, the Myddraal moved towards the poor warrior with Trollocs by its side. "Tis a feast." His pearly white teeth shone behind a sick grin as he created a deadly weave of fire, watching it as it slid into the woman's body. "I've always found a bloody explosion .... delicious." And just as the Spirit weave came alive, his right flank of Trollocs roared and he knew.

Turning, he saw a small party of Aes Sedai and their collective Warders come down the crossing street. They don't know of her. And they did not appear to notice him yet. Just the Trollocs charging down on them. Moving quickly, he abandoned his Death sentence and ducked into the alley, moving deeper into the shadows. And he wove an Illusion of himself, where he once stood out in the open. The illusion laughed and turned once more towards the lone Aes Sedai as he attempted to step back, as if he was retreating.

When suddenly, the entire area exploded with an aura of flame bursting everywhere. A shield of Air before him deflected most of those rocks as he watched the walls of the building collaspe over the Illusion. Accompanied by a scream. Perfect. He laughed when a face looked down the alley, their eyes making contact. Licking his lips, he turned and fled. Time for a little game of cat and mouse, don't you think? "Sirayn!!" And the faint sound of pursuit caught up to his ears. Oh, this is working out perfectly.

~ Rei'sam Kilm
Dreadlord of Be'lal
Hunter of Aes Sedai
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
ooc: raisa, I'm gonna backtrack us in the city so this can happen. k?

ic: Nydi ran down the street with Raisa at her heels. As a member of the recovering party, she received curt orders if the Dark One made his presence known, to escape Namander. And to let the Battle party take over. She was not very good with battle weaves and she cursed herself inwardly for not preparing herself better. Coming up to a narrow street, a man came into view with a sick smile on his face. Her eyes widened and Raisa moved before her. Nydi placed a hand on Raisa's back, "No. We must go." The trollocs charged and her Gaidin moved, the bond stressing powerful concentration and determination as her blade swept through the air.

The man took a step closer, "I've always found a bloody explosion .... delicious." And she realized that he was a dreadlord. She knew she had no defense against him. Light, no! "Raisa!" Suddenly, a few trollocs on the man's right roared and moved as if there was an attacking party. The other trollocs moved in reaction away from Raisa and Nydi stepped up to her Gaidin, feeling her every wound. "We must go. Now!" The Dreadlord remained where he stood and she saw an alley that she could escape to, to get out. She moved past Raisa when suddenly a deafening explosion came and she found herself flying through the air. Something pierced her back and she let out a scream as she felt the object slide through her chest.

Gasping, she saw Raisa run to her side, her mouth moving. But she couldnt hear. Something came up in her throat and she coughed, the blood spluttering out. The bond shook with alarm and fear. It was a large spike, she had landed on a Trolloc shield. Raisa's legs went underneath Raisa's upper back, to give support. "Raisa." She could barely speak and her hands were trembling. It didn't hurt anymore. She forced herself to focus on her Gaidin's face, in her beautiful eyes. "Live for me." She felt darkness descend on her, and she saw Raisa's lips move as the bond stormed. Placing a finger over the woman's lips, a tear slipped from her eye. "My Gaidin."

And she went limp.

Nydylia Sedai
TPC Blue
Bonded to Raisa Gaidin
No more

************************************************

: : : : The ground shook with the force of the explosion. A hail of burning earth fell around them with a wash of heat and with a harsh, rending scream, a man with half his back ripped to shreds by razor shards of stone staggered and stumbled onto one knee. Clawing at the earth he dragged himself forward. His agony and fear tainted the air and she could taste it on her tongue as with sinuous grace, a feral smirk distorting her pallid face, Sirayn sauntered untouched through another futile spatter of hot earth and approached the wounded man. He half rolled showing the gaping wounds in his back and grasped at her boot, his cracked lips whispering hoarse words already swallowed by the clamour of battle. Sirayn stirred him casually with her foot judging that he would not survive for long. Blistered and parched lips formed one clearly recognisable word: mercy. Sirayn’s smile twisted. She lifted a thin, bloody hand and with a sharp motion drove a stabbing weave deep into his body. The injured man jerked. A sudden start of red bubbles flecked his lips. Sirayn split the weave with exact precision, and drawing her hands apart once more, unconcernedly ripped him in half. Her wild, cold smile would be the last thing he ever saw. The sudden spray of blood splattered over her face, stained her clothes, dripped down her neck but Sirayn merely wiped her eyes and licked the viscous liquid from her lips with great enjoyment before turning away from the mangled body. She was very close to the edge now; the knot of dark hate and fury she kept tight inside now seethed, her every instinct was bent to murder, she was a killer pure and simple. No consideration of mercy or compassion troubled her even for a moment. Her very identity was subsumed in the need to kill. A storm raged inside her and only by claiming each life viciously could she abate the pressure, return some small measure of sanity, just long enough to seek out her next victim.

: : : : She had lost count of how many monsters and men she had killed and did not care. When they came upon her wave after wave, she shifted into a martial stance and summoned the earth to dance at her fingertips. Spikes hurtled from her hands to impale monsters cleanly. The ground cracked under cloven feet and swallowed up victims without a trace. High arching stones imbued with an aura of pale flame fell carelessly through the sky, their train of flames drawing a brief outline on the dome. They died in their dozens against her and her companions, for she was the rock upon which the battle broke, as she had promised so many years ago. Her comrades and her purpose barely registered any more. She had withdrawn somewhere inside herself and all that existed was the battle and the killing. Some would have called her crazed and yet in these moments Sirayn was as sane and clear-headed as she had been in months; her thoughts moved free and unhindered from point to point, each killing was undertaken with confidence and skill, she did not afford time to doubt herself even for a moment. The frenzied song of battle in her blood would not allow her to let up. To falter was to fail, to hesitate was death and instead of taking a rest Sirayn would push herself harder every time she felt fatigue because immersing herself in killing was the best was to rejuvenate herself. All claims of the flesh were as nothing to her. She felt no fear and no fatigue; she felt nothing but the joy of battle. And as they fell like hay beneath the scythe, as the din of battle reverberated through the giant cavern, as each war cry hung as a fading scream upon the air, she knew peace at last. She finally understood then. There could be no respite, no true joy for her except in killing. Only that could keep her sane and happy. In this respect she was, perhaps, the perfect killer.

: : : : Coming face to face with a Lurk was almost soothing. Looking into its eyeless face, at the full extent of her strange sensitivity with earth, Sirayn knew in a basic part of her nature that the Lurk was like her: a killer born and bred, crafted as a weapon, seeking joy in death. Perhaps it recognised her as well, or perhaps it was so far gone in its blood-lust that hunger overwhelmed it and it approached soundlessly with tainted blade raised high. Sirayn met its blank gaze and smiled, knowing the approach of a kindred spirit. And even as the Thakandar-forged blade began its descent she lifted both hands and the Lurk exploded. A shower of blood and bits rained down. Sirayn tasted the copper of blood on her lips, and glanced sideways at her companions, disjointed suddenly from the song of swords. It occurred to her suddenly that there might be something wrong in feeling kinship with a Myrddraal, in fact there was definitely something wrong, but she pushed the thought away angrily before she lost it all and seeking, searching, found the pattern once more. Sirayn moved forward light as a dancer upon her next target and flung a long barbed spike straight through the man’s throat. She exulted in his death; in that small glass-sharp moment she was whole. All too soon it slipped away with the body falling bonelessly into the dust and she was turning, sharply seeking, hungering for the kill. A knot of monsters caught her eye. Life. Sirayn went after them, stalking, a predator on the prowl. They caught sight of her and came toward her as though in response to her appetite, the air between them seeming to contract, as an irresistible force drew them inexorably together.

: : : : After the muted-quiet of their convergence they came together with a clash. Steel met steel and scraped over the other blade with a splitting screech. Violent shouts and growls resounded. Sirayn danced among them untouched, her lances darting out, ripping through flesh and bone and blood alike. In the metallic taste of blood, the scent of terror, the whisper-scrape of leather, lay an intoxicating, immediate truth. Here and now there was nothing but killing. As the last of the monsters fell away in a scattered line around her Sirayn lifted hazed grey eyes and saw straight down the street toward him. Her gaze narrowed immediately, contracted upon him, seeing nothing else. He held himself straight and proud with the commanding aura of power; Sirayn realised the monsters had been protecting him. Her blood chilled. Dreadlord. She drew a breath and with it the rock-certain mirror-pure killing hunger sprang alight once more and shaping a vicious weave that came so easily to her fingertips, Sirayn hefted a charged stone and flung it toward him. The stone exploded on impact. A vast scatter of burning earth flew up and fell with a roar; she felt the wash of warmth against her face. Nothing moved in the rubble. With a satisfied nod Sirayn turned aside, the predator in her already seeking its next prey.

ooc: the killing of Nydi was pre-approved; only Seiaman will know that Sirayn is at fault - all others please take note.

~ Sirayn ~

*******************************************************************

OOC: I’ll cut to the chase.

IC: As wonderful as the city was, it seemed somewhat less so with blood covering the walls of the buildings. Neroin had no idea how he had been separated from his group, or how Trollocs had appeared directly in front of him and started to attack. All he knew was that he had to return to the main party.
:::: He finished off the Trolloc he had been fighting by sliced his throat and sprinted down an alleyway wiping away the blood that had sprayed onto his face. He heard the other Trollocs that had been with his previous kill coming from behind. He turned a corner and stopped, waiting.
:::: He saw a Trolloc and jumped toward it, splitting it’s goatesque (that’s a play on the words goat and grotesque… funny? :/ guess not Oh well back to the story) face down the center. He began running again, hoping that the carcass would at least slow the other Beasts down until he reached the main group.
:::: The pattern continued. Neroin would duck a corner and kill an oncoming Trolloc by surprise then continue running. It was a very simple battle tactic, but very effective for facing multiple opponents. When he finally did come to the main group he almost wished he had taken his chances fighting all the Trollocs that had been following him. Giant Explosions and hundreds of trollocs and humans were fighting tooth and nail amid an uproarious, chaotic racket. “Blood and ashes.” He whimpered. He had jumped out of the frying pan, skipped the fire and moved straight to hell.
:::: With a determined grin he assumed the void and hurtled into the fray to help the warders, Aes Sedai, and his fellow Tower Guards.

OOC: If anyone wants to RP with me feel free.

Neroin

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Lwena moved down the rubble filled streets, her grasp on Saidar a strong pulse in the back of her mind. She filled herself with it, basking in the glorious brilliance even as she followed Sirayn towards what could possibly be her death. Screams echoed through the otherwise silent streets occasionally, the ring of steel echoing in Lwena's ears long after the screams stopped. She was coldly detached, surprising herself in that she was so calm, so relaxed; even as Trollocs rushed towards them, her composure did not change. Fireballs leapt lightly from her fingertips, Fire weaves darting among the beasts that rushed towards her and reducing their numbers.

"The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills." She murmured, the stench of burning flesh wafting towards her as she incinerated another Trolloc. The Wheel willing, she would survive this day. A burst of flame exploded from the ground, spreading outwards from the center of a group of charging trollocs. Charging no more. She sagged slightly as she realized what she'd done, what she'd been doing-how she'd felt while she was doing so. Elation, that was what the emotion had been. The thought nearly caused her to loose grip on Saidar, but she kept going even as she pushed the disturbing thought from her mind. Turning down another street, towards another battle, she readied another weave; she knew the others were doing the same.

She followed Sirayn, and stopped when the Green did; turning her head, she caught sight of a knot of Trollocs. All was silent, but almost with a magnetic force the two parties, the Light and the Dark, came together, the sound of screeching and steel almost seeming to make up for the silence a moment previous. Lwena stood in one spot, knowing all too that she, unlike the others, had no Warder for protection. She had to depend on herself, and only herself. Fire and sparks danced among the Shadowspawn, Saidar raged through Lwena, and death flew from the Healer's fingertips.

Suddenly, there was a booming explosion, and Lwena sheltered herself with a dome of Air; rocks and fire rained down at the other end of the street, and there was nothing left living but rubble. Must have been Sirayn's work. With a grimace, Lwena wiped blood flecks from her cheek, shook her skirts, and headed towards the rest of the party. She still had work to do.

Lwena Sedai
Yellow Sister
Promised to Alriand

 

***

Raisa ran after Nydi, every nerve on fire with awareness; her Aes Sedai was not good with battle weaves, she knew-that was why she wasn't Green-and Raisa knew that her only defense was her Warder. And Raisa would do anything to protect Nydi. Anything. Towards the entrance they ran, the streets echoing with screams of terror and fear every few moments, Raisa's hands going for her swords as even a pebble was disturbed. The Spring coursed through her, a pulsing rhythm that beat in time with her footfalls; they were getting close to the exit, she thought, which was a good thing. Nydi was part of the recovering party, and she was to get out of the city as soon as possible. The walls of the building, the top of the cavern seemed to close down on the pair of them, and Raisa's concentration on getting Nydi out seemed to overwhelm everything, even her fear. Once or twice, there was a short skirmish with a small group of trollocs, Raisa sustaining a few wounds almost as if a reminder that she wasn't immortal.

They turned down a narrow street, and a man came into view, a sick smile twisting his features. Raisa moved in front of Nydi, her swords gliding through the air as she prepared to defend Nydi. To death. Her thought echoed in her mind as she stood poised, almost as if on the edge of a pool.

"No. We must go." Nydi's hand made her relax slightly, but the tension was back in a moment as the trollocs charged; Raisa flowed into Lion on the Hill without a second thought. To death. The man stepped closer.

"I've always found a bloody explosion...delicious." The bond shrieked with fear; what would make Nydi so frightened? Raisa paled slightly as she realized. Dreadlord. Nydi had no defense against him, except Raisa, and she was about as much use as a paper shield. To death. Determination was fed into the Spring, for she would need everything she could use if she was to fend him off.

"Raisa!" The trollocs on the man's right roared and moved towards what must have been an attacking party; the trollocs who were moving towards Raisa and Nydi turned towards the new threat. This was their chance! "We must go. Now!" Raisa nodded and stood so that she could cover Nydi's escape. Suddenly an explosion rocked the ground, and Raisa cringed, whipping around as she felt terror from Nydi. A scream echoed the explosion; pain filled the bond.

"Nydi!" The scream was ripped from her and she raced towards her Sedai. "NO!" Shaking, she picked through the rubble as quickly as she could, slipping and sliding until she saw her. "Light, no-" Gasping she rushed to Nydi's side, knowing that there was nothing she could do; the spike would kill her, and quickly. If a Yellow would come…Raisa clung to the hope. She dropped to her knees, her swords clattering to the ground.

"Stay with me, Nydi, hold on-" Her voice shook as Nydi coughed, blood spattering her lips. Raisa wiped it away, forcing herself to stay calm; terror and fear had shaken the Spring from her, and try as she might, she couldn't grasp it again. "Please-Light-no-" Raisa clung to Nydi's bond, hoping that she could hold her Aes Sedai to life.

"Raisa." Raisa had to lean close to hear Nydi's words; they were almost a whisper. Nydi never whispered. Raisa's mouth moved soundlessly, 'No', and she clutched at one of Nydi's shaking hands. "Live for me." Her eyes were focused on Raisa's, and the Warder knew that she couldn't do anything; Nydi was almost dead. Raisa's mouth formed the words of a protest, however, though no sound came out. Finally, she managed to say around the lump in her throat in a husky voice.

"I will-I swear I will-but you need to too Nydi-no-" Nydi reached up, her hand trembling, and placed it across Raisa's lips; a tear slipped out. "My Gaidin." And then she was gone.

Bending her head, Raisa's tears broke free and she sobbed, mind clutching at the empty space where the bond had been. Had been. Raisa cried until she could cry no more, clinging to the body of her Sedai until she'd lost all energy. Slowly, screams penetrated her consciousness, and the echo of clanging steel.

"I have to move." Her voice was hoarse, and she didn't want to. She couldn't. She'd let Nydi die, the woman she was sworn to protect; her life, her Aes Sedai, was gone. I should just stay here, and die alongside Nydi. The swords gleaming on the ground next to Raisa looked quite promising. But she couldn't. Not after she'd sworn to live. Pulling herself to her feet, Raisa sheathed her swords, and gingerly picked Nydi up off of the spike. The body felt lighter, somehow, as if the spirit had held some weight. The Spring slipped away three times before Raisa managed to get a tentative hold on it, something that hadn't happened since she'd learned the philosophy.

She closed her eyes then, taking a deep, ragged breath. She knew she probably looked horrible; her face was pale, her hair a disarray, her clothes bloodstained with the blood of trollocs, Nydi, and herself. Her eyes gleamed brightly in the darkness however, and not only with suppressed tears; an angry, resolute fire burned within. Live. With that thought, she headed towards the battle party.

Ooc: Am I supposed to join up with you or head up to the exit?

Raisa
Now a Tower Guard Again
Formerly Bonded to Nydi Sedai

**************************************************

ooc: join up with us moving post, btw

ic: Seiaman growled wordlessly as she ripped her scimitar upwards inside the Trolloc's body, his scream of pain bouncing on the walls. His dead body fell to the ground as she pulled her cold steel out and turned to find another Trolloc charging down on her. Thistledown Floats on a Whirlwind came alive as she spun through the air, her blade slicing across the monster's face. He roared in pain and she realized she got his eyes. Moving quickly, The River Undercuts the Bank removed his head from the body. The battle ceased temporarily as Seiaman turned to see Sirayn standing over a man when his body suddenly ripped apart. She smiled as she felt the emotions in the bond. A madness was glazed over her eyes, hungry for the kill. Hungry for the blood. No. Stay sane. Protect her.

Blinking, she moved to Sirayn's side as the woman spotted a fresh party of Trollocs, moving towards them. Seiaman moved to the side as the Trollocs came crashing towards them. She knew Sirayn's attack style and she knew she had to stay to the side, out of her way lest she became a victim of her Sedai's vicious weaves. Two Trollocs with wolf heads roared at her and Seiaman feinted a trip and the first Trolloc fell for it. "Stupid beast." His large weapon came crashing down to where she should have fallen only to have his arm detached from the rest of his body with a fast slash of her scimitar. Lizard in the Thornbush thrusted through the first's chest and she pivoted to find the second Trolloc nearly ready to behead her when she knelt to the ground, her scimitar thrusting through his belly. Tower of Morning sliced upwards as the monster screamed and fell to his death.

Suddenly, the bond went still and Seiaman jumped up to her feet to see Sirayn still standing. She observed that the number of Trollocs had been cut down dramatically, and she took a step closer when she saw the man on the other end of the street. She leapt into a run when suddenly an explosion rocked around them, jarring Seiaman. And she heard a scream. The scream. It was human. She ran down the street, to both investigate and to ensure no one on their side was harmed. And she saw Raisa, with a dead body in her arms. Oh light. No. Tears streamed down Raisa's cheeks and she knew then that Sirayn's grenade was the cause for the woman's death.

She ran to Raisa's side, coming to a halt. "Raisa. Leave her here. We'll come back." And yet she saw the pain in her eyes. "I promise. Come on." She watched Raisa gently lower the dead Sedai to the ground when something prompted her to look down the alley. And she saw a man standing there. The same man that Sirayn should have obliterated into many pieces. "Sirayn!!" The man turned and ran, "He's alive!!" She knew her Sedai wanted this man and so she gave chase. With Losyn by Sirayn's side, she knew Sirayn would live. A quick glance showed that Raisa was right behind her and her heart contracted with pain. I have to tell Sirayn what she did. But she pushed the thought of her mind, tugging the bond fiercely to tell her Sedai that she was nearly onto the man.

ooc: stupid Gaidin *g* Pull her back, Sirayn, or give chase as well. Raisa, welcome to the party. *hands ya an ale* Nerion, feel free to join us if you'd like.

Seiaman

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ooc: Pleased to join you I seriously think I'm way, way too happy about the death of my Sedai...*g*

ic: Raisa looked up as Seia approached, one hand darting for her sword before she recognised her fellow Warder.

"Raisa. Leave her here. We'll come back." Raisa stood unmoving for a moment. She couldn't just leave Nydi there...her heart wrenched as her mind reached for the bond that wasn't there. All my fault. She took a shuddering breath as Seia added, "I promise. Come on." Lowering Nydi gently to the ground, she knelt for a moment, brushing a stray strand of hair from her Aes Sedai's face; Seia's shout caused her to jump to her feet.

"Sirayn!!! He's alive!!" Raisa saw him, and her lips twisted in a silent snarl; it had to have been him, that was the only answer. And he would pay, by her hand or by the hand of another, it made no difference to her anymore. She darted after Seia, focused on the chase, only the chase. To death.

ooc: I'm assuming it's ok for Raisa to think the dreadlord killed Nydi...for now

Raisa

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Jaydena watched the approaching army of shadow with cold determination. As the waves of shadow spawn moved closer to them and she continued to weave killing weaves her face pulled back in a vicious snarl which would have shocked many of her sisters if they had seen it. Backing toward the streets of the city she sent another fireball into the walls of Trollocs and felt the joy of killing them rush through her. Keeping a close eye on her warders she saw that each of them fought like lions and had left piles of bodies in their wake. Jared seemed to be slightly hindered with his staff but he was working with his daggers as well and seemed to be holding his own against the shadow. Turning to Coran she saw the cold grace with which he fought, like a stag protecting his mate he moved fluidly in his forms. Corbin wore a snarl on his face and fought like the wolf he reminded her off. Ripping the throat out of a Trolloc with his sword he pivoted and engaged a Trolloc moving up his flank.

Jade turned away and wove another weave, this time she drew on her power with Earth and sent the ground exploding under the Trollocs feet. She formed spears of earth and shot them over and over and the horrible mass of Trollocs and Fades. Backing up again she sent another fireball into their ranks and moved closer to her friend Sirayn. Standing shoulder to shoulder with her she sent out wave after wave of fire to follow Sirayn's earth weaves. Jaydena glanced around at the shadow and wondered if they would ever survive this, there seemed to be a far larger amount of Trollocs and they just kept coming. Turning so her body was pressed back to back with Sirayn she used a weave in which she exploded the bodies in front of her one by one. pushing her hair back with her bloody hands she brushed the blood off her pale skin and sent another weave of with a careless movement. If she dies here today than she had achieved the greatest purpose a green sister could serve, she had taken the shadow down with her screaming and kicking.

She glanced toward Sirayn's side and saw Losyn and Seia fighting fiercely to protect their Aes Sedai. Light let Seiaman survive this, even if she can't be mine, at least she is alive and fighting. Jade watched Seia split the belly open on a Trolloc and she laughed silently at the joy on Seia's face for fighting the shadow. This was what the gaidin had trained for and they so rarely got to use their talents on the true enemy. A movement bore down on Seia's side and the woman was already engaged. A quick weave disposed of the Trolloc without Seia ever knowing it had been her and not Sirayn. Closing her mind to the pain that Seiaman wasn't her gaidin she turned quickly back to her task and shot lighting bolts out of her hands and the mass of Trollocs. Soon they would be unable to fight individually and they would have to move into the streets of the city and fight one on one with the shadow.

The Aes Sedai fought fiercely on in the face of death and soon her prediction had come true, they moved into the streets of the city and fought the Trollocs as they came. There were long stretches in which complete silence would descend on them broken only by the distant cries of death and killing. Shock filled Jaydena as she turned down a street with her warders and saw two Trollocs turning on each other. They must have been created wrong in some way and had gone to far into the killing craze to realize they were killing a fellow. As Jade moved down another street and heard an explosion of earth, so strong that it had to be Sirayn or one of their channelers. The earth explosion was followed by a female human scream, a scream so horrible as to chill her bones. Running forward she ran around a corner and saw Sirayn fighting Trollocs with earth as Sirayn disappeared with another warder down the streets. Jade stared at Sirayn in shock and wondered if they should follow Seia or stay here. Dispatching of several of the Trollocs coming down a side street with a fireball she noticed that there were only a few left in this batch and Sirayn was fighting them. She prayed for Seiaman's safety one last time and sent a spear through one of the one's Sirayn was engaging...

Jaydena Sedai

ooc- I wasn't sure what point I should join in, hope this works. I think Seia's dreadlord is supposed to kill Jared so I need to follow her. Let me know if this is OK Hun.

***************************************************************

Daeralle wiped her brow and ignored the blood that had splattered her. She peered left and right into the darkness without much hope of seeing anything. Her sphere of saidar-wrought light showed her the way, but she couldn't make one big enough to illuminate all of her surroundings. She saw enough to know that in broad daylight they would be breathtaking.

She had paused now and then to envision various parts of the city illuminating in dazzling sunlight. They'd shimmer so beautifully that it would hurt the eyes to look upon them. That was one sight she would never get to see...and she had a feeling nobody else here would either. Namandar was a fossil, not supposed to see the light. Daeralle sensed that it was dead and would stay dead. It was just the feeling she got.

Fitting, perhaps, that I'll die here, she mused as she took a few tentative steps forward and stepped into an open area through a decorative archway carved out of beautiful stone - it looked to her like Ogier's craft, but with a slight difference she couldn't quite pinpoint. She smiled and traced a gentle fingertip down a portion of it, shivering at its coolness. This moment felt so surreal, and even the distant sounds of battle and death couldn't make her sad. Perhaps I really have gone mad...

The old woman in woodsmans' garb crept forward and found herself in a wide tiled square, pillars at each of the four corners, and open to the sky. Or it would be, if the sky was visible overhead. Daeralle craned her neck and saw only blackness - her light didn't reach as far as the roof high above.

She examined the place she had found as she scaled the three steps leading to the square's surface. The feeling of being alone increased, as did her exhilaration. Definitely insane. She had left a trail of destruction behind her, even if at times her escapes had only been narrow. There was the possibility she'd run into more trouble here, out in the open. And yet her excitement spiked. Cold hard signs of craziness.

Daeralle spotted a distant figure at the other side of the square, heading slowly towards her. The old woman squinted and started to move forward. A few steps later and she recognised the woman there. One of the Browns, a woman she had seen many times in the Tower and had shared various cool looks with in the past. Raeyn Saethyr was a woman who knew what she was about, as far as Daeralle knew - but she really had nothing in common with the Green. They were worlds apart.

Yet this woman was an ally here, and Daeralle supposed that as long as she wasn't Lanfir, it would be alright for her to know Daeralle was here. She kept a watch on her surroundings as Raeyn grew steadily closer, and put a soft smile on her face to greet the woman.


Daeralle Verimal
Old Gal

OOC: Hope that was ok by ya.. Sort if seems to me as a bit of an eerie situation If you want me to edit somehow let me know! Good onya Rae *g*

*************************************************************

Duram looked to the dreadlords about him even as more trollocs poured through the silver portals that had been opened. The Ghob'hlin as they had become known as in this age were a tribe of kamikaze trollocs, they cared little for their losses as they poured through into Namandar to hunt down the Lightfools. Myrddraal that had been grabbed by Duram guided them, if not directly linked to them now. That mattered little, all the Myrddraal were warded like those he had killed previously. None of them would survive the battle no matter its outcome, they were useful tools but nothing more, and ones with shifty allegiances. Duram would not risk a chance word slipping of his existance.

"Leif." Taking control of the circle from his gnomish follower, Duram raised an eyebrow when he saw the bottle that was in the stumpish fellow's hand. It seemed he'd been drinking again, which should have been expected. While Duram had searched for certain items of particular interest, Leif had searched for all the alcohol he could find and stayed in a perpetual state of drunkeness for the past thirty hours if Duram had counted correctly. Surprisingly, Leif managed to retain control of saidin as easily as he did sober. Then again...

"Our Trollocs are dying in large numbers, but have weakened the Aes Sedai by forcing the 'servants' to drain their power against them." The word servant was used with scorn, Duram had no respect for those that attempted to wear the name he had once born proudly, and truly done service to. "Follow me."

Taking the lead, Duram led his dreadlords behind the trollocs that surged forward towards the battle. More flowed out of the portals that had been tied off as did Myrddraal. It wasn't long before the trail became cluttered with corpses and the screams of battle carried through the air. With them came the sounds of battle as they got closer, behind the surging force of trollocs that hurled themselves upon Aes Sedai death as fire, ice and air lashed at the trollocs to hold them back, the Tower Guard taking down the few trollocs that managed to close over a thirty foot gap between the Aes Sedai party and the trollocs.

Summoning the power of the circle to himself, Be`lal unleashed spirit against the elements the Aes Sedai wielded. Fireballs dissipated in the air, blades of ice and air shattered in the air before they struck as the Aes Sedai defence was blunted. Before the Aes Sedai could turn against the barrage of spirit, the trollocs closed the gap, crashing into the Tower Guard. While Tower Guard were individually more skilled, arguably, in a battle line it was strength, size and momentum that counted, and the Tower Guard lacked in all three categories.

Watching as the Trollocs began to wreak revenge, Duram ceased his weaving as he turned to the circle. The noise of battle was defeaning and the screams, now human as well as trolloc, filling the air forced Duram to shout so the circle could hear him as he dissolved the circle.

"Eden! You are with me! Leif! Split the circle in three groups of four! Agitate the Aes Sedai! Keep them guessing! Keep them off balance so the trollocs can close and do damage! I will be ending this before long! Keep safe until then!"

Signalling for Eden to follow, Duram turned and led her away, leaving Leif in charge as the pair disappeared into the streets. Duram would need to borrow some of Eden's power for what he planned to do next. Well, not needed, but would be handy so he still had power to command after he committed his next deed, the one that would bury Namandar a second time, except this time it would be permanent.

Duram stole a covert glance at Eden, she seemed to be holding up well considering. She had been forced to learn alot in a quick time, but the bond between them had made things easier for her to accept. That she remained loyal despite all she had been forced to see and now do had been the final test for her. A forging in fire so to speak, and she had proven true.

Thinking on his other circles for a moment, Duram frowned slightly. He had felt Kilm's power unleashed on the battlefield, but he had felt little of Aldreth's so far. Perhaps Aldreth had decided to set up an ambush, or had been content to simply ferry trollocs in. Either way, Duram did not mind, their objective here was far different to what the Lightfools could ever guess anyway.

"Link" Taking Eden's power within himself, Duram stopped where they were as he began to wield one of his more complex weaves. Even though he didn't have the talent of earthsinging, it didn't mean he couldn't do the same, it simply took more power. Exploring the earth with his weaves and mind, Duram began to force wedges into different fissures and the like, being careful with his work. Even if Mesaana had managed to loot Namandar before himself, she wouldn't be coming back for seconds, and he would deny Demandred a chance to take what he wanted from Namandar. Duram had buried Namandar once before, this time it would be lost forever.


Duram Laddel Cham
Be`lal, The Netweaver

OOC: Just beginning to start the quake now. Whenever you want it to begin Sirayn, you can post it happening.

And sorry about the lateness, I just love battling it out with Uni techs to fix my connection *grumbles*. Gotten some weird block on my posting too past couple of days. Could not obtain list of Topic Watchers?

************************************************

Seiaman turned a corner and cursed under her breath as the running figure was nowhere to be found. Raisa took a few steps ahead to look down a dark alley but shook her head. "Bloody ashes." Jaydena came up to her side, "Let's get back, Seiaman." She nodded as she looked into the bond, noting Sirayn's bloodthirsty killing and intense concentration. Light, the woman didn't even notice I left her side! Fear rose in her, if Sirayn did not notice she left her side then that meant her madness had taken over her sanity. And she could die. She made eye contact with Raisa, "Come on. Let's get your Sedai and return to the gates." The former Warder nodded, an angry madness in her eyes.

They returned to where they were and Seiaman guarded Raisa's back as she picked up Nydi Sedai. She tugged on the bond several times before Sirayn sent irritation in a fury blast. The Trollocs were somewhere else and Seiaman looked at Jaydena with her Warders standing guard around her. "I am going back to the gates. Raisa, you come with me and Seiaman .. get Sirayn to return to the gates too." Seia nodded as the screams echoed through the dome and the city trembled with its explosions. For a brief second, Jade's fingertips brushed against Seiaman's cheek, as if the unspoken concern spoke its volumes. "Be safe, love."

Turning to Raisa, she threw off her cloak and wrapped it around the dead body in her arms, tying her to Raisa's body so she would have a free arm to fight with a blade. Then she ran off to find Sirayn, homing down on the bond. If that man finds her before I do ... light .. Sirayn, please. And she turned a corner to find her Sedai unleashing a grenade towards a charging enmasse of Trollocs. Seiaman screamed a blood cry as she released a dagger, the cold steel slicing into a wolf-headed trolloc's eye. And the scimitar sliced his throat open. Pulling her dagger out, she moved behind Sirayn as the trollocs retreated. "Sirayn." The woman turned and looked at her, the deep madness in her eyes. "The gates. They need you there."

She looked over and saw Losyn coming closer, a sneer on his lips as the blood slid down his body. "Brother. Sister." Siray nodded and turned to head towards the gates.

Seiaman Gaidin
Bonded to Sirayn
Sister to Losyn Ashern
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rei'sam watched in the darkness as the woman warrior spoke to the Aes Sedai. He sneered as he watched his next target. The next phase of the battle was just about to begin, the earthquake. Duram was going to shift the fissures deep in the Earth to make the ground quake and it was his duty to ensure the main support beam of the dome would fall. Once he's done that, then the petite Aes Sedai would die by his hand.

Rei'sam Film
Dreadie
Servant of Be'lal

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Jade saw the blood lust in her friends eyes as she followed after Seia at a run. She motioned for Corbin to stay back with the Sedai and followed Seia through the streets. She wasn't sure what Seia and Raisa were after she had to follow them or risk losing the woman she was just realizing she might love again. She rounded a corner and stooped abruptly as Seia was standing in front of her with Raisa, "Bloody ashes." Jade walked cautiously to her side, unsure of what was going on in Seia's head and how much of her angers was actually Sirayn's. She touched Seia's arm gently and said, "Let's get back, Seiaman." The gaidin nodded and stood silently for moment staring down the street before she turned to the other warder, "Come on. Let's get your Sedai and return to the gates." Raisa nodded and Jade wondered at the pain she saw flash through the gaidin's eyes.

Seia turned and set off at a run and they had quickly reached the corner in which they had been fighting. It was then that Jade saw the body of one of the blue sisters and knew then that the human scream she had heard had come from Nydi Sedai and the that Raisa was her gaidin. She helped to guard the warders back as she picked up her Aes Sedai's broken body tenderly. She turned back to her two warders that she had with her and saw the grim looks upon their faces. Pain came through Jared's bond and she knew that he had just put himself in Raisa's place for a moment and hadn't liked it.

Both Gaidin stood as though unsure what to do, Jade cleared her throat and said, "I am going back to the gates. Raisa, you come with me and Seiaman .. get Sirayn to return to the gates too." Seia nodded at her and Jade laid a hand across her once lovers face to show the depth of her emotions and pushed the jealousy away that Jared sent through the bond. She waited silently as Seiaman tied Nydi's body to Raisa and then ran off in the other direction. Running through the streets with the warders in tow she felt Corbin jogging on a cross street, trying to reach them. Before long her had joined them and they increased their pace to reach the gates. Any Trollocs she encountered were quickly dispatched with her weaves and her warders weapons. Death followed in their wake and she gloried in the death of the shadow. They reached the gates and Jade began to lead the right against the charges in Sirayn's absence...

Jaydena Sedai

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Raisa trailed after Seia, hands clenched so tightly around the hilts of her swords that her knuckles were white. Emotions raged through her, and she couldn't feed them all into the Spring-her grasp on the Spring was so precarious she was almost afraid she would lose it at any moment. Not that she didn't deserve it-she should be dead, not Nydi.

"Come on. Let's get your Sedai and return to the gates." Raisa nodded, trying to appear more calm than she really felt and knowing she failed miserably; her hate and anger and pain must have shone brightly in her eyes as she turned back to where she had left Nydi. Kneeling down by her Sedai's body, she brushed aside a stray strand of hair before picking her up and going back with Seia. Screams echoed around her, and she tried not to think about anything as Seia helped her tie Nydi securely to Raisa so that she would at least have one arm free. Once that was done, she didn't know what to do, and looked to Jaydena Sedai for instruction.

"I am going back to the gates. Raisa, you come with me and Seiaman..get Sirayn to return to the gates too." Raisa followed Nydi, sword out, and took out her anger on the trollocs that had the misfortune to stumble into their paths. The gate was not too far, but there was no relief in reaching it. They weren't out yet.

Raisa

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This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4]

 

The Hunt for Namandar #5: Discovery of a Legend!

Players- Sirayn Sedai, Lanfir Sedai, Lwena Sedai, Raisa Gaidin, Matalina Gaidin, Seiaman Gaidin, Nydylia Sedai (TPC PLAYED BY Seia), Jaydena Sedai, Jonathon- TG, Corbin Gaidin, Jehanine Sedai, Corwin Gaidin, Kardis-TG, Lukas Gaidin, Lyanna Sedai, Taya Sedai, Jerad Gaidin, Nikita- TG, Raeyn Sedai, Kaylan Sedai, Leilani Sedai (TPC PLAYED BY Kaylan), Coran Gaidin, Vira Sedai (TPC PLAYED BY Taya), Darealle Sedai (TPC PLAYED BY Taya), Alin Gaidin, Mercury Gaidin, Neroin- TG, Eleanor Sedai, Andular Gaidin, Jared Gaidin (TPC PLAYED BY Jaydena), Jozan-TG,

Posted on Jan. 28, 2004

Link: http://www.dragonmount.com/psw/boards/viewtopic.php?t=4175

OOC: Apologies for the wait. The #5 thread is stalled since we’re waiting on Eggy to play the King of Tarabon for us. We’ll assume Andrei Gornhald gave us the nod and we continued on. Everyone involved in the Hunt for Namandar may post here.

: : : : The day dawned clear and crisp. As waves of ashen clouds pulled back, pale sun slanted down across an expanse of lush grassland dotted here and there with stunted trees. Each blade of grass, each leaf and thorn sparkled with dew held transfixed and iridescent in the sunlight. In a small hollow protected from the biting wind that often scoured the heath lay a cluster of tents laid out in neat straight lines at Sirayn’s insistence with horses picketed and guards arranged in the style of the Borderlander army. The sleeping tents and provision tents were grouped round a tall peaked tent with a rigid structure which was kept bare of all but a few vital supplies until meetings were needed when it hosted the gathering in relative comfort. The big tent had sprouted an unsightly patch since last night. The sudden lashing storm had proven what Sirayn had dourly muttered, that a tent designed to be the focal point of a camp would always spring a leak.

: : : : Accidents had followed the party like a plague. Several horses had gone lame picking their way through scattered rocks and wiry grass as they passed through moor and dale, and Sirayn remembered with a wry grimace the fuss that had occurred when an Aes Sedai’s horse lost a shoe. The sister had adamantly refused to be parted from either her horse or the party, saying that the whole group should stop at a village so that her horse could be reshod. Sirayn had had to lean on the woman a bit harder than she like before the Aes Sedai caved in and allowed her horse to be taken away to be reshod while she took one of the spare horses. Only a couple of days ago a wagon had broken a wheel. It was at that point that a Warder doubling up as their resident wagonwright had confessed that he had left the nails behind – “Nails?” Sirayn had repeated incredulously, but the Warder assured her that the wheel could not be fixed without them – and yet another emissary had had to be sent in search of assistance. And that wasn’t counting the political currents in the party. Sirayn was beginning to think their mission was ill-starred or perhaps being sabotaged.

: : : : “Sirayn Sedai!” came a faint voice. Sirayn twisted and glanced up from where she sat between two gnarled roots with a tree’s bulk shielding her from the harsh northern wind. The breeze caught her hair and fluttered it round her face, causing her to wipe it away in annoyance with the back of her hand as Sirayn’s keen gaze picked out a scout ascending the steep slope toward her. She rose, clutching her long dark cloak round her slender shoulders, and walked toward him enjoying the clean feel of the wind sweeping against her. The scout jogged eagerly toward her and sank immediately to one knee bowing his head. “Peace be upon you, Aes Sedai.” Sirayn advised him briskly to speak now or forever hold his peace. A pale face was tilted toward her, an excited glitter in his eyes, and he spoke rapidly, “Sirayn Sedai, we’ve found it!”

: : : : Sirayn closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, forcing back the brilliant smile that crept onto her face. They had found it. The legendary city of Namandar beneath the ground had been built in the Age of Legends and survived by dint of its strong structure and internal supports holding up an enormous dome to hold the earth’s weight. It had remained untouched for centuries until the adventurous Tilana Sedai came across it at last after many years of searching. Tilana had gone down and never come back and the only record of her search was a book which was firmly in Sirayn’s keeping. After many trials and tribulations, the Tar Valon party had finally reached the rough coordinates of Tilana’s discovery and now at last the city had been found! Her mind whirled with thoughts of the treasures and wonders that awaited them but Sirayn forced her thoughts back on track. They could still lose everything. The city could be ruined. The dome could collapse as they entered. It could be infested with a particularly virulent strain of disease from the Age of Legends to which nobody had any resistance. Any number of things could happen.

: : : : Sirayn opened her eyes and nodded curtly to the scout. “My thanks. Tell your leader to put out guards in the immediate area.” The scout bowed once and departed hurriedly. Sirayn descended the slope with more speed than care and walked into camp. She grabbed the first two Tower Guards she came across, ascertained that life would go on if they didn’t fulfil their current duties, and sent them to wake up the Aes Sedai and arrange guards for the camp while they were underground. One of them asked if they had found the city. Sirayn’s affirmative was strong and clear and reached a few ears. As she passed deeper into the camp, the shock spread out in ripples, as the whisper that Namandar had been discovered went from person to person. And soon sisters began to emerge blinking from their tents, and weapons handed out as the Tar Valon party got ready to go.

OOC: So here’s the scene. It’s dawn, everyone is being woken up, you’ll hear that the city has been discovered. The camp will be left in place and guarded since it’s very close to Namandar and can serve as a base for us. Feel free to write yourself preparing for the journey down into the city and getting together into a large group on foot. Be excited people! This is the discovery of our Age!

 

~ Sirayn ~

************************************

Lanfir awoke because of excited voices outside her tent. She was up and about in the minute. The thin mattress she was sleeping on wasn't very inviting to stay in any longer, and she was curious if it had really happened. Had they really found the fabled city of Namandar?

It would be about time, she thought, while putting on breeches, a tight shirt and a vest. The road to here hadn't been very pleasant. Little accidents seemed to happen every time they turned around, there were tensions between some of the Sisters, Taya was acting strange, and Sirayn Sedai's mood seemed to darken with every day that passed. Lanfir would almost call her paranoid about the dangers, but being careful had never hurt anyone, she guessed. And their young Battle Leader was probably notoriously bad-tempered. She bound her numerous braids back. If Namandar had really been found and there was really as much danger to finding the city as Sirayn Sedai kept stressing, then it was best to gear up in battle tenue. She needed to be free to move around.

Exiting her tent, she nearly stumbled over Nydi Sedai while blinking against the bright sunlight. Nydi Sedai didn't seem to be bothered by their near-collision. Instead, she seemed almost ecstatic. "They found it!" The Aes Sedai said brightly. "Can you believe it? They found it!"

Lanfir returned Nydi's smile just as brightly. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed, enjoying the sudden rush of adrenaline and excitement. She wondered what wonders they would find in the City.

Oh, to be a Green Aes Sedai again! To live again! She was so happy to be at the center of things again - this was the discovery of a lifetime, and she would be here to see it! It was unbelievable! Quickly, she set out to wake up Lyanna, Lukas and Taya.

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Greenie back in action
and lovin' it!

***********************************

"Aes Sedai? Lwena Aes Sedai?" Lwena blinked against the early morning sunlight as she peered out of the tent. A young Tower Guard stood there, practically dancing on the spot he was so excited. Before she could open her mouth, he rushed out, "They've found it! The city has been found!" He rushed off towards the next tent, obviously acting as a messenger for all the Aes Sedai.

They had found it! Lwena felt a broad grin spreading across her features; the journey was almost over! The road had been wrought with dangers and disasters-it was almost as though the Creator was playing a magnificent joke on the Aes Sedai-but they were finally there! She quickly suppressed her excitement; now was not the time to lose her head. With a clear purpose in mind, she quickly dressed and readied herself to go. This certainly wasn't something she was going to miss! The discovery of the century; the city could be full of treasures from that age, things she had never even dreamed of before this day. Slinging a bag over her shoulder, she hurried out of her tent into the excited crowd that was the party.

 

***

Raisa couldn't help but curse as a Tower Guard stumbled over her half sleeping form in his haste to get into Nydi's tent.

"What under the Light has gotten into you man?" She snapped; she wasn't a morning person. He backed up a step or so, but the excited and eager set of his features made Raisa relax a little. In a calmer, more polite tone, she continued. "I'm sorry-you startled me. What brings you to the tent of Nydi Sedai? (ooc: I can't remember her full name!) " He grinned.

"They've found the city-the Age of Legends city!" His excitement was poorly contained, and if his collision with her Warder hadn't woken Nydi up, the Tower Guards loud voice would have.

"Namandar..." Raisa's voice trailed off as Nydi came out of the tent, excitment seeping through the bond and making Raisa want to see the city, and to see the city at that very moment.

"It has been discovered, has it?" Raisa nodded and realised the Tower Guard had vanished, probably to pass the message on. "Well, what are we waiting for?" She disappeared back into the tent, and the sound of her going through her bags could be heard. Feeling Nydi's eagerness, Raisa changed almost as fast, struggling to strap her swords on as Nydi came back out.

Nydi set a fast pace through the camp, pausing every so often to tell a confused or lost looking Sister what had happened. The excitment in the air was making Raisa want to bounce up and down like a small child-and she'd never done that as a young girl either! She trailed after her Aes Sedai, sharing grins with the fellow Warders while keeping an eye on the Blue Sister. Suddenly, a Green- Lanfir Sedai- stumbled over Nydi, not something that was particularily difficult.

"They've found it!" Raisa stood back a few paces descretely listening. "Can you believe it? They found it!" They both shared bright smiles.

"That's wonderful!" Nydi hurried on, spreading the news while Raisa followed. Light, this was the most exciting thing of the Age, and she couldn't help but think something bad was going to happen! What was wrong with her?

Lwena Sedai
Yellow Sister
Promised to Alriand

Raisa
Warder to the Doomed Nydi Sedai

***********************************

Matalina slouched in the chair she'd set outside of Raeyn's tent. She didn't trust anyone to sit watch over her Aes Sedai, nor did she have faith in the Tower Guards present to watch her Aes Sedai, particularly since they were all Light Loving and ready to serve the Creator.

Everyday was a challenge for Matalina. Tensions were building in the Tower, and they always carried through to the Warders and Tower Guards. Things were happening that Matalina did not like. The day would come when her true alignment would be found out. When the Dark Lord's plans were finally out in the open and the White Tower found out about the Black Ajah the loyalities of her facade would change. She was dedicated to one thing and one thing alone, and that was protecting Raeyn with her life.

They lived among the Light, but they walked the Shadows in secret. Matalina smirked at the people she'd deceived, and those she cared for would never know until that one day when they were found out. And here the Head of the Brown Ajah slept, waiting for the time when this accursed city would be found. Matalina was only here for Raeyn's protection, and only here because the Browns loved to learn about history. This city from ages past would leave Raeyn in an almost state of glee. Matalina wondered if the Dark Lord had given any thought to this event and wondered if that was the reason they had come to this place in the foulest of weathers. The cold was beginning to drive Matalina insane, more so than she already was. Though that had gotten better with time and acceptace, Kayla and Marosa still flourished in Matalina's mind, but they were all one now, living the same life, caring for the same things. It'd been work to do, but Matalina had accepted her others and they her.

At dawn the rumors began, the hush of the camp was no longer there, mummurs and hustling women and men woke most of the camp. The city had been found. Matalina felt on the bond that Raeyn was awake now. "Raeyn, they seemed to have found the city. It looks as though they are preparing to enter."

Matalina left it at that and waited for her Aes Sedai, she would go where she went, a silent shadow following her around. Matalina would not let Raeyn come to any harm.

Mat

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ooc: raisa, even I can't spell my Sedai's name *g*

ic: Nydi jolted awake from her light sleep at Raisa's annoyance through the bond. But the Tower Guard's voice shot through the thin fabric of the tent. "They've found the city-the Age of Legends city!" She instantly perked, jumping out of the bed and walked out of the tent. Raisa's astonishment came through the bond and Nydi looked up at her, "It has been discovered, has it?" Her Warder nodded and Nydi couldn't contain her excitement. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

She ducked back into her tent and headed straight for her bags, gathering the items needed for the journey into Namander. Coming back out of the tent, Raisa had changed and took up the walk towards the gathering group of Aes Sedai. She felt the infectious excitement, doubled by Raisa's feelings. She looked up at her Gaidin and smiled at her. This would be a day heralded of all time.

A Green Sister, Lanfir Sedai, nearly stumbled over Nydi and Raisa had to grab her to prevent her from falling to the ground. Light, when will people realize that short Aes Sedai are there?! But it was soon forgotten when she shared her excitement with the Green Sister. Nydi continued on to the growing group of participants when hesitation came through the bond. She looked up at Raisa, a small frown creasing her brow.

In the chaos, she had to wait until the party was finally organized for the trek into the lost city. Stepping closer, she whispered. "You need not fret, my Gaidin." She smiled with excitement. "There is nothing that could ruin this discovery." Cupping the tall woman's cheek, she sent reassurances through the bond. "Besides, with you by my side, all will be well." She truly believed that Raisa would be the only Warder in her life that had made her feel special. "I cherish you, Raisa." She giggled, "Nothing will happen, my Gaidin. Just you watch."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Excitement shot through the bond from Sirayn but Seiaman could not help but feel cautious. All this excitement was bound to cause confusion and something just did not sit right with her. Sirayn gave a fierce tug of the bond, as if to tell her to stop fretting! She let out a soft sigh and rose to her feet as the clamour of Aes Sedai, Gaidins, and Guards swarmed around her.

A dark frown creased her brow, the excitement sliding off of her. Just like oil sliding off of water. Exasperation came through the bond as Sirayn turned towards Seiaman and walked towards her. Her voice was a low whisper, "What is the matter with you?" Seia shook her head, unable to voice it. The petite woman growled softly, "I will not let you ruin my day, Seiaman Kera."

Guilt came up in the Spring, she knew how excited Sirayn was about this. The woman felt this would be the day where she would be heralded and named a Legend of the Greens after such a successful discovery. But all she could do was nod, "I won't, m'Aes Sedai." But the nagging feeling just wouldn't go away. She actually felt afraid that this may be the day she'd lose the woman who had given her purpose.

~ Seiaman Kera
Bonded to Sirayn Simeone

Nydylia Sedai of the Blue
Bonded to Raisa, poor woman *g*

*********************************************************

ooc- this post was edited to reflect Jaydena's new warders place her her life. *G*

Jaydena glanced over at the mattress in her tent, where Jared lay sleeping on the bed, his body twisted in the sheets. Corbin's cot lay nearby as did Jared and Coran's, her warder had climbed into bed with her in the middle of the night. Corbin had left the tent over an hour ago to take guard duty. Her newest Gaidin had left the tent to run some errands for her, but she suspected he just wanted to give her and Jared some time alone. She looked back down at her book and continued to take notes in her travel journal. When Tilana's journal had been found, Jaydena had quickly went about scribing the book into five copies. One for each of the sitters on the journey with Sirayn having the original. The task just could not be trust with any of the tower scribes, for the could easily be agents of the shadow. As she finished the section she was working on a warning came through the bond, followed by an intense excitement. That could mean only one thing, the scouts had found the city and Corbin and Coran had both found out.

She closed her travel journal and set aside the book from Tilana. Jade glanced down at the journal and thought back to when she had started receiving these journal. Black leather with a thick flower scented pages. On the covers of each were Green raised dragons, their bodies twisting across he covers. Her once lover Seia had given them to her once a month on the day of their anniversary. Jaydena would give her a leather pouch full of the best tabac, Two Rivers of course. A stock pile of these journals sat like an abandoned shrine in her room in the tower. Yet for some reason Jade had decided to bring several along on the trip, maybe the pain had finally eased.

She stood up and prepared the things she would need for the trip into the city. Pulling her dressing gown off she slipped an undershirt on and then she grabbed the woman lightweight chainmail that Seia had given them before they left for Ebou Dar. Ebou Dar I even shudder when I hear the name. The bane of my love and life. She slid her shirt over the green chainmail. The billowing green shirt with ties at the neck was light and allowed for movement. Jade pulled on a pair of tight black britches of a stretching fabric. A Green leather vest was pulled over the top of the shirt. Knee high Green leather boots followed.

Jade headed over to the small table and picked her green dragon belt that Seia gave her at the bonding party. She slid the dragon dagger onto the belt and then hooked her saber across the other hip. Her cloak flew across her shoulders and she turned to see Jared watching her with a smile. "Later Jared I'm to busy right now. They have found the city, I suggest you prepare yourself. Corbin is on guard duty and he will be in shortly. Coran is running some errands and he will come get ready shortly I assume." She nodded and stepped out of the tent, on her way to find the sitters...

Jaydena Sedai

*************************************

Jonathan had spent most of the night tossing and turning in his tent. He kept trying to convince himself it was just his imagination, but this feeling that something bad was going to happen just wouldn't leave. He told himself he had just read too many stories, but it didn't help. It was probably just the fact that so much had already gone wrong with this trip messing with his head, but something just didn't... feel right. Exasperated with himself, he went ahead and got dressed then headed out into the night.

He didn't travel far, just to a small hilltop a short distance away. Sitting there cross-legged, he compared where he was now to his life before Tar Valon. That boy he had been back in Caemlyn no longer existed. So much had changed about him... Physically, he could do things now he hadn't thought were posssible back then, but the most astounding changes were those within himself. Spending years training your mind and body and no one would be quite the same. He knew himself now. Unfortunately, some of the things he had discovered in himself bothered him...

He didn't have a chance to continue along that line of thought because there was a stirring back in the camp. The fact that the sun had risen so much startled him. Apparently he had been even deeper in thought than he had realized. Hurrying back, he grabbed a young man by the arm, "What's happening?" He was startled at suddenly being grabbed and Jonathan had to ask again before he got an answer, in an excited voice he said, "They found it! The city! Namandar!" Jonathan let go and hurried to his tent to grab his sword and a few other things. Before they had left, Jonathan had been told he was to meet up with Andular when they found the city. Even though the sense of foreboding was still there, he couldn't help but feel excited as he set out to find Andular. This journey of theirs would go down in the history books.

Jonathan

*****************************************

Corbin trotted the horse he'd chosen from the stables for this journey, back and forthover the span of about 200 yards, staying just within site of the others on gaurd duty at the time. In the light of the new day he could just make out the shape of a scout galloping his horse towards the camp. Being himself, he eased his sword in it's harness, and watched as he spoke to another Gaidin. By the body language Corbin could tell what the news was. Immediately he sent a warning through his Bond and set off towards the tent he shared with his Jade and Jared to get the rest of the gear he would need.
After he was prepared himself with the neccesary compliment of arms and armor, he et off in search of the two people that weren't in the tent. He located Jade through the Bond and set off at a brisk walk.

Corbin LaGosse
Bonded to Jade
Student of Cuen'd'Eren

********************************************

.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.

Jehanine had been awake an hour before the day dawned and the moon made its escape from the sky. Her tent was illuminated within by a glowing sphere of light, allowing her to see the small journal before her and pen her thoughts into it. It was a temptation she gave into rarely these days, as most of her entries diverged from their original purpose into angry scratched recordings of Sirayn's abuses of their friendship.

She had become silently obsessive, an unhealthy attitude that would only cause further damage to an already fractured friendship. She knew it, but there was little she could do to turn her behaviour away from its present course. She avoided Sirayn where she could, and avoided writing when she was able, but this morning she had been unable to resist the call of her quill. Namandar was so close, so soon to be realized. What wonders would the city hold? What dangers?

A murmur drew her from her tent and she straightened to study the scene with faint interest. Perhaps there had been another accident - it had seemed the journey was fated to be filled with them, and Jehanine knew the Aes Sedai who did not think Sirayn fit to lead only considered the incidents proof of that. She had heard mutterings which angered her even as she agreed with them. Her duty to the friendship had been done, however, with her response to Sirayn's call for volunteers on the first day of the mission, and that was as far as she would go.

A bustle to her left drew her attention, and her sharp gaze noted Lwena Sedai hurrying by and towards the center of the camp. "They have found it!" The words finally arrived at her tent in whispers and excited murmurs, and explained why Lwena was dressed and packed as if ready for the expedition to the city. Today was the day, then. Jehanine allowed her glance to follow the Yellow sister who had inspired such friendship in Sirayn for a few moments longer, her lips compressed into a thin line of discontent. When the woman disappeared from view Jehanine turned briskly towards her tent and tugged on her Bond with Jerad as she did so.

She would be leaving all of her weapons in the camp except for the thin dagger she wore at her ankle and relying on Jerad's sword for her protection. The less she carried into the city, the more she could carry out of it. She wondered again what items they would find - scrolls of ancient knowledge, perhaps, or artifacts from the age long past. Perhaps even a cache of angreal.

The excitement in the air was palpable when Jehanine exited her tent, a thin gown of boned ruby silk startling against her pale skin and the single dagger strapped comfortably at her ankle. She carried nothing and wore no jewelry but the pins in her hair, and only the Creator himself would keep her from rescuing something from the city.

She joined the throng of Aes Sedai and Warders making ready near Sirayn, glancing behind her to smile at Jerad. "Are you ready for a day of discovery, Gaidin?"

.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.

:Jehanine DeGavriele:
:Bonded to Jerad Gaidin:
:Sister of the Battle Ajah:

****************************************

Corwin woke up well before dawn. The city was somewhere close. Corwin was chosen to be the head of the scouts since he had done the same in the Arafel army. Corwin didn't like leaving Elle around here, she had other warders, but Corwin didn't have a choice, someone experienced needed to lead the scouts. Just as the first rays of light were comming, one of the scouts let out a yell and seemed to be absorbed into the ground. Thinking that it was something with the Power, Corwin dashed to a tree and began looking around for the source. When he found nothing, he and the other scouts investigated the area. The first few barely jumped back before the ground gave out under them. Corwin sent a few Tower Gaurds to go back to the camp and let Sirayn Sedai know. Corwin then took the rope that was given to them and tied it to a nearby tree. Sending about 15 Tower Gaurds down to scout out the city, Corwin waited to hear any fighting. After a Finch call Corwin knew the area was secure. Corwin then set the rest of the Gaurds to gaurd the entering area. After word came back from Sirayn Sedai, Corwin sent the majority of his party back to the camp, called all but 5 Gaurds up from the city, and waited for the others to come. It was barely dawn, but Corwin knew the camp would be buzzing with activity.

Corwin

*************************************

Kardis slowly stepped back into consciousness from the light sleep that he had been able to find. The first part of the previous night had seen him standing guard over the camp as most slept. It had been slightly cold in the dead of night, but nothing like what he had felt at Tar Valon. The night had gone by slowly, Kardis’s only companion being his own thoughts. At first optimistic, he had grown slightly bored as the group had moved to their present location. In the beginning, he had hoped that they would simply walk right into the ancient city. The days of searching coupled with the unfortunate accidents that had followed the assembly had begun destroying his hopes.

As he slipped out of his tent which he had only been in for a few hours, his long legs accidentally caught another Tower Guard’s ankles. Helping the man to his feet, he began to turn to continue running when Kardis again stopped him. “Goodness, man, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Without missing a beat, the man quickly said, “They’ve found it! Namandar, they’ve found it!”

The man took off running again, back to spreading the news. Kardis regretted not apologizing, but the man didn’t seem to notice so he pushed it from his mind. So they had found it. It was about time. Back down into his tent, he grabbed his sword and quickly buckled it to his belt. The weight was a normal part of his life now and he found himself feeling almost incomplete if he did not have it at his side. He quickly gathered a few other things, then regarded his axe and bow. He decided to leave them behind. How much danger could come from a long-dead city anyway?

Again rising, he looked a bit before selecting a direction to travel. He was to meet with Andular, the leader of the group he had been assigned to at the beginning of the journey. Walking around in the camp renewed his spirits. This was great! They had finally found the lost city of Namandar! He tried to keep a reserved look upon his face, but he couldn’t help but give a small smile to other, less calm Tower Guards. This was looking to become a very good day.

Kardis

*******************************************

Lukas could not believe it, they had found Namander! Since first hearing about it back in the King's Palace in Tanchico he had lived the tale of the lost city, his dreams were plaqued by old treasures and buildings from the Age of Legends and even when he ate he was thinking about Namander or listening to others speculate on the city. But for the whole trip a part of his brain had also been sceptical about the prospect of finding a lost city buried under the surface. That kind of idea was too abstract even for a gleeman's table and yet with the scouts reporting back with proof of the city that part of Lukas was forced to concede that it was wrong. His chance for glory and riches was finally here.

Moving over to the small travel chest that he had been assigned when he, Lyanna and Lanfir had joined this mission, Lukas popped open the lid and started to withdraw all of his weapons and armour. It was not expected that they would face any resistance in this shell of a city but it never hurt to be cauitous and if they could find the city so could others. His armour consisted of a set of hard leather arm bracers, black with a lining of faint silver, then there where his leather gloves also blackand minus fingers, so that he had moreflexibility in his fingers. On top of that he had a leather vest that was studded with metal studs, the suit was strong enough to deflect blows from swords and staffs and could prevent an arrow from digging too deep but against an axe or broadsword it was scant protection. Lukas had bought the armour because it provided him with basic protection without encumbering him or making too much noise. The final touches to his armour were sturdy black leather boots that were steel capped so that if he needed to kick anyone it would have an extra bite to it.

Lukas' weapons consisted of his dueling dagger which was placed in a loop on leather shirt, his katana which was sheathed across his shoulder, this was not normal procedure for the Warder but by leaving it at his waist it hindered his movement. Other than that he had a few daggers on his person, two at his belt, one more on his leather shirt and one placed in a sheath atop his arm bracer.

With all his assorted armour and weaponry it took him close to ten minutes to get prepared but when he was he strapped his Tower Guard cloak over his shoulders and went to meet Lyanna. He knew his Aes Sedai was excited about the discovery as he was and through the bond he could feel a nervous energy building up in her as the wait to descend into the city grew shorter.

Entering through the flap of her tent he bowed to her gently whilst sending a lighthearted feeling of humour through the bond.

"So are we ready to go make a name for ourselves in history?"

Lukas Talinko
Most Attractive and Greatest Green Gaidin

******************************************

Lyanna watched from a distance as the scout came running over the hill and conversed quietly with Sirayn for a while. As he ran off again, undoubtedly in preparation for the protection of the city, word spread like wildfire through the camp. Namandar had been found!

Lyanna pulled the cloak tighter over the dress she wore. Both were of stout wool, and still she felt the harsh cold penetrate the fabric. She concentrated, and shut the cold out. Her heart was beating fast as she watched over the entire camp from the slightly elevated hill where she stood. Aes Sedai were leaving their tents, Tower Guards and Warders walked around with purpose in their steps, and she felt Lukas's excitement as he learnt of the discovery. She tugged the bond back, showing her excitement too as she slowly descended the hill and made her way to her tent. She'd dressed in skirts this morning, not believing they would find anything today. Somehow, this mission seemed to have embarked under ill stars. The mishaps along the way had been numerous. A little too numerous in Lyanna's mind. She wondered whether someone was trying to make Sirayn look like a bad party leader. Up until now the woman had been curt, and strict, but she lead the party well even though she had the odds against her.

She entered the tent and quickly rid herself of the dress and dressed herself in clothes more suited for the occasion. Again, the soft leather breeches, and a snowy white cotton shirt that was soft to the touch. She buckled on her daggers, and laced up the knee-high leather boots before donning the leather vest and throwing the dark green cloak over it all. Almost without a thought she added the quarterstaff to the case on her back. The weapon had almost become second nature now for her, after her training with Lukas. Absentmindedly, she pulled back her hair and braided it into a fist thick dark braid, binding the end with a leather strap and keeping the loose strands around her face back with another leather strap which she bound low across her forehead and which ends went under the braid. She had done this so many times before it felt like a routine. A hundred years old routine, at that.

What would they find? The Browns would have a frenzy, she was sure of it. Lyanna hoped that the city would be intact, and that they would be in time to salvage it. Maybe it had been plundered by shadow spawn already. You never knew. She shuddered at the thought. There was a high possibility that if the city had remained unscathed, they would find several stasis boxes. They would have to be careful. Gholam were known to be able to survive long and she knew that sometimes they had been locked in stasis boxes before the Breaking. If this truly was an Age of Legends, their hunger for knowledge might make the Browns careless. She resolved to speak to Sirayn about it.

Just then, Lukas brushed aside the tentflaps and shot her his best grin. "So are we ready to go make a name for ourselves in history?"

She smiled back at him. “I think we are, Lukas, I think we are. Let’s go and find Lanfir and Taya.”


Lyanna al’Ellisande
Battle Sister
Bonded to Lukas Talinko

*****************************

Lyanna watched from a distance as the scout came running over the hill and conversed quietly with Sirayn for a while. As he ran off again, undoubtedly in preparation for the protection of the city, word spread like wildfire through the camp. Namandar had been found!

Lyanna pulled the cloak tighter over the dress she wore. Both were of stout wool, and still she felt the harsh cold penetrate the fabric. She concentrated, and shut the cold out. Her heart was beating fast as she watched over the entire camp from the slightly elevated hill where she stood. Aes Sedai were leaving their tents, Tower Guards and Warders walked around with purpose in their steps, and she felt Lukas's excitement as he learnt of the discovery. She tugged the bond back, showing her excitement too as she slowly descended the hill and made her way to her tent. She'd dressed in skirts this morning, not believing they would find anything today. Somehow, this mission seemed to have embarked under ill stars. The mishaps along the way had been numerous. A little too numerous in Lyanna's mind. She wondered whether someone was trying to make Sirayn look like a bad party leader. Up until now the woman had been curt, and strict, but she lead the party well even though she had the odds against her.

She entered the tent and quickly rid herself of the dress and dressed herself in clothes more suited for the occasion. Again, the soft leather breeches, and a snowy white cotton shirt that was soft to the touch. She buckled on her daggers, and laced up the knee-high leather boots before donning the leather vest and throwing the dark green cloak over it all. Almost without a thought she added the quarterstaff to the case on her back. The weapon had almost become second nature now for her, after her training with Lukas. Absentmindedly, she pulled back her hair and braided it into a fist thick dark braid, binding the end with a leather strap and keeping the loose strands around her face back with another leather strap which she bound low across her forehead and which ends went under the braid. She had done this so many times before it felt like a routine. A hundred years old routine, at that.

What would they find? The Browns would have a frenzy, she was sure of it. Lyanna hoped that the city would be intact, and that they would be in time to salvage it. Maybe it had been plundered by shadow spawn already. You never knew. She shuddered at the thought. There was a high possibility that if the city had remained unscathed, they would find several stasis boxes. They would have to be careful. Gholam were known to be able to survive long and she knew that sometimes they had been locked in stasis boxes before the Breaking. If this truly was an Age of Legends, their hunger for knowledge might make the Browns careless. She resolved to speak to Sirayn about it.

Just then, Lukas brushed aside the tentflaps and shot her his best grin. "So are we ready to go make a name for ourselves in history?"

She smiled back at him. “I think we are, Lukas, I think we are. Let’s go and find Lanfir and Taya.”


Lyanna al’Ellisande
Battle Sister
Bonded to Lukas Talinko

******************************

OOC: I assume it's only a few days after phase 4...but I will edit if it isn't *G*

IC: Taya had been awake half an hour and was now dressed and ready to face another day. Her sleep had been plagued by strange dreams, and while she couldn't quite remember what her subconscious had been showing her, she knew that it wasn't anything pleasant. She still had that edgy feeling, the sense that something was wrong, but she couldn't say what. Forget about your dreams, woman - you are facing reality now.

She was not sure what to expect when she exited her tent, but slowly the realisation came to her that she suspected the worst. She suspected that she would find that she'd imagined the whole thing - that Lanfir and Lyanna were not back after all. It had been extremely difficult last night to part with the two of them and retire to her tent - she'd had to act calm, as if nothing at all were amiss, and she knew she had failed at least to some degree. She did not understand why she was reacting the way she was, and Eos didn't have much of a clue either - at least not that she had let him theorise on. But the fact was she had lost some of the control she so prided herself on - the reapparance of Lanfir and Lyanna had really thrown her. She was still reeling now, days later.

She breathed to calm herself, and felt a warm, strong hand on the small of her back. She didn't turn to Eos, merely continued to work at composing herself so that she could face the outside world. Then her efforts were rudely interrupted by another Gaidin popping his head into the tent.

"Aes Sedai," he said, and bowed - it was an awkward movement even for a Warder, while crouching in the entrance to a tent that way. The man nodded to Eos too, before continuing to speak. "I have been sent to report that the city has been found. Preparations are underway for departure."

"Thank you," Taya said, and nodded slightly, indicating that the man was dismissed. He went on his way and Taya turned to look at Eos, able to now that she had something else to focus on. "Well," she said softly, "I suppose this is it." And when she smiled at him she saw her face reflected in his shocking blue eyes.

 

++++++++++++++++

Ten minutes later she walked out into the cold morning air with her hiking boots on and a heavy coat around her. Eos was beside her, less heavily cloaked but still dressed to withstand the cold.

Taya went immediately to locate someone she could talk to. Oh, who am I kidding? she asked herself. I am desperate to see if it really was real.

She immediately set to scanning the area for Lyanna or Lanfir, but didn't see either of them. She fought the sinking feeling as more and more faces turned out not to be either of the veteran Greens.

She spotted Sirayn, and headed over to the younger woman. When she arrived she nodded in greeting. "Greetings on this crisp morning," she said. "I heard the good news, of course. When do you expect we will head out?"

She forced her rising despair down, distracting herself by focusing on Sirayn's unreadable face and trying to read it thoroughly.

Taya Sedai

****************************

Andular sat in his tent looking at maps with a scowl on his face. He had agreed to lead the Tower Guard on this trip as a favor to Con who was busy with other matters and he was quickly regretting it. The Thunder on the Ocean master stared at the maps studying them for a few minuets more then rose.

The news that the city had been found spread through the encampment swiftly but had reached his ears several minuets ago. Standing he secured his longsword to his back and attached his fan cloak. The camp was awash with excitement but in his experience excitement often led to mistakes. Leaving his tent he squinted at the morning light and strode to the rally point where he had instructed his regiment of guard to meet him. He would be sure these men knew what they were about and did not falter in their resolve to stay alert of dangers. At the first sign of complacency from any of his charges he intended to set an example.

A few men stood in the clearing and they came to attention as the tall Warder’s gaze fell on them. Pulling some hard cheese from his pocked Andular ate as he studied his massing troops.

OOC: Alright I did not know I was part of this rp until yesterday so I hope this works

Andular

**********************

"I believe we both know the answer to that question."

Jerad smiled, letting that finish his answer. It wasn't going to be a boring day.

She had been up early, and Jerad had felt her anger across the bond. Not that anger was uncommon for Jehanine. Today was different, as well, and Jehanine was apparantly very pleased to hear of the latest development. Still, the bitter aftertaste of malcontent remained. Jerad frowned.

"Is something troubling you?"

Perhaps her former friendship with Sirayn Sedai. Jerad had been a student and friend to Los, but lately, he had been too busy to see his old friend. Or was it that he simply hadn't MADE the time to see him. He made a mental note to catch up later, after Namandar.

OOC: Good enough, hopefully. If I could keep up with Sirayn's RP topics better, maybe I would have mentioned something.

Jerad

*************************

Nikita strolled the camp like a cat on the prowl. The news had spread quickly, but she had been up and about, and ready for the day long before the sun rose. Her thick blonde braid hung on her back, and thinking of it she chuckled in her low breathy voice. Some people had sometimes compared her to Birgitte Silverbow come alive. Without the bow of course. Nikita brushed that away. She was a woman. Nothing more. And a Tower Guard of course.

The camp seemed in order. Nik couldn't really resist keeping an eye out for the younger Tower Guards. It was a habit, not born out of jealousy with Matalina, but simply a habit. She had been Mistress of Novices for a long time, and some of the aura still clung to her.

Mat was apparently lounging outside Raeyn Sedai's tent, looking very loose and relaxed, but tensed to the bone and ready to strike at whatever could hurt her Sedai. It was odd to see Mat this way. She even had a kid now. Nik nodded to her and flashed a grin and then moved on with her inspection. The whole camp had been awestruck a few days ago with the arrival of two long lost sisters, one of them being the illustrious Lanfir Leah Marithsen, whom everyone thought to have vanished out of the Tower forever. Nik had never met her, but she did know the woman by face from the portraits in the Green quarters. It must have come as quite a shock to the Sisters to learn that these women were still alive.

Nik eyed Sirayn Sedai from a distance. She was talking to one of the Green Sitters, Taya Sedai. It seemed apparent they would head out to the lost city soon. Nikita walked over to the both of them and bowed deep.

"Sirayn Sedai, Taya Sedai, may the light illumine your paths today and all days. Can I be of service?"


OOC: just butting in *g*

Nikita Locksley
Tower Guard
Master of Me'Arearth

**************************

It didn't take long to find Andular. He was the tall guy eating cheese and glaring at everything. Whereas everyone else in the camp seemed excited at the discovery, Andular looked like he expected an attack. Made sense, though. If there wasn't a threat of attack why would the Tower Guards be here.

As he approached he saluted Andular but refrained from striking up a conversation with him. That hadn't seen each other in awhile, but he didn't think now was the time. Instead, he began speaking with another man named Kardis that had showed up about the same time as him. He said to Kardis, "I don't know about you, but just a short while back I would've called you crazy if you'd told me I would be exploring a lost Age of Legends city. And one underground to boot!"

He glanced around at some of the other Guards showing up. Several were wearing armor. Jonathan, on the other hand, simply wore a leather jerkin over his shirt. Armor always felt to... restrictive to him. Besides, he thought with a grin, as long as I don't let 'em hit me I'll be fine.

Jonathan

***************************

Raeyn found herself stirring from another restless night of quasi-sleep in the semi-light of dawn. A breeze twitched at the tent-flaps, enough to show Matalina sitting outside in the miserable torridly windy weather.

She smiled, a quick twitch of her lips. In failing to protect her two former Aes Sedai from harm, Matalina seemed to have unseemly dedication to her duties since her fall into the Shadow. It was rare to find anyone loyal to anyone else who served the Shadow, yet the Great Lord had smiled upon Raeyn in finding Mat. And the dedication that Raeyn felt towards Matalina was returned in spades; she had saved this woman from her own death, and she would do her best to protect her dear Warder, one of her dearest friends as well as she could.

Dressing quickly, she pulled on a thick velvet dress in a deep hue of brown over her warm woolen shift. The chill in the air was so terribly reminiscent of home, but her time spent in the Tower had caused her to become unaccustomed to the joyful briskness of a proper winter. Channeling, she relight the brazier that still contained some remaining wood from the night before, at which time Matalina poked her head into the tent.

"Raeyn, they seemed to have found the city. It looks as though they are preparing to enter."

Raeyn blinked. That would explain the rising noise levels outside, louder than could be accounted for by those in camp simply getting up and heading for some breakfast. "A fine day for discovery," she murmured ruefully as another breeze ripped open the tent flap to show people milling about outside, running for this and that.

She put on her belt, checking the pouches attached to make sure she had everything she needed: ink, notebook, pens, and a random assortement of other things that she had found useful to have onhand over the years. A small, unadorned dagger tucked into the belt completed her arrainment.

Stepping out of the tent with Matalina shadowing, she let the wind rush over her for a minute before starting towards the direction that people seemed to be exicitedly pointing at. A day of destiny for some, a day of doom for others. What would come of today, in the histories, in personal lives?

Raeyn Sedai
Head of the Brown Ajah
Sitter in the Hall
Bonded to Matalina Gaidin

******************************

Walking up to Andular, Kardis quickly signaled his presence to the man before sending his gaze about the group already assembled. Most were very excited, a few were nervous, and Andular himself appeared cautious. His mood, in turn, affected Kardis. He pushed some of his excitement aside, assuming a similar attitude. He was here to protect and serve the Aes Sedai.

Turning around a bit, he noticed Jonathan, another Tower Guard than he hadn’t seen in a while. Jonathan was the first to speak. , "I don't know about you, but just a short while back I would've called you crazy if you'd told me I would be exploring a lost Age of Legends city. And a city underground to boot!"

“I know exactly what you mean. Not too long ago I had been sweating outside of the Tower trying to survive my time as a trainee, simply hoping to make it to the next day. Now look at us. Tarabon. I could never imagine even being this far from the Tower, let alone searching for an Age of Legends city, like you said. This is going to be very…interesting.” His voice trailed off as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. His thoughts of a relaxing day walking through an old city were quickly vanishing.

Kardis

***************************

Kaylan brushed her hair back and up, securing it with a net of Air. She had no idea what she would be encountering today and had donned her leather armour, her sword on her hip. It was likely that when they found the city it would be completely empty, but she had been armoured the whole time they had been travelling just in case. Her skirts were packed away, and she was sure that some of the odd looks she was getting was from the fact that her cleavage was actually hidden underneath her armour.
I do know what armour is for, I am practical. She growled inside her head at the tower guard who had entered the tent and was looking at her chest as if something was wrong.
"A hem. Can I help you, child?" The man had to be at least 25 years old, but that was still a baby compared to her.
"I... my apologies, Aes Sedai." He bowed to her, almost berating her for calling him a child but realising quickly who he was speaking to.
She merely raised an eyebrow at him, wondering exactly what it was that hewas wanting.
"I... er, the forward scouts have found the city, Aes Sedai." Kaylan eyes widened in shock at his words, and the brush slipped from her hand to bounce on the floor of the tent.
"Namandar is found." It was almost a whisper.
"Thank you, gaidin." She straightened up, leaving everything exactly how it was, and walking out into the air. She gave her bonds an urgent summons and was unsurprised to see all three arriving quickly.
"The city has been found." She grabbed a small bag quickly, leather with a long strap that was designed to break if pulled, so that it wouldnt be a hindrance in battle. It was almost empty, holding only a water flask, but was ready to be filled up with whatever they might find in the first trip into the city.
She wandered over to where the other Aes Sedai seemed to be gathering and waited to see what would happen.

Kaylan Sedai
Battle Sister
Bonded to three

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leilani looked up at the Warder who came in to her tent unannounced. She had been just getting dressed, and shot him a dirty look as his eyes lingered over her body.
"Yes, child?" She pulled the shirt over her head hurriedly. The material was sturdy but not as restrictive as some of the armour the other women had been wearing, but Leilani had taken to wearing battleclothes, too. Her longsword gleamed on her hip as she did up the belt, and she looked at the Warder in such a way that he knew she would use it if provoked. It had been Gyrrid's sword, and he had taught her how to use it. The shirt she was wearing had been Astin's, and she mourned the loss of her two warders.
"Er, the city has been located, Leilani... Aes Sedai." His pause was a little too long to be an accident, and she had embraced the Source before she knew it.
"I thank you for alerting me. Now, go back to your owner and ask her to teach you a lesson in proper behaviour before I do." She could see the panicked movement of his eyes, shifting from side to side, as he bowed.
"Yes Aes Sedai." He scurried off as quickly as he could without looking rude, and she let go of the Source.
What is wrong with me? She had been so emotional since Astin had died, so touchy.
With a sigh, she wandered out of the tent, looking for her Sisters. Breifly, she wondered which of the Browns she would be getting a tongue lashing frm this time.
Looking around, Leilani wondered where Vira was. The other Green was one of the only women she counted an ally, since Sirayn had been raised.

Leilani Sedai
Battle Sister
Twice Bonded, twice lost...

*****************************

Coran made is way around the Camp, letting the Aes Sedai and other Warders know about the find. He had been running an errand for Jaydena when Sirayn stopped him and a few others, telling them to spread the word.

Coran waited to see if Sirayn wanted anything more...since the other day, they had talked a bit, but He knew also that she was really busy with Namandar to have much time to spare for him. And for some reason, this bothered him.

He shook his head as he left and completed his first erreand, then started going from tent to tent. It was early, and not many of the inhabitants of the camp were quite awake, but shortly after he had made his way through the tents, people were buzzing around the Camp like a disturbed Hive.

Through the bond he shared with Jaydena, he felt her awake and the excitement that surely indicated that she had heard. He made his way back to the tent that she was sharing with Jared, Corbin and himself (now).

Nodding to Corbin and Jared, they made preparations for what would soon turn to the trip of a lifetime.

Coran was excited, he had done much reading since he first was picked to go on this trip...a trip that had already turned out to be life changing for him. But now, to actually be about to see what would be found in a city thought lost long ago...He could not wait to be there.

He walked around the others, helping to prepare quickly.

I wonder how Sirayn is doing with the news? he thought to himself...She seemed excited this morning.

Jared bumped him. "Focus, man. We need to finish." the man said. Coran nodded and continued to pack...

Coran Gaidin
Jaydena's (Newest) Warder

******************************

Before Sirayn could answer Taya's comment, Taya noticed movement at the corner of her vision and turned to find its source. She found that one of the most experienced Gaidin in the party - and in the world - had joined them. Nikita Locksley, a woman who moved with the usual deadly grace of Gaidin, but with an extra dose of it. Nikita was renowned amongst Greens for her hard work and talent, and everyone speculated on which lucky sister would finally snag her in a bond.

I wonder if Kaylan is sizing her up, Taya thought with the faintest of smiles, but then became sombre again at the reminder of Kaylan's current predicament. Her dear friend really was facing a tough situation where her Gaidin Jumael was concerned. Taya had the distinct feeling that situation wouldn't end happily.

Taya's thoughts returned to her present company as Nikita bowed to both Taya and Sirayn and addressed them both also. "Sirayn Sedai, Taya Sedai, may the Light illumine your paths today and all days. Can I be of service?"

Taya nodded to the woman. "Your eyes and reflexes must be sharp this day - from what I have heard of you, Nikita Gaidin, you will not have any trouble there. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintence."


Taya Sedai
Sitter of the Green
Bonded to Eos


OOC: WOohoo! I get a Birgitte lookalike for a Gaidn! How lucky am I??? *G*

 

-------------------------------------------------

OOC: I wasn't sure if Vira was actually along for this trip...but I decided to respond for ya Kayls *G* But I thought Sira only became Sitter after Nammy??

IC: Vira stalked into the centre of the camp from the outskirts where her tent was pitched, looking left and right for someone to take out her foul mood out on. She only ever aimed her wrath at those who were perfectly deserving, but sometimes she couldn't find a single worthy target. Now was one such time.

In spite of a certain person's presence. Vira's eyes settled on Sirayn in the distance. She reminded herself with consternation that even that most worthy target wasn't an option today. Nor any day. Sirayn had too many friends now - insane as that notion seemed. The Sitters treated her like a princess, as if they'd forgotten her apalling behaviour of not long ago. It irked Vira to the core, but now with Sirayn as leader of a major expedition headed by Greens - no matter what the Browns thought, it was obvious who was and should be in charge - Vira was helpless to do anything but sit by and watch the girl wield her newfound power.

Vira walked around for a while to calm herself - walking brisk-paced seemed to do that for her. She didn't have time to fit in a bit of training, which would be the ultimate way of clearing her mind. She'd received the summons not a moment ago. But she did have to take some time to calm down or she'd rip someone to shreds.

During her rounds she spotted Leilani in the distance and veered over to her, stretching her legs one at a time in front of her as she spoke. "Good morning, sister. Ready to discover what lies beneath?"


Vira Demarcias
All she sees is Green

****************************

*giggles* I thought Vira would like something for her collection of fallen battle sisters Thought you might like her sword, Kaylan is taking her necklace before she passes out. And I didn't mean raised sitter, I meant raised Sister. If that's what you mean. Otherwise, ignore me as a crazy rambling old woman (at all of 18 *lol*)

IC:
Leilani nodded to Vira as she approached.
"Good morning, sister. Ready to discover what lies beneath?"
"Indeed, I hope so. I can only hope that the battle regalia is an unneccesary precaution." She pointed to the sword, that she was well practiced with.
"It is... incredible to be finally finding Namandar, though. I can only imagine what it will be like inside." Leilani walked along with Vira. The other Green seemed to be agitated, and in Leilani's emotional state, if they were both not calm chaos could result. An no amount of negotiating would be able to fix that up... But she had finally given up on trying to be Gray Ajah.
You forsook that path years ago, it is not the one for you. Your passions do not have to be placed behind your desire to seal rifts, not all the time. Leilani though to herself of Bandar Eban, of some of the horrors she had seen there. Of the horrors two other Aes Sedai had suffered there, and probably more that she did not know about.
No, negotiation was not always possible, that Bandar Eban had taught her. And in her state of having lost another Warder, she would not have been able to had she tried.
So, she simply walked along with Vira, avoiding Sirayn carefully. No matter what they thought about her, the rest of the Green seemed to be absolutely simpering over her. No, today was not the day to express her true opinion of the girl chosen to lead this Battle Party - if it became one. She nearly laughed at the thought of Sirayn's Great Glory being leading a pack of Browns into a mouldy old city and seeing no action at all.

Leilani Sedai
Battle Ajah
Twice Bonded, twice lost...

*******************************

OOC: Sorry about the wait people. Here I am! Part of this post is an original by Lwena Sedai

: : : : As a babble of excited voices rose around her Sirayn ducked into her tent and merciful peace. She pulled off her coat and reached for a set of fine silvery ringmail which she slithered into with much cursing and yanking. Shouldering into her coat, she slung a couple of crossed sword-belts round her waist and knotted a scabbarded longsword on either hip. She always wore three daggers up her sleeve, in her boot and dangling at the back of her neck and with a pair of thin leather gloves resting snugly on her hands, leaving her fingers bare but palms pebbled for better grip, Sirayn ducked out of her tent braiding her hair with a single red thread. Excitement flowed and eddied as a palpable current throughout the camp. She strode toward the gathering and nodded to Seiaman as her Gaidin appeared. Losyn was close by, shadowing her like the loyal protector he was. Seiaman was in a dark mood and Sirayn exchanged a few harsh words with her but even though Seiaman agreed to lighten up protective anxiety still flowed through the bond. Turning away Sirayn scanned the crowd noting all the familiar faces. She’d give the camp another ten minutes to rouse itself before they set out.

: : : : The crowd parted and Taya approached with a brief nod. Sirayn studied her warily. Taya hadn’t been herself lately and Sirayn suspected it was something to do with Lyanna and Lanfir’s appearance. Hold up, Taya. We need you. “Ten minutes,” Sirayn said crisply in answer to Taya’s question. The city had waited two thousand years for their arrival but Sirayn didn’t plan to wait another moment before she let her sisters loose on its treasures. “Take care in the city, Taya.” She spoke almost without thinking and regretted it immediately. Damn. Sirayn looked up to Taya though she fiercely denied it and she hadn’t planned to make it so obvious. The awkward moment was broken as a Tower Guard made her appearance; “Can I be of service?” Sirayn inclined her head to the woman in response. “The Light illumine you. Keep a sharp eye out in the city, please. There’s no telling what may be down there.” She held the woman’s gaze a moment longer before returning to scanning the crowd. She saw Jehanine close by and quickly averted her gaze. Lwena was at her side, Jade near by, and their Warders scattered throughout the crowd. It looked as though everyone was up and ready to leave.

: : : : “Quiet please!” Sirayn pitched her voice to carry across the hubbub. The others quieted down rapidly. “Namandar has been located,” Sirayn confirmed. “The city is in that direction,” she pointed to the north, “two minutes’ walk. We’ll go on foot; no point in taking horses underground. The scouts will guard the camp and the way down to the city while we’re inside. Everybody be alert! Anything could be down there. If you must split from the party while in Namandar, please do not go alone. Get into groups for your own safety. Thank you.” And the party started toward the north and the underground city of Namandar in the fresh sparkling light of early morning. Sirayn with her dislike of crowds went sideways to the outskirts of the party, where she found herself close to none other than her friend Lwena. Linking arms casually with the Yellow sister, Sirayn said with a wry smile, “Excited?”

: : : : Lwena grinned back, though the expression was shadowed with a tinge of dark nervousness. “Of course! This is the discovery of our Age, after all. But I can't help but feel a little nervous.” She shook her head; this wasn't the time to bring up her unfounded fears. She was probably jumping at shadows. “I have no reason to though, so don't mind me. Maybe it's because I don't like being underground.” She shivered slightly at the thought; trapped, alone, in the dark, the dank, musty earth pressing closer and closer on all sides, until she had been crushed into oblivion. She turned to Sirayn. “Do you think anything will go wrong?” She avoided mentioning the problems that had plagued them almost the entire journey, hoping that it was just bad luck, not sabatoge.

: : : : Sirayn’s smile deepened as Lwena confessed how excited she was. In truth Sirayn could barely contain her own excitement. Not only was this the journey that would make or break her career but the treasures they might find were truly awe-inspiring. A weapon to defeat the Dark One? A way to stop all poverty and starvation? A vicious and fatal disease? That last thought was rather worrying but Sirayn pushed it aside. They had no defence against disease but their Yellows. “I hope not, but I think it likely.” Sirayn dropped her voice to a low murmur so that none of those crowding around could hear. “I suspect that all the bad luck we’ve had isn’t so much bad luck as deliberate sabotage,” she confided in a too-casual tone. “And why would they be trying to delay us except to get their own forces in place before we arrive? And did they succeed?” With a brief shrug, “Maybe we’re walking into an ambush. Maybe something worse. I don’t know, I just know that I’m not going to sit up here for months to see if anything moves.” Sirayn glanced sideways at Lwena, a sharp critical gaze. “If the Shadow waits as I suspect, this will be your first battle against them, hmm? How do you feel?”

: : : : Lwena bit her lip as she thought; Sirayn’s words had evoked a fear she was hard pressed to contain. Battle? Against the Shadow? Suddenly, memories surfaced... Suddenly, a Myrddraal flowed from the trees, heading straight for Lwena. The young Aes Sedai stood, paralyzed with fear, her mind bouncing from thought to thought. Why are there shadowspawn this far south from the Blight? was her last thought before her Warder lunged into battle, ducking and weaving between the Myrddraal's blade with a grace Lwena envied. She could tell through the bond that he was using the void- a good explanation for his skill. She watched proudly as he beheaded the shadowspawn in one smooth stroke, but the pride soon turned to agony as the blade slashed him across the chest. Lwena cried out wordlessly and rushed for her fallen companion as the Mydraal collapsed in a boneless heap... She shuddered and shook her head, then looked at Sirayn. “I feel nervous, but it isn’t something I can’t handle. I hope.” She gave Sirayn a weak smile. “Who am I kidding- I’m afraid for my life, and the lives of those I should be defending. I’m a healer, not a fighter, no matter how much I pretend to be; what if I lose my nerve?” She looked down at her hands. “But I can’t, so I won’t.” She gave a grim smile. “I’ll fight if the occasion calls for it, but I won’t enjoy it.”

: : : : Sirayn watched Lwena’s face closely as her sister talked. Determination and resolution were reflected in her ageless face, the anxiety but a shadow on her features and Sirayn felt a sudden sharp pride in her friend. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Sirayn reflected briefly on how she had come to have such a fierce faith and conviction in the young Yellow, and put the thought aside. Lwena had more than earned it. It was Sirayn herself who had changed. She kept up her cold exterior but inside, she thought the ice had begun to melt ever since Seiaman had broken through to her. For a woman with a mean attitude she had more trusted friends than she had ever envisioned. Her gaze fell briefly upon Coran Thalier, Jade’s newest Gaidin, and she quirked a smile despite herself and the dark circumstances of their meeting. Therein lay a major difference to her fractured relationship with Losyn. When thinking of Losyn she felt angry and guilty for the events that had passed between them; Coran made her smile. She felt like a traitor for even thinking about Coran in the same sentence as Losyn. Why was it always the unbearably sweet ones whose hearts she broke?

: : : : It was a shade under two minutes before the party arrived at the scene. Corwin’s scouts popped out from the undergrowth surrounding a wide clearing marked by a couple of trees and warned them not to go into the clearing. There was a hole in the ground and the drop was deep enough to kill. The scouts had put down a rope, gone down, had a look around and sensibly scurried back up except for a handful of luckless victims who’d been delegated to stay. Here Sirayn was confronted with her first problem. Standing with Taya, Jade, Corwin and a few others; “The hole may or may not be the original way down into the city. The ground may or may not be remotely stable. If the dome has fallen in to cause this hole, I can’t in conscience order a big party to walk right over it. And I don’t know where the dome extends to. Corwin, please have one of your people make an estimate of the size of the cavern.” Corwin Gaidin did so efficiently and reported the estimated size of the dome. It was a sketchy figure at best but Sirayn would have to take it as read. The young Aes Sedai fell quiet for a moment as she figured out what to do next.

: : : : Strangely enough, given the problems that were piling up on her, Sirayn felt more relaxed and in control of the situation than she had been for months. Bizarre accidents, suspicious coincidences and bickering weren’t so much her sphere of interest. The assessment and exploration of an ancient site with all the inherent dangers and considerations was. Sirayn felt qualified to deal with this for the first time in a while. She could handle this with the right resources. And fortunately enough, the party contained two of the Tower’s resident experts in the element of Earth: Jade and Sirayn herself. “Jade. I need your Delving Talent.” Sirayn offered a quick smile for her friend; “Delve the ground for me and tell me how deep the earth is, and whether the dome underneath is stable?”

OOC: Sorry for the pause – need Jade!

 

~ Sirayn ~

*********************************

Jaydena walked toward the crowd and felt Coran approaching quickly, turning to him she gave him a smile. He grinned at her and handed her some things she had forgotten in her haste. Shaking her head in amusement she wondered when she had become so forgetful. Pulling the think green leather gloves over her hands and hooking the beltpouch around her waist she turned back to him and took the backpack he handed her. She put her arms through it and then secured everything inside the belt pouch. Nodding as she was secured she checked her weapons to make sure they were easily accessible.

When she was done Coran turned her around and checked her swords sharpness and such. She grinned at him and wondered when he had become so protective. Squeezing his hand as he slid the sword back in the scabbard at her side. Jade sent thankfulness through the bond and then turned back around. She listened as Sirayn began to speak and saw her sisters eyes lock with hers for a moment. Jade nodded at her friend as if to say, "I'm Ready," she could feel Coran beside her, Corbin was somewhere off to her left and Jared was a few feet behind her. She knew that he was glaring at Coran's back, the man was intensely jealous and for some reason took the easy affection that she and Coran shared as them being intimate.

Shaking her head at his actions she focused back on the front of the crowd, Sirayn had finished speaking and they were starting to walk toward the city. It was a quick walk before they reached the scouts and Sirayn called her to the front of the crowd. As she reached the front of the group her friend said, "Jade. I need your Delving Talent. Delve the ground for me and tell me how deep the earth is, and whether the dome underneath is stable?” Jaydena nodded and approached the ground. Embracing the source she reached down into the ground and felt the hollowness not that far below them, touching the dome she nodded her head and finished her task quickly.

Turning back around to Sirayn she said, "There is a large emptiness about 20 feet below us, I'm assuming it's the city. The dome itself is very secure, it would take a major earthshake to cause any damage to it." She sent her friend a rueful smile for they both knew that their strength in earth could very well bring the dome down if they saw fit. Stepping closer she said, "It looks safe for us to proceed Sirayn Sedai." Nodding her head she stepped back next to her friend and sent a quick smile to her other friend Lwena Sedai. The two woman had become friends quickly and Jade was beyond thankful to be part of such a wonderful group of women. She took a deep breath and waited to see what would happen next...

Jaydena Sedai

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OOC: Thanks!

: : : : Sirayn smiled in thanks as her sister spoke. Twenty feet of solid earth before the dome itself, and the structure of the dome still stable, so it was safe to walk over and with the aid of ropes and saidar they could rig up a platform to lower their party down. Approaching the hole with caution Sirayn asked Jade to keep Delving and warn them if the ground became unstable and also if the gap was man-made or an accidental break in the dome’s smooth surface. Jade was able to report that the dome was fine right up to the very edge and that the hole, of a suspiciously right-angled and square appearance, was ridged with thicker stones. A ventilation outlet, Sirayn surmised. At least she had no reason to worry about the dome caving in under their feet although it was always possible that something about the properties of the dome’s stone confused Jade’s Delving Talent and, indeed, the whole thing was ready to go. Sirayn considered this prospect sourly. In this instance her pessimism was unwarranted. Summoning the scouts and Tower Guards, Sirayn requested that Andular and Corwin and their people work together to set up a safe platform that could bear the weight of a large group of people, and rig it up within the ventilation outlet so that they could descend.

: : : : The job was accomplished in remarkably quick time. A tree had been felled and logged by capable warriors and formed into a platform bound tightly and securely with a weave of saidar. It was suspended from a pulley mechanism operated by a crank and handle. The technology was sound and the platform appeared safe enough. Sirayn tested its strength briefly before stepping boldly on and summoning a few of her sisters leaving orders that the party file onto the platform in turn while many of the scouts remained at the top. The pulley was operated with great care. And with an unholy grinding sound, the platform began to vanish inch by inch into the earth.

: : : : As darkness closed in upon them from all sides Sirayn drew a long breath of relief. Here amidst a great pressing weight of earth she felt more at home, more in tune. She tried to sense the mood as she had done with more success earlier but the earth was so old and still it barely knew. The air became musty and thick with dust as they descended; Sirayn distracted herself from the endless fall by counting the depth in feet and at precisely twenty the air changed to become cold and hard from the surrounding stone. A few moments and they were passing into the cavern itself. The atmosphere had that strange echoing quality that comes from a vast enclosed space. Someone knocked their hand against the dome as they passed down and the sound reverberated throughout the entire cavern. Sirayn bit her tongue since she hadn’t actually advocated complete silence and there were already scouts down there. Falling still, Sirayn’s earth sense detected that the floor wasn’t far below and a harsh whisper ordered any nearby scouts to move well away as the platform sank and then gently impacted on the stone floor.

: : : : Sirayn stepped off the platform and onto dirt untouched for the last two thousand years. She took a breath of air laden with history, released it slowly. She shut her eyes and for a moment pretended that she was the only person alive in this ancient place. Then with a snap of her fingers she called a globe of light to illuminate their place and looked around. The cavern was enormous. Any city she knew could have fit into the space twice over. The dome reached so far over their heads that Sirayn couldn’t see it through the gloom. The only bright spot was a tiny square of light leading up to the surface. They stood on the edge of the dome, where the ground rose gently to meet the walls, and before them lying in a gentle depression was the Age of Legends city of Namandar.

: : : : It was truly spectacular. Light from Sirayn’s globe sparkled and gleamed on every surface. The houses had an oddly organic look as though they had grown there in huddles and groups, their surfaces smoothly formed and flowing into one another. Sirayn could only liken it to bubbles clustered on liquid. The city was crafted in the most part from some kind of white stone that gleamed dazzingly; here and there was a splash of vivid colour under a thick layer of dust, bands of iridescent blue or green stone, a red roof or shiny golden door. A single wall encircled the city in a wide unbroken circle. Two high gates were placed in the exact centre. With the clean graceful lines of the dome and the city’s gentle outline came a sense of tranquility. Namandar beneath the ground had survived the Breaking and two thousand years of turbulent history; it barely noticed the presence of these mortals who dared to trespass upon its hallowed ground.

: : : : As the platform began to serenely rise once more behind them Sirayn stood with her hands clasped behind her back, staring with awe and wonder at the most fabulous discovery of their Age.

 

~ Sirayn~

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Lyanna and Lukas were with the second batch who slowly descended the ventilationshaft by means of the platform that had been built so quickly. As the descent proceeded, the air became increasingly musty and dank, and the earthen walls surrounding them looked old. Lyanna could see various layers of soil, in different colors, piled atop one another and once again she marvelled at the fact that something so old, so ancient would be completely intact beneath her feet and waiting to be discovered.

Light, I sound like a Brown, she muttered under her breath and felt a dart of amusement from the bond. Lukas had heard after all. It was very reassuring to have him here. It wasn't just the notion of protection. It was the sense of companionship and complete trust which she cherished also.

The platform passed the outer wall of the dome and within seconds they hung suspended, freely in what looked like an immense space stretching to all sides. Up here, it was still dark, but below them, light poured from multiple globes of light, undoubtedly cast by Sirayn and company. The light illumined a maze of streets, buildings, squares, all of which were covered in a glimmery layer of dust, all of which were still intact. On the far end, Lyanna could see a vast square, inlaid with mosaic tiles which made up the ancient Aes Sedai symbol, in a dark color against the twinkling light stones surrounding it. The buildings surrounding the square were huge, and Lyanna knew that would be the place they eventually had to get to. The place where most likely most wonders would be stored.

The city was surrounded by a wall, which was unscathed by the looks of it. Hell, everything was unscathed. How this city could have survived something as devastating as the Breaking would remain a mystery, but Lyanna thanked the stars that it had. It would be much easier to defend when push came to shove. Her battle-hardened mind went over all the vantagepoints in the area, her trained eye scanned the city for any weak spots they'd have to take in mind. "We will have to set up a defensive line over there by the gates." she whispered to Lukas. "And I think it would be wise to send scouts and Tower Guards patrolling the area. From up here we can never know what comes at us from behind the city. Who knows, there might be other ways into this cave. There must be other ventilation shafts, and the amount of mishaps we've had on the way over here disturb me. If someone is trying to slow us down, prevent us from getting here in time, there might already be others present in the vicinity. Maybe we are watched by the Dark even now."

The platform touched the floor gently, and they braced themselves as it settled down evenly. Lyanna summoned Fire and Air and formed her own globe which illuminated the path before them. Their footsteps left traces in the sparkling dust. No one had come this way, that was for sure. As they moved closer to Sirayn, Lyanna could see the excitement in the younger Sedai's eyes, even though her face was calm. She was learning quickly.

"We really found it Sirayn, we really did. Before we lead the Browns in, we'd better make sure we have the place secured. That gate over there must be guarded, and so must the rest of the wall. What would you have me do?"


Lyanna al'Ellisande
Battle Ajah
Bonded to Lukas Talinko

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Lanfir was glad she was with the second batch of people that descended down the shaft. She wasn’t too fond of closed spaces and knowing that others had made the journey safely calmed her fluttering heart considerably. While the platform descended, she kept her eyes fixed on the light above her and tried very hard not to think of the darkness below. It had been very long ago since she had truly felt claustrophobic, but right now definitely was such a moment.

The tension was instantly forgotten as soon as she stepped off the platform and she saw the legendary City of Namandar by the light of a handful of globes of saidar.

Yveva, you would have loved this, was her first thought, as she hungrily drank in the city. It was in tact. Perfectly in tact. “Unbelievable,” she whispered, embracing saidar to create her own lightglobe. She took a few steps forward and found herself closely behind Lyanna and Sirayn. The other Greens were watching the Namandar with as much awe as Lanfir did.

What a sight to behold – the light of their globes reflecting on white stone that still managed to shimmer under all those layer of dust – the brilliant, beautiful architecture of the city that she instantly fell in love with – the sheer history that this city seemed to breathe… it was so easy to imagine this City bustling with life and activity. Even after aeons of being buried under the dust, it still did not feel dead. It felt just tranquil, as if it was waiting for something. Waiting to be discovered, perhaps?

Battle instinct, hardened and never truly asleep since her years in Kandor, whispered something entirely else. Something felt wrong. Houses that were left deserted always seemed to radiate that they were empty and desolate. This city did not, not really. And she was rather sure that it wasn’t the beautiful architecture that was causing this feeling, peaceful as the city might look right now. They would have to be on guard.

She was just about to raise the issue with Sirayn when she saw Lyanna bow her dark head into the direction of Sirayn’s. Holding saidar, her senses were heightened enough to pick up Lyanna’s whispered words: "We really found it Sirayn, we really did. Before we lead the Browns in, we'd better make sure we have the place secured. That gate over there must be guarded, and so must the rest of the wall. What would you have me do?"

Lanfir joined them and waited for Sirayn’s answer. She was the mission leader after all, bad-tempered and young as she was. They had to comply to her wishes, all they could give was advice.

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Sister

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Taya watched in growing anticipation as the preparations for made to enter the city. A platform was constructed expertly and yet hastily, which would bear the weight of a large group of people. Of course they would need to be lowered down in groups, and instinctively people around Taya began organising themselves, lining up in a sense.

Taya was in the recovery party as one of the highest-ranking members, though she was not heading it. That was a Brown's job. The party contained other Browns some of whom Taya got along with perfectly well - others in light of recently arising tensions were not so warm towards her. She could not really bring herself to care at this particular moment in time - a moment that would go down in history as one of the all-time greats.

The old Green was one of the first summoned by Sirayn, and she moved forward with Eos close behind her, not bothering to be ginger about stepping onto the platform when she'd seen a few others step safely onto it already. Once on the platform Taya watched and waited with growing impatience - carefully hidden beneath her Aes Sedai mask, of course - as the rest of those in the second group stepped aboard. Then the pulley was set into action and a loud grinding sound marked their descent into the unknown. Taya took a moment to recognise just how priveleged she was to be here at this moment in time.

She was on edge, ready for whatever awaited her beneath. The fine hairs rose on the back of her neck and she tingled. She did not look at Eos, merely examined the nature of the bond and sent her gentle reassurance back through it - he sent his own to her constantly. She watched the earthen walls so close to her face as the platform was lowered at an excruciatingly slow rate into the earth.

Taya inhaled the faint mustiness in the air that grew stronger as they descended. More pleasant was the coolness generated by the earth all around them. She craned her neck to look at the dwindling hole of light above. But then her attention was seized by the noticeable change in her surroundings. They had entered the dome itself.

It didn't take long before they had touched down. Taya immediately looked left and right for scouts, but could not see a thing. The darkness was at this time complete, and she took care when stepping off the platform and onto cool, firm ground in this ancient place. She inhaled and blinked as a ball of light appeared, illuminating all of her immediate surroundings. The light was of hardly any use in trying to explore all their surroundings, but it was better than complete darkness.

Taya stared around her, in her awe forgetting that she had been feeling rather ill at ease most days of late since Tanchico. The sight that greeted her eyes filled her heart with wonder and took her breath away. She thought she could well drop dead right there on the spot from what she was seeing.

High above, directly overhead, Taya made out the tiny square of light from whence they had come. But Taya's attention didn't stay there for long. The view of the ancient city, almost perfectly preserved for two millenia here beneath the earth, was far too dazzling.

She saw gleaming white stone of some kind, looking as if it were polished daily to maintain its splendis sheen - but seeing that seemed to contradict what she had sensed and smelt since entering the dome proper. A staleness in the air, mustiness of a place long abandoned - another smell too, faint but clear. The scent of decay. Taya looked around suddenly wondering if Tilana lay somewhere close. And she will be more than just a pile of bones, Taya thought as she stared beyond the city's outer wall, down one of the main thoroughfares in the city ahead, a road once no doubt extensively travelled. She has not been gone long. She will still be flesh and bone... Not living, though. Tilana was not a spectacle Taya looked forward to seeing.

A sound behind her made her start faintly and turn around. The platform was rising once more. The next group awaited aboveground, eager for their first look at the legend that was Namandar. But Taya's thoughts quickly returned to Tilana, and she whispered, "I will do as you bid me, Captain General. I will bring her home."

Taya Sedai
Green Sitter

___________________________

Daeralle Verimal had sat at camp for a day and a half after finally catching up with the party that had moved so fast to outrun her. Not that they even knew it. But it almost seemed to her like one more slight against her in her twilight years. Twilight days, more like it, Daeralle thought as she replaced her leather-bound book in her pack and clasped her hands together. And if that little chit hadn't informed me of this grand mission of theirs, I'd have been left to rot in the Tower, rather than on the battle field. Sirayn had come through for her in the only way Daeralle would have expected - the way a friend and comrade would.

Daeralle still called her a chit, but it had taken on more of an affectionate tone these days. Their friendship had had somewhat of an awkward beginning, but it had endured all the tensions and troubles and had become one of the strongest Daeralle had ever known. And one of the strangest. To think that Sirayn was so very young, and yet understood her better than any other Green in the Tower...well, it was just strange.

She would be sad to leave Sirayn behind. It might be nice to see where the young thing ended up. But I am confident she'll end up somewhere good. She's made of stern stuff, that girl. Already moving up in the ranks, proving herself...she's doing her Ajah proud.

Not that they'd ever notice. Daeralle had come to believe they were walking around blind, these women who were supposed to be some of the quickest-witted and sharp members of the human race. She couldn't help but compare the current situation to the olden days, when she'd had more influence with her iron fist. Why hadn't the countless protégés she'd trained in the ways of the armour-clad Green taken up her staff and carried on her legacy? Why had they all let her down?

She had no answer, and asking the questions only depressed her. She just abhorred the idea of leaving the Green Ajah in the hands of weakling saps.

After a moment of furious contemplation in which her anger reached its peak and then immediately began to cool, Daeralle sighed softly and conceded to reality. I am not leaving it to any such people, she admitted, in spite of feeling bitter over the whole matter. Those women may have lost respect for me, may have treated me unforgiveably...but they are not fools. Not all of them, anyway. The Green Ajah will survive my demise. If only that were a comforting thought.

Daeralle looked up as something dark blurred at the edge of her vision, to see her Warder friend gliding out of the surrounding bushland. The man moved with hardly a sound, and when he reached her he dropped effortlessly into a crouch before her and looked penetratingly into her old eyes. "They are moving about - I believe they've found the city."

Daeralle raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Very well."

"I will follow them to the location, then return for you. You may slip into the city somewhere in the middle groups."

Darealle nodded again. "Thank you, good man."

And he rose and loped off again without a further word. It was rather a pity she hadn't asked the services of a Warder who actually smiled once in a while - but Lomas was really the best suited to her needs, and the most trustworthy of those she knew. The only way to really trust a Warder was to bond him, but Daeralle wouldn't ever put a man - or herself - through that again. Particularly knowing that her death was near.

So then, it was settled. They were heading for the city, and Daeralle would follow in their footsteps. Lomas had a good disguise for her - she'd not look particularly regal in her rough woodsmans' garb, but she didn't much care about that. She wanted to surprise them all when she finally appeared. They'll see what I'm worth, and it will be too late by the time they realise, Daeralle vowed, though she had long since given up feeling happily vengeful about it. It was merely a matter of fact to her now. She was going to die shortly, and they'd say goodbye to her in her moment of greatest glory.

OOC: Rae, this is the one *G*

Taya Sedai and Darealle Sedai

**********************************************

Coran had put Jaydena's pack along with her weapons and gloves, He grabbed his shoulder pack and put it on before donning his fan cloak. He had resisted wearing it around, like most new Warders tended to do,…but only just. Now, though, he clasped it around his shoulders, scooped up Jaydena's Things and walked out of the tent toward where he knew she would be.

Jared watched him and somehow Coran knew that he was not happy that he was taking Jaydena's equipment to her. But at this point, Coran was not overly concerned with that. Jared had taken a standoffish attitude with him since the bonding and no matter what Coran did, their relations did not improve. This morning, Coran decided that it was time Jared got over it. He figured that they would work this out once they returned to the Tower, but for today, his focus (as it had been since the Bonding) was to keep Jaydena safe...and be there for whatever she needed.

They walked over, With Coran and Corbin talking about Namandar and Jared stalking in front of them. As they found Jaydena and Coran held up her equipment. He laughed as she said something about forgetful people. And he quipped back as that being the reason she needed three Warders. She raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed some more as amusement flowed from her. Coran watched as she donned her gloves and weapons, then asked for the Blades one by one, inspecting them to be sure they were in good condition. He put the blades in their sheathes, satisfied with their condition. Jaydena gave his hand a squeeze and sent thanks through the bond. He smiled and moved as she walked forward through the crowds.

Sirayn was calling for her. He watched Jaydena move forward, but this time he was watching Sirayn. She looked at home in front of the group, giving instructions. She looked beautiful…

What are you thinking? He scolded himself. But he knew the feeling was true…when he saw her, he saw an amazing woman, the powerful Aes Sedai poise fit her well and added to her slight beautiful body. In the few moments that Coran had been with her, he had been captivated.

A jarring shove from Jared brought Coran out of his reverie. "Wake up! Be alert…or you will be left to guard the entrance. We are going down with the first run." Jared kept moving forward without looking back. Corbin followed him just shaking his head, but staying out of the middle of them.

Coran glared momentarily, then he decided that he would have done much the same if one of his trainees had been daydreaming when attention was called for. Chiding himself, he followed with the thought that working things out with Jared may involve more than just words…

Stepping on the landing that had been built, they descended into the dark. At once each of the AS had a ball glowing in front of them. Light fought to fill the cavern, but there was just not enough. Ther was enough to give them a sight of what they had found. In Awe, Coran looked around at the perfectly preserved buildings, walkways, the Ancient Symbol in front of the Massive building at the back of the Cavern.

He brought himself back and expanded his awareness, looking for signs of trouble…they had plagued them on this trip, and the "present" that Sirayn had received was proof enough that they were not wanted here. He was prepared for what could happen and he did not need to be Aes Sedai to feel the other Warders around him were ready as well…then they landed.

Coran walked in front of Jaydena while the other two were on the side and back. She had room enough to talk to Sirayn as they made their way through the ancient Cavern.

Coran in Awe
Jaydena's Warder
Jared's Rival

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Jaydena nodded and continued to probe the dome, looking for any weaknesses in the structure. As the platform was rigged up she kept her attention on the dome. When the platform was tested she stepped up onto it and walked closer to her friend. Explaining to her that the dome appeared to be solid stone all the way across it and should hold. Dropping the delving weave she instead formed a ball of light and waited for them to descend down into the shaft. As the platform started to sink slowly down into the shaft, Jade gazed around her in wonder, so much earth. She could smell the sent of decades and decades of sitting dirt. She shivered at the though of so much history beneath her feet and then quickly wove several attack weaves, for you never knew what might be down there.

As the passed through the shaft she gasped in wonder at the site below them. White shining building sat in perfect state, covered in a thick layer of dust yet still shining. She wondered at the beauty of the building and what they would have looked like when they were clean, would they have lite the city up by themselves or had they used other forms of light. A tile mosaic of the Aes Sedai symbol could be seen at the far end, a full symbol, containing both the men and women's side. With gentle bump the platform touched bottom and she realized that during her musing that had reached the cavern floor. Stepping off with Sirayn she took a look around, her mind checking for spots of attack. The wall around the city appeared to be unbroken and she couldn't see any skeletons in sight.

Had they perished in the city or had they gotten out in time, had their bones become the dust on these buildings through the mists of time. Shaking her head she approached her sister and stood with her, gazing at the city in front of them. Jade heard a rattle behind her and glanced back to see the platform rising into the ceiling once more. With a quick nod she turned back and motioned her warders forward. Nodding at them she said, "Keep your eyes open, you never know what kind of booby traps they set up in the city, or where attack could come from. We've been having far to many accidents on this trip as I'm sure you've noticed and they may have found it before us." Shivering at the quick thought that one of their party members might be the quickly denied Black Ajah she refocused her attention on the sight in front of her.

The platform once more began to make it's way down into the Cavern and she watched as more of the Green and their warders came down into the city. The Browns would come down later once they had the city secured. A quick glance at Sirayn showed that she was looking the city's defenses over and making plans. The gentle noise of the platform touching down reached her and she saw Lyanna come up on Sirayn's other side. The Green sister offered her help and Jade looked at Sirayn to see what she would do...

Jaydena Sedai

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OOC: Beautiful posting!

: : : : The perfect moment passed with aching slowness. Sirayn was content to gaze upon the wonder of the city, taste air that had known no movement for centuries past, look over an expanse of glittering dust unmarked by footstep since the Age of Legends. As time eased by Sirayn became aware of the steady rise and fall of the platform, the gathering of people around her, and dragged herself unwilling from the perfect vista. She found herself flanked by Lyanna and Lanfir. The intimidating influence of approximately five hundred years’ experience assailed her. It had a sobering effect. She couldn’t afford to behave like an awestruck researcher who’d struck gold when the safety of the party rested on her shoulders and Sirayn shouldered her burdens resignedly as she applied herself to Lyanna’s words. The senior Aes Sedai was correct; the wall and gates had to be guarded, although they didn’t have so many spare men that they could afford to place guards on every inch of the wall. “Thanks, Lyanna.” Turning, she espied a group of Tower Guards, and levelled a finger at them; “I want the gate guarded and the wall manned at ten-foot intervals. Keep a runner with you and if there’s any trouble, send him to me for reinforcements.” Filing the orders in the back of her mind Sirayn glanced round to find her sisters of the Green Ajah gathered around her. The rest of the party was already down and clustered in a tight knot or coming down with the platform. Sirayn glanced among the crowd and picked out Lwena, beckoned her with a jerk of her head. “Take care in the city. And watch your back.” Lwena probably didn’t even need the warning but it made Sirayn feel better that she’d done something at least. She was desperately worried that the people who’d sent her horse’s foot would pick Lwena to maim. Lwena wasn’t a nails-chewing iron-hard killer by any stretch of the imagination and maybe she would be the easiest to attack. It knotted her up inside having this new worry on top of everything else. She could do this. She had to.

: : : : By this time, the party had assembled once more except for those unlucky scouts who had been delegated to guard the camp and entrance. Sirayn thought about implementing some more complex orders such as a formation but since half the Aes Sedai weren’t trained and drilled with formation, it would only cause trouble. So she advised everyone to keep a close eye out, repeated the instructions not to wander alone, and without further ado ordered that the party proceed onward into the city.

OOC: Sorry so short and downright terrible but it’s so late it’s early and on a school night at that, and didn’t want to hold you up any more! Feel free to write us heading into the city and from there, I believe certain people have certain things to discover!

~ Sirayn

 

 

Corwin waitied for Elle, Teslan, and Dayne to catch up. Corwin didn't like either of them. In a way Corwin wished something would happen, and one, or better ye both, of them wouldn't be bonded to Elle. Corwin tried his best to not show it, but he knew some hard feelings came through. When she came, Corwin quickly told her what happened. Others were already going down the ropes. After she told him what had happened and she told him she wanted to get down there as soon as she could, Corwin had his group get the next rope that was clear. Corwin then quickly slid down, followed by Elle, Dayne, and Teslan. Corwin talked to the Gaurds down there to make sure nothing else had happened. He didn't feel the taint of any Shadowspawn, but there were some Shadowspawn that couldn't be sensed. Elle seemed to be ready for anything to come. As they came to the city, Elle seemed to relax some.

Corwin
OOC: Elle, I hope you don't mind me doing this

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Seiaman remained close by Sirayn's side, the sheer enormousity of the city being registered but not acknowledged. The smooth white walls graced Namander and the scent of decay and staleness hung in the air but her eyes scanned their surroundings, seeking for hidden spots for attack. Many places were small enough for an archer to hide and the thought of a poisoned arrow targeted at her Sedai was enough for Seiaman to take a protective stance around Sirayn as several Aes Sedai came to her, seeking orders. Her scimitar was drawn and settled in a guard stance, an eerie feeling stirring in her.

The others left, having received their orders and Sirayn turned once more to look at the hidden city only to nearly collide with Seiaman. She glanced up at her, irritation zapping through the bond but it was ignored. When it came to the life of the woman, Seiaman would do anything necessary to ensure her safety. A longing cried out inside, to explore the city and admire the tantalizing art that spoke of legends ... but Seiaman had a duty. She would not sacrifice Sirayn's heartbeat in exchange for the satisfaction of her curiousity.

Suddenly, Sirayn dodged between her and Losyn, taking a few steps as pride and admiration came through. Guilt weighed heavily on her, Seiaman had no right to rain on the woman's moment. You rather feel guilty of that? Or of not being able to protect her?? Stepping closer to the woman, she stayed close, watching the party behind her while Losyn watched the city for threats. Jaydena was close by, flanked by her three Warders. Word of her bonding with Coran had came to her ears accidentally, and it sent a wildfire of pain through her heart upon the discovery. A soft whisper shook her out of her thoughts. "Seiaman, will you stop it?" She looked down at her Sedai, whispering softly, "Never, m'Sedai. You are my life. You do what you need to do and let me do what I need to do."

ooc: raisa, let me find out which party nydi will be in then I'll put up a post.

Seiaman

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As the platform descended into the unknown Lukas was filled with conflicting feelings, excitement and anxiety, fear and wariness, dread and familiarity. Something about this ancient city buried beneath the soil reminded him of the Rahad in odd ways, both places had a dank, musty smell to them, both hid the unknown within their depths and as far as Lukas knew both were extremely dangerous. Here within this buried city anything could be waiting for them, the earth could come crashing down on them, traps over three thousand years could be sprung, even the Shadow’s minions could be hiding within the murky darkness. As the platform creaked and lowered towards the ground Lukas found that it was exactly like coming home again except this time he had friends at his side.

Light, I sound like a Brown

Lyanna’s words caused a grin to spread across his face and he felt a little of the tension drain out of him, even as they entered the unknown his Sedai was able to make him smile. Since the bonding Lukas had become closer to the Green as they both came to understand each other on an emotional level. For the first time in his life he had been able to open himself up fully without fear of mockery or guilt, he was able to explain his sorry past, his enlightened present and his hopes for the future. In Lyanna he had found someone that could accept him for who he was and because of that he had sworn to protect her with his life and soul, at the moment though he hoped that wasn’t necessary for to die down here would be a fate not worth contemplating.

When Lyanna started to whisper her defensive perimeter Lukas took a closer look at his Sedai. He had known that she had been an Aes long before his grandparents had even laid eyes on each other but he had not come to appreciate that her knowledge of warfare and strategy might be so advanced. Looking down over the city once more Lukas was forced to look at it in a new way, no longer did he just see the buildings that made him think of the Ogier for some reason now he also potential dangers. Sites of possible ambush, rooftops that could hide archers or crossbowmen and weak points in the defensive wall that could be exploited by an attacking force. As the platform came to rest on the cavern’s floor Lukas felt his hand wander to his sword sheathed over his back and even as Lyanna created a ball of light from nothing he found his katana in his right hand, his knuckles white from squeezing the hilt too tightly. Loosening his grip slightly he still kept the blade in his hand, its familiar weight calmed his nerves slightly and this way he felt that he was actually taking some steps to protect his Sedai.

“If we don’t keep careful tabs on those Browns they are going to cause trouble, Lya. They are either going to absent mindedly wander off on their own or they will uncover something that we don’t want them to.”

Lukas Talinko
Bonded to Lyanna Sedai
Soon to face near death

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OOC: Thanks to Lyanna for pointing me in the direction of this thread *LOL* I had no clue where to look! Seems I have much catching up to do

IC:

Wrapped securely within the Void, Alin was acutely aware of his surroundings. Sitting crosslegged on a large boulder that overlooked a small valley, the Master of Arms breathed in the cool crisp air and exhaled slowly, letting the relative peace of the morning wash over him. The camp had been a sea of turmoil during their trip that had set him on edge and he had taken to finding refuge from the tumult where he could find it. Amber, his Aes Sedai, was secure within her tent amidst those of so many others. Watching as the horizon slowly turned from a deep, almost angry looking red to a more soothing orange, he hoped it was an omen. Perhaps they would find this lost city soon....and mayhaps the Aes Sedai would have something else to focus on besides Tower politics and personal recriminations. ne could only hope.

He let his mind drift a bit although he never lost focus on his surroundings.......that was so ingrained in him that it did not require conscious thought. He and Mercia had spent little time together, each focused on attending to their respective Aes Sedai's, and he missed her company. His duty was paramount yet he was still a man and even the Master of Arms needed comfort sometimes, although many a Tower Guard or Warder might not think so. Perhaps Amber would give him leave to see her today, if only for a little while. He hoped so.

A slight disturbance behind him, inaudible to any but the most well-trained of ears, snapped him from his reverie and he immediately was on his guard. Not moving a muscle, Alin extended his senses outward, trying to identify who or what was approaching him. It was certainly not any sort of Shadowspawn......his nose would have been filled with it's stench.....but instead he caught whiff of another stench, although it was still far enough off that it was not overpowering.

"What is it Laral", he said gruffly, without bothering to look behind him.

A short barking laugh greeted his prnouncemant. "Light Alin, how do you do that", the older Tower said.

Rising smoithly Alin turned and faced the man. "Really, Laral, that awful cologne your woman gave you might as well be a band of trumpets heralding your arrival. I know you love her man but I fear the woman has no sense of smell." He finished with a smile for one of his older friends who responded with another laugh.

"Aye Alin, you may be right.....but it reminds me of her."

Alin nodded, a small twinge in his gut reminding him of how much he missed his own woman, made even worse by her relative proximity. Setting the emotion aside, he spoke. "What is it that caused you to seek me out?" Before the Tower Guard had a chance to respond, Alin felt a surge of emotion through the bond that caused his hand to slide towards his sword hilt unconsciously. Laras raised an eyebrow but answered.

"It appears that they have found what they seek, Alin. It seems that we may have something to do soon besides trying to keep the Aes Sedai from tearing each others' hair out." A baleful glance from Alin made Laras cringe slightly. He knew how touchy the Warder could be when it came to the blessed Aes Sedai. "Now now man you know I tease."

Letting out a soft snort, Alin let his hand fall back to his side. "I know old friend. Thank you for bringing me the news, I shall be attending to my Aes Sedai now, try not to get trampled underfoot....I would hate to have to explain it to your dear wife." With a quick wink, Alin strode past Laral and made his way quickly back to the Aes Sedai encampment.

*******************

To his eyes it was as if someone had kicked over a hornet's nest or perhaps an anthill. Everywhere he looked people with excited faces moved to and fro with seemingly little purpose, although he was sure there was some sort of order underneath the seeming chaos. Approaching Amber's tent he saw his Aes Sedai talking animatedly with another Aes Sedai, her shawl swiging wildly from all her gesticulations. It was the most excited he had ever seen her he was sure and it brought a smile to his face. His Aes Sedai had always been the serious sort and had so rarely let her hair down so to speak. Sensing his approach, she flashed him a quick smile before diving back into whatever animated discussion she had been having with her Battle Ajah sister. Laughing softly, Alin headed into the tent and began packing some of her things, feeling certain that in the excitement Amber would forget about it until much later.

*******************

Alin and Amber watched with the rest of the assembled throng as the first group of Aes Sedai and their guardians descended through the hole in the ground and into the inky blackness below. Alin felt trepidation at descending under the ground......he was not a fan of confined spaces and the thought of all those tons of rock and soil that would be suspended over his head, held back only by a dome of unknown strength. It was not fear exactly, more of an unease because all of his years of training and honing his skills would mean nothing if the dome collapsed. But then again, the Wheel had a will of it's own and nothing he did would prevent his fate from happening.

When the platform returned to the surface he and Amber joined with the second group and soon they were making the descent themselves. His Aes Sedai had been somewhat abashed at her loss of control but it had not tempered her enthusiasm in the least. She was convinced that they were on the brink of amazing discoveries and in Alin's mind her giddiness was understandable. Of course, she was now a rock of self-control, at least outwardly. Alin felt a surge of pride rise inside him. He had been truly blessed by the Light to have been bonded by such a worthy soul and he had no reservtions about laying his life on the line for her.

By the time they reached the bottom the cavern was awash with light from a myriad of globes woven by the assembled Aes Sedai. What lay before him was both breathtaking and awe-inspiring, yet Alin barely gave it a glance. Instead his eyes continued to scan the area, and nestled deeply within the Void Alin let his senses reach out, searching for any indication that Amber or any of the other Aes Sedai might be in danger. Amber sent a feeling of reassurance through the bond but he could also sense a glow of pride at his dedication to his profession. There would be time enough to drink in the view but that time was not at hand, not until he felt sure that the area was safe.

As the Aes Sedai began to group up Alin exchanged glances with the other Warders, silently probing for any hint of trouble that the others might have observed. He knew them all, some of them very well, and trusted them implicitly. After all, he had trained with some and overseen the training of many of the others. He could not think of a better group of men and women with whom to associate himself with. He hoped that they would all return to the Shining Walls when this little escapade was completed.

Alin
Master of Arms
Bonded to Amber Sedai of the Green Ajah (who's clock is ticking)

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ooc: That sounds fine Seia

ic: Lwena descended the the platform, not the first but by no means the last either. She shivered slightly, a barely perceptible movement, as they were lowered deeper and deeper in the ground. She knew Jaydena had said the dome was sturdy, and that it would take a powerful earthquake to crack it, but she wasn't so assured now that they were underground. You're parinoia is getting to you Lwena, stop being so pessimistic, She chastised herself, glancing down over the edge of the platform. She could see power-wrought light globes bobbing in the air below, but she couldn't see the city. Namandar...it was amazing. She couldn't help but pinch herself to see if she was dreaming or not. Then they reached the bottom. It was amazing! She couldn't help but let out a small gasp as the sight of Namandar rose up before her.

It was grand, something she would never have imagined. The houses all seemed to almost grow into one another, little bubbles in a bowl of dirt. The dome above was invisible in the dim light despite the globes of light many of the Aes Sedai had conjured up, a spot of light being the only sign of their exit. The city was made of some white stone, that glimmered even in the gloom, though spots of colour were visible under the dust. Briefly, Lwena wondered what it would have been like to see Namanadar above ground. She shook off the thought as she caught Sirayn's jerk of her head. She squeezed her way through the crowd until she reached Sirayn.

"Take care in the city. And watch your back." Lwena nodded shortly. She would, for sure. After the problems on the journey, she seriously doubted that they would be safe in the city, even if there were guards on the way in and out.

"I will, Sirayn. Good luck." She gave her a small smile, excitement shining in her eyes though Sirayn's warning was held in her thoughts. She stood with the party as Sirayn advised everyone to keep an eye out, and followed her into the city of Namandar.

ooc: Alright, not the best...oh well

Lwena

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As Sirayn Sedai had gone down with the first batch on the platform, Nikita had followed her and the other sister, Taya Sedai closely. She'd offered her services, and she would live up to her word. As the second platform came down, she saw Alin with his Sedai, Alin tense like all the Warders and Tower Guards were. She flashed him a quick smile. They went back a long way, even though they didn't see much of eachother during normal days.

As she examined the city, she of course saw the beauty of it all, but also the danger. It was dark. It was unknown. And too large to oversee in one glance. Shadows everywhere, and no easy way out. If there were Darkfriends around, the party would be trapped down here without a quick way up to the surface. She saw some of the Sedai whisper to eachother, and soon Sirayn gave out the order that the gates needed to be protected, and the walls manned. Good. The woman showed some strategic sense and at least didn't go running off like a headless chicken to fetch whatever treasures might be hidden within Namandar.

Nikita resolved to stay with the recovering party. There would be more than enough Guards and Warders, and Green Ajah for that matter, to guard the walls and gates, and it was by far not safe to let the rest of the Sedai venture into the city on it's own. And so, when the party made their way into the city, gingerly, avoiding obstacles and layers of dust, Nikita followed closely.

Nikita Locksley
Tower Guard
Master of Me'Arearth

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If not for duty, Merc would have long ago curled up with lonliness. It had been a very long time since she'd been without him, not by his side at least in the mornings. She wore her own clothing for the days of travel, unable to steal one of his shirts, his duty busying him every bit as much as herself. If not for the other Warders and Kaylan, she would've become openly depressed and introverted. But as it was, she could still smile every day, and manage to lock eyes with him every so often, giving a nod to let him know she was doing fine. Long ago she had drawn a fine line between duty and normality. She would perform her job, even in death if necessary, and her personal life was of no consequence.

It was how they both lived. For their Sedai.

Whenever the Tower women began their charades of verbal battles and politics, Merc fuzzed her bond, just in case Kals was swept in. The woman had simply nodded and excused her from the tent, understanding perfectly that her barely educated Warder had no desire to have her mind beaten about with terms meant for Sedai ears only. It wasn't that Mercia Sansiria was stupid, she just hated the Great Game and any cheap copy of it.

The tension in the camp had increased every day as the journey moved further and further along. At many points, she wasn't shre if they'd find this city at all. What if it ended up being a hoax? A trap laid by the Shadow? Gritting her teeth, she sucked at the thumb she'd cut on her akateyama blade, cursing herself mentally for getting so worked up. At that moment, Kaylan's emotions nearly exploded with a mixture of relief, energy, and excitement. Blinking, Merc made her way to the tent and poked her head inside. Kaylan was busily preparing herself, and as she turned, she spoke the three words Merc had been expecting.

"We found it."

----------------------------------------

Ancient frames and gaping maws of windows screamed in the darkness from every side and angle. It was like being tapped in a nightmare, frozen at a single moment as every being within writhed in unison. Dirt, dust, and crumbled stonework lay haphazardly across the roadways, and the roof overheard loomed down from above. The amazing amount of weight promised in those shadows was staggering. All of this she registered, but disallowed a single reaction. Fear and worry presently could cost many lives with but a single error.

Sticking to Kaylan's side, Merc scanned the Warders, eyes meeting with Alin's. She gave him a warm smile, then checked to make sure her weapon was ready. Part of her strict personal training included carrying the thing with her everywhere, adjusting her body not only to the weight, but enhancing her stamina. Alin had used that as a joke over the years, saying she was as vigorous as a horse. Completely inappropriate, but it was funny, and he never said it in public. But her endurance was never enough, not in her eyes.

Waiting in silence for orders, she kept close to the Green, her friend, and silently searched the shadows . . .

Mercury Gaidin

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Kaylan stood with her headheld high, all three of her Warders next to her on the platform. She had chosen to be in the Rear Guard, one of the last lot to come down, and thankfully there had been no problems on the outside. Thus, the rear guard was slowly following the others into the city.
She stepped off the platform as it touched down and loosened her sword in it's scabbard. Seeing globes of light everywhere, and Merc squinting into the shadows, she decided to make one considerably bigger than many of the others. She had the strength in Fire to make quite a large and bright globe, and took full advantage of it in the darkness of the city.
What was revealed almost made her gasp out loud.
The city, which she had seen small pockets of on the way down, was huge. The light from her globe reached only back about two streets, and the splendour of the buildings had not diminished, even through the centuries of dust that lay upon them.
She was embracing the Source, listening out, when she decided to go into one of the buildings. Motioning to her Warders, they all spread out, senses alert and ready. Nothing seemed to be moving, and Kaylan wondered what they would find within.

Kaylan Morin
Battle Ajah
Bonded to Mercury, Calya and Jumael

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It was finally time for Jonathan to descend into the city, but just before he reached the platform, Andular grabbed his arm. He looked longingly at the platform for a moment before turning, hoping that whatever Andular's reason for holding him up wasn't going to keep him from going down.

It turned out to be quite the opposite. "Jonathan, I'm going to have to stay up here for now to make some arrangements. It shouldn't take too long, but I need you to..." He went on to explain the orders he wanted passed along to the rest of the Tower Guards under his command.

Jonathan nodded his understanding and said, "Yes, sir." Turning back towards the platform, he made his way quickly and got on just before it made it's descent. At that point, it was time to leave the excitement to the Aes Sedai. Assuming the Spring, Jonathan was all soldier.

Even within the Spring, however, he couldn't help but be amazed at what he saw unfolding before him. The city that appeared out of the darkness was unlike anything he had ever seen before, or even imagined.

As he reached the bottom, he cursed inwardly upon seeing that some of the Aes Sedai had already set out. He quickly gathered together the Tower Guards assigned to Andular. "OK, Andular is having to stay up above for the time being. He wants us to check the area for any threats." Jonathan divided them into groups and gave each of them a certain area to search. He then asked for a few fast volunteers. These were to scout out the perimeter of the cave to make sure the area was secure. The balls of light the Aes Sedai had conjured wouldn't do the Tower Guards any good unless one was nearby, so he procured torches for them.

Before sending them off, he said, "Keep your eyes open for anything. The Aes Sedai are so enthralled with the city, I'm not sure they'll notice there's danger until too late. Report back here to me or to Andular if he's down here yet."

OOC: And yes, this is approved by Andy

Jonathan

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Jaydena nodded at her sisters instructions and then took a group of Brown sisters into the city, along with her warders. Coran stepped into the first house ahead of her and Corbin and Jared kept watch in the street outside as each of the sisters began to look over the houses for any angreals, documents, scrolls, or anything that would shed light on how these people had lived so long ago. The houses looked much the same as they did today only the seemed to be made of strange stone. Jade walked slowly through the house keeping her globe of light high, watching for anything unusual. The houses were eerily empty, she figured that most things had faded in the recesses of time.

She finished searching the house and moved to the next one in her line. As she kept her eyes on the Brown sisters she saw two of them studying something held in their hands, she chuckled and headed into the next house with Coran leading the way again. Jade went like this from house to house, keeping her eyes on the surrounding and the brown sisters in her care. The section that they were working in seemed to be larger houses and she figured that the wealthy owners had lived in these houses. It was at the tenth house that Jaydena found something worth while, on the floor sat the pieces of some kind of box, she assumed that it must have been wood when it was new. On top of the box lay a large amount of jewelry, some of the jewelry was made up of the Aes Sedai sign and she shivered at the thought that it might be an Angreal. She carefully stowed it inside her pouch and headed out into the city.

Jade didn't want to slow the party down by showing her discovery to the Brown sisters. The jewelry didn't seem to be like any angreals she had ever seen and she was considered to be the expert on Angreal within the Green Ajah. Her feeling was that it was just jewelry once owned by an Aes Sedai much like herself and would be an interesting piece of history. She headed out of the houses and began to move onto the next house, midway she stopped and took a gaze around the city, her senses straining to feel what was strange to her. Yet she didn't know what it was and her warders would have known if it was anything to endanger her from the deeper shadow. Jade walked into the next house and wondered what this say would bring...

Jaydena Sedai

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OOC: I’m sorry I haven’t been posting, but I’ll catch up to everything that’s happened with this post.

IC: It was a nice crisp day, and for the first time in a long time Neroin found it easy to get out of his pallet. He dressed quickly and left the tent to walk about the camp. He stopped by a few fires to catch bits of both beef stew and conversation.
:::: He found out that the city they were searching for had been found, but he searched for more people to tell him this before believing it. Rumors were sometimes unfounded and it would not have been the first time this rumor had spread. As it turned out it was true. Immediately he hurried to prepare. He had no armor because he always felt confined but he did replace his shirt with a special leather patched shirt to be worn under his coat. It was thin protection but something was better than nothing. He would have to try and get some better protection some time in the future. He buckled his sword and skinning knife to his waist and began wrapping his fists for Kandori boxing. He walked out of the tent just in time to follow the crowd to hear an announcement from the excavation leader.
:::: Not being bonded to any of the aes sedai had it’s upside and downside. Upside: He had his freedom. Downside: He had to wait for everyone else to go down before being allowed to join a group being lowered down. He was with a group of tower guards. He recognized Jonathan immediately, when the man began to give orders. Neroin understood that there could very well be danger here, but he too was enthralled with the city. He received his orders and prepared to move off with his group. He promised himself that he would take time to enjoy the sights, but, sadly enough, business came first.

OOC: Are there any groups of tower guards I could join up with? It isn’t as much fun to RP alone. And yes this is a cruddy post, but I had to get caught up…

Neroin

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As the party moved deeper into the city, Taya's senses were alert and she wondered if she should have joined the defending party instead. It was after all what she had trained for long ago, and what she'd been doing almost all of her life. But somebody had to do the recovering. Secure whatever treasures might be found down here... Her eyes swept the street they moved down, such a large body of people unable to stay as silent as she might have hoped no matter how hard they tried, but she didn't see anything. All she knew was that her skin prickled with a mixture of apprehension and exhilaration. That same feeling a woman gets whenever battle is nigh.

But battle wasn't nigh, was it? Who was to say there was anything down here? Taya wasn't sure quite what it was - it just seemed a little arrogant of them, somehow, to think maybe nobody else had found this wonder of the world before them; to think that they really were the first, the most ingenious...

Nikita Locksley walked beside her, the epitome of a graceful Gaidin on edge - but when weren't Gaidin on edge? Taya found herself studying the woman with interest, at those times when the party had been brought to a halt and scouts sent out on ginger feet to clear the way ahead. Nikita spoke to her in very low tones sometimes, and Taya spoke back, explaining some of her theories on how the city had been so perfectly preserved, theories on what might have brought it to this strange fate...theories on everything. Nikita had some interesting thoughts herself, but most of the time they stayed silent, as the majority did - it felt like too much of a risk to run off at the mouth for too long.

The glimpses she had caught of the woman beneath Nikita's outward shell were compelling, though. If Kaylan doesn't snap this one up, I might just have to bond her myself, Taya thought as she recalled all the stories she'd heard told of Nikita. A woman of such renown, who commanded such respect, would do wonders for a sister's reputation. Not to mention being an extremely valuable addition to her Warder ranks. Yes...certainly a matter worthy of further thought. But she'd have to leave that until later - she couldn't afford to have her concentration divided.

Taya Sedai

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Kaylan looked at the table in front of her, which seemed as if it would fall to dust if she touched it. Not wanting to destory anything that she didn't have to, she pulled the box out from under it with the most delicate threads of Air that she could, being extremely careful not to touch any of the legs.
She opened up the box, which left a big dusty smudge on her hand, and gasped as she saw what was within. Opening up her bag, she placed the objects in it carefully.
A hand length white tube, which was completely hollow, was the first thing out.
A brooch shaped like a raven was the next thing, and there was a book, that unfortunately crumbled to dust as she touched it. Underneath it, though, she found a small black dagger, obviously tarnished with time. It may have been able to be polished, though, and she put it into her bag so that she could add it to her collection of weapons back in the Tower. The leather was disintegrating on the hilt, but perhaps it could be replaced back in the Tower, and she would be able to carry a weapon from the Age of Legends itself!
With a broad grin, Kaylan called out to her Warders.
"Have you found anything?"
She waited to see what they would bring her, if anything at all.

Kaylan
Greenie
Bonded
Etc

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When Jozan had come down to the bottom of the whole where the city were he scanned the area close by to see if the area were clear of any danger to the group and it was clear. So he decided to scan futher forward into the city and to secure the area further in the city.

He knew he kill shoot quite well with his longbow but he was still better with the quarter staff in his hand. Jozan suddenly felt unease that it had been to easy to get down here without any major problems. He told the young towerguard that was with him to keep his weapon close and to stay close to Jozan if something would happen they be two instead of one fighting for their lives.

Jozan

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OOC: warning long post, had a lot of catching up to do..

IC:Eleanor lay in her bed, her eyes closed, but not asleep. With her in her tent were two of her Warders, Teslan and Dayne. Corwin was outside, scouting. Elle could feel him, alert and always on his guard. Teslan was asleep; he had been keeping watch earlier that night. Ever since Eleanor bonded her third Warder, her other two could sleep more peacefully, knowing that there was always one on guard. And that was exactly what Dayne was now doing, he was fully awake and on his qui vive. Elle gave an affectionate tug on the bond, and was rewarded by him returning the favour.

Eleanor smiled and started getting up. She was greeted by the smile of her newest Gaidin, “Good morning my Sedai. I hope you slept well.” Dayne said. Eleanor grinned, was this the boy who was so uncomfortable around Aes Sedai, only a year ago. From the look on Dayne’s face he had guessed what she was thinking, as he started blushing.

“Yes, my Gaidin. I have slept well.” Eleanor said, but not as well as I could have she thought. She missed Teslan’s company in her bed, not many Sisters outside her Ajah knew about her still ongoing relationship with Teslan. But Elle knew that it was something strongly disapproved of by the Tower. So that was why they never slept in one bed during a mission.

Just as Eleanor was about to get dressed, she felt excitement coming through the Bond with Corwin. They’ve found it! Elle thought. With an open mound Elle turned to Dayne, “I think they’ve found it.” She said. The news was quickly confirmed when Coran, Jaydena’s Warder entered the tent. Eleanor looked at Teslan, who had woken up from all the excitement, and Dayne. “Today, my Gaidin, is going to be one of the most important ones of our lifetime.” Elle said.

Quickly Eleanor donned the clothes she had prepared for this day. Today was no day of skirts and dresses. They could only be in the way, if a fight would come on her path. Today Elle would wear the clothes she would wear in battle. It was no armour, but it resembled it. The breeches she wore had several hidden pockets in which a knife could be put without chances of hurting herself. From a chest in the back of her tent, Elle took a short sword. It was given to her by the Captain General on the day she had bonded her first Warder, Corwin.

When Eleanor exited her tent she was greeted by a group of Greens already up and ready for battle. Elle smiled at her Sisters and joined the group. She glanced sidewards to Lanfir and Lynna. The two Greens had joined the group just recently. Eleanor still felt a bit akward around those two. Lanfir had already been out of the Tower when Elle was an ickly Novice, and the Legendary Green was one of the reasons why Elle had chosen the Green. Lyanna had been present at Eleanor’s Raising, but dissappeared shortly after that. It was strange to see them, and it was hard for most of the Greens to act normally around them.

Taya and Kaylan seemed overjoyed by their return, but most younger Greens didn’t know how to look upon them. They were legendary Greens, but they had been out of the Tower for years too. Eleanor felt that Sirayn was slightly loosing control over the whole situation, but she hadn’t had the time to bring it up with the other Sitters yet. Elle shrugged now was not the time for these thoughts, now it was time for them to make a giant discovery. One that could very well make the difference in the time to come. Even though the Dragon had not been born, or not discovered yet, all signs were pointing into the direction that the Last Battle was nearing. And they needed all possible advantages they could get.

Eleanor sighed, thinking about Tarmon Gai’don always made her sad, and nowadays even more, since the changes that it would happen in her lifetime were increasing every day. The she felt a hand resting on her shoulder, and a soft, gentle voice spoke; “Don’t be so sad, my Aes Sedai. Today is going to be a day of splendour and discovery. We will make history today, Eleanor.”

Elle couldn’t help but smile, Dayne had a habbit of always saying the right things at the right time. Corwin and Teslan were on her side now too, and Elle turned to them. “We will make history today, my Gaidin. But we must also still be carefull, no one knows what lies beneath us in Namendar.”

Together they went on their way to the city, and Eleanor thought on how blessed she was with her three Gaidin. Corwin, her first Warder, he was her protector and her friend. In a way, Elle thought, he resembled a father figure to her. And in that way she loved him. Teslan on the other hand, he was her lover, and had she not been Aes Sedai, would have probably been her husband. Elle gave a soft tug on the bond, and when Teslan looked to her, she winked. He smiled and Eleanor felt love well up in her. Her third Warder, Dayne, Eleanor cared for him like he was the son she never would have.

After a short walk they reached the city. Jaydena Delved to see if the dome of earth was safe. Once that was pronounced Eleanor walked towards Sirayn. “I am one of the stronger Sisters with Air in this party, let me help with the platforms.”

Once the platforms were formed, and the Sisters chosen to maintain them, Eleanor joined her fellow Sitters on the platform. With her and Jaydena’s three Warders, the platform was pretty crowded, and Eleanor was silently glad that Taya didn’t have three Gaidin too. She smiled at Jade and Taya, excitement shining in her eyes. But underneeth there was a feeling of doom, as they entered through the dark hole into the desolate city. Eleanor was not clautrophobic, but she did shuffled slightly more to the middle of the platform during their decent.

Down in to city Elle followed her Sisters by making her own globe of light. She gazed up to the hole they had come through and was amazed by the size of the dome. Then she turned her gaze to the city and amazement changed into pure wonder. It was simple too much too believe. It was beautiful.

Eleanor Sedai

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Andular made a quick patrol of the campsite having already sent his tower guard ahead to scout for anything that might be considered trouble. The camp was quiet with the majority of people down at the city so finishing his circuit with no incident he decided to join them.

Descending down the hole he watched dispassionately as the city came into view. Many people would be awed by such a sight but at the moment his only concern was to make sure no surprises were in store for them. Upon reaching the floor of the cavern he loosened his long sword in its scabbard for easy use if it became necessary.

Sedai’s, Warders and Tower Guard were scattered about the ruins all eagerly inspecting the find. Brushing past a pair of Warders he nodded looking for some of his tower guard he had sent ahead anxious to hear what they had to report.

Andy

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Impatience and other negative emotions fled from Raeyn as she entered the cavernous space that the city was in.

"So, this is Namandar," she thought to herself as the clean white lines of the city shone through to her. It was ethereal and ghostly; the area of the pit lit only by crude torches and glowing balls of Saidar, bobbing along and casting cruel shadows in the depths of the darkness.

She permitted herself a small smile.. this was a good place to be; better than so many others. Here they would most certainly find the treasures of a grander Age, and perhaps leave behind a few "accidents", if the Great Lord deemed it so. Her eyes locked for a second with one of the Green sisters. The child went far enough to start to smile back before starting and ripping away from Raeyn's baleful gaze. A sharp feeling of warning from the bond jolted her back to attention, and her face back to stillness.

"Thank you, Mat," Raeyn murmured quietly to her Warder, "Sometimes I think you are the only thing that is keeping sane amidst all these... Green.... sisters." The last came with a slight sneer, quickly covered again. Her nerves were still too fragile, and no good could come of it.

Still, she had a job to do, for whatever may come of it. She noted several of the sisters assigned to her recovery party already running around with baubles and grinning. Stopping those that she could, she took careful notes on their findings.

Eventually, her wanderings took her and Matalina deeper in the city. The small globe of light perched on her shoulder, she wandered in and out of houses, picking things up as she felt fit, notating all that she saw. Raeyn cursed herself for her minute ability in drawing.. so much here needed to be copied as best possible for posterity.

She put up her nib for a moment and leaned against a building, shaking out her wrists. Mat stood guard on her moment of rest, looking as relaxed as an arrow nocked and drawn. Raeyn smiled... the rediscovery of knowledge, the shadows and her friend, her Warder... this day was turning out to be more bearable than she had thought it would be. Only the cave collapsing and killing all of the Green sisters within could make it any better.

Through the bond, Raeyn could feel Matalina draw herself up tighter, if humanly possible. Pushing away from the building, she peered in the direction that Matalina was staring.. was someone coming towards them?

(ooc: so, taya, ready for your TPc to die? i've got remember her name one of these posts.. bleh! and sorry for taking my sweet time to get to this!)

xoxo
Raeyn Sedai

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ooc: Lyanna, here you can find your seal if you want to.


I must be paranoid, Lanfir thought as she entered the beautiful city. The light of saidar glowed warmly on the beautiful architecture of the buried city. Because she was holding the tied off weave as she moved, the shadows in the city were moving with her. It gave her an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. The sound of their footsteps echoed softly on the ground. It made their breathing sound unnaturally loud.

Lyanna, who was walking next to her, was silent as well, taking in her surroundings. Lukas was covering their backs as they explored the city. Namandar was gorgeous, simply gorgeous. I would have loved to live here, Lanfir thought idly, studying the bridge between two high buildings arching over their heads.

After rounding a few corners, they found themselves looking at a slender tower that featured the ancient sign for the Aes Sedai above its doorway. It was strange to see the Flame of Tar Valon joined with the Dragonfang like this, but it was a sight Lanfir could get used to, she thought. It spoke of idyllic times when men and woman studied the One Power together, and there was no taint or madness in the world yet. Lanfir observed the Tower. It wasn’t exactly a University like most of their sisters were exploring, she judged. A studyhouse or a school, perhaps. “Will you check downstairs?” she asked Lyanna. “I’ll take care of upstairs.”

Climbing the darkblack stones to the second story, Lanfir found herself in a true student apartment. It was a complete mess. Most of the food and fabrics had all rotted away over the millennia, but the decoration spoke of young inhabitants. And lots of them. There were rooms that reminded her much of the quarters she had inhabited as a novice. And they had been inhabited by women, as well. In every room she found a vanity stand. One of them had a small marble box upon it. Lanfir opened it and was greeting by a soft metallic sound, followed by a few stray notes of a song she almost knew. A music box, she thought with a smile. A music box from the bloody Age of Legends. I can’t believe I am looking at this!

That was when she found the jewellery. Jade earrings shone softly in the light of her globe. A golden ring with a matching jade stone looked just as brilliant, but it was the crystal bracelet that caught Lanfir’s attention. It was brilliantly crafted with a myriad of tiny facets so that it seemed to sparkle and shimmer in the light of saidar. She could help it, she slipped the bracelet around her wrist. The crystal felt cool around her skin. The sight of it was elegant and beautiful. For one moment she felt guilty that she was robbing the jewellery of a young woman dead and gone for the past two aeons, but the next moment she shrugged it away. She could not use it anymore, and she had been studying the One Power, most likely. She would not mind if her beautiful bracelet would grace the wrist of another Aes Sedai. Rather like this, than lying buried for another two millennia. And so hung the bracelet around her necklace, hidden under her vest. It would be safe there.

The books she found crumbled under her touch. “Oh, blood and ashes,” she muttered. What a pity! There was so much knowledge hidden in there, and it had all gone to dust. Frustrated that she could not mind much but deserted, empty rooms that were hardly able to be used. “Are you done here?” she asked Lyanna, who looked equally flustered.


~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Looting Greenie

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Calya stayed close to Kaylan’s side, almost so close she was pressing against the woman. Then she took herself in hand and left a short space between them, knowing that it was necessary if she were to properly protect her bondholder. And she had no other thing in mind. Kaylan was her one and only priority.

She was awestruck by what she saw all around her, but at the same time extremely wary. She had been trained to be wary at all times, of course, but she felt that this time she had very good cause. They had no idea what awaited them down here, and extremely cautiously was the only way to proceed. Calya kept her hands ready to swing round and unsheathe her sword, and her eyes continuously darted left, right, up and down. At the same time she stayed finely attuned to the bond and its intricacies. It was the best way of knowing what was going on with Kaylan.

Calya waited.

~*~*~*~

Daeralle rode down on the platform with the fifth group to descend - that was according to what Lomas had told her. She was in her disguise but did not try too hard to hide her face. She merely blended in, as diminutive as she was. It was a bonus that nobody expected to see her here. They wouldn’t be looking for her, so they’d fail to see her.

She felt tears spring into her eyes as the platform descended into the gaping space of the dome, for the sight that greeted her eyes was sufficient to take her breath away. In all her long years she had seen a great many things, countless wonders that could never be chronicled no matter how long she sat at her desk writing...but this...this was a wonder to rival all others. She blinked to rid her eyes of the stinging and drew herself together with one brief, soft inhalation. She readied herself.

The platform touched down on ancient soil with a shudder, and Daeralle waited her turn to step off. When she had done so she moved at a suitably sedate pace to the edge of the crowd already gathered, and walked around it to a more shadowy area. She eyed her surroundings now with a firmer handle on her emotions and gained a new appreciation for what an incredible place this was. And I cannot wait to walk in that city, she thought as she eyed the gleaming white structures ahead. Even if I do not find my death here, at least I will be seeing a wonderful sight before I do pass on.

She looked around for Lomas, but was careful not to make too much of a show of it. She couldn’t find the man, and turned her focus entirely onto blending in and remaining unnoticed. The surprise was hers to spring, and she couldn’t let anyone spoil it.

As her gaze swept across the crowds, Daeralle Verimal saw a face that nearly stopped her heart.

OOC: This face is meant to be Lanfir’s…*g* Also, Rae I want her to die during battle, so not yet *S* Sorry! You’ll have to what *evil laugh*

~*~*~*~

OOC: I had written this post and forgotten about it, so now I am adding the 2nd post that I wrote tonight ‘cause I’d forgotten about this one…*g* If that makes sense.

Calya sensed Kaylan’s wonder, but found that it was largely drowned out by her own. The streets she walked were ancient and grand, and she felt like a trespasser, stepping on sacred ground. Her instincts were screaming at her to get out, not because there was any sign of danger but because it was not her place to be here. It was not her place - or anyone’s - to disturb the fragile peace that had cloaked this old city for so long.
The Warder found that she grew far more emotional than she could ever account for. She did not know why Namandar affected her this way, only that she felt intensely uncomfortable here, and wanted to get out. Overriding all that by a noticeable margin, of course, was her duty to Kaylan, and her Aes Sedai’s joy at the treasures she was discovering should have been entirely sufficient to quell Calya’s disquiet. But it wasn’t. And the further Calya and the others ventured into this marvel of a place, the higher her hackles rose.

Kaylan called out, wonder in her voice. “Have you found anything?” She was addressing all her Warders and seemed oblivious to the discomfort - relatively mild when it came down to it, but still there - Calya was experiencing. Calya went to call out in response, but her voice was croaky. She heard a muffled response from Mercury and then Kaylan’s answer to that, which wasn’t audible either.

Tearing her eyes from the white walls around her, Calya sought Kaylan and made her slow way towards her, taking the extra time to pull herself together. Kaylan was alone, and Calya approached her and smiled. “It is certainly the most amazing sight I’ve ever laid eyes upon. But…I haven’t found anything yet. I’ll keep looking. She smiled at her bondholder and turned away, inhaling as quietly but as deeply as she could. She strode out into the street and headed to the other side, deciding to explore the nearest building to her – perhaps it had been a shop of some kind, once upon a time.

~*~*~*~

Vira walked as if in a dream, overcome by much more than mere awe. She was moved, so deeply moved that tears sprang to her eyes as she carefully trod the streets and breathed in age-old air. Salty water trickled down her cheeks as she laid eyes upon ancient houses that had once housed human beings. Yes, it was a wondrous thing they were all saying, but Vira couldn’t help wondering how the city had come to be so perfectly deserted. Where had all the people gone? They hadn’t seen a single sign of life – or, more appropriately, of death – so far. While a great part of the mystery had been solved, still more remained behind the veil, and Vira didn’t like to think of what price might need to be paid to learn more.

She wandered alone, her Warders forgotten even as they walked right on her heels. She saw many things, hardly daring to breathe on the treasures lest they crumble. Some did anyway, as if her mere nearness had been the final straw that broke them. She mouthed silent words of dismay each time this happened. We should never have come here, one voice inside her head said stoutly, while the other said, What is the point of such a place as this existing, if nobody knows it’s there? She was confused, exhilarated, saddened – so many emotions, yet they all amounted to the same thing: she was well and truly moved.

She never touched anything. Others were looting the city of its contents, but Vira could not do it. She recoiled at the very notion of it. When she came upon the armoury she very nearly collapsed into a gibbering mess. She heard gasps and sighs from behind her, and knew that her Warders were still right there. Yet she only had eyes for the ancient scabbards, decaying blades that must once have been so beautiful – blade designs that had her Gaidin companions slavering. And she wondered who had commissioned these blades in the days of Namandar’s livelihood – who had paid for them, and who had made them? Who had looked at them longingly through the shop window and lamented the fact that she had too little gold to purchase them?

What people had lived here in Namandar? Did they deserve the fate they had evidently suffered, or were they good people, well-meaning and hard-working, just like the people of modern-day cities?

Oh, Vira wondered about all of that, and she longed for the answer she knew she’d probably never get. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and a familiar, deep voice speak, full of emotion. “This is…wonderful.” She nodded wordlessly, agreeing with that sentiment with all of her heart.


Vira Demarcias
Blinded by the Green
Thrice Bonded To Gaidin Whose Names I can’t Recall (*g*)

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As Lanfir strode up the stairs to the upper rooms of the building they were exploring, Lyanna slowly turned around, a full circle, taking in her surroundings. The idea that she was here, in a city which had been deserted even before the Breaking of the World, was uninmaginable, yet here they were. Lukas lingered in the hall, watching over both of them, as Lyanna strode further through the building.

The marble glistened just as it must have, all those decennia ago, but there was the dust of ages everywhere and things that had been of less sturdy material had started to rot. She walked through and archway with chambers to every side, most of which consisted out of dining rooms, a kitchen, and what looked like classrooms. This had to have been a dependance of sorts, and she wondered what Lanfir was looking at upstairs.

Everywhere she looked, the double Aes Sedai symbol was crafted: on walls, on tiled floors, carved in wooden doors that had already started to decay. On the far end of the hallway she walked through, another arch gave way to a large room filled with wooden cabinets, which spanned the walls from floor to top. The cabinets were laden with books...

Lyanna shivered. This was a tome of knowledge! A library of some sorts. She walked over to one of the cabinets, tilting her head, reading the backs of the books, but they were so laden with dust that she couldn't make out anything. As she stretched her hand, and touched the books to brush away the dust, they crumbled to her touch in a soft whisper. Nothing remained, but a swirl of particles. She started to cough and swore under her breath at the same time. Her breath on the books caused yet another pile to disintegrate. Nothing. They had found NOTHING!

Frustrated, she was about to turn and look for Lanfir, when an anomaly in the cabinet's texture caught her attention. Behind where the books had stood, carved in the back of the cabinet, was what looked like a lighter patch of wood, perfectly square and 50 centimeters in diameter. It couldn't have been a natural deformation in the wood, it was too perfectly shaped for that. Lyanna reached out inside the cabinet, and felt her way across the wood's surface, until she found a slight elevation under her hand. When she pressed it, the panel became more pronounced, and then slid away and inside, revealing a safe of some sorts.

Lyanna held her breath. Within the opened space, a waxleather pouch lay. There was no sign of a spun ward, and so she extendedh her hand and took the pouch out of it's hiding place. The leather had been well preserved somehow, and she felt several - three - items within the little sac. One of them felt rather large, the size of a handpalm, and round and flat. A disc of some sorts. Lyanna's heart started to pound as she peered into the pouch and saw a flash of black and white. This couldn't be. If this was what she suspected it was, then...

Reaching into the pouch, she uncovered a flat disc of black and white stone. But it wasn't really stone. It was Cuendillar. Carved unto the disc was again the ancient Aes Sedai symbol, black and white, good and evil, male and female. It was one of the Seals. One of the Seals on the Dark One's prison.
She almost dropped it. Not that that would have mattered, because Cuendillar was unbreakable, but the thought of it made Lyanna's heart spin. You simply didnt drop a Seal!

And then she heard footsteps above her. Lanfir, who apparently came back downstairs from her inspection. Lyanna didn't know what made her do it, but she hastily fumbled the Seal into the pocket of her cloak. Best to keep this safe for a while....


Lyanna
Who's got a secret

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OOC: the shadow is here!!

"You look flustered, Lyanna. What's up?" Lanfir asked curiously, when she saw her friend frown and look distracted.

Lyanna tucked her dark hair behind her ear and gestured impatiently at what seemed to be collapsed bookstands. "All that knowledge... it just dissolved under my hands. I can't stand it," she spat in an uncharacteristic display of frustration. "Let's go, there's nothing here for us," she added.

Lanfir shot her a quizzical look and then followed. She had been cursing about the crumbling books as well, but Lyanna usually didn't let things like these get to her. She was one to take things calmly and wasn't very quick to anger. Oh well. Lanfir shrugged it off and went outside, following her friend and beckoning Lukas to join them.

The crystal bracelet under her vest remained cool to her skin. Lanfir wondered if this was an ordinary bracelet. It had been a University dorm after all, perhaps there was something more to this jewellery as she originally thought. Or it was just wishful thinking. She smirked at herself, walking several paces behind Lyanna and Lukas. Lyanna was walking briskly, as if she wanted to have this exploration over and done with.

Lanfir could relate to that. Even though the city of Namandar was breathtaking and exotic and the possibility of hidden treasures made her heart beat faster, the eerie shadows and the feeling that the city wasn't dead and uninhabited at all had not lessened since she had passed its gates. It had even grown worse, until the point where she felt her muscles tense and she realized she was only a heartbeat away from embracing saidar.

"Did you hear that?" Lyanna suddenly said, cocking her dark head to listen.

"What?"

Lyanna raised her indexfinger to her lips. Her green eyes shifted from one side of the street to the other.

Next to her, Lukas had drawn his weapon and scanned the street, instinctively walking towards a wall to cover his back.

He was the one who discovered the Fade. "You're mine," the Myrdraal hissed.

Lanfir's heart skipped a beat when her gaze locked onto that eyeless face. That eyeless, white face. As white as fly larvae or the body of a dead man. She wanted to convulse or puke, but all she could do was stare while he lifted his face to meet her eyes. "Hello," it said, slithering into Lukas' direction.

Lyanna and Lanfir embraced saidar at exactly the same moment. The glow seemed to burn on Lanfir's retina, as Lyanna charged into Lukas' direction. Her friend ignored her fear and went to save her gaidin - Lyanna had always been very brave.

Lanfir herself did some quick thinking. She added Fire and Air to the weave she was holding and released it into the air above her. The weave swooshed upwards like fireworks, leaving a trail of fire behind. It lit the roofs of Namandar briefly and brightly, before it burnt up only moments before it would have touched the dome.

A flare, used as a warning signal, saying The Shadow is here!

She hoped her Sisters would recognize this ancient warning sign that she had been taught by Daeralle almost two centuries ago. Not sparing any moment to look at her fireworks in the sky, she drew deeper onto saidar and went to help Lukas and Lyanna out.


~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battling Greenie

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: : : : Step by deliberate step the party advanced toward Namandar. The glittering sand crunched and shifted underfoot, hung in the air in shining clouds where it had been kicked up, drifted gently to earth. Ponderously they passed through the gates and into the city of Namandar beneath the ground. There, almost by common consent all paused for a moment that stretched into eternity as they admired a vista of unsurpassed beauty upon which none before them had laid eyes until the Age of Legends! Up close, its grace and elegance was even more breathtaking with sculpted curves and flowing lines tempting the eye round flawlessly preserved boulevards. And as the mass shivered and broke apart into many smaller pairs and threes which filtered eagerly throughout the network of serene streets Sirayn wandered away heedlessly disregarding even her own rule with eyes only for the marvellous scenery. Her eyes were dazzled by sight after sight with the extraordinary architecture as compelling as the sudden bright brilliance of coloured stones set amid the sparkling white. She just couldn’t believe that she was truly here. Standing upon soil deposited two thousand years ago, each step leading her further into ancient history which months ago she had not even dreamed of discovering, she found herself entwined in a net of glorious dreams wondering what prizes they might bring home to the Tower. Seiaman tweaked the bond not unkindly startling her from the deeper maze of her thoughts and Sirayn grimaced ruefully at how easily even she had been distracted. Drawing a deep breath, she anchored herself firmly to the present and went on ahead. She reached out cautiously with what she was coming to call her earth sense, the fine attunement that came of being so gifted in one element, and found only a peaceful sense of stillness lying deep within the earth. Seiaman ghosted at her side and Losyn followed closely, determination overlaying the amazement reverberating through each bond. Together, they walked through a web of interlinking streets, sometimes passing people they knew, as they penetrated further into the city.

: : : : Soon Sirayn couldn’t satisfy her burning curiosity any more by just examining the exterior of these beautifully crafted houses so she approached the nearest house warily. The street had been paved with smooth white stones, completely flat for of course there was no rainfall here to drain away, and the short path to the front door cut through a wide swathe of brilliantly coloured pebbles forming a decorated stone garden in front of the house. Many of the buildings seemed to be based around a circular or gently rounded triangular shape and this dwelling was no exception being was shaped like a simple bubble with a rounded roof. It would almost be described as squat except for the overwhelming grace of its construction. Placing her fingertips lightly to the smooth, slightly warm door Sirayn pushed but the hinges abruptly parted company and the door fell inward. The crash of door on floor was muffled when Sirayn’s lightning reflexes seized the door moments before impact. She cursed herself as soon as she’d done it and propping the door gingerly to one side, abruptly released the One Power. She had tied off the weave that supported her light globe a while back and she didn’t like to think of what might happen when she channelled within the city itself. She was hoping very much that fresh angreal were contained within Namandar’s confines and if any ter’angreal were attuned to female channelling close by, well, Sirayn winced and paled quite sharply to think of a huge explosion obliterating this wondrous find. The little light globe bounced merrily ahead of them as Sirayn ducked under the low threshold and stepped with mounting excitement into a genuine Age of Legends living room. From the central hearth, filled with not the ashes of a fire but a strange looking metal contraption, to the wide seats that looked mobile enough to move fitting the sitter’s body it closely resembled a normal living room. Yet an air of alien mystery clung to it, and that which was jarringly out of place was all the more bizarre for its almost comfortable surroundings.

: : : : Outside, Sirayn passed Lwena Sedai on the street and nodded to her quietly with a whispered word of excitement as though the hushed atmosphere descending over the city had stolen her voice. And turning a corner Sirayn stepped into a great square. The grand building looming overhead was simply breathtaking and not only because of its stately, pristine appearance but for the enormous symbol it bore denoting the ancient Aes Sedai emblem – Flame and Dragon’s Fang joined together harmoniously. Sirayn ducked her head and fidgeted with her katana as she struggled to bring her awe and excitement under control. This was fabulous. A university! Where male and female Aes Sedai had once studied together to produce the most fantastic feats of the One Power anyone had yet been privileged to see. The most brilliant finds would probably be contained within its majestic walls. Sirayn approached the splendid building reverently and as she raised hand to open one of the twin arched doors, she had a stealing sense of what it must be like for the children of her own generation to stand before the White Tower and drink in the glory of a better Age. She pulled the door open without ceremony. A waft of musty air issued out and Sirayn hearkened back to her earlier thoughts about infectious diseases then shook her head ruefully and with a bit of cursing and struggling, pulled open both doors. She could have asked her guardians to do it but it was important to her that she do it herself. Standing there, framed in the enormous archway with her light globe seeming very small compared to the regal interior of the university, the young sister drew in another breath of two thousand-year-old air and steeled herself. Then she stepped boldly ahead and into the university.

: : : : Some time later Sirayn hadn’t even begun her exploration of the building. The very first room had proven to be a depository of books. Even opening the door had caused air currents to stir and many books had simply crumbled to dust before she could even go near her. It was a dreadful shame considering what knowledge they might have contained. Other items contained within glass boxes Sirayn couldn’t even guess at their purpose or intention. Walking absently down the central aisle, a hundred wonders surrounding her, Sirayn simply enjoyed the sensation of knowing the true worth of everything around her and having no time limit in which to explore to her heart’s content. She meandered through the boxes for a time not knowing entirely what she was looking for until she found herself standing before one particular glass case much like any other. She blew away the dust and glanced down through the glass. A small ring was contained therein, ivory yet banded with a centre of copper. Intrigued, Sirayn put a hand on the glass case and it retracted there and then with a silent glide into the plinth! The sudden movement shocked her and Sirayn stood stock still gazing in horror until she was sure that nothing had been damaged and relaxed once more. She picked up the ring. She still didn’t know why she had picked it out but she just knew it was special. Slipping it into her pocket, Sirayn continued, taking out a few more things that looked durable enough and secreting them about her person, before going on into another room.

: : : : In that split second Sirayn heard a familiar swoosh that stole her breath. She flashed back briefly to her first battle. That swoosh had heralded the charge of a hundred Trollocs upon her unguarded and unsuspecting position and afterward, when her people had been conveniently rescued by another sister, she had been told condescendingly that it was an old signal for the approach of the Shadow. Sirayn had snarled at her that in that case why in the hells hadn’t she been told beforehand? So many lives could have been saved. All that passed through her mind in the space of an instant and Sirayn shot out of the room and through the central hall out into the square at a sharp pace. She arrived just in time to see the red flare disappear. The Shadow! For a moment her mind just simply locked down in reeling horror of what the Shadow could perpetrate with the marvels inside Namandar. Then Sirayn rallied. Someone had to stop the Light-forsaken mother lovers taking every single thing of worth and twisting it against the Light. Preparing a rapid weave Sirayn fired it up into the air; a brilliantly green flare that signalled that the red flare had been noted and assistance was on its way. She waited for ten seconds counting them under her breath and then, a shower of green flares went up into the air. A couple of red flares as well and one from behind her. Her breath choked in her throat. Light, but they were in trouble. Without a word to her Gaidin Sirayn started to jog toward the position of the first red flare. Dodging through the same streets she had recently walked through with such joy Sirayn dashed into another road just in time to see the triad of Lyanna, Lanfir and Lukas efficiently dispatch a Myrddraal. Sirayn glanced up and down to make sure that none others were waiting and nodded curtly to the trio. Then a sudden sense of wrong assailed her. Confident that Seiaman and Losyn were on her heels Sirayn jogged back toward the gate … and stopped dead in her tracks. Her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes widened in horror.

: : : : The Shadow was advancing upon Namandar.

: : : : There was only one course left open to her. Channelling an entirely different kind of weave Sirayn’s voice boomed throughout the city at ear-shattering pitch. “Recovering party to arms! Protect the angreal!” She knew that others inside the university had discovered a startling cache of angreal. It had to be protected at all cost for who knew what the Shadow might manage if they got their hands on the loot? Sirayn took a deep breath and thundered one crucial command. “Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack!” Folding her arms across her chest Sirayn waited in the square before the gates, watching the dark line of Trollocs creep across the vast intervening space. And she prayed that her sisters would arrive shortly – or they were surely all doomed.

OOC: Lannie came up with the idea of flares. Red flare = Shadow. Green flare = we have seen, coming to provide assistance. Battle party arrive please. Recovering party, there is Shadow throughout the city, Fades Trollocs Dreadies the works. Just don't get ambushed by thousands, let's keep it well within double figures. -hugs-

DO NOT START WRITING THE BATTLE. The next thread begins with the dramatic Battle for Namandar!

~ Sirayn ~

**********************************************************

While going through the city, Elle seemed to have turned into a little girl again. He and Elle's other two Gaidin followed, Corwin to the right, Teslan to the left, and Dayne behind. Corwin then felt something that he hadn't felt since leaving the Blight. Pulling out his other sword, Corwin went into the Void trying to find where they were while he leaned in and told Elle, "Elle, ye need to get out of here, we have Shadowspawn comming." With that Corwin set to gaurd Elle himself, she may have other Gaidin, but he didn't care, he would defend her until the end.

Corwin

*****************************

Jaydena moved to the next house and stepped inside the bubble shaped home. She walked silently through the rooms and came to the upstairs floor. She headed into the bedroom and glanced around. Moving toward the bed she saw an absolutely stunning jade vase with rose buds and some strange flower she didn't recognize all over it. She picked it up carefully and saw that it was intact and seemed to be sound. Weaving a keeping around it she slid it into her backpack and moved around the room. On the vanity she found a brush made of the same jade with a matching mirror, comb, and compact. The bristles on the brush were gone but she figured that they could be replaced.

She slide the finds into her bags and kept moving through the room. She came upon a small jewelry box of the same jade. Why so much jade, in all the houses there are jade, maybe there is a vein of the stone around her somewhere or maybe this stone had some special use that we know nothing of now. She smiled at the thought and opened the jade box with the ancient Aes Sedai carved on the top and sides. Inside lay several items, a pair of ivory hair combs with roses across them, a pair of jade with the strange flower, a dangling pair of ivory earrings, a carnelian necklace on a golden chain, and a small pouch, the pouch crumbled as she touched it and she growled.

Reaching into the pile of dust she found a ring ivory with a strange metal of the deepest green banded in the middle. It had a small green stone on the top and appeared to be her size. She smiled at the thought of wearing the ring and slide it into her beltpouch. A quick glance at the stone vanity showed that something was pushed back against the vanity in the very back. The item looked like it was about to fall off the top, she reached back carefully and extracted the item. A dagger with a jade handle fell to the ground as the sheath broke apart in her hands. She winced and carefully picked the dagger up.

Jade reached into her pack and wrapped it in a piece of leather that she had brought along for such things. She wondered at the woman who had owned it so long ago and stepped to the window in her second floor room. Leaning carefully on the windowsill she stared at the university so close to the house she stood in. The research party would be there and hopefully they had found a great cache of Angreal. I certainly haven't found anything, several different ivory and jade brushes with the same designs and bunches of jewels. The thought that such works of art as the brushes would have been mass produced was a shock to her but how else could it be explained.

Jaydena looked the room over once more and wondered if the tower would let her keep one of the brush sets for her collection. Shaking her head she walked out of the room and headed into the next bedroom. Inside she found a room that resembled a bathroom, on the marble countertop she found several glass bottles and even some stone ones. She picked them carefully up and stored them in her beltpouch with a keeping around them. As she walked out of the room she heard a strong whooshing noise. Light the shadow has found us, we are doomed within these walls, a nightmare fight. Running to the next room she saw a red flare still in the sky.

The shadow is here. She remembered the ancient flare from her year at green training. Although it was rarely used these days, it had been used much during Lanfir's time as Head. With a fleeting though she wondered if one of the older sisters was under attack. Running down the stairs with Corbin at her heels, she found Jared and Coran about to enter the house. Pushing then out of the doorway she growled, "The shadow has found us, we need to find the red flair." Jade embraced the source and sent a green flare up into the air, letting the person with a red flair know that she had seen it. Green flares just like her own were already shooting up and several close to the university like she was.

Walking toward the red flair she started with Sirayn's voice boomed out over the cavern. “Recovering party to arms! Protect the Angreal! Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack!” Jade nodded even though she knew that Sirayn couldn't see her and began to advance carefully with her three warders flanking her, their weapons drawn. She passed streets carefully, some of which she could see Trollocs searching the houses, she ignored them and headed steadily toward the gate, praying to the light that the sister with the red flare had managed to fight them off. For she had to go to the gates, when your battle leader commanded you followed, especially if that battle leader also happened to be your best friend. Reaching the gates without incident she saw her friend standing in the square and approached her. "I am here sister. Shoulder to shoulder." Nodding her head she kept watch and waited for Sirayn's commands...

Jaydena Sedai

ooc- I like the idea of the city having large amount of mineral deposits such as jade, crystal, carnelian, and gold. Because they were underground I'm assuming that this was a possibility and have written my finds to reflect this as others seem to have done. If that's not OK Sirayn, let me know.

*******************************

OOC: Great, I'm lazy and look what happens...

IC:

Jerad managed to keep his mouth shut during the long descent, but it was difficult. He was truly amazed at the city, a fantastic sight to behold from the top of the dome. He could feel Jehanine, right beside him, filled with similar awe. He barely noticed as the platform reached the ground, but managed to snap out of his trance long enough to glance around and get his bearings.

"Shall we take a closer look, Jehanine? Perhaps if we go into one of the houses..."

A moot point, as Jehanine was already calling for him to hurry up. A chuckled and a shrug later, the pair sped off for new discoveries.

____________________________________________________
OOC: Jehanine, you can RP the actual searching of the city that I skipped. Now, for the next section:
____________________________________________________

Jerad glanced up in shock as the feeling, the sense of shadowspawn first reached him. His hands instinctively grasped the two swords at his waist as he called over to Jehanine.

"Jehanine, we have company...a lot of company!"

Then Sirayn's voice rang out over the city.

"We'd best move. Speed is of the essence!"

Jerad Gaidin

*************************************************

Lwena picked her way through the streets, lifting her skirts out of the way so that she could move faster. To either side buildings rose up, and she went into each one to look through; her bag was getting full, 'useless' items that she had found in each of the houses. The city was unusually quiet, the dome above seeming to press in at all sides. Lwena shivered; so long as she didn't think about the fact that they were deep underground, she was fine, but as soon as she looked up and saw the inky blackness of the dome instead of the sky, her stomach clenched and she was struck with claustrophobia.

Shaking off the latest of her fear, she nodded to Sirayn and shared a whispered word of excitment, not daring to speak louder; even with the assurances from Jadeyna, she didn't want to speak to loud lest the vibrations send something tumbling to the ground. This city was Ages old, after all. She split off with Sirayn when they reached the largest building Lwena had seen yet. It loomed above them, the ancient Aes Sedai symbol shining in the darkness and making Lwena smile; there had been a time when Saidin had been un-Tainted, when men and women had channeled together in harmounious workings. Some said that together, things hardly imaginable could be created. A pity male channelers went mad, really; Lwena wished that there was some way to Heal madness, but unfortunately, it was one of the three things that couldn't be Healed-the other two were Stilling and death. Pulling herself from the depressing thoughts, she turned into the next building over, leaving Sirayn to explore the larger one.

It seemed that it was a small library, books with cracked bindings lining the walls and shelves running up the middle. Tables, dusty but still in fairly good condition, rested in the middle of the room, chairs pushed neatly in. As she walked past, Lwena dragged a finger in the dust, suppressing another shiver, though this time it was from excitement. She was the first person to enter this room for thousands of years! She avoided touching the books, however, when the first one she touched crumbled under the merest brush of her finger, instead contenting herself with reading the bindings. Neatly printed words titled each book, which ranged in topics from Saidin and Saidar to names which must have been powerful political leaders...or at least important people. Oh, how she wished she could read them!

Suddenly though, there was a loud swooshing sort of noise from outside, and she jumped; she didn't know what it was, but it had to be important. Running outside, she arrived just in time to see red sparks fading from around her, green flares also flying up from the sisters around her. It must have been some Green secret, for Lwena had no idea what it meant; instead, she waited for Sirayn's instructions, embracing Saidar in an instant. Sirayn's voice boomed from all around: "Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack! She heaved up her skirts again, cursing the bloody things, and ran, keeping Aes Sedai dignity only by a thread and shoving all things from her mind.

"I am here, Sirayn," She said, smiling grimly as she walked up. Inside, she was almost hysterical. I'm a bloody Yellow-not a Green! If I was a fighter I would have chosen that Ajah! Why am I here? She forced the thought aside as more arrived.

ooc: I'll add in Raisa after Seia's posted Nydi

Lwena

*************************************

Jonathan strode over to Andular to relay the Guards' reports. He couldn't keep his eyes from darting into the shadows as if expecting something to jump out at him. That feeling that something bad was going to happen just would not go away. To the contrary, it kept getting stronger.

As he approached, he noticed Andular loosening his sword and Jonathan's own hand went to the katana on his back as if to assure him that it was there. Ignoring formalities, Jonathan said, "No one's found anything, but EVERYONE mentions feeling... odd. Like something's not quite right."

Suddenly the cavern was lit up by something akin to fireworks shooting up into the air somewhere within the city. Before he had even realized what was happening, his sword was drawn and he had dropped into a combative stance. Straightening, he saw that Andular's sword was drawn as well. Green flares were shooting up all over the city. Jonathan had no idea what they meant, but it couldn't be good. He felt the urge to rush into the city, but instead waited for orders from Andular.

He immersed himself in the Spring, but the need to rush off to help the Aes Sedai was still there. Soon, Jonathan, soon... Then, he heard Sirayn voice reverberating through the massive cavern, "Recovering party to arms! Protect the angreal! Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack!"

At this point, he couldn't hold back any longer and ran for the gates. Damn any punishment he might get for not waiting for orders, he had to help!!

Jonathan

********************************************

A mixture of training, instinct and luck was all that saved Lukas from being slain within the first few seconds of his encounter with the Myrdrraal. He had been assuming a simple guard position shielding his back with the protection of a structural wall when he heard a voice that sounded reminiscent of a snakes. Pivoting on his right foot he had been instantly confronted with the terrifying image of a Fade flowing towards him, for there was no onther way to describe its movements, looking over the pasty creature cloaked in black his eyes had been drawn towards its empty face almost against its will and as he did so he felt the numbing terror of the Halfman's gaze. Trapped by its terrifying gaze Lukas was unable to move or even think but then providence smiled on him, Lannie's flare broke his gaze for the briefest of moments but that was all it took for his training to take over. He channeled his fear into the Spring and this time when he looked back at the Myrdrraal he only felt a numbing presence beffeting against the calm of the Spring.

Knowing that unless he acted fast he, Lannie and Lya would be doomed Lukas tightened his grip on his katana and jumping forward he engaged the Fade in battle. Never before had he faced an opponent that could move so fluidly, attack so swiftly or defend so gracefully but Lukas had an edge that this Myrdrraal did not, he had numbers. As each moment passed in his deadly duel with the Shadowspawn he knew that the two Green Sisters behind him were preparing to strike. And so he felt no need to strike forward with forms such as Parting the Silk or Boar Rushes Down the Mountain, instead he simply stalled for time allowing his Bonded to strike. The Myrdrraal growing confident by his opponents lack of offense intensified its attacks once more and so it was that as it drew its sword upwards for a killing blow it was struck in the chest by two seperate attacks, one form Lyanna to the left and one from Lanfir to the right.

The flaming carcass of the Fade slumped to the ground and from nearby Lukas was haunted by the pained, bestial screams of what he could only assume where Trollocs. Stepping back from the Halfman he turned to Lyanna and Lanfir and after seeing they were safe he signalled them forward with hand signals, the Green Sisters seemed to understand what he was signalling and followed carefully their eyes filled with concentration and power. With a shake of his hand and a point to the left the trio headed off into a main street and prepared themselves to encounter any other minions of the Shadow that might be lurking in the now dread city of Namander.

So that is what a Myrdrraal is like...

Lukas Talinko
Bonded to Lyanna Sedai
No longer a Shadowspawn slaying virgin

************************************************************

As the red flare broke into shimmers above her, Lyanna shivered in anticipation. Somewhere deep down in her gut she was afraid, and she welcomed that fear because she knew it gave her an edge. But on the upper surface of her mind, the red haze began to creep up already. Battle fever, they called it, and it gave you courage, and stamina and drive. Especially now that it was Lukas who was threatened, Lyanna didn't hesitate a second.

They had known that they might be subject to Shadowspawn here at Namandar, and yet the look the Myrddraal shot her rooted her to the floor momentarily. Memories of the battle outside the Gates of Fal Dara flooded back to mind. She had encountered her first Fade there, and if it hadn't been for Kaylan, she would have perished on the spot. A Myrddraal's gaze caught you as bright light could catch a deer. She saw the same effects on Lukas's face, but luckily his gaze was distracted by the flares that Lanfir had let up. Flares which were now answered by other flares, this time in a green color. We have seen you! We are coming! The ancient custom spurred her even more on to throw herself headfirst into this.

She felt Lanfir's strenght next to her and it was amazing. She was so much stronger than she, Lyanna, was, but that didn't matter. Lyanna's strength might not be so high, but her skill was good, especially with Fire. Drawing on Saidar, she wove Spirit and Fire, using it to knit it together in an intricate Combust weave, then placed it over the Myrddraal. She felt Lanfir beside her weave something equally deadly, while Lukas kept the Fade at bay by distracting it with blows and parries. As soon as her Weave fell into place on the Myrddraal, it bursted into flames, charring the maggotlike face.

It writhed in agony, uttering piercing cries she felt more than heard. Fade's never died quickly, and it struggled for long moments, ablaze and shrieking before it finally collapsed to the floor. The stench was almost unbearable.

Without speaking, Lukas motioned them to follow. Lyanna did, filled to the brim with Saidar, checking the bond to see if Lukas was alright. This was his seasoning battle, and it would really put him to the test. Fighting mock battles in a Warder's Yard was fine, and taking on human opponents was good training, but your first encounter with Shadowspawn could not be rehearsed. Everyone handled that differently, and some not as well as others. But, Lukas seemed fine. There was a complicated mixture of anticipation, stealth, confidence and a tinge of fear in the back of her mind, where his emotions were knotted into her head, and she nodded approvingly. Good. Not too overconfident it seemed, and the fear was good. It tought you respect for what might come up against you.

They moved on, the three of them, and while they walked off into one of the main streets, Lyanna felt her coat pocket. The pouch was still there, and intact. She only needed to hold on to this and make it out alive.


Lyanna
Battling her lil' butt off

****************************************************

OOC: Isn't this a bit soon? We still have things to find, and half the ter'angreal haven't even been claimed yet *sighs*

IC: Kaylan was in her third house, picking up the bits and pieces that were in the house. She had found in the second a full ceramic tea set, with two cups and a teapot, as far as she could tell, but any tea that had been in it was long since dust, and she sneezed when she tried to smell any residues, nearly dropping the thing. Hurriedly, she wrapped it in some material and put it back into her bag. There had not been much else that was still whole, and it was disappointing. She had found a cuendillar bracelet under the dust that had been, she supposed, a dressing table, and the pure white circle now sat on her wrist.
She was in the fourth house when she found the other bracelet. The silver seemed to be braided out of hair width bits, intricately twisting to form a somewhat flexible circle that she placed over her wrist. In the half light she could see that it was glowing pink, and she smiled.
The smile faded when it started to warm up on her wrist. It was growing hotter, and she was hoping that it was not going to do anything bad, when she heard Sirayn's voice.
She picked up the last object she had been looking at, a simple platter of coloured glass, and wrapped it up, shoving it into her bag. She wished that she would be able to come back, the house seemed to be full of things that would interest her, including several more weapons, but she would make do with the one that she had for now. She summoned her Warders, waiting to hear Sirayn's message.
The words that Sirayn spoke were disturbing.
The Shadow had come to Namandar.
Why hadn't the Warders commented? They all had experience with the feeling of Shadowspawn, but it had not been brought up. Perhaps, though, the Aes Sedai had been so busy with their treasures that they would not have listened anyway.

Kaylan Sedai
Bonded to Mercury, Calya and Jumael

 

OOC: Yes, it is going a bit fast...but aren't we meant to get the ter'angreal thingies while we are under attack? e.g. scrambling around trying to pick stuff up. Also, Taya and Eos have to find Tilana & her Warder. But from what I remember that was meant to be while we were under attack too.

I so totally need to read that updated outline *G*

IC: Taya's eyes fixated on the spot in the air where the red flare had just fizzled out. She went cold, for that sight was confirmation of what she'd known the moment she felt that familiar stirring in the air, the hissing of movement that wasn't their own - the sound of an opposition's advance. Her pulse began to race but she drew herself up and inhaled deeply. Then she saw the answering flare, green to symbolise that the call had been answered. But who had made the first call?

"Not what I had hoped to see," Eos said from beside her, and she reached out to his hand. He had reached out simultaneously to her so their hands met in the middle. She squeezed and relished the warm dryness of his palm against hers. When she needed it, he leant her a special kind of strength.

"We must rejoin the party. It looks as if we are in trouble." He nodded and released her hand, waiting expectantly for her to lead the way.

Taya took three steps forward and halted again when more flares rose into the air. Oh, Light, she whispered inwardly, and glanced again at Eos. His eyes met hers briefly and then they both began to jog. They looked left and right, on guard and ready for whatever came their way. Finally Taya spotted some of the recovery party, and strode swiftly over to them, Eos guarding her back.

The group had already organised itself so that it was ready for an onslaught by the enemy, as yet unseen in this part of the city. As Taya advanced upon them she opened her mouth, preparing to speak. Before she could, a familiar voice boomed through the buzzing silence, filling it completely. “Recovering party to arms! Protect the angreal!”

That was meant for them - Taya and all these people here, plus any still in the university...and recovery party members located elsewhere. They'd all be heading back to the University now, if they knew what was good for them and their comrades.

Sirayn wasn't finished. “Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack!”

In the ensuing silence a few glances were exchanged, and then someone in the group said, "The University. Let us return."

"We just came from there!" another piped up irritably.

Taya drew herself up and adopted a frosty expression. "Did you not hear our leader's orders? Do not be a dimwit at this of all times, if you do not mind?"

And she took charge of the group, wondering where Raeyn had got to - she was the leader of the recovery party.

"We must find Raeyn," another of the older sisters in the company said as they all walked in an orderly fashion towards the university nearby. This Brown was one of the more friendly of the lot, but still had what seemed at times to be a blind devotion to her leader. At least she isn't one of those who hates us on Arette's behalf, Taya mused in annoyance as they climbed the steps to one of the university's entrance and scanned about for Raeyn and other members of their party.

Taya was acutely aware that somewhere outside, a battle party was gathering, preparing to meet with the Shadow face-on. She felt strange not being there with them, organising them, but she had volunteered for this task - some Greens had to, after all - and it was now her duty to bear. She had to keep these over-eager Browns in check - and make sure some of the younger and more headstrong Greens didn't make fools of their Ajah as well - so that they all lived to see another day.

Thankfully she wasn't alone. She was with her Warder, and others of her Ajah who were equally as experienced and honed as her.

~*~*~*~*~

Taya and Eos had separated from the group, to explore some of the more distant catacombs of this ethereal building. They could hear echoes in the distance, in several directions - the group had separated to cover as much ground as they could, in spite of the risks that separation entailed. They had figured the sacrifice was worth it if they could have a chance at preserving some of the treasures this place housed.

Taya had collected several artifacts of the Power so far, whose uses she had no clue about. Some looked familiar, and details from texts she had scoured over her long years of study rose from the depths of her memory, tantalizing and distracting. She tried at length to fix her mind on the task at hand - collecting, preserving, not contemplating the nature of the items she was taking - and finally succeeded. She peered into the darkness, only pushed back so far ahead of them by her light sphere, and set her mind completely on her task.

As she and Eos turned another corner, by now deep in the university, she noted a slight change in the smell of the air around them. She frowned and paused, Eos also coming to a stop beside her. For a moment she listened, noting a faint trickling sound - water somewhere near. She also noted that the sounds of the other party members had by now retreated so far that they were barely discernible. She continued forward, and her light sphere revealed a grand archway ahead, leading into a small antechamber of sorts. Her nose wrinkled as the smell grew stronger. It wasn't exactly unpleasant...just wrong somehow. It reflected the fact that things were amiss here.

As she and Eos moved forward, the light moved also, and came soon to illuminate the room beyond. Taya's heart climbed into her throat as an out-of-place shape came into sight. She grabbed for Eos's hand and hesitated. He tugged gently on her hand, prompting her to keep going. But she didn't have to go much further before the pieces of the puzzle fell together in her mind, drawing her up short with a painful jab. They had found two bodies...fully clothed, both decomposing, almost completely rotted - so much so that the smell that must once have been terrible was now only wrong.

Even before she saw the shawl, bloodied and torn, in fact quite literally defaced, she knew who the fallen individuals were. Even before she noticed the green fringing that denoted her old friend's hard-earned rank, she knew that she had found Tilana Sedai and her poor Warder.

"Oh, Light," she muttered, and turned around with her eyes closed, releasing the Source for safety's sake. Eos's arms went around her, but the words he spoke a moment later, his voice deep and strong, didn't allow her a moment too lengthy. "My love, being upset is for later. Now we must complete our task and get out of this place alive."

And she sucked in her breath and looked him in the eyes, confirming with her gaze that she knew he was right. But how could she just leave Tilana here, to be forever forgotten? She had made Mandi a promise... Could she keep it?

OOC: I will probably have her bring home one of Til's daggers or something...the shawl would be a bit too icky, and besides it's really damaged...but whaddiyou dudes think? *G*

*sniffles and mourns the dead and never-really-existant Tilana*

Taya

**********************************

Leilani bent down to pick up a loose tile from the mosaic on the floor of the building she was in. Namandar was absolutely beautiful, and she was in awe of the whole place, but she could not help shedding a tear for both of her fallen Warders. She was not strong like her Sisters, she could not deal with the loss of them in a quick amount of time... She picked up a wooden box that crumbled to dust as she touched it, and she stroked the earrings that came out of it lovingly. They contained moonstone, the same stone that was in the necklace she wore - the necklace that Gyrrid had given to her.

"I would give you the moon, my love, if I could pull it down."
Leilani laughed.
"You romantic fool. I do not want the moon - I only want you to love me for the rest of your life."
He pulled something out of his pocket, a delicate silver chain with a single moonstone, tear drop shaped and shining in the moonlight above them.
"This was the best I could find... I love you Leilani Aes Sedai, and I will for as long as I live." He meant it, too, she could feel it.

A tear rolled down her cheek as she tucked them into the pocket of her pants. Her sword was drawn and ready, as she had no Warder accompanying her, and she had shunned the offer of protection from the Tower Guards.
She picked up the small glass rod, gasping as she realised that it was an angreal. And a strong one.
Then, the sound of Sirayn's voice intruded into her thoughts, and she dropped the precious relic, crying out as if physically hurt when it shattered into a thousand pieces on the tiled floor under her feet.
Closing her eyes, she saw the largest piece and thought how easy it would be... How easy it would be to end it all.
But she was Green Ajah. She was a fighter, and she was a survivor. She would live through this, even if it meant that she had to take and lose twenty Warders on the way out.

Leilani
Battle Sister
Twice Bonded, twice lost...
Mortality looming *g*

**************************************

ooc- Posted for Seia as Nydi sedia.

Nydi was in the second party, following others in their wake into Namander. The Age of Legends city beckoned to her, as if whispering to them to enter. Finally, the party began to move closer and Nydi glanced at Raisa, excitement welling up in her. She held the exterior cool of an Aes Sedai except for the twinkle in her eye. "It's time, my Gaidin."
Walking through the entrance, she held back a gasp as the enormous city revealed itself. Aes Sedai and their Gaidin started to spread out,exploring cautiously. Concentration ebbed from the bond and she walked slowly into the city. Pulling out a sketch book, her eyes took in the fine detail of what she saw. Several times, Raisa had to grab Nydi's arm to stop her from tripping the clutter on the streets.

"Light, this is beautiful." She whispered ever so softly, not wanting to disrupt the peace around her. It felt like... home. Catching a statue at the middle of an intersection, she sketched it to every line. "I could be here for ages. And yet we would not have fully explored Namandar." Then a hiss slithered through the air, as a large red flame shot through the air. Nydi literally jumped, "No. Not now!" She knew it was a warning, but for what?"We have to go, Nydi!" nodding, she put her sketch book away before returning to the gathering party.

~nydi sedi
Blue tpc
About to be murdered
--seia

********************************

Jozan and his young towerguard walked around the streets looking for something valuable to take with them. He knew had to search for it in the houses but he also knew the risk of it so he decided to keep him self outside the houses for a while.

Suddenly after turned around a street they were standing close to a great house of some sort with the acient symbol of the aes sedai. The two towerguards walked towards the house but suddenly Jozan stopped in front of an acient house that was quite small but had two floors. Something drawed the two towerguards towards the acient house but they didn´t know what. Jozan opened the door and walked into the old house and saw all the dust and the smell of tea.

The tables and chairs were all carved beautifuly and paintings still hanging on the wall with pictures of now long dead kings and queens from the age of legends. He couldn´t help but smile at the sight he had in front of him and he looked to the other towerguard and saw the same look in the young mans face. Jozan saw the stair and put his foot gently on the first foot stair and when he saw that the stair would hold for now he began to walk up to the second floor with his friend on his side all the way up.

The first room he saw on the second floor were filled with books and boxes but one of the boxes drawed Jozan´s attention to it. The box a small oval made of light tree were hidden behind a pill of books and small boxes and when Jozan took the small oval box in his hand he fealt the surface were completely smooth and that the box wasn´t that very tall and that the lid came off as it hadn´t any hinges. He placed it in his pounch and walked out of the room without telling his frind about what he had found in the room.

"Ok, my friend we are done here we can rejoin with the others" Jozan said with a calm voice to his friend. The other towerguard nodded and they were just about to walk down the stairs when they heard a voice outside the house.

“Recovering party to arms! Protect the angreal!” the voice paused and began again “Battle party to the gates! Namandar is under attack!” Jozan suddenly smelled something was burned and when he looked down towards the door he saw the house was on fire so he said to the other towerguard to find a window fast or their lifes would be in danger. They were lucky and found a window just in time when they were surrounded by the flames outside the room with the only escape route.

Jozan opened the window and looked down to see if there were any enemies on the ground below them but it was clear and so he jumped out and hit the ground and made a fast roll to get up from the ground. But he saw in the other towerguards face that he were to scared too late and were just about to jump out when cought by the flames. He heard his friend scream in pain and the flames burning his body.

Jozan couldn´t stand his friends pain so he took his longbow and strained it and put an arrow and aimed towards the chest and pulled the arrow of death and heard the arrow hit his friend in the chest and stop his misery. The body hit the ground and Jozan pulled him up and with his friend dead body he walked to the gates and when he arrived he shouted out. "The blood of my friend has been spilled" Jozan shouted and embraced the void and spoke with a cold voice, "I will honor his death by the blood of victory."

Jozan

******************************

OOC:Wow...is this week over already???

IC:Coran followed Jaydena through the houses of the City. He smiled as he watched her, thoroughly entranced at everything she was seeing. He turned his attention outward, looking for what might be waiting for them, using all his skill to make sure that Jaydena...and his fellow bondmates, would be safe.

Thoughts of the horses foot kept drifting into his mind. Who was responsible?

Coran entered some of the houses and was looking around as well. He saw some books along with other items you would expect to find. There were also some items that he could not think of what they would be used for.

"Coran." He turned knowing that Jared had been watching the front.

"Yes?"

The man paused, which, for a warder, was as close to opening up emotionally as one might expect. "Just...be careful in here."

Coran gave a slight smile and Jared laughed and shook his head as he walked back outside.

Maybe he'll be ok with this after all. Coran thought.

He picked up on of the sturdier looking books...and though it was a bit brittle, It held. He stuck the largish book in his pouch next to a few items that he found made of a sturdy jade(OOC:hope this is OK...it being just a few trinkets, nothing special. Let me know if I have to put it back.) and walked out to the front of the house, leaving Corbin inside with Jaydena.

Jared was looking around the home then turned to Coran with a grimacing look on his face. That is when it hit Coran...the feeling of...Wrongness. He could not understand what it was, just that things were not right and..and there was danger.

Then there was a flash of red flowing over head to the roof.

ShadowSpawn!

At the same time Coran and Jared ran inside the house just as Jaydena and Corbin were running down the Stairs.

They surrounded her as she strode purposefully to join the other Aes Sedai.

And through the Cavern Sirayn's booming voice could be heard...

Coran gripped his sword, watching...ready.

Coran

******************************

Eleanor lost track of the time while she and her Gaidin were wandering through the city of Namendar. Every once in a while they met up with other Sisters searching the desolate town. Sometimes they halted a bit longer to compare and discuss their findings. According to the plan Taya had taken most of the Browns in to the centre of Namendar, where they expected to find most angreal, sa’angreal, ter’angreal and other power wrought objects.

Every corner Elle, Corwin, Teslan and Dayne rounded, gave them another surprise. The style in which Namendar was built, was simple but yet amazingly beautiful. All the houses were still in a good shape, the construction looked like it was made by Ogier. Eleanor’s thoughts lingered for a moment on how live would have been, had she been a Servant of All in Namendar all those years past. But she regained her usual alertness quickly; there was no time for dreams. She had work to do. They could never expect to completely investigate the city in one day, but she, the other Sitters and Sirayn had agreed that they should go as fast as possible. They could never know what would happen.

Elle shivered as a soft breeze touched her, Corwin was extremely on his guard. And his nervousness made Eleanor slightly nervous too, although she would never admit it. So she tried to reassure Corwin by telling him that no one would be so stupid to attack a town full of Aes Sedai and their Warders. Little did she know that the Shadow was already present in the city and planning its attack.

They had already visited several houses, quickly searching them for interesting objects. Elle had taken a small dagger from one of them, and her Warders carried some books with them. But they had not found anything which could be connected to the One Power or in another way could aid them in the constant struggle against the Dark Forces. Most books which looked interesting crumbled into dust once Eleanor touched them, but she had managed to find two which didn’t fall apart immediately. They’re titles were vague, but even if it was a simple cooking book, it might contain something useful anyhow.

Suddenly Eleanor’s eye fell on a small symbol carved above the door of one of the more simple houses. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then determinedly went for that house.
“What are you looking for in that house, Eleanor. It is so small, and it looks like no one of importance has lived there. Shouldn’t we be looking in one of the bigger houses?” One of her Warders said.

Elle silently pointed up to the door, it was not very good visible, but once you looked more closely it was clearly the ancient symbol of the Aes Sedai. She had to point a second time before all three could see it, but then they nodded and followed her inside. The house was sparsely decorated, but Eleanor could see from the difference in colouring of the walls that once they must have been hanging several pictures and drawings. Upstairs the same picture was visible; the furniture was sparse, except for the writing table. That one was simply beautiful. Elle walked up to it and studied it more closely; she increased the strength of her Saidar created ball of light slightly. Softly she formed the words of the back of the book, The One Power and it uses for Healing. Eleanor picked up the book very carefully, but it crumbled into pieces at her first touch. “Blood and bloody ashes…” The three men with her looked surprised; normally their Aes Sedai didn’t have such a foul tongue.

There were more books lying on the writing desk, but all were in such a bad condition that Eleanor couldn’t rescue them. So they continued their search in the other rooms. In what seemed to be the bedroom, it had a large space in the wall where some remains of bedding could still be seen; they finally found something very interesting. Next to the bed was a small stone table covered with dust, Elle gently removed the dust with a small weave of Air. And there it was… A small white ring, it was ingeniously carved so that if you followed the line of the ring you ended up on the inside. Eleanor picked it up and examined it closely, there were symbols engraved in the ring, but they were hardly visible anymore. The owner of the ring had probably worn it daily. A smile bloomed up on Elle’s face as she recognised one of the symbols. It seemed like every second symbol was the ancient sign of the Aes Sedai.

Elle slipped the ring in her pocket, she would examine it in to more detail later. They went outside again and resumed their search through the town. Elle was just about to enter another house, which looked like a place where the Aes Sedai of old could have lived, when Corwin was the first to give a signal of alarm. Shadowspawn!

“We must leave immediately, Eleanor Sedai.” He said.

Eleanor nodded; yes they should leave their current position, and try to find another Sister, or preferably a group of Sisters. She knew that it was not what Corwin had meant; he wanted her to be save and leave the city. But that was not what she had trained for; Elle had prepared all her live, ever since coming to the Tower, for battle. And since she had obtained the Shawl, she had faced several battles. She would not turn back, and leave the others to do the dirty work. Suddenly a flare of red sparks coloured the sky, there were Sisters under attack already. With a nod of determination Eleanor went in the direction of the red sparks, she was about to send a signal of green sparks in to the sky when they rounded the corner and faced a myrdraal and his group of Trollocs.

Corwin had seen myrdraal before, so he was the first of the three Warders to recover. As he advanced and started a deadly dance with the Eyeless, Eleanor send sparks of red flying in the air. She saw that there were more red sparks colouring the sky above Namendar, but also some green. Suddenly Sirayn’s voice boomed out of nowhere, giving them commands.

Even through the concentration Eleanor needed to form the battle weaves she had learned long ago Elle managed to form a smile. She is turning into a true leader.

Eleanor

****************************

ooc: And I can't believe I missed it...

ic:

"It's time, my Gaidin." Nydi's excitement was plainly visible through the bond, though the only sign of it was her sparkling eyes. Raisa grinned, unable to contain her own anticipation, but even so her hand kept straying towards her blades; something didn't feel right, but she couldn't place what. Instead of pondering it, she followed her Aes Sedai into the city, marvling at the wonders that surrounded her.

It was like the first time she had come to Tar Valon, only a few years ago. The White Tower had been rising up into the pale morning sky, imposing and grand, making the younger Raisa gape at it despite the fact that she'd grown up in a city; imagine if she'd been a country child, who'd never seen a city, much less one so grand as Tar Valon! Tar Valon seemed to be a mere reflection of the grandeur of Ages past, however, when compared to Namandar. The buildings seemed like soap bubbles resting on the surface of a pool, almost like a single delicate touch could break them. Despite the amazement coursing through her, Raisa concentrated on watching her and Nydi's back-anything, even her life, would go to protect her Aes Sedai-instead of gaping at her surroundings.

It was a good thing she turned her attention back to the Blue sister, too, because she'd pulled out her sketch book was was about to trip over some rubble. Raisa pulled her aside with a quick grin, and then went back to watching their surroundings. Each shadow behind the buildings, cast by the Aes Sedai light globes, seemed to hide some shadowspawn, though Raisa doubted any would be in a city such as this. They were the first ones this deep in the ground within the city for Ages, since the city had been destroyed, and there was no way for the shadowspawn to enter. Raisa knew that Jonathan was guarding the entrance, and she very much doubted that a shadowspawn would get past him, or any of the Guards stationed up there.

"Light, this is beautiful." Nydi's words couldn't have described the city better; Raisa caught her arm before she walked into a building. She stopped and sketched down a large statue that was in the middle of an intersection, giving Raisa a bit of time to admire it. "I could be here for ages. And yet we would not have fully explored Namandar." Raisa nodded in agreement and was about to speak when a loud hiss made her partially draw both blades, and a shower of red sparks from above made her seize her Aes Sedai's arm. She knew that signal-an Aes Sedai had spotted shadowspawn. But here?

"We have to go, Nydi!" Raisa barely gave Nydi time to put her sketch pad away before hurrying her towards where the battle party was meeting. It took longer than she had hoped to arrive, and she stood with the other Gaidin, the Spring pulsing through her, waiting for their orders. Once they were recieved, she trailed Nydi, staying close and keeping her eyes out for anything dangerous...

Raisa

This thread is being posted for archival purposes only, as the original RP link was long lost on the winds of time.

This is posted with permission from Jaydena, who also supplied the surviving copy.

 

IC Year: 996 NE

[Part 1 Unavailable] [Part 2 Here] [Part 3 Here]

 

The Hunt for Namandar #4: Diplomacy ~Ly, Lan, others~
Players: Lannie Sedai, Lyanna Sedai, Sirayn Sedai, Kaylan Sedai, Jeha Sedai, Jaydena Sedai, Seiaman Gaidin, Lukas-TG, Corbin Gaidin, Egwainne Sedai, Raeyn Sedai, Coran-TG,

Posted on January 5, 2004

Link- http://www.dragonmount.com/PSW/Boards/viewtopic.php?t=3562

 

OOC: I don’t think Lukas is mentioned on that list but of course he’s to come along and I’ve just spoken to Jehanine. Warders bonded to these Aes Sedai are also welcome. – Once more into the breach, my friends!

: : : : The city of Tanchico clung to the side of steep hills and tumbled haphazardly onto a triad of peninsulas like a three-tined trident. It was guarded by a dozen fortresses which stood iron-grey and brooding in the misty morning light. White buildings, thin towers and pointed gilt domes gleamed spectrally, all wreathed in faint swathes of vapour, making the spires look as though they thrust upward from a ragged white blanket. A lace of stone-paved streets wound around and over the hills of Tanchico. Larger buildings and towers were made from stone, some topped in bronze or gold, while the smaller houses had been constructed of brick or white-washed plaster. The great dock was crowded with ships. Sirayn tilted her head back as her horse walked with careful steps down the steep side of the hill, and inhaled a deep lungful of the crop-scented air. The sun was warm, insects buzzed, and Tanchico radiated content.

: : : : Sirayn didn’t. She was very tired. A very young sister, Sirayn had never asked what Ajah she was from, had suddenly got cold feet and wanted to return. Sirayn had had to take the sister aside and speak to her quietly. Out tumbled a miserable tale of how the young woman had been pushed and pushed through her training, praised to the high heavens when she excelled and despised when she only averaged, raised to her Ajah at last and now she only wanted a respite from the pressure. She couldn’t handle this. The sister had been crying as she spoke those last words. Sirayn would rather have been anywhere else but what else could she do? She’d sat up all night with the wretched woman, mostly just holding her hand and feeling entirely useless, and in the end the sister whose name Sirayn had never learnt had decided to go on. Sirayn didn’t even know why she’d done it. A misplaced sense of loyalty? Seeing some part of herself in this harried, struggling, desperate woman? If she’d dropped out and headed back in the time between then and now Sirayn wouldn’t know. Perhaps her time had been for nothing. Who had benefited, after all? Certainly not her, and maybe even not the other woman. Sirayn’s lips quirked wryly as she realised she would take any excuse or reasoning other than just being kind at heart.

: : : : Seiaman rode close beside her. She looked as calm and confident and deadly as usual and Sirayn envied her the outward composure Sirayn was certain she did not wear. Sirayn tugged the bond and smiled at her gently. “Keep your eyes open in Tanchico. Everything tells me no great harm awaits us there but that may lull me into a false sense of security.” Twisting in her seat, Sirayn glanced over the companions riding close behind her. Taya, Kaylan, Jaydena and Jehanine from the Green Ajah, Egwainne from the Blue Ajah, and a handful of Browns with their respective Warders. Sirayn had left Lwena behind. She still felt a little guilty about leaving the young Yellow back at camp, when her place was at Sirayn’s right hand, but she thought that Lwena would feel out of place at a king’s court. Sirayn couldn’t afford to make any mistakes or even permit for less experienced members of her party to make those mistakes. Still, she felt half a traitor for it, and for glancing sideways every now and then and expecting to see Lwena there. She had become far too accustomed to Lwena’s company. It was time to toughen up. You couldn’t even manage for yourself, let alone look after other people, a cutting voice mocked. Light, but this was madness! She’d fallen apart that night with shards of sunset and shattered glass. She’d failed miserably in Ebou Dar. Aringill, the northern winter, Cairhien, everything had been so badly messed up. And here she was, riding at the head of a party as though she belonged there. As though she had earned something more than the spite and loathing of the Brown Ajah.

: : : : Sirayn turned back and faced ahead for a particularly tricky part of the rough trail. It took all her concentration to guide her horse safely through scattered rocks to a more level patch of ground. Sirayn grinned slightly to remember where her newfound horsemanship had come from, and shared a brief smile with Seiaman. Her mind drifted inevitably back to the Green Aes Sedai who rode behind her. The one who mattered most. Jehanine. Sirayn felt a traitor to admit this as well, but Sirayn had brought her along mostly to keep her away from Lwena; from the dagger-like looks poor Lwena had been getting, Sirayn judged that sparks might fly if they were left together. Sirayn shook her head with a deep sigh. So many once-friends, and cold shoulders turned, and outright enemies. What was she even doing here? She was no politician. Arette wanted to claw her apart for not being a Brown, the Brown Ajah loathed her for bearing this heavy mantle of duty, and half the bloody Green Ajah seemed to hate her for it as well. Her shoulders slumped as she considered the seething mess she had got herself into. If she was smart she would turn over command to Taya and leave this minute. Head to Heartswood and her family and never return – and give up. And let those, those Browns beat her. Let all of them beat her! All these people who didn’t seem to understand she just- Light, every day she failed and kept on failing and they hated her because they thought she didn’t- they thought she thought she was better than them and… oh Light, everything was just so messed up.

: : : : Head bowed, lost in her own thoughts, Sirayn rode across the flatland and into Tanchico while the others followed her in contemplative silence. None of them knew what awaited them.

OOC: Edited. Still an awful post. You should all know the storyline, if not you can find it in the thread linked above, and move it along at your own pace but not too drastically please.

 

~ Sirayn ~
Battle Ajah

**********************************

There was nothing but the chill of the cup of iced tea in her hands, the sun on her face, and the feeling of companionship for a while. Lanfir had her eyes closed and enjoyed the warm morning sun. It was two hours before noon. Everything for lunch had been prepared, the Tavern was clean and waiting for customers, and Lanfir and Lyanna were taking it easy as they did every morning. It was one of the best times of the day.

"That man that supplies the Inn," Lyanna started slowly.

Lanfir opened her eyes. "Jorn. What of him?"

"He said that there are Aes Sedai in town. They are going to visit the King."

It was a sign. It had to be. Only yesterday she had signed the contract to Menion Gintear. Regular guest as he was, he had wanted to buy the Inn himself. He wanted to keep the place as it was, and somewhere he had loaned enough money to buy Lanfir out. He had said that no one loved the Tavern as he did, so he might as well buy it. Lanfir, touched by his offer, had not asked much, but enough to make sure she'd live easily for a while. As of yesterday, she was a free woman once more. A free Aes Sedai, ready to go back to the Tower whenever she would care to. And now there were Aes Sedai in town. It had to be a sign. It couldn't be anything else. "Really?" she drawled, blinking against the sunlight. A stray ray of sunlight was making sparkles on the rim of Lyanna's glass.

Lyanna looked up. "Yes, that's what he said. Interesting, isn't it?"

"Yes..." Lanfir looked at her hands, clasping her own glass. They were trembling. Bloody adrenaline in her body. Why was she so excited all of a sudden? They could be Red Ajah for all she knew, and unfamiliar faces to boot. She'd probably not even run into them. So why those shivers then?

"Do you want to make our presence known?"

"Depends on who they are," Lanfir replied, trying very hard to make those shivers subside. I will need to learn composure all over again, she thought sadly. And they will laugh at my raw emotions. And my mistakes. She sighed and wallowed in self-pity for a bit, until she felt Lyanna go rigid next to her.

"And what if they'd be Greens?" Lyanna blurted out, her voice sounding oddly choked.

Before she could help herself, Lanfir found herself on her feet, jumping off the porch to see the party enter the street. Green shawls. Burn her, they were wearing Green shawls. Not all of them, there was a great amount of Browns too. Women, regal on horseback, riding through the street. They did not even look at her. Gaidin were around them, either on horseback or afoot, managing to look dangerous even when they were walking casually.

The party was closing in. Lanfir could feel her heartbeat thundering in her ears. She did not even bother to make her shivers subside anymore. Adrenaline was racing through her veins and she was trembling with emotions. Her eyes were tearing up with pure nostalgia and other feelings that seemed bigger than herself.

She tried to make out faces, feverishly looking at every woman that was bearing a green shawl. Especially a certain one, a blond one and-- "Taya!" she choked out. It was barely audible. She covered her mouth behind her hands and let the tears run freely. The sensation that she was dreaming became stronger. It was truly Taya on that horse. She was older, and maybe she had gained a few pounds, but burn her, it *was* Taya.

They did not see her – of course they would not. She was just an innkeeper that was watching the Aes Sedai ride by. Lanfir stared at them with the same wonder in her eyes that every innkeeper would have. She turned to Lyanna, who was still sitting on the porch. “We have to join them,” Lanfir said. Her stomach was knotting up.

Lyanna nodded with a distant light in her green eyes. She had dropped her cup and had never even noticed. “Yes. Yes, we have to.”


~ Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Green Ajah
and suddenly really nostalgic

*************************************

When Lanfir choked "Taya!" Lyanna sought out the blonde hair in the group and instantly located the woman. Light, it really was Taya. Oh Light. They had talked about selling the Tavern - and proceeded with it -, talked about going back to the Tower. But so far, that had only been talk, and they weren't in a hurry. It seemed as if fate had come knocking on their door.

She dropped the cup she had been holding, but the clank of broken crockery on the porch floor seemed very far away, as the sight of Taya suddenly brought back more memories she thought she had.

She glanced to the side, only to see Lanfir crying. Oh yes, how she understood that. At least Lyanna had been back in between all those years, if only for a short moment. But for Lanfir, this was the first confrontation with anything remotely to do with the Tower since that battle in the Borderlands. It would be hard: joy and shame and anger and pain, all mingled into one.

"We have to join them" Lanfir said absentmindedly. Lyanna nodded, her thoughts still distant. "Yes, yes we have to."

But how?

~Lyanna al'Ellisande
A very startled Sedai

**************************************

Jaydena gazed at the road in front of them, and wondered how long it would be before they reached the palace. It would be nice to have a solid bed under her and silk sheets. She shivered with joy at the thought of a nice scented bath and then turned her attention back to the road in front of them. They would be staying at the palace and negotiating with the king to travel through the country with their armed party. Also they needed to gain permission to search for the lost city. Of course as AS the things in the city were their birthright but it still helped to grease the wheels when you had already spoken to the king.

Watching the peasants and merchants as the rode by she gazed at several of their faces and nodded in her cool Aes Sedai way. She quietly pressed a coin in to hand of one of the beggars and glanced up at her fellow sisters to make sure they hadn't seen. Amusement and love surged through the bond and she knew that Jared and Corbin both had seen her action. Hoping the embarrassment of being caught didn't show on her face she kept her eyes straight ahead and waited for the journey to end...

Jaydena Sedai

**********************************

Lukas paused a moment as he mucked out the stables connected to the back of the Green Nature Tavern, since his arrival here he had made himself useful to the two Sedai in any way they saw possible whether it be menial labour or bouncer work. It had allowed him to loosen up and experience a life that had been denied to him either because of his commitment to the Tower or because of his poverty as a child. His time with at the Tavern had also led him to appreciate Aes Sedai better, before they had been cold, unapproachable beings but now he found it easier to associate with them. Whether it be Lyanna with her friendly manner and tenacious attitude or Lanfir with her commanding presence and calm thinking. Both of them had become precious to him and he would gladly lay his life down for them.It was this willingness to lay down his life that had stopped him stable work.

From the open doors of the stable he had a clear view to the streets below and what he saw there raised the hairs on the back of his neck and caused a knot to grow in his stomach. Parading along the streets was a party of Aes Sedai and Warders, whilst predominantly Green there was also a sprinkling of Brown and one Blue. Lukas did not know any of them personally although he thought he knew the name of the leader of the group, it was Siren or Saryn or some similair name. The one person that did catch his eye though was Seiaman Kara, the Warder was someone that Lukas respected back in Tar Valon. Seia was a disciple of Me'Arearth much like himself and the rumour going around the Yards was that the woman was soon to be named Master. If a Master of Me'Arearth was in Tarabon then something was the matter.

Dropping his pitchfork in the corner alongside the other tools of the stablehand trade Lukas ran towards the back entrance of the Tavern. Pushing the door open he cringed as he heard it slam against the wooden wall but did not stop to check if any damage had been made. Moving into the main section of the Tavern he could make out Lanfir and Lyanna out on the patio and continued in his frenzied dash to reach them. Dodging past tables and chairs he finally reached the door and after slowing down so as not to bowl them over he quickly made his presence known.

Cough...cough....

"I assume you two have seen the party down below in the streets? Well if ever their was a chance for you two to return to the Tower this is it but be warned their is power in that group. At least one of the Warders is a Master or soon to be one and if I'm not mistaken one of them may be a Sitter." Looking in between the two Greens he waited to see if the importance of what he said had sunk in, “What do you plan to do?”

Lukas Talinko

*******************************

Lanfir and Lyanna were considering their options when an out of breath voice sounded behind them: "I assume you two have seen the party down below in the streets? Well if ever their was a chance for you two to return to the Tower this is it but be warned their is power in that group. At least one of the Warders is a Master or soon to be one and if I'm not mistaken one of them may be a Sitter." Lukas was still standing with the doorknob in his hands. His cheeks were flushed with excitement. “What do you plan to do?”

Lanfir spread her hands and explained the situation to the young Tower Guard. "We're trying to think of something, Lukas. We know that they are going to the Palace, so we need a way to get to them. Now how should we announce ourselves?"

Lyanna was looking at Lukas with eyes that were narrowed in contemplation. "I think I got it. Lukas, would you be willing to send a message to the Palace to Taya Gille of the Green Ajah?"

Lukas nodded. "Of course."

Lyanna shifted her gaze to Lanfir. "We need pen and paper, and we need to think, quickly. Taya is our key to the palace. What do we say?"

Quill and ink were quickly gotten a hold of. While Lukas was proving himself a dear by preparing two new cups of iced tea, Lanfir and Lyanna bowed themselves over the letter. The sun was shining on their heads but they hardly noticed. Two faces were frowned with similar concentration. This was important. It had to be perfect.

Dear Taya Sedai,

Two of your Sisters would be most pleased if they could present themselves to you and speak of old times. Please prepare to receive our presence at mid-afternoon. If this is not possible, would you be so kind to inform our messenger?

Under the Light,
Your Sisters.

"Well, there then. It is crappy, but it's the best we could do," Lanfir smiled.

Lyanna shrugged. "It'll get the message across and it will make sure she will not know yet who we are." Lukas joined them with two cups of fresh iced tea. They thanked him gratefully and send him out on the road. Lanfir gulped down her tea quickly. "So... now for the real question... do we have anything to wear?"

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Green Ajah

***************************************

Lyanna blushed at Lanfir's question. "I did bring my stole," she said with a quiet voice. "It has never left me. I have a spare one too. I would be honored if you wore it."

But she could hardly wear the precious stole over the course working clothes she wore daily. They would need dresses, and fast.

"How about we send Lukas to the palace, and then we do some shopping? There must be something we can buy and have fit on us before the afternoon. I know there is a good tailorshop just on the market. It is expensive, but I think that fits the occasion, do you not?"

Lyanna

***************************

Three hours later they had spent a fair amount of the money that Lanfir had gained by selling her Tavern, but they were holding several bags in their hands, had Lukas carrying some of the heavier ones, and they were giddy with anticipation.

Halfway during their shopping spree they had gotten the notion of making their entrance even more of a statement than it already was, and they had gone to shop for battle regalia. Tight leather breeches, a matching shirt, a good belt and when they were at it anyway, Lanfir had given Lyanna and herself a set of twin daggers to sheathe in their belts. They were having loads of fun and were probably driving Lukas bonkers with their girlish chatter, but Lanfir couldn't care less. She was feeling a little light-headed and filled with anticipation. Lyanna was obviously sharing her mood, because she was laughing as they walked through a less crowded street. The silvery sound of her unguarded laughter filled the air around them and Lanfir savored the moment. When they would return to the Tower, they would have to be all composed and in control of their emotion again, but until then they would enjoy the sunshine, the market, the tailors and the daggers and the company of another woman that was thrilled by a shopping spree. It was good.

"I guess I have to braid my hair if we want to do this the right way," Lyanna mused as they rounded a corner. "Will you do it for me?"

"Sure," Lanfir nodded. "It's the least I can do if I can wear your stole." She raked her hand through the dozens of miniature braids she was wearing. "Should I braid all these strands together, as well?"

Lyanna laughed heartily, and they decided to keep it this way. They'd be impressive enough as soon as they had changed into their battle clothing anyhow. Strange enough, Lanfir was looking forward to it. It wasnt until the Tower life beckoned again that she realized how much she had missed it. Light, she really had missed it.

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Nostalgic Greenie

*********************************************

In the confinement of their quarters above the Tavern, Lyanna and Lanfir dressed themselves for battle. Because, in a way, a battle it would be. A battle with their own emotions, with possibly the scorn of the Tower, and the memories that would be shared with the Sedai they knew - or rather - had known.

When Lyanna had finally donned the battle regalia - which had been difficult because of the sturdyness of the leather - and watched herself in the bodyhigh mirror in Lannie's bedroom, her breath caught. She looked the spitting image of the girl she had been so long ago. If you overlooked the white streaks that had crept up from her temples. Maybe she should dye her hair...but no. The white gave her some dignity and she didn't really care for her age to show.

Lanfir's deft fingers had created an intricate braid and when Lyanna hung the graciously given daggers at her side, she really felt Green Ajah again. They resembled her old dagger very closely: the hilts were made of ivory and were inlaid with green enamel. A surge of nerves went through her body. She opened her old duffel bag and searched for her most prized posession, which lay folded on the floor of the bag, within thin sheets of rice paper and then covered by a thick piece of oil cloth. As she peeled away the cloth and paper, a lushious green shine greeted her. There lay folded two green stoles, elaborately embroidered with floral patterns and the flame of Tar Valon. Even the fringes were still intact. One of them, she handed wordlessly to Lanfir, who had also dressed in her regalia.

The other, she hung about her shoulders. Both Sedai looked at eachother in anticipation. This was it. Lukas would have delivered the note by now. All they had to do now was wait.

Lyanna
- clawing her way back up

*********************************************

Taya rode through Tanchico with shivers running down her spine. None of her disquiet showed on the outside, but she was a mess within. It had been hard enough coming back to Tarabon, and the reasons eluded her. But there was something about being in the capital, this centre of activity that she had visited so often in the far-distant past, that put her on edge. It was almost as bad as if they’d gone to Elmora.

She kept up her sisterly façade of serenity and self-assurance as the party rode through the streets, their number greatly lessened now for this leg of the journey. Her pulse skipped now and then at the thought of what lay ahead – they’d discover the truth about what had happened to Tilana. But for now she had to contend with her jitters at being in this hub of activity. At least she had her sisters with her.

Some notable faces are missing, she mused as she recalled the last time she had been in Tanchico. Mierin had been with her, and Lanfir had been their Head, back in the Tower waiting for the news on the outcome. Katrina, newly raised to the shawl, had accompanied them, having her first taste of what it was to be a Green on a mission. All those faces were so scarce in her memory now. Sometimes it seemed as if they hadn’t even existed. And some no longer do, she thought, teetering on the edge of mourning as she pulled up other faces from her past.

At least it was something to distract her from the strange feelings Tanchico was giving her.

“There it is,” a sister beside her breathed almost inaudibly, and Taya looked ahead once more. The woman must surely be talking about that – the palace. It beckoned to them, looking beautiful in the sunlight and trying its best to put Taya at ease, to give her something to dwell on in a positive way. But she couldn’t do it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape that feeling that something was out of place, if not quite amiss. Admittedly, she didn’t try too hard.

The entourage had made its way quite rapidly – by comparison – through the crowds. People made way for them, as they always did for Aes Sedai. Everybody who saw them passing by had to look at them for at least a long moment. Taya had long become accustomed to the feeling of hundreds, even thousands of pairs of eyes fixated on her as she pretended oblivion. But now they had waded through it all, and stood ready to be admitted to the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the palace an hour later Taya heard a knock at the door and blinked. She hadn’t sent for anything. Were they meeting with Andrei already? Light, but that had been fast! She settled her books on the bed and walked sedately into the antechamber, where she opened the door and faced one of the higher-ranked serving men. He bowed to her and produced a nicely folded little piece of paper. Of course, he did that with rather a lot of flourish. He knew that Taya was a Sitter, and he knew what that meant. No doubt his employer had educated him well.

“Aes Sedai, I present to you a note that has arrived by private courier. If you will…” He remained bowed with the note held out, waiting for her to take it. She briefly embraced saidar to check if there were any hints of the Power on it, seeking traps, but found it clean. She took it from him as she released the Source and said, “Very well. A good afternoon to you.” It was a dismissal and he took it as such, deepening his bow just once more before straightening and striding away down the hall, haughty in his own way yet keeping it reined in with careful respect.

Taya shut the door and opened the note. She read:

Dear Taya Sedai,

Two of your Sisters would be most pleased if they could present themselves to you and speak of old times. Please prepare to receive our presence at mid-afternoon. If this is not possible, would you be so kind to inform our messenger?

Under the Light,
Your Sisters.

Taya frowned and pondered the note. Who would want to speak of old times? It couldn’t be someone in her own party, that was unless somebody was playing coy. Was she in danger? Should she have some fellow sisters over as a guard? No, she thought dryly as she took the note to her travel log and tucked it into one of the cover flaps, I can handle whatever they bring to me. And besides, who said it had to be something negative? Just because she had been feeling out of sorts ever since arriving in Tarabon, and that feeling had intensified here in the capital, did not mean it was her instincts talking.

She was well aware that it was foolhardy to assume so casually that she’d be safe. But she was feeling a little reckless, she supposed. She hadn’t recognised the writing on that note of paper, but that didn’t mean anything. She hadn’t seen half her Ajah’s writing, and these ones didn’t even have to be Greens. So all there was to do was wait. There was an hour and a half until the strange Aes Sedai would arrive. She had plenty of things to fill the time with.

A sense of stress settled upon her once again as she turned her mind to business, all but forgetting the mysterious note and the so-called Sisters who had written it.


Taya Gille
Green Sitter
In for a helluva shock

OOC: I figured I would wait for someone else to post, and then post again *G* Don’t wanna hog the thread with a big long post ;p *looks at above post* Hey, it’s not THAT long! Hehe.

*****************************

Lukas arrived just as they had finished dressing up. Lanfir was still staring at herself in the mirror, unbelieving at what she saw. Compared to the last time she had dressed in such clothes and looked at herself she looked so... healthy!

She had none of the stress-induced skinniness and strain imposing on her body. In contrary, she looked fit and her skin was bronzed with tan. Her hair was shining and white, divided in a few dozen tiny braids. She smiled at her image in the mirror and asked over her shoulder: "Good news, Lukas?"

The young Tower Guard nodded. "I was told that she will receive you."

"That's great," Lanfir grinned. She couldnt hide her excitement. When she looked at Lyanna, the other woman... no, the other Green was sharing her mirth. Lyanna looked great - lithe, healthy, and beautiful. "Are you ready, Lyanna?"

Lyanna nodded, her hand trailing absently over one of her daggers. "Ready when you are."

Lanfir arranged with Menion that he would keep the Tavern open today. Technically he would take over completely next month, so Lanfir had the time to show him the ropes in the meantime, but she figured a little experience was good for him. Menion did not mind either, he was excited that he could run the Tavern today. He wished them good luck and showered them with compliments on how beautiful they looked, and sent them on their way.

The day was still sunny and cheery. When Lanfir caught their reflection in a window, she had to smile. "Light, we look like soldiers," she commented.

Lyanna just smiled serenely. "Which is exactly what we are."

She was right. They really were soldiers again. And despite all the pain and heartbreak that her warfare had brought her, Lanfir relished the idea.

Lannie
~on her way to give Taya that helluva shock

***********************

Kaylan smoothed her skirts as she exited the Blacksmiths. From his reports, they were not the only Aes Sedai in the city, and she wondered idly who they were. Of course, Kaylan did not know every Aes Sedai from the Tower anyway, but she was considering putting up the emergency message signal for the Greens in case they were such. She resolved to speak to Taya about it, before she made any such move.
She felt out of place here. None of her Warders were with her, but she had spent plenty of time apart from them before. No, it was something else that was making her feel odd, perhaps it was that she had been thinking about her past more often. What right did a common theif and whore have to call herself Aes Sedai, one of the most powerful people in the world? What right did a woman who had come to the Tower to avoid true accusations have to present herself before a king?
With a sigh, she wandered into Taya's rooms.
"Taya, I have news." She wondered that her novicehood friend was doing, and hoped that she had not interrupted anything important.
"One of the... one of our agents reports that there are other Aes Sedai in the city." She wondered once more who they could be. She had not even told her old friend about her role with the Ajah's eyes and Ears yet, as she had promised Anice, the red haired woman who had last held the job, over a century ago.
Silently, she waited to see what Taya's reaction would be to the news.

Kaylan
Battle Sister
Thrice Bonded

**********************

.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.

Jehanine studied the sprawling city with faint interest, having never visited the capitol of Tarabon before. It was a mess of buildings and paved streets all of which advanced upon the palace just as the party of Aes Sedai was doing. Jehanine had declined to wear her shawl, preferring to move about in public as if she were a normal lady, although her strategy was dashed by the number of other sisters who proudly displayed theirs. She trusted Taya and, if she admitted to it, Sirayn enough to assume they had studied the culture of the city before bringing a full party of very ostentatiously Tower-trained women through it. Jehanine only vaguely remembered what she had learned of Tanchico in Keanaia's geography course, and hoped the other sisters had more than a passing knowledge.

Dealing with the ruler would be little problem however, particularly on Jehanine's part as she was mainly expected to stand at the back of the party and lend her support and aura of command to the women who would speak. She wondered if Sirayn would be one of those, or if she would bow to the age and wisdom of Taya in this instance.

Beneath her, her mount stepped carefully along the uneven stones of the road that wound its way to the palace. She had chosen to ride side-saddled, hating as she did the divided riding skirts that so many sisters preferred, and disliking breeches even more. She was garbed in her usual black, although this dress was more elaborate than most, fit for a court. Her hair, too, was braided and pinned with sparkling beryls.

As she continued her quiet observation, she wondered once again why she had been invited along. There had been no reason offered, merely a condescending note stating that "Sirayn requests your presence," and nothing more. What good would it have done to decline, when the Sitters were present to enforce Sirayn's will?

And so Jehanine sat, stiff-backed and thin-lipped, Sirayn's back directly before her and with Jehanine's bracelet glinting on her wrist. With an effort, Jehanine turned and drew the studious Brown sister beside her into a conversation regarding the architecture of the Tanchico palace.

.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.

The room she had been assigned for the time that the party would remain at the palace was beautifully appointed, and Jehanine admired the silks of the bed linens and the intricate weaves of the tapestries lining the walls with satisfaction. And a great degree of boredom. She would prefer to be back in the camp, speaking with Kaylan or the only animated Brown sister she had yet come across, Josephina.

Instead, she was caged within her sumptuous room with seven sheets of parchment, her quill and ink, and an old tome on the versatility of various weapons. Pacing in soft slippers across the elaborate carpets, Jehanine hoped something - anything - would require her presence soon.

.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.:v^v:.

Jeha

*************************

"These ladies have an appointment with Taya Aes Sedai, she's expecting them," Lukas explained to the rather flabbergasted servant. The fair-haired young man tried to hide it, but his eyebrows shot up nonetheless. "Certainly," he said blankly, quickly assessing the battle gear that Lyanna and Lanfir were clad in. "We care very much about our esteemed guests," he added in a voice that was a lot less blank. The question what are you planning with these clothes on? hung in the air between them.

"We are Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah," Lanfir said eventually. She was too impatient right now to be held up by sceptic servants. Impatient and nervous both. Taya had been her friend, she had cried on her shoulder and then left for a century. Would she welcome them? Would any of them welcome their fallen Captain-General?

She hardly saw the grandeur of the palace as they strode to where Taya's rooms were said to be situated. A million different scenario's were running through her head. What would happen as soon as that door was opened and she laid eyes on the woman she still considered her friend, after all those years?

"We're here," the servant said, pausing a little too long before he added, "Aes Sedai."

Lyanna shot him a glare, but Lanfir could not care less. The tapped on the door until she heard a familiar voice say: "Come in."

The doorhandle was cool against her handpalm (strange, how she suddenly noticed that). She pushed it downwards and entered the brightly lit room. Taya was sitting on a chair next to a desk, conversing with another woman that Lanfir immediately recognised as Kaylan.

Her heart broke in a million pieces. One look, and she had to turn her eyes away.

"Sisters," she said hoarsely, sinking on one knee, "we have returned."

~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Ajah

**************************

Taya looked up as movement caught her eye. Kaylan had entered from the door that led into her own quarters. Taya smiled and motioned her over.

When she was close enough Kaylan spoke. "Taya, I have news. One of the... one of our agents reports that there are other Aes Sedai in the city."

Taya raised her eyebrows, and then nodded. "It could be, I suppose..." Kaylan looked askance at her, and she continued, "I recieved a note by private courier, or so the man told me. It came about an hour and a half ago. Take a look." She went to her travel log on the bedside cabinet and removed the note, handing it to Kaylan who had trailed in her footsteps. She waited for Kaylan to read it.

Kaylan looked up at her and said, "You think they are the ones?"

Taya shrugged. "Could be, I suppose. Or else this city is wriggling with sisters." She grinned and patted Kaylan lightly on the arm as she passed. "In any case, they should be arriving soon. Perhaps it's better after all that you're here. Back-up, that sort of thing."

She exchanged a smile with her oldest friend and then went to pick up where she had left off with her preparations for Andrei. She sat at her desk and took the topmost papers. Kaylan approached and they began to discuss how the meeting would go. Taya explained to Kaylan that had almost everything in order, as far as her own part in the whole thing went, but that there were still a few loose ends that needed...

A faint knock sounded at the door, and Taya looked up, frozen on the spot for a split second. Then she straightened and donned her Aes Sedai mask once more. With hardly a moment passed since she heard the knock, she calmly called, "Come in."

Taya saw things in intricate detail, even if they were rather far away - the way the handle moved, the way the door cracked slightly and then opened all the way. Two women entered the room, dressed in battle regalia. Greens, was her first thought, and it accompanied an increase in her heartrate, for she knew these women were not in the party she was travelling with. But soon the moments for hasty calculation were gone. All Taya could see was Lanfir Leah Marithsen, a ghost come back to life before her eyes.

Lanfir's eyes hastily averted, as if she were ashamed, and in a hoarse voice she said, "Sisters...we have returned," as she sunk to one knee.

Taya could only gape. So many thoughts crammed for space in her mind that she thought the whole thing might explode. Lanfir is kneeling to us, was one of those at the forefront. Then, Lanfir is alive surged to the surface, only to be crowded out by, Light, but I am going to weep!

Then Taya was up from the chair and running, running as no Aes Sedai would be caught dead doing in public, or even when she was on her own. She ran and fell to her knees before Lanfir, mouth hanging open. She threw her arms about the other woman, feeling all her walls coming down after almost the near century of steadfast service they had given. She felt the walls crumbling and she didn't care one bit.

OOC: And she hasn't even noticed Lyanna yet *g* Yes, fun is still to come

Taya

*******************

Kaylan looked up as the door opened, knowing that her curiosity would soon be satiated as to the identity of the mysterious sisters.
As soon as the two entered the room, in full Battle regalia, her breath completely left her, and her entire body came out in goosepimples.
"Oh, Light." It was barely a whisper, but her shock was drawn across her face as if she was a novice again. She would recognise both of those faces for the rest of her life.

Lanfir formed large Fireballs with thick weaves of Fire, while Lyanna grasped saidar and used Air to disperse them to all sides, so that the enemy down below would not know where they were targeted from. Screams reached their ears when the Fireballs hit home and burned several Trollocs, leaving nothing but chars and ashes.

She gasped. It had been centuries ago, when she was a new Sister. Seeing Taya run over to Lanfir for a hug, Kaylan instead bowed down.
"Captain-General. Lyanna. Welcome home, Sisters." Her own voice was now hoarse, and she stood, her eyes damp. Walking over quickly, she embraced Lyanna.
"Where have you been all these years? We have missed you dearly."

Kaylan Morin
Battle Sister
OMG OMG OMG!!!

***************************

Lyanna could have incinerated the servant when he hesitated to address Lanfir with the formal epithet Aes Sedai right away, so furious was she. But she bit back her tongue and simply gave him a glare which caused him to avert his eyes. They were Sedai now, in presence of others. Not a time to give in to emotions. Lukas stood to the side, body tense, eyes on the prowl. Good.

Again, shivers went up her spine and she had to repress her hands from shaking as Lanfir knocked and a familiar voice called them to come in. Lanfir slowly opened the door. It was like a door opening to their past. Past Lanfir's shoulder, Lyanna could see Taya sitting at one of the tables in the room, quietly conversing with another Sedai whom Lyanna instantly recognized as Kaylan. Hot tears threatened to blur her vision, and she blinked them away quickly.

Lanfir had taken long strides into the room, and knelt, head down, eyes averted. Sisters...we have returned...

Lyanna sank through her knee as well, bowing her head, saying nothing. Lanfir still held sway over this meeting, as former Captain-General, and there was nothing Lyanna could say that would add to the announcement. She saw a multitude of expressions flow over Taya's face, moments before the woman rushed out of her chair and took Lanfir in her arms.

Acceptance...oh Lanfir, I am so glad it came to this. Maybe now you will let those weary memories rest in your head.... Lyanna remained motionless, as it was not her place to speak in front of Taya, who had undoubtedly secured a position as Sitter by now. She felt like an Accepted...but it also felt like home.

Lyanna
No longer fallen from grace

*****************************

Taya even smelled the same, Lanfir realised through a mist of tears and warmth. "I missed you," she whispered, hugging Taya back for all she was worth. For some reason she had to think of an afternoon in Rashima's Garden so long ago, when Taya had hugged her at Miraina's grave.

After a few blissful moments, Lanfir pried herself loose to hold Taya on an arm's length. The other Green was crying as well - but she was smiling, and that was a good sign. "You look beautiful, Taya," she said with a warm smile. Her feelings were one jumbled mess of relief, happiness, regret and warmth - she could not make out what she was feeling anymore. But that did not matter anyhow. All that mattered was the reunion.

"So do you," Taya said and laughed, wiping her tears from her face.

Lanfir smiled and hugged Kaylan, who was whispering a welcome. She hugged back and realized this would bring her to the big question. She had to ask, before they would go on. "Do you think that the Green Ajah would accept two stray sisters back into their ranks in the Tower?"

~Lannie

**********************

As Lanfir went to Kaylan, Taya's eyes fell on the other woman, who up until now had been lost to her consciousness in Lanfir's stead. Yet now, now...

Lanfir's voice sounded, Taya's mind only just managing to hear what she said. "Do you think that the Green Ajah would accept two stray sisters back into their ranks in the Tower?"

As Taya regarded Lyanna al'Elisande, another long-lost sister now apparently returned to the fold - unless Taya was dreaming, which was a very real possibility - she murmured, "I don't see how they could refuse to, with Kaylan and I breathing down their necks with the intensity of Balefire." Her eyes never left Lyanna, and now she smiled and walked over.

"Oh, Lyanna," she whispered as she gave this Green a hug too, "I truly thought that the Creator had taken you that day, when you didn't return..."

Lyanna murmured reassurances as she returned the hug, and when she pulled away she planted a kiss on Taya's cheek.

Taya spent a moment studying that familiar, striking face, the beautiful eyes so full of warmth, happiness, and nostalgia. Then Taya turned slowly and dumbly to look at the other two. Kaylan and Lanfir, standing beside each other and exchanging quietly elated looks with one another, when they weren't looking at Taya and Lyanna the same way. Taya realised it then - the four were back together. They hadn't been this way in a long time. In fact, she wasn't sure they ever had been, because all the other times with just the four of them, they had been in the shadow of war, or in the midst of it, or in the aching aftermath. Those were hardly times to be happy. Yet we are in the shadow of something now, too, a voice inside her called out, but she was too amazed by who she was looking at to pay it much mind.

She decided with a wry shake of the head that the trip to Tarabon had already paid off in spades, at least for her, and for the Green Ajah too. Even if they didn't know it yet, they had gained a great treasure this day. Two hardened battle sisters, from the cream of history's crop, at long last back in the arms of the Battle Ajah.

Kaylan was speaking softly, probably answering the question Lanfir had posed a little more lengthily than Taya had, but Taya couldn't really focus on the words. She was already waking up to herself, and to their situation. Lanfir and Lyanna looked ready to do battle, and if they intended to join Taya and Kaylan in their business, then they would need those outfits and any sharp weapons they could get their hands on. But they have not said anything about joining, yet, Taya thought to herself, and besides, they do not even know what there is to join.

They would have to be filled in. But first came the matter of the rest of the Greens. Taya was not in charge of the Namandar mission, at least not outwardly - several were in charge behind the scenes, but even then it was no single woman's responsibility. Taya could not decide the fate of these two women before her. It had to be up to the party as a whole.

Lanfir and Lyanna would need to be introduced to their brethren, most of whom Lanfir at least would never have met.

Taya cleared her throat, and everyone looked at her. She said, "Before anything is determined about...your status, and yours Lyanna, we will need to consult with the rest of the party. Not just the Greens, either. The Browns have a say." She wasn't particularly fond of that fact, but there it was, the truth on a platter.

She had to grin as she added, "What do you say?" She felt quite foolish, as if inebriated, or a little girl prone to fits of mad giggles, but she couldn't help it. She had her sisters back.

Taya

************************

"What do you say?" Taya grinned in that so familiar and beloved way. The sunlight from the high windows caught her fair hair for a second and for one heartbeat it seemed as if no time had passed at all, and they were back in Lanfir's quarters for lessons on Battle Weaves again.

Kaylan looked just as marvellous, as she always did. Her eyes were the one that had changed the most - they had lost their guileless look and were now more serious and wise. It was only her eyes that betrayed her age. Her smile was still the same, though. Lanfir couldn't help smiling back.

"Maybe you can summon our sisters, Taya," Lyanna suggested. She was smoothing her hair back in her braid, trying to regain composure. "The Greens first, perhaps, before we immerse in multi-Ajah politics."

Composure - that would be important now. Lanfir wiped the remains of her tears of happiness from her face and dipped her hand under the neckline of her shirt. It found the thin golden necklace and the Great Serpent ring that featured it. She took off her necklace, it around her wrist, and she took the ring in her hands. She stared at the sunlight glinting on the golden ring for a moment.

It had been almost a century ago that she took her Great Serpent ring from her finger because she did not think she still deserved it. She still recalled that moment - it was shortly after she had ceased her search for Souvan. She had been sitting in the windowsill of her room in an inn in Arafel, holding the ring in her hand in exactly the same way that she did now. She had looked at the symbol of her time as Aes Sedai, and she had taken a leather string to bind the ring around her neck. She would wear the ring as a reminder around her neck, but she did not deserve the ring around her finger anymore.

And today, on this sunlight and overjoyed day, she slipped it around her finger again. The middle finger of her right hand, as it always had been. She smiled at the feeling of the golden serpent around her finger - it was unfamiliar and familiar alike. When she looked up at her Sisters, she was surprised to see them looking at her. Lanfir flashed them a brilliant smile. "I guess it was time," she explained vaguely.

"It is," Kaylan said warmly, clasping her hands around Lanfir's.

"I'll summon the other Greens that are assembled here," Taya announced, and left the room to find a servant.

Lanfir smiled at Kaylan and Lyanna. Yes, it really was time. And this time, she would do it right.


~Lanfir Leah Marithsen
Battle Ajah
and in a rather epic mood tonight

****************

Lyanna's heart felt so full it almost burst. Taya, Kaylan, both the same, and yet changed. Not for the worse, but they were different from what she remembered. Older. Wiser. More patient maybe. But the fire was still there, in both their eyes. Lyanna remembered fighting next to Kaylan in the Trolloc Raid of Tar Valon, their hair bound in nets of Air, lashing around them with a vehemence. It was then, that she'd lost it, when Mikalen died, and she disappeared in the aftermath of battle. No wonder both of them had thought she was dead.

She smoothed back her hair, pushing loose strands back into the braid. It had come loose during Taya's embrace. Lanfir donned her ring again, a precious and almost epic moment, and Lyanna could be nothing but happy for her. They were home. At last. But they had to face yet other challenges: how would the rest of the Ajah react? Most of them, she had never seen. It was important that they met them as soon as possible.

As Taya went in search of a servant, to summon the rest of the Greens present in the palace, she nervously paced the room, leaving Kaylan and Lanfir alone to talk. What would be their status now? Would they be accepted back into the arms of the Greens? Or would they be condemned for being out of the Tower for so long? And what was the party's business here, anyway? In Tarabon, of all places?

~Ly

**********************

: : : : Sirayn sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. She had just met briefly with the King’s people and even this small contact with royalty and their honoured servants had made her painfully aware that she had no place here. You are going to prove Mandi wrong, that spiteful voice chattered. And Jehanine and Seiaman and Losyn and everyone. Except the Browns. They’ll be standing over you cackling when you fall. Sirayn took a deep breath and sighed it out. She had to be calm. Confident in every situation, decisive, intelligent, gracious in victory and dignified in defeat, those were just some of the essential qualities a leader needed, and Sirayn reckoned she lacked every single one. Not an inspiring start. A part of her felt like a rat trapped in a cage; every move brought her a step closer to utter humiliation and defeat, every last stand only dragged her further down and there was no end but this constant spiral of loss and frightening loneliness. She dreaded the inevitable shameful end but the only other route was to crash out in disgrace and she could not give up. She would not stop fighting until either everyone else was dead, or she was! Sheer anger dragged her out of her seat and Sirayn stalked across her chambers and stood, irresolute, at the door as her wrath left her again as suddenly as it had come. She was of half a mind to stalk right back and kick open Andrei’s door herself and find out precisely what was so engrossing he couldn’t stand to meet with a group of Aes Sedai.

: : : : Instead, the door reverberated to a forceful knock. It opened before she could take another step and someone sidled in. Sirayn glowered at the unfortunate person, fully prepared to smite him but good, but she was somewhat disarmed when a sun-bronzed servant with eager eyes bowed deeply and presented Sirayn with a note. Sirayn took it and flicked it open with a dismissive gesture. Come to my rooms immediately. It was Taya’s handwriting, Sirayn recognised from the countless small things she had seen the Sitter write. “I have orders to direct you back, Aes Sedai,” the little man said helpfully. With a sigh of irritation Sirayn left her quarters, shut and warded the door, and stalked along the corridors with the browned servant scurrying to keep up. Sirayn was tiny but she made up for short steps with a deceptively quick, abrupt pace which she had been told more than once made everyone else feel as though she was trying to get ahead of them. Damn people could think what they liked of the speed at which she walked. It wasn’t as though they didn’t criticise everything else about her. The servant showed her with much bowing and scraping the correct door and made himself politely scarce. Sirayn knocked briefly, waited a requisite moment or two and finally walked inside.

: : : : The scene inside seemed calm, yet tense, frozen like a tableau of emotions in an unfamiliar place. Four women stood arrayed as though to face a battle, all heads turned toward her, and Sirayn was stepping into a court-martial as she moved into those four stares. A cold chill ran down her spine. Taya and Kaylan she recognised, but the other two- one was unfamiliar to her, but the other- Sirayn looked at the strange white-haired woman warily, haunted by a vague sense of familiarity. She knew the woman’s face from – somewhere. Then it clicked. Sirayn had that portrait on her wall. “Lanfir Leah Marithsen,” Sirayn said quietly, coldly, tasting the words.

: : : : The silence stretched paper-thin and warning. Sirayn kept staring as though she’d seen a ghost. Lanfir? Lanfir Leah Marithsen, the legendary Captain-General of years past? Lanfir who was one of the legends Sirayn had always dreamed about meeting? She’d made such grand plans. Instead, seized by a sudden crippling shyness, Sirayn turned her face away and folded her arms with an inexplicable sense of hurt, her face settling into an icy, rigid mask. I can’t talk to her! She was technically supposed to be the leader here, damn them, damn them all and their games. Some commander she was if she was afraid to look a legend in the face. Light, she was tired, and this play was so far above her head she couldn’t even see the surface. What were they doing? Why were they here? Try as she might Sirayn couldn’t summon a sense of indignation that they had just muscled straight in. She was the one out of place here. She was the one who should back down. Yes, back out and run back home. Run anywhere. Just leave and get away from them all. Sirayn folded her arms tighter, almost hugging herself unconscious to the show of vulnerability, and made herself look up. “I didn’t realise you were busy, Taya.” The words came out as almost a croak. Busy? With Lanfir? Were they all trying to make her look so stupid that she hadn’t even known a great legend was about to gatecrash the trip? Were they deliberately keeping her out or had she slipped Taya’s mind entirely, so inconsequential that Taya didn’t even remember? Sirayn was the prey and they the predator, she the failure and they the judge. She had no place here. In an uncharacteristically subdued, strained voice Sirayn added, “I’ll be back later.”

OOC: Seiaman will be posting next if that’s okay with you folks, we got a little scene to play out Lannie Lannie Lannie! –jumps- Poor old Lya, Sirayn doesn’t know who you are. :p

 

~ Sirayn ~
Battle Ajah

**************************

The sudden downfall of the emotions coming through the bond had Seiaman walking briskly towards her Aes Sedai. Losyn felt it too but he also knew that when the Greens meet, their Warders stay out most of the time. Seiaman didn't care. Something was going on and it was affecting Sirayn in a very strong way. Opening the door, Sirayn had turned, ready to leave the room and Seiaman looked down at her, blocking her way. A wave of emotions roared through the bond as Seia looked up, dressed in their battle-gear, donning their Green shawls. But who are they? The way Sirayn was feeling, they were important women of the Green Ajah. Why are they here? She noticed a third person with them and looked, the edges of her lips coming up in a smirk. It was Lukas, a newly advanced Tower Guard who had picked Me'Arearth as his discipline. But he had left the Tower before Seiaman could take up his training.

Sirayn felt impatient and pulled at the bond, as if to say Move or I will move you! She moved to walk around her Gaidin and Seia gently grabbed her arm. Seiaman frowned, “Light Sirayn, I never thought to feel this from you. Stop gawking and show them what you’re made of.” The Aes Sedai gave her a sharp glance, hurt and anger coarsing through the bond. Seiaman frowned slightly, pushing her annoyance and insistence back at Sirayn. Looking at the two Greens with a smile, “Forgive my Aes Sedai, she’s just a bit star-struck at the moment.” She knew that the Greens understood the jests that occured between themselves and their warders, and she also hoped that this comment would help Sirayn snap out of her Oh my god oh my god I'm actually meeting them They're actually alive state. But Seia also knew if Sirayn kept thinking what she was thinking, she'd slide into a depression and self-pity.

The hurt and anger increased and Sirayn gave a dark look. "I hope you've had your fun." Their eyes met for a moment when Seiaman realized that Sirayn probably thought the legendary Greens think Sirayn a youngling, unable to control her own Gaidin and unfit to lead the travel party to Namander. And that they would take over, rejecting her as a leader. Others started to arrive and Seiaman walked up to Sirayn, pulling her aside for a brief private moment. Keeping her voice low, "I'm sorry, Sirayn, I just felt as if you need a little push." The Aes Sedai literally snarled up at Seiaman, the anger increasing by the minute. "I was fine until you said that." Seia's eyebrow twitched, "Were you?" Tweaking the bond, she continued before Sirayn could say anything else. "I don’t think so, Aes Sedai. These women were once heralded as the greatest Greens ever to walk Tar Valon. But their time is over. It’s your time now. So stop gawking.”

And for the first time in a long while, Sirayn stared up at Seiaman, speechless. Then she seemed to grasp her senses and shook her head. "No. What am I supposed to do, if not look up to them and avoid them?" The edges of Seiaman's lips went up in a small smile as pride and confidence welled up in her. "Join them."

Seiaman

***********************

Lanfir waited for the other Greens with a knot in her stomach. Kaylan had filled her in a little on the Sisters who were along on their journey, without revealing much of what they were actually doing here in Tanchico, but she was too messed up in the head to remember much of it.

When the door finally opened, an Aes Sedai with black hair and dark traveling clothes entered the room. From what Kaylan had told her, this was probably Sirayn. She looked rather young still to Lanfir - the fact that she did not know this Aes Sedai spoke volumes about her age. The look that passed over her face was strange, though. Lots of emotions seemed to be bubbling up behind the Aes Sedai mask of pleasant blankness she was wearing - Lanfir could have sworn she saw traces of recognition, unbelief and hurt in there.

“Lanfir Leah Marithsen,” the dark-haired Aes Sedai said slowly. Her voice sounded cold. So this Aes Sedai knew her - by name and face, probably. A stab of uncertainty shot through Lanfir. Sirayn (if this really was Sirayn) did not look too happy to see Lanfir here. Why? Had she judged Lanfir already? Did she have a low opinion because of the mess Lanfir had left in her wake? Oh Light, let it not be so...

Fear or not, she had to address the unknown Aes Sedai. She was already mustering up a warm smile and a few friendly words of introduction when the young woman promptly added: “I didn’t realise you were busy, Taya. I’ll be back later.”

Lanfir blinked and shared a look of confusion with Taya. Taya opened her mouth and managed to say: "That was the reason why-"

-when the door opened and a brown-haired woman with the grace that was so typical of gaidin entered. She shared a few soft and passionate words with the Aes Sedai and then looked up with an almost rueful smile: “Forgive my Aes Sedai, she’s just a bit star-struck at the moment.”

Starstruck? Why?

But at that moment, the gaidin pulled Sirayn aside and more Aes Sedai were entering, so she had to drop her confusion for introductions and warm smiles.

...Starstruck. Yeah, right.

Lannie

***********************

Corbin spent the ride to and into Tanchico constantly scanning the surrounding countryside, including hills, cliffs, a river or two, once he even found himself glancing at a rock that he swore had a bad attitude and "shifty" eyes. Any time he thought he saw something his hand would twitch towrds his shoulder, only to be stopped at realizing it was a rabbit or something else. When they were coming into Tanchico, Jade paused to press a coin into a beggars hand, immediately his hand shot for his claymore, and he prepared to dismount. When the beggar gave Jade a smile and backed off, Corbin let himself relaxed, and chuckled a bit at himself, and then at Jade when she shot a look around to see if anyone had seen.

Corbin LaGoose
Paranoid Warder

***************************

Lyanna watched the little scene before her unfold and chuckled inwardly. No matter how long she'd been away from the Tower, apparently the same machinations and little powerplays were at hand as when she'd left.

The woman who had entered looked more than a little distraught to find Lanfir and herself here with Taya and Kaylan. She seemed young, and Lyanna knew that she hadn't met this particular Sedai when she last was in the Tower. Yet she proved to recognize Lanfir, who, from the look on her face, didn't know the woman either.

Well well, Lanfir, seems that you've left some legends in your wake she thought, amused, for the Sedai could only have been recognized through pictures or paintings. For all we know there is a lifesize statue of Lannie in Rashima's Garden she mused, more than a little bewildered. She'd imagined meeting the rest of the Ajah to be strange, but this surely was preposterous.

The woman seemed displeased to find the two of them here, but it seemed a displeasure which stemmed from her own insecurity, rather than from the fact that Lyanna and Lanfir had been out of the Tower for so long. As soon as she wanted to leave the room, someone stepped in, and with awe Lyanna saw that it must be a female Gaidin, judging from the grace with which the woman moved. Probably the unknown Sedai's Gaidin, because the two of them shared some hastily wispered words and the Gaidin cracked a joke, which actually seemed highly inappropriate at the time.

The woman turned again, seeming a little at a loss what to do, and at that moment, other Sisters came filing into the room, crowding it and all staring at them. They all left a respectful amount of room around the young Sedai, and suddenly, things clicked inside Lyanna's head. This must be the battle leader of this group. Surely, she was young for such a task, and in all likelyhood, the woman herself knew that too and was more than a little intimidated by two veterans showing up out of the blue. Of course! The presence of Lanfir Leah Marithsen, former Captain-General would maybe overthrow this woman's sway she held over the entire group. But they hadn't come here to overthrow anything!

Lyanna righted herself and took a deep breath. She shot a look at Lanfir and smiled at the understanding she saw there. Lanfir was always quick in situations like these.

Lyanna walked forward, slowly, aware of all eyes on her, until she had reached the unknown Sedai. She nodded at the woman with a warm smile. "My name is Lyanna al'Ellisande" and inwardly she sniggered as she heard gasps from several of the women in the room, "and I gather you lead this party. I offer you my service, should you need it."

~Lyanna

************************

Jaydena sighed and rubbed her hand over her sore muscles. For weeks she had been training every night after they stopped to make camp. Her warders both felt that she needed to be prepared for anything on this journey and so it seemed as though her saber and Quarterstaff had become permanent fixtures in her life once more. Sliding out of the bathtub with a sigh she let the water out and dried herself in one of the fluffy towels with the kings sigil on them.

She moved out of the bathroom and into the bedroom of her suite. Moving with a quick and efficient grace she began to prepare to meet the kind. For it seemed that they were not to know exactly when they were to meet with him. He thinks to control AS and he will learn that we are not easily controlled. Jade sneered at the thought of this king and then began to pick out her clothing. Her hands rifled quickly through the clothing a servant had put away. She choose a Purple velvet dress with a heart shaped neckline, the fabric had veins of gold spreading across it and was simple and elegant.

Once she had pulled her clothing on, she slipped the purple velvet slippers over her feet and then moved to the vanity. The OP came to her easily after years of channeling and she used it to arrange her hair into a cascade of waves down her back. Two mother of pearls combs held the sides back from her ears and showcased her gold and amethyst jewelry. Adding the cosmetics that Telcia had taught her about so many years ago, she moved over to her writing desk and began to sketch in her travel book. Pictures of her fellow sisters flowed for her hands. The sweet beauty of Taya, the strength of Sirayn, the quickly concealed humor of Kaylan, the inhering sexual grace of Jeha. Moving on to the respective gaidins she began to draw once more...

However her pencil stroked were interrupted by a knock at the door. Calling out for the intruder to come in, she embraced the source and prepared a nasty trap just in case. In her years as Aes Sedai she had learned to be weary, she had learned the hard way that no everyone appreciates Aes Sedai. A servant came into the room and gave her a bemused smile as he handed her a note. Taking the note with a nod she was about to dismiss him, when he said he was to lead her to the Taya Sedai's room. Jade opened the note and saw the word:

Join me in my quarters immediately!

Jade nodded and picking her writing case up she headed toward Taya's room. She figured that they were to prepare for their meeting with this king. The servant walked bouncily in front of her and they had quickly arrived at Taya's suite, as they were housed in the same wing. She knocked on the door and then stepped inside the room. The scene in front of her was strange to say the least. Seiaman her once lover stood as though guarding or pushing Sirayn toward four other woman on the other side of the room.

Trying her best to ignore Seia, as they had done for years. She turned her attention to the other women, Kaylan stood next to a sister that she didn't recognize. Taya stood next to another woman who's face she didn't know. Tear tracks were evident on Taya's face and she stepped forward in alarm. What in the light could make her dear friend cry? Let her gaze wander once more back to Sirayn she was something akin to fear on her face. Hah Sirayn Sedai does not fear anything. Stepping toward the four women she began to recognize the woman standing next to Kaylan.

A portrait graced their small hall of every Captain General who had ever lived. Lanfir was this ones name and Jade had heard many a story of her battle greatness and her leadership skills. Keeping her eyes locked on Lanfir's, she took a deep breath to still the nervousness that had eclipsed her so suddenly. You are a sitter Jaydena, a woman of power in your own right, do not fear them, for they are woman just as yourself. Nodding to the small voice that was her conscious she walked to the other side of the room and bowed her head to both of the woman. Reaching for Taya's hand she gave it a quick squeeze and then said, "Why have you summonded me Taya?"

Jaydena Sedai

**********************

: : : : The others looked a bit thrown by Sirayn’s words, though she couldn’t imagine why. “That was the reason why-“ Taya began, but Sirayn was already spinning to walk out, wishing she could close out those words with the turn of her head. She wanted to close out the whole room. What did they want? Wasn’t it bad enough to sit back and laugh while she failed, but they had to do this as well? She didn’t need this, not yet another problem piled on shoulders that were always too weak for the task they bore. She lifted a hand to open the door but it swung open without intervention and Sirayn found herself staring straight at Seiaman Kera. She was startled that Seiaman had come so close without her noticing, but impatience overwhelmed that as it became clear Seiaman had no intention of moving. Sirayn gave the bond a sharp tug. Seiaman didn’t move an inch so Sirayn began to walk round her, but Seiaman caught her arm; “Light Sirayn, I never thought to feel this from you. Stop gawking and show them what you’re made of.” Sirayn didn’t move. She knew what she was made of. She failed and kept on failing, and somehow struggled on. She looked away mutely and in that moment Seiaman said loudly, “Forgive my Aes Sedai, she’s just a bit star-struck at the moment.”

: : : : Sirayn’s head snapped up, and she glared at Seiaman with bitter hurt and fury. Of course, she thought angrily. Just as she had feared at the beginning, Seiaman was taking advantage of Sirayn’s own feelings, and using them to publically humiliate her. “I hope you’ve had your moment of fun,” Sirayn said quietly, for Seiaman’s ears alone. She couldn’t find the words to articulate what she felt. As the anger faded, crashing shame and hurt washed over her and she turned her face away from Seiaman and Lanfir and too many curious observers as the others began to flood into the room. Uncertainty came through the bond, an unusual emotion for Seiaman, and she took Sirayn’s arm and pulled her aside. Sirayn didn’t resist. “I’m sorry, Sirayn, I just felt as if you needed a little push,” Seiaman said quietly. Sirayn snarled at her, ignoring the contrition through the bond. “I was just fine until you said that.” Seiaman arched a brow. “Were you?” She tweaked the bond in return. “I don’t think so, Aes Sedai. These women were once heralded as the greatest Greens ever to walk Tar Valon. But their time is over. It’s your time now. So stop gawking.” Every time Sirayn thought she had Seiaman pegged, something like this happened, and her Gaidin stripped away all her barriers with a few words. “No.” Sirayn felt very miserable. “What am I supposed to do, if not look up to them and avoid them?”

: : : : “Join them.”

: : : : Light! Join them! Her? A prostitute’s daughter who had been turned down flat by the Head of the Green Ajah? No. She was a failure. A living reminder of why the tests and trials she had railed against were still not stern enough. But the pride and faith flowing through the bond- Jehanine’s complete conviction as she destroyed everything Sirayn had clung to and believe- Mandi- Taya- no place here- Light, she would not do it, she would not break down, she could handle this. She had to. Pull yourself together, damn you! Sirayn lifted her head and her eyes widened slightly as she saw the other sister walking toward her. Many eyes followed her and there was a collective gasp when she revealed herself as the long believed dead Green Aes Sedai, Lyanna al’Ellisande. Another legend! Light, surrounded by so many, I have no place here, no idea how to handle them. But – join them? “I gather you lead this party,” Lyanna continued. Sirayn kept her face carefully rigid. Her name was down on the list, but in actuality, Taya was just setting her up for the fall. She could see it now. It all looked deathly clear. Arette had been right when she warned Sirayn that they were plotting against her, it wasn’t just the Browns but even her own bloody Ajah who wanted her down and out. They wanted her to fail spectacularly so that she would never show her face again. And Taya was behind this. She must be. Steeling herself Sirayn prepared for the final words; she would not go out without a fight, she was Battle Ajah, she would not break. “I gather you lead this party. I offer you my service, should you need it.”

: : : : Sirayn stared unbelievingly at Lyanna, her face held very still. What under the Light was this? There is a game here that you don’t see, Sirayn, because you are too stupid. Her first thought was that Lyanna was simply offering out of Green Ajah solidarity. She dismissed that thought immediately. Clearly she was still naïve in many ways if she believed the vaunted Green Ajah comradeship actually existed. Did Lyanna stand to gain from it? Yes, she did. Power. And speaking out now should appease Sirayn from any misplaced anger she might have. I am angry, I am not appeased and they can bloody well deal with it! She was angry at Taya for throwing this at her out of what seemed like a perverse desire to see which way Sirayn would jump. She was angry at herself for being so completely floored. She was angry at Lyanna for making her think, even for a moment that this was anything more than a farce designed to undermine her. And she was angry at Seiaman for even suggesting that one day she might be fit to lick their feet. This is all a lie!

: : : : Gracious in victory, dignified in defeat, she thought miserably. The situation certainly called for dignified rather than gracious. “Thank you, Lyanna Sedai.” She sounded a bit strangled, but that was nothing to the hammering of her heart, the sickening certainty that the next few moments could be the last of her career. Bloody hell, she thought angrily, can’t you do a single bloody thing right? “I am honoured to have the presence of yourself and Lanfir Sedai.” That was the outright truth and they could not know how much it hurt. To look at herself with detachment and see the fear and the hurt and the despair shining so clearly through her blank face, to know that Taya was just on the point of getting that first goal- “I hope that I shall not need to call upon you but I will remember your words should trouble find us.” Sirayn inclined her head slightly. She’d looked and sounded like a total idiot but at least she hadn’t fallen flat on her face. Doubtless she’d do something else stupid later.

: : : : With a short nod Sirayn stepped back and made herself look away. She’d looked like a complete idiot, but at least she’d managed to introduce everyone without falling flat on her face. Doubtless she’d do something stupid later. I should stay away from these two, Sirayn thought ruefully. It was bad enough Jehanine telling her she should never have been raised Aes Sedai without hearing it from one of then. For a moment Sirayn entertained a nightmare vision of Lanfir pointing a finger at her; You are no true Green! Go back home, child! Sirayn bit her lip and looked away. She could just about stand Jehanine’s contempt. Jehanine was new raised herself, after all, and it could possibly be put down to bad judgement on her part although Sirayn believed she saw the right. But Lanfir? No. Lanfir or Arie would disintegrate her completely. I can survive day by day despised, but if they were to tell me to leave the Green Ajah, I would go. And prove that they had been correct all along… but there was no right path any more, only varying shades of wrong. Where was the companionship now? Sirayn wondered angrily. Who is here to stop me taking this fall? None of you. There is a companionship and it stands against me.

: : : : Sirayn looked down at her hands. A treacherous sense of hurt welled up. She felt very small and useless. Go ahead, she thought dully. Everyone is here now. You can finish what you started. She bit her lip to stabbing pain and glanced up quickly as Jaydena entered. Jade looked momentarily startled but recovered with admirable speed, and said what Sirayn should have said at the start; “Why have you summoned me Taya?” Sirayn thought darkly that the odds against her might just have lengthened by a very considerable one. She fell back as usual inside herself and found a thread of anger, summoned fury to inhabit her body like a stranger and drive back the hurt and despair. All hells Taya, I trusted you. Raising her chin defiantly Sirayn stared directly at Taya, awaiting her end like a true soldier.

 

~ Sirayn ~
Battle Ajah

************************

"Is everyone here now?" Lanfir whispered at Taya when Lyanna had spoken her words to the young Aes Sedai who indeed turned out to be Sirayn.

Taya nodded wordlessly. "Was there something you wanted to say to the whole group?"

"I'd like to." Actually I don't, because I'm very near to wetting these pants I am wearing, but no one can ever know. It seems as if they never found out about my failures. As if I never made any mistakes. This is insanity, but I have to work with this situation. So yes, I have to.

"I'll announce you then." Taya smiled at the gathered Aes Sedai (and Gaidin) and spoke: "I received a letter today from two unknown Sisters, and they asked for a meeting with me. To talk of old times. I had no idea that these two mysterious sisters would be Lyanna and Lanfir Sedai. Lanfir Sedai wants to say a few things, so please be quiet."

All eyes were on her now. Desperately, Lanfir recalled her public speaking lessons as Accepted. The right position to stand in came naturally, as came the usage of her voice - from the bottom of her belly. Good. "Good afternoon, Sisters. First, let me take away any confusion regarding our identities. Yes, this is Lyanna al'Ellisande and yes, I am Lanfir Marithsen. We are, as you can see, not dead. The both of us have been out in the world for several years, bumping into eachother by accident when we were both feeling the urge to join our sisters again. I like to think of it as a sign, or the will of the Creator. When we heard about a party of Aes Sedai visiting the King, we geared up to meet you. And as Lyanna already said: we would like to offer you our services on whatever mission you are on right now." She smiled at the faces that looked at her, dizzy with relief. That went definitely better than expected. The gathered people were still listening, smooth faces only showing blankness or concentration. "A lot has changed within the Green Ajah," she continued, "so Lyanna and I have a lot of questions for you and naturally we are willing to answer yours... if you would have us, that is." She inclined her head for a moment to end her little speech. She hoped she did it right.

~Lannie
still uncertain

**********************

Seia sighed softly as Sirayn's miserable feelings crashed into her in waves. She stood behind her Sedai, as a pillar for strength for the woman, her unwavering confidence still strong against the feelings in the bond. As the two strangers spoke and gave their names, surprise came and faded. Yes. I remember them. Or more so, the stories about them. No wonder why Sirayn felt the way she did but Light, when will the woman finally grasp what Seia is trying to say almost every day?? Did she balk when she finally came face to face with the Grand Master of Me'Arearth? No. Would she balk if she ever met the Legend of Me'Arearth, Radzynne? No.

Looking down at Sirayn, the small woman stood still, her face emotionless. Seiaman wanted to kneel before the ancient Greens and welcome them to the party. But Sirayn would not take it well. Something about Lanfir's words gave the impression that they actually hoped they'd be welcomed, instead of expectant. Anger, pain, and despair ran through the bond and Seia growled softly, giving the bond a firm pull. She bent over and whispered in her Aes Sedai's ear. "Join them. I do not dare lie to you, Sirayn. But you were born to be their leader. You will not fail."

Seia

*************************

Kaylan's heart swelled with pride as Lanfir spoke. This was the woman who had taught her and shaped her, along with several other Sisters. She had been ever patient, finally allowing Kaylan to join the Green Ajah. She still remembered that day, so close to Battle, when she had been given her shawl and allowed to count herself a member of the Green Ajah.
She still remember the day that Lanfir had disappeared, after the loss of one Warder and the betrayl of another, after losing control of a weave that had caused most of the party to lose their connection with the Source for a few days.
We do not condemn you for your mistakes, Lanfir, even if there are only a few of us who remember them. We are all grown women, and even though we try to show the world that we are infalliable, in our hearts we know that we are not. I hope that you can realise that, Sister.
She did not speak, though, waiting for Sirayn. No matter why the decision had been made, Sirayn was the leader of the party, and as such Kaylan would not promote disorder. Not with the Browns and the Warders watching, anyway.

Kaylan Morin
Battle Ajah
Thrice Bonded

********************

OOC: You folks are fast. I'm not even sure where to have Jehanine enter, now. o.O

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The note was written on the crisp paper provided by King Andrei, very rich paper by any standards. Jehanine took the time to admire it for fear that once she had opened it and received the news it contained, she would have nothing to do once again. And so her fingers made a gentle study of the smooth surface, tracing the wax seal gently as the footman stood there impassively. His presence indicated to her that he would require a response, but to whom would that response go? Sirayn? Taya? Jaydena? Maybe Kaylan, with whom she had begun a hesitant friendship despite Jumael's edginess around her.

She wondered once again why she had been called to join this party. She had no purpose here, and no real authority. Her youngness was evident next to the likes of Taya and Kaylan, and so she couldn't imagine what she lent to the group. Finally, with a sigh of inevitability, Jehanine broke the seal and opened the message.

Taya's handwriting stared up at her, requesting her presence. Taya wished her presence? Confused, Jehanine refolded the missive and laid it on her bed, turning her silent gaze to the footman. "If you will please follow me, Aes Sedai." He spoke smoothly, offering her a bow and waiting for her to nod her agreement before turning and exiting the room.

She arrived at Taya's quarters soon enough and knocked perfunctorily before entering. And freezing. There were two sisters more than had been in the party of Greens that morning, and both were hovering near Taya and Sirayn as if something important had just occured. Allowing her gaze to take them in, she moved to stand behind the elder sisters of the party, content to blend into the walls of the chamber while the party leaders unraveled whatever mess the sisters had brought with them. Jehanine had never seen either before, and did not recognize them for all that she tried.

Her curiosity peaked, she continued her silent observation while the rest of the sisters murmured over them, hating Sirayn for forcing her along on a mission that concerned her not at all. It was as if her former friend were taking great pleasure in making her uncomfortable: Jehanine had never felt so invisible as she did in this gathering of esteemed sisters. Her youngness was only pronounced next to the Ajah Sitters, and her competence was drowned in the wake of Sirayn's sudden charmed position with in the Ajah. Seething, she feigned boredom and prayed the day - no, the audience with the king - would be over and done with soon.

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Jehanine DeGavriele
Sister of the Battle Ajah
Feeling rather invisible

************************

Kaylan saw that Jehanine had entered the room and was looking a bit uncomfortable. She touched Lanfir on the arm, nodding to her, and then walked over to Jeha. Sirayn would no doubt want to tell the old Sisters about the plan, and she was not needed for that.
"Jehanine." Walking up beside the younger Green, she spoke quietly, saying, "I do not know if you would have met Lyanna and Lanfir? I fought beside them in Fal Dara, a desperate fight to protect the gates." Her eyes misted over as she recalled the moment, and she wondered if there would be any such as that in Namandar. Unlikely, if it was abandoned.
"Would you like me to introduce you?" She knew that Jeha had been feeling a bit left out when she had come to the city with them, and Kaylan would have spent more time with her if she had not been looking after Eyes and Ears reports.
"Or, we could always go for that tea. I'm sure that you can be introduced another time if you do not wish to stay here. I will let Taya speak to you first, though." If Taya had summoned her, like Jaydena, it was most likely just for the introduction to Lanfir. Kaylan felt sympathy for the young Green. She had felt just as useless and out of place when she had travelled to the Borderlands, newly raised. Smiling, Kaylan waited to see what Jehanine would say, and tried not to cry with happiness again at the thought of Lanfir's return.


Kayls
Greenie
Bonded

******************

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Jehanine started when Kaylan appeared at her elbow, sympathy apparent in her eyes. And strangely, she appreciated it. Her normal manner would require her to shy away from pity, but Jehanine knew that wasn't what Kaylan offered. No, she had sensed Jehanine's agitation at the situation and had come to offer her relief.

When she mentioned the women's names, Jehanine unconsciously stood up straighter: she would never have known them by appearance but Lanfir and Lyanna were names legendary among the halls of the Green quarter. Even the most illustrious sisters of Jehanine's time - Kaylan, Taya, and others with whom Jehanine had had dealings - spoke their names with reverence and even awe. And here they stood, two relics of the past, come to find their future.

Were they to rejoin their battle sisters, or were they the bearers of bad news? What purpose had they here? Only Kaylan's soft question shook Jehanine from her thoughts. "Would you like me to introduce you?"

The Green considered, biting her lip against the immediate reaction: Yes, by the Light, yes! She was such a young sister, and even Taya still treated her like a student more than an equal. How would she fare under the gazes of Lanfir and Lyanna?

"Or, we could always go for that tea. I'm sure that you can be introduced another time if you do not wish to stay here. I will let Taya speak to you first, though." Kaylan presented the other option, and Jehanine nodded quietly.

"I will...I will wait for Taya to give me the purpose for my being here, and then would be most happy to fetch the tea." The excuse to leave was too great to turn down, and perhaps Kaylan would even let her slip back to her room where she could immerse herself in a myriad of other tasks designed to alleviate her overwhelming feeling of awkwardness.

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Jehanine
of the Green Ajah
Jerad's Bondmate

*************************

“Why have you summoned me Taya?” Jaydena asked, voicing the question that all the summoned women must have had but that surely some had figured out by now. Was it not obvious what her purpose had been?

Taya was annoyed by how Lanfir had spoken, almost begging to be let back into the Ajah. Was not Lanfir older than any woman here, absent a long time no doubt but having earned her sisterhood long, long ago? Taya certainly thought it so, but perhaps she was thinking with the mind of a woman who had actually fought with Lanfir, won and lost and cried by her side. Perhaps she was letting her passion get the better of her, go to her head?

Even so she couldn't quell her annoyance. She was further irritated by Sirayn's reaction. Why did the woman always have to take things so personally, and assume that she was the centre of the universe in the process? Taya wondered whether it had been a mistake afterall on Mandi's part to give her the leadership position. Would there be time enough to catch her when she fell? Would they be in terrible danger for relying upon her? She certainly didn't seem to be in full control of her emotions, and that was dangerous.

Not that you have never been in a similar situation, Taya told herself by way of a mild reprimand. What Sirayn needs is your full support. But the woman had had it for decades now. Why had that not been enough, why was it still not enough? There came a point when one had done all one could, and had to wash her hands of a matter. Unfortunately that point could not come during a crucial mission such as this one, with potential dangers at every side. Taya would have to be patient. Still.

Taya turned her mind to other matters now, knowing that she would not get answers to her questions about Sirayn. The foremost of her concerns at this moment was answering Jaydena's question. “Why have you summoned me Taya?” Jade had asked, and now Taya turned to face the room as a whole, releasing Jaydena's hand but continuing to hold Lyanna's on the other side. She prepared to speak, ignoring Sirayn's defiant look and figuring that if the woman didn't realise that sometimes people had more important things to occupy their thoughts than the question of how to hurt her feelings next, she was beyond help.

"Sisters," Taya said, "your promptness is appreciated. As I already explained, we have two women in our midst asking to join our forces, and offer their expertise. If anyone here thinks this is an offer we can afford to turn down, she is mentally bereft. Yet it is not my decision to make. We will also have to consult with the Browns, but as these two women beside me are your Ajah sisters, I felt it prudent to inform you of their presence beforehand. Do not hang back. Speak your minds on this matter. Shall we agree to bring our sisters home once and for all?"

It was in a sense an unfair request, for if anybody said no Taya would have a hard time reining in her temper. Just focus on the good part, she told herself as she turned once more and regarded Lanfir. She had to smile, she just couldn't help it. She could help not throwing herself on Lanfir for a hug again, but only just.

On her other side stood Lyanna, whose hand she still held.


OOC: I know that Taya is really being narrow in focus here, but don't feel insulted if all she can think about for a few days is LannieLyanna, LannieLyanna, LannieLyanna. *g* This is a ridiculously huge event after all

Taya

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OOC: -snicker- Sirayn is being narrow-minded for less excuse Taylie. Go ahead and be compulsively obsessed.

: : : : Sirayn folded her arms and watched as Taya and then Lanfir spoke. Lanfir seemed almost diffident, as though she wasn’t certain she would be welcomed back, and Sirayn frowned slightly. Seiaman wrenched her thoughts right out of track by whispering to her, “Join them. I do not dare to lie to you, Sirayn. But you were born to be their leader. You will not fail.” For the second time in as many minutes Sirayn was rendered speechless by Seiaman’s words and the emotions flowing through the bond; pride, trust, honesty, loyalty. Light, she believes it. She actually believes it! Her face oddly blank while she tried to process this new and bizarre development, Sirayn picked up on a dark look from Taya, and inwardly sighed. It looked like she’d managed to disappoint Taya again. Sirayn thought back over what she’d said and done and couldn’t see what by all that was holy she had done this time – but as she had frequently thought, it was near impossible to make Taya happy. Sirayn sighed. Maybe later she could find out what she’d done this time, but right now, there was work to be done.

: : : : Sirayn spoke out sharply to quell the doubts inside herself. “Lanfir and Lyanna are welcome and twice welcome to our party. We may need them more than ever soon.” Sirayn switched her glare to all present in case anyone wanted to commit political suicide and object, but fortunately enough, when all had put in their views or opted out of the debate there was a unanimous agreement that Lyanna and Lanfir should be welcomed back. Don’t talk to them, damn you. Haven’t you learnt better than that? Sirayn addressed Lanfir and Lyanna directly regardless. “You should both know the purpose of our mission before you commit yourself to coming with us. It’s a prestigious trip,” Sirayn’s smile was rather wan; she figured these two had received so many accolades in the past that the idea of glory no longer appealed to them, “but very dangerous.” I’m talking to Lanfir! Me! “We’ve discovered the location of a city buried since the Age of Legends.” Sirayn said it casually, though fully aware of the impact of her words, and studied the two women intently as she spoke. Her hunter instincts were coming out again and she felt a bit more at ease in the situation. “It’s likely that a wealth of treasures is contained inside but the Shadow may also have found the city Namandar so we need all the strength we can get. I would be honoured, as would our sisters if you would accompany us to Namandar but that’s your choice to make and I will understand if you wish to return to the Tower with our blessings and get re-acquainted with Tower life.”

: : : : Sirayn moved back slightly into the shadows, allowing the party’s attention to fall on Lanfir and Lyanna, and continued to study the two women closely. Lanfir had definitely sounded as though she wasn’t too sure about her place here. Was that just another trick? Sirayn couldn’t conceive of a situation so grim that the legendary Lanfir Leah Marithsen would not be welcomed back, and especially by her adoring ex-subjects. And even the pathetic little ones raised on your legends. Like me. Clearly there was yet more here that she hadn’t seen or been told. Sirayn was out of her depth but damn it all, she had a job to do, and she would do it until Taya delivered the final blow.

 

~ Sirayn ~
Battle Ajah
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

*************************

The tension between Taya and Sirayn seemed palpable, and Lyanna had no clue why. Sure, the woman had sounded a bit insecure, but Lyanna had been sure that when she offered her services, and when Lanfir introduced herself so timidly, it would have helped to put her at ease. Maybe she was just being uncomfortable with a Sitter in the room while she herself was so young and battle leader at that.

Still, she had been chosen for the job and that alone should have given Sirayn confidence that she had clearance to handle things that came their way in stead of Taya. Or there was simply more going on her that could be fathomed at first glance. No use to pick at it now though, you won't be able to figure it out from the little information you get here. Maybe she could talk to Taya later and find out just what was going on. If these women were on a mission here, the last thing they would want was a division within their group. Even though there will be a natural divisions with the Browns here as well. Lyanna sniggered inwardly. A larger contradiction between Ajah's could hardly be found.

After Taya had explained to the party why they had been summoned, and had asked whether Lyanna and Lanfir would be welcomed back into their midst - and apparently, into the mission - all remained quiet for a while. Lukas, behind them, shifted his stance, as if he wanted to express his readyness to defend them should anyone be so bold to do anything rash. Not that Lyanna feared anything of the sort would be in order. The three oaths were clear enough. And besides, this was her Ajah. Or wasn't it?

And then Sirayn spoke up in sharp tones. She seemed almost angry, but Lyanna was again at a loss for the reason. She seems to be angry a lot. Is it a defence mechanism? But why does she feel the need to defend herself? Are we such a threat to her?

They were welcomed back. And into the mission. Lyanna held her breath when she heard the true reason for their presence here. A treasure like that would have to be well guarded. And of course there was no way of knowing whether there wouldn't be anything - or anyone - harmful hidden within the city. She could now understand why Greens and Browns had been sent on this mission. Use the Browns to investigate, use the Greens to protect and defend.

Sirayns last words brought her out of her reverie. "I would be honoured, as would our sisters if you would accompany us to Namandar but that’s your choice to make and I will understand if you wish to return to the Tower with our blessings and get re-acquainted with Tower life.”

"I do not think there is any better way to get re-acquainted with my Ajah than to act out everything it stands for" Lyanna replied dryly. "I will come."

~Lyanna
Battle Sister

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Namandar.... All contemplations on Sirayns palpable anger had vanished when the young Green had explained their mission objective. She knew the name well enough - she remembered an evening with Yveva Sedai in the Library when she had been Accepted and had been asked to help the Brown out with some research. At first, she had balked at the chore, but Yveva's enthousiasm had been infective and their resource subject was a thrilling one. A City from the Age of Legends. And it is still here! Yveva thought it would be long gone by now, lost in earthquakes. It's still accessible. We're going to see the wonders that Yveva speculated about!

"I do not think there is any better way to get re-acquainted with my Ajah than to act out everything it stands for" Lyanna said next to her, in that dry tone that Lanfir knew so well. "I will come."

"So will I," Lanfir added. "It sounds like a very interesting mission. Besides, as Lyanna pointed out: what better way to catch up with our sisters than during a mission?" She smiled. Things were looking up again! She was a Green Sister once more, and she was going on a mission. She felt giddy once more; her life was interesting again! Action, adventure and adrenaline awaited her! And even though she had thought that Fal Dara would have been enough action for a lifetime, she realized that she had been craving for it all alone. I must be mad, she thought, but that did not worry her at all.

~Lannie
Excited!!

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Jaydena watched everything that went on with a sense of wonder. Two famous had come back to the Green, of course they didn't even notice that she was alive. Hadn't acknowledged her in any way. She figured that they hadn't been told that she was a sitter and had dismissed her because of her young face. Sirayn in fact was older than her but Jade had been raised very quickly and had been one of the youngest sitters in the history of the Green. Oh well I guess I'm not important enough for them to notice not being a legend like Taya and Kaylan. Stepping back from the group she stood in, she noticed that Taya had released her hand and had kept a hold of Lyanna's.

Well that just proves who matters to her more. Shaking her head at her self depressive thoughts she kept her eyes focused on her best friend. Sirayn looked like she had regained some of her never-ending strength and courage. Jade straightened her spine and tried to emulate her friends attitude. The AS accepted the two woman into their party and Jade stepped forward. "I am also joyed to have two famous battle sisters join the fold once more and look forward to fighting shoulder to shoulder with them if need be. That was true indeed even if she was nothing but a lower minion to them. Walking back across the suite she joined her sisters and stood with Sirayn facing the four legends...

Jaydena Sedai
Green Sitter

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At long last, Taya thought with both relief and annoyance as Sirayn stated that she would be pleased to have Lanfir and Lyanna along. Then she outlined for them what they'd be facing if they did agree to join. Taya felt a strange apprehension rippling through her, and it intensified as the speech went on. She couldn't say why but as the moments passed she felt increasingly concerned.

She knew this was the right thing. Lanfir and Lyanna were back. They were going to prove their dedication to the Ajah. They were going to stand by Taya's side once again. All was as it should be. So why does part of me hope they'll decline the offer?

Taya did not want to let either woman out of her sight ever again. But nor did she want them walking into potential danger. They are grown women...beyond grown. Lanfir particularly. They can make their own decisions. Yet Taya continued to feel ill at ease.

She let go of Lyanna's hand and resisted the desire to tug on the bond. She could see Eos had moved closer but he stood at a distance, watching her carefully as if waiting for a sign that he was required. She avoided looking at him.

Taya moved back a few steps and glanced around the room. But her eyes could never leave her two recovered sisters for long. She realised with a start that she was scared they'd disappear in a puff of smoke if she let them out of her sights for too long.

Taya

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OOC: Back into decisive mode! I’m sorry I completely ordered you around here Jade, if you want to poke me, I’ll edit.

: : : : Sirayn’s brows rose slightly at Lyanna’s rebuke, but she made no comment. She couldn’t think of a better way to have the flesh flayed from her bones than to disagree with either of them in this company. Only ten minutes back, and already they were exalted to the point of mania. She would have to work alongside them, Sirayn reminded herself sharply. “Glad to have you along,” Sirayn said curtly. She personally would have preferred them both to return to the Tower with all speed, but despite appearances sometimes, Sirayn did recognise a selfish wish when she saw it and she might well need them at some point. Lanfir, Lyanna, Taya and Kaylan know each other well. Best for them to fight together. They might get that excess heroism worked out of their systems, Sirayn speculated in a particularly unpleasant flash of sarcasm. Studying the far wall briefly for inspiration as a babble of voices began to rise once more, Sirayn wondered what under the Light to do now. She was supposed to be the leader. Where was her inspiration? Where was her courage?

: : : : Courage. Sirayn’s lips quirked in a smile. This was the vaunted attribute other people thought she had. And she’d be damned if she would prove them wrong today. Join them. Hells, yes. She could do this. She’d juggled the Sitters, the implacably alienated Browns and grievances too numerous to count every hour of every day. A handful of her own sisters paled in comparison. You were born to be their leader. Sirayn glanced at Seiaman and their eyes met. A moment of silent communion as pride and assurance flowed back and forth through the bond and then Sirayn turned away, breaking their shared gaze, and quirked a smile as Jaydena joined her. The Sitter looked a bit disgruntled and Sirayn could easily sympathise with that. “I feel like an awestruck novice again,” Sirayn murmured to her, trying to put Jaydena at her ease. “I hope they don’t cause any trouble. Young or not, you are an exemplary Sitter and if they bother you they’ll deal with both of us.” Sirayn saw that Jade’s gaze rested briefly on Taya holding hands with Lyanna and Sirayn shook her head with a small smile to see Taya acting like a little girl with her best friend. “Taya’s a bit busy right now, it seems. We’d better let her have her fun.” Sirayn smirked a bit, contemplating what she might do to break up the affection, but she wasn’t quite cold-hearted enough yet. “I’m going to talk to Lanfir. Come and back me up?” Sirayn put on a childlike expression and Jade relented and followed her as Sirayn walked into the crowd.

: : : : The others stepped aside for them respectfully. Sirayn saw that a couple twitched their skirts aside from her passing. “Someone please fetch the Browns!” Sirayn called out as she took a place beside Lyanna, Taya, Kaylan and Lanfir. The hum of voices faltered only slightly before resuming, but those closest to her eyed her warily now, and a brief shuffle commenced near the door before it opened and shut quietly. “I would have summoned the Browns straight away, Taya,” Sirayn said lightly. “They won’t like this being presented as a decision already made.” She spoke casually, though she meant what she said, and in the next moment turned toward the door as half a dozen Browns stalked in.

: : : : A couple recognised Lanfir and Lyanna on sight. They paled rapidly and a mutter ran among the assembled Browns. Others looked annoyed at the sight of two strange Aes Sedai. Sirayn intercepted them smoothly; “Sisters, these are Lanfir Sedai and Lyanna Sedai of the Green Ajah, our long lost friends. They encountered us by accident and have graciously offered to help us in our search.” The Browns muttered a bit, left unable to argue that the Greens were cooking up yet another scheme to skew the balance of power their way, and unwilling still to confront Sirayn. Sirayn herself took a deep breath. There was a kind of glory here, on the knife edge of politics instead of killing, where a wrong step meant not death but an ignoble fall from grace. Neatly diverting the topic: “King Andrei’s servants will summon us when our meeting with him is about to occur.” A bit of sarcasm showed through her tone to demonstrate what she thought of Andrei’s servants. “I expect all of you to be ready to attend at a moment’s notice. That includes the Greens and Lanfir and Lyanna as well if they wish to come with us. Any problems or questions, come to me.”

: : : : Some of the Browns didn’t look too pleased still but Sirayn didn’t plan to deal with their accusations right now. She felt more in control of the situation, having done her best for Jade and sorted out the Browns, so she turned to Lanfir with a slightly mischievous smile; “Forgive me for my lukewarm welcome, Lanfir Sedai. The rule book doesn’t cover situations like this and my Gaidin is just trying to make things awkward.” Sirayn tugged the bond with an affectionate smile across the room. Turning back to Lanfir and Jaydena; “Lanfir Sedai, this is Jaydena, a Sitter for our Ajah.”


 

~ Sirayn ~
Battle Ajah
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

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“King Andrei’s servants will summon us when our meeting with him is about to occur,” Sirayn Sedai told them. “I expect all of you to be ready to attend at a moment’s notice. That includes the Greens and Lanfir and Lyanna as well if they wish to come with us. Any problems or questions, come to me.”

Lanfir shared a look with Lyanna and hoped that these summons would not sound too quickly. They definitely needed to change attire before they could present themselves to King Andrei of Tarabon. Fortunately, Lyanna had been so smart to make Lukas take presentable clothes with them.

Then Sirayn turned to Lanfir with a cute smile that seemed to light up her whole face. Lanfir could not help smiling back as the leader of this mission said:
“Forgive me for my lukewarm welcome, Lanfir Sedai. The rule book doesn’t cover situations like this and my Gaidin is just trying to make things awkward.” She gestured at the gorgeous young-appearing Aes Sedai next to hem. “Lanfir Sedai, this is Jaydena, a Sitter for our Ajah.”

Jaydena was only a little taller than Lanfir was, with a figure that most women could only dream of and eyes as green as Lyanna's. "Pleased to meet you, Jaydena Sedai," Lanfir said with a warmth she truly felt, feeling more Aes Sedai with the minute. Funny, how all these old mannerisms seemed to come back to her so naturally. "May the Light illuminate you."

~Lannie

*********************

Kaylan found herself standing with Lyanna and Lanfir again after Taya spoke to Jehanine. She listened to the speaking, somewhat bored with it all, and more interested in going and having tea with Jehanine as they had spoken about. She looked over to the younger Green with a smile, trying to convey that she would come back to her as soon as she could.
As soon as the speeches were done with and the introductions began, Kaylan walked back over to her.
"I'm sorry, Jeha. I didn't mean to lose you there. But you know how these things go." Tedious was the word that sprang to mind, after the excitement of reunion, when it was in such a political atmosphere.
"Why don't I introduce you another time? It seems that everyone will be being introduced tonight, and you may be more memorable if you are introduced later." She smiled warmly.
"So... whats the verdict? Does tea sound good or would you rather something... stronger?" Kaylan grinned at that.

Kaylan Morin
Battle Sister
Thrice Bonded

*********************

Her friend seemed to have shook her black mood off as she turned to her with a quick smile and said, “I feel like an awestruck novice again, I hope they don't cause any trouble. Young or not, you are an exemplary Sitter and if they bother you they'll deal with both of us.” Jade nodded and straightened her spine, Sirayn was right and she knew it. Sira glanced up at Taya's face and the enraptured look on it, with a snort she continued, “Taya’s a bit busy right now, it seems. We'd better let her have her fun, I'm going to talk to Lanfir. Come and back me up?”

Chuckling at the thought of Sirayn needing backup, she straightened her shawl and began to move to the front of the room. As she walked the sister parted like a wave, the two woman had earned the respect over the years. Jade shook her head at that thought and remembered how hard it had been to get some of these same greens to so much as talk to either of them. Sirayn because of her behavior about the initiation that all Greens must face. Jade had faced her own struggles as most Greens saw her affectionate attitude as to controversial. Time and battle had healed those wounds for both of them. Acceptance had spread through the green at least for her, of course they were still testing Sirayn, proven by Mandi's latest actions.

Choosing someone or actually more than one someone to take over if Sirayn couldn't handle the pressure. She hated that this was being done to her friend, yet she couldn't do anything to stop it. Sirayn called out for someone to go get the Browns and Jade motioned at one of the warders standing around the room. The man nodded and left the room in his feline like grace. They reached the four greens and Sirayn turned to Taya with an almost sneer on her face as she spoke, “I would have summoned the Browns straight away, Taya, they won't like this being presented as a decision already made.”

Secretly agreeing with Sirayn she watched as the Browns walked in, her friend began to speak and Jade let her thoughts wander back to the Brown sisters. As if they don't hate the Greens enough, they show up in a room, where it looks like the Green's have been having a meeting with all of the sisters in attendance. I'm sure we will hear about this in the days ahead. She wondered at Taya's foolish actions but decided the joy of this occasion must have gone to her head and she wasn't thinking clearly.

Jaydena snapped back to attention as she realized that the Brown's were leaving the room once more and Sirayn had turned to speak to the two returned sisters. “Lanfir Sedai, this is Jaydena, a Sitter for our Ajah.” Jade raised her eyes to Lanfir's, eyes that showed kindness and so much matched her own color. The woman seemed friendly enough but only time would tell. "Pleased to meet you, Jaydena Sedai, May the Light illuminate you." Jade nodded and bowed her head to the great leader as she spoke, "Pleased to meet you as well, Lanfir Sedai. May the Light illuminate your path and shine on you always." She smiled quietly and waited for someone else to speak...

Jaydena Sedai

********************

“I would have summoned the Browns straight away, Taya, they won't like this being presented as a decision already made.”

As Sirayn spoke those words, Taya felt herself losing control bit by bit. She hated Sirayn with a fury that shocked even her. Nobody could tell, not even Sirayn who had looked away too soon to see the fury and disgust burning in the older Green's eyes.

If you would have summoned them earlier, you fool, why did you not? It is you after all who is in charge. All I asked was for them to be accepted into the Ajah, not for them to be accepted on this mission. But Taya said nothing out loud. This was not the time. Instead she smouldered and hated and hurtled further towards the precipice, feeling out of control in a way she hadn't in a century or so.

I certainly lost my wits after the Trolloc battle, she mused as she recalled the horror of watching Tania Heal a Trolloc. But I didn't feel this off balance, not at any point during that battle. She felt sick to her stomach as if she were now on the outside, looking in and helpless to do anything. She felt lost and she didn't know why.

She stuck close to Lanfir, trying her best to keep an eye on Lyanna too. Neither woman seemed too eager to part company with each other, and Taya was grateful for that. It made them easier to keep track of.

Taya

*********************

Things were going fast and soon the room became very crowded with the arrival of several Browns, most of which Lyanna didn't know. There were a few familiar faces and some murmurs of recognition, but what stood out most of all was the tension in the room which grew more palpable by the minute.

But what shocked Lyanna most was a little tête a tête Sirayn and Taya had just minutes before the Browns were fetched. The younger sister spoke with a lightness that belied the expression in her eyes, and evidently wanted the rebuke to come across as an off-handed remark that no one would take offence on. "I would have summoned the Browns straight away, Taya, they won't like this being presented as a decision already made."

Sirayn instantly moved on to other things, and missed the smoldering hatred that flared up in Taya's eyes, a hatred so fierce that it took Lyanna aback. I don't know her like this. What on earth is going on here? Lanfir was presented to Jaydena, one of the other Sitters. Lyanna acknowledged the woman with a curt nod, but as soon as the two had been properly introduced and Jaydena had withdrawn herself, Lyanna mumbled to Lanfir: "I feel like a mouse trapped in a hornet's nest. There are a lot of undercurrents here, Lannie." Are you really sure you want to step into this? The unasked question hung in between them, and when most of the Browns started to leave, Lyanna hoped that she could have a quick moment with Lanfir alone.

Lyanna

***********************

When she had exchanged her pleasantries with Jaydena, and most of the Brown Sisters were starting to leave, Lanfir suddenly heard Lyanna murmur next to her: "I feel like a mouse trapped in a hornet's nest. There are a lot of undercurrents here, Lannie."

Lanfir smiled a little as her eyes scanned the room. “I know. Just smile and be yourself, Ly. We’ll figure it out later, after this sensory overload has passed.” Things were dazzling enough as they were anyhow. It was wonderful and brilliant to see everyone again – and so many young, talented Greens that it made her heart swell with pride - but already she felt as if she was hip deep in clouded water and the currents were pulling at her legs. It made her feel alive again, but it frightened her a little, as well. She had always gone by the theory of being herself and as open as possible where she could, and she had abided by it. She would not change this philosophy on life today. And until they knew more about what was going on, it was all they could do anyhow. “It’s all we can do,” she murmured back. “It will be alright.”

~Lannie
hopeful

**********************

Standing at Lyanna's back like the faithful guardian the he had started to become Lukas was shocked and amazed by what he had seen in this short space of time. It seemed that the two Aes Sedai he had lived and worked with for the past few weeks were actually legends from the Tower's past. It was not openly said in words, nobody came out and said "Hey Lyanna and Lanfir are legends from our past" but the reactions of the assembled Aes Sedai spoke for themselves. Sitters were reduced to tears, sisters were flabbergasted and the leader of this expedition was so stunned by their appearance that she had even tried to run away. It was enough to make Lukas think that this was all some dream, Aes Sedai never lost their composure and if they did never in front of a Tower Guard such as himself.

But that was not the only suprise for the young Tower Guard, it seemed that the reason for this expedition was a lost city from the Age of Legends. Namander. At this stage Lukas was forced to pinch himself to see if this really was a dream, who had ever heard of a lost city from the Age of Legends. But these Aes Sedai seemed committed to it and with the appearance of the Brown Sisters Lukas was forced to believe that maybe this Namander really did exist. And with this acceptance of Namander came a restlessness, if this place did exist why where they standing around here twiddling their thumbs? This was their chance to go down in legend, to gain power and prestige, a chance to prove themselves as worthy to fight the Shadow. It was the chance he had been looking for, the chance to prove to himself more than anything that he was up to the challenge of defending Aes Sedai and the White Tower.

Shifting in his place Lukas did not know whether he wanted to stay here in this room and hear more of their plans or whether he wanted to rush back to the Tavern and pack. And it was as he considered which option to take that he realised something, none of the Aes Sedai had approved of his presence. So far they had ignored him assuming him to be a messenger or courier for Lannie and Lyanna, what if when they discovered who he truly was they sent him back to the Tower, not wanting a wet behind the ears Tower Guard slowing them down?

Stepping up to where Lyanna and Lanfir where whispering he waited until they were done before pressing his concerns on them.

"Well it seems that your worries are over now my friends, the Tower has welcomed you back with open arms. But I do not know if they will do the same for me, it is not that I have done anything wrong more that they do not think a man with my upbringing is worthy of becoming a Warder. And it is for that reason I do not think I will be allowed to accompany you on this expedition." Lukas' assessment of the Tower and the Training Yard was unfair and harsh but it was the way he percieved it to be. After all the Yards were made up by nobles and the wealthy with only a scattering of 'peasants' to balance it out.

"Please help me in this matter. You both know that I would willing give my life for you and I think that before this expedition is over you will need someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for you."

Lukas Talinko
Out of Hospital but willing to send Lukas into one

*****************************

Lyanna looked at Lukas incredulously when he expressed his concerns. Why did the man think that he would not be allowed on the trip? As far as she was concerned, a man who deserved the rank of Tower Guard had nothing to fear.

She said as much. "I don't think you need to trouble yourself with your upbringing or your so-called lack in training. Yes, you are from the Rahad. So? I have known Aes Sedai who were daughters of whores. They are not treated with any less respect than those born into nobility. It is all about what you are capable of. I have seen you fight during our training, and I have enough experience with Warders and Tower Guards alike to say that even though you are young, you have much potential. What would a Tower Guard who is not allowed to go into battle do for us? Not much. Everyone has to face his first battle at one time. All hells, when I went into battle I was raised to the shawl one day. One day Lukas."

She glanced at Lannie and continued. "You are with me Lukas. With us. And what we say goes. That party over there" - she motioned to the Greens and the few Browns that still were gathered in the room - "have nothing to say about whom I do and do not take on a mission."

She paused. It was bold what she was about to say but she didn't really care. In this short while she had come to trust Lukas completely.

"I would be prepared to bond you if it would help you feel better about your position. No" she intervened when Lukas started to speak. "Do not answer me just yet. It is a big decision to make. I have been bonded before, and I have experienced first hand what it means. It will give you a longer life, and more stamina, and a different rank from what you are used to. But" she continued, "it also means a commitment. One you cannot get out of. I will not be offended if you decide not to. We have known eachother not very long, and I will understand if you choose to say no to this."

Lyanna
Battle Sister


OOC: we have not discussed this, and I have no idea what you will say to this. What I had Lyanna say up there is really what I meant. If you don't want to, I will not be offended. I just saw a nice rp opportunity *chuckles*. You choose heh.

***********************

OOC: Sorry to be late. I also just said that all the Browns were still in, as it makes it quite easier. You see, I'll do a bit of presentation of Tarabon to the Sisters of the party. Andrei just recently became King and all.

IC:

Egwainne peeked through the window of her bedroom at the city below. Tanchico seemed a touch on the better side since she last visited. It seemed a bit more orderly, and a touch cleaner, but it was still a long way of from the likes of Caemlyn, let alone Tar Valon. But from what her E&E were reporting, Andrei is dead set on returning Tanchico to his former glory. Egwainne wondered whether he will succeed. She will probably be able to make quite a good guess after their meeting. She was sure it will prove interesting.

A knock on the door caught her attention. “Come in”, she responded. A servant entered. He was livered in white baggy pants and a red coat with a golden tree embroidered on his breast denoting him a servant of the King’s palace. Mustache could be seen under his thin veil.
“Siryan Sedai is requesting your presence, Egwainne Sedai. She is in Taya Sedai’s quarters.”

With satisfaction, Egwainne noted that the traditions still held in the palace. The servants were required to address every guest with their names, not just the plain honorifics. She approved of the practice. “Thank you. I know the way.”

As the servant left Egwainne checked herself in the mirror. She already managed to bathe and change. Her black hair was loosely tied with a blue ribbon matching her eyes, as she usually held it. She wondered when age will catch up with her and when her hair would start to show streaks of gray. Pretty soon, probably, as with over 200 years of age it was quite remarkable she didn’t have any grays yet. Her pale blue dress was streaked with even paler green. She straightened it, smiling at her choice of color, and started for Taya’s rooms.

When the party came, they were given a whole wing of the palace for themselves, so all the Sisters’ quarters were close by. It took her only a minute to find herself knocking on Taya’s doors. From the muffled sounds it seemed it was quite active behind the door. Egwainne opened the door and entered.

It was quite crowded inside, despite the generous size of the reception room. Egwainne noted all the Browns were in already as well as all the Greens. Immediately, though, her eyes were drawn to the two women in full battle garment with green stoles signifying Greens ready for battle. It took her only a moment to recognize the two, but it came as quite a shock.

Egwainne blinked – far more emotion then she usually showed – then proceeded to greet the two newcomers with a smile.

“Lanfir, it has been quite a while to say the least. The Tower has stopped hoping for your wellbeing. I am so pleased to see you alive and well. You as well, Lyanna.” Egwainne didn’t know the younger one well, but Lanfir was quite a legend even before she disappeared so long ago.

Egwainne

****************************

Another one entered; an Aes Sedai in a pale blue dress. Lanfir's mind immediately clicked. Sitter. Blue Ajah. - yet for a moment she could not remember her name. It wasn't until the Blue Sister smiled at her and adressed her and Lyanna directly that she remembered. Egwainne Sedai.

“Lanfir, it has been quite a while to say the least. The Tower has stopped hoping for your wellbeing. I am so pleased to see you alive and well. You as well, Lyanna,” she said with a nod to Lyanna.

The Tower has stopped hoping for your wellbeing... that stung more than she would ever care to admit. She did not exactly know why. Maybe she felt sad that the world had moved on without her - even though that was a ridiculous and unrealistic thought. Of course things might be changed if she returned. Light, they might have even given her rooms to some other Green Sister by now!

Yet still, the Blue had said she was pleased to see her and Lyanna again. So Lanfir smiled at the other Aes Sedai and said: "It's good to see you too, Egwainne. Time has been kind to you."

~Lannie

********************************

Bond? Warder? Me?

Lyanna's words struck him like a hammer to the head, he was dumbfounded by them, how could this woman want him as her Warder. Sure it was easy to say that lowborn Aes Sedai could be treated with respect but they had something that he did not, the One Power. All he had was his wits and his sword arm and both of those had failed him before. He was not worthy of being Lyanna's Warder, she was a legend amongst the Green Ajah and he was just a Tower Guard from the Rahad.

And yet even as he tried to find a way to let her down gently he was confronted with the thought of Lyanna and Lanfir facing a horde of Trollocs alone and undefended. He saw them cut down hundreds with their balls of Fire and swords of Air but he also saw the Trollocs and Myrrdraal that got through their defenses and cut them down before they knew what had happened. He could not leave them to that fate just as he could not burden Lyanna with his problems.

She has already lost one Warder, I could not put her through that pain again. Her last Warder had been a Master of the Scales of Power, he was but a simple Tower Guard still untrained in the ways of Me'Arearth how could he hope to succeed where his predecessor had failed?

"Lyanna your words mean more to me than you can ever know but how can I possibly live up to the memory of your last Warder? What do I have, a mere boy, that he did not? What will help me succeed where he could not?" Looking into her eyes as he said this he saw the pain rise to the surface as he re-opened old wounds, even now she was still haunted by his memory. And as he saw the commitment and love that Lyanna held for her last Warder he felt something shift within him. I may not be Mikalen but I will not leave her to die alone, not whilst their is still breath left in my body

Taking Lyanna's hand he knelt down in front of her and bowed his head to her hand. "Lyanna Ellisande Aes Sedai, I do hereby pledge my sword and my soul to your service. My life before yours." Never before had the traditional oath of the Warders held such depth and meaning for him.

Lukas Talinko
Soon to be bonded

***************************

OOC: CCCCCOOOOOLLLL!!!

IC:

A multitude of emotions tumbled across Lukas's face as soon as she had made her proposal: surprise, insecurity, downright denial, something that looked like hope? Or enthusiasm? For a split second, she was sure that he was going to deny. Lyanna was glad that they had kept their voices to a minimum level. It would have been awkward had everyone overheard them. A Blue who looked familiar - Egwainne? - had just walked in and was talking to Lanfir, and most of the attention was focussed on them.

Her heart pounded in her throat. Was she doing the right thing? It felt right. And Lyanna had always been one to follow her gut instincts. No, he wasn't Mikalen. No one could be Mikalen. But he was a man on his own, one with a very sharp instinct. His youth in the Rahad had taught him that. She liked men who could think on their feet. She needed a Warder like that. And he was young. Very very good. It meant that he would not die on her quickly, and she had a long time to live yet. And from what she had seen, his fighting skill would grow to balance that of Mikalen.

But what if he would turn her down? She would not be angry, she knew that she had thrown this on him without prior warning. As he started to speak, she knew what the verdict would be. It was going to be no.

"Lyanna your words mean more to me than you can ever know but how can I possibly live up to the memory of your last Warder? What do I have, a mere boy, that he did not? What will help me succeed where he could not?"

You have guts, you have youth, you have stamina! You LIVE! All hells, what more could he want? Thoughts tumbled through her head, and she knew the pain she felt because of his insecurity shone in her eyes. She felt disappointed....she had hoped he thought more of himself.

She was about to say something commonplace and move away, when he surprised her by taking her hand and kneeling down in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she felt more than she saw that the focus of the others present in the room suddenly shifted from Lanfir and Egwainne to her. Oh Light! Was this appropriate?

"Lyanna Ellisande Aes Sedai, I do hereby pledge my sword and my soul to your service. My life before yours."

The words were spoken softly, but passionately, and she heard some of the Sisters in the room gasp. But Lyanna laughed. To hell with propriety. She had been away from the Tower for almost a decade, who cared for propriety now? Her heart sang and a smile broke through on her face. Her voice rang through the room like a clear bell.

"I accept your service, Lukas Talinko from the Rahad, Tower Guard to the White Tower. I accept you service gladly, and I will bond you as my Warder." She wove the intricate weave which she had been taught so long ago, Spirit and Fire and Air and Water and Earth, twisted the strands into a lacelike pattern, and placed it on his head. As it sunk in, she instantly became aware of his presence in the back of her head. His insecurity, but also the loyalty and fierceness, and a touching sense of protectiveness.

She extended her hand, and he stood up. Lyanna faced the room. "Sisters, I present to you my Warder."

Lyanna Sedai
Bonded to
Lukas Talinko

w00000t!!!!

**********************

From the corner of her eye, Lanfir saw Lukas suddenly fall on one knee as he gravely said the formal words of loyalty she had heard so many times before... "Lyanna Ellisande Aes Sedai, I do hereby pledge my sword and my soul to your service. My life before yours."

Souvan, her heart cringed for a second, but she turned to Lyanna and the young Tower Guard. She felt everyone else doing the same - all conversations in the room seemed to have frozen for a heartbeat. Light, was she really going to bond him? He would be a good gaidin, and with the upcoming mission it would be definitely a good idea to have a sword to guard her back but... here? and now?

The glow of saidar flared up around Lyanna as her friend broke into a wide smile. "I accept your service, Lukas Talinko from the Rahad, Tower Guard to the White Tower. I accept you service gladly, and I will bond you as my Warder." ...and she bonded him.

Lanfir saw the weaves and could not believe it. A flash of an image of the hydrangea garden in Tar Valon and the wine she had toasted with Souvan after they had bonded stabbed her heart for a moment, but what happened here was beautiful and was not the same as her bond with Souvan and it would certainly come to such a messy end.

Lyanna radiated happiness as any bride she had ever seen when she turned to the assembled people in Taya's quarters and announced proudly: "Sisters, I present to you my Warder."

And stupidly, Lanfir felt tears in her eyes when she took Lyanna's hands in hers and said: "Congratulations to the both of you."


~Lannie
touched.

*****************************

A flash of pain passed through the Green's eye. The next moment it was gone, and Egwainne wondered whether she imaginated it.

“Well Lanfir, looking at you in your battle garments, I have to notice that I am not the only one time favors.” Egwainne noted gaily, but her attention turned to the man suddenly falling on his knees in front of Lyanna. What in the world..!?

In what seemed like only an instant it was over. A still laughing Lyanna turned to face the room. “Sisters, I present to you my Warder."

Egwainne could not believe it. Just like that!? But they seemed happy. Lyanna seemed exhilarated. Well, Light favor them… Egwainne smiled and congratulated the Green Sister and her new Guardian.

In the back of her mind, though, a tiny sad voice was whispering to her: “It is too late for you. You’ll never know what it feels like.”

Egwainne

******************

Kaylan looked up at Lyanna, as it seemed everyone in the room did. She heard a couple of gasps and thought that they might have been Brown Ajah. This was a story she would have to share with Leilani, when they were back to the main party. She would enjoy it immensely.
As Lyanna lay down the Weave, Kaylan grinned openly. So, she was not the only woman to Bond a Warder before a major incident. Both Calya and Jumael had been Bonded thus, and Kaylan had Bonded Jumael on horseback on the way to the Blight. It was interesting to see that someone else would do a similar thing, and when Lanfir offered her congratulations, Kaylan echoed her.
"Congratulations to you both." And in her mind, <em>May it work better than my most recent Bond.</em>

Kaylan Morin
Battle Sister
Bonded to Mercury, Calya and Jumael

*************************************

Making herself calmly place her hairbrush upon the table, Raeyn tied her hair up with a dark purple ribbon and smoothed the slightly lighter violet silk across her hips as she stood and moved towards the window. Not that she had the best of views, oh no! Never for a Brown Sitter, a Sitter! stuck amongst this nest of arrogant Greens.

"Greens. Bah!" she thought to herself, gripping the windowframe tightly, eyes flashing and a small quirk of a smile playing across her lips at the thoughts of doing the same to one of the lot she was forced to endure... but she had her orders, and besides, it WOULD look slightly suspicious if all the Greens had tragic incidents while on this trek.

She almost giggled to herself, but a knock at the door pulled her from her pleasant reverie. Raeyn turned to the door, hair flying out behind her, eyes flashing murder for a minute before she could stop it. Breathing deep, she opened the door...

One of the younger Green sisters stood without, looking defiant and nervous at the same time. At least some of the younger idiots realized that most of the Brown sisters were less than pleased with their treatment, and still young enough to know that at least a Sitter deserved better treatment and respect.

"Well, what is it?" Raeyn asked, arching an eyebrow at the younger woman. The Green sister drew a breath, and calmly stated that everyone was gathering. Shooing the child away, she pointed out that she would attend shortly, and closed the door with a whip of Air.

"This will never do," Raeyn mused to herself as she sat in the padded chair near the window and pulled her legs up with her. "Just because the Greens have lost their minds and forgotten respect for a fellow Sister doesn't mean that I need stoop to their level.. still, to see the life leech out of their bodies, to see that last moment of life before their eyes glazed over..."

She shook her head, hair swishing and whorling around her face before falling down her legs as she laid her head upon her upraised knees. No, ragged nerves would never do. Standing up, she went over to one of her chests and opened the lid.

Within lay her flute. It had been sent to her by her family when she was a Novice, and as her hands fitted the pieces together they trembled slightly.. The day she had received her flute had been one of the last times she had ever seen her father.. her father..

She lowered herself back into the chair and raised the instrument to her lips. The first few notes trembled with the slight tremors of her hands, but as the wordless tune started to take form from memory, her trembles subsided, the notes clarified, and her mind began to empty of treacherous thoughts and anger.

An indeterminable time later, when all rage had melted away and calm was complete, Raeyn took apart the flute and laid the pieced gently back into the box. Tucking it back in the chest, she smoothed her dress back down and left the room.

The aforementioned gathering was easy to find by the sheer volume. Not that anyone seemd to be yelling or making any terrible amount of noise, it just would be that the sheer number of sisters and Warders in such a small space would make it seem much louder than the actuality. Opening the door, she found most of the other Browns present, the Greens, of course, and Egwainne of the Blues.. and a Green sister with a man bowed before her?

She moved towards the other Browns, eying the sister... a sister she had not seen in ages, and only partially believed was still around, and the man bowed in front of her. A tense moment, a crossing of eyes between the two as the man spoke:

"Lyanna Ellisande Aes Sedai, I do hereby pledge my sword and my soul to your service. My life before yours."

Raeyn snorted.. Greens did the oddest things sometimes, but bonding a man in a room full of Sisters?! She shook her head.. it made sense.. the lot of them were going into probable danger, and the Greens would take advantage of their disgusting habit of bonding many to watch their backs.. they NEEDED someone to watch their backs! Headstrong, arrogant.. She took a deep breath, and leaned back on a wall.

(how is that for a fun, late entrance? )

Raeyn Sedai
Head of the Brown Ajah
Sitter in the Hall
Bonded to Matalina Gaidin

********************************

"I accept your service, Lukas Talinko from the Rahad, Tower Guard to the White Tower. I accept you service gladly, and I will bond you as my Warder."

The words echoed through his head as she acknowledged not only his present life with the White Tower but also his past in the Rahad. She not only acknowledged it but accepted it, here was someone who did not look down on him for his upbringing but saw at as a source of strength. Even as he praised the Creator for finding someone who accepted him for who he was he felt a wave of pure ice wash through him which was quickly replaced by a growing warmth. And with that growing warmth came a sense of awareness that went against everything he had ever experienced before. Inside his head he could feel Lyanna, his Aes Sedai, he could feel her pride, her excitement, her joy and most of all he could feel her trust.

For possibly the first time in his life Lukas finally felt complete, he had a purpose in life now, he had an Aes Sedai to live and die for. No longer was he just the poor boy from the Rahad now he was Lyanna Sedai of the Green Ajah's Warder.

Leaning in to her ears he whispered two words to her that summed up how this event had changed him, for the better.

"Thank you."

Lukas Talinko
Lyanna Sedai's Warder
*spins around in circles whilst shouting "Im bonded, Im bonded, Im bonded"

****************************

OOC: Rae, your post ROCKED!! Sure, I hate your character now (even if she is cool in a sick, twisted sorta way ) but the post was awesome!

IC: It took Taya a moment longer than it usually would have to catch onto what was happening. A few people gasped. Then Lyanna laughed, and other sounds seemed to die away in the room as everybody including Taya looked in her direction.

Taya watched Lyanna's elated face and only now noticed the Gaidin kneeling before her. Taya's jaw very nearly dropped open as she watched what happened next. Lyanna said with joy, "I accept your service, Lukas Talinko from the Rahad, Tower Guard to the White Tower. I accept you service gladly, and I will bond you as my Warder." And then she embraced saidar and Bonded the man! Right there on the spot, Bonded him! A man Taya had never even been introduced to!

Taya watched in scarcely disguised shock - somebody would be able to see it if they looked her in the eyes, or noticed her faintly rigid stance, but as it was most eyes were fixed on the spectacle Lyanna had created with her...her new Warder.

Lyanna's hand moved out to assist her Gaidin to his feet, not that he needed it. It was a gesture of affection and courtesy. It brought an ache to Taya's heart that she couldn't explain.

Lyanna turned to the expectant crowd and said in a louder voice, "Sisters, I present to you my Warder."

As women moved to congratulate her, and others muttered about Green sponteneity and stupidity, Taya only stood there, dumbstruck. As Lyanna's gaze fixated on her, she struggled to find words, any words. She failed.

OOC: Nope...not a good example Taya is setting for other Sittas *g*

Taya

***************************

Seiaman had to smile softly as Lukas went to his knee, pledging his life to Lyanna Sedai. It was always good for her to see a Tower Guard bond a woman of the White Tower, regardless of how many times she watched them. But they always seemed to be similair. The Aes Sedai making the offer, and the Tower Guard taking it. With hidden joy and a complete sense of fulfillment as soon as the bond occured. She looked over at Sirayn, who watched the event with a blank face. Their own bonding had not started off very joyful at all. And it was months later that Sirayn would finally accept the oaths that Seia had voiced.

The Aes Sedai in the room seemed to be taken aback from the event, either from it being done in public or from doubting that the young man was even capable of defending such a woman. Not even a mouse squeaked. Oh Light. Stepping forward, she ignored Sirayn's sudden alertness. Approaching Lukas, she held out her arm and he took it, their hands clasping the forearms. "Congratulations, Lukas Gaidin." And she smiled with a small bow of her head to Lyanna, extending the congratulations to the Aes Sedai.

Seiaman returned to Sirayn, their eyes meeting as mixture of sadness and pride arose from the Spring. They had once hated each other with an intense passion, and she had put the woman through the hot coals of hell. Only because she refused to see the good of Sirayn. But she is my Aes Sedai now. She smiled as she tweaked the bond. My sister.

 

Seiaman

**********************

ooc- Is it just me or is it really really weird to see Seia and Sirayn as friends. *G*

Jaydena happened to glance over at the door as the blue sister walked through the door. Egwainne was surely here to brief them on the new king and how best to handle him. She nodded to the sister as Egwainne scanned the room and took in the scene. The recognition dawned in her eyes and she began to speak to the two new sisters. Dynamics was an important thing in any group and she wanted to see how Lanfir and Lyanna handled themselves in a group of non greens. Admiration surged through her as they both addressed the blue sister. Both woman newly returned to the fold were acting as though they had never left.

Turning her attention away from them she began to look around the room and take in the many sisters around the suite. She wanted the gauge their reactions to what was going on. In some faces she saw acceptance, jealousy, and anger. Yet in others she saw admiration, respect, and joy. She wondered at each woman's feelings toward the two woman, but her thoughts were deterred when she heard a gasp echo around the room. She swiveled her head back around, ready to attack. What she saw stunned her for one moment and then made her want to laugh. The young man that Lyanna had brought with him was on his knees and the bonding weaves was just settling into his head.

Many woman might have blown the man off as a simple servant but Jade had seen the inherent grace that was warder as he stood against the wall. The essence of strength seemed to exude itself from his skin. She chuckled and watched as Seia approached the man and shook hands with him. A sharp pain lanced through her as she saw Seia return to Sirayn. The easy joy and love on her face as she looked at her AS, chilled her to the bone. She should be my gaidin, instead another woman has her, and I will forever look at her and wonder what it would have been like if she was mine. Turning her head away from the heart wrenching scene she waited silently for Sirayn to organize their meeting now that Egwainne was her to help them...

Jaydena Sedai

***************************

OOC:I am not sure if I am supposed to be around at this part of the post or not...So I am. If I'm messing up...just let me know and I will discard the post.

Coran stood at the edge of the Aes Sedai and other Warders and Tower Guards. He never knew why when he was in the training yards he was fine around people, but when it came to social gatherings, he felt like a brand new trainee just picking up a sword.

So, there he stood, watching the gathering, when Lukas knelt in front of an Aes Sedai Coran had seen him around off and on. The Aes Sedai lay her hand on his head.

Coran knew what it meant, though he could not tell what was happening with the power. The Aes Sedai Stood transfixed on the scene before them. Some of them looking far from Aes Sedai-like.

Emotions mixed inside him...He was happy for Lukas, but something rose inside that he did not know was there. Anger...Resentment...jealousy...he did not know, but he did know that he had never really had any sort of relationship with any Aes Sedai...never really felt a connection. And watching one of his former Trainees Bonding...he just couldn't stand it.

Quietly, he walked out of the room, as the silence broke and congratulations were being delivered.

He made his way outside and sat looking out over the grounds. Letting this all run though his head...

OOC:Open to conversation

Coran Thalier
Tower Guard
*Moping*

*********************************

Lukas spotted one of the Tower Guards shift away from the pack of people rushing to congratulate Lyanna and himself and as he watched the man's retreating back he was sure he knew the man from somewhere before. It couldn't be Coran couldn't it, the old man wouldn't leave without even greeting me. Would he? Lukas needed to see what was wrong with his old friend and mentor and so with a quickly whispered apology to Lyanna he broke away from everyone to give chase to the Tower Guard.

It wasn't long before the newly bonded Gaidin found Coran sitting looking out over the grounds of the Palace and the city of Tanchico. The man seemed deep in contemplation and by the cast of his shoulders it wasn't a contemplation of happy memories. What about my bonding could embitter him so much?

"I thought I spotted you back in there," He said as he deposited himself next to his old mentor and as they both looked over the wealth and opulence of the palace Lukas was forced to admit that their were definite benefits to being royalty. "It must be good to be king but I don't think you came out here to admire the King's palace. What happened back there Coran? The man I knew wouldn't have turned his back on old friends, the man I knew would have been the first to come in and congratulate me. What's wrong?"

Lukas Talinko
Meeting with an OLD friend

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"I thought I spotted you back in there," Coran turned to see Lukas walking out from the room. "It must be good to be king but I don't think you came out here to admire the King's palace. What happened back there Coran? The man I knew wouldn't have turned his back on old friends, the man I knew would have been the first to come in and congratulate me. What's wrong?"

What could he say? I'm jealous. It's not fair. He felt like he was five years old and wanting his brother's new toy.

Coran looked back over the grounds for a moment, stalling...not really knowing where to begin. Not really knowing what was going on himself. He turned back to Lukas.

"I am happy for you, I really am. You and Lyanna Sedai make a good pairing." I just should be first...I should be bonded by now.

It was not one of the best thoughts Coran had go through his head. It shamed him that he was reacting this way, but he felt out of control. So out of control that he did not even want the solace of the Spring.

"Lukas, This has nothing to do with you. It really doesn't. It's just..." He struggled to say it. "Man, They teach you much about how to stay alive as a trainee of the Tower. They teach you every way that you can avoid danger and how to take a life if you need to, but they teach you nothing about how to talk to..." He stopped and looked back at the room full of Aes Sedai. Women that he was sworn to protect, but who did not even notice that he was there. "Look, this is just something that I have to work out. I don't think there is anything you could do to help with this."

Lyanna was looking out to the balcony, still surrounded by the other Aes Sedai. Not only was Coran being a complete Woolhead, but he was keeping a new Warder from his Sedai.

"Luk...I am keeping you from your Bonded. You should be able to feel it, From what I've read. The pull to be by her side." Coran felt a sort of emptiness as he spoke, but he kept his voice as non-chalant as possible. "You should go to her, take in the congratulations that you both deserve. I am fine."

Coran

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It was strange to have a presence again in her head, but it felt right too. Lyanna knew that Lukas had understood the way in which she addressed him right before they had bonded. She had wanted to tell him that to her, his upbringing was just as important as his ability to protect her. They were both aspects of his being, both sides of the coin so to speak. When she accepted the one, she also had to accept the other.

She felt joy through the bond, and gratitude also, which he seconds later expressed by a low whisper: "Thank you." She nodded in agreement, and smiled at him, and lightly tweaked the bond. She chuckled when his eyes shot wide open in surprise. Then she focussed on the room again and the people present. There were a few that congratulated her with genuine smiles on their faces. All of them were Green. A sense of slight irritation emanated from some of the Browns. Well, what was done, was done, and there was no turning back now. She didn’t regret it for one moment. Until she saw the look in Taya’s eyes. The woman didn’t speak. She almost looked as if she couldn’t speak. As if she was shocked, and hurt, and Lyanna had not expected to see any of those emotions in Taya’s eyes. To her, Taya had always been the epitome of Aes Sedai, but she also knew that the woman had a good sense of humor, and was not easily shocked by something as minor as an Aes Sedai bonding a Warder right before battle. She turned towards Taya, ignoring the muttered expressions of either congratulations or disapproval, and she barely registered that the bond in her head all of a sudden expressed surprise and then concern. Lukas whispered an apology to her and hurriedly left the room.

“Taya?” Lyanna touched the other Sedai lightly on the arm and dropped her voice. “I did not mean to cause you shock after shock, but this was something which we really had not planned. I need to keep Lukas with me Taya, if we embark on this mission. I have needed this for a long time and now seemed the right time.”

She looked away, out over the balcony, and saw Lukas sitting down, outside, together with what looked like another Tower Guard. They seemed to be having a very serious talk, and the bond echoed that same notion….

Lyanna

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"Coran she can wait for now. You have been my friend and mentor for the past few years and in that time you have always helped me work through my problems. Now it is time for me to help you."

Lukas felt torn in two as he spoke those words, on one hand he did want to help his friend but on the other hand he also wanted to be up there by Lyanna's side making sure that no harm would come to her. She was only a few hundred feet away and yet it felt more and the need to be with her tugged at him heavily but he would not leave his friend.

"I know you think it is hard to talk to Sedai but maybe it is because you make it hard to talk to them. Most of the women up there would love to have a Warder like you, experienced, smart and efficient but not a one of them even knows a thing about you because you have never tried to talk to them." He knew at the moment his words were probably hurting Coran more than helping him but he was building himself up to a point.

"So here is what we are going to do, both of us are going to return to that room up there and you will make an effort to talk to at least one Aes Sedai. I don't care if the idea makes you want to scream and run away as fast as you can but you will do it."

Raising himself up Lukas started to walk back to his Aes Sedai and the rest of the party not turning around to see if Coran was following. He knew that the man would come because if he did not then he was a weak man and everything Lukas knew about Coran indicated he was not a weak man.

Lukas Talinko
Lyanna Sedai of the Green Ajah's Gaidin

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"So here is what we are going to do, both of us are going to return to that room up there and you will make an effort to talk to at least one Aes Sedai. I don't care if the idea makes you want to scream and run away as fast as you can but you will do it." Lukas stood and walked back to the room.

Coran hesitated only a moment before following. He knew there was nothing else to do...He had never stepped away from a challenge, never failed to learn what it was he needed to. And what he needed now was to face this.

Coran watched Lukas as he met up with his sedai again. Coran stepped forward. "Thanks." He said to Lukas. "I'll take your advice." He looked at the two and said, "Congratulations to both of you. Lukas is a...strong headed one, but he tends to grow on you." Coran smiled and stood aside letting Lukas and Lyanna get the attention they deserved in their moment.

He looked around at the Sedai coming towards the two and talking to them. Not knowing what to say...or do, he picked one of the sisters making their way back from talking to Lyanna and Lukas.

"Um, Hello." He said a bit awkwardly...

OOC:Well, any Sedai up to some awkward conversation??? IF So...PM me so we do not take up this thread and we can start a separate thread... Luk...feel free to help me out.

Coran Thalier
Tower Guard
Student of Me'Arearth

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ooc- Sorry to take this over everyone but Sirayn is really busy with school and hasn't been able to move things along. Coran I will be pming about that convo you mentioned for a seperate thread. Browns you can post here as well as anyone else who wants to. *G*

Jaydena watched everyone congregate in front of Lyanna and her new warder. The woman were back ten minutes and already they were the center of attention, she wasn't sure how this boded for the future. Several minutes passed and she realized that Sirayn wasn't going to take charge of the meeting. As a sitter she had the right to start the meeting and she was going to use it. Stepping forward she raised her voice and called attention to the room, "Congratulations to our newly returned battle sister and her gaidin. We have several issues to address and we best get to them, after all time wasted is time wasted."

She turned to the Brown sisters in the room and continued, "My fellow sisters, Lyanna Sedai and Lanfir Sedai have petitioned to join us on this mission. I believe that their battle expertise and knowledge would be valuable to all of us. They are asking your permission to join us." Jaydena waited for a moment and when they had spoken their piece she continued, "Also our sister Egwainne is here to instruct all of us on how to deal with this new king. If everyone could take a seat who will be staying we can get this meeting started." Nodding to end her address she stepped away from the group and took a seat in one of the chairs, she watched as the Blue sister walked to the front of the room...

Jaydena Sedai

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