Open Chronicles College of Elbion - Applicants Wanted!

[Kara Orin]

The College of Elbion – the center of magical knowledge.​

A new round of applications to the College has begun! Any being wanting to attain arcane arts could do so there. Those 16 and older were free to apply – provided they could pay for the fee. And those with the pedigree or ability or money will be admitted within a year of trials and tests…

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The streets of Elbion grew increasingly crowded over the last weeks. Kara had witnessed this happening once a year forever. Fresh faces appeared – looking for an opportunity to learn of the occult and become a part of a prestigious legacy for mages. More followed this hopeful applicants as they wished to profit on the influx of people – many of them young.

Kara passed by a street merchant yelling, “Magic Orbs of Power! Guaranteed to give you endless mana!”

A scam. The “magic orbs” were merely colorful stone marbles.

No end to this kind of play could be seen.

Despite this, the one thing Kara disliked most about this time of year was bratty nobles wandering the streets of Elbion and…

“How dare you!” someone screamed.

Kara looked up. In one hand she held a basket full of fruit she received as a gift from her family. She was in route to the College after visiting them.

Before her, a boy near her age yelled at one merchant about how he was being scammed. He sported well-kept and colorful clothing fit for one blessed with wealth. A noble for sure.

Kara looked at the apologetic merchant. He was one she recognized. The meek merchant surprisingly helped her family a year ago with a rather strange incident involving two-headed rats in the Port District.

“Is something the matter?” Kara asked as she approached the boy and merchant.

A light appeared in the merchant’s eyes. The boy turned to Kara.

“Don’t interfere, peasant!” the boy ordered.

Kara rolled her eyes and told the boy, “I’m interested in one of his wares.”

On the merchant’s table sat a wooden stick that one might be able to call a wand. It certainly was not ornate or gave any appearance of being meant for practical use. Kara pointed at it. Most of the merchant’s wares could be described in the same way – dirty and ugly. Despite this, Kara knew that the meek merchant sold somehow genuine magical artifacts.

“Are you finished with your purchase? I don't have time to listen to your screeching...” Kara said with a straight face.

“Wha-?!” the boy’s face grew red as he glared at Kara, “How dare you talk that way to me!”

The boy then flung out his arm and chanted, “O' aether, heed my call and bind!”

A golden circle materialized via magic around Kara's torso. It contracted and captured her as if it was a lasso. Kara’s basket dropped to the ground – the fruit it used to carry spilling from it. Her eyes widened at the site of fresh apples rolling in the dirt.

“A girl like you should behave herself!” the boy told the apparently immobilized Kara, “I’ll deal with you once I’m finished with this thieving con man!”

Daimon Viedahl

 

[Sigfrith Runecarver]

Sigfrith’s eyes darkened as a flash across the street caught his eye. He bowed to the market, who tigger her beard in return, before pushing through the crowd.

He had returned briefly after his journeys in the Spine to catch up on the College and fulfill certain of his duties as the College’s Rune-Master. Not that he had many such duties, for rare was the student who wishes to study runes, and even rarer was the student that Sigfrith would accept. He would, unless he could reclaim the halls of his clan, most likely be the last practitioner of the runic arts. They would be forgotten by history and turn to legend, an art abandoned for the sake of convenience and impatience.

And that was exactly what he saw happening at this vendor. He knew the man, of course, one of the more reputable and reliable ones in Elbion, at least when artifacts of magic were concerned.

Yet this boy had dared to waste his training and skill to harass and pester innocents. Impatience. Entitlement. It was rank in the humans he saw these days. They lacked the connection to rock and soil that grounded him and his kin.

Sigfrith pauses and adjusted the badge of rank he wore so that it was more clearly visible as his heavy feet tromped beside where Kara Orin stood, seemingly trapped.

The Dwarf bent to pick up the dropped pieces of fruit, polishing them on the edge of his cloak.

“And foppish boys like yourselves should not be trained in the arcane arts,” Sigfrith growled, his voice low from beneath his hood. “Go home and pester your nurse for sweets before I press charges of malfeasance.”

Sigfrith pauses for a moment, inspecting the last piece of fruit before replacing it in the righted basket. “If you’re lucky and I decide not to pass justice myself.”

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

The department of acquisitions always made a point of at least sending one person out when the merchants decided to cart wares out on the street and claim magical properties. A precaution in case some fool unwittingly brought a relic into the city without realizing the gem they had. Given some leeway with spending, they had done their yearly ritual of drawing lots to see who exactly would be walking the streets.

Phillipa had drawn the short straw, a whoop of joy ringing through the department at it being her turn, and was stepping through the market after trying to be sold a useless trinket said to grant protection. Once the details of protection couldn't be provided, the professor had promptly asked in a none to quiet voice about the rest of their wares, all of which having similarly lacking descriptions.

The small smile appeared as she waved off the mans attempt, and walked away with a dismissing huff. If they were truly dedicated to sales, they would have worked out details before hand, she mentally chastised the man as she heard incantations and the thrum of magic in the air. The blue-black fur mantle the only sign of her association with the college as she watched a dwarf approach the group that had assembled around the small shop.

The woman plucked a small monocle from a pocket hidden by the fur and peered at the contents of the shop as the dwarf spoke, her gaze dropped to the dwarf when he offered to pass judgement himself. The sharp clack of her steps on the stones announced her approach. The small insignia of a blackened heart on the choker she wore. The equally sharp smile she wore promised trouble to any silly enough to raise trouble as she glanced at the dwarf, now recognizable from the front.

"Ah, Sigfrith darling! How wonderful to have your presence back in the college once more. Is something the matter here?" The college professor Phillipa Ebonheart asked sweetly, her eyes resting on the lads that seemed to be making a fuss. Unruly students she detested, and improper use of magic was a close second on her list of things that displeased her. The two reasons she typically did not ever have students last long in one of her advanced applications of magic classes.

Noble children tended to be a right pain when the sense of entitlement was never removed from their arsenal of assumed power. Phillipa had never been allowed to think the world was hers, her mother drilling into her a set of ethics that consumed the woman to be worthy of the noble name Ebonheart. Seeing it in others riled the woman, but her features never betrayed that disgust she felt at it.

 

[Kara Orin]

Both the noble boy and Kara widened their eyes at the sight of Sigfrith Runecarver. The boy’s mouth sat ajar. His gaze initially focused on the Second Order badge Sigfrith sported. His body twitched as he heard Sigfrith mentioned pressing charges. When Phillipa Ebonheart spoke up, a bead of sweat dripped down his left temple when he noticed the fur mantle. He hoped neither of them were involved in the admissions process.

With a wave of his hand, the boy released Kara from the magical lasso. He donned a smile on his face and said, “Lady, Maester…”

The boy glanced at Kara as she rubbed one of her arms due to the discomfort of the spell.

Then looking back at Sigfrith and Phillipa, the noble told them, “As a highborn, I realize I should have left this merchant’s scams to the guards...”

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor glanced absently over the contents of a merchants wears, pretty glass marbles shining in the sun while he went on about unlimited wells of power. Eleanor knew enough about magic to know this was impossible but the colored glass was at least pretty in a simple sort of way. Though the price he was asking for them was much more than they were actually worth. Shouting rang out from up the street and Eleanor glanced up to see her brother cast a ring of golden magic around a girl.

Eleanor scowled and picked up her blue and cream silk skirts as she marched towards him. Two more people quickly approached the commotion he was making. She was not close enough to hear what was said but she could see his face turn red and flustered as he let the girl go.

Eleanor marched right up to the group and her brothers face lite up when he saw her, though her face was still a mask of livid frustration.

"Terance, what are you thinking," She scolded then turning to the rest of the group she bobbed her head apologetically at them "Sorry, he's an idiot."

"Idiot?" Terrance scoffed indignantly, "I'm not the one who failed mathematics twice. Besides, where have you been, I told you not to wander off."

Eleanor bit her lip and her face flushed, "I'm better at it than you," she muttered looking down at her feet. Terrance either didn't hear or ignored her.

"Sorry, she's just a bit excited, she's never been to Elbion before,"

 

[Quoril]

This was Quoril’s favorite time of year and so he had made a special trip to Elbion. He loved walking around the city watching the aspiring students practice their magic before taking their exams to get into the College. It was also a perfect opportunity for the elf to learn about spells and abilities he had never heard of before.

Quoril had always dreamed of going to the College of Elbion, though he had never had the coin to take the entrance exams. He had somewhat recently begun expanding his magical skills and hoped one day to have enough money to attempt the exams.

He stopped at The Gilded Feather to obtain a book on entry-level enchanting from Grandpa Iggy. As Quoril’s father also dealt in magical books, he had gotten to know Maester Osric very well over his time growing up. The next stop was the merchant district where he purchased a small bag of “magic orbs” (which were merely glass marbles) from a merchant. After securing the orbs to practice on, Quoril sat down on a bench to study.

A few moments later he heard the sounds of a boy screaming at a merchant about how his wares were a “scam”. Looking up he saw a young woman stop by the stall and speak to the boy which really seemed to anger him. He then proceeded to cast a binding spell on her. Within a very short amount of time, a dwarf walked over and seemed to reprimand the boy. Another human woman and a girl also joined them. The boy and the two young women were seemingly students, while the dwarf and the slightly older woman wore badges and were apparently officials of some sort from the College.

Suddenly, one of the orbs he had been experimenting on fell out of his hand and proceeded to bounce high into the air like a rubber ball towards the group surrounding the aforementioned merchant. “Crap,” he thought to himself. The alchemist had not intended to join in on what had been going on near him but now it seemed like he had no choice. Quickly strapping his sword across his back and gathering up his large backpack, he hurried after the orb and nearly ran headlong into the merchant.

 

[Alexis Armon]

Alexis Armon had only seen a few cities like this before. Elbion was certainly what all the rumors said about it. Certainly a world center for trade, but more importantly the home of the Collage of Elbion and her ultimate destination. When she first heard some noblewomen speaking about this collage of magic, she thought it was some fairytale gossip, but upon further investigation she found that this place was real and that they were actually accepting students!

She arrived in the city with herself, a handmaiden, and two bodyguards. All of them dressed in the pure white colors of House Armon. Her guards wore white dyed leather armor with steel bracers and white cloaks, the handmaid was dressed similar to Lady Armon in a white traveling tunic with a cloak around her shoulders and hood pulled up. both women traveled with their hoods up.
They arrived on horseback but quickly found that it would be faster to go on foot, since the streets were constantly clogged with people making it impossible to guide a horse through them.
Traveling on foot with her handmaid beside her and a guard in front and behind, they walked through the streets in the general direction that they guessed the collage to be.

Alexis kept her head down so her hood would cover her face, but her eyes were alert and scanning as they pushed through the thick crowds of Elbion streets. Some people made way for them as they stood out starkly amid the muted colors of the general public, but others brushed past gruffly and some with hostility against nobles as they would attempt to knock the two women over before the guards could react.
They wanted to get off the streets as quickly as they could and away from the jostling strangers and itching pickpockets, but their progress was stopped by a growing crowd of people gathered around a merchants stall.
Even over the bustle of people they could all hear what was going on at the center of it all. Her trained ears easily picked up on the whine of a noble boy insincerely apologizing to a superior while a young girl who must have been his sister was sincerely trying to apologize for him.

What interested her was not the troubles of the young boy or girl, but the woman they were apologizing to. Through the crowd of gawkers she saw the tall woman in fine clothing with a badge of her station, a station she could only assume was affiliated with the collage.

She lead her followers into the crowd for a better view of the scene. Again the contrast they held to the other people made them stand out and people cleared a path for them to approach the stall of the clearly harassed merchant, the offending boy and his sister, what looked to be a female student of the collage and a dwarf with a badge from the collage, the superior from the collage, and an overburdened elf bumping into the merchants stall chasing an orb.

With only this to meet her gaze she had no idea what to make of the situation as it seemed well in hand, but she was curious and she really wanted to speak with the woman from the collage. So she stood there and waited to see what would happen next, standing in the middle of a clearing the crowd made around them, giving them plenty of space and putting an awkward spotlight on their company.

 

[Elise Darkwater]

Alexis Armon had only seen a few cities like this before. Elbion was certainly what all the rumors said about it. Certainly a world center for trade, but more importantly the home of the Collage of Elbion and her ultimate destination. When she first heard some noblewomen speaking about this collage of magic, she thought it was some fairytale gossip, but upon further investigation she found that this place was real and that they were actually accepting students!

She arrived in the city with herself, a handmaiden, and two bodyguards. All of them dressed in the pure white colors of House Armon. Her guards wore white dyed leather armor with steel bracers and white cloaks, the handmaid was dressed similar to Lady Armon in a white traveling tunic with a cloak around her shoulders and hood pulled up. both women traveled with their hoods up.
They arrived on horseback but quickly found that it would be faster to go on foot, since the streets were constantly clogged with people making it impossible to guide a horse through them.
Traveling on foot with her handmaid beside her and a guard in front and behind, they walked through the streets in the general direction that they guessed the collage to be.

Alexis kept her head down so her hood would cover her face, but her eyes were alert and scanning as they pushed through the thick crowds of Elbion streets. Some people made way for them as they stood out starkly amid the muted colors of the general public, but others brushed past gruffly and some with hostility against nobles as they would attempt to knock the two women over before the guards could react.
They wanted to get off the streets as quickly as they could and away from the jostling strangers and itching pickpockets, but their progress was stopped by a growing crowd of people gathered around a merchants stall.
Even over the bustle of people they could all hear what was going on at the center of it all. Her trained ears easily picked up on the whine of a noble boy insincerely apologizing to a superior while a young girl who must have been his sister was sincerely trying to apologize for him.

What interested her was not the troubles of the young boy or girl, but the woman they were apologizing to. Through the crowd of gawkers she saw the tall woman in fine clothing with a badge of her station, a station she could only assume was affiliated with the collage.

She lead her followers into the crowd for a better view of the scene. Again the contrast they held to the other people made them stand out and people cleared a path for them to approach the stall of the clearly harassed merchant, the offending boy and his sister, what looked to be a female student of the collage and a dwarf with a badge from the collage, the superior from the collage, and an overburdened elf bumping into the merchants stall chasing an orb.

With only this to meet her gaze she had no idea what to make of the situation as it seemed well in hand, but she was curious and she really wanted to speak with the woman from the collage. So she stood there and waited to see what would happen next, standing in the middle of a clearing the crowd made around them, giving them plenty of space and putting an awkward spotlight on their company.

Elise watched the scene progress from a rooftop and giggled to herself as she watched her target stop in basically a spotlight in the sea of people.. Alexis Armon was not one to travel unprotected, but she must have been confident in the crowds because only two guards was quite lax for her.
Her column had been moving quite fast undoubtedly itching to get off the street, but had come to a forced stop by a confrontation that was blocking the street. It was now or never. She pulled out her crossbow and lined up her shot.
"Tea for the tiller man, steak for the son, wine for the woman who made the rain come.... seagulls sing your hearts away..while the sinners sin....the children play.." she sang softly to herself while she placed the good lady's head directly into her sites.

When suddenly as she squeezed the trigger a short, over burdened, elf crashed into the stall distracting her enough for the fired bolt to plant itself firmly into the right shoulder of Alexis rather than the back of her head like Elise had planned. She cursed and sheathed her crossbow shooting out a tentacle of black energy and using it like a whip to pull herself off the roof with great speed, tearing a small piece of her cloak off on a sharp edge and falling with a roll, before blending back into the crowd. She cut into a side alley as a vicious whisper cut through all the noise like a bodyless snake as it hissed at her. "Foolish girl..." came the whisper of Bastellen .

"Your chance for surprise is gone!" he said angrily. "But the poison.." Elise began as she felt a cold body-less hand close around her throat for a moment "She is not so easy to kill. Your chance is missed child." he said slowly "For now." the hand released allowing her to catch her breath as she sunk down with her back against the ally wall.

"She is still vulnerable while her use of magic is as dampened as it is, but you can not fail again, and they will now be on guard. Remember her blood line can not be allowed to start a house in this land, and her death will not only slow that process...it will please me..." hes said softly as she felt the same cold hand brush her cheek lovingly like a small gust of wind .
"I understand.." she said as she refocused on her task at hand which was getting off these streets before some clever mage tried to catch her. Not many had seen her but in a place so crowded someone may have seen something. Best to get off the street. "you had better understand wretch." her master said as she felt his presence leave. She turned to leave the ally "Talking to yourself there eh missy?" she heard as she realized a slimy looking man was looking at her with a crooked grin. "Maybe." she said as she passed quickly. So fast in fact, that he didnt even see the blade slit his throat as he fell gurgling in his own blood and she faded into the crowd like a shadow.

 

[Alexis Armon]

Alexis gasped, but didn't cry out. The pain from her shoulder was paralyzing and everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.
She stood on shock for a moment but her handmaiden and guards were instantly in action. One guard spotted the fleeing assassin and bolted after her while the remaining guard and handmaiden caught Alexis before she fell and lowered her to the ground and immediately began seeing to her wound.

Alexis was absolutely stunned, why would anyone want to kill her? to her knowledge she is a complete stranger in this land and has no connections to anyone and has so far wronged nobody.
A dark red stain began to spread over her white cloak and tunic from around the bolt. It was lodged deep but high on her right shoulder so no vital organs were at risk, though blood loss would be a serious concern. The Handmaid deemed the bolt too dangerous to remove here on the street and did her best to bind the wound and stop the bleeding, but Alexis had mercifully passed out.

The remaining guard looked about at the crowd and the representatives from the collage. He wore no helmet or hood so his face could be clearly seen, his dark hair tied back in stark contrast to the pale of his skin and white of his clothing. His face showed anger and frustration and accusation and he looked directly at Phillipa Ebonheart since he knew that she was the goal of his mistress. "My Lady is wounded! She needs to get off the streets, is there any way that you can aid us?"

The guard that had chased the assassin followed her a good distance but eventually she melted into the crowds and he stood no chance of finding her without slaughtering every last civilian to find her, which he was almost tempted to do in his rage at his inability to protect or avenge Lady Armon.
He smelled fresh blood, but in the chaos of smells he could not discern where it was coming from.
He returned to where he had left Lady Armon and looked at the rooftop where he had spotted the assassin, noticing the piece of cloth on the edge of the roof he ducked into an alley and out of sight before he scaled the sheer wall like a spider up to the roof top and recovered the edge of the cloak.
With the evidence in hand he returned to the ground and returned to aid his mistress, reporting with a disappointed shake of his head to the handmaiden that the assassin escaped.

 

[Sigfrith Runecarver]

Sigfrith turned as a familiar voice spoke to him, and he gave a courteous bow, "Well met, Lady Phillipa Ebonheart. I thank you for your welcome. It is indeed very good to be back in Elbion." He gave a deep hrrmph from the depths of his throat as he turned to skewer the lad with a sharp glare. "Indeed. This child accuses one of our most reputable merchants of scams and assails an innocent woman with his magic."

He was interrupted by the arrival of Eleanor Griffin, who was apologizing and making excuses for her brother, who continued to dig a deeper hole for himself, at least in Sigfrith's mind. Barbs were exchanged and the boy continued to try and assert his superior authority. Sigfrith's face remained impassive beneath the hood of his cloak and behind his long beard, while his eyes smoldered.

"Clearly, young Terrance, I can see you know little of our customs either. Your reckless use of the arcane gives Elbion and all who practice such arts a bad name. It is a study of the utmost seriousness and you use it for convenience." Venom practically dropped from his words. "And I will not have students in my college that use magic so recklessly."

He turned to Kara Orin and gave a deeper bow. "I apologize on behalf of Elbion and College for the behavior of this child. While not one of ours, any act committed by one who can use the arcane arts reflects on the rest of us."

Yet he was cut off then, by a sudden commotion as someone barged into the stall and a crossbow bolt buried itself into the shoulder of a nearby woman. Suddenly, people were screaming and running for cover while guards hurried to find this assassin.

The Dwarf merely rotated and knelt beside the woman, dark eyes somber as he watched the handmaids inspect the wound. Blood had spread out and stained the dress and ground around her. He reached out one thick finger and dabbed it in the blood, before writing a rune on the unconscious woman's forehead. It seemed to glow and surge with energy for a moment.

The rune c'hayi. One of the most powerful runes that he knew existed. Certainly, there were likely more, but none that he had been able to find. Quite simply, it was the rune for Life, or depending on the translation, Breath. In practicality, they were one and the same. It could only be written with blood. Nothing else had the inherent power to give the rune its effect. And oddly, only the blood of the person would have the effect, but it was a very short-lasting rune. The power of the source was burned through so quickly that it made little sense except for emergency first aid when there was little else.

"She will not die." Sigfrith said simply. "Her life will last as long the power in the rune holds." He did some calculations in his head. "It will be one half rotation of an hourglass before the power is used. She must be moved quickly and the wound treated properly. Must move quickly."

 

[Kara Orin]

Since being released by Terrance, Kara kept her eyes on Sigfrith Runecarver. Her eyes would momentarily glance at those approaching the growing group – only to fix themselves back on the Maester. Eleanor Griffin’s words to her brother failed to steal her gaze. Not even Quoril’s unfortunate stumble into the pestered merchant.

When Sigfrith began his apology, Kara seemed taken aback and began to wave her hands. However, the chaos surrounding Alexis Armon suddenly cut off Sigrith and finally shifted Kara’s attention to something else.

Kara grimaced at the scene and watched. The rune Sigfrith drew reflected on her eyes. She took a couple steps back. Her basket caught her eye. She then reached down and picked it and a couple pieces of fruit off the ground.

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

Phillipa did not speak in the time the boys sister had joined them. The greeting from Sigfrith garnering her attention before the barbed comment at his sister caught her interest.

"I do hope that your ability to draw a crowd and proclaim falsehoods is directly correlated with your ability to study. Otherwise the college has no use for such pettiness." Phillipa cheerfully gutted the boy before her attention was drawn to a small group within the crowd. More nobility it seemed. A stumble and near collision drew her gaze for a brief moment as the whistle of something in the air made her look up. A small object was falling on the group. The origin unknown, the professor raised a hand before power surged and drew the object to her. A soft thump was her reward as a marble plopped into her hand.

The scream from the crowd interrupted her curious look as she spotted the noble woman on the ground. A heavy sigh was given as she held onto the orb, her free hand moving before pointing to Kara Orin, Quoril, Eleanor Griffin, and her brother in order.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Her voice softly rang as a purple mark similar to the emblem adorning her choker appeared on each of them. "Don't run off. Inquiry into this is soon to follow."

Sigfrith worked his craft, and Phillipa held a finger to her throat while channeling her magic. A sharp draw of breath came before her voice boomed over the crowd.

"Disperse by Order of the College of Elbion. Guards are to attend and assist the wounded. Anyone that does not have a stall, clear the area or be held for questioning." Phillipa removed the finger and examined the scene before her. Sigfrith mentioned to move her quickly as his rune would not hold for long. Guards came forward and would help as best they could while others moved commonfolk out of the way.

"Be mindful, poison works quickly when one is jostled or in distress. Keep her flat as best able. I doubt another attempt will be made so quickly." Phillipa informed them quietly. The air about her was calm even as she scanned the crowd. No one looked especially suspicious, and the ones that she cares to question were already marked. She chewed her thumb for a moment, thinking on the best room.

"Take her to the medical ward inside the college. A private room. Unless they are professors or cleared by myself, no one enters her room. Get Devon and Theria to aid her." Devon specialized in wounds and mending flesh, and Theria had an uncanny knowledge of poisons. Together they would be the best bet for helping the woman.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

Eleanor jumped and her hands shot to her mouth as a commotion broke out in the middle of the street. Her brother stepped in front of her holding his arm out protectively as he searched the street and the rooftops for the source of the attack. She stared wide-eyed as the lady collapsed into her servant's arms crimson spreading from the wound in her shoulder. She watched her shock turning to curiosity and then concern as Sigfrith placed some sort of warding ruin on the woman.

She jumped again as Ebonheart spoke something and pointed at the four of them in turn. She glanced at her brother and noticed the purple symbol now adorning his neck. She reached up and touched her own neck noticing the other two were now also graced with the same symbol. She looked from Ebonheart to the injured woman wringing her hands, not sure what to think of any of this.

 

[Quoril]

Quoril’s orb ended up being caught by the official-looking woman who pulled it to herself presumably by magic. He sheepishly apologized to the merchant for wrecking his stall and tried to help pick up the mess but was angrily shooed away. He then walked over to join the growing number of people.

Suddenly he heard the whistle of a crossbow bolt. Turning, he saw the bolt bury itself into the noble woman’s shoulder, and then watched as her guards rushed to help her. The marketplace erupted in chaos as one guard ran into the streets hoping to find the shooter while the other shoppers ran around in panic.

The dwarf standing next to him knelt and drew an odd mark on the woman’s forehead in her own blood. Quoril sat down next to him and removed his backpack looking for anything that he could use to help. It seemed that the bolt had been poisoned and was quickly spreading through her body. Pulling a square bottle out of his pack he uncorked it and poured a small amount into the wound. The oabrea flower extract worked as a general antidote for many common types of weak poison, but this particular one appeared extremely potent. The best that the alchemist could hope for was that it, along with the odd symbol the dwarf had drawn on her forehead, would slow the spread enough to get her to the college’s medical ward and under the care of professionals.

Raising to his feet, Quoril was confused as a purple mark materialized on the necks of the others standing around him. This was followed by the instructions "Don't run off. Inquiry into this is soon to follow." He once again removed his pack, and set it on the ground. Fishing out a slightly stale hunk of bread, he started munching on it as he awaited on further instructions.

 

[GreekGod]

Marius Alva Decimus watched this all unfold from afar, when the altercation began to escalate he stepped forward, calling out cheerfully to Phillipa. "Phillipa, darling, why do I always find you at the heart of trouble?." The veteran college scholar said with a chuckle. He smiled at all the people gathered and his young apprentice, Serbert, stood behind him. They had recently returned from an expedition and Marius was supposed to go to the college to help deal with the new students. It seemed he'd be a little preoccupied. He opened his large satchel and drew out his medical kit, he placed it down and opened it, revealing cloths, liquid cures and other such things. "Take what you need, I'll leave the healing to you."

He backed away and looked again at all the people Phillipa ordered to stay for questioning. "Here, why don't you all make a little group. We can make this easier for Miss Intimidating over there." He said with a gesture at Phillipa before he began corralling all of them together. "No need to put her in a bad mood, her standard bad mood works well enough." He said with a wink and a smile.

 

[Alexis Armon]

The handmaid and the two guards tensed when the dwarf dipped his finger in her blood. It was lessened some when he applied it in a rune on her forehead, but they still eyed him suspiciously as they worried over their Lady. They allowed further treatment from any who offered it. But the Handmaid felt powerless. In her homeland she was an extremely talented healer and magic user, but here it's like the magic fought against her and stripped itself away from her, she could not tame it nor appease it and it frustrated her that she could not use it to help her wounded mistress.

After initial first aid was applied the two guards of House Armon removed their cloaks to create a make-shift stretcher. They didn't allow any other guards or bystanders help them transport her or get close to her, not trusting them. Though they did somewhat trust the magic users, which is odd since it's usually the other way around. They gently lifted her up in their cloaks while the handmaid turned to the magic users, especially Sigfrith Runecarver and Phillipa Ebonheart .
"We thank you for you kindness and the use of your magic. Can you please guide us to where we can properly treat Lady Armon?"

Alexis lay on her side on the stretcher since the arrow protruded from her back, but not uncomfortably. The bleeding had stopped but the red stain on her white clothes remained. The arrow was indeed poisoned with a fatal toxin, enough to kill a normal human and her followers could detect this, but this told them that the assassin didn't yet know who or what it was hunting which was a relief to them. From their care for her their white clothes were also stained by her blood.

 

[Elise Darkwater]

In her small loft on the outskirts of the city Elise sat humming a cheerful tune while winding her full sized and short crossbows. The full size to be fired longer distances outside with more power. The other a shorter smaller copy easier to fire inside buy could be stopped by anything thicker than simple leather armor. Her knifes sat point down next to a whet stone on the table in front of her. One was still covered in that street slime's blood from earlier. She groaned as she pulled off her gauntlets which let out a wet squelching sound as she felt the needles come free. She flexed her fingers slowly as she began cleaning her first knife with a small bowel of water and a cloth.
"Blood sticks and stains.."
She muttered to herself while she scrubbed holding the knife up after a moment, and seeming satisfied with it she began to sharpen both knives as she brooded over her next move. They would take her into the collage and while it was no fortress that wouldnt mean it would be easy. The prison was full of thieves that thought a collage would be a pushover, and found powerful mages and dedicated guards greeting them when they broke in.

No....this was not to be taken lightly. She finished sharpening her knives, and pulled out her sets of bolts, Normal, poison, smoke and sleep. She checked their points separately each sharp as a needle. Good. She coughed as a black smog like cloud seems to flow from her throat and dissipated as her tome on the far right corner of the table seemed to pull it in. She dis robed as she prepared a bath in the bathroom, and set some tea to boil. She sunk into the warm water and rubbed her temples, almost as if she could rub an idea into her head. Her tea kettle whistled as she rose from her bath slowly, Her body was a glistening tapestry of healing bruises, and scars from slashes and punctures. A Kraken and a Sea Leviathan snaked up her right arm Locked in combat with a ship caught in the middle with small waves crashing around it.

On her left a sleeve tattoo of a panther sleeping on a pile of skulls. Each skull was a kill, and he slept on quite a few of them as it slept right under the top of her shoulder and the skulls came all the way down to Elise's wrist and wrapped around her arm. She got that when she joined a raider group that worked on the outskirts of Alliria. She chuckled to herself..those were the days... She poured a glass of tea and set the kettle down before retreating back to her tub. She sipped her tea thoughtfully...a gasp and a muffled groan from her main room. She sat up with a genuine smile spreading across her face. "Look at you sleepy head!" She spoke as she rose out of the water and got dressed in her small bed room before entering her main room and adressing the man who had been silently bound to a chair in the corner of her mainroom, gagged, and wearing a collage guard uniform. "We have a lot to talk about handsome..." she said playfully walking toward him with a small skip in her step. "Now.... This can be a pleasant, quick, little chat or a long conversation....and I detest long conversations. And the longer this goes the more that comes off...Understand love?" She grinned with malicious glee as she approached the man with a knife in her hand. A big knife.

.......................




"Ok...so in emergency extra guards are posted...here.....here.." Elise muttered as she drew X's over a roughly drawn lay out of the medical wing based on the guards description. "You'll be trying again so soon?" came the whisper of her master. "Yes.. they wont expect it...you said yourself time is a factor. They are weak now are they not?" she responded, continuing to mark and make notes on the diagram. "Her guards will be ready, so will her handmaiden and those three alone should not be taken lightly..and there are many other powerful people that roam those halls child. Be wary..... Until Luna restores me to full strength even spirit walking may not save you." He warned. "I wish you could have told me about them not being human..seems like useful information..." she scoffed as she felt a familiar invisible hand cuff her ear. "watch your tone.." he said warning as she bowed with a nod. "Forgive me."
"Yes yes.." he said dismissively. "But you bring up a good point. The truth is I do not know much of them myself. I had one wayward priest swear he saw people of their kind long ago very skilled in magic..very powerful...and thats all I really know..." he trailed off.

"My spirits are following and listening...soon i will know what i need to." Elise nodded. A normal person would ask what this woman..new to the land and seemingly gentle would be deserving of death being dealt to them...but Elise wasn't a person...She was her masters right hand...and when did a hand ever question the commands given to it. She turned to the guard she had tied up. He had passed out due to pain and shock long ago. Elise dipped her finger in the pool of his blood. It gathered under his chair as his many cuts and stab wounds bled freely.
He didnt have long left on this earth. She would need to hurry.

She drew a circle and began drawing another circle comprised of runes inside the first circle. She felt her master guide her hand as she wrote each symbol. Finally she rose and grabbed hold of the poor mans head as his mouth hung open..He was missing his tongue and most of his teeth. Bloody knives and pliers spoke the untold story of his torment. "What a bloody mess...Pity your not awake for this...Well pity for me, not for you I'd guess as I'm sure this is going to be very, very, very, painful." She said with a pouty, playful expression. She began carving a rune into his head hard enough to carve into the bone. When completed she opened her tome and set it under the seat right into the quickly growing pool of blood. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as the pool of blood and the blood flowing and dripping down onto the pages began to smoke and darken as it seemed to melt into the pages and cover.
Soon the black almost liquid tendrils seemed to travel up the blood and into the mans wounds and sinking in as the poor soul began to melt as well. His bone and tissue melting into black dust which seemed to flow into the book as the temperature grew colder with each moment, and the book took on a ghastly black glow that only intensified. Soon all that was left was an empty chair with restraints that held nothing. Elise grinned smugly to herself as she walked to her work table and pulled her gauntlets back on, biting her lip with a painful flinch, as she felt the needles in the fingers sink in slightly. She rose and picked up the book feeling corrupted life energy flow into them as the temperature returned to normal and the ghastly black glow of the book subsided. She would make her move at first nightfall...Let them settle in safe in their assumptions.. "Tea for the tiller man...." she gently hummed as she loaded her and packed her gear in preparation...Next time she wasnt gong to miss. One way or another.....Her target would fall....Or she would.

 

[Kara Orin]

Phillipa Ebonheart casted a spell. Kara stopped picking up fruit to look at the purple mark appeared. She touched it with her hand. When told not to run off and questioning would follow, Kara closed her eyes and sighed. Her shoulders deflated.

Shortly after, Kara returned to collecting the fruit still left on the ground. As she did this, she glanced occasionally at Sigfrith Runecarver and Alexis Armon. In little time, she returned the last dirt-covered fruit to her basket.

More time passed without any questions. Kara drew doodles on the ground with her foot as she stood where Marius directed her to. She looked at each of her compatriots marked for interview. When her eyes fell on Terrance, she smirked. She saw a cure for boredom. She reached into her basket and pulled out a fruit. She polished it on her skirt – removing at least a tolerable amount of dirt for a farmer’s daughter. She scratched the surface of the fruit with her thumb.

“Lord Terrance?” Kara called out with a now stoic face, “Regardless of the facts, I wish to apologize for my behavior.”

Kara extended a fruit toward Eleanor Griffin’s brother.

“Please accept this token,” Kara requested of Terrance.

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

Phillipa took only a moment to notice the brother step protectively in front of his sister, not bothering to wonder if it was filial affection that made him protect her or something else. The crowds began to clear quickly, guards seeing fit to help expedite their flight from the square as even some of the vendors began to clear away. With some breathing room achieved, she turned to address the guards before a familiar voice called to her.

"Hello Marius. I'm always in the heart of trouble because it is part of my job to sort it out, darling." She replied with a small laugh before continuing while shaking her head. "Though I could certainly use a break from it once in a while. Stress does terrible things for the complexion."

When he wrangled all the marked ones into a group, she instructed the guards to sweep the area before making a come along motion to the guards around the noblewoman. She paused for a brief moment at Marius's comment, sticking her tongue out at him before giving him a wide grin and returning to the matter at hand.

"Bring them with you to the College if you wouldn't mind Marius. Settle them into one of the lecture halls and watch them darling and I'll be along shortly after getting this sorted." Phillipa waved blindly to him as she departed, not looking back as she led Alexis Armon's guards along to the College.

Those folk that hadn't cleared the end of the street were quickly ushered away by city guards, the black haired professor keeping those guards well ahead of them.

"I'll save my questions for later. But I do have questions for you all as well." Phillipa eyed her guards as she ushered them into the front entrance of the College before ducking them into a side door shortly after. A harsh looking man inspected them all before allowing them to pass, his nod to Phillipa being returned with a smile.

"Inside." Phillipa ushered them into a room filled with cabinets and drawers along the four walls. A large island dominated the center of the room, large enough for a body but little else. Other than the door that led in, it seemed like there were no other entrances to the untrained eye. Phillipa turned back to the man, her body halfway in the doorway still and spoke quietly. "Fetch Devon and Theria with haste please. A noblewoman has been poisoned by a crossbow bolt and I don't know if anything broke off inside. Thank you darling."

A gruff sound was all the reply she received as the man moved with surprising speed away from the door.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

After it was clear that there seemed to be no immediate danger Terrance lowered his arm, though he still stood protectively close to his sister. He glanced about at the perimeter of the street and the rooftops with a somewhat warranted paranoia. Eleanor stood there wringing her hands, eyes fixed on the ground.

When Kara spoke Terrance glanced at her absently. "Apology accepted," He said curtly, taking the apple without hardly looking at it before slipping it into the pocket of his finely tailored jacket. He then returned to watching the city guards clear civilians from the street.

Eleanor watched as The noble woman's privet guards lifted her up onto a stretcher, the bolt still sticking up out of her back. Her eyes fixed on the bolt, something felt off about it. She couldn't quite place it but the aura residue she was picking up from the weapon seemed strangely powerful and almost vile. If it had a color she would say it felt black... or perhaps void would be more accurate. Her brows furrowed with concentration and wished she was better at reading auras. There were so many people that moved in and out of the market in such a big city that there was a lot of background stimulus that usually drowned out any one specific aura but this aura left such a strong residue that even Eleanor with her minimal training in aura reading was able to detect it.

 

[GreekGod]

"That's true, and don't worry, your complexion is still lovely. You're as radiant as a flower. A black, thorny flower, but a flower nonetheless." He says with a chuckle before turning to face the students. "You heard the lovely Miss Ebonheart, let's get going, I'll show you all to an empty lecture hall." Marius said as he began herding them into the college doors. "Left, left. Right-wait straight, and the door there." He called out as they walked, giving directions to the lecture hall as they walked. When they arrived at the door he opened it and gestured for them all to enter the large hall. It could seat around 150 students in the five levels of chairs and had a large area for a professor to talk. "All of you new students take a seat, you'll be questioned shortly. Probably not the first day you imagined but that's life." He said with a shrug.

After they had all found their places he addressed them. "Just before you're questioned I'll introduce myself. I'm Marius Alva Decimus and I'm a research scholar here at the college. I specifically deal in ancient cultures and religions. I'm a familiar face around the college and guest speak at many lectures, so I'm sure you'll all see me again. The boy beside me is my apprentice, Serbert." He said as he pointed to the young teen beside him. "I'm sure many of you will have classes with him at some point."

Marius walked to the professors chair in the room and took a seat, placing his feet on the desk and leaning back. "And now we wait for Miss Ebonheart."

 

[Alexis Armon]

The guards and the handmaid followed the professor closely, carrying Alexis carefully to not jar or bump her. They kept a sharp eye out on the crowd and the rooftops. The guard who chased the assassin was confident he would be able to recognize the assassin by its clothing but he didn't fool himself into thinking it wouldn't change into a disguise to get close.

Alexis remained unconscious, such was the power of the poison that the bolt was dipped in, by all rights she should be dead but she simply slept as her body fought off the toxin. While she was being carried her wound did not reopen and the handmaid kept a sharp eye on her condition and aided in keeping her steady.

As they entered the collage they carried their Lady where the professor directed, but they did not lower their guard even though they were finally off the streets. When the professor lead them into a side room with a large table they moved to it quickly and placed Alexis on the table, lifting her up and laying her down gently on her side to not jostle the crossbow bolt. Then they arranged their cloaks under her to provide her unconscious body with some comfort on the hard table.

Having done this, the guards moved to off to the sides of the room, one by the door to control comings and goings and the other on the opposite wall to keep an eye on their mistress and anything the magic users might do, their white clothes standing out in the shadow, but giving the appearance of floating ghosts guarding their final resting place. The handmaiden remained at Alexis Armon's side while Alexis continued to battle the poison in her sleep.

The handmaid removed her hood, revealing raven black hair but a similar complexion to the other two guards and Lady Armon. She looked up from her lady and at Phillipa Ebonheart .

"Thank you for aiding us... This was completely unexpected. I am called Rhali, Handmaid to House Armon and servant to my, Lady Alexis Armon. We are indebted to you already, but please! if there is anything you can do for her..!" ​

She bowed her head to Phillipa and cut short when her emotions began to emerge, the adrenaline of the situation beginning to wear off and the reminder of her own futility to help sinking in deeper.

 

[Kara Orin]

When Terrance pocketed the fruit, Kara frowned. She prepared a surprise for the noble boy just before handing it to him. Yet shortly after, Marius guided Kara and the other detainees to the College.

Just when Marius told the “new students” to take a seat, Kara paused a moment before she did so. She sat her basket on the table fore her and stared at it while Marius introduced himself and Serbert. She furrowed her brows and tapped her fingers on the table a couple times.

“Wait, Brother Decimus,” Kara said once Marius sat in the professor’s chair.

Turning her head to Marius, Kara asked him, “What are we being questioned about?”

GreekGod

 

[Phillipa Ebonheart]

She watched the group move as they saw fit, leaning quietly against the wall to wait for the two she had asked for. Devon would be along quickly, but the possibilities of treating poison would likely have Theria close on his heels. She chewed on her thumbnail once more, other arm crossed while she thought on what had happened in the street.

Questions that needed answered, people that might have seen something. She eyed the woman's guards as they split and covered the room, an amused look falling across her face as she waited a moment for the one against the far wall to be surprised. Her eyes drifted to the woman that spoke to her, and the smile becoming a genuine one rather than an amused one. A small hand wave of dismissal was the first part of the response before she spoke.

"Hardly indebted. This occurred within a stones throw of the college and it would be poor decorum for the college to not take care of it's students, current or future. Two of our senior members are being brought in to assist as best they are able and I will depart shortly after they arrive but will return after I've seen to our other guests." Phillipa maintained the politeness, taking a glance at the woman on the table. For being poisoned, she didn't seem to be in too much discomfort. It almost looked as though she were resting.

A possible side effect of the drug as the sound of different voices outside the door had the professor's eyes darting to the knob as it turned.

A man was allowed in by the other outside the door, and Phillipa grasped his hands quickly as she began directing him around the table.

"Devon, darling. Thank you. This noblewoman is what I have called you for. I don't want to risk fragments being left in the wound since there is poison involved." Phillipa motioned to the bolt that protruded from her wound. The man looked quizzically at her for a brief moment, inspecting the two guards in the room and the handmaid before leaning close to Phillipa.

"What, uh. What trouble are you bringing back to the college Phillipa?" he whispered as he nudged her a little, his eyes going back and forth between the guards before resting on the woman's body.

"I don't know what you mean Devon. This woman requires aid after an assassination attempt, please begin working." Phillipa chuckled a little, patting the significantly taller man. He sighed a little and moved closer to the woman, he moved to put his hands on her but stopped just short of. Again he eyed the guards before standing upright and looking to one.

"May I?" Devon asked politely, his hand motioning to the woman. Phillipa knew it was his standard practice to ask those closest to unconscious patients for permission. His own strange but vehemently held code of honor that he held himself to.

The guard that was standing along the far wall would feel it draw back from him, whether or not it threw him off balance was up to fate as a woman appeared where the wall had once been. Nearly the same height and build as the professor, the only outright difference was lineage and cheer.

"Has someone been poisoned?" The elf woman was unbearably gleeful as she looked about the room for the afflicted. She spotted Phillipa and Devon both and it seemed like she began to glow. "Oh how wonderful! This ought to be exciting!"

Phillipa shuddered at the woman's voice but kept her smile. "Hello Theria, the noblewoman on the table has been poisoned by a cros-"

"Oh right. Bolt, poison. Noble. Huld told me about it on his way to get Devon, who beat me here somehow." Theria seemed a little confused by something before waving her hands about. "Never mind that. Let's get to it shall we?"

Both began to thoroughly examine the woman, asking each other questions back and forth for a time before Theria began to ask the maid on their family history for allergies or past experiences with poisons. It truly only took the pair a few minutes to work out the details and a plan, but Theria frowned as she stared at the woman's face. By this time Phillipa had left already.

The woman smartly walked to the front desk, before being directed to the hall that Marius had gone to. A brief nod of thanks had her gently opening the doors and smiling to all those assembled in the room.

"Alright. I'm sure you all don't want to be here longer than necessary. We will make this as quick as possible." Phillipa informed them, moving to a desk and sitting on top of it, legs crossing before she set her

"Let's begin with names. I am the Lady Phillipa Ebonheart of the Ebonheart family, Advanced Magic Application professor and Hand of the Department of Acquisitions. You all are?" She spoke in a crisp tone, glancing over each one before settling her chin on the back of her hand. She had taken a resting position, elbow placed on the leg and the other wrapped around the supporting arm.

 

[Eleanor Griffin]

At Lady Ebonhearts query Terrance stood up and gave a curt bow according to etiquette "My name is Terrance Griffin, Madam Professor, and this is my sister Lady Eleanor Griffin. I imagine we got off on the wrong foot and I would like to extend my apologies for any slight I may have visited upon both you or the school. I will do everything I can to assist in the investigation so the good Lady may be avenged."

Eleanor sat, still wringing her hands, her full skirt bunched up under the desk, rusting every time she shifted positions. She glanced up from the table as Terrance introduced her and she gave a small bow of acknowledgment to the professor but her mind was still on the strang aura she had sensed on the weapon. It left a sick pit in her stomach. She had never felt anything like it. She wished her old tutor Madam Valkery were here to help her. If anyone knew what that kind of an aura meant it would be her. But she had left and her family had refused to tell her where she had gone.