World Tree MUSH

     Rynn was an adventurer, she was also someone who didn't simply ignore the plights of others and this place, this /world/ seems to have many plights. It was not a place she could easily forget or place aside; Nor could Arokh.

It had been a bit since she had been here, but she remembered the talks of a town. It is here she decides to go, on the back of her dragon, but once they get closer, she goes it alone to this unknown place. Perhaps by asking the locals questions, she maybe can find out more history about this world, maybe help solve some of its problems-- such as those mages-- and help brings some light to the darkness of this place.

    The town doesn't actually seem to be that distressed of a place, at least not at first glance. People are milling around, going about their business as one might expect, and in the center square there is an open market with various merchants selling different wares from clothing and food to potions and trinkets. The buildings are low with thick walls, the sort you'd expect to find in a desert. 

    Rynn actually blends in all right here, even as an outsider, though she does get some vendors trying to sell her stuff.

     It would seem the red-headed warrior blends right in with the townsfolk. As merchants offer her their wares, she turns them down with a warm smile and a little hand gesture. Instead she starts to make her way toward the tavern, that is if-- she can find it. Taverns are the best locations for information arn't they? Isn't that normally how this works?

Alas this means she may have to ask one of the towns folks that are passing by, which she tries with a warm smile and a slightly warm voice, "Sorry to bother, but where is the tavern from here?" if the first doesn't get it, she may try the next.

    It won't be difficult for her to locate the tavern, it's not a huge town, and the locals are happy to point her in the right direction. The wooden building is painted white and brown in the typical medieval style of architecture, and inside it's not too crowded but there are a few people scattered about.

    The bartender, a bulky man in a white and crimson apron, looks up at her and motions her over. "So what'll it be for a fine lady like yourself today?" he asks politely.

     Rynn finds the bar and finds herself actually feeling a bit at home here. It reminds her of Drakan really, her home world. She runs her hands along one of the wooden beams, before her attention is brought to the man wearing an apron.

She makes her way over with a smile, "Well, I probably should ask what may seem an odd question, but what type of currency do you use in this town?" She then pulls out a silver coin. "Would-- this work as currency here?"

Rynn places the silver down, but her index finger stays on it. "Secondly, I am looking for information. I am a-- traveler of sorts and I like to learn a bit about this place, its people, and also see about any possible work." She then motions to the sword at her side as she says 'work'.

    "Ah, I see." The bartender nods as she explains her intentions. He looks at the coin and nods. "Silver is silver, I'd say it's as good as any silver coin. Assuming it is real."

    "Well then, what would you like to know, madam?" the man asks.

     Rynn then slides the silver over to him. "Whatever you are willing to share with me, sir." She says then at last taking a seat at the bar. "Be it wives tales to facts. I like to hear whatever you might have heard about. Including possibly about any places swallowed by the desert itself."

    The barkeep arches a brow at her. "Places swallowed by the desert, you say? What sort of places?" he asks, taking the silver coin and stashing it into a drawer behind the bar.

     Rynn grins a little, "That isn't how this works, but given you are asking back, I am taking it you don't know anything about it." The woman responds as she rests both hands on the bar. "... shame that. Either way, what /have/ you heard lately?"

    "Oh, no that's not it at all, miss." The man says with a chuckle, shaking his head. "Just need you to be a bit more specific, is all. Plenty of natural landmarks that have sunken into the sands over the years, so I had to be sure what -sort- of place you mean. But you wouldn't be the first to wonder about that old ruined village that used to be not too far from here. But several weeks ago, it disappeared completely and without a trace. There are rumors it is the work of the Horadrim, after all, who else would be capable of such a feat? But why they would concern themselves with an abandoned village is beyond me."

     Rynn nods as the man corrects the situation, "I see and that town is probably the one I investigate then, but tell me," She does keep her voice a bit down. "Who are these-- Horadrim-- are they magic users by chance?" Then she tilts her head ever so faintly, with her bangs following a bit, "And what of these other locations, are any near here?"

    The man nods. "Yes, oh yes of course they are." he says in answer to her question about magic. "Their ranks are filled with the most powerful mages in all of Sanctuary, in fact--as they only take the best of the best." he tells her. He shrugs somewhat dismissively at her question about the other locations. "Eh, I don't study geography. The sands of Kehjistan are always shifting, so it is only natural that some old rocks would get buried here and there every once and a while. And then perhaps uncovered again later."

    A tub full of freshly washed mugs is thrust his way, and he begins wiping them down with a clean rag. "Listen, miss. If you're looking for information about these kinds of strange happenings, you might be asking in the wrong place. There is a...soothsayer of sorts just down the street. He is...rather eccentric but if anyone would know any secrets about the Horadrim or disappearing ruins it would be him."

     Rynn listens to what the barkeeper has to say. Her brows knit a little as he explains the magic users a bit and her own mind is reminded of the desert lords-- beings that came from her own world to wreak havoc and chaos. Though it is a thought she pushes aside, as surely this place would not have such devils amongst them.

The woman then smiles as she goes to stand up. "I'll seek out this individual then. Thank you for your time." She gives a wave of her fingers, before she goes to make her way for the door to head toward this man's place that might have the answers she seeks.

    "Any time, miss." The barkeep says. If Rynn follows the road south a bit, she'll easily find the place. There is, after all, a sign hanging from the door boasting fortune telling, palm reading, and other "occult trinkets and knowledge". Though, it looks rather empty of customers.

 
    Rynn makes her way into the building, she glances inside left, then to right, before further walking inside. After a moment of gazing about she calls, "Hello?" and waits to see if anyone answers in this rather empty space.

    The place is pretty messy and dusty, strewn with random odd-looking items scattered about tables, shelves, the floor, and even hanging from the ceiling. Glowing rocks, body parts of animals she's probably never seen before floating in jars. And lots and lots of very old books and scrolls fill several rows of shelves along all the walls and parts of the back of the room as well.

    When she calls out, there is a sudden noise of tumbling and shuffling and someone hurries out from behind one of the shelves, clad in a tattered grey tunic. Perhaps a bit surprisingly, this guy can't have been older than fifteen. Very thin and lanky, but not malnourished. It's just his natural physique.

    "O-oh, oh hells, haven't had a customer in so long!!" he says excitedly.

 
     The red-head was no stranger to seeing mystic items. She has handled a few enchanted weapons, along with worked with a sorceress or two. However, there were things she didn't recongize and as she waited she gently tapped one of the bottles that had some odd creatures tiny head in it. Though as she hears the movement, she turns to face the very young man. "Hello to you too."

"I am Rynn, it is a pleasure to meet you and-- I heard you might be able to answer some questions I have.. mostly about.." She then pauses and looks at him a little closer, "... Are you the one who runs this store, correct?"

    The young man nods. "Rynn, pleasure to meet you, I'm Margrave." he tells her, talking so fast that she can only barely make out what he's saying. "Yes-yes, I am, it used to be my father but disappeared a while ago..." he glances around nervously at this, as if unsure about whether he'd maybe just forgotten to look behind one of the shelves or something. 

    But he seems eager to get on with it. "I'll tell you what, since you're the first customer I've had in a while, I can give you a discount, so what'll it be Rynn? Palm reading? Crystal ball?" he gestures toward a glittering spherical crystal over on a table at that. 

    "Or, maybe you're just looking for a particular trinket? If that's the case you can tell me what you're looking for and I'll see if I can dig it up!"

 
     Rynn places up her hands, "Whoa, slow down there kid. I know you are excited and all that, but I barely caught a word of what you were fully going on about-- let alone your name." She sighs gently, "What I really need from you, Imar--gove? ... Is what you may know on sinking cities, magical barriers, and a group of mages."

    "Margrave." The teen repeats his name, slowing down a bit this time. "Ah, sorry." he says sheepishly. "I just, get excited easily."

    He sits down in a chair near the glowing crystal ball.

    "Entire cities sinking, you say?" he rubs his forehead. "Like the ruined one that disappeared a few months ago? It's got to be the work of the Horadrim. They're the only ones with that kind of power. But be more specific, what do you want to know about these things, exactly?"

 
    Now she is getting somewhere! Rynn crosses her arms over her chest as she shifts her weight a little. "Yes, I found such a city, the sands were kept from entering by what I can figure was a magical field. Inside was a young man, if my memory serves correctly, lost his memory. I was only able to locate it thanks to a young fellow looking for this man, who was his older brother."

Rynn then shifts to her other leg. "I am wondering what this Horadrim may be after and /who/ exactly are they?"

    Margrave leans forward in a chair a little bit, rubbing his chin. "Memory loss and magical barriers around an entire city hm? Yes, yes that definitely sounds like something only the Horadrim would be capable of on such a scale. What they are after I cannot say. But who they are? Well almost anyone could tell you that. They are an elite task force, of sorts. They only take the best mages in the land, and they claim to be dedicated to the protection of Sanctuary at large. They assist royals in keeping crime under control, and see to taking care of any other strange sorts of threats that no one else can explain. They are very well respected by royalty and citizenry alike, given the number of people they've saved from certain death. Hmm...what else? Their leader is Tal Rasha....they claim to serve a divine being, even 'Justice Itself'."

    The teen pauses, frowning pensively. "It is strange, that they would engage in such activity...that they would behave like this."

 
    "Strange Indeed." Rynn agrees, her brows knit as her eyes narrow a little, "And where can I find these... Horadrim and their leader Tal Rasha?" She doesn't even like saying the name. The way it rolls off her tongue reminds her to much of-- other things. "Because I like to know myself, because of they are suppose to be guardians of this world-- then they should have no reason to /hide/ their actions."

    Margrave nods. "I agree, I agree. This is indeed very disturbing, but it wouldn't be the first time I've heard such murmurings about them before...Hmmm....Tal Rasha. I am not so sure how you could find him. But...if what they claim is true, he is not the one at the very top of the chain." He pauses again, thinking.

    Then he pulls another chair up across from him, motioning for her to sit. "Tell me, Rynn. Do you believe in angels and demons?"

 
    Rynn goes to take a seat. "I can't say I do or do not, but given I have faced dark lords with multiple faces and a mad mage who wore the flesh of his victims..." The woman crosses one leg over the other. "I do know that there is great evil in this world... and with evil, comes chaos, along with darkness."

    "Then you are one of the smart and observant ones!" Margrave says with bright smile. "This problem of yours, this mystery so to speak... it is not something easily solved, at least not by mere mortals. You see, legend has it that powerful and ancient beings who have been in existence since the beginning of time inhabit other realms only accessible through potent portal magic. Some say they may have even had a hand in the creation of the very world we stand in. If anyone can illuminate this mystery, surely it would be one of them..."

    "But! If memory serves, most of these beings rarely concern themselves with the paltry matters of mortals..." The kid gets up and paces a bit, then pulls a dusty book off of one of the shelves and starts paging through it. "That is--that is...! All except one." He lands on a page and slides the book over to her. On it there is a somewhat abstract looking, stained-glass style drawing of a heavily armed, luminous being with tentacle-like glowing tendrils for wings.

 
    Rynn listens to what Margrave has to say, watching his gestures and motions with keen hunter eyes. As he grabs the dusty tome and shows her a page, her leg that was resting over the other goes to rest fully on the ground. She leans forward and looks at the image he points too. "That is an interesting looking being." She tilts her head gently, "And where can I find this... being that may so be willing to speak to a... mortal?"

    "Tyrael." Margrave interrupts momentarily to complete Rynn's reference to the being in the image. "Archangel of Justice, and the only angel who has been known to concern himself with us mortals. Lucky for us, he's also among the Heavenly Hosts' leadership. Er, at least, according to the legends. I don't know anyone who has actually seen him, or any of them for that matter, but father always insisted it was all real." The boy pulls the book back and closes it.

    "As for where you could find him...hm. Summon a portal into the High Heavens, perhaps, but as I said such potent magic is something only the Horadrim would have access to....hmm..."

    "Unless...unless..." He goes through several others books and scrolls, muttering to himself. "Aha! In the mountains of Khanduras, west of the Twin Seas, they -say- there is a great black dragon--an Avatar of Tathamet, the great evil whose body gave birth to all demons of the Burning Hells. Draw the monster out, and surely, the archangel will reveal himself to you!"

 
    Rynn listens to the teen speak again, including the needing of 'portal' magic and honestly, if she had that knowledge-- she be able to easily move from here to Drakan, and back again. However, that is not a power she has. She muses though and says softly outloud, "Or I wonder if you could fly to these high heavens."

Then Margrave speaks of a dragon, Tathamet. Rynn's brows knit a little and she slowly starts to stand up. "You said.. avatar. Has this dragon lost its freewill to this,, evil?" Then she rubs her chin. "... or does this evil manifest itself /as/ a dragon." Then her thoughts go to Arokh and really hoping he is staying out of sight. Though given she hasn't 'felt' anything from her companion-- he seems safe; For now.

    Margrave shrugs. "It could be either. The name may have been a result of its dragon-like appearance, and due to the fact that Tathamet was a dragon. Or, it could be a dragon that has become possessed and mutated by a demonic presence." he takes a breath. "Well I'm sure you'll know, when you see it. If you see it."

 
    Rynn nods her head. "Yes.. I... Probably will." She says softly and with some unease in her voice. The woman closes her eyes gently and inhales deeply, before opening her eyes once more. "Right then. Where is this mountain that this--- dragon resides in?"

    "Ah, right, right!" Margrave takes out a piece of parchment and a feather full of ink, and makes a somewhat crudely-drawn map. "Cross the Twin Seas to the west, past the Aranoch desert, and you'll find yourself in the mounts of Khanduras. The mountain should be...just due east of the Sharval Wilds."

 
    Rynn nods as the teen explains, then places two silver on the table next to the drawing. "For the help and the quick drawing of the map." She then goes to reach for it. "I really do appricate this, Margrave."

    Margrave takes the money gratefully, and slides the map over to her. "Any time, any time, Miss Rynn!" he exclaims. "If you ever need any more tidbits of information, please do come by!"

    Then he sobers up a bit. "Oh, and uh..." he starts, his voice low. "Good luck. If that dragon is real...I don't imagine it's very...easily to kill..."

 
    Rynn rolls up the map and goes to walk toward the door. When Margrave voices his concern, the woman warrior turns back and smiles. "Oh, don't worry. I know a little magic myself... and I am no stranger to dragons." Then she gives a wave. "Till next time, Margrave!" Then makes her way out.