Yliakum Journeys (vol.1)

[LigH]

Gag sits alone, dreaming, on the edge of the fountain, and wonders where everyone went. Somehow he missed an important event while he was away in the forest, looking for herbs...

[Odessa Wildfire]

She sits on small flat rock in the middle of a forest looking about without the faintest notion of where she is.

"Damn it, I knew I should have taken the left at that turn off"
She says with annoyance and frustration. Then it suddenly dawns on her.

"Hang on a moment... how did I get here in the first place any how?".
She stops and thinks back to the annoying dwarf near Levrus's, his ranting words and manner as if he knew her.
Feeling a little upset and confused she sighs and listens to the sounds of the forest.

[steuben]

tovera nods. "yes, thank you."

she looks up at zorbels. she's about to ask a question when Farren and Spetyco crash back into the camp.

[Siteri Kidachi]

Siteri chuckles a bit. "This guy... he has bad luck with memory, doesn't he? I guess it's time to introduce ourselves again. And this time, take notes, sir!"

[Xylaal]

Ominous clouds gather overhead as Zhai and Xylaal race from the magic shop back to the camp. As they run down Ojaveda Road and out into the hilly countryside Xylaal tries to connect the what they discoverred at the magic shop to the happenings at the camp. Could it be that the dark mist that Zhai saw leaving the bodies of the ulbernaughts were indeed lesser spirits conjured by the person who had this book? Zhai reasoned there are two folks at the core of this...if she is right, then which one has possesion of this book?
"If it can control beasts, and beasts as strong willed as ulbernaughts, I fiegn to think of what bigger creature could be summoned!"

Zhai and Xylaal did not find out the history of this powerful spell book, only that Levrus found it and discovered how to use it...did it's owner want it back she wondered? Who was its owner? And moreover, how powerful of a magus must this owner be as to control a dangerous book like this crimson tome! Who and what else may he control? These questions she left unanswered as they ran.

In a knoll near Tefusang Hill there sat a lone Diaboli upon a flat rock with her chin on her fist looking rather confounded. Zhai and Xylaal stopped nearby to have a swig each from their canteens.
Xylaal called to the confounded one,"Ho traveller. Are you lost? Can we point you to a way?"

[Odessa Wildfire]

Pulled from her thoughts and to her surprise upon hearing a voice call from behind she stands, spins on her heel and draws her two short swords all in one motion and in a defensive stance. "I didn't know I could do that" she thought. 

Seeing the two figures were obversely not an immediate threat and at a comfortable distance she relaxes a little with a sigh of relief and sheaths her swords.

"Greetings.  Lost? Me... well I would be lost if I knew where I was going" she laughs lightly amused.
"Where is here?" she asks with a friendly smile but all the time ready for the slightest threatening gesture.

[Spetyco]

The false Spetyco in Spetyo's body stirs.  "I'm sorry.  I do remember you.  In fact, I remember everything now."  He looks at his companions with an odd smile that made them all feel a little uncomfortable.  "It was Laragorn.  It was him all along.  He summoned the ulbers to retrieve a certain book from the magic shop.  I discovered his plans and tried to stop him, so he took my memories.  I don't know why he didn't kill me.  I suppose he wanted to torture me instead," he says again with his smile.  "What he didn't know was that I had already stolen the book to keep it from him.  It was in my pack all along."  The group looks at him astonished.  He can tell they do not believe everything he is saying, but he doesn't care.  "They will all be dead soon anyway, or will bow to me," he thinks.
"He finally figured it out and that is why he stole my bag.  Farren managed to retrieve it, but I have a feeling Laragorn had already taken the book.  We must find him before he unleashed its power."

Meanwhile, in the darkness, Spetyco is thinking through the recent events.  "If my copy is now in my body, where could my soul be?  This cannot be the Death Realm.  There is nothing here.  He would not be able to inhabit my body such without severing his link to his own.  If so, how could his body survive without a soul?  I imagine he trapped my soul in his own body.  But he must know I would be able to revive his body, unless he has set something in place to protect his body.  So I am in his body," Spetyco mutters again with disgust, "put to sleep by some magic that would prevent me from waking up on my own.  I am certain I am also physically out of the way, most likely with bodyguards.  He would pick someplace dark and hard to get to... The Gobble Cave!  He has proven he could control ulbers, how dificult would a group of gobbles be.  How will I ever get out of this?"
Spetyco despairs of any hope.  But against hope he tries to reach out to his friends.  Reaching out with his mind he calls out, "Farren!  Zorbels!  Can you hear me?"
Perhaps the little one, "Tovera?  Are you there?"
"Zhai?  Anyone?"
"Things are not as they seem!"

[zorbels]

Zorbels ears perk at attention after hearing Spetyco's haunting words and she gets a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. "Something is wrong isn't it? What do you know Spetyco?" She looks  Spetyco directly in the eyes hoping he can shed new light on what maybe taking place. "Why do you say ... something has changed...?"

As Zorbels waits for an answer her thoughts keep going back to Laragorn. He has been gone for quite sometime and she would like to check on him but with  her hands fulll trying to help Spetyco she is only losing time. Zorbels hopes that Zhai and Xylaal return soon so that she can go find him.

[spyke01]

A wayward traveler steps from the covering of woods that are his home, he appraches the small creek that borders them, the creek he afectionatly calls "Loreth". The lone Demorian is dressed in a shirt of white with brown pants, his trusty bastard swords rest easily at his side. Pulling a bota bag off of his belt, he begins filling it while looking around at his surroundings. As he stands to leave, a low moan can be heard on the wind. As he listens closely, he hears it again and follows it until he finds Laragorn.

Bending down, the Demorian checks for a pulse as he lifts the mans head and places a pillow of grass and leaves under it. The Demorian calls softly to the man while dabbing his mouth with a water soaked rag "Can you hear me stranger? I am called Anduin, do you know your name, or where you are at?"

[lanser]

Hokinon slowly re-enters the camp head down and slings his pack and the bag down next to the cart, looking around he sees Zorbels and Farren with the rescuee from the night and before and Tovera by the Lady's side. As he walks towards them Zorbels seems pre-occupied with something.....

[LARAGORN]

Laragorns eyes open, a look of terror comes over his face. He yells as if he is being killed by a mighty force “Nooooo!” and passes out.

[zorbels]

"Hokinon you have returned!" Zorbels says with relief. She gives him a brief hug seeing a look of pain in his eyes and whispers into his ear "If you need to talk, I am here." she pulls back from the hug and smiles softly at him. She turns back to Spetyco still waiting for an answer and growing more concerned about Laragorn by the minute. "PLease Spetyco, time is running short. Tell us what has changed?"

[spyke01]

Anduin, startled by trhe scream, rubs the ringing from his ears and walks into the woods, returning moments later with a medium sized pack. Rumaging throught the pack, Anduin pulls out several small plants as well as two stones. One is rounded slightly in the middle, somewhat resembling a shallow bowl. Tering several of the hearbs into small pieces, Anduin places them into the "round bottom stone" and begins grinding them into an orange-green paste.

"I can heal your body friend, but it is you that must fight for your soul. Whatever it is that assails you, you must combat...you must win." Anduin says as he begins patting the paste into Laragorn's wounds, and wrapping them with strips of clocth.

[LARAGORN]

Laragorn stirs again, as Anduin tries to heal him. “Their in danger, I must warn them” Laragorn says in a daze, “Warn Who, of what danger?” Anduin asks.
“At the campsite, they will all be killed” He points the direction, “Tell Zorbels, but you mustn’t let Farren or Spetyco hear you, Spetyco is the one, it is he that will kill them all. You must go, now, you must warn them, Tell Zorbels the message is from Laragorn. I will be fine, hurry go now” He managed to get the message out before he passed out again.

[spyke01]

Upon hearing this, Anduin carefully drags Laragorn to the edge of the woods where he can hide him from anyone wanting to cause him harm. After placing a small dagger into his palm, Anduin says his goodbyes, lugs his pack onto his back, and sets off towards the campsite Laragorn indicated calling softly over his shoulder "We will meet again my friend, but for now you must rest and regain your strength, i ahve a feeling you may need it"