And still the fight continues, an insane medley of corpses, arrows and knives. And still Verkoth, regardless of the fact that all evidence 'against' him, almost, has been by the words of foreign strangers, is being attacked from all angles.

Regardless of his methods of fighting, he is still acting in self defense, and no-one appears to even question the other side. Lantaris has yet to back off his attacks, and Al'Ral, wherever he is, has clearly reunited with his accomplice Regarial in what is starting to look like a masterfully set out ambush, or assassination. And Takra...Crystal was proud of her, she was acting out of self-preservation, an admirable attempt no matter what happens.

Both sides have their excuses, Crystal was sure. But Al'Ral and Regarial are the ones who appeared out of nowhere and initiated this particular fight. Crystal knew where she stood. Her eyes shifted to the side as she dragged herself into a standing position once more after her close shave with the would-be fatal arrow, leaning on her staff as support. She stared at the area in the nearby street where she had sworn the arrow had come from. An invisibility spell?

Well, Verkoth seemed to be able to handle that fool priest on his own. Looks like this may be a chance to test her skills with IceShields...

"So you're Al'Ral." Crystal said simply to what looked like empty space, letting the frost that caused her bones to ache and skin to chill emanate from her body. Under such temperatures, her magic is easier and faster to shape.

Crystal did not say another word, or wait for a reply. She dropped her staff without warning, thrusting both hands forward as her staff clattered to the ground. She willed her magic into existence yet again, concentrating on the frost, thinking of the weight of the air increasing, the water of the body freezing, the slowing of all movement...she forced ice to gather and cling to any figure that was there, if any, focusing on where she expected hands to be. If accurate, at best, the ice will pierce his skin and form in the tendons of his fingers, disrupting bloodflow and causing permanent tissue damage in a form of Frostbite. At the least, she hoped his fingers will go numb, and have the texture as if covered in water or snow, making accurate shots with that bow next to impossible.

Of course, she'd have to change the intent of the spell into a brief shield of ice if he managed to get an arrow off faster than the spell could take effect.

Takra was shocked at how fighting happened, she had only seen one conflict in her life and that was a massacre in a town without even a militia. This was real conflict and one she was relishing there was action, excitement and blood, real blood. Seeing Crystal cast a spell on who she presumed to be Al'ral so Takra allied herself with her Crystal firing an arrow in Al'Rals direction watching the arrow fly, she used her elemental powers to try and cause a shift of wind guiding the arrow to Al'Rals chest.

He cluched at his chest, burning with pain. Not so painful as it could have been, had it been slightly higher. He saw Crystal attack what she obviously assumed to be Al'Ral. He then saw the elf fire a arrow at the same spot. Well, it seems as if they both want to see everyone try and kill them. It was a bit late to change sides now, but Crystal was looking at this from a different perspective. Takra seemed to just be following Crystals "wisdom".
Crystal seemed to be very good at complicating these situations. The honest truth was that dispite his thoughts, he had to trust Crystal. Now that Verkoth was in a lot of trouble, it made sense to make sure the right thing was done. Without the slightest warning, Lantaris leaped towards Redge, the side of his arm hammering towards the point just above his hip bone.

Crystal's senses had not let her down as the ice seeped into the air around where Al'Ral should have been, unfortunatley her magic did as the figure that flickered into visibility before her seemed merely chilled by the cold.

The reasons become apparent as you inspect the double agent more closley, his wrists, fingers, belt and neck are adorned with amulets, rings, bangles, fetishes and charms of every description...whilst their effects clearly disturbed each others they also provided quite powerful wards...it was fortunate, then that Takra eschewed the use of a magical projectile, and her arrow struck the now visible Al'Ral, not penetrating his armour, but knocking the wind out of him.

Finally, despite his previous support for Regarial, Lantairs launches himself at the elf, however the pain in his gut (and boiled leather armour of the elf) deflect the worst of the impact, however the blow carries the both of you to the ground, Lantaris on top, Regarial on the bottom, holding a shard of Greenjade.

"Now I don't know about your friends, Lantaris, but you know that Verkoth is behind this, and you jumping at me is as likley to stop him as those nerve blows...if you call blowing this entire courtyard sky high stopping him." The elf squeezes himself slightly to the side, grabbing his discarded crossbow. "Do what you think is right, Lantaris." The quarrel hurtles towards the still cursing Verkoth, implaing him cleanly in the back before, after a moment, detonating and sending the assassin hurtling to the ground, his chest a smoking ruin.

"Foiled...again, by...you..m-mo...I SHALL NOT YIELD!" The assassin's last words are accompanied by the howling of winds as a vortex of dark magic engulfs him, whisking away all except for an empty cloak and a bloodstained roll of paper.

"See Regarial, Al'Ral grins, straightening slightly, I told you it would be easy."

EDIT: Undead are still standing, although stock still.

Crystal stood still for a moment, dangerously so, staring at the area where Verkoth lay moments ago.

[I assume the undead have become inanimate again? You didn't specify]

She turned her head slowly, her icy gaze falling on Al'Ral. Opening her mouth in an eerily silent shout, she mouthed some inaudible phrase as shards of ice suddenly shot from her stiff fingers at Al'Ral, sharpened as if each piece was an arrow or spearhead. She aimed them as best she could at his arms and shoulders, seeking to wound or pin rather than kill, at least immediately.

"You have about twenty seconds for either of you to justify yourselves with evidence before I snap your necks with a boulder of ice if you're not lucky, and drag you up before a court if you are."

Kravos smiles, unfazed by the frozen shards suspended before him.
"Well, it seems that your friend Verkoth was so good as to leave a calling card when he left, why not examine the corpses and the robes whilst you're at it, you will find what evidence you desire there."

Crystal did not take her eyes off Al'Ral, still ready to complete the spellcasting at will and waiting for one of the others to check. However, the absence of warmth from around her, a technique she dubbed "Hypothermia", was disappearing, though her body had already taken the toll.

Even as a Valsathavarian, she was getting to the point of just wanting to collapse into a hot bath. But if she had to kill one or two more assassins to do so, then so be it.

"ok, Crystal. We dont need to try and kill the people who just stoped us from becoming corpses ourselfs. Now, question time. Why should we trust you. It would seem you are as dangerous as the necromancer." Lantaris said, staring at Redge below him.

"If Verkoth is, as we believe, in league with the Sevaraii then all the evidence you need to trust us will be in his remaining possessions...since there are three of you and two of us Takra could go and get them if you two are so busy pinning me up against a wall and my associate to the ground." Al'Ral meets Crystal's gaze cooly, his deep, brown eyes seeming to return some of the warmth to her limbs.

"I wouldn't go so far as to say associate, Al'Ral...acquaintance, perhaps, but no associate." Rege' mutters from the ground, attempting to rise.

Takra heard her two friends talking to the Assassins opposite they spoke in low threatening voices, with neither party easing the obvious tension. Lantaris tried to defuse the situation and crystal was starting to look exhausted, clearly her magic was taking a toll on her.

Takra snapped out of her focus at the mention of her name from Al'Ral and looked at Lantaris and Crystal for advice neither of them turned so she decided to search the bodies herself.

(Search Check: on the corpses)

Search check result: 19

The folded sheaf of paper contains a single rune written in blood, one scarred onto the wrists of the corpses (previously concealed by sleeves and gloves). Verkoth's robe contains another scroll, this one scribed, much to your relief, in conventional ink.

"Verkoth,

We proceed apace regardless of whatever time you seek to keep, have the three ready in time for the Decadance, these men are an extension of my goodwill, do not betray that trust.
As for the Elf, is he is in League with Al'Ral then he is our enemy, take the necessary measures.
Remember, the League Entire has what you seek, no others can supply you with the lifeblood of a monarch."

The letter is signed 'Chambers.'

"What does it say?" Al'Ral askes, trying to stare past the shards of ice at the document Takra is reading.

Responding to Al'Ral's question Takra answered him plainly reading out the contents of the letter The expression on Takra's face was one of shock as she had totally and utterly believed Verkoth Her features changed to one of confusion, as she realised she could trust no-one it was time to think and react, not stare dumbly as things happen around her. She picked up the other letter and said 'this one is ineligible to me maybe someone else can look at it.'

She was hoping that this would calm the hostilities between the four battle hardened warriors facing one another, she was about to find out. Her body was tense and she felt herself reaching for an arrow her hand stroking the feathers of the shaft.

Crystal dropped her hand, her staff also resuming a normal stance as she shifted to rest her weight on it. The hanging ice dissapated, the magic feeding them drawing back to herself. Her trembling - caused by the cold of her own creation - was obvious even at a distance, as she suddenly shifted her head, her gaze as piercing as ever regardless of her bodily state.

She did not make a sound, merely looked at paper that Takra held out, even as she stood several feet away. Crystal was a trained mage...and as a warmage, her education had extended into the magics of her enemies, so she knew what to expect, what to defend against and how to counterattack. She racked her brain for any familiarity with the blood-scribed rune, seeking its meaning...aside from the obvious.

[History Check...or Mastery Check if it's more appropriate, to recognize the rune.]

Lantaris shifted her weight off Redge and as he did so he whispered to Redge "I was always on your side, but i couldn't have more lives lost because of the stupidity of... her. I senserely appologise for attacking you." After standing up and dusting himself off, Lantaris walked over to crystal, staring at the paper. His training as a monk had left him with little contact with the outside world and therefore, his knowlige of other cultures was limmited. Dispite this, he dug deep into his intense knowlige of Religions trying to sratch for some reseblence to the simbol.

(Religion check (+11))

Mastery Check result: 21
Religion Check result: 21

RELIGION RESULT:

The symbol is an ancient League Entire rune...part of the Hungry Gods' scripture, the Heklandi Alphabet, translating into something roughly approximate to: Servitude or Eternity (the two words are the same in Heklandi).

MASTERY RESULT:

The rune was keyed, through a set of incantations to tie the undead around you to a specific loci, assumedly it. The spell itself exerted influence over the men's bodies, meaning that undead or not, Verkoth controlled their every action...including ordering them to attack Regarial and Kravos.


"It seems that trust is hard to come by these days." Al'Ral steps forwards, taking the second letter from 'Chambers'. "Even amongst our foes."
The archer turns, frowning as he reads the message for a second time. "Lifeblood of a monarch..." His eyes suddenly widen. "Alea's mercy! The War Council...the Sevaraii must be after the kings!"

"Which is all fine, however we don't know when or where they will strike, how, against which of the kings and, most importantly, we don't have access to the palace!" Rege' picks himself up, running a quick check over his accontrements to ensure that no shards of Greenjade have been dislodged. "Got any more brilliant plans, Al'Ral?"

"Yes, do you?" The dry voice that replies sends a shiver down your spines. "Oh, my apologies, I have been watching you closely for a while now and yet have to introduced myself." One of the remaining undead bows whilst the other turns to you, the rune on its wrist glowing an angry red. "My name is Chambers and I suppose I owe you some thanks for ridding me of that parasite, Verkoth. I had heard of his impressive reputation, however it seems that it is mostly unearned. However, matters seem to be coming to a head so I shan't keep you long. In fact I merely have one question to put to you then I shall be gone." The undead stand straight eyes fixed ahead.

"Will you join me in ridding Coast of the Celians, will you aid me and your fellow countrymen resist the oppresive yoak of the empire? You are all so defiant, resolute against the enroaching Darkness...just ask yourselves what this darkness is, does it come from the north with slavers and manacles, or is it simply the truth that the League Entire offers you."
Despite it's harshness, Chambers' voice has a melody to it, a lilting cord that seems half finished, that almost begs you to say yes.