Walls of Stone, Walls of Magic...

[Peregrinus]

The magic coursing through the stone was like the geomancer's but far more intense. Transmutation magic, not exactly Falson's strongest area, always held some mistique for the sorcerer, who was more used to divination, shadow magic and evocation. But as the wizard explained and the harsh glow of the magic in the weave faded, Falson understood, and also sensed that the magic faded, that the absorptive properties must be in the stone itself.

He nodded.

"Do not exhaust yourself, old one," Falson spoke respectfully, "the night will soon be here, I'll see what we have to eat, that isn't dwarven or from the Brutes. Perhaps the cats have managed to bring in some venison."

The sorcerer turned and glanced towards the geomancer, who was staring in awe at what the newcomer had done. Catching his eye, Falson nodded, the geomancer's face expressed much.

This was no ordinary visitor.

[Vahene]

"Mistress," the psuedodragon whined for the fifth time.

Heaven rubbed her temples. "Zel, I told Falson we were coming--I sent you last night, remember? And I've all ready met with Falson in Daris, and he knows we're on our way."

The dragon flew ahead, not looking happy at all.

"So, should I be worried about little psuedodragons between you and that wizard's dragon?" Heaven teased as they walked up the hill, leaving the corpses of three decaying harpies behind.

Her familiar whirled around so fast, Heaven thought she felt flames against her skin. "Mistress!" The dragon nearly sounded scandalized. What a prude, Heaven thought, rolling her eyes.

"Of all familiars, you had to be attracted to that egotistical wizards?" Heaven muttered, walking deliberately towards Dragon's Watch, which now came into view. To be honest, she couldn't blame Falson for contacting Trace, he was a powerful wizard, but his ego gave her a headache.

"Let's not have Dragon's Watch live up to its name, huh? No babies for a long while." Heaven said to her angry familiar as she walked through the gates, looking for Falson. She didn't immediately see Trace, which gave her considerable relief.

-H

[Mon-Da-Oth]

A cool breeze blew through the keep but Ra'enya didn't react to it. The sunset and clouds drew overhead and all was noted by her but still drew no reaction. She remained seated, where she had been for the past several hours, allowing the world to go by around her; noted but hardly noticed.

Her eyes remained closed and her breathing shallow. Barath lay nearby with his pixie hat pulled down over his eyes apparently sleeping.

Ra'enya examined every detail she could remember from the last several days. Each mistake she made was judged and re-examined to see if there possible had been a better way and only when she had convinced herself that that was no other did she go on to the next detail. If there was no solution to be found within her she allowed the problem to float away within her mind as if it had carried by a stream.

"An old man has entered the Keep" The thought crept into her mind for she was still aware of what was happening around her. "He is of no bother to me at the moment" she spoke to herself allow her mind to file away the event while continuing to examine other details.

"Falson is trying to strengthen the walls of the Keep" her mind noted again. "I will offer my help when I am rested" was her reply.

"Power!" her thoughts interrupted themselves.

Her eyes snapped open and she stood up and looked around. Barath scrambled to the air in alarm at her sudden movement. Gazing around the keep she quickly located the sudden source of magic that had awoken her.

Respectivly she approached Falson and the old man with a barely concealed look of amazement on her face.

[Oye99]

During the ruckus, a small gnomish figure and his fearfull bat companion make their way down the road alongside the Fortress, directed towards Daris who suddenly stop at the sight of the casting.

"I say Kanithorax, what in the name of her lady the queen would they be up to?", asks Bido as he holds his staff wielding arm on his forehead, shielding his face from the blazing sun.

The bat simply responds with a hiss, accompanied by Bido laughing hysterically at his friend's comment.

"Oh hoh! I would love to think so Kanithorax! But I pray that I sense there's something far more productive being accomplished here than that", said Bido as he whiped a tear from his eye.

The bat hisses once more.

The gnome nods thrice and motions for the bat to follow as he makes his way towards the front gate, and addresses the brute guardsman.

"I say, you there!", exclaims the gnomish wizard as he points his staff straight towards the guardsman, "What would be the present going labour that is being excersised on this fortress as of present?"

...
There was a moment of silence
...

"I say, I'll ask you again, what seems to be happening within these walls??", exclaimed the gnome with an tone of annoyance.

"Uhh... Falson gotz a buncha magi dooers in ders makin da walls strong an' stuff methinks, so Falson says", the guardsman responded.

"Strenghening the walls.. strengthening the walls?? I say, what would be the purpose of that? Rufus's law clearly states that 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall'!", responded Bido with a snort. He then made his way towards the tree infront of the fortress's gates.

"I say Kanithorax", Bido said as he examined the tree up and down, "This here would be the ideal fortress, none would suspect it, making it the perfect place for a hideout, and there wouldn't be the hin of remorse if it was ever lost, because i is only a tree. Aha, I say, we've done it again!"

The bat simply hissed in response.

After a time consuming debate with himelf over if or if not he should attempt to climb the tree, he decides to give it a shot. One hour later, after many shimy's, small jumps, levitation spell attempts, his bat familiar grabbing a hold of his robe and trying to fly him up unsuccessfully, one of the guardsmen finally had enough and gave the gnome a boost.

"Aha!", exclaimed Bido, holding his staff high in the air, with his free hand on his hip, all while standing balanced on a tree limb, "Now Kanithorax, let us see who's fort lasts longer".

Moments later, the gnome lost his balance, fell to the ground and fell flat on his face. Which his bat familiar simply responded with a hiss to.

[Clerified]

Mitchifer pulled his thick cape tighter around him, keeping the night air from chilling the full plate he wore underneath more and more often these days. It couldn't completely keep out the coldness, though, and he made a mental note to finish his training in order to temper his spirit against such physical external frivolities. Eventually, he would learn... Time was becoming nonconsequential as many things came to pass, but Mitchifer began to understand the teachings of the ancient Order of the Whirling Serpent more and more as an Outsider of the realm. He currently travelled the short distance from Daris to Dragonwatch to join the others, but planned to head the rest of the way to Anu's temple in the city of Dasar afterwards. Trina Goryen had relayed Falson's message to Mitch who was within the Temple of Anu outside Daris's walls at the time. She was a brave woman who had survived the Varanite raid on her home in the Old Baraan Districts and currently remained at the Daris hospital where Mitchifer resided. A brave woman, but her nerves still shook as she entered the tainted temple of Anu where Mitchifer stood in concentrated meditation. Though Lone had been appointed over the village, Mitchifer still felt responsible for many of the things that had happened to what he considered his homeplace. And he felt it should have been himself in place of Lone's position as the young cleric of Daris's words replayed in the mind of the Pledged Outsider of Anu. I failed you Mitchifer.

Mitchifer's soundless contemplation over all of the evil that had happened, desecrating Anu's influence and faithful servants alike, reflected colder than the frigid night in the cleric's eyes as he whispered to the darkness, "You are wrong my friend." Over the canopy of many more treetops and under the basking moonlight loomed the walls of Dragonwatch and another step in his next destination.