The Queen, Sand and Moon

[Catrux]

"Before I leave here I want to destroy this moon. This is the only moon to ever mock me so it shall also be the only one I care to destroy." Replied Sehkem flatly, he didnt bother to look up at the moon he rememberd its annoying appearance.

Sehkem was paying little attention to Carthax's words, since his eyes came to rest on the tapestries. He was now sure he was Vinyakin, but what that all entailed he did not know. He was scanning the tapestries when he noticed the gray Vinyakins.

"Could that be what I am? A mix of the Black and the White, some bastard offspring?" He like Carthax was speaking more to himself than to his companion. It was an odd feeling that came over him, or more acurately an odd mix of feelings. He felt he had an epiphany yet was skeptical. He still did not know as much as he should, he barely scratched the surface. All he had now was a name for the race he belonged to, he knew little more.

Carthax's observance that the tapestries could be a prediction of sorts, caught Sehkem's attention. Instead Sehkem thought them a display of history, after the third tapestry he noticed all of them had only one gray Vinyakin. The gray Vinyakin was also always surrounded by the black and the white.

"I think these are a display of history not future....It appears that only one gray Vinyakin exists at a time..." He trailed off noticing that Carthax was moving along.

Carthax threw open the doors with Sehkem following him inside. His eyes quickly fell upon two others in the room. One looked ready for a fight, and the other looked disgusted with the first. Not knowing whether to anticipate a fight or start a conversation Sehkem just gazed about the room, never letting them out of his periphial vision.

[Mair Debryn]

That’s probably for the best.

-Mair approached the couple with Spider, watching them with mild interest as they came nearer. It would be unfair to say they were an unlikely pair, as any two humanoid beings would seem unusual and out of place in this red mooned, red sand desert. Her first impression was probably the correct one. The fiery redhead was obviously staking the male as her territory and was as confused about her location as Mair. Although possessive, nothing about the woman’s nature struck the demoness as offensive and so she turned her attention to the one held captive in Moridanu’s grip. For reasons she could not explain his presence made her skin crawl. She let her gaze shift immediately back to the bizarre scenery, putting distance between herself and the others as the Spider clicked it’s ‘heels’ to reveal yet another mystery in this mystery-filled desert. Question asking had already proven itself a serious waste of breath. As far as she was concerned, so long as the large arachnid didn’t suggest anything completely insane, she would follow her lead.

Trailing the group, Mair glanced warily around as great hall that stretched beyond the final step. One good look around was enough to convince her that she was underdressed for this party. Whatever it was. It wasn’t the first time, it wouldn’t be the last. Wearing a cloak that looked as though it would like to devour its wearer and anything else it could manage whole, the smirking vampire came into view. It did not take Kindred-detection equipment to discover her race, however, as that arrogant of a smirk was achieved only by vampires. The way the night was going thus far, it would not surprise her at all to find that this one was of the Tzimisce variety. Goodbye little humans, hello creepy, mangled wall ornaments. The other woman in the room radiated enough energy to light a small town for a month and had slightly less menacing vibes than the Kindred she shared the hall with. Two men hovered suspiciously in the background, though it seemed aside from them that was it. Looks could always be deceiving. All too ready to go home, Mair stopped on the final stair, crossed her arms gently over her chest and silently surveyed the room with an expression that plainly read, ‘Now what?’-

[The Demon Auditor]

"So this place is one large battery boost for ye hmm? A giant Viagra?"

ODK's eyes snapped to Mori as he tried to blurt out, "How did you..?!" There were few realms, existences, and even regions which the term 'Viagra' was as common as 'fire', and after eons of traveling many of those odd and nonsensical places, his mind was simply in a stir at Mori's knowledge. He narrowed his eyes at her and whispered demandingly as the spider and demon approached, "You've been reading my dream journal again, haven't you?"

Immediately ODK posed regally and politely as Mair and the Spider were introduced. Well, the Spider anyway. ODK politely shook as many spiny legs as he could and were offered. It was only polite, after all. He smiled charmingly to Mair and tilted his head, "You can call me Odd K.", before his hand was practically squeezed right off his arm and he was dragged after Mori, his shoulder about to burst from its socket from the force. In reality, though, he accepted Mori's hand gratefully, and followed like a puppy would.

Down the stairs they went, and when they entered the grand hall, he was awed at the regal display. Like a shining light in pitch black, a candle held aloft in an empty room, there before him stood the most impressive shadow in the dazzling room of light. ODK restrained himself impressively. He had every desire to approach the creature of pure nothingness; to examine her, interact with her, even smell her if it were possible. The brief squeeze on his hand brought him back to reality, and he looked to Mori. Perhaps he just imagined she squeezed his hand?

It was so rare for ODK to bump into 'pure' creatures. Oh sure, there was a beautiful female husk holding the blackness, but to him that was merely a child's crayon scribble in comparison to the delicate, intricate exquisiteness of....the abyss. It even showed itself freely over the carapace of a vampire. The demon behind him was all but forgotten, the beautiful elf Oona was placed in the back of his mind (for 'later'), and the spider was merely an afterthought. Mori, though, was his prime concern. Had she dealt with such wondrous creatures before? Indeed they were so rare, and yet at least one seemed to exist on every plane, or so he had been told. It was just a matter of finding that singular specimen in a universe of infiniteness. This one practically plopped into his lap!

He then considered that development for a moment. Was this dream realm so isolated and desolate that such an abyss would congregate in exactly the same immediate area as the rest of the 'living' creatures here? He could now see Carthax and Sehkem beyond the two in the center. They were converging, just as the spider had suggested. ODK became suddenly uneasy. In a universe where nothing existed beyond the sand and the moon, all reality had become centered into one chamber. Should the seven of them figure out how to defy the "laws" laid out in that book Quantum Physics for Dummies he picked up at a library one day, and intersect at exactly one precise point, the world could very easily collapse in on itself, and destroy all of them with it. Well, except for the abyss, of course. C'mon, don't be daft! ...Oh, that reminded him: that book must nearly be three hundred years overdue! He made a mental note to return it.

ODK's mind slowly un-twirled itself. He had hardly noticed, but his arm was now interlaced with Mori's, as if entering the dance floor on Prom night. With Mori in a wonderful crow feather dress, and he in his eternally-fashionable leather trench coat, he lifted his chin up and allowed a full smile to form. He was positively tickled pink at the whole situation, but only displayed "reserved amusement" (upper-class emotion #374). He even took that moment to lean ever so slightly over to Mori and whisper in her ear so only she would hear him. It was the briefest of words, and merely a hint that Krisztinya was much, much more than she appeared, if Mori hadn't already figured it out. As a proper guest, he would allow the host to begin the festivities before embarking on 'small talk' with the others.

[Shizuku Tonderui]

Carthax was...well he really didn't like how many people were looking around in the room, or how many people were in the room at the time. With a shudder he stayed close to the large angelic Sehkem, one hand on the dagger that was sheathed in front of his chest.

"I really don't like this Sehkem. If we don't get an expanation here, I'm going to figure out a way out of here." Even if it meant infecting the land with taint or killing himself. One thing he knew, Terrin would ressurect him. That was another thing...in all of this, where was his dark God? Any minute he expected to see the tall robed figure come crashing through a ceiling or a window. No such luck yet.

"Ever get that feeling Sehkem, as if something just isn't right. There's a minor offset...something....disturbing." Carthax barely knew what he was talking about but he could feel something just....screamed at him like he was wrong, and yet...there he could not see it. With his rather decrotive scowl placed on his face he let his hand fall from his weapon. For now he would wait to see what was going on, but his patience and anger was growing. It was just his luck, him, the Tonderui that had the most extreme case of bloodlust, stuck in one of the most annoying places.

"No doubt if father was here he'd just be chuckling himself silly. Blighter."

[Catrux]

Sehkem had waited long enough, he was going to find out what the other people's intentions were. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, Carthax spoke.

"I dont like this either, and when does anything ever feel right?" Sehkem looked at Carthax and thought it best not to delve further into the topic. Now he turned to speak to the one who was not in an obvious offensive stance.

"Do you know why we are here? What are your intentions?" He then turned to the one in the offensive stance. "I think it best for you to stand down at this particular time, you seem ill-equiped for a fight. Judging from your clothes or lack there of, it may be in your best intrest to not be so hostile." Sehkem then revealed the weaponry he carried showing that he was equiped.

Sehkem was getting angry, confussed, and tired. He was angry because of this place, he was confussed about the information he had obtained, and was tired of this place.

[Krisztinya Valkai]

As she stood there, her eyes roved over those who entered the room with nothing more than the countanance of amused superiority and mystery. She watched on with the distinct aura that she was an outsider watching the goings on of those around her as though she weren't a part of this currently unfolding drama. it was the way in which she dealt with most circumstances, and this was no different. She was very much involved in the same way the others were, though she gave no indication of it. She would let them think what they would, and not present reason for any other interpretation. She had no desire to shatter whatever impressions they had created for themselves. Oona remained tense and alert, and truth be told, as the memebrs of the party began entering, she couldn't blame her. She blinked slowly as she recalled the same look of eager defense and anticipation before in her victims. Those who wandered the streets clutching their purses, eyes darting, or with sword drawn were always her favorite target. They were expecting bad things to happen, and being who she was, who was she to deny them that?

Carthax and Sehkem entered and merely glared at the two of them, recieving no response initially than a slow glance followed by a bored blink from the Primogen. it was the next series of individuals that caught her attention and her senses.

A giant spider guided a group down the staircase into the main hall where she, Oona, Carthax and Sehkem stood seperately. The spider arrested her attention immediately, causing the threads of ink in her eyes to fracture in the corners of her emerald eyes. She had giant scorpions, Scarabs, and even spiders, but something was very different about this one. She wanted it for her menagerie. The very thought made the corners of her lips twitch up in a faint smirk. Should they get out of here, she wondered if it would be impossible to convince this creature to "volunteer" for her services. It was so much more fun when they volunteered....

The woman walking with the spider, the one who bore the scent of darkness herself stole Krisztinya's eyes from the spider. She had never met any of those present, save Oona, and she had to admit that she didn't think there were many worth knowing in Morthika. This Mair woman may change that entirely.

She was soon passed by a firey red head and a man in metal. The man was radiating enough energy that it soured in the back of her throat. Her eyes met his and she merely stared, her eyes focusing on his in a way that made everything else, momentarily, dissapear. It wasn't something she practiced, it was just the nature of her kind. They were seducers and murderers, lovers and killers, not unlike the black widows and female praying mantises of nature. But she was different, and ODK was the one present who understood wihtout being told. She felt the shadows crawling over her seem to purr with the adored attention. The Abyss was every much a part of her as was her personality and her physical body. Until she was destroyed it would be so, though several attempts had been unsuccessfully made to relive that situation. She had accepted her place in the universe and embraced it. And this man, without being told, understood. She was fascinated.

Her eyes shifted, as they approached, to the woman. Regal blood in her too, and a passion that was seeping from her like gaudy french perfume. The woman was another familiar with darkness, but in a way that was detached. She was intrigued and allowed one more fleeting smirk to grace her hauntingly beautiful features.

It was when one of the men who had first entered spoke that she was so rudely torn from her dissociated observations. He spoke curtly and directly, as if he had some place to demand answers. The basest part of her stood on an edge, wanting nothing more than to put this upstart in his place, eviscerating him with little more effort than it takes to dress yourself. The tendrils of her garment seemed to contract into a curl and relax in unison before regaining their independant gyrations at her feet and wrists. Before she could answer he turned to Oona in a haughty, threatening manner. No, now that won't do. Oona was her nemesis, and no one would threaten her but Krisztinya herself. When she spoke, her voice was not raised, though all could hear her. It was the voice of the undead, of those without a soul, resonating with the deep velvety tones of an abandoned basement, a tone that was hollow and inspired lonliness. The accent of her birthland still hung on her consonants in the old eastern european fashion.

"In lands of magic your weapons, no matter how sharp or numerous, will do you no more good than a daffodil." For the first time since anyone entered she moved her head. Her eyes trailing to the quick tempered man showing off his weapons, only to be followed by the slow turning and self gratifying slow blink of boredom.

"We are here because we were summoned. We were brought here. And as for my intentions..." She smiled cryptically, the darkness in her eyes scattering back to the corners of her field of vision. "They're mine, Sirrah, and therefore none of your business. When they concern you, you will be the last to know." She turned to Oona with a sardonic smirk. "Or is that supposed to be the ~first~ to know...." She returned her gaze to the man. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Her demeanor returned to one of distance and observance. A living statue of Alabaster and shadow, she would engage others only when she deigned it necessary. People and creatures only existed in her world because she allowed it. She was the ultimate Solipsist. For that reason, it wasn't uncommon for those in Krisztinya's way to be the last to know of their mistake, in fact, she preferred it that way. Though, she also took great pleasure in announcing her plans before inflicting them on those they concerned. She was fickle, more fickle than most women. She had centuries to perfect the habit. The hostility in the room was palpable, and she felt her disciplines churning in her blood to drink in the negativity. She thrived on it and would foster it every chance she was given.

[Oona Ondessa]

Everyone was gathered, once inside the halls the large stone doors began to drag shut and finally close with a lard terrifying bang, The Mosaic sun gleamed at them brilliant from above, almost as if it was actually generating light, but the source of the brilliant light in the room could not be physically pinpointed. Oona remained calm, lifting her head, they were no threat, she could feel there energies, Moridanu and ODK were among the strangers. The Winged man began to talk threatening Oona, she smiled chaotically

"Weapons don’t maketh the man, young one, I'd hold your tongue if you want to make it out of here alive…"

She said her sculptured brow lowering, her beautiful stunning features suddenly looked deadly against the gleaming sun and she couldn't help but radiate waves of energy and power as her anger increased.

"It's a sad and miserable day indeed when the only one I can trust is you Krisztinya…"

Oona said turning around to face her nemesis she smirked slightly as the men and woman began to gather around them. Once again she was overshadowed by a feeling of hopelessness dread at the sight of The Other Demon Keeper, she made a mental note to search out any information she could find about it on her return to her library.

The Silence was broken in the grand hall suddenly as a melodic bell began to toll, Once, Twice, Three times, the bell tolled over and over gain until it struck twelve. The mosaic sun atop of ceiling began to grind loudly, gears and pulleys began to heave and spin the sun until it slid away into shadows and in it's place a stone mosaic of the brilliant blood red room stood above them, its red glow covered everything, suddenly giving everything an eerily quality, the once white and black chess tiles below them were now red and black. Nobody looked quite as horrific as Oona, her pale skin took on the red light showering her in the chaotic red glow, her dark spiralling tattoos shimmered darkly against the red and she suddenly looked twice her normal size and some sort of demon straight from the seventh layer of hell.

One of the gran pillars that held the room up made a loud clicking sound, it opened up and people began to walk from the pillars heading into the centre of the room where suddenly a grand spiked throne now stood. The woman who was obviously in charge radiated hot energy, she was powerful, that was sure, no much so that Oona felt a wave of sickness, she stepped closer to Krisztinya and leaned close to her, her beautiful golden hair touching her own dark.

"What do you sense about her? Is she a…. is that a god?"

Oona muttered her eyes narrowing, surely any mortal could not command as much power as this woman seemed to posses, even Krisztinya herself who was the very conduit of an entire abyss of darkness and even the mysterious Demon Keeper who gods know how much power he commands. Moridanu with all her knowledge and power was nothing compared to the woman who stood before them. She was beautiful, her skin was dark and tanned, her hair was a dirty golden blonde, impossible long but twisted upon itself in braids and twirls around her head. Oona suspected her hair was once dark but had now been bleached blonde by the sun. She wore little around her muscular body except a silver and gold breast plate the breast were fashioned to look like a ram and the horns wound around her shoulders, she wore against her hips a short metallic battle skirt, she wore thick knee high black boots with silver armour covering the front.

"Welcome to Incultarufus"

She said in a deep husky voice

"You have all been brought here for one reason…"

She said slowly, her gaze went from one person to the other until she had scanned everyone, her deep gazing eyes were like ever seeing and shredded straight through Oona's soul, she shivered silently

"To save us all…"

She finished. At her last word people and creatures began to stand by her, Barossa, hulked over her, Talon stood by her, in his usual human form, his blue eyes penetrated through the red haze and his eyes locked on Mair, his face was ever sad. The Spider snuck beside Talon and simply waited, it wasn't long before the sky filled with men and woman all with dark beautiful wings, they landed next to the Queen, Woman dressed in battle armour began to pour from the pillars, dressed for battle, the Amazons. There was silence while the Queen watched the men and woman she had dragged into her realm.

[Shizuku Tonderui]

"Ooohh, scary." He commented on Oona's sudden transformation, though he didn't really seem it. The things he had summoned, created, or watched were thousands of times worse. Once you go through death a few times, you understand that there is nothing to fear at all anymore.

"Well Sehkem, I'd say we definantly not in the right place anymore." He said to the man beside him before falling silent at the new...person who came before them. He briefly glanced towards the woman and scoffed to himself. She looked impressive, and sure her power was a little overwhelming, he knew of things much greater.

"Hmm, I wonder what the Pantheon would give to know of this place...or the Titan." He idly said quietly to himself. Of course, he had no clue how he would be able to retrace his steps here, but then again, even the Pantheon commanded vast amounts of energy. Then the strange woman began to speak, and his concentration was broken as he listened.

"Save? Well Terrin damn it, I knew I would have to do a good deed today." He growled to himself then stopped, his eyes focusing on the large tree man, Barossa, who stood beside the woman. His eyes flashed for a moment and soon the black taint began to drip off his hands, which were clenched into tight fists. The taint would hit the floor and hiss, sizzle and then rejoin to Carthax as if it were nothing. He took a few deep breaths as he watched Barossa, then unclenched his fists. The mysterious black ooze seeped back into Carthax and he shuddered to himself.

"That was too close..." He thought before turning slightly to Sehkem. He would need the help of this...person if he were to survive. "Sekhem..." He hissed between his teeth. "If you see me begin to float and ooze a black goo, slice my arm quickly. I can't have my...full power manifesting here, the reprecussions are unknown." He whispered out to the man. True, he had almost let the power escape when he was fighting Barossa, but thankfully something kept his anger in check. He wasn't sure what, perhaps the small voice in the back of his head, or maybe that he still clung to his mind.

"And if...if my powers are released, restrain me and cover my eyes. If you can't...kill me. Strike me down fast." He knew the lmits of his power, as the avatar of Terrin, and now he was in a strange world where Terrin was not, he didn't know what power he might feed off of. He almost felt sick from the thought of draining an entire world. These people were no doubt his only escape, and if they died he would be stuck here. He could not let this happen, not one bit.

[Catrux]

He smirked at Oona's comment, every one still thought him a mere brute but that was alright they would soon see. "I made no threats, you were the one who seemed so ready to fight." Sehkem replied flatly.

Turning his attention to the new woman that addressed them he spoke "I assume since you were the one responsible for bringing us here you are also the one who spoke to us or at least I doubt you spoke only to me. Who is this brother you spoke of? What do you know of my race?" Questions were flowing through Sehkem's mind, so many that he could not voice them all.

Carthax asked Sehkem to kill him if he attempted to taint the land. No I'm sure there is another way he does not need to die. He would find a way to make sure he would not have to kill Carthax. "You will not need to die." Sehkem whispered back.

A thought began to creep into Sehkem's mind the winged people in the sky....could they be his brethren? Could they have been the ravens he fought? Black and white it all seemed to fit, but still there was a grey area.

[Moridanu]

* Luminous emerald orbs scanned the room quickly, making a quick mental note on everyone present, as Moridanu laughed softly in response to ODK’s dream journal comment. Her attention immediately fell upon the female that seemed to be radiating pure dark energy. The few times that Danu and Morrrighan themselves had presented themselves to her, combined with a few adventures in various other realms did mean that Moridanu had some experience with beings such as the one before her, though she made no claim that she understood anything about them. Curious, as well as slightly fascinated by this creature’s presence, Moridanu smiled softly as she studied the woman closely. As she gazed upon her however, she was aware of the females’ eyes upon ODK. An energy passed between the two of them, even as Moridanu watched, and she pulled her hand away from ODK before clenching both hands into fists by her side.

Surprised by the sudden and unfamiliar sensation of jealousy that began to surge through her veins with an almost unbearable intensity, Moridanu had the thought that this strange red-mooned place was having a severe reaction upon her that was both daunting and a little frightening. Afraid to use her powers or any form of Magick in case they were tainted somehow, Moridanu realised suddenly that she was feeling rather timid and overwhelmed. It was a new sensation, one she did not like, but for whatever reason there was, she felt intimidated by all the large personalities and strange creatures present. So out of place did she feel that she took several steps back until she was at the back of the room. Trembling slightly, she wondered what the hell was wrong with her while she wrung her hands behind her back and tried to blend into the shadows of the walls around her.

Just then, the bells began to toll. In silence she counted them.. one, two, three.. all the way up to twelve. The knowledge that the chiming bell meant that some form of mathematics and time keeping did exist in this realm, was filed away in the corners of her harried mind as she stared with wide emerald eyes while everything was bathed in a blood red light. She was aware of gears grinding, and people talking but all she could take in was that red light that was now tinting her skin a deep rose hue. All she could think was one word. Blood. Blood would flow, she was sure of it. A vision danced upon the back of her eyelids as she saw flowing blood, gushing past her feet like a raging river. But then the vision was gone, replaced only by the now red and black checked floor.

Soon, a female creature of great beauty and power followed the vision and Moridanu peered at her from the dark red shadows of the room. This place was called “Incultarufus” if the woman could be believed, and she seemed sure of the fact that they had all been summoned here to save them all. Who “they” were was still something of a question, and what "they" needed saving from was another question that needed to be asked, but given the knowledge that her time in this realm was not an act of random fate, Moridanu felt strangely comforted. She was a true warrior, a champion of the people and she felt it her duty to save and protect all those who claimed loyalty to her.

As the woman finished speaking, the room suddenly began to fill with various weird and wonderful creatures. Keeping to the shadows, Moridanu spoke out loud and clear as she called out in her thick Irish accent.

~Tell us what exactly ye b'needin savin from, hmm? And why it b'us that ye selected for the job?~

Her curiosity had always been her biggest downfall, but she was too morose to feel any regrets for asking her questions.*

[Mair Debryn]

-Mair shifted uneasily as the doors at her back slammed shut with an ominous crash. As there was nothing beyond them aside from miles upon endless miles of red sand to escape to, she did not rush up the stairs to confirm that they were all trapped. That was obvious. With her arms folded across her front and a bland expression masking anything that might be wandering through her thoughts, she abandoned the useless staircase and skirted the rear of the party for a better view of the crowd forming in the center of the hall. The exotic woman on her spiked throne commanded the attention and respect of those around her which led the demoness to assume that this might just be the person with all of the answers Spider couldn’t give her. The wide assortment of individuals surrounding the queen/leader/other reminded Mair of a cast of extras from an outlandish play. The mad urge to laugh was a sharp reminder that she was in desperate need of both sleep and a steaming cup of strong coffee. The sad fact that neither wish was likely to be granted was sobering, killing the twitch of a smile starting in her lips.

When Mair and the rest of the group were finally addressed, she tried for a look of polite interest mixing in a hint of feigned respect. That respect would become sincere only if some of the next words out of this Queen’s mouth were “It was nice meeting you. Spider will now show you back to your room.” Sadly, they weren’t. Testiness crept back in at an alarming rate, possibly leading to rash words had her attention not been drawn by the movement of the center crowd. It took her no more than a second in the dim red gloom to find Talon, whose intense blue eyes were already on her. What the others said or didn’t say, did or didn’t do, the demoness did not care. Frankly, they weren’t half as fascinating as the gargoyle-man she’d faced at the beginning of this crazy adventure. Despite the situation and the gentle throb taking up residence behind already burning eyes, the corners of her mouth curved upward in a small smile of relief that he had survived. The irony that she would find such comfort in the only one to actually show her aggression was not lost on her. Stranger things had happened. Talon’s presence alone had Mair reconsidering her original plan to nod, smile and leave as quickly as possible. She could probably clear off a bit of her hectic schedule to save a handsome man, take aforementioned man out for a drink or two when all was said and done…Maybe invite him home for that nap she was going to take…Yeah, that could be arranged. Eyes still on his, she opened her mind to listen to what the woman had to say.-

[The Demon Auditor]

(This is what I get for trying to write more provocatively; a grade level of 7 from my spell-checker. That's a grade below my post on the 5th!)

ODK yearned for the next twist in this tale. He had been riveted from the start, drinking and soaking up every detail, every twitch, and every sharp turn in the plot. Every movement, sound, and breath by every creature in the room was another heartbeat of the story. Some held an air of departure, not wishing to involve themselves in the book, but ol’ ODK knew better: They were all in this together.

He turned to Moridanu again to find something he could anchor himself to, both figuratively and literally, when she tossed his arm from her moors and departed. Why did people need to behave like this? To always seek the back of the crowd, to be behind and forgotten? Kris and Mair both did the same, it seemed, seeping backwards instead of forwards to greet whatever host was arriving. The sun was changing for the moon, and the light morphing from white to red. So, the moon glowed red all the time, it seemed. He guessed it had an iron-rich soil on its surface, then, much like red planets.

ODK needed Mori for support, and to support her, but he hated the thought of joining the crowd in the back of the room, receding like a frightened child, and fighting for real estate back there. He wanted to be at the front, to confront the Queen as she now showed herself and her court. It was a pretty big court, too. ODK made another mental note that there were now way too many hot babes in the room.

Grumbling in his mind, he turned and walked swiftly to the back of the room and joined Mori by her side. He gave her a comforting smile. This felt better. He tried to take her hand, too, if she would permit. He could see the confusion and fear in Mori’s eyes. Why was she afraid? What did the queen in the center have that Mori didn’t? Both were goddesses in their own right, beautiful, and powerful. Had the green-eyed monster bitten her?

He didn’t care if anyone saw this as a weakness. His emotional attachment to Moridanu was something of an oddity, and surely something to be exploited in the future. He wanted to protect her, but he did not want to sacrifice his bond to her just to do the very thing he wished the most. He preferred to look at it pragmatically; he cares for her, gives and receives physical attention to and from her, and they assist each other. Therefore, it wouldn’t make sense to abandon her to protect her, especially since both of them faced similar dangers and foes. Nevertheless, the heart is fickle and easily manipulated by those who know how to pull the strings.

ODK shook his head slightly. He hated when he did that. He had to stop all this mental monologue, or else he would have to admit he really was crazy! Given the circumstances, though, he was sure everyone would be sympathetic. While everyone else asked the provocative question “How?” to the queen in the center, ODK looked to Mori for the answers to questions of his own.

[Krisztinya Valkai]

Mori's response radiated green emotions and though she herself had no intentions with anyone in the room, she found it irresitably amusing. She had her theories about jealousy and what caused it, or self consciousness, but merely smirked knowingly. It was the strange shifting of the room that caught her attentions fully, shifting her focus from those present to the now mechanized ceiling and soon after, the grandiose throne that had appeared. Oona's comment was not lost on her, and she had to grin in response. The days were before them where enemies must fight as one to survive. There was a legend to be told somewhere in all of this...

Her eyes roved the ceiling, curious about the shifting of light, thrilled with the crimson shafts of light falling to illuminate her skin in a most decadent and haunting fashion. In this glare she may well appear warm blooded, human, but more likely an eerie jewel among the others reflecting the magical light. She turned to face the Queen as Oona leaned in to her. Her eyes pinned to the regent as she sat confidantly on the throne that Krisztinya memorized with her eyes. Her own was far darker, more gruesome, but this display of power was suiting for the sun blonde Queen. Her response to Oona was brief as she felt her disciplines explode in her veins. The darkness that oozed from the room, the power was overwhelming, and the threads of the Abyss in her eyes shattered and in a frenzy fought to overcome her emerald irises. "A God? I don't believe she is. But I sense Power. I'm wondering why, with all that she possesses, she requires us at all..." She paused, and then added with an air of admiration, "A worthy adversary, indeed."

The Queen spoke in a voice that Krisztinya swore she had heard before, though where, she could not place. The tenor and pitch were unnervingly familiar, and the woman's gaze was captivating, intrusive. As the woman found Krisztinya's eyes, the Primogen didn't flinch, though she felt the optical challenge with every nerve of her being. This woman was no fool, she knew her strength and power and knew how to recognize it in others. And she spoke...

"Welcome to Incultarufus"...."You have all been brought here for one reason…" ..... "To save us all…"

As the Queen spoke and her eyes stopped on each of them again, Krisztinya recalled, instinctually, her own social graces. For the first time since the group had gathered, she physically moved. Her head dipped in a respectful greeting, her hands dropped from their bored chest fold to a hand clasp at her waist, and she half curtsied in the way she was bred when greeting other monarchs and members of the aristocracy. It wasn't to be mistaken for subserviance, which the Queen would recognize according to her breeding, but one of cordial, social respect. Her sudden transformation into a courtier could possibly seem out of character at first glance, but any who closely observed the ease with which she spoke and m oved, would understand that this was part of her archaic breeding and part of her blood. She did not move to hide amongst the others, she didn't avert her eyes or cower before the Queen. Rather, she was engaged in a way that demanded her attentions. Her voice, too, was husky and still retained the absent echo due to her lack of soul.

"Darkest Eve, Dread Queen..." Her hands dropped from her waist to rest provocativly along the lines of her waist and hips, her hands themselves hovering on her thighs as the tendrils of her cloak coiled over her fingers. She spoke to the Queen as though she had been doing so for ages. "If it please your Majesty, save you from what? And why, pray tell, does this fall on we --the unacquainted, dissimmilar beings from various realms? Your people are warriors, as you appear yourself, if we agree, what could we possibly do to defeat an enemy absolutely foreign to us?"

She had not accepted the charge the Queen had demanded, waiting, rather, for an explanation. It would be poor manners to drag a group of people from their beds, demand they save your realms and not explain why. And Queens equipped with such an entourage were certain to have courtly manners. She stood, her head high, her hands returning to their folded position under her chest, her eyes focused entirely on the Queen before her. The others would do and say what they would, she however, could not be accused of improper palace etiquitte.

[Oona Ondessa]

The Queen continued to sweep across the gathered her eyes stopping on each of them, intense and powerful, the shades of blue seemed to vanish and change into a brilliant shade of green before changing back once again to blue. The Queen stopped on Carthax

"So many questions… so much anger, I will try and answer all, starting with you the only defeated among you…"

She said her attention now on Carthax, she smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow, he would be a full to challenge the queen lest he be flawed alive with a single glance

"You cannot taint this world for it is already tainted and any magic of arcane at all will be stored and secreted in ways unimaginable, the slightest extraction will come back to you, mark my words…"

She got up from her throne and moved towards the men and woman who were gathered here, the Warrior Woman among them shyed away from her slightly, wincing at her touch

"The Amazons like you were drawn here to help us…but they did not succeed"

She said simply, no anger or resentment in her voice, it was clear and precise

"And you would do well to be afraid of Ms Ondessa; she could kill you one thousand times before you hit the ground"

She said with a wicked grin, she turned and stared at Oona before moving to Krisztinya she lowered her head in a greeting and moved off to Sehkem

"Ah My winged friend, the moon in this realm has a mind of her own, I know nought what she spoke to you about, I know nothing of your brother, what I do know though is your people once dwelt in this realm… before the great Cataclysm…"

She moved away standing in front of everyone once more, her attention was now once again on the ODK, she stared at him, her lips wet and her eyes constantly changing shade, she moved through the crowd, her body radiating pure ravenous power, she placed a hand on the ODK's cheek and whispered almost longingly

"You my friend are such a brilliant creature"

She leaned forward and kissed the ODK on the lips before turning away and walking back to her throne and sitting down, her eyes once again fell to Krisztinya and she answered her question

"You are here my friends, because this realm is slowly dying… it has been for some time, I am the only native survivor, I would gladly sacrifice myself and die with my world, but I'm afraid if this realm collapses it will cause a ripple that will also destroy your own lands and realms, the Moon has been trying for decades to destroy us so she may move on to another realm. All I can do to stop this is transport men and woman from different realms to help in the battle, all the people you see before you were off different realms, but they have all failed"

There was a glint in her eye as she worked her way across the room

"I am bared from trying to save this realm, there are ancient magic's that protect the land under this castle, for the land under my castle is the land that you need to travel too, there is a stone deep in the catacombs that needs to be destroyed for the realm to return to what it once was…"

The Queen swept her hands towards the ceiling where the sun shone and grass and flowers grew where in the distance men and woman were flying on wings through the air, the Queen turned around for a split second revealing two dark lumps where wings were once but now nothing more than amputated stumps.

"Some of you, I can already tell are having reservations about this realm, and about helping us… and I am terrible sorry but the moon has a mind of her own and power beyond any of us, upon knowing some of you have arrived she took things into her own hands, to try and sway you to her side, but once the stone is destroyed her power will last no more"

The Queen clapped her hands and the Amazons moved out of the hall, it wasn't long before they brought in a tiny red cage, inside the red cage was a small and helpless creature, beaten and tortured

"No… No!"

Oona screamed angrily as she pushed her way through the crowds, her own animal wild arcane energies were fluctuating all over the place, she turned to Carthrax her purple eyes ablaze, he was the closest and the only one who had really angered her and with a sudden burst of energy, she put her hand out and pushed away at him, he would find himself flying through the air with a sudden pain in his chest and head, backwards through the air until he found something to stop the momentum. Oona placed her hand around the cage

"Get him out of here!"

She raged at the queen forgetting anything about how powerful she truly was

"I have tried Ms Ondessa, born from the Willow, protector of Black Moss, but I cant, the Moons powers are greater than my own…"

Inside the tiny cage lay the Faun Camus, his small green emerald eye were shrunken inside his head, he was covered in bruises and his usually shinny curly black hair was wet with sweat and blood. Suddenly with a red puff of smoke seven cages appeared in the main hall, each of them was full of a person or thing that each of the group loved, be it animal, person or an item.

((Does that make sense guys? It doesn't matter who or what it is, but something your characters love is in the cage, it's up to you))

[Shizuku Tonderui]

Carthax was...well Carthax was not having fun. Not one bit. Slowly picking himself up he clenched his hands, keeping himself in control. So his taint would do nothing...and he would not become a true Avatar if Terrin was away. His eyes glanced upwards and then back down to where the cages were. He stepped back towards Sehkem and sighed.

"I'm a mortal man then. Well I guess you don't have to worry Sehkem. Looks like all I'll do is get flustered and use my knives in a while." He reached up and slowly rubbed his forehead. Great. That was...well that was just great then wasn't it.

"I'm going to die here. I'm going to die in this stinking realm and there's nothing I can do." He thought woefully as he looked towards the cages. His eyes scanned over them, not one thing looked familiar to him. In fact...one of the cages was empty. What did he love? Not his father...not his life...power? He liked power...not loved it though...

"I guess that it would be impossible...and unwise to seal Terrin inside a cage." Carthax noted, his only true love was the immortal and infinitely powerful God. The one being who had pittied the poor boy, and chose him to recieve the power. He was glad though Terrin wasn't here to see the shame he had given the God. Also because if you trap one God, you trap the entire Pantheon. Once more a hand came up and he rubbed the bridge of his nose, his eyes shut tight.

"So I get to die and if I survive the only thing I get is gratitude." He thought as he looked to the immensly powerful Queen.

"Question O' Powerful Queen. How do we get sent back? Dying? Surviving?" He asked lightly, fully prepared to gut himself where he stood if it meant he could escape easier. Besides, these people wouldn't miss him would they? He only knew Sehkem and that was for a few moments, and he didn't feel...worthy. After all, he was the only one to fail. So many choices. His thoughts ran wild as he waited for a response from the Queen.