3. Nearing the end

Nearing the end


  • The fool that knows

    She smiled, looking around the courtyard. She smiled at the Spellweavers, at the Students, at the preparations and the people anxiously waiting for the Fair to begin.
    The Spear of Spellweaver was allowed to be formed by the Chancellor of Norwick, almost every Member and Student was present, and the visitors were plentiful.
    The Fair would be a succes… she wished Attentus was there, though.
    It might not have been a big thing, but getting approval for the Spear was one of the greatest achievements in her life, and she wished he had seen it.
    She was... happy though...
    From a corner of an eye, she saw someone approaching, she turned towards him.
    Deavron walked up to her, he needed to talk to her.
    "Oh for the love of Sune," she thought, "of all the Students present, that brat has need of me...".

    "Lady Yolanda, do you have a moment?"

    "Yes Student Deavron, what is it?" She put on a motherly smile, though the boy disturbed her somehow

    "Could we go somewhere more private? This is not for others to hear…"

    In her mind, she sighed, but she led him to a quiet corner

    "Go on then Student, it's a busy day for all of us." She flashed the motherly smile again

    "I understand you have organised a Guard for Spellweaver?"

    "Well, not so much organised, I only negotiated with the Chancellor and Mayor of Norwick on it."

    He nodded slightly, seemingly considering something before he continued

    "My Lady, I have achieved in bringing a network of informants together, with infiltrants in about every organisation within Narfell, under the eye of Keeper Evendur. The Keeper, however, has decided I should report to you about all I find."

    For a time, time stood still for Yolanda, as many thoughts ran through her head "Is he telling the truth? How could such a loud mouthed child possibly have achieved this?", "If he -is- telling the truth however, this will be interesting and improve my stature as well…", "This could be far too dangerous for me though... I should be careful"

    The boy continued, Yolanda only half listening

    "Before I can do this, however, I have a favor to ask of you.
    You see, the infiltrants I have are not connected to Spellweaver in any way, and do it for gold, instead of seeing it as their duty.
    I need more loyal infiltrants, and preferably cheaper ones too.
    I would ask of you that you send every member of the Spear that you see fit for this work my way."

    He nodded to himself, Yolanda needed a few seconds to recall what had just been said, while her mind drifted.

    "Very well Deavron, I'll watch the practice and training of the Spear myself, and I'll send on who I deem capable and the captain won't miss in your direction. Understand, however, that they will still be seen as full members of the Spear, and they will be called upon when there is a need for the Spear to enter battle.
    Also keep in mind that it might take some time before the Spear is organised enough to train their recruits decently, let alone transfer them.
    For now, I might be able to get you your first agent. He is not affiliated to Spellweaver, but a good friend, and very capable at what he does.
    He is called Gears, you'll find him in the crowd, most likely.
    Come and speak to me when you've found him, and do bring him along"

    He took off and she was happy to be rid of him for the time. "Head of espionage, hah! No, he will believe he is… Gears, however, is much more suited for the job, and more trustworthy." She thought, "I suppose we need Deavron though... considering he's already established his alledged network... and to make sure neither Gears nor me are the target, of course." She saw to some more preparations, as she waited for the two men to return.


  • Musings ((Breaking Benjamin - Blow me away))

    _They fall in line,
    one at a time,
    ready to play…

    I can't see them anyway…

    No time to lose,
    we've got to move,
    steady the hand…

    I am losing sight again…

    Fire your guns,
    it's time to roll!
    Blow me away…

    I will stay, unless I may…

    After the fall,
    we'll shake it off,
    show me the way!

    Only the strongest will survive,
    lead me to heaven, when we die.
    I am a shadow on the wall.
    I'll be the one to save us all.

    There's nothing left,
    so save your breath.
    Lying awake.

    Caught inside this tidal wave…

    Your cover's blown,
    No where to go.
    Only your fate…

    Only I will walk away…

    Fire your guns
    it's time to roll!
    Blow me away…

    I will stay, unless I may…

    After the fall,
    we'll shake it off,
    show me the way!

    Only the strongest will survive,
    lead me to heaven, when we die.
    I am a shadow on the wall.
    I'll be the one to save us all.

    Don't want it back
    Don't fight me now_


  • A bribe, perhaps?

    _Quite the interesting few days…

    Fighting umber hulks, trips to Ormpur, killing a frost giant... dying...

    She had lost so much these days... so much of her former power...
    Yet... she had gained more than enough to make up for it.

    Her sister had come back from the dead.
    She didn't say how or why, only that she had wronged her by leaving, and she had to make up for it.
    That and Amy was going to find her a decent husband...

    She had become closer with Drelan, in the past there somehow seemed to be a wall there... Whether she had been the cause, she couldn't remember, yet, she thought it possible.
    He was teaching her how to use a sword again.
    A nice man, why would she ever dislike him?

    And lastly, Chaevre had come to talk to her...

    She knew Deavron had told her, her as well as others, that Chaevre had been performing experiments on human bodies.
    She had often wondered if she knew that Deavron had told her far more.
    Apparently, she had interrogated Deavron, but despite the domination she had cast on him, he was able to refuse to answer.
    Because of this Chaevre assumed he was under a protective spells that also enabled him to spread his lies...

    Pretty thin...

    She had appointed her to Headmistress of the Keep too...
    Apparently, Arien was the only one who applied for the position, but Chaevre much rather give it to her...
    Chaevre knew Yolanda would go out of her own way for the good of the Keep...

    Pretty thin as well...

    She took the position, naturally, but wasn't all too sure about what -would- be best for the Keep..._


  • Currents and under currents

    _A long time had passed, she had learned little, but things had changed.
    She had spoken to Candy what to do about Rhyn if she ever saw him back.
    By the end of that discussion, Chaevre had come to sit in the commons as well.
    An idea came to her head that moment, maybe Deavron wasn't such a fool after all.

    She had spoken in hushed tones about her situation with Rhyndar, discussing their plans privately, but now Chaevre was sitting there, she saw an oppertunity.
    She lamented her troubles so that Chaevre could clearly hear, and spoke of her plans with Rhyndar without caution.
    Candy told her it might not have been the best idea, but Yolanda explained to her in a hushed voice that Chaevre would think her a fool now.

    Yes, a love struck fool, another woman in this land that could not keep her mind off of her bethroted…
    Chaevre would hardly take notice of her after this...
    When they turned be the only two people in the commons, she decided to look around dreamily and with short attention span, for good measure.

    She smiled when Chaevre walked off.

    She sighed.
    In spite of this, she had gotten careless and frightened when Chaevre had become the Keeper.
    She had moved out of the Keep, she had a feeling that she had made the wrong move, and Mirkali's words only backed this up...
    She had to go back some time, like Mirkali said...

    She sighed again.
    Mirkali...
    Maybe her sister had been right...
    She had given in to his desires, and though it had been very pleasant, she felt like something was off.
    He had said that he only wanted her to be happy...
    He had asked if she could find happiness in becoming the Keeper of Spellweaver.
    It could work, he said, they would need a leader when Chaevre was revealed, and he said her work in uncovering it could get her the position.
    He only wanted her happiness...

    She frowned deeply.

    Maybe he was speaking the truth, maybe he did want her to be happy, but maybe... maybe what he wanted was... a puppet..._


  • What's the big picture?

    _She had had another rendez-vous with Mirk in the Silver Stream again, it had been quite fun, really.
    Thanks to him, she was finally growing to be her old self again.
    Too little, too late, unfortunatly.
    The man always knew what to say, on top of that, he always had a lot to say, including information that would be handy in undermining the Union.
    Of course he held most back, she realised that well enough, but what he told her would help her greatly.
    Not yet though… he advised her to train some more, she was not ready to face any of the Union.
    He was right at that, she supposed.

    And no plotting either, the time was not right for that.
    She thought on what he told her.
    Corde was head of the Sharran church, which was to be found in the underground city of Oscura.
    Zanetar and Corde disliked eachother... this could prove useful someday, not yet though... it was too soon to use him...
    Aspera didn't seem to be involved in any of this...
    One of the acolytes wore two names, Merina and Adrianna...
    He had learned nothing of the Aurilite church...

    She read the letter again_

    @6f171ddf97:

    Honourable Evendur Mildsilver,

    I write to you, yet another letter concerning the Union.
    I have decided to remain within the region of Narfell for the time being, as I have realised this must be stopped, and I can help, however little.

    I will send to you any information that is of relevance and not too soon to be told.

    My letter today will be a short one however, seeing as I have little to say.

    A man named Corde is head of the Sharran church, and he resides within the underground city of Oscura.

    He is and the Banite Zanetar have grown a dislike for eachother, though it is not yet time to exploit that.
    Zanetar does not like to be used, and using him now would be pointless.
    We cannot risk losing him, as he and his followers might prove to be a vital key some day.

    My greetings and best wishes.

    _She sealed it and made sure Evendur got it.
    She hoped it would all go a bit faster, but she knew that would only be troublesome.
    She needed to take her time and consider verything she knew and learned.
    She needed to train with her sword and work on her magic.
    She was still certified of dying, but she wouldn't go without taking at least one of the Union with her… preferably Chaevre.

    She headed down to the Mermaid and went to the Carpet Room.
    After some time of laying there, Mirk opened the door and came in with a charming smile..._


  • A painful lesson

    _Her sister had died, the one person to keep her going, was gone.
    She lived without hope, she had pondered throwing herself at Chaevre or Elvadriel several times, even though she knew she would die.
    But no, she had promised Amy, and she would keep the promise, even now she had passed on…

    She didn't even know where she was buried.
    The sermon had passed through Norwick, but when one of its followers told her who was being buried, everything collapsed.
    She couldn't bare to follow the sermon, and didn't have the courage to ask where they were taking her.

    She knew she would see her promise through though, she would not kill herself pointlessly and would do everything she could to stop the Union.
    She needed to be stronger though... she needed to be more skilled, more ready to fight...
    She decided to do as her sister had done, to be able to use other means in case her magic failed but mostly to honour her Amy and fight the fight her sister no longer could.

    She decided to buy a more useful weapon than the spear she carried.
    She headed to the Adventurer's Life, where she looked around the shop for a while.
    She considered her choices.

    A shield would hinder her movements, she had to learn how to cast in armor first, shields could wait.
    She wasn't too strong either, so carrying both a shield and a reasonable weapon would encumber her too much.
    She wasn't too strong, so she'd probably need to use her both arms to properly wield anything...
    She stood before a rack holding greatswords and nodded to herself.

    The next few days, she cared about little else then learning how to wield it.
    She ignored most people she encountered, if anyone did try and talk to her, she replied calmly and coldly, in the beginning.
    In between the trainings she made herself undergo
    As she made her own training more rigorous and began to wear armor, she wanted to waste less and less time on fools that would eventually get themselves killed trying to hunt sauri or orcs.
    In time when people approached her, she found that she had no time to give them, and got her point across, with as much irritation as she felt.

    One evening, she stood atop the hill near Vino's fire and was practicing as usual, when all of the sudden, someone's invisibility spell weared off.
    She saw this in the corner of her eye, and when she turned her head to see who it was, she lost her grip and her sword went flying.
    Mirkali stood there, smirking slightly._

    "Not half bad, but you need some lessons, please, let me show you a few things."

    _She glared at him silently, and went to pick up her sword, giving it to him afterwards, thinking "If you try anything funny, bard, you'll find I'm not as helpless with that as I might seem."

    Mirkali took the sword and stood in clearer light as night began to fall.
    He held the sword for a few seconds, trying to get a feel of it._

    "A decent enough sword…"

    He muttered as he spread his legs and helt the hilt of the sword to his right chest, the blade poinint upwards

    "You see, what you do is this…

    He said as he sliced it through the air sideways, putting too much strength behind the swing, the swing nearly twisted him around.
    As he twisted his hips to the point of exxageration, he said to her

    "As you can see, you let the sword pull you along too much, twisting your hips too far.
    This gives your opponent an opening, one you can't afford to give him.
    The reason you do this, is because you put strength behind the swing until the point where you want it to stop.
    If you stop fueling the swing half way where you want it to stop, you'll be able to control it better.
    Like such…"

    He then repositioned himself, and took another sideways swing.
    This time he stopped perfectly after making a 90 degree arch in front of him. He kept that pose.

    "As you can see, it stopped exactly where I wanted it to.
    You will have to practice on this to get it perfectly right, of course, but once you've learned to do this, you can use the remaining strength behind the swing to make a second move, rather than stopping there. Like so…"

    Continueing from the pose he was in, he twisted the sword around and turned it into a fluent cut going from the bottom left to the upper right of his person.

    "You can use this as a second attack, or perhaps to block a move your opponent makes. Did you get all that? Good, now you try it"

    _He smiled slyly, but when she returned a glare, he simply ignored it.

    She then began practicing, listening to Mirk's corrections, watching his examples.
    She seethed with fury when he put his hands around hers, pressed himself up to her and made the sideways swing and the upward swing, over and over again, telling her what to do and after five or six times asking if she got it.

    She was loathe to admit it, but she did.
    She now knew how to make the swing, when to stop her pressure, when to twist the sword for the upward strike…

    And so she did, she executed the sideway strike perfectly, and though her aim was off in the upward strike, she had control over its speed and made a correct full stop, her body not being thrown off balance once.

    And then, there was a slow clapping, a single man who had been watching from the shadows was applauding her._

    "Very good Yolanda, though I'm confused as to why you would try and learn to wield that thing. No matter, I suppose…"

    "Oh, it's you... have you finally come to kill me then?"

    Mirk watched silently as he stroked the hilt of his rapier

    "So you remember?"

    "I remember your words all too well… as well as the thing you hide under that hood."

    The man flinched at this, she smirked slightly

    "There are things we'd all like to have changed…
    But no, I haven't come to kill you yet, I only told you I would hunt you."

    "Erm... Yolanda, I think maybe it's time for me to leave..."

    "Stay Mirkali," she said, "please."

    Mirkali stood his ground

    "Well you have me, why don't we end it here and now, but I warn you, I have things to do, and I will not die tonight."

    "I have no reason to fight you, Yolanda."

    Mirkali leaned in and whispered to her ear

    "Yolanda, I have to go now, it concerns the crystals"

    She nodded slightly "Off you go then

    At those words, Mirkali began to cast aiding and protective spells on Yolanda, afterwards saying to the cloaked man

    "Try not to hurt her, alright mate?"

    "I won't as long as I don't have a reason."

    Mirkali wandered off, and left her glaring at the man, who watched ehr silently from under ehr hood

    "You've hunted me for so long, now you don't want to finish it… What's the point?"

    "There would be nothing to it, little girl, I've watched you... you wouldn't care if you lived or died.
    I would be just as fun and would have just about as much merit as killing a goblin, and that's putting them down."

    "And why would I care? I've lost everything I had!"

    "And that was so much? That was so important? Come then, girl, tell me what you've lost..."

    "I have lost two fiances over time, I have lost my sister, those who I held close to me have betrayed me..."

    "Oh.. oh my... I am so sorry to hear that..."
    He said in a sarcastic tone

    "And what have you achieved? A whore, a spy, a mage, a wife…
    Nothing... Your life has been nothing, and you have lost nothing."

    "Nothing? How dare you call that nothing! How dare you call my life nothing!"

    "Do you really believe you have nothing left to care for?"

    "Take off the hood."

    "What?"

    "Do it, and the helm as well, I need to show you something."

    _Reluctantly, the man took off his helm, and looked straight at her.
    A scar ran down the right side of his face, while grey and white hair covered the entire left side, the hair kept in place by small metal bands.
    She remembered what was underneath it, but she didn't hesitated.

    She kissed him, with as much passion as she had ever kissed anyone before.
    When done, she took a step backwards and looked him straight in the eye._

    "I did not even care about that in the slightest bit.
    What does that make me?"

    "Sad, Yolanda, very sad."
    He said when putting his hood and helmet back on.
    "Hold out your hand."

    "What? why?"

    "I took off my hood and helm, you hold out your hand."

    _She did it, and he reached for hers, a red coin in his hand, she did not know what it did, so she decided it was nothing.
    The second her hand touched the coin, however, she felt an immense amount of pain, burning, and images ran through her head.

    She was a woman, she had sunk to her knees and was crying, begging a vampire to spare her daughter's life… Ikurus was lying there, she saw to her surprise.
    The image faded, a second one came up.

    She was a young man, tied to a pole in a cave. She saw an older man brewing potions. She identified the older man as the young man's father, she felt the pain and fear of the man as the father began to cut wounds in the young man's face and began pourring in the potion.
    The image faded and another one came up.

    And another.

    And another.

    And another.

    By this time, the hooded man had let go of her hand and was speaking to her, but all she could feel was the fear and the pain of the woman crying for her child and of the young man in the cave, as they lingered inside her mind._

    "Please, make it stop."

    "I can't Yolanda, they will stay…"

    "I beg you, please, take it back...
    It hurts so badly...
    I give...
    I do feel... please, take it back..."

    A hollow laughter came from within the helmet

    "Very well, as long as you do not deny yourself your feelings…
    Give me your other hand, Yolanda."

    He said as he held out a black coin in the other hand, she took it.
    The second she touched the other coin, her hand felt a freezing pain, but the images cleared from her head, and some of her own painful memories grew dim, less significant.

    "What did you do?"

    "I took back my memories I gave you, apparently, I took some of yours…
    Now tell me Yolanda, when you compare your painful memories to those two I gave to you...
    Was your life all that painful?"

    "No..."

    "And when you know I have to experience hundreds of those memories daily, is your life all that bad?"

    "No..."

    "Then my hunt is over..."

    "What?"

    "You were troubled far too much for a promising you woman, even when I first made my promise to hunt you.
    This is all I hoped to achieve... now... tell me more of your life"

    "What? you already judged that it meant nothing."

    "Aye, and I'd like tocorrect that if I have a reason to."

    And so Yolanda spoke to the man about her life in Narfell, and eventually he was impressed, by what she thought her biggest failure.
    The venture into Skara's cave during the Defiler's Siege.
    They spoke for a long time, and when he left, six words lingered in her head.
    "My life is not so bad."


  • A bard, a sister

    @c745db47a8:

    An unmarked letter is delivered to Evendur Mildsilver, it bears no seal, signature or a familiar handwriting, the paper is plain parchment with black ink on it. ((Though you can, I believe, scry to see who sent it))

    Honourable Evendur Mildsilver,

    long have I considered on how to report this to you.
    The things you are about to read are not easy for me to write down,
    because I fear they will bring doom to Spellweaver,
    but for the good of Narfell, it must be done.
    You have began your search for the Corrupt Union, as you have called it.
    Search no longer, for I shall give you names and explanations long overdue.

    It all begins with words heard from Deavron Stormweaver, the child should never have tried to infiltrate groups in name of Spellweaver.
    He had the misfortune to infiltrate into the Corrupt Union himself, before the Mage Fair even.
    He accompanied miss Chaevre Vaelen and Elvadriel Gal'awen one day.
    They headed into a bandits mine, descending the the bottom level of it, where they found a strange cult's altar where the cult summoned undead.
    Deavron at this point had to swear allegiance in exchange for his life.

    After this, he was in their service, though they did not know he would report to anyone, they thought he didn't dare.
    Luckily enough, he did, he has spoken to me on how it were Chaevre and Elvadrial who created the undead army that attacked Jiyyd, how they planned the assassination attempt on your life and how they performed experiments on body parts of slain eastlanders.

    Deavron was bound on getting more proof before anyone reported to you.
    It always took several days between each meeting, so when he first stayed away for a few weeks, I did not mind, but after several weeks, I couldn't deny it anymore, Deavron had dissapeared.
    I had one of my more connceted friends find out about his whereabouts, but no one had seen him since three days after our last meeting.
    My friend and I tried to find out more ourselves, but when we realised it wasn't working, you had already left.

    Now that you have finally returned, I report to you, in the hopes you do not think me a fool, for I myself know Deavron might have been lying.
    This may seem far fetched, but if it was true, the problem has grown bigger than I'd have imagined, with Elvadriel and Chaevre as Headmistresses of the Keep and Academy.
    Which also leads me to think it would be best to keep an eye on our current Keeper.

    Also, I have from a more reliable source that Chaevre has been taking students into a place called Oscura in order to win their allegiance there and teach them the dark arts.

    I hope you will not discard this letter too lightly, but neither should you take it without a grain of salt.

    You have my greetings and best wishes.

    She thought back on her letter several times, and wondered if it was the right thing to do.
    No matter, it had been done.
    She hoped this would speed things along, the less people were affected by this, the better.
    The Corrupt Union needed to be stopped, and perhaps it was for the better if Spellweaver was destroyed as well, along with her.
    How she wished Attentus was there…
    She sighed as she walked over the plains towards Jiyyd, until she saw a large group of people a good hundred feet from the gates.

    "What's this?"
    She asked herself, and only moments later the answer became clear as a barrage of catapult shots hit the ground around her.
    Miraculously enough, she wasn't hurt.
    She cast Ghostly Visage and ran towards the group, crossbow drawn, looking for any would be assailants.
    "I will die, but not by the hands of orcs, not without meaning."
    She then stood amongst the others defending Jiyyd, but apart from more catapult shots, little happened, then the Legion headed out to destroy the catapults.
    That was not her fight, no reason to risk herself like that.
    She decided to stay behind and help Mirkali douse the fires.
    Little help was needed, actually as he summoned a water elemental…
    "Wait a second... Mirkali... yes... he needs to know too..."
    And so she told him, though, for some reason, when speaking to him, she couldn't ignore her feelings, she even told him about what happened with Rhyn, at a certain point starting to yell.
    Mirkali's reaction to the situation was much more cool than anyone else.
    In fact, the first thing he said when she was finished...

    "Landa, are you getting enough sleep?
    You're far too worried about these things, you should get some rest, get your mind of things."

    She composed herself again, and said after straightening herself up

    "There's no need… I am fine, Mirkali. Truely.
    I am rested and healthy, I..."

    "Landa, you need to get your mind of things, and I'm not alking about that stonecold mask you put on. I mean you need to -really- relax."

    It was so tempting…
    He was being more understanding than anyone had been in a long time...
    No, she couldn't afford to let go... too many things to think about...

    "Come, Landa, we'll go to the Silver Stream and I'll give you a massage.
    And you can rant about everything that's wrong in your life"

    _She sighed, she knew she would be hate herself when this was over, but she accepted the offer and they headed for the Silver Valley.

    There, she did find rest for a time, the bath, the touch of Mirkali's hands, it was all so incredibly relaxing.
    She spoke of her fear and guilt concerning the Union, she spoke of her foolishness and pain concerning Rhyn.
    He listened, giving advice with a compassionate voice… yes, he cared...
    At a certain point, she started crying... she couldn't think of a real reason...
    She simply felt so good... she had to let go of all her pain and sorrow...
    She sat up against Mirk and layed her head on his shoulder, crying wordlessly, as he whispered to let it all go...

    Then, there was a knock on the door.
    Mirk went to open it, as Yolanda sat there, still crying softly, with only a towel around her.
    Amalia walked in..._

    "What in the Hells have you done, bard?"
    Her sister practically yelled at the sight of her.

    "Well hello Amy, do come in…"Mirk replied flatly

    "What have you done to her?"

    "She just needed someone to talk to…"

    The two continued bickering, Yolanda didn't listen much, she just walked to one of the drawers and began to dress herself again.
    When she was done, she watched the scene for a little longer.

    "Both of you! PIPE DOWN!"

    They both became quiet, Mirk grinning and Amalia an indignant look on her face

    "Mirk, if you please, go outside, I need to talk with my sister."

    _They both just stood there, silently watching eachother as Mirkali made a few more attempts at humor while collecting his things, but he left when he realised neither was in the mood for it.

    When they heard the door close, Amalia stepped up to Yolanda and slapped her hard in the face.
    Yolanda stood in shock for a few moments before she returned the favor.
    Amalia took the abuse without any repercussions before beginning to speak._

    "How could you do this Yolanda? Of all people you could've chosen to talk to, you chose him?
    The man is a pig! He doesn't really care, you know him.
    What would Ry say about this?"

    "First of all, I don't give a damn anymore about what Rhyn would think, the Heyokarr has slept with another woman.
    And second, Mirk is on our side, for crying out loud!"

    "Yolanda, I'm sorry to hear about Ry's betrayel, but that is no reason to do this.
    Mirk is not on our side, he's Zyphlin's lapdog. They might act as if they do what they do for the greater good, but Mirk does everything Zyphlin tells him to, and Zyphlin is one of Peltarch's most corrupt leaders, bending and twisting every possible law as he sees fit.
    But most of all, you shame me, Yolanda.
    Do you remember what Mirk did to me?
    You know that, and this is what you do?"

    "I do not wish to dishonour you, sister, and you know it!"

    "I know nothing, for all I know, you might as well be considering to join the Corrupt Union!"

    Yolanda flared up at these words and punched Amalia straight in the face, Amalia took the punch, her knees wavered, but she turned to Yolanda again, looking her straight in the face, some blood running from her lip to chin..

    "Did that make you feel better?"

    "Bloody yes! Dammit Amy, you, my own sister, think me a traitor!"

    "I said I thought it possible… you have a history with undead..."

    Yolanda sneered and made her way to the door, but Amalia… hugged her tightly. She was confused at this.

    "Where are you going?"

    "I'm going where you can't help me, Amy."

    "Where are you going?"

    "I'm going to die, dammit!
    This is not my fight, I cannot make a difference.
    I have nothing to fight for…"

    "You have nothing to fight for? Odd..."

    "No I have nothing to fight for!
    What would I have? A Keep rotten to the core?
    A husband that sleeps with other women?
    A sister that thinks I'm a traitor?"

    "If you die, then don't let it be in vain... and don't go alone, I won't let you"
    She unstrapped her spear and layed it on her shoulder

    "Let us go then, to the Keep, and charge at its walls.
    Let us try to take the lives of those who want to do the same to us.
    Cry out the names of those guilty, but do not die in vain, and not without me by your side."

    "I can't let you come, Amy, I don't want you to throw away your life"

    "And you want to throw away yours? I decide my own battles, sister."

    She layed her spear over her knee.

    "Do you want me to break it? Ask it and I will, because you're my sister."

    "No, don't… you were born to carry that spear, far more than I am."

    "Don't ask me to let you go alone Yolanda, I will come after you, and I will die trying to get revenge."

    "I... can't... I can't let you die...
    Very well, I will not kill myself in vain. We will plan on what we do.
    Know that I'm not planning on surviving this, Amy."

    "Don't go at his without purpose, sister. Come, we have to go to Peltarch"

    Yolanda followed her, and despite Amy's words, she pushed her emotions down harder than she ever had before.
    She still planned on dying, she didn't have anything to stay for…
    When they walked through Jiyyd, they encountered Mirkali again.

    "Hey Landa, I hope you enjoyed this?"

    "Very much so, Mirkali."
    She said with a stone cold voice, her face flat and emotionless

    "Are you alright? You…"

    "Don't worry Mirk, I'm fine."

    "Let's try this again some time then?" He smiled slyly

    "I don't think we will, Mirk, I'm sorry."

    He seemed confused at her words, maybe she'd dented his ego.
    No matter, it would all end.
    For her, it would.


  • Don't ever say "They made me do it."

    _Weeks had passed…
    Still no word from Deavron, still no results from Gears...
    She had told him it was unnecessairy to continue, she didn't want to endanger him.
    Things hadn't improved, she still knew nothing of Evendur, and the position of Keeper had changed hands.

    Aleum, the gnome, was now Keeper.
    She had found him a little unsettling, yet saw nothing wrong with him.
    That vision had changed however, since he had appointed Elvadriel and Chaevre as Headmistresses of Keep and Academy...
    On top of that, he hardly left his workchamber, and seemed to be very paranoid...
    This couldn't be coincidence.

    She was considering what she did next... she had been doing this for days.
    She didn't know... she was becoming tired, and tensed...

    "They are watching, I have to mind my steps.
    No one can give me advice...
    Tired... so tired...
    Headaches and sleepless nights...
    So many things to do... the others shouldn't be in danger...
    They should know though... yes... someone should know if I disappear..."

    She looked around again and walked on a bit faster...

    Things continued on like this for days on end, she hadn't seen either her sister or her love in all this time, which made her more secluded, making plans and discarding them just as quick.
    When Melanie told her her love had been with another, she crashed.
    Why was she doing this?
    What on the face of Toril was she trying to protect the Keep for?
    What if she joined with Chaevre and Elvadriel?
    Maybe... maybe she could return to the path she followed before Ikurus...
    Evendur returned and she still did not know what to do.

    The next few days, she spent on thinking about which side she should join, or if she should just leave.
    She was sitting in the commons when Candy found her, her own eyes sad, her demeanor weary and her face troubled, Candy looked at her with concern._

    "Yolanda? Are you alright?"

    She looked up at her with a slight smile
    "Yes… Candy... she can be trusted, she can give me advice... she always has."
    Yolanda then told Candy everything she had been through concerning Evendur's Corrupt Union, when Candy finished, she spoke

    "You know what you should do? you should ask Chaevre where Deavron is."

    "You don't understand!" Yolanda said "She is part of the Union!"

    Candy interrupted her, but in her mind she finished the sentence
    "If I do that, I'll meet his fate before I can even think of running."

    "Exactly my point… but you should not confront her like that without the other Spellweavers with you. You could tell Evendur and Tolin... it's a pity Idym isn't here..."

    "You shouldn't speak of those things in such a public space..."
    A voice said, near them, Yolanda looked up nervously and saw Keira there.
    Funny… Candy and her had been whispering... well, it wasn't the first time Keira overheard her whispering.

    "Do you think I am the only one who heard what you said?"
    She nodded behind them.
    "What about her?"

    Yolanda and Candy shot up, Yolanda's hand moving towards her crossbow, Candy casting True Vision… there was nothing

    "Who are you?" Candy asked Keira. "What did you hear?"

    "There was no one there, was there?" Yolanda asked Keira "Was there?"

    Keira shrugged
    "If there was, she is gone now… remember, you're responsible for your own actions."

    "There was no one there... this was a lesson..."
    Yolanda said as she nodded to herself, while Candy was still asking questions as to who she was and what this was about, but this wasn't the first time she did this in order to make Yolanda see things she couldn't.
    "Thank you, Keira, I will keep this in mind."

    "I'm here to help… when I first arrived, nobody accepted me, but Yolanda here did, she was kind to me." _Keira answered Candy.

    Candy stood silent for a time, then spoke to Yolanda_

    "Well, I am off, remember, you can always talk to me"

    She then walked off, and Yolanda was left with Keira, but she didn't mind.
    When talking to Keira, there was something about what Keira said that made her answer her own questions.

    "Keira, can I speak to you? About what I told Candy?"

    She nodded. "Not here, there are too many people around"

    "Atop the walls, only the guards go there, and you can see those coming in time." _She suggested, and Keira nodded and followed her there.

    Yolanda then told everything to Keira as well, and to her she also spoke of her possible choices.
    Whether to follow the Keep, or betray it, or whether she should just leave it all behind.
    She spoke of how she saw the Keep doomed, no matter her choice, it would only take time.
    Her leaving would change nothing.
    Keira told her how her choice could determine many things.
    And she told her she would still be the same person she always was, only wiser.
    There is no "should have", your choice was yours, the consequences were as well.
    After a long time, Yolanda was still convinced the Keep was doomed, her choice could matter, but the Keep was doomed.
    "And no matter my choice, so am I," she thought "I will not survive this."

    She then made her decision, she would do what had to be done, her life be damned.
    She sent an anonymous letter to Evendur._

    "I will do what must be done, and then my time will be at an end. This is what I choose."

    She said to herself after having sent the letter, and after that moment, she banned out all her emotions, thinking she would not succumb to depression before it was all over and she had passed on.


  • When you turn blind, night falls

    _Deavron had been gone a few weeks, so had Gears after she'd assigned him.
    But she had heard from Gears… Deavron was... Gone...
    She sighed and shook her head... the boy wouldn't return...
    It was unfortunate, he had proven very useful... and though she was loathe to admit it, she had grown a strange liking to him.
    He was smarter than his loud mouthed manner would give away.

    She thought some more on the things she had done.
    She had assigned Gears to stalking the ice queen, but he had learned nothing.
    She told her lover and her sister, and through circumstance that Drelan had learned too.
    Something wrong with that man, that's for sure.
    She shook her head and focussed.
    She had followed around Elvadriel and Chaevre, but she too had learned little.
    Apart from seeing Elvadriel have a secluded talk with a woman named Sorfilia, she learned little new.

    But she was certain, more certain than ever that Deavron was right, especially since he dissapeared.
    She should tell the Keeper, she had found no evidence, and she doubted even Gears would come up with any.
    No evidence, but she should act soon...
    Unfortunatly, she should've acted sooner, for the Keeper was gone.
    This worried her immensely, if she could not turn to Evendur, then who could she turn to?

    "No matter... it left more time to gather evidence..." She thought, as she walked through the town, though not without a feeling of worry and anxiety._


  • Like a cancer, they're inside

    An assassination attempt on the Keeper's life…
    Everybody seemed somewhat more edgy after that, especially Deavron.
    Giving the occasional glance at his bow and quiver, standing against the wall, then glancing towards her as if he had something to say...
    After his momentary duties were fullfilled, he came to speak to her again

    "Lady Yolanda? I'd like to speak with you some more.
    I have uncovered some things that can't wait."

    "Very well Student." She said, as she led him to the secluded corner again
    "What did you have to say?"

    "Well, my Lady, I think I might have an idea about who was behind the assassination attempt, as well as the undead attacks on Jiyyd…
    I have discovered a traitor within the Keep's ranks and one within those of the Cerulean Stars."

    She raised a brow slightly and thought to herself "This should be good."
    But after a few moments, she began to doubt. "What if he's right? It might be best to hear him out.", "This could get me in a lot of trouble though."

    "Perhaps it would be better if you took that information straight to the Keeper."

    "But my Lady, I was to report to you first, besides, I don't have proof yet."

    "Very well, Deavron, what have you discovered?"

    "Well, my Lady, I was out with Professor Elvadriel and Lady Chaevre one day. I accompanied them into a bandit mine, where they slaughtered whatever bandits we ran into.
    When we reached on of the lower levels, we found an altar that belonged to a cult that was summoning undead.
    When they had discovered its use, they began talking about using it. They said they were only joking.
    When we left the cave, however, they made me swear I'd never speak of this, and that I would serve them in everything they did.
    My Lady, they collect Eastlander bodies, they summon undead like toys.
    I think they're the ones who attacked Jiyyd with the undead.
    It would no surprise me if they are the ones behind the assassination either."

    They were then interrupted, and they headed back to the courtyard, Deavron glancing about anxiously, seeing if he could reach his bow easily.
    Yolanda went to one of the balconies, thinking about what she just heard.
    In her head, she decided what Deavron said was true…
    She had to be careful, very careful.
    She did not take the information to the Keeper yet.
    There was no proof.
    She thought long on what should be done next, on who she could tell and how she could keep herself safe.

    ((note: I am in no way stating what actually happened in Jiyyd or who ordered the assassination, only what Deavron told Yolanda, and what Yolanda's thoughts are on this. Remember, story isn't a dirty word, Metagaming is))


  • A request with a smirk

    "Hey Yolly, how's it goin'?"

    She turned around and saw Gears and Deavron standing there.
    Gears his eternal smirk and casual demeanor, Deavron dumbfounded at the tone Gears took with her.

    "I'm quite well Gears, and you?" She replied with a smile.
    "I'm glad you could make it so soon."

    "So this boy here tells me you want to speak with me, but her refuses to tell me with other people nearby. What did you want to talk about?"

    Yolanda motioned them to follow and led them to a secluded corner of the courtyard.

    "Apparently, Keeper Evendur has placed Student Deavron here at the Head of espionage within Spellweaver.
    He has gotten infiltrants in several organisations throughout the Narfell region, but has need for others.
    I was hoping you would join us? We need someone to teach them the ropes and you are far more skillful in these matters than any of them…
    I was also hoping you'd do this as a favour."
    She gave him a warm smile, then spoke softly.
    "For me?"

    He gave a slight smirk, then nodded.

    "Alright pet, I can do that, I ask something in return of course…
    Have you ever heard of shadowdancin' ?"

    Gears, Deavron and her discussed the possibility of the research, what was needed for it and what was expected of him in return.
    When Gears was satisfied, he returned to the Fair, Deavron then turned to Yolanda.

    "My Lady, are you sure we can trust him?"

    "I trust him with my life, Deavron… far more than most others."

    She then looked at him with a stern expression

    "You have your newest agent and I will see to it that some of the Spear find their way to you. I have done what you asked of me, from now on, you will report what you learn to me."

    He then nodded and walked off, seemingly considering something.
    She then turned towards the balconies of the courtyard, to watch the spectacle herself.