The End of the Seniit Menace (Parts 1, 2, and 3)

Everiine

Part 1: The Final Preparation

Using his greatsword as a makeshift cane, Grey limps in from the south, wreathed in a white mist.

Sarrasri clears her throat.

Swiftly crossing your arms over your chest, you turn to Grey and grasp both of his forearms in a tribal gesture of greeting.

Swiftly crossing her arms over her chest, Sarrasri turns toward Grey, grasping his forearms in a tribal gesture of greeting.

Xiran jumps up and flits behind Sarrasri.

Glimmer of Moondust, Yugifyre Calithel, Princess Fluffball says, "Hi Grey."

With a graceful step back and a sweeping bow, Arien plays a complex sequence of notes. Pale images of ancient spirits surround Grey briefly, their voices harmonizing with the song.

Hushing the crowd, you say, "Quiet, everyone."

Grey inclines his head politely to those gathered.

Smiling warmly, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says to Grey, "Greetings, big mist friend."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Greetings, Grey."

Grey says, "How have everybody's meditations and preparations been coming?"

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "The Wodewoses have taken to marking the forest with signs."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Both for protection, and to work against Seniit."

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart says, "I have the ritual prepared for invoking the Ancestors."

Grey says, "And have the Sowers found a way to strike against the half-formed?"

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "Sowers, do you possess a way to strike down Seniit?"

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "Are your preparations bearing seed?"

(Serenwilde): Vefai says, "We're working on it, I believe."

Yugifyre sits herself down.

Vefai enters from the north, emanating an aura of immense power.

Xiran curtseys gracefully before Vefai.

Vefai curtseys gracefully.

Vefai proudly shows off a verdant seed:
Made of some odd crystal, this unusual seed has taken on a verdant sheen, almost a bright emerald in colour. It seems to shine with an almost natural light, small streams of silver coursing through its  centre.

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Sowers have a seed for everything."

Sarrasri's mouth turns up as her face breaks into a smile.

The corners of Vefai's mouth turn up as she grins mischievously.

Joyous Lady, Vefai Myeras, the Gatherer of the Pixies says, "I have to find where it needs to go."

Grey eyes the seed suspiciously, nodding. "That will work," he states matter-of-factly. "That will work well."

Vefai kneels before Grey, swearing her allegiance to him.

Sarrasri looks over her athame, ensuring the wodesigns painted on earlier have not smudged.

Seniit the Manipulator appears behind Grey, a smile wide on his face. "You are a new one! Certainly interesting!" His attention turns to you, "Sparrow, did you relay my offer?" (Earlier, Seniit told Everiine to bring a message to the commune leadership: "Make ammends, leave, or die. Playtime is over!")

Yugifyre gives a pained sigh.

With a flourish, Sibirn draws a serrated double-bladed waraxe from a forest-green leather frogge.

Xiran's eyes grow round.

Grey remains motionless, hands upon his greatsword's hilt.

Nodding his feathered head, you say to Seniit the Manipulator, "I did, Seniit."

Eleniel shuffles her feet uneasily.

Seniit the Manipulator says, "And your answer?"

Simply, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says to Seniit the Manipulator, "We are out of almonds." ('amends', get it?)

Vefai looks about herself, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Sarrasri stares down Seniit the Manipulator, a cold look in her eyes.

Arien's lip rises as she bares her teeth slightly, mouth twitching as she begins to paw the ground as if revving up to charge.

Yugifyre idly twitches her tail.

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "We are not leaving, Seniit."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "That is our answer."

Seniit the Manipulator smiles a wide, toothy smile. "And no amends?"

Shaking his head, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says, "No almonds. Not now, not ever."

Sarrasri nods her head at Sibirn.

Waykeeper Minkahmet, Ashen Shroud in Cairns whispers, "None....basically.."

Seniit the Manipulator exclaims, "Saddening! Very well then!"

Sibirn's grip tightens on his waraxe at he leans forward.

The half-formed disappears suddenly in a black mist.

Sibirn blinks.

Everiine flutters his wings.

Xiran zips about anxiously.

Yugifyre gives Xiran a friendly squeeze.

Everiine kneels down and presses his palm to the ground. Closing his eyes, he chants under his breath, calling the names of the wodesigns carved and painted throughout the forest, beckoning the Land to answer the summons and empower the signs.

A violent storm of umbrous mist begins to pick up throughout the forest. The winds begin to rise, loose stones and dead branches beginning to rise up and join the mist in its spiral.

Sibirn stomps his massive paws against the ground, leaves and loose soil jumping and dancing around him as he raises his waraxe high, calling forth the power of his wodesigns.

Placing a palm upon the Moonhart Mother Tree, Sarrasri joins you in your chants to call upon the wodesigns throughout the forest.

Grey grins as he stands his ground, watching the storm take hold.

Arien quickly moves around the group at the Mother Moonhart, dipping deep into a pouch at her sternum. She begins to sprinkle herbaceous dust around them in a protective circle. Her chants are hurried blurs of graceful intonations, as she tosses the silver mistletoe in each cardinal direction.

Arien hurriedly she positions the effigies, and sprinkles the grave dirt in the centre of the circle.

The mists begin to grow faster and stronger. Small animals begin to go flying, a cow is visible and audible flying over the Scar. Massive trees begin to rise throughout the forest.

Dancing now with her movements, as she raises her voice over the wind, Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart chants, "We call upon you, ancestors of the Serynwodenhillirim. Rise to do homage in our battle. Show visions of his loved ones here, manifesting, to draw them in."

Arien begins to wield an antler-hung bell of the moon in her right hand.

Raising his hand, Grey says, "Hold your rituals."

Everiine stops chanting and blinks, looking up at Grey.

Arien is in motion about to ring her bell, but snaps its clapper against her chest to silence it.

Yugifyre takes an antler-hung bell of the moon from a gorgeous backpack of stars and bells.

Sibirn pauses, one massive paw held awkwardly in air as he tries to still his movement.

Yugifyre begins to wield an antler-hung bell of the moon in her right hand.

Grey says, "This is the wrong place to do it, and there are more preparations. But we ride out the storm."

Sarrasri slowly lowers her hand from the Moonhart Mother Tree, turning towards Grey.

Sibirn nods subtly.

Xiran sways back and forth.

You ask Grey, "Where is this right place?"

Simply, Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "We prepared all the forest for this. The tribes will go where we are needed."

Grey says, "We shall see once the storm has progressed."

Arien swoops up the effigies, and dusts the circle quickly - mumbling incantations as she dances the opposite direction to unweave the ritual.

Everiine

Part 2: The Final Storm

(Wodewoses): Sibirn says, "We should stick together, in case the storm separates the gathered."

Minkahmet creases his brow in a frown.

Xiran leaves, following Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart.

(Serenwilde): Xiran says, "Eep. There's a tree of black mist here."

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "On my way."

(Serenwilde): You say, "There are quite a few."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "The mist trees have returned."

Sibirn leaves to the north.

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "They are stronger."

The form of Sarrasri disintegrates into a swirl of leaves that is taken away to the north by a loamy breeze.

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "We need to do this together."

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "I don't think we will be able to remove these ones like we have before."

(Serenwilde): You say, "Do they not fall?"

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "They seem to be taking root in every path."

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "The one I was trying against would not fall, and even almost cut me down."

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "Likewise."

You tell Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt, "There are no black mist trees in Mighty
Harty's valley."

Sarrasri tells you, "Excellent. The signs hold."

(Serenwilde): Sibirn says, "We must hold against the storm. The black mist sticks are too powerful to take down as we are now."

The storm begins to steady, the black mist taking a steady pace around the forest.

Xiran clambers down from a nearby vantage point in the treetops.

Grey grins as he lifts a hand from the hilt of his blade, taking a step forward. He speaks, "Perhaps it is time to prepare then."

You say to Grey, "Some of us have already prepared."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Guide us and we will follow."

A white mist begins to gather around the Moonhart, casting out the storm and leaving a calm clearing.

Sibirn gives a fierce grin at Grey, as he picks up his dance once more, paws coming down with heavy force, waraxe raised high.

Grey says, "We will have to set the bait and the trap, but his influence around the forest will need to be weakened for this. Are the trees removable?"

Sibirn shakes his head at Grey.

Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says, "Not by axe, at least."

Grey says, "Call all who will assist in their removal then."

(Serenwilde): Sibirn says, "The forest is threatened. It is our time. Meet at the Moonhart."

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart says, "I do not think they can be removed by mortal weapons."

Grey says, "This is where my aid comes in."

Arien nods her head in agreement.

Leaning in, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw whispers to Arien, "With mist, anything is possible!"

Eyes growing wide, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw whispers, "Anythiiing!"

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Gather and follow, we will move together."

You ask Sarrasri, "Do you want me to use my bond to seek them out? Or wait until later, once we have cleared many?"

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Later, when we have cleared some."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "At this time, I believe they are just everywhere."

Vefai enters from the north, emanating an aura of immense power.

Joyous Lady, Vefai Myeras, the Gatherer of the Pixies says, "Hello, everyone."

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "Once everyone is following, we'll move forward and eliminate the trees that don't belong in our woods."

Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says to Vefai, "Follow Chief, we war party."

Joyous Lady, Vefai Myeras, the Gatherer of the Pixies says, "Okay, I am following."

Grey lifts a hand into the air.

Vefai inclines her head politely to Grey.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

Sibirn raises a massive paw to a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf, exclaiming, "Hi mist doggy friend!"

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

Xiran gulps nervously.

Xiran begins to wield an athame dagger in her left hand.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

A vortex of white mist coalesces in midair as a mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf steps out from the storm.

You raise an eyebrow questioningly.

Grey lowers his hand, nodding. He speaks, "Each of you has a wolf. Speak to it to clear a tree, and it will. Should you lose it in the forest, just say to follow you and it will. Now go."

Arien nods her head in agreement.

You say, "I will head northeast."

(Travel travel travel)

Between the hills.
Jagged arcs of vivid red light pierce the air, cast from a war shrine of Maylea nearby. Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. A gentle breeze whistles around you. The hills bend around here, many steep sides rising up to block out any further view. Green, yellow and browning grasses mingle together, swaying gently in the breeze. Here and there small mounds in the earth mark out the homes of the wild rabbits that roam these hills. The call of a hawk echoes across the sky. A large black tree floats here in midair, coalesced from a black mist.
You see exits leading east and south.

You say, "Clear the tree."
A mercurial, crimson-eyed mist-wolf leans back on his haunches, leaping toward a large tree of black mist. As he collides with the tree, he explodes into a white mist and appears on the other side, growling a low growl.

Black mist fills the air as a disparate black mist begins to collapse in upon itself. Vortices begin to crumble and disperse into geysers. The form of the tree begins to disperse into a disparate cloud of umbrous mist, which appears... as angry as a cloud could be. A disparate black mist splits apart and then regathers around you, the mist absorbing the air as it expands. You feel your lungs tighten and gasp for air, dropping to your knees before a disparate black mist withdraws.

Tendrils of darkness separate from the rest of a disparate black mist, striking you across the chest and arms and leaving both numb. You stumble, shaken by the attack.

The flame within the center of a disparate black mist glows hot, expanding in size until the rest of the blackness of the mist is no longer visible. Without warning, the flames spin toward you, leaving a blinding, painful burn in its wake. The mist returns to normal size, the amaranth fire retracting.
You have been slain by a disparate black mist.
A swirling force begins to tug at your soul and the world spins around you.

Your soul is flung back to the prime material plane. Slowly, a skeleton forms from the aether, and muscles appear upon the bones, bubbling up in a frothy spray of blood. Finally, new skin stretches out and covers your new body, and you step out from the Moonhart Mother Tree.

You say, "I see that went well..."

Xiran looks over you anxiously.

You focus hard on your bond, willing yourself to strengthen the connection between you and your companion.

Silver Font, Xiran L'Eternae says, "Could they be back at the tree?"

You feel your bond with a fierce timberwolf strengthen until you cannot bear to be apart, and a rush of air surrounds you before you find yourself united.

(Dead again)

A warm tingle runs through your body as Xiran touches two fingers to your forehead, shifting a brilliant aura to you.

You say, "This is not a fight for me."

(Xiran continues healing people from afar)

Xiran raises a palm in the air. Wounds open up on her body.

Everiine peers off to the north, trying to determine how the fight is going.

Grey pats you on the shoulder. "It is fair to have limitations. Admitting them is strength."

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "Group together if the mists are too much for you alone."

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "We will be rid of them."

A massive column of amaranthine flame rises from the black mist trees scattered around the forest.

The amaranthine column reaches its peak in the sky and begins to tumble down, falling toward the ground.

Amaranthine flame fills the room in a burning holocaust. The flames envelop you immediately, and while there is a burst of pain, you feel nothing almost instantly. Everything goes white, then black.
You have been slain by Seniit the Manipulator.
A swirling force begins to tug at your soul and the world spins around you.
Xiran has been slain by Seniit the Manipulator.

(Serenwilde): Sibirn says, "Track down the remaining trees, THEN kill the mists."

Your soul is flung back to the prime material plane. Slowly, a skeleton forms from the aether, and muscles appear upon the bones, bubbling up in a frothy spray of blood. Finally, new skin stretches out and covers your new body, and you step out from the Moonhart Mother Tree.

The soul of Xiran swirls in the air like a sparkling whirlwind, then vanishes in a flash of chromatic colours.
The Moonhart Mother Tree flares with chromatic colours, as Xiran steps out of it, looking remarkably fresh and vitalized.

Xiran sways back and forth.

Grey stands where he stood, unmoving. He speaks, "Are you two alright?"

Xiran immediately straightens her back.

Returning to his position, looking north, you say, "It is not my first death, and it will not be my last."

With a gleam in her eye, Silver Font, Xiran L'Eternae says, "Aye."

Grey nods, smiling. "Stiff upper lip, then. Good man."

Everiine merely flutters his wings, with his hands at his sides, peering through the woods.

"This is fruitless! Get it? Tree? Fruit? Hilarious, I know!"

Xiran growls menacingly.

A massive column of amaranthine flame rises from the black mist trees scattered around the forest.

The amaranthine column reaches its peak in the sky and begins to tumble down, falling toward the ground.

Arien has fallen to the psionic prowess of Seniit the Manipulator.
You see the death occur at scattered stones in Serenwilde.  (1136)
From your knowledge, that room is in Serenwilde Forest, North.
Sibirn has fallen to the psionic prowess of Seniit the Manipulator.
You see the death occur at scattered stones in Serenwilde.  (1136)
From your knowledge, that room is in Serenwilde Forest, North.

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "Everiine, how much mist remains, if you can tell?"

(Serenwilde): You say, "I cannot tell. As long as there are mist trees, my bond can smell them, but cannot distinction them one from another. There could be one, there could be one hundred."

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "Alright."

(More fighting)

The black storm begins to let up around the forest, growing moderately slower.

(Serenwilde): Sarrasri says, "His grasp upon the woods is weakening."

(Serenwilde): Arien says, "Continue the good work."

Grey says, "Where is the highest point in the forest?"

Xiran blinks.

You ponder the situation.

Silver Font, Xiran L'Eternae says to you, "The cliffs, perhaps?"

You say, "It could be the cliff by Moon Falls. I do not think my brother's hill is higher than that."

You say, "I will go and see."

(Travel travel travel)

Nodding his head and folding his wings, you say, "Aye. I believe the cliffs on either side of Moon Falls are the tallest places in the forest. They dwarf the tops of the tallest trees below by at least one hundred feet."

The storm continues to slow its churning, the vortex breaking off into many smaller vortices throughout the forest.

Grey says, "I see. I will use this as a vantage point then."

Grey says, "In the meantime, may I ask, is there anywhere which would be good for the ritual to lay the trap?"

You ponder the situation.

Grey says, "Somewhere clear. Trees will be a burden."

Xiran tilts her head.

Grey says, "At least too many will."

You say, "There are not many places in the Serenwilde clear of trees. There are some open pastures in the centaur hills, and few scattered clearings here and there."

Grey says, "The hills. I believe there is a high point there?"

You say to Grey, "My brother and his mate live atop the tallest hill there, aye."

Grey says, "Instruct the listeners that this is where the ritual is to be done. The wodewoses will need to trap the half-formed there while the sowers strike the final blow."

You nod your head at Grey.

Grey says, "I will watch from the cliffs and step in if things get hairy."

You ask Grey, "Should the trap be laid on the hill, or in the fields below?"

Grey grins an almost mischevious grin. "It would be almost fitting if it ended where it began, did it not?"

Using his greatsword as a makeshift cane, Grey limps out from the north, wreathed in a white mist.

You feel your bond with a fierce timberwolf strengthen until you cannot bear to be apart, and a rush of air surrounds you before you find yourself united.
Xiran follows you ether.

Atop the tallest hill.
Jagged arcs of vivid red light pierce the air, cast from a war shrine of Maylea nearby. Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. A thick cover of clouds obscures the sky in a sheet of dense white. The grass here has been neatly tended, the blades shorter and brighter than those on the surrounding foothills, and totally absent of weeds. At the very top is a curious dip in the hill. The cause of this anomaly is unknown, but it has an almost ominous feeling that demands respect. The soil is firm and even all around. A menacing silence hangs in the air, the nearby sounds closed out by an undiscernible force. Taking up a portion of the hilltop is a centaur scoop, its leather dome casting the grasses in a long shadow. Tokota Snowmane, the centaur elder, gazes at the sky, looking for omens. Tucked in the corner of the scoop, a circular, brass astrolabe stands here upon a simple stone pedestal. Protected from the elements by the scoop's dome, an astrological themed journal rests here, open-faced. Adushoc zi'Prouep quietly stands here, an elegant white robe flowing about her crystalline form. The young centaur Toma stares into the wide skies overhead, attentive to any disturbances. Hackles risen, a fierce timberwolf prowls about here.
You see a single exit leading north.

Xiran sways back and forth.

You tell Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt, "We are to set the trap in the centaur hills--there is enough open space, free of trees, to lay the trap. The Listeners need to do the ritual there, and we will need to trap him so the Sowers can make the final blow."

Sarrasri tells you, "I will need some time."

You tell Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart, "Grey has chosen a place for the ritual to take place--the open fields in the centaur hills. That is where the Wodewoses must trap Seniit. That is where the Listeners must perform their ritual. That is where the Sowers must strike. 'It would be fitting if it ended where it began, did it not?' he said, though I do not understand that."

You tell Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt, "Understood."

You tell Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt, "I have relayed Grey's words to Arien as well."

Arien's melodic voice sings into your mind, "I...I understand. That was when, we found out that Charune's memories were stolen by Xarriv."

You tell Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart, "Ah, it makes sense."

The storm becomes a less-than-calm gale, but less than what it once was.

"Gather them."

Everiine

Part 3: The Final Conflict

(Serenwilde): You say, "And there is-- no time. Gather in the centaur hills. It is time."

You hear a rustling and turn to see Xiran emerging from the undergrowth.

Vefai enters from the south, emanating an aura of immense power.

The clear sounds of birdsong and the haunting melodies of the wild crescendo into a pure symphony of natural music as Arien arrives from the south.

Everiine's cloak sits between his outstretched wings, showing off their Wodewose paint.

Sibirn arrives from the south.

You ask Arien, "Is this an open enough spot for the ritual?"

Arien surveys it quickly, nodding.

Everiine looks around the crowd. "The Wyldewald is missing--where is she?"

Shrugging, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw says to you, "Chief got lost during the battle. No saw."

"After it appears, hold it here. This is the charge of the tribes."

"Let it be known."

Everiine frowns, but does not have the luxury of a search party. "Sibirn--you and I , we must hold him here once he arrives. Call especially on the Maze and the triquetra. That is the duty of the tribes."

Sibirn nods solemnly, straightening.

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart says, "Once your signs are established, I shall perform the ritual."

You hear a rustling and turn to see Sarrasri emerging from the undergrowth.

Vefai looks about herself, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

Xiran zips around and around Sarrasri.

Everiine whispers to Sarrasri, filling her in.

The storm rages around you, rocks and branches flying and casting scars into the earth and trees.

In the few moments he has, Everiine hastily scratches a few more wodesigns in the dirt.

Xiran shivers violently.

Vefai shudders violently.

Arien's ears twitch, her dark verdant eyes growing wide as the wind rapidly lifts at her cloak of pelts.

Sarrasri watches the foliage fly freely through the sky.

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart whispers, "It is known."

Sibirn jumps up, slamming his waraxe down to quickly carve deep, ragged knots into a intricate wodesign.

Everiine has to fold his wings closer to his back or risk injury to himself from the high winds.

A beam of moonlight comes down from the sky and bathes you in light.

Elarin dances down a moonbeam and alights gently on the ground.

Elarin blinks.

"Oh, this is interesting! A gathering!" The voice pierces through the storm, "Is this a party?"

Sibirn hastily hews his wodesigns, empowering as he goes.

Sarrasri follows suit of those in her tribes, using her athame to etch wodesigns within the ground. Quickly, she makes a a triquetra, empowering it as she continues to her next sign.

Arien gazes grimly to the Wodewoses.

Grabbing Arien by the arm, Sibirn points towards the horizon and declares in a proud tone, "Onward!"

Vefai nods solemnly.

Xiran shivers at the thrum of power gathering in the air.

Arien paces around on her curved legs, hooves chiming softly against the ground as she carries within her arms five bound ancestral effigies. Upon her necklace, are affixed four silvered pieces of mistletoe and several clean velvet pouches.

Arien moves to the outward edges of the assembly of people her head held high as she steps gracefully. Digging into one of the pouches from her necklace, she begins to scatter an herbaceous, fragrant dust upon the ground.

As the sprinkles of dust land upon the earth, Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart chants, "I invoke you, threshold of the Veil and the Great Sacred Dead. Thin upon this ground, for the ancestors to come as they do upon their burial mounds."

Sarrasri moves on to her next sign, athame dragging quickly through the dirt. The shapes of a root knot combined with a five-legged star take form.

Arien pauses at the top centermost of the circle and steps within it. Her movements swift, as she places moves east, south, west, and at last north. Each time, she delicately plucks a silvered mistletoe sprig from her necklace and places it there.

Bowing as she place the effigies, sprinkling grave dirt around them, Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart chants, "Elements, you are with us now. Mother Moon and Great Hart guide us as we ask of the ancestors in the hour of the forest's need."

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart says to Xiran, "Torc."

Sarrasri tells you, "Once he arrives, do we just use our marked weapons to contain him?"

Xiran removes a silver torc.

Presenting it in both hands, Xiran gives a silver torc to Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart.

Arien puts a silver torc into an ancestral effigy.

Silver and blue mist begins to surround the hill, spinning around visible through the black. It begins to coalesce around those gathered, myriad voices echoing.

You tell Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt, "My weapons are not as strong as a true warrior's--I will focus all of my efforts on the wodesigns."

Xiran respectfully flits back to Elarin's side.

Raising her hand to the winds, Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart chants, "We call upon you, ancestors of the Serynwodenhillirim. Rise to do homage in our battle."

Everiine keeps his hands on the ground with his eyes closed, in contact with the Verdant Land, tapping into its living spirit.

Arien tugs off her athame from her necklace, and slices her palm quickly through a wisp of silver essence as she drops to the ground in genuflection. The circle around the snapping to the ground with power.

As the forms begin to merge, they begin to form the outline of a massive four-legged beast. The legs form, hooved, tall and massive. Upon the ethereal hooves, a massive body begins to take shape, and above that, a massive, regal, antlered head with 200 twisted points.

Vefai kneels before an ethereal White Hart, swearing her allegiance to him.

Sibirn lowers his head, striking one massive paw to his chest as he stares wide eyed at an ethereal White Hart.

Xiran's mouth falls open as she tilts her head back, nearly sumersaulting in midair trying to take in the size of the beast.

Arien rises from her knees, and bows to an ethereal White Hart.

"Ah, I see! You brought me a gift! I did want a crown!" The half-formed rises into the sky from the vortex of the storm, descending quickly upon the Centaur Hills.

Sarrasri positions herself near the ethereal White Hart, marked athame gripped tightly in her hand.

Waldgeist Arien Myeras, Shepherdess of Hart ululates, "Sowers!"

Vefai nods her head at Arien.

Elarin bows his blooming, fresh, spring leaved, crest towards the White Hart.

(Wodewoses): Sarrasri says, "Wodewoses, our duty is clear. Keep Seniit here, trap him until the Sowers can strike him down."

(Wodewoses): Elarin says, "Got it."

(Wodewoses): Sarrasri says, "The forest will empower us all in this endeavour."

Sibirn tightens his grip on a serrated double-bladed waraxe, expression grim, eyes lit by a cold, dark flame.

Xiran tenses, eyes darting about for mist that could appear anywhere.

Elarin's trunk swells in size as a gust of air rushes into his mouth. Slowly, the air around him begins to shudder with a rumbling vibration that crescendos into a low, deep 'hoom.'

Vefai kneels to the ground, hands stretched out. She tries to ready the plant for the final assault.

(Wodewoses): Sibirn says, "Empower the wodesigns, defend the sowers, defend big clear deer friend. Got it."

Unable to take her lyre from the effigy as it blooms with herbal smoke, Arien takes the bell in her hands in a makeshift instrument - ready to sing the song of the First Forest.

The half-formed decends upon the hill, floating in upon a cloud of umbrous mist. With his clawed fingers, he strikes through the ethereal White Hart's neck in a fell swing. He stumbles as the strike passes through the majestic beast's incorporeal form. He screams out, "You tricked me! Impressive! I like tricks! My turn for a trick!" He begins to spin the shadowy mist around his fingertips, amaranthine mist joining it.


look seniit
Clouded mist swirls around the gaunt form of Seniit the Manipulator, clinging to rickety almost
translucent skin and equally pale hair. Piercing amethyst eyes peer our from underneath his deeply
furrowed brow, actively assessing the scenery around himself. An almost constant smile appears on
his thin, pale lips, perhaps in such a way that could be described as serene. Several odd growths
form along his spine, fleshy bonespurs upon which tumours seem to form.
Seniit the Manipulator almost glows with nearly god-like power.

Everiine shivers once, opens his eyes, and exhales, a tiny, almost unnoticed breath . At once the ground shakes, rumbling and groaning from deep below, the living spirit of the Verdant Land responding to the combined calls of the wodesigns.

Sibirn quickly drops to the ground, empowering the maze wodesigns around him.

Sarrasri calls out to the forest, raising her athame as she approaches Seniit the Manipulator.

Sibirn rolls forward, leaping up to land next to Sarrasri, holding her flank.

In a swift motion, Sarrasri she cuts through the forming mist with her wodesign marked athame.

Joining his spirit to a tendril of the Land, Everiine chants and focuses the power of the signs on the half-formed in front of him. Ethereal roots snake toward Seniit the Manipulator's feet, grasping and pulling toward the ground.

Elarin takes a huge step forward, spreading his branches to protect the fellow Wodewodes.

Sibirn screams out his defiance, keeping just out of reach, toeing the lines of the intricate signs underneath his massive paws.

The wodesigns begin to repel the mist, both upon the ground and on the weapons. As the half-formed begins to attempt to disperse into mist as before, with his jerky movement, he finds himself unmoving. He doubles down. The black mist begins to weaken around him as he attempts to shape it further.

Sarrasri closes her eyes, chanting under her breath as she channels her energy into the signs.

Sibirn looks at Seniit the Manipulator with a sorrowful expression, following Sarrasri's lead as he empowers the signs nearest to Seniit the Manipulator.

Vefai still kneeling, with her hands open on the ground focuses her intent on Seniit. Standing, she visualizes the strength of the forest around her and bids the plant to strike.

Solemnly, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw whispers to Seniit the Manipulator, "All you had to do.. was be a friend."

Everiine's wings stretch out to their full span, fluttering with exertion. "We cannot... hold him forever."

Arien clenches her bloodied palm into a fist, as the viscera spills upon the grave dirt in offering for their work. Then with a battle-forged shriek, she smears it across her painted face as she prepares to strike alongside Sarrasri. She jumps over your form with a grand leap, her hooves just brushing over his crest in one smooth movement as she points her finger at him and begins to sing a stampeding, wordless howl.

Elarin follows Sarrasri's guidance and chants with her. Closing a circle around Seniit.

Vefai starts to solemnly chant, mimicking the chant she and Eleniel shared. Her chant becomes song, singing of the power of nature. Willing the plant to strike from the hidden room, to strike Seniit straight through the heart.

The ground begins to tremble, verdant light shining through the shadows as it rises up from the ground. Argent streams begin to fill the light like roots, meeting at a centre point underneath the half-formed.

Everiine hunches over, bent beneath the weight and strain of the Wodewose ritual and clinging desperately to his purpose.

Vefai begins to urge her commune mates to join the chant. She links hands with one, and waits for the others to join. Her voice quavers a little from nerves, but the presence of her friends gives her strength. She continues the chant with growing confidence. Constantly holding Seniit in her focus.

A single vine begins to sprout from the ground, wrapping around Seniit as it grows. Thorns cut into the half-formed as the plant squeezes around him, constricting his form and dispersing a bright mist all about him. As the vine extends around his neck like a noose, it grows, finally, to a flower which meets his face - seven silver petals, and three crystalline emerald petals within.

Sibirn struggles toward Vefai, massive paws straining as he crosses he wodesigns, clasping her other hand.

Sarrasri holds her position, her chanting growing louder.

Vefai draws strength from her friends, and continues to chant. She watches in awe as the vine begins to wrap around Seniit.

The vine begins to constrict further around the half-formed, and he echoes a loud scream which reverberates around the forest. Suddenly, the amaranthine flame surrounds both him and the vine, and the two of them disappear and a final burst of flame.

Vefai gulps nervously.

Sibirn pants, leaning against Vefai heavily as he glances about in panic.

Vefai pauses her chant for a moment to ask, "is he gone?" and looks up to those gathered, a haze of confusion in her eyes.

The black mist fades suddenly. The storm is gone. There are only scars - memories of what was mere moments ago.

Xiran sways and slowly lowers her arm, thrown up to shield herself when the verdant energies burst forth from the ground.

Everiine collapses on the forest floor in a heap.

Arien's shoulders fold in exhaustion, tumbling back onto her haunches.

Xiran squeaks.

Sarrasri ceases her chanting, arms relaxing by her sides.

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt asks, "Is he within the forest?"

Vefai falls to the forest floor with a loud thump. Her wings sag around her shoulders in exhaustion.

An ethereal White Hart stares ahead at those gathered, then bows his antlers low before fading.

Exhausted, you say, "Seniit? No."

Xiran flits forward to lay a healing hand on you.

Xiran whips around to Vefai in alarm.

Arien bows her head to the dissipating White Hart, her eyes sweeping blearily across the clearing.

(Wodewoses): Sarrasri says, "You all did very well. Thank you for your strength."

Sibirn lets go of Vefai, falling back onto the ground beneath him as he stares up at the dissipating ethereal White Hart, tears in his eyes.

Quietly, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw whispers, "We save big deer friend. And forest."

Vefai nods her head emphatically.

Xiran gently squeezes your arm, transferring some of her energy before checking on Arien and Vefai in turn.

Vefai flashes Xiran a joyous smile.

Sarrasri gazes south at the trees of the forest. "He may not be within the woods, but we've yet to learn where he escaped to."

Elarin sighs in relief, and wraps a comforting branch over his father's shoulders.

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says, "But if he returns, we know we can fight him."

Vefai nods her head emphatically.

With a slow nod to Sarrasri, Elarin shows his understanding.

From the wreckage of the effigies, Arien takes the shattered pieces of her lyre from its burnt sweetgrass.

A weary humor dancing in his eyes, Offering of the Spirits, Sibirn, Winter's Claw asks Sarrasri, "Chief, does this fulfill the requirements of my guild task to defend the Verdant Land?"

Vefai's eyes twinkle enchantingly at Sibirn.

Wyldewald Sarrasri Talnara, Arrow of the Hunt says to Sibirn, "It fulfills something, I'm sure, but we'll be having some talks first."

You focus hard on your bond, willing yourself to strengthen the connection between you and your companion.

Sibirn coughs, before nodding.

You feel your bond with a fierce timberwolf strengthen until you cannot bear to be apart, and a rush of air surrounds you before you find yourself united.

Atop the cliff.
The area is bathed with silver light as a robust defensive aura suffuses the air due to a shield shrine of Lisaera nearby. It is quite mild. The forest drops away to the west, ending suddenly in a vertical cliff. Young pines and hawthorn bushes sit right at the edge of the chasm, their branches leaning out as if ready to plummet downwards. A small trail has been carved in the rock, barely a foot or two across, and descending so steeply it is hard not to wonder that anyone can descend without sliding to their doom. Reaching up as high as the eye can see looms the awesome presence of a living totem. Propping himself up upon a massive greatsword, Grey stands here, a towering figure of a man wreathed in white mist. Hackles risen, a fierce timberwolf prowls about here.
You see exits leading north, east, southeast, and down.

Grey inclines his head politely to you.

It was not an easy travel through his bond, and Everiine lands in a heap. Groaning, he pulls himself up, too exhausted to fold his wings. "What happened?" he asks.

Grey says, "He escaped."

The beaded and feathered charms woven into his crest hang over his face, and Everiine exhales. "We failed."

Grey smiles as he leans back against a pine. "No, you did not."

You say, "We meant to kill him."

Grey says, "But Serenwilde sings the song once more."

Grey says, "One of unity, one of hope."

Grey says, "He may return, but we will cross that road when we come to that. I may step in then."

Grey chuckles slightly as he speaks, "Some things are more important."

Everiine shakes his head, pondering anew the mysteries of your words. And, knowing he won't receive an answer, he still asks, "Who are you?" then makes his way down the cliff on careful footing.

(Serenwilde): You say, "Though Seniit has escaped, we stand united once more--and we sing. If he
returns, we will deal with that problem when it arises. That is what Grey said."

You feel the bond to Grey fade in the back of your mind.

Sarrasri creases her brow in a frown.

Sibirn gives a pained sigh.

(Serenwilde): Xiran says, "Did you feel that?"

(Serenwilde): You say, "Aye."

(Serenwilde): Sibirn says, "Big friend is gone, for now."

Still unsteady on his feet, you say, "It is time to rest. Aye, rest."

Vefai

Everyone was simply awesome throughout this. I was incredibly nervous and feeling kind of shy since this was my first major rp event on any character. Thanks everyone for putting up with me.