Temple Arrival

Tatsoo and Shade are the first two through the earthen pentagram.

They are surrounded up high rocky canyon walls; a long winding pathway leads in front of them and behind them. The walls are to high to see over, as they tower into the sky casting many shadows through out the are. Where they stand seems to be a wider part of the path, maybe even a place where travels would rest if they were on this trail.

The sheer cliff face makes it impossible to climb, at least not without proper climbing gear and an experienced climber.

A patch of green grass grew where the earthen portal placed them; something quite out of place.

The only thing that they can really do is wait for the others to arrive.

Tatsoo wobbled a bit as she came into the scene and stumbled back onto the path. She put a hand to her chest and shook her head, "Dat was diffrent."

Shade looked around his eyes flicking to the large cliffs and the path, his hand reached out steadying Tatsoo and smiled at her leading her over to the side to await the arrival of the others. "It was something my love but we must wait for we can not go alone. Stay here with me." His hand tightened on hers as they waited for the next arrivals.

Takara gasped and held her staff tightly as she took in her new surroundings. She had never experianced anything like this before.

"Wow" was all she could manage go say as she stepped out of the circle of grass to stand with the other two.

Wolfram took a couple of steps before looking around them. The surrounding area was unlike what he expected, but nothing about this trip was to be expected. He took a glance at Tatsoo and held out one of the pack of supplies. "Here, you forgot this. Shade, Dartmoor will be bringing yours when he comes through, make sure to grab it."

He then looked towards the circle and waited for others to arrive.

Dartmoor followed Wolfram, his arm around Kassina as he did so. When they arrived he stared about in wonder, completely befuddled by what had just happened. He moved towards the side of the canyon walls, bringing Kassina with him.

"I think I am glad we did not eat before we left."

Kassina blinked and sniffed as the world changed around her. She was glad for Dartmoor's supportive arm as she was hit with a wall of different sights, smells, and sounds. She relied more heavily on her senses than the others seemed to and the sudden change was a bit disorienting.

"Elf nose too weak." She grumbled as her nose failed to identify all the different smells. Kassina wiggled in Dartmoor's grasp, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, dropped her pack and shifted to wolf form.

Nose to the ground the wolf began sniffing around the new surroundings, but was careful to stay close to the group.

As the whole team gathered in the canyon a shadow flits horizontally above past the path then once again lower. The second time rocks are dislodged from the lip of the canyon and they fall down towards the group.

Some give a kick back as they land, the shock wave on the ground throwing Wolfram back onto the portal where it whips him back to where they originally came from. Dartmoor is thrown to the ground beside the portal and has to roll out of the way as a larger one slams down beside him onto the portal, throwing the young thief back again.

Tatsoo grabs Shade and backs up quickly to the wall of the canyon on the same side that the rocks are thrown from as the most of them would go towards the other side. She pulls him close and pulls one of her scimitars out, waving it towards rocks and hoping for air to throw them to the side and away from their group, the other direction from Kassina. Maybe that was how it worked? Think of it and direct your thoughts?

Dartmoor jumped up before the second volley and grabbed Takara, throwing the two of them to the side with Tatsoo and Shade. Kassina was out of range and he hoped that whatever was up there, probably a dragon, would not notice a lone wolf.

Shade looked up at the rocks as something tugged deep inside his mind. There was a new voice but it was different then the Dragons wrath being confident, strong, set in it's own power.

Shade walked away from the group to face the rock onslaught his staff pulsing as rocks were flung to the side.

Shade's body flickered and in that motion there were two beings, one inside the other. The second figure was a elf with gray skin, long silver hair, and it's eyes were solid silver. It wore no clothes except a leather kilt around it's waist.

When Shade lifted his staff the being lifted his hand, the rocks shattering as the voice spoke a commanding tone that was full of natural and rightful authority. "I order you by the crags of Malnith to stay your self from this place." The voice wasn't Shades at all. It was deep with a hint of destruction. A blast erupted from the dragon staff a solid red light flashing out destroying any left over rocks.

Shade dropped to his knees as the other being whispered something to him then vanished.

Picture of the other elf

Kraven tried to reach out for Wolfram as he was somehow forced back into the circle. But before he even had time to react the circle was gone along with Wolfram.

Some force pushed at Kraven causing him to stumble backwards. His body strained as he fought against the invisible force. Suddenly something slammed into him, sending him flying down the pathway.

The air shimmered as he flew through the air; sending energy cascading along the canyon walls.

The power of the energy charred and cracked the stone as it held Kraven in place; small trickles of molten rock ran down the cliff, gathering in quickly cooling pools on the ground.

His face was in pure agony as tendrils of energy wrapped around his arms and legs, spreading them out.

No screams of pain could be heard, but his mouth was wide, and his face was contorted in such a way that it could only indicate he was screaming.

Strands of energy were being pulled from him and evaporating into nothingness.

The air shimmered around the entire area as the temperature rose.

Uthza looked up at his friend, not knowing what was happened, this fists at his side; blood trickling from his hands as his nails dug into the palms.

His hands erupted into balls of purple and white crackling power. He threw his hands up and raw magical energies surged from his body; trying to latch on and rip away the tendrils that held the mighty elf in place.

As soon as one energy band hit the other it back lashed, sending the old and frail mage across the canyon pathway into the stone cliff. Only a sickening crunch was heard, before his limp body slumped to the ground.

A shock wave enveloped the area; the shadow of a dragon was ripped from Kraven's body and divine energy was expelled from his body. The ground shook and jagged cracks cascaded along the face of the cliffs as the shock wave ripped through the area before dissipating.

Then, as soon as it had begun, it was over. Kraven dropped to the ground, his outstretched arm reaching for someone or something, but before a sound could escape his lips his eyes fluttered and his body went limp.

At first Takara stood dumbstruck as rocks began to fly. She gasped in shock as Dartmoor grabbed her and pulled her out of harm's way. That woke her up and she reacted. Focusing as hard as she could she managed to throw a weak shield over herself, Dartmoor, and Tatsoo. Shade had walked out of the range she could manage and there was nothing she could do for him. She didn't even know where the others were.

Keeping the shield up took most of her concentration and she was barely aware of what was going on around her. Suddenly a shockwave of energy ripped through the area slamming into her shield and breaking it. She fell to her knees shaking from the impact, but her and the other two were unhurt.

As she worked to get her breathing under control Takara looked around her and saw that both Uthza and Kraven were down. Knowing Uthza was mortal she decided to go to him first. Takara reached into a pouch on her belt and withdrew one of the lyrium potions she had aquired before they left. She downed the contents, then reformed the shield around herself incase more rocks decided to fly.

"F... find Kassina and Sh.. shade!" She said to Dartmoor and Tatsoo as she ran off toward Uthza.

The wound to his head looked bad. Takara gently placed her hands on his head and reached out with her magic to assess the damage and begin repairing it.

Kassina heard the rumble of the rocks just before they began falling. Acting on pure instinct she looked for the closest place to hide. She saw a narrow opening in the canyon wall before her and ran toward it. Just before she crashed into the wall she shifted to her rabbit form and squeezed into the opening. It was a tight fit, but she managed.

If a rabbit could growl she would have been growling in frustration. There was nothing she could do for the others right now and she didn't know if they were okay. But she couldn't help them if she ran out and got her head smashed in by a rock either.

As the rockfall died down she cautiously crept out of the hole and shifted back to wolf form. Rabbits couldn't see very far. The first thing she noticed was Kraven's limp form. She darted toward him and began sniffing at him, trying to figure out what had happened to him.

When Kassina sniffed Kraven, she noticed something odd, he actually smelled like an elf. All the other times it seemed he was either a void in her senses, or smelled of corruption.

His breathing was shallow and his heartbeat slow, but he was alive.

Takara had rushed over to Uthza, but as she accessed his wounds, she realized she had seen these types of injuries before. The injuries of someone close to death. His skull was fractured in several places and as she felt around, she noticed that a majority of his bones were broken.

A multitude of burns covered the exposed flesh, some parts his robes had been burned away, where others it had melted into his skin. Even with the enhancement of her new staff, these injuries were beyond her healing capabilities.

Tatsoo was torn with what was happening but her first concern was always Shade. As the rocks were finally destroyed she rushed over to the young mage and wrapped her arms around him, checking for any wounds, "Shade? Shade, ye be alright, yes?"

The woman looked up when she heard the crack of Uthza hitting the wall and gasped. That was the sound of someone breaking. She knew the sound too well and it made her heart stop as she looked that way.

Her eyes turned towards Kraven but she noticed he was not dead or Kassina, who was there would have been howling so she pulled Shade up and went to Uthza.

She knelt beside the old man, tears in her eyes for her fallen tribes mate, "Uthza? Please ... oh ye don ... Shade an ah am here." She took one of the old man's hands and held it, "We be here. Kraven be alive he is."