The Arkala Saga

[CallieO]

A tale of love, loss, murder, and vengeance.

Dramatis Personae:

Jaed Tenassa, female catperson healer; also DM
Tennibrook Balmossie, female vulpine paladin/cleric
Richard NIghthawke, male human warlord

Jaed Tenassa and Tennibrook Balmossie were sitting in a soft meadow, a stream gurgling unseen but nearby. There were little wildflowers all around--yellow, pink, purple, and blue. This meadow was overlooking a beautiful mountain range in the northern reaches of Virelith. It was still summer, of course, but here was much tamer than they had endured down south, especially in Dethsiris. Spread before them was a large blanket, a heavy basket, full of food from a nearby town which lay at the foot of the mountains. Tenni had wanted a change of pace, and Jaed had wanted to see her home village again, even if only from afar. Well, the village she lived in with Garen anyway.

Tenni had once spent a summer in Virelith, when she'd worked for the House of Winds last year, but had spent a lot of that time working, and hadn't really been able to appreciate the land's beauty the way she wishes she could. Tenni is enjoying these moments of relaxation with her ya'towa but, recognizing that Virelith is a very dangerous place, had come fully armed and armored.

Jaed was oblivious to the danger, thinking that only Dethsiris had such dangerous creatures. She bit into her salami sandwich and grinned at her armed-to-the-teeth friend. "Relax, Tenni. We're fine," she said. It had been a day since that fateful prayer time when she had emptied her thoughts and emotions to her ya'towa--how her father had died, how she blamed herself, how her mother hated her. She didn't want to think about that anymore, especially right now in this beautiful paradise of flowers and butterflies.

Tennibrook smiles, seated on the blanket cross-legged and barefoot, with a spiced bologna and Lingorian keeza sandwich. "I'm relaxed," she says. "Just... vigilant. I've never been here before, and I'm responsible for your safety. Anyway, I'm grateful to be here. I know how important a place this is for you."

"I understand," Jaed said with a nod. She took another bite and spoke around it. "You know, we are maybe about five miles away from Arkala." She pointed to a mountain ahead and to their left. "That is the basic direction of my hometown," she said. "Of course, taking the mountain roads it ends up being a lot longer than five miles."

"Well, we've got Jilbo," Tenni says. "We can get there in no time, going as the crow flies. If you'd like to visit, that is." She wonders if Jaed's master, Garen, is still there with his slaves, and what kind of reunion might be awaiting her if she returns there.

"Yes, we have Jilbo." Jaed smiled at the rook, who was happily preening in the shade of an oak tree about a dozen yards away. There was no fear that he would run off. He was fiercely loyal to Tenni. "If we can go back to Arkala.... I might get to see... Well, I would find Garen, I imagine." She suppressed a shudder, instead rubbing one arm before forcing the thought out of her head. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to see her old master again, if she were to be honest with herself.

Tenni can detect her ya'towa's reticence, and she doesn't blame her for it. "Do you think he'd be happy to see that you've been able to get on with your life?" she asks. "I know he cared about you."

Jaed bit her lower lip. "He really did," she muttered, staring blankly at the beautiful scene before her. "It would be really nice to see his reaction to me now. Would he still call me lovely? Would he call me a slut?" She winced at that. "No, I do not believe he would. I think... I hope he misses me, at least a little." Sitting up straighter, she said, "Yes, let us go visit him, as soon as our meal is done."

Tenni feels glad, now more than ever, that she'd come fully armed, in case there *is* a confrontation with Garen and she may have to evacuate Jaed out of there quickly. "Okay," she says. "But try to keep your expectations neutral. We've absolutely no idea how he'll react to you."

Jaed nodded. She hurried through her food, and waited impatiently for Tenni to finish her meal. Maybe she wanted to meet Garen after all. When they were done eating, Jaed helped clean up and carried her share of the load to Jilbo, who greeted them with a fluttering of wings and a "MAMA! JAED!"

Tenni wraps her arms around Jilbo and says, "We're going to the city, Jilbo. *That* way. Northwest." She points, and Jilbo obligingly positions his head facing northwest before slumping down to the ground to allow Tenni and Jaed to mount him. Tenni re-casts Feather Fall on both of them. "Are you ready, ya'towa?" she asks.

"As ready as I will ever be," Jaed replied, shaking a little as she mounted Jilbo behind Tenni. She gripped the vulpine's waist as they flew. She was shaking because of the heights, of course, but she was terribly nervous about meeting Garen as well. The flight was exciting, however, with wind in their hair and the blue sky closer than usual. She found herself grinning, in spite of her fears.

Tenni, Jaed, and Jilbo fly into the wind at an unhurried pace, Tennibrook not wanting to overwhelm her ya'towa with speed. They find a good place above the treeline near the village to perch Jilbo, and from there, they go down on foot, taking about 40 minutes to reach Arkala. Tenni, a veteran climber and excellent athlete, has little trouble keeping her footing.

Jaed looked around once they had perched, and leading Tenni down, she grinned at her surroundings. She recognized this forest, called the Obran Forest by the locals. They carefully made their way down the steep slope, often using footholds, rocks and branches, to get down to the plateau where a sizable village had been set up years ago. It was green, everywhere. Outside the place were small gardens growing beets and squash and soy. A goat wandered, bleating, through the lone thoroughfare. Catfolk lived among elven kind, and high humans. For a tiny town, this place was quite integrated. There were maybe seventy-five people in the whole village. "Tennibrook," Jaed said with a smile on her face, "Welcome to Arkala."

Tenni curtseys. "Charmed," she says. "Where do you think we might find Garen? Does he live in town, or on the outskirts?" She wonders for the first time how he'll react to *Tennibrook's* presence, and whether he'll consider her a threat.

Jaed was about to answer when she caught sight of her bond-sister. Running to the catgirl she called, "Miri, wait! It is me!" The catgirl stopped walking, her shoulders hunched somewhat, and looked over at Jaed, at first annoyed, but then thunderstruck. "Jaed," she said, speaking catfolk, "why are you here?" Jaed smiled and gestured for Tenni to join them. In common tongue, she said, "This is my good friend, Tennibrook; everyone calls her Tenni. We are here to visit my old friends." She grinned at her former fellow slave. Miri frowned back, a little irritated, but also... scared? Why? Jaed said solemnly, "What is the matter, my sister?" Looking first at Jaed then at Tenni, Miri replied in common tongue, "It Master. He... not well." Jaed frowned then as well. "Take me to him please?" Nodding, the catgirl directed them to follow her.

Tenni's heart sinks in her chest when she's told that Jaed's former master isn't feeling like himself. That he's sick. She says a silent prayer that she'll be able to help him. Tenni *is* a master of mundane First Aid and Triage. She follows close behind Miri and Jaed.

Miri leads them to the house Jaed remembered--the largest in the town. Sitting just outside the confines of the village, it was a two-story made of stone with a tiled roof. Garen was the richest and most powerful man in Arkala, a detail Jaed had kept hidden from pretty much everyone, even her current master. She followed the catgirl into the house, glancing back at Tenni to gauge her reaction. Probably not too impressed. Much nicer buildings sat in Nanthalion, including Tenni's many properties.

Tenni has been carefully observing the town even as she prepares herself for a situation in which she may be called upon to heal someone that used to be very close to Jaed. Most of the village properties are one-story buildings, made of timber, with thatched roofs, and smoke-holes instead of full-on brick chimneys. Garen's property is the largest house they've seen in the village thus far, even larger than the tavern they'd passed a short time ago. He must be a very important person to live in a place like this. The building is relatively modest by the standards of the empire; Tenni has at least two houses that are this size or larger. But compared to the other buildings in town, Garen's house is ostentatious. Tennibrook follows Miri and Jaed inside.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were met by a catboy named Fren. With big eyes he greeted Jaed, as if he had not seen her in years. It had only been months. They were in the front room, a beautiful setup--oak walls, an oak staircase leading to a balcony overlooking the large room, a candle chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room was covered with hunting trophies. Garen was certainly a man who loved showing off his greatest skill--hunting big game. Jaed hardly noticed, she had seen it so many times. Fren muttered to Miri in catfolk, and Jaed cringed at the things he said about Tenni. Narrowing her eyes she said in catfolk, "Mind your tongue, kitten. She is the most powerful vulpine in her region. She could cut you as soon as look at you." None of it was true of course, but it was the only way to shut the catboy up. Squeaking a little, he stood at attention and announced in common tongue, "You... wish to see Master, do you not?"

Tenni has the Tongues spell, and she *could* magically translate all this Catfolk being said in front of her if she wanted to, but she'd always been taught that doing so is rude. Of course, it's also rude for Fren to use Tennibrook's non-fluency in Catfolk to speak secretly to the other servant, but the paladin cleric tries not to take it personally. Tenni stands there with her hands clasped behind her back, awaiting Garen's pleasure.

"Yes, we wish to see M-... Garen," Jaed said. The high elf was no longer her master. Unconsciously, Jaed touched the collar around her neck. She followed Fren and Miri up the stairs, followed herself closely by Tenni. The hall was narrow and a bit dark, made of the same oak as the front room. At the very end of the hall on the right hand, Miri knocked lightly on the door. "Master, a friend is here to see you," she announced. There came a loud groan and, "Send them in. Who is it, Miri?"

Tenni winces at the pained groan she hears coming from Jaed's beloved former master. Clearly, he has to put a lot of effort into maintaining decorum right now. She leans in towards Jaed, speaking sotto voce. "Do you want me to wait outside?" she asks.

Jaed blinked when Tenni asked her that. "Why would I want you to do that?" she whispered back, in vulpani so her old friends couldn't understand them. It had once been a habit for her to slip into catfolk when she was around non-catfolk. "Come with me." Jaed stepped into the room and bit hard on her lower lip to keep from crying out. Garen lay on a soft bed, his body thin and frail. She could see most of the bones in his face. "Master," she breathed, hurrying to him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took his bony hand and squeezed it. "Master, I am here." Garen turned his head and looked at her, his hooded eyes widening under the brow ridge that had become prominent in his sickness. "J-Jaed," he panted, staring wide-eyed at her. "What are you doing here?" Jaed kissed the back of his hand. "I came to see you, to see how you are doing." He chuckled. "I am fine," he lied with a smile, "now that you are here." His eyes catching something, he lifted his hand and touched the collar around her neck with the back of his fingers. "It's beautiful. Are you a slave again?" "A concubine," she corrected. Looking back at her friend, Jaed announced, "This is Tennibrook, my best friend."

Tenni hides her surprise a little better than Jaed at seeing Garen's decrepit state. In the stories she'd been told by her ya'towa, Garen had always been a strong and vital man. What had happened to him? She's glad to see that Garen is treating his former slave with love, however. He obviously remembers her fondly.

"Tennibrook," the man rasped, trying to raise his head to look at her. But he was too weak. Jaed moved aside so he could look at the vulpine. Garen smiled warmly. "Vizhra, Tennibrook," he greeted. "It has been some time since I've seen a vulpine. Are you taking care of your... what do you say? ya'towa?" He winked at Jaed, as if he had anticipated that she would call Tenni that. Jaed said, "How did you know, Master?" "The way you look at her," he said simply. "You are either bond-sisters or lovers, and I doubt she is the one who has collared you." Speaking for so long made him begin to wrack with coughing, his frail body hunching and jerking involuntarily. "Master!" Jaed cried, putting her hands on his shoulders to support him. "Tenni, can you do anything?" She didn't want to be mean, she was just desperate. Miri winced and hurried to her master's side, holding a thick cloth already covered with the brown spots of dried blood.

Tennibrook stays out of Miri's way, but places a hand on one of Garen's hands and speaks a word of Ancient Vulpani, casting the Discern Ailment spell that she has enchanted on one of her rings. The results come back immediately, and they're not encouraging. Tennibrook's eyes widen, and her lips narrow. She looks back at Jaed. Yesterday had been a very painful experience for her dear friend as she'd been wracked with guilt over her father. Today would be even worse. "Jaed," she says, "it's cancer. Advanced. It's metastasized to many of the important organs in his body."

Jaed burst into tears at the news. Miri reluctantly nodded her head. But Garen says, "Yes, yes. Don't worry the poor girl. I'll be up in a few days, get back to running the village. Jaed, don't listen to her. I'm fine, just a little..." He meant to say cough, but he showed it instead, his body wracking again. Miri quickly caught the blood coming out of his mouth. Jaed wailed, covering her face with both hands.

Tenni moves behind Jaed, hugging her and placing her head on the woman's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, ya'towa," she says. "I can make him comfortable and keep him reasonably free of pain, but at this point it's just a matter of time. I don't think even a fully trained magical healer could do more." Because of the very nature of cancer-- the body's own cells fighting against itself-- it's one of the diseases that still evades being defeated by magical or nonmagical means.

Tears streaming down her face, Jaed kissed Garen's cheek and forehead. "I missed you, Master," she whispered. "Jaed," he breathed, "don't call me that. I'm not your master anymore. And no tears, my love." He wiped her eyes with his fingers. He took several more labored, wheezing breaths before he continued, "Tell me about your current master." Nodding, keeping her eyes to the side rather than looking at his face, Jaed said, "His name is Nighthawke. He is the Warmaster for House Dethsiris down in Nanthalion area. He is very kind, but a little moody at times." Garen chuckled. He asked Jaed's friend, "Are you taking care of my little catgirl, Tennibrook?"

Tennibrook takes hold of one of Jaed's hands. She knows she has to be strong for her ya'towa. "I think Jaed is one of the most wonderful people in the world," she says sincerely. "We take good care of *each other*. We've been in a couple of battles together. I've taught her about the vulpine religion, which she's going to convert to-- I'm the High Priestess of the Dethsiris Vulpine Temple. And I've suggested that she turn her energy towards becoming a healer, which she's done. She's always seeking self-improvement, and looking for answers to life's little questions. I couldn't be any prouder of her if she was my own flesh and blood."

Garen showed a weak grin. "My beloved," he muttered in catfolk, looking up toward her with glassy blue eyes. Switching back to common, he said, "You fought battles? And you are going to heal? I'm so happy to hear that, child. You will make an excellent..." Another wracking of coughing prevented him from continuing. Jaed burst into tears. When he had finally stopped, she hugged his neck and cried into his hair. Miri for her part, stood by the bed and grimaced. She never had cared much for Jaed or her relationship with Garen.

Tennibrook stands stoically at a respectful distance from Garen, but stays right there to support her ya'towa. "Yes, she will," Tenni says. "She pours her heart and soul into everything she does. She works intensely, she worships intensely, she loves intensely. She doesn't do anything by half-measures. And I'll be with her, helping guide and advise her every step of the way." She places a comforting hand on the high elf's brow. His fever is burning through him. "Do you have any requests for me? Anything I can do to put your mind at ease? Maybe something regarding the disposition of your current family?"

Garen chuckled. "I have never known Jaed to do anything half-assed. I know exactly what you mean. As for my estate, and my slaves... all that is taken care of. Right, Miri?" The catgirl bowed and said, "Yes, Master." "So don't worry about me," he continued with a thin smile. Closing his eyes he said, "Oh, Jaed, if I had known you were coming, I would have had your favorite meal provided." Blushing, Jaed shook her head, "It is okay, Master. I just ate." He nodded, not bothering to correct her on the title again. He did have something important to tell her. "Miri, go find something to do, yes? I will have Jaed send for you once we are finished." She bowed again with another "Yes, Master," and scurried out of the room. Garen muttered, "Come here, Tennibrook. You can hear this too."

Tenni nods and leans in, placing a comforting hand in Jaed's hand. She gets the feeling that Garen doesn't have much time left-- he could go at any moment, in fact-- and that the next few minutes would be among the most difficult of Jaed's life. She's going to need Tenni's help to get through them.

Jaed grabbed Tenni's hand in a tight grip. She knew it was not for much longer. Garen would soon join his ancestors. Gods! He was only about 225 years old! Garen gazed lovingly into Jaed's emerald eyes, and his hand reached for her cheek, resting against it, keeping it warm. "Jaed," he whispered, blinking slowly, "I'm so sorry I let you go. I never should have done that." Leaning into him, Jaed pressed her forehead against his. His face was oven-hot, but at the moment she didn't care. "Do not say that, Master. I am happy with Nighthawke and my friend, Tenni." "I know," he said with a smile. "You seem to be doing well." He coughed some more, and Jaed held him, grabbing the cloth in his lap and wiping the blood from his mouth. Once he had calmed down, he continued to talk. "Jaed, I had to let you go, or at least I *thought* I did, because..." He took a long, wheezing breath. "Because I fell in love with you, kitten. I couldn't... I would have held you back. You are a beautiful woman, Jaed. You deserve someone who can give you everything you need." He started to cough, but he desperately grabbed the reins and forced it back, long enough to say, "I hope this Nighthawke is treating you well, and giving you the kind of love that I cannot." Then he allowed himself to cough, painfully.

"She is well-loved with Nighthawke, and beloved of me as well," Tennibrook assures Garen. The vixen's eyes expertly scan the high elf's bookshelves, and come upon a litany of prayers to the high elven god Eldon, mate of Alarea, father of Elvenkind, and the master of diplomacy and tact. Tenni quickly crosses the room to get it, knowing exactly what section she's looking for. She may be well-versed in triestan, but it's not to the exclusion of all other religions. She turns the book to a prayer for the dying. "Great Eldon, I, Tennibrook Balmossie, Paladin of The Lady and High Priestess of the Dethsiris Vulpine Temple, commend Garen to your care. Comfort him in his final moments in Belariath, and let his name be remembered as a great man who always put his love of the community over his love of self. Be with his family and friends in the difficult days ahead. Be with my ya'towa, Jaed, beloved of Garen, and help those who love her be a comfort to her."

Jaed wailed during Tenni's prayer. Her heart was not just broken, it shattered! Garen had been in love with her this whole time! And now he was dying from a disease that wasted him away! Crying so loudly got her much attention, for the other slaves tumbled into Garen's bedroom to see what was the matter. Garen gripped Jaed's arm and grunted, "I am not gone yet, child. Quiet yourself!" With a hiccup, Jaed immediately clammed up. Garen waved a hand at Tenni once her prayer was done. "Thank you, Tennibrook. That was very kind of you." Wheezing again, he shooed the slaves away. "I did not tell you that you could come in here. Out with you." He was stern sometimes, Jaed remembered, but not without kindness. Tears streaming down her face, Jaed kissed his cheek and whispered in catfolk, "I still love you, too."

Tennibrook closes the prayer book and murmurs to Garen, "I have the Sweet Bliss spell. I can make it so you don't feel any pain, for the time you have left." Tenni had been at both her father and her mother's sides when they'd died, and knows that Garen could go at any moment.

Garen nodded and whispered, "Thank you, I would love a little respite from my pain." He chuckled lightly. "Jaed, my love, go tell Miri to get Lauder. He will need to be here very soon." Jaed burst into fresh tears, and he said a bit firmly, "I am not gone yet. Do not worry about that. Now, go." Bowing her head, Jaed ran to obey him, closing the door on her way out. Garen turned back to Tenni. His voice was thin and wan, but he kept the coughing at bay so that he could say, "Miss Tennibrook, you need to promise me something. No matter what happens, no matter where you are, you need to take care of my Jaed. She is so innocent and frail. I love her with all my heart, but she can make some bad decisions. I do not know Nighthawke, but..." Garen closed his eyes and cleared his throat. "He had better not hurt her, I swear by Eldon's name..." Jaed came back into the room just as Garen said "Eldon's name." He fell silent after that, and smiled at her, weakly lifting his hands and beckoning her to join him again.

"I promise," Tennibrook says. "I will do my best to honor and protect her, and she will know every day how loved she is." When Jaed returns to the room, Tenni looks up as she rejoins them.

Jaed walked slowly into the room. She knew something was up. Both Garen and Tenni were looking at her as if expecting her to say or do something. "What is the matter?" she asked, looking from one to the other. Garen smiled and shook his head. "It is alright, Jaed. Come here." He patted the bed. Jaed sat down beside him and stroked his hair. Garen put his hand on her knee and stroked it with his thumb. Jaed admitted, "Master, I missed you so much when you made me leave. Even now, I am terrified to lose you." Garen reached up and stroked her cheek. "Do not be afraid. I will join with Eldon soon," he muttered. At that, Jaed burst into fresh tears and hugged his neck.

Tenni stands stoically near Jaed at Garen's bedside as she hugs her dying former master, and it's then that she realizes she hadn't yet cast the Sweet Bliss spell to give him relief from his pain like she'd offered to. But the problem is, it would engulf the High Elf's mind in a haze of euphoria rendering him almost incapable of rational thought and coherent action. And there are still things that may have been left unsaid.

Jaed looked to Tenni, finding her at war with herself about something. "What is the matter, Tenni?" she asked quietly, squeezing the vulpine's forearm. Garen, for his part, said nothing, but watched them with that spark of intuition Jaed knew him well for. It seemed he was more aware of Tenni's predicament than Jaed, which didn't surprise the kitty girl.

Tenni gives Jaed a gentle smile. Her friend reads her very well. Vulpines' tail-language gives away their emotions more than they realize. "I can take away his pain," she tells them, "but... it would also take away his awareness for the duration of the spell. He wouldn't have to suffer anymore, though."

Garen smiled knowingly. "What do you think, my beloved?" he asked Jaed. "I think you should get it," she said tearfully. "I do not want you to suffer." But Garen waved at her and shook his head. "No, I would rather have my wits about me. I have already dealt with the pain, I can deal with it a little longer." Taking Jaed's hand he kissed it and said, again, "Do not cry, love. It is almost over." Just then, Miri came in with Lauder, a high human with short gray hair combed over the top of his head. He was holding a ledger, or something official looking. He approached Garen on the other side of the bed, and said, "Everything is in order, Mr. Garen. I will see to your final affairs." Jaed was nervous to ask but she knew she had to. "What will happen to Miri and Fren, the other slaves?" Lauder looked at her as if she shouldn't have spoken. But Garen said, patient as always, "They will go to my cousin a few miles north of here. Do not worry, Jaed. Your friends are well taken care of." Jaed showed him a small smile, but inside she was fighting even more tears.

Tennibrook holds Jaed's other hand and runs her thumb across her knuckles. She can't help but admire Garen's courage in facing the pain without complaint, in preparing to meet his ancestors and his god with his eyes wide open. "You did a good job taking care of Jaed," she assures Garen. "Rest now in the assurance that she'll *continue* to be taken care of. Your duty to her, to your other slaves, and to your village is performed. And I know that Eldon smiles upon you."

Garen smiled at the vulpine. "Thank you, Tennibrook. I have done my best with these loves of mine"--He gazed lovingly at Jaed--"and I am glad I get to leave this world surrounded by those I love--and Lauder." He winked at the lawyer, who did not react in any way. Jaed put the back of Garen's hand against her forehead and wept.

Tenni speaks not another word, but simply holds Jaed's hand, letting her ya'towa know she's not alone in her time of grief. As she watches Garen on his deathbed, Tenni finally leans in and says to Jaed, "E chamat tilzha ni kun." ["I will mourn with you."] Indeed, there will be a new name on Jaed's boz'na scroll very soon.

Jaed hiccuped and a knot caught in her throat. "Ze sin mishna gra vu." ["I will mourn also with you," said in catfolk] "Now, now," said Garen, before a burst of coughing over took him. Blood splattered all over the bed, Jaed, Tenni and Lauder. They could not help but wince against the splash of the red liquid onto them. Then Garen fell back and sighed, a long outpouring of breath. "Master?" Jaed said, shaking him. "Master?" she cried louder. She shook him more vigorously, but he did not respond. "Master! Wake up!" she cried. "You have to wake up!" Turning to the vulpine she snapped, "Tenni, you have to do something! He's not saying anything!" She was beside herself with grief and despair.

Tenni flinches at the blood getting onto her face, and her mithril chain mail and the gambeson beneath, but then, as Jaed desperately tries, and fails, to wake Garen up, the paladin cleric fears the worst. When she's called into action, Tenni takes Garen's hand and casts Discern Ailment again. It tells her all she needs to know. "I'm sorry," she says to her ya'towa. "He's gone."

"No!" Jaed screamed. Throwing herself onto her former master, she wailed, shaking and angry, in deep despair. Lauder carefully made note of the date and hour of Garen's death in his ledger. Miri and Fren approached the group and cried in their own ways.

As Jaed, Miri, and Fren cry over their loved one, Tennibrook casts Clean on herself, on Jaed, and on Lauder to get the blood off of them, and then opens the prayer book and begins chanting a requiem for Garen, seeing his spirit off to Eldon's Spirit Pool. She chants without stopping, for the full 15 minutes it's fabled that it would take him to arrive. What she's doing, according to High Elven tradition, is lending her own spirit to the journey. In her mind, she's standing alongside him, longsword and shield in hand, defending him against the demons that would dare try to impede his path.

For a long time, Jaed did not realize what her ya'towa was doing. She only saw that her loving master was dead. She lay on his chest, oblivious to everyone around her. She was exhausted from crying so much, and only lay there, numb. Miri took her arm and tried to pull her away. "He is gone, Jaed," she said. "Let him go." "No!" Jaed cried, yanking her arm back. "You mourn for him how you will, and I will mourn how I will! Now, leave me alone!" Affronted, Miri backed away and sneered at her. Fren frowned at Miri and muttered, "Leave her alone. You know she was the favorite." "That is the whole problem," Miri grunted, turning away and leaving the room. She slammed the door on her way out.

Tennibrook is in such a deep trance while she chants from the book that she's oblivious to the argument happening right in front of her. The slamming of the door causes her to hitch her chanting for just a moment, and then she resumes, finishing the last two lines. Closing the prayer book, she says to Jaed and Fren, "He's safe in the Spirit Pool now."

Fren immediately showed relief at Tenni's announcement. But Jaed only sat and stared at her dead master. The catboy gripped her shoulder and said quietly, "It is over, Jaed. He is free now." A burst of tears escaped her before they were quieted again. Fren asked Lauder, "When will the funeral take place?" The man said, "Arrangements have been made for Garen's funeral to take place the morning after his death at dawn, at which time he shall be cremated on a pyre. I expect the mourning period to last some time here in the village." Turning to Tenni, he explained, "Garen was well loved by everyone for miles around. He was truly a good man." He said all of this in a kind of self-important monotone, as if he didn't really care if Garen was dead or not, much less whether he would be mourned or not.

Tenni says to Jaed, "We'll stay here in town for the funeral, and take a room here for the night. I'll go back up to see Jilbo and find a place to lodge him overnight." She turns to Fren. "Is there a place Jaed and I can sleep?"

Jaed nodded her acceptance of what Tenni said. Fren replied to her, "There is a guest room for family, and since Jaed was one of us, you two can stay in there. Follow me." He led the two women to a spacious room in the rear of the house. There was only one, queen-sized bed, as well as a small couch and a chest of drawers. With a sympathetic noise, Fren left the two to their own devices.

Tenni sits down on the bed for now, smiling up at Jaed. "I'll rest for a little bit before going back to get Jilbo. I saw some rookeries for rent when we were passing the tavern. I just need to be off my feet for an hour or so."

With a nod, Jaed went to the other side of the bed and lay with her back to Tenni. She didn't *want* to shut the vulpine out, but she was in so much pain she didn't want to talk to anyone. Just let her alone to grieve, for a little while. As she lay there, she thought about Garen. He had given her so much more attention than he had given to the other slaves; it was no wonder they didn't really like her. At the time, it had not occurred to her that he might be in love with her. She thought she was the favorite because she was the most willing to obey him. She wiped her eyes with her hand, and her mind traveled over to Nighthawke. He seemed to be taking over where Garen left off, was doing things for her that Garen never could.

Tennibrook understands that Jaed doesn't want to talk right now, so she just rests for the time being, and after about 45 minutes lying down next to her, she says, "Ya'towa, I'm going to go get Jilbo. I'll be back as soon as I can. And I'll be here to be your shoulder, if you need one."

"Okay," Jaed muttered, not moving. Her heart was empty and any attempts to refill it with thoughts of her new master did not quite make it to the brim. She hugged herself and shivered. She wanted to go back home; she did not want to stay for the funeral, but she knew she must. It was her duty as his favorite slave.

Tenni steps out of the room, tells Garen's surviving slaves where she's going and when she would return, and leaves the house, casting the Fly spell and making her way back up into the mountains. Within 15 minutes, she's found Jilbo. 15 minutes after that, she's gotten him into the tavern's rookery and put down 10 mhl for his overnight stay. Then she returns to the house, and knocks on the door of the room she's sharing with Jaed before opening it.

Jaed heard the knock and grunted a "Come in!" When Tenni came in, she nodded and turned back to staring at nothing. If the vulpine would get in bed and touch her shoulder, Jaed would roll onto her back and stare up at the ceiling while tears slid down her face. "He cannot be gone," she whispered. "It is too soon. He had told me, I would outlive him, but I did not want to believe it. Oh, Tenni, I miss him so much!" The last she sobbed, hugging herself and pulling into a fetal position, facing her friend.

Tenni places her forehead against Jaed's and her hand against the woman's shoulder. "It's okay to be sad," she says. "It's even okay to be angry. Angry at Garen for leaving. Or at cancer for taking him from you. Or at the universe, for its choice of his fate. If there's some good you can take out of it, though... he loved you, he was able to tell you, and you comforted him as he died. And I was here to safely guide him to the afterlife."

Breaking into tears, the first since she initially got to the room, Jaed grabbed her ya'towa in a hug. She sobbed into Tenni's shoulder, believing everything she had said. "He cannot be gone!" she wailed, repeating what she had said earlier. "Why did he die like this? He is supposed to live to be a thousand! Did he... did he not want to live anymore? I do not understand." She broke into body-wracking tears, holding her ya'towa tightly.

Tenni holds Jaed, allowing her bond-sister to cry in her arms. "I don't have an answer for you, ya'towa," she says. "I can only assume he saw it coming when he released you... how else would he know you'd outlive him?" That's not something that she would ever say to Jaed herself. She expects to outlive her ya'towa by many hundreds of years, along with almost everyone she cares about.

Jaed nodded and pulling away, wiped her eyes. "I am very hungry," she muttered. Getting up and out of bed, she asked Tenni to join her, and the two went in search of the ice box. A slave named Ari was in the kitchen checking the ovens for something she was cooking. She was a larger catperson, quite new to Garen's clowder (group of cats). Jaed greeted her quietly and numbly, asking if she could have something from the larder. "Help yourself, Miss," the woman replied, using a towel to pull out a sheet pan and set it on the wooden counter. Jaed led Tenni to the pantry, where she found some sausages and cheeses. She grabbed a few things and carried them with Tenni back to the guest room. They sat on the couch together and ate their meal. Jaed announced, "They will have a buffet of sorts tomorrow at Garen's funeral. I... do not know if I will attend, to be honest."

Tenni makes herself a few small sandwiches made entirely out of summer sausage, pepper jack, salami, and cheddar cheese, and as Jaed talks about what will happen after the funeral, she says, "If you want to take off right after the funeral, I understand. I think we should probably at least make an appearance tomorrow at the rite, but I know it'll be difficult for you."

"Yes, it will be very difficult," Jaed admitted, biting into a chunk of cheddar. "I will stay for the burning of the fire, but then I will need to leave." She looked at her slice of salami and set it back with the other food. She was not very hungry after all.

Tenni had been exercising recently and knows she needs to regain her energy, so even though she's not especially hungry either, she eats. The summer sausage is actually quite good. She understands that Jaed is probably too depressed to have much of an appetite, however.

Jaed|Hawke| got off the couch and went back to the bed. It was getting dark outside, and she didn't want to leave the room. When Tenni finally joined her, they would sleep through the night, to be awakened by Fren knocking on the door. The early light of sunrise could be seen from the window. Jaed groaned and rolled out of bed. She had to leave the room this morning; she had to see Garen cremated. Bursting into tears, she dropped onto the couch and wept.

Tenni awakens when she hears crying, and rises out of bed, spending some time holding her ya'towa before gently suggesting, "Would you like to pray for Garen and get some breakfast before we go to see him, one last time?"

"Yes, please," Jaed whispered, wiping her eyes, then her nose. Despite all her training in vulpani and triestan, in all her grief, she had forgotten everything that went into the boz'na service. "You start, I will follow," she suggested, scrubbing her eyes.

Tenni leads Jaed over to the bed, which they kneel down in front of, using the bed as a makeshift altar in the lack of a real one. "Our Lady, we pray for Garen, who has preceded us into the afterlife. Yesterday, he joined the Spirit Pool of Eldon, where he will be comforted by his god until it's time for him to be reborn into another High Elven life. I saw him through to the Spirit Pool as his melzo. Today, his body will be returned to the elements it came from. Our Lady, be with his family and friends, and with this community as they mourn his loss. Be with Jaed, and guide her through her mourning process. Help me to be a comfort to her. Keeshan."

Jaed|Hawke| prayed silently along with her friend, tears sliding down her cheeks, collecting at the base of her chin until she wiped it off. In her own mind, Jaed prayed that Garen was safe and thanked the Lady for giving her the chance to say goodbye to her beloved master. When Tenni had finished her part of the prayer, Jaed hugged her and cried on her shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered through her tears.

Tenni holds Jaed warmly and says, "We should get breakfast." She leads Jaed down to the kitchen, and makes them some food. Tenni eats everything on her plate.

Jaed ate more slowly, staring a thousand yards into nowhere. She didn't even taste the food. While they were eating, Miri came into the kitchen and grabbed some food of her own. "The funeral is in an hour," she announced looking Jaed up and down as if she did not approve of the catgirl being there, when she was no longer Garen's slave. But maybe there was a tinge of bitter jealousy as well. Miri had always had a thing for Garen. She left the kitchen, and Jaed looked to Tenni. "I am not sure I am ready," she said, "but we have to go, do we not?"

Tenni nods. "Yes, we do," she says. "He'd want you to be there. It's our final duty to him. And then we can go home." And Jaed can return to Nighthawke, who's still living and loves her dearly.

"Okay," Jaed muttered and stood up. With Tenni, she went to leave the house. There were a number of people inside, talking, making plans of some kind, possibly preparing to carry Garen's body on a stretcher. Jaed waved hello but did not speak to anyone, and she and Tenni went out to the Green, a large patch of grass--brown and green--in the middle of the village, where a group of men had already started setting up the pyre. Lauder was present, probably to delegate. The sun was peeking out from behind the thatched roofs of the village's small houses, casting heavy shadows onto the Green and everywhere else. Jaed spotted Miri talking to another young woman, and Fren helping to gather wood for the pyre. Jaed decided to follow suit, and looked around for any wood that could contribute.

While Jaed and Fren gather wood, Tenni makes herself useful by helping to arrange the incense that will burn with the wood, and make the cremation of Garen's body smell good and be pleasing to his god. Eldon has a particular incense, called pashal, which he prefers for funereal rites, and more than enough pashal is available for this purpose. Tenni can't help but wonder if news of Garen's terminal illness had been well-known to the village elders.

Once the wood had been placed and the incense set into the pyre's various crevices, the villagers gathered around it and started humming. Jaed gripped Tenni's hand as the humming grew into a fervor and the people began to sway. Out of the mayor's house came Garen on a stretcher, carried by the four burliest men that had helped to set up the pyre. They were followed by a priest of Eldon, who had been called three days ago in preparation for this funeral. He was dressed in blues and silvers with a tall, conical hat. Beside him, his acolyte carried a torch. The burly men lay the wooden stretcher on the pyre, and then poured an oil of some kind over everything, including Garen's body.

When directed by the priest, the crowd sits down cross-legged at a respectable distance from the funeral pyre. He begins to speak, as Tenni takes Jaed's hand. "Mayor Garen, beloved of us all, left us last night. We all know of the long illness he'd been suffering through. The battle is over, and he suffers no more. His spirit has taken its journey to Eldon's Spirit Pool, escorted by a vulpine paladin cleric. It serves as a reminder to all of us that death is not the end, but a necessary part of life, the step that we must all take, elves and non-elves alike, so that we'll one day be joined with our gods and our ancestors. Garen belongs to Eldon now. We miss him, but we would not force him back into this world of pain. And now we commend Garen's body to the nothingness from which it came."

Jaed grasped Tenni's hand with both of hers, holding onto it as if letting go would set her afloat, never to be found again. The priest spoke eloquently and respectfully of Garen's position; Jaed was quite proud of how everything had turned out, if not happy. She broke into tears, but this morning, she was not alone. Several people--men and women alike--wiped eyes or put kerchiefs to noses. When the priest said that they commend Garen's body, the acolyte placed the torch deep into the side of the pyre. Because of the oil, the wood caught fire easily and soon there was an inferno in the center of Arkala. Jaed stood up and backed away, and she was not the only one. Despite their relative distance from the pyre, they could still feel the heat like a giant oven. The incense did little more than attempt to mask the smell of burning flesh. Jaed leaned over and puked.

The smells coming off the funeral pyre are simultaneously pleasing and discomfiting to Tenni's nose, but she manages not to defile the holy place by following suit and vomiting as well. Instead, she puts herself into a state of deep meditation, reflecting on the never-ending cycle of life and death, and the rare final death of a High Elf. She thinks about the last moments of Garen's life, and his confession of his love for Jaed. There's still a lingering question that now they'd never know the answer to: If he'd fallen in love with her, why hadn't he freed her and asked her to marry him?

Jaed walked away from the pyre, away from the villagers. Under happier circumstances she would have loved to speak with the villagers, get reacquainted. But she was far too depressed. Standing outside the "boundary" of the village, she watched everyone and silently willed Tenni to meet her and take her home. Of course, they had to get Jilbo. Jaed groaned. She wanted to go home; she didn't want to deal with people today.

Tenni collects Jilbo from the rookery in short order, and finds Jaed. Their picnic basket is mounted in front of where Tenni will be. Jilbo lowers himself to the ground so that Jaed can mount up, and they take off, headed for the portal.

[CallieO]

Jaed|Hawke| was with her master and her best friend at the meadow where she had had a picnic with Tenni once upon a time. It was near the Bodkin Mountains, the same area where Arkala had been--still was. Garen was dead, but his brother had taken over the village. Nighthawke had promised to come with Jaed back to the village so she could say goodbye to Garen's tombstone at least once in her life. Tenni was with them of course, because she had offered at the last minute to accompany Jaed to the village in the first place.

Tennibrook had come armed and armored to this place, knowing that the Bodkins are a dangerous area. She knows that from experience. She's been in battle, not far from the Bodkins, when she was a member of the House of Winds. She'd had only one tail back then, and had been a simple knight, instead of the paladin cleric that she is now. Walking alongside Jaed and Nighthawke, she keeps tactical eyes on the situation as they approach the village of Arkala-- but no danger is apparent. The village is a peaceful one.

Nighthawke went along with Jaed to see her old village where she and Garen were together... He promised that he would go with her on the journey as it meant so much to her... It was kind of Tennibrook to come along and it made for a pleasant journey... Never being where they were going gave him pause to consider who they may encounter.. Today he wore his black mithril armor and his mithril black longsword... In more ways the WarMaster was going to be ready for anything and he felt comfortable knowing that Tenni was wearing her armor as well... He looked to Jaed and smiled as they rode...

They traveled up a winding road through the mountains, since Tenni did not have Jilbo. They would not have all fit anyway. But the two horses were plenty good at getting them to the obscure town. Jaed rode behind Hawke, and she often looked over his shoulder for a glimpse of her home village.

Tenni is leading the way on Vintino, and the two horses are making good time. She slows the black courser mare down to walking speed when they reach the village. Strange... it looked much as it had two weeks ago. The short-lived flowers still bloom; the birds still fly high in the sky. Don't they know that Garen had died, and everything had changed for her friend?

Nighthawke finally got a look of the village as they got closer... He pulled up on Specter's reins to slow the stallion to a more leisurely pace... Everything did look a bit quiet but for all he knew... it was normal... Only Jaed knew better. He looked back to her...."Seems quiet to you doesn't it?" He asked the catgirl; as the three of them continued forward to the village...

"It is," Jaed said, looking over his shoulder and stroking his arms. The people were more subdued than usual. For all of Tenni's belief that life had gone on too soon, Jaed saw that they were still very much in mourning. Garen had been loved by everyone. Yes, they were sweeping their porches and delivering produce, but they did not have much pep, frowns were worn by almost everyone. Except maybe the young children, who did not feel the heavy air like the others. Jaed wanted to cry, it looked so sad.

Tennibrook had been asked by Jaed not to reveal to Nighthawke that she'd accompanied her to Arkala on the day that Garen had passed away. She doesn't really think Jaed should be keeping secrets from her master, but the paladin cleric had decided to honor her request. Now that they've arrived in town, Tenni realizes that she doesn't want to proceed directly to the mayor's house, because she should ostensibly not know where it is. So she slows to a stop in the road.

Nighthawke pulled his horse to a stop as well and waited. He looked as Tennibrook stopped and he looked harder at the village again and then back to Jaed...."So where do we go? " He asked her... This place he had no knowledge or foresight to know anything more than what was before him... He turned to Tennibrook and a question spilled..." Have you ever been here yourself, Tenni? " Hoping she may know something that would help him...

Jaed|Hawke| stumbled off the horse and led the two Northeast toward a stone, two-story house with heavy wood trimming. It was the mayor's house, once owned and held by Garen and his personal team of slaves. Now, it was taken care of by Garen's brother, Kitian. She wondered where her slave friends had gone, if they were still being taken care of. Reaching the front door, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Tenni spends half a second thinking how to answer that question without getting Jaed in trouble. It comes to her that she doesn't need to volunteer too much information. "Yes," she replies. There you go. Nighthawke surely knows that Tenni had used to work for the House of Winds in this province; if he wants to assume that she'd come to Arkala as part of her duties there, Tenni isn't responsible for his assumptions.

Nighthawke nodded quietly to Tenni hearing her answer and left it at that... He could not help but to think that the village had the air of it being a morgue the way everyone seemed like the life was out of them... He watched Jaed jump off and went to the stone house and knocked on the door.. This was her home at one time he figured and she would know best who to talk to... He sat in the saddle and waited to see what would happen next...

The door opened to a tall, skinny man with lanky white hair. "May I help you?" he asked sullenly. Jaed didn't recognize him. "Umm... yes, is Mr. Kitian available?" The man stared at her with hard, gray eyes. "No, he is not. Come back tomorrow." And he slammed the door shut in her face. Embarrassed, Jaed returned to the horses and told Tenni and Nighthawke what had happened. She looked around at the villagers. They seemed to be pointedly ignoring the three of them. What was going on?

"'Come back tomorrow,'" Tenni repeats. "This is strange. Anyone else feel like people are treating us like we're invisible?"

Nighthawke didn't like what the man told Jaed and he dismounted from his horse... He unfastened the tie to his blade and looked to Tenni...."Something is amiss... Maybe we should ask the gentleman again a little more persuasively.." The black knight said to the paladin...

Terrified by what Hawke might be considering, Jaed shook her head and her hands too. "Master, no! Please do not threaten the man. Look, let us visit Garen's memorial. It should be to the right of the house with the other memorials." Having suggested it, Jaed went in that direction, hoping and praying that the two military folks would follow her rather than start a fight. When they reached the far side of the house, they noticed the half dozen memorials placed for the several past mayors of Arkala. Jaed scrutinized each marker, looking for Garen. And not finding it. She went over the markers several times but not one mentioned Garen's name. What the hell?!

Tennibrook climbs down from Vintino when Nighthawke dismounts Specter, but holds off on the idea of using a different form of persuasion on the man. The paladin cleric is not quick to violence. Instead, she follows Jaed to the memorial line, and reads the names. The markers each have flowers and various trinkets that have been left in honor of the dead. But where Garen's marker should be is only a blank space. That's very odd. "Could it really take this long to construct a proper memorial headstone for Garen?" she asks. He'd died a little under two weeks ago. And he'd been sick for quite some time prior to that.

Nighthawke humored the catgirl who seemed so scared of whoever she encountered but why? Why would she stop two knights and protect the unknown man that was in that stone house? Still he relented and went with Jaed to where there were memorials.. He stood off and let Jaed look for Garen's memorial... He was getting curious as to why she was continuing to search... There wasn't that many memorials and since Garen passed away recently, the memorial would be brand new... There were none of that kind anywhere on the grounds. "Where is Garen's memorial, Jaed?" He asked rather concerned.... There was something not right in this village and he was about to go back to the house and drag the man out of there to demand answers...

No longer worried about a fight, Jaed stormed back to the front door, followed closely by her two loved ones. She banged on the door. But no one came. She knocked again. Still no one. With a growl she looked to Tenni and Hawke. Her frustration was now coupled with bewilderment. Jaed looked from one to the other. Tenni looked confused, and upset for Jaed. Hawke also looked upset, but she saw anger in his eyes. Then she spotted the tavern, and her breath returned to her. "Let us go there, ask some questions." She nodded toward the boxy building across the Green.

Tennibrook nods, and walks with her hands on Vintino's reins up towards the tavern. She hands the reins off to a rather disinterested-looking stable attendant, and greases his palm with a 10-mhl coin. After seeing to Vintino's accommodations, she checks to see if Nighthawke is doing the same, and prepares to go with them into the tavern.

Nighthawke turned and went with Jaed and Tenni towards the tavern... Still for every step they took, people just looked at them with a rather dead look in their eyes as they ventured closer to the tavern. Surely someone in there must know what is going on in the village and what happened to Garen's body for if there was no body, there wouldn't be a memorial.... He saw Tennibrook pay a stablehand to take care of Vintino and he followed suit paying another stablehand 10 mhl to take care of Specter...

Jaed|Hawke| stood aside while her loved ones stabled their horses. When they came back, she led them into the tavern. It was occupied by the innkeeper, who stood behind the bar--she recognized the catperson as Dolan--and an ancient patron nursing a mug of ale. Approaching Dolan, she waved and said, "Hi, remember me?" When he nodded, not really looking at her, she swallowed and came to the bar. "Why are you acting so strangely? *Everyone* here is acting strangely." Baring his teeth he hissed, "Sshh! I'll get in trouble for talking to you. Just leave the village, Jaed." But she wouldn't have it. "What is going on, Dolan? Where is Garen's memorial?" He set his jaw and looked pointedly away from her. They had burned Garen's body on a pyre two weeks ago, yet they were all acting as if he had never existed at all. "Dolan," she tried again, "please talk to me." But still he refused.

Tennibrook follows Jaed and witnesses the conversation between herself and Dolan-- which is cut short by the bartender's stubborn refusal to talk to her. "Let's go to that booth over there in the corner. I'll watch the door."

Nighthawke laid a hard pair of crystal blue eyes on the bartender as he was speaking to Jaed... and then he turned away from her... He was about to step in when Tenni said that they should go sit while she watched the door... He preferred taking the bartender to the back to get answers but he went ahead and followed Tenni's suggestion and went along with the others to the back to take a seat...

Jaed|Hawke| sat at the booth on one side, while her guardians sat the other, watching the door. Apparently it took two to perform this task. "What do you think is going on?" Jaed asked. "I did not recognize the butler at all, and everyone I know is pretending that they do *not* know me. Oh, Master! I am so sorry I dragged you here. You too, Tenni." Looking down at the table she muttered, "What is going on?"

Tenni keeps her back against the wall, so that she can see the incoming and outgoing people of the tavern. "Jaed, do you see anyone here in this village who shouldn't be here? Any indication that it's being occupied by an invading force or something?"

Nighthawke kept his focus on the door while Jaed and Tenni talked... The tavern felt like a dead zone... no life in it at all considering the patrons that were there... Something was wrong and he could feel like everyone was scared to say anything especially to Jaed...

Jaed|Hawke| shook her head to Tenni's question. "The only person I did not recognize was the butler. I do not think there is any kind of invasion." Looking to her love, she asked, "Master, do you have any ideas? I can see you have thoughts you are not sharing. I really need help sorting things out." She looked to Tenni to show she was hoping for the same from her.

Tennibrook looks to the general. He'd wanted to bust some heads at the mayor's house, and she has the same sense of him now, of barely contained violence. Tenni doesn't think that that's the right play here; these people are scared for a reason. There's an unseen danger here, and by threatening people or beating someone up, they could expose that danger, and have it turned directly against the three of them.

Nighthawke turned back to Jaed and Tenni... Whatever he was thinking was only an option.. He still would listen to other ideas that may prove more beneficial.. "Something has them all scared to death....I haven't seen any other trace of a military presence so I don't think this village is under siege.. Still there must be a foreign presence that seems to be in control of everyone. Look, no one wants to talk nor are they going to be that willing... We can sit here for days or even weeks and never find out what is going on... What about finding out if there is a temple of worship here... Maybe someone there would know something unless they also have lost their tongue.. We should start there.." He suggested... It might not be fruitful but it would be better that just sitting and waiting...

Jaed|Hawke| nodded. "A good idea. The temple--if you wish to call it that--is little more than a shrine, tucked away in the forest a few dozen yards from here. If Priestess Zhana is still there, she may talk to us. She has never cared much for taking orders from others." She looked to Tenni as she suggested, "We can leave the horses here. We should be able to find it on foot within minutes."

"Sounds good," Tenni says. If the bartender's reaction to Jaed is any indication, no one here in the bar will give them any more information. But priests tend to be a little more fearless and independent. She rises up from her seat at the booth, standing ready to escort her two friends out.

Nighthawke rises as he nods to Jaed's suggestion and joins Tenni standing up waiting for Jaed before they would all leave the tavern and head to where the so called temple was hoping to find answers there...

Jaed|Hawke| stood up and led them out of the tavern. On the way out, Dolan gave her a look, like he was scared. But he gave no other hint that he would help her. Leaving him alone, she led her loved ones east into the forest. A narrow path led to a stone structure hidden in the trees. One could see firelight through the doorless entrance. A shadow fell over it every now and then--the priestess was walking meditatively. Jaed entered first, and smiled politely at the old woman. "Priestess Zhana," she greeted with a bow. The Gaean priestess looked up at her and grinned. "Jaed, how are you?" She hugged the catgirl. "Who are your friends?" Jaed introduced Nighthawke as her new master, and Tenni as her friend.

Tenni walks alongside Nighthawke, just behind Jaed, ready for any danger that might come from the forest. Perhaps they'll get answers here in the shrine. Tenni gives Zhana a warm smile. "Dame Tennibrook Balmossie, High Priestess of Triestan. It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow cleric."

Nighthawke walked along with Jaed and Tennibrook, his blacksword still untied in case it was needed... They arrived at the temple and were greeted by the old priestess.. "Sir Richard Nighthawke. WarMaster of Dethsiris.. A pleasure to meet you," He added after Tennibrook introduced herself.. He was a bit relieved that at least this was one friendly face that knew who Jaed was...

"It is very nice to meet you," Zhana said with a nod. "A fellow cleric, yes? You carry yourself like a warrior, Tennibrook, not like a cleric. Or at least not like any I have known." Jaed took a deep breath before changing the subject. "Priestess, we have a concern. Ever since we have arrived here in Arkala, everyone has been ignoring us, acting as if we are not really there. And Kitian's butler would not let us in to see him." Zhana pressed her lips together in a thin line. "And they will continue to behave this way. Garen's brother has ordered them to behave this way. Kitian wants nothing to do with his brother. Not even Garen's slaves were given the treatment they were promised. Not given to that cousin of Garen's, but to an auction block." The woman looked as angry as Jaed felt.

Tenni is about to mention that she's also a paladin and a knight, but then Jaed changes the subject, and the vixen listens to Zhana's explanation of what's going on in Arkala. "Why would he do this?" Tennibrook asks. "Did he and his brother not see eye-to-eye while Garen was alive?"

Finally an answer! Nighthawke thought. But still what was going on that this brother decided to keep the village people's tongues restrained in such a way that they dare not speak to strangers... "But why would this brother make the people not say anything to anyone? Can you tell us what this village has that he would demand privacy from everyone?" It was a reasonable question... Or something else darker...

"Not see eye-to-eye?" Zhana repeated. "It is far worse than that, I am afraid. No one knew until now, but Kitian and Garen hated each other quite passionately. Which answers your question, Sir Richard. Kitian has ordered that anything to do with Garen be removed. He counted on your return, Jaed. He instructed everyone to pretend you were not really here. Maybe you would leave." Jaed felt tears fill her eyes. "What happened to Master Garen's ashes?" she asked. Frowning, Zhana shook her head. She would not speak more; the pain in her face was obvious.

Tenni's face hardens. "If Kitian will not build a memorial for Garen, then *I* will, on my own property, if necessary. He deserves to be remembered." She can only imagine how the new mayor must have defiled his brother's remains, if the look in Zhana's expression is any indication.

Nighthawke was not the least bit happy.. What was happening was not right. "We need to take hold of this brother and find out what he did with Garen's remains or you're just building an empty memorial .We need Garen's remains and only Kitian knows what happens.. Lady help him if he desecrated them.." He replied as he wanted to take a more direct approach...

Jaed burst into tears, and Zhana hugged her with one arm. The priestess said, "I know you want his remains, his memorial. It is what he deserves. But... I'm afraid I don't know where his remains are. Kitian was quite thorough in covering everything. If you wish to confront him, you cannot go through the butler. I recommend their cousin. Her name is Leira. She lives in the village Syn, roughly three miles north of here. There is a road--little more than a dirt path. And if you have horses, I suggest you take them. It will seem like you are leaving here for good anyway; it may relax everyone." Nodding, Jaed looked to Tenni and Hawke, before hugging Zhana again. "Thank you, priestess," she said with a quick bow and a smile.

"We ride to Syn, then," Tennibrook says. "Thank you, Priestess Zhana. May Gaea smile upon you." She looks to her friends and gives them a gentle nod. She's determined to see this through, now, and bring Garen's ashes back to Jaed.

Nighthawke turned and smiled to the Priestess.. "Thank you, Priestess Zhana....Your help is appreciated.. I hope we can find out what is happening and put an end to all this secrecy..." He replied and turned to Tennibrook and Jaed..." To Syn then... let's get our horses and ride out... I hope we will find more answers there but to be honest it may end up being a confrontation if we don't have a recourse... Garen and Jaed need to have peace so we have to find the remains.." He added and then he offered his hand to Jaed.." Come, my dear... let's go..."

The three people made their way back to the Green and to the stables. Hawke and Tenni got their horses, and everyone rode out of Arkala. Jaed pointed them toward the road to Syn. She knew that town almost as much as she knew Arkala. She had made delivery trips to the place. It was slightly higher up the mountain than Arkala, so it was a little cooler, but there was hardly any noticeable difference. Jaed dropped off the horse and led them on foot to Leira's house, a small stone structure on the right side of the village.

Tenni ties Vintino to a tree and brings up the rear as Jaed takes them to Leira's house, grateful that her friend knows where they're going. Leira's house is modest compared to the late Garen's; a one-story stone building. She wonders if Leira is as respected in this village as Garen had been in his.

Nighthawke rode Jaed with him on the back of Specter as the three of them headed for Syn... The ride wasn't so long but Jaed was anxious as well as he and Tennibrook... What would happen if they didn't get the answers they sought? Would it resort to more direct means? If there was going to be a confrontation, Tennibrook and he were going to make a good accounting of themselves as they were both battle-hardened Knights.. They finally arrived and Jaed jumped right off and headed to the door as he and Tenni dismounted and followed up from behind... Blacksword still untied in case it was needed...

Jaed|Hawke| knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, she and her friends were met by a high elf woman with long, flowing blond hair. She looked young, but her eyes told of times past well beyond Jaed's years, maybe even Tenni's as well. The woman's blue eyes widened at the sight of Jaed. "By Eldon, I thought I'd never see you again. Come in! Come in!" She was speaking softly, as if afraid she would bring attention to them. Seeing Jaed's friends, Leira directed them to come inside as well. They all went in to find a comfortable sized living room with a hearth, at which a small fire crackled and burned. There were couches and chairs with an Elven touch. Leira sat in an armchair near the fire, and Jaed sat on a couch closest to her.

Tennibrook smiles at the warm greeting Leira is giving them, and enters the house after Jaed and Nighthawke, closing it behind herself. She sits down next to Jaed, and says, "Good morning, Ms. Leira. I'm Dame Tennibrook Balmossie, paladin cleric, and High Priestess of the Dethsiris Vulpine Temple. This is General Richard Nighthawke of House Dethsiris, and Jaed's new master."

Nighthawke regarded Leira as she greeted them all but yet there was an air of fear in her voice...,At least she didn't chase Jaed and the others away, instead inviting them inside quickly...He sat in the offered seat as Tenni did also letting Jaed talk to the elven woman... Hopefully there would be answers with substance that would shed light on everything that is going on in the village,,

"So, what are you doing here, Jaed?" Leira asked, playing absently with a ribbon on her dress. The catgirl swallowed. "I had been here when Garen died, and I wanted to come back, with my loved ones here"--She pointed to Hawke and Tenni--"so that I may see his memorial. But..." "Everyone is behaving strangely," Leira cut in with an emphatic nod of her head. "Yes, I am afraid, my dear child, that there has been a mandate against Garen and his wishes, including, sadly, his slaves and... former slaves."

"Because they were feuding," Tenni concludes. "But surely the mayor of the town doesn't hold dictatorial power over everyone in it?"

Nighthawke listens to every word spoken then speaks... "But even if they were feuding, why would it have anything to do with the slaves and the people of the village? What were they feuding about?"

"Dictatorial power!" Leira laughed. "Surely, we don't need such a word circling around! No, it is not a dictatorship, but neither is it a democracy. The elders of this region choose who is the mayor in each town. Then the mayor uses a delegation system to rule, as it were. And yes, Richard, the feud between my two cousins shouldn't affect those who are serving each of them. But that is neither here nor there at this point." Standing up, she approached the hearth, where hung a small pot. When she pulled off the lid, everyone could smell tea. "Tarkalian tea, anyone?" "Yes, please," Jaed replied with a smile. It was her favorite, and she hadn't had any since reaching Nanthalion.

Tenni considers Leira's words, and nods at her offer of tea. The tea smells like no flavor the paladin cleric had ever tried before. "Priestess Zhana said that Garen's slaves were given to an auction block, instead of to you, like he wanted. Do you know if they've already been sold?"

Nighthawke then thanked Leira for the offer of tea but graciously refused as he had enough to drink at the tavern...."Yes, who has the slaves now if they are not with you? The other question is what became of Garen's remains?" He added to his reply...

Leira nodded and smiled at a worried Jaed, touching her hand in comfort. She poured Jaed and Tenni their tea, and sat back down. "I am afraid the slaves are sold. I was most distressed by the news, and I will not lie. I was furious with Kitian. But..." Closing her eyes, the elven woman bowed her head just a bit. Looking back up, she said, "The feud was over land plots of all things, a typical sibling rivalry of 'his cows are in my pasture!' I had thought the issue was resolved years ago, but no. Garen and Kitian refused to talk to each other unless absolutely necessary. And unfortunately, I only ever saw that absolutely necessary period." Sipping her tea, she shook her head and sighed. "Garen's remains *are* buried where they are supposed to be. The only thing Kitian removed was his marker. He felt his brother didn't deserve recognition."

Tennibrook sips her tea as Leira speaks and explains the disposition of the slaves, the nature of the feud, and the location of the remains. "Well, I guess... that settles that. I wish the two of them had been able to reconcile while Garen was still alive, but regardless of how much they disliked one another, he still deserves to be remembered. Jaed, my offer to put up a marker for Garen at my place still stands. You can visit it whenever you like, and we will mourn his loss together."

Nighthawke finally soaks in what Leira had conveyed to the three of them. "Tis a shame that a sibling feud can do this to an entire village... What I still don't understand is why Jaed is treated like she doesn't belong here? Why the people shun her... personal property fueds shouldn't affect people like it does in the village..."

Jaed burst into tears at what Tenni said, and Leira squeezed her shoulder in comfort. The elf then said, "You're absolutely right, Richard. It is nonsensical how ridiculous the feud had got. But if it softens the blow some, there is no doubt that given enough time, Kitian will forget the mandate to treat Jaed like a pariah. Child, you might get to come back in another month." Jaed, still tearful, nodded. She asked, "Leira, why did you not come to the funeral?" The high elf frowned and nodded her head. "I was too... heartbroken to attend. I came to his memorial marker that very evening. You must have left before I got there." Jaed looked down at her hands.

Indeed, Jaed and Tennibrook had left the village not long after Garen's body had been burned on the funeral pyre. But Tenni doesn't say that out loud. She knows that her friend is keeping it from Nighthawke that Tenni had gone with her to Arkala on that day. She doesn't really understand why, but after the tribulations they'd gone through earlier in their relationship with Nighthawke thinking that Tenni was trying to steal her away from him with triestan, she doesn't want to risk the general's wrath on Jaed. "Sometimes the deepest cuts to one's pride are inflicted by one's own family. "Serving in Balmarrow, I saw brother fight brother sometimes. It makes me wonder if perhaps I'm not better off that my brother and sister died shortly after they were born." Not wanting to let that statement hang in the air for very long, she quickly adds, "But no... even having a sibling that I dislike would be better than not having one at all."

Nighthawke turns to Leira... "Why not remove Garen's remains and have Jaed take them back with us where they can be interred with an appropriate memorial where Jaed can mourn Garen without having to deal with all these problems here?"

Jaed|Hawke| bit her lower lip at Tenni's statement. Rivalries abounded sometimes, but it wasn't worth losing your siblings over. Nighthawke's question made her heart leap into her throat. She had wondered that same thing but was too afraid to come out and ask. Leira nodded thoughtfully at both of them. "I am sorry, Tennibrook, that your siblings have died young. And yes, it is true that to have a sibling you do not like is better than none at all, though I daresay if Garen *or* Kitian had lived alone, things would have been better for that particular party. As for your request, Richard, I am afraid that doing so would affect those of us who still want his remains with us. There may be no marker, but he is still here, with us. I am sorry, Jaed." The catgirl nodded and fought back tears.

Tennibrook realizes she's gotten a little too candid, and her tails curl in a mild blush. She nods at Leira's assertion that the remains are better off where they are. "Well... perhaps, as you say, one day Kitian's heart will soften towards his brother. Maybe in a month's time or so, per your suggestion. I hope Jaed will continue to be welcome to visit *you*, at least, Leira."

Nighthawke remained silent after his question was answered... There was nothing to be gained anymore and what is now will remain that way until something changes for the community...of course his idea of removing the brother and freeing the people to mourn without the threat of retribution would be a far better option without requiring the Army.. But that didn't mean he could reach out to the Ghost Knights from Citadel to deal with this... But that was only a thought.... Yet somewhere back in his mind he would wonder how did Jaed manage to travel the long journey to here all alone without any protection and this time she had protection... Was there a secret being hid from him? He would never know...

Leira smiled at the vulpine and nodded. "Yes, Jaed, and you two as well, are always welcome here in my house. I recommend that when you leave Syn, you take a circuitous route back to your home, and simply avoid Arkala altogether." Jaed frowned at Leira and tears filled her eyes as she shook her head. "I... I need something..." Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. "I need something to remember him by. Please?" Leira opened her mouth to respond in the negative, but then thinking better of it, she stood up. "I may have something, Jaed." She hurried to a back room, leaving the three to talk amongst themselves. Jaed asked, "Should we just leave, or try to get answers from Kitian himself?"

"I think it's probably not a good idea to talk to Kitian," Tenni says. "He clearly doesn't want to speak to us, or his butler would have let us through. I suppose we have the *ability* to beat it out of him, but I don't think violence is the solution here."

Nighthawke turns to Tenni.... "There are other ways without resorting to violence... I just happen to know a few of those ways..." He replied and looked back to Jaed as she was waiting for Leira to return...

"What ways?" Jaed asked, just as Leira came out holding a small, red box. She was saying as she came into the room, "I've had this for about a year, and it seems appropriate that I should give it to you, Jaed." The elf gave her the box and sat down in her seat. Jaed pulled up the lid that was attached to the box and gasped. It was a beautiful, if non-working pocket watch. The hands were stopped at two and five. "Miss Leira," she began holding the box out to her, but the elf put up her hand and shook her head. "I will not let you return it to me, Jaed. It was Garen's. I was supposed to fix it a year ago, but never got around to it. I want you to keep it for the memorial your friend Tennibrook will make." "Thank you so much!" Jaed said tearfully, standing up for a hug. Leira graciously stood and gave her that hug. The catgirl, thanking her again, said, "We have been in your hair enough. I think we should head on out."

The pocket watch is lovely, a first-generation instrument, clearly made by dwarves. Their knowledge of technology such as this is second to none. "I agree, we should take our leave," Tennibrook says, "unless the general has something he wishes to add."

Nighthawke turns to Jaed for a moment just before she was given the watch from Leira..."Lets say there are only 5 other knights counting myself as Ghost Knights that have been trained to do certain things... We shall discuss that later... " He replied then saw the watch "Interesting timepiece..." He added and finaly turned to Tennibrook...."I have nothing else to add so yes, we best be on our way..."

<+Jaed|Hawke|> As the three were leaving, Leira gave each of them a hug. They stepped out into the midday sun, and Jaed asked, "Master, are you saying there is a way to reach Kitian? I would very much like to hear from his own mouth what he has done to my village. Although..." She looked down at the ground. "It is not my village anymore."

"Moreover," Tennibrook asks, suspicious of Nighthawke's idea, but knowing he's motivated by a powerful love for Jaed, "is there a way to reach him without violence? I don't agree with him denying Garen a proper memorial, but I don't get the impression that this is a situation that calls for military conquest or an interrogation squad."

Nighthawke turns to Jaed and Tennibrook... "There is a way but now is not the right time. Everyone knows we are here and we need to leave before I will act..." He replied as they were on their way... Whatever Hawke had in mind would be non violent but incredibly uncomfortable...

The way Nighthawke spoke made Jaed a little nervous. The only thing she could think of was Hawke sneaking into the manor while most of the villagers were asleep. Still, she nodded and they got back onto their horses. She said, "I suppose we will have to find a place to camp until night arrives?"

"Depends on what Nighthawke has in mind," Tenni says. "If he's gonna do something tonight, we need to find someplace to stay in the interim. If he means leave and come back later, in a week's time or something, that's different."

Nighthawke looks at the two of them..."Any action taken now while we are here will imply a retaliation... We must leave and make sure we are seen leaving never to return.. We must give that illusion as the people here are untrusting of Jaed being here with two knights... We have to leave and let things quiet down once again.....after that this brother will come to us even though he will not know it until it's too late..."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded, thinking she understood. "So we will have to come back on another day?" she guessed. "Or at least, you Master. Yes?"

"Are you going to have these... Ghost Knights... bring Kitian to us at some point?" Tenni says.

Nighthawke nods to Jaed... "I would say a week before I act.. You especially must be gone from this area, Jaed. I don't want you hurt.." He replied and turned to Tennibrook..."I will explain later... We are still too close for ears to be around to hear us... let's just leave it at that for now..."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded sadly. "I understand. Let us leave and make sure the villagers see us leaving." She looked from Tenni to Nighthawke, her eyes brimming with tears. "I suppose we must make our way back to Nanthalion." She did not sound like she was happy with this plan, but she accepted it nonetheless.

Tennibrook says to Nighthawke, "Should we bypass Arkala on the way back to the Nanthalion Gate, as Leira suggested? Or make our way to Arkala so the villagers there can clearly see us leaving?"

"It would be better that we are seen and give the impression we are not returning," Nighthawke replied... "This would allow the people to return to what they were doing before we came and let their guard down..." He said to Tenni and turned back to Jaed... "I know you want to mourn your Master but you will just have to wait a bit longer... Just trust me alright?" He asked the catgirl...

"Yes, sir," Jaed replied. So they rode out on their horses, allowing the villagers of Arkala to see them leave, just as Hawke suggested. They made their way back to Nanthalion. Jaed anxiously awaited for Hawke's plan to come to fruition.

Fade to black.

[CallieO]

Jaed|Hawke| was sitting in Tenni's shrine on her vilakoka, praying for her Papa and for Master Garen. Her Boz'na candle was lit on the base of the Lady's marble statue. She had her hands spread facing upward, and her face to the ceiling. "Lady, show your favor on my loved ones--Papa and Garen. Give them peace in their deaths, and may they find the Cradle of the Lady upon their true deaths." She bowed deeply before The Lady and thanked her for her blessings and mercies. Then blowing out the candle, she stood up and took her vilakoka with her back to the house. It was dawn right now, the sun barely peeking out from behind the hills and trees.

Tennibrook is sitting on the couch, reading from a book of philosophy from an Eldonite scholar, wanting to learn more about the late Garen's religion so that she can be a better comfort to Jaed. The four-tailed paladin cleric has studied her own religion quite extensively, and is making a scholarly study of the other gods as well, to enhance her understanding of the world. Tennibrook is wearing a simple white shirt and blue pajama bottoms, and is comfortably barefoot. Looking up from the sip of orange juice she takes as Jaed enters the house, she says, "Good morning, ya'towa. Did you sleep well?" She hadn't yet come out of her room when Jaed had gotten up and gone to the shrine.

"I slept fine," Jaed replied, sitting at a stool against the kitchen peninsula. She had been up since before dawn, because she had become used to waking up that early whenever Nighthawke had to go to work. Which was pretty much every day. She picked up her glass of milk, which she had put down so she could pray. She knew it wasn't normal to pray so often for the dead, but she couldn't help it. She loved Papa and Garen so much that she couldn't bear to go a day without the Boz'na ritual. She hadn't told Tenni that she had been performing it every day. Who knew what the vulpine would say?

"How was your prayer service?" Tennibrook asks, noting the vilakoka in Jaed's hand. Her mind doesn't immediately jump to the conclusion that it had been a boz'na'varsh, though she knows, of course, that her friend is currently in deep mourning for Garen-- and that her former master's recent death had brought back terrible memories of the day that her father had died. But the vixen assumes it had just been a regular waking prayer, which religious vulpines are asked to do.

"It went well," Jaed said. She got off the stool to put her vilakoka in her room. When she came back out, she asked, "What are you reading? Is it interesting?"

Tenni pulls the book in front of herself to show Jaed the cover. "'Meditations in a Summer's Rain' by Kessen. A book of Eldonite religious philosophy. And yes, it's *quite* fascinating. A celebration of life and all its wonders. Garen was clearly well-loved by his god."

Getting excited, Jaed hurried to the couch and sat beside her friend. "Tell me more," she requested, looking over her shoulder. It was in Common Tongue, so Jaed was able to follow along as Tenni talked about it.

"Well, Eldon is the god of political acumen and benevolent paternity," Tennibrook says. "He talks about the art of the compromise, of sacrificing something you want to get something you need. He talks about how to win friends and influence people, but he's *against* manipulating people. Eldonites believe in statesmanship, that diplomacy is the art of the possible, that politicians should work for their constituents over their own self-interest. Kessen name-drops a few Eldonite politicians of the past, and I recognize almost *all* of them, and they're all highly-respected."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded her understanding. "Eldon was the perfect god for Garen. You know, he never pushed his religious views on us. He said it was beneath him, and unfair to us. He let us believe whatever we wanted. For me at the time, it was Gaea. In fact, Miri had worshiped Gaea as well, about the only thing we had in common." Jaed chuckled as she tapped her finger against her chin. "He was a really great man," she went on, and pulled the old pocket watch out of her pocket. "Tenni, my ya'towa. I think it is time we make that memorial."

"When a master makes it a point *not* to enforce his religious views on you, as is the case with both Garen and Nighthawke, I think that's when you know you've found someone real special," Tennibrook says. "I wish I'd gotten a chance to know him better. If you loved him, he *must* have been a great man." She smiles broadly at her dear friend. "Yes... I think it's time. What do you want it to look like?"

The memorials they had seen in Arkala were narrow, blocky pillars about two feet high and made from a carvable stone. Garen's name would have been etched into it with small, thin lines. Jaed said, "Like the ones in Arkala. That is the proper structure for a memorial." She sat back in her seat, and fought with her tears. "He *was* a good man--a great man. He took care of us, all of us. You know something funny? There were no catfolk in Arkala until Garen became mayor. He started by purchasing catfolk slaves, then by hiring workers from other villages and towns in the area. Hmm... I wonder..."

"What is it you wonder, hon?" Tennibrook asks. She closes the book and sets it down on the end table, and finishes off her glass of orange juice.

Jaed's brow wrinkled as she thought about their time in Arkala. Something about it was strange. Then Jaed's eyes widened, and she said quietly, "Tenni, did you see any catfolk the second time we went there?"

Tennibrook scratches her chin in careful thought. "Come to think of it... none but Dolan. The place had quite a few catfolk the first time we were there, but..." Her eyes widen now as well. "Douwakai. Jaed, do you suppose there was a pogrom?"

"A pogrom," Jaed whispered, her eyes widening. "You don't think they... They couldn't have! Who would do such a thing? And only Dolan survived?!" Jaed began to panic, forcing Tenni to try to calm her down.

Tennibrook stands up, and takes gentle hold of Jaed's left shoulder. "Ya'towa... we don't know that for certain. It's only an educated guess at this point. We should try not to jump to conclusions. Soon we'll hear it from Kitian himself."

"You are right," Jaed said, taking deep breaths. She couldn't bear the thought that people she knew and cared about would be murderers. Hugging herself, she shook her head vigorously. "I will not believe that is what happened. Not until I hear it from Kitian himself. The bastard!" She did not swear all the time, but when she did it was out of anger.

"Yes... even if there *wasn't* a pogrom, Kitian *is* a bastard, for selling Garen's slaves and not making a memorial there for him," Tennibrook says.

Jaed|Hawke| rested her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand. "What do you think he will say? Oh, Tenni, I am so afraid to meet him again. Our last meeting was so..." Trailing off she shivered uncontrollably.

"Oh, you two are already acquainted?" Tenni says. "I didn't realize that. I take it that it didn't go so well. What happened?"

Jaed|Hawke| shook her head vigorously, refused to look Tenni in the eye. "He... he..." A hiccup caught in her throat and she broke into tears. But she forced herself to finish. "I am lucky I came away still a virgin. I was afraid to tell you because I did not know how you would take it. And I cannot tell Master. He will kill the man!"

Tenni's eyes widen. "That... son of a bitch," she murmurs. "*I* might kill the man. But for your sake, I won't tell Nighthawke." The vixen stands up, and paces in front of the fireplace. Then she turns to face Jaed. "If you don't want to be there when we talk to Kitian, perhaps you don't have to be."

"No," Jaed insisted, "I need to be there. I need to know how you and Master will deal with him. And... given what Master plans, the truth might slip out anyway. Maybe I *should* tell him." Jaed hugged herself and looked away.

"I think it's probably a good idea, ya'towa," Tennibrook says. "If he comes to realize you've been keeping that secret from him, he might get upset with you." She places a gentle hand on Jaed's head. "Jaed, sweetheart... it's not your fault. You did nothing wrong."

Jaed|Hawke| broke into fresh tears and shook her head. "It was my first year with Garen. I was barely 18. Kitian said I was awfully mature for my age. It flattered me. I did not realize till too late that he meant, my body was mature. I have had breasts this size since I was 16." Covering her breasts, Jaed shivered again. She felt so dirty.

Tennibrook returns to the seat on the couch next to Jaed, and takes gentle hold of her dear friend's hand. She doesn't say anything right now, getting the impression that Jaed just needs someone to listen to her. She hopes she can somehow be of comfort to her.

"He not... have sex with me, but... he make me undress and..." Jaed hiccuped again and bit her lip. "He... he touch me in places. I discover also..." Squeezing her eyes shut she bent her head nearly to her chest. "I discover, I had very low gag reflex." Finally unable to control it any longer, Jaed threw herself into Tenni's arms and wept.

Tenni notices immediately when Jaed starts omitting words and losing her Common, a well-known sign of the woman's deep distress. When she clings to Tennibrook and cries in her arms, she reaches up and strokes the back of the woman's head. "Oh, darling," she soothes. "You're safe now. You're with your ya'towa. He will never hurt you again."

Trying to calm down, Jaed said angrily, "I *will* tell Master, and he do what he want to Kitian. I hate him!"

"All right," Tennibrook says. "Kitian shouldn't get away with this. With *any* of what he's done. He deserves whatever Nighthawke does to him."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded and pulled away, wiping her eyes. "We need to make Garen's memorial. But how?" Getting up she went to her glass and drank down her milk. Then she went to the icebox to pour herself more. "Tenni, why do people do the things they do? Why are people so evil?"

As Tenni considers how to make the memorial, she figures they'd need help to do the actual carving of the stone. Tenni has almost no artistic talent in her body whatsoever. Then Jaed asks her the philosophical question. "There's a theory that some people are born without the ability to discern right from wrong, or without the ability to empathize with other people. Those are the people you really have to watch out for. Other people learn those behaviors, and think they're doing good. Or they define 'good' as 'good for themselves'."

Jaed|Hawke| pressed her lips together and shook her head. "That is a scary thing, Tenni." Returning to the couch, she sat back and closed her eyes. "Who can carve the memorial for us, do you think?"

"I've given it a bit of thought," Tennibrook says. "I think Erin Tarcata, Caolan's soon-to-be concubine, could do it. She's a master sculptor. She's been carving wood and stone for hundreds of years."

Jaed|Hawke| smiled, a very small smile. She was still distraught from the telling of her much suppressed story about Kitian. But she needed to get back to herself, so she did as much as she could to push it back. "Yes, we can ask her to do it. How much do you think it will cost?"

"I have no idea," Tenni admits. "But don't worry about that; I'll cover it."

Jaed|Hawke| frowned and nodded. "You are very kind, Tenni." She broke into tears again. Maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought.

Tenni has never considered her ya'towa to be a weak person, even though she cries a lot. It takes a strong person to confront her fears as much as Jaed does. "We'll get this done, ya'towa, and it'll be something spectacular and worthy of his name."

[CallieO]

Jaed|Hawke| went with Tenni into the CVC. The place was well filled, though not packed. There were a couple of tables free. Callie's elemental servers were hard at work bustling all over the place, carrying trays filled with all kinds of vulpine cuisine. Callie herself was acting as maitre'd, asking them if they wanted a table upstairs since downstairs was getting so crowded. "That does not bother me," Jaed said, and Tenni silently agreed. Callie took them to a table about two away from the balcony. It was dark and cozy. Jaed was happy.

Tennibrook is pleased at how full up Callie's business is today; it's the sign of a healthy restaurant. There's a group of six vulpine siblings sitting at the largest, rectangular table; there's Brian and his wife Raewen sitting at the chess table, with Brian playing a rather unorthodox strategy. There's Morn and his moriel girlfriend, sharing a huge plate of vilka sausages. And there's a woman onstage playing the violin. When Tenni and Jaed get up to the balcony, there's only two other groups up here, and it's quieter and more relaxing.

Jaed|Hawke| sat down in the chair facing outside and ordered a glass of milk to drink. She stared out to the pretty little park beyond the window. In the sun it was quite breath-taking, at least it would have been if they were right on the balcony. When Callie left, Jaed said to Tenni, "Master has some ideas about dealing with Kitian. He has not told me anything yet, but... I am supposed to see him later today."

Tennibrook orders a mug of goblin coffee, and when Jaed speaks to her, the vixen replies, "Okay. I wonder what he has in mind. You'll let me know, I assume." Nighthawke had threatened to use the Ghost Knights on Kitian, and that had been *before* he'd known the full extent of his crimes against Jaed.

"I do not know," Jaed replied, looking out at the bright day. "Part of me feels I should talk Master out of doing something to Kitian. But another part, a larger part, wants him to rid the world of that horrible man." Leaning her chin on her hand she twirled her fork between her thumb and forefinger. She was very distraught by the idea in the first place, but she was telling the truth for all that anyway. The drinks arrived via an elemental server, "Orders, please?" it grunted. Jaed ordered the jinjona, as usual, and a plate of giojoni.

"Let's find out what he did to Arkala's catfolk, first," Tennibrook says. "Before we can determine what justice would be in this case, we need to know the full extent of his crimes." Tenni orders a plate of rabbit giojoni and five sweet vilka sausages, and asks for some buttermilk biscuits.

"Oh..." Jaed's eyes widened. She had forgot to tell Nighthawke about the catfolk. She was so worried about bringing up the sexual assaults, that she had not thought about it. She sighed. "Tenni, even when I try *not* to hide things from Master, I end up hiding things. I never mentioned to him about the catfolk."

"It's all right," Tenni says. "You had your hands full talking to him about the rest of it, I'm sure. How did he handle the news?" The paladin cleric takes a sip of her tea.

"He wants to kill Kitian," Jaed whispered. More loudly, she added, "I do not think he will, of course. We will just stay away from the northlands until he calms down." Blushing then, she shrugged and shook her head. "I do not know what he will actually do." Shivering, she hugged herself and frowned.

Tenni nods. "I'll bet he does," she replies. "If I can be completely honest with you... the thought's occurred to *me*, too. But this is Belariath. If attempted rape was a capital offense, the world would have a *lot* less people in it. On the other hand, if he initiated a pogrom against the catfolk in Arkala, he has a *great* deal to answer for."

Jaed|Hawke| frowned into her milk. "I do not like the idea of killing anyone. But Kitian does need to be punished. Who knows what he has done to the catfolk in Arkala?" She suddenly broke into tears. Again.

Tenni takes Jaed's hand and gently runs her thumb along her ya'towa's knuckles. She leans forward and kisses her on the forehead. "It's all right," she says. "We don't know for sure what happened to them. And why the bartender was left behind."

Wiping her eyes, Jaed nodded. She hoped they could deal with Kitian and be done with it. She would probably never be able to go back to Arkala afterward, which made her sad. But nothing kept her there anymore. Everyone she loved and cared about was gone... except Leira of course. Maybe she would be interested in living down here in Nanthalion? No, that was a silly idea. Syn had been her home for decades. She wouldn't want to leave.

The basket of buttermilk biscuits arrives, and Tennibrook grabs one, cutting it open and spreading some strawberry preserves onto it. The vixen eats in silence for a moment, wondering if there's something they're missing about Kitian, Garen, and Arkala. Jaed hadn't realized that the catpeople were missing until after their group had returned home. Therefore, they hadn't had the chance to question Priestess Zhana or Leira about it.

Jaed|Hawke| could see gears turning in Tenni's head. "What are you thinking, ya'towa?" she asked, picking up a biscuit and taking a bite. It was dry without jelly, but she wasn't very fond of jelly.

Tenni frowns. "Well, I was thinking... Zhana and Leira didn't seem afraid to talk to us. Maybe we could gather more information from them, about what happened to the catfolk, before we take any action against Kitian. We may even be able to have him tried in Arkala's court for what he's done, rather than take punitive action against him ourselves. We don't really have any authority to do anything to him, after all, aside from the authority of might makes right."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded. "The Elders certainly would want to know what is going on in Arkala. The village itself does not have a police force. There is one force for the whole region, about five villages in all." Jaed took a deep breath. "I do not know how they will react to a potential pogrom, but if Nighthawke decides to take care of him on his own, it might not matter."

"It might *still* matter," Tenni says. "Kitian couldn't have done it on his own. If there *were* a pogrom, the people who followed his orders would have to be brought to justice, too."

Jaed|Hawke| put a hand to her head. All of this awful talk was giving her a headache. She decided to change the subject. "I finished cataloging the library at Healing House last night. It was a long night, but worth it."

Tennibrook smiles, appreciating the shift. "The Healing House has quite an extensive library. I went there quite a bit as I was learning First Aid and Triage."

"I still have to sort the books and reshelve them." Rolling her eyes, Jaed shook her head. "Not looking forward to it, actually." She played with her fork again.

"Well, repetitive tasks *are* good for helping you to think about things," Tennibrook says. "As a knight, they had me do a lot of things that you'd think they'd delegate to other people. Trying to make me a well-balanced individual."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded, not really paying attention. As much as she had tried to change the subject, she couldn't help but continue to think about Kitian and Arkala, and her friends. She even would have liked to see Miri and ask how she was doing now that Garen wasn't in the picture. Jaed sighed and looked toward the entrance for the waitress and the food that was supposed to come.

A two-tailed vixen, a real person, not an Elemental Servant, comes out with Tenni and Jaed's food on a tray. "Jinjona, two orders of giojoni, and some vilka sausages, sha la zosho ki kuna palza," she says. "And thank you for your patience." Even with all five Elemental Servants going at once, Callie's is a bit short-staffed at the moment for the sheer number of customers. She makes her way back through the screen door after making sure everything is to her customers' satisfaction.

Jaed|Hawke| is happy that she has something to occupy her mind, even if it is simply eating. She focused on the giojoni first, because they were best hot. "Mmm... these are good, Tenni. I have not had giojoni at this restaurant before, but they are perfect." She ate them quickly, hungrily.

Tenni smiles. "It *is* good, isn't it? My mother used to make giojoni that practically melted in one's mouth. She was the most marvelous chef I ever got to know, and Father and I ate like kings and queens every night."

"Must be nice," Jaed said with a small smile. Now that she had food in her belly, she felt a little better. She did wonder to herself when she was supposed to meet Nighthawke, if it was today or some other day, she had no idea. She started on the jinjona, grinning at Tenni, though she hardly felt it. Her stomach had been churning--not out of hunger, but anxiety. Now that food was there, it didn't churn as much but she still felt a little sick.

Tennibrook takes another bite-sized giojoni dumpling into her mouth. "Who did the cooking in Garen's household while you were there? I remember you telling me that you barely know how to boil water."

"I am learning!" Jaed protested. "It was Ari, same as when we visited last."

Tenni giggles softly at Jaed's protestation. "Have you been improving your cooking, then? I remember when I was pretty terrible, too, and it wasn't all *that* long ago."

"I made shrimp alfredo for Master not too long ago, and he said it was good," Jaed replied. "Whether he was telling the truth or not, is up to debate. But he did clean his plate." Chuckling, she took another bite of the jinjona.

Tenni grins. "Well, my mother always said, 'The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' That's how she won over my father."

Jaed|Hawke| grinned back. "Yes, is that not also what vulpines say when giving out food? Sha la zosho ki kuna palza." She giggled. She was very thankful that this was taking her mind off her troubles. Who knew that food could do that?

Tennibrook smiles broadly, remembering her mother. "My mother was very patient with me. None of the gourmet recipes ever stuck in my mind while she was alive, but I *did* learn how to make a wonderful macaroni and cheese, and goulash."

Jaed|Hawke| laughed. "I know your pain, Tenni. Certain things I could not learn to save my life, like cooking." Jaed smiled now as she twirled her fork. "Tenni, I would like more giojoni. Should I go downstairs to order it, or will someone come up at some point to ask how the food is doing?"

"I'll order it," Tenni says. She casts her Message spell. "Callie, this is Tennibrook. More giojoni, please, for Jaed." She gets a confirmation message, a moment later. She says to Jaed, "Well, cooking is one of those things you've just gotta learn by doing."

"Thanks, love," Jaed said, and finished off her jinjona. "Do you know any other vulpine dishes that are good? I have to admit I did not like the min'taba that much."

Tennibrook considers. "I've enjoyed the daube and the Chisa Eloisa. The daube is a beef and bacon stew, and the Chisa Eloisa is a spicy wild boar dish. And I *do* mean spicy."

"The daube sounds delicious! But I am not very good with spicy food. It makes me sick sometimes." Jaed chuckled. "It gives me heartburn...."

[CallieO]

Dame Tennibrook Balmossie and her ya'towa Jaed Tenassa are riding on Tenni's black courser mare Vintino after their lunch at CVC, heading towards their rendezvous point in the Nanthalion Forest with General Nighthawke. Tenni is dressed for combat, in her mithril chain mail over a green-and-gold gambeson; black pants; and black boots. She has her mithril longsword and mithril dagger on her hips, and her mithril gauntlets and greaves, and her wrist crossbow, shield, and visored helm.

Jaed rode behind Tenni on her horse. She was afraid of what her two friends might do, on her behalf no less. She was wearing a red tunic and black leggings. She had no armor, and she hoped there would not be a battle on her old homeland. But if she were honest with herself, she had no idea whatsoever of Nighthawke's plan. She was only aware that it would somehow involve his Ghost Knights.

Nighthawke had appeared from around a couple of trees silently dressed in his blank light armor that he really used for many reasons... (https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/1a/a3 ... d2f49d.jpg) Blacksword hanging from his belt.. He rode out to greet Tennibrook and Jaed.... "Thank you both for coming. The others will be here shortly.. whatever you do, do not make abrupt moves upon seeing them." He said with caution.. Then silence as even the birds flew off... Trees surrounding the clearing when movement was sensed.. as if almost from out of the trees themselves, they appeared all dressed like Hawke yet silent and scary by nature...Their horses black, just like Specter was, added to the atmosphere... Eyes that could not be seen would make someone think that they were like the undead... One of the five approached the three of them riding directly to Nighthawke...

Tennibrook had been hoping to end this confrontation with Kitian without violence, but the Ghost Knights look like an undead army or an assassination squad. "Good to meet you all," she says. "I'm Tennibrook; I'll be accompanying you today. What's the plan, General?"

Jaed shivered when she saw the ghost men surrounding them. She didn't like the look of them, but she trusted her master. He seemed quite at ease--what she could tell from him fully armored. She waited with bated breath for Nighthawke to answer Tenni's question.

Nighthawke turned as the knights surrounded the three as the lead knight stopped and removed his helm...A young man of some 6'2" of height with black hair and hazel eyes looked before them with a smile.. A modest bow of the head towards the armored vulpine with a smile.. "I am Sir Justin...with me are also Sirs Cedric, Galean, Patrick and Elson. We are glad to be summoned for this endeavor...." He replied and turned to Hawke..."My Lord, we came as quickly as we could and we are at your service.." He added when he turned to their lord. Hawke smiled to Justin..."I'm glad you are all here.. The task is a simple one... We need to flush out a rat that has infested a village named Arkala... We need to make it clean without blood shed.. This should not be a problem to be able to accomplish." He replied to the knights including Tennibrook and Jaed... His purpose was clear and concise..

"We should try to discover what it is that this mayor, Kitian, has done," Tennibrook says. "For sure, he's taken over the town, wronged Jaed a few years ago, and sold off his brother's slaves on the auction block rather than give them to his cousin. He's also denied Garen the memorial stone that he's due. What we *don't* know yet, and what we need to discover, is what happened to the catfolk in Arkala. As best we could tell, there was only one left when we got there-- the bartender."

Jaed breathed a sigh of relief when the one ghost man removed his helmet and proved to be very much alive. She listened to them talk--all of them, even Tenni--and her heart thudded in her chest. This was really happening. They were really going to deal with Kitian once and for all, and maybe even free Arkala from his cruel grasp. She remained quiet and listened to the military folk continue to talk through their strategy.

Nighthawke listened to Justin and then listened to Tennibrook. "That is what me and my friends plan to do but it has to be in such a way that Kitian will be willing to leave his home right into our grasps... It will require scaring this Kitian to the point he is in fear for his life and will want to emerge from his home right into our hands... This is where my friends and I will do what it takes to invoke fright into everyone in the village... It would have been simpler if we just went in there and dragged him out, but you don't want any violence....Very well, we shall make our way back into Arkala coming down from Syn where we shall make our move.. Jaed, I will want you to hide with the Priestess.. I don't want you even seen.. not a glimpse, you stay hidden... If you do anything that can reveal what we are going to do then everything will be for naught... Do I make myself clear?" He said to Jaed and Tennibrook...

"And what will you do, to frighten him, and the rest of the village? You're not going to do something like set it on fire or anything?" Tennibrook asks. The people of Arkala had been important to Jaed for the last few years, and she doesn't want them hurt. At least, not anyone who doesn't deserve it.

Jaed|Hawke| bit hard on her lower lip. A fire? Surely, they had something less drastic planned! But all the same, she was very interested to find out. At Nighthawke's insistence, Jaed agreed to stay with the priestess. She didn't want to be involved with any fighting anyway. Or whatever was planned for them.

Nighthawke glances back at Tennibrook... "A fire will just imply a physical attack... Give me and my men credit that we know what we are doing... The village of Arkala is going to be besieged by the dead. The purpose is to frighten everyone into such a state that it will draw Kitian's attention to make him wonder why all this is happening...no physical damage will be set unless the villagers do it themselves.. That me or my knights will be blamed for it...If you think prayer is going to change a man like Kitian then tell me, then we will not act." He was honest but direct... If Tennibrook had no faith in what he and his friends wanted to do then there was no sense in doing it....

Tennibrook considers carefully. "No... no, I think in this case, we *do* need to scare him straight. If the people of Arkala come to believe that the very spirits of the dead have turned against them because of Kitian's actions, it could force a regime change. But even for someone as vile as him, repentance is possible, and I think Zhana and I should give him that chance. Or maybe perhaps just me."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded her agreement. "I believe Zhana would gladly speak with him. She is very intelligent and very close to her goddess. If anyone can make Kitian change his ways it is her." Of course, there was the problem that so far she had not, in all this time. Falling silent, Jaed blushed and kept her tongue from then on.

Nighthawke nodded for a moment while Justin rejoined the other four knights...."Ok let's find the long away around to get to Syn and after we rest up we will start what we plan to do in the evening hours when most of the villagers are asleep..." He replied and he turned to Tenni and Jaed...."Let's go to Syn," He says as the knights gather together...

Tennibrook nods, and as they begin to make their way towards Portal Park, with the paladin cleric riding alongside the Dethsiris general, she asks him a question. "What's my role to be in this endeavor?"

Jaed|Hawke| gazed at her master from behind Tenni. He wasn't in the least bit tense; he was in his wheelhouse. It was then that she realized she had never seen him in his element--a soldier leading troops. She felt honored to finally be involved--in whatever small way--in this part of his life. Yes, she would have to hide once they got there, but it was still nice to see. Beyond that, she was happy to be seeing Zhana again. They didn't get to talk as much as she would have liked the last time they were there. Maybe she could try to get some much needed answers from the priestess, for herself, and for her loved ones.

Nighthawke turns to Justin and nods.. Justin modestly nods back to him and goes to the pack horse and comes out with an additional set of black light armor and turns back to Tennibrook...A light smile to the vulpine...."Do you want to be a ghost?" He asked her as Justin presented Tennibrook with the set... "We sure can't have you exposed to everyone....See if this will fit you.." He apparently wasn't kidding wanting the vulpine to join the others but it was up to her...

Tenni holds the set up to her own body and says, "Looks like it should fit. At least, the chest piece, anyway. Not so sure about the pants; no tail hole. But yes, I'll be a ghost."

Jaed shivered. She didn't want Hawke and Tenni to do something possibly dangerous. What if the villagers spooked and started a fire? Or what if they just laid on the fighters themselves? Jaed was pretty sure the latter wouldn't happen. But it didn't stop her heart pounding or her breath shortening. Quietly, almost demurely, she said, "Please be careful, my loves." She spoke to both of them.

Nighthawke turns to Tennibrook hearing about the pants not having a hole for her tails....He turns back to Justin... "Accommodate the Paladin, Justin.. Be a gentleman..." He says humorously as Justin took hold of the pants and sent about putting a hole behind sufficiently large enough to allow her tails to fit nicely..."By the time he is done it will fit the vulpine comfortably..." .He turns back to Jaed and takes her hand for the moment...."We'll be alright beloved.." He smiled lightly and then he mounted up the moment Tenni was ready. "It was time to ride for wherever Jaed chose to go...

Tennibrook goes into the forest, away from view, and slips out of her current armor, putting on her Ghost Knight armor. The fact that she has four white, poofy tails, two large triangular ears, and a woman's figure does nothing to spoil the effect of Tenni looking like a vengeful spirit.

Jaed|Hawke| swallowed. Nighthawke still wanted her to lead. Well, that was fine, she supposed. "We... need to go to the temple to the east of Arkala. There is a roundabout trail that goes through the small gardens the villagers have planted outside the place. If we go there first, you can take the more direct route to get back into Arkala without being seen until you are right on them."

Nighthawke nods back to Jaed, and he and the other knights are ready to ride... Justin smiled when Tennibrook emerged in the black light armor and was pleased how it looked on her. He walked up to the vulpine... "To fade away, just wish it to happen....Arch Mage Calintir created these for us as we are the closest to Lord Nighthawke. Once we are done with the task set before us.. you may keep it. But know you can only use it in case you absolutely have to wear it.. Lord Hawke will explain more when we reach the temple on how we will go about the task.... We are glad you will join us in this, Dame Tennibrook.." Justin said and then he went to his horse and mounted up and readied...

Tennibrook nods, and brings her horse down to a stop, moving Jaed in front of her and sidesaddle so that she could lead Tenni where she needs to go. "I'm glad to be here," Tenni says. "The Lady's vengeance needs to be brought upon Kitian for what he's done. Catpeople are a favored race of Shuka Triesta, and if he's done to them what I think he has, he must be held accountable. I think we're the only ones who will do it."

Jaed|Hawke| nodded and asked Nighthawke, "Are your men ready?" They looked ready, of course. If he would nod at her question, she would direct them toward the road they needed to take, a little ways right of the path they would normally take into Arkala. They traveled this road as it wended around the mountains, showing off patches of clearings for gardens and small farms. Jaed remembered before too long that they were supposed to go to Syn by this route, so she took them there. At the village, they gathered in the small tavern to discuss strategy. The sun was well on its way to setting by this point. Night was soon approaching.

Nighthawke nodded back to Jaed as Justin and the other four would fade away leaving only the three. They were still there but the smaller the number seen the better it was to travel discreetly. He rode close to Tenni and Jaed as their journey took everyone in a roundabout way as daylight started to darken the further they traveled. Until they reached their destination...Slowly one by one each Knight appeared without anyone noticing them and they all went inside to partake of something to drink after the journey and waited for Hawke to lay out the plan in mind for everyone...

Tennibrook removes her helmet and has some refreshments. The Ghost Knight armor isn't custom-made for all for Tenni's figure, but the tail-hole is sufficient to prevent her tail bases from rubbing against one another, so she's comfortable enough.

Jaed sat beside her master and looked about at the knights. They all looked so tough, even Tenni, in that armor. No, not just the armor. The way they carried themselves. They were good with their weapons and strategies and they knew it. Jaed felt she didn't really belong with them; she was no fighter. But as a healer... Clearing her throat, she said, "If anyone will need a healer, Zhana and I are in the temple east of the village. We will do our best to keep you at your best."

Nighthawke started to explain the plan to Tenni and the other knights...."We will enter the village from the north and we will conceal ourselves.. By that time it will be nightfall and we can go about what we need to do. Justin, you Cedric, Galean, Patrick and Elson will spread out and choose any home to start your task... make things fall, make haunting noises... call out Kitian's name in low growls and moans...allow yourselves to be seen as black shadows against a wall, a doorway...sufficient enough to scare the people into terror and fright... The whole village will be under siege from the dead all searching out Garen's brother so that they will all go running to Kitian's home screaming for help...." He says and then turns to Tennibrook... "You and I will pay Kitian's home a visit.. I will take care of his man servant and I will leave Kitian to you. A certain amount of physical reaction you must lay upon this man..."

Jaed gasped at Nighthawke's orders. "But if you draw the villagers to Kitian's manor and then place yourselves in his house, does that not put you and Tenni in danger of being hurt by the villagers? Master, you said you would draw Kitian out. Is that not safer than placing yourselves between him and the people of Arkala?"

"I think it might be better for the Ghost Knights to draw the villagers *out* of the city... maybe one of the things they could say is 'Vengeance for the catfolk'," Tenni says. "If we draw them all to Kitian's house, they might interpose themselves between us and our target."

Nighthawke sighs for the moment... Justin and the other knights look at him.... Hawke turns back to Justin...."We will have to rethink this idea.. We know that they will go running to the Mayor for help... now we have to try something else... " He replies and then thinks. "Alright Justin, we are all just going to lay siege to Kitian's home and leave the villagers alone..."

"What about if we used the Ghost Knight armor to fade away and went right up to Kitian's house?" Tenni suggests. "The five Ghost Knights could move outward from the mayor's house to terrify the villagers out of Arkala, while you handle his butler, and I confront him directly. But we drop Jaed off first at the temple."

Jaed|Hawke| frowned, leaning her chin on one hand. It wasn't a bad plan; she couldn't see any outright ways her master and ya'towa could be hurt, though the possibility was still there. She wiped her mouth and said, "Yes, I will go to the temple. You all ride out without me. You will want to come from the north, you will be seen coming from the east." She fell silent and chewed on her lip.

Nighthawke and the knights turn to Jaed and Tennibrook silently listening to their ideas. Options they had few of and it was better that they let the Catgirl and the Vulpine make the decision as to what a better plan would be...

"I think an inward-out plan of attack is the best way to assure that the villagers don't congregate outside the mayor's house, where they could get in our way or be crushed in the tumult," Tennibrook says. "The Ghost Knights need to stir up plenty of noise still, and instill terror in Arkala's inhabitants."

Jaed|Hawke| had nothing else to add, but she was becoming anxious. It seemed she and Tenni had taken over the strategizing, and Jaed for her part didn't know the first thing about strategy. She asked Tenni, "Are you sure that is a better method?" Jaed could see the quiet anger in Hawke's eyes. Leaning forward in Tenni's ear, she added a bit quietly, "Don't push your ideas so... flauntingly." Blushing, she sat back and fell silent.

Nighthawke listened to Tennibrook's idea and turned to the other knights.. Justin looked to him.. "it might work... What have we got to lose, M'Lord?" Justin replied.. Hawke nodded .. "Very well, we'll do it the way Tennibrook wants to do it... Justin and the rest of you, prepare yourselves..." He added as he got to his feet... He looks to Jaed and Tenni... "Would you both excuse us? There are some things I wish to speak to my men about and it won't take long..." He said and then walked out of the Tavern to have a chat with his men....

Tenni nods her assent for Nighthawke to have a word with his men, and she stays behind with Jaed. When the two of them are alone together, she says sotto voce to her ya'towa, "I don't mean to be pushy. I just want to get this done with the least amount of casualties. If we pushed everyone *towards* the mayor's house and then tried to storm it and take two people, the villagers might get hurt trying to protect them, or stampede over each other trying to escape. Remember... there *are* only seven of us."

Jaed breathed a sigh of relief when there were no harsh words spoken. She listened carefully to Tenni's explanation and nodded her understanding. She wanted everything to go well too. She certainly didn't want the people she loved to get hurt or worse, killed. Watching Hawke and his men leaving them, she wondered what they were going to talk about.

It would be several more minutes until Hawke would return inside the Tavern and went to sit down with Tenni and Jaed but the others did not come back in with him. "Justin and the others are getting ready.. They will remain outside ready to go.. All that is left is just for you two to be ready to go.." His answer was simple and direct...

Tennibrook puts her helmet on, ready to go. She climbs aboard Vintino and gets Jaed riding sidesaddle. The paladin cleric begins to make the journey towards Arkala's temple to drop off Jaed.

Jaed watched her friends carefully. She wanted to look at them and *know* that everything was going to be alright. She hated that she had to stay out of the middle of all this, but at the same time she was thankful to meet with Zhana again. While they rode, she prayed for the safety of her master and her ya'towa. Tenni brought her to the temple, and she said goodbye to the vulpine before joining the priestess, who seemed happy to see her.

Nighthawke glances at Jaed without a word between them as he turns and joins the others as they start riding in the direction of Arkala with him taking the lead. Justin and the others followed along quietly.. The journey would not be long until they met at the last fork in the road awaiting Tennibrook to join them after dropping off Jaed at the Temple...

As Tennibrook drops Jaed off at the temple, she gets the sense, judging from Nighthawke's body language, that Tenni has upset him again. She's very good at that. Tenni and Nighthawke are like oil and water. They didn't agree on triestan; he was upset when she suggested Jaed become a healer; and she can tell he's upset with her for coming up with a plan opposed to his own on how to use the Ghost Knights in this situation. As Tenni helps Jaed off the horse, she says to her ya'towa, "Be safe here with Zhana, and pray for our success."

Jaed broke into tears once she was alone with Zhana. "What if they get hurt?" she asked the priestess. Zhana hugged her and soothed her without words. Meanwhile... the Ghost Knights--now including Tennibrook--made their way down to Arkala, staying to a southerly route that would land them behind the manor. The villagers were out and about this night, oddly enough, and looking more distraught than usual. At their angle at this time, they did not know the reason for the looks the villagers were wearing, but they would soon enough when they circled the manor.

Nighthawke and his men stayed out of sight as they awaited Tennibrook to arrive... Hawke thought it prudent to send Cedric out ahead to scout out the village to look for possible weaknesses, just in case something went afoul of their plan... Cedric cloaked into black mist and stayed in the shadows as he made his way around until he came upon villagers all amassed together looking up in deep eerie silence.. He would look up himself and his mouth was agape with shock at what he saw.. It would only take him a minute to disappear into more shadows and was then nowhere to be found if anyone was looking for a black specter and raced back to rejoin the others..

Tennibrook stands ready, wearing her mithril longsword and mithril dagger, shield, and wrist crossbow as weapons, as she awaits Cedric's return. She's curious as to what the one-man scouting party would reveal.

Nighthawke nodded as Tennibrook arrived just about the same time that Cedric returned from the village.. "M'lord... you won't like what I have to say.." "Well, tell me and I will decide..." Cedric simply blurted out what he saw... "In the center... people were looking at the body of a dead catperson on display..." "What!!?? " Hawke replied... "Yes M'lord a catperson was executed apparently and was impaled on a pike... A few were crying, some others were speechless, and the rest couldn't look." Cedric reported to everyone... Hawke looks back to Tennibrook... "If your Lady has anything to say, she best speak now because Kitian is going to die.. him and his man servant.." Those were the final words he would say after hearing the news...

The villagers indeed were frightened and disgusted by Kitian's form of punishment. No one there knew the reason. Dolan was a simple bartender who did his best with what he had. Certainly no reason to be impaled on a spike. The poor kid had struggled on that pike for hours during the day, sometimes screaming, sometimes crying. Other times he was perfectly silent as his body twitched. Finally, by nightfall, he was not moving at all. Kitian had come out after his tall, sinewy manservant (with long, limp, disgusting white hair) had impaled the boy. He announced to everyone that they were officially bound to him, and were told to give no strangers a pleasant stay in his village. They would have to be ready for a battle. The villagers were not so sure how to feel about these new orders. They were not fighters, after all.

Tennibrook obtains a description of the catperson from Cedric, and gasps. "Douwakai." ["Untranslatable, extremely vulgar vulpine curse word."] "Dolan. They executed the goddamn bartender. Yes, Nighthawke... whatever happens, Kitian dies tonight. But before he dies, we need to know what happened to the *other* catpeople. If they were taken somewhere, or flat-out murdered. If they were taken somewhere, we need to arrange for their safe return."

Nighthawke frowns..."Well we better get the bastard and torture the hell out of him to make him talk..As fas as the people, we will have to deal with them one way or another...My concern now is the catpeople that seem to be missing. Kitian has his hand in this... They have to be somewhere. Did Jaed tell you how many cat people lived in Arkala when you talked to her before?" He asked Tenni as the knights were already of a mindset of kill first and ask questions later..

The people of Arkala were not aware of the large group of knights outside their town. Most of them went into their small houses and disappeared for the night. They were exhausted after having to pretend all day that one of their own was not dying a slow, painful death in the middle of the Green. Those few who were out in this darkness, had little interest in the usual chats and games they often had enjoyed. Indeed, most of them were in a stupor, not realizing they should go home like the others had. There were about six people in all, still hanging out in the Green... or rather, just outside of it.

Tenni shakes her head. "No, she didn't. I recommend we shroud ourselves and make our way to the manor silently, but it's your show here, General."

Nighthawke nods silently as he turns to the other five knights and nods...Justin, Cedric, Galean, Patrick and Elson all shrouded themselves as well as Hawke along with their horses and turned for Tennibrook to join them... They started to ride into the outskirts of town where they concealed the horses and made their way towards the Green... The sight of the dead bartender made them all angry...some of the villagers that were there in the green thought they heard disembodied voices speaking softly... Justin said to Hawke that they should take Dolan off the pike and let him down...Hawke thought that it was a good idea.. Another villager would suddenly shout as he witnessed some black specters emerge from the shadows going towards the dead bartender and they lifted the body off the pike and it looked like it was floating to the ground terrifying the people there and they ran to their homes very quickly..

The few stragglers around the Green screamed at the sight of the phantoms suddenly picking up Dolan and setting him on the ground. One man in particular--a farmer in his sixties with gray and black hair--got on his knees and begged them to take his life. He was so scared and ridden with guilt that the apparition broke him. He curled into a ball and sobbed. His wife, a plump woman with gray hair in a bun, threw herself onto him and cried, "Do not take my husband from me! I beg you!" There was quite a fuss around the Green.

Tenni is filled with compassion for this farmer and his wife, who are clearly distraught at what has happened in this village. "Go," she says in a sepulchral voice. "Only the guilty die tonight. Justice for Dolan! Justice for the catpeople!"

As the farmer and his wife start to run away, the body of Dolan is lifted by the black Phantoms and is seen floating away from the Green into the shadows never to be seen again...as actually Galean and Patrick carried the body away to be properly buried with dignity when they are finished with tonight... More whispers heard as the phantoms spread out and disappeared into the shadows... more screams could be heard throughout the village as the night of the village under siege continued...

The woman, terrified of the voices, helped to pick up her husband, and the two ran frantically toward their home, slamming the door shut behind them. They would not be a problem anymore. In fact, almost everyone who had been out before had run for cover. All but a young man no older than 18, still holding an empty bucket in his hand while he stared in the direction of the voices he had heard. Could he see them, despite all precautions to remain invisible?

Tennibrook leans down to grab the young man by the lapels. "What happened to the catpeople of the village?" she asks him. "And who helped Kitian?"

Another Phantom softly spoke to the terrified boy.... "Tis not your day son... We are here for Kitian and any who helped him... Tell us true who helps them and what happened to the cat people.." The Phantom voice spoke..all the boy could see was black myst phantoms that he could see through but yet he was being held...there were other phantoms moving around quietly not saying a word and even that was more then enough to scare the lad...

The boy trembled, his lower lip quivering. He was so scared he was a waterfall of words. "We didn't wanna do it, honest! But he told us to! Mayor told us if we didn't do what he told us, he would have the same done to us! Please don't kill me, spirit! I never wanted to do it!" He burst into tears, and dropping the bucket, he put fists to his eyes, like a real child. He couldn't have been younger than 15. This mandate made by Kitian had really weighed heavy on his conscience.

"What happened, boy?" Tennibrook asks. "What did he do to the catpeople, and why?" She doesn't want to kill this frightened young man-- practically a kid-- who'd been forced to follow orders or face his own death sentence. Especially if he's going to be helpful. Besides, the other Phantom had told him it wasn't his day to die.

The other phantom spoke again as the boy cried...."Tell us what you know about the catpeople and who are the ones that forced you. The lives of your family depend on if you tell us true. " He said in a voice that sounded like it came from the grave.. cold, harsh, unfeeling... Hawke has to be convincing lest the plan would not work...but he had a feeling that the boy would not lie.

The boy, still in tears, spoke in a trembling voice. "He made us kill them. They stood in a line, all eight of them--Miri, Fren, the others. We-we got behind them and we...we..." He wailed, sinking to his knees. "We stabbed them!" finished a man who had stepped out of his little hut. His face was weathered, old, grim. "Dolan wasn't there at the time. He was off making a delivery," the man continued. "When he came back, he was told that the other catfolk ran off. Now, leave that boy alone, he means nothing to you." The man did not seem as scared as the others of these specters.

Tennibrook growls. Using her Change Self spell, she makes her eyes, normally golden, glow red with rage. "Go," she says. "Go to your altars, to your temples. Pray to The Lady to have mercy on your souls and on your village. No mercy will be shown to Kitian on this night. He has murdered his brother's slaves, and every catperson in this village, as surely as if he'd done the stabbing himself. Catfolk are one of The Lady's favored races. The Lady will not suffer him to live."

The man was suddenly lifted off the ground... Another voice spoke... "You killed one of them... You have no remorse... May the Lady have mercy on your miserable soul..." The voice said and the chilling sound of a black sword was drawn and was about to strike the man down...

"No!" the man cried. Now he *was* scared. "I killed none of them! You must believe me! Forgive me, I was angry with the Mayor! *That* was why I spoke as I did! Please! Spare me! I will tell all!"

Tennibrook's Truth Hear spell doesn't ping when the old man says he didn't kill anyone. "This one speaks true," she says. "We must away to Kitian's house before word gets back to him and he escapes. Someone should take this man to our rendezvous point." By which she means the temple. "There you will make a complete account of what happened, and leave nothing out. General... it's time to exact justice."

The phantom holding the man lets him down on his feet... "You and the boy go to the temple NOW... Go directly there and we are watching what you do.." The voice said as it faded as did the phantom that stood before them. This was the man and boy's chance to do what they were told and they were watched heading for the Temple as the Phantom Elson followed behind..

The man, indeed, ran to the temple, followed closely by the boy. The boy was Vernon, and the man Dar. They ran all the way to the temple, breathing heavily when they reached it. There they found Zhana, of course. And Jaed. Surprised and happy, Dar put his weathered hands on the catgirl's face. "You are okay! When you came by a week ago, Kitian had told us he had you killed on sight. By Gaea..." Jaed gasped, her eyes giant circles of fear. "Killed me? Why would he kill me?" "You do not know," Dar replied, still disturbed by what he had witnessed. He went on to explain what happened to the other catfolk. Of course, Jaed was disgusted, distraught, and horrified by the news. "Why did Kitian do that?" The man sighed heavily, and Vernon spoke up tearfully, "Kitian hates catfolk! I don't know why, but when he arrived here in Arkala he tried to make them all leave. When they wouldn't, he... he... he had them executed. Dolan is dead, too." He would not say how.

Tennibrook, Nighthawke, and the Ghost Knights ride to Kitian's manor, encountering no opposition or obstacles on the way there. There are lights on inside. Tenni dismounts Vintino, her eyes still glowing red inside the slot of her dark helmet. She draws her longsword and her shield.

Nighthawke as well as Justin, Galea and Patrick dismount all enshrouded in black mist....He speaks to them and Tennibrook..... "Ok... no sound... only wail his voice... The manservant is mine... Tennibrook, Kitian is yours." He said surprisingly.. One would have thought he would take the pleasure, but he saw much more evil in the manservant; and what he had planned for him was not for the faint hearted... The phantoms worked their way into open windows and unlocked doors silently and at the stroke of midnight all hell would break loose...

The time was 11:50 pm. Kitian was up late working on mayoral duties at his desk in his bedroom. It sat the southern corner of the second floor. He had a nice view of the Green, and he could see what was going on in his village. Ghosts frightening the people! Or were they? No, Kitian suspected a farce. He left his desk and pulled his shortsword from under his pillow, hooking it to his waist so he would have it when the time came. Meanwhile, the manservant, Goldugat, was in the kitchen, humming to himself, as he made a sandwich for a late night snack. He was not aware of the ghosts as his room had not been facing the Green, nor did he see anything untoward outside the window of his quarters in the northern first floor section of the house.

It's nearly midnight. Tennibrook, Nighthawke, and the Ghost Knights had been provided with a full description of the inside of the mayor's house-- and Tenni, of course, had been there before. She expects that he'll be in his office, and knows that the window in there faces the Green. So he'd seen the signs. Dolan's body rising from the pike he had died on, seemingly of its own accord. Men and women running frightened from the Ghost Knights. At the stroke of midnight, Tennibrook bashes the door open using her heirloom shield, and storms into the manor. "Pray to The Lady for your soul's salvation, murderers!" she calls out.

Doors blast open violently as the phantoms flowed through into the house.....objects flying off their shelves on their own... mirrors breaking without anything touching it... wails calling out Kitian's name from every room where destruction was taking place....Goldugat jumped upon the sudden destruction taking place in the house...A sword drawn as he raced for Kitian's office... The door attempting to be opened and then a guttural cry and then silence....

When Kitian heard the noises coming from downstairs, he readied himself, holding his sword out in front of him. Before long, the clattering died down somewhat and the door to his room opened slowly. His manservant was there, looking ill. "Goldugat?" he called to the man. Only then did he see that the man was floating, his eyes fixed and lifeless. His feet were not touching the floor. A black sword had been run through his lower back straight up his body and the point thrusted out through the top of his head. Then the body dropped and Kitian could see a vulpine "Ghost." He could just make out the person's outline in the black cloud and red, burning eyes.

Tennibrook climbs the stairs two at a time, appearing before Kitian in no time. Her four spectral tails splay out behind her, and she has her mithril longsword in one hand, and her shield in the other. "Before you die," Tenni says in the voice of the dead, "I want to know why. Why did you take so many innocent lives?"

Kitian would find himself surrounded by five more phantoms ensuring he could not escape.....Haunting sounds of the word "Murderer, Killer," were spoken time and time again....the door suddenly closed as did all the windows slide shut....no one would see, no one would hear... Kitian was alone with his soul and the fate that was about to befall him...

Kitian could not hide his fear. Holding his sword uselessly, he said in a wavering voice, "You-you're not real. You're not ghosts!" His voice was shrill. As they surrounded him and drew closer, he backed away trembling, dropping his sword. It floated in the air and was grabbed by one of the Knights. "I don't have to answer to you," he whispered, clearly terrified despite his argumentative words.

Tennibrook puts away her weapons, and then slams Kitian against the wall. "When I stab you, it'll hurt just as much," she says. "But there are good deaths, and bad deaths. If you have any hope of greeting your ancestors with any dignity, the ancestors that you and your brother share in common, you will answer my questions. Why? Why did you do it, murderer?"

Nighthawke and the other phantoms started dragging Goldugat's lifeless body and made it stand up again before Kitian and his eyes would watch in horror as his chest was sliced open and his entrails pulled out dropping to the floor in a bloody mess, the eyes gouged out...."Talk, murderer!" the phantom said...

Kitian saw the horrific vision and immediately keeled over and vomited onto his plush carpet. When he had finished, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he spoke: "I hated Garen, with every thread of my being. I hated him! So, when the Elders voted me into the role of Mayor of Arkala, I... I could not BEAR to see his... sopping, wilting, pathetic slaves serving *me*! So, I killed them, with my own hand! I went into their rooms while they slept and I slit their throats! Then the next day, when I went out into the Green and saw the disgusting vermin swarming my village, I had them executed with a knife to the nape of the neck! You see, I gave them all a quick death. I was merciful to them! Don't you understand? And that foppish Dolan!" He spat on the floor. "Flaunting his interest in... in men!" He gagged and almost threw up again. "I enjoyed killing him."

Tennibrook menacingly takes out her mithril dagger, which has The Lady's holy symbol, the triestan, on it. "Garen's slaves were willed to his cousin, Leira. They were not to be yours. And mayoral power does not give you the right to murder innocent people. You have the blood of a favored race on your hands, and you have shown no remorse. For that, suffer..." Tenni suddenly thrusts her dagger into Kitian's stomach and slices him up through the middle of his ribcage. "And DIE!" Then she kicks him out the window.

Nighthawke and the other phantoms watch as Kitian is put to death and thrown out the window.....from outside the spirits of the murdered cat people appear if not only for a short moment in tears... Some reaching out to the knights. One young catgirl appeared to be wrapping her arms around Hawke, another with Patrick and another with Tennibrook and finally they faded away into streams of light and rose to the heavens... Hawke and the knights materialized once again... He nods to Justin, Galean, Patrick and Elson and finally Tennibrook.... "It's over... I hope the Lady grants them all peace now.." He said sadly...The loss of an innocent life always bore hard upon Nighthawke's heart...

The knights, now including Tenni, made their way back to the temple, where Jaed and Zhana were waiting, tear-filled eyes swollen from much crying. Vernon and Dar were nowhere to be seen; the priestess said they went to Syn. Jaed hugged her master, gripping his neck with her arms, and sobbed heavily into his shoulder. All her old friends were dead, because of one man's hate. "Why did it happen, Master? Why did he hate them so much?"

Tenni dismounts Vintino when they arrive at the temple, and she wraps her arms around Jaed from behind, making a catgirl sandwich with her ya'towa as the meat. In the time between her just execution of Kitian and her return to the temple, she's used her Clean spell to erase every trace of his foul blood from her hands, clothing, and weapon.

Nighthawke returned to the Temple with Tennibrook and the Knights.... His heart heavy with the loss of so many innocent lives... He sees Jaed running to him crying and held onto him tightly.. His arms held the kitten close, not wanting to let go... He listened to Jaed asking why... "My love, there are people that hate someone for the way they look, the way they live, the way they love... They are bitter people that cannot go beyond the hatred they harbor in their black hearts... I am sorry that we couldn't have gotten here sooner.. If we have, then all your friends might have been alive today... I'm sorry, Kitten, I wish we could have gotten here faster..." He replied to Jaed...

Jaed cried for a long time, her heart heavy with despair. "Dar told me," she muttered in his ear, "that Kitian planned to kill me while we were here the last time. But the person ordered to kill me refused to do so. He had to go into hiding. Dar wouldn't tell me who it was for his own safety. But now I think it is okay for him to come out." Pulling away, she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. "I will have to pray for my friends when we get home."

Fade to black.