Legends of Belariath

Morrigan Steel

Into the Beyond Lands

Treachery – Part One

It had started out to be a relaxing evening within the Lonely Inn when Mayalaya, a lovely torian, made her entrance. Tensions suddenly became as palatable within the common room to the point it could be cut with a knife, especially among the chirot who were once again at war with the torians.

Morrigan, of course, welcomed Maya to her table and the pair chatted, each positioned to watch the other’s back until Maya decided it more prudent to leave as tensions began to escalate when Zingara, a chirot, began to become more than verbally aggressive towards Maya.

While the paladin rarely took sides in conflicts {unless a great injustice was being forced upon another}, Maya was her friend and had been touted as insane by even some of her closest friends for deciding to simply following her role within her clan’s beliefs. Morrigan, the paladin, had examined Maya and was more than satisfied Maya had been wrongly accused and was indeed following her clan’s ways against their natural enemies, the chirots, so she readily stood with Maya and made to see her safely towards the door of the inn as it was clear an altercation was soon evident.

Zingara drew in Spike, a wolven, and began to close behind the pair as they neared the door and Morrigan saw Maya safely escape the confines of the inn, praying she would take to the greater safety of the skies as she bid her safe journeys. Suddenly, she slid the bolt home to the door and turned to try and delay the pair from pursuing Maya, her sword already drawn as she had escorted Maya. She had hoped the respect she had gained over time would serve her well and the pair would back down, but alas, she had underestimated the heat within their blood, their lust to spill Maya’s blood.

Thump…thum-p…th-ump…t-hum-p…her heart slowed- or was it beating all too fast? As the pair leapt at her, a jab came from Zingara’s spear and a mighty swoop from Spike’s axe in an attempt to skewer and cleave her in two. In a flash her lowered blade shot up in defense to parry off both weapons. She tried reasoning while fighting, but it was useless. Their lust to get by the paladin who refused to give up a friend’s safety in exchange for her own was far too great to be stayed by words.

Weapons clashed in a flurry and finding Spike closer, Morrigan made her attack on him in an effort to even the odds and hopefully disarm him. While she sent her sword at Spike, Zingara sent a wave of lightning bolts at the paladin. The blast threw her into the door and caused waves of pain while Zingara leapt to the table tops to gain a better vantage point to employ her spear, yet still, the paladin stood steadfastly in blocking the way to Maya.

Again, the pair engaged the paladin, Zingara stabbing the paladin in the side while she fended off Spike’s axe yet again. Then the utter treachery came. Even those who fight with honor are not immune to treacherous acts. As the paladin deflected Spike’s axe and tried to wrench free of Zingara’s spear, her gaze lifted to see Alta, the dark torian, as she fired off the spell, Harden Arrow and directed it towards the paladin.

Before shock could even register at the betrayal from a friend, a past lover, the arrow thunked home, piercing her chain mail as well as her heart. A warm red river coursed beneath her chain mail and through it as she gripped the spear within her side, the weight of her falling body tearing her free of it at last as she pitched to the side onto the floor, her blade skittering free from her hand and upon the inn floor.

Unbeknownst to the dead paladin, Maya had made it safely away, as Spike and Zingara found out as they reached the door and cast it open and Alta made to check for signs of life within the body of the fallen warrior. Alta found none…her arrow had been true.

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