| abstract
| - Freewill was founded March 2, 2006 by three pirates: Oscather, Jeffer and Ajjaxx. The crew joined the flag The Art of War and Jeffer was made royalty.
- A small, three room affair, this homestead speaks of simplicity and elegance. The home has been designed to honor both House Kahar and House Seamel, draped in shades of green and blue. The common area is spacious, taking up about half of the entire structure. Biinwood paneling graces the walls, shined to a high polish, and remain bare, excluding three tapestries. One is of the Horse and Rider to Seamel, th next the Wildcat of Kahar, and the final is a dedication to the Light, an emblazoned sun in gold thread against a black background. Two large windows are set to the front of the house, flanking the door entering the room, allowing in a great deal of natural light, though curtains of a deep emerald can be loosened to offer more privacy. Comfortable rugs cover the floors, while a sofa and chairs have been spread out, mostly focused around the fireplace. Two doors lead off of the common area, one to the bedchambers of the Lord and Lady, while the other into the kitchen/small dining area. Kael can't help it, barely moving, the young mage laughs, bitter and angry - doing his best to draw himself up, to get hands under him, and failing. "WATCH! WATCH!" Lucius yells finally, his voice a bit raspy and cracked as he does so. It's not as strong as it might normally be, but it is fairly loud. He begins to flex his hands, open and closed. The moment Gale is gone, Taran bolts out for his healer's kit - one may assume he shouts an alarm along the way. Returning with it, he goes first to Raina. "Will you let me try to help you?" he asks - a fair enough question, given what the woman has seen and the mark on his cheek. "Can you heal yourself?" Celeste winces, biting at her lower lip. Only her eyes seem quick to move, looking back to find Reina... and sighing with relief at finding her still whole. Lucius's cries drawing her eyes, opening her mouth... her voice fails her once more. Reina stares at the mark imprinted on Taran's cheek before she lets out a weak growl, glaring at the mage. "Stay away from me," she snarls. "You and your lot are all the same," she snaps. "Bunch of murdering bastards." Kael tries to stand again - gets not very far... and scrabbles on ice. Weakly, he points out.. "w'.. jus'.. saved yer life." The chitters disperse, boiling back out of the door - the ghostly one coming over to nose at the greying druid - "I want t' .. see ye live. Let us help ye do that... th.. then y' kin kill us, if y' want." "Do you wish to rejoin your husband now?" Lucius asks Reina pointedly, grunting something else as he is slowly able to move his arm. Taran lets the others do the arguing, getting to his feet with a little bow. "As you will, Lady," he says, neither surprised nor apparently offended. He looks over the others, and moves to Celeste. "My lady?" he asks quietly. "Will you let me try to help you?" Celeste's eyes flutter open, blinking a few times at the bard. "... help," she whispers dryly. Looking back to Reina, and then Taran. Her mouth opens to say more, but words fail. The noblewoman simply pats one of the gauntleted hands to the armored breastplate. "Better than being touched by this filth," Reina retorts angrily to Lucius, already starting to droop down in the seat, still tied to it. She slides into unconsciousness, giving another faint moan. "It was an honest question. Let her die, if that be her wish." Lucius states, cold and matter of factly. He starts to push himself along the ground. Kael struggles his way toward the seat, slowly regaining some coordination as he moves - slowly. It's a painfully slow thing, not aided by a ghost that refuses to hold still. Something about his face is set. the young man concentrates, or tries to, as he moves - a hand reaching out toward Raina.. but /whatever/ he's trying to do, the Shadow seems to have had enough of him. A low cry of pain is all Kael gets out, reaching up to grab at his temples, with very little coordination, and sagging to the ice. Taran nods, even as he does his best to pry off Celeste's armor, to see where the damage is. "It is the right of any one living to choose the manner of their living and dying," he says firmly. "I did all I could to give her that choice; she makes it for herself." Getting the breastplate off, he makes a face. "Bleeding," he murmurs, fingers gently probing. He gets up to retrieve ice from the broken chunks by the door, applying it as best he can to the injury. "I wish I'd known this Gale was as she was. Now she's on the loose." Lucius laments, pushing himself so that he rests against the wall, his shield and spear still on the ground in front of him. He breathes. "WATCH! WAAAAATCH! GUAAARDS! HEAAALEERRRR!" Apparently he's trying anything and everything. He sits afterwards for a minute or two, regaining his breath, his breathing still somewhat shallow. "No, it is not the right of everyone. It is the right of those who live in the Law to do so." Celeste gasps as the breastplate pulls free, not fighting off the bard's hands. Though at least she finds her voice at the prodding fingers. "Dammit that hurts," she snarls. Yes, there's a bit more liveliness to the Mikin now. Kael's cry stealing away her ire. "I... by the Light, we need to do something," she remarks, voice hoarse after the exclamation. The mage isn't incapacitated.. just stumbling and worn - the little ghostly chitter nosing at him and accomplishing nothing. He slowly stands - coordination still his enemy, looking sorrowfully at the dead form. A few quiet words and a sad smile... and the ghostly little beast wafts away. "... m' sorry." With the floor rather more wet than ice, at this point, Kael turns to stumble for the door. "W' need t' be gone, Taran. th' local guard wi' panic." "So Celeste and I stay while you two go. Go now. We will meet outside the city, yes? And what do we say when residents see you walking out of the door, hmm?" Lucius asks, creeping to his feet as well. He falls to a knee, that first option not having worked very well. Taran sighs. "Stay, Kael. Celeste and Lucius can speak for us, and you're in little shape to move anyway. I would have warned you if I could, but there was no time." Keeping the ice in place, Taran shifts Celeste's clothing a bit so as to reduce any chance of indecency. That done, he gets to his feet. "She will not listen now," he says with quiet regret. "She has power over lightning and cold...well, you have seen. She is very powerful, and very angry. Guard yourself, lady Celeste. You are one of those she will kill if she can. She has no understanding of mercy; it is something she has never seen." Celeste growls and flinches away from the ice. "You knew her," she mummers darkly, anger touching those simple words. "We," glances down to the twitching of the gambeson into place. "The prince, he... he will know what to do." Kael stumbles - nearly falling, but catching himself on the wall, his eyes intent on the door, and slightly unfocused. "i got t' get back. Wi' take a carriage - I hae a...promise t' keep." "Don't be ridiculous, Kael." Lucius says, finally having the strength and wits to stand up on his own. "And Taran - you won't stay and help this man? He needs attention. I can bring him to the healer, but you are here now. It is your choice." Taran walks over to the unconscious man, looking him over. "What I can do, I shall," he says. "And yes, my lady, I knew her. Well enough that lady Seamel died tonight by her choice, and not at another's will. A small mercy, perhaps. At the cost that I do not think Gale will speak to me again. The next time she strikes, there will likely be no warning." "Thanks for the warning, Taran," Celeste mummers softly. She reaches down to hold the ice in place and slowly leans up. At least with the breastplate removed, she can sit in a sitting position without rolling backwards again. The noblewoman's voice slowly growing firm. The young mage shakes his head, moving for the door. "S' alright, Lucius. Need t' sleep - 'n then wi' find 'er.' There's something hard there. "Jus'... tired o' folk dyin'." "So there was a warning." Lucius states flatly, he kneels to retrieve his shield and spear. "This I did not know. What do you plan to do when you next see her, Kael? Or you, Taran?" Taran gets up, and unhurriedly retrieves another chunk of ice - this time applying it to the guard's skull. "He'll be fine," he says. "I got Kael moving - that was all I had time to do. As to what I do when next I see her...as always that will depend on her, Lucius. Not on me." "Well if she's going after holy blessed, we will have to warn those we can," offers the Mikin from her half-reclined seat. Looking over to the door, Celeste shakes her head. "This is going to -hurt- but we need to get to the Watch and pass word to the Tribunal and his majesty." She wraps her free hand about her waist, wincing as her hand comes back in contact with her ribs. "I feel like I was on the losing end of a barfight." Kael heads for the door - "wi' get them. Jus'.. nobody else die, aye?" "Oh? Will it indeed depend on you, Taran? I see. Well then. What kind of warning did you have, if I may ask?" Lucius moves to go kneel by Celeste's side, to help hold her up with his free right arm if she doesn't mind. "This Gale. What does she look like?" Taran slants an irritated look at Lucius. "About an hour," he says. "No time to even send a courier, so I came here instead. Where, thanks to this beautiful brand on my cheek and the alarmed state of the locals, I found it necessary to lurk and wait rather than attempt to call an alarm in advance." He nods at the dead lord and lady. "She refused the help of a mage to *save her life*. Do you think she would have heeded a warning from a strange mage? Gale can hide her features and teleport - use what you have seen of her, to find her again." Celeste latches on to Lucius's arm, letting the ice drop to retrieve the breastplate. "Master Nepos, we need to send word to the prince and I will contact those who I have been able to locate," sighs the noblewoman. "Not enough, and this is only going to cause retaliation to marked mages." She takes a few staggering steps, each drawing a labored breath from the Mikin. "Thank you, Taran. I suppose that is that." Lucius takes note of Taran's irritation, but doesn't react to it. He simply nods at the mage. "Although I suppose you could have told /us/ that she would be hostile. Just a note for the next time. What's done is done, and now there are two dead law abiding citizens of the Empire here and one murderer on the loose." Turning to Celeste, he nods gruffly. "A shame, really, since she is likely not a Marked mage at all." Taran rolls his eyes. "I told Kael," he says. "Who told the rest of you. Kael, at least, will believe me when I tell him people are going to die." He gets to his feet. "I am done here," he says quietly, gathering up his kit. "For what little good it has done." Celeste looks over to Lucius, patting his hand lightly. "I will be alright. Just feels like I lost a barfight." Her eyes follow the leaving bard. "Take care of yourself, Master Songbird. If she knew you, and you attacked her... you may be in as much danger as myself." "Yes, more people will die. I hope Gale is the last one, and I hope she does not take many with." Lucius states with cold conviction. "Light Keep, Taran." Taran turns to regard Celeste tiredly. "Oh, I am in quite a bit of danger," he says, amused. "I rather upset her plans for this evening - and she can find me whenever she wishes. Else I might have done a few things differently - but the world moves as the world will."
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