Pakhavu Golemtamer's Story

A group of children moved through the crowds of people and Khroniktans towards a small plume of smoke where a relatively short Aryite stood. Being only a foot and eight inches taller than tall Aschen men, he was no where near as intimidating as the rest of the Aryites when it came to size. His simple magi robe was a brilliant and flawless blend of blues, purples, and greens and his cat like feet were covered in simple wrappings. Behind him stood a very large Golem, which just about every other Khroniktan who didn't know who we was stayed away from as if in fear. But the Golem stood still, waiting for a command. Gripped in the right paw of the relatively short Aryite was a staff made of a strange material, a equally strange crystal of Arcanium stabilized on top of it.

"Gather around little ones, gather around, and listen to the epic tale of the defeat of the terrible Dark Emperor!" he cried out in a playful tone that didn't match any of the serious looks of other Aryite faces. However, the tone attracted the children, who all sat around a campfire that glowed with blends of Dark greens and blues. "And do not worry about the big guy behind me, for I have him under control." he said, not needing to gesture to the large Golem behind him.

He cleared his throat, waving his staff over the Arcane Fire. "Now, where to begin...Ah, yes I know." he muttered as the flames grew a little before dying down. Floating puppets representing King Neodin, Sheodin, and Erebuz floated above the fire, locked in combat. "It was the last battle of a long and deadly war, the great and powerful King Neodin and the also greatly powerful Arch-Mage Sheodin fought a tough battle against the deadliest enemy the likes of which the universe had never seen before!" he said. The children were mesmerized by his words and the movements of the puppets.

He told them all he could about the battle, the epic moments, the suspenseful ones, and everything in between. "Things looked bleak for our King and Arch-Mage; the Dark Emperor was closing in for the final blow before the great and mighty king caught a second wind, and charged head first with the most fierce and ferocious battle cry he could, holding in his paws the mighty sword, the Claw of Leolik!" as he said this, a powerless replica hovered above the children's head, and they were all mesmerized, their eyes widening.

"And with that sword and battle cry he struck down the Dark Emperor! Casting him to the ground where he was sealed inside a great and magical block of ice, where he remains to this very day, locked in the underworld." the Aryite, known to many as Pakhavu Golemtamer, finished the story there, the puppets and powerless replica plunging into the arcane fire, snuffing it out in a mesmerizing plume of fire that was harmless to all before it died down to a small flame. The children all looked as if they were hypnotized before clapping and cheering, asking for another story.

Pakhavu chuckled. "I'm afraid the stories will have to wait, little ones, for it is time for me to eat." he said. To the disappointed "Awws" of the children, he chuckled. "Perhaps I will tell you another story later if it will make you happy." he said. "Now run along, and try not to get in the way of the heavy lifters!" he said playfully, shooing the children away as they went off to go and play somewhere else.

While the great King Neodin told the tale of the noble Aryite race, a much younger, smaller Aryite was scribbling away at his notebook rather furiously. He had one leg crossed over the other, and his long robes flowed down his body flawlessly, the colors a flawless and beautiful mixture of Blues, Purples, and Dark Greens. Leaning against his shoulder was a large staff that seemed to be almost as tall as the young Aryite himself when he stood.

The shaft of this staff was made out of a strange, and extremely resilient metal, and sitting on the top of the staff was a large crystal of pure Arcanium. The crystal glowed faintly, and every now and again would fluctuate, causing the young Aryite to stop and stare at the crystal for a second before nodding and continuing his rather furious note-taking.

After Neodin was finished with his tale, the young Aryite looked up from his book, and set his pen down, rising swiftly and silently to fill his plate with a variety of foods from the table, and to fill his cup as well, sitting back down he carefully picked at his food, observing what he had just scribbled down in his notebook again before glancing to the once again fluctuating crystal of his staff. His lip twitched, and he muttered a few soft words; making the fluctuation stop immediately before he cleared his throat calmly and continued about his business.

The mighty sand dragon listened well to the tale that King Neodin Shadowslayer wove. What the foreign lord did not know however was that within these halls that he feasted in and would boast cheerfully is that before him was a beast that did not care for good or evil.

"I am truly sorry for your predicament Neodin." The Sand Dragon offered his condolences as he downed the rest of his nectar only to set it off to the side for several servants to refill once more. "However I am pleased to see that through all of what I heard you still managed to come out on top. Your species and allies survived through the darkness and your light has brought you to my door." Inikhethadaternock began to chuckle as he took up his drink once more once it was filled. "Might I offer you a suggestion if you would. A temporary bond of friendship which can benefit the two of us." The large beast began to lean his massive head down next to his court mage.

"Qenna L'Tone, my adviser here, is indeed as brilliant as she is powerful. Her mastery of time magic is indeed what you felt and thanks to her skills she has also aided in obtaining the proper documentation for providing your people some comfort away from your ships." The Mighty sand dragon began to bellow out a few strange words and the air before him shimmered and changed to produce a fortified mesa with walls and battlements that sat close to the sea and rested upon the sand covered plains with plenty of lush grasses and palms.

"What I offer you is one of my long abandoned hoard homes. Fortified from raiders who would try to pry into my wealth and positioned well enough that with the right amount of effort and time could produce a rather glorious city for your people to call home. " Inikhethadaternock was blunt and to the point as his mind began to calculate what he could and would be able to do with his deal next. "I am offering your people a home that is close enough for trade between this city and the one I offer for you all. My guards will provide you with the initial protection from raiders and other groups within Gaia." The dragon began to sigh slightly. "Of course you do not need to take up this offer now. I only wished to offer it so that we could not be distracted by the festivities that my feasts tend to cause and you do not need to make any hasty decisions."

Ra'Zahr began to up and move after getting a few drinks only to stop and study the scholarly Aryite and his staff. Bigsby himself simply took hold of the young priest and began to walk him away. "This is not the time or the place Ra'Zahr. It is a time of celebration and not something that you need to be bothering the poor boy over. " Bigsby offered a warm smile to the smaller feline only to walk him past Mafsha Sandrunner and over to a small group of bards who sand the tales of the mighty sand wyrm. Symir and Aurora continued to watch the party from a distance .

Neodin methodically chewed on a piece of mutton while he pondered the sand dragon's words. He washed it down with a draft of mead before replying.

"It is an intriguing offer, lord dragon." King Neodin said. "One that I will invest consideration. However, it is our goal to meet with as many governing bodies in this world as we can before finalizing any agreements. While the location of this site may be problematic for a permanent settlement in regards to logistics, I foresee no great harm in establishing a trading post - for the mutual benefit of both our peoples."

King Neodin's face was fixed with a casual, friendly, yet respectful demeanor. Gears and cogs turned beneath the intricately-forged political facade. The Aryite noted the peculiar wording of the dragon's offer. Neodin deduced that the dragon knew details - confidential and top secret details - about the predicament of his people. He slipped a slice of meat into his mouth and afforded a glance towards Bigsby and Ra'Zahr.

I will need to have a word with them later...

Meanwhile, Mafsha Sandrunner continued to observe the party from his position behind and to the left of the King. His keen feline eyes scanned across the room, like every other Aryite guard, with expanded astral senses and watched for stirring trouble.

As he listened to the Dragon's offer to his king, the scholarly Aryite chewed quietly on his food, considering the idea himself. He had felt eyes on him, and glanced in their direction, noting a man with an extremely large hat, and another feline humanoid, before turning his head back to the Dragon.

For a moment he considered, then opened his mouth, only to close it again; he felt it was not his place to speak, so he did not, and covered it up by gently placing another small chunk of meat into his mouth to continue eating. As he ate, the crystal in his staff yet again started glowing, and his ears twitched as if he were listening to something.

Finally he spoke; his voice was nowhere as deep or powerful as King Neodin's, but it did have a sort of wisdom to it that was a bit uncommon for an Aryite of his age. "May we see the site?" he asked calmly, glancing to King Neodin for approval. He then gave a small smile and stood. "Apologies....I should have introduced myself. I am Pakhavu Golemtamer." he said with a low bow. "Representative of the University of Alphanius." He added; figuring that they would at least want to know what such a young Aryite was doing at such a formal meeting.

Qenna would sit silently as she watched the exchange between her father and the King across the way with some interest, smiling and bowing her head at the compliment from the Greak King and offer a bow of her own "My skills are developed yes sir. I would love to teach you should you or any of your subjects would be willing to undergo my tutelage" She said while eyeing her father warily. Something was wrong with this...and it put her on edge.

Her eyes then turned towards the Scholarly Aryite, who identified himself as Pakhavu Golemslammer and then stood up "I would be happy to show you the site, of course with my King's approval and permission. I can have us there in roughly five minutes" She said with a kind smile. It would start with him, her plotting and scheming would come into motion with this one. Her eyes turned towards the great Wyrm and offered him a bow "With your permission, id like to escort that one to the site and let him inspect it under my supervision. Perhaps a neutral envoy would be beneficial towards establishment of this trading post"

The large dragon looked over the scholarly cat and then at his court mage who he simply shook his head over. "We shall allow the king to see the others of this world. We do not wish to seem to pushy." Inikhethadaternock continued to ponder as what he would do only to then continue to watch over his feast. The massive king of the sands began to ponder a bit. "If they wish to see the site however it is entirely up to the king."

Bigsby found himself next to Symir and Aurora while Ra'Zahr found himself drinking and listening to a fine tale now being spun by the bards.

King Neodin smiled as Pakhavu spoke. He knew the boy had showed much promise in his early years at the university from stories shared by his brother. Sheodin had hand-picked him to represent the university, and it appeared to the king that his trust was not misplaced.

"I have no argument against it." Neodin replied. "You have my leave to investigate the site, Akhmawi Golemtamer. Take Colonel Sandrunner with you. I imagine he would like to ensure that the site's defenses are sound."

The Aryite Chosen stepped up at his name being called and brought a gauntleted fist to his chest in a salute. Mafsha Sandrunner turned towards the king and inclined his head. "As you wish, my lord."

Pakhavu listened carefully to the responses he was given. A yes from a female, a yes from the Dragon before them, and... even a yes from King Neodin! Happiness swelled in his chest, but he did not let it show; for he must keep his composure. With a careful and respective gaze he moved his head to all three who agreed with his plan, and offered them all a low bow in thanks.

"Thank you, my Lords." He said mid-bow. With a small smile he straitened his body before taking his staff in his hands. "I shall prepare at once for the trip!" He said, voice hinting towards quite a bit of excitement. It was an honor to be here; hand picked by the great King himself, even! But this? He was being allowed to scout out an area for potential dangers to his own people. The excitement was very real for the young Aryite, but so was the stress. The future of trade between these people and his hung in the balance, even thought it wasn't exactly hanging. It was merely placed on the table for them to consider, and Pakhavu was simply leaning forward to take a closer look.

With a smile and a nod, he acknowledged Mafsha Sandrunner, glad to have company in his little scouting mission. Of course, the female Tiefling had also agreed, and even went as far to volunteer to take him there. "Your presence and knowledge of the reason would serve us well in scouting the area, thank you." He said, bowing slightly to her.

Qenna would nod once as she stood up herself and dusted off her robes "Very well, with the express permission, I shall escort the young sir with me to the site" She said and strode over to the two and gave them a confident smile "You will feel...a little discomfort. It will pass in time" She said, catching her words then gave a chuckle before placing her hand on the Aryite's shoulders and stood her staff on the ground. With a snap of her fingers, she pulled Pakhavu and Mafsha out of the time they previously existed.

How the Aryites would see the world would be a very strange sight. Everyone was frozen, mid chew, mid drink and even laughter of a joke. They were completely alone in this timeline with all faces frozen while Qenna just chuckled "Come on, Its a bit of a walk, it will give us a chance to talk along the way" Qenna said as she took her staff back into her hand as she began to walk out towards the door. The door would open as she waved her hand then turned back to Pakhavu and Mafsha "This way" She said "Also, feel free to ask me any questions. We have plenty of time to answer them"

To those whom remained, the three simply vanished, the door would open and shut in the blink of an eye and the three could not be seen. Many of the onlookers would be astonished at how the young tiefling had such a mastery of time that she could just disappear as quickly as she did. Though to her father, this was just routine.

Inikhethadaternock simply watched the chain of events go by and his glance towards Aurora said it all. The monk simply nodded and turned to follow the two from a distance only to vanish into the sand outside. As for the rest of the party the sand dragon simply began to chuckle and look down at the king before him.

"Youth is always pushing forward. I can appreciate the notion of your people wanting to see the outside world." The Dragon spoke while Bigsby and Ra'Zahr stood in the background talking about something that had just occurred. Symir on the other hand continued to watch from a distance. "I do hope that my court mage remembers to shut off all of the traps."

Mafsha eyed the surrounding guests curiously before following Qenna. He kept a single paw-hand resting diligently on the pommel of one of his twin broadswords. The Zealot sent curious glances towards the architecture of the palace before speaking in a baritone characteristic of the Aryites.

"Tell me, Magus." he directed to Qenna. "How long have you been studying the arcane? My uncle is an accomplished elemental mage - specializing in pyromancy - and an instructor at the University, so I am familiar with basic theory."

Pakhavu seemed rather calm as the flow of time stopped around them, and he followed Qenna, looking around at everything that seemed frozen, carrying his staff with him as he walked calmly. As Mafsha spoke to Qenna, the younger Aryite smiled.

"I was about to ask you the same, Qenna; please tell us." he encouraged her, his voice gentle, yet still powerful at the same time. As one of the students of the University, and one of it's most skilled mages, he had taught himself to speak as though he were rather unassuming to avoid trouble among any other students who may be jealous; though, all respected him, so he had no troubles. At the back of his mind, he was trying to figure out how this magic capable of stopping time around them worked; that he may either learn how to do it, himself, or learn to counter it should he face it in battle.

The entire time they walked, however, the crystal atop his staff glowed dimly, and constantly.

Qenna would smile at the two of them as she walked with them out of the city gates, towards the desert with her staff in hand "Well, I have been studying magic for as long as I can remember. I range from various school but I always found Chronomancy the most powerful yet the most unknown magic to date. My abilities are of a Universalist school of training" Qenna would say as she moved with the group

"Pyromancy is one of the more common disciplines of magic to date. So naturally there are plenty of fire wielders currently in the universe. However I can commend someone whom specialized in it during their educational history" Qenna would stop for a moment and took in a very deep breath and sighed softly, taking in the desert air "I love it out here, the scent of the sands, the waves on the dunes...so peaceful. So quiet without the hustle and bustle of the city" Qenna would turn her head towards the two and tapped the ground with her staff lightly "So...you two are magic casters yourselves?" She asked "I figured we could get to know each other a little while we have the..." She stopped and giggled a little "While we have the time"

Mafsha nodded. The desert air tousled his mane as a nostalgic smile spread across his face. "We Aryites are very familiar with the desert. It is dangerous, yet it is home. I earned my name serving as a scout and courier in His Majesty's Army before I was blessed with the opportunity to join the Chosen of Leolik. The Chosen are an elite order of warrior priests that serve beneath His Majesty as agents of Leolik Elonhim. Each of the Chosen are born with a Spark of the Everlasting Flame, a gift bestowed to us by Leolik, which is discovered later in life by another Chosen. We are able to channel the Flame through will and faith in order to smite the wicked, protect the innocent, and serve Elonhim with every fiber of our beings."

Pakhavu let out a small huff of agreement with Qenna and Mafsha. "Indeed. I specialize in the Arcane Magics, myself. I was given my name for, well, taming an Arcane Golem that was previously untamable, no matter how strong someone's connection to the Arcane was." he explained calmly. "I was chosen my King Neodin himself to represent the University where I, no, all who are willing come to learn the ways of Magic." He smiled softly, his staff lightly placed on the sand.

"Ever since I was a child, Magic always caught my eye; and I always wanted to Learn it. When I was given the opportunity, I took it as fast as I could. Of course, I was more fond of the Arcane, having seen the Golems around the city as I grew up, so I studied hard, and well....here I am today!" he chuckled, a finger lightly stroking his still developing mane to keep a few loose strands of fur away from his eyes.

Qenna smiled softly at the two as they shared their tales with her, standing under the desert sunlight. The gears in her mind began to work, turning with new ideas of these creatures. It was then, the staff hummed gently 'Yes Heimdall?' She said as she focused her attention on what was being said 'Pardon me my lady for interrupting but I do believe I see an opportunity for an exchange of information and knowledge'

'I know what your thinking and it was just exactly my own plans Heimdall. Patience is the key to winning the day' Qenna said as she turned away from the staff and gave the two Aryite a polite nod "Indeed, I always appreciate fine minds willing to learn. I could forsee taking on an apprentice but for a fair trade of your magical techniques. If one among you would be interested in this offer of course" Qenna turned on her heel and started to walk "Come, we are getting there" She said as the staff hummed again

'My lady, can you feel it too?' Qenna's eyes turned towards the site and glowed a deep blue while she was facing away from the group of the cat folk 'I do...very faintly. Necromancy and...Illusion magics. How odd. Heimdall, monitor it while we get closer' She told the staff while she turned her head towards the group, speaking to her staff was via telepathy after all. She didnt say anything but she was glad to have the sword wielding Ayrite with them.

As the group would slowly approach the site Quenna L'Tone would feel even more of the magic she had sensed earlier and this time it was as thick as honey now. The Mesa itself was bronzed in the light of the sun and atop it a fortification that held empty battlements and enough space atop for a city to thrive. All along the sides of the Mesa were carved wide paths for heavy traffics to get to the top while at the base of the massive rocky structure stood even more towers and walls. Off in the distance the beyond the walls reach was an ocean of green waters that churned near the old city.

Mafsha eyed the empty battlements cautiously as they approached. The fur on his neck and back bristled while a deep growl rumbled in the back of his throat. He instinctively wrapped a hand around the hilt of one of his blades. The Everlasting Flame flickered within his soul, as if struck by a frigid breeze.

"Be on your guard..." Mafsha growled as he expanded his senses to detect undead and demons, "I sense foul magic here."

Pakhavu could also sense the foul magic, and nodded, a small, quick huff escaping his throat to show that he was ready for anything. Silently, the small Aryite began to recite a spell; one he hoped he would not have to finish, but would if the trouble arose. Until that time, however, he would not say a single word, but the crystal on his staff would begin to glow brightly with Arcane Magic.

Whatever was going to happen was going to get a rude shock if not careful.