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There was too much. Too much of everything. Lee's senses hopped into overdrive more than eagerly. The hum of wildlife in the background was deafening, accompanied by the thunderous pounding of her heart. A nearby thud had resounded so violently to her that the woman flinched and tried to put her hands over her ears. Something or someone stepped on what might've been dry leaves or a twig and the snap hit Lee as loud as if she were in her father's shop, listening to his mighty tools work against hot metal. Suddenly someone was speaking. To Lee, it was like they were speaking in tongues, warbled language pouring out too loudly for her liking with strange syllables that only slightly made sense or sounded familiar. And then she heard 'please calm down', her world flashing back to three years ago. Please calm down. Get her out of that thing,now! Lee, look at me! Lee! Dammit... Get me another pair of hands here, idiot! Hold her, yeah, like that. Careful. Suddenly there was a pain in her wrist, a phantom hand grabbing and holding on tightly. "No, stop. Don-Don't touch me!" Lee's words sounded like they came from far away and from someone else, the attempt to come off as threatening warping into a plea as she tried to move away in vain. It seemed like all her strength had vanished. Sharp pain bloomed on the right side of her head and it was mirrored in her lower back, sweat causing black strands of hair to stick to her temples and forehead as her body refused to stop shaking. Lee turned her head away and tried to focus on a patch of something pink far away but it was too bright, nearly neon and she let out a tiny exhale, looking back to the ground. She made an attempt to use her legs, to twist her ankle, something, anything, but it didn't happen. A small wave of hysterical, bitter tears dripped down her cheeks as she refused to even look behind her at anything below her waist. Her brain spurred on another torrent of panic right before she heard a familiar voice. A voice she'd heard three years ago. It was low, it was sweet and it was right by her ear, phantom hands stroking over her hair and her hands even as she pulled one back to her chest in fear. A body that wasn't there holding her somehow. Hey there, Silvertongue. Whatcha cryin' for, kitty-cat? Don't you be scared now, yeah? Listen to me. Just listen to me, no one else. Nothing else.

NAME: Lee Silvertongue ABSTRACT: A painfully creative young woman that has a tendency to get along better with inanimate objects and materials than people. APPEARANCE: Twenty-three years old, 5'8''. Pale with thick,short, wavy black hair that just touches her jawline. Dark eyes and a lean physique. Scars along her fingers and hands. DETAIL: History: Currently, she helps out at her Father's shop and maintains her own on the side. Lee works with precious stones and gems for the most part, polishing, cutting them and engraving them. She's very good with her hands, using her skills for a variety of jobs that range from decorating the hilts of weapons to cutting the smallest gems for jewelry. Her own shop has more to do with the art she creates with paints and her thread, trinkets she makes out of colored glass and sits out for people to see. She rarely goes outside but if she does she tends to either spend the time alone of with her two younger twin brothers and teaching them about their surroundings or collecting materials for her new project. Her father is almost always busy and her mother passed away of an illness shortly after the twins were born, so she takes on the maternal role in their home. Personality: Lee isn't against being with others or conversing with them but she is soft-spoken and worries too much about what people may think of her. She prefers to stay in her or her father's shop, singing to herself as she works through the day. While she's a hard worker she doesn't mind to throw the occasional afternoon away to just laze around under the warm sun. She's caring and fairly intelligent, but can be very protective when it comes to her family.

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor There'd been very little time to muster a substantial amount of composure. His entire body ached, some parts more than others, and there was a distinct huffing in the distance. Gaius rose his head forward and twisted his neck. A few moments is all it took for him to take joy in the fact that his neck was fine. He wiggled his fingers and toes beneath their jade casings, and coughed up a mouthful of warm liquid. Blood? He spit forward, onto his breast plate, but there was no red in the clear bile. His stomach was just a little startled by the fall. Thank god he thought, pulling his elbows up and propping himself into a sitting position. His head felt lighter than usual. It made sense, he'd just fallen over 35 thousand kilometers, the atmosphere would've been unkind to their approach in all manners of ways. Wait, no, that wasn't it. Where... Where the heck is my helmet!? Gaius tried to push his body forward, but a sharp pain shot through his left shoulder and sent him crashing back into the ground like an uprooted tree. Hair medium-long auburn hair splayed outwards onto the forest floor, and the massive man coughed once again. A fiery ache overtook Gaius' left chest cavity. It became slightly harder to breath the more he moved. He coughed yet again, feeling another warmth splatter against the roof of his mouth. That wasn't bile, he knew that consistency all too well. It was blood. Gaius let his disheveled cheek hit the forest floor as his head turned towards a series of cracking branches coming from his right side. His bright blue eyes took in every detail from above, like time was slowing down just for him. It wasn't, of course. That was just a side effect of the adrenaline. Before long, Rahna fell through the forest's overgrowth and landed with a resounding thud in a nearby alcove, close to where one of his Glider's wings had half-cleaved its way into the trunk of a tree. Lee was nearby too, crawling away from the ruined Gaius Plane debris in a fleeting attempt. Gaius' eye widened in horror. He forced himself over onto his chest, propping himself up on both hands and ignoring the pain that crashed through his left side like a maelstrom of tiny knives. His left arm shook relentlessly, but he was able to squeeze a leg under his hulking abdomen, and push himself up onto both feet. Without having to support his body, the pain in his left arm had subsided, for the most part. "Lee!" He rasped, making his way over to where Rahna had already begun to assist his short-term passenger. "Rahna-" Gaius stopped at the edge of the forest clearing and glanced at Lee's desperate attempt to escape Rahna's aid. He flinched as a needle seemed to prod at his lung. A droplet of blood snuck its way out of the corner of his mouth towards his chiseled jawline, but Gaius didn't bother to wipe it away. For a moment, he felt embarrassed without his helmet, but shrugged the feeling aside as quickly as he could. He tried to ask Rahna about Lee, but his breaths were already becoming too painful to sustain. Last time I fly with armor he thought.

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

Between the two girls, they managed to help with Blin’s steering problem. The tomboy took the left, flying above that wing so she could dip down to push it with her feet when needed. Nikki, with her usual precision maneuvering, put her glider directly under the right wing of her friend, hardly any space at all between the two gliders. Fortunately they didn’t need to do much. Aside from the issue with steering, Blin’s glider was still in good condition and had no trouble staying airborne now that they could keep it steady. Gaius and Lee were no longer in sight as the trio soared onward, travelling considerably farther than the knight and the young lady, who’d had to cut their flight short. Nikki didn’t even think about landing early. Their goal was the star, and while she’d have more or less followed Gaius were he around, she wasn’t the sort to deliberately hang back. Besides, the issue with Blin had driven all thought of the other damaged glider from her mind. “Cloud-head, pay attention!” she said sharply after some time, seeing his focus was wandering. “You’re not going to be able to land the way you usually do. We can’t help you that low. It’s time to learn a roll-landing. Not as nice as a swoop and drop, but it’ll have to do.” The young woman quickly instructed Blin in the basic technique, giving as many pointers as she could. “Make sure you roll,” she cautioned. “It will help you absorb the impact.” They finally drew close to the ground, and Nikki watched their altitude carefully. When they were only a dozen yards or so up, she knew it was time. They’d already slowed as much as they could, and there was nothing else they could do to help. “This is where we gotta drop back, Blin. Remember: jump, tuck, and roll. You can do it!” With that she dove slighting and cut her speed enough to stall, before recovering and going to land herself. Blin didn’t do to badly, she thought, though it wasn’t a very elegant landing. When he came to a stop, staring up at the sky, the boy just lay there. Nikki let her glider fold shut and approached, eyes widening. Was he -- asleep? No way, he’d /just/ been awake. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” she called, shaking him. “You okay? Still in one piece? That was a pretty good job, considering it was your first time.” The young lady grinned down at him.

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

Blank surveyed his landing site. It wasn't far from where he saw Nikki's glider go down, alongside two others. As he got close enough to the treetops that he could see through to the ground, he realized something unfortunate. He had never glided this long before, and he'd been picking up speed the whole time. If he started breaking now, he still wouldn't be going slow enough when he touched down for a safe landing. He did start breaking though, as his mind quickly flipped through his options. Leaves and branches whipped at his face, but nothing strong enough to puncture his canvas, and when he was feet off the ground and Nikki, Sera and Blin came into view, he made his choice. He quickly unhooked his boot from it's stirrup, planting it higher up the central rod and bearing his weight backwards. The first part of the glider to touch down was the foothold, which bent at nearly a ninety degree angle and skipped him back off the ground, tearing up part of the forest floor in the process. The maneuver almost gave him whiplash, but it had slowed him down enough that he could safely jump off to the ground while his glider careened wildly off into a tree. He looked sadly at the ruined mess for a second, then turned to the other three in the clearing with him. "So," he said conversationally, as if nearly crashing was commonplace. Hanging out with Nikki all the time, it really was after all. "What now?"

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Eli Wyn Being the only one left standing on the cliff, as all others tackled the fear of the unknown, wasn't one of the most motivational moments. He saw gliders slowly fading out of his sight. That was his cue. Wind blew hair from his face, even more so when he put one of his feet forward, touching the air. One moment and Eli was gone, his body and glider falling towards a new world. He allowed himself a bit more freefalling before fully extending his glider's wings and soaring toward the star full force, wind hitting his face with extreme power. It was going to be a challenge stopping the glider this time, more than usual. He was steadily picking the pace up. Yes, "steadily". In almost no time, Eli reached Rahna, just to see her suddenly changing the direction. With wind hitting his face, Eli was unable to hear a lot, but his body instinctively tried to move the glider in Rahna's direction. First thought that fell on Eli's mind was that Rahna possibly had problems with her glider. Which would be his fault again, since he was modifying it just yesterday. "Crap," Eli muttered out as a second thought popped into his head. Trying to change his direction at this speed wasn't only highly unlikely, but with his glider - it was a suicide mission. He chuckled as he spotted more familiar faces in the distancr, recognizing Blin's glider. Then Nikki's. Then Eli's. Wait. Eli's glider? The boy looked up to see the ground, then down to see the sky. "Since when was it..." Eli tried asking himself but quickly shut his mouth. This was not the time, nor the place. The momentum from his unexpected turn to the left allowed wind to flip his right wing and turn him first sideways and then upside down. How he didn't notice before was a miracle by itself, combined with him not being dead yet. "Calm down," Eli thought to himself as Nikki's image briefly flashed in his head. Turns and twists were the sort of things she was doing. Her vision of stunts. Surely then... Maybe he would be able to replicate her movements, at least to stabilize himself. No. Of course he could. He was, in the end, the king of stunts. "Undisputed," he grumbled as he tried moving his weight to the right, then to the left, looking like a local drunk trying to fly. In a brief moment of insanity, he let go of the left hook, hanging only onto the right, before grabbing a hold of it again. That seemed to help, but at a cost. Due to the weight, the right hook felt a bit loose under his grip. Deciding against risking it, Eli looked around, finally stabilized - he would be able to land somewhere. With any luck, it would be near his friends. Friends? He frantically looked around, not seeing them anywhere in sight. How long did he wrestle with his glider? But even worse - where the hell was he? Eli wasn't good with directions to start with. This didn't help. Steadily he was reaching the ground, trying to locate any clear area to land without killing himself on some tree. Upon noticing one small patch of clear ground, thankfully in front of him, pushed his glider slightly downwards. Two minutes later, his feet were on the ground, the tip of his glider impaled into the ground. "What now?" he scratched the back of his head.

NAME: Eli Wyn - Age: 17 - Height: 5'8'' ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course. - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him. EQUIPMENT: -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it. - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome. Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot. Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll. Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell. Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims. Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo. Lee - ?? Braum - ?? Thema - ?? Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere." Tivo - ?? Sera - ?? Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

Sera fought hard with her side of the wing, not because she wasn't strong enough, no she was, but strength really didn't matter in the air. It was her weight that was her ultimate struggle. Sera was just too small, too light to properly lift and push down the wing she was tasked to take care of. Nevertheless she did her every best to steer Sleepy-Boy's glider more or less safely to the ground. A little bit later, suddenly all the weight of the glider was upon her as Nikki let go of her wing. Clenching her teeth Sera tugged on her wing a little correcting Sleepy-Boy's final approach before having to let go. Exhausted she flipped herself around to lose all her speed and then to simply float to the floor landing next to where Nikki landed next to the seemingly asleep Sleepy-Boy. Go figure... When Sera's feet touched the ground, they buckled underneath her, undeniably little, weight and she flopped into the slightly wet grass face first. She mumbled a "Uhhhhgh!" into the grass before turning herself around and staring at the sky. "So exhausted...!", she moaned to nobody in particular leaving all the worries about Sleepy-Boy to Nikki, her staff-glider rolling out of her hands next to her.

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

art by Espen Olsen Sætervik ♫ With a shout and a swoop, our courageous heroes flung themselves to the wind, their hearts filled with adventure and their eyes set on the star beyond the mountain! To those who watched from the edge of Heron, they were brave and magnificent as they disappeared below the clouds, silhouetted by the sun. Fortunately, that was the last the villagers saw of our heroes; not moments later the intrepid explorers discovered that the wind currents and updrafts on the surface were far different from those on the island. Crash! Clatter! Skid! Bang! They found themselves on the sun-dappled ground, surrounded by green and flowers, warbling birds, creaking toads and trees like castles. Deep among the shimmering green echoed the tonk clunk clonk of hollow wood. It was a peaceful, warm, brightly colored, sweet-smelling, utterly uneventful place to be stuck in. The trees here were enormous in girth and in stature, nothing like the spindly scraggles back home: they towered, and their boughs blocked out most of the light, cooling the bright forest into a deeper green. Dapples of sunlight still peeked through, and here and there shone a misty shaft of sunlight, illuminating a patch of wide fanned weeds or a few saplings in a clearing. Bright flowers, the whistling conversation of birds and the occasional glimmer of a butterfly added cheer to the quiet, wild shadows. Something sparked softly in the weeds. A firefly? It was too bright, too consistent to be a firefly. A tiny ball of light drifted and swerved lazily among tall grasses. Another one glimmered to the side -- then another, bouncing along on the air, gently illuminating the trees. A dozen quiet little balls of light appeared in all directions, floating and swirling and bouncing toward the spot where the travelers were gathered, like moths attracted to a flame. At the same time, the travelers would begin to feel the effects of the very new environment they now found themselves in. The damp air around them brimmed with an electric energy like the tension before a thunderstorm -- but the sky was blue and clear above the rustling canopy. The longer they stayed here, the more the forest's energy would affect them -- these travelers who were born and raised so far from the effects of magic, who had no defenses or immunities against the invisible saturation of raw power. First, the skin tingled and hair stood on-end, electrified. After awhile, headaches would follow -- a dull throb at first, nausea and vertigo, to develop into a splitting and blinding pain within an hour. Then, after a couple hours of a nauseous blind migraine, the magic of the forest -- seeping deeper into their undeveloped bodies -- would squeeze their hearts. This was why no one returned from the forest. For the villagers of the island-in-the-sky, simply standing still on the quiet forest floor was a sentence of death. Sera, Blin, Nikki, BlankHe opened his eyes, the sky was clear and bright and he vaugely remembered bending his kness as he landed before tumbling. he tried little movements and actually felt pretty fine, a few small aches was all. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Nikki let her glider fold shut and approached, eyes widening. Was he -- asleep? No way, he’d /just/ been awake. “Wake up, sleepyhead,” she called, shaking him. “You okay? Still in one piece? That was a pretty good job, considering it was your first time.” The maneuver almost gave him whiplash, but it had slowed him down enough that he could safely jump off to the ground while his glider careened wildly off into a tree. He looked sadly at the ruined mess for a second, then turned to the other three in the clearing with him. "So," he said conversationally, as if nearly crashing was commonplace. Hanging out with Nikki all the time, it really was after all. "What now?" When Sera's feet touched the ground, they buckled underneath her, undeniably little, weight and she flopped into the slightly wet grass face first. She mumbled a "Uhhhhgh!" into the grass before turning herself around and staring at the sky. A little bright ball of light scooted along the ground, floated up, and landed gentle as a feather on Blin's nose as he daydreamed. Whatever effects the forest's magic had been having on him slowly faded, and the little light grew brighter as he breathed. Should he open his eyes, he might catch a glimpse of an ethereal serpentine figure and slitted eyes looking back at him -- but perhaps he was still dreaming. A gleaming light floated like cotton down out of a tree, swirling down over Sera's head. If she captured it or let it touch her skin, the pain and nausea of the forest would slowly dissipate -- the light would grow brighter, and to her own sight it seemed to imitate an ethereal and translucent fire. Blank and Nikki, by this time, would feel deeply the damaging effects of the stifling energy all around them. It pressed all around them, threatened to throw them to their knees. A bright ball of light shot out of a bush and stuck itself to the side of Nikki's face like a burr. The pain very slowly began to lessen while the light brightened, as if it were sucking out the dangerous levels of magic. She might catch a glimpse of feathers in her peripheral vision. Another ball of light swirled around Blank's ankle, then floated up into his palm. While his pain slowly dissipated, he might glimpse a glimmering furry shape under his hand -- but then it was gone. The other lights faded back into the forest and buried themselves in the ground. The sound of knocking hollow wood was much louder now. BOOM A section of the trees suddenly shattered in an explosion of wood and torn leaves; a small boulder -- sharp and mossy -- shot like a cannonball out of the shadows and dropped fast toward the spot where Blin was lying in the grass. Eli, ThemaUpon noticing one small patch of clear ground, thankfully in front of him, pushed his glider slightly downwards. Two minutes later, his feet were on the ground, the tip of his glider impaled into the ground. "What now?" he scratched the back of his head. The forest's energy pressed in on them, threatened to squeeze their skulls and their hearts til there was nothing left. A bright ball of light drifted through the air and swung gently around Thema's head before it came to rest on her shoulder, like a little bird that had decided to take a rest. The pain very slowly dissipated from her head and her chest, and the little light grew brighter. Another light burrowed among the grasses toward Eli's foot, then drifted straight up as if attracted to him like a magnet; it attached itself to his forearm, light and airy, and slowly he would feel a relief from the effects of the forest. The sound of hollow wood was getting closer. "Kyyyaaaaaaaaa!" Something brown and pudgy skittered out from under a curtained leaf and tumbled frantically toward them. It was only a foot tall, and it looked like a mushroom dressed in tribal paint and feathers. "Oh no oh no oh no oh noooooo! Abandon mission! Move! Run! Amscray!" The little thing gave a leap and attempted to burrow itself into Thema's bag, digging out supplies to make room for itself to hide. art by Gabe Kralik Gaius, Lee, Rahna"Are you alright?!" Rahna called as she rushed over to Lee. She could see that Lee was injured, hopefully not too seriously, but she was trembling and it didn't look like she could use her legs. Most likely shock. "Please calm down, take some deep breaths.. Don't worry, I'm here to help you." "No, stop. Don-Don't touch me!" Lee's words sounded like they came from far away and from someone else, the attempt to come off as threatening warping into a plea as she tried to move away in vain. "Lee!" He rasped, making his way over to where Rahna had already begun to assist his short-term passenger. "Rahna-" Gaius stopped at the edge of the forest clearing and glanced at Lee's desperate attempt to escape Rahna's aid. The shadowed forest seemed entirely unconcerned with the plight of the stranded travelers. The trees muffled Lee's screams, and the air around them pressed in on their skulls and their chests with its deadly energy. After awhile, a little ball of light floated quietly through the grass, drifted up and nestled itself in Gaius' exposed hair. Though his injuries sustained from the crash remained, the pressure in his skull was lessened and the nausea dissipated. At least he could breathe again. Another ball of light swirled over Rahna's head and finally came to rest against the side of her neck. The pain caused by the forest's energy was very slowly sucked away while the little light glowed brighter. In the corner of her eye she might make out the dim shape of something furred -- mossy? -- curled around her shoulders. A third light peeked out of the ground, then jumped and attached itself to Lee's forehead. Immediately it began to glow brightly; the pressure and the nausea of the forest's energy dissipated -- as well as the memories that crippled her. The little light absorbed them all, glowing brighter and brighter. Even Rahna and Gaius might see the ghostly, serpentine shape that draped itself behind Lee's neck. Catlike eyes stared into Lee's face. WHAM Something big shot suddenly out of the trees and landed hard, frighteningly close to Rahna and Lee. It was white as bone, feathered and spotted. It rose up on its long legs and raised its skull-like head; the thing was willowy like a heron and stood as tall and menacing as Gaius. its bony limbs clunked when it moved, with a hollow sound like wooden chimes. art by Jakub Rebelka

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Thema Absher Thema, along with the Kelari, had been the only ones who hadn't actually jumped off into the unknown. Thema, being smart (and also remembering all of her "landings") decided to pull some of her thicker, well-worn clothes out of her bag. She quickly tied them around her knees and elbows. She tied one more around her mouth and nose, as she remembered how hard it was to breath whenever she accidentally went at ludicrous speeds. She grabbed her glider and opened it. Everything seemed to be in working order. She prepared to jump. The crowd watched. Rather embarrassingly, to be honest. Thema took a running start and leapt off. The ride down was fairly easy. Just kidding. As Thema rode down, what was supposed to be a fairly standard and simple angle to slowly descend turned into a rather extreme angle downwards. Thema gained absurd amounts of speed. Her fearful shrieking wouldn't stop. At the rate she was falling, she would have died right whenever she got near the trees. By the means of some miracle, Thema managed to stop her wailing for long enough to pull the tip up right before she got next to the trees. The vertical fall slowly became a mostly horizontal glide. However, Thema was still moving at a farcical speed. Once again, she started to yell as she remembered that she didn't know how to land this glider. The glider dipped into the trees. Her speed slowly got cut by the breaking branches. Still, she was moving at a maddening speed. She looked in front of her. She was very quickly approaching two rather large trees, with barely enough room for Thema to get through. She instinctively curled up her body. CHUNK Thema made it through. Her glider, however, had been reduced to much more of a fall-er. Luckily, she had been gliding inside of the trees for long enough that she was only a few meters off the ground. Her instinctive curling up made herself lucky. Due to most of her speed being horizontal instead of vertical, she hit the ground and rolled instead of bouncing straight up and resulting in a musical pancake. She yelled like no tomorrow. She hit the ground over and over again, slowly losing speed as she did so. By some miracle, as if some controlling force didn't want her to die yet, she went through numerous trees, missing them all as she skidded on the soft dirt. Her descend had been stopped. Most of her body had been covered in scrapes and cuts. However, due to her thinking earlier, her elbows and knees had been protected. Now that she thought about it, she probably should have put on a full set of clothing instead of what she usually wears. After laying on the ground for a while, Thema let out a loud groan as she pulled herself in a sitting position. She looked around. It appeared that she landed right next to some boy that she had only vaguely seen before. She rubbed her head and tore off the cloth covering her face. Everything hurt. It was terrible. Briefly remembering her bag, Thema looked right next to her. It was still in fairly good quality. The thick leather of it managed to be fairly sturdy enough that it wasn't punctured. Panicking, she haphazardly opened the bag, ignoring her own wounds. She reached inside and pulled out her lute. Two of the strings had snapped, but besides that, it was perfectly fine. She let out a sigh of relief as she reattached it to her hips. She looked back at the boy. "Uh... Er... Hello." Thema said to the boy. "I, uh, just flew in from the island. And boy, are my arms tired..." Thema said, in a nervous attempt to break the awkwardness of literally rolling into the boy's general vicinity while wailing like a banshee. In all honesty, just saying that much hurt Thema. Her chest hurt. Despite the rather safe angle, a few of her ribs must have been broken. She tried to cough, but it hurt too much to even do that. It took all of her strength just to stand up at that point. Whatever adrenaline was going at the time had started to fade away. The minor pain of all of that before had turned into a rather extreme pain. It wasn't pleasant. However, some oddity flew onto her shoulder. Thema, out of mostly exhaustion, didn't care. However, whatever that strange little thing was doing, it seemed to remove her pain. The sharpness slowly faded out and her exhaustion slowly cut away to a newfound reserve of energy (despite it being a very small amount). Without much more warning, she heard the rampant yelling behind her. It was as though a small creature was yelling - which it was. "Oh no oh no oh no oh noooooo! Abandon mission! Move! Run! Amscray!" Whatever that thing was, it knew their language. Thema watched as it attempted to tear stuff out of her bag to make room for itself. Thema, confused about everything. She put her things back in, but left some room in the middle for the small mushroom-thing to climb into. Such an act was based upon Thema not really caring what happened. She couldn't quite think straight since she landed. Whatever it was, however, seemed like it was in a hurry. Thema then began to speak in a panicked tone to match the little mushroom man. "What do I do! Why does this thing want us to run!"

NAME - Thema Absher ABSTRACT - A washed-up bard looking for inspiration. APPEARANCE Thema stands at 5'3". Her hair is almost always tied up. She has considerably darker skin compared to everyone else and tends to wear extremely light and loose clothing, even in the winter. She wears quite ornate jewelry, however, they are all heirlooms from her mother. DETAILS Personality: Thema is a musician and quite a good one at that. She tends to be really jokey and can't take a lot of stuff seriously. Her main goal in life is to find a song that truly can state how she feels about the world; that, however, is hard because while she can write lyrics, said lyrics don't quite have an emotional impact (to her, at least). She also sucks at gliding. Like, really hard. She's okay at gliding, but doesn't know how to land. Equipment: Thema's Glider - While it appears to be normal, the thing has been completely destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. As such, the frame breaks extremely easily, but it can be repaired within minutes. Thema's Lute - Plays nice sounds. Tunable. Thema plays it quite well. Ornate Jewelry - A heirloom from Thema's mother. Looks nice and is made from rather rare metals. It doesn't appear to have any immediate use.

Nikki turned her attention to Blank at his call, grinning. “Now...well I’d like to find Eli and Rahna, but I think she landed pretty early. I don’t recall seeing their gliders after taking off. But I’m sure they’ll catch up!” Her face was alight with eagerness. “So now...we go find us a star!” It was a few moments before Nikki registered the pressure, as exuberant as she was. She winced. “Ugh, it sure is stuffy down here. It’s amazing, though.” The young lady shook her head to clear it, but the pain didn’t go away. “Am I the only one it’s getting to?” She was distracted again by the emergence of strange lights. At first she thought it was a side-effect of the dizziness, but when one landed on Blin’s nose, she realized she was mistaken. “Blin!” she hissed, eyes wide in amazement. “Sleepyhead, open your eyes! But don’t move -- oh, if you miss this you’re going to regret it!” She didn’t dare move herself, afraid of scaring the...whatever-it-was off. “Blank, magpie, are you two seeing this?!” She almost forgot just how weak and dizzy she felt just then. Ugh, what the heck was going on? The thought was totally derailed when another light flew from the underbrush and landed on her cheek. Nikki squeaked, at the surprise and the thrill. “Ooh, there’s another one! Haa, I think it likes me!” The light grew more intense, and she thought she saw feathers for a moment, but that was probably the fuzzy feeling talking. Actually, come to think of it, she was feeling better now. The unpleasant feeling must have just been from coming down so far or something. But it was fading, which was the important part. She lifted her hand, trying to gently grab the glowing critter so she could get a better look. Touching it was strange, like it wasn’t all there, but she managed to get it in her palm. “You’re pretty~” she told it. “Hey Blank -- oh, you’ve got one too! Haa, awesome! I wonder if we can keep them?” She glanced around, but most of the floaty lights had vanished. The girl gave a shrug. There was so much to see here, and to hear -- and she was going to experience all of it. Mixed in with the noises of animals and the wind in the branches of the massive trees, there was a hollow clonking noise, and it had really grown quite loud. That was the next thing to attract her attention. And a good thing too, for all at once trees in that direction were exploding, and something large flew towards her and Blin. “Yipes!” Quick reflexes were indispensable for someone that courted danger as Nikki did. and they served her well in this instance too. A lunge to grab the boy on the ground and then she flung them both out of the boulder’s path. She released her friend once they were clear, making sure that she rolled as she hit the ground to minimize the impact, and coming to rest on her back. With the danger past, she burst into gleeful laughter. “Hahaha, /wow/ that was close~” Even a brush with death didn’t wipe the smile from her face. If anything, it made her grin wider. ((THIS NEEDS EDITING. Will happen in a while. *thumbs nose at Moks*)) ((Edit: right, no it doesn't. Moks says I can just go with what I had. ^.^;; ))

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

Rahna Altema As Rahna tried to calm Lee down, she heard Gaius call out to the two of them. At first glance, she thought Gaius was unhurt, but she noticed his slightly pained look and posture. He wasn't okay. But she couldn't help both of them at the same time, so she decided to concentrate on Lee. She didn't want to be too rough with Lee. Grabbing her too firmly might hurt her more.. The fact that her mind was starting to blur wasn't helping at all. She could feel a pain, throbbing in her head; It was becoming hard to concentrate, but she needed to make sure Lee was okay before worrying about herself. "L..Lee, I need.." Before she could even start her sentence, her chest forced out a cough in nausea. She felt like she was going to be sick. "I need you.. To calm down.." She said quickly, her heart rate soaring in panic. It wasn't long before the headache started to overpower her thoughts. She held her head in pain; it felt like her head was being stabbed over and over. She could feel her vision fading in and out from the pain.. But then.. There was a small light. The pain slowly began to subside. Her vision cleared as the headache faded away. She noticed a small.. Ghost-like thing curl around her shoulders. It looked kind of.. furred? No, more like mossy.. Her gaze almost immediately moved to Lee, only to see a bright light and then a ghostly.. Snake? Things were getting pretty weird. But Rahna's thoughts about what was going on was interrupted as a massive white monster burst from the trees. Rahna sat there, her eyes staring up at the beast in shock, and maybe some awe. She didn't know what to do. She knew that she needed to run, but her legs wouldn't obey her. Looks like she was the one with leg problems now. Not really something to laugh about either.

NAME: Rahna Altema Age: 18 Height: 5'7" ABSTRACT: A cheerful young girl with a natural curiosity APPEARANCE: DETAIL: Like many of the other citizens of Heron, Rahna is quite adept at using her glider to get from place to place. Often she’d play with the other kids her age, having glider races and doing tricks on them. Although she was never the winner of said races, she kept her spirits up by cheering for the people that did. She was never really one for competitions, she just wanted everyone to have fun. She enjoys learning about random things and about other people. Some say she’s nosy, others say she’s just naturally curious. The latter would be correct. However, she knows what she shouldn’t be too curious about based on how people talk about whatever it is. But what she truly excelled at learning about was Herbalism, much to the delight of her mother, who was also a Herbalist. More often than not, she was the first person people would approach about small injuries and minor ailments. Despite her cheerful nature, she can easily wind up in a situation where she doubts her abilities. Equipment: Hang-glider (Pretty basic, has bird wings painted on the wings of the glider.) Notebook and charcoal (Filled with random pieces of knowledge on various things. Rather unorganized (Unless it's her plant encyclopedias), yet detailed. Mostly herbalist notes.) Leather sling bag (containing various vials of salves and herbs... and the occasional fruit for a snack) Small harvesting knife

Instead of nausea, the sickness manifested differently for Sera. Slowly she got more and more exhausted and slumped into the grass even more not being able to move her muscles very well. What the hell was happening, Sera had no idea, but she feared she hurt herself in some way going down. Either that or there were some weird particles in the foreign air making her tired, she didn't really know. At that moment a light descended onto her and landed on her head. In just a little moment, her exhaustion faded away as if it didn't exist. Surprised she opened her eyes and the light floated to her opened hand and hovered above it. Now that it was in her field of view, Sera noticed the light looked like a flame, flickering and dancing in a non-existent breeze. It was pretty, in a Sera-kind-of-way, so wild and fiery, but still very lovely. The flame danced up her arm and down her other arm playfully as if it was attached to her, tickling Sera some as well making the girl laugh delighted.

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin's daydream fragmented as the hero there collapsed, he registered a steadily building headache until his eyes snapped open staring up at the sky unfocused. The light was too bright and he heard a voice saying “Sleepyhead, open your eyes! But don’t move -- oh, if you miss this you’re going to regret it!” He was almost about to empty the contents of his stomach when he eyes finally focused on the light infront of his face, a glowing orb. Were there scales? They swirled around and a pair of eyes appeared, they stared at Blin unbinking and he couldn't move. The slitted eyes were unnerving but for some reason Blin didn't fear them, he felt something, a connection maybe, but he couldn't really define it. He continued gazing into its depths and felt relaxed. His stomach settled down, his headache passed and then he was jolted from where he lay. Nikki had grabbed Blin and dragged him up from the grass, just as a boulder crased into the spot he was laying in. "Woah, where did that come from and how..." Blin turned to Nikki, the orb that was on his nose had already faded, a wispy looking tail quickly disappeared behind his back. "...did you know. Nikki you've saved me twice now. Thank you." He took both of her hands in his, smiling as she did and then embarassed by his forwardness, let them drop sheepishly as he stepped back. "The other girl...." Blin couldnt recall seeing her before, with Tivo? He couldn't remember. "Is she alright?" He turned to look and saw Blank close the girl. "When did you get here? Blank isn't it? I've seen you with Lord Gaius before." He turned red and realised that Blank had been with Nikki when he had seen him and he had just held her hands. "Er, and while you, ah, were with, um, Nikki...." his voice trailed off, and he wished he could just go back to sleep and forget this. Instead he turned and looked at the boulder and then at the hole it had left at the edge of the clearing in the trees.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Blank didn't have much time to admire his new friend as the boulder crashed through the trees. Nikki got Blin out of the way, and Sera was far enough back that she wasn't affected much. With his nausea gone, her drew his sword on instinct, closing his fingers gently around the ball of light that seemed to have cured him, and as he got ready for combat, he felt a vague sense of savage loyalty and trust from it. He drew strength from it, allowing the feeling to suffused his body. "Get back!" He shouted at the others, charging forward to face the direction the stone flew from. He set himself, turning sideways and raising the sword parallel to the ground, and waited. Anything that wanted to get to them had to go through them, and he felt confident they wouldn't find it pleasant.

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor A practical malady of symptoms began to overtake Gaius as he crept closer to his two nearby companions, forcing him onto one knee by Rahna's side. What the hell Gaius thought, frantically clutching his shoulder plate as his breathing grew heavier and heavier. He felt like he was about to throw up his lungs, but despite the nauseous churning at his core, he kept himself from upchucking. Were his injuries really that bad? No, it wasn't just him. Lee and Rahna looked to be affected too. But Rahna didn't crash, so what the hell was happening? Gaius tried to call for aid, but even kneeling at her side, his voice rang deaf to his friends, coming out as nothing more than a faint rasping. That had to be it, they were going to die there, and nobody would bear witness to their last breaths. Or so Gaius thought, until his head suddenly felt lighter, overcome by a soothing sensation. Although his chest pain remained, it was slightly easier to breath than just a moment ago. He felt something perch in his hair, but didn't have a clue as to what it was. He just took a moment to soak in the relief it offered, staying down on one knee by Lee and Rahna. Suddenly, something swooped down and slammed against the ground nearby, tall bony and feathered, like a skeleton with wings. Gaius's head shot upwards, baring witness to the strange white menace that hung over Lee and Rahna several feet away. It was comparable to his own height. What a frightening sight! Gaius' eye darted between Lee and Rahna for a moment. It was too much to take in at once. His instinct took hold of his better judgement and he rose to his feet despite the sharp pain in the left side of his body. But it was pointless. Gaius couldn't fight like this. His sword was worthless if he couldn't wield it with both hands, and as it stood, his shoulder felt like it was flooded with cement. Damn it all.

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

The forest added a new pressure to her body that Lee probably didn't and couldn't notice in this state as it just meshed into one large sensation. An invisible comforting hand slid over her shoulder but she just whined and tried to keep herself from falling back down, head first into the soft grass. The energy was mixing in with the trauma and the combination was all but crushing her skull, pressure there like something she'd never felt before. The young woman felt like there were boulders nailed to her chest, pressing onto her torso. Her breathing was labored as she tried to get herself to a more upright position, her eyes open just a bit. She swore she saw something glowing flash to the young woman at her side, but she could've been wrong. Too busy paying attention to the other, Lee barely noticed an identical light orb finding its way to her forehead until she started to feel again, catching a glimpse of something like cat eyes, a glowing serpentine shape curling around her throat. The painfully loud thrum of fauna subsided to a complete bearable murmur, the light and colors seemed to dim down several degrees and the inhumanely violent thudding of her pulse decreased. Lee didn't smell neither marigold nor ginseng, but rather, fresh new scents that she'd never come across before. Gingerly, with a small but sharp exhale, she turned over onto her back and pulled her right leg up, bending it at the knee. Fully functional. She carefully twisted her left ankle to the left then the right. Fully functional. When she tried to raise her left leg however, there was a sharp shot of pain, for which funnily enough, Lee was grateful. Perhaps a bruise or just the way she'd landed. Nothing horrible. Lee was about to check on Gaius, knowing he'd fallen in full body armor and a heavy glider, when she paused. Gaius was, in fact, without a helmet. She openly stared even though she knew it was slightly rude, before laughing. Maybe at Gaius, maybe from shock, maybe from relief, she didn't know. She just laughed until she couldn't breathe properly and only then did she stop, hand on her lower abdomen. When she finished she looked to the girl and smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I scared you. I must've, the way I am when this type of thing happens," she said, laying a hand minutely on the girl's to show her that she was grateful for whatever it was that she did. But Gaius probably took the brunt of the fall. Poor man. Like the way a fawn did on their first try, carefully Lee stood. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? There's blood," she said, noting the drops of red at the corner of his mouth. It was strange to see him without a helmet, her first thoughts jumping to Garrett now that she had her wits about her. He looked like him at certain angles, the cut of his cheekbones and jaw as well as the color of his eyes, reminding her of a man she once loved but lost to her own idiocy and weakness. Lee was about to ask the other woman if she knew anything about medicine but she didn't have time. Something large landed by them, too close for comfort. After a moment Lee could see it properly. It looked like a winged and strangely arranged pile of bones, as large as Gaius, jagged and foreign. Suddenly Lee understood that they possibly had other things to worry about. She also understood that she didn't know much about combat and that the best chance she'd have to survive this would be either to hide or to run. The woman took a slow cautious step backwards, eyes fixed on the creature, saying nothing.

NAME: Lee Silvertongue ABSTRACT: A painfully creative young woman that has a tendency to get along better with inanimate objects and materials than people. APPEARANCE: Twenty-three years old, 5'8''. Pale with thick,short, wavy black hair that just touches her jawline. Dark eyes and a lean physique. Scars along her fingers and hands. DETAIL: History: Currently, she helps out at her Father's shop and maintains her own on the side. Lee works with precious stones and gems for the most part, polishing, cutting them and engraving them. She's very good with her hands, using her skills for a variety of jobs that range from decorating the hilts of weapons to cutting the smallest gems for jewelry. Her own shop has more to do with the art she creates with paints and her thread, trinkets she makes out of colored glass and sits out for people to see. She rarely goes outside but if she does she tends to either spend the time alone of with her two younger twin brothers and teaching them about their surroundings or collecting materials for her new project. Her father is almost always busy and her mother passed away of an illness shortly after the twins were born, so she takes on the maternal role in their home. Personality: Lee isn't against being with others or conversing with them but she is soft-spoken and worries too much about what people may think of her. She prefers to stay in her or her father's shop, singing to herself as she works through the day. While she's a hard worker she doesn't mind to throw the occasional afternoon away to just laze around under the warm sun. She's caring and fairly intelligent, but can be very protective when it comes to her family.

Eli Wyn Since Eli was alone, no one to talk to and quickly growing bored with talking to himself, it was hard not to notice a bloodcurdling scream that had erupted from the skies above. The sheer surprise froze him in spot, not quite sure whether he wants to look up and see what was making all that noise. Slowly, though, he composed himself and looked up. What was... it? A bird? A glider? No... it was a - oh, definitely a glider. A glider without wings. "That's new," Eli mumbled to himself as he moved slightly to the side so that the person crashing down wouldn't exactly crash straight into him. Luckily, he observed, there was a bit of a clearance, so whomever it was, they probably wouldn't kill themselves. Luckily, they did not. And they ended up being a girl - one he had seen before in the village. She struck him as a really familiar person, although he wasn't able to pinpoint the exact source of that familiarity. As if someone talked to him about her? Maybe Blin? After a few moments, Eli shook his head, shrugging as he watched the girl sit up and go straight for her bag. And she pulled out... a lute of all things? Of course, a lute. That's who she was. The musician of the village. He never good to talk to her, but he heard stories about her music being really good. What was her name again... Theme? Teemo? Something like that. Probably. "So I guessed right, Eli replied, "We both came from the same place. Didn't see you on the cliff, but then again, it was such a ruckus that I didn't have the time to scan my surroundings. Nice screamo notes, though." He grinned as he noted her comment about her arms being tired. She was probably in pain over the fall. Eli decided on asking about it, but before he was able to, he thought how painful was just watching her crash. He was literally feeling the pain. Wait. Literally? "Literally," he clutched his chest as the words came out of his mouth, stumbling backwards to the floor,"Woah... woa- old ticker, chill." In all the years he was crashing down, and up, and all over the island, this kind of pain was something completely new. And not necessarily a desired type of a new experience. It felt as if his heart would pop out of his chest any second. For a split second, Eli saw the light. Was it the horrid light at the end of a tunnel he was hearing about in school? What an irony would be if his adventure ended on such a sour note. He traced the light and as he became more focused on it, Eli realized it wasn't as grand as the end of a tunnel light was said to be, but rather a small ball of flickering energy. One that situated itself near Eli, before latching onto his forearm. In a few more nightmareish moments, Eli was able to breathe out again. The pain slowly subsided. When he got back to his senses, Eli opened his mouth to ask the girl about it, but he was once again cut off by someone yelling. This time a mushroom like creature that rushed out of the forest and tried to dig itself a shelter in the girl's bag? To make the matter even stranger, the girl started either mimicking the panicked tone of the shroom or was actually panicking. The latter wouldn't really be the best thing to happen right now. Ehm, Eli coughed to try and grab attention of both the girl and the shroom in hiding, "Sir? I mean, Mushroom? Er- Sir Shroom, is there any problem here?" Why in the world was he talking to a talking mushroom?

NAME: Eli Wyn - Age: 17 - Height: 5'8'' ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course. - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him. EQUIPMENT: -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it. - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome. Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot. Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll. Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell. Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims. Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo. Lee - ?? Braum - ?? Thema - ?? Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere." Tivo - ?? Sera - ?? Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

What do I do! Why does this thing want us to run! "Sir? I mean, Mushroom? Er- Sir Shroom, is there any problem here?" The painted mushroom-man scrabbled deep into Thema's bag, but popped its capped head up again at Eli's question, its little face squinched sourly. "Problem? Problem? It's all a problem! We're going to be eaten! The Chimes, you idiot, the Chimes! Don't you hear them? They're awake! They're awake! We failed! Hide hide hide!" He ducked into Thema's belongings for a moment -- then peeked out once more, eyes wider in realization. He glanced between Eli and Thema as if seeing them properly for the first time. "Are you . . . islanders?" Among the trees -- close -- a hollow wooden sound clattered. The mushroom squeaked and hid for a third time, trembling. In the face of Thema's fear, the ball of light at her side quivered and faded. Surrounding it was an ethereal shadow of feathers, flickering and undulating, as uncertain and afraid as Thema herself. The ball of light attached to Eli's arm, however, shone steadily. Very slowly, a shape was taking form around the light: a translucent shadow of something small and furry and -- orange? It flicked its tail like a squirrel's alarm, big eyes peering into the woods. Another glowing ball of light drifted peacefully over the bushes -- and then a shadow swooped out of the trees and snapped it up in a bony beak. The hollow ring of wood chimes clattered loudly; the monster landed on a boulder above and folded its spotted wings. It was hollow and deathly, made of bone and coarse feathers; it stood long-legged like a heron and as tall as a man. It stared down at Eli and Thema through hollow eye sockets in its bleached skull. Specifically, it stared at the brightly glowing ball of light that hung on Eli's arm. The Chime flapped into the air and dove straight for Eli, its bony claws outstretched. It meant to drive its claws deep into his chest, force him down, and devour his light for itself. “Hahaha, /wow/ that was close~” "Woah, where did that come from and how..." "Get back!" He shouted at the others, charging forward to face the direction the stone flew from. He set himself, turning sideways and raising the sword parallel to the ground, and waited. The flame danced up her arm and down her other arm playfully as if it was attached to her, tickling Sera some as well making the girl laugh delighted. The bright fiery light that danced around Sera was as lighthearted and unconcerned as she was. As Sera smiled and laughed, the light glimmered and glowed brighter, happily flitting and skittering around her. The flames began to take a more complex shape: feathers, and wings, a beak and bright eyes, though it was still translucent and only playfully formed. Meanwhile, in the moment it took Nikki to fling Blin out of the way of being crushed, her own ball of light blanketed itself in a new shape. Her surge of protective adrenaline caused the light to flash brightly; a shape quickly took form around the light, until in its place was a lizardy animal with teeth and claws and feathered wings. The newly born animal dropped with very real weight onto Nikki's chest, and it opened its toothy jaws with a creaky noise of proud greeting. Blin's light seemed to be clinging to his shirt, a faint silhouette of something with claws and wings -- but it was dimmer than the others, as sleepy as Blin himself. The ball of light appeared to be half-asleep, holding onto his shirt like a security blanket. The light under Blank's hand glowed steadily brighter as he raised his sword. It began to growl deep as long fangs took shape in the air, then narrowed dark eyes and tensed furred shoulders appeared in ghostly silhouette. The shape of a wolf formed out of the glow of the light, as bright as Blank's determination to defend against whatever it was that had attacked them. He didn't have to wait long. A clattering sound like hollow wood preceded the flash and flutter of wide spotted wings. A tall, birdlike monster with a bony head and skeletal claws lighted on a thick branch overhead and stared down at them with empty eye sockets. The monster opened its wings wide; as it did so, the boulder trembled and raised into the air, dripping with dirt and tufts of grass. The monster snapped its wings closed, and the boulder shot like an enormous cannonball toward the group -- and Blank, Sera, Blin and Nikki were all in its destructive path. In this instant, Nikki would instinctively become aware that the creature attached to her was as fast and strong as she was -- and it would do as she wished, with only a thought. As the boulder flew, Blank's wolf leaped in front of him, in an instant a solid and frightening form, all white fur and sharp teeth, ready to act at a moment's direction. Rahna sat there, her eyes staring up at the beast in shock, and maybe some awe. His instinct took hold of his better judgement and he rose to his feet despite the sharp pain in the left side of his body. The woman took a slow cautious step backwards, eyes fixed on the creature, saying nothing. While Rahna stared, the light at her shoulder pulsed and very slowly took on a shadowy, ethereal shape: long ears, a thick tail, squinted and uncertain eyes, something green and leafy blossoming on its back. It was only translucent and had no tangible weight, but it clung to her with soft paws and continued to relieve her every pain. The light at Lee's shoulder was dimmer than the others -- tired and uncertain. An outline of a bright, sinewy shape was draped around her shoulders, but its ill-formed eyes were closed with exhaustion and residual fear. It, too, was intangible, a ghost and nothing more. The ball of light that had cured Gaius' headache, however, was flitting and flinging itself in the air around his head, excitable and gleaming brightly, trailing a wake of gold shimmer. The skeletal bird-monster raised its head tall, high above Gaius' stooped strength; its hollow eye sockets followed Gaius' light carefully as it flickered dizzily back and forth over the knight's head. The bird-monster clacked its bony beak hungrily, shifted and coiled to attack, its deadly attention trained on that light over Gaius' head. The monster's wings flared, and like a flash of lightning it surged at Gaius, its long claws poised to rip into his armor -- and there as no doubt those wicked talons could pierce through the metal and the flesh beneath like it was butter. There was only a split-second in which anyone could react: to all witnesses, it was clear that this was Gaius' last breath, enveloped in a deadly flurry of feathers and bone. At that moment, the little ball of light rested on Gaius' head; he felt a deep surge of strength and power ripple through his body. His feet planted solidly in the ground, and he knew -- against all odds -- he could not only withstand this attack, but break the monster's bones. The bony monster's talons dented his armor with the force of its attack, but Gaius would not be thrown down. The little light that flared at his head glimmered with bright colored wings, and a little toothy mouth opened wide with a triumphant squawl. SKWAAAAWK!

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin's head was clearer now, was it the light ball that had done that. He wasn't sure, the eye and scales within it still swirled as it clung to his chest. He didn't know wether to hold it or brush it away. He took a step back as the ball of light on Nikki changed into, what was that? A flying lizard? His eyes grow wide and wider still as Blank's ball turned into a wolf. Even the other girl had a smokey form taking shape while Blin's ball clung to his chest. He gently placed a hand on it wondering what it would transform into. "How on...What is happening?" It was fantastic and unreal what was unfolding before before his eyes. Even his own imagination struggled to keep up with events. Then the creature appeared and landed on a heavy branch, Blin gulped, Blank was the only one with a real weapon. The boulder began to rise in the air and the creature sent it flying in their direction with a beat of its wings. All Blin could do was repeat Nikki's instructions. It saved him once and he didn't have time to think before he moved. He bent his knees and sprung to one side, dropping his shoulder and attempted to roll out of its path and with one hand was unconsciously protecting the ball of light as he rolled away.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Minutes flew by like seconds for Kelari as she absently wandered through the crowd, barely noticing as stranger and friends alike brushed by her. The constant murmuring of her own and her uncle's advice in her head drowned out her friends with the rest of the crowding villagers. Her speech seemed uncharacteristically cold and distant. Best wishes for her safety were met with at most a brief smile, and then back she retreated into her own head. 'Focus on the landing. Gliding distance means nothing if you crash. Look for a clearing, aim for it. Injury risks lost time. Lost time risks no return. All else fails, survive.' 'Survive'. While setting up her hang glider, that word echoed among the other tips she remembered. Several unknowns about the world below left too many uncomfortable voids in her mind, but the reminder to just 'survive' filled them in temporarily. The grip of Kelari's familiar hang glider and harness were the only comforts left after leaving the island. She held tightly onto her emotions just like she clutched the control bar, trying to keep herself and her flight together at least long enough to land. Kelari swallowed hard. Something about passing the point of no return and seeing the open land beneath her made her heart drop, but she clenched her hands again and forced her eyes to stay focused on the path ahead. There was a clearing some distance ahead of her, easily reached by the leisurely pace, and large enough to descend into with ease. Kelari subtly adjusted her course for the clearing and idly drifted, trying to keep her mind occupied with that one word. Survive. "Alright," she murmured in the breeze, "How?" Resources. Find what resources could be used in place of what she took with her. Anything she didn't have to expend from her adventurer's pack was something saved. Food. Basic materials. But what about the dangers? Were there hostile animals? Inclement weather in the future? Environmental hazards? The thoughts were interrupted by a strange feeling during her careful descent into the clearing. A chill shot through the top of her head and crawled down her back, but it wasn't the cold air. Ignoring the unwelcome buzz, she hovered over the ground with her boots brushing gently with the grass, taking a few moments to gather her nerve. Once she was comfortable enough, she tilted her hang glider up and planted her feet firmly on the ground. Kelari huffed a breath as the residual thrust jerked her forward by surprise, but stabilized enough to qualify the landing as graceful and leave her glider intact. Not like it mattered, she thought as she undid the harness and tossed it in a pile under the glider. Then, Kelari winced and placed a hand over her head as a headache kicked in. Stepping back, she stumbled over an exposed root and rolled onto her back. She made a guttural noise of frustration, laying in the grass for a while to get her bearings again. It must've been the stress of the adventure and the overthinking all hitting at once, but there was something undeniable in the air. When Kelari took long enough to focus on it, she could feel it. There was power buzzing in the forest, and it was all over, but she didn't have the presence of mind or knowledge to put her finger on what it was. Something told her to go. Stand up and start moving. A half-hearted attempt to lift her arm pull her torso forward was all she gave before limply flopping back into the dewy grass. At least from here she could get her bearings, so Kelari turned her head one way, then the other, and then forward to get another look at the forest. It was hard to appreciate the majesty of something so colossal and untouched by humans when it felt like an anvil was being pounded on in your skull, and a bit of sleep deprivation wasn't helping much either, but a gentle sigh was enough expression for Kelari. Something peculiar in the corner of her eye caught her attention enough to get her to prop herself up on her elbows and look. She squinted at it. Was something reflecting the sunlight? No, too dim, but too bright to be anything else, and it wasn't falling to the ground. It was hovering toward her. Among all the familiar sounds of birds and wetland creatures, something entirely unfamiliar approached her alone in the clearing and singled her out. Kelari attempted to distance herself, but between the headache and a dull ache in her limbs she only managed to shift half a foot before one arm slipped in the damp grass and she flopped onto her back again. By then, the ball of light reached her and it's decidely passive disposition was very clear, since it just hovered a couple feet over her body. Another weak guttural sound of frustration rumbled in Kelari's throat as she stared up at the wisp. A corner of her mouth quirked up in a small smile, then a low chuckle came through her nose. "Well," she said, her smile broken briefly by another wince, "I've read of stranger things, haven't I?"

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

Blank leaped into action, pulling his sword close to his body. He moved smoothly around the flying stone, his footwork precise with no wasted movement. Glancing backwards in the middle of his turn, he reassured himself that the others were out of danger, mildly surprised that the girl he barely knew had raised her own weapon. As he moved, his newfound companion stalked into the sparse underbrush, vanishing from sight. Blank dashed forward, his feet finding sure purchase even in the uneven ground of the forest floor. He raised his blade again, moving slightly forward, but there was no way for him to reach the bird creature from where he was. Instead, he found a fist sized stone halfway embedded in the soft ground. Deftly, he dug the tip of his sword into the soil under the rock and flung it up and forward, bouncing it off the trunk of the tree in front of him. It rebounded to him and he gracefully caught it with his free hand, then immediately whipped it at the monster he faced. "Come get me, wormeater!" He shouted, beginning to move away from the group. He practically danced backwards, trying to lead the bird on a merry chase through the woods, and away from the rest of his group. The danger of the plan didn't even cross his mind as he leaped between the trees, he just felt the need to protect the others, a need that awakened that niggling feeling in the back of his head he had associated with his lost memories.

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin did his best to move, his eyes snapped open as a warm hand took his and pulled him out of the way of the flying boulder. Didn't he just roll out of of the way? No he had daydreamed it. He blinked in surprise and saw that he had saved again by the same girl that had saved him from crashing. "Too slow!", she called out to him. "Th..thanks." Blin stummered back to her, did she know him? A stranger saved him twice and she... Blin held up his hand, he could still feel the warmth of her touch. It was pleasant and scary at the same time, he didn't know what to make of it. He lightly held his own glowing orb with his other hand, wondering how his would form into a creature or companion as well, as he stared at her back. She pointed her halberd it at the foe with a ferocious, wild roar. "Rrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Blank was facing the creature and had thrown a stone at it. "Come get me, wormeater!" He shouted, beginning to move away from the group. He practically danced backwards, trying to lead the bird on a merry chase through the woods, and away from the rest of his group. Blin turned to his fallen glider, taking advantage of the two people distracting the creature, and hurriedly took a strong brace from what was left. A short staff, something improvised, but pretty solid he hoped. Now armed he ran back and added his support to the girl and her ghostly companion. He felt better now at least he help in some small way.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Nikki gaped at the winged creature sitting on her chest, her bright eyes meeting its colorful ones. “Whoa~” She hardly noticed Blin squeezing her hand, sparing just enough attention to squeeze back and say something about paying better attention. She was busy looking at her new friend. It still had a bit of the light from before, but now a lithe body covered in warm, fuzzy hide perched on her, its weight pressing four clawed feet into the fabric of her shirt, each structured like a bird’s. Long, swept-back horns sprouted from the back of its wedge-shaped head, and its face ended in a slightly hooked beak. The thing puffed itself up proudly, giving voice to a rough bugle as it fanned feathery wings, the spiky ridges running down its spine from the nape of its neck to the tip of its tail raising, along with various fanned frills on its head. The beast was primarily green and golden and amber, with accents of black, blue, and red nestled in its feathers and ruffled fins. “Ooh, you’re a cutie~” the woman cooed, going to rub the ridges that shadowed its eyes. It responded happily to her touch, but tensed and turned away as a bony bird-thing entered the clearing. The woman didn’t wait. Her little friend was from the surface, and its reaction told her the new arrival was bad news. She surged to her feet as the creature on her chest scurried aside, then leaped with a flap of wings to catch the fabric of her shorts and climb to her shoulder. It was a good thing she’d gotten up, too, for suddenly that boulder was flying at her again, and both she and her new friend had to lunge away, Nikki going to the side and the feathered lizard launching skyward to avoid getting hit. The girl from the ruins got Blin out of the way this time, challenging their attacker with a fierce roar, and Blank went to taunt the white bird-beast, hurling a rock at it, then try to lure it off. Nikki herself wasn’t really a fighter, but she couldn’t let Blank run off alone. They were better off working together to get this thing to leave them alone, weren’t they? She dashed after him, tossing a few choice insults at the white avian over her shoulder. “So...what’s the plan?” she asked him when she caught up, her eyes shining with wild excitement.

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

If he hadn't been busy running for his life, Blank would have buried his face in his hands. "The plan," he said with exasperation, "was for me to distract this thing while you and the others run and hide, so I could meet up with you later. You chasing after me is exactly the opposite of what you were supposed to do, and now it's too late for you to go back." He stopped for a moment to find and launch another rock at the creature, making sure it didn't lose interest in him. Even if Nikki was following him, the other two could still find safety. "There's almost no chance I can fight this thing." He said as he started running again. "It flies Nikki, and I don't have a bow with me. If it landed, I might have a chance, but it doesn't need to be anywhere near me to kill me. In an ideal world, this thing is powerful but stupid, and won't realize that. More likely my best chance to escape it was being alone." He stayed silent for a while then, focusing on the ground in front of him and trying to think of a new plan. "Just keep running," he said eventually. "Once we lead it away from Sera and Blin, it might eventually decide to find easier prey."

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor Like a jackhammer, the swell of energy shattered the cement in Gaius' veins and he steeled the creature's powerful assault. "Hrrg!" Gaius grunted, keeping his feet planted in the ground with relative ease. Where the hell did this power come from? Something whizzed by his sight, between him and the attacking monstrosity. Again! A trail of golden light followed it as it passed. What the hell was it? No matter, there were more pressing matters at hand. Gaius flung the giant creature off, and stepped back twice, reaching for his sword. He was surprised that it didn't fall from its sheath in his armor as he fell. With one hand, he flung the hilt up, and grabbed the blade half-way along its tremendous length. Upon pulling it from its housing, he quickly positioned both hands around the hilt and wielded it with a mighty stance. "Whoa-ho-ho!" Gaius chanted, thoroughly impressed by his own feat of endurance. The little fairy-like light creature that gramted Gaius his new-found power buzzed into view and looked at him with its beady little eyes. A little dragon?? "Would you look at that!" Gaius shouted. "Thanks, bud!" the little dragon squeaked happily and flew around him in circles, before hovering quietly behind his left shoulder. "Right, you've a date with some steel, bone-head," Gaius assured the intruder, lunging forward as soon as he was ready, and slashing length-wise at its collar-bone with his massive weapon.

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

Eli Wyn The Chimes? Eli didn't have a clue what Sir Shroom was talking about and his expression made that much known. A couple of important questions popped into his head: what or who were the Chimes? Why would they get eaten? What's with the little ball becoming a furry ball on his arm? A talking shroom? And did the talking shroom just call him stupid?! As the Shroom asked a question, Eli heard the sound of clattering wood. "Are those The Chimes? He mumbled to himself as his gaze shifted from the Shroom to the girl. Back and forth. If something was coming, something enough to scare the Shroom to its roots, then to hide would indeed be the best option. Besides, Eli didn't feel a whole lot of hostility coming from the Shroom itself. Then - it appeared. In a swift motion, a shadow swept a random light and devoured it, putting an end to its glow. That in itself wasn't a nice sight, especially considering it was a... "A freaking hollow eyed monster!" But as Eli didn't know how the food chain worked here on the surface, he for a second thought that maybe, just maybe, it was a normal occurrence and the whatever that thing was would fly away. Really really fast. As it looked directly at Eli, or at least at the glow on his shoulder, he thought it would've definitely been a good course of action to hide beforehand. Now, however, it was a tad bit too late. "Oh no no no no, you ain't gonna eat my-" Eli tried to say, but as the thing rushed towards him, he had no other choice but to jump to the side. Far enough to avoid the outstretched claws of the monstrosity. "Rude." Not having the time to think things through, but certainly realizing there was no real way for them to fight the monster. He didn't have any weapon on him, not even something that could've been improvised as a weapon and as far as he knew, neither did Thema. Luckily, the monster was so far focused solely on him. Or his ball at least. "Hey," Eli whispered to the girl, "How about I distract this thing and you take Sir Shroom and get away from here? Unless you want to take this thing down. I'm down for that, just say the word, we... Islanders can do great things when we combine our strengths. What was the name for that? Ah, yes, synergy!"

NAME: Eli Wyn - Age: 17 - Height: 5'8'' ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course. - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him. EQUIPMENT: -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it. - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome. Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot. Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll. Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell. Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims. Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo. Lee - ?? Braum - ?? Thema - ?? Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere." Tivo - ?? Sera - ?? Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

Sera stared at the bird creature quite dumbfounded as it hopped from tree to tree trying to follow Wolf-Dude. "No fair! I wanted to pierce its heart!", she cried out at the injustice of the whole situation. She pouted and raced after the fleeing boy, the halberd swinging with her steps. "Oi! Leave some for me, will ya!" The rush of combat hormones into her system absolutely drove her over the edge of combat eagerness. Now, the girl was, while only on the lower end of the spectrum, lusting after the blood of the creature who tried to murder them a couple of times now.

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

Blin "Brytag" Alborse The girl was as crazy as Nikki, they certainly seemed to be made from the same mold. Were all girls like this? he wondered to himself. No time for that now, he really needed time to sort through his glider and reclaim whatevre gear had survived, and the only way to do that was to get rid of the bone flying monster. Blin gripped his makeshift staff, turned it the other way up as that end had a wicked splintered spike on it. "Bad idea." he said with a sigh of exasperation at her forwardness, he followed holding his staff defensiveky.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Blin bent his knees and sprung to one side, dropping his shoulder and attempted to roll out of its path and with one hand was unconsciously protecting the ball of light as he rolled away. Sera dove back into the line of fire, grabbed Sleepy's hand and dragged him behind her, just barely out of the way of being crushed to death by stone. "Too slow!", she called out to him as she picked up her halberd angrily and pointed it at the foe with a ferocious, wild roar. "Rrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhh!" "Come get me, wormeater!" Blank shouted, beginning to move away from the group. He practically danced backwards, trying to lead the bird on a merry chase through the woods, and away from the rest of his group. Blin turned to his fallen glider, taking advantage of the two people distracting the creature, and hurriedly took a strong brace from what was left. A short staff, something improvised, but pretty solid he hoped. Now armed he ran back and added his support to the girl and her ghostly companion. Nikki dashed after Blank, tossing a few choice insults at the white avian over her shoulder. “So...what’s the plan?” she asked him when she caught up, her eyes shining with wild excitement. "Just keep running," he said eventually. "Once we lead it away from Sera and Blin, it might eventually decide to find easier prey." "No fair! I wanted to pierce its heart!", Sera cried out at the injustice of the whole situation. She pouted and raced after the fleeing boy, the halberd swinging with her steps. "Bad idea." Blin said with a sigh of exasperation at her forwardness, he followed holding his staff defensively. The wormeater spread its coarse spotted wings and stood tall, its hollow eyes locked on the trailing squad of armed islanders. Bones rattled angrily at its throat, and the clatter of it resounded in the quieted forest. Running in this untamed forest was not an easy thing. There were no paths, very few clearings, and walls of enormous plants, webs of thick straggled vines, stones and upturned roots and broken ground, and massive violet flowers that stank like sap and honey. All around was bright green and shadows and twists of white trunks. Blank and Nikki -- at the head of the fleeing islanders -- rushed by a tall boulder that was twisting and shifting; it lifted in the air just as Blin and Sera made it past. Another huge rock, to the right this time, yanked itself out of the ground as the islanders approached. Pebbles hovered over the ground at their feet. High above, over the tops of the trees, the pale deathly bird soared. It tracked their movements, clattering, raising stones to impede their progress. A rain of pebbles shot after Sera and Blin, fast enough to cause real damage to their skin and bones. At this moment, the ghostly glowing shape at Sera's back lighted on her shoulder; it spread its wide wings with a snap, and a shock of bright fire blinded them. The pebbles struck the fiery barrier and melted at once, leaving Blin and Sera unharmed. A bit of the plantlife around them smoked and glowed, singed by the flames of the birdlike creature that now clung to Sera's shoulder, but Sera and Blin could not be burned. The sinewy ghost around Blin's neck was less translucent now -- and as it gained corporeal form, its scales and spines seemed familiar. Its intelligent eyes stared up through the trees at the creature pursuing them -- and Blin would know, instinctively, that the bony bird above had swallowed a sword that belonged to him. Ahead of Blank and Nikki -- among the rising stones that perpetually threatened their treacherous path -- something bright and manmade flashed between the leaves. Another grounded glider? A great boulder zoomed past them, crashing ahead through the trees, raining down broken twigs and leaves in its wake. "Well," Kelari said, her smile broken briefly by another wince, "I've read of stranger things, haven't I?" The forest here was warm and quiet; the trees rustled overhead, and great green leaves hung like curtains all around. Just behind those leaves, something smooth and dark sat covered in lichen and vines. A statue -- carved out of black stone a millennia ago -- sat proudly atop a crumbling pedestal. The statue depicted a tall bird like a heron, with its bones exposed and a skull-like head. It clutched a smooth ball in one clawed foot, and a curved sword in the other. Beside the mossy statue were the decrepit and overgrown remains of a wide staircase, carved into the side of a forested hill. The crumbled stairs disappeared into the shadows and plantlife above, destroyed by vines and roots and time. The dense energy pressed on Kelari's skull and wrapped like tendrils around her limbs, pressing in, trapping her, as the sunlight glimmered merrily above. One of the floating balls of light drifted and spun over her head, and then lighted gently on the back of her hand. Its glow brightened and swelled, and Kelari would feel the constricting tendrils leaving her, sucked into the growing energy of the light-ball. Relief flooded her chest, and her head was eased of pain. A new sensation -- a chill, like ice -- drew invisible patterns up her arm, but it was not an unpleasant feeling. Her breath billowed in a frozen cloud with each exhale. Not so distantly behind her, something rumbled and flashed; it looked like firelight that suddenly exploded behind the trees, then was gone. Occasionally she heard something crash, like falling boulders -- and if she strained, she might hear the shout of human voices. "Right, you've a date with some steel, bone-head," Gaius assured the intruder, lunging forward as soon as he was ready, and slashing length-wise at its collar-bone with his massive weapon. In the moment Gaius raised his sword, the bird's enormous wings snapped wide. All around Gaius, stones and boulders suddenly wrenched themselves out of the ground and floated, suspended in the air. But the bird's attack came too late. Gaius' sword snapped cleanly through bone, shattering the monster in two. The rocks and stones all dropped at once, clattering and crashing to the ground. The bird's bony head fell backward; its wings collapsed and shed loose spotted feathers on the breeze. Broken and splintered hollow bones rattled down in an unformed heap in the grass. Something silver glittered among the bones -- something that had been at the monster's core. It appeared to be a pocket watch on a thin chain, etched with tiny ornate symbols -- but upon opening the cover by a pressed switch, one would find instead a compass that pointed northwest, and a message inscribed inside the cover: North shall hold sentinel and West shall freeze the night; East shall burn the darkness and South shall guide our flight Something boomed in the distance -- to the east, according to the compass. There was a crash and a rumble, and a flash of light like fire. Human voices shouted, distant on the breeze. "Hey," Eli whispered to the girl, "How about I distract this thing and you take Sir Shroom and get away from here? Unless you want to take this thing down. I'm down for that, just say the word, we... Islanders can do great things when we combine our strengths. What was the name for that? Ah, yes, synergy!" There was no time for planning. The birdlike monster flicked its great wings open, displaying rows of spotted coarse feathers and a chest made of bone and dark. The rocks and stones at Eli's feet trembled and began to rise into the air, and the mushroom squeaked in fright -- but what happened next was entirely unexpected. CRASH FWOOM BOOM! An emormous boulder shot through the trees like a cannonball from behind Eli, exploding through splinters of branches and a rain of ripped leaves. It narrowly missed Eli, crashed into the ground and skidded a long deep track straight for the bird-monster, which flapped and fluttered out of the way just in the nick of time. The boulder cracked into the thick trunk of a tree and came to an immediate stop. A second bird-monster swooped down from above and lighted on the boulder. It turned to face the direction from which the boulder had come, and it waited, watching the shadows between the trees. Within a moment, Blank and Nikki emerged into the clearing, followed closely by Blin and Sera. The two bony bird-monsters stood at opposite sides of the clearing ahead of them, blocking their path. "The cavalry's here!" the little mushroom-man shrieked from within the bag -- and it was unclear whether he meant the arrival of the other islanders, or the team of Chimes that now threatened their escape.

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin ran after the girl, he did want to ask after her her but more pressing issues were at hand. The bird monster was following and still trying to crush them boulders torn from the ground. He heard another one being ripped from the ground and started to feel the patter of pebbles striking his back. This is it, thought Blin he give a small spurt to his speed in a vain attempt to try and protect the girls back. Then her cloud companion formed into something beautiful to his eyes and seemed to explode in light. A hiss of melted stone and the rain of pebbles was no more than smoke. blin shot a glance up at the flying monster frowning, did he just imagine a sword inside the creature? He slowed a little and then his vision was blocked for real. The tiny white scaled creature stabbed its claws into Blin's shoulder and it sterred at him and seemed to rise one eyebrow in almost a threat. "Okay no daydreaming..." blin winced at the shar pain and moved on. He took a look at his staff and wonodered if it fly well. "I think this could rip it's wing membrane if nothing else." Then they all ended up in another clearing the creature had landed and a second one was present. If he was going to use his staff as a spear and throw, Blin would need another weapon. he started to look around but was drawn back to the monster that had followed him and once more felt the sword that was inside it. He gripped his staff and vowed to rip the monsters wings apart, but he needed to get close and for that someone else would have to distract it. The small white creature hissed at the monster as blin decided his actions, it did incourage him and at least eli was there.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

As Blank pushed his way into the clearing, he immediately noticed that the number of enemies they faced had multiplied. He also saw that the chance he had been waiting for had finally presented himself, and he wasn't about to waste a stroke of good luck. "Now!" He shouted aimlessly, and not a second later a furry white shape launched itself out of a patch of brush, landing on the back of one of the birds and sinking it's teeth into the joint where the wing merged with its back. The Ice Wolf's magic lent it's bite the chill of winter, and the beast hung on with its jaw, refusing to let go. Meanwhile, Blank was moving in for his own attack, depending on the bite to cripple the wing and keep the beast grounded so he could finish it off.

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Although Rahna couldn't really notice the form that her little wisp had taken, she was rather caught up in trying to think of what to do in the presence of the strange bird that was before her, considering the fact that she couldn't get herself to move at all. On the plus side, she didn't feel any pain from her previous injuries.. Not that she noticed that either. Rahna flinched, covering herself futilely with her arms and looking away as the bird went to attack Gaius. With a loud CLANG! and a brief period of silence, Rahna looked back to knight, only to see that he had survived the attack; not only that, he managed to stay on his feet. She wasn't expecting Gaius to survive, but she was greatly relieved that he did. The girl's eyes shifted to the small light above Gaius's head. It was a tiny creature of some sort.. wings and a toothy little mouth.. Like a dragon..? The herbalist was speechless for the most part. There was nothing much she could say in this situation that would be of any use, however she did managed to move a little further away from the monstrosity, shuffling herself back slightly before hesitantly standing up. She didn't have any weapons with her to help, but even if she did, she probably couldn't summon the courage to even try anything. Rahna's gaze flicked around them as stones and boulders suddenly started to lift from the ground as the bird snapped it's wings wide. However the motion that seemed like an incoming attack was short lived as Gaius's sword cut cleanly through the bird. She felt the ground rumble slightly as all the stones fell to the ground in an instant. Rahna glanced around the make sure there was nothing else waiting to attack them before speaking up, "A-are you alright? Sorry I wasn't much help.." She asked, taking a slight step toward the knight. She couldn't help but notice the silver glint that was among the pile of bones that the bird left behind. She realized what it was as she picked it up from the debris.. A pocket watch? She examined it briefly, noticing the tiny ornate symbols. What a nice touch. Upon opening the pocket watch.. or rather the compass as she could plainly see; she saw something inscribed in the cover. Quietly murmuring the message to herself. She turned back to Gaius, "Gaius, you think y--" Her question was interrupted by a loud crash noise and a flash of light... like a fire, accompanied with some human voices. 'East shall burn the darkness..?' The 'poem' ran through her head as she noticed the sounds were coming from the East. "Are you able to keep going Gaius? I think we should go see what's happening over there." If Eli was here, he'd realize that Rahna's curiosity was getting the better of her right now. Although, she may have gone there to help whoever was in trouble anyway.

NAME: Rahna Altema Age: 18 Height: 5'7" ABSTRACT: A cheerful young girl with a natural curiosity APPEARANCE: DETAIL: Like many of the other citizens of Heron, Rahna is quite adept at using her glider to get from place to place. Often she’d play with the other kids her age, having glider races and doing tricks on them. Although she was never the winner of said races, she kept her spirits up by cheering for the people that did. She was never really one for competitions, she just wanted everyone to have fun. She enjoys learning about random things and about other people. Some say she’s nosy, others say she’s just naturally curious. The latter would be correct. However, she knows what she shouldn’t be too curious about based on how people talk about whatever it is. But what she truly excelled at learning about was Herbalism, much to the delight of her mother, who was also a Herbalist. More often than not, she was the first person people would approach about small injuries and minor ailments. Despite her cheerful nature, she can easily wind up in a situation where she doubts her abilities. Equipment: Hang-glider (Pretty basic, has bird wings painted on the wings of the glider.) Notebook and charcoal (Filled with random pieces of knowledge on various things. Rather unorganized (Unless it's her plant encyclopedias), yet detailed. Mostly herbalist notes.) Leather sling bag (containing various vials of salves and herbs... and the occasional fruit for a snack) Small harvesting knife

Wide-eyed Sera glared at the bird protecting her. It was so beautiful, so... fiery, as if it was made out of pure fire. It looked back at her and seemed to smile as it absorbed even more pebbles. "Tomo...", Sera whispered as she watched the pretty phoenix swirl around and land on her shoulder again when no more pebbles were incoming as the bird-creature flew away to make another "bombing run". Smiling back at the phoenix she had just named Tomo, Sera scratched under Tomo's skin and she nuzzled Sera's hand. But that small, serene moment was not for long as the cry of the bone bird came closer once more threatening to hurl at them even more deadly projectiles. Sera's face grew fierce and hard again when she tried to analyze the difficult situation at hand "Alrighty, Tomo, guy..., let's get this bitch back to level ground, shall we? What that thing can do, we can do better, no?" She grinned and picked up a stone. "Tomo, can you mimic a catapult?" The phoenix caw'd to acknowledge Sera's question and she positioned herself to recieve said stones and hurl them at the bone fiend with her tail feathers. With a swift motion a smallish stone left Sera's hand and with this initial inertia already moving the stone forward, Tomo only had to whck it hard enough to pepper the creature with incoming stony ammo. "Take that! And that! And this!"

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor Gaius heaved a heavy breath and lowered his sword's tip to the ground gently. The beast was defeated with a single swing. What a feat! Gaius felt more alive than he ever had before. Suddenly those stories of slaying dragons and braving many a danger in the untold wilds echoed in his heart like premonitions rather than fantasy. He craned his neck from side to side, slowly surveying the falling boulders that rose a moment earlier. Did he do that? Or was it the beast? Or a combination of two powerful souls crashing against one another on the field of battle? Gaius felt something steel his resolve, emanating from the bone creature's remains. It was pride. The pride of a guardian who'd stake his life on the possibility that he could save many others. Gaius turned to Rahna, breathing normally as if he'd not exerted himself at all, and smiled. With one hand, he wiped his face clean of sweat and blood, and withdrew his sword with a careful motion, sure not to damage his sheath or armor in a fumble. "I feel born anew!" He roared and grabbed his waist with a loud 'clank' of jade-fused steel, "A warrior of old, fallen from the heavens!" His voice boomed loudly enough to shake the leaves and thistles surrounding them. The pain in his chest had returned, but he didn't acknowledge it. Something buzzed louder behind him though, prompting him to spin his head to the left. Despite his heroic pose, the little dragon was relatively unfazed, expressing its confusion through a flick of its neck and a short, high pitched purring sound. Gaius' smile shrank. But before he could question the little dragon's existence, a crash of light stole his attention. The little faerie turned as well. Rahna asked him if he could go on immediately afterward, but Gaius was already on the move, headed towards the flash of light. "It isn't a question of can, I must! Come, Rahna!" Gaius ordered, overtaken by a sense of duty. Was the flash caused by their allies? Just what the hell was going on over there? "There's no time to waste!"

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

“Eli!” Nikki was elated to see her friend ahead, despite the current circumstances. She waved, ducking another hurled stone, and dodged behind a tree. Blank was going after one of the boney birds, with help from his new animal friend. And the magpie from the ruins was hurling rocks, helped by -- some sort of flaming bird? Way cool, she’d have to get a better look at it later. But for now, they needed to handle the boulder-throwing birds. Something Blank had said lodged in her thoughts. The birdies could fly, yes. And there wasn’t enough room to get her glider off the ground. But that wasn’t the only way to get in the air. Nikki dashed towards a likely-looking trunk, jamming her folded glider in the ground and using it to vault upwards so she could grab one of the lower branches. Once off the ground it was a trivial matter to climb higher, and then all she had to do was quietly venture out along one that hung above the bird Blank wasn’t fighting. The feathered lizard on her shoulder dropped first, going for the beast’s eyes, and the young lady followed, aiming to tackle the thing and drag it to the ground.

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin could take it anymore, he didn't know how he knew the sword was deep inside the creature, but he had to have it. He hoped he was far enough around the creature to have it between himself and Blank. Taking a last look at the little dragon on his shoulder, he whispered to it; "Best you don't engage it Kal, I don't like the way they try to attack you all." He gripped his makeshift staff in both hands and charged the bone beast now that it had landed, he couldn't trust the weapon to pierce or otherwise damage the creatures body, so he went for the next best thing. The wings. Blin thrust the broken ended staff up into the membrane and attempted to rip skin asunder. If he could, he would make sure it couldn't fly away. He just hoped Blank could provide backup if and when it turned on him. A distant murmer in the back of his mind asked how he knew the dragons name, somehow it seemed familar to him, but then those thoughts were lost as he rushed the winged monster.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Rahna turned back to Gaius, "Gaius, you think y--" Her question was interrupted by a loud crash noise and a flash of light... like a fire, accompanied with some human voices. 'East shall burn the darkness..?' The 'poem' ran through her head as she noticed the sounds were coming from the East. "Are you able to keep going Gaius? I think we should go see what's happening over there." "It isn't a question of can, I must! Come, Rahna!" Gaius ordered, overtaken by a sense of duty. Was the flash caused by their allies? Just what the hell was going on over there? "There's no time to waste!" The going was not easy; the curtainlike leaves, thick bramble, and alternately muddy and rocky ground did not make running an easily accomplishable thing. Meanwhile, shouting rang out among the rumble and slam of falling rocks. They passed by a recently moved boulder, its mud-wet end turned upside, laying among crushed saplings. At least the boulders had cleared a semi-traversable path. Something small and bright red went stumbling past their feet, running in the opposite direction. It looked like a wide-capped mushroom with legs, wearing a loincloth and tribal paint. It scurried into the hollow of a dead log and hid there from the noise and violence of the clearing. From over Rahna's shoulder, a furry creature leaned forward and sniffed at the air. Its ethereal form was finishing its final shape, ears flicking and tail swishing. Familiar herbs grew on the creature's back, and its eyes seemed to notice things where there was nothing to be seen. "Now!" Blank shouted aimlessly, and not a second later a furry white shape launched itself out of a patch of brush, landing on the back of one of the birds and sinking it's teeth into the joint where the wing merged with its back. The Ice Wolf's magic lent it's bite the chill of winter, and the beast hung on with its jaw, refusing to let go. Meanwhile, Blank was moving in for his own attack, depending on the bite to cripple the wing and keep the beast grounded so he could finish it off. The monster's hollow eyes tracked Blank, completely unaware of the wolf's presence until it was too late. Fangy jaws clamped down on the beast's wing; immediately, the bone and feathers crackled and smoked with an icy chill. With a crack and a shatter, part of the frozen wing fell in broken splinters from the ice-wolf's grip. The beast did not feel pain. Just as Blank rushed in with his own attack, the monster spun like a whirlwind; its sharp bony claws caught the ice-wolf in the muzzle, dragged long deep gashes into the newly born flesh. Its back was now to Blank, and its fate was sealed. With one crack of the blade into the monster's spine, the bones lost their will to animate. Its head rolled and dropped to the ground; its remaining wing dissolved into feathers; its body collapsed into a heap of splintered and mismatched bones. Spotted feathers lifted on the breeze and rolled away along the ground. At the center of the bones, something shimmered. It was a silvery key, as big as Blank's palm, in the style of the locks in the old ruins on the island. With a swift motion a smallish stone left Sera's hand and with this initial inertia already moving the stone forward, Tomo only had to whck it hard enough to pepper the creature with incoming stony ammo. "Take that! And that! And this!" Blin thrust the broken ended staff up into the membrane and attempted to rip skin asunder. If he could, he would make sure it couldn't fly away. He just hoped Blank could provide backup if and when it turned on him. Nikki dashed towards a likely-looking trunk, jamming her folded glider in the ground and using it to vault upwards so she could grab one of the lower branches. Once off the ground it was a trivial matter to climb higher, and then all she had to do was quietly venture out along one that hung above the bird Blank wasn’t fighting. The feathered lizard on her shoulder dropped first, going for the beast’s eyes, and the young lady followed, aiming to tackle the thing and drag it to the ground. smack smack smack crack clatter smack The monster flinched every time one of Sera's pebbles bounced on its bony head. It raised itself up tall and raised its wings, but just as it was about to raise a boulder, another cascade of pebbles sent it staggering backward. It chimed and clattered, annoyed and growing impatient -- and so completely distracted that it didn't notice Blin running at it from behind with a broken staff. A boulder was just beginning to shudder when Blin's staff struck through the monster's wing in a shatter of bones and feathers. The monster retaliated by spinning around toward Blin; its good wing caught his neck and flung him forcefully to the ground with a flurry of small cuts left along the side of his throat. It raised its sharp foot to stamp down upon him -- but the monster was suddenly crushed under Nikki's velocity. Nikki's knee cracked something in the monster's chest just as it slammed into the ground beneath her -- she had hit something vital, an instant death for her opponent. The monster collapsed into an inanimate shape made of mismatched bones and piles of flurrying feathers, and the smooth bony skull lying ominously among the scattered bones. Among the bones, at the center of what had once been the monster, a sword shimmered in the dappled sunlight. "Woohoo! Weehee! Yee-haa!" a small squeal of delight rose up out of the bag on the ground. A little mushroom man crawled out of the bag on the ground where he had been hiding, and he raised his little fists in victory. "Death to the chimes! We did it! Wahoo!"

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin reeled back in horror as the creature turned on him, he raised the remains of his broken staff in defense just before Nikki crashed into it. He backpeddleda few feet away gasping for breath, looking at the two women and grinning at their accomplishment. The tiny dragon crawled out from somewhere within his clothes and gently proddeda around his neck injury, the pain made Blin bring his hand up to his throat and brought away a few drops of blood. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cut himself and with the combat over he did want any coming of age man would do after such a fight which could have killed him. Blin fainted. Four sets of hands gently prodded his bruises and cuts, a warm and soothing salve was applied to areas with bandages to others. A savoury aroma and odour of smoke promised of food. his stomach growled just as his eyes opened. The two quickly stepped back, each wearing flambouent coloured cloth that seemed to disguise their actions as they moved. "I think I owe you my thanks. i don't suppose you have seen my friend Kal around?" The women looked at each other before facing him again, they both shook their heads. One went over to the campfire and brough back a bowl of soup or stew. His eyes still seemed to go blurry, whatever it was still smelled delicious. He took the bowl that was offered and slowly began to eat. Between mouthfuls, he offered his thanks again. The women hadn't answered him, his chewing slowed and finally stopped. A brief thought of poison entered his mind but he dismissed it, they both had staves to beat him with and he was in no position to fight back. besides they both could have done whatever they wanted in his unconscious state. "Kal. You can't his him. Big dragon, golden coloured." He tried to look around but aches and sprains prevented total mobility. "Where's my...." he didn't even see one of the women move, all of a sudden her finger tapped him in the centre of his forehead. "Rest yourself, your in no position to strain yourself." Her touch wasn't painful but something about made his eyes droop at the word rest and before she finished, the bowl slipped from his fingers as he went sleep. Blin's eyes opend to a small white dragon gazing into his own. It's taloned like mouth rapped him once more on his forehead. "I'm awake." blin blinked a few times, looking closely at the tiny creature. "Yeah I do know you, your Kal...Kalikorix...I had a dream about you." He reached towards it, a little unsure of himself, and then scratched it on it's head. "Thanks for waking me, again." Sitting himself up, he moved the dragon onto his shoulder and then looking around at the battlefield and people left there. He was just about to introduce himself to the girl that saved him, before he realised some people were missing and what in the sky isles was that walking mushroom?

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

((clearly too sick to figure out which one's the OOC. x.x))

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

Eli Wyn Guess there was no other choice - Eli would have to fight. Would have to give his all to protect the Shroom sir, the girl that stood besides him and, ultimately, himself. Whether that meant he was going to die, he did not know, but he was not about to keel over and allow this beast to devour their lights. He was going to FIG- "Huh?" Eli muttered out as he felt the sudden wind behind him, as another bird came onto the scene. Followed by a rowdy crowd of Nikki, Blank, Blin and Sera. Not just them, though. The scene suddenly filled with a wolf, a phoenix and some other things that Eli just shortly took notice off. Could they be... "Could they be their lights?" Upon asking himself that, Eli looked to his shoulder, to the slowly forming ball of light. It started taking shape, becoming more and more visible in the daylight. He was right, the source of those "pretty awesome" companions his friends seemed to have surely had to be in the balls. What would his be? A massive dragon? A cunning fox? Maybe a flying snake, with the fangs of a dragon and a wisdom of a tortoise?! The possibilities were endless. for a second, the drums were rolling in Eli's head, his heart was beating hard and his breath grew heavier. The excitement was unbelievable. Plus, with Nikki and Blank in the picture - he wasn't all that afraid that the beasts would be dealt with. He was sure Nikki would take that opportunity to take them down. Possibly later rub it in Eli's face as to why he didn't take them down himself. Or something. Well - she was about to see the great power of the flying fox like snake with the fangs of a tortoise and a wisdom of a dragon! She was about to witness-! With a tiny squeak, Eli's companion made its presence known. It was not even just a tiny squeak, but the tiniest of squeaks. "You are the awesomely powerful dragon-like tortoise fox?" Eli asked, scratching the back of his head, looking as dumbfounded as one could. Another squeak. "I... well... aren't you a... fiery little fella?" Eli patted it on its head, which made it produce even cuter sounds. It looked around for a couple of seconds, seemingly taking the battlefield into consideration. Its expression grew serious. Eli felt the change in the vibe. "I knew it!" Eli raised his voice as if noticing a change in the air around him. "You are a cunning little one, got me fooled for a second! C'mon now, transform into the godlike powerful shiny phoenix of the afterlife... with the wisdom of a THOUSAND tortoises!" And on cue with Eli's words, the squirrel's fur started shining brighter and brighter. It became warmer and warmer. Until finally... The little one looked at Eli and started rubbing its head onto his shoulder. A sign of affection. The warm smile returned to its face, resulting in Eli sighing with the force of a rhino. By the time he looked up, both beasts were down and out, seemingly taken care of by his friends. "Let's say you did that, huh? Yeah... you buffed them or something..." He sat down on the ground, taking the fire squirrel into his hands. "Let's call you... Squishy. Lieutenant von Squishy. We'll work on your powers later." He said before turning his attention to his friends. Blin was alright, fainted, but that was normal. That was a relief indeed. "Great job guys, synergy for the win!"

NAME: Eli Wyn - Age: 17 - Height: 5'8'' ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course. - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him. EQUIPMENT: -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it. - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome. Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot. Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll. Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell. Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims. Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo. Lee - ?? Braum - ?? Thema - ?? Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere." Tivo - ?? Sera - ?? Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

With the bonebird breaking apart, Tomo landed back on Sera's left shoulder while she started at the boy, who had, once again, fallen asleep. She shook her head and walked towards him. How could he be sleeping that much? Mostly ignoring the rest of her surroundings Sera continued to curiously stare and glare at the sleeping boy basically trying her hardest not to smack him awake or something like that. Clearly Sera loved her little pranks, but this time the opportunity of annoying the boy was denied by his dragon creature. "Aw...", she pronounced in disappointment when he woke up. Still ignoring the muchroom-man, or not acknowledging its existence, she closed in on her seemingly dazed companion and punched him, softly though, in his shoulder from behind. "Yo! We never really had the chance to introduce ourselves. I'm Sera, just Sera, hi!" She also waved at Nikki and repeated her name towards her, not knowing if she knew her or not.

NAME: Sera AGE: 18 SIZE: 5' ABSTRACT: A tomboyish and adventurous orphan girl, who loves fighting and finding artifacts. DETAIL: History: Sera's history is fairly short, since not a lot happened since her parents died when she was 8. So she had to fend for herself starting that age. Out of necessity Sera learned how to fight and to loot nearby ruins and other islands for valuables to sell. Personality: For the most time, Sera is quite the tomboy, not seeming to be interested in "girly" things, whatever they actually are, and loves to challenge people, even if it is just verbally. She can get get quite vocal and cheeky at that, too. But in the end, if you get to know her well enough, she might warm up to you enough to be nice. EQUIPMENT: -Her glider -Her "Combat Lance", aka, her trusty wooden stick -Bag for looted goodies

Blin "Brytag" Alborse The little dragon had seen the girl with fiery bird, had rapped Blin on the forehead as she appoarched. "Aw...", she pronounced in disappointment when he woke up. "I'm awake." blin blinked a few times. Kal was moved up to Blin's shoulder as he greeted the girl. He grinned at her, "Hi just Sera. I'm Blin" He was completely oblivious to his little dragon, it sat there glaring at Sera as gently punched his shoulder. "That thing could have killed us all, no-way I'm doing that again." He looked at his improvised staff that was weilded as a spear, it was now a third of its length and didn't look like it could strike any more blows. Unless something was vunerable to a splinter attack. While Blin tossed the wood to one side, Kal made a subtle movement towards Sera before backing off, it still watched her closely but seemed a litle more relaxed that no harm came to Blin. Blin turned to the fallen boney bird, looked at the second and finally at the mushroom person. He tried his best to decide if he should ask about the new creature that lived in this strange forest or go for the sword. He still felt the connection to it, but with Sera and Nikki both being much capable in a fight than himself, could he he any claim over it? "That..." he tried at the same time to gesture to both the bird with the sword and the mushroom creature at the same time. His arms did a strange dance almost unseating Kal. The white scaled beast once more dug it's claws into Blin to hold on, giving a tiny sigh at the same time. "..ow" Sera moved over to Nikki to greet her and Blin followed, her antics in the fight were on par with Eli. He wondered if two of them were actually related.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Nikki hadn’t exactly meant to kill the strange bird-thing, just pin it so it wouldn’t go flying and hurling boulders, so when it collapsed entirely she was rather surprised. “Well, I suppose that works,” she murmured to her lizardly friend as she got to her feet. She’d have a nice bruise on her knee but aside from that she was unscathed. The others seemed more or less alright as well. Someone was cheering at their success, and the magpie was introducing herself as Sera. Nikki couldn’t help but grin as Blin, now awake again after his fainting spell (really? /really/, Blin?) made the joke she’d wanted to make. “Yeah well, that’s what heroes do, right? I mean, we’re all fine. Heya, Sera, I’m Nikki~” The young woman started to offer a hand to shake, but a glint in the pile of bones caught her eye and distracted her before the other girl could accept. Something shiny. “Oh hey, what’s that?” It was just a pile of bones, not really a corpse, and she’d gone through bones of animals when exploring the islands anyhow. So it was a simple matter for the teen to shove them out of the way and reveal a sword. “Hey Blank, come look at this!” she called. “That bony bird had a sword in it! I wonder if that’s normal for them.” Curiosity sent her over to the second pile of debris, and moments later she triumphantly held up a key. “Ooh, I wonder what it goes to? It looks like some stuff I’ve seen in the ruins....” But there were no locks anywhere around, so she tucked the key away and took a good look around. It seemed most of them had an animal companion now. Blank had a cold-looking wolf, Sera a flaming bird. Blin had a winged lizard too, though his Kal didn’t have the feathers and frills of her friend. She should come up with a name at some point, Nikki reflected, giving her partner a scratch on the chin. And Eli...oh. oh dear. “PFFT Ahaha~” Maybe it wasn’t very nice, but she and Eli were rivals, and /she/ had a fierce bird lizard and he had -- “A fire mouse!” Grinning fit to split her face, the young woman came up to her friend and looked at the glowing rodent. “Aww, just look at da widdle cutie~” She giggled. “Just like you, Eli~”

Name: Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt Abstract: friendly prankster with a clever mind and an appetite for adventure (Ignore the cat attributes, but that's basically Nikki, in her original form. Modifications have been made.) Appearance: Nikki is a nineteen-year-old of about average height, with a solid build that evidences the fact that she’s always on the go. She keeps her blond hair cut at her jawline, and her light brown eyes are lively. She prefers to wear flattering clothes, generally showing as much tanned skin as she can get away with. She loves black clothing, and it’s always something that lets her move freely and won’t get in the way when she’s up to her usual activities. She generally wears a pair of woven bracelets with amber and green stones, and shoes are usually a pair of solid-soled sandals with straps so she doesn’t lose them. Details: Nikki grew up with her father after her parents separated. She knows and loves her mother as well, but the woman’s job as a trader often took her far from home. Her father, Jasper, runs a general shop in town. Nikki herself has very little patience for work and doesn’t have an official job, instead doing odd jobs for various people. Instead of a real occupation, she prefers to get into adventures -- or trouble. She’s been filling her time with both since she was old enough to walk. She tried to pay attention to lessons and such, and did alright, but daydreaming or just wandering off wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. She’s a nice person, if perhaps overly exuberant, though her tendency to tease and play pranks can certainly seem mean. But she wouldn’t wish ill on anyone, and is more or less harmless. She’s quick and agile, with an ability to keep her feet under her even in difficult situations that would put many cats to shame. She knows how to use a knife, and can hit a target from a couple yards away, but that’s only in controlled circumstances. If it came to an actual fight, Nikki is far more likely to keep hold of her knife and use whatever is to hand, often in unusual ways. She’s pretty creative when it comes to innovative solutions to problems, though not all of them would be wise to attempt. The girl has a tendency not to think things through that ends her up in trouble as often as not. She actively courts disaster, be it trying crazy stunts or stealing a bun from a food stall for the thrill of getting chased. She revels in danger, carefully balancing on the line between wild and downright crazy. Telling her not to do something is one of the best ways to get her to try; if you don’t want her to eavesdrop, you’re better off discussing something boring for a bit instead of lowering your voice. She’s a superb flier, mostly because she has to be with all the stunts she tries, and enjoys flying second only to exploring. Well. Maybe third if you count pranks? Something like that. Her approach to life is one of humor and gleeful optimism, diving headlong into every opportunity that comes her way. When she decides to do something, she commits herself fully and holds nothing back. Life is something to be enjoyed, and she plans to do that to the utmost. Other: ~ Glider that’s a bit on the smaller side, but it’s fast and very maneuverable. She just can’t carry too much of anything besides herself. She’s damaged it with stunts more times than can be remembered, but while battered it’s held up pretty well. Her father decided that if his daughter couldn’t be prevented from risking her life trying crazy tricks, he’d at least make sure it wasn’t the fault of her wings should she get hurt. ~Lockpicks, because you never know what interesting things might need opening. She totally doesn’t use them on things that actually belong to people though. Usually. Most of the time. Well, okay, she does, but she puts everything back where she’s found it, so it’s okay, right? ~Her knife is a handy tool she’s never without. She has a second one in case the first one gets broken or lost somehow. ~A bag of assorted tricks, usually including a bit of food, a grappling hook on a length of light but sturdy rope, a small metal mirror, some stick-on bandages, a few safety pins, heavy-duty tape, some string, a permanent marker, and various things to assist in pranking. Relationships: Gaius Stronurr - Nikki admires and respects Gaius, and she /loves/ his stories. She’s probably run afoul of him a few times, stealing things and making him chase her down to get them back. Respecting him, it seems, is not enough to make her listen to him. (Would he realize she views it as a game? I mean, if he stopped chasing, she’d stop doing it with the intention of him chasing her down. Doesn’t mean she wouldn’t aim for other people to chase her, though.) Forrest Everfree - she’s a bit jealous of his freedom, and imagines life without parental figures telling you what to do as fun. Not that she wants to lose her parents, but the lack of a supervising authority appeals to her. As a child she found him fascinating, and often followed him around, eventually convincing him to teach her how to pickpocket and other minor thief skills. Eli Wyn - friend and frequent co-conspirator. Nikki is impressed by what he knows about gliders, and has actually learned a bit about them from him. His quest for excitement fits well with her own, and as wild as they are separately, get the two together and it’s even more intense. He’s the one that introduced her to Rahna and Blin/Brytag. Rahna Altema - Eli introduced the two, and they get on fairly well. Nikki enjoys racing with her and some of the others. She’s also learned that playing on Rahna’s curiosity is a great way to get her to go along with things she might not otherwise. Blin "Brytag" Alborse - He’s quiet and he always looks half-asleep, but he’s not bad. And he has some of the craziest dreams! Palling around with Eli and Rahna means she’s friends with him too. Blank - Nikki’s not sure if she likes bothering him or just plain /likes/ him, but she’s certainly fond of the mysterious teen. Since his arrival two years ago, she has found him an irresistible target for teasing. He’s so cute when he blushes~ Despite his good-natured complaining, the two are pretty tight now, though initially she had to construct circumstances that made adventures unavoidable when he balked at less forceful attempts to bring him along. She’s nothing if not persistent. Tivo Sol - Nikki's encountered him a couple times, both in town and out near ruins, but they're not close or anything. Kelari Halder - she's friendly, and she tells interesting tales. What's not to like? Nikki is at least on friendly terms with her, though she's probably tried to use Kelari's equipment at least once. Without permission. She got her tattoo at Kelari's parlor, a small pair of stylized wings on her shoulder blades. Hurt like anything, but the result was worth it~ Song: Dangerous, by Within Temptation

Rahna Altema Rahna was quite excited by Gaius' eagerness to investigate what was going on. She followed the tall knight through the thick forest, however the terrain was getting the better of her for the most part. After all, this place was much denser than the plantations she took care of back home. 'And a lot more unkempt..' she thought right after she tripped over a tree root that protruded out of the soil. Dusting herself off, she continued along the path they were taking, the path was slightly cleared since a boulder had been moved, thrown to the side. A sign that someone was already here. She didn't have much time to think about it, because something small and red caught her eye as it ran passed them. Rahna instantly stopped and turned investigate what that was... It was a mushroom...? with legs.. and a loincloth? 'What on earth..?' She had forgotten to tell Gaius what she was about to do, letting him run off to wherever. The girl went after the mushroom, her curiosity flooding over. She soon reached the log that it hid in and took a peek inside. "Hello? Mister Mushroom?" She called out. She suddenly felt a weight on her shoulders, causing her to look away from the log for a moment. Her ghostly friend had formed into the most adorable and strange fox she had ever seen. The herbs that grew on it's back were familiar to her. Mint. Mint was used to calm the nerves and settle your stomach after a big meal. Maybe it was growing it as a reaction to what's going on? Rahna noticed that it was looking at something, or rather sensing something. It's ears were perked up and it's neck was somewhat straight. "What's the matter, friend?" She inquired. Of course she didn't really expect much of a response from an animal. No matter how fascinating it was.

NAME: Rahna Altema Age: 18 Height: 5'7" ABSTRACT: A cheerful young girl with a natural curiosity APPEARANCE: DETAIL: Like many of the other citizens of Heron, Rahna is quite adept at using her glider to get from place to place. Often she’d play with the other kids her age, having glider races and doing tricks on them. Although she was never the winner of said races, she kept her spirits up by cheering for the people that did. She was never really one for competitions, she just wanted everyone to have fun. She enjoys learning about random things and about other people. Some say she’s nosy, others say she’s just naturally curious. The latter would be correct. However, she knows what she shouldn’t be too curious about based on how people talk about whatever it is. But what she truly excelled at learning about was Herbalism, much to the delight of her mother, who was also a Herbalist. More often than not, she was the first person people would approach about small injuries and minor ailments. Despite her cheerful nature, she can easily wind up in a situation where she doubts her abilities. Equipment: Hang-glider (Pretty basic, has bird wings painted on the wings of the glider.) Notebook and charcoal (Filled with random pieces of knowledge on various things. Rather unorganized (Unless it's her plant encyclopedias), yet detailed. Mostly herbalist notes.) Leather sling bag (containing various vials of salves and herbs... and the occasional fruit for a snack) Small harvesting knife

Eli Wyn As soon as Nikki had approached Eli, the little fellow on his shoulder tried to burrow itself into Eli's clothes. The little mouse seemed to be shy, which was an interesting trait considering it was paired with Eli. Paired? Were they even paired by some rule, or was it luck of the draw type of thing? Eli had no answer to that question and was even less to find one considering Nikki was standing in front of him, distracting him from the matter at hands. "It is always the little ones that end up destroying mountains!" He said, but felt his face grow a bit red. Whether she was acting as if he was a little kid, it was still a compliment. From a girl. "Shake it off, Eli" he mumbled to himself before he shifted his attention to his small partner. Mostly to distract himself from Nikki at hand. He had no way to get one on Nikki and her winged lizard. Not yet. She won this one. "Don't worry, little one. She doesn't bite. I think. Besides, she is more likely to focus her attention on me than you, so you'll be safe for a while." Eli talked to his little furry fellow, trying to think of a proper name. "I should call you something, shouldn't I? Unless you already have a name?" He asked, leaning in closer, as if the mouse was whispering something to him. He acted out the best shocked face he could before shooting a glare in Nikki's direction. "Say what?! he proclaimed, his mouth wide open. Jaw dropped all the way to the floor. "Your people called you the Blood Terror of The Night Sky?!?! Amazing! Terror it is!" He beamed a grin as he quickly shuffled away from Nikki. "Bro! So good to see you're fine. I was worried for a second there, but I should've known you can handle yourself." Eli cheerfully said as he got near Blin, punching him in the shoulder. Then, in a split second, his gaze moved towards Sir Shroom. "Death to the Chimes! Death to the Chimes!" Eli started chanting, Terror soon following with tiny squeaks of its own. "Although... would you mind explaining to us... The hell are those Chimes?"

NAME: Eli Wyn - Age: 17 - Height: 5'8'' ABSTRACT: Adrenaline junkie that tries to make the best out of every situation - a ball of caffeine. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: - Personality: Legend goes that Eli fell on his head when he was a small boy, at least that's what his older sister tells people when she needs to explain why Eli did whatever stupid thing he did. It's not as if Eli is not a smart cookie - he may not be the smartest one in a jar, but he ain't stupid, just a little bit on the crazy side. He likes all things that bring that tingling gut feeling to the table. The more butterflies in his stomach he feels, the better. And since almost nothing of note happens in the village, he needs to make things happen. People call his stunts idiotic, crazy, suicidal... but mostly idiotic - but Eli does what he needs to do to bring at least some excitement into his life. Why would you simply go around a fence and enter through a gate if you can jump over it? Without using hands, of course. - History: Eli often helps his sister out with her job of being a pre-school teacher. Well, he is merely an errand boy, going to fetch whatever materials she needs and bringing them back to her. Often being a few hours late. It gives him something to do and it works as a good excuse for him not being in the house. And he gets to interact with people, which is always awesome in his book. Interestingly enough, it is his mother that allowed him to help his sister without him having to ask twice. As far as Eli knows, she feels nostalgic about the days when she was as carefree as him. EQUIPMENT: -a hand-glider | "expertly" modified by the "king of gliders", Eli, so it can go a faster, but it makes it that much harder to turn. Worth it. - a leather bag and a can of soda | Sky Kola - best refreshment on this side of the sky Blin "The Bro" Alborse - one of the closest friends Eli has. Although they are not overly similar personality wise, there are certain things that make them compatible. And man, he has a vivid imagination - making him instawesome. Rahna A.K.A The Bestie - he wouldn't trade her for all the excitement in the world. That tells you a lot. Forrest - once stole his sweet roll. Still owes him a sweet roll. Gaius A.K.A Don't Crash Into Him - otherwise he'll yell. Aurora - the girl Eli once mistakenly called his girlfriend. She hates his guts now. At least that's what she claims. Kelari - A master of the tattoo art, incredibly talented and artistic. Admires her work. Damn - he wants that tattoo. Lee - ?? Braum - ?? Thema - ?? Blank - "That handsome bastard that came out of nowhere." Tivo - ?? Sera - ?? Nikki - There is a fairly peculiar relationship with Nikki. Started on a really high note, with a small, five year old Eli idolizing Nikki. Then it took a sharp turn because Eli is, as everyone knows, the King of Stunts - considering their personalities, that was reason enough for a fairly hot rivalry to arose between the two. Legend goes they are still competing to this very day.

They seem to be either reanimated giant birds or some kind of naturally occuring golem with a talent for levitation magics. Blank said, wiping the blade of his sword on his sleeve before returning it to his sheath. He walked from his pile of bone dust to join the others around Blin's, plucking the key from Nikki's distracted fingers as he went. "Last time I let you hold something we found, you 'accidentally' dropped it off a cliff. We were searching for hours." He turned and crouched to meet his Wolf companion, gently tracing a finger across the ice that already encased the creature's wounds. Satisfied they weren't life threatening, he returned his eyes to the key, turning it so it caught the sunlight. "A free prize with every kill, huh? I suppose these Chimes are like any other bird, gathering anything that catches their eye. Do they have nests then I wonder? If so, they must be filled with valuable metals and gemstones. I wonder what this goes to?" The swordsman turned the key over and over in his hands, looking for distinguishing marks that would tell him the keys purpose.

NAME: Blank ABSTRACT: A mysterious teen who crashed on the Island. APPEARANCE: DETAIL: History: Two years ago, Blank crashed on the Island riding a strangely shaped hang glider, carrying only his bag of supplies and his sword. He was taken in by one of the families after admitting he had no memories, but since then only a vague sense of some purpose has returned to him. Personality: Blank is quiet and thoughtful, but kind hearted. He might be a warrior, since he has some skill with the sword, but he knows as little as a newborn, relying on instinct to interact with people. He tries to avoid contact with people he doesn't know, is almost adorably shy, and is always happy to let someone else take the lead. Equipment: Sword Bag containing dried food and water. Strange hang glider.

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor The difficulties ahead did little to dissuade Gaius in his romp across the forest floor. He lept and bounded across vines and brambles without trouble, and crushed anything that might've halted a smaller man's stride. His breath was stronger than he'd expected it to be. It made everything around him seem virtually insignificant! The upturned boulder poised no questions from him, he merely imagined smashing it to tiny bits with his bastard sword. Thoughts of golems controlled by earth-mages rang through his head as he pictured himself thrashing an entire army of the wretched constructs, what fun! He was far too distracted to notice the little red-capped mushroom man scurry past him, and the clanking of his armor drowned out anything Rahna had to say at first. Within moments, she'd been lost to him, left behind in the heat of his heavy sprint. It didn't take long for him to notice the large chimes in the distance, barely visible through the thickness of the forest. He slowed his pace with a sluggish clattering and lowered his body. Placing one hand on the hilt of his sword, Gaius watched carefully, and waited for a moment to strike. Those fragile creatures were no match for him! "Kiikii!" The little faerie dragon cooed quietly, hovering by Gaius' desheveled cheek and looking in the same direction as him. He turned towards it and cocked one eyebrow back. The little creature did the same and cooed again. "Kiio." "What in the king's name is with this forest? Leave me alone, little one!" He hissed, swatting the dragon away. The little creature sifted through his hand motions skillfully and nuzzled against his rough cheek. He shook his off and pushed it away with his armored hand. "Bloody- Eh?" A clamor of bones and rock pulled his attention back to the clearing nearby. One of the creatures was dispatched, and soon after, so was the other. He caught a glimpse of some sort of wolf, and... Blank!? Gaius rushed his way into the clearing, crushing branches and tearing vines as he struggled into plain view with a loud clattering of metal. "Aye!" He shouted, bursting into sight with all sorts of softer plant life clinging to his armor's joints. Though, without his helmet, Gaius felt practically naked as he noticed that nearly everyone from the survey group had ended up in this clearing. The small faerie dragon fluttered its way towards his messy hair and plopped right on top of his head with a harmless buzzing noise. Gaius looked over the scene, noticing the mushroom people scurrying about and speaking nonsense that he didn't bother to acknowledge. "Aye..." He mumbled, "Must've hit my head harder than I thought.."

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Eli Wyn Blin grinned as Eli approached him and punched him, in a friendly manner, in his shoulder. Kal moved to the other side, carefully keeping its own eyes on the red furred little mouse creature. Blin clapped his iwn hand on Eli's shoulder. "It's great to see you made it down...." "Yes," Eli replied with a nod of his own, his expression growing serious for a few moments, "Now we miss only one - I hope she's okay. I really hop-" As he was about to finish, a shuffling sensation cut him off. A blur of white, and Kalikorix had shot from Blin's shoulder and ran along his arm onto Eli, the red fox-mouse squeaked a battlecry of pure terror and startled from its hiding place began to shoot around Eli's upper torso. Kal followed swiftly but not as fast, its wings seemed to impede its speed as it raced to follow. Blin took his arm back in shock at Kal's action and stared to speak when he noticed something subtle about the chase. Kal was losing ground. No the mouse-fox was gaining it. The distances between the two altered and all of a sudden Blood Terror of the Night Sky was chasing Kalikorix the White Dragon around. "What the...." Kal had suddenly leapt from Eli and glided to Blin's shoulder, Blood Terror in sheer abandon jumped the distance to follow. They did one pass around Blin's shoulders before Kal's claw dug into Blin's shoulder and it tipped over onto its back. Kal back legs clawed into the cloth Blin was wearing and a little into his flesh (again) and its front legs splayed up and outwards. Blood Terror ran into Kal, it squeaked shrilly once again and darted it's tiny head about looking for escape. Both the friends companions were breathing heavily and Kal's head drooped backward on its long flexible neck before its eyes closed and its panting began gentle snores. Its two front legs didn't exactly grip the scared mouselike creature, more like gave it a hug. "...Hell?" Eli finished Blin's sentence as he watched the race unfold. The two seemed to be getting along and it actually looked as if their respective companions held some traits similar to their owners - if that's what Blin and Eli even were to them. Eli approached the fiery mouse, before gently taking it away from the "death" hug of the White Dragon. "Rest a bit, furry." Eli said with a smile, as he put it into the front pocket of his shirt.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Great job guys, synergy for the win! "Yo! We never really had the chance to introduce ourselves. I'm Sera, just Sera, hi!" "Hi just Sera. I'm Blin. That thing could have killed us all, no-way I'm doing that again." "Heya, Sera, I’m Nikki~ Oh hey, what’s that? Hey Blank, come look at this! That bony bird had a sword in it! I wonder if that’s normal for them.” Curiosity sent her over to the second pile of debris, and moments later she triumphantly held up a key. “Ooh, I wonder what it goes to? It looks like some stuff I’ve seen in the ruins....” Blank walked from his pile of bone dust to join the others around Blin's, plucking the key from Nikki's distracted fingers as he went. "A free prize with every kill, huh? I suppose these Chimes are like any other bird, gathering anything that catches their eye. Do they have nests then I wonder? If so, they must be filled with valuable metals and gemstones. I wonder what this goes to?" Eli's gaze moved towards Sir Shroom. "Death to the Chimes! Death to the Chimes!" Eli started chanting, Terror soon following with tiny squeaks of its own. "Although... would you mind explaining to us...The hell are those Chimes?" Gaius looked over the scene, noticing the mushroom people scurrying about and speaking nonsense that he didn't bother to acknowledge. "Aye..." He mumbled, "Must've hit my head harder than I thought.." A colorful quiet drifted peacefully throughout the oversized forest; in the absence of the Chimes, birds began once again to warble and argue in the boughs overhead. Bushes shifted and rustled as woodland creatures scurried by; a trio of deer emerged from under the draping leaves to chew at the sprightly grasses on a hill a short distance away. The key in Blank's palm was very old, and appeared to have been molded by hand and crafted out of crude brass. Instead of teeth, there was a single metal panel that was punched through with tiny symbols: stars and squares and triangles. The bow of the key was an ornately carved knot of three winding lines. It was, altogether, as big as Blank's hand and unusually heavy for its size. The little mushroom-man hopped to the ground and grinned toothlessly up at Eli. "I dunno! They just showed up last night!" He waved his little arms in confusion. "There was a flash and a boom and everything shivered and then a whole flock of them bony-birds swooped in and started grabbing people and flinging rocks around like they owned the place! I call them Chimes, but I dunno what they are really. There's more than those, I know that, but at least two down, right?" He'd barely finished speaking when he scrambled and waddled straight at Sera, excited to get in on all this introduction business that was going on without him. "Hi Sera, I'm Kipkik, just Kip! I like your dreamwisp! Very fwooshy!" He rushed over to Blin and hopped for attention. "Hi Blin, I'm Kip! You're very sleepy aren't you? Ask your dreamwisp not to eat me okay?" With a waddle and a toddle of his big capped head, he tugged on Nikki's pantleg. "Hi Nikki, I'm Kip! I like your dreamwisp too! Very fluttery! Do you like shiny things?" He didn't wait for an answer before he waddled off toward Blank -- but he got one good look at that wolf and hesitated fearfully. "Nice puppy!" He didn't move too close, and finally decided to skip over to Gaius, where he knocked on the knight's boot. "Hi! I'm Kip! What's your name, mister tin man? Your dreamwisp is very pretty!" Kip was so enamored and excited by the prospect of making all these new friends that he didn't consider actually stopping for conversation. He hopped and waved his little arms. "Hey! Hey Eli! Hey Sera! Hey Blin! Hey Nikki! Hey wolf-guy! Hey tin man! Are you from the island? Are you islanders? From the sky! From the village in the clouds! Huh? Yeah! You're sky-people!" He laughed joyously and ran in circles. "Sky people! Sky people! I have sky-people friends!" He stopped after a moment and sat down, huffing. "But what are sky people doing here? Did you fall?" Rahna went after the mushroom, her curiosity flooding over. She soon reached the log that it hid in and took a peek inside. "Hello? Mister Mushroom?" The mushroom stared at her from within the dark log -- and after a few moments, slowly crawled closer. "Hello." It was a small, almost childish voice. He slowly reached out and gripped the edge of the hole in the log, and poked his lopsided capped head out, peering up at Rahna with beetle-black eyes. "You're weird. Are you going to eat me?" His eyes lifted to the strange fox at Rahna's shoulder. "Is your dreamwisp going to eat me? I'm not very good." He crawled out entirely, slow and miserable as if accepting his fate, certain he was about to be eaten. The forest around them was deep and enormous; pools of light shone down between the magnificent leaves and powerful branches of the trees that towered overhead. Everything was bright green, pocked occasionally by violet blooms and red petals; and blue, white-flowered vines that wrapped trunks and upturned boulders like neat packages. The birds and wildlife had begun to sing and skitter again, now that the chaos of the crashing rocks had been silenced. The fox at Rahna's shoulder had noticed -- but had not understood -- an aura of energy that surrounded a distant statue, half hidden behind flowered foliage. The energy didn't change, and there was nothing suspicious or dangerous about it, so the fox was inclined to relax. The little mushroom squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable.

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Blin "Brytag" Alborse It made sense, that hollow noise that they had made on appoarching them the first time, so may as well call them Chimes. Blim calming stroked Kal's belly as the tiny dragon slept, it mewed and hugged his finger in sleep and grinned as Eli took Blood Terror away. "they are quite the pair." he said and turned as the mushroom-man waddled up them both. He hopped for attention. "Hi Blin, I'm Kip! You're very sleepy aren't you? Ask your dreamwisp not to eat me okay?" Dreamwisp? "Well I called..." kip had already waddled away. Did he dream it real? He did vaugely remember a dream, it seemed ages ago, about flying on a great dragon. He looked at the sleeping dragon again, Kal was bigger in his dreams though, but a dragon and Kal in both were they not just as intelligent. "Eli, is Blood Terror okay? I mean was he upset when Nikki came over?" He didn't want to upset her, she had after all saved him several times, and there was something....Blin looked away before he could red "Just asking, because Kal seems to enjoying pinching mefar too much." He gently unhooked Kalikorix and turned the dragon over so it sleep in the crook of his arm. Kip was speaking again to everyone, Blin was going to answer when Kip's last words clicked in his head. "Fall? I crashed actually. oh crap, my gear. We need to go back, I got some supplies that could be useful." He couldn't remember if they were crushed, and if they weren't he couldn't remember what was even in there. "I think."

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Rahna Altema She watched as the mushroom approached her. 'Oh my gosh, it's so cuuute~' She thought. Rahna couldn't help but giggle at what the mushroom man had said. "Eat you? No I won't~!" she replied with a warm, cheerful smile on her face. She had backed away slightly from the log to give the animated mushroom some room to breath, she didn't want to seem threatening or anything like that. She stroked the head of the fox that sat on her shoulder, "You mean Clover? No, he won't eat you either~" She added as she gingerly plucked a mint leaf from her companion's back. She held it out to the bipedal mushroom, "Here, this should help calm your nerves." Talking mushrooms and large bone-y birds. This forest was quite a wondrous place. Rahna slowly stood up, her eyes taking in the surroundings. It was much more peaceful now that the monsters were gone and the sounds of conflict had faded away. Her gaze fell upon something in the distance.. A statue of some sort, although it was hard to see since it was half covered in flowers. She somehow felt that the statue had an energy around it, but it wasn't dangerous at all. She wanted to go take a closer look. She turned to the mushroom man with a smile, "Well, since we're the only ones here, it's best that we stay together right? I'm going to go look at the statue, want to come with me?"

NAME: Rahna Altema Age: 18 Height: 5'7" ABSTRACT: A cheerful young girl with a natural curiosity APPEARANCE: DETAIL: Like many of the other citizens of Heron, Rahna is quite adept at using her glider to get from place to place. Often she’d play with the other kids her age, having glider races and doing tricks on them. Although she was never the winner of said races, she kept her spirits up by cheering for the people that did. She was never really one for competitions, she just wanted everyone to have fun. She enjoys learning about random things and about other people. Some say she’s nosy, others say she’s just naturally curious. The latter would be correct. However, she knows what she shouldn’t be too curious about based on how people talk about whatever it is. But what she truly excelled at learning about was Herbalism, much to the delight of her mother, who was also a Herbalist. More often than not, she was the first person people would approach about small injuries and minor ailments. Despite her cheerful nature, she can easily wind up in a situation where she doubts her abilities. Equipment: Hang-glider (Pretty basic, has bird wings painted on the wings of the glider.) Notebook and charcoal (Filled with random pieces of knowledge on various things. Rather unorganized (Unless it's her plant encyclopedias), yet detailed. Mostly herbalist notes.) Leather sling bag (containing various vials of salves and herbs... and the occasional fruit for a snack) Small harvesting knife

Blin "Brytag" Alborse Blin wasn't sure what they all should do, it seemed as if Kip had taken an Eli drink. The mushroom man moved betwwen them all, except for Lord Gaius. Well that man was imposing in his armour, Blin always felt a little intimidated by him. His stories though, they were the stuff of legends and they always set his imagination racing. Blin blinked. "Gaius, you're here." Blin rushed over to the clearings edge to greet him. He almost never called him withour his Lord title. he looked further into the trees trying to see who else was there, "Did you come alone? Did you see anybody else? Oh you have a Dreamwisp too, everybody seems to have one. What happened to your awesome wings? Did you pass my glider? Have you seen....Lee?." Blin was both glad and upset at the same time, his heart missed a beat as another friend joined them, but so it seemed others were missing. He hoped they were at least safe back home. Blin gently moved his sleeping dragon into the crook of his arm, "Meet Kal, my Dreamwisp. What did you call yours?"

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.

Gaius Stronurr The Forest Floor Gaius was taken aback by the sudden onslaught of questions. Blin had always been like that, Gaius had grown used to it, but down here on the forest floor? No, nothing was the same. Not even Gaius' relentless patience could brave this series of events. "Oi, oi! One question at a time, lad!" Gaius paused and looked around, conveniently shoving the existence of the dream wisps aside. He wasn't particularly interested in addressing any of the shenanigans that occurred on the forest floor. Hell, he wasn't even sure that any of this was real yet! "I uh.. May have misjudged the capabilities of the Gaius Glider just a wee bit," Gaius said softly, trying to pull as little attention as he could towards his blunder, "Lee an' I ended up crashing- But thanks to my quick footing, we didn't end up in pieces! Can't say the same for the ole' glider, though.. Rahna was with us and... Rahna!" Gaius' neck flicked up and his entire body emitted a loud clink as he searched the forest behind him for any traces of the girl. But she was gone. "Blast it all! Rahna is missing, and Lee.. Well, to be perfectly honest, aye... I'm not too clear on anything right now! One minute I'm writhin' on the ground like a fish outta water with a spike in my lung, the next, there's a wee dragon creature givin' me the courage of a god!" Gaius motioned his arms about as he spoke, but froze up when his little familiar began digging into his head with its little talons. Gaius glared at Kal and shuddered at the though of naming his little dragon friend.

NAME: Gaius Stronurr (Straw-Neeur) ~ABSTRACT~ A hardy soldier with a kind heart and a hard head ~APPEARANCE~ Thirty-One Years, 6'8, rarely shows his face. ~HISTORY~ Gaius has worked under the old king as one of his generals for many years, maintaining peace throughout his Liege's kingdom as every good knight should aspire to. He is known far and wide as the 'joyful juggernaut' for the stories of adventure and glory he would tell, despite them all being make-belief and cliche to no end. Regardless, all seem to appreciate his company, and he enjoys his position under the king with a humble demeanor, and no desire to seek true glory, fame, or wealth. He lives only to serve, and make the kingdom, who he'd long adopted as part of his family, happy and prosperous for the many years to come. He lives within the castle, away from his mother and father, who are simple woodsmen that live a quaint life on the kingdom's edge. Gaius rarely sees his parents, but on the off chance that he's free to visit the countryside, they have always welcomed him with open arms, and a batch of fresh cookies to sate his undeniable gluttony. When he heard the king's order to search for the fallen stars, Gaius was of course one of the volunteers to step forward. Although he knows that he'd be leaving behind quite a set of shoes to fill, he was confident that his abilities and experiences would be absolutely necessary in acquiring the fallen star for his people. ~PERSONALITY~ Gaius is rather sociable, and open to everyone he speaks with. In a group, he'd be the first to project his presence and start a conversation, one that he'd very much like to be the center of. Although he aspires to make his friends happy, and stray away from conflict whenever possible, Gaius is no pushover, and will not be made a fool of if he can help it. Sometimes his kindness does get the better of him though, making him look like an utterly gullible fool at the worst possible times. Gaius does not seek glory, but he is extremely confident in himself, and has a hard time recognizing his own flaws. It doesn't make him look like a pompous ass, but it often leaves him extremely disappointed with himself whenever he fails to accomplish whatever he sets out to do.

Fall? I crashed actually. oh crap, my gear. We need to go back, I got some supplies that could be useful. "Blast it all! Rahna is missing, and Lee.. Well, to be perfectly honest, aye... I'm not too clear on anything right now! One minute I'm writhin' on the ground like a fish outta water with a spike in my lung, the next, there's a wee dragon creature givin' me the courage of a god!" The little mushroom man looked between them. He saw that his tiny existence had been completely ignored by the tin man, and the sleepy boy had completely forgotten. Little fingers tapped together, and he shuffled his little foot in the dirt. So it seemed Kip was unwanted! So it seemed his new friends didn't want to be friends at all! How sad, how cruel, but such was life. Well! If there were no new friends here, the least he cold do was to offer his assistance. He raised his capped head and puffed his chest. "My tribe can repair your gliders!" he announced proudly. "We may be little and weak, but we're many, and our hands are very skilled. I'll send them to retrieve your machines and start work!" He let out a piercing whistle, and a flock of birds overhead twittered in unison. The flock dispersed suddenly, a cloud of dark wings expanding through the leaves. "Now! To find your friends! I bet they're this way." He began to march over the bones of the chimes. "People always end up going this way. The temple is this way." Faintly, in the direction of his pointing finger, they could see through the thick foliage a high sprawling hill, and atop it the crumbled ruins of something that had once been a manmade structure, broken by vines and thick roots. More dreamwisps peeked out from within the bushes and hovered over tall grasses, braver now that the chimes were gone. They did not venture close, but gave the travelers a wide berth while they seemed to watch curiously. Overhead, a flock of chimes clunked softly while they soared over the treetops in a V formation -- headed straight toward the site of the fallen star. Through a break in the trees, Gaius and Blin might spot Rahna in the distance, hiking toward the same steps that led up the hill to the temple. Well, since we're the only ones here, it's best that we stay together right? I'm going to go look at the statue, want to come with me?" The little mushroom opened his eyes slowly, one at a time, when he found himself still alive and not-eaten. After a long moment he took the leaf of mint, sniffed at it, and gave it a nibble. With a pleasant shiver, he ate the whole thing in one mouthful -- then gave Clover a sidelong look, to see if there was any more growing on the strange dreamwisp's back. "Hm? Statue?" He'd quite forgotten his fear in the wake of the mint, and turned his head to see what the stranger was pointing at. "Oh. Yes. Let's see." He waddled ahead, quicker than might have been expected of his tiny legs, and though he nearly tripped a few times he managed to keep pace through the brush. The statue was covered in vines and sinewy roots, but underneath it all was a stone hawk on a pedestal, a clawed foot gripping a translucent black crystal. An eerie glow pulsed deep within it; it was the source of the aura that Clover felt. It was like a distant star, so deep within the crystal, so far away. The stone hawk glowered across the horizon, its wings half-unfurled. "That's just the testing stone," the little mushroom explained. "The hawk is the temple's gatekeeper. If you had bad intentions it would kill you dead." A long flight of weathered stone stairs led up past the hawk, into a wide overgrown courtyard that had once been beautifully arranged with fountains and flowerbeds, now rusted and broken. The temple itself was a small half-enclosure with holes in the rotted roof and weeds growing thick around the pillars. At its center was a pure-white statue of a little girl sitting in meditation -- untouched by time, pristine and bright among the dust and dirt of the forest. To one side was a pond filled with water lilies, and long orange fish with black hollow eyes. Toads creaked and cicadas buzzed; wind hushed through the boughs overhead as a few more chimes darted across the sky.

art by John Thacker THE CAST Kelari Halder Blin "Brytag" Alborse Rahna Altema Lee Silvertongue Eli Wyn Forrest Everfree Gaius Stronurr Braum Jormungandr Thema Absher Blank Aurora Philman Tivo Sol Sera Nikkolaira “Nikki” Wyatt

Blin "Brytag" Alborse "I'm glad Rahna is safe. Nikki and a girl called Sera landed with me and Blank arrived soon after, and we just met up with my friend Eli." Blin also looked around as Kip spoke up, "Hey Kip, that's great news. Thanks for helping us out." It seemed that he could get whatever gear survived back and he squinted his eyes and thought he could see a small figure moving towards the temple. "It does appear that someone is on the way to the temple, and thanks for your help in getting my equipment back." he gestured to Giaus, "This is Lord Giaus and....his Dreamwisp, what did you name it by the way?" He was a little worried, Giaus was stronger by far than Blin and also very well equiped, if he was hurt. Blin checked the clearing floor for another weapon, he settled for a pair of large stones but took a little time to search for another spear-like weapon. Maybe if nothing suitable was on the trees, then prehaps one of the chimes wing bones. If it strong enough to wield. He stood up and checked the clearing, Kal and Giaus's Dreamwisp, Giaus himself and Kip. Blin just stood there and blinked, he stroked Kal's soft belly while his Dreamwisp continued to sleep.

NAME: Kelari Halder ABSTRACT: Gregarious tattoo artist with a penchant for poetry and epics that moonlights as a library attendant. APPEARANCE: 6' feet tall and slender, blue tattoos of angular symbols and shapes on forehead and over and under her left eye. DETAILS: Strangers and townspeople know her as amiable and helpful, friends know her as clever and maybe a little crude. Loves to be in the company of others and enjoys meeting new people. Has been known to be quite talkative with customers at the tattoo parlor, if they'll let her.