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Finnaeus stepped into the Recluse, weary from travelling and eager to catch a bit of a breather. He had checked in at Westbrook and found that Taelenas was unavailable - he was off in Mulgore on a diplomatic mission that Finnaeus had no knowledge about. He was surprised - perhaps he shouldn't have been - to see that Sepha Gentyle sat at a table in the Recluse. She spotted him and ushered him into a seat.

He was consistently surprised at how Gentyl could project an air of calm amidst the storm surrounding her. With the mission in Mulgore and Cyrus's pursuit of otherwordly powers, not to mention a wedding, Gentyl had a lot of on her plate and little time to handle it. They briefly chatted about his journey from Hyjal. A pregnant pause occured in the middle of the conversation. Communications were streaming in from her Hearthstone. Finnaeus eyed her, not sure if he was summoned from Hyjal at her behest because she wanted to scold him. Undoubtedly his foray into espionage created quite a stir.

"Sepha," Finnaeus said. "I hope I have not caused too much trouble for the Pia."

"No, of course not," Gentyl said, half-looking at her Hearthstone. "You did everything you were supposed to do."

"Good," Finnaeus replied. "I was worried that I had stepped in it."

"Not at all," Gentyl said distractedly. A few of friends of the Pia looked around with interest as they discussed the situation with Cyrus. Both Finnaeus and Gentyl noticed that there was a light Ocheliad presence in the tavern at the same time. "But perhaps this is not the place to discuss this."

"Indeed," Finnaeus said. "I think we've all learned the valuable lesson that the Recluse and its environs are not conducive to private conversations."

"Agreed," Gentyl said. He watched her become immersed in her Hearthstone again. Satisfied that his standing in the Pia was secure for the time being, he thought it best to leave her to her work.

That did not, however, cover what was to be done about Cyrus, if anything could be done at all. There were still political ramifications - consequences that he still did not fully understand. Still, something nagged him about this whole fiasco. Why did he care so much? He notified the Sepha, and she and her lieutenants would obviously confer and decide the course of action. But he could not shake the lingering tension at the though of Cyrus and his plot. What was it about the Draenei that haunted him?

Finnaeus decided to linger in Stormwind for a few days. At worst he would catch some rest and immerse himself in Stormwind's culture. At best he could maybe catch a few errant pieces of information, and calculate his next step.

Ria's night had been rather calm. She had been checking on the panther, Korryla, making sure she was still doing okay when she heard raised voices outside of the barracks. Gathered outside had been Cray, Ulthryn, Elise, and Cyrus. Normally a visit from Cyrus would have brought a smile to Ria; but now other members of Pia Presidium were yelling at him and she had no idea why.

Cray shouted at them to go inside and Ria was now his squire, so she listened. A few minutes later she was summoned back outside.

Ulthryn tapped Ria on the shoulder, "You're wanted, ma'am."

Ria uneasily responded, "O-okay.." And followed behind Ulthryn, with the panther trailing tiredly behind her. What she was about to walk into was bound to shake her up.

"I won't interfere with your family matters. But Cyrus.... next time send a messenger, perhaps?" Cray turned to Ria, smiling. "Cyrus is here for you, Ria. Light guard you." All Ria could do in response was rub her arm, as if unsure about something, and nod. Before she could take a step forward, the discussion continued.

"And Cyrus.. I don't know what it is you're doing exactly, but you need to stop."

Ulthryn turned to look at Ria, "If you need any help, just holler."

This deeply puzzled the young elf. Why would she need help? This was not someone she was afraid of, nor would he harm her. Cray stated, "He is her father, Ulthryn, Ria will not come to harm."

Çyrus looks at Ulthryn. "I'll not have you turning her on me. Shut it before I shut it for you."

Ria was thoroughly confused, just looking around the small group and blinking. Why were such harsh words being exchanged by those that all wished her well?

"Don't you have something to be doing, Cyrus? Elsewhere?"

Cyrus looked between the three paladins. "Yes. I'm leaving with Ria."

Elise rested a hand upon Cray's shoulder, " Think of the others."

"Very good then."

Ria slowly stepped forward, quickly being turned to by Elise, "No..." Cyrus reacted the only he could, he tensed, gripping his weapon and looking at Elise.

"Why not..?" Ria inquired, was puzzled now beyond belief.

Cray reassured Elise, "I won't interfere in their family, Elise, neither should you."

"If she wanted to go she would have... by now.. and she has not.. save with your show of force."

Ria murmured, "Because the path was blocked?"

Cray, seemingly the voice of reason this evening, spoke up again. "Stand down, Guards."

Elise extended a hand to Ria, "Choices made this night will be the ones that you will live with... for years to come."

Cyrus scowls, showing some real anger. His weapon is drawn from his back. "Last chance to back off."

"Guards, stand down."

"Come back to us Ria... "

Ria frowned up at Elise, "And you would have me to choose to leave the people that I call family? "

Ulthryn looks at Ria, "I apologise for interfering." Then back to Cyrus, "If you hurt anyone..."

Cray looked to Ria with a gentle smile, "Ria, go with your family. Come back safe." At the same time, Cyrus stepped forward and guided Ria to stand behind him. Cray shot a quick glare at Cyrus. "Remember that you are not the first to collect such... oddities, Cyrus. It has never ended well. Have a pleasant night."

Ria nodded slightly at Cray. "I.." She glanced over at Elise. "I'll be back fine.. As always."

Cyrus looked at Cray. "And remember others have tried to interfere with my family before. They're not around to testify what the punishment was."

Cyrus looks to Ria. "Let's go." With that, they both turned to walk down the pathway to the road.

Cray opened his empty hands. "I've not interfered at all. Good night." Although, Ulthryn didn't take the hint. He continued to stir up trouble. " I'm curious about this punishment..."

Ria looked up at Cyrus with a confused expression as he turned to eye Ulthryn. "If you want to try your sword, by all means.... try. Otherwise, go hide in your stone walls." Ulthryn gave no response, so the two turned and kept walking. By that point two Black Guards from the Lluchduu Ocheliad had shown up, offering support to their captain if it had been needed. Cyrus looked between Lati and Samego. "Dismissed."

The male elf, Samego offered Cyrus assistance if it was still needed. All he needed to do was yell. Whereas, Lati, only said, "Be safe Captain." Both of the Black Guards turned and left.

Ria spun around quickly. "I don't get it.. Why would I need help.. Or why you would need him..."

Cyrus ignored her questions. "I came to speak about your mother." Ria had been entrusted with keeping a secret, hearing that he had spoken to her mother made her eyes light up for a split second before her face was riddled again with utter confusion.

"Is that why everyone is mad?"

Cyrus shook his head. "I'll explain that later. I thought you would be happy.." Ria simply nodded, glancing back at the barracks. Never before had her emotions been so torn. She feared having to choose, family or the Holy Order.

"Why didn't they want me to come out here? They've never stopped me before."

Cyrus motioned to a tree, "Let's sit." He spilled all of what had been going on. Sharing only minor details of the weapon, enough to quench her curiosity and answer the simple questions as to why they had not want Ria to be alone with Cyrus. Though, as the night was to unfold, she would continually bombard him with more and more questions. He had mentioned bringing someone back, which tugged at the young elf's heart.

Ria glanced up at Cyrus. "Why would you want to bring someone back?" She looks down at the grass and tugs at a few pieces, seeming oddly thoughtful for a few minutes.

"He was... a good friend."

Ria nodded slightly. "How does mom feel a-.." Ria stopped herself, tugging at more grass. "How does Lia feel about it?"

Cyrus looked at her. "It's alright. You can call her Mom."

Ria glanced up at Cyrus. "I still miss them sometimes.."

"Them?"

Ria rubbed her left arm. "My real parents.."

Cyrus patted her head. "Call us what you want. We both care about you like parents."

Ria nodded slightly. "I.. I know.."

((continued))

Their peace was soon to be disturbed. Down the pathway came Elise and Cray. Elise looked past Cyrus, at Ria. "Everything alright?"

Ria simply nodded, murmuring, "We were just talking.."

"Talking... We can do that anywhere, yes?"

Cray stepped forward, "Elise.."

Cyrus glared at Elise. "Back off."

Ria frowned, taking a small step forward to tug on Cyrus' arm.

Elise looked back to Cray, then up to Cyrus, "Speaking to her is frowned upon?"

"No, no. I'm just asking you to be wary with what you say."

Cyrus looked back at Ria, but quickly turned his attention back to Elise.

"I have nothing to hide Cray. I am merely questing after Ria's health and well being. Nothing more."

"Very well."

Ria looked up at Cyrus, frowning. She looked pass Cyrus to Elise. "I'm fine.. He's just passing along news of my mom."

Elise looked past Cyrus to Ria, "Snacks?"

Çyrus stepped in the way. "Last warning."

"My cooking isn't that good, but...."

Cray intervened, "That does seem like a rather private conversation, Elise."

Elise looked up at Cyrus.. "A request for snacks? What is private about that?"

At that moment, Taelanas returned to an unfolding conflict. "What's all this?"

Ria seemed puzzled for a moment. "Cy.." She tugs at his shoulderplate. "Dad.."

"A conversation about Ria's mother should be private."

Cyrus slashed a line across the ground, ice creeping forward from it to provoke them back, keeping his weapon in hand. At this point, Elise had moved forward to be right up in Cyrus' face. Ulthryn charged out of the barracks and to Elise's side. "What the hell? Elise!"

Taelanas stepped forward, glancing over at his squire. "Ulthryn, go."

Elise looked behind her, " I had thought..." She flushed and recoiled at the sharpness of her name being called.

Ria looked past Cyrus at Taelanas, quietly murmuring, "Please.." Taelanas took another step forward, Cyrus, what's all this?" But before an answer could be given, Ulthryn drew his weapon which Cyrus quickly met with his axe. In the commotion of this second, Cyrus pushed Ria to the side.

Ria took another step back. "We were just talking.."

Cray tried to be heard over the weapons ringing as they met, tried to diffuse the situation at hand. "Guards, stand down. Back to the Garrison. Now. Leave Ria with her father."

Elise moved and looked past the group to Ria, "I meant well."

Cyrus reached out to Ulthryn, striking him with his plate gauntlet. Taelanas ordered his squire back but it was no use. Then, ordered Elise to return to the barracks, which she did

Ria stepped forward, tugging on Cyrus' arm again. Many orders were shouted for Ulthryn to back down, at first he refused.

Taelanas shouted, "You have NO idea what is going on here."

While Cray explained, "Truly, it is a simple family outing."

Ria is often with Cyrus, there is nothing wrong here."

Cyrus stepped forward at Ulthryn, "Oh, there's no backing out now, boy..." He seized Taelanas' shoulder, pushing him to the side.

Ria tugged at Cyrus' arm again, murmuring, "Stop.. please.." By then another familiar face had shown up. Ria spun around to look back at Valtherimas. She quietly murmurs, "We were just talking about Lia..."

Cray looked between Cyrus and Ulthryn, "Cyrus, this is not necessary. Ulthryn, sheath your sword." Finally, after all the explaining and back pedaling, Ulthryn sheathed his sword. Ria continued to tug hopelessly at Cyrus' arm. Valtherimas kept a hand over his gun ready to draw, watching the conflict unfold.

Taelanas spoke truly, looking at Cyrus. "There is no honor in an uneven match. Glory if he were to win, but no honor."

As Ulthryn and Cray turned to head back inside the barracks, Cyrus casted a chain of ice, bursting out from his wristguard, to wrap around Ulthryn's feet. Within a few seconds, everyone gathered either gasped at the action or yelled at Cyrus. Ria was in shock, she had hoped things had calmed down. All she did was stand there for a moment before she kicked at Cyrus' leg, yelling, "STOP IT!"

"You don't swing a wepon at me and walk away, boy...."

Zaium had been there awhile now, although his attempts to intervene had gone unnoticed he spoke up. "Cy.... le' i' go ... Yer daughter's watchin' after all..."

Ulthryn turned around and charged at Cyrus, heading towards his left side. "Now you pay!"

Valtherimas drew his gun pointing it at Taelanas, other hand ready to draw the axe from his back.

((continued))

Cyrus grinned as the two weapons met. “Finally..”

Ulthryn shouted at Ria. “Get out of the way!”

“NO!”

“Cy.... seriously... fer Ria's sake... jus' stop...do ya' really wan' 'er to see ya' kill sumone... five fee' from 'er face?”

Cyrus turned to cover Ria with an arm, which left him exposed. Ulthryn took the second to swing his blade down and catch Cyrus between his elbow guard and forearm guard.

Ria shoved at Cyrus’ arm, stepping between him and Ulthryn, “STOP!”

Cray shouted as Ria stepped between the two fighting men. “Ria, no!”

Taelanas curses at Cyrus when Ria stepped in. “Damn you Cyrus!” He turned to look at his squire, “Ulthryn, halt!”

Just then Elise returned from the barracks and looked around the crowd, trying to figure out what was going on. Cyrus saw Ria step in and sliced upwards towards Ulthryn’s face as an attempt to end it quickly.

Ulthryn smirked, shoving Ria out of the way and leaving his left side fully exposed.

Another Captain of the Lluchduu Ocheliad strolled in. Zedrek looked around, “I, um, take it this isn't a talk about... hitting some Horde territory...” A quick head shake from Luna, an Ocheliad druid, answered his question. “Then... what's this about?”

Ria pulled the crossbow off of her back, loading it. Before she raised to to aim, she shouted again. “Stop it!”

Ulthryn was hit by Cyrus’ axe, leaving a gash on his left cheek. “AARRGH!” He recoiled, slashing towards Cyrus’ head. Although Cyrus was quick. He ended it with a surprisingly non-lethal kick to Ulthryn’s chest. Cray now drew his weaponed and stepped between the two combatants. Whereas, Elise stepped forward, placing a hand on Ulthryn’s shoulder.

She hissed, “Damnit. Step back.”

Taelanas charged at Ulthryn, knocking him back to the ground. He held Ulthryn down with a firm foot to the chest. ”Alright, the boy is down.”

Cray looked over at Cyrus, “Enough.”

Cyrus looked down at Ulthryn, "Stay down, boy. I'm not here to kill someone, only teach you some Gods-given respect."

Cray looked over at Ria, “Are you alright?” The only response given was a slight nod. “I apologize on behalf of the Pia Presidium and all of its members, Cyrus. Good night.”

Zedrek persuaded Cyrus to finally put the weapon away and he did. Valtherimas looked over at Cyrus and holstered his gun.

Taelanas looked down at Ulthryn. "If I let you up, you are to go to the common hall and wait for me.”

Ulthryn nodded.

Taelanas glanced around the still gathered Pia Presidium members. “Everyone. Back. Now.

Zedrek glanced over at Ria, raising his eyebrow inquisitively at you. “Wait, who's she?”

Everyone began to head back to the barracks, although Ria lingered with Cyrus.

Zedrek seemed somewhat confused, "Isn't she on the wrong side of the road right now?"

Çyrus looked at Zedrek. "I'll explain later...." He then turned to look at Taelanas. “Take Ria in..”

Ria glances up at Cyrus with a confused expression. Taelanas spoke up, “Come on then Ria, you might be able to explain the best.”

She looked around, seeing that her panther had ran off during the fighting. “I… Okay…”

Ria followed Taelanas inside. She held her left arm, frowning at everything that had just conspired. After hearing bits and pieces of what had happened from Elise and Ulthryn.

Ria cleared her throat, "I might be the best to explain."

Taelanas nodded at Ria, "Go on."

"Cyrus had came her to give me news of Ciellia, my mom... At first Elise and Ulthryn were uneasy about him speaking to me, I can only guess it's because of his weapon... He told me about that too.. Cray insisted I should be able to speak to Cyrus and he let us go.. But then they came down to check on us when I had not returned swiftly.."

"Okay. So, you spoke with Cyrus a while? And then Cray and Elise come to get you back?"

Ria nods.

"And why was anyone yelling? Let alone drawing blades on CYRUS SAGEWIND?!"

"I don't think Elise thought well of Cyrus.. Though she didn't know that he willing assumed the role of my father.." Ria quietly murmurs, "We were just talking.. I don't.." She looks down at her feet, biting her lower lip.

Elise looked at Ria, "I knew of no such role, save from that what was offered me. Which was by all accounts very little."

Ria quietly continued, "He took the role of my father.. and Lia my mother.. Both by choice.. Th-the news was good..." Ria takes a seat, still seeming shaken up.

Elise had been dismissed, along with Ulthryn. Ria glanced back at the doorway, having just remembered that her panther ran off. She frowned, looking over at Taelanas. "Can I go look for my panther.. She ran off during the fighting.."

"Yes. She is pregnant aye?"

Ria nodded.

"Find her."

Ria quietly murmured, "Thank you," as she turned to leave.

Ria had sent her panther away during the fighting and she knew exactly where it was. However, she used this time to go find Cyrus. Her head was spinning from the night's events and she needed someone she knew well, someone she knew she could count on. She hopped on a gryphon and flew into Stormwind City, hoping she would find Cyrus at the Blue Recluse.

Ria cautiously peeked around the corner. Her gaze quickly found Cyrus. "C-cyrus?"

Cyrus glanced over at Ria, "C'mon, Ria." They both left the Recluse and walked until behind a few buildings. Settling down on the grass, he sighed. They ended up talking for quite a while. Ria had so many questions that she needed answered, she needed to feel safe again. But with all this fighting around her, she knew that it was unlikely.

After the questions were answered the best Cyrus could, they went their separate ways. Ria silently heading back to the barracks, grabbing the panther along the way and Cyrus back to the Tower.

Meriste felt as though she were standing in the center of a great storm.

Ever since she had moved to the Eastern Kingdoms in search of a greater purpose, everything had become more complicated. Before, she had fought for survival - for herself, her father, and for her people - but now, she fought for something entirely different. She fought to protect everything and everyone she loved. She fought to protect the Light that whispered songs of peace in the center of great conflict.

The halls of the garrison had been different lately. Things happened so quickly that she wasn't entirely sure what was going on. She had heard pieces about a powerful weapon with otherworldly influence. A few nights ago she held watch over a prisoner, a death knight who had wandered into their midst claiming to have information on two innocent people in danger. His demands left unsatisfied, he refused to reveal the names.

Innocent blood is on your hands now. The words haunted her.

Everyone seemed tense or exhausted. A few nursed injuries. Meriste had only recently recovered from one herself. She thought of Mira, who had spent many sleepless nights watching over her. Her gentle fingers had worked diligently to heal the wound. Meriste could hear the sound of Mira's singing, soft and soothing, in her memory. The melody, Mira had told her, was the voice of the Light as she heard it. Meriste wondered when she would be able to hear the Light with such clarity. The thought drifted to a memory of Meriste's mother, smiling as she held her daughter and looked out over a fading sunset.

The light fades away into the darkness, Meri. Such is the cycle of the skies, but you should not be afraid: the Light always returns to us, pulls us out of the darkest nights. Keep the warmth of the Light within you so that you may shine with the brilliance of stars.

Meriste gently drew a brush over Traveler's coat until it glowed with a soft sheen. Satisfied with her work, she sat on a bale of hay in front of Traveler's stall and removed an apple from her pack. With one swift motion, Meriste cut a chunk away and offered it to the horse, who eagerly took the apple. Meriste spent a lot of her time in the stables lately, caring for all of the animals. It had been assigned to her as one of the tasks of being one of Sepha's squires, but it was one she undertook with relish.

Traveler gently nudged Meriste's shoulder, wanting more of the apple. Meriste laughed and cut away another piece, offering it to the horse.

"I see you like them as much as I do." Traveler whinnied softly in reply and took the apple.

Meriste tried to do her best as a squire, but she often wondered if it was enough. Gentyl had the weight of great responsibility bearing down on her shoulders. Meriste looked at her life in comparison to how it used to be and thought of how sheltered she had truly been from the events of the world these past few years.

A spark of resolve ignited in Meriste.

No matter what happens, I will fight to protect my family in the Holy Guard. I will strive each day not only to keep the warmth of the Light within, but to bring that warmth to others. Light guide me to shine in these troubled times.

Meriste closed her eyes and rested her face against Traveler's side. The sound of deep, steady breathing and the horse's heartbeat created a rhythm. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear the sound of a distant, crystalline melody.

Cray had never considered himself a teacher.

A protector? Certainly.

A warrior? Absolutely.

A weapon in service to the Light? Without question.

But a teacher? That was more Taelanas' place... or, certainly, Sepha Gentyl's.

The conflict with Cyrus had brought the Holy Guard -- and most specifically Ria (and, by extension -- himself) -- into a complicated situation. He had not realized how complicated it might be to everyone else until Ulthryn and Elise were thrown into confusion -- violent confusion at that -- over the entire situation.

Still, tempers were often lost in these situations. Cray was no stranger to that -- his own temper was a beast he had still not gotten a handle on. While reentering the Garrison, Cray reminded Taelanas that even he -- known for his level-head and his diplomacy -- had lost his temper on occasion.

And so Cray returned to his room. Ulthryn had made a mess of it while retrieving the whetstone that Cray offered to lend him. With a heavy sigh, the Templar Knight picked a mace from the floor. "May as well get to work packing," he murmured. He doubted he was going to sleep well tonight as it was.

Tomorrow, he resolved, he would speak with each of the Holy Guard. In such times, it made sense that everyone be on the same page. It would simplify things in a situation that was already complex, and hopefully decrease tensions in the Order.

Mira hadn't been a part of the Guard for all that long, and certainly she still had much to learn. She remembered fondly the day she'd sworn her vows to Sepha Gentyl and to the Holy Guard itself -- it had been the proudest day of her life. And she'd met Meriste who, these days, was more like a sister to her than anything else. That, reflected Mira, was the Guard's true gift -- lifelong (hopefully) family bonds and the sister she never knew she had.

And yet there had been trouble along the way. Several weeks prior, Mira had been only too happy to sing and play her guitar for her fellow Guards in the great-room of the Hall, and had found a surprise audience gathering. Sepha Gentyl herself had encouraged Mira to share her talent with others at a troubadour night in Ironforge; Mira had gladly gone, and had sung with joy in her heart -- until the Horde had interrupted the peaceful gathering. During the battle, Meriste had very nearly given her life to see Mira taken to safety ... and that, too, Mira would never forget.

She had tirelessly worked to save Meriste's life, often staying up through the night. The Elements had heard many a prayer, some chanted and some sung. The light of her totems had lit the dark room, casting a many-hued glow over the rows of beds, and on the black-and-grey striped cat that had sat vigil with the shaman, and the sweet, clear notes of the Light as Mira heard them had filled the air. In the end, Meriste's life had been saved -- and Mira's oath to the Guard to preserve their lives to the best of her ability, even if it meant her own death, remained intact.

Mira sat quietly tonight, though, lost in thought. There was no healing to be done tonight (thank the Elements) -- but troubadour night would be returning soon. Mira picked up her guitar and, after checking the tuning, began to quietly play -- her newest song beginning to come together.

It would be a night to set aside troubles for a time, and the tune would be joyful.

Long into the night, the soft strains of her guitar could be heard throughout the halls.

She was taking a risk. A grave one at that. After speaking with Dera, Genevra was certain that nothing would return Eidan to the south, not now that he has turned over the Pack to her. There were hours yet before the sermon and work to be done. As she left Mender's Stead she wondered many things.... would Cyrus believe her?

She doubted that even he and the Ocheliad could move the world in an attempt to bring Eidan back, and in the meantime she sat in her Lakeshire home, staring at the shard that was meant to hold the soul of a Val'Kyr.

A soul for a soul, she had bargained.

It bought her time. Time to find out if there was a way for it the blade to be undone from within. She waited for Narnicka to return from his shift, praying she would not grow to regret this bargain.

Maethi and Verogoth had stood by her, and for this she was grateful. She would not walk the path of the shadow, not again. If Cyrus had threatened her, who else would he do so in pursuit of his weapon, and who may fall victim to it should he succeed?

The meeting with Imperon had gone about like Gentyl expected. He placated her with assurances, tossed out questions that had nothing to do with the matter at hand, and ran the conversation in circles.

She could almost see him sitting in a rocking chair, sipping his favorite drink, nodding and asking. "And then what did the bug do Little Gentyl?" as he reached over to pat her on the head. He had a knack for making her feel like a child. He had even told her he had raised five daughters and was accustomed to little girls throwing temper tantrums when she said it was a good thing he always brought guards with him because she invariably wound up wanting to choke him.

The message was clear, he was fully supportive of Cyrus and his demonic weapon.

Gentyl left the meeting thoroughly disappointed. When would she ever stop hoping for a change in Impeorn?

The next day was worse. She attended the Light and You sermon where Genevra spoke about forgiveness and redemption. Genevra had been preaching about the three virtues. They were common concepts, but she had been unaware they were virtues. That was possibly because Gentyl's family were farmers and not schooled in the niceties of formal study or simply Gentyl had been thinking more about going outside and riding instead of paying attention in class. Regardless, the sermons were always good and she enjoyed the messages.

Moments after the sermon, Ulthryn had dashed into the Recluse, breathless. Genevra was going to sacrifice someone at the docks.

The tavern cleared, of course.

Gentyl still didn't understand what had been taking place even after Genevra left. The only thing she knew for sure was, Genevra was involved in necromancy and half the town seemed upset that Pia had "ganged up" on Genevra.

The meeting after the Caer Darrow project cinched it. She was asked to keep Pia away from Genevra. Other people would handle the situation.

That suited Gentyl perfectly. She had about all the drama she cared for.

"Yes, of course we can stand down," she said. "As a matter of fact, I won't lift a finger to help anyone if I see them rotting right down in front of me. I'll just nod, sip my tea and whisper, 'How nice for you.'"

The messenger smiled. "Thank you. We have it handled."

It was also the last Light and You sermon Gentyl would attend. She had listened to many sermons by Jospeher. Never did she have to wonder if he was demon possessed or planning a human sacrifice while he preached to others about redemption.

Finnaeus had listened to the frantic comings and goings of the Pia hall. Tidbits of information flurried about - conflicts with Cyrus, something to do with someone named Genevra - all of it whirled around the Guild Hall with the ferocity of a tornado. The end result was a cessation of activity surrounding Genevra, and to abstain from conflict with Cyrus. All of which made sense - the conflict was threatening to escalate, and Cyrus was a dangerous individual - but to sit idly did not sit well with Finnaeus. There were times for walls and fortification, but he had learned in Gilneas that secluding oneself and waiting for the storm to blow over would only inevitably lead to the destruction of the home. And everyone that lived in it.

He liked and respected the Sepha, and while he still harbored strong hopes to do some good within the organization, he did not know if he could qualm his concerns by doing nothing. Perhaps they had taken the wrong approach - they had knee-jerk opposed Cyrus and set a hard-line stance against his weapon. Obviously what Cyrus was doing was wrong, but they left themselves very little leeway to see what exactly he was doing. To solve the problem, they needed to get to the root of it.

Finnaeus swept wordlessly out of the hall. He did not want to make enemies, far from it, but it was too soon after Arthas fell from power for everyone to forget the mistakes of weilding an unholy weapon for the sake of good intentions. Arthas took up Frostmourne to protect Lordaeron, and ultimately caused its fall. Whether or not Cyrus had that power was something he did not know, but Finnaeus could not stand idly by and not investigate further. Perhaps he would have to do this away from the eyes of the Guard and its leadership. He cast a thought to Gentyl, burdened by such conflict, and he disappeared into the night. Whether or not he could glean the information he sought was less important than making the attempt.

Ria had made her choice, she was to remain loyal to both families. The Holy Guard, as well as, Ciellia and Cyrus. She had spent the last few days working with Gust, Cray's gryphon, and helping the order move into their new home. In the process of moving she came across something she had stashed away months back. There was a small box containing to rings. Both were made out of a granite like mineral, black at first glance but when held up to the light it revealed the rings' true color - green.

Back, before when Ciellia and Cyrus took Ria as their daughter, when Ria had just found out the news of Faxton, she ran away to think. But there was another goal. She ran to the ruins of Auberdine, to her old home. She searched the ruins frantically for her parent's wedding bands. When she found them, she went to hide under a part of the docks.

Now she had the rings and the old parchment that she held dear. And now, it was time for someone else to have them. She had already given the rings and parchment to Ciellia; however, after the prior evening in the Recluse, Ria now also sent a note with them. Cyrus' ability to be a parent had been called into question and she was quick to defend.

"If anyone tries to get between him being my father, Lia being my mother, and me they can gladly have a crossbow bolt through the neck."

Later, she clarified her stance on the matter, more specifically if she would ever be among the ranks of Imperon's army, as her parents were. "I took my vows and promised Lia."

Val pursued the topic further. "And you'll stick by them till the end won't you kiddo?"

"Unless it hurts my family, yes."

Although Ria was this supposed starry-eyed, naive, young elf, her thoughts were rarely shared with others. Her mind was strong and her will even stronger. Her parents had raised her with the morals needed in times like this and now Ciellia and Cyrus had trained her martially. Ciellia had been training Ria for months, grooming her into being a killing machine, BUT, for only the right cause. Furthermore, Ciellia left "the right cause" fully up to Ria, she knew not to try to persuade the young elf.

Everything about Cray's stance spoke of turmoil. Sure, he was merely standing in the kitchen of the new barracks, selecting an apple from a bowl of fruit on the table. It was not the most dramatic moment of the past few days.... but Cray was torn.

The problem with Cyrus was simply that it was too complex.
Here he was -- not only the Templar Knight to whom Ria was squire, but also Ria's friend. And then there was Genevra -- someone else Cray considered a friend. She was on the precipice of disaster and he.... he was certain he could have reached her.

Now, Sepha had ordered the Holy Guard to stand down. Was she more concerned about the reputation of the Guard than their duties to Stormwind, to the world? If Genevra followed through with what she planned... innocent people would assuredly perish.

He was preoccupied with the situation that he, Kixek, Finn, Kaisha and Grimly had uncovered in Scholomance, however. And he wondered if the power necromantic magic that they'd found was still beneath the castle might be twisting the minds of some Death Knights... whatever the case was, the Holy Guard was presently unprepared to deal with it. He would return to Caer Darrow to protect it from the undead powers so long as the AAMS continued to attempt to rebuild it.... and he would pray.

Pray for protection.
Pray for clarity.
Pray for strength.
Pray that Ulthryn wasn't rubbing off on him, and that he would be able to follow the Sepha's orders.

That nightmare haunted him, but why now? Was the weapon preying on his past life? Was it dragging old memories to the surface? If so, why? To motivate him?

Cyrus leaned against a brittle old tree in the Barrens. He'd come back here to try and remember the rest of what his weapon was trying to show him. Cyrus's past life had been spent here, so he'd needed to find some way to provoke the weapon to show him more. The cover this tree's surrounding vegetation gave him meant he could rest for a while in the Barrens' night without being detected. Slowly, but surely, he let his eyes drift shut and gave his mind to the weapon's will. Hopefully, it would show him the end of that dream from before.

"Rimyx," Cyrus spoke from his cage.

The shattered and burning defenses of the Scourge outpost billowed black smoke into the sky, serving as Rimyx's favorite scenario. He seemed almost nostalgic at its smell. Before attempting to free Cyrus from his cage, Rimyx let the blade of his axe rest against the ground and closed his eyes. He was taking a moment to appreciate the smell, the aura, of such a hopless and desolate place. That orc seemed to live off the desperation of his enemies, something Cyrus had picked up on years ago.

A loud snap broke Cyrus out of his thoughts on Rimyx and turned his attention to another orc in Cyrus' squad. Gyose.

Gyose had broken the lock, opened the door and offered a strong hand, which Cyrus accepted and stood with. In only a few moments, Cyrus had recovered his armor and reclaimed his axe. By this time, Rimyx had stepped toward them both, eyeing Cyrus. "You actually let that abomination get the better of you? Told you to watch out for those damn meat hooks."

Cyrus didn't have much of a defense against that, so he simply nodded. Rimyx motioned for them to follow, but stopped when he saw something. Another cage with a human in it. A grin slid onto his face as Rimyx stepped toward the cage, shoving it hard with one hand. "Well well! Look here boys! I think this one's a paladin! Sure does have the blonde hair for it, huh!?" Cyrus and Gyose both chuckled quietly, gripping their weapons, but it was unneccesary. A shot rang out against the sound of only the crackling fire of the outpost and the humans head was soon all over the back of the cage. Cyrus turned only to see a smirking orc with a rifle.

Veare.

Rimyx looked annoyed he hadn't been able to play with his tortured human before it died, but he settled for a quiet sigh. "Yea, I hear ya, Veare. We should be going." Rimyx started trudging through the snow toward Veare, followed by Gyose, but Cyrus merely looked at the now-dead human.

"Cruelty," He heard in his mind.

With a start, Cyrus awoke in the Barrens again. It was still night, but he heard it again.

"Cruetly," as if someone was saying it right in his ear, yet he was alone. "It is the only way to be heard in this world, Cyrus. Cruelty." Cyrus shook his head, thinking it was just due to him not fully being awake. He laid his forearm over his weapon, letting the other side rest on his shoulder as he stood, stepping away from his resting spot.

The sun would rise soon. He needed to return to Alliance territory before he was discovered.

Finnaues sat at a desk in the halls of the Pia Presidium. To his left was a book that he removed from the Scholomance - that he would have to deal with later - and to his right was a letter from Taelanas, with the official stamp of the Pia. Finnaeus had received one of these before - a direct order to refrain from all activities involving Cyrus. That had come on the heels of Finnaeus spying on Cyrus concerning the weapon. This new letter, however...

It was becoming increasingly clear that the situation was escalating out of control. There had been an incident with some Genevra, and that seemed to be the last straw - Cyrus's message was clear: any further interference with him and his blade would be considered a hostile act. Finnaeus's immediate reaction was that necromancy itself was a hostile act, that balming a weapon with souls was a hostile act, but he refrained from comment. Instead he tried diplomacy and the direct approach - he spoke candidly with Cyrus.

He rubbed his temples with his fingers. When he spoke directly with Cyrus on the issue, Cyrus did not hide his intentions. He wanted to use the weapon to resurrect his fallen comrade from the Kron 5, Rimyx. The names of both his companion and his organization were completely foreign to Finnaeus. Not that it mattered - necromancy was necromancy, and a successful raising of this Rimyx would only spur others - and even Cyrus himself - to see just who else could be raised from the dead with nothing more than forged steal and a couple of souls to balm it.

But the social cost was not what was bothering Finnaeus. It concerned him, but it was the end of the conversation that truly struck him. Cyrus had tried to suppress a cough and failed -a puff of cold air came out of his body. Was that a symptom of the weapon, or his condition as a Death Knight? Finnaeus's intuition leaned towards the former, and that's what caused him such a large amount of consternation that he could not sleep. He had a grudging respect for Cyrus, though his ambitions and his methods were distasteful, and his respect for him came mostly from his role as Ria's father. Finnaeus wanted the weapon destroyed, but he also did not want to see a daughter live without her father. With a pang he thought of his own daughter, long since gone, and he wished no one to suffer that kind of loss and longing.

Finnaues took a last look at the letter from Taelanas, and made his decision. He would talk to Ria. It would be a difficult thing - Ria was quick to temper with those she saw as meddling in her family - but this was a risk worth taking. He wasn't asking her to meddle. He needed to deliver to her the message that she should look to her father - because if Finnaeus was right, the blade was exuding influence on Cyrus, and that could mean devastating changes to her relationship with him. If she took it poorly, then it was on her shoulders. But he had to make the attempt, to at least let her make her own decision.

Even in the shade of the tree outside of the keep under which Inspector Orwyn was standing, the air was oppressively hot. Half-heartedly, he tried again to fan himself with his plate helm, with the same ineffectiveness as every time before. Several yards away, a group of his officers were busy unearthing the latest crime scene. Progress was excruciatingly slow, and soon after arriving Orwyn had concluded his presence here this afternoon was going to be nothing more than a formality.

With nothing better to do for the moment, the inspector took out his battered notebook and started flipping through its pages of notes on active cases. A bead of sweat dropped onto a page, making a small stain. Orwyn's sigh at the stain developed into a full groan as he looked over the entire page. Cyrus Sagewind's soul-weapon. So far, investigation and questioning had failed to turn up a single piece of concrete evidence that it was anything more than a wild story, perpetuated by a mentally-disturbed death knight and his fellow Ocheliad members for who knew what reason. There certainly was nothing to sustain any kind of criminal charges.

Orwyn hated cases like this where the narrative was being driven entirely on public speculation instead of actual evidence. Public reaction hadn't reached mass hysteria levels yet, but it certainly wasn't improving. Orwyn sighed heavily and shook his head. The Watch was always at a disadvantage in times like these. With no contrary evidence to offer citizens, all the Watch could do was propose more likely scenarios, and that rarely helped. People so often jumped to the conclusion that the Watch was part of a conspiracy. What the Watch was saying was different from what was heard from trusted friends, and after all, wouldn't it be so much more exciting if there was an official cover-up as well?

Orwyn idly looked up at the sky, pausing to glare at a small cloud that had seemingly turned on purpose to avoid blocking the sun. No, he thought, in these cases the only thing to do was wait until the next big event occurred for people to switch their attention to. The inspector looked back to his work crew and surveyed the long length of the new sinkhole next to the keep wall. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Well, all things considered, perhaps it would be better if people stayed distracted until the next next big event...

Gentyl dismissed the meeting at Hearthglen. The information was about what she expected. Desmend was missing. That hurt their efforts, but Finn was proving skilled in areas they badly needed.

She looked around the keep after walking out of Taelanas' house. She loved it here. It was peaceful and green. Flowers grew everywhere. Faithe and Teriis had planted more flowers and a small vegetable garden. Someone else was digging up a plot of ground for what looked like another garden. They should have plenty of dried vegetables for the coming years. It was too late to get much out of the early crops, but even fresh fruits and vegetables were always a welcome addition.

She wanted to wander around picking flowers. She settled for picking a soft pink rose, trimming the thorns off and sticking the fragrant bud above her ear.

Her chambers were at the top of the new tower, but she had wisely kept her office on the ground floor near the door. She didn't mind climbing, but there was often simply no time to spend dashing up and down the stairs to retrieve information. She needed to review everything in her file on Cyrus.

She closed the door behind her and sat down in her chair beside the leaded window. Cyrus' file was already out. It was an odd enchantment, but a handy one. She had simply to think of something she needed and whisper a word and the object appeared. It only worked in her office, but it was still a time saver.

She read through the file again. Her ghosts had been very thorough in investigating him, but there were still a lot of questions. He intended to raise an orc he had served with. The group was a deadly one and that didn't bode well for the alliance. Where did Cyrus' true duty lie? Would he remain bound to Imperon? Would he go rogue and try to resume his activities with the orc if he were successful in raising him from the dead?

How many people could he raise with this sword if he succeeded?

It wasn't a good time to leave, but for now all they could do was watch and wait. She needed the break. The Commander had extracted a promise from her she would take a voyage with him after Faithe was rescued so she could restore her peace. At sea, there would be nothing but peace and quiet companionship. She needed that peace and calm again.

It just wasn't a good time. Cyrus was being affected by the weapon and probably didn't even realize it. He paused once when she asked him what would happen if the weapon overtook him and he harmed Ria and Ciellia. He paused and then slipped right back into his all powerful attitude. Some of the greatest men in history had weakened to fel powers and yet in his arrogance, Cyrus would be the one who didn't.

It wasn't a good time to leave.

It was never a good time to leave.

She finished packing and had to trust her men would carry out her orders.

Cray sat in his office, scowling.

He scratched the pen across the paper, his illegible handwriting appearing in black ink across the page.

"To the Sepha Gentyl D'Amond and Templar Knight Taelanas Forgewright;

I may have had some insight into the madness of Cyrus. There are a great many emotions which can drive a person to do things that seem mad to others -- love, hope, hatred, fear. The darker parts of my own history can be explained with this in mind. Fear of my father, fear of isolation, fear of being helpless -- these have always been amongst the driving forces in my life. Yet, I do not write to you about myself.

To that end, I believe the fearless Draenei is terrified. I believe he is afraid of -- like myself, isolation. I conversed with Ria last night and the idea of losing her to a man, apparently, sent him into a sort of rage. She was able to talk him down but... if our intelligence is correct, it is possible that Cyrus is trying to raise his former ally because he has lost a friend.

It may not be too late to reason with him, if I am correct. It may be worth looking deeper into the relationship Cyrus is attempting to resurrect.

Yours in the Light,
Cray Auchtin
Templar Knight"

((And thus ends Cray's uncharacteristically deep moment. :P))

Eyes widening, the druidess dashes out of the room moments before the dwarf's mouthful of liquid hits the fire. Aziriel shakes her head, sensitive ears ringing for a moment before she steps back inside. The meeting is breaking up and so she follows the lone woman of the major group out of the building, and up the path. Staying well behind, Aziriel hides from the gaze of the guards nearest the building as she stalks the leader inside.

'Wonder what Sepha means,' she thinks absently, 'must check that later.'

Shrugging, she finally leaves the woman to her self and heads to the top of the building, dropping the stealth facade and taking flight. The beads braided into her hair twist into the feathers as she wings off, and they clatter lightly against each wooden sphere.

Landing some distance away, Aziriel checks her surroundings before switching forms and sighing as her wings become hands. Opening the worn leather satchel, she grabs parchment and ink, scribing a letter in a fine, delicate hand.

Captain,
RE: Hearthglen Meeting, PP.

Observed meeting of PP last night. Attendance – Gentyl, Finnaeus, Taelanas, others. F named Mithara and Genevra as working for you gathering souls. G spoke with Genevra. Genevra said she lied to you, no intention of obtaining souls for you.

F aware of plan to revive 'Rimyx Ragelust'. Knows part of your history with Kron-5.

All worried about how the weapon affects you. Physically, seems it might be detrimental to your health.

G received a message about a gnome. Unknown specifics, interrupted by dwarf; had to regain cover. G preparing for trip in future. Length unknown, said that by the time she gets back, " A few will be due to be made Squire", according to T.

Aziriel.

Sighing, she places the letter into her pack and plans to deliver it later, once she arrives at Stormwind. Shifting to her pale feline body, Aziriel heads deeper into the forest. It's past dinnertime, after all...