Valor City (Group Camp)

[_Michael]

The shouting caused delicate ears to twitch, she turned her attentions to Apidej and watched as the people eagerly began to gather round, to swarm and mass at his beckoning. She moved around the outskirts, not as if she was trying to hide or stay out of sight -merely because no matter she stood out strongly amongst these people- but because she felt safer, more in control, at a reasonable distance. She could hear him fairly well from this position, and need not get closer. A few people brushed pass, and she let her eyes roam over their heads, along their faces, and beyond. To a woman who was mounting steed and preparing to leave. How curious. Fyrei turned her attention then, eyes the colour of fire flitting over the form of Cale, a small smile pressing upon the corners of her lips. She then turned her attentions again to Apidej.

Nimble, talon tipped digits coiled against a nearby post as she leaned her side into it, giving all of her attentions to the man centre stage, and listening to the whispers, the murmurs of the gather crowd and all those within it.

[Val]

"There..." A red-headed woman muttered, scratching the final line of text in latin around the circle. "One last...." She reached into the middle, first drawing her own convoluted celtic-influenced sign, and then over that she drew the dragon's sign. It would go from her, to Pab Ibamar, the dragon she'd mentioned to Apidej who'd gotten it talked about to Cale. He decided the elemental dragon would prove useful, and told her to decipher the ancient tomes in the archives for anything that would help, and it did. Though apparently they're just very old versions of the spells that are around today.

Apparently drawing and writing what you want to happen is so passé.

Well whatever, she was far more used to doing things this way than that... Other way which she's never seen before so who knows it might actually be easier. The tome was on a chair she'd brought from the archives out into the open, right next to an oasis. She'd had no idea exactly how big Pab would be when getting here so she didn't take chances.

One last look... The demoness glanced around her markings, making sure they're clear and concise, one misspelled word and Pab would be lost in the Void. No.. Good. It said exactly as she'd wanted, giving detailed instructions on where to go, what to bring, and for personal reasons, to give a good friend of hers her love that she didn't have the chance to give to him before. Another look over the sigils... She could make out each one due to being the one to actually draw them, but she doubted no one else could.

And time for the ingredients to make this whole thing possible. First water to bring him to her.... Check, she glanced up to the oasis as she put a mark next to it on her mental checklist. There are four smallish circles around the oasis itself, each one is so far blank, she'd asked around for this sort of thing and apparently she can't do it herself. But, that blacksmith she resurrected had been kind enough to offer his help, Velindrel if she remembered his name right. And now time to get him...

The demoness turned and left, the oasis being one of the lesser used because of it's distance from the camp itself which is why she chose it in the first place. She knew that today he'd be in his workshop working on that yacht thing that the leader had requested of him, but when she got there he was no where to be found. Mira asked one of the other workers where he was, and was pointed towards the center of the camp and even from this distance she could see the crowd centered around one man.

Ah, so the yacht is complete and Vel is off showing the leader his new toy. The woman left the bellows, waving to the men as she turned towards the crowd of people. Moments later she'd reached the center, Apidej and Vel where in the middle of the throng of people and she knew better than to try to fight her way through; Better to let the things in present to finish, it's not as if someone would mess up the markings she'd made when they were obviously meant for summoning. Besides, he'd see her soon enough. So she hung back, leaning against one of the buildings in the shade and watched them talk, hoping that it wouldn't take too long to show off the new boat/land cruiser thing, waiting for them to separate before going in to talk to Vel about the psionic symbols.

[sidewalkflowers]

Standing among the dirt, sand grass and brush i looked around. Not to long ago i had jest been in my Vineyard with A man who offered me adventure. I could not go and pass it up and when i took his hand for him to lead me to were i needed to be i had vanished along side him and appeared here. only problem is when i appeared, i had appeared alone. Turning more to survey my surroundings i noticed i was not to far from the gates of a town and my hand twitched. i blinked and turned one last time to look at the long stretch of ground then back to the town ahead. I sear i did that a few more times before i sat down and tried to figure out what had jest happened. I must have been sitting there for at least a hour before my stomach growled and i mouth tasted like sand. I was hungry and in need of something to drink. i had not had a thing to eat today but i had a glass or two of rose wine.standing up and with the clap of my hands a big apple tree sprouted from the middle of no were, and the apple tree in seconds bore fruit that was the size of my hand, well my hands were rather small..but none the less.

Then i made vines form a small basket that could carry my apples to the city. I was not strong but i could pull of a 25 pound basket of fruit well enough. of cores first i ate a few apples myself before i packed the amount i could carry. Once i started to carry the basket i had to stop for a minuet as i walked to the entrance. It was a bit of a struggle to carry a long distance taking a deep breath i picked up the basket again then stopped once more after five footsteps into the town, but not cause of the basket it self. The people there were a buzz and everyone moved swiftly heading to someplace. a bellowing voice in the distance i could hear. it sounded familiar like something i had heard before, but i could not put my fingers on it.smiling broadly slight worry drilled me from my insides. not to many humans accept half-lings and not to many elfs accepted me either. so i was afraid of what people would think when they saw me, even though i looked like a elf, most of the time only other elfs new my little secret. So i could simply tell the humans i was a elf, as long as a elf was no were in sight.

sighing but keeping a smile on my face i walked to the sound of the voice. and peered over the group that had massed. A mass of different races surrounded the speaker. if only i could glance at the speaker, I place my apples on a brick wall not to far away then pulled myself up to sit next to my apples, once i saw his face i smiled and raised my hand to wave and speak my hello's how are you, have missed you, but instead when i saw him place his hand on the elfs shoulder i sat back down. i took another apple from the pile that was meant to be used to great the people of the town and bit into it. I still had a smile pasted on and i am sure anyone who had noticed me would have seen that i was happy. i was always good at faking that, when in reality....I sat there waiting for more to speak for more to make motion or do something.

The group seemed to grow thicker as every second passed and by now i was sure no one had noticed me since there attentions had been placed on the man, that i remembered drawn mine at my wine shop.I wish i would of grabbed a bottle or two of my wine, then i would have apple wine with apples...so much apple. I licked my lips and giggled jest thinking of it seemed funny. My apple feel to the ground and i smiled wider as i glanced around to make sure no one was watching. in no way did i plan on jumping down to pick up my apple. It should know better to fall. " you should come back to me" i spook out loud to my apple as a small vine branched from the ground and came up words placing my apple back into my hands. It was exciting to use my ability around so many people, all of which who were preoccupied by the man of power. I felt like a kid who was doing something wrong two feet away from there mother...but still did not get caught since mother was so preoccupied.

<Alia's vineyard ...Is the Thread she jest came from.>

[Ace]

"Commander."

Rooster's viscous, suedelike voice would brush at the tight-lipped officer's ear. Sure, Cale would have been invisible to most, but she was not most. Shadows were her territory, after all.

She came into view like a blink, not faded or trickled in, but one moment she was simply there, so plainly and subtly that any civilian would have to wonder if the lithe, raven-haired female with the startling cerise eyes hadn't really been there all along. Her tone would have been entrancing, if it weren't laced with a barely-there hint of sarcasm and disinclination towards her superior. Full lips curled into a smirk rife with teasing insincerity.

No denying, the Lieutenant was a contradiction when it came to her role as a soldier. Rooster approached rank with a tongue-in-cheek sort of rejection, yet she was the ranking officer of the military's sabotage branch. It was no secret that she had wanted the Captain job, in fact, but most days she would have told you that she hated the military. Somehow she had mastered the art of walking the gossamer line between insubordination and individuality, though, because her boldness rarely landed the rogue into trouble; she always paid just the right amount of respect, as she did now with a faint and fleeting brush of fingertips in salute across her brow, though her eyes darkened to disinterest before her hand had even fallen. The salute was an obligation. Cale knew that. She may not like it, but Rooster could always be counted on to do her duty.

Cale also knew, or should have if he had any competencies as a leader, that Rooster had never been thrilled to serve beneath him. She didn't think much of his decision to appoint Teri'us the Espionage Captain in her stead, and had always felt that Apidej possessed the qualities better suited for inspiring troops to follow into battle. Cale was not a man of politics, though -- would never be a man of politics, so she supposed there was no altering the arrangement now.

Her eyes, connected with the Commander's for a moment, slid then to hold Apidej in their focus as he prepared to speak. Crescents of dusty grey marked the skin beneath her lashes, remnants from her nighthawk adventures in last night's illegal dice games. A few of the infantrymen in the crowd would bear the same marks that morning, with considerably lighter pockets and heavier hearts.

Any other day the rogue would have slouched back against the wall to hear their leader's speech, chew on his rhetoric between the aromatics of an imported smoke, slender hands fingering the gambling die in her pocket, but Cale Domino did instill some vague sense of propriety in his Lieutenant. So subconsciously that even she didn't notice. She didn't slouch, but stood erect at Domino's side, and watched the center-stage General with a sincere consideration. "I didn't realize there was supposed to be an assembly today?"

[Ganu_Candali]

For a moment or thrice, Velindrel became lost to the weight of his burden. All thoughts were obsessively placed upon the object of his suffering, Madeline's memory. She was a ghost that refused to be forgotten as well as the rest of the ghosts that haunted the silent blacksmith. Palgard had become Velindrel's burden, and he bore the sins of it's loss on his shoulders. Palgard would never be forgotten so long as Velindrel breathed. Blinking for a moment or two, Velindrel stared at Apidej and then the gathering soldiers and work-force of Dictum Veritas. Gathering himself, the blacksmith waved towards a man that was standing by the workshop. Seeing the signal, they readied several able-bodied workers to gather the first of what would become a fleet of land roving vessels. Troop personnel carriers designed to transport large numbers of soldiers, equipment and supplies across all matter of terrain. The design was a work of genius, sleek, powerful, and able to be armed with whatever equipment that it's owners desired. It also boasted the same cloaking spells as the sea-faring vessel that Velindrel had constructed for Dictum Veritas. The mammoth clock-work device was driven out into the open for all to see. Velindrel looked at his creation, and then over to Apidej with a subtle grin touching his lips. Velindrel was quite proud of his recent achievements.

"Sire, if that would be all, I would take my leave. There is much work to be done." Velindrel said. Nodding politely towards Apidej, Velindrel began to take his leave.

[The Dark Knight]

Apidej felt a hundred pair of eyes trained upon him. He felt the weight of a hundred men's hopes, experienced the ire that consumed their souls and fueled their limbs. Theirs was a rage that began since the days of infancy, fanned by the hands of injustice and slavery. These were men that had finally had enough, whose indignation freed them of the chains that had bound their fellows into passivity and silence. But a wildfire only knows how to burn. Apidej was the steel pipe that gave direction to their anger; he was the lodestar that guided these lost, raging ships to shore.

"Behold, the product of a single man's ingenuity and his team's hard work!"

The men parted as the behemoth machines were wheeled into the center of camp. Some, the native-born citizens of Rosinder, trembled at the sight before them. To them, it was a grotesque bastardization of magic and machinery. Instead of seeing a magnificent creation that blended flawlessly ancient magic and modern technology, they saw a heinous beast that was both profane and unsanctified. Their first instinct, after years of seeing their fellow natives harassed by these metallic demons, was to unleash their pent-up wrath upon these devils. Their bodies tensed, their knees bent, and their eyes fumed with a terrifying mixture of rage and vengeance. They were springs, coiled so tightly that the very act of launching would completely and utterly annihilate the camp.

"Stop."

Apidej had placed himself between the men and machines. As though struck dumb by the strange note of restraint in his voice, the men froze. Apidej draped his fingers against the runes etched into the vehicle's skin, and golden threads bled from his fingertip and wove a glimmering, gossamer blanket around them. The sound of humming filled the air, and the machines were activated. Perhaps it was the particular angle that the light struck the vehicles, but the aureate halo bouncing off their luminescent bodies made them resemble the golden chariots of the gods.

"Your anger is misplaced, comrades. The object of your hate should not be the machines. They are but tools that the villains from Renovatio use to enforce their oppression upon you. They are the ones who robbed you of your home, separated you from your kin, and burned everything you held sacred. These machines do not know how to want something so selfishly and wantonly that they will take it at others' expense. These machines do not derive pleasure from your suffering." His voice swelled and soared with such a richness of volume and authority that the men around him slowly abandoned their anger. The floodgates that had clamped their emotions shut was lifted, and each word evoked a cry of anguish. "This is the boiling point. You are all free men. You have been free the day you decided that you will no longer be slaves. But to ensure and safeguard this freedom, for yourselves and all your children, we must cast away their net of control. And this is the first step." He gestured to the creations beside him, "These machines, fathered by a man whose ingenuity has armed our men against the most turbulent of storms, will carry us over vast distances. With them, the whole continent will be within our reach, while we acquire more and more means to defeat those Renovatio tyrants."

The men had thrown up their arms in worshipful reverence to the man-god before them, and their eyes were aglow with a newfound respect for the machines that his sacred hand touched. Some chanted, others roared, while the rest wept. They sensed that this moment was the beginning of a time when they no longer had to walk with back hunched and eyes cast to the ground. They felt what it was like to be a human being again. A living, breathing human being free to act and shoulder the consequences of their actions.

For the first time, they felt that they had a voice, and no one would ever be able to rob them of it again.

[Sorano]

At last she came to her feet, still gripping tightly the cup of coffee. Slowly she brought the cup to her lips and sipped the still steaming brew. If one was to watch her movements they would think she was without a care to the words that were spoken to the mass, but on the contrary, she was moved.

Excitement wasn't really an emotion she showed lightly, nor were any to be factual. The mechanical monsters that stood beside her leader were not beasts at all, but a show of skill and intellect. They could learn multitudes about their enemies by the work that they now looked upon up close and without fear.

Still she stayed in the distance, able to see everything in the most picturesque way. Apidej spoke of anger, misplaced and the like. She, on the other hand was in awe of the moment. Anger was one of the few emotions she wasn't feeling. There was only one word that came to mind as she looked upon their leader who was noted in god like status among his fellow man. One emotion that coursed through her veins with every syllable that his lips uttered.

Inspired.

[Confused Objectives]

It was only a matter of time before the fool found himself a group to call his home. Never one to stand alone, Kou was the type of guy who needed someone to tell him what to do. His partner in crime had long since been lost to the world and after roaming the lands of Rosinder for a few weeks, the youth found himself in the middle of what seemed to be a war. He wasn't part of it at all, to be honest, nor did he care who won or lost, but he needed a place to call his own and this seemed to be it. Regardless of how he felt on the subject prior to joining, Kou's feelings towards the entire situation was changing. After bearing witness to acts of the government towards it's people, Kou could easily see why this group wanted to free them of it.

So that is the leader.

He saw the man screaming towards the crowds like a madman, but the crowds seemed eager to listen to him. They would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked it of them. Kou might fall him to the ocean side, but that was as far as it went with his loyals for the moment. For the moment, he simply found himself a nice little spot to stand and keep a close eye and ear on the rallying speeches. He wasn't even given a ranking in the group, so it wasn't like he was required to pay much heed to what was going on. Of course, if anyone wanted him to act like he cared, he would show them what they wanted to see.

After all, he did need a place to stay and this seemed to be a good enough place, indeed.

[Tiger Lily]

"So...this is the place that I'll call home then? Interesting...."

If someone had been listening to these words and looked to see who had spoken them, their eyes would only meet a deafening silence of shadow and darkness. However, they would have seen the tail of a cloak slipping away, the sound of footsteps barely heard amongst the noisy bustle of the place. Silky soft vocals had spoken these words, belonging to a woman with a cold vibe. Keeping to the shadows, she looked around her, watching everyone, taking mental photos of each face that her purple spheres landed upon, making sure to remember each and every one. It was an old habit, or rather, a habit that had yet to fade away. There were many interesting faces that she spotted and two men in particular that she needed to familiarize herself with.

Any person could tell these two men being those of authority and they were probably the leaders of this organization that she joined. One of the males confirmed what she already knew as his voice was raised within the crowd of people and she was taken by surprise as his voice seemed to carry above all the sound. Stopping to get a better look at those who had also stopped at his shouting tones, she concluded that most of them were people she would now have to introduce herself to and people that would most likely become something of a family.

"Heh...family....such a distasteful word."

Shaking her head at the thought, she stepped forward a bit, letting the light bring her into focus. Tresses of blue and teals shades would be the first thing that anyone would be drawn to before taking in the rest of her appearance. A blackened cloak hung on a slender frame, the hood covering her eyes as well as her bangs. Time to get used to things, Ker....used to being around people again she thought, sighing as she crossed her arms about her chest and stood, ready to listen to whatever the leader had to say to them all. Of course, Ker would make sure to stay in the back round, for now, since she didn't really like getting to comfortable with anyone or getting close to them.

[Ganu_Candali]

For a moment or three, Velindrel felt concern for Apidej's safety. He also felt concern for the Leviathan vessels that now stood before the crowd. They had a partial sentience, even if they were mere clockwork beasts. All eyes were upon the golden chariots, and for a moment, Velindrel allowed himself to feel a touch of pride at exactly what he had just created. The machines would be used to free an oppressed people from slavery. Velindrel would be remembered as a hero. That is what pushed the Elf smith to work so hard on any project that Apidej sought fit for the mastermind. Velindrel carefully studied the reaction of the crowd, and relaxed his momentary tension. He would sacrifice his own life to save Apidej. Apidej was a visionary, Velindrel knew that was true, and he envisioned a Rosinder free from Renovatio's slave-rule. Velindrel would be a part of that.

Velindrel finally saw that Apidej had taken control of the situation at hand. He was no longer needed. He turned to acknowledge the other members of Dictum Veritas and prepared to return to the workshop, where he was needed. His eyes had a glow about them, a glow of determination and a touch of the insanity imbued by the ghosts of Palgard. Haunted, Velindrel began to walk back to the workshop. He was bare-foot much like he was always. He looked at Mira on the way to the workshop and then continued his journey. He would need to continue his work. There were many secret projects that needed doing. He turned to look at the leviathan-vessels one more time. As if he was seeing his children off to some distant war. He felt a longing towards the leviathans. But kept his face relaxed. As he entered the shops, he greeted his team and then prepared for what was needed. He would work. He would always work. Things needed doing...a world needed to be repaired.

[Thoughtless Poet]

Cale let out a soft chuckle as his Lieutenant made her greeting towards him, knowing that she was likely speaking more out of personal boredom rather than any real need for him. It was far from a quiet subject that her distaste for the ebon-cloaked man ran rather deep, and that she took a special pleasure in being borderline insubordinate to him, but Cale knew that, begrudgingly or not, Rooster would carry out any task he put her to. For that reason, he harbored a respect for his Lieutenant, even if the feelings weren't reciprocated.

"Yeah...Apidej does like to talk, I suppose." he said rather stoically, though his face displayed a particular amusement towards his current company.

Leaning back, Cale's hands wrapped around the back of his head as he propped himself up against the wall of the building. His eyes lowered in interest as his gaze turned towards his Lieutenant.

"What brings you over here? Usually, you try to stay as far from me as possible." he asked, his demeanor oblivious to everything that extended further than the shadows he presently resided in.

[Ace]

For a moment, when Rooster's gaze landed upon the leviathan, mechanical creations that marched into the street at Apidej's summons, those cerise eyes seemed to grow distant and distracted. Most here would be distracted, she supposed, by the memory of gruesome things these monsters had done to them or their loved ones, but hers was not the case. Liese's reverie was pleasant, betrayed by the faint hint of a smirk that tugged at the corner of her mouth.

Since girlhood the Lieutenant had always been something of a tinkerer, fascinated by the act of taking things apart to discover how they work and then building a better version of it with the leftover pieces. It was a hobby, a fair inclination at best, but enough that she had been allowed to assist the blacksmith during his improvements on Renovatio's war machines. So when she looked over these towering, clockwork and magic monstrosities, it was with a sense of satisfaction at seeing the finished product of her own hand.

"What brings you over here? Usually, you try to stay as far from me as possible."

Rooster's eyes slid to the side, and she regarded Cale with a bemused quirk of her brow.

"On the contrary, you're the best person to find myself near at any given time. You generally know everything there is to know about what's going down in the upper ranks," the Lieutenant remarked matter-of-factly, as if it should have been perfectly obvious. "What can I expect on the agenda for the next few days, Commander? I feel like I'm just biding my time here."

As long as she was being taken out of her undercover field work, and being forced to her chagrin to live on the base, Rooster would be all business. It might hopefully lead to a her speedy discharge back to her leisurely post, where she enjoyed the privacy of following her own hunches and a sort of telecommuter employ. Nice work, Lieutenant. You've been nothing but efficient and focused for us, now let us focus on efficiently sending you on your way!

[The Dark Knight]

The crowd's clamoring claps calmed, and the cheering gradually died down. As the day ran its course, men and women returned to their work. The daily toils that they knew would one day be the passageway to freedom. They were freed men, for their shackles had been shattered the day Apidej set foot on Rosinder and fanned the embers of hope in their hearts. But now they must free their fellows, and that was the hardest task of all. They would pay the price to buy freedom for their children, and their children's children.

If they allow slavery to one, it will only pave a gradual, sloping pathway of enslavement for all.

So for their own sake, they fought for a day when all men would be free in the pursuit of happiness.

Note: No ordered posting. If your character is interacting with another's, go ahead and post back and forth repeatedly. If not, do whatever you want.

[Ganu_Candali]

Returning to the one place that gave the haunted man a sense of comfort: The Workshop; Velindrel carefully studied the plans of The Leviathan fleet.

He knew, from the orders that Cale and Apidej had given him, that a fleet of these machines would be in full operation in the coming months. Velindrel was preparing his crew for hard physical labor for the next couple of months. He had no idea that Cale intended him to take over operations of the Xevn Mines in Rosinder. There, he would have to construct a new workshop and be displaced once more. Still, the Elf was merely a soldier for a much larger army. A soldier with a super-specialized role. Velindrel would complete whatever task was asked of him and go to great deal to satisfy the leadership body of Dictum Veritas. Then, perhaps, whilst they were at it, Velindrel could return to Genesaris. There, he would free the rest of the slaves held captive by The Harem and the monstrous Princes that preyed on the weak and defenseless children of Genesaris. Velindrel himself was forced to indulge on his late wife; Madeline, in order to free her from the fate of the Princes which was far worse than anything that Velindrel could have done to Madeline. Velindrel still hated himself for what he had done to Madeline, in some ways, he'd taken her free will away, and in others, he had given her true freedom to love who she wished. In the end, Madeline had chosen Velindrel despite the terrible power he had placed on her.

Feeling a cold pressure in his gut, Velindrel recalled the horrors of Palgard. Shivering in his workshop's office. Velindrel was preparing to pack for the Xevn Operation. He'd just recently received the orders from Cade and Apidej, and the thoughts were still on his mind, as he fashioned for himself some tools to take with him. He would not need much out of the workshop in Valor City. He could construct most goods on his own. Thanks to a deal he had recently struck with Cade, he was going to receive a large amount of Vibranium to construct something truly awesome. That thought and desire would consume him completely until the next phase of the Xevn Operation would be complete. Velindrel was unawares of the destiny that awaited him when he would return to Valor City after the Xevn Mines operation...

...A new tomorrow would dawn on his very soul.

And so, Velindrel packed and prepared logistics.