Faeren: A Night In Wharftown.

[FrozenSolid]

Faeren ran for everything she was worth. Things were not going well.

The only noises she could hear was the sound of her breathing and rattle of her armor and gear. She had pissed off one hell of a half orc and they had already ran several miles. Cordor was fighting Wharftown, Faeren knew the best thing she could do was peel their attackers away from the fight. And she was. As she ran her hand rested on her haste wand. As soon as she felt the effects fading she'd use it again. She had a good lead on her chaser.

As Faeren's chain boots rattled against the ground she tried to think of which way to turn next- Her mind opened up in a map then instantly pin pointed a place of interest.... The Bandit Barricades. She felt the key on her belt- She could open and close the gates and get through. It would take the oaf a minute to break the gates. It would be the escape she needed.

She was about to turn towards the barricades when suddenly, time froze.

She heard it then. From behind. The heavy thump of the halforcs boots. Several expletives ran through her mind as she strained. She couldn't move. She felt the Halberd tear through her back- Time unfroze, She grabbed her own scroll, read it- Time froze again right as the Halberd cut through her stomach. Darkness engulfed her.

[FrozenSolid]

Faeren was revived sometime later. It took only an instant for her ranger brain, though muddled and throbbing as if it had been hit with a brick, to identify where she was. She breathed in. Fish. Wharftown.

She began to sit up, wet slimy blood coated her golden hair and dripped into the grass as she did. She groaned at the movement. Slowly her vision began to return to her and she glanced around at all those gathered taking in her surroundings like a sponge does to water. She blinked a few times- there was so many of them. There was shouting- scrambling. Something about the Cordorians attacking? Could they save her? Did they even care?

Her thoughts were cut short as her ears honed in on a noise she knew to well. She had run from it a hundred times. Though she gave a fearless impression, she was trembling on the inside. She could hear Armenius, and see him form the corner of her eyes. She dropped her gaze to the ground. None to eager to antagonize her captors. And Fae struggled with not being antagonistic.

Someone threw some rags at her and told her to get dressed. Yeah right. She ignored the command and focused on recalibrating her senses. It wasn't long before a group had gathered around her- she risked a glance up. Armenius was to her right with the Doctor, They were muttering, she could hear the Doctor but not Armenius. His words sent chills down her spine. He seemed to be bartering for her body. She shivered then focused on the group of ladies that took formation in front of her. There was one face amongst them she was surprised to see. An Ilmatari priest she knew well enough from Cordor. What was she doing here?

The proceedings went on for awhile before anyone touched Faeren. Faeren sat quietly, absorbing all the faces she saw, the houses, every detail she could soak up. If she was going to be captured, she was going to make the best of it. Her information grabbing was cut short however. As the doctor had reached a conclusion with Armenius. She was promptly chained by her ankles her hands drawn behind her back and clamped as well. The ladies in front of her delegated someone to lead Faeren into the dungeons and change her clothes. A small mercy.

[FrozenSolid]

Led into the dungeons Faeren was promptly shoved into the closest one. There were fears she would be summoned and she suspected the cells were warded against such. As she stumbled inside she noted a growing number of magely sorts and others gathering outside of her cell. The entire thing seemed like chaos and fear was rooted so tightly in her mind she couldn't make sense of what was going on.

She blinked- the cell door shut. "Change out of your clothes" came a female voice... She had little reason to resist. The fact she was allowed to do this in private was a minor mercy, but not one she would smudge. She attempted to make small talk with the lady that was watching her. No use. Nothing she said seemed to have impact.

Faeren's once impressive chain-mail armor now blood soaked was replaced by dirty rags. She shivered feeling her bare feet against the cold stones of the cell... But the outfit wasn't done quite yet. Around her arms were clamped two chunks of metal. She heard someone mention they prevented spell casting. The Cold metal enclosed around each arm and ran up to her shoulders. Her arms were then tugged back behind her and re-chained. Her ankles were also chained, both tied down to the makeshift bed in the room.

The other girl in the cell promptly left then. Faeren was alone. She could hear the echos of conversation from outside.

Fear pounded in her brain. Like a caged animal her mind told her to thrash, resist, fight! But she knew that would not get her far. The only thing that mattered was remaining calm. Maybe she could convince whoever came in next to help her? Faeren was young, married, surely... Surely they would have mercy. She told herself that a hundred times. Mercy. They wouldn't dare do anything else.

As she sat alone she heard a shuffling outside and caught sight of the Ilmtari priest being pushed into the cell beside her. Strange. She thought. What was she doing here? Her brain asked again when suddenly her cell door opened.

[FrozenSolid]

The doctor. She had spared this man once in the cells of Cordor's prisons. They had shared a brief dialog. What he told her- she feared. He tested on bodies. Of all the people in Wharftown, she wanted to avoid him the most. She would have preferred Armenius even to this dark clothed doctor.

She was alone with him then. She swallowed hard looking at him. They exchanged words- she pleaded, it was useless. He knew what he wanted. He took a moment to summon himself his Vampire Thralls. The evil creatures took to the corners of the cell to watch the proceedings

How bad could it be? Faeren told herself. You've endured worse. You'll out last him. He'll get bored and leave. Her mind raced to find logical answers to quell her fears. And then it began.

Faeren fell to her knees as her life energy was sucked out from her. She let out scream- every part of her body hurt, her soul hurt. It was unimaginable. Blood ran from her mouth and nose as she went from her knees to falling face first onto the cell floor. She could feel the blood draining from her body. Then... A rush of healing. Everything was restored and she was hoisted back up.

What? She thought... Was that mercy?

No. It was short lived. Faeren's eyes widened in horror as she saw him cast again. It wasn't a mercy healing. He wanted to do it again. She winced looking away- she screamed, the spell hit. The process was repeated.

Faeren know the Ilmatari priest was in the cell next to her. Though she could not see her, she cried out for her to save her. She begged- anyone to save her. Her words soon failed, all she could do was scream. Fae saw the cell door open. There was a crowd outside. She couldn't make out who. Someone made a snide comment about how enjoyable it was to see her suffer. Her mind blacked out. Another spell tore through her.

For the next hours, Faeren could only hear herself scream. It was all she could do. Bound down tightly she sat helplessly as she endured wave of pain after pain. Only to be healed, then beaten down again. The sound of her own crying and screaming filled her ears. She felt like she was hearing someone else. She would never forget those sounds.

Eventually it ended, briefly. The Doctor was changing his tactics. He had gotten close to her now. Her mind had gone feral, primal instinct replaced logic and thought. She gave a cry to Nobanion and lurched at him managing to slam her body into the doctor. It was a useless attempt. The doctor stumbled back and his vampie thralls promptly ganged up on her. A blade through her stomach, one through her shoulder, a claw across her cheek. She fell, darkness engulfing her again.

She was promptly raised then. Life rushed back into her as her soul was torn from the Fugue. She gaped, spared a glance at the doctor. She couldn't hear anything but saw his hands moving. Please no. The words never made it out. Indescribable pain rushed through her, she was in the fugue again and once more torn back. Again, and again. Would it ever end?

[FrozenSolid]

Faeren lacked the strength to scream at this point. The Ilmateri priest was still shouting, begging Faeren to stay strong while at the same time shouting for Armenius to call off the torture. Everything went quiet for Faeren. She was alive. But couldn't think about anything. Numb. Broken. She stared at the ceiling.

The only sound that made it to her was the sound of the cell door opening and closing. She realized she was alone. Did it matter? Her mind was blank. Her eyes were wide with horror. She stared at the ceiling. She would have prayed to the gods that they would save her but she was incapable. She lay in her own blood. Green eyes wide, staring at the ceiling.

A few minutes passed when she heard the cell door open. She didn't even flinch. Let them do what they want, she thought. Then her mind returned to being blank. It was her defensive mechanism. Think about nothing. Feel nothing. Endure the pain Faeren. Endure it. Outlast it.

The next to enter the cell was the Ilmateri priest. The lady walked over to Faeren and promptly got to work while murmuring. Faeren felt the metal plates on her left arm get released. Then the cool sensation of water across her skin washing away the blood. Faeren had been healed by the doctor before he left. But the mental and spiritual damage was something not so easily undone. It was clear Faeren's mind was on the brink of collapse.

The Ilmateri priest continued, all the same, and soon her words began to echo into Faeren's head. What was she saying? Green eyes blinked at the priest. "They didn't search me Faeren, I have a lense" A what? She thought. She felt a lump get pushed into the folds of the pants and secured against the fabric and her skin. The object was a lense. Her way out. But /Only/ in the right conditions.

Faeren couldn't believe it. Her eyes left the priest to stare at the ceiling but Faeren wasn't absent from her mind any longer. Like a battered down machine coming to life her mind began to click into action. We can escape. It's not over.

[FrozenSolid]

Time passed. But Faeren had lost sense of time. The cell door opened, the crowd outside the cell was even larger. She noted an Ambassador from Cordor was there, would Armenius let her go? Was she free?

No. She was dragged across the dungeon floor leaving a trail of wet blood in her wake. She was moved to a cell further back, placed inside and chained to the bed... The cell door was left open as this was going on, Faeren's mind slowly began to recalibrate. She took in all the faces. All the voices... Then she noted who was in the cell with her.

Another mage dressed man was with her. She had seen him the entire time. Peaking into the cell, seeming to take joy in watching her suffer. She frowned at the man, he was speaking to her again, taunting her, teasing her. She retorted a comment at him, insulting his attire. She was met with a boot to her ribs. She yelped, then decided to shut up. She ignored the man then, focusing instead on the conversation in the main room of the dungeon.

The Ambassador was trying to barter for her release. But Armenius wouldn't budge. She knew he wouldn't. Faeren and Aremnius spent months playing cat and mouse. Always she eluded him. Always she escaped. One time he had come close to grabbing her, but she had jumped off the docks and smashed a lense just before he could get her. Armenius would not give up his prize. It seemed to Faeren, that of all the enemies Wharftown had, this eighteen year old ranger girl was the greatest. Way to go Faeren.

It was hard for Fae to imagine she had once served Armenius. Believed in him, trusted him... All of that had gone to ruin nearly a year ago when she attempted to kill one of Armenius's men in the middle of town. Faeren relied on her instincts. She identified the path Armenius was walking well before anyone else had. She tried to stop it. But failed. And now she was here.

[FrozenSolid]

Being left alone for so long she began to /feel/ again. She ached. Her body was healed, but her mind was in ruins. She found it hard to recall things and keep a straight line of thinking. It took enormous effort on her part to speak clearly, her voice barely came out as a mumble.

Eventually the chatter faded. Armenius had not spoken directly to her this entire time, but now, he and others gathered in her cell. The choice was made. She had to "Repent" for her crimes against Wharftown. She would be collared, and kept, in her opinion, as a trophy and used for the Doctor's experiments.

This made Faeren's blood boil- she shot off a few smart remarks. Everyone laughed. She was sitting on the floor in rags, chained to a bed. Her words meant nothing.

It wasn't long before they lifted Faeren up to move her to the boat. The Ambassadsor was gone, Faeren was alone. She was to be taken to Sibayard and be collared. She was relieved by this, in a way, it would provide her a chance to escape. She tested the chains- She could reach the lense if she pulled enough. Unfortunately her efforts were cut short.

Noting the chain pulling the same Half orc that had slain her to start yanked the chains in. He dragged her down below on the vessel and into the ships cell. Faeren assumed this was warded aswell, not that it mattered, the chains were pulled so tightly she couldn't reach the lense.

Faeren was sitting at the half orcs feet. She felt like a pet. The half orc called her a "Good girl" as she was yanked over and sat down. Not like she had a choice to be anything but. Her ankles were still chained aswell, the entire thing was incredibly uncomfortable... The half orc began recounting his life story to her. Faeren followed by insulting everything he was. Yes. She was being antagonistic. She watched as the half orc began to stuff cloth in his ears to ignore her. She counted that as a small victory.

Out in the main area of the ship she could hear another half orc having a rather interesting conversation with a table. Yes. A table. Faeren began calling out to him, trying to pin the Half orcs against each other. Surely a Half orc daft enough to express love to a table would be easy to manipulate. If she could get them to fight, she could yank away and escape. Unfortunately, the table loving Half orc didn't heed her words. He resorted instead to giving her several kicks and a rather nasty punch in the ear that made her yelp and fall onto the floor. Warm blood ran out of her ear. Bad plan...

She sighed then. Sitting quietly as the waves rocked the ship. All she could do was wait.

[FrozenSolid]

As the hours passed Faeren had fallen half asleep. She was promptly awoken when the Doctor had come below and announced they had arrived. Faeren was let up, the chains swapped to the doctors hands. Perfect. She was stronger than him.

They stayed below deck for sometime as some scouts made sure it was clear to land. The Doctor /DID NOT/ want to lose his prize to some rescue party. Sometime later, it was reported that it was clear, and they moved above deck.

As Faeren's bare feet padded across the deck she eyed the opening. She could jump over board. She could make it. She could pull him and do it- No... She blinked as she was tugged rather harshly, nearly falling to her knees. The Doctor wanted her in the Skiff so they could row to land. Perfect.

AS Faeren was sat in the skiff she kept her head down like any good slave would. She felt the waves rock the boat and let them row a few paces away. Then, she looked up and smiled. Faeren used all her energy to throw herself over the side of the skiff. She felt the chains slack as she yanked her hands to her side and retrieved the lense. She shot the Half orc and Doctor a big grin, then smashed then lense.

Chains and all vanished. Faeren was free.

[FrozenSolid]

Faeren's brilliant mind could think of one place only. The Mountains. Jonah, Her Husband, and herself, hid in the mountains for months when Armenius was first trying to kill them. Faeren knew the obvious places like boats would be checked. She was still chained at her wrists and at her ankles. Great.

Faeren spent the next few days relying on every ranger instinct she had to make it down the mountains in her chains. She made her way down, then through the forest eventually arriving at Bendir. She could not have been more relieved when the Earthkin took her in. She was a mess. Days of travelling through the wilderness, unable to run, in nothing but rags, it had put a toll on her. Her lips were dry, cracked, her skin was covered in mud and scrapes- she looked like a slave. All she was lacking was the collar. Thank the gods.

After some time with the Earthkin, they returned her to Cordor.

[FrozenSolid]

Faeren was alone now in the house she lived in with her Husband. She took a long bath, letting the warm water soak into her skin and muscles. She spent hours in the bath, reheating the water repeatedly, she felt like she couldn't get rid of the blood in her hair. She was clean. But her mind wouldn't let her accept it.

It was alone, in Cordor that the true battle would begin. Her mind was dark her spirit darker. It was a well kept secret. Faeren had nightmares about Wharftown often, but everything she had imagined? It paled in comparison to the true horror that it actually was. She relived that night in the dungeons over and over. She'd wake up next to her husband drenched in sweat... She'd find him, hug him, hide beneath him. He was the only thing that could ward off the dark thoughts.

Faeren was alive and free. For now. The war was not yet over. And despite the kings proclamation to destroy Wharftown Faeren knew Armenius would not give up so easily. He was a mad man. She feared him. She feared he could still win.

Despite these fears. Faeren had a duty to Cordor. She was the Warden of the Green Hawks, and she would see Cordor become a safe place even if it cost her own life. Cordor must prevail. It must. She would not allow anything else.

[FrozenSolid]

The sun peaked through the windows of the bedroom Faeren shared with her husband. She was already awake. Her new armor was completed and she set about equipping it.

She tied her golden hair back with a few quick movements of her hand. She strapped on the plates, the chain mail and slid into the durable fabric of her armour. One knife, two, three knives slid into her belt. Fresh potions. New scrolls. She grabbed her quiver, slung it across her shoulder then donned her cloak over top of that, the quiver poking out near her back.

Faeren looked at herself in the mirror. Tan skin. Golden hair. Clothed in a ranger green offset by a muted silver. Tired eyes. She was ready to return to War. She would make sure Wharftown paid for what they did to her, and others. Her sympathy for anyone who called Wharftown home was none. She would kill them all.

[FrozenSolid]

After Wharftown's Destruction!

It was dark as the vessel glided across the waters heading for Wharftown. It didn't take long before Faeren could see it. An orange glow in the horizon, billows of smoke raising up into the sky. It looked ominous, dark, like one of the layers of hell had broken onto their plane and taken root. Faeren chewed her lip, then slipped her helmet on.

The boat pulled into port right as the wind shifted, blowing the stench of burning wood and flesh out to sea and in the direction of Faeren. She gagged! Coughed! Then sucked in some air, wincing, but coping. She had to see this. She couldn't avoid it. She glanced at Kyle Eldrafire. He had agreed to accompany her to the town. She nodded to him, then walked down the plank her boots crunching on debris as she came to land.

The smoke in the air was thick, nearly a day had passed since the bombardment but that had done little to clear the air... Faeren took a moment to look around, it was a mess... She eyed the remains of a body, barely identifiable save for the blood and obvious flesh... She shook her head but the gruesome sight did little to phase her.

Faeren turned her attention to the lighthouse. Its smoldering form was visible through the smog of the burning town. She didn't wait to see where Kyle was, but pressed ahead. Her boots crunched across the debris of buildings that had collapse as she bee-lined for the light house.

She heard Kyle's boots behind her as she moved onto the bridge, crawling over a mountain of debris and fallen masonry as she hopped down on the other side and continued towards the lighthouse. The giant tower loomed over her. She knew what was inside. Last time she was here she had suffered. Her feet threatened to stop moving. Her throat caught a lump. She stared up at it.

"Don't stop Faeren" She said to herself, then pressed on, walking off the bridge towards the lighthouse. She glanced over her shoulder, Kyle was close behind... She moved to the Light house door. Yanking the door chain she found that she could raise the monolith stone that acted as the entry way. But behind that the debris from the fallen stone was too great to move. She huffed.

Kyle had come up behind her, she glanced at him and said "I wanted to walk the dungeons."

Faeren sighed then, stepping back. She released the chain letting the rock slam back down. Being outside would have to do... She gazed up at the tower and glared at it from behind her helm. She felt like the tower was glaring back.

She stood like that for nearly ten minutes. Staring at the tower. Her mind repeated the torture she endured. She scene played in loops in her mind. She could hear her own screams echoing from down below. She could feel the burn of the spells, the taste of death lingered in her mouth.

Then, all at once Faeren dropped her gaze to the tower's door. She walked up and placed her hands on it leaning in.

The tower was a wreck. It smoldered, occasionally rocks shifted and fell from its base into the ground. Faeren leaned in as if she were whispering to a human, a fallen foe. She murmured two softly spoken words to the tower. "I Win." She gave the tower door a shove then. The thick wooden pillars scorched by flame gave a crack as the right one buckled. A smile touched Faeren's lips as she looked at it and stepped back.

She felt a release inside of her. The place she had been tortured. The town that had hunted her. The people that wanted her dead. They had lost. They were defeated. Faeren's statement was not just to the tower but to all of Wharftown and Armenius. She wouldn't have to see him for him to know the message. Faeren was alive. Free. She had a home. Armenius had nothing. Wharftown was destroyed.

I win.

Faeren turned then. The demon inside of her still lingered but she had dealt it a significant blow. Wharftown would no longer shadow her steps. Armenius would no longer haunt her dreams.

I win