Terror, abject, absolute, and all consuming, Faced with the abominable beholder, pinned helplessly to a wall in some dank dungeon, the last moments the elf could remember were filled with that sort of dread. When his honey-colored eyes snapped open wide, so too, did his mouth, and the scream that had been frozen in his lungs for all the unknown years that had passed exploded from him and emoted every bit of that last horror that had taken his life. The will to fight, the will to live, also, came back with him, and he struggled, trying to free himself from whatever invisible bonds held him to the wall, reaching for weapons that weren't where they should be, That horrified him all the more.

As the scream finally emptied from him and he sucked in another icy cold breath, his wild-eyes, at last, began to see again. He realized, first, that he was not still pinned to that wall by some invisible force, nor was it the gruesome sight of a beholder that faced him. Instead, he was being held firmly to a table by a dark-haired human whom he didn't recognize.

"Faina amin, Edan," Talca demanded through clenched teeth as he continued to struggle under the man's incredibly strong grip, "Sii'!"

((OOC: Translation: "Release me, human. Now!"))

Even as he continued fighting to free himself, his eyes darted away from the human who had him restrained and found the face of another. A dwarf, this time; red-bearded with peaceful emerald eyes,

"Calm yerself, lad," the dwarf spoke in a mollifying tone, "Tis nae but friends, here."

,Talca blinked doubtfully at the dwarf but, in that instant, confusion had begun to seep into his waking terror. While he still desperately wished to be free, the elf's struggling diminished a fraction as he tried to make sense of exactly what was happening, "Ma.. mani naa sina," he blinked again, "Manke,??? Faina amin, Saesa..."

(("Wh..what is this? Where,??? Release me, Please,"))

The confusion had begun to wash away the panic in Talca's eyes but he still struggled to get free of the incredibly strong grip of the silent human who held him to the table, his hands still seeking a weapon of some sort, his eyes set to flit away from the dwarf to try and determine who or what else might be confronting him, now, wherever he was, then, as cold as he had been, as frigid as this room might still be, the ranger's heart warmed when a gentle voice whispered in his ear,

" Seere i' giliath caela yele lle eska ar' lye naa sinome. No' i' mori mor, eller naa me'a ar' ta sila no' lle. I' ithil ar' giliath caela brought lle sinome ar' amin will kwara lle varna tenna' i' dae waana."

,Confusion and some fear still knitted Talca's features but, at the sound of that voice, he ceased his frantic struggle completely as his eyes turned to find the voice's source. As his gaze fell upon the woman, an almost relieved smile began to tug at the corners of his mouth and tears began to well in his eyes. The hair as black as night, the eyes dancing with magic and bluer than any sky or sea, the graceful beauty and serenity in her face, He didn't recognize her, exactly, but he did recognize home, and a trembling hand reached out to touch it,

"Aiya, Arwen en amin," he said, his hand warming as it tentatively comes to rest on her cheek, "N'oio ume amin dulia a' elea vanima ve' sina au', Lle il naaya sinome."

(("Oh, My Lady, Never did I expect to see beauty like this again, You should not be here."))

Reluctantly, his gaze let go of the raven haired beauty's face and found the faces of each of the others in turn. "None of you should be here," he said, swallowing the lump that had found its way into his throat, "There's naught but death in this place,"

Rayne finished her spell of healing and Roan stood ready to hold the elf down if he became violent upon returning to the land of the living. He figured it was a good bet that he would; he would be surrounded by people he did not know and most likely remembering the last moments of his life. No doubt the elf would be confused and ready to bolt from this place. As minutes passed, Roan kept his hands on the man's shoulders as he stood just above his head.

When the elf's eyes opened, filled with horror, Roan strengthened his grip to hold the man down as a horrible scream came from his lips. He maintained the grip, even once the screams stopped, and watched as the elf's eyes cleared and he began to focus on his surroundings.

"Faina amin, Edan," Talca demanded through clenched teeth as he continued to struggle under the man's incredibly strong grip, "Sii'!"

Roan ignored the elf's threatening words and maintained his strong grip keeping him pinned to the table. He saw Cor step a little closer and speak to the Elf to try and ensure him some.

"Calm yerself, lad," the dwarf spoke in a mollifying tone, "Tis nae but friends, here."

,Talca blinked doubtfully at the dwarf but, in that instant, confusion had begun to seep into his waking terror. While he still desperately wished to be free, the elf's struggling diminished a fraction as he tried to make sense of exactly what was happening, "Ma.. mani naa sina," he blinked again, "Manke,??? Faina amin, Saesa..."

Roan noticed that the elf's tone and words were starting to show some signs of calming, but he noticed his hands moving to places where weapons had once rested; Cor had been wise to suggest the removal of the Elf's weapons.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roan saw Sirene stepping closer and she started to speak in elvin. He figured this might have the greatest effect upon the elf. Her soothing tone even calmed Roan a little and he wasn't the target of her words.

"Seere i' giliath caela yele lle eska ar' lye naa sinome. No' i' mori mor, eller naa me'a ar' ta sila no' lle. I' ithil ar' giliath caela brought lle sinome ar' amin will kwara lle varna tenna' i' dae waana."

Roan watched the elf closely and saw confusion and some fear still visible on his face, but at the sound of Sirene's voice, he ceased his struggles and looks about trying to find the source of her voice. When his gaze found Sirene, a slight smile came to his lips and, was that tears starting in his eyes?

Seeing all this, Roan lessened his grip and then slowly moved his hands off of the man's shoulder. He didn't even stop the elf when he reached out towards Sirene, he knew she could take care of herself, but he did stand ready if the elf intended any harm to her.

"Aiya, Arwen en amin," he said, his hand warming as it tentatively comes to rest on her cheek, "N'oio ume amin dulia a' elea vanima ve' sina au', Lle il naaya sinome."

Reluctantly, his gaze let go of the raven haired beauty's face and found the faces of each of the others in turn. "None of you should be here," he said, swallowing the lump that had found its way into his throat, "There's naught but death in this place,"

"Tell us something we don't know," Roan said in his deep bass voice, as he rested his hands on his belt and took a step back from the elf, who didn't appear to be any threat to them.

"Welcome back ta the world of the living lad. Seems introductions are in order. I am Cor, Knight-Cleric of Odin and some might say the shepard of this motley flock. I'll let the others introduce themselves. just so ye know, we found ye frozen ta the wall there. Though it is true none should be here, we nae have a choice. The quest we are on leads us ever deeper into this place."

Although the scream of the man on the table caught Ulthok a bit off guard it wasn't unreasonable. Lothor held the Elve securely and Sirene tried to reassure the terrified man.
The man finally spoke in common, "None of you should be here," he said, swallowing the lump that had found its way into his throat, "There's naught but death in this place,"

Wading across to room the table Ulthok looked up to man, " Great googly moogly you have no idea how true that statement is fella. But we must go on to be able to leave. , I am Ulthok and now as I see it you are quite fortunate that our not being here is not what it should be but being here is what it is,, So if you will refrain from screaming we can get on with finding out who each other is and why we are here. To show that we mean you no harm perhaps making you a bit more comfortable will lead a little toward that trust."

With that the mage began wringing his hands and muttering a few words to the cantrip Dry. When the wet had left the man's clothes Ulthok turned to Lothor. "I believe you should loosen your grip now. "

Turning back to the man," We will keep hold of your weapons for the moment, but I feel it is no more a caution then you would do,..When you have finished your story as to why you are here and how you ended up on that wall we will introduce ourselves. We will tell you of our search and you can choose to join us or try to leave and make your way out. Forgive our caution .. it is not meant as an insult..but as you have said this a place of death and the things we have meet have tried to kill us."

Looking to the clerics, "I had opened the door to release the flooding water..but isn't there a Priest spell to dispense of it? If one of you may have thought to pray for that during your rest and would rid us of this slosh I will Dry any water left in your boots before we venture out again."

With the scream still reverberating down his spine, Lothor saw the elven warrior finally run out of breath. When he did the others in the party spoke and it seemed to have a reassuring effect on the newly living. Not surprisingly, this was particularly true of Sirene's words.

"Naught but death here?" Lothor had to stop himself from chuckling since given the man's state it was clear that his death, at least, had been here. But he didn't chuckle because the group was all too aware of what could be out there - and that scream continued to send shivers down his spine, even if only in echo. It was so loud . . .

"I believe you should loosen your grip now."

Lothor nodded to Ulthok and spoke uietly to his captive in elvish, "I'm letting you go now. Relax for the moment and let us discover with whom we will be facing death."

So saying, Lothor released his hold on the man and stepped back, ready to grab again if need be.
(Assuming Talca makes no wild move that needs to be countered. If he does, ignore what is below.)
Seeing the elf stay where he was and not immediately lunge for a weapon or cast a spell, Lothor looked at the rest of the group. "That scream was loud. Lets hope 'loud enough to wake the dead' is just a line we'll tell in jest around a campfire some day. But we need to be on watch. Someone join me by the door so we can watch both ways."

Lothor moved to the door to keep watch hoping someone would join him.

Valene heard the scream from the revived elf, her eyes peering to those who tended him, her mind a swell with wonder and tho she was a healer it never ceased to amaze the pour of magic both to heal and destroy. Looking to ulthok and then to the man standing watch she moved to him " I will keep watch this night with you " she offered standing opposite the man peering out and over the scene.

After Rayne had cast the spell, nothing happened. The elf remained there eyes closed. Rayne glanced around. The spell was supposed to be instantaneous. Perhaps she had made an error? Or maybe the magics of the dungeon interfered. Nevertheless, Rayne closed her eyes and meditated for a moment, trying to figure out what went wrong.

Despite the couple minutes of trying to find something wrong, the spell had worked. It just took a bit longer than expected. The dead elf, now very much alive, awoke, and let out a terrified scream. Rayne started, grasping at her bow in surprise, looking around for an attack. There was none, but the elf struggled to free himself from Roan and Lothor. They had managed to keep a good hold of him, even though nothing had happened for the couple of minutes. Rayne shifted back to the man, remembering Sirene's words to her.

Though other's tried, Sirene was the one to be able to calm the man down. To the entire party he said,"None of you should be here," he said, swallowing the lump that had found its way into his throat, "There's naught but death in this place,"

Rayne glanced over her shoulder at the door behind them. They had encountered a few traps, with the blinding flash and statues being particularly dangerous, but nothing that bad otherwise. What this elf referred to was something far worse than what they had encountered so far in here. His presence could explain the lack of obstacles though, as he and anyone he may have once been with may have removed them previously. How long ago Rayne was uncertain.

At Ulthoks recommendation, they released the elf. Lothor returned to his position at the door, with Valene following close behind him. Rayne noted the location of her sword, but kept her hands away from it and her bow for the moment. She addressed the party, "Let us not ignore this man's warning. We may have had to fight our way here, but he obviously was capable enough to get this far as well, perhaps while the original occupant was still at large." She turned to stare directly at the elf. "Friend, we have no choice but to continue forward. We have seen much and have made it this far. If their is anything you can recall up ahead, please tell us."

With the Elf's loud scream echoing throughout the tower ruins he came awake wide eyed and terrified. However he was soon calmed by the face and soft words of Siréne.

"Seere i' giliath caela yele lle eska ar' lye naa sinome. No' i' mori mor, eller naa me'a ar' ta sila no' lle. I' ithil ar' giliath caela brought lle sinome ar' amin will kwara lle varna tenna' i' dae waana."

As the rest of the party watched a series of elf words passed between the two until the mysteries Elf turned to the others and spoke his first words of common to them.

None of you should be here," he said, swallowing the lump that had found its way into his throat, "There's naught but death in this place,"

The party, from Cor and Ulthok at the beginning, to Roan the most recent, having survived so much to this point they each knew all too well how true the Elf's words were. With a brief series of spoken words the party each introduced themselves learning the Elf's name was Talcanaiion Aldavathar, or just ‘Talca' for short. As they listened to his story of how he found his way here and the monstrous creature that had killed him all became more aware that they could very well be facing some type of Beholder type creature, but not one from Talca's description any of them had ever encountered to date.

With his tale told the party now clearly knew that though the ice and resulting water was not magical but natural in nature it had not come to this tower on its own. For the party now, standing knee deep in melted water, the time to decide and make choices was yet again at hand. The question before them how to move forward to find the item that had lead to Talca's death and how to fight and kill this floating six headed ball should it and the party meet.

DM OOC: Ok great posts by everyone!! Nice to see everyone interacting once again.
Eol I posted in rp that you told all what happened but how you do it is of course up to you. Ok as we are on a weekly schedule once again next post next Sunday the 11th.

The melting of the ice was a slow process. Ulthok decided to search the room and the chest. After checking the nooks and cranies or the room he pulled the chest out of the way of the rising waters. After checking it for traps he opened it.


(O.O.C..I changed what I had here earlier because Tann let me know we didn't have enough rest time to refresh any spells.)

Roan listened to the elf's tale and sighed loudly when it was done, "Just great! More super powerful beings to slay," he muttered before he turned and walked away from where most of the others were gathered and stepped up to the exit from the room that lead to the way forward. Knowing that this was the most likely place that trouble would make it's presence known. He walked up next to Lothor and shook his head, "Seems there is no end to this mad place."

He reached back and drew out his Vorpal Defender and held it at the ready; he decided not to use Rime or Reason. It was unlikely that they would be attacked by Giants, or Elemental creatures, so he figured the Vorpal blade would be better suited at the moment. He glanced down at his wet feet and the water gathered there.

"Does anyone have a way to deal with all this water?" He said aloud to all, "its going to be hard to get any rest."

Roan stood and thought of the elf's tale while he stood guard; he had worries about dealing with such a creature of such obvious power in such surroundings as they currently found themselves. Out in the open, that was another matter, but here in close confines, the advantage would be mostly to the creature's side. To keep his mind occupied, the tried to ponder ways that they could use to help even the odds.

With introductions done and memories shared it was time to continue the quest. "Well lad, if ye are up ta joining us ye are more than welcome. If not ye are free ta make your own path." Cor looked to the others. "Gather yer things and lets get going. Knowing there may be a beholder kin does nae change our focus. For all we know it is long dead but that is probably wishful thinking." Once more the party began to move.

Cor addressed the group, "Gather yer things and lets get going. Knowing there may be a beholder kin does nae change our focus. For all we know it is long dead but that is probably wishful thinking." Ulthok agreed it was time to move on.

"But if we are going to be fighting in this cold you'd best cast that Endure Cold on the rest of the party, there may not be time later."

Moving to the door he past Valene and touched her shoulder, "He right.. it's time to move on." As he stepped out the standing water and into the hall he cast a cantrip of dry on himself to drive the water out of his boot; wet feet on a frozen hall floor would not be fun.

As the others followed still protected by Sirene's spell or Cor's Endure he also dried their feet too.

"Friend," the fair-haired elven woman said, her soft lavender eyes meeting his evenly, "we have no choice but to continue forward. We have seen much and have made it this far. If there is anything you can recall up ahead, please tell us."

The terror that had dominated the elf's expression had all but melted away by the time his rescuers had, each in turn, made their introductions. The confusion still lingered, though, and muddled with it, now, was more than a bit of concern. This group seemed to be well aware of the danger in this place but, despite that, were intent on venturing deeper into the darkness which infested the place. He got to his feet, then, his honey-hued gaze skipping slowly from face to face as a sigh of resignation blew past his lips,

"I am Talcanaiion Aldavathar; you may call me Talca, if you find it easier," he said, sketching a faint bow, his eyes finding Rayne, again, and then Sirene as he rose from it, "and, if it is forward you must go, despite my warnings, then, it is my duty to the Queen of Heavens that I accompany you. My bow and blades are yours, arwenamin." He offered a respectful (though, perhaps somehow longing) smile to the fey-blooded sorceress before his gaze let her go and swept their surroundings.

"As to what lies ahead," Talca continued, his hands absently searching for his weapons as he speaks, "I fear I cannot tell you much. I have recollections of several passages and a few rooms but beyond that," He sighs, again, and offers a vaguely apologetic shrug. ",This place no longer looks as I remember it, either, and, it would seem, much time has passed since my eyes last saw it.
The War of Darkness was upon us in those days," the elf said, "and I found myself in the employ of a powerful mage known as Scandrick. He was certain that, somewhere in this place, was a magical artifact of such great power that it was certain to have turned the tides of that war, though, now that I think on it, he likely sought it for his own benefit as opposed to the noble reasons he professed, At any rate, he assembled a party - a dwarven warrior I only knew as Beard, a pair of elven twins (the cleric Chennell and his sister, Mondaye, a druid), a roguish but beautiful human woman named Orlandia, and myself as their pathfinder and guide - and we set out for this place in search of the relic,"
((OOC: At this point, Talca will relate the events detailed in his into post back on page 262,))

",My party was all but decimated by the time we got this far," Talca concluded with a slow, sad, shake of his head, "and we didn't make it much farther before it came down to just Scandrick and I. With Chennell and Mondaye gone from us, Scandrick at last came to his senses and we tried to make our escape. It was then that we were beset by the cyclops that, at the time, ruled this tower and the trog-horde that infected it. It was the cyclops' magic that pinned me to that wall, keeping me out of play whilst he destroyed Scandrick, Having done that, the beast came for me, next, and would have had me done the same as the mage but," A visible shudder runs through Talca and his gaze flits nervously toward the doorway; ",a horror greater than the cyclops appeared, a thing the likes of which I cannot profess to having ever seen, a beholder of a sort, perhaps, but, not, I, I, don't know.

I think, perhaps," he finished softly, "That I might have preferred the death the cyclops might have given me as opposed to the terror that was that thing."

Talca sucked in a long breath, then, and released it in a slow sigh that did little to wash the haunted expression from his features. "As I have said, though," he offered on the wake of that sigh, "if my warnings won't deter you from going ahead, then the least and most I can do by way of thanks and duty, is to go forward with you. Return my bow and my blades and, I swear, they will sing for all of you."

Lothor stood listening to the strange new elf's story while keeping watch by the door. When he had finished the big warrior stepped back in the room (making sure the door was still watched, of course) and approached the newcomer.

He had removed the weapons and since it seems they had found a companion, he would return them. "Welcome Talca, let us hope that your second trip through this tower ends better than your first. If you are a friend, then it would be better if you were armed again." He spoke in elvish and handed over the weapons. "The bow is quite exquisite - no great surprise for you. But these smaller blades are not what I am used to the fair folk using. It is an interesting choice. May they serve you well." He nodded and resumed his place by the door.

"I am Talcanaiion Aldavathar; you may call me Talca, if you find it easier. And, if it is forward you must go, despite my warnings, then, it is my duty to the Queen of Heavens that I accompany you. My bow and blades are yours, arwenamin."

At mention of the Queen of Heaven, Siréne stepped forward struck with a painful yearning. It had taken a journey through time to find another that remembered Faerie, and the ancient home called to her through him. After walking among mortals for nearly two centuries, she was finally not alone. Siréne let the single tear fall down her cheek before wrapping herself again in the serenity of a fey priestess. Serenity was more than her birthright, it was her duty.

Talcanaiion offered a respectful bow and the witch took another step forward. She placed two fingers upon her lips and then gracefully moved her hand to place those same to fingers on the ranger's lips. It was an ancient ceremonial gesture made between oracle and supplicant, but Siréne let longing beneath be felt.

We will speak more of this soon.

A few breaths and he let her gaze go to take in the others and the frozen tomb. He began his tale. The thread he spun was long and twisted, knotted with a cold horror. As he spoke, Siréne bowed her head to offer a prayer for the fallen. May the will of the Goddess protect them from a similar fate. In time she would know if her prayers had been heard.

It was time they took another step on their path.