War of the Gods

The first thing she notices is not the pristine fountain, as much as it stands out. It is, in fact, the very grime that makes it so prominent. The healer tuts softly at the state of the small port town, at the dirt-crusted windows and the cracked stone. She does not blame the inhabitants, certainly not, but she feels her heart pull at the clear signs of neglect as locals pass, heads bowed. Too involved, her mentor had said, and it was true even as the years ever passed. After a lingering assessment of the poor town, she turns her gaze, finally, to the fountain, which leads her to Zhoralel.
As soon as Akeya lays her honey gaze on him, she can feel the pull she has for most of her life telling her that, whatever it is, it is important. She cuts through the foot traffic with a few polite, "Pardon me"s, dipping her head to the older man as she approaches. The heavy stones in her ears pull them with the motion. "Ah, hello. I am Akeya, although I am certain I will have to introduce myself again as soon as the others make their way." She lifts her chin slightly to indicate the other newcomers, smooths her robes briefly, and then reaches her right hand out in greeting to Zhoralel, palm up in the tradition of Dobermers. The hard leather of her bracers is burned in twisting images formed by flowing script.

As he walked into the town he couldn’t help but notice the stones shook with his steps. Though he had the appearance of a human he sill had the mass of his true form. He slowed down so as not to make such a commotion. He made his way through the shambles of the town to the fountain. His nose burned at the stench of filth around him. He was not sure why he had been sent here or even who had sent him. He just felt the urge to go and followed his instincts since.

As he approached the fountain he noticed the old man and the younger woman standing at its side. He knew he would have to make his speech as real as he could so they didn’t ask to many questions just yet. “How are the two of you doing?” He asked as he leaned against the fountain

Leaping quickly from her small rowing boat, Sonny landed in the stone plaza with a look of relief on her face. As a creature of the earth and forest, the water was one of her least favourite things to be on. As she stood looking around her environment, the green tinge started to fade from her tan skin, though her tense posture did not ease.

She kept deliberately to herself, observing the odd strangers warily as the congregated around the filthy fountain. She was surprised to see the mixture of ages and appearances, though tried not to stare at them for too long- her interest should be focused on this new, grimy area; finding her bearings here was currently the ultimate priority.

When she stepped off the boat, Nightstorm, and her pal Raptors, notice the others and simply follow them as they were confused on what is going on. Especially Raptors, for he didn't get any visions but an odd and obscure voice telling him what was about to happen

They walked past the fountain and entered the plaza and looked at the other strangers with confusion
"Uh, hi," she says a bit awkwardly

Things were happening so fast and before Zhoralel could do anything, say anything he saw the vision. Looking about to the various people that had joined him now he stands. Many would expect an older gentleman to take their time but Zhoralel didn't something was to be done and he would rather get it done than sit around. "If the pained expressions on your faces is any indication, we all saw the same thing. So I hope that you all don't mind getting dirty cause I don't think this is going to be fun." He said looking over his shoulder to the town crier. "As for introductions, we may have to skip all that, but call me Zhoralel." He said this now looking at each and everyone of them with glowing powerful eyes.

Akeya nods in agreement as her face smooths into a more subdued expression, tight creases between her brows relaxing as the vision passes. She presses three fingers, from the right hand that had recoiled when the vision first afflicted the travelers, over her sternum, the leather of her bracer and chest-plate connecting with a faint noise. After the briefest of moments in this position, she reveals her palm again to the sky, turning to face the whole group. "I am Akeya. We shall spend much time together, I am certain, so let it be without tension."
She slides her gaze over the four she has not yet interacted with: Fen, leaning against the fountain -- something about him piques her interest, although she cannot pin the reason, Sonny, tense in a fashion that makes Akeya think of the guardsmen of her own home, Nightstorm and Raptors make an odd pair, on their own or apart, but it makes an odd amount of sense to Akeya. She drops her hand to resting position, having greeted those around her appropriately.

He couldn’t help but be on edge now. Something was off here. The story being yelled out about missing people and the foul odor here seemed to coincidental to him. But more so he could hear something moving about. He couldn’t pin point it with all the noise of the people shuffling around. But he didn’t worry much. When the time came for the fight he would have his fun. He smiled some to himself at the thought of a real challenge. “To those of you I have not greeted yet, the name is Fen.” He said not moving from his spot on the fountain

The auburn haired girl listened to the introductions of the group around her, but made no effort to make any of her own, merely nodding slightly in acknowledgement. Her focus was directed primarily towards the faint and stuttered calls of the town crier, as she tried to begin piecing together the problem at hand.

She had managed to maintain her composure as the vision appeared, but only just; though short, the sight was more gruesome than she was used to, and her lack of knowledge on the sewer monsters unnerved her. Still, she had a purpose here and was determined to do it and do it well.

Nightstorm backs away when she saw the vision and was disgusted by what she saw, but could not hear anything. Raptors meanwhile didn't see anything but heard the unbearable screams of the dead and suffering.
Nightstorm was left disgusted and confused on what all these visions ment and what could be the cause of these events. But nether the less, she and Raptors quickly recover and wait for the others to catch up.

"So the sewers? What could be down there that can cause such danger?" Raptors wondered

At this point Zhoralel had began to walk along the crowd and towards the commotion. He was cleaner than the citizens of the town though he didn’t bother with the smell. With his attention now focusing on he various conversations trying to peace together what people knew. “Something below it seems.” His voice went out to whoever was close enough to him before he began to walk about again.

“Somewhere below, where to get below?” His eyes gazing to the streets looking for any signs of a sewers.

He followed along with the others trailing them and trying to keep his footsteps as light as he could. He heard the older man talking about the sewers and began to sniff the air. His nose soon caught the noxious stench of the sewers and he pointed down an alley “Over here old timer.” He stood and looked at Zhoralel as he pointed to the entrance to the stench that now filled his nostrils. His mind kept flashing thoughts of the fights to come. He would have to reserve himself for the harder targets. He did not want to frighten the others with his true form

Sonny watched the others begin exploring, eyes cold and calculating, sizing them up. Whilst they seemed intent on getting to know their environment, the young huntress' interests were more geared toward sizing up her current companions. She took special note of the old man with the bright eyes, watching with a curiosity as he mingled with the crowds.

She made no move to respond to Fen's direction, remaining watchful still. Whilst she wanted to get on with the fighting, she felt there was a certain value to understanding those around her- she wanted to know who would emerge as the leader, who was simply a follower, and who might surprise her.

He made his way to the sewer entrance without seeing if anyone followed him. As he made his way down the alley a man popped out from behind some ruble and dashed toward the street. Fen side stepped quickly causing the ground to shake slightly. “Damn. To quick.” He did a quick glance towards the others hoping no one noticed and then made his way to the sewer. He leaned against the wall and waited for the others

Nightstorm almost loses her balance but manages to keep herself straight, same for Raptors.
They walk past the rest of the group and walk up to the sewer entrance. Nightstorm moves the cover out of the way and allows Raptors to go in first.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She says with a smirk and jumps straight in

“Ladies first.” He says the first two jump in. He kept his frame against the building and waited for the rest of them to enter. He pondered how much good he would be in such confined spaces. His illusion would not last long in a good fight. “Perhaps I should remain uptop incase this creature or whatever it is decides to make an appearence topside while y’all are down there.” Fen lept into the air and vanished over the buildings

Zhoralel lept in to the sewer with a shallow splash. The slimy filth of the water rushing into his boots and soaking his socks. The edges of his robes just lingering above the waters surface. If it wasn't for the smell his decent would have inspired others to mimic him, but no. From the splash alone the smell was stirred up and Zhoralel was poorly prepaired.

“Oh my,” He felt his lunch turning in the back of his throat. “This was a horr... horrible idea.” The smell alone nearly forced him to vomit but he tried to keep his composure as best he could. “By the divines this is rancid.” He stepped momentarily and made a small pilot lite in his palm to burn away the air they would walk in.

Akeya, as a healer, does not find herself unduly affected by the stench of the sewer. That is not to say that she is entirely unaffected -- even the most toughened medics cannot ignore the scents of life -- but she keeps her composure easily as she lands on her feet as lightly as she can manage. The woman cringes at the filthy reject water, inwardly cursing her more traditional choice of footwear. This was an unexpected foray, and she thinks of all of the sickness that could be borne here, especially for those who do not care for their health as much.
Taking pity on the other members of the group, she simply says, "You would find it useful to hold something over your face, with scent-herbs for those of us who have them." To demonstrate, and for her own knowledge, Akeya pulls the wide collar of her robe over her lower face, rolling the back to keep it close.

Sonny followed the others down into the sewer reluctantly. As a creature of the forest, her domain was the great outdoors, not the dingy tunnels of the underground. She was certainly not used to such an intensity of experience- within seconds her eyes were clouded with tears and she found herself practically choking on the thick, foul stench.

Still, she was not completely unprepared- fumbling around in her pockets she was able to find the thin cloth, scented with a range of herbs she had found in her home environment. As she took it out she heard the group's medic confirm her choice of action, and allowed herself a moment of pride as she tied the cloth around her head, over her nose and mouth.

Once her physical needs had been dealt with, Sonny allowed herself a moment to observe the tunnel. Though the darkness had rendered her eyes useless, she could feel the low-levels of sewer water lapping at her feet and was able to notice the distinct lack of sound, save for the shuffling of those around her. Curious, she began to take a couple steps forward, distancing herself ever so slightly from the group as she did so.

Nightstorm tried her best to light the tunnel though she couldn't hold it for very long due to the unbearable stench, though Raptors seems to not be bothered by the smell and walks behind Nightstorm with his arms behind his back

Nightstorm then almost collapses but manages to stay awake and allow Raptors to light the tunnel himself, leading the group

Fen made his way to the fountain again and sat down. He hoped this subterranean beast would prove to much for the others and it would emerge. The others didnt know that fen was the fabled wolf of legend. His size would cause the sewers to erupt like some smelly volcano of filth if he went down there and lost controll. He would remain topside for now