Golden Age: Ruin

*Not long afterwards, a funeral pyre is constructed. The queen, everyone at the scene, & the few remaining knights gather to watch the proceedings.*

Arthur<Unfortunately, there is little time for mourning. The solstice is only 6 days away. We need to plan for it.>

Gallahad<The castle is in ruins. Mordred clearly wanted to take it, but Seraph didn't seem to care. Much of Merlin's research has been destroyed, but the only thing missing is a book on blood magic.>

Arthur<Undoubtedly, they feared someone else would take up his mantle. The solstice could only mean one thing: He's heading to Avalon. From that mystical isle, on that day, a mage of sufficient power would be able to seize control of all magic in the world, for a brief moment.>

*Nearby, Roatha is sorting out items in his sack. He removes anything that looks like a weapon, a book of magic, or a personal momento, but keeps things that appear to be random treasure.*

R"Most of the peasants are finding other Lords to purchase their services. Only those with nowhere else to go are staying. More than 1 have thrown themselves from the castle ruins."

T"But you're still sticking to your rob & run plan?"

R"Yeah. I am."

Kelphy: <Roatha.. what was it you wanted to give me earlier? I'm sorry, I was just-->

*Ari stares at Thiera*

Ari: <(..W-Why did Sir Mordred attack his father?)>

"Because he's a bastard... no offense Arthur..." Lune adds to the end of his sentence after realizing the implication. "We're too few in number now to do anything significant against them." Lune pauses as he says a brief prayer in his mind for Merlin before continuing.

"The help I was hoping to get won't be coming. The other Frankish lords found out that my family was supporting King Arthur and they were executed. I had received word of this a short time ago when the pyre was being built. I've been officially decreed a traitor" Lune's words held an edge of grief to them but he bit it back to continue. "I have some contacts scattered across Europe and in the Holy Land but it would be hard to contact them and raise a sufficient sized army in such short order. We're running on time too short to make mistakes and we've seen the kind of power the traitors have now and I have a gut feeling that was the only a small sample."

*Thiera looks at him like "why are you always staring at me."*

T"I guess he wanted the throne for a long time now, & figured he wasn't going to get it unless he took it by force."

R"I think it's Merlin's diary. I can't be sure, because it zapped me whenever I tried to open it. Would have incinerated me when I stole it, but apparently, the cloak is made with Salamander skin ground into the threads."

Arthur<He is an illegitimate child, to a sorceress who has now passed. The Holy Land is out of the question. Mordred acquired his monsters from there, promising them more desert territory. And I doubt they could hold off the Legionares or the Franks, either.>

Guinevere<We still have a chance, if we regroup at our son's estate.>

Arthur<Yes. That will be Mordred's next move anyway. He'll want to eliminate any possible opposition to his reign in the week before his final plot.>

Lancelot<But Avalon is guarded by the King & Queen of the Fair Folk. Surely that is no danger.>

Arthur<It is not worth the risk to simply leave them be.>

"The fair folk are not to be trifled with Lancelot. Agreed, we regroup" he turns to Roatha, "His diary? Give that to Kelphy, maybe she can open it."

Ari: [Why would someone attack their father for a large chair a position?]

Kelphy: <Well, thank you for wanting to give it to me, though I'm not sure I deserve the honor.>

Ari: [Lady Kelphy's Sir Mordred's cousin...]

*He nods awkwardly and walks away from Thiera, and goes to sit at the corner with his arms around his legs like the confused child he is.*

*With nothing else to do, they trudge to a distant city, minus Roatha, who reluctantly heads in the opposite direction. Recognizing Arthur immediately, the guards let them in. When the castle door opens, out steps a man. He has a jaw & eyes similar to Arthur & Mordred, but takes after Guinevere in his slight build & messy black hair. He's wearing a red robe & a simple crown.*

???<Father! Mother! It's been too long! And...you've brought knights...& children...?>

Arthur<Tom...Mordred is after the throne. He's already destroyed Castle Pendragon & killed Merlin.>

*The smile vanishes from his face instantly.*

Tom<You shouldn't have come here. I don't stand a chance against him. I'm no warrior. Oh, why didn't you just make him heir to begin with?>

L"Might have something to do with him being a patricidal megalomaniac."

"And a bastard" Lune says again, "Errrr.... sorry Arthur" he scratched his head. "At least we can formulate a decent plan here. Kelphy, have you made any sense of the diary yet?"

Kelphy: <I haven't really tried to read it yet... Not sure I should.>

Ari: [...children?]

Tom<Let's discuss this over dinner.>

*A few moments later, they reconvene over a large feast. Thiera is picking at some chicken while Lilith is just eating anything that gets too close to her whole.*

Arthur<Kelphy, I think Merlin would want you to read it.>

Tom<Those Djinn sound like they're more powerful than the fay. I don't see how we're going to resist an army of them, when Castle Pendragon couldn't.>

"Well... we'll have to do some research."

Kelphy: <Well... I am sure we can do it if we plan everything carefully.>

*She nods to her uncle and reluctantly opens the diary on her lap. Ari looks at it like he expects it to explode any minute*

*The diary, apparently hearing them talk, flips to a page about Djinn. It says there are many different types of Djinn, most with demigod-level powers. They are spirits of flame & light, & live hidden in the desert. They are very proud, & not prone to working with humans, but they can't survive out of the desert for more than a few days. Lilith proceeds to read all of this aloud over Kelphy's shoulder while Thiera glares at her.*

Tom<So there must be a desert nearby that he's using. Or at least a really big sandbox. I mean, they could probably get back to their homeland quickly, but how would he persuade them to come all the way back out here again?>

"Good question... perhaps he bribed them?"

Kelphy: <I agree with -whichever of Dark's characters spoke's name goes here-. If they're proud and not very fond of humans, they must've offered them something they really wanted or needed. Maybe even just promise them the land, even if they didn't intend to keep their promise. Of course I don't really think that's what they wanted, since, well, why would the location of their desert make a difference? ...Maybe we should ask someone who knows more about this? Master Merlin must've written about friends of him here somewhere.>

*She tries to turn the page*

T"How much time do we have again?"

L"4 days. It took us many hours to get here, so we'll have to make sure to leave with at least a day to get to Avalon. Which we still don't know how to get to."

*The diary flips to a detailed map.*

Tom<Yeah, I don't think that will be a problem. We can formulate a battle plan tomorrow. It's late, & we'll need rest to repel an invasion...much less stage one.>

"Tom, do you have an armoury on site?" Lune asks.

OOC: I ditched Sophia Tae.

Kelphy: <All right, I'll go and find myself a room. Good night everyone.>

*Ari lays his head on the table, his eyes slowly shutting. Kelphy stares at the diary as she walks away*

Kelphy: [Master Merlin...]

Tom<Yeah. It's down the hall to the left. Right next to the bathroom.>

T"Thank God!"

*Thiera rushes from the table, clutching at her pelvis. Meanwhile, the diary flips a few pages. Ghosts: Spirits tied to this world by violent death & purpose. In sustanence, they are much like vampires. However, if they do not feed on blood or energy almost ceaselessly, they will soon disappear. Because of this, most are desperate & evil.*

"Good, thank you" Lune leaves to go browse the armory for something other than the weapons he has taken with him.

*She widens her eyes for a brief moment and calls a maid, politely asking for an empty room before resuming looking at the page*

Kelphy: [Master Merlin...? The greatest wizard of all times... Could it be...?]

*A loud, yet eerily warped voice sounds from all around the room.*

<Never coming back. Never again. Doesn't have the guts to do what it takes to get back.>

*Kelphy's shadow seems to get much darker & bigger. Thiera glimpses into the room on her way back from the bathroom.*

"There's something in there!"

[No...it was attached to us. How didn't I notice it before?!]

Lune comes running back, "Whats going on!?"

*She drops the diary and quickly turns around to gace Thiera*

Kelphy: <W-Who are you!?>

<Heeeeeeeere's Fafnir!>

*The ghost of an armored dwarf rises from the shadows. He looks emaciated, frizzled, & crazed. However, he also bears faint traces of fangs & scales.*

T"So...you stayed behind for revenge, after we killed you & broke the curse."

<When a tree falls in the forest, it doesn't mean you're a mighty warrior!>