[PLOT] - ORP - Tainted Water (Queen Tariel + all welcome)

[Antidia]

((This ORP is for anyone, however I encourage the Squires to poke in because it will give a chance to fulfill the RP with an Ancient elemental pae. This also involves the Queen of the Naiads, so it will likely also include important metaplot information and give all pae a chance to interact and possibly shape the outcome.))

Reports have been coming in from all over the Lakebed about aquatic creatures attacking unprovoked. Creatures normally peaceful and docile baring sharp tusks, spiked fins and other abnormalities. A few naiad had been sent out to investigate, but nothing has come back yet. The Queen decided to take matters in to her own hands to find out why. At least, that's what she'd tell anyone who asked. She was using the reports as an excuse to get out and away from the Temple for a while. She'd been feeling a bit cooped up lately.

And she was curious about these mutant fish she'd heard about, but didn't believe.

Times like this she wished she had a fresh-water fin. Salt-water fins turned into legs that could only barely tolerate the dry air, unlike the fresh-water legs. She stayed close to the shore as she approached her destination so that the lake's waves could still hit her feet and keep her skin hydrated at least a little bit. She moved slowly towards where the lake water seeped into the land to create the marsh. It was an interesting place, she thought. Amphibians, mud, lots of bugs, lizards, bugs, snakes, more bugs and mud and some fish called this place home. The mud felt oddly refreshing squishing between her toes as she moved further in the marsh.

A mosquito landed on her arm and she raised it up to eye level to watch for a moment. This had never happened to her before. It was awesome -- at first. But once she noticed that the thing had pierced her skin and was feeding, her eyes grew twice the size and she shrieked, shaking her arm wildly. "GETOFFGETOFFGETOFFAME!!!"

Taking a few clumsy steps backwards, she trips on an underwater root and lands with her butt in the mud. A few critters scurry away from the commotion, but she has also drawn the attention of a few others.  

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis was still on her personal quest to find some place of exceptional beauty on the island. Originally she had just been looking for a garden with beautiful flowers, but she would take anything of beauty at this point. This place, however, was clearly not it. It reeked of something awful, nothing peaceful about that. Loads of creepy crawly things that she had never seen before also inhabited it. She wanted to see what was on the other side of the marsh, but perhaps she should have gone around.

Genesis had just gotten her foot stuck in the mud and was ready to turn around when she heard a shriek. With the dense air that surrounded her she wasn't even sure what direction it had come from. "Hm, a damsel in distress..." Genesis knew she should probably help if it was needed, but she was hesitant to trek any way but back the way she had come. In the end, her conviction got the best of her and she continued on forward until she saw a splash of blue in the thick brown mud. Genesis took a deep breath, "Are you in need of assistance madame?"  

[Menelie]

Dante had been floating through the area, doing a sort of practice hover, dodging trees and whatnot, when he'd heard a woman's scream. It pierces straight to his soft angel's heart, and he flies straight for the source of it.

He lands nearby, but hadn't expected the ground to be quite so slick. He slides on his feet, frantically flapping his wings for balance until he finally stops. He windmills his arms to keep from falling forward, and then freezes for a moment while he takes inventory of himself. Whew. He notes with a somewhat disgusted expression that now his feet are covered in gunge, but he supposes that's better than having all of him being covered in gunge. Especially his wings--ugh.

He pushes through a brush and comes upon the scene. Noticing Genesis, he hurries over to her and pulls out his pad--thankfully undamaged and unsoiled from the landing--and writes: Are you alright? Did you make that scream? He hands the pad to her and then....his breath is taken away from him. He'd never seen anyone so majestic! Even though the strange blue woman is covered in mud and looked somewhat distressed (Dante realizes that perhaps she had been the source of the scream), she's still the most beautiful creature he'd ever laid eyes on. Her eyes were enchanting, her hair swirled around her body almost like cloth, her skin looked so smooth and soft....

And then he'd seen the gills. He tries not to let his immediate revulsion show on his face, but what winds up showing is a sort of horrified fascination. He can't shake his initial enchantment with her, even knowing she's a creature from the dark depths of the sea. He tears his eyes away from her and looks to Genesis for a response. He'd have to avoid looking at the sea-woman--she'd already tempted him just with her appearance. Who knows what other fishy tricks she had in her?  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Harveer was flying over a marshy area, having taken a chance to stretch his wings. The lake that was near was gorgeous, it had been what had drawn him to the area. It was more than a small disappointment when he had seen the not quite so good looking marsh that connected the water to the land. What had he been expecting though? The beaches were far enough from here he should have known better.

It wasn't long before he heard a terrified scream from down below. Without much though, Harveer dove from his elevated position to the blue pae'il below. "What's wrong Ma'am?" The teen insisted, not even having noticed that his fellow Squires were in the area and coming to assist the troubled female.  

[Teigra]

Several of the Squires were investigating the marshy area today, but none quite so un-thrilled with the prospect as Lailah. Well, except maybe for Dante. Still, the crimson streaked angel was wondering if it would be all the same if she skipped this patrol and took a nap instead. Might be more productive than trudging about in the much for no apparent reason.

Perhaps the Guardians took pity on her; she was one of their favorites, of course. The piercing scream that split the heavy marsh air was like music to Lailah's ears. Yes! No matter what was going on, it had to be more exciting than this! Taking to wing, she pulled her feet from the muck with a squishy 'splort' noise, then darted off in the direction of the noise.

Rather disappointing when all she found was a strange blue Pae sitting on her rump in the mud. Silly thing probably tripped and fell, making a big deal out of it all. That's what happened when you didn't have wings...to...keep...balance...

The realization dawned on the angel, and her eyebrows lifted very slightly with interest. Another of these...'Ancients' then? She'd had a couple of run-ins with the deer ones, but this one was new. This one had...gills? Like a fish! Or that's what they looked like anyway. Smiling slyly to herself, Lailah hung back as the other Squires rushed forwards to help.

Perhaps this day wouldn't be so boring afterall.  

[Teigra]

She was under no delusions. She knew the only reason she'd been brought along had been for her duties as mapmaker, and the fact that as a lake Naiad of many seasons, she knew the Isle better than most other Naiad, Lake or Aernyn. Great Waters, that made her sound old.

But still, even knowing that, Serefina couldn't help but feel secretly pleased for being asked to come along on the Queen's investigation. Sure, she was a glorified guide, but at least she had a purpose. A job to do. She hadn't spent much time in this area bordered by the swamp, mostly of choice, but she knew where it was and could easily guide another there. So, that's how she found herself sloshing about between the lake and the marsh, using her seldom-seen 'land legs' to squish about in the muck. Though, she had to admit, at least the place wasn't as dry as most land for the Naiads...they could spend more time here than other places, without drying out uncomfortably. Even while moving about without their tail fins.

She'd allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, leaving the Queen to her investigations and wandering about nearby, basically stepping from one thing to the next, whatever caught her attention. There were things here she'd never seen before, or not often, and each one was fascinating to the water dweller. In fact, she completely forgot why she was here for a short time...until the Queen's panicked shriek brought her abruptly back to reality.

Whirling and nearly tumbling into the muck in the process, Serefina turned back to where she'd left the Queen, trudging through the mud as quickly as possible without falling face first. She noticed a number of young land Pae, angels it seemed, heading in her direction as well, seeming ready to help the fallen Naiad. Had she only stumbled? It was a common problem for Naiads who spent little time on land. That was a relief. Having grown up knowing more land Pae than water, Serefina felt comfortable knowing that there were more helpful, friendly faces about just in case. She couldn't imagine what would have happened if she'd screwed up her first real chance to be helpful to the other Naiads and let the Queen get hurt or something awful like that.

Smiling warmly at the teenagers and offering a brief nod of greeting, Serefina carefully crouched next to the Queen, laying a comforting hand on her back without a thought. "Queen Tariel, are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"  

[Antidia]

Tariel was amazed at the attention she drew. She had assumed -- wrongly -- that the marsh would not have many pae because it is simply an unpleasant place to be, for all types of pae. The moisture made feathered wings heavy, the Taint stunted both Earth and Elemental magic and energy supplies, and the bugs were just such a nuisance, she couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be here without a damn good reason. What reason were all these teenage Angels doing here?

She felt a stirring of warmth and love knowing that many had come to make sure she was alright. Land Pae at that, since she'd heard not so good things about them, so she was thinking maybe they were as evil as they used to be. New generations could be peaceful.

"A bug bit me, and I tripped over a root. Nothing bad. I'm fine, and I appreciate your concern, thank you." She tried to be regal about it. And grateful. Didn't want to make a bad impression. She straightened her crown first, and then acknowledged Serafina's concern with a glance and smile, and small pat on her hand. Once on her feet, she tried to wipe some of the mud off her rear and then arms. Wringing the ends of her hair out, she was able to look at the cavalry. They were all so young.

"Is this your home?" A valid question, without being too forward in wondering what mischief they might be up to hanging out in the Tainted marshlands.

In an attempt to calm her own nerves, she tried to hum softly and discreetly while still appearing to clean herself up a bit. She stopped abruptly when she noticed it wasn't working as it should. The taint in the marsh had taken over the water so badly, it was no longer pure enough to energize the Naiads. Even Serefina's powers would be nulled. This concerned the Queen because they were not as close to the Lake as they should be, in case of danger. And they would soon be powerless. The only thing going for them is that the murky, tainted water would prevent them from drying out.  

[Doof]

One moment, they were all up, the next, they were gone. Katya scanned the sky above and below, wondering where the other squires had suddenly disappeared to.

It had been something of an impromptu flight day, and with so many of her fellows on the wing, how could she possibly refuse to join them? She had certainly been a bit further off, on her own, practicing some aerial moves she'd come up with, but the demon hadn't realized that the others had gone to ground while she climbed higher and higher. She was usually a lot better at spotting her fellow squires from a distance while airborne, so she concluded that they had landed somewhere.

Katya pouted. She was having such a good time watching the others. The young demon descended to a few hundred feet above the treetops, but realized the futility of searching for anyone under the canopy. Unless they were out on a field, a clearing, or over in the swamp she wouldn't see them at all.
No, wait, there they were.
The other teens had gathered at the swamp, apparently fascinated by something, or someone, at the edge of the water. Katya circled down to the gathering, descending at a leisurely glide. As she approached, the object of their fascination became clear- a beautiful, blue pae she had never seen before was conversing with them, in this particularly fenny patch of swamp of all places.

Landing just a few feet away from them, Katya hesitantly approached. She immediately observed that the blue pae was completely wingless. An Ancient. She froze, then involuntarily took a step back, uncertain of what to do, or say. Perhaps it would be best to let the others handle this one, after all she was far from being the best warrior or leader.

Or was it a test? Were the Guardians leaving his Ancient here for them to discover intentionally, to test their resolve? The possibility made Katya's head spin. After a moment of thought, she decided that keeping the Ancient talking would be a good start in either direction.

"This swamp is actually somewhere we've never been before. At least, I've never been." The little red demon answered. Despite not being as vocal of her devotion as the rest the squires were, she added, "Our home is wherever the Guardians need us, praise them."  

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis had heard the slipping sounds of Dante, and glanced over at him, recognizing him instantly as one of her peers. For a mute he sure made a lot of noise. Genesis quickly scanned the pad of paper he handed her and shook her head. She was starting to point at the blue pae, but she had already caught Dante's attention. Genesis noticed that the pae was a naiad while Dante was studying her, she frowned. When he looked back at her she responded in a whisper, "It was her."

As more of her peers started to show up Genesis became very aware of how much a scene that this was. She knew it must look odd that all the young teenagers had showed up ready to help at the sound of a damsel in distress. Nervous butterflies started to flutter in her stomach as she gauged what the naiad might think of this. The naiad at said herself that she was alright, maybe it was time to be taking off, keep a low profile.

Genesis tilted her head and stared at the red demon when she vocalized something that identified them as part of one group that served the guardians. If the naiad hadn't been suspicious of something going on before, she most certainly would be now. Genesis now remained quiet, lest she say something that would make things worse. Her golden eyes glanced over at the rest of her peers to gauge what their thoughts and reactions were.  

[Teigra]

Only the slightest eyebrow twitch marked Lailah's observation. With all the others rushing forward to offer help, she'd hung back to watch with Dante and the others. She glanced to the other Squires, but she didn't think they'd taken notice. Or they were hiding it, she hoped. She couldn't have been the only one to hear what the red one had called the blue one. 'Queen. This one...is a leader. A leader of the heretics. Maybe even of all the water ones.' The implication was staggering, but her thoughts were racing too fast for them to even affect her expression at that speed.

Lailah had had little experience with the heretics, she knew, but possibly more than some of the other Squires. And honestly, she'd had mixed experiences. With the common ones, okay, not too bad, they'd taken out some tainted beasts from the cursed forest by joining forces. That hadn't been too bad. However, the other one...the one that called herself a 'Seer' and 'healer?' She seemed to be in some position of power at that giant tree, and in an effort to have a little fun, Lailah had apparently pushed the wrong buttons. The crazy witch started in with her mind-reading crap and tried to attack her! Hmmph, seemed that the ones higher in power were less accepting of those blessed by the Guardians. Made sense, as they were probably the ones spreading the lies and corruption amongst the heretics in the first place.

And here, they had a queen! Right in front of them; alone almost, if you didn't count that other one over there. Sure, nothing hostile had happened yet, but...things were sure to escalate, now that the Guardians had been mentioned. It was fine around lesser tier heretics, but a leader? It was sure to create tension. Already, Lailah could feel a subtle change in the air, and a quick glance towards Genesis confirmed her thoughts. Something in her eyes, a shrewd glance shared...now that one was smart. She knew that there'd been a slip made. The crimson angel shot a look towards the lone demon of the group, standing just to her side. Why? Why'd she pick now to bring that up?

If something was going to be done, it would have to be done fast. What would the Guardians have them do? It was as if they'd presented them with a gift...one of the heretic leaders, alone and unaware, on a silver platter, for the Squires to deal with. And deal with...what to be done exactly? What had she learned about battle and tactics and group efforts...?

Remove the leader, and the rest fall apart.

Suddenly, it was clear as day what they needed to do. Almost as if she'd been given the answer by the Guardians themselves. She kept the pleased grin from crossing her face, but she knew that the work she did today would benefit them all, and that she'd been blessed with the opportunity to perform this service for the Guardians.

Her hand moved discretely for the dagger at her thigh, her eyes shining with eagerness as she murmured under her breath, "...quick and clean, no mistakes."  

[Doof]

Katya knew her fellow squires well enough to be aware of rising anxiety amongst them, each somewhat staggered in their own way at coming face-to-face with an Ancient who, given current appearances, seemed to be royalty. She had invoked the Guardians to see if there was any sort of negative reaction from the other party. Given the suddenly tense atmosphere, it seemed that a negative reaction had certainly taken place.

Katya looked over the situation, as she always did when it seemed to be beyond her influence. The Ancients, though outnumbered, were fully-grown, and as royalty, would likely be immensely powerful. Yet, they had made no hostile moves against the squires, and in fact had been rather candid up to this point. Perhaps both sides would walk away from this one without bloodshed.

It was then that she caught, out of the corner of her eye, the subtle yet deliberate movement of Lailah's hand towards her ebony dagger, and barely heard her whispered words. Surely she doesn't mean to.... right now, right here, out in the open? Unprovoked, against an unarmed, non-aggressive enemy, enemy though she may be?

For a moment, she was seized by indecision and fear- Fear of the dramatic repercussions of any assault on this Ancient, if she was indeed a Queen, and yet equally fearful of her terrifyingly ruthless comrade, Lailah, whom she dare not cross. Maybe it would be simpler to stand aside, let the deed be done (for after all, in the end, it would have to be done at some point, whether here or in some future conflict) and not cause any trouble for Lailah. And yet, she felt like they were not yet ready for such drastic action. By the Guardians, they weren't even knights yet! What if this was too soon?

Katya moved close, extremely close to Lailah and her hand slipped around Lailah's forearm, pushing it down purposefully but with a light, gentle grip on the angel's wrist. With their proximity, she whispered a few hurried words of her own, so that only Lailah could hear.

"We don't know the enemy's strength or disposition. We don't even know if this is a real queen. She's worth more to us alive." The red demon bit her lip nervously, hoping that it would be a good enough reason for Lailah to stay her killer instinct. That it would be a good enough reason to not get chewed out later on.  

[Dementia Requiem Asumi]

Harveer's eyes narrowed, mostly at hearing there was a queen in their midsts and they had all just rushed in to save her. It wouldn't have been such a bid deal if Katya hadn't just given them away as squires. Despite his annoyance at the girl, he smiled. Best not to make a fool of themselves.

"Surely you are alright, but what brings you to this tainted marsh? Not many pae come here any more." Questioned the pale angel. It wasn't like she was going to answer, but some had to keep this queen distracted while Lailah was calmed down. The bad experience with that strange faun healer had been her own doing, and he knew it. Oh how he wished to be over there calming her down himself, but he would be more useful here for the moment.

"Perhaps we could escort you back to the waters?" No, he didn't mean the waters she came from, he meant waters they could control. She was worth more alive than dead right now.

 

[Menelie]

Dante, whose attention had been focused on his feet in an effort to refrain from becoming transfixed with the beauty of the fish-queen, snaps to attention when he hears Lailah's voice. Wonderful. She always managed to make bad situations worse. Bloody sadist. He rubs a hand over his face and looks around at everyone else gathered.

Alright, it was five to two in their favor, but somehow it felt like there were too many squires. The fish-queen might feel cornered, threatened. She might feel provoked to defend herself, and the Guardians only knew what sort of dark magic she possessed. And Lailah certainly wasn't going to be of any help. At least he and Katya and Genesis possessed cool heads. Dante doesn't know much about Harveer, but at least he wasn't attempting to pull a dagger on the unknown fish-pae. Cripes.

Dante remains where he is, but he grips his staff tightly, keeping an eye on Lailah. There were enough people asking questions of the fish-queen; he doesn't really need to weigh in as well.  

[Wolfs Heart]

Genesis was now watching Lailah cautiously. She had never been all that interested in fighting, except for when it was needed. Right now... it didn't seem all that needed. The queen was unable to flee them because of the marshes, and they did outnumber her and her companion. Assuming, that the queen had no escape powers, and nothing that could out-power the five of them. While she was likely a heretic, this was a situation better for discussion. Plus if they could convince a so-called queen to see the error of her ways, perhaps her followers (if any) would change as well. This was a prime opportunity. If Lailah intended to kill her, it would all be ruined, and harming her would not be very convincing either.

Katya seemed to be onto what Genesis was thinking. Genesis tried to remember the girl's name from her classes... something with an L... oh whatever. "Hey..." she whispered staring straight into Lailah's eyes. "this one is right, its not the time to act, talking will do us better, she can't go anywhere" Genesis then moved away, staying huddled together would look suspicious.  

[Antidia]

At first, it was simply a case of a fish out of water interrupting a group of teenagers. But her intuition was telling her something different now, as they had all become stiffer and shifty-eyed as they looked around at each other. One had mentioned they were a group, and they praised the Guardians? That was new. She thought most pae on the island stopped worshiping false idols long ago. At least, that was the observation from her Mellon. It was supposed to make her job easier that most Pae doubted the Guardians.

This was bizarre behavior for a bunch of young'ins. Tariel never did see Lailah reach for her dagger, but she knew they were whispering to each other. Was this a trap? How would they have known she'd be here? She didn't even know she'd be here. It was spur of the moment and she'd mainly just fled to leave the palace, grabbing the first pae she crossed paths with as a cover up. She sure hoped Serafina knew how to defend herself.

And it was now that Tariel regretted not telling anyone where she went, or that she left. She knew it was foolish, but just wanted to get out and be proactive.

The fact that something wasn't right with her voice was another reason she was feeling trapped. Under normal circumstances, she would never be fearful of a handful of young Pae. She could take out schools of Naiads, if she had to. She wasn't the Queen for nothing. Deciding to try and diffuse what looks a dangerous situation, she starts using her hand to push the muck from her skin. Maintaining her composure to ensure they did not find out anything was amiss with her, she smiled and responded to any questions presented. "I am here investigating." she says simply. She tried to add her own flare to the words, weaving melody and sounding more upbeat than would be expected. It was her own subtle way of using her Siren power to diffuse any situation and calm nerves. But instead, she cracked and squeaked a couple sounds. Not good.

She coughed to clear her throat and lifted her feet to make sure they weren't stuck in the mud before taking a few steps to the side where no teenager was blocking her. "Serafina, let's leave these young Pae to their business. I'm sorry to have interrupted your activities." She gave a small bow of her head and moved to walk away, side stepping to avoid having the majority of them at her back.