Tanis Six, 3,520 years after the Battle of Tanis.

[albatross]

The Gray Seers tell Bellephoebe, "Your feathered friend can help you to find an immortal in Dweamor."

O.O.C.:

A Rune Weapon won't work because the sacrifice must be alive. While the spirit of the rune weapon victim still lives, the body is gone - replaced by the weapon and is therefore unusable.

Technically, Bellephoebe can use dimensional teleportation or a rift to get back to Tanis Six, then use a time travel spell to get to the moment Fakir and Talon leave to breach the seal. That way she can save any "volunteers" from being sacrificed... if she went straight to the Fallen Empire, she would need to learn the circle magic that breaks the seal herself - and since each sacrifice can transport eight people she would be wasting several spaces. Even Bellephoebe, Aki and three or four animals is only five or six beings.

We'll introduce GhostWalker in Dweamor.

[shiivster]

Aki will be found outside the place where Bellepheobe is currently inside. the wild animals and birds seem to have bonded in an odd manner with her. they look and study the various domesticated animals that have come over to visit and tattle about odd things that happen. faint giggles from the girl are heard as some dog whines and makes assorted noises at her.

she will look up as Bellapheobe exits the building then the city animals flee without a noise other than the odd patter of claws on the road, or the flapping of feathered wings. she will stand up and ruffle the ears of Mao and then of Yumi as she finally moves over. 'where we go now. i meet all animals and birds that can slip away to speak with me. we go now?'

[thorley]

Bellephoebe says thanks the Seers and says to Aki"Yes, I think it's time for us to go. Apparently if whatever Fakir and company are up to goes the wrong way an entire world dies, so I have little choice but to try and make sure things work out. If you'd prefer I could find a more pleasant dimension for you so you can avoid the battle. Depending on where I dropped you those weapons I gave you might even make you something akin to a god. It's your choice whether to come with me or retire somewhere peaceful though."

"According to the Seers before I do anything I need to find another immortal, and my feathered friend... who I take to mean Starlighter, is supposed to be able to help me find one. I guess we should go to the Aerie where Starlighter is quartered"

Bellephoebe heads to her Family's Aerie to check on Starlighter and see about this immortal.

[albatross]

At the Aerie where Starlighter is quartered... What does Bellephoebe ask Starlighter? A gryphon with high animal intelligence, Starlighter understands several languages - and though the Gryphon cannot speak per se, it can easily communicate with Aki and the messenger hawk. And it can follow instructions in languages it understands.

[shiivster]

Aki follows as her two companions follow under their own power and explore and make assorted noises at each other and then at their 'sister'. Aki is confused at Bellephoebe's comment. was this the leaf eared one's way of saying 'good-bye'?

*with a look of deep pondering she follows quietly. she crouches in front of the Lynx and gets his point of view of life in the area as he knows it, then realizes that THIS place is more stranger than when she came to America from Korea. there wont be a place for her here either.

*she pauses nearby and scratches Mao's ears as she watches Bellephoebe's back. Yumi heads off with a faint squeak as she hunts rodents, Mao heads off to explore as well, but looks back at Aki once in a while.

* Aki's funk doesn't last long as she sees other Gryphons and will move apart slightly to find out what they have to say. she praises them on their feathers and coloring. she asks to see the beak and then claws. making sure that they are trimmed and not over grown. if there are any young ones, she will pause and study only. unless called for, she will continue her introductions with the others in the aerie.

*the 2 mammals stop at the edges of the berths for these large creatures. then they will move over and settle on the ground where they can be seen by all and will make assorted comments to the eyes that study them, and Aki will translate from one to the other, so they learn of each other. the Messanger bird she lets choose who to talk with, but she now carries fresh meat to offer to the 3 of her friends.

[albatross]

The Gryphons greet Aki politely, though they eye Yumi and Mao hungerily, they don't strike. The messenger bird flits near Bellephoebe and Starlighter, tittering. Starlighter is glad to see Bellephoebe and waits patiently for commands.

[shiivster]

Aki fights back a grin as she hears some muttered comment from a gryphon behind her back about 'living food'. she looks at that one and moves closer and studies it. 'they litter mates to me. furry sister . . furry brother. they join me by choice. they still free, live free if i dies. you? your rider dies what you do. live free? no more tummy comments, very silly air flyer'

*she will settle in the middle of the open area and promptly start grooming the two animals. it get funnier when Yumi joins the grooming efforts on Mao. and while the lips quiver with suppressed laughter at some grunted comment as he realizes that Yumi's joined the efforts to remove the little tiny skin biters. she mutters a quiet 'we take off annoying biters. Yumi no like them on her either'

[thorley]

Bellephoebe strokes Starlighter as she says audibly, thinking it's probably too complicated for her to understand "The Gray Seers told me you might know how to find an immortal, see anyone who should have died but didn't recently?"

Given that Godlings and Immortals aren't quite as rare in The Federation Of Magic as some other places Belle will ask the Aerie attendants "I don't suppose any immortals have come by to visit the Gryphons recently? The Gray Seers mentioned I might find one inclined to help me with a pesonal mission here".

[shiivster]

Aki stands up and moves to give the messanger bird her share of meaty treats. the eyes study Bellepheobe then looks at the bird. 'why she no ask you? odd person' *shakes the head and rolls the eyes.

<Korean to animals> 'will do best to find new home for us. the big noisy man mean well, but am being lost. needs find place where fur sibs and flying sibs can be happy too'

*she'll squat and resume the grooming process again. rewarding both 'sibs' with raw meat treats for their co-operation. then she will motion to them to exit and she'll follow, so the air looks down on her once again. her use seems to be at an end, and she'll just need to find a place that she can live in and look after her friends once she gets the vaccine back to 'home base'

[albatross]

Starlighter looks at Bellephoebe and the gryphon cocks its head to the side, considering. The messenger hawk begins twittering and alights on Bellephoebe's shoulder, chirping fast.

Aki can understand the bird. It says that it and Starlighter saw an immortal while flying the other day and that it can find him again. Then the bird takes off, out of the aerie.

Starlighter makes ready to follow.

[shiivster]

Aki looks at Bellepheobe as she moves to talk to the family retainers and stable keepers.

'Big wing say see odd type person while flight with little wing sib. she gone to find again. big wing sib say will find too . . might want stop big wing sib before gone gone'

*Yumi will scramble up and into the carry bag she's been travelling in as Aki studies her new brother trying to figure out how to travel with him on . . horse back . . or wing back . . or machine back. she wonders if she will have legs afterward.

[albatross]

The flyers set out touring the city, at first they seem to look around randomly, but then the Blood Hawk catches sight of something and they start tracking. They are following a small creature as it goes about its day, eventually following it back to a makeshift camp outside the city.

Bellephoebe can see an elf, though a unique one too be sure - with shock white hair and jet black skin - not merely dark skinned, more like a magic experiment gone awry.

Starlighter, the messenger hawk and the blood hawk were all following a Corzin Tree runner - and the messenger hawk twitters at it, and then says something unintelligible to the elf. (if Aki has flown along, she can translate)

[shiivster]

Aki has struggled to keep Mao from leaping off in the first few minutes and just mutters quietly under her breath in feline to the frightened little brother. her words of 'bravery' . . 'clever' . . 'strong' . . and other words that he would understand seem to finally work. he finally opens the eyes and rumbles happily on her lap. her legs, will heal in time, from his claws but doesn't tell him wrong. there would be no reason for it

once Starlighter lands and she dismounts with the newly rejuvinated Lynx, Yumi pokes her head out and the beady eyes spot the odd creature and stares, even as the lynx studies both the odd 2-legger and then the beast with it. she figures if Bellephoebe takes off with this odd male, she at least will have her 'family' with her. she's given up believing that things will get 'right' again and seriously wonders if she's needed at all anymore.

[atriu]

Jourdan sets up up his camp. First he sets up his tent and bedroll, including sleeping bag. Then heput on a small fire and uses his canteen to make some tea. He then sets about stripping down to just his pants and boots. "Maya. go do what you need to. find some food or fun for yourself. Just be careful, baby girl." He a few deep breathes, Jourdan starts doing some katas, just to stay in form and shape.

[albatross]

Ghostwalker's exercises are interrupted a while later by the arrival of a couple gyphons carrying two women, an elf and a human. Two birds are with them, a small flity one and a hawk with white feathers and blood red spots. The human woman carries a young lynx with her and has a mongoose.

The small messenger bird, greets Maya who has returned, and says something to Jourdan that he can't seem to understand. The little bird can talk a bit like a parrot.