"It is because of the Evangiel's message combined with Torhavich's own interest in them," Shavon says from an entry-way.  There is a gasp from some of the members of the group at the table as they see their host for the first time.  Shavon is generally humanoid in appearance and definitely a powerfully built male.  He stands as tall as Grondor but not quite as broad, though whipcord muscles run down his arms and partially revealed chest.  Beyond that, from head to toe Shavon is alien.  His hair is silver, not just in color but appears to be the actual metal as it reflect light the same way the metal would.  His ears are somewhat larger than a human's with five points running down the edge, almost like wings of some sort.  The eyes are almond like an Invar's, but with thick brows and silver irises.  Shavon's nose is perfection for his face, pointed and turned up exactly right.  A mouth that most women would find perfectly kissable is unencumbered by facial hair.

Simple, yet elegant clothes adorn the strange body.  Shavon's skin is light grey with a tinge of teal to it.  His hands are thin but powerful looking and the three long fingers and two opposable thumbs each end in sharp fingernails almost like claws.  He wears simple boots of what might be leather, but the color is white, undyed.  His shirt is sleeveless and bears much of his silvered chest.  He wears a simple sash and loose white cloth pants.

Shavon continues, "the humans are being seen, at least in the west, as an added burden to the coming distress.  There are few humans in these lands and all of them have caused no end of dischord for the other kinds.  The only humans to have made it this far are followers of Halai, mischief makers to begin with, and loners, explorers, seeking to bolster the human kind with what they find in the ruins of these lands.  Especially in the Cradle."

Genovia looks to Shavon.

"So is this kind of reception what we are to expect from any other places we travel?  Is there something that we can do to help us blend in a little better?  I would rather not draw attention to us if I can keep from it."

"It is to be expected, but it will no longer be an issue.  Just be aware of your place in this world.  Your kind are new here and are quickly becoming perceived as a burden to the other kinds.  Each will react differently.  If you are to survive as a kind, you will need to become stronger.  Were the races of Loartec to ever unite against humanity, it would be as the smiting of a bug in a single swat."  Shavon takes a seat at the head of the table and begins to sip on a drink that either steams or is frosted over with vapor wafting from the top.  "That will never happen of course.  The Evangiel will never turn against you on principle and I think neither will the Anthros.  Where you are going now will not cause you that kind of difficulty and will hopefully allow you to find the strength you need to survive what is coming."

Adryn's ear finally perk at the mention of the Anthros. Pulling his attention away from his surroundings, he finally speaks up.

"Where we are going? I don't understand. Where is it that we are heading?"

Shavon sighs heavily as if mustering all the patience he could to deal with students not paying attention in class.  "Isn't it obvious?  I'm taking you to Torhavich, of course.  After we eat and I answer any questions or concerns you may have about Xamador or your forth coming meeting with my...friend."

Vertium was silent slowly taking in the scene. He made a mental note to learn the local arcane language if the opportunity ever came to him. The wizard couldn't quite shake off the suspicion that their new host had planned the earlier incident. "Thank you for your earlier help. I am Vertium, a travelling Invar scholar from the Eastern Continent. It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Shavon, if that is how you wish to be addressed?"

By the tone of the question and his previous introduction, it was clear that the young mage was trying to politely ask their host for a proper introduction.

"Shavon is sufficient."

Overlooking the obvious signs of frustration in Shavons mannerisms, Adryn speaks up again. "I dont know if this has anything to Xamador or Torhavich, but what do you know of the birth place of magic? Or is that something we would have to speak to Torhavich about?"

Shavon blinks his eyes and nods.  "The Cradle.  Torhavich will tell you more, but it is a place where magic works oddly.  Even spiritual magics can be warped inside the Cradle itself."  He takes in Aethen, Genovia, and Adryn with a glance.  "Creatures around the Cradle are warped, growing stronger, smarter, and gaining strange abilities.  They are not natural creatures but are a blight upon the land, unbalancing it and driving out all the normal flora and fauna.  Those who venture around or into it need to be prepared for these things."  His gaze turns to Veritum and lingers for a moment longer than is comfortable.

Vertium almost sighed in frustration. So much for an introduction... At the very least, it seemed to indicate that their host was secretive. Vertium waited patiently, it seemed that Shavon wasn't in a talkative mood. Maybe he would be able to get more information from him later.

Vertium had to wonder why the stranger looked at him as he mentioned the unnatural mutations. As far as the young wizard knew, his goddess had always been in harmony with nature. So he doubted that this would be a natural effect, that was unless, she had created a place of experimentation. In that case, would it truly be wrong for her to improve some of the local creatures. After all, nature was changing all the time. Maybe, it all depended on the long term effects of such an experiment.

This time, the wizard almost chuckled. Since when had he started thinking of Niacca as his goddess?

[Private to GM: OoC: Any knowledge checks I can make to get more info on the cradle? ]

Thinking back to his encounter in the wilds, Adryns nods and says, "That makes sense. Some of us had an encounter with, what I now believe to be, some of these corrupted creatures. I had a bad feeling about them even before they told me they wanted to feed on our magic."

"What sort of preparation would you suggest if we were to encounter such things in the future?"

Kahmaul remains silent as he listens to the others questions. He noted Veritum was judging Shavon with his own keen eyes. The Anthros himself wondered how Shavon had come to be-whether he himself has been 'warped' by the cradle. He wondered why Thit was to meet them by proxy and how such a meeting would come to pass. Remember, sapling, patience... The forest does not grow in a day, the answers will come.

More and more, Kahmaul's faith in his mission had carried him through. He wondered if it had been almost, too easy.
[Private to GM: Kahmaul will use a sense motive check on Shavon. Got a 14.]

"Ah, yes, the Aetherlynx.  A nuisance, nothing more.  They are semi-intelligent creatures who hunt in packs.  They, like many of the creatures, live partially on raw magic.  It is advised that you not direct magical attacks at them.  Indirect spells, or spells that affect you are more effective.  If their tails even graze a wizard, they will draw the energy stored for spells right out, rendering the wizard useless in the battle.  They are quick and agile, but not very strong or hearty.  A good blow from a decent fighter is usually enough to take one down, if not quite kill it."  Shavon looks directly into Adryn's eyes, boring into them as he continues.  "They are some of the least of the creatures one will encounter as they move nearer to the Cradle."

[Private to Kahmaul Quddus:
Shavon appears to be simply a messenger, willing to feed and probably house the group until tomorrow, then take them to Torhavich as asked.  He is alien to your normal senses and understanding, so it is difficult to read more than that.]

The host turns back to the group in general.  "Your best hope will be in not relying on magic, especially aggressive magic.  On occasion, a spell may work to the best of its potential, sometimes they simply won't do anything, but most often, spells in the Cradle will not do what the spellcaster intended.  This effect grows more pronounced the closer you get.  The adventurers who got farthest into the Cradle before dying were all groups made mostly of non-magic users."
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:14, Fri 22 July 2011.

   Aethen saw the conversation dancing around, with Vertium leading.  A question here, a dodge there.  He couldn't understand why others would choose this way to interact with one another.  Layers of motive and guile.

   "Shavon, what are you?  Race, I mean.  I have never seen your like."  Aethen was still impressed by the creatures presence, but the enthralling aura that had him bound and gagged earlier was fading.  "And my friend, I believe, was trying to gain a sense of your station in this city."

   Aethen did not want to join the dance, he simply wanted answers.

Shavon smiles at Aethen's questions.  "Those are powerful questions, my friend.  The first I cannot answer as you are not ready yet to hear it.  As for who I am to Qorlander, I carry no official authority here.  I am Torhavich's ambassador to the city and to all who come from the east seeking him.  The city tolerates me because it has no other choice, but the relationship does have its benefits for Qorlander as well.  They only grudgingly acknowledge this.  As it stands, I carry great weight in the city so long as I do not overstep the law.  Today's event will actually be well received by those in power here because I averted what would potentially be a very destructive brawl and major property damage.  What they don't know is that I have aided them so much more beyond that by bringing your friends out of there.  You will save Qorlander from certain destruction before you are done.  That is my hope and I am betting much on that."  He smiles a genuine smile at the young Anthros.  "Please, I am not your enemy here.  We have the same goals.  If my path of conversation frustrates you, I plead only that it is difficult for one of my kind (with a few exceptions) to converse in the rapid, straight forward manner of your kinds.  I beg your forgiveness."

He takes another sip from his drink, looking to each member of the group as they eat or talk amongst themselves, waiting for the next question.  While there is a brief pause he adds, "I will answer what I can, but you don't know enough yet to ask all the right questions.  Some of those I cannot answer yet anyway.  Tonight you will sup with me, rest here and if need be, purchase appropriate gear.  Tomorrow I will take you to Torhavich."

Kahmaul grins. He wondered if he wondered if he would ever get any better at hiding his suspicions. Perhaps it was good that he was nearly transparent. It made Flynn feel a bit more important. Speaking of the devil, where could the young rogue be? Ignoring those thoughts he shifts a bit in his seat.

Realizing the truth in Shavon's words, Adryn sits back and thinks.

He truly didn't know enough about whats going on to even know what to ask. Then something surfaced, something he had almost forgotten...

"Do you know anything of the guardians... guardians of life? How many are there? How are they tied to whats going on here?"

The question seems to stun Shavon as if for the first time in his life, or at least in a long while, he has been asked something he does not know the answer to and doesn't have the opportunity to be cryptic about.  "No," he says flatly, then recovers.  "I'm sorry, that name doesn't have any meaning to me except perhaps as a very general reference to the gods or perhaps Addiyr's followers or Niaaca's.  I've never heard it used as a proper title for anyone or anything.  There certainly is nothing like that around here."

Shavon, could you tell us more about the effects The Cradle has on magic? Is there any pattern to how it alters spells?

"That is a good question, human."  He says the word with respect, no sneer is detectable at all in his inflection.  "Niaaca is a being of chaos.  Both she and Addiyr represent nature, but Niaaca represents the wild, vicious side.  Magic, arcane magic, is a wild and chaotic force as well.  It is irony that those who follow her magical aspect are those who bring order and purposeful function to that chaos.  At first, Niaaca did not like those who would bind and control the wild thing that was magic, and it moved through the world destroying and creating all manner of wondrous and terrible things.  But the chaos of magic was destroying the living things that represented the other half of Niaaca.  Niaaca was killing herself, tearing herself apart.  So she granted the first wizards the power to contain and control the magic.  It almost master them, changing them into the fierce, wild creatures of great power.  Finally, they mastered the magic and brought it into subjection.  Now the magic simmers in the subspace surrounding the world like the magma deep below the earth.  And like the magma it provides a useful function there without erupting into real space and destroying everything."

After the long explanation, which had not yet contained a real answer to the question, Shavon takes a long pull on his drink.  None of the group had seen him do so before and it seemed out of character somehow.  Then he continued.  "The cradle is like a living volcano.  The magic is not erupting and spewing out all over the place or it would be death simply to step foot anywhere near it.  The magic would warp your very being.  However, the magic is like the heat of the lava on the surface of the volcano's caldera.  It affects everything, warping it as the heat waves distort vision.  The only pattern to it is the lack of pattern.  Should you cast a spell and a warping effect take place.  You can be certain that should another warping of that same spell take place, it will not happen the same way.  Does this answer your question?"

Adryn looks toward Genovia and Aethen as Shavon's words bring forth a grim realization.

Thinking to himself, he tries to connect the dots as best he can...

If what Shavon says about the guardians possibly being a reference to followers of Addiyr of Niaaca is true, then the message from the wilds could quite possibly be sealing the fate of any one of his companions.

Adryn decides to hold his tongue until their mysterious host leaves before conferring with the rest of the group. As the conversation and questions proceed through out dinner, Adryn's watchful gaze paces back and forth amongst his friends.

She watches the group converse with Shavon showing various displays of emotion.  As Shavon discusses the effects of the cradle on beings, she gets a concerned look and she speaks up.

"What happenes when magical items get close to it?"

Shavon nods in Genovia's direction, pleased with the question.  "It depends on the nature of the enchanted item.  Stronger items are more strongly affected, this we know for sure.  Some objects aren't affected till activated like wands and rings, and then the effect is as if a spell was cast.  Other items, where the spell has long been around and perfected, they work normally.  Other, newer forms of enchantments have more pronounced effects.  Sometimes good, sometimes bad, sometimes...well, sometimes good and bad simply don't fit.  The effect is just different and the user of the item makes of the effect what they will."

Shavon sits and waits patiently for more questions.  When none are forthcoming, he excuses himself citing a need to prepare for the journey tomorrow.  He suggests that if the humans need anything from the city, they have their non-human friends purchase it for them.  Those who need items need to go quickly then return for rest.  The trek to Torhavich's home will take two weeks and all will need their rest.

Soon the group realizes the food is magical, nourishing certainly, but healing bruises and melting away stress like rain falling from a well oiled cloak.  The unseen servants maintain the dinner for as long as folks like.  Shavon does not return, though it is likely that he could eavesdrop if he had the mind to do so.  Considering what the group has witnessed so far, he does not seem to have the need nor desire to do so.

GM:  Posts any last conversation among yourselves here.  If you need to head into town, you can post that here as well or you can also PM me.  The journey starts tomorrow game time in the new thread "Torhavich".

Once Shavon takes his leave from the dining room, Adryn brings up his new found concerns with the rest of the group, not thinking that he could still be listening in.

"While Aethen, Genovia, and I were out meditating in the wilds, we received a message. It spoke of us venturing out to the birth place of magic, apparently The Cradle, and there we find the first riddle towards saving the humans. What starting to make me a little uneasy is that this message talked about how the death of the first guardian of life will bring forth the rebirth of power that will help save life."

Adryn pauses for a moment to let this message sink in before he continues.

"If what Shavon says could be true, that the guardians of life could be a reference to followers of Addiyr or Niaaca, then it could be one of us the message was talking about... dying."

Adryn looks around the room to observe the reactions of his companions.