Chance Meetings(Orgoth)

It was as if they were waiting for them just past the border of mondolin on the home stretch to sunshield hold. The ex slaves were weary from the journey, and with little fighting experience stood no chance. Kronos had left them at the opposite border of Mondolin, and though his help had been welcome his presence had not been missed until now. It was 3 against an unknown number, they snatched several of the slaves and half their band vanished. The other were held back by Kairi, as Miral herded the scared refugees from the fight. Bethany was forced to make a choice, go after the ones who had been captured, or help Kairi. Before she could decide, Kairi told her to go, so she went after the slavers.

They were prepared, horses ready to take wisk them away. The others must have been a distraction, to hold off pursuers until their frends were gone, then retreat. Bethany caught one of the abductors as she mounted up, threw Vadjra with lethal accuracy, hitting her in the back and knocking her from her horse. Bethany took the reins of the horse and after calming it down gave chase, but the others had a head start. She went to the bother of helping those people, and she wasn't about to abandon them now.


The forest was tranquil, the natural sounds of nature creating an ambiance that the cities, even The golden city, lacked. The six foot seven muscular eldari warrior moved with unnatural grace for one his size, his silent steps not disturbing the peaceful day. And just like that, the silence was shattered by the most common thing in the freelands. Fighting. It was distant, but no so far that he missed it. Rowan wasn't sure what he was moving towards, but decided to at least pick up the pace and get eyes on the fight. Moving through the forest as fast and silently as he could he approached the fighting, his hearing allowing him to pick up some words, and lots of screaming. A bandit attack, by the sound of it. Probably attacking traders, who had to few guards. The screaming grew further as people fled the scene. There was a thunder of hooves leading away to the south of east of him.

Then, there was only the sound of swords striking shields and flesh and the dying of men. Rowan slammed bodily into a man fleeing into the woods, knocking the poor fellow flat. Didn't even see him. The stranger had a rusted blade clutched in his grip, and a gash along his forearm. By the look of his ragged attire and poorly kept weapons, Rowan guessed he was a bandit. "What's happening here?" The man lay stunned, and Rowan gave him a tap with his foot. "Answer me." He said. "We were attacked." The man replied through rotten teeth. "Crazy woman, came out of the woods, started killing my friends. You have to help." Rowan noticed something under the collar of the man's shirt and crouched down. Pulling at a string, he freed a necklace of ears. "Did you happen to collect the ears of this woman's friends, perhaps? Answer me truthfully and quickly human, or I'll cut off your ears and add them to the necklace." Rowan said, pulling his wife's axe from his belt.

The steel was enough to loosen the human's tongue. "We got a tip. Escaped slaves from karcenak, we were told where to expect them, no one mentioned the order of the sun was protecting them." Rowan took a moment to process this, holding up a finger for the human to be silent. He had heard of the escape. There were all sorts of rumors surrounding it, from Wyverns to assassinations. He did know one thing, the Order of the Sun were good people, and that gave him a reason to help. "Consider taking up farming." Rowan said, then punched the human in the face hard enough to break his nose and knock him out cold. He considered killing the man, but there would be more than enough death today.

Rowan took off, moving towards the fighting. He'd wasted maybe a minute on that little chat, but in a fight time was precious. Anything could happen in a minute. Rowan spotted the fighting, ahead, flashes of steel, crudely clothed forms surging and moving. He burst into the fray, spotting a lone woman in white, several bodies at her feet. Bandits surrounded her, atleast ten, but she flowed through their attacks with easy. Then she bashed one with her shield and sent him flying into a tree with an impressive display of strength. Rowan reached for his sword to Join, but considered whether he would be interfering in her fight or not. One bandit did turn and spot him, calling out to the others. He then decided to charge Rowan, who side stepped him and slapped him with a back hand, diverting his charge into a tree.

He looked at the woman. If she asked for help, he'd help.

Deep down, Kairi somewhat expected things to go this way. As herself, Miral Nerys and Bethany Merciallus headed to Sunshield Hold with a band of rescued slaves that they had liberated from Karcenak when they rescued Aline Drexara. In truth, the slaves had played an important role in their escape from the slave-made city, so Kairi was more than happy to bring them to the Hold to rest, get fed properly and hopefully use the Hold as a launchpad to possibly returning to their families. Their journey so far had been uneventful, with Kairi negotiating passage through Mondolin for the party, as it was far safer than trekking entirely through the Free Lands. Kronos Lohengrim had escorted them as far as the Mondolin border, and Kairi found herself wishing he was still with them at this juncture. Not one day after they had cleared the western Mondolin border, they attacked. They had stopped to rest for a time, believing they had been safe so close to the border. Only for the Eldross ability to rest while remaining fully aware of their surroundings, things might've been worse.

Kairi's watch had been interrupted by Miral's hushed whisper. "Kairi! We're under attack! The Eldross stared at her as she drew her weapon, before gesturing to the south. The Eldross had an arrow nocked, and Kairi nudged Bethany with her boot and gestured to her silently, before an arrow from Miral shot over her shoulder and struck a target behind her. Kairi turned to see a bandit in worn leather armor collapse in a heap at her feet. Kairi saw no other option. "EVERYBODY UP! DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!" With that, the slaves began to rouse, but their attackers hit first, and they hit fast. Bethany was a blur as she went to work immediately, as was Miral. Kairi worked her way across camp, dispatching as many attackers as she could see. Once everyone was up, Kairi issued her next command crisply and clearly. "HEAD FOR SUNSHIELD HOLD. TIGHT FORMATION! GO!"

The slaves moved frantically through the brush until they reached the road, and then began to move in a more orderly formation. More assailants emerged from the trees as they ran, and Kairi could see slaves being grabbed and flung onto horses. The running battle broke up with several more slaves being taken. However, the bandits ceased pursuing after a certain point, as if frightened to go too far from their base. Bethany unseated one of the riders and gave chase after the retreating kidnappers, while a large group of foot units advanced towards Kairi to prevent her from doing the same. Kairi looked to Miral as the Eldross dispatched a bandit with her staff. "Miral, lead the rest to the Hold. I will hold off the rest and go after Bethany." The Eldross looked at her for a moment, unsure of what was being asked of her. Kairi shook her head as she backhanded a bandit with her shield arm. "Please, Miral. You are their only hope. Go! Now!" The Eldross' expression turned defient, and she nodded before heading off into the night.

Kairi turned to regard the attackers surrounding her, and shifted Starlight into spear form. "You will go no further. Now, let's go!" One bandit attempted to run past, and Kairi spun before hurling her shield at the bandit, hitting him in the head and knocking him out and into a heap, the shield bouncing back to her. The others charged at her, and she found herself parrying with all of the skill she had. Her weapon became a blur as she deftly deflected blow after blow, not letting any opponent get close to her or past her. When the bandit attack began to tire, Kairi launched her counterattack. Opening with her Solar Flare, she caught most of the bandits in the blinding flash of light. She then began to fell bandits with punishing blows from her spear from her shield. She noticed some of the attackers began to moved to her right, and she turned to see a large and powerfully-built man standing nearby, sending a charging enemy into a tree with a simple backhand. Kairi noted the man's pointed ears, and his seeming hesitation at getting involved. Kairi knew she could handle the bandits herself, but she knew time was critical here, and the stranger looked like he could handle himself, given his size and the massive sword he wore on his back. Some of the bandits charged the man, and Kairi shouted what she had a feeling was an unnecessary warning. "Watch out!" The man dealt with his attackers with an ease that impressed Kairi. She dispatched the last of the bandits near her before approaching the man, trying hard to steady her breath.

"Thank you for your assistance. My name is Kairi Thorne, of the Order of the Sun." Kairi looked in the direction of Bethany's charge, and looked at the man apologetically. "I do apologize for being abrupt but I must go and help my friend." She sheathed her sword and stowed her shield on her back, before approaching one of the cart horses that had not been killed by the bandits, untying him and his fellow survivors. "The bandits took some slaves we had freed from Karcenak. My friend has gone to get them back, and I intend to help." Kairi walked the horse back over to the stranger. "You look like you know what you're doing with that sword. I realize I may be imposing, but may I ask your assistance? Two of us would be quicker than one at getting the slaves out. What say you?" Kairi pulled another horse over before setting the remainder free.

The woman noticed him, and he seen the uncertainty in her eyes until she realised he was not with the bandits. They also noticed he was not with the bandits, and charged him. The woman shouted a warning but Rowan's blade was already in his hand, arcing from his back and cutting through three of his attackers in an instant, taking their attacks as an invitation to the fray. Legs, arms and torso's toppled away, and Rowan was surging over the corpses to engage more, precise strokes of his blade ending lives instantly and with as little pain as possible. He felt slightly bad for using his skills on humans, but they chose their path.

A few more seconds, and the bandits broke, turning tail to run from Rowan and the Woman. Rowan wiped blood from his blade and sheathed it across his back as the woman approached, taking a proper look at her. Tall and well built, she cut an impressive figure. She also fought well, a trait he respected greatly. She greeted him with thanks, and he inclide his head in a polite bow. "Well met, Kairi. I am Rowan Aratris of.. Well, that's inconsequential." He said, almost including his former affiliation with the Eternal Watch. "I was merely observing until they decided to attack me. I believe you had it well in hand." He replied. She looked towards the direction the horses had gone, and apologized stating she needed to go.

Rowan watched as she cut several horses free, then returned with a horse. "I spoke to one in the woods. It seemed they knew you would be here." he said in response. She asked him what he was already considering to do. Rowan nodded. "No, its not imposing. I was going to offer.  It would be an honor to help the Order." He said. Kairi offered him the reins of the horse, and Rowan considered the animal. Then with a shrug, he mounted up. "Lets not delay. If your friend is anything like you, then i'm sure they'll be fine, but I have a feeling there is more to this.." It was a gut feeling seven centuries of fighting had instilled in him. Rowan moved the horse into a trot along side Kairi.

They moved down the road at a decent clip, Rowan's eyes scanning the trail left by the bandits. He noticed a trampled bush leading off the road. A moments inspection told him that the tracks leading down the road were a day old, and their quarry had tried to lead pursuers that way. "This way. They planned a diversion. They were well prepared for you." He said, turning his horse into the brush. "I'm not familiar with the goings on in the free lands. What is going on?" He asked. The more he knew about the situation, the better.

Kairi nodded as the man introduced himself and accepted her offer, stating that he was going to offer anyway and it was an honor to help the Order of the Sun, though she did note that he hesitated to mention where he was from. She nonetheless smiled warmly, deciding that he must be there on secret Eternal Watch business. "It's not often I find one who thinks as you do. I'll make sure you are reimbursed for your time." Kairi waited for the man to mount the horse. "The Order could do with more honorable warriors like you, though I suspect the Watch would be hesitant to part with you." Rowan then noted the urgency of the moment, and Kairi nodded. "Indeed. Bethany is a capable warrior, but she is a little... reckless. Hence she pursued the captured slaves on her own." They advanced at a decent pace, not going too fast that they lost the trail. It was even more fortuitous that Kairi had run into Rowan, as he appeared to be a masterful tracker, allowing them to stay on the trail.

Soon they reached a trampled bush, where Rowan pointed out the attempted diversion their quarry had attempted to make. Kairi shook her head in awe. "I would have marched straight on and never found them. It's almost as if Na'Sora herself might've sent you to help me." She was disturbed at how prepared the bandits were for the convoy, wondering where they might've got their information from. Rowan then asked about goings on in the Free Lands, which Kairi found a bit strange. The Eternal Watch were known for their efficient intelligence network, they wouldn't send an operative in to the area blind. Kairi filled the man in anyway. "There has been a steady increase in bandit activity in recent times. They have also become more brazen, especially the Red Fang. Juresh Enyo, their leader, managed to abduct Aline Drexara from Edaria. She was held in Karcenak, until myself and a few others rescued her. Enyo was dispatched in the process." Kairi cocked her head slightly. "We were aided in our escape by a band of slaves, so we helped them escape also. Aline was escorted home by her kin, while the rest of us decided to bring the freed slaves to the Hold, so they could be safe while we tried to locate any family they may have. We had nearly made it, until we were attacked by these bandits." Kairi glanced at Rowan with a steely expression. "It was my mistake that caused this, so it is my duty to rescue them."

Rowan shook his head. "Not at all, I don't require payment." He told Kairi. He had more than enough money. She mentioned the Order was looking for Warriors like him, and guessed about his association with the Watch. "Hmm." was all he said. When they found the new trail, Kairi reckoned that she would have missed it. "Possibly." He said. Because of recent events, he wasn't sure of much. Na'Sora might have had him find this woman because he was meant to join the Order, which he had been on his way to look into. Or it was coincidence. He had given up trying to divine his goddess' motives.

Kairi filled him in on the activity in the free lands, Rowan listening carefully as he kept an eye on the tracks ahead. He did look at her, an eyebrow raised. "You attacked the city of slaves with 'a few others' and managed to escape it with not only a valuable asset, but a host of freed slaves? Respect." He said, offering a slight smile. He noted her steely gaze, and the look of resolve at fixing her failures. "Hmm." He said. He respected that she took responsibility for not expecting the danger. Few her age would quickly admit to their mistakes. "We'll save them." He said.

The rest of the information he stored away. He was mildly aware of who Aline Drexara and Juresh Enyo were. The Red fang had beep a problem for many years, and there were rumors among his people of who the true mastermind behind the bandits was. Of course, the Eldari never let the information out because it reflected badly on their people. Edaria was a marvel, appearing from nothing but a few shacks in the last one hundred years. He'd seen cities grow, but none as fast as that. Perhaps the cities internal unity had much to do with its prosperity.

Rowan slowed his horse as he heard something that Kairi likely hadn't. More fighting. "We're not far. I can hear them." Rowan dismounted his horse. "I'm quieter on foot. Keep going, draw their attention and I'll catch them by surprise." He said. Rowan vanished into the foliage, practically disappearing as he dashed towards the sounds of battle.


Bethany had been hot on the asses of the bandits as they tore off from on horseback. Turning off the road, they rode at dangerous speeds through the trees. The danger was real, and Bethany's horse suddenly went down, launching her off it's back into the grassland. She landed with a punishing thump and something in her arm snapped, causing her to scream in pain. But she didn't have long to think about it, as the riders she was chasing had stopped ahead outside a makeshift camp, a small wooden palisade surrounding several tents. Half of the bandits were dragging the slaves into their camp, the rest had seen her go down and were waiting for her get up. Some began to approach, weapons drawn.

Bethany pushed herself to her feet, cradling her arm. She quickly tested it, finding one of the bones in her forearm was broken. Typical. Bethany was to stubborn to let that stop her, and attempted to draw her sword, and succeeded in only causing herself a great deal of pain. "Well, I've got two arms, don't I?" She said, pulling her broken arm in to her chest. She ripped Asi from it's sheath and the blade burst into flames. "Well, what are you waiting for?" She shouted at the bandits. The three closest to her backed away slightly. In their defense, a one eye'd woman with a broken arm waving a flaming sword around was likely to scare anyone.

Bethany charged driving the sword through the closest bandit. The blade lodged and she kicked him off it, but took a sword to the shoulder of her broken arm. The blow staggered her but failed to cut, and Bethany slashed her blade across his throat. The third bandit swung and she blocked it, Then shot a ball of fire into his face from her mouth. He tumbled away screaming and scrabbling at his face. Panting, Bethany looked at the rest of the bandits. Several more blocked her path, with more in the camp preparing for her. "Fuck."

She charged all the same, smashing into the closest bandit with her shoulder. She slammed the back of her hilt into someone's face, cracking bones, and then drove the blade forward into someone's chest. She felt rather than heard something move, and a bandit slammed into her as a massive hammer slammed into their back back. The impact launched both of them off their feet to come crashing down, Bethany landing on her back, knocking the breath from her lungs. The bandit corpse hit the ground and bounced away, revealing the thing that hit her.

A man, easily seven foot tall with a heavily muscled body pushed the rest of his comrades aside. His spiked hammer was wet with the blood of his comrade. "Finally, something worth crushing." He said. He raised his hammer and slammed it down, Bethany barely managing to avoid it. She rolled aside, pushing herself to her feet as he struck again. His hammer clipped Asi and the blade was knocked from her hand. Drawing Vadjra as she stepped forward, She tried to get past his reach and drive it into up through his ribs, but was forced back by a massive swing. Bethany drew a breath, her throat glowing red and blasted the large man with fire. The fire rippled over his skin harmlessly, and the brute smiled.

Bethany stared in disbelief, then raised her hand sending out a searing hot beam of fire from her hand. The brute walked towards her his own palm raised to block the beam, and she felt a tremble of fear run through her as the second of her most powerful attacks did practically nothing. She didn't have long to think about it as he back handed her across the face, knocking her off her feet. Her vision faded as the human reached a hand down towards her.

Kairi nodded respectfully when Rowan declined the offer of payment. "I see. Well, it will be there if you change your mind." He barely responded to her statement about his empoyment, but Kairi decided it wasn't her place to pry, nor was it the time. He did seem genuinely impressed when Kairi told him of the Karcenak operation. "There were... mitigating circumstances. But it is the others that deserve the most respect. Without them the operation would have failed before we even reached the city." They continued on for some time, before Rowan motioned for Kairi to stop. She halted her horse and looked at Rowan. The Eldari told her he could her fighting not far from there. Kairi stopped and listened, just being able to make out some noise in the distance. She smiled at Rowan in admiration. "You must have keen ears indeed if you could hear that while galloping through a forest." Rowan dismounted his horse, stating that he was quieter on foot. He suggested Kairi continue on to get the camp's attention while he circled around. Kairi nodded. "Understood. Good luck, Mister Aratris." The man took off, seemingly vanishing into the vegetation, while Kairi nudged her horse back into a gallop.

Moments later, Kairi spotted a fight occurring ahead, and she could see the telltale flashes of Bethany's weapon. When she got into visual range however, it was clear things were not going as well as Kairi thought. A massive brute of a fighter had come to the fore and had begun overpowering the Asentari. He seemed to shrug off Bethany's flame attacks before knocking her flyign with a backhand. Kairi urged her horse to go faster, and she saw the man reaching down for Bethany, who was now motionless. Kairi climbed up into a standing position on her saddle, gripping the rains tightly. The massive brute didn't seem to notice the approaching horse, and Kairi waited as late as she could. When the time was right, the Order soldier yanked on the reins to bringher horse to sudden halt, leaping off the back towards the man with alarming velocity. She pulled her shield onto her right arm in mid air and swung as hard as she could at the man's head as she arrived through the air. Whether she hit or she missed, she would roll through to soften her landing before rising quickly and drawing her weapon to survey the scene. She locked eyes with the hulk of a man and pointed her weapon at him. "I will be your opponent now."

Rowan made it to the edge of the woods just in time to spot heavy framed man reaching for a small darkskinned woman. And then Kairi burst from the wilderness, full tilt towards the massive bandit. She left from the back of her horse as the big man turned, his hammer swinging. He misjudged what he was swinging for though, aiming for the horse instead of the airborne woman, and had a shield smash into his face full force. The man was thrown onto his back as Kairi landed more gracefully, but He was not down for the count, laughing as he pushed himself to his feet. "Impossible! You should be dead!" He said. "Or that's what I would say if I had really thought a few bandits could kill you." Kairi responded by challenging the Bandit, who hefted his hammer. "Well, I don't need the Asentari anymore then." He said, Casually raising him hammer over his head, aimed towards the Asentari.

Rowan burst from cover, deflecting the hammer away as the swing came down. The man nearly lost grip of the weapon and was to busy staggering to stop Rowan as he bent down and picked up the woman up gently. The human looked at Rowan sneered. "Another pissant join's the party." He mocked. Raising his voice the man called out to his comrades"Alright boys, whoever kill's the Eldari gets a bonus. The woman's mine. I'm gonna break her like I broke her friend." He said. Rowan looked at Kairi. "I'll take care of the bandits." He said, backing away from the fight. He found a safe spot far from the Big Bandit, and put the asentari down gently, then turned towards the bandits who watched him maliciously. Rowan moved, his blade flowed like water and struck like lighting, and bandits fell in it's wake.


Ishmael didn't wait, charging straight for Kairi and bringing his hammer down in an overhead smash. "Stealing slaves is a crime." He said as he hefted the hammer again and swung horizontally "So is stealing Lina Hargrave's property." He said. He followed the swing through and brought the weapon over head, smashing it down into the ground. As it came down, the hammer started to glow and upon impact, fire began to flicker under Kairi's feet before erupting upwards in a pillar that would deal Average damage if she didn't avoid it.

Kairi connected hard with her shield across the man's face, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap. The Order warrior regained her feet quickly, but her opponent did also, and he was closer to Bethany than she had ended up. The man raised his hammer to finish Bethany off, and Kairi's eyes widened as she realized she was too far away and wasn't going to make it in time. Kairi charged forward, but then a Rowan shape emerged from cover and deflected the hammer in mid-swing. The big bandit was unbalanced and nearly toppled from the unexpected change in direction. Rowan picked up Bethany and got her out of the way. Kairi nodded as the Eldari told her that he would take care of the bandits as he headed off to leave Bethany out of range. He was followed by the eager-looking bandits, but Kairi was focused on the big one, now that Bethany was safe.

The big man barked orders to his underlings before charging towards Kairi, hammer aloft. He brought the weapon down hard on top of Kairi, but he underestimated the woman's strength. Raising her shield up and bracing her sword arm against it, the hammer impacted hard, and Kairi sank to a knee to spread the impact as much as possible. She was still upright however, and leaped into a backflip over the man's follow-up side-swing. The man then smashed his hammer into the ground, and Kairi paused for a moment before spotting the ground glowing beneath her. Thinking fast, she dive-rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being torched by the pillar of flame that erupted from the spot she had formerly occupied. The hem of her white cloak was not so lucky, and she swiftly unclipped it, knowing it could not be saved. Tossing it aside, Kairi changed her weapon into spear mode, and charged forward with a pair of thrusts aiming for the torso of the colossal combatant. Once close enough, she switched back to sword mode and used her shield to guard herself against riposte as she stepped in and aimed a decapitating slash at the man's neck before spinning through it and aiming a backhand shield uppercut if the man had ducked the slash, or a backhand shield smash into the man's gut if he hadn't. She then raised her shield in a readied stance and prepared for the return.

Ishmael laughed. "Ignoring my words wont make you're problems simply vanish, Thorne." He said as she dived out of the way of his eruption and charged at him with her spear, attacking with a double thrust. Ishmael sidestepped the first trust, moving himself just enough that the second thrust cut across his ribs instead of impaling him. He watched her sword switch, and put the handle of his hammer between him and the blade. The shield smashed towards his gut and hit hard enough to push him back, but didn't wipe the smile off his face. "I'm a glutton for punishment." He said.


The bandits facing Rowan quickly realised they'd made a mistake, and any who were not in his range began to retreat into the camp. Rowan looked over his shoulder to see Kairi fighting against the big bandit without issue. Knowing she had it handled he followed the bandits. A row of men with crossbows appeared at the entrance, following a volley of bolts into him. Rowan's blade moved so fast it was almost imperceptible, and sent the bolts speeding back towards the crossbow men. Several went down with a bolt in the leg or the arm, but one was unlucky enough to take one to the throat. The rest missed, but it was enough to set those who could run running. Rowan ignored the men on the ground, stepping past to pursue those still standing.

The first man dropped his crossbow and threw his hands over his head, cowering on the cowering. Rowan kicked the crossbow away and moved on, taking a stray bolt to the shoulder. He responded by drawing his axe and throwing it, burrying the blade in the man's chest as he tried to reload. Ripping the bolt free he threw it aside, looking around for the remaining bandits. Listening, he heard their panicked talking as they prepared to move the slaves again. Rowan found the tent and stepped inside. Ten people in dirty clothing cowered on the floor, chained to a post. Some of the bandits were undoing the chains, while one stood around giving orders.

The bandits collectively turned to Rowan, some cursing, some cowering. One was brave enough to say "That's the knife eared fucker." Before realizing who he was insulting. He quickly took a step out of Rowan's reach leaving their leader standing in front of Rowa. The Man, boy? Smiled at Rowan. "Well well well, Thorne picked up an Eldari? Don't suppose she told you what she's done with my mistress' Undari by any chance? Not that I'm upset over the fishface bitch." The bandit said. Rowan watched quietly, not entirely sure what he was missing. Kairi had not mentioned an Undari. The manboy grew impatient and continued. "Doesn't matter. You've made a mistake, Eldari. Getting involved with my mistress' business is a bad Idea." He said. The boy, Rowan decided, drew a short straight sword. "Go on boys, get those slaves out of here. I'll deal with this, what did you say Bob? Knife eared fucker?" He came at Rowan Viciously, swinging his sword in a rapid set of attacks that Rowan barely dodged. Mostly because he was still trying to process what he'd just been called.


Ishmael looked over his shoulder at the Eldari. "Well that's something. He's making short work of those chumps. That brat Kaziel's gonna have to deal. You've met the skinny runt, right? What's his chances against that giant?" He asked, then charged Kairi, his hammer coming up for an overhead smash. He expected the shield, and if she blocked he was ready to fire a kick out into her gut. If she dodged he would try and catch her with a spinning strike. He followed up either with an uppercut of the back end of his hammer, trying to impale her with the spikes.

Kairi connected with the shield bash, sending the man sliding back a couple of feet. The man had asked about his mistress' property, and Kairi finally realized what had happened. Why the bandits had such accurate knowledge of their route to the Hold, and why the man was concerned with Hargrave's property. Hargrave had double-crossed them. Kairi stared at the man with cold eyes for a moment. The property the man referred to must be Arilia, the young Undari Kairi had allowed to leave with princess of their people, Talia Ver'Kanos. She wondered just how much Hargrave knew of what had happened inside Karcenak, if she knew exactly what had occurred between Kairi, Talia and Arilia. For now, she decided to bluff. "Arilia fell saving Aline in the prison compound. There was nothing I could do."

The large man looked over his shoulder at the trail Rowan was leaving behind him as he marched to the camp to free the slaves. The man commented on Rowan's efficiency, before wondering aloud if Kaziel would stand a chance. Kairi took a second to place the name. Kaziel was the young man who was with Arilia when they stumbled across them in their search for Aline. Kairi was suprised that the young man was here, but she was sure Rowan would be victorious. She only hoped that Rowan would show some mercy when the time came. Her opponent broke her from her thoughts as he charged her, bringing his hammer down on her again. She braced and blocked the blow, but was caught by the follow-up kick to the midsection. She slid back a couple of feet before sidestepping a vicious uppercut from the back of the hammer. Kairi immediately launched into a counterattack, switching to spear mode and thrusting at one of the man's thick thighs, before launching herself forward and aiming a shield punch to the face. She spun back into a backhand before thrusting for the man's gut with her spear.

His hammer went up, missing, and Kairi drove her spear through his leg. Laughing he stepped back as she spun and slashed at him, his leg burning with pain as she thrust the spear towards his gut. This time he caught the blade in his hand, his fingers burning. The fire granted marginal protection, but it still cut slightly. She was very damn strong. He held the spearhead for a moment. "I don't believe you. You're not a good liar for one, and two there was no body. No sign of anything left of her. And three, I honestly doubt you'd let a child die." He wrenched the blade of the spear violently to the side before pressing two of his buring fingers to his leg to cauterize the wound. "God's be damned That hurts." He growled. "But not as much as you're gonna hurt."


Rowan figured it out. Knife ear was a popular insult heanta used towards Eldari and vice versa. He was probably called it before but he was generally too busy killing heanta to actually listen to them. Rowan continued to barely dodge the boy's attacks as they came in, but nothing made contact. He was always just slightly out of reach. He let the human fall into a sense of superiority, leaving an irresistible opening that caused him to over extend thinking he'd impale the Undari. "Got you now-" Rowan grabbed the boy's wrist and squeezed. Just enough to force him to drop the sword. He let the kid's arm go and the boy jumped back.

He looked at Rowan, a strange expression crossing his face, then fired a Javalin of stone at him. Rowan sidestepped the attack. "Fight back already!" The boy said, getting more agitated. He picked up a sword off the ground and charged Rowan. Rowan sidestepped him, his blade spinning and clipping the longsword. It shot into the air and the kid nearly fell over. He spun on Rowan, trying to punch him in the face but Rowan backed up, until finally he caught the kid's fist. "You're outmatched. Surrender." Rowan said. The boy created a blade of stone and tried to stab Rowan in the eye. Rowan tilted his head, then twisted the boy's wrist sharply. There was a pop and he let go as the kid screamed, falling to the ground holding his hand, and then started to cry.

Taking a grip of the boy's other arm he pulled him to his feet and dragged him into the tent, then glared at the last of the bandits and told them to run. A single swing split chains and freed the slaves from the posts. "Kairi Thorne sent me. Free yourselves, I'll keep watch." He said. He let the boy fall to the ground to cradle his broken wrist. "Sit still." Rowan ordered.


After getting smashed in the face with a shield, Ishmael's runes along Ishmael's arms had changed turned from black to dark red. Almost inperceptible. After getting smashed in the gut, that dark red had brightened slightly. Maybe not noticable in the midst of combat. But after taking the spear to the leg, they had changed again, becoming closer to red. And now they started to glow, faintly. One more hit, and they would be ready. "Come on, Thorne. Might as well tell me the truth. I'll get it out of you eventually." He said. He closed in again, a slight limp to his leg. Blood still oozed from the seared flesh, but he wouldn't die any time soon. He swung down into a left, using the momentum of the hammer to switch into an uppercut, let it carry high. He threw forward a hand and a wave of fire burst from his palm, then he let the hammer drop backwards and swung up, catching it with his second hand at the height of his swing.

Kairi connected with one of her leg thrusts, spear slicing cleanly into the man's thick leg. He avoided the slash by stepping back, but he then caught Kairi's spear-head as she thrust it towards his gut. The man held the weapon in his hand, which now started to glow with heat. The man then called Kairi's bluff, highlighting something that she already knew, that she was a poor liar. He also pointed out the lack of a body at the scene, which is something Kairi admittedly hadn't thought of at the time until Talia offered her an excuse to use for that. Kairi looked at the man with contempt. "She was caught in a fire attack by Enyo's gaurd dog in the prison building. She was reduced to ashes before I could save her. There was nothing I could do. I have limitation, like everyone else." The man did not buy her explanation, and Kairi knew she was never going to win the verbal aspect of the fight.

The talking did give Kairi a moment to have another look at the situation and plan her next approach. She now noticed that since she wounded the man's leg, the black patterns covering the man's arms which she had initially assumed were tattoos were now glowing bright red. The man pushed her weapon aside and used the opening to cauterize the wound with a flame from his fingers. Kairi readied as the man closed the distance and attacked again. She sidestepped the first two attacks, before raising her shield swiftly to block the wave of fire that nearly caught her out. The follow-up uppercut knock her shield up, and Kairi spun with the momentum and aimed a backward spear thrust at the man's gut before completing her spin and raising her shield. She then thrust her spear at the man's legs again, trying to prevent him from advancing, before stepping back with her shield and weapon raised and ready.

Rowan waited as the humans freed themselves, keeping an eye on the boy. Rowan felt guilt, and took the boy's wrist in his hands. He tried to pull back but there was no escaping Rowan's grip. He started to heal the break, just enough that it would heal properly, but was still tender. "Don't even think about doing something stupid." He said, letting go. The boy looked at him with confusion. Then the slaves were finished freeing themselves. Rowan pulled the boy to his feet and pushed him out of the tent. "Stick close humans. If we meet trouble, do not panic. I'll deal with it." He said. Then he led them from the makeshift camp.


He nearly caught her with the fire, and knocked her shield wide with the uppercut, but Kairi was quick and slashed at him. He blocked the blade with the handle of his hammer, and she followed up with a collection of rapid stabs at his legs. He backed away, grinning. "Alright, my turn." Just as he said that, the Eldari emerged from the camp holding Kaziel by the arm. He lowered his hammer. "Oh for fuck sake could you not hold him off a little longer?" He said. "This is why you send a man to do the job, not a boy."

He charged the Eldari, who pushed the boy aside and drew his greatsword. He swung his hammer up, and ducked on instinct as the eldari countered and nearly took his head off. rolling past, he returned to his feet and snatched up Kaziel, looking between Kairi and the Eldari. "Well, I know when I'm outmatched. Until we meet again, Thorne." He said. The Eldari moved towards him, but he threw out his hand, aiming a blast of fire towards the slaves. And then vanished into the forest, where he kept some back up horses.


Rowan jumped between the slaves and the blast of fire, raising his sword and creating a barrier of cold energy that repelled it. By the time he looked again the man was gone. He considered giving chase, but shook his head. It wasn't his place, and he had several questions. Turning to Kairi, he sheathed his sword. "I feel there is more to this than I know." He said, giving her a questioning look. He looked around at the slaves, who had gathered around the unconscious Asentari, crying and tugging at her. Rowan moved towards them. "Why don't you give me a moment here, I can heal your friend." He said, gently ushering one of the distraught women aside.

He looked at Kairi, invitation to join him, and took in the asentari's wounds. He'd never met one before. "This one has been through hell." He said, examining her wounded face. The destroyed eye was old. "A proper healer could fix this." He said. Her forearm was broken, but the bone had not pierced the skin. The advantage of dragon skin, perhaps. As long as it didn't rip up the muscle. He took her arm into his hands, admiring the fine red scales that coated it. "It's a bad break, but she's not in danger. More exausted than anything. She used allot of energy quickly." Rowan said to the freed slaves and Kairi. They were still hovering around. "Shoo, let me concentrate." Waving them away.

They backed off, leaving him to talk to Kairi. "Are you injured?" He asked as he did his work. "You don't have to explain yourself, but I wouldn't mind knowing what this was all about."

Kairi was bracing for whatever was to come next, but just as the man announced that it was his turn, Rowan emerged from the camp holding a young man by the wrist and being followed by the slaves that had been captured earlier. The large man complained to the boy about failing to hold Rowan off for longer, before charging Rowan with alarming pace. The Eldari was equal to it though, and repelled the man's attack with great skill. The man gave up quickly however, when it became apparent that he wasn't just going to bowl Rowan over. Kairi was suspicious, and her feelings were proven to be correct when the man suddenly sent a blast of fire at the slaves before vanishing into the forest. Kairi's eye's widened in shock, but Rowan acted fast and intercepted the blast with a cold barrier from his sword. She exhaled deeply before stepping forward to check on the slaves.

The slaves were mostly unarmed, but they were more concerned with Bethany, who they had found against a tree where Rowan had left her. Rowan noted that he there was more to this fight than he knew, but he prioritised Bethany. The Eldari analyzed the condition of the Asentari, before shooing away the slaves so he could work. Kairi looked to slaves with sympathy. "Don't worry. As soon as Bethany is able we will get moving." The slaves backed off and began to look for supplies and equipment, while Rowan asked Kairi if she was injured. She shook her head. "I am fine, thank you." Rowan then tentatively asked what was actually going on, and Kairi decided that he deserved to know, given that he had risked his life to help them. She sighed, knowing that she should have seen all of this coming. "As you know, we were heading for the Hold after escaping Karcenak. What I didn't tell you was how we got into the city. We struck a deal with a Lina Hargrave, a high-ranking figure in the Red Fang. She offered us a way into the city if we agreed to defeat Juresh Enyo, the ruler of Karcenak and leader of the Fangs. Hargrave sent one of her underlings, a young Undari girl called Arilia, to help us. Arilia was too young and innocent to be mixed up in all of this. So I let her go free with one of her kind. We rescued Aline, freed these slaves and escaped." Kairi cocked her head slightly in regret. "I should have known there would be retribution. I allowed hubris to cloud my judgement. If you hadn't come along, things would be far worse."

Rowan listened while he worked. He didn't hold it against Kairi for keeping the full situation from him, although he was slightly surprised that she'd made a deal with a bandit. But there were more people involved who had had a say in that. Rowan did frown at the knowledge of the Undari. "There are so few of them left. It sounds like she was being kept as a weapon." He said. She seemed upset with her undersight. "Arilia would not have left if she did not want to. You gave Arilia a chance at a real life by choosing to let her go."

He looked at the Asentari as he continued. "The Order has always been a beacon of hope in the freelands. Your actions prove that, and regardless of you're actions these slaves would be a target for someone. The Order would be a target for someone. Don't second guess yourself, Miss Thorne." Rowan considered something, then nodded. "Maybe. Perhaps you were right, and Na'Sora sent me to help." He said. "It doesn't matter if that's true or not." He looked at Kairi. "What matters is I think I'm where I'm meant to be. Order's fight with Lina Hargrave is far from over. But If you'll have me, I'd gladly help you face it." He said.

Kairi nodded when Rowan reassured her that letting Arilia go free was the correct decision. "Perhaps you are right. It is highly unlikely that Hargrave ever saw her as anything more than a tool to be used when needed. Besides, the Undari Arilia left with was of royal lineage, so she could teach the young one more about her own people than anybody else, I'd wager." Rowan then gazed at Bethany as he spoke about his admiration for the Order of the Sun, and told her not to second guess herself when it came to the good that the Order does on a regular basis. Kairi smiled. Now that the fighting was over, she had time to properly look at Rowan. There was something about the way he carried himself that struck Kairi.

He was quietly confident, yet humble in how he spoke. It was clear that he was very measured in his distribution of information about himself, Kairi was much the same. He was a good man though, strong in character, allowing his actions to speak for him over his words. Kairi couldn't explain it, but there was something that told her she could trust him and was safe with him. It wasn't just his combat skill, but he radiated benevolence and kindness, despite his restrained nature. She looked away, glancing at Bethany as Rowan's healing magic repaired her Asentari friend. "It is... reassuring to know that someone out there thinks so highly of us. The Order was built on hope, and that hope is our shield and our greatest weapon." Rowan then suprised her by offering his services to the Order, believing that it was what he was meant to do. Kairi put a hand on the man's shoulder and grinned. "The Order would be honored to have someone like you as a part of it." Kairi then frowned, remembering something. "But wait... what about the Watch? We don't want to alienate them by taking one of their best away."

Kairi seemed pleased with Rowan's offer, and put a hand on his shoulder. Though he showed no visible reaction it felt strange to be touched by a woman he didn't know. It had been a long time since Kaila. Rowan nodded though, and then of course the question came. "I'm no longer a member of the Eternal Watch." Rowan's expression darkened. He was used like a pawn by the golden council, and punished when he found out and beat the council member near to death. Instead of accepting punishment he resigned and left Endaron. "I served a long time, but that service has come to an end. It's a long story I'd rather not talk about. I'm Sorry. I can assure you on my Honor that I am not a criminal, and accepting me will not cause the Order trouble." Rowan told her.

The Asentari began to stir. Still exhausted, he doubted she'd be walking far, but atleast her breathing had eased. The bruise that had appeared on her face was fading now as the healing magic reached it. "The break will be healed soon. I can't do anything for the exhaustion though. She may be out for a while. Once the bone is mended, we can move her though. Get her on a horse." Rowan said. "You're friend here, is she a member of the order?" Rowan asked. "The freed people over there are watching me and her like a pack of hawks." He added. As if they were worried he'd hurt her.

Rowan seemed to consider his next words carefully. The Eldari revealed that he was infact no longer a part of the Elternal Watch. His mood considerable dampened at that revelation, and Kairi shook her head apologetically. "Forgive me, I did not mean to intrude on your personal situation." Rowan gave a brief overview of his current employment situation, though he expressed a desire to keep his reasons for leaving the Watch private. He did assure her that he was not a criminal, and that he would not cause any trouble. Kairi nodded, compelled to take the man at his word. "I believe you. You don't seem the type to lie or cause trouble. As I said, it will be our honor to have you in our ranks."

Bethany began to show signs of life as Rowan's healing took effect. She was still very groggy, but she was conscious. Rowan explained the situation to Kairi, that He could heal the broken arm but she would need bed rest to recover from her recent exertions. Kairi nodded in agreement. "Understood. The sooner we can get everyone to the Hold the better." Rowan then asked if Bethany was part of the Order, given the reverence that the freed slaves treated her with. Kairi shook her head. "No, she's a friend of mine who needed my help. She is fearless, and an accomplished fighter, but she is also headstrong and reckless. She is the one who informed me of what happened to Aline." Kairi stood and approached the slaves carefully. "Do not be worried. Rowan is here to help. He is with the Order, like me."

The womans eyes finally opened, and Rowan seen the panic. She tried to strike him, and he caught her fist gently with his palm. "It's alright, I'm a friend. Kairi's here." Rowan said. She looked at Kairi then groaned. "Did anyone get the name of the bitch that slapped me?" She asked. Rowan shook his head. Maybe Kairi knew. "Didn't know you were keeping a beefy Eldari around the hold, Kairi." Bethany said, trying to sit up. Rowan tried to tell her to stay down but there was a stubborn look in the eye so he helped her sit up. "I'd be able to heal you better if you sat still." He said. The woman snorted. "I'm fine."

Rowan looked at Kairi, then decided that maybe the best option was to let her deal with her friend. "I'll go get the other horse." Rowan said before walking away. Bethany groaned. "Ugh. You took you're time, Kairi." Bethany said. She tried to stand, then decided against it. The slaves were watching her again, like they had the entire way here. She didn't deserve their reverence. She'd wanted to leave them behind. One of them approached with a flask of water. "Don't suppose you've got anything alcoholic." She asked. The former slave shook her head. "We only found empty bottles." She replied.

Kairi's freind came back with his horse. "We should hurry. That human might return with more men." He said. "Kairi my legs don't work so good. Wanna be a pal and put me on that horse?" She said.


The journey back to the hold had been quiet. Bethany was sent straight to the infirmary, and the former slaves were reunited with their friends. Rowan sat in the Hold's small tavern waiting for Kairi to finish up. He waited quietly, a barmaid bringing him some bread and soup on the house, and thanking him for helping the order. Word spread pretty quickly it seemed, but the hold wasn't that big. She seemed to forget what she was supposed to be doing, and starred at him quietly until he cleared his throat. The woman blushed and hurried away. Rowan ate his soup quietly.

Bethany's eyes finally opened, thanks to Rowan's ministrations. The Asentari was suprised at first, trying to punch Rowan weakly, but the Eldari simply blocked it with his palm before speaking to reassure her that he was a friend. Bethany then looked at Kairi and asked if anyone got the name of the large man that had defeated her. "I am afraid not. He scarpered before we could have a proper introduction. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of him though." The Asentari then commented on Rowan, before defiantly trying to sit up. Rowan began to object, before thinking better of it. Bethany insisted she was fine, but Kairi shook her head. "That is objectively not true, and you know it." Rowan decided to go and get the horse to carry Bethany, while Kairi stayed with her friend. Bethany asked what took her so long, and Kairi nodded regretfully. "I know. I'm sorry. This was my fault."

One of the slaves approached with a flask of water for Bethany, and it was then that Kairi noticed that they had inched closer while she hadn't been looking. Bethany tried to stand, but failed, and asked the slave if she had an alcoholic alternative. The slave shook her head. Kairi secretly wondered if any of the slaves recognized her from her own brief internment in Karcenak, she dearly hoped not. Her time in the slave city ended violently with the death of Argesh, a long time tormentor of hers, along with a lot of guards as she escaped into the Kri'Lak Badlands. Wasn't it fun? Kairi pushed the unwelcome voice back into the recesses of her mind as Rowan approached with a horse. He pointed out that they weren't safe yet, as the bandits may return in greater numbers. Kairi nodded, and gently picked Bethany up. She then lifted her delicately onto the horse's back, before gesturing to the slaves to follow. "Alright. Let's move."


Once they had reached Sunshield Hold, Kairi brought Bethany to the infirmary herself, with explicit instructions to the medical staff to not allow her any alcohol until she was treated fully and she had rested. The Asentari grumbled, but acquiesced eventually. Knight-Commander Mantell got to work quickly in arranging accomodation for the rescued slaves, as well as sending out agents to try and locate any of their relatives in Mondolin or the surrounding Free Lands. Kairi was given some free time, so she decided to join Rowan in the Second Sun tavern for a well-deserved break. Once she had been debriefed and had left Bethany to her healing, she strode serenely across the busy concourse and into the popular tavern.

Once inside, Kairi waved to Rowan before approaching his table. The Eldari was tucking into a bowl of soup, and Kairi bowed respectfully. "Apologies for my lateness. There was far more work to be done than I thought. May I?" She sat down opposite Rowan, and embarrassed young barmaid approached. "The usual, Kairi?" Kairi smiled at the barmaids determined attempt to hide her face from Rowan, and nodded. "Thanks, Liv." The barmaid rushed off, nearly colliding with the bar counter as she went. Kairi chuckled and looked at Rowan. "It seems you have already won over some people here." Liv returned with Kairi's soup, gently placing it on the table before bowing and rushing off again. Kairi gazed at it for a moment before looking at Rowan again with a smile. "Bethany says to say thank you for rescuing her. At least, I'm sure that's what she meant." She ate a mouthful of soup before continuing. "I've informed the Knight-Commander of your desire to join us, during my debriefing. He said he would come down here to meet with you face-to-face in a little while, as warriors of your calibre and character are very hard to come by."

It wasn't long before Kairi joined Rowan, asking if she could take a seat. "Of course, please." He said, and the human joined him. The barmaid returned to see what Kairi would like, and Rowan noticed she tried to hide the embarrassment on her face. He kept a straight face, intent on not making it worse for her. The woman eventually left and Kairi noted that he'd already won over some people. Rowan nodded. "Word seems to have travelled fast that I helped the order. The staff have been quite hospitable." The woman returned to deliver Kairi's order before rushing away. He didn't take to much notice of the behavior. He tended to attract attention from woman, but Rowan had rarely acted on it. Nevermind that humans, even the old ones, were hundreds of years younger than him.

Kairi mentioned that Bethany sent her thanks and he nodded. "I'm glad she's feeling better." Rowan replied. "I look forward to meeting him. I just hope you know I'm not looking for special treatment. I'm also happy to help in anyway I can, from scouting to healing. But I won't play Assassin. Not that I expect that kind of thing from the order." Rowan said. He fell quiet, and ate some soup. Looking up, he smiled. "Good soup. Well, Miss Thorne, do you have anything you'd like to ask me while we wait?" He asked. "I suppose I can start. How did you get into this line of work?"

Kairi smiled when Rowan admitted that he had indeed noticed the attention from the denizens of the Hold. The Eldari mentioned that he was glad that Bethany was feeling better, before turning his attention to the news of Odric Mantell coming down to meet him. Kairi admired Rowan's distaste for special treatment, as well as his willingness to help in anyway possible. She nodded and took another mouthful of soup. "That is welcome news indeed. Someone with your abilities and experience will be invaluable to our cause." Rowan finished by stating that he would not engage in any assassination work, though he did also admit that he didn't expect any work of that natuer from the order. Kairi nodded again and ate more soup. "You are quite right. The Order is primarily a peacekeeping and humanitarian force. We try to make a difference by helping whoever we can. Our main operations so far involve reducing bandit activity in the Free Lands, in order to allow as much safe trade as possible, as well as taking in people who are in trouble or who just need a place to stay." Kairi finished her soup and grasped her glass of water with two-hands as she continued.

"As you may know however, certain events have forced up to broaden our scope, such as the Second Great War and the First Contact conflict. Circumstances have sometimes forced us to step into a wider arena to ensure the safety of the land." Rowan complimented the soup, before suggesting they use the time to get to know one another. The Eldari started by asking Kairi how she ended up in the service of the Order. Kairi smiled, but became lost in thought for a moment. She did not often talk about her past before the Order, but Rowan seemed trustworthy enough to acquire that information. She gazed into her glass of water as she spoke. "I was rescued, is the short of it. Order troops rescued me and some other slaves from a Red Fang camp in the Free Lands south of Karem. I had been there since I was a child. I was brought here with the other liberated slaves. They all returned to their families in Mondolin, I remained here." Kairi took a sip of water and gazed into space. "Captain Randalla Thorne took me in and adopted me, and I took her family name. I've been here ever since."

As she talked, something nudged at him, and he suddenly remembered why he thought her name familiar earlier. Fayla had mentioned her in passing. Rowan nodded in understanding when she talked about the order's role changing due to circumstances. "The second great war was a trying time for all involved." Rowan said quietly. "Allot of good people died. It seems more would have, but the order handled the first contact conflict well." Rowan said. Kairi told him her story, or some of it atleast. Rowan's face became stony as he listened, the rage that lay beneath the surface of his icy demeanor bubbling. Any guilt he felt for slaughtering those human bandits earlier in the day vanished.

He wondered how this woman was capable of showing so much mercy. His expression softened slightly when she mentioned she was adopted. He felt instant respect for this Randalla thorne. "I'm sorry. That must have been terrible." He then decided he should share his own story. "My parents were killed in a heanta raid when I was a child. I only survived because my mother gave her life for me. Its been so long, I've forgotten my father's face, but I'll never forget hers." Rowan reminisced. "I was rescued by the same woman who went on to adopt me, along with her husband. Genevieve Aratris, veteran of the Human-Eldari war. She saved me, raised me and trained me." Rowan said.

"I joined the academy, where I met Yavanna. She's been my best friend since, from the army to the Eternal Watch. She's the only one who kept me going after.." He almost said her name, but stopped. Not yet. He wasn't ready to talk about her with anyone. He probably never would be. "Sorry. I'm being rude talking all about myself." He said looking at Kairi. He waited a moment to let her ask questions, or tell him more about herself.

Rowan nodded understandingly when Kairi explained about how the Order had a set philosophy, but their actual role had changed over the years in order to fit with the situation. He also complimented the Order's handling of the First Contact conflict, noting that their intervention certainly saved many lives. Kairi smiled warmly. "Luckily, that is the general concensus. Though, there are some who believe that we overstepped our bounds in getting involved." Rowan expressed his condolences when Kairi gave the brief overview of her earlier life. She shook her head. "No, please. There were many who had it worse than I did." She finished her soup and Liv returned to collect the empty plates. Kairi ordered a cup of tea before letting Rowan order anything that he might want.

Rowan then explained a little bit more of his story, how he had lost his parents to a Heanta raid when he was a child, and was rescued and brought up by Genevieve, a veteran of the Human-Eldari war. She was always caught out by how long Eldari lived for. Rowan also mentioned that he then joined the academy, where he met Yavanna, who became his best friend from then on. Kairi had heard of Yavanna Elbereth, arguably one of the best pure swordfighters the Eldari had to offer. Rowan seemed to trail off at the end, and Kairi was more than a little curious about what the Eldari had not mentioned, but she knew better than to pry. He then apologised for talking all about himself, and Kairi smiled. "Don't worry. Commander Mantell will most likely want to hear more when he gets here anyway." In truth, Kairi had read about Yavanna and Rowan's exploits extensively, as she enjoyed studying about Eldari history in her spare time. This did raise a point that she had noticed earlier, when he mentioned the Second Great War. "I don't mean to be too forward, but you mentioned the Second Great War as if you were there. If you don't mind me asking, and you are perfectly entitled to mind, how old are you? Serving in the War would make you four hundred years old at least."

"Hmm." Rowan said as Kairi's curiousity got the better of her and she asked him about his age. "I'm seven hundred and fifty one, As of last month. I took part in the Goldentide, and followed Liliana Korvesa to Blackspire pass. I also ran into Ren the Hornless. Fortunately he was after Orken and not us." Rowan chuckled. They had been good as dead. "Speaking of, I believe you've met my niece, Fayla Shor. I wouldn't mind hearing that story, because She never mentioned it." Rowan said.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind hearing more about you. I'm surprised I haven't heard you're name before, especially because you carry Starlight. As I mentioned earlier, my knowledge of the freelands is limited but I know a lost legendary weapon when I see one." Rowan said. "Not that I think it's in the wrong hands, you seem more than worthy of it. I'm glad it found its way back to the order." Rowan said. He'd recognized the blade almost immediately, but it had taken a while for him to place it.