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[Calintz the Doppelganger]

Calintz turned forward as they followed Zedd. It really didn't bother him that Amon had refused to say anything, though he did think it was childish. After a few minute he looked up and noticed Shadow circling him in the sky. He lifted his arm for her, and she began to descend toward him. He owl landed on his arm, and then walked the length or it to his should. She rubbed her feathery head against him in greeting. "Hello to you too, Shadow." He said quietly while smiling at his friend, his hand stroking its head.  

[First Wizard Zorander]

Zedd followed the bird as it glided down from the sky and settled on Calintz's arm. It wasn't the first time Zedd had seen birds act in such a way towards humans. Zedd had, in fact, once himself been a bird--a raven to be exact. Zedd wondered if Calintz's friend had at one time been human, like most other animal friends. It was often that those touched by a Confessor's power and had turned out to be inoccent chose to be birds mainly for the ability to fly.

Zedd wondered if this bird was something like that, or if maybe he had even known the person before they became what he sees now. Such partners often turned out to be quite useful.  

[Amon the Warmage]

Amon was well aware of the fact that the man found him to be childish, but that truly didn't bother him in the least. He would carry out the task he had been given, even if his life needed to be sacrificed to complete it. He refused to let these two die.

He notice an owl land on the arm of the new man. This struck him as slightly odd so he made a mental note, in case there should be conflict between the two. He also had by this point noted the weapons the man carried, wary of the skill he knew the man must hold.

Amon returned his attention to the man who was, in his mind, his main perogative. He had noticed that Zedd had also been watching as the bird had landed on the the man's arm. He realized that there was a somewhat thoughtful look on Zedd's face, not knowing what to think of this he resolved himself to continue his ever constant scan for danger in the surrounding areas, riding in his usual silence.  

[Calintz the Doppelganger]

((Hey thanks for the idea -R- Lord Rahl -R-. I had forgot all about that, about the people getting touched and found innocent were changed to animals. I think I'll have Shadow be someone who was changed into an animal.))

Calintz held a small piece of food up and Shadow quickly took it. She usually favored hunting on her own, but she accepted anything from him. He stroked her feathery head again. Shadow always seemed to have a human-like behavior, which gave most people pause. He had wondered why Shadow always acted more human then animal, but he didn't let that effect their friendship.

"So did you see in thing interesting?" He whispered softly into her ear. He enjoyed talking with friends, and Shadow was his only friend that had came with him this far away from home. It didn't seem strange to him at all that he spoke to her as if she was human. He figured if she acted human, Shadow had the right to be spoke to as a human, though he had yet to get an answer back.  

[First Wizard Zorander]

((You like that idea? Cool. I just thought that it would be a neat idea throw out there by why of Zedd's thoughts. As First Wizard, he has probably done those transformations a lot. Maybe you could think about that for a while and find out how you can integrate that in. That means the person behind the bird will have to have a small background.))

Zedd looked to the setting sun in the west. The woods around them were cast into a hazy orange glow. The land was turning a little swampy as they traveled through the valley. Mist was hovering inches above the ground off the trail to their sides and a refreshing breeze swept by. It was going to be a cool, damp night. Fortunately, they were approaching the next way station and would have decent enough shelter to stay warm.

It was their third day of travel and they had still not seen any sign of Darken as they went. Although with the rains they had just had, any tracks would have been washed away as soon as they were made. But he figured they were getting close as long as the D'Haran didn't push himself too hard, in which case he would be long gone.

Zedd noted the marker on the tree up ahead. The next waystation was only about another half-mile. If they kept pushing, they could make the People's Palace in another three days or so.  

[Amon the Warmage]

Clearly Zedd was looking for someone or something, Amon knew or cared not which, as long as his charges were safe. He wished to keep to the trail, for he had an odd infatuation with the night, possibly because it was his element. In this environment he thrived, though not nearly as much as the previous Lord Rahl. He knew, though, that Zedd would wish to stop at the waystation. He would do as the wizard wished, again not caring as long as he could protect him. To this end he continued to follow in his usual silence, eyes never resting in one place for more than a second.  

[Calintz the Doppelganger]

Name: Shadow
Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
Appearance: Night Owl
Personality: She is kind and protecting of her friends, always willing to help.
Family/Friends: Calintz and a few of the other Blade-Masters from the Baka Ban Mana, as well of the children of the tribe.
History: Unknown for the most part until Calintz had found her. She was wounded and unable to fly at the time, so Calintz had taken her home and took care of her until she could fly again. From that day forth she had remained by his side. She was with him when he raised to the rank of Blade-Master, and she had been a great help on his travels.
Likes/Dislikes: She enjoys showing off for the children, flying high in the sky and performing tricks for them. She also enjoys her travels with Calintz.
She dislikes anyone that threats her friends, or the children she plays with.
Picture:
Other: Shadow was human at one time in her life, but a wizard had changed her into an animal. She was touched by a Confessor’s power, destroying everything that she was. She had been accused of murder but was found innocent after being touched by the Confessor. The Confessor’s wizard then stepped forward to change her into an animal, which freed her and lessened some of the effects of the Confessor’s power.


There's Shadow's Profile, I added it below mine on page one, but I didn't know if you guys went back to check or not. So here it is, at the begin and now at the end lol =P  

[Galapagos James]

Darken sat out front of the waystation, looking back the way he had came. He spotted people riding along the path towards him. Darken continued to sit, waiting and watching. Normally he'd be almost at the People's Palace by now, but he hadn't been able to move on since reaching the waystation.

Even the time it would take to send someone from the next waystation would leave the soldiers stationed here alone in a dangerous time in their illness. But with the others catching up,... Things could take a turn.  

[Calintz the Doppelganger]

Calintz had remained quiet, like the rest of his companions, as they traveled. After a few days, he spotted the marker just as Zedd pointed it out, and informed them they were nearing the waystation. He was thankful that he didn’t have to make this trip alone. It had taken him a great deal of time traveling to the Confessor’s Palace then it should have. He had spent a get deal of time back tracking; reaching one village, only to find out he had gone to far one way. It had almost been a year sense he had left his home.

Suddenly Shadow landed on him, she perched herself on his shoulder, rubbing her head in greeting against his head. “Hello, Shadow.” He greet his friend back. She had been the only one he had really talked to on this trip as well as when he left his home. Zedd had spoken with him and such, but seemed to be in a hurry. Amon had hardly spoken at all…No, he took that back, Amon had not spoken at all. He looked back at him, wondering what he was thinking and shrugged. He stroked Shadow’s head, as he looked ahead.  

[First Wizard Zorander]

The sun was nearly all but gone by the time they reached the next stop. The silouette of a large man, obviously D'Haran, stood watching them as they rode in.

Something was obviously wrong. Normally there were at least two guards waiting for travelers to arrive. From the waystation, the soldiers had a pretty good view of the trails and could see someone approaching from a good distance, and so had plenty of time to move into position for the new arrivals. But for one, Zedd could tell from the outfit that this wasn't a standard D'Haran guard, and two that using his gift, he could sense that most of the guards were together inside. Hopefully this was Darken, having seen them coming and had waited.

Then again, it could be an infiltrator. But considering there was three of them against one, it wouldn't be a problem. They would have to see as they pulled up.

------------------------------------------

To Zedd's relief, Darken strode up to meet them as they pulled their horses into the stables. There was a troubled look in his eye.

"Darken, where are the guards? Why aren't they at their posts?" Zedd looked around, but couldn't see anything that looked unusual or out of place. Everything was just kind of . . . gloomy and unsettling.  

[Galapagos James]

Darken grunted, and starting help to look after the horses. "They've all taken ill, Zed. Nasty fever. I've seen it's likes before as a child. It usually runs for about a fortnight, and there's real danger of dehydration or starvation, since the sick can usually do little to look after themselves. It only spreads from close contact. In a small waystation like this, it could be deadly, taking everyone down. In a village or town it's never too bad, just need a neighbor to look in on the family every few hours, enough contact to tend the sick, but not enough to let it spread around."

Darken sighed, and leaned up against a wall within the stables. "I've been spending the nights out here. Looking in on them as I can, staying outside whenever I'm not looking out for them. If you could use some magic to heal one of them, that'd be enough to look out for them until we can get to the next waystation and send someone back to lend more aid. As it is, though, it'd be at least a day and a half if not two days before I alone could send someone back. They're in a peak point right now, though, and that much time alone puts them in serious danger of dehydration, so I couldn't chance them being alone."  

[First Wizard Zorander]

"Fever driven illness, you say? Nothing more?" Zedd scratched his chin as he pondered. It sounded like a simple illness, yet it had effectively impaired the entire waystation. Had they not happened to be passing through, these soldiers would all be dead, having no way to help themselves. Zedd wasn't aware of any diseases passing through, nor any insects carrying anything that might have inflicted these soldiers.

"I think we need to take a look at these soldiers. Calintz, Amon, take the time to rest while i look into this. I'd rather not have either of you chance getting infected when there are more importnant things we have to worry about." Zedd turned to Darken. "Show me to them."  

[Galapagos James]

Darken shrugged, and lead the way in. "Like I said, I've seen this fever before. Although I'm not entirely sure where it originally comes from. The Raug'Moss may know, though. I'm just glad I didn't have to wait long for you to catch up. It would be a few more days before they rotated out the soldiers here." He stopped, and turned, looking at Zedd. He scratched at the bridge of his nose, and openned the door into the waysation.

"Legends say it's a curse from back when Lord Panis Rahl conquered the lands now part of D'Hara. Of course, I've heard the Raug'Moss claim it's been around much longer then that. Much like the Plague, they don't know why it starts in places, but thankfully it's much easier to contain and few ever die from it."

Darken went in, and showed Zed where the soldiers were laying out. He took the time to go out and get a pail of water, deciding to give the men some water as long as he was going to be around them.  

[Calintz the Doppelganger]

Calintz nodded, and watched Zedd and Darken disappear into the building with the sick soldiers. He looked over at Amon, both had been told to sit there and rest. Calintz didn’t need to rest really, and he figured Amon didn’t either. He turned and looked into the forest around them, best to keep watch then. He reached in his pack and pulled out a piece of his dried meat and bit into it.

Shadow rubbed her head against his, drawing his attention. Calintz offered her a piece of the meat, but she shook her head, too humanlike, and took to the air. He figured she went off to go hunting for something to eat. She liked to catch her meals inside of being fed. Calintz turned back to looking into the forest.  

[First Wizard Zorander]

Zedd looked around at the poor men on the ground. They all seemed to be in great pain from the fevers and none of them seemed like they could get any rest. It was a sorry sight, like many he had seen in his days. Struck down by a foe that cannot be seen or fought. An inhonorable way for a D'Haran to die.

Zedd scanned the room around him. There were no mosquitos that he could find. No foreign bugs or any logical explanation for the illness. Zedd kneeled down and inspected the mutton on one of the plates. He found nothing. The water was clean as well. Still, there was nothing. That ruled out most possibilities. So, what then? Magic? Zedd doubted that. As weak an illness as this would be pointless to create.

"You said it has been around for quite some time? I don't know much about D'Hara, what magic may lie within it nor what diseases they might have. One thing is for sure, and that is that I've never seen this before, so it must be native to D'Hara." Zedd stood and peered around at the faces looking up at him. He didn't have the time to go researching diseases of foreign lands right now.

There was a bucket hanging on a nail near where they entered. "Come with me Darken." He grabbed the pail and walked over to the nearest basin of clean water used to give the soldeirs their drinks. Zedd Dragged the bucket through the water and pulled it up so it was full. He handed it to Darken. "Now hold this and don't drop it, or I'll have to do this all over again." He rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of the bucket. He stuck one hand into the center while he held the other hand a few inches above it with his finger pointing down.

He started spinning his finger in a circular motion and the water in the pail started to follow his finger, swirling around inside. As he did this, using his other hand that was in the water, he scooped some up holding it an inch over the spinning current. It started to glow with a light pinkish color and swirled in the opposite direction in his hand. He then dipped it back into the bucket, mixing it with the rest. He then held both hands over the bucket and pulled them up a little. The water below begand to bubble up to the edge of the bucket. He then pulled his hands appart at let them fall to his sides.

The water seemed to calm down to a undisturbed state as mist formed over it, flowing over the sides of the pail in Darken's hands. The mist turned a soft blue before fading away leaving the surface of the water smooth.

"There, now pour that into the basin. The water is purified and has some magic elements in it to help with the fever. The water is cool, but not cold, and will build up a level of strength in those who drink it so that they can feed themselves. It is not ment to cure them, but to restore them to the point that they can function well enough to be alright on their own. Perhaps we can send someone from the People's Palace to make sure they recover alright once we get there."

Zedd looked around once more for anything out of place. Nothing caught his eye. He sighed. "We can rest for the night, and we'll grab some new horses in the morning and make a good push for the palace. Lophus and Amara should be there ahead of us. They took the Sliph. Nathan will be eager to speak to me."

((Hopefully Lophus and Amara are still around. We could have used their help shortening the time we spent traveling by having them arrive and meet with Nathan and the others at the People's palace. It looks like we need a Nathan real soon. Anyone to play the part?

We may also need some of the others who might be in the People's Palace. Important roles. We're through the opening of the RP and now things are going to heat up. The storyline should start unfolding pretty soon when we have everyone together. We're going to need active people and plot. A lot is going to happen at the meeting.))