The Skysail Treasure Co.

The ship lurched and Garin nearly flew from the railing overboard. "Argh! Damn pilot!" he cursed and looked at the bridge while he lay on deck, gripping the baluster tightly. "I've known imps that fly better than this!" Getting onto his feet gradually, he eyed the bridge with a lear. "I think I got onto the wrong ship. It's no wonder Jade's always so tense..." he grumbled to himself.

He started to walk over and up but heard a loud clap of thunder, stopping him in his tracks. "What a strange ship..." Continuing, slowly, toward the bridge to have a word with the overly beautiful pilot, Garin noticed suddenly Arlen walking down the stairs. He continued on, and at the foot of the stairs, the old man held up his hand to stop him.

"I wouldn't go up there, if I were you, son. Cats have claws, on this vessel. Big ones." As if to make a point, he raised a bloody handkerchief.

Garin turned his head and raised his eyebrows in some surprise, "What happened, old man? One of them take a swipe at you for grabbing 'em?"

Arlen threw his head back with a hearty laugh. "No! Ha! Not a chance... I'd lose more than a few drops of blood, Garin, if I did that. Just trust me. I've been alive this long for a reason."

Garin stepped back, allowing the traveler to pass when he reached the bottom. "Really? A reason beyond mooching?"

"'Mooching?'" Garin asked, stopping as his feet planted on the deck. He chuckled as he continued, "Son... Have you ever heard of the expression 'Te fie sper te capito i tadur?'"

Garin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms,"In common, ancient one...?"

"I'm only fifty-ish..." Arlen smirked and walked passed him, "It means: 'The thief calling the captain a bandit.' I figured that the old saying seemed... Suited to you. Goodnight, Garin."

Garin scratched his head a moment, and turned to face Arlen. A moment's hesitation, and he called after, over the hum of the turbines. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't even know me!"

Arlen raised a hand up while he kept walking away, acknowledging what the young locksmith said, before turning his hand into the affirmative thumbs up.

"You don't even know..." Garin repeated in whisper. He glanced at the stairs Arlen walked down, and thought better of making his way up. Continuing his stare, he cast his eyes to the stars. There were more up here than on the ground. One of the things he enjoyed about airships without balloons. Although he'd never seen a ship quite like this one, it seemed to be older. Like it had an unsung history.

Nodding, Garin decided to see if there was any cargo needing to be secured, seeing as how he was on duty until sunrise.

...

Name: Tarra
Gender: Female
Age: 27ish
Race: human
Profession: Historian/Librarian/Archaeologist
Description: Tarra is slightly taller than the average woman. She stands at about 5'8". She has straight dusty blond hair that comes down to her lower back, with perching blue eyes. She wears a cropped black corset underneath an open white colored and large cuffed shirt that only comes to the mid drift, and tied in a knot. She wears a pair of dusty brown slacks with several belts around her waist line. Attached to the belts are two flintlock pistols and their holsters.
Personality: Tarra is very much a leap before she looks kind of girl, because she always has her nose in a book and her head in the clouds.
Special Abilities:* Tarra has this special ability to learn almost anything from a book. That is how she knows several languages. she is also very good with pistols
History:* To be determined in game play, but I will say she has a twin brother.


How about this? I would like to start maybe off ship, but if you think it would be better to start there then I will.

http://www.desktop-wallpaper.org/wp-...2/3DGirl18.jpg This is what she looks like minus the ears

OOC: i'll post in this spot later. :)

OOC: Diddo.. off to write now

OOC: Guess I'll post something....

IC:
Nothing was settled. If anything, Cyradis' comfort level on the ship had dropped significantly. By the time she'd left the bridge and returned to her room, she felt mostly drained; due in part to firing off the built-up energy she took from the steam and part because she'd only been operating on a couple hours' sleep before they'd left Gebron in the first place. The thought of Archamae's revelation still made her seethe inside, but there was little she could do the change the fact. She had convinced herself she was capable of coexisting with a Dominian civilian, but knowing Archamae was a combatant and a veteran of the Kell-Dominian War was an altogether different beast. The feeling was something no one else on the ship could understand. Sure, other nations were conquered by Dominia, but their war with Kell was a fresh, still openly bleeding wound. Other nations had long since recovered. There was also the complete mystery as to what the provocation was in the first place. Kell had always had good relations with its neighbors and was of little strategic value - unless the capitol was converted to a fortress.

Cyradis couldn't help but feel the end of the war was far from sight. Most other Kellans shared the sentiment. Their withdrawal was too sudden. Neither side was showing signs of imminent defeat. Cyradis knew Kell would eventually issue another call to arms, and like every other arch mage, Cyradis would report to the Citadel for duty. She hoped for peace, of course. Few people have the disposition for constant warfare. Most soldiers long for peace during conflict. Cyradis chose to commit her life to Kell when she underwent the Rite of Attunement, but living in battle was no life. Indeed, Cyradis often had wondered why she hadn't simply chosen to study. It was, after all, her passion. Knowledge and power were hand-in-hand, yet she chose power over knowledge when her home was threatened. Perhaps being on the Requiem Dawn was a form of study. Maybe she wasn't studying elemental physics, or mastering her gravitycraft, but she was going to places few Kellans ever had, and meeting people she would not forget her whole life, and not have to worry about them being killed in action. Except maybe one. Inevitably, her thoughts circled back to Archamae. Truthfully, she dreaded having to fight against her. It was possible she had been with the 7th Fleet when Cyradis was first dispatched from the University at the beginning of the war. Cyradis redoubted their entire assault that day by destroying a single ship, yet fate brought her and a Dominian witness together on the same ship years later.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The next three days, Cyradis spent mostly in meditation. The crew tended to leave her in peace when she meditated on the windswept aft deck. Other time was spent advancing Cailey in her training. As expected, she took to focusing her mana as naturally as she did meditation. Cyradis showed her a few basic spells of various elements and recapped her first semester at the University. Those classes went over how to change the state of the energy from raw power - electricity - to heat for fire, or lack of heat for cold. Magisters at the University often stressed how differently ice and fire are summoned in magical spells. Unfortunately, Cyradis was only able to tell Cailey what little she remembered from that time in her life. Basic fireballs and freezing gusts from her hands was most of her arsenal in those areas. With a real specialist, Cailey could certainly learn more of those schools, but such an undertaking would be best done as a full course of study. A constantly moving airship was not an ideal place to learn magic, but Cyradis was happy she could at least give the girl some ability to defend herself and fight back as well as enter battle prepared.

On the third day, Gabe announced they had reached their destination and for the crew to report to the deck. Eager to see their new destination, most of the crew assembled fairly quickly. Cyradis was among them and went to the rails to look over the area. What she saw was about a square mile of sparsely vegetation clearing surrounded by trees on three sides and a sheer cliff on the north side. The distance made details sketchy, but there appeared to be zig-zagging path crawling up the face of the cliff stopping at an oddly smooth, arch-shaped area about halfway up. That was probably the tomb Archamae mentioned. They would have to land in the clearing and take the cliff head-on. As Gabe began to address the gathered crew, Cyradis was trying desperately to shake the image of thousands of ghosts crawling up the cliff as she tried to scale the perilous path.

...

ARLEN

He was a man of mountains. Arlen always had been and always would be. As some peaks rose high enough to warrant snow year round from shear elevation, and others were a dingy brown with shorter promontories. Either way, the clouds rose up above them and were caught as they attempted to pass by, looking like cotton rolling out of a bag in slow motion, and dipping into the valley below in some instances. The vegetation was sparse now, but at one time before all the warring this pass surely used to be wooded, Arlen figured. He watched from the railing, journal in hand as he jotted some thoughts down, while the peaks went by nearly on his level.

There were times he wasn't sure if it was from altitude sickness or spectacle that his breath had been taken, but he had lucked out for the most part when it came to air in his lungs. He'd traveled on enough alpine mountain ranges and to people living among the clouds long enough that his body could remember with some degree of familiarity the starvation of breath. What he had never seen before, from the ground or sky, was the myriad of war spoils beneath them. Enough to make a man rich, many times over he reckoned, and no one dared disturb it. It had been an hour ago when they passed an area that for lack of a better word was dense with armor and weapon glistening in the sunlight.

An hour or two later they finally came across a cliff face with a plateau of sorts before continuing on up. Arlen and many others needed no further indication that this was indeed the tomb, or the doorstep to it. Lined with trees used to the elevation, probably imported and planted, they paid silent homage to the dead general. Arlen heard stories of Chaerona and the General entombed here. A valiant man that fought alongside his men and gained glory beyond death. No one would come to visit this tomb, though, if they believed in the undead. All aboard this ship, whether previously encountering the waking dead or not, now believed in something beyond the death of their body, for sure. Jasper was an indication of a pleasant lingering spirit. More often than not, Arlen was under the impression it was not the usual case. He hadn't asked Gabe, nor wished to question him, on his decision to come to the place. He chose long ago to join the crew and Gabe for the long haul. In a simple trip from A to B, he had seen and experienced a lifetime. That being his mission in life, to get the most out of it as possible, Gabe's ship was the best way to do it. Why haven't I done this sooner, I wonder? Arlen asked himself, and closed his journal.

Even with all the spectacular sights and relatively quick and safe passage, there was a feeling in the back of Arlen's mind. A bad feeling that was related somehow to the word carved in the wall of the galley. His headaches of late had subsided to a gentle throb and nothing more, usually a little more noticeable when in engineering for one reason or another. Probably due to the noise, he reckoned. Talking to Xavier down below gave him new insights into the intricacies of the ship. A definite gem Gabe had in that man, Arlen knew, even if he was a little eccentric. Everyone on the ship were invaluable in their own way. Everyone in the world had gifts known or unknown, true, but those on this ship seemed to compliment each other better than most. The aging traveler felt pride in his comrades as he fastened his journal closed and began his descent into the belly of the ship. He wanted to prepare himself before entering the tomb.

Looking through his journal the past few hours revealed nothing important or relevant to the rumor of undead stalking the land or killing them should they actually exist here. This is one place Arlen had avoided on reputation alone, and had no experience upon which to make a dead reckoning. The excitement of the totally new was something that was becoming palpable to him now. But still... That feeling in his mind of growing agitation gnawed at him. The Voice had not returned since he passed out upon the deck.

Coming back up, Arlen heard Gabe make a call to the deck. Fortuitous.

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

GARIN

Eating in the galley when Gabe made his call, the tarnished locksmith brought his plate to the clearing station and left it for Aram to clean later. As he came up on deck and saw the plateau, he whistled idly in the charm of the place. Suddenly, he envisioned gold and silver, perhaps even magicite, inside. He heard it was a tomb that they were after and his lips curled. Regrettably he hadn't had much time to speak to Jade, but his eyes had wandered from one woman to the next. This ship had far too many female staff to be normal. Nearly half. All of the senior staff, Gabriel excluded, were female, which was even more controversial. Regardless, his duties were finished on time and to satisfaction. Thankfully, he brought his chest with him and would use some of the contents in the tomb, no doubt.

OOC: I am not really happy with this post, but it is a start. Please forgive me for I have not written anything in a while. Also I wanted to write more than this but since overly long posts are highly discouraged, I will stop here. I will write the next part tomorrow and maybe even edit this one. ........ Edit....... I am feeling much better about it know...

IC:

Tarra should have seen this coming, but unfortunately she let her excitement get the best of her. Unable to resist that impulse, that need. Her brother always said she would find herself between a rock and hard place. Well, her bum would agree.

She sighed deeply as she sat upon a giant rock over looking a large open field at the base of the mountain. According to her reading this was supposed to be the arena of an awful battle that took place hundreds of years ago. There was very little information what had actually taken place, and She tried to recall every thing she had read. It seemed odd to her that no one wanted to venture this way, to learn the secrets that it kept. She was dying to know.

Tarra hopped off the rock with determination. If she was to be stranded here for a while, she might as well look around. She giggled as she imagined herself returning to the university with a huge discovery to unfold.

With a hop in her step, she picked up her pack and headed out across the field.The field was about a square mile. Three sides of the field were surrounded by a dense canopy of woodland trees. In the center was a path that lead zig-zag all the way up a mountain. At the top of the path was a large stone arch.She vaguely remembered something about a tomb, so that was where she was headed.

It wasn't long before Tarra began to feel a bit off. There was some thing heavy in the air, yet it was unseen. Suddenly she heard a soft whisper in her right ear, like a child passes secrets in school. Instinctively she pivoted on her heels, only to find herself still alone.

" Strange," she muttered to herself. The heavy feeling sinking low in her chest. Her eyes darted from side to side. Hesitantly she turned back around and continued on her way. Only moments later she heard the whispers again. This time they were a little more distinct. causally she pulled out one of her pistols. Better safe than sorry.

The pistol was a beautifully ornate gun with a matching brother. In lane with with silver over a dark mohgony handle. Powered my a rare set of magitek stones, they had been passed down her family for as long as anyone could remember.

" Who's there?" Tarra sounded almost breathless. Of course there was no answer.

Then Tarra jumps as a horn blasts across the field from out of no where. It was followed by the loud clash of metal, like two swords engaging in combat. Tarra panicked as she witnessed mists began to form around her into the shapes of monstrous men. Some where wearing armor and other were not. Before she knew it she was smack dab in the middle of a raging battle. Spirits left and right were ripping through each other like they had done this many times before.

For a moment Tarra had no idea what was going on. Confused and panicked she aimed her pistol at the closest target. She pulled the trigger. However, the bullet passed right through the spirit, dispersing it into mist and then it solidified right back. It continued on as if nothing had just happened. Her pistols were no good here, and she knew it.

None of the spirits were paying her any head until one caught her eye. He grinned as he looked her direction. He was a big barbarian of a man with a big bushy beard and little to no teeth. He was covered head to foot in the blood of the men around him. Tarra blinked twice then side stepped. When His eyes followed her, she knew she was in some deep trouble.

" When in doubt, you could always run little sister" Tarra remembered her brother saying to her once. She wasn't in as much trouble as she is now. The spirits toothless grin grew wider, and he charged.

With a loud yelp, she booked it to the only place she though she could be safe. The mountain path was not far away, but the climb was treacherous. She thought it better to die trying at least. She ran as fast her feet would go, but to no avail as she tripped on the helm of a fallen warrior. It lay just at the bottom of the path leading to the arch. With a face full of dirt she managed to roll herself over to meet her death straight on. The warrior had been on her heels the entire time. He lifted his sword to strike moments before he reached her, letting out a terrifying battle cry to the heavens.

Tarra gasped and blocked her face with her arms. She waited, certain she would meet her maker any moment. Seconds go by, and nothing happened. Quickly she peeked through her arms and was shocked to see the spirit had completely disappeared. And he wasn't the only one to disappear, all the spirits were gone. The field lay empty , just as it had before. Her heart pounded against her chest. Had she been imagining things, or had she just witnessed a moment in history. Sickened by the thought she picked herself up off the ground, but she noticed something strange peeking up out the dirt. It was a helm that looked exactly like the one she had tripped over. There was something evil in this place and she had the urge to get the heck out of the open.

Gabe slumped himself over the port railing and gazed off into the heart of the night. Soon after the meeting he and Seph had fled the scene, leaving Cyradis and Archamae alone on the bridge. It hadn't entirely been planned, but who was he to waste a good opportunity when it came along. Colder air sent a shiver through his body, but he didn't want to leave the deck just yet, so he toughed it out.

It started slowly, and quickly escalated. A vibration shook the ship and all the people on board.

"I guess they're talking now," he winked at his old friend.

She scowled, "Are you sure this is safe? Cyradis is very powerful, what if she loses control?"

"I'm sure Archamae would be pleased to hear you're so concerned for her safety as well."

"I opt to worry over the biggest threat," she shrugged.

Gabe chuckled, "In any case, Cyr is an Archmage of Kell. I think she can stay in-" A loud rumble cut him off and the Dawn violently plunged toward the earth. Wind began to whip by his head, forcing him to squint as he and Sephara hung onto the rail for dear life. Some of the other crew members hadn't been so lucky and had tumbled down the deck until hitting a mast getting snagged in the ropes.

"What was that you were saying Gabe!?" Sephara yelled with a bemused smile.

"I may have underestimated the strength of her feelings on the subject," Gabe said with a hint of fear. Suddenly, veins of purple lightning cascaded across the sky, and booming thunder followed quickly after. The show last only a minute, but with each passing second the Dawn slowly righted itself, and then stabilized. Everyone on deck was eager to regain their footing, but not everyone could under their own will. Jade was going to be busy tending to bruises, cuts, and fractures.

"You didn't think that fleeing from the Gebron authorities was excitement enough for one night Captain?"

"It was bound to happen. The sooner the better I figure Seph." Cyradis came crashing down the stairs and quickly disappeared below. "Right then, I think the show's over for tonight. Do a check of the crew. See that anyone injured gets help."

"Aye Captain. Might I suggest holding off on any further meddling you had planned for the night."

"Ha ha Seph," she grinned victoriously then went about her duties.

Gabe wondered what it was about him that attracted the crazy ones.

-o0o-

Near the middle of the third day they arrived over the battlefield. Chaerona was legendary. People often said that the amount of blood spilled in between those hallowed hills had turned the soil red. He had no clue what they'd be facing, but he also knew they'd wind up here eventually, and sooner is better than later. Before they got too close to the tomb he wanted to run over the plan with everyone, so he called them all up onto the deck.

...

"I'm surprised no one has any more ideas. I mean, you are all treasure hunters, right?" Garin said to Jade, as he ate a piece of cheese next to her. He learned long ago to ration his food in places like this. Those poor souls they'd passed before were nothing but fools. The way out was behind them, and they worked for so long to enter. Then again, from what others had said about ghosts and ghouls, perhaps this was the better place to be.

"You mean you have one then?" Arlen said without even looking at the man. His impeccable hearing was becoming an indomitable irritant. The sound of inner groaning for this man's untimely demise was barely contained. Rather, Garin gently cleared his throat.

"As a matter of fact... yes. I do," he said with a sense of dignity. "I think we're inside of a big lock, and the rooms are the tumblers. What else would cause string to be so scrambled and all of our other ideas to fall flat on their collective faces?"

"So... you think we're moving, then?" Arlen asked, looking at him skeptically.

"Maybe. The walls are smooth enough... Maybe it works on weights and balances. Either way, who are you to say I'm right or wrong, eh?" Garin wagged a finger with narrowed eyes and a slightly raised voice.

"I'm not saying you are or aren't," Arlen said, raising an open hand to quiet him, "I was just asking what you meant, young man."

"Good... Cause you don't know any better yourself, old timer!" Garin snapped at him. "You're always interjecting yourself into my space. It's annoying!"

Silent until now, Gabe looked at the two of them, "Is there a problem, children?"

"No, Captain, there isn't," Arlen sighed. "I think the walls have gotten our thoughts as tied as the yarn, though."

"Yehhhh..." Garin sneered and took a sharp bite of cheese while he starred Arlen down. The old man's lip curled into a smirk and he huffed.

"Actually, that would be a rather confusing mechanism, wouldn't it Garin? If it would actually work, who would understand it? Weights you say?" After Arlen nodded, Garin wasn't sure if he was being insulted or congratulated for his unique perspective.

"Well... Yeah... massive granite balls polished smooth can spin and float on a film of water just like small ones... I used a small granite ball floating in water to act as a bearing. If it was tampered with, the water drained and the mechanism seized... Then they needed to getl me to fix it." Garin shrugged. "Maybe we're floating around the room?"

"Well it's a nice idea and an ingenious lock but I don't think that would explain the string. You might be on the right track though. Who knows? We just need to find a way around it anyway. Not rebuild it," Arlen said.

Garin rolled his eyes and shrugged, "Whatever."
OOC: Just a bit of dialog. The maze reminded me of an escher drawing and the movie 'cube' lol. :)

JADE

On their way to Chaerona Jade had been more than a little busy treating anything from head-aches to sprained ankles. She had joined the other crew during their meals, but thankfully, even though she hated herself for being thankful for it, all injuries had kept her focusing her mind on something else than the dark thoughts that currently floated around inside her mind. Their stay in Gebron had been awful and had dragged many surpressed memories back. Only her run-in with Garin had kept her sane enough to make it back to the ship in one piece.

Jasper was still avoiding her. She had tried speaking with Sephara about it, seeing that the first mate was the only one but her that could sense Jasper and speak with him when he was invisible for the rest.

"I can not be the one to deliver the answers you seek," Sephara had told her, refusing to say anything more than to let her know that if she did see Jasper she would urge him to speak with Jade. All she could do now was to wait. Wait for Jasper to tell her, whatever it may be.


JASPER

"You need to speak with your sister, Jasper," Sephara told him a day before they reached Chaerona. "She needs to know what you are trying to do!"

<Trying is the right word. It's not really working, is it> Jasper retorted a bit sharp. He had been visiting Sephara at nights, and together they had tried to put all the pieces together in the puzzle that was his life. Or death perhaps. It was Sephara's belief that if they could figure out what was holding his spirit back they could also figure out a way to release it. The answer to it lay in his life, or in the end of it. It was not his secret to tell, but he had told the First Mate, after making her promise on her life not to speak a word of it to anyone else, about Jade and her past as Lady Worthingstone. He had told her about the love, the marriage and the living nightmare that it turned out to be when Edric Worthingstone showed his true self.

OOC: I took some liberties here, hope it's alright Geco....


PRESENT TIME

Jade was sitting next to Garin eating a piece of bread and cheese. As always when they were together he and Arlen started to jab at each other. She was happy to see that it was only with words. It was clear that Garin rubbed Arlen the wrong way for some reason. By now she had gotten used to it, but at times she felt it best to stay close to the two of them whenever they were together, to act as a sort of "safety padding" between them, stopping them from escalating it any further. Even though she had no doubt the lock-smith could take care of himself she felt a bit responsible for him on the ship, being the reason to why he joined the crew in the first place. (OOC: as she told him about the ship)

Jasper was sitting not far from them, invisible to all but to her. His eyes seemed alert as he was looking from Arlen and Jade to their surrounding, no doubt sensing the many spirits that was lingering. It was the closest they had been to each other after the incident on the island, but he was avoiding her questions and reassuring that everything was ok between the two of them. It was almost as if he had detached himself from her, why she could not understand. Had she done anything wrong?

OOC: a bit rushed at the end but I gotta run. Just happy to be able to produce a post... sorry for my inactivity lately... I'm not gonna be able to post on a daily basis, too much stuff going around.... but I'll try to be more active than I've been! :)

Cyradis sighed and shot Arlen and Garin a glare. It was like they were adolescent boys constantly trying to one-up the other. More like oil and water... she thought. They had spent a good deal of time in the tomb and Cyradis was regretting setting foot inside almost the moment her foot crossed the threshold. They had yet to encounter any malignant spirits or walking dead, but Cyradis was far from assuming it was mere legend. The utter creepiness of the tomb was evidence that some twisted mind had made itself part of this place some time ago. As Garin got in the last word of his dispute with Arlen, Cyradis breathed out heavily and stood.

"Enough, you two. If we're going to blunder through this place all day I'd rather not hear your constant bickering," Cyradis was a bit on edge. She was glad enough to be away from Archamae for a while only to have her added to the group a few hours later. Yet another confounding coincidence of their destiny. "Besides, the obstacle is magical in nature. There's no mechanical or mind-altering effect on this place. I can't describe the feeling, but it is most definitely supernatural. For some reason... the magic feels... wrong."

"That's because it is a curse," a moderately accented voice sounded from across the antechamber.

The eyes of every person in the room were drawn to a darkened corner where yet another passage delved into the mountain. A figure outlined by the red light of flames burning from a blade-shaped object was visible walking out of the gloom. As the figure came closer, she lowered her burning weapon; the flames slithering back into the hilt with a hiss. Once she was in full view, she slid the scimitar into its scabbard and offered them a bow with her hands folded in front of her chest. The gilded links of her chainmail armor reflected the sunlight seeping in to the chamber bringing out the intricate details of the gold threaded suns embroidered into her robe.

When she lifted her head, her brown almond-shaped eyes fell on Gabe who'd stepped forward from the group to offer his introductions - and suspicions. She spoke first, as his questions were easy to guess.

"My name is Kyra. I am a cleric of the priesthood of Sarenrae. I am here because I cannot leave until the darkness that dwells in this mountain is defeated."

OOC: Shorter than usual, but meh.. I was getting impatient on waiting to bring her in. Also, the accent I imagined as eastern European. You can imagine something else if it makes you feel better XD

Their surrounding were 'off' to say the least. Jasper wasn't sure what the appropiate set of emotions would be. He was curious of the lingering spirits. Why they were still here, so many years after their deaths. They seemed to be tied to this place just as he was tied to Jade. He was also feeling apprehensive. These spirits were malevolent ghosts and therefore a risk. He would do his utmost to see Jade back safe to the ship. That in itself opened up for the next conundrum. How was he supposed to ensure his twinsisters safety? He knew he wouldn't be able to fight them in his human state, which was just as good seeing he didn't want to turn solid at the expense of Jade. No, all he could hope was to be able to set up a defensive barrier around Jade in his spiritual shape. He would probably be able to fight the ghosts in a way the others could not. Which led to another question. Could these spirits hurt him, like alive creatures could hurt the crew? What would it mean if he failed, if he died? What would happen to Jade then? Too many questions and too little answers.

Deciding he could not find the answers to his many questions now he turned his focus back to Arlen. The man was hiding a dark past from the rest, a past that he thought was hidden. He had hidden it well, but Jasper had seen more than he would have liked to have seen of a man that was around his sister that much. He had kept a close eye at Arlen, ever since the incident at the island. He had watched the old man and his journal. The journal was the key to Arlen's past, and with that he could reveal the jackal amongst them. He could simply steal it, but that required that he took solid form and he was still reluctant to do so by the expense of Jade. No, he needed someone else to do it for him, like Garin the newcomer who seemed to dislike Arlen as much as Arlen disliked him. Speaking of newcomers, a regal figure stepped out from the darkness into the light.

"My name is Kyra. I am a cleric of the priesthood of Sarenrae. I am here because I cannot leave until the darkness that dwells in this mountain is defeated."

<Hah! Then she'll be here for all eternity!> Jasper said for noone but Jade to hear. <These spirits are not going anywhere>
(Unless Kyra -can- hear him)

Jade shushed him with her eyes. The few times he had let her see him she had refrained from talking outloud to him whenever Garin was around. The crew knew, but Garin was still clueless of his existence. That was unless someone else had told him. It seemed as if Jade wanted to stay normal as long as she could in the eyes of the locksmith.