Ash and Dust. When that which consumes were finished, all that remained was ash and dust. Those with the means had hidden in pocket worlds or deep, elusive places.  Those without fell to annihilation.  Existence itself was threatened, and was nearly lost. Powerful magic, weaved by a small enclave of mages, stopped it but not until after the world they knew fell to ruin.  It is said that, as their spells finished their task, that the mages fell into a deep sleep, buried by the sands of time.

* * * * *

30th of Greenrain - Late at Night

"By the gods, are we almost there? I am not sober enough for this ride."

The passenger wagon bounced hard over some unnoticed debris in the road. Sent off-balance by it, the young marleek woman riding comfortably in the wagon fell sideways into her companion. Her thick mane of hair tangled into her passenger mate's horns, tugging the woman with her.

"Victalyassa," the woman grabbed at her horn and yanked hard to detangle it. "If you touch me again, I'll cut that tongue out, so you can never utter another complaint."

"Lighten up Ashara," Victalyassa smirked, reaching down into her bag, "besides, we do have that bottle of Cravaka 10-Year. That'll wet the whistle just fine."

"Isn't that for Drosko?" the third of the four companions, the only man in the back of the passenger wagon tilted his head in disappointment. "Besides, that bottle is valuable. It'd be better to save it in case we need to strike a deal with the gate guards."

"What are you possibly expecting Ish Ma'el? Why wouldn't they let us in?" Embra, the final passenger, turned her head from the passing wilderness to the others.  Ish Ma'el turned toward Ashara, the two sharing a look for a moment, before he shrugged.

"It's already open, I'm taking a drink." Victalyassa reached down, grabbing the bottle and quickly flinging it back for a long drink. Her entire body gave a shiver of delight, the fur that covered her standing up slightly, at the rich taste. She offered the bottle over to Embra, who happily grabbed it, taking a smaller sip than her friend.

"If you two get drunk before we get there, I'll-"

"Cut out our tongue's, so we can never taste our drink again, we get it Ashara," Victalyassa resettled against their bags, the wagon's bounce more tolerable to her with the warm tingle running through her body.

"Then you know I'm not joking. Ish Ma'el has seen me do more over less."

"Ah yes, like how you eviscerated that sailor on the shores-"

"No stories Ish," Embra cut him off, whipping the soft cloth she buffed her nails with towards his face to stop him before returning to her task. "Valtaska's just ahead. We can meet up with Drosko, get to bed, then you can drone on as much as you want in the morning to the General that Drosko has lined up for us."

"But it's a great-"

"Ish Ma'el!" Ashara leaned forward towards him, her cool blue eyes drilling into him. "I'm inclined to agree with Embra here, and do not think I need you to brag for me. My deeds speak for themselves."

Pulling into himself, the half-elven man pulled his buccaneer cap down, accepting that no one wanted to hear him regale them with glories past.  The wagon continued on, the evening turning to night as the wagon pulled to the Valtaskan gates.

* * * * *

With the very first light of the next morning peaking through the window, Ashara sat straight up, a perfect bending at the hips as her body rose up fluid but straight. Her eyes were sharp and focused, prepared for a fight as she looked around.  She was simultaneously pleased and annoyed to see that the only unsightly thing was Ish Ma'El's form sprawled in his bed.

The once-proud pirate laid in a heap, sleeping deep ontop of the covers, with only his boots and hat off. Ashara rose up to leave when he stirred, snorted, and cracked his eyes.

"Ah, surprisingly good sleep despite how still the room is. Ready to head down already?"

"I'm always ready, Ish Ma'El. Collect your bags, as we won't need to return here.  Ish nodded with a hefty yawn as he got up, slowly following in Ashara's steps.

Next door, Embra stood in front of the single, dirty mirror, combing her hair with her old brush, humming quietly to herself as Victalyassa stood in the open window, taking in the city as she sipped from her hip flask.

"Sounds like their up," Victalyassa said, pulling her head in, careful not to catch her horns on the window sill. A moment later, the door was heard to close, and Embra gave a gentle sigh as she put her brush into her bag.

"Must be awful, the hearing you Marleek have.  I couldn't stand hearing everyone."

"Meh, it's good to be aware," Victalyassa grabbed her bag, following behind Embra as they walked out together.

Downstairs, the group found thier guildleader, Drosko, eating a hearty breakfast, with an empy mug next to him and a filled one in hand. Dressed well, if practical, he looked like he could fit equally well in a royal meeting as he could deep in the woods. He sat stiff, but witht he vigor of a dwarf a third his age. He motioned for them to sit down, followed by a gesture for the barman to bring out the remaining food.

"This must be a large job to send for all of us from Manlee's Stop, Drosko." Ashara was the first to sit at the table, but the rest soon join them.  The food was quickly brought out as their guild head struggled to swallow his large bite to respond.

"Yes, yes. General Threev, the High General that is, has a special request. We go back years, did jobs together when we were younger. In the Valtaskan Army I mean, not my more mercurial days.  I'm not entirely sure the details of this job, but it is my understanding that this task is being presented to us early. That is, we are getting a head start on a request by the High King to handle an Alliance wide problem."

"Competition then? That'll weaken our bargaining power." Ish Ma'el began running numbers in his head as he served up his own plate. The girls each grabbed their portions of meals as Drosko continued.

"I believe we are going to going after some new doom-to-you-all group. Probably something they wish to keep under wraps, thus us and not the army."

"Sounds fun, we haven't done a job all together, not the four of us," Embra smiled, looking at the everyone. Only Victalyassa returned the smile as she finished off her morning ale.  Ashara simply shook her head.

"As long as your moral compass doesn't stop me from doing what needs to be done, i'm fine having more weapons on hand. Drosko, let us go now."

Sparing a look at his food, he gave a sigh, then shrugged, getting up.  The group stuffed in their mouths what they could, Victalyassa topping her flask off with the remaining ale from the mugs before catching up.

They left the tavern Drosko had gotten them rooms at and began travelling up the Parade Route toward the Shimmer Castle.  The cities lower districts were all more working-class.  The stone foundations were rougher, the wood less refined.  Though diverse, valtaska made no effort to hide its religious roots, with small shrines and temples scattered within spitting distance of one another.  Within the first fifteen minutes of the hike up the main route, the passed a handful of priests passing in small flocks, performing whatever duties the temple organizations sent them out for.

Far in the distance, growing more visible as they reached closer, the Shimmer Castle sparkled in the morning light.  It sat at the base of a steep face of the mountain, resting at the foot of the royal temple to Holona.  Of the roughly dozen Embodied Gods that controlled the fate of the mortals, each prominently worshipped or appeased in this city, Holona held the highest regard.

The group came under the shadow of her eyes as they reached the gates of the Shimmer Castle.  Drosko directed them to the administrative section where they were to meet the High General. In a hurried fashion from door to seat, they were led to their meeting.

In a small conference room within the border administration building, the group sat on lightly cushioned benches. The building itself was nestled within the walls that separated the Shimmer Castle from the rest of Valtaska, but had the dignity to be aestheticly designed instead of purely defensive.

The extra layers that seperated elite from peasents irritated Ashara, who eyed every piece of tapestry on the walls as she sat back against one of the few bare spots of stone. Her comrads took their seats at the long table, waiting to speak to the High General.

"So this job pays big, right Drosko?" Embra sat leaned like young princeling, a relaxed confidence that showed no sign of being corroded. Her eyes stared off in imagined anticipation to their payday, rich wines and elegant dresses.

"From my understanding, this job should pay well enough to truly set us up and establish our name amongst the guilds out there.  Well, that and once we come up with a guild name."

"Perfect. Then we can focus on expanding into the skies-"

"And a guild bar!" Victalyasssa interrupted Ish Ma'el with an excited look, her fangs giving her wide smile a near-manic look. Ish simply turned, a gentle shrug in ackowledgement.

Conversation fell aside as each member became preoccupied with their own dreams and thoughts. As they grew steadily more restless. Soft voices echoed from behind the closed door from far off rooms, mingling with the occassional footfalls.

When the wait became almost more than Ashara cared to deal with, metallic bootsteps approached. A moment later, an older human male dressed in a cloth and metal armor of position entered, immediatly issuing an apology.

"My friend Drosko, and his guild, I apologize profusely. A downside to my position is the constant barrage of demands.  I have managed to slip away however," the general stood before Drosko as the older dwarf stood, a grin on his face. "Drosko, you willey runt. I thought dwarves aged slower than humans. You look ancient compared to me!"

"Akadee Threev, bastard still. Come here old friend."

They embraced in a quick, strong hug, their fist pounding each other's back with a youthful vigor.

"I wish we had more time to be social, but obligations have me needing to cut straight to the point," The High General walked to the far side of the table, taking a seat and setting down a small bundle of items before him. He took in the other guild members who in turn, measured him for his rank. Another pause as he glanced at the report before him, then he addressed the guild as a whole.

"As you may be aware, Drosko and I go back many years. In my youth, we were in the Valtaskan military, and though we parted there, we have kept in constant contact.  With my position and his new guild, I have the distinct pleasure of presenting an oppertunity to you; a job that will be issued by the High King himself in a week and presented across the entire Alliance to any prospective guild, group, or other adventuring spirits.

"If you have not become aware yet, you soon will; the world seems to be subtly changing in ways that have led some to believe our cycle is coming to a premature end.  The desert to the west is expanding, droughts are becoming common, wells run dry, even in areas of heavy rain, and towns have begun disappearing across the peninsula. A small group has started appearing, worshipping some strange new power. It has been rumored this cult is behind these small calamities.

"Though the King is looking into these matters, it is not something, as yet, that would call on the Army.  We have sent Inquisitors abroad, and in that, I come to the two tasks that I request of you: First, the High King will release an order to investigate this cult and bring any proof of their activities that may be causing harm, or, if they are innocent, exonerating them. Second, and unique for you, there is a small town called Skad where we sent one of our Inquisitors. He was to report on rumored cult activity, but soon after arriving, he has seemingly disappeared. We are tasking your guild specifically with finding our Inquisitor, no matter his status, or proof of what befell him."

"Have you not tried Scrying for him?" Ish Ma'el leaned forward, his mind running through possibilities as he listened.

"We have, but there is something seems wrong in the divine domains, as we receive no answers of any use. All divination we've done to reach him have failed."

"Search parties?" Ish continued. His comrades nodded as they listened.

"You will be the first.  We considered sending an official military party, but we wish to avoid any panic that a military response may bring." As he spoke, General Threev pulled from the bundle of items a map of Tanaviak, marking on it the location of Skad before sliding it to the group.

"Who does Skad fall under? The Kingdom of Treesko or Enderfaso?" Embra trailed her fingers over the map, planning a route through the King's road's that connected the Alliance of Kingdoms.

"Enderfaso. They have actually already asked for assistance in dealing with Skad, which is why we sent the Inquisitor in the first place."

"So we get to Skad, find the Inquisitor, or proof of his circumstances, and then gather any additional information on this new cult as we go?" Ish was equally looking over the map as he spoke, trailing the airways travelled for the quickest route.

"Correct.  On your return to Valktaska, we will pay 500 marks for completion of the task. An additional 200 marks will be paid if the Inquisitor is returned, regardless of his status. Additional funds may be paid for information regarding the cult. At that point, we will address the next steps, if there are any, regarding how to handle the cult."

"Task seems straight forward," Drosko turned toward each member as he spoke. "I believe you all can handle this easily enough. Any questions?"

"Get in, and kill cultists, yes," Ashara lifted herself from the wall, gripping her sword with one hand.

"Always wanting blood Ashara," Victalyassa shook her head, turning to Drosko then Threev as she continued. "We get it. It's a long trip to get to Skad though. Is this a super urgent task?"

"Not strictly speaking," General Threev pulled from the bundle of items several items, but the first was a contract and blood-binder pen. "If you agree to this task, you will each need to sign this Writ, granting you Inquisitor rights on behalf of the High King.  I have been authorized to provide you two Vocal Stones to communicate with Drosko on any urgent matters, and a single ticket to use the Magirium Transport, either to get there, or back.  Mind you, this will only take you to Treesko or Enderfaso, you will still need to travel the roads to Skad."

"Agreed," Ashara bent down before anyone could respond, grabbing the pen and putting her name down. In a a few strokes, the pen had drawn her blood through her pores and infused the ink she signed with, sealing the writ to her and the others.

Each member signed in quick order, including Drosko and the High General. The paper glimmered, the red-black ink drying as the High General looked it over.

"Wonderful, I hope this ordeal will be calmed down through your actions.  The last thing any nation wants is a rebellious group rising up. New god or not.  Drosko, feel free to reach out any time, my old friend, and let me know what you need.  Now I must pardon myself, as duty always calls."

General Threev stood up, sliding the remaining items across the table to the group. They stood in respect, the sole exception being Ashara, leaned back against the wall, and turned toward one another as he left.  Ish grabbed everything but Drosko's vocal stone and put it in the pockets as they took the moment to plan.

"Supply run then the Magirium?" he asked, more as a formality as his mind began tallying up what they'd need.

"We'll leave it to you," Embra said with a grin.

They left the room back to Valtaska, anticipating the coming adventure in their own way.  A dark cloud passed over the sun, taking on a sand-yellow hue as it cast them in shade. With the spring wind picking up, a shiver passed through everyone, but an eager energy kept them warm as they continued onward toward their new job.