Shadows swirling. Maniacal laughter. A stricken Faendryl elf beckoning them to leave. Flashes of light and sound.

Gasping, he sat straight upright in the darkened Bathhouse room. With sweat beading on his forehead and his breath coming in large gulps, he quickly felt for the still form by his side. A quiet mumble and a shifting of the covers signaled she still lay sleeping by his side. She was safe...they were both safe.

He delicately worked his way off the bed without trying to disturb her slumber. He could hear the wolf stir slightly outside the door, her senses snapping to attention as she realized his sudden distress. Noting her soft whimper, he sent feelings of calming to her, hoping she would settle back to sleep. Gods know she had earned it...as had they all.

Gazing through the window and out upon the quiet town, torches crackling in the pre-dawn light above the North and West Gates, he felt himself start to settle down after waking up from his nightmare. The pain of the shadows stealing his life force, the hot breath of the vathor on his face as they stood firm, the shifting forms of Althedeus as they hurled their shadowbane weapons - each memory spinning through his head and clashing with the calm reality outside his window. His hand absently strayed to the worn and scarred symbol of a brown doe tattooed on his forehead, gently tracing the delicate lines he attempted to forget.

"We have...done it," he murmured to himself. He closed his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts and focus on the present, on his current reality. His duty done...his fate carried out. His companions had all fought valiantly, and they had accomplished what he himself did not truly believe possible. They had defeated the darkness that had plagued them all for years, and though the long war had taken its casualties, they were now standing on the other side of that precipice.

Another shiver ran down his spine, and as he opened his eyes, the periphery of his vision clouded slightly with shadows. He shook his head, and repeated to himself, "We have done it."

"It is over now....isn't it?" he thought to himself. The dark room, the quiet town, the softly glowing stars in the sky, the sweat on his skin, the flickering shadows from the torches along the towers - all answered him in unison: No.


OOC: What a great run, and my hat is off to all - players, GMs, even the flower girl. Truly a great ride, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I'll be honest, it'll be nice to catch up on some sleep....but I cannot wait to see what's next!

Ryan, Goldtree's handler

"It's not like we're going to die or anything"
*Goldtree just bit the dust!*