"Trust was implied to be both ways young one. No one here wished you harm but as you have learned the only aggressors outside wield magic without faith or reason," Bhalla replies. "Trust will see us through thus fight," she adds making the same motion of her hand over Pyra's and her manacles vanish.

It feels like a 10 pound weight has been lifted Lyra, having been so new to the camp yet to become accustomed to the weight it feels odd. Your skin however below them are unharmed and cleaner than the rest of you!

Moving to Lebenha the dwarf furrows her eyebrows thoughtfully.

"You are troubled by the opinions of others. Know that time is your only enemy within these garrison walls. We do not have much left I think as those outside seek to destroy us all," Bhalla explains waving her hand over Lebenha's manacles and they vanish.

Leb this feels famaliar but you must stare at your wrists to believe they are gone! You are unharmed as well.

Bhalla then moves to the gnome lurking at the back of the Casters.

"The day has come Folzi," the middle-aged dwarven woman says to him. "Somehow I don't think you're surprised by these events," she adds awaiting his reply.

OOC: Casters please ro'll arcana checks if you wish. You all notice a ring in Bhalla's hand. A gold signet ring with green stone carved at it's center in the shape of Chauntea's wheat bow.

   "Yup," Folzi says in agreement with Lyra. "Trust is a two-way street, Sister." The gnome holds his hand out expectantly to Bhalla. 

(Editing to add a reply to Bhalla from above)

    Folzi nods at Bhalla's statement. "Yeah, only a matter of time until something like this happened. My question is who was behind all this? I overheard that old wizard saying that 'she will rise' before the siege started. But do you really think this is Her second coming?"

"I hope our acts can convince you that having faith in yourself can be just as good as a motive." She's quite relieved, all though looking at her wrists in a slightly uncomfortable manner. "So, what are we up to now?"

Arcana about the ring: 18

Perception to see if Carrigan was unscathed beneath the Mannacles too: 17

Lebenha mutters a quiet “thank you “ to Bhalla and slowly and with care she touches the skin of her forearms for years. She does it with delicacy as if she fears it will break.

”Not under the circumstances I would have desired, but I am not saying that I long desired this. Thank you Sister Bhalla.” She adds after her exchange with Folki.

(Arcana: 23)

"As I recall you were no where near that tent when I entered but I guess this isn't the time to point out such trivialities," Bhalla says smirking at Folzi. "I think you know who the she is already," she then adds quickly. "The old wizard was a cultists too of Ealaín dhubh as I suspected! I realized that the second he was exposed by his predecessor that morning but without hard evidence like this him burning himself I could not act against him as it was the Commander's edict 'deeds not word's condemn a man..." she trails off with a long sigh looking solemn. "We all should be wary of the past for our future ahead," she adds using the same motion to remove Folzi's manacles where the gnome is unharmed.

Lyra the ring is beautiful to you but seems no more than a gaudy token of faith. Looking at Carrigan who's robes fell over her wrists, you thought you saw something before...possibly a scar but you're not sure the halfling seemed too quick to cover them!

"Rest young one," Bhalla replies getting laboraiously back into the infirmary bed," as I reconmmend for all of you," her keen green eyes looking at each of you in turn again. "Rest...the wards will hold for now," she adds moving back into a sleeping position as Fred returns to guide the party out.

"Plenty of space in the barracks for everyone to rest," Fred says herding them towards the exit. "Captain could you show them," the ykung cleric asks gesturing out the infirmary door towards the upper levels.

Hrain knows hus private rooms are near the top of the tower with several levels of barracks beneath.

"Captain," Carrigan speaks up approaching Hrain before he can lead the party too far. "I could use some help bringing the potions that are ready down as well as bottling those I've made if you don't mind electing someone while those who need rest do rest," the halfling says with a curious expression looking pointedly at the Casters as she speaks.

OOC: decide your next moves. Sleep etc.. 

“I can help you “ offers Lebenha to Carrigan.

Once shown where they are to rest, Thomas takes a few moments to remove his clerical vestments and the chainmail beneath them. He then spends about 10 minutes in prayer before falling almost immediately to sleep.

"I will join as well. There's still a thing or two i'm curious about, if you don't mind."

Hrain looks over the casters as they come to terms with the removal of the manacles that have restricted their abilities for so long, finding himself smiling as they examine themselves afterwards.  As Carrigan approaches he nods to her request, and then when the two casters volunteer he says "That will be fine by me, thank you for offering to help." 

He then tells them which rooms they will be assigned as well as clarifying the same for Thomas.  Haldur presumably has a space already here in the tower, if not then he would include him in this. 

"I am going to retire to my quarters, I need to rest and pray to replenish my strength, who knows how long we have and I would prefer to be ready.  If any of you need me I will be taking reports from the others for a short while, after that I do not wish to be disturbed unless there is an emergency."

With that he moves to his rooms near the top of the tower, and will attempt to get areport from Peregrine on the current operational status of the garrison before turning his thoughts to prayer and sleep.

     "It has been a long day, so I think I will take a load off," Folzi says to Hrain. "Seems they have plenty of hands to help with the potions. If you need me I guess I will be in that room upstairs where you found us." He bounds up the steps with a grin, happy to have these manacles off for the first time in 50 years. Once in the room, with his abilities now unhindered, he begins to freely cast his mage hand and minor illusion spells repeatedly - to knock the dust off, so to speak. 

"Well, come on then," Carrigan replies to Lyra and Lebenha moving towards the steps to the stairwell that will lead them up the alchemy lab.

Leading them upstairs they find the lab in the same state as they left it.

"All those that have separated," Carrigan instructs Lebenha and Lyra to the potions on the far wall shelf, purple on the bottom with an amber liquid on top. "I'll bottle up this," she adds gesturing at the dragon's fire she begins to put in glass bottles shaped like glass balls sealing them with cork and wax.

Lebenha and Lyra put the potions into wooden crates, six apiece, with a total of twelve to take to the infirmary. While they move them Carrigan asks about each of them: where they're from, why especially Leb is at the camp being a full elf that she knows is very unlikely to be in camp there are less than a dozen elves there, and Lyra being so young about her parents.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hrian finds Peregrine in the armory working out a rotation of the watch now they restored three more paladins to heal with potions and scrolls. Two men, a dwarf and a human, and one human woman. The wards were holding and the dragon had not been seen for several hours. There were no developments on the ground but there had not had any messages from the other towers due to the wards being raised. The wards made all magical damage inert to a point. The dragon's icy breath had not damaged the wards regardless of the beast's ferocity. Peregrine excused herself from the Captain and wished him a good rest as she moved with the others for watch duty.

Once inside the barracks, the mercenary's upright and rigid posture seemed to crumple in on itself slightly. He gingerly leaned his halberd against the wall nearest to the bed then began to slowly and methodically unsecure and remove his chainmail hauberk, moving almost in a dazed state as if his mind were miles away from the moment. As the young sellsword slipped a bracer from his forearm, he looked down and saw that the leather had been stained dark with blood during the morning's skirmishes. The image of the Commander being blasted by eldritch energy flashed though his mind, the sound and feel of the man being killed while Haldur struggled in vain to carry him to the Temple entrance vividly clear once again...

His face suddenly contorting with grief and rage, Haldur whirled and threw his bracer as hard as he could against the far wall and swallowed the scream of frustration that threatened to erupt within him. He visibly shook with anger, and he dropped to his knees as the last of his strength ebbed from his body. The young warrior gritted his teeth until his jaw hurt, and angrily he raised a hand to wipe away the tear that threatened to slide between his shut eyelids. He had tried... but he had failed, and a man was dead because of it.

Haldur remained like that for a long moment, until he breathed deeply and gathered the strength needed to rise to his feet. He slowly and calmly removed the rest of his armor, gathered the piece that had been thrown, and he arranged everything neatly by his bed. He then went to a small wash basin and scrubbed the blood and grime from his hands, face and hair with the same methodical and detached movements as earlier. The mercenary then removed his boots and climbed into the bed, rolled onto his side, and tried to go to sleep. Images of the day's carnage and chaos still raced relentlessly through his mind but overwhelming fatigue, both emotional and physical, finally won out and the young warrior drifted away into dreams of fear, anger, and death.

-Edited Addition-

The mercenary was unfazed by the presence of the others in the room, so caught up and immersed was he in his turbulent emotions. He did not even make eye contact with anyone else but simply gave himself to the freedom that came with the release of his inner turmoil. If they thought him strange or unstable, it made no matter to him. Once the dam had broken and the grief had run it's course the repair to his outer facade came shockingly swift, and the sellsword quietly gathered himself into his bed space and laid down to find what rest he could.

The elf follows the instructions and ask Carrigan as they work 

“ Do you know if in this laboratory I could find a little piece of cristal or amber?” 

While working, Lyra will once again go back to her initial request. "I know the Captain didnt mention it anymore, but do you think you might cede one of those dragon fire potions to me? The way you bottle them up makes them perfect as a trajectory, and it seems like we're a little outmatched already." The halflings questioning, however, does catch her somewhat flat-footed. Her eyes suddenly phase off into the distance, Lyra nearly drops one of the potions but manages to grab hold of the flask at the last second. She has a rather weird look on her face, part of it might be grief but theres also something lyrical to it. She traces back a whisp of hair, trying to collect her memories. "I come from a place called Elios. It's a little strange, but i have yet to meet someone who has heard of it. Its a pretty big city, if you try travelling through it on horseback you won't manage in just a day. There was a large forest from north to east and an impressive chain of mountains to the south though, so i guess we were somewhat hidden all the time. There was a pretty powerful clan of wizards leading a university in the center, but after the weave desaster it all came crashing down. Or at least thats what i was told. You were asking about my parents, i never happend to have any. I know how to clichée that sounds." She takes a deep breath. "I grow up in one of those orphanages led by the sisters. The whole place was too close to the slums, and when the community collapsed we went down with them. I think thats my lowermost memory. The place i used to call home in ruins, flames eating away the remains." Lyra stops for a second, clenching a fist on her chest and the eyes glassy, but glowing with unprecedented determination. "If you would've told me back than i would not have believed for a second that someone could seriously rob an orphanage. But i guess some people always go for the profit." The last part coaxes a sardonic laugh out of her. "I gotta admit this actually became my mantra. Those of us kids who made it out ran away into the slums. Which was pretty bad because half of the city basically turned into a huge slum district, and we got chased right into the center of it. Once you got in that deep there was no way to surface ever again. I was kinda lucky because got out as a group. We lost some on the way, but you'd be surprised what a pack of urchins can accomplish if they get cornered." Theres yet another pause as Lyra seems to have trouble processing some of memories that now force their way back into her mind. "And now i am detained here, alone, and everyone else is scattered all accross the country. I guess i did a good job with that." She turns away and tries to wrap up the work, driven by a sudden haste. "Anyway, i guess i'll keep my cakewhole shut now. The day has been bad enough already.", and she brings herself to smile a little. "What about you Carrigan? Where did youstart your journey, and how did you end up in this camp?" She overhears Lebenhas question and points over to the shelf where she found the crystal rod earlier. "I got my hands on something similar there, this chamber is quite the gold mine."

"Yes, please take what you need," Carrigan replies to Lebenha pointing to an entire shelf of crystals, amber, and glass focuses.

Looking to Lyra she listens as she speaks. When she finishes Carrigan looks curious yet somber.

"One but careful," Carrigan says sweetly handing over a potion. "Weild it with care. Onw drop can burn through anything living," she adds. Carrigan looks rather childlike and jovial but her tone and expression shows her age often which is well beyond Lyra by decades at least! "As for me was brought with my mistress Astrid who was chosen as the alchemist after...well some bad business in Sul Na Mara at the Temple. We came here years ago now. I was put in those blasted manacles and only got to practice my craft alongside Astrid who if I'm honest isn't as talented as myself," she explains gloating. "I've always been with Astrid...since I was a girl and she was at university," she explains but doesn't elaborate any further. "Not a story teller dear," she then says looking to Lebenha curiously waiting for her reply.

OOC: Y'all are free to do investigation checks here for items but call out what and we'll see if you find it!

 "Thank you Carrigan" she says and after the potions are ready on the boxes she starts looking around the laboratory with calm.

"I am sorry to heat that Lyra " says Lebenha, who was happy that the attention was diverted from her as Lyra tells her history and Carrigan hers. When she realices that they are wating for her to tell her history she says.

¨Oh... well I guess that is not a very long history. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was traveling and saw a group of bandits attacking a farm. I stopped them, trying not to seriously harm anybody but prevent more bloodshed. The farmers alerted the authorities of my beign a Caster and that night I was aprehended and brought here. This was severeal years ago... I guess that the fear that has been seed all these years against the Casters took the better part of that farmer and he thought he was protecting his family. Despite the fact that the sword wounds he had were inflicted by the bandits, and were the bandits who were about to **** his wife and kill them all. I only helped them and this was my reward. I do not blame them. I blame this crazy and rotten system they had isntaured. I am only surprised that what had happened here today, as sad as it is, hadn't happened before. One cannot control Mother Nature. "

Lyra accepts the potion with a reverent gesture. "Or rather control what mother nature has given to us." she adds as Lebenha finishes and nodds in agreement. "If you think about it for a second, you really begin to wonder why it took so long until people started rebelling. Oh, now while we're at it, do you know anything about this Ealaín that Folzi and Bhalla were refering to earlier? I don't recall hearing that name before, but it seems to be connected to the attack." Lyra asks the other two casters quite curiously.

"Oh my Sune! You don't know of the dragon queen," Carrigan exclaims looking at Lyra with an utterly shocked expression. "The dragon queen tried to be reborn as an ancient goddess banished from the Empire long ago...long before the Four were the only approved Goddesses of worship," she began moving to a chest and opening it removing a satchel and a rod that once it's out of the box springs another two feet in length becoming a staff that Carrigan grips happily. "She was from the oldest human noble houses. A rival of the Aurelian's but that's no matter. The Dhubh became aligned with the Emperor keeping the peace between Caster and the non-magical folk of our world. They were ambassadors but little did most realize they were breeding their children, generations of them, to become the most powerful sorcerers in the realm," she exclaimed next. Putting a belt around her waist Carrigan fills it full of various phails and bottles. Carrigan then puts the satchel on her shoulder with the staff in hand seems ready to leave the lab. "Those crates," she reminds Leb and Lyra, "that's the last of them for a while. I've run out of the herbs and magic notions to make more so be careful," she adds again leading them out if the lab but continuing with her story. "So, where was I...oh yes I remember," she grins. "The lady Ealaín became the leader of her house and worked with the Emperor on policies giving Casters better rights and also returning the rights for us folk," Carrigan pauses gesturing at herself and Leb, "to freely move in the Empire. Ealaín attracted both support and opposition. She was cool and collected, a rumored  white dragon bloonline but she seems more green like myself," the halfling grins again, "but she created a cult with all manner of folk on her side worshiping her," Carrigan says rolling her eyes. "They then gather in secret at an old temple for a goddess long thought dead and attempt to raise the lady Ealaín to Godhood in a ritual that basically created the Weave Waste," she finishes as they group reaches the bottom landing that lead to the infirmary and armory. "Don't speak of her here however," she then adds in a hushed serious tone. "They get even more aggressive when you do," she explains motioning to Shepherds heading there way. "Ah potions for the injured," Carrigan says brightly to the two that apporach with Fred close behind.

"Thank you Carrigan. Your devotion is noted," Fred says with a calm nod before directing the others to take the potions into the infirmary.

OOC: we'll wrap up this day and move on unless someone wishes to accomplish something else before we do!

"No i did not, i never had someone to tell me about her." Lyra listens intently. With a lot to think about, she eventually walks back to the guest room to get some sleep.

After the party retires that evening it passes without incident. Nothing directly involved in the Sune garrison as watch rotates per schedule without incident. Everyone wakes the next morning to a gray, hazy dawn. A shift change in guards as the kitchen buzzes with staff, two human female cooks and one kitchen boy, are preparing the meals for all. A heavy porridge, fried meats, and ales are available. Everyone gets a full night's rest (long rest) and is restored to full HP as well as all conditions are gone for the immediate party. Bhalla is still in bed in the infirmary, Peregrine has taken the first watch and it roaming the tower. Meanwhile, Cara and Ecton, as well as their friend monk Jana, have reassembled their squad visiting the paladin named Geoff Falstaff who was driven insane but now sleeps in a magic slumber while Fred works to restore his mind. Carrigan is back in her alchemy lab where last night she sought refuge after finding no other place suitable to sleep. She had been attempting to compose a new potion with the aid of her magic but so far seems to be struggling with her lack of raw materials!

OOC: What's everyone doing? Please be clear to only use the areas I have referenced already here as well as in previous posts. If you have questions or are unsure PM me and I will clarify!