Chapter 1 - Change

Aetheling, we have the girl and your whore. Come alone to Ogofhole . I demand satisfaction. Arthek

Looking over his shoulder Magan sees Ewen at a stall. He barely breaks his run as he passes him, thrusting the note into his hand.  "Find the others, show Gawen this note, follow me as fast as you can."  He doesn't wait for a response, already mounting Ealing he reaches into the saddle bag, pulling free a large true sweord he digs in his heels and charges out.  They cannot be far. I saw them not 30 seconds ago and dragging two unwilling captives on rough terrain. I will cut them off before they get close to the caves.  As they ride a mystical speed takes hold of Ealing, her gallop seems to be taken up with the wind as her form blurs. No horse should be able to run so fast. [casting long strider] 

Magan bolts up the road west out of town, headed towards Ogofhole . However, the track ahead of him seems to be empty. At this speed he should have passed them by now, if they're on this road at all.

Gawen swears softly as Ewan shows him the note. He hurriedly gathers the rest of the party together to quickly discuss a plan of action. "Ogofhole is the next village over, a short walk from here, and a shorter ride. But I don't like the idea of riding blindly in - Arthek has already demonstrated he is not a man to be taken lightly. And we have nothing to say for sure that Ogofhole is where Theli and Isolde are. We could perhaps take a more measured approach - use Pen, and Guthric's hounds to track Theli and Isolde. Though given Magan's haste, any delay may be fatal."

Magan stops, casting his eyes around he begins to look for any tracks, or signs that they have passed through. He curses his foolishness. Steadying himself he considers what action he would take if he were Arthek. 

Magan finds no trace of unwilling prisoners being moved out of town recently, let alone a child.

Magan skirts around the edge of town, feeling a little foolish but hoping he will at least have reassured Arthek's men that he took the bait. He heads back to the square quickly to find his companions. 

Kara sniffs. She leaves Isolde to Magans care for one day and he loses her. Why else would this has happened if it wasn't for the folly of men. " See, this is why you do not let a man watch delicate things. They break or lose them" . She mutters as she gets her shield and fancy new sword.

Guthric checks his sword and bow, then mounts up and takes his shield, "You all go ahead. I'll track them down if I can. Few can outrun a pack on the hunt."

Kara nods and starts to led the others forward into the village, telling then to be casual, and keep a bit of a spread, but close to each other. She didn't know how long Magans had been missing them, but she figured starting in the market seemed smart. She also talked with some of the merchant's, asking if they had seen her sister and niece come by recently, describing Isolde and Theli.

Several traders say they saw the two girls browsing their wares. One also noticed a man with long blonde curls who never seemed to stray too far from them. It seems they were last seen at the western end of the market place, on the opposite side to the temple.

Gawen hurries through the busy marketplace, the crowd almost-magically parting ahead of his intimidating bulk, to where Branok is guarding the wagon. He grabs an item each of Theli and Isolde's clothing (in Theli's case trying to get something that had been minimally wetted by the swamp water), before asking Branok to drive the wagon round and meet them at the western edge of the market. He whistles for Pen to follow, the small dog jumping eagerly down to follow him, and meets up with the others over the far side of the market, where the traders mention the two women last being seen. He shows the items to Guthric. "Will these do? If any of the dogs can pick up a scent, I think we should try and stick together." Bending down, he offers the clothing to Pen before passing it to Guthric. The small dog sniffs at the garments with interest.

Kara sighs, and thanks them for their time. She presses a bit harder on the western end merchants, asking if they left with someone who wasn't Magan. She tries to keep it polite, but while she could talk and hang out with warriors, it seems merchants left her a bit flustered, especially the younger ones who tried to flirt with her. She had a mission to complete, and while the young farm boy wasn't all that bad looking, they all seemed like a child compared to one she was traveling with. This led to her getting a bit more snippy than normal. While not having much worry over Theli as a grown woman, Isolde was to be treasured, for she felt more like a priestess than anything.

Kara's forceful attitude isn't always well received, and some of the traders are dismissive of her, in favour of paying customers. However, one of the young men trying to win her attention says he's sure he saw two girls matching the description being escorted towards the White Hart by a pair of armoured men.

Kara frowns hearing this. She wasn't sure  what the White Hart was, but she does come up with a an idea she thinks is pretty good. She thanks the one who gave her this information, along with a kiss. She goes back to her friends and starts to tell them about the White Hart, she then fills them in on her plan. She gathers them and makes sure they are unable to be overheard by others before saying.  "I do not know where Magan ran to, perhaps he ran into trouble. However, I would say this. We have a good chance to rescue them by pretending this was planned. We gather and head out of town like normal. Afterwards, we check to make sure we were not followed, and come back to the White Hart. We sneak in, and rescue the girls before anyone notices we are back. If we are lucky we shall even encounter Magan and include him. We just need to make sure we leave and are not followed back by anyone."

Guthric takes the garments and offers them to Fang and Claw. The pair start sniffing, but split in opposite directions, seemingly lost in a plethora of smells. "This seems doubtful. If we go another hour, I saw we mount and go to where Magan was direct to meet. If we can scout the area before the others arrive or ambush the captors, it'll help us more than walking into a trap."

Entering back into the town from the other side, Magan ties Ealing off at the end of the square. Hiding his sweord under his cloak he watches Kara speaking with the merchants and then back with the others. He whistles for Pen from the shadows, hoping he'll subtly attract his companions attention. 

Ewen curses as he listens to the words. "I think that is a good plan. I should remain behind as I can infiltrate this place undetected by their men. I could appear to be anyone I wish. We need to gather Magan before he stumbles into an ambush. Let us gather ourselves quickly and go. Once outside of town, I'll depart and take the form of another to investigate this place while you all gather Magan and return. What say you all?"

Gawen nods slowly. "If they are indeed still in town, it would be good to know what their numbers are, and how Theli and Isolde are being held. The sooner you can slip away though, the better - every minute may count here. The rest of us shouldn't go too far though - I'd rather we not split any further. We should investigate the White Hart as quickly as possible, and if it yields nothing, go after Magan."

Gawen looks around to make sure Pen is still nearby, and spots the small dog trying to scrounge some food from someone with familiar features. " Daw popeth i'w enw... " , he mutters under his breath. "Don't look, but I believe Magan is in the shadows over by the woodsman's stand. Trying to stay out of sight, I think. Ewan, it may be worth trying to sneak away now to try and tell Magan what we've found out before having a look in the White Hart."

Kara nods, and upon hearing Magan is nearby makes it clear that they did go to the White Hart. She then heads off, starting to complain in an irrated tone to those following her about how people rushing off ahead often get lost, but she hopes to catch up to them before long. Her party members would understand it's part of the rise incase they are being watched, but she does lead them towards the direction Magan had first ran off to.

Kara leads the group on a stroll around the block, before looping back around towards the White Hart from the north. However, just before the turn, Gawen spots five horsemen riding west on another road, beyond a field to his left. One of them looks to have a woman on the back, and the other something small, like a child!

Ewen nods to his companions and stalks off to find a nearby darkened nook where he blends into the shadows. He targets a nearby vendor and listens to the man's speech and facial patterns as well as his non-verbal gestures before assuming his form and strolling off towards the White Hart without incident. Just as he reaches the building, he spots a group riding away quickly with two figures that he can only guess to be Isolde and Theli, but he needs to be sure! He strolls into the Inn like the local he's portraying and immediately spots two figures in dark leather armor to his right side in a corner that seem to be watching the door very closely. He also notices the innkeeper's familiar smile and he heads right up to the counter. "Treeve," he greets Ewen with a nod. "Yer in early. Who's watchin' yer stall?" 'Fool! You did not think about that did you?' The voice whispers in his head. 'Quiet.' 'Treeve' shrugs. "Closed it down fer a bit. Met some new friends over yonder." He gestures with a nod towards the two men in the corner. "Seems they were leavin' town real quick and I wanted to share a mug 'fore they had to leave town. Could ye pour me three?" The Innkeeper nods his understanding and shrugs as he pours the three mugs of ale. "Good day, Treeve." 'Nicely done.' 'I know.' 'Treeve' takes the three mugs and approaches the two men with a large smile. "Friends! Glad to see ye again! Let's enjoy a mug together?" As he speaks and gestures with the mugs, he laces the words with the enchanting magic of the fey and seeks to charm them both. One of the men looks at Ewen with a mistrustful scowl while the other beams at who is clearly his close friend! "It's me, Treeve! Don't you recognize me? Ye stopped by me stall earlier?"  The mistrustful man narrows his eyes at 'Treeve', but his companion pipes up. "Come on Peran, you remember Treeve?" The other man looks at the ale and shrugs, accepting the drink. 'Treeve' takes a seat with the men and begins drinking. "Tell me, when are ye and yer friends headin' out? I had hoped to buy a round for all ye' before that, but just the two of ye now." They eye each other uncomfortably before the charmed man mumbles. "I doubt we'll be stayin' much longer." 'Careful. You need to get the other one on your side.' "Oh, well that's a sad tune my friend. Where are you movin' on to? I occasionally do a bit of travel myself! Perhaps if our paths are meeting I could buy that round for ye. And yer friend." He smiles and winks with a nod at the mistrustful one, once against lacing his honeyed words with the charming enchantment of the fey that came so easily to him. He watches with satisfaction as the man's pupils seem to dilate and his tense shoulders roll back comfortably as he settles in. 'Happy now?' "Depends on our Lord's luck in Wookey," the more loosed lipped one admits, and the other elbows him in the ribs as they both laugh.Wookey? Ewen had never heard of such a place, but perhaps the others had. Or perhaps he could get a little more out of these men. It was likely where they were taking Theli and Isolde. 'Treeve' leans in conspiratorially with a grin. "Oh? He goin' to meet a maiden?" He waggles his eyebrows a bit and chuckles. The two men stare at 'Treeve' with raised eyebrows, look back at each other and both reluctantly add "...aye..." 'Carefully now, you are getting too close to the truth.' 'Treeve' leans back into his seat as if not taking notice of the attitude shift. "Lucky bastard, yer lord! I be stuck with my old hag. What I wouldn't give for a romp in the hay with a wild lass again!" He takes a deep drink from the mug, waiting to see if they had anything further to say. When the men offer nothing more, but simply sip from their mugs 'Treeve' laughs as he pretends to now notice the awkward quiet. "Worry not, lads! My lips be sealed with yer Lord's dalliance." He wipes his lips. "Has old Treeve said too much?" 'They are closed off now.' 'Treeve' remains with the men, exchanging different small talk about the weather and the crops as he finishes his mug. He reaches over to shake hands with them. "Thank ye lads for sharin' a drink with old Treeve. I best be gettin' back to me stand before some foolish boy steals me produce!" He laughs out a hearty laugh. "Why don't ye lads enjoy smore more drinks and breakfast on me! Enjoy yer time before ye have to leave! And safe travels on the roads, hope our paths cross again one day." With that, Ewen leaves the Inn in hopes of catching up to the rest of his group to give up what he learned when suddenly Magan flies past on Ealing and nearly knocks him off his feet. "Magan! Hold!" The horses wheels suddenly at the skilled hand of its master and Magan turns to see a strange man calling his name. "Tis Ewen! I have information to provide! Let us gather the others quickly. I believe they are headed for Wookey, wherever that is." He jumps onto the back of Magan's horse and they ride off to find the group!

Magan helps Ewan up onto the back of Ealing. "The others are following. I saw them leave with Theli and Isolde though, we cannot wait any longer. We will do this alone if we must." He digs in his spurs and gives chase to the horsesmen in front. 

The riders also break into a gallop as they see Ealing gaining on them. They're headed west on the road out of town.

Kara growls as the group is rushed past. She wasn't sure how they would catch up, but she urged them onwards, hoping to get close enough to them to make a difference.

Having been spotted Magan urges Ealing on further, his anger guilt and fear rise up, blinding him to sense once more. As they pass over a hill momentarily disappearing from sight desperation sets in. His passion and desire to reach them faster once again manifests itself in an unnatural burst of speed from Ealing and she begins to rapidly close the gap with no regard for the danger he may be putting himself or Ewen in. As the gap closes he focuses in on the nearest rider, a natural wrath once more setting in as he probes for a weakness.  "Ewen, take out the horses."  [ casting longstrider, then hunters mark when closer]  As they close the gap, Magan draws his bow. For a moment he considers starting to attack the riders holding Isolde and Theli, but sense returns to him enough to realise that they cannot take on everyone and they need to begin slowing the group down or splitting them up. He instead fires at the nearest horse, hitting it nastily in the head and blood begins pouring from the wound as it whines in pain. 

The horse screams and tosses its rider, who is thrown to the ground with a grunt. It immediately bolts south, fleeing its attacker. The blonde man with Isolde shouts a command to the others and gallops on west. The three remaining riders immediately turn their horses and come about to face Magan and Ewen. Two spur their horses to the side of their fallen comrade and loose arrows at Magan. The first overshoots significantly, but the other sticks in his shoulder pad with enough impact to made his whole torso twist. The third rider comes barrelling through between the two archers, his horse rearing as he brings it to an abrupt halt in front of the group. He's a giant of a man, wearing a leather jacket and with closely cropped black hair and beard. Theli sits in front of him on the horse. He has a dagger to her throat. "Yield, Aetheling!" He shouts. "Or the wench dies!"

Magan mumbles.  "Ewen, you got a move here. Now would be a good time to break out any surprises." He let's his bow fall slack, holding it loosely by the string only. He moves slowly, trying not only to avoid startling the men but also to give the others time to catch up.  "I can't give myself up whilst you still have her, there'd be nothing to keep you from killing her anyway. So let's make a deal." He pauses regularly, ticking down the valuable seconds, as though he is thinking.  "Put her on my horse. It rides off and I stay. 3 of you against one of me. What do you say?" 

Ewen sighs at the standoff as he whispers to Magan. "I used all my powers getting the information that apparently turned out to be pointless. I require a brief respite before I can cast any of my potent magics. I can fight though. I may not be as strong, but I am an exceptionally skilled warrior with my sword."

"Magan..." Theli whimpers pitifully. "Please..." but then she is cut off as the man applies a touch more pressure to the blade, drawing a thin line of dark red forth on her alabaster skin. A single drop runs down her neck. The bearded warrior tilts his head for a moment, as though considering Magan's offer. "You know, you're right," he replies with a cruel smirk. "Too bad you're smart." With that he rakes his dagger brutally across Theli's throat, spilling her lifeblood across the dirt even as he tosses her aside like a dirty rag. She gasps and sputters, her eyes wide as she topples from the back of his horse. Immediately the group leaps into action. Their leader draws a long broad-axe and walks his horse forwards a few steps, roaring a battle cry at Ewen and Magan. The others line up and loose three arrows that almost knock the Saxon from his horse. Magan's action.

"Nooo! " Magan's eyes fill with tears has he tells out a scream. Rage fills the man as his heels squeeze into Ealing flanks. Thea gleams as the oiled blade flicks through the air, the whistling sound as it comes crashing down speaks of the quality of true sword, but Magan's rage has blinded him and his strike is pure brutality with no finesse and the obvious path of his arm is easily avoided by the warrior.  "I'll kill you for that." But the words ring hollow as the axe that could have caught the man off guard swipes nothing but the air as Magan's arm is caught in Ealing's saddle strap. There is some good fortune however as the sudden jerking on her straps causes Ealing to instinctively rear up at the horse in front of her, landing a solid blow with both hooves as she lashes downwards.  Taking advantage of the shuddering of the horse, Magan slashes upwards with a vicious backswing of his axe, catching the warrior completely off guard and opening him up entirely as he struggles to push the blade away. 

Ewen takes the distraction of Magan's attack to quickly slip down from Ealing's backside, drawing out Toirneoir and bringing up his shield! A quick glance over at Theli's bleeding form ignites a foreign rage within as the ancient fey spirit roars in fury against the murder of such as her. 'Release me, child! I want to taste his blood!' Ewen nods as an eldritch green glow shimmers along the blade as he strikes out from the warrior's left side! As his blade slices through the air, the glow leaps from the blade and binds to the warrior! Ewen's aim is true as the edge cuts through the warrior's armor and deep into the muscle tissue of his left arm! Blood begins to immediately ooze from the wound as Ewen quickly brings his blade back and his shield up! He hears the ancient, raspy laughter of the Sidhe... 'Yessssssss... More. Give me more.' Ewen looks at the archers, letting them see the strange mismatched irises. "I fight with the fury of the Old World. You needn't die with this man, flee and you may live. Stand and you will die."

The wounded horse rears, tossing its rider to the ground as it bolts from the combat. He grunts as he hits the ground, his arm still bleeding, and pushes himself to his feet. Lost in his rage, he swings wildly at the man who injured him, beating Ewen back with repeated blows. Meanwhile, the horseless archer seem to think twice of facing this otherwordly warrior and turns to make a break for it. His two mounted comrades ride in to support their leader, each drawing a warseax as they go. The first goes to swing at Ewen, but fumbles his blade, dropping it in the dust as his eyes meet those of the strange faerie warrior. The other has more luck. Magan's reckless offensive has left him open to attack and the blade slices brutally across his face. Magan's action.

Ealing lashes out ineffectually at the man on the ground, he twists and turns aside. As the axe scrapes across Magan's face the pain jolts him awake a little. The blood mixes with tears of anger on his face and a voice in the back of his mind reaches through the pain.  Isolde is alive and well. You cannot help her if you die here, even in the glory of your fiery vengeance.  Magan drops his axe as he tries desperately to halt the flow of blood from beside his eye. There is too much though and he cannot see his own face to know where to apply the pressure. Seeing the axemen still surrounding him he pulls out his shield to try and ward off further attacks. 

Ewen channels the ancient, raspy chuckle of Toirneoir as the warrior drops his weapon into the dust at his feet. He ignores the fool and continues his attention upon the slightly glowing warrior before him. Once again the shimmering blade cuts deep into the flesh of the raging man, drawing even more blood that is now coating his arm and splattering onto his armor. 'YES!' His eyes meet the mounted man once more. "Run along, child! Otherwise you are next!"

As Kara and the rest ride up to assist, she pulls out her bow and takes aim, loosing an arrow at the one swinging at Magan. It was a quick shot, and she was pretty sure that her aim along with the movement of the horse meant she had sent the shot wide, and it would not reach her target.

The Great Wolf's howl rang in Guthric's ears as he pounded down the path in pursuit. Rounding the corner, he could only make out Magan and the two horses against him. Drawing an arrow, he struck soundly as the arrow glanced off the shield of the man to Magan's left. As his horse charged forward, Guthric dropped his bow back into a saddle sheath and drew his shield. Leaping off just behind Magan, Guthric surged forward with a terrifying cry and bared his sword. The enemy had little time to react as Guthric's shield slipped inside his own and pulled it aside. The Pict's seax lunged up and cut a gash across the rider's face. In Guthric's mind, he heard The Great Wolf's howl sounding a hunt

Gawen quickly takes in the situation as he draws level with the others. Magan, Guthric and Ewan are locked in combat and there seems to be little he can do to help, but - Theli is lying motionless on the ground on the far side of the melee. Perhaps it wasn't too late to save her, if he could only get there? He wheels his horse around next to the chicken coop bounding the leftmost edge of the combat, and with a whisper in his horse's ear, commands it to stay still as he climbs up onto its back and from there onto the roof of the coop. He slides down the far side into the dusty paddock, and, hoping their foes have more important things to focus on, rushes to where Theli lies slowly bleeding out. It doesn't look promising - there is a large gash across her throat, from which blood is rapidly spilling, and if the knife severed any veins or arteries there's probably little to be done to help her. Regardless, he puts pressure on the wound to stem the blood flow, trying not to choke her. Pulling a yarrow leaf from his bag, he chews it and spits it onto the wound to aid clotting, then wraps it round with a strip of cloth as best he can - her survival is in the hands of the gods now. Meanwhile... Magan is too busy fending off the bearded warrior's attacks to pay attention to a small movement in the far corner of his vision, but it's there. He's also too distracted to register the strange rapidness with which the flow of blood from his face clots and slows to a trickle, but it does.

The man Guthric injured screams and draws his horse back from the fight, running for safety. The other two concentrate their efforts on Ewen, who has been the greatest threat so far. It's all the eldritch warrior can do to shield himself from real harm as they hammer away at him with concerted blows. Meanwhile, Theli comes to with a start, gasping and grabbing at her neck as Gawen tries to work. She's badly injured, but she's alive. Magan's action.

The presence of his companions seems to rally Magan, things no longer seem quite so desperate and his thirst for vengeance reawakens, Thea glistens once more as Magan swings her heavily through the air, this time with more thought to the blow as he swipes it solidly across the man's face, drawing blood and leaving a nasty jagged wound.

Ewen appears every ounce of the faerie warrior he resembles as he dodges and blocks strikes with his shield. ‘Finish this one! I want to taste his soul!’  ‘No, we may need information.’ ’He will not talk, kill him.’ Despite Ewen’s disagreement with his patron, there is a distinct guidance with his blade as he feints up with his shield, then dropping low and slicing downward with his sword deep into the tendon the runs the length of the man’s leg! With a cry, his wounds finally catch up to him and he collapses. The air is filled with a raspy gasp of pleasure, sounding like the sigh of wind upon a willow as the green glow about the man seems to suck up back into the blade and energized Ewen! His eyes once again meet those of the remaining warrior. “And now you. You were given the chance to run. Now he wants your soul.”

Kara takes down from her mount, unable to reach anyone but Magan in time. He had fought a hard battle, and as it seemed to be under control, she lays a friendly hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down and bring him some peace. However, there is a brief flair of light, and both Magan and Kara can feel the cool winter air of Kara's homeland as Freya's power flows from Kara to Magan, and heals him for some of the damage the battle dealt him. Kara seems to hesitate, as she was unaware of any healing ability she had. She mutters " That seems to be new...."

With a rider fleeing and the leader down, Guthric turns his ire on the remaining rider next to Ewen. Charging across to block retrrat, Guthric is on the hunt for blood. He startles the horse at first by ramming it with his shield which causes the rider to sway uneasily. The distraction was enough and Guthric swings his sword high, glancing across the man's coat.

"Don't move, Theli. You're badly wounded and have lost enough blood as it is. Stay down, stay quiet, stay out of sight," Gawen whispers to Theli as he ties off the makeshift bandage. Looking up at the fight still raging, he wonders what he can do to help. The need to catch up to Isolde hangs at the back of his mind, but the current adversary had to be dealt with first. He pulls three rounded stones from the puch on his belt and quickly wipes on each of them a smear of the blood-soaked mud surrounding Theli, muttering a quiet blessing for them to fly true. He drops one into Theli's hand - a poor defense should she need it, but better than no defense - and loads the second into his sling, moving towards the fray as he whirls it around his head. He lets it fly, and it strikes the man squarely on the left leg - if nothing else a painful distraction that could provide an opening for a fatal swordblow.

The rider cries out in pain and looks about himself. His leader is fallen, his allies are routed. Carefully backing his horse away from his foes, the man turns the beast and breaks into a gallop off to the north. Still lying in the dirt of the road, Theli moans a little, but barely stirs. Gawen has kept her alive, but she's slipping in and out of consciousness as she struggles to move.

Magan is torn, looking at Theli he knows she is not up to a ride, but Isolde is getting further away.  "Quick, he took her that way. We can't let him get back to the cave." Maybe this will work.  Unsure of exactly how it works, but realising Ealing had been moving faster when he needed it, he whispers a prayer and reaches out to touch another horse.  "Somebody stay with Theli. And make sure he doesn't die." Magan points at the wounded barbarian then reaches down to help Gawen up onto Ealing before heading off after Isolde. 

Gawen climbs up onto Ealing behind Magan, without pointing out the obvious fact that Magan is in no condition to fight. Instead, as they ride he reaches into his belt pouch and pulls out a few of what Magan initially takes to be large berries, but on closer inspection are revealed to be seedheads taken from a particular type of flower. "Chew on these as you ride," offers Gawen. "They'll taste bad, but it should dull the pain some."

A short while later Branok catches up to the rest of the group with the carriage. He immediately rushes to Theli's side. "It's okay girl, we're with you." Hurriedly he pulls bandages and other supplies from his satchel, taking over where Gawen left off. "Where is Isolde?"  The old monk demands, clearly fearing for both of them. There's a seriousness in his eyes that belies the severity of Theli's wounds.

Ewen pants heavily as he joins the others in examining Theli.  “I do not have much left, but I will not abandon the young girl to death or slavery. If Gawen, Guthric, and Lady Kara ride to Wookey, then so too shall I. Magan, you should remain behind and allow Branok to bind your wounds. I am surprised you can stand. You fought valiantly, my friend.” “But not quite as skilled as you this fight. If you go after the girl, you should not engage in the melee lest you end up like this one. There is something I will show you, child. As we have grown in power, we have became changeable. Like the wild lands of Otherworld, we have become fluid. Imagine a weapon and I shall become it.” As the voice speaks to Ewen, the sword in his hand begins to ripple... like a still pool of water disturbed by an errant pebble as the metal changes  and shifts into a gorgeous, deadly warrior’s bow with silvered ivy filigree. Ewen smiles as he stares at Toirneoir. “Wonderful.” Seeing that Magan will not be reasoned with, Ewen looks for a horse to mount and ride out with the group!