[Story] A Call to Arms

[Mallen]

Elara grabs the crossbow and backs up to examine it. She is slightly defensive that Zsa is angry about her crossbow and is irritated that Tresea is giggling about it.

[LuEngel]

Zsa's hands catch fire as she turns to Treasa: "How dare you! That is sacred to all the clans! For you to treat it like another one of your toys is going too far!" Zsa swings at Treasa, who merely raises a single arm in her own defense.

Beneath the roar of Zsa's flames is a series of clicking noises. When the flames die down, there is a circular shield on Treasa's arm. It slowly collapses back into her arm brace.

She smirks at Zsa: "You really should know better, Fru."

Ignoring, Zsa's fury, Treasa goes over to Elara: "I call it Elf-shot. It's got excellent fire power, especially if you're willing to push your magic into it. I've also coated all the arrowheads is a special paralytic and it comes complete with a secret cookie compartment!"

[Achylleus]

Bartholomew looks at the sword swings it a few times. He turns to the table with food and looks at his sword, then back to the table, then back to the sword, obviously thinking about smashing the table to try it out.

[Mallen]

Elara tries to subtly take a cookie from the table and put it in the compartment.

[LuEngel]

Ina frowns at Bartholomew: "If you want to practice, we can go to the pratice ring with dummies. Please don't break the table." She has her hands on her hips and tilts her head back to look at him: "Someone worked very hard to make that and it would be mean to ruin it just because you want to try your sword. You wouldn't want me to break something you made, now would you?"

The cookie compartment comes pre-loaded with many types of cookies.

[Achylleus]

Bartholomew looks dejected and sad. "Sorry Ina... where are practice dummies?"

[LuEngel]

"Come with me." Ina takes his hand and leads him outside and around the back of the building, where the guards practice and trainging grounds are. There are several dummies and people sparring. Many stop and great Ina. They refer to her as "Lady Ina" or even "Lady MacLeod". "Here you go," she smiles at Bartholomew, "If you want, I can ask someone to spar with you once you've gotten a few practice swings in."

[QueerSpaceWitch]

Zuri gives her new bowstring a few small tugs to test the taughtness and carefully examines the arrows. She followed the direction that Ina and Bartholomew went, wanting to try the new equipment out.

[LuEngel]

For those going to training grounds: there will be new threads labeled "Characters" acting as a sort of side-quests for you.

[Mallen]

Elara will also head to the training ground.

[Gecko]

Fëanor takes this time to examine the door frame in more detail.

[LuEngel]

After a few hours of everyone practicing on the training grounds or speaking with the Clan heads (so after the side-quests take place), the party will be shown to their rooms in the guesthouse. Each room has the potential to house three people. The two rooms everyone is shown to are across the hall from each other. The guide informs everyone that they have little interest in how the group divides themselves between the two room.

[LuEngel]

The next morning, Latya greets the group with breakfast.

She also offers a blessing to the group: "May the gods bless the path on which you go,
the earth beneath your feet,
and gude you swiftly to the fate you seek.
Let the way be smooth before you
with a guiding star above you
and a keen eye behind you.
This day, this night, and forever.
Gods be with you whatever you pass,
whatever you climb,
and whereso ever you stay.
May they be with you at each stop and each sea,
at each lying down and each rising up,
in the trough of the waves,
on the crest of 
 the billows.
May they bless you
for each step of the journey you take."

(Players: this blessing and quest-line has boosted everyone to HP 25.)