Since losing his true form to the one that walks the streets on two legs, Perrath’s grasp on magic using shadows has faltered quite a bit. In fact, he finds it rather infuriating that he cannot simply control them in the same manner he once could. It should be simply, but instead, he is learning that he must rebuild his strength and skill. An awful situation to be in, really. A dragon as mighty as he should have true control over a domain. The greatest dragons can control the seas and skies on a whim! So why does manifesting control over shadows escape him?

That is what brings him to the streets of a small village outside of Darkveil. Clearly something has been unhappy with the amount of sunlight in the streets since the volcano crumbled, and honestly, he understands the sentiment. Whatever this creature of darkness is, Perrath seeks to find it and either learn from it or exert his control over it. If he must consume its essence to do so, then he shall. This task, however, could be extremely dangerous, not just because of the supposed elemental lurking around, but because other adventurers associated with the Winged Expeditionary Force might be present and could interfere.

He huffs at the thought. But then again, if he does run into a member, perhaps they have some knowledge of elementals that could give him an edge in trying to improve his control over the void that lays at his feet.

---

Quest Details:

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Lights Out
Participants: Two or more
Location: Ash Lands
Post Requirements: 8 posts per person, 250 words per post
Reward: +1 Mystical Archive Ticket, Choice of 1 Rare crafting material
Description: A strange request has been coming from a small village out in the Ash Lands. Locals have been reporting a dense darkness that has befallen the village, making it impossible to see various areas of the village, even during the day. While those in the area have no idea what is going on, members of the W.E.F believe that a Shadow Elemental has moved into the village. Its presence is causing problems, so Adventurers are being asked to come in and try to deal with the problem. Unfortunately, due to its nature, the Elemental is extremely hard to find, let alone fight.

Special Requirements: At least one member of the group (PC only, no NPC's) must be knocked unconscious during this fight.

Mystical Archive tickets are awarded once per player, so you do not get multiple Archive tickets for doing this quest more than once with more than one character.

Traversing the Ash Lands was a solemn affair, the blasted landscape of dull jagged rock even more dangerous since the Drakolt Incident. Since then, all manner of strange and unknown occurrences have kept the guilds and adventurers of Charon busy. This was adding to growing friction between the Crown and the various regional governments, who don't have the manpower to fight the various insurgent groups trying to capitalize on the situation. Taki had become more involved, though she still wasn't quite sure if it was a cause to fight for or a purpose to hide behind...

Either way, the W.E.F. reached out and asked the former shaman to look into a village outside Darkveil. Supposedly some shadowy creature was bathing parts of the city in darkness, even during bright, clear days. All signs pointed to a Shadow Elemental, and hopefully it proved to be nothing worse. Making her way across the craggy landscape, Taki arrived at the village around mid morning. She strolled through the streets in a simple outfit, blending into the crowd as if she were another resident.

Wandering through the streets, she listened to the various rumors and secrets of street society. Casually speaking to shop keepers about their wares, she spread her network of information carefully and quietly. As she wandered, she heard whispers of a dark, draconic figure carrying a large blade and wearing dark armor. Now that sounded familiar... but why would they be here? Taki made her way towards the rumors, and hopefully the adventurer in question.

---

Taki - 0/6 Wounds, 3/3 HP, 1/1 HP vs. Fire

Kijin Guisegraft: Active
Earring of Secrets: Active

So far, Perrath’s search has been fruitless. Shadows bathe the streets and alleys where mysterious figures secret away even during the daylight. The elemental could be hiding anywhere. When he arrived, he expected to find the town covered in darkness, but for now, all is quiet. Some menace to society this elemental is turning out to be.

Standing at the edge of the busiest part of town, Perrath uses his height to his advantage to seek out any suspicious movements or individuals. It’s not particularly helpful given the kind of people that tend to inhabit the Ash Lands. With the volcano gone and the ever-present ash cloud having dissipated, Perrath is finding that he doesn’t prefer this part of Charon much anymore. Perhaps the dark forests of Moonglade might serve him better, especially with Eclipse City such a centric location for Lunala worship. Bah. No matter. Clearly this elemental has the same idea as him: bathe the world in shadow.

The dragon vaguely remembers mention of some back alley where he might find some help or something of the sort. Admittedly, he wasn’t paying very much attention. Which one was it again? One person seems to be moving especially fluidly through the crowd, and he wonders if they’re after something similar to him, perhaps on a mission to seek the same information. No, he needs to make it there first if they’re in competition.

Sinking back into the shadows^[1], Perrath ducks through an alley to beeline for the location he saw the figure headed. And then, peeking around a corner, he watches as the cloaked figure tucks an envelope between two crates before rushing back to the crowded market. His brow furrows and decides that he should investigate, so moving quickly and nearly invisible,^[2] the dragon hurries over to collect what was left then returns to his place behind the corner. Turning it over in his hands, Perrath realizes this is not in fact what he hoped for, but it might have been something else valuable. Well, at least it was easy enough to nab. It could be worth something to the right person.

As he starts to tuck it away, Perrath realizes that someone has started approaching him, and he curses his obvious form, avoiding showing that he’s somewhat startled as best he can. And then he realizes that the face is familiar.

“Shitakibo?”

---

1. One with the Shadows
2. Pass Without a Trace

Weaving in and out of alleys to follow the various rumors, the Orochi kept a careful eye for any sort of unnatural darkness. A lot had been going on, so it was not terribly surprising that most of the town was already indoors as the sun was setting. With all the wild rumors and even stranger happenings, folks were far more cautious. This made traversing the village even easier, so it wasn't long before she was able to spot a familiar silouette dipping in and out of shadows.

She took a moment to ponder if she should spook the warrior, but figured she wasn't keen to see how fast his sword swings when startled. Instead, Taki took a couple of deep breaths to quiet the shifting appearance of her skin and approached casually. She made no effort to be silent, though she still tread very softly. Since the last time Perrath had seen Taki, her appearance had changed somewhat. She had lost her third set of arms, and some of the bulk in her muscles. Along with this, she did not radiate with spiritual magic but instead seemed almost illusory.

"Shitakibo?" the tall warrior, clad in armor as ebony as their scales asked as she approached.

"Indeed, it has been some time Perrath. Are you also here about the strange happenings going on in the shadows?" Taki replied, glad that it was Perrath and not someone unfamiliar or potentially hostile. Perhaps the pair could work together again, though she was equally curious as to why they might be pursuant of such happenings. 

---

Earring of Secrets: Active

At first, Perrath struggles to recognize the orochi woman when he sees her. Something about her is different, as if her very essence has changed, but he wouldn’t find the words to describe this even if he searched for it. In all of his searching to find her familiarity, he almost forgets that he was certainly just acting suspiciously. If she saw him sneaking around, he can’t find any indication that she’s bothered by it.

“It has been quite some time,” he remarks, letting his shoulders relax upon hearing her voice. “Hopefully, you have been well, though admittedly, you are much sneakier than I remember.” Despite his initial apprehension, he lets a jesting tone come through his voice. “I am indeed seeking the source of the strange shadows here. Supposedly, it is some creature that is the cause of them, however, I haven’t found any hints to it. Perhaps it needs to recuperate its magic after casting the town in darkness. Perhaps it has moved on. Regardless, I intend to find it.”

As he speaks, Perrath’s eyes drift down to look at his hand, held just at his torso with the rough palm facing the sky. His taloned fingers twitch with anticipation. This creature could be one of the means to regaining his magic, and he can’t let it slip away like grains of sand in the desert.

Finally, he looks to Taki again. “It sounds like we have a common goal once more. Shall we work together to find this entity?”

"Well is not exactly how I would describe recent months, but that is a conversation to be shared in a pleasant setting. For now, let's say your description of my situation is accurate. As far as the creature goes, I'd be glad to lend a hand in hunting it down. I'm not sure if I'll be able to be as helpful against such a creature as I was before, but finding it I can definitely assist with."

She noted his reaction when speaking about the creature, the way he stared at his hand as if hoping to grasp some distant object. She understood the notion a little, and found herself unconsciously taking on a similar look when considering the drastic difference in her own situation. Taki struggled to process it fully, some days it felt as if her spirit had been excavated from her body. Other days she felt as if some unknown burden had emptied itself, a weight lifted she hadn't fully been aware of. There was no undoing what came to pass, only moving forward and learning from the consequences.

For now, she would continue with this much more mundane life and push all there was about her physical form to it's limits. In the scant months since this journey started, she'd become faster, quieter, and skilled with a variety of martial abilities. The best part was how much of this new life had also helped her get in touch with her past, and a passion she hadn't felt since childhood. Dancing was an important part of Orochi culture, and one of the few forms of Art recognized as a worthy pursuit. Now, she could throw her body into an ethereal frenzy while her mind absorbed the situation. Rumors and secrets could not hide from her keen ear, shadows held few mysteries, and her proficiency with crafts expanded. Realizing she was a bit lost in this series of thoughts, she shifted her focus back to the task ahead.

"How would you like to proceed in searching, and handling the mysterious entity we seek?"

---

Earring of Secrets: Active

“Well, perhaps we can find a pleasant setting to speak about our troubles after this situation is dealt with,” Perrath says, some mild offer of optimism despite the circumstances. “I’d be grateful for your expertise in hunting it down. I think that I will be able to make some attempt to contain it once we find it. The shadows are my domain.” And I will be damned if they make a mockery of me, goes unsaid, but could be evident in the way he presents himself today.

Dropping his hands and raising his head again, Perrath looks at Taki and then back towards the street. A feeling in the air makes his scales tingle with anticipation. There is movement. The sky grows just slightly darker as if clouds were curtaining the sun, but when Perrath glances up, there are no clouds in the sky. Something is changing. The darkness is creeping in. “The creature is active again. Do you think you could seek it out? It might be looking for the perfect place to seep up the shadows to power itself.”

These are all his assumptions, of course. Perrath has rarely dealt directly with elementals to know what truly drives or powers them, but he considers that this is something he would do were he trying to do what the elemental is. He can understand the motive of wanting darkness. Being in the sun is quite irritating to him. Perhaps that’s the elemental’s drive all along, to make a place better suited for itself now that the ash of Drakolt no longer obscures the sky. One elemental’s struggle is a dragon’s opportunity.

As Perrath spoke, she could feel the shadows around her straining, reaching outward for purchase on the world of brightness. All around, shadows stretched and twisted, pushing against the afternoon sun overhead. Whatever this creature was, she could feel it's presence now that it was manipulating the darkness. Looking to her fellow adventurer, she nodded before replying.

"Now that it is active again, there should be little difficulty. I can feel it pushing against the shadows, commanding them stretch and grow."

Turning towards the deepening gloom, it took only a moment for her eyes to adjust as she slipped into the shadows ahead. Taki seemed barely real, parts of her body only appearing when she purposefully stepped through a bright beam cutting into the growing umbral atmosphere. Moving a few streets deeper into the darkened alleyway, she paused for a moment to allow the sensation to hone in. Turning left, she signaled Perrath to follow and continued silently down the alley. Each step forward felt as if walking into darkness itself, a deepening pressure against the Orochi's senses that obscured even her improved sense of night vision. They were quite close to the creature, so she could surmise it was likely somewhat nocturnal. To hide while resting and mask it's presence, it's effect on shadows greatly diminished or ceased until it became active again.

Every part of her was in hunting mode now, following the shadowy tendrils towards the epicenter of pressure. Her normally slitted pupils spread wide, trying to let in any tidbits of light that might be found. Not fully sure how far she'd gone down the alley, she tried to follow his progress by sound. They hadn't discussed what to do if neither could see the other, nor what would happen once they found the creature. The pained yet determined look on his features spoke volumes though, there was some sort of plan in place and it involved this entity.

As expected, Taki’s keen senses do not fail them. It seems they can both sense the strange ominous pressure the creature exudes, but while Perrath is a warrior, Taki is a hunter. Still, something seems off about the Orochi woman. Their first adventure together took them through darkened valleys and forests to recover missing livestock. She seemed much less at home in the shadows then than she does now. To Perrath, this isn’t a bad thing, but he can’t help noticing that she is without what he considers her constant companions. Time has changed Taki. Or perhaps something more destructive in nature. The world has been through much recently, and it only makes sense that she has too.

Still, whatever she has gone through, she makes a good companion for this. She seems just as at home in the darkness as Perrath does, weaving in and out of shadows, fading with each step through them just as the dragon does. Their footfalls are quiet, perhaps even silent. The darkening sky doesn’t impede them, only serve them. Each motion forward only serves to pull them towards their ultimate goal: finding the entity responsible. Night hasn’t fallen yet, and if Perrath’s intentions to control or capture this elemental pan out, then he isn’t worried about what the dark of the night might do to empower it.

Finally, they come to a stop. A small area between buildings, which should have at least some slivers of light, sits in complete darkness. Pitch blackness has covered the ground and walls and even spread between buildings to form an inky web between them. The gaps close ever so slightly with each breath in the area seems to take. This darkness is alive, living, and it hasn’t quite noticed their approach yet.

Perrath casts a glance at Taki and reaches for his sword. Dark domain magic will likely not be effective against this creature, so he thinks they should get a sneak attack off on it to weaken it before he can make his move.

The power that pulses and breathes ahead of them makes his tail twitch with anticipation.

Perrath's gesture to his blade was something she could agree with, as the initial strike was their soundest opportunity to inflict damage. Her initial thought was to use a spray of caltrops to blanket the area and limit it's options, but that also meant she and Perrath would have to contend with the hazard as well. Striking with a Needle seemed sound, which led to the blossoming plan that drew a devious smirk across the Orochi's features. Taki very carefully tried to mime her plan to Perrath in what little light could be found, pulling both a Needle and a Talisman from pockets in her robe. Using hand gestures, she did her best to communicate her plan to throw both attacks first. Since the Talisman would produce a storm of shuriken, she tried to indicate it using her hands so her scaly companion did not step into the fray a moment early. When she gestured with the Needle to follow up, she used her two free hands to make a slashing motion over her shoulder to indicate that was the right moment to follow up.

Hoping she'd communicated the idea well enough, she pressed tightly against the wall and took a quiet but deep breath. As she exhaled, a whisper of magical energy pulsed through the shaman's arm and charged the Talisman. This put the changes to Taki's magic and presence on prominent display. Spirit magic has many similarities to some alchemical processes, though instead of two or more ingredients interacting, the caster's magic acts as a reactant for the spirits directly. They call to the spirits, gently guiding their influence to have affect on the natural world. To act as that catalyst, at least in Taki's experience, one needed to be subtle, gentle and decisive. It was more akin to asking very powerful friends to wave their magical fingers in shame at someone, only that finger happened to be made of boulders, flame, etc.. Activating the Talisman was Taki's magic alone, the skill of a practiced and learned mage. It fascinated her current instructors, and was the envy of many of the other students. It didn't help that she'd endured the spartan and intense 'crash course' training, completing her lessons one after another despite the grueling pace.

With a flick of the wrist, she tossed the Talisman¹ down the corridor. The scrawled formulae on it's surface glowed with a rusty dinge, then burst into an expanding cloud of needle shuriken. A cacophony of metallic strikes into stone, wood and anything else unprotected in the alley echoed their passing. There was an unnerving buzz as some of the needles whizzed by, though it also signaled her following attack and their safety from the scroll's effect. Leaning around the corner, she could see several needles glinting in what looked to be a mass of darkness and shadow. Reaching back, her arm snapped forward with astounding speed to release the Needle it held². The twisted spike of metal seemed to fling itself apart when it was near the creature, expanding into a cone of small versions of itself that drilled their way into it's inky form.

---

1: Star Storm Scroll
2: Hydra Blood Needle [39/40 ammo]

It seems he and Taki have similar ideas in the form of trying to get a sneak attack off on the creature. It’s just a matter of finding the right way to do so. Taki, however, appears to have a plan. Perrath watches her mime her plan out. He doesn’t fully understand, but he doesn’t need to. Taki will strike first, and he will follow.

Peering around the corner, Perrath watches Taki’s fast and decisive motions. An explosion of metal stars and needles clink and clang off the surroundings, but many find purchase in the dark form of the elemental. This is nothing like Perrath has ever seen from Taki before. The lack of spirits, the reliance on shrapnel-like weapons. He wasn’t wrong in thinking that Taki seemed different, but they can discuss later if they so choose.

With the initial onslaught striking the creature, an otherworldly shriek of pain reverberates through the alley, and the shadows surrounding them twitch and vibrate erratically. Perrath grips his sword and swiftly charges forward, bringing the soul-eating blade across the elemental in an upward slash that causes the creature to shriek again. In an attempt to find some reprieve, the elemental releases a blast of powerful dark energy that throws Perrath back and clings to his armor.^[1,A1]

Shadows blast out in all directions along the ground, rolling like a boiling pot of water and coating the ground in a pitch black sticky substance.^[A2] It catches Perrath’s feet before he can regain his balance, and he falls back on his back, left open for attack.

---

1. -1 HP Cuirass
A1. Death Wave (elemental)

SPOILER: Click to show

You shoot a wave of dark energy out from your body in all directions. These wave only goes up to a medium distance, but pushes out from your body in all directions. The wave of darkness deals damage as well as pushes each person struck backwards to the edge of the range. It will knock each living creature to the edge scorching them with the dark energy.
-Deals dark damage-

A2. Dark Soil (elemental)

SPOILER: Click to show

You create a patch of tar like substance on the ground, a dark blob of sticky energy. Anyone standing on the patch or passing through the patch will find themselves stuck, unable to move for the next post. You can only be freed by being pulled by another person. This spell also prevents anyone from using fly or hovering spells or effects while in the tar.

Perrath launched his own attack as the spray of projectiles and it's angry buzzing concluded, having just barely enough room to move out of the big knight's charging path. Leaping at the shadowy, amorphous creature, he cleaved through it's form with a massive greatsword of dark ebony metal. Again it howled and hissed, letting out a shriek that preceded a massive burst of energy. The umbral wave tossed Perrath out of the alley just as quickly as he'd entered, inky tendrils gnawing at his heavy plated armor. The elemental followed it's burst with another, this one causing the distorted shadows around the knight to turn to a deep, tarry pitch as they tried to recover. Falling back against the ground, he seemed pinned by his own bulk and the gooey effect.

"This is no time to be lying about my friend, allow me to facilitate your travel."

There was a snide sarcasm to the Orochi's voice, which was punctuated by a gentle ringing tone. As Taki took a step forward, her body began to sway and shift. By her third step, the dance had become a writhing, roiling mass of limbs that seemed to pass in and out of reality¹ at leisure. Without explanation, or fanfare, she crossed the goopy field as though she were floating atop the ground. When she reached the hulking mass of metal and scales, she wore a sly grin as her four arms took hold of Perrath. Now, she's never been a bulky lass... barely coming up to the Dragonkin's chest on her best day... but she pried his seven feet of bulk and armor off the ground as if she were pulling a stubborn weed from the garden.

Before he had time to protest, or complain, she planted both legs wide and pivoted towards the wailing creature. With a heavy, hissing breath her entire body pitched the knight² like some monstrous, ebony scaled javelin. Onlookers would have hardly noticed a hitch in the Dancer's step, her movement fluid and flowing as she launched Perrath almost... daintily... through the air.

---

1: Finale - Activating, 1/3 Duration

SPOILER: Click to show

The ultimate form of expression of the Muse of Dance. The bard who performs this movement will seemingly fade in and out of existence from the material plane. Once per topic, you can cause your body to remove itself from reality, while still being able to move, be seen, and perform. For three posts you can become ghost-like, ignoring damage and physical interaction from reality. For the next post after this abilities duration ends, your limbs remain halfway in between reality, allowing your physical melee attacks to go through armor, ignoring hit preventions of any kind.

2: Improvised Weapons - Drago-Javelin  

SPOILER: Click to show

While the brawlers best weapon is their fist, they realize that sometimes the situation calls for more creative means of offense. They can turn any mundane item at their disposal into a make shift weapon, allowing it to deal damage equal to the lowest form of their damage type. They can grab things like a chair leg and use it as a club, or a iron bar and use it as a dagger. This gives the brawler access to a multitude of weapons regardless of what situation they are in.