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[Mairsil]

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Myrddin Ab'arawn stood firm upon the Eastern Bridge of Umbra, Tyranis to his side contiously scanning the gathering crowd. To one side of the bridge, on the road away from the heart of the city, stood a majority of the soldiers under the War Master's command. On the city-side of the bridge stood restless citizens, tired but loyally waiting in silence.
He spoke under his breath.



My people...

Tyranis turned head first to look his father in the eye and gave him a small nod. Myrddin returned his nod and straightened himself, tensing the muscles in his body, facing those gathered evenly.

MY PEOPLE

He started boldly. He would command their attention and they would remember his words. There was no room for hesitation.

SOLDIERS. CITIZENS. UMBRANS.

He turned into a gradual pace as he spoke, so as to speak to everyone.

WHO ARE YOU? Who are these children of Dark Mother, who make thier home in this place untouched by light?

What Brings you here? What keeps you here?

Freedom? Integrity? Maybe.

But there is -ONE- truth Umbrans. One. Your reason's don't mean a damn thing.

That is why you are here.

For all of your reasons, for all of your justifications, it is the simple fact that no one demands them of you. You live your life here, you make your home here. That's it - No strings attatched.

We are explorers all, free thinkers all, the leaders of lifestyles ever plagued outside of this city. Some of us were born into it..
others, drafted..

Myrddin made purposeful pauses, his eyes catching a soldiers here, a young woman's there. He waited patiently, sillence overtaking the city as he allowed his words to soak into the minds of everyone in his vocal reach. He might have smiled arrogantly at this moment, but the hatred that drove him would never allow such a slight. His next words were chosen carefully.

Your reasons don't matter to me Umbrans.

But have any of you done a damn thing to deserve it?

Myrddin raised his head to look at them once again, all softness gone from his voice. His eyes burned.

Umbra is threatened this night. Not by a foreign millitary, not by any government, but by a man.

One man with the will to see us fall at any cost. That is all it takes Umbrans. The world we live upon hates us dearly, and all it takes is one Man to bring to his attention another, and then another after that. One man who could lead a nation of people against us with no conceptions of right or wrong, morals or purpose. One man who poisons hearts and minds more deeply than any blade.

The man I speak of is Jonathan Strathmore.

He's been the motivation behind attacks against my family. The Ab'arawn family...

He's twisted my wife's own mother agasint us, and killed her father.

My SON, DETHN AB'ARAWN, is missing and likely DEAD, at the hands of this man.

Jonathan Strathmore is my ENEMY! And that makes him yours Umbra!

He threatens the security of our realm! He threatens the very foundation of who and what we are! He seeks to corrupt and influence us, to use us as though we are garbage to be rid of from society! And he has the power to lead our enemies agasint us!

Myrddin paused, his heart beating, his breathing more excited. He stood confidently, looking over everyone in his most resolute of stances. There was one last thing to do.

Umbrans! It is YOUR responsibility and mine to find this man at all costs. He cannot be allowed to walk amongst us. He cannot be allowed to do more damage to our home than he already has. Every man, woman, and child that calls this city home... Is now under my DIRECT ORDERS to take action agaisnt this man should even the slightest oppurtunity arise!

AS OF THIS MOMENT, I MYRDDIN AB'ARAWN, YOUR WAR MASTER, DECLARE UMBRA TO BE AT WAR WITH JONATHAN STRATHMORE.


_________________
"You see I can not be forsaken, because I'm not the only one. We walk amongst you, beating, r#ping, must we hide from everyone?" - Jon Davis

[gypsy_merrique]

---

Stepping out of the jeweler's shoppe, Merrique overheard a passing couple making mention of a gathering to occur shortly at the Eastern bridge. With a slight frown, she turned toward her home and arrived shortly thereafter.

Not making a sound so as to avoid disturbing her sleeping husband, she went to the room of her son Shalcross. Soft whispers to the boy roused him from his rest, and he blinked at her a few times after rubbing his eyes; the confusion was apparent in his facial expression. At his mother's urging he dressed and then pulled on his hooded robe. Hand in hand, mother and child hurried eastward to see what was going on.

The pair stood among their fellow Umbrans, hand in hand, their hoods pulled up over their heads and, for the most part, concealing their faces. When the Warmaster told the crowd that his son was missing and presumed dead, Merrique felt the blood rush from her face and heard a distinct whooshing sound in her ears. However it was not fear that caused this reaction.

It was anger. Pure, unadulterated malice.

Not realizing she had squeezed her son's hand a little too hard in her reaction, Merrique's attention was brought to the boy when he squirmed and tried to pull his small hand away. Shalcross saw the emotions playing across his mother's face and knew in an instant they were not directed at him, even if he had been in trouble with her lately. Ever the little man, he set his jaw in imitation of his mother's own hostile expression.

Likewise, when Merrique pushed her hood back to look directly at the Warmaster, Shalcross did the same.

He squeezed his mother's hand. Hard.
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. . . But the dark is very trustworthy.
It's always as dark as you thought it was.
And you don't have to work at staying there.
All you have to do is survive it.
And I've been doing that forever.
from the novel "Dark Debts" by Karen Hall