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[Ceinwyn ab'Arawn]

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Ceinwyn ab'Arawn stood discussing border sweeps with Mairsil in Dark Cove.

"Did you find anything on the last patrol?" she queried of him.

When his answer came in the form of a negative, she nodded. It was all too quiet, lately. Indeed, It seemed as if the townsfolk themselves were hiding in their houses from them. Which suited her just fine. They pay the tax, and they can live their lives.. to an extent. However if they don't pay their taxes... she smiled just thinking of the consequences.

She was about to ask Mairsil about a new method of taxing, when her drow hearing told her that some people were running toward them. Turning her mount to face the oncomers, she realized it was just a few citizens. Out of breath, and struggling to form words.

"Mist.. killing.. all.. " they blurted out in broken sentences, which at that point, still made no sense to Ceinwyn. Mist? Is something in a mist? Someone is killing people in the mist? She was about to charge past them to investigate when she saw, far behind and closing steadily, a blackish fog, creeping quickly across the land towards them. She saw it wash over the people of Dark Cove, claiming their lives as it did so. She watched as it blackened the grass as it touched it, stole the life from everything it reached. She saw all this in a moment, a moment that seemed to take forever, yet took far too long, as the mist was advancing on them with speed.

Turning her mount, seeing that Mairsil had realized the situation as well, she spurred her mount into a gallop, Mairsil at her side. They reached Tarothin Keep, the vast fortress seemed a breath of relief, and they urged the doors open and rode in, the citizens close behind. They rode through the foyer, and as they were going to turn and close the door after the citizen, they saw the fog slipping in under the closed outer doors. One citizen froze in place, his face frozen, as well. He simply collapsed to the floor, the only expression on his face was terror. Realizing it was too late to help the citizens, even had she wanted to, she closed the doors and slid the bolt home, locking them. Mairsil had the door open behind her, and she turned to look behind her and saw the mist seeping under the inner door, as well. She dashed through the door Mairsil held open for her, in terror at the thought of falling to that horrid mist. They realized then that the keep would not provide refuge, and headed for the back door. As they rushed through it into the open, Ceinwyn could swear she felt something cold behind her. So the mist is cold? she thought to herself.

They ran and ran through Dark Cove until they encountered more Dark Order soldiers and citizens, and a Black Knight, or two. They yelled and urged about the mist, but the people stood there, in disbelief. To Ceinwyn, it seemed, some were actually mocking them! Stilling the urge to kill the more annoying ones, she moved to the side so they could witness the fog behind them. It crept along the ground, killing the animals it encountered. And finally the people felt fear. They all began to run, Mairsil and Ceinwyn following behind them.

They reached another keep, and she went to look out across the bay, towards the main city. On the water, the mist was travelling towards them. Damn! she thought, it comes from there, as well. She shouted this discomforting news, and that no building was safe. People began calling for a gate, to escape. Mairsil opened a gate to Trammel, and people began pouring into it. Ceinwyn waited until everyone had gone through, before entering it herself.

On the other side of the gate, she took count, Kurt was missing. Damn! She stepped back into the gate, to retrieve him. He was standing there, in Dark Cove, the mist almost at his feet. Grabbing him roughly, she yanked him into the gate, yelling at him.

"Act now! Think later!"

The gate closed, at Mairsil's command. They stood in Trammel Yew, apparantly mist free. She looked around at them, wondering what they would all do now, as the enormity of the situation hit home.