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The crescent of eclipsed moon hung high in the sky, tilted like a smile as it watched the lone figure travel across the desolate landscape. The soft thump of footsteps was the only sound in the still night, even the wild beasts having long ago retired to their burrows. The figure walked purposefully, body tense, a stalking predator. Suddenly and without warning, the figure fell forward, disappearing into a previously unseen hole. The silence grew heavy, weighted with expectation, until the angry curse finally rang out, interrupting the evening peace. "Ah hell!"

Morning found Nadirah sitting next to the pit, her fur filthy with dust and clay. Several of her bandages had been rubbed off in her struggle to climb free, the exposed wounds clotted with dirt. Her temper was not cooled when she spotted the road only a few feet away. Rising to her feet and dusting herself off, the angry tarin made her way to the well trodden pathway and strode purposefully toward the home of her intended prey.

It did not take long before the wall surrounding the city came into view. Carved from an arc of stone, the open-mouthed face of an ork seemed to grow out of the very stone, the stolen ribs of some large creature placed to either side of the jaw to simulate tusks. To enter the city, all travelers had to walk into the carving's mouth. "Ogmar Dour." Nadirah whispered softly to herself, reaching up to delicately finger the old claw that dangled at her throat. "I'm finally here. And if Rotuk is hiding here, I'll find him if I have to tear apart the entire city."

She was just about to take her first step into the stone throat of the carved gargoyle when a familiar voice called out, grabbing her attention. "Wait! Wait! I come!" The sound of hoof beats grew louder as the owner of the voice repeated his call.

"The hell?!" the doe exclaimed in surprise as she turned to see the stallion approaching. "What are you doing here?" His dapple grey coat was darkened with sweat and red dust, his sides heaving as he pulled up beside the confused tarin, having run his fastest speed since day break to catch up to her.

"I come." The stallion said breathlessly, his tangled black mane falling across his face as his top half bent over, nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply. "I come... " He panted. "Help mare."

"Help mare?" Nadirah echoed, annoyance replacing her previous surprise. "How? With what? I told you, you're only going to get in my way. Why didn't you just go back to your herd like I told you to do?"

The young stallion looked up and cocked his head to the side. "No happy you?"

"No! No happy me!" Nadirah snapped irritably. "Go away you!" She made shooing gestures with her hand, but the kentaur just stood in place, watching her impassively. "Fine." She said finally, turning away. "But don't come running to me when trouble starts."

"I make happy, you." The stallion said cheerfully, trotting along behind her.

"You can start by learning better common." Nadirah complained bitterly, her words echoing in the twisting tunnel of rock.

The city was bustling as the odd pair emerged into the sunlight. Merchants called out their wares. A blacksmith hammered a bit of glowing metal before putting it back into the fire. A pair of tarous led a kordox laden with traded pelts. Everywhere was activity.

As with all trade cities, Ogmar Dour sported a large inn near the gateway and Nadirah immediately headed toward it, eager for a warm bath and a hot meal. "Hey." She called out as she passed the stable, summoning an old brun from inside the wooden structure. "Take care of my... horse." She ordered.

The brun limped out of the doorway and glared unhappily at the kentaur. "What did you go and bring trash like this in here?" He snarled, his voice a low growl. "Bringing food for the hyolfs, maybe?" His grin was humorless as he turned his appraising eyes on the unimpressed tarin, exposing teeth yellowed with age, some missing completely. "Not enough meat on its bones to feed a pup."

"Keep talking and you won't have bones left to put meat on." Nadirah said softly, her voice lowering to a near whisper. "Now did I ask you to stand here and chit chat, or did I tell you to take care of my horse." It was not a question but a demand.

The old ork's eyes narrowed and the mocking grin slid away, but he offered no reply. Turning his back on both of them, he gave a wave of his arm to indicate that the stallion should follow, which he did reluctantly. "Come." The brun barked when the kentaur did not move fast enough.

Nadirah stood where she was and watched as the stable master threw fresh hay into one of the stalls, not noticing or not caring about the inquisitive heads that began popping out of the other occupied stalls as several hyolfs caught scent of the kentaur. The stallion neighed loudly and reared as one of the hyolfs climbed over its gate and leapt at him, his hooves striking the beast and sending it flying away. "He'll be fine." She said to herself and continued toward the inn.

"I need a room." She told the bruha behind the counter. "I want a hot bath, and hot food ready when I get out of it." The bruha nodded and handed her a key. Nothing more needed to be said between them. As the doe was turning away to head for her room, a flash of movement by the door caught her eye. Curious, she walked to the open doorway and looked out.

"Cowards! Fools and cowards all of you!" Another bruha was screaming at someone the tarin couldn't see. "I hope you all enjoy being ghouls enslaved by the undead king!" Curiosity peaked, Nadirah felt herself being drawn inexorably toward the screaming ork. "Fine! Just keep walking then, cowards! We'll win this war without you and your kind!"

The warrior leaned against the doorway and watched her. The bruha wore heavy-looking plate armor, accented with a bright yellow and orange sash. Her black hair was cut short and clan tattoos marked her cheeks. When she turned around to look at the staring doe, Nadirah saw a large jagged scar across the front of her face. "And just what are you staring at, cow?" The bruha sneered furiously.

"I haven't quite figured that out yet." Nadirah replied calmly, pushing away from the door to stand her ground when the bruha approached.

"Insolent cur!" The bruha yelled, stepping so closely to the tarin that she was almost touching her. The ork showed no fear of the doe, despite the difference in their height. "Do you dare mock me? A knight of the Order of the Eternal Sun?! I'll cut the tongue right from your mouth if you dare mock me!!" The bruha's breath smelled of rotten meat as it washed over Nadirah's face and the tarin had to struggle not to show any response.

"I haven't decided yet if you're worth the effort of mocking."The tarin replied softly, unimpressed with the ork's angry threats.

The bruha curled her upper lip in a silent growl as she returned the doe's stare. Niether of them spoke nor moved, neither wanting to show weakness in front of the other. Several long minutes passed as the tension grew between them, although the pair was ignored by everyone else around them. Finally the bruha took a step back, breaking eye contact to look the doe up and down. "You lack the proper respect of your betters, cow." She sneered. "But I suppose that can be corrected later. Go clean yourself and come back here in exactly one hour. Then we will find out who is worthy of mockery."

"You honestly do not know about Malthamus?!" Gromma Stoneskin cried in surprise, her mug of ale slamming against the table and causing some of the liquid to slosh out, adding to the growing puddle. "King of the undead? Self-professed ruler of Eidra?! The mad gods be damned necromancer who wants to slay us all and make us into his minions?!! You have really never heard of him?!"

Nadirah looked down into her own mug and pondered the name. It was just on the fringes of her memory and yet for some reason she could not quite access it. "I think... I might have heard ssssshhhhomething once." She slurred. "But I down... down... ugh, do not remurmur what." She tried once more to recall what she knew of the the dreaded undead king, but all she could think of was finding out what kind of ale the ork had brought her and where to get more. It was not often that her drink should have such an effect on her.

"Just what rock have you been living under all this time!" The bruha demanded before taking several deep swallows of her own drink.

"That one out there ssssssssshhhhaped like a pile of kordox dung." Nadirah grumbled, attempting to lift her mug to her mouth and missing. Another miss caused precious liquid to pour down her hand. Finally she set the mug on the table and grabbed its rim securely in her teeth, lifting both it and her head simultaniously. "Shubject never came up with the taursss."

Gromma watched her antics and laughed heartily, her hand thumping the doe's shoulder in a hard pat of companionship that nearly knocked the mug from her unsteady grasp. "I like you, cow, I've never seen anyone who can drink like you, but you sure pick strange company. Those damn kentaurs are nasty creatures. Only know how to fight amongst themselves in petty squabbles over those worthless weeds of theirs. You'd be best to just slay them and be done with the whole mess!"

"Ssssho tell me more about your.... turning shun.... thingy." Nadirah muttered tiredly, fighting the urge to fall asleep.

"Ah, the Order of the Eternal Sun!" Gromma exclaimed proudly, slamming her cup against the table again. "We are the only thing standing between Malthamus and his plans to rule all of Eidra by destroying it and remaking it in his own image." Gromma's eyes suddenly narrowed and her lips curled back in disgust. "But we've grown soft since the Great War. Fat and lazy! Nothing left in this damn city but worthless cowards! Too concerned with their worthless skins to protect their own world. Bah! Gods curse them all!"

"I'm not worrid..." The doe replied weakly. She could barely keep her eyes open and her body began to feel leaden. "Jus lemme at 'im!" She tried to finish off her ale but her arms fell limply to her sides, refusing to lift the mug, refusing to even rise back to the table. As her head fell toward the table, she stretched out her tongue in an attempt to lap at her drink.

Gromma watched her, features softening into an almost tender smile. "Yes, you're going to help me, aren't you, cow?" The tarin's head drifted lower until it was resting against the cool wood of the table, her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. Gromma reached out and gently stroked the doe's mane. "Yes. Yes, of course you are. Big, strong thing like you... you'll do just fine." Nadirah watched , her eyelids growing increasingly heavy. Gromma leaned forward, still stroking the intoxicated tarin's mane, and began to whisper in her ear. "Welcome to the Order, sister. We welcome you with open arms. Sleep well, tonight, because tomorrow your new life of service begins."

Unable to fight any longer, Nadirah closed her eyes, one thought passing through her mind before sinking into sleep. 'That's some good ale.'

The sky was a deep and cloudless blue, mirroring the ocean below it. A few seabirds would occasionally pepper its surface as they flew by, sounding their mewling cries to mix with the creaking of wood and the soft hiss of the waves.

Nadirah leaned against the rail of the ship and stared out at the featureless water. She had awoken on the boat two days before, laying on a hard floor with three orks who seemed to be in a similar fix as herself. But as the last effects of whatever drug they had been given finally wore off, Nadirah proved to be the only one who knew what had happened. She did not bother to explain why the four of them had woken with strips of yellow cloth tied about their waists, she prefered to let the others discover for themselves what was to come.

"We're making good time." The captain said from behind her. "We should reach shore in another day or two if the storm doesn't blow us off course." The tauren turned to look at him curiously. The gnome was standing at the wheel, occasionally giving it small turns to either direction. His high pitched voice grated on her nerves. "It's gonna be a nasty one. Make sure you stay in your cabin tonight. You'll be safe in there."

"And choke to death on the stength of ork puke? Not very likely." Nadirah grumbled, turning back to the water. She knew nothing of the sea and its tempers, but the clear sky and steady wind gave no hint of a coming storm.

"Don't let this calm weather fool you, girl." The gnome chided as if reading her mind, lifting his large nose in the air and inhaling deeply. "I can _smell_it on the wind! It's going to be a fierce one. We'll make it through just fine, this old girl's seen some rough waves and survived them all, but tonight is going to be rough." The bored tarin certainly hoped so. She was looking forward to reaching shore just to have a change.

As promised, the storm hit in the middle of the night. The steady winds that had been propelling them suddenly died away and the ship slowed down until it was merely drifting with the tide. "TIE YOUR LINES!" The captain screamed, unintentionally summoning Nadirah from her cabin. "TIE YOUR LINES! HERE SHE COMES!" A single bolt of lightening forked across the sky, turning night into day for a few seconds. The crash of thunder was deafening. It was the only warning they were to recieve.

As if the sky itself had shattered, the night suddenly exploded into activity. The wind roared angrily, sweeping across the ship and causing it to lean far to its side before the captain regained control, turning it to face the storm. The rain came next, approaching like an impenetrable sheet. Nadirah was soaked in the space of one breath, the freezing water allowing the wind to cut through her fur like frozen daggers. The captain's warning flashed breifly in her mind as she heard the sound of splintering wood, followed by a crash, but it was quickly discard. The promised storm had arrived and she had no intention of missing it.

Lightning tore at the black void of sky and waves crashed against the ship, causing it to rock and shudder violently, making the doe struggle to keep to her feet as she made her way across the deck. The crew were far too busy with their own tasks to notice the tarin rushing from one unsteady hand hold to another. "You call this a storm, captain?!" She screamed up at the gnome at the helm, fighting the wheel to keep his ship under control. "I've seen more threatening rainbows than this!"

"Don't be so damn daft, girl!" The captain yelled back, his voice barely audible above the howl if the wind and the steady hiss and thump of rain. "Respect the sea or she'll take your life! She's a cruel mistress!"

The doe snorted in disbelief, raising a hand to rub the rain from her face before turning away and making her way further along the boat. "Is this really the best you've got?" She cried out to the night, clinging tightly to the slippery railing. "Is this the best you can do?! Is it?!"

As if in reply, a towering wave seemed to materialize out of the darkness, forcing the tarin to wrap her arms tightly around the rail as it swept over her. The salt water entered the doe's nose and mouth, choking her and stinging her sensitive nostrils. The tide pulled at her feet until they slid out from under her, leaving her floating in the surging wave. As it finally began to receed, the tarin was slammed hard against the railing she clung to, knocking the breath from her lungs and causing her to inhale a mouthful of sea water.

Nadirah lay where she fell, her arms wrapped loosely around the wood, coughing the last of the water from her burning lungs. For several minutes she laid there weakly before finally rising to her feet. Her pulse was racing and the excitement of a battle survived infused her with energy. "YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT TO TAKE ME!" She screamed into the night, her voice raspy and her throat sore. A flash of lightning renting the sky temporarily blinded the tarin and forced her to turn her head away, but she felt that she understood the message. Challenge accepted.

A sudden cry caught the doe's attention, and she made her unsteady way toward the gathering of voices until she found several gnomes struggling with one of the safty ropes. It had been cut too long and when the crewman had gone over, he had been caught by the surging waves. Several others were fighting the tide, trying to pull him back in, but the water was stronger. With a sigh, the doe decided to leave her fun for a while and carefully made her way over to the struggling gnomes, plucking the rope from their grasps and giving it a hard tug.

The tide pulled and jerked at the rope in her grip, as if trying to pull it free of the ship entirely; a predator claiming their prey. Called by the siren song of another battle and another victory against the force so feared by the ship's captain, Nadirah snorted and tossed her head, set her hooves, and pulled against the rope. At first it was solid resistance, but then she felt it give, and she began to slowly drag the line in. Her arms felt strained and the adrenaline spike was wearing off as she finally neared the end of the rope. The biting rain and freezing wind numbed her fingers, stiffening her muscles as they strained. She was nearly ready to collapse when the rope stopped resisting and she was able to pull the gnome back onto the rocking ship, the waiting crew grabbing his limp body and carrying him away. "You gotta be more careful!" she called after them. "Those waves are-"

Out of the angry darkness, another large wave swept over the ship like the paw of a cat. Caught off guard, the air was knocked out of the tarin's lungs again, but she fought the impulse to breath the water as she felt herself dragged across the deck. Her progress was stopped temporarily when she was thrown into the railing,but it splintered from the force and there was nothing to stop her from falling into the ocean, where the darkness swallowed her whole.

As if accepting her life as a tribute sacrifice, the storm cleared and the waves calmed, leaving the ship to finish its journey, minus one.

Four days had past since Nadirah had been swept overboard. She was gone and not likely to ever come back. The gnomes, who knew the sea best, said that had she not drowned in the storm she wouldn't survive more than a day in open water. A farseer tried to locate her but could see nothing. She was given up for dead, an unfortunate accident.

And still the kentaur continued to pace the shore line, looking out across the expanse of silvery water, for any hint of the lost tarin. Her sword, left behind in her sleeping cabin, was strapped to his waist, the sheath bumping gently across his equine shoulder with each step. It was a comforting reminder. He hoped to find some other token washed ashore and half buried in the sand, or any sign of her body laying on the surf, but the gnomes had warned him that what the sea takes away it rarely gives back. But the stubborn young stallion refused to give up hope. So it was he that first saw the strange dark mass on the horizon.

The stallion's first thought was that it was Nadirah, and he reared, neighing loudly in excitement, but as the dark thing came closer, he began to wonder if he was wrong. It moved like neither a swimmer nor a floating body, although he could not quite make out the details. As it kept coming toward the shore, the stallion turned and raced back to camp to get help.

A small crowd had gathered by the time the mysterious object came close enough to make out. It was a turtle with a large pile of seaweed on it's back. The creature was speeding for the shore and did not seem intimidated by the crowd standing there watching it. Fearing attack, everyone was silent as they watched the turtle crawl onto shore, then stop, resting it's head on the sand.

Curious, those surrounding stepped closer to the turtle, looking at the pile of seaweed that almost appeared to be woven together like a crude mat. One of the guards stretched out a spear and jabbed tentatively at the seaweed, surprising everyone when it moved. Weapons were drawn and all of them pointed toward the moving bundle. Slowly it began to part and a pair of hands were exposed as they tug at the slimy strands.

"Is mare!" The kentaur yelled excitedly, shoving his way through the cluster of bodies to rush toward the turtle. An ork reached out to block him, but a kick from the eager kentaur sent him flying and made the rest pull back out of his way. "Mare!" He cried, grasping and tearing off the sheet of seaweed, flinging it away to expose the pitiful figure huddled on the turtle's back.

"Gods preserve us, what is that thing?!" Someone from the crowd cried out. "Is it dead?" Someone else asked. "Looks half dead at least." Yet another voice answered.

The tarin looked sickly and weak, her eyes sealed shut with crusted salt, her lips were badly cracked and her nose was blistered. A small thread of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she tried to speak. The stallion leaned down until his ear was to her mouth, listening intently to the whispered words. He then nodded and gathered the doe carefully in his arms before carrying her gently away.

"What did she say?" Another ork asked him, falling into step beside the kentaur.

"Mare say, please feed turtle." The stallion replied, then galloped back into camp, heading for the healer's tent.

Nadirah rose slowly through the blackness of sleep, her path littered with nightmares and half-remembered images. She groaned softly as pain seemed to engulf her, followed by the comforting pressure of a hand resting atop her own.

"Pony boy?" She croaked weakly, opening her eyes slowly and relieved to find the salt no longer sealing them. "The hell are you doing here? Am I back in Ogmar Dour?"

"I help mare." He replied gently, carefully dabbing her lips with a moist cloth. "No well, you."

"You mean, 'You're not well.' Didn't I tell you to learn better Common?" Nadirah corrected, blinking several times to clear her vision.

"I fine. Mare no well." The stallion answered paitently. He set aside the cloth and offered her a cup, supporting the doe's head as she sat up. "Drink."

"Ah good, I see our cast away is finally awake." Another unfamiliar voice spoke up. The stallion looked up, gently lowering Nadirah's head back to the pillow. The painted face of a druid suddenly came into Nadirah's view. "How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Just wonderful." She wheezed, rolling her eyes to get a better look at the druid bull. Broad leaves nearly covered his face and thin vines wound around his horns. "Where am I?"

"You are in the care of the best healer in all of Eidra." He responded enigmatically. "Worry about the rest when you have regained your strength again."

"Mare be good now?" The kentaur asked, once more dabbing the moist cloth against her cracked lips.

"Yes, my dear friend." The druid replied jovially. "She will be just fine. If you would like to go get some fresh water I shall watch over her until you return." The stallion rose to his feet and walked out of the tent with no further comment. "You're lucky to have such a loyal friend, my dear." The druid said once the kentaur was out of sight. A vine-covered hand stretched into Nadirah's view and rested lightly against her chest. "You've been asleep for two whole days now, and he's refused to leave your side the entire time."

"Really." Nadirah said softly. "He should have gone back home like I told him too."

"He believes that he is home." The druid replied. "He's been very demanding that you get the very best of care. You're going to be here a few more days though. You've been badly hurt and your going to need rest."

"I don't have time to rest." She argued. "Give me what healing you can and be quick about it. I have people to kill."