Scene #4801: Takes One To Know One

Owner	Pose
Dorian Pavus	For being frigid mountains, there's a lot of this fort that's destroyed by fire. Scorchmarks abound, charred bodies of soldiers litter the ground. The cause is clear -- the still-steaming corpse of a large dragon rests in a heap nearby. Thankfully most of the fort is made of stone, so there wasn't too much structural damage. However... there's no way to replace the warriors who have lost their lives... To that end, there has been a triage area set up, and the injured are being tended to. Amongst them are a surprisingly well-dressed man, with... well, it might once have been finely-groomed hair and moustache, but now it's in just as much disarray as the rest of him. His clothes are scorched too. And he's unconscious. Oddly... his eyes are open, blank and staring, but he still breathes. He's not dead. But he's unresponsive. The healers have done what they can, his wounds have been tended to. Physically he'll be fine. But aside from the odd twitch or shiver, he hasn't moved. And no one can tell what's wrong with him. One of the healers, an almost delicate-looking man with dark hair and pale skin, stands next to the cot the man's been placed upon, conversing with an obvious mage. The mage in question is a bald, dark-skinned woman with esoteric patterns tattooed on her face, beginning around a bright red gem set in her forehead.
Argast Wyrdseeker	Nearby was the warband to chaos undivided of the old age. Argast felt something from the location, and made his way over. "Hmm.....how strange...There is much magic here." He says. As he approaches, he notices the man laying on the ground. The healers would IMMIDIATELY feel the dark energy eminating from him, and if they came close, 4 other armored men would surround the sorceror lord. "Leave Lord Argast....he senses something. Something he could possibly aid with..." He says, his voice a dark hiss. His colors hint to an alignment to Tzeench, the lord of magic and change.
Dorian Pavus	The remaining healthy guards are instantly on-guard when Argast and his troupe approaches. They've just been attacked by a dragon and have lost friends; they're not likely to be too forgiving of weirdness right at this moment. They move to separate Argast from the wounded, but make no effort to approach him. At least, most of them don't. It's the runty little healer that pushes past the line of soldiers. He looks utterly terrified, but he speaks up, "S-sir...? This man... we owe him much. How can we help him...?"
Argast Wyrdseeker	"Clear the immidiate area from him. This will have the potential to go badly. It always does with magic." Argast says. He walks over with no fear towards Dorian and takes a knee. "Now...let's see what we are dealing with..." He says, placing a hand onto dorian's head, feeling his magic currents.
Dorian Pavus	The real world fades away as Argast looks inward, scenery blurring to unrecognizeable splotches of color, and then fading entirely. First to black, and then... Green. Floating islands dot the odd green landscape, some floating sideways, some upside down. Which way is up? Which is down? Does it matter? Such things as 'up' or 'down' don't exist here. Upon one of those islands is the man from outside. He's kneeling on the small island, curled until he's nearly kissing the ground, hands on the side of his head. And he is not alone. No, there is a dark-haired man with skin that is an odd ashen gray, wearing a typical tunic, breeches, boots, and a nice coat, kneeling next to the man with the moustache. This second man leans down slightly, as if whispering. What is he saying? Whatever it is, it's clearly causing the injured man distress, as he's shaking his head violently. And he just might be muttering under his breath, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up..."
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast tilts his head slightly under the black helmet. He looks around, and feels the energies around him. "Hrm...is this akin to the warp my brother speaks of?" He asks. He see's the injured man and makes his way over. He allows a sample of his energy to usher out, intentionally drawing attention. "If I had to wager...you are in a battle, sir."
Dorian Pavus	The man whispering to Dorian blinks, pausing in mid-whisper, and then looks up at Argast. There is a pause, and then he stands. "Battle? Oh no, not at all. We're merely having a friendly chat, that's all." The words are almost saccharine in their delivery, smooth and confident. He seems to be completely relaxed and not at all uncomfortable. Notably however... Dorian does not rise. His hands come away from his head, moving down to support himself. He tilts his head up slowly, and boy does he look horrible. He looks like he hasn't slept in a week of Sundays.
Argast Wyrdseeker	As Argast walks closer, the man would feel the energy of argast pulsing out. It was wrong, yet at the same time intoxicating. The man would find something perhaps untouchable, unknowable. "Then why do I find it so hard to believe you?" He asks. Another step forward, and it would be revealed he was a mage as well, a POWERFUL one at that.
Dorian Pavus	The ashen man steps back when Argast approaches. And yet his eyes remain fixed on the chaos sorceror. Something perhaps... familiar about him? There must be some reason why the ashen-skinned man seems almost reluctant to step back, yet also reluctant to stand his ground. Before the ashen-skinned man can speak, Dorian does, in a rush. "He's a Desire demon. Trying to possess me." The ashen man sighs then, broken from his spell. "Oh now... we were having such a good conversation before that..." Dorian's response is a sneer, and something rude in Tevene that translates to instructions for the ashen man to do something physically impossible with a tender part of his anatomy.
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast would raise his hand, and the ashen man might find his essence being pulled on, almost ripped away from Dorian. "I have heard enough, demon. You have no power here. Not while I am in this area. I am Argast Wyrdseeker, Sorceror Lord of Tzeench, the Lord of Change. You will banish yourself now, or feel my power."
Dorian Pavus	The pull is unmistakeable. And instantly the ashen man's eyes turn black as pitch. His voice echoes abnormally as he speaks, the voice of a man AND a woman speaking at once. "This one is mine," the dual echoing voices declare from his mouth. That's not all that changes, though. His feet and hands turn clawed. A pair of curling horns sprout from his forehead, and a whiplike tail sprouts from behind him. As for Dorian? He's... really in no shape to fight, and he realizes it. So instead he scoots to the side, since the demon appears to be focused on Argast for the time being. The demon looks to Dorian with a sweet smile. "Do pardon me. Won't be a moment."
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast smirks as he looks at the demon's change. He gathers up magic into his hand, and unleashes a gout of hellish flame straight for the desire demon. "I've had more then enough of you." He says. He torrent of flame continues beyond anything that he imagined a human being could take. But then, he knew the being in front of his was no human. "Burn....BURN! The lord of change casts you down and into the bowels of Hell!"
Dorian Pavus	Argast might just find that the environment around him seems to almost squeal in delight, figuratively speaking, at the use of fire. It's as if the environment knows fire. And Argast might also find that his magic is stronger here, whether it's because of the 'wheee, fire~!' or something else, it works to great effect. The demon begins to leap at Argast... just as the fire leaps for him. He growls, looking for a moment as though he's going to push right through... but then the fire begins to chip away at his form, like dust blown away by a breeze. And in short order, the demon screams in pain and denial, form dissolving in the fire like dissolved sugar.
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast continues the hellish onsluaght until every spec of ash and dust is sent into the wind. Once he was sure, he turns and walks over towards towards Dorian, smirking under his helmet. "While I'm one for conversation, you have the medical staff concerned. Best we return to the real world."
Dorian Pavus	Dorian is visibly relieved once the demon disappears. And some of his own bravado returns. Once the demon is gone, he stands. Well, tries to. He wobbles a bit, and needs to make a second attempt, this one slower. "Thank you. I would've been able to deal with the problem, but that dragon sapped a great deal of my strength." He sounds weary. At the words of returning to the real world, he smirks tiredly. "That is a capital idea. One moment, let me try and center myself..." He closes his eyes, breathes slowly. The world seems to breathe with him. A deep inhalation has the world around him holding its breath too. And then at his slow, deep exhalation, the world seems to unravel around them, as if breathed out... And there's the real world! Dorian's gray eyes open slowly... and then he winces. "''Fasta vas''... I have such a headache..." he groans.
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast nods, and with a simple thought, he returns to the real world. "I would imagine. That is what happens when you tangle with demons. But I never recieved your name." He says, grinning. At least, he seems like it. Around them, the 4 warriors nod. "Welcome back, Lord Argast."
Dorian Pavus	"It wasn't intentional, I assure you," the waking mage replies. He shifts, to sit up slowly, all the while the healer seems to be fussing over him, checking to see if he's really all right. The mage allows this. Though it takes him a moment to register that he's been asked for his name. He seems to still be getting his bearings. "Ah. Terribly sorry about that. There usually isn't time for a proper introduction when being set upon by demons." He smirks, though the expression is not as enthusiastic as it might normally be. "Dorian of House Pavus, Altus mage of Tevinter. Pleasure to make your acquaintence. Though it might have been under better circumstances."
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast nods, and bows his head. "I am Argast Wyrdseeker, Sorceror lord of Tzeench. Admittedly, I am a proud servant of the chaos gods, but I hope you are more open minded then others are." He says, offering his hand. His 4 soldiers each bare the marks of the 4 chaos gods, but they seem quite cordial...even the Khornite, who seemed to be doing his best to control himself. Best behaviour on first impressions, after all.
Dorian Pavus	Believe it or not? Dorian actually shakes the man's hand. Being 'the good Tevinter' isn't easy. Besides. Servant of chaos gods or not, this man helped him. "Thank you for helping me. It's fortunate you happened along when you did," he states. He also offers polite greetings to Argast's bodyguards.
Argast Wyrdseeker	"I'd guess you are a mage as well....and an attempted possession, yes?" Argast asks. He folds his arms slightly, and disperses his bodyguards. They amble about, taking in the sites. "I also detect potential in you. But that is not my place, nor the time. You should recover, first. But...what exactly did you encounter?"
Dorian Pavus	Dorian nods. Then he sighs. "You are unfortunately correct, on both counts. Unfortunate for the near-possession, of course, not for the being a mage. I'm actually quite good at that." He gives a chuckle. His usual snark and arrogance is a bit subdued -- feeling like someone's bashed one over the head with a club tends to mute one's ability to be an arrogant ass. As for what he encountered? "That was a Desire demon," he explains. More detail this time. He nods his head back, indicating the dragon corpse. "Fighting the dragon took more out of me than I thought it would. So when the demon appeared I hadn't as much strength to fight it."
Argast Wyrdseeker	Argast nods. "I see. Well, if you do not mind, until you are recovered, my warband will remain to guard you." He says. He looks over to them and gives a nod. The warband takes up positions, ready for war.
Dorian Pavus	Dorian nods. "I appreciate your kindness. It shouldn't take long. The injuries have been healed. Now I just need to wait for this blasted headache to go away," he assures Argast.