The Aine (IC)

[questing_maiden]

...drumroll, please!

Here is the long-awaited Aine roleplay thread. Below are the specs of known characters and some pertinent background information. For more information, to post comments, or to join (the more, the merrier!) see the OOC thread at http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=585529

BACKGROUND INFORMATION- the taking of Ain

War has ravaged the kingdom of Ain, lately conquered by the Talarines, a vicious race of semi-mortal warriors. The Talarines have enslaved the people of Ain, and the streets of the capital city are empty in the darkness but for the guards slinking through the night. Fear is what keeps the people in, and they are right to fear. The Telarines are merciless.

The siege on Kalabad, the walled capital city, lasted only one night. During this time great cannons of fire such as had never been seen were shot into the very heart of the city. The longbows of the Aine were no match against this destruction. At dawn, the old king of Ain, with a heavy heart, agreed to negotiate. Three Talarines were let into the city and led into the council chamber high in the castle where the King awaited them. The doors were guarded, and only the king’s closest advisor, an old wise man of indeterminate years, was allowed within. The negotiations continued without ceasing for three days.

The Talarines out beyond the wall were silent.

Aine sentries noted that many had departed. Those who remained were unconcernedly relaxing, playing cards and drinking great quantities of wine, while their three comrades were ensconced within the great castle with the king of Ain. Seeing their indifference, their peaceful demeanour, the Aine relaxed some.

The great funeral pyres reached to the sky as the warriors of Ain gathered the dead. In this sickening attack upon the city, not only knights and warriors had been slain, but also simple blacksmiths and tailors, women and children. All of Kalabad, and indeed all of Ain, lay still in silent grief, awaiting the decision of their king. Only a few guards patrolled the city gates.

It was midday, quiet at the noontime meal, when some observers noted something being flung out of the great window in the same tower as the King’s council chambers. They had only time to nudge their friends to look up when, with a sickening thud, the elderly King’s corpulent body exploded in a bloody heap in the palace courtyard.

At that moment, the armies of Talaria which had pressed themselves close up against the outer wall, unseen by the Aine sentries, burst through the gates and easily overpowered the Aine guard. Shock quickly turned to screaming terror as more and more Talarines flooded into the city. Those who had apparently been inebriated and unconcerned flung off their deception of carelessness and seized their weapons.

It was a massacre. The brutal Talarines, so much larger and stronger than the unsuspecting Aine, seemed to relish the violence, the gushing blood, the terror that they brought. They laughed at the sight of children running and shrieking, and toyed with them before finally running them through. The horror they inspired was not for their strength, not for their overpowering violence and prowess in battle, so much as for the insane glee with which they slaughtered.

The escape tunnels under the city had been filled with running people. The children were passed hand over hand above the crowd, moving even faster than the terrified adults fleeing beneath them.

Few reached the woods at which the mouth of the tunnels ended. Fewer yet, the river and the cave filled with escape rafts. Only a handful made it to the underground fortress beneath the next village.

Within an hour, Kalabad was taken, and with it, all of Ain.

Current Situation
The princess of Ain was in the next kingdom over when the Talarines attacked. She heard word and immediately returned, finding destroyed villages and burned crops. She did not go into the main city, but travelled instead to the underground shelter, where she found the population low and dwindling yet more. Her people are scattered throughout the entire kingdom, and her only hope to retake lies in the wit of those within the shelter, and another group. She leads the refugees from this shelter and into the heart of the forest, where a village of Aine went unnoticed by the superstitious Talarines. The story begins as they reach the village.

KNOWN CHARACTER PROFILES

Character 1 - Stephenie Egeis- played by Cats
NAME:
Stephenie Egeis

RACE:
Tolen

AGE:
120

SEX:
F

PROFESSION:
Sorceress

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
youthful
wise
intelligent
able to fly
talented sorceress

WEAKNESSES:
relatively young

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Stephenie was born into a less fortunate time than her seemingly ageless parents, all 3 of which were considered gods at birth but now live less comfortable lives.

She travelled with her father for 15 years and then one of her mothers for 35 years, after her father’s death.

At 50 years of age, she met a very rich merchant. A deal was struck and 20 years later she married the merchant’s son.

A reverse dowry was paid, since the race still had some prestige.

Stephenie's two mothers gained a better life and she now lives with the merchant’s son, which is why she is less wealthy.

Her husband, now 80, lacked his father’s skill with trading to begin with and with no children to support him has slowly moved to owning a large mostly empty home.


APPEARANCE:
Height: 5' (about 152 cm)

Weight: 100lbs (ab. 45 kg)

Hair: Reddish-brown kept behind her shoulders. It is in the style of her father’s, although the red brown complements her soul stone.
When she walks or sits it always hangs one inch above the floor.
When she lies down—the only time it can touch the ground—it sprawls out with a sort of romantic charm.
When she flies it maintains one inch above her heels.
This is a rarely noticed feature of how her parents cast her spell.

Eyes: deep blue, slightly larger than humans’, and sad

Soul Stone: The light-green stone appears to be peridot; she often wears a tiara crafted in a manner to make the stone appear to be part of the jewellery and not her.

Her soul stone still radiates a healthy youthful glow to the few who are familiar with soul stones.

Other: Exactly like a human 16-year-old, except for her gem.

She has an hourglass figure, although it is wider than is common for her height.

She wears simple gowns, but would prefer the silk & velvet dresses of royalty, and the nicer items which she had in her youth but can no longer afford.

WEAPONS:
None

Character 2 - Sebastian- played by Angelus

NAME:
Sebastian (has long since forgotten his true name)

RACE:
Vampire

AGE:
Has long forgotten how old he is (but it is in the centuries)

SEX:
M

PROFESSION:
None. Many years ago, when he was still mortal, he served as an advisor to a king who is now long dead and forgotten. Now he is a wanderer who generally keeps to himself.

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
of mostly neutral morality with a slight tendency toward good

will help and/or give advice when needed, but generally does not concern himself in others’ affairs

does not need to drink blood any more

WEAKNESSES:
of mostly neutral morality

unwilling to involve himself unless he is convinced that his input is truly necessary

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Sebastian has forgotten how old he is exactly but can remember a time when the Aine were not the rulers of the lands. He does not need to drink blood anymore and can spend long spells in the sun. Likes to spend time alone, wandering through the world and not involve himself in the concerns of the other races.

APPEARANCE:
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 170lbs
Hair: Very long, silver
Eyes: Grey


WEAPONS:
an ancient sword which may or may not have magical properties

Character 3 - Cormac - played by Renegade Irishman

NAME:
Cormac

RACE:
Riada

AGE:
24

SEX:
M

PROFESSION:
Priest of Cernus (god of the hunt and cunning war)

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
strong
loyal
brave
fierce

WEAKNESSES:
loyal literally to a fault
rash
quick-tempered

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Cormac spent time the way all of Cernus's priests do, hunting and performing the rituals of many festivals, such as preparing young warriors for their blooding and preparing the most famous Riada festival, the Wild Hunt.

He is among a group of Riada who have undertaken a guerrilla war on the Talarines.

APPEARANCE:
height: 6'8"
weight: around 300 pounds
hair: dark red
eyes: green

WEAPONS:
bow
hatchet
short sword
halberd

Character 4 - Karesh- played by Kalika

NAME:
Karesh

RACE:
½ Elf

AGE:
20

SEX:
F

PROFESSION:
Sorceress

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
elemental magic is top strength
also highly skilled in other types of magic, esp. War Magick
animal controller
manipulation/hypnotism for information
honest and forthright
intelligent
charismatic

WEAKNESSES:
not very good at close range battle as physical strength is only slightly better than average

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Parents were a Magickally powerful elf Mother and a Knight Father.

She was taken from home at a young age to be raised in the Magick Temples.

Particularly strong in elemental magic but can perform all types very well.

When Ain was taken, Karesh did what she could but was smuggled out of the city along with other key defenders—politicians, etc.—to meet up with the Princess and plan the retaking of Ain.

APPEARANCE:
height: 5’9’’
weight: about 70 kg
hair: long, wavy ebony
eyes: deep green
skin: smooth fairish
other: Karesh is slender but quite obviously female.

WEAPONS:
Magick
familiar
1 scimitar

Character 5 - The Hunter - played by Jedi Khan

NAME:
Unknown
(“The Hunter”)

RACE:
Elf

AGE:
Unknown

SEX:
M

PROFESSION:
hunter

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
stealth
speed
determined
skilled with bow and arrow
prudent—if he can’t kill on first blow, he won’t attack

WEAKNESSES:
not physically strong; must rely on stealth

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Once lived in the small kingdom of Mori, south of Ain, which was raided and subsequently destroyed by the Talarines.

He escaped and used the woods to observe and raid the Talarines until they pulled out and moved on.

He now tracks the Talarines, relying on his stealth to remain undetected and out of sight as he hunts them. He has claimed many Talarine lives, the first twenty of them having been Talarines that were alone.

The Talarines have since learned to travel in groups, making them less vulnerable, but they somehow still manage to lose lives.

The largest single group of Talarines he's killed was a group of twenty that were chasing after him through some not so scary woods. He picked them off one by one as he led them on a merry chase through the woods.

It took him about an hour to kill them all, and by then the remainder were very scared of The Hunter.

His current whereabouts are unknown, but it can be safely assumed that he is somewhere near the Talarines.

APPEARANCE:
height: 5'11"
weight: usually around 155 lbs. At the moment, however, he is weak--nearly emaciated--due to malnutrition.
hair: black, shoulder length
eyes: brown
other:
Generally of a lean, athletic build, though very thin at the moment.
A ruggedly handsome face, with a scar cutting vertically over his right eye.
Currently is rather weathered and tired, having been in the wildness for a long time. Cleans up nicely.


WEAPONS:
two magical blades slightly shorter than a katana
short bow

Character 6 - Queen Lisika - played by questing maiden

NAME:
Princess (now Queen) Lisika

RACE:
Shield Maiden with Elf blood

AGE:
19

SEX:
F

PROFESSION:
Princess; warrior

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
intelligence
herb knowledge
skilled with crossbow
fast runner

WEAKNESSES:
distrustful of everyone
arrogant
overconfident in her abilities
deceptive/deceitful

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Lisika is the only child of the late King Isadorf of Ain, and as such she is now queen—or would be, if her kingdom had not been taken by the Talarines.

She was in the next kingdom over (Cravenswold) when all of this transpired, visiting a suitor, Prince —, whom everyone expected her to marry within the year.

One of the few who escaped the wreckage of Kalabad, the capital city, flew to Cravenswold and informed her of what had occurred.

She returned immediately to Ain with her entourage and has collected many of her scattered countrymen. They have taken refuge in a woodland village—the only community in all of Ain known to have been missed by the Talarines.

She is beautiful but dishonest, and sees no reason not to fight dirty toward her own ends. She is intelligent but distrustful, overconfident in her own abilities and seeing no reason to trust anyone.

She is of average physical strength.

APPEARANCE:
height: 5’7’’
weight: around 140 lbs
hair: a darker shade of gold that falls past her waist, pulled back and tied at regular intervals
eyes: deep, brilliant green that flashes with blue or violet with strong emotion
other: she always wears her intricate silver tiara

WEAPONS:
crossbow
herb knife
mid-length sword


Character 7 - Nayil Thandryl - played by Qyron

NAME:
Nayil Thandryl

RACE:
Species: human
Subspecies: Athalan

AGE:
107 (though he appears to be in his early 30's)

SEX:
M

PROFESSION:
a captain in the Athalan army, sent out of the motherland to travel and gather information of the other kingdoms and lands, to keep the Council updated on foreign affairs

STRENGTHS/ABILITIES:
physically strong
high physical, mental, and psychichal endurance
nature balance
keen senses
mental and spiritual focus--able to harness and focus his mental/spiritual power to boost his combat capabilities and a few specially crafted items of power
He is as comfortable in a city setting as in any natural environment.

WEAKNESSES:
relatively young (for an Athalan)
no use of magic (no Athalan uses magic, and they are very wary of those who do)
distrustful of all non-Athalans; suspicious and not particularly friendly
Athalans do not use--and, indeed, scorn others' use of--bows, crossbows and other long-ranged weapons.

BACKGROUND & PERSONALITY:
Nayil, like all other Athalans, has from his youth been trained mentally and physically as a warrior. (Athalans endure a training similar to the Spartan/samurai tradition.)

He is now a captain of the Athalan army in a mission to gather information on other lands for the Council, the supreme administrative organ of Athal.

He has been roaming the outside for a few years, enjoying the solitude, learning all he can about everything he encounters.

One day, the road just pointed towards Ain. And he walked up it.

APPEARANCE:
height: 216 cm
weight: 135 kg
description: Tall and broad, with shoulder-length wavy hair. A cold stare in his eyes, born from years of mental and physical training, as a warrior [warrior, not soldier; Athalans endure a training similar to the Spartan/samurai tradition - a sword without a mind is no more than a nuisance].
Dresses in black, totally, with light boots, and a hooded mantle.
He has steel gauntlets around his forearms, heavily engraved and adorned with black gems.
A heavy, steel-casted necklace, like the gauntlets, with a large black gem set in, hangs around his neck.

WEAPONS:
a heavy double-headed axe (Athalan craftmanship)
a long dagger




Wolfsister will also play in this thread, but her character is not yet defined.




NOTE: This post will be updated at the arrival of new characters or in the case of an error.

 

[questing_maiden]

Lisika

The new Queen, Lisika, cast a wary eye over her motley band of Aine as she rode behind them on her favourite mare. They were simple villagers mostly, with a few notables thrown in who had managed to escape the destruction of Kalabad. From all reports, the situation there was not good at all. It would take a lot of work to retake her capital.

She had felt a strange emptiness inside at the news of her father’s death. She did not weep; she felt herself too strong for that. In truth, she felt numb, a little shocked. She supposed she had loved her father. He had indulged her in many things—in her penchant to train with the warriors, in her refusal to marry when she came of age at fourteen.

Of course, he had finally overridden her refusal and sent her to Cravenswold to become betrothed to the prince, but that was only because King Isadorf’s failing health—a secret most of the kingdom had not known. He had feared that he would die without having her settled. As if it matters now, Father, she thought bitterly.

She had not wished to marry the prince, and she highly doubted that he would be of any help at all now, in the retaking of her kingdom. She would have to depend on her own people for that. She hoped that they were up to the challenge.

She was glad to see that the sorceress Karesh had been among the survivors of Kalabad. Though young and underestimated by the priestesses, Karesh had shown a talent beyond anything Lisika had ever seen. She toyed with the idea of making her the official court sorcerer, but she had best retake Ain first. One step at a time.

The mostly silent procession halted in the middle of the woods while the men in front slashed away at a thick growth of branches. These simple farmers had some sense, she supposed. They had thought to bring machetes and other tools that would serve as makeshift weapons.

The small village in the forest, composed mostly of red dwarves, if she remembered correctly, would have a small armoury, but she feared that unless a shipment had been ready to go out for trade at a time of the attack, most of the weapons there would be too small for most of the people she had with her.

Finally the undergrowth was torn away, and they continued. She resented having the children come with—they would slow everything down and might risk them all. But she could not see any other way. She had been unable to convince the nursing-women of the various villages to remain behind with the children, and they all had promised to keep them quiet.

For all their promises, however, it was still difficult to keep a baby silent when he needed a nappy change, and her senses were on full alert, nervous that they would be heard by a passing Talarine.



They reached the settlement in the woods without mishap, however, and as she called the village leaders together for a conference, the folk who had come with her began to decamp.

She knew that they were safe, but as she and the leaders planned, she could not shake the uneasy feeling that they were being observed—by friendly or hostile forces, she could not tell.

 

[Kalika84]

Sitting astride her black war horse Karesh kept ever alert for anything that was not a normal forest sound. Riding just behind and to the left of the Queen, she was in a perfect place to strike a foe if the need required.

Almost all of the magick wielders of Aine had been destroyed in the attack and besides herself those that did remain were mostly neophytes who would be lucky to light a candle with magick. The first thing she planned to do when she got to the village was change out of this ridiculous ceremonial robe she was wearing as it was not really suitable for the task at hand.

She had been able to gather very few things before they left, her scimitar, which was strapped on a leather belt slung low around her slim hips, and some pouches of herbs and powders for various purposes tied to the belt on the other side.

Walking along beside her was her familiar. The Sorcerers of any note in Ain were all given the journey to find their animal soul once they reached the required level of competency. Some never reached it. The usual age was about 18 years of age. Karesh herself was only 20 but she had journeyed for her familiar at the tender age of 15. Never had anyone so young been able to make the journey.

Familiars ranged from the norm, cats, dogs, horses etcetera but every so often 'special' familiars were gifted to Sorcerers. Some received normal animals with magickal abilities some received....more. Karesh received a cat. Now this cat's normal form was slightly larger than a fully grown male tiger. He was heavily muscled and midnight black with glowing green eyes. What was odd was sometimes he had snow white tiger stripes....other times...he didn't. Karesh received him as a kitten, which was about the size of a small dog. She named him Thorne and they were bonded so close they could not be without the other for long. The amazing thing about Thorne was he could change his size, he could be a simple black house cat or his massive tiger size form or somewhere inbetween. He could also communicate with Karesh through their mind link. He had other abilities he had yet to show Karesh however, simply telling her, 'it wasn't time'.

Thorne was curled up in his little cat size on her lap and consistently grumbling. *Karesh, please tell me this gods cursed animal isnt doing this bone jarring lope on purpose or I may have to eat him.*Thorne yawned at this point then licked his paws. "Thorne, we will be there soon, behave and no, you can't eat Shadow."

Shortly they arrived at the village and picked Thorne up off her lap, let him jump to the ground where he promptly increased to his normal size. Dismounting she followed the Queen to wrangle the others for the conference. Looking at the cat she didnt even wait for him to speak. "Yes Thorne you can come but you have to be quiet. I need to concentrate." She stroked his ears and followed after the Queen.

 

[cats]

Stephenie Egeis

IC: My husband was already in bed, I suppose it mattered not since he did little in town or home these days. I myself was cleaning the house, a process involving spreading an arcane green mist that teleporting particles under a cretin size into a pile out back. It was a chore that baffled sorcers but was a simple tidus task to the tolen.

"Hmm..." Hearing a slight comotion I moved out to the porch. Into town was spreading a large crowd of people easily the same if not more then the population of the town. I noted the shape shifting cat, being able to see arcane auras I imdeatly new it was a familiar and an uncommon one at that.

Perhaps they could shed some light on the smoke coming from Aine.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Cormac and several of his brother priests stalked silently through the foliage, bows at the ready. They had stalked this group of Talarines for a few hours, subtly guiding the slow witted beasts by opening and closing various trails so as to bring them to just the right spot.

The patient hunter gets the prey, as Cernus had taught them.

One of his brothers released the signal hawk, and arrows were nocked, and as the hawk dove the arrows flew.

Talarines fell, and with whooping war cries, warriors of the wolfbrothers and bearkin charged from the brush, roaring their fury and overcome with battle rage. They threw themselves at the Talarines, and Cormac and his brothers joined the fray. Cormac's halberd sang a song of death as it whistled through the air and in moments the battle was over, the Riada's battle rage slowly subsiding. Two of his warriors had been killed and three had been wounded, but the Talarines had been slain to a man.

"Collect weapons and our dead, but leave the beasts to rot. Be ready to find the travelers in five minutes time." Cormac ordered. They had seen a large group of refugees, and had taken it upon themselves to divert the Talarines from their collision course with them.

In five minutes the warriors were assembled and ready to move out, so they began to march.
Soon they would join the refugees, and perhaps the war could really begin.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

Flight from the Talarines

“Damn these flat lands!” cried out a lone elf running through the short grass, just as he moved his head out of the way to barely avoid an arrow that would have gone through his forehead, passing so close that it cut his ear, not badly, but it would be another scar.

The elf was a hunter; specifically, a hunter of Talarines, a brutal race of idiots who took disgusting delight in slaughter. At the moment, he was running from his prey, as there were too many for him to face and he was not in an area were he could do continuous ambushes, hence him cursing the flat lands. There were fifty Talarines chasing him at the moment, all of them armed and pissed. He had managed to kill one of their officers, hence why they were chasing him. During the pursuit, the hunter had managed to kill three more of the brutes with his short bow before they had figured out that they could still shoot arrows at him with their long bows while still being out of range of his short bow.

Now they are continuing the pursuit, keeping out of his range, but keeping him within theirs. And unfortunately, there wasn’t a single place for miles around where the hunter could duck out of sight so he could hide and let the creatures pass him, and the Talarines have already been chasing him for quite a distance, nearly five miles by the hunter’s estimate. Most people would have given up the chase after a mile, having been winded, but that was for humans and dwarves, not Talarines and elves. Apparently, Talarines are just as good at cross-country running as elves are, if not more so, because Talarines are big brutes, much bigger than an elf.

The elf could see that the forest he had been running towards was now about another mile ahead. He figured that once he got into the woods, he would be able to turn the tide on his pursuers and kill them one by one.

Arrows thudded into the ground and trees around the fleeing hunter, in a last attempt to kill him without risk to the Talarines, as he entered the woods at a run. The hunter kept running, leaping over roots and rocks, ducking under low branches, crashing through the undergrowth, never looking back to see that the Talarines had not followed him, stopping just out of short bow range of the tree line.

After awhile of running, the hunter finally looked back, finding himself deep in the woods. His feet kept running, even after he realized he was not being pursued. He then turned his head to see where he was going and saw a clearing a few feet in front of him. What he didn’t see was the one-inch thick branch that was level with his forehead.

Whack!

He hit the branch full force, his head breaking through the branch, but coming out the other side at a much slower speed than before, his feet still continuing their forward moment, which now carried them out from under the hunter. He flew through the air, landing face first within the clearing, the now broken branch landing on the back of his legs. He was out cold before he hit the ground, ground that was now showing signs of blood flowing from the large cut on his forehead.

Fortunately for the hunter, the clearing he had just landed in happened to be on a trail leading towards a village another mile or so into the forest. Someone was bound to come along and find him soon.

 

[Qyron]

On the side of the trail a small elf was lying, face-down, blood pouring from his forehead into the ground, tainting the grass with ruby color. It was the first creature Nayil had seen in a long time; a scencient, at least. What could had happened to put the little elf in that condition? There was the broken branch over his legs, of course, but that was the object, not the cause of the effect.

Nayil changed the weigth of his backpack from one shoulder to another, taking a decision. There were wolves in this countryside; he had seen the scats. Leaving the elf where and how he was, would most probably be his doom. Not that it mattered. But perhaps this individual would be more fond of letting know the general background on the parts. And taking in consideration the way the elf looked, he seemed to be down on his luck by the moment.

Picking up the slim, allmost weightless, unconscious body from the ground, Nayil walked way from the path into the forest, the opposite way from where the elf had come. If he was running from that direction it was because he had a good reason for it.
Beneath a large, broad but not very tall, ancient oak, Nayil layed the elf on his bedroll, started a small fire and brougth up his first aid kit. While he waited for the stones to be hot enough to boil water he picked plants and roots from the ground. He also found a rabitt burrow. Remembering the large morcel of meat in his backpack, he left it alone.

The blood had stopped flowing, but the swelling was starting and there might be an infection. Opening the first aid kit, Nayil took a small, spoon shaped, metal instrument and started cleaning the dry blood, dirt and leaves from the wound, sometimes pouring a little of the rinsing solution he had prepared previously over it. The elf moaned and trashed in his dreams several times. Finally, he sprinkled the wound with hemostatic powder, and bandaged the elf's head.

In the meanwhile, the night had set, and the forest was alive it its nightwalkers roaming around. Nayil was ungry. He remembered again the piece of meat in his backpack and went for it.

 

[cats]

Stephenie Egeis

IC: Traveling lightly over the ground of the front of my home I moved into a range to see the visitors. I kept my distance just in case of trouble. The entire group seemed to of had better days, many had wounds, cuts, and burns and all of them seemed tired, with the exception of the few on horse back.

I considered what this could mean and drew blanks. Truth was I would have to ask or wait for some one else to ask them.

 

[Angelus]

As he looked down at the city of Kalabad from his vantage point on the plateau, Sebastian shook his head. He had seen the Talarines enter the city and knew it to be a grave mistake. He had dealt with them enough in the past enough to know that letting them get too close and trying to negotiate was never a good thing. As soon as he saw the King fly through the window of the tower he turned his back because he knew that the people of the city would never survive. They had let the Talarines get too close and now they were paying the price of their mistake. He knew that he could go down and help save as many people as possible but he also knew that this was not his fight.

He suddenly caught a whiff of something foul in the air and knew there was only one thing that could make that smell. He looked across the flatlands around him and knew there was no place that he could hide but wondered if he should. The last thing the Talarine would expect to see would be someone standing here but he realized that they were so stupid they wouldn’t know what to do even if they found someone here. He walked calmly over to a rock, sat down on it and looked in the direction of the smell.

Seconds later four Talarine appeared before him and looked at Sebastian as if he was the most curious thing they had ever seen in their life. He just sat there and listened to them as they turned to each other and started to argue amongst themselves while trying to figure out what to do with the new commodity in their midst. He could not help but let a smile come to his face as he listened to them. They honestly had no idea what to do with him and that thought alone was amusing. He knew though that there was no point in just sitting there waiting for them to figure out what they were going to do to him that he got to his feet which scared the Talarine so much they instinctively went for their weapons.

Sebastian’s first instinct was to sit back down but when he moved to do so the Talarine moved towards him and pointed their weapons straight at him. Sebastian knew that the situation he now found himself in could get really ugly really quickly and moved towards them but that only seemed to infuriate them more. He knew, as he looked at them that there was no way he was going to get out of this just by talking to them and started to look for weak spots in the four, just in case he needed to kill them. He knew that he didn’t want to but the last thing he also wanted was one of them to follow him back to his home, a place he kept well hidden from anyone.

“There is no need to worry about me,” Sebastian said with a smile as he readied himself, “I am not a threat to you.”

He moved before the Talarine could follow, decapitating the first of the group with a quick swing of his sword. As the head fell to the ground; as if in slow motion the rest of the group bellowed at Sebastian who crouched to the ground like a cat; his sword in one hand. He looked at them as them started to move towards him and just wished they had turned around and left him alone.

He knew though that if he wasn’t quick enough that the Talarine could hurt him badly enough that he would have to have some bed rest. He moved with the years of practiced ease and started to dance around the Talarine, cutting and stabbing them occasionally as they continued to scream at him. He knew that if they were wiser that they would notice the blood that was starting to stain the ground below them, even as they swung their weapons at him.

It was then that one of the group fell to the ground which caused the remaining two to stop and look down at it in surprise. One of them then looked down at the ground and its eyes went wide a second before it too fell to the ground. Sebastian slowly slid his sword back into its sheath and looked at the remaining Talarine who he could tell was starting to feel the effects of its blood loss.

“I did not want to fight you. You could have just left me alone. I truly did not wish to kill you.”

He walked away from the group of Talarines and shook his head again. The last thing that he wanted was to be dragged into this but he knew that if the Talarine survived that he would be. He knew that he could go back and easily kill it but there was no way it could defend itself. He walked away from the plateau, hating what he just had to do.

 

[Mantra]

(OOC: ** Denotes words spoken in orcish )


He wasn't very tall, not by human standards, and he wasn't handsome either, especially by human standards. His skin was deep green which seemed oddly fitting given his broad, boxy stature. Even his head and jaw was thick and broad, with an upward jutting tusk at each corner of his lips. Two thin braids of coarse, black hair dangled astride his chin and the hair on his head was equally coarse, but short cropped and crudely cut. His ears were large and flat against his head, with three gold rings adorning each lobe and one matching ring piercing his wide nose.

He was wearing heavy leather with metal rings and studs sewn into it. A wide and thick belt fastened around his midsection and heavy shod boots covered his feet. A fur cloak hung off his shoulders with a fox head looping over each shoulder, so the teeth bit down into the cloth like a clamp to keep the fur in place. In one hand the orc held high a heavy, spiked mace, almost like a beacon to the orcs gathered around him in a circle. The mace seemed frozen in time for a second; a herald of destiny, or status, of strength. Then time resumed and the mace came down...

..and with a sickening crunch, smashed the skull of the second orc.

The defeated orc pitched sideways and crumpled to the dirt never to rise again as s pool of deep red began to form underneath his ruined skull.

** "You do because I SAY SO!" ** Shouted the victorious orc. He raised his arms high over his head still holding the killer mace, a second, similar mace clutched in his other hand as well, and bellowed out a triumphant war cry. The orcs around him took up the cheer, bellowing, stamping and beating weapons against their shields or chests.

Druz reveled in the blood-lust for a time, roaring and pounding his own chest while still holding his bloody weapon.
** "I win! Me! Druz is champion!" ** he called. He finally began to calm as he stalked around the circle of orcs, commanding their attention and obedience as he shouted and glared at them.
** "You're puny little Nob is dead! I am your chief! You, all of you are Bonebasher Clan now!" **

He turned on his heel and stomped to the center of the circle and took up a defiant stance, holding wide his two maces. The noise of the crowd fell away until there was only silence.

** "Who says this is not so? Who says Druz is not your chief? Who wants to challenge my claim?" ** he glared menacingly at the group beckoning them forward with his weapons. None came forward. Silence reigned for nearly a minute until finally a call of "Druz! Druz! Druz!" began to rise from the assembled orcs, rising in ferocity as the others joined in until they all were shouting again, beating their weapons in time with the chant. The chant continued for several minutes until Druz was satisfied, then he roared out again, bringing his twin maces over his head to clash together like thunder.

** " AARGGGH!! Enough cheer and fight! BRING ME BEER!!" ** This only made the orcs roar again even louder, but the moment had passed, this splinter group of rogue orcs had been brought back into the fold and the ritual of succession had occurred. The orc tribe had chosen a new chief; Druz Bonebasher.

*********************************************************
Two days later:

Druz rode atop his worg, Furfang. A huge wolf bred specifically for their size and ferocity. The worgs were clever, but nearly feral and only the bravest orcs were able to harness the Spirits necessary to attract and bind a worg spirit to their own spirit and become WolfRiders. Nobs who were able to claim a worg were generally considered destined for war and glory. Druz had journeyed on his Spirit Walk and attracted a Worg Alpha to him. After a three day showdown, he had managed to bind the Alpha, whom he named Furfang, to his spirit. It was considered a great omen when Druz had ridden back to his home tribe atop Furfang and Druz was blessed and given the title of Under Chief that same day.

Two other Nobs rode along with Druz. Orcs who had made a name for themselves in battle and tamed their own worgs to become WolfRiders. These two had pledged their lives and the lives of their wolves to Druz with sacred oaths and in doing so, had become a part of his trusted bodyguard.

** "Urk, Smoke from the Humie city." ** One said. His name was in fact, Urk, given because of the grunting sound he always made when speaking. ** " Humies running from the Scalies. Scalies have sacked the city." **

Druz frowned. He didn't like the snobby, weak and arrogant Aine, but he hated the Tararines even more. If for no other reason, they had sacked a city that Druz himself wanted to plunder. More than that, many orcs admired the Talarines in some way. They admired the Scalies for their strength, their brutal love of war and their aggression. They were fierce and worthy foes in battle and left behind an impressive swath of destruction. Even Druz could appreciate this, but Druz did not respect or admire the Scalies. They had no tact, no subtlety or style in their warfare. They lacked discipline among their own casts and no matter how much they had, the gobbled up more with no thought of the future. They reminded Druz of locusts and how could any self respecting warrior respect locusts?

** " Damn Scalies." ** Druz cursed.

The two Nobs grumbled their leader's dissent. ** "But so what? Humies are weak and dumb. They could not even make a decent fight at their own capitol.** said Hobnob, his other Rider.
Hobnobs mother had decided her child did not look fierce enough for a proper Orc as a young child. To remedy this, she had cut off her son's ears and drew a hot brand across both his cheeks, permanently disfiguring him. Now as a WolfRider, Hobnob flaunted his scars proudly and his matching battle prowess had garnered him many favors from willing females. Guess his mother had had the right idea after all.

Druz grunted in agreement with Hobnob, but the situation still concerned him. Druz was well known to be a 'deep thinker' among the Orcs, many of which acknowledged that most failed to see past their next raid or winter. ** "Where are the Humies now then?" **

** "Most have fled to the trees beyond their city. They hide there and wait for death. Maybe they will kill themselves to atone for their pitiful disgrace." **

** " Hmm, There may be an opportunity for us here. Perhaps we should go to the trees and see these Humies." **

The other two orcs grumbled with delight and their worgs growled in anticipation.
** "Urk, Good! I need a good fight! Maybe a good prize to take back to my hut and show Grod. Grod failed to bind a wolf and nearly lost his hand in the process. I should remind him that his family is a failure under his guidance. Maybe his whelps will join my family instead!" **

All three orcs laughed for a moment before Druz continued.
** "I have more planned than just plunder the fleeing Humies. I will talk with them, maybe even help them." **

Again the orcs erupted into laughter, but Druz remained silent, instead offering only a lopsided smile. The other two orcs ceased their laughter quickly and stared at Druz, but neither dared speak up against their Chieftain.

With a snap of the reigns, Druz and Furfang leaped away toward the distant trees and their human refugees. Urk and Hobnob followed close behind in silence.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Cormac stopped and stood still, sniffing the air.

"What do you smell brother?" Fionn, one of the other priests, asked.

"Orc-flesh."

"from which direction?"

"coming from Kalabad. Wolfriders."

"looking to plunder the refugees i wouldnt wonder."

"aye, mayhaps." Cormac turned and with a series of gestures he and the various other warriors took to the scent. They dashed into the trees, quick as stags and silent as hunting wolves.

It wasn't long before they had found the source of the scent, three wolfriders, Cormac motioned his warriors to take up ambush positions and then turned to Fionn.

"I'm going to have a word with the big one, it seems odd that only three would set off to plunder, even orcs dont rate themselves so highly."

"Madness! One does not have words with orcs!" Fionn said in shock.

"This one will. Cover me from here."

"Aye, brother, though i protest your decision."

"Duly noted."

Cormac moved down to block the path of the Wolfriders, brandishing his halberd.

"Afternoon lads!" he called out, his warriors quietly sniggered at his cheek.

"You'd do well to tell me what your doing so far from orc lands. Elsewise i might be inclined to take offense, in which case you boys might be in a spot of bother." He said, with a sardonic smile.

 

[Qyron]

The meat was already starting to get crispy on the outside. With some of the herbs he had picked early, as seasoning, it would make a decent meal. There was nothing more than cold water to drink but that would do; Nature takes care of those who learn with it.

«Who can this elf be?»

The elf had calmed down after a while. Nayil was expecting a fever of some sort, considering the bad nutrition the elf showed, but it didn't came. That was proof that the individual was more than used to a harsh life style.

«Robber? Killer?» These thoughts roamed across Nayil's mind. «And a bow wielder. Ah! Elfs and their bows! If a twig did this job on him I wonder what a sword would do.»

The meat was still wet inside when Nayil poked it with his knife.

«It's better if I sleep with an eye open tonight..."

Nayil twirled the blade in his hand, feeling its confortable weight. It was a long time since it had seen proper use. The same for the axe, of course.
Reaching for his backpack, Nayil took out his sharpening stone. Sharpen both weapons would take a long time and would help him stay awake. And alert. Weighing the stone in his hand, a brief smile came across his lips.

«Let's get to work.»

 

[Kalika84]

Karesh walked around the hastily constructed tent placing wards around it to stop would be eavesdroppers. Closing her eyes she felt the weight of Thorne leaning against her leg as she concentrated until she could feel the magick crackling down her arm to her fingertips. Inscribing arcane symbols with quick efficient movements Karesh quickly had the tent warded against eavesdroppers and as a warning siren if the wards were trying to be broken.

Karesh looked down at Thorne. *Maybe its a bit much...dont you think thats a bit much? We are in the middle of nowhere after all you know.*

*Karesh dont start being stupid now after all these years of good training I have instilled in you* This was accompanied by a deep purring chuckle as he nuzzled her fingers.

Rolling her eyes Karesh marched into the tent with the others and hopefully this conference would start soon this forest was making her on edge.

 

[Jedi_Khan]

The Hunter

Day passed into night, and night into day before the unconscious elf stirred. He woke to a throbbing headache and the sound of stone grinding on metal. He was careful to keep his outward appearance unchanged, trying his best to keep the appearance of still being asleep. He cracked open an eye so he could see out of it, but have it still appear to be closed, and slowly eased his head over towards the sound. What he saw, no man would want to wake up to.

Sitting only a few feet away was a giant of a man, nearly as tall sitting down as the elf was standing. And the man was using a grind stone to sharpen a double-headed axe in his hand. The elf’s first thought was that he was about to get his head chopped off as soon as he showed signs of being awake. With that thought in mind, he covertly looked around for his weapons, for he did not feel them on his back. He saw them leaning up against a tree, just out of arm’s reach towards the giant with the axe. Bad luck for the elf, but at least he still has his cloak on. If he could just slip out of sight behind a tree or in the underbrush, the giant would never be able to find him, especially with the cloak disguising him. Plus, it was still dark in the forest, for the sun had yet to rise high enough to pierce the branches of the trees, which would make the already difficult task of finding the cloaked elf in the underbrush even harder.

The elf now slowly eased his head back around to look towards the other direction, in hopes of seeing some underbrush close by. Fortunately, there was some underbrush right at hand, so close in fact, that the elf only had to roll over to be in it. The elf did a mental check of his condition, took a few more breaths and then rolled.

The underbrush rustled and a few twigs snapped as the elf rolled into the bushes, coming out the other side on the next roll. As he exited the underbrush, he pulled his cloak over his head and tucked his legs in. He now blended in with the forest floor and its underbrush perfectly. He got to his hands and knees, and silently crawled away with all the skill of a trained elven hunter from the spot where he exited the underbrush, circling the camp, bringing himself closer to his weapons. After moving about three feet, he stopped, and waited to see how the giant would respond.

 

[cats]

Stephenie Egies

IC: I found myself impatient and not satisfied with my lack of information of the smoke off in the distance. The lady with the familar seemed reasonably well off she would be the one to ask.

I moved over to the ebony haired beauty and made myself readily seen. "Forgive me for asking, but who are all of you people?"

 

[Kalika84]

Thorne turned and stood infront of Karesh and looked at the small girl instantly on alert due to all the strangers milling about.

Karesh looked down at the short young woman who while appearing about 16....gave off a vibe of being much older. How strange...Karesh thought to her self. Tilting her head to the side she eyed the glowing green stone in the girls tiara...which besides a tiara being an odd thing to wear on a daily basis, stones did not usually glow unless imbued with something else.

"We are refugees from the city," Karesh pointed in the direction of black smoke. "We were attacked. We have saved some but many more perished." Sighing Karesh gave the young woman a tired smile. "Mayhap is there some food about that we may purchase from some of the villagers? some of the others are hungry....and while food can be appropriated in less conventional means it would not do to drain the abilities of those that can when it may be needed for something else."

*Karesh! There is something about this girl that is different. She is not as she seems....but I do not think she is dangerous.*

*I am aware of this Thorne. However she seems nice so far.*

During this exchange the young girls face followed them back and forth...like she knew they were talking. She should probably be polite and tell the girl her name.

"I am Karesh, and you would be?"

 

[cats]

Stephenie Egies

IC: I fallowed the exchange of glances between the familar and the owner. A faint whispering wind echoed silently in my mind, and I assumed the two were talking. What they were talking about however would take a much older and skilled Tolen to deduce, especially since these two had a bond.

'I am Karesh, and you would be?'

I looked at her face taking in the dust and ash of travel and war, she could use a bath. "I am Stephenie, and although I can't do so myself I know this town has a grainary, and I can only assume you'd be welcome to it. But it isn't my place to decide."

I waited a minute. "You need a bath."

 

[Kalika84]

Karesh snorted indelicately. "You noticed that did you? Bath would be quite heavenly right now, but unfortunately other things need to be done first or I would be diving head first into the closest one."

*I really do not understand the human obsession with dunking yourself in water* Thorne thought at her with a twitch of his shoulder muscles.

"I will need to find whoever is in charge of this village shortly and set a meeting to advise what we will be requiring from the village. The prin....Queen will need to speak with him or her."

Karesh looked down at herself to brush some dust off and realised....there was more dust than clothing. Oh this would not do. "On second thought....wheres that bath?"

Karesh looked hopefully at the girl while Thorne's silent laughter bounced around in her head.

 

[cats]

Stephenie Egies

IC: I took a moment to orient myself. The Mayors would be...

'On second thought....wheres that bath?'

"How should I know? I have my own bath, and no need for the publics."

 

[Qyron]

Nayil Thandryl

** - denotes speech in elven

Nayil had spent the night with an eye over the sleeping elf, so he wasn't surprised when he saw him slide silently to the under brush. It was more than expected, taking the circumstances. He was, however, surprised, with the swiftness of him doing it. Nayil nodded for himself.

Sliding the sharpening stone once more over the axe blade, Nayil set it aside and stood up slowly, leaving the weapon on the ground. He felt joints and muscles complain from the long immobility and let out a loud yawn, while he stretched. He felt tired.

**I mean you no harm.**

Nayil spoke slowly, pushing his senses to the limit, examining the surroundings trying to locate the elf. The forest was peaceful and undisturbed. He knew how to blend in perfectly.

**I mean you no harm.**

Leaving the battleaxe on the ground, Nayil stepped away from the oak, walking towards the bonfire, crouched, and started to stir the coals, adding twigs and small pieces of wood, trying to get the fire burning again.

**There is no need to hide.** Nayil started pouring water into a tall wood recipient from a large water skin, made from cow hide. **If I wanted you dead, you'd already be.**

Word came out slowly,as Nayil made an effort to remember - and speak - his best elven; it had been long since he had used the language and his accent, has he had been told several times in the past, wasn't the most pleasant to ear nor ignore. The last, whatever language he spoke.

**I found you by the trail side yesterday, wounded.**

Nayil started adding hot stones to the recipient, making the water inside boil then threw some dry leaves into the water. A strong, sweet, herbal aroma rise from the large bowl and filled the air. Leaving the infusion aside, Nayil stretched an arm to his backpack, took out a small brown package, strapped with black string made from plant fibres, and opened it. Pulling his knife from its scabbard Nayil cut a piece, wrapped the trail bread again and left it on the ground.
After serving himself from the herbal tea, Nayil walked to his bedroll and sat, enjoying his hot drink and a bite of the dark, dense, nutritious bread.

**Join me, if you choose so.** Nayil was more alert than ever, ready to reach for the knife strapped to his left leg in case of an attack. **If not, take your weapons and go in peace.**

Nayil heard a dry twig crack and grass leaves brush near the oak, where the weapons were still waiting for their owner, probably the elf moving around. All over the forest, birds were starting to become more cheerful in their songs, meaning that the sun was getting higher in the sky. If the elf didn't made up his mind, Nayil was not in the mood to sit there forever, as he wanted to hike up the trail he had been following the day before. Taking another bite from the piece of bread in his hand, Nayil inhaled heavily by his nose.

 

[Kalika84]

Karesh stared at Stephenie dumb founded. It had been fairly obvious she wanted Stephenie to tell her where the baths were...yet was only advised Stephenie had one and didnt use the public ones.

Karesh painted a strained smile on her face. "Thats nice dear." All that was missing from this statement was for Karesh to pat Stephenie on the head. "Perhaps you could tell me where the public baths are? as disgusting as I'm sure they are."

Thorne purred at Karesh. *Is she all there?* He tilted his head from side to side to indicate he meant in the head.

 

[cats]

The woman smiled pleasently, although some how difrent from normal. 'Thats nice dear.'

'Perhaps you could tell me where the public baths are? as disgusting as I'm sure they are.' Is this lady all there?

"Um, I just told you. I don't know where the others go to bathe. I assume its some sort of group compound."

 

[Mantra]

The three riders loped along the animal paths through the woods, having made a wide circle to avoid the many Talrarine camps. They had traveling for the better part of a day when they finally saw someone that wasn't scaley, dead or running for their lives. The three slowed until the one in the middle finally motioned towards the others and approached the lone figure standing in the middle of the path.

"You'd do well to tell me what your doing so far from orc lands. Elsewise I might be inclined to take offense, in which case you boys might be in a spot of bother."

Druz just looked at the stranger for a moment. The Orcs had stories about these odd looking fellows, 'Rios' or someting like that, but Druz had never seen one before, at least one that wasn't stuffed anyway.

"Adal lok rado!" he called out, raising his heavy spear high for a moment. "Me be Druz. Me looks for Humies, Druz has words for Humie Chief not for Goatling in road."

"If you know Humies, then we go to Humies. If no, then you go, we go. No fight today."

 

[Jedi_Khan]

The Hunter

How the giant reacted to the elf disappearing into the underbrush was unexpected. The man was casual in his response, sliding the grind stone over the axe blade one more time, then standing and stretching, causing several joints to pop, and then yawn, loudly. He yawned! That was what miffed the elf the most, at least until the giant started speaking.

”I mean you no harm.”

What the elf heard was “I eat you no sun.” Apparently, the man was either not very good with the elvish language or he was speaking a very different dialect from what the hunter knew. And the man’s horrendous accent didn’t help either. The phrase was repeated again, as the man moved towards the dying fire to restart it. Then the man said some more words, again just as confusing and incomprehensible as the previous phrase. The giant said some more words as he prepared some tea. Well, at least he’s civilized, thought the elf.

The elf had moved stealthily over to behind the tree his weapons were leaning up against, as the giant sat drinking his tea and eating his black bread. The sight of the food made the elf realize just how hungry he was, especially for some fresh cooked rabbit meat. And as if in answer to his wish, a rabbit popped up out its burrow, well within arms reach. The creature had no clue that the elven hunter was right there, nor did it have a chance, as the elf shoot his arms out and grabbed the rabbit. With a quick twist, he ended the creature’s life in a heart beat, before the creature had time to make a sound. Unfortunately for the elf, his movement had caused a twig to snap under his feet, practically giving away his position. Time for a little trick he had used many times on the Talarines.

“Your words make no sense, giant,” said the elf, only no sound came from his unmoving lips. Instead, the sound came from the opposite side of the camp from where the elf was. And the elf spoke in his native tongue, the Mori dialect of elvish.

The Mori dialect was a more rugged form of elvish, very different from the smoother and more eloquent dialects that other elves spoke. If the giant truly knew elvish, and knew what he was saying, then it was most likely that he knew the more common and prevalent dialects of elvish, not the near extinct Mori dialect. The Mori dialect was nearly extinct, because as far as the elf knows, he is the only one alive who knows and speaks it, the rest having been killed by the brutish Talarines.

“Perhaps you should brush up on your elvish, stranger,” continued the elf. “Who are you and what do you want?”

 

[rengadeirishman]

Cormac was confused a moment, ignoring the orc's clumsy attempt at an insult.

"You have words do you? What could an Orc have to say to the Aine? I suggest you spend words on me first Orc, for my warriors have you entirely surrounded, and my men are excellent marksman."