Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Tviyr was the first boundary to be created when Fellsgard was freed from Bhelest. There is a diverse magnitude of adventurers that trek through this countryside. Decorated with grassland, coastline, forest, and jungle, it's quite the vision. Read more...
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Aeirn Vryndîr
Character
Ranger of the Road
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
16 / 16 MP
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Race: Kerasoka
Class: Ranger
Posts: 32
Joined: July 14th, 2019, 3:53 am

Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Aeirn Vryndîr »

They had set out at dawn, all six of them moving off to catch the first few travelers on their way over the Slyscera Mountains, they'd prepared with some haste, having done such things again and again, bow strings had been secured, quivers filled and fire put out, tents hidden and traps set just in case any snooping meddlers managed to somehow find themselves somewhere they clearly didn't belong.

The six of them were elves of various heights in an array of leather and mail armour, each having a bow and carrying an assortment of others armaments, swords, daggers and maces to name a few, as well as a hood that obscured any sort of detailed look at the face. What each one of them had in common was the dark green cloak wrapped around their body fixed by a golden fastener in the shape of a leaf, as well as the pelt of an animal fixed to their belts. They moved with a certain grace and dexterous agility that only Kerasoka and possibly Korcai possessed, effortlessly moving downward into a valley, following the woodland that scaled the base of the mountains to keep them from view.

It took a good hour or so, but they finally reached their destination, a small path that winded its way through the woodland and up into the mountains, they knew people came along here to reach it and knew it was prime territory for what they hoped was going to be a worthwhile endeavor; however they were not your average highwaymen, no indeed not, what they sought was no mere trinkets or coin. It was something more sinister. Indeed they'd heard talk of an individual that had been practicing Necromancy, for what reason? They didn't know. But this was there chance and they had been tipped off that this person was making their way to Ninraih, and that they had forgone the obvious route by train for something less conspicuous and was suppose to be heading this way today, it was merely a matter of waiting.

The six of them hid, each blending into the dense shrub, as they waited, tensed like wolves ready for a kill, for their pray to come along.
Word count: 370
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Slaine
Character
Meddler
Level
01
23 / 23 HP
21 / 21 MP
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Race: Fae and Human
Class: Wizard
Posts: 45
Joined: July 12th, 2019, 11:57 pm
Has thanked: 3 times

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Slaine »

For the first leg of her journey, Slaine had kept a watchful eye on the road around her. Nerves had gotten the better of her several times and had slowed her journey considerably. After surviving her first night out on her own, however, she had grown cocky and proud. Comfortable. Comfortable was perhaps something one might have liked to have been while journeying, though it was something Slaine had acquired too easily. There was nothing about Slaine's bearing or preparation that at any point should have made her feel like she really had a grasp on this "traveling alone in the wilderness" thing, and yet after another night and most of a day with no massive upsets besides being a bit sore from the bedroll (was it intentionally uncomfortable?) she felt quite on top of world so to speak.

Reading while walking was perhaps the most obnoxious symptom of her budding arrogance, a hobby choice that had likely sprained many ankles since the time when books became more common than sense. She hadn't wanted wait for camp to tuck back into the novel she'd read the night before and the road had seemed straight enough and clear enough that she did not worry about stumbling or getting lost. The last two miles had practically flown by as she thumbed through page after page of romantic drivel, following along at a steady clip, golden afternoon sun catching the pages in a radiant and glowy way that made her extremely stupid act seem practically magical.

Deeply engrossed with her reading, she had not looked up to check for predators in the woods now for quite some time, blithely wandering ahead as she licked her thumb and turned another page, color rising in her cheeks as the story had apparently taken a turn for the lewd. It was too much for her delicate and prudish sensibilities and led her to fold the book to her chest, heaving an exasperated sigh as her step slowed and her attention wandered into the greenery, a strange tickling of wrongness occurring to her as she stared blankly into the trees, fixated upon something glinting in the distance that almost looked like a... leaf?
Word count: 366
User avatar
Aeirn Vryndîr
Character
Ranger of the Road
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Kerasoka
Class: Ranger
Posts: 32
Joined: July 14th, 2019, 3:53 am

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Aeirn Vryndîr »

The whole woodland stood still for a moment, as if time itself has stopped, the agonising moment between inaction and action, when everything seemed to happen all at once... and... nothing, it was rather anti-climatic to say the least, the whole forest seemed to start back into life, as a few birds jovially flew from a branch they were perched on and flew effortlessly down toward the Serpent Kin; the wind rustled the trees, the wood gently creaking as they bowed slightly from its nagging push. The leaf that she saw? It moved suddenly as a figure emerged feet treading gracefully and lightly across the floor, it didn't even seem like he made any noise as he moved, it was most odd, he was a rather tall man, with his face obscured by mask and hood, he didn't waste any time as a hand slid the mask to below his face, giving a light dip of his head and a polite smile.

"I'm afraid your journey will be on hold for the moment, you and I need a talk." he stated calmly, voice carrying the soft, melodic tones of an elf and well it was clear he couldn't be anything more as he pulled down his hood, revealing his angled, elven features, complete with tattoos- a Kerasoka. He advanced calmly toward her, feet barely making an audible sound; eyes fixed, breath calm as if he was about to engage in combat with the woman, he half expected her to try to make a run for it, though with these necromancers you could never be too sure- and he was still wondering if she was such a person, she didn't look very necromantic but that's how they got you, if everyone looked like what they did, the world wouldn't be quiet as complicated as it perhaps was.

He finally arrived in front of her, eyeing her with a frown, his features were a little odd for an elf, scars stained his skin, that perhaps once was smooth and soft, but not seemed weathered, rough in places, as if trying to fight against the very nature of being an elf, tattoos accompanied it, ornate designs of various kinds, that were painstakingly etched on, his hair was black in colour, cascading down to just below his shoulders, skin red with a tanned hue and brown eyes that peered at her. "If you'd empty what belongings you have on to the floor- tell me, what book is that?" he asked, raising a brow as he eyed the book that was still clutched to her chest. He sighed a little, he didn't think this would take long...
Word count: 442
User avatar
Slaine
Character
Meddler
Level
01
23 / 23 HP
21 / 21 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Fae and Human
Class: Wizard
Posts: 45
Joined: July 12th, 2019, 11:57 pm
Has thanked: 3 times

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Slaine »

You and I need a talk. Worn and weathered as it was, elven beauty was a difficult thing to destroy altogether, and even having never seen a Kerasoka in the flesh she could make her guesses. Recordings of exploits, battles, and kills marked his skin like the pages of a book though in a language she could not read, and yet her sense of awe and facsination as difficult to focus on in the moment. He was huge and physically imposing to the scholarly woman despite his good manners. Her book had just gotten good - to say this was an inconvenient meeting was an understatement. Nigel had imparted in her a healthy fear of authority, though not the cooperative kind he had hoped to breed in the would-be mage. Rather, having lived her entire life avoiding conflict by remaining cooped up she had no real idea how to handle a situation like this. The only thing she could dredge up from the many adventure novels was the stunned realization that she was being robbed.

Yes, robbed. Swallowing with an audible click she craned her neck to meet his gaze, hugging the book to her chest as he loomed over her, immense and well-suited to his life of bad deeds and ill-gotten gains. Properly intimidated, she'd frozen, her mind working to weasel her out of this jam and into future ones. "I'm not doing that - do you know how hard it was to put it all in there?" Slaine did not know fear properly, and so it did not come to her easily. Rather, her rebuke of his request had all the bravado and confidence that she felt she lacked, her brow furrowing as her pale gaze bore into him.

Up close and even far away it might have been easy to make out the bulky shapes and sharp edges of books wedged among her belongings in the satchel. She wore clothing that bespoke some wealth but mostly utility, neatly tailored and fitted to her wiry, lean body. Mussed by travel she had certainly seen better days but, for a greenhorn on the road, she didn't look to be doing too badly - she hadn't even managed to catch a sunburn yet by some miracle either of magic, ingenuity, or simple luck. "You can't just ask a girl about what she's reading, either - who do you think you are?" Still possessively clinging to her smut book, Slaine scuttled away several paces though did not not outright run for it, warily eyeing hi and his insanely long arms from the further edge of the path.
Word count: 436
User avatar
Aeirn Vryndîr
Character
Ranger of the Road
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Kerasoka
Class: Ranger
Posts: 32
Joined: July 14th, 2019, 3:53 am

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Aeirn Vryndîr »

He calmly stared her down as her defiance ran him through like a spear through bare flesh, clearly this wasn't going to be as easy as he hoped. As she scuttled away he tilted his head, raising a perfectly shaped brow. "Make this easier on yourself and hand over the book. Now. His tone hardened, eyes squarely fixed upon her, if she wasn't guilty of anything then she wouldn't have anything to hide, clearly the book was filled with dark spells and incantations on disturbing the dead. He was sure of it.

The forest itself seemed quieter now they'd begun talking, the wind had seemed to all but disappear, the gust having escaped from down the mountains and fled. There were no signs of anyone else, though the Elf knew he had five bows trained on her just in case, but she wasn't to know that, he exhaled pacing to the side, starting to become just a little bit irritated by her lack of forthcoming. "I don't believe it was a request, or a question. If you're not hiding something then I fail to see how this affects you in anyway." he said, his own reasoning quite sound in his head and it did honestly, make a modicum of sense in truth, yet how happy people would be about such things remained to be seen, this women clearly didn't seem at all happy about such a sensible, simply demand.

To highlight his point, his hand gently rested on the hilt of his sheathed blade, the hilt itself was rather ornate in design, smooth, polished wood capped by a silver pommel gave it a rather well-to-do look and one clearly of Kerasoka design, the people who did rather favour wood and nature then it came to design. He frowned a little more, now hoping she'd comply with him, and get this ordeal over with as quickly as possible, for this morning, a necromancer would indeed die, yet... little did he know, the actual man was quietly coming up the path in a cart a good ways behind her and this poor lass was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Word count: 361
User avatar
Slaine
Character
Meddler
Level
01
23 / 23 HP
21 / 21 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Fae and Human
Class: Wizard
Posts: 45
Joined: July 12th, 2019, 11:57 pm
Has thanked: 3 times

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Slaine »

"No." The hardening of his gaze had, in turn, caused her to double down on her stubborn refusal to cooperate with this strange highwayman, though she still couldn't quite understand what his shtick was - usually in the books bandits didn't question your honestly, mostly because it was stereotypical that they didn't have much themselves. Still, he was really laying it on, prowling like a penned beast as she continued to be patently uncooperative, never allowing him out of her sight. She hadn't missed the none-too-subtle hand that rested now on his weapon and wondered if she should be drawing her own, the thought that she might open herself up to a more hands-on shakedown however, along with the paralyzing uncertainty of never actually having used the stick outside of decades-gone training when Nigel had still been on his feet, stopped her from doing so.

"I don't believe you have that authority." Prim and snippy, her response echoed his, openly mocking the ranger. The redness in her cheeks had subsided, a smug grin (grimace?) pulling at her lips, showing off row of teeth that she imagined she'd sink into his hand if he put it near her, still not quite having caught on to the dire nature of her situation. There might have been a lot of fight in that little heart of hers, but her body was another story, shaking hands curled in a white-knuckle grip around the cover of her book to conceal the visible symptoms of anxiety. "Go on, I'm not going to tell you again - I'm going to that river and you're not stopping me. I am a citizen of Fellsgrad, my father a guard. Touch me and you'll have an army of men on you."

It was a lie, but she delivered it well, not caring to mention that her father had been in a grave now for many years now and any association or favor she had with the guard was likely fading with the memory of the man that raised her. Rooted firmly to the spot, she menaced him with a scowl that just begged him to try her while her mind screamed at the possibility that he just might.
Word count: 368
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Aeirn Vryndîr
Character
Ranger of the Road
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Kerasoka
Class: Ranger
Posts: 32
Joined: July 14th, 2019, 3:53 am

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Aeirn Vryndîr »

Anger shot through the elf like lightning as his face contorted into a sneering glare, who was she to threaten him with talk of guards and armies. He looked like he was about to lunge for her, yet he exhaled, closed his eyes for a moment and nodded just a little. He doubted even if that was true, this force would be able to find him or his compatriots, they'd be halfway to Ninraih by the time they'd even found their former campsite. Opening his eyes again, the Elf finally made up his mind, if she was going to willingly give her dark affairs up, then action had to be taken. "Enough of this necromancer, you're stalling for time no longer." He advanced on her, steel glinting in the light as the dull sound of metal scraping along leather as he pulled his blade partway from his scabbard filled the air.

He had gotten a few steps in when he frowned, eyes gazing past her, eyeing something down the way, yet nothing seemed to be there, his ears twitched, blade retreating back into his leathery home as looked to her, his voice now hushed, pushy. "Hide, quickly." he gestured to a green mix of leaves to her right, signalling for her to get down into it, though he somehow doubted she would listen to her. Suddenly he offered a bird like whistle to the wind, a signal of some kind, to people unknown; as he himself wandered casually into the middle of the road, exhaling as his hood went back up, mask also covering the bottom half of his face.

As the minutes passed, the sound of a cart could now be heard fast approaching, the trundle of wheels turning and the stamp of hooves falling against the ground and there, finally it was the cart that housed the foe the band of elves sort, it seemed to be in quite a rush, the driver atop it covered in a long, dark blue cloak, hood covering his features, but something felt all off about him, as if death itself rode beside him.
Word count: 352
User avatar
Slaine
Character
Meddler
Level
01
23 / 23 HP
21 / 21 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Fae and Human
Class: Wizard
Posts: 45
Joined: July 12th, 2019, 11:57 pm
Has thanked: 3 times

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Slaine »

Playing chicken was not exactly something Slaine had ever done or even properly heard of, but she was a born champion at it, standing defiant in the face of impending peril with a wide-eyed stare of fearless confidence. She did not bat an eye at his sneer, nor the way he twitched toward her, breaking into a canary-eating grin as he seemed to think better and perhaps really take her warning about her service-bound father to heart. That's right, a-

"Necromancer?" She was quick enough, eyes widening at the glint of steel, recognizing now what authority he acted on, her game of chicken now going disastrously wrong as his soundless footfalls ate up the distance between them. "I'm not-" She was quick enough, holding her breath as he paused, mid-stride, ears twitching in a strangely familiar way, his attention shifting down the path. Hesitantly she turned to look down the road as well, her own ears twitching faintly yet again, the smug, mask-like grin fading as she turned toward him again, eyes narrowing. "Hey-" How rude could a guy be? She gawped with awe at his audacity, though only would not argue with a stowed blade - she wasn't going to win a fight with him, and, well... he had mentioned a necromancer. Gaze darting she ducked and made for the brush line with only minimal delay and being intentionally obtuse, her dark blues, browns, and grays melding into the leaf-line rather readily when she'd fallen still despite not having gone far at all - she wanted a good look, after all. She had never seen a necromancer.

As the cart rolled steadily closer and as it did Slaine turned an envious eye on the blue cloak and hat of the apparent villain, quite appreciating the style (though she still could not place why exactly this pretty goon thought she might be a necromancer). Even the chill of approaching death came off to her as a nice touch even though it made her shiver in what she imagined must have been awe. Surely she hadn't been meant to find a role model in such a character but she had never seen someone so blatantly... magical. That she could practically taste grave-dirt in the air as they approached was, well, inspiring. Still hugging the book to her belly with one arm (now closed, having slipped a ribbon produce from one of her many pockets to mark her place), she settled down to her knees silently despite having told herself that she'd leave just as soon as she got a good look - besides, with how quickly that cart was moving and how rude this Kerasoka man had been holding her up, she couldn't help but indulge a bit of morbid curiosity. Him being hit by a speeding cat seemed like a decent distraction by which to make a run for it, anyway.
Word count: 481
User avatar
Aeirn Vryndîr
Character
Ranger of the Road
Level
01
24 / 24 HP
16 / 16 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Kerasoka
Class: Ranger
Posts: 32
Joined: July 14th, 2019, 3:53 am

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Aeirn Vryndîr »

The cart showed no signs of slowing, even as the man a top it barked for the Elf to get out of the way, his voice hoarse and nasally. Everything then seemed to happen in a split second, as Slaine watched, the elf raised his left hand, palm open and in within a matter of moments closed it, causing all hell to let loose, arrows came hurtling from the treeline, all of them finding their mark in the horse. The first one to strike went through its eye, causing it to collapsed instantly with a curdling shriek of pain and surprise, the other four embedded themselves in the horse's body, adding insult to injury. There didn't seem much point in peppering the horse, when a single arrow would have been sufficient, but then again, it was quite the sight, almost as if the Elf could merely call forth a hail of arrows with a single motion.

The cart itself had toppled as the horse went down, causing one of the wheels to come off with a sudden crash and provisions and equipment to fall out of the back as well as having the man yell in surprise before being shaken violently to a halt, hands still gripping the now slack reigns tightly. The elf drew his blade, pulling it free entirely from the scabbard, he held it off to his side, point facing away from him as he slowly advanced on the man who began to come around from his dazed stupor.

" What do you want?! Leave me alone you maniac!" the man yelled, suddenly hopping from his defunct cart, slowly and with a limp, moving around to the back with his staff to try and get away from his would-be killer, seemingly looking like he didn't pose any sort of threat.

"Be silent wretch, your passing shall soon be upon you." came the reply in venom like utterances, as the man's final moments drew ever closer.
Word count: 327
User avatar
Slaine
Character
Meddler
Level
01
23 / 23 HP
21 / 21 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Fae and Human
Class: Wizard
Posts: 45
Joined: July 12th, 2019, 11:57 pm
Has thanked: 3 times

Re: Stand and Deliver [Slaine]

Post by Slaine »

In a hail of arrows the legs of the galloping horse buckled and the beast toppled forward, blood wetting the sides of the creature as its last labored breaths. She hadn't expected that - she didn't even realize there had been more men in the woods, though she wasn't entirely surprised. Birds of a feather flocked together, and ruffians were oddly social creatures despite being social outcasts much of the time. Everyone needed friends, she supposed. Unfortunately, his friend had bows, bows that had turned the speeding horse into more of a pincushion, the long shafts of the arrow buried deep into dense muscle, even bone.

She shivered, staring at the chaos of the upended cart, blood pooling beneath the fallen gelding, her attention shifting to the frail stooped form of the driver, his hat askew, his expression that of a helplessly dazed old man. Forgotten were the flock of predators about her, if only for a moment as he stepped from the wreckage and made his way about it. Stricken by an odd streak of compassion the young woman found herself rising up onto her toes, quietly attempting to creep along the brush line toward the rear of the wagon.

Magic was so foreign to her like this that she at first doubted her perceptions - had she misjudged? Had she imagined the smell of grave-dirt and nefarious twist of grim tidings on the wind? Imagined the tickle of an innate, instinctual aversion to death that ran down her spine? Her attention turned toward the horse as she questioned her perception of things, sucking in a breath. Aeirn had nearly caught up with the old man, the cart thankfully shielding "young" Slaine's view of was intended to be an execution, though this put the horse behind him, the blind corner cast by spilled cargo concealing the horse's struggle to find its feet again.

The thrill of the observation was not enough to completely distract her from the unfolding scene, however, as suddenly the cart lurched toward the side, the horse hauling itself up onto its feet and lunging toward the woods with an unnatural start. The unexpected movement turned the over-turned bed of the wagon suddenly in the direction of the pull, threatening to crush the ranger beneath it if he did not move. While it might have been convenient to have him smashed beneath the vehicle like overripe fruit, the zombie horse bristling with bolts was an unsettling touch, as was the growing chill in the air, the threat of power, the calm before the promised storm. Sniffing a breath, she leaped from her hiding spot, unholstering the staff at her back and hauling it around in front of her, her (totally appropriate) reading materials abandoned in the leaf litter. Though she was not quite sure yet what it was she meant to accomplish, it seemed natural in the moment to throw her hat into the ring, so to speak. Maybe he'd drop something cool.
Word count: 497
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