Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:47:25 -0500

Please check out the sign-up thread before joining! http://nanowrimo.org/en/forums/role-playing-and-communal-story-building/threads/1408?page=1 The Premise: You are a lost wanderer from another faraway land of fantasy. There is a key to finding your way home again but first you must help finish a quest. The Story: (One month ago) Valentis sat atop the Dragon Throne, the Crown of Moons perched perfectly atop his head. At his side sat the stunning queen, Ganda, in her thin, low cut dress, hari set in a perfect mass of loose curls. Together the two made a perfect pair of vanity and arrogance. The throne was on a raised dias, something Valentis had built to rise him even further above those who came before him. Today was a special day and Valentis made sure that some of the higher-ranked nobles were present. He knew that some of them were seeking ways to pull him off the throne and he had to set and example. It had come to his attention a day ago that his long lost cousin was had returned from his adventures, staying in the Outer City and meeting in private with nobles... Spreading his dissension. I will make an example of him. So he sent an invitation to come home out to the inn his cousin had been residing in. It was something that he knew his cousin couldn't refuse. The door opened and a handsome young man with blond hair and striking emerald eyes strode into the Silver Hall. He wore no armor, but instead something a little more ceremonial. Clearly he was expecting to be welcomed home. Marring his face was a scar that ran from his temple to his jaw. Obviously he had been through much during his time away from home. Valentis stood and stepped down from the dias, holding his arms out and smiling at his cousin. "Aethan! We were beginning to believe you had died in the far north fighting war for someone else." "All wars are for the same ends during these times, cousin," Aethan replied, boldly walking toward Valentis. "Indeed." Vanlentis embraced his cousin, receiving a hug in return. However, before Aethan could pull away Valentis pulled his knife and stabbed his cousin in the gut. He leaned close to Aethan's ear. "I know what you have been up to. I cannot allow it," he whispered. He stepped back, waving for his guards to remove the slumped over man. "See that he is healed. I will have him serving in the games. Let us see how long he lasts there." Then he turned his back on his cousin and looked at the stunned, pale faced nobles congregating. "That man has been commiting crimes against the throne behind my back! He will be punished like any other, blood or no blood." Some of hte nobles shifted feet nervously. "This is my kingdom. Everyone is subject to my rules. No one is exempt. No one! Let this be a warning to anyone attempting the same." Then he tossed the knife aside and walked back up to his throne. "You are excused."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:48:10 -0500

((Everything from this point on will be based off this lovely ruler :) We will start in a tavern across the street from the colissium. It is packed full of people waiting for the games of the day to start. Bring in your characters to the tavern to meet and interact with others and I will get us rolling later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:14:02 -0500

Gwenlynn sat at a small table crammed into the corner, waiting for Clearcall to return. The roars of the congregating masses across the road could be heard quite clearly despite the closed door and the loud chatter of the people in the taverns. The very idea of these games made her sick to her stomach, but that wasn't what brought her here. She and Clearcall had arrived just a few days ago and he was currently checking to see if the reports she heard on the way were true. What brought her here was the story of a new Champion in the colissium. The people called him the Dragonslayer, but if the rumors could be trusted, then he was the cousin to the king, thrown into the games as punishment for treachery against the throne. Gwenlynn was tense as she waited, fidgeting with the ring hidden in a pocket of her dress. There was no way he had committed crimes against the throne without just cause. After waiting for a couple of hours in the corner, Gwenlynn spotted Clearcall as he pushed his way through the throng of people gathered in the tavern, then took the empty seat at her table. "I didn't get to see him at all, but from what you described it's him." Clearcall handed over an advertisement on some parchment. The likeness of the man to the man she knew was there, even if he was a little bigger than she remembered. Written across the top were the words "Dragonslayer strikes again today!" She sighed and folded it up, sticking it into the pocket with the ring. "I did a little sniffing around to see what I could find out. Turns out he did just what he told you he would. He came back here and tried to align the nobles with him. When the king found out his cousin was here and trying to usurp him, he had him thrown into the games as punishment. He got his new name because the king gave him the task of fighting a dragon his first time out. Apparently he was weakened at the time as well." "He would have learned how to kill it from our dark-haired friend," Gwenlynn offered in a soft, sad voice. "Weakened. Do you think his cousin poisoned him or something to try and ensure his death?" "I don't know for sure. Some say he was feeble when he arrived, others say the king tried to kill him and he survived." Clearcall looked around the tavern. "Either way, he succeeded and survived. And he has survived every task set before him since for nearly a month now. Rumor says the king is getting desperate to find someone capable of killing him." Gwenlynn ran her fingers along the glass in her hands. "Send one of your little ones with word to Blue Eyes. He must delay his arrival a little longer. If he arrives and finds his friend in such a state he is likely to tear this city apart in a fit of rage." Clearcall nodded in agreement. "I assume you want to plan an escape." "Noted. But we can't do it alone and I don't know if we can trust these people. Someone reported him in the first place." She glanced over at a couple of city guards who must have been off duty as much as they were drinking. "There are guards everywhere."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:42:46 -0500

Wolf wandered down the road of the strange place, trying to take in all the surroundings. By the Creator, she had never seen anything like this before... these trees she saw (if they could even be called that) had their tops cut off... how did they survive? Yet there were people coming and going i nthem. She saw one that quite a few strangely dressed people were going into and followed a woman with long blonde hair inside, marvelling at it all. Perhaps she could get some answers in here... Alis had told her men to stay moored out on the ship while she tried to figure out where they were... how embarrassing. She thought she had a good pilot but this port they passed wasn't on any maps. She rolled her eyes and hurried into a tavern in the city. It had taken her a while to get anywhere that looked like there were knowledgeable people. She'd buy some drinks and hope for some kind of answer. The -name- of the place at least. Going inside, she let a woman who was dressed in... animal skins? Gods, what a strange place. Was that normal here? She looked around, apparently not. Anyway, she let the woman pass by her and headed to the bar. The woman looked as lost as she did. "A brandy." She ordered, putting some small coins on the counter, turning and restingher back against the bar when she had it, sipping and looking out for someone who looked like they knew something. Wolf was getting more confused all the time. She felt a little panicked when she couldn't understand what people were saying. What tongue was this? Sophia meanwhile had taken to hiding in a darker corner of the tavern by the stairs, watching with frightened eyes the people coming and going. It was almost like she was expecting someone to come along at any moment. The thought sent her quivering back into the corner, she saw a few fae around and she seemed to grow smaller, fiddling with the hem of her simple white dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

hookedononyx — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:43:00 -0500

((I apologize if this is a tad grim.)) Owen watched as a human boy shoved his sword into the gut of a man old enough to be his grandfather. The geezer toppled, and the terrified boy tripped forward to land on his knees with his hand still gripping the hilt. The dwarf scowled. In the hour since the "tournament" started, he had seen nothing but starving boys, diseased and crippled beggars, and rickety old men stumble shaking into the arena. He had seen enough blood soak the ground to know that this was no battlefield. It was a killing ground, not a place to stake your life and honor on a chance for glory and prize money. He was not quite so enamored with war and killing as some of his kin, but even he felt something while fighting, or else watching a real match between two trained warriors. This was wrong. The young man vomited into the puddle of blood issuing from the old man's corpse. As he stood, trying to tug his weapon free, an opportunistic cripple shambled up behind him and swung his own blade into the young man's neck. The crowd went wild. Owen stood. He shoved his way past half a row of spectators and began to walk down the stairs. Their cheers ringing in his ears, he walked out of the stadium into the city streets. He looked for a pub, a bar, an alehouse--somewhere, anywhere to get at least mildly intoxicated. He spotted a tavern. He made his way to the bar and sat on the tallest stool. To his right, a young woman sat sipping her brandy, back propped against the bar. To his left, a dark-skinned human sat nursing his own drink, nervously tapping out a rhythm with his fingers on his knee. "Ale," Owen said. He scrounged about in his pockets for any loose change, and found a few silvers. He plopped a coin down on the bar. Soon, the barman passed him an ale and several coppers. Owen took a long drink, then sighed. He looked to either side. The dark-skinned man looked too out of place to be useful, but the woman with the brandy at least looked comfortable. He took a chance. "So, how often do these...tournaments happen? I'm...new. New here, I mean."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:52:54 -0500

Tournaments? Ah... that would explain the noise outside. "I have no idea. Do I look like the sort of person interested in things like muscle and pissing contests?" Alis asked, looking over the man warily. "Aside from all that... I'm not native to the area either, I came in here to get my own answers. He looked respectable enough... and they were in the same boat it seemed. "Lamour. Alis Lamour, captain of the Galatea." She said, holding out a hand to give his a firm shake.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:07:26 -0500

A young woman entered the bar, eyes extremely wide, drinking in every sight and smell. Despite the atmosphere of dread and death she seemed entranced by it all, pushing through the crowd without a care until she reached the bar. Behind her, head lowered and face shadowed by a fairly short and wide-brimmed top-hat, followed a man over ten years her senior. Though he appeared to be staring at the ground, his eyes were actually darting around the tavern and quickly analysing everything, from potential rough customers to escape routes and all the while he kept his charge in his sight. When she leaned against the bar, grinning at whoever so much as glanced at her, he quickened his pace until he was by her side. "Morwenna..." he said, in a gently warning tone. "Please. Do not leave my sight." Morwenna was a full grown woman, but she wilted like a teenager under his gaze. "I'm sorry, Professor. I promise I'll be careful." She turned back to the bar. "So, what do they have to drink in this place?" "Your medicine, Morwenna." "Oh, yes!" She reached into the little bag hanging across her shoulder and withdrew a little purse and a bottle of thick, green liquid, which she took a swig from, closing her eyes and gagging at the hard, liquorice taste. "Done. Now can I have a drink?" Just across the bar, separated from Morwenna and her bodyguard by several other patrons, a tall, blue eyed man sat slumped with his head in his hands. He had barely enough money to pay for his drink, let alone lodgings, and he knew nothing about this town. He couldn't try and sleep rough, he'd be captured or murdered in his sleep, or worse. The nagging little voice in the back of his head reminded him that he could quite easily fight off any attackers, even kill them... Morgan Rook downed the last of his ale, hoping to loose the voice to the fuzzy alcohol haze.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

hookedononyx — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:13:06 -0500

If it weren't for the "tournament" in question, he would have laughed at her description; as it was, he smiled and took her hand. She had a firm grip. "Owen Daymie. Mercenary fighter and troop manager by trade." He let go and took another drink of his ale. "I'd say I could use some answers now, too." He thought about lowering his voice, but decided against it; he wouldn't mind a good fight. "Like what the hell is going on in this city. They have a bunch of invalids throwing themselves on each others' blades only a block away."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:27:59 -0500

"Hn..." Alis looked intrigued by his introduction. "Well me Owen Daymie..." She said along with her hand shake. She downed the rest of her brandy and tapped the bar. "Another brandy for me... and another ale for my friend." She told the man behind the bar, sliding more coin across when the glasses were placed infront of them. "To being lost and stranded... but not alone." She said as way of a wry toast. "Do they really? Are they quite mad?" She wondered out loud. "That -does- sound mad... are they meaning for them to fight? What sort of entertainment is it if there isn't much of a fight put up? How dull and gruesome. I do loathe those who take such pleasure in others pain... well... when it isn't in a sporting way," She said, quirking a brow.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:31:56 -0500

Browning, as he was trained to do, homed in on the conversation. "So that's why all the talk of these games has been so hushed or disgusted," he commented. "And yet there's enough people out there enjoying it, by the sound of those cheers." "Games?" Morwenna interrupted. "Did you say games? Can we go watch? I like games!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:42:33 -0500

"Mingle and keep your ears open," Gwenlynn told Clearcall quietly. "Maybe there are some people here who aren't so thrilled about these games that we can use as sympathizers to our cause." My how she hated human politics. But if there was one thing she had learned in her time in the far north form her now captive friend it was that nothing ocncerning humans was ever simple and politics was the only way to win out in the end. Clearcall stod and moved away from Gwenlynn's table, leaving her alone with her wine. He began working his way through the room, seeing if anyone was brave enough to voice against the games. He would have to find a discrete way to approach if he did happen to find anyone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

hookedononyx — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:58:05 -0500

"I can toast to that." Owen drank, then set his mug down on the bar once more. "And yes, it's beyond moronic. I don't really see how anyone would bother watching, but I suppose there are people that enjoy watching a bunch of beggars and cripples stab each other." His eyes narrowed. A stranger--well, everyone here is a stranger, he reminded himself--was approaching from the rear end of the tavern. He sat up straighter. Almost nonchalantly, he raised a hand to rest on the grip of the steel club strapped to his back.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:00:20 -0500

"Morwenna, go and get yourself a drink," Browning instructed his charge and leaned in closer to the other man. "My name is Browning," he said, then looked pointedly from the approaching stranger to the steel club. "You know that person? Trouble?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

hookedononyx — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:05:54 -0500

Owen couldn't help but grin. "It's more the fact that I don't know him, actually," he said. He slid the weapon out over his shoulder, then let it rest across his thighs. The man approaching him walked with clear purpose, but it remained to be seen what that might be.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Lleviathan — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:11:21 -0500

A deep voice growled a curse at her as Jayde Wesye bumped into the third person in less than a minute. She didn't even know why she had stumbled into this plcae, if not for the fact that she couldn't stomach the sick revelry of the hoards of people watching teh games. Anywhere, she was sure, was better than there. Suddenly, she realised that she had been staring into space for far too long, and people were pointing at her face, murmering about her unusual appearance. She quickly made her excuses and headed to the bar. She hadn't been in this city a very long time, and was still getting to grips with how everything worked, the money, the people, the social classes. She ordered ale and at her first sip almost spat it right back out again. Humans actually enjoyed this foul stuff. She grimaced a smile to the bartender who looked satisfied and moved away. Trying to look small and insignificant, she tried to plan her next move.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:15:36 -0500

((Sod it, I'm going to stick Kalin in as well. I'll go write his bio up when I'm finished with this post)) Tornica hated cities. Give him the wide open plains any day of the year. With enough open sky above you you could never feel trapped. But cities...buildings crowding in from all sides, people pressing even closer with their noise and smells and apparently their complete and total fucking inability to stay the hell out of his way! He'd been bumped, jostled, and shouldered out the way more times than he cared to mention. Hopefully it was just the part of the city he was in. There was a lot of shouting and cheering from one big building that all the roads were bending towards so maybe the crowds were just here for whatever was going on there. But if he'd been having difficulty with the crowds, Kalin was having an even worse time. Despite being small enough that he could slip through gaps in the crowd with greater ease than most other people marching around, he was also light enough to really get thrown about when people decided the space he was currently using suited them better than the space they were currently in. Thus far he'd managed to rein in his temper and hadn't been using his magic to send those others flying in revenge, but it was only a matter of time. And since those bastard guards had confiscated Tornica's sword when they entered the city in the first place Tornica didn't have anything beyond his fists if Kalin did end up starting a fight. "Come on," he said, putting a hand on Kalin's shoulder. "Let's get inside and away from all these fucking people. I don't know about you but I need a drink." The first tavern they tried wasn't too crowded so they decided to quit while they were ahead and set up shop there for a while. "Huh," Kalin said, picking up an abandoned, beer stained advert. "Apparently that big building is some sort of arena. The Dragonslayer Strikes again." He flashed Tornica a grin. "How could the crowds resist?" Tornica shot him a sour look in return. "Delightful name." He reached out and plucked the parchment out of Kalin's hand. "Still...it might be fun to go. Good duels can be pretty fun to watch." "Aye, good duels are. Proper duels to first blood amongst people who know what they're doing is some of the finest sport to be found. Dressed up executions to keep the masses amused? Tend to be just flat out slaughter. And to be quite honest the only butchery I'm prepared to put up with on a daily basis is watching your attempts to spell." ((I'll stick Kezia in when I can think of where to put her))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:34:30 -0500

As he made his way through the crowded tavern he was surprised by the number of people he heard speaking in disgust about the games. Would they stick around once the main event began? Hopefully. It would be so much easier to approach them if all the riled up masses were drained away. He glanced toward the tavern window. Not too much longer until the main event just before sunset. They needed a benefactor. Someone with a large enough house to keep them in. If Regan were here it would be easy to find someone, but it was dangerous for him right now. And dangerous for anyone who stod against him once he found out who was in the arena being forced to fight for his life almost daily. We are brothers, Regan had once told him of this mysterious man, and if there is a chance that he yet lives I must go to him. Clearcall sighed. That man had a death wish. And coming here as boldly as he wanted to would only make matters worse. Apparently the king wasn't as ammendable as they had hoped he would be. ((You can go to the games or stay at the inn. Either way works. Gwenlynn will be going to see if it really is who she thinks it is, just to make sure for herself. Clearcall will be staying behind to talk to whoever thinks these games are disgusting.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:35:26 -0500

The Comte Dumont entered the tavern keeping a tight grip on his companion's elbow, at least the tavern wasn't quite as crowded as the street. He tried to keep from goggling at all of the strange people and clothing. He maneuvered her to a table near the far wall past a very small man, not as small as the Marquis' dwarf however, talking to a larger and from the looks of him, younger one. He eyed them suspiciously. Every step the woman made sounded like windchimes, which was pleasant in certain circumstances, but he was afraid some thief would have a mind to try and steal the baubles that made that tinkling sound. "Sit here and do not move." he said sternly. "And use you dagger if you have to. I will be back with wine." Marcel threaded his way to the bar and ordered wine and something to eat to be brought to them. ---- Finn was in a sour mood after having to give up his claymore at the gate. "Feckin' idjit rule if ye ask me. What difference the size of the sword? Ye can do damage with any, why ban jest the big 'uns?" he asked his friend. Jack shrugged. "Perhaps there is some prophecy to do with long swords." They walked and talked for a while, winding their way into the city until they reached the arena that everyone was talking about. "Smacks too much of the Romans to me." Jack said. "A curse on their bones." "I'm parched, maybe we can get a whiskey in there." Finn jerked his head toward a tavern. Jack grinned. "I thought you had all you needed in your wineskin?" "Best place to learn about a town is in a tavern." ((And crap just realized I forgot to mention Finn's magical wineskin and bag o holding...and now he's made at me that I didn't have him think to put his claymore init before they entered the town, but ah well. At least he has his bag and wineskin.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:41:38 -0500

((Actually Jez, his bag of holding might come very handy when it comes time to enter the city. Sorry I wasn't clear about this before. The arena was bilt outside the city in what has been built up as the Outer City, so it isn't within the actual boundaries of the city. So those of you who have given up your swords, you haven't yet ;) And we can shove them in Finn's bag when the time comes if need be. That might work out wonderfully as long as his bag isn't searched. Jez what are the odds the guards wound find the swords if they did search the bag?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:46:19 -0500

She fell and fell and fell. There didn't seem to come an end to it as she tumbled down the corridor of time and space. It had been so sudden and so unexpected; a tear in the universe opened up behind her just as she fell backwards. And she hadn't stopped falling so far. Laurian held tightly on to her sword. She felt dizzy and found herself unable to breath. She was going to die, she was sure of it. No one could survive a fall like this and if the landing didn't kill her, the lack of oxygen surely would. Her vision blackened and Laurian could feel how her grip began to loosen. -------------------- The next thing Laurian knew, was that she woke up in some dark alley of a city. It was the noise more than anything else that woke her up. Her body was all black and blue and she was certain she'd bruised her ribs. Still, when she carefully worked herself up in a sitting position and examined herself, she considered herself lucky. No wounds, no blood, nothing broken. Just sore all over, like she could be after a long day on the training fields. All she needed was a nice hot bath and a lovely warm, soft bed. But that would have to wait. Laurian worked herself up to her feet and looked around. She didn't recognize this part of the city. In fact, she didn't recognize the city! That rift must have taken her further from home than she'd hoped. The woman took a quick look around the corner. Well, she thought to herself, at least the majority of the population is human. It could have been worse. But no elves or half-elves. Her eyes were sharp enough that she would have seen the telltale sign. And in case of elves, she would have certainly felt the difference too. Laurian quickly pulled her hair free from the braid and let the thick curtain of dark hair cover her ears. Better safe than sorry. And even if they were quite positive towards elves and half-elves, Laurian didn't feel like being questioned about her ears or heritage. She looked a bit further around for a place to ask around where she was. And more importantly, what that noise was. A pub was not too far away located from her and Laurian knew that if she would get an answer anywhere, it would be in a pub. She began to walk with a slight limp towards it, but then her steps faltered. Money. She had money with her, of course, but that was the currency used back home. And she had a credit card, but from the looks of this world, Laurian doubted that they even knew what a credit card or paper money was. No, never mind. Money would come later. Knowing where the hell she was would be her first problem. Laurian entered the inn, looked around and then approached the first person who seemed helpful enough. "Excuse me," she said in her Scottish brogue, "but could you tell me where I am?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:50:42 -0500

"I'm afraid I have as little knowledge of this place as you," said Morgan to the woman who had approached him. He coughed and smoothed down his jacket as best he could. He didn't want her thinking he was some kind of hopeless drunk. "Can I get you a drink?" Stupid, stupid, stupid! He had no money, he knew he had no money, why had he even bothered asking? The second thing he noticed was that she may not be entirely human...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:56:07 -0500

Alis sipped at her drink, keeping an eye on the man approaching, she didn't have her sword herself, but fortunately she had been allowed to keep her dagger. She could feel the metal at her thigh and felt comforted by it. She had to admit -some- curiousity about these 'games'... it seemed popular, though as she had said, gruesome. She leaned back against the bar again and twisted the glass in her hand, thinking and watching. Sophia's stomach growled noisily, she tried to remember when the last time she had eaten had been. She traced her finger through the dust on the floor and waited for an opportunity to go out and find somewhere else to hide. It wasn't a good idea to stay in one place for too long, she thought. She held her tummy and gave a soft moan at the pangs, trying her best not to think of food... it was difficult though when she saw a man go by with a tray of the most wonderful smelling things. She sighed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:57:28 -0500

((Oh... ignore the thing about Alis' sword. Damn this non editing button stage of the forums... lol! XD ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:59:26 -0500

Laurian sighed at the answer given. A pity, she would've liked to know where she was. Apparently she was not the only one taken from home to end up here. Then again, this man may have had just one glass too many and have trouble remembering what he had for breakfast. She politely declined his offer for a drink. "No, thank you. I'd rather first find out where I am. But thank you anyway. One more question, though. Do you have any idea what that noise could be? It sounds like there's a riot or something going on..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:00:38 -0500

Gwenlynn saw the poor girl crouchd by the wall on the floor. She looked terrible. How could a king let his people suffer like this? She wasn't the first of the sort Gwenlynn saw either. It made her ill to think about it and she looked down at her half-eaten plate. There was no way she could finish this now, knowing what she knew. She looked at the girl and smiled warmly at her. "Excuse me, but you look hungry. Would you like this? i can't seem to finish it myself." ((Gwenlynn keeps her ears hidden so though she may resemble elves, she isn't obviously so. Clearcall isn't as discrete but then again he isn't worried about who might find him.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:05:02 -0500

Morgan breathed a sigh of relief when the woman declined his offer. "Erm, noise? I dunno..." His words were beginning to slur. That wasn't a good sign. "Heard someone talking about tournaments... Like people cutting other people up..." An image raced to his mind. He clenched his fist and chased it away. "Might be a riot. Heard they don't like their king much. Ha!" He rubbed at his temple, blinking furiously. "What's your name?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:05:17 -0500

((Since I seem to be stuck mid-conversation, just a quick note to let you all know: I'm going to bed! It's past midnight here. :) Hope it won't be too much of an inconvenience, but I'll be back again in about seven hours. ;) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:07:05 -0500

((Fair enough. I'm going to bed soon anyway, I'll try to be back early in the morning))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:11:44 -0500

Sophia squeaked and then covered hre mouth, she hadn't realised she was being watched. She slowly and timidly glanced up at the woman who had spoken to her... she was really pretty, that was Sophia's first thought. Like a princess. She seemed nice too... she was going to shake her head but her stomach was saying (quite loudly) otherwise. She crept slowly closer to the table. "R-r-really?" She asked, eyes wide, almost not believing she would be allowed to. Surely it would be taken away from her as she reached for it... then everyone would laugh at her again for hoping... Wolf took a seat near a far wall and watched and listened, she was becoming rather upset... why were they all speaking so strangely? -They- all seemed to know what each other were saying. She picked at a spot on the table and frowned, tilting her head as though it might help her understand better. ((I'll write something better for her in a moment... lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:13:47 -0500

((goddamn it. I can't edit where I put that and we don't have collapsed thread views yet. Reposting it.)) This part of town didn't look familiar at all. The air was significantly less dry and dusty than usual and to be honest, Aegan wasn't too fond of it at all. As a matter of fact he wasn't too fond of being alone, either--things were much more intimidating without his usual gang of street vermin. He smiled at the thought of them all--Jacques, he had talent with the vendors, a charming smile, and when it came to stealing things he was ruthless. Emma with the peach-colored wings, not so useful as of yet but she was a pretty face and at times that came to be useful. Aral, not the brightest bulb but if the boy couldn't move. Rose, cunning as quicksilver and sharp as the thorns on her namesake. More he knew less well. They looked up to him like an older brother, really, despite the fact that Rose and Aral both were older than he was and Jacques, damn if the boy even knew his own age. Abandoned at an early age, that one. Ah, well, if he couldn't make something of this then there was something wrong, he supposed. It didn't bother him much, to be honest. He walked along for a bit, perusing buildings, then eventually, as if he knew exactly where he was going, he ducked into one: a busy tavern full of people that seemed to be waiting for...something, or other. He took a seat and examined his surroundings without a word. ((I may add one or two of the aforementioned characters. I'm actually thinking of making this pre-story this year's nano.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:24:39 -0500

((Placeholder. Just got done reading this, and now I find that once again my time has evaporated. Will post when I get home.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:44:12 -0500

((THIS IS EXTENDING MY POST SINCE I CANNOT EDIT:)) Rose had taken residence in the bar since the night before, when the cold rain--something she wasn't used to--drove her inside. She huddled under a cloak she'd procured from a street vendor without his notice and sipped a cup of something hot bought with charming looks and no actual money. She smirked when the door opened. "I was wondering when you would show," she said to Aegan, air casual as always. He regarded her flippantly and shrugged. "Yes, well, there were complications," he said. "I assume you met the same." He eyed her carefully and stepped into her vicinity--for a fraction of a second she leaned toward him, as if the two were closer than they wanted to appear to outside observers, but a moment later the gesture was gone and she returned to drinking the steaming brew. "That I did," she replied. "As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure we're in the same town anymore." She glanced at him with eyes the color of burnt twilight. "Tell me, Aegan. When was the last time it rained in Terres?" He didn't answer her but simply took a seat and gestured for the beverage, which she handed over grudgingly. He took a long draw and handed it back.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:07:13 -0500

A swarthy man dressed in flowing robes sat alone, observing. He wore an expression that was sharp, observant, and not so secretly judging everyone around him. He did not so much draw conclusions as ask questions, keen to learn about this strange, alien place where he found himself. He was very still, not even moving to tap his fingers against the table, or rub the handle of the gleaming dagger he wore about his middle, a sign of his wealth and importance where his clothes did not suggest as much.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:49:52 -0500

((Hooray, I didn't get that when I read that the arena was outside the city proper. Cool. Hmm, well Finn can put a few boring things on top inside the bag and unless the go reaching their arm way inside it should look normal. So Finn and Jack still have their swords--hooray.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:04:22 -0500

((Finn and Jack don't know any better about hiding their ears, so they won't.)) Finn and Jack went to the bartender. Jack ordered mead, and Finn asked for whatever passed for whiskey in this place. The two travelled between worlds frequently so the subtle differences didn't bother them much. Although Jack thought the place felt 'wrong.' His magic was off. -- Jiya sat nervously looking at the people. The very tall man who entered caught her eye. How could he not? he was head and shoulders above everyone, his white hair was like a banner, and his ears... Though his were not so extravagant as his friends. Were they Djinn? They could not be Djinn, they looked wrong and were certainly dressed wrong. Marcel threaded his way through the crowd trying to get back to Jiya.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:14:48 -0500

((lol! Yeah, I'm glad too. I had forgotten that bit and Alis is preparing to fight whoever tries to take her blade from her hands. So... no action just yet. lol!)) Alis couldn't help staring a little at the... the... well the giant of a man that came through the door. Her eyes were drawn to his companion and she seemed to realise she was staring. Averting her gaze quickly when they came over to order their drinks, she listened and couldn't place their accents and wondered if they were from this city. Sophia had just been about to reach to the plate to snatch a bit of food before it could be taken away from her again, when she saw the two men come in, at first she thought it was Wayland, the man was so big... she gasped and flinched back behind the steps with a tinkling of her bell, terrified that she had been spotted. When no one came to grab her, she ventured a peek out and saw that it was indeed -not- Wayland... nevertheless they were clearly fae and she thought it best to stay out of their way.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:14:57 -0500

((Just a placeholder. No time ot post now))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:22:04 -0500

Outside the tavern, three travelers were having a quietly muttered argument. "We are NOT going inside." The speaker was a tall cloaked man with a hood obscuring his face. His arms were crossed in irritation, apparently directed at his traveling companions. One of these, a thin worn-out looking man, sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Emkai, you're lost. I don't know where it is your guide's taken us, but--" "No, look, we can figure this out." The last speaker was a little bony woman. She was turning slowly on the spot, her big olive eyes sweeping over her surroundings as she babbled almost to herself. "Let's see, let's see... we must have taken a wrong turn at some point, though where's beyond me. This place doesn't look a thing like one of the eastern settlements, but it could be an outpost like where I used to live. What I really think--" Emkai spoke over her (though the woman didn't stop talking). "That's beside the point. I am not entering a room with so many fire hazards, and I don't trust you to go anywhere without my accompaniment." The 'you' was directed at the blonde man, who immediately frowned. "Oh for the love of... listen, I don't care if I'm technically your hostage," he hissed. "All three of us are lost, not just me, and that means that if we're going to get out of this mess someone is going to have to ask about where we are. Send Seta with me if you like, but I'm asking either way." Though his words were bold, the man stepped lightly back from Emkai once he was finished. It was almost as though he expected to be grabbed. But Emkai didn't speak or move for a moment. "Are we... are we going to do something?" Seta asked quizzically. She'd finally stopped to listen to their conversation. Emkai sighed and, grabbing the other man's arm as though it were second nature, strode toward the door. "If anything bad happens to us, Chairman, it's on your head." The chairman scoffed quietly but allowed himself to be towed into the tavern, Seta scuttling along behind them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:31:40 -0500

A very tall man entered the room and Rose flitted her eyes toward him. "Keep your wits," she said to the boy, and she turned her head back toward the warm drink. Aegan simply nodded and not for the first time he wondered which of them was really in charge here. "We should at least make an approach on the bartender," he said, voice low, pearlescent eyes darting around the patrons, when a man who appeared to be made of fire entered. He blinked and shook his head. That couldn't be real, could it? Rose simply shook her head and smirked. "If you were wise you would pay attention," she responded.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:31:55 -0500

((FYI, and I am sorry if I didn't make this entirely clear in my post, but you can't tell Emkai's anything besides human as he's completely covered up by his cloak complete with the flap of fabric that falls over his face.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:38:27 -0500

Jack felt eyes on him and looked to see a woman (Alis) quickly look away. He smiled in her general direction and took his wine. Gold seemed to be proper currency anywhere regardless of what the coins looked like. He saw the veiled woman and thought she must be very ugly or deformed, or very beautiful to hide her face. She intrigued him a little. All women intrigued him actually. Finn downed his whiskey, "Leave the bottle," he told the bartender and slipped the man more gold. He looked around the room noting doorways. He also looked the patrons over to see who might be a threat. Of course he looked over the women as well, noting a few redheads in the room. Jack caught Finn looking over the women and laughed. "See one ye fancy?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:43:32 -0500

"Is there anything else you plan on charming off the bartender?" Aegan asked dryly, still careful to keep an eye on the patrons. Mainly he was looking for something he could filch--good looks and charm only got one so far, Rose had all of that and he couldn't count on her forever, he had a funny feeling. He saw a few people slip gold out of their pockets, he liked the gleam, tilted his head in their direction, three over by the door, two men by the bar. Rose nodded. She knew what he was thinking; steal some money, out the door before anyone knew what was missing, hopefully home by tomorrow or the next day and even if that didn't happen it didn't matter. She'd miss a few of them but she made a point of not getting attached.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:49:06 -0500

Seta's brows rose in surprise when they entered. "Oh my... we must be further away than I thought." There were all sorts of bizarrely dressed people here, wearing everything from animal skins to elaborate veils. And the people themselves! Men and women with pointed ears, giants, dwarves-- and did that girl have a tail? The chairman pulled his arm from Emkai's grip and gave him a calculating look. "Can I get a drink, or is that not allowed?" "What you do with your money is your business. I'm not a thief." "No, just a kidnapper." Emkai's concealed face turned sharply toward the self-proclaimed hostage. "I will wait for you by the door," he said in a voice almost low enough to be a growl. "Try not to cause trouble with the locals, Omaron, because depending on what mood I'm in I might not step in to save you." "Oh he's not that stupid, we're in unknown territory," Seta put in, still watching the girl with the tail with a sort of detached curiosity. Omaron gave them both an irritated look and walked over to the bar. Emkai turned his attention toward a swarthy man in odd billowy clothes who'd chosen to sit by himself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:30:29 -0500

Laurian turned her face away from the drunk man towards the window where all the noise seemed to come from. She hardly registered his last question, but his other words now ran through her head like a song that got stuck. 'Tournaments... people cutting other people up... don't like their king much...' Tournaments, brutal tournaments where people were forced to fight each other to the death for the entertainment of the public. Now she was a warrior and she had been in many fights before, but this was simply barbaric. Gladiators, she remembered from her history lessons at home. The Romans seem to have had a taste for such things as well. But this wasn't the Roman empire was it? No, wrong clothes, wrong architecture, wrong everything. Aside from these beastly tournaments. She had begun to tense up, mostly notable in her jawline and her clenched fists. Laurian became aware of it too and she slowly relaxed. She found herself in a strange world and it was not her place to judge the cultural entertain, as barbaric as it might sound. It then occurred to her that the man had asked for her name and Laurian curtly replied, "Laurian." She turned her attention back to Morgan. "And you, sir? What's your name?" ((And good morning world! I hate getting up early, but at least I have something more fun to wake up for instead of school. :3))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:51:24 -0500

((I'll deal with Tornica and Kalin after work. Time for Kezia! And typically enough she's causing trouble :p Bring on the IC consequences!)) Come with me sweetheart, I'll make sure you're fed. Sure. He'd been offering all that out of the goodness of his heart. No ulterior motives whatsoever. Did he think she'd been born yesterday? There was no such thing as a free meal. Everyone wanted something in return. And what she'd been betting this bastard had been after she was not prepared to give. Kezia wiped her knife on the body, hands shaking. She hadn't expected it to come to this though. If only she'd been a hair quicker in trying to run away. Then he wouldn't have caught her hair and tried dragging her further into the alley. And then she wouldn't have had to stab him. She wasn't sorry it had been such a good hit though. He'd deserved it. She riffled through the body's pockets. He'd offered to feed her after all. It wasn't like he'd be using his money any more. Stuffing what she'd been able to find into her own pockets and stashing her knife back out of sight Kezia quickly left the alley, searching for somewhere, anywhere, she might be able to hide out in the warm for a little while.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:26:01 -0500

"'m Morgan," he mumbled back, staring at the bottom of his glass in utter despair. He was lost and broken and had no idea what he was supposed to do. No one wanted a doctor in this place, they were all too busy ripping each other to shreds. But of course, you know all about that "Shut up," Morgan hissed at no one in particular. Had the alcohol only made the voice stronger?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:29:59 -0500

Laurian nodded politely when Mr. Morgan told her his name. But her attention had already drifted from this drunkard to the rest of the people moving about or sitting in this place. Some looked as lost as she did, especially that one woman sitting near a far wall. In fact, she looked even upset and perhaps a bit desperate as well, as if she was more than just lost. Perhaps people speaking different languages had been attracted to this place too? Still, not much she could do. She was about to find someone who seemed to know more about this place, like the barman or one of the other customers when a voice behind her told her to shut up. Laurian frowned and turned her attention back to Morgan. No, the 'shut up' didn't seem to be aimed her or anyone else in this bar. But then to who did he say it? Laurian raised an eyebrow and asked in a mildly curious voice, "Excuse me?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:39:56 -0500

The swarthy man was just as out of place as Emkai's group. He stiffened, hearing the fireman say the name "Omaron." He would be a fool if he didn't recognize the name, the Chairman of Veliath ((apologies if this is the wrong place, Buggy)). The tall man wrapped in a heavy cloak, like those favoured by the Firemen.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 04:41:10 -0500

"Hm?" Morgan looked up and saw that the woman was staring at him. He stared back for several seconds, then averted his eyes. "Its nothing. Really, it's nothing. Sorry. Forget about it." His mind raced, desperately looking for something else to talk about. "So, where are you from?" he asked, hoping it didn't sound awkward.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:34:20 -0500

Her other eyebrow decided to rise up as well at the rather evasive reaction from Morgan. Her experience had taught her that any time someone said 'It's nothing. Really, it's nothing', there was always at least something. And most of the times, that something turned out to be something really, really bad. But she could bring herself to prying any further. Everybody had things they'd rather not talk about. Laurian knew very well she had things she didn't want to talk about either and she also knew how annoying it could be when someone kept on pestering her to tell her what it is. So she said nothing, just kept on looking at the man, waiting for him to either tell her what that 'nothing' was or to start on another topic. He apparently chose for the last option. But the question asked was not quite what she'd expected. And in an odd way, it hurt. Such an innocent question, but it once again reminded Laurian that she was far, far away from home and that she did not have a clue on how to get back home. "Where?" she repeated in a soft voice. "Oh... that's so far away..." Laurian then pushed that problem to the back of her mind. "But where I'm from doesn't matter. Where I am right now, that's what I'd like to know. And I'll find out too."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 06:41:30 -0500

"You're determined," observed Morgan. "Far away," he murmured, wistfully, "I wish I was far away... Maybe this place is far away. Far away from where I was before... Don't have a clue where it is." He narrowed his eyes, confused at what he was saying. "Does that make any sense? Erm..." He found himself staring at the woman again. There was definitely something off about her. She was quite human, he could sense it rather than see it. Maybe that was why she didn't want to tell him where she was from. He looked her over, trying to pinpoint the source of the difference, unaware that his intentions were not entirely clear and easy to misunderstand. "We can find out where we are together," he said, slowly. "I wish I had another drink," he added, glaring at his empty glass as if it was somehow the glass' fault.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:36:02 -0500

"Really," Gwenlynn told the girl with a smile. "I have to head out anyway and it's a shame to see this food go to waste." She stood and smoothed her skirt with her hands. "I have somewhere to be." "You aren't going there," Clearcall said sternly, giving her a very fatherly look. Gwenlynn rolled her eyes at him. "I'm a big girl and I can handle myself. I'm sure it's him based on what you discovered but I have to be certain before I proceed. Surely you understand that much." "Just don't let emotions cloud your good judgment," Clearcall said. He glanced at Sophia without a word, then moved closer to Gwenlynn, reporting what he heard. "Should I stick around here and see if any one else does?" "Sounds good to me." Gwenlynn nodded and smiled at Sophia. "Don't worry about Clearcall. His bark is far worse than his bite." Then she headed out and crossed the street, paying the small fee to enter the arena. The smell of blood filled Gwenlynn's nose and she nearly gagged on it. How could people enjoy such heathenistic brutality? Well either way, she had to be here to see this for herself. Her eyes wouldn't lie. --- ((Meanwhile elsewhere)) A killer, forced to fight for his own survival on the hope that he would once again be lucky enough to escape imprisonment. Aethan wasn't so sure he could deal with this for much longer. But then he thought about Regan and Kieta and Silmarwen; about the promise he made to his sister what seemed like an eternity ago.... about Gwenlynn. What would she think if she saw him now? Once again he had failed. He returned to try and make the kingdom right, restore order before the Great Battle against the Defiler, and instead he was turned into a heathen forced to fight to survive, to eat. A rattle on his cell door caught his attention and he looked over, seeing the smug face of his cousin on the other side. "Maybe today is the day," Valentis said in his haughty tone. "Maybe I will finally be rid of you." "You can't afford to let me die now," Aethan pointed out. "The people love me." He could hear the chants from above as the guards moved toward the door to escort him out. "I'm worth more to you alive than dead." Valentis shook his head. "That's where you are wrong, dear cousin. You might be worth a fortune in gold, but you are otherwise worthless. Less than dirt. May the gods gie you a swift death." Then he walked away before Aethan could say anything more.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:38:57 -0500

Sophia crept out to the table again when it looked like the safe thing to do. She watched the woman carefully, then flinched back when her companion came over... he didn't pay her much mind, thankfully. She just made sure to keep her eyes averted from his and grabbed a bit of bread from the plate, clutching it to her before stuffing a corner of it into her mouth and tearing into it ravenously. She had taken such a big mouthful she had some trouble chewing for a moment and managed to swallow it down a minute later, she finished the bread in three large bites and looked the plate again, wondering how much she was allowed. She plucked up a larger bit of meat, apparently ignoring the utensils, when the woman stood up to go, Sophia was holding the meat and chewing at it as she watched her get up and smooth her pretty dress. She was about to ask if she was a princess but her mouth was too full to say anything. Sophia's collar started to tighten, she glanced fearfully at the man who had been with the pretty lady and she backed away... apparently 'don't worry about so and so' was taken as an order. She couldn't help worrying a little about him and tried to force her mind on other things before the collar cut off her air supply. She backed up further until she felt safer, though she kept her eyes on the rest of the food, hoping no one tried to take the remainder of it away before she could have some more. Her tummy was already feeling uncomfortably full though... she just couldn't waste what was there... she never knew when she might have a chance for some more. Alis caught the man's smile and she let her mouth quirk into one of her own, she raised an eyebrow and gave a nod of her chin to him and his tall companion. They didn't seem phased at all about being here, surely that was a sign that they knew something about this place, didn't it? She continued to lean casually on the bar, though her eyes were roaming over the people, wary of anything a miss. ((If you'd rather not reply with Jack that's okay, do whatever you feel's appropriate. :) )) Wolf decided she wasn't going to learn anything by just sitting there. She had to at least -try- to get some answers. She saw a woman's (Seta) gaze linger on her and felt uncomfortable under the perusal... Agugan gwilnuwinis? She thought, watching the woman for a moment and wondering why she was staring. She started to wander through the room, trying to sense out who might know something.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:06:49 -0500

The room started to clear out as people finished their drinks and wandered across the street to the arena for the day's main event. It was always crowded now when the Dragonslayer fought. He was one of hte few that was entertaining to watch and was probably the luckiest man alive to have survived everything the arena had thrown at him. As the room cleared out Clearcall could see who remained behind. A couple of whom he overheard before that might be sympathizers to their cause. He looked at Sophia. She looked so scared. "Eat as much as you want but don't feel like you have to eat it all. I assume Gwenlynn left if for you. You are welcome to sit here at the table if you want."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:17:02 -0500

@Buggy "The Kingdom of Celius," said the swarthy man. "I make it a point to know where I am." He smiled, his teeth bright, almost predatory, like a fox's. He looked the Fireman up and down. "You and your companions are from Tavos, are you not?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:28:06 -0500

Sophia was clearly taken aback at the comment, keeping an eye on his feet incase he moved at all, she edged toward the table, scratching at a little branding mark near her eye. She tried to keep her eyes on the other two fae at the bar at the same time, not trusting that this wasn't all a big elaborate trick just yet. Still... the pretty lady had offered her the food and it hadn't been taken away from her... no one laughed at her. Either this was a bigger trick than she had expected or it was real. She let herself hope just a little and stood behind the chair. She couldn't remember ever sitting on a chair before... maybe once when she was really really little. Biting her lip hard, she managed to whisper a barely audible 'thank you' before continuing to nibble on the meat she held in her fingers. When she thought he wasn't looking at her for a moment, she chanced a look at him. He didn't -seem- mean. Not like Wayland... and she knew there were -sometimes-... very rarely...well, there was -one- nice fae she knew of. Unfortunately that one said fae was now a collar around her neck but... still. Anyway, it was nice and a bit quieter now that most people were gone. There were still those two fae though... and other quite odd looking people she hadn't noticed before. Wolf went up to the bar now that the place had cleared out, she put a little turquoise stone on the bar, "Dim xstii niiy." She said slowly and almost quietly, not wanting to let people know she didn't understand them. She made a drinking motion and was pleased to see a cup of something placed before her. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad... she thought too soon apparently as the barkeep picked up the stone and scowled at her. "What the hell is this?" He grumbled, holding it up to her. "Think you're being funny? Where's the silver to pay with it? I don't take rocks." Wolf stared, trying desperately to work out what he was saying. Clearly he wasn't pleased with her. She shrugged and made a motion to signify trading the drink for the stone. It seemed to make him more angry and she blushed... what had she done wrong?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 12:49:34 -0500

((who here would have a large amount of cash on them? My characters are planning to scam/steal some money, and I want to make sure I get a correct target))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:00:05 -0500

((Browning and Morwenna would definitely have a lot of money on them))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:04:01 -0500

((So does Alis. lol And she looks it too. Fancy coat, sword, boots... lol She likes to look good.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:47:12 -0500

((Kalin and Tornica probably have a decent amount of cash on them somewhere, but they don't exactly dress like it and they keep it places it's unlikely to be stolen from)) As the tavern emptied Kalin sat back in his chair, enjoying the new relative quiet of the place. "Looks like this Dragonslayer fight is fairly popular," he observed. "Maybe he actually provides a proper fight that's worth watching." "Or the crowd does just like meaningless slaughter and he's good at providing it," Tornica said. He wasn't particularly inclined to give someone with a title like 'Dragonslayer' the benefit of the doubt. He'd had more than a couple of people try and take pieces out of his hide so that they could have a semi-legitimate claim on that title. --- Nervous that someone might find the body in the alley and find some way to connect her to it, Kezia joined the crowd trying to press their way into the stadium. She threw a few paltry coins at the man on the gate and then hurried to try and get lost further in the press just in case she hadn't given enough. She didn't particularly care to watch people hack each other apart, but it wasn't as if she really had anywhere else to go.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:15:13 -0500

((Clearcall and Gwenlynn don't carry a lot on them. Most of what they get along the way is through trades and such.)) ((And I just need ot know who stays at the tavern nd who goes to the arena. So far I have only Kezia there with Gwenlynn, which is fine. The less people there the easier it is for me :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:17:30 -0500

((Morgan's probably going to head to the arena too))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:19:45 -0500

((My three will stay at the tavern. Wolf has no idea what's going on, Sophia's not venturing out at the moment in case Wayland comes around, Alis I thought -might- go but she's expressed that she has zero interest in watching a disgusting bloodbath like that. (*whispers* I think she might ralph...) Ouch! She hit me for saying that. *eyeroll*))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:41:48 -0500

((mine will also stay at the tavern. Going out. Be back later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:43:50 -0500

((Ilyas will also stay in the tavern, for now at least. He's anxious to chat with his fellow Tavosians))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:58:23 -0500

((Okay, well to make this easier, just let me know if your character is going to the arena. Everyone else will be easy to work with.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:11:52 -0500

Morgan noticed that people were beginning to filter out of the tavern. He knew he had probably already scared the woman he was talking to beyond any chance of further conversation. "I'm going now," he muttered. "So, goodbye... I guess?" He frowned to himself and left, letting himself be caught up in the crowd that led towards the arena and musing about how much money he had left.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:33:13 -0500

((Could someone tell me what's going on so I can introduce my characters?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:10:58 -0500

((MY three will stay in the tavern to make things easier for you Star :) and We'll assume that Jack wandered off somewhere.)) A barmaid brought dishes of stew to Dumont and Jiya. She looked at the food. "Sorry this isn't what you are used to at the palace, but you have to eat." Dumont told her. "Do you see any other women veiled, it makes you stand out even more. Drop the damned veil and eat." He downed his ale and then dug into his food using a piece of bread to sop up the liquid. @Nagats ((Yes, I think I am just gong to poof Jack. So we can make it Finn looking at Alis, although she's a blonde isn't she? It's not that he ONLY likes redheads...)) Finn grinned at the woman raised his glass to her and downed his whiskey. Then he poured himself another. He did notice a mouse of woman glancing his way often, as if she expected him to accost her. he mentally shrugged. he supposed his height was intimidating to some.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:21:37 -0500

@Jez ((lol! He's just gotta give others a chance... remember Eva? ;) )) Alis' smile grew, she raised her brandy to him and took a sip, watching him over her glass. "Excuse me a moment," she said to Owen. "that man looks a little more self-assured than anyone else around here, maybe he's got some idea about what the hell's going on." She went over to him. "So... are you how they make them around these parts?" She asked, looking him up ((way up lol)) and down, not giving anything away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:52:59 -0500

"Sure," replied Laurian when Morgan muttered his goodbye. "Should we meet again and I've found out a bit more, I'll let you know." But her attention had been pulled towards that lost woman, who now stood at the bar. Obviously, she was foreign and didn't speak the language. The barman didn't seem to be too happy either. Time to interfere. She moved swiftly through the quickly departing crowd until she stood right next to Wolf. In a reassuring and almost protective way, Laurian placed a hand on her shoulder while her eyes coldly focused themselves upon the barman. "Is there a problem, sir?" ((I'll leave the good barman in your hands for now, Nagats-e :D))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:01:01 -0500

Vanya sat huddled deeply in her thick clothes and cape among the masses cheering for the fighters below. The arena, the tournaments... It had been two weeks since she'd suddenly arrived here, but this place still amazed and entertained her. The fights below didn't really have her interest, but the crowd watching... now they were a fascinating group. There was fear, excitement, disgust, anger... Humanity at its best! Vanya loved watching all these people and their reactions to the games below. More than that, the noise produced in the arena was enough to drown out some of the other things she normally experienced. She smiled a thin, cold smile as her dark blue eyes wandered from person to person. The emotions here ran so high, she could almost taste it and what a delicious mixture of emotions it was! The noise among the crowd grew louder and louder. Even Vanya turned her attention to the fighters below. Apparently this was the big fight, where everyone came for. Aethan. The name flashed through her mind. She'd heard it before and from what she understood, he was not only the best fighter of all, but also the cousin of the king. The king not truly loved but rather feared by all. How... interesting. Vanya settled comfortably back in her chair as she waited for the next fight to start. Maybe after that it was time to find a warm place again, because it was chilly outside. A hot drink would be very welcome as well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:04:08 -0500

Chris leaned against the wall, checking the tavern out. She didn't know how she got here; all she knew was that she was here now, and Calypso and Gabriela had come with her. "Chris," the small redhead next to her leaned up and whispered into her ear. "What is this place?" She shrugged. "I dunno, but there's definitely magic here. And I think it's common." "So no one will notice a talking monkey?" A small voice only Chris could hear squeaked from her seemingly empty shoulder. Chris sighed and lifted the veil that kept little Gabby hidden. "There she is!" Cally smiled. "I was wondering where she got to." Narrowing her hard blue eyes as she took in the crowd, some of them quite unsavory, Chris murmured to the younger girl, "Stay near me. I don't know about these people. I'm gonna go over to the bar. At the very least, I can get a drink." Head held high, she stalked over to the bar.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:16:36 -0500

This was not how wind was supposed to feel like. Nitro and Silica had heard of natural wind - wind that was not created by the rapid turning of giant blades, like it was in their home, but which blew at varying strengths at its own whims. The Spirit Remeire had given them dreams of what the Surface was like, what wind felt like. They had imagined that it would be wonderful, and clear and above all, scentless. And yet this wind smelt of death, like it did at home and of blood. While the two were disappointed, it was enough to signal to them several things. Firstly, that they weren't at the Surface (a utopia free of disease and strife surely would not have death scented air), or the Core, or anywhere else in their world. Second, this place, though above ground, was perhaps only a little better off than their home. And thirdly, they had to return as quickly as possibly from this alien environment. "Silica, stay close. Don't wander." Nitro pulled the girl closer to him, eyeing the crowded street suspiciously. Even though no longer in his world, how many times had Xenon said that those who lived on the Surface could not be trusted? Silica nodded and moved a little closer to him, only her eyes showing her confusion and fear. He veered away from the building where the smell of blood seemed strongest, wondering why people would gather to a place of such suffering. He peered into the tavern window, taking note of the people drinking and eating, and nodded to Silica. "We should eat something." he said. Silica blinked at him, shaking her head. When he just stared, she pointed to the coins being exchanged for various goods, and at the woman at the counter who seemed to have some opposition when trying to pay with what looked to be a stone. Nitro sighed - of course. Money. A strange concept to him, but it seemed they wouldn't be going far without it. He shook his head and headed for the tavern door anyway. "Alright, maybe not, but maybe we can get some answers." he held the door open for her and followed her inside. After finding a Silica seat at a table, he tapped the shoulder of the nearest person and jabbed his thumb in the direction of the arena. "Excuse me, what's with that place? It smells of blood."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:22:40 -0500

Chris whipped around, her eyes flashing at the random boy who had poked her. "Chris, be nice," Cally chided. Turning to the stranger, she smiled with her trademark sweetness. "Hi, I'm Cally. I-I don't what that is. I don't really know where this is-" "How can you smell blood from all the way over there?" Chris asked abruptly. "Yeah, yeah! How'd you do that?" Gabriela jumped in with a chitter. She jumped onto the boy and stared him down. ((She's a monkey, and a tiny one))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:30:35 -0500

Nitro just stared at the monkey, as if it was the first time he'd ever seen one. And for the record, it was. He shook his head and decided to analyse the creature further, though he had tensed and was noticably agitated when it had jumped on him. It didn't...seem dangerous, but then again, neither did Silica. He glanced uneasily at the humans, reluctant to speak further with them. But he didn't have much choice but to do the talking here. He just shrugged when he spoke again. "The wind smells of it." he said, a slight hollowness in his voice.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:36:49 -0500

((lol! Thx :D Oh, I forgot to mention, if you're referring to me, you can call me LS if you like, it's easier than spelling out the name Nagats-e all the time. :) )) "This joker's trying to pay me with rocks, -that's- the problem." Grumbled the barman. "I keep telling her, I don't take rocks. Silver. SIL-VER" He said slowly, holding up a piece of silver in front of Wolf's face. She looked confused, surely that little thing wasn't worth as much as her turquoise. "Aajaxkwhl daalana?" She asked, pulling out another stone, maybe it wasn't enough the first time? How expensive could a cup cost? The bartender narrowed his eyes, "No... stones." He said, leaning forward and saying the words very slowly, clearly and loudly. Wolf looked a little affronted, she blushed and picked up the little bits of turquoise and dropped them back in her hide pouch. Well... if he didn't want to trade with her...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:39:18 -0500

Cally sniffed the air. "Umm, no I can't smell anything. Oh! Duh!" She shifted her nose into that of a wolf and sniffed again. She shifted back to fully human and replied, "Yep, I can smell it now. Gabby, sweetie, will you get off of that man? I think you're freaking him out." "Hmmph," Gabriela hopped back on to her favorite place; Chris's shoulder. "Do you know where we are?" Chris asked bluntly. She wasn't really good with people, and didn't care about being nice or polite, unlike Calypso.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:47:13 -0500

Nitro stared in shock as the girl in front of him shifted her body features to that of an animal that he at least sort of recognised. He stepped back a bit, really wishing that he had tapped on the shoulder of a normal person. He was a little relieved, however, when the strange furred creature hopped off his shoulder and back into the woman's. He shook his head in response to her question. "No. We aren't...from around here." Nitro said. It wouldn't do well to let strangers know they were lost. From her seat, Silica leaned forward in interest, silently observing Nitro's conversation with a gentle smile.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:03:43 -0500

Omaron paid the bartender with the little gold he had, as his standard brass only got him an odd look. He really didn't like the way things looked. Settlements their guide didn't recognize popping up next to disappearing swamps, unfamiliar currency, locals who engaged in such backwards rituals as bloodsport... He took a gulp from his tankard as he eyed the poster on the wall. Dragonslayer strikes again today! That was the sort of thing they did in Edra, risking their lives for a few weeks of glory and pocket change. Pitiful really. You know, dearest, they may not have a choice here. Omaron almost spilled his ale at the voice, though he knew it was only audible to his own ears. Don't do that! he thought furiously. Oh I am EVER so sorry. But haven't you been listening to the others at all, dearest? Even with your mortal ears, you should have been able to hear one of the un-humans talking about this 'Dragonslayer'. She seems to think he's the king's cousin. Something about trying to make an example of him. Well that's lovely, but couldn't you find out something more helpful? Perhaps how we got here and how we're supposed to get back to Veliath? He winced as a slight ache started in his temples. Anything might be helpful, dearest, the voice said sweetly. Goodness, I thought being a politician might have taught you *something*. Omaron sighed and took another drink of ale. Sure. Whatever you say. --- Meanwhile, Seta watched the girl in the animal skins with bemusement. Everyone else here spoke the same language more or less, it seemed, except for this one. And she didn't have the proper type of money to pay with either. She hesitated, wondering if she should step forward to help or not, when another woman stepped forward to... mediate, perhaps. Ah well, it was always uncomfortable to interact with people she didn't know anyways. For now, she could go back to people-watching and trying to figure out where they were. --- @ Tweed Emkai's brows rose, though the man couldn't see it. "Does that mean we aren't in Tavos any longer then?" That didn't make any sense. The only way out of Tavos was to cross the ocean, so far as he knew. What was going on? He resisted the urge to put his hand on his sword-hilt. It wouldn't help anything anyways.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:09:16 -0500

He nodded. "I am not sure how or why we are not in Tavos, only that we are no longer there. Believe me, I am just as surprised as you, friend. Do sit down, if you would be more comfortable than standing." He gestured to the open seat at the table.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:26:01 -0500

Aegan smirked and Rose stood from her chair and made her way toward the woman in the beautiful veil. Charm could get one many places, even with other women. Aegan slipped some stones from his pockets and pressed them into her hand--this was an act they'd perfected, and he had to say he was proud. "Excuse me, miss," she said to Alis. "Can I interest you in a trade?" She smiled in a winning sort of way and procured a couple rather plain-looking stones into the palm of her hand. She showed them to the woman as if they were precious--which, of course, they were not, but if Rose had her way, she would think they were.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:44:33 -0500

"Neither are we," Chris answered coolly. "And sorry about the monkey," she added, clearly not sorry at all. "She's a little high-strung.....and I noticed that. When Cally shifted. You don't have people like her where you're from, do you, oh man who can smell blood on the air?" Chris absently stroked Gabriela's mottled brown-black hair. As much as she hated to admit it, she really didn't know what was going on, but at least it seemed others were in her place.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:03:55 -0500

Nitro didn't like this woman's tone, not at all. He had half a mind to create a barrier, fling her backwards, and run with Silica to...to... ...Where could he run to? Surely this place was as dangerous here as it was anywhere else. He sighed and shook his head. "No. I thought that was obvious..." he mumbled. He shook his head, his voice hollow again, "I'm just used to the smell of blood." He shook his head and spoke a little faster, "Anyway, why do you think the air smells of it?" He glanced back to Silica - she had the same gentle smile as always, but her eyes and body language were showing her inner discomfort. She was letting them wander, and had let them fall upon a poster stuck onto one of the tavern walls. He frowned slightly and turned back to the two girls, waiting for their speculation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:10:36 -0500

Emkai slowly sat down across from the man as though suspicious he might be setting a trap of some sort. "Might I ask who you are?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:15:40 -0500

"Ilyas of the Manasseh," said the man. He smiled, a more friendly expression. "I have not seen anyone of Tavos for days, it is most comforting to see attire I recognize, accents I know. May I offer to buy you a drink? Food?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:39:12 -0500

((Just a quick post is all I really have time for right now. I'll try and get another one in an hour or so.)) Clearcall walked up to the owner of the tavern and spoke quietly with him for several minutes. Mostly he was feeling the man out at first, trying to find out just how loyal of a kings man he was. Considering the money he made off this establishment, hecould have been very loyal indeed. After all the king prompted such butchery that gained him sales. As it turned out this was one of many such placed the guy owned around Mordelic. Of course this was the newest one, built after the arena was announced. Despite the boatload of money he was making off this particular tavern he wasn't a big fan of the new king. The last couple of years were chaos and he had to pay a good portion of his profits to strongarms just to keep the ruffians from starting fights and breaking the place apart. More than once he had to replace some of his tables and chairs. And several times he was robbed by looters. So regardless of the amount of money he did make, he very carefully made it clear that the chaos was not something he fancied. Clearcall asked him a little more about the king's rumored cousin and the owner snorted, saying that one of the nobles had tried to free him a week after he was taken. The noble was caught and executed in front of an audience. This went beyond imperial rule and there was no one who could reason with the king, save the queen. And she was nearly as bad as he was. Convinced that he could trust the man, Clearcall spoke a little of the situation. The owner looked skeptical, obviously afraid that helping would get him killed.... or worse. But after being reassured that he would have to take no part and could leave the room with his employees, he agreed, taking a chunk of gold and going up front to lock the door. Then he gathered everyone who worked for him and they left the room. Clearcall leaned against the bar, looking at those who remained. Nothing to it but to do it. He could escape if need be. "What I am about to propose to you is considered treason!" he announced to the room at large. "But I assume that those of you still sitting here do not agree with the concept of the arena games since you haven't gone to watched the famous Dragonslayer fight. Who could resist an invincible man? If there is anyone here who does not wish to continue with this conversation you must leave now or you will not be allowed to leave again."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:01:20 -0500

"I don't drink," Emkai told Ilyas truthfully. "Although I wouldn't mind something to eat, if you're offering. My companions--" He looked up in surprise when Clearcall addressed the bar at large. Treason? Arena games? Well he didn't approve, but this wasn't his homeland. Who was he to interfere in the affairs of humans? He began to rise. "Seta, Omaron, we're leaving." Seta spun around with her brows raised. "So soon?" she asked quizzically. Omaron, however, approached the table where the fireman had been sitting. "Emkai, wait, these people might be able to help us get home." Emkai snorted. "Really. What makes you think that?" "I... just... have a feeling, all right?" Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Omaron pressed on. "At any rate a good deal of the people here seem to be strangers to the area; it seems like we're not the only people who've gotten lost and ended up here that way." "What are you suggesting? That we just magically turned up here? Cinders, I thought you were an educated man." Seta raised her hand. "If, er, if you don't mind me saying so, I'd like to stay and find out what these people are suggesting. There doesn't seem to be any immediate route home, and I would like to find out more about this Dragonslayer and how we can take care of these fights." "It's not..." Emkai just looked from one to the other of them in disbelief. Humans... "Fine. I can't tell either of you what to do, and I'm as good as soaked without a guide."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:06:14 -0500

Ilyas listened to what the Tavosians had to say. A guide, here as though by magic...and what did he speak of by treason? Ilyas furrowed his brow. He rose, as though to leave. He looked to Emkai. "Will you stay, or go?" he asked, his voice low. He was inclined to stay, natural curiousity getting the better of him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:11:24 -0500

((o.O Since the door's locked, can I just have my characters have been in the bar prior to the locking, or should I wait until everyone's done with this? [Also, Katie can post now, schedule change!]))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:15:20 -0500

((yeah, just say that they're in the bar, Goblingirl.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:22:52 -0500

"Death," Cally whispered. "I've only once smelled blood stronger and deeper than this, and that place was steeped in death." Chris nodded in agreement. She started to speak, but then paused as she heard another man make an announcement through the room. This man spoke like he was in charge, like he knew things. Standing up, she called out,"What would you have us do? Are you trying to start a rebellion?" She was silent for a moment, then she said with a sly smile on her face, "If so, I'm with you. Rebellions are kind of my thing." She laughed inwardly, as did Cally. Back where she came from, Chris had reached the height of rebellion. She didn't care who or what they were rebelling against. She just wanted a fight, she wanted to take out her anger and unleash her power.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:37:52 -0500

((Awesome, thanks. Also, it might be a bit before I'm able to post again.)) "So, to sum it all up," said Sybil, "We have no idea where we are, how we got here, how we get back, or what in seven kinds of hell is going on. Right?" "Right," said Spink. She sighed. "Also--Sybil, knock it off." Sybil dropped her hand from where she'd been scratching underneath her blindfold. The thing itched awfully, and she didn't really need it, but they'd both agreed that as long as there were other people around to see, they'd hide their most unusual attributes. Spink did that all the time, but Sybil wasn't used to it. "Sorry," said Sybil. "Okay. If we can find someplace safe to stay for about a day, I can take a long-ish look ah--" She stopped and turned around as the owner locked the door and took all his employees out of the room. Spink stiffened, and she slowly slid one hand down from where it had been resting on the table to the hilt of the knife at her hip. Sybil shook her head at the other girl. "I want to hear what he has to say," she added in a low voice, and Spink relaxed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:38:42 -0500

Nitro nodded - he'd suspected as much. He lifted his head and raised an eyebrow at the man's - what was with his ears? Why were they weird and pointed? - announcement. He frowned as he listened, not really understanding anything. "What are arena games?" Nitro mumbled to himself, a little embarrassed to ask what they were. He was interrupted in his thoughts by Silica pushing a sheet of paper under his nose. Glancing at her face, he noted a sense of urgency and tension that she rarely ever showed. She shoved the flier under his nose again, pouting a little. Nitro blinked and took it, reading it over quickly and pleasantly surprised at the fact he could read it at all. As he read over it, he grew more confused. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but from what he had to gather... This man, Dragonslayer, was...going to kill people...or perhaps not people...kill something for the pleasure of others? ...Perhaps even for himself? It explained the smell of blood and death, if that was the case. This sort of thing must be common, even celebrated if they decided to publicise it. ...Why. What did the pointless wastage of life have to do with entertainment? He glanced at Silica, who was still smiling gently, but seemed a touch more agitated. He frowned and looked back at the paper. That couldn't be it. Perhaps he just wasn't understanding this well enough? Uncertain, he glanced at Silica again, tilting his head to the doorway. She looked towards it, then shook her head. She took out a pad of paper and a pencil from her belt and wrote quickly in messy yet elegant handwriting. 'Where would we go? Look around, Nitro. Look at everyone's clothes and confusion. We're amongst those who are lost too. If we stay near them, we may find our way back.' He sighed and shook his head, "I...I don't know. Treason, Silica. Do you really want to involve yourself in this?" She paused for a moment, then wrote again. When she showed the notepad to her companion, her face seemed resolute, and determined. 'For those who would allow those to suffer eternally in exchange for the fleeting joy of others...Some tyrants need to be overthrown.' Nitro, understanding the hidden contextual meaning in her words, nodded, "You're sure?" Silica nodded, touching the hilt of the sword on her back with two of her fingers. He smiled lightly at her and drew her close. Everything was out of his hands now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:50:13 -0500

"Chris, I know you want to fight and kill people, but...really?" Cally murmured. "Should we get into this?" Chris put her head in her hands and sighed deeply. "Cally, I need something to do, something to take my mind off things. A rebellion...well, it's perfect. If I even have to think about Bla-" she shuddered, unable to say his name. "They can't find us or hunt us here, at least I don't think so." "Whoever they're rebelling against will fight us if we join," Cally pointed out. "Hmmph," Chris smiled. "No one here save you and Gabby know of my powers, so they can't fight them. I can take anyone in this place."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:23:52 -0500

((placeholder--if nagats sees this in the morning, they went after Alis. It's up a few posts. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:32:44 -0500

@ Tweed "It appears that I'm staying," Emkai replied a bit gruffly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:43:41 -0500

((Oh, sorry! Durr.. I read the bit about her going to the woman in veils which would be Jiya and missed the part with Alis' name. :S )) @scd (before the doors close) "It would depend on what you're offering." Alis said coolly, not accustomed to trusting many people, especially not many people who approached her with such a bright smile. She glanced at the stones. "You're offering me pebbles? What are you expecting to get in return for some... pebbles?" Raising a brow, she stared at the woman and sipped the last of her brandy, staring at the empty glass and sort of wishing she had another.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:55:18 -0500

@nagats Rose looked aghast, eyes wide and disbelieving, and she closed her fists about the small, ordinary-looking rocks. "Quiet!" she hissed. "You will offend them." She cooed to them as if they were real, living, breathing things and she opened her palm again. "These rocks grant wishes--four wishes for every person that holds them. I've used all mine. The only thing you can't ask for is more wishes." She smirked and gave a small laugh. "But until the day after they change hands the magic doesn't work--and so I'm offering them to you for only five gold." Her voice made it quite the convincing act. Aegan rolled his eyes from the corner, but he was smirking.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:07:33 -0500

Clearcall looked around the room, meeting the gaze of each person one by one. Putting himself out there like this to a bunch of strangers was risky. Really risky. A few looked uncertain, some looked like they wanted to go, and a few even got up to leave. Yet all stayed for the moment. He wasn't certain if he should say more at the moment or not. "I was listening to you all talk before. You can't fool me into thinking you agree with what's going on out there." As if to punctuate his statement a loud roar from across the way filled the tavern. He crossed his arms. "Those who were curious enough I guarantee are over there right now, throwing their coins at a king who doesn't need them." He watched each person as he spoke. "Last chance...." So far no one had asked him anything more.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:45:00 -0500

Emkai sighed and sat back down, though he really didn't approve of getting involved in other people's affairs. He'd drag Omaron out if he had to, but Seta had more or less volunteered to help him. If she wanted to stay, he wasn't leaving either.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

hookedononyx — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:02:07 -0500

Owen, silent for the last few moments, turned on his stool to face the stranger. "Well, elf, given that it's hard to commit treason against a monarch when you aren't one of his subjects, I see little reason not to hear you out! So get on with it!" He whacked the butt of his club against the bar for emphasis. "Say what you want to say; we're listening."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:04:33 -0500

"I'm with that guy," Tornica said, vaguely gesturing his tankard at Owen. "Not my country, not my king. Treason away." "You know I'm fairly sure you can still commit treason against a monarch even if you're not a subject of his," Kalin pointed out. "You are still within his borders." Tornica shrugged. "If he finds out we'll just leave. Simple."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:16:54 -0500

((Damn timezones ^^; Missed quite a lot, but read up! Uhm... sorry for trackbacking a little with Laurian to respond first to the barman and Wolf before reacting to Clearcall.)) "Yes, and you're obviously no brilliant mind either," Laurian replied sarcastically. "Which may be a good thing to this poor woman before she paid way too much with her precious gems to buy a drink. But since we are both not from around and you seem to treat foreigners as if they are bloody idiots, we'll just find a friendlier bar. I'm sure this can't be the only one." She extended her arm around Wolf to guide her kindly away from it, speaking as friendly and reassuring as she could. "Come on, he doesn't want anything from you. But don't worry, we'll find a more honest place to trade your precious stones for the currency used around here." It was going to be a problem, though. The woman spoke in a language that Laurian did not recognize. She spoke two languages fluently and knew enough of Latin to understand the main context of any written or spoken text, though that was mostly used in church and for prayers or spells. And then there was the odd demon word she knew, but if she had to be honest, they were mostly insults. But the language she had heard coming from Wolf's lips sounded like nothing she'd ever heard before. If only she knew of a spell that would make all languages comprehensible to everyone. If only there was a mage around who could cast such a spell. For now it seemed she'd just have to do her best through the sound of her voice, gestures and facial expressions. Using this way, she tried to let Wolf know what her name was and that she was a friend. Laurian wasn't quite sure if it worked, but then something big happened in the bar. A man started to speak about the tournaments, the king and treason. Things she could only agree with. But could Wolf understand what was going on? Oh, if only she could find a better interpreter... "Excuse me," she then said out loud, "but before we continue this talk of treason... I've got someone here who has absolutely no clue what is going on. I was hoping that perhaps one of the fine people still standing here could help me out with translating all that is being said here. "As for leaving," her eyes went over to Tornica, "some of us may not have that option, no matter how much they agree with the idea. I came here by accident from a place so far away, it would sound like a tale. And I feel I'll have to stay here if I want to find a way back. So I cannot leave." Laurian moved her eyes to Clearcall, the man who had started this conversation about the tournaments and to commit treason against the king. And again she could hear Morgan's voice telling her of the people cutting other people up. It was not her world. It was not her place to do anything against it. Her voice was very calm when she spoke again. "But I suppose for me it means if things go wrong, I'll just have to fight to death. I cannot agree with a king who puts his own subjects in life threatening danger for the general entertainment of the public. Whatever it is that you are planning, sir, you can count on me and my blade."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:23:13 -0500

"You're a brave man," announced Browning, clearly. "Standing up in front of a crowd of strangers to declare treason. You have no idea what sort of people you're speaking too. Guards, officials of government..." He threw a smile in Clearcall's direction. Morwenna peered up at her minder. Browning inclined his head, smile widening. Any man as brave as you deserves to be heard," he said. "What are you proposing, friend?" Morwenna pouted. "But I wanted to see the Dragonslayer." "Hush, Morwenna, don't talk about things you don't understand," Browning scolded her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:33:06 -0500

@Nagats Finn smiled at the woman. "I'm not from around these parts, so I wouldn't know. I'm a wanderer myself. Found myself here and thirsty." He shrugged. "But from your question, I take it that you aren't from around here either." he had a strong Irish brogue ((which his author has decided not to write)). Finn looked at the man who suddenly addressed the group. If what the man said was true, this sounded like just the thing for him. Although overthrowing a king... @ No one in particular Dumont thought they were between a rock and a hard place. He had to get back to the caravan with Jiya. But he had no idea how. If the king was so callous about his own people, how would he treat foreigners? He expected Jiya would be added to the King's harem if he had one, and Dumont himself would be sent to the arena. Not a pleasant thought. It looked like he was in whether he liked it or not. he wondered if there was a safe place he could leave Jiya.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:12:15 -0500

Ilyas himself sat, watching Clearcall. It would never do to get involved with another government's politics. He smiled inwardly. What had he been doing for the last five years, since the Shiekh determined he was mature enough to act as his representative to other tribes and Tavos at large?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:58:09 -0500

"I kind of want to leave," Cally said softly. "Don't you think we've had enough danger in our lives already?" She looked down, absently fiddling with her dress hem. "I just-I don't want to lose you again. I can't lose you again." With a tenderness she only showed to Cally and Gabriela, Chris pulled the smaller girl close for a hug. "Cally, I promise you this: you won't lose me, ever again." "How can you be sure?" Calypso's eyes were wide and glistening with tears she didn't dare to shred. "Because," she said, a slow smile forming on her face. "I'm awesome." This did nothing to reassure Cally, so Chris had to elaborate. "I have my magic, my ninja-assasin skills, and I have you to fight for. In my book, that makes me pretty awesome, if not invinceable. I can't be vinced." This poor try at humor brought a reluctant smile back on to the redhead's face. "Now, let's listen to this big bad man who wants to overthrow the government."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:44:16 -0500

@the room at large/Nagats Rose scowled as the man spoke, interrupting her sales pitch. She continued to hold the pebbles out though as if they were a sacred, precious object, and she eyed Alis as if waiting for her to take the sale. She needed this money to get home--but what's more the scamming was her career.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:38:39 -0500

"You are within his borders," Clearcall said in agreement with Kalin. "He will not care if you are a subject of his or not. You could be from the far north or the far east and he wouldn't care. This is his throne and thus far he has done whatever he had to in order to protect it." He looked at the club, then at Owen. "Peace. No need to get so worked up. I am taking a risk by opening up discussion here, but at this point it would be easy for me to slip away if someone here didn't fancy this talk. And the king does have spies, but I can promise you that they are all across the road right now. During the current bout the nobles are far more threatening than we are." So everyone was staying, though he did notice that some were not very pleased about the idea; others too eager. He would have to be wary of them. "I have heard some of you talking about the newest champion, one the people have dubbed the Dragonslayer. As we speak a companion of mine is in the arena making sure this champion is who we have heard him to be. Many of you seem to be from somewhere far off so let me enlighten you. According to the rumors, the Dragonslayer is cousin to the king, next in line for the throne. For the last two years he has been traveling, fighting the darkness that is spreading over these lands. Recently he returned home after learning what was going on here. He tried ot meet with some of the noble sympathizers here before letting his cousin know he returned, however the king found out about him... somehow. When the two met to speak the king allegedly did something to him to weaken him. The rumors are unclear, but the punishment was fairly obvious. He was stripped of his title and sent into the arena." "In the first bout there the king set a dragon on him, certain that he would never survive. When he did, matters grew progressively worse. The king is determined to see that his cousin dies in that arena. Unfortunately for the nobles and the people, who have been taxed to starvation in some cases or worse, this man, the Dragonslayer, is the only one with the knowledge, right, and skill to stand up to the king. You can imagine why the king wants him dead. Our goal, my companion and I, is to find a way to reak apart the noble class enough to garner support and to either free the Dragonslayer or find a way ot force the king ot face him. However we need home help." Clearcall stopped, letting the roars of the arena across the road fill the otherwise silent tavern.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:39:14 -0500

((Chumsy, can you break your dialogue up between your characters please? I find myself getting lost when reading it.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:01:44 -0500

@Jez "Not anywhere around here that I know of at least." Alis said with a smile, "When a new port suddenly appeared that had never been on my charts before... well, I had to explore it." She shrugged. "It's all quite curious." She watched a woman come over to her. (Rose) ((Then at least we can catch some things up a bit. :) )) @scd "How fascinating and wonderous for you. Unfortunately I think I shall have to decline your generous offer, you see, I always get what I want," Alis smiled, "and do not need wishes to get it. Perhaps you should attempt to hawk your wares somewhere else." She shrugged when the woman looked annoyed and turned to listen to the man. Her eyes lit up, well... this was more of an adventure than she had been expecting. This could be fun. @lenihan/others in bar? ((lol! Omaron has been Wolf's tutor in other threads, she's a quick learner I think, though when she speaks common it's pretty broken. XD )) Wolf looked surprised when the woman led her away, she followed across the room to where the woman stopped, listening to her words in her strange tongue. She realised a bit of what the woman was trying to tell her... "L-Lo-ree-ahn?" She asked pointing to Laurian questioningly. She nodded a little to show her understanding and then pointed to herself, "Gibuu Limx Hloksim Axkw." She said fluidly. "Gibuu..." She pointed to the tattoos of the wolves on her midriff. When the doors were closed and the people left in the room were talking again, she concentrated and tried to figure out what was going on here exactly. The woman- Laurian, didn't leave her side and was speaking to them, motioning to her... she blushed, not understanding why she was being singled out except for the fact that she didn't know what they were saying. From what she could tell though, it looked like people were rather wary but getting a bit riled up about something. "Agu miya'an?" She asked Laurian, pointing to her lips and shrugging to show she was asking what she was saying. -Something- big was happening, she wanted to know what. @Anyone Sophia was still chewing away on the food left for her, at first she wasn't really paying attention to what the fae man was saying, she was never included in any conversations and had learned very early on not to pay too close attention and certainly never -ever- try to participate. -That- would be like trying to make herself closer to being equal to the fae. After a moment though, when other people started talking, she listened in a little more... treason? Fighting to the death? She went pale very quickly and swayed a little, plunking down on the chair at the table. No, no, no... this wasn't what she had been expecting when she had run away. She wasn't a fighter... could barely think for herself... oh dear.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:19:08 -0500

"Are you okay?" Cally leaned over to the pale, scared-looking girl, a worried look on her face. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the other girl who reminded her so much of herself. "Of course she's not," Chris grumbled. "Why do you have to talk to everybody?" "Because I'm polite and I actually care about other people," she shot back, her face annoyed for once.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:25:39 -0500

"Entering a man into a tournament seems a very ineffective way to kill somebody," Browning mentioned, tapping his fingers against the table. "If I were your King, I'd put a bullet between his eyes from a distance, or hire someone to. Its more practical and leaves less of a trail." Morwenna raised her eyebrow at Browning briefly but went back to her drink. She'd never had alcohol before and was finding she enjoyed the sensations, if not so much the taste. Besides, this crazy man yelling at everyone about kings and rebellions was entertaining. She peered intently at him and resisted the urge to giggle. ((Is there anyone at the tournament that Morgan can interact with?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:42:02 -0500

((I've got Vanya at the tournaments... Did you write something about him being at the tournament? I had a lot to read up on when I came online this morning and it's possible I missed it somehow. Don't expect to much friendliness from her though. ^^; ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:56:59 -0500

((Yes there is, sorry I've had a crazy week this week and this weekend I won't be around much, and I won't be around too much longer today. Now sure how much I will be around to post for the rest of the day and I'm guessing tomorrow wil be very little if at all.)) "Not many people survive dragons here," Clearcall said, giving Browning an odd look. "I'm not sure what a bullet is, but I think I get the picture of what it is supposed to do. If he were to just outright have his cousin killed the people would rise up against him. Dragonslayer was loved by the people long before he became a love in the arena. the king was likely trying to dishonor and humiliate him, but instead every day he survives it does such to the king. Now the king has no choice but to wait for the arena to kill him." Clearcall looked over at Wolf curiously. "Well if she can't understand me then she can't repeat what's being said either so it doesn't matter much to me. My companion might be able to help when she returns." The floor of the tavern shook, making cups and bottles rattle. The sound was followed quickly after by a roar so loud for a moment Clearcall had to wait to speak in order to be sure he was heard. "We cannot stay so close to the city, but likewise we cannot venture far from it. There is an abandoned manor less than a mile from the city that we will be staying at for now. By we, I mean anyone who chooses to help." And those who didn't he would have to work with Gwenlynn to erase this meeting from their memory. @arena Gwenlynn had to elbow and jostle her way through the crowd to get a little closer. Thanks to her heights and her keen eyes she could see the center of the arena clearly. that included the blood that soaked into the sand and stone floor of it. After only a few minutes the Voice of the arena stood and delivered his speech about the wit and speed of the next player. When he announced the Dragonslayer the crowd roared and stomped. Gwenlynn looked out at the arena, holding her breath as the blond man came out into the center of the arena. There was little armor on his body and he was covered with fairly fresh injuries, but there was no mistaking who it really was. Gwenlynn let out a small wimper. Dragonslayer didn't play to the crowd. He stood in the center of the ring, back straight, watching the doors around him. As the opponents entered the ring in at least a number of fifty, the crowd fel silent for only a moment. Morgus! Where ha the king gotten a hold of those beasts, and in such large number?! He had told her true before, when they last met. It had to be true. The king wasn't ruling this kingdom alone. And the match began. Dragonslayer could handle this. He had fought against worse odds before. And nearly died... Gwenlynn couldn't watch. She instead started making her way through the crowd, not bothering ot join in the cheers and leers. She had confirmed that it was in fact him. That was all she came for. Yet as she reached the door to leave the arena she paused, looking back despite it all. She couldn't just turn her back on him and leave him to this alone. How could these people watch him fight for his life day after day knowing who he was?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:09:20 -0500

Laurian Laurian turned her attention back to Wolf when another question was posed. She could more or less guess what she had asked. But how was she going to explain it? "It's alright, Gibuu," Laurian said, assuming that was the woman's name. "There are problems in this city... big problems. And... I'm sorry. I will try to explain it the best I can, but I am not sure it will be understandable." She desperately raked her brains for a way to explain about bad kings and treason in a way that someone who didn't understand a word of what she was saying would understand it. She had so hoped someone else would be able to take over this job. She wasn't a teacher or an interpreter. She was a fighter! These kind of tasks were well beyond her capabilities. "You see," she continued softly so that she wouldn't disturb the rest of the conversation, "there is a king here... a ruler. And he is a very bad ruler. Instead of being there to protect his people, he does very bad things to them. He makes them fight each other and let other people watch them die. So that man..." Laurian gestured towards Clearcall. "That man... he wants us to find a way to stop this bad, bad man. And he needs help, because he cannot do it alone. And he asks us if we want to help him." The tall woman hesitated, not certain if Wolf had understood her. But then Clearcall came with the relief she'd been waiting for. There was someone who could help with this communication barrier. "So," she continued to Wolf, again slowly repeating what Clearcall just had said, "what you have to choose now is if you want to help this man or not. I will help him. If you choose to come, I will make sure you will be safe." That was the best she could do for Wolf. Now it was hoping she'd understand it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:33:51 -0500

Vanya Vanya looked up when Gwenlynn walked past her. Now there was something interesting. This woman's emotions ran high enough that it cut through everything else. It was overwhelming, really, nearly suffocating. She narrowed her eyes as she stared hard at this woman. When Gwenlynn walked back to leave the arena, Vanya stood up as well. There was something interesting about this woman. And as much as she hated to be surrounded by people, perhaps this one would be interesting enough to put up with the usual annoyance. Gwenlynn turned around to look back and Vanya quickly stepped out of sight. She wanted to know more about this woman before she decided to talk to her. After all, she'd been wrong about first impressions before. But whatever it was, it had to do with that man – Dragonslayer – down there fighting for his life. ((Hmm, not my best, but I'll find a way to get some better stuff with her. And I wanted to give Morgan a chance of interacting with Gwenlynn too. ^^; ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:35:42 -0500

((Sorry about the gun reference. Slip of the mind :) Won't happen again)) @Tavern Morwenna tugged on Browning's arm. "Is he crazy?" she asked, in a whisper that the whole pub could probably hear. Browning ignored her for the moment. "I'll come with you," he told the other man. "I don't believe that anyone in this tavern who refuses to come with you will be safe from this moment onwards. But you must promise that my charge will be in safe hands." @Arena Morgan regretted entering the arena almost at once. He didn't have a very good seat (his lack of money had ensured that) but the sight of blood brought back unwanted memories. All the same, he was unable to tear his eyes from the Dragonslayer, and he wasn't even sure it was through concious choice. In fact, the majority of his senses were screaming at him to get out NOW

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:56:16 -0500

((lol! Wolf who -does- understand is staring at Laurian like What the heck do I need to be kept safe for? I'm a bloody hunter and warrior myself... bahaha! Let's hope she doesn't understand that translation. Anyway, if Laurian is using hand signals and actions a bit, Wolf's more likely to understand, should I assume she was?)) @Star/lenihan Wolf was watching Laurian's mouth move around the words, looking utterly bemused. She focused instead on the motions the woman was making and cottoned on a little to what might be happening. A bad chief maybe? They needed help to... get rid of him? She nodded to show she thought she might have a bit of the concept. "Hat'axkwhl sim'oogit tgun...." She said quietly, making a motion of a fancy head dress and then making a mean sort of face, looking at Laurian to see if that was sort of right.... and so this man with the strange ears... "Dim gaksa'anthl aks." She said then, pointing to Clearcall, and made smoothing motions with her hands. Well... maybe it didn't translate quite as well. @Chumsy Sophia dropped the bit of food she was holding onto the plate and jumped a little, not hearing Cally at first, "U-um... y-yes. Th-th-thank you." She stammered, swallowing hard. She looked at the two people, then at the little monkey and bit her lip. "W-would you like s-some?" She asked, offering the plate to them, her appetite was gone, mostly from the talking but also because she had eaten way too much.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:01:19 -0500

"She is as safe as anyone else in this kingdom," Clearcall said with a nonchalant shrug. "That's the best I can offer. There won't be time for me to babysit someone so if you want her safe it's up to you to ensure that she stays that way. If she stays at the manor she's better off." @arena ((Morgus, BTW, are about ten foot tall, some with four arms, some with two, all very strong with flat pig0like faces. They are known as seriously deadly monsters and are controlled by dark forces. Not that outsideers from other worlds would really know that....)) Gwnelynn gasped as one of the morgus swung it's massive sword at the fighter's neck. He ducked out of the way and rolled, holding tight to his two knives as he came up on his feet and hamstrung one of them. Gwenlynn's heart was racing and she was having a hard time breathing as she watched. So many descended on him at once. She knew that he was a skilled fighter, that during his time in the far north he had trained with the famous Elogi warriors, but she had never actually watched him in a large scale fight like this. Up north he hardly fought at all as he recovered from his serious injuries. The combination of his styles was impressive. She could see the Elogi wardance in his steps, as well as some skills of her own people. He obviously learned that from the elven fighter he mentioned before. One by one, slowly and almost painfully she watched as he tried to stay out of reach of their massive weapons, attempting kills with only his daggers. Obviously the king had taken his sword from him, insisted that he fight without a sword. -I have to find a way to meet with him.- Of course she just wanted to talk to him, see him. But would he want to see her like this? No. He was a proud man.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:01:52 -0500

"Before I truly commit to anything," Tornica said. "What's this king done besides not being the world's best cousin? I'm not exactly from round here so I don't know what's normal for this place and what the king's done since taking the throne." ((Sorry for rubbish post. I honestly can't think of anything else to do with them right this minute))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:05:32 -0500

((Might take another 30 min before I can reply so: Yes, Laurian uses gestures too, anything she can think of to make Wolf understand of what's going on. XD And I wanted to say that Tornica's reply is wonderful. I love the way that question is set up. Okay, off to do other things for now, will be back in about half an hour with new posts.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:05:36 -0500

@Tavern "Morwenna does not leave my sight," said Browning. "And I'll defend her to the death if needs be." Morwenna did give in to the giggles at this point, hiding them behind her hands and blushing furiously. @Arena Morgan stared hard at the battle. He could feel that little spark inside him again, a combination of awe and terrible jealousy for the man in the arena. Not that he would want to be in the Dragonslayer's place- not one bit- but to be able to fight like that, to be adored like that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:10:40 -0500

"I think the better question is what hasn't he done," Clearcall mused. His sense of humor was obviously strange. "But if you want a list, he's over taxed his people, thrown some into the streets and others into the arena for not paying their taxes or for comitting petty crimes. He disbanded a council that was in effect to help maintain order and balance for hundreds of years, he rules his people by fear not kindness or compassion, he allows people to look, main, rape and kill at their will and they are only punished if they are caught in the act. He has killed more than a handful of nobles who stood up to him and demanded that order be restored. And to top it all of, the source of his new power is .... questionable." Clearcall hesitated a moment. "Some believe that he is being controlled or manipulated by the dark gods to keep the most powerful army in the world away from the war that will soon rise against them." Mostly Gwenlynn believed that because she claims her friend told her such. "If order cannot be restored and the king cannot be made to see the reason that others have presented to him, then the world will fall without the aid of the Cevian army." How he wished that Regan was there now. He was good at convincing people of such things.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:12:16 -0500

"No tha-" Cally started to say. "Yesyesyes I'm hungry," squealed Gabby. She dashed over and proceeded to stuff her face. "Sorry about that," Cally said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm Cally, by the way. The rude blonde one is Chris and Gabby is the monkey who just hopped on your plate." Chris nodded and flicked her fingers in a sort of wave. "You don't really seem to be the talking kind, am I right?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:14:51 -0500

Probably won't be able to post again today, definitely will tomorrow. Also, dear god my characters know nothing about normal xD.)) Spink blinked. A...what? Dragon? She'd heard of dragons, and she'd had to share a cage with a messily modified lizard for a few months before it's surgery wounds went septic and it died, but that was pretty much all. And she had no idea what a king was, although from the sound of things it meant someone in charge. She looked at Sybil, who shrugged, obviously not knowing any more than her. But other than the few unfamiliar words, both of them understood perfectly--the man at the front of the room was proposing a revolt. And asking them to help. Which would be very, very dangerous for everyone involved. It could get them killed before they could go home. "It could be us in that arena," said Sybil quietly, interrupting Spink's thoughts. "What d'you mean with that?" asked Spink. "I mean we should help. It really could be us, you know that. And even if it couldn't it's not--" she waved a hand vaguely "--I don't know. Right. And maybe someone will know where we came from and how to send us back." Sybil bit her lip. "Look, if you really don't want to, we can leave. And for fleck's sake, don't ask me who's going to win." "I wasn't going to," Spink muttered. She had half a mind to say it was too big for them and they should run now--but Sybil was right. "Alright," she said, "We'll do it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:32:53 -0500

Laurian ability to understand Wolf was obviously not as good as Wolf's ability to understand her, but she thought she understood at least what the other tried to say. And if not... then she'd said 'yes' to the wrong explanation. "Yes, something like that," she said. "And if you want to help, you can say that to him. Or just... nod." Though Laurian had a feeling this woman wanted to help as well, so she turned back to Clearcall, listening to all the things he listed that the king of this country had done. It sounded, though, as if not just this country was in danger, but the whole world. That was reason enough for her to fight alongside with this man. Of course, any other information would be useful, but that was all she needed to know. "I think I already told you I'm with you and I think that Gibuu here wants to join as well." Laurian threw a quick, questioning look at Wolf to confirm her suspicions.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:41:27 -0500

Vanya (in reply to Morgan) Vanya turned around at another flash of emotion. Abandoning her interest in Gwenlynn, it was now aimed at Morgan. She smiled at herself and slipped quietly through the crowd until she stood not far away from him. "Interesting fight, don't you think?" Vanya commented loud enough that Morgan could hear her. "Such a good fighter, this man. And just look at how the crowd loves him." Taking a good guess at the impressions she'd received, Vanya added, "Almost makes you wish you could take all of that from him, right? To be as great and magnificent as he is yourself."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:43:38 -0500

Morgan turned, eyes wide. "How did you-?" he began, then awkwardly looked away. How did this woman know exactly what he was thinking? "Yes, the crowd do seem to love him," he replied, skirting around the question.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:44:12 -0500

((Posting then I'm off to do responsible people stuff.)) @arena As the number of morgus slowly dwindled to less than a handful Dragonslayer was obviously exhausted. His movements were slower, sweat covered him, his shoulder sagged. He had fought in battle for days before, but it wasn't as intense as this. However only a handful of morgus remained. If he didn't keep his quick feet and his wits he was as good as dead. The morgus had more stamina than him and they were many where he was one. But there was hope. It was almost over. He was almost done. This thought crossed his mind as he grabbed the scyth-like weapon one of them had been using and swung, pulling the morgus down as he took it's head. In the midst of the motion he climbed onto a small heap of already dead bodies and jumped onto the back of another, grabbing hold of it and slicing the throat. The gashes from this match were burning into his skin, blood mingling with sweat. But he was nearly finished. One more fight survived. As he stood again he noticed the morgus were backing away from him and he didn't take the time to pause. Instead he spun around with his scyth. Something was behind him. The weapon fell from his suddenly numb hands as he looked up and up at the beast. It roared and stomped it's massive foot, shaking the arena floor. For a moment even the crowd went silent. It lunged at him and he went to move but stumbled and fell on his back, watching the massive jaw come down toward him. -No! Not like this!- Dying on the blade of a sword was one thing, being eaten by a monster was another. Then it stopped, jaw snapping shut as if it hit an invisible barrier. It snapped down again and met the same. -Regan!- Could he dare to hope that help had come? Meanwhile in the stands Gwenlynn watched helplessly, trying to pull on her magic and failing as was normal these days. But -something- had stopped the monster. What could it be?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:32:35 -0500

((Just wanted to say I'll be heading off soon, again, I'm not sure if I can post tonight, depends on the signal. I'll be around tomorrow a bit though. :) Sorry to leave any charries hanging. Wolf will agree to help, as will Alis. Sophia won't want to be left behind by herself either. lol)) @Chumsy Sophia actually looked delighted as the Gabby leapt onto the plate and started eating. She glanced up at Chris and blushed, shaking her head a little. Not at the moment at least. She still wasn't sure this was really real. "I-I'm Sophia..." She said shyly, playing with the little bell on her collar. ((Gah! Sorry it's so short. It's the best I can do for now. ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:38:40 -0500

Vanya Vanya smiled a sinister, cold smile and took a step closer to Morgan. "And think about the many people who would mourn and miss him if he were to die right now. This whole crowd cheering him on right would mourn his death. But who would mourn you, hm? Who would miss you if you died right now?" She drew even closer to him and let her voice drop so that no one except Morgan could hear her. "I think that you and I both know that your death would go unnoticed and no one would care. If only you were as great and magnificent as this Dragonslayer, then people would love you, cheer you on... and you'd be sure to have people remember you when you are long gone." Vanya threw a look at the arena. No, this Dragonslayer was not dead. Not yet. It had seemed so promising in a way. "Such a disappointing end to a great game," she murmured to herself. "Maybe it's time to go back inside and have a nice hot drink."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:44:39 -0500

"Hi Sophia!" mumbled Gabby through a mouthful of food. "You're nice. Know how I can tell? You like me!" "Gabby, come back here," Chris said sternly. She was trying to seem like she was reprimanding the marmoset for her manners, but really she was kind of jealous. Usually Gabby freaked people out, so Chris wasn't quite used to the happiness. "Chriiis," she moaned. "I don't waaaanna." "Who saved you from certain doom?" "Not listening!" Gabby called as she began to play with Sophia's hair. Chris leaned back in her chair and scowled. "Come back over here when you're ready for someone who can talk without stuttering."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:46:11 -0500

((You have no idea how appropriate what Vanya is saying to Morgan is right now. She is pushing all of his worst buttons, and it's great)) Morgan's fists slowly tightened at the woman's words and he squirmed at her closeness, breathing getting slowly heavier. Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. He kept his eyes firmly fixed on the arena, which was just as bad. So much blood... "You seem disappointed that he's still alive," he observed, attempting to keep his voice calm. The alcohol wasn't helping. "That's not going to win you any favours from this crowd."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:17:19 -0500

@Nagats specifically, then general reactions "I have traveled through the veil many times. But always to the same world of humans, not always the same time or place, but always the same world." Finn said. "But I am convinced this is not that same world. Besides everything else I have noticed, even the air tastes different." Finn perked up at the talk of killing dragons. He had killed a dragon when he was a young man. It gained him his place in the Fenians and restored his birthright. He looked at Alis and whispered. "I'm glad ye weren't taken in by the stones. I sense nae magic in them attall." ((Finn has a language spell for Wolf if he figures out she doesn't understand what is being said.)) --- Dumont sighed. "If we choose to follow your rebellion or not, how are we supposed to get back home? Or are we forever stranded in your world?" The answer would definitely determine what Dumont decision was.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:50:19 -0500

Vanya Her smile turned into a satisfied smirk. He may try to appear calm and unruffled, but her words had hit their goal. Vanya couldn't help it, but there she always got a strange sense of delight when she managed to pull it off. It was really part of her talent and part of knowing how humans reacted to things. "Why would I win any favours from anyone?" she retorted. "I have absolutely no need of them." Vanya turned her back towards Morgan. "And I'm only slightly disappointed. But it won't be for long. Every great hero must fall in battle sooner or later. It would have been most interesting to watch what would happen if this one fell today. Enjoy the rest of the show."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:53:41 -0500

Morgan wasn't entirely sure what to make of this woman. "I don't feel like watching any more," he growled. In truth, he was beginning to feel slightly sick, and he wasn't sure how much of that was due to events in the arena. Building up his courage, he snapped, "Who are you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:54:06 -0500

((OOC stuff: @Jez: Laurian did mention that Wolf couldn't understand it and that she was looking for some help. Not sure if Finn could have heard it, though. And I love the way you can portray his accent. <3 Wish I could do it too, but English is already my second language, so I'm not gonna try to do any accents with Laurian. ^^; @queenoftheoutlands: Thank you. <3 It's actually Vanya's main role in anything I put her in, but I'm glad you think it's great. Let me know, though, if I ever go too far. (Goes for the rest as well!) @everyone: I'm off to bed and I'm not sure if I'll be around much tomorrow, but there'll be the odd reply here and there. :) Good night!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:00:26 -0500

((Aside from this quickie. Really off to bed after this, so Morgan'll either have to be patient and wait or decide to walk away from vanya if it takes too long till morning. XD)) Vanya stopped and looked over her shoulder. It sure had taken him long enough to get the courage to ask that. She contemplated on several mysterious answers, but in the end... what were the chances he recognized her name? "Does it matter that much?" she asked in return. "What good would it do you to know my name? But if you really must know... You can call me Vanya."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:03:50 -0500

((Don't worry, I'll be heading to bed soon anyway)) Morgan lowered his head, staring hard at her and allowed himself a thin, even sinister smile. "My name's Morgan Rook," he said. "Good to meet you, Vanya." He said it as slowly as possible, letting it roll off his tongue, a glint of teeth in his smile.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:14:10 -0500

Nitro and Silica had seated themselves again to better observe the goings on of the pub. As they listened, they seemed to grow more resolute in their decision to join the rebellion. After all - they were part of one back home, also working to overthrow the tyrannical and ignorant reign of the Surface dwellers. This could be quite useful in terms of training and experience. And the talk of the abandoned manor gave them hope - it was a place to stay. A roof of their heads. Warmth. Sanctuary. The pair nodded to each other and Nitro stood up. "We'll come with you too." he said. He wasn't sure whether this funny-eared man would accept his help - their own leader had almost sent them away when their Goddess decided to choose them to carry out her will, on account of their young age and inexperience. But they were willing, and could fight - and frankly, what else could they do here? Sitting down, humming quietly and minding their own business surely couldn't help them get home. Obviously the sensible thing was to form a coup with a bunch of people you've never met and possibly were more than capable of betraying and killing you. ...This had better be worth it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:24:08 -0500

((Eeh, that's what I get for having a job...)) "I'm staying," Omaron said promptly getting to his feet. Seta gave him a questioning look. "That's all well and good, but shouldn't we discuss this first? Emkai seemed very set against getting involved." "No..." Emkai's hood was turned toward the speaker. "No, I don't know that we could leave in good conscience now. Even if this isn't my country..." He trailed off. Seta's brows rose in surprise. "Very well then, it appears that we'll be staying," she informed Clearcall. "I would like to know as much about this place as possible in the meantime. Otherwise I don't know how much use any of us will be."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:28:36 -0500

@Nagats/Jez Rose cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms. "Well excuse you sir," she said. "But I'm standing right here and I can hear every word you say, even if you whisper. I don't really appreciate you knocking my wares. For your information, there is a such thing as dormant magic. Haven't you ever heard of it before?" Rose sounded incredibly indignant.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:31:37 -0500

((Thanks, Leni. Irish is tough because it's more of the lilt. There aren't the verbal cues in Irish like there are in Scottish, so sometimes I try and capture Finn's speech and sometimes it's just too much work. I love Finn he is my fav of all my chars. he keeps waiting for the cracks about his 'skirt' to start.)) Finn frowned, did he hear someone say that there was someone here who didn't understand what was going on? he had always found that the magic going between the veils made one capable of understanding the language. He looked around trying to discern who that person could be. Nearly everyone here looked out of place. He did take note that the woman in the exotic robes and veil had removed hers to eat. He sighed. And a redhead to boot. She did not seem happy with her traveling companion. Hmm.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:54:12 -0500

@Jez/scd ((Irish accents are hard, maybe made easier if you put some gaelic into the mix... I dunno, I've never tried it. Just say three as tree. lol I've always thought that Alis speaks with a Newfie accent when she gets emotional or passionate about something. XD )) Alis raised a brow of her own and gazed steadily back at the woman. "I wouldn't have come as far as I have in this life if I were gullible enough to be taken in by common swickery." She murmured, not breaking eye contact. Then she leaned back and played with the empty glass again. "Besides, haven't I already said I have no need of wishes? Be off with you girl, before you feel the flat side of my sword on you." She added with a jerk of her chin. She chuckled at Finn's comment. "I'm not taken in by much... one learns such lessons the hard way and learns to keep ones wits about them... Alis Lamour." She introduced herself, holding out a hand to shake his with a firm grip as she had with Owen.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 20:31:26 -0500

((Oh, I remember that about Finn's magic. I wonder how long the spell will last here? Maybe it won't work at all... depending on how much of the language I'm up for learning)) ((As you can see, I am here but my posts will be very sporadic tonight... :) )) @Chumsy Sophia giggled (actually giggled! She barely could believe it!) a little when Gabby started playing with her hair, it tickled. The smile faded though when the girl mentioned her stuttering, she couldn't help it really... so she thought. It was a result of not speaking for so long.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:24:44 -0500

((Adding on to my last post...)) @Chumsy As her smile faded she blushed too, "I- I don't mind her pl-playing with my hair." She spoke rather slowly, trying her best not to make any more stutters and only failing once or twice. Though a thought had crossed her mind and it worried her... a talking animal was certainly suspicious... even if these people -had- been nicer than most. "Um... a-are you...b-by any chance... f-f-fae?" She whispered the last bit, not wanting to be overheard and also rather terrified that the answer might be yes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:20:02 -0500

((Okay, a little something for everyone to work with I hope while I'm away tomorrow.)) @tavern Clearcall knew that he was in for a long ride if this was the group he had to deal with. Some of them were way too questioning for his taste. But those uncertain folk could prove to be the strongest allies once that uncertainty melted away... if it did. He was about to say something more when he saw the flash of honey-colored hair as it passed the window. He went over and opened the door for Gwenlynn, then closed it and locked it again behind her. "It is definitley him," She said in a sure goivce, though she looked a bit pale. Clearcall didn't question her though. She knew this human very well. If she was certain it was him there was no reason to doubt her.Then he saw the pain in her eyes that she managed to keep from her face. "We will do everything we can to help him," Clearcall reassured her. "And if we can get into the proper position before Blue Eyes arrives we are in luck indeed. Gwenlynn nodded and looked around at the others gathered there. "And?" "Some have yet o decide." Gwenlynn turned to face those gathered in the bar. So many, and such a variety at that. "Please. If you help us succeed you will be rewarded. That man is a good, honest man. He does not deserve this fate. I will be going forward with this with or without your help, be sure, but without your help.... I stand little chance of success." Still, she would rather die trying than live knowing she left him to this fate while she did nothing. "The match will be over soon. We cannot leave that door locked once it ends. I don't mean to pressure any of you, but you must choose now. These people are no more mine than they are yours, but if the darkness comes it will spread and infect your own homelands. This is a chance to help. To stand up and try to stop that from happening." ((There, you can have a drink, talk, decide while I am away tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:36:54 -0500

@Nagats ((I need to make some gaelic-speaking friends to help me. I did find some translation sites and one that has audio pronunciations.)) Finn was impressed at how the woman, Alis, handled the woman with the 'magic' stones. "I believe no one should get their wishes filled so easily." Finn said. "Be careful what you wish for." "Finn McCool," He said taking her hand. He had been about to clasp her wrist, but clearly that was not how her people greeted each other. He decided not to give her his lineage and title, since she gave him none of hers. Finn raised an eyebrow, the darkness would spread to other worlds? He spoke up, "How do you know this darkness will spread to other worlds?" he frowned thinking about stories of the death of the gods. This was not good. "If that is truly the case, then you have my sword as well." --- This new information left Dumont with little choice but to join them. if it were true. He looked around at some of the others. he would have to ask them to help him keep Jiya safe.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:04:31 -0500

((placeholder. I really need some friggin' sleep. :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:43:04 -0500

Vanya

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:50:06 -0500

"I'm not crazy," insisted Morgan, chanting it over and over in his head as if that would somehow make it true. "I'm not crazy, I'm not..." He reached out and grabbed the neck of Vanya's clothes, dragging her closer. "You know nothing about me!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "You're lying. You're making it up as you go." His own icy blue eyes seemed to flash as magic, fuelled by anger, made its way to the front of his mind, tingling in his hands like an electric current. "I've done nothing," he said. In his mind's eye, he could see them laughing at him. He could name them. "goaway" he whimpered.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:06:02 -0500

Vanya Vanya did nothing when Morgan reached out to grab her and pull her closer to him. She was honest enough to admit that she'd fully deserved such a reaction. Though perhaps she had pushed his buttons just a bit too far. But fighting back would be pointless. She couldn't handle the stress of fighting, whether it was physically or through the use of magic. "If it was a lie," she said instead calmly, "you wouldn't be this upset. After all, no one else can hear us. No one else notices us. It's up to you now to make sure it stays that way. And one more thing, Mr. Rook." Vanya placed one hand that seemed as cold as that of a lifeless body on his to attempt a slow and gentle removal. "I never lie. I see the truth. I speak the truth." And it was the truth that made people fear her, avoid her and made her an outcast. Yes, she knew that in a way she and Morgan weren't that different from each other. A troubled childhood, a lonely life... Being able to do things others couldn't and being feared because of that. Not that she had ever killed anyone, but what she had done was probably far, far worse. Yet she said nothing about it. She didn't want his sympathy and she didn't want to give him her sympathy either. Sympathy was for losers, for the weak humans who were afraid to come across as mean and rude. She didn't belong to that group. Even if it meant a life of loneliness, even if it meant right now her own death, she would never apologize and never show sympathy.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 07:38:05 -0500

Morgan allowed Vanya to prise his hand away from her neck, but gripped her wrist instead. "How are you seeing this?" he asked, eyes darting to the people around them and back to her over and over. "How can you know all of this? You don't know me." He let go, his hands falling to his sides, and peered all around. "You're like me?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:58:53 -0500

((I'm going to be away for a day or so. If the tavern people go anywhere, just assume Browning and Morgana are following behind. Same for Vanya and Morgan))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:12:50 -0500

((Do you still have plans for the characters in the arena or should I get Kezia out of there now since Gwen's gone?)) Blood, noise, and violence...sneaking into this place had been a very bad idea. The chaos was pressing against Kezia's mind, making it ache. And at her temples was a constant throbbing, intense pressure as if something was trying to burst out. She'd stopped watching the Dragonslayer fight shortly before he'd taken the big brute's weapon and was huddling behind a piller, pressing her hands against the sides of her head, whimpering with the pain. This was how it always started. The pain in her head would grow and grow until it just erupted out of her skull in a burst of light and fire. She had to get out of this crowd. But it hurt to move. --- Kalin pulled a face at the description of what this so called King was getting up to in the city. "Sounds delightful. Well...we are on leave from the group for a couple of weeks. Sounds like as good a cause as any to throw ourselves behind."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:16:50 -0500

((@queenoftheoutlands: It's okay. :) Vanya and Morgan have too much of a great time to rush it, so I'll be patient and just wait for you to return.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 09:38:38 -0500

Vanya Now he had her. Not with any tight grip, but with his last question. No, she did not want to admit she was like him. But she'd just said that she never lied, so she couldn't start evading the truth right now. Vanya averted her eyes from his to look at the blood spilled down below. "We're a bit alike," she finally said. "Not the same, but alike." She looked back at Morgan again. "But that's not how I know things about you, though. It's... just something I can do. Like how you can cast magic, I know things about people around me. Not just you, but everyone." Vanya shrugged, not really willing to explain it any further. If he wanted to know more about it, he could buy her a cup of tea first.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 11:47:57 -0500

@Nagats-e "You mean, like a faerie?" Cally asked quizzically. ((Butchered that word, I'm sure)) "No, not exactly, but we, well, I don't want to say too much, but we can both do magic." "That's right," Chris drawled. "So really, we might as well be faeries, because we're pretty much unbeatable." Only one person had ever truly defeated Chris before, but she perferred not to talk about that. It wouldn't do to let others know she was vulnerable, if only a little bit.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 11:59:08 -0500

@Chumsy Sophia's expression went from relieved to anxious again in a matter of seconds and she sat very tense, no longer noticing Gabby playing with her hair. Now she didn't know what to think. She watched them for a moment...no, she couldn't possibly ask them to... she would be mad to. She didn't -want- her collar to react but... it would be the only way of knowing for certain, wouldn't it? It would show her whether or not she had to be afraid of these people. "G-give me an or- um... I mean, t-tell me to do something... if you would pl-please." She said with quiet urgency.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:07:03 -0500

@Nagats-e "Normally I don't comply with people's wishes , but I do so love telling others what to do!" Chris smiled. Her smile was in no way like the sweet one Cally so often shared. "Why don't you, hmm, buy me a drink, I'm really thirsty." "What? Chris, that's not very nice, and you don't need a drink!" Cally said exasperatedly. "Ooooh, fine. Just, umm, give me Gabriela."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:14:03 -0500

@Jez "Well met, Finn McCool." She looked at his claymore and raised an eyebrow. "So I take it you are a... mercenary? A personal guard?" She saw no ward around though. "You don't look like a farmer at any rate." She said, amused. She liked meeting new people and trying to guess things about them. Though if it were true, and these people were all from different worlds, who really knew what his trade was. Or any of them for that matter. "Are you meaning that some of this... "darkness"" Alis made quote motions with her fingers, "Might attempt to attach itself to our persons and follow us back to where we have come from?" She was trying to figure out what he meant too, none of this really made any sense. She'd have to think about it, though she knew that was silly really, she'd already made up her mind about what to do... now she had to figure out how to get a message back to her crew about it. "I suppose it would be pushing my luck to hope that you're a falconer of sorts?" She asked Finn, turning to him again with an amused twitch of her lips.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:18:29 -0500

@Chumsy Sophia's eyes widened at the first order, she waited fearfully... the moment stretched on even past the second order. She waited, fingers gripping the table so tightly that her knuckles were white... still, there was nothing. Nothing even as she deliberately disobeyed the commands she had been given. She almost didn't believe it at first but then she gave a long sigh and sank back, weary with relief. "So you are n-not really f-fae." She said, looking rather tired after such dangerous excitement. Had they been, she knew that the first command Chris had given her would have meant her death. She had no money to buy anything with and it would've rendered her unconscious and then lifeless within minutes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:24:37 -0500

"Um, yeah, we kind of already said that," Chris said with a "duh" look on her face. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't be afraid. Of me, at least, Cally's only dangerous if you push her really hard, and I'd kill you before you could push her that much." "Haha, nooo she wouldn't," Cally laughed awkwardly. She wasn't fooling anyone. She tried again. "She'd only do it if you deserved it and...oh screw it! There's just no making friends with Chris around!" Chris smiled faux-sweetly and batted her eyelashes. "Chris, don't kill her, then you'll get blood all over me!" Gabby piped up. "But just in case..." she scampered back over to Chris's shoulder.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:40:23 -0500

@Chumsy Sophia didn't seem too phased by the threat of being killed by Chris or Cally. There was really only one person she was truly afraid of... well, she was quite afraid of all fae too but one in particular. "Oh... I- I'm not af-afraid... you said you might as well be f-fae... I just- just wanted to make sure." She said quietly, playing with the hem of her dress. She missed the warm weight of the little monkey on her shoulder and bit her lip lightly. "Why would I push you?" She asked curiously, she had never pushed or really been violent to anyone, not that she could ever remember.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:41:11 -0500

"What do you need a falconer for?" Clearcall asked Alis. He wasn't a falconer, but his little friends were very reliable for sending messages and no one ever spotted or caught them. "And no, I don't mean it will stick to you. Darkness, evil, spreads. It does so because it feeds of the suffering of others and so it spreads like a disease." ((That's all I have time for.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:50:21 -0500

Omaron grimaced as he heard the conversation between Clearcall and Alis, mainly because a silvery laugh had gone off in his head. Shard, please. Oh dearest, you have to admit it's ever so funny. All this talk of darkness and suffering... No actually, I don't find it funny. There was a little sigh. I suppose that's because my attempts at enlightening you have fallen on a stubborn mind. "Omaron?" "What?" He looked over to see that both Seta and Emkai were watching him. Seta was frowning slightly. "Just... just wanted to make sure you were okay. You looked a little sick or something." "I'm fine," he replied shortly, face reddening slightly. He took the seat across from Ilyas that the fireman had vacated.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:50:47 -0500

@Star Alis glanced at Clearcall, taken by surprise by his sudden interest. She looked at the other in the room, considering... well, in for a copper, she thought. "My ship is anchored just around the bend of the port near the city. If I am to help you, I need to send word to my crew about my... extended absence." She explained and shrugged. "I could go back myself, I just was hoping for an easier way."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 12:51:49 -0500

"You probably wouldn't, Cally's too sweet," Chris admitted. "Yeah, you seem nice enough, and it's really only happened once," Cally said quietly. "But putting Chris or Gabby in danger, or making them helpless, which is really hard to do with Chris, that would make me mad. I would let loose, like I did then. And I'm pretty scary when I stop being nice, or at least that's what Chris said." "It's true," Chris nodded. "But really, Cally, I don't think this girl wants to hurt us. Even if she did, I doubt she could."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:22:35 -0500

@Chumsy "B-but at least you're nice... I mean, y-you seem nice m-most of the time." Sophia replied, not being able to picture Cally as being mean. "That's b-better than being mean all the t-time... W-w-wayland was m-mean all th-the time." She added, the last bit a mere whisper as though he might be able to hear her from there. She looked down at her fingers tangled in her dress hem and forced herself to stop... the bottom of the dress was wrinkled and she felt bad. It had been Myyr's dress too... she didn't want to ruin it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:36:24 -0500

@Nagats-e "Wayland?" Cally asked. She glanced Sophie and noticed her collar. "Was he a faerie? Maybe...your master?" She was gentle about the way she said it. If she was right, it was probably a sore subject for the other girl, and Cally didn't want to upset her. Chris pursed her lips, thinking. If this girl had been enslaved or even in servitude, she might not be as weak as she looked. Maybe. A big maybe.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:38:48 -0500

Laurian The conversation or discussion or whatever it could be called had kind of died down. Laurian felt some relief, for it meant she didn't have to try to explain more complicated things to Wolf. Though she was impressed with the speed Wolf understood the things being told to her. And Laurian was certain it couldn't be because of her great talent of explaining and teaching. She began to feel her body too. It was still all black and blue from her long fall down the rift and she'd been suppressing the pain and demands for rest too long. Laurian found some support from a table and lowered herself slowly upon a chair. With her fingers she carefully explored the damage. Definitely bruised ribs, but that was still better than broken. If she had a chance to rest and not move around too much, it should heal up in a day. A grimace appeared on Laurian's face. She'd never been exactly fond of 'resting'. It always felt like a huge waste of time.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:39:19 -0500

@Nagats Finn laughed loudly. "By no means a farmer. I lead the Fenians. Guardsmen to the High King. But I'm also a Bard. I like to wander aboot." He smirked, "An' ye don't look like an innkeeper's wife." "A falconer? Yes, I ha'e a falcon back hame, but not wi' me. Whadje be needin' a falcon for?" "Where I'm froom, 'tisn't exactly Summerlands, but 'tisn't sae bad.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:25:11 -0500

((Ack, Katie cannot brain today. Anyone got a loose character?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:07:34 -0500

((I have my Count who looks like a knight of some sort and his travelling companion who is dressed in middle eastern clothing. They are just sitting around.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:31:52 -0500

((Thanks ^.^)) Sybil had intended to put her elbows on the table. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten where she'd put her drink, and ended up knocking it over with her left arm. And, despite Spink's jerky lunge, onto the floor. Also, although she couldn't see it, onto the veiled woman's dress. "Oh, god," Spink muttered. What was the right thing to do here? Probably apologize. And offer to clean up. Or something. "Um. Look--sorry about that, she--" "Oh, I spilled it on someone, didn't I?" said Sybil, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to. Did I get anything important?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:34:30 -0500

((My two are free as well, so if anyone wants to talk to them let me know.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:49:53 -0500

@alis "I can have your message delivered in less than five minutes," Clearcall told Alis. If she had a ship that was fully manned they might end up needing that at some point. This was a woman he wanted to keep around. Ports were harder to sneak up on, but they were easier to slip extra men and supplies through. "Write up your message and I will see that it gets delivered." "So that's it then. There is an abandoned manor house not a mile out of town on the North Road." Gwenlynn went on to describe what the house looked like as she walked over to unlock the door. "We will meet there. Just, don't everyone go there at once. It will look suspicious if a large group head out of the Outer City and go there together. Stay in smaller groups of no more than four." She disengaged the lock. "We can further discuss and plan from there." ((Now those from the arena can show up, and if any are crafty they likely know how to follow people.)) As the door opened again Clearcall went to tell the owner they were finished. He came back in with his staff. Clearcall watched Gwenlynn drink a glass of wine down at the end of the bar, looking a bit sick and worse for wear. He approached her, leaning an arm against the bar. "Something on your mind, my Lady?" Gwenlynn stared sadly into her cup of wine. "Not terribly. Well... It just... hurts." Clearcall nodded ,understanding what she meant by that statement.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:51:57 -0500

@Jez ((Alis explained to Clearcall about the falcon already but she can talk more as I have a bit of time now. :) )) "Fenians? I've not heard the term..." She said thoughtfully, then nodded a little at the explanation. A smile appeared on her face, "A bard as well? A man of many talents, it sounds like. Perhaps I could hear some of your works during this... expedition?" Alis always loved good music... songs, stories... Especially new ones. "Wandering, I would toast to that..." She said with a smile. Alis wrinkled her delicate nose at the innkeeper's wife comment, that very well could've been one of the lives she had left far behind, "Gods forbid..." She said with a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "No... I've never been comfortable with settling down, myself. It's hard to plant roots in the sea." She shrugged, she liked it that way. "A falcon would help me save time in getting a message back to my ship. If I'm to have an extended leave of absence, it would be best to let them know..." She smirked. "It's good to keep them on their toes sometimes too." She looked at him curiously, "What is Summerlands?" ((Nice accent Jez!! :D I like it!)) @Chumsy "H-he is..." Sophia murmured, not meeting their eyes. "I-is fae... and... well, sort of a master I suppose. He found me and said I was tr-trespassing..." She shivered, remembering those first few days... it was the most horrible time of her life. Or so she had thought at the time. Things always only got worse from there. "I don't know wh-what I was considered... a pet... a slave... a- a..." She struggled, she couldn't figure it out. After a while it had just been best to stop wondering... stop asking.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:07:30 -0500

@G-girl Jiya jumped and rose from her seat when the ((wine? ale?)) was spilled on her. She said something sharp in her native tongue. Dumont pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Jiya. The woman was graceful even when daubing spilled wine from her dress. "She will be fine. She has many dresses." "Not here, I do not. My Comte." She added. She pulled the dress away from her body. "Now I will smell like a drunkard." "Mind your manners, Jiya. One would think you were the Sultan's daughter and not his slave." Dumont turned to the pair. "I am the Count Marcel Dumont of Lanquedoc. ((I think, because I keep changing his name.)) And this," he indicated his companion. "Is Jiya." "The Jewel of Parsa." She added lest they think she was some concubine of the Count's. ((Finn is over at the bar with Alis, 11. Or you can say your chars are at a table near our little group.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:19:24 -0500

"We should get going. Are you ready?" Nitro offered his hand to Silica, who graciously took it, smiling gently. He smiled back at her, then look around the bar. "Probably a good idea to find a couple more people..." Nitro looked around the bar, trying to find one or two more people to join up with. While he was looking, Silica glanced over and saw the shivering, stuttering mass of Sophia, and the two young women who Nitro had spoken to before. Frowning slightly, she tapped Nitro on the shoulder and tilted her head towards them. Nitro smiled at her and nodded, before moving closer to the bar. He noted the man and the woman - a captain of some sort? She spoke of a ship, not that Nitro really knew what that was- and wondered whether to ask them whether he and Silica could stick close to them while on their way. He took a deep breath and tapped Finn on the shoulder. "Excuse me, could I...ask a favour of you two?" Silica slipped the notepad and the paper from her belt again, writing quickly as she approached Sophia's table. She smiled gently as she took a seat near Sophia and showed her the pad of paper, smiling gently. 'Are you alright? Are they making you uncomfortable?' her words read.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:21:56 -0500

((And since I just re-read your chars descriptions, G-girl...)) Jiya now had a chance to get a better look at the two. The young man had a tail. Was he Djinn? She composed her face and gave them both a pleasant smile. It did not do to anger a Djinni. "I will be fine. As the Comte said, I have many dresses. Just not here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:29:43 -0500

((Don't know how much time I have... will post as I can but it might be shortish ones.)) @Star Alis looked round at Clearcall. "Five minutes?" She sounded disbelieving... nevertheless, if he said so and if he -were- trustworthy. "Let me find a bit of paper, some ink and a quill and I'll have it done for you in a moment." She said, ducking behind the counter and pulling out the items, they looked shabby but they would do. Hastily she wrote out a message in flowery script, basically telling the crew to stay put for now and she'd send further word along later. She left the Pilot in charge and Lucky next. She signed it with a flourish and sprinkled a layer of sand on top before shaking it off, folding it and pressing a dollop of wax into it with her ring. "Here you are." She handed it to him. ((Hubs won't leave me alone for too long at the moment... might not get another chance to post. :S ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:30:48 -0500

((I love being able to see Aethan on all of my posts :) Totally makes my day each time. Just had to share that ;) Not that anyone else really cares.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:35:03 -0500

Clearcall gave Gwenlynn a worried glance before taking the message from Alis. "Send word to Blue Eyes," Gwenlynn instructed as she saw the message pass hands. "If he is here he needs to leave. We will send further word when it is safe for him to arrive." Clearcall gave Gwenlynn a confused looked. Why would she think he was there already? They were supposed to be days behind the two of them. There was no way he could be there now.... was there? I don't understand this ancient magic he uses. For all I know he could be. But it never came up in conversation before. He scratched the message and left the tavern to send word out on the wings of his friends.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:40:31 -0500

((Star, I was going to say, I really like this smoldering-eyed Aethan. I'm not normally into blonds. But this one...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:47:53 -0500

((11, your pic reminds me of the girl from the Ring everytime I see it. lol! )) @eleven Sophia's eyes widened a little at another person coming over. She took the paper and stared at the words on it, though she didn't know what it meant and she blushed... "I- I'm sorry... I don't know how to read." She whispered to the woman. She traced her finger over the page as though it would help her understand.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:58:17 -0500

((xD Not my intention but awesome! Seven days....)) Silica seemed surprised and also a little disappointed, but smiled gently and apologetically to Sophia anyway. She shook her head slightly and placed her fingers on her throat, hoping to convey her inability to speak. She seemed uncertain how to convey her concern about Sophia's current well-being, even through her music. She looked over to Nitro, but he seemed to be trying to strike up a conversation. Well, that failed. A little awkwardly, she pat Sophia on the back gently and smiled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:04:57 -0500

((Er... I'll try to slot my characters better into things in the morning I think...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 07:34:35 -0500

((Um xD Spink's a girl and you can't see her tail, so I'll just reply to your first response post.)) The veiled woman said something in what was probably her own language, and even though Spink couldn't understand a word it was easy enough to tell she wasn't exactly happy. The larger man next to her (who was apparently a Comte, whatever a Comte was) waved it off and introduced them. Spink flinched backwards slightly at the mention that Jiya was a slave. Sybil reached across the table and, after a bit of fumbling, laced her fingers through the other girl's. "I'm Sybil," she said, "And my friend is Spink. Pleased to meet you. And I'm very sorry, but neither of us has heard of Parsa."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:23:57 -0500

Laurian Laurian listened to what Gwenlynn said about the manor. It was good to know that there was a place where they could gather and hopefully stay as well. She then looked at Wolf. No doubt Wolf didn't understand a word of it again. A small sigh escaped her and Laurian rubbed her forehead. How was she going to phrase this? Then she remembered that Clearwell had mentioned something about a spell that should help Wolf with understanding the language. She worked herself up again, wincing slightly at the painful protests of her body, and made her way towards the man that had spoken to the whole crowd about the king and the planned treason. But as she seemed to be too late, for Clearcall left the tavern as she approached him. Laurian looked at Gwenlynn. Perhaps this was who Clearcall meant to help with Wolf's inability to understand everything being said? "Excuse me," she said politely, "but you seem to be a friend of the man who just left. When he told us about all those things just now, he also said that a friend of his could help with that woman." Laurian pointed at Wolf. "She doesn't seem to understand us and she speaks a language I don't understand either. I am sorry if I've got the wrong person, but if you could help her... I think she would be very grateful." And I won't have to act as interpreter anymore, she added quietly in her mind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:54:28 -0500

@anyone who wants to interrupt but mostly ((this is at Clearcall) Rose scowled and moved on to another table, the one with the man who had spoken earlier. She smiled winningly as Aegan watched out of the corner of his eye.Produced the stones. Didn't look like they had money but sometimes looks could be deceiving. "Hello," she said. "May I offer you something?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:34:45 -0500

Omaron glanced over at Laurian, Wolf, and Gwenlynn. It seemed like they were having some sort of communication issue. "Hey." He turned to address Seta only to find she was already heading toward the table where the little group was seated. There wasn't anything they could do to help the situation, certainly, but the little guide was curious. He followed her over. ((Guh, why do my characters always either have nothing to contribute or don't want to get involved in situations?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:39:20 -0500

((SCD Clearcall left the tavern for now to send out messages a post or two ago from me.)) ((Jez, I'm not into blonds either. My husband has very dark hair, as do almost all of my exs. But I agree with your opinion of this guy. Very into this one and he looks so like I pictured Aethan to be.)) Gwenlynn looked over at the woman who spoke to her. Clearcall had mentioned that. "I can try, but my magic isn't what it once was." She would have to do as Regan had suggested and link herself to someone, but it just didn't seem right since the only person she wanted that sort of connection to didn't have the ability to use magic at all. "Show me which woman it is and I will see what I can do."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:58:21 -0500

Laurian Laurian felt a wave of relief when she heard that the woman might be able to do something about this communication barrier that prevented Wolf from understanding everything that was being said around her. She pointed at Wolf. "That's her," she told Gwenlynn. "I think her name is Gibuu... If you could help, I think it would solve a lot of questions, but if it somehow doesn't work... I'll just have to continue to try and explain things to her. She seems to have a very quick mind in understanding things if someone has the patience to explain it to her with a lot of gestures."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:04:54 -0500

((Where is Vanya right now?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:12:25 -0500

((Still at the arena with Morgan. I didn't continue with her after you left... aside from one response to your latest. Lemme look it up... Last comment between the two of them is at the bottom of page 8, if that helps. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:16:43 -0500

((Thanks!)) Morgan allowed Vanya to walk away but trailed her. Now, there was something he was good at. Very, very good at. He didn't let her leave his sight, no matter how many people passed between them. If she knew all about him, maybe she knew how to make it stop.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:34:20 -0500

Vanya Oh sweet lord, what had she done? Now she had this guy following her. She could feel his eyes burning on her back. And all she really wanted was to be left alone. Vanya entered the tavern, glad to feel some warmth on her cold and pale body. It wasn't much, but it was something. The weather here was considered warm enough by most, but her body just refused to work in a normal way. She ordered some hot tea and took it too a far corner where it was the most quiet. As she sat there with her hands around the cup to warm them, a flicker of unholy light seemed to pass under her skin. It happened very fast, and vanished in the blink of an eye. But to the observant eye, it could be seen happening again and again, with intervals of a few minutes between them. Vanya paid no attention to it herself. That was already aimed to a being invisible to most, telling her all about the plans to commit treason against the king... ((I wasn't certain if any other char can see ghosts, but that's what she's talking to. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:35:29 -0500

What...?! Omaron's head suddenly jerked up, the sharpness of Shard's voice catching him off guard. What's that? Did something happen? Turn around. There's a girl in the corner, do you see her? Quizzically he turned his head to see a frail young woman huddled in the corner. Yes... why are you-- He blinked in surprise. Had his eyes deceived him, or had a light just flashed on her? No, I can assure you it's real. Omaron could almost picture Shard's eyes narrowing. Why don't you go talk with her for a bit? I can sense something very off about her. It's almost as though... Omaron gave Emkai and Seta a sidelong glance before walking over to the girl. "Er... hello."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:44:30 -0500

((crap. Sorry star. Editing so she goes for someone else.)) @anyone who wants to interrupt but mostly Buggles. Rose scowled and moved on to another table, the one with the man dressed entirely in dark clothing. She wasn't sure if she was interrupting him, but at the same time, she had to wonder if she cared. Money was money. She smiled winningly as Aegan watched out of the corner of his eye.Produced the stones. Didn't look like they had money but sometimes looks could be deceiving. "Hello," she said. "May I offer you something?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:48:13 -0500

Emkai turned to look at Rose. His face may not have been visible, but it seemed obvious from his tense shoulders that he wasn't in any mood to converse with this stranger. "What do you want?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:51:00 -0500

Gwenlynn looked at Wolf and tried to tap into the Essence. As usual it felt small, frail. She pulled as much as she could but here in Cevius it seemed worse than anywhere else in the world. Finally Gwenlynn managed to pull what she needed, placing a hand against the side of Wolf's throat. It took a minute but when it was done she pulled away looking weary. "I don't know how long it will last. That took a lot of energy out of me." She sighed and sat on a stool at the bar.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:52:36 -0500

Seta unconsciously took a few steps toward Gwenlynn and Wolf as the elf worked her magic. She'd never seen anything of the sort before. How fascinating.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:57:51 -0500

((hey guys, any chance of getting a recap of what's going on? I've sadly fallen very far behind))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:10:30 -0500

((Honestly Tweed, I'm not even sure what all is going on. I know Clearcall left ot send out a message for Gwenlynn and Alis. Gwenlynn has attempted her babblefish spell on Wolf so she can talk to them and understand what's going on. There was mention of going to the manor outside of town in groups of no more than four. Other than that... no idea.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:14:54 -0500

((Okay, thanks. Started to try to catch up and just got more and more lost.)) ((And if they do venture out, Buggy do you mind if Ilyas joins Emkai and co?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:17:56 -0500

((Yeah, I've just been keeping up with recent posts and Star's plot stuff for the most part. And I don't mind at all Tweed!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:31:07 -0500

((Thanks guys! I'll try to post again when I have time))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:04:01 -0500

((What Star said, and just random conversations going on right now.)) @G-girl ((sorry about that, I thought I could see her tail, and sorry abt the gender misup, blame it on the late hr.)) ((Comte = French Count Unless it's just your char who doesn't know :) )) Dumond looked at the women, "Sybil and Spink." Not titled then. Certainly strange. "Parsa is very much to the east of Gaule @Star / Nagats Finn's ears suddenly itched. he tugged at one absently. Someone was using wyrd magic. he looked around to see if he could determine who it was. "Didje notice anyt'ing jest now?" He asked Alis.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:09:26 -0500

@Nagats-e ((Sorry it took so long!)) "Oh wow, that must've been terrible!" Cally gasped. "Poor you!" "But you're still alive," Chris smiled. "That's what counts. I was somewhat enslaved myself once, only they gave me fake memories so I didn't realize it. I'll admit it, I thought you were wussy, but you're still sane, you're still functioning after enslavement. I give you props for that." Sophia could've been less scared and jumpy, but Chris was being nice for once and didn't bring that up.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:19:39 -0500

((It's okay xD And yeah, it's just them that don't know.)) "We haven't heard of that either," said Sybil, "Although if that's where we are, I guess a name is a little bit helpful." But chances were it wasn't, because his accent was different than Clearcall's, and Clearcall was from here, wherever here was. Actually, from the sound of things most people in the bar were as lost as her and Spink. "Are you going?" Sybil continued. "To that manor, I mean."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:43:13 -0500

@buggy Rose smiled. "Why," she said. "These are magic wishing stones. But if you aren't interested..." She sighed and began to tuck them away. Worked every time.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:52:40 -0500

@ Scd "Magic. Really." Emkai was about to tell her exactly what he thought of people who tried to scam him into buying things that didn't work, but in an instant Seta was at his elbow. "Emkai, you've got to see this! The girl with the pointed ears was doing something... oh, excuse me, I didn't realize you were in the middle of a conversation." She smiled apologetically to Rose. "Sorry, I'm Seta. Who are you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:38:29 -0500

((Two quick replies because I should be asleep. ;) Also, forgive me for any spelling mistakes in this post. I'm on the iphone.)) Laurian Laurian took a step back when Gwenlynn began to use her magic. She watched with hope and fascination. As Laurian watched, she also noticed the ears of the woman. They looked a lot like elven ears, and Laurian knew elven magic was stronger and more powerful than human magic. But this was a different world with different rules and for all she knew, elven magic was nothing compared to what others could do. Still, elf or something else, Laurian hoped Gwenlynn could help Wolf. "Thank you," she said when Gwenlynn said it was done. Then she looked curiously at Wolf. "Can you understand us now?" ----------------- Vanya "...don't think I'd believe that, do you? Why would they do that? ... And that's coming from a dead drunk. Oh, just leave me alone. I'm tired." Vanya rubbed with her hand over her temples. There was a headache building up inside her skull and all these voices weren't helping either. She looked up with a rather sour look on her face when Omaron approached her. "What do you want?" Vanya asked coldly. Could she deal with another idiot right now?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:53:58 -0500

((I feel your pain, Leni. I hate when I have to psot from my phone. I can't wait until I can get a different phone. And Finn has elven ears too, though not as extravagant as a full elf. But more extravagant than LotR elven ears.)) @G-girl "No, we are not from here." Dumond said. "I agree, I doubt anyone in this room is from this world except for the man, Clearcall and the woman." he shrugged, "I doubt we have much choice if we are ever to leave here." Although staying would release him from bringing Jiya back to the Marquis. He pushed his empty bowl away and took Jiya's. If the woman wasn't going to eat all of her food, he would not let it go to waste. He dipped his bread into it and took a bite. He ate neatly, not as fastidious as Jiya, but it was clear he was raised with manners despite his soldierly look.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:07:49 -0500

Omaron frowned at Vanya. Seriously Shard? Yes, seriously, now see what you can find out. She sounded a bit impatient, so Omaron didn't waste time arguing with her. "Nothing, it's just... I don't know, are you all right?" It seemed a legitimate question. A sickly looking girl sitting by herself and apparently consorting with dark forces of some sort...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:47:49 -0500

Gwenlynn heard Seta exclaim about her ears and she lookedaround the tavern quickly as people started to flood back in from the arena. She could tell from the chatter that the Dragonslayer had somehow survived again. But right now her first concern was her ears. She did not want to call attention to who she may be. quickly she adjusted her ears, making sure they were covered by her hair again and the tips folded down. There were a number of reasons ot not be discovered for who she was. None of which she wanted to encounter.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:50:30 -0500

@Buggles "My name is Rose," The girl said with a smile, and again she held out the pebbles. "I'm selling wares, it's a shame no one wants to buy them." She sighed dramatically--soft spot in this one, she could sense it. "And to think I was only trying to pay for my brother and I to have a room and a bite to eat."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:12:33 -0500

"Wares?" Seta frowned slightly at the pebbles in her hands. "What sort of wares?" "Seta..." Emkai warned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:19:06 -0500

((haha rose is worse than Aegan at this age. She's just not as sociopathic as she gets older.)) "Magic pebbles," Rose offered, and she placed one in Seta's hand. "They grant the holder four wishes each. Anything except for more wishes. Unfortunately I've used all mine." She sniffed dramatically. "They don't trigger magic until the day after they've traded hands though."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:34:16 -0500

((Placemarker so I know where I left off. Catch you all tomorrow. Feel free to head toward the manor. I will be heading that way tomorrow. DM, maybe Kezia could get into some trouble of some sort in the street that Gwenlynn and Clearcall could step in on. Not with city guards though. Because the two of them would avoid the guards.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:50:38 -0500

Dumond and Jiya will need to join a group to get to the manor, someone feel free to bunny them if I'm not around. Spink and Sybil?)) @Nagats ((If you want to bunny Finn along with you and whoever else, that fine. Since we need to leave the tavern in small groups.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:09:51 -0500

Morwenna watched the act of magic with wide eyes, and this time the alcohol had nothing to do with her curiosity. "They can do what I can do!" she told Browning, her tone surprised. "Why don't they have medicine? Shouldn't they?" "Because they aren't throwing fireballs whenever they get the littlest bit upset," Browning explained. Morwenna frowned. "That was an accident," she said. "And besides, it only happened that once. And I helped put the fire out."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:10:39 -0500

((Thanks for the suggestion Star. I was getting really stuck as to what to do with her. Thankfully what I've been working on with her last few posts should give her ample trouble to get into. If it would bring the city guard...could we just have it that Gwen and Clearcall get there to intervene first?)) Kalin couldn't help notice the way Gwenlynn started trying to hide her ears as the humans started filtering back into the inn. Since his own pointed ears were quite visibly poking through his hairline this was something he thought he should investigate. Granted even if he hid his ears his general scrawny appearance was usually enough to make people guess he was elven rather than human, but if there was good reason to hide what he was he'd really like to know it. "I'll be right back," he said to Tornica. Crossing the room he went over to Gwenlynn. "Sorry...can't help but notice you're attempting to hide the fact you're an elf." His own ears twitched as the increasingly loud flood of conversation hit them. "Don't suppose you'd care to share why?" --- Kezia was no longer sure where she was. The arena had just been a blur of noise and colour and then there had been movement, sweeping her along before she was ready to move anywhere. The pressure and pain in her head was growing, always growing. She needed to get rid of it somehow...but she couldn't just make it happen. It happened when she absolutely could not take any more. But she wanted to get rid of it. She really really wanted it to go away and stop hurting. Huddling next to something she clutched at her head, rocking back and forth on her heels. She thought some passers by might have stopped to ask if she was all right, but she couldn't see them. Dancing lights filled her vision, eliminating the focus for anything else, and the pain in her head started to get hotter and hotter. As it grew to a white hot burning the lights shifted and changed, forming lines and shapes right in front of her eyes. She gave a sob of relief as the heat flooded out of her, racing down these lines, filling the shapes, leaving her able to think again. Freed from the constraints of her mind, the unstable magic twisted and mutated on itself, becoming increasingly volatile until, finally, it hit a solid object and detonated, --- ((Back at the inn...)) At the sudden outpouring of magic and the subsequent explosion Kalin's ears snapped back. "What the hell was that?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 07:06:40 -0500

Vanya Vanya's patience, which was as always on very low supply, seemed to have reached its limit. "Oh, yes," she retorted with a sarcastic hint in her voice, "I was all right until about oh... thirty seconds ago?" "You liar," murmured the ghostly visage who floated between her and Omaron. "You just told me you weren't fine at all and that I shouldn't bother you." Vanya shot him a threatening look, and although there was very little that could harm a ghost, it still squirmed and aimed its gaze at the bar. "You know, I think they serve a new brand of ale as of today. I think I'd better go check that out." And away it floated, passing through anything solid as if it didn't exist. Her eyes, still hard as iron, now moved up to Omaron. "I'll be fine," Vanya then corrected herself, "just about as soon as I get some rest. There isn't anything you or anyone else can do. Was there something else or can I go back to enjoying my tea before it's cold?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:13:25 -0500

"How interesting..." Seta looked from the pebbles back to Rose. "Hang on, what did you use your wishes for?" * Omaron frowned and was about to answer in kind, but Shard distracted him. Hmm... something is very not-right about this dearest, not at all. Perhaps I should talk with her. His eyes widened in sudden panic. "N-no, you really don't have to do that--" he said (forgetting to speak to her mentally in the process), but his entire body stiffened as his own consciousness was pushed to the back of his mind. Slowly he relaxed, turned his gaze back to Vanya, and tilted his head in an oddly birdlike manner. "Yes dearie, there was something else. Namely that curious power that seems to surround you, and the shades that follow you about." Mentally Omaron groaned. He really didn't want anyone to know about Shard, especially his companions, and if they turned their attention this way he was in for it. ((won't be back til around 4:30 central standard time))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:09:53 -0500

Sybil shrugged. It had been worth asking, anyway. So the person to ask would be Clearcall, or his friend. Who was talking to someone else at the moment. "How'd you get here in the first place?" Sybil started to say, hoping that maybe if they found how others had arrived, they'd be able to get back, but she was interrupted by what sounded like something exploding. She half-turned her head towards the sound before remembering she was supposed to be blind. Spink had gone stiff again, and the hand Sybil was holding had gone white-knuckled. "What was that?" said Spink, her voice carefully controlled. ((Operating on the assumption everyone heard Kezia explode stuff, apologies if that's not right.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:26:48 -0500

((Sort of here, sort of not, lots of work for me to do today, I'll try to read through all the posts and write something later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:17:00 -0500

Vanya Something strange happened to the man in front of her. First he started to talk to air, and she knew it had to be air because anything else she'd have seen too. Or it must have been something new and perhaps threatening. But then his whole mind and body seemed to change. The man who stood before her now still appeared to be the same as before, but his attitude and posture had definitely changed. When he spoke, it was also definitely not his voice. There seemed to be a feminine touch to it, or otherwise a very gay touch. Vanya narrowed her eyes to slits as she stared up at this new version of Omaron. Split personality? It seemed to be something like that. But whenever she tried to delve into this other personality, it felt like she hit a brick wall and complete emptiness at the same time. She could not find out anything about this new personality. Vanya was not used to not knowing anything about someone she spoke to and she wasn't quite sure what to think of it. "You must be Shard," Vanya said after having picked up at least a name from Omaron's mind. Well, picking up was perhaps a euphemism. In his attempt to keep Shard a secret, he shouted out the name with his mind. Quite annoying. "If you can somehow talk to... Omaron, tell him to stop shouting. It hurts my mind." She took on purpose a long, slow sip from her tea as she observed this new entity, but no matter how hard she tried, there was nothing to tell her anything else about Shard. Though Vanya also needed some time to think about the answer she would give to Shard's questions. The entity wanted to know about her powers and the ghosts, but was it safe to answer? Too often, way too often, had the truth led to trouble, like people calling her names or throwing stones at her. She wasn't feeling too well and she really needed her rest in the inn. Would she be able to do that if she told the truth? "Why do you want to know about this power?" she asked in return.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:23:03 -0500

@Lenihan/Star Wolf followed Laurian uncertainly. She wasn't sure what the woman had in mind now... she looked around at the people and then watched the woman Laurian had stopped infront of. She was about to introduce herself, well... as best she could in her own tongue, when this new woman reached out and lay her hand on her throat. Wolf's first reaction was to flinch back and pull out her dagger, she resisted the movement though, when the woman didn't appear to be trying to hurt her. When she sat back down, Wolf glanced at Laurian, wondering what hat was all about. Suddenly she realised she could actually understand the words that Laurian's mouth was forming. "Why, how curious... this is quite a bit more convenient." She said, her words sounding so strange to her own ears. She was speaking like these odd people... fascinating! The elven woman -did- look exhausted. "Thank you.. this does make things much easier. Do not tax yourself on my account though, please. I do not wish to see you fall to exhaustion due to my lack of comprehension." She said, looking worried. "Would you care for something to drink?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:34:01 -0500

@dm/ls When the elf approached and asked why she was hiding her ears Gwenlynn couldn't help but tense. A look at him told her that he wasn't of her kind of elf, but that didn't mean he didn't know who she was. Her father had people out looking for it. It was part of the reason she couldn't stay in one place for long. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. Elves such as yourself are more common and generally thought better of than my kid of elf. Not that we are bad elves. " But she wasn't comfortable telling him the truth. She didn't really know him. "It's just a precaution I've gotten used to since leaving my homeland." Hopefully that answer would sate his interest. Thankfully the woman she had helped served as a lovely distraction. "No thank you I'm fine. Really. But I cannot say how long that will last or if I can do it again. We will have to come up wiht another method just in case." At that moment Gwenlynn felt the ground shake and heard a rumble from outside. Curious and concerned that maybe the arena had collapsed --Please don't let him be dead!-- she moved toward the window and looked out at the settling dust and dirt that floated through the air, obscuring vision. "We need to leave now," she murmured. But Clearcall hadn't returned. @dm outside Clearcall was headed back to the tavern when he felt hte shock of something and it knocked him off his feet. It took a moment to stagger to this feet again and take in the sights. People milled around in the dusty vision looking stunned and confused just as he did. He headed in the direction of hte inn. On the way there he saw the remains of a building. Not a large one, but a building still. Something had blown a hole int othe side of the building, kicking up all the dirt that lay on the ground. Huddled not far off was a girl who looked as if she was relieved. Wilder. he thought, moving toward her. He crouched beside her and laid a hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" He glanced around. "We need ot get you out of here before the city guards come to investigate. Come with me." He pulled her to her feetand headed toward the inn to collect Gwenlynn. The others could follow but he wouldn't delay any longer.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:34:28 -0500

((Not sure what sort of "explosion" it was supposed ot be DM so I sort of improvised. Hope it's okay.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:42:54 -0500

Morgan, loitering outside the tavern for fear of Vanya noticing him following, spotted Clearcall and a girl. He hurriedly fell into step behind them, wondering what had caused the explosion.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:01:06 -0500

((Off to bed, so no replies from Laurian or Vanya for the next seven hours... unless I wake up in the middle of the night and can't resist to post a reply. ;) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:24:33 -0500

Shard-Omaron didn't seem to notice when the explosion hit. Shard just kept his head looking at Vanya, and her smile quirked his lips slightly. "You can read him a bit, can you dear? My my, you are an interesting little creature. And you can tell Omaron that yourself, dear, he can still hear you just fine." Omaron's thoughts pulled up short when Vanya addressed him, utterly surprised. She can hear me? It appears so, Shard told him dryly, now please sit back and be quiet. The adults are talking. At the girl's question, Shard laughed. It wasn't as silvery as it would have been using her own vocal cords, but it certainly wasn't a sound her host would have produced. "Why I'm simply curious. You see, we may be able to form a... partnership, perhaps, as Omaron and yourself are both lost in a strange land. At the very least we should agree not to divulge anything about one another, if you understand my meaning."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:32:46 -0500

((Yeah, that's fine. I was being deliberately vague with exactly what happened because I didn't want to go into detail and then screw things up with your planned plot :p )) @ Outside While the pressure in her head had gone, enabling her to think clearly again, Kezia still had no real idea where she was or what was going on. The chaos and dust generated by her magical outburst just complicated matters, making it difficult to see properly. So when an arm appeared out of the gloom and grabbed at her she flinched back and tried kicking out at it. "Are you okay?" The calm, concerned voice gave her pause. This pause gave her enough time to reassess the situation a little and realise her arm was merely being touched, not grabbed. She nodded. It was technically a lie but she was far better than she'd been five minutes ago. She let him pull her to her feet and then followed after. She didn't know if he was a better option than the city guards, but at least there was just the one of him right now. --- @ Inn "Really? That's nice to hear," Kalin said. "That my kind are considered well of I mean. Not that yours are thought of badly." Typically in human towns like this one, pointed ears were typically reviled and distrusted regardless of which part of the country you came from. "Does hiding your ears really work?" he couldn't help asking. "Because there have been times I wouldn't have minded being able to pass for human...but even with a hat or scarf on I really don't blend in well enough to be mistaken for anything other than elven." Although this woman did seem to lack what he considered hallmarks of being elven. Her face was far less angular than his own and she was far taller.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:55:24 -0500

@G-girl "I was hunting with a friend. The deer seemed ta go through a mist and we followed. Normally, we make a conscious decision to go through the veil, but this was different. I lost him a bit ago." Finn's head snapped in the direction of the sound. Actually, it was the rush of magic that got his attention more than the blast. "What in Seven Hells?" @Inn in general Jiya was watching al of the people. The beautiful Peri (that's a Middle Eastern elf)), the small one talking to her. It was fascinating. The something exploded. Dumond thought it sounded like a cannon blast. Jiya shouted in alarm and surprise. She clutched at Dumond's arm. "Seems like we are moving to the manor sooner than expected. Come along." He pulled Jiya up and nodded to Spink and Sybil.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:29:55 -0500

@Jez Alis listened in to how Finn described finding himself in this place. "Curious... I hadn't thought much about it before but my ship did pass through an odd patch of fog... on the clearest of days at that." She frowned at the sound of the blast, her hand going automatically to the hilt of her sword, she got up to follow people toward the door as the rush of the crowd from the arena started to filter in. @Anyone Sophia felt the floor shake and felt like ducking under the table, every time something like that happened she grew terrified that it might be Wayland coming back for her. She couldn't help it. ((That's likely all I'll get to do for tonight, bunny them along to the manor if you get that far tonight. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:52:52 -0500

Well, a mist was different. For them it had been instantaneous, like they'd blink and someone had switched the worlds when they weren't looking. (A little scary, when you thought about it, but neither of them was choosing to.) When the Comte nodded at them, Spink eyed him for a moment, then got up, carefully holding her skirts so her tail wouldn't show with one hand and helping Sybil up with the other. Sybil hissed a curse as she caught her foot on the table leg and nearly fell. She wanted to just take the stupid blindfold off and let everyone stare (wasn't like that had never happened to her before). But it wasn't safe to, she reminded herself. At least not until they got to the manor. "You alright?" said Spink, steadying the other girl. "Yeah, I'm fine," Sybil replied. "And I apologize in advance for stepping or falling or tripping on anyone." ((Last post of the night for me, feel free to bunny them around))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:14:24 -0500

@G-girl Dumond instinctively reached out to steady the girl. She must be very brave, or persistent to be out in the world when she was blind. "Be careful." he told her. "The crowd from the arena is returning. It seems to have caused a jam at the door." He put an arm around Jiya. "Stay close. Do not leave me side. I shall not have you lost in this crowd. We do not know these people. Or what they are capable of. However, I can only imagine if their tastes run to blood sports..." Jiya nodded.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:24:53 -0500

@dm "It works as long as you don't keep announcing to everyone that I am one," Gwenlynn told Kalin a bit shortly. Really, he would call a number of people down on her if he didn't watch what he was saying. She remained close to the door as more people filtered in to get out of the chaos on the street. After a few minutes she saw Clearcall come in. He walked right over to her. "We need to leave the city now. No one is going to believe elves didn't have a hand in this as weak as the Essence is right now." "Who is that?" Gwenlynn asked, nodding at Kezia. "Someone who may be in need of our help," Clearcall stated flatly. "Come. Now." He grabbed Gwenlynn and nudged her toward the door before he let her go. The others had their instructions, he wasn't going to wait around for them. The streets were filled with aimlessly wandering people, some moving from the incident, others toward it. Clearcall could hear the march of hte city guard approaching from Mordelic proper and he moved hastily along the North Road out of town with Gwenlynn and the young woman. Once they were safely out of earshot of anyone Clearcall asked Kezia, "Did you do that back there? What happened?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:43:59 -0500

Vanya It was a bit harder for Vanya to not notice the explosion. The trembling and the shock were enough for her heart, which had already been struggling with everything else, to falter for a long moment. She gasped in pain and pressed the palm of her hand against her chest. It didn't help anything, but it always gave her a reassuring feeling. It would settle down again in a little while, but Vanya knew now for certain: she couldn't stay here. If another explosion like that happened, she might not be able to survive it. "If you want to form any kind of partnership," Vanya said once the worst pain had subsided and her heart had calmed down a bit, "you'd better make sure you know of a place quieter than this. Part of my power has to do with the dead, but if this keeps up it won't take long before I am part of the dead." ((A post with Laurian will show up in a few hours. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:23:23 -0500

Laurian Laurian felt relieved when she heard Wolf speak to her in a language she understood. And it was clear that Wolf understood everything too. With half an ear she listened to Gwenlynn and Kalin about elves. She did not interrupt, but thought it would be a good idea to gather some more information about this. From what she understood, it had been a wise choice indeed to hide her small, pointed ears. Of course, in her case she could perhaps tell people it was a birth defect or something, but it was best if nobody asked her about it. Then a lot of things seemed to happen at once, though it all started with a big explosion. Some people left in a hurry and others rushed from the arena into the tavern. "I think," she said to Wolf as calmly as possible, "that we'd better move away from this tavern. I have no idea what that explosion was all about, but it doesn't seem to be safe here. I've heard something about a safe place to stay. I don't think there's that much we can do here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 03:45:46 -0500

Kalin rolled his eyes at Gwenlynn's short attitude. Human hearing was worse than useless a lot of the time. He doubted anyone at the closest tables would have been able to hear them, let alone anyone else. But he had his answer and just headed back to Tornica. If this city was as unfriendly towards elves as she said, his 'type' whatever that was or otherwise, he didn't plan on sticking around. He'd go to this manor house the man had mentioned and drag Tornica with him. It wasn't as if the boy had too many other places to go around here. He gave the young woman (girl? He still wasn't the best at judging human ages, especially when they were that scrawny and covered with dust) a considering look when she was dragged in. She almost had the aura of a Mage, but there was something very wrong with it. If she was going to be with them too he'd have to investigate later. --- "I didn't mean to," Kezia said quietly. "It just...happens. It all just starts building in my head until I can't think about anything else or more or anything and I don't know how to get rid of it. And then it just...comes out. And I was already upset because of the man in the alley-" Her jaws snapped shut around the rest of the sentence. The man in the alley didn't matter. He'd got what he deserved and she didn't want to think about it any more.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:07:35 -0500

@Kalin/Gwenlynn/Tornica Morwenna got up from her table, bringing the remains of her drink with her. She felt daring, happy, confident, even powerful. With the occasional careful glance back at Browning to make sure he wasn't following her she made her way towards the people who had been nearest the explosion sight. She stumbled as she walked, giggling and pulling herself upright again. "Good morning, um, after-, um, eveni-" Another giggling fit. ((Morwenna's never consumed alcohol in her life so it stands to reason that she'd get fairly tipsy after just one mug. It was probably something strong too))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:15:16 -0500

Shard didn't seem all that concerned by Vanya's heart almost stopping, but Omaron certainly took notice. Hopefully the girl was all right... "Well then, I think that works out quite nicely dear. The man from earlier said we should head to a predestined meeting spot, and I do believe that if they plan to discuss matters of a sensitive nature it's due to be much less hectic than it is here. What do you say?" She offered Omaron's arm to Vanya. Emkai turned to see Gwenlynn and Clearcall leaving. Right, he should get Seta and Omaron together. They could find out exactly where this meeting place was, then wait a bit before showing up so as to not look suspicious.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:37:46 -0500

@dm Gwenlynn looked a little confused and bewildered at Kezia, then Clearcall. "What are you two talking about?" "She caused the chaos back there in the Outer City," Clearcall explained. "I figured it was best to get her off the streets before the guards found her and discovered it was her. You know what would have happened to her if they got hold of her." Gwenlynn shivered but nodded. "Right. What is your name? We need to find a way to help you control that power of yours. Things like that in such a populated area are very dangerous. Though I don't think I need to tell you that. You could have brought that building down on yourself." She wasn't speaking in lecturing tones. In fact she sounded very calm and reassuring, even concerned. "But if she is from another place like some of the others are, we may not know how to help her." "Maybe one of them will," Clearcall stated pointedly as he approached the manor door and opened it. "You two get inside. I'm going back to the city to see if I can get some good for us. We need food." He wouldn't mind some wine too, but their resources were thin right now. They needed a noble benefactor but were unsure who they could trust. If there was some way to get Gwenlynn in to see Dragonslayer then they could sort this out. he would know who could be trusted and who couldn't. "Please be careful," Gwenlynn turned to Clearcall as she entered behind Kezia. There was real concern in her eyes. "I twill be a dangerous place right now." "Better me than you," Clearcall said bluntly. "Don't worry. I will be fine." Then he walked back toward the distant towering mass of Mordelic, leaving the two women alone. "Come," Gwenlynn turned and encouraged Kezia into the house. "We will get you cleaned up and discuss what happened."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 10:25:42 -0500

((can I have a quick update? I'm just popping in before I head to a job interview. Fingers crossed, I need the money.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:38:17 -0500

Vanya Vanya accepted Omaron's arm with some hesitation. Her hand reached out to it like one would reach out to something hot and potentially dangerous, ready to be withdrawn when it comes in contact with it. And although Omaron's arm was not burning hot or filled with static electricity, she knew it would still hurt her. Contact with anything alive would establish a link between her mind and the owner of the arm. She could shut it, let the stream of information become small and insignificant but it would take several moments. She placed a hand on the offered arm and closed her eyes against the flood of information. It was so much that it was just incomprehensible chaos. She couldn't organize or understand it, and probably never would be able to do so with all she received right now. Soon enough, though, Vanya closed the doors between her and Omaron, stopping the flow before it could drown her. "I hope this place isn't too far," she murmured. "And don't go too fast either. Unless we can find a way of travelling that doesn't involve walking or running." She eyed Emkai and Seta. "Would they mind it if I tag along with you, though?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:12:43 -0500

((Placeholder, sorry guys, don't have the time to post right now. Feel free to bunny along my two if you need to.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

tweedandtea — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:16:40 -0500

((hey guys--i'm sorry, but i'm going to have to drop out. I can't keep up with the thread. :( Happy role playing, all!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:56:06 -0500

Vanya might have picked up some interesting images amidst the chaos. A man whose head seemed to be on fire. An unnaturally large spider. And a woman with wings that reflected light back in scattered bits and pieces... Omaron/Shard gave her a sharp look as the information flowed into Vanya's mind, eyes narrowed. It took her a moment to answer the girl's question. "Emkai undoubtedly will object, but Seta will be on our side. Don't worry, we can talk this through. Now, no mentioning me to anyone, dear, or we will have to be very unhappy with you. I'm going to let Omaron back out now, so ta for now." Suddenly he stumbled, blinking.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:57:23 -0500

((Where exactly is everyone? I'm a bit confused))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:08:13 -0500

((Okay, after the explosion outside caused by Kezia some people left to head to the manor and some are still lingering at the tavern. That's where we are right now.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:15:10 -0500

((Cool, I;m going to bed now anyway so I'll see where we all are in the morning. Thanks!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:16:11 -0500

((Yes, Wolf, Sophia and Alis are all still at the Tavern. Alis I believe is getting ready to leave with Finn to find the manor, Wolf can go with whoever and Sophia will not allow herself to be left behind there, don't worry. lol! Will post in a bit... once I figure out what's going on. :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:20:20 -0500

"Kezia," she said. "My name's Kezia. And I know it's dangerous to be walking around populated areas like this, but I've always lived in cities. I have no idea how to survive without people." She looked up at Gwenlynn, clearly confused. "What do you mean 'from another place'? This is the Empire...isn't it?" But if it wasn't did that mean she was free? The Academy had no jurisdiction outside the Empire. They couldn't force her to go back if she was in another country. She hadn't thought she'd gone far enough to have gone beyond the Imperial borders, but the past few months had been something of a blur.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:43:59 -0500

((Gee, for once this didn't explode while I was away all day.)) ((Just an FYI, in the middle ages they had soft mead and beer that were only 2% alcohol max that people consumed like water, because you know, drinking plain water will kill you. For special occasions or if asked for, they had stronger mead and beer, and if the technology is advanced enough, they have also figured out how to distill grain into very strong alcohol. Since Finn ordered whiskey, then we can assume they have distiled liquor here.)) @ whomever Dumond and Jiya headed out of the tavern along with Spink and Sybil. "Just all stay together. If we are stopped by the Watch, let me do the talking." He was sure he could pose as a foreign knight or lord and talk their way out of anything. -- Finn stood, he was rather difficult to go unnoticed, even in a crowd. he had seen the two elves speaking, but had been too far away to hear what they said. He wondered if he should cover his ears like the elven woman had done. he shrugged and pulled his plaid from his shoulder and over his head like a hood. He downed the last of his whiskey. ((If anyone wants to go with Finn, just ask him. Clearly he is a guy who can take care of himself, so any lightweights or fearful people may want to latch onto him.)) "Alis, do you wish to accompany me? or go on your own?" This looked like a woman who could take care of herself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:44:17 -0500

@Jez: Spink almost hissed at the Comte when he reached out to steady Sybil like she had, but she caught herself just in time. Not everyone who touches you wants to hurt you, she reminded herself, taking a slightly firmer grip on Sybil's hand. The other girl squeezed back and lightly bumped her hip against Spink's in the old I'm-here way, reassuring her. "Thanks," said Sybil, directing a small smile in what she was fairly sure was the Comte's direction. "I can manage, though." ((Nothing personal against the Comte [who from his description is, um, extremely delicious] Spink just has this thing about being touched by people she doesn't know.)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:05:16 -0500

@Jez "I'll come with, if you don't mind." Alis said, straightening her coat. "Better to have someone there to watch your back when in unfamiliar territory I suppose." She sounded almost bored as she started for the doors, parting her way through the crowd coming in, her confident stride had people moving out of her way quickly, if there were men glancing over her form as she went, she didn't seem to take any notice. It was rather obvious that Alis didn't usually go anywhere without being quite noticed. @Chumsy/Eleven Sophia saw people start to leave and stood up quickly, nearly knocking the chair back, she caught it just in time. "Sh-should we go with th-them?" She asked, uncertainty in her voice. @Lenihan/Star maybe... Wolf smiled, grateful for whatever time she had to speak in this tongue. "I suppose we should make our way along with the others... though not too closely I should imagine. ((I forget what she understood earlier. lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:27:03 -0500

2dm Gweenlynn brought Kezia into the kitchen of hte manor and pulled out water from the well access there. there were furnishings here, though there was little by way of bedsheets and the like. Whoever was here before stripped the linens and bolted, likely during the riots following he previous king's death. She grabbed a spare bit of her own cloth and brought the water and the cloth to Kezia. "What can you tell me about this magic of yours? Maybe we can find a way to help you control it better. I would hate to see you harm yourself or someone else on accident. As far as an empire goes, I suppose these days it could be seen that way since the king rules through fear and armed force, but it isn't meant ot be that way. It was once a very strong dynasty. We may see the end of the dynasty and the start of a new one before this is all over. That's not such a bad thing though. The man who fought in the arena today, the one they call the Dragonslayer, is actually the next in linne for the throne. The king sees him as too big a threat so he instead threw him into the games to humiliate and dishonor him." She sighed, helping Kezia get the dirt cleaned off her face. "I can't imagine how fighting like that is making him feel, but I do know that those people who are cheering for the blood he spills need him on their throne and soon. I jus twish I had some way to sneak in and speak to him, get his advice. No one but him knows who among the nobles can be trusted and who can't."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:17:45 -0500

@G-girl ((No problem. I imagine the Comte is a bit of a gallant at times, esp towards women--who aren't slaves and who don't aggravate him with their cocky attitude *coughJiyacough*)) Dumond noticed Spink's reaction. "Good," He said to Sybil. "Just stay close. Jiya moved to Dumond's left side with the tinkling of bells. The way her caftan nearly brushed the floor she looked like she was floating more than walking. She glanced around at the all people, their strange clothing and stranger appearances. @Nagats "Not at all." Finn said. "'Tis always better to travel wi' a companion."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 02:56:25 -0500

Vanya Vanya let go of the arm for a moment when Omaron stumbled. She didn't feel like stumbling along with him and she didn't have the strength to balance him either. Once he had regained his balance, Vanya placed once again her cool hand on his arm. "Welcome back," she murmured with a slight sarcastic hint in her voice. "Now your Shard asked me not to mention her or him or whatever it is. You be a good boy and do the same about my powers. Most people tend to object against it and I'd be very unhappy if you said anything about it." Then she fell silent again, trying to get rid of the swirl of information still in her head. For some reason, though, there were just a few images she could not get out of her mind. Not that it made any sense, just like the rest of it. Vanya threw a quick, furtive look at Omaron. It was certainly a mystery to try and solve some day. But not today. She'd seen enough today and just wanted to rest.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:11:39 -0500

Taking the cloth Kezia just held it for a moment before starting to clean some of the accumulated dirt and grime off her face. She'd stopped taking any kind of care of her appearance to try and keep people like the man in the alley away from her. Thought that if she looked like she'd been sleeping in garbage heaps and refuse piles they'd just leave her alone and try it on with someone a bit more presentable. Unfortunately it seemed to have the opposite effect. They didn't care what she looked like, they just cared that she was female, alone, and undefended. "It's dangerous and I hate it," she said at the question. "Where I'm from everyone gets tested to see if they can learn. They took my brother away for training last year and let the magic destroy his mind. They were going to do the same to me last year so I ran away. I don't want to control it, I just want it to go away!" Listening to Gwenlynn's description of the political situation here she shook her head, feeling a twinge of relief. "This isn't the Empire then. The next in line for the throne is the Emperor's daughter. Not some guy in an arena. We don't even have an arena. Blood sports involving people are outlawed." --- Having heard the warning that elves were likely to be blamed for whatever chaos was going on outside, Kalin and Tornica made a point of leaving pretty promptly after Gwenlynn and the others had taken off. Not wanting to risk leading anyone back to this out of town manor house they took a bit of a winding route through the streets before heading out the city. Normally risky in an unfamiliar place like this, but Kalin could still feel the young Mage's fractured magical aura and would likely be able to track it for quite some distance. Poor thing was certainly very new to her training if she couldn't suppress it even a little.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:19:37 -0500

Morgan had been listening in on the conversation, but a certain sentence struck a chord with him. He moved a little closer and coughed to make his presence known. "You say that magic destroyed your brother's mind. How did that happen?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 08:16:11 -0500

Omaron oriented himself rather quickly and managed to give Vanya an annoyed look. "I heard, and I don't enjoy being patronized miss." Seta looked away from Rose's pebbles when she heard Omaron. "Oh, who's that?" she asked in her usual chipper way. "Vanya. I invited her to join us." The man shrouded in the grey clothing scoffed slightly. "Why?" "She was by herself, and... oh, it seemed the chivalrous thing to do." "You don't know her." "He's only being kind Emkai," Seta said with a smile as she got up. "Well then! Let's be off, shall we? Oh, and I'm Seta by the way. This is Emkai, and it looks like you already know Omaron."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:16:26 -0500

((Queen, did Morgan follow Gwenlynn and Kezia to the manor? They so far are the only two I know of for sure that are there.)) @dm/manor Gwenlynn gave Kezia a soft smile, almost sad. She did feel bad for the poor girl. To be scared of her own power like that and unable to do anything about it had to be terrifying. "Unfortunately it won't go away. Power like this is part of you. It cannot be extracted. I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. I have never experienced something like that but I do have three brothers and I can only imagine how terrible it must have been." She put a gentle, reassuring hand on Kezia's knee. "This power of yours will not just go away. You have no choice but to learn how to control it, otherwise it will forever control you. I'm sure there must be a safe way of doing this. what can you tell me of your power?" Because in this world there was only one person whose magic was growing stronger while all others grew weaker, and Gwenlynn was a little scared of the prospect of there being another of him. Not that Regan was a bad person, but the implications of there being more than one of his ind were devestating to their cause.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:31:07 -0500

((as much as I want to stay, this thread is moving entirely too fast. I have to withdraw. I might try to reinsert myself later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 13:28:38 -0500

((Yes, he did))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:38:06 -0500

Vanya Vanya said nothing, not a word, not even when Seta and Emkai turned to talk to them. She was quite aware that her tongue could be sharp even when she tried to be friendly. And she didn't even feel the need to be friendly to these two. The man seemed to have a disposition the same as hers and the woman was a bubbly cloud of nauseating cheerfulness. But she couldn't help to ask softly to Omaron how in the name of gods he managed to stay around these two without going insane or having the urge to strangle them. Vanya hoped she wouldn't have to deal with Emkai and Seta too often... ---------- Laurian "Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Laurian agreed. "And I think I've got an idea of how we can delay our walk to avoid arriving too closely after one another at the manor. I've got no currency of this city and neither do you. We should find someone with whom we can trade our coins for the coins used in here." She began to walk back outside again and glanced aside at Wolf. "Those gems you wanted to use for payment before... Is that what passes for money where you are from?" Her voice was curious and a bit careful too. Should the stones have some sort of sentimental value, then she didn't want to force Wolf to exchange them for money.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:00:53 -0500

@Lenihan Wolf smiled, it was a good idea, she followed outside and struggled through the crowd of people. "Hn... money?" She thought for a moment before asking. "I apologise. I do not understand this word... money. We do use the stones for trading. If I were to, say, require a cloak or a fish that you have, we could barter and trade. Really, we could trade anything but I have not very much with me at the moment." She smiled a little. "Do you suppose there would be someone here who might purchase the stones from me? That would bemost helpful. That man behind the bar was terribly unpleasant about the whole thing, I do hope they are not all like him." ((Gotta go, will be back in a little bit though to post for the others.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:48:47 -0500

"I don't know," Kezia said to Morgan. "The letter they sent to tell us about it just said it was a magical accident. That it was caused by backlash, that it was caused by him losing control of what he was doing. But it didn't say how or why he lost control and I don't know why it did that to him." What could she tell the other woman of her power? "Well...my brother sent me some letters about his classes before the accident," she said. Telling her how he missed home, how stressful life at the Academy was, how hard they were pushing the students... "And the Mages that came to test us told us a little about how it all worked. They said this type of magic was learning to extract and manipulate the 'energy' in the world. That we take it from a dormant state and make it active." She sniffed a little. "But they also said that learning it on your own was completely impossible. I shouldn't be able to do anything with it, even accidentally! I don't understand why it keeps happening."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:16:41 -0500

Laurian Of course, even though Wolf may now have a good understanding of the language spoken around her, it didn't mean she understood every term. Money, it seemed, was one of those terms. "Money is like... your stones," Laurian said. "But different. Your stones are often seen as precious and very valuable by others and used in jewellery. If we can find someone to buy your 'stones', you'll have money. This money can then be used to buy food, drink, clothes and other things." As they continued their walk through the Outer City, Laurian tried to explain the concept of money and the basics of economics to Wolf. She could only imagine that it must be the strangest concept ever and she decided not to even mention paper money and plastic money. She was convinced that would be considered laughable by Wolf. Well, if she had to be honest about it, the idea of paper or plastic money was quite laughable. After a while, they came across a small shop that seemed to buy and sell gems. Laurian nodded with her head towards the place. "Let's try to sell some of your stones there." A frown appeared on her face. "I don't know how many stones you have, Gibuu," she said, "but it might be best to show only two or three. If you show too many, the buyer might get greedy and things could get unpleasant."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:34:46 -0500

"I don't have a choice, to be frank, but that's a long story," Omaron replied to Vanya. "They're not so bad once you get used to them. Sort of." Seta's smile faltered slightly when Vanya didn't respond to her, but Emkai was already rising. "We're leaving now then. Come on." He stood to one side, waiting for the others to take point. Omaron led Vanya ahead, but Seta stayed beside Emkai. "Did I say something wrong?" she whispered anxiously. "I didn't say anything rude this time, did I?" "No, just keep moving," Emkai replied.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:38:26 -0500

@lenihan "Oh, I see. 'Money' is used to trade for other things here, it is not so different then." Wolf smiled, walking along with Laurian and trying her best to follow along with her explanation of commerce where she was from . "So you are... familiar with the sort of commerce here? You... you are not from here though, are you? How is it that you know about the trading practices here?" "Oh... please, call me Wolf. Gibuu is the word for wolf in my tongue. I am sure it is an easier word to say in your tongue... Wolf." She smiled at Laurian again. "Indeed, I do have a pouch of them but one or two may suffice for the time being." She agreed as they went in. She couldn't help looking over Laurian's clothing and then down at hers. "Perhaps thae first order of business might be to trade for some new attire for myself."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:37:05 -0500

((Placeholder post for when I don't have Bio to deal with. Also quick question: are we just skipping my lot and Alis and Jez's lot over to the manor, or something else?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:12:00 -0500

@G-girl / Star ((That's fine with me G-girl, although Jiya's jingling may draw some attention. But Dumond has a plan if that happens. Otherwise we can just jump them to the manner. I won't be back on til tomorrow night. Unless someone posts something tonight. So bunny them however you want, or Star can get them into trouble.)) @Nagats / Star ((I don't think Finn got word about hiding his ears...at least I don't remember if I had him hear that, so if the Watch/soldiers.whoever want a piece him, he says, 'Bring it.'))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 07:13:08 -0500

@Nagats-e Silica opened her mouth and flung her hands over her head when the explosion hit, despite the fact she couldn't speak, let alone scream. When the explosion was over, Nitro was next to her, his eyes darting around the room like a frenzied bird. He watched the people mill about the room and gravitate towards each other, presumably to form groups to travel. He nodded to Silica, glancing towards the door. "We should go. This place doesn't feel safe any more, and that man already left. Not much reason to stay.." Silica nodded, retrieving her note pad from the table. Noticing the woman's fear, she held out a hand to Sophia, as an invitation to join with them. Nitro looked over at the timid woman and glanced at Silica, currently occupied with fixing her skirt and hair and seeming to be perfectly calm. "Who's your friend?" Silica shrugged, then shook her head and pointed to the doorway with a slight hint of urgency. Nitro nodded and approached Sophia, extending a hand. "Come on, we should get out of here. We'll be safer as a group."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 08:37:21 -0500

Vanya Vanya wasn't quite so certain of that. She wasn't particularly fond of any human or variations thereupon, and she wasn't certain if she'd ever reach that point of getting used to others. But, just like Omaron, she didn't have a choice in the matter right now. She wanted to tag along and that trip included Seta and Emkai as well. "So this place we're headed for," she asked once they were out of earshot from anyone in the tavern or the people on the street, "does that have something to do with the ideas to kick the king off his throne? One of the ghosts mentioned something like that, but I thought he was just making it up." -------------- Laurian "Yes, it's pretty much that," Laurian nodded. She sighed then. "And no, I'm not from around here at all. But where I am from, we've got a similar system. Actually... it's the same, except we've got a few extra things added to it. Because coins can be very heavy and you don't want to walk around with a purse containing hundreds of coins, we've found a way to make things a bit easier. There's one place that keeps all the coins, and we get paper money in return with which we can pay. So instead of ten coins, we've got a paper that says it's worth ten coins. If you go to this place, you can exchange the paper for ten coins if you want, but you can pay with it in the shops as well." She looked around her. "But that's a slightly more advanced form of paying and I don't think this world is ready for it yet." Laurian nodded when Wolf told her to call her 'Wolf'. She did the same thing too, often hiding her real name behind the far more easily pronounceable name 'Laurian'. Then she felt Wolf's eyes on her body as she mentioned to get herself new clothes. "Oh, don't take me as an example when you're going to look for new clothes," she said quickly. Black leather coat, polyester dark green shirt, dark blue jeans and a pair of black leather boots? Surely half of those materials didn't exist in this place. "You'd better look at some of the women here." She approached the man in the shop, and motioned to Wolf to show two or three of her gems. "Good afternoon," she said to the owner of the place. "My... friend here has a few gems she'd like to sell. Could you take a look at them?" ((Not sure when I'll be around again for another post, it's time for Irish Dancing lessons. I might be back in several hours, or I'm too tired that I fall straight asleep. ;) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:14:58 -0500

@dm/manor Gwenlynn listened to Kezia. "It sounds to me like that backlash could happen to you as well if you do not learn how to control it. Remember, if you do not control it, it will control you. Power will manifest itself if left alone. It is simply the way these matters work. The good news is that what you are describing doesn't sound terribly different from what Clearcall and myself do. Our power is also an energy of sorts that comes from the world. From the four elements of water, earth, air, and fire. If those who have strong abilities do not learn how to control their power it can have devestating consequences. Humans do tend ot find training with the Essence of the world once it starts to manifest around puberty. Those with little power don't really notice much difference. What we need to do is find a way, an outlet of sorts, for you to release that power that builds inside of you in a manner that is safe for everyone, especially yourself. Don't worry. We won't push you too terribly hard." She gave Kezia a wry smile as she said it, clearly trying to make a joke. She wasn't terribly good with human humor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:14:38 -0500

((Only time for a quick post...)) @Lenihan Wolf plucked out two of the turquoise stones and placed them on the counter, glancing up at the man who already was looking at them curiously. With any luck, this might just work out. "They are quite rare, even from my homeland...a-across the sea." She said, not wanting it known they were from somewhere else entirely. "I have not seen anything like them in my visit to the city here, nor really anywhere else." She explained. He picked one up and studied it closely. "Mhmm." He murmured, frowning at it. "What did you say it's called?" "I believe it is named for the colour of the stone, turquoise." She said, turning one of them over so he could admire the other side of it too. "Hmm. Yes, well, the trouble with not having seen stones like this before is that it's difficult to put a price on them. I'm not sure what to offer you." He said, placing one of them on a scale, fiddling with it before taking it off the disc and putting the other one on and doing the same thing again. Wolf watched this all going on with great curiousity, she wanted to ask many questions about what he was doing but managed to stem the flow and just wait for his decision. "It... it is very likely that you will not see anything of their likeness again." She said truthfully, though not wanting to give much away. "The peoples I know who have them in their possession are usually quite reluctant to part with them." "Yeah? then why are you giving them up?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "I am in need of... money at the moment. It is a more pressing matter at this time than the gems." Wolf gave a little shrug. "Alright then." He said after a long moment of looking over the stones again. He pulled out a ledger and wrote quite a few figures in it before handing her a pouch heavy with coins. "I think that should be sufficient." He said, nodding toward the bag. @Jez Alis noticed they were getting some stares and strange looks as she and Finn proceeded down the street, there were some whispers and murmurs as they passed a few smaller groups of people. She wasn't too surprised at the reaction, Finn -did- strike a rather imposing figure. She herself had been surprised. This level of scrutiny wasn't very comfortable though, she glanced up at him, "Anything but discreet, aren't we?" She said jokingly. @Chumsy/Eleven Sophia nodded in agreement, not feeling at all comfortable with the masses coming inside the tavern in droves. She stood to follow the others outside onto the street, wherever they were going, that's where she figured she wanted to be too. Just somewhere safe anyway.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 15:15:22 -0500

Kezia shook her head. "It's not elemental. I don't know about here, but where I'm from that can't be learnt. You just have it and need to control it. And it starts showing at five or six." She twisted the cloth in her hands. "I don't want to learn to control it," she said again, but without much determination. "I just want it to go away." --- Having meandered about the town enough, Kalin and Tornica finally struck out for the manor house, arriving there relatively quickly. "Hello?" Tornica called as he stuck his head through the front door. "Anyone there? I really hope this is the right place." "Trust me, it is," Kalin said. "I can still feel that girl's aura rattling around in my head. She's definitely here and so it stands to reason the tall elf and her friend would be here too."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:06:02 -0500

@ Nagats-e Nitro smiled at Sophia and took her by the hand. His grip was strong and firm. "Stay close, alright?" he said and headed for the door, weaving his way through the crowd with Silica tailing after them. Once outside, Nitro wrinkled his nose - the smell of blood was far stronger now - though he forced himself from drawing his scarf up to cover his face. It would not do to arouse suspicion in a volatile situation such as this. "Walk slowly, act natural." he whispered to the girls, and started heading off in the direction of the manor, leading the small group with Silica walking close to his side. After they had walked a fair distance away from the tavern, Nitro turned his head to Sophia and spoke again, his voice relaxed and level, "So, what's your name, miss?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:30:47 -0500

Laurian Laurian said very little, but did what she did best; stand there and look a bit intimidating. It usually helped to avoid any trouble, such as people trying to cheat a foreigner. When the man handed Wolf a bag with coins, she intercepted it to check if it was indeed a sufficient amount of coins. Her problem was, of course, that she had a good idea of how valuable turquoise was in her own currency, but she had no idea about the value of these coins. The best she could do was to give an estimate of the silver against the turquoise. It seemed like a reasonable amount. If it really was a reasonable amount was something they would find out when they purchased something. "It looks reasonable enough, I suppose," Laurian conceded, handing the bag over to Wolf. "Thank you." She nodded at Wolf that it was time to leave the shop and perhaps find something new for Wolf to wear. And even if the woman wanted to wait with that, it was time to try and find the manor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:40:46 -0500

"Ah, from what the man with the pointed ears said, yes." Omaron resisted the urge to look nervously over his shoulder, then paused. "Wait... ghost as in 'dead person' ghost?" Emkai watched Omaron and Vanya closely when he heard them talking quietly to one another. Seta didn't seem to notice; she was too busy looking around at the village.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:01:11 -0500

Sophia managed not to flinch back when the man took her hand to lead her out of the tavern. Look natural? She thought, not really knowing how to do that. She just walked meekly beside him, doing what she did best, trying to be small and go unnoticed. "I-I'm S-Sophia, sir..." She said quietly, looking down at his hand grasping hers. Wolf walked out of the shop after Laurian, fascinated by the amount of coins in the pouch. "So..." She started to say thoughtfully, "My two little stones were really worth all of these bits of metal?" She was astounded. She passed by a little shop that looked like it carried some of the clothing that the people of this place were wearing and she slowed down to look at it. "Shall we try in here? I am certain we shall be successful in finding something quite quickly... you seem quite resourceful also." She observed. ((In case I don't get a chance to post, this is a dress Wolf fell in love with at first sight and she won't let me -not- let her have it... and since I like to indulge my characters a bit... lol Wolf's dress))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:05:04 -0500

Vanya The look Vanya gave Omaron spoke volumes. "Know any other ghosts?" she asked icily. "Of course it's the 'dead person' ghost. Stupid drunkard fell into a full barrel of ale when he was drunk and drowned. But since he's a spirit himself, he can't touch the other spirits, sobered up... quite useful for gossip and other things. Nobody ever notices him, so he makes a wonderful spy." Vanya could feel a pair of eyes on her back. "I've also got the feeling your 'friend' is eavesdropping on us. Apparently he never learned it's impolite to eavesdrop." ((off to bed. See you guys in seven or eight hours.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:40:22 -0500

Omaron blinked, looking like he was still wrapping his mind around this. Speaking with the dead... his connection with Shard was weird enough... At Vanya's words, he snapped out of it. "Oh. Emkai will probably think anything you say about, er, stuff like that is complete rubish anyways. He's probably just making sure I'm not plotting with you to run off or have his throat slit or something."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:33:31 -0500

Nitro smiled at Sophia and gripped her hand a little tighter, in a gesture of reassurance. Silica, upon noticing this, bit her bottom lip a bit and averted her gaze, though her expression quickly changed to her default relaxed and neutral smile. Nitro apparently didn't notice this and continued talking to Sophia. "No need for the formality. My name's Nitro. And this is my good friend, Silica." Silica nodded her head to Sophia and smiled gently at her. "We're pleased to meet you." he smiled at her again, "I take you're not from here either?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:49:23 -0500

@Nagats Finn snorted a laugh. "I haven't been verra gud at hindin' since before I became a mahn." He was alert and tense for any trouble. "I expect people don't grow sae tall here either. jest keep a look oot in case they decide tae do more 'an look." ((What a great website you found! Jiya keeps looking at all the dresses.)) @The mansion ((I'll just bunny us to the mansion)) Dumond didn't waste any time getting them away from the tavern and arena. They arrived at the mansion. Dumond kept his hand on his sword hilt in case this was some sort of elaborate trick. He went inside and looked around.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:54:18 -0500

@dm/manor "Unfortunately things like this don't go away dear." Gwenlynn felt bad for the girl. Worse because she wasn't sure how to help her. "I'm sorry. Really learning control is the only way to keep yourself safe. I know you must fear it because of what happened to your brother." Hearing other voices, Gwenlynn looked over her shoulder, tensing. Well, anyone come for her wouldn't just announce their arrival. "Wait here." She got up and walked toward the front door, seeing a couple of faces from the tavern. One being that elf who was asking her questions before. "Come in quickly before someone sees you lingering," she told the two men. "Clearcall went to get supplies. He should be back shortly. Kezia and I are just talking in the kitchen." Without waiting to see if the two of them would follow she headed back in to the kitchen where Kezia was awaiting. ((If everyone could, it would help me out greatly with keeping up if you would put at the start of your post that you have arrived at the manor like I have here. That way I know who is there and who isn't. I'm thrilled ot have so much participation but I'm afraid I will miss something or someone along the way.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 22:57:09 -0500

@jez/manor Gwenlynn was startled to see a man enter with his hand on the hilt of his sword and she felt a stab of panic. But he was no city guard. He didn't even appear to be Cevian. She relaxed a little. "Are you from the tavern as well? Come in please. We have several rooms upstairs but no linens right now for the beds. This place was stripped of all but the furniture as the occupants fled in the chaos of hte king's ascension." She smiled at the woman with him, motioning her toward one of the vacant chairs at the table.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:49:16 -0500

@Star/Manor Dumond relaxed when he saw the...fae woman from the tavern. "Comte Marcel Dumond du Longuedoc, Gallia. At your service. This is Jiya, the Jewel of Parsa." he said as Jiya sat down acting like this manor was a palace and she was it's queen. "It seems to me that either we are doomed to make this new world our home, or we must find a way home. I doubt that the current king will make either an easy solution, and so...my sword is yours. But know, my first responsibility is to protect the Jewel," he gave the woman a glance, "At least for as long as I believe there is a way for us to return home." "Do not worry about the accommodations, my lady. Even Jiya has slept in far worse accommodations." He smiled. "You seem on edge, shall I guard the door? Would the King's soldiers find us here?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 04:08:41 -0500

Morgan entered the manor next. "I'm sorry," he said, "I heard you talking at the tavern and followed. If- if you don't want me I can l-leave." He was stammering again. Dammit, he thought he'd rid himself of that problem. "I- I was at the games. I saw the blood and..." His eyes clouded over and he shook the mist away. Great, now they all probably thought he was insane.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:24:51 -0500

Laurian There was an awkward, slightly embarrassed silence when Wolf told her that she was quite resourceful. "Yes, well..." Laurian said, gesturing towards the shop. "Let's go in there and find you some new clothes. And try not to tell anyone about your turquoise. They are indeed worth a lot of money to the right people, but some people may decide to steal them from you." She held the door open to Wolf and followed the other woman inside. There were all sorts of dresses, though Laurian could identify the style only as medieval. She didn't have anything against medieval, but dresses weren't exactly her choice of clothes. Besides, she still had to exchange her coins into the silver coins used here. But perhaps she could find something more like what she wore at the moment, like a pair of sturdy pants, a tunic and a coat. As long as it provided protection during fights and gave her enough mobility to fight, she'd be happy about it. Laurian watched Wolf look at the various dresses. It reminded her a bit of whenever she and her friend used to go shopping. Her friend was always enthusiastic about dresses and pretty clothes whereas she often stood to one side, watching and commenting on whatever Moira showed her. It was something she hadn't done for over five years, ever since the incident... ----------------- Vanya "Don't get any of those funny ideas, though," Vanya said. "I don't feel like eloping with anyone." She threw a quick look over her shoulder. So Emkai thought that ghosts were complete rubbish? Well, it was a better attitude than fear and anger, two things she'd encountered more often than she cared. She frowned and placed a free hand on her chest. "Is it very far to this manor? Or is it that building over there?" Vanya hoped that was the case. She wanted to sit or lie down and do nothing for the rest of this rather unusual and exciting day.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:38:24 -0500

@manor/jez/queen Gwenlynn gave Comte a sad smile. "Unfortunately the king's men can find us anywhere if he demands they do so. Our safest bet is to stay as far out of his sight as possible until we are ready to make our move. That is... some name you have. What shall I call you then? I know how humans are with their abbreviated names." She looked over as Morgan entered and gave him a sad smile. He seemed a bit frightened. If he saw those games she could only imagine why. "Please come in. There is nothing to be sorry for." Their numbers were growing. This was good news as long as everyone could be trusted. Gwenlynn turned her attention back to Comte. "If you could just keep watch at a window. I don't want ot draw attention to our location and we will already have a number of people filtering in. Clearcall should return soon with supplies." No one would think twice about him carrying bundles out of town. He was known as a wanderer. "I'm afraid until he returns I have no food or drink to offer you either. Nothing but hte safety of the roof over our heads."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:29:33 -0500

((Yeah, I was pleased to find it. I had found one of the dresses on it before, the black one where the girl is sitting barefoot on the logs. I think I had used it for Wolf... I forget. Anyway... it was just the picture at the time, this time it took me to the actual site, so that's cool. :) )) ((Just so people know, things'll be a bit busier for me over the next few days so my posts might be fewer than they have been. Though lately it's been less than usual anyway. :S Always busy!)) @Eleven "Oh... s-sorry." Sophia murmured, she didn't want to offend them. "It's nice to meet you M-Mr Nitro, and- and you as well Miss Silica." She said shyly, then shook her head. "I'm not... I was, um..." She tried to think of a way to say how she had come here without saying she was running away from the fae, "walking- and... and suddenly was just here." She decided on, hoping the lie wouldn't bloom on her face. The cuff of her dress made it's way to her mouth, she chewed on it a little, it was a nervous habit that she'd never been able to break. "Wh-where are you f-from?" She mumbled around it, hoping they didn't think she was prying. @Jez Alis chuckled, "No, I don't suppose you have been." Then she smiled at him, looking amused. "Here? I must say, I don't think I've ever come across someone with your stature... anywhere. I've seen a lot of things but... never someone quite so tall." She looked casual as she walked down the road, though her eyes were always wandering over the people, the shops, everything. "Do you think that they might? What fun that could be." She looked interested in the prospect, giving him a cheeky wink. ((I didn't know if you wanted something to happen or if you just want them to get to the manor, it's up to you. :) )) @Lenihan Wolf tried to not take too much time in deciding what to buy but it was all quite difficult for her. She had never in all her life seen clothing like this before and was feeling quite overwhelmed by it all. She finally pointed to one, "What about this one, Laurian? Does this one seem acceptable and appropriate?" She had thought she had seen some of the women wearing ones like it. "Do forgive me for being so self-conscious about it, Most of my life I have made my own garments, I am terribly inexperienced in matters such as these." She felt she needed a second opinion.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:31:12 -0500

Laurian Laurian had been quite lost in memories of long ago when Wolf addressed her. There was a quiet sad expression on her face and unshed tears in her eyes. It always came back to haunt her at the most unexpected times... But when Wolf addressed her, Laurian looked up. She'd learned through the years to produce a smile, regardless of how she felt, and now she showed that smile to Wolf. "I think you'll look great in that dress," she said truthfully. "You will look like a princess in that dress. But you'd better try to see if it has the right size. You can't put it on if it's too small for you and it won't do if it's too big for you either. I think, though, it'll be a perfect fit for you. Just ask if you can try it on and if you like it, you can pay for it with the silver from the bag."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:46:21 -0500

@ Manor/Star Kezia used Gwenlynn's absence to quickly try washing away the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She hated crying. It didn't do anyone and damn good and just left her eyes feeling sore. Tornica and Kalin stepped in pretty sharpish at Gwenlynn's instructions, closing the door behind them. Kalin followed Gwenlynn into the kitchen to where Kezia had gone back to cleaning herself up. When he entered she looked up at him, a wary frown on her face. "You're glowing," she said. "Why are you glowing?" "It's called a Mage aura kid," he said, grabbing a nearby stool. "It's the outward sign of my subconscious mind gathering magic in the air so that I can use it when necessary. You've got one too...although yours isn't quite right. It's all spiky and the colour keeps shifting." He left his eyes go out of focus, tuning into the mana spectrum. The aura was more visible here, sticking out in random places, completely absent in others..."Who's your teacher?" he asked. "Because they've done a really piss poor job of getting your training going. No wonder you've been making things explode." "I don't have a teacher," Kezia said sullenly, tears threatening to come back. "I've never had a single lesson. The mages from the Academy tested me to see if I could learn and then went away again. That's the only interaction I've had with magic." Kalin shook his head. "That can't be right...the mind doesn't start gathering mana all on its own. The trigger has to be put in place by someone." Unless... "Those bastards! That must have been part of the testing. They forced your mind to take the first steps and then just left you to it!" That definitely explained the mess they'd made of the girl's aura. Still...it was fixable. It would just take a lot of work. --- @ Jeze/Star "No linens on the beds," Tornica said. "Not a problem for me. Most of the time it's a bedroll on the floor. An actual bed is a luxury I'm quite accustomed to doing without, sheets or no sheets." "Speak for yourself!" Kalin called through from the kitchen. "Some of us are used to slightly finer things." Tornica rolled his eyes. "Ignore him. He sleeps on the ground just as readily as anyone else if you make him."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:03:38 -0500

@Manor Dumond smiled. He was not sure how formal these people were. "You may call me by my title, Comte, or by my family name, Dumond." And if the lady wishes to be more intimate, she may call me Marcel. "I will keep watch. Unfortunately, I have little to office but some fruit and wine. However, if my Lady requires refreshment..." hw made to unhook the wineskin from his belt. Dumond turned to look at the newcomer. Clearly not a military man. Although fighting a battle was one thing, watching men fight to the death for entertainment was another. @Nagats ((I'm busy this weekend too, so maybe they should just get to the manor unless Star wants an altercation.)) "We grow big where I coom froom. But e'en sae, I am oon the tall side, sure." he grinned down at Alis. "They might." Finn added. I din't knae how they feel aboot strangers, bot I din't want tae find oot. You seem anxious fer a fight." Which didn't please Finn at all. He fought when he had to, he had seen too much to seek it out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:18:04 -0500

"You're very kind," said Morgan, bowing a little to the woman. "My name's Morgan, Morgan Rook." He glanced around, checking for reactions. With luck, no one would no who he was. Why would they? He was a nobody. That strange woman at the games had only known because she could read his mind or whatever, and she had no proof. He was safe here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:28:49 -0500

@Jez ((Sounds good. :) )) "Maybe it's something in the water." Alis laughed, tucking her hands into her coat pockets as they came closer to the manor, she noticed there weren't as many people around which was a relief. She shook her head a little with a wry smile. "Not a fight necessarily, no. Excitement though... excitement and gaiety are two things I -do- prize. One could say I seek them out more than I even seek out treasure, Mr McCool." Her eyes twinkled. "As you observed so astutely earlier, I am no inkeeper's wife."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:34:17 -0500

@Lenihan ((Might be my last post for... well, a little while. :) Might get on later tonight, same goes for tomorrow morning... etc.)) "A princess? Oh... I do not think it would be wise for me to stand out quite that much." Wolf replied, glancing at the dress and then at Laurian again, surprised to see a look of... melancholy on her face? "Are... you quite alright?" She asked softly, not wanting to call much attention to it after seeing her expression change again so suddenly. She went to one of the attendants and got help to try on the dress, it ended up fitting like a second skin, a perfect match. The colour even warmed the copper tones in her skin, contrasted nicely with her dark hair and eyes and she paid an amount after a small amount of bargaining.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:47:55 -0500

Omaron rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to do anything of the sort. There's almost no way I'd be able to get home without those two anyways." He frowned slightly when he looked at the house. "It looks like it. Aren't some of those people from the bar?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:00:16 -0500

@manor: It wasn't that long of a walk to the manor (although for Sybil it certainly felt long, and it didn't help she almost fell on Spink twice), but it was a bit of a relief when they got there. Sybil relaxed as soon as they were over the threshold and the door clicked closed. "'s it safe now?" she asked Spink. The other girl took a quick look around, then grabbed Sybil's shoulders and gently guided her a step to the left, away from a window. "Yeah," she said. "Oh, thank god," said Sybil. She reached up and hooked a finger under the edge of the blindfold. One tug and it was off. "Okay," she continued, rubbing her eyes. "That's much better." ((Also, it's quite likely I won't be able to post at all tomorrow, sorry.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:43:18 -0500

@Nagats "Perhaps." Finn laughed. He didn't know his parents, so he couldn't say of they had been tall or not. They weren't often spoken of. Although he had heard there might be some giant blood in his lineage. "Excitement be one ting, an' gaeity, too, but bein' set on by the watch... nae thank you." "This moost be the manor." He walked up to the door. he didn't detect any wards. "I suppose we can gae right in."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:50:54 -0500

Nitro nodded as Sophia recounted her arrival into this world from her own - it was certainly similar to their own method of arrival. The difference being they had tripped over...something, and fallen into...where ever the hell this place was. He didn't quite believe that she was telling the whole truth - his leader had told him never to trust strangers at their word - but he didn't feel it right to pry. Besides, he doubted she was a dweller from their world. Pressing her further would be pointless. He stiffened slightly as Sophia asked him for his origins. When he spoke, his voice seemed hollow once again, "We come from a hell-hole that I hope you will never have the misfortune to be trapped in." His grip around Sophia's hand tightened and free hand clenched into a fist for a moment, before he regained his composure and they relaxed again. Nitro forced himself to keep his pace steady and his head focused in front of him, keeping an eye out for that manor they were supposed to be heading for. They were out of the city now...it shouldn't be too far away... Craning his neck, he could make out the manor's silhouette on the horizon. Not far now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:04:49 -0500

@manor "Well unfortunately once we know what our numbers look like we will be assigning rooms. There are several in this manor, but there may not be enough so people will have to share space with others." Gwenlynn smiled at Tornica. He seemed like a nice fellow. She was a little surprised by the curtness of Kalin. For a Riverfolk type of elf he was a bit on the rude side. Perhaps he wasn't Riverfolk. But what else would he be? She listened as Kalin and Kezia spoke of hte magic, and for a moment she was afrain the girl would be jumpy and try to leave. She stayed, however, and Gwenlynn smiled at the two of them. "Do you think you could help her? I'm afraid my knowledge seems quite different from hers and I'm not certain where to start." When Gwenlynn was offered the wine she politely declined. "I thank you Dumond, but I'm okay for the moment. It should not take long for Clearcall to return with supplies. My name is Gwenlynn, but for the sake of my own safety I will have to ask that you instead call me by another name in public. My father was quite displeased to find I left home and there are men out looking for me. But I cannot return. Not yet. This world needs all the help it can get."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 23:49:32 -0500

@Manor / Star / DM / Nagats "Then what name shall I call you, my Lady. Will using a title put you in danger as well?" Dumond asked. Jiya wandered around the kitchen, she had never been in one before. yes, she had seen the cook wagons of the caravan, it was difficult not to when Dumond insisted she bring his dinner to him each night when they stopped. She picked up a utensil occasionally, some she knew, but some looked strange to her. She smiled at the small man (Kalin). He certainly had the personality of a Djinn even though he seemed rather small to be one. He really couldn't be a Djinn, he would have used his magic and returned home. Perhaps he was an imp. Best to keep on his good side regardless. She smiled at his companion as well. He had dark skin like most of the people of Parsa. But neither of them had clothing that looked familiar to her. ((Hmm, Dumond needs to stay in the front of the manor to keep a look out, but I think the conversation is going on in the kitchen? Because Finn and Alis have walked in. Finn will be happy to share his wineskin, and freak kalin out in the process. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:14:16 -0500

((Quick post before I dash of to work *boo to Saturday shifts!*)) "I think so," Kalin said. "From the feel of it her magic is very similar to mine. Possibly identical." Which would be very strange considering he was pretty sure he wasn't at home any more. He considered himself a very well educated man so he really should have heard of this country they were current in, especially considering they'd walked here from where their mercenary camp was set up. "So tell me kid," he said to Kezia. "Where are you from that has such a dangerous magical practice?" "Last I knew I was in Tekepi," she said. "In the Suderian Empire." Kalin's already arched eyebrows rose further until they threatened to disappear into his hairline. "You're from Suderia? Death's Mercy...you have come a long way." Or they had...this was starting to get confusing. But it increased his chances of being able to help. Unless the Empire had developed some new type of magic user he should be able to translate his own teachings to try and help this girl. ((And the boyfriend is chasing me out the door so I should probably get going :( ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:52:36 -0500

"I have magic too!" said Morgan, face lighting up at the mention of it. "Only, where I'm from, they fear magic. With good reason too... It has side-effects in my land." He gulped. He'd experienced those effects all too strongly. Even now the itch to use magic was growing but Morgan knew exactly what came with that itch - the other side. God knew he didn't want to be facing that right now. He's made new friends - or something like friends - in this place. If he allowed the other side free who knew what he would do to these people?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:16:27 -0500

@manor "It has side effects here as well," Gwenlynn told Morgan. "And someone is drawing it all out of hte elements so most people cannot cast anymore unless they bind themselves to another who has the ability to use the Essence as well. The spell I used earlier took a lot out of me. Something just a coupleo f years ago I could have done without much thought. This is why we need to get the Dragonslayer on the throne quickly. He is the only one of noble right to the throne that can help... or that will help." When Dumond asked about titles Gwenlynn thought for a moment. "I'm not entirely certain. IIt should be okay I would think." She was a princess actually, but she wasn't about to tell others that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 09:04:33 -0500

Laurian "Yeah, I'm fine." Three words, uttered so often that they had lost their meaning. It was just a phrase she said whenever someone asked her if she was alright. She would probably still say it when fast asleep. Laurian watched how Wolf went over to an attendant to try on the dress. It really looked good on her. She had to smile, though, when she saw the woman bargaining for her dress. But that smile soon disappeared when she had that uncomfortable feeling of being watched from the street. It wasn't the first time she'd had that feeling since she and Wolf left the tavern. Turning around, she caught a guard looking at her, and more specifically at her sword. Come to think of it, she hadn't really seen anyone with a sword her size so far. It was something Laurian rarely thought of, because even in her own world it was unusual to find someone walking down the streets with a claymore as big as hers, but this was a far more medieval world and she'd seen hardly anyone with anything like a sword, except the guards. "I think," she said as soon as Wolf had paid and walked back to her, "we should head for the manor as soon as possible. I've been attracting the attention of guards and I'd rather not have any of them stop us and ask any questions. I got the directions to the manor, so don't worry about that." They began to find their way towards the manor as described by Gwenlynn. Laurian kept her eyes on the guards, but none of them either wanted or dared to approach her. She then glanced quickly aside at Wolf. "You look beautiful in that dress. It really suits you, you know." -------------- Vanya arriving @ manor "How should I know? You met them." Vanya looked at the people. "Though I believe that's Mr. Morgan Rook. I know he was there as well as at the games. I'd wondered where he had disappeared to..." Her step faltered for a moment, and Vanya rubbed over her chest. Soon, though, soon she'd be able to sit and rest. A shiver ran down her body too, despite the rather warm weather. But she had it cold and she hoped that it would be warmer inside. Vanya was glad once they were inside and she let go of Omaron's arm to find a comfortable place to sit. For now, that had to be the stairs. She slowly sank down on the lowest step and rested her head against the wall while she listened to the conversation that took place in the kitchen.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 10:00:22 -0500

"Mmm." Omaron gave her a sharp look when she stumbled. "Are you all right? Here, you should sit down... or you can go find somewhere to sit by yourself, that's fine too." He followed her over to the stairs, frowning slightly. Emkai watched them both narrowly from under his hood. "I really don't think you have to worry about him running away," Seta told him slowly. "I mean, he's as stuck here as we are." "Can you blame me for being concerned?" he replied. "If Veliath's men come across me and I don't have him, I'm soaked." Seta smiled sympathetically. "We're pretty far away from Veliath now anyways. Come on." With that she skittered over to the kitchen where she could hear voices and stuck her head through the crack in the door. "Er, hello? We're here, Seta and Emkai and Omaron I mean, except you don't... know... yes. Ah. Hello."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:22:44 -0500

@ Manor kitchen "Magic has side effects where I come from as well," Kalin said. "Use it wrong and it seriously injure or even kill the caster." "Or blow their mind into pieces," Kezia mumbled. "Yes..." Kalin said. "That's less common, especially if you have a teacher worth their salt to guide you through the early stages." He gave her a considering look. "Anyway, magic isn't exactly feared where I'm from. Treated with suspicion, but not outright feared." "That's because it's 'filthy elven weirdness'," Tornica called through from the other room, a teasing note in his voice. "Well, that is true," Kalin said. "But as a weird filthy elf I'd be getting dirty looks from the general populace with or without the magic."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:47:42 -0500

Vanya @manor/Omaron "Do me a favour," she cut through his talking while she closed her eyes. "Just don't touch me." After a few moments of silence, Vanya added, "Do me an even bigger favour. Make sure nobody touches me unless it's with a six-foot-long pole." She waved a bit with her hand. "I'll be fine in a minute." She had to find a way to calm down and to get rid of the power inside her that seemed to be growing stronger as she grew weaker. But Vanya wasn't quite in the mood for a second explosion, even though hers wouldn't be as 'exploding' as Kezia's was. Still, a rise of the undead would not be a smart idea. "It's an old house, this house," she then said to Omaron. Vanya placed a hand against the wall. The blue light from underneath her skin spread into the wall. "Full of memories. Can you hear it?" ((Her power fluctuates a bit, so it'll be very vague and echo-y, but it can suddenly sound like someone's standing right behind you. And only for Omaron and those somewhere near Vanya and Omaron. ;) It doesn't leak into the kitchen.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:55:55 -0500

@Manor "Did I hear someone sae 'filthy elven weirdness?'" Finn said looking around to see who had spoken. teasing or no, if there were people in their group who disliked elves, he should know it now. --- Dumond looked at the three as they entered. He had watched them near the building. "Right, join the party." he told them. None of them looked like fighters. He kept himself from sighing. he was afraid he was doomed to die in this foreign land, far from home.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:01:46 -0500

@Dragon-Mage "I don't know much about elves," admitted Morgan. "But what you're saying about magic rings true. I've heard of men who have been torn apart by magic and somehow still left standing." Like yourself "Its dangerous. Its twists people. Like some horrific drug..." @Front door Browning struggled to support the giggling Morwenna into the manor. "Can I get some help here please?" he yelled. Sure, he may have been exaggerating the issue but if it was going to get his charge sobered up and safe then that was all that was important to him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:02:54 -0500

Omaron watched Vanya with confusion but stepped back from her slightly. "Do I hear--?" Suddenly he cut himself off and turned around. Funny, he could have sworn... He turned back around as quiet voices started to echo around him, face turning pale. "What in Blazes...?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:22:18 -0500

@ Manor/Jeze "That was me," Tornica said, turning to see who'd asked the question...and spotted Finn's ears. "Oh...shit, sorry. No offence intended. It's something of an in joke." "Not really," Kalin said cheerfully. "He's just being bigoted. Feel free to hand his arse to him." "Kalin!" Tornica said. "This guy is about seven foot with a sword as big as me. Do you actually want him to beat me up?" "Well...I guess not. He's right it is kind of a joke. Where we're from a fair few people do think that way, but he isn't one of them."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:25:54 -0500

Morgan raised an eyebrow at the man in question. People like that tended to spook him. Wimp He covered his ears, mentally laughing at himself. As if he could block out the voices in his own head.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:43:21 -0500

Vanya @manor/Omaron "You wanted to know more about my power, didn't you?" Vanya opened her eyes to look at him. "This is it. The past, the dead, the forgotten... That's my domain. What you hear is no more than an echo from the past. I can reach to it and revive it, even if it's only for a brief moment. Not that I do this every day, it's... a way to get rid of any excessive power inside me. If I get stressed, tired, whatever... the power grows. It's a constant battle between me and this power inside me. And if I don't keep it under control, it could be my death." There was the sound of children laughing and for a moment there seemed to be a boy and a girl, running down the stairs towards the garden and then disappear into nothingness again. The light slowly vanished back into Vanya's body again. "I believe some people call it necromancy. To raise the dead, or to put the dead back to rest. It's just a little more than what most people think. It freaks them out and it makes them hate me. So... what do you think? Still interested in that deal of partnership?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:03:30 -0500

@manor / queen / DM ((I can just picture Finn and Kalin standing next to each other *grin* )) With their banter, Finn could tell they must be friends of a sort. "Good then. Was a time where 'twas me 'uman half I got intae fight o'er. That and me parentage, boot after I killed the firewyrm, well then, I was welcomed wi' open arms. I'm Finn McCool and this is me new friend, Alis. Who might you be?" he asked the young man who was the friend of the small elf.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:08:28 -0500

@Queen ((Sorry, when I cut and pasted, I missed this. I want the edit button!)) "What seems ta be the problem?" Finn asked. "I can make her right as rain, sure, if I can use o bit of magic on her."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:25:08 -0500

"She's had a little too much to drink," admitted Browning. He sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea." Morwenna stared at Finn wide eyes. "Did you say magic?" Browning narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the idea of magic being used on Morwenna, what her reaction would be. Thank goodness he'd brought a large supply of her medicine.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 17:39:04 -0500

@manor Gwenlynn watched hte others coming in, leaving them to interact with each other as she moved to see if she could find anything to lite the stove with. Clearcall would likely get some supplies for the stove but she really wanted to keep busy doing something. The images of Aethan from earlier in the day were starting to haunt her. As she sifted through one of the cabinets she felt tears sting her eyes and she paused in her riffling to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I need to be strong. I need to keep myself sharp if I am to find a way to free him before Regan arrives... or before he dies. The idea of him dying in that arena made Gwenlynn's stomach twist in painful knots. She had already lost him once. She didn't want to lose him again. Where is Clearcall anyway? He should have been back by now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:10:26 -0500

@Manor / Queen / Star "If 'tis poisoning her system that badly, I can neutralize it. I only need to touch her." Finn told the lad ((young man? man?)) "'Tis bardic magic." @Kitchen As much as she was content to sit after the walk to the manor, Jiya thought she should do _something_ to help the elf woman. Besides, it was boring just sitting. "May I help you with something?" Something not too difficult and preferably nothing to do with physical labor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:48:51 -0500

Omaron's eyes widened spectacularly at the side of the girl and the boy. Talk about power. It took him a moment to regain his self control. "I-It doesn't quite look like you have any choice in whether you have this power or not," he stammered. "Why would it make a difference in the partnership thing? And I wasn't the one who wanted to know anyways. She--" He suddenly choked, one hand going to his thoat. Please dearest, you know better than that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 03:55:38 -0500

((Browning's in his fourties :) Don;t worry about it. Morwenna's in her mid-twenties)) Browning nodded and stepped aside. "Go on then. Displays of magic are certainly interesting to watch. Do you mind if I take notes?" Free from Browning's grip. Morwenna swayed where she stood.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 07:11:11 -0500

Vanya Vanya raised an eyebrow. She'd done her best to avoid any references to Shard and now he was about to give it all away. Though it seemed the second personality residing in Omaron's body made sure it was not said. Not that Vanya could detect anything from Shard, not her presence nor what she said to Omaron. "And here I was, trying to be discreet. As far as I'm concerned, you wanted a partnership. That makes things easier in conversation." Vanya lowered her gaze to her hands. The blue light had become much less frequent with running under her skin. That was often a good sign, since it meant she had her power under control instead of the other way around. "You take it better than most people, though," she then said. "Most people call it 'the dark arts', or 'evil' and call me a witch, changeling, demon's child... They chase me out of their villages or they become annoyingly patronizing and tell me that it's not good to consort with the dark side. As if I can stop it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 08:21:32 -0500

Omaron rubbed his throat with a wince, a very resentful look on his face. This was obviously not aimed at Vanya. "Yes, I suppose it does make conversation easier," he replied dully. He hesitated when she told him that he took it better than most. "Well, I'm not exactly in a position to be pointing fingers about the so-called dark arts at any rate. Especially when you didn't have a choice."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:03:42 -0500

@jez Gwenlynn jumped a little when she heard Jiya behind her, quickly brushing away the tears before turning to look at the other woman with a smile on her face. "I just thought I would get the stove warmed up for when Clearcall comes back but I haven't found a flint yet. If you could help me. There was a time I wouldn't have needed the flint at all, but... things are changing and I've never been very good with fire." Aside from mixing it the other elements for healing. @myself/arena Aethan sat on the dirt covered floor of his cell, watching the sunlight move up the wall as another day passed into night. He was beginning to lose hope that there was a way out of this. Still, as he did any other say, he stood, pulling out the rock he used every day, and made another mark on the wall. He was also curious about the commotion in the Outer City. Apparently something had happened but they had little word of what it might be. "How did you do it?" his cell mate asked, looking at him. "Do what?" Aethan turned the rock over in his hands. There was a time he had tried using it to dig out the bars of the small cell window, but he stopped when he realized he wouldn't fit through it anyway. "Stop that beast," his mate replied. "We were trying to figure it out, but nothing but magic makes sense, and if you had magic you wouldn't still be here. Plus the magic in this world is almost dead." Aethan felt his gut twist. Almost dead. And when it was he was best to let the arena kill him because he didn't want to live to see what would come after. "I can't use magic. I don't know what happened any more than you do." Except that maybe Regan was there. But if he was, then Aethan would be out of the cell by now and he would be standing in the Silver Hall facing his cousin. "Take us with you when you go," his cell mate requested. "I'm not going anywhere," Aethan replied, turning his attention back to the rock. "That's not what you told the king earlier today." "He may wear a crown, but he is no king." His cell mate regarded him as if weighing him. "You are right about that." Then he laughed. Aethan didn't see what was so funny.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:21:35 -0500

@ Manor/Jeze "Human half?" Tornica said, frowning in confusion. "What do you mean human half? What's the rest of you? And what's a firewyrm?" "Fire breathing dragon," Kalin supplied. "Sort of anyway. Wyrm is another name for large draconic creatures." Tornica rolled his eyes. "Why is everyone hating on dragons?" "Probably because if you give them half a chance they'll take your leg off?" Kalin suggested. "Not the friendliest of beasts most of the time. Present company excluded of course." Tornica aimed a swat at him that the elf completely ignored. "I can help with the fire if you like?" he offered. Lighting a fire was hardly a challenge. He could turn it into a lesson for Kezia. Provided she was willing to learn this quickly at least.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:42:10 -0500

Vanya Vanya raised her eyebrows. "That sounds as if you've got experience with the 'so-called dark arts' yourself as well. Since I've told you about mine and even shown you something I can do... Maybe it's only fair if you do the same?" If he was a necromancer as well... Well, it would be the first time for her to meet a fellow necromancer. She'd read some books and knew there had to be others, but there weren't that many and certainly no one near her. It would certainly be interesting to meet someone like her, or at least someone capable of doing things considered as 'dark' and 'evil' by others. And maybe what new information he gave her would help with making sense of the images that still lingered in her mind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 12:57:53 -0500

@manor kitchen Gwenlynn paused at mention of dragon, hearing the words present company included in the conversation. Curious. "Here dragons were once revered creatures but they have all been taken by Shadow. Now the sight of a dragon is quite another matter entirely." She turned and looked at Kalin. "If you think you could get it lit I would apprecaite it." She glanced toward the darkening sky. "We need lamps and a fire as well before it gets dark. I'm sure no one wants to be here in the dark." Her gaze flicked toward Tornica. What did Kalin mean by present company? Not that he was dragon, or part. She had heard legends of dragons walking as humans but they usually had defining characteristics. And she never heard of a half man half dragon in all of her teachings.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:09:54 -0500

@ Kitchen "Revered?" Tornica said. "That's a new one. Back home they were more feared and respected than anything else." Although if you put the two together you sort of ended up with revered. "How did they get taken by Shadow?" Did he have something to worry about? He registered as a dragon enough for dragons to get pissy over his presence, he didn't know if that would translate over to anything else. It had never really been an issue before. Kalin went over to the large fireplace. "Now Kezia...I'm not going to ask you to do anything besides look. Let me know if you see anything." The girl still didn't look particularly impressed with the whole situation, but she raised her dark eyes from the bowl of increasingly dirty water to look over at him. Confident he had her attention as much as he was going to get it Kalin slowly drew on a few strands of mana and started weaving them into the correct pattern for fire. Taking the steps so slowly for Kezia's benefit was harder than he'd anticipated and he almost lost the shape a couple of times, but he did end up with the fireplace merrily cracking away. "There...did you see anything?" "The glow around you...pulsed," the girl said, searching for the correct word. "And there was this sort of light over where the fire started. I think there were shapes in it, but it shifted too quickly for me to see properly." Kalin nodded. That was better than he expected really. "Excellent. And if you'd care to pass the lamps my way too they shouldn't be a problem."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:23:31 -0500

@dm "According to legend, when the dragon gods die their power passes to another," Gwenlynn told Tornica. "No one is sure how exactly it works, but there are ... rumors, that the dragon gods were all slain by one of their own and she now has control over al the dragons in the realm. A terrifying prospect as she was a bit of a vain goddess to start with. Aethan once told me that he met Acebrity. She took him as prisoner and tortured him to try and get information out of him. He wouldn't say too much about his time as a captive, but he did mention that he saw dragons of a variety of colors during his time there." Gwenlynn bit her lip, thinking that maybe she had said too much. But no one there knew that Aethan and Dragonslayer were one in the same. At least, she didn't think so. Nervously, she smoothed her skirt.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 16:41:41 -0500

To anyone/everyone in the kitchen: Emkai swung open the kitchen door and stepped inside, apparently unaware that he might be intruding on something. "We've arrived to help." Seta poked her head from around the man swathed in dark-grey cloth, her too-big eyes fixed on Gwenlynn. "What's all this about dragons?" she said excitedly. "We have some where we come from; great sand-colored lizards lying just out of sight beneath the sand, they're really quite extraordinary. I saw one lunge up and grab an oryx once. Nearly gave me a heart attack with how suddenly the whole thing happened!" To Vanya: Omaron gave her a surprised, almost fearful look. She wanted to see what he could do? "I can't do anything," he said truthfully enough. "It's... well, I can't exactly talk about my current condition, but... it's... it's complicated." A flush entered his pale face. Selling himself into the service of a demonic creature was probably the biggest mistake he'd ever made. Even if he'd been drunk and didn't understand exactly what Shard had been asking of him at the time, what he'd done was witchcraft, not to mention the height of foolishness. Vanya's case was an entirely different matter. She just HAD powers, powers she could barely control and just happened to be associated with death. Certainly if she were able to do something that seemed less morbid, like making daisies grow wherever she walked, no one would think her a sorceress. It wasn't really fair to her-- Dearest, we might be able to show her something without the others noticing, if she really liked. Shard's voice startled him out of his thoughts. I'd rather not though. Oh you are so funny sometimes, you silly dear. Speaking as though your opinion counted for anything. Omaron grimaced slightly before looking back to Vanya. "Well... I might be able to show you something."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:05:44 -0500

Vanya Vanya looked just back as he became all flustered, her face unmoving. She received again images, but these were extremely blurry and she discarded them almost instantly. He finally came with something that he could show her, though from the look of his face, the whole thing was Shard's idea. Vanya wasn't entirely certain how to feel about that. She still couldn't sense anything from Shard, not even her presence inside Omaron, and that made her feel a little scared. But she was curious as well and it was her curiosity that won. "Alright. Here? Or would you rather find a more secluded place to give me a demonstration? I don't think anyone's upstairs." ((Off to bed, gotta get up early tomorrow again. I really like Shard. :D And I kinda feel sorry for Omaron to have two women putting pressure on him?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:22:21 -0500

((Oh Shard is *ever* so much fun to write.)) A picture of something white with teeth flashed through Omaron's mind in his unease. "Upstairs," he said quickly. If Shard wanted to do anything weird, he definitely didn't want anyone else to see.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 01:52:17 -0500

((In Kitchen)) @ Star "Dragon gods?" Tornica said faintly. "I've...I've never heard of dragon gods before. Even back home where we had more dragons than we knew what to do with we didn't have a dragon god." "No, you worshipped the 'volcano spirits' instead," Kalin said, clearly amused by the concept. Tornica gave him a dirty look. "You try living in the shadow of a mountain that spews fire and see how long it takes you to worship the damn thing." He didn't like the idea of someone being able to control the dragons though. "How does she control them? And is it absolutely every dragon? As in if a dragon from somewhere completely different was to show up on her doorstep randomly would she be instantly able to control it?" @ Buggles "We have some dragons like that back home," Kalin said. "Sand dragons that live in the desert. Not particularly large by dragon standards, although pretty damn big by reptile standards. They tend to live underground and go after farmer's herds. Bit of a pest." And to link it back with Tornica's conversation. "Those are probably the closest things we have to dragons being part of a religious system. The people of that land believe dragons to be the evil minions of the sun god, sent to punish the wicked or unfaithful."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:54:43 -0500

@dm/buggy "I really don't know if she could or not," Gwenlynn told Tornica honestly. "Since we have never encountered dragons from somewhere completely different it is hard to hypothesize. I suppose if that dragon was closely enough tied to the others it woudl be possible. That would be fairly circumstantial though. The reds respond best to her, or strongest, however you wish to see it." Gwenlynn considered Seta for a moment. "We have some dragons liek that as well, but there isn't very much desert land in the world. Most of the dragons seem to have found places to keep out of sight and out of touch with humans and elves. Not many face a dragon and live to tell the tale. It's part of the reason this Dragonslayer is so popular among the people. He fought a dragon and survived. And he didn't land multiple blows to try taking the creature down. He only needed one." Because he was taught how to kill them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:25:31 -0500

((Okay, I'm back ^^ I'll reply to Lenihan in a moment but other than that, have I missed anyrthing important?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:47:32 -0500

((Cheers, and thanks for the PM! That's brillient. I don't think I would've seen it otherwise. :D )) @Lenihan/Manor "I quite agree," Wolf replied to the suggestion of going to the manor now. At least now she did'nt stand out quite as much as she had earlier. Her other clothing was bundled up under her arm for now, she'd rearrange her pack so it could fit later. "It is very unlike any clothing I have seen before, let alone worn, it will take some time to get used to." She said, with a slight blush. "I thank you just the same though." She added with a smile as they came up to the manor door. @Eleven/Manor ((If they've gotten there??)) Sophia couldn't help wincing a little when Nitro's hand squeezed hers so hard for that brief moment. She didn't say anything though and a moment later it was better. "Hell-hole..." She murmured thoughtfully before giving a nervous little breathy laugh, "L-likewise I s-suppose." She said of the place she had been, her fingers trailing over her collar. @Anyone ((though it's not like there's much. Just trying to get back into things)) Alis took up a spot by one of the windows, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious or anyone that might be coming after them. She yawned a little and watched as a few more 'other world- ers' trickled up to the door of the building.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:31:13 -0500

@ Kitchen "One blow is generally the best way to handle a dragon," Kalin admitted. "Preferably one they don't see coming. Although that generally means trying to sneak up on one and I'd really question the sanity of anyone trying to do that." "I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with this discussion any more," Tornica said. "I'm not sure how up for rescuing this guy I am if it's that good at killing dragons. Why was he fighting one in the first place?" He was also getting increasingly worried about this dragon controlling Goddess. Especially if she had some special control over red dragons. Admittedly he wasn't completely red. The majority of him was more a burnt orange colour, but there were enough red scales mixed in with the orange that it wouldn't be an entirely inaccurate description.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:51:35 -0500

Vanya Vanya stood up and began to climb the stairs in her usual rather slow pace. Her curiosity had only grown and she couldn't wait to find out what kind of dark magic Omaron wielded. A little voice in her head said that if it was dark enough, it could lead to her death. Especially since she didn't even know him all that well, and she didn't know anything about Shard. Never trust a soul, was what she often told herself. Well, she didn't trust either of them, partnership or not. She was merely going to watch what Omaron could do. She picked a room as far away from the others in the kitchen as was possible, then turned around to face Omaron. "Well," she said. "Show me." ------------------- Laurian Laurian nodded. She could understand that it would take a while to get used to such a dress, especially if you'd never seen one before. "I don't like wearing dresses myself," she said quietly. "They're... cumbersome. I need more practical clothes for fighting." She held the door of the manor open to Wolf. Voices came from inside the building, which meant at least several others had already arrived. A slight frown appeared on her face when she heard them talking about dragons. She'd only heard of dragons, but back home they were the stuff of legends. Could it be that this world still had actual dragons?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:09:59 -0500

@kitchen "He was fighting a dragon in the arena because he had no choice. It was either him or the dragon." Gwenlynn looked at Tornica a bit concerned. Was he going to be a problem? "He really is a very noble and just person. If you knew him I think you would like him. Most people do." And that was discounting the fans of the arena. "But if you don't want to help you won't be forced. We will still proceed with or without you." Because Gwenlynn wouldn't sit aside if she had to go about this alone. Her life was worth the risk as far as she was concerned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:39:44 -0500

((And because I'm totally bored and want to get us moving along a little....)) @manor/all/anyone Clearcall moved out of the city by the west road. He was being watched by city guards for some reason. Perhaps because of the events of the day and the fact that he was a known elf and wanderer. Still, the didn't want to bring them dirctly back to the mansion so instead he took a long way around, moving along hte road until he found a path that cut back to the north. The land here wsa fairly open so it was hard to hide from sight, but he was fairly sure the guards wouldn't follow him so far out of the city and by the time the could deploy someone who could he would be long gone. It was well past dark by the time he arrived at the manor house. A few of the windows were lit by lamp light, and he could see smoke rising out of the chimney in small plumes. Obviously not a large fire as large fires generally weren't needed in southern Cevius. Especially not that this time of year. The climate here was so temerant most of the year that fires were generally only lit to provide light and were often shielded otherwise from heating the room. He approached the manor house only after making sure that there was definately no one following him. Upon entering the house he was surprised but pleased to see so many had come to help. Some probably didn't want to but felt a need, he would have to be careful of which was which. He passed through the main living room with his packs of supplies weighing him down, then entered the kitchen and set them one by one on the table. "Oh thank the lost gods!" Gwenlynn's face lit up with relief when she saw Clearcall. "I was beginning to worry." "I was followed through the city and out the West Road," clearcall explained as he opened one of the packs and started pulling supplies for a meal out of one. "That girl caused quite a commotion in town. The city guards are crawling all over the Onyx Wall and the streets of the Outer City trying to figure out what happened. When they come back with no answers the king is likely to make examples out of some of them." Gwenlynn's face paled a little at the prospect. She knew what sort of example this king liked to set. She also knew that Clearcall was likely right. Power like that could be seen as a threat to the throne. The king would not let failure in this matter go unpunished. She set to work sorting through the food supplies and starting a meal for everyone. "I also learned a thing or two about our captive friend," Clearcall added, making Gwenlynn pause momentarily in her work before continuing. Clearcall took a seat at the end of the table, pulling out a cider bottle of mulled red wine. "He has far more loyalists in the noble ranks than the king does. One of whom I was able to arrange a meeting with tomorrow. Of course we will not meet here. Even if this young noble is loyal to our friend he is not known to me. I won't risk our location." Gwenlynn felt a small rush of hope flood through her. "Yes? What is this youn noble's name?" "A Lord Tristan of House Nubius." Clearcall pulled out the cork with his teeth and proceeded to take a drink.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 16:01:40 -0500

((Good idea Star :p Not that I can think of anything to post for the jumped forward bit yet, but I'll get there. I might just need a decent night's sleep first)) Tornica blinked. "How on earth did they get a dragon into the arena?" That was highly impressive...unless this guy was in league with this evil goddess and she just provided one for their use. "And I didn't mean to alarm you, I don't plan on backing out." Not yet anyway. "It's just that...I can turn into a dragon. Not a particularly big dragon as far as dragons go, but big enough that it makes for a very dangerous opponent. But not so big that people aren't sometimes tempted to try and take my head off for bragging rights. You see why I'm a little wary of someone bearing the title of 'Dragonslayer', even if they weren't actively seeking such a thing out."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:23:18 -0500

Manor: kitchen Seta looked eager to ask more questions about dragons and evil goddesses and especially how on earth Tornica could turn into something like that, but she was distracted when Emkai addressed the others. "I would like to ask something about this situation." The fireman's hood was turned toward Clearcall. "Namely what the chances of us getting out alive and being able to find help home afterward are." * Manor: upstairs room Omaron looked around the little room nervously. It was quite obviously empty, but he still didn't feel very good about whatever example Shard decided to use. Suppose someone walked in? It wasn't his house anyways. And there was always the question of what Shard was going to make him do. You worry too much dearest. Relax. We won't be showing her *everything*. Just... could you not make me-- I was thinking more of an illusion dear. Please stop being so tiresome. Omaron nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. This... well I don't know if this would be considered dark where you're from, but here goes." Shard stirred in the back of his mind, and a ball of light appeared to float just in front of Omaron. He blinked. "I guess that's the opposite of dark actually."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:12:07 -0500

Vanya Although Vanya had met very little in possession of any kind of magic, it was hard to say she felt impressed. In fact, it was hard to say what she felt at all. There were a dozen responses bubbling up, and not all of them too kind. But she finally did something she rarely ever did in her life. She laughed. It started out as a smile, which was already rare enough, but it soon became a chuckle and then a quiet laugh. It didn't go further than a quiet laugh, but that was more because of her physical problems. "Yeah," she said. "Very impressive. And very much the opposite of dark. But... I think it's the first time I've ever seen something like that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:04:58 -0500

((Hmm, I thought there is the front room of the manor--manor does imply a large building, with a kitchen in the back. Are we all in the kitchen now? if so, just adjust whatever I've said below to match.)) @Queen / DM / whoever else is in the main room "This shouldn't hurt, "Finn told the girl. In fact, you shouldn't feel a thing." Finn put his hands on the girls shoulders and thought about the poison for a moment. "Done. Feel better?" One could never tell with people from different worlds if his spells would work on them or not. Not to mention this strange world, where everything...tasted wrong. The magic felt wrong. Weak. Thin. he would have to be careful. He carried his magic within his bones, but what if the strangeness affected him? "High Elf. I am clearly nae leipreachan. My ears airn't sae big, sure." Finn answered the young man. "Aillen culd ma'e himsel' look like a man. Every year, he 'uld come to Tara and lay waste wi' his fiery breath, destroying the Hall and killing everyone he could." Finn rubbed a vertical scar on his left cheek absentmindedly. He wondered what the teasing about dragons was all about between the small elf and his friend. @Star / Kitchen Jiya may not know how to make a cook fire, but she did know how to make and light a fire for warmth. The Comte had insisted she light the brazier herself if she was cold in his tent. She thought the flint should be near the hearth and looked there even though the elven woman must have looked there three times already. "I'm Jiya." She said, as she looked in a nook by the health. She made a pleasant jingling. "Ah, here it is." But the small elf had offered to light the fire. At least they had flint if they needed it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:14:10 -0500

Manor: upstairs room Omaron was uncertain of how he should react when Vanya started laughing. His first impulse was to be offended, and yet it didn't really seem like she was laughing at him, at least not *completely*. That thought was confirmed when she told him it was impressive. "Oh, thanks. I mean, I really don't have anything to do with it, but still." The light faded and disappeared. "Well then, perhaps we should join the others."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:56:32 -0500

@kitchen Gwenlynn gave Tornica a small smile. "Through the top I imagine. The real question is where did they -get- a dragon?" When he said he could turn into one Gwenlynn's smile flickered. "If you could try and refrain from that while we are here. The last hing we need is to draw that sort of attention to ourselves, and it may lose us whatever credibility we work to build. And as far as he goes, I'm sure that the title of Dragonslayer doesn't suit his taste either." Clercall looked at Emkai and said quite bluntly, "I have no answer for that. We will work together but everyone is also responsible for their own safety as well as the safety of everyone here. In other words, we are all going to depend on each other. As far as getting home, I don't know how you got here but once we have a real king on the throne again you will have access to some of the best scholars in the known world. I'm sure there is an answer. If that doesn't suit your taste I'm afraid there's nothing I can do for you and it's probably best you leave now before you get any further into this." Because once these people knew any of hte plans there was no way any of them were leaving because of a change of heart. He looked at everyone. "That goes for all of you. I've given you ample chances and ample warning yet you still came. It's out of my hands if you stay." Gwenlynn continued working on the food. This human cooking was something she had to get used to after leaving her homeland but she had plenty of experience with it now. "Shall we continue? When do we meet this Lord Tristan and where?" "Tomorrow. I will take you and a few others for guards along to the meeting at the inn. Any volunteers? Sorry but not you dear." Clearcall looked at Kezia. He wasn't prepared to risk another explosion of magic like today.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:13:53 -0500

Kitchen There was a cool undercurrent to Emkai's words when he addressed Clearcall again. "Excuse me, but in coming here I made a commitment. It may have been foolish to jump into things so quickly," his gaze immediately went to Seta, though with his hood up she didn't notice, "and I may regret coming here before all's said and done. But either way this is beyond what my, er, tastes are. You needed help, we came, it's settled. I'll even go with you to your meeting tomorrow, if you need an extra man." Seta grinned at his words. "That means Omaron and me are staying too. Come to think of it, where's he got to?" Emkai hesitated. "He's not stupid enough to have run off. Still..." He turned nervously toward the door. "Don't worry about it Seta. I'll look for him." Seta nodded, paused, and scuttled over to where Gwenlynn was cooking. "Oh goodness, that smells wonderful. Do you need any help?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:26:33 -0500

((Placeholder, sorry, things have been kinda busy. Nagats, feel free to bunny my character to the mansion with Sophia.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:37:43 -0500

@kitchen Clearcall wasn't sure how much he trusted this man. A man who seemed so hesitant with this whole thing. A man whose face he couldn't even see under that hood. Was it safe to trust him? Well, what choice did he really have? The man was here now and there was little they could do about it. "Then I don't see why you asked in the first place." "Please," Gwenlynn sighed. "We need to keep in good company with each other. If you help us we will do everything in our power to find out how to help you get home again. But he is right. Unfortunately right now we have no more answers than you do." At Seta's offer for help Gwenlynn smiled at her. "If you would like to help by cleaning and cutting the potatoes into cubes that would be wonderful. Clearcall how do we know that this Lord Tristan can be trusted?" "We don't, but he was a cloes friend to our friend and he still has power because he keeps himself out of sights of the king by not making any waves. He has agreed to meet with us about freeing his friend though. At this point that's all we can ask for." Clearcall took another drink. "I'm thinking we will need maybe four other men with us when we meet him."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

queenoftheoutlands — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:54:37 -0500

Morwenna blinked. "What happened?" she asked Browning. "Everything was blurry, now its fine." She stared at the man. "Did you do that? How did you do that?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:40:46 -0500

Vanya @upstairs manor She still had an amused smile on her face when Omaron suggested to join the others. But that smile faded quickly away. "Or others have decided to join us," she said. "Someone is coming our way. I think it's that man." But there were more things coming upstairs other than Emkai. Scents of food being prepared drifted up through all those crooks and nannies, and Vanya discovered that she was quite hungry. She'd used up quite a lot of energy and food was often one way to replenish it. Unfortunately, it seemed that downstairs had gotten rather crowded as well. She hoped it wouldn't case too many problems. "I hope they have some fires going on downstairs," she then said as she made her way towards the stairs. ------------ Laurian @manor/kitchen/somewhere downstairs Laurian had quietly walked up to the others and she stood close the door while listening to the conversations around her. She did not want to draw too much attention to herself and this also gave her a chance to observe the rest of the group. There were far more elves here than she was used to... perhaps this was a more elven populated world. Her attention went specifically to Finn, his sword and his accent. It sounded almost like home, except that was absolutely not possible. Was it? There seemed to be a few with doubts about wanting to help. Well, if they were all from other worlds, it was only understandable. Why do something risky for someone you didn't even know? Unless it was part of your regular routine... "If you are looking for someone to stand guard and possibly help to fight," she then said in her quiet voice to Clearcall, "I don't mind to come along. But before that, could you perhaps tell me something about the laws for weapons here? I received a few rather suspicious looks from guards when I walked through the city just now and I don't think I can be of much help if I keep attracting the attention of the guards. After all, from what I understood is it important to stay as much out of sight of the guards and this king as possible."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:09:43 -0500

((No problem Eleven! :) )) Manor/Sophia Sophia was glad when they finally came to the manor, the stones on the road were sometimes hurting her feet. She would never complain about it though, not in a million years. It was just nice to know there would be a bit of time that she could rest, even just for a few minutes. She looked up at the house and followed Mr Nitro and Miss Silica inside, still doing her best to be as little and quiet as possible. Something from the kitchen was starting to smell delicious and even though she was still very full fromwhat she had eaten in the tavern, her stomach growled a little. Still holding Mr Nitro's hand, she wondered if it would be rude to let go and see what was going on in there, see if maybe she could take some things to stow away for later, and hopefully without having anyone see, Manor/Kitchens/Wolf Wolf thanked Laurian when she held the door open for her, managing to make it inside without tripping over the hem of the dress (though it was a close thing a couple of times). She noted that this dwelling was quite a bit different from the way the tavern was set up, it surprised her a little, if she were honest about it. She was taken by surprise at the buildings in the first place but to see the variety inside of them too was interesting. She couldn't help her eyes wandering over everything, wanting to go and explore the place, but she kept herself contained, merely taking off her bow and quiver to set them aside for now and then went to the kitchens where it looked like more people were congregating. Kitchens/Alis "I can come with you, if it's agreeable to you." Said Alis, coming to the door and listening to the conversation. She hadn't seen anyone else coming about after a while and figured she'd come to see just what was going on. Leaning against the entrance to the kitchen, she watched them chopping, peeling and cooking. She watched the man with the covered face for a moment, she wondered if he were disfigured in some way, hence the need for the hood and face being covered.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:27:04 -0500

"Can either of you use magic?" Clearcall asked the two women. He wanted to make sure that someone who came could just in case they found themselves in a real bind. "This king is a bit on the paranoid side," Clearcall told them. "Shortly after he took the throne someone triedto have him killed. Now no one is allowed through the inner city gates with a sword blade longer than a foot. Wouldn't want anyone to have a longer reach than him or his guards. Ranged weapons are not allowed either so anyone carrying a ranged weapon or a sword as large as that one you carry will want to leave those here. I intend to get us some daggers to carry on us for safety sake but today I just didn't have the time." And he was hoping that this nobleman would have some resources for them. "In the Outer City the guards won't care as long as it isn't a tournament day when the king will be attending the arena. Which was obviously today. Too bad there wasn't a way to have those weapons carried in anyway."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:36:25 -0500

((I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to drop out of it. I had a lot of fun, but I'm having kind of a hard time keeping up with this kind of format.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:45:39 -0500

((That's sad! Sorry.)) ((Also, if everyone could please check the discussion forum. I posted some important info there about the area. Thanks!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:20:33 -0500

Kitchen Emkai paused just long enough to look at Clearcall over his shoulder. "I just didn't want to harbor misconceptions about the likelihood of getting home after this. If there's not much hope, then it's best I get used to the idea now." With that he left the kitchen. Seta watched him leave with a sigh. "I'm sorry if he seems... well, unsociable. I think being away from his own kind for so long is wearing on him." She turned back to Gwenlynn with a bright smile and immediately set to working on the potatoes. "Oh certainly! I can clean and cut things very well. Just last week I was carving the insides out of a wood-boring beetle; I was hoping to make some sort of armor with it, you see, but the entire exoskeleton dried up and cracked to bits. Very frustrating, as you might guess." * Upstairs Omaron followed Vanya out, brow furrowed slightly. "Man? What man?" He didn't have to wonder for long. By the time they got to the top of the stairs, Emkai was heading up. He pulled up in apparent surprise. "What were you two doing up there?" he asked, a frown in his voice. "Looking around. The architecture here is very different from what you see in Veliath." Omaron didn't even think twice about lying anymore, especially to Emkai. "Mm. Dinner's soon. You should join us." He turned around and stalked back toward the kitchen. Omaron let out a slight sigh.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:49:02 -0500

Laurian @kitchen Laurian nodded as she listened to Clearcall's answer, but had to shake her head at his question. "I'm a fighter, not a mage or witch," she answered simply. "I have some command over divine magic, but they rarely work against humans. You still have my offer for coming along, but I am not certain if I could be of any use. However, if there is anything else I could do, just let me know." She looked at the women busy in the kitchen and after a moment, Laurian added, "Just don't have me do anything cooking related. I've never been really good at it." And here she would have to work with more primitive methods than she was used to. No electric cooker, oven or microwave as she was used to... She could help with peeling potatoes, but Seta had already offered to help with that. ------------------ Vanya @downstairs/kitchen Vanya raised her eyebrows again, both at the quick lie Omaron made up and at Emkai's curt behaviour. "He doesn't really use long sentences, does he?" she observed drily. "If he's not careful, his sentences will become nothing more but one syllable, maximum two. Like 'Dinner. Join.' Or something like that." Vanya rather liked words. She was not the type to fight, so her biggest weapon was her sharp tongue along with her ability to dig into people's past. She used them to wriggle her way into people's minds and just watch them lose their confidence, trust and other things. She knew she'd gotten quite far with Morgan earlier that day and when she passed him downstairs, she could not help but to smile a little all-knowing smile at him that was devoid of any kindness.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:14:43 -0500

Downstairs, entering kitchen Omaron shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "We're not on the best of terms," he told her. "I'm sure at home with his family he talks a good deal more than he does to me or Seta. Mostly me." He didn't bother telling Vanya that Emkai had every reason to be curt with him. She might have gotten an image of that same man with the flaming head running from a group of guards and felt a slight pang of Omaron's guilt. As they entered the kitchen, Omaron noticed Seta peeling potatoes and babbling to... he supposed the room in general, or herself. It was always hard to tell. Emkai was standing silently a good way away from the walls or anything else flammable, just listening to the others so far as he could see.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:22:45 -0500

@Kitchen Alis shook her head, "Never needed magic." She replied. "I'm good with a dagger though, if I can't even have my sword with me." If they had trouble with magic, it would be good to have some more people with them who knew how to fight. Sophia had been edging toward the kitchen when she saw someome coming and took a step back, pretending to have not been going that way. She saw the man who always seemed to have his face covered and bit her lip, feeling shy.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:29:34 -0500

Kitchen Emkai noticed one of the girls watching him. She seemed a shy little human, very different from the sorts he usually came across. But then most of the humans he'd encountered had been Rusgar, and the encounters had been almost always violent. He cleared his throat, sounding a bit uncomfortable. "Can I help you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:52:42 -0500

"Don't worry," Tornica said. "I generally try keeping that piece of information to myself. Not that many people believe me when I tell them the first time...I think you're the only person that hasn't required some sort of demonstration." That is if she did believe him and wasn't just humouring him. Thus far she hadn't displayed many similarities to Kalin, other than the pointy ears, but even after almost ten years he still had trouble interpreting Kalin's deadpan humour sometimes. "He generally only does it when he intends to now," Kalin said. "And I've perfected the art of giving him a good clip round the ear to distract him when he starts heading into it accidentally." Tornica sourly rubbed at the back of his head in memory. "If you ask me you're a bit too quick to resort to using that," he muttered. "I'll go with you," Tornica volunteered when Clearcall asked for people to go with him. "I don't know magic and I'm best with the sort of sword that wouldn't be permitted apparently, but I've been in enough fist fights that I can handle myself unarmed." "If you don't mind I think I'll stay away from this," Kalin said. "See if I can help Kezia here start building some magical control so those explosions are less likely to occur." And from what Gwenlynn had said he was a little dubious about the way elves were treated in this place. He'd ask Tornica to keep an eye out to see if he wanted to actually venture into the city any more than he had to during their time here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:17:06 -0500

"I won't say I'm not curious," Gwenlynn admitted. "I've never met a man who could turn dragon before. However as I said we cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves and we aren't that far from teh city that it would go unnoticed." And she wasn't sure if she should believe him. Not that he really had reason to lie. In fact he had every reason to never state the truth if he could do what he claimed so there was really little reason to doubt him now. Kalin's words startled Gwenlynn and she looked up from the cooking she was doing. "Accident?" "A fist fight with armed guards wearing metal armor?" Clearcall gave Tornica a look that clearly said he thought he was crazy. He shook his head, golden-white hair shaking as he did and making his ears more prominent. "Well if you can turn into a dragon you will be handy to have in a real pinch I suppose." Gwenlynn looked at Seta, a little confused. "I'm not sure what that creature is you speak of, but it does sound a bit disappointing I suppose." "Your sword is still welcome," Clearcall told Alis. "We won't be traveling into Modelic itself so you can bring it along. I'm going to say that the big guy there should probably stay. He isn't exactly inconspicuous." He grinned at Finn.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:42:36 -0500

Kitchen "Hmm? Oh, it's just like a normal beetle like you'd find in a garden, only almost bigger than I am. They're all like that in the swamp." Seta picked up another potato to wash. "By the way, I couldn't help but notice your ears. They're quite nice looking, but I've never seen anything like them. Is it something you have personally, or is it a family trait, or...?" Emkai looked over to Clearcall. "If it's a matter of being inconspicuous, it might be best if I don't go after all."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:23:43 -0500

((Wah, the site is all kludgy)) @Kitchen/Star/DM/everyone else "Kilt a dragon with one blow?" Finn raised his eyebrows. He was very impressed. he'd never heard of anyone being able to do that. "This Dragonslayer moost be a great warrior." ((Hmmm, how do you represent a rolled R? double it?)) "I know many stories of dragons, some benevolent, some evil. But all of the tales are from long ago. No one has seen a dragon in a very long time. That is not to say they no longer exist." Jiya said. She looked at the handsome young man who said he was a dragon, "I imagine you have some wondrous tales to tell." She smiled at him. It was always good to learn new stories. At the revelation that the young man--he really did need to learn everyone's names--could turn into a dragon, Finn was on guard. Aillen could turn into a man. But he seemed affable enough. Finn also wanted to know the answer to that question. But he thought he might be able to figure out his own way home once he set his mind to it. He took a pull on his wineskin. No sense using up the beverages Clearcall brought if they didn't need to. he opened his bread bag and put four loaves on the table. "Everyone is welcome to this. It's rather bland on it's own, but good nourishment nonetheless. He noted how the exotically dressed woman sat and didn't help with the cooking. He thought she was a slave. But then, perhaps she only did what her master told her. He knew of slaves who had no minds of their own. She was something to look at, but he suspected she would be a liability on this...adventure. He looked at what Clearcall had brought in the way of food. "It looks like we are making stew." he said. "He unbuckled his claymore and weapon belt and set them with his various packs in the corner. "What may I do to help?" He asked Gwenlynn. Perhaps if he started, others would make themselves useful. "I have a few things I can try to open the veil, but I suspect it will only lead to faery and not to your own worlds. I can sense where the veil is thin and at certain times of the year we fey can freely pass through." Finn looked at Clearcall. "If it's bringin' weapons into the high town you're wantin', I've a sack can hold all manner o' t'ings. At least we'd hav'em wi' oos if there were needed." he paused. "Unless the Watch can detect the magic o' the sack." "I think it best that I remain behind, I have nothing to offer." Jiya said. Finn looked disappointed when Clearcall said he should stay behind. But the man had a point. And the scenery was certainly pleasant. He looked at the exotic redhead who sounded like an hundred bells with every movement and wondered if she danced. ((Meanwhile, Dumond is in the main room keeping watch, but he would go with Clearcall if he can assign someone to watch over Jiya. Finn says 'Pick me! Pick me!")) ((Which of the many elves is Seta talking to about the ears? All of them?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:23:04 -0500

@ Star "It's an ability that's only become controllable with practice," Kalin explained. "And it first started happening during moments of extreme fear or anger. Now older and supposedly wiser, he can usually keep a lid on his temper and steer clear of things that scare him. So it rarely happens unless he gets really, really pissed off." He grinned at Tornica. "But since we left your dad back home I think we're probably safe from that." Tornica didn't look particularly impressed by this particular conversation. "You know I am standing right here. I can explain my own abilities." "I've heard you trying to explain things Nicky," Kalin said flatly. "And you seriously can't. Entertaining as it might have been I thought we should go for something with a little more clarity this time." "Bitch," Tornica muttered. He gave Clearcall a sheepish grin. "Well...attack armed and armoured guards is such a stupid idea that they very rarely see it coming," he gave by way of explanation. "And I'm stronger than my size would indicate, which also helps." He didn't think he was making great inroads in convincing this man he wasn't mad. He could see Kalin's shoulders starting to shake with suppressed laughter out the corner of his eye. "It's not like I make a habit of doing this. Just that I could if the situation called for it. Which I hope it wouldn't." --- @ Jeze Kalin's ears pricked up when the big man mentioned a magic bag that could hold whatever they needed. "You have a bag that does what?" he asked. The words 'that's impossible' fought to have themselves heard, but Kalin just squashed them down and instead said: "May I see?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:24:51 -0500

"He has learned from some of the best in the world during his travels," Gwenlynn informed Finn. "We all hope it won't call for that," Gwenlynn told Tornica with a smile as she smiled at Finn. "I think we have this mostly under control. We just have to finish putting it together. It will still be a little while before it is done. An hour or so." She looked out the window. "Sorry it's so late but it really couldn't be helped." She looked at Seta, the was aware that her ears were showing again. "I'm an elf. All elves have ears like this." This was as good a time as any to address everyone about this issue. Gwenlynn turned to the group as a whole. "If everyone could please listen for a moment I really don't want to explain this twice." She waited for everyone to look at her. "Clearcall will walk around and not care who sees that he is an elf. Elves are not generally thought of badly. However when we are around anyone, and I mean anyone, outside this group, I will keep my ears hidden. Please do not bring attention to the fact that I am an elf. There are people looking for me and I would rather not be found. What I am doing is important to the survival of our world and if I am taken and sent away I will never be able to get this done. So please, refrain from mentioning my ears and if they do start to show let me know soI can take care of it right away." When Finn mentioned being able to put the swords in his bag Gwenlynn and Clearcall both stopped and looked at him. Clearcall gave the bag a calculating look. "The magic here is frail. The odds of any of the guards being able to sense magic at all is very slim to almost non-existent. I am curious though. How can such large swords fit into such a small bag?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:41:34 -0500

@Kitchens Sophia blushed at being noticed and shook her head, remaining silent. Who knew? Under that hood, he very well could be fay too. She had to be careful around everyone. No, the best thing to do would be to try to remain as invisivle as possible. "I'm o-okay." she replied very quietly and waited until he had gone into the kitchens to talk with the others again. Alis glanced at the loaves and shrugged, slipping out of her coat, she placed it neatly over the back of a chair and rolled up her sleeves. Plucking a nearby knife up, she started slicing the loaves for everyone. She was curious about the bags as well, but not enough to ask questions about. There were some things that just should be left as mysteries, in her mind. She was relieved to hear she wouldn't have to leave her sword behind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:38:20 -0500

Laurian Laurian fell silent again. There were enough people to do the talking, so why should she open her mouth? Then the elf – he was obviously an elf – said something about a bag that could contain all sorts of things. She drew curiously a bit closer to him, wanting to know more about this bag as well. It didn't look all that huge, so how was it possible to put a sword in it? "I had wondered about that," Laurian said almost absently when Gwenlynn mentioned her own ears and how elves were viewed in the city. "I couldn't detect that many elves in the city, so I wondered if they were perhaps not welcome." And she could imagine Gwenlynn's wish to keep them secret. She didn't do anything else. But of course, she came from a world where no elf had really walked upon the earth for the past 2000 years, so her ears were always drawing the attention of others. She was thankful, though, for the fact that hers were really small and hardly visible. (("It's... bigger on the inside!" :D)) ---------- Vanya Vanya had settled herself upon a chair near the fire. Unlike the others, she said absolutely nothing, but examined each and everyone within her view. Her eyes then fell upon Sophia. This girl... now, there was something delicious. She was already scared and nervous, though Vanya didn't know yet why. But that didn't matter. Someone who felt that uneasy would be such an easy target for her sharp comments. She kept staring hard at the girl who did her best to be as invisible as possible, and slowly a rather mean and icy smile crept on her face.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:54:10 -0500

Kitchen Seta nodded fervently. "Got it, no mentioning your ears." Emkai frowned. "You don't look okay. Is something wrong?" Hopefully she wasn't one of those idiots who believed all the stories spread around about firemen. Though of course, judging by the reactions of others so far, she might not even know about firemen. Omaron kept quiet and out of the way.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:46:47 -0500

@DM ((Hee, I _knew_ Kalin would be interested in Finn's bag, we've done this before. Can't wait til Kalin figures out his wineskin never gets empty...)) ((Although I am picturing all of the elves having slightly different looking ears. Finn's probably look like the elf ears in LotR, I imagine the full elves where he's from have much more prominent ears.)) ''Tis bigger on the inside than the ootside." Finn said to Kalin and Clearcall. he could see there interest. "'Tis old magic, but 'tisn't the only one. Ye canna poot anyt'ing livin' in it though. Seems there's no air." He picked up the bag and handed it to the small elf. "Name's Finn McCool." He didn't think he had actually met the elf or his dragon friend at the tavern. Mind the weapons in there. It belonged to me farther. "Tis made o' swan skin, I'm told." Jiya looked at the bag with interest as well. She had heard tales of wondrous things, such as bags that could hold anything, or charmed ropes that one could climb up and disappear from sight. Or rings that granted wishes. ((Finn really wants to say that the man who gave it to him called it a TARDIS bag...:) )) Finn listened to what Gwenlynn had to say. "Would it be better if I hid me ears as well? I already draw attention as it is." Even though he would be staying ebhind from the looks of it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:51:39 -0500

((I picture Kalin's ears looking quite like the Hylian's ears in Legend of Zelda. Fairly long and thin)) "Kalin Fairweather," Kalin introduced himself, while very rudely just placing all his attention on the bag. There was magic laced all the way through it, but it was completely foreign in origin (not that this really surprised him at this point) and he really couldn't see how it was meant to work. Didn't mean he wasn't going to try working it out though. "What happens if you turn it inside out?" he asked. "Does everything still fall out?" ((Sorry for rubbish post, but I must disappear to work now :( ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 02:25:02 -0500

((Yeesh I missed a lot. Sorry guys, final exams ate my time. At least I only have two left, and I'm alright with those subjects so...anyway, post)) "You alright?" Nitro asked Silica as they walked into the manor, releasing Sophia's hand and letting her wander. Silica nodded slightly and smiled, though it was evident that she was tired. She dragged her feet forward about two steps before she stumbled. Nitro gasped and ducked forward to support her, frowning. She seemed pained, and one hand clutched at her stomach. "You gave up your last meal again, didn't you?" he asked. Silica barely raised her head in response. Nitro sighed and led her towards the kitchen, where everyone seemed to be crowding around another man with pointed ears and his bag. Having not really payed much attention to the entire situation, he had no idea what was so fascinating about a bag. "We're sorry we're late." Nitro said, smiling sheepishly as he entered. Spying the slices of bread on the table, he helped Silica to the table and handed her a piece of bread. She ate slowly, her eyes focused on the table. Nitro sat next to her, observing the others in the room somewhat warily.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:25:23 -0500

Clearcall was curious how something like that bag would work. Certainly would make going for supplies much easier and more inconspicuous than carrying several sacks ladden with things. "Finn, I think that bag might come in very handy." Gwenlynn finished with getting the stew cooking, putting in the last of the potatoes Seta cut. She thanked the other girl and turned to the others. "I think we should discuss sleeping arrangements. This manor is fairly large, but not huge. There are seven rooms upstairs for us to share. I would obviously suggest the women staying together and the men staying together. Judging by the numbers we have here some will have to bunk three to a room. Unless there are men to volunteer staying in the main living room on the sofa to act as guards. I just don't want a lot of people falling out there in case someone does show up late at night. It would look suspicious to have people sleeping everywhere." ((Can someone else double check my counting, I think I have us at nine guys (Tornica, Kalin, Nitro, Finn, Dumont, Clearcall, Morgan, Emkai, and Omaron. Did I miss a guy somewhere? And girls I think we have eight (Gwenlynn, Seta, Alis, Wolf, Sophpia, Vanya, Lorien, Jiya)? Let me know if I missed anyone please.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:55:16 -0500

((Oh, and you missed Morwenna and... what's his name. Oo Her 'guardian' or whatever he is of her. So that's ten/ten.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:08:24 -0500

Laurian @kitchen Laurian was half tempted to comment on Finn's last name. McCool? That sounded like some made up name, and badly too! Something that perhaps some high school kid would call himself, because he considered himself to be the coolest of all children. But she decided to say nothing. It might only annoy the elven man and they could do without any arguments. She looked up when Gwenlynn brought up the sleeping arrangements and there was an amused smile on her face when the woman suggested that the men could volunteer to stay in the living room to act as guards. "I certainly don't mind to act as a guard," she said, her voice filled with quiet amusement. "I'm used to survive on little sleep. I do it all the time at home too."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 09:59:43 -0500

@Buggy/Lenihan Sophia felt a little chill, like someone was watching her and turned very slightly to see a woman staring at her quite intently. She glanced back tko the man again, feeling a little pale at her failng to be unnoticed. "Um... y-yes. T-truly...th-thank y-you." Her stammering was a little worse due to the close perusal of the woman seated a little way off. @Kitchen Alis finished slicing the bread, she stirred the pot of stew a bit while Gwenlynn was talking and then leaned on a table against the wall, picking at her nails with a little knife. She noted the man sitting at the table with his female counterpart as he watched everyone carefully. She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out why he have such cause for wariness around all of them. Well, other than being dumped here out of nowhere. They were all in the same boat though and from what she could tell, most people here seemed decent enough. She couldn't help smirking at that, the irony. "I can take a watch if it'll help." She offered. Then people wouldn't need to be awake the entire night at least. @Anyone/Myself/kitchen Wolf had taken to wandering around the kitchen as she listened to the conversations around her, lightly touching things here and there. On occasion she would pick something up and examine it before setting it down again in precisely the same spot and position before moving on to the next item. So many things here she had never even seen before. It was all so fascinating. She had question after question come to mind, though she didn't ask. There were far more pressing matters at hand than 'what is the function of this object?'

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:53:50 -0500

@kitchen/everyone Gwenlynn realized that her words might have offended some of the women. She hadn't meant to and she knew after talking to Dragonslayer that there were women out there that were just as fierce of warriors as their male counterparts, but there was a reason she posed the offer to the men. "I don't mean to offend any of the women here. I'm sure some of you know how to handle yourselves." She looked at the girl with the massive sword. "But if someone were to come i nthe middle of the night, say the kings guards doing routine checks or something like that, having women on guard would look very suspicious. Women here are not allowed to hold a sword. They were not so long ago as long as it was in defense of their home or family, but now.... Having a few men on guard will not look suspicious. Having women will." Hopefully they would understand and not be upset with her. She needed this operation to go smoothly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:12:26 -0500

@Kitchens Alis shrugged a little, "There's nothing too suspicious about a woman staying up rather late to finish mending a garment though, is there? Or preparing dough for bread early in the morning. Still... it's up to your discretion." She added a moment later, still picking at things under her nails until she was satisfied with the results and put the little knife away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:41:02 -0500

((You missed out Kezia when counting the girls, so that makes at least nine)) @ Kitchen "I'll happily sleep here rather than in one of the bedrooms," Tornica said. "Actually, I'd really prefer it. I really prefer larger rooms. Especially if there's going to be multiple people in them anyway." And it wasn't like he slept in beds often enough to miss them when one wasn't available. "And I'm used to standing watch." "Do the King's guard often come into houses during these routine checks?" Kalin asked. That was an alarming level of interference in daily life. "Should we be prepared for them to potentially be here at any given moment of the day?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:47:39 -0500

Laurian @kitchen "I understand," she said, though a frown appeared on her face. "That could be why those guards were staring at me, though. But if there is anything I can do... even if it's not standing on guard, but just anything at all, let me know." Laurian began to feel kind of helpless in this world. At home, there was so much to do that she often felt there weren't enough hours in a day. But now, there was just nothing she could do. She was good at fighting, at protecting others, and now she could not even do something as simple as stand guard, because it would bring everyone in danger. And that was something she could not allow either. If only she could join in with all the women stuff, but she didn't even know where to begin. She'd never repaired any piece of clothes before or made dough for bread, as Alis suggested. Laurian glanced a bit at the woman who came with these suggestions. Well, if she could do those things... perhaps she wouldn't mind teaching her a bit of those 'womanly' things?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:58:05 -0500

((I'm going home soon and I'm going to a formal dinner thing tonight in the city so I won't be on until tomorrow morning. (if I can wake up. lol)))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:21:42 -0500

"In time there will be pleanty that needs done." Gwenlynn gave Laurian a small smile then looked at Alis. "I would rather not take the chance. I doubt the king would send men out unless he suspected a threat ot his throne, but from what we have gathered so far it has happened. It was only about a month ago, when he found out his cousin returned home. After his cousin was taken he sent out guards to search for any accomplices. I cannot tell you the results of this though." "We are still gathering information," Clearcall told them. "Hopefully this Lord Tristan can help us with that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:32:36 -0500

Kitchen Omaron groaned inwardly. Sharing a room with a bunch of people he didn't know, wonderful. But at least he'd be sleeping inside again, something he'd very much missed for the last few weeks. "Oh I can sleep in one of the more crowded rooms," Seta said chipperly. "I don't take up much room at all." "I'd prefer a room not made from anything flammable," Emkai told Gwenlynn. "If that can't be secured I'll sleep outside." He glanced back to Sophia and followed her gaze. "Is she bothering you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:02:14 -0500

Laurian @kitchen Laurian smiled a bit when Gwenlynn ensured her that there would be more than enough to do later. But still, for now she was quite useless, and she wasn't used to that feeling. It was something she'd had to get used to, though, for the sake of everyone's safety by not attracting any attention. She moved a bit away from the kitchen to a place where she could sit and still listen to the conversations around her. It would still take a little while before dinner was ready. ---------- Vanya @her chair/near the kitchen Vanya didn't stop looking at Sophia, not even when Emkai turned to look at her. After all, there were no laws against looking, which meant there was very little the hooded man could do. Just to make things a little worse, she directed a sinister smile at Emkai as well. Meanwhile, though, she listened to the conversation about women, weapons, rooms and this Lord Tristan. Especially the last bit had her interest. There seemed to be a question on whether or not he could be trusted. It wasn't too difficult for her to find out where his true loyalties lie, but she didn't feel like offering help to these people. Then she remembered something. She'd come along with Omaron, Emkai and Seta, which meant that, should they be found out, her life would be in danger as well. A slight frown appeared on Vanya's face. Perhaps it couldn't hurt if she tagged along with the others to see what she could discover about this Lord Tristan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:39:08 -0500

((has anyone seen the life action Dragon Age webisodes? People call elves 'knife ears' as an insult :) )) ((I know Kalin's ears move like an animal's.)) ((McCool, Finn actually pronounces more like Mac Cue-ell. It's really spelled Mac Cumhaill. But yeah, awesome name for an awesome dude. I knew a guy named Tom McCool. Finn wouldn't know a thing about 'cool' meaning awesome. he only knows the word as referring to temperature.)) "NO! Don't be turnin' it inside oot! 'Twill ruin the bag an' I expect won't be healthy for any in the vicinity." Finn said hurriedly. "And the blades must be sheathed or protected, else they'll be piercin' the bag and again 'twill be useless. But 'tis a bloody handy sack, sure. No matter how mooch I stuff in her, it weighs the same." He grinned. "I noo ye said said I shouldna gae into town, bein' sae conspicuous. Boot if ye be needin' the bag...I suppose I culd let ye take it for a time." "I'll keep watch doonstairs. I doot th' beds would fit me anyway." ((And Dumond will most likely insist on sleping in the hall outside the room Jiya is in. But he's keeping watch in the front room now anyway, so he can't speak up just now.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:47:10 -0500

@Lenihan/Buggy Sophia glanced nervously at the woman and shook her head a little. The woman wasn't doing anything to her... and it didn' tlook like she was fay either so... there really was nothing wrong, was there? "Th-thank you though." She said shyly, playing with the bell on her collar.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 15:53:39 -0500

((oww, I feel so sorry for Sophia that Vanya decided to pick on her. XD Anyway, it's been frightfully quiet and I don't think I can have my chars really do anything... and just letting you all know that I'll be out most of the day tomorrow (work + kick-off), so... don't expect too much activity from me until midnight Dutch time. :) If it helps, though, Vanya will keep her eyeballs on Sophia~ Just to unnerve her more and more.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:38:08 -0500

((Sorry I haven't posted today guys. My tests were kicking my ass then I had family stuff to deal with. And I'm doing some moving work and writing a paper this weekend so I likely won't be around too much. Feel free to sit around and talk while waiting for the stew. Claim it's done and have your characters dig in, work out sleeping arrangements... It's all good for me. Just have fun while I'm away :) Next week shouldn't be as crazy so I should get to post a bit more. And I intend to move us along to the meeting with the nobleman next week too.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 06:42:31 -0500

Kalin's ears twitched in momentary alarm when Finn strongly objected to turning the bag inside out. "Never fear," he said, peering carefully inside the object. "I'm not reckless with my experiments. If there's someone I can ask about the details I'll always go for that over just trying to see what happens, especially if I don't know if it'll adversely affect the object." He carefully reached his arm inside and moved it around, marvelling at how he was able to put his arm in up to the shoulder, despite the bag not looking large enough to accommodate such an action. "Do you have any idea how it was made?" ((Hope you have a good day Star! I've had things to do and family stuff going on as well so the lack of moving on until next week is pretty good for me :p )) When the food was ready Tornica went into the kitchen to help distribute the meal. He hadn't got involved in the actual cooking because more than enough people have been helping out already and he didn't want to get in the way, but he could help ladle things out without causing too many problems. Kezia accepted her bowl of stew gratefully and started to wolf it down, wanting to eat it before it got taken away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 15:44:53 -0500

((We got 3" of snow overnight, some melted a bit and now we have sleet, what fun. I'm staying inside with lots of tea and thinking about making choc chip cookies.)) Finn looked at the man who said he didn't want to be in a room that was flammable. The entire place was flammable. The wooden floor, the draperies, the furniture. "Why? Are yew part dragon like this one?" He jerked a thumb toward Tornica. Jiya smiled at Tornica when he ladled two bowls of stew for her. She walked away with a sway to her hips that set her bells to jingling again. She picked up two pieces of bread and carefully carried the food into the outer room for Dumond. She set her own bowl down and then walked back into the kitchen to see about something to drink, just in time to hear Finn ask, "What do ye all want to drink?" He set a few mugs on the table. He poured himself whiskey from his wineskin. He smiled a little wondering what the little elf would have to say about it once he saw the way it worked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:02:34 -0500

Tornica paused a moment to admire the sway of Jiya's hips as she picked up her food and walked away. He then continued his serving, making sure to push a bowl in Kalin's direction. The little elf would frequently completely forget to eat when he got distracted by some new puzzle to play with. "Personally I would quite like cold, fresh wine drank straight out of the Queen of Summer's mouth," Kalin said to Finn's question, not looking up from the magic bag. "But since I doubt you've got her stuffed in a bag somewhere, much less the wine, I'll have some tea. Ginger tea if you can wrangle it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 17:46:08 -0500

((lol! Don't worry about Sophia, I like making things awkward for all my charries.)) Sophia wasn't sure just why the woman would be making her feel so uncomfortable... just the way her gaze was so fixed on her made her feel... well, in the spotlight. She didn't want attention drawn to her and yet here was someone who was completely centering on her. She swallowed and edged toward the kitchen when she heard people saying the stew was ready. Maybe she could get a little bit before it was all gone. The only problem with stew was that you couldn't take it with you places and keep it for later. She hovered near where it was being ladled out and decided to wait until everyone had their share before attempting to get some for herself. Wolf took one of the full bowls, thanking Tornica as she did. She carried it to where it looked like others were eating and set it on the ground, giving a whistle and calling out her wolves. There was a dark grey mist the swirled about her for a moment before two large wolves stood on either side of her, not looking at all pleased. "I am sorry that it has taken so long, there was not opportunity to call you out earlier." She explained. They were already sniffing at the strange garment she was wearing, their ears twitching at the sound of the strange words that they didn't understand. "It is what people wear here." She told them plainly, one looked up at her and made a whinging sound in the back of it's throat, not used to the strange words. Alis helped dole out bread to everyone coming to get food, making sure everyone had some before taking some for herself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:06:17 -0500

Dumond sat in the window seat keeping an eye out when Jiya brought his dinner. "Thank you." He began eating. "I'll fetch you something to drink, my Comte. Wine?" she asked. "Only if it is a good wine, otherwise, make it ale. Nothing is worse than bad wine." She turned with the sound of bells and went back to the kitchen. --- Finn laughed, "So would I, me friend. Sure. I culd provide the Summer Wine, even p'rhaps with the taste o' the Queen mingled in, but 'twuld not be the same. " He shook his head sadly. He made a face, "But if 'tis ginger tea ye be wantin'..." He poured the wineskin into another cup. It steamed and the scent of ginger wafted from it. "There ye be. Anyone else?" "Is there 'good' wine? The Comte would like good wine, but if there is none, he will take ale." Jiya said to the very tall man. She had to admit, he was very well put together and not gangly or clumsy at all. Although she had never seen anyone dress so strangely. Finn grinned at the very pretty woman. "I gave gi' yew wine fit fer the Summer Queen." He filled two mugs and Handed them to her. Jiya took the mugs and walked around the table passing by the young man who could turn into a dragon. "If you have time later, I would very much like to hear more of your tales of dragons. I am a bit of a storyteller myself."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 18:25:06 -0500

Laurian Laurian too went to fetch some stew and bread from the kitchen. Her stomach was growling quietly, and that said something for someone who had a tendency to skip meals. She half listened to Finn and the orders he took for drinks. She sure could do with a glass of good whisky right now, but perhaps it wasn't the best idea. Strange world, strange place, strangers all around her and from what she had heard so far, a rather unfriendly environment. It was all too well possible she would need to keep her wits about her. Alcohol could cloud her judgment and make her slower to react to danger. So she sat down and watched Finn's magic sack pour in all sorts of beverages upon request. Laurian hesitated slightly before asking, "Is it possible to have some coffee?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 21:22:49 -0500

((Actually, Finn has a few things...He has his sack o holding, he has a bread bag which dispenses fully nutritious but bland bread, and last and his most treasured, a wineskin that will dispense whatever potable liquid you as it for. And to your specific liking.)) "Coffee?" Finn wasn't sure what that was, but the wineskin would know. He poured another mug. It smelled very good to him, warm and hearty and comforting. He would have to try it sometime. "Here you are." He handed the mug to Laurien. It was coffee, the same as the best she had ever tasted, and just the way she liked it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:38:26 -0500

Kitchen Emkai frowned when Finn asked if he was part dragon-- what a silly idea-- but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he carefully lowered his hood (he'd have to in order to eat anyways.) His head was engulfed in orange-yellow flames. Every bit of himself that was uncovered by clothing was burning, including his just-visible face. Two eyes like white-hot embers peered sternly at the man out of the fire. "I take it you've never met a fireman." Omaron tried not to roll his eyes as he helped himself to stew. Emkai could be irritatingly dramatic at times despite his demeanor. Seta, on the other hand, watched the exchange with an odd sort of eagerness. It was as though she were trying to gauge everyone's reactions at once.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 04:57:52 -0500

"Wine with the taste of..." Kalin finally looked up from the Bag of Holding and stared at Finn. "What? How on earth would you have something like that?" And then rather than getting up to actually make tea he just poured it out the wineskin. And then a moment later poured out some wine. "I...but..." He switched his staring to the bag. "How the hell does that work?" "Just drink your tea, Kalin," Tornica said, clearly no where near as fussed about the magic wineskin. "It'll get cold." He blinked up at Jiya as she swayed by and gave her a smile. "I'll always have time for a beautiful lady. I'll try and think up some good stories for you." Nice long ones so she'd stay in his company a while. "Gods' teeth!" Tornica exclaimed as Emkai lowered his hood. "You're on fire!" "Good to know your eyes are working," Kezia said, halfway through eating her stew. "But I think he's probably aware of that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:02:04 -0500

Gwenlynn was sitting with her own stew, eating slowly. It was a bit bland but she didn't notice the different. To her it was more earthy flavors which was something she was quite accustomed to. She watched curiously as Finn poured everyone drinks of all kinds from the same wineskin. How did he do that? Then she started thinking of the Temeri wine from home, made from a special grape that can only be harvested in the valley beside her homeland. It made her feel a little homesick. "Do you think I could get some Temeri wine?" Then her question was interrupted as Emkai lowered his hood and she let out a small gasp of alarm. He was on fire! Yet he didn't seem to care or even mind at all.. Recalling that he had mentioned somewhere fireproof she couldn't hlep but blink dumbly at him. How as all of this possible? A man who could turn into a dragon. Another man who was made completely of fire. A giant elf with magical bags.... Clearcall gave Emkai more of a curiously appraising look as he saw the flames. Imagine the power he could pull from those flames. If only his magic wasn't so terribly weak now. "How interesting."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:35:38 -0500

(('A giant elf with magical bags' ... x3 )) Kitchen Emkai did his best to keep his annoyance off his face at Tornica's observation. "We all are," he said simply. "At any rate you can understand my concern about fire hazards now." He turned his attention toward the obviously surprised Gwenlynn and Clearcall. "Interesting how?" "Would you like some stew Emkai?" Seta asked as she darted over to the bowl, still half-watching everyone's reactions. "Please."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:51:10 -0500

Sophia managed to sneak a bowl of stew from the counter and edged away to a quieter corner to eat it. She watched the others eating for a while, clutching the spoon in her fist in what looked like might be the right way. For a moment, without realising it, she mimed how the others were using theirs, not taking food on it at first. Then, mustering her will to do it right, she scooped up some stew and poked the spoon into her mouth, her elbow rather high in the air. When the man with the hood lowered it, she paused with the spoon halfway to her mouth again and watched him, glancing at the others to see what they thought of this too. She put the spoon back in the bowl, sparing a glance at the wineskin and wondering if it could make chocolate milk... she didn't dare ask though. As nice as the man seemed, he was still fay. She would keep her distance. Wolf's wolves were scrabbling with each other to get the last bits of broth from the bowl, lapping away at it and sending the dish skittering across the floor. Of course, that meant that it could be almost like a game, they chased after it, tails flailing. She frowned at them and called them back, glad to know that she could still use her own tongue even though she now understood the others and could speak like them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 12:53:16 -0500

Laurian Laurian was surprised to see that the wine sack even knew how to make coffee. And although she rarely paid attention to the taste of it, this one was good enough to catch her attention. Better said, it was probably the best coffee she had ever had. But she didn't have much time to enjoy its taste, because next thing she knew, Emkai lowered his hood. As a fighter against all evil and unnatural, Laurian had seen creatures similar to Emkai and she immediately tensed up, ready to grab her sword if necessary. Because all the creatures she had met, none of them had been friendly. They were infernals, demons, devils and more. Some of them looked as monsters were supposed to look, but some could appear human... except for the flames and fire. Laurian did her best to keep her voice as neutral as possible when she asked, "And what exactly are firemen? Because the only firemen I met are people who put the firest out, not those who are on fire themselves." ------------ Vanya Vanya's uninterrupted stare at Sophia got interrupted as soon as Emkai pulled down his hood. And she had to agree with Clearcall; it certainly was interesting. She remembered an image that flashed through her head when she'd been talking to Omaron. Now Vanya couldn't help to tilt her head ever so slightly while watching Omaron.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:09:43 -0500

((Sorry should have reacted to this before.)) Gwenlynn suddenly saw wolves out of the corner of her eye and yelped in alarm, jumping from her seat and standing on the other side of the chair like it was a wall between her and the wolves. "W-why are there w-wolves int eh room?" Clearcall shrugged at Emkai's question. "Just the logistics of a man on fire like that... Don't have anything like you in this world so far as I've heard. And I've heard a great deal."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:58:20 -0500

Kitchen Emkai's hand went to his sword as soon as Laurien tensed, almost as though he did it without thinking. His attention was still on Clearcall for the moment. "We are far from home then," he replied evenly. "In the world I am familiar with, every human you meet has heard tales of us, whether they be rooted in truth or not." He turned toward Laurien as she spoke, and his manner seemed to become rather cool. "We are shaped like humans, but we are on fire. There isn't much else to it." He paused, eyes narrowing just slightly. "If you have heard stories about our kind being monsters or some other garbage, you should put that out of your head." His gaze flitted over to the wolves briefly at Gwenlynn's reaction, not quite understanding what she was so concerned about. Humans kept dogs and other things in their houses all the time, didn't they? "Here you are Emkai!" Seta said cheerfully and handed him a bowl of stew. Then she followed his gaze. "Goodness, you have wolves here?" She said this quite nonchalantly. Omaron looked up from his own bowl to Vanya, frowning slightly. He didn't like being watched over like that. As far as he knew, no one did. "Can I help you?" he asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 06:53:15 -0500

((Just letting everyone know that I will be moving us on to the next day this afternoon so we can get some of the fun started :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:30:37 -0500

Wolf Glancing up at Gwenlynn's response, Wolf looked at the rambunctious wolves and then back again. "They were quite hungry. I apologise for letting them out here, I did not think it prudent to do so closer to the city. They are quite harmless." Wolf assured her, seeing her agitated state. "Well... harmless to those who do not wish to harm me." She added, to be more precise. Sophia Sophia still had her spoon halfway to her m outh, watching the man on fire. She couldn't help wondering what it would be like to be able to cuddle closer to someone like that. Without being burned, though. It must be awfully cozy. She saw something big out of the corner of her eye and turned to see one of the wolves lick the stew off her raised spoon, it actually made her giggle.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:46:17 -0500

"Right." Gwenlynn smoothed the skirt of her simple dress just to have something to do with her hands. As handy as those wolves might be in the future, she couldn't help the swell of fear growing in her. "I think I will just straighten up here a little and get some sleep." She couldn't wait for tomorrow to be honest. As she moved around the kitchen cleaning up dishes she thought about him locked in that cell alone, waiting for another fight, waiting to see if it would be the one that killed him. and every day that passed with him locked in there increased his chances of death. Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly wiped them away bfore anyone could see them. She knew this had to be handled carefully but to be honest she just wanted to go in there and break him out. Even if it cost her her life. He would never forgive himself if I died saving him. When she finished cleaning up she excused herself, letting the other women know thy could room with her if they wanted, then headed up the large staircase in the main room toward her room. As she laid in the bed, keeping to one side and using her cloak as a blanket, Gwenlynn silently cried herself to sleep.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:52:30 -0500

Wolf Wolf felt badly, she hadn't meant to alarm anyone. Her wolves were sometimes... well, -usually- mischievous but they never were a danger to anyone unless someone were trying to harm her or people she cared about. She frowned and scolded them, giving another whistle and calling them back into their tattoo forms, she didn't want them to disturb anyone else. She helped tidy things up, bringing empty dishes into the kitchen to be cleaned, putting things away... she hid a yawn behind her hand, wondering when the others would be going to bed too, she was starting to feel the exhaustion from the confusing day creeping up on her as well. Straightening her own new dress, she figured she'd follow to where the bedrooms were, hopefully things would be more clear in the morning. Sophia When the wolf suddenly disappeared from infront of her, Sophia watched with curiousity and amazement as it returned to the woman. She set the spoon aside, -she- had no problem with eating with a spoon a dog had licked, she had eaten off of far worse, but she thought maybe other people would find it gross. She started to eat how she was used to, picking up the bits of meat and vegetable with her fingers and popping them in her mouth. She ate more quickly this way, being used to it and not the spoon. Alis Alis finished her food, helped with the dishes and finished the drink provided for her before stretching, a few of her joints cracking in a most satisfying way. "Well... if there's naught to be done down here, I'm thinking I'll retire as well." She hoped she'd get a good enough night's sleep, she usually found that trying to sleep somewhere that wasn't rocking gently in a current made for a rough couple of nights until she got used to the sensation of not moving.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:54:22 -0500

Not having a great deal to say to the group at large Kezia followed Gwenlynn's example. Only rather than help tidy up she just grabbed an extra piece of bread and fled upstairs to one of the empty rooms. She briefly thought about putting one of the chairs under the door handle so that no one else could get in, but she'd already been told the rooms would have to be shared. At least she'd been reassured that it would be another woman sharing with her. None of the men thus far had looked at her in 'that way' yet...but then very few of the men that had tried something on with her had really cared whether she was attractive or not. So she just huddled under the blanket, eyes locked on the door and the telltale feelings of the pressure starting to build in the back of her head. --- "An entire race of people made of fire..." Tornica marvelled. "There's nothing like that back home. Well...there's stories of fire spirits that live in the volcano, but they turn to smoke whenever they try to leave. Not something your kind have an issue with if they're able to wander the world."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:32:43 -0500

((Okay. Looks like I don't have time today to move us along. With nano starting tomorrow I expect we will be moving a little more slowly but I will start with the main plot tomorrow before class. I promise. So who was coming along on the trip? Tornica, Laurien, Alis, and maybe one more? Clearcall and Gwenlynn will both be going. The others can stay at the manor and get to know each other/get settled.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:39:24 -0500

((Vanya will tag along, but she won't offer to come with them. She'll just stalk them from a distance if that's okay. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:44:48 -0500

((That actually might come in handy ;) Depending on how she feels about the group.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:59:30 -0500

((Oh, Vanya hates everyone by default. :D I wouldn't worry about it too much. She's also smart enough to kind of figure out that she may also be dependent on the group, so she'll be as helpful... sometimes.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:08:35 -0500

Laurian "I have not heard stories," she said in a rather cold voice. "I have seen creatures like you or similar to you coming to my world to cause death and destruction everywhere. I have lost quite a few good men to them and I have fought them myself. I may not know where you are from, but you'll have to forgive me for just being a little on guard after all I have personally seen at my world." Laurian put her stew away, suddenly no longer feeling any hunger, and picked up her cup of coffee. Granted, she may be biased or prejudiced and it may be unfair towards Emkai. But she'd just seen too many villages and towns burn and who's to say he was not some sort of demon? Laurian preferred to be safe than sorry, even if it meant missing the opportunity of Emkai's friendship. Without saying another word, she went upstairs to a room, where she sat herself upon one of the beds. She'd see later who her roommates would be. Her fingers folded around the cup of coffee and she took some comfort in the familiar warm touch and strong scent. Laurian sighed. How long would it take before she could find a way home? She hoped it wouldn't take too long... --------------- Vanya Vanya didn't quite stop looking even when Omaron noticed her. But then she just gave a fake smile and shook her head. "No. I'm okay." She turned her attention back to the stew and continued eating. She kept her ears open, though, to all conversations around her. She'd noticed the wolves, but wasn't worried because they were quite under Wolf's control. Vanya was curious to know how it worked, but decided it could wait until later. ((Just a quick post to... well, round things up for the day with my chars. :) I'm sure Vanya will go up and sleep and such after her stew, but it didn't seem necessary to write it out.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:52:29 -0500

Omaron didn't quite believe Vanya, but he didn't push the matter. "No, we don't have to worry about anything of the sort," Emkai replied to Tornica as he rose. "It's about time I went to bed. Goodnight." He caught Omaron by the arm as he passed by, pulling him to his feet. The look the other man shot him was nothing short of mutinous, but he followed Emkai out of the room. Seta finished her stew, looking thoughtful but not really saying anything to anyone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:07:24 -0500

"I ha' ridden wi' Herne the Hunter, I ha' drunk mead wi' the Dagda himself, I ha' killed a dragon. I ha' met a woman made all o' flowers. I slept with the Morrigan, and lived to sing o' it." Finn said, "Boot I ne'er ha' met a man who was on fire. Didje make a fire spite angry? I hear they ha' tempers 'twuld singe yer eyebrows." Here was a man with a story, Finn was sure. Finn shrugged at Kalin. "'Tis old magic and belonged to me fatha. He looked at Jiya, "If the lad can't entertain ye. I'm sure I can spin a tale..." He smiled at her. He really wanted to know what was under that sack of a dress she had on that sounded like bells. ((Finn says more than his bags are magical, Gwenlynn *snirt*)) "Temeri wine, for the lady." Finn poured it into a mug and passed it to Gwenlynn. He did enjoy how discomfitted the little elf was over his magic. Finn knew no more of how it all worked than how the stars came to be in the sky. ((And somehow Finn missed the wolves as well. Wolves are bad things where he comes from.)) Finn's hand went to his dagger at the sight of the wolves. But they acted like dogs. he snorted a bit. Bran and Sceolan would make short work of them he was sure. he relaxed when they seemed well behaved and their owner, her name was Wolf wasn't it? How very imaginative. Thier owner seemed to have them under control. ((We can assume that Jiya and Dumond will stay downstairs awhile. Jiya to hear Tornica's story/ies and Dumond to make sure that's all that transpires between them. Finn will listen and maybe tell a tale or two. ((Jiya will be up in one of the rooms with Dumond sleeping outside in the hallway. Finn is on watch downstairs with Tornica. Finn only needs about 4 hrs sleep, so Tornica can take first watch and then Finn can take over.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 21:07:19 -0500

"No idea what a sprite is," Emkai told Finn over his shoulder as he left. "I was born like this." Finn was right about him having a story, but the fireman wasn't about to share that in a hurry.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:05:59 -0500

As Gwenlynn prepared to go meet this Lord Tristan, Clearcall doing last minute organizing, she looked out the window at the overcast sky. Rain was looming, a storm threatening to break the front any time. She recalled what her instructor told her about rainy days. They were the best days for those able to tap into the Essence of Water. It made their magic much stronger than any other day. A few months ago that would have concerned her going into this meeting. Now there were so few left who could tap without being linked to another that she didn't fear what might come. There was no way this king had learned about Linking. Cevius was too far south of where the discovery was made for word to have come this far. Especially since Regan guarded the secret to keep it out of the hands of Soulless. Today the storm wasn't what was worrying her. If this meeting went as she hoped it would, she would have the ability to make arrangements to meet with the Dragonslayer. It would be the first time in months that the two of them would see each other and it both excited and frightened her. What if he was angry that she was there? What if he told her to leave and never come back? It doesn't matter. I won't abandon him regardless of what he says. She didn't have it in her to walk away from him again. Well, technically it had been him that left last time but still. It wouldn't happen again. Lord Tristan was the key. He was important to all of this somehow. She could feel it. Dressed and ready to go, she sat perched in the front window, watching the motionless sky and road. There was a breeze moving the trees and grass but otherwise the day was ominously silent. Gwenlynn patted her hair once more ot make sure her ears were properly covered, not moving her gaze away from the spires of the city beyond. Clearcall looked at Finn, requesting his bag for the larger weapons so that they wouldn't look too suspicious. Once everything was arranged he looked at the others. "Okay, I'm not sure how long we will be gone. A couple of hours maybe. Please don't leave the manor. And if you do, don't come back until after we have returned. I don't want to draw attention to this place. If we have not returned after three hours lock up the doors and keep the lights low. Stay for two days before leaving and don't leave all at once. Small groups, no more than three or four. Do not come to the city. Head north. There is a group traveling this way under the banner of Light, the Golden Sun. Join them and they will help you. I have already sent word that you may be joining them so they will be watching for you." He looked at those who were coming with he and Gwenlynn to the meeting. "Relinquish weapons into this bag. It will make it easier for us to pass into Mordelic through the Onyx Gate. We are leaving now." Clearcall shouldered his pack, a rather small load, and grabbed his walking staff. Hidden within it was his longbow. He spared a glance at Gwenlynn, perched i nthe window, and worried. She was far too close to this. Clearcall knew her to be a level headed girl but her attachment to this human could make her reckless. All the more reason for me to be there with her. He would never forgive himself if something happened to the princess.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 15:09:49 -0500

Laurian Laurian had slept rather fitfully that night, often waking up in the middle of the night with a mind filled with worries. But the morning arrived at last and she got up to dress for the trip to Lord Tristan. She spent the first few early hours of the morning to clean her sword from the previous day's fight. Due to all that had happened, she'd nearly forgotten to take care of it. Once that was done, she went downstairs, briefly greeted whoever was there and waited for everyone to get ready. When Clearcall told her to put her sword in the bag, Laurian did as was asked. There was, however, an odd pang inside her when she handed it over. She and her sword were linked in a way and it felt weird to hand it over after five long years of carrying the burden. She also felt quite naked without the familiar weight of a sword on her back, but it was comforting to know that if they would really need it, she could take it out of the bag. ((I'll post with Vanya once this group is on their way to Lord Tristan. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:03:18 -0500

"It looks like there's going to be a storm," Kalin said cheerfully, observing the weather through the window. "Enjoy your stroll into town, Nicky." Tornica made a rude gesture at him as he handed over his sword to get hidden away in Finn's bag. "I'd enjoy getting caught out in a snow storm more than I'd enjoy being stuck in here all day." For all that the house was really very nice, definitely the best quality building he'd ever been in, he would end up feeling horribly caged if he was forced to spend time in here. At least being out in the rain meant he'd have the open sky above him. Kalin smiled before turning to Clearcall, his expression serious. "Is there any plan for meeting up with you again if we are forced to quit this place?" he asked. "Because it is quite frankly more than my life's worth to try going home without my captain's son in tow." Not that he'd abandon the young man to this strange world even without the threat of Tirin's temper.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:30:27 -0500

"The man who heads up that banner is more capable of helping you than you are of helping yourself," Clearcall told Kalin frankly. "Tell him what's happened, whatever you know of it. Tell him that we were attempting to free one he calls his brother. He will know who that is and won't delay in getting here. If we can we will head that direction as well but it is best for yourselves if you don't come looking for us. Go to him. He will help."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:40:19 -0500

Neither Emkai nor Omaron had slept well. It was difficult to tell with the fireman, but Omaron had dark circles under his eyes and was yawning openly. Seta was already up and (Omaron was annoyed to see) as chipper as ever. She waved as they entered the room. "It's a good thing we've got this place to stay in," she told Emkai with a grin. "Did you hear that storm come in last night? I haven't seen a rain like this outside of the swamp, ever." "Huh. I didn't think you'd left the swamp before you started being our guide." Omaron plopped down in a chair and laid his head on the table. Seta's brows rose. "I think someone should have slept in."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 01:22:34 -0500

Finn poured himself a whiskey. He looked a little damp. He had checked the perimeter of the grounds, "I was outside earlier. Nothing looked suspicious. You should be clear to leave." Dumond was at the table eating stew from the night before. Jiya was standing at the hearth ladling more stew to anyone who wanted it. Finn walked over as much to get food as to get close to the woman.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:27:49 -0500

(Oh my god I am so so sorry for not posting. ...At least my characters are handily anti social.) Nitro and Silica had talked little during and after their meal. They had been allowed to eat their fill that night - arguably it was the best meal of their lives. No rationing or contamination to worry about, just plain, good filling food. They had slept almost as well as they had eaten, however their separation from each other, their strange roommates and the sound of the rain in the middle of the night had made their night fitful and restless. Still, they awoke to find they hadn't been killed in the middle of the night and had entered the kitchen for their breakfast. Nitro smiled a little at Jiya and thanked her as he took two bowls from her and passed one to Silica. She seemed to have a bit more colour in her cheeks today...he smiled at her as she set her sword aside and they started to eat.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:13:47 -0500

((Quick post to keep my charries busy, will post when I can today. :) Does anyone else feel a bit guilty when they're posting on here and looking at all the words that -could- be adding to their WC instead? lol! XD )) Sophia had licked the last of the stew from her fingers before going to bed, she set the bowl in the kitchen and followed the other women at a bit of a distance to the rooms. She had been shown a bed to sleep in and she was too shy to decline it, so she climbed in under the covers and tried to fall asleep, though the bed was so much more comfortable than anything she'd ever been allowed that she wasn't comfortable in it at all. Eventually she -did- fall asleep, though not being used to sleeping off the floor, she fell off in the middle of the night with a squeak. The morning found her with a couple of bruises and circles under her eyes, though she wasn't grumpy. Very quiet, but then that wasn't something unusual for her. --- Alis had been up with the first sign of light, her schedule always had her up at first light, it was no struggle for her. She had been right though in thinking it was difficult to sleep on a bed that didn't sway. As soon as she got her land legs she'd be better off. She headed into the kitchen and accepted a bowl of stew with thanks and then went to slip her sword into Finn's bag with the others. --- Wolf had actually had one of her better sleeps that night, she hadn't slept on something like that bed before and found it very comfortable. It was very different but she quite liked it. She put on the dress she had bought and went to the kitchen, stretching a little as she did. ((I know they're not really talking to anyone, sry. Feel free to interact with any of them and I'll be back in a bit. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:15:08 -0500

"Right then, let's head out." Clearcall was eager to get this moving along. He tucked Finn's bag out of sight and headed toward the door, pulling up the hood of his cloak just in case of rain. As soon as he said let'sgo Gwenlynn was right there on his heels, her hood pulled up as well. If it did rain again the oiled cloth would repell most of the water leaving her mainly dry. As they headed through the Outer City Clearcall kept his eyes open. Most of the guards were only half alert and only a few people were out in the streets, aside from the homeless beggers. Most of them were cowered against whatever warm spot they had found and they refused to move from it. The majority looked like they were emaciated, on the brink of starving. This king was taking care of the people who took care of him and no one else. Once they reached the Onyx Gate they were stopped by the guards there. A couple of them set to work making usre that no one was hiding anything they shouldn't take past this point. Clearcall had all of that tucked safely away in Finn's handy bag though. After a few minutes they were cleared to pass through and they entered the city of Mordelic. Here the streets were cleaner and there were far less beggers in the alleys. The shops however still told the tale of the state of things here. Most of the shops were run down with grimy or boarded up windows. Some awnings were torn and tattered. Gwenlynn felt her heart ache as she looked at the condition of this once great city. The people here were suffering and she wanted to help them. Of course the best way to do so was by freeing the man who should be sitting on their throne. It took about a half an hour or a little more to reach the place they were supposed to meet with this young lord. Clearcall had the others wait out of sight while he went ot scope the place out in case this meeting was a set up. Once satisfied that all was clear he headed back to the small group and motioned for them to follow. They entered the inn by the back door, as instructed, and headed straight for the meeting room. The lamps were lit already and there were no windows, as was customary in these places. There was a cold hearth at the far end of the room and a long table the lenght of it. At the head of the table sat a young man in his early twenties dressed in fine clothing, a morning drink in one hand. Sandy blond hair framed his face handsomely, accentuating his dark eyes. "I was starting to wonder," he said as he stood, looking each of them over. "So, is she here?" He looked at each of the women in turn. Gwenlynn lowered her hood, blue eyes meeting his dark ones. "Can we please get this meeting underway? What can you tell us of what's going on?" Tristan raised an eyebrow at her, but he knew who she was so he didn't question her. "What's going one Princess? The current king is starving out his people by exporting the grain from the fields for exorbant amounts of coin and over-taxing the fish mongerers so that no one can afford meat. He's greedy, raising funds for the invasion he insists is coming. Meanwhile he tortures his cousin for sport and the people love him for it. Sure they love Aethan, but not so much that they would deny themselves bloodthirst entertainment. And any nobles who try and stand up to him are either stripped of everything and exiled or beheaded. No one dares to stand up against him without someone else to be the frontman and take the fall. I assume that's where you come in."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:59:43 -0500

((I feel a little guilty...but since I'm posting at work anyway... :p )) As they made their way through the Outer City Tornica couldn't keep the disgust from his face at the people and their surroundings. It was times like this he wondered why everyone he met made such a song and dance about civilisation and living in cities, looking down on him for having been brought up in a dirt hut in the middle of the wilderness. True he'd never have gained any sort of wealth while living in such a place, but it was only since moving to the mainland he'd witnessed such poverty and suffering. Back home you might have been at the mercy of the elements and the local dragon, but at least you weren't left starving in the gutter because some man in his fancy palace thought he was better than you just because he had a bigger sword or the right bloody parents. He just about managed to wipe his displeasure off his face when they made their way through the Onyx Gate but it was a struggle. It wasn't so bad on the other side but still not endearing him to the idea of city life. His eyebrows went up when the noble they'd met with addressed Gwenlynn as 'princess' though. Not that he was going to act any differently around her. Interesting to know though. --- Kalin watched Tornica and the others depart with a strong feeling of apprehension. Just keep your head down and your mouth shut Nicky he prayed. He sighed and turned away from the door, back towards the crowd gathering in the living room. The untrained mage hadn't joined them yet. Pity...trying to give her some tutoring would probably make the day pass faster.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:10:51 -0500

((I do until I remember that without this particular RP I would also be a little lost since you guys are helping me with plot issues for later in the series ;) )) ((Was Alis coming along with them? I think she was... Alis, Tornica, and Laurian if I remember correctly. With Vanya trailing along behind.)) "It is," Gwenlynn stated plainly. "But we need someone on the inside of the noble circle. And I was hoping that you would be able to help me in to see him." Tristan let out a small sigh, looking into his drink. "That's a mighty large favor you ask. I'm sure you understand that the king keeps a close eye on who visits his cousin. Anyone who tries to speak to him, especially nobles, are investigated for treason. Did I mention he was paranoid? Something got a bur in his britches and only his wife can get out. And trust me when I tell you, she is not the sort of woman you even want to try trusting. I grew up with all three, the king, queen, and his cousin. Only one of the three can be trusted." "So you can't get me in," Gwenlynn said flatly. Tristan turned the cup in his hands and replied, "I didn't say that. I said it would be damn near impossible and you will be followed. What is it you all hope to acheive by seeing him anyway?" "I have a message to deliver to him directly, one that I think will give him hope," Gwenlynn replied. Plus she needed to see him. "The sooner we can do this the better." Tristan eyed the others in the room warily, as if he didn't trust any of them. --- Outside in the common room of the inn a young woman sat at a table against the wall. Her dress was that of the average citizen, but her face was too clean and her hair to well placed to be a commoner. On the other side of the wall was the private room where she saw Lord Tristan enter. It took all of her concentration to try and eavesdrop on the conversation on the other side. These walls were built well, but not that well. Still, she could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation. Enough to get the idea. Outside in the street across the way and in the alley behind the inn she had a couple of men who appeared to be despots placed to keep watch. They would send in warning to the man she had posted next to the window if trouble should come.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:15:24 -0500

@Meeting Alis' eyes narrowed at the sight of all the poor around them. Many looking close to death, malnourished and ragged. These were the sort of people she always had strived to help. The opulence of the higher classes blinding them to what was going on all around them. Their greed for power and comfort leading them to suck even the smallest morsels and crumbs from the mouths of the poorer classes. She felt a growing anger, more determined than ever to help these people escape the clutches of this ruler. She wouldn't even give him the respect to call him a king. That title should be earned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:26:10 -0500

Vanya Vanya had remained rather quiet and almost invisible when everyone woke up and got ready for the day. She listened without paying attention to all that Clearcall told them, nodding absently to whatever he said. But as soon as the group had left, Vanya put on her cloak, waited near the window until they were just out of sight, and followed them. It wasn't particularly hard to follow the group, especially since she had her gift to help her. She got through the gate with little trouble and followed them until not too far from Lord Tristan's house. She found a place where she could delve into the depth's this nobleman's mind when someone else caught her attention. Vanya frowned. This woman seemed quite out of place, and it appeared she did exactly what Vanya had in mind as well, just in the more cumbersome way. Except Vanya could not recall having seen her before, which meant she was not part of the manor. It was her untrusting nature that led Vanya to focus her talent on this woman instead of Tristan. The nobleman could come later, but if her suspicions were right, they could be in danger. She leaned against a wall, appearing to an old lady resting from a long walk. Vanya narrowed her eyes as she zoomed in on this particular young lady. Taking a deep breath, she plunged herself into the mind, seeking out information, such as names, past conversations and anything else helpful.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:31:12 -0500

@Meeting Alis trained her eyes on the nobleman, meeting his gaze when his eyes passed over her with almost an unspoken challenge. She always detested the rich and the upperclasses. It was in her blood to do so... well, sort of. "I'm sure you can figure out a way to make this happen." She said quietly, wondering if money had something to do with his hesitation. "If it's a matter of... compensation, I can assure you, you can and will be well rewarded for your efforts." She said, watching him closely. "If you can get her in," Alis nodded toward Gwenlynn. "we can figure something out to help avoid whatever might stand in the way." She was determined about this. If this man she needed to see was going to help those people outside, just let the forces that be try to stop them. She would have much to say about it. Her hand went to her hilt, or where it would've been had it still been there, and she crossed her arms instead. @Manor Sophia shyly took a dish of stew, declining the spoon again this time, she went to find a place to sit, somewhere on the floor this time. Her brands on her feet flared with pain a little, she was growing accustomed to that happening these days though and she set the bowl down before rubbing at them. The little one by her eye itched and she rubbed at it too. After soothing them, she took up the bowl and started eating with her fingers, gasping when she found it quite hot to the touch. She dropped a little piece of meat back in the dish and sucked on her sore fingers, keeping in mind to blow on the food before picking it up again. She quite obviously wasn't used to hot food.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:13:06 -0500

"I'm sure I can as well," Tristan reassured Alis. "And it isn't a matter of compensation so much as it is a matter of rather liking my head attached to the rest of me. Something you should all think about as wel if you get caught. I can find a way to get her in, coax the right people. They are the ones that will want compensation, not me. I want that man off the throne as much as the next." "So what happens once we are in?" Gwenlynn asked, taking a seat primly in one of the chairs, hands folded in her lap. "We will have to work out the details once I know who can get you in," Tristan replied. "Who to see, how to get in, all of that depends on who I can get to work with me. I have to find people I trust. Surely you understand."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:21:16 -0500

Kalin couldn't help but notice the strange girl sitting on the floor, attempting to eat stew without a spoon. With nothing to really do but eat and worry about Tornica he was growing rapidly bored and socialising was probably the most constructive use of his time until he could coax Kezia out of her room. He went over and dropped down beside her. "You know, that's typically easier to eat with a spoon," he pointed out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:46:34 -0500

Sophia glanced up and then blushed at the man's observation. She had had a bit of potato halfway to her mouth and dropped it back into the dish, biting her lip. "O-oh...th-thank you, yes." She stammered, resisting the temptation to lick the gravy from her fingers infront of him. She didn't want to admit that she didn't really know how to use a spoon or utensils properly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:51:43 -0500

((Is this at a point where Kalin's ears have been cut? It was him... right? *trying to remember*))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:55:34 -0500

Laurian Laurian stood there silently, just observing and listening, though she heard only half of what was discussed right in front of her. Her attention was mostly focused on the door. Her ears were sharp enough that they would be able to detect any unwanted company before it could burst through the door. It may not give them a lot of time, but perhaps enough to be ready for battle. After all, it was possible they were followed or that someone had put a watch on this house. If the king was really that paranoid, there could be spies anywhere. She looked briefly at him when she felt his eyes upon her, but Laurian remained neutral. She had the feeling he didn't trust her, but she also knew there was very little she could do to gain his trust. Besides, as long as he was willing to help, Laurian didn't care whether or not he trusted her. ----------- Vanya Vanya had a hard time with this young lady's mind. She caught the name soon enough, since most people kept their names on the top of their minds. Lady Liandra Kinakius, which was at least something if that name meant anything to Clearcall and Gwenlynn. They might be able to determine if she could be trusted or not. But the other information was harder, and seemed to come more in images she had to interpret than any useful information. Vanya had done this sort of thing before, but she was still not a master in the arts and the images she received contradicted what she thought. It took a while to get them sorted out in the right order, starting with her as a young girl and someone who looked almost exactly like the man she'd seen at the arena. But there were other people in the picture too, including Lord Tristan, but Vanya couldn't identify the others. In the end, she had to conclude that this lady was somehow connected to the royal family, but Vanya couldn't quite yet determine where her loyalties lay. So she pulled herself back before she would be lost in the memories of Lady Liandra and unable to return, took a few moments to catch her breath and then quietly went over to where the young lady was located. "I bet your mommy never told you that little girls shouldn't eavesdrop on conversations between grown-ups," she said in her usual sarcastic voice. "Care to explain exactly why you are doing that, Lady Liandra?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:59:18 -0500

((Bleh... I'll figure out a way to get more involved later. I always seem to run into this sort of problem.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:05:45 -0500

((Wolf is still open for interaction, if any of your characters want to play. lol)) @Manor Wolf was listening to the conversations going on around her and realised with some surprise that their words were starting to mix together. She could still pick out one or two but then most of it was jumbled and she couldn't understand. She supposed this was the magic the woman had used, wearing off. She sighed and busied herself with her stew, she would have to try to find some way to communicate at some point.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:26:24 -0500

((I'm sorry, both my chars decided to go on a field trip. D: But there are still plenty of others around for you to have fun with? Also on other note: I'm off to bed. Got an exam tomorrow (early...) so best to try and get some sleep. I'll be back again somewhere tomorrow around noon (Dutch time).))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:32:34 -0500

((I'm not sure it's even worth it right now, as I'm leaving for church in a moment. Oh well, I'll initiate something and just see what happens.)) @ Manor Omaron lifted his head from the table just enough to look over at Wolf. "Is that breakfast?" he asked, looking at the stew dubiously.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:40:47 -0500

@Manor Wolf glanced at Omaron, head tilting to the side as she considered his words. "Y-yes. Food?" She said, hoping there was still enough of the spell left for him to be able to understand what she meant. She pushed the bowl toward him, wondering if her wanted some.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:48:53 -0500

((Kezia will be open for interaction when I eventually bring her downstairs. But I will be heading to bed very shortly after this post so...)) ((And no, Kalin's ears are still in tact and very obviously elven at this point in time. Sticking proudly out of his hairline)) That really hadn't been the reaction Kalin had expected. Although to be honest he wasn't entirely sure what reaction he had expected. Telling someone soup should be eaten with a spoon wasn't exactly the informing them of the breakthrough of the century. "Do...you want me to get you a spoon?" he asked. Maybe she wanted to eat with her fingers. It could happen. Syri sometimes went though phases of refusing to use cutlery for one reason or another.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:52:09 -0500

@ Manor Omaron was still a bit too groggy to realize how odd her statement sounded compared with how she'd been speaking the evening before. "I can get my own, thanks. Just..." He yawned. "Just wanted to know if there was anything else to eat."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:58:54 -0500

@DM ((I'll just say she was too shy to look at him directly then. lol! Otherwise she'd already be on the other side of the room. XD )) "Um... if-" She pulled her fingers back suddenly, having dipped them in again and yet again burned them a bit. She poked them in her mouth to suck on until the pain went away, glancing up at whoever this nice man was that was offering to fetch her a spoon. Her words died on her lips when she looked at him, eyes widening, she froze and looked away quickly. "If... if it pleases you." She whispered, trying to figure out if she had been reprimanded for not using cutlery. If he was going to tell her to use a spoon, she would try her best, no matter how silly she might look @Buggy Wolf shook her head, she didn't understand what he meant. She felt rather despondent at knowing she would be set apart from the others again, not be able to communicate. "Yes. Eat." she murmured, puling the bowl back to herself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:16:30 -0500

"Let me see what I can do before you head out," Tristan told Gwenlynn. "Then we don't have to attempt a meeting like this again." "The sooner the better," Gwenlynn insisted. "We need to talk to him before it's too late." Tristan nodded as the door opened and a couple of his men walked in the door. He waved at Clearcall as the man tensed, then looked at the two men. "Go to the arena and see who you can get to admit our friend a visitor without alerting the guards." He tossed a bag of coins at the men. "Tell them there is more where that came from." The two men nodded and bowed to Tristan, then left the room again. Tristan looked at the others. "I know of the Wanderer elf. And I heard rumors of the elven princess on the run from her own father. But these folks here..." He motioned to the others. "They are not the company I expected you to be in." ---- Liandra was more startled that her attempt to blend into the crowd of commoners didn't work more so than that this woman knew her name. If she knew anything about nobles she knew who Liandra was. And Liandra knew she was walking a terribly thin rope right now, between the king and his cousin. Everyone knew where she was most loyal which meant she had to do her best to show the king that it was to him instead. She smiled at the girl. "If you intended to come over here to insult me you are wasting your time." As a couple of men walked past, men she knew to belong to Tristan, Liandra looked down so that her hood covered most of her face instead of showing it. She couldn't afford for them to see her there. "Sit down and join me for a drink or go away." This woman was drawing too much unwanted attention. A minute later the two men walked out again. Liandra looked at her man by the door, who then slipped out without a word exchanged between them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:31:10 -0500

@ Manor Now that did catch Omaron's attention. He gave Wolf a curious look. "Can you understand me?" She'd been speaking pretty fluently the day before. What had happened? Seta and Emkai were there.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:20:32 -0500

((Yes, I feel exceedingly guilty that I can post easily on RPs but get stuck on my novel :) I got some more words in tonight at the write in, but not as much as I wanted. :( )) ((I think is was Germany that sold their bread to France maybe somewhere around the time of Napoleon, I think. Germany sold so much bread, there wasn't enough for their peasants so there was widespread panic.)) Finn had taken some of his personal possessions out out his sack before giving it up to Clearcall. "What shall we do to while away the time? We should take turns keeping watch, but I could play a song..." He suggested. "I can sing and dance and tell stories." Jiya said. She was meant to perform in palaces before kings, not go on adventures. She did not have much to offer, but she could entertain.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:53:27 -0500

@ LS "If it pleases me?" Kalin asked, confused by the abrupt shift to outright servitude. Granted the girl hadn't been particularly assertive beforehand, but something had definitely changed. "It doesn't please or displease me one way or the other how you want to eat your own breakfast. I just thought it might be easier if you used a spoon. And was a touch curious about why you weren't." ((forgive the scrappy post. I was just trying to get something down before I shot off to work. Not at a computer today so very little chance of sneaky posting))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:21:06 -0500

Laurian Things were happening a bit fast all of a sudden and Laurian was forced to pull her attention away from the door and focus it on the conversation between Tristan, Gwenlynn and, so it seemed, Alis. She was just a teensy bit tensed up when she saw guards, but relaxed again as well. Things went a bit too fast to her liking, but at the same time... the sooner this was over, the sooner she could go home. Right? A frown appeared on her face, though, when Lord Tristan said he had not expected Gwenlynn in the company of her, Alis and Tornica. It kind of implied that he considered them 'not good enough' to hang around nobility and the like. Various sharp retorts lay on the tip of her tongue, but Laurian held them back for now. In her eyes at least, she saw herself as a guard of Gwenlynn and Clearcall, and it wasn't her place just to tell this pompous nobleman he had no right to judge anyone. Granted, she didn't wear any fancy dress, but that didn't mean she was just some mere commoner he could look down on! Although Laurian said nothing, she'd now folded her arms and her expression clearly gave away she took offense to his words. ----------- Vanya "Insult you?" A brief, though cold laugh escaped from her throat. "Little girl, if I wanted to do that, I'd pick out your biggest insecurities and mock them so hard you'd run away crying. But that's not what I am after. You're up to something and I'd like to know what it is." Vanya moved closer just as Liandra asked her to, though not so much for that drink that was offered. She had a few images, she had her suspicions... but she needed to be close enough to get the information she wanted. "Vanya," she said as she reached out to grab Liandra's hand. And as soon as she had, Vanya forced her way into Liandra's memories, just to find out whether she posed a threat to the group or not. ((That'll probably be noticable and Liandra's free to pull immediately away. :) It's not like Vanya really has the strength to tighten her grip.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:26:35 -0500

((Nothing to add right now, but I do think it'd be fun to see Vanya and Doctor Huxley meet sometime.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:01:48 -0500

"These people are part of hte same group," Gwenlynn replied. She cocked her head a little. "If you were expecting who I think you were, he is far from here on other business, along with Kieta. They may not make it down here until after we have secured the throne for Aethan." "You sound confident that it will happen," Tristan noted. "What if it doesn't?" "Light help us all," Gwenlynn murmured. In all truth if they couldn't get rid of this king then they were in for some serious trouble, and in all likelihod the world would fall. -- "If you cal me little girl one more time I will call the guards in and tell them you are begging at tables here," Liandra warned, a dangerous edge in her voice. "And my business is my own." She looked at the offered hand and quirked her eyebrow at the woman. "You come over here, insult me, try to stick your nose in my business, then expect me to shake your hand? I will only say this one more time. Sit down or go away, Vanya." ((Sorry. She isn't ready to shake hands yet.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:02:56 -0500

@Meeting "Just what sort of company did you expect," Alis asked, then she smirked, "my lord?" She added, making it sound almost like an insult. She couldn't help bristling a little at his comment either but she herself had no qualms about making a retort. She had never let a man talk down to her before, well... not since she was a child, and like hell if she was going to let it happen now. @DM Sophia kept her eyes and head lowered, as was proper, granted she had met a few fay now who were seemingly genuinely nice... compassionate even. That didn't mean they -all- were though. Was he just mocking her... teasing and taunting her about not using cutlery? If he offered her a spoon, would he take it away and laugh at her for thinking she might be considering herself on the same level as him? She was at the point where she had no idea anymore. They always tricked her. She analyzed his words and tried to figure out what he might be planning... she didn't sense anything mean behind his words though... very hesitantly she glanced at him again, looking away just as quickly in case it was a trap. "S-sorry," She whispered, "I've n-not been allowed t-to use spoons or... or anything l-like that." She added quietly. "I'm not t-too good at it." @Buggy Wolf watched closely as Omaron's mouth formed the words... words that didn't seem to mean anything to her now, even just moments later. "Um... sp-speak... words?" She cringed inwardly. That did -not- come out as she had hoped. Maybe she would stick to the tongue she understood and hope he might understand for himself. ((I'll post her saying something in a bit...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:06:37 -0500

"He expected the man we told the others about," Gwenlynn told Alis without looking away from Tristan. "The people that the king's cousin was traveling with for a while before they were separated. He hasn't seen any of them since either, which means the king is intercepting all of hte reliable intelligence, or the Cevian spies really don't know what's going on in the north."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:19:01 -0500

((is okay, was hoping she could otherwise force her way, but I can find another way too. :) But letting you know, I'll be off soon and I think I won't be able to post again today. D: Hope it won't get too much in the way of everything.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:58:32 -0500

@Meeting Alis looked a little mollified at the reply. She gave a little nod and lowered her haunches a little, as long as it wasn't supposed to be an insult to them... "Who is this other man?" She figured she'd ask while they had a moment to wait. All this talk about this man had her curious.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:43:44 -0500

Tristan was tracing the grain of hte wood table absently as they waited. "The Blood of Light of course. Intelligence told us that Aethan was traveling with him for quite a while. He even helped this man secure his throne and bring other kings and queens to heel beneath him." He looked at Gwenlynn. "You can understand why King Valentis is concerned about his cousin being here. He is worried that Aethan will try to surplant him. Apparently rightfully so." "He would have little to worry about if he was doing his job correctly," Gwenlynn replied tartly. "Instead he turns a blind eye to the needs of his own people in order to obtain his own personal gain. A man like that doesn't deserve to have his backside warmed by a throne." "I'm not disputing that Aethan would be better in that seat than Valentis," Tristan insisted. "I'm simply stating that the king has every right to be a bit paranoid. Even if he caused the situations that would give him such paranoia to begin with." Clearcall's ears twitched and he looked at the door. "How long until your men get back?" "It shouldn't be too long. If they try and get nowhere we will have ot make arrangements to meet again once I have made the proper arrangements."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:58:50 -0500

@Meeting Alis wasn't sure about this guy... there was something just rubbing her the wrong way about him. Maybe it was just her own paranoia about things, her instincts were usually right, but then that was in her own world so maybe things were different here. She glanced at the others, wondering if they might feel the same thing, then backed toward Clearcall, leaning on the wall in a casual manner, arms crossed as though she were just waiting impatiently too. "Is he really trustworthy?" She murmured very quietly, figuring that Clearcall with his elven ears he'd be able to hear the smallest of whispers at that distance.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:09:48 -0500

Finn poured another whiskey. This was going to be a boring day. Not that he wanted to soldiers to show up or anything like that. He downed is drink then took his harp and tuned it. He played it quietly while listening to the others talk. Jiya found herself moving to the music even though it was unfamiliar and not in a style conducive to the type of dancing she knew.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:25:43 -0500

Nitro and Silica had moved into the main room after their meal, sharing what appeared to be a very one sided conversation. While Nitro spoke at length to his companion, he never recieved much more of a response from her than a simple nod, a gentle smile, the quiet shaking of shoulders indicative of laughter, and occasionally a playful punch on the shoulder. After one of these occasional punches, Nitro had laughed and rubbed his shoulder, before his ears picked up the gentle strumming of a harp. Silica's eyes lit up and she tugged on Nitro's sleeve, slipping her wooden flute from its pouch on her belt. He smiled at her and nodded, to which she clapped her hands with joy and hugged him. She then raised the flute to her lips and joined in with Finn's playing. (idk.)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:42:07 -0500

@ Super Secret Inn Meeting "I take it I'm meant to have some idea who the Blood of the Light is," Tornica said. It certainly sounded like a title. Clearly a very important one if he had kings and queens kneeling to him. From what he'd heard many of those didn't have much idea how to kneel. --- @ Manor Kalin blinked again. Not allowed to use these things? He started looking at Sophia properly: the subservient demeanour, the way she'd automatically sat on the floor rather than in a chair, not having been allowed to use basic utensils. "Sorry for the bluntness," Kalin said, in a tone that implied he wasn't sorry at all. "But were you a prisoner of some sort?" Or perhaps a slave? He couldn't think of many other things that would inspire such an attitude. "They're really not that difficult to use," he said, trying to speak gently. "You can generally pick things up by just watching people." At least he assumed that was the case. He was pretty damn sure neither Tirin nor Leena had sat down and specifically taught Ira how to use a knife and fork. He'd just picked it up. Syri on the other hand had needed to be properly taught...but that might be down to the brain damage rather than his having to relearn it when much older.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:08:32 -0500

Clearcall felt his ears twitch again when Alis whispered and glanced ta her from the corner of his eye. He wouldn't have brought Gwenlynn along if he didn't think they could trust this guy, but he wasn't about to talk about it in the same room with him either. Tristan was their best chance. He was best friends with Aethan for years. If htey couldn't trust him they couldn't trust anyone. and if that were the case there was no way they would win this battle. They needed nobility support. A noble would know best who could and could not be brought into the fold of things. Tristan gave Tornica a perplexed look. "What rock did you find this one living under?" He asked Gwenlynn, however before she could answer he spoke directly to Tornica. "Blood of Light. Alleged Savior of the world. The only hope we have against Shadow...." He wiated a moment and realized the lack of recognition didn't come from just Tornica, but the other two as well. Tristan shook his head a little. The two men came back in, one walking directly to Tristan and spekaing quietly to him. Not so quietly that Gwenlynn and Clearcall couldn't hear with their elven ears. Tristan sighed and looked at Gwenlynn. "I'm afraid my men couldn't get anywhere. Give me a day, let me know where I can find you, and I will get this sorted out. I told you it would be difficult, but not impossible." Gwenlynn stood, smoothing her ordinary skirt. "A whole day? He fights again tomorrow, doesn't me? I will have my meeting with him before then." It wasn't a statement so much as it was a command, as if she expected Tristan would make it happen before or else. "Send word to me at-" "Gwenlynn," Clearcall spoke up, giving her a look of warning. "Don't let your emotions cloud your better judgment in this. More than your life is at stake here." Gwenlynn gave Clearcall a whithering look. "I will deliver his message before he fights again. I don't care what it takes. We are in this for a reason, yes? Then everyone knows what's at stake here. Lord Tristan we are staying at the abandoned manor off the North Road. Send word to me there as soon as possible." Then she started toward the door, Clearcall looking angry as she did.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:28:07 -0500

@Manor Sophia squirmed a little, blushing and making the intricate branding marks stand out white against her pink skin. "R-rather... s-something like it." She supposed. Yes... isn't that what Myyr had said? Myyr had been the only one to convince her that what was being done to her was wrong and that she should run away. She bit her lip and raised her hand to chew on her cuff nervously, "I- I had tr-tried to watch." She mumbled around it. "It... it w-wasn't as easy as s-some made it l-look." She said, poking her finger absently back into the stew. It was cool enough to touch now. @Meeting Alis couldn't believe Gwenlynn had just given away exactly the location of where everyone was staying. She knew they may trust this guy but what about his men? She followed them out, feeling apprehensive. "We'll have to move." She said quietly to Clearcall. Hopefully at least -he- would listen to reason. She tugged her coat more tightly around her, a more nervous gesture than anything else.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:55:04 -0500

@ Inn Tornica just grinned and shrugged at Tristan's obvious confusion. "I don't really pay a great deal of attention to politics." Although this was definitely sounding as if it went somewhere beyond politics. That tended more to involve the fates of countries rather than the world as a whole and didn't bring anyone particularly close to the world actually ending. "Demanding isn't she?" Tornica said as Gwenlynn headed for the door. Ah well, from what he'd heard royalty tended to be like that. "Does this mean we've got to clear out of the manor? Just in case someone overheard that and decides to send folk to investigate?" Maybe he should offer to pass the message on to this man. Someone could probably tell him the easiest way to get chucked into the arena and once the message was passed on it wouldn't exactly be difficult to escape. Just transform and fly out the top. --- @ Manor Kalin tried not to stare at the marks on the girl's skin. He hadn't really noticed them before, but they really stuck out when she blushed like that. What on earth were they for? Some sign of the crime she'd committed to get imprisoned? A symbol of her owner if she had been a slave? He shrugged and sat down next to her, back against the wall. "I imagine it's not something that gets picked up straight away. But practice makes perfect. And stew is far nicer when it's too hot to touch with your fingers. It tends to have this odd slimy quality when it starts to cool." Or was that just because they had crappy cooks at the camp? Not that he could really complain because whatever they did was considerably better than anything he personally could make.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:07:16 -0500

@ Kitchen Omaron watched Wolf in utter bewilderment for a moment. Was this some sort of stupid joke? If it was she was a magnificent actress; she seemed embarrassed and a bit nervous. It's magic dearest, can't you feel it? It's not something I like particularly, but it seems neutral enough in alignment. Omaron blinked. Wait, what was that? MAGIC. The words came slowly as though Shard thought him very dim. They wove together a magic that allowed her to understand and speak the language the rest of us are using. It's wearing off though. Oh. He looked at Wolf with a new sympathy. It must be quite terrible, not having anyone who could understand you. Maybe there was something he could do. "Erm... no," he shook his head as he said the word, "...no... words?" He pointed at his mouth when he said words. If she is fooling around I'll look a complete idiot. Meanwhile, Seta and Emkai had turned to watch Jiya dance. Even the fireman had visibly let down his guard as she swayed in time to the music, resting his chin on his fist. He'd taken his hood off again, and there was a distant look in his eyes. Seta, on the other hand, was concentrating very hard. It seemed like she was trying to take in Finn strumming the harp, Silica playing the flute, and Jiya's movements all at once and figure out how to do it all. After shifting her weight in her seat a few times and drumming her fingers on the table, she finally settled her attention on Jiya. "Where did you learn to dance?" she asked curiously. "You're very good at it, I mean."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:11:12 -0500

@Meeting Alis nodded her agreement. "Anyone can be bribed, it just takes the right price." She said quietly as they left, "give someone the right incentive and they'll relay anything." She said coolly, looking around at the people as they went, wary of everyone. @Manor "P-perhaps you're r-right." Sophia replied quietly to the idea of practising. She licked the bit of stew from her finger, maybe it would taste better with a spoon. She didn't really know other than the experience she had had eating yesterday. "Af-after all, y-yesterday was only the- the first time I tried since a w-was really little." She whispered to him as though it were something she still wasn't sure she was allowed to do.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:12:53 -0500

((Tornica should totally offer that. Gwenlynn would be devastated at losing a chance to go see Aethan. lol)) Clearcall waited until they were away from Tristan and anyone who might be listening on his behalf before responding to the two of them. He chuckled a little at Tornica. "I think trying to stop Gwenlynn in this task would be like trying to stop the ocean from moving." It did worry him though. Gwenlynn wasn't exactly reckless, but when it came to Aethan she was likely to ignore reason. "I don't know if Alis is right. Tristan would have only brought men he trusted to a meeting like this. we are as likely to see his head on a stake first as we are to be invaded by the kings men. And I doubt anyone could hear what we were saying in there so outsiders wouldn't know what was going on. But we should be extra alert just in case and come up with an emergency escape plan."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:22:42 -0500

((Letting you know that... I'm at the pc and I will write a quick thingy for at least Vanya before I hop to bed. Laurian can just trail after the others, though she's got her suspicions about everything right now too. But it might take like 15-20 more minutes before it's up. Sorry! :O Thursdays are my bad days, gone for a long time for dance lessons.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:32:35 -0500

@Buggy "Lygidim-algax niiy.." Wolf said shyly, looking sort of embarrassed at using the wrong words, she bit her lip and looked at him apologetically. Moment by moment it was more and more difficult to piece the correct words together. "Lukw'il wiit'isim ganluuwantgum goot tgus." She admitted with a worried frown, it indeed was a troublesome thought, trying to communicate in a tongue that it appeared no one here had heard before. She was worried about it. @Meeting "Anyone can be bribed with the right amount." Alis repeated, muttering it under her breath as they walked. She always had trouble trusting people, she trusted her crew but only to a certain extent. She had been through too many mutinies to be able to really trust any of them... except for maybe Lucky.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:43:11 -0500

Vanya Liandra refused, but that was no trouble. Any physical contact would do. Hands were just an easier way to get to it. So Vanya just thrust her hand at Liandra, seeking that contact... only to withdraw it instantly when that bit of information she'd been seeking came to her at once. Confusion was written all over her face. "Wait. You're not... he..." She turned towards the wall and placed her hands against it. "Do whatever you must," she then said to Liandra. Any guards that came along, well... she could handle those. And she knew enough about this Lady to make sure she wouldn't be the only one in trouble. But Vanya's attention now went to the group behind this wall, particularly to one man behind this wall. But it was hard. For one thing, she had no command over the past, so all she could hear were echoing conversations of the past, and she couldn't get anything more recent than that said a few minutes ago. Still, she somehow managed to get what she wanted to hear. And what she heard troubled her. Vanya risked a quick glance at Liandra. She didn't trust her, but then... had she ever trusted anyone? Still, her loyalties seemed to be on the right side. "I think there might be a problem," she said as calmly as she could. "You don't trust this man, do you? I saw that. And from what I just found... those suspicions of yours could be correct. But I think things just got a little worse. Now I don't trust you, but I never trust anyone. You're quite alright not to trust me. But if you trust the other people inside... then you might be interested to hear what just happened." ((No Laurian, my eyes are falling shut. @@; See you all in the morning.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:00:12 -0500

@ Kitchen That put an end to it, in Omaron's mind at least. He offered Wolf a small smile. "It's okay. I mean... er..." Agh, she couldn't even understand THAT much, could she? This magic spell or whatever was handy, but if it didn't last for long it was going to be very bothersome. Maybe in the meantime, he could see if she'd be willing to learn the old fashioned way. He took the bowl of stew and set it in front of her, pointing at the contents. "Food." ...Omaron, this is very silly. You won't be able to teach her an entire language in a night you know, you won't ever see her again after we get this straightened out. Maybe, but it's something to do in the meantime.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:17:47 -0500

@Vanya "Well thank you for permission," Liandra told Vanya tartly. Who did this woman think she was anyway? Like Liandra needed her permission for anything at all. "Well that's refreshing. Mind your tongue," she hissed at the woman, glancing around at the other patrons. Thek ing could have spies anywhere. He had a vast network of them in Mordelic, as well as outside of it. And this woman was just openly making claims, even if not bluntly so. "I don't trust you," she said in a low voice. "And I don't trust them. I'm simply seeking information, so if you have any to share with me it would be appreciated. I wouldn't be sitting here if I wasn't interested in what just happened would I?" As she said this Lord Tristan walked out of the private dining room and passed near her table. Liandra kept her face down, only watching him leave from the corner of her eye. Her man outside across the street would follow him. Once he was gone she looked at Vanya again. "So? I don't have all day." @group heading back Gwenlynn walked ahead of the others as they headed back up the street, taking a different, longer route back to the manor. Clearcall watched her, and their surroundings, as they headed up the street. "Not true," he retorted to Alis. "Not everyone has a price. Especially if their own head is on the line. Tends to make men a little more wary. However, like I said we still need to be prepared, just in case. Every report I heard said that Lord Tristan was Aethan's best man, completely loyal to each other. It's the best lead we have."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:39:32 -0500

@Going back to Manor Alis clicked her tongue with disapproval. "I apologise if it comes across rude of me to not have much faith in someone you trust... I have never trusted people easily and my caution in dealing with people has helped me more times than hindered me." She said honestly. "My instinct tells me something's not right... call it intuition but I just don't feel comfortable with that man knowing where we are all staying. If the king offered him to keep his head if he helped to find... well, us, I should think it a very persuasive argument." She shook her head and tossed her hair over her shoulders. @Manor Wolf looked down at the dish, "Food?" She tried to sound out the word like he had said it. It didn't sound quite the same but it was close enough. She shook her head and made a motion trying to show she was too full already and didn't need any more of this... food.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 21:45:58 -0500

@ Manor "Good good! I mean... no, I'm not... hang on." Omaron thought he knew what she meant, that she didn't want any food. How could he get this across... "Words." He pointed to his mouth as he talked, then pointed to her mouth. "Teach words."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:49:15 -0500

@ Meeting Group "Alis has a point there," Tornica said. "If your king finds out what's going on and offers clemency so long as he betrays us...it takes a pretty strong man to decide a cause is worth more than his own life when someone is actively about to kill you." He sighed. "Although considering what I've heard about this king he might not hold to such an offer and execute the man anyway." That was the problem with paranoid despots. They rarely saw an issue with going back on their word if doing so would help consolidate their immediate power. "I know you said to try keeping a lid on my being able to turn into a dragon," he said slowly. "But if Tristan really can't get this meeting organised-" Because whether Gwenlynn demanded it or not you couldn't just make the impossible happen. Life didn't work like that no matter how much you wanted it to. "-I could try getting myself sent in there and pass on the message myself. So long as the actual arena is open to the sky it's not like they can keep me there. I could even bring Aethan out if I got really lucky in a match up." --- @ Inn Kalin frowned. "You were taken as a child?" That certainly reduced the likelihood of her having committed some sort of crime to be imprisoned. He couldn't think of anywhere that held children accountable for wrongs they committed. Beyond a public beating or something if they were caught stealing. "Well...if there's anything else you're unsure about feel free to ask me. I'll do my best to help." Kezia had been awake for a while and had been enjoying being back in a proper bed, curled up in the covers on the soft mattress. After a while the smells of breakfast and the sound of music starting to play roused her and she started heading slowly downstairs. Kalin perked up a little when he saw her. "Kezia!" he called. "Over here. I saved you some breakfast." There was plenty left in the pot anyway but it might make the girl a little more relaxed. Yesterday she'd looked about to fly off the handle at a moment's notice. Kezia looked over and frowned. "Why are you sitting on the floor?" Kalin shrugged. "It's comfier than most people give it credit for."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 03:25:42 -0500

@walking group. "I would like to believe that Tristan really was god enough friends with Aethan that the two would never betray each other, but you are right. A man will do anything to save his own neck sometimes." Clearcall watched Gwenlynn with a hint of worry in his eyes. "But others would also risk their own neck for someone they cared that much for. There is no way for us to know which this lordling is until we move forward. Which is why it would behoove us to have an escape plan and extra watches." As Tornica explained his idea Clearcall had to admit it was an impressive one. There was a risk in it though. A very high one on Tornica's part and it wouldn't be fair to not tell him of it. "I like your idea but there is no reason to get you thrown into the arena if you can just fly in and take him out anyway. There... is something you should know about though. Gwenlynn was told that the Dark Lady Acebrity has a hold over this kingdom, perhaps even the king. If that's the case then there is a chance she could show up and try to control you. Now, since you aren't naturally a dragon I'm not sure how well that would stick, but it wouldn't be right of me not to tell you something about it anyway. Certainly would make freeing him a lot more simple." ((Don't know how much I will be around today. My husband woke me to tell me his mom was taken to the hospital for a head injury so after classes I'm going to see her then I will likely be doing family stuff after that. Don't worry too much. She's only in the hospital for observation at this point and she doesn't have anything more than stitches. Still, It's keeping me awake tonight.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 05:02:20 -0500

@ End of meeting "Gwenlynn did mention something about that," Tornica said. "It's one of the reasons I was advised not to let anyone know about it. I suppose I could just swoop in there and take him out...but wouldn't that make it more dangerous for everyone else as well? I mean...if I pass on a message to him and then fly out in an unconnected fight people might not think too much of it." Aside from wondering what the hell was going on in general. "But if I fly out and take him with me...someone's going to pick up on that and make a connection. And if this goddess is able to control dragons she might be able to use that to find us." Which was a risk anyway but he was getting the impression they'd pay far more attention to what his draconic self was doing if he was associated with Aethan. ((Poor Star. Sending good wishes to your mother in law!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:05:47 -0500

@group headed back "She doesn't have to come looking for you," Clearcall told Tornica. "She will make you come looking for her." He sighed, watching Gwenlynn walk ahead of them. "I have a feeling her message for him is a personal one." He looked at Tornica. "He was taken prisoner by the Dark Lady some months back and somehow he managed to escape. Gwenlynn found him in a field she had been trying to save a farmer's harvest from failing. They took him to the barn andshe healed him, brought him back. According to her he was near dead when she found him. He stayed in that barn for several weeks as he recovered and the two of them grew quite close. She won't tell about the reason the two of them didn't leave together but I'm sure that she wants to send a message to him that is far more personal than not."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:53:21 -0500

Manor @Buggy Wolf watched him closely as he pointed to his mo uth. He wanted to eat? Then to her mouth... she frowned, trying to figure out what he meant and then thought she might have an idea about it, she blushed and shook her head, looking flustered. "N- Nii... ax axhugaxam min-hamhumts' t ax..." She said, biting her lip and looking away, my, people here were quite forward... she wasn't used to that. She didn't even really know the man and he wanted to kiss her? @DM Sophia looked up at him, surprised again. He was fay, wasn't he? Surely he would know how it worked.. if he knew, would he send her back? "Th- they said I w-was tr-trespassing." She said quietly, "And t-took me to W-w-wayland... I didn't mean to, I just... it just h-happened. One m-moment I was in g-gramma's backyard, the n-next..." She shrugged. "I was a-about this big." She held her hand up so it was around her height when she was four or five. It wasn't very big. "He said- he said I- I belonged to the fay now... then he m-marked and collared me." She was finding that as she kept talking, it got easier to speak to him, he wasn't condemning her for anything... she wasn't sure why she felt safe with telling him, but she did. "H-he's a m-m-mean m-man." She whispered, then looked a little frightened at her own daring to even say it. Surprised once again at his offer to help her, she stared at him in amazement until the girl came over, Sophia broke her gaze from him and managed a little smile. "Th-there's plenty of r-room." She offered, moving over a little.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:27:35 -0500

((Just a heads up to say I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get on here this weekend. I'm away tonight (though same as what's happened those other weekends apply, I might be able to get the net working) then I will be able to get on for a bit on Saturday morning, though likely not the rest of the day... then Sunday maybe for a post or two.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:58:51 -0500

@ Manor (( xDDDD Poor Wolf.)) Omaron was taken aback at Wolf's flustered reaction. What in Blazes did she think he'd meant? Why don't you think for one long moment, dear, about what you just did and what someone might take that to mean if they didn't know your language? ...oh. It was his turn to flush now. "No, uh, no, that's not what I meant at all," he told Wolf quickly, then hesitated. "Right, you still don't know what I'm saying, ah..." He shook his head (thankfully they could still play the yes/no game like that for now if it was necessary.) "No. Speak." He pointed to his mouth again, but this time he moved his hand to mime someone opening and shutting their mouth. Then he gestured to his ear. "Listen speak." And once more he pointed, this time to his temple. "Understand speak." Then he gestured to her and repeated himself. "Understand speak?" Maybe she'd get that much. I doubt it dear. You humans as a group are incredibly dense.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:20:22 -0500

@ Meeting Tornica raised an eyebrow at Clearcall's explanation. "Wait, it's just a personal message she wants to pass on to him? I thought this meeting was about some big important world saving sort of event. I'm still all for helping him get out of that place, but I'm not risking my neck like that to pass on a love letter." He might be something of a romantic but he did have limits. --- @ Manor "You were trespassing in your own grandmother's garden as a child so these bastards kidnapped you?" He listened to the rest of what she had to say, a look of revulsion slowly growing on his face. "That's disgusting. Kidnapping and enslaving anyone is foul, but children?" He shook his head. "If you see this Wayland guy knocking around here just point him out to me and I'll blow his head off for you." Kezia hesitated a moment before taking a seat. "What are we talking about?" she asked. "Nothing pleasant," Kalin said. He cocked his head at her. "Are you all right? Your aura is looking a little brighter today. Pulsing more too...are you feeling that pressure starting up again in your head?" Kezia nodded. "I felt it starting to come back last night before I went to sleep," she said softly. "This is the fastest it's ever come back." Kalin sighed. "Right...well, later on I'll see if I can show you how to get rid of it safely. That okay with you?" "I still don't want to learn magic," she said stubbornly. "Unfortunately I don't think the people that discovered you left you with a great deal of choice," Kalin said. "But I can try teaching you simple ways to make it safe so you can learn the absolute minimum to get by."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:01:27 -0500

((Gee, I missed a lot here. I had a busy day mostly filled with doing ML-type thinngs. And when I had time to post, nano was down :( )) ((Star, sending positive thoughts to your MIL. Hope she's doing better.)) Finn was trying to watch and listen to everyone at once while seeming to be involved in his playing. The meek girl with themarks on her, the one with the magical wolves... Who seemed to be speaking a strange language. That was vey odd. Everyone seemed to be able to understand each other, except for her. Perhaps he should offer to try a spell, but listening in on the meek girl--Sophia, and Kalin was very interesting. He decide it were best not to say that the fey often stole children who wondered over a leyline when the veil was thin. But he didn't know any who used them as slaves. Generally they raised them as their own. He let the last notes fade away and spoke up to Wolf and the man talking to her. he didn't think he had properly met him. "I can try a spell to have her understand languages. Seems whate'er Gwenlynn did has worn off. Not something we want to happen in the middle of a fight." ((And I'm off to bed, I think. If I'm not around tomorrow, feel fre to bunny Finn doing the spell. he can do it with a piece of bread again, or maybe several once he knows it will work, then Wolf can eact a piece at her discretion if she wants to try and learn more words for awhile.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:09:39 -0500

Omaron looked up at Finn hopefully. "You can?" Seta waited for Jiya's reply. ((so uninspired...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 08:55:57 -0500

((I'm really sorry, but I think I can't keep up anymore. D: It's just going so fast right now and I have too much to focus on at school. Laurian's already been quiet/absent for a while, but if it helps with Liandra, just pretend Vanya just told her where Gwenlynn etc are going to and that Tristan knows where they are all staying. It was fun doing it and I'll miss you all!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 09:50:42 -0500

@Buggy ((Sorry I missed you post, I. have to skim quickly when I post so I can get back to writing as you can see I'm behind in my word count already.)) "Learn?" joya had learned many things, but dancing was just something one _did._ "For the most part, this is the way we dance in parsa. The women anyway. There are other Court dances I was taught, and some other dances a special instructor was brought in so I could learn more and therefore increase my worth. I can dance on glasses, and I also dance with knives or a sword. There is a peasant dance done with a shepherd's crook--I kno that one as well."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:03:30 -0500

((Sorry to hear it lenihan! Wolf really liked hanging out with Laurian. It's understandable though, especially with everything going on this month and stuff.)) Manor @DM Sophia was feeling shy about correcting him but she thought maybe it was worse if he had the wrong impression... what if it was like she was lying and he found out and decided to punish her later? "I- I think it was r-rather more th-that I, um... passed through s-something. I was at gramma's house... just playing in the y-yard... and then I was in a big- big dark forest." She tried to explain. "I d-don't know how it happened." She added quietly. He was continuing to surprised her with just about everything he said...when he offered to hurt Wayland if she saw him around, her eyes widened, she didn't know what to say. Then she thought about it a bit more and worried her lip. "Wh-what if you aren't around though?" She asked, the terrifying thought crossing her mind, she fingered the bell on her collar..."It- I might... I might die fr-from it if- if you aren't." She looked nervous about bringing it up, he seemed really nice, not the type to want her to get hurt. @Buggy/Jez Wolf could hardly bring herself to look at him after what she thought he had been implying but then he was motioning again. She watched carefully and then it dawned on her what he -really- meant and she blushed even more at her mistake. "Oh... Aa." She smiled at him and nodded, "Di'akhlkw k'amksiiwaamak." She said, she would very much like to learn their tongue. It would make things much easier. The man replied to the tall musician across the room, she looked confused again and looked from one to the other, trying to make sense of what was going on.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 10:53:07 -0500

@ Jez ((Yeah, I understand. I thought you might miss it anyways, since we weren't interacting beforehand.)) Seta marveled at this. "On glasses? You mean like drinking glasses right? That's amazing, I don't know anyone who can do things like that. Then again, I don't know many people who can dance well period." She paused, a thoughtful frown crossing her face. "When you say 'worth', what does that mean exactly?" @ LS Omaron looked back to Wolf a little sheepishly. "Uh... magic talk." He pointed from Finn to her before miming talking again. Having no idea how to get the idea of magic across, he waved his hands slightly in the air and went "whoooo." You really do sound ridiculous.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:06:39 -0500

@Buggy Wolf watched him and tilted her head to the side, "Whooo?" She asked, not understanding what he meant by the word, then a light entered her eyes and she motioned excitedly. "Oh... Yukwhl sisatkwt?" She nodded and looked around, spotting the last remnants of the kitchen fire. She pulled a little from it and created a couple of little smoke rabbits, making them hop across the table between her and Omaron before they leapt off and disappeared. "Sisatkwt..." She smiled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:18:38 -0500

@ LS It was Omaron's turn to be taken aback. He gaped at the rabbits, blinking. "How in Blazes--?! Er, I mean... sis-at-kwit, yes. Magic." He pointed back to Finn, but he couldn't stop looking at the point where the rabbits had just been.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:47:40 -0500

@Buggy Wolf couldn't help giggling a little at his pronounciation. "Sisatkwt." She repeated. "Twkt... sisatkwt." She herself was able to form the word easily enough, she didn't think of it maybe being difficult for someone who didn't know the language. "Magic..." She pondered over the word and shrugged, matching the two words together so she could remember them later.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:18:32 -0500

@ LS Omaron screwed up his face a bit in concentration. "T...tkewt? Twkt? Odd word. Er, yes, sisatkwt, magic, words."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:00:03 -0500

((Oh that's sad! I was looking forward to how Vanya would fill in the plot! But I also understand. As it is I won't be around much to post this weekend.)) @ls/dm "It isn't like that," Clearcall reassured Tornica. "Yes, the message is a bit personal but I doubt she would want anyone else to deliver it, whatever it is. But we aren't freeing him for her. We are doing it because this kingdom needs him on the throne. You've seen the city, the state of things as they are now. He can fix it, and he's the only one brave enough to take on the king. But he can't do it from the arena.And we do need nobles on our side. This is the best place to start, with this young lord."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:43:12 -0500

((I admit I was looking forward to it as well, because I feel Vanya was far more interesting in the game than Laurian was, but... I really can't. ^^; School's demanding just too much time and it'll only get worse from next week on when my minor for writing starts... So better drop out now than struggle on a bit longer and then have to quit. I wish you all good luck and much of fun, though. :O And I really wish I could keep up with it, but who knows... if there's something similar next year, I'll try to be there!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:54:44 -0500

@Buggy Wolf nodded a little, looking pleased they had managed to communicate with each other like that. "Food," She said, pointing to the dish, "M- matk...nii..." she corrected herself, the two words had gotten jumbled in her mind and she blushed. "Ma-gic." She made a motion like the bunnies hopping. ((Going soon, not on for the night but I might be able to get a post in tomorrow. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 16:01:34 -0500

@ LS Omaron smiled. "It's fine, don't worry. Yes, magic. Food, magic." He pointed to the food and mimed the magic-thing again. Hopefully the other man could do his bit soon.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:24:37 -0500

@ Meeting "Well...then should I just fly in and bring him out?" Tornica asked. "Or do you think the nobles will be easier to rally to your cause with him still in that place? I came along to this meeting as muscle pretty much. Thinking has never been my strong suit. Kalin pretty does my share of the thinking back home." -- @ LS "Okay..." Kalin said, trying to wrap his head round that idea. "Similar to how we all ended up here?" Not that he'd actually noticed much of a difference. Him and Tornica had been walking towards a nearby town together and had ended up in a town. Just obviously not the one they'd struck out for. "I'm afraid I don't know how that would work either." Which was highly annoying. He was used to knowing how things worked. It was what he did! It was why he was the brains of the operation back at home. Aside from tactics of course. Tirin was pretty much the brains when it came to that. Not that Kalin was a slouch on the matter. He just didn't have Tirin's natural aptitude for it. Her next statement really confused him. "My being willing to hurt him might hurt you...if I'm not there to actually do it? If I wasn't there how would he know?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:07:55 -0500

@dm/ls Clearcall thought about this for a moment. It would make things much easier as far as getting Aethan out, but they would have to get word to him first. "I like the idea, but I think we will need to warn him. I would hate to have him see you as a threat and do something to you. Perhaps we can have Gwenlynn add that to her message for him." Which unfortunately meant they would have to let her go. "If the word comes from her he will trust it without question." ((I'm thinking Regan won't end up in this unless he makes an appearance at the end. Pretty sure it will be Aethan instead but you guys know him so I don't plan to do a bio for him. I will try and get us all back together again Monday if I can't do it tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:34:38 -0500

((Sorry folks, I was out and about today and even had my netbook with me, then the blasted thing decided to go blank. It seems ot be ok now, but I lost 3 hrs when I could have been writing/posting :( )) @Buggy "Yes," Jiya told the woman. "Usually heavy glass goblets turned upside down." She froned a little, "My worth." She repeated as if the girl was a little slow. "The more songs i know, the more instruments I play, the more dances I know, the more I am worth. Generaly that makes me more desireable. But the Pasha's first wife felt that he was spending too much time with me and so she pressured him to sell me. The Comte traveled all the way across the continent to purchase me for his.. liege. A Marquis, I think. Or perhaps a Duke." She had heard that a Duke was even higher than a Marquis, but neither was as high as a, what did Dumond call him? Le Roi. @Nagats/Buggy ((Tell Wolf, I'd like to buy a vowel :) )) Finn walked over to the Wolf-girl and the man who seemed to be trying to teach each other their languages. "I can cast a spell that I t'ink will enable Wolf to understand an' speak as she did before when Gwenlynn cast the spell on her, although my magic is different." He pulled off a piece of bread and roled it into a ball. He hummed a line of music at it. "Eat this when you are ready and you will understand and speak." He said slowly as if that might help her understand."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 07:59:50 -0600

((Okay here's a post. I'm around a little this morning but not much at all during the day.)) The group returned the the mansion, Gwenlynn a minute before the others. Clearcall bid the others hello as they came back in, smiling as he heard the music and such that was going on. At least they knew how to keep themselves entertained. Gwenlynn took a seat near the window again, watching the dark clouds that still hovered in the sky menacingly. Only a few short minutes after they returned a woman cloaked against the weather outside approached the manor. ((And i'll leave it there for the moment because I don't know if anyone was keeping watch or not.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 08:25:37 -0600

((If it weren't for the weather, Emkai would volunteer to keep watch. As it is he might be watching through the window.)) @ Jez Seta's eyes widened slightly with realization. "Are you a sort of slave then?" She sounded more curious than anything, but she added in a low voice, "You might not want to bring that up around Emkai. He feels very strongly about slavery and that sort of thing." @ LS and Jez Omaron looked at the ball of bread wonderingly. All of this was very strange, but somehow he didn't doubt that the man was telling the truth. He glanced at Wolf. "Er, magic food. Talk magic food." Please say she gets it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:32:08 -0600

@Jez/Buggy ((lol, I know, eh? There's 2 different kinds of sounds for a few of their consonants too, a k from the back of the throat and a k more from the front of the throat. Soft and hard I think they call them. Same with the x. )) Wolf accepted the bread, "T'ooyaksiiy niiy." She replied, looking up at him, then at the bit of bread. This must be the magic sort of thing the man had mentioned. Interesting that more than one person here had the ability to help her speak this foreign language... She figured it was better to have it now and figure out what she could learn while understanding and then perhaps when she became rather muddled again, she could understand more without needing magic to translate. @DM Sophia worried her lip again, "Um... it's the- the collar. It's enchanted." She explained quietly, not wanting anyone else, especially any other fay in the room to know. She glanced at Kezia nervously, then back to the man. He was fay but he seemed nice so it was probably okay. "If any fay g-gives me an order... I'm f-forced to obey. If I d-don't... it strangles me un-until I do." She fidgeted. "If you say that I should tell you if I see him h-here..." the prospect terrified her... "if you aren't an-anywhere around, I might not be able to find you b-before it... it..." She trailed off. @Back at Manor Alis stripped off her coat and hung it over the back of a chair before taking a seat, puling out a little silver flask and taking a sip. What a trying morning. She could only hope that their impressions of the man weren't wrong and they wouldn't be put into any danger due to Gwenlynn's informing him exactly where they were. Seven hells... she thought and took another sip, kicking a little table nearby closer and putting her feet up on it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:57:44 -0600

@ LS/Jez Omaron watched her eat curiously. "Did it work?" @ LS again Emkai's brow rose when Alis sat down at a nearby table. There was something pleasant about her, he decided. Perhaps it was just her honest mannerisms. It was much more sensible for people to just act like how they felt instead of putting up a front. "How did it go?" he asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:18:51 -0600

@ LS "It does what?" Kalin said, eyes going to the collar. "That's vile." He reached out. "Do you mind if I take a look?" He placed his fingers on it gently and tried probing it carefully with his magic, ready to pull back in an instant if he felt it react. He didn't want to set it off and have it start strangling the poor girl. "Can magic really do that?" Kezia asked. "I know objects can be enchanted to glow or be especially sharp. But I didn't think something so...sophisticated was possible." "It's not," Kalin said flatly. "Or at least the magic I know couldn't do such a thing. It's a tool, just energy. It doesn't have intent. It reacts to specific triggers and events, not things that change with context and meaning." He sighed and looked at Sophia. "That collar needs to come off. I don't know how, I assume there's probably something on it to stop it just being removed, but it definitely needs to come off. Until then..." How should he phrase this? "Nothing I say to you is an order. Even if it sounds like an order because I'm being careless with my words it will always be just a suggestion that you can follow or ignore as you wish." He didn't know if the collar would pay a blind bit of attention to that, but he couldn't think of anything else to help at the moment. --- @ Star ((Not keeping watch, but...)) As they approached the manor again the weather looked to be turning seriously nasty. Tornica scowled up at the sky. While he didn't mind bad weather if he absolutely had to go out in it he'd really rather not get soaked. Yet in general he preferred to be out in the fresh air rather than cooped up indoors. "If no one objects I'm going to go back outside for a bit longer," he said. "Enjoy being outside while I can before the weather breaks." Kalin didn't seem to be paying a great deal of attention to his return, completely focused on something one of the girls was wearing round her neck, so Tornica just stepped back outside.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 11:53:35 -0600

@dm When someone came out of the manor house Liandra paused for a moment. It was only for a moment as there was no time to waste. She had nothing on her for protection save a small knife. Hopefully she wouldn't need it.Taking a step toward him she called out a greeting. Her heart was hammering but there was little hse could do to clam down. For all she knew she could be walking right into a clever trap. This man was part of the group that had just returned from town. "I was hoping to speak with whomever is in charge here," she told him as she approached. "It's quite urgent. Everyone here is in danger." Of course she had no real proof of that but it seemed lately like Tristan couldn't be trusted. That woman at the inn had told her where the others were staying. @inside manor "We will see how it went soon enough I think," Clearcall answered, glancing at Alis. "Most of us have a bad feeling about this lord but right now there is little we can do but wait. Meanwhile, I hope no one is too settled here. We may have to leave quickly."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 12:28:10 -0600

@ Star Tornica's eyes narrowed in suspicion as the strange woman approached. Had she followed them back from town? Surely someone would have noticed her if she had. He didn't know about the elves here but Kalin and Syri had considerably better eyesight than your average human. Still, their position was dangerous so he couldn't dismiss the woman's warning. But since he wasn't the best person to deal with it he just beat the door with his fist, not taking his eyes off her as he did so. "Someone's here that wants to speak to you," he shouted through. He didn't want to start announcing names. Gwen and Clearcall could work out who he was calling for amongst themselves.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:00:22 -0600

@Buggy/Jez Wolf noticed that her mind wasn't quite as uncertain about the words after a few moments, she could make sense of most of the words he said, though the definition or... perhaps rather how to use them effectively herself, eluded her with a handful. "I- I think... ah... mostly?" She said, hoping it was right. ((Just bearing in mind Finn's magic is different here. ^^)) @Buggy Alis glanced at the Fireman, she gave a shrug and then nodded toward Clearcall. "What he said. The princess decided to put enough trust in the lord to tell him our location outright. I just hope she's right about him because for some reason he just rubbed me the wrong way." She replied quietly to Emkai, then shook her head a little and leaned forward, taking her feet off of the table, tensing when she heard there was a visitor. @DM "O-okay." Sophia lifted her chin so he could have a closer look at it. The collar seemed to tremble just a little, as though trying to decide whether it was being tampered with. Kalin had let go before it decided to start shrinking. Sophia looked from Kezia to Kalin, she didn't know how it worked, it just did, that's all she knew. "He... W-Wayland, was a m-master smith. He... he made things out- out of... p-p-people, usually." She stammered, plucking at a thread on her dress. "Even he isn't able to t-take the collar off. The last one he c-could... this one he made sure n-no one could... It has M-Myyr in it." She added the last bit in a whisper, touching the emeralds and pearls gently. She stared at him when he clarified himself about the ordering about. She could only bring herself to nod, so surprised by his kindness and generosity. "Th-thank you" She managed after a moment, remembering her manners.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:08:13 -0600

@ Wolf Omaron's face split into a grin. "Oh that's good to hear. I'm not sure that I make a very good teacher. My name's Omaron, by the way." @ Alis "She what?" Emkai frowned. "Perhaps I don't know the situation very well, but that sounds extremely foolish." He looked up as someone declared there was a visitor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:34:07 -0600

@Omaron "Well met, Omaron... Gibuu Limx...or... Sorry, Wolf Sings to Moon in Water is what I am called." She blushed a little, normally she didn't give her full name, it was rather formal. "Or just Wolf." She added quietly. @Emkai Alis shrugged, "I agree, though Gwenlynn and Clearcall maintain he's trustworthy enough... Oh well, what's done is done. I suppose we can just wait and see what comes of it and hope for the best." She rubbed at a scuff on her boot, making it shine again. How she hated looking less than her best. "I don't think we've been formally introduced, I'm Alis. Alis Lamour, captain of the Galatea." She held out a hand to shake his, though she was keeping an ear out for who the visitor might be.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:12:42 -0600

@ Wolf Omaron almost chuckled when she blushed. Was she embarassed? "Wolf, that should be easy enough to remember. It's nice that we can actually talk together now." A very slight suspicion that wasn't his stirred in the back of his mind, but Omaron ignored it. @ Alis "Yes, there's nothing more that we can do it seems." Emkai eyed her hand for a moment before shaking it. His own would feel abnormally warm even through his glove. "Emkai, tactician of Blazes's army." He sighed when Clearcall announced they'd be moving soon. It couldn't be helped, of course, but he did hope the rain would stop first.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 14:46:17 -0600

((Just wanted to say I'm heading off for the night, I'll be back tomorrow when I'm at work. ^^))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:01:57 -0600

Silica's flute playing cut off abruptly and her hand flew to the sword at her side. She pocketed the flute and tightened her hand around the sword's hilt, frowning. If they were in danger, she was ready. She hoped desperately that she wouldn't need to use it. Nitro got up and stuck his head out the window, frowning as he saw the cloaked woman talking to Tornica. His eyes glanced up at the dark clouds. He didn't know what they meant - hell, he had not the slightest idea what this 'rain' everyone spoke of was, but judging from everyone's reactions, it wasn't really pleasant. Still, he was too embarrassed to actually ask people what it was, so he stayed silent on the matter. He just flexed the muscles in his hands and waited. ((...Why the hell did I make these two be so antisocial?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:43:06 -0600

Gwenlynn could hear what he others were saying about her but she didn't really care. The way she saw it, it was their only option. When Tornica hammered on the door she jumped and moved gracefully to the door, opening it before Clearcall could stop her. If it had been trouble Tornica wouldn't have just knocked like that. On the other side of the door a stately woman waited. She was obviously a noble despite her common clothes and a very young one at that. Likely about the same age as the young lord they just met with. The recognition in the woman's eyes made Gwenlynn's gut twist with anxiety. "May I come in?" the woman asked, looking pasther at the others gathered there. "I have come alone. I promise you that. And I've come with a warning." A loud crack of thunder boomed outside, following a bright flash of lightening. Gwenlynn stepped aside to let her in. If she had ill intentions she didn't stand much chance in such a large gathering. She watched as the woman passed into the main room and lowered her hood, revealing pristine blond hair. For a human she was quite pretty. "What warning have you?" "Lord Tristan cannot be trusted. Forgive me, I am Lady Liandra. From what I understand you all are trying to find a way to free Lord Aethan from the arena. I want ot help you, but first you must gather your things and leave here." Liandra looked around the room a touch nerovusly, though she held herself in good composure. "He hasn't put himself in the king's pocket, but he definately has his own idea of who should be next on the throne and I promise you it is not the same man you wish to plant there. He is seeking opportunity to kill Aethan, possibly the king as well, and seize control. That means if he has to turn you in to the king to meet his own ends he will. In all likelihood the kings guards are on their way here as we speak. But I can help you. I have somewhere for you to stay that Lord Tristan would never think to look." Clearcall was standing in the doorway to the hall that led back to the kitchen, listening and watching. "We already have a means of freeing him. All we need to do is let him know how it will happen. Why do we need you? How do we know we can trust you?" Liandra nodded a little. "A fair question, sir. I have been working since the previous king's death on establishing a means of disposing of this king in the event that Lord Aethan return. I have resources everywhere that you could not even imagine. And... before he was sent away on this mission of his by the previous king we were betrothed. I want to see him succeed. And I certainly want to see him survive." Gwenlynn didn't flinch at this, though she did seem to be hiding something in her eyes. Was that hurt, hate, or something else? Clearcall couldn't tell. He looked around at the others as if asking them what they thought. Meanwhile Gwenlynn sank down into one of the vacant chairs.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:17:06 -0600

((Eleven, Antisocial chars in an RP are very challenging to write.)) ((I believe Dumond has appointed himself guard in the front room, at least he was last night ebfore everyone went to bed and Nicky and Finn took watch.)) @Buggy "'A sort of a slave,' yes. I am a very special sort of a slave. I have been trained since I was a young girl in all manner of entertainments." Jiya looked at the girl. "And this Emkai would blame me for being a slave? I am what I am. I will not hide it from anyone. Are there not slaves everywhere? It is the way of the world." @Buggy/Nagats Finn made an eating gesture with his hand and nodded to Wolf. "Eat the bread and understand." ((That's fine. Finn's magic is weaker here, different energy and all that.)) "Well met, Wolf-Sings-To-Moon-In-Water. A lovely name that, there's poetry in't. I am Finn McCool." He made a little bow. @Main room "There's someone outside. It looks like a woman. The dragon boy is speaking to her." Dumond called back to Clearcall.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:27:03 -0600

Emkai had pulled the hood up over his head soon after he realized someone else was entering. He obviously didn't want anyone else knowing what he was. He was silent through Liandra's speech. At the end, however, he rose. "Regardless of whether this one is to be trusted or not, we can't stay here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:29:31 -0600

@Seta "It is what slavers do," Jiya said. "They raid the villages and take the people and the children. There are also border skirmishes and the loser become slaves, and also criminals may be given the choice to be a slave or rot in prison or worse." She paused, "Would Emkai try to harm the Comte if he learns I am a slave? I could not have that happen the Comte is the one who will get us back home and he rescued me when the bandits attacked our caravan. Jiya looked at the woman who entered the room, she reminded her of the Nords with their pale winter beauty. @ Room Finn could try a spell to determine if the woman, Liandra--that one rolled off the tongue, he thought. he could detemrine if she were lying. He casually walked over to Gwynlynn and spoke very softly, "I ha'e a spell to discover lies. Shall I use it?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 01:53:35 -0600

Tornica really hadn't expected Gwenlynn to be the one opening the door. To be honest he hadn't really expected anyone to be just opening it like that. He'd have thought there would be a "who is it?" or something shouted back first. But maybe one of the others was looking out the window to describe the person and they recognised her. Either way he was sure they knew what they were doing. Rather than going inside he elected to stay where he was, enjoying the fresh air and keeping an eye out for anyone else that might be coming up the road. Kalin could fill him in on the details later. --- @ LS Kalin felt a very strong urge to wash his hands. "Wayland made things out of people?" He shuddered at the thought. There was not enough yuck in the world for that particular idea. He sighed. "We'll think of something. With all these people here from all these places there must be someone that can help get it off." He dropped his examination of the disturbing thing when the young lady came in. "Why must we leave here?" he asked sharply. "How does this Lord know we're here? After the severe talk we had yesterday about how this all needed to remain secret I really hope no one was stupid enough to just blurt out our location."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:14:13 -0600

@ Jiya "He... he might. I don't know. It's hard to tell what Emkai would do sometimes. He seems very collected most of the time, but..." Seta finally shook her head. "I doubt he'd actually try to harm this Compte person. Generally speaking Emkai tries to stay out of other people's affairs, especially when it involves humans. It'd just be better if it wasn't brought to his attention probably."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:31:01 -0600

Gwenlynn shot a whithering look at Kalin at his remark. Maybe it had been a bit impulsive and unlike her to tell Tristan where they were, but she saw no other alternative. When Finn leaned down to whisper to her Gwenlynn jumped a little at hte sound of his voice right there in her ear. She gave him a small nod. It couldn't hurt. "I am in an even more dangerous position than you all are," Liandra informed Kalin. "While you try nad move between shadows behind the king's back I'm doing so directly in front of him. Trust me, if anyone here stands to lose a head I would be first in line." Liandra glanced toward the window. "I understand you not trusting me. But I impore you to make your decision quickly. The kings guards will not be far behind me if I am correct. I will wait outside so you can speak in private. I believe one of your companions is out there to keep an eye on me." "You aren't going anywhere until we determine our trust," Clearcall stated quite firmly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:57:17 -0600

Just catching Gwenlynn's withering look out the corner of his eye Kalin gave her a cheerful grin in response. Under stress or not if she was going to do stupid things she was going to have to put up with him calling her in on it. It was far too ingrained a habit to break now. "Are you always this rude?" Kezia asked. Kalin shrugged. "Generally. I tried being polite and tactful and I just didn't get anywhere. But a foul mouth and an abrasive attitude? My point pretty much always gets across." When he heard the new girl mention their companion outside he felt compelled to speak. "I wouldn't leave her with just Nicky to keep an eye on her," he advised. "He's a good kid, but he can be ruled by what he keeps in his trousers and might not pay the right kind of attention to a pretty girl like the Lady here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:02:46 -0600

@DM Sophia blushed, wondering if she had somehow offended him, just judging by the look on his face. "I'm sorry.. I- I just, um..." How could she explain that even though she didn't like it, and it horrified her too, that she had some how just gotten used to the idea of it? "I know it's horrid... Pr-probably best just n-not to th-think on it m-much." She gave him and Kezia a sheepish and apologetic little smile. "Even if they c-can't get it off... I'm tr-trying to get back h-home... there aren't m-many fay there, as long as I c-can avoid th-them I sh-" She stopped, thinking maybe that was sort of an offensive thing to say too. He was nice afterall. When the woman came in, Sophia sat, listening with wide eyes, they were in danger again? @Buggy/Jez "Well met, Finn McCool." Wolf replied, saying the words and his name slowly to be sure she was saying them right. It seemed they understood her, that was something at least. "What is poetry?" She asked, looking from him to Omaron, not familiar with the term. She watched Finn go over to Gwenlynn and watched the woman who had entered, how had this woman known where they were staying? "Is this place not meant to be... um...un- unspoken of?" She didn't think that was the right term but she couldn't think of another. @Buggy "A tactician, hn?" Alis looked impressed. "It's a shame you're on fire... well, a shame for me I mean. I take it you're not very fond of water? I could use someone with skills of a tactician on my ship sometimes." She nodded, that -would- be brilliant. She'd perhaps have to look into something like that when she got home. When the woman came in, Alis kicked the table to the side again and stood up, ready for anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:18:33 -0600

@Seta "I hope Emkai would be smart enough to stay out of it. The Comte sometimes has a short temper and his justice, when he thinks he has been wrong is swift and merciless." She wrapped her arms around herself. "He cut off a man's thumb whom he thought thoughted me inappropriate way." She turned her attention to the group at large. @ the Group ((Dumond is still in the front room, inside keeping watch.)) Finn nonchalantly reached into his sporran and pulled out a small wooden box, he took a pinch of whatever was inside and rubbed itween thumb and forefinger while mumbling something.he flicked the dust away and brushed his fingers on his kilt. He wondered if this Liandra used magic or if any of the others could tell he had just cast a spell. His spell was successful, he could feel it. But he could tell it was not so strong as if he were in Tara. If the woman was a consumate liar, or had used magic prior to coming to them to obscure her motives, this might be useless. Jiya stifled a giggle at what the elfling said. She rather liked him. She would have to think of a way to make a story about him.She thought one combining the giant elf and the elfling would be droll. "From what I can discern, Liandra speaks the truth. her apprehension is real and it is not us she fears." Finn said to the group but was specifically addressing Kalin's concerns.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:46:56 -0600

((I think most everyone is in the front room right now if I'm understanding correctly.)) Gwenlynn watched Finn with interest as he cast his spell. Liandra had her attention of Kalin. "I assure you I can handle myself wel enough around such men," Liandra told him. But it looked like she wasn't leaving yet anyway. When Finn announced that Liandra was telling the truth Gwenlynn felt her stomach drop. Maybe along hte way she could speak to this woman and learn a little more. She stood and smoothed her skirt, pulling up the hood of her cloak as Clearcall left the room only to return a moment later with their bag of supplies. He tossed Finn's bag back at him. "Everyone up! We move now." He looked at Gwenlynn for a moment, a look that reminded her a bit of her father, then turned his gaze to Liandra. "Lead the way then Lady Liandra." Gwenlynn heard another crack of thunder and jumped a little. Without a word she followed Clearcall out the back of the manor house. They would be taking a non-direct route back toward the city. Likely toward the East Road.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:26:32 -0600

((Ah, ok, I thought GHwenlynn had gone back to the kitch, so we'll assume everyone is now in the front room, but Dumond is actively keeping an eye out, let's say a side wondow since Tornica is out front.)) Finn gathered up his things. He didn't like the looks of the weather. He could possibly do something about it, but it would take too long. "I can cast someprotections on the group, but it requires singing, so if stealth is an issue, we will have to journey unprotected. How far behind oy do you think the soldiers are?" He asked LIandra. ((His Detect Lie spell would normally last for a day on one person, so it should at least be good for a few hrs here in this world.)) "Has everyone taken their weapons back?" He asked holding up his swanskin sack. Dumond adjusted his swordbelt. he looked at Jiya, she really was not dressed for this sort of thing. At least she had on decent boots sicne they had been out walking, and not those useless slipers she generally wore.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:45:56 -0600

"If you have a way to keep your weapons out of sight for now that would be best," Liandra told Finn. "We don't want them to draw too much attention to us. I can't say for sure how far behind they are. I can't een be certain that they are coming, but I would not put it past Lord Tristan to give himself an upper hand here. For al I know they could have been notified during the meeting."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:43:52 -0600

"It wasn't you I was worried about," Kalin said. "It was his ability to keep his mind on the bloody job." Which was perhaps a trifle unfair on Tornica...but he did have a bit of an eye for the ladies and a real talent for letting them distract him. He sighed when it was announced they were all moving out. Wonderful, off out into the rain. Oh well, at least he could summon up a barrier to keep himself dry. ((sorry for rubbish post but I've hurt my finger some how and typing is starting to prove painful and difficult (worst timing ever really :p ) so I'll stop things there for now))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:41:12 -0600

Seta rose to follow Clearcall's instructions without answering Jiya. Emkai wouldn't do something so stupid, would he? He probably didn't fear the compte, but he wasn't one to make stupid decisions usually. Unless he got really angry... feh. Maybe it would be better to tell him in private so he didn't get surprised at some point. "Poetry is... er, I'll try to explain later." Omaron rose and offered Wolf his hand. Emkai shook his head. "If I get wet enough it can make me very sick, so serving on a ship would be a very bad idea. Especially a wooden ship." He eyed the window at Clearcall's call to leave. "Speaking of water, this trip isn't going to be much fun."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:50:03 -0600

((Poor Emkai. I'm sorry.)) As if in response to Emkai's statement the rain started. It was a mist at this point mostly, like it often was here in the south. Gwenlynn eyed Liandra, thinking about what the woman had said before. If she had been telling the truth... Why had he never mentioned it before? Suddenly she felt very foolish. Here she had run to Mordelic to try and save the man she loved as well as free the kingdom from a tyrant king, and the man she loved was already promised to someone else. Thankfully the mist coated her face well enough to cover a few runaway tears. No. She wouldn't let this get ot her. There was still a kingdom, a people that needed her. She hastened her step to walk in stride with Liandra. "So you know Aethan well, I presume." "Since I was a little girl," Liandra replied. "Always a very honest, caring, and honorable man. It fills me with rage to see what his cousin has done ot him." "I... need to speak with him about something important. Is there any chance you can get me in to see him before the next match?" Gwenlynn couldn't remember envying anyone so much before. "Yes. I have a couple of men in the arena as well. Not that I want to put anyone there, but if I didn't it would only make the king wonder why I didn't. There is little choice in that matter. I can get you in to see them, then you can walk the cells and see him. I wouldn't advise talking to him for more than a minute or two." Clearcall walked over to Tornica. "We are headed out. Does your offer still stand if we can get word in to him that you are coming?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:14:22 -0600

((Yes, poor Emkai indeed. This should be fun. x3 But I'll wait to post until later, to see if anyone feels like lending the poor guy a hand.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 09:31:34 -0600

Wolf Wolf gave a little nod and stared at Omaron's hand for a moment before realising he probably wanted to... help her up? Strange, but perhaps it was just another one of those customs she wasn't used to. "To- um.. I mean, th-thank you." She said slowly. Goodness this was strange. She followed the others out, picking up her pack, quiver and arrows as she went. Alis "Shame." Alis repeated to Emkai with a smile before standing, slipping on her coat again and fastening it snugly around her. Walking through the rain... lovely. She was used to being around water, mostly having it under her of course, but mist, fog and rain always seemed to make her catch chills and colds. She hoped it wouldn't be the case this time, heading out into the damp weather, she turned up the collar of her coat and wished she had thought to bring her hat. Sophia Sophia scrambled to her feet, not wanting to be left behind. She made her way with the crowd of others toward the door, keeping just on the edge of the group. She really didn't think anything of the weather, she heard others complaining about it and not looking thrilled with the rain, she just didn't want to be left back or left alone. She would bear just about anything to be able to stay among these people a while longer.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:21:19 -0600

@ Star Tornica nodded. "Just let me know when you need me to go get him. Are you going to be able to get word to him, do you know?" he asked. "Do you think you could let him know help is coming? I'd rather not try rescuing someone who's managed to take out a dragon when he's not expecting me. Especially if the dragons round here don't have that good a reputation." --- As they made to move outside Kalin caught Kezia's attention. "Don't try to copy what I'm doing at all," he said. "But if you don't mind please just watch." He making a point to go slowly he spun his magic out to form a thin barrier to hover in the air. Once it was formed he stepped out of the house to go under it, staying perfectly dry. "Right...did you notice anything particularly different between that and what you saw me do last night?" "Well nothing's on fire for a start," Kezia said, making Kalin laugh. Then she peered a little closer at him. "There's glowing strands linking you to the...that thing. Is that what you mean?" "Exactly what I mean," Kalin said with a grin. The girl was sharp. That would make teaching her considerably more enjoyable. "It's because I'm actively maintaining the barrier so that I can move around with it. It can be dangerous because I'm keeping my connection with the spell open, meaning that it will constantly draw magic out of me if I'm not careful, but it's far more useful this way." "Because you're a big baby that doesn't like getting wet," Tornica said, shaking his head at the elf. Kalin didn't bother looking over but did make a rude gesture in his direction.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:15:54 -0600

Clearcall looked at Gwenlynn as she spoke with Liandra. "I have a feeling that is being negotiated right now. If we can get word to him before the next match we will have you swoop in and take him out then. If we don't hear before hte next match we wait." Though Gwenlynn wasn't likely to relent on Liandra until she got her way. The dynamic of these two could be a bad thing if Liandra ever learned about Gwenlynn. "Do me a favor, don't mention to the Lady what I told you one the way back here about Gwenlynn. We don't know enough about her to know if she would handle it well or not and I don't want to take the chance." ((I I'm not totally zonked again tonight I'll try nad move us to the next spot. Meanwhile we are just walking. Emkai might want ot stick close to Kalin ;) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:13:08 -0600

Omaron couldn't help grinning at Wolf as they made their way outside. "This is starting to remind me of my home a bit. It rains a lot there, I mean." He eyed her bow and arrows. "Are you a very good shot?" * Emkai nodded to Alis since she couldn't see his returned smile before following her out into the rain. I'm not going to be good for anything after this, he thought a bit miserably as steam began to rise from his cloak. He was already starting to feel very chilled. By chance he glanced over to where Kalin stood... huh. He wasn't wet at all. After a pause, he walked over to the elf. "H-how are you doing that?" he asked as politely as he could. * Seta scuttled over to where Sophia stood, a slight frown on her face. "Don't you have something better suited for the rain?" she asked, eying the girl's dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:52:40 -0600

Wolf "Yes... where I am home too." Wolf said, returning Omaron's smile. Then she frowned, "No... not- not where I am home... Where... from." She murmured, feeling embarrassed. At least with Gwenlynn's spell she had sounded somewhat dignified. This made her sound like an idiot in their tongue, she thought, and blushed. Glad when he changed the subject, Wolf patted her quiver and grinned, "Best." She said and laughed, shaking her head like it was something amusing to say. Sophia Sophia had wandered outside with the rest and was surprised when Seta came over. She looked down at her dress, it was already starting to feel damp from the heavy mist of rain. "I- I'm sorry... I don't know wh-what you mean." She replied quietly. Better suited? This was more than she had had to wear for most of her life, how was it not suited?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:04:06 -0600

Omaron "Don't worry about it, I understand you." He looked intrigued at her claim to be 'the best'. "Hopefully I won't have to see you in action," he said with a slight smile, "though it's a tempting thought. I always did mean to learn archery myself, but... well. I didn't." Seta Seta set her lips in a firm line, and she pulled off her own cloak. "Here, this should keep you a bit more dry. I don't know what you're thinking, walking around in the wet dressed like that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:35:34 -0600

Wolf Wolf smiled at him, maybe she could barter with him then. "We trade fair then? You teach words, I teach shoot?" She offered, motioning to him and then to her bow. Looking down at the dress, she glanced around at the other women wearing similar things and tried to copy what they were doing as they walked. Certainly in this weather, her hides would've been much better for walking in. The hem of the dress was already damp and getting rather muddy. She wrinkled her nose. Sophia Sophia blushed and looked down, feeling ashamed. The way Seta was talking... well... Sophia hadn't realised she had been doing something wrong. She bit her lip and accepted the cloak with proper humility, remembering to thank Seta, though it was a mere whisper. "I- I am sorry... it- it's all I h-have. M-most of the t-time I didn't have anything... if it makes it better." She replied, still staring at her feet.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:01:20 -0600

Omaron "Really?" Omaron looked very pleased. "I don't know if there'll be time or anything, but if there is I would like to learn. Thanks." He glanced down at her skirt. "You know, if you pull it up a little, it won't drag in the mud so much." Seta ((Aw, poor Sophia. :( )) Seta's stern manner evaporated at the look on Sophia's face. "Makes it...? Oh dear. I'm sorry, I thought you were just being silly, running around outside in nothing but a dress like that. I didn't know it was, er, yes. Well. You don't have anything to be sorry for, not at all. Here, you need to pull it on first; otherwise it won't do you any good." She stepped forward to help Sophia get the cloak on.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:22:44 -0600

((Hahaha! My charries are all so clueless about the most simple things. :P )) Wolf ((lol! Oh god Omaron, you're stuck with her for the time being... xD)) "You know how to wear skirt?" Wolf asked Omaron, looking confused. She hadn't seen any men dressing like this but... she supposed maybe in different cultures they might. ((Gotta go, will write for Soph tomorrow. ^^ Don't worry, she -is- being silly.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:28:52 -0600

((And we love them for it. :3 )) Omaron Omaron's face turned red. "Er, no, I don't wear one. It's something only women wear actually, at least in Veliath. But that's what they do there when they're trying to keep their skirts clean."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:08:30 -0600

((Poor DM! First the assult by the piece of paper and not a hurt finger. My problem seems to be technology. :( My netbook is being a @#$%$@. it's eaten my novel twice now, but I've twarted it because I back it up religiously, but still I lost nearly 2K of new word count today. It is totally going in the shop when nano is over.)) ((Sorry, I somehow missed Wolf asking what poetry was, but the Finn would have rambled on for hours...)) Jiya put on her abaya and pulled up the hood. She fell in step a little behind and a little to the left of Dumond so his sword arm would be free if he needed it. For himself, he pulled his cloak around him to cover his light armour. He was used to being out in all sorts of unpleasant weather. He expected Jiya would complain the entire and made a mental wager as to when she would begin. ((Finn was waiting for Omeron to make a comment about men in skirts...)) Finn stepped up to Clearcall. "I'm assuming typical walking pattern... fighters at the front and rear, magic users and women in the middle." "Do you want me up front or in back?" Dumond asked. "I've no magic, but I have led many men in battle." He thought he could trust Jiya enough at this point not to do anything stupid if there were trouble.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:44:25 -0600

(...Uhm...been busy lately. Sorry. ...I'll just leave this here.) Silica strapped her sword to her back, shifting a little under its weight. Nitro frowned a little and sighed - Fragment was quite a large sword, and heavy, but Silica would never entrust it to someone else. Granted, they'd probably break it anyway, but still. Augh, if only they had a smaller sheath and a leather pouch of some sort to hold the shards...though Nitro somehow doubted that the elf wouldn't be very happy to fill up that bag of his with shards of glass. Hrm, perhaps he could discuss things with his leader when he got back... He looked nervously at the rain, cringing at the thunder and flashes of light in the sky. So, this was what a storm was like? He stuck his hand out in the rain and felt the raindrops against his skin. ...Didn't seem dangerous, but then again, he didn't want to risk it. Calling Silica over, he flicked his hand above him and summoned up one of his barriers to shield himself from the rain. A mist rose up from around his barrier, and the rain nearby seemed to freeze as it fell past it. There was a relative ease with which he cast his spell, and he didn't seem to be hindered too much by the lack of magic in the world. He was rather used to working with less magic than most people. The levels in this world right now were quite enough for him. Silica walked with her friend under his shield for a while, before she stepped tenatively out into the rain. She tilted her face up towards the sky and closed her eyes. She didn't know when she'd see rain again. Best enjoy it while she could. She smiled brightly and twirled her arms about. "Silica! Come on, get back here." Nitro tried to drag his friend back under the barrier. Silica ignored him - she was getting soaked and presently enjoying every moment of it. He just sighed and kept walking, dry under his shield, where it was safe. He contemplated expanding his shield to cover more people, but he was afraid of the attention it would attract. So he didn't.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:06:05 -0600

Clearcall looked at Finn. "We should actually spread out a little. A few small groups of people coming to town might not look too bad but a large group together might garner attention. If we could split the fighters between the smaller groups that would likely be best." He looked ahead at Gwenlynn and Liandra as the two women spoke quietly to each other. As they moved further from the manor Clearcall paused, hearing something in the distance. The group was far enough away now that they couldn't see or be seen from the manor anymore but he could still hear something. Glancing back, he saw the smoke rising up from the manor house despite the rain in thick plumes. They had really been that close! Liandra had either been right about Tristan, or she cleverly set the whole thing up so that it appeared the kings guards came after they left. His gaze scanned the crowd trailing along. It looked like they had everyone. Thankfully if the guards tried to follow the rain would wash away the trail they left behind. It was much harder to track in the rain and few soldiers were adept at tracking. As predicted, they walked around the city far enough out to not be seen, then approached along the East Road. This road tended to have the heaviest traffic on it so the group was less likely to be noticed. They mingled with the few travelers and farmers who were brave enough to venture into the city in the rain. Liandra led them to a house near the wall, knocking once and getting admitted. They were led toward a basement, then a subbasement and through a tunnel door. "I thought the wall here was protected from such entrances," Gwenlynn murmured as they passed through the tunnel, looking up at the ceiling. "They were. All those protections have died. The city is more vulnerable than it has been since the War of Moons." Liandra didn't bother lowering her hood as she carried the lamp at the head of the group. After nearly a hundred feet they reached the stairs that brought them back up into another basement. They came up in a storeroom, then were led out into a noisy common room. Liandra greeted the innkeeper with a smile and a few words. He returned the greeting before she led them out the back door of the inn and into an alley. After taking a quick look to see if anyone was watching the alley, she led them away from the street toward another back door down the way. Liandra opened the door and stepped aside once she was in so the others could enter, always watching the ally. "This place is known as a wayward house for those who have nowhere to go but the streets. The guards don't enjoy visiting such places so unless you draw attention to yourselves you should be safe here. There are plenty of rooms but please, try not to occupy too many of them. The rooms are needed badly on days like today."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:13:12 -0600

((Oh dear, Tornica won't like that passage through the basements very much, I'm thinking. :P lol)) Sophia Sophia glanced up, biting her lip a little and then managed a little smile. "Th-that's okay." She fidgeted, then let Seta help her put on the cloak. "Oh! It's so warm!" She said with surprise, snuggling into it. "But... wh-what about you? Won't you n-need it?" She looked at Seta. Wolf Wolf considered this and then gave a little shrug, "Oh." She looked around as they started off and pointed to Finn McCool. "He wear skirt?" She asked Omaron quietly, trying to figure out the differences. "Men in tribe wore... um, sometimes like skirt." She laced her fingers together. "Woven tree bark, make good protection from... shoot." She pointed to her arrows. "Protect... important parts." She said with a soft giggle. Alis Alis glanced behind them as they walked, spotting the plumes of smoke too and cursed under her breath. That damn foolish impulsiveness of that girl nearly had them all killed. That really was something that pissed her off. People with not much in the way of common sense. A lot of people she knew didn't... a fair few on her crew too. That was different though, she could chastise her crew about things. It wasn't the case with this group. Unfortunately. ((I'll write more for them when they get to the rooms in a bit...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 12:29:23 -0600

(Haha, you're quite right. Tornica is not going to like this entrance route :p )) Tornica went happily enough into the house and down into the basement. He looked distinctly uneasy when they descended into the subbasement, and then froze completely when he saw the tunnel. "Oh you're not serious," he said. "No one mentioned anything about tunnels." He gave Clearcall and Gwenlynn an accusing glare, as if this problem was all their fault. Kalin sighed. "A bloodthirsty army about the charge, no problem. A small hole in the floor? He cries. " Thankfully having experienced Tornica's issues with confined spaces before he had some idea how best to handle this. "Nicky...hang back and go down after Finn. Ignore what you're brain is trying to tell you and just focus on the fact that he's bigger than you. If he can fit down without trouble, you'll be just fine. Okay?" Tornica still eyed the hole dubiously. "How long is this tunnel?" he asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:22:50 -0600

Clearcall looked back at Tornica. "I don't but your alternative is the gates and dealing with the city guards. The sooner we can do this the better." He didn't think he should mention right now that once herescued Aethan he would likely have to come back this way so guards didn't see Aethan pass through the gates.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 16:16:50 -0600

Tornica looked from Clearcall to the tunnel and sighed. "Fair enough." He swallowed. "I'll just have to grin and bear it I suppose." It took half a step towards the tunnel and then paused, turning back to Kalin. "It would really be bad idea to get in by going past the guards, right?" "A very bad plan," he said, putting a gentle hand on Tornica's shoulder and guiding him towards the opening. "I'll be right here. I'm sure it's not far."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:24:24 -0600

Seta shook her head with a slight smile. "I'm very used to this kind of weather. Besides, my regular clothes are warmer than your dress. I'll be fine." Omaron flushed a little more but grinned. "Well, I guess that's an important thing to keep protected. Oh, I didn't notice... why IS he wearing a skirt?" He gave Finn a surprised look. Emkai sighed when Kalin didn't answer and just kept walking, head down and shoulders hunched. By the time they reached their destination, he was steaming rather badly and shaking all over. He didn't say anything about it though.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:20:59 -0600

Sophia "Oh... Well, th-thank you again, Miss." Sophia said shyly, the cloak looking quite big on her as she snuggled back into it. She followed along with the others to the steps to the basement, glad to be out of the rain even if it wass in a rather cold underground tunnel. She went closer to the group, not fond of the dark... When they came up the steps, she paused near the back, trying to brush the dirt from her feet. She didn't want to muddy the place they were going. Alis Alis went up behind Emkai, noticing the steam rising from him. "Feeling okay, Emkai, Tactician of the Blazes Army?" She asked with a little smile. "If there are fire places in the rooms, you're welcome to share a room with me, I catch chills easily myself and I'll probably keep it stoked high for the night." She spoke in a blunt way that obviously wasn't suggesting anything inappropriate, she spent time as a woman alone on a ship filled with men, first of all, secondly... he was on fire for goodness sake. Wolf Wolf shook her head, looking confused. Was Omaron asking her why he was wearing a skirt? She had no idea... "Er... P-protect important bits?" She asked him with a smile as she pulled her fur cloak over her new dress and picked up the hem as he had suggested. When they got to the basement, she looked around with great interest. Every building was so different... it was fascinating.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:50:29 -0600

"It's Seta actually, but you're welcome." Seta didn't talk much more until they reached the house when she noticed the state of Sophia's feet. "We'll need to get you some proper shoes too. I'm sure someone around here has some, although... well, if you don't mind I could try to make some for you. I still have some hide in my pack I think, and other things." "W-wonderful." Emkai couldn't help but smile back at Alis, even though she couldn't see through his hood. He paused to think a moment about her offer though. "Th-that wouldn't be so bad, I d-don't think. If y-you don't mind me k-keeping a f-friend of mine close at hand." He nodded toward Omaron, noting that the latter seemed to be enjoying a private joke with the woman who had trouble understanding the common tongue. Omaron snorted (and spared a quick glance to Finn to make sure he didn't know what they were talking about). "Yeah, maybe." He shook his sodden hair out of his face with a smile as they got into the last building. "You know... I could get used to this."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:08:00 -0600

((Jiya thinks Tonrica should walk behind her since Kalin said he's easily distracted by pretty girls *swishes hips*)) ((It's a good thing Wolf is so cute...)) ((Not sure who was walking with who--whom? but we can say Finn was with Wolf and Omaron and whoever else.)) Finn looked at Wolf and Omaron. Why do humans always underestimate elven hearing? Even half-elven hearing? "'Tis nowt a skirt, 'tis a kilt. All the warriors wear them." He laughed a little when she mentioned some sort of tree back protecting important parts. He would have to tell Jack that one. "And yes, it's quite good at protecting important bits." -- @The safe house "Wherever Jiya sleeps, I will as well, or in the hallway on guard." Dumond said. "I don't need a room, the beds are all too small anyway. I can stay downstairs." Finn said. It wouldn't hurt to have someone on watch anyway.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:23:31 -0600

"We just may need to do four or five to a room to spare a few others," Gwenlynn told Finn. "If you want ot keep watch that's fine but we probably shouldn't have anyone wandering outside on guard. Hovels don't tend to have people like us lurking around the perimeter." She looked at Dumond. "I hope you don't mind, but Jiya is going to have to share a room with several other women. Probably her bed as well. We need to cram into the rooms as much as we can." Liandra watched everyone slowly filter in, then put her hood back up again. "I will leave you then and be back later to speak more." "Wait!" Gwenlynn suddenly turned to Liandra. "How soon can you get me in to see him?" "Tomorrow morning. That is when most of the fighters get visits from their .... owners. It would be easiest to get you in them." Liandra explained this to Gwenlynn and looked over Tornica. "Is he okay?" "Apparently he doesn't like being underground," Clearcall answered as he followed at the rear of the group in the door. "He'll be fine though."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:26:33 -0600

@Walking "K- kwhlt?" Wolf bit her lip in concentration and shook her head, it had been close but not quite. It wasn't a word in her tongue after all. "Not know word..." She blushed but then nodded, finally something she could understand at least a little. The... the kilt.. worn as protection like the ones the men in her tribe had worn. Her face brightened though, now that both Finn and Omaron were here... "What is poetry?" She asked again, curious. He had said there was poetry in her name, she wanted to know what that meant. "Magic?" @Safe house "Get used to..." Wolf replied to Omaron with question in her eyes. She didn't know what he meant by that. "I don't mind it at all." Alis shrugged, indifferent. Just as long as she got warm and dry soon, she thought with a shiver. ((Be back in a moment, usually hubs brings back the rubbish bins from the curb, I think he forgot today and with the wind they might be rolling about... :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:41:00 -0600

@ Walking Omaron flushed when he realized Finn had been listening. "Oh... erm, sorry. No one wears kilts where I come from; it was just interesting." He was quiet when Wolf asked about poetry. From what he'd heard from Finn so far, he'd be a lot better at explaining something like that. @ Safe house Omaron noticed her questioning look and elaborated. "I just mean... it's rather different here, from what it's like at home in Veliath. In a good way." He felt a little twinge of apprehension in the back of his head. He might have to answer to Shard for that later. "G-good." He waited patiently for someone to show them where the private rooms were. No matter how wet he was, he wasn't going to take his cloak off until he was sure no one outside their group would see his face.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:36:59 -0600

(( D: I'm so sorry Buggy, I completely missed that Emkai had spoken to Kalin :( )) It had taken a few false starts and Tornica had been fighting down a panic attack the entire way, but he managed to hold it together until they reached the safe house. Once there he just hurried to the nearest corner and collapsed into it, convincing himself that this was honestly a decent sized room and that there was no need to panic. It was all just fine. Kezia raised her eyebrow at him and nudged Kalin. "Is he going to be okay?" Kalin sighed. "He'll be just fine. Just give him a bit of time. It's one of the side affects of turning into a dragon. His subconscious isn't properly aware of what size it is. Half of him is perpetually convinced he's a large lizard thing and so wouldn't have been able to fit down that tunnel." "That must be...confusing." Kalin nodded and then called out to Dumond. "I'd be happy to share a room with you again." Mostly because he'd heard the other man's intent to sleep in the hallway outside, making up more room in an actual bedroom. Although if he was just planning on spending his nights on the floor outside someone else's room his space would probably just be given away. "I'd like to sleep out here too if that's okay," Tornica volunteered, a sensible colour starting to return to his face. "So long as down here is the largest room in the place." If it was too risky for him to go outside often he was going to need to be in the largest of the rooms to prevent a proper panic. He hated feeling trapped his this. It was the thing he hated most about cities.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:30:39 -0600

((It's not a big deal. If I really cared enough, I could have put a To Dragon-Mage there, because I really don't expect anyone else to do more than skim posts they don't know are related to their own. I don't even read them thoroughly.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 16:18:37 -0600

@DM "That is fine. At least I'll know someone can watch my things while I keep watch." Dumond said to Kalin. Knowing some fighters would be about in the great room helped too. Jiya went to Finn of the magical wineskin, "If I may borrow your wineskin? I think the dragonboy could use a drink, and I am thirsty myself." Finn smiled at the lovely woman. "Anything for you." he unhooked the wineskin and handed it to her. Jiya left Finn with the tinkling of bells and went to Tornica. She knelt by his side. "I think something to drink may help you."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:15:20 -0600

((Just a heads up, we ARE actually moving this weekend and I don't know what will happen to our internet connection meanwhile so I may not be around too much at all the whole weekend. I didn't even think about it until today to call our provider and see about having it switched to the back house. I hsould be able to get in one or two posts tomorrow if I get my math done within a reasonable time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:17:47 -0600

Wolf Wolf nodded, she didn't know what it was like where he came from... it was raining here though. Maybe it was a very dry place, so she just nodded again as though that were the reason and she understood completely. Inside the safehouse, she took off her cloak and shook out the hem of her dress. Alis Alis got tired of waiting to be shown where the rooms were, she followed where some of the other people there were meandering around and found an empty room. She hung her damp cloak up over a chair and stretched. The others could find their way to the other rooms. Sophia Sophia waited in the big room too, she was too shy to go somewhere without being directed there first so she waited to see where they would be told to go. she also didn't want to just assume she would be welcome to room with just anyone there. It would be embarrassing to be asked to leave after getting settled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:35:24 -0600

Omaron Omaron seemed uncharacteristically merry as he took off some of his wet garments. Yes, this was much nicer than being High Chairman or being kidnapped, he decided. He could talk to who he wanted to, and no one cared enough to intervene. But dear, surely you miss *some* of your old position's perks? What? Oh, well, the luxury was nice, with the down beds and the meals, but this is quite different. He found his eyes straying to Wolf again. And it has its own perks. ...I see. Emkai "M-mind if I join you?" The fireman poked his head into Alis's room. His hood was off, but instead of the inferno from the day before there was a dark countenance with cracks of brilliant orange shining along the creases. Emkai was obviously not feeling well, as he was still shaking a bit and there was a distinctly bleary look in the ember-eyes, but he was quite composed. Seta Seta bustled over to a table where she laid out the contents of her pack. There were all sorts of odd things, most notably dead animals or parts of dead animals or things made from parts of dead animals. She frowned slightly at collection of fangs. "I do hope the rain doesn't affect them," she murmured, apparently to herself. After a bit more fussing and drying and examining she began to put everything back. That's when she noticed Sophia standing by herself, looking a bit lost. "Er, do you have anyone to room with?" she asked, smiling in what she hoped was a friendly way.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:52:01 -0600

Wolf Wolf felt eyes on her and glanced up to see Omaron watching her, she wasn't sure why he was but... well, it didn't matter. "Dry... better, yes?" She asked him with a smile, smoothing the fur of her cloak down as it lay over her arm. She was glad she had her change of clothes with her, she could wear her hides while the dress dried at least. Alis "Not at all." Alis said, glancing up when Emkai came in. "Glad you found the room okay." She was kneeling on the floor and sorting though the few things she had brought with her, making sure the were dry. She frowned when she saw his countenance. He didn't look too well. "Um... are you okay?" She stood and took some more wood from the tiny pile and tossed it into the little fireplace in the room. ((I'm just going to say there is one. :) Alis is pretty resourceful, she'd probably find the one room with one if there was only one. lol)) Sophia "N-no... not- not yet." Sophia replied, blushing. "I- I didn't want to... to assume that I c-could just go into anyone's r-room." She explained quietly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:41:52 -0600

Omaron Omaron flushed slightly when he realized Wolf had noticed his gaze, but he grinned. "Yeah, dry's a lot better." Emkai "Fine." He kept his voice from shaking this time and sat down beside the fireplace. Then he hesitated. "I'll be bet-tter once I get dried off." Seta "Well maybe you and I can look for a room together. Does that sound good?" She beamed kindly at the girl.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:59:10 -0600

((I'm guessing that a hovel wouldn't have but one main fireplace in a main room if any, since it is Mediterranean climate. But I'm not going to be picky as long as it's only a really small one.)) Clearcall walked over to Gwenlynn after Liandra left and pulled her aside, glancing over at Tornica. The woman with him was certainly nice on the eyes for a human. Clearcall was quite used to humans by this point in his travels and he knew a pretty one when he saw it. "Tornica has offered us an easy solution to freeing Aethan, but Aethan will need to be warned before we go ahead with it." Gwenlynn would have normally perked up at such a statement but learning about the betrothal left her a little confused and hurt. "Oh? So what message do I need to give him?" "Let him know that we have someone with us who can turn into a dragon, a red one be usre he knows that. During his match tomorrow Tornica will fly in, grab him, and take him out. While you are delivering the message tomorrow I will work out the details of where Tornica should take him. Just make sure he knows not to attack." Gwenlynn looked a little hesitant. "We don't even know he can do what he claims. We haven't seen anything to prove it so far." "Why would he offer it then if he couldn't?" Clearcall asked. He looked down at Gwenlynn a touch of concern in his eyes. "You need to be very careful Gwenlynn. I know you want him safe but we must handle this delicately. What you did at the meeting today could have cost all of our lives." "You said that our best bet was to trust Lord Tristan," Gwenlynn pointed out. "I was taking that chance." "There is a difference between offering an alliance with him and telling him where we are. That should have been kept between us until we knew for sure." He put a fatherly hand on her shoulder. "I told you I would see you safely through you journey. Please don't make it harder for me." Then he let go and walked off to check on Tornica. Gwenlynn watched Clearcall walk away before turning her attention to the others. She had nearly cost them dearly. And what was that Seta woman doing with dead animals? Was she a necromancer? Light help them all that she not be.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:14:35 -0600

((Don't worry Star, we'll just chat amongst ourselves and work on our novels. I don't know how you do it with a job and school and a hubby and a kid...wow.)) Finn walked over to Seta, "I doon't know how 'tis in your land, but in mine, we doon't go puttin' bugs an' dead things on the table we eat off." He lowered his voice a little, "An' from the looks yer gettin' I donon't think it's a custom here either." He did look at some of the things curiously.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:20:34 -0600

((Works for me. And yeah, I just have my time totally managed that's all. Throw a wrench in my operation and I'm sent into a panic or tears thought lol. Like today. And now I won't be able to get to classes tomorrow which means I'm likely to fall behind in math. At least my husband is good at it so maybe he can help me get through it.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:47:45 -0600

"Hmm?" Seta looked up in surprise at Finn. "Oh, it's all right, I cleaned everything very thoroughly. Anything that's not sanitary I kept in my pack. I can just explain to everyone later." She smiled at the curious look he gave some of her things. "D'you like them? Some of it's just raw material or study aids, but like... this I made from the eye-caps of dragonfly molts." She lifted up a gadget consisting of several lenses set in frames of twisted wire. "It's very good for starting camp fires or for magnification. Not that I really need it so much now that I'm traveling with Emkai." ((No problem Star, and I'm with Jez on the whole 'how do you do it?' thing. I also can't say how grateful I am for this thread. Seta and Emkai have just kind of popped out as characters here, and it's amazing.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:55:09 -0600

Finn cleared his throat. "That may very well be, but...regardless how clean, I t'ink people may be a bit put off havin' these things on their table. best you take them someplace else to look them over--like your room." He suggested. "I'm called Finn McCool, what do they call you at home?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:59:04 -0600

"Put-off? But why?" Seta sounded genuinely puzzled. "I mean, if you think it's for the best I'll put my things away, but... goodness, you'd think people wouldn't have a problem with having dead things on the table. Meat's just dead things at any rate." She sighed as she started to pack her things away, then glanced up when he gave his name. "Finn... all right, I'll have to make sure I remember that. I'm Seta. Seta of Edra's Southernmost Outpost if you want me to be more specific."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:02:41 -0600

Finn wondered if the girl was a bit daft. "Meat is food. Food on the table is fine, but...dead things, smacks o' bad luck, I t'ink. Like puttin' shoes on the table--just 'tisn't done." "Well met, then Seta of Edra's Southernmost Outpost. Sounds like a lonely place."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:25:45 -0600

((Just to warn people I probably won't be around much until Saturday evening, if not Sunday. Going to a concert up in London tonight and have work tomorrow. So after this I'll likely be too dead to post for the foreseeable future :p )) @ Buggy/Jeze Kalin hadn't been paying a great deal of attention to much of the room, choosing instead to go through his own limited amount of gear to work out whether there was anything useful he was bringing to this operation (besides his magic and brain, obviously). He was coming to the conclusion that he wasn't. He'd left his musket behind on the walk to the town so the handful of shot and powder he had lying around wasn't much good to anyone and the jerked meat would only be good as a last resort if they absolutely couldn't get anything else. He looked up when he heard Seta and Finn talking about the various bits and pieces Seta had dropped on the table. When she mentioned something that could magnify and start fires that she'd made herself he couldn't resist going to have a look. "Excuse me...do you mind if I take a look at this?" he asked, reaching for it. --- The tinkling of bells right by him had Tornica coming out of his semi-trance. He looked up into Jiya's beautiful face. "Oh, thank you," he said accepting the wine skin. "That's very thoughtful of you. And you're right, a stiff drink would probably do me the world of good right now."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:30:02 -0600

@DM Jiya knelt by the dragonboy. "The small elf said your dragon brain forgets that it is in a human body and so you become afraid in small spaces." She said. "The wineskin is magic, I think you tell it what you want and it provides it. I think I will add a magical winskin to one of my stories. I would very much like to hear more about your world where dragons can become men." She shifted to get more comfortable on the floor amid more tinkling bells. Dumond eyed Tornica suspiciously from his spot near the door.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 08:16:13 -0600

@ Jez and DM "Well yes, but if a non-food-item dead-thing is clean, it's about the same thing isn't it? I don't know, I've never had much use for luck and the like. If it bothers other people though then of course I'll keep them off the table." She took a little jar with something rather like a jellyfish floating in it and stowed it away before looking up in surprise at Kalin. "The magnifyer? Sure, go ahead."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:25:58 -0600

Sophia Sophia shrank back a little when Finn came over, seeming to grow a bit smaller and she briefly looked like she might try to hide behind Seta. She was okay for the most part when the fay that were around were in her line of sight but not too near but when they moved close so suddenly... and this man was... well, just so... so big. The things Miss Seta was laying out on the table didn't bother her at all, she had seen worse thing put on top of tables. Alis ((It'd be a -very- small one then. lol)) "Yeah, no kidding." Alis said, standing after tossing another stick on the fire and brushing her hands off and straightening her long waistcoat. "Uh... if you think it'd help you dry off faster to... to remove your sodden clothing," She was actually blushing and she said it all very quickly. "I have no problem with going to the main room for a while to give you some privacy." She offered, hoping she didn't sound too inappropriate.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:39:12 -0600

Seta "But yes, like you said, the outpost is pretty small and lonely." Seta turned to Sophia with a small frown. "What's wrong?" Emkai Emkai gave her an odd look. "Not a b-bad idea, but I d-don't want to exclude you f-from the room."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:55:05 -0600

@DM/Buggy "I t'ink it's the idea of it. Dead things on a table ye eat off of..." Finn said again. "If I were out on a hunt or away at war, 'twould be diff'rent, but I know of nae woman would allow her kitchen to be treated so, present company excepted." ((Are Sophia's scarrings, etc obvious and would Finn possibly recognize some? If they are runic or in ogham he might.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:08:04 -0600

((Quick post to say I thought I'd be around for a bit today but I can't be now... :S anyway... I should be able to post at least once tomorrow. lol)) ((And yes, the scars and branding marks are very obvious. They'd be things like celtic runes, greek runes etc.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 11:23:09 -0600

@ Jez Seta shrugged. "Well it's not my table anyways. I'll keep my things off it, don't worry."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:28:01 -0600

@ Buggy/Jeze "Thanks," Kalin said, raising it to his eye. The image through the other end was a little more fuzzy than the perfectly sharp images he got from the telescope back at camp...but for something made likely without the fancy bits of measuring equipment the makers of those had it was a very impressive bit of work. "What do the other things you've been making do? And how did you come up with the idea? I don't think I'd have ever thought to make a magnifier out of some dead animal's eye lenses." "Squeamish are we Finn?" Kalin asked with a teasing tone to his voice. "As this young lady says, they've been cleaned. It's no different from dropping a leather bound book on the table." He'd been about to say 'putting your boots on the table' but he doubted that would go particularly well. --- "Erm...yes," Tornica said, feeling his face growing warm. "It is a bit of a problem." He happily took the wineskin from her, feeling a brief spark as his fingers brushed hers. "I'd like a magic wineskin in all my stories." He took a swig from the skin, deciding to just enjoy whatever was currently in it. As he did so he noticed the finely put together man that guarded Jiya. "Any stories you'd like, anything I can help you with...I'm afraid I don't know a great deal about dragons becoming men. I barely know anything about men becoming dragons, and I'm one of those." But since he'd really quite like to keep this pretty lady's attention he'd have to come up something a little more impressive sounding.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:41:39 -0600

@ DM Seta looked very pleased by Kalin's questions. "All sorts of things. Most of my stuff is, well, just food and basic equipment like rope, but I've made a little lantern that either burns oil or just glows with lightning bug secretions-- oh, I made some armor too, sort of. Look." She turned so he could see a pair of enormous beetle wing-cases crossed across her back and belted in place. "It's saved me a few times from wasps." When he asked how she came up with the idea, Seta blinked in apparent confusion. "Er... I wanted a magnifier mostly, but I didn't have any glass. I just kind of worked with what I had, and that's what happened."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Eleven — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:24:12 -0600

((Hey guys I think I'm gonna have to drop. I'm going to be on vacation for a month and I don't know when I'll have stable internet access, and by the time I get back I don't know whether I'll be able to write my two back in, so yeah. Anyway, it was nice meeting you all C:)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:26:01 -0600

((Finn doesn't put his boots up on the table, not when he's wearing his kilt :) He does have some decorum.)) @Nagats Finn looked at the shy girl and frowned. he recognized some of her markings. They weren't tattos. She didn't seem the type to do that to herself, or have it done willingly. He would have to talk to her about it. @Buggy/DM ((DM what a nice round number you've achieved.)) Finn looked over Kalin's shoulder--head really, to see how the magnifier worked. he was not sure why one would need such a thing, but it was interested to see the details of the grain of the wood on the table. "Squeamish? Nay." Finn replied, "I suppose I had me ass warmed one too many times for misbehavin' at table." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "A lantern made from...secretions? Finn wasn't sure what that word meant. he knew what lightning bugs were though. Were secretions piss?" This woman certainly was like none he had met before. --- Jiya looked sidelong at Dumond and made a face when she turned back to Tornica. "So...you are really a man then and not a dragon. You just have magic to turn into one." But how could he not know much about it? No matter. "Tell me what it is like to fly. I think that should be a wonderful thing. I have heard of flying carpets, but I have never seen one."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 06:27:44 -0600

@ Jeze "Human through and through," Tornica said. "Or at least I was born human and I mostly live as human. It's only in the last few years I leant how to turn into one deliberately. Before that it just sort of happened whether I wanted it to or not." Still did occasionally, but that was increasingly rare these days. He couldn't help a smile at the thought of flying. "Flying is...it's almost indescribable really. There's really nothing like it. So long as you have the open sky above you, you've got the ability to go anywhere. It's freedom. Absolute freedom." --- @ Buggy/Jeze "Lightning bug secretions?" Kalin repeated. "I think I might know what you mean by lightning bug...but how do you use it's secretions? I must confess I know relatively little about insects. It's not something I've ever studied." Or had much interest in. His eyes bugged at the size of the beetle wing cases. "Holy...just how big do they grow things in this swamp of yours? Up north I've seen wasps as big as my hand and heard of centipedes as long as my forearm...but I've never seen anything that could have a shell that size." He didn't think of himself as disliking bugs particularly, but he really didn't like the idea of one the size of his head. "Ha," Kalin said. "Having my arse whooped for misbehaving just made me misbehave more. It was when my parents started taking my books away that I started at least attempting to behave. Or at least trying to be smarter about not getting caught. But after getting on for twenty years with a mercenary group anything close to resembling decent table manners have been horrified out of me."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:07:55 -0600

((Placemarker and a heads up. I will be moving us along tomorrow. Or later tonight if I have time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:57:05 -0600

@ Jez and DM "It's not very difficult," Seta replied. "You just kill a lightning bug, and you cut open its back part, the abdomen, and you take out the glowing stuff inside." She nodded to Kalin, apparently unsurprised by his question. "It depends on the bug. Some of them are normal-sized, but then there's plenty of stuff that's big enough to kill and eat livestock, or you if it comes down to it. We've had real trouble with wasps; they get big enough to drag you around, and it seems they take the goats to lay their eggs on. It's fairly disturbing, the first time you see one of their nests. Only know of one time where they took a human though, and we got him out all right. It's odd, their stings don't really seem to kill you so much as paralyze you all over for a long time, so he was okay when we got him out of the nest. Took him a few weeks to get back to normal though." She gave Kalin a curious look. "Books? Are you a scholar then? What sort of things do you learn about?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 18:09:51 -0600

@ Buggy/Jeze "How does the glowing stuff keep glowing without the bug being alive?" Kalin asked. "I don't know for sure but I'd always assumed the light was caused by some metabolic reaction going on side the creature. Which would mean it would, well, stop after the bug died." Clearly he was wrong but he'd quite like to know exactly how he was wrong. Kalin made a face. "I don't think I like the idea of a wasp large enough to kill livestock and lay eggs inside me. Paralysis or not." Great, he was going to have nightmares about that now. Stupid creepy crawlies. "And yes, I am a scholar. Well...technically I'm a mercenary with scholarly hobbies, but I've always loved books and learning. I'd try my hand at learning anything I could get my hands on when younger. But these days I specialise a little more in magical theory." A rather peevish expression crossed over his face. "And lately I've been expanding into anatomy and non-magical healing because our group's healer up and left us with nary a word of his intentions to quit and I've been appointed his makeshift replacement. Thankfully this career change should only be temporary."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:42:43 -0600

@DM Jiya cocked her head and arched an eyebrow at Tornica. She wasn't sure that she would say someone was 'human through and through' if they could turn into a dragon. "Did someone put a spell on you then, to make you turn into a dragon? Did you anger a Djinn?" "Freedom." Jiya shrugged. "I do not think I really know what that word means. My life has been very proscribed. High born women are kept away from the world in harems, along with their servants and slaves. I have had more freedom traveling with the Comte for threee weeks than I have in my entire life." @ Buggy/DM Finn had no idea Seta's armour, such as it was, was made from an insect. He imagined what it would be like to fight a giant wasp, or beetle. "A centipede as long as your forearm?" Not that Kalin's forearms was all that long, but still, that was large for a bug. "I take it your lightning bugs are also giant sized, else it would take a lot of them." "You were a scholar then," Finn said to Kalin. "great minds..." He said to Seta with a grin. "Your mercenaries sound like the Fenian Guard until I made some changes and civilized them." "I really do not wish to meet any of your wasps, nor any of your giant bugs really." ((Kalin would laugh to know that my mom would actually lock me outside in the summer with no books so I would go play.)) "I've some skill in healing, magical and non-magical. It's convenient when you are out adventuring."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:21:40 -0600

@ DM and Jez "It doesn't go on for a LONG long time," Seta admitted. "Just a week or so, and it gets pretty dim after that. But if its been really wet, or there's some other reason I can't make a flame for my lantern, it works pretty well. And you know... I really don't know how it keeps going after the bug's dead. It's kind of amazing though. And, er, yes, they're quite large. Like a dog really." She looked excited when Finn and Kalin started talking about magic. "Really? Healing and... and theory? Goodness, I don't know that we have anything of that sort where I come from. How does magic work?" ((For the record, I'm pretty sure that the luminescence is provided by bacteria. Don't quote me or anything, but I'm 99% sure.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 04:14:54 -0600

@ Buggy/Jeze "Dog sized lightning bugs..." Kalin mused. "That must be quite a sight to see when they're still alive and flying around. I'm guessing they must be pretty bright. And the wings required to lift an insect of that size...I must confess I'd really like to see this swamp of yours. It sounds incredible." "How does magic work...I'll try and give you the concise version," Kalin said. "Bear in mind I can go on about this for hours if you let me." How best to phrase it quickly and succinctly. "I don't know about Finn, but where I come from there's an energy that exists in the air, like heat or light, that we've dubbed mana. This is magic in its raw form. Getting it from this raw form to a form it can be used in is a lot like..." He needed a suitable analogy. "Spinning! Where the mage is the spindle. Mages learn how to draw in the mana and convert it into a usable form. The processed mana can then be used much like thread to form patterns, and these patterns are what gets called 'magic'. It's the shape and size of the mana pattern that determines how the spell works and exactly what it does." ((And that's all I have time for this morning. Tornica will speak to Jiya when I get back tonight))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:28:07 -0600

((Sorry guys. I'm waaay behind where I want to be with my WC and need to bust my butt getting it back up today. I will try and get you a post tomorrow but for now you seem to be doing okay without me butting in ;) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:02:34 -0600

@Buggy/DM "Perhaps lightning bugs are magical and that is where the light comes from." Finn said. Magic could explain many things and he took it as a matter of course. So many things were magical in faery. "Lightning bugs the size of dogs?" Finn shook his head, those are some bloody large bugs!" Finn had a pair of wolfhounds, one of whom was four feet high at the shoulder. he shook his head thankful they weren't in a world with dog-sized bugs. Finn listened to Kalin's explanation of magic. "I suppose that explains it...my magic is different, some is innate, like being able to see well in the dark and to hear better than a human, or age slowly. Or being immune to some spells that a mage might try and throw at me. Other magic, well, I'm a bard, so I weave magic with music. Over time one learns shortcuts, hears the music inside, so you don't have to do an entire song to get the same result." Finn tried to explain, but as much as he liked to tell stories explaining things like magic wasn't something he felt he was good at.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:58:59 -0600

@ youse guys "Well I suppose, but that doesn't explain how the magic makes the light work, does it?" Seta leaned back with a thoughtful look on her face. "I wonder if they spin it out of the air or weave it like you two... hang on, how much of magic can just be learned? Like, say I wanted to learn something about it. Would I be able to actually do something, or would I be trying to run without legs, so to speak?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 04:02:49 -0600

@ Jeze "I don't think it was a spell," Tornica said. "From what I've learnt of Kalin, which admittedly isn't much because most of what he says on the subject flies straight over my head, we just don't have magic that can transform one thing into another. I'm a fairly special case. Or rather my family is a special case. This sort of thing has happened to people in my mother's family before. It just doesn't happen very often so she always thought it was just some silly story." Tornica grimaced. "I don't think I could handle a life without freedom. Well...I suppose I could if I didn't know anything else. But in my mind it's one of the most important things there is. Living where you wish, as you wish, incurring wrath or reward entirely on your own merit. It's one of the reasons I've never been able to hack living in a city. Too restrictive, too many rules." He shook his head. "Give me the open road with a few good mates any day." --- @ Jeze/Buggy "I'd put things like eyesight and hearing down to biology more than magic," Kalin said. "My ears are sharper than a humans, in function as well as appearance, and my eyes are considerably better, but that's down to me being an elf, not a wizard. Back home elves are more likely to be able to train as a mage but an untrainable elf is not intrinsically more magical than an untrainable human. We're creatures of flesh and blood the same as everyone else. It's not like I've got pixie dust instead of bones." Not that he was bitter about this particular subject. Not at all. Kalin thought for a moment about how best to answer Seta. "There is another type of magic at home that cannot be learnt. You either have it or you don't and you start using it whether you want to or not. But that works quite differently to mine and while I know the theory I can't describe the process in much detail. My sort of magic, however...it all has to be learnt. You need to have someone guiding you through every step or it pretty much won't happen." He gestured towards Kezia, sitting quietly over in one corner, looking as if she was still trying to take everything in. "Take her for example. She has the ability to learn magic. The instructors at one of the Imperial academy's found her and started the process for her to start gathering mana. It's not something she'd have ever been able to do on her own. And now she needs someone to show her how best to use the mana she's gathered without harming herself. It is technically possible to learn how to shape mana by trial and error rather than instruction, but it's very dangerous and almost always fatal. To someone else if not yourself." He was starting to get off topic. "But all that being said not everyone can learn it. The ability tends to run in families and if you don't have the innate ability to learn, no amount of teaching is going to help you. As you said, like running without legs."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:04:31 -0600

Sophia @Buggy/Jez Blushing at her own inability to go about unnoticed, Sophia nodded at Seta, "Y-yes... I'm- I'm okay." She murmured, managing not to shy away any further. She supposed the only way to really get over this fear of anyone fay would be to just make herself be arounf them. Who better to start with than the biggest of the fay here? Mr Kalin had been nice afterall... so had Miss Gwenlynn, and Mr Clearcall hadn't tried to hurt her. She supposed it would be best to give them all a chance. When she noticed Finn frowning at her too, the blush faded into paleness, she couldn't help wondering if she had done something wrong to make at least two people frown at her in mere moments. She clasped her hands infront of her and kept her eyes down in a proper subservient position until their attentions were focused elsewhere. Sophia distracted herself as she listened into the conversation about how all the magic worked, looking from one person to the next as they spoke. She didn't say anything, she didn't know why people would be interested in knowing exactly how it all worked. All she knew was it had always been something she had wanted to stay far away from. Most of the time it was unavoidable, even here obviously, but as long as they weren't trying to use the magic against her, she thought she'd be okay. Alis @Buggy/Anyone "It's no trouble. I was going to look into getting some whiskey anyway. I don't know that they'll have any in this place though." She said with a shrug. "Only one way to find out... Anyway, you can come out when you're feeling better that way." She added, going to the door and leaving her coat hanging over the back of the chair. She left the room and went back to the common area, pausing for a moment and covering a sneeze with a handkerchief. She swore under her breath, hoping that it wasn't going to turn into a full blown cold. A chill was one thing, that could be taken care of in a night, a cold though? She couldn't afford to be ill right now. She set off to see if there were anyone who had any whiskey, it seemed to clear away most ailments she came across.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:31:59 -0600

((Another crazy day I don't think I will have time for a good post, but since you guys are content conversing at the moment it's okay :) Sorry. Things are going crazy at school and at home and then there's nano and I've been having a lot of trouble with this pregnancy so I'm trying ot find time for rest.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:08:04 -0600

((Quote of the day: "If I had known the world was ending, I would have brought along better books." --The Walking Dead)) @Buggy/DM "I had to learn how to weave magic into a song." Finn answered Seta. "If you have a musical inclination, I suppose I could teach you as well." "'Tis obvious, I am not the scholar you are." Finn said to Kalin. He smiled at the pixie dust comment. He listened to what Kalin had to say about magic. "My teacher was only interested in having me learn magic, we never talked about the theory behind it." he shrugged, "I don't need to know the why of it if I know the how." He saw that Sophia? was that the name he heard? Shrank away when he looked at her. he wondered what that was about, but from the looks of the scars on her, someone had been doing some dark magic. Maybe he frightened her because he could do magic. @DM "Turning into a dragon is in your bloodline then?" Jiya thought about that a moment. "Was your family cursed? Or perhaps it is a blessing." "One cannot miss what one does not understand." But that was not true. Jiya did not have a yearning for freedom, but she did yearn for love. She sang songs about it, told stories about it, she knew there were many different kinds, but she had never experienced it. She supposed she might feel like that about freedom, but she wasn't sure. She didn't know enough about it. "To be candid, the idea of no rules frightens me. All of those decisions. If I had the freedom, I do not know where I would go. I do not enjoy the caravan very much. I miss the baths in the palace." She flicked some mud off the bottom of her caftan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:46:49 -0600

Sophia @Jez/DM/Buggy "Songs?" Sophia spoke up, curiousity getting the better of her shyness and fear. "Y-you can sing magic s-songs?" She had never heard of such a thing, and she was one who had seen all sorts of kinds of magic being done. "Wh-where did you l-learn it?" She asked, then seemed to realise she had spoken up and blushed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:04:04 -0600

@ Jez "Well... I'm not a great musician or anything, but I have a little flute I can kind of play. Maybe we could see if you can teach me anything that way." Seta looked up in surprise when Sophia spoke. Goodness, she'd almost forgotten the girl was there!

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 18:59:37 -0600

@ Jeze "Curse...blessing..." Tornica shrugged. "I thought of it as a curse at first. Other dragons see me as a dragon and back where I grew up we had one living quite close by. She was very territorial and tore the village apart trying to find me when I was first starting to transform. But having left home and joined my dad's mercenary group...it's actually pretty damn useful being able to turn into a dragon in my line of work. I get mostly used for scouting rather than combat purposes." "That's fair enough I suppose," he said. "I've never had a great many rules to live by and having gained more I find that I'm not very fond of them. I'm fine with following orders when I need to, or at least I've got used to doing that, but I really don't like being told what to do outside of a combat situation. It's clear you don't see things the same way I do, but in my mind a gilded cage is still very much a cage." --- @ Jeze/LS/Buggy "See, I can't really manage the how unless I know the why," Kalin said. "With the magic I practice it's all about knowing exactly what you're doing, twisting the mana into exactly the right pattern, getting all the strands to vibrate at the right frequency, to get the effect you need. It's not just a matter of waving your arms about and saying a few magic words. You have to genuinely know what it is you're doing or it just doesn't work." He grinned at Finn. "Which is probably why mages tend to be scholars where I come from, regardless of what else they do with their time. I quite enjoy knowing I'm probably the best educated mercenary on the continent where I'm from." Not that he could prove this. It just seemed very likely seeing as how very few companies seemed to attract mages and the average mercenary didn't have a great deal of respect for knowledge beyond money and tactics.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 01:37:46 -0600

((Quote of the day: If you think of Ballroom Tango as a husband and his wife, then Argentine tango is a husband and his...(mistress) girlfriend. --Len, Dancing with the Stars US)) @Nagats/DM/Buggy "Where did I learn? In Eire of course." Finn said. "I learned from my foster mothers, although they taught me more about fighting, and then I lived and learned with Finneces." Finn tried to speak gently because the poor girl seemed painfully shy. Finn shrugged one shoulder and looked at Seta. "We could try. I play flute as well. Do you ever play it and lose yourself in the music? Find it hard to separate yourself from the music? That is a good start." "Ah, I t'ink I understand the difference between out magic. I can see the leylines--the manna, you called it. But my magic works on visualization and manifestation. I t'ink the spell into being. Or sing it...I pull the power from the leylines, but I do not manipulate them. I t'ink. As I said, I did not learn magic that way. And the how was never part o' what I learned." @DM "When you scout, does someone ride on your back?" Jiya wanted to know. The idea of flying and flying on the back of a dragon was something she only thought only happened in stories. The idea that dragons were real... She was not sure why that should surprise her. There were flying carpets, and Djinn, and rocs, why not dragons? "That may be that a cage is a cage, but it does offer protection. Safety. Security. I have now seen the lives of women who are not slaves, servants are not much better off. Nor are married women who are slaves to their husbands. Daughters are wed to the man their parents choose for them... I do not think there is freedom for any woman. Not in my world, perhaps in your it is different."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:02:58 -0600

@ Jeze "I've never had anyone ride me in dragon form," Tornica said. And he was suddenly very glad Kalin was out of ear shot because if anyone from the Stormborne had heard that...well, he did have a habit for walking right into dirty jokes. "I think a few people have been curious but I've been a little reluctant to let them. I really don't know how easy it would be for them to stay on and I'd feel all kinds of guilty if I let them up and then they fell off." "Oh yeah...I hadn't thought of that. Life for a woman on the open road would be pretty different to what a man would experience. And my world is a little different, but probably not as different as I'd like it to be. Where I grew up women had a lot of freedom, or at least a lot compared to the mainland. And from what I understand women in the empire have quite a lot of freedom. Or at least the same amount of freedom as a man. I don't think women are exactly considered slaves to their husbands...but aside from the Queen women hold no real power."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:12:55 -0600

@Jez/DM/Buggy "Eire!?" Sophia was surprised. So close... She thought hard for a long moment. "H-have you heard of... K-king Rhy-Rhydder- erich?" She managed to stammer through the name. Wayland had said something once about a king Rhydderich from... from somewhere called Eire, if she recalled correctly, who had accepted a sword that had been stolen from him. To her knowledge, Wayland was still looking for some sort of revenge, though she didn't know how.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:22:21 -0600

@ Jeze, DM, LS Seta looked thoughtful. "I lose myself in a lot of things, usually. Maybe we would be able to work something out." She smiled at Kalin. "Is your kind of magic completely learned then? How does mana work anyways?" She jumped a little at Sophia's surprised squeak. ((My post is a little lame, but oh well. xP))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:41:40 -0600

@Jez/DM/Buggy Sophia jumped when Seta jumped, she looked around as though expecting to see someone she really didn't want to see and tensed, prepared to duck and hide somewhere. When she didn't see any apparent danger, she looked questioningly at Seta. "Are... are you qui-quite alright M-Miss Seta?" She asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:37:59 -0600

@DM (LOL MY mind went straight to the gutter when I read what Tornica said :) )) Jiya pulled her veil across her face to hide her blush and smile. Then she realized the man had not meant it in a sly way and she smiled further. "One would need a special sort of saddle, I think, in order not to fall off." She paused, "I beg your pardon, I do not know your name, I am called Jiya." "Traveling with the caravan...I would not call that an open road. There are many people, we are a small moveable city, I think. Inching along by day, making camp, eating sleeping, then moving along before first light. The Count is pushing the caravan master to keep us moving to get through the mountains lest we are forced to stop when the snows come. I have never seen snow. Only the snow brought to the palace in crates to make special iced desserts. But I cannot imagine it falling from the skies ot cover everything. @Nagats/Buggy/DM "Rhee-rheedereerick?" Finn asked. "I know a stronghold by that name but no man." "If time permits, I can try to teach you a few cantrips. --easy spells with few components." He said to Seta.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:06:45 -0600

((I don't want to push you guys along too fast so if you want to chill and talk a little that's fine with me. Just let me know whenever you're ready.)) Gwenlynn found herself sitting in front of one of the windows (it was covered in dirt and hard to see through), watching the world go by. Clearcall's news about how they planned to help Aethan escape was filling her with hope. She would see him tomorrow, deliver the message, and maybe by nightfall she could sit with him again. Of course she had to find out about Liandra first. Not that it would change her course of action, but it would definately change her. She pulled her knees up to her chest, listening to the rain, watching it streak the dirt on the window. Few houses in Mordelic had glass in the windows but she guessed that this one did because it was a homeless shelter. The upper class was likely hoping to lock out the smell of the destitue.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:16:48 -0600

@ LS and Jez "Oh, no, I'm fine," Seta told Sophia. "You just surprised me when you jumped, that's all." She grinned at Finn, elated. "You could? That's wonderful! I'd love to learn whatever you think you can teach me." @ Star Omaron walked over to Gwenlynn with a slight frown. He'd laid out his jacket and things so they could dry, and now he was looking around their new hideout. It wasn't huge, and it didn't smell very nice, but at the very least it was indoors. "Is everything all right?" he asked the elf.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:55:16 -0600

Sophia @Jez/DM/Buggy "Oh..." Sophia said quietly. She didn't know anything about a stronghold... and if he didn't know anything about someone with the name, maybe they weren't from the same place. She gave Seta a little apology, she didn't mean to startle her. For a while she decided to just remain quiet, listen to them all talk more about the magic things. Sophia thought that at some point she had liked to sing... she couldn't really remember. But hearing them make some music would be very nice, she thought. She started feeling uncomfortable and looked around, biting her lip and squirming a little, twisting the hem of her dress. Wolf @Anyone Wolf wandered through the safehouse, just content to explore a little and see what this place was like. Many people seemed to be into their own conversations so she was free to just look around. All of the other people here looked quite ragged, tired and wary of their surroundings. Some stared at her as she passed by, eyes roamingover her dress and they narrowed their eyes at her and she couldn't fathom why, it did make her terribly uncomfortable though. Was it the dress? She had thought it proper for this place... perhaps she was wrong. The further into the building she went, the more suspicious people seemed. After heading down a particularily dim corridor, she decided to turn back and change into her hides and let the dress dry. It wasn't the thing people wore here but it couldn't possibly make her stand out as much as this... SHe hurried her step when she felt someone watching her from the shadows, going back to the common area and gathering her pack. Alis @Jez/DM/Anyone after that... Shaking out the cuffs of her linen shirt, Alis went and peered out of one of the grimy windows. Miserable day, she thought, and turned to see who she could talk to about getting some whiskey. That Finn had his magical wineskin... she'd approach him first. She passed by Tornica and the woman in veils and paused, seeing the wineskin in their possession. "Could I trouble you for a drink from that wineskin?" She asked, waiting for a lull in their conversation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:55:13 -0600

@Buggy/DM "I don't know if we have time to start tonight, but I am willing if you are." Finn told Seta. Finn smiled kindly at Sophia. The girl seemed to frightened all the time. Perhaps later if things were quieter, he could talk to her about the scaring on her body. @Nagats/DM Jiya had been the one to borrow the wineskin, but Tornica was holding it. Jiya also felt she would like a drink. She reached out her hand to take it from him and pass it along to...had she met this woman? She didn't think so. "I am Jiya." Had Tornica fingers brushed hers on purpose when he passed her the wineskin? She could not be sure. Not that it would matter, Dumond would never give her to someone for the night, let alone offer as the pasha had done many times.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 18:19:03 -0600

@Jez/DM "Cheers." Alis said, taking the wineskin. She grinned roguishly at the pair, sensing she had maybe interrupted the start of something. "Alis Lamour, Captain of the Galatea." She replied to Jiya, "Well met, Jiya." She thought about holding out a hand to shake but she didn't think this woman would appreciate being treated how she treated the men. She requested whiskey from the flask and poured some carefully into the flask that she wore on her hip, then passed the wineskin back with thanks. @Jez/Buggy Sophia saw Finn smile at her and blushed, snuggling deeper into Miss Seta's warm cloak and trying not to yawn in the middle of their conversation. Absently she rubbed her foot on the back of her other leg, trying to quell the itchiness before gathering her courage and giving Mr Finn a little smile in return... she thought herself very brave for doing so and was actually rather proud of herself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:06:34 -0600

@Nagats/DM Jiya took back the wineskin and asked for a Shiraz wine from Parsa ((ie Persia. which has nothing to do with the Shiraz's we know of in this country)). She took a drink. She had learned to drink from a wineskin since being in the caravan. "This is very good. As good as the best in the palace." She took another drink. She should probably offer some to Dumond, but she was enjoying talking to the dragonboy--Tornica too much. And since Dumond was giving her this leeway, she was determined to enjoy it. --- Sophia reminded Finn of a wounded animal. It seemed he would have to take things slowly if he was to win her trust. If she was to be part of the group, she couldn't be forever cowering in a corner. He smiled at her again before turning back to the others.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:24:52 -0600

@buggy Gwenlynn looked at Omaron and smiled a little at him. "Yes. Tomorrow is a big day it seems. I'm just a bit anxious and I don't know how much I will be able to sleep tonight. If Lady Liandra is to be trusted this is very promising news. We could have the next king in our hands before the next sunset. Once that happens we let him decide how best to deal with the situation here as far as getting him back on the throne goes."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:28:00 -0600

@ Jez etc. Seta looked positively thrilled. "I'd love to, whenever you get the time! Just think, me doing magic... it's wonderful." @ Star Omaron nodded thoughtfully. "Let's hope she can be trusted then."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:37:10 -0600

@ Jeze/LS "Oh, sorry," Tornica said when Jiya asked his name. "Name's Tornica. And I always thought snow was just a bedtime story my mother used to tell me until I moved to the mainland. Our volcanoes were too hot or not high enough for snow to settle when winter rolled in. Or it just never got cold enough for snow, I'm not exactly sure." "Nice to meet you Alis," he said with a grin when she came over. "I should probably stop hogging the wineskin now. I've calmed down enough that it's not such a big deal to be inside." Although he thought he'd be far happier if the windows were clean so the place felt less like a box. He wasn't entirely sure why they'd bothered with glass in the windows here. It wasn't exactly cold and he couldn't see anything to steal in the building. --- @ Jeze/Buggy/LS Kalin smiled at Seta's enthusiasm. "If you're that eager to see if you can do magic I can always check and see if you're capable of learning my style." He thought it very unlikely, but then world hopping in general had always struck him as being completely impossible. Yet here they were.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:47:32 -0600

@Buggy/DM/Anyone else in the area "Finn could not stop from grinning at Seta's enthusiam. "Jest so you know, not everyone can learn, but we'll see what we can do. Mayhap start with faery fire, that seems to be an easy one and a little useful for giving light when you need it." @DM/Nagats Someone said snow was like watching the cherry blossoms fall. Except the snowflakes are cold and melt on your skin. I have tasted the ices they serve for dessert, but I cannot imagine it falling from the skies. The Comte tells me that I will be certain to see snow when we cross the...alps, he called them, but he said he hopes we do not actually encounter it since it would be a bad thing to be stuck in the mountains for the winter. We would have to camp on one side and wait for Spring. "I am glad that you are feeling better." Jiya thought she would let this new woman, Alis, drink more before she returned the wineskin to its owner.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:39:55 -0600

@ Jez and DM "Both of those sound wonderful!" Seta clasped her hands in excitement. "I'd love to try both, if there's time and if you don't mind or anything."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:17:10 -0600

@Jez/DM "Terrible time to be stuck anywhere... winter I mean." Alis replied, taking the offered wineskin again and requesting brandy this time. She took a swig of the whiskey from her flask and made a face before requesting brandy from the wineskin and using it to wash down the horrible taste of the whiskey. "What's worse is being trapped in the ice and your ship can't go anywhere... food starts to run out... bad times those." She added, raising an eyebrow. Then she smiled though, "Sure is pretty though, when you can be in a nice cozy spot and watch it... they say not one single snowflake is like another."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:45:51 -0600

@dm/jez/ls "But when it piles up on the ground it all looks the same." Clearcall walked over to the three of them and nodded to the wineskin. "Mind if I partake?" @buggy Gwenlynn gave Omaron a small smile. "Let's hope. Finn says she was speaking the truth, but the truth to her may be different than it would be to us. Sometimes I can't wrap my head around the way humans think. No offense meant."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:10:11 -0600

((Not sure how long I'll be on, just clawed my way up to the goal for the day... so tired of words... :P lol)) @DM/Jez/Star "True." Alis laughed at Clearcall's observation. "Not much for whimsy, are you Clearcall?" She asked with a smile, blue eyes twinkling as she handed over the wineskin. @Buggy/DM/Jez "Oh I do hope you can make some faerie fire Miss Seta, it is very pretty." Sophia spoke up again. She -was- wary of magic but even she had to admit that some of it was quite neat to see.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:15:13 -0600

@ LS, Jez, DM Seta spun toward Sophia very quickly, looking surprised and even more excited than before. "You've seen faery fire? What's it like? How does it work?" @ Star I'm right there with you dearie. Omaron ignored Shard's reply to Gwenlynn, instead looking a bit pensive. "Well... we are pretty good at kidding ourselves, you know. If the truth's difficult to swallow, we might willingly believe something else even if it's improbable at best." A slight frown crossed his face. "I don't know if elves have trouble with that sort of thing, but it's pretty common in us."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:52:03 -0600

((Move along whenever you like Star. I'm around this weekend, but trying to catch up/surpass one of the guys in my region who just broke 40K, so I think I can get some more posts in.)) ((I laugh every time I come to this page because the first thing I read is Tornica talking about not having anyone ride him. :) )) @DM/Nagats/Star "Really? Every snowflake is different? How can that be?" Jiya imagined the cherry blossoms--what they would be like if every one of the were different. She simply couldn't imagine it. "I asked the giant elf if I could borrow it." She looked over at Finn having a conversation with some others. "I expect if he wanted it right back he would have said so." She really should take it to Dumond and see if he wanted something. She was truly neglecting her duties. Jiya pulled her veil across her face and smiled, "I think Clearcall is a pragmatist and a military man. They seem to have little use for poetry." Except that Dumond, whom she also thought was pragmatic and was definitely a military man, liked to hear her sing even when he did not understand the words she sang. And he seemed to like to love songs most of all.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:57:05 -0600

((I should probably add that I'm fine with moving along whenever too. Should've said that earlier, but it kept slipping my mind xP ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 06:31:01 -0600

((Adding that I'm fine with moving on whenever. Characters are having fun here so I don't mind if you take your time, but moving on is all good with me)) @ Jeze/LS/Star "You could ask Kalin," Tornica suggested. "He might not actually know anything about the weather, but he'd usually my first port of call whenever I don't know something. And as a military man myself I like poetry." By all accounts he wasn't very good at it, but he could appreciate others talents with it. --- @ Jeze/LS/Buggles Kalin's ears twitched irritably at the mention of 'faerie fire' but he tried to keep the emotion off his face. If that was the name of it where they came from not a great deal he could do about it. He didn't have to like it but he did have to accept it. "What exactly is faerie fire?" he asked. "It's not something I've really come across before. Does it come with little wings attached?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 07:49:22 -0600

@Buggy/DM/Jez Sophia's eyes widened a little at all the questions, she looked at Mr Finn and then back to Miss Seta and Mr Kalin. "Um... it... it's like... well, I- I'm not sure how it w-works. I just... I just have seen it some-sometimes." She said with uncertainty. "It d-doesn't have w-wings. It's just a l-little fire." She added quietly, she couldn't help but get the sense that Mr Kalin was annoyed about something. "I'm sorry." She said automatically, just conditioned to think that every time someone was angry it was because of her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 07:54:40 -0600

@dm/jez/ls "I actually quite enjoy the arts in their time and place," Clearcall informed Jiya. "My favorite towns and villages are the ones that are rich with stories, music, and dance. But pragmatic views do have their place as well. Snow is beautifulfor certain, but walking through it is quite another story when the wind really gets moving and it starts to get deep. And once it all hits the ground the different snowflakes are completely indeterminable from each other." @buggy "We try not to fool ourselves or others. What would be the point of that?" It was something Gwenlynn didn't understand. Humans would deny themselves love if they didn't think it would suit their end needs. Elves didn't do that. Not here at least.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:01:19 -0600

@ Star "Then I'm sure you've avoided all sorts of trouble a human in your place would have likely stumbled into." Omaron ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "But it's not like we TRY to believe lies, not most of the time anyways. It just sort of... happens." Trying to convince yourself of something dearest? Shard's tone was mocking. @ DM, Jez, LS "Either way pulling fire from the air sounds a very useful skill to have." Seta didn't seem to notice Kalin's annoyance.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 10:15:53 -0600

@Congregating around the wineflask "I'm not sure how it works that they're all different." Alis said with a shrug. "It's likely just a silly story for children to believe anyway. Like a lot of things." She added the last bit more as a mutter under her breath. @Magic table Sophia nodded a little, directing her attention back to Seta in case she accidentally angered Mr Kalin inwittingly again. "I should think it would be too." She murmured.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:22:41 -0600

@DM "Sometimes the pasha had guests who enjoyed...what is the word?...bawdy songs. The Comte's men enjoy them very much, the Comte...not so much. I cannot sing those songs in his hearing." her cheeks colored a little and she pulled the veil across her face again. "The Comte enjoys singing more than poetry and his men--not at all. I just remember a short poem, from Nipon. It is called Love. Physical distance Is nothing a wide wingspan Could not overcome." "I see," Jiya said to Clearcall with a smile. "You can appreciate the arts in the proper time and place. But you have experienced such snow and so it has lost it's beauty." @DM/Nagats/Buggs "This," Finn said and suddenly the table was limned in light that chased around it and made the table glow. He grinned. "No wings. That's pixies. We are _all_ faeries, just different types." Finn wondered what had the little elf irritated now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 06:37:24 -0600

@ Jeze/Star/LS "I like bawdy songs," Tornica admitted. "They're the main staple of camp fire entertainment back home. That or dicing games and the like. Or drinking. We have a very limited range of entertainment when out in the countryside." While they could usually find a village or something to camp near they tended to be far less happy with the idea of forty odd fighting men suddenly descending on their quiet village tavern. --- @ Jeze/Buggy/LS Kalin frowned at Sophia. "Why are you-" then he cut himself off. From the conversation he'd had with her earlier he could probably guess why she was apologising. "No need to apologise," he said. "You've done nothing wrong. If that's the name then that's the name." However, his ears did snap back again at Finn's comment. "I am not a fucking faerie!" he snapped. The spell itself was quite pretty though, he did have to admit. He was fairly sure he could mimic the effect, but in general he'd just create light rather than wreathing something in it. Less pretty but generally easier and more practical.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:41:20 -0600

@ the table where everyone's talking about magic Seta's eyes seemed to take up most of her face as they widened, the light from the faery fire reflected there. "It's... it's fantastic," she breathed. At Kalin's snap she jumped with a blink. "Beg pardon?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 09:54:55 -0600

@Magic table Sophia jumped a bit too (almost right behind Mr Finn, because if she had to choose between who to hide behind, Miss Seta or Mr Finn... Mr Finn might still be fae but he was bigger than Miss Seta), even though Mr Kalin had said she hadn't done anything wrong, it still scared her to be around fae that were angry. She directed her attention instead to the table and watched the flickering glow.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:32:57 -0600

@buggy Gwenlynn wasn't sure she understood what Omaron meant by that. They didn't want to believe the lies but they did? It made no sense to her. Instead of responding she just sighed and looked out the window again. ((So we will just take this week to hang out and next week (after Thanksgiving) I'll move us on to the next day.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:47:18 -0600

@Wineskin DM/Star/Nagats ((Whoa! go you, DM!! I need to update after this post to get my words in before midnight.)) "So it seems in the caravan as well." Jiya said. "The days riding in the wagon are very boring. I fear I am getting too plump." She pinched her upper arm. The Comte allows me to dance at the campfire sometimes." "We camp near villages when we can, to trade and get supplies, but you are correct, they do not like armed men coming into their towns. The Comte sends a few men to give word to the...what do the men call them? Duxies? Doxys? for...special entertainment. It seems to keep the men happy and then they leave the slaves alone." @DM/Buggy/Nagats "My pardon, then." Finn said to Kalin, his eyes going wide at the elf's strong reaction. "Where I am from Faery is the broad term for all the magical creatures." The elf was as irritable as a phouca. Maybe he should give him some whiskey and bread and see if that improved his mood. Finn turned to Sophia. "Steady, girl. Everything's fine, sure." He soothed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:37:41 -0600

@Magic Table Sophia glanced up and blushed, she let go of the hem of Finn's kilt, she hadn't even realised she had grabbed hold of it until he turned and she felt it in her hand. "Oh... I- I just got a b-bit surprised... th-that's all." She said sheepishly, clasping her hands in front of her again and smiling as though it would cover up the awkwardness she had just displayed. "M-Mr Kalin... are faeries bad where you c-come from?" She asked curiously. Clearly he was fae himself... she wondered at his distaste for other kinds of fae. @Wineskin Alis raised an eyebrow at the talk of the men being given prostitutes but she refrained from commenting. She couldn't really, not when she knew the men on her crew did the same thing when they went to ports. She generally frowned upon it but it was different for men, she knew. "That's very kind of him." She replied, "I suppose it certainly would help to cool the fire in the blood for a while." She smiled. @Anyone Wolf picked up her pack and went to find an empty room to change in. She managed to find a small one that didn't appear to have anyone in it yet and slipped out of the dress, shaking it out and putting it over the chair. She rummaged in her bag and pulled out the hides she had packed in there and unrolled them, trying to smooth out any creases before slipping into them. She went through the other things in her bag and glancing at the dress. It was still too damp to pack away... she looked around at the room and wondered if it were safe to leave her things here. Perhaps not without someone to watch them. Sighing, she packed the dress away for now anyway. She could take it out over night to dry, and she went back to the ocmmon area with her things, ignoring the strange looks she was getting from people.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:12:33 -0600

@ LS/Jeze/Buggles "We don't have faeries where I come from," Kalin said, voice still tight with the irritation he was trying to keep a lid on. "Elves, at least the elves where I come from, are no more magical creatures than humans or dwarves or malakai. We're people, same as anyone else." He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, especially when he spotted how nervous his temper was making Sophia nervous. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that. It's just that back home there are a lot of stories filled with that sort of nonsense and a lot of them are used to justify treating elves differently. And rarely in a particularly pleasant way." --- @ Jeze/LS/Star "I think a woman looks better with a bit of meat on her bones," Tornica said. "And I don't think you look plump at all." Nicely rounded was more like it. Soft curves all over the place... Mind on the conversation boy he told himself strictly. "Doxies is probably the word," he put in. "We don't have to really send out for them when the camp gets close to a town. Usually they're aware of us coming, by us going in to buy supplies if nothing else, and the prostitutes come out to us. Usually better pay with us than their usual customers in town."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 17:33:26 -0600

@ Star/LS Omaron didn't mind Gwenlynn's lack of response. The conversation had taken a somewhat gloomy turn, in his eyes anyways. He looked around the room in hopes that he'd find a distraction-- and lo and behold, Wolf strode into the room. He smiled and approached her, his eyes straying to the hides she was wearing. "I've never seen clothes like that before. Did you make them?" @ Jez, LS, DM Seta leaned forward, looking intrigued. "Are elves very badly persecuted where you come from?" she asked. @ Anyone Well, everything but his cloak was more or less dry by now, which was a relief. Emkai dressed himself and glanced at the dirty looking glass with a sigh. His flames still hadn't come back, lovely. But this was no time to be vain. He left the room with a sniffle, hoping that there was something to eat in the common area. That would certainly help him feel better.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:49:25 -0600

((DM you are sooo close, I can't believe you didn't push through and finish. Today for sure!)) ((Poor Emkai. Finn might be able to light him on fire again--or maybe he would prefer Teagan do that ;) )) @Magic Table Finn decided to ignore the fact that Sophia had been clutching at his kilt. It would probably only upset the girl more. But at least she was talking and not just cowering. That explained why Kain was so irritable. Finn had a feeling that elves must be treated very badly where Kalin was from for him to be so angry. Finn expect Kalin had been on the receiving end of that 'different' treatment. @Wineskin The Comte saw that the men were fighting with each other, and one...he laid hands on me." Jiya shuddered a little. "The Comte cut off the man's fingers." Jiya smiled at Tornica's compliment. "You are too kind." "I do not know anything about their pay. But I do know the men were very happy after that." Except for the mercenary who lost his fingers. She did not see him after that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:10:34 -0600

@ Wineskin Tornica choked on his latest draft from the skin. "He cut off a man's fingers?" Death's Mercy! He glanced sideways where the man was still sitting quietly in his corner. His dad had broken the noses of a few of his men before, but he'd never done anything quite so...permanent. Then again the only women that tended to remain with the camp long term were the wives of some of the men, and few people were stupid enough to try interfering with the wife of your comrade in arms. --- @ Magic Table Kalin shrugged. "It's not as bad as it used to be," he said. "There were a lot of riots towards the end of the last king's reign when we'd finally had enough of our treatment, forcing him to sort things out. And thankfully his daughter has more than taken up this cause when she took the throne." He sighed. "But despite there being laws to protect us now they can only go so far. People's attitudes are still much the same. For example, I'm second in command for Tornica's father's mercenary group but despite me being a very good sargeant I can never be the actual captain. The men might follow me but human employers would never hire me as an elf in charge of a bunch of humans. It upsets the way they view the world."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:28:38 -0600

@Wineskin Alis raised an eyebrow at the extreme nature of the punishment. "Well. I suppose it served it's purpose if it taught the others not to lay hands on you." She replied, she couldn't be overly shocked at the treatment though, not when she herself had doled out some worse punishments for members of her crew that were plotting against her. @Magic Table "Humans can tr-treat elves like th-that?" Sophia had never heard of such a thing... ever. It was such a strange concept that she couldn't even wrap her head around it. She shook her head in confusion. "Did... did they c-call you f-faerie as an insult?" She asked him, wondering if that's why he was so insulted by it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:50:57 -0600

@Buggy Wolf smiled at Omaron, "Yes," She replied with a little nod, running her hands over the short hide skirt self consciously. She was well aware now of how different she came across. "Wan...um... deer. Deer skin. I shoot, skin... um... make dry," She rubbed her hands over it in example. "smoke meat and make clothing." She explained. There was more to it than that too but she didn't think she had the words for it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 09:13:59 -0600

@wineskin Clearcall raised an eyebrow at the obvious flirting going on between Jiya and Tornica. Well, it seemed obvious to him anyway. Jiya seemed a little oblivious. When the cuttng off of the fingers was mentioned he thought Tornica had better be careful. "That seems a bit extreme, unless by laying his hands on you, you really mean that he was harrassing or hurting you. Then I suppose he deserved what he got." @buggy/ls Such a simple way of living Wolf had. It reminded her a little of the Outlander tribes. Each ran independant from the others but as a whole they ran the training for Dau Rosiera together. "Do you live off the land as well?" she asked with sincere interest.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:00:50 -0600

@Wineskin "Extreme unless it was a case of blatant insubordination." Alis replied thoughtfully. "For example, when I give an order to my crew, unless I'm being completely irrational and unreasonably tyrannical, I expect it to be followed to the letter. If it's not and it puts the lives and well being of the rest of the crew at risk..." She gave a little shrug, "Well, certain steps must be taken to set an example, yes? I don't know that I would cut off the fingers of course.. then I'd be down a crew member who is just an extra mouth to feed... whipping though, works well enough, and for more extreme situations, keelhauling." She gave them a wry little smile. "Hardly anyone even thinks to disregard my orders anymore." @Star/Buggy "Live... -off- land?" Wolf asked, trying to figure out what she meant. "No... live on land." She pointed to the ground she was standing on, glancing at Omaron and then at Gwenlynn again, wondering if she had gotten the translation wrong again. It seemed like a strange question.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 16:49:16 -0600

((Haha, oh Wolf that cracked me up :p I can just picture the 'wft?' look on her face there :p )) @ Magic table "Like I said, elves aren't intrinsically any more magical where I come from," Kalin said at Sophia's question. "A higher proportion of us are able to learn magic but by no means all of us and we are on the whole smaller and physically weaker than humans. In areas ruled by humans where humans make up the bulk of the population it's ridiculously easy to push us around." His expression grew sour again. "And yes, I have been called that from time to time." Not since he was a child though as far as he could remember. But the insults slung at him as a child stung almost as much as the general mistreatment he received as a young adult. --- @ Wineskin "Dad tends to just chuck people out the group that really piss him off," Tornica said. "But I suppose the ability to do that is a bit more tricky when in the middle of the ocean." Unless they'd managed to really piss her off at least. "But if it's not quite that severe he typically either just gives them a quick thump in the nose and has them digging latrines for the next few weeks or he sets Kalin on them when the man's sleep deprived." He grinned. "Kalin gets very tetchy when sleep deprived and isn't shy about showing it." Not that he was shy about showing how he felt about things the rest of the time either...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:26:17 -0600

((lol! Yeah, I love getting her lost in translation and meanings. Maybe a little -too- much XD )) @Wineskin "On the contrary. I should think it much easier." Alis said with a laugh. She looked very amused by Tornica's observation. "It's what keelhauling's all about afterall." She shrugged and then gave a little wink. "Like I said, they think twice before defying a captain after that." She knew she was acting flippant about it, she in actuality hated doling out punishments, it was the worst part about being a captain but one had to do it to keep order sometimes. Usually the only way to get through it was to push away the horrible feelings it brought up. @Magic Table "Oh." Sophia said quietly with a little frown, she was still trying to get her mind around elves being pushed around by humans. At his comment about being small, she couldn't help glancing way up at Mr Finn and then at Mr Kalin. Mr Kalin wasn't so small. Maybe not as big as Mr Finn... she looked at Finn again. But he was still bigger than -her-... she couldn't see herself to judge just how much bigger though. "I'm sorry M-Mr Kalin... I have trouble ev-even imagining such a th-thing..." She said shyly. "Volundr... I mean... Wayland was r-r-really m-mean. Nobody was allowed t-to go ag-against him. He did b-b-bad things." She managed to stammer out a real thought, she let out a shaky breath and smiled a little despite her words, Myyr would be very proud of her. "I- I think you're qu-quite nice Mr K-Kalin. And you t-too M-Mr Finn." She added, giving Finn a smile too.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:34:30 -0600

@Wineskin ((Somehow when I read Jeze/Buggles it looked like JezeBurgers to me. LOL.)) "They were two fingers on his _left_ hand." Jiya said as if that made it better. But he felt an example had to be made. The man was being _very_ familiar, and I belong to the Marquis. Until we get to Franch I belong to the Comte. Just because he allows me to entertain the men does not mean that they can have any pleasure of me they desire." She was not going to tell them just where the man touched her and how he had waited until the Comte was busy elsewhere and few were around the fire. ((What can I say, the Comte is a badass and rather possessive. Although he has been behaving himself so far.)) @Magic Table "Hmm. We judge men by their merit, not the size of their ears. Once I proved myself I claimed a position in the Fenian Guards. Now I lead it, or I did until I was lost here." Finn said. This explained the elf's irritability then. "Bad things. Like carving up your skin? What exactly is that for? Was it part of some ritual?" he asked her gently. Finn knew some pretty sadistic creatures in Faery, but he didn;t know of any who would mutilate a person. When it came to humans, some just like to steal pretty children and raise them as their own.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 18:51:14 -0600

((Quick post... then I should really get some housework done... keep my mind off my novel for at least a little bit. lol Might make 40k tonight if I'm lucky though! *fingers crossed*)) @Wineskin Alis chuckled again, "His left hand? Well... still if I were to cut off the fingers on the left hand, the man wouldn't be able to do his work. With keelhauling, at least if he lives, then he lives with all his fingers and he can still work." She shrugged. @Magic Table Sophia looked up at Finn, her eyes widened a little and she shook her head at his first question. No... she had gotten off easy as far as things were concerned. "Worse." She whispered and shivered. Looking down at the tiny more intricate runes on the back of her hands, she tried to think of how to explain. "It... he was practising." She said thoughtfully. "Seeing h-how much his m-magic could do. T-to keep me th-there. He c-can make me st-stop running." There might even be more to the magic than that, but she wouldn't have known how.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 02:11:27 -0600

((How small is Sophia then? Because Kalin tops out at five foot and it built like a bundle of twigs on top)) @ Wineskin "If he was a right handed swordsman then I suppose that does help somewhat," Tornica said. "Doesn't stop him doing his job after all." But he could see why it would still make him useless for ship work. "Being on land and not part of the actual military there's only so much dad's permitted to do punishment wise." ((And for Alis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta-Z_psXODw)) --- @ Magic Table "Thanks love," Kalin said. "That's very sweet of you. I personally like to think I'm very nice. But there's a few men in the Stormborne who've experienced the rough side on my ire that might disagree. But I maintain that's entirely their own fault. If they didn't go round doing stupid shit I wouldn't have to yell at them."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:04:54 -0600

((Five foot in boots (what footwear does he have on? lol) or barefoot? She's probably around five foot herself, coming from her though, it's a matter of perspective. She's always tried to keep the appearance of being small and 'invisible' around fae, so she likely just -thinks- she's a lot smaller than him too, out of fear/respect.)) ((lol! I remember that from the AU High karaoke thing. That's so funny XD Alis is saying if the captain on the ship is a man, why the hell are there women on the ship? And if everyone is sitting around playing cards and drinking, who's doing all the work? I had to remind her it's just a pretend pirate ship, don't get all technical about it.)) ((Urh... I was going to try to post something but nothing substantial comes to mind at the moment. :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:44:30 -0600

@wineskin "Well swords are harder to fight with when you have no fingers, but at least you can learn withthe other hand. When it comes to shooting a bow, however, that's impossible without two good hands." Clearcall took a seat and made himself comfortable. The floor was dirty, but for a homeless house what else was there to expect? @ls/buggy "Off the... Oh I see." Gwenlynn hadn't realized that her words could be interpreted like that, but it was quite literally the meaning of what she said. "Living off the land does not actually mean that you don't live on the land. It means you sustain yourself by growing your own food and doing your own hunting, making your own clothes out of the cotton or wools from your flocks. Self-sustaining." She bit her lip, hoping that made more sense.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:03:03 -0600

((LOL pirate speed metal! Teagan says they need a real violinist not some setting on a keyboard. She's a purist.)) ((You should checkout the Anime Boggards on youtube, I love the drawings and the shanties are fun too. Many are not PG though :) Teagan sings 'I Wear no Pants" to Finn all the time.)) @Wineskin Jiya wondered how this woman, who clearly was a leader of men could laugh at someone being mutilated like that. Jiya did not know what keelhauling was, nor was she going to ask. She swallowed. "I should see if the Comte would like something to drink and return the wineskin to its owner." Really, she just wanted to get away from this conversation. She stood with a tinking of bells and shook out her dress. "Would anyone like more before I take the wineskin away?" @Magic table Finn frowned. "It shouldna be difficult to keep a human in faery. No need for mutilation." he made a snort of disgust. He was pledged to protect the weak. Finn chuckled at Kalin.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:28:20 -0600

@Star/Buggy "Self... Ah! Yes... I understand." Wolf said, cheeks turning a little pink under her copper skin. "I shoot... hunt? Animal provides food, clothing, bed, sometimes tools." She smiled a little and pulled a little piece of polished bone with a symbol on it from in side her hide top, it was attached to a leather strand. "Sometimes... um..." She pointed to it, not sure of the word. She had no idea what on earth wool or cotton was, she shook her head a little, "Wool... cotton? I do not know words. Trees, tree... skin? Soft skin makes clothes too..." She had thought about the growing her own food comment for last, trying to think of a way to put it. "Some wilps... clans, stay in one place. Grow food. N-not me. Not since..." She shook her head. "Now find food in forest. Many berries... many mushrooms and green things to eat in forest." She said with a smile. @Magic Table "Oh... maybe more of an- an ex-experiment then." Sophia murmured, glancing up at Finn. "He always d-did try to t-test the b-bound of his magic." She gave a little shrug. "It's okay n-now though. I'm not th-there any more." She said, sounding much more cheerful and open than she usually did and she smiled again. @WIneskin Alis declined Jiya's offer and watched the woman get up to leave. She looked uncomfortable and it was obviously the conversation. Alis wondered why Jiya had brought up the punishment of cutting off a man's fingers in the first place if she didn't want to talk about it. "Women." She muttered when Jiya was out of earshot and then chuckled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:38:49 -0600

((Heh, I'd imagine it's much harder to headbang with a violin. While they're fun I don't think any of their songs are particularly good...but they are really good fun to see live :p )) @ Wineskin Tornica held out his hand to grab the wineskin for one last drink before letting Jiya head over to her Comte with it. He couldn't help but watch her swaying hips as she made her way over to the Comte "Women indeed," he said when Alis spoke, although he might have meant something different by it. "So...you're a ship's captain. I've been on a boat precisely once and I was far too resentful of my reason for being there to enjoy the voyage in the slightest. What's it like?" --- @ Magic Table ((Ahh right, that makes sense. And Kalin does try and make himself seem bigger than he really is...mostly so he doesn't feel quite as small around folk like Tornica and Eyron :p )) Kalin made an irritated noise as the discussion turned to what this Wayland character had been getting up to. "I enjoy experimenting too," he said. "Pushing the boundaries of where my magic might be able to take me, coming up with new ways of constructing spells...but you leave people out of it." Unless you were trying some new radical healing magic in a do or die situation, but that was typically a little different.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:16:22 -0600

@Wineskin "Like?" Alis thought for a moment and a smile crept over her face, "Isn't anything like it the world... the freedom to go where one pleases, the fresh winds blowing at you all the time, open skies, open waters... rising and plunging along in the currents... and when wind catches your sails just right it's almost like you're flying..." She always had a light that came into her eyes when she was talking about her ship. "Heading from one adventure onto the next and all the while you never have to leave your home." She smiled and glanced at Tornica, "Though I suppose it wouldn't feel much like flying to someone who can fly anyway." She said wryly. @Table Sophia nodded a little in agreement with Kalin, mostly because that's what she thought she was supposed to do. She played with the bell on her collar and gave him a shy smile, "I think I l-like the way your m-magic works better Mr K-Kalin." She knew she had to overcome her fear of being around fae and magic eventually. It helped to have these nice fae around. They reminded her a lot of Myyr and her fingers absently ran over the deep purple gems on her collar.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:46:15 -0600

@ Star/LS Omaron leaned forward a little, intrigued. "Do you ever trade things with other groups of people? Or maybe you have some form of currency?" @ Magic Table Conversation Seta had decided to listen quietly for the time being, but her nose wrinkled when she heard about what had happened to Sophia. "What a wretched creature he must be." @ Anyone ((XD You never know Jez, Emkai might take her up on that.)) The fireman finally made his way into the common room, looking bleary and still a bit damp. A little wisp of steam rose from his head as he took a seat. A quick rest, then he'd ask around about something to eat.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:11:19 -0600

@Emkai Alis saw Emkai come in and acknowledged him with a nod, a small jerk of her chin. He still looked off... she couldn't help being curious about how long it actually took for him to...what, re-light? She wondered how it worked. @Omaron/Gwenlynn "Trade, yes. Trade many things... hides, foods... oh, these too." She pulled out a couple of the little turquoise stones she had left in her little pouch. "This is currency?" She asked Omaron and Gwenlynn. "I use to trade for... anything." @Magic Table Sophia nodded a little again at Seta's comment. "He was quite m-mean... he had a very h-hard life th-though." She added quietly, then waved her hands in front of her quickly, "N-not that th-that was an excuse... j-just... he had his r-reasons for h-hating humans and- and me." She mumbled and poked the cuff of her dress in her mouth again nervously.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:39:43 -0600

((My son just informed me he is taking his GF to go see Breaking Dawn this wkend and that she gave him permission to make snide comments during the movie.)) ((You can headbang, you just have to watch the chiin rest :) I think I will post some youtube links in AU because looking for heavy metal violinists, I found a girl who plays like Tig.)) @Magic Table "An experiment?" Finn was thoroughly disgusted. What kind of man would experiment on a helpless girl? ((Tell Kalin that mnaking yourself big works --like cats do-- people think I'm taller than I am becuase I have good posture and stand tall. Espp when I perform.)) @Myself/Magic Table Jiya brought the wineskin to Dumond. They spoke quietly. He was tight lipped and terse. She was unreadable. He took the wineskin and took a long drink then stood and walked with her to the table where the giant elf was sitting. "Thank you for sharing this miraculous wineskin. We have magic where I'm from, but I think it is very different. If any mage has made such a thing as this--he is keeping it to himself." He nodded to the others at the table. Jiya stood at his side. There was no way the woman could sneak up on anyone since every movement was accompanied by the sound of bells. Finn had not noticed the collar around Sophia's neck before. Probably because she was always so hunched over and let her hair hide her face. "He collared you like an animal? We should get that off you." They had slaves in Eire, captured foes mostly. But they did not treat them like animals. @Buggy ((Sorry, I totally forgot what I may have said in reference to Jiya and Emkai.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:34:14 -0600

((lol! Your son's a lucky guy, Jez XD)) @Magic table Sophia nodded a little again, "I kn-know what some of th-the brands are for, I think." She said, the words a little muffled through her sleeve. "L-like the ones on my f-feet, they were the first ones... he d-did something to make them hurt and I c-couldn't go anywh-where when they did." She paled at Finn's suggestion and took a step back as though he were going to try to take it off of her right there. "It... it d-doesn't c-come off." She said quickly. "Even W-Wayland can't t-take it off and he- he's the one who p-put it on."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:18:51 -0600

@ Alis Emkai inclined his head to Alis in return, then got up and slowly walked over to her. "Did I miss anything important?" Like a meal? @ Wolf/Gwenlynn Omaron grinned. "Yes, exactly, currency. Though those are a lot different from Veliath brass. Can I see?" He held out a hand. @ Magic Table Seta shook her head and didn't say anything. She could handle beasts and the awful things they could do, but the idea that a sentient being could be so cruel made her a little sick to her stomach.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:08:54 -0600

@Where the wineskin used to be/Emkai Alis smiled and shook her head, "Not anything of great importance. We were merely discussing how difficult it can sometimes be to keep men in line," Her mouth twitched in an amused smile, "and methods of doing so... You're looking a bit better than you had been, if you don't mind me saying so." She said, looking over him. "Not that I have any real way of knowing, not having seen someone quite as unique as you before." @Omaron/Gwenlynn "Yes..." Wolf handed him one of the two little stones she had pulled out of her pouch and then closed the pouch securely again. "Keep... if you like." She offered to him and offered one to Gwenlynn too. She knew she could always get more, and besides that, they didn't do her much good here anyway. "Pretty stones. Make good gift? Maybe give to... mate?" She thought that was the right word and nodded to herself, then glanced at Gwenlynn. "Make pretty..." Again, frustratingly enough, the word eluded her. She pointed to the necklace she wore as an example.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:22:53 -0600

@ Alis/anyone else at the table too I guess xD "It's the same in human regiments as fireman ones then." Emkai's brows rose at Alis's words, and he managed a tired smile. "Probably because I'm drying off. Hopefully I'll be able to relight soon. Unique though, that's one way to put it. I'm only unique because I'm among humans though." @Gwenlynn and Wolf "Oh, thanks." Omaron looked over the blue stone curiously, then shook his head absently when she talked about giving it to a mate. "That's out of the question unf-- ow!" He clamped a hand to his temples, frowning. "Jewelry I think you mean."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:35:08 -0600

@ Group now without wineskin "Damn..." Tornica said with a smile. "Maybe I should abandon the mercenary life and become a sailor. That sounds wonderful." Although from what he recalled it could be pretty cramped below decks on a ship and next to impossible to be above deck the entire time. Plus there was the whole affinity with fire and ships being very much made of wood. "Would you reigniting be easier if someone set you on fire?" Tornica asked when Emkai came over. "Or is that just as fatal to you as it would be to most humans?" --- @ Magic Table "I think I prefer the way my magic works too," Kalin said. "I think I'd have to give up and find some other craft if progressing further meant carving up children." Or anyone for that matter but the thought of it happening to children just made his skin want to crawl off and hide. When Jiya returned with the wineskin he reached out to pluck it out of Finn's hand to have a drink. And to have a quick look at it to see how it worked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:41:38 -0600

@ wine-less group "Hm? Oh." Emkai shrugged. "It would help to dry me off at least, but it would take a while to actually catch."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:26:05 -0600

((I don't know if he's lucky, I don't think my son has kissed her yet.)) @Magic Table Finn frowned at Sophia then quickly smoothed his face to a gentler look. He didn't want the girl to think he was angry with her. "The caster should always be able to dispell his own magic, but if he were experimenting, I suppose that could happen." He also thought Wayland probably did not work too hard to try and get it off her if his goal was to keep her enslaved, why bother? Dumond looked at the collar around the strange girl. Sometimes he wished he could chain Jiya. He supposed he could. he was her owner in absentia after all. But seeing how most of these people felt about slaves he should probably keep that to himself. They did not have slaves in France/Gallia ((Still can't decide if I should set this in an AU or an entirely new world...)), he did find the concept intriguing. @Buggy ((Oh that's right :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:43:01 -0600

@Magic Table "Oh no... when he c-carcved up the ch-children," Sophia used Kalin's phrase for it, murmuring absently, "he already kn-knew what he was-" her eyes were unfocused for a moment, as though she wasn't really thinking of what she was saying, then she stopped herself and paled, "I mean... I- I'm sorry, what a h-horrid turn in c-conversation..." She shivered and then glanced up at Finn again, "P-perhaps he could've found a way... I'm n-not sure. But l-like I said, all th-that matters is that I'm not there any-anymore." She smiled shyly at the pretty lady that sounded like bells and the rather imposing looking man with her. @Non-wineskin Alis chuckled at Emkai's comment about men. She looked him over as he was speaking with Tornica, she felt badly for him, being stuck somewhere that it rained like this must be a kind of hell for him. @Buggy/Star "Jewelry?" Wolf repeated the unfamiliar word and shrugged inwardly, she supposed so, if that were what they called it... Wolf looked concerned when Omaron flinched. "You... hurting?" She asked, tilting her head at him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:44:00 -0600

((Damn typos and lack of edit button... I just hate pressing submit and THEN as I'm watching it load, seeing a typo... >:\ Oh well. *carving))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 14:44:53 -0600

(( >>>:\ I meant *carved ...thank you very much. @_@;;; ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:56:08 -0600

@ Magic Table Kalin really wished he hadn't borrowed the skin for a drink now. His stomach churned painfully at Sophia's story. "There are just not enough words in the alphabet to express my horror at that story," he said flatly. He shuddered and tried to think of something unrelated to say. "I'm going to try and work out how to get that thing removed," he said, glaring at the collar. "You're not an animal, you shouldn't be chained like one. I just need to work out how to do it without hurting you in the process." --- @ Wineless "If it would help you could ask Kalin to light you on fire," Tornica suggested. "He's pretty good at that. And after his frequent threats to set people on fire when they really piss him off it would be kind of funny to have someone actually ask him to do it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:10:01 -0600

@ Wineless "I might as well," Emkai agreed with a slight nod. "Which one's Kalin again?" His gaze turned to Alis, who was still looking at him. "Is... something wrong?" he asked, sounding quite bemused. @ Magic Table Seta blanched and said nothing. @ Gwenlynn and Wolf Omaron shook his head hastily at Wolf's inquiry. "No, not-- I mean, it's only a headache. I get them all the time, don't worry about me." He didn't quite meet her eyes as he said this.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:30:33 -0600

@Wineless "Does he actually have to piss Kalin off though?" Alis asked with an amused smile. She glanced at Emkai, "No." She replied, shaking her head, "Nothing at all, I was just thinking that I hope the day is fair tomorrow for the sake of your health... If you were a... uh, man -not- on fire, I would suggest a good dose of whiskey. As it is though... I am assuming you'd rather not?" @Omaron/Gwenlynn "Oh... need medicine to help?" Wolf asked him, if he got them so often, she wondered if there were something that could be done for them. @Magic Table Sophia saw all their expressions and felt badly for horrifying them all so just from a slip of her tongue. "Sorry... I- I know it's horrid t-to think of." She tried to think about that as little as possible too. "Thank you Mr Kalin." She murmured, though she didn't hold out much hope that anyone would get it off of her. It was nice for someone to offer to try though at least. "Um... so could we see some of your magic too, Mr Kalin?" She was curious to see how it differed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 20:58:28 -0600

((LOL having Kalin light Emkai's fire. :) )) @Magic table Jiya had left the group she had been sharing the wineskin with because she had not meant for her mention of the Comte cutting off a man's fingers to turn into the main topic of conversation, and now this child was talking about someone carving up children. She put out a hand unconsciously to grab Dumond's sleeve. "I think I must go elsewhere." Jiya said. Her face looked ashen. She turned and walked away circumnavigating the room looking for a more pleasant conversation to join. Finn watched her go with an inward sigh. He wondered what was under that sack of a dress she wore that sounded the laughter of sylphs in springtime. "If you're magic doesn't work to get Sophia's collar off, then I will try mine." Finn said. "Do your remember anything about when it was put on? What Wayland said? What he did? has anyone tried to remove it? What happened?" Finn realized that was a lot of questions but no sense trying what ahd already been tried before. ((I keep thinking Finn and Kalin are like Fafrd and the Gray Mouser if anyone knows those old fantasy stories.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:18:00 -0600

((Jiya could join Omaron, Gwenlynn and Wolf if she likes, they're not talking about gruesome things. lol)) @Magic Table Sophia blushed when the pretty lady said she had to leave the conversation. Sophia really hadn't meant for that to slip out, it just seemed easier to talk to these nice people... she would have to be careful with what she said, most people wouldn't want to know even a tiny bit of the horrible things Volundr had done... She thought about Finn's questions. "I don't know what h-he said... it was in a d-different language. He wasn't f-from there, you see. He m-melded the back of th-the collar with an-another rune in his f-f-forge." She shuddered a little. "Some p-people have tr-tried to take it off." She didn't like thinking about that at all either...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 23:52:56 -0600

((there's an idea. But then it means dealing with Omaron/Shard. Not that Shard will care much about Jiya. At least I don't think she will.)) Jiya saw the elf woman speaking to some others. perhaps their conversation would turn her stomach. "May I join you?" She asked the group.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 01:49:52 -0600

@ Wineless "Kalin is the small, skinny man with pointy ears around that table over there," Tornica said, pointing him out. "And he's never actually set someone on fire in anger, despite his many threats, so getting him angry probably won't work. It'll just make him hell to live with for a while. But if you let him know it won't actually hurt you and would potentially help you I'm sure he'll oblige if you just ask." --- @ Magic Table "You can see some of my magic if you like," Kalin said. "Any opportunity to show off." He waved to catch Kezia's attention and indicated she should come over and watch too. Not having anything better to do right now she obeyed. "This is how I'd create light," he said, and a blurry ball of light appeared in the air. "Unfortunately most of what I do is create magical barriers for various reasons, which are really quite dull to look at. Unless I choose to make it so they aren't even visible." So what to do instead? "I'm not the best at illusions but I could give some of them ago..." He let the light orb fade away, the light bleeding out into various shapes. These all formed to create a flock of small birds that flew around Sophia's head. For good measure, although this was starting to put a bit of a strain on him, he had them chirping as well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:40:38 -0600

((Wow I missed a lot. I will try and catch up this next week. Our internet at home isn't really working. I do have two papers to write by Thursday (one by Tuesday) so I don't really know how much I will be able to post but I will try!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 20:56:43 -0600

@Wineless "You'd be right," Emkai told Alis seriously. "I had a friend who tried some weak ale once, on a dare. He barely survived the experience." He looked over at Kalin once Tornica pointed him out. "Maybe I should go talk with him then." He scooted his chair back and rose. @Wolf/Gwenlynn ((heh, no worries Jez, Shard doesn't care much about Jiya right now.)) Omaron shook his head quickly. "No, no, they aren't serious enough to waste resources on. It's nothing." As though to change the subject, he turned to Gwenlynn. "Do elves mingle with humans much? I haven't noticed any besides those in our party since I arrived." @Magic Table Seta let out a low whistle at Kalin's illusions and light. "Wow... what do the barriers look like again?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:45:27 -0600

((So Jiya invited herself to sit with Gwenlynn and Omaron, and who ever else is hanging out in that area. Dumond may saunter over and join her at some point.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:56:07 -0600

@ Jiya, Gwen, and Wolf. But mainly Jiya. ((Oops! Completely missed your post!)) Omaron looked up at the new voice and was immediately grateful that he had. He'd seen Jiya before of course, but he hadn't talked with her or approached her or anything. She was usually near the Compte, who quite frankly made him nervous. "Not at all," he told her with a smile.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:11:44 -0600

((Not sure how much I'll be aroud today, if at all.)) @Star/Jez/Buggy Wolf smiled at Jiya when she came over, she had been watching Omaron with a bit of concern but if he wasn't worried about his headaches, she wouldn't either. ((Sorry, I just realised this whole post might turn out really lame...)) @Magic Table Sophia looked very nervous at first when the little birds came toward her, it quickly changed to delight thouhg and she clapped her hands at the magic. "Th-they wonderful Mr K-Kalin." She said as she watched them flit about her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:48:23 -0600

@ Magic Table "The barriers?" Kalin said. "They don't really look like anything unless I specifically want them too. I was walking underneath one the entire way here to avoid getting wet. I mean...I can see them because I can see the mana pattern they've been constructed out of, but to the naked non mage eye they're invisible."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 10:14:30 -0600

@ Magic Table "Still they seem incredibly useful, possibly the most useful type of magic I've heard about so far." Seta leaned forward eagerly. "How does it feel to pull mana out of the air?" It looked like she was going to ask more questions, but she was interrupted by Emkai clearing his throat; the fireman had finally approached the table. "Mr. Kalin, is it?" He eyed the flitting birds with some small amount of confusion. "I, er, was told you could help me." Seta looked up with a frown. "Oh dear, did the rain put you out?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:33:41 -0600

@ls/jez/buggy Gwenlynn looked at Jiya and smiled when she came to join them. The woman was very pretty for a human. Not to say that human women weren't pretty, but their beauty was very different from elven women. "Please feel free to join." She herself was getting tired.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 12:35:53 -0600

@omaron (sorry that's what I get for skimming) Gwenlynn shook her head. "No not really, though there are a fair few more out there now than there were just a year ago. Most of the ones you might see will look more like Kalin than like me. Riverfolk are far more commonly seen in the world than Gray or Crystalin."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:31:01 -0600

@Omaron, Wolf, & Gwen ((Can't remember if ya'll are at a table or sitting on the floor...)) Jiya sat down with the sound of bells. "Thank you. I thought if we are to be traveling together, I should like to meet everyone." She smiled. Her attention was drawn to the flock of birds at the table she had just departed. Of course, _now_ there were pretty singing birds, but when she was there it had been all talk of carving spells into the kin of children. She wondered how long before the conversation with this group turned to horrid things. @Magic Table Dumond was very impressed. "Magic is not like this in my land. Mages would have had to inscribe numerous symbols on the ground or one scrolls and speak arcane words of power. Nothing could be done so quickly."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 00:10:35 -0600

@ Gwen, Wolf, Jiya "Yes, that's a good idea." Omaron held his hand out to her to shake (which in retrospect seemed a bit silly). "I'm Omaron of Veliath." He looked thoughtful at Gwen's words. "Why don't you see Grey or Crystalin elves very often?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:42:51 -0600

((Sorry! The weekend was crazy and now I'm working on term papers.)) @omaron's question "We are a bit more private than the Riverfolk. It was'nt until recently that any of hte Grey even left Elladan. Crystalin elves see themselves as sacred guardians and so they won't leave their homeland of Dinendalle unless it is strictly necessary." Gwenlynn hoped that made sense. What the Crystalin thought they were guarding even the Grey and Riverfolk didn't know. ((And in the spirit of moving us along....)) @next day early afternoon Gwenlynn was getting a bit stir crazy by the time Liandra showed up to take her to the meeting with Aethan. She was excited and terrified at the same time. Not scared of him, just of what answers he might give to her questions. But they needed answered regardless of how she felt about them. She looked around at the others and worried her lip. "Are you ready then, Lady Gwenlynn?" Liandra asked. She was respectful in a way that was obviously because Gwenlynn's "station" was above hers, but there was something about the way she looked at Gwenlynn. Clearcall walked over to her. "Are you sure you will be alright alone?" "I'm a big girl now, Clearcall." Gwenlynn smiled at him. Clearcall smiled. "There's a glow about you, that's for sure." Gwenlynn let out a heavy breaht of excitement, then followed Liandra out the door. This was it. She was going ot see him for the first time in months. After Gwenlynn left Clearcall looked at the others. Spotting Tornica he walked over to him. "You ready? The tournament starts shortly. A few of us will be positioned in the crowd ot help should something go amiss. When you have him, fly as far from the city as you dare. He can find your way back. You will need to take the tunnel back into the city again. There is no way you will get him past the guards at the gate and we can't risk you flying over the city." Clearcall looked around at everyone else. "I need volunteers, fighters, to come to the arena and hide out in the crowd in case Tornica had trouble getting out with our champion. A couple should stay behind to keep guard on those who can't come along. Who will come with me?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:17:06 -0600

((Since I'm sure they'll have covered it I won't have him ask personally but...is Tornica expected to just transform in the streets and fly over? Jump out of the crowd? Head out of town first and transform there and do a complete fly over? It might have been mentioned earlier but I've completely forgotten)) "I'm ready as I'll ever be," Tornica said. "I'll deal with the tunnel when we have to get there." Since there would be no other option he'd just have to suck it up and deal with it. He'd done it already...it hadn't been that bad. He wouldn't like it but he could probably handle it without a complete freak out. "I can wait at the tunnel entrance if you want," Kalin said, spotting Tornica's look of apprehension, despite his attempts to keep it off his face. "See if I can make the experience easier on you." Tornica nodded. "That would be appreciated."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:56:03 -0600

((Actually I just didn't think about it lol. We can say that maybe having him come out of the crowd...? As long as that works with how he transforms.)) Clearcall nodded at the two men. "Actually having a couple of people posted there just ot keep an lookout wouldn't be a bad idea anyway."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:30:13 -0600

((He gets engulfed in fire that spreads to form the dragon's body, so he needs quite a bit of space to avoid hurting anyone or setting things on fire))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:46:35 -0600

((I still think having him jump out of the crowd would be best. If he leaves the city and flies back it might attract unwanted attention. Plus it makes things more dramatic :) That's always fun right?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:47:41 -0600

((Yeah, that works. Flings himself out the crowd into the arena and transforms once he's got sufficient space! Awesome!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:11:23 -0600

"I will come, if that's all right," Emkai told Clearcall. He really wanted to get out and stretch; staying still for too long had never suited his tastes. Seta and Omaron opted to stay behind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:21:17 -0600

((I'll give everyone else a chance to respond here before I do.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:50:04 -0600

((I'm assuming we're just moving on from the night before? My charries didn't have much more to say anyway. lol)) Sophia decided to stay behind. Well, it really wasn't anything like a decision, she didn't want to get lost, she couldn't fight, she couldn't do much really so it was more like she -had- to stay behind. That was okay though, it was likely safer to do so. "I'll come with." Alis said, she had had a restful enough night's sleep regardless of the place not rocking back and forth gently and now wanted to get out and actually do something again. Wolf had hung her new dress up to dry over night and put it back on in the morning. She wanted to go with the others and figured she should wear the type of clothing the women here wore so she wouldn't stand out so much.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:59:11 -0600

((Okie dokie. I guess anyone who didn't respond is staying? Jez can toss Finn along at the arena if she wants later.)) ((Just a quick note that I'm not really planning to write Gwenlynn/Aethan's conversation. I have to much to get done as the semester winds down. I'm sure parts of it will come out later though.)) Clearcall knew Gwenlynn wasn't planning to come back after she delivered her message. More than likely she would be at the arena for a little while then head back here later. "Okay, so Alis, Wolf, Emkai, and Tornica. Kalin, wait a little bit before you head to the tunnel to meet with them. I'm sure you guys can find the place without me so I'll stay here and keep a lookout from the roof. If I think something is amiss I'll send a message to you by dragonling." His little friends were always around out of sight of people but he knew where to find them and that they would help him out. "You guys go ahead and head out. Go together if you want but try to stay close at the arena in case something does go wrong. All weapons in Finn's handy bag unless they can be concealed on your person. Try to find Gwenlynn when you get there. I wish you luck." --- Gwenlynn was feeling better after her meeting with Aethan. He wasn't too thrilled at first to see her there (he told her to go away, for her own protection of course). When he found out that there was a rescue mounted for him today he seemed to perk up a little, especially when he found out she wasn't directly involved. Now Gwenlynn was moving through the arena as the crowd started to filter in. Liandra had offered to have her in her box but Gwenlynn politely declined. If something happened she didn't want to draw attention to Liandra by disappearing in the middle of it. It would be much easier to disappear from the crowd.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:10:56 -0600

Emkai was reluctant to hide his sword away in the bag, but at least he still had a knife concealed on his person. He smiled slightly under his hood as they set out, falling into step beside Alis. "It's nice, getting out of there," he said quietly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:07:26 -0600

((Sorry I was busy the last few days noveling and doing ML things.)) ((So I will just skip ahead to the next day, not like there was anything pressing in any convos my chars were in...)) "I would be happy to help stand watch or come with you," Finn said. "But if you need fighters here, I'll stay. Just tell me where I'm needed." "I would prefer to stay. Someone who can fight should remain in case they are needed." Dumond added. ((So am I assuming Finn is going with the group to the arena? Whatever works.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:16:28 -0600

@Buggy/Walking Alis glanced over at Emkai, "You itching for something, Fireman?" She asked, sounding amused. "You all dried off and relit this morning?" She asked him, apparently he was as he was wearing the cloak again. Wolf kept her bow and quiver in Finn's pack, she would've preferred to have it with her but she knew they wouldn't be allowed to have it out as they went to the arena. Instead she kept her little dagger with her, strapped to her leg under her dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:49:28 -0600

@ Alis/Walking "Yes, I'm feeling much better," Emkai replied. "Thank you for letting me dry off in the room yesterday. I might have been quite sick if you hadn't."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:57:22 -0600

((Just a note, I don't know how much I will be around this weekend. Our internet still hasn't been switched over so our connection is off and on.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:19:46 -0600

"You going to be all right with all this Tornica?" Kalin asked when the group were prepping to head off. Tornica nodded. "I'll be perfectly all right. I wouldn't have volunteered unless I was sure about it." Although a big part of him was hoping everyone would be too surprised at what was happening to think to react. It was unlikely arrows or mundane weapons would be able to penetrate his thick, dragon scale hide, but it was possible. And then Aethan would be just as stuck as he was previously and Tornica would be in there with him. And he really didn't know how well he'd handle being in a prison. He could be bad enough with regular houses he could just walk out whenever he wanted. "Besides...it's a bit late to back out now, right? Everything's set up for this to happen."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 15:31:52 -0600

@Emkai/Walking Alis rolled her eyes a little and waved her hand as though brushing the thanks aside. "Nevermind it, happy to accommodate." She was embarrassed by people thanking her most of the time. One would think she was used to it by now with how many people she had been able to help, it never got better though and she was always left blushing and awkward when people thanked her for just about anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:01:09 -0600

Jiya was disappointed that she would not be able to watch Tornica transform. She thought it would a marvelous thing to see. ((And that's all I got with my lame post. I suppose Jiya can keep talking to Omaron...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:19:51 -0600

@ Alis/Walking Emkai tilted his head as though he were trying to get a better look at her face. "What's wrong?" --- @ Jiya or whoever Omaron stretched and took a seat at the table. Hopefully things wouldn't be too dull with the others gone. No sooner had he thought this than his gaze landed on Jiya. Mmm... maybe it wouldn't be so bad actually. "Hello," he said with a smile. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:27:41 -0600

((Finn is welcome to stay or go. Didn't know what you wanted to do. Once everyone gets to the arena I'll get something more posted. Probably won't be around much again tomorrow. So much to do before the holiday and so little time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:37:05 -0600

"Good morning, effendi" Jiya smiled and pulled her veil over her mouth. "No. I have not." Finn had left his bread bag behind, but had taken his wine skin with him after filling up some jugs with soft beer and mead. Dumond came and sat at the table. "Good morning. I'm Dumond." He put out his hand.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:55:34 -0600

@arena The arena was bursting at the seams today. Valentis watched the crowds file in from his high box. Artists made posters early yesterday morning promising the fight of Dragonslayer's life. The details were not released. Valentis didn't want his cousin to hear about it and have time to prepare. He pulled a lot of strings to make this matchup happen and he was quite certain it would be his dear beloved cousin's last. No one could survive what was in store for him. No one had so far anyway. He let out a satisfied sigh, his beautiful queen beside him. She was just as eager as him for this particular match. Perhaps more so. The arena never saw so many people in one place before. @house Clearcal pulled out some rations of food for breakfast and handed them over. Some of the homeless people watched with greedy eyes and he was sure to keep a watchful eye on them. Desparate people would do desperate things. If he could he would feed them all but he just didn't have the means to do so. Soon we will see them taken care of.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:37:33 -0600

@House Sophia rubbed more sleep from her eyes and accepted the rations from Clearcall shyly, thanking him, she wasn't used to people thinking of her needs like this. She made her way out of everyone else's way and found a place off to the side to sit and eat the bread and drink the mead she had been given. Looking around, she noticed a bunch of people watching her chew the first mouthful. She looked at the bread and back, then tore it in half and offered some to the nearest person to her, a man who looked quite malnourished and hungry. His eyes glinted and he grabbed the offered bread, then pushed her roughly and snatched the other half away too before hurrying off down a hallway. Sophia watched him leave with some surprise, she hadn't expected something like that to happen but she supposed maybe he needed it more than she did. Hadn't she been given a bunch to eat lately? Much more than she could finish? Picking up her drink, she sipped some instead and watched the others in the room. @Buggy/Walking "Nothing's wrong." Alis said, it came out rather sharply and she pressed her lips together. "Sorry... it's just..." She shook her head, feeling awkward about trying to have to explain herself. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She said again in a less harsh way, her mouth tipping in a bit of a smile at Emkai. @Arena Wolf looked around with utter amazement at the sheer number of people crowding into this massive building. She looked rather alarmed, being jostled about by shoulders and elbows all around, she actually felt a little claustrophobic and tried to keep her eyes on the other 'traveling companions' she had met so that she wouldn't get swept away in the crowd and get lost. She fell behind a little as they were ushered through into the arena, the masses being bottlenecked into the entrances and she was squished into the crowd, all she could see were the backs of people trying to get in and get to their seats. Alis was being pressed in on all sides too, she had no qualms about shoving people right back when they pushed at her. She jabbed out her elbows and made sure people knew they weren't dealing with someone who could be pushed around easily. At one point she was pretty sure shefelt someone's hand on her bottom, she whipped around, hands in fists, ready to show the person a piece of her mind but there were so many people behind her, and none that looked terribly suspicious that she couldn't tell for sure who it was. She gritted her teeth, an angry blush heating her face as she turned back to the entrance.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:12:36 -0600

@ Arena This was something Tornica didn't think he'd ever understand about cities. How could so many people stand living in such close proximity to each other? Didn't they ever feel trapped? Stifled? Thankfully he was able to elbow himself a reasonably comfortable amount of space and a few glares at anyone objecting to his behaviour kept retaliation to dark mutters after he'd already gone by. Progress got harder as he worked his way towards the front of the arena and the claustrophobic feeling got worse. He had to just concentrate on the open sky above him. That's all that mattered right now. And if he kept pushing forwards he would be in a position to make use of said sky and actually be able to escape this horrific crush of people. He had a quick look round to make sure everyone was still more or less keeping together.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:01:07 -0600

@arena Today there was no warmup fight to the main attraction. None of the nobles were willing to give up a fighter to prep the crowd for this and Valentis didn't feel like doing so either. Everyone knew what they were there to see. Their beloved Dragonslayer's death. At least, that was what Valentis was hoping for. They were likely hoping their champion would pull out another miracle. Not this time cousin. You will fall. To ensure it, Valentis put a couple of extras in for this fight, just to make sure that it ended the way he wanted. He was done playin this game and it was only a matter of time before the nobles or the people tried to free their beloved hero. Today the Dragonslayer would die. As the gate below opened and his cousin walked out into the arena a burst of cheers errupted from the crowd. It was a thunderous roar. Valentis stood near the edge of his balcony box and allowed the crowd to roar with life, exhulting in their jubilation, before he raised his hand to silence them. It took a minute longer than normal before the hush fel over the crowd. "Today," he began, throwing his voice out as much as he could and allowing the accoustics of the arena to do the rest of the work for him, "you have been promised a special fight. One that will be remembered . As some of the rumors have told, a few nights ago there was an attack at the palace. Several of the assailants were captured. Today, they await judgment upon the blade of your champion, the Dragonslayer. Open the gates!" As the gates drew up, the sky seemed to darken. About half a dozen dark forms slinked through, flickering in the shadows and appearing elsewhere completely. "Make us proud, Dragonslayer! Walk in the Light and slay these Shadowmen!" The hush turned into dreadful silence, as if the world itself wasn't breathing awaiting the coming battle. Aethan shifted his grip on the short sword he was given, turning slowly to watch the forms move here and there in the shadows. He could hear his own breathing, heart pounding. Captured Shadowmen? Impossible! His cousin had to have gotten them from somewhere else... from a certain dark lady. That help can come any time now. Aethan knew betterr. There was no surviving an attack by Shadowmen, especially so many of them. If his friends were there to fight with him they may have had a chance but without.... He was doomed. And then the first attack came, so swift that Aethan nearly missed blocking. This fight was all defense. He would have t obe lucky to flip the offensive battle to his favor. As he blocked the first the second attack came in by another before he could counter and he felt a slash cut deep don the back of his swordarm. Gwenlynn don't let me down. Any time now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:42:07 -0600

@ Arena Tornica didn't know what those things were, but they made him feel cold to just look at them. He was suddenly far less sure about throwing himself into this fight. But he'd said he would and he couldn't just leave that man down there to die... He took a deep breath to brace himself and made his move. Thankfully even the guards were pretty much transfixed on the spectacle before them and so put up very little resistance. But a large part of that was probably surprise because who the hell would do something so stupid as to throw themselves into the middle of the fighting arena. Especially unarmed. He doubted these Shadowmen would be quite so slow to strike and surprise would only slow the archers standing guard for so long. As his feet hit the dirt floor of the arena he let himself flow into the transformation. Flesh and bone melted away, blending into a raging inferno that twisted in the air until it formed the dragon's shape. Then the flames died away, leaving behind burnished red and orange scales, glittering in the light. Burning yellow eyes locked on Aethan as he started running towards him, pumping his wings to start gaining altitude. He roared, hoping to startle the Shadowmen into giving him an opening (although he didn't hope all that hard since he doubted it would do much good), and lashed out with his talons, aiming to grab Aethan and carry him up and away; Hopefully without skewering him or getting either of them shot in the process.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:03:20 -0600

@ Jiya and Dumond Omaron smiled in a rather charming fashion, if he did say so himself. "Maybe we can eat together then-- ah, hello." He paused and looked up at Dumond. He'd forgotten that Jiya had come with an escort, one that looked a bit more dangerous than he was too. Scooting his chair a little further from her, he took the man's offered hand to shake. "I'm Omaron, Omaron of Veliath." He nodded gratefully to Clearcall and took a bit of the rations to eat. "Thank you." It was odd that Seta wasn't up yet; she was usually an early riser. --- @ Walking with Alis Emkai frowned but didn't say anything. Apparently he'd struck a nerve, somehow. It puzzled him; what had he said that was so offensive? @ Arena Emkai sucked in a breath at the sight of the shadowy creatures in the arena. "Wanderers," he muttered, hand going to the knife tucked under his cloak. And yet they weren't quite the same. They were too... insubstantial, and flicked from one side of the arena to the next effortlessly. They also seemed to be attacking the man's body and not anything else. When Tornica dove down into the pit and shifted to his draconic form, Emkai just gaped. "Smoke and cinders..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:23:12 -0600

@arena Gwenlynn was making her way toward Wolf when she saw the Shadowmen enter the arena floor. It wasn't just the sight of them, but the bitter chill that their presence gave her. How could these Shadowmen have been contained to await this fight? All they needed was a shadow to slip away. Those cells would have had to be as bright as the sun itself. And six of them! Thank the Light they had a plan to get him out today. There was little chance he would survive this fight. When Tornica jumped out and suddenly transformed everything turned to chaos. People pushed and elbowed at each other screaming in terror as they all made way to the exits. Guards were jostled and lost their weapons. A few people around the arena were pushed out and over the edge in chaos. Valentis was yelling orders that couldn't be heard over the sounds of screaming and chaos, his guards closing in around him to get him out. Several of the noble boxes quickly emptied as the occupants ran for safety. Aethan turned to swing at another of the Shadowmen as it made its way toward him, gritting his teeth to keep his sword in his good hand. That was when it froze, all of them did, and stared behind Aethan. He turned to see what was happening, the sounds of the chaos filling his ears. Seeing the man transform into a dragon he bilinked. Was his vision burring or was it just him? He turned as the dragon moved swiftly toward him and looked up at the king's box to see his cousin being dragged out through the back door by his guards. Then he felt massive talons grab hold of him and lift him off the ground and into the air. Gwenlynn was serious. He wasn't certain where she had found someone like this when they spoke before so he didn't know if she was just trying to make him feel better or not. But this man really could turn into a dragon. He looked down as the ground shrank away, clutching at his worthless short sword. It was the only weapon he had. Gwenlynn was trying to move toward the others in the group but found herself on the ground and before she could stand a heavy boot stomped on her hand as the owner fled. She cried out and used her legs to stand instead but was knocked off balance by the throng of people rushing away. By the time she did manage to gain her feet again Aethan was gone and the screams coming from the crowd were now not caused by the dragon. Shadowmen, angry at losing their prey, began to prey upon those too slow to escape. The first to die were the poor souls who fell into the arena, then they made their way up into the crowd.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:22:08 -0600

@ Arena ((If this screws things up, just pretend like I never posted it)) Emkai recovered from his shock as the creatures appeared in the stands. He snapped to attention, cursing his weakness; these shadow-things were just another enemy to be dealt with, if they could be harmed. And by the Flame I will find out. Expression hardening, he shoved his way through the crowd and turned over what he had observed in his mind. Their strengths? Teleportation between shadows. Quick movements. Don't seem to care who they kill, if that's a strength. Weaknesses? Obvious enough; they can't teleport in the light. Gives me something of an advantage. And they seem to fight like men. After Plague that was a very wonderful thing. They could flit between shadows, but they didn't turn to mist or fly or make you mad, so far as he could tell. They slashed, and slashes could be blocked if necessary. Seeing one dark figure bent over a dead or dying man, he strode forward. The crowd had wisely given it a wide berth, and the fireman hastily pulled his cloak and his shirt off (hopefully before it looked up from its meal). His knife burst into flames as he took it in one bare hand, and he charged forward. ((Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that can go wrong with this plan, but the idea took me and I had to try))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 01:26:09 -0600

The town fell away quickly, leaving the chaos of the arena behind him. Tornica tried not to feel too bad for the people stuck in there. Panic in a crowd like that was bound to get someone killed. He just hoped it wasn't any of his companions. He flew until the city disappeared over the horizon, too far for anyone keeping watch in the city to spot where they landed, and started bringing them down. Rather needing his legs to stop himself falling in a heap he let Aethan go when he was still a few feet above the ground. He then let himself drop a short distance later. He stretched out his wings, grimacing. His arms were going to be sore later. Taking off with that short a run up was never pleasant. The dragon's bulk just wasn't designed for it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:54:40 -0600

@Safehouse Jiya watched Clearcall as he looked around the room warily. They did not have a lot of food. "The tall effendi, Feen? he left his bread bag here." She lowered her voice. "He said it was magical and will give enough bread to feed everyone. She mentally counted the number of people in the room and started pulling out bread and putting it into a basket. She left the bag on the table. When she stood, Dumond stood with her, he was not about to let her go walking around these people without an escort. They seemed desperate, and desperate people do desperate things. @Arena Finn had to admit, it was an impressive sight watching Tornica change into a dragon. The crowd panicked. The place was a riot of screaming as everyone tried to flee the arena. The those creature of darkness began attacking anyone they could. He saw Gwenlynn go down and wading through the press of people to get to her. She was just making it to her feet again when he took pulled her up the rest of the way, wrapped a protective arm around her to keep her close to him and waded through the crowd. He hadn't had much time to assess those shadow creatures, but he imagined a light spell might work. It may not hurt them, but it might contain them. He wondered what faery fire would do. If it were actually cast directly on them. He would have to ask Gwynlynn and Clearcall what they knew of these things. In the chaos, he was afraid that the rest of their companions would have to fend for themselves.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:59:30 -0600

@arena The Shadowman that was near Emkai shrieked in the light of the flames, then flitted away and disappeared inthe shadow of one of the people trying to flee. It reappeared behind Emkai a short distance away, trying to force some shadows closer to the flames. Unfortunately the appearance of a man on fire made the people around him scatter rather quickly out of fear so it couldn't use their shadows. Gwenlynn clung to Finn, watching the chaos and looking for their companions in the midst of it. "No one knows how to kill them," she said hpoefully loud enough for Finn to hear. "There is no record of them ever being killed... or captured." She looked toward the sky. "We need to gather the others and get out of here." @dm Aethan hit the ground in a crouch and slowly stood, clutching at his wounded arm as he watched the dragon land. If not for Gwenlynn's warning he would have fought the thing off, but somehow it was working with her. Or he was. He winced and looked at the wound on his arm. It wasn't nearly as deep as it felt. "Thank you," he murmured to the dragon man.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:29:11 -0600

@Arena "In this chaos, I think it best to get out first and regroup. Trying to gather together in here...just keeps us to close to those...things. If they can't be killed, can they be dispelled?" Finn asked Gwenlynn. "Can they be fought off?" If these Shadowmen had not be captured then they were working with the treacherous king. Finn continued to shield Gwenlynn from harm while muscling his way through the crowd.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:47:50 -0600

@ Star Having not been present at Gwenlynn and Aethan's meeting Tornica didn't really have much idea about what they'd discussed. He'd assumed Gwenlynn had informed her friend about what was going to happen and the way he wasn't scrambling for his sword the instant they landed was a big step towards that. When Aethan thanked him all remaining tension disappeared and he pulled his face into the closest thing his draconic features had to a smile. Which probably didn't look all that comforting. Confident now that he wouldn't be attacked out of self defence the minute he was in a more vulnerable form again Tornica transformed back, leaving scorch marks on the ground where the dragon had been standing. "You're welcome," he said, working one shoulder to try and get the ache out. Hopefully he wouldn't be too stiff tomorrow. "You okay?" he asked, spotting the wound on Aethan's arm. It thankfully didn't look like it had been done with dragon talons. "I'm afraid I don't have much skill and it's going to be a long walk back to town to get you fixed up."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 11:54:36 -0600

@Arena When Tornica transformed, Alis did her best to stand firm against the pushing, panicking crowd, at one point she herself was nearly plunged over the wall into the actual fighting area. Thankfully she managed to brace herself enough that, even though she was pushed into it, she didn't go any futher than that. She was about to turn around to try to make her way to the exit as well but was stopped when a strange sight flickered infront of her, it was hard to get a good look at it but there was no mistaking that it was one of those Shadow men. It appeared in front of her in the shadow of one of the men fleeing and disappeared, reappearing behind her from her own shadow. She whipped around, yanking out her dagger. A burning slash tore across her cheek and the shadow disappeared before she could strike out at it. "You poxy bastards!" She said angrily, looking left and right. "Come out and give me a real fight!" Wolf saw Gwenlynn coming toward her, trying to get through the crowd, and then she lost sight of her again. It wasn't long though before she spotted Finn in the same area and tried to get over to them, though she was shoved back before she could, knocked to the ground and winded. She snatched her hands up when both were nearly trampled under boots as they went by and she found she wasn't able to quite get to her feet for what felt like a long while.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:13:02 -0600

@arena Gwenlynn didn't like the idea of leaving anyone behind to try and flee the Shadowmen alone, but she wasn't much of a fighter without her magic. "If we leave anyone here they may not make it out of the arena." The place was starting to empty out now but there were still a lot of people left. She spotted Emkai blazing, a wide clear circle around him, and pointed. "There!" She didn't see Wolf before Wolf went down herself. The Shadowman fighting Alis laughed, but it did what it wanted to do and moved on to another shadow. The damage was done. @dm Aethan watched the dragon transform back into a man, completely fascinated. "Where did she find you?" he murmured mostly to himself. His arm hurt, probably more than it should have, but he would survive. "I've survived worse than this. Let's start back though. Gwenlynn should be able to fix me up in no time." Now that he was out of the arena he felt ridiculous though. No real clothing, just the very basic armor he was allowed and the sandals on his feet. Hardly ideal for a long walk but there was little he could do about it. As he started back toward Mordelic he glanced at Tornica again. "I've never known anyone who could do that, and I've met a wide variety of people. Where are you from?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:50:02 -0600

@ Star "Should we at least try binding it with something?" Tornica asked. Not that they really had anything to bind it with unless they started tearing at their clothes. Or rather if Tornica started tearing at his clothes because Aethan's attire didn't look like it would be able to tolerate much tearing. Tornica considered the question, wondering exactly how to answer it. "Originally I'm from an island named Hymlia but most recently I was in the country of Shanador, near its capital city in fact." He shrugged. "I don't expect you to have heard of either of those. I certainly hadn't heard of Mordelic until me and my friend Kalin wandered into it the day before yesterday." He sighed. "And I've met a wide variety of people too and as far as I can tell I'm unique in this ability. Well...not unique exactly. Apparently other members of my family before me have been able to do the same thing, but it's been so long since the last time it happened that we all just assumed it was a fairy tale."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:58:01 -0600

@dm "I have nothing to bind it with and it doesn't really appear you do either." Aethan glanced at it again, pressing his other palm against it after tucking hte sword into his belt to hold it for now. "It doesn't appear to be bleeding much though." He continued toward the city, watching around him as best he could and listening to Tornica explain. Shanador? No he never heard of such a place and he was fairly certian he heard of them all. "I would assume the same thing too. There are stories about dragons being able to hide themselves as humans, but not humans turning into dragons. So how did you come to meet Gwenlynn and what made you decide to help her?" Because most people wouldn't put their neck on the line for someone else's kingdom if it meant committing treason.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:58:36 -0600

@ Shadowman "Cinders you're quick," Emkai muttered under his breath as he charged the thing again. It wasn't letting him get close enough to strike with his knife, and though he was tempted to throw his weapon at the thing he didn't have any other weapons at his disposal. If he could back it into a corner... but really the important thing was getting everyone out alive. The fireman glanced around for his companions. It was easy enough to spot Gwenlynn and Finn, and it appeared that they'd seen him, but no one else was in sight that he could tell. ((Heh, something tells me those wounds are more serious than they look.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:35:37 -0600

@Arena ((I'm hoping that went all hell broke loose peol,e grabbed their weapons from Finn's bag, because I don't remember anyone saying that they did.)) Finn did not like the idea of leaving anyone behind either but it seemed Gwenlynn and Clearcall were important and necessary and so it was important to keep them safe. Especially Gwenlynn who was ill-equipped to fend for herself. ((I don't know how far away everyone is, how spread out.)) He signed inwardly he needed everyone to retreat to an exit so they could get out of here. There was no help for it. He hoped his spell would work. he began singing. he wove not only a protection spell for his comrades and anyone fighting the shadows, but also a spell to improve aim and morale. That and he hoped his voice would draw the rest of their companions back to him. AND, and it was a big and, keep the Shadowmen away from Gwenlynn and him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:46:05 -0600

((Yeah...I'm getting that impression too Buggles :p )) @ Star "Well...if it's not bleeding much the best thing we can do is probably just keep walking then," Tornica said. "Get it seen to as quick as possible. But let me know if it starts getting worse and I can try...something." Hopefully if it came up he'd have thought of some useful idea. "I certainly thought it was just some tall tale," Tornica said. "I was convinced I was having some sort of nightmare when it actually happened to me." The exact circumstances had definitely been one of the least pleasant moments of his life. "I have never heard a story about a dragon taking on human form...well, before I came here anyway. Both Gwenlynn and Finn told stories where that happened. I really don't think it can work that way where I'm from. However stupid humans can be sometimes it's always a couple of cuts about having the brain of an animal." He sighed. Why had he offered to help Gwenlynn? "I can't remember the exact point of argument that swayed me," he said. "But...I don't like tyrants. To be completely blunt I don't like kings or anything like that at all. The idea of someone being placed above others by sheer accident of birth, that someone somehow magically is more capable of being in charge than others simply because they have more money or their ancestors had a better army...I think it's fucking stupid. I would have quite happily stormed the palace and taken your cousin out myself to be honest." And the point was distinctly getting away from him here. "But if you're going to have that kind of position you should at least take responsibility for the people in your power. I grew up in a small village considered incredibly impoverished by the rest of the world and yet I've never seen such poverty and desperation as I did within that city back there. I don't care which one of you the people of your laws considered to be the 'rightful' ruler, but Gwenlynn believes freeing you is the best chance those people have to claw their way to a better life. And more to the point Clearcall does as well and he hasn't put his brain on a shelf when it comes to dealing with you." "Oh," he said, suddenly remembering. "And there was something about her needing help to save the world. Which is a bit too 'big picture' for me to really comprehend, but it's probably important so I figured I'd throw my weight behind it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:08:55 -0600

@ Finn etc Emkai glanced over and slowly began making his way toward the big fae. ((One liner, sorry >.<))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:53:45 -0600

@dm Try something. He didn't sound too confident that he could do much of anything. Aethan figured the best bet was to get to Gwenlynn as quickly as possible. She healed him from far worse than this before. "Dragons are actually quite smart here. A bit greedy and bloodthirsty sometimes, andvicious of late, but smart. Trust me, you don't want to face one, whether as a dragon or human." He chuckled a little when he heard Tornica's explaination. "You know that some people here consider me a tyrant. Why are you so willing ot help me take my cousin's place when you don't even know me? Not that I don't appreciate the help. As far as line of succession goes, I don't disagree with you. Blood doesn't make one person more capable of ruling than any other. Training does and most people just dn't get the training they need. It isn't all about passing laws and waging war. A good king finds a way to avoid war as long as he can. But it's also about finding a balance on tax levies and keeping the peace in his own land by finding reasonable, fair ways to resolve disputes." He looked at Tornica gravely. "And taking care of the people. I have never witnessed or heard of Mordelic being in such a bad state before, and my cousin doesn't even care." At mention of Gwenlynn putting her brain on a shelf he chuckled softly. "Don't be too hard on her. She has the best of intentions and she doesn't have a mind like most of us do. She sees things differently. She does seem to think I'm the last hope against Shadow. I just hope that she gets to eet Rgan someday soon. He is the one prophecied to save us all." @arena Gwenlynn listened to Finn sing, fascinated by it as she knew he was using some sort of magic. Then she spotted Alis and gasped, pulling Finn toward the other woman. The Shadowmen were starting to disburse and disappear in every direction. They were loose in the city and it was all that fool king's fault. He needed to be tied up by his ankles and punished.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:57:34 -0600

@Arena ((I think my charries were too far away from Finn's bag to get the weapons, and getting blocked by the crowds of people, they prolly wouldn't be able to get to him.Well... that's my excuse for forgetting that bit anyway. lol! They have their little daggers with them at least.)) Alis heard Finn's voice and looked behind her, spotting him. Thankfully most people had cleared out, there were a few here and there on the ground, injured from being trampled by the mass of people panicking. She paused by a couple of them on her way over to where Finn and Gwenlynn were, keeping an eye out for any more of those blasted creatures and pressing a hand to the burning on her cheek. She spotted Emkai making his way over too, -he- had no problem with people in the crowd pushing at him, there seemed to always be a wide berth around his person. Alis couldn't suppress a chuckle, supposing that being on fire had it's advantages. Wolf picked herself up and rubbed a spot on her forehead where someone's knee had connected rather hard as they had tripped over her. It was tender but if that were the worst that had happened, she had gotten off lucky, she guessed, looking around at some of the unconscious people... and some of the deceased, around her. She frowned and made her way over to where she could see the Fireman, hoping he was heading toward the familiar people.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:04:53 -0600

@ Star "Oh don't worry," Tornica said. "I don't know about their size here but back home I'm kind of small for a fire dragon. The majority of them are at least twice my size so I'm more than acquainted with the idea of staying the hell out the way of the things." Tornica shrugged. "To be honest it's more a case of getting your cousin off the throne. I know it's a leap of faith to assume you're going to be any better than him but I figure deposing your cousin isn't going to happen overnight so I've got plenty of time to decide whether it would be better for everyone if I just turned back into a dragon and jumped on you. But to be serious, I don't see how you could make life worse for the people here and I'm not about to try starting a bloody revolution if the people want to keep their monarchy. Gwenlynn and Clearcall seem like decent people who honestly want the best for this city and the world, which is also the opinion of my friend Kalin, one of the most cynical bastards I've ever met and so one I'm inclined to trust." He frowned. "That all made sense in my head, but I'm not sure it did out loud. Long and short of it is I've seen enough here to be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. And I don't like the idea of anyone being carved up slowly for the entertainment of others, but you were the only person we could break out on short notice that might be able to stop it happening to other people."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:21:51 -0600

@dm "I'm likely to piss off a few nobles when I get rid of that blasted arena," Aethan agreed. "Especially when I declare the debts of those who are fighting and their crimes al cleared. No one should be treated like that and there are a lot of god men in there who would make fine soldiers if htye need pay. I trust some of them more than I would trust most of the current guard. They're less likely to be bought off by some noble than current guards are. Plus I know that they aren't already bought off by them. If I free them of their debts and crimes I promise you this, they will be more loyal to me than to anyone else. They're simple men who know not to bite off the hand that freed them." He looked over at Tornica and blinked to clear his clouding vision. Was he sweating? "By the way, you can call me Aethan, not Dragonslayer. I'm hoping to bury that name for good." Though he had a terrible feeling it would stick with him for a long time. "Anyway, I appreciate your unfounded faith in me. Gwenlynn is one of the best people I have met in a very long time. I'm not sure who this Clearcall fellow is, but if she trusts him I have little reason to doubt that I should too."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:02:37 -0600

@ Star "Don't worry," Tornica said. "I have absolutely no intention of calling you Dragonslayer. The idea that you know how to kill dragons made me more than a little uncomfortable when I first heard about it. Besides, Aethan is shorter. Less effort to say it." He frowned at the other man. Small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead. "You okay? You're looking a little...dazed." Tornica smiled. "I'm a simple man. Having faith in people until I'm given reason not to is considerably easier than being suspicious all the time."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 14:44:55 -0600

@dm Aethan chuckled softly, looking at the Outer City as they drew closer. "I know how to kill them because I have had the need in the very recent past. A friend of mine knows pretty much everything there is to know about the dragons here so she schooled my friends and I a while back in how to kill each different kind." The city hazed out on him for a moment and he blinked as Tornica asked if he was okay. There was only one reasonable explaination for this, something Aethan was unfortunately far too familiar with. "I need Redleaf." He looked down at the cut on his arm, what he could see through the space between the fingers putting pressure on it. "I think those blades the Shadowmen used were poisoned. Redleaf helps soak it up." He let out a desrissive laugh. "What better way to get rid of me than to have me poisoned during a fight. Then even if I win I lose. I'm surprised Valentis didn't think of this sooner." Truth was he was concerned about the influence Acebrity had over his cousin. Valentis was never bad or malicious growing up. This sudden change was unlike him. The fact that he had access to the likes of dragons and Shadowmen and morgus should have been a clue to the other nobles that something wasn't right. It meant Valentis had someone else working for him to cover up. He scanned the trees for Redleaf but didn't think it likely he would find it. "I wish I could be less suspicious of people. Unfortunately experience has taught me that trusting people in general leads to trouble." Aethan hated to admit it but it was true. Especially with what happened with Dorin.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:00:16 -0600

@Arena Alis gave Emkai a smile when she got close enough to talk to him, "Don't suppose I could get you to cauterize this,eh?" She joked, it still stung quite a bit, she pressed her fingers against it more, her fingers cool against her face. She noted she was feeling oddly feverish but she brushed it off as being from the heat of battle... though it wasn't much of one, she thought.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:02:44 -0600

@ Star "My dad told me he had to kill a couple of dragons when he was up on campaign in the desert," Tornica said. "But they were only sand dragons. Those only get the size of a cow at most. Apparently they kept trying to eat the wagon horses." He couldn't imagine having to be taught specifically how to kill dragons. Especially multiple different types. Back home if there were dragons around you learnt to deal with them as best you could and that was that. When Aethan mentioned the poison Tornica started looking around for this 'redleaf'. "What should it look like?" he asked. "I assume it's at least partly red with a name like that? You okay to keep walking? You want me to carry you?" His arms gave a painful twinge at the idea of that. "Thankfully I've not had a great deal of experience at being lied to," he said. "People typically don't bother lying to mercenaries. We get the details of the job, we take it or not depending on the price, we go and do it." He shrugged. "End of story and trust typically doesn't need to get involved."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:53:20 -0600

@ Alis Emkai grimaced at the slash in her cheek. "If you have a knife, we might be able to work something out." He paused. "It's from one of the shadow-creatures, isn't it?" He looked back toward Finn as they moved. Soon they were within speaking distance. "Any idea where the others are?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:03:28 -0600

@Arena "It is naught but a scratch." Alis smiled at him and shook her head. "Yes, the poxy bastards..." She muttered again and tucked her dagger away as they came up to Finn. "Any chance of getting my blade back now? I suppose no one should notice it much in the city with all of this chaos going on."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:01:45 -0600

((I had a young female bard in a D&D game and her companions _gave_ her to a dragon to save their skins. "Look we have a bard! She can tell you stories!" My poor bard was all, "Seriously?! I'm a _gift?_" Smart dragons are not a good thing.)) ((I don't remember who else came with us that we need to round up.)) Finn fished out Alis' sword and handed it to her. He didn't stop singing, once more verse and the protection and the rest of his spells sound stick for awhile. he looked around to see where the Shadowmen had got to and where the rest of their little band was.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:27:58 -0600

@Arena "Cheers..." Alis murmured, taking her sword and looping the strap around her hips again. It was nice to feel the familiar weight of it on her side again, comforting... She sighed light and passed a hand over her eyes, trying to ignore the sudden dizziness that had come over her, it was starting to worry her a little, she wasn't getting sick, was she? What horrible timing! Wolf finally managed to make it over to where Finn, Gwenlynn, Emkai and Alis were. She looked quite disheveled, there was dirt on her, a tear in her dress and a bit of a bruise forming on her forehead. She still smiled at them through it though.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:32:06 -0600

@ Arena "You all right?" Emkai murmured to Alis as he took his sword from the bag. Let those shadow-things try to get him now... well, all right, he was still carrying his shirt and cloak draped over one arm, and with the humans around there were actually shadows nearby, but he did feel more confident.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:37:24 -0600

@Arena "Hn? Y-yes. Just... maybe I did catch a bit of that chill after all." Alis replied quietly to Emkai, shaking her head a little as though it would help to dispel the wooziness. The feverishness didn't abate and she took a deep breath, she just had to hold it together a little while longer, just until they could get back to the safe house and she could sit down for a bit... maybe another draught of whiskey would help.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:44:16 -0600

@ Arena Concern was plain across Emkai's features now. He handed her his cloak. "Maybe that will help until we get back."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:17:06 -0600

@Arena "Oh, thanks." Alis sounded surprised but accepted the cloak. She was feeling rather wobbly and shivery, it was convenient, she supposed. She didn't like being thanked and she didn't normally like accepting help from people but at the moment, with the was she was feeling, she figured she could bend that rule.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:26:00 -0600

@Arena "Gwenlynn, someone? tell me about these Shadowmen." Finn asked as they moved out. "I take it whoever was controlling them is controlling them no longer." "I think in this chaos we can stay together until we get closer to the gates."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:19:50 -0600

@dm "Most of the dragons here would make you look small," Aethan retorted with a small laugh. "Good news is they tend to prefer other mammals. Bad news is they don't descriminate if you get in their way." "Just keep moving. We aren't likely to find Redleaf here. Just a hope really. Gwenlynn likely has some. I just need to get to her." The Outer City wasn't far away now. As long as he paced himself he should be able to make it. "Where are we going, anyway?" Tornica was a mercenary. No wonder he was easily swayed by Gwenlynn. But she likely didn't pay him, when made Aethan wonder just a little where Tornica's real allegiance would be if things turned rough. @arena Gwenlynn looked around at the arena, seeing some people still fleeing. "We need to get out of here before the guards come in to investigate. The last thing we need is to be caught as we are. It will certainly put us in the hands of hte king. Emkai, I'm afraid you will need to cover back up so we can avoid drawing attention to ourselves." She started toward the exit with Finn. "Swords are fine now, If we take the tunnel back into the city and stick to the alleys we should be fine." At Finn's question Gwenlynn felt a chill. "Oh He is still in control of them. This particular batch are likely serving his purpose very well too. As far as we know they cannot be killed. They are not really human, but not entirely inhuman either, and their greatest advantage in a fight is shadow. They can move through any shadow they can step into and come out somewhere else from the shadows. It is called Shadow-walking and is very much forbidden when it comes to the Essence. Some say these are the bodies of others who have committed themselves completely to the dark god Shadowalker. Their souls are stripped away and they are given this power. The mere fact that the king claims to have captured any of them is nearly proof enough that he is somehow being instructed or controlled by dark forces, which goes along with what Aethan told me months ago."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 22:27:48 -0600

@ Arena Emkai sighed and turned to Alis. "Sorry, I'm going to need my cloak back it seems. Does anyone else have something she can borrow?" He frowned at Gwenlynn's explanation of the shadowmen. "Wait... what happens when one is injured by a shadow-walker, or whatever you call them?" His eyes went to Alis as he began putting things together in his head.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:13:15 -0600

Finn snorted. "Too late for that, I'm afraid. I just hope that those you have noticed us are in too much shock at the shadowmen to make much sense. And that no one will believe them if they do talk about us. Emkai is rather memorable." "Formidable enemies then, these shadowmen. Can walk through shadows and can't be killed." Finn wasn't sure what it meant to heave your soul stripped away. Even though he had many long conversations with Paddy, he still did not understand. Perhaps it was reason that had been stripped from the men, or morality. No matter. They were monsters now. Finn didn't know why Alis would need a cloak, but he had spare clothing in his bag as well. But when Emkai asked about wounds received from shadowmen, he didn't need a drawing to understand. he looked at Alis, one hurt you then?" he could only assume that a wound from one of the monsters would do far more than cause a simple cut.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:35:19 -0600

@ Star "That's a relief to hear," Tornica said. "Not that they're bigger than me, that they go for mammals mostly." He pulled a face. "The dragons on my home island tended to go for me above anything else because they saw me as an interloper on their territory." Tornica nodded. "Okay, you just let me know if you need any additional help." It would a fine thing if he risked his neck to get the man out and then couldn't get him back to the hideout alive. "There's a safe house we've got in the city. There's a secret tunnel in one of the outer houses that takes us under the walls to reach it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:12:41 -0600

@Arena "Not a problem..." Alis replied, shrugging off Emkai's cloak and passing it back to him. She was shivering a little though there was a sheen of persperation on her brow. "One managed to catch me off guard from behind and nick me. It's just a scratch." Alis explained again, wondering why they were making her say things again. She was tired and just wanted to lay down for a bit... she put her palm against the wall to steady herself for a moment, blinking at the fuzziness clouding her vision. Pushing herself off again, she went a few more steps and nearly stumbled, Wolf looked alarmed and went to help steady her, glancing at the others with concern when she felt the heat radiating from Alis. "She sick.. I think." Wolf said. Alis tried to push her away lightly. "I'm fine." She replied, reminding herself she just needed to get back to the safe house. "Let's go, already."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:14:03 -0600

@arena Gwenlynn walked through the arena gate with the others. "Injured? I don't really know. Usually Shadowmen are used as assassins in private places behind closed doors. Not in big open arenas like this. I only know two people who survived attacks by Shadowmen, and that is because of a unique circumstance for each of them. They never actually fought them off on their own. If I remember correctly, the Shadowmen were misinformed and someone else was killed in their place by accident, giving them time to escape. You can ask him more about it in a little while if you want. But they don't usually attack like this so people usually aren't injured by them, they are usually killed. I'm sorry I can't really tell you more about it." She looked at the cut Alis received. "That does look like more than just a cut though. It looks angry around the edges. I have some Redleaf back at the safehouse we can use to draw out any poison that may be in the wound." @dm Aethan wondered how the others found out about this tunnel. Usually those underground passes were well guarded. So far as he knew he was the only one outside the palace that knew how to get into the palace through one of those tunnels. Not that he ever wanted to have to sneak in like that. "Seems you guys have been busy in the last couple of days," he murmured as they approached the Outer City. His clothing wasn't exactly inconspicuous. "This way," he said as they came nearer. "I need to keep out of sight as much as possible while we pass through the streets." He led them toward an alleyway. Once they were a little way into the Outer city he looked at Tornica. "You lead the way there. I'm not sure which tunnel it is you know about." The Outer City was thankfully in a state of chaos most likely induced by Tornica's unexpected transformation. It meant that the few guards out in the street were busy trying to keep the chaos to a minimum and not paying as much attention to who passed as long as they weren't causing trouble.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 11:56:03 -0600

@Arena "Sounds good." Alis said with a small smile at Gwenlynn, "Thank you." Her head was fuzzy and it was all that she could think of to say in reply, her main focus just on getting back through the streets to the safe house without passing out on the way there. How embarrassing that would be! @Safe house Sophia had decided to help Mr Dumond and Miss Jiya hand out more of the bread to the hungry people. Most people were nice about it, they took the bread from her nicely and some even thanked her! Others though seemed to not have manners, well... less manners that even she did, they would grab it and shove her away again as though they thought she would try to take it away from them. It had happened four times so far, she counted. She wouldn't do that though, she knew all to well how it felt to be this hungry and be teased with food... it wasn't nice at all and she knew that sometimes she did the same thing, grabbing the food and eating it so fast so it wouldn't be taken away again. She wondered if doing that hurt these people's tummies too.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:34:33 -0600

@ Star "Someone's been busy at least," Tornica said. "All I've been doing is hanging around and acting as visible muscle for a meeting Gwenlynn had. Today is the only time I've really done anything at all." Admittedly it was a fairly impressive something, but he'd still spent the majority of the last couple of days sitting around doing nothing. "Yeah, it's just this way." He led the way to the house containing the tunnel, trying to squash down the nerves that were trying to rise up in his throat. It's not a long tunnel, you coped with it just fine earlier. It'll all be okay.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:08:42 -0600

@dm Aethan followed Tornica along. He wondered who Gwenlynn was meeting with. the political climate being what it was right now things were dangerous. Some people he thought he could trust he found he couldn't. Most of his thoughts were getting muddled up by the time they reached the house and headed down to the tunnel. The darkness around them was pressing against him and he blinked to clear his vision once more. A tunnel. He hated tunnels. Aethan stood at the mouth of hte tunnel just staring at it, mustering the courage to enter. It was the only way into Mordelic and he knew it, but it didn't mean he liked it. "It's getting bad," he murmured. "How much further?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:04:19 -0600

((heh...I just remembered that I was meant to have Kalin waiting for them at the start of the tunnel. @ Star Tornica took a deep breath and pulled open the door to the tunnel. There was a strangled yelp as Kalin was partially pulled out holding onto the other end. The tunnel somehow looked even more threatening and dreary illuminated by the cold light of Kalin's magic. Not seeing much point in steadying him properly since they were about to go down again anyway, Tornica gave the elf just enough assistance to stop him falling back down the hole. "You were a bit quicker than I expected," Kalin said, straightening his shirt, trying not to look ruffled. "Otherwise I'd have already been here." He gave Aethan a scrutinising look. "He okay? He looks like shit." "He's been poisoned," Tornica said. "One of the reasons were got here pretty damn quick. The route back okay? No random cave ins or anything." Kalin smiled. "Clear as a bell all the way down. Door's unlocked at the other end if you want to just run the length of it to get it over and done with quick as possible. I can watch your back..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:58:01 -0600

@ Arena Emkai took Alice's arm to steady her once he was fully covered again. He didn't know much about what human cuts looked like normally, but he trusted Gwenlynn's statement. Besides, it was looking worse than it had a moment ago. "How long will it take to get there?" he muttered as they began walking. --- @ Safe house "Well that was rude," Omaron muttered to himself as one of the poor folk almost knocked him over in his haste to get the food. He didn't hold it against the man, but he'd almost have thought he was trying to pick his pocket in the process. As soon as the thought entered his head, he started patting himself down. To his relief and slight embarrassment, nothing was missing. Try to be less sulky about helping, dearest. You want these people to like you. Who's sulky? I like helping out just fine, I just thought-- but a dull ache in his temples warned him to stop. You thought he was going to rob you, yes, I know. But dearest, you've hardly anything of value on your person anyways. What's a few Brass out of your pocket? It's almost worthless here. It's not the brass I'm worried about. His hand flinched toward the pocket where he'd stowed the blue stone Wolf had given him. Ah. He could almost see Shard's eyes narrowing. Omaron tugged at his collar and decided to distract himself. "Rather eager, aren't they?" he asked Sophia as he got more bread from the bag.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:15:46 -0600

@hovel Clearcall heard some unusual sounds from outside and moved to the window to see what was going on. Something had happened to sennd the people into a panic. He hoped that the others were all fine. @Gwenlynn&co Gwenlynn led the way back toward the house where the tunnel would let them into the city once more. If they wanted to keep their weapons on them they would need to take the tunnel instead of trying the gates. Besides, security was either lacking because of the chaos, or tighter. It could go either way and hse didn't want to take the chance. She just wanted to get back to the hovel and wait for Aethan. @dm AEthan didn't respond to Kalin when he commented on how he looked like shit. Instead he climbed down to the tunnel and took a deep breath to try and keep himself steady both physically and mentally as htey headed through the tunnel. "I hate being underground," he muttered.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:40:17 -0600

@Leaving the Arena, exit stage right "I have some healing skills both regular and magical. In my own world I can neutralize poison, or at least slow it down." Then again his magic might not do anything. he really couldn't tell if the spells he cast earlier had worked or not. the magic here just tasted all wrong. "If Alis needs to be carried, I can take her." Finn told Emkai. She was looking weaker by the moment. @Safehouse With Dumond looming over her, no one tried anything like pushing her away once they had the food, some did however, grab the bread and claim a spot by the wall to eat like a starved animal. This magical bread bag was a blessing. he would have to ask the mages about creating them once they returned home. It would do wonders for soldiers in the field. If he remembered what the giant had said, one small loaf would fill a person as if they had eaten a large meal. he shook his head to himself. he was not accustomed to looking up at any man.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:17:01 -0600

@ Star "Tell me about it," Tornica muttered, trying to keep his eyes fixed on the back of Aethan's head. That way he didn't have to look at the close proximity of the walls and roof. He needed a distraction. His lack of ability to deal with small spaces always got so much worse after he'd been a dragon. He could almost feel the earth rubbing against his scales, constricting his movement, leaving him trapped... "Kalin!" he said, voice tighter and a touch higher pitched than usual. "How's the new student? That girl of yours." "Girl?" Kalin said in confusion. "Oh, right. Kezia. She's fine. At least I think she is. She hasn't come out of her room so far this morning. I think she's still frightened of what's happening to her."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:21:46 -0600

((And since I'm starting it today I just thought I might ~~not so~~ subtly pimp out my Brighton Rocks thread. Tis good clean fun for all the family. Honest!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:20:59 -0600

@Somewhere between leaving the arena and getting to the house that will lead them to the tunnel to get to the safe house again "I c'n walk..." Alis paused in her reply after overhearing Finn's comment, swallowing hard and shaking her head, tunnel vision starting to close in on her. She wanted to pull away from Emkai's help, not wanting to appear weak, but gods... that warmth was nice even though she was perspiring. It almost chased away the chills going through her. Wolf still looked concerned as she let Alis' weight go more onto Emkai. The woman didn't seem to realise just how weak she seemed at the moment... Wolf could see her trembling. @Safe House Sophia smiled up at Mr Dumond when she was handing out another loaf of bread he had passed to her to give to another person. "They seem to like it very much." She said, watching a few people eat very quickly. She turned to Mr Omaron when he came over too and nodded, "I th-think they m-must be qui-quite hungry." She replied, "M-maybe they've been pr-promised some food and... and not b-been given s-some too." She added, they did look quite desperate for the bread.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:34:09 -0600

@gwenlynn et all Gwenlynn kept a close eye on Alis as they went. She wsa looking pretty bad. "We need to move faster. Whether she likes it or notI think it's best if Finn carries her. I don't know how fast their poison takes before it's too late to do anything." As she said this she remembered Aethan's fight, the cut on his arm. "Creator help him," she murmured. If Alis was this bad off there was a good chance that he was as well. The house wasn't too far from the arena thankfully and Gwenlynn led them down the stairs. Were they ahead of Tornica and Aethan or behind? @dm As Aethan moved he could have sworn the walls of the tunnel were flexing out at him, threatening to envelop him like a magni'nih's power. If Regan is right and there is a single god of creation out there, help me now. He leaned a little more agains the wall as he moved and it became increasingly apparent that he wasn't going to make it to this safe house on his own two feet. He and Tornica had just walked too far. Still, he pressed on, beads of sweat rolling down his temples, hand moving along the wall to keep him steady. Then the wall seemed ot move and his hand slipped. Aethan barely caught himself but it was getting harder to see. Redleaf. That was all he could think now. He needed Redleaf. What was that guy's name again? Gwenlynn told him but Aethan was having a hard time recalling. "Tornica..." That was right, wasn't it? He slipped and sank to the floor, putting most of his weight against the wall. The stone wall cut up his arm and back a little but he didn't feel it. "Get help..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:22:44 -0600

@Going to Safe House Alis had to stop again, her vision swimming, the darkness fighting to close in on her. She faintly heard Gwenlynn's voice as though she were hearing it from far away or through a tube or something. She mildly murmured a curse word under her breath... maybe she should just let herself be carried the rest of the way. She wasn't sure she would make it otherwise, to be honest. "Alright." She consented, especially if it would help the others. She shivered even more, being away from Emkai's heat but the sweat still trickled down her temples.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:06:00 -0600

@ Star Tornica's eyes widened when he saw Aethan crumpling up like that and ran forwards. "Is he okay?" Kalin called from further back down the tunnel. "He is extremely not fucking okay," Tornica said. "Is there anything you think you can do? He said something about needing redleaf..." "Kid, all I know about healing is what I've picked up working with your dad. It's not my speciality and tends to be very much limited to patching up cuts and broken bones. Drawing out an unknown poison? I can't help him." Shit. He hadn't flown Aethan out of the arena to just leave him dying in a dark tunnel. He slid his arms behind Aethan's back, wincing at the rough feel of the wall, and under his legs, scooping him into his arms. His shoulders hurt like absolute hell, but he figured he could manage carrying him the rest of the way back. "Gwenlynn and the others got back, right?" he asked as they started moving again, Tornica wondering if he could risk breaking into a jog while holding Aethan to get them there faster. "The arena was closer to the house than we were so they should have got back first." "It's been chaos out there, Nicky," Kalin said. "They hadn't arrived by the time I left to come to meet you...They might have got caught up in something." Or they might have been just plain caught.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:31:10 -0600

@Walking to the safe house ((Tornica should do a fireman carry on Aethan, it should be faster and not hurt his shoulders as much.)) At this point, Finn didn't care of he had Alis' consent or not. He scooped her up like a doll and began walking faster. This was much better. They all needed to get back to the safehouse. He looked around, it should be safe to sing. he didn't need ot do it loudly. he sang a song to neutralize the poison and hoped it worked. It would be good to know if his spell would work against whatever this poison was. If the shadowmen made a habit of using it, they needed to know how to counteract it. ((Star can decided how well this spell works, if at all.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:15:27 -0600

@ Walking Emkai watched Alis as Finn scooped her up, feeling very concerned. Dirty cinders. If they didn't get back soon, who knew what shape she'd be in? Whatever poison was in her system was working too quickly. --- @ Sophia "Yes, the poverty here is depl-- wait, too? What do you mean by that?" Omaron gave Sophia a puzzled frown.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:00:29 -0600

@Going to Safe House Alis felt dizzy when she was swept up in Finn's arms, too shaky to protest or do much else than let herself be carried. She lay her cheek against his shoulder and closed her eyes against the waves of dizziness threatening to overwhelm her, the blackness surrounding her. The cut on her cheek throbbed and she just wanted to sleep and hopefully when she awoke this would all be a bad dream. ((i'll leave her at that until star can say how the magic might work. I'd assume it would have some effect but maybe not as much as he's used to his magic having?)) @Omaron Poverty... Sophia rolled the word around in her head. She didn't think she had heard it before. "Um... I just... I-I've had sometimes wh-when they would off-offer me some food... like, nice food, n-not the sc-scraps on the fl-floor. And they would t-t-take it away and l-laugh at me. Because I th-thought that maybe I c-could have some." She watched him right back. "It makes m-me sometimes want to gr-grab food and run away fast t-too. Incase it's t-t-taken away."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:29:22 -0600

@ Omaron "They?" Omaron said a little sharply, his brows furrowed. "Who are they, and why did they act like that?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:41:21 -0600

@Omaron Sophia jerked back a little, not really afraid, he wasn't fae after all, but surprised to hear the sharp tone. "Th-the fae... V-V-Volundr and his... friends. Th-they didn't like me much I think."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:53:51 -0600

@ Sophia "I can't believe... why would anyone act like that? It's disgusting." He really did look appalled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 23:21:52 -0600

((I may not be around much this weekend. Everyone in the house is sick which of course means I will be the only one doing anything. Boys are such wimps.)) @dm Aethan felt himself being lifted, or something like that at least, floating maybe? It was too hard to tell. The sound of Tornica and Kalin talking was muffled and he couldn't make out the words. Gods he had enough of this poison crap for a lifetime. @gwenlynn et all ((I don't care if it works. It's a different sort of magic than what my world uses so it shouldn't really be affected that much.)) ((And that's all I have time for. Sorry!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 00:30:37 -0600

((LOL. Poor Star. I am going to a friend's to bake Christmas/Yule Cookies tomorrow, and possible mead tasting, so I definitely won't be around til late. Bunny Finn for healing people or any of my folks if anything happens that requires fighting, although Jiya will hide in a corner.)) Finn sang his healing song quietly. It should sooth Alis if nothing else. He hoped it would have some effect on her. This redleaf that Gwenlynn spoke of might not act fast enough. ((I'll let Nagats deal with how fast this works on Alis.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:55:17 -0600

((Poor you Star! :( )) @Omaron Sophia stared at Omaron, she wasn't sure she could explain because she didn't know herself. "I-I don't know..." She said quietly, "th-they just... were like that." Another person came up to get a loaf of bread from them, this person at least didn't grab it and push at them. she gave them a little smile as they went off to eat it. ((I'll write something for the others in a bit.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:56:01 -0600

@ Safe House It took far longer than Tornica thought it sound for the other end of the tunnel to come in sight. He wasn't sure if that was his own panic distorting his sense of time or his worry about the man he was holding. Either way he was immensely relieved to boot the door open and barge his way back into the house. "Please tell me Gwenlynn and the others are back," he said by way of greeting. "He's been poisoned and she apparently should have something to fix him."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:07:06 -0600

@ Sophia "Well no one's going to do that to you here," he said firmly. "Have you had anything to eat yet?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:18:03 -0600

@hovel Clearcall nearly jumped when Tornica barged in carrying Aethan in his arms. The man looked terrible. Poison? Muttering a curse he went to his pack of supplies. "Just lay him down. They aren't back yet. Something is going on out there. I'll do what I can but I'm not nearly as adept with this sort of thing as she is, especially with magic being hte way it is." Gwenlynn's salves and herbs were in his pack if he could just find what he needed. ((And I'll take care of the rest tomorrow if I have time. Also waiting to see how Finn's healing works on Alis. Totally up to LS I suppose but it should have some affect at least.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:51:44 -0600

@Safehouse Dumond's hand went to his sword when the door crashed opened, but breathed in relief to see it was the dragonboy carrying the man he had been tasked to rescue. At least that part had gone well. But outside things were in turmoil. "Continue to give out the bread if you like." He told Jiya. He moved to where he could keep a better eye on the door. If the chaos in the street tempted anyone to take refuge inside he wanted to make sure there were no problems.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:26:10 -0600

@ Hovel Tornica did as he was instructed, laying Aethan down on what he hoped would be a comfortable surface. "He said something about needing redleaf," Tornica said helpfully. "I don't know what that is but he said Gwen should have some." "Is there anything I can do to help?" Kalin offered. "Healing isn't my speciality either but I might he able to do something useful."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 08:27:50 -0600

((Just a note to say I'll be around for a few minutes right now, then I'll be on again later this afternoon... Not sure how much I'll get to post. I'll try to get some things down in a few threads. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:23:49 -0600

@Hovel Sophia smiled at Omaron, he seemed genuinely concerned about her and she nodded, "I had some bread earlier... thank you. She jumped when the door slammed open and moved back as Mr Tornica passed by. @Walking Alis felt little shifts inside her as Finn was singing. She could feel her fever subsiding, though she was left trembling in it's wake. She just wanted to go to sleep... the blasted cut was throbbing though, keeping her awake. They couldn't get back to the safe house soon enough for her taste. ((All I have time for right now!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:27:30 -0600

@ Hovel or whatever Omaron smiled back. "It's no tr--" but then the door slammed open. "What--?!" Seta pelted over immediately when she saw Aethan, eyes wide. "What happened to him? Is he the one you went after? Is there anything I can do to help?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:06:02 -0600

@hovel Clearcall nodded in acknowledgement to Tornica. "Redleaf is rare but best used against poison. If she has some I'll find it." He looked toward the door again. "Any idea what happened out there? Everyone is in chaos and now this." He nodded toward Aethan. Maybe the people were more dependant on him than he thought? Doubtful that it would cause so much ruckus though. @others Gwenlynn led the way through the tunnel and toward the hovel. So far there was no sign of Tornica or Aethan. She moved toward the door and opened it for Finn. "Find somewhere to lay her down and I'll see what I can do aside from your healing. Unfortunately I don't think I will be able ot use my own."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 20:34:01 -0600

@Gwenlynn Group Alis willed her eyes open and looked around when she felt the surroundings change into the indoors. She looked around, the room swam and she groaned, closing her eyes again. "Oh... gods... is it the world spinning or just my head?" She asked wanly, wishing she could have a cool cloth to put over her eyes. Wolf patted Alis' arm in what she hoped was a comforting way, going to find Omaron to see if he might explain what was going on around here. @Hovel Sophia looked one way and then the other, wondering how she might be able to help. She followed Miss Seta quickly. "M-Miss Seta... is there an-anything I c-can do t-t-to help? Heat water? G-get cold w-water?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:28:18 -0600

@Hovel Finn put Alis down on a small cot and hoped it wasn't bug infested. he could do something about that later if it were. In the meantime, something more had to be done for Alis. Now that they were no longer on the move he could concentrate more on a stronger spell. He saw a knot of people, Tornica included. He hoped that emant the boy had been successful in freeing Aethan. "I take it, none of you were followed." Dumond said. Jiya was not sure what she could do to help. She had tended to Dumond's wounds after the bandits attacked. He said the chirurgeon was ham-handed, whatever that meant, and that her touch was more soothing. Beyond that, there was nothing else she could do. She decided too many people were already gathered around the wounded man and woman, so she stayed away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:40:06 -0600

"We will make sure you are okay," Gwenlynn reassured Alis. She stood again to move toward her pack and saw Clearcal rummaging through it, pulling out a few odds and ends. Then her gaze drifted toward Tornica and the knot of people near him. Aethan! she glided across the room quickly and saw that he was laying on the floor unconscious. It should have figured. If Alis was poisoned odds were he was as well. She looked back over at Alis as Finn looked her over. Alis was much better off than Aethan. "Where's your redlead?" Clearcall asked as she walked over. Gwenlynn just nudged him out of hte way, grabbing the pack and fishing it out, along with a balm and a packet of herbs. How many times would hse have to save this man's life? He certainly is a reckless human, she thought, trying to amuse herself. Gwenlynn gently moved the others out of the way so she could get ot his wound, pressing some of the herbs into the cut then covering it with the balm before securing it in place with a couple of small leaves that adheared themselves to the balm. Despite their name, they were more brown than red and each was only half the size of her palm. "Someone get some warm water, not to cold, and try to keep his fever down. When he wakes I have an herbal tea that he needs to drink. If someone else could heat up some water, Alis is in need of hte tea now." She brushed the hair away from his face, then took off the silver ring she wore with the black stone and slipped it onto his finger. It took a moment for her to be able to will herself to move toward Alis. She wanted to sit there and keep vigil beside Aethan but there was work to be done. She bit her lip and stood, then walked over and knelt beside Alis, going through the same proceedure with her that she had with Aethan. "The herbs I put into the cut will dissolve themselves as they work their way into your system. They attack the poison in your blood. The redleaf will draw out whatever remains. When the leave changes color to bright red that means it's taken in all that it can. After that there shouldn't be anything left in you. The balm is to help with any itching, burning, or irritation at the cut, and to help it heal closed." Gwenlynn smiled down at Alis. "I'll have some tea for you in a few minutes that you need to drink all of. It helps your body fight off the poison and helps you recover."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:58:37 -0600

Sophia Sophia listened to what needed to be done, ducked away from the group and hurried to see if she could help by finding some water, either some to boil for the tea or a bowl to put some lukewarm water in for the fevers. She peeked into different rooms until she found one with a pitcher and bowl in it. She hoped there was water in it and to her relief, when she shook it a little there was the sound of water. She poured it into the bowl and brought it back to where the sick man was. "W-will this d-do?" She asked no on in particular. There was half of the needs filled anyway., Sophia thought. She didn't know where she could find some cloths to dampen though. She hadn't seen any of those. Alis Alis winced when the herbs were placed on the wound, the cut throbbing in protest to the very thing designed to help it. She shivered, still feeling chilled... a cup of tea -did- sound good. For warming her up anyway, She didn't care about much else at the moment. She didn't even really care that the medicinal tea might taste horrible. It couldn't be worse than whiskey. "Cheers." She said in reply to Gwenlynn, trying to keep up spirits.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:34:35 -0600

Jiya thought she could help as well. She stoked the fire and added more wood. Finn pulled out his wineskin and handed it to Gwenlynn. "Tell it what sort of tea you want." he told her. He watched as Jiya jingled past him. he was still very curious to know what was under that sack of a dress she wore that made such sounds. Was it her dowry?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:45:40 -0600

Gwenlynn looked at the wineskin curiously, then at Finn. Wines and such she could understand coming from such a device, but specific herbal remedies? Still, she grabbed the small metal cup from her pack and looked into the wineskin before saying, "Cairose Farn Tea," a bit skeptically. When she poured it out the color looked right. She took a quick sniff and tasted just a little before handing it to Alis. "It shouldn't be so bad. A touch on the strong side and hot though so drink it slowly."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 20:14:08 -0600

Seta darted off toward her pack and pulled a few rough cloths from inside. Then she whipped over to the water, wet them, wrung them out so they wouldn't drip everywhere, and darted back to the knot of people. "Here, I thought you could probably... I know it's not much and the cloth's rough but there weren't any other ones I could find." She smiled weakly. Emkai stood a little ways from Alis. He really didn't want to get in anyone's way, but he was unwilling to let her out of his sight at the moment either. "Are they going to be all right?" he asked Gwenlynn, a little short. But then the fireman always sounded a bit curt when he was worried. Omaron hung back quite a bit from the others, shifting his weight. I really ought to do SOMETHING, he thought, but then what was there to do? He was a politician, not a medic. Well there was nothing for it but to wait and see if anyone asked him to do anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:37:47 -0600

Finn smiled when Gwenlynn pronounced the tea acceptable. He would remember the name of it in case he needed it for someone in future. "The tea if for fever? Or will it help with the poison as well?" He opened his crane-skin bag and rooted around in it and pulled out a linen shirt. "Ye may rend this shirt and make bandages if ye need to." he said to whoever was near. he made his way to Aethan. "I can try my spell on him as well. It may slow the poison enough to give the redleaf more time to work. Since his spell to neutralize poison only seemed to slow it down here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:44:20 -0600

Gwenlynn smiled at Seta. "If you could take care of him for now. I'll check back on him in a little bit." At Emkai's question she thought about the answer. In truth there were a lot of variables. "I don't know. I suppose it depends on the type of poison the Shadowmen used." "Shadowmen!" Clearcall looked completely taken aback. Gwenlynn nodded, kneeling beside Alis with the offered tea. "Allegedly captured by the king during an attack. He used them in the fight against Aethan." "Captured? Are the people here really so diluted and ignorant? You don't capture Shadowmen!" He noticed some of the local homeless looking at him in fear and he lowered his voice. "Only once was one ever nearly taken in a fight. Instead of letting itself be taken, it committed suicide, or died somehow. Perhaps Shadowalker himself ripped what life there is in it out. But captured? Never." Gwenlynn gave him a look that said she clearly agreed. "After Tornica took Aethan and left they turned on the crowd. There must be dozens of people dead now. Alis was lucky, as were we all."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:47:25 -0600

"The body naturally tries to fight off poison, but in most cases it doesn't work," Gwenlynn explained to Finn. "The tea helps strengthen immunity and helps restore strength. I cannot say exactly how it works, but you get the general idea I hope. If you would try the spell. Any help is better than none. Perhaps it will help him recover faster."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:59:32 -0600

Seta nodded very seriously to Gwenlynn, quickly enough that it was rather comical. "I'll do my best, and thanks." She dabbed at Aethan's forehead with a look of such intense concentration you'd have thought she was operating on him. Sophia's arrival with the bowl brought a smile to her face though she still didn't look away from Aethan. "All right, thanks Sophie. We can keep damping down the rags with that. You know, once they dry out." Emkai nodded at the reply, still a bit tense, and took a step back. It seemed highly unlikely there was anything more he could offer, and he knew as well as anyone what a nuisance an extra body standing in your way could be in this sort of situation. Shadowmen? Omaron felt a little alarmed, and curious. He walked over to Clearcall. "Er, excuse me, but what exactly is a Shadowman?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 00:03:43 -0600

"I'll do it, sure." Finn said and walked over to Aethen. He sat down near the cot and began singing. he sang to include Alis as well. ((If anyone in the room has been drinking alcohol, this spell might remove some of the effects of the alcohol, too.)) Jiya found herself humming quietly to the song the giant was singing. IT was like that for her when she heard music. She couldn't help it. Music was in her blood. But she realized this wasn't a simple lullaby the man was singing but some sort of spell, even though it wasn't like any magic she was familiar with. Her voice trailed off. She did not want to interfere with it. When he finished, he thought Aethan's color looked better. He went to where Jiya was sitting near Dumond. "I heard your singing. You did not have to stop. The magic is mine. You are very talented. I might be able to teach you how to sing magic." Jiya's eyes widened at the prospect of learning to do magic. "I would love to--" She looked at Dumond. Dumond thought about that. It would be beneficial if Jiya could learn some healing spells. He was not sure what other magic the giant could do. But he imagined that would be useful as well. However, it would make her worth even more. there was already no way he could afford to buy her from the Marquis. He would think of something, he had to. It was possible that any magic she learned here would not work when they returned home. He nodded his assent. "I look forward to learning anything the effendi cares to teach me. At the effendi's convenience." She said trying not to smile too broadly. "Call me Finn." He had no feckin' idea what an effendi was. Some sort of title, but he had never been much for that unless he needed to impress someone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:30:44 -0600

Kalin watched the healing process with interest. He'd seen nothing like these leaves back home but they were undoubtedly a useful plant. He wondered exactly what it was about the leaf that made them draw out poison...Maybe while they were here he could find a live plant and study it and its environment. Tornica just hung back with Emkai, not wanting to get underfoot. "What happened in the arena after I left?" he asked. "I gather it wasn't pretty."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:07:03 -0600

Alis "Thanks." Alis murmured when Gwenlynn crouched by her with the tea. She struggled to push herself up into a sitting position so she could drink it better. Raising herself up on her elbows, she trembled a bit while she was waiting for the room to stop spinning and then pushing herself up a bit more. "I'll be fine, go tend to your other patient," She said with a little smile. "looks like he needs your help more than I do right now." Alis reached to take the cup from Gwenlynn, blew on it a bit and took a tentative sip, the hot drink warming her. Sophia Sophia smiled, happy to be able to help the others with something at last. She wasn't good for much, she knew, but she could wet cloths for these people. She helped to wet more of the cloths in the bowl, accepting the sark from Mr Finn shyly and tugging at the seams until they loosened. On occasion she used her teeth to break the thread fibers and plucked the fluffy bits from off of her tongue with making a face. She brought some over for Miss Alis and then went back to Miss Seta's side. Wolf Wolf wasn't sure what everyone was talking about most of the time. They were talking so fast too that it was hard for her to follow along. She watched their mouths form the words as though that might help her figure things out. She got it that they were mostly discussing what had happened in the arena... those... shadow things. She shivered just thinking about it. If those things were ever to live where -she- came from, the world would be theirs in no time.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:37:44 -0600

"No one really knows where Shadowmen came from," Clearcall told the others. "Perhaps they are creations of Shadowalker, perhaps they are the remains of men whose submitted spirits were stripped away. One thing we do know is that there are very few of them, and they are lethal." "They move through the shadows, like we saw in the arena," Gwenlynn added as she moved toward Aethan and sat down, putting his head in her lap. "As long as there are shadows they cannot be trapped, and have you ever been in a place that was so full of light that there were no shadows?" "Point is we don't know much about them besides that, and that they've never been captured before," Clearcall finished. "The fact that King Valentis claims to have captured them means he must be in league with Shadow. All the more reason to surplant him with his cousin." He nodded toward Aethan. "This kingdom has the largest trained military in the world and with the fight that's coming we cannot afford to have that army in the hands of Shadow." "He can explain better than either of us what is going on when he wakes," Gwenlynn announced, letting Seta take care of the cloths.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:12:15 -0600

Emkai gave Tornica a sidelong glance before turning his eyes back to Alis. "The Shadowmen came into the stands and attacked, as they said. The crowd panicked, and by my estimation there was at least a score dead by the time we left. Fortunately they didn't like me much." Seta shifted her position to let Gwenlynn sit down. She didn't want to be in anyone's way. Omaron felt the alien interest stir in the back of his mind. He cleared his throat nervously. "And... this Shadowalker, I know it's been mentioned before, but ah... what is it exactly?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:49:03 -0600

"I can well understand your need to usurp the king,"Dumond said quietly. He looked around the room. Could they really speak so freely in front of the poor retches that were also sheltering here. Finn stood up and moved away from Aethan now that his spell was done. He walked back to Alis to see if the tea was working. he could use a bit of whiskey himself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 04:17:03 -0600

"Shadowalker is the embodiment of Shadow," Gwenlynn explained. "Flesh and bone that cannot be touched. He has some sort of special power that comes from Shadow. He is the cause of the defilements that are ruining our world. It was prophecied that a man would submit himself to Shadow, also known as the dark god of ruin, and Shadow would then take over his body to walk among us and resume his conquest to destroy his rival, Creation. Unfortunately if Creation, or the Creator as we know of her, is destroyed, this world will become a deadly, useless wasteland. It is she who makes the trees and flowers, who sends the rains to help the crops grow, who keeps the lands fertile. Without her we cannot hope to exist."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:54:02 -0600

"Is this Creation woman the only one able to destroy the Shadowalker or keep his destruction at bay?" Alis asked quietly, the fever was going down but it left her feeling exhausted in it's wake. The leaf on her cheek itched, the burning from the cut had faded as the herbs did their work, it was annoyingly itchy now though. She resisted the urge to scratch it. She thought she felt eyes on her and glanced around, her eyes rested on Emkai for a moment, his head was turned her way but with his cloak on she couldn't tell if he was looking at her. She looked back at her tea, taking another scalding sip and passed a hand over her eyes. She wasn't as dizzy, so she supposed that meant that the herbs and tea were working. Glancing up when Finn came over, she gave him a slight nod.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:50:14 -0600

"The Creator... isn't the only one," Gwenlynn said a bit hesitantly, looking at the homeless citizens in the room a bit warily. "There is said to be a man born of the blood of Light, of Creation herself, who has been born. He is prophecied to battle Shadowalker at the coming battle and save the world from the abomination Shadowalker has created." she didn't mention that she met him. Causing so much of a stir in a hovel like this was likely not a good idea. Especially if they decided to try and spread the word to others and it was discovered that the group was housed here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:08:07 -0600

"Hn. Convenient that there's-" Alis paused mid-sentence to hide a yawn behind her hand. "there's more than one who could help." She murmured. She didn't seem to notice the wariness, and if she did, she didn't pay attention to it. Her head was still feeling rather fuzzy, it was making it difficult to process exactly what was being said very much. Sophia helped to keep the cloths damp, handing them to Miss Seta and exchanging them for the dry ones. She brought a couple of them over to Miss Alis. "W-would you like a cl-cloth to help your f-fever?" She asked, holding it out for her to take. Alis glanced over at her, a slight smile tugging at her lips, the girl was pitifully timid, ever trying to be helpful... it appeared she was -trying- to get over what shyness she had. "Sure... hand it here, thank you." She murmured. Sophia looked overly happy to be able to be helping.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:56:03 -0600

@ Buggy "Those shadow things?" Tornica asked "Damn...poor crowd." Maybe he should have tried blasting them with a jet of flame or something before he flew away. He wasn't particularly pleased with all this talk of Creation and Shadow. It all sounded far too big and impressive for him. And all this politics in the background...Give him a sword in his hand and an army to charge at any day. Both situations could get you killed but at least you knew where the killing blow was coming from.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:00:53 -0600

Emkai nodded. "They didn't like me much, thankfully." He had to smile faintly at Alis when she looked his way. It looked like she was going to be all right. Omaron flinched when he heard talk of Creation, as a rather violent swear and a twinge at the back of his head had distracted him. It didn't seem Shard liked this person, whoever she was. She didn't swear when she heard about the man born of Creation, but it was plain from the feel of her presence that it wasn't any more pleasant to her. Omaron made a note to ask her about it later, if he could do so without getting on her bad side again. Partially to distract himself, he looked around for Wolf. "That's fascinating," Seta said off-hand as she kept dabbing Aethan's forehead. "It's a little like the old story about the Flame and Hunger we have in Tavos you know, except for a few points. I wonder if most countries have stories like that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 18:23:15 -0600

"I'll take the wineskin now. If you need more tea, just let me know." Finn told Alis. "You should sleep while you can. Get your strength back." Jiya brought the bread bag to Tornica and offered him some. She had enough sense to keep her voice low. She was wary of the others sheltering here. But she had to trust that Gwenlynn and Clearcall knew what they were doing and whom they could trust. "I am sorry I did not get to see you transform. It must have been magnificent. Worthy of a tale by Shahrazad. Sneaking into the arena under your enemies' noses. Transforming into a dragon to make a daring rescue. And then the dangerous journey back to the hiding place. A dragon saving the dragonslayer. I bit of irony, I think."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:08:22 -0600

@Jez "Cheers..." Alis said again, motioning to the wineskin. "Sure thing, though I think this should do me, I'm feeling better already." She shrugged at his suggestion to sleep, even though she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep her eyes open much longer anyway. "I'll consider it." She said with a smile. @Buggy Wolf was crouched before a couple of children, letting them play with a couple of little wooden carved toys she had in her pouch. They were delighted and were tramping them across the floor happily, they had belonged to her siblings but she thought that if if gave them such joy, they could keep them if they wanted to.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:54:02 -0600

Omaron hesitantly made his way over to Wolf. Those were rather impressive carvings, really... He didn't interrupt just yet, just watching.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:14:26 -0600

Gwenlynn watched Aethan closely. Alis seemed to be doing better but she was not so far along as Aethan was. She bit her lip and took his hand. "There is nothing convenient about such things," she murmured. Aethan's head moved in her lap and she heard him mumble something in his sleep. "I think we should send a couple people out to see what's going on," Clearcall announced quietly. "Tornica probably not you. Best to keep you here for the time being. The guards may be looking for someone to match your description."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:53:09 -0600

"I can go take a look around," Kalin volunteered. Much as he'd like to help in the healing process he was well aware Aethan and Alis were in much better hands than his right now. "Unless you think being an elf might get me more notice than is healthy." ((Sorry for my rubbish posts as of late. I'm hoping to properly get back into the swing of things once the Christmas madness has started dying down))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:59:39 -0600

"I can go as well," Dumond said. "But I need to know that someone will watch over Jiya while I am gone. I do not think it safe enough outside to take her with me." "I would go, but I was at the arena and it is not easy for me to hide, unless I can put a glamour on myself." Finn spoke up. Although the idea of staying behind to be Jiya's protector had its benefits.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:09:34 -0600

"I go too?" Wolf asked, over hearing the conversation and finally piecing it together. She had the dress to help her look like a commoner, she might as well. She turned, glanced at Omaron and caught him looking at her. She smiled a little. Sophia looked at everyone, if they just needed someone to look around, she could help do that too. She was quiet and good at hiding if she needed to. "M-may I come t-too? If- if it's just to l-look around?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:23:20 -0600

"I can help watch Jiya if you think it necessary," Emkai said with a shrug. Granted his attention was going to be more focused on Alis, but from the look on Finn's face that wouldn't be a problem. Omaron smiled back, flushing slightly. "Er... I haven't been out and about much yet. Perhaps I could--" but he was interrupted by a hacking cough. Seta looked up from dabbing Aethan's head, brows raised in surprise. "Are you all right?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:47:19 -0600

Alis gave Emkai a look and then her head gave a particularly bad throb and she muttered a curse under her breath, pressing the heel of her palm to her eye. For all the strong facade she put up, it was all just that sometimes... a facade, she clung desperately to the walls she had built up around herself and stood, feeling a bit wobbly still. She headed toward the room she had been sleeping in the night before, thinking it felt a lot further than she had remembered. Alis had thought about saying to the others she was going to lay down for a while but... she didn't answer to them, she didn't have to explain herself to them. So she went off without saying anything, using one hand against the wall to steady herself as she went, she would finish the tea in the room, she figured.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:49:08 -0600

Wolf tilted her head, watching Omaron's face grow pink, she had never seen something like that before. Did her skin do the same when it warmed? He was just so pale... it must show up more on people more pale than she. When he started to cough, her smile vanished and she looked upon him with concern. "Omaron... ill?" She asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:52:48 -0600

Alis hadn't gotten far down the hallway before something blocked the light behind her. "I'm sure you don't need help, but I thought I'd offer anyways." Emkai put a hand lightly on her shoulder. He was fairly certain she was just putting up a front, walking by herself back to their room, but it was difficult to tell sometimes with humans. And women in general.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:56:34 -0600

Omaron shook his head abruptly. "No, I'm fine," he said hoarsely. "Just something in my throat." He ignored the hiss of anger in the back of his head for the moment, as he really did want to get out of this place for a while. And if it did mean he got to be around Wolf...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:01:55 -0600

Alis was startled and had her hand on the hilt of her sword before she realised it was Emkai. She let out her breath slowly and murmured an apology. "How gallant of you." She replied, a slight smile quirking her lips, there was a faint twinkle in her eye which was a good sign as it hadn't been there when she was feeling at her worst. The touch of his hand on her shoulder warmed her right through the chills from the fever. For a moment though she wasn't entirely sure it was just that... the fleeting thought made her blush ever so slightly., To dispel the strange feeling that had arisen and made her uncomfortable, she leaned upon her wit... something she had honed when she came across difficult situations. "How could I refuse so generous an offer? Would you care to escort me to the room, guid sir?" She joked mildly, slipping her hand through the crook of his elbow.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:08:48 -0600

Emkai's smile was detectable in his voice even if she couldn't see his face. "I wouldn't mind at all." He walked slowly with her holding his arm, watching to make sure she wasn't overtaken by the poison's effects again. It was almost like helping an injured soldier who was more worried about her pride than her injuries-- which was really a pretty apt description of the situation. And yet it wasn't quite like that either, not exactly. Alis didn't seem like just another sister in arms. He shook his head slightly, feeling a bit confused.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:57:34 -0600

((Quite alright DM. I'm working on studying for my finals next week and Christmas is right after so I likely won't be able to do much better in my posting. Plus my crazy husband wants to drive four hours to his brother's house for the new year with me being due to have this baby in a month. Men just don't get it. So anyway after Christmas I may not be around much if my husband gets his way, which will only happen if I know for sure we have the same insurance coverage there.)) Clearcall looked at Kalin. "You will likely get notice, but no more than myself and it won't cause trouble unless you cause trouble. Four of us should be good enough. Dumond there are pleanty of people still here to keep an eye on Jiya." He looked over at the woman and saw some of the homeless just past her staring.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:43:05 -0600

"Wolf, do you need another spell to help you understand?" Finn asked. Particularly if she were going to go out with the others. Dumond looked at Clearcall. "It is a matter of honor that I bring Jiya safely back to France. And the Marquis." He eyed some of the homeless men in the room as well. He had already fought and bled for the woman. Twice. He was sure the giant would protect Jiya. But who would protect Jiya from him?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:13:54 -0600

@Buggy/Jez Wolf watched Omaron curiously for a moment longer before shrugging off the concern again. If he said he was alright... well then, she wasn't going to try to insist otherwise. She glanced up at Finn, smiled and shook her head, rummaging in her pouch and holding up a piece of the bread he had charmed earlier. She had saved it until she really needed it. "Have more... in pouch." She said, patting the leather satchel, she poked the bread in her mouth and chewed anyway. She didn't want to be going out and not knowing what was being said or not being able to communicate with other people. The words from the conversations that had been flowing around and right over her suddenly became a little clearer. "Ah... this is better." She smiled again. @Buggy Alis was glad that Emkai didn't seem to mind taking a little longer than normal to get to the room. She was feeling rather shivery and she didn't really realise she was doing it when she moved so that more of her was against Emkai, needing warmth and going to the closest source. She thanked him when they got to the room, she slipped off her sword and coat slowly, and then sitting on the bed she had slept in the night before. The leaf itched and she reached up to scratch the small annoyance, thankfully it stayed put. "Is it red yet?" She asked him, tipping the side of her face up so he could see the leaf.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:30:54 -0600

@Nagats "Good." Finn smiled at Wolf. "You tell me if your supply gets low, won't you? I still think it is very strange that all of us can understand each other except you. I shall have to ponder that much more." Was her world so different from the rest of them that she couldn't understand at all? Or was there some other problem?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:40:23 -0600

@Jez "Yes, I shall, thank you." Wolf replied gratefully. "I find it quite strange too..." Though she tried not to let it trouble her too much. She found that thinking about it too much and trying to figure it out made her worry more about it than she thought she ought to. "Do let me know if you make... make... finding?" She thought for a moment. There was a better word, she was sure... "D- discovery? Is that right word?" She asked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:20:09 -0600

Emkai felt very slightly disappointed when she pulled away to sit down. "It's... redder. I wouldn't say entirely red yet." He sat down on the floor next to the fireplace and pulled out his sword, more to keep his hands busy than anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:24:28 -0600

@Buggy "Huh... well, that's something I suppose." Alis sounded tired, she took a deep breath and downed the last dregs of the tea. She set the cup aside and rested her elbows on her knees, hand running over her face again. She was weary and longed just to lay down and sleep for a bit. She didn't like sleeping in front of other people. Not when they were all awake anyway. She glanced at Emkai through her fingers, she wouldn't be able to resist the lull of sleep for much longer though. Alis sighed and kicked off her boots, tucking her legs up on the bed and laying down on her side, palm under her cheek and she watched him with his sword.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 11:59:00 -0600

((I'll try and post something when I can think of what to post. Right now I'm trying (and failing) to study for finals next week.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 01:50:31 -0600

((Good luck with finals, Star)) @Nagats "Yes, discovery is the right word." Finn agreed. "I shall have to ponder this." He bit his thumb for a moment. It was very puzzling. Perhaps it had something to do with the locations of all the worlds, where the veils were thin. Maybe Wolf's world was further away and had less in common. Although if that were the case, then Emkai should not be able to understand. The fireman had to be the most unusual of all of them. he would consider it some more.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:03:16 -0600

@ Alis Emkai polished the sword with the edge of his cloak for a moment, then paused. "Would you prefer I left?" he asked. He hadn't really thought about it before he sat down, but Alis might like her privacy. @ Finn & Wolf "Ponder what?" Omaron asked Finn curiously. "Why Wolf doesn't naturally understand our tongue and vice-versa? It wouldn't make much sense if all of us spoke the same language, being from such different worlds." Seta looked up at the sound of their conversation, though she continued to tend to Aethan. Discussions like this were always fun to listen to.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:54:05 -0600

@Omaron and Wolf But all of us do understand each other. Except Wolf." Finn said. "Some of us seem to have stronger accents than others, but we all understand each other. Only Wolf can't communicate easily. Was it magic that enabled this? Is the magic in Wolf's world too different for this to have worked? I have so many questions about this. I realize we have more urgent matters to address, but...'tis a puzzlement."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:39:31 -0600

((Sorry everyone! I'm not quite done with finals yet but I do have a little time to give you a post now. Just something to keep in mind, if I disappear without warning, I'm about one month from due to have the baby and have been feeling miserable so I don't have a lot of faith that I will last the whole month.)) Clearcall gathered those who were leaving to try and gather information and headed out the door. The only weapon he had on him was a hunting knife he could keep hidden under his shirt. The last thing they needed was to attract the attention of the guards by wandering the streets with weapons in hand. He wanted to know what the king was currently up to, what was going on with the Shadowmen that were set loose on the city, and how the people were reacting to the fact that their champion was taken from the arena by a dragon. Who knew what sort of rumors that could start? The streets in the city were fairly calm, all things considered. The chaos that was heard before was gone now, but people were still traveling in groups of two or three, whispering to each other and keeping clear of others. His elven ears picked up bits and pieces of scattered conversations as they walked. The city was being controlled by the Dark Lady; Lord Aethan abandoned them; Lord Aethan turned against them; the king was invading the homes of the nobles in the city and outside it in search of the missing traitor. That intrigued him so he nodded at the others and headed toward the center of the city where the expansive noble keeps were. ((Feel free to make up whatever you want ot have your character overhear in the streets. Beauty of rumors is that some may be true and others are complete crap, and a few have pieces of truth.)) @hovel Gwenlynn wasn't really paying much attention to the conversations going on around her as she watched over Aethan. His color was a little better and the leaves were changing color as she expected they would. The process was nearly complete. Liandra told her in the morning that she would come by once Aethan was freed but the noblewoman had yet ot make her appearance. Had they been betrayed again? Aethan's eyes drifted open and he blinked to try and clear his vision. Someone was there with him, someone with honey-colored hair. He couldn't yet make out who it was. He tried to remember what happened but his memories were all over the place. His body was cold yet he was warming up. He heard the person with him tell someone else to fetch the tea and he tried to speak but nothing came out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:15:26 -0600

@Emkai Cracking an eye open sleepily, Alis shivered again and tried to shrug even though it wasn't very effective laying down. "Do what you like." She murmured, she had already nearly fallen asleep right there. She was stiff and cold, maybe having him there would make the room just a little warmer. ((Will post more for the others in a bit.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:47:09 -0600

While Kalin was sure he was meant to be listening out more to make sure their group hadn't been discovered, his primary concern was his friend's son. He kept his ears open most for word about the dragon that had flown out of the arena and what people thought of it. Thus far he was very relieved that no one in the arena (that he'd overheard at least) could give a decent enough description of Tornica to recognise him. In fact not too many people seemed to believe the dragon had originally been a man in the first place. He only hopped that attitude was common enough in the parts of the populace he couldn't currently overhear as well. --- Finally hunger won out over nervousness and Kezia slowly made her way downstairs. Something eventful had clearly been going on while she'd been hiding out the way in her room...she wondered what it was.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:08:51 -0600

((Good luck, Star!! If you give us an idea of the next thing you have planned, we could maybe do it without you until you can post more often :) )) Dumond left his sword behind along with some of his more blatant armour. he stuffed it in Finn's pack sure the man would take care of it. He went outside with the rest. It seemed people were less afraid now. There was no longer chaos in the streets. No one knew where the Shadowmen had gone to. Some seemed to think the King had captured and subdued the Shadowmen, but they had broken free. Many thought it was foolish of the King to have dealings with the Shadowmen whether he controlled them to not. Some did not have good things to say about the King, but said them very quietly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:46:19 -0600

((Yeah, good luck Star! Just a little while longer (for exams and baby! :) ) )) @Street Sophia trailed along with the others, looking around at everything as they went. The mood of the people seemed nervous and it made her rather anxious. She hurried to catch up with the others and bumped into Mr Dumond's back when she wasn't looking that way. "Oof! Oh... I- I'm s-sorry." She said sheepishly, fidgeting and making a better effort to watch where she was going this time. She just couldn't help her eyes from wandering over everything. Wolf kept her little dagger on her and walked alongside the group, keeping an eye out for anything that might propose a danger to them, she followed the direction Clearcall had motioned for them to go in, holding the dress up like she had seen the other women around them doing. She overheard someone saying that a dragon had eaten the Dragonslayer, she thought she misheard but then realised she hadn't.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:50:32 -0600

@ Alis (their room) "You don't care if I stay or not?" Emkai asked. He didn't want her just saying that if she really didn't want him there. As he waited for her response the fireman slipped his sword back into its scabbard. @ Gwen and Aethan (common area) Seta damped the cloth again to damp Aethan's head, but almost immediately she dropped it. "Oh! You're, um, awake!" She looked to Gwenlynn excitedly. "He's going to be all right then? Should I keep going or no? I can do either, or if you need me to get him something to eat or, well, anything, I can go do that." @ Street Omaron sauntered along with the others, keeping his ears open. People seemed to drop their voices and eye him beadily when he passed them by though, which was discouraging. It took him a while to realize they were eying his clothes. They were too grungy and torn to be considered reputable by any means, but the cloth and cut was far too rich to blend in with the lower class. He couldn't help but huff. Don't worry dearest, I'll listen for you, came that soothing whisper in the back of his head. They'll have to be very quiet to escape my notice. Something in Shard's voice didn't sit right with Omaron, but what could he do about it? He cleared his throat nervously and sidled up next to Wolf. "Have you heard anything interesting yet?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:51:01 -0600

@ The Street Dumond reached for his dagger when someone bumped into him, but it was that shy Sophia girl. He wished he could trade some of Sophia's meekness for Jiya's arrogance. Both would be better by it. "It is all right. But, walk by my left in case I need to use my sw--" He made a face. he did not have his sword. "Dagger."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:41:14 -0600

((haha! Eating the dragonslayer. That cracked me up! But it does seem like a reasonable rumor.)) Something seemed to press down on the people of the city proper. Clearcall tried to puzzle it out as he headed toward the keeps of the nobles. Finally it just hit him. Despair. That was what it was. There were very hushed murmurs that their last hope was gone now, that the Dragonslayer finally met his match and they were doomed to a reign by the mad king. As they reached the section of keeps that belonged to the lesser nobles Clearcall looked at the others. "Be wary of the royal guards," he murmured loud enough for them to hear him. "Keep an eye on which keeps are being searched. We may have allies there." He glanced at the group of them. A small group wouldn't garner attention but a large group like this with two elves would. "We should split up intow groups. Kalin, Dumond, and Sophia, go that way. There is a park near the larger keeps that houses a statue of a king on horseback. Meet us there in about an hour. See what you can find out. If you don't know the houses, remember the sigil. I will be able to find out who is who from there." Clearcall looked at the others. "You guys come with me." Then he headed in the direction opposite of what he told Kalin and the other to go. There were a few Houses along the way that had royal guards on the grounds. It wasn't until he drew closer to the more prominent Houses that he stopped and stepped to the side of the street. One of the keeps was crawling with guards. Through the open keep gate he could see the nobles from that House lined up outside, watching as the guards sacked their home. One looked familiar but from this distance Clearcall had to squint to see who it was. Lady Liandra! It was her House. An older woman, most likely her mother, was arguing with the guards as one of the more decorated officers set the keep entrance on fire. Another guard walked over and grabbed her by the hair, dragging her away from the others and throwing her to the ground. Her husband took a step forward and was stopped by a sword pointed at his stomach. He couldn't hear what was being said from here but words were obviously exchanged and the woman was pulled ot her feet by her hair and dragged away by a guard. "NO!" Liandra's scream was the only clear sound that could be heard from here. Clearcall bit his lip and glanced at the others with him. "We need to find the others and return. Our hideout may be in danger." As he started away he glanced back and saw the guards starting to file out as the keep began to burn. Servants, House guards, and nobles alike all worked immediately to try and put the fire out. @hovel "The tea, if you could," Gwenlynn told Seta. Shewiped hte sweat from his brow with the damp cloth. "Aethan," she said his name softly in case anyone was listening. "You're safe." She half smiledat him. "How many times do I have to save your life?" Aethan blinked again as his foggy mind and vision started to clear. Gwenlynn... "At least one more time," he joked back.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 09:54:39 -0600

((Only time for a couple of quick posts I think...)) @Emkai Alis' body gave a sudden violent shiver, she curled up on her side, if only she could just shake this chill, she knew she'd feel a lot better. "No... I don't mind you staying. I mean, if you have something else to do... by all means, I'm not keeping you here." Did he -want- to leave? She couldn't tell. @Omaron "Nothing of use..." Wolf shook her head, it was unfortunate. She looked aghast when she saw the guards terrorizing the people from the different keeps. How horrid! Her fingers itched to reach for her dagger and help the people but she knew that at this point that would be utter foolishness that would have -them- in trouble too. "Is there nothing we can do to help right now?" She asked Clearcall quietly, not wanting to raise any suspicion. @Jez & Walkling about? "Okay." Sophia nodded and smiled a bit, she had to think for a moment to sort out her left from her right, finally choosing the one she thought was right and falling into step beside him. It took about two of her steps to keep up with his one. She really had to pick up her step as she went along with the others to see what houses were being searched. She frowned when they came upon one, she saw a mother shielding two young children behind her skirts as her husband, she assumed, was being interrogated at sword point by guards. "Poor family..." She murmured, looking at Mr Kalin and Mr Dumond, trying to see what their reaction to the sight was.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 10:12:01 -0600

((Oh, I'm happy to provide some giggles. lol! :D ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:02:07 -0600

@ Alis Emkai nodded. "I'll stay then." He paused as the woman shivered violently. It was impressive how little of a fuss she made over her injury. The soldiers in the army back home could learn a thing or two from her. "Are you cold?" @ Wolf Omaron sighed. "We're both having about the same luck then-- hold on, what's all this?" Indignation and anger crossed his face at the scene at the keep. How had this country not dissolved into ruin already? Before he quite knew what he was doing, he'd taken a step in Liandra's family's direction. Just as quickly he was jerked back a step and a half. Stop being so FOOLISH, Shard hissed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:17:20 -0600

@Emkai ((This'll be woefully short, I'm now cleaning up fromthe whole potluck... by myself, of course. @_@ *stares up at the mile high pile of dishes to wash...*)) "F-freezing." Alis said, clenching her teeth a little to stop them from chattering. Tiredly, she patted the bed around her and tried to grab a handful of blanket to help wrap around her. Not that it usually did her much good when she had caught a chill anyway.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:19:17 -0600

@ls/buggy Clearcall shook his head, about to stop Omaron but the man stopped himself. "There's nothing we can do. Not right now. We need to make sure the others are okay and that the hovel is still safe." Most importantly the hovel. The only way to help these people was to get Aethan into a position where he could take over. "Let's go." he knew they weren't likely to see Liandra at the hovel any time too soon now. Unless she wasn't the only one in the House that knew about Aethan. In which case they were in even more danger. The more people who knew about it the worse off they were. @dm/jez/ls A large number of royal soldiers stopped outside the gate to one of the keeps. "Open your doors in the name of hte king or we will be forced to break it down!" They stood and waited patiently, only to have to gate begin to open a minute later. Before it finished the guards were flooding in at an orderly jog, pushing anyone in their way aside as they passed. "Search the entire grounds. Leave no stone unturned!" The head of this group walked over to the line of nobles that resided here, handing the scroll to the head of the House. The middle-aged man unrolled it and read it over, looking back up in shock. "This is an outrage! Who does the king think he is-" But he was cut off as the captain's pommel met his gut and he grunted, bent over. "He is your king! Someone is housing the traitor Havorilus and he intends to find out who it is!" The captain watched his men as a woman spoke up. "And who would be foolish enough to stash him away in their own house?!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:20:21 -0600

@ Alis Emkai hesitated before taking a step toward the bed. "I could help, if it's that bad." ((I was cold like that last night @_@ It was awful, and I had to sleep on the couch. And then when I woke up at four in the morning I was all gross and sweaty.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:35:06 -0600

@ Hovel Tornica was busy snacking on the bread from Finn's bag, occasionally massaging his arms to try and ease the ache growing in them from the hard flight, when he spotted Kalin's new student finally making her way nervously downstairs. He waved at her, hiding a wince when she jumped. "Hey there...want something to eat?" he asked. Kezia nodded and came over, accepting to bread he offered. "Where's Kalin? Did he have to go somewhere?" "He's out with some of the others, getting the lay of the land out there," Tornica explained. "He'll be back later." --- @ Outside The rumours were all proving harmless enough. Kalin hadn't picked up anything particularly useful or threatening out of the crowd, although he had overheard a couple of things that didn't sound so good for Aethan. Mostly the presence of the red dragon getting him out meaning he was clearly in league with evil and deserved to be in the arena in the first place. Flickering flames across the city skyline caught his attention and he started heading over in that direction, curious as to what he might find.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:56:31 -0600

@ Star etc. Omaron nodded though his eyes were still on the keep. This was complete nonsense; who in their right mind would try to run a country the way this idiot King had been? How could he let his poor starve and even rip through the houses of his supporters to try and find one man? He wasn't going to have anyone backing him up when Aethan did rise against him. He finally turned to follow Clearcall. "We'll be relocating again?" he asked quietly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:46:50 -0600

@Emkai Alis shivered again, wishing for sleep to take her so at least she wouldn't have to -think- about feeling so cold. She glanced up at him from the pillow. "Yeah? You wouldn't mind?" Yes, normally she loathed asking for aid but in some cases like this she was willing so swallow her pride. Feeling this cold made her miserable and if she didn't have to feel like this then... @DM/Jez Sophia stayed close to Mr Dumond's side, though when Mr Kalin started in the direction of flames and smoke, she took a few steps after him and then paused. She didn't know if they should go so far away from where Mr Clearcall had said to go. Would they be back within the time frame given?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:54:42 -0600

@ Alis "Not at all." Emkai walked to her side and sat down on the bed, still fully covered, before scooting next to her. "Is that a little better?" He didn't want to get any closer to her without her permission after all.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:14:40 -0600

@Emkai Alis felt him sit on the bed and opened her eyes again, they had drifted shut again. She smiled and would've chuckled if she weren't shivering so. Seems they were both concerned about improprieties... "A little..." She murmured, letting her eyes close again. As she drifted into sleep, she subconsciously curled closer to the heat he radiated under the cloak. Soon she was curled around him rather like a cat cuddling into warmth, she was still shivering a little but it was subsiding.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:13:32 -0600

@buggy/ls Clearcall started on a servant path between two of the keep walls, staying out of sight of hte guards. "I don't know, but we need to be ready just in case. If they know that Liandra was helping, or someone in her house, we could be in for a bad time here. And she could be in for worse."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:57:04 -0600

Dumond realized that Sophia, and most likely the elf had to scurry to keep up with his stride. He measured his pace to one that would be easier for them to match. He smiled inwardly remembering Jiya walking beside him through the camp complaining that she had on dancing shoes and not seven-league boots. Dumond stood with the gathering people outside the keep the soldiers were entering. He noted the sigil on the gate. "Probably best we move along." He said. ((Clearcall had best send someone to get this group while he moves back to the hovel quickly to get people moving there.)) @Hovel Jiya saw Tornica rubbing his arms and shoulders. She walked over to him and the woman the small elf had been teaching magic too. "You are in pain? Your muscles? I think I can help with that." She told him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:19:30 -0600

@ Outside "At least it looks like they don't expect our new friend to be being kept in a low class establishment," Kalin said, eyeing the swanky house. "That should give us some time to work out our next step." Well, depending on how many folk in there were in on the plan to rescue Aethan. --- @ Jeze "It's not too bad right now," Tornica said. "But come tomorrow my shoulders are going to be as stiff as hell. Taking to the air without a run up like I had to do back there is absolute hell on my wings."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:06:32 -0600

((He was actually headed to where they were all supposed to be meeting up.)) Clearcall arrived at the park, watching some guards patrol the area. Did they really think Aethan would show himself here? Either way he carefully picked his path toward the kings statue he told the others about. No one was there yet. "Wolf, do you think you can head back to the safehouse and warn the others about what might be coming and what happened?" @hovel "Help me sit up," Aethan instructed Gwenlynn. "You need to rest," Gwenlynn protested. "I will," Aethan reassured her. "I just want to sit up and have a look around." Gwenlynn gave him a look of disapproval but she helped him sit up slowly, leaning him against the wall. Aethan looked at the group collected. It was fairly obvious who was with her and who wasn't. Some of the locals were looking at him with wide eyes as they seemed to realize who he was. A woman came over walking slowly, then knelt in front of him and bowed her head. "Lord Havorilus," she whispered in a servile tone. Her eyes moved to the ring on his finger. "We knew you would return to help us. Your family was always good to the people. Shall we tell others of your return?" Aethan looked past her at the others who seemed to be forming a huddled crowd, all watching how he would react to her. His emerald eyes looked at the woman again. "Not yet." He had to find a way to feed these people. The starving would often become loyal if they were well fed. "When the time is right I will let you know." First he had to find a way to keep them organized. Desperate people would do just about anything to change their situation. "For now make sure no one tells others about our being here. The king will kill us all if he finds me here." There, a subtle reminder that the king couldn't be trusted. "My companions and I will need privacy though." "Will there be more bread?" she asked, looking at the others. Aethan wasn't sure what she was talking about. Thankfully Gwenlynn spoke up for him. "Yes. There will be more bread in a little bit. All the bread you could want. So long as you do as he has asked." The promise of more food made the woman's eyes sparkle and she bowed her head again beofre dismissing herself and walking back over to the others to report what she was told. "We need more than bread for them. There has to be a way to get at least some fish or lamb. They need meat." Aethan rubbed his forehead, waiting on the tea Gwenlynn asked a young woman to fetch for him. "I would like ot meet the others."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:38:18 -0600

@Statue -> Hovel "Yes, of course." Wolf agreed and headed off toward the house, moving as quickly as she could, though not so fast that it might raise questions as to what her hurry was. Fortunately she wasn't stopped along the way. She slipped into the hovel without looking too suspicious, she thought and closed the door behind her. Seeing people crowded around Gwenlynn and the man they had gotten out of the arena, she went over to them and crouched by Gwenlynn, shifting her skirts out of the way. "There is some trouble out there." She murmured quietly, so not to raise alarm. "The guards are forcibly searching homes of people they think might be harbouring this... this Dragonslayer." She said, grateful that the language hadn't left her yet. How much more difficult would it be to have to explain without words! "We do not know how safe it is here... Lady... Liandra? This is her name? Her home was searched... burned. If more people than her know we are here..." She trailed off, not wanting to list the possibilities of the dangers they faced.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:53:37 -0600

@hovel Aethan was thiinking his plan of action through when he heard a woman whispering to Gwenlynn. His eyes darted to her at the mention of the vile name Dragonslayer. His own friends were suffering because of him. He loathed the very idea but there was nothing he could do. Not yet. First he had to get the people and the nobles behind him, then he had to find a way to get the city guard in his pocket. Only then could he move against his cousin. When Liandra's name came up Aethan couldn't keep the pain from his face. "Lady Liandra took me in to see him today," Gwenlynn murmured. "The king likely knows that by now." "We aren't moving," Aethan stated firmly. He just promised these people food and support. He wasn't about to go back on his word to them. "We will keep watch. If the guards show up we will get everyone out the back." And he meant everyone. These people suffered enough. He wasn't leaving them behind to be tortured in his name.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 18:55:49 -0600

@ Hovel Omaron tailed after Wolf as she went in to talk with Gwenlynn and Aethan. He didn't like the way Shard felt in the back of his head. Seta almost dropped the tea as she overheard the tail end of Aethan's and Gwenlynn's conversation after talking with Wolf. "What? They... they'll come here?" Her eyes were wide, though she looked more startled than frightened. @ Alis Emkai looked rather surprised as she curled up next to him, but he didn't move. After a bit his eyelids began to droop, and before he knew what was happening he was lying down next to her, fast asleep.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:03:31 -0600

@Swanky Neighborhood (90210?) "Indeed." Dumond said. "It also speaks to the fact that he has many supporters in the higher echelons. Which is probably why the king is so on edge. But if he has those...things at his command, I do not know why he hasn't used them more. Although Gwenlynn said they really cannot be controlled." @Hovel Jiya was fascinated, "Your hurts in one form carry over to your other? How inconvenient. I am sure I could make you feel better." Finn heard one of the poor ask about bread. He scooped up his bag and began handing more out. Yes it tasted very bland, but the magic in it gave nutrition. He worked his way over to the now conscious Aethan. "Are you hungry? He held out a small loaf of bread." He smiled at Aethen. "Good to see you awake. I'm Finn McCool." He put out his hand to Aethan. "Perhaps I should get everyone ready to move out, or at least see what can be done to make this place more defensible."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:57:34 -0600

@hovel "The king would raise any part of his kingdom to the ground to get rid of me. There's no faking my death either. He wouldn't be happy without a body to prove it." Aethan felt bad that the poor woman looked so terrified by the idea. He thought about his cousin, about who he was before Aethan had to leave. He was so different now. When Finn came over and offered the bread Aethan took it with thanks, then held out his hand to Finn. "Aethan Havorilus." His eyes swept the people as they dug into their bread. "The only reason we would need to prepare for defensibility is to make sure these people get out safely. I won't have them harmed because I happened to end up here. We aren't fighting the king, not like that. If guards show we will be ready, but we will not stand our ground here. We will leave once the people are out safely." Light returned this man was large! Aethan's neck hurt just looking up at him. ((Likely my last post until after Christmas. Have a good holiday!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:18:31 -0600

@Hovel "I can start moving these people out, but where are they to go? Although to be sure they do not want to be here if the guards will hold them accountable." Finn said. He looked at Jiya. "I should take the bread bag back now. I wouldna want someone to think o' takin' it from you. Besides, if 'tis stolen, 'twill be nothin' more than an empty sack."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:53:59 -0600

@ Jeze/Hovel "Hurts, injuries..." Tornica shrugged. "It's not that inconvenient. Injuries are far easier to treat when I'm in human form. Bandaging up a dragon's wing is really more hassle than it's worth, but putting a splint on my arm is no big deal." "Does Kalin know how to heal with magic?" Kezia asked, tearing off a small piece of the bread Tornica had given her. "He knows a bit about it," Tornica said. "But I think most of his healing skills are the mundane kind. Why? You want to learn?" Kezia shrugged. "I wouldn't mind. Fixing people up is always worthwhile."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:36:01 -0600

@Hovel/DM "Yes, I can understand that. I do not think I would like to give a dragon a massage." Jiya smiled. "I do not think that I could." --- Finn began speaking to the residents of the house urging them to leave because the guards may be coming. He joined Tornica and the knot of people he was talking to. "The guards may know we are here. The Lady Liandra has been taken and her house burned. We should prepare to leave on short notice."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:48:47 -0600

@ Jeze/Hovel "The scales are quite hard to get through," Tornica said. "I don't think humans are strong enough to be felt through. But in this form I'm perfectly capable of feeling a massage," he added with a grin. Kezia blinked up at Finn when the big man approached. "They might know where are?" she asked, stomach clenching with nerves. "Do you think they'll come here? When can we leave?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:52:24 -0600

@Hovel/DM Jiya smiled. "I do not think I could massage a dragon. But a man..." She moved to kneel closer to him and began kneading his shoulders. "It is better with no clothing. And oil, but" she shrugged a little, "This is not the time or place for that, but I can do what I can for your aches." -- "I do not know. But get yourself ready." Finn answered. "Do not worry. We will keep you safe. But the woman who helped us may have been taken and if she is questioned, it is likely she will tell them where we are staying."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:38:27 -0600

@Hovel An apology was on the tip of her tongue when Wolf caught the look Aethan had given her when she called him the Dragonslayer. She held it back though, not sure what she would be apologising for. She didn't really know what the name meant, what it had come from so she couldn't be blamed for using it. It was just what she had heard him called. After she listened to Aethan speak, she nodded a little, glancing around and noting the fear on the faces of the people who had overheard even a little part of the conversation. "I shall... um, take this message back... Hijimx... um, I mean, to Clearcall. I will let the others know." She murmured, standing up, she tried to do it gracefully without tripping over the hem of the dress. @DM/Jez Sophia followed the others, her small lithe hand caught onto Dumond's cloak lightly, she held on so that she could keep up through the crowds of people that were bustling them a bout, she certainly didn't want to get lost in this all. @Buggy Alis awoke after a little while, feeling much improved after even just a little sleep. To her embarrassment though, she was stretched out along Emkai's side, snuggled against his warm body with her face nestled into his shoulder. She watched him for a moment before moving a little, she didn't want to leave the warmth but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable either. Her arm was draped over his chest and she blushed as she moved it off of him, he felt quite well muscled under the cloak, the thought made her turn even pinker.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:04:13 -0600

((where are the others that aren't at the hovel? Clearcall is waiting for them at the meeting place near the statue.)) @hovel Before Aethan could tell the large man that he didn't want the people forced out of hte only shelter they had in a hunch Finn was already moving to deliver the message. Most of the people looked either hurt, confused, or hesitant, and they all looked at him. He sighed but knew he couldn't get up yet. "I'll take care of it," Gwenlynn reassured him. "Just drink your tea. If we do need to move you will need your strength to walk." Then she stood and walked over to the people, speaking softly to them. Aethan couldn't hear the words but he felt a little relieved with they all seemed to relax. She wasn't very good with people but she did have a way with words. He looked at the rest of the group. They all seemed so comfortable here. Hopefully Liandrra would hold out. If not for him, for the people she could harm with her words. Gwenlynn walked over to the others. "I have spoken with the people here. When it is time to go we will take them out. They have nowhere else to go and Aethan doesn't want to chase them out of here. Besides, if we vacate it will only fill with more homeless and they will suffer the same fate without a clue as to why. Please, be ready to move and to protect the people when we do... if we do." ((My internet connection isn't working again but it's supposed to be fixed tomorrow some time so hopefully things will return to normal soon :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:16:15 -0600

Dumond tried to shorten his pace for Sophia to keep up, but he thought they had seen enough. Any nobles who may be sympathizers to Aethan's cause were being pulled from their homes while they were searched. Clearly the king thought one of these nobles must be hiding Aethan. It was time to meet Clearcall and get back to the hovel. And work out their next step.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:54:37 -0600

((I've kind of lost track where the others got to...so everyone up for fast tracking them to the meeting point?)) @ Hovel Oooh, no clothing and oil. Tornica liked the sound of that. Down boy! We're a little busy right now. No time for thinking about that sort of thing. "Oh, that is better," he said when the kneeding started. Well...it wasn't better, the knots her fingers were digging into really hurt but it was the kind of pain where you knew some good was occurring deep down. "Keep that up and I'll be able to swing my sword with the best of them should trouble roll up." "If they've taken her she's bound to have told them," Kezia muttered. "If they're anything like the Empire that is. They can make you tell them anything. They use any means they can to make people talk." Not that she or anyone she knew had ever been subjected to that, thank the Gods, but everyone knew if the secret police came for you you were worse than dead. "Hey, don't fret," Tornica said gently. "We'll look after you. No one's going to lay a finger on you if I can help it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:04:13 -0600

((Gah, so lost and so busy...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:12:10 -0600

@others Clearcall saw the others approaching and walked over toward them. They looked like what they saw wasn't much better. "I already sent Wolf back to warn the others. Lady Liandra, the one that was helping us, had her house sacked and burned." He glanced in the direction of the rising smoke. "They took the Lady of the House, her mother I presume. If she knew anything about what Liandra was up to our location could be in danger.We need to head back and make sure everyone is still there and okay." He started back in the general direction of the hovel. "Did you three see anything? Or hear anything?" @hovel Gwenlynn listened to the others for a moment before looking over to check on Aethan. He was drinking his tea and relaxing as ordered. Of course, he was a smart guy who had been through her healing before. He knew that it was best to just do as she told him in order to get on his feet quickly again. The sun was starting to set outside and he knew they couldn't burn many candles here. The light in the hovel would draw the attention of the guards. Aethan waved over one of the locals andheld a soft conversation with the elderly man about light at night. He was informed that they had little more than the light of the fire and whatever sticks they could find for makeshift torches. Oil and wax were a luxury they just couldn't afford and no one was giving it to them either. Once that was settled he continued quietly with the man, seeking information.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:43:04 -0600

@Others>Hovel Sophia managed to keep up with the others, running a step or two on occasion to match their steps. "Th-there were some f-families that the g-guards were b-being mean to." She murmured in reply to Clearcall as the group headed back to the safe house. "They w-were even m-mean to the ch-children..." She shook her head sadly. She had to admit though, she was glad to be back inside. The street had been quite cold on her feet, though she was never one to complain of course. She rubbed the night chill from her arms and went to find a place to sit for a little while, even this little excursion had tired her out a bit. @Hovel>Meeting place but not quite Wolf slipped out the door again, meaning to headto the statue where Clearcall told the others to meet. The first thing she noticed though was that she was being followed. She had -hoped- it wasn't the case when she had first felt someone's eyes on her as she left the safe house. She wanted to glance behind her but knew that would likely draw more suspicion to herself than anything so instead she paused and looked over a few items outside a shop that was closing up, watching the pair of men out of the corner of her eye. They were guards, she had figured that much at least. Plucking up a small item, it was taken from her again just as quickly, the shop owner saying something to her but already the words were starting to jumble in her mind. Wolf gave a polite nod and went on her way again, the men followed. She came to an unfamiliar part of the city, knowing she couldn't lead the men to the meeting place of the others, it would put them all terribly at risk. She would have to try to shake them off another way and hope she could find her way back to the hovel without incident. As the streets grew darker, she felt quite apprehensive. Anything could happen to her here and no one would even know. She felt the weight of her dagger on her leg and felt comforted, though it vanished a little when she heard them right behind her. "You there!" One grabbed her arm roughly. "What business did you have in that shelter for the homeless?" He asked, looking over her dress. It was clearly not the clothing of a homeless, poor wretch. She paled a little, only understanding one or two of the words he spoke. Gawsukw... She thought quickly, if she didn't speak, maybe they would think her mute. Wolf mimed giving out food, their eyes widened a little and one scowled, "You're dumb then, are you?" He said, looking skeptical. She looked confused, not familiar with the words. "YOU... CANNOT...SPEAK." He added slowly and loudly, as though she were deaf as well, looking impatient. She gave a little nod, figuring it was as safe a reply as any. "Now... I -would- have no trouble believin' th'story..." The other one spoke up. "Had we not been positioned in the area for a while." He gave her a suspicious look, though his tone was neutral. "You didn't go in there with any food. You didn't go in there with nothing..." The first nodded, "Very strange thing, y'see." His gaze drifted to her little pouch. "So we was just thinkin', if we were to look in your little bag, would we find any evidence of your story bein' true?" Wolf was inwardly cursing that she couldn't understand. Why now, of all times? She gave another little nod, hoping it came across sincerely enough to mean something. "Give it here, then." He grasped her pouch, she gasped a little, not realising that was what he meant. She foolishly grabbed at it back, earning her a harsh slap, the blow made her stagger back a step or two and she put her hand to her stinging cheek in shock. The pouch had torn at it's strap, he was rooting through it, raising an eyebrow at the breadcrumbs inside and brushing them off his gloves. "Suppose it's evidence enough..." He muttered to his companion, who looked disappointed. "Here though. Some compensation for our troubles." He smirked and tossed a few of the turquoise stones to his friend and tucked a few more into his pocket. Wolf didn't protest, hoping they would be satisfied with that much and leave her be. The other man still looked a little disappointed, he glanced around and gave his partner a significant look. "Might have some time for some fun then? She's mute... who would she tell?" He chuckled. Wolf didn't like the look in their eyes, she hadn't seen it often but enough to know what they might be thinking as they leered at her. She backed away slightly, bumping into a wall, cornered. "C'mon, you might actually like it." He smirked as he was coming closer and reaching out to snatch up her arm again, folding it behind her and pinning her to the wall. She struggled again, earning her another vicious blow, so hard this time, she saw flashes of light behind her eyes and she tasted blood. She tried to kick him, but the long dress was a hinderance and he shoved a leg between hers so she couldn't even attempt that, he grinned maliciously tearing the seams at the shoulder of her dress, "Lessee what we've caught ourselves here." She didn't want to, but she was frightened and could think of nothing else to do, so she whistled and her wolves were at her sides in a moment, snarling ferociously at the two men holding her captive. The one standing nearby pulled out his sword, looking alarmed, "Where the hell..." He stammered, preparing to defend himself. The one holding her let go when one of the wolvestook a step closer to him, baring it's teeth with hackles raised. It leapt at him, jaws snapping and catching the cuff of his sleeve. He tried to shake it off but it's teeth were already set into the fabric. The other started to circle the other man who looked shocked and afraid. "C-call them off!" He commanded her. She tilted her head, not understanding his words but understanding the tone well enough. He looked terrified, and as he should. These wolves were there to not only keep her company, but protect her. They wouldn't hesitate to kill in an instant if they thought she were in danger of being harmed. Wolf was a compassionate sort though, she didn't want to see them die, she just wanted to get away. She raised a hand and the wolves backed off a little, still watching the men warily. She made a motion to the men, signalling them to stand aside. They did so willingly enough and she made her way onto the street, watching them carefully before hurrying away, a handtucked into the fur of each of the wolves and whistled them back in. As soon as she was far enough out of sight, she started looking for the hovel, or anything familiar to bring her to it. It was quite dark out when she finally found it, she was trembling from shock as she came through the door. She had been thinking the whole time that the first order of business was to try to inform someone that she might've put them in more danger... She sought out Finn, or Clearcall, or Gwenlynn, feeling terrible about putting them in this predicament. ((Wow... I'm way more bored than I thought. lol I just wrote this out from boredom, nothing has to come of the guards being scared off like that though, maybe they'll be too ashamed to admit being bested by a woman. lol Maybe being scared will make them forget why they were suspicious about her in the first place.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:17:07 -0600

((Reposted for Buggy)) ((I think Omaron went back to the safehouse with Wolf, right? I didn't even think that he might follow her out again, she was in a rush. I wrote that thing like he hadn't though so... maybe she went out too quickly and then tried to get those guys to stop following her in a way that made it too difficult to follow her?)) @Buggy Alis awoke after a little while, feeling much improved after even just a little sleep. To her embarrassment though, she was stretched out along Emkai's side, snuggled against his warm body with her face nestled into his shoulder. She watched him for a moment before moving a little, she didn't want to leave the warmth but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable either. Her arm was draped over his chest and she blushed as she moved it off of him, he felt quite well muscled under the cloak, the thought made her turn even pinker.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:47:22 -0600

@ LS (Alis) Emkai's eye cracked open as her arm moved. It took him a moment to register that Alis was moving away from him, and when he realized that she'd been curled up by his side he sat bolt upright. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was so tired." He sounded sheepish. --- @ LS (Wolf) ((I'll say that he noticed she left, set out to follow her, lost sight of her, and has been looking for her near the hovel for some time now)) Omaron was really starting to get worried now. He looked this way and that for Wolf, brow furrowed, but the only thing he saw was a lot of people giving him weird looks. And it was getting darker... Finally he caught sight of a familiar and lost looking silhouette wandering the street. "Wolf! I say, Wolf!" Omaron waved and trotted out toward her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:04:37 -0600

@Buggy/Emkai Alis startled a little when Emkai sat up so fast, her arm slipping more quickly off of him. She leaned back on her elbow, letting her head clear a little and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "There's naught to worry about." She said, waving off his apology and then smiled. "You helped me out greatly." She added, "I'm not chilled any more... thank you." ((No time for wolf right now...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:20:32 -0600

@ Meeting Point "Noble families," Kalin elaborated on Sophia's simplistic statement. "City guards rounding up one of the noble families and tearing into their house to try and find the Dragonslayer. It's pretty clear they think he had help from the nobility in getting out. But considering the heavy handed way they're going about this I doubt they've got that exact an idea about who specifically is involved." Although the heavy handed nature could just be a distracting ruse to try and flush the people they truly suspected out of hiding and into making a mistake...He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. That line of thought went no where very quickly and just gave him a headache.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:41:54 -0600

@Buggy/Omaron Wolf looked up at the sound of her... well, the name -these- people called her. W-oo-l-ph She thought slowly... a strange name. Still, the meaning was what mattered. She breathed a sigh, even though there was still great danger lurking about them, she felt just bit safer being back in the midst of people that knew her and she was familiar with at least. "Omaron... Ndahl dim go'on?" She asked, a small careful smile on her lips. She felt the gash inside her mouth stretch and winced. She adjusted the torn dress over her shoulder as best she could before heading to the door of the hovel.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:50:13 -0600

@ Alis Emkai smiled beneath his hood. "I'm glad to hear that. I didn't mean to fall asleep though." --- @ Wolf "We'll have to get you to Finn again, I can't understand a thing you're..." He trailed off. The dress she was wearing was torn, and it looked like she'd been through some sort of ordeal. "What... what happened?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:43:17 -0600

((Dumond and his group were heading to the statue now.)) @The Noble Neighborhood "Soldiers were questioning nobles and searching their home." Dumond said. "The place we saw had a crest on their gate: a griffin sable (black) on a field gules (red). They must think those people are sympathizers. 'Tis foolish. If other nobles think they may be so poorly treated as well, it may bring more to the cause." @Hovel "Good. I am afraid that we may need that sword arm of yours very soon." Jiya said to Tornica. ((Ugh sorry for lame post. Symptoms are acting up today. :( I can't concentrate and I'm twitchy.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 21:36:41 -0600

@others/hovel Clearcall nodded in agreement with Dumond. "I would agree with you. At least I would like to, but one thing I learned about nobles is that they are always afraid of something ruining their name and their House. This will either bring more nobles to us or scare them away if he decides to label one as treasonous and make an example of the House." Though he really didn't want to think about that as a possibility. They reached the hovel and slipped around down the alley and in the back way. Clearcall was relieved to see Aethan alert and speaking with others. That was a good sign. The locals seemed to know who Aethan was but didn't care that he was there. In fact, Clearcall could have swore he saw hope in their eyes, more so than they had when he left earlier.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:53:46 -0600

@Buggy/Hovel Wolf was shaking as the shock started to hit her. She had made it back to the safehouse and now the adrenaline was wearing off, she felt rather weak. She heard the questioning tone and looked down, she couldn't explain it in his tongue... "Bax-ts'ilayxw Clearcall niiy..." She said, motioning toward where the group that had gone out had met. "Bagadil yoxkw niiy," Here she held up two fingers and then made a motion with her hands, trying to show she had been followed. "Gidaxkw, k'il-yats..." She said, miming them questioning her and hitting her. Wolf dabbed at the blood that had trickled from the corner of her mouth. "N-niiy..." She started to say, her lip trembled slightly and she shook her head a little, no, there were more important things to say. "Niiy xbits-axkw diyee..." She murmured, glancing behind her to see if they had followed her. She motioned to the door, they should go in as quickly as possible incase there were more guards around. @Emkai "Well... it's important to try to get some sleep while one can. Sometimes one never knows when they might get the next chance for some decent rest." Alis replied, laying back on the bed again. She peeled the leaf off of her cheek, it was red now, so she ran her fingers over the cut. It felt warm to her touch but not at all bad anymore. Just a little sticky from the herbs Gwenlynn had put on it and from the leaf.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:44:29 -0600

@Hovel Finn took notice of Wolf and the fact that she wasn't understanding or able to speak the common tongue again. He took some bread and broke it into seven pieces. This would not do that Wolf would suddenly be unable to communicate. He worked his spell then carried the bread to Wolf. "Eat one now and save the others for when the spell begins to fade." he told her. "I think you have something important to tell us."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 13:32:56 -0600

@Hovel Wolf nodded a little, accepting a piece of the bread, the dress slipped alarmingly low whenshe let og of it, she pressed it against her suddenly, cheeks warm at the thought of almost exposing herself to everyone. "T'ooyaksiiy niin" she murmured, thanking him and delicately putting a piece in her mouth. She winced as she chewed but knew this was the only way to make sure she could be understood. Well, other than Gwenlynn's spell but she dind't want to exhaust the poor woman. "I... I fear I might have put us into some more danger." She admitted shakily, quite pale. "When I left to inform Clearcall of what was happening here, I noticed two guards following me. I attempted to shake them from my trail, going into unfamiliar parts of the city, yet still they persisted." She paused and rubbed at the puffiness on her face, worrying it would be blue by the morning. "They followed me to a rather deserted part of town, it seemed. There were no people around, it was quite dark now..." She was still shaking but even with that, a shiver went through her. "I... cannot say for certain just what they were questioning me about. The spell from the bread was starting to leave me, I could not understand their words but I think they were asking what I was doing in this place." She motioned to the room. "I thought it prudent to not speak and give away the fact I did not understand, so I motioned that I had brought bread for the people here... They believe me to be mute but apparently did not believe me about my reason for being here, having been stationed nearby and not seen me enter with any food on my person. They grabbed my bag to search it, finding some morsels of the bread you had given me earlier, they were satisfied enough with that explanation and cast the crumbs to the ground..." Here she paused, not wanting to think about what almost happened. "They... they were satisfied with the... the explanation but..." To her horror, her lower lip trembled, she hoped she wouldn't humiliate herself by crying about it. She reminded herself it was just the adrenaline wearing off and blinked away the tears, swallowing hard. "but apparently not quite finished with me." She murmured, not meeting anyone's eyes. "One managed to pin me against the wall and tried to... he- he tried to..." She couldn't bring herself to say it and so just shook her head again. "I panicked and called out my wolves... the wolves attacked them, I did not permit them to kill the men, but only keep them at bay until I could manage an escape." She glanced around. "It is not a common thing around here to have animals springing to life from tattoos, is it... I am truly sorry but... I think they might suspect something about this place, unless they are too confused about what happened to speak of it. I am afraid they might search here." Her cheek throbbed and she adjusted her dress again, hiding some of the bruises.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:54:22 -0600

@ Wolf/Finn Omaron was going to suggest Wolf come inside and eat before trying to explain, but Finn took care of that. Once Omaron had heard her story, his face had gone very pale. "But... good night, are you all right? They didn't hurt you too badly, did they? If only I'd been there--" You'd what, dearest? Switch and get yourself killed, AND blow your friends' cover? He grimaced and shook his head. "Well, we'll have to tell the others at any rate, and make sure you're not too badly injured." --- @ Alis "That's wise," Emkai said thoughtfully before standing up. "How is the cut?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:31:33 -0600

Aethan overheard what Wolf told Finn and he clenched his jaw, glaring at the floori n front of him. What happened to the good people of Mordelic while he was away? Surely this couldn't all be his cousin's doing. And the city guard acting like this with one of the people! Under any other king those guards would be punished severely for such a crime, then thrown in prison. Did Valentis encourage this sort of behavior, or did he just ignore it? Angry, he slowly pushed himself to his feet. He could not abandon the people here in this hovel. He would stand his ground and protect them. If everything Wolf said was true then they would likely have a visit soon from the city guards. And a large number of them likely. A wave of dizziness hit him and he pressed the heel of his palm to his temple to try and steady himself. Gwenlynn was quickly standing beside him protesting that he needed more rest. "No. We need to be prepared. Is this everyone now?" He nodded toward the group gathered there. "There are two more. Alis and Emkai. I believe they went to one of the rooms so she could rest. She suffered the same poison as you, though not as bad." Gwenlynn was obviously hinting that he was too bad to be up and about yet. "Send someone for them. We have work to do." Aethan looked at the ring on his finger and heard his father's voice. Gwenlynn nodded and moved out of the room. After a couple of minutes of searching she heard Alis and Emkai's voices coming from a room. She rapped lightly on the door before entering. "Excuse the interruption, but I think we are about to set to work."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:47:17 -0600

@Omaron/Finn? Wolf shook her head, "They did not injure me terribly. I will have a few bruises but... it could have been much worse." She said with a bit of a shrug, trying to see the bright side of things. "I am just rather... quite shaken." That was an understatement, she thought. She was still trying to swallow the lump in her throat that threatened to rise and jump out. She would -not- cry. It was not the time, nor the place for such nonsense. She was a hunter and a warrior for goodness sake. She would not humiliate herself. "I thank you for your concern though." She added with a brave, yet very tremulous smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "I suppose I shall have to attempt to mend this dress while I can." Wolf figured she could change into her hides again while she mended it. Sophia's eyes had widened as she listened to Miss Wolf, she stayed very quiet at her spot by one of the walls, listening to the others talking. When the... the... Mr Dragonslayer, she decided on, stood up, she did too as she sensed the urgency. @Buggy/Star "It's not bad. Itchy as hell though." Replied Alis with a smile, the knock at the door had her sitting up immediately. "Hn... about damn time too." She said lightly, reaching to pull on her boots, then her coat. She still felt a little woozy but it was much better after having a bit of a sleep. The chill was gone, that was the most important thing to her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:50:53 -0600

@Hovel "Let me heal you before we leave. We need everyone to be ready for whatever we may encounter." Finn began a song. the others could question Wolf more thoroughly if they desired. He had an extra shirt in his pack he could give her, but he didn't think it would be sufficient even though it would fit her like a night dress. She needed proper clothing. -- Jiya hid her disappointment and stopped rubbing Tornica's shoulders. She did not know anything she could do to help fight the soldiers unless it was to stand naked and distract them when they entered the hovel. Dumond crossed the room to her and gave Tornica a look. He spoke to Jiya in her own language. His voice was stern. She look subdued.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:48:41 -0600

@ Hovel "Why is everyone so surprised it was city guards that tried it?" Kezia asked. They couldn't be shocked it happened at all; no one could be that naive. "They're the only people in cities other than nobles who know they can get away with it? It's why I was avoiding them before I met you lot." -- Reluctantly Tornica left Jiya's hands and got up to start this work, whatever it was. He'd been a little preoccupied and hadn't really been listening. "So...what is it we need to be doing? What do you want me to do?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:46:32 -0600

Wolf "Oh, th-thank you, yes." Wolf's words were hindered slightly by the cut in her mouth, she waited to see what Finn might do for the wounds, listening to him sing. She could almost see the puffiness going down on her cheek out of the corner of her eye. Her mouth still tasted coppery from the blood earlier but a quick, gentle swipe of her tongue over the area, probing at it, showed her that the cut was healing, nearly gone. "Thank y ou Finn... your magic is quite remarkable, very diversified..." She sounded impressed. When she was feeling sufficiently better, Wolf gathered herself and went to change into her hides, she might get odd looks but at least she wouldn't be at risk of exposing herself every few minutes. She found a vacant room and changed quickly, lacing up the hide strings firmly and pulling her fur cloak around her before going back out. She would have to find time to mend the dress later.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:05:59 -0600

Aethan walked over toward the others, moving a touch sluggishly. He looked at Kezia as he spoke. "Because this city once cared about things like compassion and honor. The guards upheld the law with pride and dignity. Now..." There was a sadness on his face. "I would like ot know more about this bottomless bag of bread you have." He looked at Finn. "It's obvious we need to keep moving if the guards are actually watching these hovels. I believe if we move from one hovel to another and make sure the people are fed at least from the bread bag. If we do this we will start to gather the people behind us. I also want to recruit other nobles to come to us each day to get baskets of bread each day. They will be responsible for making sure these people stay fed. Meanwhile we will be working with the nobles. Hopefully Lady Liandra isn't in too much trouble. She would have a better idea than me who we can trust and who we can't. We need arms, proper clothing, and control of the city guard." "What I need to know is if there is anyone here who has magic that actually works." Aethan looked at each person in turn. "I know Gwenlynn and Clearcall have some ability but it is badly drained. If there is some way to cast protections over the hovels to keep the people safe as we move through them it would be helpful. Also, if anyone has ideas I am open to suggestions."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:26:25 -0600

@Hovel Wolf came back in time to hear the inquiry about magic, she glanced around and stepped forward a little, "I have some ability with fire, with smoke... I can manipulate smoke into many shapes... animals, people, they can look quite convincing. " "My wolves can also aid in protecting the people..." She thought for a moment, "or as a warning system. They can..." She tried to think of the right word, "divide?" She said, glancing at Omaron to see if it was the right word, then realised none of them would likely know what she meant anyway. "Yes... divide, into many smaller wolf pups. They could keep an eye out for guards and suspicious people, relaying the signs to each other and back to me." She offered, anything she could do to help. Alis leaned against the wall and listened in, not offering anything just yet. After a few moments she shrugged and spoke up. "I don't know anything about magic really, but if it's arms you're needing, there's a supply of them on my ship. Bit of spare clothing too should anyone need some." She had a habit of keeping at least a few of the weapons they salvaged off of men after battles, she never knew when they might come in handy, it looked like this was a good time. "My crew will be in full support of your cause." She added as an afterthought.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:24:56 -0600

Divide what wolves? Aethan wasn't sure what she was talking about. He looked at Gwenlynn askance. "They are a part of her but she can call them out. There are two." If she remembered correctly. Wolves in the city. That would set his dear cousin on edge. He still wasn't sure how she could divide them but he just took her word for it. "We may be able to use that for protection and warning. How many times can they divide? We will need at least two per hovel if one will have to leave to give you warning. And we will need to have them out for the people to get used to and trust before we leave them behind. These people are shaken and scared. Wolves aren't likely to help much, but if they are pups that might make it a little easier. We may need to use them as diversions as well." The smoke thing he would have to keep in mind for later. Making a mob of smoke people to divert the attention of the guard might be handy if they couldn't get control of the guard. When Alis mentioned a ship Aethan turned his attention to her. "You have a ship?" Light bless him! They could get so much more than arms with one of those. Unfortunately it would require breaking a few laws, but at this point he didn't see what that would matter in the grand scheme of things. Plotting against the Gurcius name, against the Dragon Throne, was not exactly legal either. But he knew it had to be done. "We need more than just arms. How many men do you have on your ship? I know of a dock the guards don't watch." It was a short haul to get the good where they would be needed ,but it was a major advantage for them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:02:42 -0600

Wolf smiled a little, parting the folds of her cloak to show the two tattoos chasing each other around her midriff. She didn't want to alarm anyone there but time was running out, she gave a quick whistle and the two shapes swirled about her before becoming the two wolves on either side of her. They looked rather fierce for a moment until she patted them and murmured calming words to them in her tongue. Their fur went back down and she rubbed their ears gently, "We need you to multiply... Once for now should do." She told them. They stared at her, ears twitching at her words. One licked her hand, the other sat down heavily and used it's hind foot to scratch at it's belly. She frowned a little, "Basak'an." She told them, they stood, shook as though shaking off water and two little furry bundles tumbled out onto the floor, mewling a bit at the landing but then changing the mewls to yawns. "Sga be'ek ginhlak" She informed them about what to do and then glanced up at Aethan. "I have only used six or eight perhaps, before. I think they can do this as many times as you need though." She looked down at them, worried they weren't making a good impression, especially now since one had pounced on the tail of the other and they were now rolling about on the floor, yipping. "Th-they really -are- quite dependable, I assure you." She added quickly. "To notify us of danger, they will howl... the sound will carry, one to another until it reaches my wolves." Wolf motioned to the two large wolves who were watching the progress of the bundle of puppies as it made it's way across the room, heavy tails thumping on the floor. Alis nodded, "Indeed, I do. And from your expression it looks like it's good news to you." She smiled. "I have thirty-seven men on my crew currently. They are all trained to follow orders, to fight... and they are all eager to be able to help out for a good cause, especially helping the less fortunate." She tucked her hands into her coat pockets. "The ship's currently moored just outside of the bay where the main port is. Just out of sight of the docks... if your man Clearcall here" Alis gave Clearcall a nod. "can send another message to my men, they'll take the ship where ever you need it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:42:32 -0600

Aethan blinked in amazement at the wolves, even more so when they actually just dropped pups. He had seen a lot of things in the last few years, but that was something completely new to him. "Let's try not to do that in front of the people. We don't want to make them think it's some sort of dark magic." They could do it infinately? Aethan was stunned. "We will introduce these people to the pups shortly." "Your ship.... it's better than good news," Aethan chuckled a little. "These people need more than just bread. Look at them." He glanced at a small knot of the people in the shelter. "They need protein. How would you feel about recruiting a few of the men to help do some fishing? I can't get them chicken or anything of that sort, but with a ship we can try and gather some fish. The nobles can bring that in as well." He looked at the man she called Clearcall. He never met him before, but if Gwenlynn trusted him than he did too. "You should see my little messengers," Clearcall told Aethan with a smile. "Fascinating creatures. Very dependable for delivering messages as well." "Good. When the time comes I will be sending for help from other regents and nobles around the kingdom. If they can get word out...." yes. He nodded. This was going far better than he hoped already.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:13:14 -0600

Blushing, Wolf just nodded. She wouldn't have done it in front of the people in the safe house if it weren't a matter of urgency, the guards -could- be set upon them at any time. The last thing she wanted to do was to scare the people away from her. -She- knew that the wolves were only vicious if people were trying to harm her, otherwise they were just as docile and playful as the pups but the others might not. Had there been any danger, she would not have called them out at all. She was tempted to call them back to her but what he had said about dark magic flashed through her mind and she decided not to. "That shouldn't be a problem. We've nets and poles on the ship of course." Alis glanced around, "If someone has a quill and paper around, I can get some instructions written sooner rather than later. Fish aside, I may still have a couple of barrels of salted pork on board. I would have to check with the cook of course." She added. "Not enough for everyone, but if there were a further need." She shrugged, her men might not be overly happy about giving up their only meat on board but they would do it for the poor. Besides, she could get more here when things were more stable... she fingered her purse.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:44:14 -0600

"I have magic that works," Kalin said when the question came up. "I've tried several spells and nothing seems to be working any different than normal. And Kezia there," he continued, pointing at the girl. "Will have it too. As soon as I can train her into using it and not blowing out city walls through suppressing it for too long." ((Sorry for rubbish post but I'm shattered! Just wanted to get something down so that Aethan knew about Kalin's magicness))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:15:31 -0600

@Hovel "You are very welcome." Finn told Wolf. He turned to Aethan when he approached, "The bread bag is ancient magic. It always supplies as much bread as is needed. You cannot remove the bread and store it for very long. So, we could not fill and storeroom with it. But we can give it out for people to eat right now. And...the bag belongs to me, should anyone steal it--it will just be an empty sack. I think it will work as you suggest, but I have never tried that. Generally, I give the bread directly to a person." He shrugged. We have have to see." "I have magic, it seems to work here. Some spells seem weaker than I am used to, but I can cast protections, set wards...whatever you think will help." Jiya smiled delightedly at the wolf pups. They sometimes had small dogs at the pasha's palace and once the pasha's cheetahs had a litter. The kittens had provided amusement for a very long time. "You have my sword. I am sorry, but I do not have any magic." Dumond said. "Ah." Finn said to Aethan. "My bread is magical. It is not just bread...it provides all a person needs. You could live on this bread alone forever, if need be. 'Twould be boring, but you could live on it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:21:01 -0600

Aethan looked at Clearcall. "We will have you send out word for Alis as soon as we can and fid a few men here willing to work for the food they catch." Clearcall just nodded at this as Aethan turned to Dumond. "There will come a time for swords in this, make no mistake of that. I'm not much more than a swordarm myself, though currently without." "We will get you one, and some proper clothing as well," Clearcall reassured Aethan. "I will have ot leave Modelic and go to the Outer City to get the sword though. Finn, would you like to come along on that journey or just loan me your bag of holding?" Aethan turned his attention to Kalin, then smirked at Kezia. "So that was you the other day that caused all the commotion I take it? We certainly don't want you to blow any holes in the walls now." He turned his attention back to Kalin. "If you could cover just the basics for her. Things we may need to start with like wards, healing, battle ranged spells.... whatever she can manage. We don't have a lot of time for the training. If we don't rally the people and strike quickly my cousin will eventually ferret me out. Tornica, for now we will just use you as another swordarm. We don't need to give you or us away by having you transform again. It seems it caused a bit of chaos last time that is best avoided." Aethan listened to Finn talk about his bread bag and shook his head. "I'm just thinking of having nobles come to collect the bread from us each day to give out that day. If we store it we risk losing the people to their own fights over the food. I will put one noble I trust in charge of giving out he baskets of food. Even if the bread provides everything they need, the more we can give them the less likely they will be to talk to the city guards. I still want to get them fish. Alis, you're in charge of that operation. We will find a few men at each hovel to do the fishing and all your men have to do is transport it and make sure the ship isn't caught." He turned his attention to some of the others who had yet to speak up, such as Sophia and Jiya. "Just because you have no magic and no fighting skills does not mean you are without useful talents. What are you good at?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 09:53:23 -0600

Seeing the smile on her face, Wolf approached Jiya, "You are fond of animals?" She asked her, still keeping an eye on the gamboling puppies. They took to chasing each other about, chubby paws thumping lightly on the floor as they made yipping noises, pretending to be more fierce than they really were. Alis gave a little salute, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I can tell my men to get started anyway. they've not got a lot to do at the moment anyway, just being moored by the bay." Sophia blushed at the inquiry. What was she good at? She chewed a little on the cuff of her dress with one hand and played with the bell on her collar with the other, trying to give herself time to think. She was good at making herself seem very small and hiding... somehow she didn't think that would help at all.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 12:55:16 -0600

Kezia shifted awkwardly under Aethan's gaze. "Yeah...that was me. I didn't mean to blow anything up. It just sort of...happened." "Good thing it did," Tornica said. "Otherwise we might not have found you." Kalin raised his eyebrow at Aethan. "Damn...you don't ask for much do you. Healing? Part of the basics?" He shook his head. "I'll do my best, but healing isn't something I was ever taught myself. Most of my medical knowledge is purely mundane, no magic involved at all. Wards and offensive spells though..." He grinned. "I'm your man."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:33:16 -0600

((heh, Aethan...what is Jiya good at?)) Jiya looked at Aethan coyly then looked down at the tips of her embroidered and now very dirty shoes. "Jiya can sing and dance and tell stories, plays numerous instruments..." And she could probably entrance any man she chose to and knife him in his sleep. Dumond said. "I will not see her put in harm's way." he insisted. Jiya turned her attention to Wolf. "I do not have much experience with animals. We had cats and small dogs in the harem. The pasha had a pair of cheetahs. There were fish in the fountain and peacocks and other birds in the garden, but I did not have much time to..." What? Play with them? Watch them? Jiya ended in a shrug. "I think Jiya make have enough talent to learn some spells. I can start with protection spells." He said to Aethan, but he was looking at Dumond. Perhaps this would make the man feel better if he knew Jiya could cast her own spell to protect herself and possibly others.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 01:17:29 -0600

"Whatever you can do to help us quickly," Aethan told Kalin. "If healing isn't easy then save it for last if we have time. There are others here who can do a little with healing I believe." Seeing the coy look Jiya gave Aethan made Gwelynn uncomfortable. She took a subconscious step toward Aethan, small but still slightly noticeable. She already had Liandra to contend with. Jiya could continue her attentions on Tornica. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news but just being around us puts her in danger," Aethan informed Dumond. "I will have nothing against you if you choose to leave now." Singing and dancing. Dumond seemed a little protective of Jiya. He looked at Finn and could see that the man wasn't looking for his approval. "At some point everyone will have to pull their own weight." Maybe Jiya could be used to entertain the people and bring up their spirits. It was something.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:50:17 -0600

Emkai inclined his hooded head to Aethan. "I have skill as a swordsman and a tactician, if it is needed," he said in his clipped but polite way. "And though I have no magic to speak of, I can... set things on fire rather easily." Seta, who had been quiet and just listening thus far, suddenly piped up. "If you need someone who's good with a knife and a bow, I can help you there. I've not had too much experience fighting men, but I've killed more wasps and spiders than I can count. And I can patch up smaller wounds." Omaron cleared his throat. "Just... just to clarify, she means big wasps, like monsters. And... er..." He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. He wanted to help these people, but would giving away the one thing Shard had given him partial control over be worth it? Dear, I don't think you should-- but he just plunged forward, hoping she wouldn't have time to stop him. "And I have another form that's a little more suited to fighting." Seta blinked at him, completely bemused. "You what?" Emkai turned his head slowly toward the politician.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:12:58 -0600

AEthan saw the flames beneath Emkai's hood and blinked, looking at Gwenlynn askance. She leaned closer and whispered to him briefly. He nodded, accepting it but still not quite understanding. "I'm hoping that we won't need such a thing, but distractions could be handy with it if we need to. Can you call the flames back as well?" So Seta was another fighter if need be. Omaron's statement took Aethan by surprise, and he wasn't really sure why. After seeing Tornica turn into a dragon he wasn't sure why he was surprised. "What sort of form?" The fact that Omaron's companions were equally surprised was what caught Aethan off guard.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:47:48 -0600

Dumond snorted. "I do not need you to tell me what I already know, but how else are we to return home if we do not help you? I do not wish to end my days in this realm." Even if it meant losing Jiya to the Marquis. Jiya spoke up, "The effendi Finn said he may be able to teach me some magic..." Otherwise she supposed she could serve food. She really was not equipped for this life. "It looks like Kalin and I each have students to teach right away." Finn grinned. "I don't know that we have time for lessons just now though."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:01:15 -0600

"No, I can't call them back," Emkai replied to Aethan, his eyes still fixed on Omaron. Omaron shifted his weight and cleared his throat again. His mouth was very dry. "It's... quadruped, and about the size of a large dog. With, er, teeth and claws to attack with." Something bordering recognition flickered in Seta's gaze, and she gave Emkai a meaningful look. It was difficult to tell if she was more excited or worried.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:48:44 -0600

Aethan made note of the fact that he would have to treat Dumond more like a noble than the others. That much was apparent from the way the man responded to him. He didn't know what any of them meant by getting home only by helping him but he didn't feel the need to seek the answers now. He could ask Gwenlynn tonight. "We will stay here tonight as long as there is no trouble. You can start with the training right away if you want. We have no time to waste. Alis, I will have you send word to your men with one of Clearcall's messengers. Let them know that in the morning they will have men looking to board the ship for fishing. More instructions will be coming their way. Wolf and I will be speaking with the people and getting them comrotable iwth the wolves. Sophia can join us." He wanted to know what she could do to help. "Gwenlynn I need you to go out and get myself something a little more appropriate to wear. A few items for backup as well, just in case. The rest of you I want on watch. Tornica, if you could keep watch from the roof. It's likely the best place for you with your... skills. Emkai and Omaron at the front, Dumont and Seta at the back. I think that leveryone. Clearcall, when I finish later tonight with the people here I will be in need of a few of your messengers myself." Clearcall nodded and looked at Alis and nodded away from the others. Gwenlynn shifted feet and looked at Aethan. She did not want to be spotted for who she was here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:59:48 -0600

Omaron blinked. He was going to be at the front? With Emkai? As he thought this, the fireman laid a hand on his shoulder. "I think you and I need to have a little talk." Seta pretended like she didn't hear them talking and nodded to Aethan. "Very good, I'll do my best to help."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:06:59 -0600

Alis gave a brief nod, first to Aethan, then to Clearcall. She went to see about getting a quill and paper, once she had them, she scratched out a note to the man in charge of her ship while she was away. The quill wasn't a very good one, she gripped it close to the nub, trying to keep her writing neat, getting a bit of ink on her fingers. She folded it and sought out Clearcall to give him the note. "Here you are, I've explained a few things, it's short as I only wanted to include the most necessary facts." She told him. Wolf listened to Jiya and smiled, she was about to ask what a peacock was when she heard her name, glancing at Aethan and giving a little nod of understanding and giving Sophia a smile. Sophia looked up quickly and pulled her cuff out of her mouth. Standing, she made her way over to Wolf, still trying to figure out what she was good at.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:39:50 -0600

Dumond looked at the woman, Seta. She did not look like she could fight a puppy, but if she said she had fought giant spiders and wasps, he would just have to pray she knew what she was doing when the time came. Finn strode over to Jiya, "Seems we best get started." He smiled down at her. "Shall we sit?" He wasn't sure how fast she could learn. If what she said was true, she could memorize easily, but was she simply a gifted and he had to admit, a very lovely parrot or did she have the imagination needed to hold something in her mind and manifest it. Finn sat on the floor in an out of the way spot. Jiya joined him. He began explaining some basic concepts then had her try a few exercises to prime herself for manifesting her will. He started working on a self protection spell with her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:00:46 -0600

Tornica grinned as he was given his assignment. "Aye aye sir," he said happily. This wasn't the smallest building he'd been forced to stay in but it was small enough to cause him discomfort if he wasn't careful and with having to deal with the tunnel so soon after the transformation he was even more antsy than usual about the problem. So being up on the roof would be absolutely wonderful. Whistling cheerfully he made his way upstairs and out, enjoying being out in the open air. Kezia gave Kalin a sour look. "I don't like how everyone's assuming I'm just going to accept this teaching," she said to him. "I'm pretty sure I never actually agreed to any of it." Kalin sighed. "Whether you agree to it or not isn't going to matter too much now your talent's been activated. It has to be dealt with one way or another." He motioned a spot on the floor, requesting her to sit down. After a moment's hesitation she did so. "Wouldn't you rather you learnt to deal with it in a productive manner? Tools you can use to help people? Or help yourself?" Thinking back to what Wolf said the guards had tried to do, back to the man who dragged her into the alley before she blew up that wall...Kezia swallowed and slowly nodded. "Wonderful! Well, I'll get started with the basics, teaching you to master control without killing yourself and you think on exactly what you might like to learn. And I'll do my very best to each it to you."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:42:29 -0600

Clearcall took the message from Alis and nodded. "I suppose having you keep watch with one of the others might be helpful. yI'll send your letter out right now." He started to walk away, then paused and looked back at her. "Unless you want to come along and meet them." Aethan walked toward the group of homeless people with Wolf and Sophia. He could see some of hte anxious looks as they all glanced at the wolves. "These little wolf cubs will be left here when we leave to help protect you." He explained his plan to move along to other hovels himself to spread the word and asked that the people here not tell anyone that wasn't already here. They nodded and Aethan spoke to them a little more, letting the cubs get comfortable iwth the people and the other way around as well. ((Sorry for the lame post. I have a lot of errands to run today so I probably won't be around too much to post. Just wanted to throw something out there before I disappear.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:03:02 -0600

After thanking Clearcall again, Alis nodded and was about to see where she could go to help keep watch when his words stopped her and her curiosity got the better of her. "Well... I have to admit to being intrigued by just how you're able to manage to relay the messages so quickly." She said with a smile, approaching him. The wolf pups made it easy for the people to start to get used to them, acting playfully and tumbling about. Wolf thought it was maybe just the two large ones at her side that made them nervous. She patted the massive wolves beside her genially on the head, they licked her hand and sat panting, looking quite tame with their tongues lolling. "They will act as a warning system," Wolf explained a bit further. "when they begin to howl, it means that someone is coming... you need not fear them, they area as docile as dog puppies and will not harm you." Sophia looked from Aethan to Wolf and to the people. She thought maybe there was -one- way at the moment that she could help and stooped to whisk one f the puppies up into her arms, cuddling with it. It seemed delighted to be given such attention and licked her face, making her giggle. The other started hopping and bouncing at her feet, wanting to be picked up too. She saw a child nearby and handed the puppy to him, he seemed relaxed enough with the squirming furry bundle. Hopefully it would help the other people feel more comfortable with them too. One of the larger wolves came over and licked at her too, she herself was a bit more nervous around it too but she put the fear aside and scratched it's ears. Slowly, some of the wariness on the faces of the people started to fade.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:02:31 -0600

Wolf smiled to see Sophia playing with the pups, at least there was -one- other person here who was as comfortable with them as she was. She hoped her contribution would be of use, she didn't have much, she knew, but whatever resources she had, they were welcome to. She glanced over at the 'Dragonslayer', frowning slightly. "Um... I- I wish to make another apology for causing... causing- more difficulties? with my actions." She said, feeling sheepish that she put everyone in such danger with her choices and that her words were starting to muddle slightly again. The bit of bread she had eaten was a bit smaller than the others she had had.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:10:22 -0600

Omaron would have gone to talk with Wolf, but Emkai pulled him to one of the back rooms to have a word. Seta watched them leave before walking over to Sophia and Wolf. "They're rather cute, aren't they?" she asked in a rather absent sort of way.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:56:28 -0600

@Buggy/Star Sophia nodded happily, then looked a little confused. "D-do you mean the p-p-puppies or... or M-Mr Emkai and Mr Om-Omaron?" She asked Seta, not sure at the moment, though she had seen the two men leave out of the corner of her eye and didn't know which 'they' Miss Seta was referring to.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:20:00 -0600

@ LS Seta's brows shot up as she peered at Sophia. "The puppies, of course. Why would you think I meant Omaron or Emkai?" She looked thoroughly bemused.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:01:57 -0600

((Quick short post before I go home...)) @Buggy Sophia looked rather confused herself and gave a shy little shrug. "I d-don't know... I j-just wasn't sure for a moment." She said quietly, feeling rather silly about the confusion when she saw the look on Miss Seta's face. "N-nevermind..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:23:19 -0600

@ LS "It's okay," Seta said with a shrug. "But it was a funny way to interpret my remark. It just caught me off-guard." A little smile crossed her face. "You know, it really is funny, now that I think about it. But Omaron's probably in trouble; I shouldn't laugh."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:46:25 -0600

((I think Seta was supposed to go with Dumond to keep watch.)) Clearcall smiled at Alis and started for the door. He was actually a little excited ot show off his little friends. As he walked down the alley and toward the park where his friends were hiding away he kept his eye out for trouble. "Just don't talk to others about them. They are sort of my little secret. I discovered them a few years back and they took to me as much as I took to them." --- Aethan looked at Wolf. "Hey, don't worry about it. Everything will be fine." That was what he wanted to believe anyway. Since everyone seemed to be getting comfortable with the pups Aethan stepped back with Wolf to let Sophia be herself. ((Sorry guys. My inspiration is lacking. Hopefully later I can do better.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:08:03 -0600

((Oh duh xPPP I don't know why I didn't... right, because that's what they just decided. Sorry.)) Then Seta went to keep watch in the back with Dumond. When she got there she took her crossbow from her back to lay it on her lap. "Well then, I guess there's not much to do now but keep our eyes open and hope we're superfluous." Humming quietly she started to dab the tip of her arrows in something that smelled vaguely of ammonia.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:00:12 -0600

Finn began his lesson with Jiya. "You can make your own song, or use one that you know. Think of building a shield around yourself, an impenetrable shield. Sing nonsense words or words that relate to building this shield. It is the picture in your mind that makes the magic work. Lose yourself in the image. Once you have practiced, you will be able to take a shortcut and simply make the picture in your mind. Any questions? I thought we could sing together to try this out." Whether it worked or not, didn't matter. Finn would cast a protection on everyone in the room. Having Jiya feel the spell might help her to master it. "Thank you. I do not have any questions." Jiya said. he rolled her shoulders and sat more comfortably, then closed her eyes. She began singing quietly in her own language. Finn added a harmony, speaking words of shielding and safety. Jiya sang a little louder as she gained more confidence, as the image became clearer. @Buggy "Is that poison?" Dumond said. He eyed the crossbow. Perhaps she did have some actual experience fighting. "Were you part of some militia? because she really didn't look like she was a military person.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:21:30 -0600

@ Dumond "Of a sort," Seta replied with a smile. "It's a secretion I got off a millipede. If it gets into someone's bloodstream, they'll go all funny in the head for a few hours and be quite incapable of fighting. I've got more dangerous stuff, but I'm saving that." She looked up at the second question. "Well, no. Like I said I haven't fought people before; I'm used to going after big dangerous animals that attacked my old village to eat the livestock and the people. I've hunted smaller prey too though, especially in the past year, and once or twice I've had to fire at human assailants. How about you, are you in the military?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:27:50 -0600

@Puppies 'Mm..." Sophia replied to Seta with a little nod, not entirely sure how she was supposed to respond herself. She watched Miss Seta go to help keep watch and scooped up the other chubby little pup, holding it in her arms on it's back and then putting it up to her shoulder, it's paws flopping over her back as it's face peered behind her, giving a bark at Wolf and Aethan. Sophia giggled and turned to them, smiling. She looked and felt much more relaxed and happy than she ever had, as far as she could recall. The puppy squirmed around and she shifted it in her arms, holding it away a little when it tried to bite the little bell. "It will be. To be sure." Wolf replied to Aethan. Now that he was safely out of the arena, surely they could help the people more and restore his kingdom... Wolf then smiled at the shy girl. "Do you like gibuu, Sophia?" She asked kindly. "Y-yes... I think so. V-very much." Sophia was certain of that at least, especially when the fluffy bundle licked her face again. @Star "No worries, I haven't anyone to tell. I'm honoured that you'd offer to introduce me though," Alis replied with a grin, following Clearcall to the park. She was terribly curious, not understanding how he could possibly get messages through so quickly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:50:15 -0600

((I meant to say Wolf motioned to the wolves... I guess I'll say Sophia just assumed gibuu meant wolf. lol! @_@ That's what I get for trying to post in a hurry at work. Not much attention to detail. :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:28:18 -0600

@Seta Dumond was impressed. Although he was not used to women bearing arms, she seemed like she could hold her own in a battle. But... "Fighting and killing men is much different than hunting beasts. But I do think we will be fighting for our lives. The king will not give up his power easily and Aethan seems to be the choice to take his place. If I think of myself as a mercenary in this matter, the idea of toppling a throne is a bit more palatable. And thankfully, this is not even my realm." Dumond snorted a little. "To put it mildly, yes. I lead my army when the call comes from my king. Or, as is the case before I came here, to lead a small group of soldiers to go on a shopping trip for the Marquis." he looked rueful.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:47:11 -0600

@ Dumond Seta nodded, brow furrowing a bit. "I understand your meaning. If we're fighting for our lives though, I think I can do it. Well no, I can do it, there's not much thinking that has to go on there. If that makes any sense." She looked impressed when Dumond related what he did at home. "You lead an entire army? That must be exciting. But what were you shopping for this time?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:54:30 -0600

@ls Clearcall walked to one of the trees in the park and looked around, leaning against the trunk casually. "Well it isn't that big of a deal. Just try not to spread the word. Only a handful of people know they exist." He let out a special pitch of whistle once he was sure no one else was watching. Thankfully the dark cloaked their passing and the waning moon's light was mostly blocked by the trees. There was a rustling from the branches and something scaled and dark blue, no lager than a hawk, flew from the branch and perched on Clearcall's outstretched forearm. It resembled a dragon, the tail curling around his arm. He smiled and held up a morsel of something in his hand. The dragonling took it from his hand and swallowed it down. "This little guy is Nightshade. Great for delivering messages at night. " He held up the rolled parchment and Nightshade curled his tail around it. Clearcall spoke in elvish and the dragonling took off again into the night. He looked at Alis and smirked. "I came across half a dozen of them by accident a few years back. There turned out to be a lot more, but they hide so well that no one knew about them. Turns out they are incredibly loyal and terribly reliable."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:40:30 -0600

((We'll just assume that Finn is teaching Jiya until something happens, I'm to sick to write anything for them right now.)) @Seta "A small army. Whatever men-at-arms I have, plus the peasants if they are needed." Dumond snorted again. "Spices, textiles, anything from the east that could be sold in the west. AND the Marquis got it in his head that he wanted one of the celebrated Circassian women. He heard that the pashas and sultans of the east prized them above all other women. The Marquis gets what he wants...so, I was dispatched to find him one. Letters were send ahead of us and we were finally told where such a one might be obtained." He jerked his head toward Jiya. "I do not think she is worth the trouble. Yes, she can sing and tell stories and dance in a way to make one feel sinful just by watching. But she has already caused fighting among the men. And she does not obey her orders." He took a deep breath.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:46:00 -0600

@Star Alis' eyes widened when she saw the little dragon. "That's incredible..." A smile crossed her face, "Is that as big as they get? Why are they in hiding?" She asked him curiously, watching the creature as it moved. "And you know how to speak with them? And they understand you? That's amazing." She had never seen an animal react like that. She watched it disappear into the inky sky. ((Sorry it's short. Trying to look busy. lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:52:14 -0600

@ Dumond Seta smiled slightly. "Sounds like a handful. I wonder if the Marquis would change his mind if he'd met her before... but then people can be very silly about things like that. People in the east still pay large sums of money to get fireman slaves, and they're hardly good for anything except burning things down and looking impressive. Not... as slaves I mean. As people they're... yes."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:25:23 -0600

@Puppies Wolf stepped back a bit so she was standing beside Aethan. "This is what she can help with then?" Wolf glanced at Sophia, then back at Aethan to confirm it. "Perhaps she can... make people... feel- feel easy. N-no... at ease? With the gibuu." She offered, seeing Sophia giggling over the pup she was holding, a young woman holding the hand of a young girl coming up to pet the 'doggy'.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:27:42 -0600

@ls Aethan watched Sophia with the pups and nodded just once. "For now. We may discover something remarkable about her before this is over. Light, but she may be more surprised by it than us. Sometimes those with the strongest wills are those with the weakest social skills." What made the poor girl like this though? Maybe Gwenlynn would know. She should be back soon. -- Clearcall watched the dark blue dragonling disappear into the night sky through the trees. "Haven't seen them much bigger than Nighshade. They didn't just understand elvish when I first met them. I had to train them all. Took a bloody long time but I managed." He saw a small head pop out of a tree and glowing beady eyes looked at him. Clearcall chuckled softly and held up his forearm again and the silvery dragonling swooped down swiftly and perched there, regarding Alis with interest. "Couldn't tell you why they are in hiding. Maybe they aren't so high up on the food chain. Trust me though, make a dragonling mad and you will never forget it." He traced a small, deep scar along his jaw. @myself/anyone on lookout Gwenlynn was a little surprised she was asked to go out at night like this alone when there were so many fighters to help her but she didn't dare question Aethan. He had a reason for everything he did, even if she didn't understand it. The trip to the seamstress was actually fairly uneventful. Most of the homeless were either in shelters or shoved out of the city proper at night by the guards. The guards that were on watch were usually more relaxed as little more than tavern brawls broke out in the streets. She guessed on a few different sizes for dresses and purchased extra clothing for some of the men as well. Like Tornica. As handsome as he was he really should be dressed a little more appropriately to keep him under the radar. Once the purchase was made she headed back to the hovel, taking a different route this time so as not to pass the same guards twice. Heading this way the fires of the noble keeps lit the skyline ominously. She was watching them as she ambled this way and that back toward the hovel. It wasn't until she was about a block away that she was stopped by some guards. The pair of them blocked her passage. "Kind of late for you to be out and about don't you think lovely?" "And your clothing is too fine for this side of town," the other added. He eyed the packages she held. "What you got there? The king instructed us to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity." "And you certainly seem suspicious." Gwenlynn took a step back, trying hard to tap into the Essence. "My mistress asked me to deliver these clothes to a hovel. One of the families there suffered some injury today and she wants to see that they are properly dressed." "Mistress huh? And who might that be?" He took a package and ripped the paper open, letting the contents spill out into the street.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:46:39 -0600

@Park Alis smiled a little, watching with fascination as the second little dragon came down onto Clearcall's arm. She glanced at him with surprise when she heard his chuckle. It was slight but she didn't think she had heard him laughbefore, maybe not even really smile that much. She stared at him for a moment before clearing her thoughts and putting a smile on her face. "Oh? How does one make one of these lovely creatures angry? And should i ask what -you- might have done to risk their wrath?" She asked teasingly. @Puppies Wolf glanced at Aethan, surprise in her eyes at his words. She glanced back at Sophia, feeling a small bit of sadness for the girl, even outwardly it was clear she had had something horrible happen to her in her life... though good still might come of it. The thought was one that cheered her a little. "You may be quite right." She murmured, putting a hand on the large wolf closest to her. It looked up at her as though wondering what she was thinking but she just rubbed her finger over the finer hairs.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 22:03:20 -0600

@park The dragonling's tail swished back and forth through the air as it watched Alis closely. "These little friends are the reason I took on the name Clearcall, but not many people know that. They just accept it as my name. Anyway, I was trying to train a particularly independent little rascal and... it didn't go too well. It was worth it though, since he's now one of my most reliable messengers ((Sorry Alis, I didn't have the story yet and right now Clearcall isn't sharing.)) @wolf Aethan looked down at the wolves at Wolf's side. "So do they need to stay out ot keep the pups with the people? If so we need to find a way to move them without notice."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:22:46 -0600

@Star "A pseudonym, eh? Clever." Alis wondered what his real name was but wasn't about to ask for the information, maybe he had his reasons for not saying. Then she laughed as he told her about the 'rascal', "Yes, well sometimes the most independent can also be the most stubborn." She said, smiling and shaking her head, well aware of her own faults too. She grinned cheekily, "It's true that that can also make them the most dependable and loyal." ((Are Gwenlynn and the guards anywhere near Alis and Clearcall? Alis is like, lemme go out there and act like the pompous mistress. I said they weren't likely anywhere near enough to hear them and now she's pouting. XD )) @Puppies Nodding, Wolf tugged on one of the ears of the wolf beside her playfully. "Yes, once I call them back in, they... they..." She couldn't think of the word. She made a little motion with her hands that could've been something poofing into smoke or blowing up or any number of things really. "Sorry... I am not very good with your tongue."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:16:44 -0600

@ls ((No. They are about a block from the hovel where Alis and Clearcall are several blocks away.)) "No so much a pseudonym. Just didn't have a reason to use my old name anymore." Clearcall stated it as a matter of course as if he just didn't care. It didn't matter to him. "Very true. One of the most brash, independent men I know is incredibly loyal to his friends. Of course if he heard me say that he would argue that I was diluted." Clearcall chuckled. -- "It's okay. Don't worry about it. I was just hoping to make things a little easier." Aethan looked around the hovel. "It saddens me to know that some of these people will be harmed when I eventually challenge my cousin. I can't blame him completely though. He's not himself." He was hoping that he wouldn't have to resort to killing Valentis. There had to be a way to free him from Acebrity's grasp.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:21:02 -0600

@Star "Which part of that would his argument be against?" Alis asked, reaching out a tentative finger to the little dragon so it could sniff at her if it wanted to, or do whatever it was that dragons did in greeting. She had never met one before... other than that Tornica man, but that clearly wasn't the same. "And so why the name 'Clearcall' specifically?" She was curious. Was it having to do with the whistle or something else? @Puppies Wolf glanced at Aethan, bit her lip and looked down again. She knew about loss. She knew about it more than she would like to. "Suffering is sad... yes. Maybe they die too." She murmured, looking at the wolf beside her sadly. "Death, it always worse for the ones who stay in this place..." Her eyes were distant as she gave a small sigh. "But ones who die like this... die for good things. And in here," she tapped over her heart. "they know it is for good thing. Make death not so bad for them." Her words were getting a little more jumbled but she hoped she could get her thoughts across. "Always hardest for those who not leave this place yet." She said again with a little nod. "This is right, hn?" She asked the wolf who responded by butting her hand with it's muzzle as if in agreement.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:29:51 -0600

@ Star Tornica would never be the first to say cities could be attractive, but from his currently vantage point he thought this particular one at least had potential. If you could forget about the rampant poverty and corruption going on within its walls at least. And if the nobles' houses weren't burning to create a red, smoky backdrop for the place. He hoped at least the household had been permitted to quit the building before they fired it.# Tearing his eyes away from the sight he turned back to surveying the streets below him and spotted Gwenlynn heading back towards them, carrying packages. A strange woman...he knew he hadn't met a great many elves in his life, but from what they'd all said Kalin, the elf he knew best, wasn't that unusual an example of one. But Gwenlynn and Clearcall were just so different from him. It was weird. He frowned when he saw some guards accosting Gwen, tearing open the packages she was carrying. He ducked back down to the main hovel. "Gwenlynn's found herself a spot of trouble," he announced to the room at large. "Who's free to go help her out of it?" He would go himself but he was fairly sure the potential for being recognised as the dragon that freed Aethan hadn't reduced enough for that yet. "I'll go," Kalin said, getting to his feet. "You stay here, keep thinking about what I told you but do not attempt to practice any of it until I get back. Got it?" Kezia nodded. "Good. See you all shortly." Not waiting for anyone else that wanted to follow (the long legged bastards would all catch up soon enough anyway) he headed out in the direction Tornica had given, hoping nothing would have happened before he got there.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:43:17 -0600

@ls "The loyal part, and dependable, even though I didn't say it," Clearcall replied. The dragonling sniffed at her finger, then nipped at it as if in warning. "The dragonlings seemed to like it. Don't ask me why. They are smarter than normal dragons and I'm sure they have their reasons for everything. Even if I don't know what that reason is." --- Aethan nodded. Her idea sounded like something his father would have said to him. "The honor is in the choice," he agreed, repeating his father's usual lesson. "It's the children I fear for the most. This is their parents fight, not theirs, but there is no way to protect them when the whole city is upside down." He thought about his father and his sister and sighed. He missed them. Especially Atraya.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:02:31 -0600

@Star Alis looked surprised and then amused. "Really? Well... I'm intrigued, I think I should like to meet this fellow as I've never heard of loyalty and dependability being considered faulty qualities." She laughed, letting the little dragon nip her finger. The teeth felt a little sharp but nothing worse than a small pinprick. She wasn't going to back down to something like this. "They -are- fascinating and beautiful creatures. I'm glad you introduced me." She smiled. @Puppies Wolf nodded, glad she had been able to make herself understood. "Children... they sometimes make choice too... and if they leave this place, when they leave this place, they have understanding as well." She nodded. "Know it is good." She changed her expression and smiled at him, "Sometimes children even better at... pr-protecting? than grown men." She said with a chuckle, recalling some scraps that she had seen some children getting into. When Tornica came down she frowned, trying to follow what was going on. Sophia paused too and watched Mr Kalin going out. She made a move to follow, then paused, looking down at herself. "M-miss Wolf, might I b-borrow your new d-dress?" She asked. Wolf shrugged and pulled it out of her bag. "Broken." She told Sophia. "That's okay..." The girl smiled, slipping it over her head and holding the shoulder together. It did the trick anyway, the sleeves were long enough to cover her scars. The dress fit her well, showing off gently swells and curves that the shift she normally wore hid. "We almost the same." Wolf smiled at her, Sophia nodded and went to follow Mr Kalin, staying a little ways behind him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:07:36 -0600

@hovel Aethan heard Tornica's announcement and reached for the sword that wasn't there. He knew he couldn't go out there. If he did things could get very ugly and he wasn't ready to be exposed yet. Instead he moved quickly to the window, standing to the side to watch as Kalin went out. @street Gwenlynn shifted feet as the other package was taken from her and given the same treatment as before. Thankfully she had chosen clothing that was nondescript for Aethan so it wouldn't be given away by anyone. "Please, I'm just trying to deliver this and return home to my family." Then she saw Kalin approaching the guards from behind. They caught her flick of the eye and one turned to face him while the other watched her. "Hold. Who goes... a Riverfolk elf. Interesting." The guard cocked his head a little. "What brings you to this part of our city?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:51:27 -0600

@Street Sophia picked up the skirts and ran a few steps before walking a bit more slowly and watching what might happen. She knew she wasn't a fighter but it didn't seem right for Mr Kalin to just go alone. She hung back in the darkness, listening for what was going to happen, wondering how they would manage. @Hovel Wolf crouched and relaced the strings on her pack, watching the others and glancing around. The way she was dressed she couldn't go out there either, she looked too different from everyone else, even the beggars here. It wouldn't do to have her spotted and perhaps even recognised again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:59:54 -0600

((Sophia has a rash idea, it would be funny too but it depends on how the situation goes. lol! If I'm around and it might work, I'll try it. If I don't get a chance to really post, and the situation moves on, don't worry about it, just bunny her away. Going home... might be on tonight.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:18:53 -0600

@ Street Okay Kalin, think fast he told himself. Thankfully thinking fast was one of the things he was pretty good at. And even more thankfully lying was another. He just hoped he didn't stick his foot through any stories Gwenlynn had already told these guards. "I was looking for her," he said, indicating Gwenlynn. What had she been saying when he walked up? "Her family thought she'd been gone too long and asked me to come look for her."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:31:30 -0600

((Uh... will read back later))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:25:18 -0600

@Seta "She is." Dumond said keeping his voice low. "Nothing but trouble since the day I bought her. We do not have slaves in France," except the life of the peasants and even more so, the city dwellers was sometimes worse than slavery. He snorted. "Some people of power spare no expense to own pretty baubles...or people. To impress those of even smaller minds." He would not admit that Jiya was more than a pretty bauble. She was a consummate artist and well-learned for a woman, even if her French was abysmal.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:32:27 -0600

@street Gwenlynn spotted timid Sophia hustling over as well and she began to get worried. Granted she couldn't have done this alone, but if their stories didn't mesh.... Then Kalin spoke. Gwenlynn immediately looked down as if ashamed,. hoping it would help the story. The guard facing Kalin quirked an eyebrow. "Her family, Mistress, sent a Riverfolk elf to do their bidding? Now I'm even more curious about who this might be." His companion nodded and pulled his sword, pointing the tip of it at Gwenlynn. "Who is your Mistress?" Gwenlynn sputtered nervously, trying to come up with a response. The guard held thw sword a touch more firmly and the words just spilled out. She hated telling lies but she had little choice in the matter right now. "Lady Liandra. The guards burned their house but she wanted me to make sure that these promised clothes were delivered and to return quickly to help with the clean up and relocation." The words just spilled out. "Who's that?" one of the guards asked as he spotted Sophia approaching.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:34:30 -0600

@ls Clearcall started to lower his arm and the dragonling flew back up into the tree. "We should start to head back. I'm sure I will be back here tonight or tomorrow. You're welcome to tag along if you want." ((Sorry about before. Husband came home and son woke up and I couldn't get back on. I couldn't even finish the post I was working on. But it seems to have worked out.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:47:15 -0600

@Street Sophia could hear the conversation and approached slowly, trying to think quickly. An idea came to her and she wondered if it would do anything... well, it would do -something- anyway. She drew herself up to her full height, made her eyes flash angrily... it was just like playing pretend... right? Covering the scar on her face with her hair, she approached, looking very haughty. It was an expression she was familiar with seeing on other people's faces, surely she could mimic it herself. "There you are... both of you." She glared at both Kalin and Gwenlynn. "What has taken you so long?" She sounded angry. "Auntie Liandra said you were to stay with me the whole time, what sort of hosts leave a visitor to the city on their own?" She snapped, then turned her attention to the guards. "You there! Why are you detaining the servants of my family's house?" Her blue eyes flashed and sparked with annoyance. ((lol XD ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:56:28 -0600

@Star "That'd be great." Alis replied, watching the little dragon until it disappeared in the leaves. "I wouldn't mind being able to meet some more of them." She smiled, starting back the way they came. She had to admit, she really liked the mild weather here, despite the political unrest, it was a nice place it seemed like. She wondered what was going on back at the safe house, whether there had been any excitement while she had been loitering about with the dragons. Suddenly she felt like she had shirked her duties and wanted to put some smeddum in their steps to get back more quickly. What if something had gone wrong? Here was her chasing those little flying creatures like a child watching butterflies.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:13:54 -0600

@street "King's orders," the guard replied harshly, giving Sophia a curious look, obviously examining her in detail. "No one is above the king's orders." He cocked his head at her and took a step in her direction. "Did you say Auntie Liandra?" She was far too old to be a niece to Lady Liandra. They almost looked the same age! And there were certainly no siblings old enough to have a child her age. "Take them," he ordered, pulling out his sword and moving toward the other woman as his companion reached out quickly and grabbed hold of Gwenlynn, holding his sword in his hand. ((Oops. Nice try Sophia.)) @ls Clearcall headed back in the direction of the hovel, keeping a careful eye out for guards. There was a transformation between the man he was normally and the elf he was around the dragonlings. With them he was youthful and happy, jolly even. Away from them he was serious, business as usual. A stoic face. ((Sorry Don't want to go further until DM has a chance to respond.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:25:58 -0600

((lol! No worries, Sophia's ready to put up a fight, though her bravado is dwindling a bit.)) @Street "No one here had -claimed- to be above the order of the King, you ridiculous man. My family have been some of the greatest supporters of the King since he took the throne. How dare you treat me thus." She glared, wrenching her arm away. "You can be sure that my father will hear about this. You are no better than traitors to the King, brandishing your swords at me like this. My father will see you both hanged. No... hanging is too good for treason, is is not? I shall ask him to draw and quarter you both, suitable punishment for this abominable crime." Sophia clenched her teeth ferociously, acting every bit a spoiled rich brat with wealthy parents. "If you knew who my father was, you would not dare to even speak in such a disrespectful way to me." She fingered the collar around her neck, letting the emeralds, amethysts and pearls gleam and wink in the moonlight.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:58:14 -0600

@ Dumond "France is probably like Veliath then," Seta mused. "At least a little bit, if you have no slaves. But was she one, where you got her? She seems really okay with the idea of being bartered for like a cow, you know." She said this without the slightest trace of sarcasm or disapproval.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:55:32 -0600

@ All Hell Breaking Loose "I wasn't sent to do anyone's bidding!" Kalin snapped. "I was asked by a friend and agreed to help. I do that sometimes. It's called being nice." He was on the brink of launching into a rant about the way humans seemed to take acts of kindness as acts of servility, but it really was neither the time nor the place so he bit his tongue to hold the words back. Depending on how this went he might have time for it later. To say he was surprised at Sophia's abrupt change in attitude was an understatement. He wasn't particularly cowed by her tone, something he wasn't sure was advantageous to their story or not, but he just couldn't bring himself to be intimidated by her. When the guards reacted badly to her story he started prepping a spell, holding it in close by his hand to stop any spikes of magic flaring out and alerting people to what he was doing. Not that he knew if the casters in this world could even feel magic the way he could. "On what grounds?" he asked. "Surely the word Auntie isn't against the king's orders? Although from the stories I've heard of your king I can't say it would particularly surprise me." Ah...that last bit might have been unwise. Oh well, it was said now. Good thing his spell was complete.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:22:41 -0600

@street "I'll take my chances with your dear daddy over the king," the guard growled, snatching Sophia's arm back. Nobles could be such brats at this age. Matter of fact he didn't care for nobles much at all these days. Regardlesso f his indignant and haughty she acted he would rather anger her father than the king. The commander of the guard would protect them as long as they were upholding the law. "So you want ot be formal about this? Our orders are to arrest any suspicious persons and bring them in to be questioned. If you want formality, you are under arrest for impersonating a noble," he looked at Sophia, then at the other two, "and for acting as accomplices." At mention of the king in such a negative way the guard's face darkened. He wasn't a big fan of this king or what he was doing to the city, but he was loyal to the realm and he had a family to feed, that meant upholding the laws even if he didn't agree with them. "Perhaps you would like to relay these stories to the questioners then." As he said this two more guards showed up and saw that the situation was escalating. They drew their swords as well, moving toward Kalin since he was the only one not currently being held. Gwenlynn pulled a little but the guard holding her had a firm grip and his sword was holding her in place. If she struggled too much she would likely be seriously injured. @inside Aethan was watching from the window and realized that this was going badly. His muscles tensed and he felt an unsurpressable flare of anger that he couldn't go out there to do anything. "I think we need a few more people ready to run out there in case things get too much more heated." Then he looked at Wolf's wolves. "If need be will they chase the guards off? It will give us time to move at the very least, but I don't want them hurt if it can be avoided."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:45:30 -0600

((Emkai and Omaron are keeping watch out front, right? Would they be in a position to intervene?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:11:24 -0600

@ Street Kalin glowered at the guard. "No...I'd really rather not get the questioners involved at all actually." He took a step back when the guards approached him. "I doubt they make for particularly comforting conversation." He was very thankful Tornica hadn't been the one to come out here. Knowing his friend he'd have started a full scale fight in the streets by this point. He raised one hand, releasing his grip on his magic enough for energy to flare and crackle over his fingers. "My friend's sister was just carrying a package of clothes. This other young lady has an unusual pet name for her friend. Neither of these seem particularly suspicious to me. I'm sure we can come to some sort of reasonable arrangement that doesn't involve anyone getting hurt."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:34:08 -0600

((If you'd like Buggy. Pretty sure their cover is blown now anyway.)) @street "If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear," the guard said. Then he saw the magic and pulled Sophia in front of him. Magic? But how...? All their reports siad that magic was all but gone now. Even the elves couldn't use it much anymore. How did this man have so much of it? Wait, did he say his friend's sister? The guard glanced at Gwenlynn, then at the pile of clothing on the ground. She was an elf? Then he saw her ears just barely peaking out from her honey-colored hair. A Gray elf! In Mordelic! "Reasonable arrangement." He snorted. The other two stopped their advance on Kalin. They could take their chances with magic or take their chances with the king. He pushed Sohpia toward another of the guards. "Get the women out of here. Send backup." He took a few cautious steps toward Kalin. "I don't think you understand. There is no such thing as a reasonable arrangment." The guards holding Gwenlynn and Sophia started to back up, pulling the women with them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 12:40:22 -0600

@ Street Emkai and Omaron had watched quietly up until now, not wanting to blow their cover, but when the guards began to take the women away the fireman knew that staying away wasn't going to help anyone. He strode out from his post, a menacing figure shrouded as he was all in grey. Omaron was somewhat less intimidating, trotting hesitantly along behind him with a good deal of nerves in his expression. "I wouldn't do that," Emkai said curtly to the guards. His hand went to where his knives were concealed under his cloak. Omaron's eyes darted from one threat to the next and hoped that he wouldn't have to turn.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:01:18 -0600

@ Street Kalin snorted when the guard pulled Sophia in front of him. "Oh please, the size difference between you means I don't even need to be a good shot to completely miss her." He frowned and bit back a curse when the man just pushed Sophia into the arms of another guard and told them to leave. There were too many exit routes from here for him to try blocking them all off...He slammed an invisible wall up in the direction he thought they were most likely to take. Hopefully he wouldn't be too distracted to move it in case his guess wasn't accurate enough. "Please don't take those women away," he said to the other guards while keeping his eyes locked on the man in charge. "I don't want to have to hurt anyone, but if you leave me no other choice then I will. And if you're thinking of any counter threats I doubt you can move faster than I can think so don't bother." He relaxed a little when Emkai and Omaron stepped up. Back up, thank the gods.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:29:23 -0600

@Street Sophia scowled, not liking the rough treatment, though she had always had been treated worse so it didn't bother her as much as she was pretending it did. She gave a short laugh, "That is a mistake to say, 'sir'." She glared. "You cannot possibly tell me you have not heard of Lord NIduith of the Wolfdales. I shall be sure to have you and his servant V-Volundr well acquainted in the end. He will make short work of you." She couldn't help stammering over Volundr's name still. When she was passed over to another guard, she stamped her foot on the instep of the man and sank her teeth into his hand, closing her jaws as hard as she could. @Hovel "Yes, they go to help... they do not die, do not worry." Wolf said, giving her wolves instructions to go help those outside in her own tongue. They went out without hesitation, bounding toward the small group, teeth bared and growling. ((This might be my only post for the day, I've got this blasted cold and my head is too fuzzy to concentrate. :\ I might get on a bit later... I'll see.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:29:02 -0600

@street The guard looked at the newcomers, one looked terribly suspicious the other looked a little scared. "Sorry elf and little lady, but your threats don't scare me nearly as much as facing the king when he finds out I didn't carry out his orders. I'll take my chances. You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide." Not that he wanted to either way, but there was little he could do about it. The king would have his head for sure. At least this way he stood a fighting chance. He steadied himself then lunged toward Kalin with his sword out, the second guard joining him in the attack. The guard holding Gwenlynn made for the conjoining street and bounced off something he couldn't see. The one holding Sophia cursed when she bit into him and let go, but he recovered before she went a few steps and pulled his sword, running after her. When the wolves appeared the guards didn't seem to know what was going on. Wolves in the city? The guard holding Gwenlynn panicked and pulled her along as he headed toward a different exit down one of the alleys, accidentally cutting Gwenlynn as he feld with her. ((You can feel free to stop him or not. What happens next depends on how this goes. XD But I'm out for a little while now to watch football))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:37:08 -0600

@ Street Emkai's hand was ungloved and clutching a knife as soon as the guard lunged toward Kalin. The wolves would help Kalin if he couldn't help himself; with this in mind, the fireman swept after the man towing Gwenlynn along. "GO!" he shouted to Omaron, gesturing to the guard chasing down Sophia. Omaron nodded and took off running. It wasn't long before the white-haired beast was running in his stead, light flashing off his horns and a terrible scream like a panther's coming from his throat. Please don't let it take over completely, he thought quickly to Shard as he felt the adrenaline and new instincts starting to kick in. Whatever you say dearie.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:48:32 -0600

@ Street Well...it had been worth a try. Kalin felt something bounce off the wall he'd put up, but he was a little too distracted by the incoming swords to follow up on it. He let the wall collapse, hoping it had slowed them down enough for someone else to step in and help. He unleashed the spell he had stored round his palm, discharging the magical energy into the lead guard's chest. The moment he went down (hopefully just unconscious rather than outright dead) he started prepping another, darting backwards to try and stay out of reach of the second guard.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:19:02 -0600

((I think Aethan or someone in the room needs to let the other's know what's going on. Esp if they are to bug out quickly. I believe Dumond and Seta are in the back, so they don't know. Finn is trying to teach Jiya the fundamentals of magic, so they are off at a table or sitting on the floor off somewhere so she can concentrate.)) @Seta "Jiya still _is_ a slave. The Marquis sent me to buy her. Not _her_ specifically, but... you understand what I mean." Dumond said. Mon Dieu, do not let her hear you compare her to a cow!" He shook his head. "Sometimes I think her 'slavery' in that pasha's palace was more like being a pampered princess, although life in the caravan is slowly driving that out of her."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:15:53 -0600

@street ((I thought Tornica sort of announced it to everyone when he came down. Unless Finn and Jyia went up to one of hte few rooms available to them everyone would be in the same big room. The place isn't fancy. Big room and tiny kitchen downstairs, floors above have rooms. No furnishings.)) @hovel/street Aethan was watching from the window, holding his breath. He wanted to run and save Gwenlynn. He wanted to make sure no one, his companions or the guards, was hurt. The wolves seemed to be doing a good enough job rounding up guards but not only did he fear someone getting hurt, but the fact that it was possible one of the guards could escape and warn others before they had a chance to leave. "Everyone round up your things. We leave now." When he looked back out the window again he saw one of the guards go down and couldn't stop himself. Something filled him and he couldn't contain himself. Aethan darted toward the door, wishing he could present himself a little better. As he made his way out into the street he called out "Stop!!!" And somehow everything did. The guards stopped moving and looked at him, his companions stopped moving as well. His emerald eyes drilled into the guards. "What have we become, assaulting people on the street?!" Allies. He needed the guards on his side. "Go. Tell the king I'm still alive. Tell him he has destroyed this city, this kingdom, and tell him that I'm coming to set things right again... with or without him." He pointed at Gwenlynn and Sophia. "But leave them here." As if afraid, they released the two women quickly and stepped back. As they collected their fallen comrade and started to back away Aethan looked at the others. "We move now. I will need the city guard on my side to take the palace and I don't want them remembering this situation associated with me." Aethan stopped down and gathered the clothing, moving quickly back to the hovel. Gwenlynn stood there stunned as she watched Aethan walk away. For a moment it was as if he had somehow used magic to force everyone to stop. It only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared but... How was that even possible. He had no magical talent at all. Aethan returned inside and stopped right beside the door, pulling on the pants quickly and slipping them under his ridiculous excuse for armor, then he pulled on the shirt and coat. It was all a little big, but not too bad. "Are we ready t move again?" ((Everyone in the street, wolves included, would have felt something like a momentary freeze spell. Also I'm not sure what Finn's magical sense range is but there would have been just a couple of seconds of very strong power and it would have disappeared.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:59:51 -0600

@ Dumond "Mmm. I don't know that I'd like a life like that much, but she seems used to it." Seta shrugged and examined the last arrow she'd coated with the millipede secretion, then smiled. "There. That should help." @ Street Emkai couldn't do much but gape at Aethan in amazement. What... what had just happened? A glance to the side showed him that Omaron was in the midst of turning back, and the little he could gather from the half-human face expressed even more shock than the fireman felt.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:06:01 -0600

@ Street Kalin was preparing to throw another orb of energy at this new guard to try and drive him back, when the will to do so just dropped out of him. The spell faded from his mind, the energy harmlessly dissipating into the air. Thankfully the guard seemed just as disinclined to continue the fight. He looked over at where Aethan had stepped out to address them. This couldn't be a good sign, showing the world exactly where he was and that he was still in the city. Probably meant they were about to move on, which they'd have had to do sooner or later anyway he supposed. With the fight over he gave the guard one last glance and headed back to the hovel after Aethan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 23:07:11 -0600

((I must have missed Tornica telling everyone... doesn't surprise me with this stupid cold.)) Finn rubbed his ear. "Something's happening. best we stop now." He pulled his claymore out of his sack and went to see where some people were looking out the front windows. "What's going on?" he asked Aethan. Dumond kept looking out the back window. It seemed there was something up out front with Gwenlynn, but he couldn't let that distract him from anything that might approach while they were distracted.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:09:27 -0600

The wolves paused, even their growling ceased when the shout came from Aethan, their fur was still on end though it had seemed to have frozen that way for a brief moment. Sophia's eyes widened, she felt something odd pass through her or... perhaps around her, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that the guard had stopped too and both of them had stopped struggling against each other. She pulled her arm out of his grasp again and backed toward the others, pulling up the shoulder of the dress again when it fell. As the group headed back, the wolves remained for a moment, not turning their backs on the guards. Slowly they padded back toward the hovel, one eye on the group, the other on the guards to be sure they weren't going to follow. Back at the safe house, Sophia quickly slipped out of Miss Wolf's dress and folded it into a neat little bundle before giving it back to her. Wolf swiftly tucked it back into her pack and slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder with it, motioning the wolves closer. Alis came back inside with Clearcall and glanced around at the chaos. "What's happened?" She asked, then realising they had to leave, she didn't wait for an answer before hustling to the room she had been laying in earlier and grabbing her things she had left there, going back out, ready to leave.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:39:16 -0600

((If it's not one thing it's another. The internet card in my computer burned out and I don't have the $$ to fix it right now so you probably won't see as much of me for a few weeks.)) "Guards," Aethan responded to Finn. There was little reason to say more than that. Currently city guards were trouble for them. "I'm going to speak to these people before we go. If you could use that handy bread bag of yours to leave them a ration of bread for tomorrow." He didn't bother with the buttons on the coat. Now that he was changed he gathered up the armor that couldn't be left there for guards to find and held it out to Finn. "I hear you have a handy bottomless bag. We need to keep these away from the guards." Gwenlynn was one of the last to trickle back inside after gathering the remaining clothes from the ground. She hustled in after the others. "Wolf, you may want ot change again." She thrust the bundle of dresses at the other girl. "The rest can go in the bottomless of Finn's for now." She didn't want for a response before hustling over to Aethan. "What was that? How did you do that?" "Do what? I went out, stopped the fight, came back in." Aethan tied the laces on his boots. "With magic." "Oh come now Gwenlynn if anyone knows I can't use magic it's you." He turned and started toward the homeless huddled across the room. "We leave in minutes. Make sure everyone is ready." Gwenlynn started to follow then stopped, staring after him in obvious shock.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 20:47:08 -0600

"O-oh... yes." Wolf stammered, looking bewildered at the bundle of clothes in her arms, but she hurried off to one of the nearest rooms, catching Sophia's hand as she went, if they were going to be going somewhere and there were a spare dress, the girl would need one too. Sophia traipsed on after Wolf, looking rather nervous as the wolves seemed to want to follow. She told them to stay put in her strange tongue and then led her into the room. Wolf unfurled the dresses and looked over them quickly before selecting one that looked like it might fit her well and then another for Sophia, with sleeves that went past her knuckles and the skirt pooled on the floor. She quickly tried to help the girl with the stays on the shift and dress, wondering how she would be able to manage on her own. She wriggled and tugged, with Sophia's help they both were dressed in a short time, Wolf bundled up the rest of the dresses and brought them back out to give to Finn so he could put them in his bag. Sophia followed timidly, trying not to trip over the dress hem, plucking it up on each step. She was self conscious wearing such a dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:42:04 -0600

"Right," Finn handed the bread bag to Jiya. "You heard the man." Then he took the armour and stuffed it into his bag. Jiya begin putting bread out on the table enough for today and tomorrow for the people ebing left behind. Dumond kept a wary eye out in case the guard decided to surround the place.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:56:00 -0600

((Short lame post)) Emkai escorted Omaron inside, now doubly sure he didn't trust him. At any rate they needed to get their things together. Seta kept with Dumond for now, her crossbow up.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:12:07 -0600

((Bum. Sorry guys I probably won't get a post in until some time tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:27:10 -0600

((No worries Star :) I've not had much inspiration to write lately this week :\ )) Sophia saw Emkai and Omaron come back inside and was torn between hiding from them or going over to talk to them. She opted for edging around the room until she got behind Omaron. She hadn't noticed too much about what all had happened but she had seen a flicker out of something out of the corner of her eye. She caught the hem of Omaron's shirt and tugged lightly, almost too light to be able to feel. "Um, M-M-Mr Om-Omaron sir? Th-th- was that thing you in the st-street?" She asked hesitantly, she didn't look afraid, more just curious. Alis frowned when she came back from getting her things. "So... anyone going to fill me in on what happened?" She asked the room at large. She didn't like being left in the dark about matters, didn't like feeling unprepared for anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:12:18 -0600

Omaron looked at Sophia when she tugged at his shirt, slightly annoyed at being interrupted when there was so much going on in his mind already. At her question though, he flushed. "Oh. Yes, that... that was me. If I frightened you I'm sorry; it's not really something I'm proud of." The last bit was added rather hastily. Emkai would have said something to Sophia, but when Alis asked for an explanation he turned. "The guards know where we are, so we're moving. They tried and failed to take Gwenlynn and Sophia, but Aethan revealed himself in the process."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:12:01 -0600

Aethan grimaced as he heard what Emkai told Alis. "Everyone is here and changed into something more proper for the streets here. Let's head out." He started toward the back door so that they could take the alley and not the street where the fight was just taking place minutes ago. He had to put his faith in the people now that they would honor their word to him. There was nothing more he could do for them right now other than leave so that their story was believable. Being the only one in the group who really knew the streets here in Mordelic, Aethan led the way, Gwenlynn sticking close to his side, just a step behind. She said nothing but he could hear the gears turning and imagined the questions milling in her mind. Right now he had no answers for her. He hadn't done anything as far as he knew and so knew that there was no way to explain what she thought happened. Instead he set himself to concentrating on the streets and alleys, checking for guards and occasionally changing the route they took when they ran into what could potentially be trouble. All this sneaking about in the city he openly grew up in made him feel a bit like an outcast. Was this what Dayen felt like? Well Aethan had picked up a few skills on sneaking from the half-elf and they were proving very useful right now. Finally he found a hovel, windows darkened as the people within slept, and he sent Clearcall in first to make sure the coast was clear and no one would see them. The group was huddled in the street as the elf inspected, Aethan watched for trouble as they waited. He could hear guards a few streets off, the group not making any attempt at stealth. When Clearcall returned to tell them that the coast was clear and the hovel had space for them the elf led them all inside. In this hovel the kitchen was a bit bigger with a fairly large hearth for roasting, which was currently unlit because of the cost to run it at night for heat. Aethan led everyone into the kitchen and ushered them along to make sure everyone was there. Once they were all accounted for he closed the kitchen door and braced it shut. Tomorrow they could explain their presence to the people. Tonight he wanted them to not be disturbed. "We rest here tonight, speak with the people tomorrow and feed them, then we are off to another hovel. Any volunteers for the watches? We should only need one or two here. No windows into this room, the only door is locked." ((There. In case I can't get on for a while you guys can relax and chill out for the night. Talk and such.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:04:31 -0600

@Hovel earlier "Oh... It- it was a bit sc-scary at first but... th-then it wasn't t-too much." Sophia replied shyly, letting go of his shirt. Alis glanced at Emkai and then at Aethan, "Didn't go quite according to plan, eh? Ah well. Maybe it'll turn out for the best." She shrugged and pulled her pack on to go. @Next Hovel As they wound their way through the city, Wolf made sure the two wolves stayed in the shadows, staying close to the sides of buildings so there would be less chance of them being seen. She murmured to them as they went, crouching by them when they finally stopped. 'Niiy lihlks luu-xts'agimks nagwaa-alk'al. Niin yahlkw sk'eexkw." She told them quietly as they were let inside. Their eyes seemed to reflect that they knew what she was saying and they took their place on either side of the doorway, sitting to help keep watch and listen through the time the group was staying there. She asked them to multiply once again, two more little bundles dropped out, landing with muffled thumps on the floor. She scooped one up and knelt before the other, " A! Gilo ji xsdaltgwin!" She whispered, a finger to her lips, trying to quiet their little mewls. "Sophia, you help take care of?" She asked the girl. For now anyway, she was sure Sophia needed rest as well. The girl seemed so small already, Wolf didn't want to risk her fading away into nothingness. Sophia nodded though, looking happy to be able to do something to help again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:01:08 -0600

"What was that?" Kezia asked as the group started moving. "I felt something from outside...but it was different to what it feels like when you do magic?" "To be honest I'm really not sure," Kalin said. "It was magic of some sort but I don't know where it came from. It looked to have come from Aethan...but he's adamant he did nothing but shout at the guards." Kalin shook his head. "I suppose I should just be grateful it worked, whatever it was." But instead he was just annoyed that he didn't understand what was going on. --- Tornica did not like this new building. The old one might have been smaller and easier to break into but there had been windows. He'd been able to see the outside, hadn't been stuck in a complete box. "Hey, it's all right," Kalin said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We don't have to be here for long." Possibly a complete lie, but it would make the young man feel better for a while. He hoped.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:55:56 -0600

@ Earlier Omaron smiled weakly. "I'm glad it didn't put you off too much then." Emkai rolled his eyes under his hood and steered him away. ((Egh, I never have enough time to do things anymore... will complete this post later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:42:04 -0600

Dumond didn't like this new hovel either. Not being able to see out made it difficult to know what was going on out there. He went to Aethan. "Should we post someone outside hidden somewhere to call the alarum should the soldiers come here? It seems we can very easily be taken unawares."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:14:19 -0600

"I'd like to take a watch." Seta shifted her weight as she looked around the place. She'd never had a problem with small spaces, but small spaces filled with people... that was another matter entirely. It felt like she couldn't move without bumping against someone. Emkai felt the same way, but for an entirely different reason. This place was constructed with silly flammable materials like wood and filled with creatures that could easily catch on fire as well. He shook his head and bid himself not to worry. So long as he was careful, it wouldn't be a problem, and there were other things to worry about anyways. His hand, which was resting on Omaron's arm, tightened its grip slightly. "Cut it out," the politician grumbled. "I didn't do anything to you." "Not yet, you haven't."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 08:47:45 -0600

Aethan nodded at Dumond. "We could send the wolves out to keep watch and give us warning. I don't want to take the chance on someone else getting accosted by the guards like earlier." He was setting up a small space in the corner for himself to sleep. Truth was after the events of the day he was getting to be exhausted.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:05:05 -0600

"I think that is a good idea. I do not like not knowing what is going on outside." Dumond said. ((I'm away 'til Monday, so bunny my folks as needed.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:18:42 -0600

Wolf overheard mention of the wolves and glanced up, she thought she might have some idea about what they were talking about but pulled another bit of bread from her pack and went over to the two men, putting into her mouth and chewing. "Is there something that I or the wolves might be able to assist you with? I do not require much rest at the moment if there is anything that I could help with." She offered. Looking around for a place to set her things down, Alis went over to a far wall and put her things by it, unbuttoning her coat and shrugging out of it with a slight groan as she stretched. She felt much improved after the redleaf cure and the rest but she could feel the soreness in her muscles a bit still. She rubbed her fingers into her neck and sat down after removing her sword.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:45:57 -0600

Aethan looked at Wolf. "I thought maybe your wolves could keep watch from the shadows outside, just in case. It would be safer for everyone involved. I do still want to have at least one person up on watch here so that we might have a little warning outside the door."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 10:03:20 -0600

"Yes, of course. I saw an alley across from the door here, one can sit in wait there, the other from the side of the building. Would this be acceptable?" Wolf asked, motioning for the wolves to come over. She reiterated to the wolves, in her tongue, what she had said before. They thumped their tails on the floor as they listened, sniffing at her dress curiously as she spoke and motioned. She tapped their noses to make them pay attention. Sophia was sleepy now, after the events of the night, there was action and danger and everything. Things she had thought she had been able to leave behind after running away. She looked around and saw Gwenlynn, going over to her, she figured she would talk to the nice elf woman. "Um... M-miss Gwe-gwenlynn? I just w-wanted to ap-apologise if my-my actions m-made things worse th-there. I heard you and M-mr Kalin tell them ab-about a f-family in the city and it w-was the only thing I c-could think of t-to say when h-he saw me." She said sheepishly. "I d-didn't mean t-to make things worse."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:11:46 -0600

Aethan opened the door for the wolves, taking a peek out first to make sure the coast was clear. He looked at Wolf. "It's clear. I appreciate you doing this. They are an indispensable tool all things considered." Oncec thye wolves were out he closed and locked the door again. Gwenlynn looked at Sophia, turning her attention away from Aethan. Questions were mulling through her mind and she couldn't wait to get a few moments to speak with him about it. For now she just smiled at Sophia. "It's nothing to worry about. I think the situation was doomed from the start. Clearly those guards feared the king more than anything we might be able to do to them. The question is why. Either way, you did your best. Don't worry about it." Hopefully none of that came across as a command.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:55:05 -0600

"They exist to provide protection," Wolf said with a smile, then she looked amused. "it is what they do best and I think they quite enjoy it as well... aside from that, they have been...erm, upcooped? Is this the word? No... cooped, maybe..." She shook her head a little, blushing at her lack of language capability even with the bread. "They have very much energy that has a tendency to build up if they are not allowed to run around a bit. This is very good for them to be outside." She explained. Seeing he was trying to bed down for the night, she gave a little nod, "I leave you to your rest..." Sophia felt better after talking to Gwenlynn, she had -thought- maybe that had been the case with the guards anyway but she figured she would apologise and mention it anyway, jsut to be on the safe side. "Th-thank you Miss Gw-Gwenlynn." She said shyly with a little smile. "Um... you look rather... w-worried? about s-something. Is ev-everything okay?" Sophia glanced over at that Aethan man, Gwenlynn sure stared at him a bunch, she thought.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:54:00 -0600

((Bump)) ((I'm rather bored, so if anyone wants to interact with my charries, I'm here. :) We can amuse ourselves at the hovel I'm sure, until Star is able to get back on. :3 ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:31:30 -0600

((I was actually wondering where everyone else was....))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:45:45 -0600

((lol! Welcome back and congrats Star!! How's baby!? :3 ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:46:57 -0600

((Ack, I'm really sorry I've been so slack with this thread. I've just been not entirely sure what to post :( I'll try and rustle something up for it tomorrow though!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:52:45 -0600

((Erp, sorry about that. I'm just kind of having trouble figuring out what to post, or things that I want to post anyways. :S ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:38:14 -0600

((I obviously suck at leading these things because I always seem to fail. Any ideas from you guys on how we can prevent this from happening? I try to lead with structure and no one knows what to post. I try to relax and just let people RP and no one posts at all. This has happened to me a few times before.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:18:35 -0600

((I feel your pain Star. My main problem isn't from the RP itself though; it's just that I've had less time to RP lately, so when I come in sometimes there's a lot more posts to catch up on than I'm used to. And I've been letting myself get distracted. xP But yes, will try to post tonight.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:52:36 -0600

((Aw! You don't suck at them Star, personally I find the ones you start up to be the most imaginative and entertaining. It's why so many people flock to join them when you do :) I didn't want to hog the thread and post a bunch of stuff before anyone else could but I suppose I could've made more of an effort to do -something- :S Anyhow... I'm here all day again basically. My mngr isn't in either so I can post at leisure a bit more than usual. :D So if anyone has charries who want to talk to Wolf, Alis or Sophia, they're all available. If I don't see a post in a bit and I'm not busy working, I'll try to put something substantial down...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:28:51 -0600

After setting her things down, Alis stretched a bit and felt a few satisfying pops from her joints. She reached into her pack and plucked out a bit of hardtack, nibbling on it. She was a bit hungry but not enough to go and ask for a loaf of bread or anything. She shivered a little, the chill from the evening (even as mild as it was in this place) and the fever hadn't completely left her yet. She sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her chin o them and observing the others, trying to make herself feel tired enough that she might be able to sleep a little. It was rather uncomfortable but any rest would be better than none. Wolf went over to her own space, she took a spot near the door after briefly glancing out the small window to see where the wolves went. She only caught a glimpse of the two dark forms slinking into the shadows, perhaps a glint of amber from their jewel-coloured eyes, before they disappeared altogether. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there... sentinels in the blanket of night. Hopefull y it was as comforting a thought to the others as it was to her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:39:04 -0600

((You don't suck at them Star! I really enjoy your threads. I'm having trouble working out what to post just in general at the moment. It's the characters I'm having trouble with. I just can't seem to get into their heads right now :( It's very frustrating)) ((However, I shall force at least one of them into behaving!)) With her new teacher completely preoccupied in keeping the young dragon man calm in their new, restricted quarters Kezia was at something of a loose end. The exercises Kalin had been leading her through had kept the painful buzzing in her head to a minimum, but it was still there, threatening to build up at any given moment. She needed a distraction. Spotting Alis sitting over by the wall she made her way over to join her. "Hey," she said quietly, sitting down next to her. "I was wondering...you said earlier you had a ship, right? How...how did you end up as captain?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:15:17 -0600

((Yay! Alis loves a good story. lol)) @DM "Hey yourself." Alis said, glancing over at the girl with half a smile. Alis looked rather tired, weary from the events of the past couple of days. This was the girl that blew something up, was it? She didn't seem all -that- overly powerful, Alis thought with some wonder. "I did happen to mention that..." She replied, shifting to try and get a bit more comfortable on the floor. "Well, there's a story ..." She started thoughtfully. "It started I suppose with a man who came to speak with my mother and father, asking for my hand in marriage. He was a wealthy man, had a high status in the city and was considered a very worthy suitor." She paused to glance at Kezia with a wry grin, "He was also the stingiest, grumpiest auld bugger with a face like a constipated crab and older than time itself... well, so it seemed to me, as young as I was at the tender age of twelve." She chuckled. "My parents quickly accepted his offer on my behalf and began making plans for the wedding. I, of course, wanted none of it and so decided to take my leave of them in the middle of the night the week before the wedding was to happen." Her eyes were rather distant, as though she were reliving the night. "I packed a small satchel of necessities, tied my bedsheets together, kilted my skirts and fled through the dark, making it to the docks just before dawn." She smiled. "It was a hard life... most of the time I went hungry, my fine clothes became as tattered as any of the ragamuffins that lived around there too. I slept in doorways and empty crates, stole what food I could and lied my way out of it when I was caught..." Alis looked a little grim as she continued, it wasn't something she was proud of, and something she didn't enjoy reflecting on too much. "One night I started coming down with an illness, I was feverish, almost delirious, with a cough that wracked my body and a chill that wouldn't go away... I thought for certain I wasn't going to live through the night and resigned myself to my death." She was quiet for a long moment, thinking about that nightmarish night. She had been terrified, to be honest. "That was when he found me... he seemed like a giant to me at the time, in my delirious state. Huge boots infront of me, long arms reaching down to pluck me up as though I weighed naught but air. I cried out and struggled but he just wrapped me firmly in a blanket and carried me off. It wasn't until a few days later when the fever had left me that I was able to be introduced to him properly... Captain Lamour of the Galatea." She smiled a little, remembering. "I stayed in the bed in the guest quarters of the ship for quite a few days until I was well enough to get up, a couple of the crew helping nurse me back to health. I didn't dare tell the Captain my name or where I was from then. He assured me it didn't matter. He had found a street urchin who was ill and aided them and that was all... "He allowed me to stay on the ship, make it my home if I wished. The fresh sea air did me a lot of good, I felt healthier, safer and that I had more freedom than I ever had before. I opted to stay and he taught me everything I needed to know about ships and sailing. After a time he started to look at me as a daughter, even giving me his surname... and when he passed away..." The memories of those last few days were still fresh even after all the years that had passed, "he left his ship to me and assigned me the role of Captain in his stead." Alis shrugged and glanced at Kezia with a smile. "So, here I am now, Alis Lamour, Captain of the Galatea."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:12:44 -0600

Omaron and Emkai had been standing near enough to hear the story, and Omaron couldn't help commenting on it. "Your parents can just assign you someone to marry like that? How dreadful!" "Yes, it's much better to be able to ruin your life on your own terms," Emkai said dryly, but there was no malice in his tone. Either way Omaron looked slightly abashed. "I do agree though," the fireman went on. "I don't know that I can blame you for running away."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:18:09 -0600

Kezia blinked in surprise. "Twelve? You were only twelve?" She knew the noble families sometimes made arrangements for their children to get married very young...but the marriages themselves didn't take place until they were at least fifteen. From what she remembered other countries had marriages at younger ages, but the Empire didn't consider that civilised. You couldn't join the army until you were fifteen, you couldn't be recruited as a mage until you were fifteen, and you couldn't get married until then either. "That sounds nice," she said. "That freedom. Maybe I should run away to sea."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 08:12:25 -0600

Alis chuckled again, "Yes, twelve, and yes, they tried to and almost did..." She said, glancing at Omaron and Emkai with a wry smile, "and at twelve, running away from home seemed like the best thought out plan I could think of." She sounded very amused. "If you think that's the life for you," Alis told Kezia with a shrug and a smile. "It's not for everyone of course. It's freedom from some things but there's a lot of responsibility that comes with it too. You may not be answering to some people but you will be to others, like your captain." She added fairly. "My story is a rather unique one in that sense. It was just luck with me that the Captain found me and decided to take me in."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:59:54 -0600

Jiya entered into the conversation, "I know of arranged marriages that happened when the girl, or even both parties were still children. Usually high-born people making a political alliance. Of course they did not go to their marriage bed until they were of an age to be able to consummate the union, but still." She had been so sheltered, she could not imagine what she would do with such freedom. She was not sure she would enjoy life on a boat. She loved the baths and playing music and dancing. Finn found some cups in a cupboard a filled them with soft mead for any who wanted it then passed out bread for those who were hungry. Dumond picked up two cups and brought one to Jiya. Finn thought the man hovered over Jiya like a nursemaid.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:05:04 -0600

Emkai looked at Jiya curiously. "Where are you from again?" He'd heard of similar things happening in Edra, but she didn't really look like she was from the empire.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:02:49 -0600

Alis laughed dryly. "Yes, well... where I'm from, twelve -is- considered young, but still on the older side of young, the man i mentioned wanted heirs but he also didn't want to wait for his bed to be warmed regardless of me being able to conceive at that age or not." She rolled her eyes and accepted the cup of mead with thanks to Finn. Wolf listened with surprise at the conversation. She had never heard of something like that happening before. Marriages could be arranged where she was from, but most of the time the two people who married chose each other. Certain... rituals took place between the two and they were married. She wondered what the people here would think of her people's customs. It seemed they all came from such different backgrounds. Rubbing her eyes, Sophia curled sleepily up in a corner and started to doze off by the lull of the soft conversations around her. She was exhausted all of a sudden.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:52:06 -0600

"I am a Circassian, but I was sold to the Pasha in Persia then I was taken to Tbilisi, where Comte Dumond purchased me for his Marquis. You would have to to ask him about the customs in France." Jiya explained. Finn shook his head at the idea of marry one so young when there were plenty who were older and more experienced. "Sometimes a marriage is arranged but either party can refuse. Once married the couple can divorce for a number of reasons. And a woman has the right by law to a happy marriage bed." he hoped he had put that delicately enough.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:59:04 -0600

Alis couldn't help a small laugh at Finn's words, in truth she was probably subconsciously trying to cover up the blush that had warmed her cheeks all of a sudden. She was pretty well used to hearing things like that, she worked on a ship filled with men for the sake of the gods, but she was usually prepared for hearing it. When something like that was just sort of sprung on her out of the blue it still had the ability to make her blush terribly. She pressed the back of her fingers to her cheeks, trying to cool the warmth in her cheeks before anyone noticed. "Where I am from, the woman approaches the man if interested in an evening of pleasure. The two are free to part ways the next day, with no expectation of anything more... permanent. If the man approaches the woman, it is considered a proposal of marriage." Wolf said, smiling.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:52:14 -0600

Omaron's brows shot up when Wolf explained how marriage and the like worked where she lived. "Really?" Emkai, however, was more interested in what Jiya had said. His eyes narrowed beneath his hood. "You were sold?" ((Agh, Emkai you're going to do something stupid aren't you?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:23:19 -0600

((That is true about Celtic law, I found that when I was researching some stuff :) )) "Very interesting custom," Finn said with a grin at Wold as he raised his eyebrows. "Yes." Jiya said the fireman. She really must try to make a story about a man made of fire. A Fire Djinni... She turned her attention back to the man. "It is a common practice where I am from, although Dumond has told me they do not have slaves in France, even though his Marquis decided he wanted a Circassian. They do not have harems either. I will have much to learn about life there. It is so different from what I know. The Comte has told me the land is green and that I will see snow." She smiled at that. She still could not imagine what snow would be like..

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:04:29 -0600

Emkai relaxed a bit. This Comte fellow wasn't exactly holding her as a slave if there weren't slaves in France, he reasoned with himself. Besides, Jiya didn't seem to mind whatever arrangement they'd worked out. Maybe it would be best if he didn't think too much on it. "We get snow on occasion in Blazes. Dreadful stuff; you can't walk outside without the risk of getting put out."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:03:39 -0600

"I'm not going to be stuck in a marriage I don't want," Kezia said. "But if the Academy catch me...I don't want to be a mage. Kalin's told me that I can't not use it until I learn to properly control it. But after I've learnt that control I don't want anything more to do with it." Because if she did the Academy would find out and force her to join. Or just flat out kill her for being a rogue mage. She smiled slightly at Alis. "I was fourteen when I ran away. I don't think I thought things through much better than you. I've managed to avoid falling sick so far at least. I don't mind following orders. I just want to be in the sort of place where I won't mind most of the orders." Tornica was still not having a pleasant time in the enclosed space and Kalin was starting to worry he might be rapidly heading towards some sort of panic attack. "Oi! Longshanks!" he called out to Finn. "Your magic might make no sense, but it is undeniably useful. You got any tricks that can make someone fall asleep? It's the only way this one's getting any rest while we're in here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:12:53 -0600

((That's cool Jez :D I heard something about... I think it was the Saxons? Where if a wife was kidnapped, the husband had to go and try to find her and buy her back and only if a bargain couldn't be struck, could he remarry. But if a woman's husband was kidnapped she was allowed to remarry right away, like on the spot, by just claiming another man as her husband. lol XD Not sure -how- accurate that is though. :P )) Wolf nodded at Omaron, "Yes, it is true, though I understand it is not the same for all tribes and peoples." She added. Her own people practised the custom and had done so for many generations, she knew, and many surrounding wilps, tribes and clans did as well but not all of them. She caught Finn's grin and look and something about it made her blush, the pink rosiness warming the honey colour of her cheeks. She gave a little cough behind her hand and tried to sound as informative and detatched about it as she normally would be, the knowledge though that this was not -these- people's custom making her rather self conscious. She told herself they were merely inquisitive and she could provide answers if they were interested in her people. "Is it indeed? Oh..." She managed to hide her blush a little more by glancing out the window again to see if she could see the wolves, when the heat had cooled she glanced back again. "The marriage ritual takes place the night the man approaches the woman as well, it is quite a private and intimate custom and one that leaves no doubt of commitment between the two. Later, the husband and wife can have the marriage blessed by the chiefs and holy ones, though it is not required." She explained. "Good on you, girl." Alis grinned at Kezia's comment about marriage and then looked over her again. "Fourteen? And how old are you now?" She asked, fourteen was still so young to be running away and living day to day like that. It was a tough life for anyone. "Well, once you've learned to master it, maybe you'll find you'll have some use for it at some point in your life, even if you don't want anything to do with it at the moment. Always a good thing to have some useful skills under your belt." She smiled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:33:11 -0600

((Yay! I'm happy to see you guys able to post some stuff in my absence. Go ahead and spend this week hanging out while I make the transition back into my classes. I should be able to post regularly next week. With the internet trouble we are having at home I just haven't been able to get on much, plus the new baby, so yeah. Go ahead and have fun hanging out together this week and I will try to move us along next week.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:23:24 -0600

((Never heard that one abt the Saxons, but Celtic women really had a lot of power, they could own land and inherit and succession was through the woman, so be fore they started voting on who would be High King (or Queen--Hello Boudicca), the King's sister's son was next in line, not the King's son.)) "The Comte has not spoken much of snow. The soldiers do not seem to like it. The Comte speaks of how green and temperate France is. He detests the heat and dust of Tsibi." Jiya said as Dumond came over to the group. "I thought I heard my name." He said. Jiya smiled at him. "We were speaking of snow and how much you disliked Tbilisi." Dumond snorted. "The mountains are hardly better. Dry and dusty and rocky in addition to being filled with bandits." -- Finn raised his eyebrows at Kalin. He was tempted to call him Cookie Maker, or walk over and and use his head for an arm rest, but he would be the bigger man in this instance. Literally. "I don't need magic to make a person fall asleep. It's something everyone in the Fianna must know. How to sing to make people laugh or cry or fall asleep. But I can use a spell that will keep someone asleep until someone touches them." Finn squatted on his haunches to talk to Kalin, "What's the problem?" he looked at Tornica. Perhaps he could use this to teach Jiya how to sing someone to sleep. he expected she might already know how to do that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:21:33 -0600

((Random: I read something about Viking women being allowed to divorce their husbands whenever they wanted for whatever reason they wanted)) "I'm fifteen now," Kezia said. "I haven't been away from home for very long." Just long enough that she was sick and tired of the streets but not long enough to make the Academy a potential alternative. --- "It's too small in here," Tornica mumbled, burying his face in his knees. "I need to get outside. I can't...I can't stay in here all night." "This is the problem," Kalin said. "I don't think a lullaby is going to cut it. That no touchie spell sounds great though." ((Cookie maker?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:28:25 -0600

((You know, Keebler elves.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:15:47 -0600

((The Keebler Elves :) Do you have Keebler cookies in the UK? It was a standard D&D insult for elves.)) "Right, makes sense." Finn said. "Jiya? Please come here, there's another spell you can learn. Di ye sing lullabys?" Jiya excused herself from Dumond and the group to see what spell Finn wanted to teach her. She smiled at Kalin and Tornica. "You sing a lullaby and I will add the spell components to it to make sure Tornica remains asleep." Jiya nodded, "Are you ready?" She asked Tornica.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:41:01 -0600

((I have never heard of a Keebler elf :p We don't have that brand over here)) "As ready as I'll ever be," Tornica said, still not looking up. "Anything that will stop the walls from feeling like they're about to cave in. I normally just get blind drunk when like this." "But considering the circumstances I thought that was a bad idea," Kalin said. "Hopefully we won't have to move again any time soon, but if we do having him in a drunken stupor is not going to be helpful. He's not as big as some of the mercenaries at the camp but he's not exactly fairy light."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:46:57 -0600

((lol! Don't be too shocked, I'm sure they've got some other weird food mascots across the pond that we've never come across either! :P XD)) ((Still though... I thought the Keebler elves were pretty famous too. lol!!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:05:26 -0600

((Yeah, I know. Mainly I'm being silly. xD ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:03:09 -0600

((Aw, sorry you don't know the Keebler reference, they say their cookies are baked by little elves in hollow trees :) As to weird food mascots in the UK, that marmalade company had some rather suspect ones. )) Finn decided not to comment on 'fairy light' seeing how he was fey, but he expected Kalin meant pixies. "Get comfortable then." Finn said to Tornica. "Jiya I want you to sing a lullaby that you know, something that will be calm and relaxing. Focus on Tornica and the fact that you want him to fall asleep and stay asleep. I'll harmonize and add my spell. See if you can sense it, how the spell adds to the song." Jiya knelt near Tornica and began singing. "Make sure you focus on Tornica," Finn added. "We don't want anyone else drifting off under the spell." Jiya nodded and shifted a little. Before long, Finn added his voice to hers somewhat leading her to get deeper into the song and his spell. Finn watched Tornica to determine when the spell had taken effect.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:42:52 -0600

((Tis fine. I thought at first it might be some reference to Santa's elves or something and Christmas cookies)) ((And I'm now trying to think of advertising things we have here that you might not there...Tony the Tiger? There's probably others and I just can't think of them :p )) Tornica wasn't sure if it was just the soothing voices or the magic, but he was getting pretty damn sleepy. Following Finn's advice he curled up on the floor, pillowing his head on his arm and closed his eyes. Within moments he was asleep. "So...you say that the slightest touch will wake him up again?" Kalin asked. "I guess that means I can't draw things on his face while he's out then. Damn."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:43:20 -0600

((We have Tony the Tiger for Frosted Flakes. I can't remember the name of the Marmalade that had the rather racist black guys as mascots, we saw a lot for sale in antique when I was in the UK awhile back. We have all sorts of strange things that are used to hype products over here.)) Finn chuckled and shook his head while Jiya looked shocked, "Why would you do such a thing?" "That would definitely wake him so I wouldn't advise it." Finn affirmed. "We should leave him be." Jiya said. "I suppose the rest of us not on watch should get some sleep as well. But I do not think I am quite ready for sleep."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:10:23 -0600

Wolf went and stood by the window again, peering out into the darkness, keeping out of view as best she could. She was feeling rather tired herself but if there were others who needed rest first, they were welcome to. She could help keep watch. So far there were no sounds of howls, no alarms to be heard. There was a glint of a jeweled eye from the alleyway across the street. Alis listened to the singing and started to feel rather tired herself, though she was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the music. She covered yet another yawn and shifted to get a bit more comfortable on the hard floor. It wasn't easy, but then again, she -had- slept in worse conditions. ((Not much of a post, I know. Sry. Just wanted to get something down for them to do. lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:02:41 -0600

((Who is taking which watch tonight? Dumond is happy to take one as long as he can keep an eye on Jiya, and Finn only needs about 4hrs sleep, and actually since he didn't do much today, he can go without sleep altogether.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:47:48 -0600

((I don't know that watches are really going to be relevant for tonight, but we can say each of them took a watch.)) As the others started to settle down Gwenlynn went over to where Aethan was making his "bed" on the floor. She knelt beside him and sat on her heels as he curled up under the coat she got for him, watching him and waiting patiently. Finally he sighed and looked up at her. "What is bothering you, Gwen?"he asked quietly. "I cannot wrap my mind around how you did what you did in the street. I've been thinking about it ever since and ... I didn't once feel the Essence shift. What I did feel was a sort of... warmth. Like a ray of sun emitting from you. Still, I do not understand how this could be. How could you ue unknown magic?" Gwenlynn watched him as she spoke an ssaw the shift in his expression. He really meant what he said in response. Of that she had no doubts, but it only served to perplex her even more. "Gwen, I didn't do anything. I don't have any ability with any kind of magic. I'm not sure what you felt out there, maybe someone else using it, but it wasn't me." Gwenlynn chewed her lip thoughtfully. But it had come from him. She was certain of that. How could he not know? "It just doesn't make any sense," she murmured. Aethan reached out and took her hand, pulling her toward him until she was laying beside him. "I wish I had some answers for you but I don't. All I can tell you is that I didn't do anything with any sort of magic." He pulled her closer to him and felt that warmth he missed so much as she snuggled up against him, resting his cheek against her honey hair. "I didn't think I would ever see you again." He murmured against her, closing his eyes. She was just relieved that he had made a choice, and that it was her. Even if it was going to cause a bit of trouble with Liandra. She closed her eyes and put her arm around his waist. @morning Aethan woke before the sun the next day and was surprised to see Clearcall already up and moving dutifully around the room. Soon enough the people from this shelter would rise as well and head this way in search of food. He needed to be up and ready. Aethan pulled carefully away from Gwenlynn and rose, leaving his coat draped over her. "Uneventful night," he commented to Clearcall (and whoever was on this last watch). "That's good news for us. We should start setting out the bread and get people up. The people here will likely be up soon. I want to greet them well, not lock them out."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:22:43 -0600

((I'm going to say Tornica took last watch with Clearcall, so that he can have been woken up and I don't have to worry about how he got back to sleep again :p )) @ Last Night Kalin shrugged and grinned at Jiya. "Because it's funny? Trust me, drawing on his face is one of the milder things I could be doing to him in his sleep. Once when he was blind drunk I managed to get Nicky's dad into bed with a goat. Tirin was easy enough to manoeuvre, he was pretty much dead to the world, but getting the goat to stay put long enough for him to wake up sober enough to appreciate it took quite a lot of work." --- @ Morning Tornica nodded at Aethan's instruction and nudged Kalin awake with his foot. The sleepy elf promptly rolled himself up further in his blankets and ignored the poking foot. "Not coming out until you have coffee," he mumbled into the fabric.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:04:05 -0600

@The night before DM/Myself "You put a goat to bed with a man? And that is funny?" Jiya really did not understand what men thought was funny at all. The soldiers guarding the caravans were frequently jostling and nudging each other when she passed by. Meanwhile, Finn took notice of Aethan and Gwenlynn. That explained why an elf was willing to go to such extremes. @Morning Dumond, being a military man, was up rather early especially considering that he had taken first watch. Finn had been kind enough to take the middle watch. He let Jiya sleep, but she woke up not long after. Sleeping on the floor was not conducive to lazing away the morning. She went to see what she could do to help since she was accustomed to getting the Comte his breakfast and bringing it to him every morning. She heard kalin mention coffee. How intereting that they came from different worlds but had the same drink--or at least that was how this magic translated it. She smiled at Finn, "I will be happy to take the wineskin and see that everyone gets something to drink." Finn grinned at her and handed over the wineskin after he took a healthy drink of whiskey for himself. The woman was something to look at. Every thing she did was so graceful, a movement a dance unto itself. It must be difficult for Dumond to be around her and not want her for his own. A woman like Jiya was trouble. Ah, but what trouble. Finn thought. Jiya asked for coffee, which in her case was the thick Turkish kind, withlots of sugar to counter the bitterness. They did not have proper cups here, but then, she had not expected they would. Coffee drinking must not be a custom in this world. She poured some into a cup and carried it to Kalin. "I heard you asked for coffee." She knelt by the man where he lay swaddled in his blankets. She breathed in the rich aroma. She would serve the others and then she would savor the brew.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:23:17 -0600

@Morning Sophia had spent a restless night for the most part until she had made her way sleepily to a low table near the back corner of the room. She wriggled under it, curled up and went back to sleep. It was what she had always done at Volundr's house when he would go up to bed. It made her feel a bit safer when she wasn't laying on the floor where everyone could see her. Sophia's sleep was alway punctuated with nightmares, sounds of screaming people, screaming children specifically. She forgot where she was when she awoke and sat up too quickly, thumping her head on the bottom of the table. "Owie..." She mumbled as she ducked lower again, crawling out, wincing and rubbing the sore spot on her head, hoping there wouldn't be a lump there. Alis watched the girl, looking rather amused and curious at the same time. "Under a table, hn?" She said with a smile. "Here, let me see your head. It wouldn't do to have you roaming about with your mind addled by a concussion." She added lightly, going over to her. Sophia looked worried, "D-do you th-think it is as b-bad as th-that?" She asked, wide-eyed. "No, I don't think you have to worry about it," Alis chuckled. "but let me have a look anyway." She gently felt Sophia's head, there was a bit of a bump but nothing serious. "It'll be tender for a bit, but you should recover." She informed her 'patient' with another smile. "Why don't you go and see if you can have some whiskey and maybe it'll help with what pain you might have." Sophia nodded as though the instructions were from a doctor, telling her to fill a prescription and she made her way over to where Jiya was distributing drinks from the wineskin. "Um... M-miss Jiya?" She sounded timid. 'Might I have so-some wh-whiskey?" She asked. Sometime in the middle of the night, Wolf had managed to find a place on the floor and curled up in her fur cloak, she was able to get a few hours of sleep. She awoke to the sounds of others moving about andstretched, covering a yawn. After rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she stood and went to see if she could see the wolves outside still. She didn't see them anywhere and assumed they moved further into the alleyway or somewhere more discreet as the sun rose.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:38:05 -0600

Aethan noticed Finn looking at Jiya. He knew that look and he couldn't really say that he blamed Finn for it either, but Aethan diverted his attention away from her. He had enough trouble with women without adding another to the mix. When he had to face Liandra with the truth it was going ot be a rough day. He didn't believe she would betray them though. Liandra was trustworthy regardless. Of that he was certain. He looked over as Clearcall slipped out of the room, wondering what the elf was up to. His trust in the other man was completely based off Gwenlynn's trust. But everyone had the chance to see someone in the wrong light. A glance around the room as people started to wake made Aethan wonder if anyone among them was planted in this group by his cousin. Or by Acebrity. Having been her captive before he feared her far more than he feared Valentis, something he wasn't sure he wanted to share with the others just yet. Gwenlynn knew what he knew now, but he wasn't prepared to share it with everyone. Whether they knew who Acebrity was or not. "Sophia, Wolf, glad to see you two up. I would like ot be ready to greet the people and get them acclimated to the wolves right off, that way if we are forced to leave quickly they will hopefully already be comfortable." He glanced over as Gwenlynn stood and smoothed her dress, then brought him his coat which she had been using as a blanket. Aethan gave her a small smile. "Let's open the door here." He could hear footsteps in the adjoining room and knew that some of hte residents were shuffling around now. "Finn where is that bread bag of yours? Nothing says hello to the starving like food." And nothing short of food and protection would keep them quiet. Aethan needed these people to support him now, not later.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:04:04 -0600

@ Night before/Jeze "Well...not so much the action of putting the goat into the bed," Kalin said. "More the anticipation of his reaction when he woke up the next day to find the damn thing there." Kalin was grinning ear to pointed ear at the memory. "If only we'd had some way of capturing the moment forever..." --- @ Morning Kalin briefly emerged when the coffee was presented, his eyes having trouble focusing on the offered cup. He mumbled a thanks as he took it and then disappeared back inside his fold of blankets. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad," Tornica said, trying not to roll his eyes. "You didn't even take a watch last night, how can you be so tired." "Go away," Kalin shot back. "Death's Mercy...I can practically chew this coffee it's so strong...It's amazing!" Tornica reached down and yanked off Kalin's makeshift blanket. Not only was the coffee very strong it was also clearly magical in some fashion since Kalin didn't follow the cover removal up with creative threats. He seemed content to finish his coffee, hair still in its' birds' nest glory.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:42:21 -0600

((quick post. .)) Wolf didn't seem to hear Aethan, she vaguely heard the people talking and spared a quick glance at them before looking out the window again. Sophia nodded, eager to be able to help. She looked around at the floor, trying to find the puppies. She located them curled up on one another under a spindly chair in the corner. They were warm and heavy with sleep when she pulled them out and picked them up. Wolf watched her with some confusion and then she realised she had probably been spoken to as well. She blushed and went over to help with the pups, the words being spoken all around her not making sense again. She would have to take some bread once she was finished here.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:06:51 -0600

((egh, feeling uninspired, forgive me for the crap post)) Emkai and Omaron came into the room at the same time. Omaron seemed distinctly uncomfortable about the arrangement. Seta followed soon after.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:53:14 -0600

@Night Before/DM "What? You didn't have a bard in your group to write a song about it?" Finn said. He couldn't help but smile as well. He had to admit, it was a good jape. ((And who knew Kalin would love Turkish coffee? Maybe it will put hair on his chest :) )) @Nagats "Whiskey? So early in the morning?" She shrugged her elegant shoulders. It really was not for her to question what the girl wanted to drink. She asked the wineskin for whiskey and poured a small portion in a mug. She asked for coffee again and poured a cup for the Comte. She over to him in that way she had that was almost a dance in itself. She gave Finn a smile. It was never a bad thing to gain favor with the person who seemed (at least to her) to be the most powerful in the group. He looked to be a formidable fighter and he knew magic as well. @Anyone who wants coffee or something from the wineskin/bread bag Jiya continued around the room serving coffee or whatever to the group as they began to wake up. Finn nodded to Aethan and pulled out his bag. "A full stomach is a great motivator." He began piling bread on the table. For himself, he dearly wanted a haunch of venison, but he's have to make due with the bread since all of his provisions were long gone shared with everyone and the poor dwellers in the last hovel.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:37:32 -0600

Aethan went to help Finn set the food up on the table, motioning for Sophia and Wolf to come over with the cubs. Gwenlynn made her way over to the table as well, helping Aethan slide back into his coat. "I need to get my hands on a proper sword," he muttered. Clearcall slipped back in as some of the locals made their way in, a little shocked to be greeted as they were. He walked over to the table. "The guards were at the hovel last night but no one said anything to them. All seems to be well. And there aren't any eyes on us here." "Any word on Liandra?" Aethan asked. He knew her family was hit hard by the royal guards during the raids the night before. "She's still around her house helping set things back in order. We will likely hear from her later today." Clearcall handed some bread to a rather nervous looking woman who was eyeing Aethan curiously as he handed bread to another person. "Any chance you can procure a proper two hander for me?" he asked Clearcall. "I can try but it likely won't be easy."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:54:32 -0600

@ Night Before "I don't need anyone to write a song," Kalin said. "I can tell the story just fine by myself. But no matter how good the story or song, it doubtless would not compare to an actual image of his face when he woke up." --- @ Morning Kezia procured a small cup of coffee from Jiya, although she wrinkled her nose in distaste at the bitterness that the sugar couldn't quite cover it. She wasn't entirely sure how the elf was drinking it with such relish, or why Jiya thought it was a suitable drink in the first place. "You're hair looks like a bird's nest," she said to Kalin. The small elf's eyes flicked up to his fluffy hairline and he just shrugged. "It happens." He put his hand over his mouth to stifle another yawn and got to his feet. "How are you feeling this morning? Any more headaches? Can you feel the power any clearer?" She shook her head. "No headaches. But I don't feel anything else. It only seems to surface when you're actively doing something with it." Kalin opened his mouth to respond, but any words were startled away by a bread roll bouncing off his head. From over by the table Tornica gave him a cheery wave. Kalin tore the bread in half, sharing it with Kezia.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:17:47 -0600

"Gi' me a moment," Finn said taking the size of Aethan. "A two-handed sword is what you prefer?" He opened his craneskin bag and pulled out a few swords, any of these to your liking? Not this one, however." He hefted his claymore and sheathed it across his back. It was far to long for Aethan anyway.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:43:37 -0600

Sophia thanked Jiya as she accepted the cup in one hand, juggling the squirming puppy in the other arm as she made her way over to the table, setting the pup down and taking a sip. It was smooth whiskey and she felt it warm her through as it settled in her belly. Plucking up the other cub, Wolf brought it over as well and held it as the food was being handed out. It looked down at it's brother loftily, the one on the floor pawing at her legs and giving squeaking barks and looking almost jealous. "T'aan ii yuuxgwin." She told it sternly, though she was smiling as she pulled some small bits of dried meat from her pack, feeding it to the two cubs. "Dim gil-aksiy niin."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:10:09 -0600

((Sorry guys. My internet access is so limited I'm having a hard time getting all my posts in. I'm hoping ot hav ethis problem fixed soon but I'm not sure when.)) When Finn pulled out the swords some of the people who stayed in this shelter stumbled back, looking frightened. Especially when they took in the size of the claymore he put on his back. Aethan cleared his throat and gave the people a reassuring smile. "Finn, swords are illegal within the Onyx walls right now. I would be careful who you flash that thing in front of." He watchd Gwenlynn say a few words to ease the fears and tension of the people, then hefted one of hte swords, testing the weight of it. He really missed his own but he wouldn't get it back until his cousin was diposed. He tested the other one. "This one feels about right. Let's put them away for now though." He moved it back out of the way so that the people wouldn't be so nervous. The people were starting to crowd in now and Clearcall was doing hi best to try and organizethem into a line for the food.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:27:44 -0600

((Since our days will be getting a little repetitive I'm just going to sumarize and skip us to a point when something can happen.)) The last week went fairly well. Aethan kept everyone moving so they weren't in the same place more than one night in a row. Some days there were actually moving between two or three of the hovels. The guards were looking for him every day, and each day they seemed more desperate, but the movement of the group made it hard to catch up with them. Athan met in secret with some of the nobles he knew without a doubt he could trust, reassuring them that everything would go according to plan this time and that he was taking every precaution to ensure that was true. So desperate were they to have the king dethroned that they took a leap of faith and just trusted him. Word was sent to the nobles he knew he could trust in outlying cities of Cevius, asking them to come and support him. Port Verix was sending supplies by ship to Mordelic where a couple of the merchants that ran the docks were bringing the product in at night nad having it moved during the day to a secured location. men who couldn't find work were going out on Alis' ship to help with fishing and transporting of needed items. In one week he had rumors milling around the city that change was coming soon, and he had his little resistance running smoothly. Now that everything was nearly in place he had a couple of final pieces to play before striking. One he wasn't sure would be so willing to make the move but he needed her there. Aethan woke one morning and approached Sophia. She was the only one in the group he thought could get away with this move. He needed a woman and Wolf was too obviously foreign, Seta wa too easily distracted, Jiya was to haughty and servile, Kezia would be needed for her magic skills, and Alis was needed for her connection to the ship. There was no way he could send Gwenlynn in. She was easily recognizable ifgiven enough time. That only left him with Sophia, and her temprance was just right for the job. "Sophia, could we speak for a few minutes?" He needed to meet with Liandra tonight and knowing that Sophia was on board would be helpful.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:35:20 -0600

"Um... o-okay." Sophia had been routing with one of the puppies, she had never been so delighted with something in her life. She patted it and stood, brushing the wrinkles out of her dress, wondering what on earth he could want to speak with -her- about. So far all she had been able to do with the group was help with the puppies and distributing food sometimes. Miss Wolf was always quite kind to her, making sure she had enough to eat and a place to sleep, usually letting the puppies sleep near her, their presence had a calming effect on her it would seem and she didn't have nearly as many nightmares when they were nearby.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:48:11 -0600

"I need to ask a favor of you, and it's a fairly large one." Aethan knew how shy Sophia could be and he really hoped that this wouldn't be too much for her. Make her think she's the only one who can do it. Show her confidence. If he showed confidence in her ability to do it she was more likely to respond well. "It's dangerous, but I don't know anyone else i nthe gorup who could do it but you. I need to send you into the palace with a message for the king, have you there to plant rumors and ideas and keep an eye on his movements for the next day while we set things into motion. Clearcall will have his messengers bringyou word to us and there will be one there at your disposal to send word to us. I can give you a list of names of nobles who you can trust and those who you should not trust. But there is no one else in this group I can trust to carry out this task."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:31:59 -0600

Sophia looked around, to either side, behind her... she was quite certain for a moment that Mr Aethan had gotten her confused with someone else. Almost completely certain. There wasn't anyone else around her though. "Me?" She asked, to be sure. "B-but..." She was shy, and she spoke with a stutter! "I- I'm really sh-shy though... and- and I st-stutter..." wouldln't he want someone who could actually speak properly to be able to carry out the task? And what if there were fae there!? And not -nice- fae at that! By compulsion, a bit of the cuff of her dress went into her mouth and she chewed on it. "Are th-there f-fae there?" She asked quietly, face ashen with the prospect of having to maybe have to do something like this. She wasn't sure about the whole, not having anyone else he could trust bit though... "Y-you r-really wouldn't tr-trust the others w-with it?" Her confusion was written all over her face.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:44:36 -0600

Aethan gently reached up and took Sophia's hand, pulling her cuff away from her mouth. "I'm aware of all of that, Sophia. All the more reason for it to be you. He would never think twice about someone like you. I need it to be a woman that goes in, and there is no other woman I could trust more than you out of this lot." Aethan could tel she was incredibly nervous and he gave her a reassuring smile, squeezing her hand gently. "I can assure you there will be no fae there." It took him a little bit to understand that fae and elves were one in the same, but now he had a firm grip on that. "My cousin would never trust fae as they would be easily able to circumvent his orders. Please. I need this job done and I would rather send you than any of the other women." it was atruth, even if only vague. Besides, her stuttering would make his cousin dismiss her as a threat easily.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:56:56 -0600

Sophia's tension visibly dissipated the moment he said there would be no fae there. She knew fae could do -way- worse things to her than just plain old humans... even if the humans were mean. She looked down at his hand when it squeezed hers lightly, she supposed it was -something- she could do to help. "Al-alright." She replied after worrying her lip for a moment. "I c-can do it." She managed a flicker of a smile.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:04:58 -0600

"Just remember that you won't be completely alone," Aethan reassured her. "There will be a handful of nobles around to keep an eye out and make sure nothing happens to you. I can't tel you how much I appreciate this either." Now for the hard part. "Because I don't know what to do about that vile collar of yours, I will have to send you in as a servant to one of he nobles. I'm going ot meet with her tonight. She will bring you in and tel the king that you have something to share." He looked around at the others. "You will tell him where to find me."They would be prepared to fight and defend, sending away those like Jiya who couldnt fight. Okay, in truth he wanted to have Jiya sent in as a sort of gift to the king, but there was no way Dumond would ever go for it and there was no way to know that the king would treat her well.. or what he would do to her. Valentis wasn't the same boy he grew up with, thanks to Acebrity.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:22:22 -0600

There was another small problem... the list of nobles. The part about being a servant didn't bother her in the slightest. She had been basically a slave her whole life, it didn't matter to her what she posed as. She couldn't help her fingers brushing over the gems that had been Myyr's eyes though, the little bell tinkled as her fingers passed over it. "Um... ab-about the l-list... I d-don't realyl know how t-to read." She told him. "I mean... I kn-know my letters and th-things but... not all t-together much." At hearing what he wanted her to tell the king, her eyes widened. "Are y-you certain you w-want to tell him th-that?" Sophia looked worried about this plan. Still, she knew that he likely knew what he was doing in this situation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:31:57 -0600

Aethan was a little amused, giving the Sophia a small smile. "I wasn't literally going to write it down for you. If the list fell into the wrong hands by accident it could ruin everything. How god are you at memorizing names? All you need are the names to litsen for them and introduce yourself when you aren't being watched." "Yes. I need him to trust you and hte only way to ensure that he does is by having youtell him where I am. We willbe here ready to keep ourselves safe, don't worry about that. But you need to be in his trust." And Aethan couldn't think of a better way to do that than to have her give him up. "You will pose as a homeless person taken in by a noble for a life of servitude. He knows that we have been moving around the hovel district so your information will be received well. You will have to let him know that you are turning me in because of the kindness the noble has shown you and your loyalty to the crown, but not until he asks." She seemed to be taking this well. Aethan was actually becoming more hopeful that this plan of his would work.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:56:11 -0600

"Oh..." Sophia blushed, feeling silly, of -course- he wouldn't have written it down, there couldn't be any evidence left about for people to find. "I could pr-probably remember a bunch of things." She said, to cover up her embarrassment. Then she nodded, listening to his plans, acknowledging each part with a fervent nod. "Th-that seems st-straightf-forward enough." She replied quietly, if she could pretend enough, there shouldn't be too much trouble. She looked down at the puppy that was sniffing at the hem of the dress as it gave a little lick at her toes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:11:27 -0600

Aethan let go of Sophia's hand and patted her on the shoulder, giving it a reassuring and grateful squeeze. "Thank you. Our success is dependant on having someone from our group on the inside." He gave her a winning smile. "I'm glad it's you." Now that he had that settled, Aethan turned to look at the others after glancing out the window to see how much light there was left. "Okay guys. I am going later to meet in secret with a couple of nobles. Sophia will be going into the palace under cover. She is turning us in. If all goes well this whole thing will be over soon. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for the help you've given. What we are approaching now is tenuous and we must handle it delicately. Sophis will give the king our location and when the guards arrive we will put up what will appear to be a surprised, spontaneous fight which we will of course be prepared for. If the king sends city guards for us we are golden. If he sends royal guards... we don't have them in our control yet so we will need tp be prepared ot fight without killing anyone. I would like to do this without anyone dying if at all possible." Anyone but his cousin if he couldn't free him from the curse. "Who here has been in charge of an army or regimen before?" He supposed Alis' experience on ships would count but he needed her to take control of the water, not the land. She was so much better placed there. "Is there a magic user who can remove control spells? I believe that my cousin may be under the control of the dark goddess Acebrity. If we can remove her control this whole thing might go easier. If that's an option I want to be prepared to kidnap him and take him somewhere his guardsand her spies won't find us."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:29:19 -0600

"Her?" Alis murmured, glancing at Sophia. Well... if he really thought she was the best one for the job... this wasn't her decision to make, she wouldn't question his judgement on it. Especially if the timid girl had already agreed to it. She just hoped nothing bad would happen to her... "Just my ship crew." She replied to his question. Wolf had eaten a bit of the charmed bread she had been saving so that she could understand what was going on. She had helped to lead some raids and some ambushes, but nothing that would really help them in -this- setting. There were no trees to hide in, the army was not another tribe...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:52:27 -0600

"I do not have the first fucking clue what a control spell is," Kalin said. "Magic where I'm from just flat out doesn't work that way. But I do have experience being in command of troops." He hiked his thumb at Tornica. "I'm second in command in his daddy's mercenary army and been in that position for almost twenty years. So getting on for half my life now." And damn, that made him feel kind of old. Even though he knew by elven standards he really wasn't. "I'm good at barking orders and generally know if an order's going to be a stupid one at least." Or at least he did back home where he knew how everything worked.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:03:40 -0600

"Good," Aethan nodded when Kalin said he had leadership experience. "We need someone to command the city guards when the time comes to infiltrate the palace. Possibly two people. I would like to keep Tornica close to me." Mostly because Aethan was afraid that if Acebrity showed up Tornica would be susceptible for her dragon control.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:43:46 -0600

((Somehow I've managed to miss Divica for a few days.)) "Sorry," Finn said. "I feel exposed with it on my back, but I'll put it away." He had his magic after all, but he preferred the straightforward approach of a sword. --- Later: "I can dispell magic--dunno if I can remove a spell placed by a god though." Finn said. Dumond stepped up, "I have led my men--an thousand or so into battle." He eyed Kalin, the man seemed rough, but that was no matter if he knew how to command. "I am accustomed to fighting on a field of battle, however--not streets and alleyways." Jiya thought Sophia would be a good choice as a spy as well. She was far too noticeable, although she was very good at distracting men. Over the past few days, she had been trying to spend all the time she could with Finn to learn magic. She was quite good with sleep spells by this point and could make a globe of fire that shined like a torch and floated. At least she would not be totally helpless. She could also cast a protection spell on herself. She had not yet perfected protecting others. But that would come with more practice. She did not like the clothing she had to wear to fit in, it made her feel like she couldn't breathe. How did women stand such constricting clothes? How could they possible dance in them? Dumond told her that she looked more French in them. She was not sure if that was a compliment or not.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:28:09 -0600

((*slinks back in, slightly embarrassed* I read back, so no recaps needed)) Emkai straightened a bit in his chair. He'd been trying to keep himself busy up until this point, but as he couldn't keep his sword on him any longer, that took out polishing it, or practicing different strokes, or doing practically anything he'd have done to occupy himself at any other time. Maybe Roki was right. He needed a hobby outside of work. "I'm a tactician, if that helps at all," he provided. "And most of my fighting experience hasn't been between two armies in an open field of battle. Close quarters and underhanded tactics are things I'm all too familiar with." Seta perked up from where she was perched on her chair. She'd been chipping the enamel off of the tooth of a goat; for what purpose was anyone's guess. "I'm ready to do whatever you need," she said cheerfully. "If you need someone to sit up out of the way and pick off targets or be a lookout or something, well, I could probably climb up onto a building. Or I could fight one-on-one, or whatever you need. I'm flexible." Omaron was quiet. He was leaning forward on the table next to Emkai, staring at the wood's grain though he didn't really see it. It seemed he wasn't really following the conversation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:18:16 -0600

"Good. Dumond you can help Kalin organize and lead the city guard. Emkai, I need you to stay with me. It will be easier to keep people from scaring at the sight of you if I'm there to say something. I also need the magic users with me, just to be on the safe side. Once we fight the king's men from their surprise attack we will have Alis take us to the docks where her ship will be waiting. From there we will sail around to the passage that goes beneath the palace into the throne room so we can take control of the palace hopefully with little to no notice." Aethan wondered if they could handle this.It was a lot to ask, that they risk their lives for his cause, but htey had agreed to it already. "Kalin and Dumond will have city guards at the palace and the city walls, ready to sieze control once we give the signal." "I'm going in a few minutes to meet with a couple of nobles before the sun gives me away. Clearcall, you can help lead the others through a discussion about how to best defend ourselves against the coming surprise attack. Sophia, you are coming with me." Aethan pulled on his cloak and pulled up the black hood, then started toward the door.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:44:56 -0600

Emkai inclined his head. "That's wise." Not necessarily the position he wanted to fill, but Aethan had a point. Seta listened, brow furrowing slightly. Was there something she could do to help? She didn't particularly care what it was, so long as she could do it and it would actually be furthering their cause. It was always disheartening to be the nuisance that had to be kept out of the way, or worse given some stupid task to make you feel like you were helping just to keep you busy. She didn't say anything though.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:05:29 -0600

Sophia scurried behind Aethan, glancing at Wolf as she passed by her. Wolf gave her a reassuring smile. "It will be alright, you will do fine." She murmured to the girl before giving her warm cloak to Sophia to use and helping her put it on. Sophia nodded, looking rather nervous as she fingered the fur cloak and then heading after Aethan again. Wolf started going through her quiver, making sure the arrows were in good condition. She really hoped she wouldn't have to use them though.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:02:24 -0600

Kalin frowned at Aethan. "Why do you want to have Tornica with you in particular?" He was sure there was a reason. The young human had seemed perfectly sensible thus far. His reasoning for having Sophia carry out this dangerous stage of his dangerous plan was annoyingly logical. He turned to Kezia. "Are you going to be all right with me disappearing off to do this?" he asked her. The girl nodded. "I think I should be okay let to my own devices for a few days," she said. "You've taught me enough to stop me blowing out any more walls." Unless she got really stressed anyway. Kalin nodded. "Good." Then aside from the Tornica situation he shouldn't have any concerns about going along with this plan. He eyed Dummond. "I'll be straight with you, I've not dealt much with professional soldier types, the ones sworn to the crown and such, aside from being on the wrong end of their boots when I was a kid, so my manner might be a little rough compared to what you're used to." Compared to what the guards themselves were used to as well for that matter most likely. "But I'm good at getting folk to listen to me, and I pretty much never have to repeat myself when giving orders."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:34:03 -0600

Gwenlynn moved over by Kalin, noting that Aethan had left her out of the plans so far. "Tornica's dragon ability might be useful. I'm sure AEthan is well aware of that. Is there something I can do to help you?" --- Aehtan moved down the dark streets, knowing just which way to turn when. He knew these streets better than most. It took him little time and no effort to reach his first destination. Aethan stopped, looking up at the blackened keep walls. It had been a week since the burnings and still there were remains. He nodded toward a doorway down the wall, then headed toward it. He had to have faith that Sophia could do this.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:50:43 -0600

Sophia kept her dress lifted off of the ground as she followed Aethan quickly through the streets, the stones on the ground bruising her feet a little as it was much harder to maneuver through the dark. At one point she thought she had lost him when he disappeared around a sharp corner into the darkness, she hurried to catch up and then headed for the door he had motioned to.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:18:37 -0600

@DM/Kalin Star/Gwen "I know all about professional soldiers. If any of them balk at your orders, I will make sure they follow them. My men have learned rather quickly not to have me repeat myself." He snorted, "Jiya on the other hand... Sometimes I think she enjoys testing my patience. One would think she were a queen." Dumond smiled at Gwenlynn when she came over. "I cannot think of anything just now. But arrangements must be made for those who cannot fight to ensure their protection."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:21:40 -0600

Those like me, Gwenlynn thought a touch bitterly. She was the one that organized this group and set things in motion. Now she was nothing more than a liability. Standing in Aethan's shadow she could handle. She would do anything for him, but being pushed aside by the very group she pulled together for this task? That was something else entirely. "The only one still here who cannot protect herself is your charge. Hardly seems appropriate that I should be given a task that would only protect one person in the group." ---- Aethan opened the door for Sophia, watching the street as he heard boots approaching. He slipped in behind her and closed it before the guards could arrive. Still not speaking, he moved across the courtyard and waited by the tree he was instructed to meet at. "After this meeting I will be taking you to Lady Liandra. You will pose as her servant. Hopefuly your information will help her family." He spoke softly so that his voice didn't carry. ((And if I can I will post the rest of this convo tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:45:03 -0600

"I did not ask to be brought here, nor did Jiya. You cannot hold it against her that she is not a soldier or a mage." Dumond said. "I need to know that she will be safe while we execute this coup and that if anything should happen to me, someone will see that she is returned to our world." Henri would see that she was delivered safely to the Marquis. Or perhaps Jiya would find someone here to take her in...He had caught the giant eying her often enough. He wondered if someone else would be able to give her a better life. He flexed his hands. The thought of anyone else having her, including the Marquis, was not something he wanted to consider.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:28:45 -0600

@ Soldier Talk "How do the soldiers of your type take to being smacked round the head by an invisible force when not paying attention?" Kalin asked. "Because I've found that works wonders, but I'm not sure it would be appropriate in a stricter organisation than I'm used to." He looked over at Jiya. "One person or not, something needs to be done to make sure she stays out of harms way. If she fell into the wrong hands...I'm not saying any one of us could hold up under torture, but she's soft as butter. I doubt she'd hold out long enough for us to be able to make a good escape if she were caught."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:49:18 -0600

@Soldier Talk "I could take her to my ship before the fighting begins if you would prefer." Alis offered. It meant they would be one fighter short for the event, she had to ready the ship for sailing anyway though. Either that or she could hurry to bring Jiya to the ship now, and then hurry back for whatever remained of it. @Star Sophia nodded nervously, following to the tree and standing in the darkness. "I ho-hope so. Th-those guards were really m-mean to everyone." She whispered, shivering slightly at the thought. "Is your co-cousin mean t-too?" Somehow is was hard for her to believe there could be humans as mean as Volundr was.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 01:18:35 -0600

@ Soldier Talk :) "My men would listen to you because I told them to." Dumond said. "However, a show of magic would grab their attention whether they were being beaten about the head or not. Magic is not common in my world." "If these men are truly on Aethan's side and he had given word to them that they are under our command, there should be no problems. But I can see you have much confidence and your own ways to make your men listen." Soft as butter. Yea, Jiya was certainly that and not in the way Kalin meant. "She has a strong will and is stubborn. But I agree, under torture, I suspect if she but see the implements she would tell all." She would know her captors had no restrictions as he did in terms of marring her beauty or her ability to entertain. It meant he had to be creative when she stepped too far over the line. He smiled faintly at the memory. She was like a thoroughbred who needed to be trained. "The ship is an excellent idea. But is there time to get her there?" he asked Alis. Without really waiting for an answer he called to Jiya, "Get your things and be ready to leave. Now." Jiya had at least learned that when the Comte used that tone, that she should obey without question. She had little to gather and was by his side in less than a minute.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:05:28 -0600

Alis shrugged. "We can only try. If we make good time and aren't hindered by... unforseen circumstances, I might be able to get her to the ship and be back in time for -some- of the fighting at least. Then the group won't be one man down..." She looked hopeful about the prospect. "However, if we get there and I don't think there'll be time to get back, I'll work on prepping the ship to sail right when you lot get there. There'll be a couple of boats on the shore to row you out to the ship." She said, pleased to see how quickly Jiya was ready. She took her sword back from Finn's bag. There was no way, law or not, that she was going out into the streets with only her dagger to protect them. It hid safely enough under her long coat anyway. "Ready? Let's go." She said, stepping out into the street and looking both ways for any sign of danger before ushering Jiya though the dark path.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:02:57 -0600

"My cousin isn't inherently bad," Aethan whispered a bit sadly. "I'm not sure many would agree with you." A male voice said from behind Aethan. Aethan turned and smiled to see a familiar face. A man with sandy blond hair and gray eyes dressed in typical noble finery was there to greet them in the darkness. The two men greeted each other cordially, hugging in the typical way men do. "Gannon! Good to see you!" "Good to see you alive," Gannon replied. He looked Sophia over. "Who's this?" "This is Sophia. She's part of the plan. I'm taking her to Liandra after this." Aethan stepped back, glancing aroundto make sure they were all alone. "I have two men ready to take over the city guards with you. Are you certain this is going to work? We can't afford to trust the guard and have them turn against us." Gannon sighed. "Aethan, you need to trust me. The guard have been loyal to this family for years and they know that I'll be taking over for my fahter soon. The men are loyal to the man that puts the gold in their pockets. That's been this family longer than any of us have been alive. Besides, they don't like what the king is forcing them to do. Most of the dirty work is done by the royal guard because the city guard won't do it." "So there's no chance we can get the royal guard on our side," Aethan said a bit sadly. Gannon shook his head. "Not until they know that your cousin is on the losing side. The royal guard are loyal to the crown. You know that. And Valentis has replaced a lot of the ranking men with men no one knows. Where he found them is a mystery but there's no question they have the same ideals as him in mind. And they are leading those men. Do you really think your cousin can be saved?" "I have to hope," Aethan replied. "A few months back I was prisoner to Acebrity. She boasted a lot of things to me, thinking there was no way I would escape. She has control of Valentis somehow. I wouldn't be surprised if those men leading the royal guard are under her influence as well." Aethan looked toward the trees, thinking he saw movement. He lowered his vice just to be safe. "We need the guards drawn away from the pass." "I can have the city guard create a distraction to pull them away but you knw if there is a sign of trouble they are likely to surround your cousin." Gannon was looking Sophia over again. "Yes. But he knows that he's vulnderable in the throne room. If anything they will meet us in the pass. So I can count on you to do this for me?" Gannon gave Aethan a look that clearly said he was insulted by the question. "How dare you ask me that. You know i would do anything for your family." Aethan knew what Gannon was hinting at. Atraya. The loss of her was likely also hard for Gannon to deal with even afte these two years. ((I will post for the others in a bit))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:28:34 -0600

Sophia startled at the sound of the voice and darted behind Aethan, grabbing a handful of his cloak and covering her mouth to muffle the squeak she had elicited out of surprise. She didn't let go of Aethan's cloak until they gave each other a thumping embrace and even then, she only peeped out from behind him as they spoke. She felt, more than saw, the gentleman's eyes on her, she resisted the urge to chew on her cuff again, reminding herself that that was likely only something babies did and she wasn't a baby. Twitching slightly at Mr Gannon's tone when he sounded insulted and annoyed, she cast her eyes to the side, a natural reflex to avoid conflict. She thought she saw some shadow of movement by the trees but a moment later she figured it was just the wind or her eyes playing tricks on her. Sometimes in the darkest of nights, that could happen. She looked back to the two men, shying closer to Mr Aethan and shifting from foot to foot.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:10:48 -0600

"Well, this isn't for the family, it's for the people," Aethan reminded Gannon carefully. He reached back and took Sohpia by the hand, pulling her around him. "She may need your help at some point, or protection. Sophia is basically going ot whisper in Valentis' ear for us." Gannon looked at Sophia and nodded. "I should get back before anyone notices I'm gone. I'll see you after sunset." "If not before," Aethan shook hands with Gannon and led Sophia away, back out of the courtyard of hte keep and cautiously down the street. "If you trust no one else, you can trust him. Lord Gannon is without a doubt on our side." --- Gwenlynn was relieved that Alis came up with the idea to take J`iya to the ship. The last thing she wanted to do was babysit. "I guess I will leave the job of the army to the men then," she said a touch shortly before walking away. She instead approached Seta and the others. "I assume we will all be fighting. Perhaps we should find a way to defend this place for the attack Aethan says we will encounter. Anyone have ideas?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:45:28 -0600

@ Soldier talk "I've got used to being able to just bark orders at people," Kalin said. "But...I don't know how it is here, but back home an elf giving orders to humans without a human having been the one to give him orders in the first place would not go down well." His ears twitched in irritation. "Tornica's dad is considered a right strange one for actually treating me like an equal. But you have a point with the display of magic. The guards in the street the other day seemed pretty started when I pulled it out. Hopefully it'll be enough to keep anyone we recruit in line." His ears twitched again when Alis mentioned transferring Jiya to the ship. "Alis...that's genius!" "I'll go with you," Tornica offered, getting to his feet, eager at the chance to get out of their most recent small hole. "I'm not needed for anything until Aethan gets back so I might as well make myself useful." Kalin looked around the building dubiously. "I think trying to make the place fireproof would be a good start."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:19:26 -0600

Clearcall nodded. "I agree. Even if we aren't inside and they try to smoke us out, it would set the people back to have this hovel burned down because of us. We should get the people out after breakfast as well. No need risking their lives for our fight."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:01:59 -0600

"Well, I don't know about genius but..." Alis replied before heading out, then sighed. "Fine.. if you're going to come along then hurry up. We haven't much time." She said to Tornica, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. --- Sophia tried to keep what Aethan was telling her in mind, Mr Gannon was one to trust... If he meant to introduce her to a bunch of people and have her keep them all straight... she wasn't too sure about this, she thought as she looked down at their joined hands as he led her away again. Maybe there wouldn't be too many more.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:02:19 -0600

@Soldier talk/Alis Jiya found herself watching Kalin's ears. They twitched like a cat's. The giant's ears were more like a human's with a slight point and they didn't look like they moved at all. She wondered what they felt like and if he liked them touched. "Good. It is a relief to know Jiya will be someplace safe for all of this." he turned to her and spoke in the language of her pasha, giving her some parting words no doubt. Jiya, you will listen to these two as if it were my own words. Many lives are at stake, I do not need to remind you that punishment awaits if you do not heed by words." "Yes, my Comte." She answered him "I hear and obey." She repeated the stock answer of servants of the pashas court. Dumond narrowed his eyes trying to discern if she were being sincere or not. This was all for her own safety after all. But the woman was stubborn and sometimes foolish. ---- Jiya was on the tall side for a woman and while she had to hurry to keep up with Dumond's stride, keeping up with Alis and Tornica was no problem at all. Walking quickly did take some of the grace out of her movements, however, which was probably for the best anyway. They did not want to draw attention to themselves.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:40:29 -0600

A group of city guards noticed Alis, Tornica, and Jiya moving through the streets. It was suspicious as the sun wasn't up yet, but one of the men in the group recognized Tornica vaguely from the event at the arena, and from the descriptions they were given. The fact that he was with the blond woman as well and another with an air of grace gave it away. As one of his comrades started toward the group he put his hand on the man's shoulder and nudged him back. "Not them. Remember what the captain told us." The other man looked at him, then at the trio and nodded. --- Aethan led Sophia past some of the other estates in town toward one that was very close to the sprawling palace grounds. He passed the onyx walls of the palace carefully, watching the guards on the wall and timing his movements with their own routes of watch. It made the movement slow going but was worth it in the end as he came up to the burned remains of Liandra's House. Aethan felt an anger boil up. This place seemed to get the worst of the raids, probably because there was a time he and Liandra were arranged to be married, before everything else drove him away from Mordelic. He sneaked onto the grounds via the passage he used to use as a kid, checking to make sure the coast was clear. Though Liandra trusted her servants and groundskeepers Aethan couldn't afford to. Acebrity and Valentis could have spies anywhere. While they waited in the dark shadows for Liandra to show up Aethan gave Sophia names and descriptions for everyone he knew she could trust at court. Hopefully the girl had a good memory. "If you aren't sure about someone err on the side of caution and assume they aren't on our side. You shouldat least be able to trust Liandra and Gannon and remember that since you will have already met them."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:43:27 -0600

@Going to ship Alis was glad they could move so quickly through the streets, keeping to the shadows and side streets as they made their way to the port. Almost there.... Alis thought, urging them more quickly. A t one point she saw a group of city guards and tensed, her fingers itching to go to the hilt of her sword when one moved. She resisted the urge and pressed onward, glancing back only when they were out of sight of them, trying to be sure they weren't following. Gods help them if they were. @Star Sophia nodded, taking in the descriptions of the people and hoping there weren't a lot that looked similar. She shivered as she looked around at the charred remains of the building, it was very eerie and quiet and she didn't like it. Not one bit. "Who is Ac-Acebr-brity?" She asked him, he had mentioned the name to Mr Gannon and she couldn't help wondering, even if it wasn't any of her business.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:20:09 -0600

@ls Aethan glanced at Sophia. He didn't want to scare the poor girl, but he didn't want ot lie either. It was better ot know the truth and be prepared for what you miht have to face than to go into it blindly. "She is the last of the Dragon Gods, now serving the Defiler. And trust me, you don't want to find out who he is. Rumor has it that anyone who has met him hasn't survived to tell the tale, or has been turned into one of his henchmen. Shadowmen."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:37:29 -0600

@Star Catching a glint of emerald in the faint light from the stars and the moon when he looked at her, Sophia fought a shiver at his words and worried her lip. "Hasn't survived..." She murmured with a thoughtful frown. "Are th-they... is h-he worse th-than V-" she paused, remembering they didn't know who Volundr was in this place. She brushed her fingers over the gemssparkling in her collar, the goldwinking in the moonlight. "There are lots of th-things worse than d-dying, of course." She said quietly. "I suppose being a Shad-shadowman would b-be worse." Then she glanced up at him and gave a sudden bright smile. "I'm not afraid of it you know... if- if something were t-to go wrong...I'm not aftraid of dying." She was proud of herself for barely stammering in that sentence.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:40:38 -0600

@ls Aethan thought about that time he spent in Acebrity's hands. The horror of it. He clenched his jaw and tried his best to push those memories out of his mind. Especially right now. It was hard to forget what was done to him though. Gwenlynn told him after she healed him those months ago that it was a miracle he survived, calling it strong blood and a stronger will. He by all rights should have died. In truth he couldn't really remember much about how he escaped, but he knew that he did. That much was obvious. "There are worse things," Aethan agreed. "But death is the only absolute final." He gave Sophia a small smile. "Everyone is afraid of dying. Some just don't know it until their time comes." He had always thought he wasn't afraid of death but after spending that time with Acebrity he knew that he was afraid. So he tried to make the best of his time whilehe could. He embraced the fear and turned it into a strength. "Aethan?" The whispered voice of a woman came from the darkness. Aethan looked up into it as Liandra came into sight. She paused at the edge of light and just looked at him, eyes sad and worried, but also relieved. Finally she threw her arms around his neck and held him close. "Light help us, I was so worried about you!" She pulled back and kissed his cheek but didn't really let go of his arms. "We have been praying that you would come through for all of us." She reached up and touched his cheek and he saw the tears in her eyes, sparkling just a little in the dim moonlight. "Aethan..." Aethan reached up and gently took her hand, pulling it away from his face. "You know I wouldn't be able to stay away with all this going on here. But I'm not giving up on Valentis either. He is my cousin, and he is the last of the line of Gurcius. That line hasn't been broken since this kingdom was founded." "You're a Gurcius," Liandra reminded him with determination. "The line isn't broken." "But, once we do this, the name will be. My mother may have been his father's sister, but I don't have the name." He let go of her hand. "We have work to do." Liandra glanced at Sophia and there was a calculating look in her eyes. "this is the one you sent me the message about then?" "Yes. She agreed to do this, but I'm putting her safety in your hands." Aethan took Sophia's hand and pulled her forward. "Sophia, this is Liandra. You will be staying with her and she will take you where you need to go. Liandra, any word about the arrangement?" Liandra nodded. "I have already dispatched some of our men to see it done. They should all be in motion by late morning." She stepped toward him. "We have missed you... I have missed you." Aethan tensed a little. He didn't want to have this conversation now. "Liandra, when this is done, we will talk more okay?" She nodded and leaned forward to kiss him. Aethan pulled back a little. "Not now. Sophia, good luck." Liandra looked a little surprised as Aethan pulled away, even more so when he turned and walked away from them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:53:03 -0600

((I'm a little confused as to where my charries are supposed to be right now. :S ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:12:29 -0600

((Sophia has just been dropped by Aethan with Liandra. Alis, Jiya, and Tornica are headed to the ships to drop Jiya off. Everyone else is still at the hovel and trying to sort out how to prepare for the coming fight.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:37:11 -0600

((Good, I just needed to make sure I wasn't supposed to be actively doing anything yet.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:44:25 -0600

((Just helping with the planning for the fight.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:11:19 -0600

((Putting in a placeholder, nothing really to add just now.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:19:13 -0600

@Meeting "P-people are afraid of -how- they'll d-die. And of wh-what might come after... n-not knowing what m-might come after... N-not death it-itself." Sophia replied, she had seen far too many people die in the most horrifying ways to not know the truth of her statement. She glanced up at him and blushed, ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry, I d-don't mean to b-be arguing.'" Then Liandra was there and Sophia managed not to duck behind Aethan again, though she -did- rather twitch in his direction. "H-hello." Sophia murmured shyly when she was introduced. She recognised Lady Liandra from before but wouldn't be surprised if Liandra didn't ecognise -her- as she usually tended to try and hide. When Liandra and Aethan were speaking and Liandra tried to show affection to him, Sophia averted her eyes a bit. She heard him basically put her aside and glanced up, feeling almost as shocked as Liandra looked when he walked away. Suddenly she felt rather awkward and more shy than before to be in this woman's company. "I'm s-sorry t-to see what h-happened to your h-house." She started to say quietly, trying to rid the air of the awkwardness of Aethan's abrupt departure. "I s-saw the gua-guards being mean t-to you." She bit her lip.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:03 -0600

@ Hovel Kalin started pacing around the small building, examining the walls. "I might be able to fashion some spell that could protect the structure," he said. "But it would be slow going and likely to leave me useless for pretty much anything else magic wise." Which in turn could make him useless for commanding men because he'd be too tired to properly command their obedience. "Or there might be something we could make to coat the place to make fire less likely to catch." He turned to Clearcall. "Is there anything like that local to this place? Anything the buildings get treated with normally that we could just try improving?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:26:15 -0600

@hovel Clearcall stood watching Kalin in the middle of hte room, his arms crosed over his chest. He shook his head to the first question. "Not this far south. Most of that would be found around Malinia and there's no way to get there quickly these days." It hardly even existed these days. He pointed at the walls. "Most of hte buildings in Mordelic are construted with a marbled alloy, part of what makes these buildings so tough and the walls near impregnable. But these hovels were thrown up in haste with scraps about a year ago to accomodate the rising number of homeless. We might as well be standing in a pile of mud for all that the construction is worth." Clearcall had been hoping that Finn would speak up and say he had a spell that would work but the big man seemed almost soberly quiet. @ls Liandra pulled herself up, wondering why Aethan had just slighted her like that. I'm sure he has his reasons. Like too much to worry about right now. Well, no reaso nto let it get to her right now. There was work to be done. She turned to Sophia and smiled at the girl. "Let's go get you into proper servant clothing. I can't calim you as a servant in front of the king wearing that." Not that there was really anything wrong with it, but it wasn't in the House colors and it didn't have the family sigil on it. "Are you hungry? We can get you something to eat while we wait for the bath to be drawn up." ((I will try to post something to finish what Aethan is doing in a little bit.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:18:49 -0600

@Liandra "A bath!?" Sophia exclaimed with surprise, why, she hadn't been given a bath in ... weeks? She didn't much care for them either. Being doused in cold water and scrubbed roughly, then doused again and left to dry... No no... she didn't like them at all. "I-I- I j-just ha-had one!" She squeaked. The clothes she could understand though, surely this dress was far too nice for any servants. @Hovel Wolf listened carefully to the plans and suggestions being laid out for the hovel and focused harder on the weapons she was allowed. The pups looked a little lost and she couldn't figure out why until she figured it was just because Sophia had been spending so much time with them. They liked having a little playmate. She patted them on the head and it sent them tearing around the room again, yipping at each other. @Going to ship They made good time, that was for sure. It seemed the last hovel there wasn't as far from the docks as Alis thought it might be. She took out a stub of a candle, a flint and a little mirror, lit the candle and flashed the mirror at the ship as best she could, narrowing her eyes to see the reply. Soon there was one and she hastily blew out the candle. "Someone will be coming along shortly." She informed the other two.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:37:14 -0600

@ls Liandra was a little alarmed by the woman's response. Why on earth would someone not want a bath as this woman clearly didn't. "Yes, a bath. If you just had one it was a terrible job. I can't present you to the king looking like you just rolled in the dirt. Servant or not, no one would go before the king like, well," She motioned to Sophia. "Your face is filthy. Your hair is a nest. It won't be so bad, really." She entered the servant door and led Sophia toward the bathing room the female servants shared. No one was there right now. "The water is nice and warm and the soap smells like flowers." She just hoped htey didn't have to cut the poor girl's hair to get it straightened out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:27:08 -0600

@Liandra Sophia blushed, rubbing the knuckles of her hand over her grimy cheek, embarrassed to be caught out in her lie. She had her doubts about just how bad it would be until she heard Liandra mention warm water. "Warm water?" Sophia sounded just as surprised at the prospect of the warm water as she had to the bath in general. "But th-that's for..." She trailed off and started to chew on her cuff. Her stomach had started up it's growling when Liandra had mentioned getting her something to eat. -This- was the life of a servant!? She felt more like she was being treated like... like royalty or something.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:59:08 -0600

@ls "Of course it's warm water," Liandra laughed a little. "Why wouldn't it be? Who takes baths in cold water?" This was an interesting woman that Aethan dumped in her lap, but she understood now why he picked her. She seemed to naturally fit the role they needed her to fill. Almost too naturally. Liandra didn't like the prospect of this girl putting on an act for them only to turn against them at the last second. Maybe she would have one of her own servants keep an eye on her. The water was already in the bath basin when they entered and the steam slowly rose up off it. Liandrra waved toward the water. "You get in, I'll have someone fetch you some food. See if you can't work out the tangles in yoru hair. Sometimes water helps." She reached over and grabbed a brush, handing it to Sophia.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:41:02 -0600

@Liandra Sophia fidgeted a little when Liandra laughed, she wasn't sure what she had said about the warm water that was so funny. Her eyes widened at the sight of the steaming water and she went over to it, dipping a finger in experimentally. Then there was a brush in her hand and Liandra looked like she was going to rush off. "Oh... okay." She managed to slip out of the dress, setting it over a ledge and stepped carefully into the tub. It fet really strange for it to be warm... strange but not unpleasant. She stood there, just looking around for a moment and she dipped the brush in the water and tugged it through her tangled locks. They were snarled and she tugged at them, working lock by lock until they mostly hung straight. After a long while of doing this, she stared at the brush and had a horrible feeling like she was about to start crying... Myyr had always brushed her hair. She had brushed Sophia's hair at least once a week... it was one of the only things that helped Sophia feel better. Feel almost happy for a few minutes. Even just before Myyr was caught, she still took the time to brush Sophia's hair one last time. Sophia touched her collar and her lip trembled. She swallowed hard and made herself keep working through the tangles as she stood in the tub.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:58:02 -0600

@ls After a little bit Liandra returned with a servant carrying a tray of food, and a livery dress. She saw Sophia just standing there in the hot water brushing her hair and stopped in her tracks. "My dear girl, what on earth are you doing? Is the water too hot?" She set the dress down and walked over, testing it with her hand. "Have you ever taken a bath before?" This was an odd girl indeed. "You sit in the water, use the cloth to scrub the grime off your skin." She pointed at the still untouched washcloth. "Put your hair in the water and wet it down to help get it clean." She had expected to find Sophia done, or nearly so, when she returned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:37:15 -0600

@Star "N-not like th-this." Sophia stammered, then blushed at Liandra's explanation, as though she really -should've- known how to do this herself. "Oh..." She sat down and picked up the cloth wetting it in the water and rubbing at her skin. She watched the water trickle through the creases of the runes before attempting to put her hair in to the water, ducking under as best she could in the tub. The little whitish yellow bit must be the soap, she thought, sniffing at it. Flowers? Sophia rubbed it over her skin too. "Like th-this?" She asked Liandra in a whisper... the smell of the food made her stomach cramp with hunger and she hoped this bath wouldn't take too long.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:11:46 -0600

@ls "Yes like that." Liandra was satisfiedand turned to continue what she was about ot do but he markings on the woman's skin caught her attention and she paused. "Aethan didn't say where you are from. You don't... belong to anyone here do you?" Why was she marked up like that? ((Damn try to post and my daughter wakes up.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 02:48:04 -0600

@Hovel "I can make people impervious to fire, but a structure this large...Does the entire building need ot be fireproofed? Perhaps judicious spellwork might do the trick." Finn said. "I do have certain spells I can cast for protection on the people here before I go off with Aethan to do whatever it is he wants me with him for." Dumond was of no help with spells, so he kept his mouth shut and looked around the room to see how it could best be defended. @The Dock Jiya watched as Alis signaled her ship. It was fascinating. And clever.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:08:17 -0600

@Star "N-no." Sophia shook her head after she had accidentally dropped the soap with a plop in the water. "Oops..." She reached around for it. "Not here an-anyway." She murmured once she found it. "I used t-to belong to V-V-Volundr for a l-long time..." She made herself say -used to-... Myyr helped her to not be owned by him anymore. @Dock It didn't take long for a boat to be rowed to the shore, the sound of paddles in the water came over to them before they could see it bump against the dock. "Lucky." Alis said with a nod. "Cap'n" The man in the boat gave a brief nod and a quick salute to her as he hopped out. "Good to see ye lookin' well if'n ye don't mind me sayin' sir." He looked to be in his forties and had the weathered look of someone who hadn't had the easiest time in life, though his beard was neatly kept and his clothes impeccable. "I don't mind it, Lucky. It's good to see you as well." Alis smiled, "These are our guests. We shall set up Miss Jiya in the guest cabins," Alis added as she started into the boat, Lucky doffed his hat to Jiya with a quick bow and offered his hand to her to help her into it as well. "From there, depending on time permitting, Mr Tornica and I might remain on the ship, or we might go back to shore for a little while." Lucky waited until Tornica was loaded into the boat as well, bowing to the man in greeting before hopping deftly back into it himself and pushing off, rowing out to where the ship was moored.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:46:16 -0600

@ Hovel Emkai had been largely quiet to this point, trying to get a feel for what sort of fight this would be from the descriptions of those who knew the area better. At Finn's talk of fireproofing, he leaned forward slightly. "That might be useful in more ways than one. If I didn't have to worry about bringing the building down on top of us all and roasting everyone else to death, I could be much more effective in combat. I suppose that doesn't matter though as I'll be going with Aethan... never mind." Seta looked from one face to the other, listening. She didn't know much of war or fighting people, but as far as she could tell the plans they were discussing made sense. Omaron obviously wasn't listening.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:28:16 -0600

@hovel Clearcall thought about what Finn said. "Well the people won't be here. It will only be us when the guards arrive. The idea is to not lose the shelter for them when they do come back. I'm not sure how just a little spell might work. I don't quite understand how yours works. But if you think you know a way to keep this place from burning down that would be a good idea. As for Emkai, it is probably a good idea to put the spell on him so that he doesn't start fires accidentally somewhere else." Aethan strolled back in, the hood of his cloak pushed back as he closed the door behind him. It had taken a little while to make his rounds, but everything seemed to be in order. "Sophia will soon be with the king. Have we come up with any defensive strategies for this place when the guards come?" He looked around. "Where's Tornica and Alis?" Damn! He needed the two of them! "They went ot take Jiya to Alis' ship," Gwenlynn informed him. She was curious about how things went with Liandra but she wasn't going to just ask. "Both of them? How long until they're back?" Aethan was trying to figure out how to ammend his plan if they didn't make it back. Blood on ash! ((Hehe I love when there's a monkey wrench thrown into the operations!)) @ls Volundr. Volundr. Liandra rolled the name through her mind and finally accepted the fact that she came back with nothing. The last thing she needed was to present Sophia to the king and have someone else show up claiming her. "Good good. Are you about done?" The girl looked like she was relatively clean now. And the food was getting cold. Liandra looked toward the small window. The sun would be up soon. "I have the meeting arranged already for first thing this morning so we will need to move quickly."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:37:55 -0600

(( :D Makes things more interesting for sure. :P )) @Star "Um... y-yes." Sophia scrubbed her face once more with the cloth and combed the rest of the tangles out of her hair before climbing out. The servant woman gave her a towel and Sophia stared at it for a moment before realising she was supposed to be drying herself off with it and then did so hastily. She slipped into the clothes provided and let the woman tie the stays, pulling her hair out of the way. The thought of the food was too tempting and Sophia made her way over to the tray, helping herself with her hands, not bothering with utensils. When she was sated (which didn't take long) she was ready to go. The brush had been run through her locks as they dried and her hair, now clean and smooth of snarls, shone like a new copper penny in the light of the rising sun. Sophia had to admit it felt much better.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:47:53 -0600

@ls Liandra watched Sophia eat in horror. Aethan where did this girl come from?! Leave it to him to find someone perfectly suited to this task. He was either incredibly lucky or had no luck at all. Thre was never anything in between for him. As Sophia finished eating, her hair being properly fixed by the servatn as she did, Liandra motioned the servant to clean the girl's hands. They just bathed her. If for some reason she was allowed to touch the king greasy, dirty hands would be unacceptable. "You look like an entirely different woman," Liandra commented with a satisfied smile. Indeed Sophia was quite pretty if not for those marks. Thankfully the dress seemed to cover them up. "Iva have the carriage summoned at once. We will leave momentarily." Iva hustled out with a curtsy and Liandra led Sophia toward the exit, the main exit. They walked through halls that were still charred from the fire, and the tapestries were mostly burned and taken down, leaving odd discolorations on the walls. In truth the place was fairly unadorned but if one looked close enough they could imagine the grandeur that was once there. When the reached the doors and stepped outside the carriage was there waiting, pulled by two fine looking horses. Liandra walked up and stepped in, leaving Sophia to follow behind her as would be proper. ((Does she have the marks on her face?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:58:15 -0600

((A couple of really tiny ones, not noticeable from a distance. One by her right eye, the other on the jaw just under her left ear.)) @Star Sophia blushed a little when Iva wiped down her hands with the wet cloth and dried them on the damp towel. She had -thought- about using the utensils but she knew she was really much more clumsy with them and so figured it was less worth the risk of getting the dress messy by using them and just using her fingers. Apparently that wasn't the right thing to do. She hoped she wouldn't be asked to dine or anything at the palace. She hoped the comment about looking so altered was a good thing, by the look on Miss Liandra's face it was. Then they were heading outside and Sophia watched as Liandra got into the carriage, clambering in after her, which she had just assumed she was supposed to do. As the carriage set off, Sophia felt flutters of nervousness in her tummy, what if something went wrong? What if she completely forgot everything she was supposed to say? She glanced at Liandra and thought about the other man Mr Aethan had introduced her to. Oh dear... what was his name? Oh... Gannon, that was it. She sighed a bit and looked at the buildings as they passed through the city.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:09:14 -0600

@ls Liandra was also looking out the window for a few minutes, then she turned her attention to Sophia. "There are a few things you should know before we arrive. I'm not going to assume anything Aethan may or may not have told you. Do not look anyone in the eye unless instructed to. You are supposed to be a servant not an equal. Do not speak unless told to or directly asked a question. Do not approach or touch the king without his permission, which I highly doubt will happen since he likely thinks I'm sending you in to knife him. Address the men as Lord and the women as Lady, the king as Your Highness, but only when they are speaking directly to you. There will be a middle aged nobleman there who will try to get the king to permit you to stay in the palace until your information can be confirmed. Don't take this as a threat, directly. Since he will be where you tell the king he is there is nothing to worry about. When you arrive in the Silver Hall you will get on your knees in from of the dias and look at nothing but the floor unless told otherwise. Do not stand unless told to. Actually, the best thing for you is to remember not to do anything unless instructed to. Very few servants are ever brought before the king. It took a lot of work to convince him this was a good idea. Do you have questions? Ask them now."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:11:02 -0600

@ Hovel "If it's necessary." Emkai didn't altogether like the idea of not being able to burn things and people-- he would have to adopt entirely different fighting tactics-- but it made sense. He'd be more likely to damage a civilian when fighting in close quarters like this as opposed to the open fields outside of Blazes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:18:09 -0600

@Star Sophia nodded with each instruction. Her eyes widened a couple of times, but then she realised even in the court with all of that going on, it was still more freedom than what she had had most of her life. Basically the principles were the same, be quiet, be small, don't look at anyone, don't listen to anyone talking about things she wasn't supposed to know about and try to pretend to be invisible. Maybe she -was- the right one for this job then... she actually smiled a little, then considered if she had any questions. "Um... w-will there be F-f-fae there? M-Mr Aethan seemed t-to think not b-but..." She wondered if Miss Liandra knew differently.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:23:52 -0600

@ls "Fae?" Liandra thought about this word. What would a fae be? Maybe something like faries? Some people liked faries to elves.... "You mean elves? If so then no. None of them would dare assciate themselves with the king. Not this king anyway." The carriage pulled up to a gate and stopped for a moment before continuing on and passing through. The front courtyard ot he palace was expansive and well tended. In fact despite the condition of the city itself, this place looked immaculate. Untouched by the poverty and chaos outside its walls. It was almost like entering a new world. When the carriage stopped at he doors Liandra waited for the carriage door to open, then stepped out before Sophia as would be proper. She didn't bother waiting for the girl, starting inside. Sophia would have to keep up like a servant should from this point out. ((And I gotta get my son up from his nap. Probably won't be able to post much more today.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:26:03 -0600

@Dock "It is just Jiya." She told Alis. She took Lucky's hand and stepped delicately into the dinghy barely making a ripple. She took a seat. @Hovel "I don't know about putting the spell on Emkai...it might harm him since he is _made_ of fire." Finn said. "But I'll do what I can for the building." He walked around the place to see where he thought the weakest points were. Which areas were most susceptible to fire. He supposed if he were the soldiers, he would simply set fire top the place and pick the inhabitants off as they ran out. But that was a tactic without honor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:51:59 -0600

@Palace "Oh good." Sophia visibly relaxed again. "As t-to the oth-other things... d-don't worry, most of my l-life has been s-sort of like that b-but even wo-worse." She managed a little smile. "I can l-look really sm-small and be very qu-quiet." Sophia stepped out of the carriage after Liandra Lady Liandra she reminded herself. She followed the woman and kept a couple of feet behind her, head and eyes down in a submissive pose. @Going to ship If Lucky heard the tiny jingling of bells or noticed how beautiful Jiya was under her caftan ((caftan... right? lol)) he made sure it didn't show on his face, Alis made sure that everyone in her crew was respectful of just about everyone they came across. If they were to be pirates, the bottom feeders of the seas, she at least wanted them to take pride in being so. She smiled as they pushed off away from the dock and Lucky started to row, whistling quietly between his teeth. "Been some chancy weather, Cap'n." He told her. "Yes, I know. Dreadful. How fares the crew?" "Well enough... Geordie's come down wi' a cough, barkin' like a chicken wi' the pip." He clicked his tongue. "He's on the mend though, were out on deck ahelpin' today." "Glad to hear it." Alis murmured, biting her thumbnail thoughtfully and glancing up at the sky. The sun was starting to peek over the edge of the cove, the ship looming closer. Soon enough they were there, Alis climbed aboard first and Lucky stayed on the boat incase the 'cap'n' needed to go ashore again. There were shouts all around for the men who were not on duty to come on deck and greet her. She waved a hand to stop them. "I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm going to see Jiya," she motioned to the lovely lady. "to the guest quarters. You are to treat her as though she were me, only better! As she's a guest." Alis smirked, knowing these men would trip over each other to fetch even a thimble of water for the woman. "Come." She motioned to Jiya. "Erm... Tornica, feel free to stay on deck and become acquainted with my men. It can be a bit... cosy down there." She said delicately, with his affliction with small spaces in mind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:35:04 -0600

@palace The palace, unlike Liandra's home, was immaculate. The walls, floors, and pottery were all polished to gleam. The tapestries on the walls still looked like new. It almost appeared as if no one walked these halls for all the wear that they showed. As Liandra led the way, escorted of course by some of the kings guards, to wait for their meeting she could see the signs of wear that someone like Sophia would never notice. Jumpy servants, new rugs, fresh paint. The fresh paint was to cover some of the damage done during the king's ascension and the chaos that surrounded his father's death. The two of them were taken directly into the Silver Hall, a large room with only two chairs. The throne and the queen's chair beside it. Unlike the hallways of black and silver marble this room was reversed from it. Silver with black marbling. A narrow pool lined the center of the room, the waters perfectly still. Several nobles were already gathered and Liandra couldn't help feeling a little nervous. At the moment the king had not arrived yet. All eyes turned to her, some hateful. No one knew why she made this unusual request. No one but the king, and he didn't know the details, just that she had information about Aethan. The wait felt like forever before the king's arrival was announced. The nobles all gave proper respect by either kneeling or giving deep curtsies as Valentis entered. He took his seat and called for everyone to rise. The man was about the same age as Liandra and Aethan, perhaps a year or two younger with pale hair and dark green eyes. There was an air of arrogance about him, as well as something else, something hard to place. "Lady Liandra, I understand you wanted to meet this morning because you have information about my cousin to share with me." "I have access to the information," Liandra confirmed. "But I want your promise here in front of everyone that my mother will be returned to us unharmed." "That depends on the value of your information. Your house hasn't been the most... dependable of Houses." Besdie him the queensat, looking a little bored with te proceedings. Liandra grabbed Sophia's arm and pulled her forward. "One of my newer servants says she knows where he is." Valentis looked Sophia over critically for a few very long seconds. "Come forward then. Tell me where he is." Several nobles shiftedfeet anxiously, waiting in anticipation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:01:21 -0600

@The dinghy ((Probably more like an Abaya, but yeah, close enough to a caftan...although, didn't they make Jiya change into clothes that were native to this town? I can't remember.)) Jiya smiled at Lucky, " Thank you," she said as she climbed the rope ladder onto the ship. She had no fear of falling with Tornica behind her and strong hands were waiting to pull her aboard when she reached the top. She smiled again at the assembled men, although most look very rough. But she had nothing to fear--Alis was their captain and her word was law. "Goodbye," She said to Tornica as she followed Alis. The sway of the ship made her walk a little syncopated, but still an exercise in grace. "I am very grateful that you are doing this for me. I am sure the Comte is grateful as well. I am sure I will be fine here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:42:47 -0600

@Ship ((Oh yeah... I think you're right. Well...we'll just say 'under the cloak' and if there are no bells, then just how lovely she is :) )) Alis waved off the thanks, trying to focus on getting her own sea legs back. "It's nothing, really." She replied, leading the way down a corridor to a comfortable looking room. It was likely not the splendour Jiya was accustomed to, being on the road or not, but it was clean and tidy. "If you need anything, just ask and they'll do what they can." She thought for a moment. "I'll send two of my men down that will be specifically here to help you." To help keep an eye on her is what Alis meant, she did trust her men but... just in case. She didn't want anything to happen. "If anything were to go awry, find Lucky, he'll look out for you." Alis lit a candle and placed it inside a glass lantern. "For now, I take my leave... see if Tornica and I can't get a bit of the fight for ourselves, eh?" She grinned and headed back to the deck. She paused to speak with two crew members, one quite young looking, no more than fourteen, the other a well groomed older looking gentleman. Then she headed over to Tornica. "Ready to head out again?" @Palace Sophia trembled a little, being in the centre of attention had never been something she liked, especially when she was -trying- to go about unnoticed. When the king was announced, she curtsied low like she saw the other women doing, head down and she didn't rise until Liandra pulled her forward suddenly, making her gasp. Now all eyes really -were- on her, she fought the urge to hide and swallowed hard, kneeling before the king with her eyes on the ground like Liandra had said. "I- I ha-have seen h-him moving th-through the hov-hovels, y-y-your High-Highness." She stammered out, quivering under the watch of so many people. "N-not even a d-da-day or tw-two ago." Her voice was very quiet, almost inaudible as she stared at the floor before her, hands clasped tightly in front of her. She reminded herself not to chew on the cuff a few times.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:52:48 -0600

@palace Valentis rolled his eyes at the serving girl. "I'm already aware of that. The tyrant has been there for a week but we can't seem to find him anywhere." He cast a dark look of anger at his guards, as if it were their fault. "If you don't know anything more than that, Liandra it won't be enough to expunge your famliy from what they have done." Liandra shifted anxiously, giving Sophia a little nudge. "Tell him the rest. You said you knew exactly where he was." Dear god woman my mother's life is at stake here. Tell him exactly where they are!

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:23:50 -0600

@Palace Sophia shivered, "Y-yes y-your H-Highness... he w-was moving ev-every n-night." She added. "App-apparently" She said quickly, hoping her words didn't give away that she knew because she had been there every move. "Th-the last one I h-had s-seen him in w-was c-close to the d-d-docks." She tried to describe exactly where it was, the surrounding buildings and the like, it was a long process through her stuttering. "H-he... I hear th-that he in-intends t-t-to hide th-there for a wh-while." She added, the cold floor biting into her knees. "It w-would be easy t-to c-cap-capture him th-there." Here eyes flicked up a bit to the base of the throne and then back down. ((Unless she was told exactly what to say about where it was before hand. Like, word for word, lol! Then just say it took her a long time to say it through her stutter. xD ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:13:32 -0600

((Sorry about my failtastic absence. I blame Madrid. It's all Madrid's fault. It's all I've been able to do to keep up with AU at the moment :p )) @ Ship Tornica had been more than happy to stay up on deck while Alis sequestered Jiya somewhere safely below. While he was curious to see what the inside of a ship properly looked like (he'd been too frightened and miserable to really pay much attention the only other time he'd been on a boat like this) he wasn't curious enough to brave what Alis termed the 'cosy' conditions. He flashed her a smile when she reappeared. "Yep, ready and willing to go. Jiya settled all right?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:24:49 -0600

@Ship "I think so. I just asked a couple of my more trust worthy men to keep an eye out for her. Everyone here is quite loyal but I think 'Monsieur Comte" She said jokingly, "would have my head if anything were to happen to her." Alis grinned as she headed back for the rowboat. "If we hurry, we might be able to get in on some of the action."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:31:05 -0600

((Oh, and I don't blame you DM! If I were there I wouldn't be posting much either! :D ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:41:31 -0600

@palace ((No that works :) )) Valentis looked at Sophia as if weighing every inch of her when in truth he was trying to decide if he should trust her or not. He took so long deliberating that the nobles started to shift feet. Even Liandra was growing incredibly nervous. The queen leaned close to him from her chair and whispered into his ear. Valentis looked at her, then nodded. "Send men to the hovel," he ordered his guard captain. "Rumor has it he isn't alone so be sure to send... adequate numbers. Just to be sure, check the other three hovels in that area. I won't risk going to the wrong one and scaring him out of the right one. If you have to... smoke him out." Some of the nobles looked displeased by the order to smoke Aethan out. Starting a fire in Mordelic just to find one man was desperate and risky. "Your Highness." One of the noblemen stepped forward. "May I suggest keeping the girl here until this can be confirmed?" The queen and king exchanged whispers again, then Valentis looked at Sophia. "You will stay here. Not just until this is confirmed. If it is true I may have other tasks for you. If it is false... well for your own sake let's hope it isn't. Before lunch I will either have his head or yours. I will not be toyed with. And Lady Liandra, if this does prove false, pray for your mother's rebirth." Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Valentis looked at them all expectantly. "Well? You are dismissed. Get out!" He stood and walked down to Sophia after two of his guards stood at her shoulders. There was no being too careful. "You will be taken for holding. Gannon!" He called to the man as he wen to leave, pausing to bow to his king. "Alert the city guards. If we do get a hold of Aethan I want the guards ready for whatever the people think to throw our way." Gannon bowed again and excused himself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:43:11 -0600

@hovel "Let's get these people out of here," Aethan sighed, watching the sun rise. Damn it all! He needed Tornica and Alis. What was keeping them? Aethan moved to start evacuating the hovel. He would have done so to the whole block if he thought he could get away with it, butit would look too suspicious.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:51:50 -0600

@Hovel "Yes," Dumond started rounding the people up encouraging them to leave. Finn began casting protection spells on the inhabitants and the building itself. Then he set about trying to make the place fireproof. @ Pirate Ship ((No problem, nagats. It's easy to forget things about other chars--I forget things abt my own chars all the time.)) Jiya looked around the small room. She was accustomed to large rooms filled with the women of the harem, not small rooms for one person. Even the Comte's tent was large and spacious. The wagon that she road in during the day was small, but she thought of it more as a very large bed since it was filled with cushions and hung with fabric. She paced around the room before sitting on the narrow bunk. There was a knock on her door, "Yes?" "We're here if you need anything, Miss." An older man said. She saw a youth peeking around the man. She smiled at them both. There were to be her guards, she presumed. The room was too small for her to invite them in.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:40:58 -0600

@Palace Sophia waited with bated breath to see what was going to happen next, would he agree? would he believe her? He should... she was being truthful even if she were worried about the outcome. When he made his decision, she stopped herself from letting out her breath too sharply, staying in the same submissive posture that came so naturally to her. Her eyes did dart to the side when she heard the man say she should stay here, was that Gannon? She couldn't tell, she didn't let her eyes go any higher than the boots of the people. Swallowing hard when she felt the guards come by her sides, she felt lightheaded when the king approached and hoped she wasn't going to faint. She was certainly trembling enough... "It w-w-will be an ho-honour t-to serve you m-my K-k-king." She murmured to his notion about having other tasks to do. She figured if she were supposedly loyal to the king, she -should- be honoured. It was far more than she ever would have said to Volundr though and a faint pink blush crept into her pale skin.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:42:16 -0600

((Oh, that's likely my last post for tonight, i'll see about getting Alis and Tornica back tomorrow unless DM happens to be around and can bunny Alis back with Tornica.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 22:40:17 -0600

@palace Two Royal guards pulled Sophia to her feet and escorted her out of the hall, down a flight of stairs, and into a room with only one very small window. The furnishings were simple. Cot, table, chair. It was more like a prison cell than a guest room. The guards whispered to each other, then one went outside the door, the other positioning himself just inside the door in case she had any ideas about trying to slip out the narrow window. ((And I will post for the others tomorrow. Sorry. I'm beat.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:53:06 -0600

@Palace Sophia stayed very quiet as she was led to the holding room. She glanced around at the simple furnishings and looked over at the guards when they took their positions. For a moment she didn't move, wondering if it were okay to have a seat. She started toward the chair but then glanced at the guard again. "W-would you li-like to s-sit on th-the chair?" She asked timidly. It couldn't be terribly comfortable standing there the whole time. She went over and sat on the cot, starting to hum a little song. "I'm just a little black rain cloud... hovering under the honey tree..." She sang quietly. @Hovel The pups had been gambolling about on the floor for quite a while but suddenly they stopped, their fluffy ears perking up and they made their way over to the door, listening intently. Then they sat back and with looks of great concentration, they started giving little squeaky howls that apparently took a lot of energy. Wolf hurried over to the window, she saw the two large wolves standing in the alleyway, not howling themselves but their fur was on end. "Someone is coming." She said to the room at large. @Coming back from ship Alis practically leapt out of the boat onto the dock, hardly waiting for Tornica as she headed to the street, half hoping the action hadn't started yet. She was glad the hovel was close to the port there. She glanced at the rising sun and quickened her steps, hopefully it was still rather early enough that a lot of people wouldn't be up and about yet.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:28:35 -0600

@palace The guard shook his head, arms crossed over his chest as he stood there watching her. It was a while before he finally spoke up. It was itching at him and he couldn't stand it anymore. It was either ask of fight off the urge to beat the woman for what she did. "Why did you turn him in?" he asked quietly so that the guard outside the door couldn't hear. Quietly but sharply. @street/hovel Aethan swore he could hear the sound of booted feet marching toward them as he returned from escorting the last of the civilians out the back so they could find safety. He looked at Wolf. "There will likely be a large number of men. If you're comfortable with it, let your wolves attack." He wasn't sure what would happen if one of the wolves was killed. Could they be killed? Would it harm Wolf if they were? he should have thought to ask that before. Tornica and Alis still weren't back yet. Someone would have to keep watch from another building if they didn't return before the rest of them were forced to flee. "Just remember, we aren't supposed to know this attack is coming," he reminded everyone. Finally the sound of boots marching closer came clearly into hearing. Gwenlynn peeked cautiously out the window and pulled in a slow gasp. "My word. Aethan..." He moved over toward her and peered out carefully as well, eyes sweeping the mass of guard in the street. "Aethan there can't be any men left at the palace." "I didn't expect much less. Valentis isn't going to make it easy for us to escape." He moved away from the window, nudging Gwenlynn to encourage her to do the same. "There are at least a hundred men out there," he told the others as a torch flew in through the glassless window. Another followed, all of the windows finding torchlight flying through. "Smoke. Wolf can you make it seem like the building is on fire with that smoke?" he asked quickly and quietly. They would know something if there wasn't smoke billowing out through the windows. "If you can just push it out the windows to make it look like there's a fire, we can run out." He grabbed the sword Finn loaned him, gripping it in both hands, heart pounding.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:30:25 -0600

((oops forgot part!)) "Emkai, your flames," he called over to the man. "When the smoke goes out let your flames blaze." That would give the illusion of the fire as well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:46:49 -0600

@Palace Sophia couldn't help fidgeting under the guard's gaze, though she tried to pretend she was invisible and not there anyway. At his question, her eyes flew up to his and then she quickly looked away again, paling. She hadn't been prepared to have more questions asked, not by other people anyway. She didn't like the tone of his voice either... he sounded... mad or something. Shouldn't they be glad that Aethan was going to be captured? He didn't look happy about it. She twisted the fabric of the gown between her fingers. "Um... h-he... he's a t-t-traitor, isn't he?" She said quietly, not looking up again. It sounded more like she was asking the guard rather than replying. "And... M-miss Liand-dra's mum is... is in tr-trouble. So th-this might help." She squirmed a bit, not sure how to go about with this lying business. She thought he would be even -more- mad if she told the truth about why she was there, even though the guards were likely already on their way. @Hovel Wolf looked troubled about having her wolves attack people... "They will... work for our defence. Protect us, if that involces attacking people, they will, but only if provoked." She said slowly. She couldn't in good conscience let them run amok, just harming people in a bloodthirsty manner. "I can do that." She nodded, pulling a fan made of feathers, with beads dangling from it from her pack along with some herbs. Grabbing one of the torches, she sprinkled the herbs on it, causing more smoke to rise. Murmuring in her own tongue, she started to move the fan and billows of smoke went toward the windows, pouring out and drifting away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:56:37 -0600

@palace The guard snorted. "That depends on who is defining the word traitor." She looked so scared, as she should be. Did she understand that one way or the other this day wouldn't end well for her. She would either be killed by the king for lying to him, or killed by the people supporting Lord Aethan for giving him up. "Lady Lydia's life is worth sacrificing for his. Lady Liandra of all people should know that." @hovel/street Aethan gave Wolf a nod of thanks. Here went nothing. He grabbed Gwenlynn's arm, keeping her close to him as he pretended to stumble out into the street, coughing from the smoke. ((Leaving the rest for the others.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:03:49 -0600

@ Hovel "Would you like my assistance at all?" Kalin offered. "An illusion of smoke and flames shouldn't be particularly difficult for me to accomplish." But there might be reasons why Aethan didn't want magic used in this particular situation. Saving their full magical strength for later or simply because there would be people out there who could tell if magic was being used rather than an actual fire blazing in the building. --- @ Trip Back "Damn," Tornica said as they started the approach back to the hovel. "That's...that's a lot of soldiers. Do you remember there being a back way into the hovel? Some way we can get in there without being seen?" There was a chance he wouldn't be recognised from the flight at the arena, but not anything he wanted to put money on.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:08:09 -0600

@Palace Sophia kept her eyes on her hands in her lap. "Why d-did she br-bring me here th-then?" She murmured, biting her lip. She told herself to be careful, she didn't want to antagonize the man, her fingers started to play with the little bell out of nervousness. Something about his wording seemed strange to her though and she looked up at him. "D-do you w-want Mr Ae-Aethan t-to be k-king?" She asked very quietly, gauging his reaction and preparing for a blow incase her question was taken badly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:43:08 -0600

@Going to Hovel "Uh... there must be a back way..." Alis replied thoughtfully, keeping out of sight of the guards. "Nine hells!" She muttered, looking up when the plumes of smoke started billowing out the windows of the place. "They're smoking them out!" She frowned and tried to recall any back alleyways to go through.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:21:46 -0600

@street/hovel "Save your power for later," Aethan told Kalin before slipping out he door. "We may need it all. The name of the game is to get everyone to escape so thi scan be reported back." More than likely with so many men out there. There would need to be some impromtu fighting here so that no one could report that they were waiting. There was likely no chance that no ne would be killed out there with so many in number against them. @palace "Lady Liandra... who knows." The guard shifted just a little. He had to be careful what he said. If this girl did live at the king's order he wsn't about to give away his true allegiance to someone with a record of tattling. "She has her ways. What I want is what's best for this country." There. She could take that any way she wanted. But it was about time -someone- became king.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:41:39 -0600

@Palace Sophia chewed on her bottom lip a little, just quietly watching the guard for a moment after he spoke. He -had- seemed angry when he asked her why she turned Aethan in. She wondered if he -were- really on the king's side or not. She remembered what Mr Gannon had said about the guards just being loyal to the crown. Maybe it was any crown. "M-Mr Aethan will b-be a better k-king." She said, looking down at her dress, saying it so quietly that he might'venot heard her. She wanted to see just what he might say if she were t oassume he wanted Aethan to be king instead... truthfully she wasn't scared of what they might try to do if he didn't like her comment, she had been through so much that there wasn't much to be feared, especially from humans. @Hovel The two wolves outside remained in the alley, waiting to see what was going to happen, their hackles raised. They watched Gwenlynn and Aethan come out, tilting their heads in confusion. They could smell the smoke, tinged with some sweetness from the herbs, but the smell of burning and the heat wasn' t there.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:58:42 -0600

@palace The guard was looking out he small window but at the sound of Sophia's soft, timid voice his eyes flicked over to her. "Dangerous words. The king has beheaded people for even implying as much." If hse felt that way... "If you really think that, then why did you turn him in?" His dark eyes were locked on Sophia curiously, nad he kept his voce carefully quiet so that no one outside could hear him. This girl he could deal with if he had to. He didn't want to deal with the king's questioners.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:17:26 -0600

@Palace "Beheaded?" She echoed quietly, not sounding overly impressed. If -that- was all... well then. Sophia swung her legs a bit over the side of the cot, thinking. It likely would only matter for a little bit longer... only until Mr Aethan and the others came to the palace... -if- they could. She started singing quietly to herself again while she weighed out the options... "Everyone knows that a rain cloud, doesn't eat honey... n-" Stopping mid verse and glancing up at him, she gave him a timid smile. "So-someone once said th-that the r-royal g-guards are loyal t-to the cr-crown... n-not just a per-person... is th-that t-true?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:18:44 -0600

((I meant to say, she's ignoring that question (saucy girl! O_O lol), it's not that I forgot to answer it. lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:39:54 -0600

@palace As Sophia started to sing again the guard turned his attention back to the window, listening for sounds from the hall as he did. When she just stopped and asked about the royal guard loyalty he looked at her sharply. "Interesting question for a servant ot ask. Why should it matter to you?" He worked the situation over in his mind carefully. "Loyalty is... tricky. As for who is loyal, I can't tell you names. There are some loyal to the crown, others to the king, and no one wants to cross -them-." Those people who questioned the men in charge of the royal guard usually turned up missing, or mysteriously died. He had no desire to do either with a wife and two children to take care of.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:59:29 -0600

@Palace Sophia blushed, maybe she was being too obvious. She -had- to be good at doing this job... it was basically the only one she had been given! "Um... it's in th-the int-interest of everyone t-to have a g-good kingdom." She murmured, not looking at him. "Are y-you loyal t-to the cr-crown or the k-king?" She asked him bluntly, finally looking at him again, dark blue eyes filled with open curiousity and not a bit of hostility.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:17:57 -0600

@palace Well, she had a point about that. It was in the interest of everyone to have a good kingdom, which required a competent king. Valentis was hardly that. When she asked about his loyalty he looked away. It felt like a trap. Was she a plant? Was she one of the queen's spies? She could be even more coniving and tricky than her husband. "I am loyal to my family," he replied carefully. "Whatever that requires of me." If he had to bow before that masocistic excuse for a king then so be it. "You never answered me. Why did you turn him in?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:18:51 -0600

@ Outside "Smoke?" Tornica said, eyes snapping back to the hovel. "Death's Mercy! We've got to get them out of there?" Now...was there a way to get to them and break down the door without being spotted by the guards? He didn't think so...but he couldn't exactly just leave Kalin in there to burn or choke. "Fuck, what do we do? We can't just casually approach a building that's on fire. The guards are going to notice something's up with that."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:32:25 -0600

@Palace "Fa-family? Oh! Are you a d-daddy?" Sophia asked, sounding amazed and intrigued when he mentioned family. She watched him for a long moment and fidgeted again. He had looked away... "So you th-think M-Mr Aethan is g-going to be a b-b-better king..." She whispered. "Me t-too... he's v-very nice, I th-think." She thought that if someone were loyal to this king and this king only, they would've just answered right away that they were loyal to him. At his repeated question, she glanced at the door and back at him, the cuff of her borrowed dress making it's way slowly to her mouth. "Hetowdmeto" She mumbled quietly around it. @Going to Hovel Something was off about this. "Hang on... let's not do anything rash." Alis said, putting a hand on Tornica's arm. They couldn't just go about running into things. There was smoke, clearly, and she could see the flickering of flames but there was no screaming or crying out or... anything. It was just a bit too quiet. "Burning people tend to scream, yes?" she asked as though to confirm it. "What on earth are they doing?" She saw some soldiers move, it was like something suddenly set them in motion and she tried to see through the haze what it could be. "Damnitall... well, what do you say? Charge in or... wait to see if they need back up?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:21:04 -0600

((Is anyone else comingout of the hovel? lol You know, faking smokeout.)) @palace "You're talking like he is -going- to be king." The guard didn't answer her question. "Do you have any idea what was just sent at him? If you gave the king reliable information Lord Aethan will be dead before lunch." He said it all with a cold detachment. In truth his stomach plummeted. If he died no one would ever stand up to the king. His job was a job. It gave him just enough to scrape by and put food on the table, but if he ever wanted to go anywhere, get ahead or provide a better life for his family it would never happen under the current rule. He narrowed his eyes at Sophia, trying to figure out what it was she said. "What was that?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:14:30 -0600

((Agh, I'm sorry. I don't have an excuse for not posting sooner.)) @ Hovel Seta and Omaron came barreling out of the hovel, coughing and looking a bit dazed. Seta couldn't keep from glancing around at the square as she ran; it would have been better if she didn't. The sheer number of guards was enough to make her slow down a bit. Omaron groaned to himself. "This is crazy, completely crazy." Emkai waited just one moment while the others fled the building, then pulled off his cloak and his shirt. His flames danced upward, but he made sure to keep himself from being seen directly through the windows. It wouldn't do for someone to see that the flames had a very humanoid shape to them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:54:15 -0600

((Sorry, looks like I missed a lot of the big battle. You can always bunny Finn to fight or heal people. And Dumond to fight.)) ((Nine Hells, Alis? Finn thought there were only seven. :) )) Finn stayed by Aethan since that what was Aethan had asked him to do, waiting for him to give him instructions. "Shall we 'flee' this burning hovel?" Dumond said to Kalin. I imagine they will try to pick us off as we leave, so going in numbers is the better way to go, I think. We can watch each other's backs." He went out the door. ((So is the idea for us just to flee, or will we have to fight? I can't imagine the guards would let anyone coming out of the hovel get away, esp when most of us don't look anything like locals at all.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:17:54 -0600

((Sorry...I think I kind of missed what the plan was meant to be about. I thought they were just going to pretend the building was on fire so they could hide in it without the soldiers coming in to investigate. Serves me right for trying to catch up when still tired from the trip back :p )) @ Hovel Kalin nodded. "Come on Kezia, time to go." The girl nodded and came over to join them, Kalin directing her to stand closer to Dummond. "If I'm keeping my magic under wraps until it's absolutely needed, he'll do a much better job of protecting you than me. Stick close to him or Finn if this starts going sour." The two mages followed after Dummond as he quit the building, Kalin assisting with the illusion by choking on a lungfull of the smoke Wolf was producing. --- @ LS Tornica sagged in relief when he finally saw some shapes emerging from the building. And given the size and shape of one of the people it was definitely Kalin. "Should we go down and help them you think?" he asked. "Concerned citizens assisting their fellow man or whatever? Help them get through the guards?" He hoped this wasn't what Aethan needed him for. A fine thing if the one thing he'd been asked to do was the thing he was late for.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:28:25 -0600

((lol! Yes, nine hells, that's what is taught where Alis comes from anyway. Seven's looking not so bad now, eh? xD )) @Palace Sophia nodded, she knew what had been sent to the hovel. Lots of people probably, just like what Mr Aethan had said would happen. She shrank back a tiny bit at the look he gave her and took the cuff out of her mouth slowly. "He t-told me t-to." She said very quietly. Had it been the other guard, she likely wouldn't have said anything at all... this man seemed... nice almost. She looked down at her hands, tugging the sleeves down over her knuckles. It didn't really matter now anyway, did it? If he wasn't trustworthy, she didn't have to say any more about the plans. But the guards were already going to the hovel. Sophia sighed quietly and rubbed at her eye sleepily. It had been a big day so far, regardless of the excitement, she was tuckered out by it. @Hovel Wolf gave Emkai a smile as she continued to waft the smoke out of the windows with her fan. When she thought it was about enough, she put her fan away quickly and made her way out the door, coughing like the others, covering her mouth and nose with the sleeve of her dress. @DM "Fellow man? I think it's a bit late for that unless you know how to play -really- ignorant. I'm pretty sure if they're being smoked out, the guards know who it is they're after." Shetried to think... "C'mon... let's see if there's a back way in. If not, we'll... find another way to go about things." She started around to the back of the buildings.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:54:38 -0600

@palace That made the guard blink. "He... who...? Lord Aethan? He -told- you to turn him in?" What sort of game was she playing at? If that was true, it meant that for better or worse, by the end of this day there would either be a new king, or the old one would finally seize victory. I have to do something. He stared hard at Sophia for several long minutes before finally opening the door. "Vin, the dragon stirs." "Now?" Vin, the guard outside looked confused. "Are you sure?" He stepped closer to the other guard and quietly told him what Sophia just mentioned. The guard Vin looked at her as if wondering if it was a trap. "We don't know that we can trust her and I'm not summoning the saddle unless I know." "If she's right we could have limited time to make the offering," the guard inside argued in an insistent, hushed tone. "If she's right we wait for Cylumet's vengance before making the offering. If we act prematurely nothing will keep this city together." He shot a dark look at Sophia. "We wait for Cylumet's vengance, then I will summon the saddles for the offering." ((Damn, I typed this part and my daughter woke up so I don't have time for more right now. Hopefully in an hour or two I can type up the rest.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:16:34 -0600

((Hmm, that would have been a good plan too, DM. Except the soldiers would probably get suspicious when the place didn't turn to ashes.)) ((Nagats, Teagan says says, nine, seven, it all sucks when you have to crawl through it on your hands and knees over broken glass...)) @Hovel Finn looked around trying to see if the guards were approaching. He stayed close to Aethan. He was the one he needed to protect if any of them had hopes of ever leaving this place. @Ship Jiya was bored. She peeked out of the doorway to her room, "Hello?" She stepped out into the corridor. "Is there a lute on board?" She highly doubted there was an oud. "Or a guitar? Some sort of stringed instrument? I am bored and thought I could play music while I wait for everyone to return.."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:00:14 -0600

((Touche Tig, touche. lol)) @Ship Stephen ((the young sailor, recently christened by the authoress... :P )) poked his head around a corner, he was always close to the guest quarters but he didn't want the young lady to think he was... well... guarding her or anything. "Music, ma'am?" He asked, a light coming to his eyes. "Why to be sure, I can probably find you something." He tugged his forelock politely and darted away to see what he could find. It took a few minutes but soon he was back with what looked like a ukelele, and a little flute that someone had provided. There were a few more men who were off duty that had seen him going off with the instruments and followed to see what was going on. "Beggin' your pardon miss, no guitars here, the salt and water would surely ruin them too quickly but i've found these..." He held them up for her to inspect and looked hopeful. @Palace Sophia only met the guard's gaze briefly and held it as he was looking at her so intently for only a fraction of a moment. She wasn't used to being noticed and she didn't like it. She squirmed a little on the cot, feeling pinned under his eye. Had she done the wrong thing? He seemed... he seemed like he wanted a different king... She nodded at his question though, "He said th-that I w-was the only one he tr-trusted t-to do the j-job..." She -still- sounded amazed at that. "Ev-even though I st-stutter and I'm shy!" She looked up again when he crossed the room to the door and spoke with the other guard. Her eyes widened slightly and she bit her bottom lip, glancing at Vin and then away again. She wondered if they might not realise that she could hear them, though she pretended not to be able to. Sometimes that was for the best. She couldn't possibly imagine what they meant by the words though... Shivering when she caught the look from Vin, she made sure her gaze was averted, her eyes on the floor. Her stomach decided it had waited long enough from the breakfast she had been given and gave a surprisingly loud rumble for such a small person. Sophia looked down at her tummy with surprise.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 00:03:30 -0600

@Ship ((Is the flute a penny whistle or something more like a recorder?)) Jiya laughed delightedly, "What a tiny guitar! How sweet!" She beamed and took the instrument. "I play flute as well, but I cannot sing and play that at the same time." She strummed the tiny guitar and tuned it to what seemed pleasing to her ear. She strummed and sang a slightly bawdy song, one she had sung for the Comte thinking it would appeal to him. It had not. But she thought the sailors might enjoy it. It was about a woman who was locked in her room, but she would throw the key out the window to her lover.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:15:23 -0600

((Same disclaimer as with the AU thread: might miss something because I kind of skimmed what was going on in order to be able to post. But I was able to get to this earlier than I thought I would :D )) @ LS "The level of ignorant I can play is really quite great," Tornica said dryly. "Unfortunately I have a ridiculous amount of practice at the real thing." But if Alis had a better idea he was more than happy enough to go along with that. And this was why Alis was a captain and Tornica was severely lacking in confidence even when in charge of a small group of people: keeping a level head in a crisis. So he obediently followed her round to try and find a back way out, hoping they'd be able to reconnect with the others before too long.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:22:42 -0600

@ Hovel Emkai offered Wolf a tense smile of his own as she left. Just a little longer, and he'd pull his cloak back on and leave. That is, unless Aethan said differently.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:30:27 -0600

((Likely more of a penny whistle.)) @Ship The men looked delighted at her playing, the ones off duty crowding into the hallway to hear her. Applauding and chuckling after her song ended. They started to call out songs, seeing if she knew any of the requests, Stephen looked at them and frowned a little. "Erm.. if you please, Miss... do you know any ballads?" He asked, sounding shy. His suggestion was met with great approval. @Going to hovel Alis couldn't help a quiet laugh at Tornica's words, she smirked. "Well, if if comes in handy sometimes..." She replied, heading quickly to the alleyway behind the hovel. She wasn't -positive- that the place wasn't on fire, but there wasn't the heat associated with a place burning down. Not that she could tell. Around the back was a slight overhang that caught her eye. She followed the path they could take, eyes moving from one ledge to sill and so on. "Come on, I'll give you a boost onto that overhang, then you can help me up." She crouched and put her hands together for him to take a step on. "We'll get up as high as we can... likely we'll be able to get onto the roof and have a better view of where we can jump in." She grinned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 13:47:32 -0600

((Sorry all. I guess I didn't have Aethan speak clearly. Doesn't surprise me as my brain has been very lazy of late. The idea is to make the guards think the building is on fire, thus smoking them out into the street, then to try and escape.)) @streets As the group started to stumble out into the street the guards moved in, surrounding them as best hey could while keeping distance from the burning building. Since Aethan had both Gwenlynn and Finn with him the majority of the guards moved toward them, trying to force the three apart by swinging swords and using their shields to try and push Aethan away from the others. Thankfully some of Aethan's training while away from Mordelic came in handy. While he couldn't stop the shields from pushing at him, he was able to easily parry the swords. Only so many could attack him at once because of space. Since Finn seemed the larger threat because of his sheer size, a large number of the men also tried ot force him away from the rest of the group, or more importantly from Aethan. A handful of guards tried to corral Wolf, grappling to grab her as she stumbled out the door just before Clearcall. He came out, his hunting knife bared and as ready to fight as hewould ever be. Seeing the guards try to grab Wolf he tried fighting his way toward her and was stopped when a couple of guards managed to get their hands on him from behind. A smaller group moved around Seta and Omaron. A timid girl and frail man didn't seem like as much of a threat as the others. Like with Wolf, they tried to sieze the two of them. The king wanted everyone with Aethan taken preferably alive, but if they proved a nussance, dead was just as well. When Kalin, Dumond, and Kezia came out the remaining guards surrounded the three of them, trying to capture them with sword, shield, or hand. Whatever means they had to do so. All of hte guards were of course wary of the weapons. A barking order came from somewhere within the mess of guards, all hundred of them moving one way or another to fight someone in the group. But at the back of the mess four of the guards turned and headed the other way in pairs, turning in different directions at the intersection. Now that they knew where AEthan was they would summon the guards at the other hovels. ((Feel free to improvise on the fight however, This is totally impromptu so I have no specific plans for the fighting.)) @palace Sophia did seem like the perfect plant. Someone that would most likely avoid suspicion because of how timid she was. If she was telling the truth then Lord Aethan was playing his game with a full set of pips. That also meant that there was a chance he would succeed. Knowing that the attack was coming gave him a significant advantage. Especially with the training he had in the way that the guard operated. He closed the door as Vin took his post in the hall again, watching Sophia with interest now. Vin was right. If she was lying they couldn't afford to risk exposure. He heard her stomach but kne wthat until it was either confirmed or denied what she reported to the king there was no way she was getting anything right now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:19:24 -0600

@Fight Wolf wrenched back from the guards reaching for her, managing just barely enough time and room to grab her dagger, pulling it out and taking a defensive stance. She had her arrows but at this close proximity they wouldn't do much good unless she lost her dagger and were to use the sharpened tips as a spear. Seeing some of the others get grabbed and feeling two strong pairs of hands yank her arms back, she called to the wolves in her tongue, barely noticing the looks of confusion on thet faces of the guards who heard her. There was a slight commotion and a few cries of surprise as the two massive furry forms came barrelling through the guards, thundering toward her. She ducked slightly and tensed her arms incase the guards didn't let go when the wolves leapt at them. The huge paws caught the guards in the chest, they were too surprised to do anything before being knocked flat on their backs, wheezing for air. Wolf scrambled to her feet and gauged the smoke around them, apparently making a decision, she pulled out the fan again, yanked out two of the feathers and stuffed the fan away again before holding the two feathers over the heads of the wolves. She began to murmur hurridly under her breath and the smoke began to swirl. Beads of sweat appeared on her brow but she only needed a moment more until... Suddenly there was a multitude of men and a few women dispersed throughout the clashing crowd, all carrying weapons and looking fierce. They had the same manner of dress Wolf had had when she arrived and appeared quite solid, though there was a paleness to them and there was slightly less smoke around. Wolf knew the illusion wouldn't last long but it would hopefully distract the guards at least a little. She told the wolves to go out and defend whoever was in need of help. One took off to aid Clearcall, the other to bother the guard going for Aethan and Gwenlynn. The guards who had grabbed her before were getting their wind back and came at her, one of the 'smoke' men stepped in front of them, making them pause as it glared at them. One took his sword and lunged, blade swishing through the air, as it came in contact with the illusion, the smoke man dissipated.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:01:02 -0600

@streets/fight As Wolf tried to pull feathers from her fan and work her spell more of hte guards advanced, though they looked wary of her wolves. They were just aout on her when the men and women clad in skins appeared. It made the guards hesitate a moment before moving forward again. When one of the smoke men disappeared after being slashed with a sword the guards called out the order to do so to all of them. Aethan couldn't hold to Gwenlynn's hand as he fought. It was impossible with the sword. She stod at his back, fighting with her dagger when he heard a yelp that sounded hauntingly like her. the image of Astrid and Hizlendi on the mural flashed through his head and he felt a moment of panic, turning to grab at Gwenlynn to make sure she was okay. The act of doing this forced him to lower th sword for a moment. A guard had a hand around Gwenlynn's blade wrist, twisting it around so she couldn't fight with it as he pulled her off. Aethan growled and charged toward them but was met by a sudden wall of shields shoving him back. As his step faultered he felt a blade slice his side but it clenched his jaw and lifted his sword to fight hi way to her. Men and women suddenly appeared and the guards hesitated a moment, giving him a chance to charge at the shiels, lowering his shoulder to try and force between two of them. he was pushed back again and he realized that he was slowly being nudged further and further from the others.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:19:42 -0600

((damn, I picked a bad time to have no net. I'll keep up as best I can tomorrow. Luck I'm visiting my parents this weekend)) Kalin eyed the men surrounding them warily. He wanted to keep his magic under wraps as much as possible...but with this crowd there was only so much he could do. It wasn't like he was armed with anything else. His muskets was inconvenienally back home. "do nothing unless I say otherwise," he hissed to Kezia. Then he reached into his magic and sent out a pulse to knock the soldiers back. It didn't use much power and wouldn't hinder them a great deal, but it would hopefully make them nervous enough to give dummond the edge he needed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:57:33 -0600

@Ship "I am sorry," Jiya shook her head. I do not know any of those songs, at least by any of those names. She smiled at Stephen, "I know many ballads." And unlike in her own world, she would not have to try and translate them, although The Comte preferred to have her sing them in the original. She wished she had an oud or guitar though. She played the ukelele like it was a mandolin. ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev9ov-luIvc&feature=BFa&list=PL987883E)) Jiya sang: ((this is a translation I found of this song online.)) Look me in the eyes under the stars Hear, there is something that the wind tells us Sometimes the biggest screams are like a whisper Don't they know, the biggest storms come and go We stole love from the angels We're attached to each other so tightly. She smiled as the notes faded away and nodded her thanks to the man who had taken up the flute to accompany her. @Burning Hovel festival ((I forget, did Aethan tell everyone to do this with as little bloodshed as possible? Finn and Dumond will assume that for now.)) Finn began singing a rousing song that would help Aethan's people to hit harder and be harder to hit. With his long reach, he could keep the soldiers at bay on one side of Aethan. He was fighting defensively, trying not to main or kill, just make a path for Aethan and he hoped, the others to escape. Dumond for his part, fought to keep the soldiers away from himself and Kalin. Although he had never fought with someone who could use magic, he had enough tactical sense to know that the magic user must be protected in order to cast his spells. Although he was rather thick with muscles from the life of a solder--he was no court fop, he was agile enough when he fought. He used his sword, the pommel, his foot but they were sorely outnumbered. He hated to tell Aethan but blood would be spilled today if they were to escape.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 23:30:05 -0600

@fight ((He did. As little bloodshed/injuries as they can manage. He doesn't want anyone hurt but if they have to escape they have to do what they have to do. He knows that.)) Gwenlynn couldn't wrench her hand away to use her knife. She reached over to grasp it with the other and felt a hand wrap around her other wrist, pulling her back. Damn! She wasn't going to prove the weakest link here and she knew that Aethan wouldn't flee as long as she was in their hands. Gwenlynn tried to tap the Essence, to pull some if it, any of it, into her so that she could escape their grip long enough to gain control. Aethan saw the path Finn was cutting for them to escape and he started toward it, then looked back and saw Gwenlynn in the hands of the guards. Valentis would do anything to her to get to him. He couldn't let her fall into his cousin's hands. When Kalin's blast hit the guards around them they fell back, and the guards behind them called out in alarm. "Magic user!" This call brought more men to their numbers as some abandoned their current fight.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:19:54 -0600

@Fight "To me!" Finn called out hoping the others could make their way through the soldiers. He retreated a little to give Aethan more cover. They should have sent Gwenlynn to safety with Jiya. What did the women think she could accomplish fighting armoured soldiers with a dagger? he should have asked her if she could use a sword, he could have given her one of the charmed ones that never missed. Bollocks. He fought harder. They could not afford to have anyone taken. If that emant a few soldiers were hurt in the process--that was the way it was going to be. he no longer needed to sing to keep the spell working. Finn let out a blood-cuddling war cry and laid about him with vigor. Dumond said to Kalin and Kezia, "We need to move that way. The giant is clearing a path that way. He did what he could to cover the two and like Finn, decided that he was not going to hold back as much as he had. They were sorely outnumbered and if they were to escape, many of these soldiers would have to fall.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 00:31:12 -0600

@ Streets Emkai looked out to see that just about everyone was engaged in fighting. Well, no use going for subtlety now. It was time to strike fast and strike hard. He jerked his things back on except for his gloves, then gripped the hilt of his sword to send a streak of flame down its edge. A grim smile crossed his face. This was something he was good at. He leapt out of the hovel's doorway as soon as a knot of guards passed and swung out at them, hoping that the fire and his sudden appearance would frighten them into scattering. Seta, meanwhile, was having a rather hard time of avoiding trouble. First she was separated from Omaron, which was bad enough, and then she'd had to duck behind some rubbish piled outside of someone's home to avoid being trampled or spotted by another group of guards. It wasn't even a good place to shoot from, she thought in frustration. However, she did have a clear line of sight to Gwenlynn and the guards holding her. Quietly, swiftly she put an arrow into her crossbow. Once there was a clear shot, she took aim and fired. No time to think about the fact she was aiming at a human. It was necessary, and that was all that mattered-- though she didn't aim to kill anyways. A shot to the shoulder with the drug on the arrow would be plenty to knock him out of the picture. Omaron stumbled through the smoke and illusions like someone who'd been recently hit in the head. Which he was, unsurprisingly; in the panic he'd stumbled over something laid out in the street and bonked himself against the cobblestones. With one hand to the trickle of blood coming out from under his hair, he looked desperately from one side to the other for an ally, a hiding place, anything-- and as though in answer to his wishes, he saw Wolf standing nearby in a haze of smoke and illusory warriors. "Thank the Flame!" he said a little too loudly to himself, taking off eagerly in her direction, as a warning hissed in the back of his head. Look around you idiot, don't you see-- Something grabbed his shoulder. He turned to see not a guard, but a filthy young man with a knife. It didn't look like he'd eaten in some time; it was no surprise he'd want to take advantage of this situation. He raised the knife toward his throat. With a strength that wasn't his own, Omaron's hand shot up to grasp his wrist. Something went very wrong in his face; it was as though any fright, any emotion besides a completely detached hatred had leeched right out of his expression. "Unhand us mortal. You'll find you're quite out of your league."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:27:52 -0600

((Because now seems to be as good a time as any...)) The fight was well and truly started by the time Tornica and Alis made their way down to the others. Finn was trying to rally people around him and Tornica heard the cry of 'Magic user!' from the soldiers. He didn't know for sure but he was better that was referring to Kalin. Finn had that oversized sword he could use rather than resorting to just magic. Drawing his own sword he let out a warcry and barrelled into the fight, aiming to get to Kalin and help defend him. --- Kalin nodded and Dummond's instructions, holding more magic ready to defend himself with if necessary. They were mostly defensive spells but the best defense was a good offense so he had a few of his more...dramatic offensive spells prepped as well. Flashy and frightening, but nothing instantly lethal. He knew some bloodshed would be necessary but Aethan would probably prefer it if he didn't use the spells that could instantly decapitate someone if he could avoid it. He'd keep that in reserve for if they absolutely needed it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:24:09 -0600

((Oh... ok, I guess Tornica and Alis are just going to go to the fight. She had planned on finding a low part of the overhang to jump down into the frey of the battle but... I guess this works too. Disregard that post then. :) )) @Fight Wolf thought she heard the sound of Omaron's voice but she couldn't see him at the moment, the guards were starting to press in on her. She turned one way and the other, dagger out and standing in defense. Something struck her hard across the face when her attention was turned to a guard in the opposite direction and she gasped, seeing stars. Blinking to try and clear her head, she vaguely felt herself being grabbed from behind, her arms twisted behind her as two more guards appoached from the front. She let them get close before using what momentum she could, kicking up (blast the long dress!) and placing a well aimed foot at one of the guard's noses. There was a snapping sound and the guard cursed, hand over hisface. The man behind her tightened his grip and the uninjured guard came up and struck her across the face again. The wolf going to Aethan and Gwenlynn bounded up to the guard holding onto Gwenlynn's arm and sank it's teeth into his wrist, powerful jaws tightening into flesh and muscle and not letting go, teeth bared and growling fiercely. The other, going to help Clearcall, leapt at the guards around him as it had done to the ones attacking Wolf, the size of it making it easier to plough into the group of men, snarling with it's hair on end. Alis pulled her blade out of the scabbard and swung into action, clashing steel with the guards who came at her. She was a very skilled swordsman and managed to disarm about seven of them before the sheer number started to overwhelm her. Dodging weapons and fists, she worked her way through more to the centre of the fighting.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:33:10 -0600

Aethan knew this wasn't going to be easy. He knew that Valentis was going to send everything he could their way. There was little he could do to avoid injuring anyone. Not if they all wanted out. Trying to injure but not seriously harm anyone, Aethan's sword moved through the two-handed forms the Elogi taught him in the north, trying to fight his way to Gwenlynn. Again he was met by shields pressing him back, trying to corral him away from the others and for the most part it was working. He swung his sword low, slicing a the calf of one of hte men holding a shield and swinging it around to do the sam to the man standing beside him. The two fell to their knees, making a hole for AEthan to slip through only for him to have to do the same again. By the time he reached the third row of shields the guards figured him out and lowered their shields when he went ot swing. Where was Glomme when you needed him? Gwenlynn finally felt it, enough earth for her to work with. She wasn't sure where it suddenly came from but she wasn't going to baulk at it either. As she murmured in elvish one of the guards holding her went down with an arrow to the shoulder. The other guard was momentarily distracted as he looked up at Seta, calling out her location to the guards close to her. Gwenlynn smile as a patch of brittle grass turned into thick, tall stalks, wrapping around the guards around her and tying them up. Their weapons clanked to the ground as they fell from their hands. She wasn't sure how long the spell would hold for but it gave her a chance to move toward the others. A small group of guards closed in on Seta quickly. One ripped the bow out of her hands while two more tried to grab her hands and pull them back. A fourth pulled out a potato bag and put it over her head before she could duck away. "Go!" The two trying to hold her pulled her away from the fight, covered by the third as the fourth turned back to the main fight. As he turned grass shot up around him and his sword fell from his limp hand as he was lifted off the ground with a scream of terror. "Go!" The thrid called to them as he tried ot hack at the thick stalk of grass. The group of guards around Kalin, Kezia, and Dumond grew larger as reinforcements from the other two hovels began to show up. They were wary of the three because of the magic user and the skilled swordsman, but there were far more of them than there were the three so they still advanced, trying to move them away from the rest of the group and separte the three of them so they could be taken. The sudden appearnace of Tornica took the men at he back of the group by surprise and they spun around to fight him. When Emkai lept out the door some of the men scattered in alarm, some turned their shields on him, staring at the flames. Thinking that he was on fire and so not a threat to them they turned their attention away from him and back to the main fight. More of the royal guards were filling the street around them and Aethan knew they had limited time left to escape if they were going to. "Retreat!" He called to the group. "Rally to Finn and retreat!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:39:16 -0600

((Sorry Wolf!)) As some of the guards around Wolf fell back with injuries one was managing to keep hold of her. Another came up from the side, wary after seeing how she kicked, and pulled a potato sack overher head, pulling it back to disorient her. "Go!" he called to the guard holding her. The one holding her started to pull back fro mteh fray to the cover of his comrades. When Alis jumped into the fray some of the guards were alarmed as others had been by Tornica. However they recovered quickly, fighting to get closer to her and get her to let her guard down so they could grab her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:29:22 -0600

((Oh...bollards, sorry LS :( I completely missed that. We could say that Alis is still going on with a sensible plan and Tornica just lost his head and charged?)) With the distraction of Tornica charging into the back of the group trying to surround them Kalin took the opportunity to cast another simple barrier spell. He aimed the blow at around the ankles of the soldiers with the intention of tripping them rather than pushing them back. He started edging away towards Finn, pushing Kezia ahead of him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:33:40 -0600

@Fight Alis chuckled as the guards came closer, giving an air of nonchalance and almost arrogance about how they were attacking her. "C'mon...' She winked at couple of them and crooked a taunting finger at them. "Are you really the best that the palace can send?" She teased, flashing her blade this way and that. She heard the call from Aethan and glanced over to where Finn was, starting to fight her way over in that direction, still laughing at some of the attempts the guards were making, even when she was sometimes slashed, nicked and felt blows here and there. Wolf gritted her teeth as the guards came at her, still slightly reeling from the blows she had been given. Still, she wasn't going to make it easy on them and she bucked, trying to get the bag off of her head, when that didn't work she flung her head back and up, trying to butt into the face of the man holding her. She heard shouting as her arms were wrenched painfully behind her, felt a sharp blow on the back of her head, collapsed, and then there was nothing.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:39:27 -0600

The guard holding Wolf cursed as he felt his lip start to swell. After they knocked her out another guard helped heft her over his shoulder and the two retreated down an alley, disappearing with her in tow. So far she was the only one they successfully captured but with any luck they could at least get the man they came for. If not, he would come for her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:11:46 -0600

((lol! No worries DM, the good thing about being the authors is that we can usually write our way around and out of things, eh? :D ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:09:56 -0600

Seta might have been good with a bow and a knife, but one used entirely different tactics when hunting giant insects than when taking on an entire group of armed guards. Too many came upon her too fast, and before she could do anything more than clamber to her feet they had her. Strong arms twisted her own behind her back. In a last ditch attempt to escape, she brought her head back as hard as she could when the sack went over her head, hoping to headbutt someone in the face. Or chest; she was pretty short. Meanwhile, the guards near Emkai had made a grave error. The sword whipped out swiftly, not aiming to kill. All he had to do was let the flame touch their clothes after all, and they'd be far too distracted to think about much else. The man Omaron/Shard had grabbed by the wrist jerked, trying to get away, but Omaron hung on. Then slowly, with a sickening crack, he twisted the hand around at a very unpleasant angle. The would-be mugger yelped in pain, finally managing to jerk free and run. "Swine." He turned to watch the fight, looking utterly unperturbed by the chaos around him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:53:09 -0600

The guards holding Seta used the same method as the ones that took Wolf. The one guard knocked her over the head to knock her out and they slung her over his shoulder, fleeing up the alley and disappearing with the cover of the other guards.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 22:42:20 -0600

((Just a heads up. I won't be around tomorrow until late evening to post.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:16:48 -0600

((Aw crap, did Wolf and Seta just get captured?)) Finn let out a strong of colorful Gaelic curses and laid about him, the heat of battle beginning to overtake him. He still was trying not to kill, but if the soldiers were wounded, so be it. More soldiers were coming. They had to get out of here. He began singing another song, one to put fear in the hearts of the attacking soldiers. ((All soldiers make a saving through vs. fear. LOL)) He did his best to keep the way clear for them to retreat. For Dumond's part, he found the songs of the giant very heartening. He felt like a hero of old. He thrashed at the soldiers around him with renewed spiri shouting the battle cry of his own demesnes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:39:35 -0600

Kalin did not like this. He really did not like this. He'd completely lost sight of the bigger picture of the battle. There was too much going on and everyone else was so damn tall that he couldn't see over their heads. He couldn't shove people away because he had no idea who he'd be shoving people into, he couldn't see where his own side was well enough to try targeting any of his standard battle spells, and- His head snapped back and pain exploded through his jaw. And he'd just been clubbed in the jaw by someone else's back swing. He supposed he should just be grateful it had been the pommel rather than the actual blade. But he could currently barely see given how bad his eyes were watering. Kezia was frightened. She'd been in fights before, but they were street brawls with only a couple on either side and escaping had been considerably easier. She'd known the streets for starters, knew where the best escape routes were and where to hide. But this was just chaos as far as she could see, and there were more and more men crowding around them trying to get at Kalin. Their attempts to get to Finn weren't going particularly well, despite Kalin's attempts to shove her ahead of him. When she saw his head go snapping back she screamed. And with the scream and fright came a burst of uncontrolled magic, lashing out at the crowd with a burst of fire and lightning.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:57:33 -0600

((Just a quick post. And yes the two of them were captured.)) A guard closedi n on Kalin with a sack, thrusting it over his head when the burst of fire and lightening came from nowhere. He let go, shielding his eyes with his arms. Aethan wasn't sure what happened to control it, but as the fire and lightening exploded from someone it was very well controlled. The fire didn't harm anyone, just pushing the guards back away from the group though there was a little bit of clothing on fire. The lightening didn't strike anyone but rebounded of a dome doing nothing more than causing blinding light. It was enough for him to grab Gwenlynn and rush toward Finn while the guards were distracted so the group could finally make their escape. ((DM can decide if Kalin is taken or not... But this is a good chance for us all to flee.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:14 -0600

Emkai ducked back from the men he'd been catching on fire at the blast. What in Blazes-- and then he saw the fire and lightning, apparently originating from Kezia. He backpedaled quickly. "Cinders..." Omaron's brow arced as he watched the blast of power. Well, as Shard watched. "Now that is interesting, isn't it?" People were giving the man a wide berth, even though he was standing in the middle of the street not attacking or running or doing anything a sane person would do in such a situation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:51:08 -0600

((You know what? I think I'll let them have him :D Just to throw more spanners in the works :p )) Kalin let out a yell of surprise which was muffled when the bag closed over his head. He struggled a little, but against the far stronger human opponent he didn't stand a chance. He reached into his magic, the energy crackling over his fingers, when something hard and heavy came crashing down on his head, knocking him senseless. Blinded by the rebounding light from Kezia's accidental spell, Tornica didn't see the soldier snatch Kalin. By the time his vision cleared the elf had gone and there was a clear path to Finn. Kezia was ashen faced and looked as if she was about to pass out so he grabbed her round the waist and hauled her after him, following Aethan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:29:41 -0600

((Heh, Finn should have sat Kalin on his shoulders.)) With a string of oaths, Dumond began fighting in earnest. he no longer cared if any of the soldiers were killed. They would all be taken if they continued to coddle their foes and what good would that do. He had lost track of Kalin in the melee, "Damn and blast." But Tornica had Kezia. As he fought toward Finn, he kept looking for the little elf and hoped he had managed to slip between the soldiers' legs and make his way to Finn as well. He hacked and slashed. Smashed one soldier in the face with his pommel, kicked another. "Kalin!" he kept calling out hoping the elf would answer him. The flash of light blinded him a moment, but he used the confusion to barrel through the soldiers and made great headway toward Finn.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:59:18 -0600

@Fight Alis cursed when a blade swung a little too close for comfort to her face and she parried, struggling toward Finn and cursing Tornica under her breath for his foolhardy actions, with utterances about the general bullheadedness of men every step of the way. She had to turn her back to the sight of Finn more than once, trying to block attempts to seriously maim her from behind, at one of these moments, she bumped into someone with her back and spun around, blade flashing only to find it was Dumond and she gritted her teeth, jabbing at the two guards who had been approaching her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:10:15 -0600

Aethan knew these back alleys better than most of these royal guards and so he made his way through them, pulling Gwenlynn along and leading the others toward a safe abandoned storehouse not farfrom the docks. As the others filed in Clearcall checked to make sure they were clear of any guards that might have tried to follow. After entering and closing the door behind him he saw the look on Aethan's face as he realized they were missing three people. Finally those emerald eyes settled on him and he actually felt a spike of fear. "What were you doing while I was gone?" Aethan barked at him. "I asked one thing of you." "I-" Clearcall couldnt' find the words. The look Aethan was giving him reminded him of the king he long ago left behind. Aethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. He won't -kill- them yet. If anything he will hope that it will bring me to him." There was a soft rap on the door and Aethan walked over, opening it and letting in his good friend Gannon. "Valentis has one of the men I was going to send with you. All you have now is him." He waved a hand at Dumond. "I need to know what Valentis' plan is." "Liandra will likely be there for the results of the raid," Gannon told him. "We need to have the guards ready to mobilize." Aethan nodded. "And Sophia?" "She should be fine as long as she isn't in his hands overnight. Tomorrow... who knows what he will do to either of them." @palace A knock on the door and the guard was informed that it was time to take Sophia up again. He looked at her, hoping for good news. He and Vin escorted her back up to the throne room where Wolf, Seta, and Kalin were waiting. Guards stood close behind all of them, ready to strike out if any of them acted up once they woke.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:33:12 -0600

"Captain Alis, you go forward, I'll watch your back." he was taller he could take bigger steps backward and if they fought back to back it was harder for the soldiers to attack them. He was so grateful to the woman for getting Jiya away from all of this, he was sure the slave would have been killed or taken by the soldiers had she stayed. he would not have been able to protect her in this melee. He suspected Aethan had underestimated the strength of the king's desire to apprehend him once again. From the looks of it, all of the king's available soldiers were bearing down on them. he cursed and sliced another man's thigh who left his guard open. --- Dumond breathed a sigh of relief once they were, at least temporarily, safe. He was bloodied, but most of it belonged to others. His only wounds were superficial. He had received much worse. The recent wound in his left shoulder from fighting bandits felt stiff. But he could live with it. "Who is hurt?" Finn asked. "I can use magic to heal, if it will be safe and not alert the soldiers to our new hiding place." He looked around and realized they were missing a few people. "bollocks."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 22:39:55 -0600

"Aethan," Gwenlynn breathed, looking down at his side. Aethan followed her gaze and realized that he was injured, a slash in his side. It wasn't too bad though. Until she pointed it out he hadn't even noticed it. "It's just a scratch," Aethan reassured her. "Let him heal you anyway. We cannot afford to have you hurt." Gwenlynn's gaze clearly said it wasn't up for debate.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:19:24 -0600

Emkai walked toward Omaron, who was still just standing in the middle of the street like nothing was happening. "You were supposed to stay with Seta," he said sharply. "Where is she?" "I haven't the slightest." The politician gave him a very cool look. "We were separated in the confusion, dear. Surely you can understand--" "If you don't shut up now I am going to make you." The fireman spared him one suspicious look before grabbing him by the arm (his gloves were on again) and dragging him toward the others. Omaron's eyes narrowed, though he followed without resistance. Emkai's gaze went from Aethan to Finn. "Anyone seen Seta?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:47:15 -0600

"No." Finn said. "They took Kalin." Dumond added. He was being carted away before I could do anything to stop them. "Let me heal that wound. It alone may be biut a scratch, but should it fester..." Finn said to Aethan. "What is our next move?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:17:54 -0600

"They have Wolf, Kalin, and Seta. Fine," Aethan said with a nod to Finn. "Next we head to Alis' ship and have it take us around to the entrance to Enigma Pass, which will lead us directly into the palace." It was something of a maze now, since the end of the disaster, but Aethan walked the broken halls before. "Dumond you will go with Gannon and help him with the city guard. Gwenlynn, I want you to stay on the ship when we reach the pass." "No." Gwenlynn's eyes narrowed. "It's too dangerous for you to be in there without your magic," Aethan insisted, giving her a firm look. Gwenlynn eyes set firmly and he was reminded of the stubbornness of the Gray elves looking at those eyes. Silmarwen gave him that same look, and when she did there was no changing her mind. "I did not come all this way, organize all of this, just to be left behind. I managed out there just as well as anyone else. There is no reason I should stay behind now. If it's such a concern then get me a real sword."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:54:47 -0600

"They took Kalin?" Tornica said. He let out a string of curses. "It's my fault," Kezia said, bordering on tears. "He got hit in the head by someone and I lost control. There was lightning and magic everywhere and he got snatched in the confusion."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:06:55 -0600

@Palace When the call came to have Sophia brought back up, she blanched slightly, glancing up at the guards as she let herself be escorted up to the king again. She reminded herself to act like a servant again, keeping her eyes down and not speaking. She could feel the tension of the two guards beside her as they went but all she could do was wait to see how things turned out. -- Wolf's eyes felt like they were trying to pound right out of her head. She kept them closed and moaned a little at the pain and stopped to listen when she head voices, she couldn't understand them though and they didn't sound familiar. All that happened came back to her in a rush and she went very still.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 08:46:40 -0600

((I wanted to add this earlier, but didn't get the chance...)) Alis was grateful to have someone competent at her back as they fought their way to safety She followed the others and leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and taking stock of her injuries. Mostly just bruises and minor cuts. At Kezia's words and the tone of despair in the girl's voice, she went over and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. there to too many of them anyway, we would've been overwhelmed regardless." She gave Kezia a smile, "In fact, I'd even go as far as to say your bit of magic helped us, it caused enough confusion to help us regain our footing and get away."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:27:43 -0600

Omaron blinked and shook his head slightly. "W-wait... wait, Seta...?" "Seta, Wolf, and Kalin," Emkai replied tersely, then turned his attention back to Gwenlynn and Aethan. "What can I do to help? There has to be something." Omaron's face blanched. Seta AND Wolf gone...? "What's going to happen to them?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:34:15 -0600

"The king will use them as bait to lure me in," Aethan informed them. "But he won't hold them for long." "If you don't show your face soon enough the king is likely to pick them off one at a time until you do show up," Gannon told Aethan grimly. "And he will likely start with one of the women because he knows it will get your attention faster. Anyway, the stuff you asked me to get for you is in the corner under the canvas over there." Gannon nodded to a fairly small canvas heap. "It wasn't easy to aquire, and if he finds out it's gone he will make someone pay." Probably starting with ranking officers. "So you better be serious about ending this today or a lot of people won't live to see tomorrow." Aethan walked over to the canvas and threw it back, a small smile of relief on his face as he looked down at his armor and his sword. He propped the one Finn loaned him against the wall and picked up his own, pulling it from the sheath and staring at the name on the hilt. "Before this day is done it will be either him or me," he reassured Gannon, putting the sword back in the sheath and starting to put on his armor. Gwenlynn went over to help him with some of the buckles. "Take Dumond and go get the city guard ready now. We should be in the palace within the hour or two." Gannon nodded and looked at he others, uncertain who Dumond was. "Let's get to work then." @palace Valentis entered the Silver Hall, the queen at his side as always. She went up and took her seat as he walked in front of Sophia and the cavtives. His expression darkened. "This is it?" He asked sharply, clearly not pleased with the results. The commander bowed with his hand on the hilt of his sword. "He escaped with the rest." "AGAIN?!!!" Valentis' face was red with anger. "How incompetent are you that three hundred of your men couldn't take one man?!" "He wasn't alone, Your Highness," the commander insisted. "He had others with him. These three, two other women, a female and a male elf, three other men, a giant, and some abomination of a creature of flame. Plus there was magic and two wolves that found against-" "You are relieved of your duty, Commander," Valentis said with a dangerous calm tone. "Put down your sword and leave my sight." "But Your Highness-" "NOW!!!" He turned and walked toward Liandra who was with some other nobles off to the side. "This has the stink of betrayal all over it, Lady Liandra." Liandra gave a deep curtsey. "I swear to you I brought her to you to show my family's loyalty to the crown." "To the crown..." Valentis chewed o nthe words. "Indeed. Take her and throw her in with her mother. I will deal with her family shortly." One of the guards moved toward Liandra as Valentis looked at the guards who brought in Sophia. "Go alert the Royal Guard Captain that he is to have every man, in training or not, on guard for the next twenty four hours." They bowed deeply and ducked out. "You six," he pointed out a group of guards. "Take these four to the balustrade. I will be along shortly to make my intentions known." The six guards bowed as well, gathering Sophia, Wolf, Seta, and Kalin and taking them down the halls and out onto a large balcony overlooking a city courtyard. There, those who were awake were tied to the rail and forced to their knees in clear sight of the citizens. Those who were not awake were simply tied.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:10:52 -0600

Omaron's face was stark white. He wouldn't hold them for long... You could have stopped this, he thought savagely at the thing in his head. You could've kept up with Seta, or got to Wolf or the elf fast enough to help them out. Dearest, I've got you to look after, Shard replied simply. You do quite a terrible job of keeping out of trouble yourself. If I don't look after you, who will? If anything happens to them-- You'll what, dearest? Get very upset with me and do nothing? Omaron could have screamed, but he didn't. Meanwhile Emkai kept his hand on Omaron's arm, feeling a little lost. Seta was their guide back at home, and he felt somewhat responsible for her. If they couldn't get her back before it was too late... --- @ Palace Seta's eyes flickered open to reveal the inside of a burlap sack, and good night she had a headache. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was seeing the men approaching Wolf, then-- Oh. This was not good. She tugged very slightly at her wrists-- bound to something in front of her, no surprise there. It felt like she was outside, and the sound of a crowd issued from in front of her. Am I about to be executed? No, no time to dwell on it. If there was a way out of this situation she needed to find it, and if not... if not, perhaps it was time to make peace with the Flame. Assuming Emkai wasn't right about him. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and was quiet, trying to maintain a grip on herself. After a moment she murmured, "Is anyone else there?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:55:28 -0600

Finn listened with half an ear while he began singing his healing spell for Aethan. He kept rom smiling as Aethan and Gwenlynn knocked heads. She was stubborn. her liked that in a woman --- "No, it is my fault." Dumond said to Tornica and Kezia. "It was my task to protect him, and I did not. Do not blame yourself." Dumond stepped up to Aethan and Gannon. "I am here." He prayed that he did a better job leading the guards loyal to Aethan than he had in protecting Kalin.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:01:30 -0600

Kalin came round groggily to the sound of Seta's voice. He snapped to alertness when he found himself tied to railings. Simple ropes though so he could get loose if necessary. "So this is the King's palace. Can't say I think much of his hospitality." He worked his jaw a bit. He had one he'll if a bruise developing there. "You might want to know that having my hands tied won't stop me casting. I'm quite practiced." Might slow him down a bit, but they didn't need ti know that. "I don't suppose I could arrange to speak to someone about this?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:24:27 -0600

"Shut up," the guard snapped, tugging on the sack still over Kalin's head just to make sure he understood. Another guard nudged Seta when she spoke up too as if warning her to keep her mouth shut. A guard walked up behind another and leaned close to him discreetly. "Summon the saddles, the dragon stirs," he whispered in the other guards ear before pretending to look over things on the balcony and walking off. The other guard put his hand on the hilt of his sword, flexing it around the leather hilt. He glanced at the other guard there with him out of the corner of his eye and trie to appear relaxed.Finally! @storehouse "Let's be off then." Gannon didn't wait for Dumond as he started for the door. "We have several rounds to make." "I would feel so much better if you didn't come," AEthan said quietly to Gwenlynn as she buckled on his leather padded breastplate. "I would be too worried about you to think straight." "I'm not letting you out of my sight again. Look what happened last time." She smiled at him a little. "I've already had to rescue you twice. I don't want to have to do it a third time." Aethan tugged at the leather as she finished with the buckles, then turned to her. "I'm being serious, Gwen." "You will do fine. I have faith in you." She kissed his cheek. "And once this is over we can sort out our own problem." There was a somewhat shy smile on her face as she said this. "Don't think about me. I know the risks and I do this willingly, not just for you, but for the people in this city and kingdom, for the fate of the Great Battle coming. Regan will need you and all the soldiers you can bring." Aethan strapped on his sword and shrugged back into his coat. His own coat. "I don't want you near me during the fighting. Stay close to Tornica. If things go back he can get you out." "I'm not going to run. The fate of this day effects my future just as much as anyone else. But if it eases your mind I will stay with him." Gwenlynn gave him a small smile. Aethan pulled her close and kissed her, then let go and walked over to join the others again. "We won't have much time. Is everyone ready to head to the ship?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 16:33:34 -0600

Dumond strode along keeping up with Gannon. He hoped Aethan was right and many guards would come to his cause.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 18:50:26 -0600

"I'm ready any time." Alis said, tugging her coat around her firmly and sliding her sword back into it's sheath. "There are two boats waiting for us at the docks to take us to the ship." She told the group as they readied themselves. --- Wolf still could not, for the life of her, understand what was going on. Sure, she had a notion about being kidnapped, bound and whatnot, but she couldn't tell what was being said and wished she could at least -see- something to help her put the pieces together. She felt herself being pulled along and then forced to her knees, she just did as she was told through the motions, figuring it for the best. Sophia shivered at the king's angry tone, she kept her eyes down even though she wanted to look at Miss Liandra. She went along willingly enough with the guards to the balcony and let herself be tied down too. She couldn't tell who was under the bags until Miss Seta spoke, and Mr Kalin! "M-miss Seta! Mr K-Kalin!" She whispered with surprise.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 19:44:48 -0600

Seta couldn't help but be relieved when she heard Kalin's voice. The situation wasn't hopeless it seemed; she'd seen what he could do. Sophia's voice caught her by surprise. Despite the guard's nudge, she tilted her head toward the girl's voice. We're at the palace then. Good to know. "Are you all right?" she murmured as quietly as she could. She really hated the idea of anything worse happening to the girl.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:38:24 -0600

@Palace Sophia nodded at Seta, then realised she couldn't see her nod. "Um, y-yes. I'm fine... I was j-just asked s-some questions and th-then kept in a r-room for a b-bit." She whispered. "Are y-you all alr-right?" @Ship Alis helped lead the way to the docks, grateful to see there were the two boats there with a crewman in them each. She motioned quickly to everyone, doing a head count to be sure that everyone could fit. They could. It would be a bit of a squeeze but she thought they could make it in one trip. She helped kick off from the docks and kept an eye out for anyone who might be following them, too bad Wolf was captured, she thought, those arrows might've come in handy. When they came to the ship, she climbed out first this time, greeting the crew. They looked happier than they had when she had left them and she couldn't help wondering what had transpired in her absence. There was no time to consider it now though, she gave orders to haul anchor and head for the channel at the palace.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:55:51 -0600

@ Palace "For now," Seta replied quietly. "Where are we, exactly?" Her ears strained for some tip-off of anything else about her surroundings.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:01:29 -0600

((Nothing like a pretty girl singing bawdy songs to cheer up a pirate crew :) Dumond won't be happy to hear her singing bawdy songs though.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:19:02 -0600

@ Palace "No need to be rough," Kalin protested, ignoring the command for silence as his sack got yanked. But after that he did shut up. No need to get his head kicked in unless he absolutely had to. He had far too many things to use his brains for for them to get smeared all over the palace courtyard in some foreign world. --- @ Aethan's group Kezia looked a little molified by Dummond's claiming of the responsibility and Alis's kind words, but she didn't look a great deal happier about it. "What do you think will happen to him?" she asked quietly. "Hopefully nothing," Tornica said. "We'll get there as quick as we can to try and stop anything from happening at all." Although from overhearing the others talk it sounded as though Wolf and Seta were in graver danger right now, if Gannon's theories about what Aethan's cousin would do were correct. Which he couldn't bring himself to be completely upset about. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the girls, but he'd rather them than his friend. But hopefully they'd get there fast enough to stop anything happening to any of them. "I'm ready to get going."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:22:36 -0600

((Sorry. I tried ot post yesterday but my son really wanted mommy time yesterday so I couldn't get a good post in here.)) @jez Gannon led Dumond through the streets, keeping a wary eye out as they went. When they reached the first guard house he elooked over Dumond, then grabbed some clothing that didn't make him stand out as much in the ranks of the guard. While he waited for Dumond to change he summoned the captain of this tower. The man showed up only a minute later having clearly run all the way. He bowed to Gannon formally. "Are you ready to mobilize as we planned?" "All is set, sir." There was something on the man's face that gave Gannon pause. "But?" "Well, word has come that there is something going on in the palace, and there are captives on the King's Balcony. No announcement has been made yet as to what their purpose is, but it is making the people edgy." He looked over Gannon's shoulder at nothing. "And the men." "These men are charged with protecting this city and today that will be more important than their lives." Gannon looked at Dumond. "I would assume it's your friends on the balcony. No word is made yet so we still have time, and hopefully pleanty of it." He looked at the guard again. "Mobilize. Dumond and I will gather the men to head to the palace. Make sure your men are ready when the time comes." He looked at Dumond. "We should head to the courtyard and see what the situation is like with the captives." @palace The guard behind Seta nudged her again. If she would just keep quiet, he didn't want to have to do anything to harm them but they were told that one or more of these captives used magic so if there was even the slightest sign of trouble they were to be knocked out again. The guard behind Kalin was less than gentle though when Kalin spoke up again. He kicked Kalin in the ribs. "Last warning. Silence or we will silence you." @ship Aethan made sure to keep his sword and armor well covered as to not give away their location. It was broad daylight after all. The last thing they needed was a blown plan because of his own stupidity. He held the cloak shut and kept his sword from causing it to move as he led the group beside Alis. When they reached the ship he relaxed a little, moving to make sure they were actually headed to the right place. "Alis." He pulled her aside, handing her a small map that was folded in the pocket of his coat and unfolding it. He pointed past the channel to a thin waterway just beyond the city leading inland. "Can your ship take us up this at all? I can't say how shallow the waters are. No ship has ever gone into the pass. It used to be the escape route for the king in the event of a hostile takeover, but after the Disaster no one has been along to clear the channel." So far as he knew. With as paranoid as Valentis was it could very well have been cleared out. "Also, there is a chance that he may have a ship there with men to fight us. If he thought that direction anyway." It was so hard to tell anymore. "If you don't think the ship can handle it we need to touch land here." He pointed to a different location. "It's the only way to reach Enigma Pass."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:23:24 -0600

@Palace Sophia gasped and bit her lip at the violence, she decided to just keep quiet so they wouldn't get into more trouble. She thought she could sense how restless things were getting and it made her nervous. @ship "My ship can handle just about anything." Alis sounded a touch insulted. "If that's where you need to be, we'll see if we can't get you there." She would have to gauge things as they got a bit closer.She wasn't concerned about being attacked by the king's men. Her own men had seen enough battle to be skilled fighters.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:39:51 -0600

@Star Dumond adjusted his surcote, it wasn't much different that what he was used to wearing. "Lead on, then." he adjusted his sword. He supposed he'd fit in well enough now. @Alice's ship The men who had been standing about and listening or trying to sing along with Jiya left. She could hear some commotion on the deck. The others must have arrived. She knew Dumond was elsewhere. She sighed. Things would be getting tense again. Stephen stayed with her though. She felt the ship begin to move.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:22:37 -0600

@ Palace Kalin let out a grunt of pain when the kick landed, but decided to stay quiet after that. No sense testing whether that silencing was merely temporary or the more permanent kind. He figured they'd probably just knock him out again, but since the other option was being killed outright he didn't fancy testing it. He started reaching out with his magic to probe his surroundings, see what he could identify nearby. It wasn't anywhere near a replacement for his eyes, but since there was a sack cutting off his vision it was the best he could currently do. It might give him some vague idea whether he could risk fighting his way out of this with his magic. Unfortunately he rather suspected this action was going to be a waste of time and magic. They would be aware that he could use magic and so would probably have plenty of guards knocking around to compensate for this.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:41:19 -0600

The queen moved with hasty steps to keep up with her husband as they made their way to the King's Balcony. "These people have defied you, Valentis," she said hastily. "You need to set an example for the people before something worse happens." "I need them to bait my cousin in." Valentis needed to give Aethan a reason to come to him. "And what better way to get him to come charging at you than to kill one of these people working with him? You know Aethan. He will come running if you harm any of htem." She had to hold her skirt so that the hem was raised a little off the floor in order ot keep up. Valentis thought about this a moment. "You're right." He looked at a guard. "Bring Lady Liandra." The guard bowed out and the queen hissed in his ear. "You can't use her to set an example." "Who better than a noble who defied me. It isn't just the people I have to worry about. Who do you think will lead them against me?" Maybehe couldn't prove it, but he knew that Liandra was behind all of this somehow. "You have no evidence yet that she has done anything more than bring you a servant. If anything use that servant. If you kill Liandra without proof of treason you will have all the nobles rising against you. Including those who are currently loyal to you. A king that kills without cause is a danger to them all. Any one of them could be next." She put her hand on his arm. "Please, my dear husband, think about this." Valentis paused as the doors to the balcony were opened for the two of them, looked at the queen, then nodded. As usual her logic and his overwhelming urge to make her happy won him over. "I still need Liandra here." As the two stepped out onto the balcony with the captives the guard behind Sophia and Seta had to force himself to loosen his grip on the sword. He would wait for a sign, as instructed. @jez/courtyard Gannon led Dumond through the streets and made his way through he crowd that gathered in the courtyard. As he squinted up at the balcony he could see the four captives up there along with guards and the king and queen. The humidity in the air seemed to grow thicker by the moment, and combined with the heat from the sun it made for a very uncomfortable atmosphere. He looked at the sky. A storm was looming. Gannon looked around the courtyard to make sure his city guardsmen were in place. To the king it would simply look like they were there to keep the crowd in order. @ship "I just don't want to see your ship get a tear in the hull because we ventured into shallow waters. It was a warning. I don't doubt your ability to lead your crew and ship." If Aethan did doubt it he wouldn't be on the ship in the first place. "Let's get to it then. Time is running out on us." He looked at the sky. "Finn, any protections you can give us or this ship would be well placed now. I can't say how much longer we will be in safe waters."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:13:21 -0600

@ Balcony Seta stiffened at the sound of new footsteps, along with the sudden change in the noise of the crowd. This was it then, most likely. That had to be the executioner's approach. She swallowed and closed her eyes. I can't be afraid to die. I've been in bad situations before, and I wasn't this scared then.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 17:34:18 -0600

@Ship "We'll just have to see how it goes." Alis wasn't willing to risk her ship needlessly either but if they -could- get through, well then, that was best. She gave a sharp whistle and shouted a couple of quick orders to those nearby before heading up to the wheel, giving orders to Lucky who in turn carried them off to the rest of the crew. It wasn't long before the sails were unfurled, billowing out in the wind. They wouldn't need them long but it sped up the process for now. @Palace Wolf remained still, she wished she knew what was happening but she was left at a loss as to their circumstances. Sophia glanced up at the king and queen when they came onto the balcony then over at the guards, forgetting for a moment where she was and that she wasn't supposed to.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:35:36 -0600

@Courtyard/Star Dumond breathed in the hot damp air. At least this was better than Tsibili where the dry dust covered everything so all you could taste was grit. He hoped they could free their people. It was looking rather grim to him right now. Maybe the little elf could do something to protect them until they could be rescued. Which then made him wonder just many of the King's personal guard were on Aethan's side, if any.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 16:19:19 -0600

((Not sure if it really matters to anyone, or if anyone but me has seen the movie, but the balcony is pretty much like the one in the movie Tangled, at the end when they light the lanter and it pans out ot show the large courtyard there as well. Low enough to be low and seen but high enough to be untouchable from the ground.)) @ship As the sails billowed out and they were underway Aethan set himself at the front of the ship ((forgive my lack of proper ship language I suck at it)) and watched the world as they moved. The humidity and heat didn't really bother him much in his armor and coat. He was somewhat used to it. When they reached the narrow waterway he looked up at the cliffs around them, checking for signs of outside guards looking for possible intruders. Namely him. So far so good. As they sailed in he was reminded of hte day he fled the city through this route. It was only two years ago but it felt like a lifetime. That day he lost everything. His sister, his father, his home... He and Silmarwen walked those narrow ledges to safety. Funny that he should go back into Mordelic the way he went out. As they drew closer he moved back to where Alis was standing. "We need to o in up there." He pointed at one of the ledges. There was a narrow staircase leadingto it. "If we can get the ship close enough we can just go in there." Of course there was no way from here to see the actual entrance into the underground pass. Aethan knew where it was by the oddly shaped, nearly dead tree that marked the entrance. ((Feel free ot move them up the ledge if I don't get another post in today.)) @palace ((I don't want to d TOO much here until the others are closer to the palace.)) Valentis began his speech, talking about how those on the balcony were in league with the tyrant, about loyalty to the king and the throne, trying to quell a possible rebellion by throwing out fancy words about how much worse things would end up if the city turned to chaos a second time. He reminded them all that they were still trying to recover from the last time and if it happened again thousands were likely to die if not during the uprising, then as a result of starvation because of possible lost food supply and others would likely lose more homes in fires. His words were well rehearsed and sounded convincing. Some of the crowd shifted anxiously as they listened, some looked ta the person next to them as if they were a possible threat. A large number of citizens stood in closed cloaks despite the heat. "If anyone is discovered to be harboring the tyrant, or to be in league with him, they will be dealt with swiftly and justly according to the laws of Cevius. We need to stand united now as this man attempts to tear us apart and throw us into chaos. We need to show him the strength this city still holds fast to!" Liandra appeared on the balcony, escorted there by two royal guards. Despite how dirty she was from sitting in the cell she held herself with quiet dignity. Valentis motioned for the guard behind Sophia to pull her up so everyone could witness what was about to happen. The guard grabbed her with one hand by the hair and hauled her to her feet, keeping the other firmly wrapped around the hilt of his sword. "Treason against the throne will not be tolerated!" Valentis told the masses, indicating that Sophia had committed the crime. As far as he was concerned she did, because of her link to Liandra. Killing Sophia would set an example for the masses and send a warning to Liandra that he was on to her. He glanced at the noblewoman from the corner of his eye and saw the worry on her face that she tried so hard to hide. And was that anger? "This woman," he turned his attnetion back to the masses and Sophia, "has made a mockery of everything we stand for!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 18:24:41 -0600

@Ship Alis squinted in the light, shielding her brow with her hand and gauging the distance for a long moment before giving a nod, "Right." She turned to Lucky, "give word to lower the sails, we'll oar if we need to, and drop the lead line as soon as possible." She said very quickly as she brushed a lock of hair impatiently away from her face and turned back to the ledges as her messages were brought over to the rest of the crew. As they were, things started bustling even more, men scattered about the deck, the sails were tugged down and oars could be heard being placed into position if they were needed. @Balcony Sophia made a little squeak when her hair was pulled so suddenly and scrambled to her feet as the fist tightened in her hair. She listened to what the king was saying and she was surprised. She had made a mockery of them? She couldn't remember when... she had barely said more than a handful of stammered words... She wasn't sure though. Maybe she had accidentally. "Oh... s-sorry." She said quietly, wondering if saying an apology might make it better. "Wh-what do y-you st-stand for?" She asked when there was a lull in the speech. She couldn't quite turn to look in that direction but any sort of apology might work.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:06:29 -0600

((Nothing much to say at the moment, but I don't know whether to laugh at Sophia's reaction or feel very frightened for her.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:48:31 -0600

((Aw, you can laugh at it, it's just what happens when her author gets bored but doesn't want to carry on too far ahead. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:03:00 -0600

@ship As the ship moved toward the narrow staircase that led up to the ledge Aethan positioned himself to be first off the boat. He waved back at the others to follow. There wasn't really a need for silence as far as he knew but hey, someone oculd be hiding in the pass. Once they were close enough Aethan stepped up on the rail and carefully cimbed onto the first stair. He reached a hand out to help Clearcall, who would take his place as he led the way up and in. Gwenlynn followed behind Clearcall as Aethan started up the stairs. Once he reached the top he moved toward the tree, shifting his point of view with shuffled steps until he found the oddly angled gap that served as entrance. Light help him he hated being in tunnels. Tornica did too apparently but Aethan wasn't going to risk him in the city right now. If Acebrity showed up she may be able to easily pluck him out of a crowd and he would be in deep trouble then. Valentis wouldn't wait for Aethan before killing the one who took him from the arena. Gwenlynn stood at the odd entrance to guide the others in. Aethan was the only one who could pick his way through this passage, having traveled it since the Disaster. He needed to be in the lead. She smiled at Emkai when hse saw him. "Some of your firelight might be useful in there if you want ot lower your hood." @palace The guard gave Sophia a warning tug at her hair and hissed in her ear. "Pipe down or you'll be in even more trouble." He hoped she could hear that his warning wasn't a threat. He was in a position right now to help her, though it may cost him dearly. Valentis took Sophia's question in stride, smug expression on his face. "You hear that? Now that she has been caught in her crime she is acting ignorant to save her own neck. My dear girl if you don't know what we stand for then you are most certainly not one of us but a plant set in place by the tyrant." He looked at the guard and gave him a small nod, instructing him to go ahead and kill her. Light help me this is it. If there really is a Mother watching over us let her forgive me for what I am about to do and guide my hand. He took a deep breath and held it, looking out at the masses bearing witness. He would die this day. "The offering is made!" he called out as loud as he could, then thrust Sophia aside and turned on the second royal guard, swiftly sliding his blade through the other man's belly before he could pull his sword more than an inch from the sheath. "Traitor!" Valentis roared as the guard turned to him, blood dripping from his blade. But the rest of his guards were pulling him from the balcony back inside to safety. The guard turned and cut loose the bonds that held the captives as swiftly as he could. Inside the palace the sounds of blade on blade could already be heard as the royal guards turned against each other. In the courtyard several of the people holding closed cloaks threw them open, most of them being the homeless that Aethan and the others had helped over the last week with supplies from the Verexian ships. As some of the royal guard outside tried to restore order to the swiftly growing chaos the city guards moved in to help the citizens. Gannon pulled his sword and looked at Dumond. "Looks like our plans have changed somewhat. I will go send word to the rest of the city guard. You try and get to that balcony to help your friends. We will meet in the palace." He was surprised that some of the kings own guards turned against him. All of his intel told him that they were securely in the king's pocket. ((Due some creepy guy just came to my door and asked if we were going to rent out the front house. Sorry dude I have two little ones and you are creepy so... not yet, definately not to you.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:13:36 -0600

((Damn, I just wrote out a huge thing about them going into the passage. lol oh well.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:38:55 -0600

@Passage Alis gave some final instructions to the crew before following the others, making sure to be the last off the ship. She felt her way up the stairs, progressing slowly with the others. Behind her, the sound of the water lapping against her ship was a comforing sound. They had made it through the shallower waters without incident. It had been touch and go for a bit there but she had had full confidence in their abilities. @Palace Sophia squeaked at the pull on her hair and bit her lip, she wasn't sure what she was doing wrong but she quieted anyway, not that she thought it would help matters. She resigned herself to her death with unusual quick realisation and sighed. Atleast she would be free of her collar... Then she was shoved and she gasped, emitting another tiny 'eep' as she stumbled her back hit the rail and she toppled over the side. Her fingers scrabbled at the stone and clung to the ledge, bleeding from the scrapes making it slippery. "Oh b-b-bother." She squeaked as she hung on, though looking down, it wasn't -quite- as far as she thought. Far enough though. She had a fleeting thought that she hoped noone could see her bum.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:21:29 -0600

((Creepy stuff, Star o.O)) @ Palace Seta hadn't the slightest idea what was happening, except that the King's plans had gone very wrong somehow. Everything was chaos and pushing and shouting. She huddled down next to the railing, thinking that someone might step on her. Then, to her surprise, her bonds were loosed. In an instant she'd pulled the sack off her head and glanced back at the fighting going on. Ergh, no good getting out that way. She turned to make sure the other captives were all right and just noticed Sophia's fingers clutching the rail nearby. She leaned over and grabbed the girl's wrists. "Hang on, I'll try to pull you up!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:44:45 -0600

((The net is aliiiiiive! Sort of. I'm going to try reading back to pick up on stuff I've missed through having to skim the last week, but if I still miss stuff from then I'm very sorry. And can I have clarification on your post Star...does this mean Tornica isn't going through into the city with the others? Or he's just going a different way? I'm a touch confused)) @ Palace This was not good. This was all kinds of not good and he had a bloody sack round his head so that he couldn't see. Kalin was desperately trying to fight down the urge to panic and just lash out with magic so that he could be sure at least he would be safe. Thankfully before the urge to do anything quite that stupid became overwhelming the bonds tying his wrists were sliced. He quickly reached up to yank the sack off his head and take stock of the situation. Unsurprisingly everything had rapidly fallen to chaos. He thought he recognised some of the armed mob below the balcony from the hovels they'd been drifting through all week. He really hoped at least some of them knew how to use the weapons they'd been armed with or they were going to get massacred when sent up against trained soldiers. Not that it was his problem. Not his country, not his people, not his business. Not wanting to just stand about in indecision he joined Seta in trying to help Sophia back over onto the balcony. Lucky it was Sophia really. She was one of the few people he'd encountered that he actually stood a chance of being able to help lift.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:28:56 -0600

((Don't have time ofr a full post, but yes DM, Tornica is going into the tunnel with everyone else. Aethan was just reflecting on how he wanted to keep Tornica close so that if something happened with Acebrity he would be better prepared. Sorry for the confusion.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:05:22 -0600

((Also, Buggy, Gwenlynn was talking to Emkai in that last post. Not sure if you missed it with everything else that happened.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:46:57 -0600

((Ah, right! Sorry.)) @ Ship Emkai had never traveled on a boat before that trip, and he couldn't have been happier to see land. All that rocking back and forth while knowing that the only thing keeping you up was a great expanse of icy water. It didn't help that the ship itself, like most human things, was made primarily of wood. He half-dragged Omaron out onto the ledge with him, trying not to sigh with relief. Omaron gave him an irritated glance. "Do you really think I'd be stupid to run off on my own in a foreign country like this?" he hissed at the fireman. "You were stupid enough to invite a demon into your head, weren't you? Just shut up and stay with the group." But Emkai let go of his arm anyways as they started moving into the tunnel. The politician had a point. Besides, he wanted to keep both his hands free in case he needed to defend himself. When Gwenlynn addressed Emkai, he looked at her in surprise. "It... yes, I suppose it would be useful." He carefully lowered his hood, secretly grateful for the chance to feel clean air on his face again. His yellow-orange flames shone almost cheerfully in the dark of the tunnel, though it was at odds with Emkai's grim expression. He regarded the elf for a moment. "Remind me again what we're up against."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:03:25 -0600

@Ship/Tunnel Finn cast some quick protections spells on everyone. It should help them withstand a first hit. It ciould give them just the edge they needed. Seeing how everyone was lining up, Finn thought he'd take up the rear. It might give him time to use magic if they needed it. he also knew Aethan was counting on him to heal people when or if the time came. He conjured a few globes of light and sent them up above the group to help light the way. @Palace Dumond took a deep breath. "Right." They really weren't his friends. They were people he was thrown together with and if he wanted ot get home, he had to get Aethan into power. Even then, he wasn't sure there would be a way to get them home. But if Jiya and he had to stay here, he certainly preferred Aethan as king. He pulled out his sword and pushed and jostled his way toward the palace. he tried not to hurt any civilians. "To me!" He yelled hoping to rally some of their men around him. If he ran into resistance among the palace guard, he needed more men. How was he to know the soldiers who were on their side? Obviously not all of the king's own guards were loyal to him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:21:48 -0600

@Palace Wolf tore off the bag as soon as she was free and looked around, feeling terribly exposed with no weapons. She saw Kalin and Seta reaching for Sophia and looked at the guards, had they any spare weapons? She asked the nearest guard in her own tongue, making frantic motions like she was using a sword or a knife. In a moment's decision, she gave a piercing whistle as well and then could only wait, hoping she could get a weapon in the meantime. Sophia looked up and saw Miss Seta and Mr Kalin's faces, then they were grabbing at her hands, she slipped a little in their grasp, the blood making everything slick. She was very grateful when they could pull her back to safety and stuck her sore fingers in her mouth, making a face at the taste of the blood. @Passage The light really helped things, Alis thought, she watched the two large wolves race past her toward the front of the group, winding between people carefully. Suddenly they both paused, ears flicking as they looked around and then disappeared into wisps of smoke, soaring away through the passage and leaving them all behind. Alis frowned as it happened and looked at the others. "That's either a really good thing or a really bad thing..." She muttered, having a bad feeling.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:53:46 -0600

@Passage "Not much we can do but hurry." Finn said. He could only go as fast as the people in front of him. If the wolves had disappeared it meant wolf needed them. Seemed as though things had gotten started early.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:48:20 -0600

((Sorry guys. I had a rough weekend. I'll try and get you a post tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:02:33 -0600

@tunnel Aethan led the group forward, picking his way through the cracked passageway. It was more frightening this time around than it had been when he fled Mordelic years ago. The passages were all the same, but the ill repair of the walls and ceiling were disconcerting. In some places he had to climb over a collapsed boulder, a chunk that fell from the wall or ceiling during the Disaster. He focused on finding the right passages again so that he didn't let the panic overwhelm him. "Thank you," Gwenlynn said to Emkai as they walked into the tunnel. "At best we are up against the king and those bold enough to remain loyal to him, a handful of people. At worst we face the king, queen, the entire Royal Guard we were so kindly introduced to outside the hovel, and perhaps the Dark Lady Acebrity. If that's the case, the good news is that only the Dark Lady has the ability to use magic so far as we know so we have an advantage there." Clearcall followed the group at the rear with Finn, looking at his orbs of light. "Handy spell." After picking through a couple of different corridors Aethan saw something huddled on the ground not too far from the hidden palace entrance. He pulled his sword and edged his way toward it cautiously. When he got there he gasped in alarm, staring down at the corpse of the queen. Aethan dropped to one knee and checked her pulse just to be sure she was dead, then felt a heavy heart. This wasn't what he wanted. He grew up with her, knew her well. Did she really deserve this? He turned the body to make sure he wasn't mistaken and saw the slash across her throat. The blood soaked blond hair. Memories of Atraya dead in her bed came back and his throat felt thick. He stood, shaking a little, and cleared his throat, looking back at the others. "The queen is dead." @palace The guard on the balcony left in persuit of the king, encountering royal guard who still supported the king, and leaving the captive alone on the balcony with Lady Liandra. Some of the citizens heard Dumond cry out his rally and moved to do as he said. The idea was to rush the palace and force out the smaller number of men who followed the king to make way for the new one. Gannon led another group, along with a rather large number of the city guards, to the gates of the palace. The guards there were in a desperate fight to keep the doors open as royal guards fought them to get it closed. "Onto the grounds!" he called out to anyone who could hear. There was no saying how long the gates would be open. ((Sorry guys. If I disappear for a few days I have a lot going on both at home nad for school right now. It's just about time for all the scholarship deadlines and I have a chance at nearly 15k for next year so... working my butt off on getting that done this month.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:19:14 -0600

@ Tunnel Why did everything have to be corridors and tunnels? Intellectually Tornica knew this was because they were sneaking around and sneaking generally had to be done in out the way places that hardly anyone ever went if it was to have any chance of working, which naturally sometimes meant small cramped spaces. But...why did they seem to be hitting every last one of them? He was not having a good time and he could feel his inner dragon clawing beneath his skin, panicked about being trapped and desperate to escape. It was all he could to do keep a lid on the damn thing! --- @ Palace Right...Sophia was safely back on solid ground, Dummond was helping to rally the soldiers down below...so what did that leave for Kalin to do? He couldn't just stand about here like a lemon. He was meant to be assisting the guards in all this. Only problem was he didn't know which ones he was meant to be helping and which ones were still loyal to their king. He sighed and got to his feet to chase after the guard that had released them. Presumably he would have some idea who it was they were meant to be fighting. ((Ooh, good luck Star! *crosses fingers*))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:01:16 -0600

@Tunnel Finn grinned at Clearcall. "It does have it's uses. I have Jiya working on this one. It's easy for beginners to visualize." He moved along carefully picked his way over the debris. He had to duck in many places. Why did people dig tunnels with such low ceilings? Finn frowned when Aethan said the queen was dead--it took awhile for word to make it's way to the end of the line. "What happened?" Finn didn't think that was supposed ot be part of the plan. It seemed things had gotten out of hand. @Palace Dumond called out, "For the Dragonslayer!" Hoping the people would rally to help or get out of the way. ((Not sure what eh should do. Clear the square? storm the castle? At a different entrance? I'm thinking a different entrance to spread thin those still loyal to the king.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:40:07 -0600

@Palace The wisps of smoke circled Wolf and became tattoos for a brief moment before she whistled them out again. She directed them toward the fighting and they barrelled after the guard into the fray, teeth bared and fur on end as they snarled their way through the people. Sophia was still sucking on her sore fingers, listening with trepidation to the sounds of the battles, the cries of people getting hurt.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:49:37 -0600

@palace ((There is only one way onto the palace grounds, through the gate, so I would say Dumond should head that way.)) Even the people without weapons were moving toward the palace with the crowd, doing what they could to help with the fighting. For some of them it didn't go so well. More people joined the fight than left though, and more were coming from different parts of the city with whatever they could find to use as a weapon. The royal guard trying to keep the masses out didn't stand a chance, especially not with the city guard against them. Some switched sides in the fighting, opting for a preservation of their own life instead of what they thought the believed. Those who stood against the masses were grossly outnumbered and didn't stand a chance. Even the best trained were falling. Inside the palace the story was much different. Only a handful of city guards were within the walls, which meant it was the royal guards loyal to the king vs the ones who weren't. Every corridor was a battle between two or three or four men. Some nobles took up fighting as well. Liandra ran in after Kalin, hoping that the other women would follow them. She had to hold her dirty skirt up so she didn't trip over the hem in her haste. "This way!" she called to Kalin. Getting them to the Silver Hall was more important. The guards could fight amongst themselves. "You use magic, right? Keep it handy." She pulled a dagger from her skirt and rushed up one of hte halls. @tunnel Aethan could hear the fighting as he put his ear to the door leading into the palace. It wasn't in the Silver Hall yet from the way it sounded ,but it was outside the doors. "Keep your weapons ready," he instructed the others. "I have no idea what is going on on the other side of this door." Clearcall looked down at the queen. "Looks like someone just decided to off her. But why stash her body away?" In this chaos he was surprised anyone would bother. "Something isn't right about this."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:05:54 -0600

@Palace Sophia scrambled to her feet and followed Lady Liandra inside, Wolf was close behind, just assuming that they should be going -somewhere- rather than staying on the balcony. She followed Liandra down the hall, grateful at least one of them had a weapon. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a sword from a fallen royal guard, feeling better to have something in her hands to defend themselves with. Sophia ducked and dodged the people fighting, a couple of them nearly tripped over her as they went past, blades flashing dangerously.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:54:49 -0600

@ Palace Seta scrambled after Liandra, Kalin, Sophia, and Wolf. Her hand kept straying to her back where her quiver usually was. If only she had her crossbow... but then she might not be entirely defenseless anyways. She reached down to her pants leg and pulled out a longish black thorn she'd had strapped there. It was nigh miraculous that the guards hadn't taken it, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if it wasn't as good as a knife, it was something. --- @ Tunnel Emkai readied his sword before looking to Clearcall. "I suppose we'll find out what's going on one way or another, once we get in there." He didn't sound all that worried.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 02:47:20 -0600

Ugh my mouse died yesterday--went out, replaced it. Then my keyboard died today. And it's very different form my previous one, so excuse any fumble fingers.)) @Palace Dumond led the city guard to the palace gate. The fact that the townsmen were rallying to them and helping was heartening. It would mean Aethan had many more supporters. It would be near impossible for the king to remain in power. But taking the palace would be more difficult with only one way in. @ Tunnel There wasn't much Finn could do at the back of the line. He extinguished all but one light. No sense announcing their coming.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:00:00 -0600

@ Palace Kalin was quite grateful for Liandra's long heavy skirts. It made it far easier for his short legs to keep up with the running. "Never fear," he said. "My magic is always at the ready. You just let me know exactly which set of guards I need to aim it at." He ran through a list of mana blueprints in his mind, wondering which one would be the most useful right now? He could cast pretty much all of them a moment's notice regardless, but sometimes the fraction of a second that was saved by his having it already in place in his hand could be crucial.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:22:35 -0600

Sophia was doing pretty well keeping up with the others until a strong hand grasped her arm and yanked her aside. She gasped as she was swung around, eyes dark with fury boring into her. "You! You're the one who betrayed the Dragonslayer to the king!" He hissed angrily and his fingers tightened, maging her wince when they dug into her flesh. "N-no!" She squeaked, shaking her head. "You can't deny it! Everyone saw you." He ground out through clenched teeth, giving her a hard shake. "You told him right where he was!" His sword rose a fraction and he looked very ready to run her through with it with one hand while the other gripped her arm painfully.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:36:49 -0600

@ Tunnel Emkai raised his hood again when he saw Finn extinguish most of his lights. They were of the same way of thinking. @ Castle, specifically where Sophia is Seta came out of nowhere. Even with her damaged leg she'd gotten enough velocity by the time she plowed into the man holding Sophia that she knocked his sword arm to the side. The spike in her hand went down toward his forearm multiple times.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:23:37 -0600

((Guess we're waiting on Aethan to burst out of the tunnel.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:54:22 -0600

((Sorry I tried a few times to post today but I just never had time for a good post. So let's try it now that the kids are in bed and the husband is gone. (Though homework is still nagging at me.) )) @palace "If I knew I would tell you," Liandra told Kalin. "The best advice I have is if they come after us we attack them." She didn't realize there was so much dissention in the ranks among the royal guard. A couple of times royal guards came them but other guards came in and started fighting agains the first set of guards. Liandra just accepted it without slowing and contined on her way to the Silver Hall. Once they were outside the doors they met the largest fight so far. Nearly twenty men fought each other outside the doors, which were sealed up tight. "Kalin, can you do anything to get us through this?" A guard grabbed Liandra's arm and she cut at his wrist with her dagger, forcing him to let go and to move back away from her with threatening slashes in his direction. This is when the other guard grabbed Sophia. Seta was coming to Sophia's rescue and Liandra reached over and pulled Sophia close to her. She had promised Aethan she would try and keep Sophia safe. Not an easy task in this mess. @outside the palace Gannon and Dumond easily led the city guard, along with the few citizens that wrestled their way toward the front of the fighting, into the palace courtyard. "This way!" he called to Dumond, leading the other man toward a side entrance. Several city guardsmen followed them, but some also went straight for the front doors and the guards posted there. All of the citizens went this way as well. For the better probably. But Gannon didn't want the grounds flooded with citizens. Their role in this was to make sure no one escaped through the city. "Venture! Take a fist of men back to the gate and get it closed. We want to secure the palace, not tear it down." A man in his middle years bowed stiffly and sharply, then gathered the men he was told to take and ran back toward the gate to carry out the orders. Gannon opened a door at the side of the palace. "Dumond!" He held the door open as his men filtered in. "This path will keep us separated from the man insurgents so it will be easier to get to the Silver Hall." @tunnel Aethan knew the others were waiting for him to just go charging in, but he had to time this right, handle it right. He couldn't just rush in. He needed to use the stealth that was currently his advantage. He could hear Valentis on the other side now, ranting about what was going on, demanding answers from the head of his royal guard as to why his own men turned against them, ordering men to secure the palace and lock it down. It was only a matter of time before he thought to run this way.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:03:31 -0600

@Outside the palace "Right." Dumond followed Gannon's lead telling the men to pass the word that they were to make for the Silver Hall. Things were in chaos and it was sometimes difficult to tell which guards were on their side, but it became clear soon enough. He expected the Silver Hall must be easily fortified and where the King would retreat. The others form the hovel had some secret way into the palace, He was sure now with so many on their side that it should not be too difficult. He only hoped those who had been held captive were still all right.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:49:05 -0600

@ Palace Kalin sighed. "So kill anyone trying to kill us. Perfect." Worked like a charm unless the people acting first were very quick. But as they fought their way through to the Silver Hall he did his best, favouring stunning spells rather than outright lethal ones. It was likely the same over all since if they happened upon a guard of the opposite faction while stunned they'd end up just as dead, but it helped soothe his conscience at least a little. He frowned at the crowd before the doors. "Depends, do you want the ones on our side to still be alive when I'm done?" he asked. He could have fire incinerate them, blades of energy dismember them...magic was exceptionally useful for wholesale slaughter. "Keep any newcomers off my back and I'll try getting us through with minimal casualties." Considerably more difficult but he figured it would be appreciated. He took a deep breath and concentrated. Two barriers sprang up between the combatants, so close together they appeared to be as one. A few of the soldiers bounced off the invisible obstruction, but didn't seem to pay this any mind. That was the easy bit. Now for the hard. Tugging at the magic he'd put in place he started separating the barriers, inching them apart slowly to give a clear pathway to the door. Holding a barrier steady when people were crashing against it was one thing; using it to actively move them was quite another. He hoped it wasn't going to take too much effort to take down those doors. He was going to have one hell of a headache at the end of this anyway.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 11:13:13 -0600

@Silver Hall Liandra didn't wait for the entire path to clear before she approached the doors but by the time she got there Kalin had done the job. She pushed at the doors and wasn't at all surprised to find them baracaded against intrusion. Inside she could hear Valentis ranting. "Can you do something to open this door? I don't care if you have to break it down." She watched the guards warily as they looked in open shock at what was happening. All of them seemed studden to have been bested by magic sine it was no longer prevalent in the world. @jez Gannon liked Dumond. He seemed to be a focused, task oriented kind of guy. They, along with the men that came with them, worked their way through the palace corridors. Gannon paused at each intersection and listened before turning the corner. Most of the attnetion seemed to be focused elsewhere which was a great thing for them. His city guard would secure the palace grounds and the city while he made sure that Aethan had the backup he needed. "Not too much further now."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:22:21 -0600

@Palace The guard nearly roared with pain when Seta collided with him and started jabbing at him. He reached out to grab her but had to back away when she kept at him. Sophia clutched onto Liandra, hiding her face as they went to the doors to the Silver Room, she noticed glares from all sorts there, people fighting for the king and who thought she had betrayed the king, and others like that first guard who thought she had betrayed Aethan. She felt like it was a losing situation no matter what she tried to do. So she just clung to Liandra's arm and hoped for the best. The wolves followed the little group to the room, lunging at anyone who tried to attack them and protecting them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:32:16 -0600

@ Palace "Break it down?" Kalin said, voice tight with strain. "Sure, no problem." After the mental effort required to hold the dual barriers in place something as simple as a bit of blind brute force would be absolutely wonderful. He thought he had just about enough punch left to manage this and keep both the barriers and himself upright. If he didn't....well they'd find that out soon enough wouldn't they? "I suggest you duck or otherwise get the hell out of the way." Slamming control down on the barriers for the moment (he didn't need them to move any further right now anyway) he sent a pulse of force out at the centre of the double doors. A dribble of blood started leaking out of his nose.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 14:57:27 -0600

@ Palace Seta knew there was no way she could actually take down the guard, not unless he was stupid enough to lean down and let her jab at his neck a few times. As soon as she saw Sophia make a run for it, she darted back and away as quickly as she could. Then she made after the other girl at a sprint.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 15:00:48 -0600

@silver hall Liandra wasn't about to question Kalin. He was the one who knew his skills not her. She moved swiftly and watched as the doors buckled and blew into the room. Some of the shrapenal splashed into the reflective pool in the center of the room, making small waves. Liandra was suitably impressed with Kalin's ability and looked at him for a second, startled to see the blood. Was that there before? She only paused a moment before sweeping into the room with the others. "Valentis! Give up you lost. YOu should have killed Aethan when you had the chance." The guard in the room with Valentis moved toward Liandra and the others, swords bared. Liandra paused. @tunnel Aethan heard the blast and following commotion. "Swords and magic ready. We take the king." He silently eased the door inward and slipped in, moving aside the banner that hid the door from the view. Liandra, Kalin, Wolf, Seta, and Sophia were all there, but Gannon and Dumond had yet to show up with their guards. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long. He held the sword dangerously in one hand as he slipped in. Some of the things he learned from Dayen were handy. The royal guards in the room were distracted by the commotion of Liandra and company, but Aethan still froze in his tracks when he saw the profile of the woman beside Valentis. The queen was watching the events, looking bored. Shit! All this time she was right under his nose!

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:34:28 -0600

@ Tunnel "That felt like Kalin's magic," Kezia hissed into Tornica's ear as they waited for Aethan's signal to leave their hiding place. Tornica gave the girl a tight smile. He was thrilled that Kalin was all right and capable of blowing things up as well as ever, but all his concentration right now was focused on staying where he was and not charging for the doorway in a blind panic to escape this small cramped corridor. --- @ Silver Hall Kalin didn't feel right. He didn't feel right at all. He should have dropped the barriers before blowing the doors off. Having them running at the same time had been a big mistake. It was currently only a trickle coming out of his nose, but he couldn't seem to stem it. And his head was pounding worse than when he'd first woken up after being knocked unconscious. His skull felt like it was going to burst with ever beat of his heart. He really hoped this was going to be quick. He didn't think he had much magic left in him after all this.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:34:06 -0600

@Silver Hall ((Methinks I know who the queen really is. This will make things more difficult.)) ((Poor Kaline.)) Finn waited at the back of the line, he might be able to get off a spell back here before jumping into the fray. But which one? He would have to get a look at the room and the situation. The day was nearly won, but not over yet. @Palace Finally, they broke their way through the entrance. Dumond almost cheered. But they still had to make their way to the Silver Hall. He hoped the guards still loyal to the king would see that resistance was futile, but if their loyalty was true, he was afraid they would fight to the death. He would in their place. "Are you loyal to your despotic king or to the throne and your country?" He called out to the guards they were fighting. We come to put a just KIng on the throne, one who will not kill his own people. You see we have tried to do this with little bloodshed. Help the Dragonslayer take the throne and see your country restored to glory!" Perhaps his speech would turn more to their side. @Meanwhile back on the ship Jiya paced her small room wondering when they would hear what happened in the city and how everyone fared. She asked Stephen to fetch her some wine to settle her nerves. She pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them to see if they would shed any light on the outcome. She turned over a few cards. Swords--conflict. No surprises there. The Knight of Swords, was that the Dragonslayer or did is represent all of the men fighting? She turned over a few more cards. The Empress, inverted. Who could she be? Death. Political upheaval was certain. She pushed the cards together and sat back. They were little help. Too much was clouded.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:57:44 -0600

@silver hall "And killed you as well, obviously." Valentis glared at Liandra, then turned the look on the queen. If he had just killed her before... That was three times now that the queen advised him to let Lady Liandra live. Was she in league against him as well? A voice in the back of his head told him that everyone was against him, but Ganda had stood beside him through the best and worst, helping him keep his throne when he nearly lost it. Valentis stiffened when he felt a sword at his neck, held by someone behind him. "You're coming with us," the man behind him whispered, pulling him back. Valentis immediately recognized the voice as that of his cousin. But how had he...? Idiot! He would know about the pass because he fled through it once before! "Don't say a word." Knowing that his cousin was looking for a clean getaway, though uncertain why he wanted him alive, Valentis looked at his wife, willing her ot look his way. As if she knew what he was thinking she looked at him and her eyes nearly bugged out when she saw Aethan standing behind him. "Let him go! He is your king!" This cry got the attention of the guards who had been approaching Liandra and company and they instead edged toward Aethan. Aethan paniced a moment, where wer ethe others? He glanced back and saw he was alone. Shit. "I am loyal to the realm, not the man who warms the throne. Valentis is no king, thanks to you." Suddenly Liandra yelped and felt herself being pulled by something unseen toward the queen. She found herself a moment later with the queen's knife to her throat. "Those loyal to you will die until you give yourself up." "Don't!" Liandra couldn't think of what else to say, but saving this kingdom was more important than her life. A harsh tug at her hair made her yelp. Aethan tensed his grip on Valentis. He didn't want to see anyone die for him. Especially not someone like Liandra, but she made the choice. He could see it in her eyes even more certainly than her single word. The honor is in the choice. His father's voice echoed in Aethan's head. "I remember," he murmured. As Aethan was preoccupied with the queen Valentis carefully edged out his knife, hidden at his belt. That was it. He would kill his cousin once and for all and be done with him. "So be it," the queen said, then without a second of hesitation killed Liandra. As the body fell to the ground the queen looked toward the banner covering the passage door. "Come out come out little dragon. I know you're hiding in there. I can feel you." "No!" Aethan watched Liandra in stunned shock. Valentis pulled from his grasp and turned on him, blade bare and coiled to strike. But everything felt like walking through mud. Aethan couldn't react fast enough. City guards suddenly flooded int othe room, led by Gannon and Dumond. Gannon looked at Liandra in shock. This was all going wrong!

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 23:21:43 -0600

@Silver Hall There seemed to be a standoff. Dumond wasn't sure what to do but for now the fighting had subsided. He looked at the woman bleeding out on the floor. She had given them much aid in this. It seemed to him the woman's life had been threatened in order to get Aethan to release the king. It must have taken a lot for Aethan not to give in. But this was his realm and the throne he wanted for himself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:45:02 -0600

((Egh, I'm sorry, I just don't know that there's anything relevant for Emkai, Seta, or Omaron to contribute right now. :( )) @ Silver Hall Emkai had stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he'd seen the queen. But... but she had been dead in the tunnel. Who was this imposter? He pulled out his sword and stepped forward, unsure of what to do-- until the queen used some sort of invisible force to pull a woman toward her. Well that explained it, if she was the one Aethan had been telling them about. But still it seemed very stupid to rush forward without knowing what this person could do. He waited. Omaron was still in the tunnel, trying to avoid getting hurt. He couldn't fight on his own, and Shard didn't want him to risk getting hurt anyways. She did start listening intently at the 'queen's' voice though.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 10:44:19 -0500

"Come out little dragon. I know you're hiding in there." Tornica had absolutely no intention of following that voice. He was going to join the fight and help out as had already been planned. So why was it he was now out the tunnel in the Silver Hall with absolutely no idea of how he'd got there. He went pale at the sight of Liandra dead on the floor and Valentis about to strike with his blade. He was pretty sure this isn't how the plan had been supposed to go. "Aethan?" he asked, deeply unsure of what was doing on. "What's going on? How is she doing this?" Why did he have no real motivation to move to help him? Or to help Kalin who looked liked death warmed up at the other end of the hall. --- Gannon, Dummond and their soldiers all thundered past Kalin, giving him a moment and a nice wall of metal to catch his breath behind for a moment. He'd let the barriers outside the doors collapse, no longer sure he had the strength to keep them going. The soldiers could deal with any problems the men behind them posed. He staggered forwards further into the hall to see what was going on. He bit back a curse of frustration. He was half dead from magic overuse and the day still didn't look particularly won. And Valentis was somehow in a position to strike out at Aethan with a blade. Kalin summoned up the last dredges of magic energy he had left and threw them at Valentis; a solid lump of magical force designed to take the man clean off his feet. Hopefully it would just knock him out cold rather than kill him, but at this point Kalin didn't have the control left to be sure of it. As the spell unleased pain lanced through his brain, a burning sensation rippling across his mind. The bloodflow to his nose increased and more started dribbling out of his ears. Completely spent he dropped to the floor like a stone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:18:34 -0500

((Oh dear, poor Kalin. Blood coming out of the ears is never a good thing.)) ((Finn is pissed, the last time he was up against Acebrity (sp?) he died.)) @Silver Hall Finn cursed under his breath. This had to be that goddess or whatever she was that Aethan had told them about. He expected she had killed the queen and taken her place and that was how she kept Valentis in thrall--by being that close to him monitoring and directing his every move. To top it off, she was able to control Tornica. This was not good at all. He wished Jack were here. At least Jack's powers were comparable. Jack might not even break a sweat dealing with this one. He readied a spell. ((I'm thinking some sort of blast of water at Acebrity since she's more about fire. Will that at least break her concentration on Tornica and get Aethan away from her. Finn would know enough as to whether it had a good chance of working I think.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:00:16 -0500

Sophia paled when Liandra fell to the ground dead, scarlet pouring from the wound. She looked terrified and backed up, bumping into someone and turned just in time to see Kalin collapse behind her. "Mr Kalin!" She exclaimed, hurrying over and kneeling by him, skinning her knees on the floor. Was he dying? She sawa the blood from his nose and ears and looked around. "Oh... help... "She said to anyone in the area. Wolf made sure the two wolves were positioned near the King and Queen, she still wasn't sure what was going on but at least the wolves could defend their little group and not come to harm. She held a sword she had taken off of a fallen guard in a defensive position and waited for directions. "What the..." Alis said a very bad word in her confusion, looking at the queen... she was quickly trying to put two and two together but it just kept coming out as five... this made no sense and she didn't like it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 13:43:06 -0500

Before Valentis could strike something knocked his feet out from under him and he fell, hitting the marble floor with a crack that rebounded off the walls and ceiling. Aethan watched him go down in shock. Everything was happening so fast. Then he saw the blood that slowly pooled on the floor under his cousin's head and Aethan felt his chest seize up. This wasn't what he wanted. "No!" He quickly dropped to his knees and checked for a pulse, feeling it grow weaker and weaker, then he looked up as he heard Gwenlynn call out ot Kalin and dart past him, seeing the man on the floor bleeding as well. Then Tornica's words caught his attention and he realized that Tornica was in trouble as well. He would either be next or he would be forced to attack them. "Finn do something about Tornica before-" Suddenly Aethan was hauled off his feet flying across the room. "You want to sit on the throne so badly, fine. You can die on it as well." The queen had a look about her that gave her a malvolent aura, a force to be reconned with. Aethan found himself pinned in the Dragon Throne, unable to move. "Tornica, is it?" She turned a smile on him. "Be a dear and deal with him once and for all." Her voice dripped sugar sweet as she said it. "I found Ganda!" Aethan called out to catch her attention. "I've escaped you before Acebrity what makes you think I can't best you again?" "It was my guards last time dear," she reminded him sweetly. "I won't make that mistake again." The facade was up so her illusion fell and in place of hte blond, slim queen was a tall woman with hair and eyes as red as flame. The city guards all paused, Gannon gaped openly. She gave the royal guards, who seemed unsurprised by this turn of events, a rather impatient look. "Well what are you waiting for? Kill them!" The royal guards lept into action, moving toward the city guards, but focusing more on those who were obviously on Aethan's side like Wolf, Seta, Finn, Alis, and everyone else who came out of the tunnel. Acebrity turned her gaze directly at Emkai and smirked. "Oh fun! Another toy! Let's see..." She pursed her lips thoughtfully, calm as if nothing was distracting around her at all, as if there were no fighting going on. "Let's try this." She raised her palm up and started pulling flames from Emkai, forming a fireball in her hand. As she did this, looking quite entertained, she smiled at Omaron. "You aren't like the others.... there is something malvolent about you. Perhaps it would be best to throw your lot in with my men if you want to go home again. Otherwise you will die with all the others." Gwenlynn dropped to her knees beside Kalin, checking for a pulse first. The only guess she had for his condition was that he overused his magic. "Kezia!" She called the woman, trying to see what herbs she might have to help Kalin, or at least to wake him. Kezia wasn't likely to know too much about this yet.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:03:12 -0500

Kalin had just gone down. Tornica knew he should be going over to him. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him that he should be moving and dragging his friend out of harms way and hang the rest of them! But instead he remained where he was. His other half, the dragon soul that shared his body, was stirring. Rather than the all consuming anger he typically associated with it, it felt...fascinated. With only the basic intellect of a beast it was never the less hooked on Acebrity's every word. It wanted to do what she commanded. Like following her orders was the most natural thing in the world. And now that it had a focus, something to hone the beast's instinct, it was far stronger than him. He barely even flinched when Aethan was flung back against his throne. Against his will be stepped forwards towards the throne, sword held at the ready. --- When the fighting had started Kezia had frozen, barely able to face leaving the tunnel. But then she felt Kalin's last flare of magic and it felt...wrong. Everything he'd used thus far had been perfectly shaped and controlled. That final one had been ragged, fraying round the edges. She peered round the edge of the tunnel mouth and her eyes went wide when she saw him on the floor. When Gwenlynn called for her she darted out from the hiding place to be at his side. Oh please don't let him be dead she prayed silently. Please don't let him have gone the same way as my brother.... He wasn't dead. That was a mercy at least. His breathing was shallow but steady. "Kalin," she said frantically. "Kalin can you hear me?" His eyes opened a fraction. They were bloodshot and painfully unfocused but he was aware and responding. If only just.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:22:39 -0500

Seta blinked, mind a bit numb. Liandra, dead. Valentis, most likely dead. Kalin, dead or badly injured. Aethan, incapacitated. Tornica, absolutely no idea what was happening but it was bad. The royal guard, advancing on them with the intent to kill. Acebrity, present and accounted for, ready to have them all slaughtered with a smile on her face. Well then. She brandished her little spike and limped toward Sophia as fast as she could. If she was about to die, she might as well do it defending someone who wasn't going to do very well on their own. Emkai's lip curled at Acebrity's words, and he started toward her with his knife. It was stupid, he knew deep down, incredibly stupid, but he'd had enough of humans and goddesses and whatever else talking about his people like they were either monsters or novelties to be stared at. Toy was worse. As soon as she started pulling his flames from him, though, his steps faltered. A cold chill went down his back, seeping to the other parts of his body, and he shuddered. He forced a few more steps forward, angry and tired and confused, before he came to a stop, arms wrapped tight around his torso. It was hard to focus on what was going on around him. Meanwhile, Omaron's eyes flitted anxiously from Aethan on the throne to Acebrity. What was it with crazy supernatural women interfering in people's-- ow. When the goddess addressed him, he barely kept himself from jumping. "Th-that's not me," he replied before he really knew what he was saying. He flushed and straightened a little. She was terrifying, but maybe just this once he could do something right. "I mean... I mean n--" You are NOT going to ruin me, you little mortal worm! Pain like nothing Omaron had ever felt surged into his head. He didn't even have the chance to cry out before he heard himself replying, "What do you need me to do, dear?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:04:47 -0500

((Argh, I tried to post earlier and my PC kept locking up, then I had to go to a meeting.)) ((So glad this didn't move on so quickly. Not sure how much time is passing as people are reacting. I'm thinking that Finn get get the first spell off no problem. And probably the second one. He was last in the tunnel, so he has some protection from any guards trying to get to him. Although he'd much rather be in there swinging his sword than in the back casting spells. If I'm not around tomorrow, and likely I won't be around until late...then have Finn cast the ice storm. That buys me some time in case I'm not around to post and gives some protection to everyone if Acebrity lobs that fire ball.)) @Silver Hall Finn already had a Hold Monster(s) spell ready. He had thought to try it against Acebrity, hoping to slow her down. But Tornica and now Emkai were slightly more immediate threats since no one wanted them dead. He wondered how long Emkai could live with his fire snuffed out. Finn threw the spell at both of them. He stepped back into the entry to the tunnel for some further protection cursing to himself that he had to retreat and cast spells. He would much rather be in the thick of things. But he needed to keep a cool head. He followed up with a protection from fire spell on Aethan's followers. a bit later, if possible, he cast a a very small, very intense Storm of Wrath, acid and sleet and hail (he left out the lightning not sure if Acebrity could turn that to her advantage). He cast it in a tight circle just around the offensive goddess. ((Finn also can cast a wall of ice which might hold Acebrity for a bit. If I'm not around and you need another spell--you can have him do that one. I don't think Finn's magical healing can do anything for Kalin since his injuries are from doing magic, but Finn can do a full heal as long as there is still breath in the person and they aren't dead yet.)) --- Dumond's eyes grew wide when the woman transformed. She seemed to have some power over the dragon boy--Not a good thing for them. But he was too busy fighting the King's guards to worry about a so-called Goddess

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:29:36 -0500

Sophia glanced up to see Miss Seta coming toward her. At that moment she was yanked painfully to her feet, two sets of hands dragging her away from Mr Kalin and the others. "...could have some fun with this one..." She heard from behind her, "...certainly the weakest of..." she couldn't think of what it meant for a moment but when there was a laugh and she felt a hand creeping up her skirt she realised with cold clarity and she gave an ear piercing scream, kicking, scratching and biting as she did. The men dropped her briefly, shocked at the sound coming from such a little meek thing. They recovered soon enough, one grabbed her from behind and the other one struck her, angry at being shocked and stunned by her. Sophia gasped and went still for a moment when she felt the blow, then when the hands continued to try to violate her she panicked again and resumed kicking and scratching. "Gods damn it, she's too much trouble, let's just kill the little beast and have it over with." The one who hit her said, gingerly touching a bit of skin where her teeth had broken through on his arm, the blood was welling up. He had torn the collar and shoulder of her dress and gotten his arm too close to her mouth... The one behind her shrugged and put a hand over her forehead tilting her head back to slice through her throat. It was hindered by the thick collar though and he sighed with frustration. "Move the collar a bit so I can get her jugula." He said, sounding bored. The one came up and grasped the collar, tugging at it, the collar of course thought it was being tampered with and started to tighten. Sophia coughed and gasped, squirming and trying to get away as the guard behind her pressed the blade against her throat. Suddenly something happened that never had before, she wasn't even sure afterward what -had- happened. The collar gave a large pulse of energy (it was the only way she could think of it) and knocked the two guards away, they landed with crashes on the floor a few feet away from her, knocked out cold. The collar squeezed a little again and then let up. Looking around, she saw a ring of guards around her, some passed out on the floor too, others a bit further away shaking their heads as though dizzy.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:26:54 -0500

Tornica had absolutely no idea what Finn had just done, but he was very grateful for it. His advance stopped dead. He couldn't even move his arms to try throwing his sword at Aethan. Inside his head the dragon screamed in frustration that it could no longer do as it was told. "Thank you," he said. "Please tell me if Kalin's all right. Tell me he's alive at least." --- Distracted by Kalin's state of health Kezia didn't notice Sophia's predicament. She barely even noticed when the other girl started screaming. "Everything hurts..." Kalin mumbled weakly. "Is the fight over...it doesn't sound like it's over." He tried to prop himself up but could barely move his arms to get himself into a good enough position. "Someone help me sit up," he said. "No!" Kezia protested. "You're hurt, you need to rest." "I can help!" Kalin insisted. "If we fail here we're probably all going to die anyway. I might as well give it my all. I can cast though you...use your magic to shape the spells." "Isn't that...isn't that dangerous?" Kezia asked. "I'm afraid so. But I'll be careful. I promise I'll be careful."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:46:40 -0500

Acebrity watched Tornica for a moment to be sure he was listening like a good little dragon and gave a satisfied smile before turning her attention back to Emkai. She could feel Aethan tugging at his invisible bonds but she wasn't worried. He wouldn't be able to move. "Ooo, don't like that do you?" Acebrity's lips formed a thoughtful O shape. Well he would be easy enough to destroy. When Omaron asked what he should do Acebrity rolled her eyes. "Well I should think that much is obvious. Kill them all." When Tornica stopped moving Acebrity's eyes turned ot him sharply. There was something in the air. Something wrong... She looked around for her answer and her eyes settled on Finn. As he threw his Storm of Wrath at her Acebrity yanked mercilessly on more fire from Emkai to fuel her fireball, then the flames rose to the ceiling and molten hot flames started to drip from the entire ceiling. She didn't care who was harmed by it. None of it would hurt her anyway. The fire crawled along the ceiling, raining down on the rom, hissing when it hit the reflective pool in the center of the room. The Storm took Acebrity by surprise and her hold on Aethan faultered. An eerie laugh filld the room. It was like fighting Hibernia. How delightful! She missed those fights! Acebrity pulled on the fire at the ceiling, using some of it to circle around her and push out against the hail and acid. ((HAVE OT SWITCH COMPUTERS. TO BE CONTINUED DO NOT REPLY YET.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:36:27 -0500

The hail was easy enough to deal with. Acebrity's fire melted it away. The acid was a different story. Of course, she was a goddess so it couldn't kill her. Not unless it came fro ma very specific source and that was dealt with years ago. As it hit her skin, leaving welts, she threw a wave of heat so strong it was nearly steam at Finn, hoping to burn him, distract him. There were other ways to deal with him that were far more efficient, but that would ruin the fun. There had to be a way to at least wound Acebrity. Aethan knew of one person who knew how but she wasn't there and she couldnt' share the information anyway. Of course, having her with them would have made a world of difference. He could think of nothing at the moment but seeing what his sword could do. Aethan moved toward her while she was distracted. To his surprise he managed to get the sword through her gut, and to his surprise she didn't even flinch. Instead she looked down at him in alarm. "The throne will never be in your hands again," he growled at her. "If you want it so badly, ask for the blessings of hte gods." Acebrity used invisible force again to throw Aethan into the reflective pool, holding him under the water. The surface suddenly burst into flame. "He is alive!" Gwenlynn called to Tornica. She shook her head, helping Kalin sit up. "She's right. We can guard you. You need to get your strength back. Is there anything I can do to help you?" This was falling apart. Liandra was dead, Tornica and Emkai were subject to Acebrity's whims, Omaron seemed to be turning against them, Sophia was in danger, Kalin was tapped out, and now Finn was in serious danger.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:53:12 -0500

Something in Omaron's eyes flashed at the flames raining down on them, but it was gone in an instant. "Of course, dearie... d... aagh!" He blinked and staggered. Inwardly he was shocked. Shard's power had always been an impenetrable wall, something he could struggle with all he liked without making an inch of progress against it. Now, finally, he felt it give just slightly. Was she distracted? But even as he gathered his wits he felt it clamping down on him again like a vice. He turned to the crowd, to any of his friends that might listen. "I-It's not me, I'm sorry, she's taking me back again, I can't--" He stiffened, shuddered, and fell to the floor. Bristling white fur began to sprout up over his body. It was next to no time that a white beast with curling golden horns was scrambling up from the floor, snarling. Emkai felt more relieved than anything when the strain of standing upright was taken away by Finn's hold spell. It didn't seem to be doing anything to prevent Acebrity from ripping his fire from him, unfortunately, but at least now he didn't have to expend any energy trying to keep from falling over. His eyes rolled up in his head for a moment at a particularly nasty tug. Meanwhile, Seta just stared at Sophia and the fallen guards in amazement, momentarily distracted from everything else. Her curiosity had been sparked. "How...? What did you do to them?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 18:03:13 -0500

Tornica didn't think he'd ever felt more useless in a fight before. He'd stopped advancing on his own side, but he wasn't doing a great deal to help them either! And the minute Finn's spell wore off Acebrity would just be able to start commanding him again! "Aethan!" he shouted when the other man got flung about again and held underwater. If he could only get to him without Acebrity noticing and stopping him...He couldn't be hurt by fire and so might be able to get Aethan out. --- "I have no idea," Kalin said to Gwenlynn. He didn't have the energy to shake his head. He thought the top of it might just fall off if he tried. Talking though...he could manage talking. "I don't know if your magic is in any way compatible with mine." He was pretty much a dead weight in Gwenlynn's arms, but since he was fairly small and skinny as a bag of twigs he still didn't weight overly much. "Kezia," he said. "Put your hands either side of my head and feed your magic into me. You don't need to do it for long, just long enough for me to feel some of it." Kezia nodded and did as she was told, scrunching her face up in concentration to start feeding untapped mana into him. "Good, that's good." He took a deep breath and coughed slightly. There was a slightly metallic taste to the cough but he resolved to ignore that for the minute. Not a great deal he could do about it at any rate. "Now...I'm about to take control. It's going to feel strange but you have to maintain focus." Kezia swallowed and nodded again. Kalin forced his eyes to open further and tried not to be too dismayed at the fuzzy, blurry quality of his vision currently. He thought he could recognise most people either by general appearance or uniform. Aside from the flaming red lady. She was new. If only he were an air mage...an air caster would deal with this by simply flooding the area with a gas that didn't permit things to ignite. He was going to have to try a solid mana blanket that would stop the oxygen reaching her. But he didn't know if Kezia had the potency for something like that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 01:52:53 -0500

((Way to go Sophia's collar! Guess Weyland doesn't want anyone trying to kill his toy except him.)) Dumond heard a scream and ried to fight his way over to the girl being manhandled, but before he could get close enough to be any help to her something happened and all of the soldiers around her were off their feet and stunned or worse. --- ((Finn is laughing in my head because the Roman name for Ireland was Hibernia.)) Not for the first time, Finn felt exceedingly lucky to be realted to the God of Water, Mannanon. He threw up adome of ice around Acebrity. It should hinder any spells she tried to cast until she could break through. And he hoped it interfered with her using Emkai's fire to aid her spells. Meanwhile the storm raged inside the dome and Finn hoped it was doing some damage to her. Dumond tried not to gape like a bumpkin at all the magic around him. He lifted his arm to shield himself from the fire that began raining down on everyone, but was shocked and very relieved when it did no damage to him. He said blessings to the giant for his magical ability. ((So glad I didn't miss the miss the fight. Finn can cast more hold monster spells and will try one on Omaron once he can determine whose side the beast is on. I would think Shard wants to be the Fairest of them All and will eventually be at odds with Acebrity. One could hope any way.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:56:36 -0500

((Right in one Jez, lol! Wayland's been reading over my shoulder and he said, like hell if he was going to let some snot nosed human toerags take her away from him (in a permanent way lol), and he told me about the feature he decided to put into the collar that would stop anyone except him from taking her life... I guess as well that she needed -some- way of protecting herself sort of. :P She's getting tired of being a liability to everyone. xD )) Sophia gasped and stumbled a little, waiting for the flickers of light in her vision to recede before turning to Seta. "Wh-what? I... I'm n-not sure. "She looked confused and more than a little frightened. What on earth had just happened? "She's a magic user!" She heard a shout nearby her as one of the guards who had been stunned but not knocked out came to his senses again and she flinched, seeing herself surrounded by wary guards again. -- Wolf shouted something to her wolves when she saw Omaron change into that frightening creature again. The two wolves began to increase in size until they were nearly as large as him but not quite. They took off toward him, flanking his sides, fur on end as they tried to keep him under control when needed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:50:18 -0500

Gwenlynn could tell Kalin wasn't going ot listen to them about waiting to recover. He didn't seem to be the type to let others tell him what to do. Stubborn, more like a Gray elf than a Riverfolk. She watched him warily until she heard Tornica call out to Aethan and her head whipped around, looking for Aethan. She couldn't see him anywhere. Where did he go? If she thought it would have been okay to move Kalin she would have set him down and went to look for AEthan, but she was afraid that moving when he was using magic and so weak would be bad in the end. So she stayed, trying over and over to get a grasp on the Essence. It was like trying to hold water in her hands. Clearcall couldn't get a hold of the Essence at all. He gave up trying and used a sword to fight the guards instead, moving to help Seta and Sophia as guards advanced on them. He watched Gannon order guards to help the two women as well, but a number of them were tied up fighting Acebrity's henchmen. There was little doubt they were loyal to her all this time and not to the king. Their reaction when she transformed said as much. He also began to understand why Aethan had wanted Tornica under his eye, but now Clearcall didn't trust the man anywhere near him. "Tornica stay away from AEthan!" Acebrity pursed her lips as the dome of ice formed around her. And here she just figured out how to stop his last spell. She closed her eyes and murmured something inaudible. It took a moment, and she hated having to do this, but she could feel new power rush into her. The wound Aethan cut into her healed, though it would leave a mark unless she could succeed at killing him and taking control of Cevius again. Leniency only went so far, even for her. But the power that was fed into her was more exhilarating than anything and shetilted her head back, reveling in it for a moment before tapping into it. Her eyes snapped open and she was miling deviously, reaching out to touch the wall. It exploded out away from her in all directions, but instead of shards of ice it turned to water. A laugh rumbled out from deep in her throat. "Oh dear. You think you can defeat a goddess? You mortals never learn." She had enough of this giant and his unusual magic. Since fire and heat seemed to have no effect on him, she thrust her hand out and sent a vicious blast of air in his direction. Several of her own men were thrown into the wall, some hitting with a sickening crack, but it didn't bother her to lose them as long as she took out the obnoxious giant man. Too bad too. He looked like he could be entertaining. At first Aethan tried to stand. He could feel the bottom of the pool but he couldn't get himself into a position to push up against her. He was dimly aware of the fact that he was drowning, water filling his lungs, and he stopped struggling against Acebrity's hold. By the time she lost her graps on him because of Finn's spell Aethan was no longer trying to free himself. The flickering of the flames above him faded and he was sure this was it. He failed. He failed to avenge his sister, to help Regan bring the armies of the world together, to save Cevius. He failed to keep his promise to Gwenlynn. He could feel himself floating as if just below the surface. Then he saw something, an event that happened to him months ago, watching it as if he were a spectator and not a participant. Aethan saw himself in the snowy field near Fort Dushai, the snow beneath him darkened red. Regan knelt beside him, trying to heal him as he slipped out of consciousness. The attempt was futile. Regan looked up at Silmarwen, crouched at his other side. "It doesn't matter. He's lost too much blood." Regan's voice was an echo as if from a distance. Silmarwen's eyes were red, filled with tears that she refused to shed and she shook her head, muttering something. Suddenly Regan grabbed his knife and sliced his hand open, then did hte same to Aethan's, forcing the palms together. The memory faded, the two men sitting like that. Then there was a light and voice coming to him. Remember where the honor is... Aethan tried ot call out to his father but no words came out. Suddenly there was light, and someone approached him, reaching a hand out ot him. AEthan looked up and saw his sister, taking her hand.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 17:52:03 -0500

Omaron snapped at one of the wolves running beside him. He was in no state to comprehend what was going on, exactly, but he didn't like how they kept shoving at him when he got near someone he wanted to attack. And they smelled funny, like they weren't just animals either. It set him on edge. Wait, dear, cooed Shard in the back of his head, and his hackles lowered at it. Wait a bit, I'd like to see more of what's going on first. He slowed down for a moment, though he couldn't resist butting one of the creatures with his horns in frustration. Seta's attention went to the advancing guards again. "Right," she murmured, half to herself and half to Sophia. "Okay, we can figure that out later. First, we need to get past the guards, and then we need to... um... wing it from there. Wait, where's Aethan?" Emkai's mind cleared a little when the pull on his flames subsided. He still felt weak enough to not particularly care about being frozen in place, but it did gall him that there wasn't anything he could do to help the others against this... entity. What had she done to him anyways? It wasn't like she was putting him out or just smothering the flames from his skin. It had felt like she was yanking something out of his insides, almost.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:15:51 -0500

((At least we don't have to worry abt Sophia getting killed. Cool. Finn is very relieved.)) ((Can't Clearcall tap the reflecting pool for water?)) ((Finn knows Shard AND Acebrity all too well. And prefer t know them dead.)) "Only half-mortal and nigh-invulnerable. My magic comes from another world. My gods would have your heart for breakfast." Finn said, intimidating your opponent was part of the battle. As a bard he knew that very well. "I wield the Son of the Seas." which should protect him from any of her fire attacts. Finn felt the blast of air hit him and stumbled back a few steps, which only gave him more protection of the tunnel. At least only one of her minions at a time could try to get to him and he could deal with them easily. Finn cast another storm on Acebrity. How could he kill her or do enough damage to make her retreat? Bollocks, why hadn't Aethan given them more details? And Aethen was at the bottom of the pool. This was probably futile, but if he was to die today far far from home with no one to sing his dirge, he would do all in his power to take this so-called goddess with him. Next Finn readied a ball of ice, like a fireball it would do the same damage and he hoped it would do even more to this fire-goddess. He had defeated Aileen the firedrake when he was on the cusp of manhood. Brigid help him, he would defeat Acebrity. ((Finn is starting to get all bardic/poetic in my head.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:38:29 -0500

((Ohgod... I can feel all the muscles in my legs and feet and back and... well, everywhere, WAY too much for my liking... Note to self... 2 hours of Zumba when I can't sleep in the next day might be a bit too much... possibly... lol I might get a post on here in a bit but there's still laundry and dishes to do and I might fall down the stairs... or up the stairs and fall asleep right there on the floor. xD ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:03:51 -0500

((LOL, I haven't tried Zumba yet. All my friends say I'd love it with my dance background. Next time take some Motrin and drink lots of water before you start.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 02:31:30 -0500

"But I can help!" Tornica protested. Not that he could right now since he couldn't even move, let alone drag Aethan out of the pool. "Fire doesn't hurt me, I can go in there after him..." And if he could move and Acebrity wanted to control him again she could have him standing quite comfortably there and force Aethan into the flames, forcing him to burn whether he wanted to or not. Maybe steering clear was a better idea. "Understood," he called back to Clearcall. "But someone has to get him out of there! He'll drown otherwise!" --- If I survive this without doing some permanent damage to myself it will be a miracle Kalin thought. The blanket wasn't working. He just couldn't get it to form with all the disruption of the spells both Acebrity and Finn were throwing off. It was an ambitious plan anyway. Best just do something low energy and highly lethal. See if he couldn't at least slow her down. He sent out his blades of mana, thin wedges of magic that tapered down to a killing point, and aimed them all at Acebrity. His aim wasn't as good as normal, some of them going wide to score deep gashes in the floor of the hall, but others flew true. He just hoped they could get through the goddess' defences.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:22:25 -0500

He'll drown. Clearcall and Gwenlynn both heard those words, though their reactions were very different. Gwenlynn tightened her grip on Kalin a little to keep her self from jumping to her feet and jostling him. Her face was that of sheer terror as she stared at the flaming reflective pool. Clearcall also looked at the waters, taking a slice ot his arm as punishment. Someone had to do something, but who? Who could get into those flames? He knew of the Trials of old that kings had to go through in order to get the crown, seeking blessing rom the gods. There as no way Aethan would get it from Acebrity, and she was the only one left, aside from the new idea of Creation and Ruin. He had no choice but to leave Seta and Sophia to their devices as he approached the flaming waters. He could see Aethan if he looked hard enough, floating just below the surface. Were they too late? He tried to step into the waters but the flames were too much and it stopped him. He looked over at Emkai. The water may hurt him, but maybe the flames would counteract that. "Emkai, see if you can get him out!" "I would love to see them try," Acebrity sneered at Finn. She was letting him distract her from her true purpose. Once Aethan was dead they would have no other reason to fight her. She could leave and return another day once the chaos either detroyed the city or it settled down. "You wield a sword. Magical or not." And now she knew it was a water-favored blade. Stupid mortal. Pushing him back hadn't done much good. Acebrity pushed at the flames ot create shadows near her, then disappeared as the ball of ice flew at her. Something sliced at her a moment before she disappeared, leaving a gash in her side that the power in her couldn't easily heal. A moment latre she came out of the shadows behind the throne, not ten feet from where Finn stood. In the few seconds she had before he wold see where hse appeared Acebrity used Air ot grab hold of him by the neck and pull him toward her, high up in the air. "Let's hear you sing now, mage." At the same time she started hammering at the hold spell that kept Tornica in place with more of this devine power that left her feeling so exhilarated. It was time for the games to end. As she tried to break the spell she pushed at Tornica's mind, trying ot get him to transform.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:30:42 -0500

((I think you would. I always have a great time. My friend (who's now an instructor) dragged me kicking and screaming to the first one. After about my 3rd one I sorta knew what was happening and had a better time. Now I go whenever I can (obviously. lol!) and I noticed after the first 2 months my asthma had cleared up for the most part, I lost 12 pounds and 2 sizes. It's awesome. But yes... a couple of my friends said I was crazy for pushing thru 2 hours of it willingly. xD I had a bunch of water all day and just before it but the motrin's a good idea. :D )) Alis cursed at the lack of action going ontrying to save the one person who was leading them. She figured it wasn't lack of desire to help but everyone had things to deal with. She sprinted to the reflection pool and shifted from side to side trying to figure out whether the water might counteract the fire anyway. Wolf glanced at Alis when she ran by and shouted to one of the wolves, motioning to the pool, it ran toward it and started to paw at the water, in the midst of the flames and all. There was a smell of burning fur but the wolf didn't seem to notice. He nosed around in the water trying to get his teeth on some part of Aethan to pull him out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:36:24 -0500

Kalin felt Gwen's grip tightening and his attention faltered slightly. "Kezia can take my weight," he said. "It's not like I weight much anyway and she has to hold on to me regardless. Go do what you can for him." He felt a flare of triumph when he felt one of his spells connect with her side, but it faded when she disappeared. Where did she go? What happened? By the time he'd caught sight of her again she had Finn by the throat! He couldn't sense the magic she was using to hold the other man up so he couldn't try disrupting it, and the angle meant she was using him as a shield! He was going to need to move if he wanted to start aiming for her again. --- At this early stage in her assault, Acebrity's efforts didn't do a great deal to the spell holding Tornica motionless. They did, however, enable him to move just enough for dramatic effect. On some level she was speaking to his inner dragon again, cooing to it, drawing it out from its normal dormant state. Tornica lost his grip on his sword and clamped his hands over his ears to try and shut the roaring out. Not that this helped at all; you couldn't muffle noise that was generated inside your own head after all. The pressure wouldn't let up. The dragon kept clawing and clawing at the inside of his mind, desperate to follow the goddess' instructions, desperate to be set free. Tornica couldn't hold it back. He held the advantage in this form, but the dragon was far more powerful. It rarely cared to take control of this far more frail human body, but when prompted to do so there was little the human part of himself could do to fight it off. And once the mental transition was made the physical one was sure to follow. Tornica's scream of frustration as his mind fought against itself became an animalistic howl of triumph as the dragon won free and his body was engulfed with flames, sending another blast of heat through the room. Kalin's eyes widened as the flames cleared to reveal the red and orange beast, scales rippling and reflective to look like the very heart of a fire. "Oh shit," was all he could say to that.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:10:36 -0500

((Whups! Sry Star, I posted that hastily right before I had to leave work and didn't get a chance to even check if there were a post before or after... if Emkai wants to get Aethan out, he can. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:39:52 -0500

Emkai blinked slowly, and found to his amazement he could move again. What was more, his thoughts were coming a little more coherently. Get who from where...? His eyes flicked to Clearcall, then to the pool. There was only a split second of hesitation as he considered the water beneath the flames. His very presence had allowed Acebrity to start that death trap. It was high time he stopped being a liability and contributed. Stumbling forward as quickly as he could, though his muscles screamed in protest, he threw himself headlong into the fire and water. Steam hissed up around him as his fire was immediately put out. Even through the painful chill he could feel something solid beneath him, something human-shaped. He grasped Aethan's shoulders and began dragging him through the fire, protecting what he could of him with his waterlogged cloak. Seta's eyes turned round when she saw Emkai emerging from the pool with their leader. If it weren't for the guards closing in maybe she could help. She glanced to Sophia. "Can you do whatever trick that was again? Maybe?" Omaron yelped and jumped backward as Tornica burst into flames-- then noticed that one of the wolves had left him. He turned and snapped viciously at the remaining wolf's throat, hoping to hurt it enough that it couldn't follow him anymore.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:19:03 -0500

((Damn you, Acebrity.)) ((Does Emkai have a fireproof cloak or gloves or like all of his clothes? Someone should grab something and get Aethan. Ah, good, he got him out after all.)) Finn didn't dare let Emkai to Tornica go. Then Acebrity would be able to force them to do more damage. Luckily for Finn, although most bardic spells required a verbal component, if not outright singing, he had also been trained by druids and knew a fair amount of those spells. Finn had his sword in his hand, it had never been out of it since he entered the tunnel. He prepared to use it, but had time for a spell before Acebrity pulled him to her. HIs feet dangled, his head nearly touched the ceiling. He was accustomed to getting the bird's eye view of things because of his height, but never like this. He cast another ice dome around Acebrity hoping to cut off her ability to drag him. It seemed he did that just as Tornica's beast was set free. Brigit's Tits. Finn wondered if he could cast another hold monster before he had to actually try and fight Acebrity. He was curious as to why she wanted him so close. It seemed she had control of Tornica now, and that beast that had been Omaron, and she could use Emkai any time she liked it seemed. Bollocks.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:31:55 -0500

((Yeah, everything he has is fireproof. I'm sorry about the little, er, god-mod thing with the broken spell of holding. I figured that if Finn's air was cut off that might let him move, or something.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:44:22 -0500

((Yeah well, she is a god so it can't exactly be easy ;) )) Acebrity smiled in a safisfied sort of way when the dragon came out. Things were looking up. Omaron was not fighting for her as a beast as well. She gave Finn a smug look as the ice dome came up around her, but this time she was prepared. She didn't need to see hwer targets once she already had them in her control. All she had to do was hold on. Acebrity reached up and did as before, touching the ice dome and with the rage of power that coarsed through her she turned the ice to water that pooled at her feet. "I've had enough of you." She tightened her grip with her magic on him. "Little dragon, time for dinner." As Emkai pulled Aethan out of the water Gwenlynn carefully shifted Kalin into Kezia's control, then scrambled to her feet and ran to his side. She checked for his pulse and didn't feel anything, but she didn't pull her hand away immediately and when she was about to move it she thought she felt something. Gwenlynn rolled Aethan over on his back and pressed against his chest to force the water from his lungs. It came up and she rolled him in his side to let the liquid flow out. Still, he didn't cough, didn't move. Something filled the air and for the first time Gwenlynn realized Aethan's skin wasn't cold. Actually he was quite warm. Acebrity yelped, hands at her neck and eyes bludging and her grip on Finn slipped. Her body spun around, looking wildly for the source, for Regan. That was when she noticed all of her men looked just as confused as her, eyes looking about wildly but otherwise not moving. Then her eyes found Aethan, pushing himself to his feet and turning toward her, his emerald eyes frightening. "No!" "The blessing has been given," he said calmly. "Impossible!" How had this happened. Aethan ignored her as she clawed at her neck as if trying to remove a tightening collar, turning his attention to her men. They were obviously in league with her and so couldn't be saved. Not today. As a group the men all crumpled to the floor. Acebrity released a wild cry, then a pulse of magic blasted out from her and she was gone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:14:36 -0500

Emkai let the others pull Aethan from his grip, vision flickering in front of him. Odd. The last time he'd been submerged, it hadn't felt this severe. It was with an odd detachment that he watched what happened. Gwenlynn checking Aethan's pulse. Acebrity grabbing her neck. Tornica the dragon rearing above them all. Aethan getting up, and all the guards falling... Once the goddess was dealt with, he slumped to his side. Maybe there was more to be done and maybe there wasn't, but he was on the verge of passing out. Seta motioned to Sophia to follow as she raced over to her friend's side. "Emkai! Emkai, are you all right?!" "Just... quiet, please..." he wheezed. "I'm... I'm going to be fine, I think, just quiet." Omaron, meanwhile, froze in place when Acebrity vanished. Shard's alarm caught him off-guard. Mmm. This could be problematic, couldn't it? There's not really any way for us to prove you're not in league with her... but I suppose we could just let them know that you're utterly out of your mind at the moment. This was followed by a sharp mental jab. Omaron flinched and let out a miserable noise something like the yowl of a cat before darting behind the throne, tail between his legs.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:34:19 -0500

((No problem, the way a hold spell works the person can keep struggling and try to break it every so often, if the dice roll is high enough, they break it. Finn is powerful, but not every spell is unbreakable.)) ((And yeah, dealing with Acebrity is never easy. Nigh Impossible.)) ((Thankfully Finn's protection from fire should last for a long long while.)) Finn fell to the floor and rolled to a crouch trying to assess what was happening. His left hand went to his throat. No singing from him for a bit. Aethan was up, that was a good thing, but what was this new magic coming from him? What did this mean? Dumond sighed in relief when the King's guards fell. He was catching his breath when he was hit with some spell or other that rocked him to his knees. Damned magic users. ((Go Aethan!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 02:20:51 -0500

"Little dragon, time for dinner." Dragons where Tornica was from where not typically carnivorous. They would eat other dragons if they found the corpse but they would only hunt one another in times of starvation. And so since part of Tornica still registered Finn as the same species as himself (or close enough anyway) Acebrity's command gave the creature pause. Part of him still desperately wanted to do as the voice commanded, but there was enough left of its own will power that he baulked at the command, turning to Acebrity for more confirmation before he actually did anything. When the goddess disappeared instead the dragon gave a mighty roar, furious that her comforting presence had been taken away. But as the feeling of her faded so did her influence. The anger disappeared, leaving just a slightly confused beast behind. Still stuck in the dragon's mindset, Tornica stumped about the room and stuck his snout in the reflective pool for a drink, snapping at the flames that were still dancing about on the surface. --- Kalin stared at Aethan. That was...he had absolutely no idea what that was. And for once it didn't particularly bother him. Acebrity had disappeared, her men had all hit the floor, and Tornica didn't show any signs of going on a rampage. "Does t his mean I can rest now?" he asked. "Because...I would dearly like to sleep for about a year."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:24:44 -0500

Aethan looked around at his comrades, eyes first settling on Liandra's body. Gwenlynn and Clearcall both watched him curiously, though Clearcall was a little more openly stunned, as he walked over and knelt beside Liandra. Aethan smoothed the hair back from her forehead and placed his hand over it, murmuring something that Gwenlynn could only assume was a prayer for the dead, then he stood again and walked over to Kalin. "This isn't over," he told everyone as he crossed the room. "She isn't dead. She fled. We haven't heard the last of her." He knelt on one knee beside Kalin, taking the elf's hand. Gwenlynn stood and walked over to stand behind him, watching curiously, trying to figure out what was going on. There was something about Aethan again, like before. An aura of strange magic pulsing around him. Her gaze flicked to Kalin, watching as some of the color returned ot his face, the bleeding stopped completely now ((if it hadn't already, I wasn't sure)). Kalin still looked tired, but he didn't look like he was about to completely pass out. "Aethan-" but before Gwenlynn could finish he was already on his feet and moving to Emkai, ignoring the fact that Tornica was a dragon completely as he walked past him and knelt at the fireman's side. "Emkai?" Aethan gave the fireman a worried look, then pulled Emkai's glove off and took the hand. Gwenlynn gasped. Sure hte fire was out but Emkai would still be hot, wouldn't he? Then her eyes widened as she saw the ashen skin turn dull orange, spreading out from the hand, up the arm, and over Emkai's body, and flames slowly followed the progression, rolling along Emkai's skin until he was alight again. Her eyes widened. "Aethan what-?" He let go, shaking his hand a little as if he touched a hot stove, then approached Tornica, looking up at him. "I'm sorry ab out what she did to you. She has control over dragons, particularly red dragons. I wasn't sure if she would be able to exert that over you since you aren't from here. But I know it wasn't you." As he spoke some of hte city guard and nobles entered the chamber, gasping or yelping when they spotted a red dragon in the middle of the Silver Hall.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:37:35 -0500

The wolf who had been standing near Omaron followed him to the throne, the other, seeing everything was being sorted out and not being needed went and joined him, each sitting on either side of the throne. The both seemed bemused as to what was going on, tails thumping on the floor on occasion as though there were something to be happy about, then tilting their heads and looking rather confused. Sophia was shivering a little after the impact of what had just happened. She had been about to say to Seta that she hadn't even known what had happened in the first place, let alone being able to try it again, but then quite suddenly things just stopped when Mr Aethan got up. She watched what was going on with her arms wrapped around her.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:09:48 -0500

Kalin's groaned and let his head drop back when Aethan said the goddess had only fled, not been truly defeated. "Can I still rest for a while?" he asked plaintively. "I feel like someone's lit my soul on fire. And not in the good song like romantic way. As if someone genuinely poured oil over my soul and torched it." When Aethan took his hand and did...something he couldn't help letting out a surprised gasp. He still hurt. He still hurt all over and more than he ever wanted to ever again, but it was as if someone put a balm over the raw burns. "Kalin?" Kezia asked, voice shaking. "Are you all right?" Kalin gave a weak laugh. "Hell no. But I will be. I'm going to be just fine." When Aethan went over to Tornica, the beast hauled his snout out of the water and regarded Aethan curiously. Then he yawned, displaying an impressive mouthful of razor sharp teeth, before he shuffled off over to where Kalin was still slumped on the floor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:58:49 -0500

Emkai started to protest weakly when Aethan pulled off his glove-- he'd relight eventually, he always did, and touching him would just burn his hand-- but that really took too much effort. Aethan would figure out soon enough that touching him was a bad idea. Then he blinked and frowned at the man. Something odd was happening. He didn't feel nearly as cold anymore, and the utter exhaustion lessened just enough for him to function. Of course the really interesting thing was the yellow-orange flames flicking up along his arm. For a moment he could just look at it in amazement. "Cinders... what did you do?" Seta stood there dumbstruck. What indeed. Usually it took the fireman hours to relight after a very brief dunking. This had lasted considerably longer. Omaron turned back into himself once he got behind the throne, arms wrapped around his knees and shaking. He hated turning like that, and Shard knew it. Come on, he told himself, pull yourself together. Whatever's happening here is a lot bigger than you. He glanced nervously at the wolves before starting to climb out from behind the throne.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:15:40 -0500

Aethan approached Omaron as he came out from behind the throne. His emerald gaze pierced Omaron, but it was as if he wasn't looking at Omaron but through him and directly at Shard. Whether he was or wasn't was unclear ((because I really have no idea if that's even possible for him to do)). "You are a liability. I don't know if you're aware of that or not, but you could cost us this war, and whatever you think you have to gain from Acebrity would be a lie. She would betray you to the Defiler in the blink of an eye, and there would be no hope at all for you then. So I suggest you take some time to consider which side you're on. Gannon, have your men take Omaron to one of the small guest rooms and lock him in." He gave Gannon the orders without looking at hte man, still staring through Omaron. "You can consider your aligiance in that room, and when you're ready to use your brains and choos the right side you will swear fealty to me until the time you are returned home." Then he turned from Omaron without giving him a chance to respond. Nobles were staring at the dragon still, staying as far from it as they could. "He won't harm you. He is the one who saved me from the arena. If you want ot thank anyone for your liberation today thank him. I would have died otherwise." Aethan's gaze plucked out some of the nobles that were loyal to Valentis and he called them forward. But one was missing. He scanned the group once more and saw Tristan stepping back in the thick of the crowd there, trying to escape. "Tristan Luganis! Don't run. You will be the first to swear the oaths to me or you can join those guards. It pains me to think I can no longer trust my own best friend." "Aethan!" Gwenlynn had it! She couldn't wait for her answers any longer. "Stop ignoring me! Nothing more will happen here today until you tell me what in the name of Light just happened!" Four guards were approaching Omaron to take him out like Aethan instructed. Others were inspecting the royal guards who had fallen. "They're alive!" One of the guards called out in shock. "Of course they are. Take them all to the dungeons and lock every last one of them up." Aethan turned to Gwenlynn, trying to remain calm. "How did you do that?" Gwenlynn demanded. "Regan." The answer was plainly obvious and simple to Aethan, but Gwenlynn was confused. "Remember when I told you he saved my life? From then on I called him brother? I lost too much blood in the battle, remember? And what did I tell you he did to save me?" Realization dawned on Gwenlynn so obviously that it was written all over her face. Her entire expression changed to shock and understanding. "He gave you his blood through your hands," Gwenlynn breathed. Gannon looked confused, but he walked over to Aethan and lifted one hand, inspected it, then lifted the other. There was no scar on this one, but there was a mark. Gannon's eyes widened and he looked at Aethan in complete and utter shock. Suddenly he knelt in front of Aethan, which caused a bit of a stir. "He has been found," Gannon announced, bowing his head to Aethan. The other nobles all gasped, looking around the room at the strange people and creatures there. In awkward succession all of them knelt as well, men and women.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:58:16 -0500

"'Ave I missed something here?" Finn asked Dumond. The Frenchman shook his head. "Damned if I know. But I hope this means we'll be going home soon."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 00:40:43 -0500

((Psh, of course it's possible!)) Omaron stood up straight when Aethan approached, not wanting to look frightened or childish. Of course, the anxiety was plainly written on his face anyways, so it didn't matter much. But somehow or other he managed to meet the other's gaze. And really what Aethan had to say was more of a relief than otherwise. There were much worse places to be locked up than a guest bedroom, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the rest of the speech wasn't aimed at himself. Shard, meanwhile, was bristling. Who was this mortal creature who thought he could command the immortal? What in all the worlds and the spaces between made him think he had any authority over her? There was something different about him now, something she didn't like in the slightest, but he was still just a miserable little human on the outside at the very least. But at the moment there was nothing to do but bide her time. Perhaps she could have a chat with their fearless leader and get a few points ironed out at a later date. Let him know that all she had ever wanted was safe passage for her *dear* Omaron home. Humans couldn't find anything 'morally' wrong with that, could they? She allowed Omaron to be led toward the door by the guards, but not before sneaking a look over his shoulder at Aethan. "I think I know what your Acebrity is quite well enough, dearie," she had him say. Emkai hadn't gotten up from the floor yet and felt absolutely no desire to do so, so he didn't bother kneeling. Instead he just bent his head in a little bow before sneaking a look sideways at Seta. "Do you have any idea what's going on?" "Not in the slightest," she murmured as she got down on her knees like the others. "I'm sure someone'll explain how we all got saved eventually though. Right now I'm just happy we're not all charred to a crisp or being tortured by the crazy fire-woman."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:06:15 -0500

Aethen was not his king, Dumond was not kneeling. Nor was Finn, Finn was leader of the Fenian Guard and had sworn fealty to the king of Tara. He had his own gods as well. He would not bend the knee to Aethan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:17:28 -0500

Kalin had no intention of kneeling to Aethan either. But he was thankfully already on the floor and so had no need to worry about offending anyone with this. Not that he typically worried about such things anyway. "What are they doing?" Kezia asked, eyeing the nobles. "What's going on?" "My first guess would be politics," Kalin said. "The second would be religion. Although it's quite possible they're both involved on some level. I say we just go with the flow for now. " He gave the girl a smile. "You did good today. Very good. I'm proud of you." Tornica waddled over, the dragon's body totally unsuited for looking graceful on the ground, and bent his big head down to Kalin. The elf reached up and patted Tornica on his snout. "I'm proud of you too kid," he said. "An involuntary change and absolutely no rampaging. I'm very impressed." The dragon's response to that was a snort of hot air. Kalin raised an eyebrow. "So, you're back in there are you? Well you might want to wait until the hall is a little emptier before changing back. After today I think another display of pyrotechnics might upset a few of the natives." The dragon snorted again and curled round Kalin's form, giving him something to lean against. Kalin sighed softly and rested his back against the warm, solid mass, closing his eyes. He didn't look as grey and ill as he had done a few minutes ago, but he still looked far from well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:50:10 -0500

Gwenlynn wa a little surprised to see Emkai and Seta kneeling. This wasn't their kingdom or home. Actually she was only vaguely aware of a reason why the natives were acting as they did. She edged closer to AEthan. "So, I guess it's time to take the throne?" Aethan shook his head, looking at the mark on his hand and flexing it. He hadn't noticed it before and ti felt silly to think that maybe Gannon was right. All this time Aethan was looking for the one who would fulfill the prophecy and restore things to what they once were, and it was him all along. Pieces were starting to fall into place, make more sense. "I can't just take the throne. It has to be given. It always has had to be given." One by one the nobles came forward and swore fealty to him until only one remained. Aethan looked at Tristan and knew he wouldnt' be ableto trust him even if he did come forward. The two stared at each other for a long minute, until Tristan finally caved in and followed suit. "The throne is yours Aethan. There is no one to give it to you." As Gannon said this Aethan walked toward his cousin on the floor, murmuring a prayer for the dead, then looked at the throne. "Gannon I want the fighting in the city to stop before nightfall. I want everything restored to order swiftly. Anyone resisting will be arrested and held for the night. Everyone else mean my friends and I alone here." Aethan wasn't about to take the throne. He would have the nobles give it to him if nothing else. As the nobles filed out Aethan turned to the others. "Emkai and Seta you don't have to do that." He looked down at Liandra. "This didn't go the way I wanted it to obviously, and I suspected Acebrity may show her face, but I had no idea that she had taken the queen's place. But I can't thank you guys enough for what you did today. I'll do everything I can to find a way to send you all home but it might take a little time to figure out."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:53:56 -0500

Emkai and Seta exchanged a confused look before Seta spoke. "Ah... I thought we were only being respectful," she said slowly. "There's not like some legally binding contract involved with showing respect to the person who just saved your life, is there?" Emkai's flames grew a little brighter around his face as he flushed. Right, he should've known they didn't have to do that, even if Seta didn't. He'd just blame how tired he was, though it did gall him that he'd have made such a stupid mistake. For the moment he tried not to look too embarrassed and just dealt with the last half of what Aethan had said. "I only did what I should have done," the fireman said simply. "I'd like to think if I was the one under water, you or one of the others here would have done the same thing. There's no need to thank me." He paused. "There's... something you should know about Omaron. We only just got it out of him quite recently. Apparently he's got... he says it's another entity called Shard stuck in his head. Normally I'd say he was mad, but with the transformations he's been doing... the point is I don't think he's in control of his own actions sometimes." Seta gave Aethan a slightly curious look. "Somehow I think he already knows that, Emkai."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:24:51 -0500

"Step one accomplished at least." Dumond said. "Now to find a way home." Dumond was again conflicted. If he stayed here, there was no question that Jiya would be his. "As long as Acebrity remains to cause problems, I would not count my chickens." Finn responded. "My spells were like a gnat annoying an ogre. Whatever it was that Aethan did, it is like no magic I have ever felt."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:13:39 -0500

AEthan sighed. The room was cleared out of everyone but this group. He looked at Emkai first. "I had a feeling something wasn't right. But whether it was him or her it doesn't matter. If she can seize control of him like that we can't trust him. She either accepts me and makes a vow to not betray me until he returns home, or he will have to be put in the dungeons until I figure out what ot do with him. I could p[robably get rid of her, but I have a feeling once he returned home it wouldn't help him at all. And I will," he looked at Dumond. "find a way to get you all home." Aethan looked at his hand and flexed it, watching the mark move like the rippling of waves or the fall of lightening, then returned to it's firm shape, unchanging like the mountains. "I will try to explain as best I can. This Great Battle that is coming is against the Defiler, and according to prophecy he can only be defeated by the Blood of Light. There is only one such person who lives and as far as I can tell he is far from here. But we once traveled together, fought in battle together, and when I was seriously wounded and nearly bled to death he healed me and gave me his blood through this." He held up his hand to show them the mark ti left behind. "Here in Cevius there is another prophecy spoken at the end of the twenty year war. 'After the earth drains of water and crumbles from the sky, he shall be born; A child who bears the mark of the seas, mountains, and skies united; His company will be creatures never seen before; His heart will be of gold as like Timaleon the Honorable; Those who do not stand beside him will die; His conquest will restore what was.' " Aethan looked up at them, lowering his hand. "Because of you and what happened here today the nobles now think that person is me. Maybe it is." He looked at the mark again. "And now that I've told you all of this I need you each to promise never to let it leave this circle. If it gives us an advantage against the Defiler we cannot have word getting out. I need it kept quiet. Truth is I don't even know yet what it means in the end of all."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 01:15:19 -0500

Finn spoke up, "If the others think you are the one spoken of in the prophecy, how will you keep them from spreading word of it? Or is it the part about the blood?" "Sounds to me that the prophecy says you will win." Dumond said. He was not much for seers and such, but that was when he thought all of these things mere fancies.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:10:53 -0500

Kalin was of the opinion that prophecies rarely meant anything; not worth the paper they were scribbled on, nor the breath required to actually speak them. The only ones he'd seen come true were ones that were so vague they could be twisted and interpreted after the fact to mean pretty much anything you wanted. The one Aethan was talking about sounded a fair bit more specific than that, which greatly decreased Kalin's belief that it could be worth anything. But it sounded good and vaguely inspirational and so could be great for morale if used correctly. "How widely known is this prophecy?" he asked. "Because from the reactions of your nobles they seem to be aware at least something important is up with that mark of yours. Can you trust them to keep quiet about it?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 10:06:14 -0500

Emkai shrugged before carefully, stiffly pushing himself up off the floor. "I never trusted him to begin with. Better that he's out from the middle of everything." Seta frowned slightly but helped her friend up. "Hopefully we can figure something out though." Both were silent as Aethan explained the prophecy. Emkai gave his little companion a sidelong glance. Sure enough, she had that keen look on her face that meant her interest had been piqued. He couldn't care less about prophecies and the heroes they foretold; as far as he was concerned, a hero was just someone who chose to do what needed to be done. Predestination through some mystical force wasn't a very appealing prospect. Seta leaned slightly toward him. "Creatures never seen before, Emkai, that's you," she murmured. "Charming," the fireman said flatly. "I'm not about to go blabbing Aethan, don't worry." "Me either," Seta chirped.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 14:27:45 -0500

"I'm actually not as worried about that mark and that prophecy," Aethan told them all. "That was mostly just so you could better understand their reaction. It's a Cevian thing what was foretold after the war ended when one of the clerics was outraged about what happened. So that prophecy doesn't hold a lot of weight outside this kingdom. Actually the further you go from Mordelic the less weight it hold even in Cevius. But the magic isn't something linked ot that at all, and I highly doubt anyone understood what happened here today which is why I ask for your discretion." ((Gotta run.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:10:30 -0500

"Ah, no problem." Finn shrugged. Unless Aethan wanted him to tell stories about it, he was happy to keep his mouth shut. Dumond would have shrugged if his armour was lighter. "You have my utmost discretion."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 17:10:42 -0500

"Oh, the magic. Right." Kalin closed his eyes and let his head flop back against Tornica's hide once again. "It's obvious that's what you meant. Forgive me, my brain's still more than a little fried." He rubbed at his face, grimacing as the drying blood came off on his hand. "Of course I won't tell." "Um...Aethan?" Kezia said. "I know you said it's not over...but if we have to wait and work out what to do with Omaron anyway I really think we should get Kalin somewhere a little more comfortable." "That would be appreciated, I have to admit," Kalin said. "No offence Nicky," he added to the dragon. "But your scales aren't exactly pillow soft." Something else suddenly occurred to him and he looked a touch guilty. "Aethan? I'm sorry about your cousin. I swear I was just trying to stun him. I didn't plan for him to come to permanent harm."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:26:52 -0500

"Somehow I think I knew deep down that it would hav eto end like that. I'm not upset with you. If it wasn't you it would have been someone else. Maybe me. But I had been hoping to deal with him before Acebrity showed her face. I didn't expect her to be the queen." Aethan retrieved his sword from where it fell earlier, looking at the name on the hilt. The reality of what was coming hit him, as well as what was lost, and he sighed. A second later he acted as if it were business as usual. "I can have Kalin moved to one fo the guest rooms but I have things that need done before I can start to worry about Acebrity returning." Like restoring this city to order. He couldn't undo everything his cousin did, but he could fix the damage today did to start. "If you guys are hungry I can have some food made and we can all meet again for dinner." As Clearcall started to move toward the door to leave Gwenlynn walked up to Aethan. "Hey, what is on your mind? I can see something there." Aethan looked at the name on the hilt of his sword again. "I can't help but wonder what people will say about me in a hundred years or more, the first non-Gurcius to sit on the throne." "Not by name, but you have their blood in you. Maybe the name passed into history today, but the bloodline has not. It still lives in you." Gwenlynn put her hand on his arm. "My father once told me that the importance of tradition only holds true so long as someone refused to let go. This may not have been what he meant, but the concept is still the same. And from what I have seen in this city, among the people and the nobles, there is only one person who refuses to let go." Aethan looked down at her hand on his arm. "This is not a time for you to be a mountain. It is time ot be like the oak. Unyielding and firmly planted, but willing to bend and move as you grow." He only nodded so she kissed his cheek. "I will go with the others while you take care of business... unless you think you need me." Aethan slipped his hand into hers and his emerald eyes met hers. "I always need you. Gwenlynn you understand what I have to face if this is right, don't you?" She gave him a calculating look, cocking her head a little. "I do. And I know where you're going with this Aethan Havorilus but you will not talk me down. It wasn't you I left home for, though it is you that keeps me here. It is the world. I will be there helping in whatever way I can when the time comes."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 02:47:27 -0500

"A brief stay in one of the guest rooms would do me a world of good I think," Kalin said, starting to get slowly to his feet. Tornica shifted and positioned his head so that Kalin could lean on it and used it to help push the elf into a standing position. He withdrew it briefly but then returned quickly when Kalin looked distinctly wobbly on his feet without the additional support. "So...which way am I meant to go? And would anyone be able to give me a hand getting there? I'm sure your new palace is very grand, but I still doubt a dragon can comfortably negotiate the halls." He wasn't too fussed about food right now. Hopefully by the time they'd all be meeting for dinner he'd be hungry again, but right now it felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach by an angry horse. Not very conductive to wanting to eat.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:57:34 -0500

Wolf wasn't sure what everyone was saying, she decided just to call her wolves back into her and wait to see what they would have to do next. As everyone spoke, she tilted her head and tried to make sense of the words flowing around her but it seemed there was no hope for it until she was able to get some more of that bread from Finn. Alis wiped the blood from her sword, looking grim about the destruction around them. She shrugged off the prophecy. "Who the hell am I going to tell about it?" She replied. It was enough that they were involved in all these politics here now, and suddenly they were made aware of prophecies and other things? Gods above, the drama and tension never seemed to end. Sophia was looking at Miss Liandra, she was biting her lip and looked very sad. She knew she hadn't known the woman well or anything but it was still sad to see her dead. She looked around at the guards, wondering if the ones who had been guarding her were around. Vin... that was the name of one, she didn't knowthe name of the other man though... she hoped they were okay.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:44:20 -0500

((Wolf is going to have to find Finn and let him know she needs more bread.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:10:46 -0500

((She will, she's just thinking there are other more important things going on at the moment. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:10:49 -0500

((Sorry all. I will try to get a post in this afternoon or this evening. If I can't I will get you one first thing tomorrow for sure. You would think on Spring Break I would have a little more time on my hands but instead I have a mountain of homework to do and doctors appts.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:30:45 -0500

Gannon walked back into the throne room and walked straight over to Aethan. "Everything should be restored fairly soon but I think the people need to see you to know it's all true." Aethan nodded. "There's a lot to be done still today. But first I need you to get a few of your men together to escort these guys to the grand hall. Have a few bed brought in for them so they can rest if need be. I would put them in rooms but for now I think it's best if we don't separate them. And let's get some of the servants to get them water to at least clean up iwth if they want." Aethan still wasn't entirely sure who he could trust among the nobles and he wasn't about to have these guys end up targets. Gannon darted out to have the orders filled. He turned to Gwenlynn. "I want you to go with them and get some rest." "I don't want to leave you alone," Gwenlynn quietly protested. "Gannon will be with me, along with some of his city guard. I'll be fine. Go get rest and I'll be in once I've finished business here." Gwenlynn looked less than pleased by this but she nodded. "Clearcall, send word out ot Alis' ship. If she needs to go to the ship don't take that pass again. If you don't know the way you can get lost in there. Have Jiya brought to the palace. There's no reason for her to stay on the ship anymore. Alis, you can go with Clearcall to send out hte message, and let your crew know they can come around to the docks. I'll have men sent there to make sure the ship isn't damaged and to escort Jiya back." Clearcall nodded and looked at Alis. "I'm going to help Kalin get settled first." He walked over to the other elf and helped him up, "Put your armaround my waist." Clearcall slipped his under Kalin's arms for support. He was too tall to pull Kalin's arm over his shoulders without lifting the elf off the ground. Gannon came back in with some guards. "Okay, if everyone is ready..." Gwenlynn walked over to the door as Gannon walked away from it toward Aethan and the two crossed the room speaking ot each other in low voices.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:16:21 -0500

Alis nodded. "No problem." She glanced at Clearcall and followed him as he helped Kalin. "Do you think your friends could relay the message?" She asked, thinking if they could get the message over to the crew, she could meet the boat at the docks to escort Jiya back to the palace. Wolf approached Finn, making motions and asking if he might provide more of the charmed bread for her so that she could communicate with the others again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:18:30 -0500

Tornica provided the last little push to deliver Kalin properly over to Clearcall. Kalin groaned at having to be actually on his feet, feeling really quite dizzy now he was having to remain upright, and was very grateful for Clearcall's steadying hand. "Some water for clearing up would be great," Kalin said. "I think the bleeding's stopped but I must look an absolute fright! And I don't fancy having to wake up later with dried blood crusting up my face." Kezia hopped up to follow after them. Tornica started shifting awkwardly. He'd quite like to change back but he wasn't sure he could guarantee having enough space to do so without hurting anyone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:11:12 -0500

"I will go to fetch Jiya back." Dumond said when he heard her name. he would feel better with her under his protection. The thought of her alone on the sip with a group of sailors did not sit well with him, even if Alis had given them orders. Jiya was a sigular women and even the most stalwart men might be tempted to do something out of character. Look at what she reduced _him_ to. -- Finn was drinking whiskey from his wineskin when Wolf came over. He nodded his recognition of what Wolf needed. he had thought he had given her plenty of ensorceled bread, perhaps they weren't lasting as long as he had thought. He pulled out his bread bag and sat on the floor. He picked apart the bread and cast his spell. It did not take long. He smiled and handed the bits of bread to her. Then offered her an entire small loaf. He eyed the dragon as it shifted about after Kalin was helped out of the room. "Aethan, can the dragon go outside to the courtyard and resume his human form? Or is there a larger room in the palace he could use?" Finn didn't think he should let the dragonboy go far from him. If Acebrity decided to use her influence on him again Finn seemed to be the only one able to restrain him--unless Aethan could tap into whatever power it was that he used before, but that seemed to take Aethan by surprise as much as anyone else, including Acebrity.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 23:20:50 -0500

Emkai sighed. More walking, even if it was only to a nearby room, was a most unwelcome idea at the moment. Nevertheless he stiffly made his way toward the door with the others. Seta trotted over to his side, brows knitted together. "Are you going to be all right?" "Fine," he replied, a bit shortly. "Just need some rest. You should get some too." He hesitated. "I'm, er, glad you didn't get executed. You're not unpleasant company, for a human." Seta smiled tiredly. "That means a good deal coming from you." Her gaze went worriedly back to the door through which Omaron had been escorted. "Should we--" "He's been taken over by one of them. There's nothing we can do." The fireman's voice had hardened again, and Seta decided to drop the subject. --- Omaron sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. It seemed a good time to get some of the misery out of his system, while no one was around to think less of him for it. Shard didn't count; her opinion of him went only so far as he was useful. As it was he'd never felt as alone as he did right now. Your own stupid fault, going and making a contract with someone while drunk, he told himself almost savagely. But then he couldn't bring himself to do that for long. It didn't really help anything and just made him even more unhappy. Even if it is true. He made a self-disgusted noise and started to pace around the room, casting around for a distracting thought. Finally he thought of Wolf. Well that was a relief; she and Seta and Sophia were all safe now. He supposed he wouldn't be able to keep up trying to teach her the common tongue now, which was a pity. It had been fun, and she was a genuinely pleasant person to be around.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:27:04 -0500

"Thank you." Wolf said to Finn once she had consumed some of the bread. "When we were taken, our possessions were stripped from us, including the charmed bread you gave me. It was quite a nuisance..." She smiled. "I wonder if some of the guards here ate it instead. I wonder if perhaps it might have an... interesting effect on them." She sounded amused. Sophia edged around people, not really sure where she fit in or where she should be going. It seemed some people were going to rest... or bathe or... go to the ship. She felt rather out of place. She had done the only job she had been asked to do... and apparently not as well as she could have... she glanced at where Miss Liandra had died, feeling sad. "Yes, yes... alright." Alis muttered when Dumond said he was coming too. The more people there were, the longer it would take, she thought, as she made her through the corridors and waited for Kalin to get settled.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:07:25 -0500

Seta pulled up short when she saw Sophia standing by herself looking a bit lost. "Ah... go ahead Emkai, I'm going to see to something." Emkai just nodded tiredly in reply. She smiled at him before turning back to the other girl. Sophia's gaze was on a bloodstain on the floor. Right, that was where... where Liandra had been killed. Seta put her hand on the other's shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked gently.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 18:01:13 -0500

Finn pondered that a moment. "I suppose if one of them ate it, they would be able to understand any language foreign to them that they heard..." She shrugged. "What do you think it might do?" Dumond followed after Alis. It would be good to have Jiya back with him and know she was safe.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:39:09 -0500

Wolf smiled and thought about it too, tilting her head as she considered. Finally she gave a little shrug. "As you say, I suppose. Allow them to understand foreign languages for a while... though it seems there is a common tongue here anyway. If not, there would likely be a great deal of confusion happening." She laughed. Sophia looked up suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder, then relaxed a little when she saw it was "Miss Seta...D-do... do you think I d-did a bad job?" Sophia sounded worried and looked very distressed. "M-Miss Liandra is dead... M-maybe I didn't d-do the job Mr Ae-Aethan gave me pr-properly..." She murmured.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:54:49 -0500

Seta gave Sophia's shoulder a little squeeze. "No, no one here thinks that! Liandra's death... no one here could've possibly known that Acebrity was already here. There wasn't anything you could have done to stop it, even though you did your job very well." She gave her a slightly awkward smile, as though she wasn't quite used to being in the position of comforter. "You were really brave today, you know."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:43:08 -0500

"I doubt they noticed anything different if they did eat the bread." He shrugged. "Should we be doing more to secure the palace? Not all of the guards have come over to Aethan's side. I should speak to Aethan and see what he needs me to do. He had asked if I could detect when people were lying. I imagine he'll want me to check people to see where their loyalties lie." Finn went over to Aethan. "What more should we do to secure the palace. You wanted me to use my lie detection spell?..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:44:38 -0500

((Shame shame on me! I'm sorry guys and I have no good excuse other than just being tired.)) Aethan was deep in conversation across the room with Gannon when Finn spoke up. At first he didn't realize that Finn had said anything at all, then Gannon nudged him and said something and Aethan turned back to the others, those who wer estill there. He looked around the large throne room. There was only one room in the palace that was bigger but there was no way Tornica was going ot get to it. He wouldn't make it down the halls. "He should be abl eto just do it here. I don't htink he will get out otherwise." He glanced at the reflective pool, something put in place by the old gods like Acebrity. Maybe.... "He could try stepping into the water." Hoping that had solved hte problem he turned his attention back to Gannon and they continued making their plans. It wasn't until Finn walked over ot them that he stopped, in the process of talking about what should be done with Valentis' body. He blinked at Finn's offer. "Your... You have one of those?" Handy. "My men will have hte palace under control soon enough. The royal guards will be questioned to detemine their fate." Gannon said it all quite plainly, as if it were just a matter of course. "Though you may be abl eto help with that if you want." Clearcall helped Kalin toward the room, following after the guards. Once he saw to it that hte elf was settled he turned ot Alis. "I'm sure that's what Aethan is counting on. We can send a message to them and just meet them at hte docks." He looked at Dumond when he said he would join them. He couldn't exactly tell the guy no. Instead he noded and walked out of hte room with the two of them and into the palace courtyard. He raised a tiny tube to his lips that he pulled from his pocket and blew into it. No sound came out, but a moment later one of hte dragonlings appeared and he held out his arm for it to land, looking at Alis. "Go ahead." He murmured something in elvish to the dragonling as he waited for Alis. ((This feels so lame. I hope it covers everything.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:27:29 -0500

((Seems fine to me Star.)) Finn thought he had talked to Aethan about the lie detection spell, but perhaps he had only thought it and not had the change to tell him. "I can detect if a person is lying. Of course, if they truly believe the lie, i won't know. If you have any you wish to question, i can help." It would take less time and not require torture. ---- Dumond followed the others.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:43:48 -0500

((That's fine :) I would've been around sooner but I forgot I had to go for holy hour. :P About one week to go and we're past lent!! :) )) Alis nodded and scribbled a hasty note with a quill she had been given, even in her hurry her script was elegant. She made sure it was dry before sealing it closed with wax and pressing her ring into it to mark it and handing it to Clearcall. "All set. I suppose we can make our way down to the docks, assuming your friend will get the message there in minutes, it shouldn't take the ship long to sail for them. A couple of hours if the wind is with them." She said thoughtfully. Sophia blushed at the compliment, she still looked a little uncertain about how well she had done her job but she supposed she would have to take Miss Seta's word for it. She hadn't thought that anyone would have to die though... it was terribly sad.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:06:55 -0500

Seta shrugged. "Well... well maybe we should go see about eating. It's been a long day for everyone, and I know I'm half-starved. Come on Sophia." She started to lead the way after Emkai. She understood that Sophia was sad about Liandra dying, and it was a bad thing to happen. But Seta had never really lingered on deaths anyways.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:32:52 -0500

Sophia really had no appetite, even though it had been a long time since she had eaten. Her stomach disagreed with the thought that she wasn't hungry though and gave a loud growl. She clasped her hands infront of her and trailed after Miss Seta. Alis led the way out of the palace and down to the docks, she knew there wasn't too much of a hurry, it would take the ship some time to exit the narrow tunnel and make it's way back to the port. She glanced around to gauge the winds and sighed. They wouldn't be with the ship unless something changed soon. She wasn't used to the way the environment worked here. When they got there she stood at the end of one of the docks, waiting and tapping her foot impatiently on the wood slats. She pulled out her little signalling mirror for when she spotted the ship coming. ((Hmm.. mutiny or no mutiny? :P ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 20:56:33 -0500

((Oh dear. Mutiny? Dumond will not be happy. And I expect Jiya won't be either, although, she knows how to get men riled up and fighting over her. She'd be smart enough to align herself with the top dog.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:11:32 -0500

Tornica nodded his big head up and down, agreeing with Aethan when he said the dragon body wouldn't get out otherwise. He then switched to a shooing motion to try and get the people still in the room to give him a bit more space. Once an area large enough had been cleared he let himself lapse back into the change. Before too long he was standing there in human form once more. "Do you want me to come with you to the docks?" he asked before the group left. "Or should I stick here and help hold down the fort?" Which would probably mean following Seta and Sophia as they went questing for food, because he was damn hungry. The transformation always made him ravenous.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:55:20 -0500

((I think Finn told Clearcall way back in the beginning but never told Aethan... I think.)) "I'm not sure at this moment if ther eis anyone in particular, except maybe Omaron when I'm ready to get around to him." Aethan watched Tornica shift back from teh far side of the room. "I have a few things to take care of before I can go speak with Omaron but I will come get you before I do. For now Finn, I appreciate everything you did. Go get cleaned up, get some food and rest, and I'll be along shortly." Well, somewhat shortly. Gwenlynn caught up to Sophia and Seta quickly. "I believe there will be food sent to us. We just have to follow the guards to the Great Hall and Aethan will see that we are given accomodation." "Dumond!" Aethan called after the man before he could disappear after Alis and Clearcall. "I would like to have Jiya perform for the court when she returns if that's okay with you. I think she may be very helpful." He didn't want to think about all the crap he would have to deal with in the next couple of hours, but right now Cevius had no king and the longer it took to get one the worse off it would be. Clearcall waited for Dumond and Tornica ((if he's going along?)) then looked at Alis. "We can head down there if you want. Everyone needs to be ready to protect each other and themselves. We may have control of the palace but we don't yet have control of the streets."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:03:58 -0500

Seta paused and turned toward Gwenlynn. A smile crossed her face. "Well that's a relief. Someone said something about that earlier, didn't... yes. I need to pay better attention, don't I? No matter, ah... that sounds wonderful." Emkai had found a spot to lean against the wall. It looked like he was about ready to fall asleep.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:16:23 -0500

((So just to be clear, the Great Hall is different from the Silver Hall which is the throne room. The Great Hall is basically the palace ballroom and it's in a different wing. It's two levels and the second is where the beds will be set up for everyone. The first is where the nobles will start to gather a little later. Don't worry they won't be allowed to the second floor.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 23:20:12 -0500

((K. Seta and Emkai are just waiting for someone to show them where it is, unless... crap, did they already... *scrolls up* yeeeaaah, hang on. My brain is not working today.)) Seta and Emkai moved over to where Clearcall and the others were.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:33:24 -0500

Finn looked down at himself. He supposed he did need ot get cleaned up some. He followed the guards to the great hall for food. Dumond spun around at Aethan's call. "I will tell her." He said. He imagined Aethan meant that she would help to lift spirits when he said she would be helpful. Perhaps a performance form her would show that things in the palace were back to normal. Dumond was glad to have Tornica and Clearcall with them. If the streets were still dangerous, he wanted a group that could protect Jiya on the way back.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 13:38:16 -0500

As the others left the Silver Hall for the docks or the Great Hall AEthan turned his attention back to Gannon and the two of them set to work tying up loose ends before the gathering later in the day. --- Clearcall walked out of hte palace with Alis, Dumond, and Tornica as if they belonged. His message was likely at hte ship already. As they made their way through the streets he kept his sword hand ready, just in case. There was still fighting and looting, but the city guard was well in the process of taking control of the city again. By the teime they headed back to the palace hopefully their path would be cleared for them. He noted how impatient Alis looked and wondered if everything was okay. There was an old birch tree not far from them and Clearcall thought he spotted a small white form hiding against the white tree. He let out a specific whistle and smirked when the little dragonling flew toward him and perched on his arm. He murmured something in elvish to the dragonling and it launched high into the sky, disappearing against the light and the clouds in the direction of the ship to scout. --- Gwenlynn went over to where Kalin had been set to rest and she sat on the edge fo the small cot. "Are you feeling okay? We should have some food shortly." As she said this servants in black livery arrived carrying basins of steaming water and stacks of small towels. Gwenlynn waved one toward her and dampened the towel, cleaning off Kalin's face. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:42:01 -0500

Dumond smiled at the dragonling. So many strange and wondrous things in this realm. Pity beings like Acebrity had to muck it up or he would be inclined to stay here with Jiya and the Marquis be damned.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:37:49 -0500

"I feel better than I did before Aethan did his...whatever it was," Kalin mumbled, having to be coaxed out of the blankets a little to have his face cleaned. Part of him objected to being cleaned like a child but the far larger part told him to just shut up and deal with it. It was far less effort to have someone else cleaning you up than doing it yourself. "But still worse than I've ever felt in my life. I hope you're not going to need a significant amount of magic in the near future because I don't think I'll be back to my normal strength for about a week." He could probably still pull on it if necessary, but the mana burns running through his system would make trying it quite painful and he would be far more likely to lose focus and have something go wrong with the spell. --- ((Can't think of anything to say for Tornica right now. And since I'm going away for a week, feel free to bunny my characters as you see fit. Just one note, should a fight situation come up and Aethan want Tornica to transform and get Gwen away, he'll probably refuse unless Kalin is already somewhere safe))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 21:31:08 -0500

((Hmm... I think we need LS to let us know what's up with the ship before we can go much further, and I know she's been pretty busy lately.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 11:46:22 -0500

((Sry for the hold up! :\ )) @Going to ship/Ship It took a lot longer than it should have but finally Alis saw the ship rounding the bend on the sea and she breathed a sigh of relief, not even aware she had been holding it. She flashed her mirror and flame at it and waited. There was a flash of mirror back and after a little while a boat could be seen rowing toward them. She smiled at Lucky as she climbed into it and waited for the others to join her before they pushed away from the dock and Lucky rowed them toward the ship. "What news?" She asked, she hadknown him for a long time and knew when there was something he was wanting to discuss with her but had to keep quiet about. "Bit o'excitement, sure." He replied as he rowed. Her eyes narrowed. "Again?" "H'yup zur... gottem all settled now tho'" He answered calmly. "Any... casualties?" "Nup, not really, zur. Few of 'emgot knocked 'bout but nuthin' worse." Lucky said with a smile. "And our guest?" Lucky shook his head. "The leddy's doin' jus' fine. Had Stephen there to guard the door. No'un got anywhere near. He's a tough pup." Alis nodded. "Good... well. I'll deal with things later. Thank you Lucky." She added as they got to the ship and she climbed aboard, looking around sternly as though there still might be traitors needing to be subdued. This was one part of her job she hated. "They're in the hold if you're lookin' for to speak with them, sir." One of the men said when she passed. "Not now." She replied shortly. ((There's a little something at least. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:01:31 -0500

@Ship Dumond was not happy to hear there was a problem on the ship, even if 'Lucky' said Jiya was safe. He was sure would be worth a ransom in this or any world. It seemed some, like Aethan were not happy about slavery, but that did not mean it did not exist in this world. Once they were on board, Dumond said, "Take me to Jiya." He followed one of the tars below decks to a door with (to Dumond's eyes) little more than a boy at the door. "I am here for Jiya." he said to the boy who opened the door for him. he found Jiya dosing on the bed. "Get yourself together, we are leaving." Jiya stretched. There was really nothing to gather. She slipped on her shoes. She did not like wearing these hard leather monstrosities and preferred her embroidered slippers. But the slippers were no good for negotiating the streets. "I heard there was some sort of altercation." "Yes, we heard a commotion above decks, but I don't know what it was." She lied. It was over and she was fine. No sense telling Dumond and have him snarling at everyone. "I heard that Stephen, is it? Did a fine job protecting you." "Nothing to protect me from. Mainly he kept the men from coming by to ask me to sing when they were supposed to be busy about the ship." "I see." Dumond knew she was lying, one would think she would be better at it after living in a harem for so long. Or perhaps he was just more astute in reading her eyes. He led her back up to the main deck to join the others.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:53:30 -0500

The dragonling returned overhead shortly before the ship rounded the bend and came into view, giving Clearcall a message by that alone that the ship was fine and approaching. He boarded the boat and headed out with Alis and the others, watching the waves, then inspecting hte ship to keep himself occupied. As Dumond disappeared below deck he wondered if he should go along but instead chos eto stay where he was. When they returned he smiled kindly at Jiya, glad to see she was unharmed. "I think that Aethan means to have you entertain some nobles once we return. I hope you're up for the task. Things could be a bit tense after all that happened, with the king dead and there being no heir and all."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:16:20 -0500

A young girl ran up to the palace with torn up clothing and no shoes. She wanted to know why her hometown was burned to the ground and her family brutally murdered. She walked into the palace looking for the king or Aethan to ask for a explanation for why her hometown was burned and tears welled up inside her eyes for her loss.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:14:05 -0500

@Ship Alis had swiftly disappeared below deck after doling out more orders. When she returned a little while later on deck, she looked angry and there was a hard glint in her eyes as she strode across the deck back to the boat. "Is everyone ready to head back?" She asked abruptly, barely waiting for a reply with one foot on the ladder already. @Palace Sophia watched the basins being brought in but didn't make a move toward them. She had already been given a bath that day, she didn't see a readon to use the water and towels that the others might want and basically waste them on herself. She did edge toward the platters of food ((assuming they've been brought in...)) and plucked out a bit of bread, chewing as she watched from a far side of the room. Wolf was grateful for the warm water and the chance to wash. After being manhandled most of the day and then having to run and fight and what not, she was happy to be able to clean up a bit. She dipped a cloth into one of the basins and gave herself a quick rub down, combing her fingers through her tangled hair. Even that little bit helped her feel not as unkempt.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:52:23 -0500

@palace ((Considering the chaos that just happened I doubt the girl could just run up to and into the palace. It's heavily guarded by city guards right now. And I'm doubting she knows too much about Aethan's attempt at takeover unless she heard the rumors in the chaotic city.)) When the girl approached the palace she was immediately surrounded by guards. Lord Gannon had been very clear that no one was to enter the palace grounds without an escort. And so she was taken into custody and brought into a cell in the palace. One of the guards looked at her, arms crossed. "Looking to loot the palace in the chaos little one?" --- Gwenlynn smelled something akin to food and heard the shuffling of slippered lfeet below. She smiled at Kalin and set the cloth in the basin of water, then walked over to the balcony and peeked over. Sure enough the servants were busy setting up for a gathering that she could assume was for the nobles. Aethan wouldn't jus take the crown. He wouldn't force them into submission but instead ask for it. It would require all nobles in one place. "I don't think it should be too long now before we get ot eat," she told the others. @ship Clearcall nodded to Alis and followed her down the ladder to the boat.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:47:25 -0500

@Palace "No, I wanted to ask the king something" Rika said completly ignoring the fact that Lord Gannon had been very clear that she was not allowed to enter the palace grounds without an escort and she held her book tightly in her arms after she was taken to custody. She still wanted to know why her hometown was burned to the ground and most of the population murdered brutally.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:50:47 -0500

The guards exchanged a slightly bewildered look when she mentioned seeing the king. The one guard cocked his head a little. "The king is dead. What business do you have with him anyway? You're just a kid."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:56:51 -0500

"He's dead? Then I want to know why the town of Rabansire was burned down and the people living there were murdered" Rika said looking at one of the guard questioning her and was disapointed to hear the the King was killed making the chances of her getting an answer from slim to none. (I just gave the hometown a name)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:59:54 -0500

((Hm. I need to find a way to make her need a little more urgent so that she can see Aethan.)) "About an hour now. And there's no king at the present. Lord Aethan is working on it but so far nothing official. Maybe tomorrow after things settle down a little more you may have a chance ot talk to him or one of his advisors." Not that the guard was sure Aethan had advisors yet.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:05:29 -0500

@Boat Alis was very quiet on the trip back to the docks, she had her arms crossed and wasn't even looking where they were going as Lucky was rowing. He seemed to sense her mood and didn't ask any questions or say anything, jsut concentrated on rowing. When they finally got to the docks, Alis unfolded her arms and climbed onto the wood slats. "Make sure they're there when I get back." She told him, Lucky nodded in reply and held the boat as steady as he could to let the others get out wi th greater ease before starting back to the ship once again. Alis sighed and started toward the shore. She wasn't looking forward to dealing with this later on but it would give her some time to consider what to do about it. ((Yes... I'm bored. lol))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:28:55 -0500

"So I'm guessing I'm just going to sit here until then?" Rika questioned sitting down opening her book to read the spells it contained and put her back to a wall of the cell. She saw her home burned down then she was greif stricken seeing that all she had were the clothes on her back and her spell book. (Bring fire to the palace?)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:52:46 -0500

((No I'm trying to calm thing sdown for the party coming up.)) The guard looked at the girl's book curiously. What was that she was reading? He was alarmed when one of the guards entered and whispered in his ear, looking out the door. He stepped aside as Lord Aethan walked into the cell. According ot the other guard he was making rounds to question those he wasn't so sure about. This was pretty much everyone that had recently been put in the dungeons. Aethan looked at him and gave him a brief nod, signalling he could leave which surprised the guard. The Lord was brave to be in a cell alone with anyone right about now. Did that mean the rumors were true? Aethan's eyes swept over the girl, sitting in ragged clothes with her back to the wall and his expression darkened. Sure the guards were following orders, but this was a child! He would deal with the guards later. "How did a young one like you end up here? Are you okay?" He looked her over for signs of injury.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:54:11 -0500

@Ship Jiya smiled at Clearcall. "With the Comte's permission, I will be happy to perform. It is what I am trained to do after all." It would feel good to be doing something other than sitting about waiting. Entertaining nobles was easy for her. Dumond assumed that Alis had dealt with her problematic crewmen. She must be a much harder woman than she looked. Dumond indicated that Jiya should follow Clearcall down the ladder. He steadied her as she stepped over the rail. He hoped Clearcall would have enough sense to catch the woman should she falter. Once she was safe in the dinghy, he started down the rope ladder.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:57:33 -0500

@Palace "Well, I'm alive with a few cuts and I came to ask the king why Rabansire was burned to the ground and most of the people murdered?" Rika asked the man looking over her and closed her spell book. She looked up to see his dark expression certainly unhappy of the fact that she was a child inside a dungeon and she still felt pain from inside her heart mixed with with physical pain wich made it dificult for her to determine if the pain was real or imaginary.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:44:13 -0500

@palace "Rabansire..." Aethan paused thoughtfully, recollecting what he heard. "I imagine the king didn't like the fact that the people there tried to rebel against his ideals." He knelt in front of her, trying ot capture that rapturous warmth he felt before when he fought off Acebrity. "Are you hurt though?" He reached out and took her hand, the joyous feel of his newfound power filling him, making him warm and complete. He sent the warmth through her, healing any pains she may have. There was something about him like this, a pulsing aura that couldn't be seen with visible eyes but could certainly be felt. "Come upstairs child, you don't need to sit down here." He called to the guards as he stood, helping her to her feet again. "Escort her to the Grand Hall where the others are waiting. I want her cleaned and dressed properly. This is no way to treat a child." He looked at her again. "What is your name, little girl?" @ship group Clearcall kept an eye on Jiya as she descended and sat in the boat with the others as they made their way back to the harbor. When they reached it and got out of the boat he offered Jiya a hand ot help her out. It was the polite thing ot do after all.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:08:58 -0500

Rika felt the warm aura flow from the man's hand and she was not sure what was happening but she was assured that it was something great that climbed out of the rubble pile that used to be her life. She was helped to her feet by the man and when he asked her name "My name is Rika Sato and may I ask of yours?" she asked as her feet felt better before she was running around barefoot(I think she was). She wouldn't want to remember what happened earlier in the day and yesterday.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 23:15:19 -0500

@Ship/Port Joya smiled at Clearcall and took his hand. She stepped lightly out of the boat and onto the dock. She gave Clearcall's hand a squeeze before releasing it. It never hurt to have powerful friends.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:39:13 -0500

@Palace Rika looked up at the man who helped her and she looked like she wanted to leave the dungeon. She knew she had no place to live but she wanted a place where there was no fighting and she could at least be able to read her spellbook.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:23:10 -0500

((Sorry for the delay. This week and next week ar rough as far as school stuff goes.)) @palace "For now it's just Aethan," he told the girl as they walked out of the dungeon. For now. By the end of the day it may be something a little more formal if all went well. "Rika I am going to take you to a room where some friends of mine are getting cleaned up and rested. I'll have someone get you better clothes." When they reached the uppper area of the Great Hall he smiled at Gwenlynn when their eyes met. "You'll be perfectly safe here." He hoped. "There will be food soon." He could smell it already downstairs. A servant walked up to him and whispered somethin to him. Aethan nodded and smiled at Rika. "I have to go but I'll be back soon. Stay here." Then he walked back toward the stairs and disappeared again. @ship group Clearcall gave Jiya a small smile when she squeezed his hand. He walked iwth the rest of the group back to the palace.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:50:11 -0500

(Ah, the school senerio it gets annoying even with laptops) Rika followed Aethan out of the dungeon and she was glad that she didn't have to spend days in there. She looked at her rag-torn up clothing and she felt a change of flooring when they entered the Great Hall. Her stomach grumbled as she smelled a delicious smell coming from downstairs and watched Aethan dissapear down the stairs she was led up. She looked over at the man (Or woman) Aethan spoke to she still looked confused over the king's death.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:31:32 -0500

The group that had gone ot the ship returned to the palace without incident. Getting through the gates proved to be a bit of a task though and Clearcall had to demand to speak with Lord Gannon, who then came and gave them permission to enter. He supposed it was a good thing that the palace was under such tight security, all things considered, but it still was a pain to have to go through. The city itself seemed to be calming down a bit, though it was still out of control. There was very little happening by comparison to what had happened before, and once Aethan could get the support he needed and present himself as the new king Clearcall was sure it would calm down comsiderably. Gannon had the city guard keeping a good grip on what was happening so it was only a matter of time. They returned to the upper level of hte Grand Hall where the others were and Clearcall looked at the new young girl that was there. Curious. Then a servant appeared and approached Rika. "Miss, I am instructed to see you cleaned and changed." She gave the girl a small curtsy. "If you will follow me." As the srevant led Rika away Aethan returned, dressed in clothing that reflected a regal bearing. Between his clothes and his presence Gwenlynn couldn't help but smile at just how much he reminded her of her father. They didn't look alike at all, but in many other ways they were similar. If he succeeded tonight she had little doubt that her father would approve of the two of them together. "Finn," Aethan called to the tall man as he approached him. "I will need you to stay close to me tonight and use that detection spell you spoke of before. I need ot know who is truely loyal and who may be tainted by Acebrity's touch." A servant walked over ot Finn with a stack of clothing that was quickly tailored ot his size. "I am sorry for asking you to do this, but for now I will be introducing you to the nobles as one of my advisors, so I will need you to dress the part." He looked over at Kalin. "Howare you feeling, friend?" he asked hte small elf.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:17:19 -0500

Rika followed the servant back out of the upper level of the Grand Hall with her spellbook held tightly in her small arms and she noticed Aethan as soon as she was led out of visual range. She silently marveled at the royal-like clothing Aethan was wearing and was slightly confused seeing the group that was entering the upper Grand Hall. Rika then kept following the servant regardless.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:35:27 -0500

The servant led Rika to a small room where there was bathwater waiting and a couple of dresses of different sizes, along with some shoes. She waited for Rika to step into the water, gatheringa towel while hse did. When the girl was finished she would help her dry off, dress, and fix her hair before returning her to the others. ((Gotta go. Go ahead and move Rika htrough the bath and I'll get her bac to the group later.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:23:00 -0500

Rika looked at the bath water and the water looked so clean that she couldn't see any evidence that it's been on a roof or in a barrel.She stepped into the water after getting undressed and felt the warm water rush against her dirt covered feet she then bathed. When she was finished the servant helped her dry off, dress up in a beautiful green dress that came to her mid-thigh, and fix her hair. "Thank you" she said in a thankful tone anf she was not used to the wealthy way of life but knew that she didn't have any other place to go to other than the Great Hall. Her family was killed and she was continually trying to forget the details.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:44:14 -0500

"Better," Kalin said with a faint smile. "Quite convinced that if I go to sleep I'm going to be alive to wake up in the morning. Barring assassins or an attack on the palace anyway." Kezia gave him a concerned look. "That was an option?" she asked sharply. "You didn't tell me that." "It was highly unlikely to happen anyway," Kalin protested. The girl didn't look impressed. "Anyway, I'm going to take advantage of that and go to sleep now. Unless you have some particular need of me?" he added to Aethan. "Shouldn't you try to eat something first?" Tornica asked. "That much magic must have taken a lot out of you." "Probably, but I really want to sleep more than I want to eat." He peered round Tornica's back to see the small girl being whisked away by some servants. "Who's the kid?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:41:47 -0500

@ Palace Seta dried her face off with a contented sigh. She hadn't had hot water to wash herself with in... how long HAD it been? Well it didn't really matter. Either way she felt much better. A glance to one side brought a slight smile to her face. Emkai hadn't bothered to wait for a cot or food or anything; he'd just dropped himself on the floor next to the wall and passed out. "Sophia," she asked, "are you doing all right?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:52:11 -0500

Rika picked up her clothes and her spellbook then she was led back to the upper Grand Hall by the servant. She felt weird that she couldn't run well in the type of clothing she now wore but she still kept walking and the mouth-watering aroma sweeped against her nose again. When she made it to the Grand hall she spotted a bunch of people in the hall including a man that wore clothes resembling a king and another looking like the leader of the city guard. The man looking like a king didn't look like the man in the painting she was looking at in the once intact school she attended and she didn't like school before the burning of her hometown. she won't start liking school now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:32:55 -0500

Sophia nodded, she looked sleepy though. Now that the action was all calming down she suddenly felt tired, she longed to curl up somewhere for a little nap too but wasn't sure it was such a good idea if there was to be something going on soon. Hiding a yawn behind her hand, she rubbed her eyes and looked at Miss Seta. "Is th-there supposed to be a p-party, Miss S-Seta?" She asked, there was a lot of food being brought out and people dressed very fancy. Sophia was still in the servant's dress that Miss Liandra had given to her. Alis followed to where the hot water was, she sighed and picked up a cloth, she had been hoping to be able to wash up a bit on the ship but with what had happened... she hadn't had time to then. She frowned down at the cloth as though it had offended her, thinking about what to do about the traitors on the ship. This seemed to happen far too often.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 20:41:45 -0500

"I don't think so. Doesn't seem like the right time for a party. Maybe it's... something for Aethan being the king now." Seta grinned when Sophia yawned. "You should sleep anyways. I don't think anyone'll mind if we all take a long nap; Flame knows we need it. I could just pass out on the floor right here. Think I might do that actually; it's not all that uncomfortable."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:07:50 -0500

Sophia gave another tired nod, she made her way over to the wall where Mr Emkai was sleeping. She was used to sleeping on the floor so, she thought that sleeping on a proper -bed- would likely be more uncomfortable. She curled up near the wall by Mr Emkai, then glanced at him as though to be sure he was still sleeping as she moved closer to him to be warmed by the heat radiating from his form. Moments later she had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Wolf was tired too but she was worried for Omaron, she hadn't seen or heard about him since he was taken away. She queried a few of the palace guards and charmed her way into getting to see him for a few moments. One opened the door for her and reminded her of the time limit. "Omaron... are you quite alright?" She asked him with concern.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:12:38 -0500

Omaron half-jumped up from the bed where he'd been sitting, eyes wide as though he'd thought he was about to be attacked. "Oh... oh, it's you." A slight flush came into his face as he met Wolf's eyes, and he looked down. "I'm fine, just... yes. Fine. H-how are you doing?" --- Emkai was quite out of it. Seta watched the two of them sleeping pensively for a moment before wandering off to find a place to curl up herself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:25:58 -0500

Rika looked at the adults (are they all except Rika?) and giggled silently at them sleeping on the floor. She walked over to one of the exausted men and waved at him trying to see if he was awake with his eyes open a little bit. After a few waves she found out that he was completly asleep and she looked at her spellbook.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:29:14 -0500

"I am... fine as well." Wolf replied with a smile, she wondered why he was blushing. "I only have a moment but I wanted to check and see if you are alright... " She murmured, looking closely at him, she wasn't sure what to say really. "Th-the guards, they are treating you kindly, are they not? " She hoped so...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 21:45:24 -0500

Rika opened her spellbook and began flipping trough pages looking for a spell that would allow her to see the dreams of the man sleeping (Emkai). She found the spell but had a change of heart because she didn't want to know what he was dreaming about anymore and she kept reading her book.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 23:22:21 -0500

"They're all right," Omaron replied, then winced. This was getting awkward, and it was his fault for not just addressing what was bothering him. With an effort he met her eyes again. "Wolf, I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry, to everyone really but especially you. I should have told everyone about... well you know, the... in my head. It could've made things awful, if something happened, and I had no business putting you at risk like that." --- Emkai's eye cracked open just slightly, though the hood was still obscuring his face from view of the little girl. "Who are you?" he asked Rika, still sounding bone-tired.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:41:49 -0500

Finn took the clothing from Aethan. "This should be interesting." He said with a quirk of his mouth. He had not worn anything resembling breeches in a very long time. "Is there some place I can go change?" Not that it bothered him, but he was sure these people had more taboos about nudity than his culture. "I just need a bit of time to cast my spell before we are with the people you want me to check. --- When Dumond and Jiya arrived back at the palace, Jiya asked a servant if Dumond and she would be able to have a bath. If she was to perform, she wanted to be at her best. She was told that many of the people were bathing, so it would be no problem. Jiya went to the giant where he was speaking to Aethan, the man who would be king. She bowed to Aethan, then asked for her things that Finn was holding in his magical bag for her. She would something more suitable for entertaining. "Is it singing, or dancing, or perhaps both, that the effendi wishes?" She asked Aethen. "If I am to dance, once I have changed, I should like to speak to the musicians to choose something suitable for me to dance to. I have no doubt that our music is rather different, but I am adept at improvisation if I have some clue as to the sort of music they will play." Finn, in the meantime, opened his swanskin bag and pulled out Jiya's pack for her. He was looking forward to whatever entertainment she would provide.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:12:32 -0500

Rika paused to look at the man with his hood still covering his face making him unable to see her and the man's voice sounded extremly exausted as if he was working hard for a goal. She saw her brother sleep walk before maybe Emkai was and Rika didn't know what to make of it so she wispered softly "My name's Rika".

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:14:51 -0500

((Nah, he can see her. I still need to find an adequate way to explain why it works, but he can see through his thing while still keeping his face concealed.)) Emkai's eye slid shut, but he didn't fall back asleep. "Mmm. You weren't with us earlier, were you?" Being only half-awake, he wasn't exactly feeling as wary of humans as usual. ((short post is short xP will do better next time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:21:53 -0500

"I was not" Rika whispered again and looked at the man then began flipping through pages in her book to where it could identify the man (Emkai) as a fireman. "So what's you name?" she asked and she learned so much more outside of school than inside.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:27:54 -0500

Sophia fidgeted in her sleep, curling up closer to Emkai with a sleepy mumble. She twitched a bit and frowned at whatever it was she was seeing in her dream, then a moment later settled down again. --- Wolf looked surprised at the apology and smiled just a little. "It is understandable, I think, that one might not wish to talk about something like that. Your... condition." She said, smiling. There was no mocking or insult in her tone, more curiousity than anything. "Has it always been like this?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:56:14 -0500

Rika noticed a woman curling up closer to the fire man (Emkai) with a sleepy mumble then the woman twitched a little and the woman's expression turned into a frown as if she didn't like something. 'could it be that the two are in a relationship?' Rika thought but she returned her attention back the fire man (Emkai).

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:14:36 -0500

"Emkai," he mumbled to Rika. Without really thinking about it, he smiled when Sophia moved closer to him. It was rather nice, not being alone sometimes. --- Omaron shook his head, looking a bit reassured by her response. "No, it's only been... it was five years ago, I think. I was down, you know, and rather drunk, and I made a very stupid decision." He shrugged. "It was only recently that I found out just how much control she had over me."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:14:57 -0500

((How old is Rika? Kezia isn't a child but since she's only fifteen I wouldn't consider her an adult either)) Kalin got a vague explanation about Rika's presence in the Great Hall from a passing servant and quickly dismissed her as Aethan's problem. Not that he didn't have sympathy for the poor girl, but right now the need to get some sleep was rapidly consuming every other feeling he had. Curling up comfortably where he'd been left, with both Kezia and Tornica hovering over him in turns, he quickly fell into a rather deep sleep. Despite the punishment his body had taken earlier, the comfort of his current surroundings and the remnants of the warm energy Aethan had used to heal him had him incredibly calm and relaxed. As such, once he dropped off into sleep he started purring. "What sort of dancing do you do?" Tornica asked of Jiya when he saw her preparing to perform. While he doubted their styles would have anything in common (they varied considerably from country to country after all, why would a completely different world have anything similar in style?) he still very much enjoyed dancing himself and was very interested to see what she could do.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:46:46 -0500

((Oh Tornica, the things Jiya can do...)) "Some of the dances have names, but I doubt they would mean anything to you." Jiya said to Tornica. "First I need to change into something I can dance in. These clothes are too restrictive. And I have heard there are baths." She sighed. The baths could not be anything like the baths she was accustomed to in the pasha's palace. "There are court dances, and dances to honor the gods or to experience a touch of the divine spark." She continued. "Then there are the dances of the people, the farmers, the villagers, the ones done in the marketplace...those are more carefree, more spontaneous." She smiled. "The dance is difficult to describe, although from the reaction of Dumond and his men...people do not dance this way in his country." She gave a little smirk.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:52:26 -0500

(Rika's 9 years old if I was mistaken I'll correct it if there was an edit button) Rika looked around to see three people in the Grand hall with a 40 year old elf sleeping in the middle of two humans looking younger than the others but older than her by several years. she continued looking and found a chair to sit in then the continued reading her book like nothing was happening.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:12:42 -0500

((Finn is a half-elf as well, but 7' tall and on the burly side. His beard and body hair is black, but the (very long and braided) hair on his head is snow white. His eyes are very blue. Dumond looks like a Renaissance Knight and is from France, Jiya looks like she's form India or the middle east.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:22:31 -0500

(Whoops I'm guessing that she didn't notice Finn yet...)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:35:36 -0500

((Maybe she's seen him and is just refusing to process him :p "No...no that man is far too tall. He can't exist. That would be silly)) ((And while Kalin is 40 years old, he looks to be in his early twenties by human standards. He's pretty young for an elf)) "Dances of the people are probably a lot more similar to the dances I know," Tornica said with a grin. "Spontaneous, energetic...far less prone to having specific moves you're meant to do in precise ways..." Which was generally how he preferred it. Specific routines if you were performing for a festival or some other celebration were all well and good, but if there was just music playing and you wanted to dance you wanted to just be able to go wherever the music took you.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 18:02:27 -0500

((LOL. I was at a party with a guy who was 6'7" and it did take a bit for it to register that the guy across the room was head and shoulders taller than everyone else. Finn is very old, but he looks around 35-ish. Very handsome and charismatic because he's a Warrior Bard. In fact he invented the type.)) "Usually the men dance with the men and the women dance with the women. But entertainers--like me. We dance for the men or the women. I would dance for the pasha's guests frequently. But mostly, I danced for the women of the harem. The court dances are all very specific, as are the religious dances. One must try to be perfect when dancing for the gods." She smiled. "I can see you are interested in dancing."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:18:24 -0500

(so...anyone want their characters introduce themselves to a 9 year old with a spellbook?) Rika felt the soft pages of her spell book brush by as she gazed at spells that summoned creatures that would be summoned if she read aloud the magic words and hold out her hand. She looked around once more and spotted a 7 ft tall half-elf "that can't be right maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me" she muttered suprised to see him towering over some people.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:11:12 -0500

Wolf looked puzzled but not perturbed by what Omaron was saying, she tilted her head to the side and listened to him explain. "Well, it can happen to all of us." She said with a soft laugh at his comment about getting drunk and making a bad decision. "Her? I do not understand... who?" She could only figure out that he had changed into that creature. --- Alis scrubbed herself a little more roughly with the cloth than was really necessary, she had taken off her coat and rolled up her sleeves and was doing her best to get clean, but clearly her mind was on other things. Her jaw was clenched and she wrung out the cloth rather violently.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:56:21 -0500

Omaron winced. Right, he hadn't actually explained what had happened to anyone but Seta and Emkai yet. "It's... well, she's a person I more or less signed my life away to. She always knows what I'm doing and can... she can make my life miserable if I don't listen to her. And she's the reason I can turn into that... thing, you understand."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:26:20 -0500

((Finn needs to wash up and go get changed into Aethan's livery. I think he's still waiting for a response from Aethan.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 23:45:53 -0500

(((It isn't really livery, but it would likely bear his personal sigil even if it's regular clothing. Maybe a stole around his shoulders. That seems about right.)) "Some of the nobles will be arriving any time now so we need to be prepared." More servants entered the second tier of the hall as Aethan said this. Four set up dividers in the middle of the area the group was occupying, others set down stacks of clothing on one side that was clearly men's clothing, more still laid out dresses on the other side that was clearly for the women. "Everyone can feel free to change as they wish. I'm not going to force any of you to do so. Men on one side, women on the other. Jiya, I have a room set upf for you to prepare and when we are ready you will be brought in with the musicians. You can go there to prepare and use servants as you need to get ready. I'm more interested in the dancing than the singing. I want you to distract the nobles with it, though doing so subtly would be favorable." A servant came over and stood behind Aethan's shoulder, her hands folded in front of her as she waited for Jiya. "None of you are required to attend below if you do not wish to, but the food will be served down there shortly. Catered trays of food and drinks will move through the room. I will have this area under guard so you can retire up here at any point in the night without the guests disturbing you. Gwenlynn," Aethan turned to her wher eshe stood beside the rail overlooking the lower area of the Grand Hall. She turned to him, her blue eyes shinning, face as honest and beautiful as ever. "IfI could have a word with you." Gwenlynn nodded and waited for him to join her, the two walking further along the railing together. Clearcall watched them go, Gwenlynn looking at Aethan with admiration in her gaze, Aethan looking out over the balcony as he spoke. When they reached the other side the two exchanged a smile and descended the stairs together, walking out of the Great Hall. Clearcall smiled a little. He turned ot the others, moving to the men's side of the divider to give the women more privacy. ((So the servant will be escorting Jiya to a room not far from the Great Hall where she can get ready and meet the other musicians.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 08:15:33 -0500

@Great Hall Rika looked up from her book to watch the hall to be turned into a changing area and she wandered to the women's side of the hall to find a section to place her clothing she had in her hands then she placed it next to the dresses. She soon to let her mind wander as her body looked at the dresses in curiosity and interest.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:21:36 -0500

Sophia was snuggled close to Emkai, his warmth luring her closer in her sleep. When people started moving about though, she awoke with a gasp and sat up quickly, looking around. She blushed when she noticed people shuffling about and disappearing behind partitions. Glancing up at Emkai, she realised from his position, even under his hood, that he was awake and blushed more. "I'm s-sorry... I d-d-didn't mean to... to fall as-asleep so cl-close like th-that." She stammered, her nose suddenly feeling colder now that it wasn't burrowed against his cloak. -- "She owns you?" Wolf asked Omaron. "Is there no way to free yourself, if you do not like being her... servant?" She wondered if, since he had made a deal to enter the agreement, if there were a way to make a deal to null it as well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:30:48 -0500

"Hm? Oh..." Emkai woke up a bit more and realized what Sophia was talking about. "OH. It's... don't worry about it. It's not like... well I am very warm, aren't I?" He smiled slightly to himself. "I didn't even think about it until you said something." Normally he might have been irritated, but as it was he was still dead tired and it WAS Sophia. --- Omaron scuffed a little at the floor, head down. "Not so far as I know, besides if she decided to let me go. We both have to agree to end it. If there's another way she hasn't told me about it." He hesitated. "And thank you Wolf, for coming to check in on me. It was kind of you."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:50:56 -0500

Rika poked her head out of the paritions and giggled silently seeing the startled woman wake up blushing at Emkai. She wanted to know what did the group do to make themselves so tired? and she looked at her book then flipped through the pages again to pass the time of when the food was going to be ready.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 23:57:34 -0500

((That works for Finn. LOL a very long stole.)) Jiya bowed to Aethan. Dancing, yes. Distracting, but not too distracting. I understand." She smiled knowingly. She had hoped that she and Dumond could gt a bath, but it seemed that would have to wait. "I will go with Jiya unless there is a greater need for me here." Dumond told Aethan. Jiya followed after the servant. It would feel good to dance again. She only hoped the musicians could play something that would properly show off what she could do. meanwhile Finn took his stack of clothing to the men's side. He frowned at all the layers of clothing he was expected to wear. How was a man expected to breathe? He glanced at some of the men changing and noted they were wearing a lot of layers themselves. He began unbuckling his swords, then pulled off his boots. Finally with a shrug he he unbuckled his belt and let his kilt fall. He sorted out which articles of clothing needed ot go on first and began dressing. ((Are their buttons, because Finn doesn't know buttons, just laces.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:15:37 -0500

Rika walked over to the woman sleeping on Emkai "So whats your name?" she asked not mentioning that she saw the woman's reaction when the woman woke up. Rika wanted to keep her mind off of the riots that killed her family.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:44:14 -0500

@Buggy/Mario Sophia bit her lip shyly, relieved that Mr Emkai didn't seem to mind that she had been caught using him to keep warm. A light of happiness appeared in her eyes, it was a rare sight as she usually only reflected fear and uncertainty in them, and she nodded in agreement. "It m-must be n-nice to b-be warm all th-the time." she smiled and then glanced at the girl, she hadn't seen her before... "I'm S-So-Sophia." She stammered shyly, plucking at a thread on her dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:54:49 -0500

((The shirt would have laces, the jacket would have buttons.)) Clearcall looked at his clothes. He wasn't a fan of the clothing these humanswore, but his own clothes were pretty soiled from the travel and fighting. He started to change into some of the offered clothing, sorting out what fit him from what didn't. ((I have a presentation prepare for today so... I probably won't be able to get you guys a good post until Friday.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:10:43 -0500

@ Nagats-e/Mario Emkai chuckled quietly. "I'm not warm all the time. If the wind picks up too much or it starts raining, my flames don't help much at all. Still, I don't know how you humans live without them." He gave the girl Sophia was talking to a tired look without saying anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:29:50 -0500

"I don't know how could live with being on fire either, it would seem like you would not like drinking water or going swimming" Rika pointed out not noticing Emkai's tired look and she thought what would happen if he accidently spilled a drink on himself.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:33:32 -0500

Emkai pulled his hood back all the way (it had slipped anyways and was getting a little stuffy). "Well I don't like either of those things," he replied. "We don't need water any more than you need to drink acid, and swimming is right out of the question."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:00:02 -0500

"But acid won't taste better than water" Rika said seeing Emkai's face and she wanted to think of a better comeback but as a 9-year old she couldn't come up with any.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 21:06:41 -0500

((Finn wants to know about the trousers/breeches. Codpiece? Buttons? Laces?)) Finn pulled the shirt on. At least he knew how that worked. He held up the breeches to see which way they went on. He thought these were longer than some people in here were tall. He tugged them on and tried to figure out how to close the fly. "How does a man _breathe_ in these things? They are so constricting. A man should be free." He said to no one in particular. He fumbled a bit then finally got the breeches adjusted properly. He would have to allow for more time when he needed the necessary. Bloody Hell, these were annoying. He'd be chafed by nightfall.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:01:09 -0500

((Ah. Duh. Sorry my brain is shutting down on me lol. It would be laces with a flap that covers them which buttons on either side.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:39:56 -0500

"These breeches are like a fff-- like a chastity belt." Finn grumbled. He looked at the nearest man to him as if it were that poor chaps fault. He should have glamoured himself into the proper clothing. He walked around for a bit, moving awkwardly at the feel of the breeches grumbling curses under his breath.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:24:32 -0500

((Is everyone ready for me to move on? I may be able to do so tomorrow afternoon some time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:31:21 -0500

((totally. Emkai and Seta are just resting, and Omaron can't really do anything yet. xD))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:45:35 -0500

((Sure thing. :) Soph is just dozing keeping close to Emkai, Alis is as ready as she's going to be and Wolf can wrap it up with Omaron. )) @Buggy Sophia yawned and subtly shifted closer to Emkai, his warmth was making her sleepy, she could hardly follow the conversation going on between the two. --- Wolf smiled and shook her head. "It is nothing to thank me for... I just- I had not seen where they had taken you to, it must be rather disconcerting to be led away from the people you know to a place by yourself." She murmured. She always felt like that and it wasn't a nice feeling. There was a knock at the door and the guards looked in. "Time's up." He told her, holding the door open for her so she could leave. Wolf nodded slightly, then glanced back at Omaron. "I am sure we will see each other again soon Omaron." She smiled reassuringly at him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:50:41 -0500

((Yep whenever you are ready. Finn is dressed and probably will be twitchy in these clothes and we can assume Jiya is washed up a bit and changed and has sorted things out with the musicians, with Dumond hovering about like a mother hen.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:21:47 -0500

@ Nagats-e Emkai closed his eyes again, on the verge of falling asleep again himself. --- Omaron blinked. "That's... that's incredibly kind of you anyways. I just want you to know I appreciate it, as... erm... y-you're a very thoughtful person Wolf." He frowned slightly when the guards told her time was up. It was their job, he knew, and it was probably for the best that she didn't stay for a long time. He couldn't help but feel like they were popping in just at that moment on purpose though, just to interrupt him when he started to figure something out. "Right. I'll, erm, if they let me, I'm..." He stopped and tried to sort out his thoughts. "I look forward to it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 22:59:30 -0500

((Oh I need ot have Aethan look in on Omaron some time soon too. Should I do that before the party or after? If you can really call it a party. He's basically seeking permission for coronation. Probably not until after. Like I how I talked my way through that? That's what four glasses of whine in less then three hours will do to you. lol.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:11:00 -0500

((xDDD It happens. And after sounds lovely. Omaron is... not really looking forward to it, but he does want to see if he can get out of his room eventually.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 02:53:53 -0500

((I'm happy to move on! Kalin is just going to be sleeping or flopping around while the other two hovering over him like mother hens))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 06:11:38 -0500

(I read four glasses of wine in less than three hours...I could see that would be a problem to have a girl drinking under the age XD anyway carry on)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 10:40:59 -0500

((I don't get that drinking under the age comment but... sure. lol! xD Good luck with your chemistry paper Star!! :) )) ((I forget if I had them all change yet... but I was bored and found dresses so... I'll say they're changing now. :P )) @Buggy Wolf smiled at Omaron again, an inkling of something tugging at her but she wasn't sure what it was. She was about to head out the door when she turned slightly, "If you do not wish to serve under her any longer, Omaron... I feel certain there would be some way to arrange things so it could be so. Perhaps I might think on it?" She inquired. If he didn't want to be her servant anymore, Wolf was sure she could come up with something. No situation was impossible after all. With that in mind, she headed into the corridor with the thought of seeing if she could bring some of the food from the party to Omaron in a little while. She went back to the main room and saw the others dressing, she followed some people up to where the changing seemed to be happening and found an appropriate looking dress. The one she had purchased here was pretty, but it needed to be mended and it wasn't quite as fancy as these ones. She put on the dress she had found laid out and got everything in place with the help of some of the other women around. @Jez ((If he's out already... bc I'm bored...)) Alis glanced up when Finn appeared out from behind the partition separating the men's side. He looked distinctly uncomfortable and she couldn't help an amused smirk. "Why... don't you look dashing Finn?" She said, strolling over to him. She herself had changed into a dress, one of the many brought out for the travelers, she had been informed it wouldn't be proper for her to wear her captain's uniform for the event so she agreed to change. The blues matched her eyes and the gold accented the rather pale tones of her skin so it radiated like fresh cream. Her hair had been brushed and swept back so it trailed behind her, showing off her slender neck. Again, she had to leave her sword aside, she felt almost as uncomfortable as Finn looked without it but was given a loose gold belt to wear around her hips as an adornment. If she imagined hard enough, she could almost pretend it was her sword belt. @Myself Sophia rubbed her eyes sleepily and then squeaked when she was pulled to her feet suddenly and led away to the partitions. There were a few maids helping to hold different dresses up against her, they were chattering like birds and whisking one dress away after another before finally deciding on one. The laces of the servant's dress she was wearing were undone, the dress pulled from her and taken away, but before they could put the other one on her, they saw the branding marks and scars and gasped, exchanging glances with each other. One woman peered closely and murmured something that sounded like 'cursed' and she and the other women backed away, leaving Sophia to try and struggle into the dress herself. Finally when she had gotten into it, one of the maids took pity on her, seeing her struggle with the laces and tied them for her with quick and firm movements, clearly not wanting to be around her. At last dressed, Sophia made her way back to Emkai, not wanting to be alone, even in the midst of all the people. She felt self conscious in the fancy dress, tugging at bits of it and tucking her hair behind her ear shyly. The green warmed her skin nicely though, giving her rosy blushes where there hadn't been any before.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:44:00 -0500

@ Alis Omaron smiled. He didn't know if Wolf could do anything, but the fact that she wanted to help cheered him a little. "Thanks. I'd appreciate it. See you later." When she left, he laid back on the bed feeling slightly better about his current situation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:52:31 -0500

"Wow you look pretty" Rika said to the nicely dressed woman who was sleeping on Emkai and she still didn't know the woman's name but she didn't care as long as she lived the next day.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:58:51 -0500

@Nagats/Anyone finished changing Finn had buckled his short sword back on. It was a short sword for him anyway. Finn arched an eyebrow, never sure when Alis was being sincere or not. "But you look far more lovely. The dress becomes you." He answered her giving a little bow. "I still don't know how I'm supposed to _move_ in this outfit." At least it was cut full in the chest and shoulders. He saw her her hand kept moving as if to rest on her sword hilt. "Perhaps you could ask to wear a ceremonial dagger of some sort..." he grinned at her. He knew exactly how she felt. He missed the weight of his claymore on his back.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:35:38 -0500

@Jez/anyone "Hn, thank you." Alis replied with a smile, her skin warming ever so slightly, she knew she looked uncomfortable. "I'm not accustomed to wearing things like this very much anymore." She admitted and then laughed at his comment. "It -can- be cumbersome." She blushed further when he noticed her hand going toward her hip, feeling more than slightly ridiculous but she took it with good humour. "Perhaps. I suppose it would be an improvement on me having to stand with my arms crossed all evening." She joked. @Mario/Buggy ((Rika asked Sophia her name already. :) )) "Oh! Oh...um... th-thank you." Sophia was blushing terribly. Never ever ever had she worn something like this before... -ever-... not even when some of the fae were dressing her up for parties just to tease her... like they were pretending she was a person and not a pet. It always made them laugh. She glanced around suddenly as though maybe -this- were all a big joke too and everyone was waiting for her to -think- she was going to be treated like a real person... they didn't seem to be though. Most people were still busy with preparations.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:46:07 -0500

Emkai sat up groggily. "What...? Oh, you're back Sophia." He took his hood off entirely to see her better. "She's right, you look very nice." ((would post more but this AWFUL HEADACHE...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 01:01:33 -0500

@Nagats/Anyone nearby Finn chuckled a bit, "Nor I. 'Tis been nigh on two ages since I wore breeches, and when I did--they were nothing like these. I shall have to remember to watch how much I drink to leave ample time to tend to my needs. I may need to find a willing lass to help me." He gave her a smirk. @The Musicians Private room Jiya changed ((into something like this http://velvetpeacockdesigns.com/Ghawazee-Coats.html only hers will have a lot more coins and bells on it so she jingles with every move)) into her dancing costume. She spoke at length to the court musicians. She beat out rhythms on one of their hand drums and on her finger cymbals to show what tempo and rhythems she wanted. She even picted up a stringed lute-like instrument and after a few minutes of experimentation, she managed to play a melody for them. The musicians had been taken in my her beauty immediately. Add to that the fact that Lord ((?)) Havorilus wished them to play for her, and then her own expertise as a musician and they could deny her nothing. They began to play as she worked through a routine and told them about how long each segment should be and what her cues were for them to go into the next segment. She was a consummate professional and it showed. She was happy with their short rehearsal and was sure Aethan would be pleased. As for Dumond, he was happy the musicians were all business. He found himself actually looking forward to her performance, even if he preferred that she dance only for him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 07:25:38 -0500

Rika tilted her head to the side and looked at him confusedly trying to figure out what Fin ment. She did not hear such language when she was at home her family was never that sophisticated.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:40:05 -0500

((Hopefully you'll feel better soon Buggy! :( )) @Jez Alis laughed, though very carefully. These damned stays were so tight and constricting... she'd forgotten about that. Perhaps she'd have to find a fan somewhere as well. "With as fine as you look, Finn, I think you should have no trouble finding many a willing lass to help you with just about... anything." She replied with a smirk of her own. She put a hand over her midriff and took as deep a breath she could manage. Gods, she hoped she wouldn't do something as silly as faint from lack of air tonight. She -used- to know how to function in things like this. @Buggy Sophia blushed prettily at the compliments. She had been given slippers that matched the dress to wear as well but not being used to shoes or anything covering her feet, she was tempted to slip them off and hide them in a corner somewhere so she wouldn't have to wear them. No one would notice under the long dress, right?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:02:32 -0500

((Okay, here we go!)) Nobles started to fill the main level of the Great Hall. Clearcall was changed into the local finery and looking over the rail as he waited for hte others. Gwenlynn still hadn't returned and he assume that she and Aethan were having a private conversation. Odds were that once word reached her father that she was here he would come, or send one of her bothers to get her and bring her home. He felt bad for the two of them, because there was little chance her father would accept Aethan as a lifepartner for his daughter. Ellesar was a reasonable man, but she as still his daughter and the princess. Seeing some of the others ready, he figured he would lead the way down the stairs to join the party. Nobles were speaking quite openly about what happened, about who should take over. As he walked through the room he heard several, the majority actually, say that Aethan was the rightful heir in succession and that they believed he was suited for the job. That bode well for Aethan, the trouble was, who could be trusted and who couldn't. ((Feel free to come join the party. There's food being carried aroun the room by servants, as well as drinks. The musicians will be set up in the middle of hte room. Jiya can come in with them whenever you want Jez.)) Aethan and Gwenlynn stood outside the doors to the Great Hall together, her arm linked with his. She was wearing a fine blue dress that matched her eyes, made in a fashion of elven style even if not of elven make. Aethan was dressed in formal attire, looking quite natural in it as he stood there with her. Their eyes met. "My father will send someone for me after this day, you do know that, right?" Gwenlynn was worried about losing Aethan again. Fate seemed to pull them together and circumstance pulled them back apart again. It was incredibly frustrating. "I will still do this for you, because I love you, but someone will come for me." Aethan looked so sad as he stared back at her. "I know." He didn't tell her, but he had already sent word to Ellesar, requesting that he come himself. If there was a chance he could reason with the elven king he would not let it pass. "We can only hope that everything will turn out for the best." He put his other hand over the hand that rested on his arm. "For now we will worry about today." Gwenlynn nodded, dangling jewels in her hair tinking a little as she did. Having elven support would be very benefitial to his purpose tonight, so she was more than willing ot stand at his side all night. Gannon walked up to the two of htem in ceremonial armor. "The city seems to be settling down now. The sooner we can present you to the people as king the better." "Let's get this over with then," Aethan stated calmly, looking at the heavy darkwood doors. The doors to the Great Hall opened and Aethan was announced. To his surprise he was greeted by applause as he and Gwenlynn entered together, followed closely behind by Gannon. Aethan scanned the room in search of Finn. The sooner they could get to work the better. As they walked deeper into the room Aethan spotted movement from the corner of his eyes and looked to the side of the room. The image disappeared. "Gannon, keep your eyes open in case Acebrity comes back," he said quietly. The only response he received was the sound of Gannon's leather glove on the hilt of his sword. Then from behind the pillar, walking around the circumfrence of the room, a faded image of a women walked from one pillar to the next, looking over at him as she did. Aethan's breath caught as the two of them stared at each other, then she disappeared behind another fat pillar and was gone. Feeling a small tug on his arm he looked over at Gwenlynn, who was watching him with a hint of concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she whispered, looking over where he had been staring. Aethan looked back in that direction again, waiting ot see if she would show back up again. "Yes." He looked at Gwenlynn and smiled. "Better than okay." Essence was dead. But the appearance of her spirit was a good omen. Politics were in his favor tonight. ((If your character has strong ties to the dead, like being able to see spirits and things like that then they may be able to see a faded image as well, otherwise she would only appear for Aethan, thus the reason Gwenlynn didn't see her. Finn can come join them whenever.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:47:40 -0500

@Party Sophia's eyes were wide as she watched all th e people going around in such fine clothing. She managed to make her way to a discreet corner with a little table and kicked off the slippers under the dress, nudging them with as ilttle motion as possible under the table behind her. She then went back to stand near Mr Emkai, watching everyone again. Alis made her way down to the party, plucking a glass of wine from a passing servant carrying a tray of them and sniffing the dark red liquid before taking a sip. Not bad, she thought. Especially on suchshort notice. She milled around, watching one person and then another, trying to avoid thinking about the problems on her ship for a few moments.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:30:27 -0500

((Just a side note to say I'm going to be rather busy tonight and not around much at all tomorrow. I'll be able to get on tonight a bit to post and -maybe- tomorrow morning for a post or two but then not again until Sunday. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:07:52 -0500

((I may be around a bit tonight and tomorrow but I'm out of town on Sunday so I won't be around until late evening.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:33:58 -0500

((I'm assuming my little lot would have been given somewhat respectable clothes for this event too?)) Tornica tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, trying to loosen it a little. "Would you stop fidgeting?" Kalin snapped at him. "It's like having a toddler. The collar is meant to be stiff. All you're going to do is bent it out of shape." Tornica gave it one last tug and let his hands drop. "Speaking of toddlers you're starting to sound like one. Are you sure you shouldn't have got more sleep. Kalin need another nap?" The elf shot him a dirty look. The blood had been long since cleaned up, but his eyes were still bloodshot and there were dark circles around them. He really did look as though he could do with a significant amount of sleep still. "I'm perfectly fine," he assured his friend. "You just worry about yourself." He then deliberately turned away from the boy and gave Kezia a smile. She hadn't fiddled with her outfit once and Kalin thought she had considerably more reason to. For all that the bodice did some quite impressive things to her fragile frame, it hardly looked comfortable. "And how are you doing? Ready for this dog and pony show." "So long as I can just stand around and don't have to do anything," the girl said. "I can barely draw enough breath to talk in this thing."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:18:39 -0500

Rika looked around and saw people look very nice but there was also people of every race that were uncomfortable in their clothes. She was also hungry and wanted to eat food soon.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 17:42:49 -0500

@ Party Emkai shifted his weight from one foot to the other, feeling very uncomfortable. Sure, he was used to banquets and formal get-togethers of various sorts, but usually he had something besides his street clothes to attend in. It made him feel more out of place than not being human, actually. He took the opportunity to distract himself when Sophia came to his side. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked dryly. "Not at all," came a flat reply from his other side. Seta had finally joined, looking... well, a good deal more presentable than she usually did. She'd picked a relatively simple dress made of dark green fabric, and her usually ragged looking hair had been pulled back so it looked less like she'd hacked it off with a blunt knife. It was hard to focus on how nice she looked though when she kept pulling at the dress every few moments. "I wasn't talking to you, but why not? You look presentable at least." "Who cares about presentable? This thing keeps riding up all over the place! Even after I, erm, adjusted it so it wouldn't squeeze me to death, it's still one of the least comfortable things I've ever worn."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:17:34 -0500

((Poor Alis, you shouldn't have let them lace you in so tightly.)) @Nagats/Before Finn grinned, "Aren't we a pair? I can't walk and you can't breathe." He'd have to keep an eye on her in case she swooned. He was sure she would be mortified if such a thing happened. She seemed the type not to want to let any weakness show. Finn had to admit that he found something appealing about a woman who could hold her own. "And now, my dear captain, I must cast some spells before I go downstairs to attend Aethan." He would also have to ask one of the servants just exactly how Aethan should be addressed. Finn cast protection spells that would cover all in their party along with detection spells for evil and magic. He cast spells to help him detect lying or other forms of subterfuge. In fact he cast every spell defensive he could think of. He really did not trust that Acebrity would leave them alone for too long. At least he had Son of the Seas by his side. Finn finished his spells and saw to his disappointment that Alis had already left. Ah well. She didn't _need_ an escort. He entered the hall and sought out Aethan. It was easyto do since he was head and shoulders over everyone in the room. He bowed to Aethan and Gwenlynn. "I am ready." He told the man. The musicians entered the hall and took their places. Jiya and Dumond followed not long after. Dumond led her as if she were a noblewoman. He had no idea what these Divicans thought of dancing girls, but he hoped that this display showed that she was no common entertainer. ((Jiya is wearing something like this, I think http://velvetpeacockdesigns.com/Ghawazee-Coats.html only in an emerald green to bring out the color of her hair. Or should she be wearing something showing more skin? I think maybe she has something like this on under the jacket, but in green and gold http://www.raks-sharki.com/costumes/bella_fuschia_gold_coin.html)) The band made some preparations. They were ready to begin whenever they were given the word.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:53:15 -0500

Rika heard spells being cast but she didn't see any magic and she opened her spell book in order to research what those spells were then she came up with were detection spells for evil, Lying, forms of subterfuge and magic. She then walked down the stairs closing her book to see more than twenty musicians taking their places in front of the conductor's podium she then spotted Jiya and Dumond but she didn't care about dancing girls because it was adult entertainment.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:58:23 -0500

((lol! It's not for her own vanity, rest assured. Or so she says. ;) )) ((That's a gorgeous costume for Jiya!!)) @Party Alis could feel people starting to relax with the festivities commencing but there was an undercurrent of tension as well. Just a slight thread of it but it was there. She kept her eyes out for anything suspicious, it always helped to have an extra pair of eyes on things. She sipped at the wine, admiring the bouquet and demurely declining offers from a few gentlemen who wanted to take a turn about the room with her or get some air. Sophia opened her mouth to answer Mr Emkai but then Miss Seta came up behind her, she jumped a little and then gave her a small smile. "They -are- qu-quite different..." She said, plucking at the dress. "Pr-pretty though. You look p-pretty Miss Seta." She blushed. ((Only here for a moment.. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 09:40:57 -0500

(Oh now I get the joke XD well if there's no description on food being there I'll have a waiter carrying red meat and mead walking around hmm wine around a little girl...all well) A waiter walked up to Rika carrying plates that had a collosal turkey leg on everyone of them and Rika took a plate then looked at the turkey leg. The turkey leg somewhat resembled a club but she was too hungry to complain so she began eating.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:03:42 -0500

@ Nagats-e Seta's brows rose in apparent surprise at Sophia's compliment. "Oh, thanks. I guess it's not... I mean, it does look nice. But why do all nice clothes have to be so blasted UNCOMFORTABLE?" Emkai rolled his eyes. "Yours looks less bothersome than most of the others, what with the tight bodices. Just be happy that you look presentable." He smoothed the front of his shirt self-consciously, which brought a dismissive hand-wave from Seta. "It's not like anyone's going to worry about what you're wearing Emkai, no offense. I mean, the fact that your head's on fire seems to distract most of them quite nicely. And you look very nice too Sophia."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 11:57:43 -0500

((I don't have specific people in mind for this, but I imagine there may be two or three that are boldfaced lying to Aethan about supporting him, and perhaps one or two of them may be corrupted by Acebrity. I don't know if Finn can just see that about them, or if he needs to hear them talk first. But we can work it in little by little I guess. You can devide who/when to have those people come out. Most are sincere about supporting him even if some don't really care for him. Oh, except maybe Tristan. Acebrity definately has a hold over him. I imagine she's offered him the throne in exchange for getting rid of Aethan at some point, perhaps before the party. She wouldn't dare make her appearance here again so soon.)) Aethan nodded to Finn. Even when the man bowed he still towered over him, and Aethan was considered tall. "If everything is set, let's get ot work. First we mingle, then I have to ask the group at large for support. That will determine the outcome of this day." But he was confident now that it would happen. The four of them started making their way through the room, Aethan speaking with each of the nobles there about what happened and what needed to be done in the months to come. Letting them know his plans would help his cause tonight. He looked over and saw the musicians beginning to play. Jiya would prove to be a good distraction, at least for the noblemen there. Finn received some wary looks because of his size, but when Aethan dismissed him as an advisor for the evening they seemed to relax a little. Everyone wanted to speak with Gwenlynn, especially the noblewomen. It wasn't often that they had the chance ot meet a real elven princess. Gwenlynn did a wonderful job holding her own in the conversations and only a couple of times did Aethan have to slid in with a silver-tongued save. As they spoke to the nobles present Aethan waited each time to see if Finn would give him some sort of warning. When none came he was quite pleased. Yes, the appearance of Essence was a favorable omen. Still, there had to be someone in this room that Acebrity had her nails in and he didn't for a moment think the nobles were all in support of him so he continued to move around the room, waiting for Finn to give him some warning or sign.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:30:02 -0500

Tornica and Kalin, Kezia trailing nervously in their wake, made their way through the hall to where Emkai and his little group were standing. They looked distinctly ill at ease amongst all the finery and so Kalin at least thought they would make splendid companions for the evening. Tornica was personally wondering if a handsome face and a willingness to dance would be good enough to convince some of the younger noble ladies present to be very nice to him, but as of yet hadn't plucked up the courage to ask anyone. Hopefully by the time the music started and Jiya wasn't the centre of attention any more he'd have found a spot of it and something he thought he could move well enough to would get played. "It's to aid posture," Kalin put in helpfully to Seta as he drew up to them. "Keep your back straight, keep your head up...all designed to make you look your absolute best while wearing the clothes. At least that's my theory. I can't think of any other reason why they're all so hideous."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:28:43 -0500

((LOL, 'adult entertainment' Rika has no idea...But she might like the pretty costume, little girls usually do.)) (*snort* Seta cracks me up. Emkai, dude your head's on fire...no one is looking at your clothes. Seriously.)) @Star ((The evil and magic, Finn should be able to detect fairly easily and without talking to anyone. The lying and deception he would have to hear a conversation. I'm guessing if Acebrity has tainted someone then the detect _evil and magic_ would show up, but it may not say specifically what is causing it.)) ((Finn is probably wearing his warrior braids so his half-elven ears would be showing unless Aethan thought it best to keep them covered, in which case he would wear his hair in a way to hide them.)) ((And I'm thinking that Finn and Aethan have devised some non-verbal signals so Finn can tell him what's up with whom.)) Finn was relieved that most of the nobles, most of those in the room, in fact, were on Aethan's side. If not wholeheartedly behind the man themselves, they saw him as the best bet for the kingdom. A few however...Finn made the gesture indicating a few who were lying when professing their loyalty. The music helped to keep people off their guard and many were absorbed with Jiya's exotic beauty. She was not actually dancing yet, but looked like she would begin soon. Finn steered Aethanto another part of the room indicating that he detected both magic and evil. Never a good combination. He wanted to meet the man, hear him speak and gauge the level of it. It could be that the man was simply a selfish bastard with no regard for the consequences of his actions or whom they might hurt, and could use magic. Or, he could be much more dangerous in terms of Aethan's plans. @Feast in General Jiya placed the brass finger cymbals on her fingers and nodded to the musicians. After a brief introduction, she took the floor in a swirl of silk and brocade. Her costume jingled with her every move. She knew how to work a crowd, judge whom to flirt with and whom to stay away from. She was more accustomed to single-sex audiences, dancing for the women in the harem or for the Pasha and his male guests at dinner. It was obvious some of the women were jealous. She made sure to steer clear of them and whatever man they were acting possessive over. She wondered if any in this crowd knew the difficultly and years of study this dance required. She made sure to dance for Aethan, since this was his party, and for Dumond for he was her master after all. ((http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsGiG1zvuXI&feature=related I love how she works her hair in this. This is my favorite and I love the flirtiness too. The hair thing at 6:33 is saudi. So this is the dance style Jiya is doing, flirting with the audience. And she is used to performing for very longs sets, so she could easily go for an hour. And for added drama, she might balance things on her head http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8De3nn9j1z4&feature=related But this woman is too wild and not in control enough. And her arms are terrible. Jiya might borrow a sword from someone to balance on her head.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:11:26 -0500

Seta scowled and crossed her arms. She looked more like a disgruntled child than a woman at the moment. "Well maybe I'd rather just slouch and look un-perfect than feel like I'm walking around in a torture device." "Now you're just being dramatic," Emkai deadpanned. "You're not wearing one Emkai. I swear, all this thing needs is a few spikes and it'll be perfect. And maybe something to adjust it, make it tighter... I'm right, aren't I?" she added, looking seriously to Kezia and Sophia.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:47:34 -0500

When Jiya started dancing Gwenlynn couldn't help watching in fascination and awe. Elves had their tribal dances, but they were nothing like this. The closest thing she ever witnessed was when she was in the far north. Every now and then Aethan would give her a small nudge to remind her not ot stare at Jiya and to pay attention to what was going on. She felt chargrinned by it, knowing that she was supposed to be his advocate. As Aethan headed in the direction Finn indicated they were cut off by a nobleman in his middle years. He was roughly the same age as Aethan's father, were he still alive, and the silver in his hair shimmered justa little in the light of the room against his blond hair. It gave his hair the effect of sparkling. "Lord Aethan." He was obviously slightly intoxitcated, eye moving back to Jiya once he was sure he had Aethan's attention. "Where in the world did you find a woman who could dance like that? I know you did quite a bit of traveling these last couple of years. Find her in the wildlands?" By wildlands Aethan knew he meant Warvic. There was little order in those parts anymore. Most of it was taken over by turghs or shadow-cursed creatures. "Evening Lord Elentis. You seem to be enjoying yourself regardless of where she is from. But no. she comes from farther away than that even." He knew Elentis was too intoxicated to catch the fact that Aethan just hinted there were lands they didn't know about. "But I have to agree, she does have some skill." "And a fancy eye for you," Elentis noted. Aethan looked over and saw Jiya dancing more in their direction at the moment. "Oh I doubt that Lord Elentis. Miss Jiya is simply doing her job, rather well I might add." Aethan smiled at the lord. "I would introduce you to Lady Gwenlynn da'Ellesa of Elladan, but it seems another has captured your attentions this evening." "Indeed." Lord Elentis took another drink of his wine. "I would like to remind you that she is a dancer and a guest," Aethan said carefully. "And that man over there." He pointed over Elentis' shoulder at Dumond. "He is her guardian. Very protective too, so I would be careful. I doubt he would need a sword if he thought you were looking at her the wrong way." Lord Elentis laughed. "My dear young man, things may have gone awry in your absence but I'm not so iniquitous and depraved. Perhaps you have just been away too long. This world is a dark place these days." He had to tear his eyes away from Jiya to look at Aethan. "And getting worse, which is why we need this succession to move quickly and smoothly," Aethan pointed out, taking this small opening to slide a reminder into the conversation. "You were a loyal friend to my father. Can I count on that as well?" "My dear boy," Elentis put a hand on AEthan's shoulder and smiled at him, wobbling a little on his feet. "I knew you were destined for great things the moment you were born. I would be foolish not to support you now when this country needs someone like you." He looked at Gwenlynn and gave her a bow. "Pardon my shamelessness princess. When you get older there are some things you just can't help but admire like the distant stars." "It's quite alright Lord Elentis," Gwenlynn reassured him with a kind smile. "I understand that humans are a little different from elves, but I have come to learn that sometimes human emotions are so much more sincere because they are fleeting." ((I won't be around until late evening tomorrow but I will get Tristan toward them. For now, if it's possible, maybe Finn momentarily lost him?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 23:06:19 -0500

Rika looked at the Jiya's costume and thought it looked pretty but was dis-interested by how the men's interest became more apparent then she looked at the women exchanging looks of jealousy. She wanted to entertain herself and not really affect anyone else when she finished eating she walked up stairs where there were no other people and began reading aloud magic words then a dark cloud emanated from her spellbook. the dark clouds flew from the book to the ground in front of her and a puppy sat there looking at Rika happily with a close interest of her being able to summon him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:04:26 -0500

((That works Star. If Tristan is around other magic/evil it would make him difficult to single out. Or perhaps Tristan just left the room for a bit--for a call of nature or something :) )) Finn leaned down to murmur in Aethan's ear, "I've lost him. The one I really must speak to and confirm my suspicions." Finn was a warrior, but he was also a man. His eyes went to Jiya now and again. A great part of him wanted to yell a war cry and scoop her up and carry her off to the first room her could find and rip that costume right off of her. If Jiya had been truly his, Dumond would never allow her to dance in public ever again. It would be an entertainment for him alone. He wondered what the Marquis would think of this. He could see that this would become a sensation at court. All of the women would want to learn it and all of them men would want to watch. Watch and do much more. Just like the men here. Jiya danced to Emkai and the women. She didn't get too close to him, she did not want her costume to catch fire, she would burn like a moth in a candle flame. She smiled at them and moved along to the little elf and the dragonboy.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:28:16 -0500

Emkai wasn't human. He didn't generally find humans any more attractive than they would find a bonfire attractive. And on top of that, he was the sort of person who stayed so focused on whatever goal he was pursuing at the moment that any other sort of pleasurable activity was completely out of the question. All the same, the fireman couldn't help but raise a brow appreciatively as Jiya danced by.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:34:12 -0500

@Party Sophia smiled and couldn't help clapping her hands a little when Miss Jiya passed by them. It was a beautiful and enticing dance to watch, she couldn't figure out how Miss Jiya could do things like that with her tummy and her hips but she made it all look so pretty, that was for sure. She timidly nodded in agreement with Seta, though she thought the dresses were very pretty, even if they were uncomfortable sometimes. Hers was a bit loose though, as the women didn't want to touch her much. Alis smiled as she watched the dancing too, she rolled her eyes at the men who seemed so affected by Jiya's movements, men were the same everywhere. She picked out a couple of things to eat as they passed by and nibbled on them, mindful of the stays on the dress.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 16:05:55 -0500

((Kalin is very much hoping the nobles will be fussing over Gwenlynn being a princess rather than necessarily her being an elf. He doesn't want to get fussed over :p )) "It's not that bad," Kezia said to Seta's comment. "I've seen a couple of torture devices and they all looked considerably more uncomfortable than this bodice feels." Kalin's eyes went wide at that. "You've seen...how have you seen torture devices? When was this? What happened?" Kezia shrugged. "When I was a kid during the last set of riots in the cities. In the aftermath they made some of the punishments for the rebellion leaders public." She pulled a face. "It was decidedly unpleasant to witness." Kalin shook his head in disgust. "Barbaric." "Whatever you say Kalin," Tornica said, clearly not paying a blind bit of attention to the conversation. His eyes were fixed on Jiya's undulating form. He'd never seen dancing quite like that before...which he considered a real shame because he would definitely like to see a lot more of it. Following Tornica's gaze Kalin just rolled his eyes. He had to admit Jiya was very attractive. For a human. But he wasn't personally all that interested in humans.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 17:40:26 -0500

((LOL, Kalin. No one seems to be making much of a fuss over Finn and he's much more noticeable. I think you're safe.)) Jiya smiled at the dragonboy. Not only was he appreciative, he wasn't openly leering like some of the men. Not that it wasn't to be expected. Most men found the dance very sensual. She got closer to the group and performed a series of more subtle shimmies and flutters. She looked to see who had a sword she could borrow. That was something else that impressed people: balancing things on your head while dancing.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 18:32:49 -0500

Rika watched fully amused that she summoned a wolf pup and it was running around the upper main hall. The pup watched the nobles and Jiya dancing as men found her dancing sensual then Rika ran as fast she could to keep up with the pup. Rika then petted her summoned puppy.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:26:56 -0500

((Just a warning I'm working on notes for a final so... I may not be around as much as I would like ot be this week while I prepare. Good news is after that things will slow down for me quite a bit!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:07:28 -0500

((Good luck in your finals Star. I guess the rest of us can amuse ourselves at the feast. Maybe Jiya will have to try and get some of the guests to dance with her.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:04:14 -0500

((And Rika will cause a little meyhem XD)) Rika looked at her summoned puppy with a mischevious grin and told him to run around the lower levels. The pup yipped understanding the order and ran down the stairs then bumped against several men's legs. Rika watched the pup run around in the hall below causing minor attention in the crowd of nobles and she giggled at one noble who rubbed his eyes trying to figure out if the pup was real or was the wine playing tricks with him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:35:29 -0500

((Don't cause too much mayhem. Remember this place is loaded with guards right now so anyone causing any sort of trouble will be hauled off without question. For example the dog will be taken out and if Aethan finds out it is Rika causing the commotion when he's trying to make things stable and get people to relax he will have her taken out. I don't mind a little drama, but I don't want unreasonalbe situations. Please everyone remember this is a palace and even if your characters are guests they will be required to act accordingly.)) ((Thanks for the luck Jez. I'm going to need it for sure.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:55:12 -0500

A group of four guards patroling the area got wind of the pup being there without an owner and cornered it in a corner then the pup dissapeared in a puff of smoke as Rika recalled it making the guards even more confused when the dog dissapeared.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:48:28 -0500

((Wolf has wolves she can make appear, and wolf pups as well. If she heard or saw the pup, it might interest her. Is Rika still upstairs or has she come down to the main hall? Finn rather likes children.)) Finn whispered something to Aethan and walked away from him. At this point, Finn wanted to circulate to see if he could pick the one he sensed earlier. Many people were watching Jiya and not moving around much. He thought it would be a good time to see if he could fine that source of evil.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:14:12 -0500

(She's upstairs and I'm moving her downstairs) Rika closed her spellbook and walked downstairs to see that her pup has dissapeared. She looked around to see a lot of people watching Jiya dance and were not moving as much. Then she saw a man (Finn) whisper something to Aethan and tilted her head as she was curious to how the conversation went.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:43:56 -0500

((Hmm, would a dispel magic get rid of Wolf's wolves? Or are they more of an inherent thing with her? Just a thought on how they work.)) Finn saw Rika and put his large hand on her shoulder to steer her away from any clumps of people. Aethan had briefed him on how she came to be here. "Little one, these are dangerous times in Divica. Have a care." He was not patronizing. He had raised eleven children of his own. "Lord Havorilus has granted you a boon to allow you to remain here at the palace and not shuffled you off to some home for orphans. Behave yourself as befits a guest of a noble or I shall turn you into a puppy myself and lock you in with the rest of the hounds." Finn smiled to soften his words, but there was a firmness to them that hinted he may actually be telling the truth as to what he would do. Now. Tell me about your book and how you came to learn magic." Finn never stopped scanning the crowd looking for the one person who seemed to be the largest threat by far. Having Rika with him gave him a reason to walk and talk without looking like he was looking for someone. ((I'm assuming that Finn hasn't detected any evil from Rika. He knows she can do magic and I expect her book gives off a magic aura. Also if she tells a lie or skirts the truth, let me know because Finn will detect that as well.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:11:38 -0500

((Just something quick ot set up. I MIGHT be able to get on for a bit tomorrow to get us moving. It depends on my son really, and how much he lets me without trying ot push buttons or turn the computer off.)) Gwenlynn was starting ot feel a little warm and was having a hard time breathing. Being indoors for so long was not something she had yet grown accustomed to. She pulled away from Aethan and smiled at him. "I'm just going ot step outside for some air for a moment. I will e back soon." Aethan smiled at her and nodded, then watched as she walked toward the doors that opened ot the garden just outside. Gwenlynn took a big breath when she stepped out the door and then moved into the garden. It was so nice outside, and the air was so much more clean. She stopped near some honeyhocks and touched the petals, smiling softly. "They are beautiful at this time of year are'nt they?" The voice startled Gwenlynn and she jumped a little, then looked over as a young lord walked toward her. One she recognized from before. "My mother had them planted in our garden as well. She loves sitting outside to watch them in the sunlight." Gwenlynn smiled, but she didn't forget that this was the same young lord that turned them over to the previous king. He was ambitious in whatever way it took to get himself ahead. "I prefer roses," she told him with a smile. "Yes, I think the gray elves are known for their rose garden, aren't they?" "So, you have accepted Aethan as your king?" she asked carefully, though still a bit bluntly. He walked up and stood beside her, looking at the lowers. "He isn't king yet, but I will accept whatever gives the people the stability they need." He turned hazel eyes on her, smiling sweetly. "I'm sure what I want is no different from anyone else." "Aethan says you are ambitious," she pointed out, turning ot face him. "As I said, I am no different from anyone else. Besides, he has always seen things as black or white." "I don't know that I agree with that statement." Gwenlynn was a little uncertain about Tristan. She just couldn't bring herself ot trust him. "He is a reasonable man, very trusting and loyal to his friends as well." The look that passed over Tristan's face made Gwenlynn tense. Then she felt a set of hands on each arm, wrestling her arms behind her. "Yes, I'm counting on that." He nodded at the two men. Gwenlynn felt a thump on her head and as everything faded she could feel herself being lifted and hauled away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:04:47 -0500

Rika flinched as she noticed the man towering over her and told her to behave herself then asked her to talk about the book she held tightly. "I kept it to remember my family" she said truthfully but she wouldn't say how she obtained the book, that part was still too painfull for her "And I've been reading it whenever I could get the time to read" she added.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:19:48 -0500

((Oh Finn is going to be very upset about Gwenlynn being taken)) "But you can do magic with it." Finn said to the girl. "I'm Finn McCool, by the way, but you can call me Finn." He looked around the room again. Whatever--whoever it was, they no longer seemed to be in the room. Bollocks.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:20:24 -0500

"My name's Rika" The girl said to Finn and she was getting a feeling that there was something that Finn wanted her to do other than not read her book aloud but she was not sure. she shrugged and followed Finn's gaze blindly around the room.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:32:39 -0500

((Sorry about that Finn. Tristan says Aethan isn't the only one with connections.)) Aethan spoke with a couple more lords and ladies, moving his way through the crowd toward Tornica, Kalin, and Kezia. He felt bad that his own guests were standing on the outskirts of the party, though admittedly it wasn't so much a party as it was a social hour (or four). He was drawing near a close, getting the majority which was all he really needed, and knowing who was lying ot him gave him a good idea of what to watch out for in the months to come. But Gwenlynn left a while ago and he couldn't get outside to check on her because of the crowd constantly getting in his way. He managed just a minute of reprive when he reached the others. "Do you think you guys could do me a favor? Gwenlynn went outside for some air a while ago and she hasn't come back yet. I need her so that I can start wrapping things up. Can one of you go out and find her for me? I've tried but I can't seem to make it to the doors." "Lord Aethan." A noblewoman roughly ten years older than he was approached. "Please," he whispered, then turned to her. "Lady Dova." He gave her a respectful bow. "I have a few questions for you if you have a moment." She stood tall, her light hair swept up in current ladies fashion, dress perfectly fit to her form, even if she was a bit plump. Aethan didn't really have a moment, but he couldn't refuse either. "Of course." He glanced at Tornica, Kalin, and Kezia, then walked away with Lady Dova.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:47:15 -0500

"Of course," Tornica said. He was quite enjoying watching Jiya dance and this hall was more than large enough for his tastes...but the crowd was starting to press very close at times so a bit of fresh air wouldn't go amiss. "I'd ask if you want to come, but I really think you should stay in here where it's warm Kalin." "Oh, so you're playing nursemaid now?" "I'll even mop your brow for you later if you like." He clapped the small elf on the shoulder. "I'll be back soon." Weaving his way through the crowd Tornica made his way over to the doors, not noticing until he was almost out that Kezia had decided to join him. "I thought you'd appointed yourself his new guardian?" he said to her. She shrugged. "I don't like all these toffs. Aethan's all right, but the others...I just don't like them. I'd rather go outside with you." "Fair enough," he said, stepping out into the garden. "Right...now if I was an elven Princess what part of the garden would I go to?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:16:23 -0500

Seta watched Tornica and Kezia leave gloomily. Emkai smiled very slightly. "There's no reason for you to stay here if you'd rather be outside you know. The nobles here have been giving us a wide berth; I daresay they wouldn't notice if you disappeared." She gave him a disgruntled glance. "Yes, but I want to remind Aethan to check on Omaron. Just in case, since he's got so much else to manage right now." "You think one of us won't? Just go enjoy yourself Seta, everything is going to be fine." Seta looked like she was going to argue, then shrugged and turned to follow the others out the door.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:10:18 -0500

Finn moved about the room with Rika in tow. For a girl who's entire village had been destroyed along with her loved ones, she seemed rather cheerful. He couldn't detect any evil from her, but her actions just made him suspicious. 'Twas a sad thing when a man had to be suspicious of a child, but even if she was as she seemed, she needed some looking after. Couldn't have the girl randomly reading spells from that book.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:24:57 -0500

Rika followed Finn around the room and she was constantly trying to keep her emotional loss of her loved ones from taking control of her actions. She knew that it would make other people feel suspicious about her but she acted more like her father and if something wrong happened to her father he'd pick himself up, dust himself off, then continue what he was doing. 'maybe it was not a good idea to leave the village, what am I thinking? I had to leave, It was no longer safe' These thoughts began fighting in the poor girl's head

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 21:58:07 -0500

Aethan was roped over to a group of nobles, talking with them and Lady Dova as he watched Tornica and Kezia head toward the door. If it hadn't been for the appearance of Acebrity earlier he wouldn't be so worried, but if something happened to Gwenlynn under his care her father would never trust him. Actually, if he was angry enough it could cause much worse trouble. Gray elves were often touchy and tempramental. @outside/inside Tristan walked the garden, bowing a little to a couple of young nobles that passed arm in arm and offering them a kind smile. They were only three or four years younge than he, but it felt like a lifetime. After Gwenlynn was slipped out through the garden exit he wandered a little in hopes it would keep him from seeming too suspicious. As a couple of Aethan's new friends walked out, he smiled and gave them both a polite bow as well, headed back inside in search of Aethan. His moment should be coming soon. ((So obviously they aren't going to find her out there.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:57:20 -0500

Finn sensed the evil presence again. Wherever it had gone, it was back now. He honed in on the man. Keeping an eye on the noble he made his way toward Aethan. "Stay close, Rika. Things may get...interesting. I don't want you getting in any trouble."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:09:49 -0500

@ Outside Well...he'd have thought an elven princess would be easier to find than this. There weren't exactly too many of them about and Tornica wouldn't have figured Gwen to have gone too far from the palace. Not with Aethan was worried about the loyalty of his fellow nobles. He gave a brief, if clearly distracted, nod back to the young noble heading back inside, not really taking much in about who they were. "Gwenlynn?" he called out, hoping she'd hear him and respond. "Gwenlynn, are you still out here?" No answer. Heading a little further afield and calling out a few more times didn't help a great deal either. There was still no sign of her. "This isn't looking good..." "Should we head back inside?" Kezia asked. "Let Aethan know." "You go," he said. "I'm going to stay out here a little longer. Make sure she hasn't just fallen over and smacked her head or something." Kezia nodded and hurried back towards the palace.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 06:09:32 -0500

Rika's pace sped up as she walked closer to Finn and she looked around him to see a noble making his way toward Aethan. Her mind was quiet even though there was music playing in the background and Jiya was dancing gaining most of the nobles' attention. She then looked around the room to see a few people from the group had dissapeared outside

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:34:19 -0500

Clearcall watched Tornica and Kezia go outside, then Kezia came back in a few minutes later looking a little concerned. He frowned and headed outside to see what might be going on out there, finding Tornica after a couple of minutes of searching. "Is everything alright?" he asked as he joined the man ((and Seta?)). @inside Tristan watched as Aethan moved away from a group, smiling at them as he did, then he headed toward the head of the room usually used for the royal table during gatherings. There was currently nothing on the marble platform but Aethan and a tall, small table covered with cloth. On this table sat the Crown of Moons. Tristan stared at it. With the royal line broken anyone could try to claim right to the crown. Anyone included him. It was a real bugger to try and gain support from the nobles after Aethan returned, but the promise he was made would secure it for him. As long as he carried out his part of the deal tonight. He meant what he told Gwenlynn. He only wanted what was best for hte kingdom, and he was around these last two years. He knew what the people and the kingdom needed far better than Aethan did. Aethan returned from his journey and just thought he could fix everything when he had no idea what was really going on. Tristan did. As Aethan stood on the platform the room fell silent. Not completely silent as some nobles were still whispering ot each other or speaking softly to servants moving around the room with food and drinks. All eyes turned to him. He took a deep breath. He really wanted Gwenlynn up here with him but she could just join him when she returned. The nobles were ready for him. As ready as they would ever be. "I want to start by apologizing to everyone for being gone so long. You all remember what happened in the palace that night nearly two years ago now, and hopefully you all understood why I had to leave. I tried several times to return but circumstances I could not control pulled me further away. By now you have all likely heard the rumor that Acebrity was here in the palace today, and that she was posing herself as the queen. This could not have been for too long. We discovered the body of Lady Ganda just this morning and she couldn't have been gone more than a day or two." Unless Acebrity did something to preserve the body but he couldn't imagine why she would. "Those rumors are true. Before we continue on tonight I would like to be certain that everyone here understands that what my cousin, your most recent king, did was not all under his control. I cannot tell you where the line is drawn but I would like to stress that Acebrity had control of him. She told me as much when I was her prisoner. She used him to tear this kingdom apart and keep it from aiding in what is to come." He walked to the other side of the platform as he spoke. "So what is to come? In my travels I witnessed great miracles. I saw the darkness that is spreading across our world. The Great Battle is coming, and it will be within the next year that it takes place. This is a time of unity. This is the time to stand together against the coming ruin. We can no longer afford to be torn in dissidence, or separated by distrust and disloyalty. Despite our political affiliations amongst ourselves we face the same destruction, the same threat of annihilation. For that reason we need to form a united front not only with each other, but with nations and races of the world. This danger threatens every living being." "I had the great fortune of meeting kings and queens, princes and princesses, during my travels. I have spoken of this same unity with them all and they are all in agreement. We must march to the Great Battle united, as one force against Shadow." Aethan took a breath, preparing for the next part. The nobles seemed receptive to it earlier and he hoped that when faced with it as a whole they would remain that way. "I have traveled with the Blood of Light and witnessed the miracles he can perform. I was saved by him on the field of battle in Fort Dushai. He gave me his blood when I lost too much of my own. It is because of him that I stand here today. It is because of him that we will succeed!" "In order to take the next step as one of the strongest military kingdoms in the world, Cevius needs a king. Cevius needs a general that can usher the army to the coming war. I stand here before you today requesting your support for the crown, with the support of the nations of the world behind me. I stand before you, a humble servant to hte kingdom of Cevius." And with that he stopped, waiting for the reactio nthat would decide his fate. He debated mentioning seeing Essence here tonight, but was afraid of how some of hte nobles might react to it. They believed the old gods abandoned them and some felt jilted by it. ((I have an awards lunch to attend but I will be back this afternoon.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:36:32 -0500

Tornica jumped a little as Clearcall came up to him and spoke. He'd been so absorbed in his searching that he hadn't noticed him. "I can't find Gwen," he said, not beating around the bush. "She might have just wandered further out of earshot than I'd expected...but I've been calling pretty loud and the gardens can't be that big. Unless something's happened to her I'm sure she would have responded to one of my calls by now. And considering everything that's been going on I doubt it's anything as benign as her falling and smacking her head."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:25:58 -0500

Rika was distracted by the speech and was confused on why there should be a king. Was it the king's fault that her family is dead? those two questions entered her mind and she thought 'I'll think about it later' then followed Finn around the room

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:45:13 -0500

Clearcall's entire demeanor changed when he found it was Gwenlynn missing that was causing the ruckus. Perhaps because even though he had been gone from Elladan so long he still considered Ellesar his king, still considered her his princess. He felt an obligation to watch over her and was failing miserably at it. He let out a whistle that had a specific pitch to it and a couple of minutes later a dragonling flew over and perched on his forearm. He murmured something in elvish to it and it took off into the night sky. Maybe it could find her if she was out in the open somewhere. It could move faster than her and see most of the city from the sky. "Hopefully he can find her." He watched the sky but the little blue dragon was absorbed in the night sky. @inside Tristan smirked inwardly. Aethan left himself with an opening for him to strike. "If you were Acebrity's captive, how did you escape? And how do we know that you aren't under her control any more than Lord Valentis was?" He posed his questions innocently enough, as if he were more concerned about the overall wellbeing of the people and not trying to tear down Aethan's claim at the throne. Aethan looked in Tristan's direction. In all honesty, he couldn't remember how he escaped, but if Acebrity did have the same control over him she wouldn't be so desperate to get rid of him and wouldn't have fought so hard against him when he tried to get rid of Valentis. "I will not lie. I don't recall exactly how I escaped." Where was Gwenlynn? She could help with this. She was the one that found him and healed him. "I remember seeing darkness outside, feeling the cuffs looser than normal, but the next thing I really remember was waking up wiht Lady Gwenlynn tending my wounds. But if Acebrity had control over me she would not try so hard to be rid of me." "I don't mean to discredit you and what you have done, nor your guests, but the idea of releasing Cevius from one king under Acebrity's control only to hand it over to another makes me uncomfortable." Tristan managed a concerned look as he said this. "Does no one else wonder this? If maybe he was allowed to escape, if maybe Acebrity is making a show of all of this only to keep us further from this war he speaks of? And how do we even know that everything you have said is true. Can any of your guests support your claim that this darkness is indeed inevitable or are we just to take your word for it?" Aethan knew Tristan was testing him and he glanced around, seeing Finn watching Tristan and he felt his stomach sink. Tristan was his best friend growing up. The two were inseperable. What could have happened to turn Tristan away? "Lady Gwenlynn, but she seems to have gone off outside for some air and not yet returned." "I find that convenient," Tristan noted. He walked up to the platform and stood up there beside Aethan looking out at the others. "We all know Aethan-" He looked thoughtful and hesitant. "Let me ammend that. We all knew Aethan, before he left us. But as these last two years have proven, time changes everyone. And he was gone for so long, encountered so much. How do we really know that he can be trusted? How do we know that someone like Acebrity isn't pulling his strings as well?" He pointed over at Aethan, who looked surprisingly and irritatingly unsurprised by this turn of events. "Look at him. He isn't surprised that he would be questioned. He isn't standing up to defend himself. Who do you really trust? Someone like Aethan who claims to have all this support and experience but no one to back up his claim, someone who has been in Acebrity's grasp, or someone who has been right here beside you through the worst of it, suffering the same as the rest of you have suffered. Someone who has been just as beaten down by circumstance and deception. Don't give him the crown. Please. We can't trust that he has our best interests in mind." Tristan stood a little taller. "Let me lead you against whatever may come." He was tired of sitting in Aethan's shadow. This would all end today. "By his own mouth he was in Acebrity's hands. Is that really who you want sitting on the Dragon Throne?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:49:19 -0500

Rika looked befuddled at the man who talked in front of the nobles but she thought that Aethan was a good person because he saved her from the dungeon before the nobles have arrived. Rika weaved in between nobles to find her self on the platform and she gathered her courage before the nobles have re-directed their attention to themselves "I may be only a guest and a child in this Grand Hall but I know that Aethan is a good person and I think he would be a great leader if you gave him a chance to do so, He may have been Acebritty's captive and have escaped but at least give him a chance." she said regaining the nobles attention. She heard faint laughter in the crowd of nobles "He earned my trust by saving me from the dungeon and If you all are willing to give him the crown because of that reason alone I would be grateful" she continued trying to make Aethan sound like the better leader.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:22:00 -0500

Some of hte guards moved toward the platform but Aethan gave a subtle wave to stop them. Having a little girl taken out at a moment like this would be crushing ot his cause. He was tense though. Her testimony didn't hurt at all, but he highly doubted it would help. No, he needed to smooth things over with Tristan and his words. The fact that his best friend was trying ot steal the throne away from him hurt. Probably more than if he was refused by the others. (( I was hoping ot post more than this but people wouldn't leave me alone here at hte school. Popular girl I guess. And I have to go get my kids soon so I won't be around until later, and still may not have time to post much more. I take a final in the morning and I'm os happy to be done with the class. Anyway, if Rika is a native ot the world she should know that Acebrity is a goddess, the only one left as far as anyone knows, and she's sort of a wicked woman at that. So being associated with a goddess like her is a bad thing, obviously.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:36:02 -0500

"That little shit..." Alis growled under her breath, getting ready to draw her sword and then realising once again that it wasn't there. She gritted her teeth and put her hands down at her side, clenched into fists. It annoyed her to no end that this little twit was trying to ruin everything they had worked for, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. This wasn't an issue she had power to deal with. "You speak of trust?" She decided to speak up. "You have the gall to speak of trust when you offered your support to Aethan a short while ago when his allies were trying to help him, yet then hours later you betrayed even -them-? How dare you suggest that -you- are one to be trusted. With a move like that, who could tell whether you would have the courage, the responsibility, the wisdom and the general ability to rule a kingdom? You think and speak like a spiteful -child-" She glared at him. "This kingdom will -not- become a mere toy for you to play with." Wolf looked around at the nobles around them, they were murmuring to each other and she couldn't tell if it were good things or bad things. She glanced at Aethan and at this man challenging him, feeling a little worried about the outcome. What if they believed this man instead? She personally thought Aethan would be a better king, even though she'd never really encountered this other noble before. He just seemed... too arrogant. Alis was walking on thin ice though, she thought.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:30:20 -0500

Emkai opened his mouth as though to say something, then paused. Would the support of a creature they were unfamiliar with, one associated with the same element this Acebrity had dominion over, help Aethan's case at all? If anything it would just give this Tristan one more angle to work against their leader. He discretely covered his head with the hood of his cloak. No need to draw attention to himself now; better to watch and wait. It was unlikely things would turn violent, but to discount the possibility was as ever a horrible idea. He rested his hand on the knife hidden in his cloak. Just in case. --- Seta's head jerked up when Clearcall approached. She'd been sitting on the grass a little ways from where Tornica was and had a piece of charcoal and a scrap of paper in her hand. "Oh... sorry, I found a snail and got rather distracted from... yes." She hastily tucked the things into her dress and stood up, brushing grass off her dress. "But Gwenlyn's gone? Is there any reason she might have slipped off on her own, or...?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:32:59 -0500

((Whoops...I guess she didn't go to church very often and but she is native)) Rika flinched and quieted down as she didn't know what to say. Her mind became blank as she was continually finding something to say and she walked off the platform seeing that there was no other way to help Aethan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:39:11 -0500

Sophia moved discreetly behind Emkai as the talking began, she couldn't really hear what the people around her were muttering either but there was a restless quality in the room now and it made her uneasy. Even more so when Mr Emkai covered his head again and she saw his hand feel out his knife. She glanced up at him curiously and looked around at everyone else in the room. "Is th-there going to b-be tr-trouble M-Mr Emkai?" She asked quietly, feeling scared but not sure why.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:47:21 -0500

Emkai glanced over at Sophia, and for the first time in a long while he hoped very much there wouldn't be an altercation. "I don't know," he murmured. "If there is I want you to get out of sight until it's over, all right?" The fireman hesitated. No need to scare her too much. "It's not too likely that there'll be a fight though. I just like being prepared."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:51:23 -0500

(A fight? between who?)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 21:57:33 -0500

"My family was being threatened for nothing more than the fact that I was friends with Aethan before he left," Tristan retorted to Alis. "I am not the only one in this room that was helpless against the force Valentis had, I am not the only one guilty of doing what was necessary to save my family and prevent the conflict from spilling out into the streets. And I am not the one that turned this city back to chaos to dispose of the king. This betrayal she speaks of is simply explained. The king discovered I was meeting with them to try and help Aethan. He threatened my family unless I turned them over. Tell me who amonst you would not have done the same thing?" He looked at each of the nobles. "We don't know this man that returned to us any more than we understood Valentis toward the end." "Liandra." A man in his middle years spoke up, a man who obviously had some influence by the way the others were reacting. He walked up to the platform and stood in front of it. He was not making a claim to the throne. He would not climb this steps. But he faced the nobles just the same. "You all knew my daughter. She was nothing but good, supporting good. She spoke with many of you here tonight about this moment and how important it would be." He swallowed thickly. "She gave her life to support Lord Aethan and she did so without regret or hesitation. And I am certain she would do it again." His expression softened, the grief clear in his eyes. "Most of us here tonight knew this day was coming, and we all knew it was him," he pointed at Aethan, "that would bring back the balance we needed. Even before he returned we all whispered about it, wishing for his return. Now here he stands before us and we hesitate? Have we lost ourselves somewhere? Have we also forgotten so soon that he bears the Mark? Corban told our ancestors he would come, and here he stands, asking for our blessing. He could have just as easily seized control of the throne in the midst of the chaos, but he holds true ot the old laws, that in the absence of the gods the nobles and clerics would choose an appropriate successor should the lines be broken." He shook his head, looking out at everyone. "Lord Aethan is a Gurcius, in all but name. He has the royal blood in his veins much more directly than any of us. So I ask you again, why are we still standing here?" Liandra's father turned from the crowd and took the two steps, touching the crown. "Lord Aethan Havorilus, so long as I, Lendou and the house of Nakinius, draw breath, you have my blessing." He stepped back down again and bowed to Aethan, shooting a disapproving look at Tristan as he passed him. For the first time in several minutes Aethan exhaled, not realizing he was holding his breath. He watched the others to see who would step forward and as some of them started to shuffle Tristan spoke up again. "Is this truely the decision you want to make? Be certain, because the outcome of today could decide the fate of our kingdom tomorrow." "Is that a threat?" Aethan asked Tristan, turning to face him finally. "Not at all. But if this darkness really is coming and the wrong king is chosen we will all suffer the consequences of the choice we make today." Tristan hadn't meant that to sound like a threat and he felt he covered himself fairly well. Aethan nodded in agreement with Tristan, but judging by the way Finn had been watching Tristan he didn't think there was much of a choice ot make. Tristan's words were once again enough to make the nobles who were moving forward hesitate again. Essence be with me. Cordance guide me. He glanced up for just a moment. Creator help me. "I can understand the hesitation. I will not try to talk you into choosing me. I will not bully you with political tactics. As I said before, I stand here a humble servant. Whatever choice you make today I will be with you to whatever end, whether as your king or your equal. I will not abandon you again." This seemed to be enough to get the nobles moving again, and each stepped forward giving blessing as Liandra's father had done.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:09:56 -0500

((Emkai just has a bad feeling about what Tristan seems to be trying to do. He doesn't know what's going to happen, but he's readying himself for a fight in case one does break out.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:15:05 -0500

Clearcall continued to watch the sky for signs of the dragonling as Seta asked about Gwenlynn. "She wouldn't leave Aethan's side for long. Especially not on a night as important as this. If she is out in the night anywhere my little friend will find her though."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:29:09 -0500

Finn made his way closer to Aethan, keeping an eye on the man who radiated evil intentions. So much for Finn's instructions for the child to stay by his side. Did children not learn to listen to and respect their elders in this world? He had to admire the girl's bravery to speak to a room full of nobles, but it was foolish bravery. Jiya had long since stopped dancing and was sitting with the musicians drinking some wine mixed with fruit to refresh herself. Duman had made he way over to her. He distrusted this Tristan as well and thought things could turn ugly quickly. Well he knew the treachery of court life.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:33:36 -0500

"Good." Seta's brow furrowed in consternation. "I wish there was something I could do to help though. How did you train that little dragon-thing anyways? It's remarkable that they can act as lookouts for you and Aethan."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:09:13 -0500

"They are incredibly intelligent creatures," Clearcall told Seta. "All I had to do was teach them my language and they understand me the way a dog understands. Well, perhaps better than that, but you get the idea I'm sure. The whistles though, they taught to me. The sounds they make are similar to what our whistles sound like so I just had to learn their language to call them much the way they ha dto learn mine to respond to my words."He wondered how Seta would react if she found out he was friends with thousands of these dragonlings. "They don't act as lookouts. I ask them for help when needed and they accept or don't. Most of the time they do because they trust me, but there have been a stubborn few."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:20:51 -0500

"Really? That's... that's astounding, to be frank." Seta's already oversized eyes were open as wide as they would go. "I've been attempting to train things around the swamp where I live, but I've never encountered ANYTHING with that level of intelligence! It's actually like a... they're not merely trained or anything, it's like symbiosis?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:40:04 -0500

"Dragons are a bit different I suppose. Their intelligence is far superior to humans, but their social structure is very different. Anyway dragons, be they big or small, aren't like most creatures. They're.... special." Clearcall couldn't think of another way to say it. "Symbiosis.... I suppose in a way it is, yes." ((I should sleep now. I have to take my final first thing in the morning.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:49:37 -0500

Seta got very still, like a dog just before it runs off chasing a squirrel it has no chance of catching. "You mean they're... they're not like beasts, really? It's more like they're another race that just happens to have scales and four legs and... stuff?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:44:19 -0500

@ Outside Tornica nodded, watching the little dragon creature soaring up into the air. "I'm...I'm going to go back inside," he said. He didn't particularly want to, out in the open air was much more pleasant than that stuffy hall, but if Gwenlynn had gone then chances were something was going to go down and he did not want Kalin or Kezia undefended while that was happening. He knew Aethan had guards dotted all around the place but he was willing to bet they were more concerned with the safety of the country's actual citizens and not these strange friends of Aethan's. --- @ Inside Kezia returned to Kalin's side and whispered into his ear: "We can't fine Gwenlynn. She doesn't seem to be outside any more." Kalin's eyebrows went up, but he didn't take his eyes off the two nobles vying for the crown. Aethan was talking like someone straight out of a fairy tale with all his talk of righteousness and nobility. It was...surreal. He was fairly sure his own Queen was a perfectly nice lady but she held the throne through right of bloodline and by holding the keys to the treasury and therefore the army rather than through any high fluting ideals. But then he supposed Aethan didn't currently have total control of the guards and treasury. He felt slightly awkward being here though. From what he'd been able to gather in all that chaos he'd been the one to actually kill the last king after all. It was a little strange being in the throne room to see the next king being chosen after having taken out the previous one.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:56:08 -0500

@Buggy Sophia nodded, eyes widening at the thought of something bad happening. Her fingers found the back of Mr Emkai's cloak and latched onto it, she felt slightly comforted by the warmth from it. "I c-can hide rea-really well." She murmured in reply, peeking out from behind him to see what was going on. @other things going on... Alis glared at the man, though when Liandra's father came up and spoke, then even declared his allegience, her expression softened slightly. At least -someone- here had a mind to think with. Wolf overheard the others speaking about Gwenlynn going missing. "Shall I have my wolves look for her? They could catch her scent and try to find her." She offered, heading back to the doors outside to whistle them out discreetly. They appeared by her and she told them to look for any trace of Lady Gwenlynn, as soon as she did they took off sniffing at everything, following whatever trails they found left behind.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:19:14 -0500

@Seta "Intelligence doesn't have a shape or size," Clearcall told Seta, chuckling a little at her raction. "Just because they look like beasts doesn't mean they aren't intelligent. I would even dare say their social structure is much more complicated than humans or elves." He watched Tornica head back inside. Did hte dragonling make him uncomfortable? Well Clearcall wasn't going anywhere until the little friend came back. The fact that it was taking so long made him uneasy. After a minute or two he saw Wolf's wolves sniffing out a trail. Maybe between the dragonling and the wolves they could find Gwenlynn swiftly. @inside Aethan glanced at Tristan every now and again from the corner of his eye. He stood there calm and composed but Aethan suspected that beneath the surface he was reeling. So far Aethan had support from the vast majority, more than enough to secure the throne. He was itching to find out what happened to Gwenlynn and why Finn was watching Tristan so closely. He hoped his suspicion was unfounded. Aethan didn't want ot believe that his best friend was capable of anything remotely devious. Aethan was not surprised that a few of the nobles supported Tristan, as he had made a valid point and after everything these people went through in his absence he could understand their uncertainty about him. He didn't fault them, though he did make note of who it was just in case it would be trouble in the future. A couple of the nobles apologized quietly to him when they setn their support the other way and he was sure that they were mostly not choosing him because they were afraid that Tristan was right. It would take time to prove ot them that his argument was wrong, and he wasn't sure how much time they had for it. As the last of the nobles filtered up Aethan looked past them, seeing Tornica come back inside without Gwenlynn and go straight to Kalin and Kezia. He appeared to be relaying something urgent, after which he watched Wolf cross to the doors and go outside. His stomach plummeted. This could not be good. How could anything have happened to Gwenlynn? This place was crawling with city guards, men Gannon swore they could trust. He glanced at Gannon, standing to the side of the platform and watching the rest of the Great Hall. He really didn't want to distrust Gannon, but if Tristan could betray him, he supposed Gannon could as well. He would have to have Finn try to find out. Aethan was startled from his thoughts when he realized Tristan was standing in front of him, offering his hand. Aethan absently took it, surprised by Tristan's congratulations. "For the sake of us all, I hope I'm wrong about you." And i hope I'm wrong about you, Aethan thought. "I won't let the people down." At least, he would try his hardest not to. He watched as Tristan picked up the crown, running a subtle thumb over one of the silver moons. "Considering the current state of things I suppose an official coronation is out of order." Tristan looked at Aethan, hazel eyes watching Aethan intently, then he placed the crown on Aethan's head. "Now begins the reign of King Aethan," he told the group gathered there. "Long live the king." He shot a momentary look in Aethan's direction that Aethan didn't miss as the other nobles echoed Tristan. As Aethan stepped down from the platform to speak to Finn and Tornica the music started back up again. Things would continue for a little while longer but he had work to do, and a princess to find. "Tornica, where is she?" he asked quietly as he stopped beside the group.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:47:04 -0500

"I don't know" Rika said standing a bit taller to look up to Aethan and glanced at the guards that were planning to take her out of the party and possibly put her back into the dungeon. She had a plan if the guards came closer she would shift back and take cover behind/in front of Aethan.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:42:08 -0500

"Long live the King" Alis echoed quietly, she had her eyes narrowed on the young noble, not trusting him for a moment. She sipped at the wine and watched everyone over the rim of the glass before draining it and setting it on a passing tray. Sophia stayed quiet behind Emkai, if Mr Aethan had the crown now, that meant everything was going to be okay, right? Things were safe and settled now? She edged out from behind Emkai's warmth and fiddled with her dress. --- Wolf followed the two wolves as they sniffed their way across the grounds, on occasion they wove one way or the other but always came back to the original path. Wolf came back and stood by Clearcall and Seta, glancing at them. "There is something... spacious? N-no... suspicious... about this." She murmured, blushing at her miswording but then looking around again. She had some charmed bread in her purse to eat when her comprehension got too bad again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:22:02 -0500

Emkai let out a slow breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. His hand left his knife. "I think we're safe for now, Sophia. Sorry if I scared you." --- Seta nodded slowly at Clearcall's words. "I see... we don't have many creatures in our world that are as smart as humans, unless you count firemen. It's just interesting to see how that doesn't apply to all worlds." She looked over at Wolf, brows raised. "I suppose there is. Where could Gwenlynn be anyways? I don't understand."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:30:17 -0500

"She wasn't there," Tornica said without preamble. He briefly wondered if he should start calling Aethan 'My Lord' or 'Your Grace' or whatever, but decided he really couldn't be bothered. "I searched as far as I could and called out for her, but she didn't respond at all. Either she's had some sort of accident that's stopping her from speaking or..." He shrugged. "She's been kidnapped." "Unfortunately smart money's on the kidnapping," Kalin said. "Clearcall sent one of his small dragons out to search further afield," Tornica added. "Just to scout out the nearby area to see where she might have gone. Or been taken if she has been kidnapped."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 18:00:19 -0500

"Aethan..." Finn said quietly bending to the new king's ear. He certainly hadn't expected that outcome from Tristan. He walked Aethan further from the man. "The reason you have asked me to attend you? That man has alerted me to all of them." ((Was it a lie when Tristan said 'long live the king?' I'm thinking so.)) Jiya prepared to dance again when the musicians began playing. She could see something was wrong from the looks on certain faces and the way Aethan held himself. She danced her way to Tornica and his friends. While she danced for them she asked, "What is going on? It should be a good thing Aethen has been crowed, yes?" She did a series of small moves for them, never stopping, so they could talk a little. "At least look appreciative, while we speak."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:24:53 -0500

Rika looked around and she noticed that the attention focused off of her then she yawned. She felt sleepy and the book she was carrying began to feel heavy as fatigue over what happened through the course of the day too their toll on her then she followed Aethan around the room.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:57:37 -0500

((I guess that depends on how you define a lie. He didn't mean it about Aethan, but he also didn't refer directly to Aethan so he could have just as easily been referring to himself, or the kings of Cevius in general.)) Aethan didn't like this at all, especially since Gannon had control of the guards and there was no way she could have been just taken without the guards noticing. He really wanted to trust his friends, but it seemed they were the last ones he could trust. The idea of where Gwenlynn could be made his stomach twist in knots and he thought he might be sick. If she was given over to Acebrity, he knew first hand what she could be like to her prisoners. He had the scars to prove it too. Now wasn't the time to panic. He needed to keep himself together. When Finn joined them and announced to him that Tristan set off all his spells Aethan couldn't say he was terribly surprised by this. Aethan turned to Tornica. "I need you to strike up a conversation with Tristan and see if you can get him to let anything slip. Don't be too obvious, and try to be careful, he can be pretty wiley with his words sometimes. I would send Alis along but she seems to have already struck the wrong cord with him so it may not go over too well." Aethan looked at Jiya, and normally he would have been a little more appreciative of her dancing but all he could think about was Gwenlynn in the hands of Acebrity, and he still had Omaron to deal with tonight as well. "Jiya, try to keep Tristan distracted. He is a young man after all. Emkai, perhaps you can go along to keep Tornica company in case he needs some help. Kezia, see if you can find out what the status is outside and as soon as you hear anything let me know. Finn..." This Aethan really didn't want to say because it was admitting his doubt and that could be a very dangerous thing. "I need you to strike up a casual conversation with Gannon. Sniff out if he really is loyal or not... the guards are under his control and they are all over this place so he is the only one I know of that could let her escape unnoticed. Try and be subtle so he doesn't know I don't exactly trust him." He glanced around the room again. "I need to go speak with Omaron soon, but I will need you with me again Finn. I'm not sure how much he can be trusted either."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:22:31 -0500

"What can I do?" Rika asked looking up to Aethan seeing that she was completly ignored when Aethan was giving out orders to most of the group and she thought that she herself would probably be a liability to him but she had barely anything to lose.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 22:36:54 -0500

Emkai inclined his head swiftly. "I can do that." ((I'd make this longer, but as they haven't set off to check on Tristan yet, it's kind of unnecessary.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:48:04 -0500

((Finn may not notice outright lies from Tristan, but definitely that the man is trying to hide something. Given that he senses evil from him, even if he isn't lying right now, it makes anything he does suspect.)) Jiya nodded. She could distract men rather well. She danced away to the musicians to speak to them about a change in the music. Something slower and more sensuous. Let her cause a great scandal. She began slow snakelike movements of her arms and undulated from one group of people to another, stopping to give them a little taste rather than heading straight for Tristan. That would be too obvious. If Jiya learned anything from the harem, it was that one never went straight for one's target. ((which will give Tornica a chance to talk to him. And if Tristan tries to leave the room, Jiya will do her best to head him off.)) --- Finn, for his part made his way directly to Gannon. "Since Aethan has asked me to advise him on certain matter, I thought I should get to know the people closest to him. Since you are the Master of the Guards--forgive me, I am not well versed in the proper titles here. I thought we should get to know one another." He put out his hand. "I am Finn McCool. Call me Finn. And do not let these clothes fool you. I am a warrior as you are." Of course if Gannon was any worth at all in his position, he had already tried to gather as much information as he could about Aethan's new friends.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 05:00:19 -0500

Tornica nodded at Aethan's instructions, following them perfectly up until the words 'not too obvious', at which point he raised an eyebrow. "Sorry...not too obvious? Have you seen anything about me that indicates I can do subtle on any level?" Thankfully Aethan had the sense to send someone with him. Someone to watch and hopefully step him before Tornica walked into any verbal traps Tristan set out. And to pick up anything he said that was suspicious since Tornica doubted he'd notice if Tristan was slapping him in the face with said suspiciousness. Unfortunately this wasn't a job Kalin could help him with either. However subtle and careful he was with his magic, however intelligent and prone to thinking things through...the man was abrasive as all hell and blunt as you could want in conversation. He'd likely be just as bad at this as Tornica. Still...he put a smile on and started heading over in Tristan's direction. Thankfully he'd just about reached him when Jiya's dancing style changed, becoming ever more seductive. Even if Tornica hadn't been about to stop to speak to the other man he would have stopped to watch her dancing for a moment. "She's really something, isn't she?" he said.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:54:02 -0500

Emkai followed Tornica. He wasn't much better at subtle than Tornica (probably at any rate: he hadn't seen the man in action yet) but he could be quite tactful when he liked. And at the very least he could step in if things got out of hand. He stopped to watch Jiya as Tornica did, doing his best to look like he was just enjoying the dancing and not like he was trying to keep his hand from his knife. Good grief, maybe he was paranoid.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:55:59 -0500

Tristan glanced at Tornica and Emkai. The sight of the fireman had shocked him the first time, but he got over it quickly. He turned his attention back to Jiya's dancing. Currently his family was still in the search for a new wife for him since the one he was supposed to marry was dead now. Not that he had really wanted to marry Atraya that much, she was pretty enough, but he just wasn't sure she was right for him. Either way, it was as good of a match as any young noble could have hoped for. Her death set his family back since most of the young noblewomen were already promised to someone else. It made thigns difficult, and his wife would likely be several years younger than him. But it did give him a chance to appreciate women like Jiya even more, and he could stare all he wanted without some Lady getting mad at him for it. "She certainly is. I wish I knew where Aethan found her. I'm surprised he was bold enough to have her perform here. Her style is a bit scandelous for the nobles here, and Aethan certainly never used to be one who would do anything scandelous. Just another example of how much he's changed since he left." He looked at the two of them. "How long have you known him, anyway?" Gannon looked at Finn, giving him a polite nod as he turned his attnetion back to Aethan. His job was to protect him tonight and he had every intention of doing just that. He was the only one in the hall that was allowed to carry a sword. "Gannon Davus. I noticed you were a bit of a fighter earlier today, especially seeing ths size of the sword you fight with. I'm not sure how you can manage something that large." He looked Finn over for just a moment as if assessing him. "Though I imagine for someone your size it's a logical choice." He looked in Tristan's direction, seeing Tornica and Emkai with him now. It took everything in him not to watch Jiya dance. He couldn't afford to let himself get distracted. Something could still happen to Aethan. "Aethan seems concerned. Did something happen?" He really hoped not. He would hate to think he wasn't doing his job on a night as important as this.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:03:50 -0500

Rika stared up at Aethan intently until her question was answered and she was doubtful that Aethan didn't notice her due to her height or her age. Regardless Rika stared up at Aethan after she asked what she could do

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:07:27 -0500

((Sorry. Not Aethan's fault. It's mine for trying ot make a quick post between homework assignments.)) Aethan kept Rika with him as he moved around the room speaking with the nobles. When they had a few moments he looked down at her. "So do you have any family? I believe you mentioned your town getting burned by soldiers and I can't express how sorry I am that it happened. Unfortunately my apologies won't change anything."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:14:38 -0500

(It's alright I know it can get busy while doing homework, chores, and posting at the same time) "I don't, they're all gone" Rika said and her expression was saddened that Aethan knew that his apologies whouldn't do anything for her. She knew that she was better off going to a child orphanage or starting a family of children victims of the destruction of her home if there was going to be no hope of getting to live somewhere near the castle.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:20:24 -0500

((Homework, chores, writing, posting, working, and taking care of two very little ones. Yeah. I can't believe I have time to post some days.)) Aethan's chest tightened. He didn't have any family left now either. His mother died years ago, his father and sister not far apart from each other, and his uncle and cousins were all dead now too. Aethan was just as much an orphan as Rika was, though he did have the fortune of being an adult off well off means. His heart went out to this girl whose loss was no less tragic than his, and she came to him for help. How could he refuse? She was so young. "How old are you, Rika?" He couldn't put her out, though he would have to teach her a few things about etiquette to keep both of them out of trouble.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:28:39 -0500

"ten years old" Rika said as her expression softened as she was slowly losing the will to keep all her sadness inside eating away at her happiness she was close to let it out in tears and bawls. She remembered at the first few seconds of the mass murder of her family she was covered with the blood of her brothers and sisters as they dove towards her in an attempt to save their younger sister from dying a death from their own leader.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:37:45 -0500

Ten.... Rika had years before she would be ready to cast out on her own. Meanwhile he didn't know if he could handle the idea of her living in an orphanage. Aethan didn't ask details. She was only ten after all and he didn't want to make matters worse by bringing it to the surface. Aethan crouched in front of Rika so they were at eye level with each other. "Here's the deal I'm willing to offer you. I will take you in, keep you clothed and fed, get you the education you deserve. In exchange you will have to suffer some rather boring lessons on etiquette, since you will be learning to live in the noble society, you will need to know what is appropriate as far as how to act goes." He smiled at Rika. "Do you think you can handle that?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:47:51 -0500

"Y-Yes a-and t-thank you" she said struggling to get these words out as she started to cry tears of happines that she didn't have to be alone and she hugged Aethan. Her sorrow was as deep as a fatal wound to her heart and it started to heal as Aethan gave her a chance to have a better life after the destruction of her family tree.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:03:38 -0500

Aethan wasn't sure why he was surprised when Rika hugged him, but he hugged her back for a moment, then stood and smiled down at her, offering his hand to her. "For tonight I just need you to be on your best behavior. It's a pretty important night and I have a lot of work to do in order to fix everything that has been broken." He hoped he was up to the task, but watching a ten year old tonight was something he just didn't have time for.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:12:36 -0500

"Not very," Emkai told Tristan. His guard was up, but he was still doing his best to make it look like it wasn't.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:18:05 -0500

"Okay" Rika said talking Aethan's hand and wiped her tears away from her face then she tried to bring back a smile to her face seeing that this is a party.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:14:44 -0500

"No...not all that long," Tornica said, still watching Jiya a moment. He was glad Emkai had spoken first. He really wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing to let Tristan know that they really hadn't been acquainted with the man that long. On reflection it was probably for the best. Better to be honest about things now than lie and get caught out later. It probably wouldn't look good for Aethan if his mysterious new allies were shown to be liars. "We were introduced to him by Gwenlynn and Clearcall."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 18:14:50 -0500

Jiya slowly wended her way closer to Tristan letting herself lock eyes for a moment before looking away. One could learn a lot about a man by holding his eyes. How dominant he was, how bold. ((Oops, I thought Finn had Son of the Seas on him--not his big claymore. Perhaps it looks ceremonial?)) "A long man needs a long weapon." Finn smiled at Gannon. "Though it can't be used in all situations. That claymore is best used outdoors or in large rooms with high ceilings." So far so good, in terms of Gannon. Finn wondered if he should simply come out with it about Lady Gwenlynn, but thought better of it. he could hint at it though and see if Gannon took the bait. "Seems Lady Gwynlynn and he had a little disagreement and she has not deigned to return to his side as of yet." Finn said looking for any telltale signs from Gannon. "Perhaps Dumond has the right idea. Buy yourself a pretty slave and no question who is master."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 21:33:33 -0500

So Aethan trusted them enough to bring them into the palace as his guests, but didn't really know them. Which also meant they didn't know Aethan for long. "You must know the two of them rather well then, considering the fact that you helped him get rid of his cousin. I imagine you didn't do it for his as much as for them. I suppose elves are trustworthy, even if htey are a bit self absorbed most of the time." He noticed Jiya locked eyes with him and he watched her appreciatively, a small smile in the corner of his mouth. Maybe he could make her part of the deal." Gannon didn't really know Gwenlynn very well yet, but he couldn't imagine based off what he saw that she would leave Aethan at a time like this. He figured she would still stick it out even if she was upset with Aethan. He looked at Finn, the shock apparent on his face. 'I... I would be lying if I said that didn't surprise me. She seems very interested in his cause. I can't imagine what he could have done that would have made her leave his side at a time like this."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:56:20 -0500

Rika stood by Aethan's side and she looked up at Aethan to see a small grin at the corner of his mouth. Seeing him smile made Rika want to smile but she didn't appreciate Jiya's dancing well enough to manage a smile and she didn't feel hungry

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 05:37:08 -0500

Tornica snorted. "Trust me, one look at the city was enough to make me think a regime change was in order. And the elves made some very good arguments that Aethan was the man best suited for the job." He raised his eyebrow at Tristan calling elves 'self absorbed'. "I'd watch your tongue there, they are my friends after all. And Kalin and Clearcall are far from self absorbed. Gwenlynn...she can be a little at times but I very much put that down to her being nobility." Royalty? Was Gwenlynn royalty? He couldn't remember. "Rather than just because she's an elf." Possibly not the best move, insulting the nobility while talking to one of them, but he had said this kind of thing wasn't his strong suit.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 08:58:27 -0500

Emkai nodded, eyes still on Jiya instead of Tristan or Tornica. "Of course, some of us have other motives for helping Aethan. Getting home for instance." He figured that being as frank as he could be with Tristan was the best policy at the moment, so long as he didn't let any important information slip or let his guard down too much. Letting out that the only way they could get home was by magic would probably count as important information though. "Aethan has been a good ally since we met him, and he's helped keep us from the eye of the old government while it was in place."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 11:30:09 -0500

Tristan looked at Tornica, tearing his eyes away from Jiya. "Fair enough I suppose... but it does make me wonder. Did you meet any of the nobles besides Aethan before making the decision that he was the best for the job?" Tristan was hinting that maybe their trust in Aethan had been misplaced because they just didn't know any of hte other nobles first. Perhaps someone else would have been better. It was a very subtle hint, but well placed nonetheless. His brows rose a little at Emkai's comment. "Hm. I thought it was the elves. Anyway, in defense of myself, I have only knowledge based on the handful I have met and the history lessons I have been taught. Try not to take the comment too personally. I am interested in how Aethan will be helping you get home though, and where is it you come from anyway? I have seen the likes of him before." Tristan nodded at Tornica. "But never you." ((Sorry. That was confusing wasn't it. It wasn't Aethan that smiled it was Tristan. My bad. I should have been more clear.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 12:37:05 -0500

Emkai was tempted to give Tristan a curt why, do you think you could get me home faster? but knew it would be counterproductive. "I'm not certain how Aethan plans to get us home, but I've no doubt he will follow through on his word. And I'm from Blazes. Doubtless you've never heard of it." He smiled, very faintly. "There aren't a good many firemen left in the world, but hopefully I haven't made us look bad during my stay here."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 14:54:37 -0500

((Not sure where Sophia'd wander off to, she'd likely want to stay by Emkai's side but if they're speaking privately she wouldn't interfere. :) Not too sure what my other charries should be doing at the moment... I'm going out for the evening in about half an hour, likely won't get on until tomorrow. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:42:34 -0500

((Emkai's fine with her following along))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:26:20 -0500

"Best person for the job I was introduced to," Tornica said. He was fairly sure Aethan was the only human noble of the kingdom he'd met but he didn't care much for the distinction between the two. "But since I didn't meet every soul in the kingdom there might very well be someone better for the job. But since they haven't been given the job it hardly matters now."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:31:06 -0500

((I'm assuming that first paragraph is Tristan talking, Star. Dumond won't be happy if Tristan thinks he can get Jiya.)) ((Can I assume Gannon is telling the truth and he's one of the good guys?)) Gannon was telling the truth and there was no malice in him toward Aethan or Gwenlynn. The question was, should he tell him the truth? "Gannon, I have something to tell you and you need to calm your reaction. We are not ready to give any of this away yet. Gwenlynn has gone missing. And I agree with you, she would not stay away from Aethan for so long. I fear the longer we wait to try and locate the further her captors can take her. But Aethan did not want to spoil the moment." Finn looked around the room. It had to have been someone on the inside who took Gwenlynn, more than one someone. "She would have to have been subdued quickly before she could cry out. I don't know where she was when she was last seen. I think I will need to question the guards..."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:34:05 -0500

Rika stood next to Aethan still minding her manners she learned before the riots killed her family and she felt safe when she was standing next to the tall man who's height closely resembled trees to her except there were no leaves and branches also the bark was skin. Her mind flew around the room in almost a slow air-like dance not attracting the attention of anyone except those who could sense the feelings of others. The music made the mind feel like she was at school and music would play as her fellow students played a various array of musical instruments, She used to play one instrument from the array but she couldn't due to her family being killed and her home completly burned to the ground.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:43:13 -0500

"Oh I agree, it hardly matters much now." Tristan nodded. "I just find it interesting that someone wouldn't at least try to get to know a few other nobles before making that sort of decision. Overthrowing a government isn't exactly a small thing." He sounded innocent enough at least. Tristan looked at Emkai. "Blazes." He chuckled a little. "Forgive me. It just seems like a terribly... ironic name all things considered. I have never heard of Blazes but I'm sure as worldly as the goood king is now he probably has." Gannon was alarmed, but he did manage to keep it from his face. Discretion was needed for certain. The fact that Finn came to talk to him and didn't speak the truth at first meant Aethan suspected he had something to do with it. Gannon wasn't stupid. He was in charge of the guards and the only way she could have left if the guards were in on it. He didn't blame Aethan for the suspicion, but that didn't make the hurt go away. He supposed if Tristan was Aethan's best friend before and he tried to get the crown from him then Gannon couldn't really blame Aethan for not knowing who to trust. He just assumed that by this point Aethan would know he was on his side. Having been there at the start of this event he also knew what Finn was doing right now. Using his spells to try and figure out if he was telling the truth or not. Well there was nothing to be afraid of as far as that went. Gannon had always been a proponent of the Havorilus family. They were good to his family. Atraya had been good to him. No time for all of that right now. Finn was right. The longer she was gone the harder it would be to get her back unharmed, or at all. "If there was no call of alarm when it happened then she had to have been speaking to someone she knew. That could be anyone here." He looked at hte nobles, trying to judge them in a moment. "I could throw out about half a dozen names but it could take us hours to get through all of them without them knowing." He looked around thoughtfully. "There are only two places she could have gone that would have given anyone a chance ot do this. The ladies parlor down the hall or the garden out those doors. The garden would be easier overall since it's already outdoors and it's dark out there now. There are two garden exits, and if anyone wanted to slip out unnoticed the servant exit would be the best bet, which was why I put extra guards there tonight in case something happened." And it did and was all bollixed up. "The other exit is the one the nobles would use. But if anyone but a noble tried ot slip out that way it would be noticed by at least two dozen guards before they got off the palace grounds." Which meant the men he posted at the servant entrance were not necessarily his men. "I can't leave Aethan without the nobles noticing something was going on." He gave Finn directions to the servant entrance ot the garden and called two men he knew for sure were his own to go with Finn just in case. "Go check it out and see if the post is still manned. Lestig, if anything seems amiss you come and report it to me immediately."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:54:29 -0500

"I'm fairly certain it was purposeful," Emkai said dryly. "Firemen are supposed to have been men once anyways, if you put stock in the old tales they tell there. The ones who established our city must have had a good sense of humor about their new identity." He shrugged. "Aethan's heard of it if only from my lips."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 22:56:46 -0500

Interesting. Tristan looked at Tornica. "And where are you from that he's promised to get you home?" How could Aethan return them somewhere if he didn't even know where it was?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:43:03 -0500

"Right then." Finn said. He could question the nobles and it would go faster, but still not fast enough. He had a spell that he could use to try and find the way Gwenlynn had gone, but it required something of hers and he doubted he could get his hands on anything just now. This plan was the best they could do for now. If anyone asked what they were about, Finn would say they were just seeing to the changing of the guard and checking the security of the palace with so many nobles in one place. Finn strood across the hall behind the guards. They knew where they were going and he did not. Although he wanted to check both exits. All of the guard in the gardens could be under someone else's control. ((Argh, I was all set to post ages ago and my PC locked up. At least I didn't lose what I had typed. Just took _forever_ to get back online.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:22:49 -0500

Tornica shrugged. "Clearcall and Gwenlynn were in the city longer than me. They got the lay of the land and I trust they approached who they needed to form the plan they did. And it wasn't really over throwing a government. Just removing one particular part of it that was running the rest into the floor." Unless the king was the government...which he thought was just stupid. "I'm from Shanador most recently," he said to Tristan. "I don't expect you to have heard of it."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:13:39 -0500

Sophia shivered behind Emkai when they were talking about being sent back home. That was -definitely- not the place she wanted to go. No way, no how... She wondered if, if there were even a choice, whether she could be sent somewhere far, far away from her home... She didn't want there to be a mistake and be sent back to where she had just come from right before showing up here. She shuddered again at the thought. Alis made her way out to the courtyard, hearing murmurs about Gwenlynn disappearing. She glanced around to try and see if there were anyone around that she could get some straight answers out of. --- Wolf left her wolves out so they could continue on their way following whatever trail of Gwenlynn's they could find. She had told Omaron she would try to bring him something to eat and intended to keep that promise. She wasn't sure if anyone would've thought to bring him anything with everything else going on. She filled a plate with some of the food and poured some wine into a goblet, balancing them as she made her way to the room he was in, nodding politely to the guards again. They looked a little less suspicious as nothing had happened the last time she had gone in, she was told once again that she would only have a few moments though. "I have managed to bring you some supper, Omaron," She smiled. "I do hope you are hungry."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:26:53 -0500

@Finn/garden The two guards walked around the garden to the discreet servant entrance. One immediately moved to the exit, seeing two of the guards laying on the ground. He checked to make sure they were still alive. The other guard slipped out the entrance and looked around for clues. After a minute he came back. "The other two guards are gone," he reported. "There's no sign of which way they went either." @garden/others Clearcall heard a sound and looked up, seeing the dragonling coming back. It perched on his arm and made a sound that was something like a whistle. He murmured in elvish and it launched from his arm, hoverig over them. "He found something. Someone go back at let Aethan know. I'm goin ot follow it." ((LS I'm sending you a message.)) @tristan's group Tristan shook his head. "No I cannot say I have. So, how is he planning to get you home then? I assume he must have said something if that is thereason you are following him. Anyway, lately the king is the government around here, ever since the council was disbanned." A move that made Valentis very unpopular for quite a while.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:42:34 -0500

The wolves followed the trail once they caught the scent, almost in a straight line, weaving on occasion and sometimes bumping into each other in their haste to keep on track and follow where the smells led them. They came up to an abandoned looking structure but in their minds there was no doubt about it, this is where the trail led. Almost in sync with one another, they both turned back toward the way they came, opened their mouths and gave long, chilling howls that would cross the distance a very long way. The wind carried their cries down the path they had come. They continued to make noise, only pausing for breath every once in a while. ((noisy puppies. lol)) --- Back in Omaron's room, the plate and goblet shook in Wolf's hand and she swayed alarmingly for a moment, glancing over at the wall as though there were a window there to see out of. "Something is amiss..." She murmured, frowning. She couldn't ever describe the feeling very well, but she and the wolves were connected deeply, through something more akin to plain instincts than anything else. She wondered what they had found.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:33:06 -0500

Tristan was getting bored, to be quite honest. Jiya was certainly entertaining to watch, but he had work to be about. "If you will excuse me, I would like to speak with the new king." He rudely didn't wait for their response, and didn't care about the answer to the question he asked of them before. Instead he crossed the room in Aethan's direction. His other new friends were scattered, some missing, which meant Tristan likely had little time to act. "Your Highness," he said to Aethan, giving him a shallow bow that bordered on respectful. He glanced at the little girl, but she was of little importance right now. The other nobles walked away, chatting to each other as they went. Aside from the little girl, for the moment he and Aethan were alone. Gannon was watching Aethan, but Tristan wasn't going to do anything too terribly obvious. "You really think you're the best man for the job? I was serious when I said I didn't trust you. I will make no secret of that. My concern is for the welfare of these people." He watched Aethan's expression change. "You aren't surprised by this so I'll just carry on." He put a friendly arm around Aethan as the two started to walk together, though he made no move to take aethan away from the others, just keep them out of earshot of anyone else. "I have been advocating for the people since you left us. I know how to fix matters, and it pains me to have to resort to such measures. I was really hoping you would just be reasonable about this. Gwenlynn left. She will be returned unharmed if you step down and admit to your mistake, giving me the crown." "And if I don't?" Tristan could feel Aethan tense under his arm. "I would hope you are not that unreasonable," Tristan replied with a smile. "I fought and defeated Acebrity. Are you seriously ggoing to try and blackmail me? Do you see this ending in your favor at all?" "I figured you would send your friends out to find her and bring her back, which is why I am givng you a deadline." Tristan looked to anyone else like he was having a casual conversation with Aethan, even if Aethan didn't. "You have until midnight. If you don't hand me the crown I will have her shipped back to her father with a bow on her head." He patted Aethan on the shoulder then let go. "The choice is yours."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:42:23 -0500

Rika felt a wave of boredness smack her in the face and she began wandering around the hall then she saw a trail of wolves leave after a scent. She followed them as they further got away until she managed to follow them to an abandoned looking building and she was puzzled on what significance the building held.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:49:53 -0500

"Er...bye?" Tornica said as the nobleman went off without so much as a proper by your leave. "Did that go well? At all?" he asked Emkai. "I don't think we got anything actually of use out of him." ((Sorry for rubbish post...I just can't think of anything else to say))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 01 May 2012 17:51:01 -0500

((will read thru and post later tonight, but now I'm heading to the hospital with my mom to check on my sister who's *probably* not going to go into labor))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 01 May 2012 18:12:13 -0500

((Rika wouldn't have been able to follow the wolves I think. They've been gone a while already and Wolf let them out outside, not where people could see them... she might've been able to follow the sound of them howling though if she were outside a bit later :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 01 May 2012 19:14:59 -0500

(alright then ignore my last post...I want to make Rika do something exciting...Fireworks in the great hall anyone? XD just kidding)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 01 May 2012 20:09:34 -0500

((Oh, Jiya is bummed she didn't get a chance to vamp Tristan. That's what happens when RL gets in the way. I probably won't be around until tomorrow night @Gannon Finn looked at the guard. "There may be no immediate way to know which way they went, but I am sure someone with tracking skills would have some idea. He thought of Wolf and her wolves and his own tracking skills that could be enhanced further with spells. Finn saw Tristan move to Aethan. He leaned into Gannon, "Do not trust that man." He straightened up. "I think I should return to the new king and see how I can be of use to him." He began to cross the room to get to Aethan. He could not imagine Tristan would try something in a room full of people, but who knew? It would not surprise him if Tristan was involved in Gwenlynn's disappearance. Finn approached the two men. ((In case they need to finish anything, then you can have them acknowledge Finn.)) @DM/Whoever, room at large Jiya was disappointed. She had not done a very good job of distracting this noble. But then, he didn't seem to look at her quite like the other men did. She continued dancing going back to something a little less overt.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:11:09 -0500

Rika was following Aethan and Tristan around the room then she heard something about Gwenlynn being returned unharmed if Aethan did something. She could have heard more but the music was attracting most of her attention off of Aethan and she suddenly heard 'the choice is yours' then she rolled her eyes in distain that she couldn't listen to the whole conversation.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:23:37 -0500

((I'm confused. I thought Finn went outside with the guards and Gannon stayed inside to keep an eye on Aethan? If so he wouldn't be able to see either of them or talk to them. Though he oculd still go back to see Aethan.)) Tristan walked away from Aethan as if they had just had a friendly conversation like in the old days. Aethan blinked in astonishment. He knew that he couldn't trust Tristan, thanks to Finn, but he never would have expected Tristan would betray him like this. Then again, he never expected his cousin to turn into such a tyrant either. Wait... did that mean Acebrity had Tristan as well? He wanted to be discreet about this, and he wasn't fooled at all. Gwenlynn wouldn't be going home. Something far worse was likely to happen. As Finn approached him Aethan ran his hand over the scar on his cheek. He couldn't let it happen to Gwenlynn, but he couldn't just have Tristan apprehended either. Tristan was clearly more clever than he anticipated. The fact that he put in a bid for the crown in front of everyone also meant that if Aethan had him taken into custody the nobles may wonder if Tristan was right, if they just made a mistake. Gannon walked over to Aethan as well. "What just happened?" "I want him followed from this moment until I say otherwise. I don't care if he knows it, but I don't want anyone else to know it." Aehtan was still watching Tristan's back as he joined another group of nobles in conversation. It irritated him that Tristan was acting so casual about this. "What happened to Gwenlynn?" Gannon glanced at Finn. "I had Finn and a couple of my men that I trusted go check the servant entrance to the garden. Did you find anything Finn?" They were near enough now to Kalin and Kezia that Aethan turned ot them. "Kalin can you tell her how to do a tracking spell? I want ot know every step Tristan takes from this moment on." "What happened Aethan? What did he say to you?" Gannon looked concerned. "He has her, and I don't know where, but I am to trade the crown for her before the night is over. I can't do it, which I'm sure you understand, which means we need to find her now." Suddenly Aethan's face lit up and he looked at Finn. "Omaron."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:31:39 -0500

"We got that he's trying to sway our loyalty to Aethan, if nothing else," Emkai told Tornica flatly. "It's nothing in the way of plans or evidence of treachery, but it's enough to cement in our minds where he stands in all of this. It'd be so much easier if this was a wartime situation, and we could just..." He trailed off, realizing that the way he'd prefer to handle the situation wouldn't be well thought of by anyone happening to overhear. --- Seta jumped to her feet at Clearcall's words. "I'm on it!" And before anyone else could say anything she darted inside. She reached Aethan and Gannon talking a moment later. "Omaron, what about him? I mean... yes, Clearcall sent one of your little scaley friends to look for clues, and he found something. He went to follow it." --- Omaron, who had been napping, almost fell off the bed in surprise when Wolf entered. "Oh! Hello, sorry, I dozed off..." He trailed off at the sight of the food, a smile crossing his face, and his stomach growled. "Wolf, you're a wonderful person. Thanks." His smile faded slightly at her distraction. "What's that? What happened Wolf?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:33:49 -0500

@Omaron's holding cell "There is..." Wolf frowned and blinked as though she had been snapped out of a daydream. "Lady Gwenlynn has disappeared. We suspect foul play..." She informed him, still looking a little distant. "I sent my wolves out to see if they could find her trail... it would seem they have." She had a crease in her brow, looking pensive and rather worried. She realised she was still holding the food and looked down at the plate and cup. "Oh... forgive me Omaron, you must be hungry..." She apologised and carried the items over, setting them at a little table.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:27:11 -0500

Kalin blinked at Aethan. "A whating spell?" He quickly ran through his mind for anything that might work...and came up blank. "I can't think of a specific spell..." But he had an idea. "Kezia...I need you to tie a tendril of magic around his ankle. Careful not to have it latching on to any clothes so that it stays put." He turned back to Aethan. "It's not perfect since we'll have to concentrate fairly hard to keep track of it, but we should be able to keep pretty good tabs on him unless he goes too far away." But they would definitely be able to give Aethan warning if Tristan started trying to go far away. --- "Is that what was happening?" Tornica said. It had felt a little like that but...he really hadn't been sure if that's what Tristan was going for or not. Probably because he didn't have that great a vested interest in who ended up sitting on the throne. "Yeah, war is much easier than this. I'm shit at politics." But give him a sharp sword and point him at an enemy and he knew exactly what to do.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:36:11 -0500

Omaron wasn't entirely sure Aethan would approve of Wolf telling him about Gwenlynn's disappearance, but he didn't bother telling her that just now. "That's... that's bad," he said with a frown. "I hope they find her soon." He sat down and took a piece of bread from the plate, chewing contemplatively. "Are, er, you hungry too? You can, well, if you like..." He stopped and motioned to the plate. --- Emkai shrugged. "Either that or I'm paranoid, but given what Aethan's told us already, I'd say that's exactly what he was trying to do."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:23:50 -0500

((I thought they came back in after finding the guards missing. Or maybe I only dreamed posting that. )) "The guards were gone, as we expected, Gwenlynn must has been take out by the servant's gate." Finn said. "Wolf sent her friends to see if they could track her." He looked around the room. Dumond was just keeping an eye on Jiya. And on the nobles sauntering over to speak to her. Difficult to plot something when you were talking to a pretty girl.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:28:01 -0500

Leon snuck around an abandoned building where there were wolves barking around there and he held his dagger close then he crept into the building with a ghost like enterance. 'There's gotta be food somewhere' he thought sneaking around the abandoned building still moving like a ghost. Rika looked up to Aethan wanting something to do instead of reading her book and standing next to him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:50:08 -0500

((I don't have time for a full post until tomorrow afternoon, but it isn't really an abandoned building so much as a noble mansion that's been burned to the ground, though the stone structure still stands. And Leon won't be able to sneak inside the building without getting into serious trouble with the men guarding inside the doors and the wards placed around the mnsion. Oh that reminds me, I'm not sure how far Finn's range is but he may sense the dark magic around the mansion. Sorry Leon. No food there.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 02 May 2012 23:00:27 -0500

((Sounds like the mansion is too far away, if Finn was out tracking, or walking around the city and got within a few blocks of it, he would probably sense it, since it's outdoors but it's not generally a wide range spell.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:56:28 -0500

(Ah poor Leon~, He's going to search the mansion looking for food and there don't be any XD) Leon climbed in through a burned down window being held percariously by a cinderblock and searched from left to right carefully looking for food in what looked like a bed room. He looked dissapointed seeing no food, not even a crumb of bread on the floor and he continued sneaking through the mansion until he heard a couple guards chatting away about Gwenlynn. 'Must not talk to them or it'll be back to the orphanage for me' he thought as he snuck around their perhipreals. Rika looked at Aethan wondering if there was something that bothered the newly appointed king.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:29:44 -0500

@Buggy/back at party "Am I..." Wolf was still looking a little out of it. "Oh... no thank you, I actually had something to eat already. But thank you nonetheless." She managed a smile at Omaron, glad she had atleast managed to be able to bring him something. She fidgeted restlessly and glanced at the door. "Um... Omaron, I do not meant to be rude but would you mind terribly if I went to inform Aethan or someone about the wolves finding the end of their trail?" She asked, inching toward the door. "I think it rather urgent." ((Assuming he won't mind, so that I can keep her moving...)) She hurried down the corridor back to the 'party', keeping her eye out for anyone she might be able to inform. Spotting Aethan, she hastened over to him. "They have found her. The wolves I mean. They followed a trail and are... um... communicating." She said, not able to explain it all just at the moment about how they were communicating. They would be howling to let them know where they were, anyone going near would hear them soon enough.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 15:28:03 -0500

"We need to speak with Omaron. He may be able to-" But Aethan was cut off by Wolf's appearance and announcement. "I can't leave. Especially with Tristan still hanging around here. Did Clearcall already leave"?" Damn Aethan was ready for this party to end. If it could even be called a party. Well, he had the crown, so he could just go have the announcment made and perhaps slip out. "Okay. Kezia and Kalin are going ot keep an eye on Tristan. Gannon is coming with me. Finn, see if you can get Tornica and Emkai go with you and Wolf after Clearcall. Watch the place the wolves found her at, see if you can find any clues to make sure she's still there, and I will join you guys as soon as I can. I wil have to deal with Omaron without you Finn. I want Seta, Sophia, and Rika to stay at the palace." Mostly because Seta was easily distracted, Sophia was far too timid for a steak-out, and Rika was just a child. He looked around. "Where did Alis go? I know Kalin is weak and Kezia will need to keep her concentration so we meed Alis with them in case there is trouble." He had ot trust Alis' ability to fight. If hse oculd keep a crew in line she oculd likely hold her own well enough. Aethan hoped they could handle their orders well enough so he went over to Jiya as the song came to a break. Tristan was for the moment distracted by the nobles who supported hi sid for hte crown, which didn't make Aethan that comfortable, but at least he wouldn't see Aethan talking to Jiya. "I think the party is about to dwindle out. I need you to attract Tristan's attention and keep it in any way you can. We are going ot try and get Gwenlynn back and will need the extra time." Then before Tristan could see the two of htem together Aethan walked away, hoping that was understandable enough for Jiya. He figured she was capable of knowing what he was asking. ((Which just for Dumonds peace of mind, he wasn't asking her to try and solicite Tristan, just keep him distracted as best she could for as long as she could.)) @mansion When the silent alarm went off, the ward being tripped because someone tried ot sneak in, the spell told them exactly where it happened and their orders were clear. No one was to enter without permission. Anyone who did was to be removed immediately. A handful of men went ot the room, two posting outsie the door and the rest going into it quickly. Seeing the young man((??)) they immediately moved to grab him, one twisting his arm behind his back and holding him in place as the other readied his sword. No forgiveness. No excuses. No mercy. ((Sorry but the wards wouldn't let him get out of hte room before the thugs were there to stop him.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:24:42 -0500

@Mansion currently being held Leon saw the sword pointed at him and his eyes had a temporary look of fear "So...would it be late to ask for a cup of sugar?" he asked trying to talk his way out of the percarious situation as his look became indiffrent. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that one of the men had a injured wrist and he was too hungry to come up of a plan worth while to get some food out of it. @Palace "Okay" Rika said with a bored expression and walked off to get something else to eat then she noticed a table set for the nobles. She walked over to a setting to see a well cooked steak and several other utensils that she was not familiar with so she began using a salad fork and a bread cutting knife to eat the steak.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 16:34:53 -0500

@mansion "Blood on ash Javier, he's just a kid," one of the men near the door said, looking in. "Our orders were clear. You know who he is working for." "Just knock him out and toss him in the basement," another guard said. "Are we really going to kill a kid?" The man with his sword out had a hungry look in his eyes but he lowered the sword, jaw clenching. "Search him first." Then he turned lifted the sword high and hit the boy on the head with the hilt of his sword hard enough to knock out a grown man.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:02:08 -0500

@Party As if summoned, Alis appeared behind Aethan after seeing the group congregating. "So what's going on?" She asked, noting the serious expressions on their faces. She hoped it wasn't -more- bad news. Wolf nodded her understanding at the instructions, she hoped they could find the wolves quickly. With their alarms sounding though, it shouldn't be too difficult, she thought.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:12:44 -0500

((Okay so a quick one for before he walks away. I'll let the others deal with futher questions. I'm leaving shortly and won't be back until tonight late.)) "Gwenlynn's been taken. I need you to stay with Kezia and Kalin and make sure they are safe. They are going ot track Tristan while the others go find Gwenlynn." Then Aethan thought of somehting else. "Oh Finn, before you go inside try to check the place for spells and traps before moving too close. We don't know yet what we are up against. I will meet you guys there as soon as I can manage." ((And then he left.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:14:45 -0500

@Mansion Leon was knocked out and searched and one of the guards reported holding a set of thieves tools and something that looked like an unfinished wood carving of an emblem "He has a set of theives tools and what looks like something thrown on the street and stomped on" the guard said. Then one of the guards had an idea "How about we throw him infront of that lady, I bet if we beat him in front of her she'll be more compliant" he said to the guard holding the sword Rika sneezed while she was eating at the table and smelled a very strong spice inside the cooked steak but she didn't know what it was even with her extensive experience in the market place in her home town.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:23:22 -0500

((Please let me control the guards. I know the thread can get boring sometimes because it moves slow but I would appreciate it. They don't need Gwenlynn compliant. They just need her captive.)) "Just get rid of him," the guard that knocked him out snapped in irritation. "We don't have tim eto deal with a kid right now." Two of the other men nodded and took the boy into the empty wine cellar after making sure he had nothing on him that oculd even be used as a weapon. Once satisfied they closed and locked the door, and one stayed posted there for now while the other went back upstairs to work. ((And since it's basically like a dungeon there are no windows and only the one door, no trap doors or anything either.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:44:22 -0500

Omaron blinked as Wolf left, feeling slightly put out. Well if Gwenlynn was missing, especially as she went missing during a time of such political upheaval, there was no room for him to be selfish And it wasn't as though Wolf would have been able to stay long anyways. He mulled it over as he ate. --- Seta frowned slightly when Aethan said he'd prefer she stayed at the palace with Sophia and Rika, but she brightened a moment later. "All right, I'll, um, make sure they stay out of trouble." She watched as Aethan left.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:47:22 -0500

(Alright, well what I was going to do was have them beat Leon in front of her and say that they'll do the same thing to her if she tried to escape) @Wine cellar Leon felt a lot of pain as if everything he felt was a vibration and there was no sounds. He opened his eyes to the darkness of the wine cellar and he looked around while laying on the ground as his eyes adjusted to the dark. 'The things I get myself into' he thought in distain staring at the celing of the wine cellar and his heart wept as his set of theives tools inched further and further away from him. 'Maybe I am not cut out for living by myself' he thought to himself but he had a small piece of hope still in his heart saying for him to 'Get up young one, you've lived by yourself the longest out of all the kids in the orphanage now here's your chance to prove yourself to those adults that you are better than them' @Palace Rika looked at the spot in which there was a steak and she smiled seeing that she was not hungry anymore. She then wanted to know what the others were doing so she abandoned the table and walked next to Aethan almost as if she was guarding him from kids who wanted to harm him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:39:50 -0500

Aethan didn't want to waste any more time. There was so much to do already and with Gwenlynn gone it was just one more thing to deal with. He turned from the Great Hall and walked out to the doors leading to the balcony that earlier today started the revolt against the previous king. Gannon looked around to make sure it was safe, then walked out and called the crowd that was forming there to attention. Some people were still out and about from the fighting before, some came to wait for news, others migrated in as Gannon spoke. "My fellow Mordelicans, people of Cevius, we have suffered greatly at the hands of our late king, but as of tonight we will suffer no more. A new king has been chosen by your leaders, someone we all know and trust, someone who will lead us out of these dark days. Now begins the reign of King Aethan Havorilus! Long live the king!" As Aethan was announced he walked out to the balcony to a roar of approval. It felt good knowing the people wanted to follow him. ----- A cloaked figure stood in the shadows outside the burned mansion. The form was indistinguishable against the tree beside which it hid in the shadows, watching. A curious thing to see a sack in the form of a person being carried into such a place, even more so that out of nowhere wolves came from the same direction and just started to howl. The form stood invisible in the night, trying to discern any activity from within when he spotted a young boy slipping in through the window, likely seeking some sort of refuge. He wanted to call to the boy and tell him he was an idiot, but there was no way he was risking his position. Commotion from up the way caught his attention and he glanced at the wolves, then looked toward the sound. Keen hearing picked up the voice that lifted above the sound. Most of the words were droned out by the crowd, but he heard enough to know that there was a new king crowned this night. When he heard Aethan announced as king he smirked and shook his head, turning his attention back to the mansion. Why was he not surprised by that news? He watched the wolves ,then looked in the direction they were howling... toward the palace. Wonder if that was a coincidence. This hooded form twisted a little, looking up and down the street. A few of his men had come into the city with him and were watching the mansion from other angles. None of them made a sound. All of them blended into the night.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:53:48 -0500

Leon struggled to stand back up with only enough energy to stand up and his head was hung low with his aura changed from hungry to almost murderous then one of his eyes trailed over to the guard posted at the door. "so, when are you going to let me go" He asked in an indiffrent tone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:08:22 -0500

((The door is closed with a guard on the other side, but he could still talk to him through the door.)) "Be happy you aren't dead, boy. Now shut up," the guard snapped through the door. "Because I can easily reverse that and no one would find you down here rotting away."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:17:33 -0500

"I have no place to go and I have been defending myself easily with men like you" Leon said trying to egg him on and lower the guard's defenses then make him open the locked door

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:20:16 -0500

The guard chuckled quietly on the other side. This little boy was trying to intimidate a man that went against the new king? Ambitious, but it wouldn't work. "Seems that way, what with you being locked in there by men like me. If you have nowhere to go that means no one will miss you when you are gone."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:25:48 -0500

((Regardless of what Aethan intended...attract Tristan's attention and keep it in any way you can" seems pretty clear to Jiya as to just how far Aethan expects her to go. This isn't unlike instructions she got from her pasha, so...shame she doesn't have her potions with her to make up a sleeping draught to put in the wine.)) Dumond did not like Aethan's instructions to Jiya. But what could he do. Aethan was king and he was dependent on Aethan whether he wanted to go back home, or remain here. But he would keep close to her. Jiya knew how to work a room. She went from one clump of people to another saying hello, making small talk, accepting compliments on ehr dancing. When asked about where she was from, she gave coy answers of a kingdom far away. She tried to catch Tristan's eye periodically and finally came close to his group. One of the nobles with her took her hand, "My dear, such an extraordinary talent for dance you have." She smiled prettily. "Thank you...my lord. Please forgive me if I use improper terms...I do not know all of the right words." She said in her unusual accent. She caught Tristan's eye and looked away again. Cat and mouse, what man could resist such a game, especially a man like him who was using deceit to try for the throne. --- Finn looked around to find the companions Aethan wanted him to take with him to discover what the wolves had discovered. The whereabouts of Gwenlynn he hoped. But if they alerted her captors, she could be long gone by the time they arrived. He strode over to ((Tornica, Emkai or Wolf--whomever is around first)), "we need to round up ((the rest)) and go with Clearcall. We may know where Gwenlynn is." He told them. ((feel free to bunny Finn, I don't expect to be around for awhile tomorrow. Maybe not till evening, which seems ot be my MO lately.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:40:11 -0500

@Jiya Tristan looked Jiya over as the other noble kissed her hand. He was incredibly interested in seeing what a woman who could move like her could really do. The freedom of not yet being tied down was a wonderful thing. Somehow he doubted that a woman who could do what she could was shy in any way, but either way that look she gave him for a moment when their eyes met was enticing enough. He glanced over at Dumond. He hadn't failed to notice them man that seemed to lord himself over Jiya like she was an object and he would have to be careful around him. Still, he flashed a very charming smile at Jiya. "I think we can all forgive a beauty such as yourself, who comes from so far away. How could we really expect you to know better? Unless Aethan taught you a few... things." It was obvious he was hinting at more than just manners and etiquette.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:42:36 -0500

((EDIT still @Jiya)) "Anyway, you did a lovely job this evening. I feel honored to have been able to watch you perform for us. What a lovely treat. It has to be tiring work though." Tristan took her hand as well and kissed it as the other lord had, only he didn't let go. "Perhaps a little fresh air, if you are permitted a long enough break?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:48:07 -0500

Emkai nodded to Finn, hand going almost absently to his knife hilt again. "Wolf should be close by, I think," he said. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the room.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:59:34 -0500

@mansion/upstairs inside The men posted at the front entryway were getting irritated by the sound of the wolves outside and began to bicker about how to handle it. "Those bloody dogs will lead them right to u with their racket." "Well what do you suggest? We can't just go out there and chase them away. No one is supposed to know we are here and going out there will confirm it." "Like they won't come to find out what's got the dogs all worked up! I say we throw some debris out the window at them and hope it chases them away." "I say you're an idiot. throwing things from windows is just as likely to get us noticed, just not as fast." "Well what's your idea then one wise one?" "Didn't say I had one, but if we don't do something we could be in big trouble. Maybe we should move her somewhere else that isn't here. A lot of these old noble keeps have tunnels under them. We could take her out that way to somewhere else." "We can't move her without permission and you know it." And on the two bickered about what to do about the wolves.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 04 May 2012 06:16:40 -0500

"As long as there are men like you, I will never forgive those who committed murder" Leon said walking up to door window and stared him in the eye which would be in contrast of a theif trying to steal something without being noticed. Rika watched from the side of the balcony, the roar of approval was loud and she thought of how similar it might have been when her mother had been alive.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:26:16 -0500

Alis gave a nod and went to find Kalin and Kezia, the orders were simple enough. How hard could following a young noble be, really? Sophia ((Assuming she's close by enough)) looked a little taken aback and almost, very slightly looked rather affronted, if that were an expression that ever -could- cross her face, when Seta said she'd help keep her and Rika out of trouble. She didn't think she had ever attempted to get -into- trouble before. Stay far far away from it, yes. That was for sure. She frowned and tried to think of when she might've displayed any tendencies toward getting into trouble but couldn't think of anything. Wolf saw the others around Finn and went over to them, "I can lead you to the wolves, whenever you are ready to depart." She told them, anxious to be on their way. She waited until everyone who was to be going wit h them was there before heading down the corridor to the doors and out into the street. ((Shall I just assume they're going now that they're together?)) The thronhs of people outside were still chattering with the announcement of Aethan being given the title of king. Most appeared excited, others a littl emore wary. Wolf didn't take time to think about it though, solely focused on finding where the wolves had gone to. She followed the pull of them she felt inside her, letting instinct lead her to them, it wasn't long before she could hear their howls, carried by the wind to the small group. Pressing on further with haste, they soon approached the manor, she frowned as she looked over it from a safe distance. "They are there, just ahead." She informed her companions quietly.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:43:18 -0500

@mansion outside Clearcall had followed his dragonling to a tree across from the mansion. The dragonling was circling over it self importantly. Clearcall got the message. Gwenlynn was in there, or at least last the dragonling knew she was. He saw Wolf's wolves howling outside the mansion and knew he had to be in the right place. A little while later he noticed Wolf and the others standing in a servant alley looking at the same structure. Seeing an elf hiding near a tree, the cloaked, shadowed figure watched with apprehension. He didn't like elves much, and where there were elves there was usually trouble to be found. Hearing a bird-like whistle that sounded quite like a sparrow he looked in the direction it came from, then followed the subtle gesture to the servant alley where a hanful of people were clustered, trying to hide. Something was about ot happen. But if they were there for whoever was taken inside he didn't need to worry about it anymore. Except that the boy was still in there and he didn't know if they knew it or not. He tried ot pull on the Essence, air, but only a trickle came to him and he mentally growled. Curse this failing magic! How was he supposed to get anything done like this?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:08:19 -0500

@Outside manison Wolf let her wolves stay out, she knew they likely knew that she was there, having the same connection to her, but calling them back to her would have them go quiet and tip off anyone inside that there was someone outside of the mansion. She let them stay near the mansion and continue to howl their alarm. The wolves felt a shift in the air and twitched their ears and noses, pausing in their alarm for a moment to sniff at the direction they thought it came from, smelling more people than they could see. After a brief pause they continued on howling.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:35:02 -0500

@Wine cellar inside the mansion Leon began messing with the side of the door making it look like he was trying to work off the hindges off the door. He knew that if he could get the guard away from his post he could get out of the cellar. @Palace Rika watched as the nobles appeared to be excited for their new leader but her attitude to Aethan being the new king was somewhat doubtful since the kingdom was ruled by a king the day her family was brutally murdered by the king's men.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:01:31 -0500

(( xD Poor Sophia; Seta didn't mean it like that, but how should she know? Also, I feel all proud of myself for maybe probably knowing who the cloaked figure is.)) Seta sighed and turned to Sophia. "Do you know where the little girl is?" she asked. "I've got a feeling she's one we should keep an eye on." --- @ not the palace Emkai had once again covered his head, now that they were going on what might be a covert mission. He had an uneasy feeling about all of this. Firemen in general weren't the best at blending in and doing things furtively, and he was no exception.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 04 May 2012 20:37:51 -0500

((Ooh, is that who I think it is hiding in the shadows?)) @Tristan "His Majesty?" Jiya said using Aethan's new honorific. She played coy again, dropping her head and looking at Tristan through her lashes. "I have not spent very much time with him. Perhaps my lord could teach me more things I need to know in order to fit in here at court..." She looked him in the eyes again. "As to my more formal education, I think I know how to please...an audience." Jiya looked at Dumond. He had heard Aethan's instructions as well. "Jiya is permitted, as long as she remains in my line of sight." He answered. Jiya stepped close to Tristan. "Then I should love to walk with you and get some air." She linked her arm in his as they walked to the doors to the garden. Dumond followed at a discrete distance schooling his face into a mask. "Tell me, my lord, what is the most important thing a stranger in Mordelic needs to know?" ((Hope I got the city's name right.)) --- Finn let Wolf take the lead and followed behind her. She could track her wolves far faster than he. "Be careful when we get close, we don't know how many are guarding Gwenlynn. I doubt we can walk up to the door and ask for her back. We'll need to assess wherever it is she is being held." Finn didn't want anyone going off half cocked and alerting her captors that help was on the way, he was sure the wolves had done enough of that already.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:19:02 -0500

@palace Aethan looked down at Rika once everything on the balcony was finished. "I need you to stay with Seta and Sophia. You can't come along where I must go next." Because he really didn't know her and he was very uncertain about Omaron. As he looked down at her there was something calming about his presence, something reassuring. "Go back to the Great Hall and find the two of them and stay with them until I return." Whenever that would be. @garden/Jez ((There is nothing mysterious about him when you have met him before lol And he has the terrible luck of showing up in the wrong place at the right time.)) Tristan had to admit he liked the sound of that. An entertaining woman was dangerous but fun. When Dumond lorded over Jiya like a slave Tristan looked back at him. "I think it's safe to say slavery will be abolished before the night is out," he mentioned, as if hinting that Jiya might as well be free to do whatever and go wherever with whoever she wanted. After that though he just ignored the fact that Dumond was following them like a hound. Well that would be annoying when it came time to leave. "I would love to teach you whatever you would like to learn." In so many ways. "What is most important? Well for a lovely lady such as yourself, avoiding the southwestern ward, also known as the Graveyard. Not the sort of place a woman such as yourself would want to venture into. You would likely not come out." He flashed a reassuring smile at Jiya. "Though I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure Aethan will keep you perfectly safe. The cities best kept secret I'm afraid I cannot really explain, nor can I show it to you. It only presents itself for a few seconds at mid day in the sky, something... indescribable."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:52:14 -0500

"Okay..." Rika said in a disappointed manner and walked back to the Great Hall then sat in a chair to read her spellbook while looking out for Sophia and Seta. When she was near Aethan she felt secure as if he was her father holding her close as her hometown of Rabansire was burned down and her father was executed for being mistaken as a traitor.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:27:09 -0500

"Slavery has nothing to do with it." Dumond said. "Jiya is in my care until I bring her safely to her destination." "Where I am from, women do not normally go any place alone, or with one man who is not a relative. Women are shut away." Jiya explained. And had Gwenlynn followed those rules, she would still be here. "But as an entertainer, the rules are somewhat...different for me." They walked a little farther. "Since I do not know how long we will stay here, I would like to learn what pleases a nobleman like yourself so that I may adjust my skills accordingly. She frowned a little, "In the sky?" She looked up as though expecting to see whatever it was right then. "Perhaps you will show me tomorrow then. Yes?" She smiled prettily and let her hip brush his a bit as she shifted her weight.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 May 2012 00:35:33 -0500

Seta caught sight of Rika and trotted toward her, Sophia in tow ((if that's alright Nagats-e)). "There you are! Very good, we can... erm, try to do something productive while everyone else is gone, I suppose." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked around the hall, that frown from earlier returning just slightly. "No idea what there might be for us to do besides tidy up though. And I am NOT going to do something that uninteresting."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 05 May 2012 08:08:22 -0500

"And theres something I want to show you" Rika said showing Seta a page of her spellbook with a spell that would allow those who can harbor magic to summon a black dragon pup. She knew that she was not even a quarter of the way done with the spellbook and she thought it was going to be helpful if she found the right page. She also thought there were pages where there are spells that will allow her to make pranks.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 05 May 2012 11:41:06 -0500

((Rika better be careful with her spells or Aethan is going to be very upset with her. Dragons are seen as evil (which Rika should know as a native) and if she pulls pranks he will be livid. He meant what he said before. Best behavior. I don't have a ton of time to post this weekend. Family from out of town is coming and I have a couple of big papers to get done.)) @Jiya Tristan had several ideas on how Jiya could please him but somehow he doubted any of those were an option. "I suppose that all depends on the man." If it weren't for that obnoxious guard Tristan would be much more forward about what he wanted, and what the noblemen here would want from a woman like Jiya. "I can't say I would be opposed to a private dance, if you do those. I'm sure several nobles would enjoy that. It makes them feel a little more... special." Tristan looked up at the stars, not failing to notice the way Jiya's hip brushed against his. He looked over at her, then parted their arms and slid his around arm around her waist, leaning closer as he turned her toward the south, using his other arm to point up at the sky. "It comes out right around there every day at noon. It only lasts for a few seconds but it will take your breath away. We have tried to figure out what it is but nothing has worked. Perhaps tomorrow you will accompany me to the beach and I can show it to you then." But if he had the crown before the end of the night they could do it from here without no one else around. Including that obnoxious guard. @Buggy Aethan didn't like the idea of speaking to Omaron without Finn with him to detect the truth from lies, but in the current situation he had little choice. The guards outside the door noticed the crown as he approached, and both gave deep, respectful bows as he passed them and entered Omaron's room with Gannon.He and Gannon exchanged a look, then Gannon posted himself near the door with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Aethan stopped in the middle of the room and looked at Omaron. "I don't think I need to tell you that I am looking for a reasonable explanation as to why you betrayed us earlier. I understand why Tornica did, now I want to know why you did." ((I will get the others started later today if I have time.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:05:08 -0500

(Rika knows, but she was thinking of it not actually doing it XD) Rika slightly let the page slip to a page containing ingrediants of healing potions thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to let Sophia and Seta know of her findings.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sat, 05 May 2012 12:27:49 -0500

@ Star Omaron looked up when Aethan entered the room. The expression on his face made him look a little like a cornered rabbit. "I... I think it's, erm, time I told you the truth," he said slowly, and he dropped his gaze. "I'm not always myself, you see. There's something--" he winced slightly-- "someONE, sorry, who's taken up, er, residence in my head, and... and maybe you'd rather talk to her about it. If she'd left it to me I wouldn't have betrayed you, for what that's worth." His eyes flicked nervously to Gannon, specifically the hand Gannon had placed on his sword. Please don't do anything that'll get me killed.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:09:35 -0500

((Poor Omaron.)) @Tristan "Mmmm," Jiya murmured, "Yes, it very much depends upon the man." She stroked his arm a little. His Majesty has not shown much interest in me. If we will be staying here, then it is important that I have a powerful and influential benefactor. I can tell you are not the type to stand by and let things happen." Jiya's hip belt jingled as she turned to follow where Tristan pointed. "Your astrologer's have not discovered the secret of this wonder? I look forward to seeing it with you. We do not have beaches where I am from. Only vast tracts of desert interrupted by the occasional oasis. It is why bathing is nearly an artform. Scented oils, massages...why the pasha--king can fit all of his musicians in his bath for his amusement while he soaks." She remained standing as she was with Tristan's arm around her. She wondered how much longer she needed to keep him occupied. She could almost feel the daggers Dumond was shooting at the pair of them. Surely he must know by now this was an act she had performed many times--and if something _did_ happen to topple Aethan, it was imperative that they have an ally on the other side. Tristan seemed like the one at the top, or very close to it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 05 May 2012 22:57:36 -0500

@omaron "Some...,em>one?" Aethan gave Omaron a curious look. He glanced at Gannon, who seemed even more tense as he moved a little closer to Aethan. The guards outside the door would be listening for signs of trouble so between them, Gannon, and Aethan's own combat skills he should be fine. Instead of showing any sign of alarm or letting Omaron think that he might be afraid, Aethan casually sat in the vacant cushioned chair. "Tell me about this... someone. How does it control you?" Meanwhile Aethan tried to see if he could harness any of that power he tapped into before. It wasn't as easy as he would have expected. @Jiya "I think he's quite taken with another and he always was the blinded-by-love sort. Don't take it personally. I think it's safe to say that everyone else in the room paid a great deal of attention to you tonight. When it comes to the future of this kingdom I will do whatever it takes to ensure it." Even if it meant making a deal with the Dark Lady to save Cevius. Tristan looked at Jiya. "We have had numerous different sorts trying to assess whatever it is up there but no one has bene able to figure it out. And we can't get close to it to try and investigate ourselves either since it's in the sky." Tristan raised an eyebrow at Jiya. "The kinng baths with his musicians? that seems... odd." She certainly was a stunning woman. Tristan could tell that watchdog was glaring at him but he didn't care. The laws would protect him. After all, he was doing nothing illegal right now. "I'm not sure I ever introduced myself properly. I apologize. Lord Tristan of House Nalvius. You are a stunning woman Jiya. I hope you know that. If not it's a damn same no one else has told you before." ((I'm assuming she was introduced before dancing and that is how he knows her name?)) @mansion/streets The cloaked figure hadn't moved in some time, and the group in the alley hadn't either. Those wolves were starting to get on his last nerve with their howling though. He wished he could do something about it. Thankfully his wish came true when a man slipped out cautiously, looking around before picking up some stones from the broken wall and throwing them at the wolves to chase them off. He noticed the man didn't leave the gateway of the broken wall and it confirmed his suspicion as far as he was concerned. There was some sort of ward protecting that place. After throwing a few stones to chase off the wolves the man went back inside. With a sigh he leaned against the tree again, watching the mansion and the group gathered in the alley. What were they waiting for there? He had to know. After a few more minutes a birdcall caught his attention and he looked in the direction it came. Another was raised from further away. He knew the signal and made a call back, staying as close to the tree as he could to keep out of sight. Clearcall was watching the mansion, glancing up every now and again at the dragonling circling above. When it turned and started to fly southwest he looked at the others. "The dragonling is leaving. We need to go check this place out and follow it southwest. If she's been moved he will want us to find her."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:10:21 -0500

@ Aethan Omaron looked a little less tense when Aethan took a seat, though he couldn't help glancing to Gannon occasionally anyways. "How, as in why she's able to do it?" Omaron looked back up, running a hand through his hair. "I made a mistake a few years back. She approached me while I was... after I'd been drinking a bit, and was feeling rather out of sorts. Told me she could help me make a difference in my own land, if I'd 'run errands for her every now and then'. Like an idiot I accepted, and... well, now I have to do what she wants, or she'll make me do it anyways." He made a face. "Or do other unpleasant things to me, depending on the situation."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:36:35 -0500

@Tristan ((Yes, I'm sure she was given some sort of introduction seeing how Jiya isn't from around here :) )) "Oh, no. I never take it personally. I am not to all men's tastes.Ad His Majesty has much on his mind right now." She gave Tristan another coy smile. "I have come to learn that people do not dance as I do here in Mordelic. Pity." She looked up at the sky again, "How wonderful if we could fly up there and see for ourselves." Jiya laughed and it made the bells on her costume jingle more. "The musicians aren't in the pool with the King." She laughed again. "But the room is very large and they play for him while he bathes. Or sometimes I sing for him. He finds it soothing." "I am honored to meet you, Lord Tristan of House Nalvius." She turned but stayed close to him putting out her hand. "Actually, my Lord, I am told that quite often. If I may be so bold to say so, my Lord is rather handsome himself. I am not accustomed to entertaining men in the flush of their prime. The pasha--king's friends are all old, as is he. Or he sends his sons to me--to become men." She looked down as if she had disclosed too much information, or information that was a bit embarrassing for her to admit. @Mansion/streets "Lead the way, then" Finn said. "It would not surprise me if they move her after the wolves have been howling for so long. I'm surprised they didn't kill them immediately. Perhaps it is a good sign. Underlings are guarding Gwenlynn and wither have no brains to think for themselves or their masters have frightened them so much that they fear to deviate from their plans."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:56:31 -0500

@Omaron "She?" Aethan didn't like the sound of that. Omaron claimed ot be from another place, but when Acebrity was around he suddenly had to do her bidding because She made him? It sounded too much like what happened to his cousin. Valentis was no longer himself at the end. Aethan sat there quietly, mulling things over, watching Omaron for several long minutes. Finally he stood and started toward the door. "I'm afraid I can't take a chance on this Omaron. The guards will take you to your cell to await trial." He spoke as he walked away, not afraid to have his back to the man. If anything happened Gannon would stop it. @mansion/street "Let's hope it's the latter," Clearcall told Finn. "Because that means they would also be afraid of moving her." He turned and was about to take another route around when a cloaked figure shrouded in darkness blocked his path. "I wouldn't advise going anywhere just yet." He looked each person in the group over but didn't recognize any of htem. "They have some sort of ward around that place, and it has to have some sort of significance. Who is Gwenlynn? Because that," he nodded past them at the mansion, "is what remains of the new king's old home." @Jiya "If only...." Tristan rather liked the closeness they were sharing right now. The sound of her laughter made him smile, a real, genuine smile. What a lovely sound. "Ah. My mistake then." The smile was washed away by what she said next. Tristan managed a look of sadness when she mentioned his looks and age, staring just past her. "Yes well, I was engaged to be married at one point, for several years actually, but she died before we could be wed. I just... haven't had the heart to find a new bride." Not entirely true, not entirely a lie either. "What a terrible way to treat such a jewel, sending you off to turn boys into men. A shame they can't do so themselves." He hooked a finger under her chin, tilting her face up to his. "It's nothing you should be embarassed by. From the sound of it you had little choice. It saddens me to think you were treated in such a way though." And now he didn't care if that watchdog was glaring at him. He leaned a little closer and brushed his lips over Jiya's softly, then pulled back. "I hope I'm not being too forward. It's hard to resist beauty such as yours." Let that man try something. The guard would have no choice but to side with Tristan. There was no harm in a little kiss after all, even if it was a little scandalous because of her station.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:06:50 -0500

@ Aethan Omaron's face turned dead white, and he started to rise. "Trial? Wait just a moment, I-- nngh!" His eyes widened and he staggered for a moment, then shook his head. "Dearie, you didn't even talk to ME about this first." His voice was suddenly soft and almost placid. Omaron stood very still, head tilted to one side in an almost birdlike manner, eyeing Aethan's back shrewdly. "I'm not your fiery friend the goddess, dear, if that's what you're concerned about. You've never seen this Acebrity person change a man into a beastie, have you?" Omaron listened helplessly from the back of his own mind. Aethan might just want to get farther away once she started talking, if he did think Shard had something to do with his goddess, and have him clapped in irons immediately. On the other hand, Shard had a fair shot at explaining his way out of this if he DID listen. Either way he didn't like the sound of a trial. What if they had him executed? What would happen to Veliath? Don't worry dear, I'm sure they'd carry on just fine with another ruler after a suitable period of mourning.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:14:32 -0500

@ Cloaked Stranger Emkai rested his hand on his sword hilt (very thankful that he'd gotten it back for the timebeing). "I think we'd like to know who you are as well," he said curtly. "Plus how you know there are wards here, and why you should want to assist us at all." Maybe it was hypocritical, given how he was shrouded himself at the moment, but Emkai had a bad feeling about trusting mysterious cloaked strangers who popped out of nowhere.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:16:49 -0500

((I've kind of lost track of where Tornica is meant to be...anyone able to remind me?)) @ Garden Keeping as respectable a distance as they could from Jiya and Tristan, Kezia and Kalin walked arm in arm through the garden. They were doing their best to look like a teacher and student having a private lesson, with Kalin reeling off bits of magical lore. Thankfully with the brief they had been given Kezia was proving more than sharp enough to pick up what she was meant to be doing to mark Tristan with her magic.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 09:56:39 -0500

@Mansion/wine cellar Leon continued working at the door until two thin pieces of wood chipped off of the door from his past mistakes of opening the door. The wooden chips laid on the ground and was picked up then inspected with presision and accuracy. 'maybe I could use these two for picking the lock, but I don't know what to do about the guard' he thought piecing together a plan that involved breaking out and managing to take a good look of the area in the process. He scratched his head and only remembered the room he managed to slide on at then he thought of just winging the plan and see how that works. 'Alright here I go' Leon thought as he shoved the two thin pieces of wood into the lock and began picking at the lock as if it was a locked treasure chest containing something unknown inside.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:12:50 -0500

@Omaron Aethan paused near the door, turning ot look back at Omaron. He had a point there. Tornica had been different because it wasn't Acebrity that changed him, she just proded until he did what he already could do. And Aethan was well aware ahead of time that Acebrity would be able ot take control of Tornica if she wanted to. What happened with Omaron was... different. "It doesn't change the fact that you cannot be trusted. If you betrayed us once you could easily do it again. I'm sorry, but my decision hasn't changed. I cannot take the risk." @mansion/street The man rolled his eyes, though none of them were likely to be able to see it. "I've been watching, just like you have. Are you telling me that none of you noticed that man that came out didn't leave the grounds when he chased the wolves away? I didn't say I was going to help you get in there. I'm mostly curious about who Gwenlynn is and why she's in there, and why it matters to any of you." ((Tornica is supposed to be with this group.)) @mansion/cellar The guard outside the door could hear the boy doing something inside. He couldn't help wondering what it was. Either way, he continued listening when he thought he heard rattling of the lock on the door. Was he trying to get out? The idea made him laugh, wondering what he was using to do so. Then he put his hand on the handle quietly and waited a moment before shaking the door violently. Hopefully whatever he was using just fell into the lock.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:26:30 -0500

@ Aethan "Oh certainly dear, I understand that much," Omaron said silkily. "I haven't done anything worthy of your trust thus far, quite the contrary, and you DO have a people to look after. By all means lock him away so I can't use him against any of you." He paused. "But then, all I really want is for my dearest Omaron to be returned home at some point. I didn't think you and yours able to do anything of the sort when I tried my luck with that nasty fiery menace. That was a somewhat desperate bid for survival, as it seemed all allied with you were going to die a rather unpleasant death, and my slave is no good to me dead. Now though..." He frowned just slightly. "There is something in you, dearie, a power that... I don't quite trust it myself, if we're being frank with one another, but it may well be enough to get what is mine back to me. Now I won't try to make any deals with you dear, nothing you have to agree to of course, but I will make you a promise. If you make no attempt to, ah... neutralize or otherwise render my slave incapable of proper service, and if it does seem you're trying to get him sent back to Tavos at some point, I will be no threat to you. I'll be quiet as a lamb, dear. Just think on that please. He isn't a citizen of yours at any rate."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:37:30 -0500

@Mansion/Wine cellar Leon's two small pieces of wood fell into the lock and he heard a small click sound coming from the lock accompaning the brute sounds of the door being shaken. He grinned seeing that the door opened outwards on the outside then he pushed full force on the door and trapped the guard with the door. The door trapped him like the guard was in between a rock and a hard place then before the guard could react he grabbed the handle of the guard's sword and drew it with the sword in hand. 'wow, that's better than I expected it' he thought impressed on how dumb luck saved him then he said loud enough for only the guard to hear "Get in the cellar now!"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:43:03 -0500

@Omaron "Whether he's a subject of mine or not, he is in my country and as such subject to my laws. If I were in his land I would expect I would be subject to his laws." Why was Aethan talking to Omaron as if he were talking to someone else? It was completely illogical. The mention of being able to sense his power made Aethan a little nervous. "I have made no such promises to anyone about being able to return them home. I hope that I can find a way to do so but as it stands at the moment I have no way to do so. And as it stands now I have no reason to trust that you tell me the truth, that he will not pose a threat to me or this nation. He doesn't have the track record for it. I'm not certain what services you think are proper in this place, but I assure you he will not be given any leeway about doing your bidding. The best place for a traitor is in the dungeon where he belongs, awaiting trial. If in that time I find a way to send him back home again you can have him back, but I'll not have you botching anything up while he does your services." Aethan stood there, watching Omaron calmly. "This is not a negotiation. I cannot hold one man accountable as a traitor while letting another walk free."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:48:30 -0500

@mansion/cellar ((Since he heard what was going on I doubthe would have been taken so by surprise, bbut we can go with this I guess. It isn't going ot end well for Leon, just so you know. He was better off waiting for the others to come.)) Hmm. Fear a little boy who likely didn't know how to use the sword, or fear the Dark Lady who could torture him to the brink of death and bring him back only to start over. He would take his chances with the boy. He didn't need the sword to knock out a kid. A smile that was nothing but devious spread across his face slowly. "You have spirit kid, but now the others will show you no mercy. You have just killed yourself." Before the boy had a chance to react her threw a hard hard punch right at the boy's face as he called out an alarm to the men upstairs.His hand moved quickly, twisting the boy's wrist around so that he was forced to drop the sword. "We're going to have fun with you now little one." As he said this two more men came down the stairs to his aid.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:52:07 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar door "Alright then If you'll won't listen" Leon said easing up on the door pressure to take a step back and he kicked the door that had the guard sandwiched. The blunt damage would normally would make both arms numb and give the person a mild concussion.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:52:32 -0500

(whoops ignore the post)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 11:58:06 -0500

@ Aethan There was something sharp and dark in Shard's thoughts now. Omaron figured that the talk of being subject to Aethan's laws (mortal laws, really) or giving Omaron back to her (as though he wasn't even now firmly in Shard's grasp) had made her a bit angry. It didn't show though. Omaron laughed, a light cold one that didn't suit him at all. It didn't reach his eyes. "Dear, didn't you hear what I said? TAKE him to the dungeons. I don't care; there is nothing in your precious little Divica that can help me attain my goals. You have nothing to lose here, my dear mortal king. So long as he isn't executed or maimed, I WILL not do anything untoward through him. You don't have to trust me now for me to act on my word now do you?" He paused once more. "I do hope that you can find a way to send him home. If you can't, well..." He shrugged. "Omaron will be incarcerated, so I suppose it won't make much of a difference either way, will it?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:09:07 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar (I know that Leon hated being in the orphanage because he was continually kept in a room for a while so I like people to get rough on him but to a point where blood is drawn) Leon's bones felt the same fear as when he was trying to escape the orphanage except the strict people who ran it were guards that will show him no mercy and he twisted his wrist to break out of the guard's hold. He then took a mere ten seconds to take in the situation which would not be enough time to make a back up plan so he used five of those seconds to look at the uniforms. He noticed that the sleeves on the uniform could restrict some movement but not a lot and one of the men looked like his mind was elsewhere. then he lost the time looking for a way out

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:14:10 -0500

@Omaron Aethan watched Omaron for a moment, weighing all of this, then the turned and walked out the door without another word. There was little point in saying anything more. "Don't call me dear. I am king and will be addressed as such." He would have to be sure and let the others know they couldn't go into Omaron's cell though. Wolf and Seta seemed particularly fond of the man and he wouldn't risk anything happening to them just so Omaron could have a chance at being freed. Gannon followed him out and the door closed behind them. Aethan looked at the two men at the door. "He is to be moved to the dungeons. make sure you have a good number of men with you. I won't risk him fighting his way free." He started away then paused and looked back at them. "As a fair warning, he's a bit crazy and can turn into a beast so if he starts to shift don't hesitate to knock him out. Do not kill unless you have no other choice. Is that clear?" "Yes Your Highness," both men replied in unison. Aethan nodded and walked away with Gannon. "What do you think the odds are I can slip out of here unnoticed?" "With my men at the gates? Very favorable.." "I need you to stay here and keep an eye on things. Help the others watch Tristan. I'm going to try and find the others." Aethan took off the crown and handed ti over. "I can't go walking in the streets with that on. See that's it's tucked safely away so no one gets their hands on it." "I will, but with all due respect, holdingg the crown doesn't make them king." Gannon took it and the two parted ways. -- A few minutes after Aethan was gone the door opened and five guards walked in, one holding iron cuffs. They approached Omaron, two grabbing an arm each to pull forward so the third could put the cuffs on, the other two standing ready, hands on their swords in case he tried anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:20:06 -0500

@mansion/cellar One of the guards grabbed the boy's other wrist and with both twisted around painfullly they dragged him back into the cellar. "Now you miserable little whelp, you broke into our building, attacked us, and we showed you mercy. How do you repay us?" The man threw a hard punch at the boy's ribs, hoping to crack a few. "By trying ot attack us again. Now we can forget that you're just a kid and treat you properly this time." He threw a punch at the boy's side and was satisfied with a sound that was clearly something breaking or fracturing. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" He threw another punch at the boy's head.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:29:03 -0500

@ Aethan and the Guards Omaron stared at the door after Aethan left for a moment, feeling control of his body being given back to himself. Well then, all we can do is wait and see what happens dear. It would be inconvenient if I had to give you up and start over, but then worse things have happened. If anything does happen though... oh, I'll make sure that little king regrets EVER crossing me. "Why do you always have to ruin everything?" Omaron replied vehemently under his breath, sinking back onto the bed. Shard's replying laugh was far worse than the jolt of pain he'd expected. He looked up rather dully when the guards entered. "Coming to drag me off, are you?" Omaron didn't resist when they grabbed him and put the cuffs on his wrists. If Veliath could see their acclaimed High Chairman now... he couldn't suppress a bitter little laugh at the thought of his step parents' faces upon hearing their finally accomplished son had been arrested.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 12:35:02 -0500

@Mansion/cellar "...You...adults...are...all...the...same..." Leon spat out with a low spiteful tone and his sides began to shake as one of his ribs was cracked then he looked up with a bruised head. His gaze was at the door and his arms felt only pain, which is good in his thought process because if he didn't feel any pain there was something wrong with his arms. "You kill everything, you destroy with purpose, you hurt other people because of reasons not mistakes, and you have the nerve to demand respect?" he said with his voice filled with bitter hatred towards the guards and one by one he broke the grip on both of his arms. He used the wall to propell himself up and ran past the door then deeper into the mansion with pain in his upper body.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:00:27 -0500

@mansion As the boy came up the stairs Javier was rounding the corner, hearing the thumping of feet in haste. He raised his sword and when the boy appeared, running past, he used the flat of the blade to send him sprawling on his stomach. Then before he could get up Javier was over him, knocking him out with the sword again. Two of his man came pounding up the stairs and he just looked at them, irritation on his face. "Must I do everything? Tie him up tight this time. And if he causes any more trouble he'll get my sword through his gut before he even knows I'm there." Hearing a muffled sound coming from another room he sighed. "I have work to see. It seems our princess is awake. Tie him so he can't get loose and lock him odwn there again. And if he gets out again he won't be he only one finding the pointy end of my sword. Am I clear?" The other men scowled at him but nodded, finding extra rope and binding his wrists behind his back tight, winding it aorund each wrist, then together several times to make sure he was secure. Then they did the same to his ankles. ((Not sure how he wrestled away from two grown men and ran past two others without being stopped, and running with busted ribs... He must be superman.)) @Omaron "King's orders. You didn't seem to make a very good impression on him, which is an accomplishment if we can say so honestly." Once Omaron was bound they led him out of the room and down the circling stairs to the dungeon, pushing him into the cell before closing the door. They didn't bother removing the cuffs for now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:08:59 -0500

@Mansion/cellar (it's kinda easy to break out of the grip just move the wrist towards the thumb and he was running so maybe they were thinking 'where did that boy come from' but now he can't get out) Leon saw the sword suddenly appeared in front of him and was suprised when he was knocked unconcious again. Leon then found himself in the same spot in the cellar 'not again' he thought and he tried to move his limbs. 'this can't be good' Leon thought in a scared way seeing that his bag of tricks was completly depleated and escape is impossible to do on his own.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:12:44 -0500

@ Guards "Shard's very good at making bad impressions on all the right people," Omaron replied as the led him from the room. "I swear she just LIKES watching me suffer." They wouldn't know what he was babbling about, but who cared? Maybe if everyone thought he really was mad, and at least part of the time the harmless sort of mad, they'd be less likely to hang him or whatever else they did to traitors here. The thought made him go if possible even paler. It struck him just how badly he didn't want to die. Down a spiral staircase that made him a bit dizzy and into a bleak stone place he could only assume was the dungeon. In a moment they'd pushed him into a cell and locked him in so he was alone with his thoughts. Well, mostly alone. He sat down on the cot and buried his face in his hands. "What I wouldn't do for a drink right now."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:39:02 -0500

@ Mansion/Street Emkai's hand stayed on his sword, but he didn't make any move to pull it out. There was no point letting the stranger know how little he knew about magic or wards or any of that stuff. Although... "I thought magic was waning here. How could they have wards set up if that's the case? At any rate our purpose here isn't mine to share with you."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:40:22 -0500

((Blah, I now have the cold my son had last week. :( )) @Mansion/street Finn's hand went to his sword, but he detected no malice from this person before them. Perhaps he was another friend of Aethan's. Finn looked to Clearcall. "Di ye know this man?" He wasn't going to blurt out what he knew of Gwenlynn. This man could be a scout for those in the mansion for all he knew. But then why not send up an alarm? He made a gesture at Clearcall to let him know that so far, none of his spells detected anything dangerous about this man. Not dangerous to them anyway. @Tristan Jiya looked concerned. Was he telling the truth about his bride or was it something he said to make women feel sorry for him. She was not a noble lady who needed coaxing and Aethan said she was to keep him busy...Dumond must be seething. He liked to have control of a situation and right now, he was not. "How very sad for you. It was not a marriage of convenience then? You must have loved her very much." Jiya blinked her large eyes up at him. Jiya smiled again. "The King always called me his jewel. But he had his wives and concubines to warm his bed. It was my singing he loved the most, I think." Jiya knew the kiss was coming. She thought Tristan has shown great restraint in not doing so sooner. She knew that look in his eyes. She left her lips parted a little expected another kiss. But he spoke instead. She answered him, "My lord cannot be too forward. I am unaccustomed to someone of his rank allowing me any say in the matter." Dumond took a few steps closer to the pair. He did not imagine that Tristan would try anything outside, but the man was getting more familiar with Jiya. And Jiya was not stopping him. He gritted his teeth.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:44:38 -0500

@mansion/street "Ah. Someone is paying attention." He smirked at Emkai. "That is a good question isn't it? If there is almost negligable magic left, how do they have wards up?" Clearcall couldn't quite make out much of the man, but there was little question who it was. "Dayen the half-elf. Why you're almost as infamous as me." His usually somewhat expressionless face cracks as a smirk curled up one corner of his mouth. "Almost?" Dayen quirked an eyebrow, not that any of them would really be able to see much of it. "I heard tell you were dead," Clearcall noted. "Funny how that works. I heard the same thing a couple of months back about the new king." He looked past them toward the mansion. "So who is this Gwenlynn? You know she's not the only one in there. Shortly before you all showed up a young boy climbed in through a window. Haven't seen a trace of him since which means he either found a place to hide or..." He let the rest speak for itself. "Let's take a few steps back here, now that you've promptly announced that I am indeed alive. Your masked friend there asked a very appropriate question. How do they have such powerful wards with such weak magic. I'm highly doubting it's through Link, since Regan has kept it pretty quiet. Which leaves only one other option as far as I see. The kind of powerful people you don't want to be messing with." "Acebrity had control over the previous king," Clearcall informed Dayen. "I heard that somewhere," Dayen replied as it weren't big news. "Which means she doesn't want pretty boy Havorilus on the throne, which leads me to believe that this Gwenlynn has some sort of political tie to him. He does have a hero complex after all." @Jiya "It was a marriage of convenience, but that doesn't mean I cared any less. She didn't deserve to die the way she did." Tristan still blamed Aethan for that. It was him those shadowmen were after. It was him they hunted. But it was her that died. So much for honor. "What his wives must have looked like to not look at a beauty such as yourself." Tristan shook his head a touch sadly. "I would never force my company on a woman regardless of who she was." There had to be aline drawn somewhere and he was revolted by the idea of trying to force a woman to do what he wanted. It took all the fun out of it anyway. "But, since you don't seem to mind." Tristan leaned closer, kissing her a little deeper this time, ignoring the glares from the watch dog. His arm pulledh er a little closer.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:10:00 -0500

@Outside Mansion... The wolves had darted away when the men at the mansion had tried to frighten them off. They moved back a ways and then turned, padding away into the darkness. When they got closer, Wolf called quietly to them and they bounded over. She murmured to them, praising them for doing a good job, they sat by her feet and panted. She listened closely to the conversation, then realised she would need to eat mroe charmed bread soon. Not at the moment, but soon... "Is this man... Dayen the Half-Elf, to be trusted?" She asked Clearcall bluntly, though with no guile or animostiy in her voice. Just curiousity, Clearcall seemed wary of him but was still talking to ihm anyway. She couldn't tell for herself. "If she is bait for the trap, the Dragonslayer should remain away from this place." She added, glancing back at the mansion. The wolves made sounds in the back of their throats and shifted a little.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:23:18 -0500

Leon sat there struggling to stand up and his back bended to keep his balance as his upper body stood up. he stood up and jumped like a kangaroo/human hybrid to the door then stood like a statue, watching whoever was outside the door.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:02:48 -0500

((Blah, my cold is worse today.)) @Mansion/Street (("Snake Bliskin! I thought you was hung!")) Finn liked this Dayen. Straight and to the point. @Tristan "Ah, then love bloomed after the marriage. That is the best way, I think." But she could see the pain in his eyes. She would not pry. She guessed the woman died in childbirth, so many did. Jiya smiled. "I am worth far more for my skills outside the bed than in it. The King would never use me thus. Not often. I was not forced, 'tis my duty." She let him kiss her again. His lips were soft and he was gentle. Like his upbringing, she thought. Dumond was harsh and demanding and he must be turning purple with rage. She inched Tristan so his back was to Dumond. She made a signal with her hand to let him know all was well.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:14:48 -0500

@Palace Rika looked at the pair in which are supposed to be watching her and she yawned then returned her attention back to the brown book in which the cover contained a magical symbol drawn over it. She was tired to think of the other details so she began flipping through pages and looking at the illustrated pages.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:40:34 -0500

((Heh, for some reason I imagined Jiya giving Dumond a thumbs up behind Tristan's back. x3 )) @ Palace Seta glanced over at the book Rika had opened, mildly curious, but quickly turned to her pack. There were a few little projects she could work on while she waited for the others to get back anyways. She'd lost a few arrows since coming here; it would be good to replenish the supply. There were a few straight sticks in her pack that she'd gathered specifically because they would make good shafts. These she began to carve, slowly and carefully, as she waited for something interesting to happen. @ Mansion/Street Emkai snorted quietly. The sort of people they didn't want to mess with... they'd faced Acebrity once, when they hadn't counted on her being there, and somehow gotten out alive. With time to plan and with Aethan on their side, perhaps they could do so again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 07 May 2012 21:53:25 -0500

@mansion street Dayen wasn't terribly surprised by the arrival of the wolves. He deduced that they had to have something to do with this group. Trackers maybe. He did look over the woman who paid them attention and smirked to himself. Very nice. "Trust?" Interesting word to link to him. "We can trust that he won't betray us," Clearcall told Wolf. "We cannot trust that he won't desert us to save his own skin." "I'm a changed man," Dayen joked, standing a little taller with mock pride. "I even have a merry band of rogues that follow my every command. Sort of makes me... grown up." Clearly he was jesting. "This is beside the fact right now. the issue is that I'm assuming you all need in there but don't know how to get there." "I do." A voice came from behind them, stepping out of the darkness as he approached. Aethan had his hood up and was looking much more inconspicuous than he would have before in his dress clothes. "Dayen. Haven't seen you in quite some time. I hear you have an army now." "I wouldn't call them an army. Though no one else knows that." Dayen cocked his head a little. "I hear you've given up your freedom for the shackles of responsibility." "Someone has to make up for your slacking." Aethan looked toward the mansion. "I grew up there. There's a secret passage put in a really long time ago that comes up through the food cellar. Every noble has to have an escape, right?" He watched the house sadly. "I know underground isn't really your thing Tornica. If you want ot keep watch here I understand. Dayen, any chance you have some of that Darkness still?" "Throwing commands around without so much as a hello. I thought better of you at least." Dayen shook his head. "Sorry. All tapped out. But my knives and marbles still work. They're just a real bugger to control." "This way." Without waiting for the others Aethan turned and headed away from the house toward the innns of the upper district. @Jiya Tristan thought of a few duties she could perform on him, but first he had work to get done. As much as he enjoyed the kiss and the way Jiya responded to him, Tristan forced himself ot pull away when he heard a couple of passinng nobles talking amongst themselves mention that the king had to leave to get the city reorganized. He didn't jerk away from her, instead pulling back and touching the side of her face. "I would love to spend more time in your company tonight, but I have a few nobles I must speak with before they leave. Is there any chance you would be interested in taking a carriage to my home to wait for me. You're guard is welcome to accompany you." For now.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:11:55 -0500

((Dumond would kill her for sure if Jiya gave him a thumbs up.)) @Tristan Jiya frowned, then pouted, her full lower lip looking even more kissable. "Must you leave?" She rested her hands on his chest, "surely there is someplace here at the palace we can go to. Now." She leaned against him a little. "His Majesty has asked that we not leave the premises." Her tongue darted out to lick her lips. "Speak to your nobles tomorrow." She traced a design on his tunic. She wondered just how far she should go and for how long to keep Tristan "busy." She didn't think this could go on much longer. @Mansion/Street It was clear that Aethan and this Dayen had a history. Despite Dayen's mocking, Finn could tell he had a grudging respect for the new king. Besides, Finn felt a kindred spirit with Dayen since they were both half-elves. He waited for the others so he could be last. If the passage was as narrow as he expected, he would have to duck down and didn't want to hold up the group.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:06:24 -0500

@Outside Mansion Wolf felt more than saw this man's eyes roaming over her, as blatant as a caress, and she felt heat fill her face as she blushed, not used to such attentions. She glanced up and held his gaze though as Clearcall spoke, defying her response to his look, trying to stop the flutter of nerves. "Ts'al wihl hlaphl bayt'dit'aa...e'ee?" She murmured conversationally to the wolves, glancing away finally. She rubbed their ears as they looked up and licked at her hands. "Ax gwineexkw, asgit'in." She added, looking at the dark man briefly before turning to see Aethan. She sighed inwardly. Foolhardy... that was what she would use to describe this. If it were a trap... well, on his own head be it, she supposed, going to follow the group, whistling her wolves back in as she did so. @After Party? Alis leaned against the wall in a pose that clearly showed she didn't care that she was supposed to be acting like a lady. Slouching... though it was difficult with the whale bones in the dress forcing her to keep herself upright or risk getting stabbed by them or slowly suffocated. Bloody dress... She thought, crossing her arms and tapping her foot, castin g a glance at Kalin and Kezia every once in a while. She wanted her sword back but she wasn't about to 'abandon her post', so to speak and go off to change her clothes, leaving this pair here unattended. The lack of things to actually do was driving her a little stir crazy though. --- Sophia hung back with Seta, watching the woman work on the sticks. "Wh-what will th-those be for?" She asked, sounding rather timid about even voicing the question. She glanced around at the remainder of the people milling about and wondered what else they might be able to do to aid the others, if anything.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:45:30 -0500

@Jiya/ party/dm/ls Tristan was nearly taken in. Actually she would have had him if she hadn't said that one little word. Now. He could understand Aethan wanting them to stay there with the urest still being quelled in the city, but why could she not wait a little longer if she was really so servile in the past. Now. "I'm sorry if that disappointed you. Unfortunately, as much as I would love to be like the common folk and do whatever whenever, I have responsibilities that have to be dealt with in a timely manner. Especially with everything that has happened today." He brushed hislips over hers once more. "If you really can't go, perhaps I can come find you later." Was she stalling him? She was brought in by Aethan, and he was rumored to be gone, which made it very likely that she was to keep Tristan occupied while Aethan went to find Gwenlynn. "I really must go now though and deal with other matters." Blood on ash it was hard to walk away from a woman like that, but he had to do it. Tristan walked away from Jiya, giving her watchdog a smile and nod almost mockingly as he passed him and headed back inside. Once in the main hall again he looked around, walking over to one of the nobles so the two could speak quietly together. Then it would be time for him to leave. After a few minutes of urgent conversation he headed casually toward a side door, glanced around, and slipped out.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:11:31 -0500

@Party/Sneaking out? Alis perked up a little when Tristan walked back inside. Her eyes followed him across the room, though she made no movement to do anything just yet. When he made for the door and slipped out, she straightened and nudged Kalin. "Our friend has an errand to run it seems." She murmured to him and Kezia. "I'll be back in a moment." She told them and hastened up to where their clothes had been left. She didn't take the time to change, only grabbing her sword belt and looping it around her hips. She hesitated and then slipped out of the dainty shoes she had been given and tugged on her boots impatiently before hurrying back down to the other two, feeling terribly winded just from that brief walk. Gods, she wondered what she'd do if she had to run or fight. She'd swoon and faint before she could be much good to anyone... "Are you able to keep track of him?" She asked Kezia, rearranging her sword at her side, the weight a comfort. ((Are they to follow him? I wasn't sure how Kezia's magic worked if he were to leave.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:42:40 -0500

((I'm not sure. I guess we wait for DM to find out?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:03:58 -0500

@Tristan/Party "Surely, a lord of your standing can do as he wishes. And with whom he wishes." Jiya tried one last time. "Things seem well in hand now. The other nobles can do without you for a little longer..." She pressed against him. "I cannot." If she had to take this all the way, she would. She had been bedded by far uglier men. But it did not work, much to Dumond's relief. He looked at Tristan with narrowed eyes and his hand on his hilt. When Jiya caught up to him he took her by her upper arm and led her back inside not too ungently. "You do not belong to that man. Did you really want to go with him? I saw the way you were looking at each other." Jiya pulled her arm away. "I am not yours, I am only in your custody. For now. If we stay, things can be very different for me. For us." She answered quietly. "Then why do you tease other men, simply to torment me?" He walked her to a far corner so they could speak in relative quiet.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 May 2012 17:09:46 -0500

@ Mansion/Street Emkai followed Aethan and the rest, but he slowed down so he was walking next to Wolf. For a moment he walked quietly. "I've noticed you talking to Omaron a bit lately," he commented inscrutably. --- @ Sophia "These?" Seta smiled kindly at Sophia as she kept whittling the sticks down. "They're going to be arrow shafts. I lost a few since coming here, and it's always nice to have a full quiver on hand you know. In case I run into something nasty." She hesitated. "I've got a question actually; what was that thing you did to those guards earlier, when they were attacking you?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:23:22 -0500

((haha I just realized that Dumond is really really not going ot like Dayen at all. lol. Looking forward to that!)) @mansion ((I can't really go too far until I know how far DM can track Tristan and if the others are following him or not.)) When the group reached the inn Aethan led them in through the back door, nodding to a serving girl who was getting more stock from the store room they were walking into. She looked at them all with wide eyes, especially Finn, but said nothing. Everyone allowed in this room was well trusted and knew that speaking of these things was strictly forbidden. The inn itself was supported in silence by the Havorilus family to make sure it stayed afloat so their escape could be kept hidden. No innkeeper was willing to risk losing funding for his inn. Aethan moved a crate, pushing with his back, until the trap door in the floor was exposed. He promptly pulled it open and looked at the girl. "Lamp?" She handed him a lit lamp without question, glancing at each member of the group as they started to descend the steep stairs, Aethan leading he way. Once they were all in she would close the door and leave it uncovered in case they needed to come out the same way. Before Dayen followed them down he looked the girl over, giving her a teasing smile, then proceeded down the stairs.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:38:56 -0500

((quick post before bed. I've been feeling a bit under the weather today myself! :\ )) @Secret passage group Wolf was having some troubles with the skirts again, this dress was even longer than the one she had gotten for herself earlier and on occasion she almost forgot to pick them up as she walked, nearly tripping on them. She glanced up with surprise when the Fireman came up beside her and spoke. She found she had to concentrate even more on what he was saying and then nodded when she managed to figure it out. "Yes... some time... why?" She tilted her head to emphasize the question. ((I think I'll have to do Soph's response tomorrow. Too tired to think about it at the moment! ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:39:32 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar Leon stood at the door with a defeated look on his face seeing that he couldn't make it outside the mansion without running the risk of being killed, maimed, or wounded. He lost hope of escaping as he sat down leaning with his back to the door and he silently cried.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 08 May 2012 22:20:41 -0500

((Oh, dear, yes. Dayen will certainly be a fly in the ointment)) @Mansion Finn gave a charming smile when the serving wench looked at him. Perhaps he could come this way again for a pint or two. But it looked like he might have some competition. Bugger. He ducked down into the passageway. He felt like he had spent this entire adventure in tunnels dug for dwarves.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:05:35 -0500

@ Wolf, in the tunnel/inn Emkai had only given the girl a polite if curt nod before descending into the tunnel. It took him a moment to reply to Wolf. "You do realize that trusting Omaron is a very bad idea, don't you? He is compromised."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:03:43 -0500

((Sorry for the delay! Was so tired last night I didn't get the chance to post)) @ Palace Kezia was frowning with concentration. The ring of magic wrapped round the man's ankle seemed fairly secure. It had definitely stayed in place thus far...but she didn't know how far she could track it. Or if she'd be able to maintain it at a distance. "We should go after him," she decided. "I don't know if the spell will hold if he goes too far." --- @ Tunnels Tornica's face went grey when he saw the trap door open. "Death's Mercy, what's with you people? Why does it always have to be pokey cellars and dark tunnels?" He was definitely going to take Aethan's generous offer of keeping watch outside. Why anyone would willing subject themselves to such a small cramped hole was beyond him.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:11:23 -0500

@ Mansion/Cellar Leon heard his stomach growl in protest making him remember the reason why he came into the mansion in the first place and his imagination went wild on what they are going to do with him. He had a few cracked bones, a bump on the head, and he was starving then he looked down in depression.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:59:33 -0500

@After Party "Oh..." Sophia murmured, watching Seta as she worked on the arrow shafts. "Th-thing?" She asked, not sure what Seta was referring to for a moment, then recalling. "Oh... um, I'm n-not sure, tr-truthfully. I've never seen th-the collar d-do that before." She answered, touching the metal lightly with a finger. "I th-think maybe, V-Volundr didn't like anyone else h-ha-harming me per-permanently... maybe it has s-something to do w-with that?" Sophia really had no explanation she could think of. @Trailing Tristan "Excellent. That's what I was hoping to hear." Alis said with a grin and led the way to the side door Tristan had disappeared through. She kept her eyes out for anyone who might be watching them leave and tried to do so as discreetly as possible. @Tunnel Dwellers Wolf looked sideways at Emkai. "Com... compr- compromise?" She repeated. "Come to agreement?" Wolf didn't quite understand what he meant and shook her head a littel to show her confusion. "Bad to trust... why? Because of woman owning him?" She needed more bread soon but was too busy holding her skirts off the ground and focusing on walking without tripping to reach into her little pouch for a crumb or two.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:25:26 -0500

@Palace/after party Rika continued reading her spell book, oblivious to what's going on around her as fingers brushed through the pages and flipped them over showing old faded text accompanied with illustrations of summoning spells. There was one section of the book that contained spells for summoning many kinds of dragons, some willing to help their master regardless of size and age but some that needed their master to prove themself in a matter of skill. She thought that some dragons were portrayed as evil creatures but the began slipping into a mind set that humans were more scarier than dragons.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:22:14 -0500

@tunnel Aethan glanced at Emkai and Wolf, just a little look to tell them to keep their voices low. It may be a tunnel, but there was no reason to take chance. Every house had one or two somewhere so Tristan likely had already scouted it out. There was no reason to warn him they were on the way. They moved through the tunnels, pausing at a fork as Aethan traced a nearly indescernable clue to which way they should go, then turned in that direction and went on until they reached the next fork where he did the same. The clues were drilled into his memory when he was very young in case he needed to escape. Going in the right direction would take him to the passage they used to enter the palace but only their house and two others had that access because of direct ties to the throne. @mansion Tristan slipped out of the palace using side exits, well aware of where his guards were and where Aethan's were as he went. Thankfully he was able to slip out undetected and he headed toward the mansion, trying his best to remain out of sight as much as possible. Aethan was after that elf. He just knew it. Tristan had to head him off. When he reached the mansion he walked in through the back servant entrance so he was out of obvious sight, then walked up to Javier, the man he left in charge. "Anything?" "No sir. A boy slipped in through a window a while back but we detained him in the wine celllar." Javier looked nervous. "He tried to escape but we caught him before he made it to the door and tied him down there." "Well he is only here for one of two reasons," Tristan said shortly. "He either wants shelter, in which case he wouldn't have bothered to run away, or he wants food. Get me some." Tristan shucked his cloak and tossed it aside. "The king is on his way, and he won't be alone. He also doesn't want me to know it so he own't be marching through the front door with guards. Do you have men on the door i showed you before?" "Yes sir, a couple." "You need more than a couple. I want you to take half of them down there. The other half are to keep a close eye on all entrances. Get me that food. Javier nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later another man came in with a tray thatt had a loaf of bread, a few fresh veggies, and water. Tristan took it from him and headed down to the wine cellar. The guards posted at the door opened it for him after warning him about thee boy. Tristan rolled his eyes and entered the wine cellar, looking down at the ill state of the boy. "Blood on ash what did you do to the poor boy?" He crouched in front of him and set down the tray. "I'll cut your ropes and see about getting you a little cleaned up, but I need you to promise to stay here just for a little while. I have very important business upstairs and if it doesn't sway in my favor it could be bad for all of us. Can you do that?" He pulled out his knife, waiting for an answer. ((So just as a fair warning, Tristan is trying to help Leon, but if Leon tries to flee he won't hesitate to kill him.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:09:04 -0500

"I can do that" Leon said trying to hold in the pain of his cracked ribs and he looked the other way. "One of your guards took something precious from me, may I have it back?" He asked referring to the set of theives tools that was in his pocket that was the only way he could remember his brother by before he died.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:17:11 -0500

@ After party Seta frowned but nodded. "Hmm. What kind of creature was this Volundr person?" --- @ Wolf Emkai was going to reply, but Aethan motioned to them to keep their voices down and she was obviously struggling with the common tongue again. "I'll ask later," he murmured.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:10:39 -0500

((Dumond is using incredible will power. He cut a man's finger's off for touching Jiya in the caravan. But then that man wasn't a noble.)) @Tunnels to Mansion For such a large man, Finn moved on cat feet. But he cursed to himself about low ceilings and stumpy-legged humans. Holding Gwenlynn in Aethan's ancestral home, he knew they were walking into a trap, He hoped Aethan was right and no one knew of these tunnels. @What's left of the party Jiya left, with Dumond's permission, to return to the band. They were still playing for any of the attendees who were not ready to return home. She sat and picked up a stringed instrument similar to what she knew as a lute and played with them a little getting used to the scale. One of the musicians begged a song from her. It was a tune Dumond had heard her sing countless times, but always in her own language. Now he finally heard the words in a way he could understand. He leaned against a pillar and listened to her sing the love song. She said it had been the pasha's favorite.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:06:07 -0500

((Sorry about the brevity of my last post; headache. Also, I won't be available from the 15 to the 23; going on vacation.)) @ Cell Omaron paced back and forth across the little stone room, willing himself to relax. There was a possibility that Aethan and the others would find a way to send all of them back before a trial was held, wasn't there? And even if it wasn't, he didn't know what the punishment for treason was here. They might not have a death penalty at all. But try as he might to reassure himself, it seemed all too likely this adventure would end with a hangman's noose. Omaron brought his chained hands up toward his face again, rubbing his temples. Thinking like that wasn't going to help ANYONE. The only thing it was likely to accomplish was to give himself an ulcer. Well dearie, if you're that concerned about it and think things are that bleak, I'm sure I could find a way for you to escape this nasty little cell, cooed Shard. Pleasant as the voice was, Omaron found it about as comforting as nails dragging across a slate. Then perhaps we could find some power that WOULD send you on your merry way back to Veliath. I can feel something out there-- "No." Omaron was too tired to care that he'd answered her out loud as he sank down onto the cot. "No, I'm here for a reason anyways." A reason? She scoffed. If by that you mean because some common arrogant mortal calling himself king put you here, then it's a very poor reason. "Actually it's because that 'common arrogant mortal' had a point," he snapped. "He DOESN'T know if you'll betray him again, and by the sound of things he's got every right to be wary of us both." I'm only trying to save your pathetic hide, *dearest*, and stop addressing me verbally. I don't need it. "Well my hide's not worth that much, sorry." Omaron spoke louder, if anything. "I'm not about to sacrifice the well being of... of everyone else just because you--" He felt his muscles tense of their own accord. His back went rigid, his jaw clamping shut, neck stiff. Continuing to speak wasn't an option. Shard was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again, there was a note of vindictive glee in her tone. Oh this IS something new, isn't it? How adorable; for a moment I thought you were trying to protect ALL of them. A nasty little chuckle rattled the inside of his skull. Tell me, dearest, in this little fantasy of yours how does anything wind up working in your favor? If you are cleared of treason, if going your separate ways somehow doesn't come into play, I am still here. If you really care for her, how could you possibly let her be around something as volatile as I am? I could make you do absolutely anything to her, and there'd be nothing you could-- WHAM! Shard's grip on his body faltered in her surprise as somehow Omaron managed to send himself slamming backward into the wall. He sat back up, panting, eyes slightly crossed. "Don't... don't have as much control as you think, do you?" he snarled at the air. He wasn't sure how he'd just slipped out of Shard's power; all he knew was that he was very angry. "You won't do anything to Wolf or anyone else because I'm no use to you dead. Just try it, Shard, just TRY ME and see. What. Happens." With each of the last three words he slammed himself hard into the wall again.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:10:29 -0500

@mansion Tristan smiled at Leon and cut the ropes used to tie the boy. "I will give them back to you as soon as I'm done as lng as you behave meanwhile." He offered the loaf of bread to him. "Deal?" @mansion/tunnel When the group was about to turn into the last passage that lead up to the house he paused, glancing around the corner after dousing hte lamp. He could feel more than see the men ahead, waiting in the darkness. Aethan concentrated harder, trying to see if he could get a number. After a minute he pulled back and shifted closer to the others. "Tristan found the entrance to the passage. There are about fifteen men there. Finn do you have any spells that would allow us to slip past without them noticing? Blindness and silence or something along those lines?" He kept his voice to a whisper, hoping it didn't carry too far. @mansion/upstairs Gwenlynn woke, her head pounding, and it took a moment for her vision to focus. Slowly, she turned her head and looked around, startled to find a man sitting on the edge of her makeshift cot staring down at her. She tried to cry out but something muffled her voice. A gag stuffed in her mouth. She tried to move but her hands and feet were bound. "I'm hoping Lord Tristan gets what he wants tonight, because if he does I just might get what I want too." He smiled crookedly at her and touched her cheek. "Though I am starting to get impatient."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:58:14 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar "Deal" Leon said with a smile on his face and accepted the bread then took a bite out of it. He knew that the bread would quell his hunger for a while but a deal is a deal and he will behave until the man's done with his buisness. Unknown to him there was another person in a similar position as him but he had no way of knowing so he continued to eat the bread given to him

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:19:19 -0500

((I just want to say poor Omaron. Maybe eventually someone can do something to help him.)) @mansion cellar "Good kid." Tristan smiled warmly at Leon. "Just stay here for a bit and I'll get you yourstuff back when I'm done, okay?" Then he stood and walked out of the cell, pausing near the guards at the door. "If he tries to leave again, kill him," he said quietly enough that the boy wouldn't hear him. "Leave teh door open," he called back as he walked upstairs. With that taken care of Tristan headed up to the room Gwenlynn was being held in. When he saw one of his men touching her he walked over and slapped him. "What did I tell you? Get out of here!" He grabbed the man's collar and pulled him up roughly, pushing him toward the door, then he looked down at Gwenlynn. "Sorry about that. I really am. And this situation stink but if your friend has any reason then you will be set free unharmed. For now just be a goodgirl and sit tight. Hopefully this will all be over soon." Gwenlynn glared at him venomously.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:35:49 -0500

((Dumond thinks Tristan is too lenient with his men, he would have taken the dude's hand. )) @Mansion/Tunnel "I have a silence spell...a darkness spell...both are area of affect. I can also cast invisibility, but that is something done to each individual. I could also try a sleep spell, but I'm not sure it would affect all of them." Finn said quietly. Tristan seemed ot be a few steps ahead of Aethan in all of this and Finn did not like it.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:50:01 -0500

((Tristan says a swordsman is no good to him without a hand.)) @mansion/tunnel ((Yes Finn. Tristan was once Aethan's best friend so he knows how his mind works.)) "I think the darkness might be a bit obvious. We want to slip in without notice. Ifthat end went dark they would suspect something." Aethan bit his lip in thought. He glanced at Dayen, who a moment later only shook his head. Well there went that idea. Dayen couldn't tap into anything which meant all magic was dependant on Finn. "If he casts sleep I can deal with whoever is left before they raise alarm," Dayen told Aethan. He did have his knives after all. Harder to use without Air, but he was still deadly with them after al these years of practice. Aehtan nodded. "Okay. So silence us if you can Finn, then try the sleep spell. Dayen get ready. You will have to be quick." Dayne just rolled his eyes and disappeared around the corner, keeping i nthe dark a ta safe distance. No use if he ended up becoming part of Finn's area magic.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:34:20 -0500

((Yeah, but then none of the others will ever give you a problem.)) @Mansion/Tunnel "Once the sleep spell is cast, they will stay unless unless they are touched, so have a care or send someone around to slit their throats." He said matter-of-factly. Finn cast the silence spell disliking the taste of his magic in this world. It seemed to have worked. How long it would last was another matter. He cast the sleep spell immediately after and could hear the thunks of armored bodies hit the ground.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 May 2012 17:11:36 -0500

@mansion tunnel Dayen watched the men with his sharp eyes from the shadows of the tunnel. There were two still standing after the others went down and he acted quickly. They stared for a moment in shock at the men who fell and as they were about to call out both were caught in the throat with one of his knives. He came back to the others and waved them forward. Aethan headed up the tunnel, looking at the downed guards. He wished there was time to tie and gag them all to each other so they couldn't go for help with they woke, but waking them was risky right now. He motioned to the two Dayen killed as Dayen retreieved his knives and wipe the blood on the men's coats. "Let's move them up the tunnel so no one else sees them." He grabbed one with Dayen's help and started to carry him carefully around the bend. Clearcall grabbed another by the arms.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:01:04 -0500

@mansion/cellar Leon decided to sit down with his back to the wall where the door was on the same side and he took another bite out if the bread given to him. He looked at the wall opposite to him and stared at the bread.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:01:32 -0500

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:31:23 -0500

@ Tunnel/Mansion ((Yeah, Omaron deserves a break doesn't he? xD There's something in the works though, don't worry about him too much.)) Emkai moved a little closer to the turn Aethan, Dayen, Finn, and Clearcall had disappeared around. He didn't go around it himself just yet though. It wouldn't do if his hood slipped and suddenly the enemy had a great fiery target to look at.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:55:28 -0500

@After party "He's a f-f-fae..." Sophia murmured, picking up one of the sticks and looking at it closely. "A m-mean f-fae." She added, feeling bold for doing so. @Mansion Wolf winced and hid her shock at how quickly and callously the dark man had killed the two guards. She had seen much death before but she never really got used to it. She looked away slightly while the bodies were being dragged to the side.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:19:17 -0500

((Finn said DON'T touch the sleeping guards--they will wake right up!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:30:16 -0500

((They're moving the two Dayen killed. Not touching the rest.)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:52:49 -0500

((OK, just wanted to make sure no one touches the other guys. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 11 May 2012 07:25:41 -0500

@Palace Rika looked at the startled woman making arrows and tilted her head trying to make sense of what she was talking about. She knew about fae and some were very small with short tempers then she remembered that where her mother worked she was visited by many kinds of fae. (Leon munches on the bread happily after going days without food)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:19:32 -0500

@ Palace Seta frowned and put her stick down. "A... what? We don't have fey in Tavos that I know of. What do they look like? Are there nice fey?" She watched Sophoa closely, waiting for her answer.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:34:02 -0500

@Palace "A f-fae... like..." Sophia thought about it, "Like Miss Gw-Gwenlynn is a fae, or M-Mr C-Clearcall, he's a fae t-too." She looked amazed, "Really? You d-don't have -any-?" She had never heard of such a thing... well, that wasn't quite true. "Maybe you j-just don't see th-them. I d-didn't think there were real f-fae where I c-came from either but..." Sophia shook her head and plucked at the stick. Seta's next question caught her off guard, her first response was to say no but then that wasn't true anymroe, was it? "There are s-some n-nice fae... Myyr was nice." She murmrued. "Miss Gwenlynn and Mr C-Clearcall are n-nice too." She gave Seta a half smile. "I g-guess just m-most of the ones -I've- met ha-haven't been th-the nicest."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:04:43 -0500

@mansion Tristan left a different man with Gwenlynn this time, letting him know that anyone who touched her would suffer a terrible death once this was all done tonight. After he was sure his point was clear he headed back downstairs to wait for Aethan. When he reached the bottom of the broken stairs he sat in a chair he had moved there earlier and waited. One of the men rna over to him. "Magic set off a ward." "Then he's here." Tristan didn't move. Aethan would come to him. --- Once the grouoop was cleared of the tunnel and standing in the storage room Aethan peeked out into the hallway, spotting two guards keeping post at a door. He motioned Dayen forward and without a sound the half-elf threw two of his knives, killing these two men just as he had the other two. "Check the stairs," he whispered to Wolf, then led them out of the room and up the narrow hallway. Immediately they set to work moving the two men, dragging them into the wine cellar. As soon as Dayen saw the boy there he darted over, dropping the man he was dragging, and covered the boy's mouth. "Not a sound and we'll get you out of here," he hissed at the boy. At least he was alive.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:14:54 -0500

Leon was caught off guard as a man darted at him and shut his mouth then he balanced his bread to keep it from falling on the floor. He nodded as he understood the man.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:57:34 -0500

@Mansion Wolf nodded her understanding and went to scout out the stairs, peering up them and listening intently for any sign of people at the other end. She -thought- she could hear murmurs but couldn't tell for certain whether it were just the creaking of the structure or if it really was voices. She didn't feel famliar enough with the houses here to be able to tell what might be suspicious or not. Was that squeak and rustle the wind or a footstep and whisper? It was rather exasperating. She could track things easily enough through woods but this was completely unfamiliar territory...

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:49:42 -0500

Grand. Now they had a boy to protect on top of everything else. This was all feeling too easy for Finn. He cast protection spells on the group. It should protect them from a surprise attack.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:23:09 -0500

@ Tunnel/House/Whatevs Emkai still hung back from the main bulk of the group. Like Finn, he thought that this was going far too smoothly. It made him nervous. His hand stayed on his sword hilt. --- @ Palace "So... like elves? Do they all have pointed ears like that, I wonder..." Seta sat back, looking bemused, before Sophia got her attention again. "Mm? No, I don't think we have them at all. We don't even have stories of elves or fae, you see, just wandering corpses and great horrible bird women and possessed beast-men and shadows that drive you crazy... That's not even counting the stories they have in the East, or the gods and forest spirits the Rusgar talk about." Seta paused. "And it looks like some of those are true anyways, what with Omaron as evidence and all." She seemed to realize she'd gone off topic. "But yes... it sounds like you've had a rough time of things with these fae things and whatnot. Do you have any plans on what to do if you run into bad ones again? Know of any weaknesses they have that can be exploited?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:32:24 -0500

((Sorry I've been a bit lax about popping in here...where should Alis, Kezia, and Kalin be now? Would they have got to the house with Tristan and Gwenlynn in? Where are the others in relation to that?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 12 May 2012 18:29:17 -0500

@Palace (I think that Alis and Sophia were supposed to 'babysit' Rika and I don't know about Kezia and Kalin) Rika's curiousity overwhelmed her because she got the chance to do only one spell before coming to the palace and she wanted to create a ball of light using the spell from her spell book. She held her book in one hand and held out her other hand then recited an arcanic phrase. A bright blue ball of light appeared over her hand and she gazed at it only to notice that the light is significantly weaker than the first time she applied magic. she moved her hand then the ball of light dissapated upon moving

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:23:58 -0500

((I probably won't get a good post in until Monday. Kezia, Kalin, and Alis were meant to follow Tristan so they are likely at or near the mansion outside somewhere. The others are in the process of sneaking up from the basement.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 12 May 2012 21:50:07 -0500

((And they found Leon who was eating a loaf of bread but was suprised))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Sat, 12 May 2012 23:38:07 -0500

((Right. Those of us in the basement are getting ready to emerge. If I'm not around when the fight starts, bunny Finn and have him cast spells and/or fight as you need him to.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:31:47 -0500

@Palace Sophia watched Seta as the woman processed her thoughts on the fae. Her own expression changed into one of horror at the things Seta was describing, she thought it sounded worse than the fae! Seta's question brought her back to the conversation. Shaking her head, she looked down again. "I d-don't know wh-what I'd do. I'm n-not sure they -have- any w-weaknesses." She couldn't think of any.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:40:57 -0500

@ Palace Seta gave her a very concerned look. "Well we can't just send you back there all alone without any way to protect yourself. I mean... maybe, if you wanted to, you could come with me and Emkai. And Omaron, I suppose, though I really don't know what's going to happen to him." She shrugged. "I mean to say, you'd be able to be with a group that way. No one could just... you know."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:09:08 -0500

@Palace Rika closed her book and gave a little pout "I'm so bored" she muttered then she started walking about the palace. She was looking for something to do and maybe she could find a sewing needle with some thread so she could sow together the tears in her own clothes.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:15:50 -0500

@Palace Should she dare even let herself hope? Sophia's eyes widened with amazement... they would- would really let her come with them? To a place where there was no fae at all!? it was an offer she could only have dreamt about! "R-really? I c-could do that? Y-you all w-wouldn't mind?" She asked, disbelief at her own possible good fortune still ringing in her tone.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:11:37 -0500

((Sorry! I know I said I would get a post today but book buyback is tomorrow so I have to make all my notes from my book for the exam before selling it back tomorrow! I'll TRY to get something up tonight after the kids are in bed if at all possible.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:06:02 -0500

((Ok, but I won't be here until late on the 23 of May, or maybe the 24, starting tomorrow. If you guys need Emkai or anyone to do something feel free to bunny them around, though I'd like it if anything involving Omaron's little thing waited until I got back, if at all possible.)) @ Sophia "Not at all," Seta said firmly. "I'd like having you around very much, though I should warn you we're fugitives at the moment. At least, Emkai is. I'm more of a fugitive by association, and Omaron's a hostage, kind of. At any rate we've been trekking through the wilderness for a while, and it is a bit dangerous. Just so you know before hand." She smiled. "I think you'd do well with us though."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:08:50 -0500

((Sorry Buggy! If it makes you feel better I doubt it will move too fast.)) @mansion Aethan looked around at the boy, startled ot see him and the shape he was in. "Stay in here until we'redone up there. It will keep you safer." As he walked toward the stairs with Dayen he looked at the other man. "How do you know he isn't working or Tristan?" "Are you seriously that convoluted? Did you see the shape he was in?" Dayen rolled his eyes. "Be quiet you'll give us away." Dayen brushed shoulders with Wolf as he passed her, giving her a wink and a grin. As they climbed the stairs slowly Aethan kept watch for anyoe coming. Once they reached the top he paused, looking around before waving the others along. They crept through the house room by room searching for Gwenlynn. Finally they reached the foyer and Aethan looked around, seeing Tristan sitting calm as could be. Was he expecting him? "Be ready Dayen, Finn." Aethan took a breath and stepped out ot face Tristan. "I was wondering how much longer it would take you to sneak into your own house," Tristan commented without looking at Aethan. "Come to give me the crown?" "I came for Gwenlynn. And I want to know why you of all people have betrayed me." Aethan moved to stand in front of Tristan. The other man stood and shook his head. "Really? Perfect Atehan Havorilus. Like I really wanted to live in your shadow my entire life." Tristan had a look of pure anger in his eyes. "What makes you any more fit ot be king than me anyway? Blood? I think history has proven blood is hardly relevant to the quality of the man." "Oh and you've shown great quality tonight, haven't you?" Aethan retorted. ((Trying ot creat an upswing here somehow. But here's something that hopefully will help get us started?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:39:59 -0500

@Mansion/cellar Leon struggled to stand up and held his side as the pain of the cracked ribs pierced into his soul. 'I will not cry, not even to those adults' he thought defiently and looked out of the cellar to see the guards that beat him lying on the floor. he didn't know what to make of the situation and why the other people were acting strangely but then again he is a boy who left the orphanage to live on his own. His plan didn't go so well since he was captured after his first few successes at lock picking. @Palace Rika continued walking around the palace and found herself back at the upper great hall then she looked around in confusion.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:18:02 -0500

@Mansion ((Ooh, sorry, Leon, Finn didn't realized how badly you were hurt, so...)) While Dayen and Aethan spoke, Finn went to the boy. His spells were still in place so he would know if the lad was lying to him. "I can heal your injuries." He told him getting down on one knee to see him better. "But tell me how you came to be here. This is not the safest place for anyone right now." ---- Finn raised his eyebrows at Dayen's actions. Now was not the time for flirting. He followed the others and when he saw Tristan recognized him as the man he had detected evil from earlier. Was this another of Acebrity's minions, or did he simply want the crown for himself? At times like these all sorts of men would step in to try and seize power, they did not need the goading of a goddess to do so.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:30:31 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar Leon was mentally arguing back and forth either to tell the man who claims to be able to heal his injuries the truth or flat out lie to him then a few seconds went by. His conscience won the arguement by default and he sighed saying "I came from one of the windows here then I got caught looking for food" he then finished off the last bite of bread given to him by one of the kinder adults. Dispite his kindness towards the man in front of him he still harbored a special hatred towards adults and it seemed like the only kind of people he could trust was kids his age.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:59:00 -0500

@Mansion Wolf didn't think it was a time for being coy either and wondered at the flirtation. Her skin did flush pink though at the wink, the smirk made her stomach flip. She glanced away quickly, trying to focus on the task at hand. She took a defensive stance when she saw that young noble already there and waiting for them.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:10:00 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar Before Finn left Finn cast his healing spell on the boy, mending his hurts. Then Finn fished out bread from his bread bag and handed a small loaf to the boy. "I'm Finn. What do you call yourself?" ((Leon should feel good as new now. And the bread is filling and nutritious but rather bland. So it should fill Leon as if he had an entire meal.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:15:04 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar "Leon..."Leon said taking the small loaf of bread and started eating it then he noticed that it tasted diffrently than the other kinds of bread he ate, it had a bland tasting filling. He continued to eat nonetheless and he was wondering who the other two men were. @Palace Rika walked the other way to find herself in a nicely decorated hallway more suited for the taste of a noble and she didn't care for it so she continued to walk around the palace. she felt that there was alot of change going on in the past few days and she wanted some time to think it over.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:26:53 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar "Leon, stay here and stay safe. Someone will come fetch you when this is over." Finn told him. "The guards who look like they are sleeping have a spell on them. DO NOT touch them or the spell will be broken. If they treated you so poorly before, I am sure they will not treat you kindly the second time around." Then Finn joined the others. ((which catches this up to the rest of the thread and makes Finn happy that a youth is not wallowing in pain and hunger in the cellar.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:02:51 -0500

@Mansion/Cellar 'You don't have to worry about them, if one of them wakes up I'll to something that shouldn't be done to a man' Leon thought with a mischevious smile and stood around the two sleeping men but out of arm's reach. He didn't care much for anything else but he desperately wanted his precious theives tools back. (Lol, If one of the men were to wake up he would feel quite a suprise smacking his crotch)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:43:31 -0500

((wah, where is everyone?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:59:21 -0500

((lol! I'm still here, Wolf's waiting for orders from Aethan about what to do, Sophia's conversing with Seta (who is frozen in time until the 23rd at least.) and Alis is with Kezia and Kalin... well, I guess they're tailing Tristan too, though I'm not sure what should be done with them...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:55:23 -0500

((Yeah...I've not been entirely sure what to do with Kalin and Kezia. Although since Tornica is watching the house from the outside (I think?) they could run into him. I'll start the ball rolling with that and we can see if we can slot them back into the action)) "This is the house," Kezia said when they drew close. "I can feel the magic I put on him lingering there." "Wonderful," Kalin said, eyeing the house with distaste. "Now how do we go about getting in? If he is in there and has Gwenlynn captive it's not exactly going to be unguarded. And no offence Alis but I'm not happy about trying to storm a place with only your sword for back up." "Kalin? Is that you?" Kalin whipped round to see Tornica emerging from a hiding place not too far away. "What are you doing here?" "We're keeping an eye on Tristan. What's your excuse?" "Much the same," Tornica said. "Aethan and the others went to use this tunnel thing that would get them into the house. They went down it a little while ago but I've got heard any sounds of a fight coming from inside yet."

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:55:00 -0500

@Palace Rika continued wandering around the palace with her book held tightly in her arms and a curious look on her face. she wanted to do something adventurous but because of her age that was the only thing she could do and she didn't want to sit around all day. @Mansion/Cellar Leon ignored the guards and decided to sit around the room waiting for the return of Tristan or Finn. He got what he was looking for but he was going to be satisfied for only a while until he had to look for another place that had food.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:42:13 -0500

((Sorry! Please please bear with me. I'm done with school and prowling for jobs before we're broke so this week may be a little crazy but I will try to get you something as soon as I can!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:37:33 -0500

(alright)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:11:43 -0500

((Good luck with your job hunt Star!! :) )) @Outside mansion "Ha!" Alis retorted to Kalin's comment, "Then you've never really had the chance tosee me fight properly with my sword." She said, sounding insulted by the mere thought that she couldn't take on and defeat at least ten men with just her sword. "I'm not sure that no news is good news in this situation then..." Alis admitted, looking up at the mansion. Sometimes -too- quiet was a bad thing.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:34:19 -0500

((Finn really wants to see Alis take on 10 men by herself. :) Does she have red hair? I have a vague memory that she's blonde.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:38:25 -0500

((Unfortunately for Finn, no, she's got very very blonde hair. lol!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Tue, 22 May 2012 22:50:20 -0500

((I thought Alis was blonde. He might make an exception though. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:03:19 -0500

((He can be swayed!!?? le gasp! lol! Alis is getting restless again.)) @Outside mansion Alis sighed impatiently, she had little use for waiting around and seeing what would happen. Hand on her hilt, she started toward the house. "I'm tired of hiding in the shadows like a rat in a hole... Nothing like a direct approach." She said to the others, keeping an eye out for any movement. She had dealt with worse things then a few men guarding a kidnapped woman. She had no doubt this would be easier than the others were thinking. @Inside mansion Wolf kept her hand on her dagger and wished the dress had a space where her stomach was so she could call out her wolves... she always felt safer with them around. She discreetly reached into her pouch and pulled out a morsel of the charmed bread, popping it into her mouth so she could understand more fully what was going on, though it -was- quite obvious.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 May 2012 00:23:56 -0500

((Back guys, but now I'm crashing. Will try to get a post in tomorrow.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:03:05 -0500

((Okay let's get this action started. Sorry for my delay. I had finals then job hunting (which isn't done yet but I got a really nice start on it). Anyway. I want to start working us toward the end. This will make Acebrity look like a kitty cat if it goes the way I'm hoping it will :) )) Aethan shook his head. "Tristan I trusted you. Everyone did-" "They still do. No one knows about this and they never will. What they will elarn in the morning is that their insolent king ran off to fight whne he should have left it to others, and he met his match again, only this time he didn't win." Tristan stood and stared Aethan down. "Give me the crown and I will make sure the city is safe." "Safe from what? Are you threatening to kill me then? This is what we have come to? You and I have been best friends, inserperable for the better part of our lives. You were going to marry my sister!" Aethan moved toward Tristan. "And then you got her killed." Tristan nodded and Aethan looked past his shoulder to see a group of men approaching him. The shadows in the foyer flickered and wavered and by the time Aethan realized what was going on it was too late. Shadowmen filled the corridor, surrounding Finn, Wolf, Dayen, and the others. Dayen groaned out loud as he dropped knives into his hands. This was so much more difficult than it would have been if he could use Air. But the only way to get it back was by Linking ot someone else with power and he wasn't about to make that sort of commitment. Aethan moved toward the others but Tristan cut him offf, pulling out his sword and nearly gutting Aethan in the process. Out in the streets the sound of a strange whispering could be heard around the house, like a mass of quiet voices slowly moving toward the mansion.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Dragon-Mage — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:26:17 -0500

Kalin's ears twitched. All of a sudden the night had come alive. Every shadow sounded like it was whispering to them. "Can anyone else hear that?" Kezia asked quietly, glancing nervously over her shoulder. "I'm afraid so," Kalin said. "I'm in full agreement with Alis, definitely past time for a more direct approach." He gave her a little bow. "What would you suggest you do my lady? As a captain I think you outrank any of us. And I've certainly never tried assaulting a house before." "Barrel into the door and knock it down?" Tornica suggested, drawing his sword. "Knock over anyone that tries to get in the way?"

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:23:55 -0500

Emkai had been sitting quietly listening to the others talking up until now, waiting on edge for someone to make a wrong move. He'd felt very uneasy about Tristan's behavior and assumed (as everyone else probably had) that this was a trap of some sort. What he hadn't expected was for Shadowmen to flood the hall at the man's beckoning. "Cinders," he growled, pulling off his cloak as quickly as he could and then his shirt. These things might not like him much, but the others didn't have the same protection of light and heat as he did. And if the Shadowmen were able to take down the humans first, surely their numbers would overwhelm him. He glowered at Tristan as a surge of anger went through him. What was with all these idiot humans allying themselves with supernatural creatures that would crush them as soon as they were no longer useful?

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:05:43 -0500

Inside the mansion things rapidly descended into chaos as Tristan casually climbed the stairs to go see to Gwenlynn. At some point Aethan would follow but for now Acebrity's little pets would keep the king away.When Emkai shed his cloak and shirt the shadowmen shied back, whispered shrieks filling the air. Their hesitation didn't last long. Instead they moved toward the others. Aethan found himself surrounded, seperated from the others. He noticed the direction Tristan headed and new he had to go that way as well. "Up the stairs!" he called to the others as he fought his way toward the stairs, struggling for every inch he gained. A few cuts caught him here or there and he prayed they were not poisned blades like last time. "Tristan you coward! Stop hiding and face me like a man! Prove to me that you're worthy of the crown!" He bellowed it out toward the stairs as he strugled to strike at the formless shadowmen that moved around him, attacking. He didn't even know how may there were. Outside the sound began to grow louder and louder until people started peeking out windows and some screamed in terror at the noise.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:36:57 -0500

@Mansion interiror/Cellar Leon stood up and looked around worrying about the sounds of shrieks and the bellowing of a man's voice echoing through the stairs then loud enough to reach the cellar. He knew he had to get his theives' tools and get out quick but he remembered something that stopped him from leaving the room then he stood over one of the guards, examining what they were carrying to see what he could make use of. He grinned thinking of what he could do with them and began making a scheme in which he could recover his brother's momento in a way that is the most fun.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

jezebellydancer — Thu, 24 May 2012 18:24:46 -0500

((We're talking about a man who will do other (warrior) men in a pinch, so I think he could have his heard turned by a blonde who is good with a sword.)) ((LOL Dayen won't even make a magical commitment.)) Finn cursed under his breath and readied a spell to cast some bright lights in the room. He hoped it would interfere with the Shadows, give them fewer places to hide. Their protections should last and he could always sing and fight to cast the protections again. Any first attack should miss, but once people started fighting back they would have to rely on his other spells. He prayed to Brigid for strength and protection, especially from Acebrity. He had no doubt she was involved in this. Finn cast his spell and sent a number of glowing balls of light around the room. And then another. It should leave few and very small shadows for the Shadowmen to use. He pulled out his sword. ((And I've already forgotten what works against the Shadows. Finn's sword has a water affinity. If Dayen needs Air, Finn can probably conjure up a whirlwind for him.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:04:36 -0500

Emkai grasped his sword in ungloved hands, sending a shaft of fire down the edge. Everyone was doomed if Acebrity showed up anyways; might as well make good use of his one advantage until she did. He slashed out at the closest Shadowmen, tense, ready and watching for their response.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:17:38 -0500

((lol! I didn't think it was that funny until you made that comment about Dayen's commitment, Jez. XD )) @Inside Mansion Wolf gasped when the shadow men appeared, taking a step back when one came suddenly close to her and bumped into Dayen. She barely spared a glance his way, instead pulling out her dagger and darting at the ones that came close, jabbing quickly with her knife before darting back away once again. One got too close and reached out, slashing at her, she gritted her teeth and jumped back, cursing inwardly at the cumbersome dress. Glancing down, she saw there was a gash in the dress, thanking whatever gods there were for small miracles, she called out her wolves, through the gap in the fabric they should be able to get out, she hoped. They appeared beside her, hackles raised and teeth bared, leaping at the attackers. @Outside mansion Alis covered her ears and looked around, "What the hell is that?" She called loudly to the others, it couldn't be anything good. "Shit." She muttered and started to run to the main entrance of the mansion, reaching the door and yanking at it roughly. She turned to see if the others had followed. "A little help?" She shouted impatiently.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:58:12 -0500

@Cellar/Mansion (It's almost pay-back time for the guards treating him) Leon looked down at the spell-trapped guards and the urge to make them feel miserable increased then he carefully slid one of their swords out of the ties that bounded it to their pants. He then picked up the rope that was cut off of him and quickly bounded their hands then their ankles. He then jogged to the farthest corner of the cellar and prepared to make a brutal strike to the knocked out guards' crotch.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:40:28 -0500

((Uh, that'll make them wake up. :\ ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

mario5157 — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:06:41 -0500

(But in pain and they're tied up)

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:08:35 -0500

((Shouldn't they have woken up as soon as the ropes touched their skin? And isn't there something more... constructive your character would like to be doing?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:10:18 -0500

((I think they would have woken up right when they were touched or moved...))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:56:04 -0500

((I think it's the guards in the room with him, who are already dead though so they wouldn't really feel anything, though it might make Leon feel better.But yes, the other guards down in the tunnel would wake up as soon as they were touched because of the sleep spell finn put on them.)) As Alis tried ot pull open the door it burst open and the men who were guarding inside came charging out but they had no interest in the group. They ran straight past them and bolted for the streets. As they disappeared up the street the sound of their shouts rang out in the night and a moment later they fell silent. --- Gwenlynn was struggling with the rope that bound her to the bed, wrists bleeding and ankles raw, when Tristan walked into the room. She could hear the sounds in the streets and it scared her, unable to remember the last time she was this frightened before. "What have you done?" she breathed. "It ends when Aethan gives in, and so far he isn't bending which doesn't look good for you," Tristan stayed near the door, looking at the shadow in the corner. It moved and the light in the room flickered and darkened. --- The shadowmen pulled back as Finn's light joined Emkai's, still circling the group to keep them from the others, waiting for more to come. Dayen noticed some of the shadows shift and he realized they were headed toward the stairs. "The boy," he mumbled, moving in that direction as best he could, keeping to the light. Aethan fought his way toward the stairs, managing ot reach the bottom when he heard a scream from upstairs. "Gwenlynn!" No! He wasn't going to lose her again! In a rage something burst from him and the shadowmen in the room shrieked and fell back, Aethan darting up the stairs two at a time, sword in hand. --- The shadows in the cellar moved and the shadowmen closed in, targeting the boy. ((Just so Leon knows, shadowmen are sort of ethereal forms made of darkness and shadows and can only move through shadows. So he isn't likely to successfully fight against them. Right now everyone is struggling to survive.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Nagats-e — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:42:08 -0500

@Outside Mansion "What in the nine hells..." Alis muttered, she had jumped into a defensive stance when the door had flung open but the men had fled past without the slightest glance, merely pushing her out of the way to get past her more quickly. The adrenaline in her was slowing and she couldn't help feeling annoyed at the lack of action. "Bloody idiots..." She mumbled, frowning and edging her way into the house. It was dark... dark and quite ominous, she heard a scream echo from somewhere and hastened in the direction, only managing to slam into a table and nearly fall over. Thankfully the dress was good for something.. cushioning. She gritted her teeth and kicked the table aside, heading further into the mansion. ((Not sure where the others are in relation to the front door?)) @Fighting Shadowmen ((Wolf keeps telling me she has things that I didn't know she has... I'm like, tell me you have these things so people don't think I'm just making it up on the spot. She gives me a mysterious look at that and hides her pouch... it's not fair! :S I wanna see. One of these days I'm going to wrestle that thing away from her just to see for myself. Anyway... here's another of her secrets.)) Wolf was backing away, herded into a shadowy corner. She could only see the flickering of shadows like a glimpse of something from the corner of her eye that was there and then gone jut as quickly. She didn't know what to do! Her wolves were separated from her, she could hear them growling and could almost hear their teeth snapping. She saw how the Shadowmen were keeping away from Emkai, the Fireman's flames making him visible in the dim light. Was it the fire or the light that kept them away? Wolf gambled and snatched up her pouch from her skirts and plucked out an opaque white stone that seemed to shimmer in even the dimmest light. She cracked it hard against the beam behind her and a flash of light appeared briefly before fading away. She did it again, then once more and a crack appeared in the stone, the light shining through it. She aimed it at the shadows and was relieved to see them shriek and back away.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

scd250 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:12:44 -0500

This part of town didn't look familiar at all. The air was significantly less dry and dusty than usual and to be honest, Aegan wasn't too fond of it at all. As a matter of fact he wasn't too fond of being alone, either--things were much more intimidating without his usual gang of street vermin. He smiled at the thought of them all--Jacques, he had talent with the vendors, a charming smile, and when it came to stealing things he was ruthless. Emma with the peach-colored wings, not so useful as of yet but she was a pretty face and at times that came to be useful. Aral, not the brightest bulb but if the boy couldn't move. Rose, cunning as quicksilver and sharp as the thorns on her namesake. More he knew less well. They looked up to him like an older brother, really, despite the fact that Rose and Aral both were older than he was and Jacques, damn if the boy even knew his own age. Abandoned at an early age, that one. Ah, well, if he couldn't make something of this then there was something wrong, he supposed. It didn't bother him much, to be honest. He walked along for a bit, perusing buildings, then eventually, as if he knew exactly where he was going, he ducked into one: a busy tavern full of people that seemed to be waiting for...something, or other. He took a seat and examined his surroundings without a word. ((I may add one or two of the aforementioned characters. I'm actually thinking of making this pre-story this year's nano.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:32:35 -0500

((No you're right, don't worry)) Emkai hesitated, then walked slowly over to the man he'd been watching. His style of clothing at least seemed familiar, and he seemed rather interested in him and his traveling companions. "I... hope I'm not intruding," he said carefully, "but do you know where we are?" Omaron took a seat at the bar just in time for the man next to him to start telling thin air to shut up. Giving him an odd look, he scooted over on his seat. Seta, meanwhile, wandered aimlessly through the milling people, staring a little too openly at all the unfamilar appearances.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:41:13 -0500

((Yeah I noticed that. :/ Should I go back up and space it out since our edit button is gone?))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:13:19 -0500

@Nagats-e ((Curse this lack of an edit button, I've made so many typos on the forums already!))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 03:43:46 -0500

Vanya "Yes, I know your name." She drew a bit closer again. "Morgan Rook, 27... no... 28 years old. And you've got quite a history, don't you?" Vanya's deep blue eyes narrowed as she delved a bit deeper in Morgan Rook's fascinating history. "You've spent such a long time in the hospital. People thought you were ill, but really... don't you think they thought you were just crazy? What would people here say if they knew about your past... and the things you've done?" Her pale face was almost like that of an ice queen as she smiled her cold little smile at Morgan. "Spooky, isn't it, how I know so much about you. And so unfair, because you know so little about me. Do you still think it's good to meet me?" ((I forgot to close the tag... >>; ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:59:44 -0500

((And I'm half asleep while typing this, obviously. >>; "a lot of questions" should have been "a lot of trouble".))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

goblingirl — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 05:24:25 -0500

((Sorry, parents made me sleep >.> I'll reply in a bit. Also the bunnying thing stands for my lot too))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Chumsy17 — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:06:32 -0500

((Seconding the update, hope you get the job! (: ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:10:32 -0500

((I'm still with both at the tavern, though Vanya's ready to leave with Omaron, Emkai and Seta. Laurian's trying to get Wolf into leaving the place as well, but I might have her talk and drag Sophia along first. So yeah, as far as I know, Wolf and Sophia are still at the tavern as well? I don't really know about the rest, but some seem to have left the tavern and are on their way to the empty mansion Clearcall or Gwenlynn told them about.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:39:58 -0500

((Before you disappear entirely for your busy stuff... shall I let them arrive at the manor in my next post? :) And i don't mind if it takes time, I think we all have busy real lives. :D))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:09:10 -0500

((A conversation about elves and dragons? I think that's about the most important thing I can think of that happened inside the manor. And they're trying to light fires. :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:29:57 -0500

((Yes, pretty much. Seta's one of those people who it's kind of hard to tell if she's talking to herself or soemoen else or one person or several, but that question is aimed at anyone with pointy ears.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

lenihanfighter — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:46:28 -0500

((I think you missed Sicilia? Oh, that'd be very perfectly balanced then. Oo Nine guys, nine girls.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 22:39:45 -0600

@ Jez Seta shook her head hastily. "No, you don't understand. He'd get angry because, er, he thinks slavery is wrong. His people have a lot of trouble with this tribe that abducts their children and... well you can understand why he'd be angry about that. I'm a bit more ambivalent about it myself, I mean, they had entertainers like you in Edra. They weren't nearly as talented as you I think, but there you are." She stiffened and looked up at Liandra when she entered.

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:12:43 -0600

((It was a joke referring to warming him up or something, so no big deal.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:10:50 -0600

((SHOCK :O ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:36:56 -0500

((You know Shard all too well Jez.))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Buggy — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:51:18 -0500

((and good luck! :) ))

Re: Divica: Fantasy

Star Davies — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:43:01 -0500

Edit. ((I will also try and wind this down as soon as possible because we are obviously reaching that point anyway. So... the end is near!))