Children of the Gods: The Princess and the Dragon (IC)

[KirayaTiDrekan]

The seamstress' eyes go wide at the brazen comments of Jhadzia and Darius and many of the townsfolk start whispered gossiping while others turn red and look away in embarrassment. The seamstress finally blurts out, "Well, I never. I just...you...oh, by all the gods and goddesses, get in here so I can get you into your dress, you uncouth heathen!"

Sebastian's gaze looks past Mort, to the barbarians in the town square. He returns to Lord Mort's side, "The people of the plains are here, my lord. Custom dictates that you greet their elder formally, though your father was often...how shall I say...one to disregard that tradition. He found them barely tolerable at the best of times." Sebastian's tone suggests that he agreed with Mort's father's assessment.

Darius notes that his mentor, the tribe's elder, has noticed the village lord in the crowd. A scowl crosses his mentor's features and Darius recalls tales of the treatment the tribe had received at the hands of the previous Lord, Samuel de Vicomte.

Leaf sees several young women in formal dresses milling about near the village stage, waiting for the ceremony to begin. There are only ten at the moment, suggesting that there are three still left to arrive based on Sebastian's comments earlier.

 

[Dariusknight]

Darius raised his eyebrow at his mentor's scowl, that's something new, normally his mentor has much better control over his emotions than Darius does. He glances at Mort and eyes the Lord, not all that impressed, and he moves to his mentor's side as they wait for the Lord to either greet them or not.

 

[Skarsgard]

Jhadzia

"I didn't realise you'd be such a prude." Jhadzia murmers to the seamstress. "Surely a wordly woman such as yourself has been around the block a few times, as they say." she adds with a wink.

Laughing at the older womans discomfort she smiles to herself and stands still while the ghastly dress is fitted.

 

[JustinCase]

Mort

Upon hearing a voice nearby, Mort frowns. "I am not in the habit of discussing politics with those who have not introduced themselves, let alone those who wish to remain unseen. Although your probably magical invisibility evokes my curiosity, your words alone are not enough. Show yourself, or be content to watch." With that, the Lord of Aavenloche turns away and towards Sebastian.

"Why did my father disregard customs, considering the people of the plains? Are they not inhabitants of these lands?" Mort tries to understand the reasoning, because for him, matters of personal opinion or even hygiene could distract from the essentials, in this case the unity of Aavenloche and its surrounding lands and, therefore, the continued existence of the noble family.

Not waiting for Sebastian's reply, Mort steps towards the plainsfolk and offers a slight bow to the apparent elder. "Welcome, people of the plains, to the town of Aavenloche. I hope your stay is pleasant and that old bonds can be renewed." Looking at the faces of all the individual plains people, Mort notices something odd, just beyond his senses, from a young barbarian lad, and his gaze locks on the boy's eyes for a bit longer than the others. Trying not to be rude, Mort quickly regains himself and turns his attention back to the tribe elder, awaiting his response.

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

OOC: [MENTION=15132]Steve Gorak[/MENTION], are you still with us?

The tribal elder looks at Mort with a mixture of surprise and respect. He nods his head in acknowledgement, "We accept your welcome. You do us honor by accepting our goods in trade." With the formal greeting out of the way, he speaks more candidly, "I see you are a better diplomat than your father, or perhaps a better politician." There is no cynicism in his words, just the bluntness of his people. Darius, knowing his mentor as he does, also notes a hint of sharpness to the old man's tone...he's baiting the young lord to see how he'll respond.

The seamstress grumbles and makes sure to lace the corset a little too tightly, "There. You can go join the others. Though if you're picked I fear you may insult the dragon and doom us all."

Jhadzia is ushered into the line of other maidens. She notes that she is the 11th to arrive, meaning there are still two unaccounted for. There's still about 20 minutes left before the ceremony is to begin, however.

 

[JustinCase]

Mort

Giving a slight nod to the words of the tribal elder, Mort replies, "I can only hope to improve our bonds, to mutual benefit. My father was a great man, but I make my own decisions and that includes renewing the friendly relationship to all the people of Aavenloche and its surrounding lands."

Gesturing to the crowded place, the Lord continues, "But please, feel at home and enjoy the festivities."

Mort lingers for a moment longer to see if the plainsfolk need anything else, but otherwise moves back to the stage to prepare his speech.

 

[Steve Gorak]

Mort lingers for a moment longer to see if the plainsfolk need anything else, but otherwise moves back to the stage to prepare his speech.

Leaf waits for Mort to be in a secluded area, and shows himself. The small fairy is floating at eye level about 5 ft away from the lord of Avenloche. His demeanor is that of curious naiveté, with no intended threat and no aggression displayed. "Dear sir, my apologies for not showing you proper respect and remaining invisible, but I have found that your kind is often distressed when I show myself." He proceeds to bow with decorum. "I am Leaf of the forest, honored to be in your presence, and quite curious to understand more of this gruesome annual ritual"

 

[Dariusknight]

Darius makes a face at his mentor's words, but keeps it well hidden from Mort, well, at least one of the lowlanders understands that not everything in the land comes strictly from "civilized" hands. His respect for the young lord does grow somewhat however, as the baiting by his mentor passes him by and Darius murmurs to his tribal elder, "He seems... adequate, at least in that unlike his father he's willing to pay lip service to us and our customs."

 

[Skarsgard]

Jhadzia

Standing head and shoulder above the rest of the maidens, Jhadzia looks awkward and uncomfortable in her dress. Looking down the line at the fresh-faced young girls she smiles at the closest one.

"I'm pretty new to this, have any of you had to do this before?" she asks. "Or is it a case of if you stand once, you no longer have to be concerned?"

Now that she is on the stage, Jhadzia is appreciating the reality of maybe being chosen as a "sacrifice" for the dragon. One thing she knew, was there was no way she would go meekly to her death. If she was sent, she would fight! Smiling to herself, which to others might look like a feral grin, she nods and clasps her holy symbol.

 

[JustinCase]

One raised eyebrow is the only sign that Mort is surprised by the appearance of Leaf.

"You're one of the fey people, if I'm not mistaken. It's an honor to meet you, Leaf; my name is Mortimer and I am the Lord of Aavenloche and its surrounding lands. Welcome to the festival, although it surprises me that you do not seem to know of the ritual that has kept our lands safe for generations. It is a simple matter of appeasing the dragon." Mort intentionally keeps his personal opinion from his tone and expression; first he wants to know what the pixie thinks about it.