Defenders of Daybreak, The Early Years.
- Thread starter Sialia
- Start date
Sito Rotavele
First Post
Sialia said:
Me too, and I'm so glad someone cast Command: POST on you Siala. It's so great to have you share your gifts via the boards. Great scenes, and phenomenal dialogue! I could see their faces.
And what with the lack of summoned creatures driving the pumps, Cadrienne (and Dylly) are sure to make a killing in the 'Sink!
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Sialia
First Post
Hmm. Hadn't considered that angle. This was all written so long ago . . . but it certainly DOES seem like an opportune time to be posting it, doesn't it? Since the events that took place here took place before the Defenders went underground--or really shortly after they began the trek to the White Kingdom anyway--there's even reasonable chance that some of the pump brokering happened before the recent events took place . . . unless Piratecat had other plans, of course.
Quick show of hands--how many of the Defenders would rather see 'Sink sink?
Ah. Thought as much.
Several more things have occurred to me about this story. There are a few more pieces missing that never got posted--I'm sure I wrote a scene with Arcade and Dylrath entitled "Flying Lessons" but I can't seem to find a copy of it anywhere.
Right after I get my paper and oral report finsihed for my class Saturday, I'll have a go at reconstructing that.
And there's one more chunk with Teliaz drafted, and another bit where Dylrath confronts himself in the mirror room, and a scene with Tomtom that I'll have to post facto in somewhere . . . .
Stay tuned!
Quick show of hands--how many of the Defenders would rather see 'Sink sink?
Ah. Thought as much.
Several more things have occurred to me about this story. There are a few more pieces missing that never got posted--I'm sure I wrote a scene with Arcade and Dylrath entitled "Flying Lessons" but I can't seem to find a copy of it anywhere.
Right after I get my paper and oral report finsihed for my class Saturday, I'll have a go at reconstructing that.
And there's one more chunk with Teliaz drafted, and another bit where Dylrath confronts himself in the mirror room, and a scene with Tomtom that I'll have to post facto in somewhere . . . .
Stay tuned!
Sialia
First Post
p[laceholder
"Tel. There you are. Man, you are a tough guy to find. I've been
looking all over. I found something for you--I wanted to show
you. Here," Dylrath toseed Teliaz a small, pale green, glass globe. It looked rather like a fishing weight.
Teliaz plucked it from the air like a throwing dagger and looked at it dubiously.
"Look at it. Look into it. You want to see this."
Suspiciously, Teliaz peered into the glass globe. It was empty, except for a swirl of color. After a moment, the swirl of yellow and blue resolved itself into two horizontal bands, with a green stripe between them.
A sky, the sea, a beach. Somewhere.
Teliaz looked closer.
There on the beach, skimming across the dunes. Dylrath? No, a girl. A girl on a bright pink and orange outgrabe, wearing a very nearly obscene black leather outfit, skimming over the dunes and doing phenomenal turns at the crest of each hill.
With a dancer's grace she pirouetted and made the board flip in mid air. Impossibly, the girl and the board reconnected and rode out the momentum down the other side of the slope.
Teliaz leaned forward, peering into the globe wondering if she would come back.
She did.
From the crest of the dune she popped way up into the air, tumbling in a tuck position with one hand steadying the board and fringes flying in every direction. Her face was completely covered by a black mask, its ribbons fluttering in the air among the mass of her chestnut hair, but her figure and her grace, her daring, were heart stoppingly beautiful.
Again, she drove down one side of a dune and then arced way up into the sky, spraying sand at the crest of the hill and then turning and . . . and something caught, dragged where it shouldn't have, and the pink outgrabe skidded loose, flipping over and over from pink side to orange side, and the girl tumbled into a catastrophic flurry of sand and dust, vanishing from sight as the globe filled with a pale yellow smear of nothingness, vanishing into empty green.
Teliaz looked up at Dylrath. "What happened to her?"
Dylrath shrugged. “Two possibilities: she pulled out a controlled landing and got up and walked away, or she's lying broken and mangled on the other side of that hill. Which way would you
have wanted it to come out?”
Teliaz stared back at the ball and didn’t answer. "Is she real?" he asked at last.
"Not yet.” Dylrath said slowly, temporizing. “Part truth, part illusion, I think. She's a possibility. I did some divination work for you. You know, what it would look like if things go right for you. Divination is tricky stuff. It's the future as it might be. Maybe.”
Teliaz nodded. "Right. She doesn't exist, but she ought to exist.”
Dylrath sighed. “I'd give a whole lot to make that girl real, even if she never looked at me. That's what being a god is all about, isn't it? Reshaping the world to your own desires. Mortals, we can only reshape ourselves, and paint pretty pictures. But gods, gods can make it happen. Really happen. And if you're gonna do it, then by god, build some reality worth having."
“I could make her?” Teliaz pondered.
Dylrath shrugged. "It takes time and a whole lot of patience to teach somebody to ride like that. And the student has to want to do it . . . You can't force someone to love riding that much."
"Show me it again," Teliaz demanded.
"Sorry,” Dylrath apologized. “I only had one vision stored in that globe. I could get you another, but it'd take me a few minutes to cast it, and it might not be quite the same one. And I think I'd have to charge you something for it."
"Such as?"
"If you decide to go through with your Dad's scutwork, don't start with me. I'm sick of the hostage bait routine, and the Defenders aren't likely to fall for it again anyway. Or at least, if ya gotta kill me, just do it clean out, don't make me into a trap for 'em again. It's embarassing. Deal?"
"Deal."
"And no messing with my stuff while I'm busy casting."
"Agreed."
Dylrath rubbed his hands together and pulled out some components. He closed his eyes, mumbled a few words and began making passes with his hands over the globe. A small light flickered deep within the globe, a small spinning spark. A faint smell filled the air, like sandalwood, roses and jasmine. Dylrath focused deeper, and the spark inside the globe disappeared, although the smell remained. Without opening his eyes he lifted up the globe and offered it on his open palm to Teliaz.
Teliaz looked into the globe, half expecting a trap, and hoping
desperately to catch a glimpse of the Outgrabing Girl again. The globe seemed dark and empty.
And then he felt something. Something like a hand pushing on his chest. A small warm hand, pushing gently.
He looked down, but there was nothing there.
The smell of the incense was very strong, and something soft brushed against his cheek and touched his mouth gently. Something soft and warm, like skin, like . . . lips? Is that what lips felt like? He could feel the breath from her nose. He pulled away from the confusing sensation and the girl's mouth followed him, wet and gentle, and very insistent. Her tongue licked his lips, and her teeth briefly and gently held his lower lip as her hand slid up his neck to caress his scalp. His lips and neck and scalp which had never been touched by a mortal hand that hadn't immediately withered and rotted away from contact with his oozing, pustuled, poisonous skin.
The girl's soft body pressed up against his chest, and he could, just for a moment feel the whole shape of her against him, her arms around him, her lips on his lips and her hand in his hair.
And then she was gone.
The scent lingered.
Dylrath blinked a few times. "Anything?" he said, opening his eyes, peering into the empty globe and shaking it a few times. "Peeyew, what a stink. I hate olfactory divinations. Virtually useless. Unless you've got a talking dog around to interpret 'em for you. Sorry guy, I tried. The spell's experimental. I never know what I'm gonna get out of it."
Dylrath polished the globe a few times and stuffed it into a padded pouch. "That's all I've got in that line for today. I can try again later, I should live so long.”
“You ok, man?"
Teliaz stepped away, shaken. “Yeah,” he said disractedly. “Look, I gotta go . . .”
“’Scool,” Dylrath said. “Drop by whenever.”
"Tel. There you are. Man, you are a tough guy to find. I've been
looking all over. I found something for you--I wanted to show
you. Here," Dylrath toseed Teliaz a small, pale green, glass globe. It looked rather like a fishing weight.
Teliaz plucked it from the air like a throwing dagger and looked at it dubiously.
"Look at it. Look into it. You want to see this."
Suspiciously, Teliaz peered into the glass globe. It was empty, except for a swirl of color. After a moment, the swirl of yellow and blue resolved itself into two horizontal bands, with a green stripe between them.
A sky, the sea, a beach. Somewhere.
Teliaz looked closer.
There on the beach, skimming across the dunes. Dylrath? No, a girl. A girl on a bright pink and orange outgrabe, wearing a very nearly obscene black leather outfit, skimming over the dunes and doing phenomenal turns at the crest of each hill.
With a dancer's grace she pirouetted and made the board flip in mid air. Impossibly, the girl and the board reconnected and rode out the momentum down the other side of the slope.
Teliaz leaned forward, peering into the globe wondering if she would come back.
She did.
From the crest of the dune she popped way up into the air, tumbling in a tuck position with one hand steadying the board and fringes flying in every direction. Her face was completely covered by a black mask, its ribbons fluttering in the air among the mass of her chestnut hair, but her figure and her grace, her daring, were heart stoppingly beautiful.
Again, she drove down one side of a dune and then arced way up into the sky, spraying sand at the crest of the hill and then turning and . . . and something caught, dragged where it shouldn't have, and the pink outgrabe skidded loose, flipping over and over from pink side to orange side, and the girl tumbled into a catastrophic flurry of sand and dust, vanishing from sight as the globe filled with a pale yellow smear of nothingness, vanishing into empty green.
Teliaz looked up at Dylrath. "What happened to her?"
Dylrath shrugged. “Two possibilities: she pulled out a controlled landing and got up and walked away, or she's lying broken and mangled on the other side of that hill. Which way would you
have wanted it to come out?”
Teliaz stared back at the ball and didn’t answer. "Is she real?" he asked at last.
"Not yet.” Dylrath said slowly, temporizing. “Part truth, part illusion, I think. She's a possibility. I did some divination work for you. You know, what it would look like if things go right for you. Divination is tricky stuff. It's the future as it might be. Maybe.”
Teliaz nodded. "Right. She doesn't exist, but she ought to exist.”
Dylrath sighed. “I'd give a whole lot to make that girl real, even if she never looked at me. That's what being a god is all about, isn't it? Reshaping the world to your own desires. Mortals, we can only reshape ourselves, and paint pretty pictures. But gods, gods can make it happen. Really happen. And if you're gonna do it, then by god, build some reality worth having."
“I could make her?” Teliaz pondered.
Dylrath shrugged. "It takes time and a whole lot of patience to teach somebody to ride like that. And the student has to want to do it . . . You can't force someone to love riding that much."
"Show me it again," Teliaz demanded.
"Sorry,” Dylrath apologized. “I only had one vision stored in that globe. I could get you another, but it'd take me a few minutes to cast it, and it might not be quite the same one. And I think I'd have to charge you something for it."
"Such as?"
"If you decide to go through with your Dad's scutwork, don't start with me. I'm sick of the hostage bait routine, and the Defenders aren't likely to fall for it again anyway. Or at least, if ya gotta kill me, just do it clean out, don't make me into a trap for 'em again. It's embarassing. Deal?"
"Deal."
"And no messing with my stuff while I'm busy casting."
"Agreed."
Dylrath rubbed his hands together and pulled out some components. He closed his eyes, mumbled a few words and began making passes with his hands over the globe. A small light flickered deep within the globe, a small spinning spark. A faint smell filled the air, like sandalwood, roses and jasmine. Dylrath focused deeper, and the spark inside the globe disappeared, although the smell remained. Without opening his eyes he lifted up the globe and offered it on his open palm to Teliaz.
Teliaz looked into the globe, half expecting a trap, and hoping
desperately to catch a glimpse of the Outgrabing Girl again. The globe seemed dark and empty.
And then he felt something. Something like a hand pushing on his chest. A small warm hand, pushing gently.
He looked down, but there was nothing there.
The smell of the incense was very strong, and something soft brushed against his cheek and touched his mouth gently. Something soft and warm, like skin, like . . . lips? Is that what lips felt like? He could feel the breath from her nose. He pulled away from the confusing sensation and the girl's mouth followed him, wet and gentle, and very insistent. Her tongue licked his lips, and her teeth briefly and gently held his lower lip as her hand slid up his neck to caress his scalp. His lips and neck and scalp which had never been touched by a mortal hand that hadn't immediately withered and rotted away from contact with his oozing, pustuled, poisonous skin.
The girl's soft body pressed up against his chest, and he could, just for a moment feel the whole shape of her against him, her arms around him, her lips on his lips and her hand in his hair.
And then she was gone.
The scent lingered.
Dylrath blinked a few times. "Anything?" he said, opening his eyes, peering into the empty globe and shaking it a few times. "Peeyew, what a stink. I hate olfactory divinations. Virtually useless. Unless you've got a talking dog around to interpret 'em for you. Sorry guy, I tried. The spell's experimental. I never know what I'm gonna get out of it."
Dylrath polished the globe a few times and stuffed it into a padded pouch. "That's all I've got in that line for today. I can try again later, I should live so long.”
“You ok, man?"
Teliaz stepped away, shaken. “Yeah,” he said disractedly. “Look, I gotta go . . .”
“’Scool,” Dylrath said. “Drop by whenever.”
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Sialia
First Post
Dylrath alone. Ok, Not Actually Alone. Dylrath Spends Some Time With Himself.
-----------------------------
Dylrath took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The whole Plan had been hard enough to come up with the first time. Now, with The Outgrabe's new enhancements in place, it seemed harder instead of easier. He stared at the beautiful thing, remembering the best day of his life--the very day he had begun adventuring with his boyhood heroes, the Defenders of Daybreak.
He had watched them gloriously destroy the evil archmage Mirata Du Chemith, Chancellor of the Academy of Flamecraft. He had even helped a little.
They had also destroyed her bedroom, and he had found both the key to Htarlyd and a broken floating bedpost in the wreckage. Right away, he knew that bedpost was something special. Sure, it had needed a little sanding. And some paint. And then he'd taken it home and his dad had insisted on the footstrap and sweetened the deal with the inlay. But that had been it for years. Basically, the Outgrabe had just been a chunk of Hovering Elm with a leather strap.
"Four thrones," it said.
"No way," Htarlyd replied. "Not again."
"Four thrones," it affirmed. "'Rath, flip the cards so mirror boy can see 'em and weep. "
"You sure Master Badgerclaw didn't stick a chunk of Master Loial in you by mistake?" Htarlyd sulked.
"Nothin' but pure Dylrath," the Outgrabe replied. "If there's anybody else in me, it's all secondhand. Who's this Loial anyway?"
Dylrath sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, he thought. One of us should step out for a beer.
Dylrath considered revising his plan. I could just quit here, he thought. I have the Outgrabe and Htarlyd and if I stay away from Teliaz I'll probably die a wealthy old fart.
And if I go through with this I may lose . . . . everything. What's in this for me anyway? Dylrath's first Master, Alix Loial, would want to know where Dylrath was getting his percentage. Well, no, Alix would have wanted to know where he was getting his percentage. But the point was clear. A wise rogue didn't attempt dangerous tricks without analyzing the costs and benefits in advance. Master Tomtom would have agreed.
"It's the daring of the stunt," he found himself murmuring, remembering what he'd said to Teliaz. "Not whether it is right or wrong, or what I'm gonna get out of it, but whether I can pull it off."
"You betcha," the Outgrabe agreed. "What stunt are we talking about?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Htarlyd said smugly.
Dylrath glowered and made a throat slicing gesture at the mirror, which Htarlyd reflected back cheerfully.
"We'll talk about it later," Dylrath said. "Let's go get some action."
"Suits me," the Outgrabe replied.
"And no talking, smart mouth. You're still under cover, right?"
"Who me? I'm just a bedpost. What'm I gonna do, recite the prologue to Holy Velendo's Stone?"
"Shut up," Dylrath said. "Didn't you get any of the fawning 'yes master' part of me at all?"
"Yessir," it said.
"That's better. Alright, Htarlyd, what're the girls up to these days?"
"Bathing, sir."
"Hoo-wah!" the Outgrabe cheered. "Sir," it amended.
"Well, not actually bathing yet. But they're on the way." Dylrath gave Htarlyd the eyebrow, just in time to cut off the terminal "sir." Too much of a good thing indeed.
"Ok, business, guys. Minds on business. Work first, pleasure later. Let's do it."
-----------------------------
Dylrath took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The whole Plan had been hard enough to come up with the first time. Now, with The Outgrabe's new enhancements in place, it seemed harder instead of easier. He stared at the beautiful thing, remembering the best day of his life--the very day he had begun adventuring with his boyhood heroes, the Defenders of Daybreak.
He had watched them gloriously destroy the evil archmage Mirata Du Chemith, Chancellor of the Academy of Flamecraft. He had even helped a little.
They had also destroyed her bedroom, and he had found both the key to Htarlyd and a broken floating bedpost in the wreckage. Right away, he knew that bedpost was something special. Sure, it had needed a little sanding. And some paint. And then he'd taken it home and his dad had insisted on the footstrap and sweetened the deal with the inlay. But that had been it for years. Basically, the Outgrabe had just been a chunk of Hovering Elm with a leather strap.
"Four thrones," it said.
"No way," Htarlyd replied. "Not again."
"Four thrones," it affirmed. "'Rath, flip the cards so mirror boy can see 'em and weep. "
"You sure Master Badgerclaw didn't stick a chunk of Master Loial in you by mistake?" Htarlyd sulked.
"Nothin' but pure Dylrath," the Outgrabe replied. "If there's anybody else in me, it's all secondhand. Who's this Loial anyway?"
Dylrath sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, he thought. One of us should step out for a beer.
Dylrath considered revising his plan. I could just quit here, he thought. I have the Outgrabe and Htarlyd and if I stay away from Teliaz I'll probably die a wealthy old fart.
And if I go through with this I may lose . . . . everything. What's in this for me anyway? Dylrath's first Master, Alix Loial, would want to know where Dylrath was getting his percentage. Well, no, Alix would have wanted to know where he was getting his percentage. But the point was clear. A wise rogue didn't attempt dangerous tricks without analyzing the costs and benefits in advance. Master Tomtom would have agreed.
"It's the daring of the stunt," he found himself murmuring, remembering what he'd said to Teliaz. "Not whether it is right or wrong, or what I'm gonna get out of it, but whether I can pull it off."
"You betcha," the Outgrabe agreed. "What stunt are we talking about?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Htarlyd said smugly.
Dylrath glowered and made a throat slicing gesture at the mirror, which Htarlyd reflected back cheerfully.
"We'll talk about it later," Dylrath said. "Let's go get some action."
"Suits me," the Outgrabe replied.
"And no talking, smart mouth. You're still under cover, right?"
"Who me? I'm just a bedpost. What'm I gonna do, recite the prologue to Holy Velendo's Stone?"
"Shut up," Dylrath said. "Didn't you get any of the fawning 'yes master' part of me at all?"
"Yessir," it said.
"That's better. Alright, Htarlyd, what're the girls up to these days?"
"Bathing, sir."
"Hoo-wah!" the Outgrabe cheered. "Sir," it amended.
"Well, not actually bathing yet. But they're on the way." Dylrath gave Htarlyd the eyebrow, just in time to cut off the terminal "sir." Too much of a good thing indeed.
"Ok, business, guys. Minds on business. Work first, pleasure later. Let's do it."
KidCthulhu
First Post
Dilly's familiar is a talking skateboard?! [clutches head and goes looking for an aspirin.]
Rath, don't make us come and save the world from you.
Rath, don't make us come and save the world from you.
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Sialia
First Post
Um. Oh hi there, Kidcthulhu.
Gosh. You read this thread, too, huh?
Um. You know, I had been holding off posting about the Outgrabe upgrade thing for so long, I kinda forgot I hadna told yer about it.
I mean, the emails 'tween me and Tomtom's player where we did the work--that was back when you were all in Eversink, right?
This stuff's been sitting around on my hard drive a loooong long time.
Figure it's old news. I mean, it's new news to Nolin and the other PCs, 'cause Dylrath still hasn't told them. But it's old news to Piratecat. Ancient history practically.
If anything bad was gonna happen from this experiment, it'd have happened already, right? So, no sweat.
And it's not really a Familiar, in the technical sense of the word. It's just a psionically empowered object, right? Like TMOSAT.
Well, not much like TMOSAT.
I hope.
Gosh. You read this thread, too, huh?
Um. You know, I had been holding off posting about the Outgrabe upgrade thing for so long, I kinda forgot I hadna told yer about it.
I mean, the emails 'tween me and Tomtom's player where we did the work--that was back when you were all in Eversink, right?
This stuff's been sitting around on my hard drive a loooong long time.
Figure it's old news. I mean, it's new news to Nolin and the other PCs, 'cause Dylrath still hasn't told them. But it's old news to Piratecat. Ancient history practically.
If anything bad was gonna happen from this experiment, it'd have happened already, right? So, no sweat.
And it's not really a Familiar, in the technical sense of the word. It's just a psionically empowered object, right? Like TMOSAT.
Well, not much like TMOSAT.
I hope.
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Bandeeto
First Post
Speaking of our favorite Master of Space and Time, I was reviewing the earliest posts on this thread and realized that the part where Arcade acquires TMOSAT had somehow gotten sliced out. So, I put it back in.
It's short, but now at least when Arcade asks the travelling mage at Crellar's Inn to examine his staff it makes a bit more sense. (Yeh yeh, I know, KidC. It still sounds filthy.)
Bandeeto
Welverin
First Post
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