Night's Embrace: Part 1--A Touch of Darkness

[Boddynock]

[sblock=RA]"Wow, that's very clear. Thank you, Aileen."

"My name's Kelloran. My friends and I have just arrived in town, and we're looking forward to spending some time getting to know the city. Can you recommend an inn - uh, not too expensive?"

"Say, a traveller we journeyed with for a while mentioned an upcoming coronation. Have you heard about that? I've never seen a coronation - actually, I've never even seen a palace - and I thought it'd be really great to watch, even if it could only be from a distance."

As he speaks, Kel becomes more and more animated, clearly excited by the thought of seeing a real live king or queen. Then his mind leaps to another thought and, almost without drawing breath, he launches into another series of questions.

"Oh, and you mentioned an Academy? Is that a wizard's school? I want to learn to be a wizard! Do you know how I could get to be an apprentice? Do they have a library there? I know how to read. I'd love to see a real library. Do you think they'd let me read their books?"

He stops and drops his head, abashed, then looks up and smiles warmly at the woman.

"OK, I'll stop asking questions now. Thanks for your help."[/sblock]

 

[jkason]

Titus Farrab, human ranger

"Should we meet any more of...my kind...it would be best perhaps if you did not call me by the name I've given you."

She keeps her back straight as a rod as she says this, and her chin elevated and does not make eye contact, as if lecturing a servant on ettiquette.

"In the presence of other Tel...of other elves, you may call me...Aliyas. Please."

Titus looks to the proper elf with a mischievous grin. "Don't tell me the princess has a checkered past," he teases softly.

At Blunt's question, Titus shrugs. "I don't suppose there's a temple to Nhalia or Shan's gods 'round hereabouts?" he offers as a suggestion. "Having some sanctuary handy might be a good idea with the trouble we seem to keep getting into."

 

[Legildur]

At Blunt's question, Titus shrugs. "I don't suppose there's a temple to Nhalia or Shan's gods 'round hereabouts?" he offers as a suggestion. "Having some sanctuary handy might be a good idea with the trouble we seem to keep getting into."

"Good idea," says Blunt. "Let's go and find out."

 

[Rystil Arden]

(OOC: So the others are going to search around for temples--specifically elf temples or Ilmater temples? Let me know )

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=Kel]"Oh, so many questions you have, Kelloran--and that's such a long name, I think you'll just have to be Kel if you don't mind--but, errr," she glances at something behind Kel.

"Well! We should go somewhere more comfortable to talk, right?" she asks hurriedly, grabbing Kel's hand in hers and leading him through a series of alleyways, including at one point climbing up and dashing across a short rooftop before dropping into a deadend, continuing onward slightly, and then stopping to catch their breaths, glancing back, and smiling to herself.

"Alright, we're almost there, then. I realised that I could answer one of your questions by taking you to the Trade District, since if you're a would be Wizard's apprentice, you don't sound like the type for the Docks, but the best inns are all too pricey."

*She leads him more slowly now down various streets and boulevards, quickly leaving the Old City and entering the Trade District, slow enough now for some idle answers to his questions, as she turns to look at him again, though it is always hard to tell with her eyes occluded by the hood of her cloak.*

"So wait now, you wanted to see the Coronation," Aileen laughs, "You've come quite a bit too early for that. It is months away yet--I hear that on the princess's twentieth birthday, they give her a coronation as Crown Princess or something like that. It means she can be the next queen instead of being too young and needing a Regent to rule instead. But more importantly to us normal folk, her birthday is also the anniversary of the defeat and utter destruction of that dreadful cult, so there's sure to be great celebration indeed! I'd expect parades, contests, magic, music, free theatre productions, jongleurs, mummers, and more!"

"Ah, but that's still a ways in the future yet. Let's see, you wanted to know about the Academy. I always wanted to be a Wizard when I was younger, myself. I know I have the knack for it, but Da...aaah!" she glances something behind Kel that stops her in her tracks, "...Haven't seen us yet--Kel, just act natural. Time to use the most cliched bluff possible and we'll be fine," Aileen laughs, though she is clearly a bit more nervous than she lets on.

*She pulls him up against the wall of the building alongside which they are walking and closes her eyes for a moment, concentrating, then pulls down her hood, revealing a rather plain face with dull brown eyes and tangled brown hair done up in a simple bun. She glances to the side and then back to Kel, smiles reassuringly, and then throws her arms around him and engages him in a kiss.*

*Shortly thereafter, a small group of guards walks past, looking around to see if there is any trouble, snorting at the two apparent 'young lovers' and dismissing them immediately, as one of them says to the other quietly, but still barely loud enough for Kel to pick up: 'Lad could've done better'.*

*The guards continue onward, briefly stopping a pretty girl at the end of the street one of the guards pulling out a blue gem, holding it up for eighteen seconds before shaking his head and saying something, then waving them to continue onwards.*

*Aileen sighs in relief.*

"Told you it would work!" she winks, "And just in time too."

*Her face begins to shimmer briefly as she pulls up the hood, but he gets a glimpse of two big hauntingly beautiful blue eyes before the hood is back in place. She sighs slightly.*

"I suppose I owe you an explanation, Kel. I'm a good person, Kel--I swear. I'm not a dangerous killer or something like that, but...well...have you ever been forced to commit a crime because you had no other choice? Plus, I do have to admit it's exciting! But I never kill anyone, and I always try to help those who are less fortunate than I. Still, now that you know that, if you don't want to travel with me even for a little while longer, I'll just tell you how to get to the inn and leave you here."

*Aileen appears solemn and honest, as if she were trying to have a real heart-to-heart with Kel. If her eyes weren't occluded, this would probably be the part where they get really sad, but since they're covered by the hood, he's safe from that.*
[/SBLOCK]

 

[Shayuri]

"Checkered?!" Sulannus blurts, flushing angrily. She glares at Titus. "Certainly not! I simply do not wish to...to advertise my location. I assure you it is nothing that need concern you, and I don't see how it's asking too much, given my aid so far to this cause."

She sniffs, and adds, "And I doubt you'll find any temples to the Seldarine in a human city. Let's start by seeking out a shrine to Selune and go from there."

 

[Boddynock]

[sblock=RA]"Wha?"

Kel reels a little, overcome by this totally unexpected turn of events. Dodging the Watch was a bit suspicious. Having Aileen - if that was her name - kiss him like that was, well, astounding.

In fact, he is so surprised that he forgets to maintain the eager, naive persona he'd been projecting.

"Whoa!"

Taking her by the hand he leads her - firmly - back into the alley a little way. Then, looking around to see that they're not being watched, he reaches up and draws the hood back from her face.

"Glad to be of assistance to a maiden in distress - and not always averse to thumbing my nose at the authorities - but I never kiss someone who won't show me their face. At least, not a second time."

"Now tell me, what's this all about? Why's the Guard after you? And what's with the gem they were using?"[/sblock]

 

[Rystil Arden]

[SBLOCK=Kel]*Aileen doesn't stop him. This time, the face underneath is completely different. Those big beautiful blue eyes from before, and her hair is long and a vibrant golden shade of blonde, though she's tied it up so it won't spill out from under the hood. Her lips look fuller now than when she leaned in before, eminently kissable. And her face is anything but plain--it's enchanting. No, not the same at all.*

"What, didn't like my look last time?" she teases, then she frowns slightly, "Look, it's complicated, Kel, but I have something they want back, and if they find me, they'll lock me away. The gem--can't be sure of that one. It obviously wasn't a locator or they would have had us for sure, so I'm guessing it detects various types of magic, not like I would ever use an illusion of course," she smiles and winks, back in a playful mood, "Now, want to go check out that inn I was talking about? I guess I wasn't done telling you about the Academy either, or their library..."[/SBLOCK]

 

[Legildur]

"Checkered?!" Sulannus blurts, flushing angrily. She glares at Titus. "Certainly not! I simply do not wish to...to advertise my location. I assure you it is nothing that need concern you, and I don't see how it's asking too much, given my aid so far to this cause."

She sniffs, and adds, "And I doubt you'll find any temples to the Seldarine in a human city. Let's start by seeking out a shrine to Selune and go from there."

"She doth protest too much," Blunt whispers to Titus as he nudges him in the ribs with his elbow. "To the temple of Selune then," he agrees more loudly.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*The group (minus Kel) is rather unsure of how to proceed, so they mill about a bit and finally manage to ask around and discover a 'Temple Ward' that would probably have such a temple. They eventually reach the Temple Ward, where they discover that the temple to Selune was completely destroyed twenty-three years ago when all the goddess's clerics in the city died of a mysterious plague, though there is a shrine in memory of those who lived and worked there. Ilmater doesn't have a temple here, but there is a small temple of Tyr with shrines for the whole Holy Triad. Meanwhile, Sulannus is proven wrong, as there actually is a Seldarine temple, albeit a single temple for the entire Seldarine pantheon.*