Warriors Of The Coast

[drothgery]

As mind-weary as Khalia is, she still has business to conclude today. Or rather, she had something to pick up. She hoped she could find her armorer before full dark; she did not wish trouble them after hours, but she would need her armor tomorrow.

She hoped that the walk would let her settle her mind, and let the Flame guide her to the connections between the facts she uncovered. But she had no conclusions when she reached the armorer's shop.

 

[Brogarn]

And perhaps it was this concentration on making his way safely through all these vines and such that allowed him to not hear the footsteps moving silently up from behind. [Listen check: TN 21 / 10+6=16 *failure*] And when he feels the arrow or bolt pressed against his back, it is but a milisecond later when he hears a voice say "Don't move."

Son of a...

Skarg freezes, left foot ahead of right in midstep, and says Don't move as in "make like a statue and wait for the birds to come" or don't move as in "don't touch your weapons, but feel free to scratch that itch on your nose that's begging for attention"? Just wantin' to be clear.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Jango makes his way back through the underground tunnels, all the while silently contemplating the new pressence that he feels within him. It's an odd sensation... he feels almost like there is someone standing directly behind him, although obviously no one is there. As he walks, he notices for the first time that Griot is gone... and that is very curious. Finally, he arrives back at the tunnel split, where off to the right he could easily travel to that super-heated circular chamber where the dragonshards are found embedded in the rock.

And what about the shard? It didn't seem safe to take one, but it is quite a possible source of power. Shoudl we take one?

"Those shards lock others away. You remove the shards, and others of our kin are released." The voice is strong and assured, and Jango begins feeling comfortable with it "looking over his shoulder" as it were. "However... these kin are quite mindless, and this shell is of a tasty flesh. It would be a shame to lose this body over something as inconsequential as a few dragonshards."

Jango considers this and realizes that the voice is probably right. Jango decides to leave the tunnels altogether and walks back to the shaft. He arrives at the bottom and looks upwards, and sees the night sky up above. Looks like it's time to climb.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Khalia arrives at the Cannith shop, just as the sun sets in Newthrone. As she appraoches, she notices that the sounds of blacksmith hammers are not clanging away like they were yesterday, and this evidence is borne out when she enters the shop and sees the workers closing things down for the night.

The archivist moves to the counter, where she is seen by the girl behind the desk. Upon seeing Khalia, she leaps up, goes to the back, brings the refitted armor forward, and then helps Khalia into it to make sure it fits. It does. Very well. And the quality looks fabulous. Khalia nods in appreciation, pays the 1100 gold, and then leaves the shop to go back onto the street.

New armor... new scrolls... new information about what happening in the morn... she's really beginning to feel like an independant and knowledgable woman. Her father would be quite pleased with her progress.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Don't move as in "make like a statue and wait for the birds to come" or don't move as in "don't touch your weapons, but feel free to scratch that itch on your nose that's begging for attention"? Just wantin' to be clear.

The voice behind him says quietly... "Turn around. Slowly."

The halfork does so, and when he turns he sees that it is a young human male with not an arrow or bolt after all... but rather a dagger. Surprising. Skarg wouldn't think someone would allow themselves to get in that close to their opponent, but what does he know?

The man is dressed in greens and browns (your standard outdoorsman attire), his skin is tanned, dirty, and sweaty... and he is also quite bald. However, the most noticeable thing of them all is the the colored tattoo that is smack dab in the center of his bald head. It is a tattoo of a symbol he's seen before. A pair of daggers crossed over an orange and red sun.

The man slides the dagger back in it's sheath on his belt, and Skarg sees a matching dagger on the opposite hip. "All right... lesson one is complete. You saw me in the trees and found my trail. Good. But you got tired... and you became distracted... allowed me to circle back around... catch you unawares. Zendarrill will need to work on you for that."

 

[Brogarn]

Skarg raises his eyebrows in surprise at the fact that they knew exactly who he was and why he was here. His brain denying his tongue the proper cynical retort, he says Typically, this is where I'd have a witty remark, but you've caught me off guard in more ways than one. I can see who you work for, but beyond that, who are you and what do we do now?

 

[DEFCON 1]

The entire next day, Ari spends his time in the tavern... relaxing, eating, drinking, shooting darts. At one point he is challenged to a drinking contest, which he handles easily. As he sees the sun dropping low on the horizon, he sees that it is time to go pick up the rest of his equipment he had on order. Ari bundles himself up, walks across several streets, then arrives at the Canith trinket shop where lo and behold... the attractive blonde is there again.

He walks in and immediately the woman's face lights up. "Hello again, handsome! You've returned! Lucky me!"

 

[drothgery]

Khalia rather wished she had someone she fully trusted to talk to and help her make any connections she might be missing. Her father, or Zan, one of her teachers from home, or even one of her fellow students. The Auron adept who helped her with her scrolls might have the knowledge, but she knew nothing of the man.

But more than anything else, she was tired and hungry. Father had told her an officer should make it a point to take meals in company with her immediate underlings, but that could wait until the expedition was on the road. Tonight, she wanted to simply return to her inn.

 

[stonegod]

Ari smiles and winks a hello. "And how is my favorite attendant today? I assume my items are waiting?" Ari was eager to get his hands on the new armor, to break it in before he had to leave tomorrow. Relaxing in Newthrown was good, but he missed hunting. It is who he was.

 

[Velmont]

I see thinks Jango to the voice. As he walks toward the exit, his mind wander.

I could stop to fear there reaction... I could finally be myself. Knowing that I have the power over them, what they think would matter no longuer. It offer me a way to control and undertsand the power of my mark, to use it at my advanatge. I can even hide it from there sight.

Jango just remark that he had left the lantern in the temple. He stop for a moment and look around. He see clearly his surroudning. It is only one of the new power it has given him.

But is it what I want, stop to fear by making them fear me, or by hiding from them, isolating myself? It is not fear I seek, it is not subterfuge I seek, it is acceptance, it is friends.

He starts to see the light of the stars and moon falling from a hole in the roof of the cave. he had finally reach the exit. What time is it? He wonder a quick moment, but it didn,t matter much.

But I don't want to be a sheep. I want to be in control of my life, I want to stop to be driven by that fear, and it offer me power, and people respect power, and it will be possible to hide the source of that power. They will respect me.

He looks at the walls of his hole. 30 feet. He was blocked for such a small thing. He take a deep breath and put an hand on the wall and starts to climb.