WoT Message Board Game - Prologue

[Shalimar Shiawase]

As she walks down the stairs Shalimar is speaking softly to Sirsei, "Can you believe the nerve of that man? Us get into trouble? does he think we are men who think with the hair on our chests? * she gives a sharp sniff* He should be thankful we did not box his ears for..." she turns her head and seems to see Jain for the first time.

"Jain, Jain Hadlin, what are you doing here?" she turns to Sirsei, " For a man he thinks wel enough, well except for when his mouth is hanging open wide enough to catch flies, like it is now." She winks at her, they both knew it was doing no such thing, but it was wise to take men down a peg when you could or they would grow to be more overweening then a pig in pea pen. She looks at him gives him her most charming smile complete with dimples.

"Don't think I have all night to wait for an answer either. Well, what are you doing here?" Her hands drop to her hips in an impression of her mother being stern, but ruined it by keeping the smile in place

 

[Valkys]

Sirsei smiles politely, "Men have their uses, dear Shalimar. My mother taught me that well. But for all that, I am glad that I will not be a common man's wife, or even a merchant."

She looks Jain over, looking suddenly like a tigress eyeing a prospective meal, then smiles coyly, "My, my. He does seem surprised to see you." She turns to Shalimar, "Is there a history I should know about?"

Without waiting for Jain to speak, she nods to Shalimar and sways over to a table in the corner of the room. Her hips move just enough, and then she flips her hair as she turns to look at the two of them, "Well, introductions can be made over dinner. I am quite famished and I could use a good meal where the soup doesn't spill and the floor doesn't roll."

 

[Shalimar Shiawase]

"Very well," She turns back to jain. "You must join us for supper. Come sit and talk with us. When you muster the ability to speak come join us." She looks at Sirsei, then whispers to Jain, "It is good seeing you again." She smiles before turning to go sit with Sirsei at the table.

She wonders how long it has been since the place was last cleaned it looks quite filthy. "Sirsei, you are right, I do know him. He was a battlefield healer at my fathers keep. He taught me alot of what I know about healing people, not that kind of healing the more normal kind. He stayed with us for two years. I am probably better at treating injuries now then he is, don't tell him though men can be strange sometimes, and I bet this will be one of those times" All of this was said in a whisper so that Jain would not overhear.

 

[drothgery]

Meanwhile, a few hundred miles away...

The Golden Stag wouldn't have been Lord Tomas' first choice of an inn. Or even his third. It wasn't that the inn wasn't clean (it was), or that the food was bad (it wasn't), but he had expected to stay in the Inner City, at least. His house might not stand high enough to merit an invitation to the palace, but a good inn in the Inner City was the least due to someone of his station.

There was nothing for it, though. The city was filling up, with people who came to see the False Dragon. And some of them -- not many, but enough -- had enough money to fill the best inns in the city already.

* * *

Ashrem, though, had had the rates very much on his mind when he selected this place. Most places in Caemlyn that charged what Master Ferrin did were a lot less clean. And he wanted to see this Logain before he left to join the Hunt. And just maybe, he could find some peace, and some answers.

* * *

Logain held no interest for Yuri, and Caemlyn held little. A city so closely tied to Aes Sedai, and a man who could channel -- they both cut far too close to home for him. But he had to rest for a few days; Yuri had to remember that he was heading south, not to the Blight. It was safe to take a slower pace, and he had a long way to go yet. He would never make the blessing if he lost his horse, after all.

 

[Enforcer]

Yuri's sitting in a corner, so he can't be surprised. More than one man has given his distinctive Warder's sword an appraising glance, and the young Kandori wasn't about to lose his life to some fool who wanted a new sword. At least this way he had a chance to defend himself--and given his current mood, he would've bet a gold crown to a copper penny that an assailant would be maimed, if not killed. Losing his sister to the Light knows what didn't exactly give Yuri a positive outlook on life.

Curse those blasted women! They go on and on about the good they do for the world, how they help people! Yet they won't tell me what happened to Tasha. I don't even know how she died. If she died! Burn those women, they never even said that she was dead. They hold those bloody oaths so dear, as if they alone give them the right to meddle with other people's lives. I swore an oath once...I swore to my father that I'd never let anything happen to Tasha...

Yuri didn't need the long, curved sword at his waist to advertise his desire to be alone. His grimace kept his small table pretty empty--the more adventurous would try to sit with him, maybe try to start a conversation, but all Yuri could think about was his sister, and how he failed her. So far everyone could only stand so much silence before moving on.

 

[Tay-Dor]

Caemlyn is a beautiful city. The view would be better from the inner city. But it can not hold a candle to the Stone. Lord Tomas walked along the crowded street back to the Golden Stag. Bloody nuisance all these commoners make over some fool who thinks he can channel. I should be in the Inner City where I could be conducting Father's trade negotiations. But no. I'm forced to take a ramshakle room in an Inn barely fit for a commoner and eat in a common room with commoners. They don't even have enough money to make dicing with them at all entertaining. This trip is not turning out at all the way I had hoped for.

Lord Tomas walked into the Golden Stag and looked around distainfully at all of the dirty, probably unwashed peasants. Shouldn't the Light-Blinded fools be grubbing in their dirt farms somewhere and leaving decent folk along to do business? He was wearing one of his fine dark blue coats with just the right amount of puffyness to his sleeves. His dark brown hair was combed straight back from his face and his goatee was trimmed and oiled to a fine point. A longsword hung from his belt, its scabbard embellished with silver tooling. There were none of the commoner's red and white wrappings that so many of the people in this town had adopted on the hilt of his sword. Lord Tomas noted the Kandori in the corner, obviously a young one since his beard isn't forked yet. He looked around at some of the other tables and picked a likely one. "The Light's blessing on you folk. Would anyone care to partake in a game of chance to while away the time?" While the low stakes might not be all that exciting, it is better than nothing.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Enter Ashrem Bayle

Ashrem Bayle stood alone by a dust-streaked window that afforded a nice view of the hard packed road below. From his room upstairs he watched as the people went about their daily business. A recent insurgence of travelers had swollen the city almost beyond its capacity. If rumor was to be believed, the Aes Sedai where bringing the False Dragon, Logain, through the city. The window seal creaked as Ash's hands tightened on it.

Those witches... they have no right. They'll not put their hands on me again..

Looking at the people below him, he frowned. Never again would he be able to walk through the city without worry. He longed for home.
He had left to become a Hunter of the Horn, but what he found had been something entirely different. What if that Aes Sedai wasn't lying? What if I can channel?
No, he would not believe it. The Power was not meant for men to channel. Only Darkfriends would think to do such a thing. That lightning that saved him had been mere coincidence. And thank the Creator for that!

Turning from the window, Ash picked up his long coat and sword from the bed. The sword he stared at a moment before strapping it onto his belt opposite a beautiful jeweled dueling dagger. The dagger was a status symbol where he came from, but the sword meant so much more to him.
Oddly crafted, it had a slender double-edged blade over two feet long. The hilt was barely less than a foot long itself and there was no sign of a guard to protect his hands. An odd shape, but it had already proved very useful.

Dinnis's blade... I'll miss him.

He shoved the blade into its scabbard a bit harder than necessary, donned his coat and headed for the common room.
His long black coat positioned to cover his blade, it matched perfectly the black silk shirt and black breeches he wore beneath it. His ice blue eyes a sharp contrast to his long black heir and goat-tee. Black... a color he found he wore often of late. It fit his mood perfectly..

----------------------------------------------------------

Ash expected Caemlyn to be crowded, but nothing could prepare him for this. By the Light! Where are these people coming from? From the looks of the common room, he was lucky he wasn’t sleeping in a haystack. Of course, if he didn’t get some coin, he may soon.

Ash grimaced as he strode down the stairs. Stopping at the bottom he surveyed the room. His icy gaze taking in each person in turn. Things had been going smoothly since his escape from the Aes Sedai and the Whitecloaks; he hoped he would continue to do so.

Looking around his gaze fell on a well-dressed young noble. After the young man had decided on a table, Ash picked his way through the crowd and took a chair beside him. Always seeming to have good luck with the dice, he decided to fatten his purse a bit.

“Good evening”, he said as he swept a graceful bow. “A game of dice you say? Perhaps I shall join you.”

[OOC: Just to clarify, Ash is now sitting at the table with Lord Tomas]

 

[drothgery]

<back to the girls for a bit>

Jain never did answer Shalimar. Maybe he knew what she had become, and didn't want anything to do with it. Some men were odd about ties to Aes Sedai, after all.

The Aes Sedai did not return until hours later, though. She spoke to them in their room. "We may be out of the Tower longer than I would like." She told them. "It seems Logain was captured in Muranday; the sisters bringing him to Tar Valon should pass through Caemlyn about when we should arrive there. Which is likely to make doing anything else difficult for a few days."

 

[Tay-Dor]

Noble Meets Wanderer

Lord Tomas looked over the new person who sat at the table. The clothes looked decent enough and the jeweled dagger showed the potential for money. Perhaps playing with this commoner might be more entertaining than some. From the dagger and the sound of his voice, he could pass for an Ebou Dari. (ooc: if I'm overstepping character knowledge, let me know, oh most benevolent GM).

Lord Tomas put on an easy smile and replied, "That's the spirit! Don't let the crowds and the rabble get you down. Once this nonsense is done with that False Dragon, I'm sure things will get back to normal. Then decent people might get some buisness done."

Lord Tomas produced a finely tooled leather dice cup with ivory carved dice and a deck of cards. "Allow me to introduce myself, since it is only fair for you to know to whom you will be loosing your coins to." Lord Tomas smiles away any insult, barely. "I am Lord Tomas Menorian of House Menorian."

 

[drothgery]

Re: Noble Meets Wanderer

(ooc: if I'm overstepping character knowledge [by recognizing Ashrem as Ebou Dari], let me know, oh most benevolent GM).

Lord Tomas, just by looking...
Recognizes Ashrem as Ebou Dari
Recognizes Yuri as a Borderlander (but not specifically as Kandori)
Will recognize Shalimar as a Borderlander (but not specifically as Sheinaran)
Won't know what to make of Sirsei (Domani coloration and features, midlander clothes)
Will recognize Lila Sedai as a midlander (incorrectly)

Yuri, just by looking...
Recognizes Ashrem as Ebou Dari
Recognizes Lord Tomas as a Tairen
Will recognize Shalimar, and know who she is
Will recognize Sirsei, and know who she is
Will recognize Lila Sedai as a Tar Valoner, and think he's seen her before

Ashrem, just by looking...
Recognizes Lord Tomas as a Tairen
Recognizes Yuri as a Borderlander (but not specifically as Kandori)
Will recognize Shalimar as a Borderlander (but not specifically as Sheinaran)
Won't know what to make of Sirsei (Domani coloration and features, midlander clothes)
Will recognize Lila Sedai as a midlander (incorrectly)

Sirsei and Shalimar will both...
Recognize Yuri, and know who he is
Know each other, and Lila Sedai
Will recognize Ashrem as Ebou Dari
Will recognize Lord Tomas as Tairen nobility