The Ghostfence rp: Playground 1 Options

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

Poison? His stuff?

"The best moon sugar is no more dangerous than this cane stuff right here..." he started, before realizing that he'd gone down a road he hadn't intended. He tried to save face by pretending to notice the newcomer for the first time.

"Oh, hello. Dranas Heleran, trader. By all means, have a seat."

Then he tried to restart the conversation with Rothan on a different tack, recalling something curious the man had just said.

"So wait, if the Tribunal washed clean the taint of Dagoth Ur, why are they building a Ghostfence, again? I mean, what happened?"

[Colonel Mustard]

"Thank you," Erna said, before remembering the normal thing to do and adding; "Erna Rahnis."

He sat down and slung his pack next to him, sizing up the two men. One of them had a ridiculous mohawk haircut, and the other seemed to be a priest. Erna could tell that he was one of the types that thought he was big-his type had joined his friends before.

They usually died the quickest. And even if he didn't, Erna might just kill him anyway. Anyone stupid enough to grow their hair like that didn't deserve to live, in his opinion.

The priest could be a problem-they always seemed to take offence at his kind of worship, and most of them were never open minded enough just to be nice to him after they discovered it. Erna slipped the small brass pendant deeper beneath his shirt, for once taking care not to cut himself on its razor edge.

"So," he said. "What was this about the tribunal?"

[minque]

Dralas

"Well," he said as they walked back towards the guar, "I'm not really here to work construction. My tribe let the Temple take something of mine, and I want it back, one way or another."

More and more people were getting comfortable under the bridge, and tents continued to spring up. They made it back to Morrie, who was still standing where they left him. Dralas began taking things off of the animal since they were making camp.

"Only problem is, I don't know where to look."

Rianne

"Ok...I think I understand" She looked thoughtfully at him. She helped unpack Morrie, the guar looked at Dralas a bit suspiciously but didn't make a move.

"Heey Morrie, it's ok we're just makng it more comfortable for you" Rianne stroke the guar's head tenderly.

"So, shall we make a tent out of these blankets?" I'll go and find some sticks...besides, there´s a dunmer over there who looks a tad familiar...I'm sure I've seen him somewhere before...I'm sure he can be of use to us...if he is the one I think he is!...I think I'll go and say hello, you can come if you like.."

Rianne looked at the Dunmer who was in a conversation with some others, and approached them with a friendly grin in her face.

"Good Evening to you, can I borrow a firewood? I seem to have forgotten my tools for firemaking."


OOC.:It's Dranas who she recognise, she saw him once trading with the Zainab, he on the other hand has probably not seen her, at least that's what she thinks!

[Olen]

Rothan

Dranas's comments on moonsugar struck Rothan as strange. Most of the native dunmer would deny any knowledge of the drug, even the most liberal wouldn't defend its use. Yet Dranas mentioned it as if it was a simple thing like flour. It was possible he was a user but then Rothan remembered him mentioning that he traded in anything. The next thing Dranas said dispelled any musings from Rothan's mind though. It was very close to heresy, and to the more problematic issues raised in a certain book.

"During the battle of Red Mountain Almsivi ventured deep into the caverns of Dagoth Ur to confront the evil Dwemer and the treacherous House Dagoth. By providence the faithless outlanders were utterly destroyed," he paused. None doubted this much but then came a harder part. What to say? "When they returned they were our gods by the virtue of fighting evil and the blessings of the ancestors and good Deadra." He paused again. He didn't believe the last part, not completely. And he wasn't a great lair.

"Anyway in recent years the ashstorms have become worse and the profane lands around Red Mountain ever more dangerous. It seems likely that the power of Dagoth Ur has increased, and that I why we act." Again he stopped. This time he decided not to continue as the last sentence played though his head. He'd meant the crater named after the vile creature whom the Tribunal defeated. It hadn't come out that way, but it was what he believed.

Just then the ashlander woman who was in the caravan came over and spoke to Dranas. Rothan was glad of the interruption though he regarded her with mistrust. What place did a heathen ashlander have in a temple project?

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

The ashlander woman's interruption was welcome, if a little odd. In any case, it gave him an out from this odd conversation--clearly his question troubled the priest, for some reason. Very curious. Ah, but the question.

"Firewood? My good lady, I must confess that I'm not really carrying any." He pointed to a little shrub, then to a trama root. "You can use fire petals for tinder and break off some trama for wood. A little fire spell to get it lit, or if you're out of magic, like I sometimes am, you can rub sticks together. Fire petals will catch a flame real easy."

He stopped, feeling odd. An ashlander, he thought, would know all that he just said already. So why ask him? Perhaps she had another purpose.

He extended a hand. "Dranas Heleran, by the way."

[minque]

Rianne

Ahhh yes it is him! I do recognize him, He was visiting the Zainab..yes! yes he went to the wise woman's yurt..hmm Dranas..oh yes that's definitely him


"Rianne..." she said silently. " I..I thank you for your advice2 she bowed her head. "I sort of overheard your conversation just now, so I understand you're a trader?


I won't go any further, this man knows things, I'll be watching him, maybe Dralas could have some tiny use of this man..later

Rianna turned around and returned to Dralas and Morrie

"Crap, I forgot the poles" she sighed

[Olen]

OOC: Am I right in thinking that Rianne has left earshot of the group where she is with Dralas? If not I'll edit.

Rothan

Rothan watched the ashlander walk away. Why would an ashlander woman ask about fire-making. They seemed to be able to find just about anything out in the ashlands, and the foyada was certainly similar enough. It was almost as if she had been thinking of buying something wit the trader comment.

"A strange one and no mistake," he said, "What do you think she wanted?"

[Colonel Mustard]

Erna

"No idea," Erna said. "I reckon she's up to something. Got an ulterior motive. Can't trust those ashlanders."

He poured himself a cup of hackle-lo tea.

"I spoke to her before we left," Erna continued. "And I just thought there was something odd about her. Like that guar of hers-no guar should be that well behaved, it's just natural. You know what I reckon?"

He leant forwards conspiritorialy.

"I reckon that she's a witch of some sort."


OOC: I really hope Rianne is out of earshot...

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

"Hmph. I don't know about that. Most ashlanders are pretty good with guars, far as I can tell. Hell, I'm pretty good with guars myself."

He paused, poured himself a cup of tea.

"But she might be mabrigash. They're common enough. Or she just could just be a wise-woman type. Either way, I've no idea what she could want, 'specially from me. Save for the Zainab, ashlanders ain't much for trading with outlanders like myself, or even Great House Dunmer, for that matter. Curious, is what it is."

Dranas finally endeavored to change the conversation... he didn't care to speculate more on the matter of the ashlander without having more time to think on it.

"So, Erna, what are you here for?"

This post has been edited by canis216: Mar 13 2009, 01:53 AM

[Colonel Mustard]

Erna

Erna almost panicked when he heard that question, but he kept his cool and remembered his cover story.

"Me?" he asked. "I tell fortunes. Tarot, you see?"

He pulled a pile of paper cards from the pocket of his coat.

"You?" he asked.

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

"As I said before, I'm a trader. Tools, weapons, general supplies, food and drink... I'm the man to see."

Dranas paused to mix a little brandy in with his tea... magic tea, he called the combination.

"Ahh... that's good. Nothing like a little brandy before bed. I hope your tarot business goes well. I believe that I ought to hit the sack here shortly. Be a long day tomorrow, I imagine." Dranas finished his magic tea and stood. "Good night, gentlemen."

[Dantrag]

Rianne

Ahhh yes it is him! I do recognize him, He was visiting the Zainab..yes! yes he went to the wise woman's yurt..hmm Dranas..oh yes that's definitely him


"Rianne..." she said silently. " I..I thank you for your advice2 she bowed her head. "I sort of overheard your conversation just now, so I understand you're a trader?


I won't go any further, this man knows things, I'll be watching him, maybe Dralas could have some tiny use of this man..later

Rianna turned around and returned to Dralas and Morrie

"Crap, I forgot the poles" she sighed

Dralas

When Rianne stepped away, Dralas sat on a rock rummaging through his two sacks of temple materials. They were only common items. One of his sacks contained two sacks within; a sack of saltrice and another of hackle-lo. He pinched some of the latter and added it to his own pouch. The other, heavier sack held various and numerous hand tools.

At least the Temple didn't seem to be putting the remains of ancestors in the sacks and handing them to the general public for transportation. The last thing Dralas wanted to do was search through everyone's bag. now he just needed to know who on the caravan was with the Temple, and who would be carrying what he was looking for. He put everything (except for a bit of hackle-lo) back in the sacks and chewed some of the new leaf. He had to admit; the priests didn't have bad taste.

He glanced over his shoulder to see Rianne coming back. "It doesn't look like we'll need them tonight anyway," he said, glancing at the darkening sky, "Doubt it will rain. So did you know the mer you thought you recognized?"

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Mar 13 2009, 10:21 PM

[minque]

Rianne

"Yes...i recognized him, he's a shrewd one, a merchant, he claims to be, but his merchandise could be of various kind!..Besides, he knows everything, I bet he knows where your.....items are"

Dralas hadn't exactly told her what he was looking for, but she knew what it was, she just knew.

She took one of the blankets and wrapped it around her.. Then she approached Morrie and whispered omething in her ear. The big animal shook her big head , then laid herself down and so provided a kind of shelter...

Rianne smiled, took out some hackle-lo lit one and offered Dralas the other

"So friend, why don't you tell me exactly what you're after? I am sure I can help you, those men over there...I stunned them, they don't know what to think of me, hehe, an ashlander asking for fire-woods, pffff that's what I told them...and the trader..he didn't recognize me, that's for sure"

she put out her hackle-lo and starte playing the flute, very silently and suggestive

[Dantrag]

Dralas

While Rianne piddled on the flute, he answered, "Between me and you, the Temple is taking the bones of our ancestors and using them in construction of the fence. My family's tomb was raided, and the bones taken. I tracked them to this caravan, but that's all I know." He spit the leaf he had been chewing on the ground to make room for Rianne's rolled leaf. He suddenly realized how much he had been using hackle-lo in some form or other, but ignored the thought in favor of more important ones.

"And if this merchant does know anything. I'll bet he wants to be paid," he paused to take a deep breath of smoke, "That's a bit of a problem for me."

Dralas left out a few key elements in his story, like killing people of his own clan and being exiled, but they weren't things he liked to even think about, much less talk about. What would he do once he recovered the bones? He couldn't go back home, and he refused to live in a permanent settlement for a long period of time. Setting that thought aside for later, he took in more smoke.

[jack cloudy]

OOC: Wait, you can play a flute silently? Err, I'll just go and assume you mean it is little more than a whisper. Also, I find it somewhat amusing that Eno has essentially been given the opportunity to listen in on the whole sugar/moonsugar/religion conversation because he's building a tent right next to them! But don't worry folks, I'll make it easy for you to keep things a secret from him, if you want to.

Eno Arval

Rothan and the man with the mohawk, this Dranas Heleran, had begun a conversation. However, Eno was so focussed on first building his tent (little more than a glorified umbrella) and then feeding his Guar that he honestly couldn't tell what the conversation had been about. He did remember the words 'tea' and 'Tribunal being mentioned once or twice, so he assumed it had been some simple inquiries into each other's profession and preferred drink. Maybe he would talk to Dranas later, see what kind of goods he had.

Once he'd finished his tasks, the Dunmer stood up and stretched till he heard a soft pop somewhere down his spine. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed that a third Dunmer had joined.
"Hmm, I've seen him before. Oh right, he was that Rahnis fellow, Erna. We met last night at the tavern, just before I went to sleep. Or tried to sleep." Eno thought and for a moment wondered if he should try to join them.

He'd just opened his mouth to speak however, when a pair of Armigers walked passed, no doubt on their way to their place for tonight's watch. One of them, was bragging to the other about his archery.
"You should have seen the eyes of that beast. They nearly bulged out of its skull when it suddenly found its tongue pinned to the back of its throat by my arrow."

Eno's gaze followed the two men till they vanished behind one of the large rocks that were strewn about the foyada.
"Kagouti? Hmm, this could be an opportunity. They came from the front of the caravan so, I think I'll check it out." He decided, patted his Guar on the head, checked the pole he'd hammered into the ground and tied it to, and finally set off towards the front of the caravan.

As he neared the front, he saw that there had indeed been Kagouti, a whole herd of them. A single Armiger was posted to stand watch over the carcasses, while plenty of travellers flocked around it like Cliffracers.
"Ah, excuse me, good sir." Eno called out and approached the Armiger.
"Hmm, you want Kagouti meat for diner as well? Well, I do admit that the rations they hand out aren't exactly tasty." The Armiger replied with a chuckle. He then turned his head back towards the besieged cadavers and shook his head.
"Well, I'm not interested in their meat actually...Forgive me for asking, but does something bother you?" Eno said as he watched the scene with the man.

"It's nothing, but my father was a butcher you know. He could strip a Guar of its finest meat, all through just a small slit in the skin as long a finger. These men and women, they just hack off whatever looks tastiest for them, throw away what they don't need and leave the rest to rot. Look at how they tore the beautiful skin of those animals to pieces. It just feels like a waste to me, I guess." The Armiger muttered.
"But enough about me, how can I help you? You said you weren't interested in their meat. Good for you, because what's left has been trampled into the ash."

"Indeed, I am not interested in the flesh, but rather in the bones." Eno told him. He already leaned forward to get a closer look at a Kagouti's toe.
"The bones? I don't understand but I suppose it is no problem." The butcher's son answered.
"Really? That is wonderfull. I'm an instrument maker, you know. Bones are such wonderful materials that can be used for just about anything. Flutes, drumsticks, plugs, bells. I'm particularly fond of Cliff-racer bones for flutes. They're already hollow, you see."

"An instrument maker? I would love to hear you play one day. If it's bones you want, I can give you any bone you want. But leave the cutting to me. I'm not a professional like my father, but I might still be able to save some of the meat." The Armiger said and they both moved in to investigate a carcass that the other travelers had judged as 'stripped clean'. Eno laughed.
"Believe me, you'd rather not. I'm much better at making them than I am at playing them. Now how about we take a thighbone? I haven't worked with something that big before."


Haz, somewhere at the rear of the caravan

Haz ate his rations with his back turned to everybody else. He refused to risk showing his scaled snout to anyone. After that, he simply laid down on his back and closed his eyes. All over the place he had seen tents being set up but he didn't have one. Didn't need one either.
"After all, what need does a hero have for comfort?"

This post has been edited by jack cloudy: Mar 13 2009, 11:15 PM

[Olen]

Rothan

"Good night gentlemen," said Dranas as he stood.

Rothan nodded, "I think it's time I hit the sack too. Thanks for the sugar."

He opened his pack and pulled out a blanket. One side had a waxed canvas stitched to it to protect against any morning dew. He laid it out on a flattish patch of ground by the fire. He pulled a sweetroll from his pack and munched it with the blanket wrapped round him.

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

Dranas ambled the short distance back to his camp. He quickly parceled out some wickwheat to his guars, then looked over the camp. In perfect order--he noted his bags intact, his sword sitting under next to his bedroll. He made sure the fire was out cold--it was--then ducked under his tarp and wormed his way into his sleeping bag. Pure heaven... soft, warm, snug. He let himself drift off into sleep.

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

OOC: I hesitate to write a morning yet... were Rianne and Dralas still sort of talking? And was Apelles going to speak with the armiger? If there is nothing else when I wake up tomorrow, I will write a morning for Dranas and let everyone else settle their business as they will.

This post has been edited by canis216: Mar 20 2009, 02:02 AM

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

As the sky shifted gradually from black to navy to pale blue dawn, so too Dranas shifted from asleep to fitful consciousness to fully awake. It was morning. He enjoyed a final moment in the luxurious warmth of his bag before squirming out from underneath his tarp to stand upright. He grabbed his sword and scabbard, secured his arsenal to his side, and then made for his sack of wickwheat. His guars would need feeding.

That accomplished he rekindled his fire, then greased his skillet and sat the cast-iron upon the flames with a great chunk of salted crab meat sitting inside. With the meat cooking he had time to lean back against one of his packs, gnaw on scrib jerky, and watch the others stir.

[jack cloudy]

Haz.

Haz had trouble sleeping with the knowledge that he was surrounded by nothing but Dunmer. As such, he was already wide awake well before sunrise. He looked at the decrepit Guar as the sky slowly brightened. The beast continued to amaze him with its desire to live. He had been absolutely convinced that it would die during the cold night.
"But I bet you're going to force me to drag you around again today. Really, I should just forget about all this and kill you. I'd be doing you a favour. But I can't do that because one of those pointy-eared rats would complain about it. Stupid elves." He thought angrily.

[Olen]

Rothan

Rothan awoke with the dawn. Most of the caravan still slept, or had only just woken so he took a few minutes to stretch the knots from his back. Getting soft, he thought to himself, Too much time on soft mattresses and not on the trail. Once he'd finished he dressed and tried to adjust the unfamiliar weight of the cudgel on his hip so it was comfortable. After a few moments he gave up and opened his bag.

The fire had burnt to dull embers and he couldn't be bothered resurrecting it. They'd be off soon with any luck. He pulled out the squashed remnants of a sweetroll and decided to call it breakfast. A bit of ash had gotten into his pack and made it taste a bit strange but he was hungry and didn't mind.