The Ghostfence rp: Playground 2 Options

[minque]

Dralas

"There's always a chance that a Wise Woman knows something no one else does," he answered. He didn't say it out loud, but he did feel the tug of destiny around Rianne.

At this point, they seemed pretty far from any enemies. The Shishara brothers wouldn't dare attack a whole caravan, and they'd made no real enemies among their fellow travelers. If all went well, it should be smooth sailing from this point forward.

So why did he feel so on edge? He could sense the same feeling in Rianne. The calm before the storm maybe?

"So you're an assassin that hesitates to kill," he said, "What does it take for someone to deserve death?"

It seemed like a strange question, but it was very important. Dralas figured that if he and Rianne were going to be a team, they'd have to be an effective one. He couldn't be guessing about when she'd sit out of a fight and when she'd fight a fight.

Rianne

"They do, that is correct, and sometimes I know things as well, things that noone else knows"

She gave a faint smile and took Dralas' hand in a firm grip, looking him straight in his eyes...

"Dralas Lasamsi, I'm sure you're familiar with the rules of Morag Tong, we do not kill anyone unless there's writ...And I do not have any writs in my possession right now! My , what you call hesitstion to kill is just that I do not enjoy taking lives per se...Killing for the Tong is different, it's regarded as honorable and I try to see it that way. "

She silenced and took a sip from a bottle she took from her backpack. Then she handed it to Dralas; "Here, it's pretty good brandy!"

"Now listen to me" She continued "We're together in this, ok? My gut tells me it won't be that easy to recover your ancestral bones, there's something special about them, and I can't figure out what....yet! But remember this, anyone who is any kind of threat to you or me, any threat...deserves death. I will stand by your side, I will fight with you, but there can be other ways of dealing with people than just slaughter them, so you must trust me also.. I will never let you down...remember that!"

Rianne leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes.

If I only could figure out what is wrong...somethings gonna happen...and it might not be pleasant

[Dantrag]

Dralas

"I trust you, Rianne, more than you know," he assured her after a few sips of brandy, "But you do have a lot to learn about the ways of our people. A name written on a scrap of parchment does not make anyone's death more honorable. Honor is found in the way you fight, the reason you fight, and in the way your enemy dies. To us, there is no honor in Tong executions."

Dralas meant no offense, but he felt that it had to be said. Rianne said she needed to learn about her people, and he merely felt the need to teach right then.

He wondered then if Rianne had become too used to civilized living to truly return to her people as a wise woman. He didn't know how long she'd been away from her tribe, but while she was well-versed in many aspects of ashlander culture, she seemed ignorant of many others. Most ashlanders held at least a little disdain for the Houses (though Redoran was admittedly the lesser of five evils) and civilized life in general. Rianne seemed to have adopted a bit of both cultures. Maybe too much of one?

Or maybe not. Perhaps this was a part of the destiny they spoke of earlier. Rianne did serve as his 'interpreter' more often than not when he didn't understand city ways, and he could teach her the ashlander ways. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. Apart, well...

[minque]

Rianne

She nodded. "I know that in my heart, but I had a good reason to join the Tong...ah well I'm gonna tell you the whole story, the nasty life-story of Rianne de Zoete"

She figured she needed more strength to talk abot this so she took a good sip of the brandy, lit another hackle-lo and started talking:

"I had a lucky childhood, I never knew my mother, she died giving birth to me, but Sinnamu Mirpal, our Wise Woman raised me as her own daughter. I learned everything I know from her, she raised me to take over after her. Everything was set, life was good! Until spring the year I was 21! To broaden my education I was allowed to join the hunters of our tribe on their missions to gather food and look for better pastures for our herds of guars. One of these missions went terribly wrong, we were attacked by a group of imperial soldiers!"

Rianne closed her eyes in pain remembering this, she sighed and continued with a voice thick with emotions.

"My clanfriends were slaughtered, and I was taken prisoner. The commander took me as his personal slave, you might imagine what he did to me! He kept me as a slave for a year, then he married me. Then another kind of slavery began. Marcus de Zoete, his name was and he wanter heirs! I didn't understand why he wanted to have a child with a Dunmerii woman, and I never found out the reason for it. Anyway I had no intention to bear his child so I made sure not to get pregnant."

Rianne smiled, "Wise Women know these things you know!"

"Now this refusal to obey my husband and master caused me unspeakable pain, he started to treat me very bad, he hit me, very hard and very often. Sometimes he nearly killed me, I can show you the scars on my body...."

She shrugged and put her arms tight around her, took a deep breath to compose herself.

"I endured this hell of a life for almost two years until something happened that changed my life...for the good I think. It was a big day at the garrison at Gnisis, the imperials had had some military success and there was festivities to be held. I was there, Marcus never let me out of sight, and now the men wanted to eat and drink and...have some fun...with me as it turned out."

"They got terribly drunk and I don't think I need to mention the "fun" they had with me! I nearly died that night, but the urge to survive was strong in me and finally, when the men were almost unconscious, I managed to slip away. I dragged myself out of the garrison and out on the road to Ald'ruhn. I don't remember how I did it, or where I crushed in the middle of nowhere, but I do remember the face of the man who saved me, the man who I owe my life!"

"He was a tall Dunmer, with a tattoo of a black hand on his face and e took me to the Mage's guild in Ald'ruhn, where I was healed and nursed by Edwinna Elbert. After I had recovered, I asked Edwinna who my saviour was, His name is Sethyas Velas and he is a Morag Tong assassin, she told me. So I went to the Morag Tong guildhall in Ald'ruhn and asked for him, I wanted to thank him for saving my life. He wasn't there, but the guildmaster told me that the best way of thanking him was to join the Tong and perform some duties."

Rianne gave a faint smile.

"I usually do as I'm told, so I agreed to this and became a Morag Tong assassin. I stayed at the Mage's guild for some months and performed two "duties" No I can't tell you more about that!, not now anyway"

"One day I was called to Sarethi Manor, there had been an assassination attempt on the Councillor and they had need of a healer. And as I was a trained healer, Edwinna thought it was a good idea of sending me. Serjo Sarethi was pretty badly injured but I somehow succeeded healing him. He is a very kind man and offered me a home as hefound out I actually lived at the guild."

"I spent all in all my last six years among the "others", and I've learned a lot from it, which can be useful...now! But...I'd really like to learn more from you, Dralas, about "our customs" You see, in my heart I'm an Ashlander, and will always be, but my knowledge about the others might be useful for us."

Then she put her hands on his shoulders...

"What I've told you here must remain a secret...."

What a strange relief it was to finally talk about this, now I really can move on, for hearing me out I thank you Dralas, I will protect you with my life

[jack cloudy]

Eno Arval

Rothan's explanation took the edge off the tension that Eno was feeling.
"Well then, praise ALMSIVI you got out of there alive. And you're right, I am getting worked up over nothing. Let us continue on then." He replied as they descended the stairs.

True to the priest's words, they found the actual camp not much further down. It was uncertain just how far the ruins carried, but it was obvious that the temple at least had chosen to settle down as close to the entrance as possible. It was easier that way after all. A simple wall of hardened clay had been erected to seal off the rest of the ruins. Matts lay on the floor, reflecting the torchlight that would have otherwise been sucked up by the Daedric material.

Priests, acolytes, Armigers and even a handful of Ordinators went about their bussiness as the two men reached the end of the stairs.
"Ah, this must be the place. Now I just need to find whoever is in charge of the paperwork here. See if I can join a caravan going the other way. I've had enough adventure for a lifetime."



OOC: I took some liberties here with describing the inside camp and also with leading Rothan down the stairs. I hope that doesn't cause any problems. And I must admit that I wasn't planning on getting lost. I was just using Eno's superstition to draw an image of what I think that the Daedric ruins should be. In-game, they're often just a straightforward stairs-big open hall combo which is kinda boring.

Erna can be in the sealed off section. So if you want to summon some Daedra to cause a ruckus colonel, feel free to have them break through the clay wall.

And one last question, is Apelles inside the ruins or outside? I'm not planning on doing much, beyond wave hi if he and Eno are in the same place.

[Olen]

Rothan

"Are you sure you want to return? I mean if you just make sure to stay with the guards nothing can really go wrong. They were incompetent not to send any Armigers back with us. And no one was hurt permanently so its just a good story now," Rothan gave Eno a grin.

The bureaucrats were at the back. This didn't surprise Rothan, whether they were simply pushed there or if it showed true dedication to being as awkward as possible he wasn't sure. In this case though it may well actually have been the best place as the clay wall reflected a lot more light than whatever devilry the rest of the ruin was made of. He made his way to a mer in long robes. Rothan didn't know him but he looked like he was in charge of the running of temple matters.

[Dantrag]

Dralas

Dralas took a moment to light his own hackle-lo as he listened to Rianne's story. He felt bad at first for making her tell it, until he realized that it made her feel better to get it out.

"You're a much stronger person than I," he admitted when she was finished with her tale.

Then she put her hands on his shoulders and asked that he keep it all a secret. He put her hands in his, and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I won't utter a word of what you just told me to anyone," he promised. Though his promise was more sincere than any other he'd made in the past, he thought crossed his mind that he had no other friends to tell.

"Hungry?" he asked with a smile, trying to get them both out of their now-somber moods.

This post has been edited by Dantrag: Sep 1 2009, 08:59 PM

[minque]

Rianne

Rianne smiled, squeezed his hands, bent forward and planted a kiss on his forehead

"I know" she whispered

"And I'm completely starving!" she laughed "How about hunting down something and cook it?, Where are the others, havent given them a thought for a while"

[bbqplatypus]

And one last question, is Apelles inside the ruins or outside? I'm not planning on doing much, beyond wave hi if he and Eno are in the same place.

OOC: Inside in a different chamber. At least, I'd say it's a different one. If you want them to bump into each other, that's fine.



Apelles followed Salms Ralas into an empty chamber of the ruins. Ralas looked straight at him with a penetrating and direct stare.

"How many dead?"

"None, sera. By the grace of the gods, all eight of us survived the ordeal."

"Almsivi be praised…" he breathed, relaxing momentarily. Then, the concern - the panic - returned to his face. "What was it? Was it the ash creatures? It was the ash creatures, wasn't it? Dammit, they're getting farther and farther out, coming more and more often! Surely there'll be more of them!"

Apelles stared at Salms for a moment, surveying his wild, yet sunken and tired eyes, heavy with worry and fear.

He's still haunted by the fate of the last caravan, Apelles thought. Then he spoke. "No…no, it was a gang of outcast Ashlanders."

Ralas's expression of fear turned to one of surprise. "Ashlanders? This far out? The nearest camp is hundreds of miles away."

"I know. My guess is they were probably outcasts, desperate for food and supplies. Nasty folk, those outcasts - I reckon the tribe kicked them out for a reason."

The Armiger relaxed. "Ah, yes...not common, but I've heard of it happening before. Never seen them this far out, though. In any event, it lightens my heart to know you all survived."

"You're telling me. I STILL can't believe I'm standing here." He allowed himself to smile for a moment. "By the way, I overheard that conversation you were having with the administrators."

Ralas shook his head and sighed deeply. "Yes, well…I suppose there's no point in denying it. We Armigers are spread thinner than cuttle on a Hlaalu's morning hard tack. Most of the Armigers escorting the caravan are rookies. We've got precious few experienced officers and a lot of new faces."

Apelles cocked one eyebrow. "Really? This'd be the first I've heard of it."

"The Temple is good at keeping secrets, my friend. The seams won't show as long as we don't run into any trouble. But when we do..." Salms snapped his fingers. "...three hells will break loose."

"Gods' blood..." Apelles gasped. "Then again, I suppose I ought to have known. Why else would you be hiring so many mercenaries?"

"Quite frankly, I don't think we're hiring nearly enough. But the situation is mostly the same everywhere, BUT...Addamasartus has some experienced men to spare. Maybe an officer, some additional men, but most importantly, they've got some experienced NCO's sitting here on their backsides doing next to nothing. I could get them out doing something useful, but instead they're here, keeping watch over this glorified guar stable! And that FETCHER Sadas Drathen knows it, too! But he won't hand them over to me. He's holding HIS personal grudge against me over the needs of the Temple! Over the lives of MY MEN!" He slammed his fist against one of the ornate stone pillars inside the chamber.

Apelles paused for a moment before gingerly proceeding with a question. "If...you don't mind me asking, sera, what exactly does this Drathen have against you?"

"A long story, not worth telling," he replied bitterly. "Suffice to say, it was a number of imagined slights, culminating in the day when the Patriarch appointed me to the prestigious post of head guard at the Tower of Dusk instead of him. It's considered to be a real honor, a test worthy only of the truly strong and pious warrior. Which is why he wasn't chosen, the worthless s'wit."

"Oh. Sounds like it'll be an uphill battle to convince him, then."

Salms' voice went quiet. "Yes, yes it will be. So are most fights worth fighting. And this...war against the Sharmat and his...vile thralls...is a prime example. It's claimed so many of us, stretched us beyond our limits, and the battle has scarcely begun. Sometimes I wonder if I even have the stomach for it anymore. I keep telling myself that Lord Vivec will protect and provide, but..." Ralas sighed and stared out into space for a moment. Then he looked back up at Apelles, his eyes almost dead with weariness.

"Do you know how old I am, outlander?"

"No, I don't."

"I'm seventy-four years old. I have wounds in places I can't even see. Right now, I'm one of the best...but that won't last. I figure I have about three, maybe four good years left before I start to break down. After that...I don't know. Probably forty years of teaching children the virtues of the Seven Graces, before my body takes its final revenge on me for treating it so damned badly. From the cradle to the grave, I will have served Lord Vivec with every breath I've ever taken. I shall sacrifice my body to him.

"And what do I have? Nothing...an Armiger's pay, no true home, no family, and nowhere else to go. Most of my friends seem to be dying left and right. Soon, I won't even have my health.

"Sometimes, I can see my friend's faces - death masks in my head. And I wonder...why Vivec didn't protect them. And I ask, when's he going to save us, if not now? And I wonder if, maybe...it's because...he ca-" He gulped, stopping himself, barely holding back tears.

"I know..." he wheezed, voice quivering, "...that Vivec has a plan. I believe it as an article of faith. But sometimes I wonder if it would be best if I had no part of it."

Apelles could see his body quivering, shaking like an old man without his cane. He could feel the words that were left unspoken upon his lips. Words of doubt and bitterness - an unspoken heresy that he was struggling with all his heart not to believe. His every word conveyed a deep, quaking religious terror.

Apelles put his hand on Ralas's shoulder, unsure of what to say.

"Are you going to be okay?" Apelles finally croaked out.

"I'll...I'll be fine," he answered.

"Are you sure? Because I'm here to help if you need me. We can beat this together. I'll even pray with you, if that's what you want."

"I know," he whispered. "You haven't let me down yet in the brief time I've known you. But I'll be fine. It's just...a bit of officer's anxiety, is all."

Suddenly, he straightened up and stood tall. The tears, the weariness, and any other sign of doubt were gone - he was, for the time being, every bit the confident Dunmer he seemed to be in Balmora.

"Besides," he continued, "we're thin enough on officers as it is. This caravan can't afford for me to quit now. Hell, if we lose any more officers, we might need you to take charge. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back and continue to beg for Drathen's table scraps."

And with that, he both his way back to the main chamber, with Apelles following closely behind, not quite sure if he would ever view him the same way again.

This post has been edited by bbqplatypus: Sep 4 2009, 08:45 AM

[Colonel Mustard]

Erna

Hasha Yockhet Payem Roht!"

The challenge rang out from within the depths of the hall, where the flickering, schizophrenic illumination of the bowl's fire did not shine. Erna jumped when he heard the voice, but relaxed when he recognised the language. Daedric.

"Ankyit Geth Iya," he called, mimicking the guttural tones of a daedra.

A figure, wearing jagged, spike heavy armour stepped forwards from the shadow. A long, slender and barbed sword was held with the lazy ease of one who knew how to use it like an expert, its tip held a few centimetres above the flagstone floor. A pair of short horns folded up towards the forehead over its greyish blue skin.

"You speak the tongue of the daedric?" the dremora asked, its fingers drumming along the hilt of its weapon.

Erna nodded.

"You'll find no mortal servant of Mehrunes Dagon as loyal to our master as me, friend," he said.

"What brings you here?" the dremora asked, still glaring at Erna suspiciously. "None have come for many years now."

"Yet the torches still burn," Erna said.

"That is my work," the dremora said. "I am Khallet, Keeper of this Temple's flame. And the guardian of this place, as hopeless as I have been at this task."

"You mean the camp?" Erna asked.

"Oh yes," Khallet said. "I have been trapped here for many years, but I felt them above me, moving in like fleas. Staying and infesting this place, corrupting it with their stupid, petty obsession with order and cleanliness. They are killing this place, and I can do nothing."

The daedra's knuckles whitened as he clenched his fingers around his blade.

"Soon all influences of my master and his brothers shall be gone," Khallet said. "And I will have failed in my duty, most likely on the day when the spells that anchor me here dissipate, thanks to the influence of these mortals. I am trapped here, dark elf. I have have no way out. Yet you have a way in. Where did you find it. Show me, and I shall wreak my vengeance."

"And what will you do?" Erna asked. "Kill a few people before the ordinators banish you back to Oblivion?"

He shook his head and laughed.

"I'll tell you what," he said. "Let's get some friends, huh. There must be some other way out of here, so we can get a little army out. Really make a mess."

"And what will difference will many daedra make compared to one?" Khallet asked.

"Daedra always appear randomly around this sort of place, don't they?" Erna said. "So, we get lots of them. Don't even have to be particularly powerful ones, maybe half a dozen, a dozen clannfears and hungers. COnvince that maybe the daedra aren't happy about a bunch of order lovers moving and taking over. Maybe we can even frighten them enough to make them move."

"Perhaps, but they shall just return," Khallet said.

"Tell me, Khallet, how long have you been trapped under here?" Erna asked.

"Many years," Khallet said. "What news is there of the outside world that is relevant to this?"

Erna nodded.

"Yes," he said. "That makes sense. So, Khallet, I'll tell you what's been happening over the past few years. Believe me, if we can shift this lot away from here we'll make a bigger mess than ever."

"And how is this?"

"I'll explain," Erna said. "But let me put it like this. I think of things in the long term."

This post has been edited by Colonel Mustard: Sep 2 2009, 07:03 PM

[Dantrag]

Dralas

While the idea of hunting always appealed to him, he wasn't sure it was a good idea in this particular instance. It would require leaving the camp, finding and killing an animal, dragging it back, skinning, cooking... The work didn't bother him but the time it might take did. Dralas wasn't keen on getting left behind again.

He shrugged, "I bet they're all around here somewhere. We should check the common area for food and maybe we'll spot one of them."

[minque]

Rianne

"Sure! I still got gold and I don't think anyone would say no to a coin or two...maybe they even will get us some food."

She jumped to her feet, took Dralas by his hand and headed for the inside of the shrine.

[Olen]

Rothan

"Is a priest required for any duties?" Rothan asked the mer in long robes.

The bureaucrat looked at him, "Well other than housekeeping..." he broke off looking at the entrance. Rothan looked back and saw the two ashlanders who had fallen behind with them. "By Vivec," muttered the steward, "Not their type. Why do they have to come here and bother me. Yes I have a duty for you, see what they want or make them go away. Just keep the swits out my sight." He turned back to his papers.

Rothan looked at the pair and wandered what they were up to. What could bring two ashlanders into a temple caravan? He severely doubted it was a sudden vision of faith in Almsivi. He chided himself, what of the grace of courtesy? Clearly the steward was under pressure so it fell to him to offer them welcome. And besides he wouldn't mind asking them about certain myths referenced in the banned book he carried.

He wandered over to the entrance, "You look lost, can I help you?"

This post has been edited by Olen: Sep 3 2009, 02:29 PM

[minque]

Rianne

Rianne gave the man who approached them a friendly smile, she was somewhat aware of that the others in the caravan didn't exacyly love Dralas and herself, the curse of being ashlander she thought.

"Yes, Serjo, you actually can help us by telling where we can find something to eat, we are rather hungry by now"

She gave Dralas a quick glance and squeezed his hand....it felt good to have a true friend, and she really liked Dralas...really liked him!

[Olen]

Rothan

Rothan returned the woman's smile, "Of course, I'm not certain but I think there are vendors though there," he pointed at a door off the main chamber he'd seen most people wandering through, "I was thinking of getting some myself, please, join me."

He walked over to the door and entered. A few vendors had stalls round the room, there was a bookseller, a smith and a odd looking dunmer pedalling a range of oddments. Opposite them were the food stalls offering a variety of simple fair. In the corner was a temple stall offering some sort of stew, by the smell which filled the room ashyam featured heavily.

Rothan turned to the ashlanders, "I can offer you temple food if you wish." It had been a while since he'd visited the shrine of generosity so he made up where he could.


OOC: again I took the liberty of assuming they would go there (as seemed obvious), if this is an issue tell me and I'll edit and stop doing it

[Colonel Mustard]

Erna

With Khallet's help, Erna drew the summoning octagon, a shape bordered with jagged and twisting geometrical patterns. Khallet murmured some words and the flames burned higher, their diabolical illumination sending shadows in a schizophrenic, mad dance.

There were a few shelves in the deep dark corner of the hall, stacked high with books. Khallet fetched the ones with the appropriate incantations, Erna found the page he wanted, and started chanting rapidly in daedric,

The summoning had begun.

Soon, hell would be unleashed.

OOC: The summoning can be indefinitely long, so folks can get their characters in place. Once you're ready I'll start the attack. I'm tempted to write it from Khallet's POV too-I've developed a soft spot for him.

[jack cloudy]

Haz

Haz found himself placed before a serious dilemma. At least, it was a serious one for him. On the one hand, he knew that he was safest while he was alone. But that safety only lasted for as long as he remained near the camp, which was something he couldn't do. His target was the building site and to reach it safely, he would have to rejoin the caravan.

"Now I could just stay here and try to join up without a fuss again by morning. But my garb is quite distinctive. They'll recognize me and ask questions. So I should go in and show my presence so that they've gotten used to me again by morning. With the elves mingling about, I might pull it off without blowing my cover." He thought and sighed. It really would be best for him in the end if he just got himself registered. With those thoughts, he ventured into the camp and ascended the stairs to the entrance of the shrine.

Eno Arval

"There is truth in those words but I am just lacking in faith. Maybe they were foolish when they let us go alone. Perhaps it was continuing foolishness that made them travel on without even thinking of looking back. Or perhaps they felt they were completely inadequate to deal with any trouble we might have gotten into. And if they felt that way, then how much safer would it really be to stay close to them?" Eno muttered to himself as Rothan wandered off to speak with to an official looking person.

Eno's eyes swept around the chamber in search of a scribe. He waved a greeting at the two Ashlanders as they came down the stairs and rose an eyebrow when Rothan was apparently ordered by the official to speak to them.
"That man probably wants them to leave because they aren't dressed like a temple-going city Dunmer, yet doesn't want to lower himself to telling them himself. It's a bit of a shame to find such shortsighted people within the temple of ALMSIVI. Those two are good people, I think."

Eno shook his head as Rothan led the Ashlanders to another room and returned to the task of seeking out a scribe.
"Yes? Please hurry it up, I don't have all day." The rather young Dunmer said without looking up when Eno's shadow fell over the parchment he'd been working on.
"If I may have a moment of your time, sir. Would you happen to know when the next caravan leaves?" The instrument-maker asked.
"Tomorrow morning most likely. Straight line to Ghostgate. Everyone knows that. Stop wasting my time, old man."

Eno felt slightly offended at the brusque answer he received.
"No, forgive me for misphrasing my inquiry. I did not mean the caravan to Ghostgate. I meant the caravan to Balmora." He clarified, his voice growing somewhat terse.
Now the scribe did look up, with a mixture of astonishment and contempt upon his face.
"Balmora?! There is no caravan to Balmora, you wrinkly fool! Now go away. I have reports to make." He snapped.

Eno's nostrils flared. Acting upon his rising anger, he slammed a fist down on the piece of parchement, knocking over the scribe's vial of ink in the process.
"Have your parents never thought you the virtues of politeness and respect towards your elders, boy? You won't be making any report till I have received an answer. Now there has to be a caravan that goes the other way. How else are these reports..." He raised his hand and used a handkerchief to remove the ink from his fingers.
"..Ever going to come before the eyes of the Arch-canon?"

[canis216]

Dranas Heleran

"Damn it all, there's only some old bones in this pack. Must be the raw material for that Ghostfence. Ain't worth a damn thing to me."

Dranas continued his casual inspection of the cargo, muttering softly to himself as he went. He hadn't found much that he dared take--mostly just some hackle-lo, a little bit greef and sujamma, anything easy to carry, easy to conceal, and easy to sell. Back at his tent he stowed away what he could, rolled up and lit a leaf of hackle-lo, and gazed up at the stars. The moon was getting high--which meant that the repairs to his armor should be just about done. Slowly, he began the short walk back into the shrine.

This post has been edited by canis216: Sep 4 2009, 04:58 AM

[Dantrag]

Dralas

Dralas and Rianne entered the common area only to end up in what seemed to be the Temple's base of operation. Dralas spotted an official-looking priest speaking with another that had a familiar face. The former gave the ashlanders a rather unwelcoming look, while the latter seemed to be genuinely nice enough.

Rianne asked directions, and they ended up with a new companion. At least for lunch.

"You're very gracious," he said to the priest, though he felt bad about taking without having something to give in return, and even worse about eating from the Temple's kitchens. But he'd already been smoking their hackle-lo, and would soon be working for them. What more harm could eating do?

"We've seen each other, but never met. I'm Dralas Lasamsi, and this is Rianne," he instinctively gave an ashlander hand sign, but remembered afterwards to shake hands, as was the custom of most Imperial citizens.

[minque]

Rianne

She smiled inside when she noticed Dralas' handsign, and then his handshake.

Hmm he do know some customs of the others, good that will probably make things a tad easier

She then took out some gold from her backpack and offered it to the priest.

"Here, allow me to give a donation to the Temple, its from both of us"

There, we can now eat in peace

"c'mon Dralas, let's eat!" she grabbed a piece of bread and then forgot all around her, concentration on the food.

[Olen]

Rothan

Rothan took Dralas's hand, "Good to meet you, I'm Rothan Sarayn."

After they had helped themselves to food the ashlander named Rianne offered some money. Rothan had noticed she either lacked or didn't tell her second name, but then ashlanders were foreign for all they lived so close. "My thanks, and those of the Temple," he said taking the gold, he would deposit it at a offering bowl later.

For a while they ate in silence. The food awakened the hunger in him and he ate ravenously. Once the edge had been blunted from his appetite he swallowed a mouthful of bread and said, "So what brings you along with this caravan?"