Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while. — Legacy Forums

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#41

After they were all seated, Liothryth shook her head and stood back up. She went to when Kelad was slumped over his table, murmering to himself in his stupor. Placing her right hand on his head she spoke. "Wake up you fool, I have a feeling I may have need of you." Kelad jerked awake, shaking his head to clear it.

"Wha....?" Liothryth grabbed his arm, pulled his arm, and forced him to sit down at the other table.

"Tell me, Sir Risbert, in your training did you ever hear of the Battle of Gareth's Tor?"

[OOC: Anyone who feels like it can pipe up here. The only important part is hundreds of years ago three elvish mages defeated an entire army. There could be all kinds of legends, or none at all. Liothryth is not one of the mages.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#42

"I-uh..." Ris looked at everyone in turn, as if apologizing in advance for his ignorance.

"Aye--I--uh--my father told me tales." Ris blinked, "Tales of the Three-Who-Dreamed and those forces they laid waste to at the battle of the tor, and the Tourmaline-Heart, and the---Soul-Stones...?" Ris trailed off and shut up again. He couldn't remember the details, and was probably the least qualified of those present to expound on the legends. Well, not counting the skinny tavern girl, he imagined.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#43

Crysilda spoke up tentatively, "Umm... I heard it from one of my customers... not here of course, but when I was a seamstress." A sparkle came into her eyes when she spoke the word "seamstress". "Umm... like Sir Risbert had said, the Three Great Ones fought against the dreaded Malenorns in order to protect the Tourmaline-Heart. Yet, that came at great costs to themselves. Their essences were shattered in the process. It was who Halleth the Soul-Weaver who gathered and reforged part of their cores into the Soul Stones as a memory-keep for the people of the Three Great Ones."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#44

Ris stood (sat) corrected. Drats, the tavern girl knew more than he did.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#45

Sonata flexed her fingers under the table, the tension easing from her frame as the pain faded to tingling. She almost had full sensation back in her hand. That was good. As she listened to the talk of old battles and dark forces, she took a moment to evaluate her dinner companions.

Kelad she knew, if only briefly. He worked for money -- more than she usually had -- or for favors. Her last job for him had involved stealing some rather foul-smelling salts from a rival mage, and she had barely escaped with her skin. He was arrogant, foul-tempered, but competent. Oh yes, very competent.

Sir Risbert was nervous, that was plain enough. Sonata wondered if it was his youth, or the presence of the opposite sex. Either way, she might be able to use that, if the need arose.

The quiet young woman was a mystery. Sonata couldn't recall seeing her before, and wondered how she had earned the elf's favor so quickly. Perhaps there was more there than meets the eye; proceed with caution.

Which left the elf. Sonata quested towards her tentatively, looking for any of the usual signs of weakness. Fidgeting, wandering eyes, a smug demeanor. Anything at all that could give Sonata a read on her. But the elf was like a still pool, silent and utterly at peace. It put her on edge.

Sonata nervously thumbed one of the Stones through the lining of her cloak, feeling its weight settle into her hand like a gravestone. She felt the elf's eyes on her, but refused to meet them yet. She dared not pull the jewels out in front of the others, but knew that the reckoning between them had just been delayed, not resolved. There would be a price to pay for stealing the pouch. But what would the elf want from her? Money?

Or a favor?

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#46

Liothryth

Staring absently at the table, Liothryth began to speak. "The Malenorns were a brutal race whose short life spans left little time for learning. Over five hundred years ago, one of their leaders decided that if they only possessed the Tourmaline-Heart, one of the most ancient and sacred of all things to the elves, that his people would gain lifespans like those of the elves. He was wrong of course, but he sent his people to the elves most holy place and had them steal the Tourmaline-Heart.

"A terrible war was raged to get the Tourmaline-Heart back. The Malenorns vastly outnumbered the elves, but the elves had the benefit of magic to balance the odds.

"At one point during the war, three of the mightiest elvish mages were surrounded at Gareth's Tor by a vast Malenorn army. Nearing exhaustion after a long battle, they gathered what little strength they had left and destroyed what remained of the Malenorn army in one mighty blast, killing themselves in the process.

"After the battle, Halleth the Soul-Weaver did go and reforge their shattered souls into Soul Stones."

Liothryth paused in her tale and took a deep steadying breath. "What's not mentioned in the stories, is that, according to elvish custom, anytime high ranking mages went into battle a lesser mage went with them. This lesser mage would have completed their training, but would still have been weak in the arts. The lesser mage would be there to heal the greater mages and provide extra energy."

Liothryth reached over to Sonata, unerringly found the Stones, and pulled them out of Sonata's cloak. "When Terith, N'Mir, and Serris cast their final spell, I was standing inside the circle the three of them made. I think that's the only reason I survived when nothing else did." As she had said each name, Liothryth placed a Stone on the table.

"When Halleth arrived at the Tor, he had expected to have to make four Stones. Instead, he made three and carried me the nearest place with healers. He left the Stones with me because, since I was energeticly connected the the three at the time, I was, and am, still connected to their souls. Halleth left me at the monastery where I spent the next 200 years healing from my physical injuries." Her hand absently reached up and stroked one of the scars on her face. "I then spent 300 years hiding from the past, unwilling to face what had happened." She gave a rueful smile. "When you're an elf, you have a long time to think things through."

"The head of the monastery, Mother Beris, told me a week ago that I had to leave. I had put off what needed to be done fore long enough."

Raising her head, Liothryth looked each of them briefly in the eye and for the first time since any of them had seen her, she looked uncertain. "It's time for me to return my my friends to their home. I have to travel across the world to take their Soul Stones to the Grove of Memories. And I don't know if I can do it by myself."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#47

Ris sat mesmerized staring into the light from a candle on the table, eyes glazed over, listening to the tale unfold. Somehow in a few minutes, Liothryth had crystallized twenty years of half-baked stories and legends that his father was fond of relating.

When she was done, he said nothing for a few moments, then, "My sword is yours M'lady. I will accompany you." Another pause then, "Where can this Grove of Memories be found?"

He looked around the table again. "I have a horse", he added, then realizing that did not make much sense without context added, "For the journey I mean. M'lady is welcome to ride it."

Unless it has been stolen from the stable of course, he thought to himself, like everything else seems to have been in this urban den of rogues and vice.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#48

Liothryth

A relieved look came to Liothryth's face. "Thank you, Ris."

Kelad

Kelad began to bluster. "Now I understand why you want me along! I am a Master Mage and you are only a lesser mage! You will need me your perform any magic that needs to be done!"

Liothryth

Liothryth stopped him with a look. "I had already been studying mage craft for nearly one hundred years when the war began. I was a lesser mage because the others had finished their training over a thousand years before me. Since I recovered I've spent another three hundred learning. How long has it been since you first started training, twenty, maybe thirty years? I may need you because a person who believes they know everything knows nothing. And because many things, even magic, have changed in the last five hundred years."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#49

"What happened to the other elves?"

The question was soft, but it had an edge to it. "Seems like this is a problem for your people, not ours. And, with all due respect, you have an odd way of choosing traveling companions. A hedge knight with fuzz still on his cheeks. A barmaid. A wizard with a foul temper and far less experience than yourself. And a thief who already robbed you once." Sonata shook her head, bemusement warring with incredulity.

"You're either incredibly naive, or exceedingly desperate. . . Ma'am." Sonata belatedly recalled who she was speaking to.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#50

Liothryth

"I've selected a fully trained knight who, though still young, is willing to help those in need around him with first asking for payment and who is free to travel without gaining permission from his master. A mage who, though annoying, is highly trained and skilled in his craft. A girl who is a bar maid now, but who has the potential for much more inside her. As for the theif, I may only be a week out of the monastery, but this theif managed to steal three Soul Stones from an elvish mage who is connected to them with such skill that the theif was gone before the elf was able to register the Stones as stolen.

"I've lived long enough to recognize the patterns of life. I know I've found those who can help, if they are willing.

"As for the elves..." Suddenly Liothryth looked every one of her 673 years" I haven't seen or spoken to any of my people in over four hundred years. I'm not even certain any others still exist. I've heard that sightings of elves are so rare now some consider us myths. They must have withdrawn into our homeland of Tirnasol." She looked over at Ris, "that's the answer to your question. The Grove of Memories is far the the east, in Tirnasol."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#51

Ris' eyebrows went up when he heard "thief". Ris hated thieves. He looked at the outspoken Sonata with undisguised (he couldn't disguise it if he wanted to) disapproval. When she mentioned his "still fuzzy cheeks" Ris downright scowled, but held his tongue.

At Liothryth's reply,

"Y-yes, I *am* fully trained. I spent two full years as squire to Ser Parlen Oldfield, and he himself knighted me on his deathbed", Ris announced proudly. "I may be young but I am--able." No one at the table seemed impressed. Least of all Sonata and the obnoxious Kelad.

"Tirnasol" He said softly instead. The journey would take months. Unless they travelled by ship.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#52

The more Crysilda heard from the others, the more her eyes shone. She had always wanted to travel the world and adventure! This trip offered by the elf-lady is the perfect occasion for her dreams! Timidity cast aside, she decided to seize this chance with both of her hands.

"I'm coming!" She shouted in excitement and all eyes turned on her. She coughed delicately in embarrassment and added, "If you all agree that you want me, that is?"

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#53

Liothryth

Liothryth smiled widely at Crysilda's enthusiasm. "I most definitely want you along! Speak to your mistress and arrange rooms here for any who need it." Liothryth pulled some coins from the pouch she wore on the opposite side from the one which Sonata had stolen. "This should be enough to take care of everything."

She then looked at Sonata wit a twinkle in her eye. "Just think, if you had stolen my other pouch you wouldn't have been involved in any of this."

[OOC: Just throwing this out there. If anyone wants to have a go at the next part of the story, feel free. I have no idea what to do next. Also, if anyone wants to use Kelad go ahead. No reason I should have all the fun of being a pompous windbag. :)]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#54

Crysilda walked to Mistress in springy steps. "Mistress, can we have a room of...." She turned her head back to the party. The monk turned his head as if to say "you expect me to stay here?!". The thief shook her head. The elf-lady nodded and Ris called out enthusiastically, "yes for me". "Room of two. And..." Crysilda started shoving her feet and looked down towards the floor.

"Speak up, girly."

"And I'm sorry, Mistress, I appreciate your kindness in taking me in. But I will be off soon. With the new guests."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#55

[OOC sick as a dog and likely will be for a few days. Possible food poisoning. Muro can take control of my char until I return. Sorry guys.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#56

[OOC: I hope you feel better soon, Dossta! I had actually been going to post that I may not be around quite as much this week. I have planning to do for my IRL game this weekend.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#57

[OOC: hope Dossta gets better soon and no worries, Mirafin. This is a casual game, after all.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#58

[OOC: Just throwing this out there. If anyone wants to have a go at the next part of the story, feel free. I have no idea what to do next.]

(I actually have no spiffy ideas for what's next. Only thought was maybe do a "3 months later..." type of thing? Sounds like Tirnasol is far away :) Also, not to get all tin-foil conspiratorial, but does anyone else think that Tirnasol sounds suspiciously like "Turn Us All!"? Into what? Just sayin :P )

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#59

[OOC: Using an idea from the brilliant Murometz.]

"Land ho!" the look out's voice called out from the crow's nest. Three months had passed since that fateful night at the Preening Peacock. After a few days to gather supplies for the journey, the group had set out on their adventure. They had spent a week traveling to the coast of the inland sea, and then another two weeks aboard ship. At last the far coast, and the borders of Tirnasol, where only a few hours away.

Though Kelad had spent most of the voyage complaining about everything he could think of (a nearly getting thrown overboard by no less that five different sailors), the rest of the group had spent their time getting to know each other a bit better. Liothryth had been willing to answer any questions about the elves or about the past events that she had lived through.

As the look out made his announcement, Liothryth was standing at the railing, looking out over at waht had been her home so long ago.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#60

For two weeks aboard the Endeavour, Ris spent four hours a day, every day without fail, practicing with his sword and shield. Above deck or below. Rain, blazing sun, heaving waves, ferocious winds--it didn't matter.

He felt for the first time in his short, uneventful life, that he was finally part of something big. Something important. He had to prepare. He had be ready for whatever lay ahead. Liothryth was counting on him, and Ris would not let her down.

During their travels, the hedge-knight slowly came to know something of his companions.

Ris did not trust Sonata. She in turn did not seem overly fond of Ris. He wondered what had brought the woman to "thievery." She must have had a difficult upbringing, he assumed. Why else would someone turn to stealing? For her part, Sonata sometimes smiled at Ris, but more often scowled in his direction. She reminded him somewhat of his middle sister, and just like Colette, Sonata was able to see right through the young Ris. This made him nervous.

As for Kelad, first impressions back at the Peacock proved accurate. An insufferable, pompous lout of a man, Ris kept his distance. On the second day of their sea voyage, two of the sailors nearly yanked Kelad overboard over some dispute (and his obnoxious mouth). The hedge-knight came to the rescue with some quick, amateurish diplomacy at the last moment. As thanks, Kelad simply snorted in Ris' direction and stormed off cursing.

Crysilda was the simplest to understand. She was what she was. Or was she? Liothryth seemed to believe (and hint at) that there was something special about the barmaid caught up in the adventure of her life time. She was so eager, and he could not blame her. Truth be told he was eager as well. Over-eager even.

He got along well enough with Crysilda, she was easy to get along with after all, a little shy, but again, so was Ris.

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

He approached Liothryth who was staring out toward the coming coast with a longing in her eyes. He wondered what it must be like for her now. She was returning home to Tirnasol, after hundreds of years! He could not even begin to understand what she could be thinking...feeling.

"Tell me, M'lady" he said softly behind her. "What is Turnisol...like?" He felt stupid for not thinking of a better word. "Uh--I mean what can we expect to see there, to find? How far is it to the Grove of Memories? Can you tell me more of your homeland?"

Shut up Ris, too many questions!

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#61

"It's been so long that remembering it almost feels like remembering a dream." Liothryth sighed a little and turned to Ris. She had thought many times along their journey about asking him to call her by her name, but for all that Ris was a hedge-knight, he seemed desperate to serve someone.

"We lived among the trees, some built homes in their branches, others on the ground. Elves were everywhere, but other eases came to visit us as well. We were always tolerant of others, but swift to punish I'd laws were broken. We were mostly peaceful, with very little crime. Everyone knew everyone.

"Elvish children are rare, and therefore precious. All would keep an eye on a young one as they were playing. At 50 we started our training in the path we would take. At 75 one could be come a Journeyman, and then a Master at 125. I was 147 when I left Tirnasol."

She shook her head, as if to shake off the memories. "The Grove of Memories is at the heart of Tirnasol, in our most protected place." She stopped, having just remembered something. "Which reminds me, could you call all the others up on deck? I must do something before we make landfall."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#62

[OOC: I was a bit stuck on in what way is Crysilda not what she seems but since I still don't have any idea, I'm gonna go full cliché again. Cliché rules in this thread!]

Crysilda moved onto the deck and looked out upon the fast approaching shore. It looked to her as if they were about to get off on one sea and then move onto another, a sea of trees. She felt something pulling at her from within. She was not sure what it is but she felt anticipation building. The only thing she could be sure of was that it was the sight in front of her that's triggering this reaction from her.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#63

Sonata, too, felt something pulling at her from within, and was doing her best to *not* think about it. The deck heaved beneath her feet and she closed her eyes, fighting off another wave of nausea. The others hadn't noticed yet, but it would only be a matter of time.

Well, maybe not. Ris was oblivious as most men were about these things, and probably thought Sonata's curtness over the past few weeks had something to do with *him*. She snorted. And Crysilda seemed little more than a child herself at times. No, the only one likely to notice Sonata's condition was Liothryth, and she was preoccupied with her own troubles.

Sonata gazed miserably out towards land, desperate for the feel of solid ground under her boots but unable to appreciate the view. It had been a miserable voyage. Roughing it over land and over seas had thrown off her count, and it was too late to terminate now. If she had not been in the middle of the gods-forsaken ocean, she might have been able to buy or steal the right herbs . . . but there was no use thinking of that now. Sonata was going to have Requiem's child, and there was nothing she could do about it.

At least they were far away from Pendel. Sonata knew she couldn't avoid going back -- she had debts, and the Guild would send someone to collect eventually. But perhaps she could find somewhere safe to leave the babe. Or maybe (she felt her heart constrict with hope) she would get the lucky break she needed, and could send her blood price back to Pendel before Requiem found out about the child. She figured she deserved a little luck, by now. If Sonata kept her eyes open, this journey might provide her with the opportunity of a lifetime. She couldn't afford to hesitate when it came.

With a sigh, she heaved herself away from the railing and went to find Liothryth.

[OOC: I'm not dead! *Miserable* week, though, so I will be coming back slowly.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#64

(OOC: He's not dead!! Yay. Glad you're feeling better.)

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#65

[OOC: second Muro, cheer for Dossta]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#66

[OOC: Welcome back, Dossta! Glad you're feeling better!]

During the time that they had been traveling, Liothryth had either been carving small wooden disks or sewing fabric she had purchased back in Pendel, as Kelad came up on deck last, grumbling all the way, she pulled out the disks.

"Unless things have changed, the borders of Tirnasol are protected by powerful enchantments meant to track outsiders." She handed one disk to each of them. "These will tell the enchantments that you are invited guetsts. Keep them close at all times." As Liothryth handed Sonata a disk, she looked closely at the young woman's face. Without saying a word, Liothryth managed to say that she knew something was going on, and that she would offer any assistance she could.

"I'm going below. We should be making landfall in about an hour. I'll see you all then."

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#67

[OOC: Sorry if I derailed everything last post, it wasn't my intention.]

Not quite an hour later, Liothryth came up on deck. Gone were the simple robes from the monastery, and in there place we're much more fancy ones. Also gone was the plain bun that she had worn her hair in, now it was done in elaborate braids. She looked every inch the elvish Master Mage, and if it wasn't for the fact that she had the same scarred face and simple staff, she would have been unrecognizable.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#68

[OOC: I don't think of your last post as derailing, Mirafin, I was just waiting for the others to post first. Plus I been busy with the epub venture.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#69

[OOC: Muro spurred me on in chat to make sth happen and this is the result now. Still cliché central but a 'twist' for Crysilda now.]

Crysilda stared wide-eyed at the elven lady. If she was a little apprehensive of her as a thought-to-be-myth status before, she was completely in thrall to her now after the latest transformation.

The ship docked itself as if pulled onto the shore by invisible threads. It was such a smooth process that if Crysilda didn't witness it with her own eyes, she would think that no such thing happened, that they were still floating as if they were on land on that small stretch of sea close to the border of Tirnasol. Such is elven magic.

Crysilda felt her heart beating quick as a galloping horse, anticipating what wondrous sights she will see next in the elven homeland.

As she stepped off the gang plank, suddenly she got surrounded by a group of elves that descended on her from nowhere. "Thief!" They accused her, "what have you done with Emerasil's blood?"

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#70

[OOC: Very cool, Moonlake.]

Liothryth strode over to the group surrounding Crysilda. "What is the meaning of this?" Her voice rolled with thunder and lightning seemed to flash in her eyes.

"I am Liothryth Terandes, of the House of Farnesai, Master Mage in the line of Morathgor. This human is my companion and guest. You will tell me at once what is going on."

Just like the rich garments and elaborate hairstyle, the bold tone of command was greatly different from what her companions had become used to.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#71

[OOC: Kelad is still anybody's take but I just thought that this is the right response from our homebrew arrogant self-important mage and can't resist the opportunity to jump in as him although the target is Crysilda/myself and you gotta question whether I'm heading for schizo :P]

"Ha, I knew that tavern wench was up to no good," Kelad snorted in contempt. "I knew...." He was stared down by Liothryth the elven mage who had revealed herself in her full might.

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#72

[OOC: Just thought I will share some of my thoughts when I made the 'twist' so that it's not pure randomness. I don't know whether it will conflict with Mirafin's underlying world so feel free to take it off to another direction if it does. Basically, this special thing with Crysilda that we all keep side-stepping over is that she has some elven blood or half-blood is the conventional term. This accusation of Crysilda being thief of an elf's blood comes from the fact that the elves can somehow detect elven blood in people down to the actual lineage from which this elven blood came from. So in this situation we're going through now somehow Crysilda is popping up to the elves' homeland and they can tell her she is somehow descended from Emerasil. But from what they know, Emerasil had never sired a half breed so they have suspicion over the circumstance of Crysild's birth basically, thinking that there's some trickery involved.]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#73

[OOC: Quick question; Is Emerazsil old enough that Liothryth would remember him, or is it oneof those "I knew it was an elf, just not which one"?]

Re: Been out of the world for a spell...like to walk it a while.

#74

[OOC: Haven't really thought about this aspect, whatever works for this RP is the answer :) ]

Been out of the world for a spell like to walk it a while

#75

Sae gave a weak sigh, continuing to walk towards the other. Sure he wasnt whom she was expecting, but the company of others was more than welcome in a world such as this. Sliding her fingers through her long blackish red locks, she then smiled up at the male.

"For a second I thought I was going insane. It appears this isnt your average purgatory..." she trailed, looking about a few times while she frowned. "I was hoping to find...another here. But I am more than happy to see another person so beggers cant be choosers." she then stated, holding her hand out to the male. "Im..." she trailed...weird. It had been awhile since she spoke her own name. It drew a complete blank. She had to think a moment or two, but when that deep yet tender voice rang through her ears, calling out her name with a hint of happiness to his voice, it came rushing back. "Sae. Sorry...im alittle scatterbrained from what happened." she then added with a light blush. How could she forget her own name...? Clearly there was more to this world than it let on.