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Topic: The Aielund Trilogy (Read 849 times) |
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neph
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at the speed the sickly looking elf moved with Myridin reaches for his sword and has it drawn and ready and quickly hands Leodinas' sword back to him when the elf started to talk. Myridin also noticed the human that was moving up from behind. Myridin moves to place himself between the two strangers and Leodinas so he can see both strangers. He barely moves his head when the elf talks directly to him.
" I know nothing of my birth mother or her tastes nor do I care to.I have a family now and thats all that matters." When it becomes obvious that the elf is not a threat he puts his sword away but keeps an eye on the human. When the elf motions for all to sit he looks at the table steps straight back so he can watch everybody, then asks" You buying?"
But he does not sit down yet.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 13, 2005, 5:58PM » |
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Erik_the_Celt
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Owain smiles broadly at the group now trying to stare each other down around the table and bows deeply to one and all. "Owain ap Rhys, at your service," he says. "I'll be having a glass of fine wine and perhaps a bowl of that savoury stew the landlord has going in the back kitchen, that is if you're buying, sir Elith." He winks at the elf and then slips comfortably into one of the chairs. Owain produces a small coin from nowhere and begins spinning it around the top of the table.
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anoikis
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smiled and said, "the pleasure is mine, sir elf. And you, Mr Rhys."
Looking up at the hulking giant that was his brother he said, "Gentleman, this is my twin brother, Myridin. And my name is Leonidas," conspicuously avoiding his last name. He wondered to himself if he should in fact change his last name.
As he accepted his sword back from Myridin, Leonidas felt some shame. The bastard sword had been part of the Barca legacy. He had rebuked this heritage. Should he even wield such a sword? Would it be a shame to ignore all of the training with the weapon? Or more shamfull to wield it, mocking the family name? He thought back yet again, this time to what had been the greatest day in his life, the day before his coming-of-age party; just 5 years ago. How it seemed he had lived a life in those mere 5 years.
"Leonidas!?," Orlov said as the student was leaving the classroom.
"Yes sir?"
"A moment, please"
"Yes, holiness."
"I wish to discuss your work, especially the compositions regarding church philosophy that we have been writing."
Leonidas looked down, expecting a reprimand. "yes holiness, I understand that I have been a bit distracted of late. My brother and I have gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble in town recently."
The priest smiled broadly and chuckled. "Nevermind that. We all choose our path, I know you will choose the right one. But the compositions, don't you see, young Barca; the work is brilliant. It transcends your 15 years. It shows the wisdom of one of God's chosen! He produced a handfull of wax tablets. Leonidas recognized his handwriting. "You see! I have saved them. I have shown your father. He is most pleased and has given his blessing."
"Blessing, holiness?"
"You will learn the mysteries of God's chosen, young Leo. Tomorrow is your coming-of-age. We will begin your training in two days. It will be hard work, all the more challenging since you must still continue with most of your schoolwork. You will be exempt from my class and from the writing class, as you will have plenty of both of those with me."
Leonidas smiled broadly, attempting to contain himself. Then a sudden realization made him sullen. "But holiness, I am to become a Paladin, like my father and father's father."
Orlov smiled and said, "not to worry, you will. Later. We have a full three years to teach you the ways of God. To master the Scolex. To learn the ways of healing and how God controls the weather. We will plant these seeds in your heart and mind. God's grace will allow them to grow. We will train you to be strong of mind, heart, and arm! When you take the Paladin oath, your background as a initiate of the priesthood will make you that much more strong!"
That night Leonidas' father took him to his study. Opening the locked cabinet behind his desk he removed a sword. The blade was a full three-feet long, the hilt elongated past that of a standard longsword.
"Do you what this is, son?" His Father said sternly.
"Yes sir, it is the sword of the Barca, the Bastard sword."
"Do you know WHY we call it that, son?"
"No sir"
"Because is is neither a longsword nor a two-handed sword. It is, their bastard son, you see." The Paladin picked up the sword, It easily responded to his grasp. "Many choose to wield it with two hands," he said as he effortlessly went through a swinging rountine. "Indeed, it becomes more powerful with a second arm behind it. But this comes at the expense of the shield. And we know how important the shield is"
"Yessir," Leonidas responded. "The shield protects not only you but, more importantly, the paladin to your left in battle."
"Correct, son. Well said. Tomorrow you will be a man, You will wield this very sword. Keep it well. Do not use it against those you do not deserve to meet it. God will work through you. Remember that. Few men can use this weapon effectively. Starting the day after tomorrow, you will learn how to use it, in defense of God's teachings. Orlov will supplement your priestly training with some additional combat techniques that he has skill with. You will be far ahead your peers upon entering the Barca school in three years' time. I am proud of you."
The Paladin turned and walked out of the room, leaving Leonidas to sort through the events of this amazing day.
Looking up at the others, he said "I will be happy to buy some wine. A jug of delptuny red, perhaps? Praise God. Have a seat brother!"
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neph
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to the sickly elf and makes a sweeping gesture towards the chair. "After you" he says stareing at him suspiciously.
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Skeeneyman
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“A collector?” Elith asks a bit surprised at the question. “Why no, I am a child of God.” He says this as if it was a simple fact that should be very well known and uncontested. “His divine blood runs through my veins, just as it does with all elf kind.” He opens his book, which is hand written in some form of what looks like elfish, there are notes, pictures, and diagrams covering ever empty space on the page written in the same handwriting and language. Elith starts to point out where this fact is written, but changes his mind and closes it instead. He then takes a rather quick and uninterested look at Leonidas’s Scolex smiles kindly at Leonidas’s as if he was a very nice yet stupid puppy and says, “That’s a very nice Scolex you got there. What year was it printed?” Before Leonidas can answer, Elith changes the subject.
“Let me buy you all a drink and tell you a little bit about myself and what I am doing in this wonderfully rustic town, perhaps I could even interest you in joining me in a quest. As you may have noticed, I am rather sickly; I suffer from a rare blood disease called Vlos s’ck, this disease is handed down generation to generation only afflicting a family member once ever five hundred years or so. I must consume,” he holds up a small vile of a greenish/grey, thick liquid, “this medicine ever day or I will succumb to fits of coughing, muscle spasms, internal bleeding and finally I will either bleed to death or choke on my own blood. Fortunately, this medicine is not hard to make nor are the ingredients hard to find. I may be weak in body but I am nimble and an excellent shot with a bow. The power of God flows through me and as I unlock his secrets I am granted the ability to manipulate his divine energies around me.” Elith quickly stands up, lets out a hacking cough into a bloodied rag he kept in his pocket, and whispers a short incantation causing Myridin to light up like a lantern. Satisfied that he has made his point, Elith sits down and finishes his short coughing fit.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 15, 2005, 5:23PM » |
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Skeeneyman
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“I have lived 120 years and done less with my life than some have done in 20 years. Many have given much of there life, time and resources to keep me alive this long and it is simply unacceptable for there sacrifice to be for nothing. Therefore, my proposal is simple; we band together and travel across the countryside helping people wherever and however we can.” Elith says this completely oblivious to fact that what he proposes is very childish and a bit silly. However, he is completely serious and seems to be expecting everybody to be just as excited as he is with his wonderful idea.
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Erik_the_Celt
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as he looked at Elith, "You mean like Sir Aelric and the Knights of the Silver Chalice! Can we start with the bandits outside the city. They killed my friend Ned and they're really bad. Can we kill them and then hunt for dragons!" Owain's voice rises with excitement and the coin begins flashing quickly across the back of his hand from finger to finger.
"We can take any treasure into Fairloch, Ned told me about some people there who will buy things without asking questions." Like a happy puppy, Owain bounced up and down in his chair, the coin still walking back and forth across his hand.
"When can we start, when can we start?"
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 16, 2005, 1:35AM » |
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neph
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Myridin leans close to the elf,
"first you remove the spell you placed on me.Second if we travel together you better be able to keep up cause IM NOT carrying you"
He looks over to Owain tilts his head, then shakes it.
"Fairloch may not be such a great place to go.Maybe somewhere else?"
He looks over to Leodinas with a questioning look.
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anoikis
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at the elf.
What was this creature? What IS this blasphemy he speaks of?
Choosing his words carefully, he looked at the creature seriously, "Your words are..strange, little one. I am a servant of our almighty Lord. I AM a child of God. But for you to claim that you possess the blood of our maker is....well, it is blasphemous. Once again, I suspect that this is merely a cultural misunderstanding."
Smiling again, Leonidas said "Good deeds. Hmm. Your reasons are unusual; but seemingly valid and honorable. And as for your suggestion, Mr...Owain," he eyed the gleeful man. "My brother and I recently left the capital. We have no desire to return there."
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Skeeneyman
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Elith jumps up and down along with Owain clearly just as excited to hear that his dreams of adventure are about to be fulfilled. “This is just how I imagined it would be” he thinks to himself, “a drink is poured a story is shared and a band is formed, yes indeed this is just like Sir Aelric and the knights of the Silver Chalice.” He stops jumping when he sees Leonidas frown and thinks to himself, “I will have to be careful what I say around this one, he seems quick to offend and is obviously not secure in his own beliefs, yet I must have him and his brother join, there is so much to learn and experience form these three fine young men. Oh, this is better then I could have imagined. Thank you god, I know your hand was in this meeting.”
“I am sorry Myridin, the spell will wear off in a few moments and I hope that you never have a need to carry me.” Elith turns to everybody, “However, it is my intention to make myself worthy enough to be carried by any of you if the need ever does arise, I would lay down my life in a moment for anybody I called” Elith coughs out the last word, “friend.”
The look of excitement returns to Elith’s face and he says, “Yes, I think going after the bandits that killed your friend Ned is a great place to start.” He raises his mug to initiate a toast, “In god’s name we swear Ned shall be avenged! So says the….” He stops holding the mug into the air looking to the rest of the group hoping for input on what this band of adventures should call themselves.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 17, 2005, 8:40PM » |
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anoikis
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at Owain.
"So. You are aware of the origin of my name?
'Lion' is part of it, at least.
It actually means 'Lion's Will,' or so I am told. Anyway, it's just a name. Also, this plan is that of the elf. I would think we would be his companions. If we wish to name this...group, movement; whatever, then I would advocate a more egalitarian approach. My family's symbol is the golden eagle. I do not wish for it to be related to that. Otherwise, I am open to suggestions."
He looked to the strange duo. An elf with unusual religious views and the sly-looking man. He pondered Owain's intentions. He looked to be somewhat desperate, perhaps down on his luck. Leonidas wondered if he was preying on the naivete of the elf in human ways. Did Owain really care about doing good?
Leonidas' own oath of the faith, spoken from the written scripture of Scolex, specifically mandated that he promote the goodness of god; be it through oratory, feat, or fist. His own brother did not share these ideals necessarily, but Leonidas knew that Myridin had a good heart; particulary when it cam to women or the weak. He chuckled out loud as he thought to himself. 'This is another way that the Paladins are wrong. Myridin is a good person, he just sometimes makes bad decisions.'
Looking at the elf, Leonidas said, "Your idea is interesting, even if unrefined. Perhaps Owain's tribulation would make a worthy quest."
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anoikis
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and gave him a goodnatured whack on the shoulders.
"But I insult you; I see that you were being congenial in your suggestion. Hmm. The lion is a noble beast. I hope that God will allow me to live up to my name. How about the Lion Union?"
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Skeeneyman
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Elith raises his mug and yells out a bit louder then he intended to, “The Lions of Justice!”
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Stravinsky
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Farmer Johnson strolled into the inn looking rather worn out and cradling an odd bite mark on his hand. "Bob, I could really use a beer."
The bartender got a glass and filled it about halfway, tipping the keg to get the last of it. "Sorry I can't spare more at the moment. I'm down to my last keg as it is, and it doesn't look like I'll be getting more any time soon. Damn brigands blocking the highway! Things are gonna get bad in here if I run out completely."
"Tell me about it. The south is no better. I just bought the last pot Hadush has to sell, and he's practically out of armor as well. His last ore shipment never made it back to town." Johnson winces as he inadvertently bangs his hand on the bar."
"Hey, how did you get that? Looks pretty nasty...you should probably have Hasrinaxx take a look."
Johnson sighs. "I got it trying to enter my own damn barn! I don't know what's going on lately. First it rains for a month straight, then I go to pick a chicken for dinner and my barn is swarming with these huge rats, all teeth and claws. Amal's also hearing something moving around in his barn to, and there's that wolf what's been attacking cows in the paddock...although Amal's sons were gonna try to take care of that. I swear, it's like the world's gone mad". Johnson's wound begins to throb, and he sways in his stool. "Ugh, I think you're right...I'm gonna head to that druid right now. Thanks for the beer."
"Anytime", replied Bob Holland, watching Johnson carefully shamble out of the inn.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 17, 2005, 11:26PM » |
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neph
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down at the elf who was just a little to exited for his liking. He was begining to wonder if these two werent up to something. "if they are they will be down to 6 foot under if they try it" he thought to himself.
He looked at Owain and said "brigands eh? Im up for knocking a fewe brigands down".
He watches as someone new enters the bar, holding his hand. Myridin steps a little closer to the bar to listen to whats being said. Then blurts out in a loud voice "Brinands holding up the supply of ale? Now that just aint right!"
he turns to Leo "did you hear that? Those brigands are blocking the ale into town, and they are bleading this town dry. He points at the guy leavin, " he should get a cat he's got a rat problem. Maybe you can heal him, he looks hurt" (there isnt as much concern in his voice there as when he was talking about the ale situation.)
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Erik_the_Celt
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Owain stands and says, "Here's to our first quest, let's set the cat onto the rats." He raises his glass of wine and looking at Elith he says, "to the cat's heart and his courage." Turning to Myridin he says "to the body and strength." Lastly, he looks slightly sideways at Loenidas and says, "here's to the cats head and his pride. Let the "Lions of Justice" roar across the land." He drains his glass and tosses it into fireplace.
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| « Last Edit: on: Mar 19, 2005, 8:25PM » |
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neph
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first adventure together Myridin steps over to Leo, " I'm not sure if we can trust those two Leo. The human, Owain, obviously has some rouge skills, we may not want him to stand to close to us. OR behind us. The elf he seems to be to set in his ways. You hear him questiong almost everything you did? Like he could do better? The Snob! Wouldn't even except my apology or shake my hand. He may bare watching too."
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Erik_the_Celt
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Owain stood at the side of the room trembling as the last few drops of blood fell from the end of his sword. His first kill and he wanted to spew the cheap wine and stale bread of the tavern all over the floor. He willed himself to be calm and control his stomach, he knew that he could not show any signs of weakness in front of the arrogant Barca brothers. How could everything have gone so wrong, so quickly for the Lions of Justice. Elith, too, looked a lot greener than he normally did and the brothers looked angry and quarrelsome.
First Myridin had tried to bring the town guard down on them by bashing at the locked door to Merin’s home. Then Leo had somehow pushed Merin into attacking them over the documents. Now, instead of a quiet talk and a little persuasion, Owain had sliced through her neck and left Merin stone cold dead on the floor along with her companion.
He remembered how Ned had reacted when Owain had gushed to him over the tales of the Silver Chalice. Ned had always said, “don’t give anyone a chance to kill you if you can help it. Go for the vital spots and always try to come from behind. There’s a lot of noble dead men around so don’t give them the chance, strike first, strike hard and go for a killing blow.” Owain could still hear his voice, Ned would have been very approving of Owain’s behavior in the fight. He took a deep breath and surveyed the sorry pride of Lions, trying to peer into their souls and understand how they felt about this first adventure.
Had the brothers killed anyone before, Myridin certainly looked like he wouldn’t flinch at anything but Leo seemed more likely to have qualms about the righteousness of the deed. Elith must be wondering what he had gotten himself into. King Aelric would never have stood behind someone and chopped them down at the neck the way Owain had. The elf would bear watching over the next few hours, the group was not yet bound to each other and could fragment at any moment over the seemingly unnecessary death of Merin. Owain hoped the Mayor’s papers would reveal some sign of real evil in Merin to allay the weakness of his good companions.
Owain wiped the blood off his sword onto the cloak of the other dead Halfling and began searching the house for any portables that might not be easily traced. Ned he thought, I will live and I will avenge you on those brigands, if not with the Lions then perhaps some other adventurers will have more stomach for a fight.
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