Absence of Emotion (Open RP)

[Raknarak]

OOC: SD has a lot of other things to deal with right now, so I figured I'd go ahead and move this on over, especially since it seems to be my turn to post.

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

Absence of Emotion (Open RP)




Katalyna
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 9
Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2003 6:36 pm Post subject: Absence of Emotion (Open RP)

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

The RP forum looked lonely, so I decided to abuse it a bit. Post whatever you wish, it's open.

Cold. It surrounded her, permeating her very soul as she sat against the rocks that formed a natural barrier between sand and grass. Idly, one hand dragged through the grains, tracing abstract patterns as she watched the waves crash inland, struggling to reach her, to drag her out to sea. The overcast sky was perfect for her mood - sombre, and quiet. Even the gulls respected her solitude, never breaking the stillness about her with their piercing cries.

Leaning her head back against the rocks, she closed her eyes for a moment and let the cold sink into her mind. Her synapses froze, and all thought from her mind dissipated as she sat there, blissfully unaware of time and the march of the waves. Closer they grew until one crashed against her toes, sinking them in the sand.

Startled, she opened her eyes and watched the water retreat back into the sea, her eyes narrowed at the intrusion of her meditative state. A softly whispered word, and the waves continued their backwards path, never daring to come close to her again.

It was one of the few times that she appreciated this raw power over the element of water that she had. Of couse, had it been fire that had dared to brush against her toes, she would have screamed and attempted to flee before it consumed her.

Fire. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, glad now for the ice that seemed to seep into her veins. Passion and fire were best left untouched, she had long since learned. It was her self imposed exile from all that she knew and loved that had taught her that. Caring about something, and wanting to fight for it - that had left her numerous scars, some of which were even visible.

Time had healed over those scars etched on her heart and soul. But they were now enclosed in ice. Never again would she give herself over to the passion of battle again, or the heat of the moment. Never again would she allow for herself to be lost in the frenzy, feeling the battlelust as it descended upon her, full of triumph that her ideals were the right ones.

Standing from the sand and dusting off her robes, she whispered another word and the waves raced forth, freed from their restraints. Violently they crashed against the sand, splashing her with their salted essence. She smiled as she watched them, feeling their fierce powers throb through her, resonating within.

Lifting one hand towards the sky, she closed her eyes and harnessed that essence, pulling it deep within and lashing out. The gathered clouds overhead thundered, and lightning lit the sky. A gush of rain fell to the ground, soaking her and the sand. Turning from the sea, she made her way inland, a smile caressing her face for the first time in weeks.




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2003 12:07 am Post subject:

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

The sun beat down on the harsh black sands of the waste. The bones of many creatures bleached by the sun made a stark contrast to the black gloss of the reflected light. Nothing lived in the wastes. nothing could. The animals would make the way here from across the lands. Called to their final breaths on the silent sands.

For ages this has happened. At first it was a concern. people were sent to discover why. Most never returned. Those who did, were sick and dying. still no reason was found. As with all things the flow of time dulls memories. soon it was just the way of things. Not all animals came to the sands. Enough came however to show them that the sands held a power of its own. Still it was the way of thing. It had happened, forever in their minds. Why worry about these things.

If the first ones had kept looking, perhaps they would have found out. Perhaps they could have changed things.... Perhaps not.

Now upon the sand. The skull of a great beast cracked. The ground rolled and the sands moved in ways they hadn't for untold ages. the air was charged with energy. Up like comets came balls of lighting, cooking the sand as the broke free. Like large pools of black glass they reflected the lighting. Cracks upon cracks appeared upon the surface. Small motes of energy arcing between the cracks and flying free into the suns light.

The sand swirled, a great sea of fine smooth sand. Churning and rolling like the seas. Then all was still. Slowly with care a figure emerged from the black. The grains falling like water from his form. Tattered remains of close that should have long ago melted to dust blew in the wind.

The man stood. he looked upon the new world. He laughed. He looked to the sun. He had slept long.

He smiled again. It was a smile that could freeze the warmest of harts, or break the glaciers of the soul. He laughed, it seemed the sun no longer had him in sway. no longer meant death. Time had passed. and he had passed with it.

He was hungry, was always hungry. This time however he was master of his hunger. it would no longer drive him. His will was his own. "yes" he thought. "I am become more than what I was." He looked at his form. No longer white as a corpse. the sands had kept him. Changed him. He now had a dark sheen the color of the sand. Looking to his reflection, hundreds of images of himself came back. His eyes were different as well. No longer red like blood. Amber now, like that of a great cat.

Stepping lightly he felt his power returning. Felt his strength once again come into its own. Than he felt other things. power that was his but not from before. He had grown. the ages of blood and death slowly healing and changing his body. He was stronger now than anything he had faced and been defeated by.

Vengeance had made him survive the first countless set of ages. The drive to return and wreak havoc upon his enemies. Than later it was his need to continue all thoughts of revenge gone. He should have died. he knew that. He had felt the other slowly dwindle and cease. He was sure he would as well. Slowly however he felt the power of the sands. keeping him alive. Forever in his state of half death. even more slowly he had found out how to channel the power to open himself to its call. Than they came. the dying and sick. The wounded and old. drawn to the sands silent call.

Time passed. He healed. He became one with the sands. learning their secrets. If anyone knew, if anyone had remembered what this place had been before the black desert had come and swept it away ... he would not be here. They would have destroyed him and this place. Now however their was no one. He was safe and this place was as well. it had done its job fulfilled its dark purpose.. He was alive again and free.

Flexing a tiny bit of his new found strength, the sands swirled under his hand. Than the formed a staff, harder than diamonds and black as the sands. His clothing repaired, and shaded to the dark and somber tones of the earth. Fire blazed at his feet, stong sandles now shod his feet. "Earth and fire" he thought. "That and my old powers"

Than he walked. the sounds of glass breaking, music with every step. The waste was vast, but not what it once had been. Not a place of power anymore. Vaguely he wondered if it would survive the passage of time. Than admitted he didn't care. It had served its ... purpose.

He smiled once again and made his way out of the waste




Vesperan
Joined: 28 Mar 2003
Posts: 21
Location: New Zealand
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2003 5:14 am Post subject:

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

He walked along the beach, it's sand rough against his bare feet and the waves gently lapping near him. The overcast sky for him was a sign of joy and rebirth, for without clouds there could be no rain, and without the rains - what life would there be? And so he walked along the beach and rejoiced at the sky above him, rejoiced at the ground below him, and rejoiced with waves alongside him - whos sound was the only sound to be made out. He was happy here, and had been for all the years he had lived here, few as they maybe. For with each step he saw a new wonderment; a tiny crab popping his head out of the sand, a gull standing silent, a new wave coming toward him. He grinned, laughed quietly to himself as he walked along the beach toward some rocks that jutted out to the sky and sea, another wonder he thought, another wonder in a world of wonders - I am glad to be alive!

It had not always been this way, but the past was past, and tomorrow - another day. The waves came in, harder, and there on the rocks a figure had risen and cast her hand to the heavens.. funny how you always knew a woman, that natural grace that gave it away. Lightning flickered, the sky boomed, and he laughed out loud as the rains came! Such beauty and power the world held, yet why would one want to harness it so? He saw the natural wonders about him, all untouched by mankind's hands - why ruin it by controlling it?

Behind him the freedom of the land beckoned him as the rain cascaded down, and he almost left then. So much to see, but all of it alone and he ached to talk to someone, to try and communicate what he saw and felt.. to say to them "Hello, I am Vesperan Anandreas - let me show my world to you." Then perhaps they would see what he felt, would feel it themselves! Perhaps, for such things are far from certain, and wonder for one man can be mundane for another. Still.. to talk, to try... the figure started walking inland, and he decided to walk inland as well.

Who knew, perhaps they would meet. He chuckled at the thought, then laughed at the rain and sky above him, and he didn't stop for sometime.




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2003 2:54 pm Post subject:

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

The man watched the small village. he could sense the wells of life going about their mundane routiens. He could sense the bright red and coppery smell of life. He smiled. He felt the hunger within. Always hungry, always ready to consume and glutton itself on the essence of living things.

Unlike before, he was not aslave to it. He didnt need to feed anymore. He knew this. He didnt need to feed ever again. He was differant. For him there would be no more mindless decents into a blood red haze. No longer would he come out of his rages of hunger to find every person and thing living, dead. No more comming to wakefullness with a sense of being hunted. No more anything, he did not choose to be.

"Hmm" he said mildly, " What do i choose to be?" He wasnt sure what he was anymore. He was sure what he was not. That was something he would never be again. He had been a monster, killing and destroying anything he could. He had been a dark god. People offering to him prayers and objects to apease him. As if the hunger would let them. He had been, a man once. than he had been a victum. Left for dead by a soulless thing that had turned him into what he was once.

He had left the wastes, looking to the sun and sky. There was no looking back. He needed no reminders of what was there. he would remember.

Taking his staff in hand he walked away from the village. They were lucky he knew. if he hadent changed they would be dead. A small curl of a smile twisted the corner of his lips. In the distance he could hear the sounds of surf.

Perhaps he would look upon the ocean, if his road took him there. If not it didnt matter. He had all the time in the world to see. He would enjoy his time while he could. Things dont happen without reason. His comming back was part of something. Something he wasnt sure of. Still he would find out.

Untill than, he would see this new place. He walked, hearing the sounds of the sea draw closer. It was raining, he like that.




Katalyna
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 9
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2003 6:54 pm Post subject:

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

Rain.

It was cleansing to the soul, cleansing to the mind. Standing there, face upturned to the downpour, she let the rain hammer her face and hair, soaking her clothes through until they stuck to sodden skin. Water streamed down her back, to pool at her feet against the sand. Lowering her face from the sky, she began to slog through the drenched sand, savoring the way it felt as it squished between her toes and made a squelching sound.

Almost negligently, she raised a hand to the sky and made a 'cutting' motion, and the rain began to trickle off, until it was no more. The clouds, having had their reprieve, began to move along, and she whistled, softly at first, and then louder.

"What a sight I must be, soaked to the bone and whistling like a madwoman... she pondered, a crazy little smile cutting its way across her face. Skipping in the sand, she began to dance, droplets of water flying from her skin, hair and clothes, to land wherever they chose.




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2003 9:35 pm Post subject:

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

The man walked. He found the road he was traveling turned before it came to the sea. he was content to follow it. The rain felt good. It swept away the remaining bits of dust and sand. His hair was still white he saw. He thought he must look like some form of demonic being. Still he was glad. Mildly so at least. He would travel wherever his roads would take him. He briefly laughed at the thought of what the villagers would think if he had came down to their town. In the end though he didnt care. It didnt matter what people thought. only what he did.

He was content traveling, and would have continued on his unknown course. then he felt the exertion of power. He stoped. Looking to the sea where he felt it come form. his brow furled in a slight frown. "It would seem there are those who are also steeped in power.

Walking off the road he made his way to the sea. He wasnt concerned. That emotion was still to far away to be used. still he was curious. Moving steady and surly upon the wet rocks and ground he soon came to a rise.

Looking out upon the sea he saw the great body of water swaying and rolling. Than his eyes turned to a figure upon the sand. Female he thought. he could see the faint nimbus of power souround her. she was the one.

He stood quietly watching the woman dance upon the beach. again he flet his hunger. Again he pushed it aside. it was not his master anymore. he watched her not wanting to intrude but curious all the same. He would be visible he knew. But he didnt care. why worry about things that needed to be.

Than he saw that thier was another person upon the sandy beach. a man. slowly makeing his way to her.

He stood and watched. unsure how to interact and content to simply be alive.




Desiderius
Joined: 01 Apr 2003
Posts: 4
Location: The Netherlands
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2003 1:47 am Post subject:

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

OOC It's been some time since I've done this, let's see what I'm able to do.

Clouds gathered oversea and a wind build up from that direction. Leaves in dark green and brown patterns swirled over the crossroads from a forest nearby. They danced freely over the muddy tracks, only hampered by a man kneeled in the northernmost corner of the crossing. As the leaves continued their dance under the pressure of the swelling wind, he rose to his feet. In a moment of calm wind, a rose petal descended slowly from his hands.

'One for the children of my dreams. May your lives have been full of joy and happiness, honour and peace. May your names be remembered by those you loved and cared for. Agile thief, fighter for the good cause; Mage of Fire, a trusty advisor in dark times; whitehaired sorceror, master of illusions.'

He grinned sadly and for a moment an image of three gravestones wavered where the rose petal had reached the ground, vaguely seen names inscribed in the heavy gray stone. The image did not last more than a mere second. Sighing he pulled the hood of his darkgreen cloak back, and a second rose petal fell. 'Their faces, I can see them clea... no, Concentrate'

'Two for the one returned. May you find shelter in your new life, a place to live where others died. Remember the lives of you predecessors and learn from those. Rise Desiderius, and live.'

'So much unknown, so much to learn, where will I start, where will I go?' The first drops began trickling down, nevertheless he rose his head to the sky and his eyes gazed upon the might of the heavens and he knew he had returned from the deep slumber. This was real, he would live. One more petal slipt from his grip.

'Three for the wheel returning. May the circle continue to roll on the the road of time and produce heirs to my dreams for all eternity, world without end.'

Dark clouds now covered the sky in rgeater number, soon it would be raining cats and dogs. He kneeled once more, carefully placing the remaining rose with the rest of the fallen petals.

'A rose for Heaven and Earth, for a life anew.' He whispered the words, but with great passion clearly audible. Then he rose and as the rain came pouring down he held out his hands and caught the water in the palm of his hands, drinking the fruit of heaven. Then he caught some leafs from the air, kissed them and threw them back into the wind, his arms widespread to feel the force of it. Surrendering to the powers of Nature, he thanked Heaven and Earth for their gift and laughed out in happiness, a smile from ear to ear on his face.

He gathered his cloak around him, pulled up his hood up again and headed in no particular direction. 'What to see first, the water was quite good, a little salty. It would fit excellent with JoT's wine. Maybe he's around as well, though he won't recognise me now. Perhaps see the sea, or maybe observe a city's life?' As he mused upon what to see first, he went off in the direction where the clouds had came from, every now and then splashing a heavy boot in a puddle like a child. Life was good.




Saturn
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 6
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2003 9:05 pm Post subject: Holy CRAP this is long...... Sorry.......

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

The Wedding feast was in full swing. The couple had been wed at dawn, as was the custom in Tal’ori; it symbolized the beginning of a new life. The sun went down and the party took off. After a day of games to celebrate the joining of two of the most powerful houses in Tal’ori; The Royal Lady Meija of House Valen, and the Lord Duke Tahl of House Do’ran; the guests were ready for a feast.

And feast they did. Huge braziers were lit to light the shadowed vale that lay in front of Castle Do’ran. Tables were placed as the guests were seated according to rank and order. Large platters of all sorts of wonderful delicacies from all the continents of Balra were served, the choice pieces going first to the newly wed couple and then down the rows of tables. There were even a few courses from the New World, Avel’i.

Even though the marriage was to be one of coincidence, to end the House Wars that had plagued the land by uniting all under one conjoined House, Meija and Tahl had actually come to love each other. All those who closely knew them believed that they would come to form a stable and firm kingdom.

As the feast slowed, the first course coming to an end, the final part of the ceremony took place. A herald standing behind the thrones of Meija and Tahl proclaimed loudly in an echoing voice….

“May it be known that on this the eleventh day of the third month in this the sixty-fourth year since the Breaking, that the Royal Lady Meija of House Valen, and the Lord Duke Tahl of House Do’ran are joined now and forevermore. Let it be known that henceforth they shall be referred to as Their Royal Majesties, King Tahl and Queen Meija of the Land of Tal’ori and of all People therein.”

A great cheer went up from all the folk gathered there. From the highest honored Duke to the lowliest guardsman seated so far away that he could barely hear the words.

Then suddenly a silence began to spread. It started with that one low guardsman and spread almost as fast as lightning to the newly self-proclaimed King and Queen. A lone figure dressed simply in a black cloak, hood pulled low over his face stood unmoving at the end of the tables, just barely catching the light of the braziers. Those near him slowly edged away, theirs was the only movement.

He took a step. The cloak opened as the apparition moved, revealing garb black as night. Tight thigh-high boots buckled in silver at the ankle and the hip made almost no sound on the marble stones. A black shirt was held down by a tight black vest. Black leather bracers held black gloves in place, with silver buckles. A wide black belt held down all, buckled by what looked like a large silver flame. He carried no visible weapon, yet as he moved the people gazed at him in fear.

The people all watched him as he moved towards the newly crowned King and Queen. As he passed, person by person shuddered in fear and looked quickly away, only to look back the second he had passed, creating a kind of wave through the crowd.

The figure paused at the base of the slightly raised dais, before the thrones of the New Royalty. He drew back his hood and raised his ice-blue eyes to gaze into those of the King, and then to stare into those of the Queen. They looked upon a handsome, young-looking, face, framed by raven-black hair.

When he spoke the silence seemed even quieter than it had. Though he spoke softly, even those in the last rows had no trouble hearing his slow, smooth voice. Smooth, if steel could be called smooth.

Your Majesties, he said with a slight inclination of his head, in a tone of an equal addressing an equal. I trust you will have a... long and..... joyous reign. He paused for a moment, his gaze upon King Tahl. In honor of your newly created titles, I have brought you both gifts.

He raised up two large black gems in his hand. Ahh.... it appears I have forgot a manner for you both to wear them.

How embarrassing.

No matter. In the next instant the gems flew towards the "happy couple." They bonded to the crowns so newly placed upon their heads.

The black diamonds gleamed brightly from the foreheads of the King and Queen. You will find the purpose of these gifts as time goes by. Until then-- He bowed grandly this time, with a wonderful flourish of his cloak, stood up, and was gone. No puff of smoke which sometimes accompanies magicians' tricks. No flash of light as wizards use. Just a faint bending of light, and the dissappearance of a greatly powerful being.
_________________
....Destroy, Divide, The DARK inside....
Deepest oceans of despair,
this vast, and somber, charcoal, night of space.
Have you given up yet?
What hope lingers in the corners and crevasses of your soul?




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2003 12:07 am Post subject:

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

The man stood watching. He stood as still as a statue. the rains ending had caused a bit of whistful moment than his mund was still.

Quietly he stood. Un troubled by the days events. than as if whispers he heard voices. nothing loud or overwhelming. just a pair of quiet voices. These voices told him things. Told him about the goings on of a great many peoples.

Two large ravens, flew soundlessly on wings. than perched on either of his shoulders. He knew them. Or rather of them. They were not his. Were not of his power. Still they were lost and alone. He had come from the place where thier master had met the final death. He was thier chosen for the moment at least. He listened to them. They knew what was going on in this new world. They could gather the secrets and memories of any who were alive. Maybe even dead.

He listened and watched the beach. wondering what scene would unfold. Then as silently as they came they left. taking wing and flying beyond sight. He wonderd if they would return... than decided that it was not his choice, they would or would not.

Should he go down? should he try to comune with the peoples of this new world? Perhaps. He would wait a bit longer.

Than if nothing happened he would either move down or move on.




Elen ap Iowerth
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2003 7:24 am Post subject:

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

The smell of the sea reached her. Island born, sea bound. She caught the scent and held it, brackish, heavy with the damp, slightly chill, and ultimately familiar, though no sea smelled quite the same. She needed not to close her eyes to visit the other places that lingered in memory. The perilous heights of Aber within the sight of a grey sea, the sparkling white sand of the String of Pearls beyond the cliff side moors of the south, the low slung sickle shape of Trebizond’s gardens and villas arranged like an amphitheater with the sea for its stage were a part of her internal world. More memorable than old friends, family, lovers, even her child. They had changed in ways she had no hand in while places remained in her memory. When she unbent enough to allow Thomazine to exercise her curiosity about the mystery that was Thomazine’s father Elen had expected to be questioned about those things that she actually knew, but the first question had been unanswerable. “What color were my father’s eyes?” she had asked, and Elen had been shocked to find an answer elude her.

She couldn’t remember. It was a long life for remembering details.

Thomazine had not believed her. Elen had hardly believed it. What color were his eyes? It seemed to her that she should know. That she should never have forgotten. That she had not forgotten so much as willfully denied the memory, but the question remained, and the underlying distress that kept the question in mind had surfaced. How had she forgotten? Why? What kind of person was she to remember, in vivid detail, the plaster molding above the mullioned windows in the music room at Goldhaye, a place she had not seen in forty years, but to forget the eye color of her only child’s father? He had not been an inconsequential person in her life, and the begetting of the child had been no accident.

Amongst crowds she sometimes wondered if she was walking past someone she had known and should recognize. Lulach, she knew, instinctively, that she would know, despite having forgotten the color of his eyes. Not seeking him out was so deeply ingrained a habit that she did not look for him or look too closely at anyone who reminded her of him. I could walk right by and never stop, she thought, not for the first time, feeling Aber and the cold gray sea dampen all other feeling until she was numb again, and satisfied to be so. There were times when she felt nothing would ever move her again, and then came the fear, as sharp as the edges of crushed shells hidden just beneath the white sands of the String of Pearls, revealed to the pressure applied to them to rise against the soles of her feet, the sting of surprise and pain.

Her gaze was deliberately blank. She wore a gown, woven from wool, once blue, now faded from many washings, that hung on her frame without reference. Her arms were bare, save for the henna tattoo, the carefully applied, entwined symbols for peace, serenity, and love, banding her upper arm, below the muscles that once bunched as she gripped a sword. Her hair was covered with a scarf that bunched around her shoulders, a convention she once scorned. She thought to pass, ageless, unknowing, and unknowable.

She feared the inevitable challenge to that assurance.




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2003 9:10 am Post subject:

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

The splash of blood across the already ash covered cobblestones. Fires crackled as buildings collapsed under their own weight, the heat of the flames washing over dusty roads and stirring the embers. Black shapes moved swiftly amidst the destruction in groups, turning at junctions in the road. Screams and the clash of metal upon metal were dampened by the raging inferno all around, as soldiers fought each other in the roiling thick smoke. Troops leapt at each other round corners, plunging blades into bodies and carving a bloody path through the defenders. The night sky was illuminated red by the still spreading fire, as it consumed home after home.

In the darkness of a building still intact, a child and her mother cowered in fear. The mother was dressed in a loose fitting nightgown, and had wrapped the young boy in a sheet to keep him warm against the chill. They shivered as the sound of conflict continued to rage outside, tears running down her cheeks and falling onto her son's head. "Momma, what's happening? Why are you crying? Where's papa?" The child looked into it's mother's eyes as he spoke, completely unaware of the very real danger they faced. She was quick to clasp her palm over his mouth before whispering into his ear. "Hush Ro'in, hush my child."

She closed her eyes and tried to pray to whatever deities may be looking upon them at this moment, hoping against all odds that some miracle may save them this night. But no answer from the heaven's was forthcoming.

The door burst inwards and fell of it's hinges onto the floor, and the silhouette of an armed soldier stood at the door looking inwards, scanning the darkness for anything he could find.

The mother pushed her boy into a dark corner and covered him in the sheets so that he wouldn't be seen. But her movement revealed her location to the armed man that now walked towards her, his sword red with the blood if it's previous victims. "So you thought you could hide? Foolish woman." His twisted smile made her shiver. "Shame our orders are to kill everyone quickly, otherwise you and i could have had a little fun together." The light from the flames shone through the window and reflected on his eyes, making him look even more monstrous with each step. "Oh well. Too bad."

There was no ceremony, no respect. Just a simple thrust into her chest, followed by the slowly spreading red stain on her clothing as her body fell sideways onto the floor.

Ro'in screamed as he watched his mother die. The soldier's head jerked towards the small dark corner in which he could now see the child exposed. Ro'in ran from his cover and clasped his mother's arm as hard as he could, screaming and crying, frantically trying to pull her up. Tears fell from his eyes and splashed onto the dirt, leaving ripple shapes where they hit. The soldier just stood there smirking at the scene.

"Awww, ain't that so cute." he said as moved towards the boy. "But don't worry kid, you wont have to cry much longer." He raised his sword upwards and swung down hard.

The shock up his arm hit him like a sledgehammer as his blade was sent flying through the air before embedding itself in the wall a few metres to his left. His head spun round to his right and was immediately greeted with a blue cloaked figure. Falling away in surprise from this unknown assailant his mind tried to replay the last few seconds in his head.

He looked up at the robe, the occupant's features completely hidden under the flowing ice blue material. A hood covered the head, and all that could be seen within was a dark recess. The unknown person seemed to glow in the darkness, as if the light and shadows of the world around it were not applicable somehow.

The soldier's mind raced. His sword had been coming down, and then.... a hand. A pure white hand the colour of untouched snow. It had struck the blade from his arm, with such force that he could still fell his arm shaking. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" He was frightened, and scrabbled backwards across the hard floor. But the figure seemed to be unwilling to move, let alone answer. The robe just tugged gently in the grasp of it's own wind.

He turned his head towards the door and screamed as loud as he could. "HEL----."

His eyes opened in surprise as his scream was cut off. But his senses came back to him as he felt an icy grip on his tongue. The stranger had hold of his tongue and was slowly bring him up onto his feet to look at the dark recess in the hood.

The hand was that of a woman, but pure white. And it was ice cold. So cold it practically burned as she held onto his tongue. He lashed out with his arms at the head, and knocked aside the material to reveal the face of his attacker.

She was a woman. A hauntingly beautiful woman, whose features could have been likened to the harshness of the winter wind. Striking and cold. Devoid of life. Her Face like her hand was pure white, and her long hair was crystal blue. But the eyes were blank. The red circles stared blankly past him, to some place beyond knowing. They were blind eyes that weren't even looking at him. His mind screamed at him to escape against the grip of this nightmare.

With a single, unbelievably swift movement she tore the tongue from his mouth.

He fell down with his hands to his mouth as blood spilled forth down his armour and tunic. It was enough effort just to stop from choking on his own fluids. His eyes looked up at the mystery assailant and his heart nearly froze. She seemed taller, more powerful, the cloak around her appearing to have a life of its own. The room was going dark and all he could make out was this creature.

He tried to scream but the best he could manage was a cough and more blood. Tears streamed down his face and through his blurry vision he could see the blue cloak getting closer, and a white arm reaching out for him. But most of all he saw those two red eyes.

[center]*****[/center]

She reached down for him, this poor pathetic fool. She would make him pay for his crimes. He should not have tried to touch the child, he should have left well alone. He is no soldier, he is a murderer. Murderer deserve justice, in it's most simple form. She did not smile at these thoughts. There was no cruelty and she felt no pleasure in what she was doing. But at the same time she had scruples about killing. She was not loath to do it. All she could feel was anger. Pure anger, channelled to a point where it became a lance of hatred that would destroy any that stood in her way.

She spoke to him, her lips moving slowly and deliberatly. "You were fool to come here. You had a chance to live, but you forfeit that the instant you stepped through that door. Now you die, not by my hand, but by your own devising." She grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air as he struggled to escape. His blood fell onto her exposed arm drenched the soft white in crimson gore.

There was no ceremony, simply a sudden thrust forward with her other hand, and then the explosion of bone and internal organs across the floor and wall.

Without a second's pause she withdrew her bloodslick arm and dropped the body back to the floor where it crumpled in a heap. She had no reason to pay attention to him anymore. Now she focused on the child.

Walking over to the boy, crouched over his mother and crying over her already stiffening corpse, she kneeled down next to him and gently held him close, whispering gently in his ear. "Hush gentle child and be calm. Let me take you to the place you shall soon call home."

Her cloak, of its own power wrapped itself around the huddled child and covered him completely. When it fell away the crying had stopped, and the child was no longer there. The woman's expression lost the emotion it had held for that brief moment with the child, and was once more as cold as ice. Standing up she spoke to the body of the woman that lay crumpled and bloody. "Worry not, he will be safe."

As the sound of soldiers rushing towards the open door came closer, she stepped into the shadows and was gone once more. But she could not leave this town yet, there were more out there who needed her. The night would be long and bloody.

She had no memories before her time as the White Queen. She was not sure who she was, or what she was. But those things did not matter. All that mattered was the children....
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~




Saturn
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 6
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 7:57 pm Post subject:

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

A pale figure ran terrified through the forest that was covered in snow. She was hunted; a terrible shadow chased after her close upon her heels. Black hair, as dark as the shadow she was running from, streamed out behind her as she fled. Her skin was a cold white, paler than the snow she ran through. The night was dark, only a few stars shone through the canopy overhead.

The shadow’s form was indiscernible, a mass of darkness, black and crimson. A flash of ivory here and there spoke of horns and spikes and talons.

Suddenly the girl burst free of the forest, into the open land and sky. The creature burst from the shadows and froze. Icor fell from it's mouth. Ivory Horns grew from it's demonic head. Ebony talons raked the ground from it's feet. The cold of a winter night caused the creature's breath to stream out in a cloud of fog. Its intelligent eyes searched the land, squinting at the light from the full moon.

Then its eyes saw something that made it hesitate.

A figure dressed all in black stood gazing at the beast from a small hill.

The girl seemed to notice that the beast was no longer chasing her and looked up to see the cause. The black cloak flaring back from the dark form caused her to gasp. Whether in fear or in thanks or why, was difficult to tell.

Black thigh-high boots were held tight by silver buckles which seemed to flare of their own light in the darkness. His black shirt and vest were held in place by a wide leather belt, buckled with a large silver flame.

His gauntlets were pure silver, the fingers were formed to be silver talons. The gauntlets ran the length of his forearm, gleaming brightly.

His voice sounded a whisper but seemed to echo across the clearing, almost felt rather than heard. You shall not have this young one, demon. He raised his arm to point one silver talon at the ferocious hunter. She is under my protection.

The thing raised its own voice in a gutteral growl and replied with a voice that sounded like steel scraping along stone. You cannot save them all, Priest. It heaped as much disgust on the last word as if it were the worst curse one could utter.

Then the creature turned and disappeared once more into the forest.

The ghostly apparition that the thing had called "Priest" turned to the girl, who was now shivering. Possibly from cold, possibly from awe of the power of the "man?" that could command such a demon to turn tail and run.

My child, come I will give you peace. Have no fear, tonight you shall pe save.

Walking in a form of trance, the girl came to him. He wrapped her under his cloak and began to walk with the child, as they both seemed to vanish in the shadows.
_________________
....Destroy, Divide, The DARK inside....
Deepest oceans of despair,
this vast, and somber, charcoal, night of space.
Have you given up yet?
What hope lingers in the corners and crevasses of your soul?




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2003 1:26 pm Post subject:

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

Almost all of the buildings had been burnt to cinders. Nothing was left of the village save for piles of rubble and ash and the occasional fire that had yet to extinguish itself. The defernders were all dead. Every man and woman who had borne arms against the attackers had been killed and left to rot in the streets. All that remained was for the invaders to take their spoils.

Anyone left alive was being taken prisoner by the soldiers. The old and infirm were to have their throats slit. The women were to be taken as whores for the generals and their men. Any man over the age of thirteen was to be considered a potential threat and murdered on the spot. The children were being herded, soon to become slaves in the cities of their captors.

A line of children of varying ages were being led through the street towards the caged wagons which would transport them to their new homes in the dark cells and dungeons. There were six soldiers escorting these children. Two along each side of the line carrying swords, a man at the rear with a spear to urge them onwards, while at the front a large scarred man with a whip was pushing them into the back of the wagon that was already filled with a dozen children crying and blackened by soot.

"Move you runts! Get in here!" The whip cracked at the end of each sentence, further emphasising his words and the penalty for those that disobeyed. "I said move! You disrespectful slaves, you'll soon learn obediance or you'll die by my hand!"

A small girl, no more than twelve years of age, tripped up as she was about to climb into the back of the wagon. The man with the whip immediately picked her up one handed by the scruff of her neck as she bust into tears. "Worthless, that's what you are! You're not worth bringing back with us!"

He threw her across the floor and brought his arm back with the whip in his hand. "You'll make a perfect example to the rest." He swung the whip down towards her. But before it was able to connect three swift objects moved through the air and pinned the whip to the floor. In his surprise the guard looked down to see what appeared to be icicles holding his weapon down.

All of the guards were alert now. They had been watching the procession closely and this turn of events was not in their list of expectations. All were scanning the nearby ruins for sight of an attacker.

The head guard turned his head as he heard a sound. It was nothing he had ever heard before, but if the sound could be likened to anything, it would have been the sound a blade would make if it were made of silk. He did not see what made the sound. The next thing he saw was a sword of ice come tearing through his chest from his back. The pain was only momentary as a wave of numbness coursed through his body, and then his world faded and was no more.

The other guards turned and saw this apparation in front of them. Stood behind the body of their former sergeant it shone menacingly in the early morning light.

The pale blue cloak it wore was shifting and moving, and underneath they could see the body of an athletic woman. Her skin was as white as the snow and the armour she wore was of purest Ithilmir silver, untarnished and nearly mirror polished. In her hand a sword handle of the same metal, but from the hilt came a blade of solid ice, crafted and carved into a long blade, with a wickedly barbed end.

Blood spilled from the body of their former leader, and for a second all stood perfectly still as their minds tried to analyse the situation that was in front of them.

The nearest to her was the first to react and he lunged with his sword, attempting to skewer her in the heart, or where he presumed a heart would be. She simply sidestepped his unskilled attack and her sword slid smoothly out of the dead body which proceeded to collapse face first into the dirt.

By this time the other four had joined in and tried to surround her. But the way she reacted to them was alarming and disconcerting to the poor soldiers who had never faced anything more than a man in combat. Her eyes did not turn to look at her assailants and her blade swung left and right, parrying blows that she wasn't even watching for.

One man tried to swing at her leg in an attempt to lessen her mobility. But in a lightning quick move her foot pulled itself out of the way and quickly thrust back down onto the flat of the blade. With her weight pushed down on it the metal bent awkwardly and twisted the weapon out of shape.

Before the soldier could drop his weapon and pull back her hand had already taken hold of his, pulling him in towards her and twisting him round.

He felt the surging pain of the sword puncturing his ribs as he was thrust in the way of one of his comrade's lunge. The momentum of being pulled round sent him sprawling over the man who stabbed him, leaving them both tangled on the floor.

The other three men pushed forward again in an attempt to tackle this mystery assailant and bring her down through weight of numbers. But her blade flashed between the three men and in a second the other two swordsman had been cleaved clean through.

Using this last chance the man with the spear thrust forwards, and felt his weapon hit home. He could feel the impact through his arms as the weapon pierced the armour over her chest and then.... there was a feeling like breaking glass.

He looked straight at her, and instead of seeing blood like he expected, there was simply his spear stuck in her chest. It should have gone clean through her heart and toppled her. She merely turned towards him with a blank expression.

In desperation he tugged on the shaft, but it was stuck solid. It had non of the movement allowed when stuck in flesh, there was no room to wiggle it free. It was stuck as if in stone.

Her free arm came down through the wood and split the shaft near to where it had become stuck, so that the broken piece could still be seen protruding from her armour.

He had barely enough time to turn around before she threw an icicle from her fingertips, straight into his head.

*****

The guards taken care of, her next priority was to remove the children from here as quickly as possible before others came. Quickly she turned to the group of children that were stood in shock and awe at what had just happened, and her blank stare turned to one of concern.

"Come quickly children, before the other soldiers come. I will take you to safety." She called out to them all and beckoned them to her with her arms. They did not need to be told twice as they ran and stumbled towards her, clambering out of the wagon and all grouping around her together.

When they were all gathered she smiled serenely. "Now let us take you away from this forsaken place." Her Cloak began to billow around her and spread outwards, surrounding the group of nearly thirty children. It covered them like and blanket and concealed them completely from view. And when it pulled back it revealed the empty space where previously the children had been.

She simply stood there triumphant in accomplishing her goal. But as she started to turn away a voice shouted out; "Get her men!"

All around her soldiers had gathered. A group of maybe fifty or more, all armed with either swords, spears or crossbows. And slowly they gathered in towards her.

Of course, she thought to herself, how could i have forgotten the need for justice.

And then the men charged....
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~




Saturn
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 6
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2003 9:08 pm Post subject:

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

A black robed figure watched the burning village as children were herded off like slaves, men were murdered, and women were shipped off. He was just about to intervene when he saw another do so. One cloaked in blue.

The female form killed all the guards. She moved to the children and her cloak seemed to billow out like a cloud, covering them, and then disappeared. Leaving the woman behind.

Suddenly a group of soldiers surrounded her, bearing a swords, spears, and the occasional crossbow, all aimed for her.

"Methinks I shall help. Perhaps she does not need it, but I would not feel right leaving one to fight alone against such evil as these are." The man thought to himself.

He stood, black cloak billowing out from the wind. Silver clasps and buckles flared out against the black garb of the Priest. His guantlets seemed to glow with a life of their own. The fingers curved in wicked-looking talons that were sharp enough to cut the finest steel as if it were simple butter.

He stepped towards the embroiling mass of soldiers just as the frontmost soldiers began to lunge forward, and called in a firm voice that echoed through the night.

What now? Are you so far decadent in your customs that you attack one woman with an army? That you ship defenseless children off to slavery? That you murder those who are of no use to you?

He raised his hand and flexed it, moving the talons in a menacing manner.

I think you shall now learn the meaning of justice.

He unclasped his cloak, which promptly vanished in the shadows and leapt into battle. He fought like an enraged lion. His talons moving like silver lightning.
_________________
....Destroy, Divide, The DARK inside....
Deepest oceans of despair,
this vast, and somber, charcoal, night of space.
Have you given up yet?
What hope lingers in the corners and crevasses of your soul?




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2003 9:20 pm Post subject:

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

The man walked. He had watched the sea and the woman and man. He didn't know if things would happen there. and didn't feel like he needed to be involved. So he had turned from the sea and walked the road once again.

He had been traveling for days. Hunger now was never a problem. Sleep was also a thing of the past. Twice more the ravens and perched upon his shoulders. Twice more they had told him of the happenings of this world. Twice more he had listened and chose not to act. It wasn't his place. this wasn't his world anymore.

HE had seen the things the ravens had shown him and wondered. A royal scene. A dark happenings in a forest. Unrest of sorts in a burning place. dancing upon the sea. He smiled and wondered what the ravens intended him to do with this knowledge. He was not their now dead and gone master. Still they wanted something.

Laughing a bit. he wandered over a small ridge. Than the man stopped. He saw the remains of burning buildings and dead and dyeing defenders. This was a place he had seen.

He watched the winners trying to decide the best way to pillage the village. He saw the destruction and wondered. Before this would have set his blood boiling. sent him into a frenzy that would need to be fulfilled he would have descended upon the place killing and feeding one any and everyone there.

Now he felt nothing. Well, almost nothing. He could feel the old hungers still inside. Wanting him to run and kill. He smiled a self satisfying smile and knew he was not the slave any longer.

So he stood and watched. Unsure how to act. What was his place in this new world? what role should he take. If any?

Looking down the road he saw he had been spotted several armed men were heading his way. He smiled and removed his hood. IF they wanted to test him after they saw him. than perhaps he would give them what they wanted. Perhaps not.

Time would decide.




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 5:31 am Post subject:

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

Though she was blind to the world by sight, her view of the world was more than most could ever hope to accomplish. She could feel two beings who's forms stood out from the landscape more than those of the ordinary people around her. One was still some distance away, on the edges of the village. The other had just approached and declared itself an enemy to the soldiers. For what motives she would not even begin to guess, but she seemed no enemy of hers.

She did not see like others, with images of light. She saw movements and energies. Hers was the power to view the world via the very molecules around her. She could pinpoint bodies by the solid groupings of molecules in amongst the scattered air particles. She could feel the heat of their body. The world was laid before her in her mind's eye.

And she could see this new 'ally', for want of a better word. He leapt into the soldiers. Indeed he was swift, but the soldiers were many. She knew that it would only take a lucky shot and tide of battle could be turned.

Reflexively she parried the blows of those that assailed her, before turning her own blade round and carving the thin edged ice weapon through their soft flesh.

Striding forwards she killed half a dozen foes before deciding that, while she could stay here all day, she desperately wished to make sure the children were safe and well.

Grabbing the latest attacker by his head, and with her bare hand crushing his skull, she threw the limp body away into another two that were approaching.

Then her eyes seemed to glaze over, as if she was now seeing something that everyone else couldn't. Her body began to lift into the air, the blue cloak hovering around her and billowing out as if a giant pair of wings at her side.

The sword was helf in front of her, and it began to glow with a white light. It was bright, and illuminated the town for a fair distance in every direction. Her face turned towards the man in black and she called out to him above the battle in a voice that could have cut through the fabric of the universe. "It would be the wisest course of action for you to jump if you wish to live."

She threw her sword at the ground, and it split the dusty road and became embedded into the earth.

Not even a second past before the effects of this move took place. The ground froze outwards from where the sword had landed and the ice spread outwards over everything in its expanding circle. Soldiers, upon seeing the ice turned to run, but were not fast enough to escape as the frost and ice caught them up and froze their flesh. Some of the heavy bodies fell to the floor and shattered on the ground, others simply stood like statues, never to move again.

The area had gone quiet, and the soldiers were all dead or running. They were merely common soldiery and did not have the nerve to stand what they had just seen. They fled into the early morning light, towards a nearby forest. The beasts would get them in the dark maze of the trees.

She settled back onto the icy ground which had now settled into a perfect circle some sixty metres across. Taking hold of the handle the blade fell away into a puddle of water, leaving her holding the silver handle to her weapon. But as she held it up a blade began to grow like a crystal, taking shape and forming until the sword was complete again.

She turned towards the black stranger....
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~




Saturn
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 6
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 3:36 pm Post subject:

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

The man in black turned, dead soldiers laying all around him. He looked to the blue-cloaked stranger.

M'lady, if you will excuse me? He said in a low voice with a slight bow. He turned towards the remnants of the village. Making what could only be a holy symbol with his hands he whispered a blessing upon those the soldiers had killed.

He turned back to the lady. I'm sorry, but their souls were crying out. Aching for someone to put them to rest.

He raised his hand, palm outward in a gesture of goodwill, the silver claws that had been there just moments ago were gone, replaced by black leather gloves and silver vambraces each with a dark black gem set in the center of the forearm.

You may call me simply, Priest...
_________________
....Destroy, Divide, The DARK inside....
Deepest oceans of despair,
this vast, and somber, charcoal, night of space.
Have you given up yet?
What hope lingers in the corners and crevasses of your soul?




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 4:06 pm Post subject:

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

Acknowledging his greeting she nodded her head slightly towards him before striding forwards in his direction.

"The last of the people of this village are gone. That they may find rest beyond the grave is something that can only be hoped for, but i shall not lose sleep over it." As she strode closer the robes around her pulled close to her body and wrapped firmly around her limbs, concealing her armour and sword. There was not a point as such at which the change could be pinpointed, but the blue material turned from cloak to dress in one movement. The only sign that anything was out of the ordinary was the broken shaft of spear that protruded from her chest amidst the folds of material. "It was not my task to save all that were here. To have done so would have merely put the children in peril. They were my only concern."

She stepped up to him so that she stood barely a foot in front, face to face. This close it became apparent that she was of considerable size, standing nearly seven feet tall, barefoot to the top of her head. Her red eyes looked through Priest in that same blind stare, as if they were focused on some point three inches behind the back of his head.

"Very well Priest, you may call me Lilim. It is my name, but not one i am used to hearing. Most call me the White Queen." The air around her was cool and the temperature near to her was clearly cold enough to see breathe mist. But as she spoke it was possible to see that she did not appear to be breathing. "And while i do not know much of you, i must have you tell me one thing... where is the girl? I know you took her in the forest."
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2003 4:36 pm Post subject:

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

The man watched the soldiers coming his way. He was not concerned. they could not hurt him. They simply wernt deep enough to hurt him.

Than his eyes were caught by the sight of a blue winged woman and a bright sword. She was in the air and hurled the sword into a party of soldiers. He watched with interest as the power welded took effect.

The ravens had told him of her. And of another in this place. Their purpose and reasons hadn't been imparted. though he was sure if he had asked they would have been given.

Next he watched the remaining soldiers break and flee. Most went to the forest. others joined the group approaching him. Screaming about demons and magic.

He felt the sun shine on his skin. Given his dark complexion a black glow. the wind had caught the long strands of his hair and blew like white strands of silk. The light giving his amber eyes an unearthly gleam.

Than the soldiers got a look at him. Some screamed about more demons and fled. 10 decided to kill this abomination to their eyes. Drawing weapons and charging the screened in rage and frustration and pain.

They never made it. As they ran the earth liquefied and sucked them into itself. they fell and were consumed by the land. Earth and rock turning hard and holding them in places where no air could find them.

The man had begun to walk before they had charged. when he passed the places of their final rest the ground was once again solid. no trace was left of the soldiers he barley registered the fact that they were their, slowly losing life. "So life you have taken, now life you shall give"

Slowly he made his way to the village. in smooth even steps.




Elen ap Iowerth
Joined: 12 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2003 8:13 am Post subject:

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

She used to keep a cross bow for such occasions. They were illegal, punching through armor like it was foil or cloth of gold. She had seen her cousin Ferrand killed that way, during the melee in a tournament. He should not have even been on the field. He had ridden in the lists through the day and had only been bested by Gwendal and Lord Sevigny, whose horse carried the blood of the east and was as much as prize as Sevigny’s arms, servants, and gold. Ferand, named for their king, the locus of all of the Mordaunt’s efforts and ambitions, stated and otherwise, had given no sign that he grudged either loss. It was his middle brother, Tristan, who muttered about Sevigny, sensing an upstart. The loss to Gwendal had been more surprising, and funny. On foot there were few who could best Gwen with a sword, but he was at a tremendous disadvantage against Ferrand on horseback with lances. Ferrand had unseated him on the second pass but Gwendal had managed to get to his feet and Ferrand had dismounted to meet him when he would have been in his rights to insist that Gwen remount or retire.

She was a Mordaunt on her mother’s side. Technically, a bastard, though that was politely overlooked and politically useful. Her older half-brothers were the sons of a March farmer whose family name lacked currency outside of the closed world of the March wards in the west. Her mother, widowed when Elen put in an inexplicable appearance in the word, had at least taken a more useful lover in the way of thinking that interested her cousins. It was a distant blood relationship, but the Flaws March Mordaunts were the cadet branch of the Lazen Mordaunts, so distance was relative where convenience was served. Her cousins had promoted her at court, daring anyone to dispute their claim of the connection, and allowing it to be understood how useful it could be given who her father was. She was a bastard, true, but an acknowledged one, and not a nonentity.

There had been something about that last pass that she hadn’t understood. Something that made Tristan laugh. Merle was smiling too, explaining that Gwen had let Ferrand under his shield, he had wanted to be unhorsed, as stupid and dangerous as that sounded. Merle, who was under the green and gold awning of the Mordaunt’s box in the gallery because he had refused to be dismissed by her cousin Val when Val had found her with her friends. He was used to being dismissed. His older brother, Gwendal, was a captain in the King’s Guard. Theirs was a Northern family, not a true house, but distinguished enough for good company, one of many of obscure origin and ability. Thin, dark, slight, and meek, Merle was easy to take for granted, but he was a natural leader. Nearly all of her friends had been attached to him in some way, and you only had to see him once, moving through a crowded tavern, procuring a good table, the best ale, and a meal on a student’s meager budget of coin and charm to understand that he was more than he appeared.

Being flung ten feet off the blunted end of a lance sounded like a good way to break your neck, and the elbow of Gwendal’s sword arm was pressed into his side like his chest hurt. It must have hurt. She had gotten a look at it later, before the melee, when Merle went to see how Gwendal fared. He had five broken ribs and was spitting up blood with a purpling bruise spreading out from the point of impact, reaching his collar bone. He had looked half drunk and unreasonably pleased with himself before he started in on scolding Merle for dragging her to see him, half naked and in no fit state to receive her properly. Stupid as she was then, she should have snatched up that moment. She would see Gwendal and Merle again, when she was married to Val, having sold herself to misplaced loyalty, and the

[Raknarak]

and they never taxed her with it, but they always knew and it stood between them like a curtain wall that could only be seen around, but never breached.

Staggering, his range of motion limited, Gwendal should have been no match for Ferrand, but he was agile, even in armor, even hurt, and it was Ferrand who was forced to yield after a dazzling display of swordsmanship that had been no less pleasing for Ferrand’s grace in conceding defeat.

He had been dead before day's end. Ferrand had only fought in the melee because Tristan was in it. Tris was the middle brother, charming, childish, and lazy. No fighting in the lists for Tristan, it required the better part of the day and there was too much waiting around between jousts. He chosed the melee, it was dangerous, but quick. All those horses on the field, trained for war, all those men, wielding weapons meant to maim and kill, playing a child’s game of capture the flag. In the west March the games they played had been for fun. A pig’s bladder filled with air being moved by wit, speed, and teamwork over a field, a variation of tzuchion that she would learn to play in the east on the back of a horse. No playing at war when it was always ready to come over the border, in the night, without any pretext. They were occupying the land Iowerth ap Rhudulan's great-grandfather had ruled, and he had every intention of taking it back one bloody acre at a time if it came to that. There was no truce he kept beyond his own convenience.

No one had seen the crossbow fired. No one had ever discovered who had fired it, or who had directed their hand. Tristan and Val always suspected the LaMotte family, whose daughter, Alys was Ferrand’s wife. Alys, heavily pregnant after a half dozen unsuccessful attempts to produce an heir had retired after the lists had been run and the prizes dispenced, escorted by Val. Elen thought there were too many uncertainties to it. There was no living infant, and no gurantee that the wardship of that infant would have gone to the LaMotte’s. It was far more likely that any child born after Ferrand’s death would have been claimed as a ward of the crown and the business of managing the Mordaunt’s holdings would have been placed in the hands of some well trusted lackey.

She remembered seeing Tristan catch Ferrand, collapsing with him to the ground and the sound of his voice, making the hair at the back of her neck stand up, making her reach for the knife she always carried, out of habit, though Val said it made her look more like a March provincial than a Mordaunt of Lazen. She had heard that sound before, and it had meaning, it had power, especially on the March. “Á Mordaunt, Á Mordaunt!” It was the same cry of the warden of Flaws March in battle. If anyone had tried to keep her from the field she probably would have used the knife like the savage Val hinted that she was. She married Val after they buried Ferrand, but it was Tristan who claimed her loyalties for his younger brother.

By the time she had gotten there, Ferrand was dead, and he knew it. The bolt had penetrated armor and flesh, crushing the cage of bone that shield his heart. There had been nothing she could do save hold his icy hands as he breathed his last held in his feckless younger brother’s arms, and nothing was ever the same for any of them. That was the power of a crossbow. A bolt out of the blue, claiming the power of a force of nature, felling a man as sure as a heart spasm. That was the power she respected.

Her sympathies were with the soldiers, out matched as they were by the fury that pursued them. It was not her fight. She had no intention of making it so. She had an innate distrust of power that leashed the force of nature. She expected to pay someday for claiming it for herself. Not in some obvious way. No dagger in the back or efficient garrote. No, just a long life, fading into bitterness and regret, and understanding. There were moments her mind flinched from, unrecoverable errors and omissions. She drew her scarf up, over her face, and turned from it, but the small hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and the sound of war pipes and the screams of men charging as if to challenge death itself echoed in her head. If she had any sense at all she would have gone back and let it be done in an instant.




Saturn
Joined: 05 Apr 2003
Posts: 6
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2003 4:37 pm Post subject:

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

The priest looks at the lady. Looks up at the lady, for he stood about half a foot lower than she. Watched her blind red eyes for a second as if trying to find some feeling from them, searching them for something. Finally he looked away, looking as if he had found something in them, something cold.

The girl is safe. She is a princess now, heiress to a new legacy of peace. She never new her parents, but her foster parents were warriors, only recently settling and uneasy peace.

She is to be the new Queen. A queen that will rule with justice and temperance and mercy. This is her legacy.

I have fortified her more than the strongest of cities. His low deep voice spoke softly. He leaned down and seemed to scoop up shadow itself and fold it around his shoulders like a cloak.

Then he looked back at her. No one short of the Nameless God himself would be able to harm her. Have no fear on that acount.
_________________
....Destroy, Divide, The DARK inside....
Deepest oceans of despair,
this vast, and somber, charcoal, night of space.
Have you given up yet?
What hope lingers in the corners and crevasses of your soul?




Nchalis
Joined: 24 Apr 2003
Posts: 3
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2003 9:19 am Post subject:

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

My head pounded like a herd of stampeding horses as I sat up. From what I could see I was lying in a forest. The forest seemed to be old growth as the trees were extremely tall and had choked out most of the foliage that you usually found on a forest floor.

I knew it was daytime because the light filtered dimly through the treetops making the tree trunks appear to be green. I came to my feet and noticed the plain breeches I was wearing were torn. At least the common boots I was wearing looked to be sound. The pounding continued in my head, I could imagine the horses riding round and round rearing and stamping then galloping again. I debated staying and resting, but as I stood the pain got no better and no worse. Might as well keep moving.

It occured to me then that I couldn't remember anything. How I came to be in this forest, or why I was wearing the clothes I wore. I couldn't say that they were strange because for some reason I couldn't remember what I did. Was I a farmer, or a king? For some reason, perhaps the ceasless pounding, it didn't seem to bother me. It was as if I instantly knew that I was a mystery to myself, and even though the only fact I had was that I knew nothing of myself... It didn't bother me. I felt calm.

Some of the trees were mossy and using that for bearings I began heading north. I don't know how I knew that you could tell North from trees but I did. As I walked I took an inventory of what had. Boots, breeches and a plain open shirt. My chest showed partly through but I didn't feel cold. I felt my face, my ears were round. I wasn't an elf at least so that was good. I chuckled but then frowned. Why had that thought occured to me? Did I dislike elves? I had a vague memory of what they looked like, long walnut shaped eyes and pointed ears but I didn't remember anything else about them. Certainly nothing political that would indicate why I would think of something like that.

I had no facial hair so despite the fact that I had most likely not shaved for days, there was no growth of any kind on my face. I'm not sure why that was important but my mind noted it duly. Lastly I noticed I had no weapons or food. I searched around for even a stick to carry but as old as the trees were they seemed to be healthy and there were no branches on the ground, nor could I reach the ones on the tree's.

I shrugged and kept walking north. Eventually I would come upon something.

[edit] moving to "Alone" thread[/edit]

Last edited by Nchalis on Mon Apr 28, 2003 5:36 am; edited 1 time in total




Raknarak
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 19
Location: Shallow Water, KS, U.S.A., Earth, Third Rock From Sol, Milky Way Galaxy, Space, The Final Frontier
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2003 11:40 pm Post subject:

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

He knelt before the statue of his God, Barnabas, and prayed. He prayed to this God of the Old World, and thought nothing of it. He knew the History of Barnabas. He knew that there were few others that could even recall the name of the Fallen One, or His evil family.

He did not care.

In fact, he planned on changing that lack of worship. The brown haired man felt as if he was chosen to be the disciple of Barnabas. No one told him this. No dream had shown him the future if he followed this choice. Nothing. Just his heart crying out to bring more people to the Light of Barnabas.

He knew Barnabas, existed, of course. The proof was evident in the fact that he was still alive. A mere human that had battled dragons, gryphons, gnomes, and even trolls. His father had claimed that he was simply a great fighter but, Raknarak knew that no human could accomplish these goals without the help of a higher being. His faith only grew from these thoughts. He would not force Barnabas on anyone, he would simply show them the proof. Rak was no priest, just a follower but, he felt he could find someone that would become a priest, and followers that would believe in Barnabas as much as he did.

He finished his prayers, and stood. His light blue eyes flashed up to the face of the statue as he adjusted his red cloak. The feeling he got from looking at that face never changed. It was a feeling of pure excitement. The feeling that the world would be brought back to a more peaceful place, with the help of his God.

He turned around, his leather boots making a soft klomping noise as he walked toward the Temple's door. He stopped, just before he opened the door, and looked down. His eyes went slowly down his red outfit. He had been chided as a child for wearing only read. It was only made worse when he explained that Barnabas' color was red, therefore, he must only wear red.

He still would get those smirking looks as he went through a town. But now, he would simply out-stare the infidels. Most would not even stare long enough to challenge him. He was a tall, muscular man, the likes of which were rarely seen in these days. Someone like him would have been drafted into a lord's army, or killed by such an army. Raknarak did not get captured into that nightmare, though. His beliefs always kept him out of some fiefdom's military, simply because they would not allow such a "blasphemer" into their ranks. As for being killed... If they had not heard of him before they approached him, they soon learned that he was a force to be reckoned with.

He had heard the stories about himself, and had simply laughed at them. He had never seen a red light surround him as he battled. Nor had he ever destroyed a castle with fireballs. And, only three times had the fog suddenly rose from the ground, and obscured his enemies vision. Merely a coincedence, he was sure. Maybe he thought a bit like a heaqthen, but he did not believe that Barnabas would interfere with his battles, like that. The strength, speed, agility, and luck he had, were more than enough.

He smiled wistfully, and finally stepped out of the ancient Temple.

The sight of the beach astonished him, it did every time he came here to worship. This temple was hidden in a forest near the ocean. How no one had ever seen it, or torched it, he was not sure. He had found it with ease, though no one he knew had ever been able to find it, when he gave them the directions. They only seemed to find it, without his help, after he had brought them to the Temple, and worshipped with them. It was rather odd...

He breathed deeply, letting the salty air fill his lungs. It was a moment he always cherished. He breathed in again, expecting more of the same air that rejuvenated his lungs. Instead, he got a whiff of smoke, and burning horrors.

His eyes flashed open, and he ran to his white steed, Faragorn. Barely slowing down to climb onto his horse, they both tore of towards the origin of the smell.

After a few minutes of hard riding, he came to the edge of the village, and saw the horrible sight. Soldiers lay dead, townsfolk slaughtered, and homes burnt down.

In the midst of it all, he saw two beings standing with one another. They were very close, no more than a foot apart. He saw a woman in a blue dress, with pure white skin. The other was a shorter man garbed in the black of a priest. His hands looked strange to Rak but, he could not make out what was different about them, too much acrid smoke was in the air.

Just as Raknarak was about to urge Faragorn forward, his eyes caught the sight of a third being moving towards the pair. The beings white hair flowed freely, seemingly on a wind if it's own.

Watching these three, Raknarak began to feel the air. It was something he had not practised in years, and it came slow to him. He chided himself for having abused the practise.

Slowly, he finally felt what he was looking for. When he did, he was shocked. The power around this burnt town was astonishing. He had only felt something like this when he first stepped into a small temple near his home, where he discovered Barnabas. Now, he was feeling a power that almost rivaled that feeling. But, it was different. Whether it was good, or not, he would have to wait and see.

Preparing himself for a battle he was not sure would begin, he nudged Faragorn forward, in a slow walk. He would have to test the waters before diving in...
_________________
We are the Penguins,
Mighty mighty Penguins!




Katalyna
Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 9
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:23 am Post subject:

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

The rain dance, as many would call it, was finished, and the woman had stood there for quite some time, her eyes vacant, all thought drawn deep within herself.

Now, with a new sparkle in her eyes, she looked up, and blinked. The world within her thoughts had taken on a different hue, and she was unused to seeing the world as it truly was - stale, flat, and dreary. Sighing, she raised her eyes to the clouds.

Grey clouds, grey water, stormy skies... she knew that it was her fault the skies were stormy, but this place... this place was always grey.

Not once in her life could she recall the sun having touched the ocean, or the sand. How the grass grew in patches here, she would never know.

Once more becoming wrapped up in her thoughts, she made her way towards the edge of the beach, determined to leave the dreariness behind. It had matched her mood when she had first arrived, but now the rain had cleansed her soul, leaving behind a smile on her lips - one that had not been there in a long long time.

It was time to leave this beach, and to find something new, something to match her new mood.

Focusing on making her way off the beach, she didn't notice the driftwood that was half buried in the sand. Stumbling over the driftwood, she fell, landing on the sand and grass.

Lifting herself up painfully, she cursed again, muttering to herself.




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:54 am Post subject:

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

Her brow knitted with the restraint of an emotion which could only be anger. She felt an anger towards him for taking the girl. Her fists clenched and the temperature dropped another few degrees. The ground beneath her feet began to crystalize and frost over, shining in the daylight that filtered through the black smoke clouds.

Her voice had a vicious quality to it. "A princess now she may be, but in time a victim again. She will die as a queen at the hands of others who would wage war and destroy. I could have saved her from this fate and led her beyond the reach of those that could kill her. But you have now made her a target for all those that would seize power from her." It was clear that she was restraining her fury as best she could. The air seemed to warp around her, as energy escaped her control and distorted the physical realm.

She turned away from him and began to walk away.

"There are more villians and murderers out there who would kill her. But while the ordinary citizens are set upon by footsoldiers, they send much more dangerous killers to kill kings and queens. You have given her more enemies than she will eb able to deal with. Eventually she will die at one of their hands."

She pointed her sword out towards him as she walked out of the village, shouting to him above the crackling of the fires that still burned.

"Today you are not my enemy, but heed these words; should you take any more children from me, i assure you that i will hunt you down unto the very end of time."

A couple of other figures stood near the village. One a powerful man white long white hair, the other mounted upon a proud steed.

The man on horseback was merely human, and while clearly competent, he was not the match of this other figure who burned with dangerous energy and violent thoughts.

The loss of the girl to priest had already broken her calm exterior and she was in no mood for wasting time with frivalent introduction. She spoke to them both at once.

"Either state what business you have with me or move out of my way. My time is pressed and there is still much i need do this day. A city far to the east in under attack and so my duty must continue."
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~



Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2003 3:23 pm Post subject:

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

Lilim Savanant wrote:
"Either state what business you have with me or move out of my way. My time is pressed and there is still much i need do this day. A city far to the east in under attack and so my duty must continue."


The man watched her. Her anger was severe. He paid no attention to the man on horse. her anger was refreshing. It had been a very long time sience he had felt real emotion. Still he wasnt concerned.

A fluttering of wings marked the return of the ravens. Landing quickly upon his shoulders they began to whisper. He nodded a few times then they took flight again.

Turning to the woman. he smiled. He hoped he didnt look the fiend he once was but only in passing. What did it matter.

The city you speak of will fall in two days... or so the ravens say. it could be longer. it seems there are a few variables still not acounted for. As for me, I am just a travaler. I seem to wander what ever paths the roads lead me to. I am not in your way or wish to stop you.

The man raked his ebon coated hands threw his hair. She could tell the the dark sheen was not his natral color but the pale white beneath was. He looked thoughtfull for a moment.

Why do you care what happens? what role do you give yourself, to be comcerned with such affiars?
_________________
Any cause, no mater how noble or just. When pushed to the point of fanaticism.
Is Evil.




Raknarak
Joined: 20 Apr 2003
Posts: 19
Location: Shallow Water, KS, U.S.A., Earth, Third Rock From Sol, Milky Way Galaxy, Space, The Final Frontier
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:00 pm Post subject:

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

Raknarak stopped his steed when the woman asked her question. Her anger raised the hair on the back of Rak's neck, and made him think seriously about approaching these figures. He finally realized that this power he felt was from all three of them, not just one. He studied each of them closely, feeling a slight worry about even slightly angering them.

Still, he meant no harm, and he thought he was safe, for now.

He slid off of Faragorn, and slowly approached the white woman.

"I smelled smoke, and I simply wished to investigate the source. I meant no harm... if I could harm any of you..."

He stopped in his tracks, and looked around at the town, the dead, and these three beings. For the first time in years, he felt a fear of something. If he had wandered into some sort of deathtrap, he doubted he would be able to make his way out.

But, there was something about this woman that he trusted. What it was, he knew not. It could have been her words, or her gestures. But, none of that mattered. They could have been acted. But, it was just a sort of feeling, he guessed.

He looked at the priest-like being, and then to the white haired man. He tried to hide the look of worry, but somehow, he was sure these three would see it in his soul.

He dared not approach too closely, so he waited again. Not something he was used to, but he would have to learn how.
_________________
We are the Penguins,
Mighty mighty Penguins!




Lilim Savanant
Joined: 16 Apr 2003
Posts: 36
Location: england
Posted: Sun Apr 27, 2003 5:34 pm Post subject:

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

She turned to the creature with the ravens. To call it a man would be wrong. She could see his real form that came from looking without the use of the eyes. Something in his nature suggested great evil. Not necessarily now, but possibly at some point in the past he had been responsible for a great many evils. But for now he was restrained, and she wouldn't make a commotion when she had matters to attend to in the far city.

"The city will fall, i know this. But as it does so i shall be there to take the children from the clutches of the fate that would await them. I must be there when the walls are breached and the real battle begins." She gave him a glance that heralded back to the dawn of time, to a place where emotions existed seperate of the physical realm. Those red eyes spoke of anger, of hatred, of vengence.... and of purpose. A cold determination born of loss and pain. It was the primal urge of primative man, when faced with the beast that had killed its young, to rend and tear flesh with bare hands and teeth. A rage and fury forged of pain and anguish, and tempered into an unbreakable will that would push all aside to accomplish it's task. "I care what happens to the children."

She turned her head from the creature in front of her to the knight that had dismounted and carefully approached, and in an instant the look in her eyes turned once again to the calm and ice cold stare of a statue. "You come too late to this place. All are dead or gone. There are none now here within your power to help. You should seek elsewhere for your battles. You are a warrior true, but you lack purpose. Perhaps one day you might find more attention from me. If you find the right purpose then you may be of use to me. I can assure you that i know many warriors far stronger and braver than you, who only became that way through finding their purpose to battle."

Reaching into the folds of her long dress she pulled out the sword with it's blade of solid ice. She threw it down in front of the knight as if it were nothing more than a toy, and as it touched the ground the ice blade melted into a puddle which seeped into the ground.

"If one day you find that purpose, then find me. All who seek the White Queen know where to find her. On that day i shall show you how to use this weapon. Till then it is nothing more than a finely crafted ornament."

Without saying goodbye she turned away from them both and walked away down the path till she dissappeared into the forest, and her presence could no longer be felt in the village. The Ithilmir handle lay shining on the ground where she had left it.
_________________
~With these eyes i see all around me~




Iberius.
Joined: 30 Mar 2003
Posts: 12
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2003 7:05 pm Post subject:

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

The man chuckled dryly. He watched her leave. He could feel her long after she had left his sight.

Turning to the Knight he smiled. "She was right you know, i was a great evil. One of the greatist. She could see it..

He knelt and picked up a shard of ice. It was cold and hard. With a flwx of power he made it permenant. It was long and sharp. a perfect stilleto.

"Still, that was a long time ago, ages ago. Now im just a traveler. And what of you sir night? what are you?"

He cast his glance around the ruined place, seeing if the Priest was still there.
_________________
Any cause, no mater how noble or just. When pushed to the point of fanaticism.
Is Evil.

[Raknarak]

He leaned down and picked up the Ithilmir handle, and wondered at it. What did she mean when she said he had no purpose? Was trying to bring the people back to Barnabas not enough of a purpose? And what of this "gift"? To learn how to use it would be quite wonderful, except that his god had a preference for fire. Maybe it would not be blasphemous to us such a weapon but, he was not sure. He would wait for a sign. Though, his attention was quickly diverted to the White-haired being.

She was right you know, i was a great evil. One of the greatist. She could see it..

Still, that was a long time ago, ages ago. Now im just a traveler. And what of you sir night? what are you?

He eyed the stilleto for a second, and then looked directly into the stranger's eyes.

"I am less than a priest, or a prophet, yet I am a man that is much more than just a worshipper. I am the one who shall bring the reign of Barnabas back to these war-torn lands. I am the one who shall find the priests and prophets, and finally be able to worship in peace, once again. Or, you can just call me Raknarak."

He smiled at the stranger, and then looked around for the priest, as well.

[Saturn*]

The form in black and silver stood watching the fire he had quickly created. He had moved the remains of those who had been killed and summarily thrown off out of the way, to the center of town and had lit them on fire.

An enourmous funeral pyre.

He knelt and again blessed their souls, praying for their peace in the coming afterworld. Standing, he watched as the fire took full force and would soon engulf the entire village.