A dark figure could be seen approaching Jastrey, each step seemed heavy with burden yet not a sound could be heard from the foot falls. The moon hung low and full that night, being sure to fully illuminate the path for the cloaked form. As he walked into town, the elf almost seems to chuckle to himself at how easily the denizens could sleep. A comfort lost to himself with what seems ages ago. As he rounded the last bend, the charred and crumbled remains of the tavern is what caught his eye. With Galdor's pack all but empty, the elf just pulled his hood tighter around his face and made his way for the lake to set up camp, not that he'd be able to sleep at all. He had too much on his mind, too many thoughts stirring. The elf found himself at the waters edge almost sooner than he remembered. The elf set his pack ever so lightly against the tree. If one was to look, they would notice the shield the elf once loved so was no where to be seen. Lost along the journey, it would seem. "So I've finally returned," Galdor muttered to himself under his breath. Nothing seemed to change, and yet everything seemed different. He pulled the last bit of bread from his pack and leaned against the tree, staring over the moon-reflected waters.
Turned his head slightly, hood still drawn tight around his thin face that his eyes were still not visable. He had heard the angori tromping through the woods for some time, something he expected being this close to town. Still, he eyed the strange angori as he approached. "No thank you, kind sir. I am more than content with my rations," Galdor replied to his offer, hiding his distrust with a new found ease.
In a small cloud of black and violet smoke, the slight form of Katerina Cassitran could be seen appearing on the lake shore. Her dark gaze was immediately drawn to the pair of forms not far down the shoreline."Well, so much for a bit of time to myself." She muttered softly as the booming voice of Zwey reached delicate, bat-like ears.
Drawing back her hood just enough that her face- still partially concealed by her leather masquerade mask- could be seen, the Uordeq woman approached the males. Strangely, the once-princess was unarmed and unarmored. All she wore was a long, deep green robe, a black travelers cloak, and her boots and mask. Altogether, she appeared quite harmless.
"Good evening," she greeted in her thick accent once she had drawn close to them.
"Good evening, Madam Cassitran. It's quit the pleasure to see you again," the elf replied, alongside a long sweeping bow. She didn't look to be armed or even dressed for a fight, which perturbed Galdor slightly. The most innocent are more commonly the most dangerous, after all. "So, I've noticed things in Jastrey has been the same since I left. Tell me, who was it that burnt down the tavern?" Galdor asked before biting off a small piece of his bread.
"Morzoth." Katri replied. "Something about a shadow imp infestation." The Uordeq shrugged at the elf. Her gaze flitted briefly to the mass that served to be the form of Leofrick. Dark eyes narrowed only momentarily before Katri simply went back to ignoring his very existence.
"What brings you back to Jastrey, now?" The Cassitran questioned lightly. She had no specific interest in Galdor, but she had half expected him not to return when he left.
"Just a few moments ago, actually. I was hoping to stop by the tavern, but it seems Morzoth change those plans for me," Galdor replied to Leofrick. Galdor oushed himself off the tree to face the group that seemed to be amassing themselves all of a sudden. The elf lowered his hood as to not be rude to the ourdeqs and the angori. A freshly healed scar could be seen running deep across Galdor's left eye and ending halfway down his cheek. "I have finished my business in my once home. And all roads seem to lead to Jastrey anyway," Galdor replied to the Uordeq woman.
Akon's chuckle could be heard in the soft winter night, as she approached, soft footfalls heard amongst the soggy leaves left from the fall. She smiled ever so slightly towards Glador, extending to him a hot, steaming cup of what smelled of fresh apple cider. "Welcome back. Why is it any of us ended up here anyway, hmm? It's a great question to be answered, though one which may never be..." She glanced at Katri, then looked to Glador to size up how well he seemed, having returned from his journey.
"Most gracious of you, Madam Nivarian" Galdor said to his old friend as he accepted the cup. It was warm to the touch and the smell brought water to his mouth. Galdor pulled a small, white flower from a small pouch on his hip and set it into the liquid, whatching for a color change to indicate if it was safe to drink or not. Even before his trip, Galdor was always cautious of Uordeq drinks. "How have you been, Akon? Not stirring up to much trouble, I hope."
Galdor removed the flower, assured it was safe to drink, before taking a small sip. "Yes. It's been a while since ive had anything this sweet, besides the occasional berry." Galdor grabbed his bread and took another good size bite. "I do have to thank you for your advice on using bloodroot for makeup. Not only did it help me get back into the city, but it also seems to churn a goblin stomach something fierce," Galdor said, his lips curled at the edges at the memory.
Akon chuckled, continuing in her amusement. "I'm glad that it helped. And glad to see you back. I know you're not likely to accept much in the way of aid at the moment, but, seeing as the tavern is out of comission, I've got a nice stew on the hearth should your stomach hunger.." She eyed the bit of bread he was nibbling on, suspecting that the elf hadn't eaten well for a while, as was common among wandering folk. "The offer is there..." She smiled slightly at him. 'Until then, be well." She took a slight bow, then began to just as quietly make her way back up the hill towards town.
Leofrick smiles, pulls out his pipe and strikes a match and lights the tobacco. "Ah, the weather is nice this day." Leofrick clenches his pipes in his teeth. " Galdor, it is nice to see you again, Good day to you all." leofrick bows to the group, turns and walks through the trees toward the remnants of the tavern.
"Until next time, Madam Nivarian," Galdor said in farewell. The elf took one more bite of his bread before drawing his hood back over his head, hiding his eyes once again. He quickly dismissed the thought of the hot meal offered by the warlock. Accepting the cider was enough of a risk, even if she was a friend. The elf set his cup against the tree, reminding himself to return it to her later. Galdor began setting up logs for a small fire. This close to te city and with as many people that have already found him, it wasn't as if he was posing a risk of being found."No point of us standing in the cold, Madam Cassitran," the elf called in her direction as he coaxed a few sparks from his old flint.
Across the lake, far out of view of most, Cail was kneeling, staring intently through the great distance towards the group of people gathered around the elf. His right eye was shining it's bright bluish white as he observed their movements. He couldn't hear their words, but he didn't need to. Cail had no interest in what they had to say. As the tall Uordeq woman left, he said to himself, "Va Dimmchor sah'ey sah'ex na'an, Nivarian, na'an."
He rose, then, and swept his robe around him. Placing the hood over his head, hiding his white hair, he stepped off into the dark cold of the forest underneath the black pines.
Katerina slightly turned and inclined her head to Galdor when he spoke directly to her once more. She had, since the arrival of Akon Nivarian, stared quietly out over the lake. Her hands rested, folded, behind her back, and hidden beneath her cloak against the cold. A fire sounded pleasant in her ears.Still, she didn't quite turn back to the elf just yet.
While the others hadn't seemed to notice, the young Uordeqi woman was watching a patch of space across the lake, where she had seen movement.A moment later, she found the source.When Cail rose she was more easily able to see the familiar outline of his form and shock of white hair. Briefly, Katri wondered what purpose he had in lurking on the other side of the cake. She, however, dismissed the thought rather quickly. The lake seemed to be a popular enough place to go and think. She would remain wavy, she decided, but would not step into the realms of paranoia.
At last, when Cail's large form disappeared into the night, Katri turned completely back to Galdor. "Did you discover what you sought when you returned to your home?" She did not fail to notice his more obvious mistrust of what appeared to be just about everything. Something had changed the elf some.
A small fire had formed withing the pile of logs Galdor had built. "Yes. Amongst other things." Galdor stood up from his work, content the fire was large enough. "Yet it seems my old home has fallen on some quite dark times. For whatever reason, Goblins have begun infiltrating the city like a plague, only the most attached elves have decided to brave it out. One of those green bastards got my shield, the same one that gave me this nasty scar." Galdor figured this would be enough to quell the Uordeqs suspicions for now.
Katri's experssion was over all unreadable behind the black leather of her mask, though the corners of her mouth looked as though they threatened to turn up into a smirk. She merely nodded and studied him breifly as he pointed out his new scar. She took a few steps closer to Elf and fire. "Goblins are quite the menace, aren't they?"
She didn't push for any more information, instead she fell silent for a few moments and held her hands out toward the flames to warm them. "Was your trip back to Jastrey a smooth one?"
"As smooth as you'd expect, I supppose," Galdor replied to the Uordeq. "The winter made food scarce, but rabbit was easy enough to find. Truth be told, it was quite calm on the road." Galdor stepped back and leaned against the tree he found when he first arrived. "So tell me, what have I missed since last I've been in Jastrey," Galdor asked the Uordeq. It was about time he got some information for once.
Katri nodded. Winter tended to do that to food, make it scarce. She stared into the fire, glancing at Galdor only briefly when he asked what he had missed. "Quite a bit, actually. The Dracolich Scorch was finally slain and Paladin Trails were held once again by that oafish loud mouth, Doran Ironheart. A trio of witches came to town, that was nothing more than a confusing cluster fuck, to be quite frank. I'm still not sure what the purpose behind it was; I just know it ended up with us fighting a lot of Scarecrows with the most obnoxious ability to ignore fire and swords... Rizzik the Corpse Crafter also paid a brief visit to town. Let's see... What else?"
Katri tapped a slim finger to her chin for a moment, before continuing, "Ah yes, apparently the Faerie Queen Festivia of the Summer Court paid Jastrey a visit. Some kind of ball was held and Glimmer and Takklin, I've heard, were married then. I think that's about the summation of what you've missed, over all." The woman smoothly skipped over any talk of Dwarves taking the Shadelands with the supposed aid of Mistress Nivarian and any of the stir that it had caused in town. It would be nigh impossible to pick up that she had left anything out deliberately. Aside from that, he was an elf and would likely have no interest in such goings on as it held no real bearing on happenings in Jastrey any way.
"So, the same as usual, I suppose," Galdor said with a slight chuckle. He took a moment to take in everything that had happened. "I suppose Thalanir didnt explode like the town expected him to then." Galdor stepped over to the lake, pouring almost all of the cider from the cup and replacing it with fresh water from the lake. Taking a long drink he set himself, once again by the fire. "You're free to sit awhile if you wish, Madam Cassitran. Unless, of course, you have more important matters to attend to."
"No, he didn't. I beleive I heard someone say he's become stone again, however." She replied, not bothering to look as he stepped away. She heard liquid splashing to the ground and assumed he had poured the cider out (she hoped, anyway). It wouldn't surprise her. People didn't trust Uordeq. Hell, even Uordeq didn't trust Uordeq- and with good reason.
A moment later he returned and sat, offering her to do the same. She settled herself on a near by fallen log, "I do not, at this point. Thank you. I'm curious, to know though. How much damage have the Goblins done on your home? I've not had much expierence with hoardes."
Galdor stared stoicly into the fire. "Enough to force almost all of the population to flee to neighboring cities. From what I've gathered, they found a way into the city and set their explosive from there." Galdor shifted his weight, being wary to not offer any information that could be used against him. "I highly doubt they were able to plan it themselves, or even get into the city. My suspicion is they had help."
"I wouldn't underestimate a Goblin, Galdor. There have been a couple around here that have proven they aren't quite as stupid as they let on. Of course, if there's something shiny init for them... I wouldn't put it past them to do someone else's dirty work either." Katri said in a musing tone, almost as if she were thinking aloud more than talking to Galdor. Her gaze remained on the flames while they talked, watching the tendrils Leap and dance in the cold night air.
"I am sorry to hear about the fall of your home, however. I assume you tried to locate your family? That sort of thing is important to your kind, isn't it?" The Uordeq continued after a moment in an empty tone. Tonight, for some reason, she found herself in a talkative mood. So, she found herself simply saying or asking whatever came to her mind that was topic related.
Galdor scoffed at the question. "It was as much my home as the trees are to a fish. Liars and deceivers made their home in that ancient valley. The world's better without them. And as for my family..." Galdor stopped himself as old memories rose from the back of his mind. Being cautious of how much he told the Uordeq, the elf continued, "As for my family, it would be pointless to try to 'Locate' them. I already know where they are, nor would it matter if I didn't in the slightest." Galdor looked up from the fire to gaze across the moonlit lake. "And what of yours, Lady Cassitran? Have you found ties with that newly discovered nephew of yours?" Galdor asked curiously, referring to Leofrick. The elf turned his gaze towards the Uordeq woman. "He is, indeed, your nephew, isn't he?"
Katri listened quietly, detecting something more to Galdor's pause than he let on when he continued. She didn't comment on it, though. A slow smirk graced her face as the Elf turned questions toward Leofrick. She had either hit a very tender topic with him and this was his retaliation, or he was just stupid to the ways of her kind. Of course, it well could have been a combination of the two. Either way, even with the mask covering half of her face, it was obvious the upturn of her lips was an icy, harsh thing, instead of a sweet graceful emotion.
A low, cold laugh bubbled from her throat, "That half-breed abomination is no more my bloodkin than you are. Even if I were to lose my mind and claim that bit of filth, what bonds do you expect to be forged? I don't know if you've realized that the Uordeq definition of family is not that of you tender-hearted races."
"Please excuse my ignorance, Lady Cassitran. I was unaware." Galdor replied with a small smirk curling the edges of his lips. The elf had already knew the answer, yet thought it funny to ask it anyway. Galdor reached over and placed another log on the fire. Galdor stood and walked over to his pck, pulling out a small teapot. "Care for a bit of tea? It's not much but will help with the cold." Galdor asked as he began putting his last few leaves of Elvish tea leaves into the pot. He looked to the Uordeq, as he placed the pot in the fire.
Katerina shot a glance at the elf, eyes mildly amused as she observed his smirk. It seemed she wasn't far off the mark. This set a few wheels in her head turning. She nodded, "Tea sounds quite nice. Thank you."
"What did you go home for, Galdor, then? If it is no home to you and not to seek your family, then why?" She asked again. Her thoughts were mixed, but now she was genuinely curious. She waited patiently to see how he would respond.
Galdor casually sat back down, waiting for the tea to warm just a little more before he poured the cups. The elf sat down, his shoulders seemed once again heavy. "For answers, Lady Cassitran." Galdor looked back at the Uordeq woman. "Its the only reason worth reliving the past after all." Thoughts raced through his mind. He looked back to the flames. "And it seems I have discovered more than I thought. Search for the answer to one riddle, you'll find 2 more." The elf was reluctant to delve into the true nature of his journey until he was sure he was in company he could completely trust. The pot began to sing a high pitched whistle. "Ah, the tea is ready," Galdor said as he pulled out a second cup from his pack, thankful for a distraction, yet hiding his emotions like he's learned t do.
"Such is the nature and way of riddles and secrets," The Uordeq replied quietly a few moments later, as Galdor retrieved a second tea cup. Now a calculating and intrigued smile had replaced the cold smirk the thought of leofrick and 'family' had brought to her face. Had he been paying attention he might also have noticed a subtle emphasis placed on the word 'secrets.'
The elf eyed the Uordeq curiously. The obvious emphasis on "secrets" put the elf a little on edge. "Yes, I suppose it is. But secrets also have a more dangerous side few may think about. Secrets can both give power, as well as take it away. For knowing those secrets give you power over those who wish them to be secret." Galdor handed the steaming cup to the Uordeq woman, his curiosity peaked. "What are you getting at Lady Cassitran?"
Katri merely gave another small, unreadable smile as she took a sip of the offered tea after adding a dash of deep red liquid and a fine white powder to it. Her eyes, with their newly appearing veins of violet in her irises, glittered from within her mask, but she said nothing to his remarks of secrets. "Not a thing, not a thing. It was merely a statement."
After a few moments' silence in which she drank her tea, she set the cup gently down on the ground by the Elf. From within the tight sleeve of her robe she drew a small bit of folded parchment. He had not been it's intended recipient, but the events of the night and her observations had intrigued her enough to change her plans slightly. She offered the slip to Galdor with another unreadable grin, "If you're curious, perhaps you should take a look at this and, fate willing, we shall speak more later."
Once the parchment left her fingertips and her peace was said, the woman would leave the way she appeared, in a wisp of grey-violet smoke.
Galdor accepted the letter, carefully watching the Uordeq woman as she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The elf opened the paper and read the contents before closing it once again and setting the letter in the fire. He watched carefully as the paper curled in on itself in the flames before falling apart in a pile of ash. The elf sat back and finished off the contents of his tea. He looked ver the lake before finally closing his eyes. He had a long day ahead of him settling back into the town.
A loud clumping can be heard, as Zwey is piddling thru the dark forest, foraging for food stuffs, as the taven has yet to be rebuilt. He spies an elf sitting at the waters edge. As he aproaches he sees the wee bit o bread that the elf is eating. "Hail! Care for some of the bounty of the forest?"