*In the early hours of the morning, as the day was just dawning, a rustling is heard in the forest near a farm. A dwarf steps out onto the edge of the field, taking a brief look around to check his bearings he stepped over to a large rock setting down his load before taking a seat himself; lighting his pipe as he stared wistfully across the field to the farm that laid before him. Inhaling deeply, more akin to a sigh, exhaling slowly, the smoke mingling with the early morning mist.*
"Two years..."
[The following snippets of conversation run through Esgir's mind; if someone is nearby with Commune Dream they can attempt to "overhear" it. If you're interested in Out-of-Play knowledge, you're welcome to read the entire exchange here: http://www.ornlarp.com/forum/lost-woods.]
Esgir: *Esgir is on one knee, arquebus raised and ready, aimed at a red eyed Uordeq female who stood, cross armed, before him.* "Is'nae typical of yer kind to present yerselves in such an open and forward manner- I suspect this be an ambush then? Lying in wait to finish what yer kin started? Ye'll find this dwarf will'nae go quietly."
Uordeq: *The Uordeq let forth a low, dark chuckle of amusement, the corner of her lip upturning in a smirk, seeming entirely unphased by the firearm pointed towards her, her own stature relaxed.* "If I'd wanted you dead, dwarf, you would not be breathing. Had I wanted you silent, you would not speak, had I wanted you helpless, your limbs and arms would fail you even as you stand, but nay, you remain with all three because -I- allow it. For now."
Uordeq: "And my kind? Last I checked you and yours still have hold over the land of my people, though I'd be glad to finish anything I wish to start..." Her tone dipped darkly malicious towards the end. "But while I've still allowed you chance to speak, answer my question dwarf, for the land you tread upon will not greet you kindly should you so wish to threaten those that reside within it. Speak. Who is it you search for."
Esgir: *The dwarf grits his teeth as he listens to the stranger, glowering at her as he lowers the rifle.* "Aye, as much as I hate t' admit it, I b'lieve yer words. I dun'nae claim t' have any knowledge of lands other than my own; that and the hearsay that travels through. Yer welcome is as warm as one'd expect- but tis enough t' convince me yer not who I seek, nor are ye close to them; I'd not be standin' 'ere yet if 'twere true. So to yer question I'll say this: yer not who I seek, nor do I think I'll find them 'ere; wheree'er 'ere is."
Esgir: "Seein' as I've g'ven you an answer, perhaps ye'd give me one. What lands are these? This terrain is unfamiliar t' me; yet should still be well within range of me maps- I tried returning whence I came, and only succeeded in somehow stepping out of yon forest in the same place again."
Uordeq: "You haven't answered me at all, merely side stepped my question. Seems you've stepped through a span, and are no longer close to where you once were. And immortals help you in getting back. You might as well get used to the idea. You're stuck here now. That is..if you're story is to be believed."
Esgir: *The dwarf huffs, pulling a pipe out, packing and lighting it.* "My story is naught but truth; my intention is t' find something dear t' me, something that was taken. I'd been trackin' them fer three days now when I stepped into this- span?"
[End flashback. Esgir is distracted and talking quietly to himself, anyone capable of sneaking up on him could overhear what he is saying.]
*Taking my pipe out for a moment, emptying the ashes and cleaning it.* "She was'nae part o' 'em... Aye still dunno who she was though..."
*Repacking the pipe once it had been cleaned, relighting it.* "Two years... two years o' work... an' nothin'... nothin'..." *Taking a long inhale again.*
"Young Shrayvar..." *Huffed softly, smiling a bit.* "'E seems so innocent... or naive... 'Well, I know that it's... gone; and that's basically it. Dunno how or why.'" *Shaking my head slightly, the smile fading.* "'Aye was there Shrayvar... Aye'm no stranger te the horrors o' battle- but the Uordeq... they had sum'thin'... '"
"An Althena..." *Stroking my beard a little with my free hand.* "Te world'a be a bett'r place if more we're like ye... 'All I know for certain, was that an army of Uordeq and giants descended upon Forgehome. Led by Keg's own son, who not only betrayed his own kin, but killed your king as well.'"
*Esgir sighed heavily, readjusting his position on the rock.* "'From where aye was I did'nae see er hear the main assault meself...' Aye'm afraid Aye lied t' ye there me young furry friend..." *Another long inhale.* "'Aye, I knew of the king's passing... I was in Forgeholm during the attack, but was cut off from the main battle...' An te ye... Althena..."
*Huffed, standing up, taking the small keg, setting it up on the rock, rummaging in my bag for a tap.*
"An Marloff... Te Empyrean..." *Finding the tap, moving to the keg.* "'Future happenings are not set in stone nor dictated by the dance. The dance does however offer hints, suggestions, if you will, that come to me more as feelings and intuition rather than a script of what is to come. One must always supplement these things with wisdom.' *Huffing, starting to tap the keg.* 'Not all things are for you to know. When handing out knowledge of the future, care needs to be taken. Otherwise more harm than good will result.' *Face reddening as he recalled the Empyrean's words, tapping the keg.*
"More... more harm... than good..." *huffed, sitting down next to the keg, reaching for a stein, filling it.*
*Esgir held the stein for a long time, looking into it; after nearly half an hour he extended his arm, swallowing, a stoic, solemn tone to his voice.* "'Ere's te fallen friends and comrades, those who died in service te kin and king." *Slowly pouring the contents of the stein out.* "Storri Gobl'nsmasha." *Filling the stein again, slowly pouring it out again.* "Falgrim Gobl'nsmasha." *He continued this process for the next half hour.* "Brokki Grandhelm." "Vragni Ironheart." "Finn Stoneshield." "Hargin Fireforge." "My brother... Druskeden Anvilsmiter." "An' my king... King Guldar."
*Esgir sat for some time, smoking, the ground before him damp and obviously smelling strongly of ale. Dwelling n the words of the unknown Fae.* "'Whether he could of prevented it or not at this point is moot, it has happened... and some actions though that may seem rational at the time may not be later on.'" *Swallowing, the dwarf was heartsore and crestfallen.* "Two years..."
"Two years... an all aye managed te do... was kill me king..."
[EDIT: Formatting restored; I didn't realize that it did not keep my original formatting when I posted it from my phone this morning - apologies. Hopefully it helps with ease of reading.]
*Esgir was still sat on the rock, keg at his side, the stein sitting atop it; quietly smoking his pipe as he looked out across the field and to the mountains in the distance. The morning fog had lifted and it was nearing midday.*
*Movement near the treeline caught my attention, and I thought perhaps the mysterious Uordeq had returned. Instead a bit confused by the large feline with the unusual coloration that stalked out of the woods. My arquebus nearby, I sat watching to see what it was doing.*
The panther crosses the distance between it and the Dwarf. When it comes to the moist ground it stops and sniffs at the ground. After a moment of investigating the ground, the panther moves to the side and leaps up onto the rock beside the Dwarf and sits on its haunches. A few seconds later the shape of the panther begins to change until Goose is sitting in its place.
*As the large feline approached Esgir reached for his arquebus; only realizing once he had it that the feline was not moving as if to attack. Lowering the firearm as I watched the curious behavior, watching as its form suddenly changed.* "'Ere then, what trickery is tha'?" *Looking over the dryad once the transformation was complete.* "Aye know you... yer a friend o' young Shrayvar- one o' them- Blood Bears, right? He said yer name was Goose?"
Poppy carrying lifeless animals over her shoulders, spots of blood covering her face. The fae regretted staying out so late as she moved with the tree line to avoid the steady rising sun. She noticed a familiar sad looking dwarf pouring ale into the earth. 'Eh fuck it, its already going to be sun rise by the time I get home. Might as well make a pit stop'. She made her way towards the dwarf taking a spot next to him that still offered shade from the trees. "I am not very familiar with dwarf ways.... but perhaps it will bring you some peace to make a memorial for them. It was a common practice in the court." She said resting her back against the tree. "Or maybe a share of stories will help, uh... Huh" the fae laughed to herself. "I just realized I never got your name."
"Oh, Suppose that is true. I am Poppy" the Fae said in a chipper manner. "You think you will head back there when they fix everything?"
Her attention is shifted to the Dryad growling at her. "No, not well." "He is one of Kresh's Blood bears, I believe. Don't think we ever really met either." "Not sure why he is growling I have good standing with Kresh... Is there a problem?" She said addressing him flatly.
*Shaking my head.* "Aye spend much of me time in Forgehome, 'specially o' late; but things will ne'er be back te the way they were... Aye was thinkin' aye might return te jastrey on a more permanent basis."
"Kresh? Jest 'ow many o' these Blood bears are there?" *Looking to Goose as he spoke.*
Poppy scoffs shaking her head at the druid. "And you think that makes you an expert on the subject, because you happened to be there to hear about it though someone else mouth?" "I see you have learned speech in wild form, you can speak in its native tongue if that it easier, I would understand that one as well."
Poppy drew her attention back to the dwarf. "You lived here before. ooooo when? I have heard things have changed a lot since then. I have only lived here a little over a year. " The fae answered back in a cheerful tone. "Blood bears?" Poppy counted out people to herself on her fingers before pausing to answer " 12? I think, but that's only ones I know" She said in a giggly tone
*Looking back and forth between the two for a moment, unsure of what they were on about.*
"Things 'ave certainly changed Poppy; there are many who were 'ere that are no longer 'ere, an many newcomers as well. Jastrey seems to bring who it sees fit, as it sees fit... How did it bring you te it?"
"Twelve? Aye 'aven't even met 'alf o' them yet?"
"Even I have not had the pleasure of meeting all my Brothers," Goose replies. "And Common [OOP, not sure what it would be called in this system] is fine; it would be rude to leave someone out of the conversation who stands right here. Returning to your comment, sacrifice is quite a nasty accusation to have brought against oneself. I would be intrigued to hear what happened from someone who was present."
Poppy has a slight look of confusion on her face "Havent met them yet? That's odd, why not?"
Poppy takes a deep breath sighing checking again where the sun was hanging. "This isn't really the place for that, unless Egsir wishes to hear about it. I supposee" the fae said dragging on a bit. "I am sure Rex left out the part about him dying multiple times" The fae muttered under her breath "He tired running with the child he got disintegrated (80 crit'd) by the leader of the ritual a couple times, to say the least that kids fate had been sealed when we walked through that portal." "We were told when we started the mission it was supposed to restore balance." She said laughing lightly leaning all the way against the tree gazing up into the tree tops.
"But, that is old news I suppose. does it really matter what happened? They brought the kid back. Doesn't it make all that past stuff no longer important?"
"I can understand how one could follow that train of thought, but let me ask you this," Goose replies as he shifts out of Wild Form. He retrieves a large knife from his belt, inspects the blade visually. He runs his finger along the blade's edge to test its sharpness.
"Let's say I were to cut my arm," he brings the knife across his forearm (1 Sharp), watches as blood wells from the cut, then pulls the knife across his arm again (1 Sharp) before returning the knife to his belt as the blood runs down his arm and drips to the ground. I know I did it. You know I did it. Now let's say that I heal my arm. With the Blessing of Nature. (Heal 6)" The cuts on his arm close and he wipes the blood from his arm onto his pants. Exposing his arm to the Fae, he continues, "The cut is gone. I could tell someone back in town that I never cut my arm. Does that negate that I remember cutting my arm? Does that remove the sight of me cutting my arm from your memory?
"I was unaware that the child had been brought back, but does someone coming behind you to clean up a mess truly mean that the mess was never there? Will the family ever forget that someone stole their child from them and that it was killed, even though it was later revived? More importantly, does the child being revived absolve the guilt of those who partook in its death? Perhaps the better question is this: Why was this Rex the only one willing to die to save a child?"
"Th' past is always important. An no, jest b'cause ye've tried te fix it dunnae make it so it ne'er 'appened, nor prevent it from 'appening again..."
*The dwarf looks wistfully off at the mountains in the distance as he takes another long inhale from his pipe. Seeming to be miles away for a moment before sighing heavily and looking back to the pair.*
"Now what's all this about a child bein' sacrificed? What's been goin' on in me absense? What ritual? Who's this Rex?
Kresh moves from outside of the tree line as birds fly away. Kresh is covered in cuts from what looks like a fight in the woods. the heads of two human men are tied to his belt as he approaches Goose. Kresh removes his horned helm and looks deep into the eyes of everyone there. "Why is it when ever i go on a hunt for food i run into a new face?"
Kresh pulls several mushrooms out of his bag and wipes the blood off before eating them.
Poppy listens to what Goose has to say before answering. "Oooo Metaphors those are always fun, now I have one for you. I'd assume you understand animals very well. You see stampede of Baca passing in front of you. Surely you wouldn't throw yourself in front of the beasts in attempt to stop them?" She said as she motioned a tossing mvement with her hands. "It would be fruitless, they would beat your corpse into the earth without as second thought." "Much like any attempts we made against the ritual leader would of ended, with us being piles of dust on the ground." "Is it wrong to wish to escape with my own body intact, when I realize the gravity of the situation is something that greatly surpasses me?"
Poppy's tone seemed to gain more edge as she continued. "You know what maybe you are right? Maybe I should of tried, should of met my certain death and threw myself in front of the charging Baca." She snapped back in an almost offended tone. "But tell me this Goose do you know what I am? I assume you and most of town is well acquainted with the fact I am a vampire. So you expect me to die trying to save a child that will be groomed to hunt and kill me at a later date?" "Tell me if you are so valiant." She spat out in a snarl. "If there was an enemy to your blood brothers whose sole goal in life was to eradicated you from all the shards. Would you be willing to die trying to save that enemy? Knowing that it will still see you in no different light." "Maybe the comparison of a more real life situations will make it more clear. I heard the Bears had a recent problem with assassin mhm?" "If you were commissioned to capture the man who tired to kill your brother, but found out after handing him over it would result in his death. Would you risk your life to save him, against a enemy who is leaps and bounds stronger then you?" Rage could be seen bubbling behind the fae' eyes. " Oh and Rex is absolved of his guilt because he was a fool and tried to fight something he surely couldn't beat?" She spat out. "Let me remind you we knew that we would be stealing a child from the beginning. We were promised a payment for our services. This 'we' included him, mischief, and Ezac. The nature of what the child would be used for is what we were ignorant of and found out of far too late.. To make it even more fantastic our payment if we were compliant was making it back here to, Jastrey in one piece. "
*Esgir nearly exclaimed aloud as the human emerged from the treeline; while showing obvious signs of a recent battle, and a bit ragged from it, the man possessed a countenance and physique which inspired equal fear and respect. His eyes, though a trifle bloodshot, seemed inexplicably keen and burning. But for his horrible unkemptness the man would have been as distinguished-looking as he was impressive. This unkemptness, however, made him offensive despite his face and figure.* *The appearance of this man, and the instinctive fear he inspired, prepared the dwarf for something like enmity; so that he was left speechless from the uncanny incongruity of this savage beast of a man, heads on his belt and wiping blood from the mushrooms he began to devour, joining our party in as casual a manner as one might expect to encounter in the tavern in town.*
[OOP: Bonus points to whoever recognizes the source of most of that post; the wording seemed apropos when I envisioned Kresh arriving on the scene.]
[EDIT: As Amy posted while I was typing :P]
*Looking to the Fae as hee cheerful demeanor rapidly turned to anger, eyes going a bit wide as her words cut into the Dryad, noticing surprised at the notion of her being a vampire; all of this left Esgir still at a complete loss for words.*
Goose listened patiently to the Fae's frustrations. When she finished, he took a respectful moment to contemplate her words. When he finally spoke, his words were calm and even.
"I believe there is a flaw in your argument. You assume that my problem with you lies in the fact that your murdered and enemy who could grow up to come after you and yours and that I have no qualms with Rex and Ezac. To the latter, I take issue that anyone was willing to take payment for the kidnapping of a child. The fact that Rex came to his senses at the last minute does not absolve him from guilt, I never said that; I do, however, have a minimal amount of respect for a man who recognized his mistake late into the plot and died trying to correct his mistake.
"My issue with you, Poppy, is that you and yours didn't have the moral decency to see that a defenseless child posed no threat to you right now. Maybe the child would have grown up to be a danger to you, but kidnapping the child and allowing harm to come to him now is a coward's way of handling things. Allow the child to grow to an age when he is capable of at least defending himself, and then take the steps that you see required, thogh, of course, it will be seen as murder.
"Concerning as well is that someone told you that the child was dangerous to you and you took action. Did it occur to you to stop and consider what you were being told? Perhaps you were being manipulated into doing the very event that would cause the child to grow up with the hatred that is supposed to come. You may very well be the cause of your own demise.
"But to reply to your points, as I have made my view of you clear, your metaphor lacks certain points to make it relevant. Ask me if I would jump in front of a stampeding herd simply because it is there, the answer is, of course, no. Ask me if I would jump in front of a stampeding herd if a child was in the herd's path, I would.
"As for your question about a potential enemy of the Bears, if he has not taken any action against us, then I could see assisting him. But your misunderstanding of my finer points comes to light again when you ask if I would die for him; you are speaking of a grown man, capable of making his own life decisions and defending himself. He would not need me to die for him nor would I as he can attempt to defend his own life. A child can not decide for itself nor attempt to defend itself.
"Lastly, regarding someone who has attacked one of my Brothers, he has made his decision and if it results in his death, then so be it. When the assassin donned his disguise to appear as our Brother Falco, no hesitation existed as he was cut down upon attacking Kresh and Garen.
"The differences between our views on the situations, realistic and theoretical, boil down to a simple yet important point: honor versus cowardice."
Kresh looks over at the dwarf. "So who are you?" Kresh asked bluntly "I have never seen you before" Kresh pulls off his chest gear and puts it on the ground. The arrow in Kresh's leg peeks out from under his kilt. Kresh grabs his belt and bites down on it as he pulls the arrow out. no yelp escapes his lips just a grunt of joy. "I hate when i have to run at people to make them fight me." "Master dwarf, may i use a cup to clean this wound?"
*Regaining his composure, the dwarf adressed the stranger.*
"Aye'm Esgir Anvilsmiter, and aye've nae seen ye b'fore either. But if ye'r a man o' Jastrey aye'll assist ye."
*Reaching over to his pack for a waterskin, handing it to the human.*
"Aye have some Bandages if ye be needin' som'thin' more fer tha' wound."
Poppy's anger only seemed to boil as Goose went on, but seemed to calm a little when she heard the dwarf's background statement. "It is clear will we not agree on the situation at hand we are two different people from different backgrounds. Arguing is pointless." "However young druid, if you wish to greet me like an animal with your teeth barred to attack. I will retaliate with my own."
She shifted her attention back to Esgir. "You said you used to live in Jastrey? Why did you leave or decide to come back"
"Oh, and hello Kresh" She said giving the human a light nod in his direction.
*Looking to Poppy as she adressed him.*
"Aye, Aye used t' live in Jastrey. I went on many adventures with th' people I came t' call me friends an' companions."
*Inhaling deeply from his pipe, looking out towards the mountains again.*
"As t' why aye left... Aye thought I could right som'thin' what aye thought wrong... Aye was mistaken... An all aye did was t' make it e'en worse than afore..."
Some time after the ale pouring ended, a panther stalks out from the tree line downwind of the Dwarf. Upon closer inspection the panther has a rich forest green line of mane that runs from the top of its head down its back to its shoulders. The panther stopped in the open to sniff their air then, locating the Dwarf some distance away, began stalking toward him.