As Zwey and Jael had spoken the tavern had drawn closer and now the small, green and black garbed form of Katri- sans armor and weapons- could be seen ascending the few steps just infont of the males. She glanced back at them with a grin, "That certainly explains why you don't act very Angori. Jael, you have more than fallen in to your drinks this evening, from the looks of it." Another unreadable look flashes across her face breifly before she continues, "Brothers... An interesting topic indeed... Would that I could do something about the loss of mine. Alas, tragedies will happen. As for Mistress Nivarian, I'm sure she's lurking about somewhere."
Once inside the tavern, She sat across from where Zwey had settled Jael, with her back to the wall. She watched as he walked away for his package and patiently waited for him to return. He came back with a question of Akon's reputation and she nearly snickered at his words.
"My dear Zwey, I grew up around the woman from my infancy. I know Mistress Nivarian quite well, and she's meant to seem personable. She's a politician. Never the less, Uordeq lurk. Well, good Uordeq lurk, and Akon Nivarian is rather exemplary of my kind. If you've been exposed to so many different types, I figure you would know that much from meeting her- sans politician, perhaps." Katri's eyes narrowed in what appeared to be an almost playful manner, mirroring her small smirk. She never blinked at the long weapon he called "Reaper." It didn't concern her in the slightest.
Jael sat down in the bench almost toppling over but managing to catch himself with some sort of drunken grace that only could have been perfected over years of of drinking. Or it was just luck. "Brothers." He repeated in a dreary voice before reaching for the water. He drank some of it but seemed displeased with the taste. He looked to Zwey's blade and raised an eyebrow at the sheer length of the sword. Jael listened to Katri's speal on Akon and gave a small smile. "Yeah... Akhon is a good pershern. She means to do well for othersh. Very pershonahble... I dun't think people know the reel Akon..." Jael set his head down on the table to rest it for a bit and mumbled, "And... she's pretty..."
"No. No she isn't" Growled Blisdon, His eyes glaring Daggers at the drunken pair from across the bar, A lit cigarette in his hand, with a pair of thin and wispy clouds of smoke billowing from the Uordeq shaman's flared nostrils.
"Either she owns you, Or she owns your friendship. Either way you come when she beckons and raise your blade in her name- what else does she require?" The shaman stood from across the bar, making his way closer to the trio.
"The drunken paladin here happens to be both. Consider every word that leaves his mouth as suspect, Newcomer." The uordeq nodded politely at the blade-toting angori as the shaman brushed off what dust he could from his deep green and well worn tabard.
"The name is Blisdon, By the way. Shaman of the Wild Hunt,one of two keepers to the Druids Grove and resident unlikable asshole. I wouldn't fault you for taking my own words with equal amounts of suspiscion...In fact, I'd probably suggest it."
The shaman ended his light rant with a large grin stretching from ear to ear, his still-burning cigarette hanging between his teeth.
"Welcome to Jastrey, Where everyone is a pawn in someone elses game. Be discerning with whom you make privvy to your innermost thoughts."
Jael sat up at the sound of Blisdon's voice, a growing seriousness about him as he continued to listen. He allowed Blisdon to finish his rant. "I disagree Blisdon." He said calmly with a frown, "She wouhld do the same for me. Rhaise her blade that is... and it is moar than that..." Jael took a drink of his water, and looked at the glass almost suprised that it tasted the same. He turned his attention to Zwey, "Blishdon does alright by me. But take his... advise... with a grain of salt." Jael looked to his bread and blinked a few times, before tearing off a piece. He went to lean back but realized rather quickly that there was nothing to lean back against and straightened out his back to sit up taller.
Katri's grin widened as the drink she had ordered was set in front of her. "For once, I have nothing at odds with Blisdon's words. Mistress Nivarian, as I said, is a rather exemplary Uordeq politician. Even I watch her words, myself, and I've known her all my life."
She raised her glass in a pseudo-friendly manner to the Wild Hunt member before taking a sip of the dark wine. She chuckled softly and continued, "Dealing with anyone in Jastrey is a dangerous game of cat and mouse."
Taklinn looks up from a book he has been making what seems to be sketches, and says "Unless that person don't give two shakes of piss whose feet they step on Cassitran. It seems that even the Immortal's can't trust yer kind at their word, and by yer kind I mean Cassitrans. Mayhaps that was why they chose that filthy brother of yers in the first place." he says angrily through his beard, a wild fire burning in his eyes as if a forge has been burning for quite a while and been stoked at the mere mention of Rasiri.
He then looks to the newcomer and shakes his head "Ware the Warlock lad, she will be yer best friend until it suits her to not be. Even though she has the sense to steer clear of me, I notice much in this town. The sweet words of a succubus will lure ye in and entice ye until she decides she's needin' a meal. Taklinn Forgesplitter, is me name lad, and it costs ye nothin' to talk to me, not even friendship. If yer needin' armor or an opinion, I'm yer dwarf!"
"Takklin Forgesplitter, the only brother I have is dead. His name was Rayst. There are no other Cassitrans here." Katri replied coldly and firmly. All pretenses of kindness dropped and her mood seemed to breifly sour on the spot. She quietly returned to her wine hissing something under her breath about false Uordeq and blood traitors.
"Thats urdek loyalty fer ye." he says with a smirk. "Is it any wonder that yer dear papa ended up meeting such a violent end to his miserable life? If ye just cast off yer blood kin at the drop of the hat, or because someone more powerful in yer family deems it so, then ye can never stand fer anything! Sometimes a project needs to be scrapped and resmelted, but only after ye have tried to hammer out the imperfections. At least Rasiri stood to protect ye when ye first arrived in town, which was the most backbone I ever saw in that lump of flesh. And ye repay him with a dagger in the back. Once again I say, is it no wonder that yer kind lost the war?". he says with a chuckle while continuing to sketch in his book.
"Aye, Taklinn's got a point there and Katri's just another example, There was a time when the two of you were close. Always in the shadows somewhere whispering to one another, whatever happened to that?"
Blisdon let a sigh escape his chest as he extinguished the last few fingernail lengths of his burning cigarette.
"Thats a problem, Where's the boulders left in town? Who is going to stand their ground even when the winds begin to howl and the ground starts to shake? All I'm seeing now is sand, ready to blow miles away from you at the first sign of a storm."
"There are six boulders in town." Finian says placing his long coat over his shoulder and looking over the crowd in the tavern.
"We Paladins of the unnamed order stand against threats both foreign." Finian look over to Katri for a moment than continues "... and domestic. You can be sure we will stand tall despite the odds against us and always for what is true and just." Finian Finishes his speech and takes a place at the bar.
"Had I thought I could adhere to yer codes, I would have happily made number six. As it stands yer sittin' well at five an' a half, lad. Hopefully fer you I'm to be proven wrong about one in yer order, though time will only tell. Time, that which proves the test fer many. With enough time and pressure, a simple piece of coal may be turned inta' a diamond, and the same is true fer people's hearts. To know truly a person's heart, ye must know em long enough an' see their actions to show ye their heart." he looks up from his sketches at the paladin and smiles. "So it seems we've the time on our hands, I will provide the pressure to see if that one will turn to a diamond, or crumble like sandstone."
Zwey applauds the rather zealous paladin, "ah, i do so enjoy paladins, so sure of themselves." he turns to Blisdon and Jael, "i am from the coast, good sirs, everything thing i take has a grain of salt." "The uordeq i grew up with, in fact, the brother who sent me this new toy, are quite different. they are like you and i, prone to any assortment of moral failing, and delightful plotting." Zwey chuckles, " i still trust Akon, and will do so until she gives me reason not to. Matron always said that i wouldnt know fire was hot until i burned myself." "and Taklinn, we should speak on matters of armor, we can expand you market with the help of the Mercantum, but that may be in the far future, as i do not yet have enough contacts here." Zwey flags down the bark keep and orders a class of water, then retrieves a small wineskin from his waist, and squeezes a small measure of a thick, red substance into his glass. He raises the glass, which is now filled with a red liquid, and says "Oh and for those i have not been introduced to, I am Zwey Gurkha."
"Bah, I aint fer makin' a heap o' gold fer me work lad. I'd rather just ensure that those about me are well protected. I ain't even the best at me trade in Jastrey I would say. So infrequent are me trips to me forge that those that have trained hard have surpassed the speed of me work, but I daresay me quality is better. Never have I seen another to match Dwarven smithing." the proud dwarf says as he puffs out his chest just a bit. "looks like ye fell back off the wagon there Jael, are ye alright, or did ye roll over this mornin' sober fer the first time in months and realize that ye were bunked up with a filthy hoot?"
"Rasiri and I have not been close since childhood." Katri returned evenly. "We had a mutual agreement when I arrived in Jastrey that fell to shreds when I discovered some very interesting secrets of his. Uordeq whisper, use one another while they have a use for one another- at least those of us that come from the Shadelands. We are motivated by power, a flavor often unique to each of us in particular. Rasiri's desires have conflicted with mine for many mest now. You can like it or not. Aleksei disowning Rasiri did little to the opinions I already had of him. Quite frankly, I could give a damned less how you see it."
The young Uordeq continued to listen as she drank, her eyes narrowing again at the insinuation of her being a domestic threat Fininan had thrown at her. She looked first to the aforementioned member of the Wild Hunt, and then back to Zwey, "Domestic threats, eh? Perhaps you shouldn't look to a refugee for those. I may be an Uordeq, but suicidal I am not, and becoming a threat to the only safe haven I have is just that. I personally find paladins over zealous fools who can't see past their own self-righteousness. Rather insufferable most of the time."
"Aye someone who believes in more than themselves and loyal to a cause just seem to grate on so many members of town. When trouble is stirred up though, I'm fer bettin' that ye wont be hidin' behind them shields of theirs or acceptin' their healing should it come to that. Those troublesome paladins just seem to stick their noses inta' things that dont sit right with others." Taklinn says with a smirk on his face, his sarcasm cutting like a knife.
"Why can't people just sit back an' let evil take its course. Let the chaos take over all the world I say, an' have us all slayin' one another as it was meant to be in the beginning. Community, family, honor, loyalty. These archaic thoughts aren't worth the effort I say. If someone didn't run from the slavers fast enough, then they should be enslaved. They should have dropped that child that was slowin' em down so they could outrun those that would take from them their very lives. Sign me up, I'm all fer the New World that ye have planned. Yer race's philosophies have grown on me more than I would have ever thought. Let the weak learn their place and be fodder fer our conquest!" he says loudly, before spitting on the floor and returning to his book.
Delvin had quietly taken his seat beside Jael and waved to the barkeep. As the barkeeper arrived he'd lean in and put his request in for bread and chicken, extra extra bread. He would listen to the banter between Taklinn, Katri, Blisdon and Finian with only mild curiosity. He leaned over, checking on Jael to make sure he was still alert and alive and after doing so would simply lean his back against the wall behind him.
Finian bows to Taklinn.
"I would have gladly given my place to see you rise as one of our own Master Taklinn, but I respect your decision to step down and the reasons behind them."
Finian quickly dismisses Katri with the wave of his hand as she starts to speak
"If I wanted your opinion I would have asked you."
Katri let out an almost sincere sounding laugh, dark eyes sparkling, "And if I gave a damn about whether or not you wanted my opinion, I wouldn't have given it, so don't wave you hand at me like you're some kind of king, boy. You're only proving my opinion about paladins."
She turns back to Takklin, still smiling, "As I said, Master Forgesplitter, I could care less what you, or any other Dwarf thinks of my kind and culture, or even myself. So you can rant, ramble and curse us all you like in sarcasm or sincerity. It's all the same to me. It's amazing to me, what a simple remark involving Mistress Nivarian's name can spark in this town though. Which tells me she seems to have you all in one way or another. Never the less, I came here to eat and enjoy a turn of banter with Delvin here. Not play ring-a-round with a Dwarf, a former Dwarf, and a paladin with egos big enough to fill a tavern each in their own right."
Uordeq shaman looks genuinely disheartened at the Angori's words.
"You trust someone you only just met? And an uordeq warlock- A desecrater and defiler- at that?"
With a sigh, the kind that you only are able to let escape your body after a hard days work blisdon pulls another cigarette and straightens out it's slightly crumpled form before setting it alight with a match.
"I'd hoped to have a chance to speak to you sooner, before she could snap your allegiances up for cheap. She makes a habit of that with all the newcomers....oh well, Best not to Dwell my thoughts on what cannot be changed now."
"my old city used to have a saying about dwarven smithing. The phrasin's fuzzy but I to paraphrase it said that the only blades that quality dwarf craftsmanship couldn't brush off and deflect was a sharp dagger in the back."
At those words, Blisdon produced a small flask from his somewhere behinds his Daydrinker Vestments and took a long nip at the contents within.
"My ego ain't the issue lass, its simply that people don't care to hear the truth. Me people have their faults, but we stand up fer one another and work as a community. We have cut our ways through the stone fer time untold, fighting the denizens that would do us harm along the way, and raisin' our young to respect the world about them, and to fight them that would take from us." he says with a smile.
"Takin from others is easy, standin' aside someone when all hope is lost an' there's no gain fer yerself is the measure of nobility, not the blood that runs through yer veins. Thats where ye Cassitrans have fault lass. With all the power ye wielded, ye had a good chance ta make yer people's lives better, but ye didn't because to do that ye would have helped those that ye perceived to do ye wrong. The uprising in the Shadelands is a good thing I say. Perhaps things will change fer yer people and yer ways can be mended." the dwarf says at length, as he digs out a pouch from his sporran.
"Its never occured to me afore, but maybe the reason so many of yer stinkin kin are in this town because they yearn fer a society where they aint got to worry about others killin' em in their sleep." he says as he sets fire to his pipe and blows out a ring of smoke. "Never really crossed me mind, because all ye have done is brought that same mindset ye was brought up in to this place. Ye have tried to bring yerself inta a society that is unlike yer own, dependin' on others to help ye survive, but not participatin' in anything involving town that didn't involve yerselves or yer own skin." he says as he takes a long draught off his drink and smiling as he swallows the holy water.
"Aye ye could have done great things fer yer people there Cassitran, though ye never knew it. Leadership is about action, not position. Those that ye led were followin' ye because yer family would have slaughtered them if they didn't fight fer ye, not because they felt it in their hearts. Akon was supposed ta be yer teacher in these things, though to teach ye this important lesson would have made it more difficult fer her family to overthrow yers in the end, because the people would have wanted to fight fer ye. Has this line of thought never crossed yer mind?" he asks sincerely, sitting back in his seat and continuing to smoke his pipe, every couple of minutes reaching over to push Jael back to an upright postion on his stool.
Finian raised his glass to Leo and turned to Katri smiling.
"Not used to a low-born giving lip, princess?" Finian laughed and continued.
"I'd have listened to you if I knew you had something constructive to say, you know, if you had anything other than fear and hatred in that head of yours you might still have a kingdom. If my ego is as big as the tavern, then the shards are going to have a bit of trouble holding the both of us then." Finian winks and downs his drink.
"Ya see, this is why i love paladins, always such interesting people." He then turns to Blisdon, "Its not so much that i give my allegiance, i do not judge people based upon what others tell me, its one of the core principles of my guild. You will be judged by the dealing with each individual transaction, not on your transactions past. I have brothers and sisters of all races and backgrounds, some with dark credit, but they have all redeemed themselves. Every being that walks with me is trusted. Innocent until proven guilty, so to say." Zwey laughs, "Some think this foolish, and based one the number of scars i have accumulated, sometimes i think the same. But then i see my brothers and sisters, the Matron, and i remember why we hold this philosophy." He looks to Katri, "Maybe now that your home is gone, your society of webs burned, you should take a page from our book. From what I have heard, Akon and Jael have grown close. Akon has changed for the better, she has moved on, accepted Jastrey and its people, looked beyond race and affiliations. Hell, id say she has bettered herself, but i have only known of her for afew days. But, Katri, what does that make you? Why not move on? Forgive and Forget? Build a positive group of peers that look out for each other, instead of ones you have to hold by deals, power, and position. The dwarves won for a reason."
"this is true. Ego was part, if not the reason for the downfall of the king. If only your ego was not so large you may see the big picture." Leofrick downed his glass of wine, and may his way to stand next to his brother. "But only under Uordeq society i may seem low born."
Jael was half listening to everything. After taking a drink of water slamed the glass back down on the table, gripping the handle with a shaking fist. "Taklinn." He said with an angry undertone, "I hope to wake up with Akon for many more days yet." Jael narrowed his eyes on Finian as he rudely dismissed Katri with a wave of his hand.
"Let us not judge others, based on race brother. Alhso tossin around sush harsh words... This will only ruin your reputation, and oursh. It gets you no where!" Jael said a harsh tone to Finian, raising his voice as the words continued to flow. He slammed his fist down on the table with a loud thump standing abruptly and looked to those around. "I am sick of this! This banter!" Jael brushes both his plate with a half eaten roll of bread and the almost empty glass of water off of the table both of them clattering as they hit the ground. "Out of my way!" He growled, and went to walk away from the table.
He stopped suddenly and turned around, "Zwey. I lihke you. Good ideas." Jael stated before stomping towards the closest door that lead to outside, correcting his course for the drink he had consumed.
Delvin quirked a brow towards the situation as it spiraled ever onward towards disaster. With a soft sigh he'd finally speak up, "Upholding all that is good comes with equal parts conviction, understanding, and compassion" he'd state simply, directed at no one in particular. "Strike at those that knowingly spread evil with naught but the purest conviction, know that your strikes are guided by the prime and lay their deeds bare. Understand that not all evil is perpetrated by those with an evil heart, know that our world is not black and white and that we all exist in a shade of grey. Lastly, have compassion for that is truly what seperates us from the very things we seek to destroy." he sighed softly and just shook his head, "bigoted hatred will get us nowhere, Jastrey is a town full of misfits and occasional neer-do-wells. Some honestly seek redemption, the path to enlightenment cannot be forced upon someone, perhaps leading through example would better suffice". His tone was soft throughout, and quite sincere, lacking any accusatory edge or hint of snark which was quite rare for this Elf.
Delvin glanced towards Leo for a moment and shook his head, "No, no. I'll follow Jael as per the usual". He shot Leo a soft smile before standing and making his way towards the exit at a hurried pace, careful not to lose sight of his friend.
Katri finished her wine quietly, a small smile never leaving her lips. She laughed softly, "If you knew, Master Forgesplitter, Fininan, even half of what you think you know of me."
Her gaze turned to Leofrick and she called just loudly enough to be heard to him, "Don't compare egos when you know nothing of either myself of Aleksei Cassitran, child. You'd be dead a hundred times over if I were my father."
She turned back to the others, smile and gentle tone never waivering, "At anyrate, how do any of you know what I have or could have, or even should have done while I was in the Shadelands? Or even the thoughts or desires or ideas I had in mind for my people. There goes a saying about underestimating people and another about judging them and I'm sure you all, clearly being so fantastically righteous and benevolent, know them well and I have no need to quote them. Never the less, keep them at heart. As for you Zwey Gurkha. What makes you dare make assumptions of me less than an hour after our meeting. You know even less of me than they- they who do not speak to me, do not see me, do not try to know me- do, but yet you assume you know enough of me to question not only my motives but who I am in such a detrimental way. You even make assumptions of a woman who has trained me- even still today- from infancy. You assume and presume you know far too much. "
"I won't say I am a good person. I won't bother trying to defend myself. I know my goals, my purposes, my training and my heart. Most of all I know what I have done. I'm no saint, no martyr. I am an Uordeq, plain and simple- which seems to hold enough weight to condemn. The rest of you can bicker, banter and do what you like and say what you like. The point remains, not a single one of you can tell me a damned thing detrimental I have done or let be done to my people and to this town that I could have done somthing about. Bring up the slaying of the Hunt and Leofrick all you wish- the former was a preemtive strike against something that both stiers and I had found to be dangerous for my own well being, the latter was to teach an arrogant boy his lesson. I had not realized the Gnome would take that quite so far, bless her heart."
She rose from her seat and slipped away from the table. Slowly, she headed for the door, allowing for any final comments before she would disappear in a grey-violet puff of smoke.
When Katri mentioned the slaying of the hunt the smile dropped from Finian's face.
"I don't understand correctly Princess, how is the slaying of three innocent townsmen not harmful to the town, and the slaying of your own kin, what is that to your people?"
Finian grinds his teeth seeing the princess and elf leave without a chance for a rebuttal. Finian orders some tea from the bartender and retires by the fire, staring deeply into the changing shapes of the flame.
"If only they knew the corrupting influence of dark magic has on both the user and that which surrounds them." Finian says before taking a sip of tea and shaking his head.
"I do presume to know much, That i will admit, but ive seen her kind before. That personality type is common enough, normally those who would see the hodgpodge of miscreates i call family done harm. I guess i have gone against my own creed, judgeing her too fast, letting other peoples harsh impression of her hold sway over my dealings." Zwey then chases the elf out the door, Greatsword over one shoulder to it will fit out the door. "Should prolly make sure Jael doesnt get himself into trouble!"
"Killing people in their sleep has its merits I suppose, if yer a coward." Taklinn says half laughing.
"As fer talking with folks, every time someone speaks to ye, ye get mad and moody. I don't presume anything, I speak from experience. Observations made over a year an' from words that ye hoots think that nobody hears. What would happen if everyone went around teaching whelps lessons I wonder? The proof is in the foam as I see it. if ye walk around in the sewers lass, dont get defensive when someone mentions ye got crap on yer boots. The same can be said of the company that ye keep. Once again, true words spoken, ye just dont choose to listen to them. I hold a mirror up to ye an' ye don't like the reflection, so ye get defensive. No harm no foul I say, I 've come to understand that me words go unheeded in this town, and wonder why I waste me breath sometimes." he says as he fills his mug with more ale shaking his head the whole time.
Zwey sets up Jael at a table with bread and water, and heads to his corner to find a long paper wrapped package, with a note on it addressing it to "Big Zwey". On his way over, he asks, "why is that Akon has such a gloomy reputation, i found her quite personable." He picks up the package, its fairly heavy, he starts tearing away the paper. "oh well, i guess most people haven't had the exposure to different types of people that i have.'' The last sheet of paper falls, and a greatsword is the result. the blade is 3 feet long, with a tip that resembles a shaolin spade, and a 2 skulls as a crossguard. "Hmm..." Zwey summons abit of the weird power that he has been playing with the past few weeks, and rune glows down the length of the blade. He grins, and wispers "Reaper....." He straps it across the back of his waist, and returns his attention to Kat.