Volrog treads up the path to the library, heavy footsteps quickening as his long-term goal seems to be coming close to his grasp since hearing tales of Jastrey. "This is it, this is where I will find the stories of my people" he murmured. His people were strong, prideful... and honorable. "We've got to be honorable." he grunted as he slowed his canter when nearing the door.
It wasn't just nostalgia from a drunken old warrior's ramblings, or tales told over a campfire specifically for young horns - there had to be honor amongst his people. And since arriving in Jastrey, he had seen Drengskapr matches, even participated in them, and how these angori were strong! And this time, he wasn't ganged-up on in the middle of his match, beaten and thrown out and left to die. In Jastrey, he had witnessed another angori seeking repentence by challenging the entire town in Drengskapr matches, getting repeatedly beaten within inches of his life, only to be healed, fight, and get beaten again, all in the name of restoring honor.
Volrog had to believe there was honor amongst his people. For without honor, what seperates the proud and ancient traditions of the angori clans from the brutish monster tribes? What kept horns from being wild beasts?
Rune had been re-shelving books, as per normal, until the doors were kicked open. In a flash of light, Rune teleports behind the intruder. The book Rune had been replacing falls the floor.
Now behind the intruder, Rune levels it's open palms at the angori's head and begins to mutter incantations as the markings on the golem begin to whine due the energy being gathered. "State your business." emits from the construct.
At the sound of the door slamming open, Glimmer flits rapidly down the stairs, hiccuping as she goes. Forgetting that she still has a wad of poison in one hand and healing herbs in the other, she notices the Angori with Rune lighting up like a storm behind him. Assuming she's correct and that the Angori has in fact kicked in the door, Glimmer turns aprroximately 4 different shades of red as she sucks in her breath. Flitting directly infront of the Angori, she continues to hold her breath as she winks each eye closed a number of times, inspecting the horned intruder before her. With a gust of air being pushed forward from her gut as she releases the breath she was holding, her face turns an awkward shade of burgundy. "HOW DARE YOU ENTER MY HOME IN SUCH A MANNER YOU FOUL HORNED BEASTY! HAVE YOU NO RESPECT? NO MANNERISMS? DIDN'T SOMEONE LEARN YOU BETTER THAN TO COME BUSTING UP IN HERE LIKE A HEATHEN?" She sucks in another breath and continues on, this time sounding more like her husband. "THE LIBRARY IS HERE AND YE BEST BE THINKIN' TE RIGHT YERSELF BEFORE YE SET ANOTHER FOOT INSIDE ME HOME IN SUCH A MANNER! RUNE! I EXPECT YE TE BE WATCHING THIS ONE'S ERRY MOVE, ME ROCK!" Glimmer seems to right herself, brushing her hands on her Tutu, then shoves at the Angori saying "Ye BEST be gettin' back out that door and trynna again, me boy! Ye knock on that door like a respecteable lad and we'll just see about the rest of what ye be needin!" Glimmer shoves again at the Angori, indicating she's been wronged and waits to see what he intends to do. Muttering a phrase in her elder tounge, she begins to push the door closed.
Volrog stumbles a foot back from the shoves, landing on a wall where the doorway was. Confusion wracks his face, until he realizes it was no wall he fell into, but a... glowing statue made out of rock and crystals? It even has lighting crafted in to it, and is kind enough to be extending it's hands with lights towards the young angori!
Volrog is about to respond to the construct, but his brain suddenly hiccups on a potentially disasterous social situation! Why had the fae referred to his horns as 'foul'? He had just come from a good session of washing, polishing and admiring them. Could he have accidentally caught a cobweb upon entering?
Volrog shifts his horns closer to the construct's illuminated hands, and after a quick inspection, is satisfied they've kept their sheen.
The angori nods politely to the golem as he steps back through the entrance, murmuring "Gimme a moment, for Wings' sake", pulling closed the door. He plants his back leg, and lightly kicks the door three successive times, the rapport causing the windows to barely even shudder this time.
Glimmer's face lights up at the Angori's use of yelling about Wings and promptly shoves a pouch full of cookies into the Angori's face. "OH what fun we'll have with him Rune! He's my newest and we shall keep him! Do tell us what you need, oh Great Horned one!" Glimmer claps her hands a squees as she flits upwards in a circle.
A sharp snort escapes the angori's suddenly grim visage. "Angori are not to be kept. Never again a gonk." Volrog's tone seethes with lingering emphasis and hatred on his last word. Just as quickly, the angori relaxes and grins at the sidhe, "They are quite great, i made them and take care of them myself!" he exclaims as he strokes the shaft of one of his horns.
The scargrim grows more solemn as he turns towards the golem, beating one hand on his chest as a respectful salute. "I was told to seek da keeper of lore. To learn of the angori that have come before me. The myths and legends we hear when we are young nub-horns. Have i come to da right place?"
Glimmer begins to cry and wail at the Angori's words about not being kept. "I'd never make you one of THOSE again!!" Glimmer wails with a look of terror on her face. "I meant that I'd simply keep you fed and knowledgeable on all the things you seek. How HORRIBLE of you tot hink that of me!" Glimmer plops down to the floor, sobbing heavily, letting her tears fall on the now soggy cookies she shovels into her mouth.
Rune -teleports- next to Glimmer and scoops her up. "There there." emits from the golem in a flat tone. Rune looks at the angori with it's typical blank gaze. "Come angori, this one has the knowledge you seek. Have a seat at one of the tables." Rune begins to walk towards the shelves with the fae occupying it's arms.
From one of the bookshelves, a portal opens and Ohren steps through. He scratched his head lightly and looks at the scene that was unfolding. Crying glimmers, consoling Runes, and another horned one. He waves at Volrog.
"What up my Gonk?"
He grins widely at his buddy as he walks his fuzzy little ass over to Glimmer.
"What happeneded Glibber... Why you is cryings?"
Glimmer snivels a bit and "fluffs" Rune's rock arms, looking at Ohren over his shoulder. "That Gori said I can'ts keeps him. I just wanted to feed and water him. I swear." Glimmer emits an ear piercing wail again, and begins drinking heavily from her flask as she continues being toted around by Rune.
Volrog turns towards the portal, preparing to lecture whoever stepped through, but notices it's Ohren. "Heart-of-Angori! 'Aven't seen you since da Drengskapr!"
Volrog turns back towards the sidhe and golem, and thinks. "I've interrupted the delicate nature about this stronghold. I must make things aligned once again. Show them you care for their customs and culture. Show them you are willing to adopt their habits and styles, even if it means eating things not meant for Angori, not meat. But above all, show them you care with intensity and fervor, and you are an Angori of action!"
Volrog runs up to the sidhe in the golem's arms, grabs the remaining soggy cookies out of her hands, and mashes them all into his maw, staring right at her and the golem as he devours them, grinning. In-between bites, he slurs, "Aahm, shaw gawd! Sho! *nom* Da Legengz *gulp* ah da Angori. *burp* Yous gonna tell me?"
Ohren frowns slighly, he really wanted some of those cookies. He pauses for a bit and begins walking towards his tower and glimmer. He plops down on top of one of the tables and crosses his legs looking at the Angori.
"I can telded you all de stuss of de Angoris... I knowed all a da stuss!"
He understood the other angori's words just fine.
"What you want to learnings about? Has you hearded of Nakigahara?"
Rune un-cermoniously dumps the fae into Volrog's arms. "This one needs it's arms. Hold that one." Rune turns back to the shelves to look for the Angori tomes. The construct pulls down afew well worn books, some bound in leather and others in furry hides. "This one's knowledge is fairly basic. Local tales have yet to be transcribed. This one will set up a meeting for you with its Guildmate Truff for local lore. You can start here..." Rune sets the gathered books in front of the angori, but doesnt take it's hand off immediately.
"This one forgot, most angori cannot read, This one apologizes...."
At the feeling of being re-plopped, Glimmer jumps out of the Angori's arms and quickly rights herself. "One doesn't simply re-plop from a plop RUNE! How Rude!" Glimmer then persists stating "A pet doesn't hold the Glimmer. Glimmer pets the pet! Ask your questions, Horns." Glimmer promptly wraps the Angori in a bear hug, attempting quite unsuccesfully to lift him into a hug, but trying none the less.
Volrog is confused for a second, murmuring "the plop pet pets replo....". Shaking his head to clear the illogical thoughts before they cause a headache, the angori pats the fae a couple times on the head before turning back towards the bear and golem.
"Naki an' Truff? Nawt quite sure 'bout names, but stories o' legends passed down at campfires all about angori from 'round dez parts. Ahz can read jes fine too. Jes some uv ya use all doze little scribbles and scrabbles, not like arteestic angori craftsmanship wif painting an' walls an' stuffs."
Volrog relaxes a bit, and his eyes gaze up the wall. "I recall hearin' uv great angori from 'ere, fighting aside other races an' never bein' afraid. Dragons, Giants, even Gods stomped softly when dey wuz 'round. Dis sound familiah?"
Ohren nods slightly.
"You is eidder talkin bout Me... Nakigahara... or Kirell. We was de bestest of Angori..."
He grins a bearish grin at the other Angori.
"We fighted lots a stuss... Abalanchers... Dracoliches... Dimosaurs... All sortsa stuss..... Oh and Malakalum and all sortsa momotals..."
Glimmer clucks her tounge, miffed at the Bear's lack of mentioning the other five Angori. "What he's not telling you, Horns, is that he USED to be Angori, but gave that up in a tussle with Muralakrum. He left out Morzoth and Barbaal of the Korgon Mercenaries who helped kill an Avalancher in hopes of securing the Crimson Quarter; the home of the Jastreyan Angori. Barbaal was the Chosen of Arimir. He was thralled by his vampiric wife Binx, and died on his wedding day after killing his brother in a fit of rage and turning the knife on himself. There was on they called Bambi, as well, who fought valiantly for a time then something happened inside him. Zwey is now a Pit Fiend, and you can try to speak with him to garner his story if you wish. After the Korgon Mercenaries passed, Truff took on their name and title. Talsin is also a Jastreyan Angori who appears at times." Glimmer looks to the Angori and says "I think that covers what was left out."
"Wait, da legends fought besides ya? You'z tellin' me dat nawt only were dez legends havin' all sorts o' truuf to 'em, but dey wuz also naught but a few years ago?!"
Volrog nods, attempting to absorb as much information as he could from his teachers. This session was vaguely reminiscent of how the vorhex used to teach the young angori back in his old clan.
The angori grins as wide as he can, almost from horn to horn. The legends were true! And how Volrog needed these legends to be true. His race had been, could be, would be a proud warrior race, not in the fading twilight of their split tribes squabbling amongst themselves, but standing stronger than any of their ancestors and claiming new feats of strength and acts of courage!
A sudden thought strikes the angori. "I appurciates all dat yous has told me. I is an edumacated scargrim tho, having had da vorhex o' mah village show me da ancient techniques of finger-painting. May ah borrow ah parchment ta record dez tales wit? I'm gunna record everytin' ah encounter of heroes an' legends for da little baby nub-horns ta aspire ta be one day."
Rune opens a portal at it's feet and drops in. Afew moments later, the contruct comes walking down the stairs with a small tome in hand. "Angori, this one will entrust you with the transcribing of your race's tales." Rune places the tome and a few sections of charcole on the table near the angori.
Ohren pauses and looks at Volrog with a bit of confusion. Who writes, I mean... come on... He begins to snicker behind his hand at the nerd. He attempts to play it off as a cough, ending up coughing a lot louder than intended which caused him to choke on his own spit, sending him into a coughing fit. He then fell backwards and rolled off of the table, falling onto the floor.
Malkonius was doing his best to ignore the commotion, but couldn't help be a little concerned when he heard the strange coughing/choking sounds coming from downstairs. He proceeded down the steps to investigate, but stopped short when he saw the large bear, seemingly dying on the floor.
"The shit's goin' on here?" he demands, yelling at the top of his lungs. He runs over to the bear, not too pleased to have such a beast in the library in the first place, but even less eager to deal with its corpse should it die on the library floor. He removes a flask from his pouch, and proceeds to pour the ale within down the beast's mighty throat.
"There there now, bear. Quit yer blubberin' and coughin' and set yerself straight. I don't need Rune fussin' at me about yer corpse."
Volrog turns to the dwarf comforting the bear, and his face lights up. "Stuntie! Yer fighting, eating, drinking, weapons an' armor, oi loves yo' lot! If only you 'ad a couple mo' feet an' grow'd ah pair uv horns, Arimir 'emself vould be proud!"
The angori shifts his stance to face everyone, and beats one fist to his chest proudly. "Volrog is pleased to make your aquaintances. Oi vas chieftan's son, raised by vorhex of my tribe, edumacated. At their late-vishes, i shall continue dis learning at dis residence, though oi may need help from time to time; in books, non-horns use less pictures, more words, make confusing."
Ohren recovers from his coughing fit, sputtering and spitting up the ale.
"I is ok, brglglglll"
He works to catch his breath after the liquid assault. He stands up ans walks his way over to Volrog and drapes an arm over his shoulders.
"Is okay new horns, you can learnded if you wanting to... But i tink you should stay away from da scribblins... Udderwise some ob de udder angori might maked fun ob you."
He nods a bit and shakes like an animal, sending ale spraying everwhere to get it out of his fur.
Ohren recovers from his coughing fit, sputtering and spitting up the ale.
"I is ok, brglglglll"
He works to catch his breath after the liquid assault. He stands up ans walks his way over to Volrog and drapes an arm over his shoulders.
"Is okay new horns, you can learnded if you wanting to... But i tink you should stay away from da scribblins... Udderwise some ob de udder angori might maked fun ob you."
He nods a bit and shakes like an animal, sending ale spraying everwhere to get it out of his fur.
Suddenly out of no where the front door gives way and out falls Peleus full speed hitting the floor face first with a loud thud. "OOOOWWWWWW" cried the Duskling. As he gathered himself to his feet looking around in a dazzle wondering where he was. Noticing shadows as his eyes adjust to the new surroundings wishing he didn't break anything. "Sorry about that, figured I just drop in." Taking three steps stumbling. "I'm not what you call light on my feet. Didn't mean to scare anyone. Kind of tripped on a rock and we'll here I am."
When Malkonius hears Ohren's voice, he becomes very worried. Certainly, he thinks, this bear could not have eaten the one who eats everything...
He holds open the bear's mouth, and yells into it, "OHREN! ARE YEH ALRIGHT LAD!?! DON'T YE WORRY NOW, WE'LL GET YEH OUTTA THAT BEAR IN A JIF!"
The Dwarf readies his axe, ready to extract his friend from the bear's stomach, when he notices a shady arrival to the room. He immediately turns his attention to the Uordeq, and lets out a snarl, "Damnable hoot, just bargin' through the door like that! We taught the Angori here some manners, maybe HE can teach yeh how to properly enter a building!"
Rune had remained silent until now, seemingly content to let the organics carry on until more information was needed. When the dwarf began threatening the Ohren, it spoke up; "Apprentice, that is Ohren's new form. Refrain from damaging him." The golem's gaze lands on the clumsy urodeq, "What is your business." emits from the construct.
Volrog turns to the newcomer, and flashes his teeth as he walks over and his burly hand clamps down on Peleus' shoulder with a welcoming pat.
"Comrades! May I introduce de 'Deki dat fought an' bled beside me, against his own kind even, vhen our caravan vas enroute to Jastrey. Not sure if ve all vould have pulled through had he not stepped up beside me when i employed my angori diplomacy with the slavers. I give you de duelist Peleus!"
The angori leans down and whispers in Peleus' ear, "Oh yeah, about comin' in. Oi, dey have vierd customs 'ere. Gotta kick da door in, but can't kick too hard to make good, resounding thud. Odd ones, deez Jastrians, but dey otherwise 'ave been supportive.
Malkonius, astonished by what he's just learned from Rune, retracts his attention from the Uordeq.
"Well well, Ohren!" he lets out with a hardy laugh. "It seems like yer heart finally outgrew its body! If yeh don't mind me askin', how'd yeh do that? The only way I know of anyone changin' like that is by Muralakrum... yeh haven't brush'd inta him again, have yeh?"
He then turns to face the Uordeq once more, lowering his axe. "Look here... drek... the only reason I don't gut yeh for the intrusion is becaus'a Vol's kind words about yeh. I'm not sure I believe him, but I got no reason not to trust him. Ye'd best have a good reason for comin' here, and I'd liked to have known it BEFORE yeh came crashin' through the door!"
Peleus turns the vlrog placing his hand on his shoulder, " many thanks for the introductions friend." Peleus turns to the glaring group, "Greatings, I am Peleus of broma. I apologize for my rude entry, I was never properly taught how to move silently being raised in a monastery."
Peleus turns to the Golem, "I come seeking knowledge and enlightenment. What can this place offer my kind?"
Peleus then turns to the dwarf, reaches inside his bag and pulls out a bottle of meed and extends it to him. " I understand your kind enjoys a drink or two on occasion. Perhaps breaking bread will ease your hesitation to my presence. "
Volrog suddenly snaps back to attention from his thoughts. He sizes-up the door in front of him and admires it's craftsmanship with a couple approving nods; it's solid structure good for taking blows and providing resounding vibrations. Lifting his front leg while planting his back, he shifts all his weight and momentum into his kick, landing it just beside the handle. The door catipulates and snaps into the inner wall, causing a shudder throughout the tower.
Almost forgetting his manners, Volrog fills with pride in remembering the behavior he was taught to do when entering another's structure in Jastrey. "Knock knock!", he proudly announces.