Among the Shadows

"I have no love for that necromancer, and battling his minions on my own has proven to be quite a challenge" Rarkell said, turning his head slightly to see the figures coming out of the castle gates to move in the direction of himself and the Warforged. "I will go, but I may have to return. I am bound to bring this to my master, and if I cannot find her elsewhere, I will have to look here again" he continued, parting his cloak for a moment to give a peek of the box in his ribcage.

Rarkell then started to move away, his arm resting back down. Nevertheless, Rarkell then put energy into his aura again, to activate the slowing effect; just in case the Warforged felt like trying to run him down after all. "By the way, if you encounter a young Human maiden of light skin and dark hair, with a liking of red dresses and sweets, you might want to make sure she's really Human" Rarkell suggested loudly without looking back.

edited 16th Jan '15 10:18:22 PM by FirockFinion

"I could assist you in your quest." said Phantom, trying to see if the lizardfolk would stop to listen to him "If you have no business with Galdur, then we might as well become allies. Travelling the land by yourself is an easy way to get killed, I've had to face against a number of undead myself in order to reach this fortress. As long as you're willing to cooperate, I'm willing to provide aid." he finished as he let go of the handle of his sword.

Phantom knew the resistance wouldn't approve of an undead among their ranks, but this one had very little to do with Galdur and even considered him an enemy. When dealing with a threat such as that necromancer, they would require as many allies as they could. Phantom himself was still wary of the lizardfolk, even more so of his master should she decide to make an appearance, but for the time being he decided to place some trust in the skeleton. The cold aura he had would probably be more of an issue to the others, as the warforged wasn't bothered by the cold, but it seemed like a minor incovenience at best.

"You'd rather go with a lone undead that may turn on you, than stay with a castle full of those with more assured loyalty?" Rarkell asked, not turning around or even stopping in his walk. "I admire your bravery" he muttered in a surprisingly non-sarcastic tone, stopping to look back only for a moment, "it matters little to me whether you follow me." Then, not wanting to waste any more time as those from the castle moved to catch him, Rarkell turned away from the castle again and resumed his quick walking pace.

edited 18th Jan '15 5:11:33 AM by FirockFinion

"Weapons and armor you say?" Gale replied, now tilting his head the other way. "So you're a blacksmith?" Made sense, but the fact he couldn't figure that out without it being spelled out for him bothered him a little. Then again, in these cases he usually used other means to find out about his query, but those were not really needed for idle curiosity.

"Do you have any of your works you'd be willing to show me? I have to say, I don't often run into tradesmen in my line of work."

Hawk briefly considered displaying a few shuriken, but decided against. Showing off a few throwing weapons most couldn't use wouldn't make much of an impression.

If a Dragonborn didn't guess, he won't, she told herself, before smoothly undoing the bottom buckle on her pack and reaching over her shoulders to pull it over her head, jerking her head back to keep her hair out of her eyes as soon as it was past.

Flipping the pack right-side up, she pulled open the main pouch slightly, keeping it angled away from the human. No need to show off the wine-bottles just yet...

Reaching inside delicately, she felt the familiar leather-wrapped handle and the thrum of energy from her blade. Reaching down just a bit further, she grasped it by the upper end of the scabbard and withdrew it reverently, dropping the pack at her side and away from the gossip.

The blade's guard, a flat disk around the blade, with upward facing claws to catch blades, was forged from blackened steel, and the curved scabbard was ebony, with a trail of blue lengthwise along it. The end of the hilt was capped with a rectangular golden pommel, barely wider than the hilt itself, and protruding through the five sides could be seen a glimmering blue sapphire.

"This is my sword, Arulgarkepesk— The Blue's Storm," she told him a ghost of a smile flickering across her features. Her fingers caressed the hilt lovingly, before she gently pulled it from its scabbard.

The blade glistened like liquid silver, with patterns of swirling blue along it, emanating out from glowing white runes carved along the center of the blade.

"I forged this while I was under the tutelage of the Dragonborn Smith, Barahash Shieldscale. My hands had never before forged such a blade," she gave a wry smile, gazing affectionately at the blade. "And I'm sure that some among his other apprentices hope they never might again."

Gale knelt down to take a closer look. He may not have been one to know much about weapons, but even he could see what a amazing piece it was. The blade, the handle, the guard, everything came together to create something wonderful. Ready to speak, he looked up to Hawk and felt his breath catch. Her eyes showed pride in her work, her smile the most emotional he had seen her thus far, even the way she held the blade spoke of how much it meant to her. Togther, they seemed to complete each other. It reminded him of the heroines of old. It was awe inspiring in a way.

Awe inspiring, and little terrifying in a way Gale couldn't quite place. All of a sudden, he wasn't sure if he was glad to indulge in his curiosity, or if he regretted it.

After a few moments, he stood up and tried to summon up his smile. "It's a fine blade," he finally said. "The resistance will probably be quite happy to have you."

edited 19th Jan '15 5:49:57 AM by GIG

Hawk's smile was melancholy, but genuine. Someone appreciating her work always brought her joy. "Your words are kind. I thank you," she said, giving her bow again before sheathing the blade.

"What do you do here?" she asked as she began placing her sword back into her pack and closing it.

Hawk's smile and the blade being put away helped Gale regain his composure. Deciding to play around a little, he tapped his chin in mock thought. A few truths and a few white lies would do nicely.

"I'm not quite sure yet," he replied, "I'm a dancer by trade, but I can fight just as well." He rubbed his chin. "I am an expert knife thrower if I do say so myself." He began to play with one of his braids. "Oh, and I can command the wind to do my bidding!" He gave a beaming smile. "I'm sure Lord Crail might have something for a boy like me."

"Command the winds?" Hawk asked, looking up. "Is that inborn or learned?" She'd heard of wizards who knew spells to cause particular effects, but this wasn't sounding like the same thing.

"It's in the blood, I think," Gale responded. "Mother could do it too. She's the one who taught me how." He cradled his head in his hand. "If I had to think about it, its less "commanding" and more 'convincing'. 'Move and flow like the wind, and the wind will surely join you' she said."

A part of him told him to not be so honest, but he figured being honset with his most obvious abilities wouldn't hurt.

Hausier took advantage of the silence to lean towards his rival for Crail's attention.

"You must forgive me, Miss; your name and face bring me no recognition, nor does your hunting band. What resources have you offered His Majesty's forces to earn his counsel?"

"Hmm? Why, this resource here, milord" says Rhialis, as she puts a hand over her hand and then indicates to her entire being "If you haven't heard of the Ranger of the Grey Oak, I'm sure in the coming months you shall see what one if capable of. More to the point, I've spent decades honing my blade and mind to fight off evil and corruption wherever it may come. Thus, I wish to share in that experience and learn of the plans moving forward to put myself out in the field to fight and win back this land"

Hausier's lips twitched towards his chin, briefly revealing his disappointment.

"I imagine His Majesty would wish to see what all of these rangers are capable of, not just one. But you dodge my question: what have you to offer that deserves His Majesty's counsel? Orders may be given by any officer; one does not bother the king without something more valuable than a sword arm."

"It's up to the King to decide whoever he gives his time and attention to. I come of my own will, from among the eternal forests to pledge my sword and experience to a cause I believe in. The Necromancer is a both an unnatural abomination, mockery of life as well as an agent of evil, destruction and pain into the world. Any one of those are reason enough for me to swear him enmity. Even if this resistance wasn't here, I may have on my own, taken to the field to try and curb the spread of the unholy dead through the lands and help kindle the light of hope and life" says Rhialis calmly and serene, though her words are certainly backed by a strong sense of purpose and conviction "However, the bane of evil is always caused by their own greedy, selfish, traitorous nature. For good is easy to understand and follow when faced with such atrocities. So we come together and in unity, those who wish to vanquish that which isn't right and just can muster up a great power"

"Hearing of the noble cause of the Great Crail, I thought that the best place for me to offer my blade in unity for the cause would be in his service. Thus to him, and him alone, at this moment, I am confident in offering my blade and service. While I'm more than confident in my skill to stand in conventional combat, fighting blade to blade, shoulder to shoulder with a host which shares in my ideals, there is a greater service I believe I can offer as a Ranger. d'Hausier, you may not have heard of us, but of slipping into enemy lines, scouting and survival we are second to none. If Crail forces are to march and start retaking his land, I'd be more than happy to be the first to set step into enemy territory, become his eyes and prepare the field to help him archive victory"

Then, a more subtle smile crossed her feature as she adds "I'll admit I have certain hopes and expectations should victory come to us all, however, even if those are never realized, I have pledged my life to to ancient vows and ideals the which I'm proud to uphold. Simply having the chance to vanquish the undead and help bring light to the world is more than enough incentive for me to offer my efforts. And should I die out there, as long as I fight for good, it shall be an honorable death"

Then her elven eyes moved again to look at Hausier straight to his own "What about yourself, Pan d'Hausier son of the Cavalier of Patiraj? In what way shall you join your light into the flame that shall conquer the cold darkness of the undeath?" she asks, a curious eager look into her eyes.

Phantom still hadn't moved from his spot, as he had no plans to ditch his mission so quickly "Perhaps it would be more beficial for both of us if you could join us on our mission." he said "My companions would need some persuasion, but I could persuade them into allowing you into our ranks. We could use any allies in our quest and I assume you wouldn't be opposed to getting revenge on the necromancer that cursed you with death. We are likely to move around with frequency, hence, we might come across your master as well."

Phantom paused, he looks behind himself to see if any of his allies were coming for him, as he had already spent a large amount of time speaking with the undead in front of him.

"As long as you behave, you will likely last longer with us than by yourself." he stated as he turned back to the lizardfolk.