Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SeriousConcentrate]

Outside

"Now you're putting words into my mouth. If there is no other choice, and we absolutely have to kill him to get his shard, then we will have to do so. But I'm not willing to argue for that to be our first resort. I'm sorry if you're too bloodthirsty to understand simple concepts such as an order of plans, or attempting to upset the balance of other worlds as little as possible."

"And I don't care if you beat him to death with your staff or if she does it with her blade. You're the one arguing to just do it out of hand, as if we have no other options. You share the blame for her actions by supporting them, the same as what the Prince does reflects on those of us who are helping him. And THAT is why I am hoping to do things the right way."

Inside

Noel placed his elbows on his knees, steepled his fingers, and rested his forehead against them with his thumbs against his chin and his eyes closed.

[Ochita]

Maribel simply sat somewhere closeby to the fireplace, making sure to get as much snow and moisture out of her clothing as possible.

[Haspen]

The meat and the milk was brought as mentioned earlier, and water was available as well. The fireplace was well stocked with firewood all the time and the buzzling flames have filled the hall with heat, warming even those at the far side.

While the Prince's entourage was chatting and eating, the Prince was seemingly discussing with King Ethelred, the two almost arguing. It continued for a while before King Ethelred suddenly slammed his fist against the low table. Silence fell upon the hall almost instantly.

"That is out of the question! I shall not part with the ring nor any of its part just because you ask me to, young man!"

"I insist. We basically require your ring for... for survival!"

"Hmph! I don't see how a trinket can be required for living! Do you know how many people have worn it? Do you know how many beasts were slain by its magicks? This is the pride of our village. You know nothing of it, yet you covet it!"

"Please, let's be reasonable while we still can. What would you like us to do to obtain the ring? Name your price, King Ethelred on the Mountains."

"Harrumph! As if! Maybe if you learn something about how important this ring is to us, then you might understand!"

Prince Aliberti furrowed his brows, thinking for a while...

"I'm..."

//Din-don! Important plot poll in OOC thread, please vote!

[F.O.E.]

Outside

"And I'm sorry that you are so ignorant as to judge a book by it's cover."

When Noel dared suggest Irios was just another mindless killing machine he stormed over and glared down at the junior scholar, his words a harsh whisper.

"Listen here, you little hypocrite. You just accused me of putting words in your mouth and now you do the same. No, actually, you are far worse for you have purposely looked passed the obvious to paint me to your liking. You don't know what I went through in that damn sect, nor do you care to I imagine. But know this, I am not a mindless killing machine; I couldn't live with myself if that's all I was."

"But if you think you're right, then continue to paint me as some mindless doll who can only kill. I'm not above poisoning some rats on my own time."

With that Irios turned away from Noel and left the mage to whatever it is he would do after that, blocking out any sort of reply as he took his place next to Ayzebel.

Inside

Irios wasn't shocked by the king's stubbornness, only more convinced they should've acted when the could and more worried about time.

[GiglameshDespair]

Ayzebel's expression did not change beyond a slight shift of her brow, but it was clear to those who knew her what her thoughts were: we should have killed him straight away.

[SeriousConcentrate]

OUTSIDE

"I judge you by what you've said, what you're advocating, who you associate with, and what you and they stand for."

He refused to be intimidated by the priest and matched his glare unflinchingly.

"Frankly I don't care what you went through. You chose to join the Sect, and even if you don't wield a weapon yourself, you stand with those who do - a group of thugs hiding behind religion. And really, first you say you don't kill, then you threaten to poison? At least be honest - with yourself, if not with me."

Noel watched the priest walked away with a snort of derision.

INSIDE

"I for one would like to know."

Noel took out his journal. It was too bad no one else could see how important interdimensional travel was. The things they could learn from other worlds... the exchange of technology, magic, fresh ideas... the possibilities were limitless. That's why it was important to make a good first impression with the locals and learn what they could both of and from them.

[Haspen]

"...willing to listen to the story." King Ethelred laughed and then patted Prince Aliberti on his back; the armor thudded under the heavy hand of the chieftain.

"Now even you are being reasonable, young man! It all have begun when my great-great-great-great-mother Svella, her six children, and her servants left the village of Koln in the southern mountains and migrated here. They have braved the Forest of Death and the Field of Exposure, but without losing a single man or woman or child. But when they have came to this very spot at which this meeting hall stands, Svella saw a pine tree so big that its tip was hidden in the clouds. My great ancestor of course decided to have the tree removed, and she lifted her axe, and then a voice boomed, 'this tree is sacred! You are not allowed to strike it with your ax or I shall curse you.' And then Svella responded, 'but I have to build shelter for my people to save them from incoming winter! I will cut this tree and build houses from it and I will deal with even ten curses if I have to!' So she began to cut down the tree, while her beautiful body turned old and wrinkled and her long blonde hair turned short and white of old age." King Ethelred took a sip of milk.

"The tree fell down and now the first villagers began to cut it into planks and firewood and blocks to begin construction, but then the same voice as before said 'owner of any and every building made from this sacred tree's lumber shall be sick and bedridden for whole year!' And my great-great-great-grandmother have said, 'Then we will build only one house and it will be mine and it will be large enough to fit everyone inside, so none of my people have to suffer!' And then our meeting hall was built and people lived in there, caring for Svella who was indeed sick and bedridden for a whole year, barely counscious and able to eat-"

"King Ethelred, there's nothing in this story about the ring at all-"

"Shush, young man, I'm getting to it. So when the year have passed and Svella was on her feet once more, the villagers decided to use the remaining lumber for firewood. But as they left the hall, suddenly wild beasts appeared! Wolfbears, giant eagles, red-eyed ravens, frostlings, mammoths! All them began to harass the villagers. So my ancestor lifted her axe and went against the beasts, even if they numbered in hundreds. And the mysterious voice said 'Woman, be reasonable! You are alone and them are hundreds!' And so Svella said, 'Even if, I shall battle hundred beasts to protect my people!' And then from the woods came an elderly man in flowing robes, leaning against a wooden cane, and he said 'Stop, woman, you are as crazy as you are persistent. I am Hadvig, protector of these forests, and I shall grant you permission to settle here, if only you marry me out of your own will.' Svella, ever the pragmatic woman, have married Hadvig without hesistation. She gave him her ring, he gave her his spear, and they were faithful companions for next fifty years."

"You mean, the ring you have?"

"Yes, of course, because there is little metal ores in these mountains. The golden ring came from the south, from the homelands of my great-great-great-grandmother. The shard, on other hand, is a different story-"

"Wait, you mean there's more??" King Ethelred laughed heartily.

"Haha, yes there is! Young man, I have barely begun!"

Prince Aliberti let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face. Then, he said...

//Din-don! More polling in the OOC thread for poor Aliberti!

[SeriousConcentrate]

Noel's quill flew across the page, the quiet scritching a counterpoint to the booming voice of the King.

"_{Fascinating... Highly unlikely, of course, but a study of folklore could prove very insightful about the culture of these people...}"

[Haspen]

"Please continue, King Ethelred." Prince Aliberti rubbed his forehead some.

"After Svella have died, her son Ulfric have become the leader of the people living in these mountains, but he was young and inexperienced and he wasn't a particularily noteworthy warrior. If he wouldn't perform a noble deed or some worthy task in his time, all would laugh at him and nobody would want to follow him. Therefore the elderly Hadvig have sent young Ulfric on a journey to slay the Dragon Kachmud that was living in the forests on the other side of the White Vastness to the west. Ulfric have toaken his faithful companion, Olaf, with him, as well as some supplies and the blade of black glass, which was said to be the only thing able to kill a Dragon."

"Ulfric and Olaf have journeyed days upon days, and they have met the beautiful Sidhe maidens how gave them directions in exchange for offspring, and then they have battle the Mother of Wolfbears on a snowy mountaintop of Krul. With the Mother's pelt as their cloaks, they were sufficiently protected from the coldness of White Vastness. They have crossed the Vastness and emerged on the other side, facing yet more mountains and snow-covered forests, with naught a soul in sight. But then Kachmud descended from the heavens, his claws crushing Olaf and wounding Ulfric. Ulfric wept for his companion and promised Kachmud to feed him his own innards once he is done fighting the dragon."

"So Ulfric fought with Kachmud amongst the trees and the icy hills, the black blade striking at the scaly skin and spilling the green blood. But Kachmud was a powerful dragon and so he bit off Ulfric's swordarm. Alas, it was the end of Kachmud, because the blade that he swallowed lodged itself in his throat and pierced it, then his ribs, before it pierced the skin and leaked out of the dragon's body. The blood of the dragon boiled the blade till only a small piece of black glass remained, and Ulfric took it. After burying his friend Olaf and lodging intestines between the dragon's fangs, as promised, my great-great-grandfather then begun journey east to his home. But his wounds were grevious, and his life was leaking away from him."

"So, Ulfric have only managed to traverse through the White Vastness and reach the glade where the Sidhe maidens and their newborn sons were dwelling, and he perished in the arms of the white maidens. Sidhe arrived in our village, bringing us the shard of the black blade. Hadvig wept for days, feeling responsible for the death of the son of his beloved Svella. The smith of the village then had the shard embedded in the ring and Hadvig gave it to Svalbard, who was six, and who was destined to be the next King on the Mountain. After that, Hadvig left the village, still weeping, and no one saw him again."

"Wait, you said the blade is black, how come the shard-" Prince Aliberti bit his bottom lip - but it was too late! King Ethelred smiled.

"I will tell you! During the reign of my grandmother, Duga the Wise, the winters became softer and the snow began to melt not in summer but in spring. It allowed us to venture forth and explore the lands to the south and north and west and east. We discovered other villages and we discovered the Large River in the south, that leads to southern lands, where people live in stone buildings and where sun scorches the ground and where snow occurs briefly in the middle of the winter. Magi began to visit us; traveling tricksters and warriors and scholars wielding magical weapons and rings. They had a golden ring with a white shard, and they have said that the black shard on the ring of my forefathers was cursed. So, free of charge, they offered an exchange; they would drain the magic of the black shard for their own purposes, thus making the shard on our ring pure and white. My grandmother have agreed and within a day, the black shard was white and the Magi have left as quickly as they came. Duga the Wise have passed the ring to my father, Aland, when she was on the deathbed, and my father Aland passed the ring to me when he himself was preparing for a journey to the afterlife. I've had it on myself all the time, young man, except the day my nephew Imlerith tried to seize it. But I shall not speak of him."

"Thank you!"

"Do you know of Imlerith? Should I tell you about him, hmm? I can tell you if you insist, and hopefully you will never meet the boy."

//Din-don! Another poll in OOC thread!

[Haspen]

"I'm sure I've got the time to listen to yet another story, King Ethelred."

"Hmmm hmmm... I never forget the day when young Imlerith came to our village. He was a son of a chieftain from other village to far east, and a dispute with his older brother saw Imlerith exiled from his house and village. Of course, here he was welcome as a stranger in need of bed and meal, and we brought him in as the ancient rules of hospitality dictate. Three years have passed the the young Imlerith turned into a strong, wise young man, whom nonetheless kept thinking about revenge against his older brother who cast him out like so. Every time he tried to go, I persuaded him to stay, to cast his old ties afar and to remain with us as a family. Once I even talked with him and Annwyn, hoping that the boy could marry her and thus take over the village when I finally begin the journey to the afterlife - you see, I have no heirs left, so therefore Imlerith would be most suitable to assist Annwyn when she becomes Queen on the Mountain. Alas, tis was not to be." King Ethelred patted his beard and closed his eyes for a while. He took a moment before continuing.

"You see, what I was not aware of was that Imlerith has procured a valuable artifact from the Magi who last visited us twelve years ago, a sword of immense power. The blade was enchanted so that even hard granite could be cut through like a sheet of leather. That was a breach of our traditions, in which the King or Queen haggle and barter with the Magi for artifacts on behalf of every villager. When I confronted him about it, Imlerith admitted he bought the sword in preparation for the killing of his older brother. I said no, but he wouldn't listen. I demanded he stops, but he didn't listen. Therefore, I reached for my axe, and my axe-brothers similarily drew their weapons, but Imlerith was better. Two fell and I myself has been wounded on left hand before Imlerith fled away into the wilderness."

"As we later learned, he killed not only his brother but also butchered his own village, leaving nor woman nor child alive, and then he wanted to return to our village and do the same for defying him. But this time we were prepared. With axes and spears we weakened his body and with magic of the druids we deprived him of his powers. Thusly he fled north to the caves were he broods, oft sending frostlings against us. Each winter the icemen get stronger and bolder, a clear sign that Imlerith is growing strong, alas, we have little powers against him, as he is protected by magic."

"That's because you don't allow Baldric to come and-" King Ethelred glared at Annwyn.

"You're out of your place, my dear child. Sit and speak no more. I do not wish to hear his name spoken here again." Prince Aliberti looked dumbfounded as yet another character entered the vast and definitely dramatic history of this little norther village...

//...and should he ask for MORE HAPPY STORY TIME!? Let's poll!

[SeriousConcentrate]

Noel finished writing that story down.

Hmm. I wonder if we were to suggest taking care of this Imlerith for them, if they would give us the ring as payment.

[GiglameshDespair]

That old man could talk.

She knew she should have stabbed him. By the Creator.

The moon would have hit by the time he'd finished.

[Haspen]

"Can you tell me more about that Baldric?"

"No!" King Ethelred furrowed his brows. "That scoundrel does not deserve a story about him." With that, the King began to eat and drink, and Prince Aliberti sat there, slowly munching on some meat while thinking.

//Doo-doo-doo-deeee. Pure diplomatic win no longer available!

"Is there something I... we can do to change your mind about the ring, though?"

"Hmph." King Ethelred slurped down a piece of meat and then looked at Aliberti. "You can have patience when you are determined and I can see you are determined indeed. How about a duel of champions? One of my axe-brothers against one of your men. Or one of spearmaidens against one of your ladies. I would duel against you, but I'm afraid you would snap like a twig." Prince Aliberti grimaced at the remark, before leaning to Ayzebel.

"Ayzebel, could you please ask others if any would be interested in a duel? I assume it will be axeman for men, and spearwoman for the women."

[SeriousConcentrate]

Noel sidled over to the prince to make a suggestion to him.

"What if we were to offer to track down and kill this Imlerith? We could trade his sword for the ring; their village would still have something to protect it, and we would have what we need to save the lives of our people."

[Haspen]

"Hmmm, that's some idea." Prince Aliberti turned toward King Ethelred.

"King Ethelred-"

"King Ethelred! King Ethelred!" A young man ran into the meeting hall. "Howling! Beasts are coming! Frostlings for sure!!" King Ethelred and the feasting villagers stood up. The King frowned for a moment.

"In the middle of a feast? Bah! Such a nuisance. We will make with the duel later. Stay here, it is dangerous outside now." With that King Ethelred, men, women and even the girls left their seats and left the meeting hall, preparing for fighting.

"I don't have to say that we won't be sitting here waiting?" Prince Aliberti stood up and brushed his pants. "My legs were starting to hurt anyways."