[IC] Book of Aeos [Accepting]

[Lich]

Tharac

An armored boot kicked over a fallen sign post. Beneath it was another dead body, but not the one the orc was looking for. The warlord, Tharac, took a moment to sit back and survey the damage state of the village. There were a few fires, broken in doors, ransacked houses, and dead bodies a plenty. He caught sight of two of his troop shoving silverware into a sack. A sneer and a growl was enough to get the both of them to drop their pilfered goods to the ground and fall back into line with the rest of the band. This is why he hated bringing young-lings out on a manhunt. Not yet disciplined enough to focus on an objective over looting petty trinkets.

Regardless he continued on his way, reaching a point where a human in chainmail was tied and bound and in the process of having the snot beaten out of him. Tharac stood amongst the crowd and watched for a moment, letting the goblins kick and slap the man where he knelled, before stepping in. "That's enough." The words alone were enough to make the majority of the assembled group disperse and allow the warlord passage. Kneeling down next to where the human now laid in the mud on his side, Tharac shoved him slightly to get a better look at the insignia on his chest. The image of a hawk with sword in its talons sat plainly, still visible even through the wear and muck.

"You fought well, for a human." He drawled and slowly shifted his gaze towards the mans beaten face. "I would give you a warriors death, if you would allow me by answering my questions." Grabbing the man by the collar of his armor, Tharac pulled the human back up to eye level. He held the man in his gaze, seeing the defeated yet still defiant look in his eyes. He would have respected his human, if he wasn't about to kill him. "Where are the other remnants of the War Hawks?" There was no answer. A moment passed and Tharac suddenly snarled and stood to full height, dragging the mercenary to his feet. "Where is he!?" He shouted.

The human coughed briefly once Tharac had stopped shaking him, then spoke. "If you're talking about Ossian, then I don't know. Last I saw him was when he went on leave from the band." He scowled at the orc. "You bastards already tried to wipe us out before he came back."

Tharac squinted his eyes at the mercenary. Eventually he sighed and threw the man back to the ground, then signaled one of the soldiers nearby to draw his sword. Tharac then stalked off as they ended the man where he lay.

It was another bust. And without any new leads this time. Disappointing, but Tharac wasn't one to let set backs keep him down. Still he had one last piece of business before he and his troops left this place. He approached a barn where the last of the frightened towns were being rounded up and herded into. Some were holding on to loved ones, others struggling against armored hand and getting smacked for their trouble. Tharac regarded them all, and spat upon the ground.

"You people, are hereby charged with treason, under the crime of harboring a fugitive from our lord. What say you in your defense?" it was for show really. They knew that. Tharac knew that. There was only one way this could end.

"Please, we're just a simple farming village!" Someone begged. "You can't do this!"

"I don't see anything stopping me." Tharac flicked his eyes up towards where the other orcs were poring oil onto the barn roof. They caught the signal and began to climb down. "The Gods will punish you for this!" Someone else screamed. "You and all of your misbegotten kind!" Tharac snarled and barked at the troops to close and bar the doors. There was panicked shouts from the villagers as the bolts sealed them in.

"Your Gods had already forsaken us long ago." Tharac grabbed a torch from on of his lieutenants. "This is what they've wrought for it." He then threw it upon the roof, catching the oil alight and sending the barn ablaze.

He and the band under his command watched the fire spread and heard the screaming inside intensify. Then Tharac turned back to his troops. "Alright, grab what food you can carry and move out. I want to link back up with the scouts and hear from the other bands by morning. We're gonna find this whoreson even if we have to turn over every tree and rock in this hell-spawned country!" Barks of a salute came in acknowledgement, and without another word the gathered horde marched off, leaving the townspeople to their fates.

Ossian

A cloaked man sat in the back of a tavern, inhaling smoke from a tobacco pipe and staring at a mug of ale pensively. Doriath was a small, out of the way village near the border between Halleoth and the wooded territory of the elves. From what he heard, the borders might be pushed back further. The Dark Lord's war with the elves was going well, he heard. The Drow fought with greater malice than usual, it was whispered, and that was saying something. Still, the High Elves of Falendale held out even as their Wood Elf cousins sought refuge with their cousins. Of course, even within the empire, the threat of violence was never far. Ossian clenched his fists.

His home was destroy. Everyone was dead. He couldn't even identify the body of his mother among the burned bodies of the slain. His friends in the War Hawks were definitely dead or captured. He had discovered their camp not along ago and barely managed to escape the ambush that had been laying in wait for him. He had been on the run from a warband led by an orcish thug ever since. He had been laying low ever since then, hiding his identity in order to spare whatever villages he visited the swift punishment for "treason." He did not know why the Dark Lord was so interested in him, but Ossian knew that it wasn't anything good, but where could he go? The Dark Lord's men were everywhere and even outside the Empire, the free countries were always under threat from his armies.

He took one last puff of his pipe before it went out and turned his attention to his drink. Come what may, he would find a way to avenge his kith and kin, if only on the orc that hunted him.

[Lord Orgasmo]

Ysran opened his eyes. It was dark. Really dark. Did he get bagged? He was sprawled out, facing down. He didn't feel like he was moving. The ground beneath him was soft, yet hard, and cold. He felt around. His surroundings were... cylindrical, and metallic. Was he in some sort if tube? He moved his legs. They felt... free, to say the least. They weren't restricted by anything. Hmmm... maybe... Ysran began crawling backwards, the darkness slowly turning gray and dull. At last he was free! He staggered backwards as he tried to stand up. Readjusting to the light, Ysran appeared to be in some sort of trail, where it was, he couldn't say. It all looked unfamiliar to him. He looked towards his prison. It was a long metal cylinder, with what looked to be a lid, off to the side. Huh.

He looked down. Well, at least he still had his clothes on. Unlike last time something like this happened. Next to the tube was a slightly bulging pack. Presumably his. Taking a peek inside, he could confirm: it was his. Books in Occult languages were stuffed inside, as well as what appeared to be candles, chalk, waterskins, and dried fruit. Hefting the pack onto his back, he looked around him. Trees ran in every direction, and a dirt road seemed to be the only way forward. Question was, which way to take? Hmm...

After pondering for a moment, Ysran decided to take a left. Based on the wheel tracks, their seemed to be more traffic this way. Maybe it would lead to a city, or a village, or...something. he just needed to know where he was. He began walking the trail. "Here we go," he said to himself.

[dereken]

Dru'marish

The door of the tavern slowly creaked open, a hooded figure stood in the doorway. Silhouetted against the light outside, nothing could be made out of the figure besides its strange dress. Slowly, precisely, the figure stalked into the room, and approached the bar. Speaking in a hushed, hissing tone, the cloaked figure demanded a drink. The bartender complied with haste, clearly trying to avoid conflict with the stranger. Mutterings went around the tavern, patrons all turning to stare at the figure. The word 'dragonborn' was thrown about the room.

All at once the mutterings were silenced as the figure turned about to face the room. "Citizens! I am Dru'marish, dragonborn from far beyond! I hear tell of terror and horror. An evil empire which would be your subjugation." The figure paused a moment, what little could be seen of his maw curled into a grin. "I am here to tell you that you need not fear. For I am a master of combat, and a hero unabashed! I have faced these evil legions before, and surely I shall face them again. As before, so again, they shall be driven from the field by my power and strength!"

Yikk rolled his eyes, muttering to himself. "Showoff..." Yakk just had to go find another tavern, didn't he? Make a big show of himself like those bards he always went on about. One of these they were going to be caught, and no matter how many goblin patrols or livestock killers they drove off, the three of them together couldn't last forever.

Yukk peeked an eye out the bottom of the cloak, scanning the room. He wanted that ale Yakk had ordered.

[Carlyle]

Alberich

For the night is dark and full of terrors.

Melisandre, Game of Thrones

It was long before the barbaric warrior had calmed his inner self. The man was a savage beast on the battlefield, a combatant that had waded through the rivers of blood. His large battleaxe was stained with a rainbow of blood, every speck a different color of blood that a foul creature had bled, yet the fighter didn't cease his advance to cleanse the bladed edge from the wickedness that had befouled it. It was death that the brute had sought, but each and every one he had fought would not bring him the peace of the afterlife, to be once more with his beloved and offspring. Therefore, the lowbrow guardian of Aeos fought, and he continued to fight until death claimed him or the quest he desired to fulfill was accomplished.

Of course, there were others with Alberich. Others who were aspiring mercenaries, wishing to make some coin, perhaps to become the next hero. Others that were on the same quest of revenge as he was, desiring to take up arms against a monstrous being that had taken their joys and happiness. Some of them had wanted to take the adventure at a slower pace, yet Alberich refused to stop for a moment lest that second be lost to the Dark Lord. The man was steadfast in his goals, and it was evident in his actions. Alberich had a constant need to dirty his hands, killing anyone that dared to claim allegiance to the Dark Lord and then looting their bodies for materials to help the war effort. Arrows would go to the archers and hunters, crude blades and armor would be used by soldiers or returned to the villages to be reforged into anew - even provisions were stolen from corpses and devoured to fuel their bodies.

Alberich had a vibrant hatred for the Dark Lord, and often his only friend was the despairing cloak he wore around him in the darkness. The fallen soldiers of the Dark Lord were refused the rest of a peaceful burial, instead speared on makeshift pikes and torched or fed to the hounds and beasts that wandered the lands of Aeos. Even those that the lumberjack had fought with were only given a small pyre, their bodies burnt lest they become one of the many dead raised by vile necromancers that fueled the Dark Lord's armies with cannon fodder. The assault on his village had left Alberich a shattered man, one to be looked down upon because of his misfortune. Not that Alberich minded the whispers and gossip that would circle him like a buzzard while passing through the countryside, as he knew he was nothing more than a husk of his old self. The tall giant wasn't one to deny the truth that the village peasants would mutter silently about the beast that only sought fulfillment vanquishing the Dark Lord until he had fallen on the battlefield.

There was one, however, that would always have his back. One that Alberich found companionship in, although the woman was nothing like his dear Linde. The woman that followed him into the darkness was a warrior, one skilled in such matters as Alberich was. Kathryn was shorter than Alberich, yet they both had the same fiery spirit to trounce the Dark Lord's hordes that had brought the suffering of many. It was Kathryn that Alberich sought guidance from to keep him sane as a person, and it was also Kathryn that he felt the most comfortable with to share his inner thoughts that plagued his heart and mind. The companionship that others would not so easily give to a brute of a man was found within Kathryn, and Alberich would always hope that the woman would stick around for the long run. It seemed, for now, that she did decided to stay, and it was something that Alberich appreciated but refused to be known, lest Kathryn find out that the barbarian had a soft spot.

Resting comfortably against a tree and underneath the shade, Alberich was soon awoken by night terrors. They would come when Alberich had only wished a moment of peace during the storm, to regain his strength after it had been spent. The loss of his family and friends, even his home, would replay in his head each and every night. It brought sorrow to his eyes, yet Alberich knew it was only himself remembering the goal that he had set out for himself. To see the satisfying end of Trolgar would bring nothing but joy to Alberich, for then he would know that those that he had cherished would be avenged. It did, however, make Alberich wonder if he was truly any different than the Dark Lord himself and his peons. Both had sought death of one or more, and perhaps to even fashion the world in their own ways - one for the better and one for the worse.

Regardless of the inner demons that haunted him, Alberich was now awake, albeit groggy. The lumberjack was curled underneath the giant cloak that he had called home far too many times, with the massive battleaxe laying against the tree beside him. A quick glance around the minor encampment had shown that it had not been disturbed through his sleep. Kathryn must still be on watch, Alberich had thought, his bones creaking as he stood from his sleeping position and approached his large pack. Digging deep inside, Alberich pulled a small container free and produced a few eggs and a haunch of raw venison. The coals were still glowing from the previous night's fire, and Alberich blew a mighty huff to ignite the fire once more before cracking the eggs and laying the meat into the frying pan to roast and cook for their breakfast.

It was something simple to eat, a peasant or perhaps an adventurer's breakfast, yet it was what the duo could gather in these dark times. Food was beginning grow scarce the closer the realm of the Dark Lord had approached, and scavenging was nearly the only option left for those that hadn't fled the coming doom. Thankfully, both of them were skilled in surviving off the land, and thanks to the sacrifice of a deer and a few freshly laid bird eggs, they were able to continue fueling themselves and going on with their day.

Once the eggs and vension were done, Alberich split them into two individual portions, and set out to find Kathryn after sheathing his battleaxe for his protection. There was no telling what beasts would assault him while trying to bring his companion her breakfast, and Alberich knew it was better to be safe than sorry. Looking around the forest as Alberich walked, it was obvious that Kathryn was nearby. To his left was a small river, and the startled mush of grass beneath him was a sure sign that Kathryn had found the water source. A few minutes walk from the river had led Alberich to Kathryn, and the lumberjack was genuinely concerned for his companion. They had only met not that long ago, yet during that time, Alberich was easily able to find out Kathryn's fear of water. "I made breakfast. Was everything okay on your end? I noticed that you happened to stumble on the river back there." Alberich asked, softer than his usual tone out of concern as he handed the woman her piece of the recently cooked meal and took a seat beside Kathryn to eat his meal with his companion.

---

@Remipa Awesome

[SugarRush]

Eliza

"I thought I had made myself perfectly clear. I needed the bandits alive. Yet you kneel here before me with nothing but their blood on your swords." The words cut like a knife and echoed throughout the room, which only a commander, her two most trusted guards, and an orc who failed currently inhabited. The orc, named Gaethar, just continued looking down at the stone floor of the building. "You have nothing to say for yourself?" Eliza grinded her teeth, rage dripping from her words like blood from a fresh wound. She looked down upon Gaethar with disgust. She'd trusted him with capturing the bandits who had been coordinating hit-and-runs on their camps, which turned out to have been a mistake.

The orc rose from his knees. "Commander, I... I-I can explain!" He stuttered, having trouble looking her in the eye. "They were fierce, they killed one of our own! They were too dangerous to be kept alive!"

Eliza winced from pure annoyance at her soldier's stupidity. "You think I care about a couple of orcs dying for the cause? You think I care about an orc dying for anything?" Eliza rose from her seat. She'd had her men fashion the seat into a throne of sorts during the two weeks they had spent being stationary at this small village they conquered. She'd been plotting their next move, but the supply raids from the thieves and bandits kept pushing back the plans. "I have hundreds of orcs, Gaethar. The life of a single soldier means little to me. I needed at least one of those bandits alive, and you failed. There are many more bandits out there. I needed to question the ones we'd isolated, to learn about the others the rest of the pack. To find out where they've taken our weapons." She scowled at the orc. "Instead, we have nothing. Nothing but dead bodies." She walked back to her makeshift throne, picking a grape out of the bowl there and eating it. "Fail me one more time and you will join them."

Gaethar gulped but knew he hadn't failed completely. "Commander, forgive me for continuing to speak. We may know where the bandits originated." Eliza raised her eyebrows in interest while she ate the grape. "Speak, orc."

Gaethar cleared his throat, his confidence returning to him. "While we were scouting we came across another town. It's the neighbor town to this one, but it was concealed in a forest. It might be where the thieves lay their heads," he spoke earnestly.

Eliza smiled. A possible solution to the nuisance had been presented. "I'll send a batallion, tonight, to burn it to the ground. Find any supplies and steal anything valuable. Slaughter the population," she studied a rotten grape that she'd found in the bowl before flicking it off to the side. Disgusting. A servant elf quickly appeared from the darkness of the side of the room to clean it up, and disappeared just as quickly. "I'm putting you in charge of this, Gaethar, because you know where the town is. Succeed in this and I will try to forget your failures."

Gaethar nodded, "Thank you, commander. I will not fail," the orc said before leaving the premises at Eliza's beckoning. Once he left, Eliza turned to the guard to the right of her chair. "While they deal with the bandits, I want troops patrolling the outskirts of the Dark Lord's influence for any scum." Eliza had heard whispers of warriors and "heroes" who fight with honor and compassion against the Dark Lord's forces. These tales annoyed her. "Relay the order. I want legions of trolls and dark elves patrolling every forest, every river, I want it all scoured until these misfits are found and executed." Her guard nodded understanding, gave a "Yes, m'lady," and ran off to relay the order to the soldiers.

Eliza rubbed her temples, her head aching with stress from all the nuisances that were occurring, her guard's heavy steps echoing as he left.

[Lord Orgasmo]

The path seemingly led nowhere. It was just a straight road. He hadn't seen another passerby, a caravan, a vicious wolf, anything. The sounds of various birds managed to keep him at least somewhat in check. It was awfully lonely. Maybe a tune might keep him distracted. He began to whistle in tune to some song or another he had heard along his travels. The birds seemed to be slightly confused with his whistling, as he was speaking a broken bird language that they couldn't quite understand.

Two songs later...

Well, still nothing. Although, he noticed the tracks were beginning to multiply. Wonder why? Looking down the whole time, he walked straight into a signpost. Ow. The post had two arrows, one pointing to the left and the other to the right. He also noticed that the path split off here as well. Left and right. Hm... left? No, right. Wait, what about the board? Unfortunately, it appeared to have been scratched, scorched, and... chewed on? Either way, he couldn't read it. Weeeeell... Guess he'd go... right? It had deeper and more frequent tracks, maybe it'd lead somewhere? Guess there was only one way to find out. He began walking once more, whistling an unknown tune.

[Shoe Thief]

Kathryn

There are a lot of things that Kathryn can be annoyed about. The easy ones to note would be dealing with her fears of water. It's gotten to the point where if she steps into water deeper then a couple inches with out expecting it she would do a small freak out. "Son of a Mother of Gods!" She screamed as she slipped down the slight slop letting one of her feet fall into the river next to her. She was able to recover fast enough, but not before grabbing a rock and pelting it as hard as she could into the peaceful river. She stopped for a moment to take a breath. "That'll show you." She said to no one in particular. She wasn't a fan of a lot of things, but water in amounts larger then a couple gallons really threw her off. She hated the idea of being scared of something so simple, she figured her main issues was she had bad experiences trying to learn to swim.

That didn't matter now though, she was more or less back on the dark trail in the middle of the night looking for a good spot to keep watch. She found a spot not too far from the trail's intersection with another trail, or maybe a road of some kind? She couldn't tell from here in the dark, but it didn't matter. It was an intersection non the less.

She sat in the deep brush for a few hours. Every once and a while someone would walk by the intersection, but no one of note. There did seem like an odd amount of activity for this early in the morning, maybe there was a market day going on int he morning and everyone wanted an early start. Or they were more refugees looking for a place to sleep longer then an hour or so. She wished them luck though, if that was the case good luck finding anywhere with in miles of here that would provide that.

She had her sword drawn resting by her side as she laid down, she may need a moment to stand up to use it but otherwise it was ready. Worst case scenario she would have to use her knife first to stun her enemy long enough to kick their ass. Though, at some point during the night she her steps, coming from her blind spot. Maybe it was Alberich? She couldn't think of much else coming from that direction. The problem is if it wasn't she had a choice to make, stay still and hope whoever it was would pass by, or turn and almost guarantee a fight that in her current situation she would struggle to win.

She turned onto her back with her knife drawn when the steps were closer, whoever they were they were close enough that they must have known she was there. She was ready to throw her knife right into their nice square mustached fa- "Alberich? I could have killed you!" She whispered in a more or less pissed tone. Her and Alberich had teamed up a while back attempting to hurt the Dark lord's armies, figuring that two decently skilled warriors would work a lot better then two individuals spread out unorganized. She was still a bit pissed that he had tried to sneak up to her, she would have felt really bad if she had to have pulled out her old knife from his face. Especially if he had survived that, the knife rarely came out nicely despite it's smooth blade.

He did bring some food though, food was something that was a pain int he ass to find. Especially safe to eat food. "First off I did not stumble, I just felt like kicking some asses of..." She had to think about it for a moment, not a lot you can fight in a river. "Fish. It was fish." Best save ever. "Thanks for breakfast, and no. Not much going on. A lot of civilian travel though, I am starting to worry they might be refugees trying to avoid the front lines. Or worse, a raiding party spread out to hide their numbers. That is what I would do if I wanted to hide a small army." It wasn't a bad idea, but the force can't be larger then maybe 80 or so to do it like that. Maybe a couple hundred if time wasn't a concern. But she hasn't seen a bandit army that large in a while, and they didn't seem like orcs from here. She was going to stick with the civilian idea for now, and hope that she is right.

She sat up to talk quietly to Alberich a bit more. "There's going to be a big right soon, I hope you're ready. Because realistically both of us may not make it out. The way we are going we may die trying to get to a finishing point, or if we do get to a finishing point, we may not be able to see the new world when the light starts to show again." She said in a awkward tone. She rarely tried to look down on situations, but she knew in her heart that a final battle was going to come sooner or later, and almost never did everyone form one side make it out. Especially at their odds.

[Lich]

Ossian

Ossian raised a brow and turned his gaze away from his drink, looking around the room when he heard the word "Dragonborn." It wasn't that long until he found a new figure, one who wore a cloak. At first, Ossian couldn't tell whether that truly was a Dragonborn or just some Lizardfolk from the lands beyond the northern ocean. Ossian frowned when the newcomer, now known as Dru'marish, spoke up.

His voice was... odd, to say the least. It sounded higher than any Dragonborn Ossian has encountered in the past. Of course, he was probably nitpicking and this Dragonborn was young. What truly caught his attention was how Dru'marish was boasting. Ossian couldn't help but scoff at this.

Ossian gave the Dragonborn an hour before someone tried to attack him. With that set, Ossian took a swig of his ale and glanced at Dru'marish. He had a very bad feeling about the Dragonborn. Not once has he met anyone that was dramatic without some ulterior motive. He placed his head in his left hand as he thought about whether or not he should do anything about this feeling, losing himself to thought as he considered the rewards and consequences of each path.

[dereken]

Caractacus

Through the brush and bramble, a harried, haggard individual, wrapped in a thick grey cloak, struggled through the underbrush. He was flanked on both sides by a pair of zombies, one half-clad in the armor of the watch of some town long destroyed, the other a former soldier of the dark lord. It had been two weeks since the disastrous battle that left Caractacus both free from his servitude to the dark lord, and alone in the wilderness. Now, he was lost. Painfully, dreadfully lost. He hadn't encountered much as he wandered in what he hoped was the right direction. He skirted around a sacked town, stopping only to raise some protection for himself before moving on. On a couple occasions he ran into refugees, though they fled from the sight of him. Caractacus tried to be civil, and perhaps ask for some food or supplies, but it made no difference.

Caractacus stopped, hearing voices and footsteps, perhaps more refugees. Caractacus smoothed out his robe, and threw down his hood in an attempt at looking friendly. Stepping through the brush, Caractacus started with a prepared speech. "Greetings, I am Caractacus. Do not be afraid I--" Caractacus froze, finally taking in the sight before him. Not a pair of weary refugees, but two warriors, wielding weapons and clad in armor. One, a barrel chested man wielding a heavy axe, and the other a knightess with sword and shield. Both of them stood taller than Caractacus. For several seconds he stood in silent shock, before finally managing to put a few words together. "N-now hang on. Let it b-be known I do not serve the dark lord." As he spoke, he took two large steps back, putting his zombies between himself and the warriors.

[Carlyle]

Alberich

You can't change the world without a little pain.

Team Plasma Grunt, Pokemon

A loud chuckle came forth from Alberich once Kathryn laid her knife down- his companion complaining that she could have killed him. "And if you did kill me, you would owe my spirit a beer." Alberich jested, stabbing a shredded piece of venison with a makeshift fork. Moving the fork to his mouth, Alberich chewed on a piece of succulent meat as he listened to Kathryn's report. Alberich wasn't all too worried over his companion's obvious cover-up to hide the fact that she was startled by the river, but the news of increasing travel was alarming.

"It is hard to imagine that a bandit party that large would still exist this close to the front lines, much less travel past you without commotion. I bet it is just a bunch of refugees fleeing the front, but only the gods know for certain." Alberich explained, glancing at the forest trail that the two were sitting nearby when Kathryn began to look down on the situation of the world, but also the two of them. "I may be older than you, Kathryn, but I still have some fight in me. Don't think I'll go down easily and without a whimper." A chuckle was roused from Alberich once again, before it was silenced by sudden movement near the brush and tress. Alberich set down the plate he was eating from and reached for his axe, slowly standing up as an odd scrawny man trailed by two walking corpses approached the duo as they conversed and ate.

The man, now having introduced himself as Caractacus, began to swear that he did not serve the mercenaries' dreaded foes, yet Alberich was still all too suspicious. "Then why do you have two corpses mindlessly following you, Cara-cta-cus?" Alberich asked, heaving his large battleaxe over his shoulder while slowly speaking to draw out the conversation in order to allow Kathryn the time to ready herself in the case of a conflict. The lumberjack was sure he could probably handle all three of them by himself, but it was always good to have backup, especially when said backup was skilled in the arts of war.

---

@dereken@Remipa Awesome

[Shoe Thief]

Kathryn

Alberich made a comment about Kathryn buying his dead self a drink if she were to have killed him. "Yeah, you wish don't you? Always looking for a free drink huh?" Kathryn did a lot, but she still didn't mind teasing him about it. He was able to convince her that most of the people she had been seeing had been refugees instead of bandits traveling spread out to hide their numbers. They were too close tot he front lines for bandits to want to hold out here anymore. This was the one area where standing armies could do something about damages, if they were not already busy. A few miles from here may be a different story.

Alberich started talking again, but Kathryn had lost attention. Someone is coming closer to them now. A lot closer then any other point so far int he night. Someone knew they were there now, she could see at least three figures. She could see armor on at least one of them. "Get ready." She said in a light whisper. "We got combatants." She jumped back and drew her sword just before they got into immediate sight.

What she saw confused her at first, it was a smaller man, light weight, and in a dark cloak. With two body guards it looked like. She couldn't see any markings in this lighting though. It wasn't until the moonlight came through finally that she could see the two escorts. They were both dead. "Necromancer." She spoke calmly. The Necromancer started to speak, saying he didn't work for the Dark lord. Kathryn didn't buy it though. He did introduce himself as Caractacus, a name was decent to have at least. But she was still skeptical. Alberich asked why Caractacus had two undead with him.

Kathryn wasn't going to put up with more spies. Though if he was a spy he didn't seem like a good one. Necromancers are well known for using dark magic and working for the Dark lord. Maybe he was different, though she knew that if he was, his party wouldn't be far behind. Or maybe it was a massive army of undead? She imagines it wouldn't be too hard to find enough bodies near here. "Do you have any proof or are we going to have to prove it ourselves? Because it wouldn't be my first time." She spoke with determination now, if conflict was going to start she was ready to take on the world.

[dereken]

Yikk, Yakk, & Yukk

The cloaked figure had turned around to face the bar once more, picking up and quickly downing the ale in front of him. Around him, the murmurs and whispers in the corners of the bar had slowly turned to angered mutterings. A trio of men, bolder than the rest, stood and approached Dru'marish. The cloaked figure turned his head slightly too acknowledge them. "Good day, my friends. Was there something I could do for the three of you? Some monster troubling your lands?"

"How about you get out of here, dragonborn. You come in here making noise, causin' trouble." The first man approached, fists clenched. The two behind him nodded their assent. "Your kind are a bad omen."

Dru'marish turned about fully, to face the three humans. They were not warriors, likely travelers or refugees. Yakk let a soft smile show from under his hood. "Come now, friends. There is no need for conflict. Let me pay for drinks for the three of you, yes? A show of good faith." With a barely perceptible turn, a bag, clinking with coin, was deposited on the table. "Barkeep, give these men what drinks they desire."

The humans muttered to themselves a moment, before begrudgingly approaching the bar to get their ale and beer. They stalked back to their table, the lead throwing a glance back at the figure by the bar before losing himself in his drink.

"Yikk, ask Yakk for something to eat, and more ale." Yukk whispered a bit too loudly. Luckily, it seemed no one was paying attention, and Yikk silenced his brother with a hurried 'shh'.

[Lord Orgasmo]

Ysran

"Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty! Oh won't you please take me home!"

Where did that come from? Guess he was more bored than he thought. Weird. Well, it'd been at least 20 minutes, and still nothing. No tracks seemed to be changing, and there weren't any more paths to take. Just how long was this road? With any luck, he'd hoped for some sort of civilization.

His stomach growled. Uh oh. Someone was getting hungry. Taking a look in his bag, he found a few dried fruits. They didn't always taste the best, but they'd have to do. They tasted like fruity beef jerky, expectedly. Hmm... he was still a little hungry. Maybe there's a lake nearby? Fish could be good. He'd try that.

Pulling his blade out, he walked to the treeline. Nicking the trees as he went on, he hoped that it would help him find his way back. Then again, it might dull his blade, too. Eh, he'd sharpen it later if he needed to. He would occasionally look for increased activity. Where there's water, there's more plants, and animals looking for said water. Who knows? Maybe there'd be somebody hunting out here?

[dereken]

Caractacus

They didn't believe him. Caractacus took another step back. "What p-proof can a man offer? I deserted his ranks, I s-seek no conflict." He held his hand out in a sign of surrender, though his other hand gripped his staff tightly. He wasn't about to throw down his only protection to these strangers, but still, he wanted to avoid a painful, chopping, stabbing death. "I suppose the zombies are, eh, perhaps a b-bit off-putting, but these are dangerous times, are--are they not? You would not g-go about without your armor or, er, your axe, would you?"

Caractacus wasn't sure if he should keep up trying to make friends, or just make a break for it. His two zombies surely wouldn't last long, but perhaps, if he empowered them, they could hold the two warriors at bay while he lost them in the forest. Teeth clenched, Caractacus flicked his eyes from the knight and axe-man, to his zombies, and back again. It was obvious he was weighing his odds. "S-surely, if nothing else, we can go our separate ways, yes?"

[Carlyle]

Alberich

Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.

Bobby Sands

Keeping his weapon at the ready, Alberich took careful study of the necromancer and his zombies. The necromancer appeared frail, hardly fit for combat unless he dared to try cast his magic. The corpses appeared weak just like their master; fragile to the point that Alberich could slice through them with one quick swing, yet something was suspicious. Alberich knew that necromancers dabbled in imbuing their minions with enhancements, and it was sure that Caractacus had one or more tricks up his sleeve. Still, Caractacus seemed genuinely afraid of Kathryn and Alberich, and the latter wondered how to put the necromancer to use if his words were, indeed, true.

Balancing his weapon on in his arms, Alberich dug into a pocket and pulled out a small match and a tobacco-like substance. Taking a second to light the substance, Alberich took a huff before speaking to Caractacus. "Now, now, don't be in such a rush, lad. I ain't so much trusting of those who use magic, much less a necromancer." Another huff was had. "However, if you so much had the gall to tell the Dark Lord off, you might be okay in my book." Alberich explained, his eyes darting around the forest for any sign of foes. Anything could be hiding in the forest, especially when the necromancer claimed his previous connections to the Dark Lord.

"How'd ya like to strike a deal, Caractacus? You look like you could use some meat on your bones, which both of us can easily gather. We're on a quest to kill as many soldiers of the Dark Lord as we can. Take back what was ours--from the simple farming village to the most majestic of cities--in other terms. Come with us." Alberich explained, as he nodded with the small cigar towards the city guard. "All you gotta do is let our buddy guardsman go. If you'll be walking with the resistance, I won't be having any raised once friendly soldiers. Ain't right refusing good people a peaceful slumber." Alberich stated, glancing at Kathryn for a few seconds, and then back to the necromancer. Caractacus could be a valuable asset for their fight against the nearby orcish hordes and other Dark Lord stragglers, but Kathryn had yet to voice her opinion.

"So, what'll it be, Caractacus? Fight again, or keep up your flight?" Alberich asked, huffing his cigar as he waited for an answer.

---

@dereken@Remipa Awesome

[Shoe Thief]

Kathryn

He admitted to being apart of the Darklord's forces at one point in time. But now? Now he claimed to be a deserter. Possible story, he didn't seem as evil as most she has met from the Darklord's ranks. "He may be trustworthy, the problem is if he isn't we may be fighting an army of the undead, or worse an undead version of each other." She didn't see that happening, but she didn't have a solid understanding behind how most magic things worked. Alberich brought up the idea of Caractacus joining the two of them on their mission to harass the Darklord's forces across the front lines.

Kathryn wasn't against the idea, but she wasn't sure how much she was for it. "The help would be nice, three makes better then two. Though I do have to agree with Alberich about who you decide to use against the Darklord. Using his own troops would lower the enimies moral in battle, while also possibly distracting them long enough for Alberich or I to finish them off." She wasn't going to admit it, she never would, but she was exausted. She was in need of rest, in need of a break from fighting, but they lacked the proper support for something like that. The best her and Alberich could do on their own would be to take shifts sleeping and keeping watch while still making time to fight. It was a never ending cycle.

Kathryn got close to Caractacus. "We could use the help, I am always for that. What I will not stand is double crossing. If you decide to pull anything on us, I will cut you into pieces then force those pieces back into you with a dull and rusty spoon." She only needed to get her point across, not scare him too much. No needed to chase away a potential ally who had skills and abilities that She and Alberich didn't have. "Another thing I want to mention about the undead here, is that if we are to head into a town you can't bring them. They will drive off almost anyone who might be willing to work with us in terms of trading or a crew to help us on a mission. Other then that I am fair game with you helping. We share labor work though." She said, worrying that he may not be able to help carry the gear and supplies needed for their missions. Though an undead force may help with that too. Overall this might work, or backfire horribly. Either way though she was tired and figured she could use the help. "So if you are up to it, feel free to join. Sleep is minimal, food is scavenged and sometimes traded for, and enemies are around every corner, but other then that it is not too bad." She said actually sounding happy about it.

[Lord Orgasmo]

Ysran

Nicking tree after tree, Ysran grew increasingly bored. Hm. What to do, what to do...He could smell... smoke? It was faint, but yes, that was definitely the smell of something burning. That means someone is nearby! Maybe they could help him get his bearings? He perked up his elven ears and used his superior hearing to listen in for something. Nothing that way. Or the other way. What about... the slight sound of moaning could be heard. But this was like a zombie moan, not a sexy time moan. The trees could wait, there were zombies on the loose!

He ran and ran, until two hunched over swaying figures stood in his sight. They were about 30 feet away, and hadn't seemed to notice him yet. The smoke smell was much stronger here. He perked up his ears once more. There appeared to be some sort of conversation going on. There was a woman's, and a deep voice. Were they talking to the zombies? Or perhaps they were controling them? No, the woman said that three is better than two, so there was likely a third party involved. He decided his best course of action was to bide his time and wait. Things were to unclear to make any sort of decision.

[dereken]

Caractacus

Caractacus stood his ground ,watching the axeman carefully as he pulled something from his pocket. He breathed an inward sigh of relief, just a cigar. He watched as it was lit, and huffed briefly before the axeman spoke. They wanted him to join them in their personal crusade against the Dark Lord and his empire. The axeman offered a couple conditions to such an arrangement, demanding Caractacus release the undead guardsman. He didn't much see why, the man was passed in any case. The body itself could still serve. The knightess was in agreement, both to his joining them, and using only forces of the dark lord as his servants.

Then the knightess stepped closer, and threatened a most terrible and painful death should Caractacus betray them. Somehow, Caractacus managed to turn even paler as he tried to make a response, but she continued speaking. No undead in towns either. He'd be practically defenseless. The axeman finished the offer, asking Caractacus to choose whether to join them, or continue fleeing for his life. Wait a minute, choose? Caractacus narrowed his eyes. They surely were not just going to let him go, were they?

It struck him, flashing back to harsh learned lessons, that they were testing him. It was obvious now that they only offered him a choice to gauge his reaction. Of course they wouldn't just let a necromancer like himself walk away! If he refused, he surely would be cut down. Plastering on a smile, Caractacus nodded. "Of course I will j-join the pair of you." With a wave of his hand, the undead guardsman crumbled, wasting away into dust. It didn't feel right to do so, leaving just one zombie under his command, but whatever it took to avoid these warriors' ire he would have to do. At least until he was able to make his escape.

[Carlyle]

Alberich

Esarus thar no'Darador' - By Blood and Honor We Serve.

Of Blood and Honor, Chris Metzen

It had taken a few minutes of conversing, but necromancer eventually released the guardsman from his service. Finishing his tobacco, Alberich placed his massive battleaxe away, and extended a hand to Caractacus. "That is good to hear. The war effort needs every able body to fight the Dark Lord, and you'll be able to put your skills to use." Alberich explained to the necromancer as he nodded reassuringly to the stammering mess that Caractacus was. For a necromancer, Caractacus had appeared easily intimidated, and Alberich wondered if the man was scared of Kathryn and himself. It was almost confusing, as Alberich would have had thought all necromancers would be more devious, especially with all the tricks up their sleeve.

"With that being said, we need a name for ourselves. We have been tracking an orcish horde, but logistics shows that their forces could easily wipe us without assistance after reports of entire villages been sacked. I have heard that the Kingdom of Ven has been looking for mercenaries, yet I believe they would be reluctant to hire a couple of strangers with no known reputation despite all the fighting we have done on the front lines." Truthfully, there was little that had bound any of them outside their constant desire to vanquish the Dark Lord. They had been picking away at the Dark Lord's footholds with minor skirmishes, yet to accomplish anything large, it would require more than just them. Something that would draw aid from the villages, cities and kingdoms--a formal organization, with structured ranks and skilled squadrons.

"I'll be frank. It has been a dream of mine for years to see opposing banners stalwartly fly against the Dark Lord, rather than crumble as easily as they have done so far. Today, I propose the creation of a new opposing faction, one bound by no oath but one to their brothers and sisters, to strike the Dark Lord and decimate his holdings. An organization with a name representing their righteous intent--the Dawnblade Brotherhood. Think of it as you wish, but I am not the only one who holds dear hatred for the Dark Lord and his minions. We shall be a bastion in the light." Alberich explained, crossing his arms as he finished his speech. He had a personal crusade against the Dark Lord, but to do the world right once more, it would require the aid of many that would fight and sacrifice much.

---

@dereken@Remipa Awesome

[Lord Orgasmo]

Ysran

Seriously? The Dawnblade Brotherhood? That was the cheesiest thing he'd heard in some time. Well, now that the situation had defused itself, it was time to move in. But what should he do? He wouldn't be attacking, he had no reason to, and would likely lose. Perhaps he'd ask them to escort him to the next city. Then again, he really couldn't make heads or tails out of his situation. Perhaps it'd be better to just travel with them for awhile until he could get his bearings. It'd been a long time since he'd gone on an adventure with friends. It had been... it had been... huh. He couldn't quite remember. He could recall bits and pieces of his memory, but not everything. Most of his memory seemed to be missing. He could remember his childhood, and his days at the harbor, but it ends there. Small parts of his previous adventures would surface, but how he got here was still a mystery. For now he would join them, in an attempt to get some bearings. Putting his Machete back in its scabbard, he began to walk forward into the open. He spoke to the apparent leader.

"Hello. My name is Ysran. I seem to have gotten a bit lost, as well as not being able to remember much of my recent past. I also couldn't help but overhear your conversation about your resistance effort? Perhaps I could join you for a while? At least until I can get my memory back, or at least to the next city."

@Aquanthe