@Tangletail With my Badlands I actually meant it as name. Though it is indeed a vast expanse of barren... stuff. Could be that it has a northern part though and that Eru borders it slightly or even has settled in it. I'll be making some sort of map in the future to make this less confusing (I hope).
@Tangletail Wait wat. I'm having troubles actually locating your nation in my mental map.
Yiu said your nation lies south of Sinverland, but now you're saying stuff about creatures from the Badlands. But that cannot be, since Saqquar is the one bordering that region, and I'm waaay to the south of the capital, not to mention Sinverland.
The term Badlands is usually used to refer to an area of barren land. It's not really a name, but more of a geographical landmass that can appear in multiple locations for multiple reasons. Kinda similar to how Hinterlands just means an unexplored area.
The Eru Barrens is a Badlands just as Saqquar is.
The major difference here is that the Eru Barrens is caused by Rain Shadows and absurd storms that constantly ravish the landscape making it difficult for vegetation to grow on the ground level. Rather than being a natural desert due to geographical location like being on an equator or land locked.
Here's what a Rainshadowed area looks like.
It's caused by mountains being high enough to force rain clouds to drop heavy amounts of water to actually go over.
So... where Saqquor would be a desert with dunes. Eru Barrens would be a Canyon heavy location.
@Tangletail @6slyboy6 I'm okay with Raptors to a certain extend. They are very rare and often do not travel further then the edges of the Badlands. To have one as mount is an exceptional rare sight.
Yeah, I don't plan on them actually being common outside of the badlands. They're cold blooded creatures of great magnitude. Can't imagine going to a cold enviorment would be a good idea. And imagine how scared people would be when they see this giant 700lb lizard walk by them.
I am alive, Was waiting on this thread's first post.
On a side note. If we're gonna have fantasy creatures as well. I'd probably go with using Raptors as a standard mount of my nation :P
Main rule of domestication. You want to make sure the animal won't bite you if you feed it from your hand. This one would be pretty questionable. It'd mean that at some point of time, someone looked at that and said "I want to climb on its back."
Due to the storms, lack of shelter, presence of canyons and chasms, a standard horse wouldn't work well. Either you need something large and heavy so it won't be bothered by the winds. Or you need something hardy, fast, and mobile to clear land quickly and leap over large chasms so you can make it to safety before the next storm.
The largest problem that would prevent a large calvary of Raptors is how hard it would be to train a rider. Wouldn't do a rider any good if they suddenly go flying off when this thing leaps over a chasm. And they aren't going to be too great at carrying a lot of junk or pulling wagons.
So... favored mount of Desert Rangers, Scouts, Messengers, and Outriders
Lucilia manages, easily enough, to find her way towards the Viceroy’s office. The guards clearly weren’t gentle in removing the body from the balcony, and the need for a key was nulled by the fact that the door was completely swung open. Immediately what catches your eye is the disorder of the room. It was as if Ardent herself rained her fury down upon the furniture. Book knocked from their bookshelves, blood stains on the carpets, pillows and candles strewn about.
Or rather what does Lucilia want to check first. The picture above is the exact layout of the room
Blood, that was the first thing her eyes noticed about the room, not the destruction that was scattered everywhere though the signs of a struggle was definitely worth note. Lucilia looked for the biggest pool of blood she could find before crouching next to it and looking it over, it was at the bookcase of all places and the most likely spot where the Cadby had been bled dry before her killer likely hanged him on display. With all the blood, she began to look for footprints, anything that could be similar to a trail in any way.
”Hmm, down the rabbit hole we go,” Lucilia sighed as her eyes began to scan the room for footprints. Nothing, that meant whoever did this wasn’t a reckless peasant or beast. It was likely a planned assault then, or so Lucilia thought as she inspected the room, but Cadby put up a bit of a fight it seemed. He was a large man after all.
With that clue tested, she moved on to the desk of the late Viceroy, looking any documentation that was strewn about it. Perhaps something in the document could point her in the right direction. The battle definitely didn’t take place near the desk, no blood or struggle, stranger and stranger as the best time to strike would be when your opponent is distracted. Lucilia sat down and gazed over the ledger, studying the ledger and the businesses on it, some were very profitable and others were not but all had a debtor and a creditor. It was all so very strange but at the same time, Ardent Falls was taking on new economic ties, in particular the prisoners that it had been importing.
Off course she found the Miner’s Prison easily, but the creditor was none other than Mikael and others pointed to Talon Company in general. Though the two that intrigued her the most would be the ones that were scribbled out profusely though she did find an unhelpful S under the creditor section, if she would know what was under that she could know more about the city in general. Though that was not why she was here, with a sigh she forced herself to put down the ledger and went back to the investigation. Perhaps some of his personal letters could provided some insight, and so she began to search the desk for any personal documentation, but locked drawers.
“Viceroy Cadby…” an all too familiar Brithian’s voice sounded off. It took her some time to completely turn around from following Falk, to make it here. But she sat in the doorway, overlooking the work of beauty to some soldiers with a detached expression. “Was a warrior at heart. Someone I could respect. He fought, he bleed, and he roared… but in the end he died a warrior on his feet…” the cat sighed. Her eyes flicked to the large pool of blood on the ground, and slowly scanned the floor for more subtle details. She sniffed. Her brows furrowed as she sniffed once more, this time drawing in a longer breath with her jaws cracked open. Her tongue flicked out to taste the air as she stepped further into the room. “I came to make sure you weren’t going to get yourself in trouble again. Looks like I’ve found something you didn’t pick up.”
Lucilia’s eyes went for the corners of her view the moment she heard the Brithian, it seemed she wouldn’t be able to do this in peace and quiet after all. Then she heard the sniff and comment. ”It seems the gods have sent a glorified bloodhound to me. A chatty one, but one that can indeed pick up things I can’t,” Lucilia commented, standing from her chair and turning towards the bard.
“I think you’re just jealous that you’re only a wolf in name,” Raux rasped dryly as she closed her eyes and lifted her nose up higher. She drew in another breath, while slowly turning about, getting an idea of where it might be at its strongest. “Small family on a thread of disaster or salvation that hangs on the shoulders of a single lassy that hadn’t quite learned how the world works.”
”I beg your pardon?,” shifting her weight onto one side and crossing arms.
“Your father is like a fish. He’ll gladly keep eating till he pops. And it seems that has rubbed off on his daughter as well,” The cat chirpped as she stepped over the blood puddles to follow the scent. “He lusted for power, and he got it. But this small empire he’s building is built on pillars of sand, pillars of salt.”
Such words were insults to her ears, nay they were plagues and she was the plague doctor. Lucilia unsheathed her rapier and pointed it at the wretched cat. ”I would watch your words, cat. The Wolfram house is strong and has been around longer than whatever crumbling place you came from. You talk of my house being built on sand, I would take a look at your own failing kingdoms before saying such things.”
The cat raised a brow at this gesture, her eyes sparkled with a hint of humor as she offered a grin. She shook her head and turned her back on the blade and stepped out of the room. “Sweety, my existence is built around humbling people. Who else should the lady of the house with a stick up her arse take advice from, than someone who has witnessed and tasted failure?”
The noblewoman let out a light groan, ”We have a job to do. No more ‘humbling’ talk, cat.” The woman went back to testing the drawers, seeing if any of them would open, while she could force them open, she didn’t want to put forth effort into doing so unless she had to. Unsurprisingly, the drawer that did open had alcohol in it.
“No no~ The humbling shall continue! Now! Is this the first time a pampered poof like you been on your own? You smell as if you’ve not been bathing properly,” The cat gave a wink and a grin, “Did you plan on commanding me to scrub your back later?” It was a half hearted insult, but judging by the look of the cat’s face… she seemed to be saying it was coming from the noble.
Lucilia blushed at the comment, the nerve of that cat was going to get her flayed in public, but she had to admire her ability to continue on in the presence of an intimidating force like Lucilia herself. For once, she was also speechless as how to respond to such a statement but blurting something out would likely just add fuel to the fire. Instead, Lucilia forced the top drawer open, using nothing but her brute strength and gaze inside. She found a work of prose, continuing with the other drawers were nothing of interest though the persistent letters of interest of Cadby’s daughter was intriguing.
Raux slowly steps back into the room, giving the blood pool a wide berth before pinching the woman by the collar and giving her a quick and hard tug. With her other hand, she gestured down to her cloak, where the smell was coming from. A strange blue powder just on the bottom of her cloak. The cat’s eyes then slowly trailed down to the carpet, quickly picking up a tiny source of this small substance lying on the carpet.
Upon being pinched, Lucilia let out a petrified squeak and jumping to the side out of pure fear. She looked at Raux with terror clear in her eyes before she realized what she had just done in front of the commoner. The noblewoman cleared her throat and her normal look came back to her face as she saw the cat gesturing to the ground behind her. Lucilia looked back up and saw the cat holding a blue powder. With a raised eyebrow, Lucilia managed to get out a question, ”What is that?”
If the cat-like brithian found the Noble woman’s outcry humorous, she did not show it. Instead, she stared at her for the better part of a few seconds. And for a brief moment, the cat’s eyes flashed with sympathy as she turned away. Raux lifted an empty envelope from the letter and knelt down. She drew her dagger from above her tail and used it to gently scoop the substance from the carpet and deposit into the paper container. “Don’t know. But… it’s proof enough that this ain’t no premeditated murder from some jack on the street with a knife. I got a feeling that the company is not telling us ‘everything’.” The brithian drawled as she now returned to the desk to seal the envelope with some wax. “Suppose Barris might be able to tell us what this is…” she murmured softly. She stared at the table for almost a minute. There was a brief memory about history and the culture that humans had. It was about castles and their militarized nature as defencive structures. Some of the designs of castles were later implemented into noble homes as decoration, losing the functionality. But other things did remain constant, especially in older homes. She then turned back to look to Lucillia.
She held out a finger, and wagged it a bit as she collected her thoughts. “You were summoned by Viceroy Cadby. And the pedestrians were ready to lynch you. When you left… how long was it before the first cry of murder took to the air?”
It has been maybe twenty or so minutes when I had left Caldwin and Ser Cadby. They wanted to discuss finances and I had to leave. My best guess it could have been the errand boy, Edwin,” Lucilia explained, rising to her full height, which was probably still shorter than the cat. She eyes the envelope that Raux stored the powder in before turning away and walking towards the balcony to investigate that. ”Also, good find, Raux, perhaps you may have more uses than I’m let on to believe.”
The cat grinned as she slipped the envelope into her coat’s pocket. She followed the other to the balcony and looked out into the city, her eyes looking to where the whole crowd had gathered. “Aaaaaahhh so the lady with the wolfish snarl can compliment every now and then? As much as it’d make me want to purr, I’d suggest holding onto it for now. Afterall, I am just a simple minstrel! Martially, I’d be mediocre~.”
There was a pause as her smile faded. Now she wore a pensive expression, one that seemed unusual on her. “Five minutes tops. Cadby was a feared man in action. He was a skilled fighter. Between equally skilled fighters, it’d take around five minutes for that fight to be over with. Two minimum if he was out numbered, inebriated, or without a weapon. Another seven minutes to secure the noose quickly and throw his body over. Probably ten if they did not tie the rope beforehand. And that is assuming they were prepared,” She drawled out slowly. “They had less than ten minutes to get out and disappear. That is one hell of a feat to pull. There’s four possibilities. Magic was involved, the guards were paid off or killed because they had no time to clean up and needed to rush out, the murderers were members of the staff, or there’s a hidden emergency exit.”
Her eyes looked back to Lucilia, “Did you ever see the other’s hands? Did they looked marred and callused?”
Lucilia was more than taken back by the cat’s questions, having not a clue as to what she was supposed to be getting at. With a confused looked, the noblewoman inquired, “I beg your pardon?” Whatever Raux was suggesting, she did not know.
“Someone’s hands tells a lot about what they do. Roughed up, ruined nails, calluses, scars… they’re all clues to the life they lead,” The cat hummed softly. She then looked back to the noble. “Well… shall we look to see if there’s a hidden passageway?”
Still confused, Lucilia attempted to shrug off what the cat was referring to. ”Go ahead and try to find one without me, I’m going to look over the balcony for a moment,” Lucilia said as she began to investigate anything that might be of use at the place where Cadby had been hanged on display. The balcony wood was stretched and splintered from Cadby’s weight. Lucilia could see spots of blood dotting the floor of the balcony, but as with the desk area, a small amount given the amount of blood near the bookcase.
Raux slowly sauntered through the office foyer, gently rapping at the walls with her knuckles to test for any unusual areas. But… it seemed that was not necessary as there was a door that seemed to fall out of notice initially. She pursed her lips, and approached. She tried the nob, and pursed her lips when she found it unlocked. Gently, she pushed it open and stepped inside. Her eyes glanced over the various gifts, but the one that immediately stood out was a couch. A ragged couch fit for a beggar. It made no sense on why it was in this house, only that it was out of place and quite perplexing. She quietly stepped closer and ran a finger along the cushion to test for dust. Regardless of the condition though she hopped over the back and dropped down into the cushions with a low sigh. It’d do her well to take a breather for a moment, and to contemplate everything.
Though, landing on something hard and forgiving could also hold the opposite of that effect. She let out a startle and pained snarl when a pain shot up her backside. The cat rolled out of the couch and failed to the ground with a hiss of a groan. She rubbed at her tail bone and staggered to her feet to give the couch one final look. She felt around for a moment to find whatever the hell it was she landed on.
She soon hefted up an empty bottle of wine and dropped it without a thought. She rubbed her brow before catching sight of the letter. With a huff, she pulled it free and took a moment to read it. Her brow slowly quirked the further down she had gotten.
Lord Cadby,
The Maester of Constitution at the academy stopped by my office for the third time this week. She seems quite intent on expansion for the academy. She has drafted a proposal that upon viewing I must say could prove rather lucrative. She along with the Talon Company are requesting your audience upon the next Guild Assembly, and I implore you accompany me. We have much to discuss my Lord.
Yours in Service, Maeron Elias
Once finished she slipped the letter into her coat pocket, “Cadby, what have you been getting yourself into,” Raux grumbled lowly. She looked the couch over once more… and heaved out an annoyed grunt. “Who would have thought I’d live to see the day I get to gut a couch,” she mumbled to herself. With her dagger drawn, she went to work at ransacking the poor sofa. The result... ended in nothing more than a few gold coins that fell into the cushions some years ago. At least her efforts were made worth while when she returned to Lucilia.
-
Lucilia, on the other hand, heard the noises down the hall after watching guards drag someone badly beaten into the palace. She hoped it was not Edwin who was beaten, but her gut was wrenching for she knew it was. No, perhaps it could be that they managed to find the murder or an accomplice, anything other than the messenger boy that had escorted her the other day. The noblewoman moved to stand in the center of the room and await for the guards, knowing they were coming here for the voices only grew louder and louder. At this point she could hear their loud footsteps, each step made her heart ache.
The sounds of leather against steel, and beating footsteps fill the room. Edwin’s weak whimpers in protest are only made louder as the guards approach the Viceroy’s office. Lucilia’s fears were realized as the guards dragged in the poor boy. As they made it through the door the two guards combined strength was enough to launch Edwin forward and two his knees.
“Here’s the bloody traitor Lady Wolfram,” one of the guards proclaimed. His voice was filled with a poisonous disgust as he looked on at the messenger with a twisted face like with wrinkles and fury.
“Lady Wolfram? Of Redcliffe? I-I don’t understand.” Edwin called out frantically. His breathes were ragged and uneven, and he couldn’t bare to turn his gaze upward. Instead he looked down towards the carpet as if in deep prayer to the ten.
“We caught the little fucker tryin’ to leave the city,” the second guard protested. His hand laid ready on the hilt of his blade. He seemed eager to cut Edwin down.
“I-I am not a traitor! By the ten true I swear it!Oh Cristo, please, have mercy!” Superficial abrasions lined Edwin’s face. He dared look up to the noblewoman and brith in front of him.
Lucilia looked down upon the poor, beaten boy, seeing a lot of her in him in this exact moment. At least, it reminded her of when her father would beat he viciously to instill within her that she must continue on even if she was beaten, This having gone on years into her adulthood. For once in a long time, she looked upon someone with pity. Her gaze went to the guards and allowed herself a breath before speaking in her normal, commanding tone, ”Trying to leave the city?” Lucilia looked back upon the boy and growled, ”Is this true, Edwin?”
Edwin’s gaze fell back to the carpet. He mumbled softly to himself clearly too afraid to speak. “With Caldwin missing I suppose the crown has sent you to o-order my..” The boy could hardly finish the thought. “By Cristo, please, I beg your mercy my Lady. I would never betray Lord Cadby.” There was a crack laced with desperation and fear that cut through each of Edwin’s words. The boy was quite visibly crying. “I-I served him dutifully!”
Raux crouched down beside the boy with an unreadable expression in her eyes. He locked gazes with him for a moment, then allowed her gaze to fall down to the boys hands and arms. She… found absolutely nothing remarkable, and at the same time that was a bit odd. No calluses, his hands looked mostly smooth, and when it came to scars he only had them at his finger tips. Most likely an errand boy. Either he chewed his fingers as a nervous tick, or he cut his fingers often by tearing open letters. But then… her eyes darkened when she noticed the abraishens on his wrist. Light in some places, red and angry where they appeared to loop over each other.
“Boy… where did you get that rash on your wrist?” She asked, picking up a small discrepancy to the story.
Stammering Edwin picked his head back up. “Gods, I don’t know!” The boy was excitable no doubt fueled by a desire to live. “I’ve told my story to the guard captain over and over, but each time his fists and rage are his response. I am innocent, this I swear to Cristo and the nine!” There was a weakness in his grasp as Raux observed his hands. His hands trembled with uncertainty.
”But an innocent man would not try to leave the city. Especially one who was constantly close to the Viceroy.” Lucilia commented, crossing her arms as Raux made her inspection. With an annoyed tone she continued to press into the nervous boy, ”Where were you after I had left Cadby and Caldwin’s company? Her eyes bore into the boy like two burning beams, scanning him over and over in a calculating manner.
“My Lady? I hadn’t even known you were in Ardent’s Fall!” The boy gently pulled his hand away from the brith.
Raux closely watched the hand and frowned. The boy was hysterical, like she was after her own multi-month long torment. They won’t be able to get anything beyond damning out of him in this state. And then these guards. The boy probably either forgot he had been tied up, or the guards had strung him up and beaten him senseless before dragging him here. She shook her head and stood up. She pulled her Gurdy from her hip, and held it gingerly in both arms. She spun about and dropped down into a nearby chair. “Well… I suppose I’ll leave the questions to you deary, let me know if you need anything,” the minstrel chirped as she began to crank the instrument, filling the air with a low but pleasant droning sound.
Like when she sang that shanty, the air seemingly grew quiet. All background sounds that were just pointless nose faded into oblivion as the instrument over them all. A few moments later, she clacked at the instrument’s keys, filling the room with a mesmerizing chord and harmony of alternating notes. It was [b]FASCINATING/b] how she handled the instrument so skillfully. And did it handle it all. The woody drum notes it made when the flap was lifted and clapped back down to the frame. The subtle buzzing with just the brief but quickest change of the speed she cranked the instrument’s wheel. It was a beautiful song, and a peaceful one.
”What? But you escorted me to this very room last night at Viceroy Cadby’s orders! Do you take me for a fool, boy?!,” Lucilia snarled taking a step towards Edwin, restraining herself from drawing her rapier. This wasn’t right, she knew the boy was the same one from when she had come here, but such a nervous boy wouldn’t lie for no reason. It was obvious that he had already caved under the pressure, nothing was as it seemed. Perhaps there could be darker forces at work if Edwin didn’t remember escorting her when there were many witnesses to attest that he had indeed been escorting her. She calmed her tone and pressed on, ”What do you remember from yesterday? Has anything strange happened to you at all?”
“No--no, that cannot be my Lady,” Edwin said as he looked to the noble before him. Before he could elucidate further he felt the sounds of Raux’s instrument putting him in a strange sort of ease. He looked to the brith, now, as if more lost in thought than before.
The guards behind Edwin lowered there weapons slightly as they too found themselves enraptured by the harmonic sounds come from the hurdy gurdy.
With a confused look Lucilia looked back at the bard as well.
Raux smiled, and turned her gaze to Lucilia to give her a wink, not once stopping her song. “I did say hold off on the compliments my dear,” Her gaze turned back to the two, like she was about to have a normal conversation. Though not quite. When she spoke, her words seemed to echo off of nothing, and pried gently on the minds of those whom have been enthralled by her performance. “Do not touch them, do not shake them. Now then, with this brief moment to talk to ourselves without them knowing. You would not have gotten much out of the boy in his previous state. He’s hysterical. His memory would be altered by his own emotions if not some other force, or if someone had forced his lips tight. The lad’s also been strung up, no doubt don’t remember it with his heart thundering like a stormin wardrum.”
”You grow more useful by the minute,” Lucilia commented on Raux’s performance before her gaze switched back the entranced ones. ”What now?,” she inquired as she tapped her armor, wondering what exactly to do.
“Now,” The bard echoed as she licked her lips. “Now, I make them want to lick the souls of your boots, love…” she stated as if it was an off thought. She cleared her throat and turned to the three. She still continued to play her song. This time, her voice grew more dominant, those gentle tugs turned more forceful. “Before you stands Lady Lucilia Von Wolfram, heiress of the Wolfram estates, and bound maiden of its property. For now that your lord is dead, she stands as your lord and highest charge, and you will remember your honor when you answer her questions. You’ll answer every question of hers truthfully and in detail. Should your memory prove to be unreliable, you simply say so.”
With that done, she watched as their attention turned towards the noble woman. She gave her a polite nod, letting her song finally die with the suggestion now in effect.
“I will answer honestly, by the ten.” Edwin’s voice lacked the nervous ticks it usually carried, and nearly all of the rising anxiety that weighed on his chest like an anchor seemed to fade now replaced with a serene curiosity.
”Good. Now, I want you to tell me, do you remember escorting me here?,” Lucilia asked, wanting to reaffirm the answer just in case it was his memory that was clouding the answers that he had previously given. It was a simple yes or no question, but she felt that if she did not know then she might not be able to properly make a judgement as to what needs to happen in this situation. Even more so, if Edwin spoke truth in that he could not remember then there would be much bigger problems than the death of a noble. If there was a rogue magician in the city then that means the very fabric of earth they sat in could be compromised.
“There are two things in this world that I never forget my Lady. My formalities, and the nobles I’ve come to know. This is the first time I’ve ever laid eyes on you, my liege.” Edwin wiped a bit of blood from an open cut on his cheek. His pupils were dilated, a common trait of those under the effects of a bard’s magic.
”I see. Has anything strange happened to you the other day? Perhaps you felt as if you were not in control of yourself or you met some stranger who said strange things,” Lucilia continued to inquire as she listened to the boy and his side of the story. It seemed Raux’s music was making this far easier than it would have been had she been by herself. Though, it would be a lie to say she didn’t want to do some good ole torture to get information.
“I-” the boy stammered. A fault in the brith bard’s magic even if only for a moment. “I’d been quite sauced my Lady, last night, at the festival. I spent my night at The Prim and Pricked. Some of the loveliest women there, my Lady.”
“He’s not wrong about that one,” Raux commented after drawing the corners ofher lips back and giving a nod of approval. Both guards looked to Raux, and then each other. They nodded in agreement.
The boy continued his rambling like a madman without sense or a child without comprehension. He looked over to Raux with a hellish smile, and a look of Armond in his eyes. “They can do quite impressive things, my Lady.”
Lucilia blushes for a moment, not used this speak whores and their occupation in the slightest though her father would hire the occasional one. ”Is there anyone who can vouch for you?,” she asked quickly as she turned her head away from everyone in general.
“Elize, the dark rose, my Lady. She hails from Le Feu Mot. She’s quite well endowed, as if sculpted by Reias herself.” The messenger looked to the noble woman. “There is one thing,” he said as his wide eyes, still in a daze, looked to Lucilia. “It haunts my thoughts. I’d consumed quite more alcohol than I can normally manage, but I’d swear on the Gods that I saw a man wearing my shadow, and speaking whispers to me, with my own voice!” The boy’s voice raised in a half-hearted excitement.
“I only remember Elize, and those whispers, my Lady. The next thing I know I was being pulled off of a horse by the city guard near the southern gates.”
At first upon hearing how well-endowed this Elize was, she grew very self-conscious and looked down at her breastplate for a moment. She wasn’t as big as most other were and no doubt that her size and attitude was what drove many potential suitors away. Then, the words of whispers reached her ears and her eyes grew wide as she looked down upon Edwin with a flabbergasted look. She looked back Raux before speaking in a worried tone ”We are all in grave danger. A sorcerer of some form has infiltrated the city.” Lucilia looked to the guards, ”And what of you two, any hearing of these whispers?”
The older guard of the two straightened his posture. “Nothing of the sort. We leave magic to the academy. Most public use is outlawed.”
Lucilia looked down and thought to herself, this sorcerer was an illusive one, probably one that prayed on those of the more intimidated kind. Yet, her mind couldn’t help but go back to the extremely lucid memory that she had last night, and Falk said at least two of them screamed last night. While Lucilia was accustomed to nightmares at times, never had she experienced in as terrifying or as realistic as the scene that played out in her mind, and the voice…
”What did the whispers sound like?
“They were like my own as if coming from my own mouth, but when it spoke to me my lips remained still.”
The noblewoman looked back at the cat and asked her a singular question, ”Did you have a nightmare last night?”
Not thinking on it much, Raux gave a brief nod. “Yeah. Strangest thing, it was. A sea of sand and horrors.” ”As did I… I needn’t anymore questions. You are all dismissed, I want Edwin guarded for the time being.”
Raux frowned and looked to the noble woman, “Aren’t you curious how or why Edwin was tied up? That rash on his arms are rope burns.”
”Would you mind telling us about that, boy?”
“T-those,” the boy let out an awkward chuckle chased by anxious breaths. The magic was slowly beginning to fade from the three before Lucilia and Raux. “Those, were from my night...at the brothel...with,” he stammered. “I’m sorry my Lady for disgracing your ears with such talk.”
As the magic slowly faded from the three the guards looked back down to Edwin. Their bitterness was alleviated by the spells the bard had weaved, but their faces still were contorted with a quiet anger.
Raux quickly sat up, both ears perked and alert. Oh she held wide eyes, and did they sparkle. “Those were from -your- night in da ole house of sin, lad? Hell, if I wasn’t busy I’d rush you to nearest hay myself to explore what your little mind can think of free of charge! Ten forbid such timidness from you!”
Edwin looked frantically from Raux to Lucilia unsure of what words might offend the noble in front of him. All he could utter was a bumbling, “Yes?” It made little sense, but then again most of the last two days made little sense. Edwin felt a wave of serendipitous fortune swell within him at both Luciia and Raux’s proposals.
“Good lad! Now do this cat a favor and keep your head on your shoulders till I get a moment to spare! And I’ll promise to have you singing as well as I during a show,” the brithian chimed in a musical lilt.
“Thank you, my Lady! Cristo shines on me today. “
Hearing the brith flirt with the boy and upon hearing about the boy’s… times, it could be compared that Lucilia’s face was about as red as an apple’s skin. Like a little girl, she covered her ears and simply walked to the nearest wall and let out an internal scream so loud that her vocal cords actually made a faint sound as she exhaled.
“Guarded, and fed flirtations from some brith tramp? Captain Asher won’t be happy about this, my Lady.” The elder guard spoke again. Frayed thin and greying hair poked out from beneath his leather helmet. His thick eyebrows were furrowed in disbelief as he looked on at the display. The younger guard remained quiet, but there was a sense of stoic rigidness in support of his superiors questioning.
Raux was a bit perplexed by human society’s double standards. Should a man sleep with whores or multiple women, he’s considered a man and has not broken any form of social conduct. But if a woman were to sleep with a whore, or man she’s a slut. How curious. But she shrugged off the insult and strolled up to Lucilia, a hand fishing into her coat for the letter she found earlier.
”He may be easier to guard if he is within a cell.” the lady squeaks from her place at the wall. ”Please go away so I don’t have to listen to any… more… make sure not to hurt him anymore.”
The two guards step forward as the two forcefully bring Edwin to his feet. Their roughness is met with modest whimpers from the boy.
She frowned once she heard the whimpers and looked over her shoulders to find the two guards practically manhandling the beaten boy that she intended on having fun with at a later point. She shook her head slowly with a frown.
The elder guard forces his hands behind his back before pushing him forward and out the door. The shove is nearly enough to knock Edwin off of his feet. The three slowly fade from view as does the shuffling of their steps as it disappears down the hall.
@Tangletail BTW, I think that our characters will be able to relate quite well. Both of our people come from really shitty desert enviroments
Ah yes! Though now I am imagining Kites being really popular in the Eru Barrens. Nothing like a dangerous sport of being whisked away by the storms after the worst of it passes.
Why would you build a kingdom in a lands that doesn't want you there? Why would you make lemon-aid if life gave you lemons? Liege: The current King Danallian The Second is a wisened old man chosen for the throne not by birth, but by brilliance in his youth. Now, his age is beginning to take over, leaving him on off days, and brilliant days. Currently, he has a series of caretakers who provide him tests to determine if he’s too dangerously intelligent to make decisions, too dull to make decisions, or if he’s in the sweet spot.
Position: The Eru Barrens is an expansive grasslands and desert spanning the lands just south of the Shiverland Kingdoms. Due to the rainshadows created by the mountains, and powerful storms rolling from west and curving south at a predictable rate and pattern most of this landscape is actually barren. Many of the fauna and plant life have adapted to the climate. Most notably, streatching from the mountains and half way across the kingdom’s landmass are large platueas named “The Looking Glass of Erudite”. This name was given for the land mas taking a near circular shape while the plateaus looks to be broken from one single long line of planes – thus shattered glass.
Structure of Cities and Towns: Due to the destructive power of the frequent storms, There are often plenty of flooding and high powered winds. On most of the plains the largest threat are the high powered winds destroying homes, removing trees, or flinging debris at speed. Within the The Looking Glass, floodings and rushing rapids become massive threats in the chasms.
Most of the cities are often built in locations where they are protected from the high winds by natural land formations, or with the construction of wind blades that break up the force and speed of winds. There are some major trading cities and towns built underground inside massive cave systems once hollowed out by the constant floods however.
Most buildings are primarily built of formed stone and cement. Should the homes be exposed to the weather, they are often built with domes or bladed roofs extending to the ground in the direction of the wind. Only the cities or towns most protected from the harsh winds use wood as the primary construction material. Capital: Home of the king and the most difficult location to siege is Lanaru, Tower of Defiance. Or Often called The Tower, Citadel of Sarcasm, or Insult to Ari and Ira (Death). This location is a marvel of engineering, and had quite literally been born from an engineer’s sarcasm taken a little too seriously. Within the center of the broken plains of The Looking Glass, there was a large plateau wedged between two of the lands highest mountains that had been rounded at all sides by weathering to form the rough shape of a cone. This mountain was between two other mounts of similar height, but had not been worn so badly. When the ancient engineer first proposed his idea, he did not have any designs, he simply jokingly told the crown amongst the arguing scholars and engineers “Why don’t we just bastardize that damned pointy hill in the middle of nowhere. We could make it a tower! Make all pretty like!”
The result is a tower of 800m in height built of ten tiers of concentric platforms with varying numbers of floors within each platform. The lowest platform is about 1.5km across and also holds several entrances into the tower proper. On the balconies where the powerful storms do not touch, there are gardens, farms, and pastures for livestock. Resident Nobility and Royalty is held on the upper most floors. Water fills reservoirs on multiple floors and uses the aid of gravity to provide plumbing. The water pumps are powered by the winds of the storms to push water up to the highest reservoir which then falls down to each lower floor till the reservoirs have been filled.
In history, the tower has been sieged a number of times by enemies testing the King’s claim. However, this quickly proved just how insanely difficult it is to siege this tower. Due to the self sustaining nature of the tower, and that the tower also acts as a city… the lands around them provide absolutely no cover. Sieging armies are exposed to siege weapon fire and archers with the benefit of high ground. There are no buildings for armies to shelter in to surround the tower. The broken plains are ravaged by powerful storms two times a month in fall and winter, and three times in spring and summer. The Chasms are subject to flooding, which have drowned numerous invading armies without notice.
Specialty: Logistics, Rhetoric, Bureaucracy, Music, and Engineering. This nation is most well-known for Bureaucracy and Law however. It will not be uncommon to hear of jokes regarding the need for forms and papers just to relieve one’s self in a public outhouse. That did actually happen in history, but it was quickly thrown out because of how inconvenient and poorly timed it was.
History: The Kingdom of the Eru Barrens was once part of the Shiverpeak kingdoms. However, infighting began between two brothers in Royalty, and thus resorted in the split. At first, the lands the brother had taken for himself were completely uninhabitable. But it did not take very long for the new inhabitants to quickly adapt to their new surroundings after observing nature’s various patterns, and discovering multiple landmarks that provided protection from the elements. Various oddities have been found, from Cave systems so large that it holds its own climate and atmosphere, to large sweeping plateaus that shields one of the major Port towns known as “Storms Breach of Aardmoedier”.
Name: Jeckle Age: 36 Appearance: A thin dark brown skinned man. His scalp is shaved clean of hair, as well as his eyebrows. The eyebrows have been painted on with the use of some makeup, as is fashionable in these lands. He wears a set of thin robes and colorful wraps of silk on his body. His left side is exposed, showing off his chiseled muscles, while the right is covered and creates a long sleeve. He wears a head dressing with bolts of cloth that extends down just underneath his rib cages. Dirty Little Secret: None. This man is way too open to actually have one. Skills: A Smooth talker, and a Bard. Motto: “All stories have been told before. The only difference are the names!”
Why would you build a kingdom in a lands that doesn't want you there? Why would you make lemon-aid if life gave you lemons? Liege: The current King Danallian The Second is a wisened old man chosen for the throne not by birth, but by brilliance in his youth. Now, his age is beginning to take over, leaving him on off days, and brilliant days. Currently, he has a series of caretakers who provide him tests to determine if he’s too dangerously intelligent to make decisions, too dull to make decisions, or if he’s in the sweet spot.
Position: The Eru Barrens is an expansive grasslands and desert spanning the lands just south of the Shiverland Kingdoms. Due to the rainshadows created by the mountains, and powerful storms rolling from west and curving south at a predictable rate and pattern most of this landscape is actually barren. Many of the fauna and plant life have adapted to the climate. Most notably, streatching from the mountains and half way across the kingdom’s landmass are large platueas named “The Looking Glass of Erudite”. This name was given for the land mas taking a near circular shape while the plateaus looks to be broken from one single long line of planes – thus shattered glass.
Structure of Cities and Towns: Due to the destructive power of the frequent storms, There are often plenty of flooding and high powered winds. On most of the plains the largest threat are the high powered winds destroying homes, removing trees, or flinging debris at speed. Within the The Looking Glass, floodings and rushing rapids become massive threats in the chasms.
Most of the cities are often built in locations where they are protected from the high winds by natural land formations, or with the construction of wind blades that break up the force and speed of winds. There are some major trading cities and towns built underground inside massive cave systems once hollowed out by the constant floods however.
Most buildings are primarily built of formed stone and cement. Should the homes be exposed to the weather, they are often built with domes or bladed roofs extending to the ground in the direction of the wind. Only the cities or towns most protected from the harsh winds use wood as the primary construction material. Capital: Home of the king and the most difficult location to siege is Lanaru, Tower of Defiance. Or Often called The Tower, Citadel of Sarcasm, or Insult to Ari and Ira (Death). This location is a marvel of engineering, and had quite literally been born from an engineer’s sarcasm taken a little too seriously. Within the center of the broken plains of The Looking Glass, there was a large plateau wedged between two of the lands highest mountains that had been rounded at all sides by weathering to form the rough shape of a cone. This mountain was between two other mounts of similar height, but had not been worn so badly. When the ancient engineer first proposed his idea, he did not have any designs, he simply jokingly told the crown amongst the arguing scholars and engineers “Why don’t we just bastardize that damned pointy hill in the middle of nowhere. We could make it a tower! Make all pretty like!”
The result is a tower of 800m in height built of ten tiers of concentric platforms with varying numbers of floors within each platform. The lowest platform is about 1.5km across and also holds several entrances into the tower proper. On the balconies where the powerful storms do not touch, there are gardens, farms, and pastures for livestock. Resident Nobility and Royalty is held on the upper most floors. Water fills reservoirs on multiple floors and uses the aid of gravity to provide plumbing. The water pumps are powered by the winds of the storms to push water up to the highest reservoir which then falls down to each lower floor till the reservoirs have been filled.
In history, the tower has been sieged a number of times by enemies testing the King’s claim. However, this quickly proved just how insanely difficult it is to siege this tower. Due to the self sustaining nature of the tower, and that the tower also acts as a city… the lands around them provide absolutely no cover. Sieging armies are exposed to siege weapon fire and archers with the benefit of high ground. There are no buildings for armies to shelter in to surround the tower. The broken plains are ravaged by powerful storms two times a month in fall and winter, and three times in spring and summer. The Chasms are subject to flooding, which have drowned numerous invading armies without notice.
Specialty: Logistics, Rhetoric, Bureaucracy, Music, and Engineering. This nation is most well-known for Bureaucracy and Law however. It will not be uncommon to hear of jokes regarding the need for forms and papers just to relieve one’s self in a public outhouse. That did actually happen in history, but it was quickly thrown out because of how inconvenient and poorly timed it was.
History: The Kingdom of the Eru Barrens was once part of the Shiverpeak kingdoms. However, infighting began between two brothers in Royalty, and thus resorted in the split. At first, the lands the brother had taken for himself were completely uninhabitable. But it did not take very long for the new inhabitants to quickly adapt to their new surroundings after observing nature’s various patterns, and discovering multiple landmarks that provided protection from the elements. Various oddities have been found, from Cave systems so large that it holds its own climate and atmosphere, to large sweeping plateaus that shields one of the major Port towns known as “Storms Breach of Aardmoedier”.
Name: Jeckle Age: 36 Appearance: A thin dark brown skinned man. His scalp is shaved clean of hair, as well as his eyebrows. The eyebrows have been painted on with the use of some makeup, as is fashionable in these lands. He wears a set of thin robes and colorful wraps of silk on his body. His left side is exposed, showing off his chiseled muscles, while the right is covered and creates a long sleeve. He wears a head dressing with bolts of cloth that extends down just underneath his rib cages. Dirty Little Secret: None. This man is way too open to actually have one. Skills: A Smooth talker, and a Bard. Motto: “All stories have been told before. The only difference are the names!”
