Kyro
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Strength does not lie in one's arm or mind, but in what they fight for...
Posts: 29
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Post by Kyro on Feb 6, 2010 12:33:05 GMT -6
Happy, happy day, Kyro thought dryly. I'll never complain of boredom again. I get sent to deliver a simple, probably grovel-filled message, get intercepted by an eccentric mage, spend several days tracking the most infamous man in Lycia--who happens to have a huge, unmistakable army with him--and it seems that I still found the wrong group, all while getting the lovely chance to meet a dragon and be impaled by hysterical soldiers. Time to talk fast and for Elias to talk none. Never letting his purely professional expression slip in the slightest, Kyro allowed the letter to drop to a more natural position...well, without being ground into the dirt like it doubtless deserved. First, the man accompanying the dragon spoke. Everyone I go, someone kow-tows to the Inquisition...although I actually forgive him this time. An archer couldn't be capable of doing much to a force this size, even with a dragon. Why did he transform? He stays equally at risk either way...his choice, I suppose.
Regardless, the large reptile had chosen his companion well. The most paranoid man in Elibe wouldn't kill him now, the wyvern rider mused. However, it seemed to be his turn. Stepping forward with the letter once again held aloft, Kyro announced again, "As I said, I bear a message. Addressed from the Ilian government in Bern," here Kyro had mentally detach himself, as if reciting lines in a play, "to the Herald or any High officer in the command chain of the Inquisitional army. I also am requested to offer highest respects from said government, and to urge my departure immediately after a response is issued, if possible." In order to pretend that those Ilians actually have a need for me. What will I do, forbidden to even perform basic drills? I can't even fly on Aiyer for the enjoyment of it. There he went again, fuming over things he had no chance of changing. It would get him killed in this case, so he focused only on running through the formalities required of him.
But wait...speaking of formalities, Kyro gestured to Elias. "This is Elias, a friend of mine that has agreed to accompany me." No doubt Elias would respond to that, but Kyro had no doubt that this commander would demand his name eventually...now if only he would be permitted to speak with the dragon, he might come out with some satisfaction over the ordeal.
Right. What kind of luck that would take.
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Post by Guinevere von Altenburg on Feb 6, 2010 14:50:00 GMT -6
Guinevere was among the soldiers on the frontlines, lance pointed at the dragon and the people with it. She wasn't particularly fond of Commander Ariston, but she knew enough to follow his orders. She answered to Richter and he answered Ariston, so technically she had to answer him too. And she was fine with that. All part of being a solider.
With her helmet on the way it was, it was impossible to even tell she was a female. Her hair was stored under it neatly and her armor concealed her womanly features. She liked it like this, well sometimes anyways. It was nice not to be treated a certain way because of how she looked, but rather her skills. And she wanted to use this opportunity to prove herself. She kept her lance steady, much more so that the other soldiers, and waited silently for an order. She was ready.
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Feb 6, 2010 19:07:08 GMT -6
Marcus froze on the spot, being careful not to make any movements that could be taken as hostile. "As my companion has stated we would like to join this army. We bear you no ill feelings and our quarrel is not with you. As a sign of my good will I shall present to you my dragonstone, so that I am unable to harm you in any way. That way you can judge my character, and then decide if we are friend or foe." Marcus waited for a response, thinking that if he reached for his stone now, the act would be taken as hostile.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Feb 6, 2010 20:47:33 GMT -6
OoC: Sorry Aleth, didn't really feel like waiting any longer.
He's been very open so far, and I doubt this boy could be dangerous to the army. She looked at the musician, a little curious as to his motivation to join the army. She could see why mercenaries would want to join, but a musician? And one so young? Well, the army seemed to be getting some young people recently, so she couldn't say much on it.
She'd been sent to identify the source of the music. It followed reason that Commander Abend would want to speak with him. "Adete Eratodom, I'm Assistant Officer Feldsky, of the Inquistional Army. Follow me back to the army. I think you could talk to the my commander."
She mounted back up on Corona again, and looked at Aleth, who'd slipped off.
"Aleth, ready to head back?"
She started back towards the army. It had moved forward since she'd gotten there. They were now a good distance off, directly out from the right side of the group. She headed toward the back, where she could meet back up with the Commander.
She dropped back to ride alongside Adete. "Tell me Adete. Why would you want to join an army? Armies can be pretty rough places."
OoC:For simplicity's sake, I'm going to assume that Aleth rode back to the army with Clair.
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Adete
The "Before" years
[M:0]
"Please, listen to my songs, and then decide if I'm useless."
Posts: 15
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Post by Adete on Feb 6, 2010 21:21:32 GMT -6
Adete stood up straight suddenly, and his expression darkened. He didn't want the memory to flow into his head. But it did anyways.
He saw his father, tall and once strong, on a bed, weak, and almost ready to die... Later, he saw him again, better, but still not strong enough to play with him as they once had... Then, the day. His father handed him three papers. One was of his grandfather's songs. Another were his notes. The final sheet was the most torn, and worn out. This one was Kilieh's song...
Adete focused again and looked at the sky. "I... I d-ddon't want t-to talk about it." He cleared his throat and got out his flute. "I'd rather we talked about something else. How about a song? This one was actually played by pirates in the Western Isles." He sighs, and begins playing a very casual, yet fast, song that makes one feel more energized. As he played, one could swear a bird had flown from where the Western Isles were located.
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Morgoth Animus
Shaman
DEAD
"Save the world? You know not what you say."
Posts: 155
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Post by Morgoth Animus on Feb 7, 2010 22:03:21 GMT -6
Morgoth followed Mavick and held his tome in his hand. He had been about to ask him about training and show him his notes of Mavicks teaching when the dragon-kin appeared. Morgoth was some-what accustomed to wild wyverns, but the Manakete was crossing his 'hold back zone'.
"What now?" he whispered to Mavick.
OoC: There and Back Again, XD
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Post by Richter Abend on Feb 7, 2010 23:52:58 GMT -6
The appearance of a dragon, Richter thought, was ominous at best. Last time he had seen a dragon, he'd been chased out of a chaos engulfed Etruria by the soldiers of the Prophet, right into a destroyed port with another dragon and a diminutive demon-sorcerer who was killing everything. Then they ended up being transported to the middle of nowhere where a bunch of men Richter had never seen before were fighting the bandit king Hargus.
This instantly got Richter's brain working. Why was there a dragon, with an archer riding him no less, out here in the Sacaen plains? Also, why would he fly right up to a fully-equipped army? Even without the Prophet's known hatred for dragon-kind, the High Officer couldn't fathom why the dragon would approach them. He said they wanted to join their army, but why? Richter paused for a moment. If he could get this dragon in the army, then achieve its goodwill, he could turn out to be a powerful ally.
Richter leaned over to Ariston to speak to him. "Sir, this puts us in an awfully advantageous position," he said to his superior. "The dragon wants to join us. Instead of ending up with a bunch of dead soldiers and a dead dragon, we could agree to the creature's proposal and gain a powerful weapon to add to the Etrurian forces." The pink haired officer paused to let his words sink in. "Think about it: what force could stand up to the Etrurian army if there was a dragon in our ranks?"
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Post by Kraft on Feb 9, 2010 7:24:05 GMT -6
Ariston pondered over what to do next. This was a pretty interesting twist. And High Officer Richter did have a point.
"Allright. Give me the dragonstone." Ariston had never heard of such a thing, but it seems it was the source of power.
"And you," and he pointed at Byron, "You will be guarded. If your friend tries anything funny, you'll die." He smiled bitterly after this. He wasn't threatening them, he was making promises and stating facts. He retrieved the dragonstone from the monster and put it in his pocket before returning back to his original position, where he was well guarded by his men. Meanwhile, Byron was ushered into the crowd of people that surrounded the dragon and the messengers. He wound up standing next to a shaman, Morgoth. The men eyed the archer and were ready to kill him if he tried anything foolish. Byron was by now, more or less a hostage.
Then, Ariston gazed at the Messengers.
"Speak. We have no quarrel with Ilia or Bern, but we have heard rumours of war. What is your business?" He looked at the two men with a icy gaze and waited for his response. He nodded at Richter, the young officer had been quick. He had talent, allright.
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Kyro
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Strength does not lie in one's arm or mind, but in what they fight for...
Posts: 29
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Post by Kyro on Feb 9, 2010 14:25:01 GMT -6
As it turned out, the dragon may not have needed his partner after all: in a bold show of humility and subservience, he had turned over his dragonstone, which Kyro could only assume let him transform. Kyro, however, had his errand, and the dragon's arrival alongside his own had extended what should have been quick and painless. Never-the-less, nobody could be blamed for being interested in a dragon--a real dragon--over any messenger boy.
Even all of the shows of fealty earned one of them a spot as a captive, but in the current situation, it was preferable.
Then, finally, Kyro and his message received attention. For a third time Kyro, held his letter aloft, wondering when he had become so accustomed to a job he avoided..."My name is Kyro, wyvern rider of the outer corps of Ilian-Bernese military. As I stated, I bear a message from the Ilian leadership of Bern to the Herald or any officer of sufficient rank. The message was deemed confidential upon my receiving it, and I know nothing of its contents." Here Kyro warily stepped forward to hold the letter in arms reach of the officer. "My orders other than that are only to await a response, bring salutations from Ilia, and to request that I be allowed to return home as soon as possible. On the other hand," Kyro hesitated, but not visibly, "I also have heard nothing of my homeland for several days. You said something of rumors of war?" Could it be true? This man obviously thought he needed to be intimidating, but displays were a part of everything Kyro did now; no matter the mission, someone felt the need to intimidate him.
It had never worked before, and it wouldn't now. Kyro doubted his addressee truly cared about his response, but no matter.
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Byron
Archer
PopMeat
Posts: 50
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Post by Byron on Feb 9, 2010 17:14:10 GMT -6
Byron sighed as he was dragged off and put in his new "position". "This wasn't really what I had in mind..." Byron muttered under his breath as he looked at the man next to him. He was robed and looked somewhat intimidating. Byron looked at the ground in disappointment. I wanted to join the army, not become hostage. This reminded him of Astin, somewhere out in the world. Alone. Alone, that was a word that nearly brought Byron to tears. His best friend, his brother, was probably being treated like crap right now, and he couldn't do anything about it.
Optimism. Byron thought as he tried to look at the positives, like Astin did. If he was going to make it in this war, he had to make allies, not enemies. Might as well start now. Byron turned to the robed man beside him. "Hey. What's your name?"
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Feb 9, 2010 21:51:14 GMT -6
Clair watched as the musician's expression darkened.
"I... I d-ddon't want t-to talk about it. I'd rather we talked about something else. How about a song? This one was actually played by pirates in the Western Isles."
She heard the music. She forgot the winds here in Sacae as his song brought to mind the waves and winds of the Isles, buoying her up on the rhythm of it's quick notes. Despite the nature of the music he played, Clair had to be cautious. She'd seen more action since the last time she'd brought someone in, and, as a result, was more suspicious now... even of young musicans.
"Adete, I- This is not a travel caravan! This is an army!" She was surprised that she was speaking so forcefully. "The people in the army all serve a purpose! Some join for money, others for their beliefs. Why would you want to join? What could your part be?"
She didn't really believe that this musician was a spy, and laughed at the thought of him being an assassin, but it would be irresponsible to just walk someone she had no knowledge of into the midst of the army.
OoC:For simplicity's sake, I'm going to assume that Aleth rode back to the army with Clair.
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Adete
The "Before" years
[M:0]
"Please, listen to my songs, and then decide if I'm useless."
Posts: 15
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Post by Adete on Feb 9, 2010 22:10:38 GMT -6
Adete's flute squealed, and the song suddenly ended, as Adete slowed.
"I... I... I-I need the money, and I..." He didn't like talking about father, but he's a terrible liar... Maybe he can make one quickly... No, he can't do that...
"I'm just a musician, I can't fight. I trained myself for years, mastering the art of music. Well... I want to see... maybe... maybe I could get a better stage, a better audience, by joining the audience as a kind of performer. You heard my songs, they just melt you away, eliminating pains of the past and present. Maybe I could, maybe I could learn to wield a weapon! Or... maybe I'll find another instrument to play! Just maybe... but..." His voice fades, and he returns back to riding... He puts away his flute, and begins riding at a faster pace.
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Feb 10, 2010 20:35:33 GMT -6
The leader came forward and seized Marcus' dragonstone from him. As if from nowhere, Marcus felt his entire body go weak. He felt as if his knees might buckle and his arms felt like liquid. As he stared around the crowd, he felt as if the whole world was viewing his every move and hearing his every thought. He almost felt like lunging out at them, but restrained himself to save his and Byron's lives. He yearned to have his stone back and wished he had never let it leave his possession. He would do anything to get it back know, unless it put lives on the line. He turned to the commander, suddenly very peeved that the man was such a xenophobe. "How may I earn your trust?" Marcus asked, hiding his irritation.
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Post by Richter Abend on Feb 10, 2010 22:58:25 GMT -6
Richter's brow furrowed, baffled. Why was this dragon giving the source of his power to a human? Why had he even stayed here at all? He was putting both himself and his friend in danger, just to join an army. It was foolish. It didn't matter now, though. This dark cloaked dragon-man and his scarred friend were now prisoners of the Prophet, just like he was. It was from desperate situations like that, however, that allies were born.
Richter moved closer to Marcus, now that Ariston had moved his attention on to the wyvern rider, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're on thin ice as it is, Marcus," said Richter, making sure to use the dragon's name. He would not succumb to the racial bigotry like his fellows. "I'd suggest you stay quiet for now." The High Officer nodded, then slowly brushed past the hooded man, whispering in his ear as he did. "You'll need my help if you want your stone back."
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Morgoth Animus
Shaman
DEAD
"Save the world? You know not what you say."
Posts: 155
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Post by Morgoth Animus on Feb 11, 2010 22:29:45 GMT -6
Morgoth looked at the archer strangely, keeping himself from trying to kill the man and then answered "My name is Morgoth. I'm a shaman." Morgoth turned to Mavick, putting the other man out of his mind. "What to we do now? And I wanted to show you my notes, I wrote down what you've already told me." He pulled the paper out of his outside pocket.
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