Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 1, 2011 0:02:54 GMT -6
OoC: From "A Seaport in Bern". I know Wyatt will be joining us, but he's away at the moment.... That's all.
BiC:
Aaron and company had been traveling for a short time now. Perhaps a couple of days since they had left the port they'd arrived at. Somewhere off to their east was the capital of Bern... also named "Bern". Why a country would name it's capital the same as it's country was beyond the mage. Actually, if he ever began to believe it sensible, he'd consider having himself committed to some form of mental shelter. Perhaps a church, or a maybe a mage school where he could be used instruct pupils in how healing staves were used.... ... Nah. One things stayed constant in his mind though, as he wandered. The Bernese, or at least their nobles, were rumored to have allied with bandits in the last great war. That made them a strange folk. The mage had also heard tell of, and even seen several prideful bernese throughout his life. In his experience, pride, if not always scorn, seemed the general rule for Bernese. But, enough brooding and judgemental thoughts for now. They were traveling the countryside, and Aaron was hoping to find... something useful when they got to the next city.
The green-haired mage decided to walk for a while, and dismounted from Fable, his coal grey colored horse. The creature had been with him for several weeks now, since he'd passed through Laus, in Lycia. In that time, the poor creature had still not grown accustomed to fire magic and still refused to fully trust his owner and rider. Such was life. It wasn't like Aaron was the best horseman around, so he was just glad that the thing didn't try and buck him off at every chance he got.
"Well, while we're still a few hours out from the city, anybody got anything in particular they want to do when we get there?"
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Sabin
Pirate
Sightseeing's fun, isn't it?
Posts: 148
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Post by Sabin on Apr 1, 2011 1:24:34 GMT -6
Sabin had been following Aaron along with Grayson and Wyatt to wherever he was going. Sabin didn't really care, as long as he got a good look at the Bernese culture. Well, it was hard to see pure Bernese nowadays, after the Ilian occupation. Now it was mainly the seafood in most pubs and restaurants, and that put him off. Sure, he liked the idea of tasting Ilian food, but when you're in Bern, you expect Bernese food, not Ilian! But he had to admit, Ilian seafood was pretty good. He hoped he'd be able to eat a whole Bernese cuisine when they arrived at the capital, Aaron just mentioned a while back that they were heading for the capital. Strangely enough, its name was Bern! It'd be a good idea to read about the origin if he ever got a chance to read Bernese history.
He heard Aaron asking about the group's plans when arriving at the capital. He answered, " Well, I've been hoping to eat a nice Bernese meal there, its hard to get to see anything Bernese in Bern these days, with the whole Ilian occupation and all." he paused, and continued.
" The capital should be an important place of knowledge about Bern I suppose. Its really weird how it too, is named 'Bern'. If we can see the castle from the outside, that'd be wonderful, but I don't think the Ilians are too friendly to tourists, now are they?" He started chuckling.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 4, 2011 19:37:04 GMT -6
Aaron glanced over to Sabin as they scuffed their way up the road, curious about the man.
"You really think that they removed that much of the Bernese culture? All I heard was that Illia took took control of the noble court, and conscripted the army. Most of the countryside's culture should be relatively untouched."
Aaron laughed at the second part of Sabin's comment.
"Haha... I can't imagine the Bernese people opening us with arms open either...." Fable nibbled on Aaron's sleeve as they walked along, prompting the mage to play with with his horses chin a bit.
"Ah... The capital. Honestly, if there's one place I'd like to avoid in Bern, it's the capital, information or no. There's just too much political mess going on there."
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Sabin
Pirate
Sightseeing's fun, isn't it?
Posts: 148
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Post by Sabin on Apr 4, 2011 21:31:35 GMT -6
"Well, I thought there'd be a disturbance in the Bernese culture. I mean, when a country invades and seizes control over another, they'd try and erase the nationalism there, I guess." he conitnued,
"Political mess? Surely not so much of a civil war, right? I've heard a rebellion has started, but that doesn't mean it might have escalated? If so, we might be heading into a fight, Aaron." Sabin said, surprised.
"What do you suggest we do? I figure you'd know where you're going, I've got no place to go to in mind." he asked.
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Grayson
Nomad
[M:25]
Now isn't this amusing?
Posts: 105
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Post by Grayson on Apr 5, 2011 16:44:05 GMT -6
Grayson grew tired of the talks of culture this and food that. He grew tired of many things on that road. Even his juggling couldn't keep him entertained. Hair bobbing rhythmically as he walked, Grayson let out a sigh of boredom and turned to Aaron.
"I just hope there's something to do at all. This trail is frightfully boring." it was times like these that he wish he knew how to read and walk at the same time. Though, even if he did, he had nothing to read.
After Sabin mentioned walking into a fight, though, Grayson perked up a bit. He'd been waiting to get into a real battle since he joined this group. Of course, he figured he might not be of much use, but he wanted to at least experience one. After all, sweeping battles were an essential part of any great adventure. He gripped his bow that was slung to his back in excited anticipation.
"Perhaps we will see some adventuring after all!"
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 5, 2011 20:45:18 GMT -6
Aaron sighed. There were some potentially heavy things going down in this nation, and for some reason, he seemed unable to ignore them.... Perhaps it would be worse to ignore those things though.
"Originally, Illia was just supposed to take charge of Bern, and set it back in order after the Bandit War. Keep it from doing something foolish again."
The mage sighed again. "But, for the last year or so, Illia seems to have been only tightening it's grip... They were so welcoming to my Grandfather when he visited the north." Aaron's tone was a little wistful. Of course they'd been polite to a historian. Their story would be "immortalized" by him.
"Halt!" A voice called out from the brambles and rocks on the side of the road. A wiry looking figure carrying a sword ran out onto the path, joined by three or four others on either side of him. They all were armed and armored in some way, though not always in matching patterns.
"There's a 30 gold toll per person on this road, my good men, so just toss it here, and you can be on your way."
The leader had a persuasive voice to him. If he'd trained as a speaker, he could have been quite the important man by now. Instead, he was out robbing travelers and swinging some sharpened metal bar.
The mage stopped. Highwaymen. They existed in the cracks in every society. Unfortunately, they seemed to be encountering one of those cracks now.
"Is there another agreement we could come too?" Aaron really didn't feel like a fight right now, but there was a reason behind his question as well. He was feeling them out, trying to see exactly how many there were, and of what sort. He wondered how Grayson would feel now that he'd been confronted with something from his stories. In perfect timing too.
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Sabin
Pirate
Sightseeing's fun, isn't it?
Posts: 148
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Post by Sabin on Apr 5, 2011 21:35:06 GMT -6
Oh gosh, highwaymen. Sabin was really unlucky, from travelling with boring, immature groups to fighting highwaymen. Then again, it probably added a fun experience to travelling. These guys held a different stance...maybe they had different fighting techniques? Sabin shook his head. Why did he have to think of differences even in fighting?
He moved next to Grayson. He was ready with his stance. As he watched Aaron trying to get them out of this diplomatically, Sabin whispered to Grayson, " I hope you're accurate with the bow, kid. Highwaymen can be dangerous, and this lot looks dangerous to me. You better stay behind me, get to close and they'll chop your neck off!"
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 5, 2011 22:10:09 GMT -6
OoC: Hope you weren't expecting a normal bandit encounter. lol
BiC:
"I don't know. What do you lads think back there?" the leader shouted past the travelers. To Aaron's surprise, he saw that there were another five armed men behind them. Time solved all problems... right? Not this time it seemed.
"Aye, I suppose we could settle for fifty gold instead. Well, time to pay up or die, then. What'll it be" The leader smiled a confident, if nasty grin.
Aaron wasn't going to give them anything. He doubted his companions were of a different mind. He was pretty sure that he could handle a fair number of them, even outnumbered and surrounded. Besides, the others weren't defenseless. Combat meant potential danger though.
"Halt!"
There was another voice, this one higher, coming from behind, and suddenly there were sounds of arrows whizzing through the air. the arrows found their marks, the highwaymen behind the travelers, and sent the survivors hauling tail outta there, scattered.
The arrows had come from a group of five horsman: two mounted archers and a threesome of cavaliers. Aaron's hopes of avoiding a fight lifted. For a moment.
"Lay your goods and weapons down on the ground, drop your gold, and be off with you. It's ours now." It was a brusque sounding woman speaking for this group. Aaron could scarcely believe the bad fortune they were having. Two groups of bandits at the same time.
"Excuse me Madam, but this is my turf! We set up here first, and you'd do well to be off yourself, before I take greater offense at you."
Aaron turned wearily to his companions while the argument started to heat up between the two factions. "If you guys can deal with the ones on the ground, I'll handle the horses."
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Sabin
Pirate
Sightseeing's fun, isn't it?
Posts: 148
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Post by Sabin on Apr 5, 2011 22:42:45 GMT -6
OOC: www.ffonline.com/ff6/music.htm- Battle Theme Theme for the battle taking place. More highwaymen? Well, the other leader was a woman, but whatever. Sabin clenched his fists hard. This was not good. There were just too many of them! This was going to be dangerous. But it was sheer luck that the two robber groups started quarreling. This would be a perfect chance to strike. As he heard Aaron's words, Sabin replied, "I hear you Aaron. You might want to take down those mounted archers first, they seem too dangerous. Oh, and Grayson, fall back and shoot, get too close, and you know what'll happen." Sabin warned Grayson again as he charged at one of the robbers who was idly watching his boss quarrel with the other. Sabin just ran his axe through his head. Seeing one of their kin fall, two other men came rushing at Sabin. Sabin frowned. Two against one didn't look good at all.
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Grayson
Nomad
[M:25]
Now isn't this amusing?
Posts: 105
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Post by Grayson on Apr 7, 2011 5:45:37 GMT -6
Grayson nearly couldn't contain himself he was so excited. Not one, but two bands of brigands! Pulling his oak bow from his back, Grayson fit one of his beautiful arrows into it. The novice archer's heart was pounding in anticipation, barely taking notice of Sabin's comment. He huffed a bit, shrugging off what he already knew. It was only common sense to stay behind. Though Grayson did begrudge the fact that he, for some reason or another, did not carry a weapon with him other than his bow. Even a dagger would have helped in this situation.
As Grayson cursed his lack of foresight, he was still excited. He almost didn't notice the fact that the smaller group was mounted. Horses. He could work with that. However, as Grayson turned to relay a plan to Sabin, it turned out that the oaf had gone and attacked one of the bandits already. Grayson scratched cocked head to one side. Wasn't this man supposed to be some sort of seasoned pirate? One would assume he knew something of battle, but there he went flying into the fray. Even Grayson, an absolute novice to the world of combat, knew it would be best to formulate some sort of plan first.
Sighing, Grayson instead turned to Aaron.
"Well be sure to leave a horse for me. I may be able to make myself useful if I were to mount one of them. You and I both know I'm no good with this thing." Grayson said, raising his bow and pulling back on the string in a weak attempt at lining up a shot. He aimed at one of the men charging at Sabin, pointing the tip of the arrow slightly above the man's collar and released, visualizing the arrow flying forward rather than simply letting go of the string. Grayson hoped the arc of the arrow was right or else it would just end up sticking in the ground.
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Sabin
Pirate
Sightseeing's fun, isn't it?
Posts: 148
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Post by Sabin on Apr 7, 2011 6:04:02 GMT -6
The quicker of the two bandits caught up with Sabin and tried to slash at him, but Sabin's axe collided with the man's sword. Waiting a bit longer, he noticed Grayson readying an arrow, and seeing the other bandit almost coming in for an attack, Sabin jumped back, and just in time too.
The faster bandit lunged forwards as Sabin hopped backwards, helping Grayson as his arrow hit the bandit's neck. The bandit fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
It was not over yet though. The other bandit caught up with Sabin and tried to slash at him. Stepping back, Sabin waited for the bandit to come close to him. As the bandit lunged forward the slash at Sabin's right arm once again, Sabin maneuvered to the left, making a sharp spin as he used his leg to trip the bandit, who fell all so suddenly, dropping his sword. Sabin too fell, but got up quickly since he fell on his hands.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 7, 2011 10:09:58 GMT -6
Aaron heard Sabin, but was already focusing on what he'd need to do to begin dealing with the horsemen behind them. "Kill or scare off?" was what was filling his mind as he began using his tome to shape his flame into being. Even the mage's sympathy had it's limits though. These people were nothing but a plague on decent folk as far as Aaron was concerned. Kill.
The green-haired mage called a small ball of flame to his hand and extended his arm towards the horsemen. It would have appeared as nothing more than a warning had the lethal flames not been licking off of his fingertips. Like a bolt, the flame leapt from his hands and split into two, each diverging to a path towards a mounted archer and exploding shortly before arriving there. The "Pop! Pop" of the dual explosions sounded loudly in the ears of those present, as the force threw the stunned and scorched riders aside.
The horses snorted and reared at the sudden heat and sound, catching the riders by surprise. It was clear that neither group had been prepared for any of these events. Nor for a practiced mage for that matter, and Aaron was far more than practiced: He was experimental.
"Leave a horse. Right!... No promises." Aaron said in response as he gritted his teeth and prepared another volley for the now charging cavalry.
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Grayson
Nomad
[M:25]
Now isn't this amusing?
Posts: 105
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Post by Grayson on Apr 9, 2011 0:33:36 GMT -6
Grayson was more than surprised that his arrow nearly hit it's mark. He was hoping to hit the assailant in his collar, hopefully making it's way to his lung, but the actual result sufficed. Grayson strung another arrow, cursing his lack of any sort of melee weapon. He knew that if he could get himself a mount he could at least be reliable. That hit just then was luck more than anything and he knew it.
Then came Aaron's spell.
Grayson smirked as he watched the affected rider reel back from the force of his compatriot's flame. He aimed at the stunned archer and fired a shot at the man's shoulder. Before he could even bother to pay attention to where the arrow landed, he bolted forward.
"Cover me!" Grayson shouted back at Aaron and Wyatt. He was about to get his mount.
Using the speed and agility he had acquired in his years practicing circus tricks, Grayson deftly ran around the mounted highwaymen as they were still taken aback by Aaron's spell. He pulled out an arrow from his quiver and snapped off most of the shaft, tossing it aside and holding the remaining bit with the arrowhead at the end like a makeshift knife. It certainly wasn't a proper blade, but he didn't seek to use it against any flesh.
Grayson found his way to the man he fired at earlier. To his delight, the arrow had missed it's mark. This normally would bring chagrin rather than delight, but it missed in a spectacular way. The arrow just so happened to have imbedded itself squarely above the archer's left eye. Grayson would normally cringe at such a grisly sight, but his excitement over the battle gave him an adrenaline rush strong enough to keep him focused for once. Grayson slid under the archer's steed, brandishing the broken arrow like a dagger as he cut the straps holing the saddle from the horse's underbelly. This brought back many a memory of when he had to do this back at the manor. It was favorite prank of his to play on his riding teacher. A few seconds each was all he needed to slice through the worn leather straps. The archer then fell to one side, bringing the saddle with him. Grayson grasped the stirrup opposite to the side the archer was sliding towards and was dragged upward. Using the momentum he gained from the falling archer, Grayson threw his leg over as he reached the horse's back and grasped the reins.
Now the difficult part came. Calming the steed in this chaos.
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Aaron Winsett
Sage
Seeker of Knowledge
Knowledge is a weapon. I intend to be formidably armed.
Posts: 419
Sacae Fame: 1
Lycia Fame: 2
Profession: Student of Magic
OoC Alias: Feldsky
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Post by Aaron Winsett on Apr 13, 2011 21:01:33 GMT -6
OoC: Hmm... since Wyatt specifically wanted to come with Aaron, and since he's not here, and since it's out of his character for him to stand and do nothing, I'm going to ghost him a bit in the battle.
"I've got this!" It was Wyatt who spoke up leaving his pack on the ground and stepping in to smash up one of the villians with his hammer. The way he swung at the downed bandit Sabin was fighting, well, any more power and he would have taken something off. As it was, the man merely had the life crushed out of him.
That didn't stop the ground bandits' leader from sending his last two men into the attack. "What are you waiting for! Rush them!" After confirming that his stupid minions were, in fact charging to attack, the leader slipped off into the brush at the side of the road, escaping. Things had all gone wrong when that other group of brigands had showed up, and he wasn't about to let it cost him his life. Time to leave.
Back on the other side of the fray, Aaron watched as Grayson performed an impressive act of acrobatics, cutting free the saddle from one of the horses, and using it's weight to sling him up onto the back of the beast. Aaron had never thought he'd see such a maneuver used in battle, but he just had.
"Nice job, Grayson!" Aaron shouted, feeling a ball of condensed flame forming in front of his outstretched palm. Unfortunately, Grayson's position put limits on what Aaron could do with his magic. Blowing away the purple-haired bowman was not A-Ok in the mage's book.
"Now hang on!" With a flick of his wrist, Aaron conjured a large fireball near Grayson. With a second motion, he destroyed the bounds which held it to its spherical form on the opposite side from Grayson, causing it to explode outward, away from the bowman and engulf the remaining riders in flame. The smell of burning flesh assaulted the mage. Disgusting, but reassuring to a combat mage.
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Grayson
Nomad
[M:25]
Now isn't this amusing?
Posts: 105
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Post by Grayson on Apr 16, 2011 9:07:58 GMT -6
Grayson cringed as the ball of fire exploded. Though, to his surprise, the explosion hadn't hit him nor the horse he sat upon. However, it did spook the steed enough to send it reeling backwards. Grayson suddenly came back to his senses as he realized that the horse was about to completely fall backwards, likely crushing part of if not all of his body.
The archer gritted his teeth as he pulled hard on the reins and dug his heels into the sides of the horse, using his knees to "steer" the horse to the side. If this worked, the horse would turn and regain it's balance. He cursed his lack of spurs, but made do with what he had. A few seconds of urging the horse back down finally paid off, the horse began to turn to the right. Grayson then pushed the reins forward a bit and kicked the horse in the sides, forcing it back on all fours.
Grayson gave a sigh of relief, but was cut short as the steed lunged forward, out of control. The archer steeled his resolve. He knew this was coming. Grayson held the reins tightly, ignoring the pain of riding bareback on a horse at full gallop. Steering the rampaging horse away from the fray, Grayson attempted to run it down both trying different methods of stopping it and hoping it would just eventually calm down, being away from the chaos.
Grayson's lack of stirrups worked against him as he instinctively tried to push forward with his legs, a usual tactic of his to slow a panicking steed, only to find that he almost slipped off the horse's back several times. He eventually quit trying it out of habit and held on as tightly as he could with his legs, instead using his arms to steer with and pull back on the reins. Several moments, what seemed like hours to Grayson, passed and the horse finally began to slow. He could tell it was getting tired. Just a bit more and he would have this beast tamed.
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