Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 4, 2011 13:44:30 GMT -6
OoC: Make note that this is not a solo thread. I have one person who plans to enter eventually, but anyone else is also welcome to jump in. The more the merrier, as they say. IC: The afternoon sun began to set over the Ilian mountains, painting the rolling hills and flat plains of Sacae in a warm orange. A faint breeze swept across the grass, kicking up dust on a beaten trail. Through the cloud of dust stepped a small group of horsemen, mounts trotting along contently as their passengers conversed between themselves. Tirion sat atop his chestnut mare Galn behind his father Aez on his large black stallion and in front of his half sister Kaela and her friend Talia on a gray spotted mare. "Papa! When will we get there?" Kaela complained. Aez looked back at Kaela and grinned. "Impatience is not a good quality fer a lass, Kaela. We'll be there soon. Just be patient." Aez turned back round on his horse and adjusted his armor a bit. Tirion noticed his father doing this very often. Was he serious when he said the armor didn't fit anymore? Before he could ponder it any further, Aez shouted out suddenly. "There it is!" Tirion wondered what his father was talking about. Peering forward, he finally saw it. In the distance a towering wall of tan stone could be seen. The wall grew more and more massive as they approached it. It was very different from the wall surrounding Mullingard. There were very few defenses and it seemed more ornamental than a means to protect the city. The party crossed a bridge over a river before finally getting close enough to see a few guards on patrol at the top of the wall. It was strange to see so few on such a wall. It seemed this city was not concerned much with attacks made against it. "Da. What is this place?" Tirion asked. Aez turned his head again and responded with a smile. "This is Bulgar, me boy! Tha center o' trade fer most o' tha region! We'll find travelers from all over in there." Tirion smirked a bit. His father really knew what he was doing. This seemed like a perfect place to get able bodied travelers to aid them. The party approached the massive gates and a guard poked his head out of a tower. "One moment!" the guard shouted as he went back inside. A few minutes later, he emerged from a wooden door at the base of the tower. "I apologize. The guard is frightfully sparse this month. I have to work both gate posts." the middle aged guard panted a bit from descending the stairs in the tower, "So. Business or pleasure?""Business, good sir. We been on tha road all day an' would like ta find an inn ta stay at.""Very well. You can find the Setting Sun inn to your left in the main square as you enter the city. Their rates are fair for the accommodations they offer." he stopped and seemed to be thinking for a bit, "That seems to be it. Welcome to Bulgar." The guard made his way back up to the tower and the gate suddenly began to slowly open. Tirion and company trotted into the city. Once inside, Tirion was surprised at the amount of people walking the streets. Kaela and Talia looked as though they were stunned. It made sense to Tirion. The two girls hadn't been to a city before. Mullingard wasn't as large as this city, but Tirion was at least used to seeing something similar to this. Some time passed as they made their way tot he inn the guard mentioned. The image of an orange circle, rays protruding from it, behind the silhouette of a mountain range above the sign was a dead giveaway. The party dismounted and tied their horses to the posts outside the building. Aez swung the door open which caught on a bell suspended above the door frame, making a chime as the party entered. The innkeeper, a portly man with a gigantic moustache, greeted them kindly. "Welcome! Are you, per chance, travelers looking for a night's reprieve?" Tirion stepped up to the counter the man stood behind and spoke. "Aye. Me company an' me would like ta purchase two rooms, please." Aez was a bit put off that he wasn't able to order the room, but he was fine with Tirion handling it. The innkeeper nodded and handed them two keys which Tirion took and gave the man a sum of gold. The four then headed up to their rooms to settle in.
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 14, 2011 7:38:03 GMT -6
On the second floor of the building, Tirion and company found their rooms. He looked at the doors for a second and turned to Kaela.
"Can ye an' Talia take tha room on tha left?" Kaela nodded in compliance. Tirion handed the key to Kaela and the two entered their room together. He could feel Aez's eyes on the back of his head. Tirion turned to face his father only to see a very amused expression on his face.
"What?"
"Oh, nothin'. Yer just such a man now." Tirion sighed. His father was really good at making Tirion feel like a child.
"Da. I've lived through more than 30 winters. I was a man long before today." Aez chuckled at Tirion's response. This only made Tirion groan more.
"Oh, ye know I'm just plain' wit' ye! Come on. We've a long day ahead o' us. We need our rest." Aez took the key from Tirion's hand and opened the door to their room, stepping inside afterwards. Tirion sighed and followed. Once inside, he found Aez having trouble with his armor. The old man was attempting to take off his breastplate by himself while still fully armored.
"Seriously, Da. Have ye fergotten everythin'?" Tirion walked up and un-strapped the pauldrons and then the breastplate, "Armor like this ye cannae just take off yerself."
"Ah. Sorry 'bout that, me boy. I got a bit excited."
"Well just try to think a bit more before doing things like this." Tirion said, slightly irritated. Aez looked troubled as he noticed his son's face.
"I'm a disgrace, ain't I?" Aez muttered dejectedly. Tirion was caught off guard by his father's sudden melancholy question. He stammered a bit before finally answering.
"Not at all! I understand bein' excited 'bout what we're doin' tomorrow. Plus, ye haven't worn this armor in years." He looked at his father as his face changed from tired sorrow to contentment. He could tell he was just masking whatever it was he was feeling, however.
"Right. Sorry 'bout that." Aez walked over the the pile of plates and layed his chain mail over it along with his sword and shield.
"Maybe we could find a smith ta fix that shield while we're here?"
"T'aint likely ta be a smith that can work with ironwood here. Tha wood used ta make it only grows near tha mountains an' tha technique ta make tha stuff is a Norric secret."
"Oh. Well then we'll get it fixed in Mullingard, then." Tirion took off his spaulder, cloak, and chain mail. Aez had already stripped down to his slacks and was sitting on the bed he picked.
"I hope. Knowin' ol' Halford, he'll have all tha smithies under his command." Tirion had undressed to his slacks and tunic and got into his own bed.
"Well if that's the case, we could 'ave Cray try his hand at it."
"Oh yeah. I fergot yer friend was a smith. Well if he knows how ta make ironwood, he'll have my business."
Aez climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up. Tirion followed and the two laid down facing each other.
"Well goodnight, Da." Tirion was looking forward to this. His first sleep in days that wasn't on the ground. He had drifted to sleep before hearing his father's response.
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 24, 2011 23:10:13 GMT -6
OoC: Tir? Does this inn have a bar?
Garnet sat back against the chair he'd picked in the corner of the building. He'd been staying at the Setting Sun Inn for a few days since he'd escaped Etruria, and was finally getting used to the place.
Hard to believe I've made it to the home of the "savages". Garnet thought to himself, sipping on whatever foreign concoction he'd managed to acquire. Doesn't seem so savage to me.
Not that the Mercenary was particularly fond of the drink. He'd been nursing the cup he had for near on two hours now, while trying to figure the best thing to do now.
Well, obviously, you need to get some work, m'boy. Maybe that strange foursome that picked up rooms earlier would have some use of another sword. They looked well armed, though... His thoughts turned to the girls that had been traveling with the older pair of men. He just couldn't quite puzzle out what the deal was surrounding that. They looked too young to be fighters, so maybe the group was just traveling somewhere.
Garnet stood to his feet, groaning from the time he'd spent seated, and grabbed his greatsword up from where it was leaning in the corner. "Ohhh.... Innkeep, I'll see you in the morning." The red-headed Mercenary yawned. ".... I'll see you tomorrow."
With heavy steps, the swordsman moved up the stairs, found his room, and set his weapon down with the rest of his assortment of weapons and gear before bolting the door closed behind him. The following crash as he let himself fall on his bed wouldn't have hurt so bad, had he remembered to brace himself. Some of the inn's beds weren't particularly well padded.
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 25, 2011 8:54:43 GMT -6
OoC: No bar, but it has a place to eat and drink as most inns should. I had planned on moving to a proper tavern soon.
Tirion stirred in his bed. Beads of cold sweat ran down his brow and soaked his sheets. The swordsman tossed and turned and eventually fell off the side of the bed landing on the wooden floor with a loud thump. Tirion let out a pained groan as he picked himself up and sat with his back against the bed.
"Son of a..." he rubbed his side, "Blasted... will I ever get a good night's sleep?" Tirion complained. He looked over the bed at his father. The old man was still sleeping soundly. He was astounded by how heavy a sleeper Aez was.
Tirion looked around as he stood up. The room was completely dark save for the high moon's light peering through the window. Using what little light the moon afforded him, Tirion made his way to his pile of gear. Tirion realized how soaked his tunic was. He didn't want to roam around in a sweat-drenched shirt so he took it off and let it hang on a coat hook on the wall. In front of him hung a mirror. He peered at his reflection. Tirion's beard looked rather scruffy. It was certainly longer than he liked. However, it seemed that he had lost his razor in the river Halford dumped him into.
Tirion's gaze was drawn tot he black and green tattoo on his shoulder, however. The tribal markings ran from his neck across his chest and halfway down his arm. They were a series of tattoos he had an old friend etch into his skin from the day he entered the militia to the day he left. It began as a simple mark on his arm and grew from there. Running his fingers along one of the designs, he remembered the life he once lived. The life he would have to return to if he were to free his people. He abhorred killing now, but it seemed he would have to kill again to achieve his goal.
Tirion let out a sigh. He needed fresh air. Stepping out of the room, he turned down the completely dark hallway.
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 25, 2011 9:59:37 GMT -6
The red-headed mercenary awoke. Something down the hall had caused him to wake up. Or downstairs. Or in the roof. Or in the barn. It had been a long time since he'd gotten a good night's sleep. Things had been hard since that bounty business in Etruria. At least he was pretty much unheard of out here. Just another sword for hire.
Rising from his bed, he pulled on his clothes, buckling his slim sword around his waist, and throwing his vest on over all. Might as well head down stairs and have a look around. Or at least get out of that little room for a while.
With a huffed breath, Garnet opened his door, stepped out into the hall, and struggled to lock it behind him. There was little to no light out here, he realized, but there was a banister he could follow down stairs. Taking his time, the merc eased his way down. By the other sounds in the hall, he wasn't the only person up and moving about.
Once downstairs, and after wandering outside, Garnet took a spot to the side of the entrance, a few feet down. The breeze seemed near constant on the Sacaen plains. Some days he reveled in it's mighty gusts, but right now it felt peaceful, like the breeze over the hills near his home. He decided it would be nice just to stand there for a moment and relax. Plus, the barn sometimes seemed to send it's overwhelming fragrances into his room, so this side of the inn was a bit fresher for that.
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 25, 2011 10:30:41 GMT -6
Tirion let out a mighty yawn as he plodded towards the end of the hallway. On his way down the hall, he noticed another figure hastily making their way downstairs. Tirion stopped for a second, realizing he had a rather large craving for some sableweed. He stepped back into his room and grabbed his pipe and bag of leaves. Tirion hurried back to the stairs and stepped down them and finally out of the inn.
Finally out in the breeze of the plains, Tirion began to wake up more. He found a torch near the inn's front door and used it's light to peer into the leather pouch that he kept his dried sableweed leaves in. It seemed that he was running low. Groaning a bit, he pondered if he should really smoke that night. He was certainly yearning for one, but he didn't want to be deprived of his favorite leaf until they reached Mullingard, a destination that may be days if not weeks away. The hulking Norricman weighed his options and found his desire to take a long, calming draught of the sweet smoke too much. He reached into the bag with a meaty hand and grabbed a handful of the dried leaves. He crushed and packed them into the bowl of his long pipe and lit a stick he found on the ground using the brazier above him. Tirion strode froward while he lit his pipe. The smell and taste of the burning leaves was a little bit of home for him. He felt calm as the smoke entered and exited his lungs.
The beeze enterign the city over the walls cooled the sweat that still covered Tirion's body. He continued to walk, smoking his pipe, until he came across a man standing idly next to the adjacent wall. The man's hair was a deep red, almost unnatural by Tirion's standards. Of course, he had met a man with white hair not too long ago that didn't look like he had seen even twenty winters. He figured he shouldn't be surprised. Not entirely sure if he should offer what little was left of his leaves (his father would probably like to have some more), he hesitated speaking to the man. However, ti was a known custom of the Norric to share pleasures with whomever wanted them.
Tirion walked over to the man and held out his bag.
"Ae, sir. Ye wanna smoke? I got some good leaves if ye fancy yerself a pipeman."
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 25, 2011 11:42:47 GMT -6
Garnet noticed the man approaching a moment before he spoke. It was one of the foursome from earlier. One of the travelers. The man was quite large, and had an odd color of reddish hair which the mercenary had not seen before. Not that he could remember anyway. The uncommon accent also attracted some attention.
The mercenary considered the offer. He could remember his uncle having smoked a pipe before, but Garnet himself had never taken up that habit. Didn't even have a pipe, in fact.
"No, thankyou though.... I've never smoked, myself. I wouldn't mind a bit of conversation though, if you're willing...." The man intrigued Garnet. He honestly had no idea where this man could have come from. It would proably be a bit rude to just blurt out "where the heck are you from?" though, so he thought he'd start a bit smaller.
"Can't say I've seen ink-work like that before. It's impressive."
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Mar 25, 2011 15:50:21 GMT -6
"So, where are we now?"
"Sacae."
"FFFFFFFFFFFcrap"
The red headed, tired boy was just awakening from his slumber. Similar to his earlier slumber, except not nearly as embarrassing. His hair a mess, even more so then usual if that was possible, make his normal bedhead look even more bedheady. It was rather silly honestly. Still even in his mentally anguished state, he was still the type to awake far too early. It was good most of the times, but sometimes even the ball of energy known as the crimson mage needed rest. Especially... Ugh. Might as well get up.
So he stumbled out of his bed, struggling to put his red cloak on with half open eyes and a half dead mind. "Garnet?" He called half-heartedly as he stumbled around. Elias made it a point to tag along and basically stalk the poor mercenary, but it wasn't that odd to Elias. Garnet was, probably, the first real friend he's had... ever. So he wanted to make sure he didn't lose him, secret mission be damned. He had more important things to do!
So he left his room, a candle in his hand lighting up the dark night. The moonlight, or what little there was, wasn't enough to light up the dark corners of the inn. Voices floated in the silent night, apparently from right outside the entrance. He was curious, but not particularly in the mood to talk to anyone... So instead he sat on one of the chairs in the room, quietly listening to the voices. It wasn't particularly exciting, but the last thing Elias wanted right now was excitement.
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 26, 2011 16:40:04 GMT -6
"Well..." Tirion began to answer, "This is me mark o' valor, if ye can see it that way. I certainly don't. A friend started it when I was just a lad barely old enough ta enter battle." Tirion fell silent for a moment. He didn't particularly like his teenage self and thinking about those times made him regret all the meaningless deaths he caused. With a sigh, Tirion continued, leaning backwards on the wall, standing next to the man. "Not a time I like ta remember."
Tirion would have continued and told the tale of his time in the war, but he stopped himself. He was always willing to share stories, but he had just then met him.
"I don' know if'n I should tell such a story to a man I just met. Though I will tell ye a bit about meself." Tirion took a long draught of his pipe and exhaled three smoke rings, each one fitting inside of the former, "Me name is Tirion Aonghal. I come from tha city o' Mullingard ta the north in tha shadow o' the mountains. I doubt ye've heard o' such a place. It's actually me duty ta introduce us right now!" Tirion finished with a small chuckle. It wasn't until then that he had realized that he was shirking his duty as envoy in favor of this mission. Though his current task was of much more importance to him and possibly his entire people.
"I'm just here in Bulgar ta recruit some able sword arms for a very important mission. So. What're ye all about? From some far off land lookin' fer adventure? What brings ye ta this city?"
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 26, 2011 23:09:42 GMT -6
Garnet listened, and looked on the tattoo with new understanding once it was explained. He'd heard of similar customs being kept elsewhere, but had never seen anything so elaborate. It seems as though this lad has seen plenty of battle.
"Mullingard.... Mullingard." Garnet couldn't help taking a moment to try out the unfamiliar taste of this new word. "You're right. I've not heard of the place, but that isn't necessarily surprising. I haven't done much traveling till recently." Countries and primary cities, the guard knew, but beyond that he had little knowledge of the nations.
"Hah," Garnet laughed in the twilight of the early morning, but did his best to keep it quiet, for the sleepers. "I don't know about looking for adventure, precisely, but I do happen to have a good sword arm. I'm called Garnet, from Etruria,... and I'm here at the courtesy of a great many reasons. Some of them my own fault."
The mercenary respected Tirion for being so open with him, but wasn't sure how far he should respond in kind. "I have been looking for some kind of work, recently, though. What sort of mission are you recruiting for?"
The mercenary wondered what Elias would think of this. He was here, after all. The Crimson Mage always had a say in matters.
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 27, 2011 13:56:46 GMT -6
Tirion smiled a bit. It seemed he was to recruit the first in his invasion force sooner than expected, if this man wanted to be involved. Tirion cleared his throat and noticed his leaves had stopped burning. He lit them again, taking puffs at the end of the pipe to force the some through it. He let out more smoke rings, this time making a design that was precious to him. In it he saw his family's crest with the lion head and round shield. Anyone else would probably see a haphazard collection of smoke rings.
"Me home is in danger. Tha man in charge o' our armed forces is fightin' ta prolong a war with our sister city o' Faerderick that shoulda ended centuries ago. He's taken control o' our elder council and usin' Mullingard as his personal supplier fer tha war." Tirion looked to the sky, thinking of what might be going on in Mullingard at that moment, "Me da an' me. We openly protested 'im. He had us killed, but it didn't take. Now we're gonna march on tha city and free it from that tyrant."
Tirion turned to the man and scratched his beard, pondering what he planned on doing after they took the city. Assuming they lived through the battle.
"After that, me an me da plan ta end tha war an' forge a partnership with Faerderick."
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 27, 2011 21:31:06 GMT -6
That was either one of the greatest hoax stories ever developed, or one of the grandest things he'd ever heard of had stumbled up to the mercenary. He still wasn't even fully awake yet this morning, or at least that's what the lightening sky was trying to tell him.
"Wow. Hang on a second.... So you're saying that there are two cities which have been fighting a war with each other for a very long time, and you're looking to end it." Garnet thought that it sounded a little far-fetched, but the Tirion's accent was rather unusual and didn't seem faked. Also, the story of two isolated cities was at least a plausible one. The red-headed mercenary was just tired of being mistrustful.
"I'm thinking that this man in charge of your city's forces has earned a couple of headaches then, hey?" Garnet said, the hint of a grin appearing on his face.
"I'd like to hear some more. Perhaps over some breakfast at the tavern? But, I've got a friend with me that should be involved as well."
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Iorran (Tirion)
The "Before" years
[M:5]
Only united will we find salvation.
Posts: 88
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Post by Iorran (Tirion) on Mar 29, 2011 0:26:11 GMT -6
Tirion's spirits were lifted even further. He supposed that his story had sounded a little farfetched and, by the look on the man's face, he was probably right. He wasn't sure if this person had genuine interest in his plan or if he was just humoring him, but Tirion was willing to go with the former. After all, the man wouldn't want to bring his friend along if he hadn't been at least willing to entertain the idea of accompanying him.
"Very well, then. How 'bout ye meet me back here by sun's full light?" Tirion brushed some of the sweat from his shoulders, "I need a bit o' cleanin' and clothin' 'fore I can head anyplace. Plus, me da might want ta be present fer this."
Tirion noticed that the leaves in his pipe had all been burnt through and now left black ashes in the bowl. He turned his pipe over and shook the ashes onto the ground, proceeding to stamp them in with his bare foot and mix them with the dirt.
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Garnet
Hero
The Scarlet Brand
You call these bandits? You should'a seen what I had to deal with in Sacae!
Posts: 330
Etruria Fame: 1
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Post by Garnet on Mar 29, 2011 21:10:17 GMT -6
"Sun's light it is then." Garnet replied, watching as Tirion ground his pipe's ashes into the ground. "I'll meet you later."
With plenty to think on, the dark red-haired mercenary slipped back inside the inn, and headed to the stairs. He'd forgotten how dark it still was inside. Only a small amount of light was allowed to filter in through the windows. There was, however, one thing that had appeared which hadn't been there earlier. A small candle was glowing faintly in the shadows by the steps, a glimmer of red catching it's wavering rays.
"Ehh... Elias? That you?" It looked like his mage friend, but it was hard to see clearly. "I may have found us some work. You hear any of that?"
Elias would probably only care about potential adventure, and doing great deeds. Of course, money was hardly the guard-turned-merc's first priority as well.
"I'm not a mercenary. I just happen to be working as a mercenary at the moment." Was one of the things which Garnet tried to remind himself of frequently.
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Elias
Mage Knight
The Crimson Mage
I'm just saying that the problem isn't going away, no matter how good we get at stabbing them.
Posts: 451
Etruria Fame: 1
Sacae Fame: 2
Lycia Fame: 1
Profession: The Crimson Mage
Affinity: Fire
Profile: Profile (updated)
OoC Alias: Elias
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Post by Elias on Mar 30, 2011 18:51:05 GMT -6
The little fire danced and flickered in front of his eyes, completely transfixed on the shapely flame's laughter. It was easy to just watch and let the subtle movements of the fire take away whatever thoughts you may be trying to think. He didn't even notice when the people stopped talking and decided to head inside, but that might of just been on the account of his exhaustion. Still, even with his mind not in the right place, he couldn't mistake the sound of Garnet saying his name.
He sort of turned his head away, looking into the shadows from where he heard the noise. He didn't see anything but a faint silhouette, of which he assumed was the mercenary man he traveled with. "Oh. Hi Garnet." He grinned a dopey little smile. "Not really." The voices weren't clear enough to really make out. He could hear them, but not pick them apart into clear words. All he recognized was the shapeless sound of voice speaking, one being Garnet's and the other belonging to some other man.
Work? His mind turned into itself, turning his head back to the little fire slowly eating away at its waxy base. He wasn't really sure if... he'd be up to that honestly. Of course he'd say he was, but... He grumbled, ruffling his hair in frustration. It wouldn't do to just sit out here all by his self, so he stood and picked up his candle, walking towards the stairs. "I guess I'll hear more later. It's late though. Can't fight injustice without beauty rest. They just laugh us right out." He smiled with only half of his impressive heart. "Let's get some rest."
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