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LEGENDS MAP
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Furtive Plot: The Beginning
It had been four days since he had seen any sign of civilization, and although a highly disciplined ranger, even he could not help cracking a smile at the sight of Freedor. Although it does not compare in sight to the great cities of Belmore, it would be nice for somewhere to stable Agriseer and get a warm meal at one of the taverns in town. Most would frown at the idea of even stepping into a tavern in Freedor, but Erik Salidus is a ranger and a well-known one. Very few would dare pick a fight with a ranger, especially one as highly-esteemed as Erik Salidus. Despite the rarities of Erik's travelling to Freedor, he had a certain tavern he visited every time where he was well-known. Also, fortunately, it's one of the cleanest taverns around. Erik prods on his tired horse into the city. Agriseer straightens up as far as he can, hoping to get a nice rest in this city as much as Erik. The first thing Erik does as he enters the city is goes toward his favorite stable. He dismounts and hands over the reigns to an old friend.
"Now you take care of old Agriseer for me," Erik says with a smile, "he has been on a very long journey recently."
"No doubt," the elderly man responds with a smile, "I don't envy the horse of a ranger."
"I'll be staying for two nights," Erik says, grabbing at a bag on his belt, he takes out several coins and puts them in the hand of the stable-master.
"It's only - " the elderly man says, staring, but is cut off.
"Keep the change, Xerxes, for all the service you've given me over the past few years," Erik demands. "Plus, Xerxes, I don't want to walk around Freedor with my belt jingling that loudly, it's an invitation to get robbed, ranger or not."
Xerxes smiles and nods, "I'll take excellent care of Agriseer for you."
"I'm sure you will," Erik responds and walks out the door with a small wave, his step considerably lighter. He walks across the way after allowing a wagon to pass and opens the french doors to a small inn on the corner.
"Well, if it's not Erik Salidus," says the bartender in wonder, ignoring some of his clients, "come over here and let me get you a drink, I hope you've got some stories to tell, got specifically the crowd wantin' to hear some stories tomorrow night. And you'd be a special treat for 'em. How many nights you gonna be stayin' here, eh, Erik?"
"I'm thinking two, but I'll tell you tomorrow morning if more," Erik says. "Ol' Agriseer getting a little tuckered out, he'll need at least two to recover."
"Excellent," the bartender says, "you will be here tomorrow night then. Well, I'll get you the room on the second story, second door on the right. Here's your key. I imagine you'll be wanting some rest and peace and quiet right away."
"You imagine correctly," Erik says. "Thank you, Dell."
Dell hands over the key, and Erik immediately walks over to the steps and ascends upon the flight. He turns into his door, locking it behind him. He sits on his bed and begins unlacing his boot with his heel under his bed. As he labors to get his shoe off, a floorboard comes loose. Erik gets both of his boots off and tends to the floorboard. He looks in and sees a note scribbled on a piece of paper laying in the opening. He grabs the note and puts the floorboard back in. Before reading, Erik looks around to make sure no one is looking in to see what might be considered a bad thing. When he realizes no one is, he immerses himself in the letter ...
'I have travelled for many days seemingly unnoticed, but I know they're not far off my trail. They do not wish to be seen openly, these Easterlings, especially in Loyalor. I have come here to evade my persuers for the meantime, and to rest from a long journey. I hope to head straight west ere the sun rises tomorrow and head directly toward the nation of Belmore, I need warn it of a coming attack on it's fortress at Sedanado, and to give information to the leaders on the most recent war plan of the Ajakira. I was sent as a spy for that very reason.
My foes are now gathering outside the tavern, I have put a spell upon this letter, that only a pure hand not easily susceptible to the darkness, shall grace it. Thus why I have hidden it in the floorboard. I will be taken, and taken to the city of Jeneko, in their largest and most secure prison. I need be rescued immediately, as Belmore is at stake.
Signed,
Valor Cereine
January 19th'
Erik puts the letter in his pocket immediately, and at the knock on the door, Erik whips an arrow from his quiver and aims at the doorway. The door opens slowly and Erik quickly relaxes as it is a maid. The maid never notices the bow, and he has it away before she can. As soon as she leaves, Erik speaks to himself. "In two days I must set out to Jeneko in an attempt to rescue an unfortunate prisoner. I will rally the provisions and any people that have loyalty to Belmore in that time. I will set out Wednesday morning as the sun rises above Jeneko. A long and hard ordeal I will be having in the next few weeks, as I deal with this present and dark danger, from which I may never return."
Lord of the Land
Posts: 137
(2/9/04 8:15 pm) Reply
Re: Furtive Plot: The Beginning
((Wow, nice!))
Ardellion walked through the streets of Freedor after a long journey across the plains. He dared not be seen in one of Loyalor's other towns, if you could call them towns, and so he had travelled to Freedor. Realizing he hadn't eaten in two days, the elven ranger looked around for a place to eat, and soon found one, a tavern, one of the nicest looking in the entire "city".
Putting his hood up he strapped his cloak together so as not to be distinguished as an elf. It gave him the appearance of just a ranger... a clean shaven ranger anway. His long elvish hair was hidden behind his cloak.
Slowly he opened the door. The old hinges creaked loudly, and some turned to see the newcomer. Taking a seat in a far corner after ordering some ale, he waited. Soon the drink was served, and Ardellion took a sip, wincing at the sour drink. But it was all that was available besides biscuits which he hastily requested.
It was as he was munching on one of these that the other ranger entered. Apparently he had been there before as much attention was focused on him. Ardellion eyed him as he talked with the bartender and then walked up the stairs, his gaze not wavering.
It didn't take Erik Salidus long to realize that sleep would not easily come after reading such an ominous letter, his appetite and thirst would not rest and the letter plagued his mind with riddles and unanswered questions. He wipes his forehead free of the collected sweat, brooding over what precisely he should do now. He rises slowly and grabs his boots in the corner. He laces them up carefully and forcefully before walking out of the room and locking the door behind him. He descends down the same flight of stairs he came up, and surveys the surrounding area carefully as he waits in a small line for service. In his haste he had forgotten to do this action earlier, a mistake that can often prove fatal for a ranger, especially in a town such as Freedor.
As Erik Salidus approaches the end of the line, he politely smiles, "I'm sorry, Dell, it seems my appetite is keeping my rest, I shall have your special tonight and I will be sitting in that corner." Erik points briefly, brushing his cloak aside for a moment to reveal the hilt of his sword even though not intentional. Dell nods and Erik Salidus walks over to the corner table, taking the seat with the view to see everything that happens in the room yet not the first to be seen. He gets into his pocket and pulls out a pipe, lighting it slowly and puffing just as slowly, watching his surroundings.
He notices a strange person in a far corner, tall and lean but clothed as a man. He wears a hood and is clean-shaven, in the garb of a ranger. Suddenly the memory of the letter comes to him, and he strangely wonders if he should find out more about this strange man immediately. He dismisses the thought as quickly as it comes. He will greet and speak to this ranger, but it will have to wait until after he is through with his dinner.
Edited by: Erik Salidus at: 2/9/04 8:54 pm
Lord of the Land
Posts: 141
(2/9/04 9:10 pm) Reply
Re: Insomnia
Ardellion eyed the stranger as he walked down the stairs, then quickly shifted his gaze slightly when he saw his "target" was now eying him. Ardellion finished off the last of his biscut and ale and brushed past his cloak to put some change back in a pocket. Almost intentionally, a brief glimpse of his shining crystal elven sword was visible to Erik, then gone again. Ardellion now looked around the tavern, trying to act like he didn't care for Erik anymore.
Re: Insomnia
It was just another ordinary night for Valanth Maragot, Scourge Of The North Sea, the captain of The Black Cloud, lord of the ocean..
..which meant he was so full of ale he could hardly walk.
The door to his favorite pub, aptly named the Ocean Blue Inn, opened swiftly, letting a breath of the rain scented air outside hit it's occupants. Surprisingly, there weren't very many people in the pub at this hour, roughly 10. Althought, it was almost midnight, he figured there'd be some more people.
Val surveyed the table. Three figures jumped out at him immediately. One, was a fair chested waitress. He made note of her. The other, an elf. Valanth was not to fond of the Elvaan folk, he considered them to be stuck up and boring.
Which of course, they were.
Anyway, the third figure he recongized. None other than Erik Salidus, an old pal of him. He had sold him some stolen arrows once, and also offered Erik some transportation. That had been a hellacious boat trip..old Erik had decided to bring his horse. Anyway, Valanth, being the crazy drunkard he was, decided to go and chat it up with the always solemn looking ranger.
He began to make his way over to Erik's table, when he realized he was RIGHT NEXT to the fair-chested waitress. This was not oppurtunity to be missed!
"Greetings maiden!" Val shouted, exceedingly loud.
"Uh..hi." The Girl replied.
"Uh..hi?! That is the only greeting I can get?! Do you know who I am?! I am Valanth Maragot! The Scourge of the Northern Sea! The greatest plunderer these parts have ever and will ever!"
"And the stupidest, rudest, and down right offensive person I've ever meet!"
Val knew that voice. It was Erik Salidus'. He decided to wait to swindle the waitress till later, and he turned around and began to walk toward Erik.
"And this comes from you?! If it weren't for me, you and you're horse would still be half a world a way!" Val reached Erik's table and stumbled into the seat, calling for a bottle of ale.
"That was many years ago, friend" Erik said.
"Aye, but it feels like yesterday."
"Indeed, but so do many things."
"Like that fine lassy in.."
"Val, please. You're embarassing me."
"Oh, loosen up. It is a time of merriment!"
"It is far from that, my friend.."
"And why not?"
"There's war a foot.."
Val and Erik now noticed the elf that had drawn nearer to them, and was now standing at their table.
"Say, do you gentlemen mind if I join you? It is mighty lonely enjoying a fine ale by yourself.."
"Sure, why not?" replied Erik.
"Greetings!"
If only they had know where those words would lead.
Last Night In Freedor
And so there were three, an odd assortment of persons. Valanth is drunk and only drinking more, and hitting on the poor waitress each and every time she passes. Erik is more annoyed than pleased to see his old friend. He is a great and loyal companion when sober, but being sober is quite a rare occassion for a pirate, and no less so in Valanth Maragot. Erik chuckled to himself at the thought of Valanth coming with him on his quest as Agriseer only recognizes him as the master of that ship that made him sick for weeks. The horse absolutely despises Valanth.
Erik felt himself fingering the letter in his pocket, considering how trustworthy his new companions are. Erik takes his hand away from his pocket and brushes back the hair on the right side of his head, revealing a large scar running along the border of his face. Valanth looks for a moment at it.
"A new battle scar there, eh, Salidus?" he asks, slurring only little.
"Wouldn't call it new, had it for a few years," he says and when he realizes more information is called for, "the Khogrod do not take well to unexpected visitors with allegiance to Belmore. I was lucky to escape, and Agriseer moreso."
"The old horse is still kicking then?" Valanth asks, and Erik nods, and thinks for a long moment about the people sitting on either side of him.
"Still kicking, and tomorrow morning I shall be leading her into perhaps the most perilous place she has ever gone into," Erik says with a smile. "Tonight is my last night in Loyalor for quite a while. A long and dangerous quest is waiting for me before the sun rises tomorrow." Salidus looks both of his friends in the eye and pauses, waiting for a response.
Lord of the Land
Posts: 149
(2/10/04 7:19 pm) Reply
Re: Furtive Plot: The Beginning
((And ah, you don't know that I'm an elf yet))
Ardellion grinned at the talk of the two in front of him. Sitting down in a chair he took a small drink of ale and laid back and listened. His hood was still over his head.
"Would you mind telling us a little more of this adventure you're planning?"
Plunging Into the Heart
Erik Salidus looks at the other ranger suspiciously, noting his features with skepticism. "Little harm it would do, if I would tell you. All it would do would prevent a very important message to reaching Belmore. But I do not know where your allegiances lie," he begins. "However, from what I've heard thus far, you seem to have loyalties in the West, and loyalties not to the Dark Lord. So, I will risk telling you some information. I head toward Jeneko, into the heart of Ajakira itself, to rescue a prisoner whom was once a spy. He has information directly relating to the success or failure of Belmore at Sedanado, and the armies of Ajakira afterward. The road is long, and plunging into the heart of Ajakira is no easy task. They are a warrior race, and if you are not killed by a duel challenge after you bump into someone walking down a street, you will probably be killed by the guards in the prisons. We will all be rewarded generously, I'm certain, if we make it to Jeneko and back to Belmored and deliver this critical message. I will be travelling on horseback and if either of you are willing to accompany me, I would be pleased to buy you both a ride for the trip as long as if you return you return them to me, as I was planning on buying a horse or two here in Freedor anyway. I'm going to be setting out tomorrow at the break of dawn. Now, you two may have a word and discuss what you will. I'll be right over here, I agreed to have a story time with the keeper of this bar and his clientelle. If you decide on anything, I'll be available."
Salidus rises and walks over to the bar-keeper, "Dell, I heard something recently, and I was wondering if you could tell me more about it. I'll get to 'story time' right after you give me the information I need to hear."
"I will try to answer your questions," Dell says.
"What happened here January the Nineteenth?" Salidus asks, and Dell seems confused.
"January the Nineteenth? Hmm," Dell says. "Let me check, that was a couple of weeks ago. I have a journal. If it's anything important, I would have recorded it." He gets a book out from behind the bar and flips to that date. "Oh, some people came in and seized a client of mine. Apparently he was a spy or something. I was pleased to hand him over." Salidus considers and nods, then walks over to the group of people waiting for him to speak as Valanth and the ranger sit in the corner, discussing.
Lord of the Land
Posts: 151
(2/14/04 7:54 am) Reply
Re: Plunging Into the Heart
Ardellion nodded and leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head and yawning. "So my pirate friend, apparently we are left here to talk... what have ye been up to man?" Ardellion looked over the drunk man. "That is, if you are a pirate!" He laughed jokingly.
))
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