` The Green Cane - open fantasy roleplay ! >w <
 

Along the path walked another young woman, tall of stature and strong in build. Her skin was milky, almost unnaturally pale, further offset by her thick, raven-black hair, tied back and falling to the base of her back. Her sharp features were serious and intense, and her ice-blue eyes stared straight at the village ahead, as if her entire being was solely focused and intent on one purpose. Despite the fact that she held her head high and walked with the aloof deportment of nobility, her tunic and skirt were simple and a bit worn, and she wore no jewelry, nor carried any sort of weapon or accessory save for the pouch hanging from her waist.

As she passed the Priestess, her cold eyes flickered, averted for a brief moment from her singular objective. The girl was obviously in need of assistance. But to stop to help, to have another acknowledge her existence, was highly dangerous, indeed. It was best to stay in the shadows, where she could help from afar, safe from the misunderstandings of fools. The silent battle raged in her mind for only a few short seconds before compassion emerged the victor.

She stepped aside and approached the Priestess, mustering up the best friendly smile she could manage (it wasn't easy). "Do you need help?" she asked in what she hoped was a kind tone.

The young woman held up her hand in declination, hoping that such a thing was polite enoug and that she wasn't inadvertently offending her new traveling companion. She had no taste for such things. And she was still trying to figure out how to respond to that question. Of course, the entire truth would be completely unacceptable and would ruin everything. And turning the question around on the girl would sound too much like prying. She hated prying, or giving the impression that she was the type of person who went around sticking her nose into others' business. She kept to herself and would afford other people the luxury of doing the same. Finally, she settled on the route of apathetic ambiguity. "I am staying in this village for a while," she replied truthfully.

The young woman's face stiffened and her lips tightened at the girl's comment, and she merely numbly nodded in polite recognition and glanced up at the mountain. She wasn't too keen on having to "stick together" with anyone, especially not with the situation at hand.

She watched, trying hard not to look amused, as Ellediar went through her introductory motions. So the girl was a priestess, of the Mother Goddess, no less. She sighed inwardly. She had definitely picked the wrong person to help, and determined to leave the girl and go about her own business as soon as she saw to it that Ellediar would be cared for in the village. Misunderstanding was a painful, terrible thing, but it was her reality.

She bowed curtly in response to the introduction. "My name is Leith," she replied simply and with no betraying emotions. That was true enough. She was very secretive, and knew how to be vague and not give complete answers, so people could form their own safe, false conclusions, but she would never lie. "Pleasure to meet you," she added quickly as an afterthought. Etiquette demanded no less.

((Ooh, D&D, have fun. :3 And okay, will do. Don't worry, Leith's full of surprises. By the way, how tall is Ellediar? Leith is about 5'10".))

Leith couldn't help but smile as well at the peaceful scenes of pastoral life, although hers was a distant smile tinged with sadness, and perhaps the faintest hint of bitterness. If only they knew. If only they understood. Sometimes she felt like ignorance truly was bliss. Her smile faded as she followed Ellediar's gaze to the men and boys training. War was a horrible, sordid affair, and now its blight was spreading even here, to these innocent lands. She did not know which explanation of this scene would be worse, the idea that these were disillusioned country folk thinking themselves terribly heroic in going off to their own doom, or that the king's troops were already fouling up the village...

She felt the sensation of someone watching her, and instinctively looked over to Ellediar, curious as to why the girl would be looking at her. Leith sighed. She was rather unusual, she supposed. She was the only one like herself that she knew of here. But perhaps that was for the best.

Suddenly, the sound of armor clanking and heavy footfalls came into Leith's hearing range, and she froze, uttering a wordless "tch" under her breath and moving in front of Ellediar protectively. She knew no one around the area would have access to that sort of armor, nor would their footsteps sound in such a trained, regimented fashion. And so it could mean only one thing. She bit her lip and watched as two soldiers, bearing the emblems of the king's army, rounded the bend, heading toward them.

((Don't worry about it, I've been busy too.))

Leith stood her ground, her face grim and her lips thin. She, too, would never bow to the king's men. She would never bow to the king himself, either, for that matter. As far as she was concerned, his authority was void.

She surveyed the two men for a moment. Doubtless they had homes and families and lives of their own, and she deeply regretted that they should be caught up in such an evil task as serving a mad king who had overstepped his bounds. She would show them what mercy she could, and she pitied their lack of integrity for standing up to their ruler. Couldn't they see that death was preferable to carrying out atrocities in the name of their king? Her eyes drifted for a moment to the taller man's sword. From the scars on his face and the look in his eyes, she knew he was no stranger to killing.

If she had been alone, Leith knew what she would have done. But she had a guest, and so she would have to play her cards very carefully, and be sure not to let anyone else see her hand. That meant being civil and polite to these...malefactors. "It's an emergency," she explained to the men, hoping to disguise anything in her tone or expression that would give away the fact that she knew why they didn't want anyone going to the village that day. "Someone is in need of healing." There, she had appealed to their sense of common decency, if indeed they had any left. If that didn't get a response out of them...well, she might have to resort to other things. Less pleasant things. Her mind raced as she played out possible scenarios in her head, formulating responses for each, but all the while wondering what to do with her tag-along.

(( I'm joining xD Wanted to try my character out for some time now ))

Soft hoof sounds echoed around in the silent forest as a green cape covered figure made it's way through it on a onyx black horse. A gloved hand rested neatly at the horses side, holding the harness lazily. The persons head leaned forward and soft snores came from under the hood. The horse trotted along with the path and you needed to wonder, how it knowed the way?

A bow, a quiver and a container rested lazily at the persons back, swaying along with it's posseser. Coming out in the open, the horse neighed loudly, loud enough to wake it's rider. The person straighted out with a loud gasp, nearly falling off. In the last moment it got a hold in the saddle and pulled itself up again, to rest on the saddle. Reaching a hand up to rub it's eyes, to forest green eyes noticed two females being held back of two guards.

Hearing the guards statement, he slowed the horse down to a halt, just behind the females. "Aww guys, can't you let some ladies pass?" His voice were childish and joking. The other gloved hand reached up to the hood and pulled it down, revealing a mane of black hair, which pointed in all directing. He flashed a smile and moved a little, so a badge with a galopping horse caught the sun.

The guard in the front snorted, "You should have been here a week ago. We were waiting for the orders," he said tiredly, making Chogan shrug. The other guard ligtened up in a small smile, "C'mon, it's Horan we're talking about here, he probably went to an inn." He joked. Chogan just pretented to be hurt, "I'm hurted! I might need to go to the infirmary." Then he slided down from the horse, still holding it's harness.

He placed his arms over the two females shoulders. "They're with me." His smile were kind of demanding, making the guards step aside, so he could lead the two females away from the guards. Looking backwards, he letted them go, when the guards where long enough away. He rubbed a hand through his black hair and sighed. "You should try to be a little careful." His carefree and lazy glint in the eyes, where replaced with a dark and mischief.

((Welcome welcome! Don't mind my character's, erm...rudeness. She's like that with most men, I'm afraid.))

While Leith had been, clandestinely, quite taken in by the black horse's beauty, any and all positive emotions she was experiencing were marred by the rather forward behaviour of its rider. "Excuse me," she hissed, breaking away from the man and nudging Ellediar away from him protectively as well. "We could have handled that on our own. And I will thank you very much to refrain from touching me." She absolutely despised being touched, by anyone, for any reason whatsoever. She held her personal "space bubble" in extremely high regard.

Aside from that, she knew exactly why the man was here, and as such had not one ounce of trust in him. The only thing stopping her from attacking him on the spot was the fact that he had fallen right into their hands and was not currently hostile towards them, and perhaps if she was diplomatic enough she could avert the attack on the village, which she knew was hanging over the peaceful place like a sword suspended on on a rapidly-fraying string. And then there was Ellediar's illness to attend to... Leith looked to the elf to make sure she was all right.

(( No problem at all! Chogan's kind of asking for it xD And thanks Irlgoat! ))

His green eyes noticed the hostile glint in the blackhaired females eyes. Then he shrugged, "It suure seemed like that," he couldn't hold back a childish roll with his eyes. But that was what Chogan was most of the time. Quite childhish and not really responsible, to his fathers worry. He had time after time asked Chogan if he shouldn't think about letting the genus go on.

That was one of his duties as a first son. To take over the place as the family head, marry a highborn girl, get kids who could take his place, when he died and letting the genus continue in grace and honour. It was also Chogan who, out of flock of four, should flank his father to all court meetings that where hold. And these where many.

It was also his father, who made him a messenger, Chogan never had a say in that. It had been one of the nobles just under the king, whom his father had upsetted, that presented the idea of one of the Horans being a messenger. After all, they are the ones breeding the best horses, he had said. And thus, Chogan had been forced to ride around in the country delivering messages. It was either him or his siblings, who all where girls.

He looked at the elf, with a small smile. "Call me Chogan." It was what he would like to be called. He was sick and tired of always being called Horan, it made him think about he needed to be perfect, to not mess up his familys name. Still, he had thought about just letting messages be messages. He too knew about the attacks at small villages and he sure as hell knew that in his container where orders for the king. But he feared his father a great deal.

Leith's nose wrinkled in disgust as Chogan rolled his eyes. She despised unnecessary immaturity, especially when present in grown men, and especially when they were as official-looking as this one. She felt quite sorry for the horse for having such a puerile rider. As he introduced himself, she looked down at Ellediar with concern. Chogan was giving Leith double the reason to accompany the elf. Leith was a loner, sure. But when someone needed her help and protection, she'd be there for them.

"Leith," she responded curtly, and in a tone that clearly expressed that she wished he would go away. She had no patience for politeness in circumstances such as these. However, she knew she'd have to play nice if she wanted to avoid bloodshed later. "Can we help you?" she added, not exactly sincerely. But it was the best place to begin gathering information about him, and thus about the situation at hand. And the more information she got out of him, the more she could use it to her advantage.

Looking at the human, Chogan shrugged. "Not unless you're running around with a flying horse," he joked, grinning from ear to ear, not responding to her sour tone. If she wanted to be a prick, she could take it somewhere else. He had other things to worry about than a unhappy female he just met. He didn't really have time neither. One of them, making his way over the mountain, which where too steep for the horse to climb.

Looking at the little elf girl, when she stepped in between them, then he nodded. "Saphire could use some water too, we been traveling all day," he stroke the damping horse over it's fur lovingly. Saphire, as the mare where named, had been his for a long time. He had trained it himself, so he trusted it with his life. It never had done anything to doubt that trust. So he wouldn't betray the trust, the horse had in him neither. It was a promise.

Eyes looking up with a excited shine, his eyes fell on the inn. He made a mental note to visit it, when Sapphire had been taked care of. The Horan family cared good for their horses, after all they where the reason for the bread on their table. Looking at the fountain, he remembered slightly that the water should could cure illness. Then he looked at Saphire before stroking it's neck again. "Healing or not, water is water," he said with a shrug and leaded the horse over to the fountain.

Seeing some villagers make their way, quite unhappy with a horse drinking their fountains water. After all it was for 'sick people' as they argued with him. "She got a weak heart. An amazing horse I couldn't care to lose," he said, eyes filled with fake sadness. Watching them argue with each other this time. He just sighed, apparently a horse wasn't the same as a human. It made him quite sad.

As a Horan he had a deep realationship with his horse. Practically nearly all horses he met. He could understand their signals. It was quite easy actually, if you had been trained since you were child, that was. And that was what Chogan had been. Along with court etiquette, writing and reading and a lot other things. Such as rapier and bow use for example. At the thought he stroke over his side, to find the rapiers handle.

With a jerk in the harness Saphire widened it's nosetrills at the smell of blood. He stroke the horses neck, trying to calm it down, while he was staring at the mayor with a sword stuck inside his chest. With a small spit, he showed his meaning about the damn thing. He wasn't a person to use violence, he only killed once, then he went and puked, being sick in days. It had been a mistake, he hadn't done again.

Adverting his glance back to the little elf, his eyes turned rather dark again. He wasn't sure he could do that, he had orders after all. Reaching behind, his long fingers found the sealing on the container and broke it. He gave a damn about honour right now. Pulling out the sheet of paper along with a money pouch, he sighed softly. Then he throwed it to the human, Leith, placing the pouch in the container gain. If somebody found out, he wouldn't know what stood in it, because he hadn't read it. And he wouldn't give as much dishonour to his family, as if he read it.

Leiths' nostrils flared, her icy eyes burned with cold fire, and she could feel her face flush as the indignation and adrenaline rose up inside of her as she watched the terrible scene unfold. Her lips pursed, she turned to Ellediar and Chogan, catching the paper and crumpling it in her fist. She thought she had a pretty good idea of what it said. "Gather the villagers and evacuate them. Get out of here, and don't look back." Though rage surged from her eyes, her body was trembling, and there was thinly-veiled sorrow in her voice. She knew she could only constrain herself for so long. "Please. Just do as I ask." With that, she turned from them again, and began striding toward the gate, head still held high, face set grim as stone. Leith shut her eyes tight and gulped. To have to do this in front of all these people...

"Hail, knights of the king," she called out, her deep voice clear and sonorous, and more than a little commanding. She stood alone, in the space between the chaos in front of her and the comrades she had left behind. "Leave this village at once, and return to your homes! Your king is a power-hungry fool! Is one who has you massacre a village of innocents really capable of competent rule?" Her posture was solid and unflinching, as she knew she was literally the only thing standing between them and the village. Internally, she was darkly amused at what the knights were probably thinking of this ridiculous-looking scenario. If they did not heed her words, however, it would not be ridiculous for long.

Leith snorted in disgust at the knight's pitiful lies. So he had been brainwashed, by promises of power, no doubt. Any regency that stigmatized those who would not conform was not worthy of its responsibilities. She was about to respond to his filthy rhetoric with a few jabs of her own, when the troops arrived. She stiffened, and mentally chided herself for clearly biting off more than she could chew. Still, she was not one to back out of anything...especially when so much was at stake.

Leith knew what she had to do. And she knew what the consequences would be. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, she had been beginning to...well, enjoy the company of Ellediar and Chogan (the latter merely because he had such a lovely horse, of course). Ah well. It was her lot in life to be a loner anyway. But she'd do what she had to do with her chin up, no use moping about it. She wanted to instill terror into the hearts of the knights anyway. Let them know that they should think twice before following the orders of a corrupt king.

She turned to the knight, awaiting an answer, and merely sneered, her eyes fierce. "Neither."

With that, she stretched out her hand in front of her. Deep violet energies surrounded her, and a roaring wave of darkness erupted from her palm and plunged toward the knight, engulfing him and troops nearest him in shadow. She dared not look back at her companions. She could imagine what the looks on their faces must have been. They were better off getting away when they had the chance. But now they knew, and the entire village knew, which was entirely contrary to the plan.

"Leave. Now." Leith growled to the knight. The wave had only been strong enough to knock him and the others off of their feet--but she had been holding back. This was the last chance she would give them, and then she would send them to be dealt with by someone vastly more powerful than she.

Watching as the papersheet made contact with the ground, as Leith had moved forward, he sighed and picked it up again. Dusting it off, he looked at the container he had been leading all the way from the capital. It nearly wasn't to bear. But he was in a group who had set themselves up against the king, so it couldn't hurt his 'honour' more.

Ripping the paper into small bits, he throwed them at the ground, stomping at them quite angry. His father would be furious. Looking at Saphire, he decided not to return. He would prefer to be hunted of the king, than facing his father. Grabbing the elf, who he now remembered not to know the name of, by the elbow, he tucked her with him.

"We should go a little back," he mumbled softly, whoever this Leith was he trusted she could handle it, it was 'instict'. Else he would back her up with his loyal bow. Tucking at Saphire, he leaded them both a little back, deciding the villagers would have enough brain to defend themself.

When a wave of energy hit him from behind, he turned around fast to be met with Leith's attack. He whistled impressed and made a mental note not to upset her too much. Then he, still with a grip at the elf and Saphire's harness, stopped to watch the 'fight'.

Leith fought to hide a smile. "Witch." She had heard that one plenty of times. As well as some other monikers that she would rather not repeat to herself. She marveled at the depths to which misunderstanding would lead the unintelligent. As the knights charged their small party, Leith readied herself into a fighting stance. She had given them all of the chances she could afford, and they had refused them all. They would regret it in the underworld.

Hearing and sensing the use of magic behind her, Leith glanced over to see Ellediar attacking the knights with the use of spells. She smiled--so the girl was a priestess in more than name. That was helpful.

Her smile faded, however, as the three knights approached. Drawing one arm in to focus her energy, she slashed her other hand upward and let out a shout. The ground beneath the knights' feet cleaved open, and shadows surged up from the gulf, swallowing them. She sighed inwardly, sorrowed that it had come to this. Still, it was better that these obstinate fools die than the innocent families that were to be their targets.

She looked around quickly--the village was bereft of everyone besides herself, her companions, and the troops. That was good. Her power was no respecter of persons, one of the reasons why she was always so hesitant to use it. Throwing scattered blasts of shadow at any knight who dared come too close, she backed up until she was closer to Ellediar, Chogan, and Sapphire. "Are you all right?" she asked them through gritted teeth.

Looking at the vines with respect, he found out he was the weakest in their little 'party'. It kind of made him sad, seeing as he was a male and had his 'man pride'. Hearing the soldiers call them witches, his eyes narrowed. His father had went on a witch hunt once, saying it was in their best interest. He spit on the ground of the memory.

Then he looked, slightly hurt, at the elf. I'm not standing back looking at this, like some lousy nobleman, he thought, then blinked, wait, I am a nobleman. Wondering a little, he shrugged it off, gave Saphire a smak at it's rump, watching it flee the village safely. Then he closed his eyes and breathed deep.

Softly taking his bow gently down, he sat the arrows at the ground safely. He was a pretty amazing shooter, if he should say so himself. Could hit a deer with both eyes closed. His father had called him natural, before he had showed him his lousy skill with the rapier. He nearly poked his eye out. Then his foot.

Feeling at the arrows, he picked one up, weighing it, before laying it on the bow. Then he breathed out, opening his eyes and leaded the bow up to eye level. Narrowing his eyes, he aimed at one of the higher-ups, deciding to take the leaders out first. Then he fired. Without thinking about it, he reached down to take a new as soon as the arrow fleeded the bow.

Then he shot, without aiming, three other arrows, hitting his targets everytime. Smirking, he lowered the bow. "Sorry my ladys, but today I'm going to join your little fun," he muttered softly, stroking the woodened bow. Then he reached down to take a speciel arrow, a 'armor-breaker' seeing a heavy armored knight come into view.