A rift opens in the relatively peaceful land of Midkemia and an invading force from another world comes to conquer the Kingdom. A brave pair must sneak through the rift and attempt to end the war before it’s too late.
Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 06-01-2014 at 09:08 PM..
Rillanon - Capital Krondor - Biggest Port City The Grey Towers - Dwarven City Elvandar - Elven City Northlands - Inhabited by Dark Elves and Goblins Southern Lands - Desert lands not owned by the Crown
Kelewan
Places of interest:
Kentosani - Capital Thun-Held Tundra - Not controlled by the Empire Thuril Highlands - Not controlled by the Empire Dustari - Sparsely populated desert lands
Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 06-01-2014 at 10:02 PM..
Appearance: Slight figure, pale, slim, long red wavy hair, grey eyes. Most often seen wearing long robes and can often be mistaken for a priestess. Beneath her robes however, she wears boots and leggings, and a short sleeved tunic and belt over a tight fitting long sleeved shirt.
History: Tessa’s mother was the only parent she had known. The product of a barmaid wooed by a passing soldier, Tessa was often left to her own devices while her mother worked. Playing with the boys in town, she developed a love of adventure. Her world came crashing down however when she returned to their modest room one night to find her mother lying in a puddle of her own blood. After that, Tessa became withdrawn and distrustful, especially of men.
She was allowed to take her mother’s place in the inn but was saved from a boring and thankless future by the duke’s court magician Persi in her hometown Natal. The old man saw an inkling of magic in her and convinced the duke to allow him to take her on for training. Master Persi taught her to read and once she had her first taste of magic, Tessa was hooked. Though she quickly understood that she would eventually surpass her master, Tessa continued to study with the man until his death.
Tessa was offered Persi’s position as court magician but declined. She had a thirst for knowledge and adventure that could not fulfilled cooped up in a tower. She travelled for a time, searching out other masters but it was Makros who found her first. She accompanied him back to his secluded castle on Sorcerer’s Isle where she began training in earnest. In Makros she found a capable teacher and that understood the correct balance of tutoring and self-discovery and learned a great deal both from him and his library.
Personality: Tessa has an insatiable curiosity and often gets so wrapped up in her studies that she will forget to eat or sleep. Though she has a lot of theoretical knowledge but is untried in combat and while she knows that she is talented, Tessa often downplays her abilities. For many reasons, Tessa tends to keep her distance from others.
Tessa's teacup slipped through her fingers and shattered against the floor. As the spilt tea slowly began to creep towards her toes, the young woman sighed. For the past three days straight she had been reading every book on rifts that she could find in Master Makros' library but no amount of tea could force her eyes open any longer. Rubbing her eyes, she waved her left hand lazily. The puddle of tea quickly evaporated while the cup quickly put itself together and came to rest unbroken upon the desk. Closing her book with a snap, Tessa stood and nearly fell over when her legs cramped from disuse. Shuffling over to the corner of the room, the young magician collapsed atop her palette and was asleep in seconds.
It felt like she had only been sleeping for mere minutes when someone roughly shook her awake. Blinking open bleary grey eyes, Tessa was startled to find Makros himself standing over her.
"Get up girl, the Prince has summoned you."
Tessa's head pounded uncomfortably as she sat up and tried to get her wits about her. She was in her study where she had been trying to learn as much about rifts as she could in an attempt to discover a way to shut down the enemy's mystic tunnel to their world. It had been nearly a month since the first invaders were spotted somewhere up in The Great Northern Mountains. From reports, they were a people to behold. Covered in colorful armor and shouting battle cries an unintelligible language, their host fought, and died, courageously. But still more came through the rift providing a what seemed to be an endless source of reinforcements.
"Gathis brought you some breakfast. Eat and then gather what you need. Your ship leaves in an hour."
Without so much as a goodbye, her master left the room, closing the door behind him. Tessa sighed and ran a hand through her sleep-mussed red hair. Pushing off of her palette, the young woman scarfed down the meal that Makro's servant had left her and changed into a long, black robe. She shoved a few books and a change of clothes into a bag which she tossed over her shoulder before making her way downstairs to the kitchen. There she nicked a few pieces of fruit from the pantry and tossed them into her sack before heading out to the dock. Whatever else she needed she would either find aboard or in Krondor when she arrived.
Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 03-27-2015 at 02:20 PM..
Graham leaned his head back against the cool trunk of the tree against his back. For the moment simply stealing a brief moment of peace against the chaos that the world had become. The rift, the invading armies, all of it causing the world to go into panic mode, and with good reason. Troops had been sent to slay the invading groups, but had failed. As fast as the army had slayed them, the faster they just kept coming. A deep grunt escaped him as he thought of it all. He was part of a group that was soon to be disbanded into two groups as it was. Their leader, general Karkoff, had been discharged to the front line and hadn't returned.
Half the group was to go to the lines and fight, the other half was being disbanded to the princes army to protect the prince and the castle. It would be considered a great honor to be part of the Prince's Army. He wanted nothing more then to be chosen for that side. It was with this thought that he silently closed his eyes, hoping to steal a small nap.
"GRAHAM!" he scrunched his brown and pretended not to hear the voice that was piercing his eardrums. He desperately needed the sleep he was trying to steal. He'd spent most of his nights training to be good enough to be sent to the palace, not the front lines. When he saw the shadow that passed over him as well as the accompanied "Ahem!" he knew he could ignore her no further.
Sleepily he opened his eyes to look at her, and openly let out a yawn, "What do you want Elle?"
"Why aren't you training with the rest of us moron" she said with her hand on her hip in a way that was very like her. There was also a very characteristic furrow of her brow that told Graham he better not ruffle her feathers too hard today. So instead he looked at her without saying anything for a moment, as if thinking about the answer to that question.
"I was catching a nap. Besides, we all know I'm the best of us, I'm going to the palace"
"You think catching a nap is gonna get you to the palace?"
He didn't say anything for another moment, contemplating the woman standing before him. Elle had been his best friend since the two of them had been children. She was strong enough to take on most of the men at the camp. He hoped she'd be sent to the palace as well. "Did Arth send you to retrieve me?"
Elle jumped at this, "I forgot why I came here! You have a summons from the Prince. You need to pack your things and start for Rillanon immediately!"
"I told you I was the best!"
"Just hurry up and go, it sounded urgent. I'll ready you a horse while you go pack whatever essentials you think you will need."
"Thanks Elle!" He hugged her quickly before racing off to go pack things. He really was headed to the capital.
Tessa yawned as she stood waiting at the dock of Sorcerer’s Isle. The early morning air was cool but her robe kept her relatively warm and in any case her fatigue was dulling her senses. When she caught sight of a small dingy rowing to shore, Tessa tried to shake herself awake. The sailors that greeted her seemed nervous and anxious to push off so she wasted no time stepping down into the boat. Once inside, she did a short mantra in her head to ensure that the rocking motion wouldn’t put her to sleep and when they finally reached the ship moored a short distance off, it took all of her strength to climb the ladder up to the deck.
”Welcome aboard m’am,” said one of the soldiers, dipping his head slightly, ”Shall I show you to your quarters?”
Tessa simply nodded tiredly and followed the young man below deck. She was pleasantly surprised to find that she had a small cabin to herself and wasted no time stowing her bag and climbing into bed where she once again fell fast asleep.
Tessa awoke the next day feeling refreshed. She faintly recalled someone knocking on her door at some point to ask if she would like something to eat but she had sent the man away in favor of more sleep. Now that she was awake however, she was ready to tackle another book in hopes of finding the key to shutting down the rift. Biting into an apple, she opened a thick blue-covered tome to the first page and began reading.
The next day they docked at Krondor. As Tessa stepped down from the gangplank, she was amazed as always by the hustle and bustle of the second largest city in the Kingdom, especially compared to Sorcerer’s Isle’s deserted state. At the central market, Tessa picked up what she would need to get her the rest of the way to Rillanon. Some rations and a dagger as well as flint were small expenditures compared to the horse and tack but Tessa cared very little about money so it didn’t bother her much.
Riding the beast however, was another matter entirely. It was a loathsome creature that made her silently curse her luck. By the end of her third day of travel, her backside was quite raw and her legs and arms tired of constantly trying to steer the beast back on track. By her calculations she had another three days to go on horseback before she reached Durrony’s Vale where she would board another ship bound for Rillanon.
((Sorry if these traveling posts are a bit boring, we can speed things along to them both being in the Capital if you want or they can happen to meet along the route.))
Within the hour Graham was ready to go. He packed lightly as was the way of the soldier, but he also packed enough that he would have the provisions he needed to make it to Durrony’s Vale. From Durrony’s Vale he was to take a ship bound for Rillanon. The whole trip in total would take him a week and a few days. One week by land, a few days trip by sea. He had never been to the capital, nor really had he ever boarded a ship. His name was known through the land as being one of the fastest up and coming knights, but the truth was he hadn’t traveled all that far away from his home base.
He slung his bag over his shoulder and never looked back at the room he had called his own. To him it was only a room and he wouldn’t miss it, nor he told himself, would he miss the base. Both of these facts were lies he told himself, he may actually have even believed them, but the truth was he would miss the sights and feelings that the place had brought him. This place was one he had called home for so long. Just because they were now missing a crucial member of their ranks didn’t mean that this place was any less home. It was sad to see it crumble around his feet.
He stepped back out into the sun and faced Elle, who true to her word, had readied his favorite horse. As he climbed into the saddle he looked down into the face of the woman who was like a sister to him. For the first moment since hearing the news he was overcome with sadness. He wondered at great length whether he would ever see her again. If she ended up on the front lines…her fate was all but sealed.
“Awww…Graham, don’t chu be cryin’ for me. I’ll be joinin’ ya soon enough” she smiled at him with her little hand on her hip and he couldn’t help but smile. That little woman was stronger than any man he knew and they both knew it, “You just be takin care of yourself and don’t chu be worryin’ about no one else you hear me”
Graham smiled at her at once and when he spoke he kept the sorry out of his voice for her sake. “You take care of yourself Elle, I’ll see you in the capital” and with that he rode off toward Durrony’s Vale. Graham rode like the wind for one week, stopping only when he was tired in the evenings or when he needed to eat. Everything else was inconsequential and unimportant. All that mattered to him was that he reached the capital to begin his new life protecting the Prince. Maybe then he could stop thinking about the girl he left behind.
At long last he reached the port at Durrony’s Vale. He stocked up on a few provisions for the few day journey, boarded the ship and was shown to his quarters. That night he would be found in the dining area in a seat far to the back, simply watching the people around him. There were a couple of men involving themselves in a drinking match that was proving to be rather amusing. Normally Graham would have partaken in such a challenge, but on that particular night he was simply enjoying the time to sit back and relax after a solid week of straight travel.
Tessa heaved a sigh of a relief as she passed the reins of her horse over to his new owner. She had taken a loss on it but honestly she just hoped that she would never have the displeasure of riding such an unpleasant creature again. Inside the inn, Tessa paid her fare for the night and ordered a bath and a meal to be delivered to her private room. She would board ship for Durrony’s Vale tomorrow at first light and she intended to enjoy what small comforts dry land could offer her before then.
The next evening found her sitting in the dining area. The evening meal was mostly over but Tessa remained seated at her table, lost in thought. The prince’s summons was not entirely unexpected but Tessa found herself wondering just what was expected of her. Would she serve as some sort of adviser? She had once been apprenticed to a court magician, though they were quite rare as magic was often distrusted. More than likely, she thought, they would ask her to scry for them or pass military messages though magic means.
Her thoughts shifted drifted back to Sorcerer’s Isle where she had been living for the past few years. She would miss Makros' library the most. There were still so many books untouched and so much to learn! She had been a late budder, and until the moment when she had been chosen to pursue training, she was certain that she would spend her life as a barmaid or marry early to some local boy and work on his farm. Fate had been kind to her however and Tessa was grateful to have escaped such menial futures for a life filled with constant wonder.
A loud roar of laughter from a nearby table startled her from her reverie. Lifting her eyes, she watched the rowdy group of men for a moment before scanning the room. The room was about half empty; many voyagers had already retired to their chambers. There were a few small groups occupying tables here and there but Tessa realized that the only individuals sitting alone were herself and another man off to her right. Curiosity piqued her interest and Tessa guardedly watched the man.
The lanterns lit along the walls did little to illuminate his features, but from his dress, build, and posture, he seemed to be a fighter, either military or mercenary, she couldn’t tell which. Their ship would be stopping at Silden, Cheam, and Bas-Tyra before finally making port at Rillanon and Tessa tried to guess where this man was bound. Silden was too close to really warrant a sea voyage and Rillanon seemed out of the question. Bas-Tyra or Cheam seemed the most likely in her opinion.
Last edited by zigbigadorlube; 06-12-2014 at 03:19 PM..
Graham spent time taking in the occupants of the relatively small dinning area. There were the two men still engaged in a match of who could consume more alcohol. Both of them appeared to be fairly well matched, though in a contest of drinking he was quite confident his boys back home would have taken them on without a second thought. Another group was off to the side immersed in there own conversation and oblivious to the commotion going on just one table away from them.
Then there was her. A female in the room who seemed rather lost in her own thoughts. To many in this world it would seem rather odd for a woman to travel on her own, but that wasn't what made her interesting to Graham. Graham had grown up in a small village and trained beside people like Elle who could take on any man that dared to question her. This woman didn't seem like a knight though or even a mercenary. Her build was far to lean to be any type of physical fighter. That and her clothing was impractical for such as well.
As he contemplated her a small voice in the back of his head told him that he already knew the answer. Around his neck of the woods her type was rare, unheard of even, and definitely widely mistrusted. Magic was something that you couldn't tell exactly how it worked, so most of those he grew up with didn't trust it and a voice in his head told him he shouldn't trust her either. It was the good deal part of him that found her intriguing interesting.
He made he decision rather quickly, downed the last dregs of ale in his tankard and stood up. As he moved into the light he was revealed to be a tall, well build fellow with a head of slightly messy dirty blonde hair. His armor was simple, but sturdy, standard issue for anyone in his troop. He moved across the room, weaving between the quiet group as well as the loud rambunctious group and took a seat fairly close to the magic lady.
"Thought you looked like you might like some company among this band of idiots" he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at them, and then flashed her a bit of a smile.
Tessa blinked as the man tossed back his drink and stood. Assuming he was leaving the dining hall, Tessa returned her gaze to the empty plate before her and was surprised as he in fact sat down at the table next to her own. The young woman smiled politely though she remained wary. "To be honest I had classed you among those idiots," she said, indicating the men behind him as he had just done. "Though you may or may not prove me wrong," she added coyly. He didn't reek of alcohol and seemed sober enough so he got points for that though she had yet to deduce if he was actually interested in her company, or rather looking for her to accompany him to his room.
She was of slight build and though her voluminous robe camouflaged any curves she might have, the chord at her waist revealed a slim figure. Most men overlooked her, either put off by her modest dress or assuming that she was a priestess of some sort. Others saw a lone, vulnerable woman, and were quickly proven wrong for their trouble. Only a few were able to recognize her for what she was and even less respect her for it. This newcomer had yet to fall into any of these categories but she was sure she would deduce his type soon enough...
When she said that she had classified him among those that had been creating a scene and ruckus, he put his hand over his heart in a melodramatic move in pretending that her words had stung him. However his tone was still light, and the small glimmer of what made him what he was still shown in his eyes, "That's cold my lady, cold" but a small but genuine laugh did leave him. Graham knew the truth of loss, he also knew the fear of being sent to join those numbers or the idea of wondering if the man next to you would return, but it never let him take things for granted.
"Vices are the way that some men and women cope with the reality of the current situation" he said it simply, and without much malice towards her words, "I know how to take a drink or two, but some situations are better left without" He left the conversation at that and didn't say anything else about the vices of man. Instead he turned his attention to her. Now that he was closer to her he took a moment to really study her. Much like he was trained to study an opponent. "A woman traveling alone in this day and age is an unusual site."
"You seem very guarded, I apologize if my company was unwanted" He gave her a thoughtful look. He was speaking to her, but also thinking out loud, "I have no devious intentions if that is your line of thought. Being a woman traveling doesn't mean much, I've women in my troop back home that would have taken me out for having such thoughts. However you are clearly neither knight nor mercenary. I'd not rule out priestess, though you don't really give off that vibe."
Tessa couldn't help but smile at the man's antics when he pretended to be "wounded" by her words. His thoughts on vices gave her some food for thought however and her over calculating mind went into overdrive as she continued to try to deduce his personality. His last words however made her class him as the "flirty but not handsy" type thought there was a also a more serious side to him than what he first let on. She decided he was friendly enough.
"I'm sure you understand if a lone woman such as myself takes precautions, though I assure you I can look out for myself." Tessa sighed. She wasn't trying to be unfriendly, she was just...inexperienced...and a bit overcautious. Perhaps she had spent a bit too much time holed up in her tower recently... Clearing her throat after the short lapse in conversation she introduced herself, "My name is Tessa. As you said, I'm no priestess. Let's just say I have some unique talents." Tessa smiled, "I take it you're a military man?" she asked in reference to him mention of his troop.
"Only a great fool would blindly head into a situation without precautions. Though, if the truth be told, the world is full of blinded fools. They can't help it, people strive to find company in others." Graham was an easy going man on the surface, but rather a calculating one on the inside. Normally his thoughts on deeper issues were things he kept close to himself, and rather hardly spoke of them. Perhaps it was the fatigue of the journey, or perhaps it was that intelligent look in her eyes that told him that she was more then the blinded fools, but twice that night he had spoken darker truths. He briefly wondered on that fact.
She introduced herself and mentioned unique talents which once more piqued his interest that she was more then met the eye. He once more gave her a rather calculating look and thought on how to comment on that. Briefly he ran a hand across the base of his stubbled chin in thought. He was grateful when she instead turned the conversation to him. "Ah yes, I'm a soldier from the small knight's base near Cavall Keep." he did not mention the fact that the base was to be disbanded, but that was another story entirely. "The Name is Graham. Graham Alexander of Cavall Keep."
Tessa studied the man in front of her. He was really something, flirty and joking one minute, then sentimental the next. He seemed like the kind of man who had seen a lot of bad things in his life and was trying to do his best to focus on the good things wherever possible. Tessa admittedly felt a bit inexperienced in comparison. Makros had told her tales of demons and other foes that humans could scarcely imagine in their nightmares but the young woman had yet to encounter anything worse than a wraith. Still, her head contained a great deal of theoretical knowledge on how to fight supernatural foes and she supposed that one day she would have the occasion to practice them. For now however she was simply content having the knowledge, she wouldn’t wish the sorts of things she had read about in Makros’ book on even the most vile members of the human race.
Thankfully the man who introduced himself as Graham didn’t inquire further as to her talents. She preferred to steer away from discussions on magic with non-magical brethren whenever possible. She had found that most people had entirely warped ideas when it came to trying to understand magic. Most of their theories didn’t come close to being correct let alone make any sort of sense. ”It’s nice to meet you Graham Alexander of Cavall Keep,” she said with a slight dip of her head, ”What brings you on this sea voyage?” she asked. It was rare to see a soldier traveling alone unless he was either a scout or a messenger.
General Karkoff had been in charge of the small Troop that Graham had belonged but it was by choice that he had taken such a small troop. Long ago he had been head of the king's own and a strong man who's name was known far and wide. His death was one that the world over knew of. When she asked him why he was traveling Graham studied her for a moment as if contemplating the very best way to answer the question.
"I was one of Karkoffs men" he said finally and briefly he lowered his eyes to the ground out of respect for the fallen comrade. He let silence fall over them for a few moments before continuing, "Our Troop has been disbanded. We were Karkoffs little pet project, but no one wants to take it over so we're being shipped to one place or another. I currently am headed to the capital to join the army there. It is my hopes that others from my troop will join me."
Tessa waited patiently for Graham to answer her question. His hesitation made her wonder if he was formulating a lie but when his answer came, she was a bit taken aback. Though they didn’t often receive news of kingdom affairs on Sorcerer’s Island apart from whatever they scryed, Karkoff’s death was something that had spread widely enough for Tessa to have heard of. He was well known to be one of the most competent leaders and brilliant strategists of all time and his death was mourned by all. The fact that Graham had been a part of his troop spoke volumes and Tessa’s respect for the man rose. ”I see,” Tessa said, ”It seems we will be seeing quite a bit of each other in the next few days,” she added, ”I am also bound for the capital.”
"Well then, its good to know this ship will hold good company from an interesting woman such as yourself" he said with a playful wolf like grin.
As the night wore on the conversation continued between the two. Graham's deep booming laugh could be heard many times through the night. Eventually however, the candles began to burn low in their holders. He watched as the last of the drunken idiots face planted into the table across the way. The room had become rather quiet without him having noticed. He let out a yawn, and then he stood, noticing he had grown rather tired. He took Tessa's hand and in perfect gentleman fashion kissed the back of it, "Fair thee well m'lady. The night has grown long and I know of a bed calling my name. I do hope you'll grace me with your company again before the trip is up."
He left without another word before she could answer him but there was a smile playing his lips as he did. This was going to be an interesting trip indeed.
~~~~~
Graham's dream's that night were strange. Many times Tessa showed up in them, as well as the strange people who had started the war. By Morning, however, he did not remember anything about the dreams and instead took the moment to groan at the sun which had disturbed his sleep.
Tessa wasn’t sure whether to roll her eyes at the playful comment or to blush but Graham saved her the trouble as their conversation moved on to another topic. As the night wore on, she wouldn’t admit but she had appreciated Graham’s company over the other drunkards and the few couples and families who had retired early. Sure, she could have spent the evening alone in her cabin mulling over her unfinished book but it was good to be sociable once in a while. To be honest she had forgotten how nice it felt to just sit and talk with some amiable company. Makros was great as a teacher and a sounding board for magical theory but he wasn’t the most sociable of people.
Tessa blinked when Graham brought her attention to the hour. She couldn’t believe how quickly the evening had faded into the wee hours of the morning. Stifling a yawn, Tessa stood and only slightly flinched when he took her hand and kissed it. Again he saved her the trouble of responding as he left, leaving her alone in the room with the passed out drunks. Tessa slowly made her way back to her room. The halls were empty this late at night and she took the time to contemplate the interesting character she had spent her night with. Once inside her room, she stripped down and slipped into bed. Sleep claimed her within minutes.
Tessa awoke much later than usual given the hour she had finally got in for the night. She allowed herself a few minutes in bed, feeling the motion of the boat swaying beneath her, before finally getting up. She slowly dressed and ran her fingers through her hair before glancing out the small window that her room had been afforded. The sun was up and the skies were clear. Feeling positive about the day, Tessa stepped out of her room and headed for the dining hall for some breakfast.
((I'm going to unsubscribe from this for now since my subscriptions are getting a bit cumbersome but if you get inspired to post feel free to ping me back.))
Graham opened an eye and looked out at the sun that was disturbing his slumber. Was it really that late already? He forced himself to sit up, despite the fact that he really just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep. He had after all been up until wee hours of the night. His thoughts roamed to the woman from the night before as he got dressed. It was true that Graham like to flirt and drink on a regular basis but the night before had been something different entirely. While it was true that her being attractive was nothing to sneer at, that wasn’t what had kept him there, talking to her until all hours of the morning.
He continued to contemplate both this and what he was going to do for the day when it struck him why he found her so fascinating. She was a mystery, someone who he could learn about and find interest in doing so. Those he had been around since he was young were good people but completely open books. They had no secrets and were very open and honest people. With a team like theirs that Karkoff had trained to be a cohesive team, secrets didn’t exist. While he loved his team and would do anything for them, this took away the thought of adventure. Tessa presented a challenge, an adventure of sorts.
After he was adequately made sure he was dressed and ready for the day he decided breakfast and then a good workout, or rather the best workout he could get within the confounds of a ship, were in order for the day. He was just leaving his room when Tessa was passing by headed in vaguely in the same direction. He smirked to himself, and then called out to her, “fancy meeting you here, mysterious not priestess Tessa”
Tessa treaded lightly down the empty hallway in the direction of the dining hall. She was contemplating what she would do after her meal and didn’t at all notice the figure emerging from his room as she passed. Tessa started slightly as a voice rang out, breaking through her thoughts. Recognizing the voice, Tessa smiled to herself before turning to face Graham. “Good morning Graham Alexander of Cavall Keep,” she said, playing along with his charade. She was about to say something else when her stomach rumbled quite loudly. Laughing lightly, Tessa said, ”I was just headed to the dining hall in hopes that the cook will still have something to offer. Would you care to join me?” As a military man, Graham was quite probably an early riser and perhaps had already eaten but she decided to extend the offer just the same.
