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Lathrine
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#26
Old 08-22-2015, 11:47 AM

It took Kalia a few moments to reply and she idly watched Khadri and his tea as she thought, briefly wishing for some as well. "I met a handful of people before you who needed help, and I assisted them as best I could. It sounds terrible, but in a way you were convenient. You were the first one I perceived as being in a more dire situation, and staying in one place gave me the chance to think about... how I wanted to go about things." Kalia gesticulated vaguely, then frowned at her thoughts. "There are always going to be people who require more help than those I am with. But if I spend my whole life trying to find those people, I may not see the people who need help right in front of me. It's like..."

She stopped and squinted at nothing, trying to find a way to word it. "Like... the ranger we found. Adventuring is inherently dangerous, and by nature it takes you to dangerous places. They're remote, and people die all the time just because... they were overlooked. We had the means to save the ranger, but what if we hadn't taken the job? There's no guarantee any other group down there had the means to help her, or that they would arrive in time. Anywhere we go, there are going to be people like that. So, to me, joining a crew and adventuring seems like the best course of action right now."

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#27
Old 08-22-2015, 11:59 AM

"Noble quest." Khadri paused shortly. "Good reasons. I like to be convenient. But, as you can see with the goblin's presence on my ship, that can get anyone into a whole lot of trouble. But I digress and complain. Am I correct in thinking that doing a little good in a lot of places is better than doing a lot of good in one place? Feeding ten starving planets with the barest of rations rather than feeding one to indulgence." Khadri nodded, seemingly confident in his train of thought. "Still." He fixed Kalia with a sharp stare. "If it comes down to it, would you feed that starving planet... or would you feed your peers, my crew? Proverbially speaking, of course. Thusfar, we haven't had any real problem with food." Once again, Khadri tapped on the wall of the ship. Down below, he was quite sure the samsaran would have heard his warding of Murphy's Law if she had been in her room.

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#28
Old 08-22-2015, 12:23 PM

"I would feed the crew first," Kalia replied solemnly and without pause, "Every time. But I'm never going to be in a position where I have the opportunity to feed an entire planet. At most, I can see it being helping communities who aren't well off reestablish themselves, maybe nudge them in the direct to help others..." She trailed off for a moment, before pulling her self back to the question. "But I would never put others before your crew. Not unless absolutely necessary." Another vague gesture, and Kalia rattled off a mantra trained and taught into her years ago. "Fix the self before the family, and the family before the community."

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#29
Old 08-23-2015, 11:07 AM

Khadri waved his hand. "It's all hypothetical and proverbial. The act of feeding is merely the act of giving assistance where it is needed. A starving populace is just part of the metaphor. We all simply have to find out where our loyalties lie. If yours are with the crew, then glad to have you aboard. In a party like this, we need to have each others' complete trust to perform properly. That means I need to know you can do your job of protecting the... flimsier party members, such as La'iel and myself from those who would see us harm. But it is a two way street, this not-a-metaphor. You also need to know that La'iel and I will do our best in protecting you as well."

Khadri placed his cup on the table and pulled out a small square of leather. He muttered a quick, well-known incantation and flicked his wrist in just the right way. His hand was engulfed in a soft blue glow that formed several rivulets around his fingers, dancing and popping as the arcane forces bounced into each other. "If I think that a battle is going to be a long, arduous one, I may cast this on you. It's a harmless little spell that most casters know that adds an extra layer of armor to your existing one. Mage's Armor. One of a few defensive spells that I already have access to. I'll gain more as we travel, but this one is a good fallback. I believe it augments physical armor. If not, at least it looks neat." He waved his hand, dispelling the streams, and absorbed the arcane energy right back into himself.

"We are here for each other. Not for me. Not for the goblin. Each other." Khadri confirmed, picking his cup back up.

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#30
Old 08-27-2015, 04:14 AM

Kalia leaned forward curiously, looking closely at the magical glow Khadri had cast to encase his hand. "Mage's Armor? I think I've heard of it in passing. But I didn't know many spellcasters until recently, so this is the first I've seen of it. If things drag out at all, it'll be nice to have an extra something between me and them-- even if the only boost it can provide is a morale one." Khadri did something, Kalia certainly had no idea what, and the glow vanished with a wave of his hand. Kalia sat back, humming softly. "We have to support each other, and I trust the rest of you to protect me. Maybe not in the same ways I can protect you, but that doesn't matter in the end. United we stand..." she let the phrase trail off, trusting it was familiar enough to get the point across.

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#31
Old 08-27-2015, 08:01 PM

"...Because divided we die." Khadri had heard the phrase before, but back where he came from, it was slightly different. "But alas..." He trailed off as well, taking a deep pull from his tea. He coughed. Right. It was hot. "Speaking of being divided, I was noticing a lack of... alliance out here. There's the elven armada, the human traders, hell, even the kobolds and orcs have fleets, but there's a distinct lack of us." Khadri flared his fingers, gesturing towards himself. "Half-elves. I mean, we might not be part of a prominent race, but... The elves look down on us for being impure and the humans... well, humans are always changing their minds. One minute we're an evolution on the human race, the next we're a cancer, brought on by..." Khadri shook his head in disgust, "fetishists. But we have to have a presence. I picked one up randomly." He gestured then at Kalia, sweeping his hand through the air between them. "So our kind must be out here. So I had an idea. A penultimate goal, if you will." Khadri paused. "I want to compile a fleet."

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#32
Old 08-29-2015, 05:21 AM

"Wherever one can find elves and humans, half-elves will never be far behind," Kalia mused, leaning back and propping her elbow on the arm of her chair, "Nor will our mistreatment. But if we could gather a fleet of half-elves... it would take some time, of course, but it's doable." She paused for a moment, resting a couple fingers on her chin in thought, then continued. "My one condition would be that the fleet isn't used for wanton violence and destruction, however with you leading our helm I don't believe that would be an issue. I'm willing to assist you. However possible."

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#33
Old 08-29-2015, 07:51 AM

Khadri narrowed his eyes, idly chewing on a tea leaf that had broken free of its strainer. He eventually shook his head and sat forward in his chair. "The goblin would have to go. I will not have somewhere that would otherwise be safe for the degraded and abused members of our race... harried by someone who would wreak wanton violence and destruction upon them." Khadri took a long pull of his tea, washing down the bitter leaf that had ended up on the back of his tongue. "As for resources and income, I believe that will grow with our fleet. We are a very multi-talented race. It comes with the blood admixture, I guess... Fleet... Fleet is a very militaristic word. Flock is far too religious, no offense. Confederation? I don't honestly want to be in charge of this, but every large body needs a leader. Otherwise, mass chaos ensues... There will always be that one who wants to be in charge and, if the position's free, they feel it's their right to take it." Khadri shrugged. "Alliance."

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#34
Old 08-30-2015, 08:42 AM

It would almost be sad to see the goblin go, but in the grand scheme of things Kalia wouldn't miss him terribly. He'd likely be happier off the ship by that point, and have found people his antics meshed better with. People who wouldn't be so harmed by it, or who had the ability to properly wrangle him. Kalia waved a hand. "No offense taken. Religion isn't for everyone." She paused with her hand in the air, then gradually brought it back to her chin. "You wouldn't have to be the leader forever. Just until someone else was found who could take over. Maybe not even that long, if it really rubs you the wrong way," Kalia rubbed her chin, tipping her head to the side in thought, "A council might work for a time, if it needed to. Someone has to lead the Half-Elf Alliance, but that someone doesn't necessarily need to be you."

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#35
Old 09-01-2015, 04:45 AM

"A council sounds like a good idea. Honestly, I just... I want to do well by everyone. I know that's impossible, but I want to do best by the underprivileged. Our people. And... I don't want it to default to militarization. I want us to be able to back each other up. So not so much of a... a fleet or confederation, but more of a network. Communication lines to call for help. That kind of thing. But... some kind of structure would be best. A kind of... yeah, council of spelljamming captains and crew with alliances and communication lines connecting them. Connecting us. I just... I don't know." Khadri paused for a long moment, taking a nervous, awkward pull from his tea. "Perhaps... Perhaps it will be best to wait and see what opportunities arise. Seek out allies among our scattered race, especially ones that hold positions of respect and power. Make deals. Make friends. Open communications and slowly build everything up. Any ideas?"

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#36
Old 09-01-2015, 05:41 AM

Once again, Kalia reached out and gently pressed a hand to Khadri's shoulder. This time, as he talked about wanting to make sure their people had support and help and safe places to go, Kalia left it there. A hopefully reaffirming ground to remind him he wasn't throwing himself at this dream alone. When Khadri stopped long enough to turn to his tea, Kalia drew her hand back-- but still stayed forward and attentive.

"I think," she began slowly, thinking as she spoke, "It might be best if we make connections with other half-elves as we encounter them. We don't have the means to establish intership or interplanetary communications just yet, I don't believe? But at the very least we can start establishing safe locations planet side. Places our people can go and find help." Kalia paused for a moment, then drew her brows together and continued. "I'm not sure how feasible that is at the moment. But until we have more power and resources, it's a place to start. Or at least, an idea."

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#37
Old 09-01-2015, 08:41 PM

"Right, right." Khadri raised his head and smiled broadly at Kalia. "I'm getting ahead of myself. I still... I still need to find my own place and... and things before I can even think to help others. But still... Having a goal is what matters in the end. A place to start..." Khadri's shoulders slumped, but he remained sitting upright. "Being proactive in this isn't getting me anywhere fast anyway. It's been weeks, but all we've managed to do was... that." He nodded to the stern, which faced unerringly toward Oerth, where he had knowingly directed his unaware crew in the slaughter of tens, dozens, perhaps hundreds of orcs with a uncontrolled sphere of annihilation. He could only comfort himself in the fact that when he scanned the area, each of the residents pinged as evil in nature.

Khadri scratched his chin and coughed, the light stubble that covered the lower half of his face pricking against his fingers. "But we all have to start somewhere. And it's best to be on the neogis' good side, even if it is only one." Of course, Khadri had only read about neogi in books and studied them briefly in lecture. Even then, his education had come from the Thayan wizards, as xenophobic as they were. "They are dangerous, but they pay well. 2,000 gold for a week's worth of sitting around on the ship and two hours worth of... work is much, overall, when viewed objectively, better and, well, I was going to say less dangerous, but I don't think that applies when orcs are compared to dire rats... But... You can blame me for that deception. I... I won't blame you for it."

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#38
Old 09-05-2015, 08:21 AM

There was a moment or two of silence before Kalia responded, and when she did it was with a small sigh. Not at Khadri or what he had to say, but more... at the whole situation in general. It had been a tense several days with an unfortunate culmination, for sure. "I'm not comfortable with the job or its outcome, but... I understand why you took it. We need the money, and I will not blame you or hold that against you." Lacing her fingers together, Kalia settled her hands on one knee. "I don't know much about neogi, but from what you've said I can imagine that his next jobs will be similar to this. The fewer jobs like that we can take in the future, the better. But we can't afford to be too picky."

Kalia shrugged and picked her journal up off the table, closing it gently after checking that the ink was indeed truly dry this time. "I trust your judgement. Things aren't going to be easy, but you aren't trying to figure them out or find where you stand on your own."

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#39
Old 09-05-2015, 08:43 AM

Khadri sat back once more, tensely satisfied with Kalia's response. "At least you understand. I have run across many people... many people especially of the church, who put their morals before their survival. I bet you could guess what happened to them. No, flexibility is key, especially if we want to actually do good. I take what we can get. I still take comfort in the fact that that specific tribe pinged as evil. Not to mention, their warriors were boasting about how they were going to raid an elven city nearby soon enough. I don't know about you, but I would rather have a pleasant byproduct be what we take away from that situation. Would you assassinate an otherwise innocent man if you knew he was going to murder dozens of others later that day? If you had it on good word that he would?" Khadri shook his head, biting and licking his lip nervously. "We needed the money. Still do. Need more, I mean. I... I don't like it any more than you do, but... A moral compass would be appreciated, especially if it knows when to point south, if you catch my meaning."

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#40
Old 09-09-2015, 05:34 AM

He made a fair point, and Kalia couldn't exactly argue she wouldn't assassinate the would-be murderer in the presented hypothetical situation. After all, she essentially told the captive orc in their very first encounter as a party 'because you will go on to kill others, your life is now forfeit.' Despite what she said and how she acted, her hands weren't exactly clean.

Kalia hummed, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. "No," she admitted, "I don't think I quite get what you're trying to imply. But... maybe it's better that way." She paused for a moment, thinking over Khadri's words again. "And maybe that's what you're saying." Another slight pause, and then Kalia freed a hand to gesticulate vaguely, brows drawing together in a slight, concerned frown. "Khadri, I'm not good with this sort of thing. I know about temples and deities and snooty rich folk-- The moment we get into shadowy dealings, I'm out of my depth. If you need me to protect you and stop listening when you give the word, I can do that. Sometimes it's going to be necessary, especially while we still need money so badly, but I'm not comfortable with it in the long run."

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#41
Old 09-09-2015, 05:39 PM

"I never said anything about the long run in regards to this. If I did, then it slipped my mind and I apologize. But... As much as I know this would pain you, I feel like I have to say it." Khadri paused for effect, licking his lips with the tip of his tongue, and collected his thoughts, almost bracing for some resistance or retribution. Kalia wouldn't though. "We can't save everyone, no matter how hard we try. Sometimes, to protect someone, someone else must be endangered or killed. We must pick and choose who we protect. I choose to protect those of our race who have nowhere to go due to their parentage. I choose to endanger and let an orc pack die to... get in a position to give aid to our people. I'm not going to try to convince you that it's the right thing to do... just... the best thing to do. You'll see." Khadri bit off the end of his statement before he could add 'I hope' to the end.

"All of my training came from Thayan books and lectures. Xenophobic..." Khadri searched his limited explicit vocabulary to find something that fit how he felt about his former slavers. He didn't find one. He especially couldn't find one that he would say in his stable condition. "Xenophobic asses, the lot of them. I have a purely academic knowledge of the workings of the universe. Now, I know Realmspace well enough, since I was born and raised there, but... I know nothing of shadowy dealings beyond what I learned walking home from school before I was sent to Thay. I just... trust my instinct. And I guess sometimes that instinct gets my ship loaded with a Sphere of Annihilation."

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#42
Old 09-10-2015, 05:26 AM

"I know. The thought doesn't still well, but I know. I have known." To think, this conversation had started with a name for Khadri's ship and the promise of puns. How had they even gotten to such a heavy topic? Kalia took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and steadily. "... You weren't the only one threatening the orc back on that asteroid farm. He would've only gone on to hurt or kill others, and I wouldn't do that encounter any other way given the chance. It just..." Kalia shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the side of her neck and letting her right hand just rest there against her collar bone. "It feels... different, on the larger scale. With the orc pack. It's ridiculous, but on that kind of scale I couldn't help but feel like one or two of them might've been saved. Evil doesn't mean they can't change. I know they were an immediate threat, and I don't disagree that it was the best decision, but..." A long pause, and then Kalia shook her head. She slid her right hand down the back of her neck, cushioning her cheek against the wrist. "I don't know. I can't find the words for it."

But then, Khadri seemed to be struggling just as much as she was. "Be that as it may, as glad as I am to hear I'm not the only one neck deep in it-- I don't doubt your instincts, Khadri. Sometimes they may... lead us astray," she admitted with a wince, "But no more than mine inevitably will. I have faith that my gods will guide me straight and true, however even they can only do so much when faced with mortal judgement." Could they even see her, all the way out her in Realmspace? She had been warned she may be beyond Kirechk's help, but maybe Dimandrix...

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#43
Old 09-10-2015, 09:40 PM

Khadri was silent for a long time. He sat very still, hands folded on the table, staring down at Kalia's closed journal. "Murder and genocide sound very different, but they essentially mean the same thing. Scale is very important. But scale is relative. Falling off a cliff is lethal for a person and a mouse, but a curb is usually only lethal for one. But scaling scale is just as important. A tiny group of orcs harassing a single family versus a tribe attacking a city versus an army storming a metropolis." Khadri shook his head slowly. The lethargy was settling in. "Everything is relative. Like I said, I'm not trying to defend myself and my opinion and I'm not trying to influence you. I'm just... trying to assert my opinion as valid... which is kind of like defending it. I guess."

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#44
Old 09-23-2015, 01:52 AM

"I don't know. I think..." Kalia bowed her head and scrubbed her face with her hands. When she did, her fingers jammed into the edges of her helm, promising a sting that would last for about ten seconds before fading. She took a deep breath, pressing fingertips into sore eyes, then let out the breath in a sigh and looked up. Kalia picked up her journal-- which had fallen from her hands-- and stood up, offering a hand to Khadri. Which he didn't need, but she felt it polite to at least offer assistance. "I think we're both too tired. You especially. You've only just gotten off your shift, Khadri, and you need rest."

She paused, then continued after a thoughtful moment. "We should continue this conversation later. It's not... comfortable, but it's important that we stay on the same page."

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#45
Old 10-08-2015, 03:47 AM

"All I am is on shift or asleep." Khadri folded his arms and legs at the thigh, staying put. "If you need to sleep, go. I just... I need to think for a bit." He almost immediately broke his pose, reaching down to adjust where the canvas overskirt dug into the tender scar tissue on his outer thigh. "I've gotten myself into a bigger mess than I thought I would have initially and... if you don't want to come along for the ride, tell me now. Tell me before I completely come to rely on you." Khadri wrapped his fingers around his nearly empty teacup, further deepening his immovability. He pointedly stared off the side of the ship at the crystal sphere far in the distance, its gemstones glittering in the starlight. He had once believed them to be stars as well, much like the one Toril had revolved around. How times had changed.

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#46
Old 10-10-2015, 02:47 AM

For a long moment, Kalia just watched Khadri-- then she shook herself out of it with a sigh. There had been too many long silences already in this interaction. They didn't need another. What they needed right now-- would always need, really-- was communication. She moved toward Khadri and placed a hand on his shoulder, following his gaze out to the wall of the crystal sphere, really nothing more than glittering pinpricks at this distance. Supposedly those were gemstones, not stars, but... Kalia still couldn't quite wrap her mind around that thought. Nothing on Mehrir could've prepared her for this journey. Which, in and of itself, was a sad thought.

After just a second or two, Kalia dropped her sight back to Khadri and squeezed his shoulder ever so slightly. Not to move him or anything, though it certainly wouldn't be hard, more to... reassure him. "I'm not going to let you-- any of you-- deal with this mess alone. I protect people. A bump in the road or disagreement isn't going to change that, and it's not going to scare me off."

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#47
Old 10-18-2015, 06:20 AM

Khadri nodded offhandedly, not looking to Kalia as she spoke. Instead, he stared off into the distance, eyes barely moving as he looked between the jewels embedded into the sphere's walls. He parted his lips with a soft click and said only one word in Elven. "Lethelena"

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#48
Old 02-15-2016, 07:53 AM

Kalia rolled the world over in her head, comparing it with the short list of Elven words she knew from her home and the even shorter list of Khadri's flavor of Elven words. Nothing matched up, with the exception of some strange phrase about a soul, and Kalia clicked her tongue at herself. "... Forgive my ignorance, but what does it mean? It sounds... beautiful."

 


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