Antagonist's Anarchy: Desolation in the Daylight - Chapter II (Open)

[dplax]

Nivram, the sweetie

"Oh, I definitely would not want that." Nivram said, sitting down next to the fire, so as to have his clothes dried. He placed his wet shirt next to him, facing the fire. They would soon get dry, the air wasn't that cool.

"So, did you and Daddy manage to have your important talk for which you needed to send the kids away?" - Nivram asked with a wide grin, obviously teasing and baiting Isokla.

[ 03-05-2006, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: dplax ]

[DrowArchmage]

Zakaria smiled at Iskola's scream,almost unable to control himself from bursting out.Nivram,you shouldn't supprise a woman like that, they are rather unpredictable.I would like to offer to roast the fish,though I'm not the best at it."Sweetie" Zak grinned.If you want it dried a little faster than that bring it over here, i'm feeling a little better and drying a shirt wont cost too much energy.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

As dusk stole upon the group, Detheriel gazed up towards the sky at the tapestry displayed for all to see. Deep oranges and reds danced towards the west as the sun rested for another night, weary of the days travels.

A cool breeze rustled momentarily through the trees behind the river and Detheriel closed his eyes in contentment. He was lying on his back on the bank, his bare feet and legs dangling in the water as it rushed by, a small pile of clothing lying spread out on the bank to his left.

In his efforts to keep his bow, his quiver and his pack out of the water - a considerable armful to say the least - Detheriel had stumbled on the shifting riverbed and almost fallen. Thankfully he was close enough to the opposite side that he could throw his equipment to dry land but he had been soaked up to the waist. Being firmly possessed of the belief that it's best to play along with whatever nature deals up, he had decided to take advantage of this to relax a little distance away from the group whilst he let his boots and trousers dry slightly in the evening breeze.

Glancing around he could see the light from Isokla's fire flickering against the trees and the sound of merriment drifted towards him through the night air. He felt a momentary tug, almost one of homesickness, at such domestic sights and he smiled at himself in amusement at such sentimentality. Still, he reflected, it was nice to be amongst company for a time.

Isokla's semi-outraged scream pierced the night air and he couldn't help grinning a little bit as he saw stifled laughter reflected in the silhouettes around the fire. He was glad the group was getting along so well - surprising to an extent - although the need to band together was of course a common one in the wild.

It was an unlikely group of people, that much could certainly be said of them. His initial reservations had largely been dispelled, especially with regards to Nivram who seemed to have benefited in particular from the group contact. Zakaria, for all his temper, was not a fool and had obviously decided that it was in his best interests to not attempt to kill absolutely everything that stood in his way. His clearly awkward attempts to verbally make amends for ruffled feathers had almost endeared him to Detheriel who wondered whether some members of the group weren't a little too unreceptive to such efforts.

But no...it was Keal that concerned him the most. Quiet, withdrawn Keal who had not uttered a word in Detheriel's direction since his discovery, despite accepting and returning his knife back in the tower. Detheriel believed his story of course; he doubted these Lords of Vision had the brains or forethought to think about spying. No, it wasn't that...just that he had suddenly become the unknown and unpredictable quantity in the group and if there was one thing that made Detheriel edgy it was strangers whose actions he could not predict. Still, he seems harmless enough, albeit with a strange choice in role model he reflected.

Isokla had withdrawn deeper into counsel with Ydalon recently, no doubt deep in discussion about what the groups real goal was. He had considered pressing the issue of course, but was really quite content to roam the wilds with this ragtag band of fellows in much the same manner as he had always done.

Answers were definitely outstanding however, not least the strange skulking creature that had been following them for some time now. Detheriel found it hard to believe that keen-eyed Ydalon hadn't noticed it and that meant Isokla was likely privy to the secret as well. Still, it clearly wasn't aggressive and its poor skill at tracking suggested that it posed little threat to the group so Detheriel was quite content to let it skulk. Lets just hope it stays clear of a jumpy Zakaria in the night! he chuckled to himself, although he wouldn't really wish that fate upon anybody.

Rising and stretching he jumped to his feet and slapped his wet legs and feet to restore some warmth to them. He pulled on his damp trousers and couldn't help grimacing slightly at the clammy feeling of the cold material on his legs. Remembering some particularly painful blisters received in times past, he laced his boots up and slung them round his neck safely rather than suffer the wet leather rubbing. He bent down, lifted his equipment into his arms and walked the short distance back to the camp towards the inviting firelight.

OOC - Plenty of edits, apologies.

[ 03-06-2006, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[DrowArchmage]

So,Detheriel,Zakaria said in a low voice.We have'nt talked much on the voyage,I figured i would stay on with this bunch because i have no home to go back to.In any case,are you staying on as well?I think a man of your skill would be of help.

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

Feeling slightly bemused in light of his recent train of thought, Detheriel inclined his head gravely at Zakaria's words. "My thanks for your kind words, Zakaria" he replied. "It was originally my intention to go my own separate way, but I must admit that I find the company agreeable at the moment." He paused, thinking of the skulking figure that so far had gone undetected. "I confess that I am curious about the answers to certain particular questions I have, but no doubt all shall be revealed in time."

He walked over to the edge of the woods and, grunting, dragged a moss-covered log over to the embers. Wiping his hands together to clean the worst of the green stains from them, he sat down and beckoned Zakaria. "Join me by the fire if you wish; the night will be closing in soon." He paused, unsure of how much Zakaria wanted to open up.

"No doubt you shall find plenty of avenues open to you when we reach this city. Have you given any thought as to what you might do when we arrive there?

Waiting to hear what the enigmatic mage would reply, Detheriel blinked rapidly as an errant gust of wind blew smoke in his direction.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

Isokla, the 'mummy' (OOC: rawr, covered in bandages - it returns! /lame pun)

Isokla smiled to Nivram again and shook her head slightly, an amused light apparant in her eyes. "Not yet, sweetie," she answered, her usual melodic tone soft, "I'm still awaiting 'daddy's' reply." She paused for a moment and looked at the fish still in her lap, "So why don't you go and club the fish to death dear, gut and take off its fins and return it to me hmm? I'll fillet it and prepare supper for you all."

This time her smile was full and sincere and there was a light-heartedness about her that was absent when all first met her. For all that though, there seemed to be what could best be ascribed to the poetic as a 'slight shadow' haunting her eyes, as though perhaps, her thoughts were as not as light-hearted as her tone and something still troubled her.

Turning to Ydalon as she rose and handed the fish to Nirvam by the tail, gripping it with a firm hand that suggested she had dealt with fish before, she spoke softly, "Perhaps you shall give me the answers I seek later... tonight? This seems to be - not the best of times to finish our discussion." She smiled again, charmingly enough to satisfy most men and perhaps even some women. It was the sort of smile full of control and charm, perhaps even somewhat maternal, but also the sort that a wife might use to cajole a husband or perhaps lover, or for mother or tutor to coax a child or student.

"Incidently," she asked lightly, to no one in particular, "Perhaps some of you manly men would make the camp while the womenfolk cook for you?" Isokla smiled again, though this time there was a wicked light in her eyes, as if assuming traditional roles of the gender secretly amused her. At any rate, she seemed content to play group mother. She made no mention to Keal, Zak or spoke of the figure lurking at the edges of the river however. Perhaps she seemed unaware of the last, but given the former was silent and the other was otherwise occupied in conversing with Detheriel she did not interupt.

As to the cowled and cloaked figure, well, that still skulked at the edges of the river on the opposite bank and continued to disappear as it stooped down to pick flowers or reeds. Perhaps what was most odd about it was the fact that it made little or no noise as it shuffled about; no twigs snapped, no birds cried out in anguish at having their homes invaded and more importantly; none of them took to wing in fear. It was perhaps a little bit too quiet.

However, despite all this, the figure continued on its way, slowly working down south and trundled slowly over to the shallows at the river crossing. It did not attempt to cross however, and no one could get a clear view of its face; only that it was hunched over - perhaps a hunchback, but it was hard to say. It's cloak was in tatters and it wore rags, but its gender could not be determined, no matter how hard one looked.


Even as this went on, dusk turned slowly to night and the stars crept out from under their blanket of daylight, piercing the darkness with their shining bright faraway fire. Even as they twinkled, the temperature dropped and the night's chill rose unbidden, sweeping around the camp silently, stirred further by a gust of wind. The bite of the breeze would soon put the night's cold at -3 or -4 at a guess (OOC: Celsius since I don't do Fahrenheit) and below freezing. Tomorrow would promise frost...

---
OOC: I'll let everyone RP a bit more since this seems like a nice place to stop and interact before moving us along - or letting Leggy move us along since I know he has a few plans (Plans that I approved for the record )

[dplax]

Nivram

Nivram took the fish from Isokla, mumbling that it was already dead, and that clubbing would not be necessary. He walked to the riverside, and sat down on a flat rock. He shivered slightly, and drew his shirt closer on his shoulders. The air was cooling fast, and promised a cold night.

Nivram drew one of his daggers and got to work on the fish. His fish-gutting skills were much better than his fishing skills. In less than five minutes he had removed the unedible insides, the scales and the fins. He threw the unusable parts into the river. Some predatory fish was going to have a great night.

Holding the two halves of the now cookable fish, Nivram returned to Isokla, and handed them to her.

"There you go, mummy."

[shamrock_uk]

Detheriel

Seeing that Zakaria's brief period of openness appeared to have dried up for the moment, Detheriel turned to watch Nivram working on the fish.

As so often happens when one sits close to a fire, one side of him became particularly warm so he rose to his feet just in time to hear a rather unusual remark:

"There you go, mummy" Nivram announced, returning the gutted fish to Isokla.

One of Detheriel's eyebrows quirked upwards in response to this; obviously he wad missed some of this conversation!

He was pleased to see Isokla with her old sparkle back. After her initial warmth, the way she had become progressively more withdrawn had made him a little concerned for her well-being.

He did also worry slightly about the undue influence that Ydalon appeared to exert over her. Detheriel smiled briefly as he thought about this - after all he was also trusting their young leader to guide him safely, why not her also?

Yet for all her bravado and hinting of powers yet to be unveiled, Detheriel found it difficult to shake off the protective instinct he felt towards her, despite knowing that such feelings would be abbhorent to a woman of her independence.

No doubt in part this was because of the vulnerability he associated with her gender, but there was also the concern that despite whatever powers she might posess they were still untested and unproven for all practical purposes.

His thoughts were just turning in earnest to Ydalon when a waft of suddenly cold air tickled his nostrils, making him wrinkle his nose. Glancing up at the sky, the soft twinkle of the stars confirmed by their visibility that this would indeed be a chilly night. As if on cue, a cold breeze suddenly gusted through the camp, fanning the flames of the fire.

Thinking that it would likely be frosty in the morning, Detheriel started gathering bracken and similar foliage from the nearby edge of the forest and carried it next to the fire. After several minutes he had managed to accumulate a small pile which, after a little more was added, should serve as a rudimentary blanket to separate the group from the worst of the damp earth that would greet them in the morning. Smiling with satisfaction, he then set about collecting some fallen branches to store by the fire to keep the party warm through the night.

His stomach rumbling, he glanced over to Isokla, wondering what the application of her no-doubt considerable culinary skills would produce.

[ 04-04-2006, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[DrowArchmage]

Zak nodded his thanks at Detheriel.Your kindness is unusual.Seeing as how the others have been to me thus far.You and Keal are the only ones who have'nt been cruel or mean to me.Thank you.

[Calaethis Dragonsbane]

“Thank you, sweetie.” Isokla replied absently to Nivram, though her tone held obvious warmth – more so than she had shown in recent days. As Detheriel had correctly observed, she seemed to be returning to her “old self”. However, how true their first impression of the girl had been was open to interpretation.

Taking one of the fish halves from Nivram, Isokla turned away and on a fallen log and covered with a large fern leaf she had found and stripped of bark while the former had been away, set the fish down onto it. Pulling several small bottles out of her ever present satchel, she proceeded to douse the fish flesh and a faint acrid scent drifted to the nostrils of those present nearby. What the girl did next, she did under the cover of her cloak as she leant forward, shielding the fish and her actions of those close at hand. She treated the fish with something, but what it was was unknown and undetectable.

“Nivram sweetie.” the girl called, glancing up as she started to slice and dice the fish into small penny-sized chunks, “Would you mind fetching mummy some fresh water and setting it to boil?” from out of her pack, she pulled out a small seemingly iron pot no larger than a fish bowl or crystal ball and set it nearby the fire. Leaving the fish to marinade in its juices, she set up a tripod using short rods of the same material as the traveller’s pot, and hung it from a hook. Also fishing around inside her pack, she pulled out a small sackcloth bag, more of a rations bag than anything else, and unstitched it. Inside were dried grains of something. It was entirely possible that those present had never seen this particular variety of grain, more commonly known as a form of ‘rice’ in the lands to the east of the capital. Right now, the party were in the lands west of the capital. (OOC: I think – I don’t actually recall. If not, then the positions are reversed. Regardless, its opposite where they are right now, not that it really matters. The point is, without trying to beat you all over the head too much , that Isokla could be well travelled.)

Assuming Nivram cooperates and fetches the water, Isokla boils the grain and once it’s done, beings to wrap it and the fish in a strange black substance that she boiled alongside the rice and soon, almost magically appearing in front of the assembled others’ eyes, she had wrapped about forty or fifty of these coin-thick, half-fist long packages. To those with an average or above average perception, the former will notice that Isokla has excellent knifecraft and technique, and the latter will note that her blade moves with expert precision, never missing its mark, never slicing in anything but perfect straight lines; obviously she has above average, if not expert skill at cutting. Perhaps she was a chef once? At the very least, she is experienced with slicing flesh.

“I hope this will be enough,” Isokla smiled sweetly, “If not, I can always make some more, or,” she paused, “Should you not care for my wares, or cooking, if you prefer, I’m sure one of you can roast the rest of the fish, or tend it more to your liking. I believe on of you mentioned roasting it?” She arched an eyebrow and waited patiently. “I am not sure if I mentioned this before, but this ‘dish’ is considered a delicacy in many places and they charge silver, if not gold for it in some restaurants.”

She sniffed a little, “Such a simple dish, if properly prepared. But with all delicacies, it is often an… acquired taste. I regret that I lack the proper sauces and servings to accompany it, so it may be a bit bland. I also regret that I do not have the proper liquor to serve with it.” she sighed and shook her head, “But then it is often so difficult to acquire such things in the wilderness. Rice or plum wine would go very nicely with this.” Isokla smiled again and waved her hand, “But I will let you judge for yourselves. Come, sample some – if you,” she smiled even more sweetly, “can stomach raw fish, or the idea of it…”

---
OOC: I doubt any characters will know what this dish is called either.

[ 04-07-2006, 06:16 PM: Message edited by: Calaethis Dragonsbane ]