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The capital of the Kingdom of Lorien, and Atharen's largest city.

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Arkash
Posts: 1058
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:03 pm
Location: Imperial Badlands, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=745
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=873
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=760

Fri May 13, 2022 8:05 am

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49th of Glade, 4622

The wind was often the most lethal part of the cold. One gust carried all the environment’s absence of heat through the body of its victim and stole the vital warmth that sustained them. It was a fate many who lived in Lorien’s wilderness succumbed to, sapped of their life in the voracious gales that howled through the snowy wasteland.

Once one’s arms and legs began to stiffen, it was just a matter of time before they dropped in the snow and quietly drifted to their eternal slumber. More often than not, Von Rabe didn’t need to send his vultures after the lone wanderer. The frigid cold of his realm’s portal was more than enough to fell the lone wanderer.

For the first time in nearly a year, Arkash basked in the rake of the icy wind’s teeth. He leaned on the edge of the ship’s railing while he rolled his fingers into a fist, clasped, and unclasped ritualistically. He breathed a plume of mist that rolled in the air before it dissipated somewhere behind him. Onward, he looked at the approaching shape of the greatest city in the world.

Nivenhain.

Those tall rooves that easily sloped the accumulated snow from their fringes and the gothic distribution of ornamental spines were visible in the fog to the young Cardinal. Grey stone bricks made up every wall with sunken windows laid framed with notable shades of brighter brickwork.

As the frigid wood of their vessel creaked and groaned against its shriveled nails, jerked and bobbed against the waves that stretched the span of the harbor, the individual spires that gated the various arches of some of the grander buildings came into view.

The claws that were the merlons of some of the greater towers were mostly obstructed by the grey of the clouds, while others seemed to scrape the sky.

Nivenhain was a city built with some of the greatest architecture in the world; and its unseen residential areas only held testament to the fact.

The rath’s eyes fell from the spires and where they reached, only to land on the dock as they steadily rode the waves through the harbor.

Again, he breathed the warmth of his lungs into his hands as they cupped, then spread the heat with some added friction as he rubbed them together.

It wasn’t snowing, though it was evident by the piles of white that lined the beginning of the boardwalk that it had snowed maybe as recently as the day before.

A shift in his posture saw him glance over his shoulder at the rest of the deck, upon which, there was no one but the sailors in sight. It was easy to imagine that those from Daravin couldn’t stand the could for too long, and might even opt to wait in their cabins until the ship had come to a complete stop, which would be soon.

A deep breath saw him expel one more blast of warmth over the skin of his hands before he collected his leather gloves from the pocket of his tailcoat, and promptly dressed them. His mask came on next as their course as adjusted for the dock, and his pensive stare was resumed while he waited for the Veir to wake somewhere in the lower part of the ship.

It had been a long time at sea, and the Rath was eager to stand on solid ground once more.


word count: 593
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Degare
Posts: 301
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 2:06 pm
Location: Boghadar, Verant, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1754
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1800
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1775

Sat May 14, 2022 10:53 am

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As their boat sailed north, Degare had immediately noticed the change in the air. He’d been to Lorien before, but his trips were few and far between. The Daravin native spent the vast majority of his time within the borders of his own country, and even though his home’s proximity to water made the city colder than others, nothing in Daravin was comparable to Lorien.

The night before he’d fallen asleep clinging to his lover, though as his eyes opened in the morning, he noticed that he was alone. It took him a second to shake off the sleep before dragging himself out of the bed; much as he enjoyed waking up beside Arkash, he wasn’t that concerned about the younger man’s whereabouts given the fact that he had to be somewhere on the boat. He knew that they would be arriving in Nivenhain soon, too. The Veir dressed in his warmer attire before leaving the cabin to seek out his missing lover.

As he emerged out onto the boat’s main deck, the ice in the wind immediately bit at him. The frail elf shivered before taking a few reluctant steps forward before looking around– it didn’t take long to spot the person he was looking for. While the sound of his footsteps might be muffled by the wind, he couldn’t quite tell if Arkash’s more keen senses would detect his approach.

Regardless, when he was close enough, the Veir placed a hand on his lover’s shoulder and stood in silence for a few moments. “...Is it strange to be back here?” Truthfully, he didn’t know how to phrase the question. He knew from past conversations that returning here would evoke an emotional response in the younger man, but in all likelihood, it would be a mixed one. Realistically, Degare just wanted to get a sense of how he was feeling.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"
word count: 392
User avatar
Arkash
Posts: 1058
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:03 pm
Location: Imperial Badlands, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=745
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=873
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=760

Sun May 15, 2022 5:11 am

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Though Arkash's stare was firmly fixed on the docks as they rocked steadily forward, his ear did pull back a little in the whistle of the wind, as if to relay that he did in fact hear the elf coming. His chest decompressed as the Veir's gloved hand met the frost of his shoulder.

The rath looked over and up to catch the Veir's visage with a glint in his eye. "You should keep your mask on, my Veir," he spoke a warning, whether the elf's mask was worn or not. "...The wind itself will watch you here." Unknown to Arkash, the eyes in the wind could very much see beneath their masks. They saw plenty.

"I've missed it if I'm honest," Arkash explained. "Whenever I leave, I feel as though I'm compelled to return. There's something about the land here that beckons me..." There was a sort of somber longing in his tone as he continued, softer than the whistle of the wind or the barking of orders as the sailors organized and readied the ship for the port. "I feel as though I've only wasted my time being away from it, even if I'm overcome with bitterness just looking at it from here."

"That's not to say I haven't enjoyed my time away, I have... But still."

More calls from the sailors roared against the gale as the ship was made to turn with the adjustment of the sail. As they approached the boardwalk, Arkash looked up at the Veir again and asked "are you cold, my Veir?"

When they were on course, the sails lowered, and the momentum of their drift was aimed to see them come to a still at the designated spot. The moment they did, the anchor was dropped and the chain was tensed to keep them in place. Arkash and Degare, being the first out of their cabins, were naturally allowed to disembark first.

Oddly, the boarding of the pier didn't so much as creak as the pair set foot there. The entire structure was sturdy in the quality of its construction, which appeared to be made without any use of nails or rope to tie it together.

As the pair progressed down the pier, Arkash kept his gaze forward. He grew a little tenser partway through the walk, and soon enough, the beat of wings came from above them, followed by the clash of metal on wood as knight Argent landed behind them.

Two more landings happened before Arkash could look over his shoulder and feign surprise. Blocking their path to the ship were three Velsign of gargantuan build, clad in full plate armor of remarkable quality, at least an inch thick on every plate. A keen eye would recognize that every piece of armor was custom built for the Velsign that wore it, and Strickened with the power of mages through Sundering. "Proceed," spoke the leader of the formation, voice a gravelly bass.

Arkash did as they said, and promptly turned to face the front before he continued down the boardwalk toward a gate that was manned by more Argent of full plate, still tremendously tall and built like mountains but utterly human.

word count: 553
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Degare
Posts: 301
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 2:06 pm
Location: Boghadar, Verant, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1754
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1800
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1775

Sun May 15, 2022 7:32 am

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The elf’s posture was notably rigid but this wasn’t because of any reason related to emotion, no, it was because he was cold. Despite the many layers of clothing he’d put on, the man really wasn’t used to wind like this. He had chosen to put his mask on– if for no other reason than to protect his face from the bite of the wind.

When his lover responded to his query, he gave the other’s shoulder a little squeeze as a shiver ran through his thin frame. The Veir was honestly more comfortable with his face hidden, regardless. He didn’t plan on walking around without it outside of Arkash's private company. “Honestly…I don’t think I could handle the wind for very long without it. Boghadar has frost in the air when it’s cold…but nothing quite like this, especially carrying with it the bite of the sea.” His tone was relatively level, but did quiver a bit from the cold.

As his beloved spoke again, this time talking about how he felt in regards to his return, Degare could understand where he was coming from. One’s home carries with it a lot of emotion. It always does, regardless of what such emotions are. “I think if I were…more durable I could grow to like some place like this. There’s something beautiful about being bound in ice. I won’t pretend to know what memories you carry, though, nor the weight that they have. Just…let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, love.” There was audible affection present in the elf’s tone, delicately woven around a cautious sort of curiosity.

“I…admittedly, I’m happy to accompany you on your homecoming. At least you don’t have to face whatever it is you’ve left behind alone.” He wanted this to come across as more reassuring than anything else. “...but yes. This is…much colder than I’m used to. I’ll adapt, though, don’t worry much about me.” Despite his words, he doesn’t sound quite so confident about this statement.

By the time the two had finished this conversation, the boat had sailed into the pier and begun the process of allowing people and things to disembark. The two of them were right near the bridge between the boat and Nivenhain’s pier, making it easy for them to get off when it was allowed.

While some Velsign could be found in Daravin, the Ferrier had little experience with them himself. These ones that appeared upon their arrival were…something else. All of them were gargantuan on their own, yet they would appear even larger due to the armor that they wore. Any time he’d visited, Lorien’s Argent were always present in some way or another, but they always filled him with a sense of unease. He avoided looking at them as a whole, but he could feel their eyes on him and the others as they disembarked the ship. Much as he tried to hide it, his posture would reflect the tension of his anxiety along with the bite of the cold.

Staying close to his companion, the Veir stepped carefully down the frostbound wood. It was nice to have ground that didn’t seem to shift beneath him, finally.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"
word count: 635
User avatar
Arkash
Posts: 1058
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:03 pm
Location: Imperial Badlands, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=745
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=873
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=760

Mon May 16, 2022 4:47 am

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It was perhaps easy to tell that the Rathor was on guard. Through their short voyage to the pier, he was formal both in his tone and posture. He offered little to no modicum of affection and behaved almost entirely in the character of his alter ego, Caro Caedimire.

His behavior might have been reminiscent of the pair's journey through Amoren and later Gentaven.

As the elf called him by that pet name, a notable smile took his eyes for just a moment before he haphazardly lifted his gloved finger to the position of his lips and gently tapped his mask a few times in succession, a foreboding glint in his eyes at elf's direction.

Arkash had been warned fully of the presence of the Kindred in higher Lorien. Though he knew the Aether Cannon had done the job of thinning their numbers, he knew a ship from Daravin was bound to raise suspicion and interest. There was no doubt they'd already been found, read, and evaluated by the kindred. It was likely they already knew about their relationship too, but on the off-chance that they didn't, it was better to keep such things quiet for the time being.

"You're too kind, my Veir. I really do appreciate your care."

Once they were on the pier, Arkash was quick to scurry along. He was quick to abandon the other passengers as they abandoned the warmth of their cabins and walked at a pace faster than normal to guide the elf along. A gate with some kind of booth to it stood at the end of the pier; almost akin to a guardhouse with the knights that stood beside it.

When the Velsign landed behind them, it was abundantly clear that Arkash was leagues less comfortable in their presence. The velsign were the most elite of the Knighthood, each one capable of slaying thousands as they had in the Butchering, and that was without the aid of their armies of Hollows. They were utterly surrounded, Argent in the front and Argent in the back. The freezing sea guarded their sides, black in its depth.

The Argent stepped aside as the two drew near, and Arkash briefly looked up at the Veir, almost as though he was confused.

Once they'd passed the threshold of the gate, a second gate was made clear as it was guarded by another set of knights, almost built like a cage with plenty of room for the polearms the knights wielded to spear through if they so decided.

Within the booth was a fairly regular-looking human man, plump in his seat with a brown, woven coat, white gloves, and tunic beneath. His brown hair was well maintained, combed over to the side with the same brush that styled his mustache.

Thick glass and iron bars guarded the man from the two, glass so thick that he had to bend down to a small letter-sized hole at the bottom of the window to speak with any discernable volume. "Veirs Socorro?" The man asked in a haughty voice that laced with his accent of elevated status.

Arkash paused; they'd surmised Arkash was the Degare's partner from whatever the Kindred had told them; perhaps that they shared a bed? "No sir," Arkash spoke first with a slight shake of his head, eyes wide. "I am the Veir's physician, my name is Caedimire," he clarified.

"Caro- Caedimire," the plump man corrected with a smile. "Your tickets, please?"

Quite quickly, Arkash drew the tickets from the Veir's pocket and offered them to the letter-sized slip.

As the man took them and read through the information written on them, he nodded. "And the duration of your stay?"

"One week," Arkash spoke, a typical length for the false purpose he'd formulated.

The man nodded without question or complaint. "And the reason for your visit?"

"We're on holiday," Arkash explained. "His lordship offered me a chance to see snow for my services, and I was eager to accept."

The plump man grinned. "Oh excellent; we have plenty of that!" The man returned with a chuckle.

Arkash returned the laugh, if not uncomfortably. "Yes, I can see that-!" It might have been obvious that he wished the exchange to end.

"We already have a delegate prepared for you," the man said as he pushed an envelope through the slot. "This is the hotel you will be staying at as well as the room number. The details of your curfew are also enclosed," he explained as Arkash accepted the letter.

The younger man's eyes were alight with confusion. Was it really so difficult for Daravinic nobility to visit a nation they were at war with? "Thank you, sir," Arkash spoke with more gratitude for the light at the end of the tunnel than any degree of gratitude for the rules they were given.

"You will be monitored for the duration of your stay. You may not board the train to other provinces or cities, and you will be met with harsh punishment if you break our laws... that includes the use of magic and Necromancy." The man said with a nod to Arkash's bag. "Contraband is forbidden past this gate, so I suggest you leave your belongings with these gentlemen before you proceed."

Arkash pressed his jaw hard. The Kindred were much more observant than he thought, but it didn't seem as though they'd found any trace of Blood Magic between either of them. Quickly, Arkash nodded. "Understood..."

The plump man nodded as the other passengers from the ship began to catch up to the cage. "You may recollect your contraband on your return home," the man assured, then pressed a button on his desk, out of sight, and the gate clicked with a buzzing sound. As it swung open, the two Argent moved in synchronization to step aside.

Again, the Rath looked up at the Veir with caution, then took one step out of the gate before he set his bag down with the Knights. "Thank you, Sirs," he said with a slight nod, then looked back at Degare as he took a few steps along the remainder of the pier.

word count: 1053
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Degare
Posts: 301
Joined: Sun Feb 20, 2022 2:06 pm
Location: Boghadar, Verant, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1754
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1800
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1775

Mon May 23, 2022 3:05 pm

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While the two were still on the boat, the sound of the wind and water, he thought, would obscure his voice enough to not be overheard...for the most part, at least. However, Degare was, admittedly, ignorant to the extent of whatever powers the Kindred may command; he also knew precious little about their overall influence on this foreign land. When Arkash gestured to his own mask, the Veir could tell from the look of foreboding reflected in his eyes that he should resume formality. That he could easily oblige, much as he preferred the opposite in his lover's company.

Lorien was not a place that the elf visited often, to say the least. He followed behind his companion fairly closely, slightly to his side so neither man walked too far ahead of the other. The Ferrier wasn't quite used to Velsign; he found the ones in Lorien to be especially intimidating given their even grander size compared to what was normal. That...and they were all decorated with Sundered Relics. It made his skin crawl. How many mages of power had died for what these men wore? His posture had already tensed at their presence, but when he'd noticed Arkash become much less comfortable, the Veir's anxiety only continued to grow.

It didn't really help matters, then, that his lover tossed him a quick look, confusion present in his dark eyes. For the elf, he was somewhat reliant on Arkash to 'guide' him so to speak…so if he were confused, what exactly was Degare supposed to do? The thought wasn't very calming.

Nonetheless, the pair passed on by the looming Argent and approached a rather normal looking man behind a booth. In this situation, the man stood out far more than the Knights that surrounded him if for no other reason than his banality. Though he was well dressed and well kept compared to many, he lacked any of the Knights imposing statures and myriad relics.

When addressed, the elf paused for a moment, but before he could say anything, his lover responded to the attendant. Not really seeing the need to interject, he allowed Arkash to handle this encounter. Such a thing wouldn't come across as strange, at least not to anyone with any familiarity with Entente. It was fairly common for those beneath the nobility to do…well, pretty much everything for them, should they possess the proper skill sets.

The conversation was amiable, if a bit awkward. As far as he could tell, nought was amiss. Their fabricated reason for being there was accepted and the two of them would be allowed through. He'd worried a bit about his blood magic somehow being detected, though he imagined that if such were the case there would have been some kind of intervention before now.

Once they'd received the relevant information and Arkash had relinquished his contraband, the Veir turned somewhat mechanically to follow after his companion. To strangers, he wouldn't look that uncomfortable, but to those that knew him he would come across as rather tense and stiff in posture. The whole situation unnerved him and he would be happy to leave this part of their trip as soon as possible. He wasn't exactly sure what they would be occupying their time with outside of convincing somebody to part with a mark, but as long as it had nothing to do with the Argent Knights, it would be better than this.

____

'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"
word count: 656
User avatar
Arkash
Posts: 1058
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2020 6:03 pm
Location: Imperial Badlands, Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=745
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=873
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=760

Tue May 24, 2022 7:56 am

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Though Arkash’s eyes were forward through the whole encounter with the Velsign, it was clear by the icy tension in the surrounding air that Degare was uncomfortable.

The older man had understood Arkash’s gestures and weariness on the sailboat, it seemed, but Arkash himself wasn’t prepared for the level of detail the Kindred were able to read them with. They knew of Degare’s marks of control, his status as an Entente, the contents of Arkash’s luggage. Everything about them was known before they’d even made it to the dock, including, so it seemed, the status of their relationship.

From the gutters of Lower Nivenhain, Arkash had never had to mind the Kindred. The extent of his threats stemmed from the Knighthood and its Hollows as the great rotting vultures didn’t bother with the likes of the downtrodden Nameless often.

Degare was quiet through his exchange with the customs man, and Arkash handled most of the talking for what he believed would be a reasonable excuse to visit the frozen city of Nivenhain.

His contraband was relinquished, and Degare’s magic was forbidden.

With Degare on his heels, they proceeded past the gate and continued through to the city proper once they’d stepped off the docks. From there, Arkash looked back at Degare as he stepped off the pier, then startled at the movement ahead of them.

Sharply, Arkash turned to face the source as a rather regular-sized man wandered from across the stone shipment yard to greet the pair with a bow of his head.

The man of fair skin, dark hair, short stubble and blue eyes was dressed in thick wintry clothing, complete with cap, scarf and gloves that tucked their thumbs in the rim of the leather belt that bound his coat shut spoke with a light, somewhat gruff voice. “Degare an’ Caro, I’m presumin’?” The man asked, an accent most familiar. Arkash nodded. “Great timin’, it’s nobblin’ back ‘ere. Name’s Gerard, I’m you’a assigned keepa’ for you’a stay ‘ere in Lorien.”

The man was young, perhaps even younger than Arkash but it was difficult to say with so much of his visage concealed by the thick furs and dark fabrics he wore. “…Alright Gerard,” Arkash began cautiously. “Do you think you could lead us to our assigned accommodations?”

Gerard shrugged and leaned back a little, thumbs still stuck in his belt. “Why yes I can guv’, jus’ dun’ go try’nna run or cast spells or nuffin. Orite?”

Arkash nodded in response, then looked up at Degare as the normal-statured human turned toward the main body of the city. He offered a slight smile of assurance, then continued into the frigid stone halls of Upper Nivenhain’s streets after the delegate.

word count: 478
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Salen
Posts: 452
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2022 10:18 am
Location: Daravin
Character Sheet: viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1657
Plot Notes: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=1709&p=7409#p7409
Character Secrets: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1686

Sun Jun 12, 2022 12:05 pm

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Arkash

Lores
Seafaring: different countries have different customs at the docks
Seafaring: Slow
Seafaring: Between climates can upset passengers
Seafaring: The crew required to man a sail ship
Seafaring: The design and layout of a Sail ship's pulleys
Seafaring: Sailships need the wind to go
Seafaring: Cold
Seafaring: The anchor holds the ship in place
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[PC] Degare: Doesn't like the cold much
[PC] Degare: Faces harsh Rien customs when travelling there
[PC] Degare: Supportive of you
[PC] Degare: You've been identified as his lover in Lorien
[PC] Degare: Trusts you to take the lead


Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points: 8

Comments: Great thread, let me know if you have questions about your rewards.

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