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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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 Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:27 pm
A slight involuntary flinch was all the outward disturbance she showed when the cloak was draped over her shoulders but she nodded to the girl in polite fashion. One hand gripping at the cloak edged from the inside while one hand still gripped at her collar. In in similar fashion to Malik, she tilted her head at him. "Do...they honestly need them?" And sure Malik could list several reasons why and normally she would list several reasons back as to why not. "I just...don't think that we should...try to grab hold of an old life...I mean...this is supposed to me our new one...right?" Did that make any sense at all even?
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:49 pm
He sat down, and looked at her.
"You don't want them bound to me in a manner as you were to kaden, where I can hurt them without ever touching them through thier collar. Now I will only ask this one question about it. woudl you prefer them able to be disciplined by the collar, or the breakers? I have to maintain control somehow on new recrutis or aged, rebellious ones."
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:02 pm
She swallowed, giving off that sense of aversion from her. Yes, that was part of it, but not all of it. Another part was Malik's mentioning of their eventual childeren...she didn't really want them to see their father as just another slaver who thought little of those who weren't deeply connected to him. "Just...things change...we've changed...shouldn't our life too?" It sounded like a lot of rambling probably. "You've never tried to maintain your control without those methods. Ever think that maybe you could earn their obedience through sheer will and respect. Punish the individual, not the flock." Oh well that sounded a bit like her normal self now didn't it, human sympathizer. "I mean..." She sighed and looked down at the oh so interesting floor. "...Forget I said anything...I don't know what I'm talking about..." Whether she really did or not, she was telling him that she didn't.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:23 pm
He listened, and rubbed his chin lightly. Obediance through sheer force of will. Or respect.
"You have an interesting argument. how about this. you pick fifty slaves, and you can have thier collars removed. A test run, if you will. if I can maintain control over those fifty without having to resort to the breakers or recollaring them, then I will consider taking the collars off the rest. However, any new slaves brought into this House, or any of them that defy me to a point of needing to punish, thier collars are going back on. Does that agree with you?"
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 10:35 pm
Malik had become more interesting than the floor again. She looked up to him and he got the barest hint of a smile from her. It was almost non existent, but it was still there...she probably didn't even know she was doing it. Piper right now didn't realize a lot of what she was doing, she had just been concentrating on keeping herself and her feelings rather numb till the pains in both body and mind weren't so fresh. "I can make that deal Malik a'mael. Thank you." She probably didn't even know she just put forth an endearment toward him. Then a nod to them both. "...I think...I'm going to go rest..." And she turned her back on them, leaving the two elves, imps, and griffin in the dinning room. Gone to reverie? Probably not...her mind would have to force her to that or not plague her with thoughts of Kaden.
He looked up from reading that journal Malik had given him. A small chuckle from Kieran. "Bravo Malik...there was a bit of fire in her there for a moment...and you got a smile and an endearment." He nodded slightly. She would be fine...in time of course. But again as always he found it interesting how they would make deals, and Malik was doing what was best for her right now...treating her really no different than what he had before, keeping a feeling of normalcy. It would do her no good if they all walked on eggshells around her. "Though she may have the right idea, we've all been through a long day." Back to the journal.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:31 am
The command squad marched along the eastern wall of the Central Fortress, the dwarven stronghold that was constructed in the centre of Deep Water. This building was fortifide to an extreme, with all sorts of interesting seige weapons and engeneering wonders that many of the citizens of the surrounding city only imagined in their dark nightmares. The fortress was orginized into platoons, abonding the formal title of leagon until the Dwarf Elite could claim some autonomy. The industrious creatures worked and defending their new home with a passion, often allowing dwarves from the city into the complex and into the ranks. The command structure of the Dwarven Elite was broken into two Archons, the Warcommander and the High Priest. Both positions were occupied by the most capable person able to fufill the role.
The Platoons were divided into smaller units, which were all specialized for fighting and defending functions. Specific units were the archers, armed with strong and sterdy crossbows. Other units were equiped with heavy armour and large shields, the phalanx of the fortress. Though, most situations would be covered by the presence of these two units alone, they had the problem of being outflanked by more mobile units, such as the lizard riding calvery stationed near the city, dominated by a goblinoid species called kobolds. These lizards could swarm and crush a phalanx and archer unit with little trouble, so additional support units and teams were divised to counter these subterranean bandits. Peltets armed with javelins and light armour could be used to flank a phalanx, to cut of the spin of the lizardriders, or act as a secondary unit to prevent the things from circling a dwarven unit by droping from the ceiling behind a unit of pointed spears. Other units within the dwarven platoons consisted of the beserkers and brawlers, or simply the fighters. These dwarves were armoured in fairly decent armour, and wielded axes, swords, or hammers and carried a shield. These units were the main offensive portion of the platoon. Occasionally, a dwarven wizard or cleric would be present, but both of these were fairly rare. They were usually kept near the Warcommander.
The structure of the Fortress was fairly simple, yet devilishly difficult to capture. The walls were trippled, they could not be breached by simple catapults or raging giants. The stone was fitted to gether rather hastily at first, but over time the dwarves had re-enforced the walls with other ruble, until they resembled the traditional halls of dwarven kingdoms. The Inner complex,was protected from lizard charges over the walls by a little addition to the inner and outer walls that prevented the creatures from charging straight over the walls, metal and wooden spikes were added to the edges of the walls. These were at first nothing more than sparse barrier to direct the lizards into specific killing grounds, but eventually when the rubble inside the walls was relatively succure, any metal and wooden shardes were used to build these counter lizard spikes.
The courtyard of the Fortress held several catapults, all of which were pointed at specific and important institutions within the city, grape shot was aimed at the mercantile district, which would cause a general panic and much economic trouble for a city that is barely able to stand on its knees. Another, was pointed at the main harbour, with pitched bolders loaded. The other most significant target, was the castle gates. The old stone of that building was calculated to be able to resist a percise amount of pressure on the weaker spur of the left hing on the main enterance. A rock of a specific mass was selected to be fired at that gate should a need to battle the citizens arise. The majority of the human forces was stationed within the gates of the Palace to sucure the new king's hold on the crown. Taking out the main entrance prevented swift deployment of these troops, which would buy the dwarves the necessary time they would need to mount the defenses they would use to crush the invaders. Several, very devious traps were planed should that need ever arise.
Shield, the current Warcommander, hoped that he could march his army of noble warriors and sail to a mine, where he would be allowed to live as a dwarf, in a dwarvish tradition. All of the dwarves gathered within the walls of the Fortress, agreed with that goal. He was currently the Warcommander because he had the most expierence and greatest training of the lot, and his words weighed heavily on the younger and more determined youths. Shield spent much of his time orginizing contingency plans and training soldiers to fight in strong supportice formations, and with the cunning and zeal hat would honour the ancestors, those who were forced out of their traditional homes and into the deeper dark by some great catastrophie. Shield was not old enough to recall the surface, nor did he believe that any he could name as his ancestors ever indeed set foot ontop of the canopy of stone, to gaze upon the thing that seemed to draw many a bard from a daze to sing of some glorious thing, that none now alive can remember.
The dwarf currently only dreamed seeing such a marvel, because it would offer him a way to remove himself from the blood soaked stones of this dark, dank human filled city.
((Shield was getting ready for this for twenty years BTW))
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:12 pm
Meilikki opened her eyes slowly. It had grown cold for some reason. The room she was in felt empty. She could not hear the breathing of people, the occasional footstep, someone moving or talking, all the things she would have picked up with her heightened hearing. Nothing but the wizzing and popping of a dying fire.
The young woman whon was looking after her was out cleaning and polishing her staff. The dragon was out hunting. He did get fairly hungry with his material body. She sighed. She may have to fumble around in an unfamilar room, risk falling into the fire, just to stock it too keep the palce warm. She turned her head around, usless since she couldn't see anything. But damn it, she was naked underneath those blankets. She didn't even know if there was a dressing robe around anywhere. She sighed.
Jell was fascinated by the drawings and scibllings, but as the talk carried on he became bored. He was not interested in lsaves and collars and the like. He heaved a great yawn and phased to the changelier, where he got comfortable to take a nap.
Jaun had drank the jug of wine, felt little in the way of an alcoholic effect. Taking a deep breath and clapping his hands together in a very, "let's get to it" atittude, he began to mow his way through the rest of the food.
Mason stuck his nose through the curtains by the front door, watching for a moment the new dwarven stronghold. He gave a snort and went back to cleaning his mug. War. He was quite sick of it, and never thought he'd allow himself to think that. Fairly young for a dwarf, Mason had seen more that he wanted to.
He was a victum of slavery hismelf, and he felt likea dirty duergar for being captured. Who had been powerful enough to take out a dwarven kingdom? He did not enjoy revisiting such thoughts.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 1:23 pm
Tarathiel entered the room, smiling. "Hello, Special, and Significant, should you be awake this visit." He spoke softly and moved gracefully, "My ploting and pondering has come to naught for now, but soon, I shall deal a decisive blow that will initiat the chaos I so love to live in..." By deal a decisive blow, he meant do nothing, and by live in chaos he meant try to avoid being killed by merauding elves.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:02 pm
"I am awake. But I do not know where the gilr is." Ouch, that hurt not to know. didn't it? "I would say good evening to you, Captain Tarathiel, but I do not know what time of day it is." A little disturbing, that one. "And I would get up to great you, but I do not know where my clothes are."
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:15 pm
The drow captain turned to look at his Significant, and walked towards the bed. "I can see her, and I believe it is evening." The drow looked about the room, and frowned, "I will go get you some nice clothes to keep you warm. I keep the treasures of a material nature in another room." The elf paused, "Or I could just ask Avan to have the chest sent to me... Special, could you ask Aven to have Sstrl bring me the Chest with the Clothing in it?" He asked the staff woman softly.
"That being taken care of, I will sit beside you so you can have some more connection to this strange place." The elf sat beside Meilikki, and looked into her sightless eyes. "If you tell me what the enchantment was, I can make one of those amulets you used to see me so you can look at people agian." The elf had some tension in his voice, one who knew him would notice he was feeling pressed.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:26 pm
Aella snapped out of her odd daze, not even realizing that Taratheil had come into the room, or that the Oracle had woken up. "Aye, captian.) She set down her polishing cloth and picked up the speaking tube on the side of the wall by the bed. She gave the brisk orders, which would varried out soon she knew.
Sh aprreciated the warning, as she might have fallen off the sleep chair with surprise. She stared past Tarathiel, as sghe didn't quite know where his face was. The blankets were clutched a little tighter around her, to keep out the cold. "It was a binding and transference spell. Kept me still and allowed him to see what I saw." She swallowed, and also didn't mention what it seemed to be doing to her predictions. She hung her head slightly and shivered despite the heavey warm blankets. "I am not certain I want to see people, save a few."
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:34 pm
"Thank you, special." Tarathiel said with a short laugh.
"I see, I shall see what I can do..." Tarathiel said softly, he moved beside Meilikki so that the heat form his body could help warm her. "Do you care which colour you wear?" The elf paused, and tilted his head so it leaded against her, "Special, why don't you come over and sit with us?" The elf grinned softly, "You were insistant on protecting her, why not from the cold as well?"
Jin walked into the room, easily carring the chest over his head, the little gnome placed it on the ground, and then wondered off.
"Any colour...?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 2:56 pm
Aella obyed, walked over and sat down on the opposite side of the Oracle. She sat close, and couldn't help a little smile from the gesture. "Are you that cold, Oracle?" She supposed she had gotten used to the cold in her sheer silks. Hadn;t muhc thought it woul be a problem.
"I cannot see what I wear. Therefore I do not know what I look good in." A littel blink after this last statment. "What colour was I wearing before?" The gesture of vloseness was something quite new and foriegn, as Meilikki had had little contact with anyone, even her own parents. She sucked in a breath for a quick moment, but relxed under the obvious intent of the gesture. "The...basment was very cold. Thank you, child." She ofered a little smile to the both of them.
"Any colour will do, I'm sure. Just make it have long sleeves and a high neck." She lowered her voice at this moment. Her body was still weak, and raising her voice above a whisper was becoming taxing.
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:14 pm
Any farther over on that bed and she probably would of fallen off. Talk about conflicting emotions in the poor elf. She wanted to be near Malik, be held by him, and yet avoid any contact to him at all costs. Past few hours had been interesting to say the least though. But now, wide awake and restless she forced herself from the bed, even more sore than before. Walking to the dressers with a slight limp she started rifling through drawers...she would beg for some red right now. But of course...there wasn't much in the like of it and the clothing that was red...was blood red. And she had had far too much of that color. With a sigh she settled on a deep purple long sleeve tunic and the run of the mill black pants. One layer, no way in the Underdark was she putting on chainmail. Finishing up dressing she took to looking in a mirror, staring at herself really for a long bit of time. What was it she was seeing?
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Fractured Moonlight Captain
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Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 3:25 pm
Tarathiel leaned agianst Meilikki for a moment, then stood up slowly, walking over to the chest and began digging inside it for a length of time that seemed simply too long. Removing a ransure from the chest certainly brought some attention to the depth of the chest.
"A lavender dress, similar to the one you had on before, or a Scarlet one... I think you would look more stuning and wise in the lavender, but retain more dignity from the red..." Tarathiel looked at the dresses, and ripped the red one. "Oops. That answers that question. Lavender it is." He placed the dress on the foot of the bed.
"I can't have you walking around bare foot, it might be dangerous. I have an extra pair of gleves if you like? Or another pair of elfish made boots? I have lots of those, being an elf and everything." He smiled. "A riding cloak too, heavy enough to keep out the chill, but light enough not to hinder you. Also, of elvish make."
HE paused for a moment, "Well, I guess I'll be leaving to let you get dressed then... So... I'll be on the other end of that tube should you wish for my company. Malik D'vinn wishes to speak to you, Meilikki. But, we can discuss that later, over diner perhaps, maybe sooner. Warhammer will bring food for you soon." Tarathiel bowed out of respect, and then walked out the door. He waved his finger at the chest and it bounced after him. "Hey, who put the Spear inside the clothes chest?" Was the last hing that the occupants of the room could hear.
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