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 Posted: Wed May 02, 2012 8:10 am
Somewhere in the tense festivities the flip and been switched [sic] in Sam's brain and now he felt his good old jolly self again. As a result though his elvish floundered to the point of forgetfulness. the strange compartmentalization of his mind is a wonder to even this author.
And so Sam lazily watched the exchange between the cats and the other human. And when the guard announced his "law" the traveler decided it'd be a good time to address the young one. "We can shta for rest ant follow 'ou ta tha temple," he then turned to address the guard, "'ou 'ave my," a quick glance to Quintus, "ouwa, promiz tha we sha' seht no foot insite." The merchant's English had improved marginally.
He meant it, he had learned more from these Faerin than he imagined any other traveler had and was grateful for the opportunity, and the white one's hospitality. If only things were not so tense. Sam hated tense.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 7:18 am
The Lady smiled at the goblin's questions. "And you say you are not wise," the chorus purred as she watched him a moment then shook her head slowly. "Though I've not much more to tell you. That it changes shape is simple as that - it changes shape. I can tell you its true form is an ivory bar," she held up a delicate hand point up a thin finger, "about the size of a finger and carved with eldritch symbols but it will only be that within My possession. For another it could be anything - a totem, a pendant, a comb, a spoon, even a sword. It will be ivory, whatever it is, and my Champion will be drawn to it. That is all I can say. But do not worry about misusing it. Only a Champion can truly use a Seal and they will know what to do," she paused to give Skurk a wry smile, "If you are afraid then just don't touch it. Whoever stole it must not have or I would be able to tell you where it is."
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 7:42 am
The guard turned a growling glare on Sam for the suggestion but the youth gave him a smug smile. "The desert is mine, Wadi, not Hers. I can take my friends wherever I like in it. And I will take them to the Siq." The boy finished with a nod, even put his hands on his hips - looking every bit the spoiled brat.
"You are even more a fool than your father," the guard snarled then glared between the trespassers. "Two days you will travel with us. Us" he tapped his own chest, "Not the Caliph and his guests. You will walk and you will work. Or you will not come."
"They're my guests," the boy argued and the guard turned sharply on him.
"They are Outsiders. Our own people are not allowed this without years of work and dedication."
"They. Are. My. Guests," the boy stomped his foot, very near a tantrum. The guard's eyes narrowed dangerously and Quintus and Sam both could see a flicker of murderous intent in that glare but the man stepped back with an exaggerated bow.
"As you wish, my Caliph. You may explain yourself to Her when we arrive," Wadi purred and something in the tone made it very much a threat. The boy's slight flinch at the prospect only confirmed that. He hesitated briefly with a glance to his new friends then firmed his resolve with a sharp nod.
"I am Caliph. She will respect my rule or I will pull my protection," the boy announced rather bravely. The other Faerin shifted uncomfortably at the decree, even the other guards but Wadi laughed.
"I would like to see how well that goes over with Her," he shook his head at the boy's frown then turned to give the outsiders a flat look. "I suggest you not step in this but if you do not value your lives you may follow. If you truly wish for death you may come inside."
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 6:05 pm
Castor had listened intently to the exchanges between Skurk, the construct, and the Lady, though there wasn't much to go on. A Seal of some sort had been stolen from his Lady's temple. Only he and the Lady were able to actually use it. The Seal could change shape, but it was always made out of ivory. And there was one thing that Castor had heard that seemed important...
"" he said, speaking up suddenly. He looked toward the others, then back to the Lady. ""
He thought about what his Lady said, and closed his eyes- she said he would be drawn to it. He opened his inner eyes, more vibrant than before, and searched about. To his eyes, even the very ground had power- intense leylines of light and color, weaving their tendrils into the ground. He looked, and saw, as though from a great distance, a flash of color, identical to his Lady's. He would have blinked if his eyes had been open. Ther was something wrong with the flash's position.
He opened his eyes and shook his head. "" he said, unsure. Perhaps they were in an airship of some sort...?
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 8:13 pm
Mac rolled these words over in his mind, back and forth, parse and reparse. Something shapeshifting seemed unlikely. Metaphorical? For what? What could be metaphorically described as anything? She must have given the man something when she hugged him, Mac realized, perhaps a tracker of some variety, though that would require radios or comparable tools.
An interrupt... well, interrupted, and Mac discovered he had completed translation. No wonder his conscious processor cycles weren't at peak. Shouldn't have taken him this long to figure any of this out. And now he could understand both the short one and the tall one, too. Which meant he could... well, he'd have to guess at vocabulary for now, but in context he could...
"" Mac repeated. Castor might be somewhat surprised to hear the mechanical voice now speaking his language. Perhaps not, but it made little difference to Mac. "" Mac guessed. He wasn't sure of the implications of the word, but it seemed similar enough that it'd work.
Into the sky went Mac's attention as he tried to get a view through the trees. The direction seemed improbable - instead of sky, Mac spotted mountain. He couldn't estimate the elevation from this angle, as the depth wasn't resolving, but it wasn't any mountain to laugh at, anyway.
"" Mac informed him. "" This language was entirely disturbingly similar to Thungrian, really. Mac had been ignoring it, but it really raised questions about this man's nationality, and furthermore what, precisely, the short one was.
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2012 9:58 pm
Quintus began chuckling, shaking his head gently. After a moment or two he looked up to the guard. "Death ain't much to fear anymore, y'know?" he told the Faerin, still chuckling. "Still, if the honcho here said no, it's a no, right?" Quintus added, glancing over his shoulder at Sam. Not that he wanted to kow-tow to the merchant on this one, but doing otherwise would be rather deal-breaking. He wouldn't be much of a bodyguard if he contradicted his own boss.
That meant Sam got to determine how they played this one. Common sense told Quintus to let this one go. She sounded royal. People who got referred to by pronouns tended to be people not to mess with. His gut told him to push it home, though. Quintus had made a living of pushing those people around back home. He'd collapsed four different organized crime rings by doing it, in fact. So in full honesty, he wasn't too concerned about death. Not like these spear-shaking crazies could kill him anyway. Well, probably.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 8:55 am
The Lady's brow knotted at mention of the paladin and she shook her head. Castor knew she was doubtful of that idea, he could feel it, but when he pointed beyond the trees he felt an almost grudging surprise. She did not speak though, only stared off into the distance as Mac identified the spot a bit more specifically. When the silence fell she nodded slowly.
"Tír na nÓg," she said it in those many voices speaking many names but all the same place as she looked back to the men before her. "The main island of this realm," she explained gently then shook her head and gave Castor a curious stare. "You should not have been able to sense it. Had I not seen through your eyes I would not believe," she purred with a fond smile as she reached up to lightly caress his cheek. "A magnificent gift you have," she purred. "Do be careful with it," she said the last in a warning whisper then turned away, though leaned slightly into him as she addressed the others.
"The paladin's Order has their citadel there, and my sister's Temple, and the Mages' Guild Tower, and several dens of thieves - any number of them much more likely burglars than the young paladin," She shook her head slowly then turned a smile back on Castor. "Go find who is responsible, my Champion. Find them and bring them here. With my Seal," she purred and he felt his muscles tense with a sudden desire - a need - to do as she requested.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 9:13 am
Pango huffed a sneer at the woman for her observation. "The Order don't see much merit in the fairer sex, sees em weak an frail-like," there was obvious distaste in the comment.
Alex shook his head with a grin, "Women's there to be protected. Shouldn't make a girl do rough things, they ought to be honored an taken care of."
Pango rolled hazel eyes at the man with a sigh then came to a stop in front of another large door. The youth gave the others a glance then told them rather simply, "You wait here," before snatching Alex's sleeve and dragging him through the door.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 9:53 am
Sam is of course all for going somewhere no one he ever knew had seen, the chances of "gleaning" a little something here and there were right in his mindset. He was sure they wouldn't mind them being at least on the outskirts of the Temple, and if worse came to worse he could try out what his Champion status meant to the Faerin. He smiled to himself musing on the prospect of possibly using it as some badge of authority, maybe they respected the old gods, maybe they even liked Nammu. But for now the phrase of the day was "low-ground".
"Le's go ta tha Temple. Deat ges enof oof a raeson not ta ga insi' 'less invitid." The merchant smiled apologetically to the boy for not wanting to undermine any authority he may have, but that smile turned more solid for the guard. "'Jou mus' uddastant da 'portants ouf sujan oppu'tunty."
And what an oppurtunity it was. Sam was mostly thinking about profit. Some Temple artifacts to sell around and not lie about. Good times.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 3:24 pm
Castor almost blushed under his Lady's praise. He had just been guessing wildly, trying to find a lead to follow- he hadn't expected to find anything. And there was a strange sort of satisfaction to be derived from seeing a link that even his Lady had overlooked. But, still, there was something off. His Lady had called whatever he had seen an island. Castor mulled this over, then looked again with his inner eyes. For a moment, he only saw the flash of color. Then, as he concentrated, something started to come into being. A large, dense shape of... something. And then, that "something" became clear.
Castor's breath caught in his throat. "
"" he said, waving his hand in the general direction of the landmass. He turned to his Lady.
"" he said, the faintest trace of subservience in his voice.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 5:06 pm
Rüd scoffed audibly, but waited for the air to clear before adding his two cents. As the Paladin and squire disappeared, the Abwehran spoke. "Women do as they please where I come from: soldiers, housewives, CEOs, doctors. Though I must say I've never been bested by a woman, so they may have a small point." He smirked, curious how armored warrior would respond to his prodding.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 9:30 pm
"I think you meant to say yet," Linda 213 added quite deliberately, concluding a glare at Alex's back. "Yet." She sniffled and blinked twice.
Skurk looked at Mac, the Lady, and Castor. ☼ I feel left out. ☼ Damn language barrier.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:45 pm
Mac glanced over his shoulder. ☼We are noting the nature of an island further that direction. It is evidently suspended in the blue.☼ This language was a tad easier. Furthermore, the more he listened to Skurk and the Lady simultaneously, the more everything fell into place, and the easier it became to split those wavelengths out of the conundrum that was her voice.
☼I feel the need to ask what you are,☼ Mac added. ☼I have never seen a mammal like you.☼
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:28 pm
Skurk's eyes widened. ☼ How the ******** you speaking - I'm a goblin, by the way - how the ******** are you speaking goblin? And why, for that matter? Goblin is a shitty language. ☼
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 7:36 pm
☼I have been learning while you spoke to the pastor,☼ Mac explained. ☼I am equipped to gain knowledge of languages spoken near me.☼ That seemed the fairest summary of the ability.
☼What is a goblin?☼ Mac continued. ☼What separates it from human? Where are you from? How many of you are there?☼ Mac paused; that was enough questions to start with. He had much more to ask, of course, but he'd have to wait. And it was questionably likely that the goblin would be intimately familiar with his own biology, as he didn't look like a doctor or a medic. Of course, if goblins were so distinct from humanity, their medical procedures might be different. On the other hand, the goblin had thrown what appeared to be a very primitive fragmentation grenade, and organic life seemed quite contrary to the idea of fragmentation as a medical tool.
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