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 Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:44 am
Dame Elenda of Mandor....arrival at Mandor Castle Town.The night had grown deep. Trees lined the much wider path, their overarching branches reflecting the orange torchlight along the outer bend of the road. The further they went, the thicker the trees grew. They were almost there.. Elenda held her halberd aloft and led the way to the right as the road became much less steep. The fork on which she led them, though, left the downward spiral behind altogether, becoming almost flat. This was the path down to Mandor Castle Town. There was another that went downwards from the town, reconnecting with the wide road to the lowlands, though the trees hid it from view. There they were, people from the town come to welcome their group, visible as a cluster of lamp-lights further along the path. As soon as the riders were heard approaching, the cheers started. Dame Elenda kept up the pace until they neared the crowd, and then she slowed them to a walk. The errand-riders paraded through the welcome party. Most everyone held a paper lamp and was waving it about, cheering and whistling. The people traveled with the errand-riders as the path converged with the lower path, going on toward the entrance to the town. The gates were swung wide, and more people were here. Mandor Castle Town loomed ahead in the weak light of the lanterns. Amid cheers and brief, shouted conversations, Dame Elenda led the way through all the noise, down the main street toward the great courtyard. ....a lauded procession by lamplight.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:11 am
Sariel followed in silence lost in her own thoughts. She removed her hood absentmildly. Her hair came undone in the breeze. She shivered slightly as she continued on. She soon began to notice the waving lanterns, the cheers. She patted Dresden and continued on.
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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 1:11 pm
Meanwhile, somewhere else...
A blonde haired male elf was buried under a stack of armor, weapons, and shields. Some of the racks which had held those items had also fallen over, making it even harder for the elf to get up, if he tried. His blue cape probably wouldn't help his case either.
He would try because he was opening his eyes, but he noticed a throbbing pain on the back of his head and the sensation that something was holding him down. He was face down on the stone floor, and it was cold.
What has happened here? Something must have befallen me. the elf groggily thought. He started to move, testing his limbs.
"Oh, no! You can't wake up yet!" came a cheery voice.
It was his youngest sister's voice. Amest. What did that mean? He suddenly felt particularly sleepy. Oh, wait.. I can't- Amest had gotten a lot better at casting spells, even with his resistance. She might as well as been a child prodigy. His eyes closed again and would not open for some time.
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Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:22 pm
Haber would not stop barking and whining in his impatient way as they marched their horses past the group of welcomers and through the gates of Mandor Castle Town. Normally, Zuuta would have told her dog off by now, but she was once again in awe of the mere existence of this population. Every time she passed through this little city, she kept finding more things to look at. The multitude of food stands scattered about, the variety of different stables according to the type of steed, and at least two inns on every other street. Mandor Castle Town was most definitely a traveler's oasis.
The road they were currently on led their congregation to the center of the town. A large, circular space that was mostly covered in cobblestones, save for the occasional patch of dirt and where stone slabs had been uncovered over years of wear. There were four streets and a small handful of alleyways that led away from the courtyard-like space, the rest of the perimeter had been taken up by a wide selection of shops and another inn. What made this space seem really unique though, was a tall and striking stone formation that appeared to have been naturally formed in that spot. Its curves and jutting angles gave it a sort of stoic beauty that the townspeople liked enough to leave it where it was.
On any given evening, the town's center would have been quite inactive and sleepy. But on this special night, the entire town had probably gathered to see them. Garlands of leaves and flowers had been strung about and a multitude of torches were lit for light. Local bards were singing songs about Errands that had come through before them while young couples danced to the music being played by a band of musicians on the eastern street corner. The whole scene seemed quite festive and uplifting.
"...Well I'll be," were the only words Zuuta could muster as she brought Kohlsin to a standstill to take in all of the things happening around her. Somehow, Haber had slipped out from under her nose as he was now trotting around happily, investigating every nook and cranny of the area. Zuuta wasn't immediately worried though. The big lug would come running back to her as soon as she called for him, or his curiosity was satisified, whichever came first.
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Posted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:43 am
Hmm? Zaria's previous home? She seemed a little forlorn and bitter about it, but the mage was right about them approaching Mandor Castletown. Ah, how River never tired of festivities. The demeanor of the whole town and the lighthearted and excitement reminded him of another city he had been to before, a city that had never ending festivals.
"Ah, the lights and delight!" River sang. "Dontcha wish we didn't have to take flight?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:37 pm
Dame Elenda of Mandor....to earn the love of the peopleDame Elenda rode at the front of the procession of errand-riders, through the mass of cheering residents of the Castle Town. The red and yellow lights from torches and paper lanterns danced all around, and Elenda couldn't help but feel uplifted. The air was warm down here, closer to the lowlands between spring and summer. Elenda savored a deep breath of it, the nightly scents of nature blending with the myriad aromas coming from the town. To smell so many things at once, at the same time to see all the sights of color and movement and to hear the cheers, the dancing, the music, was an impressionable sensation, sure to burn itself into memory. In the circular courtyard, Dame Elenda looked up as she rode near the central root-like formation of stone. It reminded Elenda of nothing so much as a massive, twisted, upturned carrot. The angular pillar of rock dully reflected the incandescent light, making irregular patterns along its face that were wondrous, mysterious, and even ominous all at once. Its claw-like point, barely visible several hundred feet upwards, seemed to rake the moon-lit clouds as they slowly sailed along. Popular legend held that this pillar marked the origin of Mandor. Whatever the facts truly were, Elenda always found it hard to wrench her eyes away. The cheering continued as the parade of warriors angled toward the left of the pillar, aiming between the far street and the left, relative to their entrance to the courtyard. Dame Elenda was leading them to the unimaginatively named Errand-Riders' Inn. The large building was financed by the royalty and kept in reserve for errand-riders. There, Elenda would reserve the amount of rooms and accommodations they would require. As they arrived, Dame Elenda addressed the crowd, thanking them and briefly explaining the Errand of Dragons Rising--that they go with numbers and diversity to answer the rumors of the increasing numbers of dragons away to the east, for good or ill. Afterward, Elenda left instructions to those under her charge. They would allow themselves two hours to enjoy the festivities, leaving late the next morning. "A day like this may not come upon us for a long time," the Dame Knight was saying. "Savor it. Experience the love of our people and the hopes and trust they place in us. Let it lift you to new heights of strength and zeal--and courage, when the time comes." With that, Dame Elenda dismissed them to mingle with the adoring crowd. ....is to bear their hopes and dreams.
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Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 5:22 pm
((It's been a while, hasn't it?))
Zuuta waved to Seodred as she seperated from the group after being dismissed by their leading Dame. The first thing she wanted to do was check Kohlsin into a stable. Thankfully, there was one just around the corner and a few buildings away from their inn. A shy stableboy greeted her upon entering the establishment before running off to grab the manager. Once they managed to come to an agreement about price, she handed her horses' reigns over to the young man, who flinched a bit when the steel of her gauntlet grazed his hand.
Returning to the festivities, she decided that her behemoth of a canine had enough wandering for the evening. Besides, she didn't want him getting into anything that he shouldn't. She brought two fingers up to her lips and let loose a loud whistling noise, which caused a few bystanders to turn their heads. It took less than a second for Haber to howl back in return, and soon after the sounds of startled people rose up as he made his way through the crowd. When he emerged from the crowd though, he wasn't alone. He was being tailed by about three or five young children and a toddler sitting up on his back. While Haber strode up to her happily, the children hung back a bit, the riding toddler had a look of caution on his face.
Zuuta couldn't help but roll her eyes at their wary expressions. She wasn't that intimidating, was she? So as not to alarm the youngsters any more than they already were, she crouched down to their eye level and patted Haber on the head tenderly. Of course, being the dog he is, Haber took the opportunity to give his master a big ol' lick on the cheek; which which pulled a small laugh out of her. Since the kids liked the dog, and the dog liked the woman, the youngsters figured out that she probably wasn't as bad as she seemed. They rushed over eagerly to lavish their attention upon Haber, who was loving every second of it.
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Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 3:05 pm
Dame Elenda of Mandor....rewards of renown in Mandor's castle town.Dame Elenda handled the reservations for her company of Errand Riders quickly. The Errand-Riders' Inn was more than happy to fulfill its purpose on so grand an occasion. Errand parties of this size were rare enough to become instant legend. As soon as the Elenda was finished, she went back outside to follow the advice she had given those in her charge. She intended to drink in this moment, against the hardships to come. Mandor Castle Town, among other things, was a natural center for propaganda surrounding the Knights of Mandor. Elenda found that she herself was particularly popular nowadays. Since she was one of the nine Trusted Knights chosen by the Mandorian royalty, all the legends and chronicles of the adventures and deeds of Dame Elenda the Strong were golden. Copies upon copies of scrolls detailing and romanticizing her exploits were sold for a high price. Even more prized were the hand-made, illustrated and beautifully bound books that more often than not went into wealthy nobles' collections. Children were everywhere, their eyes wide with wonder at seeing come to life the heroes of songs and tales. Their attentions were focused especially on the knights, armored and tall and proud and noble. Parents would never dream of sending them to bed, despite the late hour; this was the sort of event every parent in Mandor loved, for it instilled in the young ones a tangible sense of wonder, chivalry and honor. Seeing these warriors and knights in the flesh solidified the dreams and fancies from the children's upbringing--full of adventure stories and chivalrous fables--into the aspirations and ambitions of the next generation's heroes. Grown-ups, too, could never get enough of the exalted knights and warriors. The thrill of inspiration and imagination brought on by repeated tales of valor and honor was pursued whenever the opportunity arose. A night like this brought good reason for celebration. Elenda still wore her sable cloak with its official brooch, but she also wore the full Chain of Command awarded her for the duration of this Errand. The rumors were confirmed that Dame Elenda was leading the effort on this quest. A small crowd gathered around her instantly, begging for news and asking a hundred questions at once. It was Dame Elenda's duty to separate truth from rumor, and not just about the Errand of Dragons Rising. Elenda soon learned that there was a dark side to the Mandorian love of tales: rumors were myriad about her as well; most of it good, some bad--though basically harmless--but plenty were maddening or embarrassing. Elenda did her best to put a stop to as many as she could. After a while she decided not to continue validating them with her denials, and she turned instead to answer questions about her current Errand and her place and responsibilities in it. Some time later, out of the blue, a group of children of different ages interrupted the grown-ups with a clamoring request to witness Dame Elenda's prowess with a halberd. Seeing the dame knight's indulging smile, the older folk backed away, and the children followed suit, forming rings around Elenda the Strong. In a single motion, Elenda unfastened her cloak and flourished it into a pile on the cobblestones, also removing the Chain and resting it atop the soft cloak. (None would think to steal a Chain of Command. It would be worse than suicide.) The dame knight gripped the weapon hanging from her back, removing it from its holster with a mighty swing. With that, Elenda launched into an increasingly difficult and impressive routine of sweeping cuts and slashes, expertly wielding her halberd. The large, axe-like blade arced and whooshed through the air--horizontally, vertically, backhanded, full of angled sweeps and spins. Elenda's grunts and yells augmented most of her swings. The watching crowd had grown, and clamorous cheering ensued. Elenda decided to give them something to truly remember. Elenda began to twirl her weapon one-handed as she drew out her gold pendant, pressing it to her lips and blowing warmly upon its golden jewel. When it glowed, Elenda pressed the jewel to the hilt of her halberd. Quickly, she vaulted herself into the air, doing a midair turn and swinging her blade in what ended up as the equivalent of a forward flipping vertical strike--but it wasn't over. By then, the golden glow had traveled along the length of the halberd and had reached the blade at its end. The blade itself glowed bright with golden light. At the end of her strike, before the halberd hit on the cobblestones, Elenda reversed its momentum and swung blindingly fast in a huge arc over her head. The crowd gasped as the visible sweep of golden light congealed and shot straight into the sky--the Arc of Light, Elenda the Strong's signature attack--expanding as it went until it faded, high into the night air, out of sight. A gasp of silence was followed by deafening cheers. ....and thus renown, once earned, begets itself.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:29 pm
Zuuta had to not only hold her temper, but watch her tongue as well as she answered the ridiculous questions shoved her way by Haber's adoring little fans. 'What's the doggy's name?' 'Why is he so big?' 'How old is he?' 'How old are you?' 'Can he do tricks?' 'What's your name?' These were only a small sample of the inquiries the town children posed. She tried to answer them as best as she could without getting overly frustrated, But the youngsters were more irritating than a pack of teething puppies.
But before she knew it, the tykes left as quickly as they had appeared. Even the one that had been seated upon the hound's back slid off the canine to join his friends. "Well, thank gods that's over," She murmured while getting to her feet. A whine from Haber contradicted her words, mourning the loss of the attention he loved. Curious as to what would pull a child's attention from a dog the size of a small pony, she followed the retreating toddler with her gaze, and a large gathering greeted her eyes. Drawing nearer, she could hear the grunts and huffs of a fight, which caught her interest greatly.
Zuuta nudged her way into the crowd, but thanks to her height, she didn't have to get too far in to see the lone familiar face in the center. Dame Elenda was swinging her halberd around, providing what seemed to be great entertainment to the crowd around her. Who would of thought that their Errand leader was a people-pleaser? At least the crowd appeared to be enjoying it, for their cheering-and-hollering was only getting louder.
Just when she thought that the entertainment was through, the Dame decided to kick it up a notch with some difficult hocus-pocusy magic thing. Sending a crescent of glowing light towards the stars which grew insize until it disappated. The crowd went absolutely wild. Shouting and yelling, hooping and hollering. Once Haber joined in with his howling, the noise was so loud she thought that they were going to bust her ear drums. An annoyed smirk played across Zuuta's lips as she muttered, "Show-off," under her breath. Not that anyone could really hear her at the moment.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 4:28 pm
"The inner rage presents itself in the worst situations."
Shane leaned on a nearby pole, arms folded, grinning and watching as the female knight showed off her moves. "She's pretty good," he thought, "Possibly better than me with the sword." He shook the thought out of his head. He shouldn't be thinking like that. He was a protector, not a competitor. Shane raised his eyebrows when she slashed into the air and a large arc of light extended into the sky. Shane adjusted his weight to both feet and joined in the applause, walking toward the knight as he did. "Bravo! Excellent work, Dame Elenda. I have heard of your strength, but not of your techniques. How about taking on a lowly blacksmith in a friendly duel? I promise not to hold back." he finished with a grin.
|| OOC ||
Let it be known that from this day forth, Lord Malaroth is officially in the roleplay!!
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 11:33 am
Dame Elenda of Mandor....a duel between comrades.Elenda followed her own advice and allowed the admiration of the crowd to fill her heart, if not her head. After several moments, when there was somewhat less noise, a large man approached her. Adding to the applause, he complimented her prowess and subsequently requested a sparring match. By this time Elenda had turned in his direction. It was the Edrian blacksmith that had joined the Errand. What was his name... "Shane Wolfken." The big, wild-looking man wasn't easy to forget, after all. Elenda remembered him from the Castle smithy: she'd met him almost a year ago, just after he'd been admitted as a royal smith. She hadn't had much chance to speak with him much over the past months, and the barest of introductions had been possible during the application stage of this Errand. Smiling, she glanced sidelong at the younger man who from roughness and muscle seemed her equal in years. "Strength against strength?" she mused coyly. Elenda wondered if Shane was the competitive type. He was certainly ambitious, if he wanted to spar with a warrior of Dame Elenda's caliber. Always eager to please, Elenda saw no harm in indulging the the man's worthy spirit. He'd had the nerve to ask, after all -- evidence of a quality that deserved respect, if not honor. It would be interesting to see whether that quality was courage, bravado, ignorance, arrogance, or cunning. From what she could read in his face, it could be any or all. Elenda answered her own musing with a gleam in her eye. "However many weapons you carry, sword-maker, I doubt it will be enough." The light taunt was meant to indicate that the challenge was met. The dame knight assumed a ready stance, setting the point of her halberd on the cobbles and shifting her weight onto one side. She grasped the pole of her weapon with both hands, waiting to deliver the response to any initial attack. ....the strength of the forge versus the strength of battle.
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Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2010 4:24 pm
"The fight within. Now that is a gift."
Shane lowered his eyebrows as though he were angry, and widened his grin. "Hah!" he chuckled as he returned his expression to the one he had worn only moments before. He spun his sword around once, more to bring enough momentum to get into his stance than to show off. His stance consisted of him standing with a somewhat wider foot spread, with his broadsword parallel forward to his face. He wielded the sword with two hands, and he was very skillful with the sword. The brief time he had spent with the Dame assured him that she did not know his prowess. Shane decided to lead off, but keep his signature move for later, when he would have recovered the energy of the initial strike. Shane stepped forward, swung around (clockwise, if a bird were watching), and brought his sword down in a diagonal arc, using the momentum of the spin to guide his blade. "I only expect this to hit her polearm, but that would leave her open for my combination..." Shane thought with a repressed grin.
|| OOC ||
Stance Reference, though the sword is on his right side, and he isn't glowing with purple smoke.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 6:34 pm
Dame Elenda of Mandor....strength against strength, they fight.Elenda steadied herself for Shane's initial blow as he began his attack. She felt her senses heightening. She noticed the steady heartbeat in her veins; she consciously blocked out the noise of the crowd; she read the blacksmith's footwork and muscle movements with an instinct born of practice. As her opponent's great blade hammered the pole of her weapon, she felt her muscles tense in resistance to the shock. The ring of steel on steel was low and loud. For all that she had expected it, she marveled at Shane's strength. Following that initial strike, Elenda moved her pole to block a quick combination of strong, sweeping strikes. Though she blocked rather than parried, he improvised well and wove a complex triplet of fast and forceful blows that would have jarred the bones of most men. A notable display of skill. But that was all she gave him. Elenda's strike came quick, using the force of Shane's previous blow to lever out a surprising momentum. Shane impressed the Dame Knight in that moment by the speed with which he brought his sword back up to block. He wasted no time either, but launched a counterattack with a vertical strike. Shane tossed his sword high into the air and jumped up after it. Once he had gotten to it, he spun forward for momentum as he slashed vertically at the knight.Knowing the force of Shane's impressive attack would be extraordinary, Elenda resisted the urge to block. Though the impact was still jarring, Elenda parried instead, and with the same motion she brought her halberd around in a loop for a vertical strike of her own, putting her weight and strength into an unstoppable blow, angled slightly toward her right. Shane once again brought his sword up in time, but his block did not alter the path of Elenda's weapon. Elenda brought her halberd back around in an upswing in the same direction. This time her attack was parried upward, but she had been counting on that. Before Shane could attack again, Elenda the Strong spun counterclockwise; her weapon sliced through the air in a wide arc, gaining speed for a final, vicious strike. At the peak of the spin, Elenda's halberd connected with Shane's upheld broadsword. Such a raw force was behind the blow that it wrenched the blacksmith's arm out to the side and levered the sword from his hand into the air. It landed on the ground, clattering on the cobbled courtyard several feet away. The match had lasted only a few seconds, but it had felt like minutes. Elenda's follow-through had her halberd held horizontally in both hands, one arm reaching across her breastplate and the other close by her waist. When her heart slowed, Elenda slowly transferred the pole to her right arm only, and she held it out far with the blade pointing toward Shane. "Impressive," she said graciously. "Do you yield?" she asked, and then as a playful afterthought: "Or shall we continue to first blood?" ....a flash of combat, all to soon extinguished.
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 7:25 am
The castle town's welcome was...welcoming, for lack of words. Halo grinned at the sight of the lights and the nice feeling of Cain not being right next to him. The festivities dispersed as someone blatantly challenged Dame Elenda to a one on one skirmish. Halo watched with a peaked interest, though he still hoped that they moved on relatively soon.
Halo was a healer more than a fighter, but that didn't mean that he didn't get into fights. In fact, he seemed to get into more fights than his older brother, the better fighter. As he watched, he shrugged. His brother could take them both on! If Halo didn't know any better, he would have jumped in just for fun, but his only real advantage would be his speed since Elenda and Shane both seemed to outclass her in strength and melee. He couldn't blow his cover though, so he had to stay put.
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 7:49 am
"Well now, her reputation befits her."
Shane was halfway to a knee, breathing heavily and with an arm out in front of him, but grinning all the same. "I see your reputation isn't ill-begotten." he said as he stood to his full height. At the Dame's final comment, he struck a thoughtful pose. "First blood, eh?" he mused. Shane changed his expression to a grin, but kept his hand on his chin. "As much as I'd love to, I really actually need to be somewhere right about now." he replied, remembering his pending engagement at the town's smithy. He was to be helping to town's blacksmith in forging weapons for the upcoming Errand. "If you'll excuse me..." he said with a deep bow before walking over to where his sword was wrenched away and sheathing it. "This promises to be an interesting journey..." he thought with a smirk as he walked off to the smithy.
|| OOC ||
Ahh, it feels good to be roleplaying this again. 
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