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 Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 11:06 am
 Guallidurth wasn't honestly one of Faer's favourite places to be... it was busy, there were too many people and most of them were probably out to cause more trouble that he was really wanting to get involved in... The whole situation that he and his family had found himself in was an uncomfortable one. They had been well situated, no in a high ranking house, but in a comfortable one none the less in the west dark for many years, until the ambition of his aunt, the matron of the house had brought ruin upon them in a rather swift and genocidal fashion... They hadn't really stood very much of a chance as over half of the warriors of the house had been poisoned before they even knew what was happening, and the rest fell very quickly.. they didn't have many warriors... that was the problem with being a house comprised almost entirely of magic users... once a warrior was in your personal space it became somewhat less than easy to wield a staff effectively.. and when your own side are defecting and helping them, you lose the magical advantage as well... Faer himself and three of his cousins, the three, a group of triplets as it happened, elder sons of the matron ad escaped. He himself had had a less than heroic survival having simply ended up buried under a second of the house itself that had come down after a rogue spell hit it... but the others he was assured had fought bravely... at least someone had...
Regardless they were now indebted to a rather scary little matron who headed the G'eld family. She had decided to offer them employment, which was all well and good, and had also sworn to one day help them rebuild at least some of the glory of their house... the only problem was, in their eagerness to accept her assistance, the G'eld family were strong after all, they had missed the fact she never set a deadline... another whoops... so now all they could do was word as a bad of magical mercenaries for the matron of a house that wasn't theirs and hope she would in fact keep her word.
He was in the west dark on little more than an errand. It was belittling, yes, as he wasn't really supposed to be a fetcher carrier, but then again what could you do at the end of the day? What the lady wanted, the lady got, and she wanted him to go and trade for some more herbs... her bitchy son was supposed to have gone, but he had apparently got more important matters to attend to... feh. By Lloth that boy had some cheek talking to his mother the way he did... but anyway... it would honestly have helped if he knew where to start with this, he was an illusionist... he used magical words, not magical herbs... he had gestures not potions and he had to admit he was a little concerned he wasn't going to pick up things of a high enough quality... what he wouldn't have given for a good poisoner to ask right about now... or at least a different type of El Faeruk... still.. you couldn't always have your way.. Hey.. he bent down, stopping dead in the middle of the street for a moment to pick up a couple of shiny silver coins that someone appeared to have dropped... the term magpie would have applied if he knew anything at all about the surface..
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 12:11 pm
 For someone who hated the market place Tal seemed to spend a lot of time wandering around it. there were any number of reasons why he hated it, it was crowded, noisy, smells, you kept getting bumped by strangers, some days it was even so crowded Tal had grazed against slaves! Still he had to come to pick up ingredients, either for spells, his research or his new business in magical rings. Or as today simple grocery shopping, even a mage had to eat.
Still Tal was beginning to think that shaving up for a well trained slave to do these annoying trips might not be a bad idea, it'd give him more time for more important manners and save him the stress. Sighing, Tal slipped the small package he had bought into a pocket and started home, but as he crossed a street his foot made a very unpleasant sound. Tal didn't even have to take a look, the scent already filling his nostrils as he glared ahead. "Rothe dung...."
Glancing about he spotted a slow moving cart a little further down the road being dragged by two Rothe, deciding this was the source of the manure he'd just stepped in Tal practically incinerated it on the spot. Common sense kicked in just at the right time and held him back from such a rash action, but still...
Smiling darkly Taliesin uttered a few short phrases his concentration on the Rothe pulling the cart of goods. Twin icicles formed just behind the rears of the lumbering creatures and with a swift motion of his Hand Tal sent the chunks of ice surging forward. The Rothe's eyes bulged for a moment at the sudden icy touch up their bottoms and bolted, running faster than they'd ever moved in their lives and dragging the cart and it's shocked owner along.
Tal chuckled as he saw much of the carts load spill onto the street as all hell broke loose, people swearing and crying out as they dashed out of the charging Rothes path, the creatures leaving a trail of chaos in their wake.
"That almost makes this trip worth it..."
Turning to set off once again, Tal nearly walked into another Drow who was bent over picking something up from the street. "Er? Can I help you? Or do you just like to work as a road block in your spare time?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:33 pm
Faer'da was certainly surprised at the voice that spoke up rather closer to him than he had expected it to... okay, so he probably wasn't the most observant Drow around, but he'd not really thought himself so utterly inattentive today. Slowly he stood up to look at the other male who had spoken to him and lifted his shoulder in a very slight shrug. "Everyone has to have a pass time," he stated, in a very normal tone of voice, before shaking his head, his large hat flopping a little and holding up a hand that now had four silvery coins held between the fingers, "Being thrifty, I suppose you could call it, why shun a coin for not being gold?" He straightened up fully and tucked the couple of silver coins away, they wouldn't buy much but there was no sense in simply leaving them for some dwarf to collect after all...
With a slightly surprised expression as he looked around he noticed the aftermath of the Rothe stampede... "What in the darkness did I miss there...?" He queried, curling his arm a little more firmly around his staff and leaning against it, a look of puzzlement on his face, "You'd think someone took a shot at the creatures..." he mused, leaning his cheek against the handle of the staff, the large, slightly luminous green stone casting a strange light on his face.
He was slightly taller than your average Drow, around 5ft9, which luckily wasn't emphasised too much by his unusual head wear. His whole family where somewhat taller than they should have been, his two older cousins even more so than he himself. He glanced at the Drow standing near to him and queried, "What do you suppose happened...?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:54 am
Prodding around on the street for a few coins? A bulging purse or something valuable Tal could understand, but what this guy had done seemed a bit foolish. He hadn't noticed the rampaging rothe until just now, what if he had been in the carts path? Tal would probably be having a good chuckle actually at the flattened Drows expense. "You might want to pay a little more attention to your surroundings, while you were bent over, a thief could have made off with your purse, or you could have been run over by a wagon."
Looking back towards the scene of chaos Tal shrugged and smirked slightly. "Driver incompetence, the will of Lolth, swift retribution... Who knows? Who cares? Certainly livened up my day." Turning his attention back to teh other Drow Tal spent a moment studying him and immediately gained a slight dislike of him. At 5 foot Tal was pretty average for a male Drow, but he couldn't help but notice the difference in height between himself and this other guy. Another thing that struck him was that the other Drow was a spell caster, which complicated things.
Drow tended to establish a certain pecking order amongst themselves, but Tal always held a certain sense of smug superiority when dealing with anyone who didn't share his apptitude for the arcane. Even female clerics, though he had the common sense to hide it well and play his part, most of the time. But he was always more cautious when dealing with another spellcaster, Tal had no easy way of telling how powerful or skilled another mage might be, plus who knew what school of magic this guy was proficient in.
A part of Taliesin wanted to turn away right now and head home, get away from the crowds and away from any trouble, but... What was there he had to do that was of any urgency? Besides Tal had made it his business to know as many of the mages that lived in Guallidurth as possible, yet he didn't recognise this man.
"Tell me, you aren't from around here are you? Might I ask what business you have in Guallidurth?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 6:32 am
Faer grimaced very slightly as the notion of his business was brought back to the forefront of his mind once again. "I suppose you can't always expect drivers to be at their best.." he mused once before glancing down at the other male and stating, "Little of importance as far as I can see brings me here, but the will of the matron will be played out..." he stated slouching very slightly as he was his common practice. His family had, in years before had some queries raised about the purity of their heritage which, some generations back, was more than likely justifiably called into account as, though many of them would fit in no matter how many of their kind you stood them near, himself for one, and two of his cousins for another we taller than they rightfully should have been... it was probably part of the reason their house had been so splendidly removed.
"I am simply here to pick up some herbs." he stated, there was no logic in telling another your business, especially when you didn't know them at all and they had very little reason, honestly, to care wasn't always the greatest of ideas... "I spend little time in the city, my occupations tend to lie elsewhere..." he patted himself down with a very small smile, "Though your average pickpocket would find himself hard pressed to steal my purse..." he wasn't sure what was setting his nerve going a little, but something felt... threatening about this smaller male. It was irrational, he was pretty convinced that at least at this very moment in time he wasn't breaking any of the laws of the under dark, nor any of those specific to the house he was sworn to... but at the same time he felt like he needed to be on his guard...
"The market here is good." he stated after a moments silence, "From the way you speak am I to presume that you frequent this place regularly?" he shot the other a questioning look, still bracing himself against the large staff. It was times like this, in conversation with someone with a fare more correct stature that his own size made him more than a little uncomfortable... but if he stooped any more it would look utterly ridiculous and that really wasn't a great option either. "I would presume, as well, for we are both at the market, that out business here may well ring similar in the end.."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 7:45 am
Tal pursed his lips slightly as he gazed up at teh taller Drow,even though he was slouching Tal still had to look up at him, Tal hated having to look up to anyone. Yet there was something.... The other Drow seemed uncomfortable, but Tal couldn't be sure and he couldn't hazard a guess about why, unless he was lying. But why would this Drow be lying? Of course why would he bother telling the truth to a complete stranger? Tal mused this over wondering why he was even bothering to talk to him.
"Erm.. no, actually I'm just here to pick something up for dinner this evening." Tal pointed towards the package of rothe meat he'd just picked up, that now rested in a pocket of his robe. "I do come here rather regularly though. Though out of necessity, I find crowded places make me uncomfortable.... If it isn't too odd a request, would you mind if I accompany you? I find I'm at a lose for anything to occupy myself with presently and don't often get the chance to speak with other mages of late."
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:17 am
The request caught the taller male quite off of his guard it had to be said, he'd expected the conversation to more or less terminate after a couple more inane comments on either part, he'd not expected to have him companny be requested for a greater amount of time, and found that his automatic response was to refuse... but why...? What had this other male done to offend him..? Nothing at all if he was honest, working for Matron Ariadne was just rubbing him right up the wrong way if he was honest and it was setting him very much ill at ease no matter where he was.
"I'm not really going to be employed in anything especially interesting..." he stated, looking down at Tal, "But if you wish to accompany me then you may, though I can't promise you won't be highly bored..." he wrinkled his nose for a moment and flicked his eyes back to the market. "As you're here though..." he mused quietly, "Do you happen to know anything very much about roots and herbs..?" he kept his gaze on the stalls for now. "As it happens my errand is to replenish some of the matron's stocks, and I myself am no expert in the nature of procuring good quality produce here, do you happen to know a good vendor?" he did look back at Tal at last, "Faer'da." he stated at least, "I suppose it was rather impolite not to offer my name before now..." he'd neglected to add his house name, it was true, but as his house was no longer exactly in existence he didn't really suppose it was proper to use it any longer... especially as there was the potential for people to know of their disgrace... why draw that kind of attention to yourself..?
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Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 8:47 am
Taliesin nodded and then quiet smoothly lied "Thatantar Despund" Tal still wasn't sure of what he made of this other Drow and decided to give a false name. If things went well Tal could always divulge his real name later, if Tal ended up making a new enemy, well too bad for anyone named Thatantar who looked like Tal.
As it happened Tal knew quite a bit about herbs, mostly because he was rather hands on and liked knowing ever detail in a process. He'd studied herbs since certain types were needed as components for spells, and specially prepared plants were sometimes needed to imbue certain magical attributes to the rings he made. Not to mention he had a certain interest in various types of poisons and how they were made.
"Well it depends on what you're looking for. I find it's best to shop around a little, some merchants just have better suppliers than others, while some will try and make you pay an arm and a leg for substandard crap. I'd be happy to show you around though. I find myself at a lose for intelligent conversation these days." Pointing to a side street Tal started to walk, the route he was taking a quick way into a part of the market that housed several dealers in herbs, the common enough stuff, but it was a place to start.
"So tell me Faer'da, what type of magic do you specialise in?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 9:09 am
"Thatantar?" Faer queried, I believe a brother of my father had a name somewhat similar to that.. there was more of an uhrr sound at the end of it though..." he stated before falling silent to listen to what his new acquaintance had to say on the matter of herbs. Any assistance had to be better than none at this point... Why had miss Ariadne sent him...?
"I believe some of the items on the list to be rather common, a number of types of dried fungi.." he reached a hand to his side and as if from the not terribly baggy fabrick of his top itself he pulled a rather rumpled piece of paper with a list of about nine or ten different herbs in rather tidy hand writing. He looked it over for a moment. "Most are common I believe, though some are rather... less so from what I was told, rare even on the surface world where they must be picked in the right phase of their ghastly moon on the right day..." he frowned slightly at the list before holding it out for Tal, or Thantantar to take a look at.
"The give away is in my name." He stated thoughtfully after a moment, "My magic is in the art of tricking the eye, befuddling the mind and moving unseen while your enemies trail another..." he spread the hand that wasn't holding the staff to the side then, "My skills in illusion magic could be greater though." Modesty false or not was just polite, "Yourself..? What area does your skill fall into?" he actually found himself curious now, it had been longer than he had thought since he talked with a wizard outside his own family... it was actually a pleasant change.
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Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:01 am
Taking the list from Faer Tal browsed through it quickly. Most of these we'll be able to get round here easily enough, this one though will be a bother." Tal pointed to an item about half way down the list before continuing on. "I know one or two merchants with ties to Merchant Houses that deal regularly with the surface, they'd be the best bet, but even if they have what you need, it'll be expensive... I hope you have more than those few silvers you picked up in your purse." Continuing through the list Tal paused and frowned, idelly scratching at his right ear while he thought. "I've no ideas about this last one, not sure I've ever even heard of it. We'll have to ask around about it.."
Coming out of the alley they were into another busy street, without pausing Tal turned right and kept going until they came to an open square where numerous stalls were set up. Not as well stocked as the more affluent apothecaries, they would none the less carry the more common items from teh list, plus they were more inclined to haggle. The better class of merchant rarely did, stating their prices and expecting to get it, they tended to be able to afford their proper store fronts rather than simple wooden stalls, like these ones. all in all these merchants might not be to the same standards of quality, but most herbs were dried and prepared anyway, so freshness wasn't really a factor, in the end the cheaper stuff worked just as well as the premium kind.
Tal paid more attention when Faer mentioned he was an illusionist, it was a topic of much interest to him, Tal had hoped to be an illusionist in his early days as a mage, but had soon found he lack ed the talent for it, capable of only the most basic spells. "Myself? I favour evocations and conjurations, manipulating the elements and so on. Not as subtle as illusion but it gets the job done." Tal had also found a sadistic pleasure in the kinds of wounds and pain that could only be caused by magical means.
"Was it a personal choice? Or did you just have a knack for that school of magic?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 6:51 am
"More of a mage then..?" He queried once again, "I can't say I had any knack for elemental magics in the slightest, I would have been more useful as a conjurer of fire perhaps, but the most I could ever manage was a faint glow and a small puff of smoke." he shrugged his shoulders slightly and glanced around himself once again. "Miss Ariadne suggested it would probably take some heavy bribes to secure some of the items she has requested, so I am fully prepared for that sort of thing, I suppose it will be my problem if she didn't give me adequate funds, but at the end of the days that's what your legs are fun, running like Lloth was after you if you displease your matron..." he grimaced once, it was in the name of Lloth that his own house had been destroyed, sometimes working for the unforgiving spider queen felt like a bit of a chore really.
"The Ilusions seemed to come more naturally to me, the talent still had to be cultivated of course and I'm still not as gifted as I would like, but it is a path that seems to hold some interesting abilities at least." he took a moment to glance over one of the stalls nearer to them, he recognised some of the herbs there, so he supposed he had to be learning something from running errands for the overly commanding matron of the G'eld family.
"What are your specialities?" he asked, it was fairly fascinating to talk to another wizard, "Or are your skills more broad? That would be a fine thing if they were, mine seem to me to be rather funnelled these days, I wish I'd learned more when I was younger now. Two of my cousins, Mer and Lird both followed the path of the elemental mage, another that of the enchanter and my own gifts always seemed a little less.. effective. They do have their uses, but not all are as great as they could be."
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 11:19 am
At the mention of running from Matrons Tal suppressed a slight shudder and grimaced, generally preferring not to think about his own mother. "I'm lucky in that regard, I'm not from Guallidurth originally. My house is based in a small city on the coast of the Glimmer Sea to the north east of here. I was sent here to study magic and then never went back. Though my mother is the Matron she has little interest in me, I told her I'd be more useful setting up shop here forging magic rings and sending some of the profits back home. Occasionally she has some job or quest for me, but I think it's more for teh purpose of reminding me I'm still on her lease even if it's a long one."
It was an uncomfortable relationship, but it suited Tal, he'd rather this than having to live in the same house as his mother and other relatives. Living in Guallidurth, it was a lot easier to live an independent life style and do as he wished. Not to mention make the kind of alliances he'd need to further his own ambitions, beyond whatever his Matron might have in mind.
"Specialties? Beyond manipulating elements?" Taliesin wasn't sure what he meant, he had always had an even amount of skill with each of the elements, but had a preference for fire, simply because it's effects were teh pretty to look at and fairly damaging. "I suppose my skills are more broad? My speciality is elemental magic, but I've a fair knack for transmutation, I've just not dedicated as much time to practicing it. As for Illusion, well I've no talent for that myself, a disappointment as I've always admired the powers it could unlock. And as for necromancy, I can do anything that doesn't involve touching a corpse... so not an awful lot really."
In some ways Tal considered himself a jack of all trades. While his own inventory of spells was limited mostly to Conjuration and Evocation with a few transmutation and abjuration spells, Tal had taken the time to study the other schools as well. It gave him a better understanding of magic as a whole, he felt. Plus it helped prepare him for identifying or countering the magic of others.
"I find to hard to imagine an illusionist being less effective, less destructive perhaps, but such powers are certainly useful in teh right situation." Tal supposed it might be Drow nature to always want that which you didn't have. He wanted to have an aptitude for Illusion more than anything but settled for Elemental magic, yet here was someone who had skill in it and seemed disappointed with their ability.
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