|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2014 7:36 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:29 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:41 pm
 |
|
|
 |
If Shalvesta had really thought about the potential ramifications of being on the losing side of a war, she would have realized that hanging around the dangerous jungle where the final battle had been fought was ill-advised. As it was, though, the end of the war was bittersweet to her, and she was loathe to return to Oba anytime soon, where she'd be expected to once again rejoin the throng of nobles. She'd protected her own honor by recovering a traitor from the edge of camp - but the name of her late husband was still murky and uncleared. Was he a war hero, who died in the name of his king? Or a traitor who had abandoned his post and disappeared into the wilds to ally with savages, to whom they had now lost?
Oba may be a better kingdom in the future, but for now Shalvesta was under no illusions - many Obans were upset at the loss, at the freeing of the slaves, at quite a many things. And she didn't want to be mixed up in the tumultuous pit of slavering, panicking Obans back in the capitol. So here she remained in a small camp, having finally broken herself away from the Oban tents entirely - out into the wilds of Jauhar as she'd intended so long ago before she made friends and insisted on sticking around to protect them in wartime. Now one of those friends was a princess. It was... strange how things changed.
Using a stick Shalvesta tried to stir the smoldering embers of an attempted camp fire, but the wet wood, which she had lit somehow, instead puffed out smoke, trying valiantly to burn - but ultimately failing. With a heave of a sigh the Oban tossed her stick aside and instead shuffled closer, holding her hands over the tiny firepit. Jauhar was intimidating, but not so much now that she had a means to defend herself - along with the ceremonial sword over her shoulder. She hoped it would convince anyone who saw her that she was more skilled than she was, to have gained such an ornamental blade.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 2:53 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2014 4:39 pm
|
|
|
|
Shalvesta grumbled quietly to herself, and gave up even trying to huddle close to the fire. As chilly as it was becoming here in the forest, with winter coming, it was still remarkably humid - and had nothing on the freezing nights in Oba. Having been kneeling by the fire, Shalvesta made to readjust herself, to sit instead on her haunches. That was when she heard it - felt it. A shift of air pressure behind her, accompanied with the sound of something landing heavily in the grassy clearing. One look over her shoulder revealed a giant of a woman, tall, with dark hair and strange eyes.
Obans had heard of the Alkidike, but seeing one in person - Shalvesta paled and scrambled to her feet, grabbing with shaking hands at her sword, and only just managing to unsheathe it, defensively, before she stumbled across the embers of the fire, sending brightly glowing embers across the clearing and her sandaled feet. They didn't burn - the motion was too quick to do more than make her jump, but it was a distraction, and only frazzled the Oban woman more. Only after dusting ash from her foot with the back of her hand did Shalvesta's brain remind her that they had signed a peace treaty - technically, there was no reason to assume she'd be mauled automatically. But that didn't convince her, either.
"Uh-- H-hello! You startled me...!" Shalvesta said, voice shaking in uncertainty, but she tacked a somewhat friendly smile onto her lips, lowering her sword with shaking fingers to the ground. It was close enough that she could scoop up the blade if she had to - but holding the sword longer than necessary would only agitate this strange woman.
Did Alkidike even speak the common tongue? The Obans believed so many in the north were savages - and honestly Shalvesta didn't know WHAT to think of this stranger.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 9:44 am
|
|
|
|
The look of amusement on the other woman's face would have been terrifying to Shalvesta before - call her naive, though, Shalvesta quietly hoped that meant the woman meant no harm. Yet. As it was, the Oban girl wasn't prideful in the least when it came to admitting her faults - and against this large woman who held her spear as if it was an extension of her arm, Shalvesta began to wonder how on earth her people had felt they stood a chance.
Blasphemous, traitorous thoughts - thoughts which Shalvesta quickly shoved aside.
She realized now that the woman DID know a common language, and this further relaxed her. It meant the Alkidike could be reasoned with - and had enough comprehension, despite what Oba propaganda would have Shalvesta believe, to not attack outright. Shalvesta watch the woman closely, but stepped back and let her stamp out the fire, even if the disappearance of the measly embers made the Oban woman quietly disappointed. Did these tree-women take cultural offense to fires, she wondered?
"I'd... rather not go back to those lands, if it means the same to you." Shalvesta said, as politely as she could despite her refusal. True, she could just stammer out a 'yes, ma'am, sorry, ma'am' to the Alkidike, then move deeper into Jauhar anyway - but there were nightmarish stories of the guerilla tactics these tree-women and night-breeders used - dropping from the trees.
Suspiciously, Shalvesta raised her eyes to gaze around the treeline and canopy - wondering if this woman was just a 'friendly' face to urge her off, and there were more in the trees waiting to strike her down? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 3:37 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 9:19 am
|
|
|
|
Shalvesta's brow quirked slightly at the stranger's rambling, accusing words, but didn't let them coax a rise out of her. Now wasn't the time for Shalvesta to attempt to debate the pros and cons of the Oban system - it was a political ideal that not many had the luxury to focus on. It was a way of life, a constant, to her people, and to Shalvesta even if she had some qualms she didn't see anything wrong with it. There were the horror stories, of course - but also those of success, right?
The Oban finally dropped her eyes from the canopy and focused once more on Vollerei, though she did her best to stay alert, in case anyone approached from behind. "I don't speak for my people, even if you seem to want to speak for your own - but my own wish is simply to pass through these lands on my way to the next, not to settle. I ... only wish for safe travels, and no trouble." Shalvesta finally said, words sighing out as if in resignation. She trusted in her people, and yes she sympathized with the desire to spread their domain. But she didn't feel it was Manifest Destiny - that expansion was a Gods given right.
And Shal had her own problems to attend to, before focusing on rectifying those of her people. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:03 pm
|
|
|
|
...That was it ? Shalvesta had expected... more arguments, at the very least. Instead, the woman had relaxed and now was offering advice. She would have been suspicious, but... Shal regarded the woman for a moment, then relaxed and smiled weakly, but gratefully at the giantess of a woman. Only... her advice was strange. She'd lived in the camps Oba had made in Jauhar, but in the thinner forests to the south, thinned as they were as they approached the expanse of desert. There had also been the thinner jungle to the East, by Tale, where the final battle had played out.
She'd moved West from that camp - so, indeed, that would have her headed directly for this woman's 'Alkidike isles.' That meant she'd need to turn on her heel and travel back the way she came, and it was a disheartening realization. That plus the ...strange survival tips. "Somewhat?" She echoed, swallowing and looking up to the tree line with a new suspicion. "That's... uh, that's kind of you to give me warning. I don't have much, but I have some spiced jerky - for your kindness." And for not stabbing her through with that spear, Shalvesta thought to herself. But some sort of offering felt adequate, seeing as the woman could have just turned on her heel and left - killing her by omission as easily as she could probably slay her in a fight. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 02, 2015 3:07 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 14, 2015 8:01 pm
|
|
|
|
A... a what now?! Shalvesta let out a shuddering breath, and now looking under her feet, shuffling uncomfortably where she stood. Then, her gaze snapped up at the insults, eyes narrowing fractionally. It was a trick - one that insulted her pride. She could stay silent, letting this savage revel in calling an Oban warrior inadequate to their face and getting away with it - or insist she WAS a warrior, falling into the obvious jab.
A lose-lose - so Shalvesta bit the inside of her cheek and forced a smile, though her eyes had hardened slightly, recognizing the jab for what it was. "Mm, I'd hate to be a bad taste in your mouth." Shalvesta answered slowly. Only - once she said it, she wondered if - if... did these savages eat one another? That added a new level to her words, and with renewed discomfort Shalvesta took a small step from the tall woman, giving her a suspicious once over. "I'm certain you're more skilled than I am - but it does you no credit to mock me either, regardless of your fondness for my people." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
and 
Reply
