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 Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:29 am
The Flaming Brigade had been disappointed and surprised at the small numbers of the group they found. Like any mercenary group, they demanded a high price, and were used to missions with a little more substance than...this. When some of the injured got away on the stampeding horses, they let them go. Only one person of the group seemed to have any decent sort of magic, and him they took.
A good thing, too, since he fit the description of a perfect slave. Well, except for the magic that they sensed, of course. They would find some Feretris woman foolish enough to buy him, convinced that she could control him.
For their own part, they gave him a vial to drink that would make him a relaxed, sleepy. In that sort of state it was hard but not impossible to use magic.
"He will fetch a price," one of the women said confidently as they led him along. Now that he was closer, Gale could see marks on the backs of their necks that spoke of their Anjts background, although these women were certainly no longer with the tribe.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 4:57 pm
Gale was the picture of obedience all the way to Feretris. He spent the whole time staring fixedly at the ground ahead of his feet, pale eyes half-lidded and shoulders hunched. This outward collapse was taken by the Brigade as a sign of humility. It was, in fact, a sign of Gale's complete concentration. They had given him a drink that dulled his senses and forced a wave of relaxation over him. It was weakening the barrier that held the star-fallen at bay. Gale therefore had to devote a lot of focus to keeping his mind under his own control.
The Flaming Brigade were pleasantly surprised by Gale's compiance. They had assumed that he, being a user of magic, would be proud and unwilling. In stead, he just shuffled along behind them, apparently half asleep. He stayed that way, even as he was chained to an auction block. There was one jarring moment when the potion wore off. It seemed that Gale had an extremely fast metabolism, and the drink lost its effect an hour or so before it should have, just before he was put on the block. Far from making a break for freedom, however, he sank to his knees and smiled, as if he had been relieved from some great strain. Either way, they'd gotten him up for sale. All that was left was to wait for someone to come shopping.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 7:51 am
The Anjts women had to be very careful; if Gale was sniffed out as a mage, the blame might be put on them even if they insisted that they could not sense magic, which was, of course, a lie. So to be safe, they sold Gale directly to a trader in such goods. They got a very low price for him, but they also missed the hassle of having to stay and auction him themselves. Let the professionals do it.
As the Anjts women left to report to the capital and sell their own services, Gale began to get a notion of just how small this auction block was. Fifteen people were up for sale, including him, and most of them younger boys or older men. The block was part of a general market that also sold a handful of farm animals and small-time produce. The block serviced small compounds and even smaller groups of women who lived more or less on their own either as part of a larger compound or on the border lands that butt up against the mountains to the west. This niche market was no use to large compounds who could trade in bulk.
And so it was that only ten women seemed to be in sight of Gale at a time, and it seemed to Gale that could could see the whole of the small market place. Most of the women were old and retired, or else young pioneers braving the frontier. An older lady had her eyes on Gale, and was grumbling to the auctioneer about them bringing in too many "wild" ones, ie, men not bred in Feretris. But Gale was a good age for the things she needed done around the house, and the other slaves for sale were either much older or much younger. The old lady seemed to be making up her mind as she stepped very close to Gale and peered at his face.
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Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:48 pm
Gale automatically averted his gaze to his feet and bit slouched in on himself. He waited like that, slightly confused, as the old woman circled him like a large, consumerist vulture. The woman nodded to the man running the block, and Gale was escorted to a cart, in which a middle-aged black man and a young girl, her lively features masked by fear. The three were chained to the ceiling and walls of the cart. As their journey began, they tried making conversation, but failed miserably when nobody spoke the language of the other two.
After what felt like a lifetime of rocking and bumping along what must have been the worst maintained road in the history of mankind, during which the girl had been sick on the black man's shoes, they came to a halt. Once out of the cart, Gale began to feel panic setting in. They were in a cave, windowless and humid. The light came from small fires, flickering yellowly in ceramic bowls. Having spent most of his life in the plains, this closed space unnerved Gale.
As the three slaves were led through the caves to the old woman's home, they passed only once into the sunlight. During their brief interlude in the sunlight, they saw that they were in a citadell, carved into the face of a mountain. The structures were all connected by wooden bridges, and the drop to the valley floor was sheer and unforgiving. And, barely visible in the distance, was a whisp of smoke curling from the chimmneys of the nearest Tokian city.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:01 am
This unique outpost, which could not quite be called a compound, guarded a mountain pass into ToK. Although a few travelers and traders used this pass, the pass itself was rife with dangerous wildlife and not suitable for regular horses. Most people who dared the pass used specially bred goats as pack animals and went on foot. Rather than a military structure, the outpost itself was a bastion against wild animals and a wealth of natural resources to be transported into Feretris proper. Here many orphans, slaves, and otherwise dispossessed human beings worked harvesting the resources.
The old woman who had bought Gale had worked as a guard of the pass when she was younger, and had some small investments in the area, mostly her own house and small plot of land big enough to have a garden and a small goat herd. It was her encroaching old age that had prompted her to travel south to buy a few slaves at a cheap market. Gale would be tending the goats, the older man the garden (where he had some minimal expertise), and the young girl house chores. They were informed of this after they washed in her outside tub, which they had to fill with cold water from a small mountain stream nearby. Then the three of them were shoved into a small room of the woman's house where blankets and a hardwood floor accounted for their entire bedding.
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Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:34 pm
Gale did not get on well with the goats. They were all mortally afraid of him due to the Star-fallen imprisoned within his body, and accordingly would shy away from or bite him, depending on the goat in question. Within a few days, Gale was covered in bite marks and had taken to carrying a large, forked branch to stave off the particularly violent members of his herd. Aside from the militant livestock, life didn't change too much for him. He still did what he was told, kept to himself, and spoke to nobody. He ate less though, and spent a lot of time with his eyes closed, thinking of wide open spaces.
One day, while watching his goats graze on an impossibly sheer cliff, he saw a dragon. It had caused his stomach to do a triple axle and he'd nearly taken a plunge. He'd seen a dragon once before, in an illustration. The diagram was in the book that had ruined his childhood and made him host to the Star-fallen, the research journal of a Tokian Scientist. He knew that where that dragon was headed there were people who could help him, dragon-bonded people who had achieved harmony with their dragons. It was then that he made up his mind; he was going to go to Tok.
((the dragon he sees is from another thread, I foget which. It might be Jovham.))
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:50 am
(Hmn, not sure if this time frame syncs up with that. However, since dragons are loose in the world now I will figure something out. mrgreen Is he going to try to speak to the dragon or just go ahead with his escape? If you could post a bit more that would be great. It's really just an old lady, so I'm sure he could escape with some ease)
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:20 pm
Gale made his bid for freedom the next day. It was wet and cold as it had rained the night before, and his goats were being particularly disagreable. One particularly edgy kid made a dash away from Gale around noon, and he seized his chance. On the pretense of chasing the errant goat, he scrambled over scrub and rocks until the goat was backed up agianst a cliff. The animal, presented with a choice between Gale and a sheer drop, found itself incapable of making a descision and fainted instead. Peering over the edge of the cliff, Gale found that the face was scattered with ledges and protruding branches. Behind him, shouts were rising as overseers noticed what he was doing. Without another thought, he leapt down to the nearest ledge. He misjudged the distance, though, and turned his ankle as he landed. However, he couldn't stop and rest. Despite the sharp pain in his ankle and the stars exploding before his eyes, he eased himself down to the next ledge, then to a branch, and so on until, after what felt like an hour, he reached the bottom. Dizzy from the pain in his leg, he forced himself to calm down. Then he limped onwards, into the woods, towards Tok.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:55 pm
Calen'loki watched from his camouflaged vantage point just a few hundred feet away from Gale had finished his descent.
Very determined. Thought Calen'loki approvingly. Perhaps I will grant him some assistance
Calen'loki let some of his magic flow into the earth, he straightened grass and filled the footprints that Gale left and saw to it that there was no trail for the pursuers to follow.
Poor boy looks like he has been through quite a bit. I do hope that he makes it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:31 pm
Gale fell almost immediateley back into the habit of muttering to himself as he stumbled from tree to tree. He kept up a constant litany on where he was, what he'd done, where he was going, and how he was getting there. Anything to keep him focused on the task at hand, and not on the pain in his ankle.
Eventually, he realized that he was thirsty. He stopped, listening to his own heavy breathing and the sounds of the forest, and heard the faint rush of running water off to his right. He altered his course, resuming his muttering. The stream, when he found it, was clear and cool. It was also at the bottom of a crevasse, the slick sides of which Gale was not anxious to descend. Frustrated and thirstier than ever, he sat down on the forest floor and tried to think of a way to get water.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 9:55 pm
Calen'loki had been following Gale. His curiosity had driven him to follow this young man.
Hmm. . . I wonder how he would react to this.
Calen'loki let his magic flow into the ground and created a small set of steps, he deliberately made them appear suddenly, hoping to surprise Gale.
The steps were crude and quickly fashioned but they would make it possible for Gale to get a drink without risking further injury to his foot. Calen'loki had seen to it that he was carefully hidden so that even were Gale to search for him he would find nothing.
Perhaps after he has had some sleep I will show myself to him.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:15 pm
Gale let out a shout of surprise, scrambling backwards as he noticed the stairs in front of him. He didn't have extensive experience in forests, but he was fairly certain that this wan't normal. He got to his feet carefully, casting a quick glance into the surrounding trees and seeing nobody. He edged closer to the steps, and bent down to pick a fist-sized rock off the ground. After a moment's contemplation, he tossed it down the stairs. It clattered on the steps, breaking into peices before it splashed into the creek below. Gale at least knew for sure now that he hadn't gone mad. And he also had a way to get water.
Though still wary, he began to ease himself down the staircase, using his hands for support. Once he reached the bottom he cast a look back at the stairs as though worried they might disappear on him. He inspected the area one last time before throwing caution to the winds and kneeling down by the water and drinking his fill through his cupped hands. He took his red cloak off and laid it by his side before dunking his head into the rushing stream. The cooling sensation was quite possibly the best thing he'd ever felt in his life.
He straighened up, dripping wet. A white stone was visible in the back of his neck, embedded a little left of center in a mass of scar tissue. "Er...whoever did that...thanks..." His words were quiet but sincere. His head was clearer than it had been in a while; he could barely feel the presence of the star-fallen now.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 10:43 pm
Calen'loki was amused by Gales reaction.
He knows better than to turn down a gift. . . And he is polite.
The white stone in the back of Gales neck fascinated Calen'loki.
I really should let him sleep before coming out. But I really want to know what that is.
Calen'loki stepped out of his hiding place and seemingly materialized from thin air in front of Gale. He extended his neck and began to carefully inspect Gale, his nostrils flared wide as he took deep sniffs of Gale, he paid careful attention to the stone in the back of Gales neck, carefully trying to identify it.
Lets see how much he knows of dragons.
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 1:14 pm
As soon as the dragon appeared in front of him Gale reeled backwards, nearly falling into the water. He caught himself just in time and froze, somewhat unsure of what to do. He settled for freezing in place and steeling himself to run on his bad ankle if he needed to. It was his natural assumption that a dragon would have a homicidal attutude because that was the way the Star-fallen behaved. He associated them very closely due to the research journal he had found, and that had ultimately led to his playing host to the evening star. He began to edge backwards, looking for better footing.
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Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 6:08 pm
Awww. . . He is afraid.
Calen'loki moved to block the steps he had made.
Do you honestly think you could outrun a dragon with that injured foot of yours?
Perhaps I am having to much fun with this, But then again.
Calen'loki smiled in a way that would bare his rather ferocious looking teeth.
I hope he doesn't try to run, it would be a shame if he got even more hurt.
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