Thinslayer

The Faraway Land

@Rekaigan
Halloo? :D

The Faraway Land

@Lord Zee
@Hawlin
@Darkmoon Angel
@rush99999
@Cuccoruler
@Rekaigan
@ineffable

Sorry for the delay, folks. The next round is up.

The Faraway Land

{ROUND}

He looked at Gorman and spoke with a soft smile, "Fear not Gorman, I knew it was you the moment you came into the clearing. I just found it amusing that you let a elven girl steal from you." He gave a small chuckle after that before continuing, "No one is going to die tonight. Not you, or her. Tiberius finished, looking down at the woman again. He only felt pity for those whose livelihoods were based upon stealing from others, for often the not, their stories were a tragic one. He slowly retracted his blade, dropping it from her neck.

A small sigh escaped his frowning lips. Sure he pitied her, but Tiberius was also very tired and just wanted to get on with the night in peace. Plus he had a new letter to read. He crouched down to her level and spoke softly, "Listen to me, back where I come from do you know what they do to thieves? They slice of their dominant hand, letting everyone who sees you know exactly what you are. That is, if you survive from the blood loss. But, we aren't there and like I said before, I only want peace. So you have two choices, one being that you leave now and don't come back or you can stay for the night and eat with us. Both options are now up on the table, same for you Gorman. Either choice is a wise one, just know that the Warlock's agents are prowling the forest this night."

With that said he got up, taking the satchel and reaching in to find the contents. He gave the envelope to Vert and said, "You're not so bad after all. Thank you."

@Lord Zee

Vert was a bit surprised to see all of the knives. "Holy cow kid, you definently aren't innocent here." Vert said looking at all of the knives. She was a bit bummed though when told not to eat the girl and let her go. Though Vert had eaten a warg earlier, it was certainly a strange feeling as she had never eaten one before. However it left her feeling empty as it wasn't satisfying.

Vert took a moment to look over the shoulders of the others as they looked upon the note. Her eyes went a bit wide when she read the part for her. "There's a way to... end the hunger." Vert said in a bit of shock. "It can happen." Vert said smiling for the first time with pure joy, not twisted joy like she normally felt. Although this smile still ended up looking kind of creepy and even a little dumb.

Vert then looked at the ring she was given. "Neat." Vert said looking at the ring, she had absolutely no idea what it was other than the fact it was ring. That also surprisingly didn't fit her finger as it was a bit too big and meant for Xen'Desh.

@Cuccoruler

Kaite grew highly skeptical, for refutable reasons on top of common sense which the knightress expressed as she laid back down, simply holding the letter for someone else to take. "Sir Gorman...Where is this from?" she asked, assuming it to be some kind of cryptic answer. There may not be any reason for him to know the answer, but it was still worth a shot.

Who would write a letter to everyone while knowing who would be missing?
Why would this person write a letter to express consolation for...whatever they saw in another?
I mean, it would take a week with good sources to find the messenger going to the right location. How would they know?

H-how would they know?

"Wh...er..." Kaite stammered, looking back at the note a few more times before shuddering and easing herself back down while holding the note up for whoever to take, next. "Jus...hn...someone take it" she growled with solemn indignation, rejecting the words of perceived pity and chiding encouragement.
Even while she handed the note away, Kaite's eyes looked down. She had no clue who this 'old friend' was, but they were certainly wrong. Whoever the letter was addressed to was in more dire need of words than herself.

Nope...

Kaite's expression relaxed back to a broken, confused indifference after handing off the letter. Her brows twitched has she looked down, accented with an elevated breath as she noticed Vert claim 'her' ring and note.
Part of the knightress was shaken by letting go of the note, curious if they could glean more from the message.
'A little longer' -- until what?
'-Not just from enemies'

The thoughts made Kaite coil, resenting the idea of anyone assuming they knew anything about her. Curling up into the fetal position to a side, the black knight of Ispar groaned an inelegant whimper of a growl, sinking the fingers of a hand into the soil just to grip a handful of it.
"Where...wuh-Where did you find such- ...hm...Gorman?" Kaite softly asked the Orc after a moment to herself. Her eyes looked up under the bridges of her brow, though her expression was confused and default in how their glint seemed accusing.
Something within the knight seemed to crumble in this instant like a sandcastle against surf as the knightess's question came once more. "Please...who gave y'this?" she asked without looking up, still shaking from the dull ache. Sensations pushed through the over-washed tattered rags that now made up Kaite's attire, and past her own blood that soaked it.

Her eyes narrowed, and even the dirt and blood-soaked figure of Kaite could remain intimidating to those who knew the name. However, there was something extra in how she seemed limp of power. If Gorman hadn't known her from before, he would have simply seen broken and beaten knight without enough energy or will to lift themselves to stand.
This was not even to mention the hunks of shed armor around her.

@Hawlin

Gorman's shoulders visibly dropped with relief when Tiberius informed him that no one would die that night. Not that he would have died, you understand, because he was a mighty valiant orc captain and he could have taken on them all. He was absolutely not worried in the slightest for his own safety whatsoever. Nope.

Someone on the other end of the camp was staring at him. When his eyes adjusted, he realized it was the same woman he'd met in town the other day. He'd forgotten her name. Gorman meandered over to her to hear what she wanted to say to him.

She looked awful.

"Where- wuh- where did you find such...hm...Gorman?" she stammered.
He tilted his head, not quite understanding her question.
"Please..." she begged. "Who gave you this?" He looked to see what she referred to - the letter he carried in, now crumpling in her hand.
"A pigeon, it turns out. I heard it called a 'carrier pigeon' or something. They're truly remarkable things. Cap said that they're so stupid, they can be effectively trained for the job."

Gorman glanced around the camp. The frail little elf girl was trying to skin a deer. She looked green enough to pass for an orc. He had half a mind to ask Kaite if elves always looked like that, but then he realized she wasn't quite coherent enough to effectively respond. The knight helping her looked a little young to be fighting, but then again, he bore the insignia of House Stormwall, and those guys were legendary. No doubt the boy followed in their footsteps. Then there was the other elf girl, the creepy 'spirit whisperer.' She was beautiful, absolutely stunning, what with her fiery red hair, svelte figure, and soft features, but her connection to the ghosts set him on edge. He wasn't about to go near that one without good reason.

The Devourer, though, was something else. She seemed at once innocent and conniving, and he couldn't decide whether the combination thrilled or terrified him. Her maw alone was reason enough to avoid her, but he wouldn't be able to sustain that policy for long. Imagining how he would gut her set his mind at ease.

That bearded fellow was an odd one. Gorman got the impression he was some sort of magus. Orcs didn't fare well against magi. Challenging the man would doubtless be an exercise in futility. But it was the book that really set him apart. It wasn't a tome; he could tell that much just by looking at it. Yet the thing still resonated with magic power, and he came to the conclusion that the book's magic came not from reading it, but from writing in it. Better steer clear for now.

As he dwelt on how dangerous everyone was, he remembered what the Captain had said about that: "Attitude is infectious." If he spent his time among the Champions looking at them like they were monsters to be feared, they'd look at him the same way right back. If he looked at them as friends, they would reciprocate. Might as well start with Kaite here.

He sputtered an awkward cough. "Well, is there, uh, anything I can help you with, Miss- uh, Ma'am- damn, I mean Sir- Kaite?"

The Faraway Land

Is everyone waiting on me now?

Clash of Immortals

@ThinslayerOh. OK. I was just wondering.

@Arya10108909

I'm sorry. It's not your fault; it's just that everyone moved on.

The Faraway Land

<Snipped quote by Thinslayer>

* 1st: Fire-based postal system. Duly noted.
* 2nd: Messy jumble of thoughts. Fair enough.
* 3rd: Reference to lack of time. I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about when she says 'The spell will come to you if you dwell on it for a while'.

@rush99999

She's expressing faith in his abilities as a mage. That's all that is.

The Faraway Land

@Thinslayer

First off, The Storyteller doesn't know Erudessa's current address so he can't write to her either way.
Secondly, The Storyteller can talk to Erudessa through his ring and Erudessa is capable of replying through visions and what have you, rendering letters pretty much redundant.
Finally, I didn't even mean to add that 1st sentence into the quote. I was talking about the 2nd sentence.

@rush99999

* 1st: No address. Put down her full name and use a fire spell to incinerate the letter. It will teleport and re-form at her location.
* 2nd: Writing is redundant. They can't talk very well through the ring. As you've seen, sometimes your questions get odd answers because communication is mind-to-mind, and the mind can be a messy jumble of thoughts.
* 3rd: Misunderstanding. Are you talking about her reference to lack of time? Eru is busy and about to engage in very thought-intensive business, wherever she's at.

Clash of Immortals

@Thinslayer Where is everyone?

@Arya10108909

I think everyone else, myself included, lost interest. For my part, I can no longer imagine properly in the RP world, so writing for it will be quite difficult.

The Faraway Land

Erudessa is believed to be in the afterworld, correct? How do you write to people in the afterworld? There's no right or wrong answer, but in real life, letters to dead people are often burned.

The Faraway Land

{ROUND}

"An orc and an elf at this time of night? What's next, I wonder?" Tiberius murmured to himself. He studied them both for a moment before coming to a decision. He drew his sword to the elf woman's neck. She stiffened.
"Drop the satchel please," Tiberius ordered. "If you are telling the truth, you can get it back."
The elf woman withdrew the satchel and dropped it on the ground before him. She kept her expression neutral, but her clenched fists told another story.
Then Tiberius turned to Vert. What he said next threw her for a loop. "Search her for weapons. Oh, and try not to eat her." Eat? She glanced at this "Vert," and to her horror, she spotted the telltale marks of a Devourer. Her eyes widened, and she made as if to back away, but the blade at her neck kept her still. Vert approached the elf, cracking her knuckles and allowing her maw to shimmer with power. "If you got any on you now, I suggest you drop 'em, don't want me to eat you," she said. The elf did as instructed - she dropped her two long knives and bag of throwing knives. A further search revealed various hidden knives in her boots, sleeves, and breasts.

Tiberius turned to her again. "Now, perhaps you could explain what exactly is going on? We've had one hell of a night and I'd prefer it if this conflict could be brought to a close, peacefully."

The elf woman gulped. "I was travelling down the road for the mines up north when an orc met me on the road. He attacked me and tried to reach for my satchel, but I escaped him and hid, and here we are. Please, you have to believe me!"

Gorman winced. "I'm so dead if they believe her..." he muttered.

"Gorman?" someone called out. He looked around to see who it was. It was the older woman in knightly armor. "Wh-hnf...what the hell are you doing in the forest with this tart?" she demanded.
Gorman shrugged. "Hell if I know. Ask her. I came alone to deliver some stuff to you guys. Speaking of which, that's how you'll know it's my satchel - I know what's in it, and I know who it's for. There's a letter in there addressed to Tiberius, and the Heart Ring that Mister Xen'Desh left behind is in the envelope. She said Vert could have it."

The enveloped was sealed. There was definitely a ring-shaped object inside, but the only way to know what kind of ring it was would be to open the enveloped, and the elf hadn't opened the envelope. If the envelope were opened, one would find a silver ring with the letters "ERU" inscribed on the inside, just like all the other rings the Champions wore.

The letter contained the following message:

To Tiberius Longshadow

Hello again, Tiberius & Friends!

Since time is short and this may be the last time I can write to you all in a while, I'll get straight to the point.

Vert, enclosed is the Heart Ring left in Xen'Desh Ilindra's item chest back on High Council Hill. I want you to have it. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for helping my friends on their journey, and it is only right that you have our full support. Also, I've been considering how to break your curse, and I think I found a solution: Save as many lives as you can. Please do not attempt to give birth, as Sadron has so tactlessly suggested. I once saw a Devourer give birth, and the result was...unpleasant, shall we say.

Laina, I want you to know that if you ever need a friendly ear, please talk to me. I may not always answer, but know that I (almost) always hear you. You are not alone, no matter how much you may feel it. I yearn to meet you someday and learn from you.

Zenovia, your valiant efforts have not gone unnoticed. I heard how you staved off the team's blood loss and boldly confronted the Warlock. Well done, young lady! There is much left for you to learn, but we'll make a master of you yet. For now, consider both how the spirits can help you and how you can help them. The latter is more difficult, but if you know what they want and go out of your way to serve them, you will find them much more helpful.

Ivan, when you get to the mines of Mensk, pay a visit to the old embassy. House Stormwall once had a considerable presence in Mensk before the war. The dwarves have long since removed the humans from their lands, for reasons I have yet to decipher, but they failed to destroy all the documents in the embassy. You will find a title deed in the second drawer from the top right. The embassy is also fortified and has a secret passage out of town, so if you or your friends get yourselves in a bind, it's a good place to retreat to.

Kaite, dearest Kaite, you are struggling so hard. I fear for your life, and not from enemies. Just hold on a little longer, I pray you!

Storyteller, write me! The spell will come to you if you dwell on it for a while. I can't wait to begin swapping stories with someone who knows how to tell them.

Tiberius, please take care of Laina for me. She's a tenderhearted soul, and she needs someone to love her. And by that I don't mean romantic love - I mean real love, the kind that is patient, understanding, and self-sacrificing. Even if you can't stand the girl, you can still love her. I know it's a lot to ask of you, and I'll understand if you're reluctant to take on yet another responsibility. She can take care of herself in a pinch. If nothing else, could you at least keep an eye on her for me?

To anyone else who may have joined the group since the receipt of this letter, know that you are surrounded by friends, able warriors, and good people. Together, you can shake the world.

Sincerely,
~an Old Friend