Abandoned Outpost

[Khiera Meneris]

Scattered pieces of torn materials from tents, broken weapons, and odds and ends of various equipment and eating ware lay strewn upon the ground. There was no sign of any living person anywhere. A cluster of torn tents still stood, although they were in bad shape, a couple with moss and grass growing all around and within them. The outpost seem to be overrun by the wildnerness, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to find a critter or two making the ruined tents their home.  

[Evelaria]

Eve and Helli had trudged through the forest so far and had finally made it to an abandoned outpost. It seemed old, as though nature had taken the best of it. Eve looked around observing everything in her sorroundings, keeping an ear out for any movement or sounds behind and in front of her.

"See anything?" she asked Helli.  

[Khiera Meneris]

The time for this plot thread will be 14 Bells.


@Eve:

Helli looked around the surroundings, half-expecting to see her son stumble out from somewhere, but was bitterly disappointed that that was not the case. It seemed a wretched place, with no signs of human life.

"See anything?"

Helli looked the opposite direction that Eve was scanning. "Well, I --" Her sentence turned to a muffled gasp, as Eve felt the cold sharp steel of a blade point pressing against the back of her neck. Eve could not be able to turn behind without having the weapon pierced through her neck, as someone had managed to crept up to her and placed the blade menacingly on her.

A familiar male voice gruffily sounded out behind her in a threatening tone,  "No sudden moves woman, or this dagger goes through your throat. What are you doing here?"  

The Tale of Khiera Meneris
Hold me. Soothe me. Love me. Save me from my Rage.

[Evelaria]

When Helli was cut off during her speaking Eve was about to turn to see what was going on when she felt a cold steel blade pressing against her neck. Eve couldn't move, but as she heard the man's voice it sounded oddly familiar. She wanted to ask his name or tell him that she knew who it might have been, but she didn't want to be wrong and end up dead.

"T....Th...wait. We are searching for someone. Her son, Lornin. If this is Thaetum, I know that you remember me from the village center."

[Khiera Meneris]

Thaethum was at first, a little taken aback that the woman could have known it was him. That prompted him to press the blade slightly deeper into her neck -- not to the extent of drawing blood, but still it was sharp and uncomfortable -- but then when he noticed the double axes on her back, it jogged his memory and he remembered yesterday's incident at the market place.

He remembered that Eve hadn't been particularly hostile, and had even offered "help". Glancing towards Helli uncertainly, a few moments passed before Thaetum decided that Helli would be harmless enough, and that Eve would not pose much of a problem ... if she did ...

Thaethum relaxed his force on his blade, and slowly removed it from the base of Eve's neck. "Yes ... the woman at Huron's ... yes ..." He took a step backwards towards a nervous and shuddering Helli, "You can turn around, but be warned if you try anything ..." He stepped closer to Helli and muttered an apology to Helli before pointing the dagger at her, "This other woman here will replace you on the journey to Queprur." He rasped again, "How did you find this place??"

The Tale of Khiera Meneris
Hold me. Soothe me. Love me. Save me from my Rage.

[Evelaria]

Eve relaxed her muscles as Thaetum moved the blade from her neck. She massaged the spot where he held the awfully sharp blade and turned to face him, taking in a full picture of him. She smiled, not because he was gorgeous, but because she felt as though she were one of the few priveledged enough to see his figure.

After hearing his first comment she sighed. "Do not worry, I will remain unhostile as long as you do the same. How I found this place? Let's just say a little squirrel told me. Now what we need to know from you is if you have seen a tall, brown haired, brown eyed man wandering through the forest. It is her sun and we need to find...wait. First, have you ever seen the princess?"

Eve knew that she was moving fast, and questions were probably something that Thaetum did not like. But the thought of receiving wealth and more fame for finding this princess enticed Eve. Lorin, or Lornen, whichever one, Eve couldn't remember would have to wait. He was probably already dead, but if Helli persisted Eve would find him.  

Eve awaits to kill you
Chaos awaits to bring you to Queprur
Queprur awaits to send your soul to Seyella
Seyella awaits to judge your life
Ava awaits to bring you back into the Dream

[Khiera Meneris]

"Do not worry, I will remain unhostile as long as you do the same. How I found this place? Let's just say a little squirrel told me. Now what we need to know from you is if you have seen a tall, brown haired, brown eyed man wandering through the forest. It is her sun and we need to find...wait. First, have you ever seen the princess?"

Thaetum looked skeptically at Eve, and then decided that he could trust her to keep her word, judging by her tone and what he had seen from the market square incident. He was now neither hooded nor cloaked, and he would have looked exactly like how Eve described Lornen, except that he was perhaps a little more well-builted, tanned, and with a scar across his right cheek.

Thaethum apologized again to Helli, who limped across to Eve for safety after he loosened his grasp on her. He didn't believe the part about the squirrel though. "Fancy words do you no good lady." He had switched from "woman" to "lady" because he felt that Eve deserved a little more respect ... anyone who had made it here would, to him. "But you must have quite some abilities to be able to make it here ...Tall? Brown haired? Brown eyed? If it's not me you are talking about, you won't ever be seeing whoever that is again. People get lost in the woods all the time." At the mention of this, Helli gave what sounded like a whimper, and clutched Eve's sleeves even tighter.

Thaetum grew tensed at the question of the Princess though, and his narrowed eyes and furrowed brows gave him a menacing look, "Why are you asking? What's it to you? What are you? A mercenary? One of the Prince's hounds?"

The Tale of Khiera Meneris
Hold me. Soothe me. Love me. Save me from my Rage.

[Evelaria]

Eve sighed feeling a lot more relaxed when Thaetum seemed to become less tense. She looked at the man, taking in his features, he looked like someone who had a hard life.

"But you must have quite some abilities to be able to make it here ...Tall? Brown haired? Brown eyed? If it's not me you are talking about, you won't ever be seeing whoever that is again. People get lost in the woods all the time."

Eve looked at Helli, seeing her whimper a bit. She felt bad for the woman, but she knew that the odds were piled high against them. "I am terribly sorry Helli."

"Why are you asking? What's it to you? What are you? A mercenary? One of the Prince's hounds?"

Eve raised an eyebrow. She was neither of the things she suggested. "My name is Evelaria Magoo, my original task was to gain one of the stones placed her by the seven sorcerers that tried to achieve immortality. My task was pushed aside when I met this woman, and now I have decided to try to seek out this princess myself. I am under the jurisdiction or command of no prince, nor am I a mercenary."

Eve awaits to kill you
Chaos awaits to bring you to Queprur
Queprur awaits to send your soul to Seyella
Seyella awaits to judge your life
Ava awaits to bring you back into the Dream

[Khiera Meneris]

Thaetum listened carefully to each word that Eve was saying. He frowned at the mention of stones and sorcerers. A religious zealot? Didn't think she looked like one but ... As Eve finished, Thaethum sneered, "You do know that the Princess has been missing for seven years, don't you? Why waste your time? Take this woman back --" He gestured towards a stunned Helli, " -- and save yourself the trouble. Turn back now while you still can. Those woods are no place for women."

A sad, forlorn expression crossed Thaetum's face, but only for the briefest of moments, when his hard stony gaze returned once more, "Those woods are cursed i tell you. You know all those stories they tell you about the elves in the woods? Well, they are true. Every one of them. You go in there, you don't come out. They stay away from us, and we stay away from them, so that's what i suggest you do ... NOW."

Helli merely stood fixedly where she was, motionless, not uttering a word or sound. She was most probably in shock, and possibly unaware of all that was happening around her at the moment.


This is the customary "Q&A" part, where if you have any questions unanswered or if you want to gather any info from Thaetum before making your next step, then this would be the time to do so   Once the action starts, conversations will be far and few ... well interrogations anyway  

Hold me.
Soothe me.
Love me.
Save me from my RAGE.

Edited by: Khiera at: 1/25/04 18:44

[Evelaria]

"You do know that the Princess has been missing for seven years, don't you? Why waste your time? Take this woman back --" He gestured towards a stunned Helli, " -- and save yourself the trouble. Turn back now while you still can. Those woods are no place for women."

Eve looked at Thaetum with an angry face when he made the mention of the woods not being a place for women. She walked over to him and stood straight.

"She knows her way back if she wants to go," Eve said as kindly as she could. "And as for these woods, if a man can walk through them, I am sure I can do so without much trouble."

"Those woods are cursed i tell you. You know all those stories they tell you about the elves in the woods? Well, they are true. Every one of them. You go in there, you don't come out. They stay away from us, and we stay away from them, so that's what i suggest you do ... NOW."

So, it was all true. This place was as mysterious and as dangerous as Evelaria was told. That only enticed her to want to go even more. She smirked at the thought of a dangerous trip to find this princess. "Now, that word is not something I respond to very kindly. I will do as I please and what I please to do now is find this princess, whether you help me or not. You seem to know a lot about this place."

Eve took a step back from Thaetum and looked around the forest. "How many elves do you believe live here? What weaponry, other than arrows, do they use? And have you ever fought them, if so was it a challenge?"

Eve awaits to kill you
Chaos awaits to bring you to Queprur
Queprur awaits to send your soul to Seyella
Seyella awaits to judge your life
Ava awaits to bring you back into the Dream

[Khiera Meneris]

Thaetum threw back his head and laughed heartily at Eve's words strong words, "Spirited one aren't you? Well don't say that i didn't warn you. It's none of my business if people want to get killed." He shrugged heavily.

"How many elves do you believe live here? What weaponry, other than arrows, do they use? And have you ever fought them, if so was it a challenge?"

Thaetum laughed again, as if what Eve had asked was the funniest thing he had ever heard. "Lady, there's a city of them in there. A CITY." He rolled his eyes. "And it doesn't matter if what they only have are arrows, once you step into the woods, you are as good as deaf. Those noisy trees don't give you a chance against those bloody elves, who will just sneak up and do away with you!"

Thaetum pointed to the nasty deep scar that ran up his right cheek, "See this? You want one of these as well? Yeah, one would look good on your smooth pretty face wouldn't it?" He sneered and then scowled at her. "This was from a dart that they blew at me. I avoided it going straight through my head ... barely. Never heard or saw anything until it was too late." A tone of sadness descended on his voice, one hand rose to tug at one of his pointed ears. "However, blood-thirsty elves they may be, but they are not evil towards those of their own kind, unlike some humans." He snarled. "But they didn't know that i had elven blood. They spilt the blood of their own kind that they swore never to do. And they leave me alone now whenver i need to go in those bloody woods."

Hold me.
Soothe me.
Love me.
Save me from my RAGE.

[Evelaria]

A CITY!? They have a city within this terrible, haunted forest? How could that be possible? They must have had some sort of dark magics that kept them striving in these parts.

Eve looked in awe at Thaetum's scar, if he had barely managed to escape the wound she wondered what would happen to her.

"Thaetum, they have to have some form of weakness. What could it be? Not that I would go about disturbing them but why would they attack those who venture into these parts? Perhaps they have something to hide. Could they possibly be harboring the princess or at least know who is?"

[Khiera Meneris]

"Thaetum, they have to have some form of weakness. What could it be? Not that I would go about disturbing them but why would they attack those who venture into these parts? Perhaps they have something to hide. Could they possibly be harboring the princess or at least know who is?"

Thaetum sighed, a long-drawn sign, and motioned for Eve to sit down across from him on one of the logs lying around as he took a seat himself. It was as if what he was going to say was going to tire him out very much, "You think i like living around these woods? I'll tell you why i am." He shifted a little, "On the day the Princess supposedly disappeared, i was at the fringes of the woods on a hunt. I heard a scream, the voice of a child. Back then the woods weren't as notorious, and people who go in there don't just get swallowed up for no reason. I ran into the woods to try to get to the source of the scream, it had seem to come from where the cursed stone ring was." He shrugged, "Before i could make it there, i was halted by a patrol of the elves. They forbade me to go any further and instructed me to turn back, saying how evil we humans were and that they no longer want their woods being sullied by our thirst for blood."

"I turned back that day. Then the news about the Princess' disappearance broke out. A few days later i ventured into the woods again, to try to find out what happened that day, because i knew that i would have found out if it weren't for being stopped by the elves." He tapped lightly on his scar, "That was when i was ambushed and attacked. When they realized i was half-elven, they stopped short of pinning me to the ground with their arrows. One of them declared that although humans would gleefully spill the blood of their own kind, they would not. And they bade me to leave."

Thaetum propped up one leg over another, "But i didn't, of course. Something happened in the woods that day. I've been trying to find out ever since. The elves spilt my blood, which they swore they would never do to their own kind, and they leave me alone." He grunted. "If you ask me, those elves have far more honour than most of us should. Would they harm a lone woman? I for one wouldn't be itching to find out."


You can continue in this thread and ask more questions, or you can choose to enter the woods, and commence posting in the Shivering Woods thread

Hold me.
Soothe me.
Love me.
Save me from my RAGE.

Edited by: Khiera at: 1/29/04 18:58

[Evelaria]

Evelaria listened to the man's whole entire story, it was a lot, but it was all good information. She didn't really know where to go now, she still wanted to seek out this princess, but the thought of having to fight enemies who you didn't see was not all too appealing. Perhaps Thaetum would travel with her.

"I am willing to take the risk. Show me the way, show me the place where you saw the elves the first time," she said. Eve then turned and looked at Helli. "Helli, I am sorry, but I don't want you to come. This is too dangerous for you. Go back to your husband, he needs you."

[Khiera Meneris]

"I am willing to take the risk. Show me the way, show me the place where you saw the elves the first time,"

Thaetum shrugged, and gestured towards a still stunned Helli who did not even realize that Eve had spoken to her. "Someone needs to take her home Lady. Even out of the woods, there are wild animals prowling around. In her current state, she would probably wonder into the woods without even knowing it." Thaetum looked sadly at Helli, "At least i should get her to one of those camps ..."

Thaetum stood silently for a while and pondered. The air was thick and still. Then Thaetum spoke up, "You can head into the woods directly here," he pointed to the fringe of the woods directly to the right, "If you can head SouthWest all the way without ..." he paused, carefully choosing his words, " ... without running into ... difficulties ... with the elves, you'll reach the Ring of Stones. It was around the vicinity thereabouts where i ran into the elves." Thaetum gestured to Helli again, "I'll come after you, right after i make sure she's alright and taken care of." His expression momentarily softened, but then it reverted back to its usual stony, hard look. "But don't say i didn't warn you lady. I won't be responsible for anything that happens to you."


Commence posting in the Shivering Woods thread

Hold me.
Soothe me.
Love me.
Save me from my RAGE.

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