(RPG) The tale begins...

[Sophia]

(I'll use the other thread for background, character info, commentary, etc., and post actual game updates here)

The gathering had drawn together all different sorts, with all different motives-- some had no doubt been attracted by the large bounty placed by several of the Great Houses to be paid to anyone who could slay a Reaper and bring proof of the method used; others had been attracted by more altruistic motivations of doing good, serving the Higher Gods and the Greater Good, and putting an end to the scourge that plagued the land. Still others were no doubt simply curious at what was going on lately, as they came from dull, boring little provinces and had never had this kind of excitement.

This was a turning point, truthfully, for this bounty was the first time that the Great Houses had even acknowledged there was something awry in the land. If there is something to hunt, it must be a threat, after all. Some of the old and wise cautioned that to chase this would bring only ruin, but the young and impulsive paid them no heed, of course.

The crowd churned and swelled beneath the balcony of the imposing Manor, the longtime residence of the Baroness Sonia Resè. She was the appointed representative of the Great Houses for the purpose of issuing this bounty, and though they did not trust each other, they trusted anyone else who might simply run off with the money even less. At least by putting it in the hands of someone who wanted for nothing, it would ensure it would not simply be stolen.

Sonia stepped out on the balcony in a luxurious, flowing purple dress, flanked by two guards in crimson uniforms, arm-blades fitted to their right wrists, shurikens at the ready at their side, their necks branded with the seal of Resè-- once a guard reaches these upper echelons, his service is for life.

"As you know," she started in a dramatic tone, "a great scourge has descended upon the land. While it is nothing the Great Houses could not handle if we focused all of our energies upon it, such activity would prevent us from maintaining the quality of life you all enjoy, and we would not want that to happen. So, due to our immense generosity, and in the interests of fairness, we are instead offering..."

"Get to 'ow much yer payin' us, eh!" shouted a heckler.

"... offering a bounty of one thousand Denarii," continued Sonia, giving the answer; this prompting a bit of a stunned silence from even the hecklers, "for a method, demonstrated by proof of the killing of at least one Reaper, of disposing of these foul creatures."

[beowuuf]

"One thousand is a vast sum indeed," comes a voice from the crowd, "but for one to do such good works surely two thousand would be a small price to pay to protect fair citezens everywhere."

[Ameena]

Not far from the manor house, which stands on the edge of the city, lies a wooded area seldom visited by those who dwell within their comforting stone walls. From within a tree at the edge of this wood, a pair of gleaming green eyes peers out, staring in the direction of the house, from where can be heard the sound of many people gathering.
Swift as a shadow and just as dark, something detaches itself from the darkness of the trees, and steals up to the wall surrounding the manor house. A moment later the something is over the wall and crouched in one of the large trees dotting the manor grounds. Again, the green eyes stare out, and sharp ears listen to the words spoken by those gathered befoer the manor.
Somehow, despite knowing little of the terms these people apply to things they see or hear, she knows exactly what is meant in the term "Reaper".

[Sophia]

Sonia just hmphed, going back inside.

"Eh, cheapskates, all 'a yas!" shouted the heckler again, and the murmur of the crowd started up again, as the people filed away from the manor house and back towards the down.

However, the one voice that dared for ask for two thousand found itself bumped from behind, a rolled-up note dropped into hand, the source of it lost in the exiting crowd.

The note was written in the old literary tongue, incomprehensible to all but those who had been trained in such classics-- perhaps a first test, in itself, to see if this person had anything approaching the necessary skills to defeat a Reaper.

The text reads:

Should be actually be able to accomplish this task, two thousand Denarii shall be yours. Yet, as you increase the price, so shall we. Do not spend long contemplating the price of failure-- it shall be worse than whatever you may imagine.

Meanwhile, the group of people reached the gate, and trudged out under the watchful eye of the Resè guardsmen.

"Waste of a trip, I'd say," one person grumbled.

"I don't know, a thousand is a lot of money, but I'd rather have my life," someone else remarked.

Suddenly, the heckler whirled around, pointing at a tree. A very certain tree, from which a pair of green eyes stared.

"What the 'ell izzat?!!"

[Ameena]

As fast as they'd appeared, the green eyes blink away, their owner withdrawing into the sheltering gloom of the thick foliage. The speaker does not seem very intelligent - perhaps no-one will listen. They might think him to be lying if they looked and see nothing. He won't be allowed to look any closer, surely - the guards will stop him if he tries.
The owner of the green eyes continues to watch, but has her eyes half-closed and, hidden as she is now, further back in the darkness, is more or less impossible to see from below, especially by these creatures who, she knows, have lesser senses when it comes to such things.
She knows that she might have experienced some troubles by exploring in daylight like this, but considering the way things have become now, she knows she was right to flee her former location as quickly as possible. And now, she may be about to pay the price for her curiosity. But no, surely not - the one who looks so quickly will not be allowed to look in the tree, and, hidden as she is now, no-one else will see her if they looked from that distance.

[beowuuf]

A man in a beige travelling cloak stands apart from the smaller group of lookers. He has his head cocked as if listening to something.
After a moment he appears to laugh, although only his shakling body could reveal that. The brief glimpse under his travelling hood reveals nothing but the black material of a headscarf and a small glimmer of an eye in the depths. He does not stop looking at the tree either.

[Ameena]

She remains still, and silent. She is used to waiting out creatures who intend to catch or trap her. She can outwait these - they do not live here, she knows. That is why they're all supposed to be leaving. They were summoned there to hear about the things they will be given if they destroy one of the Dark Death creatures. Reaper, yes, that is what they have chosen to call them. Reapers, then.
She continues to wait, knowing that the guards will most likely ask these people to leave. And if they come to investigate, she doesn't have to move unless they are actually going to discover her - apart from the briefest glimpse, no-one but the loud-speaking one has seen her.

[beowuuf]

The man reaches into his cloak for something, a piece of parchment. He darts looks at the tree, and occasionally at the air. From somehwre he takes out some small tool and writes on the sheet. Satisfied, he flings it to the ground, and gestures in its direction as if telling it to go forward.
Anyone paying attention, would have seen the parchment dance on the ground as if being blown or dragged by the wind. Almost intelligently it glides and halts and swerves around the various walkers as they leave.

Eventually it finds it's new home, bumping casually onto the tree where it unfurls, flapping yet somehow pinned.

The previous small and strange writing has a new bold set of annotations around it:

'I assume if you can read this you can also understand the human speech and human customs. Does it seem right to offer untold riches to someone to do something that you could probably already do? And does the earth know of things that those of another world cannot fathom? - A.D.'

The man has by this time taken to checking his packing ignoring trees, crowds and guards.

[Sophia]

"All right, all right, move along then," the guard admonished the bewildered heckler.

"There's a... a thing in the tree...."

"Sure there is," the guard mumbled, "get going, then."

The heckler walked off with the crowd, taking a few more glances around at the surroundings.

The guard then turns his attention to the man in the beige cloak, who also seems to be a bit preoccupied with the tree.

"Come on, move it along!"

Of course, he doesn't notice what's actually -in- the tree... if anything.

[Ameena]

She feels satisfaction that the loud-speaking one has been told to leave. She dislikes being called a "thing", but of course, the creature could not know what she is. She prefers it that way - any time someone's known what she is, it's led to trouble.
However, her eyes narrow in suspicion as she watches the robed one take out a pair of objects. She has seen such things before - various races use the stick-object to make marks on the thin, flat object, and these marks are then looked at by others who understand their meaning. An odd way to communicate, she thinks.
But it is not this gesture which arouses her wariness. It is what the robed one does with the thin sheet after he's marked it - as it flaps through the air and affixes itself to the tree trunk some distance below her, she realises he must, therefore, be a magic-user. She should be careful, then, of this one - he may know she is there, and he may try to attack or trap her.
She dares not move, in case she alerts him to her presence if he isn't already. She hopes the guard will make him leave quickly.

[Mon Ful Ir]

A man, tall, handsome and well-groomed, approaches the tree and peers in amongst the branches to try to get a better view of this so-called "thing". His hands are open in a gesture of friendship, and his fine features are set in a charming, slightly lopsided smile.

"I will not harm you," he says quietly. "I am a man of peace, goodwill, and discretion. Will you show yourself to me?"

[Ameena]

She doesn't move. She didn't see this one approaching. She has met creatures before who pretended honesty, who pretended to be friendly. She cannot tell if this one is true or not. He doesn't know she's there. He can't. If she doesn't move, they'll go away. They'll leave her alone. If they come for her, she'll flee. She has her ways. She will escape.
As long as that magic-user doesn't try anything...

[Sophia]

By now, the crowd has mostly gone, leaving behind the two stragglers-- the man in the beige cloak, and, then, the handsome man, who has just approached the tree.

The guard who was busy prodding the heckler towards the exit then turned around, noticing the newcomer. "What's so interesting about that tree?" he shouts. "Come on then, get moving!"

Another guard turns, watching the display with some amusement. "Maybe there really is something in the tree," he proclaims with a chuckle.

The first guard started ambling over towards the tree as well, there now being three pairs of eyes upon it.

[Ameena]

She silently wonders how such a loud-speaking, short-thinking creature managed to spot her so easily. Maybe he didn't, though. Maybe he only thought he saw something, but it just so happened that he was looking at the tree in which she is hiding. No matter now, though - it seems she may be about to be discovered.
She remains motionless, however, but ready to spring away instantly if it becomes necessary to do so. She will not reveal herself unless she is certain that they are about to find her, that they know she is there. Perhaps coming here was a bad idea. Even now, she isn't entirely sure why she came. But if all these creatures are going to do is poke and stare, and, most likely behave aggressively toward her when they finally see her, she will simply leave this place and never come back - it's something she's done before in other places and will quite happily do again here.
She half-shuts her eyes so that if someone should happen to climb to an angle from which they can see her, she will be even harder to spot - the tree's boughs are thick, the leaves large, the tree itself tall, and she is crouched in the crook of a thick branch, nestled in the nook beside the trunk. If they come for her, she has plenty of room to spring away, but manoeuvering will be difficult for them if they try to climb. Yes, she should worry about this a little less - she will be able to escape easily.

[beowuuf]

"What do you expect to find in that tree? A sylph?" comes an amused if mocking voice, a voice slightly muffled. The beige man, despite the looks from the guard, has walked over to the handsome man. "Beside, everyone knows that no one can see a sylph that does not wish to be seen."

He nods to the guards starting to gather. "I believe we might be making certain people...nervous.... If you truely wish to see a sylph, if such a thing even exists, you would need to go deeper into the forest where they would be at the height of their power. Maybe you should leave here and try the woods to the south?"

With that the beige cloaked man shrugs, nods to the anxious guards with dangerous weapons, and walks slowly away. He does take a second to look towards the tree himself before leaving.

[Ameena]

She hears the word "sylph" and wonders whether to be nervous or curious. She settles matters by being both - she knows the word. She has heard it spoken before - in the past, sometimes when people have seen her they call her "Dark Sylph". So she has decided since that there must be creatures called "sylphs", and that they are not normally as dark in appearance as she is. Why that should make any difference she has never understood, but most creatures seem to treat her as though she is a threat to them.
She wonders if the robed one knows she is there. She could follow him, perhaps see if he will speak to her, and ask him about sylphs. But if, indeed, he does know she is there, he may want her to follow him, so that he can harm her.
Still, perhaps his words have put the guards off investigating her hiding place. Surely they can't be bothered to climb all the way up the thick trunk just to look for something which they're not even sure is there?

[Mon Ful Ir]

The handsome man focuses on the tree for a few more seconds, but seeing that there is no response, shrugs and turns away. He pauses to share a quick jest with the guards before departing.

[beowuuf]

It is later, and a brisk walk away from the gathering in a small area deep in the surrounding woods. The area is part of the path, and would have once been the home of an ancient tree that forced a space for itself, but was then cut down or fell down long ago. A decaying trunk makes a good bench, and the area is wide enough to stretch out fully without touching the path.

The beige man sits, slowly breathing. One trained in arts of astral travel might recognise it as a medatation stance, but they would also recognise the breathing in the figure is wrong for him to be attempting such travel just now.

He sits contemplating the situation. A strange offer of wealth but also a threat if he is unnsuccessful. A stranger encounter with - he is not sure what. Does he believe the vague hints pointing to some form of tree creature, perhaps even a sylph? Would it show up to meet him, or was he too subtle. Did it understand his language? Worse, would it be peaceful, or was he deliberately coming ot a place where he would be vulnerable to something malevolent.

And what of the handsome man - would he come along at the prompting?

For the moment the man in beige is calm - he knows he is can protect himself, at least for a few more hours. Curiosity has always gotten the best of him, but surely that is his most valuable asset now, along with the will to take risks. What else could help him discover the truth behind these 'reapers' when the astral plane is so bereft of information?

[Sophia]

The guard snorts a bit at the attempt at humor, but he can't help a bit of a chuckle as he walks away, glancing back towards the last few stragglers, to make sure they truly are leaving, and then heads towards the manor house.

"You think there was something in the tree?" asks his companion, who was leaning against the wall.

"Ah, who knows. These days it seems like there's something waiting to jump up around every corner."

With that, the two guards go inside, securing the opulent house, sealing it up once more. They are right to seal it. To the magically attuned, a darkening aura has begun to come over the place. It is a subtle, but definite feeling, like the sense of animals of an impending storm. Indeed, the sky may even be seen to be darkening, a chill wind forming in the west.

In the outlying forest, the sense is even stronger...

[Ameena]

She watches the people go, and breathes a faint sigh of relief. Then, after all have disappeared from sight, she springs swiftly up, climbing with superb agility through the boughs to the top of the tree. From there, she leaps the short distance across to the nearby wall, dropping down the other side. Here, she pauses, sensing the bad feelings in the air, realising that perhaps she can't escape the menace she hoped to hide from in this far-reached place. Then she moves on.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Crouched once again in a tree, she freezes, suddenly aware that someone is nearby. She looks and she listens. In the gloom cast by the thick foliage above and around her, she spies someone. With a faint breeze whispering through the trees, the sound of her silence goes unheard as she edges forward and recognises the figure as the beige-cloaked creature whom she'd wondered about before, when he'd mentioned sylphs.
Well, she's spent a day or two in this forest - she knows the lay of it fairly well, and feels that she's certainly more agile than this one if he should choose to try and chase her. But what about the magic...
This gives her reason to hesitate once again. But all creatures now seem aware of the Dark Deathbringers, the creatures who stalk the land and destroy its life. Perhaps, therefore, species who might normally hate each other may join forces to defeat the menace, as it bears a threat to them all. So perhaps this creature won't attack her in case she can help. She's not likely to be mistaken for one of the Dark Ones. Yes...
She swiftly and silently moves through the trees, circling around so that she's positioned in front of the creature rather than behind him, as she was before. She lowers herself down a branch or two, her black shape crouched on a branch. One hand rests lightly on a thin branch to her left, while the other grasps a more sturdy bough above her, ready to pull her up at the slightest hint of hostility from the creature whom she is about to reveal herself to.
Although shrouded mostly in the tree's darkness, she knows that if the robed one looks up, he will probably see her eyes glowing there, a short distance in front of and above him.

[beowuuf]

The man shifts, even though only the subtle sound of the wind can be heard.

"So, can you understand me?" he asks mildly. "And am I in any danger?" he asks, quieter as if to himself. His head shifts as if he has opened his eyes and has not expected to see nothing. Another shift of his head and he obviously registers two pin-points of green looking down at him.

[Ameena]

He has seen her. She thinks for a moment, remembering how to phrase things - its been a long time since she spoke in this language.
"I understand you." she says softly. "You are in danger. I think this world is in danger."
Having answered his questions, she then proceeds to shift the subject to her own business. She doesn't move from her position in the tree.
"You mentioned things called sylphs. What is it that a creature must be that you call a sylph?"

[beowuuf]

The beige man stands, but does so in an awkward way standing from his meditation, with no threatening moves.

"The Sylph live beyond the reach of the great houses, in the lands now called the Forest of Thorns." For some reason there is an odd note as he says that. "I never met a sylph, and I do not believe I am meeting one now. They are legends, creatures one with the land, powerful in magics. I have often wished to go to the lands they are reputed to live in, to study with them."

The man stands with his hands on his hips, head cocked. "So why do you ask. Could they help with this 'danger'?"

[Ameena]

Still without moving, she speaks again.
"You spoke of sylphs. Some have called me Dark Sylph. But creatures have their own names for the things they see - I do not know why a creature is called a sylph, so I do not know why I am a dark sylph. Some days past, I was near a group of habitations..."town", I think they call it. The Dark Creatures came to slaughter them. I thought I migh try to guide some of them to shelter beneath the trees, but they called me Dark Sylph and ran from me with anger and fear upon them. I think they mistook me for a minion of the Dark Ones. I feel their presence in the air even now, and I wish they wouldn't come."

[Sophia]

The cold wind begins to blow more strongly, whipping through the trees and creating an eerie sound in the forest. To the magically attuned, the aura of darkness grows, as though someone is placing a dark shade over the entire forest.

From the distance, an old man approaches, hobbling forward with a cane. There is magic to him, too, but he is not the source of the dark aura. He wears simple robes, and seems to carry little upon him-- still, it is the way of many who are truly attuned with the ways of magic to not flaunt their power.

"You must go from this place," he cautions, as he walks towards the odd twosome, though it is clear his purpose is to merely pass through, "There is dark magic gathering..."

[beowuuf]

The old man interrupts the flow of thoughts in the beige man. He takes it with good grace, bowing and ensuring he is not hindering the path.

"Sir, do you know if the path to the borders of Ennakkam are clear?" he asks loudly, trying to pull attention away from the dark creature for fear of it running away. "I hear the rumours of creatures called sylph, if you know them, and rumours of their powers and kindness. A man in times such as these could believe he could seek respite in those lands if it is true. Do you know of such things?"

Internally the beige man is thinking fast. The creature he has met seems harmless and seeks knowledge, as he always has. Perhaps this creatures needs to meet the sylph to gain knowledge of itself, and perhaps protection. And perhaps this creature could ensure safe passege for him into those lands, a way to seek knowledge of the mightly sylph. For the astral planes are yeilding nothing, and the man in beige is not without means there.

[Ameena]

She draws back, retreating further into the shadows, as she hears the soft tread of another approaching. The news he brings isn't new to her - she's been feeling for days that something malevolent is growing over the lands. Despite her attempts to keep away from it, she knows that she probably won't be able to evade this threat.
Though not wishing to reveal herself to this newcomer, she stays where she is, ready to spring away higher into the trees should either of the two creatures on the forest floor make an aggressive move toward her.

[Sophia]

The old man eyes the man in beige curiously. "If you wish to flee the impending peril, then fleeing Ennakkam will not suffice... however, I suspect you already knew that." He glances over his shoulder, then leans in, speaking more softly. "The Sylph... I have heard tales of such creatures. They are strong, it is said, as well... powerful beyond belief despite their peaceful, quiet nature... but they too shall eventually fall to the Reapers, so long as they exist in this realm." He raises a bony finger, pointing it at nothing in particular. "The Black Ones are the very force of death, you see, and there is no escaping that, not anywhere in THIS world anyway..." The old man grins wryly, to see if the point is being followed....

[Ameena]

She listens, wondering if this old one knows she is there. He, too, seems to know something of the sylph. It is clear that most creatures are by now aware of the speading menace of the Dark Beings. But everything has an equal and an opposite - however strong, however terrible the threat posed by these creatures, she knows that somewhere there exists a power both equal and opposite, which can nullify the dark threat. But what is it, where is it, how will it work, and when will it emerge to combat the Dark Deathbringers?

[beowuuf]

The beige man subtly walks around the old man, moving in closer as if to hear him, but also to twist the man's head further away from the dark creature.

"You speak of...farspace?" the beige man says innocently. "Surely the price paid to go there permanently is the same price as facing a reaper!" He strokes underneath his hood, as if rubbing his chin in thought. "I have heard tales of the Rising Sun...of combatting death itself though..."