Tales of Faerun

[Macman253]

Kellak nodded, understanding the weight of her words. He looked to the others of the party in a long glance and smiled. "Must be some kinda' 'venture te' need all them blades." The dwarf put two stubby fingers into his mouth and whistled loudly, Terra pulled her reigns from the signpost and waddled over happily then laid down next to him. He reached up and grabbed the horn on her saddle and hauled himself into it. The Dire Badger climbed to her feet as Kellak pulled on her reigns to signal her to do so.

 

"Well, what ye' waitin' 'fer?" He said to Rhaine, "We gotta long road ahead an' only so many hours o' sunlight." He added as he leaned forward in his saddle and chuckled.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Macman253

[AurianaValoria1]

Once all the companions had gathered together, Rhaine began to lead them along the road once more, following it as it turned north-northwest along the outer edge of the Yuirwood. All the while, Conall kept a watchful eye on We'tak, even as he felt as though Eirene's eyes were fixed on him in return. The werewolf remained suspicious about her and felt the need to stay wary, We'tak's words and his own glimpse of her unnaturally-shaped pupils lingering in his mind. Zorica rode with Sir Meowsalot perched on her saddle horn, silent as she watched the road ahead; she seemed a bit more cheerful than she had been in a long time, but for what reason she did not say, nor did she give any indication to the others. Abby jogged alongside the horses, enjoying the clear morning air and the ground beneath her feet. Argyros, meanwhile, flew overhead, making lazy circles in the clouds and generally seeming to enjoy himself. For the first time in a while, the cloud of oppressiveness about their shoulders seemed to lift, and the blue sky above with its brilliantly-shining sun helped to raise poor spirits.

 

Around highsun, as the road approached a hill - the land sloping to the right where the Yuirwood began in earnest a half-mile away - a lone glimmering figure became visible at the crest, mounted and stationary beneath a giant silver birch tree. Upon sighting the party, the figure turned his horse's head and began cantering down the hill to meet them; it was not but a few moments before it became obvious the rider was a knight. He was armored from head to toe in shining steel, golden spurs at his ankles and a jeweled sword at his hip. He bore a yellow-and-red striped lance in one hand as he held the reins of his white charger in the other. His visored close helm, as well as each piece of his immaculately-polished harness of plate, was edged in gold, and the crest of the helm was a spray of yellow-and-red dyed cock feathers, which bounced in a lively manner over the back of his head each time his horse took a step.

 

Rhaine held up her hand to stop the company as the knight drew near, the stranger pulling his snorting charger to a halt and lifting the visor of his helm. A pair of pale hazel eyes focused on them, nearly glowing under the shadow of his helmet, and he smiled widely at them all, his clean-shaven, smooth features betraying his youth to the group he approached. Rhaine surmised he could not have been older than twenty-five summers, though the helm prevented her from telling if he was a human or half-elf like herself.

 

"Hail to you, travelers!" he greeted them, his voice ringing with the clarity of a bell, "I would pose a question to you all..." he trailed and glanced to Rhaine, looking her up and down for a few moments before adding with a slight bow, "If thou wouldst allow me to address thine company, my lady."

 

"Oooh, I like the way he talks," Abby said with a grin.

 

Rhaine's brow rose, "Go ahead."

 

The knight nodded, his colorful plume bouncing emphatically, "Very well. I thank thee. Travelers!" he addressed the rest of them, "I needs must know...is there one amongst you who would joust with me? Just a friendly pass or two, 'tis all I ask."

 

"Oh boy," Zorica remarked.

 

After a few uncertain, if not uncomfortable, moments, Conall at last spoke up, "I will joust with you my friend, if you can supply a lance. That is, if no one else wishes to do so." Rhaine nodded her approval to him, but otherwise said nothing, waiting to see if someone else would want to join in this lone knight's game.

Edited September 24, 2015 by AurianaValoria1

[GrueMaster]

"Harlock sounds much like a" *NRAK'TCK'TCK!* We'tak cursed quietly as Rameses described the man, a bad impression solidifying itself in the hatchling's mind. "Do not worry, Fireskin. Our clutch will always stand with you." This was soon followed by an jubilant CHEE as the thri-kreen warbled, obviously excited to have such an interesting new clutchmate and that Eirene was no longer under the influence of such a despicable nrak'tck'tck.

 

Before he could begin to share his excitement, he heard someone else calling out, and as he looked, he saw that this time it was Rhaine's turn for attention. A new softskin? We'tak thought, before going outside to meet the new arrival, a short softskin that had a much greater collection of fur on his face than anyone in his clutch. However, as he approached for a closer look and meeting, the smell the thri-kreen first detected on the short softskin introducing himself as Kellak made We'tak slow down. He smells of deep earth... he thought hesitantly, an instinctive fear of dark underground spaces coming to mind. Seeing as how welcoming the softskin was, however, and how Winged Pointed-ear accepted him, We'tak shook this fear off and gave a polite welcome himself, before going to make sure all his things were packed.

 

------------------------------

 

We'tak spent the time traveling chattering away at Eirene, a near-ceaseless barrage of questions and stories flying from the thri-kreen. Though both Eirene and the new short softskin Kellak interested him, Eirene smelled more familiar to him, reminding him of home. Granted, the giant animal that Kellak rode greatly interested him, but We'tak felt a need to talk to Eirene more and make her feel welcome, having not missed her quiet, seemingly downtrodden behavior.

 

"So does Dark Softskin Female spend much time outside?" He asked. " I like being in nature very much myself. Your soft scent reminds me very much of my homeland. Did you grow up in the warm sands as well?" *TCK'TCK!* He noticed Conall's suspicious eyes on Eirene, which suddenly reminded him of the question he posed to Conall earlier about shape-changing.

 

We'tak began to ask Eirene this, too. "Eirene, I have noticed that you smell softly of wet lizard. Conall smells like a wolf when one is close to him, and he can change into one, too. So, can you, too, change into a liz-"

 

Before he could finish his query, the clutch stopped before a lone figure, an armored softskin riding a horse. Hearing the man offer what sounded like a challenge to the group, and then Conall accepting it, We'tak spoke up as well, anticipation for a contest beginning to burn within him. "Is Softskin challenging us? I want to 'joust,' too!" He volunteered enthusiastically, not knowing what 'jousting' was, but feeling encouraged by Conall's willingness and the need to prove his clutch's strength.

[FreemasonGamer]

While the party was traveling along the northbound, well-trodden road through Aglarond's scenic expanse of rolling hills towards the distant streak of lush green that was the Yuirwood, Eirene was oddly comforted by We'tak's endless surge of inquiries and tales. Despite his frighteningly bizarre thri-kreen appearance, We'tak seemed genuine and lighthearted as he conversed freely with her, and his friendliness soon brought a slight smile to the Mulhorandi's normally expressionless features. As a matter of fact, his ceaseless chattering almost warmly reminded her of a child's innocent, excited rambling. Surprisingly, Eirene had even grown comfortable enough to reply to a fair amount of the thri-kreen's remarks.

 

"Yes, I usually spend most of my time outside," She replied to We'tak with a modest smile and a light chuckle, "And my homeland lies along the banks of the Rauthenflow river which flows through the realm of Mulhorand; much of the land there is indeed quite sandy and warm for most of the year." However, the Mulhorandi's courage waned drastically when We'tak began to inquire on her reptilian scent once more, and she was more than thankful for the distraction posed by the knight that soon approached their group.

 

Meanwhile, Rameses had kept mostly to himself during their journey from The Silver Hart as he coped with his hangover-induced headache and the stressful concern regarding Eirene's former companion. Thankfully, his mood lifted when his curiosity peaked as the knight in polished steel armor met with the Doomguide at the front of their company. Once the regal rider's request for a joust and Conall's bold response reached the genasi's ears, he mused ponderously while his szuldar flickered subtly, "Jousting... Sounds interesting, though I doubt it is a sport suited for camels as mounts..."

[Macman253]

Kellak leaned back in his saddle, a long stone pipe clenched between his teeth and a sweet smelling pipeweed drifted from it as he rode alongside the party. Terra kept pace but she was tense, a scent had her worried and she often looked up and to the right as they traveled. It wasn't until the stranger in armor appeared that Kellak knew what she was wary of. He reached down and patted her neck,

 

"Good lass." He said with an approving tone, Bearcat's as his Clan called them are very active and approval is something they crave, she did well in warning him of the human's presence.

 

Kellak listened as he challenged anyone to a joust and smiled. He raised his hand and rode forward. "Oi!, I will ride against ye'." Barked the Dwarf. "No need ta' worry about no spear, I got meh' own." He added as he climbed out of the saddle and approached the front of the pack.

[AurianaValoria1]

The knight tilted his head at the interested parties, particularly the dwarf and thri-kreen. Pausing a moment to collect his thoughts, he replied to those two in particular, "My heart is filled with cheer and appreciation at your courageous enthusiasm good...sirs. However, I must decline your requests on grounds of safety and knowledge of the sport; t'would be unchivalrous of me to joust with you. My deepest apologies unto thee, of course; I do not wish to offend either of you."

 

Anticipating We'tak's possible objection, Conall looked at the thri-kreen and nodded in agreement, leaning towards him and clarifying, "Don't feel bad, friend. He doesn't want to hurt you. Not all challenges have to be met, and not all are for everyone to participate in. There's a reason the phrase 'pick your battles wisely' is a popular thing to say amongst we 'softskins'."

 

Zorica glanced to Rameses, "Camels, no. Horses, yes. You may want to trade mounts with someone if you're intent on accepting his offer."

 

At that, the knight turned to Conall, "As for thou, first challenger...I would have thy name before proceeding."

 

Conall inclined his head, appreciating the knight's cordiality, "I am Conall Whitefang, goodsir."

 

The knight's eyes widened a bit, "Dost thou speak truly? I have heard thy name. The prize of the Tournament of the Rising Sun went to thee, did it not?"

 

The werewolf nodded, "It did."

 

Grinning, the knight replied with a fist to his chest, "It shall be an honor to joust with thee, Sir Conall. Word of your prowess has reached even here. As for myself, I am Sir Gregor of Lendleigh."

 

"Well met to you, Sir Gregor," Conall answered, retrieving his helm from his pack with a rattling of steel, "Have you a shield and lance for me?"

 

"I do," Sir Gregor gestured behind him, "If thou wouldst, follow me."

 

With that, Conall spurred Gaius forward, helm now fastened under his chin, and allowed the knight to begin leading him towards the birch where he apparently kept extra arms. As the others looked on, Rhaine remarked to her comrades, "I wonder what this is all about?"

 

"Severe friend issues?" Abby shrugged.

[josh900]

As the group set out on the road, Azuris's mood seemed to have become even grumpier, eventually causing Lucas to ask what was bothering him.

 

"Don't like the idea of Nawen leaving off on her own is all." He answered.

 

"She can take care of herself though, she'll be fine." Lucas said in a reassuring tone.

 

"Don't care, still don't like it."

-------------

 

When they came across the Knight who issued them a challenge, a familiar crawling sensation started to spread from his core, outward. The knight had some fairly powerful magics around him that caught Leif unaware, the spell scars that he carried tingled in response.

 

"Bit of an odd thing to ask random folk you run across don't you think? You on a quest or something?" He asked the knight.

 

"Knights gotta to take up quest like that to prove themselves sometimes." Azuris said, scratching his chin. "Challenge anyone who looks worthy to a dual on while you travel to whatever destination. I had to do something like that a couple times." He said curtly, one of the rare times where he spoke about his time as a Paladin knight.

[tokyobiohazard]

Aera was about to volunteer to joust with the knight, before she realized that she, too, would have been likely turned down. She had no armor, and her horse was tired enough from carrying her this far. She was most likely going to sell the poor creature at the next town, and find some other mount which could bear someone of her stature more easily.

Hazel rode close to the front of the group, near Rhaine. The dryad thought she would have been a good contender for the joust, as she wouldn't have been hurt by the lances or burdened by a shield, but she wasn't sure of the rules, and kept to herself. She did smile, however, when Abby suggested the knight had friend issues. She raised an eyebrow and cheekily muttered to the half-dragon, "Maybe he's compensating for something."

[AurianaValoria1]

By this time, Sir Gregor had given Conall an extra lance and an unmarked shield for use in the joust. The two then saluted each other, cantered their horses away to an appropriate distance, and turned around to face one another. Without a proper tilt, it would be a little more difficult to joust against each other, but this fact did not seem to deter either from playing this game. Both warriors lowered their visors, raised their lances, and then charged. Gaius and Sir Gregor's horse plowed up turf as they galloped towards each other, and one could only count a few breaths of time before the jousters' lowered lances smashed into their shields. Splinters sprayed the ground, both warriors thrown backwards in their saddles at painful angles...yet both kept their seats, each recovering their balance as their horses slowed and then halted.

 

Sir Gregor raised his visor and wheeled his horse around again. "By my faith, Sir Conall!" he exclaimed, "A right fair hit that was! The best I have received these past few days...and I have received many." His expression then turned into a frown as he trotted his horse towards the group again. Conall followed, raising his own visor and replying with panting breath, "Many? That is...interesting. So...you stay here and challenge travelers?"

 

"As I am cursed to do," Sir Gregor gave the werewolf a grim nod, "by the fair lady that lives in tower yon," he pointed. Following the knight's finger, the group could see where a stone turret stood not a half mile away. "I know not how to free myself," he continued, "but by asking for her mercy. And I am forbidden to approach her forevermore."

Edited September 28, 2015 by AurianaValoria1

[FreemasonGamer]

Both Rameses and Eirene were intrigued as the pair moved forward to witness the spectacle of Sir Gregor and Conall jousting in such a manner which resulted in a spectacular shower of splinters. Both surprised and somewhat concerned, the Mulhorandi herself was almost tempted to inquire if the lances were meant to break before her uncertainty was alleviated by the sight of the knights unharmed and bantering in impressed fashions. Inversely, Rameses was the slightest bit disappointed that the engagement had ended so quickly; also, the spray of shrapnel compelled the fire genasi to shudder, his runic szuldar flickering as he was reminded of the harrowing experience that was their recent kraken attack.

 

"Cursed?" Eirene asked hesitantly—her narrow brows knitted in confusion—when the knightly pair returned to the group's side, "Why would this lady curse you to seek out opponents to joust, and why can you not approach her for forgiveness?"

 

Whilst he was scratching his neck, Rameses was considering the same questions himself before he soon included his thoughts as well, "Seems bitter if your curse can be lifted with the mercy from someone you can't reach. Better yet, why not simply have some other mage ease your misfortune?" Due to his adversity to the youthful lady ranger, the genasi smoldered when Eirene nodded in agreement with his words.

 

Suddenly, a thought returned to Rameses's mind and convinced the genasi to inquire curiously, "I'd also like to joust if you have a spare pair of lances, Gregor; I'll also need to borrow someone's horse." In response to his rider's request for a horse of all steeds, Jarl groaned irritably and pulled at his reins angrily.

Edited September 28, 2015 by FreemasonGamer