Character RP

//Just outside of Elverand actually. If you look at the map, where the trees end just outside the Southern Elverand border, that is our location. There are 5 ships there, only one fully operational. We're about to raise an army to take Eremor by storm. What you could do is walk up on Marcus's funeral if you wish to meet up with us, and that would work really good too, as you can vouch for Aron.//

Caleann creates the spell again, entering the world of dreams as she continues to ride. She always hated this section of the forest, and while she had set out to experience the world, she felt that this particular section she had seen enough.

As she mentally closed her eyes, she felt a probe. Her already soldified defenses then made a counter probe. Sensing no harm, she released somewhat, and let the image fill her mind. There was a thing... seemingly elf, but also wholly human. She sensed a cry - perhaps a call, and a view of a coast and five ships filled her vision. Other men stood around, pointing in the general direction of the ships. The man who she seemed to have heard raised his head, looked her way, and their eyes met.

In her dream world, his eyes set fire, splitting the image and creating a sphere of white around her. She released the spell, then wondered what had happened. Had she really dreamt, or was there really someone out there? She recognized the coastline - it was to the South of Elverand.. Going to Sapphire Lake had been a spontaneous decision. Now she had a purpose. It seemed destiny was calling her...

Caleann turned her horse to the south, left the trail, and trotted between the trees, intently focused on her destination.

//Can I leave off with you riding up to us? Or do you want to make the meeting?

Also, since I'm a Frostman, I have a natural reputation of violence. My character tries to use violence to help others, but would Caleann not like my character because of him being Frostman? I don't care really, we can work on our characters' relationship throughout the RP, but I want to be somewhat accurate in our encounters.//

Dotaria wrote://Can I leave off with you riding up to us? Or do you want to make the meeting?

Also, since I'm a Frostman, I have a natural reputation of violence. My character tries to use violence to help others, but would Caleann not like my character because of him being Frostman? I don't care really, we can work on our characters' relationship throughout the RP, but I want to be somewhat accurate in our encounters.//

//You can make the encounter; after all, you have far more experience in this RP. Just keep in mind Caleann's character - she's a generally decent person, but if met with violence or aggression, she'll respond in kind and you're likely to get yourself killed.//

While the men were cheering for Arthur, Arthur noticed an Elvish woman trot up on a beautiful horse. The Elf was beautiful too, her blond hair cut short with a bow and a quiver of arrows slung across her back. She was looking at Aron, but when she saw Arthur, their eyes connected.

Arthur raised his hand to quiet his men, then his men saw what he saw and placed their hands on their weapons. Arthur turned to Riut, "Keep the company here."

"Aye Arthur."

Arthur walked to the woman alone, who still sat on her horse and looked at him intently. When he came about 20 feet from her, he stopped and looked at her for a minute.

The Elf smiled and chuckled, "I know you Men think us Elves are beautiful, but you can at least say hello."

Arthur chuckled, "I'm sorry, I haven't seen an Elf before. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"I am Caleann," the woman answered, "I can't seem to enter your mind, what is yours?" //How about Sirens are immune to having their minds violated, but can still be attacked through the Elvish magic?//

"I am Arthur Snow, bastard son of Garrus Ulfrick," Arthur replied.

"A Frostman? What are you doing so far south?" Caleann answered.

Arthur raised his tattooed hand, "A gift and a curse."

Caleann looked at the tattoos, "A Siren. Explains why I cannot read your mind. Most Sirens are destructive to the forces of nature, and in turn, to Elves and Men alike. I see though that your men love you, so that must say something of your behavior."

"We were burying a fallen brother, and I am now leader of these men. I take it you didn't come here by sheer happenstance. What is your business here my lady?" Arthur said, stepping close to pet her horse's snout.

Caleann hesitated, though Arthur saw that she gave no emotion in her hesitation. "I sensed a Half-breed among you, and my curiosity led me here. Do you have food? I've been traveling for some time."

"Of course. Shall you camp with us for the night?" Arthur asked.

She sidestepped her horse, smiling slyly and trotting past Arthur, "Maybe, maybe not. It all depends."

When the Elvish lady appeared, Aron ran to her, thinking she was his mother. When he tried to grab her in a hug, she sharply pushed him away and loosened her blade a bit.

Aron stumbled back, embarassed, "I take it you arent my mother."

The elf laughed, "Me! A mother, never in a thousand years."

Aron sulked away, pondering his claim and his house.

That night, As Arthur walked to his tent and climbed in bed, someone walked into his tent. Whipping around to threaten them, he blanched when he saw Marcus standing before him. Marcus shushed him, touched his forehead, and gave him the knowledge he must know. Rushing through his mind, Arthur learned many facts, The boy, I must find Aron. Give him the sword Aelia and the bow. Work with the elf to teach him magic, and help him lead the charge against the tides of evil. The boy is royalty, and I am counting on you Arthur, to take care of him. Be the father I never was.

Riut stared at Arthur as he confronted the woman again that morning. 'Why has he gone so soft?' Riut thought to himself. "I would fall for her too you know" Erea said sitting next to Riut.

"He just snapped. Changed like that. What is that woman hiding?"Riut was never too find of elves, always making him bolstering up mission and alerting the guards with their fancy armor, and good looks. Made him sick. In his father and old friend's words "drama species of the world."

He sat there inspecting his arrows. A strange thought entered his mind. 'I wonder if I could kill them both' Riut thought this was a splendid idea. He notched his arrow and began pulling back.

'Wait... What the hell am I doing. There is no way that was mine.' He thought to himself shoving the bow away in horror. He had heard of magic able to control minds... They had a problem in their hands.

After Marcus touched his forehead, he went to walk away. "Wait! Marcus!"

Marcus turned angrily, "Keep your voice down brother!"

Arthur moved to grab Marcus by the shoulders, as a friend might, but his hands wen't through him. Arthur looked down. "Marcus, I can't father your son. He is yours, not mine."

Marcus smiled at him with a kindness only known to the Gifted Dead. //Those who went to Valhalla.// "Brother, I have always relied on you. You were the one who kept the men together, not me. You were the leader from the start, and you will be a great king, but the only way you will succeed is with Aron's help. There is a storm coming, and you, Aron, and Caleann are the only ones who can stop it. If you fail, this whole world will fall into darkness, not only Eremor but the lands beyond the sea."

Arthur closed his eyes and looked down, already knowing it somehow from the start, "Will you guide me? Like Erea?"

"No Arthur, I am not a spirit guide. I must return to where I belong, in the afterworld. I will be waiting for you brother, try to keep me waiting."

With that, Marcus faded into mist.
Arthur had known it. He knew Marcus would not stay.


//Now i wouldnt say he was the leader from the start! Haha//

//lol, I kinda was holding everyone together though.//

Arthur fell to his knees and cried. He begged like a baby, "Come back, please..."

The only thing that answered him back was the flapping of the tent against the wind. He dried his eyes and pulled himself together, then walked to Aron's tent.

When he saw the boy, he was kneeling to an icon in his tent. He heard Arthur come in, so he finished his prayer and turned, "Arthur! Didn't expect to see you at such a late time, what can I do for you?"

Arthur noticed that the boy's confidence grew, which was good. His father just died, but the man was finally able to come to terms with it after the funeral. It made Arthur smile, and he knelt down to come to the boy's level. "Funny thing just happened," he said, "I just spoke to your father."

That stopped Aron, "Marcus?"

Arthur nodded, "Aye. I was wondering who Caleann was talking about, with the Halfling, I had my suspicions, and now I know it's you. We have quite a time ahead of us, your father said."

Aron looked down, "He told me too. I'm supposed to lead the fight against the forces of evil."

Arthur pulled the young man's chin to look into his eyes, "You won't be alone boy. I have a part to play in this as well. We stay together, and nothing can stop us, okay? A Speaker and a Siren can do great things. We'll be fine."

Aron smiled, "I know. If my father trusted you with his life, then I will."

That made Arthur's heart sink, but he didn't show it. "Get some rest lad, we have long days ahead of us."

He then walked out of the tent to Caleann's. When he walked in, she was laying down and making pebbles float in the air. "Caleann."

She looked over, but the pebbles still stayed in the air, "Yes?"

Arthur sat down, "I have seen you before, a couple of times. One time I remember, was when I almost died. You taught me how to bend water to my will."

She smiled, "I've been watching you and the boy for a while now."

Arthur nodded, and flexed his tattooed hand, "I need you to teach the boy the Language. Will you stay with us and do so? I'd also like to learn the other two elements. It's your choice, but as someone told me recently, a storm is coming."

Dotaria wrote://How about Sirens are immune to having their minds violated, but can still be attacked through the Elvish magic?//

//Sure.//
//just to note: Acorn is not beautiful. He is shaggy, short, and pony-like. However, he is incredibly fast and has amazing endurance... if treated well.//

Caleann jumped off her horse, feet padding against the ground. It disturbed her to find a potential enemy that could not be subdued purely mentally. She decided to keep an eye on him and the others, some of whom obviously - and wisely - distrusted her. Her curiosity had led her here; she would not be led astray.
She thought of the man - Aron was it? She had heard the other men call him that. How could he have thought her to be his mother? As a halfling, shouldn't he know of the many elves in this world - and that only very rarely did they have children? She herself was just coming into adulthood, a mere 102 years old.

Her initial thought was to find an inn, and come back the next day - but instinct told her to stay.

She later told the man who had first greeted her "I have, after all, decided to camp with you." She then motions to a place between two oaks - "there." She unpacked her sparse belongings, loosened Acorn's saddle, and let him graze by the oaks.

She then returned, and went to the grave of the man she never knew. These men obviously had held him in high respect, so, pondering for a minute, decided to perform upon the grave an old Elven ritual. The men behind her paid no attention, laughing and joking with each other, as she slipped an acorn out of one of her shoes, and pushed it into the ground near what would have been the heart of the man. "From life comes death, and from death comes life." She took a step back, then sat down, closed her eyes, and began to sing mentally in the Elvish tongue. It was the same music that was used to shape the trees in Elverand. She uses magic to project the words and the music in her mind into the surrounding space, but most crucially, into the tree. //you may imagine the words, but this is practically the sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRVBK09fh-4 //

When she finishes, Caleann, remains sitting, still with her eyes closed. A sapling has already hatched from its seed and has grown somewhat into a recognizably small tree. She gets up then, walks to her twin trees, and cuddles the muzzle of her horse. Finally, she opens her eyes, turns around, and climbs up high into the upper reaches of one of the trees and peers down through the branches and leaves.

After climbing down from the tree, Caleann aimlessly began to float pebbles into the air, just playing around. She did this sometimes when she was bored. It was one of the first things her mentor had taught her back at Elverand before he died. Now, it was so simple that she could do it for hours, and spend less energy on doing so than it took her to stand up. She saw Arthur come over, and looked his way.
-----
"Caleann."
"Yes?"
Arthur sat down, "I have seen you before, a couple of times. One time I remember, was when I almost died. You taught me how to bend water to my will."
"I've been watching you and the boy for a while now."
Arthur nodded, and flexed his tattooed hand, "I need you to teach the boy The Language. Will you stay with us and do so? I'd also like to learn the other two elements. It's your choice, but as someone told me recently, a storm is coming."
-----

"You. Are a Siren. In my land, among my people, you and your kind are detested. You bend the 'elements' to your 'will', and have a completely flawed understanding of The Language. Not only that, but I have known you for only a few days, and I have stayed here despite my better judgement."
"I cannot help what I am. And you just proved that despite only a few days, you care about us deeply. Why, I do not know. What you did for Marcus.. was something.. special.."
"What I did for Marcus was nothing."
"But it was."
"You expect me to teach you and your boy The Language? The most sacred of the sacred? The most beautiful, cultured, elegant language this world has ever known? You expect too much. If I am to teach you, it must be done properly, or it is meaningless. Time will only tell if that will ever happen. Let me warn you - never in the last thousand years has an elf broken the tradition of isolation and secrecy in the way you ask me to do so now."
"A dark storm is gathering. Forces are gathering... they seek to destroy life as we know it, not limited to this continent, but to our entire world. Take the time you need, but hurry up; your skills are needed."
He walked away slowly, without turning back.

Riut burst into Arthur's quarters. "Arthur we have a major problem!"

"What?"

"We are being invaded."

"Call the men to arms! What the hell are you standing in your pjs for."

"It's not a real invasion. Someone's using magic to try and get us to kill each other. I almost shot both you and that elf earlier." Riut said panicking. "I don't know how to block it and we can't run from it." Arthur lifted his drink, only to have it taken out by a sword. "Help..." Riut's voice trailed off as he lost consciousness.

Arthur was sleeping when he was visited by Erea. "Hello my friend."

"Erea, good to see you. I find your coming in my dreams ominous, you only come with bad news.

"No, not this time. The Elf distrusts men, and Sirens especially. She doesn't understand your heart, so you have to bear with her."

"If she doesn't respect me then I dunno how we can work together like Marcus planned for us," Arthur said, despairing a little.

"It doesn't matter. Both of you must learn to give a little toward each other. by the end of it all, if you heed my words, you two should be great friends," Erea said, "Now though, dawn is breaking. Wake up."

With that, Arthur's eyes shot open. He sat up, yawned and stretched, and put his armor on. As he tightened the last strap, Riut burst into his tent and said, "Arthur, we have a major problem!"

Arthur turned, "What?"

"We are being invaded."

Great... Here we go. "Call the men to arms!" Arthur said, filling up a cup of water. He then looked at Riut's dress. "What the hell are you standing in your PJ's for?"

"It's not a real invasion. Someone's using magic to try and get us to kill each other. I almost shot both you and the Elf yesterday." Riut said, panicking, "I don't know how to block it and we can't run from it."

Troubled and trying to think, he went to take a sip of water when Riut drew his sword and swiped it out of his hand. "Help..." Riut said, and fainted.

Arthur was taken back being struck, but he caught his friend before hitting the ground. His mind immediately went to Caleann. "That BITCH!" he yelled, then caught himself. Marcus would not have included Caleann in the trio to save Eremor if she had evil intentions. Arthur stripped Riut of his weapons and laid him in his own cot. By then, it was sunrise, and the camp was bustling, eager to know what angered Arthur.

"FORM UP!" Arthur yelled, and walked over to Caleann. "Can you track people using magic? Someone is attacking us with it."

//Nice, I like the integration//

//Fiji? Or me?//

//You//

Arthur walked over to Caleann. "Can you track people using magic? Someone is attacking us with it."

"Magic leaves traces - the magician does not. What this means is that I can tell if magic has occurred, but I cannot tell who has done it. I can track people only if I discover exactly what magic was used - and eliminate those I know do not know of it. But magic is an interesting thing - since it is formed from The Language, any combination of words can create magic - but it is the intention of the spellcaster that shapes that magic. As such, there are several commonly used spells, but tracking people from the usage of dark magic would be nearly impossible."

"However, there are ways of preventing it from happening again - such as wards - and I can place some around the camp if you so wish..?"

Riut opened his eyes. A masked man stood over him preparing to shove a knife into his chest. "Holy FUCK!" Riut yelled, nailing the man's hand with his foot. The man said something in a language Riut didn't understand. Riut grabbed for his sword, but was knocked down by the man's fist. He saw stars... the man hit quite hard. A little too hard for reality. Riut turned just in time to see the man's dagger imbed itself into the wood near his head. Riut grabbed the man. The man vaporized into dust as Riut got a hold of him. "What the hell?" Riut was completely perplexed. He entered the light of day, seeing the camp was burning, all the men near the camp fire were masked and looked much more dead, almost skeletal, than the thing he fought before. //Yes Riut is tripping balls//

"Do so, and see if you can get me a location while you're at it," Arthur said, taking charge of the situation.

He then saw Riut walking out of Arthur's tent, stumbling around. He was yelling aimlessly, "Arthur! Arthur, help me!" A couple of men ran to Riut but Riut attacked them, then tried to shy away from them.

"Leave him be!" Arthur yelled, and came to him. "Riut, it's okay. It's me, Arthur."

"Then take that damn mask off!" Riut yelled.

"He's being possessed," Caleann said, holding him down and speaking in the Language.

Arthur got up, fire appearing along his tattooed arm, "Who the hell is doing this?!"

"Arthur! In the trees!" one of his men said, pointing.

Arthur's head snapped to where the man was pointing, and he could barely make out someone running. "Jogo! Stay here with the men. Aron, to me!"

Aron sprinted to Arthur, battle lust forming in his eyes. "Aye Arthur?"

Arthur walked into his tent and picked up Marcus's old sword. He handed it to Aron, "Let's get some blood on the blade, follow me!"

Arthur went back to Caleann and asked, "How do you take someone down who uses the Language?"

"Now that is quite a difficult thing to accomplish. You will have nearly no chance against him, but together, we have a good chance. You cannot be mentally controlled, and I am skilled at mental combat. I can attack him mentally, you can provide physical distractions - such as slicing him open with that sword of yours."

"As for the wards, I'll put them up immediately. However, we must be careful, because the wards only work so long as you have energy to put into them, however little that is. I will have to consciously disable the wards, or else they will kill me should I be weak enough."

Caleann braced her mind, then found the power within herself and surged forward the magic of The Language. She walked to the center of the encampment, then spoke a single word. "Sköliro". By the intensity of the statement she made, the camp was temporarily shielded from the magic used to skry or possess others. She could have made more wards, but the energy it would take to block would have been excessive, especially since she was about to enter into a fight.

(//A note: The Language contains many words, though only a few are commonly used. The reason for this is because the meaning of the word changes based on the intention of the caster. For example, 'Sköliro' literally translates to 'shielded', but it can be used in many ways, depending on the intention. Here, Caleann used it to create a ward, but she could just as easily have used it to block an attack of the elements - more commonly from a spell caster, or by the elements. Different forms of the word are available, as it is usually pronounced 'Skölir' , which translates simply as 'shield'. All in all, 'Sköliro' is one of the most commonly used, if not the most commonly used word in The Language. Usually, the effect of the spell lasts a second or two at best, but in this case, her intention was to create a longer lasting, but weaker version of the spell.//)

The tendrils of magic still remained in Riut's mind, however, so she walked up to him, asked another man to hold him down, and clasped each of her hands over Riut's ears. She pushed inwards and said "Brakka du vanyalí sem huildar Riut!" (//This basically releases the magic that is controlling Riut//) Riut collapsed in the man's arms. She walked away, confident that her work in the encampment was done. Now, to deal with the real enemy.

Caleann put a temporary ward around herself, to help keep her from being distracted. She then bunkered herself in mentally, and reached out with her mind. She sensed the presence of other beings, then identified the source of the magic. She began to use tendrils of her magic to smother it, attempting to not penetrate the source, but to keep it frustrated. The mind of the enemy instantly solidified, then lashed out. The force sent her reeling somewhat. She then began the attack once more, pummeling the solidified sphere, and avoiding his own magical tendrils. While doing so, she reached out a hand, and cried "Garjzla!" A bolt of light, rapidly forming into a bright white sphere, erupted from her hand - shooting right at the mysterious man. It was deflected, probably by a shield command. She then decided to try something a bit more.. direct. "Boetk istalrí." The trees in a radius around the man caught fire, pulsating heat inwards, and slowly eating up the forest directly surrounding him. She screamed to Arthur - "Keep your men back!" She hoped he would understand that to include himself. As she did so, she felt the air under her lift, and felt herself launch into the air. "Letta!" The air beneath her became turbulent, then settled back down. Then, with the heat pressing in on all sides, she managed to pummel through the defenses surrounding the man, and penetrated into his mind. The man fell to the ground, his arms over his head, defensively crawled into a ball. Arthur summoned water, and put out the fire, which she thought was rather clever of him - they should keep the man alive to find out why he had come and what his intentions were.

Then, inside of his mind, she did what she liked to call her 'deathgrip', which effectively put an inescapable stranglehold on the man's mind. The attempts to escape it became weaker and weaker, until the were nearly no more. Caleann always felt guilty - it was like pinning down a defenseless animal, just before striking the killing blow. She then shuffled through his mind, like pages in a book, learning all that the man himself knew. The process took several minutes, as there was so much useless information. Finally, she said "Malthinae, Malthinae". Then - to be sure, she added "Jierda thierra kalfis!"

(//'Malthinae' means to confine. It is used to bind things or hold in place. She said it twice because she used it in two different contexts with two different intentions. The first was to leave his mind in the weakened state she left it, giving him no opportunity to rebuild his mental protection, and the second time was to make sure he could not move from that spot. When Caleann used 'Jierda thierra kalfis' she was being somewhat cruel, almost being vengeful, and was intended not only to prohibit the man from moving, but also to cause him unnecessary pain - a form of torture. The phrase means 'Break their calves' and is used to \\you guessed it!\\ break an enemy's calves. \\I'm using back slashes to denote comments within comments.\\//)

Caleann walked over to Arthur, her face and body completely calm, though her mind was turbulent after the task she had just accomplished. She explained what she had discovered from the man //you're leading this conflict - you decide - Dot// and then walked over to Acorn, patted him, and then sat down cross-legged near the base of one of the two trees. She released the ward around the encampment, but kept the one around herself. She then closed her eyes, and, remaining in the sitting position, fell asleep.

//YAH MIND PROBING!!!//

Falling Stars wrote://YAH MIND PROBING!!!//

//'cause I mean, why not?!//

//Poor aron sat to the side and just watched all this happen.//

//its still Happening, they just found One of them. //