A cautious walk...

[aiel@hrt]

If I ever was some sort of hunter-gatherer or some sort of warrior, I think I know what my equipment would have been. Aaahhh..its great being buzzed off good tasting cold beer and letting ur mind wander is it not my friend? With all that being said, my equipment would’ve been the following:

 

 Light flexible armor. Good thick padding in the front and back but not so thick as to compromise my quickness and strength.

 A Longbow harnessed in a leather bow hide slung on my back. Plenty of aerodynamically carved arrows with ruthless slick steel ends also strung around my back.

 A short blade at my hip. Light, lethal and perfectly balanced for quick clean cuts. In the lines of a Katana blade from ancient Japan I suppose.

 Finally, in my hands a strong sturdy hefty quarterstaff. Perfectly balanced for using both ends, not nearly as quick and fast as the blade of course, but strong enough to embed a finely struck slash from a heavy blade. Oh yes, lethal damage potential when struck on something living with my might.

 

With that all of that sorted out, I started on a trek trying to conserve both my fluids and my physical and mental resources...

 

[aiel@hrt]

Well...I've gotten some views but no one seems motivated enough to help me build up some sorta plot, so I'll go again...hahha  ;D

 

 

Thus, after many years of enduring everything from the biting cold North Winds which can freeze a man's bones to the vapid, dry, life draining heat in the South and all that lies between his right and left, he finally wanders without a certain goal nor a specific direction...in his own world for a change.

 

Seeing nothing that hasn't been registered and made aware of in his mind, he scales a steep up climb of lush green vegetation and hard earth and looks down into the valley lighted only by the amber golden light of the setting Sun...

[Jehaine]

((OOC: Well, mentioning the setting would help. I mean, it's likely to be WoT, but it's a little unclear when it's taking place. War of Power? post-TG? Current time? As it is, it's also pretty vague where in Randland you are, making it hard to know the type of character that you're likely to run into.

 

So yeah... Need moar info plzkthx ^^; ))

[aiel@hrt]

You're absolutely right Jehaine...bear my ignorance for a second, I just saw your profiles for your characters and wish I'd seen them before, else I wouldn't have sauntered in here and wrote something random(pun not intended)...so here goes:

 

He climbs up soft earth littered only by nature's doings, leaves and vegetation ranging from dried tan brown to fresh green leaves, the terrain cut gently only by thick heavy wooden roots from ancient trees. Its a good time to be cresting a pass in the Black Hills during spring. Southeast lay Dragonmount, and for some reason it did not sit well with him that his stealthy legs carried him in such direction, but that was a ways off and that did not warrant an analysis currently. It has been roughly eight and a half years since the last male Aes Sedai was hunted down and killed. There were rumours of some White Tower being built tumbling around like dice in the last inn he visited. Nice comfy clean little place with plenty of meat, bread, wine, and good Tabac imported from somewhere down Southwest. Aware of all of this, yet realized that right now, this second that he is still alive, none of it mattered. It did not matter, because as he scaled up roughly a 55 degree upsloping hard rock mountain, he looked exactly as the sun was cresting the horizon before deciding to call it a day and washed the valley with his amber honey light...

[aiel@hrt]

hey, by the way, what does "OOC" mean?

[Jehaine]

OOC: OOC means Out Of Character, you basically use it when commenting outside of the RP. The opposite is IC, or In Character, which is the roleplaying itself.

 

Helping people along, the timeline seems to be 150-300 years after the Breaking. Trollocs and Fades would still be a relatively new thing and civilisation is pretty much on its ass trying to get up again.

 

IC:

 

A ways further off was a woman, clad in earthen colored robes With her, she carried a staff with small bells dangling from it, chiming softly in the wind. She, too, was looking at the sunset, though should the unnamed traveler come closer, he wouldn't fail to notice the blindfold she was wearing.

[aiel@hrt]

OOC: awestruck by your knowledge Jehaine! :)

 

IC: While Trollocs, Fades, and such are new emergence s, the heart of that evil and what pushes them forward is as ageless as the moon. He knew this, mainly from experiences and skirmishes in his darkest hours, but he also knew it through comprehending the concept of continued balance in life. Thus lost in his own musings, resting on his haunches he continued taking in the breathtaking site, he felt as if the subtle chimes of Her staff were a part and parcel of the cool evening breeze. It took him a moment to register and separate the sound of soft bells from the wind, and track the direction from where they come from. His military heritage going through the motions of deciding the bearing of the sound, the probable distance from the source, weather the source was mobile or stationary in the blink of an eye and as routine as one too. She was wearing good woodland clothing, muted colors perfect for blending in, but that was all he was able to make out. She seemed to be holding some sort of sturdy wooden staff with something hanging from the top roughly about 200 paces from him.  Born on the foothills of The Mountains of Mist he had inherited excellent woodland skills and from his Cavalry experience as an officer, he was more then capable of being stealthy if he wished, but he did not to move in any such fashion. He simply stood up and leaned into a stone formation near him and continued his survey of the valley and the mysterious woman...

[Jehaine]

OOC: Thanks! ^_^ Oh and just in case, Trollocs were created during the War of Power, which would be before the Breaking. So yeah, most people would consider them defeated along with the Dark One and the Forsaken, except maybe Borderlanders. Figured i'd mention it ^^;

 

Also, click for a pic (add a blindfold though)

 

IC:

 

If the woman had noticed him nearby, she gave no sign of it. She was humming a soft song into the wind which reminded the listener of the ones Ogier sang, provided of course they had heard one before. As the sun started to set, she rose, the chime of the small bells accompanying her as she made her way through the growth. Her pace was calm and graceful, though oddly enough apparently unhindered by the blindfold covering her eyes. Judging by the way she was moving, she would pass the man at about fifty paces away from him, yet she still gave no sign of having spotted him.

[aiel@hrt]

The humming and melodious accompaniment of the chimes were subtle with the wind, but this time, he was not lost in random musings...and he realized he could have easily missed it were he not trying to lock in while in the position of total relaxation. It was not because he felt threatened or anything remotely close to warranting worry, but it was simple the make up of the man. He learned that lesson since he learned to balance himself. As he listened to her strange yet instinctually stimulating melody, the woman started walking towards him in a rough hewn earth path. She drew closer, and his hawk like eyes starting picking and cataloging the essential details. Dressed in her sensible woodland clothes, and using/carrying her staff(which seemed to be uncarved and roughly hewn from solid Oak) she drew closer and he identified a blindfold on her face. Yet, she stepped on the ground as if she was merely taking a slow stroll over a path known to her even in her most unfamiliar moments. The first thought that struck him was she seemed oddly enough like an Oracle. He's heard of these men and women and knows about their abilities, yet oddly enough, he still did not felt compelled enough to stalk, instead he simply continued in what seemed like his continued survey of all his eyes could hold.

[Jehaine]

The woman continued along her path, until at one point when she was close to the man she stopped, frowning. He would feel a soft breeze pass him, after which the woman would turn to him, looking directly at him regardless of the amount of stealth the man posessed.

 

- "Excuse me... Who's there?"

 

Her voice was soft and melodious, though there were signs that she hadn't really used it to speak often over the past couple of months. Nevertheless, it held a tone of insecurity, and she was holding her staff defensively, keeping it between herself and the newcomer. It should be mentioned however that she hadn't slipped into a fighting stance, and that all she was doing was indeed holding the staff between the two of them like a barrier of some kind. At this distance, the man would notice that her clothes appeared slightly worn.

[aiel@hrt]

Cynical and sardonic from years of enduring men trying to kill each other in beserker frenzy and in strategic formation/flank movements of battle, Ro'ael Chandra, former Captain of the legendary cavalries of the Southern lands during the War of Power and also noteworthy, former wielder of eucalyptus-made bows used to hunt rabbits, merely continued his observance. Nevertheless, Ro noticed the stranger just probed her surroundings with a breeze, "Stay Frosty" repeated his father's voice from countless years of training. Stay frosty, indeed...he understood how men and women who have different makeup then himself can wield the Source, Ro might have not been the most ecstatic to be around people who have such abilities, but nevertheless, he did not hate them like some other men forming bands against these people down southwest.

 

He noticed all her details, from her voice to her rather worn out clothes(not that he hadn't been there before), to her rather calculated stance. He knew she was aware of him before she even "probed" her path with the wind, and when she asked her question, he had to take a second to evaluate all the information he had. He is knowledgeable but not a know it all, and one his greatest strengths that has allowed him to endure all these years was that mere fact that he recognized this. So, after a brief pause, Ro simply replied with truth to this stranger, "A passerby friend...merely taking in the sunset like you." Ro understood that she was able to appreciate the radiance of the setting Sun just as much as he did, Ro'ael was not ignorant of the unknown.

[Jehaine]

Upon hearing the reply, Shay'rath Morigalexias lowered her staff somewhat, though a sad smile crept across her face while she did so. How long had it been since she had last seen a sunset? She couldn't recall, much as she couldn't recall even as much as the time of year had it not been for the temperature during the day. Though she was certain Ro'ael hadn't intended any harm when he had commented about the sunset, she still turned her head towards the setting sun, feeling its warmth on her face.

 

- "I... very much doubt that. My way of percieving my surroundings is different from yours."

 

As she spoke, she gestured towards the blindfold on her face. The cloth was thick, and no normal person would have been able to see much of anything through it. Shay'rath may have been able to channel, but such a feat was beyond her abilities as well. She was human after all.

[aiel@hrt]

"Nevertheless friend, you've found your own way of perceiving things..." Ro' did not intend to be caustic in his words, he simply meant he was aware that even though Shay'rath wore a blindfold, he recognized that this was not another blind woman....no, she seemed to be something more.

[Jehaine]

- "True, though a fading one."

 

She sat down on an outcropped rock, looking at the ground for a second before turning towards Ro'ael. She knew that her kind was known to be cryptic at times, but she had a feeling she was giving the man more questions than answers. Call it desperation, call it irony, but for once she wanted to make at least something a bit clearer.

 

- "I am... was an Aes Sedai, part of a group taking down a male channeler to the west of here, in what was once called Jaramide. During our attack, we managed to kill him, but i was severely injured and lost my sight. I left then, not wanting to be a burden on my fellow sisters, nor wanting their pity. There is a Stedding near here, and with it i am trying to get used to living like this."

 

She shifted uneasily, feeling as if a dagger had been wrenched in her heart. So many memories that she had tried to forget, and here she was, dredging it up again. It was her fate, she believed, to serve as a living example to others that those that could wield the One Power were as human as everyone else. Her only consolation had been that no one had goten killed save for the mad channeler. At least the Creator had blessed her with that.

 

- "Allow me to explain. Aes Sedai have an ability to physically see weaves, similar to how a weaver sees the thread she uses to make the shirt you wear. It is necessary in order to form, say, a fireball, or hover droplets of rain in midair. However, we need to actualy see what we are doing in order to do it right. As strong as i am, or once was, my blindness causes my skill to wane, until all that remains is this simple weave to 'feel' one's way in the dark. Until, eventually, i will no longer have that either."

 

She stopped herself there. However much she wanted, needed to get her story off her chest, she believed she was bothering this traveler with it. There had been more she would have said, but that would have driven Ro'ael away for certain. She didn't doubt she would have done the same had the tables been turned.

[aiel@hrt]

Seeing the woman sit and talk to him, he truly realized how rare its been the last few years for him to not analyze and formulate strategies and just be another human...Ro'ael Chandra used to be the sly wisecracking friendly guy people wanted to be friends with, but a sadness awakened upon seeing the woman that a little part of that Ro was gone forever. Ro'ael did not feel pity...and he realized she wouldn't care for his pity anyways...it has become a tough world these days. Coming out of his reverie, Ro'ael replied, "Pardon me Aes Sedai, its been some time since I actually was social around others...but, please do continue..." Ro' was suprised however, it was general knowledge that the last male Aes Sedai to be hunted down was supposedly eight years ago...if Ro' was one of the first people that Shay'rath was meeting, that did not bode well.

 

"Would you like some water Aes Sedai? I am Ro'ael Chandra, I have been riding down south from the Borderlands for quite some time now. My horse is just a few paces down this path and I have some bread and water if you wish." Ro'ael felt no need to give his title, it really was quite irrelevant to a battle weary Aes Sedai. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the stranger who has lost much, but from his knowledge of Weaving and the One Power, he assumed being severed from the One Power would be a worse fate...

[Jehaine]

Giving him a gentle nod, she reached out for Ro'ael to hand her the waterskin. Probingly, she drank from it after feeling for the opening, before handing it back to him again. When he brought up food however, she raised her hand, not wanting to impose on him more than she already was.

 

- "I thank you for the offer, but i have already eaten. The Ogier are taking good care of me, as little as i have to give in return. And please, call me by my name, Shay'rath Morigalexias. I fear i can no longer claim the title of Aes Sedai any longer."

 

Still, much to her surprise he had asked her to continue, so she did. Despite the sadness it dredged up, it felt like a wearyness was flowing from her heart from the years of pent up emotions she had been hiding from the Aes Sedai, from the Ogier... From everone. Though she suspected the Ogier had known, they had not asked about it, and she had felt no need to bring it up.

 

- "Very well. Touching the One Power is like feeling life itself. Your senses are heightened, you feel one with everything around you and can even shape the elements to your will. It truly is a wonderful feeling, more beautiful than anything you or i can imagine. However, every time i do, it also makes the lack of eyesight more obvious. It is why i fled from others... Never to see the faces of my friends again, never to read a book -- Oh Light, i'd kill for a way to read a book! --, never to be all that i was. Yet life without the One Power feels so faded out to anyone that has touched the Source once, we tell our Novices that it can be addictive, and it really is..."

 

She took a deep breath before continuing. The hardest part was still to come, and her heart ached at what she knew to be true, but she pressed on anyway. Her voice trembled with sadness, and had her dead eyes been able to, she didn't doubt she would be crying.

 

- "It is... both a blessing and a curse. And to top it all off, being able to touch saidar grants longevity as well, there are Aes Sedai that have lived for centuries and not shown a sign of old age. It has been... ten years? twelve? since i lost my sight. I... really don't think i can take several centuries of living like this. And yet, even as i say that i know i couldn't even find a cliff to throw myself off of even if i wanted to."

 

She lowered her head again, clutching her staff tightly as she sat there. And for all the trembling her body did, for all the body language telling Ro'ael that she was in emotional pain, not a single damp spot appeared on that blindfold. Oh, she could try it, she could have drawn enough of the One Power to kill herself, but if she burned out instead, what then? Without saidar, she would be truly alone. Truly helpless. And losing what little remained of her self esteem and independance was a fate that, to her, would be worse than death.

[aiel@hrt]

OOC:- Hey Jehaine, I've been pretty swamped and neglecting my DM parlays... ;D I'll come up with something good soon, a few post tennis brews should be ample inspiration eh?(yes, been hanging with the Band quite a bit  ;D)

[aiel@hrt]

IC:-

 

Almost dying changes nothing...dying changes everything. That was the first thought that came to Ro' when he heard Shay'rath's  story. Indeed, it is both a blessing and a curse in lots of facets of life these days, as somewhat cruel as it might seem, the Fates/God(s)/Luck/anything else,  can seem to bless you in the morning and and curse you in the evening he thought whimsically. While she told her tale and he interpreted their meanings casually, for some strange reason, a smirk crawled up on his face...it was the smirk of a survivor having recognized another who might walk that path.

 

He told the Aes Sedai(AS), "It seems a lot more heroic and inspirational when told tales of a survivor Morigalexias Sedai, yet a few paces down that path will seem like eternity..."("Once an Aes Sedai always one...stay bloody frosty!!" echoed Ro's father's  words redundantly in his head)

 

Meanwhile his mind couldn't help but calculate the odds and probabilities of the newly acquired information, primarily because it was ingrained in his very fiber, but also because this certainly was intriguing and unexpected. If the rumors of the last male AS being executed roughly eight to ten  years ago were true, then she has learned how to use her unique grasp of Saidar for some years now. It's not that he was afraid, nor envious of those who learn to Channel, it was simply being wary. The odds and probabilities of data indeed, to survive in life one had to simply toss the dice and wait to see what happened indeed...

[Jehaine]

OOC: No problem, still here. You play RPside or just the ORGs?

 

IC:

 

Shay'rath managed to regain her composure somewhat, subconsciously bringing her hand up to wipe her eyes before touching cloth and realising what she was doing. She took a deep breath -- though it still sounded a bit shaky -- and listened to what Ro'ael had to say, before softly shaking her head, a sarcastic chuckle escaping from her lips.

 

- "Heh, nothing that heroic i suppose... They will write my name down among so many others that died fighting the male Aes Sedai if they haven't already, and in time i will be forgotten, becoming just another name on a list. This held true for as long as i can remember, during my entire training, and i doubt they'd change all of that for me. I wasn't that strong compared to most, and Sisters getting injured or killed... wasn't that exceptional, regrettably."

 

Again, she brushed the piece of cloth hiding her eyes from view. Only one inch closer, their healer had said at the time, and the sword of Fire that had taken her eyes would have seared her brain and killed her. Even so, it was all the woman could have done to even keep her alive. Though she wished the sword would have been that inch longer at times, she knew it hadn't been, and had to make the best of what she had left. Regardless of how little it may be.

[aiel@hrt]

As Shay'rath finished speaking, Ro'ael lounged on to the rock formation even more and took a swig of the water he'd refilled in the morning near the small waterfall this morning. He paused before speaking, "I'll speak with candor Aes Sedai, I'm an idealist trapped inside a realist...and as far as you not being strong enough, strength is not only measured in might and magic...the mere fact that more powerful Sisters have been killed and you stand before me says something about strength too." Ro'ael thought about his own experience with  Shadow spawn in the heart of the Blight, being a former Captain and a skilled military officer is one thing, but battling with the One Power was a whole other roll of the dice he realized.

 

It was becoming twilight in the valley with the halo of hills surrounding it, the amber rays of the sun becoming more subtle and darker. The melody and pitch of the woods taking on a different note as day turned into evening, Ro' took it all in. Out of habbit, he whistled a distinct birdcall and from somewhere up the rough earth path, a strong bristling neigh of a horse came in reply. Ro'ael recalled he hadn't tied Sly to a branch, but he supposed if Sly wanted to wander off a tree trunk would have trouble. The stallion was trained in the Borderlands, and was his steed while he was with his Company...and even now after he decided to travel south from the Blight. Sly's nature was much like his owners, not the least bit fiery or emotional, rather an amused expectation of things to come. The way Ro'ael Chandra looked at it, he could have died on several occasions in his past and he supposed for all he knew, he could drop dead now. This simple fact, he realized through various experiences of gripping and stupefying fear to utter hopelessness in his most desperate moments in his life, therefore, there really was no need to fear nor rush death as far as Ro' was concerned. A cool breeze swirled around the bowl that was the valley and echoed its subtle agreement.

[aiel@hrt]

OOC: I'm gonna sound like a total noob, but I really dont know whats org side or RP side, I'm guessing this is the RP side...and also, do you think I should create a bio or something for my charcter? If I do, do I just post it under that section as a new topic? lol....it really doesnt matter either way I suppose, I like coming up with random proses  ;D

[Jehaine]

OOC: Heh i see. As for the Bio, you don't really need one for a single thread RP (i haven't made one either), though it helps if you're planning something on a larger scale.

 

IC:

 

Before she had lost her sight, Shay'rath had heard stories from others that had lost one of their senses, claiming the body seemed to sharpen the remaining ones to make up for its loss. Now that she was blind, she had discovered that that was true. Though she didn't actualy see him whiste, she nevertheless managed to pinpoint the source of the sound as being too close to Ro'ael, as no wild bird she knew would dare get that close. The neigh was a confirmation of what she had guessed.

 

- "I really should return to the Stedding now. I can feel the sun has almost set, and i fear wolves hate me for what i am. Though i am not defenseless, i don't like taking chances either, not anymore."

 

Taking this as her cue that the stranger was about to leave, she got up as well, brushing her clothing to remove the twigs that had gotten caught in it. At least some habits died hard. She had remained there for longer than she had originaly intended, and even though she didn't need light to find her path she knew the darkness would be the domain of other animals with... less friendly intentions. The Stedding was close however, and the Ogier would make sure that no harm would befall anyone inside.

[Winterwinds]

OOC: Mind if I join in?

[Jehaine]

OOC: I don't mind much, though you should probably PM aiel to be sure. I think he meant this one to be open though.

[aiel@hrt]

OOC:-  Hey guys, sorry I've been hibernating for so long, way too much stuff goin on with work and a move is on the horizon...I'll pick up the slack again, my bad! Winterwinds, you are more then welcome to join in, the more the merrier!! I will come up with something to keep this going