A road, A path [ Luka Talkend Intro RP (Open) Attn:MoA ]

[Sherper]

A Road, A path

The ox cart trundled forward at a dead crawl, yet it still managed to bash, knock and dislodge its single passenger till he felt like throwing up. Reading was way out of the question for Luka and even on the best of roads, he’d be lucky to not have his head spinning by the end of the hour. He should count himself fortunate however, he needed a chance to rest his feet after travelling nearly ten miles on foot for light knows how many weeks and months. The passing farmer had been more than kind enough to offer him a ride - For a price of course.

 

It was a decent trade in Luka’s opinion; autumn wind billowed in an endless cloud of leaves along with a chill that he would preferably be out of before sunset. He also wanted some sleep, which the old cart driver was not allowing him at the moment by keeping up a constant stream of chatter. Master Alpert Torfinn the cart owner was heading north to Alindaer to hopefully sell off his crops at the local market, and he felt it his personal obligation to inform Luka about the finer points of manure distribution. 
Stifling another yawn, he blinked to clear away the weariness that had temporarily clouded his eyes. The man was going on about ploughing techniques again, which Luka swore he’d already heard four times that day.

 

A sudden gust of wind blew past which made him involuntarily shiver. Wrapping the worn travelling cloak more tightly around himself, he eyed the road up ahead and more importantly – his pathway ahead. Tar Valon was his destination and an end to a very long journey that had started nearly three years ago. Born the second son to the Lord Eram Talkend of House Talkend, the slim eighteen year old looked nothing like a nobleman should. Light brown hair and deep hazelnut eyes marked him as Andorian, yet the plain coat and breeches he wore could’ve belonged to any traveller from any land. The only thing that might have marked him out of place was the three foot long steel long sword sitting in its scabbard on his left hip, with only the hilt sticking partly out from under his cloak.

 

He had left home to seek adventure; to find out more about people and places instead of just reading about them. Strange to think his journey would eventually take him here. But hard days in the saddle, long stretches of staring at oblique nothingness and more than one night sleeping on an empty stomach had made him realise adventuring might not have been what he had at first envisioned. Now, he was in search of a higher purpose instead of simply fulfilling his wanderlust.

 

He interrupted the other man mid-way through another explanation on the finer points of potato growing seasons, and went right over the startled jump the man gave at being cut off.
“Yes… Master Talkend?” the man said uncertainly, perhaps picking up on Luka’s weary mood. He had maintained the use of his surname, instead of switching to another. Commoners this far from Andor would hardly know the existence of such a small house of Andor and besides - he didn’t like lying too often.   

 

“How far are we from Tar Valon, Master Forfinn?” he enquired briskly, his Andorian accent clinging heavily to his words. It always intrigued him how even after so long away from home, he could still not shake off talking like an Andorian.

 

‘Brisk and stubborn, Andorians are known for being direct and to the point.’ He read that in a book once somewhere. The recollection made him chuckle.
That would’ve been the perfect description for both his father and older brother.
A pang of sorrow and regret hit him, as soon as the thought was out. It had been nearly three years since he had even heard from his family – past family. He knew he couldn’t linger on it for long. He’ll begin feeling home sick again… 

 

“We’ll ehh… reach the first villages before night fall I think…” Alpert bobbled in a croaky voice, then proceeded to snap the reins that directed the two oxen to speed up - they didn’t of course. Oxen had only one speed rating, which was dead slow. Sitting stiffly in his seat, Luka watched the slowly passing countryside. He didn’t know what was to come, and often wondered if he was making the correct decision by doing this. He wasn’t just going to Tar Valon on any order of business; he was going to join the warders. To become part of the deadliest fighting organisation in the lands, and most importantly protect the Aes Sedais on their journey to bring order to this world.  

 

Unlike most Andorians or any other group not born in the Tar Valon region, Luka did not harbour negative opinions about Aes Sedai. This is partly because he had actually talked to one, not to mention being saved from the edge of death. It had been an Aes Sedai of the blue Ajah as he recalled it, that made him understand. Perhaps unintentional, but what the sister had said to him being cooped up that night in the small tavern room, helped Luka come to realise his true purpose in life.

 

“Is Master Talkend alright? Master Talkend seems a bit lost.”

 

He realised he hadn’t been listening to what the other man had been saying and hastily went about reassuring him that yes, he was quite alright. 

 

“I’ll be fine, thank you. Just needed some rest that’s all, haven’t had quite enoug—“ The words caught in his mouth as a bolt slammed into the side of the wagon, followed by three more in rapid succession.

 

“Pull to the side now- get down!” he yelled at the man. Suddenly wide awake, he reached for his unstrung longbow just as the cart came to a lurching halt to one side of the road. Luka clambered down on one side and was met swiftly by another volley of crossbow bolt which tore through the wood on the cart, sending splinters exploding in all directions. Fumbling inside his coat pockets, he quickly produced a waxed bow string and readied his weapon after finding cover behind the sturdy ox cart. In the dim light that came with the beginnings of dusk, it was impossible to tell the range and direction in which his quarries were shooting from. Panting slightly, he looped his arrow quiver over one shoulder as he felt the bulky figure of Master Tofinn crash beside him.

 

“Me’lord please. Help me out of here!”

He was suddenly Me’lord now was he? The man knew it all along, burn him!
Scowling, he heard himself growl at the other man; “I’m not your lord.” Alpert Toffinn flinched and shifted slightly away from him. Sweat beaded down both their temples despite the cool. What was he going to do? Years of adventuring have given him some ability and experience in combat and he’s past the point of not making a fool of himself when holding a weapon - but this was different.  From the rate at which the bolts had flown at them, Luka guessed there were at least five men armed with crossbows across the clearing.

 

The ambushers didn’t hesitating to use lethal force it seems. Luka was sure if he had been standing still, they would’ve probably made a pin cushion out of him. Selecting a broad head arrow, he placed it at the centre of his bowstring. He had to show them they didn’t have easy pickings this time.  He braced himself, then quickly spun out of cover from one side of the ox cart.  By the time his foot had planted themselves from his pivot, the eighty-pound draw weight of the bow already had an arrow trained on the first moving shape Luka saw. Releasing the tension, the arrow thundered towards the distance after a loud *thwak!*

 

Miss. He quickly ducked back behind the cart again as a shower of crossbow bolts answered his single arrow. Six, maybe seven. His earlier estimation had been off and he was facing odds he seriously doubted he could beat. At least they’d be hesitating charging head on - for now.

 

 “Don’t shoot!” He yelled over the top of the wagon, “We’re just farmers!”
That wasn’t entirely true – not for him at least, but he wanted to get a gauge of who he might be up against. He suspected his ambushers weren’t seasoned fighters but were mere run of the mill bandits. They hadn’t spread out on both sides of the road as was general practise during ambushes, to deny the convoy of any hiding place once the missiles start flying. But as with the situation, Luka reckoned they were just unruly peasants with crossbows.   Yet they were at eight to his one.

 

“Farmers aye?” came a gruff voice from somewhere across the clearing. “Well one of you’ll don’t look like no farmer to me!”
He chanced a peak over the end of the wagon and eyed the direction of the voice warily. The man’s accent was hard to place, with a hint of Andor and perhaps Cairhien and an Illian undertone, it didn’t sound educated at all.

 

“What do you want?” he barked, deciding the pretence to be farmers probably isn’t working for this bunch.

 

“Why, your Gold of course! and any valuables you might have.”

 

“I can give you fifteen crowns if you’ll agree to leave us alone.”

He had more in his poach, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to give them the game by offering too much.
“How about fifty, plus that pretty sword of yours?” the man chortled and Luka couldn’t help growling at the man’s demands. He might have given the man all his gold and silver if it had come to it, but his sword? – No, he wasn’t going to give that up.

 

“Come and get it if you dare!”
The sword had been one of the few things he carried as a reminder that he was still a Talkend, it had been a parting gift from his own mother and there was no way in hell he was seeing this fall to the hands of these kind of people.
Nocking another arrow, he raised it over the cart and sent it flying in the general direction of the man’s voice. It missed, but to his surprise a painful cry rang out past the point where he had over shot. He hadn’t meant to hit any of them – just scare them off.
All for the best he thought, nocking yet another arrow to his bowstrings.

 

A burning jet of pain tore through his left shoulder as he was sent flying backwards behind the cart. His world temporarily turned black, but the pain snapped him awake again as his body slammed against the ground. Two inches of quarrel stuck out from just underneath his shoulder blades. Blood oozed from the open wound, soaking through the fabric of his shirt in an ever increasing pool of black. He was only dimly aware of the panicked squeals of master Toffinn beside him as the man altered between trying to see how he was, and finding a way to run for his life. Luka didn’t blame him.

 

Eyeing his sides quizzically, he tried to turn his head further but was met by a burning wave of pain. Squeezing his eyes shut, he concentrated on the source of the hurt - willed himself to feel and experience the agony that was his left shoulder. Once he knew where the feeling was, he pictured a large impenetrable dome made from clear glass and placed it slowly over all the vileness. Gradually, he felt the pain disappear from his mind, or rather – he just no longer felt it bothering him. He still could sense it, but it was more like the pain was kept inside one of his coat pockets than actually in him.

 

“Help me get up.” He said to the other man, in a voice that was surprisingly steady.
“Wha..Wha?!” the farmer spluttered, perspiration dotting his face.
“I SAID, Help me get up!” The man quickly obeyed after the second calling and helped Luka to his feet, but was careful not to go anywhere near the black red patch on his left shoulder. He leaned Luka to the side of the wagon and the young lord felt his good hand press against the rough wooden planks.
He realised he was panting, as he leaned against the sides of the cart. And sweating too, like a pig.  

“When I give the word,” he breathed, feeling the effort of just standing there. “Run.”

 

With his working hand, he drew the sword from his side and glared at the other man. Out of the corner of his peripheral vision he could already see shapes closing in from the flanks of the wagon. You would think Luka was trying to gut Alpert from the look he was giving him, his eyes darting one second to the three foot long steel, the next to Luka’s blood shot eyes and face.

 

“Go!” he commanded, and the man was off.

 

“I’ll get help Master Luka, you stay right there! I’ll get help!”

 

Luka would’ve laughed if the situation wasn’t so hopeless. Whatever help the man could find, it would long be too late for him.
He turned and propped the sword on one shoulder, holding it with both hands. The pain inside the dome was seeking to break through its barrier, as he hoisted himself to face his adversary. He was buying time; he just needed to buy time. The first signs of the enemy were rapidly appearing, three burly looking men each holding either a spear or a crossbow in hand, skirted to the side of the wagon.

 

With a final roar, he lifted the steel sword and charged at them, the white lion of Andor screaming on his tongue. He had not taken two steps however, before the dome withholding the pain shattered into a million pieces in his mind.  The world turned into an endless void of black, as he fell tumbling and falling to the ground.  

 

 

~Luka Talkend
Second Son to Lord Eram Talkend

 

 

OOC: I've made this an open Role play, as what will happen next is a group of tower guards will arrive just on time to fend off the bandits and take Luka back to the city. It is my guess that anyone with a tower guard character (or above) who can think up of an excuse to be out of the tower with around twenty other guards can pick up the story from there. Someone will also need to explain and report to the MoA what happened, once Luka has been taken to yard to be healed.

Edited October 13, 2013 by Sherper

[Rasheta Ardashir]

Taia and Reki were arguing, this seemed to be the case as Reki got more used to being with her. She couldn't say she was dissapointed with this, she found their chats, she paused to think of the right word, enlightening or refreshing came to mind. She jerked her focus back to the problem at hand when Reki's displeasure flowed through there bond clearly. She continued to smile at him, he wasn't fooled anymore he knew she was annoyed as well. "We have to go back to Tar Valon. Don't you want to tell Mia Sedai what we have learned." Taia sighed it was the same arguement he had used on her for the last week as they had traveled this road.

 

"Reki Gaidin you already know my thoughts on it."  she tried to sound stern and give him a glare. He just  continued to stare at her for a few moments, and she threw her hands up, something she'd never have done if there had been anyone else around. When the two were on there own neither was as formal. Most Aes Sedai and there warders were more relaxed when alone, "Alright fine we'll go back to Tar Valon and I'll speak to Mia and you can do." She paused and made a vague gesture "Whatever it is you want to do that you aren't telling me." He would never smile smugly at her it just wasm't in his character, but Taia could tell that if he HAD been that kind of person he would have. He won this arguement, but he wouldn't always. She glared at his back as he turned to watch the road ahead of them as they rode. His color shifting cloak flowing out behind him in the breeze. She let out her breath and tossed her hair over one shoulder, following after him.

 

Her naturally good temper returned to her after a few moments and she was smiling again when they heard the sound of someone calling for help. She frowned and glanced at Reki. He moved in front of her and halted them both. A man, clearly a famer of some kind, came around the bend in the road calling for help. They waited till he noticed them and then ran to them. Reki wouldn't let him get to close to her, so she asked "What is it?" He started babbling about the young man he was transporting and bandits. Taia remained expressionless as she was taught but Reki glanced at her to ask for confromation she nodded slightly. Reki stopped the man babbling by raising his hand. "Do you go on to the nearest town or do you want to come back with us? You will travel in the company of an Aes Sedai." He nodded at Taia and continued, "If you are leading us into a trap I will kill you myself." The man seemed to be frantic. "Hurry Aes Sedai I will follow behind it's not too far in that direction." He nodded back the way he had come. Taia nodded and spoke for the first time.

 

"We will see to the young man for you. Hurry along to Tar Valon we will bring the boy there." Reki seemed happy with that suggestion so Taia ignored him to focus on the man "here is a bit of money for your trouble," She gave him a Tar Valon mark and he seemed suprised. She smiled at him and said "Now we wll go." She nudged her horse around him and she and Reki rode away at a quick trot.

 

After some time had passed they heard the sounds of looting and Taia reigned in and glanced at her warder. "Thoughts?" She asked he shrugged and worked his sword and staff free.  He would probably favor the staff so she would watch his back. "Go on I'll check for archers or the boy." He nodded and she wished him well. "Don't seek the Mother's embrace today." He nodded and she went one direction and he went on down the road. She was able to sneak up on the bandits with little trouble they weren't watching anything they were looting. The boy was down on the ground and seemed to have a crossbow bolt sticking out of him. She sighed inwardly "of course he would be injured" Taia had no skill with healing they would need to get him to Tar Valon and quickly. She embraced the power and watched for Reki. He emerged from the woods and the men were suprised to see him. She watched for a moment as Reki started swinging the staff knocking one of the men over with little trouble, that seemed to snap the rest of the bandits out of there stupior. She wove earth and caught two before they were able to sneak up behind Reki and he then cracked them on the head sending them into darkness. She used another weave to create a large rent in the earth and showered everyone in dirt Reki didn't seem to be bothered he continued dispatching the bandits. Taia wove another earth weave sending the remaining men to the ground. She winced when Reki hit the earth as well but the weave she was using was everyone or no one. She couldn't kill them unless they got seriously close to killing her Warder or herself. She didn't think the men had much of a chance of that, in a few moments she was proved correct as Reki dispatched the last one. She moved toward the boy to make sure he wasn't overly hurt. She delved the man and nodded he wasn't overly hurt after they shot him with the crossbow they had cut him a few times he must have tried to fight some as well, but after he was knocked out they seemed to have left him more or less alone. They must have thought he was dead he was lucky. He groaned and she sat back on her heels and waited for him to come around. When he opened his eyes she smiled at him.

 

"You were very brave," she used her soothing voice, "be calm I am Taia Sedai, my warder and I have saved you. Can you speak? What happened and try not to move your arm it will only make the wound worse."

[Sherper]

The dome had shattered, his fight was lost. Time became an endless strand of thread that clung to him with no beginning or end. He was floating in space no, the void; an empty stretch of nothingness that was surely his final resting ground. This was the time after death; the thought seemed to creep at him. This is where all go to die. It might’ve been his - but the voice sounded hollow, he was dead after all.

 

It wasn’t so bad. This felt like resting. He could no longer feel the pains and agony he had experienced during the last waking moments of his conscious form. He felt… tired and wanted to bask in the darkness. Let It embrace him fully so he could drift into an eternal sleep. The thought did not chill him at all; he rather quite looked forward to it.

 

Abruptly however he was wrenched wide awake; the void being there one minute, the next replaced by a burning light that filled every corner of his iris. And the pain, oh light the pain! He couldn’t feel much when he was last alive, but without the adrenaline in his system the agony was magnified ten, no a hundred folds. He wanted to scream in pain, let out his lungs in one last plea for the world to end it for him.  Instead, he moaned as he twisted and willed his brain to make sense of the colours floating across in front of his eyes. The wound on his left shoulder from the crossbow bolt throbbed like a burning piece of charcoal, yet he also felt other wounds on his body – if not as prominent.

 

 A woman’s voice’s drifted like a bar of golden sunlight across his agony, to pierce his thoughts and make him forget about everything else in his mind. It sounded low and almost husky in its silkiness, and Luka knew an angel had swooped down to care for him.
“You were very brave,” it said, her words like a gentle caress across his skin. His eyes finally focused and a smooth ageless face stared down at him, her rich eyes an emerald green. They might have worn an expression of concern or affection if only he knew better from an Aes Sedai.

 

“Be calm, I am Taia Sedai, my warder and I have saved you.”
So he was not dead afterall, he thought glumly to himself. Not yet.

 

 Had that place been a dream? His eyes became misty again, but a fresh wave of pain snapped him awake.
“Can you speak? What happened? Try not to move your arm or it’ll only make the wound worse.”

 

The Aes Sedai was giving him instructions and he obeyed without hesitation. Another figure appeared over the head of the Aes Sedai; a tall sleek fellow that seemed to have suffered a number of scars of his own, some of them more recent.
“My sword.” He croaked, “Give me my sword.”
A flash of irritation crossed the ageless face, which disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

 

He felt something fall into his lap and exhaled an audible sigh of relief as his hand closed around the familiar feeling pommel. Gripping the leather bindings tightly, he thought he would never let go.

 

“How many of them did I take down with me?” He said as he looked up at both Aes Sedai and Warder. “And Master Toffinn, is he safe?” He was surprised at how steady and calm his voice was, yet the pain seems to have become a lot more, insignificant compared to everything else. He felt cold; so very cold. He had his sword though, and he was ready to feel the dark embrace again.

 

The warder turned his head to one side to look at something, and Luka turned his head to follow. He stared at the scene of chaos that had befallen the unfortunate band of brigands.  A dozen bodies lay motionless in a heap of overturned earth and splintered wood. A few Luka was sure were never to rise again.
“You put up a decent fight lad. Two of ‘em won’t be rising because of you.”

 

Luka chuckled at that, a bitter vile laugh that carried no humour. “Not as well as the fabled Gaidin it seems. Guess I was never made to be warder material.” He coughed and tasted blood on his lips. “I’ll never get the chance to find out...” The darkness was closing in around him, and he knew time was slipping through his fingers.

 

“If you find Eram Talkend.” He gasped, trying to fight off the darkness for a moment longer. “Tell him… Tell him his son died fighting with a sword in his hand. I think he’d like that…” The Warder and Aes Sedai were saying something, but Luka could no longer interpret their words into meaning. The darkness was once more upon him - Darkness he might never wake from again. His eye lids fluttered then closed, and the young lord of Andor drifted once more into the realm of unconsciousness.

 

 

~Luka Talkend
Second Son to Lord Eram Talkend

Edited October 13, 2013 by Sherper

[Rasheta Ardashir]

The boy woke up and instead of telling her his name he asked for his sword. Why did men always feel the need to have something sharp in there hands all the time. She glanced at Reki and he seemed to already to have found the sword he put it in the boys hands. She let the two talk and didn't say anything when the boy said he was not as good as the "fabled Gaidin" she snorted in a very unladylike fashion. Rekinu glanced at her and smiled at her before turning back to the child on the ground. She thought "Of course you aren't as good as the Gaidin you are a child." She didn't say it out loud, but Reki glanced at her again and she knew that he knew that she was getting annoyed.

 

“If you find Eram Talkend.” He gasped, trying to fight off the darkness for a moment longer. “Tell him… Tell him his son died fighting with a sword in his hand. I think he’d like that…”

 

Taia sighed deeply and glared at Reki. He wasn't bothered of course, "This is what happens when we help children they want us to run all over the place and take messages to fathers, sisters, brothers." She stood up and added "he's not even dead! He's in need of a healer, but he's not going to die." Reki started looking over the bandits trying to find whatever loot they had taken so he could pile it up in the wagon, and he would return everything he could. She sighed and used air to lift and place the Talkend boy to the back of the wagon. Reki picked over the bodies and added the loot to the wagon. She waited for him to finish and then she burned the bodies with fire. She waited a moment for Reki to get into the wagon and start moving. She rode her black stallion as she always did. Reki would never have asked her to ride in the wagon. They had to make it to Tar Valon before the child gave into his wounds. She eyed the bolt he shouldn’t remove it. She eyed Reki and said as much  he nodded.

 

After a little over two hours of hard traveling Reki and Taia made it back to Tar valon, she got the boy into the tower grounds and sent a Novice to find the first Yellow sister she could and told the girl to tell the Yellow that Taia Misna of the Green Ajah has a severely injured boy out in the courtyard and they need to come and see him. After what seemed like too long a Yellow came out and took a look at the boy and then relieved Reki and Taia of there burden. Taia would see to the boy later. Reki had told her the boy would probably want to train with the warders. He’d probably see to training the boy himself if he could. She walked into the tower with Reki following she would worry about everything else later.

Taia and the Yellow sister talked for a moment the boy was going to go to the Master of the Yard if Taia had to drag him herself. It was the price he was going to pay for her help. Reki had convinced her that the child would be worthy of it. The yellow was simply saying he needed a few more days. Taia sighed and shook her head “You can check up on him as well in the training yard can’t you?” The yellow sighed seeing that Taia wasn’t going to leave without him. Taia looked at the now awake young man. She told him “Hurry up and stand up you will be going to see the Master of the Yard. You will become a Warder, or at the very least trained by the tower. We have the best training around so you won’t lack for something to learn.” She tapped her foot waiting when he was as ready as he was going to be Taia rushed him along till they came out to the warder yard and she went to the Master.

“A New recruit for you treat him as you do all the others.” She nodded to him and then turned to leave him to his new life.

 

Taia Misna

Green Sister

Edited October 23, 2013 by Rasheta Ardashir