Dragon's blood (arena charecters)

[copyKatt]

"well, i already said id help you. ill be looking about the city anyway, so i dont see why i shouldnt help. so much death here, its so sad. and now this treachery, im sorry for your loss. its horrible to lose people so close to you..."

*Katts eyes wander to the young girl and the child, obviosly related as to the resemblance in their faces and the way they stay close to eachother.*

How very lucky they are.. a good thing too, theyre so young to be alone in a world as perilous as this one

*Katt just smiled at the duo, then went on to investigate the wreckage a bit more. but there wasnt much too look at though. all the evidence pointed to murder...*

[alys]

[rewind]
Alys wandered by herself for a while, poking at bodies with the stick in her left hand, stooping to inspect the few pieces of equipment she found intact. She worked in silence, her mind quite busy with other things as her body moved on its own. She'd always considered herself to be tough--she wasn't some little brat, anymore. She was practically a grown woman, now. No one could tell her she was wrong--what did they know? They were ignorant and she'd have none of it. But, this? This was more than she'd ever expected. She'd often thought of how she hated her family and even, once or twice, how she'd wished their deaths, but she was never serious. Some part of her mind blamed her loathed thoughts, while she tried to justify them in her head. They'd never loved her, never remembered, never cared--what loyalty did she owe them?
As Alys pondered these things, Jaakob continued to polish his armour in his own saliva.
When Alys returned, she carried with her a few daggers and one short sword, all of which were in bad repair. She, herself, wore a pair of tough, leather gloves she'd taken from the body of one of the town boys. For her brother, she'd brought back a pretty bauble she found around the neck of one of the townsfolk. He took it happily, regarding the shiny sphere with his big, bright eyes for several minutes before he even bothered to put the light cord around his neck.
As everyone began to redouble their efforts to find survivors, she dawdled quietly behind, talking with her brother in hushed words about their family and what had happened. Jaakob nodded slowly, as she spoke, asking her straightforward questions, as children often do. She did her best to answer and, when he was satisfied, she fell into a long, slow silence.
[/rewind]

Watching the body, objectively, Alys listened to Drask's words without really hearing them. She held her brother's hand tightly, keeping him close to her. When she felt Katt's eyes on her, she looked up to meet the gaze, then regarded her brother. His expression was light, despite the circumstances. He turned to her and smiled. "Smile, Alys," he said, plainly, trying to reach up and poke her cheeks.
She smiled, despite herself, and hugged Jaakob. "Do you want to stay with these people and help them? We have no where else to go...."
Jaakob seemed to consider this, then, "Do you think the man with the white eyes will let me pet the pretty owl?"
Alys blinked at him, then laughed.

[Abishai]

The child's words seared into Drask, and with a smile he knelt dowl and allowed the bird to be stroked. "Be careful he's not overy friendly to strangers, then again, I think we won't be strangers for very long."

To the rest of the group that was gathered he voiced his thoughts on how they should proceed. "It's going to be dark soon, and we're going to need to find someplace to sleep, as well as something to eat. If you ladies will go about looking for something to eat, I'm sure the orcs and the rest of the army must have had tents of some sort to sleep in. You two *he pointed to Grazt and Jathalas* come with me and we'll look into finding one that survived."

[copyKatt]

''well then, it looks like we have a bit of work to do then ladies. im not indigenous to this town, so im not entirely sure where to start our search... but i suggest that any food we eat comes from this town, becuase i wouldnt want to touch that orcish army food with a ten foot pole!"

[Abishai]

Rynara readily agreed with Katt's statement. "My brother and I got to know the town a little, after all he, he was a thief. . . and you have to know a little about the town in order to know where the valuables are."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she once again looked at her brother's corpse. She knelt down beside him and placed his head in her lap. She gently stroked his hair, and then closed his eyes. "I will avenge you brother" she whispered with fierce determination.

She then stood up and turned to face Katt and Alys. "You two come with me, I'm pretty sure that getting food out of the wreckage is going to be difficult. I'm just as sure that it can be done, and should be done as quickly as possible. There's only so much light left before the sun goes down."

[copyKatt]

*not wanting to make Rynara think of her brother any more then she wants to, Katt lets the subject pass by for now. it would be good for her to focus her mind on other things anyway*

"Yes, we should definatly find some food before sundown, who knows what matter of mischevious things lie in wait to nip at our toes in the dark. i sugeest we start by looking for food left in the village stores, if the orcs havent burned them... or if this town even has them... if not, the next best bet would probably be a tavern or inn, they usually have stores of food there. although, that option may require some sifting through rubble.. and possibly corpses...

*Katt shifted an uneasy eye towards the children. no sence in hiding things from them, she thought, its becoming a tough world out here anyway*

[alys]

Jaakob reached up gingerly and pet the soft feathers of the owl, his tiny hands brushing the bird only gently. He smiled broadly and watched the owl intently as Drask spoke, Alys looking on with a touch of awe that she would be loathe to admit later.

As everyone set about to their duties, Alys took her brother's shoulder, "You stay with me, kid, okay?"

"Alys, did you see me pet the pretty owl?" he giggled, absently as he moved with her towards the woman and the elf. Alys listened to them speak, less politely--more with a great sense of annoyance.

"I've lived here my whole life--Tanner the Grocer is the best place to get food. He kept a whole store full of dried goods....." Alys stated, impetulently unwilling to submit to any other plan of action. She'd already begun walking, in fact, Jaakob looking back as he stumbled after her.

Alys didn't bother to be sure if anyone had followed her, just strut towards the site she seemed to remember as being Tanner's Grocery. She couldn't be sure she wasn't treading over Grocer the Baker's shop, nor over Smith the Weaver's--but, she would be the last to admit her confusion. "Here," she stopped, hoping she was, in fact, correct.

((Okay, I think Alys mourned long enough.... Now, for the attitude... ))

[Abishai]

The shop had been reduced to small pieces of rubble, easily moved and disposed of. After a few hours of work the majority of the shop was visible. Food indeed was evident, and in large quantities. Flour, fresh bread, dried meats, smoked meats, water flasks, and even one wine bottle was still intact. As the females began scrounging for whatever food they could find, it became clear that the what remained of the walls were not at all steady. Only the one on the north side appeared to be holding, and holding well. Rynara approached and brushed debris away from the base of the wall curiously. As the debris moved a bejeweled dagger could be seen gleeming brightly.

Rynara siezed the dagger and studied it for a long minute.

"This is my brothers and I'd bet anything that this shop keeper was either his murderer, or he was an accomplice. If his dagger was here, there might be a secret passage over here past the wall. Should we look now, or go back to the others?"

Drazt walked out onto the battlefiend and began walking towards the woods in the distance. If he was to find a tent or two it was going to take some time. He casually kicked goblin bodies out of his way, looking intently at the forest in front of him. What secrets did it hide? What could he learn? As he approached he was startled to find row after row after row of tents still intact. He judged each tent to be able to sleep three orcs comfortably. So, 3 females, and just about 3 males, that made for two tents. He walked over and began dismantling a tent.

[Abishai]

Drask, left alone save for his owl, contemplated the events of the day and the night before. Some things just didn't add up. Among the things that didn't add up, was the body of the young elf. Something was very wrong with that. Why would you murder somebody that would most likely die anyways.

The thoughts pulled at his mind like a puppeteer pulling strings. The answer to many questions could very well lie within the answer to the elf's death.

"Come now Jym, it is time that we follow the path the killers took."

The owl let loose a small screech and flapped its wings, and then the duo began walking. The trail was hard to follow as the wreckage from several buildings obscured the path on several occasions. However, Jym, with his keen eyesight was able to pass on the location of the footprints they were following.

Through piles of debris, over mangled corpses, and through heaps of garbage, the footprints continued before turning sharply and heading toward the remains of a small shop.

Inside the shop the females were just finishing collecting food. . . .

[alys]

With the rubble mostly sifted out of the way, Alys had salvaged a piece of cloth in which she started collecting vast amounts of her favourite food--beef jerky. She chewed on a small piece as she worked, offering one to Jaakob who happily stuffed it into his mouth and drooled over it around his words. He jabbered happily, and, indeed, incessantly the entire time they worked, until Rynara's voice silenced him.

Both of the children looked to her, surprised by her finding, but Jaakob, being a small child soon lost interest when he noticed the presence of his new friend. "Owl!"

Alys turned and saw Drask with his owl and, from the look on his face, she got the impression that he was concentrating on something.... meh, it can't possibly be as important as me.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting us tents?" she asked, impatiently.

[Abishai]

The voice startled Drask and he waited a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking to the young girl. Alys he thought he had heard her name was. "Yes, I was going to go help find a tent or two, however something else came up. Something that might help us make sense out of why we were attacked. At least I hope that it will answer some of our questions. I've spent the last hour or more pondering over what could possibly be the reason, and staring at, at *he lowered his voice to a whisper* her brother lying dead by a human hand gave me some insight into what this could possibly mean. However, I don't think you and you alone should hear what this means, do you?"

Fly to the boy.

The owl flew from Drask's shoulder and landed gently on the shoulder of the young boy. It nuzzled his neck and face, delilghting in the grins that they drew. All the while, the owls eyes surveyed the walls of the room.

The pannel was hidden and hidden well, almost well enough that Drask missed it. Odds were that a small portion of the wall would move revealing a secret passage, the odds were even higher that the passage, or even the wall, would be trapped in some way.

[copyKatt]

*Katt had already filled a canvas bag that was left behind with assorted good for the rest of the group. she noticed the strange man with an owl cme doen and whisper to the little girl.*

"how now? whats all this hush hush about, something wrong back at the camp?"

[alys]

Jaakob nearly squealed with delight as the owl landed on his shoulder, reaching a small, chubby hand up to pet the owl. He giggled as the bird nuzzled his face, not even noticing it's eyes studying the wall beside him.

Alys scrunched up her nose as she spoke, ignoring Katt for the moment as she scowled to Drask, "Why wouldn't you tell me?" She put her hand on her hip, waiting for him to reply to her completely frivolous question.

[Abishai]

"I'll tell you when the other have arrived, and only then. I don't like having to talk more than I have to, okay?"

Drask motioned for Katt and Rynara to join him and the whiney little girl. "I think that some of the answers that we are looking for are going to lie behind a secret pannel in this very room. However, there might be some danger ahead of us. The secret panel is here *he tapped a small portion of the wall and outlined it with his hand*. I think that it might be trapped, and if it is, do we have somebody here that is capable of disarming it? Once the panel is moved out of place, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to find the murdering scum that killed my brother, and we're going to give them a one way ticket to the afterlife"

[Abishai]

The tent did not take very long to break down. It took even less time to roll up into something that could be carried over one broad shoulder. The second tent held an odor that was unsettling, even to Grazt. It was worse than the bodies consumed by the acid outside, it was worse even that rotting corpses which were to be seen on some battle fields. This smell smelled like Death itself, somehow.

Grazt poked his head into the tent and began to search its contents. A small table, with an alter errected. It was no surprise that the scum had errected an alter to the black dragon. What was strange was seeing paper. Paper that was neatly folded, and sitting on the alter. Grazt could not read, but that did not stop him from grabbing the paper, and running back into town. . . . .