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 Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:41 pm
(Matasoga's Listen check succeeds.)
Misconstruing Furian's purpose for taking his feet as an indication that his tone had angered the half-dragon, Adustes fought the urge to rise as well. His upbringing and former profession had conditioned him to react before an aggressor could attack, but he felt it more important now to show himself not to be nervous or intimidated--hoping that it might win him some respect from the man, as would be the case were he dealing with the nearby barbarians-- so he allowed himself to be put at the disadvantage. Even so, he would not be taken unprepared. He fixed his gaze on the half-dragon's with his eyes, not turning his head as most would, and in his peripheral watched the man's sword arm. His hand flexed at his side as he called one of his last spells to mind, prepared to break it down into baleful energy should Furian draw his weapon or advance.
Contrary to Adustes' expectation, the half-dragon seemed to have risen only to make his point, so he began to relax. "Noted," he said during the pause. His eyes flicked to the side to follow Furian's pointing finger before returning to their previous position. He tensed again, to a lesser degree, upon hearing how far the other was headed, and began to wonder if it truly was coincidental that they were headed in the same direction.
"The course suits me well. The sooner we reach the other side of this forest, the better. But what exactly is your goal?"
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 5:50 pm
Furian took the other hare off the makeshift spit, glad to see Adustes had taken his advice as just that and not misconstrued it as an attempt to intimidate. To the question he replied simply, "A weapon."
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Matasoga rolled 1 20-sided dice:
19
Total: 19 (1-20)
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:27 pm
Matasoga kept his back turned both to the party and the beast. He was clearly largely right about him. He could probably be less careful with his insulting insinuations. Even the most base and brazen forms of veiled insults were beyond the ken of his violent, inferior barbarian mind to comprehend.
He composed his face to a mask of serenity, willing away his disgusted scowl as he turned just his head to survey the scene after the tension rose. Could this be it? Perhaps they'd come to blows and he could finally be forever rid of this hateful thorn in his side. Perhaps the city would award him another medal if he brought the beast's head back so that they could display it on a pike before the grunting, flea-infested barbarians that he won battles for. He forced himself not to smile, but allowed his grip on his spear (which he normally carried, as one might a walking stick) to tighten.
He sighed, inaudibly, when the two began speaking with a modicum of civility once more.
((Matasoga's Bluff check to keep his thoughts from being revealed by his expression: 19+16=35))
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 7:42 pm
Adustes suppressed a sigh, seeing that he wasn't likely to get much more information from the half-dragon. But if he was truly searching for a weapon, then their objective wasn't the same, even if their destination might be. So the priest allowed himself to relax, sitting back and crossing his arms over his breastplate.
He nodded to acknowledge Furian's response. "Well, we're prepared to leave when you are," he said, signifying that he had no more questions.
Unless spoken to, he will remain silent until the group leaves.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 12:50 am
Vhael'iss had followed their leader in silence when they moved to the dark half-dragon's camp, and was now settled cross-legged on the grass just outside the dim firelight's reach. Her viola, nestled once more in its case, rested on the ground before her, her slender fingertips brushing against the worn leather with the casual touch of familiar companions.
She was facing outward toward the darkness of the trees, angled only just enough to keep the camp in the very edge of her vision. Her mood had not improved much, and she had no desire to be disturbed as she glowered down at her hands.
Unacceptable, she seethed in her own mind, still dwelling on the events of their first battle. That fight had been unacceptable.
What use was she if Adustes could trap their enemies in despair with less effort than she could? The very thought had her upper lip curling in disgust. At this rate, the shadar-kai was going to cut her loose as soon as they reached the next town, if not sooner. She had to do better. She could do better.
It was not very long before she grew bored of her sulking however, fickle fey that she was, and she allowed her attention to come back to the others and the conversation at hand. Despite her silent berating, she'd not been entirely deaf to their discussion and if she'd been in a better mood, she might have snickered at the growing frustration of both men. Clearly there was a communication gap between them and seeing them struggle to find common ground was almost amusing.
As it was, she did not much care either way whether their number was raised by one, as so far this Furian had seemed dully void of interesting emotion.
On the other hand, however... Her attention shifted once more, this time to Matasoga who was brooding on the outskirts much like she was... The reaction that he evoked in their sullen blue companion might just make his presence worth it. So far, despite his skill with keeping his painted face neutral (or perhaps because of it), he was the most entertaining to observe with her unusual senses.
Vhael'iss' eyes shifted to the man in question and if Matasoga returned her gaze, her lips would pull back in a mischievous grin.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 1:32 am
He had since turned back to face the fire. He wouldn't sleep easy while the beast was alive in their camp. He considered simply not sleeping but decided that this may not be acceptable. He'd have to but poison tacks or some other sort of trap item to ensure the security of his tent. His draconic pupils contracted as he stared into the embers, plotting the beasts demise, when he felt the eyes upon him.
He looked up to meet the gaze of the minstrel. She grinned mischievously and he wondered what she wanted but decided that now was no time to burn any bridges. She may not have endeared herself to him yet, but he needed allies now more than ever. He gave the slightest hint of a smile back but otherwise made his expression quizzical, going so far as to c**k his head, slightly.
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2010 6:58 pm
Furian took the remaining hare off the spit and finished it easily. He stood, readjusting his sword on his belt and began checking his saddlebags again to make sure nothing else had been taken in his absence. Afterward he took a small ball made of still green thatch attached to a short rope out of his pack. The ball also had a hole in it that would be near the top were it to dangle from its string. Furian returned to the fire and knelt down, retrieving one of the larger coals with his bare hand and placing it inside the the simple brazier. He tied it to the horn of his saddle, letting it hang over the horse's shoulder, smoke slowly rising from the hole and drifting on the night air. Turning toward Adustes he spoke, "I am ready."
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:18 am
Adustes listlessly stared off into the darkness behind Furian as he waited for the half-dragon to finish his meal, his gaze drawn back by some small motion once every few moments before drifting back into the shadows. Both he and Vellek rose as Furian did, the mercenary moving to retrieve his horse as well while Adustes shouldered his pack. He watched curiously for a moment as the Gehennan prepared the thatch ball to the saddlehorn, though he didn't voice the question; he doubted there would be much answer anyway.
The priest nodded in response to Furian's announcement and called out, "Alright people, we're moving out," then turning back to Furian, he suggested in his usual volume, "Why don't you lead the way?"
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:44 am
Vhael'iss almost snickered at Matasoga's confusion, the last of her anger vanishing under the amusement of catching the half-dragon off guard. That was all she'd wanted for now, though, and his questioning look was answered with only a slight widening of her grin before turning back to view the dark scenery, as if whatever about him that had caught her fancy was now gone and with it her attention.
In truth, she could already feel the anticipation stirring and her lips curled in a thoughtful smirk.
When Adustes announced their departure barely a minute later, she looked to him, a little disappointed that they would not be stopping longer, but eased to her feet nevertheless, her grin already beginning to reappear.
The woman settled the strap of her instrument case over her shoulder, eyes once again finding Matasoga, and was brushing the last errant bits of grass from her thin cloak when she sidled closer to the half-dragon. She leaned in a bit, her gaze flicking to indicate their new companion.
"It looks like our employer isn't satisfied with just one dragon." A pause, that sly smile of hers widening. "Shall we call him greedy?" Her slanted eyes glinted with black humor, the fey already starting to ease away once more.
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Posted: Sat Jul 10, 2010 7:20 am
Hm. Nothing, it seemed. He was hardly surprised. He turned passively away. It was nothing but a mild annoyance, like a child amusing itself by tugging on your pant-leg and then running away. It was nothing to allow himself to be annoyed by. He turned his mind back to the task of leading the beast to slaughter, until Adustes announced their departure. He stood and gathered his things.
When she sidled towards him, he looked back with a look that could probably best be described as mildly exasperated, the look that one might give a child that had been pestering them all evening, but muted, as were all of his expressions that they had been allowed to see. The look seemed to say, all on it's own, what is it, now?
When she spoke, had he less control over himself, his jaw might have dropped. With such base and unsubtle words, she thought that she could manipulate him? She must truly possess the mind of a child.
Once he ruled out patting her head as a response he pondered more subtle means of condescending to her, including pointing out that the two half-dragons actually made for one dragon (explained while holding up fingers and speaking slowly in a slightly heightened pitch, just as one might to a child. Again, he didn't want to burn any bridges, just yet, so he ruled this out, as well. After all, he just might be able to use this woman to get rid of his new problem.
He thought of several scathing replies pointing out the beasts vast iniquities but he thought it best not to let on his deep loathing. Someone so childish couldn't be trusted with such sensitive and privileged information. He decided to also ignore her intent, for now.
"Race is inconsequential," he said in low enough tones that Furian (given the distance he always kept between Furian and himself) couldn't possibly hear and that she might have to stop sidling away to catch all of, herself.
"We have one ulhar darastrix," he said, using Draconic words that indicated that he had put his training to awaken the fullest of his draconic blood "and one pothoc aryte baeshra," he said, using words that literally meant stupid, war-animal "or barbarian."
He felt that it was his to take liberties with translating. After all, what was a barbarian if not a stupid war-animal?
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 2:55 pm
Furian nodded to Adustes and began leading his horse across the clearing. There was no sense in riding as most of this group would not be able to keep up. This was fine with Furian as it would save the horse for any hard riding he may have to do later.
His draconic eyes scanned through the trees as they made their way down the path. These woods were only scarcely populated by mortals so they had remained wild and dangerous, even to him. It would be 3 to 4 days before they reached the Cold Hills on foot, depending on how often the others needed to rest. He hoped the travelers would not wear out their worth as extra security before journey's end.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:59 pm
Vhael'iss did indeed pause when she caught the low tone of his voice, half turned with her impish smile still firmly in place.
Of course, she had not expected Matasoga to actually fall for such blatant provocation (in fact, she would have been disappointed if he had since it would have made it all far too easy and her game not nearly as fun), and the astonishment she felt coursing through him delighted her. It may not have been one of her favored emotions to taste, but it was fascinating nevertheless. This man never does feel anything half way, does he... She resisted the urge to lick her lips, recalling the intensity of his emotion evoked by her song back in the tavern where the group had first come together.
And now there was surprise, distaste, the acrid tang of arrogance. True to his dragon blood, though that was no surprise.
The titles that he used were not ones that Vhael'iss recognized, but she was fairly confident that they were in the Draconic tongue. It was only logical, given the subject on which they were speaking, and she had heard enough snippets of the language to feel assured in her guess. She would have to pick up a book on the language in the next town they visited, to better understand the current subject of her interest. As it were, her brows only lifted minutely at the unfamiliar phrases, a spark of intrigue in her eye.
"That is good to know." Her naturally soft tone matched Matasoga's subdued volume. It was a vague reply, and she had a feeling that Matasoga would likely mistake it as an attempt to bluff her way through the conversation, but it mattered not at all to her what he thought. She was learning new things, even if it was not all clear just then. Of course, she could always just ask the man, but then, where was the fun in that?
Perhaps she was merely in the mood for riddles.
Her footfalls were light in the soft grass as she finished easing away from his side, though she did not stray all too far, in case the whim to speak again came upon her.
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Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 11:35 pm
He let her sidle off without so much as a glance. He wondered slightly what her intent was but saw it as no matter of real consequence, regardless of what it was. Perhaps she was just seized by the desire to speak with someone and he was closest, but there was the obvious attempt at provocation. That seemed in keeping with the nature of someone that may speak so frivolously.
As he had observed, it was nothing to waste thoughts on. Not while the dangerous beast slept so close. He had other matters to think about. Besides, so long as she didn't bring such frivolities into battle there was no matter.
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Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2010 11:54 am
Adustes formed up his hirelings as he had previously, save that he shortened the distance between himself and the humans, placing himself midway between them and Furian, and kept the half-dragon well within the range of his low-light vision. He urged the group to continue on through sun-up and most of the morning, allowing them to stop and break camp an hour before midday.
He chose a small clearing as their resting place, barely thirty feet across with two thin trees near the center that allowed the thick forest canopy to shield most of the area from the sun. A number of knee-high boulders jutted from the ground near one of the edges of the clearing, but the rest of the forest floor was covered in a layer of dead and dropped leaves, beds of moss and, where the sun shone through the treetops, sparse patches of long grass.
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