Re: Chpt 1.3 - Ghelves Locks
At the mention of her brother, Marik is once again thinking. He knows he saw these traits...or something strikingly similar some time ago. But where?
"Rani and me did travel on our own from Tal'Onarafel to here. I was supposed to meet someone here, but apparently she couldn't make it or forgot about me. It was a relatively uneventful journey, apart from a few close-calls. We departed from the forest during the last moon cycle, at half-circle and made our way across the Burnt hills. It is a dangerous area for any traveler or caravan, home of former rebellious soldiers turned low-down thugs and high road bandits. That is…unless you now how to follow some of the beast-path that cut through the hills…”
Marik talks at length, taking pleasure at recounting in detail the journey, as he would for a fellow elf. Maybe it was the battle, but it looks like his guarded attitude has receded and gave place to a enthusiastic young elf rediscovering the pleasure of sharing simple discoveries in a conversation. A voice inside him still warn him about opening up to these strangers, and it surprised him how much he doesn’t care about it this time.
“Passing near Pallem, Rani and me slowed down to get some reserves. There are a lot of deers in the area and their venison is exquisite. The fact is there are plenty of Daten’sh…hum… what’s the word?…delicious red berries that grow around the villages. The deers feast on these and it gives a delicate fruity taste to the meat. “
Marik goes on to elaborate on a few of his favourite recipes using deer meat in tartar, in karakoni, or roasted with various herbal seasoning found in Tal’Onarafel, using the Elven names for half of them as he never heard their Common translation (and don’t think there is even one). He then moves on to narrate the days of travel through the Maw. Marik don’t speak of the sense of dread and the sensation of being watched he always feel passing through these cursed mountains, but rather of a few intriguing encounters.
“First, there was this band of dwarves, passing under the cover of darkness disguised as a merchant caravan. I never make fire while camping, apart from a small one I extinguish quickly after cooking, and so they never saw me as I was resting in the dark with Rani, as far away from the road as possible. I hadn’t given them much attention either, except when they suddenly quit the road and made their way toward a wall of the mountain. From the caravan sprung about a dozen dwarves, male and female, wearing simple shirts as armor and bearing arms. Their leader, a very muscular red bearded tattooed warrior, activated something in the façade and they all disappeared afterward in a secret opening, which sealed itself shut a few moments later.”
“There was also this black-armored woman, looking angry but resolute, who made her way southward on horse. It wasn’t as much her that struck me than her polearm and the golden crest she was bearing on it… a half-blackened sun encircled by walls. I don’t recall seeing it anywhere in the Northern Sanction or learning about it. Probably a very minor house. I was intrigued enough to think about asking her, but something held me. There was this eerie feeling around her, something unnatural and unsettling. I stayed hidden and let her on her way… “
After finishing narrating his passage though the Maw, his expression changes a bit as he talks of the last bit of the journey before Titan’s Gate, through the Ban’thurr steppes. There he tells Raszire and Filimena about the desolated plains and a few close-calls, as he was nearly spotted by roving bands of horsemens.
“Remember this large muscular woman, back in the tavern?” he says to Filimena. “She was one of the Ban’thurr. And frankly, I’m quite relieved she decided to go her own way finally. I don’t think I could have resisted putting an arrow into her at one point. As far as humans culture goes, the Ban’thurr are by far the worst of them and a plague upon existence on this land. I would kill every one of these fire-spewing horsefuckers if I could and rid them of existence. “
Marik takes a deep breath and calm himself. He feels the anger rising in his guts. He needs to change the subject.
“Well, I arrived before Titan’s Gate doors yesterday, around the end of the afternoon. I had some inconvenience with the guards, who didn’t want to let Rani in…but the end I…”
He suddenly stops, as if something just struck him. Now, he remembers where he has seen that face.
“Ah Filimena, I just remembered something. You said you brother was your twin, is that right? There was someone who passed before me as I was arguing with the guards. If I take your traits and transfer them to a male figure, I think that would be just the one. The resemblance was striking now that I think of it. I didn’t talk to him or gave him any attention…I was rather busy with my own problems at the moment…but he was making his way out of the city yesterday… “
[Private to Filimena the Gentle: Dear Filimena. Make of that what you will. I had asked the DM privately a while ago if I could make a history roll to see if Marik could have encountered your brother and rolled a Nat 20 (7th Oct roll). It doesn't imply anything, you have the final say in this since it's your character, but I thought it could make a nice character moment ;). Could also be I have just seen someone who looks like him. Who knows? ]
EDIT: corrected some typos and add a passage that mysteriously didn't copy and paste last night.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:49, Tue 15 Nov 2016.