Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jun 13, 2008 15:56:07 GMT -5
Rissterus returned to a defensive stance as the bear fell. After a moment, Rissterus stepped forwards and nudged the beast with his staff. Now that the bear was dead, Rissterus sat down and examined his wounds. They would be a great bother in the near future. Perhaps he could get some Dragon's Blood in the village.
"Bah," he said, rising to his feet. He bandaged his shoulder and leg wound with his only loose clothing, leaving the other scratches to themselves. He began to continue on, then paused. He looked back at the dead bear and slowly began to go back. He was very tired from the battle, and he wasn't looking forwards to continuing on all night. He sat down against the bear and closed his eyes. The bear's smell would keep most animals away.
Before long, Rissterus fell into a light sleep. He intended to be on his way by dawn.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jun 20, 2008 13:54:44 GMT -5
The night passed uneventfully. By the time the sun had risen, Rissterus was already well on his way. The farther he got, the farther down from the mountains he came. There still was no sign of the village. By midday, however, Rissterus found tracks. Goblin tracks, to be precise. The tracks were probably three or four days old, moving east to west. Rissterus was heading north-west, but the fact that there were Goblins around still made him feel uneasy.
He traveled on. By evening Rissterus came to the top of a large, green valley. It was far enough down from the mountains that no snow could be found it. It looked to be fertile and plentiful. And there were tracks, too. About twice as old as the Goblin's, and these were human tracks.
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jun 21, 2008 12:41:31 GMT -5
Rissterus looked down into the valley, wondering if the village could be located down there. If they had farms, it's possible they could supply themselves with their own food, and add hunting to the list, and they would probably be well supplied. And the valley was well-sheltered from the mountain's storms. And the human tracks, though old, added weight to his suspicions.
So yes, it was possible the village was down there. Rissterus decided to look.
He began hiking down into the valley, keeping his eyes open for any more signs of inhabitants. Already it was evening, and even if he could not find the village, he would probably stay in the valley tonight, if he could find somewhere to shelter.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jun 25, 2008 18:22:08 GMT -5
Rissterus was able to move down into the valley. It appeared to extend a great distance to the north, but he could not tell because of the way the valley turned. As he walked through the valley, Rissterus found slight traces of human activity, and he became convinced that the village was somewhere close. However, as evening turned to dusk, and dusk to night, Rissterus was forced to seek shelter. Dark grey rain clouds had formed, and rain was threatening to pour down. Rissterus found a place to sleep beside a great willow tree that would protect him from the elements. As Rissterus drifted into sleep, the rain began to fall...
Rissterus awoke the next day to find the ground damp. The grass surrounding the tree glistened in the morning sunlight. As soon as he was ready, he continued down the valley. The sun's warm rays soon dried out any damp spots on his robes. It wasn't long before he could hear sounds from up ahead. The sounds of the village he had been searching for for so long.
As it came into sight, Rissterus saw that it was more like a town than a village. It was surrounded by sturdy walls of stone and wood. It was located in a area that could be well-defended. The town's gates were opened, however, and the villagers could be seen roaming outside the walls, tending to gardens and sheep.
As of yet, the Sorcerer had not been spotted...
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 6, 2008 20:58:48 GMT -5
Rissterus observed the inhabitants for a while. He wanted to see what they were like before he showed himself. When he was satisfied that they did not pose a threat to him. He stepped out onto the path that led to the town gates and began walking forwards. His cloak caught in the wind and blew up behind him. He looked every bit like a Sorcerer, and he wished the villagers to know it.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jul 6, 2008 21:03:16 GMT -5
As Rissterus approached, a villager looked up and saw him. He cried out in alarm, pointing at the cloaked figure that was drawing near. The others around him looked up from their work and gasped. "Xorthin's returned to us!" someone cried. The panic that had started began to dissipate, and the villagers began to come towards the town gates to watch as the Sorcerer entered. The whisperings died down as Rissterus began to pass through...
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 6, 2008 21:10:20 GMT -5
Rissterus' gaze passed over many of the villagers faces, trying to guess what they were thinking. He assumed from the woman's cry that they must assume he was Xorthin. The thought slightly amused him, and he wondered if he should play the part, but he decided against it.
They must believe Xorthin was a great hero, he thought. They must not know of the havok he wreaked during the Dwarven Wars, or perhaps they just didn't care?
Rissterus slowly passed by the villagers and entered into the town.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jul 6, 2008 21:21:59 GMT -5
As he passed through the gates, he saw house-like huts lining a dirt street. There were some crude buildings, one of which Rissterus could tell was a blacksmith. None of the houses were more than one story high. The villagers that he saw wore hand-spun clothing. The whole setting seemed to be rather outlandish and primitive. However, he did see some of the men wearing knives at their belts, and some had bows and arrows.
The villagers began to surround him, preventing him from going further into their town. He could now see some with swords and spears as well. The crowd parted suddenly, and an old man came forth, followed by 4 armed guards. On the man's forehead was tatooed a symbol. Rissterus' eyes widened in suprise as he recognised it. It was Xorthin's personal seal. And yet, he could not sense a magical presense from the old man. He was no magic user.
"You are welcome to our town," the man spoke. He had a strange accent that Rissterus had never heard. He bowed his head slightly, moving his arm up to his chest in the Dwarven manor of greeting.
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 6, 2008 21:27:00 GMT -5
Rissterus eyed the man - probably the chieftan or elder of the town. He forced himself to pull his eyes away from the symbol on his forehead to meet the man's eyes. The accent confused him for a moment, but the dwarven greeting was unmistakeable. He returned it in the same fashion.
"I thank you for your ready kindness. I am Rissterus, Sorcerer and Scholar. I've taveled long and far in search of your village." He really had been searching for Xorthin's tomb, but he was beginning work out a plan. If he could befriend the inhabitants of this town, they may be able to give him information that would be of great help to him.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jul 11, 2008 13:32:54 GMT -5
The chieftan inclined his head. "I am Tak'jhou, leader of my people. If you have travelled far, then you must wish to rest. I will give you my dwelling, Lord Rissterus. Tonight we shall have a feast in your honor." He bowed to the Sorcerer, and all the villagers around him followed suit.
Tak'jhou stepped aside and waved Rissterus past the four guards, then began leading him down the street. In the center of the town was a large circular hut, held above the ground on stilts. Instead of a door, there were strings of beads hanging down, reminding Rissterus of Tan Quan. Tak'jhou pushed the beads aside, creating an opening for Rissterus.
"I will summon you when it is time," the chieftan said. He bowed again and left.
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 13, 2008 0:42:38 GMT -5
Rissterus returned the nod. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tak'jhou. And I accept your gracious offer." Rissterus blinked in suprise when the whole community bowed to him. This was either a very strange custom - not Dwarven, definately - or they thought he was someone special.
He cautiously began to follow Tak'jhou, careful to appear dignified and gracious. He wasn't sure what these people were on about, but he didn't want to offend them in any way. When he reached the chieftan's shelter, he looked at it with a uprasing eye. It looked well built, though the structure was rather odd, being round. It was raised above the ground probably to signify it was the chieftan's dwelling, and therefore above the rest.
Tak'jhou motioned Rissterus to enter, saying, "I will summon you when it is time." Rissterus inclined his head again and entered into the hut, hearing the beads swing back into place. He looked around the room he was in. The walls were made of mud-brick, and there were windows made of a paper-thin material on a frame that opened. There was a wall-divider, made of the same paper-thin material, that separated the room he was in from another smaller room. Peeking around the divider, Rissterus saw that the smaller room held a bed and small table.
Time passed as Rissterus began to examine the other things in the room...
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jul 13, 2008 12:38:25 GMT -5
The whole time he was in the room, Rissterus could hear the sounds of the townspeopel hurrying around outside, preparing for the feast. Inside the room, Rissterus found several of the items in Tak'jhou's room were stamped with Xorthin's seal. It was clear that these people were somehow directly related to the great Sorcerer. What it was, Rissterus couldn't say.
He walked back to the bedchamber and looked around. His eye caught something that he hadn't seen before. An unfinished painting was resting against the far wall by the bed. He went over to it and picked it up. It was a drawing of a sword, gripped by an armoured hand. That was all that had been completed. However, Rissterus recognized the sword. Before he could place where he had seen it, he heard the sound of Tak'jhou entering the hut.
"Lord Rissterus," he said. "The feast is prepared. If you will follow me, I will escort you..."
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 18, 2008 17:52:15 GMT -5
Rissterus traced his fingers over the lines in the painting, searching through his memory to where he had seen the sword. It was most likely related to the Sorcerer Xorthin or else it wouldn't be here. He began to rack his memory for all the information on Xorthin he had, but before he could finish, Tak'jhou entered. He spun around, replacing the painting, and stepped back into the other room.
"Lord Rissterus, the feast is prepared. If you will follow me, I will escort you..."
Rissterus inclined his head respectfully before following him out. Lord Rissterus? he thought as he entered into the town once more. Why does he keep calling me that? He had a feeling that all would be revealed very soon...
The sun was much lower than it was before, and the moon could be seen on the horizon, even though it was not yet dark. All Rissterus could do was follow his host to wherever the feast was to be held.
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Post by ~ Hero Nemesis ~ on Jul 21, 2008 11:16:51 GMT -5
Tak'jhou led Rissterus into a different part of the village. The elvation was higher here, and he could see most of the town below. The wall that surrounded the town surrounded it completely. There were no holes or places in disrepair anywhere. It looked well-maintained and efficient.
By now Rissterus could hear the sounds of excited talking, and it wasn't long before they came out into a large opening where the feast was to be held. Rows of tables were covered with assortments of fruit and vegtables and meat. It truly was a feast.
Tak'jhou led Rissterus to the head table and had him sit in the head chair, then seated himself on Rissterus' right hand. All the villagers began to take their own seats, and the talking began to quiet.
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Rissterus
Guildsman
????#??? ????????????? ?
Posts: 130
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Post by Rissterus on Jul 28, 2008 23:12:31 GMT -5
Rissterus sat down at the head of the table. He was utterly confused, but he kept an air of mysterious dignity about him that he hoped would keep the villagers respect. They all began to quiet, and Rissterus began to wonder if he was supposed to give some sort of speech. He remained silent, however. If they wanted him to speak, they should've said so.
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