Lord Nathaniel Royalty Ruler of Lithônion member is offline
Fortune favours the brave.
Joined: Jan 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 68
The Road In... « Thread Started on Apr 3, 2007, 11:05am »
This road leads into Cesitria from other realms and ends at Lithonion's City Gates. Travellers and wanderers are often found here, making their way towards the city.
Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 28
Re: The Road In... « Reply #1 on Apr 5, 2007, 6:38pm »
Louise rode towards the city gates on her light brown bay, craning her neck up in an attempt to catch sight of the city beyond them. As she reached the large wooden gates, two uniformed guards stepped briskly towards her and gestured for her to dismount. She squeezed her horses sides gently, and walked forwards, levelling with the guards.
"Ye'll need t' get down Miss" said one of the guards, offering her his arm. "And why is that?" she replied, looking down at his arm with the same scorn as if he’d tried to club her over the head with it. "These is dark times, Miss, we need t'check you’re not smuggling anything into Lithonion that you shouldn't be." "I have nothing to hide, so if you'd kindly let me--" "Please, Miss. I have my orders, and if you don't comply we'll have to do this the hard way." He looked up to the tops of the city walls, where armed guards patrolled. Rolling her eyes, she slid off of the horse, deliberately ignoring the guard’s arm to help her down, then stood arms folded whilst they checked both the saddlebags. After a few minutes, she gave and audible sigh and leant against the wall inspecting her fingernails. The guards exchanged glances but didn’t speak.
"I mean, why you're wasting your time searching people after the war has actually happened is beyond me…" "It's orders Miss, and in future you shouldn't speak of what you don't know nothing about..." he patted the horse on its neck "...right, you're fine to go, can I ask if you're carrying any weapons on your person?" As he spoke, she moved passed him and unceremoniously swung herself back onto the horse, almost kicking the second guard, who had been holding the horse's reins the other side, squarely in the face. "No I am not… and don't think you're checking either." The gates began to open, revealing the breathtaking City infront of her.
"And I do know what I'm talking about actually." she called to the guards over her shoulder, who had already forgotten their previous conversation, and exchanged puzzled looks. The gates ground closed behind her.
Re: The Road In... « Reply #2 on May 17, 2007, 7:32pm »
Arikain's little two-day trip to the Lithônion barracks had done him well, reminded him his skills still required sharpening. He had kept up with training while at the fort, but with no professional opponents, his practice remained one-sided. During his visit to the barracks, the professionally trained army recruits reminded him an invisible, imaginary opponent was quite different from a free-thinking one. Sword belted to his side, Arikain headed for Lithônion's main gates with his wrists hanging over the staff laying aross his shoulders. Other than the two weapons, a number of bruises and a bandaged forarm would be his only additional baggage "home".
Upon reaching the gates, Arikain spoke quickly to one of the guards --a familiar face from around the barracks-- and requested admittance out of the city. Since he had no luggage to carry, the two joke as Kain pushed back loose tan sleeves and and pulled up dark brown pant legs. When all passed inspection by the friend and his partner --the man had never like Kain, but the elf didn't let the glares get to him-- the called for the opening of the gate.
"Much obliged." Kain called as he balanced the pole idly over a single shoulder. The gates, however, weren't opened right away. Arikain was forced to wait as they guards inspected someone requesting entry to Lithônion; they couldn't open the gates until the completion of the arrival's inspection for fear of unwarranted entry. Kain grumbled to himself and leaned on his staff while waiting.
Just as he started to drum his fingers along the wooden length, the gate hinges began to grind. "Finally!" Kain stretched his arms over his head as he strolled forward. Dropping his arms and swining them at his sides, he opened his eyes from the stretch to see a horse and female rider started moving forward. The female, however, was turned in the saddle and obviously didn't notice her horse was heading straight for him.
"Way to watch where your riding, pretty face." Arikain side stepped the mount and purposefully tapped the woman's stirrup with his pole-staff. "And thanks for making me a prisioner while the guards patted you down." Not once did Kain bother to raise his eyes to the girl in the saddle to see her reaction, he simply continued to walk by as the horse strode past, but just when she thought she would be rid of him, he smacked the horse sqaure on the rear flank and shouted, starting the beast into motion.
Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 28
Re: The Road In... « Reply #3 on May 18, 2007, 5:48pm »
“Way to watch where you’re riding pretty face.”
Louise turned around from yelling back to the guards to see a tall dark-haired elf to one side, who was tapping her stirrup with some sort of long pole. She kicked it away.
“Maybe you should watch where you’re standing instead.” She snapped, not stopping the horse to speak to him, “Seems to me—“ She let out a loud scream as Indie bolted forwards from a slap on the rump, and she was jerked backwards, almost sliding clear off of the saddle. Indie, harrumphed, shaking her mane and moved backwards then forwards erratically. Seething, Louise pulled herself upright, inspecting the damage to her wrist where the reins that had been wrapped around them had tugged sharply as they pulled taught. A bright red mark was already appearing on her right wrist, and transferring both reins into her left hand, she yanked them forcibly, swerving Indie to one side until she was standing horizontally infront of the man.
Glowering down at him from high up on the horse’s back that blocked his way, she demanded to know just what he was playing at.
Re: The Road In... « Reply #4 on May 21, 2007, 7:44pm »
The horse reacted just as Kain assumed it would: winnying and neighing, fighting its master bridle by bolting and edging forward and back. Arikain paid no heed to the screaming woman as she nearly slid from her perch and walked on. Those within the Fort expected him to return shortly. He had to leave now if he was to make it by nightfall. Yet again, Arikain cut his deadlines short. Although if the woman had fallen in the dust, he would have gotten a good laugh out of his day in exchange for taking more time in Lithônion.
Kain took to whistling as he walked passing through the gateway with a nonchalant salute and a wink to the guards that had frisked the young woman. The men didn't exactly know what to make of the gesture and looked bettwen themselves in confusion as Arikain moved onward, flipping the polestaff idly in his grip, a motion done to amuse himself and keep his fingers limber as he traveled.
He did not get far, however, before the steed and rider trotted across his path and planted four hooves clearly in his desired line of travel. Not one for stopping once he started, Kain slid his walk to the side only to find the woman menauvering her horse to purposefully block his way. Quirking an eyebrow, Kain did a fancy little spin as if he were entertained by the whole ordeal and headed to go around the horse the other way, on the newly opened stretch of path, but yet again, the woman managed to barr him passage.
The whistling stopped short the second time this happened and Arikain again leaned his weight up on his quarterstaff and raised a bored expression to meet her glower. She was obviously annoyed at his previous display --Kain had this way of irritating all women that came his way-- but he couldn't have cared less. If anything, all her huffing and pussing tickled his funny bone. He wondered how much more he could get away with...
Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 28
Re: The Road In... « Reply #5 on Jun 7, 2007, 4:00pm »
The man's uncaring attitude aggravated Louise and now, thouroughly riled up, she repeatedly blocked his path until he stopped to talk to her.
"May I help you Miss?" his words were simple, flat and polite sounding, but the amused look on his face betrayed his true feelings. Louise half felt like swinging down from the saddle and storming over to him, but on horseback she towered above him and she decided that from here she felt she had a little more control.
"Yes you can help me, kind sir" she replied, trying her best to keep her words calm and unwavering, despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to scream at the man at the top of her voice. From looking at him, especially the way that he carried himself, she realised that this would probably not be the best way to go about things. Besides, Louise had no fighting ability whatsoever and he was carrying a rather large pole. But as she didn't particularly feel under any physical threat from the man (not with the city guards so close by) she decided to play things out.
"I was just wondering if you could tell me what sort of slack-jawed halfwit walks around unseating innocent girls from their horses for sport?" As she spoke, her voice equaled in politeness the man's earlier question, and her feet remained poised in the stirrups, ready to block his path if he attempted to move past her again. She sat with an angelic smile and gait, every inch playing the "inncocent girl" role she cast herself in, and waited for an answer.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 14 Location: Morholt
Re: The Road In... « Reply #6 on Jun 7, 2007, 10:18pm »
[OOC @ Kate - I'm assuming we'd be riding. Bryan's a famer's son, right? He'd have horses. I know it..]
Bryan rode quietly along the road, deep in thought as he accompanied his good friend Kate towards the city of Lithonian. Up ahead he could see two other figures, but they were too distant to really distract him, and besides, he was too bedazzled by the surrounding area and sheer madness of the fact that the pair had actually managed to esapce the confines of the village and go adventuring - just like they'd always talked about - was too much of a distraction already.
Looking soulfully out across the open plains surrounding the wide, dusty road that was to lead them closer and closer to their destination, the Avenger;s arm was growing steadily redder as he had to keep pinching himself to make sure that he wasn't dreaming, that all of this was real...
As they rode along in unusual silence, Bryan wondered just what this fabled city would be like.
Re: The Road In... « Reply #7 on Jun 8, 2007, 3:32am »
It took... a little longer than Arikain would have suspected, but words eventually came from between the lips of the mounted, self-proclaimed lady-in-waiting. "Yes you can help me, kind sir." Arikain swallowed a snorting laugh at the "compliment" --she had better chances of convincing him she rode a unicorn than to make him believe she truly thought he was a "kind sir".
When she began speaking again, Kain quickly --and "politely"-- returned his attention to her. "I was just wondering if you could tell me what sort of slack-jawed halfwit walks around unseating innocent girls from their horses for sport?"
This time he could not supress the up-and-over rolling of his eyes. During this roll of his brown occulars, Kain caught sight of more approaching figures. Two, to be exact both of which rode on horseback. Chuckling to himself, Kain started mumble-singing to himself. "One of these things is not like the other..."
Kain's personal ditty fade away into a giant yawn. He stretched backward, using his hold on the polestaff to keep his feet planted. "Was that supposed to be a hard question?" He blinked sleepily and looked about lazily, as if looking for something alittle more challenging.
"And that slack-jawed, half-wit?" Kain kicked up his pole with the side of his boot and flipped it smoothly so it landed on his shoulder. "That would be me. Sir Arikain Varna, knighted mage and suitor to the Lady Alatairel." Arikain gave a rather professional bow to the woman upon her horse and stood with a smug smirk. "Arrogant a.sshole to the extreme. Satisfied, m'lady?"
Why be difficult when with a bit of effort you can be impossible.
Joined: Apr 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 28
Re: The Road In... « Reply #8 on Jun 8, 2007, 4:08pm »
Louise listened as the stranger, Sir Arikain Varna- as she could now identify him, replied to her question with a smug smirk. His c ocky words bought a genuine smile to her face, and any trace of her previous anger slipped away in one of her unpredictable mood changes. Ahh, so he's a knight, and a suitor to the Lady she thought. Well, that explained his self-importance and amusement at the expense of others, especially those in a lower social standing than hiself. Back in her mid-teens, and the height of her family's wealth, Louise had found endless amusement toying with the pride and 'eager-to-please' attitudes of males with similar titles to Arikain's. But there was certainly something different in him than in any noble she had met, and consequently, she didn't really know what to make of him. Perhaps it was simply the fact that she was now just a regular peasant and not Lady Woodhouse anymore, or perhaps this man was simply unlike any noble she had previously encountered.
He bowed, and spoke: "Arrogant a.sshole to the extreme. Satisfied, m'lady?"
Louise grinned internally at this fitting description and moved her horse swiftly to one side, giving him free access to the road. "Completely satisfied." she replied levelly, "Now, I wouldn't want to keep you, not with Lady Alatariel waiting for you in Alassea" she pursed her lips, as if about to add something else, then stopped and paused before adding:
"My name is Louisa Woodhouse by the way." She turned Indie around, "Not that for one moment I would expect you to remember it. Good day, Sir Arikain." Casting a glance towards the two oncoming travelers, she dug her heels into Indie's sides, and walked away from the knight, back into the city with a slight smile playing on her lips.
Re: The Road In... « Reply #9 on Jun 9, 2007, 3:53am »
The woman on horseback let a few quick words slip, but, as was still true, Kain cared not for them until she identified herself as Louisa. The look in her eye and the means by which she flicked her horses's reigns to provide him passage that irked him. His over-kindly, arrogant demeanor began to glower with something menacing. A violence lingered in his eyes for the way she regarded him, as if she finally knew or understood the justifications behind his actions.
She left him standing in the centner of the road without the good mood singing in his mischevious eyes. Without the good mood, Kain simply began wreaking havoc. This time Kain did spit in her wake before turning and violently swinging his pole for a horizontal slash that cleaved air for him to hear. The movement smoothly transitioned so the pole swooped around to land behind his neck and across both shoulders.
Kain walked out and away from Lithônion with a sour face, looking down at his feet. He had given her his full title out of some twisted bit of respect for her; not many purposefully stood in his way and she had stood between him and his return to mischeif. He had respected her and yet the mock still echoed in her voice before she departed. Kain did not have time for people like her so he had swallowed his words and moved away. If the upcoming riders wanted to pass in peace, they best not regard him before he looked their way.
Re: The Road In... « Reply #10 on Jun 11, 2007, 7:25pm »
Kate bounced up and down on her mare, wincing each time her sore backside returned to the worn saddle with a thump. As a farm girl, it was abnormal for Kate not to be naturally good handling a horse, after all, she had prcatically been brought up with the creatures. She liked the animals. She liked working with them and traveling with them when there was a wagon or cart involved, but when it came to riding on horseback, she simply had no discernable skill whatsoever, and seemed to be unable to pick it up no matter how hard she tried.
Her old horse walked a few paces behind Bryan's, and Kate stood up in the stirrups to get a better look at the City gates over Bryan's head; welcoming the relief that came with no longer jostling up and down in the saddle. She listened to the constant and somewhat soothing beat of the horses hooves against the dry compacted soil of the road, the regular rise and fall of Bryan infront of her and distant words spoken. A silence had fallen between the companions as if out of respect for the great city in-front of them. Kate watched it grow before her with wide eyes, her gaze momentarily flicking to a man who had already passed Bryan on the other side of the road. As she returned her interests to what lay beyond the large City gates, she realised that they were now almost right infront of her and that Bryan was preparing to dismount. She swung awkwardly off of the horse, managing to get one foot safely to the ground, but the other was still hooked onto the saddle. The horse, out of natural instinct, automatically walked forwards as Bryan's horse moved, and Kate was forced to hop along quickly beside it in order to stay upright.
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