Post by Dame Lovisa von Ascheberg on Feb 8, 2014 16:25:35 GMT -5
scales change: An adventuring company with an inne to harbor some of its members left a good deal to be desired when one began to grow use to such high-scale living quarters as their own castle. Kythin exhibited all the signs of a nobleman on the cusp of passing from boredom into a state of irritation. The morning hour did enhance or lessen the less than optimal mood.. the arrival of the meal ordered from the Island-Girl playing bartender provided a focus.. one that spared the sparse occupants of the establishment his wrath.. however little of it had built up over the last few moments. The crimson attire the Black Knight favored made it sorely difficult to miss him at his stool bar-adjacent.. and the savory scent of chicken stew served well to distract the rather obvious and infamous target. -d
ruby vindicta: The door to the establishment was swung on its hinges as a blast of cold damp air swept inside and a small group of military types swarmed in: hurriedly closing the door behind them. They had been sent down from Doxenia to deliver a message to the local chapter of the Gray Banners: and had willingly taken up the task as it gave them a respite from what some viewed as the day to day monotony of their drills and practices. Having done their duty they had decided to treat themselves with a hot meal and perhaps a mug of ale, so the majority flanked the bar in order to voice their requests while one or two split off and sought out group seating in the common room. One in particular chose to scoot as close to the fire as humanly possible, wisps of steam rising from a wet cloak that she was as yet reluctant to remove, though in the very least her hood and helm were brushed aside for the time being. As they settled themselves in and enjoyed the simpatico fire, a few gave Kythin the side-eye - while his reputation may not have spread as far as the basic ranks of soldiery up in Doxenia, his choice of apparel made him stick out like a sore thumb.
scales change: " zyak kiarf ihk japachi.. " (Draconic: So much for the quiet. ) Said the crimson-clad Knight as he allowed himself to be distracted from his stew as to glance over the militants that sought respite within the Heart's Inne. One or two that gave him the Eye.. earned a glowering look their way. It did not take too long before he took his stew away in order to retreat to his table where his cloak had been left.. though his heraldry was little known in Doxenia.. it had been seen in the company of the First Baron Kissekatt long enough to make it notable. Foreign knights invited into diehard loyalist of king and country.. well it had to be notable! The Black Sun that he'd adapted as a corruption of an ancient religious order's symbol.. turned flag for his Dunsany was a good deal long flashy.. but far more noticeable due to his less than sterling reputation as a rather brutal sort among knighthoods. " Where the in the hells did this lot drag themselves out of to get here.. " -d
ruby vindicta: They stared at him curiously: from their perspectives his mini rant sounded much like he was attempting to clear his throat, so it brought about a few laughs as they nudged each other with their elbows and chattered in Doxenian as they waited for their food. They were all relatively young and inexperienced and so would not have much recognition of foreign heraldry unless their sergeant chose to slap them in the face with it: however should one or two chance across it, it would have been notable in the sense that someone carrying around an obscure herald was notable in and of itself! None of the soldiers had heralds after all .. though a few may be dreaming of the day where they could march under their own. In any event, they settled down a bit after the knight extracted himself back to his own table, and once the food was prepared they took it upon themselves to shuttling it across the common room to their friends: cloaks now removed and hanging over the backs of their chairs to dry. As the food was distributed, a few muttered to their companions as Kythins sour words seemed to carry far: but the others waved their hands and seemed to brush it off - after all, they had empty bellies and there was food to be had. The woman in the group was the first to tuck in, shoving her hair out of her face and wielding her cutlery like weapons as she hovered over the simple fare, and turned down a mug of ale in favour of water.
scales change: Lucky sods, the lot of them , to have their priorities situated in a seemingly proper order. Their decision may just have been committed to due to hunger.. still it provided the Black Knight with more than enough opportunity to return to his own meal. Alas focusing on the meal didn't come easy when one had a disembodied and ancient White Wyrm choosing to make its ire known at their lack of conquering going on. It didn't matter too much.. the ghost dragon earned a muttered reply int he form of hushed draconic now and then to sate its apparently talkative nature - what else did a ghost, even a draconic one, have to do with themselves? Once the dragon shut its disembodied trap.. Kythin set his attention on the soldiers once more.. choosing to listen to any chatter long enough to learn where they were from.. which would no doubt prove enough for his acquired capability to speak numerous languages, even if he wasn't capable of writing in their script. -d
ruby vindicta: If he was paying enough attention, he would learn that the group was from Doxenia, more specifically a school of soldiery off in Westby though the individuals themselves came from all across the Kingdom. Five individuals in all, their names were bandied about in between mouthfulls; Johan, Benjamin, Oswin, Karin and finally Lovisa. Kythin would probably learn far too much about their personal instructor and their opinion on his hygiene, intelligence and prowess in bed - often interspersed by the occasional request from Lovisa that they keep it down, clearly uncomfortable with them japing about their teacher but with four against one it wasn't going to do her much good .. so eventually she kept her head down and concentrated on clearing her plate: occasionally offering a glower if she felt they crossed a line. There wasn't much of import going on at their table however, though they seemed like a well rounded merry lot that you would expect from Doxenia.
scales change: Listening to a few rank and file soldiers quite thoroughly disrespecting their superior officers succeeded in bringing a mixture of amusement and plenty of annoyance to the Knight in that moment. It was no wonder certain nobles of Doxenia did not allow pure-blooded humans in their manor.. if this was how the humans of that kingdom acted all the time. " Atrocious.. such rampant disrespect of your immediate Superior. " Yes, he'd elected to open his mouth once again.. giving the lot a glowering expression of his own. " Its no wonder Kissekatt has little faith in the rank and file.. " Well the Baron was the only resident of that kingdom that garnered any sort of positive reaction from Kythin, perhaps even a measure of respect. -de
ruby vindicta: "Mind your own business?" Slightly halting tongue in a heavy accent came from one of the men seated at the table: probably Oswin as he was the one that then turned to crane his neck and eyes over at the interruption before turning his attention back to his meal, a few of his friends offering up a small laugh while the others rolled their eyes and decided to clean up their plates and empty their cups. Karin and Lovisa both hissed a quick exchange of Doxenian at the offending Oswin: while it was all well and good within their own boundaries, perhaps getting into a verbal spar with what could be a well armored local wouldn't have been the best of ideas - what if word got back to their betters? They'd be doing laps in their skivvies for hours in the snow!
scales change: Perhaps a less than kind reply had been expected by Kythin.. because even before the ill-thought out words of Oswin.. the man was rising to his feet. Within a short span of time distance had been closed altogether and in fact one hand had set to capturing the wrist of the Doxenian soldier.. and set to applying a hefty amount of pressure upon the unfortunate fellow's carpal bones and other areas of the wrist to suffer from it. " I have made it my business, Boy. " Perhaps that bit of disrespect towards the poor fellow wasn't quite true.. considering the speaker happened to only be in his mid-twenties himself. [ and just for fun - intimidate check. ]
OnlineHost: scales change rolled 1 20-sided die: 10
scales change: [+8 str, +5 Black Knight's Tabard = 23 ]
ruby vindicta: "Hey now .. !" The man himself moved to pull his wrist from Kythin's grip and found that such an action was going to be rather difficult, if not impossible, while he hung on. He was also brought short by the pressure felt from the other man even as his companions rose to their feet: a few swearing in Doxenian, the others making pacifying gestures. Johan was the first to speak, his lips spread in a friendly grin. "Now now surely you have let off steam before yourself yes? Was only having a joke, yes?" His hands were spread as he indicated Oswin, imploring that Kythin should release him and allow everything to return to normal - Karin moving forward to lay a hand on Benjamin's shoulder as he moved forward, possibly to interject physically .. they didn't need him to make things worse.
scales change: While those who sought to defuse the seemingly hostile situation were assuredly admirable sorts for at least somewhat coming to their comrade's aid.. perhaps it was for naught? Kythin gave the poor lad a smile and shifted closer if only enough to have a short conversation. "Oswin was it? If your instructor is ill-suited to his position.. you've a chain of command. Do make use of it.. why spout off words that will do nothing when you can change your situation far more directly? " Whatever Oswin said in answer.. it mattered little unless it turned out to be a threat.. assuming anything else would be said.. Kythin let that wrist go. Alas.. then the time to deal with the one who thought to excuse it became his focus. " Even a respite is no time to allow discipline to lax. How you act determined how others see you, and outside of your kingdom.. determines how others view your homeland. " -d
ruby vindicta: Chastened, nevertheless Oswin scowled some even as he was released, fingers applied to the area in question and rubbing. "Why you listen in on our talk anyway?" Oswin's dark eyes were narrowed suspiciously, Johan taking a moment to look away and clear his throat as he was addressed directly. Mentally heaving their own sighs, both Karin and Lovisa decided at that moment to gather up the cloaks that had achieved just enough time to partially dry and absorb some warmth and go about distributing them amongst their companions: Oswin receiving his with an amount of force as Lovisa shoved it into his chest. While they had been applying themselves stringently to their native tongue, it was a fair point made by the stranger - you never knew who could be listening, and what languages they could manipulate.
scales change: " I have a simple question to answer you with , Oswin, Why do you fail to control the volume in which you speak? " Kythin took the opportunity to head back to his own table then.. after all there was a tankard of Viper's Kiss to finish off.. who else would bother downing the vile, green brandy? Once his immediate thirst had been sated .. he glanced over the lot of them once more. " Count yourself lucky, Knights of Old Dunsany were not known for imparting blood-less lessons. I'm sure you have no idea of what I speak.. heh.. pity how few know history these days. " Considering how similar Doxenia and Dunsany seemed in his own opinion. Those words finished the rest were given a look over.. no doubt by now he was being eyed as well. It'd make it difficult for the slight scales and the snake-like look of his eyes to to go unnoticed in this close of quarters. -d
ruby vindicta: "I think you have made your point." Finally one of the women spoke up, tossing flaming red hair over the edge of her cloak as it was secured firmly to her throat, fingers giving it a brisk tug. She stood to the side of her companions, her body rigid and her chin high and a slight scowl on her face: it was hard to miss the animosity that had grown over the last few moments once the immediate issue had died down and the other mans physical appearance became more obvious. This had not gone entirely unnoticed by the other men and women in the party, Karin in particular taking hold of her friends elbow and giving it a forceful yank that failed to even slightly shift Lovisa's stance. Finally though, her nostrils seemed to flare a little as she heaved out a breath and broke the eye contact, turning on her heel and shoving her hands at Oswin's back and giving him a push towards the door.
scales change: Indeed she made it awfully difficult to miss once a point had been made to look him in the eye when she gave the condensed worthy of what she thought of the situation that was now behind them. " Is there a problem? "Kythin said, not bothering to break eye contact .. until she did it of her own accord. The whole lot of them seemed to possess this sudden animosity as well.. seemingly unrelated to the dose of intimidating action and tone he'd taken with one of their number. -d
ruby vindicta: "If you do not make it one, no." Oswin was propelled towards the door with the urgings of her hands despite his protests, the cold blast of air encouraging her to pull her cloak tighter around her body as she muttered to herself something about demonbloods, her Doxenian a quick stream from her mouth. Karin simply rolled her eyes, halting the party ever so briefly as she hurried back to their table and scooped up a small pack she had left behind in their haste to leave: Lovisa standing by the door and tapping a foot pointedly with her arms crossed.
OnlineHost: scales change rolled 1 20-sided die: 7
scales change: [+5 alert (listen) = 12 ]
scales change: They did not present a justifiable reason to deal out a blood-spilling sort of punishment.. and so there simply was no reason to make it more than it was to him. The muttering could easily enough be missed.. though if she happened to mention one thing more than once.. well perhaps he'd pick up on it. -d " Demonbloods? "Focusing in on the mutterings delivered the word she labeled him with rather accusingly. Well certainly Kythin had been called worse before.. alas.. it was far too much of an insult to allow it to go unchallenged now. It earned the Black Knight making progress towards them and even out the door. " Dragonblood, Girl, Dragon. " Perhaps the demon bit went a tad too far.. because it had Kythin swiping a hand over the brooch at his throat.. bringing about the unfolding of his blue-black half-plate armor and a hand falling to tighten a grasp on the hilt of one of his swords. " And I'll be damn sure you remember the difference. " And why would they remember the difference.. well Kythin knew Doxenia possessed a few were-creatures.. Lord Kissekatt among them in fact, not that he mentioned it, and Kythin decided to abuse that fact with a little showmanship.. as much showmanship as the unpleasant sight of a man shifting form into something much more draconic in form.. not that he expected them to understand the difference at this point. -d
ruby vindicta: As he pursued them she decided to stop in her tracks and turn back around, just in time to catch him beginning his transformation. "Are you sure, boy? It still looks the same to me." From her estimate he could not be that much older than she was, though at this stage it was hard to tell as something odd seemed to be going on with his face .. there was not much human about it at this stage, but she did not see the claims to dragon that he made! Though it did look beastly. Her eyes dropped to where his hand was on his hilt, and her lips tightened. Her companions seemed unsure of what to do, though they gathered together to form a tight group in case anything hairy was going to take place. Though what could a small group of soldiers-in-training do against what could've been an actual demon wearing half plate?
scales change: Within the span of a moment or two within the midst of a transformation.. Kythin let his grasp ease away from sword hilt. Why though? The continuation of the shift began to answer that question.. as the arms and armor melded into shape-change in process until a moment later they were faced with a rather irritated looking White Dragon. Least they wouldn't have to fight a demon.. perhaps just a dragon out for nothing less than their frozen hides. -d
ruby vindicta: "Think he's sure .. " Karin had pulled up next to Lovisa and tugged on her arm again, probably urging that they should all say their goodbyes and remount their horses and head back to Doxenia. The others were chattering excitedly amongst themselves, a bit of fear, a bit of awe, mostly surprise .. yes they were familiar with the concept of were-creatures, the Witchwood in particular was said to be full of them! Lovisa frowned skeptically as she stared up at the massive beast clearly trying to find something wrong with it. But no matter how you painted it, it was a dragon and not some kind of demonic hell beast. Admittedly, it didn't occur to her that this could all be some magical trick and the demon could just be trying to buy time .. but perhaps at this stage, her companions didn't particularly care provided they didn't get eaten. "Ok. I believe you." Fiery eyes narrowed just a little before her expression cleared completely, the earlier animosity washed away from her face. Though, perhaps the hornets nest had already been shaken ..
scales change: It proved rather amusing , as it always did, to see the faces of those that did not expect to come face to face with a dragon outside of an Inne of all places! The draconic form did not just go away though.. in fact he kept it for time being. This came with a rather.. specific flaw in its design.. due to having not yet figured out how to use mortal speech in such a non-human form! "thric throdenilt kothar loupon wux, fanol. " (Draconic: No more demon than you are, girl. ) =d
ruby vindicta: "Understood." As far as Lovisa knew there was no demon in her, she'd been blessed by a holy priest at her urgings when she was younger, and had shown no adverse reactions. "You're welcome to change back .. I think you are scaring the horses." Hand was waved in a matter of fact fashion towards the aforementioned equines, who definitely appeared to want to be anywhere else but here right now .. and goodness knew what the locals were currently thinking: and if Karin tugged on her arm any harder she would eventually topple over. In truth Lovisa did have a thrill of fear deep in her stomach .. but after being beset upon by a group of children twice her age, she had learned how to mask her fear, keep it from showing up on her face.
scales change: If the locals cared at all they were keeping it to themselves.. it was an Inne ran by an Adventuring Company after all.. and they'd see dragons there previously in a civil manner! More civil than some of their own members in fact. Eventually Kythin did come by the decision, and will, to go through the unpleasant process of restoring his form to that which he spent most of his time. It took a little time but in the end the Black Knight was once again eyeing them from a slightly, very slightly, less intimidating form. " You would do well not to insult the Knight whom alongside Baron Kissekat rid Doxenia of a very literal demon. " Course.. he was assuming alot to think that all of Doxenia's rank and file would recognize the name of one of their own nobles. -d
ruby vindicta: The others began talking amongst themselves again, a few phrases leaking out of the throng. For the most part they did not realise that Kythin had been one of those that had helped Baron Kissekat save all of Doxenia from that demon: among the rank and file, the Baron had been elevated because of the feat whereas anyone else had been overlooked at the time, unless they had originated from Doxenia themselves as well! It was odd how people tended to view their national 'heroes'. After a lengthy discussion, one of the men at the back piped up over the rest. "Ah .. they did not tell us your name .. ?" The speaker quickly backed down again just in case his innocent question earned himself a boot to the head, or the reappearance of an angry white dragon.
scales change: Kythin took this question rather civilly, even if he was a white dragon, a type of dragon known for being vicious! Well far as they knew at least, truth was a little different.. but he'd never explain it! "Sir Kythin Steelfang, the Black Knight of Dunsany. " The title wore much more of his infamy than he did by appearance.. few assumed some brute in crimson clothing was anyone of important.. or to fear. -d
ruby vindicta: Lovisa nodded, accepting the information. Of course there were a few confused looks, not a one of them recognized the name as such but they weren't about to point it out at this stage. They merely nodded amongst themselves while each one made a mental note to ask someone higher up in the ranking system about it, as surely they would know. "Well .. this has been a lively discussion, but I am certain we all have other places to be." A breath was exhaled, that was the most she had said all afternoon, at least directly, not counting the little chat at the dinner table or the warnings she and Karin had dispensed to Oswin.
scales change: " I suggest you head to Port Union, you will find Doxenia a much easier locale to reach by teleportation. Your steeds can be transported as well. If the lot of you cannot afford it, then I will. " Will what? Well assumedly the answer could only be obvious. -d
ruby vindicta: This prompted further confusion from the group: as mere military trainees they weren't gifted with a lot of coin, and so taking such a lavish route back to their own Kingdom would have never occurred to them. "You .. I beg your pardon?" Lovisa spoke up for the lot of them. "You would pay our fee with the Union? Why?" As she frowned at Kythin, Johan joked with the as yet unspoken Benjamin that it was probably to get their stink out of his country as quickly as possible, prompting a series of nervous chuckles from the group: though Karin smacked him in the side and offered her verbal opinion. "I think we should ride. If we arrive home days earlier than expected there may be questions .. " And the thought of actually doing laps out in the snow was no less unappealing now that they were out in the cold, rather than in the warm inne.
scales change: " Questions that can be avoided by say.. escorting an ally of your kingdom and its nobility to Westby perhaps? " Kythin offered, considering that they were soldiers.. even if they were rank and file.. providing them a side mission? Well such was an interesting distraction.. and why not seeing as his Lady was out and about traveling.. for all he knew.. in Doxenia.. serving him well to reach the locale under the guise of visiting the likes of Lord Kissekat instead. " Does such a duty have your preference? "-d
ruby vindicta: Another flurry of Doxenian as the group listed the pros and cons, outlying what could possibly go wrong and how this cover would actually allow them to save a few days. Some were under the misapprehension that arriving home earlier would allow them to take the spare days as leave - but chances were they would be set back to work before they had even settled back in. "I think they will accept that." They being the sergeant and his betters: while the odds were Kythin didn't need the escort - it was laughable to even think he did - but it would look good on paper if nothing else. As a group they dispersed towards their horses, going through the usual checklist before actually mounting and looking expectantly at Kythin .. if he had anything he needed to collect from the building, now would be a good time!
ruby vindicta: The door to the establishment was swung on its hinges as a blast of cold damp air swept inside and a small group of military types swarmed in: hurriedly closing the door behind them. They had been sent down from Doxenia to deliver a message to the local chapter of the Gray Banners: and had willingly taken up the task as it gave them a respite from what some viewed as the day to day monotony of their drills and practices. Having done their duty they had decided to treat themselves with a hot meal and perhaps a mug of ale, so the majority flanked the bar in order to voice their requests while one or two split off and sought out group seating in the common room. One in particular chose to scoot as close to the fire as humanly possible, wisps of steam rising from a wet cloak that she was as yet reluctant to remove, though in the very least her hood and helm were brushed aside for the time being. As they settled themselves in and enjoyed the simpatico fire, a few gave Kythin the side-eye - while his reputation may not have spread as far as the basic ranks of soldiery up in Doxenia, his choice of apparel made him stick out like a sore thumb.
scales change: " zyak kiarf ihk japachi.. " (Draconic: So much for the quiet. ) Said the crimson-clad Knight as he allowed himself to be distracted from his stew as to glance over the militants that sought respite within the Heart's Inne. One or two that gave him the Eye.. earned a glowering look their way. It did not take too long before he took his stew away in order to retreat to his table where his cloak had been left.. though his heraldry was little known in Doxenia.. it had been seen in the company of the First Baron Kissekatt long enough to make it notable. Foreign knights invited into diehard loyalist of king and country.. well it had to be notable! The Black Sun that he'd adapted as a corruption of an ancient religious order's symbol.. turned flag for his Dunsany was a good deal long flashy.. but far more noticeable due to his less than sterling reputation as a rather brutal sort among knighthoods. " Where the in the hells did this lot drag themselves out of to get here.. " -d
ruby vindicta: They stared at him curiously: from their perspectives his mini rant sounded much like he was attempting to clear his throat, so it brought about a few laughs as they nudged each other with their elbows and chattered in Doxenian as they waited for their food. They were all relatively young and inexperienced and so would not have much recognition of foreign heraldry unless their sergeant chose to slap them in the face with it: however should one or two chance across it, it would have been notable in the sense that someone carrying around an obscure herald was notable in and of itself! None of the soldiers had heralds after all .. though a few may be dreaming of the day where they could march under their own. In any event, they settled down a bit after the knight extracted himself back to his own table, and once the food was prepared they took it upon themselves to shuttling it across the common room to their friends: cloaks now removed and hanging over the backs of their chairs to dry. As the food was distributed, a few muttered to their companions as Kythins sour words seemed to carry far: but the others waved their hands and seemed to brush it off - after all, they had empty bellies and there was food to be had. The woman in the group was the first to tuck in, shoving her hair out of her face and wielding her cutlery like weapons as she hovered over the simple fare, and turned down a mug of ale in favour of water.
scales change: Lucky sods, the lot of them , to have their priorities situated in a seemingly proper order. Their decision may just have been committed to due to hunger.. still it provided the Black Knight with more than enough opportunity to return to his own meal. Alas focusing on the meal didn't come easy when one had a disembodied and ancient White Wyrm choosing to make its ire known at their lack of conquering going on. It didn't matter too much.. the ghost dragon earned a muttered reply int he form of hushed draconic now and then to sate its apparently talkative nature - what else did a ghost, even a draconic one, have to do with themselves? Once the dragon shut its disembodied trap.. Kythin set his attention on the soldiers once more.. choosing to listen to any chatter long enough to learn where they were from.. which would no doubt prove enough for his acquired capability to speak numerous languages, even if he wasn't capable of writing in their script. -d
ruby vindicta: If he was paying enough attention, he would learn that the group was from Doxenia, more specifically a school of soldiery off in Westby though the individuals themselves came from all across the Kingdom. Five individuals in all, their names were bandied about in between mouthfulls; Johan, Benjamin, Oswin, Karin and finally Lovisa. Kythin would probably learn far too much about their personal instructor and their opinion on his hygiene, intelligence and prowess in bed - often interspersed by the occasional request from Lovisa that they keep it down, clearly uncomfortable with them japing about their teacher but with four against one it wasn't going to do her much good .. so eventually she kept her head down and concentrated on clearing her plate: occasionally offering a glower if she felt they crossed a line. There wasn't much of import going on at their table however, though they seemed like a well rounded merry lot that you would expect from Doxenia.
scales change: Listening to a few rank and file soldiers quite thoroughly disrespecting their superior officers succeeded in bringing a mixture of amusement and plenty of annoyance to the Knight in that moment. It was no wonder certain nobles of Doxenia did not allow pure-blooded humans in their manor.. if this was how the humans of that kingdom acted all the time. " Atrocious.. such rampant disrespect of your immediate Superior. " Yes, he'd elected to open his mouth once again.. giving the lot a glowering expression of his own. " Its no wonder Kissekatt has little faith in the rank and file.. " Well the Baron was the only resident of that kingdom that garnered any sort of positive reaction from Kythin, perhaps even a measure of respect. -de
ruby vindicta: "Mind your own business?" Slightly halting tongue in a heavy accent came from one of the men seated at the table: probably Oswin as he was the one that then turned to crane his neck and eyes over at the interruption before turning his attention back to his meal, a few of his friends offering up a small laugh while the others rolled their eyes and decided to clean up their plates and empty their cups. Karin and Lovisa both hissed a quick exchange of Doxenian at the offending Oswin: while it was all well and good within their own boundaries, perhaps getting into a verbal spar with what could be a well armored local wouldn't have been the best of ideas - what if word got back to their betters? They'd be doing laps in their skivvies for hours in the snow!
scales change: Perhaps a less than kind reply had been expected by Kythin.. because even before the ill-thought out words of Oswin.. the man was rising to his feet. Within a short span of time distance had been closed altogether and in fact one hand had set to capturing the wrist of the Doxenian soldier.. and set to applying a hefty amount of pressure upon the unfortunate fellow's carpal bones and other areas of the wrist to suffer from it. " I have made it my business, Boy. " Perhaps that bit of disrespect towards the poor fellow wasn't quite true.. considering the speaker happened to only be in his mid-twenties himself. [ and just for fun - intimidate check. ]
OnlineHost: scales change rolled 1 20-sided die: 10
scales change: [+8 str, +5 Black Knight's Tabard = 23 ]
ruby vindicta: "Hey now .. !" The man himself moved to pull his wrist from Kythin's grip and found that such an action was going to be rather difficult, if not impossible, while he hung on. He was also brought short by the pressure felt from the other man even as his companions rose to their feet: a few swearing in Doxenian, the others making pacifying gestures. Johan was the first to speak, his lips spread in a friendly grin. "Now now surely you have let off steam before yourself yes? Was only having a joke, yes?" His hands were spread as he indicated Oswin, imploring that Kythin should release him and allow everything to return to normal - Karin moving forward to lay a hand on Benjamin's shoulder as he moved forward, possibly to interject physically .. they didn't need him to make things worse.
scales change: While those who sought to defuse the seemingly hostile situation were assuredly admirable sorts for at least somewhat coming to their comrade's aid.. perhaps it was for naught? Kythin gave the poor lad a smile and shifted closer if only enough to have a short conversation. "Oswin was it? If your instructor is ill-suited to his position.. you've a chain of command. Do make use of it.. why spout off words that will do nothing when you can change your situation far more directly? " Whatever Oswin said in answer.. it mattered little unless it turned out to be a threat.. assuming anything else would be said.. Kythin let that wrist go. Alas.. then the time to deal with the one who thought to excuse it became his focus. " Even a respite is no time to allow discipline to lax. How you act determined how others see you, and outside of your kingdom.. determines how others view your homeland. " -d
ruby vindicta: Chastened, nevertheless Oswin scowled some even as he was released, fingers applied to the area in question and rubbing. "Why you listen in on our talk anyway?" Oswin's dark eyes were narrowed suspiciously, Johan taking a moment to look away and clear his throat as he was addressed directly. Mentally heaving their own sighs, both Karin and Lovisa decided at that moment to gather up the cloaks that had achieved just enough time to partially dry and absorb some warmth and go about distributing them amongst their companions: Oswin receiving his with an amount of force as Lovisa shoved it into his chest. While they had been applying themselves stringently to their native tongue, it was a fair point made by the stranger - you never knew who could be listening, and what languages they could manipulate.
scales change: " I have a simple question to answer you with , Oswin, Why do you fail to control the volume in which you speak? " Kythin took the opportunity to head back to his own table then.. after all there was a tankard of Viper's Kiss to finish off.. who else would bother downing the vile, green brandy? Once his immediate thirst had been sated .. he glanced over the lot of them once more. " Count yourself lucky, Knights of Old Dunsany were not known for imparting blood-less lessons. I'm sure you have no idea of what I speak.. heh.. pity how few know history these days. " Considering how similar Doxenia and Dunsany seemed in his own opinion. Those words finished the rest were given a look over.. no doubt by now he was being eyed as well. It'd make it difficult for the slight scales and the snake-like look of his eyes to to go unnoticed in this close of quarters. -d
ruby vindicta: "I think you have made your point." Finally one of the women spoke up, tossing flaming red hair over the edge of her cloak as it was secured firmly to her throat, fingers giving it a brisk tug. She stood to the side of her companions, her body rigid and her chin high and a slight scowl on her face: it was hard to miss the animosity that had grown over the last few moments once the immediate issue had died down and the other mans physical appearance became more obvious. This had not gone entirely unnoticed by the other men and women in the party, Karin in particular taking hold of her friends elbow and giving it a forceful yank that failed to even slightly shift Lovisa's stance. Finally though, her nostrils seemed to flare a little as she heaved out a breath and broke the eye contact, turning on her heel and shoving her hands at Oswin's back and giving him a push towards the door.
scales change: Indeed she made it awfully difficult to miss once a point had been made to look him in the eye when she gave the condensed worthy of what she thought of the situation that was now behind them. " Is there a problem? "Kythin said, not bothering to break eye contact .. until she did it of her own accord. The whole lot of them seemed to possess this sudden animosity as well.. seemingly unrelated to the dose of intimidating action and tone he'd taken with one of their number. -d
ruby vindicta: "If you do not make it one, no." Oswin was propelled towards the door with the urgings of her hands despite his protests, the cold blast of air encouraging her to pull her cloak tighter around her body as she muttered to herself something about demonbloods, her Doxenian a quick stream from her mouth. Karin simply rolled her eyes, halting the party ever so briefly as she hurried back to their table and scooped up a small pack she had left behind in their haste to leave: Lovisa standing by the door and tapping a foot pointedly with her arms crossed.
OnlineHost: scales change rolled 1 20-sided die: 7
scales change: [+5 alert (listen) = 12 ]
scales change: They did not present a justifiable reason to deal out a blood-spilling sort of punishment.. and so there simply was no reason to make it more than it was to him. The muttering could easily enough be missed.. though if she happened to mention one thing more than once.. well perhaps he'd pick up on it. -d " Demonbloods? "Focusing in on the mutterings delivered the word she labeled him with rather accusingly. Well certainly Kythin had been called worse before.. alas.. it was far too much of an insult to allow it to go unchallenged now. It earned the Black Knight making progress towards them and even out the door. " Dragonblood, Girl, Dragon. " Perhaps the demon bit went a tad too far.. because it had Kythin swiping a hand over the brooch at his throat.. bringing about the unfolding of his blue-black half-plate armor and a hand falling to tighten a grasp on the hilt of one of his swords. " And I'll be damn sure you remember the difference. " And why would they remember the difference.. well Kythin knew Doxenia possessed a few were-creatures.. Lord Kissekatt among them in fact, not that he mentioned it, and Kythin decided to abuse that fact with a little showmanship.. as much showmanship as the unpleasant sight of a man shifting form into something much more draconic in form.. not that he expected them to understand the difference at this point. -d
ruby vindicta: As he pursued them she decided to stop in her tracks and turn back around, just in time to catch him beginning his transformation. "Are you sure, boy? It still looks the same to me." From her estimate he could not be that much older than she was, though at this stage it was hard to tell as something odd seemed to be going on with his face .. there was not much human about it at this stage, but she did not see the claims to dragon that he made! Though it did look beastly. Her eyes dropped to where his hand was on his hilt, and her lips tightened. Her companions seemed unsure of what to do, though they gathered together to form a tight group in case anything hairy was going to take place. Though what could a small group of soldiers-in-training do against what could've been an actual demon wearing half plate?
scales change: Within the span of a moment or two within the midst of a transformation.. Kythin let his grasp ease away from sword hilt. Why though? The continuation of the shift began to answer that question.. as the arms and armor melded into shape-change in process until a moment later they were faced with a rather irritated looking White Dragon. Least they wouldn't have to fight a demon.. perhaps just a dragon out for nothing less than their frozen hides. -d
ruby vindicta: "Think he's sure .. " Karin had pulled up next to Lovisa and tugged on her arm again, probably urging that they should all say their goodbyes and remount their horses and head back to Doxenia. The others were chattering excitedly amongst themselves, a bit of fear, a bit of awe, mostly surprise .. yes they were familiar with the concept of were-creatures, the Witchwood in particular was said to be full of them! Lovisa frowned skeptically as she stared up at the massive beast clearly trying to find something wrong with it. But no matter how you painted it, it was a dragon and not some kind of demonic hell beast. Admittedly, it didn't occur to her that this could all be some magical trick and the demon could just be trying to buy time .. but perhaps at this stage, her companions didn't particularly care provided they didn't get eaten. "Ok. I believe you." Fiery eyes narrowed just a little before her expression cleared completely, the earlier animosity washed away from her face. Though, perhaps the hornets nest had already been shaken ..
scales change: It proved rather amusing , as it always did, to see the faces of those that did not expect to come face to face with a dragon outside of an Inne of all places! The draconic form did not just go away though.. in fact he kept it for time being. This came with a rather.. specific flaw in its design.. due to having not yet figured out how to use mortal speech in such a non-human form! "thric throdenilt kothar loupon wux, fanol. " (Draconic: No more demon than you are, girl. ) =d
ruby vindicta: "Understood." As far as Lovisa knew there was no demon in her, she'd been blessed by a holy priest at her urgings when she was younger, and had shown no adverse reactions. "You're welcome to change back .. I think you are scaring the horses." Hand was waved in a matter of fact fashion towards the aforementioned equines, who definitely appeared to want to be anywhere else but here right now .. and goodness knew what the locals were currently thinking: and if Karin tugged on her arm any harder she would eventually topple over. In truth Lovisa did have a thrill of fear deep in her stomach .. but after being beset upon by a group of children twice her age, she had learned how to mask her fear, keep it from showing up on her face.
scales change: If the locals cared at all they were keeping it to themselves.. it was an Inne ran by an Adventuring Company after all.. and they'd see dragons there previously in a civil manner! More civil than some of their own members in fact. Eventually Kythin did come by the decision, and will, to go through the unpleasant process of restoring his form to that which he spent most of his time. It took a little time but in the end the Black Knight was once again eyeing them from a slightly, very slightly, less intimidating form. " You would do well not to insult the Knight whom alongside Baron Kissekat rid Doxenia of a very literal demon. " Course.. he was assuming alot to think that all of Doxenia's rank and file would recognize the name of one of their own nobles. -d
ruby vindicta: The others began talking amongst themselves again, a few phrases leaking out of the throng. For the most part they did not realise that Kythin had been one of those that had helped Baron Kissekat save all of Doxenia from that demon: among the rank and file, the Baron had been elevated because of the feat whereas anyone else had been overlooked at the time, unless they had originated from Doxenia themselves as well! It was odd how people tended to view their national 'heroes'. After a lengthy discussion, one of the men at the back piped up over the rest. "Ah .. they did not tell us your name .. ?" The speaker quickly backed down again just in case his innocent question earned himself a boot to the head, or the reappearance of an angry white dragon.
scales change: Kythin took this question rather civilly, even if he was a white dragon, a type of dragon known for being vicious! Well far as they knew at least, truth was a little different.. but he'd never explain it! "Sir Kythin Steelfang, the Black Knight of Dunsany. " The title wore much more of his infamy than he did by appearance.. few assumed some brute in crimson clothing was anyone of important.. or to fear. -d
ruby vindicta: Lovisa nodded, accepting the information. Of course there were a few confused looks, not a one of them recognized the name as such but they weren't about to point it out at this stage. They merely nodded amongst themselves while each one made a mental note to ask someone higher up in the ranking system about it, as surely they would know. "Well .. this has been a lively discussion, but I am certain we all have other places to be." A breath was exhaled, that was the most she had said all afternoon, at least directly, not counting the little chat at the dinner table or the warnings she and Karin had dispensed to Oswin.
scales change: " I suggest you head to Port Union, you will find Doxenia a much easier locale to reach by teleportation. Your steeds can be transported as well. If the lot of you cannot afford it, then I will. " Will what? Well assumedly the answer could only be obvious. -d
ruby vindicta: This prompted further confusion from the group: as mere military trainees they weren't gifted with a lot of coin, and so taking such a lavish route back to their own Kingdom would have never occurred to them. "You .. I beg your pardon?" Lovisa spoke up for the lot of them. "You would pay our fee with the Union? Why?" As she frowned at Kythin, Johan joked with the as yet unspoken Benjamin that it was probably to get their stink out of his country as quickly as possible, prompting a series of nervous chuckles from the group: though Karin smacked him in the side and offered her verbal opinion. "I think we should ride. If we arrive home days earlier than expected there may be questions .. " And the thought of actually doing laps out in the snow was no less unappealing now that they were out in the cold, rather than in the warm inne.
scales change: " Questions that can be avoided by say.. escorting an ally of your kingdom and its nobility to Westby perhaps? " Kythin offered, considering that they were soldiers.. even if they were rank and file.. providing them a side mission? Well such was an interesting distraction.. and why not seeing as his Lady was out and about traveling.. for all he knew.. in Doxenia.. serving him well to reach the locale under the guise of visiting the likes of Lord Kissekat instead. " Does such a duty have your preference? "-d
ruby vindicta: Another flurry of Doxenian as the group listed the pros and cons, outlying what could possibly go wrong and how this cover would actually allow them to save a few days. Some were under the misapprehension that arriving home earlier would allow them to take the spare days as leave - but chances were they would be set back to work before they had even settled back in. "I think they will accept that." They being the sergeant and his betters: while the odds were Kythin didn't need the escort - it was laughable to even think he did - but it would look good on paper if nothing else. As a group they dispersed towards their horses, going through the usual checklist before actually mounting and looking expectantly at Kythin .. if he had anything he needed to collect from the building, now would be a good time!
