The assorted bits of Aldrakar Renodin's Life

[Renodin]

Hey there! A small Rp that is more of a spring board rather than anything else. It illustrates and updates subtly. Still, it also sets a mood and that in Rp is very important I feel. Inspiring other people.


Raw hands

It was a blend of Ochre, the walls of many buildings, the hulls of many ships. Mingled into this blend were the Annatto roofs and in part the bright clothing of the people walking in the streets. A few dignitaries, men thinking themselves important and wearing the Cochineal fabrics to mark them as such. Rubbing feeling back into his hands Aldrakar took in the vista from his lavish training pavilion. It jutted out from the nothing wing of the Golden palace and was quite literally an artificial cliff. He fingered a suddenly tender scrap on his wrist as he heard a soft chuckle behind him.

''You won't forget to make a proper guard next time I try to pull a trick on you I'm sure.'' The auburn haired man with olive skin smiled a smirk that could've been stolen straight from a satire. The horns and hooves easily imagined. A gentle breeze ran over their sweat stained bodies. The grunts of a dozen training swordsmen like the buzz of worker-bees in the background.

Aldrakar stepped away from the edge of the pavilion. ''You're right, Angelo. I won't forget. Next time it'll be you bleeding!'' A big grin disarmed the words but it too quickly faded as a servant arrived. A boy, not quite a man. Slender and fairly gaunt he was panting, his eyes wide as he held up a hand in apology. ''Easy boy, why were you permitted into my home?'' The question directed at a senior house servant rather than the messenger boy. The older man dressed in the Rendorian colors offered a silent apology and bowed.  The messenger coughed as he struggled to gulp down air. A flutter caught Aldrakar's eye. He wasn't apologizing at all the boy. He was holding up a bit of parchment.

With two long strides Aldrakar was upon him and snatched the piece like an owl falling on a mouse in a freshly harvested field of wheat. His eyes roamed the confines of the small letter and his muscles moved of their own volition. The last two years had seen Aldrakar spend long days at Physical training and the Art of Sword-fighting and it showed. He was near the peak of his physical appearance. A statue of the ancient masters given skin and vital breath. Also devoid of strange leafs at private locations certainly.

He raked his hair absentmindedly as he thought on what was written, a moment passed and he put the parchment in the belt. ''Pay the boy, see him fed.'' The words spoken with force and Aldrakar walked inside the Palace. Abandoning the gentle outside and setting to the task of finding that which would see to him restored, a piece of his heart.

[Renodin]

Next up is a small RP, like a snippet almost. It's meant to go along with other more basic functions of the game like actually sending bonds to people or sending letters / messenger etc. Give a bit of flesh to the body so to speak. Keep them guessing and tease a little.


It was no strange sight, it happened often really. Yet, this time like some other times. There was a strange sense of urgency. The guards were more alert and the carriages were more sturdy. From the Golden Palace at Giask several trains of carriages and well armed guards went into the world. They carried seals of the Imperial Magistrate but perhaps more importantly, that of the House Renodin. A keen observer or rather a hired informant, lest we call them spy, might have been able to discern that the nature of at least two of the little caravans was gold.

Gold to fuel the greed of men or perhaps to the service of the Empire. Regardless, money was flowing from the well known as Wealth.

[Renodin]

Hey! This piece is a response I wrote as a way to illustrate a musing, pondering Aldrakar. Its a new chapter in the not so very solid relationship between Aldrakar and Jocelin. She had been away for a long time and when she reappeared she had undertaken a slew of other activities.


A Lurian Night

It felt like gently chilled silk upon his kin. When he ventured out too much it became more pronounced and he imagined it to be akin to a splash of cold water. The droplets falling where they would. Aldrakar looked out over Giask from a balcony of the Golden Palace. It was evening and a thousand thousand torches blanketed the big city in a wonderful flow. Next to him a brazier of red clay shaped in the head of a roaring lion with its mouth opened to the sky warmed him. The flames in a dance that would last only as long as the timber that sustained it.

A wry smile crept up onto his face. That was her ship, his eyes trying to make out details but it was futile. It was a small vessel with nothing really distinct, but it was hers. A pang from the fire interrupted his train of thought. ''Da!" Aldrakar turned his head slowly to find Asher, his second born son of 7 summers, approach him from the warm indoors. "Da..?'' Asher looked up his father with a quizzical expression heavy on his face. Aldrakar made a small gesture with his hand. ''Come here." The boy obliged.

''You recall Lady Jocelin?'' Aldrakar asked his son while he picked him up. Asher didn't reply. Aldrakar let the boy rest on his arm. ''You're getting too old and heavy for this.'' A warm smile telling the boy that his father was teasing him. ''Noooo! Never!'' Asher teased back and clutched his father's shoulder. His small hands grabbing the collar of Aldrakar's shirt.

''She's on that ship over there, the one with the dark yellowish sails.'' A look informed him that Asher didn't quite understand. ''The boat with the three lights, see?''  Asher nodded as he stifled a yawn. ''Tired?'' Aldrakar asked quietly, already making eye contact with Madelin. A young woman that was the boy's warden of sorts. ''Naaahhh...'' The word trailed as Asher denied it.

Madelin came up to them and offered to take Asher. Aldrakar handed him to her and she took him inside again. A proud but soon sad smile formed on Aldrakar's face. He looked back at Jocelin's ship. He thought back on her last letter. A mean piece, she was in her right to be mean. It was probably for the best. Suddenly aware of the cold, it got to him somehow. Crept up more like and he shuddered.

That night Aldrakar stood long on that balcony. Long and deep in thought, his hands warming at the licking flames from the Lion brazier. Thoughts about the future and more than a few memories battling with a rational mind.

[Renodin]

It's me again! but not with writing of my own but of the player of Jocelin. Great stuff really but if you're a regular, you already knew that. Enjoy!


Jocelin put her quill aside, her face white with fury.  Angry tears threatened to spill, and lest they ruin the still-wet ink she wiped them away.  Her hands were shaking as she reached for a pinch of sand from a small box on the desk, sprinkling it across the page to absorb the remaining ink.  After a few minutes she gently lifted it; blackened sand fell away unheeded as she reread what she'd written.  The desire to wound him had been strong and clearly showed, but she felt she could have been crueler.  For a sick moment Jocelin considered tearing it up and sailing away, leaving his last letter to hang between them forever.  Why even give him the satisfaction of a response?  Why did she have to come crawling back on her belly like a cur?

She stared at it for a few minutes longer and then summoned one of the sailors to deliver it.  When he'd gone she went to the Captain, demanding that no one be allowed onto the ship until dawn.  If he comes, She reasoned on the way back to her cabin, thinking Aldrakar wouldn't if his first letter was any indication, He will be sent away.  The sputtering candle on her desk died with a breath.  Jocelin crawled into bed without so much as changing out of her robes, wanting nothing more than to hide until dawn.  In the comforting cocoon of her blankets she curled in on herself.  I won't see him.  I don't want to see him.  Jocelin's wounded pride fueled her thoughts... but it was her anger and her loneliness that kept her awake, listening to the creaking of the wood around her for the sound of footsteps above deck.

The night passed fitfully.  Every time Jocelin started to drift towards sleep the footsteps of the ship's watch startled her awake, and she'd wait tensely in the following moments for the door to her cabin to open.  Yet it never did, and her anger subsided into profound loneliness.  She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders.  Did he get my letter?  They were minutes from the heart of the city, but it'd been late when her messenger left.  Maybe it hadn't been received yet, and she was waiting for nothing.

Another ten minutes and she was kicking the blankets off, her mercurial temper taking hold.  Jocelin threw on a dark cloak tastefully lined with red and studded with red stars.  She left her cabin to wander on the deck, her eyes immediately seeking the Stars when the night air struck her.  It seemed there was a second love in her life, for the tension in her face melted away in their light.  She sat on a covered crate off the dockside bow to gaze, meditating to cool her nerves.  The roving watch passed her by without so much as stopping, familiar as they were with the noblewoman on deck at all hours of the night.   She tried not to let the castle above the city distract her... but found herself staring at it anyway, wondering if the unmoving watcher on the lighted balcony was Aldrakar.

He didn't come.  Had she really expected him to?  Maybe she was being too impatient... but it had been two years.

  "Why don't you come down here?"  Jocelin called to no one in particular, knowing she was too far away to be heard.

[Renodin]

Hahaha, couldn't resist. Had to write it. Here it is. A rather mocking, teasing, offending? piece of Rp that is written from the perspective of one of Aldrakar's Servants. A young man quite able at administrative things. Enjoy!


Death and Taxes

The horizon was painted in thick layers of red, of orange, of yellow and finally a restful blue. Surrounded by a cadre of handpicked soldiers all sporting the livery of House Renodin was a slender man. Thin in the way of youth and clever evasion of martial training. Jalen cared little for the strength of his sword arm. Few would survive the verbal slaughter he could inflict with his exceptional intelligence and grasp on legal matters.

It were these particular skills and aversions that had seen him rise swiftly in the ranks of the staff of the Imperial Magistrate. A man he found far too prim, exact and.. virtuous. A good man sure, but stuck up in a wrong way. Jalen pulled the fine fox pelt cape tighter around his diminutive shoulders. One of the soldiers eyed him funnily. ''See something you like Gerald? I didn't take you for a man lover.'' Jalen's tone entirely sarcastic. The other soldiers chuckled and Gerald fumed, powerless against a favored servant of the Lord Aldrakar. ''Didn't think so, now look lively, do your job.'' Jalen gave the much bigger man a nasty look.

Their early errant wasn't sudden and certainly not without a suitable reason. Jalen was nothing if not well informed. One of the topics he studiously spend effort on was the subject of likes and preferences. Knowing what your Lord and Master likes makes it a whole lot easier to make him like you. Aldrakar, so Jalen knew, liked Lady Jocelin, a lot. What Aldrakar didn't yet know was that Lady Jocelin had taken up residence in the Inner City. To compound on the matter, she had even proclaimed, albeit relatively silently, it her own estate to govern. The possibilities made Jalen grin, what to do first, what to suggest in return. His fortunes would rise still!

After some time the cadre and its important civil servant arrived at the docks. Curling his lip up and displaying his teeth expressed Jalen's dislike for this part of the City. Too busy, too dirty, too crowded. He transformed to the very image of serenity as soon as he set about the task of announcing himself. This involved him silently ordering some of the Soldiers to board the ship via the gangplank and proclaim his arrival. An erect finger did the job nicely.

The crew of the small ship looked confused and more than a few worried. Soon the captain emerged but Jalen didn't let his absence prevent himself from listing his intentions. Which were, conveniently, written down on a scroll he unfurled with a flourish. ''The Great City of Giask, Mother of Realms, Most Bright Jewel of Luria, Largest of the Cities of Dwilight welcomes its -Potentially- newest Dame!'' Jalen paused briefly to look at the red faced captain of the ship and just as quickly dismissed him. ''Where you have failed to present yourself to the Lord of Giask you may prostate yourself before his favored servant and offer your oath of Fealty so that it may be conveyed to his person.'' Jalen made a bit of a show pushing his chin up into the air and looking over everyone gathered. His hands straitening the sleeves of his deep yellow and crimson jacket. Heavily embroidered and full of iconography.

''It earns great displeasure to assume an estate before declaring one's intent. In the book of Laws as housed in the First Library of Giask it clearly states that such offence is grave indeed! A swift display of remorse and suitable compensation may alleviate the gross insult onto his person and the people of the City.'' Jalen's face was the very image of peace, his eyebrows almost nonchalant.

 ''Should you accomplish this feat and gain favor.'' He almost rolled his eyes. ''A fair and modest tax will be levied of 50 percent, that being half of the revenues enjoyed. Furthermore is any Knight or Dame, Bondsman or woman expected to fulfill martial service. Until the body cannot take in breath anymore, the arms too weak to function and the very flesh rend from the bone, until indeed, death sets in.'' The last addendum entirely of his own fabrication, the clear voice in which he spoke merely the product of much practice.

''Should you refuse this benevolence and turn away from such opportunity you will be banished from the City forever, never to return again.'' Jalen's voice changed as he started to roll the scroll up again. ''I'm sure it doesn't quite need to get to that though.'' A very friendly smile was conjured onto his face by an invisible fairy on he could see. ''We can help one another, surely you know of what I speak.'' His hands and arms slowly swept to the side in a disarming gesture and his impeccable white teeth fully on display. ''Lady Jocelin, let me help you.''

[Renodin]

I'm back again! I've been sluggish to post these follow up Rp's. They're almost a month old so I guess the game itself spurred me on to post them here. 30 day cut off limit and all that.

Written by Jocelin Le Drake's player:

The Night Before...

Midnight came and went, and the chill of night's darkest hours came with a fog from the ocean.  Jocelin's view of the Stars and the castle on the hill was gradually obstructed... but still she remained, stubbornly awaiting Aldrakar to take even a few steps toward her on her long journey home.  But the docks remained quietly, and after a time she retreated below decks to sleep.  And that might well have been the end of her night had she not sought comfort at the bottom of a bottle.  For someone who was so cautious in maintaining the image of a courtly lady, her private hours had been dedicated more and more frequently to the numbing comfort of spirits.

Of course, Jocelin remembered nothing of the demand's she'd made after retiring to bed, and knew only that the pounding in her skull was grossly magnified by the pounding of the deck above her head.  Further pounding on the door to her cabin caused her to roll out of bed, loudly protesting the intrusion on her privacy and health with a senseless onslaught of vowels.  Her mouth was dry and acrid as dragon's breath, and her clothes still hadn't changed from the night before.  The warped mirror she'd brought aboard from Sulorte reflected a sloppy, wild-haired, groggy-eyed doppleganger of the woman known as Jocelin.  She did what she could to make herself more presentable before answering the pounding on the door, "Do you know who I am?"

The cabin boy looked confused, for the woman shouting at him was nothing like the composed lady the crew had grown familiar with.  His preteen voice cracked slightly as he pointed toward the stairs.  "There's a whole army and a lord--"  Her eyes shot open wide, and she shouldered past the boy in her haste.  But at the bottom of the steps she hesitated, aware of how slovenly she looked.  "Can I go out there like this?"  Two years.  If he hated her, would he still have come?  She started to pace, the mask of courtly elegance lost for a candid look at the lost girl beneath.  Jocelin's fingers combed through her tangled hair, becoming more and more frantic as they encountered more snags.  Her eyes darted nervously from side to side, and she chewed on her bottom lip as she weighed the pros and cons of going out as she was.  There might never have been a verdict in her thoughts had the cabin boy not moved toward her.  Like a rat in the pantry she froze, not facing him but looking at him out of the corner of her eye.  The rest of her body was still as the gates of austerity came slamming down, and her face became curiously blank before the haughty mask of a noblewoman disturbed from her sleep replaced it.  She twisted her hair and pulled it over her shoulder to mask most of the tangles, and lifted her chin for just the proper touch of arrogance.  After a few minor adjustments of her robes she squared her shoulders and came onto the deck.

''The Great City of Giask, Mother of Realms, Most Bright Jewel of Luria, Largest of the Cities of Dwilight welcomes its -Potentially- newest Dame!''

Jocelin fought to hide her disappointment.  You're not Aldrakar.  She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the scrawny piece of flesh speaking to her, recognizing him from her time before in Giask.  His name escaped her, and her annoyance made it difficult to concentrate on the speech being made.  It wasn't until he mentioned an estate that her attention came back to him full swing.  Did I claim an estate last night?  She couldn't remember past the pounding in her skull and the dryness of her mouth and throat... but it couldn't be expected that she would admit to these things aloud.

Jalen rolled up the scroll from which he'd been reading.  His face broke into a smile that somehow felt slimy underneath.  The others on deck were silent as he came forward, his quiet voice carrying over the sounds of the crowded wharf.  A crowd had gathered dockside, onlookers curious about the soldiers that had boarded the ship.  To see a tired priestess not of the major faiths within the city (there being only a handful of Ecclesial Sanguiastroists in Giask) only sparked more curiosity.

In all that Jalen had had to say to her, only one thing stuck.  Jocelin regarded him warily.  She at least seemed intrigued.  "How can you help me?"

[Renodin]

And the next piece in the exchange!


Jalen's offer

In all that Jalen had had to say to her, only one thing stuck.  Jocelin regarded him warily.  She at least seemed intrigued.  "How can you help me?"

--

His smile turned carefully through a cycle of emotions. First compassion, then a faded and thinly veiled form of glee to ultimately arrive at pride cushioned with ample smugness. ''Well, we can always help one another Lady Jocelin.'' He all but purred as he took the time to move closer to her. His eyes fleetingly resting on her form. ''You look a mess, did you sleep poorly?'' He waved a hand. ''No matter, it is clear why my Master, Aldrakar is so fond of you. A flame I could fuel for you perhaps.'' He arched an eyebrow almost privately at her.

Stepping away from her resolutely, not waiting on her to respond Jalen struck out an arm to the crowd gathered below the ship. ''People of Giask. Only the Justice of the Lord of Giask on display! His will ever in your service!'' Jalen licked his lips. ''Behold Lady Jocelin, former Suffete of Barca bow in servitude!'' The little man puffed his chest as he turned to Jocelin. ''All in good time Lady Jocelin. First a show of good faith.'' The words spoken through a mask of authority that was perhaps the true show for the low born to behold. His voice soft so those last words hopefully wouldn't reach the ears of the commoners.

''I can help you win his affection. A kind word can turn a heart and I have his ear. He listens to me and how can he refuse you when all you really need is a proper frame. You're a perfect picture Jocelin, just step into the frame..'' Jalen presented the scroll he had read from previously. His head turned to the crowd below. ''Behold people of Giask! The Lady Jocelin!''

[Renodin]

Jocelin's response as written by the Player of Jocelin Le Drake.




Every step Jalen took forward seemed to tighten the world around her, and she felt slimier with every inch lost between them.  Her wariness took on a catlike aspect: her golden eyes --locked on the boisterous servant before her-- blazed with unblinking feline fury, and the small step back she took felt like she was preparing to launch herself at him.  Were it not for the crowd or the invocation of Aldrakar's name Jocelin would have attacked him... and she still might have, had he not stepped away.  Immediately the tightness in her chest resolved, and she sucked in a greedy breath of the salty sea air.  A hundred pairs of staring eyes went ignored, for the greatest threat to her well-being stood before her in elegant regalia.

The mention of Barca after so long an imprisonment might as well have been a slap to the face.  Jocelin turned as white as a sheet; her knees buckled ever so slightly, evident only in the smallest hint of a sway.  Was this planned?  Her muddled thoughts tried to make sense of what was happening.  Is this Aldrakar's response?  Had two years made him so cruel as this, that he would send a servant to shame her publicly?  Tears threatened, held back only because she would not allow these lowborn beasts witness them.

Jalen turned back to her.  His voice dropped to the barest whisper.  "I can help you win his affection. A kind word can turn a heart and I have his ear. He listens to me and how can he refuse you when all you really need is a proper frame. You're a perfect picture Jocelin, just step into the frame..''

Why would Jalen be saying such things, as if Aldrakar still expected her to come after humiliating her so?  Realization dawned.  So great became her hatred for this little man before her that she tasted hot metal.  A great gulf opened between her waking thoughts and her body, evident in the stare that penetrated through Jalen to fixate on... well, nothing.  "I will ruin you," She threatened quietly.

Her eyes continued to fixate on nothing as she turned to the gathered crowd, stepping past the public servant as if he were no more than an insect on her path.  "Giask!"  Her voice carried far on the sea breeze.  "My error is most grievous, and my shame insurmountable, for how terribly I have disrespected your lord in this manner."  Nodded assent, and a handful of insults lobbed from the faceless mob followed this announcement.  Jocelin lifted a hand to pull the attention back to herself, her heart beating a terrible staccato in her chest.  "But for the immensity of my transgression... is an avatar of that Justice truly enough?  Should not the guilty be paraded before the Judge, and the verdict rendered from His mouth?"

She turned back to Jalen, suppressing the tremor in her limbs.  Her voice took on a softer, pleading note, and she opened her palms to him.  "I beseech you... take pity on a servant of the Stars, who knew not the gravity of her transgression.  Allow me to prostrate myself before your Lord, and the man I would call mine."  I will kill you.  If she knelt to this hateful man now there would be no life in the city for her.  Jocelin would rather take her chances with banishment than losing the respect of the people she intended to live amongst.

[Renodin]

By this time I personally felt a bit bad for what was being written and done but the Story must go on! Drama is still part of life after all.


The Crowd and Crown

Like a great curious beast. Several hundred citizens and visitors of Giask looked on as their eyes informed them of the happenings atop a deck of a small ship. The ship that preformed as a host to the theater of life. Life of the Nobles, their betters. Few things are so sweet and bitter at the same time than to see them squirm and battle one another. Be that with actual steel or the steel of their minds. The people lapped it up like puppies do milk.

"Giask!" Jocelin called to them. Like a school of fish wary of a predator they congealed together. "My error is most grievous, and my shame insurmountable, for how terribly I have disrespected your lord in this manner." The ragged Lady told them in a clear voice. ''That's right!'' from one corner. ''You Harpy!'' from another. ''Shhh! Let her speak!'' A female voice rose. Heads bobbed and forceful gestures made the crowd appear to retake its confidence.

"But for the immensity of my transgression... is an avatar of that Justice truly enough?  Should not the guilty be paraded before the Judge, and the verdict rendered from His mouth?" Jocelin's reasoning struck them like spring frost. The crowd quieted, then it fell to fits of chaos until Jocelin spoke again.

The many eyed beholder that was the people fell silent as they got onto the proverbial edge of their seat to better see what was exchanged between Jalen and Jocelin. "I beseech you... take pity on a servant of the Stars, who knew not the gravity of her transgression.  Allow me to prostrate myself before your Lord, and the man I would call mine."

Taken aback Jalen struggled for a short moment to find his composure. His eyes scanned the crowd beyond and his mind worked. Aldrakar would learn of this soon, informants might already have arrived at the Golden Palace. His eye met her's. Raising his head he began to speak. ''You would think yourself above them?'' His utterly straight index finger pointing at the crowd. ''Is their justice not enough for you, Woman?'' He took two quick steps towards her and made a disgusted face at her. ''You think you're better and above the Law? The Law to which all Men have to keep themselves?'' His eyebrows rising high as he expressed fake surprise. ''A Woman demanding Justice different and beyond than that of us all?'' He turned to stand with the crowd, a simple illusion.  He took a long moment to shrug and share a look with the many faces in the crowd.

Making an over-exaggerated and heavy nod ''Alright! Let us go to the Higher Justice you seek!'' Jalen's fist met the voices rising from the crowd that continued to swell. He punched up at the crowd. ''Let us find out if the Justice you will receive will be any different than that of theirs, of us!'' His face utterly serious but gleeful when he was out of view of the crowd. ''This won't go well for you Jocelin.'' His olive voice informed her.

Jalen signaled his sergeant. The big man in partial plate and heavy cape shouted a command which brought the soldiers into motion. They cleared a path from the gangplank and formed a small escort for Jocelin and Jalen. To walk side by side to the Golden Palace.

Moving through the crowd surrounded by a ring of steel Jalen affected being affronted by Jocelin and tried to jeer the people on like a born firebrand. ''Justice!'' The sergeant also seemed in cahoot as he and Jalen communicated mostly silently as to which directions to take to actually reach the Golden Palace. Markets, big boulevards, public sites and monuments. Any place a lot of people could be.

Arriving at the entrance of the massive Palace complex they were greeted by several hundred guards and soldiers in formal attire. Their breastplates glimmering in the mid winter sun. A cruel gust inflicting goosebumps and making banners flutter and spasm like the dying.

The Gates swung open and a party of Official looking men and 2 women received them with the ornate splendor afforded a visiting dignitary. The nearby streets were cramped with people drinking in the spectacle. Shouts indistinguishable from one another. Spirits high, spirits low. Word was out, Aldrakar would Judge this new Woman.

''It's not too late yet, I can make it all go away.'' Jalen conspiratorially whispered to Jocelin.

[Renodin]

As written by the player of Jocelin Le Drake.



Is this what coming home is supposed to feel like? Jalen was leaning in to say something, but she never heard it. Her shell hardened until she was a different person, an unblinking, unseeing doppelganger with a kernel of personality in its heart. As she had, her opponent turned her words against her, finding insult where none was meant. The crowd was with him: the dull roar in her ears told her as much. I'm not here. I'm not here. I'm not here. The thought became an obsessive mantra, willed into being. Her last defense was to play dead; she folded her hands into the sleeves of her robes, her movements as labored as if they took place underwater. The ends of her fingers tingled hypoxically, and were she to engage in fine motor skills she would be found lacking. Her golden eyes dropped from Jalen's, and she refused to answer him or rise to his bait.

The city didn't exist. The crowd wasn't there. The march through Giask was happening to someone else, someone a thousand miles away. I'm not here. Why was this happening again? Why was this cockroach being allowed to parade her through the streets?

Jalen at her elbow again. She bristled, goaded to surface by her loathing for him. And still she wouldn't even look his way. "You're a monster." The crowd got to her then: her face turned ashen, and the shallow, rapid heaving of her chest made her eyes swim and her lips turn blue. She looked for a way out and found nothing but a mob turned against her by a mistake. She couldn't bear it anymore.

"End it," Jocelin pleaded in a small voice, swaying perilously on her feet.

[Renodin]

A new character entering the scene! I won't spoil much else! Read on! Encore!


Praesto

The short span of daylight had already given way to darkness, again. A sigh escaped his mouth as he put the quill down. Nearby torches and candles lit the spacious room that was his study. That was a silly word for a room large enough to host a dozen people. In front of him he saw the finely penned letter from Sir Talt. That old wolf still amazed him. ''Let's see how you deal with this one Talt.'' Aldrakar grinned as he dripped crimson wax onto his latest letter and pressed his seal into it. A servant appeared almost magically at the right moment to take the scroll from him. ''To Talt, Sholan, Taran, Theon and Zajar.'' The servant bowed deeply and paused.

Turning to face the woman ''Yes?'' Aldrakar said mildly. ''There is a crowd gathered outside the Palatial Entrance. It seems Praesto Jalen has brought Lady Jocelin to the Palace, Master Aldrakar.'' She bowed again. A silence stretched as she didn't leave and Aldrakar's face turned dark. A deep intake of breath saw most of the tension leave his features. He nodded. She left him and gave a small smile.

Aldrakar pushed himself up from the chair and rolled his shoulders. His clothing a mix of practical attire but adorned with embroidery made of gold-thread. A sash of deep jade studded with silver pins around his waist, the end of it fluttering near his knee. He growled as he made himself walk downstairs and towards the palatial entrance.

Reaching the inner courtyard just beyond the General Entrance of the Palace he began to really comprehend the scale of the crowd and the situation at hand. The glow of torchlight banishing the dark of a Lurian Winter. The people of Giask where both silent and in an uproar. Some yelled and others simply looked on, wondering what would happen. The gardens were beautiful and tranquil and they were certainly alone in that elusive trait tonight. It wasn't beauty for that trait Aldrakar beheld the moment his eyes fell on Jocelin.

Jalen stood next to her and he was still working the crowd. His arms moving like a director and the people his orchestra. Aldrakar halted, he looked on from just behind the Entrance, a huge and elaborate gated archway. The impressive edifice suffused with beautification. She vanished for years. Asher and Aldrakar II missed her, she made them sad. She made me sad! His face angry. His own thoughts sounded childish as he tried to collect himself for what was to come. He had to appear now, Jalen had made certain of that.  A servant darted past. A man of good physical health but compared to Aldrakar he seemed little. Taking a deep breath Aldrakar smoothed back his dark golden locks. Now. and he walked out through the Entrance.

''Behold!'' Jalen made a grandiose gesture towards Aldrakar. ''Justice! Our Lord and Master!'' He began to kneel. ''Kneel for him and know he will render onto us fair judgement!'' Jalen peeked around to see if the people were following his lead. They were.
It became quiet, so quiet that Aldrakar's footsteps seemed to bounce off the walls and not a breath was released.

''Maggot!'' Through clenched teeth. A heavy boot stamped down onto Jalen's shoulder and the small man was all but crushed under the force of Aldrakar's heel.

His hands moved fast and decisively as he pulled Jocelin close to himself and kissed her. The symbol of his action broken as he swept her off her feet and carried her in person back into the Palace. "Master! Why?! She has defied your will by taking an estate!'' Jalen croaked in stupefied rage.

Aldrakar stopped in his tracks. He raised his head up high. The glow of the torches outlining his angular jaw and giving his hair the quality of the predawn sun. A sharp jerk of his head was indication enough for the guards. Jalen was dragged from the square in front of the Palatial Entrance. Kicking and protesting all the way.

[Renodin]

As written by the player of Jocelin Le Drake.



From his concealed position beyond the Entrance Aldrakar could witness the plea she made to Jalen, though perhaps it was too far to hear the exact words.  She appeared a mess: her robes were askew and heavily wrinkled, her hair a twisted in a hasty knot that hardly concealed the tangles, and the bags under her eyes were only emphasized by the draining color in her face.  When Aldrakar revealed himself she didn't seem to notice, and was soon the only one left standing after the crowd followed Jalen's example to kneel.  The troubled dame was obviously slow to recognize the man crossing the courtyard toward them... but when she did her senses slammed her brutally back into the present.  Forget that she was furious with Jalen: there was a different edge to the glare that followed, a look that somehow conveyed her embarrassment and blamed him for it.  Even when he ground his boot heel into the prostrated back of her (newest) enemy she seemed to take no joy in it.

The mouth Aldrakar kissed was set in a hard line, the body he lifted tense like a coiled spring.

Jocelin did not make the walk back pleasant.  Hostility radiated off her like heat from a furnace, and those golden eyes never once lifted to his own.  She didn't say anything until the sound of the crowd outside grew dull.

"Put me down."

The demand preceded a struggle to free herself; Aldrakar was strong, but she was determined, and ready to fight him if he didn't.  Inevitably she moved away from him, her hands covering her ears as if to shut out the world.  Fat, hot tears threatened on the edges of her lashes, coming free when she finally couldn't handle it and squeezed her eyes shut.  Her bottom lip trembled violently until she bit it.  Alone as she could be Jocelin tried to pull herself back together, refusing to acknowledge that anyone --especially Aldrakar-- was seeing her in this state.

[Renodin]

The next entry of the Jocelin / Aldrakar Story. I fee sorry that not all of it will be posted on this thread as parts of their story is being played out in letters, rp's with other people, private RP's with small plot hooks and arching story lines. Its a living experience that is BM and it defies capture in a single thread hehe.


Duty calls

"Put me down." The words like red hot iron from Jocelin's lips.

The demand preceded a struggle to free herself; Aldrakar was strong, but she was determined, and ready to fight him if he didn't.  Inevitably she moved away from him, her hands covering her ears as if to shut out the world.  Fat, hot tears threatened on the edges of her lashes, coming free when she finally couldn't handle it and squeezed her eyes shut.  Her bottom lip trembled violently until she bit it.  Alone as she could be Jocelin tried to pull herself back together, refusing to acknowledge that anyone --especially Aldrakar-- was seeing her in this state.

-=-=-


The night was banished as soon as they entered the Golden Palace. It was the entrance section and an entire complex all of its own. beautiful and elaborate with so much opulence it could provide for a small Kingdom in terms of value. Aldrakar watched Jocelin. His face carved from granite. Inhaling deeply he was about to speak but just at that moment a servant hurried up to him. Aldrakar lowered his head to receive the whispered words. ''I have to go Jocelin.'' His voice flat, direct. His eyes sad. A moment he took to look at the marvelous marble floor and then raised himself to full height. ''Our home.'' He gestured around him and nodded.

At about that time more servants arrived. Some with letters, some with pieces of gear. Traveling attire and in one of the courtyards Aldrakar's Armored Skirmishers, his personal Guard, was being readied as well. With much haste they left Giask with their Lord. That was 4 days ago now.

-

The sky overhead was grey, there were no clouds to distinguish. Only the perpetual grey paste that showered the world in rain, nay, drizzle. In the morning the land would be white with frozen dew but as the day progressed some color returned. Biting winds and frosty mud that's how one could describe Maf in winter. On a small bluff Aldrakar stood. He was looking south. The Fissoans and Morekians would be there somewhere. he was conscious of the fact that the Emperor himself and a King of Luria were part of this warhost. He had tried not to overshadow their personal camps.

''M'Lord, care to spar for a bout or two? see if you still remember the Hawk's Guard?'' The sergeant said with an inviting grin. He was a good man but Aldrakar didn't feel like it. ''No. Thank you though.'' He sighed. ''I just want a battle to happen so we can go home again.'' The older man shrugged lightly and approached his Lord. ''You know, women..'' he paused for a long time, a deliberate move. ''The way I see it.'' His voice raspy and deep. ''Women M'Lord, they are good at waiting.'' The sergeant raised both his eyebrows as he tried to gauge Aldrakar's reaction.

''Is that why you have 5 children but no wife?'' Aldrakar looked at the sergeant. ''Well no, yes, don't compare yourself to me Lordship. I'm just a simple man with modest means. Women don't wait for men like me.'' The sergeant tried his best to give a winning smirk or grin, it looked terrible with the heavily stubble growing out from his chin. Patchy grey and white and some black. ''Any woman would wait for you m'Lord! They'd be bloody fools if they didn't! You are the richest man on Dwilight, A handsome devil and your body is rock-hard! Ohh and you live in a freaking palace!'' Spittle flew from his mouth as the sergeant spoke enthusiastically. ''If I had all that going for me I'd have a dozen beauties waiting on me. A different one for every day. Heck! one for every half of the day! Mellissa for the morning and Priscilla for the afternoon! Just saying..'' The sergeant ended on a self conscious note.

Aldrakar managed a smile. ''Don't you have to check up on the men, make sure they don't damage their armor or something?'' The sergeant saluted. ''Of course m'Lord, at once!'' With that the older man walked off and snapped at the first soldier he reached. Aldrakar focused his gaze southward once more. Willing the enemies of Luria to attack them so he could get the battle over with and find out if she indeed had waited or if she would be gone.

[Renodin]

Written by the player of Jocelin Le Drake.



She'd lowered her hands from her ears when the servant came in, trying to distinguish at a distance what was being said.  The low mutter contained no words she could make out, but after he'd finished Aldrakar announced his intent to leave.  Jocelin didn't say anything, though when he'd gone she glanced reproachfully after him.  The noise out front was too much for her after being paraded through the city, so she found a quiet balcony where she could watch and send her thoughts with him.  She was too drained to be upset that he was leaving so soon after her return, and too embarrassed by her behavior after the fact to want him near.  Still... being alone was cold comfort for the violation of spirit she'd suffered.

In the days after Aldrakar rode out her routine followed its familiar course.  She isolated herself from the servants to focus on her studies.  During the day she forced herself to the Academy to study rhetoric and the delivery of speech; at night, the Stars above the city eased her loneliness as they had when she'd been held against her will.  With nothing to break it a pattern developed in her behavior: she started sleeping later into the day, and sitting awake with a window open to the night sky and her books open to the teachings of the Holy Prophet, Mathurin Hossefeffer.  Every night she wrote down her thoughts, preparing notes for a day when she might speak with the public on her interpretations.

It was on a gloomy day when the Stars seemed unlikely to emerge that she finally found something else to distract her.  Jocelin had been avoiding all but the most necessary contact with the servants of the palace; now she made herself up to wander the grounds.  One of the rare few servants she could tolerate for long followed at her heels, a younger woman named Ophelia with a round face and a gentle disposition.  Their positions on the social ladder and Jocelin's strict observation of it seemed the only thing preventing this creature from being a friend... until they found themselves in the garden, guarded by curious eyes by the dense flowering trees.  They walked until a stone bench presented itself along the path, at which point Jocelin sat and ordered her companion to do the same.  A gentle brook babbled across the path from them, and it took her only a moment to recognize the large stone on its bank as the very place where she'd slipped one time with Aldrakar to witness it.  The wistful smile that broke on her face encouraged the maid beside her to speak up.  Ophelia was observing the thick foliage overhead, "Pity there's no blooms in winter m'lady.  I do love a Heaven's Mirror."

"There's a flower called that?"  The strange name coaxed Jocelin to start a conversation with a commoner.  Ophelia nodded, her boredom with her posting in the palace partially relieved with speech.  "These trees... you've seen them in summer?"

Jocelin nodded.  She'd seen them with Aldrakar: deep blue and purple blossoms with white or red centers, and a fragrant scent that was heady and rich.  In winter the leaves remained, but there were no flowers to be seen.  Ophelia's explanation continued with that silent affirmation, "You don't see them much here, but in the country you'll find fireflies attracted to these trees.  The colors make for a perfect reflection of the sky."

As above, so below.  Jocelin arched an eyebrow, "Are you interested in Stars, Ophelia?"

[Renodin]

Written by the player of Jocelin Le Drake.



By the time she was done speaking new fervor shone in Ophelia's eyes; she was enraptured, and slow to come back into her own.  Night had fallen, and the maid's eyes drank in the cloudy skies above, her expression wistful.  "I wish I could see them now, m'lady."  In a move completely out of character for the standoffish Jocelin she touched the girl's back gently, her golden eyes shining with unfathomable feeling.  "Look at me."  The common girl turned on the bench to face the priestess.  Jocelin took Ophelia's hands in her own, "The Stars influence us no matter the state of the skies.  If they can move us in the harsh light of day they can certainly pierce the clouds.  They sing in the blood."  As above, so below.  In the days since Aldrakar abandoned her she'd resisted their touch, as she denied most contact when she was upset.  But having calmed... really, she imagined that her resistance had only starved her of the greatest source of comfort now left her, and like a starving vagrant she was now glutted.  The curtains were open; she felt the light of the Stars surging through her, and took Ophelia's quiet fervor as a sign that it was more than just a feeling.

They remained on the bench until the growing cold of a winter night drove them inside.  Ophelia left Jocelin outside her room, curtsying clumsily to the lady who had opened her heart to something greater than herself.  The priestess retired to bed soon after, not knowing what she had unleashed among the staff in Aldrakar's palace.