[Flash Back] The rode to Lhavit

[Sti Pascallion]

Fall, 511 AV day 30
The air was bitter tasting as Sti walked to retrieve his arrows from around the targets he had been shooting at. His skills with the bow were still horrible, if he tried he wouldn’t be able to shot a man standing four feet in front of him. As he walked however a man by the name of Alexander was watching his mistakes. Alexander walked to the last target to outflank Sti. As Sti reached the last target he noticed Alexander had already gathered his arrows.
“Thank you.” Sti said in a sincere voice as he took the arrows he had shot at the farthest target.
“Would you like some pointers, in the art of shooting a bow?” the man spoke with a such clarity that Sti jumped at the sound of his voice.
“Why not.” Sti said waiting to here the new techniques he would be pushed upon.
“Use you back muscles and not so much you arm strength; pull the cord all the way back till your right hand index finger touches your mouth; inhale before shooting then exhale as you release, and never doubt yourself before taking the shot.”
Sti thought over his words and decided it would be a good idea to try them. He lined up his shot inhaled as he brought the cord all the way to his mouth using his back muscles instead of using only his arm muscles. Exhaled and released smoothly, the arrow glided and smashed into the target. The arrow was not in the middle but at least it his the target at all. A giant grin spread over his face as he saw the arrow penetrated the target and stayed put.
Sti looked at the arrow with a little shock, he had been lucky a few times to have actually hit the target but the arrow didn't have sufficient power or hit a and angle making it only bounce off. He tried the technique on the longer range target. Inhaling as he drew the cord and exhaling as he let the arrow fly. The arrow hit the target and pierced it and stayed put, the arrow was a little off it only barely made it to the outer ring of the round target. Sti looked back to the man who had taught him the new lesson, but he was not there.
Sti did not dwell on the matter rather took more shots at the arranged targets. For four more hours Sti took shot not aiming at the same one twice, where that would make him a better jugged of distance making his shot more accurate.
A little after dusk he went to the cottage where he was staying for the time and found a note slipped under his door. The note read “Come and find me.” So without question Sti went out into the forest area and tried to find whom ever lay this note under his door. Why did he go into the forest, that's a good question but a question I don't have an answer to so just let it be.
An hour of searching and nothing, Sti thought a while and did not recall the note telling him to look in the Apple tree forest. So he turned back to go home and rest for the next day. As he walked he saw something in his peripheral vision, something fallowing him. He turned to face who ever it might be but nothing was there. Sti took pace back to his home turning every once and a while to see if he could spot some one moving behind him. Never did he see anyone until he got back to his home.
Alexander was standing in the by his door next to a pile of fire wood. “Were you fallowing me.” Sti asked in a very hesitant voice.
“No.” he answered.
The hole thing seemed a little out of hand for Sti and he decided to sleep it all off. He moved into his bed and slept a solid nine hours before waking up. After he did he moved to the door and grabbed his bow which was hanging on a nail by the door, the bow was unstrung to let it relax and last a little long during its life. He moved through the grass plains and made it to the targets that were placed for archery, he created his own routine before starting. First he would place his arrows in to a container on the ground for easy access, the he would string his bow from bottom loop first then placing weight on the bow and hooking to the top loop. He would then take a stance knot and arrow from his quiver, inhale pull on cord exhale release. After he shot all the arrows from his quiver he would take the arrows he placed into the container and transfer them to his quiver. The hole process of shooting 20 arrows took around 30 minutes. After that he would make his way to the targets and reclaim his arrows. Sti trained for four hours then decided it was time to eat. He made his way back to the cottage and there he found Alexander waiting around for him.
Sti looked at him for a minute, his face was slender and he had a recently trimmed beard which was the color of fire. He was as tall as Sti but he had an age in his face that resembled a life of pain. Alexander looked at Sti. “You want to learn something new.” Alexander said with a smile. “Ill teach to to move silently.” Sti looked at Alexander and smiled as he nodded his head. They both moved through the forest quickly, while Alexander tolled him what to look for in moving silently. “Move shadow to shadow, but try to move in a path with less things to step upon. Moving only short distances would also help, never jump into and area. Sudden movements unless very quick and end quick will be the death of you.” Sti tried to keep everything in mind as he moved through the forest in a small amount of short bursts. Moving low and keeping his shadow with the surrounding shadows, surveying the path before moving on it. Making sure he takes everything into account before moving from his hind place. Sti soon found that he was doing a better job then he anticipated, moving quietly was not as hard as Alexander made it seem.
“Well now I have nothing left to teach you, so now its time to kill you.” Alexander said this with dark eyes and a smile that didn't have anything to do with humor. Reluctantly Sti ran through the forest. “I can here you.” Sti heard the voice and began to slow his pace and swing his bow back into his hand, he knotted an arrow. Sti moved from shadow to shadow with more and more pace. As he moved he tried to watch for any sticks or old and dried leaves, so he wouldn't make noise. He moved to another shadow and just after he made it and arrow slammed into the trunk of the tree that was shadowing him. He quickly paced up and suddenly moved to another shadow area. Kneeling down he surveyed the area at which the arrow had come from. Alexander wasn't even bothering himself with hiding, he was standing completely erect with his bow in hand. Sti decided it was time for him to re act to this, he inhaled drew his cord, took aim, checked wind, then released with and exhale on the way.
The arrow slammed into the chest of Alexander, who fell to the ground after his legs went weak under him. He fell with a wide grin on his face. Sti moved quickly to him, his body lay in a heap on the ground face down. Sti turned him over and found that he had an at peace reaction on his face. He took a note from the Alexanders hand, which he had been crumpled up, he read the note and shock fell upon his face. Sti sat back in shock and processed the news of the letter.
Sti found himself in his house facing his mother, Sti handed her the letter. She took it read it and shock fell upon her face as well. The note read “Dear Sti, I'm sorry to have to tell you this but I let you kill me as well I am your actual father. I wanted to die by your hands for I should be killed by what I have designed and created. Sincerely yours Alexander Pascallion.” Sti took the letter back and found himself let go of all emotion. Sti is now dead inside.
After the death of his father Sti decided to leave Wind Reach and move to Lhavit, a neighboring city.

[Sti Pascallion]

Fall, 511 day 91
Sti was travailing with a brotherhood of merchants to the city of Lhavit. Along the way Sti trained in his archery skills, hopefully to master his bow before he reached Lhavit. Each time the caravan stopped for the mid-evenings rest Sti would hop of and wander around the mountain looking for small game and other animals. As he was looking however he spotted a girl, long brown hair sitting and reading upon a rock. She was wearing the same kind of Merchants cloak that the brotherhood wore. Sti used a bit of his stealth to move around her, he moved around rocks and crawled behind smaller rocks concealing his the sounds of his movements with the sounds of the breeze. He made it just under ten feet when she noticed him. She was reading a journal of some kind, possibly one she wrote or another had written. “What are you doing.” she asked him accusingly. Sti decided to just go ahead and mess around with her and started speaking Nari “Nothing and you.” She looked at him as if he was crazy “What didn't quite catch that.” Sti decided to continue the little game “Your vary beautiful, did you know that.” In fact the girl was quite a beauty, with the long brown hair she had an odd shade of blue eyes almost purple. She had light skill and a very cute smile. “Why thank you.” She accidentally blurted out. Sti realized that she could speak Nari and he was the one being joked upon, his face reddened and so did hers. “My name is Lilly by the way.”

Sti and Lilly spent a few hours talking and walking around the open plain of that part of the mountain, as they did Sti would hunt small game. Sti spotted a small bird, didn't really know what it was but he new I could fly, so he swung his bow up but as he did he felt a small nudge on his arm and turned. “Can I try?” She asked in a very particularly seductive tone. Sti handed her the bow and an arrow, she knotted the arrow but had a little bit of trouble. She pulled back on the cord but it didn't really move back, she just wasn't strong enough to complete the pull back part. “Here I'll help you.” Sti moved behind her and reached over her arm and placed his fingers over hers and his hand over the one she was holing the bow with. He pulled back with her and took a better stance and released his fingers with hers. The arrow struck the bird and it lay dead on the rocky surface of the mountain. Sti moved to pick it up and after inspecting it he decided it was meaty enough to eat.

They both found kindling and a nice spot for a fire, Sti used his flint and steal to create a small cooking fire. Lilly showed Sti how to de-feather and cook the bird evenly. By rolling the small bird on a couple of sticks that made an x and slowly spinning it over the open flames. In about half and hour the bird was ready to eat, they both used the hands to peel of the meat which slipped of the bone. As they eat the light started to fade until it was only the little cooking fire that illuminated there surroundings. Sti poured sand upon the fire forcing it to go out in a hurry. Then lay on the grass and watch the stars, Lilly moved next to Sti. Sti took his arm under her and moved her closer, they both fell asleep watching the sky.

Winter, 511 day 1
Sti awoke and saw Lilly still curled up in her cloak, head resting on Sti. Sti felt a warmth he had not felt in a while, then the warmth started to emanate in his stomach. Sti looked down and saw and arrow had pierced him and he was bleeding, but this arrow was not his. “Wake up.” Sti said in a quiet voice, the then shook her and she opened her eyes to she the arrow sticking out of his side. She was about to scream but she looked up at Sti who was warning her not to. Sti could she who had done the deed of shooting him. A man standing around 65 feet away was poised for another shot, Sti without warning ripped the arrow out of his side and spun around Lilly and headed for the man. The man whipped out a quick and sloppy shot at Sti and missed completely, Sti had unstrung his bow the night before was now stringing it. Sti gripped his bow lifted it and knotted an arrow, the man on the other side was rushing and loosing time. Sti on the other hand was bleeding, but he had enough strength to overcome the distance he needed to shoot. The distance was only 50 feet now, Sti pulled the cord and inhaled. He took aim and released with an exhale letting the arrow reach its target in the chest killing the man without a note of doubt in his mind that the arrow would reach him.

Sti fell to the ground and was soon surrounded by a pool of blood, Lilly was next to him and had a roll of bandaging. She took the gray cloak off him and wound the bandaging around tightly to keep it secure. After the bandage was tided off Sti immediately got up and moved to the man that lay on the ground with an arrow in his chest. He saw the man had only an old short bow, Sti plucked the arrow out of the man and placed it back into his quiver. He searched the mans pack and found some Kina's. Sti moved away from the man and took Lilly's hand and walked her away. They both made it back to the caravan. The caravan had just started to pack up, soon they would start to leave.

Sti and the caravan started to leave, Sti who had never ridden a horse before decided to try it out. Lilly told him that she would help him. Sti took the foothold in his foot as he was told and lifter himself upon the horse, the horse didn't seem to mind the action as it had been done many times before. He sat in the saddle and took the bridle. The horse whinnied in excitement then began to dash, Sti who had know real control of the horse bounced around in the saddle until he fell of smashing roughly into the rocks. “Are you ok?” Lilly asked with a smile, but Sti opened his arrow wound even further from the action and began to bleed once more. Lilly panicked a little and brought out a square peace of cloth, she wet the cloth and started to take Sti's bandages of. Lilly cleaned Sti's wound and re-bandaged it, she then game him a smile. Sti decided to use the old saying just jump right back into the saddle, Sti hopped back onto the horse and tugged the bridle so the horse new it was not time to move.

Sti learned to ride but only at a walking pace, however Lilly was able to ride very well moving very little to control the horse she was on. Sti only saw the mesmerizingly beautiful girl on the majestic horse as she rode. After twelve hours of riding the caravan started to make camp before dusk to enlist people to go and hunt for food. Sti was one who was always chosen for his marksmanship with the bow and the fact that he was the only one with a bow, most of the others would dig up roots or find berries and possibly the occasional nut. Sti asked Lilly if she would like to join him, but she had already planned on it because of his sustained injury’s already. They moved through the field on their horses and hoped to find some kind of meat they could share with the rest of the people in the caravan.

Sti spotted a small rabbit and decided to wait for it to lead them to its little rabbit hiding place where he would find other little rabbits. The rabbit took its path and went to the field where the other rabbits where and Sti knotted and arrow drew fire, knotted another arrow, drew fire, then again and again until he had maybe five rabbits all laying by the hole he was shooting at. Sti shot the rabbits at the holes first before they could make their escape while the others where trying to get to a hole Sti picked them off. Once the massacre was over he had a string of ten meaty rabbits.

Sti had only been hunting for half an hour when he stumbled upon a small group of birds all in one tree, there was probably 15 of them in all. Sti knotted another arrow and focused more on these shots because he needed to be quick, Sti didn't fire right away instead he pick out three more arrows from his quiver and held them in his drawing hand for more speed. He drew back and released then before the first arrow hit he knotted and drew and fired another off as the first arrow hit the first bird he let go the third shot. All the shots met their mark and three birds went down, the others flew out of the dead tree that sad in the middle of the rocky field.

They made it back to the caravan camp where they had many cooking fire which were cooking up teas and other flavored waters. Sti brought back ten rabbits and three birds, everyone was very pleased with his outcome. The larger arrangement was that he would do things that the camp needed and they would let him travail with them and eat and sleep for free, but nothing is free he was bartering with them for work. Sti however didn't like staying in the camp, he got off his horse and moved back into the forest. Lilly fallowed him into the forest. Sti moved until he was back in the plains. He found another rabbit and quickly slung his bow and shot the little feller without his basic routine of inhaling and exhaling. Sti could finally shoot on instinct rather then precession. Sti moved to the little rabbit and collected kindling along the way. He found a nice rocky area and lit a fire. The fire was warm on the skin and Lilly showed him how to cook a rabbit over an open fire. Once she was done they both ate peacefully, then they moved up next to each other and fell asleep watching the stars.

[Sti Pascallion]

Winter 511 Av day 15
The caravan had been traveling quicker now to reach Lhavit before the Winter of 512. Sti's wounds were all healed and he and Lilly became a little more then friends. Sti had been working on his riding skills and could finally ride on a horse while it was at a galloped. He and Lilly were riding horses when the weather changed dramaticly. A large snow storm blew across the plains and the caravan was stuck in it. Sti and Lilly decided to ride take shelter in one of the tents instead of sleeping in the open. They grouped with a sheep herder and his wife.

“Good afternoon to ya.” The man cheerfully said, but Sti hated the snow it was cold and was always unpleasant.

Sti returned the greeting with a bow and walked Lilly into the tent. All of the tents in the caravan where large enough to fit seven horses in and were tall enough for Sti to not have to slouch when he was standing in one. Sti and Lilly walked to an eating area where there were pillows for seats, luckily the tent was on a tarp made of leather so it held up to water. Sti decided to teach himself how to listen in on people during their conversations with out being noticed. He pulled the cowl of the cloak of his head and started to lean in on the people around him. The main points of the conversations was how this weather was going to effect their trip to Lhavit, and what it would do to the goods around the caravan. He also heard that someone had gotten lost during the storm and might be a ways away by now. Sti felt a little bad for the man and decided he would try to help him. He stood up and so did Lilly and they both moved for the horses outside the tent.

Sti and Lilly got upon their horses and started off in the blizzard, they made it pretty far when Sti's horse whinnied and made his way into a gallop. He left Lilly behind and got his horse to stop when he reached the man a man laying in the snow with a horse pawing at his face with his nose. The horse was careing a large wooden cart, which had a tarp over that to protect the goods. He got of the horse and rushed to the man, he slapped the man in the face which woke in abruptly. The man was pretty greatful to see another person and got himself up right. Sti helped the made get up and onto his horse, the man was week and couldn't travel any more on foot. Sti led the other horse and his own back up the mountain to the caravan. He reached the camp hoping to see Lilly but she was know where to be found.

Sti felt a grip on his heart to hear the fact that she never made it back, he got on his horse and hurried in the direction she had gone with I'm. He looked down using a little bit of tracking as he went, seeing the indents in the surface of the snow. He searched for a solid seven hours then day broke and the blizzard stopped. He retraced his steps back to where the camp had been, but when he got there everyone was dead. The had been a bandit attack during the time Sti left and each person had been robbed and killed and lay under a fine cote of snow. He franticly looked around for any survivors but found none. Most of the cargo had also been taken from the caravan, but Sti found his little pack and searched the grave yard for any money and other useful things. Luckily he found a good amount of Kina's and some sell able stones. He left in the same direction the caravan was going and moved to get back on track. After seven days of quick travailing he made it to another caravan of Merchants and explained his situation. The merchants let him in their caravan and also showed him the guards that were with them. He also asked if someone by the name of Lilly was here and they said none.

Winter 511 day 29
Sti made it to Lhavit with a small band of Merchants, this was also a brotherhood of merchants. They made there way up the path with the help of a guide and reached the gates, Sti new his journey was over and done with.

[Phoenix]

Character Name

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Weapon (Longbow)	5
Observation	3
Riding (Horse)	3
Stealth	2
Tracking	1

Lores

• How to Properly shoot a Longbow
• Successfully hitting the Target
• Following a mysterious note
• Betrayed and Hunted by Alexander
• Killing Alexander
• Finding out the Truth about Alexander
• Finally Finding His Father
• Meeting Lilly
• Learning to Ride
• How Merchant Caravans Operate (incomplete)

The Order of the Phoenix

I have a few suggestions for you.

The first is: Slow down. You had a LOT of things happen in just four posts, and a lot of it didn't really make sense. Instead of trying to power through a thread, take time to build relationships and NPC's that you use. Develop the stories, like Alexander, before you do things like suddenly kill them off.

The second is: Details. I was lenient and gave you a few more points than I should have, but next time you should add more details to the skills that you want XP for. It might seem tedious, but you're going to have to explain what Sti does instead of saying that he shot arrows for four hours. Normally I would intervene on the fact that Sti was killing so many men, but again I let it go. Next time, you can't "God mod" and assume that he hits to kill every time. only a Master could do that, and he's not a master.

And finally: Paragraphs. It's extremely hard to read blocks of text. Put a space between your paragraphs just so that it is easier on the reader.

Enjoy!