Flashback Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Nix, wounded and morning a friend escapes Ravok and stumbles upon a surprised traveller

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While Sylira is by far the most civilized region of Mizahar, countless surprises and encounters await the traveler in its rural wilderness. Called the Wildlands, Syliran's wilderness is comprised of gradual rolling hills in the south that become deep wilderness in the north. Ruins abound throughout the wildlands, and only the well-marked roads are safe.

Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Nix Mao on February 7th, 2013, 11:23 am

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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Irowyn on February 8th, 2013, 3:09 am

Irowyn had heard a wail in the distance. In response, he hummed thoughtfully and continued about his business: heating his meal over the fire. The sound had probably marked some lucky predator snatching up its meal for the night. These sounds were nothing new to the traveler.

He found himself creeping closer to the fire, almost to that point where he was searching for that balance between the chill of the night and that unbearable, searing heat surrounding the flames. It was a cold, wet, night however and Irowyn needed to stay warm.

These nights were beginning to take on a weird personality. He had passed through the terrible loneliness after Esli and Rolf were killed. After that, he found himself slightly disturbed at being alone at night. Now? Now, he found himself in the middle of one of his panic attacks. He wasn't worried about his safety, he loved the outdoors and he loved traveling to new, dangerous places. No, present danger was never the reason for his panic attacks.

Here in the boring night, in these silent, calm, dark moments his mind had nowhere to go but to memory. Unfortunately for Irowyn, there was only one memory strong enough to revisit: the battle with Vrlock in Sunberth. This is what caused his eyes to widen and his hands to tremble. He wasn't afraid, just...disturbed.

A few struggled bites into this uncomfortable meal he spotted a shadow. A figure had broken through the light of his fire. Danger or not, the need to be alert was a welcome distraction. At first, Irowyn thought to go for his greatsword and prepare to defend himself. He quickly abandoned this instinct once he got a better picture of the injured woman and heard her weakened voice.

"Shyke," he muttered as he rushed to his pack for some bandages. Although he wasn't reaching for it, he was glad that his greatsword was nearby. He had identified and avoided ambushes in the past. Despite how much he wanted to help the woman, he knew that he first had to be on the guard for robbers looking for an easy pay-day. "What happened to you?" He asked as he carefully offered them forward while remaining somewhat reserved and defensive.
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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Nix Mao on February 8th, 2013, 11:49 am

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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Irowyn on February 8th, 2013, 9:01 pm

"You're in luck, he smiled invitingly. I'm not one to turn away a fellow traveler in need."

he gestured her further into the campsite but took a wary look into the darkness as he did so. Despite his friendly tone, he was still being cautious about the possibility of a setup.

He sat down beside the fire and gestured for her to do the same. As he reached for his food, he ripped some off and offered it to her. "I can see that you have been through a lot and I will not press you for information if you don't want to revisit those troubles."

He could see the fear on her and it made him relax. Her's wasn't a nervousness who was preparing for some grand plot. She had just been through a trauma. Irowyn didn't discount the possibility that he could be fooled but his sense of safety was satisfied. He truly believed that this woman was alone and that she needed help.

He took a hearty bite of his food before continuing to speak. "I, however, am Irowyn. I am usually a lone explorer of Mizahar though tonight it would seem that the gods have deemed me fortunate enough to enjoy the company of another."

Back by the fire, enjoying the company of a stranger, resuming his meal, Irowyn's body visibly relaxed. He looked much more open and friendly than he did just a moment ago. Additionally, he seemed generally less concerned with his weapon. As far as he was concerned, he was simply sharing a meal with another explorer, albeit one who was stricken with some unfortunate luck tonight.

Please let me know if there's anything else that you will need, tonight. Are you safe to return to Syliras tomorrow? Do you know the way back to the city?"
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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Nix Mao on February 9th, 2013, 2:00 am

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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Irowyn on February 9th, 2013, 3:03 pm

"Well, its a fine evening to make your acquaintance, Nix." Irowyn forced a smile. "And think nothing of it. I would want someone to do the same for me. It's a bit of an honor code for us crazy folks who like to venture out into the unexplored wilderness."

His smile and openness wasn't forced because he was uncomfortable with Nix's presence. He didn't want her to leave and he didn't begrudge the fact that she had wandered into his camp. If anything, he was relieved by her presence. a few minutes ago he had been in the midst of a panic attack, flashing back to the bright streets of Sunberth.

Here he was with another female traveling companion. Although nothing like Esli, this woman reminded Irowyn of Esli and Rolf. Irowyn allowed that the comparison may not have been totally fair as nearly everything reminded him of Esli and Rolf. Still, even this far out from the event, it was hard for him to summon an air of upbeat optimism.

He continued to eat, while listening to her. His eyes widened when she revealed that she didn't know where she was. He ignored her question, not out of rudeness but for concern.

"By the gods, you don't know where you are? You're not an explorer, at all, are you? How long have you been lost out here? He stood up now and took a step toward her. "It's a good thing that you stumbled upon my campsite. Are you cold? Do you need a blanket or anything?

He had, in his travels, come across stranded, injured and unlucky explorers. He always felt compassion for those people and wanted to help them. However, they largely knew what they were doing and only needed minimal help. That kind of help was usually equivalent to a friendly gesture more than a life-saving intervention.

The fact that she was not out here for the purpose of adventure but was blindly wandering about the wilderness made him severely concerned for her.

"I'm going to help you." He assured her. "Syliras is not far from here. It's likely to be less than a day's journey for a single traveler unencumbered by a heavy pack. Intrepid is strong enough to bear the both of us. I could ride you back to the city tomorrow. Myself, I am heading to Nyka. I would be more than happy to travel with you if you'd rather go there.

The only hiccup will be that I've only brought enough rations for myself and Intrepid and its quite obvious that you're traveling...rather lightly. I, myself have never been too interested in hunting the prey in my travels but do you know anything about hunting? Or shall we return to Syliras to gather a more appropriate amount of supplies?

You must reveal to me just one thing, however...
Irowyn's body language tensed a bit. His face looked slightly more stern. "I would never be so impetuous and so rude as to ask you to relieve the hardship from which you have just emerged. I only need to know one thing. How did you end up in the wilderness? Was it by your own choice? Or were you cast out into the wild to fend for yourself?"

An odd question, yes, but Irowyn's idiosyncrasies were starting to make themselves known. He had a special place, in his heart, for "down on their luck" explorers but he had no patience for fools who ventured into the wild, unprepared.

He had stripped Szhair from his ability to choose. He had never forgiven himself for this. The priests of Dira had swept upon him and the Coffer and took them with no chance to fight back. He hated the concepts of luck and fortune. He pitied and loved those on the wrong side of luck but had no patience for those who chose to embrace unneeded risk and the possibility of death.
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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Nix Mao on February 10th, 2013, 4:31 am

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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Irowyn on February 10th, 2013, 9:25 pm

Irowyn hummed in thought. "We'll have to find a way to get you some food on the way to Nyka, then." He mused. "If you can track your prey, perhaps I could assist you, at your command, in bringing it down. If your speed is too adversely affected by your injury, I mean."

His face hadn't quite softened from his previous question but he didn't seem mean or cold. He wouldn't appear threatening in the light of the fire, just stern and resolved.

When he saw the tattoo, it didn't conjure any memory of Rhysol's Black Sun or of Ravok. However, he had seen the mark before. He had seen it on some of the slaves which he had come across in his travels.

"Slavery," Irowyn gutturally spat the word from his mouth. "A disgusting practice." That stern look on his face seemed more fitting, now, as he showed his obvious distaste for the idea of enslaving another sentient creature. His face didn't soften any as he vowed his assistance. "I am going to help you. I'll get you to Nyka so that you can take control of your own destiny and pursue any path that you may choose." It was as if he had taken on the responsibility of repairing providence's mismanaged decision to cast her into a life of slavery. He had brought it upon himself to make sure that she was completely freed.

Finally, he smiled once again. There was still, in his brow, a hint of his cynical hatred for the institution of slavery. However, his eyes glinted up at her in a defiant smile that conveyed his strange sense of responsibility, now, for her safe passage to Nyka.

"So you're a Kelvic?" his tone had eased into a friendlier, more conversational rhythm. "It has been a long time since I've traveled with a Kelvic." He admitted. "Remarkable guides in my experience. I'd be lying if I said my arse was saved, only once, by a Kelvic's tracking and exploring skills.
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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Nix Mao on February 14th, 2013, 12:18 pm

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Blood and Rain (Irowyn)

Postby Irowyn on February 16th, 2013, 1:24 am

Irowyn smiled and disregarded her comment about repaying him. Maybe a chance for her to repay him would arise. Maybe it wouldn't. It wasn't important, either way. He listened to her story. He looked at her and made sure to convey the fact that she had his attention. He noticed her self-consciousness and embarrassment at the end of the story.

He tried to dispel the air of awkwardness and judgment by laughing in the direction of the campfire.

"It's okay, I'll trade you one difficult story for another. He turned his gaze from the fire to her eyes. My tale begins in another city full of scum and lowlifes. Not Ravok, but Sunberth. We all had a certain distaste for brazen, small minded cities like Sunberth but it was the only way to get to Falyndar..." At this point, Irowyn stopped and rubbed his temples in obvious exasperation. The gesture was accompanied by an exhausted sigh.

"This bears some explanation. I used to travel with two terrific explorers.

Esli handled other people and convinced them to do as we needed. Rolf was the muscle, he protected us from enemies whether civilized or bestial. My job was to guide us through the treacherous wilderness.

A series of mysteries, all of which I have yet to solve, led me into a fight with a wizard named Vrlok. I have gathered this much information: apparently I wasn't supposed to fight Vrlok, a warrior by the name of Szhair was meant to wage this battle. I am eternally embarrassed, depressed and ruined as I announce to you that stupid, stupid decisions on my behalf led directly to Szhair's death.


Irowyn paused for a moment. He looked up at Nix through strained, searching eyes. He was floundering for the right words to say. He was at a loss for the right framework through which he wanted to present this story.

"Whew, I see why you found this so difficult now, he chuckled trying to ease some of the tension that was crushing him at that particular moment.

Anyway, after I defeated Vrlok, followers of Dira showed up. They slaughtered everyone. The Coffer. Esli and Rolf. Various dock workers. Everyone except me. They never explained why I was spared, only that those lives were somehow forfeit because Szhair did not destroy Vrlok. One day I will travel to Black Rock. If I have to fight an entire nation until my dying breath I will solve the mystery of what happened that day.

After the story, Irowyn fell silent, not sure how to proceed in the conversation.
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