[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Talen Stirling on July 25th, 2011, 6:45 pm

29th of Summer, 511 A.V.

A bright gray sky the same colour as Talen's eyes greeted him as he walked out the door of his little house. The air was a little heavy, and Talen guessed it'd rain later. He was wearing leather armour, shield on his back and sword at his side. He had a few dark rings under his eyes - Most of the Watch had been set to scour the streets in the night after the murder at the Chapterhouse of Radiance, and he'd been one of many who continued long through the dark hours. It had all been in vain.

He'd felt desperate that night, walking around with torches had given some direction and purpose and allowed him to distract his thoughts from the horror of what had happened. He'd hoped and prayed that he could do something, perhaps catch the person or creature who did it; but at the end of the night he'd returned to his house beaten and hopeless.
There was something terrifying about not being able to do anything, to leave it all unfinished. He'd felt hopeless and helpless, incapable of finding out anything or doing anything about what had already ocurred. It haunted him, images of blood and dread of more deaths ocurring that he, they, would be powerless to prevent. He felt anxious and annoyed this morning, sleep had not come easy even long into the night because he couldn't shake the feelings of inadequecy and worry. He prayed to Priskil in the night; "Give me hope so that I might light the way for others with your blessing." Yet there was no reply and nothing seemed to change.

He sighed started to shake off the dark thoughts by thinking of today's duty - A contradiction in itself because his duty was to stand guard outside The Chapterhouse of Radiance, to prevent anyone from ruining the blood writing on the walls or be scared out of their wits by the sight. A dready, miserable duty that he wanted to escape yet of course couldn't.

Cursing his luck, he started running through the streets in a moderate pace, shield and sword banging merrily away at his back and hips. He was abit late again, but usually managed to make up for lost time by running to whatever task for the day, if any. Sometimes the guard was not terribly busy, yet with what had ocurred guard duty had been intensified and there was a great deal of investigation and action being taking by the brighter and higher minds of Denval society. Talen just stood watch. That thought annoyed him, and he hurried through the streets abit faster, holding onto the hilt of his sword to steady it.

Skidding past a pretty stash of blue flowers matching a golden house with a blue roof, he ran up to another guardsman. The man was slightly older than him and grinned with a rumble as he saw the sweaty youth speed through the streets to replace him on this drab task. He laughed, said a joke about Talen eventually being skinned alive by a sergeant for lack of punctuality, and clapped the boy on the shoulder as he left his post. As soon as he left however, the smile he'd kept was replaced with the frown he'd been wearing most of the morning.

He was still breathing heavily as he walked up to the bloodied front of the Chapterhouse. It seemed eerily clear in the pale sunlight, the writing in blood spread over the doors and steps that he'd seen in the night were as saddening as ever, though not as terrifying and ethereal as in the dark of night. He sighed, and walked over to the corner of the houses, awaiting any citizens or strangers to approach the site and be showed away 'lest they had business there. He felt bitter and helpless, and without anything else to think of dark thoughts were all he had to entertain him untill his time was up.
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Veldrys on July 30th, 2011, 12:33 pm

He’d heard of the murder and the ominous writing. Few things remained a secret for long in a community as small and close-knit as Denval. Things seemed to have consecutively gotten worse since the beginning of summer. He could still recall every little detail of the prophecy he had received from Viratas that night, in the Chapel. The god had spoken about the fall of Denval. Was this the beginning? Did the murder, did the mysterious writing have anything to do with it? What did his god want from him? What was he supposed to do?

He involuntarily shuddered and touched his arm, where the mark was hidden under his sleeve as if it could help him to think clearer, as if he could find an answer this way, and then he came to a decision. Even if the murder had already happened, even if the guards didn’t seem to have found out who had done it, and the blood that had been spilt was already old, he needed to see the place where it had happened with his own eyes.

Maybe a man that bore the blessing of the blood god, that came from a culture that was devoted to him, would notice something that others had missed.

He had vowed to protect the people of Denval.

He left his quarters and quickly and made his way over to the Chapterhouse. He nodded at the people that he passed by, but didn’t stop to talk to them. He wasn’t in the mood to do so. He didn’t approach the guard that stood in front of the building right away, but stopped a few metres away from him, surveying the scene in front of him. Only after he had seen everything, did he finally step forward, towards Talen.

The young guard had without a doubt already heard of the Symenestra that had taken up reisdence in the Chapel a few months prior, that had been marked during a ritual at the beginning of summer. There were not many of Veldrys‘ kind in Denval, and only one that was dressed like that, in a long, sombre robe, with brilliant amethyst eyes and hair that seemed to be made of pure silver.

„Are there any news regarding what happened?“ the Symenestra wanted to know. Even after all the time, he still spoke Common with a noticeable accent, but the tone of his voice was polite, and he was calm and slightly reserved.
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Talen Stirling on July 31st, 2011, 12:22 pm

Talen yawned and looking around with a tired, dull gaze as a slender man in a sombre robe appeared a few metres away from him and just stood there taking in the scene. For a moment he looked without really seeing him - wondering if he should speak to him or just leave him standing there, and suddenly it hit him. It was the Symenestra.

His eyes narrowed instinctively but only slightly, as he looked at .. Veldrys? With an unwavering stare. He'd heard of him, and it was without a doubt the acolyte of Viratas that stood before him. He was a creature more pretty than handsome, yet he felt mostly disdain and disgust when he looked upon him. This was one of the people who justified what they did, a descendant and herald of murder and strife. Still, he owed him respect, although he'd be hard pressed to give it. This man had been marked by Viratas, and although Talen had his troubles with the blood god he remained a patron deity of Denval. He had to look besides his own feelings in the matter and be polite to this .. Man. Or at least try.

As Veldrys stepped up and asked a question, Talen visibly tensed and the shield on his back rattled faintly. He was wearing the thick cotton scarf around his neck and pulled it up around his chin and mouth to hide the lines of worry and dislike that marked his features. His eyes still showed it clearly enough, but perhaps they wouldn't meet the Symenestras'.

"News? Depends what you call news... If you mean if we've found any clear clues, I can say No." The answer was blunt and with a hint of hidden anger, but that was no surprise considering the situation. Dark rings circled his eyes, and perhaps his demeanour could all be attributed to frustration and fatigue. He took a breath and ran his eyes along the body of the Symenestra with a calculative gaze; perhaps even he could be of help. If he was marked by Viratas, it might be for a reason. Perhaps he would notice something that had missed others, even with his twisted eyes.

"If you wish, you can take a look. I don't kno' what signs the blood may hold, but I've only one bit of information that the rest o' Denval doesn't have that might be interesting." He sidestepped and made an inviting motion with his arm that didn't match the cold stare he gave him. He didn't know all that much of what had happened, but there was one thing that had ocurred to him soon after he'd arrived at the scene... It had to be linked to what he had seen on The Road.
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Veldrys on August 5th, 2011, 6:57 pm

Veldrys‘ gaze mirrored Talen’s own, polite, but maybe slightly cool. While most of the people in Denval had accepted him with open arms – he’d even had women flirt with him, a kind of behaviour that he considered risky – some would always act differently and condemn the things his people did. Veldrys didn’t know what he preferred. He didn’t want to be treated as if he were human – because he wasn’t and didn’t wish to be – but he disapproved of the opposite just as much. He had never harvested a surrogate for his sisters – they were too young, and he had left Kalinor too soon – but he realized why his people did what they did, in a way at least, even though he wished that things were different.

He noticed that Talen tensed and heard the faint rattling of his shield, but he didn’t react to it. He didn’t move nor did he say anything apart from his initial question, but waited calmly, hands clasped behind his back. He stood completely still as if he were but a statue of pale white marble rather than a living, breathing being, as if the look of dislike in the human’s eyes didn’t affect him at all. And it didn’t. It would be of little consequence in the long run.

„No clear clues?“ he asked and sighed, disappointed, ignoring whatever anger the human harboured. He noticed that there were dark rings under Talen’s eyes. He looked tired. How long had he been up, worrying about what had happened? Had he been here, watching the Chapterhouse all along?

As Talen invited him to take a look, he came closer. He was about to inspect the front of the Chapterhouse, but then something that the human said caught his attention, and he turned around and looked directly at him. „Which bit of information is that?“ he wanted to know. „Could you tell me?"
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Talen Stirling on August 5th, 2011, 9:59 pm

Talen smirked, the kind of smirk you have when you've got some power over an enemy. Not that this man was one, as such. Actually, he might be able to help. That realisation wiped it off his face and he answered him promptly. "Yeah.. I'll tell you." He paused a moment, and looked at the the Symenestra. His marble face was stoic, it wasn't easy to read anything out of that face, all of it's cool inhuman beauty hiding the cruelty of his kin. He shook; he had to stop getting derailed by what he was talking to and remember who it was.

"I was on a patrol on The Road on the 25th. It was late, a brooding summer afternoon, nothing special about it. At most we expected to meet Zith, though even that was unlikely. Anyhow.. About, say, two-thirds along The Road we come upon these markings on the cliff. Markings in blood... He swallowed and looked hard at Veldrys. He was curious how he'd react, but another thought suddenly snuck into his mind. What if he and Zagary had crawled up the cliff and hunted the thing down? Perhaps the boy wouldn't be dead? He shrugged it off and continued, blaming himself for that wouldn't bring anything good, 'cept drive himself crazy.

"There was writing, too. It said "there's a devil inside of me." Couldn't be Zith work, and who or what would pull a nasty thing like that out on The Road? Well, after looking and finding nothing else we continued to the end of The Road in the gathering dusk." It had been a creepy trip that walk, as well as the one back. "When we arrived, an eerie and sinister laughter sounded from up on the cliffs. The voice of a child, yet different and loud. It faded away slowly and... I think it even ended up sounding like someone crying." He finished the story with a wondering tone. Things didn't quite add up to a determined killer, though it was beyond him to figure out what kind of foul magic was at play.

"We considered, or rather Zagary did, going up the cliff but decided to go back and report... And now this happened." The bitterness in his voice was unmistakable, and he looked at the Symenestra with frustration as well as fatigue. For all of Talen's hostility, he was honestly trying to give as much information as he could.

"What do you make of it...?"
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Veldrys on August 11th, 2011, 6:37 am

„There are Zith near Denval?“ Veldrys interrupted him. His eyes darkened as he said that word, and Talen could clearly notice his contempt for those creatures. Some surface dwellers put Zith and Symenestra on the same level and considered both of them evil, but to him there was a difference between his kind and the winged brutes. Symenestra were educated, intelligent people, but there was never any kind of redemption for Zith. „Is there a nest somewhere around here?“ He didn’t know what Zith called the place where they lived, but to him it seemed unlikely that they were capable of coexisting in a civilized way, and thus he compared them to animals – animals that were capable of some crude form of speech.

As Talen mentioned that they had found markings in blood, the Symenestra looked directly at him. The mention of blood had caught his attention. „No, it wouldn’t be Zith work“, he agreed. „It would be too obvious. As far as I am concerned, they all have devils inside of them.“ He doubted that there was such a thing as a good, well mannered Zith. In fact the idea of a friendly, polite Zith that stood in the middle of the city and tried his best to protect Denval would have made him laugh out loud if the situation weren’t so dire.

„The source of the writing – and the laughter – must have been human – or a creature that is comparatively human“, he murmurred. The way Talen had described it immediately made him think of one or two things, things that made him slightly uncomfortable although he didn’t show it. „Do you think something like possession could have been involved?“ he asked carefully. „Magic or ghosts?“ He’d seen ghosts occasionally and was aware of what they were capable of, and even though he was a mage himself, he didn’t really trust those that shared his trade. He was aware of the potential for abusal and how much some people changed if they used too much magic.

„I don’t know what to make of it“, he admitted. „I’d need to see the writing – and where you heard the laughter. What did Zagary say to it?“
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Talen Stirling on August 11th, 2011, 1:20 pm

He wasn't sure if he found it amusing or annoying, the way this Symenestra acted at the thought of Zith. For someone like him to think of others as devils was bitter irony in Talen's opinion, although he didn't voice it. His own kin were nothing but murderers just as the Zith.

Still, this man seemed to have theories, while Talen could at most make faint guesses at what they were up against. He shouldn't alienate him, and he might as well try to answer his questions as best he could. "There are Zith in The Unforgiving.. And I do not know much about magic, or ghosts. All I know is that whatever it is it's quick to disappear so fast upon the cliffs... And the writing might suggest some form of posession, alongside the laughter.." He was almost embarassed by his lack of knowledge, he'd never paid enough attention when people had told him about magic and the divine. All he remembered was bits and stories, and of course the few things he'd seen and experienced himself.


"He didn't say much, we honestly had no clue what it was either, we got no sight of it and only heard the voice and the writing. If you want to see it..." He paused and considered. He could offer to take the Symenestra there after his switch guarding this place - But did he really want to? He instinctively disliked the man, the very sight of him made him angry but.. It was his duty. Haimon was supposed to taste the blood, but a second pair of eyes and possibly lips couldn't do any harm. "I suppose we could take a look after my shift is over." He managed to keep a straight face now, it was easier after he'd gotten used to Veldrys appearance.


OOCIf we go to take a look at the road (We can do a timeskip so Talen's guard duty can end) perhaps we should contact Tabarnac regarding what you can learn from the blood
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Veldrys on August 20th, 2011, 11:25 am

Contrary to Talen the Symenestra knew a bit about magic, at least he knew more about it than the average citizen of Denval, but he decided not to reveal that to the human, worried that it would make him even less inclined to trust him. Magic was after all dangerous and had a great potential for abuse. He just nodded as Talen admitted that he didn’t know much about that particular subject, and then he continued to listen to him.

„It disappeared upon the cliffs?“ he asked and furrowed his brow slightly. „Did it climb?“ If that was the case, it almost automatically ruled out humans. They were clumsy creatures. Symenestra on the other hand ... but no, he didn’t even want to think in that direction. He didn’t even want to consider the possibility that the creature had something in common with him. He’d fought to hard to become a part of this community.

„I’d appreciate if you could show me“, he said. „When is your shift over?“ As a Symenestra he would have a much easier time searching the area than a human. He could climb better than most people in this city and was much faster. He could reach places that Talen’s kind would never be able to access. Maybe he would find something there.
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Talen Stirling on August 20th, 2011, 3:27 pm

He looked a little puzzled as he considered if he might get someone to cover for him while they looked. Maybe he should ask .. Nah, he'd just ask if the Symenestra would wait. If he wouldn't, he'd ask leave. Following up on a possible lead was alot more important than guarding a place where the crime had already been done.

"Didn't even see the thing, I s'pose it might've climbed the cliffs, but who knows if it was ever below them...? My shift is over in a little less than an hour." Part of him hoped that Veldrys would say he couldn't wait, but that part was silenced by his duty. Perhaps Veldrys could in fact find out something others had missed, afterall he was surdently a very different set of eyes upon the scene.

He looked past Veldrys over the small road devoid of people. Rumours spread quickly through Denval, and most people avoided the Chapel anyway. He almost smiled slightly as he raised that because of the Symenestra he wouldn't have to stand here and feel hopeless. He could actually do something. That was ironic, someone like him bringing him hope.
Last edited by Talen Stirling on September 4th, 2011, 8:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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[Denvali Road] Blood-Gray Day [Veldrys]

Postby Veldrys on September 4th, 2011, 5:36 pm

„I will wait until then“, Veldrys decided as Talen informed him that his shift would be over in an hour.

It wasn’t a particularly long time, and there were a lot of things he could occupy himself with until Talen was done. There were still so many things about the current situation that he didn’t understand, so many things he had to think through again.

„Is it okay with you if I simply sit down somewhere nearby? I won’t interrupt you at all.“

No matter what Talen said to that, at the end of his shift the human would come to the realization that the Symenestra was there again, waiting for him to accompagny him to the cliffs.
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