Zeltiva where art thou...

[Faylon Kwanda]

89th of Fall, 511AV [Almost Winter. Over half the season of Fall. Faylon had been on this stinking ship sailing towards Zeltiva for that long and he had begun to wonder if they would ever reach the city. He’d left Denval for Avanthal and then had travelled almost immediately from Avanthal towards Zeltiva booking passage on the first ship that would take him. Thing weren’t all that different as compared to the trip he had taken leaving Denval, he’d managed to negotiate for a lower price of passage in return for working as a member of the crew, his days were usually spent with a mop in his hand swabbing the deck of the boat or labouring to carry supplies from one end of the vessel to the other as needed.] [At this exact moment Faylon was below deck in one of the holds of the ship working with several other men whom he didn’t particularly care for. Not that these were bad men but they came from a different background than Faylon and didn’t seem to care for his backwards way, they usually let him do most of the work but were careful not to push him to far after he’d rocked one of them with a stiff right hand across the jaw. Lifting a box so that he could begin carrying it to another room Faylon matched eyes with one man whom he’d caught staring at him before focusing on his job as he toted the crate he was carrying elsewhere.] [On the ocean the rock of the boat as it travelled was something you needed to get used to. Even though he’d managed to adapt once in awhile a particularly rough wave catching the boat would put Faylon off balance a bit and leave him to renegotiate his own footing so that he didn’t fall all over himself. Navigating the expanse of the ship, above deck and bellow, was getting easier for him though there was a kitchen, crews quarters and several rooms that were either used for cargo, supplies or just plain empty that could have severed as any number of things and this was just below deck. Above deck was an entirely different story, the Captain’s Quarters, or at least the entrance to them, could be found there; Faylon had never seen the inside of that room though he didn’t particularly care to. Indeed he barely ever spoken with the Captain himself who often conveyed his desires through his First or Second Mate to the men.] [When Faylon set the crate he was carrying down in the room he was supposed to move it he felt his stomach begin to rise as the boat jostled a bit and covered his mouth before muttering...”Laviku you bastard.”...as though he were cursing the God himself. Out of place on a seaworthy vessel no doubt but Faylon as usual was not one to pay lip service to Gods, his grudge against them went back to when he was young and didn’t seem likely to revert to worship any time soon, if a veteran sailor had heard him they might have had stern words but he was alone at the moment and no harm was done. No harm that was known to him anyways.] [The room he had delivered the crate to had been particularly empty, besides the crate Faylon had brought there were only a few others present, but he had been told to move the boxes around so he followed direction. Just as Faylon had taken a moment to relax he heard a voice behind him shouting...”Kwanda hurry up and move the rest of those crates! You’re putting us behind and there’s still a deck that needs to be swabbed too!”...it was one of the men he’d been working with before heading towards a staircase leading above deck, Faylon didn’t look back but he muttered a...”On it you lazy dog.”...before turning and beginning to march back towards the hold where he’d been moving the crates.] [No one else was about by the time Faylon had reached his destination. He looked around the room, turning his head, before realizing he was all alone and the other ship hands had abandoned him to work alone while they were off lazing about again. It didn’t matter though, Faylon almost preferred it like this, he could work faster like this and without anyone else around to slow him down.] [Once more then he thought to himself as he moved over to the crates arrayed out still needing to be moved. Sighing once at the tediousness of his task Faylon could hardly wait to put his feet back on dry land, he definitely wasn’t cut out for life on the sea...]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Nothing out of the ordinary for the first few crates. Faylon moved them back and forth from one room to the other without incident. It was until his muscles started to ache a bit and he could feel his arms starting to get a little stiffer that things went wrong. Maybe should have been expecting trouble from the sailors for busting one across the jaw during the first few days of the journey but Faylon had expected that everything was one and done now. They might not have been friends but they could at least coexist together. Naive of him to think considering he underestimated that men often desired revenge and rarely let up when it came to outsiders.] [Wiping his brow after returning to the room to pick up another crate Faylon would see stars and fall forward, catching himself on one of the crates so that he didn’t topple completely onto his chest, before looking back over his shoulder where he saw two of the men waiting for him. Briggs was the name of one man, older and missing several teeth, he was holding a small wooden club which he’d used to hit Faylon across the back of the head with and growling out...”Looks like its time you and I settled our differences Kwanda! I owe you for the last time. Get him!”...he shouted to his companion a younger man who’d done whatever Briggs had told him since the first day. Rushing past Briggs the other Sailor had rushed Faylon and shoved him off the crate causing him to fall onto the floor with a thud, he was still recovering from that first cheap shot, but as the man came around to turn him over Faylon still managed to feed him a surprising blow from the bottom that sent him reeling.] [Climbing back onto his feet he’d look at the man he’d just drilled in the face as though he were unimpressed before saying...”Now listen you don’t want to do this.”...but they never listen, Faylon could hear his words being wasted even as he said them, and without a moment’s hesitation the nameless sailor had run back towards Faylon looking to pummel him. It was a good thing he didn’t know how to fight. Throwing his hands wildly Faylon blocked, parried or simply stepped backwards out of the way of the majority of his opponents blows without a second thought before popping him a few times in the mouth with several stiff jabs that sent him stumbling, bloody lipped, away again. Eyeing the man who was having second thoughts now he’d have said...”Don’t.”...before Briggs snarled out a...”What are you waiting for get in there!”...at his young crony and the man rushed towards Faylon again.] [Planting his lead foot this time Faylon steadied for the man’s assault and as he came in with a telegraphed left hand Faylon would lean forward, bending at the knees as he did so, and lower his body so that the blow would travel over his shoulder and behind his head. Drilling the young sailor with a crushing right hook to the body as he came in Faylon would be rewarded with the sound of the man groaning and gasping for breath as his legs turned rubbery in almost a split second after receiving the hard shot. Uppercutting with his other hand to follow the momentum almost immediately the young sailors jaw clattered together and his eyes rolled backwards before falling and laying still save for the rise and fall of his chest as he took silent breath. Now that his helper was out of the equation Briggs was alone and didn’t look very happy that he was.] [Shaking his head once Faylon turned to look back at Briggs before asking...”What? Don’t tell me you’ve lost your stomach Briggs.”...it got a snort from Briggs who’d respond in kind by saying...”Not hardly, I just want to remember you like this before savouring the look of your blood face afterwards!”...really it was poetic for a man like Briggs but Faylon couldn’t help but laugh a bit which seemed to enrage the man just a little bit more and set about the beginning of their battle.] [Assuming that the third man of the trio was ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed both men would be all alone down here in the hold of the ship. Snarling once Briggs rushed towards Faylon who likewise stepped forward to meet his advance. Lifting his left arm Faylon would have blocked the wooden club in Briggs hand as he came around to bat him on the side of the head with it before counterpunching with a cross that landed on the side of Briggs mouth and sent him stumbling few steps, dropping the club as he went, while Faylon, light on his feet bounced back and forth and raised his arms in a ready position.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[There wasn’t a lot of finesse when Faylon and Briggs collided with each other. Punches were thrown and both men locked up look two bulls in a battle for dominance that could only see one victor. Victory would be determined accordingly based on different factors for each man, Faylon needed to keep the fight standing and use his fists while Briggs probably wanted to take the battle down to the ground where Faylon wouldn’t be able to move around as much, whoever could take best advantage of their skills would be the winner. Right now it was hard to say who was on the winning end of things.] [Locked up with one another Briggs was backing Faylon up quickly, pressing him into one of the crates that was behind him, until Faylon snapped his head forward towards Briggs. Headbutting the sailor seemed to stun him long enough for Faylon to push him backwards and free himself up enough to throw out a few jabs and a straight of his own that further backed Briggs away. Advancing to keep his opponent on the defensive Faylon threw out an array of punches that Briggs seemed to be having a hard time defending against though it appeared that the man’s talent seemed to be in taking punishment as displayed by his grizzled appearance.] [Using his footwork Faylon was able to avoid a clumsy blow thrown out by Briggs and seemed confident in his ability to end this quickly. Overconfident. As soon as Faylon tried to press the attack again Briggs had lift a heavy boot into his stomach and sent Faylon reeling backwards, he gasped for breath once, raising his arms to defend against the blows that followed. They weren’t as trained as Faylon’s own but it only took a few hits to before his forearms were starting to throb from all the blows that were blocked, Faylon knew that he needed to escape from this situation soon.] [Taking a chance Faylon threw an over handed blow that landed on top of Briggs head and appeared as though it stunned him. However for his trouble Faylon ate a blow to the mouth.] [Strangely the both of them seemed to pause after landing those two blows and stared at one another, sizing each other up, and then they rushed one another again. No feeling out process. Pumping out a straight that snapped Briggs head backwards Faylon ate another body shot, paying the price for leaving himself open, he sucked in a breath even though his lungs were burning and pressed on though. More blows traded by both men and the fight started to round itself down after several exchanges that lasted a short span.] [It came down to this last exchange between the two men. Briggs with a mouse underneath his left eye and Faylon tasting the blood in his mouth. Faylon would let Briggs advance on him this time, purposely backing up towards to crates that were stacked on top of one another behind him until he felt them against his back. Waiting for his opponent to come in Faylon wanted to make it seem as though he was exhausted from the blows he’d received, he wanted Briggs to think that he could finish him, and Briggs didn’t disappoint when he came in to hammer him.] [Bobbing his head to the side Faylon would dodge the heavy handed blow that Briggs through and heard the satisfying sound as his hand crushed itself against the crate that Faylon had positioned behind himself. Meanwhile Faylon had lowered both of his hands and unleashed a flurry of blows on the midsection of Briggs stomach causing the man to groan and wobble backwards on uneasy legs. Throwing a cross Faylon landed a blow against the side of Briggs mouth and finally dropped him to the floor before rushing in to finish him off.] [Moving in to stand over him Faylon reached down to wind his fingers through Briggs hair, lifting his head, before raining down several blows that pummelled the face of Briggs. Slamming his fists into the man’s face he pulverized until his nose exploded in a shower of blood and gore, blood rushing down Briggs face, before Faylon released and his head fell back onto the wood of the floor. Looking down at the man Faylon only said...”You should have left it alone Briggs. Everything could have been forgotten but now you haven’t left me with much choice.”...and barely conscious Briggs probably didn’t even understand what was being said to him. Maybe it was for the better, considering.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Looking down at Briggs Faylon stepped off of him and moved over to the door of the room they’d been fighting. Shutting it tightly he’d look back at the younger man he’d knocked flat first, bending down to place his hand over his mouth and make sure he was still breathing and unconscious, before moving over to Briggs who laid prone on the ground. Briggs might not have been completely gone but he was definitely distracted by the pain from having had his face hammered in like that.] [Kneeling down next to the fallen man Faylon cradled him by the back of the head, lifting him higher, while looking down into his face. He had to catch his eyes that was essential for this to be a success. It took some time, a bit of prompting even, but eventually Briggs looked up at Faylon who had started to channel his djed through his gaze as he looked down at the man who’d been his opponent. Mesmerized it was soon difficult for Briggs to look away. With his eyes changing it looked as though Briggs was staring into a mirror that shot his reflection back at him while Faylon concentrated quietly ensuring that nothing would break the hold that he’d begun to weave over the man with eye contact alone. Actually physical contact was only a boon in this situation as well.] [Taking his time as the djed continued to reflect through his eyes Faylon would have eventually been heard saying...”Listen to me Briggs. Listen.”...causing the man to respond with a bit of a moan before Faylon continued...”That’s right, good.”...there was more but he wanted to make sure he could continue conducting his hold over the man. When he was finally certain Faylon would have begun again by saying...”You need to forget about all this. You had a bad accident but that was all and you need to forget about me. We aren’t friends. We aren’t enemies. We’re nothing.”...as though driving the point home Faylon would have uttered that statement several times over...”We’re nothing. We’re nothing. We’re nothing.”...just so that it stuck in the man’s mind even if nothing else did. Everything else was less important to Faylon who worked the art of Hypnotism over Briggs.] [Beginning to feel to the strain from this prolonged use though Faylon would have touched the side of his head, near the temple, with his hand before continuing...”When you come around you should think all this was just an accident. You must have fallen.”...not likely looking at Briggs but what would anyone else have said seeing as how there were no witnesses. At least Faylon broke his own concentration though and released the back of Briggs head, setting it back on the floor, he’d done to keep word of the brutal altercation from the Captain who likely wouldn’t have taken kindly to this occurrence and now hoped it was done and settled. Bleeding eyes were the price that Faylon had to pay for his prolonged use of the hypnotic arts though. Overgiving a very real danger at his level of expertise in the art which wasn’t high at all, he was a beginner at most.] [Standing upright after he had finished with Briggs Faylon turned, opened the door to the hold, and moved back out into the ship where he’d have travelled to the hammock he slept on and kept his gear beside. Hiding his face as best he could to conceal the streams of blood running down the sides of his face. When he made it back to his own area he’d find a cloth or anything mildly clean to wipe the blood away before stowing it in his backpack again. This was over or it should have been.] 91st of Fall, 511AV [Days later Briggs was confined to light duties after his accident and everyone seems to have forgotten anything that might have happened. No one seemed to suspect Faylon had done anything to the man’s mind even though several were likely curious as to why a man like Briggs who had taken a disliking to Faylon now seemed to think nothing of him at all. As for himself Faylon had taken a few bruises away from the altercation and was still a little stiff but those things were minor. A Headache had bothered him the next day too, likely from overgiving and putting too much of himself into his magic, but it had passed this time and Faylon considered himself the fortunate one.] [Mopping the deck of the ship he’d tote a bucket of dirty water and a mop alongside himself as he moved around on steady feet. Swabbing the deck with mop as part of his duties today and listening to the banter. Earlier in the day he’d heard that Zeltiva was close and not a moment too soon as this was the last day of Fall and the cold bite of the winter wind was that much more noticeable to him. He felt a chill run throughout his spine and he looked up once, able to see his breath, as he exhaled but then he thought he’d heard a call go out across the deck of the ship.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Exhilaration fell across Faylon like a tidal wave as he heard more cries go out. Mathews Bay! Mathews Bay! Calls went out from several men better equipped to see that the bay was within sight now and Faylon who had been focusing on his menial work and own thoughts hadn’t noticed a thing until now but with excitement overtaking him he left his mop and rushed to the side of the ship to look with the others. It was indeed Mathews Bay and before long the ship would have been sailing into it and onto glorious Zeltiva which Faylon hadn’t laid eyes on in several years to be certain.] [Excitement was a poor word to describe how he felt actually. Zeltiva was much more than a mere city to him and while Faylon loved Denval too he had always thought of Zeltiva as his home ever since he first came to the city the first time. It had made his heart sink when he left it the first time but equally so he now felt a feeling of triumph to have come back to it. Not a moment too soon either as just then, leaning over the side of the ship, he felt a heavy gust of disturbingly cold wind strike him and recognized the touch of the Bonesnapper without hesitation which was what the natives of Zeltiva called the wind that blew into the bay during winter. Arguably the Bonesnapper was the worst part of living in Zeltiva, besides the Kelp Beer which Faylon had acquired a taste for, and had lead to the deaths of many old, infirm or homeless individuals.] [Backing away from the side of the ship Faylon moved back to mop and bucket so that he could return to his assigned duties and control his excitement at finally being back in Zeltiva and being able to leave this damned vessel behind himself. Let the Bonesnapper come he thought if it adds wind to the sails of the ship and carries us that much quicker into the bay and the docks of Zeltiva. Fortunately Faylon wouldn’t have had to wait long before the ship was heading into Mathews Bay and everyone could finally get a good look at Zeltiva itself. It was dark by then but the lights of the city whether on the streets or in the windows of houses made every man who saw them feel as though their hearts were invigorated that much more inside themselves.] [By the time the ship docked Faylon had finished his duties and was speaking with the First Mate saying...”Thank you for taking me this far. If you ever need a hand in Zeltiva I’ll be here.”...to which he received a polite reply...”Aye Lad. Take care and don’t let the Bonesnapper bust your bones before the winter is out.”...then both men would part ways as Faylon left the ship behind. Moving down the gangplank his first steps onto the docks of Zeltiva seemed lighter and Faylon heard himself admitting...”Good to be back. Very good.”...before he moved off down the docks and towards the city itself. Anyone who had been in Zeltiva before knew where to find the Kelp Bar and that was just where Faylon headed now without hesitation. Kelp Beer and good conversation were waiting for him.]

[Paragon]

Faylon : Faylon Skill XP Reward Boxing +4 Unarmed Combat +4 Hypnotism +2 Bodybuilding +2 Lore: Cursing the Gods, Unarmed Combat: Making Distance, Personal Magic: Dangers of Overgiving Other: N/A Great thread, I really enjoyed the combat scenes. The only thing I'd say, and I'm just being picky, you don't need the brackets round each paragraph, and I'm not sure why you're doing that. Other than that, great work, well done - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.