A Lost Son of Akajia and Wysar (Gossamer)

[Tahl'dhon Rashaud]

Timestamp: 82nd, Day of Winter, 511 AV- Mid-Morning Tahl stared up at the imposing walls of Riverfall seamless stone, mumbling under his breath "I've heard good fences mean good neighbors, but I think they take it to seriously." He couldn't help feel a sense of awe and pride that his race lived here and had built this city. Tahl shifted his pack his gaze flicker back over his shoulder then back to the city. Aren and Meera had been going at a slower pace to Riverfall to allow Aren to catch up stamina. Tahl had been impatient so had gone ahead, they would probably catch up in a bell or two. Tahl's eyes saw Akalak soldiers as they patrolled the walls, his eyes went to the grand gate and the two guards there. Two well built Akalaks, they seemed to be lazying, but if you looked closer as Tahl did now he could see they had there hands very close to there weapons ready to fight at a moment notice. To his left flowed the Bluevein river, and to his right a vineyard stretched. A myriad of smells assaulted his nose, some pleasant some unpleasant, but mainly pleasant. He could smell the city as the wind came from the east brushing through the city and towards Tahl letting all the smells come to him. It really was quite dramatic in his mind, he smiled at his own imagination. A consistent stream of traffic came through the gates, both in and out, though not as much as in summer, still travelers southward to avoid the cold. Steeling himself he walked up to the guards, who had just finished with another group of travelers. Tahl was reminded of the people he had traveled with from Syliras to Kenash and beyond slightly, though they hadn't treated him well, it had still been better than he was use to. He shook them out of his mind remembering that they had left him to go ahead. He approached the guards, not sure what to do The guards eyes narrowed as they saw Tahl probably looking for some recognition of some kind. finding non he spoke slowly, "Welcome, traveler. State your business." Tahl paused a split second and spoke his voice straight, no emotion showing on his voice, "My name is Tahl'dhon Rashaud. I have been a slave all my life to the Lark Family in Ravok. I have come to Riverfall seeking sanctuary and learning." He paused waiting to see how the guards would react. He hadn't specified what learning, because in truth he wasn't sure himself, he just knew he wanted to learn; if that meant physical training or if that meant scholarly arts.

[Gossamer]

The guard Tahl stopped looked at him carefully. He listened to his words and nodded at the appropriate times and looked thoughtful. He glanced at his companion and signaled to him that he'd be gone a few minutes at least. "There's a place I need to take you then. We have a person there that can help. Do you have any family in the city that you know of? " The guard beckoned to him and then started off through the city. In the process he handed him a city map and a list of the laws of Riverfall. They started off down the road that paralleled the river that was swifter here, flowing rapidly towards the falls. They turned north at a T-bone in the road and then headed almost to the end. There, just a little west of the end, was a large sprawling building that looked like a cross between an office building and a residential establishment. "This is Fresh Start. We bring Warriors here who have been wounded, injured, or lost from the fold. There are people in here that will find you housing, work, and help you make connections. I take it you've never been to Riverfall before or among your own people right? There are things you'll need to know. I'll introduce you to Myra, who'll help you." They walked up the steps, into a courtyard that was infolded by lofty domed pendentives. A marble mosaic etched the floor blending red and black stone. They passed the courtyard and into an office that looked spacious. A lovely human woman sat behind the desk smiling. The guard had a few words in private with her whispered, then beckoned Tahl forward. The woman was a pretty blond, in her late thirties, that was very pregnant though it was hard to notice since she was sitting behind a desk. A thick gold bracelet encircled her wrist. "Greetings! Welcome to Fresh Start. I can help you. Please have a seat. My name is Cardina. Make yourself comfortable. This will take a few minutes. I need to know a bit about your history... pretty much all of it. It is so rare we get a Wysar that has been lost to us back to Riverfall. It is a cause to celebrate. But first, lets get you settled, and figure out where you've been." At her words, the guard gave Tahl one more smile and indicated he was in good hands. He turned and left the room, heading back to his voluntary duty. The woman took out a parchment piece and dipped a quill in ink, and posed over the sheet ready to write.

[Tahl'dhon Rashaud]

Tahl smiled when he heard the guard take him seriously, he listening intently to the guard then shook his head. The ponytail on the back of his head swinging back and forth, “I don’t know of any family.” Tahl let that thought play through his head; family. He had secretly hoped to find some form of family here, but how was he supposed to if he didn’t even know who his parents where. He pushed those thoughts away. Tahl strode after the guard when he gestured for him to follow, he accepted the city map and laws of the city with a smile, rolling them up and placing them in his pack for him to look at later. For the moment he was content to follow and observe the city of his people. Tahl’s eyes widened slightly when he caught site of the marble steps leading up to stone pillars, a large a majestic structure, unknown to him he was looking upon Gideon’s Arena. He paused slightly his eyes capturing the image, when he saw he was behind he jogged ahead to catch up. Turning the corner he followed the guard using each of his senses to take in as much of the city as he could. When they arrived at Fresh Start, Tahl had a dumb smile on his face, a stranger in his own races city, the whole idea seemed absurd to him. He listened as the guard explained nodding slowly, he very much liked the idea of having a home of his own, working was good; at least he would get paid, and connections where always good. He shook his head when the guard asked him if he had ever been in Riverfall. He followed the guard up the steps his eyes roaming around the building a curious look on his face, as he kept pace. As he entered the courtyard his eyes roamed until they fell onto the floor tracing the black and red designs with his eyes, he thought that black and red went well together. His eyes trailed upward to the odd ceiling, not quite understanding and in truth not really wanting to understand. When they entered the office, Tahl glanced around curiously the finally settled on the human woman. Her smile was instantly contagious and he found himself smiling as well, as he tried to look like he was investigating the room, when in truth he was watching the guard and woman whisper to each other. He strode back over to the guard when he beckoned him his long legs eating up the short distance. Tahl inspected the woman with his eyes, and the widened slightly when he noticed that she was pregnant, before he could react she started talking. Tahl natural personality was a chatterbox, but having spent his life as a slave he had learnt to hold his tongue, though he did hate doing so. He took a seat as she talked listening and trying to take everything in. Tahl glanced back, giving a mock salute to the man, a smile still on his face as he turned back to talk to the woman. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you Cardina.” He paused frowning, he hated telling anyone about himself and his history only giving the most basic of facts, enough to sate others curiosity, but not give them full knowledge of him, but he knew that he would need to tell his story one day and to someone, and he deserved to give them a show of trust. It was too hard to show emotions so he spoke in a flat monotones voice his face a mask devoid of all emotion, “I do not know of and family, or when I was born. All I know is that from the earliest I could remember I was slave to the Lark Family of Ravok, and that was when I was five. As I’m sure you can imagine it wasn’t pleasant, I worked or I was punished. Punishment could be physical such as beatings and whippings, or they would starve me. If I was too badly damaged they would get a healer to see to me. I did all kinds of work, but nothing that required great skill mainly simple labor and servant jobs. When I was seven I was given to be the personal slave of Jidara Lark who was also seven. As well as having to do my chores, I would have to play with Jidara and do everything she asked of me. I had to endure the for the next seven years, in that time a few of the older slaves taught me how to build ones bodies muscles. For the Lark family has a love for beauty in there slaves, and so unfit slaves were sold…” He trailed off his voice breaking slightly then after clearing his throat he continued, but his voice seemed harder if that was possible. “When I was around 17 years of age the adult members of the family started to use me as their personal sex slave…” Tahl’s lip twitched at that, his eyes closed, and he gripped the arms of the chair, the muscles in his arm’s standing out. He was fighting for control. Rashaud had lost his facade of emotionless and had gone berserk with rage when he had started to remember what they had gone through. Tahl now fought for control of the body, not just from Rash, but also attempting to push his own anger down. It was hard, but after a few minutes it seemed to stop and his breathing slowed again, and he started to speak again in that monotone voice, his eyes still closed, “That continued for the next 13 years until I escaped. Anyways, once Jidara was older she also used me, and started to put me in the fights. I brawled in the slave pits of Ravok. This was a fight for survival nothing else, it is not true battle as I have heard about.” He whispered under his breath, “As I wish to feel.” He then continued, “Jidara eventually joined the Ebonstryfe as an interrogator and torturer. She used me as a test subject….Eventually I broke and killed Jidara.” He then opened his eyes his voice returning to normal his body physically relaxing. “I found some other escaped slaves and we made our way to Syliras. Once there an Akalak knight that I did not get the name of gave me some gold and said to come here, and he sent me on the road with some fellow travelers.” He paused catching his breath his eyes looking at the human woman wanting to know if the interrogation-or at least it felt that way to him-was over, and how had the woman taken it.