[Southern Boarder Post] Strength And Passion

[Riaris Dovukalis]

Riairs nodded to Rideon as he sat down to have a chat with Kavala and himself. If the Isur were supposed to be on the untrusting, unfriendly type, this one was very different and reminded him of the bartender in Riverfall. The man showed them respect and a like by giving them his full name, and Riaris appreciated the gesture. He listened to a very interesting conversation and learned something about the Isur and the way that thought. While they found him and Kavala to be worth their attention, they also seemed to have a dislike of humans.

He knew how Kavala felt about them, the harm that had been done to the woman would be carried with her for the rest of her life. Trust was given to those that she felt deserved it, but on the whole most humans wouldn't get a fair shake from her. Riaris or Recoomas had any problems with humans, but he wasn't about to stand up for them either. Everyone had their own reasons for the choices that they made whether selfish, confused, jaded, or just down right crazy. But in the end it didn't matter and he wouldn't judge them anymore than he could allow himself to be judged for not caring.

Learning about the Isur arms and how the different colors relate to different breeds was more information than he would have expected to get. It was likely because of Kavala, the woman had a way about her to seemed to have an affect on all that she spoke with. He was a very different, animal and he doubted that he would have gotten as much if she weren't there with him. Though it would be more correct to say that he was there with her, given that it was her boat and her idea to visit the islands.

Riaris took in all in, the information about the people, the Izurdin God all of it. To learn that the people had been created to be stand atop the human race, and to be that guiding light for the rest to look to and aspire to be was very humbling. Of course he also realized that somewhere along the way they dropped that ball and couldn't pick it back up. Their clans had been cut in half now, and a dwindling race was something he understood close being an Akalak. The Akalak was very interested when Rideon spoke of 'The Hammer' the military that was in charge of the operation of the Post.

"That's all good to know, and I will seek out the wisdom of the Bronze Hammer as soon as possible. In Riverfall, we have our own militia. The Kuvay'Nas protect the city in a similar way. I think I will enjoy speaking with him, and perhaps he will allow me to train with them. If even for a short time." Riairs glanced at Kavala then and took another drink from his mug. He knew that she would understand his interest in this, and the reason that he wanted to see this through.

The discussion of Ionu was different, but fascinating at the same time. He also had to agree that, in a way perception defines reality. He also had to agree that looks were very important, and while Kavala seemed to think slightly different. He knew that had she not been Konti he wouldn't have given her a second glance, much less took her on a date in the middle of his work day. In a way, this Ionu reminded him of his mother Akajai, such secrecy was involved and the truth was never plan to see, or so he thought.

When Arvus entered and Rideon introduced him as the Sentinel, he shared a glance with Kavala. This was the person that she wanted to see, and he could see the glow in her face at the same time. Turning back to Rideon, Riaris stood the man's hand firmly and smiled. "It has been a pleasure. A true pleasure and I think that I will take you up on your offer. Whenever you have the time, I would like to learn more about Ionu."

[Gillar]

After parting regards, Rideon walked back behind the bar and over to greet the newcomer, Arvus. This left Kavala and Riaris alone once more. Responding to Kavala's gesture, the barmaid, a young, black-armed isur woman, a good head shorter than Kavala with shoulder-length black hair held back in tail, approached. She wore a long black skirt, slitted up the sides and a narrow embroidered silk strip of cloth wrapped around her chest. She carried a small metal plate with a couple of empty glasses on it. Stopping where Kavala and Riaris sat, she leaned in, expectant of an order of some sort. Her impossibly dark brown eyes looked a little weary yet patient. When Kavala asked her about what Arvus liked to drink, the young lady gave a quick glance over her shoulder to the Sentinel. She leaned in close and said quietly with a slight tinge of nervousness in her voice, "I don't know what he drinks. He doesn't come in much and ignores everyone save for Rideon when he does enter. Um...I can pass your request to Rideon but my soul to the Betrayer if I'll approach the Sentinel." Though it may have been nothing of note, there seemed to be a tiny bit of fear in the girl's voice at mention of approaching and talking to the Sentinel. She gave a pleasant smile and accepted the payment from Kavala before making her way to the bar. She tended to a few things while waiting for the chance to speak with Rideon. The barkeep paused in his conversation with Arvus long enough to begin preparing a drink. The barmaid caught his attention and whispered something into his ear while giving a directed glance back to Kavala and Riaris. Rideon followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow to the Konti and Akalak. The look seemed to say, You're serious? Always a follower of Ionu, a god also known as the Trickster, Rideon couldn't help but become a bit tickled at the idea of the two outsiders buying Arvus a drink. The results were sure to be, at the very least, interesting. The barmaid went back to her duties while Rideon finished preparing Arvus' drink. When he returned to Arvus with the mug, he could be seen saying something that caused the robed isur to turn his head and look toward Kavala and Riaris. The man's eyes were impossibly dark, even compared to the rest of the naturally dark-eyed isur seen around the Post. Though Riaris and Kavala sat a good distance from where the Sentinel stood, they could see slivers of silver threading the man's nearly black iris'. They could see the man say something else to Rideon as he lifted the mug to his lips and drank. He stood at the bar for a moment or two longer, taking measured sips from his mug before starting to walk in Riaris and Kavala's direction. Rideon could be seen trying to watch while unsuccessfully being subtle about it. Other patrons parted quickly to allow the robed man passage. He stopped at the table where the two Rivarians sat. Now close enough to be seen clearly, the Sentinel was, like most other isur at the Post, not a tall man. He was slightly shorter than Kavala with short, neatly trimmed black hair. His eyes were definitely threaded with silver, unlike any other isur the two guests had seen yet. His black silk robes were, on first glance, very simple looking in design save for the silver flame they saw adorning the back. As the man approached though, they could see fleeting glimpses of strange glyphs embroidered into the fabric. As he stood before them, there was a tangible aura to the man that, instead of communicating anything, seemed to hide much more. The other patrons of the bar all tried not to seem obvious in their interest toward the man and the two outsiders with most failing to varying degrees. For the Sentinel's part, he ignored them. Raising his mug to his lips, he took one more sip before lowering the mug and speaking. His voice was soft yet uniquely easy to hear; perhaps it was the silence that now filled the bar. While he had a bit of an accent, he still spoke the common tongue with surprising clarity. "Kavala, Riaris, I'm pleased that you have enjoyed the hospitality here. It's not everyday that we receive the presence of a Konti or an Akalak; even less common both at the same time. Allow me an introduction; I am Sentinel Arvus Pitonshatter." Arvus did not add anything else to the introduction. It was almost as if he was used to expecting everyone to know who he was without introduction. Following his introduction, the rest of the patrons seemed to slowly go back to their own conversations. Perhaps they were beginning to realize that nothing fantastic was going to occur now that the Sentinel had simply offered a greeting. By his posture, it looked as though he preferred to stand as he took another sip of his mug. "You've come a long way from home. I hear that you've a meeting with Emaneus. He's a man of many words. Perhaps when you've finished what you've come here to do, you will honor me with a visit before you take your leave?"

[Kavala]

Kavala inclined her head at the introduction but kept her eyes on the Sentinel as he both approached and made his name clear. She thought it polite beyond measure and wondered what motivated him to cross the distance to speak to them. The Healer nodded at his words about the distance and effort they’d made to come here. She offered him a slight smile, the kind that reflected the pleasure she felt at the courtesy he was showing to them by extending the offer of a visit.

“I would like that very much.” Kavala said politely and quietly. “It’s a real shame more of my sisters do not come here. After our experiences in your region, I will make certain they know how welcome the White Isle woman would be made here. They would be very comfortable visiting and living among the honor and skill of your people, especially in a place such as this so near to the sea. Though not nearly as old nor crafted for the same purpose as your people, my sisters are useful in their own way.” Kavala offered, glancing at her companion but not certain he’d comment.

“I look forward to speaking with Emaneus.” Kavala said, pitching her voice lower, more on a tone that would only carry to those of the table and not those who were looking on from any distance whatsoever. “I witnessed first hand through a Champion’s eyes the actions of your King Sultros. It was one of the single most noble and true self sacrifices I’ve ever seen. At that point I knew I had to come to The Kingdom and meet your people first hand. Though I do not blame your people for their seeming withdrawl from the world in the face of the Valterrian, I feel like the world has lost a great deal of richness outside of Kalea because of the limited number of Isur that walk those lands. So it has been my greatest pleasure to come here to you and speak to the Isur myself. I have found a spiritually and physically strong ancient civilization that is unlike any other that walks the world. Your kind has an uncanny and insightful outlook on one’s own body and its housing of the spirit, for example. Before our visit here, I had no idea how much one should dwell in ones own body, and not just in one’s head. Each conversation has been a lesson in both humility and how far my relatively young race has to go before we can stand as proud or as tall of our own history.” Kavala said, her blue eyes meeting his dark silver threaded ones. She had a feeling he had a full realization first hand of how his people might seem to her. But in case he didn’t, she wanted no mistake on how the Isur had conducted and represented themselves on their visit so far.

[Gillar]

Arvus listened intently as Kavala spoke; the man’s silver-threaded eyes watching her studiously. Considering her words as she spoke them, Arvus’s mind was always processing information several steps beyond most graced with his presence. Kavala’s mention of her fellow Konti as being useful in their own way brought no small amount of interest to the Sentinel. Arvus also noted Kavala’s hushed tone in conversation as she purposely kept the conversation exclusive to their table. Such a display of caution intrigued Arvus further. The Pitrius Clan of Isur viewed secrecy as being almost as important as faith. Arvus, a man born to that culture, found Kavala’s caution to be somewhat impressive as it showed her to be a woman of some respect. As he listened, he took another drink while he continued to study her. Beautiful as she was to him, Arvus sensed something more behind her physical allure. Trained as he was in the realm of magical study with such training holding no small focus on recognizing his own, Arvus could sense the pull of magical skill coming from the woman; yet another element of interest to emanate from Kavala.

As she continued the conversation, Arvus’ interest immediately peaked to an elevated level that surprised even him. Kavala described an event that he too had witnessed though from a different perspective. Though many among Arvus’ clan did not view anything related to the Sultros Clan in a favorable light, he, like all Isur, revered the Savior-King who led their race to their new Kingdom following the events of the Valterrian. Arvus was one of the relative few Isur who received the vision of King Sultros’ return. He saw through Izurdin’s eyes the release of Ivak. He saw how a human, the Champion of Ivak, had been aided by the reborn King in the battle against the Goddess of Fear. He saw how the King had been struck down while defending the human’s against Fear’s wrath. Others of his clan who experienced the same vision perceived the events in a much more negative light and took it as the humans being responsible for the death of their reborn King. Arvus was quite different in his perception. He was the rare Pitrius who saw the truth of the event. Now, hearing that this Konti woman had been graced with a similar vision, Arvus’s respect for her grew exponentially. Though normally such claims from outsiders were akin to blasphemy in the eyes of Sentinels, Arvus knew that Kavala could not possibly know of such things without being allowed to by Izurdin, Ivak or the new Goddess of Fear, Ssena. While he held no love for Ivak’s Champion; Ivak being the God that destroyed the Old Kingdom, Arvus’s view of Kavala was left untarnished nonetheless.

Taking a moment to form the right words, Arvus took one last, long drink before finally speaking in a soft, almost friendly tone, “Kavala, you honor me with your words and you are wise in caution in speaking. As positive as your experience has been here thus far, you would not find it so if word to spread of your experience. My people are, somewhat racially fanatical when it comes to the divine and divine events. I mean no offense but an outsider proclaiming such an experience would not be taken well by most isur here.” Arvus did not bother to see if anyone was listening; his presence alone made sure that none were.

“Emaneus is open-minded, for a Vizerian anyway. He may be able to give you more insight into your experience. I have my own thoughts on the matter and would be pleased to share them with you should you choose to visit me before you leave. My chambers are at the upper most level of the post.” With that, he finished his drink and gave a respectful nod before taking his leave. Before exiting the building, Arvus stopped to whisper something to Rideon. The bartender nodded and went back to serving the customers. Kavala was left to her own thoughts. The time for her meeting with Emaneus was quickly approaching.

[Gillar]

I am bringing this thread to a close and continuing the story in another thread. I had a lot of fun fleshing out Rideon and Arvus a bit in this thread. Kavala is a unique individual who has a way of influencing others in unexpected ways. I look forward to what is to come with this story.

Rewards:

Kavala acquires the items purchased in this thread with the accompanying ledger expenses.

Unfortunately there aren't any real skills that I can award in this as the thread is mostly conversational. There are however a few Lores that were gained:

Lore: Isur (Border Post Culture) - The isur of the Southern Border Post are a unique group. Detached from the core of the Kingdom, they are more accepting of outsiders than what is normal for the typical isur. They serve as a center of trade and protection for the surrounding lands.

Lore: Isur (Mercantile Operations) - The Southern Border Post offers a variety of goods and services with a unique isurian flare. Items never before seen in the outside world can be purchased from isurian vendors while the unique business atmosphere is one found nowhere else in the world outside of Sultros.

Lore: Isur (Basic Religion) - The Isur are a race devoted to the teachings of Izurdin which include a focus on strength, physical perfection and creative pursuits.

Lore: Ionu (More than a Trickster) - Ionu is more than a master of Trickery. In his illusions one can find truth and wonder.

Lore: Ionu (Ionu's Mirror) - A gift from Ionu to his priest, Rideon, the mirror reveals to onlookers images of places, people and things seen through the eyes of Ionu himself. The images are unique to each individual and can have great personal relevance to those who look upon them.

Lore: Isur (Rideon Mistshadow Pitrius) - Rideon is an Expert Magecrafter, Owner of "On the Edge" Tavern and Priest of Ionu. A man of wisdom and unique insight, Rideon offers not just a good drink but works to open the eyes of his patrons to possibilities never before imagined.