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Character Development => Development Journals and Discussion => Topic started by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 16, 2014, 02:15:34 PM

Title: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 16, 2014, 02:15:34 PM

Augra 2, 1418 Wrapped in a woolen blanket, and held securely againt her fathers chest, a small child sleeps soundlessly, largely unaware of the goings on around her as her father takes her along on his daily errands. Within her small minds, the simple thoughts of a child swirl in a steadying cycle: Sleep; eat; cry; poop; the only things she knows so far, yet one other thought clicks into her mind as she lays peacefully in her fathers arms: [INDENT]Mommy and Daddy are here... You are safe... [/INDENT]Barely six weeks old, her small mind finds the understanding to recognize the security of her parents arms. A long life lies before her, along with all the choices, uncertainties, and concerns that come along with it, yet in her mind she knows, as long as Mommy and Daddy are near, she will be fine.

Title: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords (Four Months)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 08, 2007, 09:10:49 PM

Finger; grab; mouth; chew. New concepts to the four month old mind of Tyra, but ones she uses in earnest. Anything she can grab, be it food, wood, paper, metal, she will try to put in her mouth.
[INDENT]Why does my mouth hurt.... Oh... *chew chew* That feels better...
[/INDENT]So she looks for more things to chew on, more things to stick in her mouth.

Daddy; Mommy; Home; Safe. Her understanding grows the more she is with them. Her mother and father are never far from her, or if one leaves the other always remains. Daddy especially. Many times a day she finds herself nestled in his arms as he goes about his business in the cities. And at night she returns to the arms of her mother, as she goes about her own business around their home and the country side., until her father comes home, to rock her to sleep while he tells her a short story, drifting into dream land to the sound of his voice.

Title: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords (One Year)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 23, 2007, 12:43:00 AM

"Maaaah-mee....."
"Honey! Honey, She said it! Come back!"
"Maaaah-me.... Mah-me"
"By Beryl..."
"Mah-me.... Mommy..."

Tyra's first word came on her first birthday as she played with the brand new teddy bear Valmara made for her out of rags from one of Shiff's old shirts.

The first year had held a great deal of love within it for the small child. Whether it was her mother, or her father, or dear "aunts and uncles", Tyra was always in the arms, or within reach, of someone who cared for her.

Regardless of what Tyra was doing, one peron who could always be found close behind the mobile one year old was her Mother, Valmara. Regardless of whether Tyra was crawling about at home and getting into trouble, or outside getting all dirty, Valmara was always there to pick her up, kiss boo-boos and dust her off. Tyra loved her mother dearly. With her father often away from home, Tyra bonded with her mother very closely, and despite cause her mother constant headaches, Tyra adored Valmara.

After her mother though, her life seemed to revolve around her Father. Always happy to see her, Shiff would often be found just fooling around with his daughter, rolling on the floor or pretending to be Tyra's pony. Shiff adroed Tyra, and Tyra adored her father, almost as much as she adored her mother, and she loved the time she got to spend with him.

After her Parents, came the seemingly endless number of "Aunt and Uncles", but of them all, three stood out the most: Krysthalien; Elohanna; and Rose. Regardless of time spent or anything else, Tyra loved spending time with these people. Her Uncle Krys, always adoring everything she did, was the only other male she loved, enjoying ever one of the few moments she got to spend with him. Her Aunt Elohanna, being Uncle Krys's wife, was another favorite. Always one to be delighted by magic, Tyra loved spending time with Elohanna, enjoying the playful magic shows Elohanna would put on for her (with the help of her handsome assistant Krys, of course). Then came Rose. Only by being Tyra's true mother Could Rose have earned any more of Tyra's affection. Tyra did not know why, nor did anyone else, but if Shiff and Valmara could not calm Tyra for some reason, Rose could. There was no magic, no silly tricks, just the acceptance and love Rose seemed to pour into the time she spent with little Tyra, earning Rose the title of "Frower" from Tyra. Though nothing could match the feelings Tyra had for her adoring parents, Rose was a close second.

Title: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords (One Year, Four Months)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 01, 2007, 11:09:02 PM

Febra 1, 1420

Mephits, Magic, and Mysteries

That was the theme of the day. For reason's unknown, Tyra became the subject of an Ice Mephit's curiousity, as well as some other things left unsaid. Delivering cryptic messages to her Father and Rose as they sat together by the pond in Port Hempstead, the creature came and went, much to Tyra's amusement. Having no comprehension of the anxiety her father expressed at the Mephit's unusual interest in her, she was happy to have the funny looking creature flying around. It was new, and different, and Tyra enjoyed having it around.

Title: A Pictures worth a Fathers Praise (2 yrs, 10 months)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 03, 2007, 05:03:54 PM

Tyra sits at the small round table at home, various vials of colored ink spread out around a pile of blank parchments. She sits drawing whatever comes to mind, often having to be interpreted by each individual that sees the end results. She then looks up, and before her stands a elf-like five-year-old, a pair of swirling blue eyes looking back into her own violet orbs, a look of mixed fear-and-wonder in the other girls face. Tyra flashes her warm, winning smile, and says, "Hello..." to the new face, earning a smile from the blue-eyed girl. She sits down next to Tyra, and introduces herself as Seras, and the two begin painting.

Tyra had never gotten the chance to meet any other children. Being not even three years yet of age, Tyra was kept close to her mother and father, but this new comer was a treat. Tyra drew her family as she knew it; her Father and mother, herself, and Shadow (the families horse), while Seras did her best to show up the cheerful two and 3/4 year old. But Tyra showed no concern that her new and older friend had more skill then her. Tyra knew what she was drawing, and so did mommy and daddy. That's all she cared about.

After finishing, she runs over to her Father, a proud smile on her face, yelling, "Lookey! Look!" and stuffing the still damp parchment in her fathers face. After earning her fathers praise, and a compliment from Seras' mommy, Tyra jumped back in her seat to draw the same picture again, this time with their home in the background. For only one thing seemed to be the focus of Tyra's life at her age, her family.

Title: A Growing Family for a Young Girl (3 yrs 2 months)
Post by: Frances on September 11, 2007, 03:17:24 AM

Mommy and Daddy had been gone for so long. Tyra enjoyed playing with her Auntie Elohanna, she liked the little baby Coreth, but she missed her parents. They had been gone before, usually her Daddy more than Mommy, but now they were both gone, and it had been a looong time.

Suddenly, Tyra heard the voices she loved more than any in the world. She jumped to her feet and ran to find them. Finding her Daddy first, she gave him a flying hug. Shiff picked her up, laughing and swinging her around. Her Mommy joined them, squeezing Tyra in between her parents, all of them smiling and laughing together.

They walked home, Tyra in her father's arms, not quite willing to let him go. When they got to her home, Tyra squirmed out of her Daddy's arms, running to her toys she left. But something was wrong; there were two strange men in her home, seated by the fireplace. One of them stood carefully, smiling at the family. Tyra ran and hid behind her mother's skirts, peeking out carefully. Val picked her up, turning to face the men. "This is your Grandpa, sweetie. Tell him hi". Tyra turned her face into her mother's shoulder, then carefully turned one eye to look at the man who had walked shakily over toward them. Tyra eventually deigned to say "Hi Gwampa", before turning her face back to her mother's shoulder.

"Give her a little time, Dad, she'll warm up to you." Her mother was right; within an hour, she was gracing her grandfather and her uncle Sammack with smiles, and by the end of the day, she was playing with them a little. They seemed tired though, and couldn't play the way Mommy and Daddy did, and Tyra could tell they hurt.

With a week, Tyra had accepted Gwampa and Unca Sam as family. Mommy loved them, and Tyra began to trust them. They were getting stronger, and Tyra loved to play with them, but Mommy and Daddy were still more fun.

Then, one day when Daddy was away, Mommy took her to see Auntie El. "I just have to go check on something. I'll be back in a little while. You'll be fine here, and Grandpa and Uncle Sam will be by to visit." To Auntie El she said, "I'd leave her with my dad and brother, but they're not quite strong enough yet to handle her. I think they'll be fine by themselves, but if you could look in on them, I'd appreciate it." Auntie El nodded to Mommy, and Tyra squirmed down so she could go play. Mommy told her, "I'll be back soon, I promise", then turned to go, giving her a smile as she was walking out the door. Tyra smiled back, saying, "Wuv you Mommy". Tyra knew her Mommy would be back soon, and Daddy. She'd play until they got back. It wouldn't be long...

Title: Daddy, don't go... (3 yrs 3 months)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 11, 2007, 12:47:30 PM

While Tyra and Aunt Ely enjoyed some time playing with and watching baby Coreth, a knock came at the door. It was Daddy, and upon seeing him she ran to him, hugging his as soon as she could. Daddy picked her up into the air, hugging her tight as if he'd missed her for so long, but something about Daddy that day made her sad. She leaned back to look at her daddy, her warm smile and beautiful violet eyes hoping to earn her some of her daddy's affection, but Daddy only smiled back, something lingering in his eyes the young girl was not yet able to understand. "Thanks Ely... I hope she wasn't much trouble." Aunt Ely smiled and thanked Shiff for the time, and told Shiff that Val had gone off on business. Tyra could almost sense the fear the ripped through her Daddy, and Tyra frowned and hugged him, hoping to comfort her Daddy. "Whats wong Daddy..." Daddy smiled at Tyra and then Aunt Ely. "I'll see you around Elohanna... Say goodbye sweety..." Tyra waved and smiled at her Aunt and uttered a warm "Buh-Bye." Little did Tyra know it would be the last time she would see her Aunt for a long time.

Upon exiting Aunt Ely's house, Tyra saw Grampa and Uncle Sam sitting on Two horses, Daddy's Shadow tied up along side. "Tyra... We are going on a trip, okay? Daddy is bringing you and Grampa and Uncle Sam to see where Mommy and Daddy got Married..." He sits Tyra on Shadow's neck. "Hold on, sweety..." Daddy steps up onto Shadow behind Tyra, slipping his arm around her to keep her close, and Tyra snuggled back against her father, hoping nothing was wrong.

They rode for day's, stopping in Port Hempstead to rest a few hours at the Scamp's Mug, then taking the long voyage by see to Mariner's Hold to rest at the Weary Traveller. There, while Tyra was supposed to be sleeping, she crawled off her futon, stood shakily onto her little feet, and stumbled through the dark to the door of the room she was in, partially open to let in some light from the main hall. Creaking the door open slowly, she cried out softly for her father. "Daddy... I'm firsty... Can I hab some juice, pwea-" She stopped mid sentence when she saw her father in his armor, something she had never done before. It scared her, the bloody red of the Adamantium, and the fierce visage of a mighty dragon across his chest, its talons gripping a bleeding Golden heart, and she stood rooted in fear. Had she not known the kind face that sat upon the face of the fierce figure of her father, she would have screamed. But she did not. She just stood their, watching. "Quill, I need to get my family to safety tomorrow... I've already waited to long, and I saw someone clad in black robes stalking my home in Fort Llast. I can't wait any longer..." The man Daddy was talking to was funny looking, about a foot shorter then her father, wearing a dark outfit. He had pointy ears like Aunt Ely, but something seemed wild about him. He noded at Daddy and turned to smile at Tyra, drawing her fathers attention to her. Daddy frowned only slightly before walking over to pick up Tyra and hold her as Tyra asked, "Where Mommy..." Daddy simply responded, "I'm gonna go get here right now... you go with Mister Quill here along with Grampa and Uncle Sam and Daddy and Mommy will he back soon..."

The next day Tyra, Grampa and Uncle Sam arrived in Stone early the next morning, but still Mommy and Daddy had not come back. Mister Quill brought them into a large underground cave, filled with shiney gems and light that made Tyra almost forget that she missed her mommy and Daddy very much.

Hour's went by as Tyra sat in an out-of-the-way room in the cave with a funny looking small person that constantly made sure Tyra didn't touch any of the fun looking glowy things all around. Then she heard someone call for the funny-man, and Tyra was led back into the big cave. There was mommy and Daddy. She ran over to Daddy, she had been so scared and she wanted him to hold her, but Daddy was not to stay with Tyra. Giving Tyra a large purple cloak, and the promise to see her whenever she hid beneath it, Daddy left Tyra and Mommy in the cave to be led down below the ground.

Title: I want my daddy... (3 yrs 5 months)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 14, 2007, 12:11:22 PM

Tyra wakes up in the middle of the night from a scary dream, safely wrapped up in the cloak her Daddy gave her. She saw Daddy, standing in a field she did not recognize, surrounded by big, mean, and horrid looking meanies all around. She tried to warn Daddy, but he couldn't hear her. She tried to pull him to safety with her little arms, but he didn't not move. She tried to scare the meanies away with her own little roar, but they only laughed at her and pushed her aside. Then suddenly she was far away watching them all close in around Shiff, while he did nothing but stand there.

She shivered some in the stone room she shared with Mommy, clutching the gold locket with the Red Rose ontop her Aunt Flower gave her and pulling the cloak around her tighter. After a few moments, she stood up on her little legs, waddling over to Mommy's bed and, after a bit of pulling and clawing on the sheets, climbed up beside her.

"What's wrong, dear..." said Mommy softly, pulling the covers over them both and snuggling Tyra close to her.

"I want my Daddy..." she utters softly as she begins to cry.

Title: Changes Coming (3 yrs 5 months)
Post by: Frances on September 15, 2007, 02:23:24 AM

Tyra loves walking with Grampa. He dotes on her, giving her sweets every chance he can. Tyra knows that Mommy knows he does it, but she doesn't say anything about it. Now she pulls Grampa along as they make their way down a slightly used tunnel.

After walking a few minutes, Grampa takes her off on another side tunnel, and suddenly Tyra is looking out over an underground lake, lit softly with lights she can't see. Excited, Tyra runs down to the edge of the water and begins playing in the water. The water is cold, but Tyra splashes happily, throwing small rocks in the water and getting her toes wet.

As she is playing, Grampa picks up a rock and throws it in. Instead of making a splash and sinking, though, the rock skips across the surface of the water several times, before eventually disappearing. Tyra shouts, "Do it agin, Grampa!" He does it several more times, before Tyra begins trying it herself, throwing rocks in where Grampa did, but they just sink.

After a while, Grampa takes her hand and begins leading them back to the rooms they call home. As they walk, Grampa says to her, "You know your mother loves you very much." Tyra nods sagely. Grampa continues, "She hasn't told you or me yet, but changes are coming for her, and for you. I remember your Grandmother, who you never met... Anyway, Tyra, sweetheart, no matter what happens, your mother won't love you any less. You can never run out of love."

Grampa sometimes said funny things like that. Tyra nods, and skips on ahead. She recognizes where they are, and she knows the way back to their rooms. She looks back, keeping Grampa in sight. Tyra knows that soon she will see Mommy. Maybe Daddy will be there too, and they can go back to their real home. Tyra runs to the door, just in case he is there. She wants to see him real soon.

Title: I'm gonna be a Sister... (3 yrs 11 mnths)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 25, 2007, 05:19:19 PM

Ever since Daddy came back to her and Mommy, Tyra has been very happy. And knowing she is going to be a big sister, she has been helping her Mommy in every way she can. She helps her wash clothes, helps her make dinner, helps her clean after supper, but most of all, Tyra helps by constantly comfoting her Mommy when she is feeling sick.

When Daddy is home, she asks him to tell her stories about when she was a baby while laying in her fathers arms, and when Mommy is home, she cuddles with her when she's tired, rubbing her Mommy's belly like she sees Daddy do, and getting all excited when the baby kicks. She even tells little kiddy stories (that only a four year old could tell) while laying her head on her Mommy's tummy, as if talking to her little sibling inside.

Title: A New Toy?
Post by: Frances on November 09, 2007, 04:07:38 PM

Tyra loves going on walks with Mommy. It's just the two of them today; Drakie is home with Grampa and Grampa's friend. Tyra likes Grampa's friend, so does Drakie. Tyra thinks Mommy likes her too, even if Mommy seemed a little hesitant at first. But today, Tyra has Mommy all to herself as they walk along the path north of town.

As they walk along, Mommy pulls something out from under her cloak and hands it to Tyra. It's long and heavy, with a handle at one end, and a set of leather straps and a belt. Tyra recognizes it as a sword of some sort, having grown up with Mommy and Daddy. But it's smaller than she's seen before, Tyra sized!

Mommy says, "This is for you, Tyra. I was going to wait for your birthday, but I couldn't wait." Mommy smiles. "I had it made up special for you. It may be a bit big for you right now, but you'll grow into it. Your Grampa made it, in fact, just for you!"

Mommy kneels down and buckles the sword belt in place, adjusting the straps until the sword hangs in the right spot. She pulls the sword part way out of the scabbard and shows Tyra. "See, this sword is dull, it won't cut you. The point's dull too, but it's still heavy, and this most definitely is not a toy. Always treat your sword with respect, or you could get hurt. Or someone you don't want to hurt, or you won't hurt someone you need to. This one is about the size of a bastard sword in relation to you right now, but it'll be more like a longsword as you get bigger."

Mommy steps back, and moves her own cloak to uncover the sword she has at her waist. "Try and draw it like this." She demonstrates. Tyra tries to do as Mommy did it, but she can't do it anywhere near as smooth as Mommy made it look. Mommy sheathes her sword and begins showing Tyra how to hold it, various to move it to block or to strike, body stance, foot positioning, and other things. Tyra is soon whacking bushes and saplings, with Mommy always guiding her to move this way or that, or to shift her grip like this, or position her arms or her feet. After a while, Tyra gets tired, and Mommy and her head back to town.

Tyra is so excited to have her own sword, just like Mommy and Daddy have! Now, she can really be a big sister and take care of her little brother. Mommy lets her wear it home, so she can get used to the feel. But something occurs to Tyra. "But Mommy, Daddy keeps asking me what I want to do when I get big. What if I don't want to use a sword?"

Mommy smiles at her. "Honey, you don't have to use a sword. But I wanted you to at least know how, in case you ever have to." They walk on quietly for a while, before Mommy says one more thing, "Oh, and don't tell Daddy. I'm not sure he's ready for this just yet."

Title: My Own Journal (8 years old)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 02, 2008, 02:05:14 PM

Tyra smiles as she waves goodbye to Trouble as his mother take him home. she enjoyed the playdates with him, even if he would always get them into trouble with "something." Today it was Daddy, who despite having thrown it out, was none to pleased that Tyra and Trouble decided to shoot their old couch full of arrows, and set it on fire. Tyra thought it was funny, of course, more because it was all Trouble's idea, but regardless, she was in trouble too.

She spent the night in her bed, and despite having told her should wouldn't be having dinner, Daddy brought her some bread and an apple before he went to bed. She could always count on Daddy being like that, but she knew he was mad, and figured that next time, she'd at least try to convince Trouble its a bad idea, before helping him.

The next morning Daddy gave her a little black book, filled with blank pieces of parchment, along with a quill and a bottle of ink.

"What's this for, Daddy?"
"Well since you are learning how to read and write, I thought I'd give you something to practice in. It's a journal. You can keep your thoughts in it, write about things you find interesting or odd, or whatever. Daddy writes in one too, about things that you and Drakie and Mommy and Daddy do."
"Neat! Thank you, Daddy."
"Now run along, Aunt Flower is coming over soon to pick you up for your lessons."

Later that day, after Tyra got done with her lessons with Aunt Rose, she got her new journal out and opened it to the first page. After a bit of thinking, she began to write:

Journal of Tyra Dragonheart

She turned the page and began to write in earnest.

My name is Tyra Dragonheart. My Daddy is Shiff Dragonheart and my Mommy is Valmara Dragonheart. Aunt Rose is my teacher and she taught me to write pretty letters. Daddy calls her Aunt Flower but I know her name is Rose. My best friend is Trouble Tempest and he's really fun.

Mommy and Daddy both teach me to use swords and bows and stuff. It's fun. When I grow up I want to be big like Mommy and Daddy and Aunt Rose and use swords and stuff to protect people and help them.

I have a little brother. His name is Drakie. Mommy says he's named after Grampa and Daddy's dad. He's lots of fun to play with but sometimes he gets into my stuff when he's not supposed to.

Grampa lives with us. He's really nice and he loves us lots. He has a friend named Nana. She's really nice too.

I don't know what else to say. I guess I will write more when I do.

Title: Re: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 26, 2008, 09:55:28 PM

Tyra comes home one night, all dirty from playing in the woods with Trouble. She giggles a bit when Daddy sees her, yelling at her a bit for being dirty, but Mommy calms him down and gets her ready for a bath.

A while later, Tyra climbs up into her bunk and pulls her journal out from under her pillow, before prancing into the living room to sit at her fathers desk while Daddy played with Drakie, wrestling on the couch. She lays it down and opens it, opening a bottle of ink and dipping in her quill, before going to write,

[INDENT]Decilar 20

I had fun today! Me and Trouble went for a walk in the woods when we found this neat hole! It was all dirty inside but it was okay. Trouble mad his nose glow and I followed him. But he found this huge cave! IT'S SO BIG! Like, if Daddy came, and Mommy and Grampa and Nanna they wouldn't even make a dent it was SO BIG! But then we saw these mean thingys, Trouble called then Gnolls. That was funny, Gnolls in a hole, but I remember Daddy telling me about them and I made Trouble leave with me. I don't wanna tell Daddy because he wouldn't let me play there anymore, but since me and Trouble covered the whole with rocks and sticks and leaves and he promised me not to go down again I hope he listens. That hole was scary. But Fun! We found another somewhere else that just had a bunch of water at the bottom but its hard to get down. Trouble said he's gonna try to get some rope from home so we could go down, but I gotta make sure Drakie doesn't see us... He could fall in and it would be my fault. Drakie is wrestling with Daddy now though so he's safe. I love my little brother, even if he is a pain some time. Oh well. Goodnight Journal! Mommy says its bed time and I don't wanna miss Daddy's story! He was telling us about this Great Pumpkin that did funny things last night! =) Goodnight Journal!
[/INDENT]She hurries to put the ink away, disregarding the splashes her writing sent all over her fathers desk as she clutched her journal to her chest, running to her bed yelling, "Wait for me Daddy!"

Title: A Tyra and Trouble Story
Post by: Frances on February 15, 2008, 09:53:44 PM

Tyra and Trouble were playing in the forest near Tyra's home. Trouble had taught Screech to hide behind trees and throw out stuffed targets for Tyra to shoot. Though Trouble had first started as the better archer when they started shooting years ago, Tyra was now the more skilled archer. Trouble was thoroughly entertained enjoying the nature around him, but Tyra was growing bored. Despite Trouble's name, Tyra also often came up with mischief for the pair to get into.

Trouble was listening intently. Tyra, seeing this, thought it would be good time to talk to him. "Trouble, have you ever thought about us? I mean... what we'll do when we grow up?" Getting no response, she continued, "Look at our parents. Your mother's talent with magic, my father's talent with the sword... Is that what were going to do? More magic with you, and the sword for me? I like it, I suppose, but I like the bow too..." Looking up, she noticed that though Trouble was listening, it wasn't to her. She walked over to him and gave him a nudge. "Trouble, can't you focus on what's going on?"

"Huh?" Trouble gave her a look that said she was the one not paying attention. "Hush and listen... The birds are complaining."

Tyra rolled her eyes in a fair imitation of her mother. Trouble continued, "They're complaining about people in their clearing in the forest." Tyra sighed but actually stayed quiet a bit and listened to the chirping of the birds. She had learned that when it came to things of nature, Trouble was generally right. But as she listened, she realized that that was what the birdsong meant. It didn't translate into words in Common, but she could tell they were complaining, and it was about people.

As she listened, Tyra soon heard something else. "Someone's coming." A mischievous grin crept on to her face. "I bet it's your parents or mine. Let's hide and scare 'em when they get close." It was Trouble's turn to roll his eyes, but he played along. He gestured to Screech to stay where he was hiding, waiting to throw another target for Tyra.

As whoever was approaching got closer, though, Tyra whispered in Trouble's ear. "Wait. That doesn't sound like either of our parents. They're too noisy and not at all used to being here." The two stayed in hiding. Tyra kept a sharp lookout for the first view of the interlopers, but Trouble's attention had strayed back to the birds. He didn't move, though, so Tyra didn't say anything.

As the strangers blundered past their hiding place, Tyra watched them quietly and whispered to Trouble. "Huh. Wonder what they're doing here?"

Trouble glanced over at them. "Hunters maybe? Or wood cutters?" he said with some disgust in his voice. "Nah... guards or something?"

Tyra was looking at him with some bewilderment. "Trouble Tempest, sometimes you make no sense at all. If I had to guess, I'd say they were soldiers or something." She looked in the direction they had gone a minute longer. "Let's see what they're up to." Trouble nodded, and held out his arms to Screech, who ran into to them, climbing to his usual perch.

They followed along after the visitors, Tyra leading the way. Trouble definitely understood nature better than she did, but she could notice the little disturbances caused by someone traveling through the forest better than he could. "I don't think those two know quite where they're going. They're not following anything like a straight path." She pondered a moment. "I wonder if they're trying to find that little meadow that's out this way. Hey, I wonder if that's the meadow the birds were complaining about."

"Could be, I guess. The birds weren't exactly specific, and I didn't ask." It was Trouble's turn to get a mischievous grin. "I can get us there ahead of them."

"How? It may be just over there, but you gotta walk all the way around to the north unless you want to scramble through enough blackberry bushes to scratch up a mithril golem." She wasn't sure what that was, but her father said they were very tough.

His only answer was a grin. He walked over to the bushes in question and began to speak softly. Tyra couldn't hear what he was saying, but the little she could hear sounded more like a song then words. As she watched, the bushes began to sway as if in a breeze that she couldn't feel. As they stopped swaying, she saw that they had shifted slightly to open a narrow path. It was a bit twisty and you still had to move carefully to avoid the thorny blackberry vines, but it was definitely passable. "That's still neat every time you do something like that. You gotta teach me that trick."

"I've tried. You never get it."

Tyra frowned. "I know, I know... I can sorta understand the idea of animal talk. But plants...?" She sighed. "Let's go. And quietly, all right?" Trouble bristled a little at Tyra's implication that he was less than skilled in moving quietly. His father had taught him well how to move carefully through the woods, but he had to admit that Tyra had a real knack for moving quietly, so silently she could sneak up on most of the animals in the forest.

Tyra and Trouble headed down the path to the meadow. As they got close, Tyra suddenly pulled Trouble down. "There's people down there," she whispered in his ear. "At least three, probably more." They slipped quietly to the edge of the bushes where they could look out.

"I see... two, three guards? And I think that guy's their leader." As they watched, the two interlopers who originally piqued their interest approached from the opposite side of the little clearing. It seemed they were expected by the group already there.

The human soldier spoke to the leader, "You Percy? You're the one who hired us?"

"I am. I have a little job I need doing. You don't have any problem with using those blades, I assume?" The leader grinned evilly and began explaining his plan to the two newcomers.

The two youngsters listened in silence as Percy explained his plan to take over as boss of the gang of criminals he was in. His boss, Kohlman, was about to have two new recruits join, the pair who had just blundered into the woods. They would pick a quarrel with Kohlman and kill him, or just stab him in the back if the opportunity presented itself, then disappear, ostensibly to avoid further trouble with the gang.

Tyra and Trouble looked at each other with some fear. These criminals wouldn't have any reason not to kill them if they were found out. Percy and the others were deep in their conversation now, discussing details, but the guards were still watching.

Trouble strained to hear the details. "I'm going to move a bit closer," he whispered in Tyra's ear.

"Trouble wait--" She was talking to herself. He had already moved off.

Percy passed the human and the dwarf a small bag each. The dwarf felt the weight of his and spoke gruffly, "Five hunnert fer each o' us. Not total."

"You'll get the rest when the job's done." At that moment, Trouble's luck in moving quietly thus far ran out, and a twig suddenly snapped under his step. "What was that? You sold us out to Kohlman, didn't you? Curse you!" Arrows suddenly began flying in the youngster's direction from the guards, and there was the sound of blades being drawn.

Tyra suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She whistled a bit of birdsong she knew. This one did translate well into Common, but that was due to its simplicity and use in the animal world. It meant simply, "Run away!"

Trouble made his way back to her, more noisily than Tyra would have liked, but the others in the clearing were so intent on fighting one another they didn't notice. Trouble and Screech were both wide-eyed and frightened. Tyra didn't realize it, but she looked about the same. The three of them huddled quietly, listening to the bandits fighting one another. After a bit, it was clear the fighting was over.

"Are they all dead?" Tyra asked. Trouble just shrugged. Wordlessly, they moved in unison to look. Three heads, two human and one Belinarian monkey, peeked out and began looking around the clearing.

There were several bodies in the clearing. It was obvious a couple were dead, based on their injuries, and the rest weren't moving either, except for one. Percy had managed to survive the loss of his cronies and the mercenaries he was trying to hire. He was cursing softly to himself. "Dead, dammit, all my men are dead! Curse Kohlman! I never should have trusted him." As he surveyed the carnage, he happened to look up at the right moment to notice the youngsters watching him from across the clearing. They ducked, but he let out a shout. "It's just a couple of kids! I'll kill you!"

Thinking quickly, Trouble started speaking softly to the plants again. As Percy ran across the clearing towards them, vines suddenly began sprouting around him. He danced nimbly, avoiding most of them, but one wrapped around his leg, holding him in place. Yelling wordlessly, he drew his sword and hacked at the vine. "I'm going to get you kids! You ruined my plans!"

Tyra and Trouble turned to the path they took through the blackberry brambles, but they had gotten turned around and couldn't find the path. Tyra grabbed Trouble's arm, "Open another path! We gotta get outta here!"

"I can't! I can't focus enough to make the plants hear me!"

Tyra grabbed his arm again and pulled him in another direction. "Then we gotta go! It's the only other way outta this clearing!" She yanked him along, almost pulling him off his feet. Screech managed to avoid falling off Trouble's shoulder only by grabbing tightly onto Trouble's hair.

They pelted off down a narrow cut. The stream that flowed through the meadow came in through this narrow ravine. Trouble did his best to keep up with Tyra. With her longer legs, she could outrun him, but she would never leave him behind. "You know... where this path... leads... don't you?" Trouble asked between breaths.

"Sure... it leads..." Tyra stopped as they entered a small clearing, no more than twenty feet across. A small cliff, only fifteen feet high or so covered one side, over which a small waterfall tumbled to feed a small pool and then the stream. Dense woods and brush grew over the other sides, forming an impassable wall everywhere except the path they had used to get in. "It leads here," Tyra finished lamely. "What do we do?" Both of them looked around desperately for a way out. The brush looked completely impassable. They might climb the cliff, but it looked dangerous. However, it was definitely dangerous to wait for Percy here. They could tell by the sounds behind them that he'd gotten free from the vines and was blundering down the cut they had ran down. They had minutes at most.

Tyra brushed her hair out of her face and surveyed the cliff. Trouble pointed, "Let's try there. That rock on that part looks loose; stay away from it." He turned to Tyra, who had suddenly stopped.

She grinned, "I've got an idea. Trouble, can you get me a long vine, like thirty or forty feet?" Trouble just grinned and started speaking low and soft again. At her feet, a single vine sprouted and grew, running along the ground until it reached the cliff, then it ran up the cliff to the top. Tyra drew her knife and cut the vine off, ignoring Trouble's sudden frown. She quickly tied a loop in the end of it, and presented it to Trouble. "Can you get Screech to throw this around that rock at the top right there?"

Trouble took it and did his best to get Screech to do as she asked. It took some coaxing, but Trouble and Screech had long ago learned well to understand one another. Meanwhile, Tyra ran the other end of the vine around a couple of trees and around a bee's nest on one side of the little clearing, then back to the center. She grabbed a piece of wood, cut it carefully, and arranged the vines. Then she climbed partway up the cliff and pulled loose a couple of rocks, causing a small shower of dirt on herself in the process. "Now we just need to hide right over here." She pulled Trouble and Screech down behind some bushes on one side of the clearing.

Trouble obviously couldn't understand what she was up to. "What the bloody hell--"

Just then a shout cut him off. "Hah! There's no way out of here, you kids! You ruined my plans, now I'm going to ruin you! No more running away for you!" Percy advanced into the clearing them with his sword drawn and began looking around. Trouble and Tyra clung to each other, Screech in between them, certain that he would spot them any moment.

Then Percy reached the spot where Tyra had arranged the vines. As he stepped into it, the loose rock on the cliff tumbled down, and before Percy could see what was happening, he found himself getting a bee's nest thrown in his face, complete with bees. Angry bees.

"Come on!" Tyra grabbed Trouble's hand and both of them sprinted past the now thoroughly distracted Percy. His yells followed them down the cut, but it was clear he was spending his time trying to use the pool to evade the bees. The noise he was making soon faded, but Tyra and Trouble ran until they were completely out of breath, and most of the way home.

As they caught their breaths and finished their walk home, Trouble tried to act casually. "You didn't have to cut that vine. And you completely destroyed that bee's nest." He frowned at her slightly.

"I did too have to cut it, and I got us out of there didn't I? Besides, why didn't you just tie him up in vines?" It was clear she thought he should have been more impressed with the bit of trickery she had come up with. She, too, was trying to be casual about it, but was also very happy to be alive also.

"I didn't have the strength. It takes a bit out of me to do that. Maybe when I'm older I'll be able to do it more, like Mom does. She can cast spells all day long."

As they left the forest and got close to home, Tyra's brother Drakie spotted them. "Where have you two been?" He looked them over quickly. "Deep in the woods again? Mom and Dad have been looking for you!" He grinned mischievously. "You two are in so much trouble!" He ran off yelling, "Mom! Dad! I found them! They were in the woods again!" His yelling trailed off in the distance.

Trouble thought it wouldn't be too bad. "We'll just tell them what really happened."

"Yeah, that'll go over well. 'We were listening to the birds complaining and decided to follow a couple of lowlifes into the forest.' They won't believe us, and if they do they'll say we shouldn't have done what we did."

"They'll believe us, I think." He sighed and looked over Tyra's now dirt-covered, scratched, and torn clothing. "Drakie's right, though. We are in trouble."

As they drew within sight of Tyra's home, they saw four adults waiting for them, all of them with crossed arms and stern expressions. "Come on," Trouble said, "we may as well get this over with."

Title: Consequences
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 18, 2008, 12:58:56 PM

Trouble was right, Shiff, Valmara, Tegan, and Sallaron did believe them. Or at least, they believed what Trouble told them. Tyra stayed rather quite while Trouble explained how they were practicing with their bows when they saw something they wanted to follow, and did, then had to run for their lived when the thing spotted them. While incredibly vague and absent of the truthful details, he did tell them what happen, just leaving out the details that kept him and Tyra from being grounded...

...forever.

That, however, didn't save Tyra from punishment. Her mother and father had told her many times not to go into the woods, and that doing so was dangerous. While they gave Tyra permission to travel the borders of the woods for target practice, having gone deeper and almost getting hurt was beyond letting slide, and even her pouting at he father, her usual ploy to escape punishment, wouldn't work this time.

Instead she was grounded to stay in her room except during meals and when her Aunt Rose came to take her to her lessons. Luckily Drakie and the girl that was staying with them for a while, Mary, were allowed to go play with her. She wasn't mad at her little brother for catching her, she was just happy he didn't tease her about it. Mary though kept asking questions, like "Was it scary?" and "Where they ugly?" Mary seemed more excited about what Tyra did then Tyra herself.

A few weeks went by, and eventually Tyra was allowed off her punishment, though she kept much closer to the house this time. Trouble seemed to not want to go near the woods either, and when he did come over they would tend to play in the market place more often then the woods.

Her Father though had surprised her one day. Tyra had found a young mongoose when with her Aunt Rose one afternoon and wanted to keep it, though she knew it was best to late Rose watch it until her father talked to her about it. Strangely though, her father skipped that step, and brought it home in a basket for her.

"Now Tyra, Rose told me all about the mongoose... And yer mother isn't exactly happy about it either, but as long as you take care of it, you can keep it. But remember, you start letting him get into things, making messes, and leaving little presents around the house he's out..." Tyra just nodded, promised to take care of it, and brought it to her room.

Over the next few days she went around collecting things like food and bedding for it, making sure it got to go outside a few times a day. She often had to rescue it from her mother when he wandered into her parents room, but otherwise everything was fine... for now...

Title: Life goes on (14 yrs old)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 30, 2008, 10:20:12 PM

Tyra had been spending a great deal of time in the woods lately. Whether its sneaking after Trouble when he goes to see his Bear friend Grumpy, or going on her own adventures with Mongrel, the Mongoose, she just seemed to get better and better at it. Though she still spent time practicing with her father with her sword, she knew she wasn't as good as him, but she loved picking up lose branches and catching her father off guard. She had become rather skilled at fighting with two weapons, and for her 14th birthday her Shiff actually bought her two short swords (blunt of course). She didn't mind though. She decided to give the longer sword her mother gave her to her little brother, and though he was excited, he couldn't quite pick it up.

"Don't worry, Lil Bro. Mommy and Daddy will show you how to use it."

Title: The Start of a New Legend (18)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 19, 2008, 08:57:26 PM

She always thought her father would be there when she needed him. She always thought he would be there to hug her and kiss her cheek when she left home to become her own person. She always thought... Now she knew he wouldn't be there anymore.

She stormed out of the house, screaming at the clouds like her father once did. "WHY!? WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!?" Her mother couldn't sooth her pain either. She was hit just as hard as Tyra.

Drakie looked up at her from when she came back in. "Why can't Dad come home, Sis? Why! He always comes home! He said nothing could keep him from us!" All she could do is sit with her mom and brother, holding them both, as they cried.

That night Tyra left. She packed her things her father had given her. The two blunt short swords, an old cloak, and a gem. A single Phenalope was all she had to remember her father. She then snuck into her parents room, her mother still sobbing in their bed, and she stole what coin she could find in her father's desk. "I'm sorry Dad, but I need this now..."

The dark streets of Haven's farmland where not very welcoming that night, and she thanked Trouble Tempest for the many times they snuck through the forest, or in and out of danger, for her knack for keeping out of sight. Many times she had to hide in the shadows as a night watchman walked past, and it wasn't until she made it to the road that she travelled openly.

She didn't know where to turn now. She didn't want to be home. Home held memories to painful to be close to right now, but the road held nothing, except the footsteps of her father. Thats what she wanted to do right now. Follow him, find him. Find out why he wasn't coming back, why he wasn't going to be able to hold her again. And find out how to make sure he was proud of her.

Heading towards Hlint was harder then her father used to make it sound. The long road west was often muddy, and when it wasn't it was rocky and dusty. With her cloak pulled around her tight she wandered, but soon hunger got to her.

Tired and alone, she crept into the forest for the night while the sun was still in the sky. Knowing she had to eat though, she thought up a trap. finding the biggest rock she could find, tied a few vines around it and did her best to hang the rock from a tree. At the other end, she tied snare, and after pulling the vine rope over a branch to get the rock to dangle above, she took her sword and used it to pin the snare to the ground. She hoped it would work, and an hour later it did. But what she caught was not food.

"ACK! Get me down from here!" Screamed the man. "What is this!? A man goes to relieve himself and he gets caught in a snare?!" Tyra almost cried, but she was laughing to hard. After she cut the man down, she told him what she was trying to do, and the man sighed. "Well I got nothing to offer, but I can take you to Hlint. Its a few hours by wagon but I don't mind heading that way. Come on..."

The man dropped her off by the gates of Hlint, and she found herself where her father began his own legend. She frowned looking at the gates, and even looked around for Shiff's fabled dent in the wall, before walking through them.

The inside was not what she expected after hearing so many stories from her parents about the Town. It was almost lifeless. Even the benches seemed unused. It wasn't the town full of adventurers anymore, but it was a town with an Inn.

Walking inside was easy, listening to the chatter was not. Shiff dying seemed to have caused a stir around Mistone, and Tyra could see old men sitting around looking grim about the fate of Tyra's father. All she could bring herself to do was ask the innkeep for some food and a room, handing over some of the coins she stole from her Father.

The next morning, she over heard someone lamenting about Shiff, saying he used to be in Port Hempstead almost all the time trying to make sure people around there were safe, and thats when Tyra got the idea. Hempstead, thats where she needed to start. With Hlint as empty as it was it was the only option.

The next day she got a ride on a caravan heading to Hempstead through Fort Llast. At first she didn't realize where she was going, but when she saw the Temple to Toran, the temple her Aunt Rose used to teach her, she knew where she was. He quickly pulled the hood of her cloak around her face, and tried to avoid any passerbyer's eyes, and she got scared when she saw her "Aunt" Elohanna walk out of her house to tend to some business. She didn't want anyone to stop her, and knowing her Aunt, she couldn't risk being seen.

It was when the caravan arrived in Port Hempstead that she knew it was time. Hopping off the wagon she walked through the gates to start her own adventure, and maybe even figure out what made her Father so "famous".

Title: Funeral of a Father
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 22, 2008, 10:48:47 PM

The day finally came when Shiff was to be put to rest...

Tyra stayed in the back, her cloak tight around her, her hood pulls to conceal her as much as possible and but still letting her see. For a while she just stood there watching her Mother, Grandfather, and her little brother in silence. Her eyes would drift between them, but mostly they would stay on the small urn carrying what was left of her father.

When her Mother started speaking she looked up, a tear in her eye, and listened to the eulogy in silence. She shared her mother's pain, but after running away she had to remain unseen by her family and friends.

When everyone started to leave, Tyra stood back a bit from the rest, but close enough to see her fathers Helmet, and the hilt of his sword. She kept her cloak tight around her and her hood low, but she kept her eyes on whats left of her father. "I'll make you proud, Daddy... I promise..."

Title: Good Morning Angel!
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 31, 2008, 01:39:11 AM

Hey, you better have a good day or else! :p Don't let anyone poop on you today ;)

Title: Beginning a New Life
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 05, 2008, 07:05:54 PM

Augra 3, 1436

It's been a while since I wrote in this journal, but since I'm starting my own story now I guess I best keep a record of it.

I meet these two really odd folks outside Port Hempstead. One's an Elf named Rank, the other calls hims Wan, but both refer to themselves as Road Wardens. I donno what that means entirely, but they make it seem like they are some sort of Guardians. I might have to watch what it is they really do, but they took me to Fort Vehl (I think thats what they called it) to deal with some undead. I was a bit scared though. Only time I ever heard of Undead was from Mom and Dad, and sometimes Aunt Rose... They made these things seem really dangerous... I hope these ones aren't the same as the ones that took Dad away! But if they are they are gonna learn what it means to mess with my family!

The Undertaker at Fort Vehl said he had a job for me. Not so sure if I can handle it, though, but maybe these two Road Wardens will help me. I'm sure they've handle stuff like that before. I also got a job in Port Hempstead trying to find something in the sewers but the Rats are a bit too large for me to handle right now... One almost bit my hand off! I guess I'm not gonna be a big hero like my Dad... Not until I can learn to kill a few rats, at least.

Note to self. Those "Road Wardens" are really weird. They are always talking about Watchfuls and Unwatchfuls. I think they were refering to people that were Faithful to Toran but it sure sounded weird. At least they were decent folk, if a bit screwy.

I also had a really bad experience in Krandor. I was wondering around and tripped over a grave and this... THING came out of it! I tried to run but I couldn't make it go away, and when I tried to fight it... everything went cold... Then I woke up in Port Hempstead again at the foot of this huge cross-shaped rock... Dad told me about these things but... Did I die? It felt strange... and when I got up I hurt all over... Body, head, hands... I went back to Krandor thinking maybe I imagined it but... No... That cold feeling returned when I tried to fend the thing off again. If thats death, I hope it was that painless for Dad...

Title: Training Starts... Now
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 06, 2008, 03:57:06 PM

Augra 19, 1436

Well, I guess I've started on becoming an Adventurer like Dad... It's sorta strange... Dad always made it seem easy but I guess thats cause he's had been doing it since before I was even born.

I ran into some people in Fort Vehl's arena last night. They were fighting each other as some sort of training. I just listened to them for a little while and then one of them started talking to me. Eventually this Elf and I had a fight and it was basically a draw, but towards the end I got frustrated and let my guard down. But he was always parrying my attacks and it was so annoying! I guess I'm going to need to get over that...

After that they talked about more things and some more of them fought but I need to find someone to show me some things with my swords... Seems short swords aren't that popular with most folks so I'm hoping I can find someone, but if not well... I guess I can always beat on the dummies at that arena...

Other then that I've been going into them crypts to just tangle with those skeletons. It's really creepy seeming them move around but that at least are good targets. Great way to learn how to stab between the ribs and get the joints since they got no meat on them. Same with the zombies deeper down but those ghouls make me sick... Can't stand them...

Title: Training Starts... Now
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 06, 2008, 03:57:40 PM

Title: A New Hope... for REALLY WEIRD SHTUFF! (Quest Entry Part 1)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 09, 2008, 06:41:54 PM

The text looks hurried and messy.

Don't have much time to write...

Saw this floating Eyeball thing in Fort Wayfare. It said it was looking for help... Said something killed its family and was trying to enslave gnolls... some people wanted to kill it, others wanted to talk to it... then it disappeared and then a bunch of people wanted to investigate... I followed along...

Then we saw this woman-like-thing that would scream and it hurt... Some guy in a Blue coat... I think I heard people call him Connor, did something to it... I tried to talk to it but some other guy in a silver suit of armor just ignored that I was talking...

Anyway we are going into a cave... I hope I come back out

Title: More Training ~ Shields and Heavy Armor and Ghouls (Oh my?)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 10, 2008, 12:57:09 AM

Oclar 10, 1436

Well, I graduated from Skeletons to Zombies. Instead of a bunch of bones, now I've actually been trying to fight things with some meat on them. I went deeper into the Crypt and these walking dead, zombies I guess, and some grisly other things where everywhere. I fought off most of them. But I don't want to go near the Mummy though... I ended up doing so though. Some weird guy that has trouble speaking common, I think I heard his name was Sion or Sin or... Son of a... Nevermind... he followed me down and we tried to fight the mummy but we couldn't hurt it!

Later I went to find some Guild people call the "Angels." The lady who I found, named Ferret, was rather nice. I bought a Bronze sword and a cloak made out of panther Skin. It's sorta weird though... I think Dad had one like it. It sorta... Did something to light and sorta made you appear a bit more shadowy when you went someplace dark... Kinda creepy but it seems harmless.

I'm still trying to train to use my swords better... And this Half Plate isn't so bad anymore. At first it was really stiff and tired me out. And it slowed me down. Made me feel like a rock just standing there the first time I wore it into the Crypts, but... I've been getting a bit stronger and can move more now. I'm still really clanky and I can't dodge any attacks when I have to charge something when I wear it, but at least I can duck still. Using a shield is sorta odd too... At first I would just hold it out in front and let them hit it... Now I can keep it closer to me and position it to best protect me. Still prefer to hide behind it though... It's almost tall enough to hide behind...

Title: "Notes to Self"
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 11, 2008, 03:36:52 PM

[LIST=1]

Don't EVER get involved with dramatic Elf Men
Don't EVER get involved with Dramatic Religious Men
Don't EVER get involved... EVER!
"Rare Lion People" are People too... Even if they look more likely to eat you then shake your hand
Trith knew my Dad...

Title: A New Hope... for REALLY WEIRD SHTUFF! (Quest Entry Part 2)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 15, 2008, 12:45:15 PM

This seems much neater then the previous entry.

Well, we went in the cave... And we got creamed... At first there were just these few big spider things the others killed, but there there was this really nasty one... It would tear off your armor and then just.... I don't want to think about it. All I know is I turned to run and felt something stab into my back... and then everything went cold.

I woke up later... or I guess I woke up... So many people had died, and there was a eerie chill in the air that definitely wasn't there before... Eventually we all went back outside were a large group of gnolls came looking for us...

In the end all the gnolls started fighting each other and then everyone just... started standing around... I left. This was to strange for me. I didn't even know what anything was? Bebel-somethings... Suck-you-bah... Gah forget it...

Title: Lessons Learned Behind the Shield
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 22, 2008, 02:00:28 PM

This page seems to be dotted with small brownish-red drips.

Mar 25, 1437

Today was interesting... And Painful...

I was in Fort Vehl, and ran into a bunch of people talking about "the mighty heroes of Mistone" getting themselves killed by being over confident, when after a while they all went to the arena in the city to spar.

I watched for a while, mostly. First this Paladin and Elf Lady-Friend sparred. They each used what looked like magic to protect themselves but the Paladin won hands down.

Then another two fought, this time a woman Paladin named Daniella fought the other Paladin, who again won.

Eventually I went in the ring, sword and shield in hand, and asked who wanted to fight me...

Daniella was first. She used a longsword and a Tower Shield. I focused mostly on blocking her attacks with my shield or dodging them. But I couldn't focus enough on attacking back. I hit her once though, in the shoulder, but mostly I was either ducking behind my shield or get hit. Eventually she just hit me enough to make me not want to fight her anymore, but she didn't make me want to quit. I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and looked to the others. "Who's next?"

Another Paladin was next, one of Rofirein.

Title: A Man and his "Dog"
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 26, 2008, 10:14:07 PM

I had an interesting day today in Fort Vehl...

I had come out of the Arena after training a little to find a man named Daniel, apparently a Paladin of Rofirein, and a halfling he called "Snimrod"... A very strange Halfling... He started sniffing me and I sware it tried to cling to my leg... I side stepped it and then stepped on it...

Then the man seemed to be bothered by that. The Halfling started squirming and eventually I backed off, but that didn't seem to help. Then we got into some argument over respect...

Anyway.... After some more talking we went into the crypts, and I followed the pair around. Afterwards though I asked the Paladin into the arena to show me what he could do...

It wasn't much...

Title: Friend or Foil? AND Plans for the Future
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 08, 2008, 04:26:03 PM

As much as I love Mary like a sister... Gods! She's such a pain! Picking fights with Daniella and Aeronn, then me!

She has an issue with how I do things... That I wear my mask, and the goggles, and that I'm a fighter like Dad.... How did she live in the same house as me and Mom and Dad ad Drakie and NOT learn some appreciation for the martial aspects of fighting?!

She even questions how I do things and demands I change... I'm not changing anything until I accomplish my goals to earn some respect for who I am, not because of my name... I want the evils of the world to fear me as a warrior and a symbol of True Justice, not just according to Law and Order, but true Justice. Punishing True Evils with True Justice...

I won't stop... And I won't let anyone get in my way...

Title: "Turn of the Tide" OR "A Change of Pace"
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 15, 2008, 12:27:16 PM

Somethings different about the way I fight with a sword these days... I'm not sure I can even explain it... I don't grip it so tight, yet I know I won't drop lose it... My movements aren't so tense, but my strikes are strong... My feet are light, but my stance is firm... I wonder if Dad felt that during his training...

Achieving my goals seems to be less easy then I had originally anticipated... While the mask lets me act without chance of damaging my fathers name it presents roadblocks as far as getting people to cooperate... And it also seems to do something to me as well...

I feel removed from my conscience, letting anger compell me at the slightest hint of insult... You might say I have become inclined to picking fights with people... Ironically it seems to work against my desire to be feared... and instead I make myself to be a fool... Perhaps the time for the mask is over... No I won't accept that yet... No matter, it is not the adventurers whom I require to be fearful of me... but those who would bring harm to the helpless... and soon that is what I will inspire in them... Very soon...

As soon as I fiure out how...

Title: What goes on, must come off... ?
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 19, 2008, 11:44:51 PM

Laying in bed on night with the door to the inn's room locked tight, she holds the mask she has been hiding behind for months over her head, looking it over, and mutters. "Darn you, Felix..."

Title: A Time of Need...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 22, 2008, 09:54:41 PM

With the recent news of the horrific displays in Leringard, Fort Vehl, and now Port Hempstead, Tyra has tried to keep herself from raging violently after the villain unknown to her...

"Darn it, Dad! We need you here, now!... Why did you have to leave us..."

Title: The Student of the Wench
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 02, 2008, 09:00:55 AM

Febra 19, 1439
I ran into Aeronn and Daniella Stormhaven in Hlint today... and we had an interesting talk...

It seems she is a student of that harpy Dad once told me about, Anne Ravenwind. More then once I have heard of how ruthless she is, and self righteous, not to mention how she attacked aunt Elohanna...

I won't say she changed my mind about the woman, and I daresay Dad would have killed Ravenwind if he had had the chance, but should I ever meet the [strike]hbcit[/strike] woman... I'll make my own judgement...

I wonder how thick her armor is...

Title: The Dragon
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 12, 2008, 08:18:46 PM

Augra 16, 1439

I heard some sort of gathering was being held in Leringard by an old friend of Dad's, Steel, so I decided to go see what was being said. Apparently it has something to do with some trip to the Deep... Dad had mentioned that place only once or twice but the story he told me and Drakus once about what went on down there... I'm in no rush to join Steel...

I did however learn some things that I might find useful. It seems more Dragons are in this world then just the one Dad told me about, the great Golden Emerald that Dad said he met. But it seems there are ones out there not quite as "nice" as She. Fisterion for one, the Great Red Dragon and self Proclaimed King, and another I can only imagine is a Blackish Dragon since it's called the "Deepening Darkness" or something are apparently at odds. The Black one seems to be the source of the trouble all the way in Kuhl...

I hope the Emerald is okay... Maybe ... If I can find her... I can find a way to help stop these destructive Dragons from causing even more trouble...

Right after I figure out how to even meet her...

Title: Gnolls...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 17, 2008, 08:19:47 PM

Novlar 7, 1439

With the help of some others, namely the Paladins Daniella Stormhaven, Lance Stargazer, and Aeronn Kirath and a self-inflating battle-mage that I overheard being called Chance, I found an abandoned fortification in the mountains south of Khemit that I believe is known as the Gnoll Watchtower by some. After observing the stone work, I thought it looked like it could be made useful again if someone could reclaim the place and refurbish it, but it seems that wouldn't be as easy as I originally projected.

Upon coming down the from where the structure is located (leaving Chance to sleep in "his" castle), we were confronted by a rather dangerous Gnoll, which attacked Aeronn and laid him low, leaving the two Toranites and I to try and fight it off. How I am going to repair my shield I don't know, but having fought to a stale mate we waited for Aeronn to... come back? Anyway, afterwards on our return to Port Hempstead, we came across a heavily armed dwarf, who introduced himself as Duncan Stonefist, standing over the corpse of another gnoll. Apparently the beasts have been causing more then their usual share of trouble, and he had been hunting them since. How a dwarf in full plate mail could hope to hunt and truck anything as wilily and sneaky as a Gnoll is beyond my knowledge, but he at least seemed more then capable of slaying them. I revealed myself to the dwarf, to the astonishment of the other three, saying that as my father's daughter I would gladly lend my swords to bring low any horde of gnolls, as my father was known for his hatred for the fiends. Afterwards the other three, especially Daniella, drilled me with questions about why I wear my mask and the like... But it matters little. They swore to keep my identity to themselves, and as Paladins I expect little trouble from them. Especially the Toranites... But it seems the time of my mask is coming to an end swiftly. The number of people who know who I am seems to be growning faster then I would have liked, but at least those who know are trustworthy... except for maybe Tod... he talks to much...

Title: The Search for Quantum (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 22, 2008, 12:40:42 PM

I'll make this one short... I heard news from Daniella that the Toranite Church in Fort Llast was going to be wrangling up some adventurers to help find the Shining Hand, so I went. That Raven woman Angela was their with her Dark Elf Cohort, along with Daniella, Lance, and another... "Toranite" who's name I forget. Tod was there also, and Keppli, and their dwarf friend Rockhead... I think also a pair of Druids who's names escape me currently, and an elf-witch.

The long of short of this story is we were sent into the Ire Mountains to investigate around some town that was supposedly being attacked... raided... I donno... the Undead were causing trouble, destroy the Undead, search some God-awful tower's dungeon, then try and find the Shining Hand...

Well after fighting through Ghosts and some Vampires, getting smote by some undead shadow-essence thing, and chasing some phantom of the Shining Hand... We found Quantum... Well what was "left" of him... He's alive... but... errr.... I'm not so sher he has all his marbles... if you know what I mean... But I haven't seen him since... supposedly he's been removed as the Shining Hand on account of being a Loon now, but he's alive at least... and... er... healthy...?

Title: Blood Red Wine (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 24, 2008, 02:14:06 PM

Janra 14, 1440

I came to Katherian originally to investigate rumors of slave trading, but I got myself... well... in trouble.

I found Felix lingering around outside of a tavern in the middle of the city, talking about some new wine that was supposedly being sold there. People were apparently saying it was the best wine ever made. Felix seemed to be eyeing these... Xeenites... though... so I decided to stay with him. I'd heard enough about what Xeenites are about after Dad brought Mary home to live with us and wasn't about to abandon him...

Of course he doesn't appreciate that!!! MEN! But no! Then he starts making fun of me and insulting me! And Tod was no help... He's never quiet!!!

I tried to get back at him though... but... that didn't go very well... All I remember is hearing some man whine called Delacroix about his wine not being good enough or something... I didn't care, but I heard some unscrupulous guy named Fisher who handled the wine lived in the city and that that Delacroix guy wanted to find out about what made it so good...

So I manage to get in there, but... Well... so did the rest of the people... So I jumped Fisher and held him at knife point... which almost worked.... almost... he almost got me but no one messes with a Dragonheart and gets away unscathed... In the end the others got the information they wanted.... I think...

I ran off... I might be clever enough to hoodwink one gangleader, but waiting around to face the consequences... Not yet... I got jumped on the road though by two thugs... They said Fisher sent them to fry a fish... or some thing... Well they are dead, and I'm not... They clearly didn't know who they were messing with...

I felt bad later, though... I guess I got really jealous... and holding the man at Knife point wasn't really necessary... But... Oh well...

Title: A Daring Rescue (Quest Part 1 & 2)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 25, 2008, 11:42:50 PM

Febra 20, 1440

I heard news amoung the city guard that one of the city's merchants was looking for help from the "adventuring" community, something about a son having gone missing... Well I wasn't the only one there. Felix was there though... I.. just ... followed him... But there was this Aeridinite that wouldn't leave me alone! And then there was this smart alek Berylite... Never thought I could dislike a Berylite...

Anyway... Daniella was there too... The Merchant offered a reward for our services, which she of course refused... But thats not the point. He told us that his son went into the Brech Mountains to investigate reports of what turned out to be undead, but they were all frozen... And some of them were these undead yetis...

When we got to Brenuth we learned that the kid (well at least I thought he was a kid), who's name was Thomas, had gone further north were the giants live. There of course we found more undead, but Felix found a cave on some ledge, and after some traps we found Thomas, who turned out to be older then me....

Febra 27, 1440

Well after we went back to Brenuth to send word back to Vehl about Thomas, and get some supplies, we went back into the mountains and found Thomas' Necromancer... Seems he was just someone messing around with things he shouldn't have been, cause when I stabbed him he turned to dust real quick... Safe to say their won't be any more Undead popping out of the Ice..... For now anyway...

Title: Another Death
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 27, 2008, 11:19:59 AM

Mom sent me news today about Trouble... Seems he's dead now too...

Another person from my childhood is gone... Even if I haven't seen him in years... it still hurts to know he's gone...

It just makes me want to train harder now... I heard Drakus was almost done with his learning under Aunt Ely about magic, and with Felix being... Felix... I have to be able to protect the people I care about more then ever...

Stupid Trouble... He's lucky he's dead cause if he was still around I'd....

Title: Caravan Guardian (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 31, 2008, 09:54:59 PM

I have never, in my time as an adventurer, seen a group of people more disfunctional then the people who answered Lord Roford's call for aid. Now I'm not gonna say I was any better, cause I sauced some of it, but Everyone kept bickering! The Rofireinite couldn't end one sentence without either ridiculing someone, boasting about himself, or kiss Rofirein's scaly arse. Then there was the Toranite that didn't help, always rattling on about how great Paladin are... I swear if he had ever told me to shut up and let the Paladin talk I would stabbed him... The only person I thought had any sense were the two OTHER holy people, an Aeridinite (believe it or not she never once said anything about what I do) named Victoria, and a Deliarian named ... Toni... I think...

In the end I went home very annoyed after I nailed that lizardlings head on to the flag pole outside Blackford Castle... Apparently whatever we brought their from Haven had something to do with some sort of plot against the Queen or something deep in the Swamps east of Haven... I don't really know because I got thrown out of Blackford for giving some OTHER Noble's shoe shiner or something... At least we did some good though, even if none of us could seem to agree on anything other then that...

Title: A Family is Distressing... (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 16, 2008, 01:32:21 PM

I ... can I even call it participating... with rescuing a little girl from kidnappers...

I don't know whats wrong with me... I'm always getting angry with people I'm supposed to be helping... Either wanting to abandon them... or betray them... or just do things my way...

And Gods forbid there is ever some sort of captive... Not that I would harm someone I know did nothing wrong... but if I do think they did...

Somethings wrong with me... I'm just always angry... or at least when Felix isn't around... I have to get this under control or it will be the end of me...

I'm sorry Dad...

Title: Next in Kin
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 03, 2008, 10:49:49 PM

Well, I guess I'm in charge of taking care of Drakus now... He's apparently followed in the family job of adventuring...

I just need to protect him... He might be a mage but he's only just starting... and he's no where near as good as Aunt Elohanna...

I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid...

Title: Mirror, Mirror, on the... Floor of an alternate plane?! (quest
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 05, 2008, 12:47:35 PM

I don't know why I didn't write about this earlier but...

A while ago, can't really remember how long ago, I heard a rumor about an acting company needing some help with some problem, so I decided to go nosing about unmasked... Anyway, Felix was there, and we found out that a bunch of "accidents" kept happening to the actors, at which point Felix started going on and on about gremlins... I swear the next time he says that word I might smack him... Anyway, we eventually found this mirror hidden away someplace which had some sort of "shadow" in the reflection when we found it...

After that, everyone started talking about what to do with it... So I decided to act and well, got sucked into the mirror... with Felix... And found a whole bunch of other mirrors... and a dead guy named ... I can't remember... started with an F ans sounded really funny... Anyway, this dead guy was causing this because whatever play they were putting on insulted him, and he was trying to make it stop... long story short... after a lot more talking he agreed to leave the players alone if we removed his name from the play and we did... We got some free tickets to the play for our trouble....

I wonder if Felix is going to invite me....

Title: Skills for the Future
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 06, 2008, 09:00:00 PM

I made my first weapon today... well weapons... I made myself a set of darts, and made a bronze dagger... That is to say... I managed to hammer a few bars of bronze into a long, flat, sharp, pointy... thing... It works though. I bound on end of it in some of the leather I've been working on so I can hold it, then sowed some cloth together for a make-shift scabbard.

Other then that, well... I still can't cook anything to save my life, but I can make all the sugar I could ever want... Just got to make sure Drakus doesn't find out... Me might start bugging me into making him sweets, and thats the last thing I need to be doing right now...

Title: Skills for the Future 2
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 08, 2008, 11:36:10 AM

Well, Today rotted... Tod and I went and mined a fair bit of Copper and Tin, and what happens? I make only one bloody dagger and a set of darts... Thats it! I'm going to need to spend a lot more time learning this...

I just hope someone doesn't try to make me clean up the slag...

Title: Foward Thinking
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 01, 2009, 10:43:31 AM

It's been a long time since I wrote anything in here, probably because nothing that interesting has happened. I did help quell a threat of gnolls in the Ire mountains, which I enjoyed. I'm sure if Dad were still around he would have been . . . Anyway. I seem to have made a new ally, a Tiefling named Shrowd. Despite the reputation those sorts have, I know from experience that they aren't out for blood. Aunt Hanna took in my silly... lets call her "cousin" Nemo, and she's a pit-blood. On the other hand though is Red-Eyes, Fehriel, another Tiefling I've met. He's overly sure of himself and his pointed stick, but then so am I with my Short Sword. Time will tell which of us is the better warrior.

I'm still trying to figure out how to learn about the history of my family name, if there is one. You would think with a name like Dragonheart it would have some meaning or history, but so far ... Well then again it's not like I have the patience for hunting through books, thats more of a thing for Drakus. But hopefully someone will find something... I was hoping Felix would have found some old story for a clue, but then again I haven't seen him in a while... I hope he is okay...

Title: Revelations
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 08, 2009, 04:31:44 PM

28, Augra 1443

I think I found a way to learn about my family's history: Aragen. Well, not the God himself but his Church. They are after all the "Keepers of all Layonara's Knowledge." But will they have anything? I don't know... It's good to have an idea but... Well the only Aragen Clergy I know is a quirky elf woman named Ell, who suggested to send a letter to some Castle... Bydell Castle with an inquiry. But what will that get me...?

Title: Volatile Information?
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 14, 2009, 08:44:40 PM

Tyra sits quietly in her room in the Leringard Arms under the light of lamp at her desk, her journal open to a blank page as she leafs through a black leather bound book. She finds the page she was looking for before turning to her own journal.
[INDENT]Novlar 1, 1443

I had an interesting chance encounter with one of the Ravens, the Dark Elf, in Fort Wayfare last night... I know from my father's stories and journal that she was there when Dad met the Golden Emerald, so I asked her about her, but she gave me a perplexing answer... Something about volatile information ... I didn't quite understand, but I'm guessing talking about the Golden Emerald is not smart for some reason, but she wouldn't say why.... I might have to hound Steel to see if he has any idea... I know he got into trouble with that Shadow Dragon... Maybe it's related...

Oh, and still no luck with the search for information. Seems I was put on some sort of "waiting list" with the Temple of Aragen, saying that my inquiry was neither important enough to put time into nor was, according to them, "any reason to bother looking for the entomology of a name when the world is faced with" an army of Dragons and an insane cult... I might have to try and get that Ell woman to pull some strings... or levers, or whatever gets those gnomes working...
[/INDENT]

Title: The Letter
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 23, 2009, 05:14:04 PM

This letter was written and sent to the Temple of Aragen in Bydell and the Great Library on Voltrex before the last entry of Tyra's journal was written. It is shown here for the sake of keeping track of her search for knowledge about her and her father's ancestary.
[INDENT]To the Senior Librarian:

My name is Tyra Dragonheart first born of Shiff Dragonheart, the warrior once known as the Striker. I am writing this letter to inquire about the known history of my family, specifically it's ancestry and the origins of the family name. The recent accounts of Dragons in the far east, and especially given the events of the past decade, notably the attack on Leringard, give me pause to wonder about what gave my ancestors their name. I am hoping your church will be willing to aid in my search by opening up your libraries to me, as well as any other assistance you can give in this search. I am trusting that your churches belief in the spreading of knowledge that this inquiry will be allowed, and I am willing to trade any knowledge I might have gained in my travels with your church in exchange for the knowledge I am seeking.

Tyra Dragonheart [/INDENT]

Title: Skills for the Future 3
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 02, 2009, 08:29:36 AM

I've been getting back to work on my smithing skills. I never realized how good it feels to work at the forge and anvil, even if it is rather sweaty. I've been trying to make myself a new shield to replace one I lost some how, but that hasn't worked so well. Making helmets hasn't been that difficult, though. I'm just hoping I can get better at making weapons soon.

Alchemy has become a breeze, when I'm making those bug bombs, anyway. I've started working on these queer concoctions out of ground aloe and greenstone dust, though. They are called 'essences of cure' in the recipe card, but they just look like medicine, to me... but then again they are used for making bandages for healing kits... making the bandages themselves though is tricky, but I'm learning...

Leather working has become interesting. I recently made a nice pair of leather gloves out of lion skin, and I'm looking to make some cougar skins into something, once I figure out what...

Title: Trouble with Toranites... Well not really...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 04, 2009, 02:20:50 PM

Tyra sits on the plain bed in the Leringard Arms, just thinking about the last few days.

"Well it would appear the Paladin Stormhaven has a younger brother... Infact has two younger brothers. This one, is apparently a Priest schooled in Huangjin... I wonder what sort of Toranite he will turn out to be... If the conversations we held while we wandered around the Ire mountains was any indication, be definately won't be anything like his sister... He's a bit to much of a... "boy"...

Then there's that Delairite... Finnias... Curious to meet one interested in adventuring... But I guess he is a servent of the God of merchants and travel... I wonder what use I can make of him..."

Title: For the Right Cause... But the Pay is good, too...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 04, 2009, 09:18:52 PM

Quote

[strike]20[/strike] Bronze Helmets 11
[strike]20[/strike] Bronze Shields 18
[strike]20[/strike] Pairs of Boots [strike]19[/strike] [strike]18[/strike] [strike]17[/strike] [strike]16[/strike] 14

[strike]20[/strike] Cloaks and Blankets [strike]17[/strike] 16

5 Leather Belts
[strike]5[/strike] Leather Gloves 4
[INDENT] Extras

[/INDENT]
Small Copper Shields [strike]4[/strike] [strike]5[/strike] [strike]7[/strike] 11
Small Copper Buckle 2
[strike]1[/strike] Copper Dagger 4
4 Copper Large Shields
1 Iron Helmet
[/FONT]

Oclar 18, 1444

I met up with Knight Commander Jennara Creekskipper in Port Hempstead today, and I was surprised to discover [strike]how short[/strike] that she's a halfling. She is apparently trying to collect tings like weapons, armor, and other supplies needed by armies, and I offered to try and help her by supplying some things... I am still working on my smithing skill and what better way to put whatever I managed to make to use then by giving it to her to send to needy militias and such.

Title: A Mistake
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 13, 2009, 11:47:22 PM

I did something I should not have... I guess I knew what I was about to do... I did ask her to look the other way... But I never expected her reaction... But I guess she is right... It is more then just dust...

I have to start showing respect for the way other people think and live their lives... I can't just scoff at it and worry only about what I think... That's not going to get me to my goals...

Title: Re: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 23, 2009, 11:02:02 AM

Well, it seems I'm going to have to put any plans of learning about my family on hold... with all the other things going on, I can understand why I haven't heard from anyone regarding my inquiries... but thats not important right now... whats important right now is preparing to defend against the invasion thats coming... I've enlisted with the Militias of Brelin, but that hasn't done much to give me confidence that we will defeat this force... Most of the militia are untrained and skill-less farm hands, commoners, and blades for hire... very cheap ones at that... I've been trying to help those I can during the seemingly mandatory training sessions the army runs, but...

I'm hoping I can get a unit of men to try and take an old fort in the Dapplegreen from some bandits and use it to get a foot hold in the area, especially so troops have a fall back point should the army fail to hold the invaders in the swamps. I just hope it can be done, and in time...

Title: The Waiting Game ~ The Prelude to War
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 05, 2009, 02:05:34 PM

It's odd... the feeling of waiting for the invasion... It's almost like I want it to happen now so I can actually do something other then wait and wonder.

I've had more time to work on the arms and armor I'm hoping to have made for the militias, so at least what I can do is put this nervous energy to work.

I wish Mom would do something to help, but I don't think she's ever going to lift her sword again now that Drakus and I are out of the house, though I don't know. I think she'd more then likely fight to save Dad's statue then anything else. But...

When the war starts, I'll be there, and I swear on my fathers grave these Dragon Cultists will learn a new meaning for the name Dragonheart!

Title: Into the Woods ~ Quest
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 23, 2009, 06:03:54 PM

Well, I had an interesting past week days. I had heard a rumor of a man coming to Hlint, with the last name of Archer, looking for "fools" to go hunting for some sort of treasure... Turned out this Mister Archer was some sort of alchemist, and was looking for some sort of rare flower that an age old adventurer had found, and who's journal had been locked in some house belonging to a family in Haven.

Apparently, this adventurer had discovered a plant that had flowers which could be used to stretch out a batch of alchemical healing potions when the petals were carefully processed in a certain way... or be turned into a deadly toxin if not. He also discovered that the plant did not like being pruned, and seemd capable of defending itself. It also killed him, but not before he left behind a journal with clue as to where the plant was, and how to get there.

Well, this Mr. Archer offered a group of new adventurers, including myself, who had gathered in Hlint in response to the rumors that he would pay us each Tr 1000 along with giving us each a potion of healing, I guess to show us that it works, if we found and brought back a piece of the plant that he could get to grow so he could harvest the flower. I don't know how he planned to do that but, at the time, it didn't seem like too much off a wild goose chase. He then gave the journal to Fleur, an elf Sorceress who I've worked with before. It turns out that she's pregnant, and I have a good idea how that happened, but thats not my business, nor am I going to talk about it any further in my journal.

After that, we left Hlint heading north, to the Whitehorn forest, to pick up the trail. Fleur read from the portion of the journal describing the route to this "killer flower" as we travelled. The route was fairly safe at first, but we entered into a valley, and after some scouting by the little halfling named Milo, we found out that giants were nearby. I tried to lead the group along one of the valley walls to try and avoid the giants, but we ran into a few anyway. We dispatched them without much blood shed on our part, but it turns out that we had a Pandorn among us, named Aylana. She got hit pretty hard by a rock the giants threw. After the little halfling had to convince a rather large bear not to try and eat us.

We then came to a rather steep incline down to a wetland that we had to descend without any problems. Thankfully, there were some plateaus on the way down and we had a chance to rest. On the way down though we had to cross a river coming down out of the mountains, comprised of snow melt, which was bone cold. I had Milo, who turns out to be one of thos shape shifting druids, fly across the river as a bird and set up a line to pull us across, but Miss Pandorn seemed not to take well to the water. I had to help her across for fear of her fainting in the river. On the other side I gave her a dry cloak of mine to try and keep her warm, as well as lit some rocks on fire with one of my fire bombs before wrapping them in deer hide to give to her to use to warm her up. I think the rest of the party was surprised at my ingenuity... or maybe they just thought I was crazy...

Anyway... The wetlands turned out to be the most fetid swamp imaginable... and the bugs... Wow... as big as sparrows, some of them... swarming all over the place as if they were driven by the Burning Hells. And then there were the zombies... or maybe more appropriately, the zombie-salads. Seems the plant that we were hunting for used dead bodies for food, because these bodies were wrapped and pierced by vines, some even had some flower buds on them. We eventually fought through the swamps to a rather pleasant grove.

Well that pleasant grove turned out to be home for this flower, which I found out the hard way... I tried to sneak up on it and fell on some vines, which immediately tried to strangle me, and the others. We ended up frying most of those vines, though, and in order to get what Archer wanted, Milo and I worked together to slice some off of the central plant. I had found some throwing axes on one of the deaders in the swamp, so I took one and threw it at one of the large vines, while Milo turned into a rather large bird, and snatched it up.

Well that worked out, but... well, the plant wasn't happy, and out of the center of the grove grew these four giant heaps of plant, like a salad-golem, which came right after us. Thankfully they were about as tough as boiled lettuce.

After that we fought our way back through the swamps and after a few days returned to Hlint.

NOTE TO SELF: Don't eat salad

Title: Earth Trapper & Co. ~ Plot Quest
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 29, 2009, 11:54:37 AM

Another 'rumor' led me to Castle Blackford, home of the throne of Trelania. Seems an ambassador from Ulgrid Kingdom needed an escort home, so I showed up to help. Turned out to be one of the most... interesting rumors I've ever answered.

So when I get there, there are a number of other 'adventurers' there, including Jennara Creekskipper, Steel, Aeronn. Even that quirky halfling Acacea was there. Something about it, though, made me feel like this wasn't going to be a walk in the park, despite the locale. Something Dad told me, I think... "If it looks easy, you'll prolly get killed..." Not the most encouraging advise but, it was true. After a good deal of walking, we came to the Dapplegreen, and encountered an ambush... Well Steel encountered it, really... All of it... but we managed to dispatch the bandits... and save Steel...

It was then we left the beaten path, that we encountered Earth Trapper, a Dragon. A very small Dragon. He seemed to know Jennara, and he talked only to her. He warned of more bandits in the forest before flying off. He turned out to be right, but I didn't stick around for another fight. I convinced some of the others, and the Ambassador, to escape via another route discovered by a man named Benjamin Poetr, which led into the Gloom woods... Not that much safer then our previous situation but we at least managed to get the Ambassador to Vehl. When the others caught up with us, we found that there were fewer Bandits then previously thought, but it was still hard fought. And I believe I heard someone had fallen in the fighting. After that we travelled through the mountains to Brenuth without much incident... apart from the usual threat of yeti...

But that Dragon... He seemed friendly... if overly playful for a Dragon... I need to learn more about him if I'm going to accomplish my goals... I have to talk to Jennara...

Title: The Hunt Begins
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 29, 2009, 12:00:32 PM

I caught up with Commander Creekskipper again. She seemed more then willing to share what information she had about that Dragon we encountered in Dapplegreen, Earth Trapper, and even spoke of another. I told her I need to find Trapper, that I need to talk to him. Right now he seems like my only path to my goals. He's also the only Dragon I've heard of that isn't proud and surrounded by minions... If I can find him, I hope he's agreeable... I don't know where to look without him... my hunt with the Aragenites has been ignored by them for a long time...

Title: Dream Deferred? Hell no...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 30, 2009, 08:43:29 AM

It's been so long since I left home... over 20 years... and what have I accomplished... I guess that would depend on how one judges accomplishments. But I don't feel like I've done anything I've wanted to... Is it because I'm not trying hard enough? Is it because I'm trying to hard? Or maybe what I'm trying to do is just undoable... But I won't believe that. The roads are there... Earth Trapper represents the chance I have to move forward... If only I could find him... and find him before someone else does... someone someone out to harm him, or worse....

I need more people to help me... Jennara has already been helping, but she can't focus all her efforts on my goals... I need to find people with similar goals... but where the hell am I going to find them... and how?

Title: Skills of the Trades
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 01, 2009, 04:57:01 PM

Well, I've been working on my non-martial skills a lot lately, and I've been getting better with a number of skills. Alchemy is not quite as difficult, and mixing oils and acids for tanning animal hides has been more efficient. In the long run, this will save me a good deal of money... My leather working and tailoring has gotten better also. I've made quite a few deer skin boots for Commander Creekskipper, but lately I've been making rolls of bandages for myself. As it gets easier, though, I think I'm going to start selling them.

I've stopped working on metal working for now, and I'm glad Grampa doesn't know that, mostly because working on some of the other crafts is easier, mostly because the majority of the materials are easier to gather, and don't need refining. I'm going to finish with the materials I have now, however, and plan to get back to working with the metals.

Title: The Curse of the Undead ~ Plot Related Investigation
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 06, 2009, 05:04:06 PM

Tyra takes a break from cleaning up after the Demon Party at the arms, particularly the blood mess that became of Steel's room a few days before to write in her journal. Tyra didn't ask what happen, she was pretty sure she didn't want to know. The fact Steel semi limped out the door that next morning, wearing a full robe might have been enough of a clue if Tyra hadn't seen one 'disappear' in the hall way when she opened the door that morning, and the stumbling that followed as 'the invisible man' left the building. All Tyra could guess is that there was one hell of a fight in that room, and Tyra guessed Steel won... this time...

Remind me why I work here... Sometimes I feel like Steel's slave but... anyway.

Fate seems to have once again thrown me into the service of the people. Not that I mind, but tracking down one of those fabled Blood Wells in Storan's crypt was not on my 'to do' list... And neither was visiting that cranky old wizard.... Moraken... But... I learned something... don't mess with a wizard's wards...
She rubs the back of her head.
Anyway, seems that other old mage, Storold the Protector, has pledged us to help Storan by lifting some curse that keeps him 'alive' in return for information about a Blood Well, that is rumored to dwell in his crypt. Only problem is this involves going to the Pits, and killing some Demon Lord. I am just -so- excited... -SO- excited... Can't wait...

How the hell do I get mixed up in this stuff?

Title: Re: The Letter
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 18, 2009, 11:57:22 AM

Quote

Freas, Decilar 27, 1447

Ms. Tyra Dragonheart,

Word has reached me that you are seeking the history of your family name. The Aragenites passed your query onto me, as I am currently dealing with some obscure records, and I believe I have found something that may be of interest to you.

If you would like to discuss the matter further, please contact me at the Great Library on Voltrex at your earliest convenience. My research assistant should be present to aid you if I am unavailable.

Most sincerely,
Eleanora Magastri

Well, I finally heard news from someone about my family history, but not from who I expected. I'm off to the Great Library now. Just hope this isn't a total waste of my time.

Title: By Any Other Name... (Tyra's 1st CDQ)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 26, 2009, 05:27:14 PM

After all this time, I found what I was looking for. I found out where my family name came from, but now that I know, I wonder if it was really worth the time spent searching. Turns out that a man, that I can only assume is the first 'Dragonheart,' earned that name by killing a Dragon and eating it's heart. That is not a legacy that will earn me the trust of a Dragon. And yet, it led me to a man who would have otherwise died alone...

Jonas was on his death bed when I found him, and at first I thought I had spent to much time in the library. What was a 'dead' man going to be able, or willing, to tell a complete stranger about his family history. Lying and saying I was a distant cousin got me to see him, but when I saw him, and finally got him talking, I was very sad. His mind was already failing him, and he forgot who I was and why I was there a few times, but as I talked to him about things, mostly his life and his only relative, I felt an attachment to him. Maybe his having a rather cute and playful cat around helped, but I was moved just by being with him. I was sad that such a nice man would die the day I met him, but any doubts I had about this Vladamir Osmont being my ancestor vanished when he said that I had the look of a Dragonheart.

I dressed him in a suit of armor I found in his house, and an old sword and shield when he died, then him helped dig and bury the poor sod... I left a few of my own things with him.

So now... I donno what... I could investigate Jonas's nephew, and see what I could learn from that, or start looking for a Dragon...

Decisions decisions...

Register of Soldiers, Volume XIV

*A partial list of soldiers enrolled in an army, this record lists (among others) one Captain Vladimir "Dragonheart" Osmont. Captain Dragonheart, as he came to be known, appeared to be in command of a small force of about sixty men. Unfortunately, the record provides few details of Captain Dragonheart*

Soldier's Journal

*This appears to be a copy of a diary of a soldier who fought in the Dragon War. An excerpt from the journal ...*

"We did it! We killed one of those scaly buggers today. Maybe the boys will stop teasing me about being greener than a moon elf's eyes now. Almost everyone else had killed a wyrm or two before, but this was my first. I don't think I'll soon forget.

We were marching to join another group of soldiers when we came across the beast in a clearing. The boys said it was just a wee one compared to some of the monsters they've seen at a distance, but to me it looked the size of Pa's fishing boat or bigger! We must have surprised it, because when we burst into the clearing it gave this startled roar. Captain Osmont gave the order and everyone started shouting. The dragon started tearing into men with tooth and claw. I see now why we were losing before Bloodstone stepped into command. I don't know how many men fell. I can still hear them groaning and yelling now as they get stitched up and healed.

I think it would have been very bad if it had lasted much longer. I didn't even see exactly how it ended. I was on the far side of the dragon, near the tail, but I heard its death cry. By the time I got to the head, Captain Vlad had cut out the heart. Gods, he looked fierce, sheathed to the elbows in blood. He was like a wild rager. He ate a morsel of the heart raw, and saved a piece. He says he's going to wear it in a pouch around his neck, to bring him luck in battle. The boys are calling him "Dragonheart" now.

Accounts of the Dragon War

*This book appears to be a collection of anecdotal accounts of the Dragon War. Their authenticity is somewhat questionable, as they seem to be mostly told by relatives many times removed.

One of the accounts mentions a Captain Dragonheart.*

"The story goes that my great, great ... well, however many times great grandfather, Vladimir Dragonheart, earned his name by striking the death blow to a small dragon some time during the Dragon Wars. Vladimir was a Captain in Sinthar's army, and one day his company surprised a young dragon. Although many of the men were gravely wounded, they managed to slay the dragon. Vladimir cut out a bit of the dragon's heart and ate it then and there, and as my grandfather told it to me he also carried a bit of the heart in a leather pouch he wore around his neck. He claimed this token of his victory brought him luck in battle ... though ironically, he was killed by a dragon less than a year later, leaving his wife a widow and his four children fatherless.

Note: Scribed on behalf of one Jonas Dragonheart of Glenhaven, who was not literate enough to write these words himself."

Title: Toran's Torch Sheds No Light... (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 26, 2009, 05:32:03 PM

Well... Not gonna write much about this one... don't really wanna remember too many of these details... The Church of Toran seemed to had made a rather bizarre 'torch' that reflected the evils of a man's soul back at him, and helped him turn to 'the light,' but it seems to have done the opposite to those of a 'pure heart' as well... because when we got there, all the prisoners where dead, and all the Toranites were trying to kill us... I had to keep cracking jokes... or I would've probably started crying... but the Torch is gone now... Daniella pleaded with Toran, and he seems to have done away with it... Pour souls...

Title: Sion's Attempt at Escape... or Lack Thereof
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on May 05, 2009, 11:38:12 PM

You won't believe what happened in Fort Llast the other night. The dark elf that was sentenced to servititude in the Temple of Toran tried to escape... and he almost did, too. I donno how he got the Toranites so confused inside, but I found him trying to break out of the stables with a war horse...

But I wasn't gonna let him get far... I snuck up on him and we started fighting... Son of a wench stabbed me with a nail... twice! One in the neck and one in the foot.. then jumped on the horse. I tried to stop the horse but it was too tough, and just ran over the caltrops I threw down... That's when Tod showed up, and Tod and I chased him outside. Son of a wench almost got over the wall, but his horse threw him into it instead... I threw my dagger at him then, stuck him in the back and then punched him out...
(http://th03.deviantart.com/fs42/300W/f/2009/134/b/c/Dark_Elf_Cature_by_Minerva2001.jpg) (http://minerva2001.deviantart.com/art/Dark-Elf-Cature-122517660)
Good Night, Sion... Have fun in chains...
(http://fc03.deviantart.com/fs45/i/2009/134/3/a/Dark_Elf_Capture___Part_3_by_Minerva2001.jpg)
Dark Elf Cature (http://minerva2001.deviantart.com/art/Dark-Elf-Capture-Part-3-122518217) by ~Minerva2001 (http://minerva2001.deviantart.com/) on deviant (http://www.deviantart.com)ART (http://www.deviantart.com)

(http://minerva2001.deviantart.com/art/Dark-Elf-Cature-122517660)

Title: Castle made of Sand (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on June 14, 2009, 09:35:35 PM

Call them what you want, but those ant-people that live in the Great Desert are two things, smart and mean.

I had heard a rumor that a merchant caravan would be leaving from the port city in the middle of the desert, Audira, and it was in need of guards. With my investigations on hold, I caught a ship heading out that way, and got there around the time the merchant was heading out.

And that's where it stopped being normal. Someone said they knew a shortcut through the desert, and I knew that would mean trouble, but no one would listen to me, as usual. So I rode in the back of one of the wagons for most of the way. We ran into a few of those ant things along the way, but then things turned from nice to nasty.

We feel into pits set along the path we were taking, and found ourselves cages. My attempt at escape was foiled though, and I was knocked out. When I woke up, all my things were gone, and I had a collar around my neck, and one of those ant things were telling us why they caught us. They needed us to work...

From that moment I started trying to figure out how to escape but... once I saw what was going on, and where I really was, I knew it was not possible, not without getting killed and losing everything I own. That didn't help the fact I was angrier then a [strike]red ant[/strike] red ant... donno how else to describe it...

Apparently those earthquakes that have been felt everywhere affected them too, and their ... whatever... was falling apart... but also it seemed like spiders... GIANT spiders... where attacking them too...

In the end, we killed a bunch of huge freaking spiders, got our stuff back, had our heads messed with by what I guess was their leader... Queen... something...

All I know is I don't wanna see those things for a long time...

Title: Ten Tokens (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on June 26, 2009, 11:25:34 PM

Rage
Indulgence
Deception
Despair
Obsession
Fear
Apathy
Charm
Intimidation
Cruelty

The strangest thing happened in Hurm recently... I went there to stick my nose into some rumors about some strange murders... and ended up learning something stranger, not to mention having my head messed with... I have NEVER spent that much time trying to clean ANYTHING before...

Turns out some.... thing... has been hiding in Hurm, trying to research something while protect some sort of token that emanates some sort of magic that makes people obsess over cleaning things... and it seems that's just one of ten other ones. (See list above)

I don't want to be around most of them, though charm doesn't seem so bad... But the others... Sheesh... Only reason I know what these are is because the creepo who we found rattled them off out of no where... Clearly his token is driving him mad... I just hope the other ones are better... err... sealed?

Title: The Island (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on June 30, 2009, 07:31:08 PM

I hate mushrooms... I hate ooze... I hate pudding... I hate zombies!

At first I thought we were going to a festival on a rural island, next time I know someone gets melted by acid, and I'm following a trail of goo into the middle of acid slime and mushroom hell! What a mess! Ugh! Then we go into this forsaken cave filled that had spores floating in the air everywhere, and even had zombies covered in mushrooms...

Ugh...

Title: The one who is Zahid...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on June 30, 2009, 07:45:38 PM

I've known this man named Zahid for a while now, and I don't think I've met anyone wiser then him recently... I'm sure I know someone wiser, but... He's different, since his focus is on perception and nature. We don't always agree on things, and sometimes I think he'd kill some of the people we'd come across, but... He's probably someone who's advice I'd trust more then my own even.

Just got to get him to stop talking in the third person...

Title: D-Dad?!
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 10, 2009, 09:53:20 AM

"You're alive?!" said a shocked Tyra as she walked into her old home, catching her Dad shuffling down the hall.

"Hello, Tyra," responded Shiff calmly, but sadly. The look in his eyes clearly showed he wasn't looking forward to this moment, but even worse, is that his daughter was now a grown woman, not the little girl he left behind. "It's nice to see you..."

"That's all you have to say, 'Nice to see you?!'" Tyra yelled angrily, drawing her mother out from where she was resting. "Fifteen years! FIFTEEN! Where the hell were you!" Angry now, approaches her father with clenched fists. "Why did you leave us!?" The closer she got, the more the tears pushed at the corners of her eyes. "Why did you leave me?! Why!?" As she got to him she struck him on the chest, but feeling the reality of her father's return made her break open, and she feel to her knees crying. "Why... I missed you soo much...."

Shiff frowned. "It's hard to explain, Tyra... and some of it I don't remember... Come on... lets go sit down... I'll tell you what I remember... and then I'd love to hear about what you've been up to..." He smiled encouragingly. "You mother tells me you've been causing a lot of trouble," he says as he helps her back to her feet, before hugging her tight and whispering in her ears, "good job." He then steps back and winks at her, while her mother rolls her eyes.

For a few hours, Tyra and her father sat and talked, Tyra telling her father about her adventures, successes, and failures, while Shiff talked about where he had been, and his time with the Aeridinites. Meanwhile

"Why didn't you send us word, Dad?"

Shiff frowned. "For the longest time I forgot who I was, Tyra, and when I learned, I figured I would return in person... Did you really think I thought you would believe a letter saying 'Oh hi guys, I'm not dead...'" Tyra chuckled a bit, smiling.

After a while, Tyra stood up, looking like a lot of weight was taken off her shoulders. "Dad, you have no idea how good it feels to see you..."

"I can imagine, but just cause I'm back doesn't mean I'm going to trying to save the world again... I'm getting old, and I've lost some of my touch with my sword. Don't you stop what you're doing... I'm proud of what you're attempting... Oh! And finding out about our family name was interesting..."

"By the time I'm done Dad, Dragonheart is going to much more famous... I promised an old man that..." She smirked at her father. "I mean another old man, not you Dad."

Shiff just smirked back. "Now go do something... I need a nap..." With that Shiff got up and looked for his wife.

Title: Enlightening Reading...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on July 25, 2009, 12:40:26 AM

Tyra sits at her desk reading over a scroll she found in the Arms' limited library, copying what it says into her journal at the same time...
[LIST=1]

Your livelihood rests on two things: knowledge and reputation.
Know your enemies.
No one is innocent.
Everything dies.
Do not kill unless you are facing your enemies.
Protect those who are not your enemies.
A child is never your enemy.
Retreat in the face of defeat is wise, if not noble.
No job is too small.
Pay comes in many forms, some of which are better than gold.
Mercenaries are killers.

Title: The Mouse...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 14, 2009, 12:33:25 AM

Bella the Mouse... She has potential, but she has no idea what that means... She thinks she does though.

She reminds me of the way I used to be when I ran away from home... Arrogant, jumpy, sneaky, timid... and of course a smart arse... She even seems to be a troublemaker, though of course she "din' do nuthin..."

I offered her a chance to learn from me, to learn how not to repeat the mistakes I made... how to fight... how to act... How to remain unseen, and even how to attract too much attention... All of my skills...

We will see if this Mouse will survive long enough to harness her potential...

Title: The Methods of Magic - Scrolls & Symbols
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 15, 2009, 07:57:08 PM

Steel's got me studying the symbols on scrolls so I can understand what sort of things to expect from magically artifacts. We'll see where this goes... Most of these symbols I recognize already...
(http://forums.layonara.com/photopost/data/500/Magic_Symbols.jpg)

Title: Mouse Vs. Boogey Man
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 17, 2009, 07:57:39 PM

I found Bella in Fort Vehl... lurking around the docks. It seems she had been somewhere from the look of her, but then again she is always dirty. She mentioned seeing something in the crypts days earlier, and I ... asked her to show me. She did not want to, so I convinced her that I am much scarier then a mere shadow. She unfortunately is exceptionally timid. I merely have to look at her to make her cringe, and my proximity makes her nervous. I gave her an iron flail for which to use on the skeletons, which she took hesitantly.

Eventually, we went into the crypts, and I stayed in the shadows to watch her. There I saw that she can indeed suck it up and fight when she has to. I must see if I can use that to teach her to be less timid. She seems to be affected by words, as I have seen when I expose her weaknesses to her.

Farther down, where she thought she saw this shadow, she progressed with fear... though I am sure she would call it caution. She dispatched a few skeletons there, and then I had her stand in the shadows for a while. I wanted her to face fear, though I did not say much as to how. She has yet to accept my tutolage, so it is hard to get her to learn anything.

I did see her afterwards, without the smoke and mirrors, to find that she did indeed learn something from me, using that flail on the undead outside of Storan's crypt. I kept an eye on her as we travelled through the war zone that is the Hammerbound Peaks.

I do however wonder if that meeting in Port Hempstead has exposed me... Time will tell... She is sharp, but easily disuaded with intimidation...

But I don't want her to fear me forever... just for now...

Title: The Apprentice...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 20, 2009, 11:04:33 PM

The Mouse...

She's an interesting young kid... immature... indignant... jumpy... defensive... but interesting. She has the skills to become great, yet is still convinced she just needs to 'get by'...

I ran into her with another potential candidate at Stormcrest. Mouse called her Rat. Seems Mouse conned her into paying for a tour of Alindor... I decided to follow along and see what trouble they would get into.

We ended up travelling past Stone to Sun Castle, to Thorn river for some fishing, even through Wolfswood to the that grove.

Eventually I had them follow me to the Lake of Glass, where I did some investigating. I had Mouse collect some berries, while I talked to the Rat, then hid in a tree while they talked. I learned some things, but nothing useful yet...

Then the Rat fell asleep, and something interesting happened. I started talking to Mouse, and she got defiant, and I straightened her out... yet she stood up to me... briefly... It was amusing, but it was what I was hoping to get out of her eventually. If she was just mush in my hands, then she would be mush in anyone's, making her a liability and worthless... but she showed she has some sass, and some backbone... so I have decided to accept her as my apprentice... I will have to navigate her desire to learn more about me carefully, but I do not feel she will give me much trouble... Regardless of what she desires, I hold all the other cards, and she can only accept what I give her or be on her own...

And somehow, I doubt she wants to continue to be alone...

Title: A Reflection of Yourself ~ The Enemy...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 28, 2009, 07:05:36 PM

Tyra slams the door as she comes into her room at the Leringard Arms. " that kid..." she mutters to herself, pacing around the room as she starts removing her mask and armor. "... asking me to do that... like I'm some sort of unprincipled killer..." She takes off her sword belt and throws it on her bed.

Title: The Enemy...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on August 28, 2009, 07:12:02 PM

After a few hours of meditation, Tyra opens her eyes and sighs. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, something inside her tugs at her... wanting her to carry out Mouse's request for blood... Maybe it was the time in the barn, when she told Bella about herself while she mended her wounds, but Tyra knew Mouse's father shouldn't be allowed to live... Yet she also did not want to go back down that road. She remembers the moments of pure hate she felt when she was young, and this could only lead to that same outcome: anger and loathing at her own person.

Then as a wind blew through the Arms, a scroll fell off her desk, and as she picked it up she saw what it was...

Quote

[LIST=1]
Your livelihood rests on two things: knowledge and reputation.
Know your enemies.
No one is innocent.
Everything dies.
Do not kill unless you are facing your enemies.
Protect those who are not your enemies.
A child is never your enemy.
Retreat in the face of defeat is wise, if not noble.
No job is too small.
Pay comes in many forms, some of which are better than gold.
Mercenaries are killers.

She rolled the scroll back up, and sighed. " I am Dread Blade... I must do something... at least..."

Title: The Dread Blade of the Dragonheart Clan...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 05, 2009, 10:51:46 AM

Tyra sits before a fire with her journal during a moonlit night. On the other side of the fire lies her apprentice, Bella. As Tyra thinks about what to write,she watches Bella, considering the bond they now share...
[INDENT]Bella Rouge

The kid has grown on me more then I expected. It's almost as if she's a frightened, naive little child that needs to be taught the ways of the world, except what she has probably gone through is more then any 'child' should have to go through.

My search into her father's whereabouts has not gone far, primarily because I am still apprehensive about what I have to do... something not common for me, but then again I have never been asked to murder... regardless of the many definitions of the word, I do no murder (unless you are a goblin or ogre, then I am a murderer).

Her training is proceeding more easily now that we are blood-sworn to each other... something I am not sure she understands completely, but she has done well since. Not having to constantly explain myself has been beneficial to my nerves, which in turn benefits her.

Most recently, I have been teaching her to swim, something I am surprised she did not learn, voluntarily or otherwise, in Fort Vehl...

I think she will soon be ready to accompany me on a task... but I have yet to test her loyalty...

I wonder what I should do with her if she ever betrays me...
[/INDENT]With that she closes her journal and tucks it away in her bag, and takes to meditating before she puts some more wood on the fire and lays down to sleep... with a knife in her hand...

Title: The Maternal Instinct
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 08, 2009, 09:38:40 AM

Tyra comes back to the Leringard Arms to find Bella asleep at the foot of her bed... Being as quiet as she typically is, she goes over to her desk to write in her journal...
[INDENT] Bella...

She's growing on me more and more, especially with recent events... I don't think I could have given her a task that could have proved what just a simple comment from her did... Bella cares about me.

Given her past with men, which unfortunately stems from her father, she's afraid of Zahid. What's funny though is that she thinks Zahid would be the cause of me, of all people, getting beaten due to her being around... She's so traumatized by her past it's sickening... I wish I could find that man... Dalton...
[/INDENT] She turns around to look over at a sneezing Bella with a smile, before going back to writing...
[INDENT] She took me to her house... I didn't know where we were going at first but once I saw the place I knew what it was... Sadly no one was there... I would have liked to have killed the man right then and there... Or perhaps Bella would have herself... Revenge is dangerous... It eats at you...

Afterwards I had a run in with some guards... I could have handled it better but the emotions got to me... I wasn't exactly pleasant to Private Beck... Wonder if he holds a grudge... Would be a very unhealthy grudge...

Later, Bella was very quiet... I didn't bother her much... We just went over some basics...

A few days later though we meet with Zahid again... She decided to come too, but once there started acting like a child, cussing and disobeying... I know she's not a little kid but I feel like I must treat her like one... I had her do her Alleys after cussing and wanting to throw a rock at Zahid while he was meditatating...

After that, with some coaching, she had a stilted but short conversation with Zahid... I hope she felt a little better around him... He was seperated from us by a creek... She eventually just wanted to leave in her sheepish manner... She asked if she could stay in my room...
[/INDENT] She turns around again to look at Bella. She sighs, but not a tired or sad sigh, a content sigh. She then gets up and carefully puts a blanket over Bella before sitting back down.
[INDENT] I told her to take a bath first... Not that it matters since she's now on the floor... Silly Kid...

She should have been my daughter...
[/INDENT]

Title: The Maternal Instinct pt. II
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 13, 2009, 03:57:08 PM

Tyra always wondered what being a mother would be like. Having never been with a man, and still only getting older, she would sometimes lay awake at night pondering how her life would be different...

She found out recently.

On a dark stormy night, one of the stormiest of the year, Tyra came home to the arms to find Bella cowering under her bed. Not that it was new to Tyra, she knew Bella was afraid of storms, and that she would sleep under her bed for some reason, but something led Tyra to want to check on her apprentice.

She found Bella clinging to her new teddy bear, Harrison, as if he was going to be torn away from her. Stuffing herself under the bed (being somewhat wider and rounder in places then Bella) she inquired about how she was feeling. After all the time they had spent together, Tyra hoped Bella would finally open up. What happened was just what Tyra wanted. Seeing Bella stuck between a dream-like state of being haunted by her past and conscious-awareness, Tyra coaxed Bella into realizing she had nothing to fear, and that she (Tyra) would always be there for Bella when she needed her. And then Bella let Tyra hold her as she cried. It brought tears to Tyra as she rocked Bella gently like her own child, until Bella fell asleep.

As she lay there, Tyra smiled and hugged Bella softly. Tyra felt like a mother for once, caring for and protecting a scared little girl from the boogey man...

...except Bella's boogey man was real... A so called 'giant' that Tyra had to put down... Only one thought entered her mind

"No one treatens my family, Dalton must die..."

Title: Vengeance is Bitter...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on September 14, 2009, 10:38:01 AM

He's dead... but not by my hand...

It was a relief to be able to tell Bella she has nothing to fear from him anymore... But I feel cold...

I wanted to watch him die... but instead now I just have the feeling in my gut... the disgusting feeling of being a killer... I don't like this feeling... I've felt it before... Does it every go away completely?

Title: Stealth Fighter
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 18, 2009, 12:06:12 AM

Much has changed...

I have begun to realize my skills are better used in conjunction with stealth then straightfowardneess. I do not have the skill of my father, and thus I can not stand toe to toe to strike things down, despite my skill with my blades.

I have to adjust the focus of my training now. I must try to increase my natural abilities, though I know I will never rival Tod's disappearing act, I have other ideas as to how I will keep out of sight.

I need certain tools though, tools I cannot make myself... I would need to find some kind ... i don't know... I may never find anything. So far my bracers catch people off guard, and my cloak allows me to see through my own tricks... but how far will that get me...

And how much longer can I get away with it...

Title: Diplomacy, Striker Style
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 24, 2009, 07:26:04 PM

Tyra sends a letter to the governance of Fort Vehl...

Quote

To Whom it Concerns:

I have taken a keen interest in a certain ruin within the boarders of the realm of Co'rys, the Dapplegreen Tower. I have also noticed that said tower is the base of operations to a rather slippery group of bandits who threaten the trade in the area. I have a proposition for your government that would be benefical to both of us. If you would like a chance to rid yourself of a nusance, gain an ally, and perhaps some long overdue taxes, send a message care of the Leringard Arms to Tyra Dragonheart. I can assure you that should my proposal please you, that you would not be disappointed with the results of my work.

Your Servant,
Tyra Dragonheart
Striker

Title: L'homme Qui Ris: The Last Laugh (Quest)
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on October 29, 2009, 05:15:05 PM

Tyra comes in from a long journey into the wilds of Mistone to sit at her desk. Her mood was dark, and from the amount of mud and grime on her boots one could tell she had not been just out for a pleasant walk; Her muddy boots left footprints down the hall of the Leringard Arms, the hard-wood oak floor bearing a trail in her wake. Stopping outside her room, she unlaced her boots and left them outside the door, then stepped into the room. She hung her cloak on the inside door knob, unlaced the thick corset that served as the breastplate for her leather armor, pulled off the jerkin underneath and changed out of the rest of her gear into a robe, leaving a soggy pile of leather on the floor until she felt like cleaning it and hanging it.

Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out her black-bound journal from it's hiding spot and opened it on the desk, uncorking her inkwell and selecting a usable quill.
[INDENT]Oclar, 12 1456

Ghosty manifestations of psychotic killers that can't be destroyed... Lovely... I met one. I called it the Joker, cause he always laughs. Others called him... The Smiling one? The Laughing Death? Something like that... I don't recall...

I encountered this creature when I was investigating a rumor about a string of deaths in some backwater towns around Mistone, mostly off the beaten path. Apparently a number of people were killed in a... exceptionally cruel manner... which I got to see the aftermath of... In one of the towns they were keeping the body unburied for some observance period, some kind of superstition, I think, but the face had been.... removed... in places, along with other... parts...

At that point I decided I would help find [strike]this creature[/strike] what at the time I thought was some sick circus freak, since this seemed to happen in tandem with a circus coming through these towns. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, it is not uncommon for rumors to lure adventurers in who are looking to make a name for themselves (which I have to admit is why I was there also), but a group of them showed up at the same time I did... They decided to talk, I decided to spy. However, I learned nothing special, and ended up just spying on the other adventurers instead. That's when I learned about this Joker-Apparition.

After that, I (following the other group) journeyed to a graveyard that the circus buried their dead in and we ended up summoning the ghost of an old mage who had once trapped the beast in a box... as Bizarre as it sounded, it was true, as this ghost, named Littleman (he was a halfling), sent us to his ancient workshop to trap the beast again. There I found a rather overly protected desk with the information we needed (along with a very handy knife) and we got to work.

Turned out we had to not only trap the Joker in some magic prison, but fight off a horde of undead to do it. I got kind of worried their at the end, but... we did it. I am not exactly a fair match to the undead, as swords don't really do anything to creatures that don't mind being stabbed or eviscerated. But, one less [strike]madman[/strike] evil thing out there to harm people... I hope that halfling puts my name in that song though...

It's not that long....[/INDENT]

Title: The Eyes of the Night
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 03, 2009, 03:12:25 PM

Tyra hides high in a tree, looking down on a certain old fort in the Dapplegreen Forest. For months she had come to observe the goings on of the bandits who used the place as a hideout, a stronghold, a meeting place... as many things. She watched for patterns, secrets, entrances and exits, anything that would help her infiltrate and weed out the bandits that have taken the decaying fort as their base...

And set herself up in their place...

Title: Re: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 08, 2009, 01:42:15 PM

Quote

Tyra,

Fair warning, the Blackwatch may decide to visit the Arms. If they break anything, or harm anyone, I think you know what to do. The Arms does not answer to the Blackwatch. I'll find you if things go poorly--so that we can get to work.

~Steel

"The Black Watch?" Tyra's eyes narrow, and she gets her sword belt...

Title: The Start of Something Dread-ful
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 08, 2009, 02:45:43 PM

Quote

Dear Tyra Dragonheart,

After checking my records, the current taxes on the Dapplegreen tower are fully paid by the rightful owner, a local nobleman and prominent businessman of Fort Vehl. Due to privacy concerns, I cannot release the owners name to you without their specific consent. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Millington Fox
Third Assistant Tax Collector
13 Commerce Lane
Fort Vehl

Tyra accepts a sealed letter from the messanger from Co'rys, tossing him a few coins, before walking back to her room. Her footfalls go unnoticed as she walks down the long corridor, breaking the seal and unrolling the shorter-than-expected scroll. She reaches the door of her room and enters without so much as a creaking from the hinges, and sits at her desk. She does not remain seated long.

"What the Hells!" she says jumping out of her chair.

The crash it makes against the floor, coupled with Tyra's angry shout, disturbs the Mouse sleeping under Tyra's bed. "I din't do nuthin!"

"Ugh! Not you, Bella!" Tyra responds, frustrated. "Now get up and get dressed... I want you to take care of the Arms until I get back..."

"But Stalker, I dun know how tah-"

"Just get up!" Tyra considers tearing the message in half, before rolling it up and stuffing it in her messenger bag. She stomps over to her armoire and pulls it open, pulling out her best set of 'normal' clothes and her leathers.

She hesitates as Bella crawls out from under the bed, looking between her armor and her finer clothes, then throws the clothes on her bed, and careful puts away most of her armor, strapping on her bracers and of course her hood, and her sword belt.

"Where yah goin' Stalker?" Bella asks.

"I've got some business in Fort Vehl." She pulls off her robe and pulls on her more regal clothes in a hurry. "I'll tell you about it later. Just make sure none of those drunks burn down the Arms while I'm gone..." She turns to give Bella a glare, then a grin. "I'll be back..." She then throws her black, shadowy cloak around herself and heads out of the Arms and to the docks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~

Stepping off the boat a day later in Fort Vehl, Tyra heads to the tax office on Commerce Ave. Before entering she removes her hood in a nearby alley, leaving the rest of her cloaked in black. As she enters, she glances around at those inside... (Details?) ... before walking up to the counter.

"I need to speak with a Mister Fox, Millington Fox," she says as politely as she can, given her history. "I received a letter from him concerning the taxes on a parcel of land in the Dapplegreen, and would like to discuss it with him..." She waits with a smile, or what could be a smile, while inside her cloak she nervously fidgets with one of her knives...

[/I]

Title: Where there's smoke, there's fire...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 08, 2009, 07:28:22 PM

Tyra didn't know what to do first, stab Steel or save her work, but she choose her work and ran to her room. The door was on fire, and she was ever thankful she choose to wear her red boots today as she kicked it down. She snatched her cousin's journal off the shelf and her eyes scanned the room fast for what needed saving next...

Metal armors, weapons... will survive...
Her leather work... can be replaced...
Scrolls... too late...
The unicorn Cloak!

She dove for her cabinet and punched through the burning doors to pull out the cloak and stuff it in her messenger bag. She stuffed in a few other pieces of clothes and a pair of bracers and was glad her truly valuable assets had been brought to be vaulted weeks ago.

Turning one last time to check, she saw her bed on fire, as spotted two scared teddy bears... She snatched them, patted out the embers on their ears and paws, and stuffed them into her bag...

Just as a ceiling beam crashed down over her head crushing her weapon rack and smashing her trophy case to splinters...

Tyra stumbled. Now the smoke was getting to her, and she leaped over the beam and sprinted down the hall, missing another falling beam as she ran out the door...

Turning to look back she dumped what was in her hands on the street as she watched what had become a home to her burn down....

Title: New Guards... Better Practice...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 08, 2009, 09:03:57 PM

~Trespassers Will be Killed on Sight.~
~Stay Away from the Tower.~

Tyra smirks, reading the sign from her vantage point in the trees. As night fell Tyra returned to her spying on the Tower, watching with even more suspiciously the goings on at 'her' tower. She was pleased to note that a number of the guards appeared to be either outfitted better, or actual mercenaries. However, she would be even more impressed, at least for a moment, when one of them finds her.

As that thought crossed her mind, she heard the stretching of a bow below her. "Get outta dat tree er I'll pin yah terit..." Below her was one of the said mercenaries, an elf male, armed with a bow. The pair of blades at his sides made her grin as she simultaneously stole all the light from the the moon, and hoped down beside the man, swords drawn. Her blades flickered in the moonlight as the light returned, allowing the elf pierce her shoulder with a shoot. Tyra broke the shaft in half with one sword and swung at the elf with the other, as the elf drew his own blades to parry her.

She swung for his legs, he swung at her wounded shoulder. Both connected, but Tyra growled the pain away and returned the favor, causing the elf to double over. She swung overhand as the elf parried the blade and sliced across her bicep, but her upswing connected with his stomach.

She heard some air hiss out of him before he coughed up blood and looked up at her before sliding off her blade, dead...

Looking back towards the tower, she notices that the guards seem to have heard the conflict, and she runs off into the night, clutching her arm...

Title: The Right Connections, the Wrong Kingdom
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on November 16, 2009, 02:28:19 PM

After a fair amount of poking around in Fort Vehl, Tyra gets the names of the people who "rule" Co'rys. Not that it was a big secret, but having spent more time their trying to avoid people then listen to them, she had never paid much attention to way things 'worked' in Co'rys, but with a noble claiming the piece of land she wanted, it was time to educate herself.

What she figured out was that a man by the name of Andrew Cartier who supposedly is in charge of whatever Co'rys calls an army, and who she hoped had some sense of honor to go along with his 'rank.' Next was Yveisha, an elven mage who seems to care more about the Gloom Woods then anything else, or so say the rumors. She seems to prefer deceit to destruction, which might make her like Tyra's brand of getting things done... or not... considering her track record. A few other names of some seemingly unimportant council members was found to, mostly because of some huge fight that nearly ended in bloodshed (supposedly), and two dwarves (one a mage). Lastly was of course the 'ruler,' or Urzhrah, of Co'rys, Kezed Gran'dherm. A dwarf, he is said to like dancing, though what that means she was not quite sure. She knew most of all, however, that she had no strings to pull with any of these people, and needed to find some... fast...

Title: The Price for one's Integrity
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 15, 2010, 12:31:43 PM

"Go to the Pits"

Title: The Stains of Greed / The Loss of Honor
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 19, 2010, 11:01:36 AM

"Go to the Pits"

She was looking for strings to pull, and she found some. It was too late, however, before she realized the strings she was pulling belonged to Commander Creekskipper.

Tyra and the Commander headed to Fort of Kings to track down Albert and his guild to get information about Guissen. Tyra just wanted it to get the Dapplegreen Tower. Jennara, to hold someone responsible for the mayhem caused by the mercenaries he hired. Tyra strung Jennara along, making it look like Tyra would help her and give her the piece of the puzzle Tyra got from Albert, but instead she used it to blackmail Guissen for what is now her tower.

Her undead infested, dilapidated, moldy old Tower.

She was proud of herself for a moment, blinded by her own desire, when four words, whispered on the wind of Jennara's breath, "Go to the Pits," let all the wind out of her sails.

She had gotten what wanted, and used Jennara to get it. The stolen paperwork Tyra took from Albert's office and gave to Jennara couldn't wipe away that betrayal.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tyra sits in a dark corner of Fort Vehl, looking at the rolled up deed she now possesses. She had relinquished it from a conceited self serving noble who hunted people for fun, and in the process became just like him. Selfish, arrogant, always sneaking after people to spy on them. She had even found power over people through treachery and blackmail, even through torture.

What was happening to her, she did not know, but she was beginning to like it less and less. Was she really becoming a Dread Blade? Was she really seeking to become an avatar of fear, ruthless and deadly, in the minds of any she called 'Enemy'? What happened to the little girl who once only ever wanted her father to come home to tell her stories of adventure? Is she really gone for good, replaced by a hateful, inconsiderate, selfish mercenary... Striker... Dread Blade...?

She lit a candle, holding it up to see the broken seal and waxy parchment it was stuck to... and for a moment considered burning it. She wouldn't though. She wouldn't put the final nail in her coffin and completely spit in the face of Jennara by burning what she paid for with her honor. With a deep breath and a firm nod to herself, she decided to make the best of her situation, no longer sink into the mire of Co'rys corruption and turn that tower into a symbol of good in Co'rys, even if it made her an enemy of an entire kingdom...

But how she was going to do that, this chapter does not say...

Title: The Mark of Anger
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 28, 2010, 09:18:43 AM

Anira Fcilnyn Silmn The Black Mark

That's what Raz called it, when I told him what I have done. He said there are only two things to be done once that happens, let or grow or learn from it.

I don't know where I'm headed. I'm not even sure how I feel. I know I should feel some kind of guilt for how I treated the bandit... and yet I'm not sure if I do. It troubles me, but... I care more about what Commander Creekskipper said. I hope whatever was on those papers helps her cause, because it would at least... make me feel better...?

And then there's how I've treated Mouse lately... Why do I do that...

Dad would not be happy... but do I really care... He left us...

Title: Re: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on January 31, 2010, 01:43:31 AM

I killed myself over some treasure?

What is wrong with me...

Title: A Kink in the Armor
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 05, 2010, 11:04:02 PM

While staying at the Twin Dragon Inn, since Tyra is needed for some priliminary work for the reconstruction of the Leringard Arms, she finds a scroll case on the small table inside her room. The letter inside is rolled tight. Unfurling it, a precise italic script is inked down the page. It is a song. There is no musical score, and no signature.

[INDENT] Little girls are made of sugar and spice
But their daddies are not always so nice
Her heart pounds
Where is he, her protector in life
Leaving the child all alone?

A gilt box of thorns
Stroked every day
Sticky with blood
But the sting goes away
The sting goes away...

She builds it to armor, this anger and pain
And no one will ever hurt her again
Her heart pounds
A caged bird behind walls painted in ice
Wings beating hard on the stone

A gilt box of thorns
Stroked every day
Coated with gore
It gets easier each day
Easier each day...

Will she open the box?
Listen once more?
Hear his voice calling her, calling her...
Or keep the box shut
Wrapped in ribbons of skin
A red and white bow keeps the agony in

Who is she now, this little sweet maid
A dragon's heart or a purple nightshade
Her heart pounds
A child's hand resting lightly on thorns
While the woman presses down to the bone
[/INDENT]
After reading it, she tears it in half, cursing and swearing out the name of the person she is sure composed the song. She storms down the hall and kicks in his door to find him not there.

But she does find one of his precious violins.

Sitting on top of his desk beside a stack of blank staff paper and a vial of ink, the hickory violin became the target of Tyra's wrath. Picking up the slender bow, she thoughtlessly snapped it in half, but as she lifts the violin by it's neck, over her head to smash across his sheets of music, underneath the violin sat a little sketch. It wasn't clear, or perfect, and certainly not how she would have wanted it, but it was a picture of a woman, wearing a long coat and cloak, standing infront of a wooden barricade looking up at the nights sky.

It was her, the night she stood waiting for a bunch of elves to decide if they would flee or stand and fight a suicidal battle.

She put the violin back down, fetched the broken bow and sighed. She wrapped the bow with a strip of leather to mend it, and took a piece of staff paper and wrote a single word on it...

[INDENT] Thanks
[/INDENT]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, a single sound could be heard coming from her room. No answer came from knocks, or complaints. It lasted for a while, only interrupted by an occassional sob or sigh.

Wrapped in an old shirt and holding a bunch of torn paper in her hands, Tyra sat alone in her room, crying all night...

Title: A Picture
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on February 18, 2010, 02:18:56 PM

Opening up a rolled up piece of clothe, Tyra finds a drawing, the drawing of her. It is finished. The picture has been char-coaled, mainly in black - Tyra is the darkest thing in the picture, the center of the page. Her clothing, as well as the sky, have been smudged with deeper blues and purples.

While the skill of the artist clearly lies far less in visual deptiction than other arts, her face has been worked on with great care. Her mouth is set in a line. Her eyes are directed up at the charcoal sky, carefully shaded their vibrant hue; one crease has been penciled lightly between her brows. Those startling purple eyes are narrowed but not hard, on the paper. The interpretation of that look might be forced patience, or resolution, or possibly concern. Perhaps all three.

The picture is signed. A note is included...

[INDENT] You are welcome. Forgive my lack of ability - I was inspired, but I don't draw often.

This is for you alone.
[/INDENT]After staring at it for a while she brings it over to where she hid her journal. Retrieving the black-leather bound tome, she opens it to the page she pinned the song to and pins the picture over it...

Title: Next Stop, Lady Nightshade
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 10, 2010, 02:53:02 PM

Tyra sat rather smugly in an old oak chair on the top floor of her new Tower. With the orb that once haunted the place removed and confiscated by the Shining Hand, she went about cleaning out the tower as much as she could by herself.
Managing to move some of the rubble from the stairwell on her own, she was exhausted. The tower seemed structurally sound if not for the gaping hole in the roof. She kind of liked it though. When it wasn't cloudy at night, Ausir or Orn shines it's light in through her impromptu sky light. She knew she had to fix it though, or at least repair it and install a real window up there.
She found the small room the local bandits had used as a rest stop to be quite cozy, but she made sure to break up and burn the beds that were there. She had no interest in sharing a bed with whatever lived in those soggy beds, or laying on anything bandits slept on.
All in all, she was happy the way things turned out. Somehow she managed to keep the Toranites from tearing it down, and found it to be sufficient for her purposes.

Now all was left was recruitment...

Title: Plans in Motion
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 22, 2010, 08:45:47 AM

It's happening... I have a base, I have help, and I have plans. All that is needed now is to secure my ownership of the tower and to repair the fire damage.

But what of my old plans. Were they too ambitious? Unattainable? I hope not. Perhaps when I have proven myself capable in Co'rys I can dare try to catch the attention of a Dragon.

And then perhaps take the fight to the Cult.

Title: Jealous, Lonely, Bitter: Tyra
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 25, 2010, 02:18:45 PM

Somewhere in the desert, amidst a forgotten and haunted canyon, Tyra sat with green eyes watching two couples enjoying the company of their other, while she sat in the distance, occasionally with the company of someone she did not take much notice of. Instead she sat staring at her apprentice and her future husband, at her musical friend and her aunt, with thoughts of both destroying that happiness and wanting to protect it flowing side by side.

She knew why she was alone. She knew what she was like. But she was too proud to admit it, to accept the responsibility for her loneliness, to apologize publicly to the people she treats badly. She had a vain belief that if they just tried to get to know her they'd understand, ignoring the fact that many of them have tried only to have her spit her venom in response.

"Dad would've listened..." she'd find herself thinking, and at the same time only drawn deeper into her bitterness by it. "No he wouldn't. He left me for his own desires. He never cared... he never listened..."

Somewhere in her heart a spark of the innocent girl who loved her father still existed, and before it stood the avatar of what her father had once been to her, the unconquerable hero, fighting to keep alive the warmth that girl once. But now all that stood was a crippled old man, robbed of his armor, feebly waving a broken sword against the cold visage of the girl Tyra had let herself become, wrapped in the dark steel of anger and bitterness.

She wasn't Daddy's Little Girl anymore... and part of her would make sure she would never be, ever again, allowing her to become whatever she thought she needed to be to achieve her goals...

And yet somewhere, watching Bella smile at Daniel, watching Andrew tease Elohanna, on the hill overlooking Haven staring at that certain old man marching vigilantly around the village, was a daughter wishing to be so again...

Title: A Not So Smooth Move...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 29, 2010, 08:27:11 AM

If there was ever anything in her life Tyra regretted, it was trying to pick up that Cult dart. She constantly feels nauseated. Sometimes to the point of vomitting but most often just a queasy feeling in her stomach. Eating has become a chore to be endured. Her skin has become dry and cracked with greenish yellow liquid seeping out of the cracks. At first it is her hands and arms, but she gets the suspicion. The cracks hurt. Her joints hurt. She has a constant low grade fever most of the time. Sometimes the fever spikes and she sees things that are not there.

For the time being, she stays in Fort Vehl's Temple, hoping the Rofireinites can at least keep it from getting worse...

Title: How Dread Blades are Born...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on March 31, 2010, 05:46:21 PM

Title: How Dread Blades are Born...
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 01, 2010, 08:40:06 AM

Title: Re: Tyra Dragonheart - Daughter of Swords
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 03, 2010, 08:40:25 PM

Charlie quietly picks the locks to Tyra's door, sliding the bolt aside and peering through the cracks. Tyra sits on her bed, the candelabra lit on the table next to it. She reads a book, the title obscured by the door, still with her arms wrapped in sickly stained bandages. “You still alive in there?”

“Believe me, Charlie, if I 'died' in here, the whole city would know about it...”

“They said yer turnin into a dragon. are ya really? do ya got scales?”

He can’t see her face behind the book, but something tells him she’s smirking at his question. “Who said I was turning into anything?”

“Well, I heard one lady say you got the temper of a big mean dragon... and that iffn ya could breathe fire on Brother Aesthir, ya'd do it...”

Tyra starts chuckling. “Well I can't say they are far off...”

“Miss Tyra?”

Tyra looks up at Charlie at the sound of her name. “What are you doing here, Charlie. You know no one is supposed to come in here...”

“You ain't gonna tell nobody I came here right?”

“Not if I want you to keep coming. You are much more interesting to talk to than Sister Merissa.”

Charlie frowns some as he begins. “My ma went away again.”

“Hmmmm... How does that make you feel.”

He shrugs, but it's barely visible between the door and the door frame. “She were awful sick. And she's sad. She was cryin' alla time. I never seen her cry afore.”

Tyra waits for him to answer her question.

“She ain't had much time fer me. She was sleepin a lot, and then she went away again.”

“Makes you feel like she doesn't care about you, maybe?”

He shrugs again. “She didn't say goodbye again.”

Tyra signs, a frown creasingher face. “That's how it used to make me feel...”

“She don't like the baby.” He goes quiet for a moment. “Would she be happier if there weren't no baby?”

“Yes... sadly.”

“So it's a bad baby?”

“No, it's not the babies fault. It's just.... complicated.”

“But it's the baby what's making her sad and sick and scared, right?”

“Yes, it is, but Bella must figure this out herself. It's nothing you can do anything about, Charlie.”

The boy suddenly seems to be contemplating something.

“Stop, Charlie. You'll only hurt Bella.”

"I didn't do nothing.”

Tyra didn’t smirk the way she usually does when he says that. “I know what you're thinking... You're thinking how you could get rid of the baby.”

He scoots out of sight behind the door. “I didn't say nothing.”

“Come back here, Charlie...”

The boy scoots a little bit back to the crack in the door.

“Do you love Bella?”

His head bobs a little.

“Then trust me, and let Bella hand this.” Tyra pauses a while. “So how has your education been progressing?”

He shrugs a bit, once again.

“Who has been teaching you, lately...”

Again, he shrugs. “Bunch o' people,” he mumbles.

“Aesthir?”

Another shrug. “He don't teach me my lessons so much. I messed that up.”

“Don't feel bad about that. He's not someone you really want to learn anything from.”

“But he was gonna let me train with the big kids.. with the squires.”

“Why? So you can feel insignificant among them?”

“But I wanna learn how to fight monsters. Ma was teaching me afore... afore... you know..”

“Don't be in a rush to kill, Charlie.”

His voices whines slightly. “But I wanna be big and brave like Ma an' Prote.... Da.”

“They are types of bravery that do no involve fighting monsters. There are worse things in the world then orcs and ogres...”

“There is?”

“Indeed...”

“Like what?”

“Like poverty and starvation, corruption and abuse.”

“ I know it ain't good to be starvin. I been there.”

“There are many in this Kingdom that starve, Charlie, and there are also those with Power that use it only to serve themselves.”

He is quiet for a long time, whether listening or lost in his own thoughts, it's unclear.

“You know I like it when you come talk to me...”

Charlie nods a bit.

“Your mother loves you, Charlie.”

“She's gonna come back... right?”

Tyra nods firmly.

“She always gonna hate that baby?”

“I do not know, Charlie.”

“Well if she don't like it, I don't like it,” he says stubbornly.

“Then I won't like you. You have no right to not like that baby. It has done nothing to you.” Tyra gives him a firm look.

Charlie grumbles. “Yes it did. It made my ma scared and made her cry and made her go away.”

“Axiom Seven. A child is never your enemy...”

“Axiom? What's a Axiom?”

“A rule.”

Charlie wrinkles his nose. “Everybody's got rules.”

“They are necessary sometimes.”

“Well this ain't a child yet. It's not born yet so it don't count.”

“Do you realize what your thinking, Charlie...” She frowns. “You want to kill an unborn baby. You want to harm something that is helpless and just wants to live and be loved by its mother.”

Charlie shifts a bit uncomfortably.

Tyra shakes her head and looks down at her book, frowning and looking disappointed

Charlie sniffles a bit.

“Not a good feeling, is it, Charlie... To want to kill...”

“But I gotta protect my ma,” he says quietly, “it's hurting her”

“Are you willing to harm your father, too?” Her eyes narrowed on Charlie through the crack. “He is the reason she is having a baby, Charlie. Are you going to do that too? Make your mother cry more?”

“He promised he wouldn't hurt her.” His face contorts, mimicking Bella’s stubborn face. “ I said he could marry her onna counta he wouldn't hurt her?”

“He hasn't, Charlie. The one who is causing your mother this pain is long dead.”

He opens the door a bit more, a look of curiousity on his face. “Who?”

“-Her- mother.”

“But...”

“You are too young to understand, Charlie.”

“I'm big...” His voice echoes with the stubbornness of youth.

“You have a big heart, Charlie. That much is certain. But this is something you will just have to accept as being too big for you.”

“I gotta go,” floats through the crack, “they ain't gonna be happy if they know I picked this lock.”

“I love you, Charlie...”

Charlie peers in the crack as she says that.

“Get going before you get in trouble.”

“Miss Tyra?”

She once again looks up at the sound of her name. “Yes, Charlie.”

“Can I call you Granny?”

“Only when it's just you and me.” The woman she smiles and winks at the boy.

“Okay...” A small smile appears through the crack in the door. “But don't turn into a dragon...”

“I'm trying not to.”

The door shuts quietly and the lock clicks as Charlie removes his mother's lock pick from the key hole, and he slips the bolt back into place.

Title: Daddy's Big Girl
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 04, 2010, 02:41:33 PM

Shiff walks into the Fort Vehl temple, asking Reus to see his Daughter. He turns over his greatsword, and for some reason Reus asks him if that's the only weapon he has on him.

"A'course it is. Who cares more then one weapon on them?"

Reus smirks a bit, then brings Shiff down to the basement to the room Tyra is staying in.

"Miss Dragonheart, you have a visitor..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Tyra's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the book in her hand slipped out of her fingers and plopped close on her lap. "DAD?!"

"Yeah, yer mother's fairly sher yer mine, seeing as I'm her husband." He smirks slightly, as if it were a joke.

"What in the Pits are you doing here?" Tyra always had a feeling he would show up, especially after Andrew said he was sending her father a letter.

"I dunno," he shrugs, the old man leaning on the door frame. "A little bardy told me you were here and I thought, 'I've avoided coming to see you for too long...' So here I am!" He smiles, as if he were expecting her to.

"Go to hell, Dad..." Tyra crosses her arms

"Yeah," he frowns, "he said you'd be mad..."

"You left us alone... Alone!"

"I know what I-"

"WHY?!" She throws the book at him, then wraps her arms around her self coughing.

"Cause I can't stay home..." He hangs his head and sighs. "It has nothing to do with Mom or you or Drakus... I just can't..."

"Cause yer selfish..." Tyra glared at her father.

"Maybe." He sighs. "You were happy before I disappeared though."

Tyra goes quiet suddenly, looking down at the bed she sits on, her arms now around her knees.

"Tyra, I never meant to disappear..." He sighs, moving to step inside the room. The guards put their arms in his way, shaking their heads. "All I could think of all that time was... getting back to my family... You, mom, Drakus..." He hangs his head. "But I come back and find my daughter hates me, my son left home to study magic... Sure Mom's still around but... I lost my kids..."

Tyra doesn't look at him.

"I still love, Tyra. Yer still my daughter, and despite whatever got you sick or the rumors I hear about you, I'm proud I have a daughter as capable and independent as you."

She looks up, her violet eyes dripping tears.

"Maybe I'll see you when yer not a health hazard?" He grins a bit, tilting his head to see her face.

Tyra chuckled. "I'll always be a health hazard to someone."

"Well spare me this once, alright? I think I've been stabbed enough, you know?" He rubs his neck self consciously. They both frown when he does that. "Will I see you when you're better?"

"Maybe..."

"Maybe?"

"You could always come find me."

He smirks, looking at her skeptically. "You think I haven't been trying? And who finds you that you don't want to, anyway?"

Tyra sighs. "Come to the Arms reopening..."

"Alrighty. You just better be there." They are both quiet for a while. Shiff stands up as the guard says they need to shut the door for her next check up and that he needs to leave. "Get better, honey. I'll let you mother know you didn't try too hard to kill me."

"I love you, Daddy..." Tyra looks up at him with a smile, the likes of which she hasn't shown on her face since her father disappeared, 30 years ago.

Title: "Interested Parties"
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 05, 2010, 10:09:09 PM

The room Tyra has been held in is lit only by a small window, far too small for even a Halfling to crawl through, but it boasts a warm hearth and it not at all uncomfortably furnished. Along with a hearth there is a small table for meals and a pair of chairs, there is a comfortable bed and many oil lamps to supplement the light. Outside the stout wooden door there are however now two liveried guards since it reasoned security breached during your stay. Tyra wondered if Charlie knew, or Bella... Her meals are ample, but not that she can enjoy since her stomach still rolls with uneasiness and forcing enough to keep her strength past the waves of nausea is a chore. Various jars of ointment are present but none bring relief to the cracks and oozing of Tyra's skin. A barrel of cool water does little to quench the fever she often suffers. Clergy pray and the learned of Rofirein visit Tyra daily but nothing seems to be working to lessen the woman's symptoms, buy comfort can be found in they do not seem to be getting worse. About one month into her internment, about mid day, the door of Tyra's room swings open. The noon meal is delivered by not sister Merissa, however. In her place is a man, human, about middle years with dark hair and bright blue eyes. He stands in the threshold of the door and asks if he may enter.

Tyra is busy throwing darts fashioned out of last nights chicken at a unfurled scroll, sitting over the hearth, she was supplied the night before, titled "Law and Order." Her throwing arm is unwrapped, her own doing, while the other is still mummified. She glances at the door, then back at the book. The unsettling cracks and oozing seems to have progressed up her arm slightly, a quarter of an inch. "I'm the only one in the room, right?" she asks as closes her eyes.

"I am no mage or sorcerer to see, but I can assume you are." he replies, holding the tray of broth and bread out as an offering.

Tyra opens her eyes, but seems to eye something in a dark corner of the room. After a deep breath, she hurls a dark at the corner which shatters against the wall. "Come on in... I think it's gone..." Her voice contains a tinge of irony, and sarcasm. She's been seeing all sorts of things ever time the fever peaks. "You spend a month in here like this and tell me if you don't see things..." She glances at the food and visibly shivers.

His eyebrow lifts only slightly as he shuts the door with a foot, then strides forward, setting the bowl and bread on the table. "Reus tells me you offered yourself to the temple's care of your own will." He stands at ease now, hands clasped behind his back and studies you from a distance.

"I'm not a prisoner, if that's what you mean... Though aside from how nicely I've been kept, I'm not far from one..."

"I would not think the temple stewards to be unkind or inhospitable to you save protecting the peace by keeping you here."

Tyra goes to her bed and takes up a fresh bandage roll and starts wrapping her arm. "So who 'er you..."

The man wanders toward the window to glance outside. "I am a friend or an ally if that serves you better." He nods toward the bowl of broth. "I think you may find that to your liking."

"I could be a friend or an ally too. But you seem to know who I am... Who. Are you...?"

"My name is Oslo Riglon." He waits for any sign of recognition.

"The Baron?" She eyes him suspiciously.

"Not until my sire's breath leaves him." He has a twinkle in his eye. "Which Rofirien keep him, will not be for many more years."

"What in the Pits are you doing here?" She puts her hands on her hips, tilting her head.

He nods again toward the meal. "This isn't the Pits, or least wise one that would keep your soup warm. Believe it or not the masters of this temple are trying to make you well again."

Tyra sighs. "Yes, I realize that. I am not hungry, though." She crosses her arms. "What do you want?"

"Reus sent a message to the temple at Western Gate. Lets me just say some took interest in your plight and sent me to fetch you. If you have not had enough of this room yet, I shall take my leave."

"So I can go to another room? You know you nobles aren't the only ones with things they want to see done..." She goes over to the soup and sniffs it, but doesn't touch it. "What are they interested in..."

"You can consider my offer of passage to the care of parties more learned in your particular affliction. I will not force you to go."

" I know what my affliction is, and it's cure. What can they do for me, and what do they want in return.... Everyone wants something..."

" If you know its cure already then why do you bind yourself like a Sederian corpse? You could be free of your internment."

" Do you have unicorn blood, a dragon's scale, whatever else I wrote in my journal (which the temple took) and an alchemist who knows what proportions to mix them? Because I don't..."

He wrinkles his nose. "You dishonor the noble beasts calling them by that base name. The Jhemina are creatures far more worthy of your respect."

"Never met one, and I'm sure Commander Creekskipper is glad I haven't." Tyra shrugs. "So what do these 'interested parties' want..."

"If you are not interested in my offer than I shall take my leave and you can entertain your invisible company without my interruption."

Tyra glares at that certain corner of the room again, then closes her eyes and looks at Oslo, intently focusing on him. "No I've become quite bored of this place, and this..." She holds up her arms and hands in front of her. "The interesting concept of turning into a Drach has long since lost it's appeal, if there every was any..." Tyra looks over at the soup again, then back at Oslo.

He still stands at ease, the expression on his face neutral as if it one of practice for him.

" Well? Are they coming here or am supposed to hallucinate them, too? When can I get out of here and get back to my life..."
"If you had been listening, I stated my role was to escort you in passage to them. As to resuming your previous activities I have no knowledge when that might be."
" From one cage to another..." She sighs. "When do we leave... And do you have any books that don't talk about Rofirein? I think I've read enough about him for an elvish life time..." Tyra glances over at the bone punctured scroll on the hearth.

"With favorable tides, at dawn. While aboard it would be best if you kept to your cabin. I can see that scrolls of other subjects could be provided to you. Bound books are treasures not often taken on sea journeys except as journals." The man eyes the wantonly spoiled scroll as he says such.

"Why did they send you, anyway?"

Oslo runs his fingers through his hair and grins. "The Pits only knows, but my ship is fast and known as a merchant in these waters. She will arouse few suspicions is my guess traveling out of Vehl."

Tyra snorts. "There are likely a half dozen other merchants they could have sent. Why a noble?"

He shrugs. "Perhaps my father meant to punish me," said as a friendly quip. "If my presence bothers you I will make sure you suffer little of it during the voyage. Please, finish your meal." He turns to leave. "I will return at dawn."

"I'm still not convinced this is all charity... Who are these interested parties who seem so eager to help someone with my reputation..."

Oslo looks over his shoulder. "Mayhaps you put too much stock in your reputation or the lack of charity in others. As for whom they may be, that you will have to see for even if you have no invisible friends , walls can have ears."

"You weren't afraid to identify yourself..."

"No, but I do not put in possible peril others without necessity. Even to satisfy your curiosity."

"Fair enough. Hey, can you get me back my sword..." She fidgets with the hem of her sleeve.

"Your belongings will be transferred to the ship. I will see your arms are stowed in your cabin."

Tyra looks down at her hands. She curls and uncurls her fingers, as if she were grasping something that's not there. "Thanks..."

"One more thing..." As he is closing the door the guards hand him a package , which he places on the floor inside the door. "These are your traveling clothes, please be bathed and dressed when I return for you."

"Traveling clothes...?"

With that the door closes and his footsteps can be heard returning back upstairs.

Title: Traveling Incognito
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 07, 2010, 01:25:21 PM

The first rays of dawn start to creep in the window of the room and footsteps can be heard through the door. Tyra, having been up an hour earlier to meditate and prepare herself for her day, is already dressed in the regal outfit that was given to her: a dress with a modest skirt and bodice, of quality fabric, silk by the look of them. A pair of calfskin boots that have a slight glow about them and a hooded cloak that is emblazoned with the emblem of Erilyn on its back, Sea blue dyed leather, wool lined, such that ambassadors and knights of the realm are known to wear. The door swings open and two people enter the room. One is Oslo the other a woman dressed in simple Rofireinite robes as Tyra's were. Her size and coloring is very much the same as Tyra's, but her eyes are as blue as the sky and her face rounder and fair.

"Lemme guess, your sister?" Tyra turns slowly, then looks to the pair. "How do I look?

The woman stays out of the line of sight of the window and gives Tyra a once over at her question. "Walk across the room please."

Tyra looks to Oslo, then the woman, a look of thought on her face. She walks across the room slowly. She then looks to Oslo and mouths the word, "Decoy", while pointing to the woman.

The woman gives a soft sigh. "I am you and you are I for this journey."

"And you are?" She keeps her voice low.

"You are Amelia J'ost. Ambassador's aid to the Court of Trelania."

Tyra laughs.

Oslo frowns deeply. "This woman risks much for you and you laugh at her?"

"Are you sure this visit was wise, m'lord Riglon?" She rolls her hand, as if to signify them to play along. "She look awfully to far along..."

"You have your proof now," Oslo says. Do not tarry long in her company as it is not proven the affliction is not transferable."

Amelia nods and moves to stand with her back to the window.

Tyra mouths a question to Oslo. "What do you want me to do..." Tyra then speaks up.
"She seems awfully common. Is she worth it?"

Oslo speaks quietly. "Walk close to me, keep your head down and for the love of dragon wings try to walk like a lady and not a farmer."

Tyra moves to stand with Oslo. She gently hip checks him at his remark then changes her poise, keeping her back straight and her feet together.

Amelia raises an eyebrow at Tyra's attempt to impersonate her.

Tyra shrugs slightly, and mouths. "What? This wasn't my idea."

She hissed backs at a low whisper. "I'd keep your thoughts to own as well, do not presume to know my nature but only my name."

Tyra just rolls her eyes, and looks to Oslo, mouthing. "Sorry.

Ozlo looks over at that. "True enough, she seems more heavily burdened by her station that do we, but a quiet demeanor would be prudent at least until the Gull is safely away."

Tyra narrows her eyes at Oslo, shaking her head slightly, but saying nothing.

He gives Amelia a sign and a smile that implies a long and lasting friendship. "Lady Amelia is time to leave. The Tide waits not even for your indulgences. Reus has the records you need, come with me." He opens the door and motions for Tyra to follow and raise her hood.

Tyra raises her hood, whispering, "Where are my things? I have a safer hood and cloak for this..." Tyra wraps her hands in the folds of the cloak, and keeping her cloak closer around her.

"Yes Lady Amelia, the chests of documents have been transferred to your cabin, as I already told you, come leave the woman to her rest."

Tyra nods to her double, mouthing the words "I won't forget this, Thanks," before walking out of the room, doing her best to appear 'proper.'

He looks at your hands as you grasp the cloak and whispers in your ear. "The oil did nothing?" He is reaches for his gloves to lend Tyra to cover her hands.

Tyra gulps. "I thought it was perfume..." She stops in the hall way a moment, wrapping the cloak around her as she pulls the phial out of her belt. "What do I do with it..."

The man sighs. "There will be no ladies bathes aboard a merchant vessel, but I will see what I can do."

"Don't fret over it, Oslo. I will be fine." She smiles, then juts her head for him to keep moving.

Title: Anchors Away
Post by: ShiffDrgnhrt on April 07, 2010, 01:55:15 PM

Following Oslo out of the Temple, Tyra keeps her head down, and follows her benefactor to his ship. The crew looks her over as she enters but leave her be, and Oslo brings her to a cabin prepared for her. Inside she finds a chest with her things in it and an wardrobe full of clothes befitting a noblewoman. She quickly goes about dressing herself in a comfortable manner, while remaining dressed as Amelia might, but making sure to wear as much as her equipment as she could.z

Several hours after the ship has been at sea and is safely out of the reaches of shore, Oslo visits her cabin. With him he brings nine pouches of parchment in a small velvet bag. He says he is sorry that there cannot be one for each day of the journey but cautions her to ration them as best you can as they will ease the fever and sickness you feel, in fact since consuming the broth he brought her when he first visited, Tyra has felt much much better. He also explains that fresh water aboard a ship is precious and not to be wasted in a ladies bath, but should they run into rain he will direct the crew to gather as much rainwater as they can to provide for a bath in which to use the oil.

Tyra roams the ship as she pleases. He invites her to sup with the officers in the galley as none other than he know Amelia personally.

After dinner the first night of the trip, Tyra tries to catch Oslo in order to talk. Tyra walks above deck, sneakily, after Oslo, until she's she no one else is around.

When she is almost behind him he speak out over the rail in a low voice. "Try that with one of the sailors and you might regret it lady." His tone is light and teasing.

"I doubt it." She pats her bolero softly, where her dagger is hidden.

"No body is invunerable, even you" His tone a bit more serious but barely.

"By the state of my health, I am inclined to agree. But I am no prissy princess either."

He chuckles softly and reaches into his coat. "Definitly not a princess at least not as any I am happily aquainted."

Tyra pulls the phial of oil out of her bodice. "So what's this?"

The captain pulls out a pipe and a roll of leaf , casually filling the bowl. "Looks like a bottle of ladies bath oil to me." He replaces the bag in his coat and strikes a small flint on some ironwork of the rail to light the pipe.

"What is it, really..."

He leans on the railing. "Really my lady, it is bath oil." He takes a short draws from his pipe. "Or verily it appears as such."

"Must this all be in riddles?"

"I see no riddle here"

"Fine..." She shakes her head. "Then why did you ask if it helped?"

"Your skin seemed chapped." Again he draws from his pipe. "I have heard oiled waters may help."

She looks around the deck for anyone else before speaking. Her voice lowers to a whipser. "Are you toying with me?"

"Are you so full of ill will that you must attribute malice to all?"

"Think of the position you put me in? You show up acting like you can save me and give me things without explanation. You have yet to tell me anything about why I'm offered 'assistance' or who is even offering...."

"Did you not willfully place yourself in the hands of Rofirein? Did you expect a few dragon hails and some holy water and all would be better?"

She sighs, looking frustrated. "Can we talk someplace privately..."

"My lady it would not be seemly to join you in your cabin or you in mine. I understand how things may be different in your station but for the next fortnight an a bit you have left that for something else. I understand how it vexes you to not have some measure of control, but some things are meant for faith and trust. Surely somewhere you still hold some measure of that?"

"After my time in Co'rys? It certainly doesn't sit with nobles." She pauses a moment before continuing. "Look, I know I'm a mean person but isn't there anything you can share with me?"

"There are far more snakes in Co'rys than those of old blood and houses. How two faced it is to paint me with that brush and bristle that I should paint you with one of your birth?
I will share that you are not a fount of knowledge on all things and that for whatever reason someone has thought to show you mercy in what might await should that within you take hold. Don't delude yourself that there may not be a price but it is not I that will barter that with you, but know that it will be fair and you will not be forced to do something even you may find distasteful."

She rubs her forehead, sighing. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to seem ungrateful or vicious... But I hurt. All over... Especially my arms. They are my tools, whatever you may thing of that. I'm just looking to understand."

"What can be done is being done. All else remains in faith, be in gods or men or," he grins, "women."

"Women, then..." She snorts. "What were those packets you gave me earlier? Sounded like... debris..."

"A lady whom I greatly admire intrusted them to me to aid the turmoil within you. At least that is my understanding. I am more understanding of a mug of fine ale, the course of the stars and waves or a fine blade than potions and herblore."

"Herblore... Tea? I guess it will help. So tell me about yer ship."

"What do you wish to know about her?"

"Well what's her name?"

"She's the Mew's Gull after the call that filled my ears as a child. You could see white wings from the towers of my family home."

"The Towers, huh? All you see from my tower is a swamp and a forest.... Though when the sky is clear and the Orn is full, he casts a nice light through the hole in my roof."

"Mayhaps that is why bath oil is strange to you. With a roof like that one could bathe standing in the rain and have no use for oil." He smirks, teasing.

Tyra snorts. "Shoulda seen me when I was younger. I was so afraid to take my armor off I'd forgo bathing for weeks. My mentor used to dump buckets on my head, in the middle of the tavern at The Leringard Arms until I got the hint." She then laughs. "My apprentice was the same way... Grew up in Vehl's gutters... Had to throw her in a pond once so she'd not smell like horse..."

"Don't insult the horse... Why would cleanliness be a fright?"

"Wasn't cleanliness. I was afraid of being caught off guard and killed... I was probably more paranoid then than I am now."

"I see..." His tone belies his words as he shakes the ashes out of the bowl of the pipe.

"I dunno why I'm telling you this... " The sick woman leans on the railing, looking at to sea.

"Perhaps a sign of faith." He smiles slightly. "Don't worry my lady, there will be no killing here, least ways without a good deal of warning."

"Did Commander Creekskipper put you up to this?"

"The less you know of it, the safer you both shall be if by chance things should go to ruin, but no the Heart of the Dragon had no hand in this."

Tyra sighs. She wraps her arms around her and starts to shiver. "I think I better go lie down... I'm sorry to be a burden on you and your friend."

"May the wings of the Lord Protector shelter us from unfriendly eyes. Rest well my lady and do not fret. All will work to a good end I am sure." He smiles.

"Define good..." With that she sighs and shuffles herself back to her cabin to make some tea and rest.

The World of Layonara

Character Development => Development Journals and Discussion => Topic started by: ShiffDrgnhrt on December 16, 2014, 02:15:34 PM