The World of Layonara
Character Development => Development Journals and Discussion => Topic started by: BlackStar on March 20, 2010, 11:13:25 AM
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Veran arrived in Fort Vehl just after the storm had passed. As he walked through the gates he overheard a caravan master asking his crew, quite angrily, what had happened to her. Veran slipped past the gate and walked towards the craft hall: he had to work on his new cougar hides.
Earlier he had been hunting spiders in the Gloomwoods when a young, unarmed woman approached him, lost in the storm that had taken over the woods. Veran was surprised to see someone like her here, as the woods are dangerous and only skilled hunters and adventurers come through here. She was lost and scared, so Veran offered to take her in for the night, setting up a camp, a web of sorts. Inspired by his spider foes, he worked to trap his prey in this web, and once they were helpless, he would strike. Such was the thrill of the hunt, albeit a different kind of hunt.
As they talked, she grew more terrified of the surrounding woods, learning of the horrors that awaited her, had she been left alone. Veran offered food and a blanket, easing her spirit. She was then showed Veran a drawing she had made of a pony, what was to be her pony. After pressing her more, Veran learned she is a Smithson, a wealthy family, one that would take notice of her disappearance. The wheels began to turn in his head...
As she drifted off to sleep, Veran hummed a familiar tune, a sad elven tune he had learned from his mother. The tune would be the last earthly sound the young girl, Ivanova, would hear. Veran, like the spiders, struck the woman in her most helpless of states. He grabbed the drawing and found a family ring on her body, and quickly placed them in his pack. After digging a shallow grave for the girl, he set off back to Fort Vehl.
“Money,” he thought, “certainly has its uses.” The ring would either fetch a good price on the black market, or the family would want some kind of clue as to were their daughter was. With any luck, the family would quickly began offering rewards. But until then, it was no matter to Veran. He had all the time in the world to wait.
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As he fed Ivanova's mother another lie, Veran couldn't help but enjoy his deception. It required him to remain absolutely calm, and he needed to choose his words carefully. More importantly, he needed to fight off the slight feeling of paranoia that was creeping into his mind. How could the woman or her husband know? he thought. It was simply impossible. There had been no witnesses, and he had left no evidence. Still, he thought, a little paranoia is healthy.
As the man handed him a bag filled with True, and a ring showing the family's favor he had earned, Veran felt as if he was being awarded for taking down a dangerous beast. To him, these rewards were not for bringing forth evidence, but were instead the hard-won rewards of skillfully taking down his prey and then maintaining the deception. Part of him was content to take these rewards and be done. But he was offered to work within the search parties, and would be rewarded well. How could he turn down these rewards or, better yet, the opportunity to display his skills?
As he examined the ring, yet again (Veran had developed a sort of fascination for the ring, yet he was not sure why), he pondered what should be done next. The hunt, he thought, will continue. Yet this time he would be aiding the search parties in hunting for himself. This would be tricky. Yet Veran loved the idea of a challenge.