Valanthia L'Evienne
I can't go on. I'll go on.
~ VALANTHIA
Timestamp: Fall, era XII PF
Valanthia was somewhere between being in a bad mood and a terrible one, and though she knew that her emotions weren't helping matters at all, she found them difficult to suppress regardless.
She had realized as soon as she had gotten fairly close to Taralon why exactly the woman in Herozzal had been willing to sell her the property here so cheaply -- it seemed that there was quite a good chance she wouldn't be able to enter the city to see it. People here didn't like vysstichi, to state it mildly, and so before coming up to the gate, she had needed to come up with a plan.
It wasn't necessarily a good plan, but it was the only one that had seemed to present itself, and so it would have to do for the moment. Oh, she could have turned back and gone home, but Val was in no mood to face her mother and brother again so soon after leaving. It seemed better to try and fail -- assuming the price of failure wasn't death -- than to go home and have to listen to her brother laugh at her.
So she had stopped well off the road, taken her dagger, and chopped off her tell-tale hair as close to her head as she could. Then she had wrapped her head-scarf tightly around her head, covering both her remaining hair and her ears. She had also left her dress loosely tied, to try to make her look less thin than she in fact was.
Her skin was gray but not black, the result of the mixing of human and vysstichi heritage inside her. Her eyes too were not the giveaway red of a vysstichi, but a light gray. As such, she figured she had a shot. For now -- at least until she made it to her house, she was no longer a half-vysstichi. No, at least for public consumption, she was now...
...half-Nimâlni.
Slowly but purposefully, she approached the gate, trying to appear as unconcerned as she possibly could. When she got close, she produced her visa and attempted to hand it to the guard.
"Paîte valloúa rhu'rhídzul gémen," she said. It wasn't a particularly useful Nimâlni phrase -- it meant something like, "I went to town to buy bread" -- but it was the only one she knew. For now, she was going to bet that the guard didn't speak any better Nimâlni than she did. "I am here in Taralon to purchase food, and to look after a property my father left me before he returned to die in Nimâl," she added.
Now it was all a matter of whether or not it would work. Her skin was close to the right color, and though she was not as heavy-boned as a true Nimâlni, she was still quite young, and so perhaps the guard would overlook it.
Either that, or her stay was going to be a very short one indeed...
~ AERTH KORYU
The guards looked at her with some curiousity because she had slightly of an unnatural grey tint to her skin. They couldnt put their finger on it, but they werent too sure about it. Luckily for Valanthia, Aerth Kohryu, the kind hearted Mottera, noticed from afar that the guard was giving her kind of a hard time. Seeing this, Aerth rushed over.
Hey hows it going I havent seen you in such a long time! As he rushed over he happened to brush the guard a little bit, and when brushing him Aerth caught a glimpse of the visa and the name on it. So how have you been Valanthia? Oh, guards dont worry she is clear to go, she's a good friend of mine.
After this interuption, the guard didnt think much more of it and handed back the visa. Enjoy your stay in Taralon.
Aerth ushered the girl away from the gate and then decided to introduce himself. Hows it going, im Aerth Kohryu. I couldnt stand by and watch the guard possibly throw you out. Im used to being given a hard time because you're different. Would you like a tour of Taralon?
With this the Mottera leaned back and waited for the unique human to say something.
~ SARAH
What was this? The Rodenti was impeding business of the Taralon Constabulary?
K'aarnah had been watching Valanthia keenly, as he leaned almost casually against the grey-golden stone that was the archway of the Narim Gate. There was something about her that he could not put his finger on, but he did not like it. Nevertheless, the Dorin typically detested dealing with the day to day duty of questioning travellers and checking visas; and he and the aging dwarf tended to leave that fact to the young, enthusiastic Nevin. Yet when this Rodenti bristled up to the gate; snatching both woman and her visa from the clutches of the human hand; K’aarnah would not sit back idly and just let them into the city.
He growled loudly, his dark black and grey muzzle opening to show rows of sharp teeth, as he pounced after the Rodenti and half-Vysstichi; drawing his blade and pointing its tip at his chest. With quick haste, Eorin – the dwarf – moved with apt speed blocking his exit; a long pole arm in his hand.
“You dare impede the business of the Taralon Militia boy?” the Dorin growled; his fur bristling. “It be not you that decides who may enter this gate; be she your friend or not,” the black eyes turned to Valanthia; daring her to move, daring her to speak. “Perhaps she be a criminal of sorts, mayhap you be her cohort; smuggling illegal immigrants into this city be a penalty that faces time in the Gaol, Mottera, and you do not wish to feel the bite of the tongue that is Mad Creywan,”
As he spoke guards from the surrounding gate house had begun to surround the pair; other taking there place below the iron bars of the fortified gates. There seemed to be no move for escape now.
~ AERTH KORYU
Woah, woah there buddy. There's no need for weapons. As Aerth held his hands up high, he did not falter. You can check her Visa and everything. You will see that she is not a criminal at all. Sorry, but I didnt think I was doing anything wrong. Even if I was to try to "smuggle people in", thats a little obvious. So check us and everything sir, I didnt mean any harm. You can also check my records. I am a good citizen and I have no criminal record.
He took off his sword from his waist and put it on the ground to show that he meant no harm. He also took the dagger given to him from his father and set it on the ground.
Aerth then stood up straight, and waited to see whether or not the Dorin will excuse him from his misguided act of kindness.
~ VALANTHIA
Valanthia had hardly expected the rodenti to suddenly try and whisk her away as though she were some sort of old friend, nor had she anticipated the interest this would draw from the guards. The surprise was obvious on her face, and for a moment she couldn't think of anything to say at all.
"I don't know what's going on, but I've never met this fellow before in my life," she said simply when she had recovered the ability to speak. If the guards had been watching her expression, they would know this was the truth, and Val couldn't think of a good reason to try and lie about it anyway. One lie was plenty for this particular event.
She made no motion to escape or even to move; it would be pointless anyway, given the look of the various weapons the guards were holding, and she had no desire to meet Mad Creywan -- whoever or whatever that was, it didn't sound particularly pleasant.
"I have no desire to do anything except for what I have already said," she added. "I don't want any trouble." Of course, if that were true in its most strict sense, she wouldn't be trying to get into the city in the first place, but she really didn't want to be brained by the guards or thrown to the dogs -- or Mad Creywan -- if it was at all avoidable.
~ SARAH
K'aarnah stared at the Mottera with his deep piercing eyes; his snarl continuing as a soft growl under his breath. He was a soldier and a Dorin that would not tolerate such discourse among this gate. As Aerth put his blade down upon the ground in a act to show that he was being honest in his deliberation, K’aarnah turned his head to face the pale-grey woman that had seemingly been accosted into this situation. He could see the sincere surprise and confusion on her face, as any would in this situation. With a nod to Eorin, the dwarfs booming voice echoed around the gate.
“Back to ye posts men, Corporal K’aarnah has the situation under control,”
The black and grey Dorin gave a soft, small smile to the young woman before him; sheathing his blade as he bowed low to her. “My humblest apologies miss,” the Dorin said. “I believe your words that you had no prior knowledge of this creatures actions. There is no reason for us to keep you any longer, and we welcome you to the city of Taralon,” he stepped back from her, keeping his eye on the Mottera. “If anyone causes you hassle again, do not hesitate to come to any of the Militia and ask for K’aarnah,”
No matter the circumstance, perhaps this boon had boded will for Valanthia, for no longer the guards worried about her pale-grey skin, and the scarf around her head. She was free to go; though the circumstances for Aerth were mayhap not the same.
The kindness that K’aarnah had showed Valanthia disappeared almost instantly as he turned to the Mottera. “Not only did you try and steal this woman into the city, but you lied about the fact that you knew her, causing her distress!” his teeth were bared. “For that itself I have a mind to throw you in the gaol! You have no place here deciding who should or should not be let into the city. How could you have known if she was not a criminal or a DRACON in disguise!” Taking a breath the Dorin stared him down. “But for now I think it is just your stupidity that perhaps made you act this way, or you mayhap be a mad man, who knows with these Rodenti – perhaps you need to read up on the Articles of the Imperium. Get out of my site, take your blade and if I ever hear a Mottera making trouble again, I will not forget this. You can go!”
Timestamp: Fall, era XII PF
Valanthia was somewhere between being in a bad mood and a terrible one, and though she knew that her emotions weren't helping matters at all, she found them difficult to suppress regardless.
She had realized as soon as she had gotten fairly close to Taralon why exactly the woman in Herozzal had been willing to sell her the property here so cheaply -- it seemed that there was quite a good chance she wouldn't be able to enter the city to see it. People here didn't like vysstichi, to state it mildly, and so before coming up to the gate, she had needed to come up with a plan.
It wasn't necessarily a good plan, but it was the only one that had seemed to present itself, and so it would have to do for the moment. Oh, she could have turned back and gone home, but Val was in no mood to face her mother and brother again so soon after leaving. It seemed better to try and fail -- assuming the price of failure wasn't death -- than to go home and have to listen to her brother laugh at her.
So she had stopped well off the road, taken her dagger, and chopped off her tell-tale hair as close to her head as she could. Then she had wrapped her head-scarf tightly around her head, covering both her remaining hair and her ears. She had also left her dress loosely tied, to try to make her look less thin than she in fact was.
Her skin was gray but not black, the result of the mixing of human and vysstichi heritage inside her. Her eyes too were not the giveaway red of a vysstichi, but a light gray. As such, she figured she had a shot. For now -- at least until she made it to her house, she was no longer a half-vysstichi. No, at least for public consumption, she was now...
...half-Nimâlni.
Slowly but purposefully, she approached the gate, trying to appear as unconcerned as she possibly could. When she got close, she produced her visa and attempted to hand it to the guard.
"Paîte valloúa rhu'rhídzul gémen," she said. It wasn't a particularly useful Nimâlni phrase -- it meant something like, "I went to town to buy bread" -- but it was the only one she knew. For now, she was going to bet that the guard didn't speak any better Nimâlni than she did. "I am here in Taralon to purchase food, and to look after a property my father left me before he returned to die in Nimâl," she added.
Now it was all a matter of whether or not it would work. Her skin was close to the right color, and though she was not as heavy-boned as a true Nimâlni, she was still quite young, and so perhaps the guard would overlook it.
Either that, or her stay was going to be a very short one indeed...
~ AERTH KORYU
The guards looked at her with some curiousity because she had slightly of an unnatural grey tint to her skin. They couldnt put their finger on it, but they werent too sure about it. Luckily for Valanthia, Aerth Kohryu, the kind hearted Mottera, noticed from afar that the guard was giving her kind of a hard time. Seeing this, Aerth rushed over.
Hey hows it going I havent seen you in such a long time! As he rushed over he happened to brush the guard a little bit, and when brushing him Aerth caught a glimpse of the visa and the name on it. So how have you been Valanthia? Oh, guards dont worry she is clear to go, she's a good friend of mine.
After this interuption, the guard didnt think much more of it and handed back the visa. Enjoy your stay in Taralon.
Aerth ushered the girl away from the gate and then decided to introduce himself. Hows it going, im Aerth Kohryu. I couldnt stand by and watch the guard possibly throw you out. Im used to being given a hard time because you're different. Would you like a tour of Taralon?
With this the Mottera leaned back and waited for the unique human to say something.
~ SARAH
What was this? The Rodenti was impeding business of the Taralon Constabulary?
K'aarnah had been watching Valanthia keenly, as he leaned almost casually against the grey-golden stone that was the archway of the Narim Gate. There was something about her that he could not put his finger on, but he did not like it. Nevertheless, the Dorin typically detested dealing with the day to day duty of questioning travellers and checking visas; and he and the aging dwarf tended to leave that fact to the young, enthusiastic Nevin. Yet when this Rodenti bristled up to the gate; snatching both woman and her visa from the clutches of the human hand; K’aarnah would not sit back idly and just let them into the city.
He growled loudly, his dark black and grey muzzle opening to show rows of sharp teeth, as he pounced after the Rodenti and half-Vysstichi; drawing his blade and pointing its tip at his chest. With quick haste, Eorin – the dwarf – moved with apt speed blocking his exit; a long pole arm in his hand.
“You dare impede the business of the Taralon Militia boy?” the Dorin growled; his fur bristling. “It be not you that decides who may enter this gate; be she your friend or not,” the black eyes turned to Valanthia; daring her to move, daring her to speak. “Perhaps she be a criminal of sorts, mayhap you be her cohort; smuggling illegal immigrants into this city be a penalty that faces time in the Gaol, Mottera, and you do not wish to feel the bite of the tongue that is Mad Creywan,”
As he spoke guards from the surrounding gate house had begun to surround the pair; other taking there place below the iron bars of the fortified gates. There seemed to be no move for escape now.
~ AERTH KORYU
Woah, woah there buddy. There's no need for weapons. As Aerth held his hands up high, he did not falter. You can check her Visa and everything. You will see that she is not a criminal at all. Sorry, but I didnt think I was doing anything wrong. Even if I was to try to "smuggle people in", thats a little obvious. So check us and everything sir, I didnt mean any harm. You can also check my records. I am a good citizen and I have no criminal record.
He took off his sword from his waist and put it on the ground to show that he meant no harm. He also took the dagger given to him from his father and set it on the ground.
Aerth then stood up straight, and waited to see whether or not the Dorin will excuse him from his misguided act of kindness.
~ VALANTHIA
Valanthia had hardly expected the rodenti to suddenly try and whisk her away as though she were some sort of old friend, nor had she anticipated the interest this would draw from the guards. The surprise was obvious on her face, and for a moment she couldn't think of anything to say at all.
"I don't know what's going on, but I've never met this fellow before in my life," she said simply when she had recovered the ability to speak. If the guards had been watching her expression, they would know this was the truth, and Val couldn't think of a good reason to try and lie about it anyway. One lie was plenty for this particular event.
She made no motion to escape or even to move; it would be pointless anyway, given the look of the various weapons the guards were holding, and she had no desire to meet Mad Creywan -- whoever or whatever that was, it didn't sound particularly pleasant.
"I have no desire to do anything except for what I have already said," she added. "I don't want any trouble." Of course, if that were true in its most strict sense, she wouldn't be trying to get into the city in the first place, but she really didn't want to be brained by the guards or thrown to the dogs -- or Mad Creywan -- if it was at all avoidable.
~ SARAH
K'aarnah stared at the Mottera with his deep piercing eyes; his snarl continuing as a soft growl under his breath. He was a soldier and a Dorin that would not tolerate such discourse among this gate. As Aerth put his blade down upon the ground in a act to show that he was being honest in his deliberation, K’aarnah turned his head to face the pale-grey woman that had seemingly been accosted into this situation. He could see the sincere surprise and confusion on her face, as any would in this situation. With a nod to Eorin, the dwarfs booming voice echoed around the gate.
“Back to ye posts men, Corporal K’aarnah has the situation under control,”
The black and grey Dorin gave a soft, small smile to the young woman before him; sheathing his blade as he bowed low to her. “My humblest apologies miss,” the Dorin said. “I believe your words that you had no prior knowledge of this creatures actions. There is no reason for us to keep you any longer, and we welcome you to the city of Taralon,” he stepped back from her, keeping his eye on the Mottera. “If anyone causes you hassle again, do not hesitate to come to any of the Militia and ask for K’aarnah,”
No matter the circumstance, perhaps this boon had boded will for Valanthia, for no longer the guards worried about her pale-grey skin, and the scarf around her head. She was free to go; though the circumstances for Aerth were mayhap not the same.
The kindness that K’aarnah had showed Valanthia disappeared almost instantly as he turned to the Mottera. “Not only did you try and steal this woman into the city, but you lied about the fact that you knew her, causing her distress!” his teeth were bared. “For that itself I have a mind to throw you in the gaol! You have no place here deciding who should or should not be let into the city. How could you have known if she was not a criminal or a DRACON in disguise!” Taking a breath the Dorin stared him down. “But for now I think it is just your stupidity that perhaps made you act this way, or you mayhap be a mad man, who knows with these Rodenti – perhaps you need to read up on the Articles of the Imperium. Get out of my site, take your blade and if I ever hear a Mottera making trouble again, I will not forget this. You can go!”