Blood for the Abyss going East

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?The sound of your voice sounds familiar, where did you say you?re from??

While Soren looked at the wound on Orianna?s leg, Kashim try to examine this Raven fellow expecting a quick answer from her; as Kashim was examining her, he notice a weapon that although rare, not unknown for him; which in result make him even more uneasy at this new encounter.

?Knight?Soren, be wary there is something odd here??

 

"I am from a small village to the East of here called Unica... you are far from home samurai... is it duty that brings you so far from clan and lord?", Raven was clearly displeased to see a warrior hailing from the far east within the group.

 

Soren heard Kashim's low mutter, and tensed momentarily, squeezing Orianna's leg hard.
He mouthed his apologies, but watch the newcomer, bemused.

Kashim had told him to be wary, but he didn not entirely trust the Samurai. He did not trust Orianna, and he certainly didn't trust Raven. Her voice was powerful, it recalled to mind the effect a succubus had on the unwary. He'd been unwary once, and had almost fallen. He wouldn't do so again, vigilance was the answer.

He stepped back, and called on the power given him to determine a beings true alleigance, and the rest was faint, but telling. Neutral. He frowned, the reading had been almost non-existant, but he'd been given an answer so he put it to the back of his mind.

He still worried; even good beings occasionally find themselve sin combat, and her alignment was no indicator of friendliness. He touched his swordhilt again for reassurance, before pointing to a log next to the fire.

"Come, sit. I have just brewed tea. You can tell us your story over a hot drink."

He poured them all a drink, then sat and slid his hand into his pocket, fingering the knuckleduster, just in case.

 

Juerson was amazed at the elfs beauty and stood still just admiring her beauty. He suddenly became aware of his gauking, so he bustled around picking up stuff pretending to be busy. He felt slightly unneeded bagage in this groupe of "Biggies".

 

Kashim reply to Raven,
"The duty with my lord, and the reason that I'm so far from my home, it's none of your business. Let me assure you that I do not trust you"

Kashim took a small healing potion bottle out of his bag and pass it to Orianna, the he turn Soren around and push him gently back toward Kashim; all this without losing attention on Raven

"Soren, I know that we might not have started on the right foot, but as I told you before I am loyal to you and I must always follow the Bushido code. Please listen carefully, Raven is not to trust, the weapon that she carries isn't human, or human made for that matter; I have deal with there kind before, something is not right here... *sigh* ...I would do as you say, you're the leader of this group and I do not desire to come between that!"

 

Raven turned her attention to Soren.

"Thank you, I disike the bit of this northern air, I'm sure the tea will stave it off. I suppose revealling information about myself will help create trust between us. If you should desire to know, my childhood was uncommon, but not unheard of out in these wild lands. I grew up a feral child and it was not until my twelveth year, estimated by those how took me in, that I came into civilized society, well as civilized as things can become out here. When taken into the small town, I was raised by the town's ranger and it was only natural that he trained me in what he knew. Aside from my master, I have no family. I am not close with the majority of the villagers, as I spend most of my time in the wild, but all the same I will defend them from good or ill. As you can see, my past is not terribly impressive, I have merely followed the path life has given me."

Raven became silent for a bit before opening her mouth again.

"We should be careful when we set out tomorrow, I have seen orge tracks in the area, my master says that the orges have been acting with a purpose as of late. Someone or Something may have unified them under its will.

 

Soren sat down, carefully pondering both Kashim and Raven's words. He didn't know who was more trustworthy, both presented friendly facades.

At last, he spoke "Where is this 'master' of yours? I find the idea of a ranegr nearby unsettling."

 

"Ivellos Amakiir is his name, he is a moon elf.", said Raven, "His eyes have witnessed many things in his years, but he is growing older, I would estimate him to be in his sixities by human standards. Truly a noble creature, the villagers say he once faced almost certain death to protect the village from a rampaging dire bear of epic proportions. He gave no ground and as the dire bear was almost on top of him, he notched two arrows and fired them into the roof of the bear's mouth. The arrows pierced the beast's brain slaying it instantly... but that is just a story, the truth be told, he does not go far from the village these days, sending me to take the patrols he once did."

 

Orianna, not desiring to feel the way she did, but feeling that way none the same, decided it would be best if she went to bed, to rest her mind and leave or some time to try and trick the magic weave into thinking she was meditating and allow her expended magical powers to return.

Orianna took one last look at Raven before turning away from the others to sleep. Who does she think she is, coming here on my invitation and holding the attention of all the men thought the little voice in Orianna that had been left by the blood of her grandmother, as Orianna fell asleep the little voice became more and more demonic in its desires. Orianna's dreams that night where filled with blood and the Abyss, those awake late in the night could hear her whimpering softly as if something dreadful was happening.

 

Valis sat back at watched the buzzing flys around the newcomer. Soren and Kashim were the worst. They didn't seem to trust the newcomer at all. Orianna's fell heritadge was makeing her behave strange and Raven was trying to make sure she wasn't killed.

"Lets stop with the interragation of our new found friend." The young drow suddenly said from beside the fire. "If she was truely a threat, with her training as a ranger she wouldn't have shot Orianna through the leg, and the three of us would be dead next to our lovely fire with arrows through our heads. The only thing we have to worry about is the fact that her master is a surface elf, his reaction to me might cause stress but until then we're fine. Raven I welcome you with open arms."

 

Soren shrugged, and turned away from the group for a moment, composing himself, and hardening his features. WHen he turned back, his face was uunreadable, impassive.

"Well, we shall begin our trek early tomorrow morning. You must all catch some sleep. Go now, I will stand watch."

He stood up, and stepped over to a tree, which he leant against. It was far enough from the fire to cloak him in shadows, but close enough that he could see ervything that happened, especially with his darkvision.

As the night wore on, he felt his powers return to him, and heard Orianna sobbing and whimpering in her sleep. He listened for a moment or two before his resolve melted, and he approached her, and gently shook her awake.

"My lady, your dreams sound terrible. Perhaps you would prefer to wake now? It is only an hour til dawn, and the others will wake soon. WOuld you care to talk about your dreams?"

 

"I think staying up would be best. Those dreams...", Orianna looked uncomfortably at Soren, "They remind me of how far I still have to go to become what I desire to be, to redeem the demon blood within my body."

Orianna's eyes suddenly became hard, almost wicked, making it clear she was more then upset.

"Doing what's right doesn't come so easy to some of us... part of me, the part I so desparately fight to control, ruled my dreams last night..."

Orianna shuddered.

"The Abyss... I've never been there and I hope to never find myself within any of its six hundred and sixty six levels, but... but I sometimes feel as if I know the Abyss... I was there last night as I dreamed, I saw the tortured souls of wicked men, the undead hordes of Orcus, the greatest demon prince... I saw the Blood War be waged in the Abyss, I was "gifted" with the sight of a pack bebilith ambush a group of herou and dretches lead by a cambion... who I'm sure was my mother... it was unnerving to watch her die... I'm not sure if it was a dream either... as I saw my grandmother, a powerful demoness I've only seen once in my life, she told me my place was beside her in the Abyss, that... that these images where what I should be seeing, that they should be natural to me..."

Orianna looked away from Soren for a brief moment, sighing.

"I must ask of you to watch over me, my grandmother my be trying to magically influence me... if she seeks my presence in the Abyss she'll likely try to suggest I do something that leads to a violent encounter hoping I am killed."

Orianna's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned red.

"Oh! I'm sure you didn't want to hear all of that."

 

Soren nodded as she spoke of her blood.

"You are not the only one. My own blood tells me to send you to the abyss, to remove you from this plane. Yet," he continued, crossing his arms "we must fight our impulses, no? I will do as you ask, Lady Orianna. I will protect you as best I can, unless it puts the city of Sunglow in unacceptable danger. I would see you defeat your cursed blood."

He reached across, and took her hand. "As for your dreams, pay them no mind. You have not been to the abyss, and you play no part in the Blood War. What you do here, for a city that you barely know, will earn you a place in any heaven. That is where death will take you, not the pits."

 

Orianna was momentarily distracted from Soren as Raven appeared next to them, her strange weapon, the yu gou she wielded, was in hand and the wicked three pronged hook glistened with blood, thick, dark blood that Orianna was pretty sure was the blood of giant kin.

"The hunting is good today.", said Raven in a cold voice that had the slightest touch of sadism. As if anticipating a question Raven continued, "I slipped out earlier while you were worrying about Orianna Soren. I encountered an Orge raider not far from here... he made the mistake of trying to run away..."

Raven made an impaling motion with the hooks of her yu gou.

"I am unsure of why he was so far out here though... ogres generally dislike being close to the walls and that military fielded by Sunglow."

 

SOren looked at the blood-drenched weapon with distaste, his lip curling in his disgust.

"The hunt? Is that what you call the slaying of sentinent creatures? If the creature flees, why do you slay it? Would you have still done so if it had surrendered?"

Another thought struck him. He'd been watching the camp carefully, how had she crept past him, and more importantly, why? Why had she not told him?

 

"It was an ogre. I wouldn't get to worried about the subtle nuances of killing one, Sir Paladin." Valis said as she sat up for laying on the ground. "If it cam across our camp it wouldn't hesitate to kill us in our sleep."

 

"The same could be said about the drow. Or a tiefling. The nuances may not be important, but such casual slaughter, even of ogres speaks louder than any words about someone's true nature."

He shook his head sadly, and rose from the crouch he had assumed while speaking to Orianna.

"Enough. No more debate on good and wrong, it will last the length of this journey and beyond. Prepare yourselves, we leave within the hour."

He strode over to his unused bed-roll, and began to buckle on his armour, before dousing the fire and pulling a pouch of dried meat from his pack to serve as morningfeast.

 

"Thank you Valis. I would have though a paladin would have thought it nessessary to kill a creature as chaotic and evil as an ogre. Ogres keep any form of balance from being maintained out here, they think with their gut, greed and hate. The only time they do not think with their gut, greed and hate is when they have fallen under the iron will of an ogre mage. That only makes them more dangerous. From the small communities that exist in the wildlands, the balance required to foster their villages requires the removal of creatures as unbalanced as ogres or the existance of a orderly and good group that is as powerful as the ogres to keep the ogres in their place... as you can see, there will never be a group of paladins of such that set up here permanately. We only have yuan-ti, the undead, gnolls, ogres, orcs, goblinoids, lycanthropes, owlbears, worgs, trolls and other murderous ilk out here.", said Raven, her face devoid of emotion, "I make sure the chaos that surrounds this place does not every become as out of control as the order in the south."

 

With the group getting ready to move, Kashim try to recall where he had seen that type of weapon before, it strike him that not only had he seen that weapon before, but also Raven's behavior. As he try to throw his armor back on, it finally hit him that many years before, Kashim and his master had deal with a creature that behave the same way as Raven, and using the same type of weapons.

?Ohh Nooo? Kashim whisper.

Kashim quickly approach Orianna as he finish throwing his armor on,

?Oriana, I know that this will sound on orthodox, but I need you to remember how exactly did Raven wound you leg; also for the time being I would like if you can keep yourself by my side, while Raven remains on this group"

Kashim didn't want to reveal what he now knew, as it would be only speculation and Kashim need it be sure of it.

[ March 07, 2006, 02:27: Message edited by: Maurolava ]

 

Soren shouldered his pack, ready to be off.

"I believe I said no more debate on the matter. If you would travel with us, you would do well to hush yourself. I'm sure a ranger knows the value of silence in a forest where predators can stalk by sound."

His voice showed only the slightest hint of sarcasm, and he stepped to the front of the group.

"Is everyone ready? Packed your bedding, donned your armour, cleaned the gore from your weapons? Now, let us go, and quietly."