Post by Tinsy Stormsight on Jan 20, 2008 0:38:08 GMT
OOC: Right folks, let's do this thing!....[Tervin Blackstar Thread 1/Cleaning up some of the Arkains Plot/Why Does Rippla Give a darn Anyway?]
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhb4eyx1KxU&feature=related )
BIC:
One more day
This time I’ll bite the bullet
Let me stay
And set this life ablaze
Give myself to compromise
And let the hammer fall
From blackened eyes to broken ties
I’ve bled to know them all
Driven to the brink of death
I heed deceptions call
Through bitter tears, forgotten years
I’ve come to sever all
A light flickered in the chapel long into the night. Normally this wasn't unusual, but the people actually inside were.
The Eale brothers and Rippla Forlinost.
Regen, the youngest of the group, Duke of the Arkains, was sitting over a large sheet of parchement and a letter. His shortsword lay a few feet off, unattended on the floor. The Lord Duke wasn't looking at the parchement, but was in fact interested in the letter.
Lonas, in the middle, knelt in front of the altar. He was, to all appearances, praying fervently. Well, mostly. Occasionally he'd open an eye and look behind his at the other two.
Rippla, the scarred weasel, sat on a pew behind the others, studying his rapier hilt and whispering to himself. He was the only of the group that seemed ill at ease, his whispers in another language entirely.
"Read the letter again, Reg'."
Lonas' voice is quiet, and he turned to sit on the step leading up the altar. Regen, still staring at the letter, glanced up. He looked uncharacteristically concerned, even upset.
"'Tis still th' same. It's from Corin, saying he can't ally with us."
"Won't."
"Won't ally with us. Says 'e doesn't even wanna think about you, an' that I'm as bad a traitor as ye are."
"And th' other one."
"'Tis from Lord Tervin Blackstar. Says he wants taxes from us, same as I said 'e would. As much as from any small village durin' wartime, but still alot fer us t' pay."
The younger of the Eales suddenly sounded cold, angry, something that hadn't happened in seasons. Since the Tavern fiasco, in fact. He drops the two letters in disgust, one with the Eale seal on it, one with Tervin Blackstar's.
Lonas stares at them for a moment, then turns his attention to the parchement on the floor. It has what are clearly defense plans for a small village...Terralux. The Lake and wall are clearly marked. The squirrel rubs his forehead under his turban, face clearly nervous. Lonas isn't bothering to hide his emotions in a group with his comrades...no, brothers. Even Rippla.
The older squirrel is running through a whole storm of emotions..nothing simple, like Regen's anger, nothing clear, like Rippla's nervousness. His expression changes from worry to fear to a kind of fondness in a matter of seconds, then settles on fear.
"What're we gonna do?"
Regen frowns, then goes into soldier mode. "We'll have to build up defenses. First thing to do is get some warriors in, decent ones that c'n work t'gether. Peasant anger is all very well an' good, but I c'n list Terralux's soldiers on one paw."
Myself, Rippla, Ashnel, Silas.
"Get th' walls built out of stone. Wood's fine fer roamin' bands o' vermin, but I hear Blackstar's got cannon."
"What?" The most obvious sign of suprise from Rippla yet. The weasel looks up, clearly shocked.
"Don't dwell." Regen's voice is hard. "Somebeast who c'n lead a town under siege. Terri's a great peacetime leader, but she's too..undecisive..t' go through a major attack." He chews his lip for a moment. "Ashnel might do, if somebeast c'n find 'im."
Lonas makes a 'whatever' sort of sound. "Food?"
"That's your department, Raymond."
Suddenly, Rippla looks up, a light coming into his cold eyes. "Allies. I can procure them for you. We need warriors, yes?"
"Aye..." Regen looks at the weasel over his shoulder.
"I will visit Burde's Horde. We fight against a common enemy, they can help us."
Regen glances at Lonas. "I dunno, mate.."
Rippla bares his teeth. "Ye have no other choice. Ye are fighting Blackstar. The Order is still fragmented. Redwall and Badger Mountain have their own problems. Your own country turns against ye."
It's Regen's turn to snarl angrily. Lonas almost mirrors his action.
"The only other power available that can help is Burde."
"Burde," Regen mumbles. "We c'n try, I guess. I can't do anythin' without Terri's go-ahead. She'll ask Ashn'l. Hopefully he won't be too pig-headed.."
"Stow that." Lonas shoots Regen a warning look. "Whatever we do, it won't work out if we get int' fights with eachother."
"Statin' a fact, Ray. 'S all. We're t'gether. We aren't gonna get through it without." Regen looks down at the letters and his plans. "Everybeast else is broke. Terri's...strange, an can't be depended on at th' best o' times, Ashn'ls gone, Silas hasn't been seen. Same fer Geordie. Oakrose is a loner, no matter who she's up and fallen in love with."
Lonas looks unsettled for a moment, then apparently decides not to think on that.
"Blackstar's against us. Th' Arkains aren't with us. God may be with us, but it ain't gonna show. We're all that's together in this whole burnin' country." Regen licks his lips and looks from Lonas to Rippla. "We gotta keep it, brothers."
Lonas nods once. Rippla stares evenly at Regen, then slowly sets his rapier down, spits on a paw, holds it out.
"Soldier's pact."
Regen does the same. "Pact."
Lonas stares from one to the other and lays a paw between the two. "Pact."
One more time
This day I kill the witness
Take back what’s mine
And give disgrace a name
Give myself to compromise
And let the hammer fall
From blackened eyes to broken ties
I’ve bled to know them all
Driven to the brink of death
I heed deceptions call
Through bitter tears, forgotten years
I’ve come to sever all
Lead us home
Lead us home
Our tired hearts are failing now, from the inside out
Lead us home[/i]
( www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhb4eyx1KxU&feature=related )
BIC:
One more day
This time I’ll bite the bullet
Let me stay
And set this life ablaze
Give myself to compromise
And let the hammer fall
From blackened eyes to broken ties
I’ve bled to know them all
Driven to the brink of death
I heed deceptions call
Through bitter tears, forgotten years
I’ve come to sever all
A light flickered in the chapel long into the night. Normally this wasn't unusual, but the people actually inside were.
The Eale brothers and Rippla Forlinost.
Regen, the youngest of the group, Duke of the Arkains, was sitting over a large sheet of parchement and a letter. His shortsword lay a few feet off, unattended on the floor. The Lord Duke wasn't looking at the parchement, but was in fact interested in the letter.
Lonas, in the middle, knelt in front of the altar. He was, to all appearances, praying fervently. Well, mostly. Occasionally he'd open an eye and look behind his at the other two.
Rippla, the scarred weasel, sat on a pew behind the others, studying his rapier hilt and whispering to himself. He was the only of the group that seemed ill at ease, his whispers in another language entirely.
"Read the letter again, Reg'."
Lonas' voice is quiet, and he turned to sit on the step leading up the altar. Regen, still staring at the letter, glanced up. He looked uncharacteristically concerned, even upset.
"'Tis still th' same. It's from Corin, saying he can't ally with us."
"Won't."
"Won't ally with us. Says 'e doesn't even wanna think about you, an' that I'm as bad a traitor as ye are."
"And th' other one."
"'Tis from Lord Tervin Blackstar. Says he wants taxes from us, same as I said 'e would. As much as from any small village durin' wartime, but still alot fer us t' pay."
The younger of the Eales suddenly sounded cold, angry, something that hadn't happened in seasons. Since the Tavern fiasco, in fact. He drops the two letters in disgust, one with the Eale seal on it, one with Tervin Blackstar's.
Lonas stares at them for a moment, then turns his attention to the parchement on the floor. It has what are clearly defense plans for a small village...Terralux. The Lake and wall are clearly marked. The squirrel rubs his forehead under his turban, face clearly nervous. Lonas isn't bothering to hide his emotions in a group with his comrades...no, brothers. Even Rippla.
The older squirrel is running through a whole storm of emotions..nothing simple, like Regen's anger, nothing clear, like Rippla's nervousness. His expression changes from worry to fear to a kind of fondness in a matter of seconds, then settles on fear.
"What're we gonna do?"
Regen frowns, then goes into soldier mode. "We'll have to build up defenses. First thing to do is get some warriors in, decent ones that c'n work t'gether. Peasant anger is all very well an' good, but I c'n list Terralux's soldiers on one paw."
Myself, Rippla, Ashnel, Silas.
"Get th' walls built out of stone. Wood's fine fer roamin' bands o' vermin, but I hear Blackstar's got cannon."
"What?" The most obvious sign of suprise from Rippla yet. The weasel looks up, clearly shocked.
"Don't dwell." Regen's voice is hard. "Somebeast who c'n lead a town under siege. Terri's a great peacetime leader, but she's too..undecisive..t' go through a major attack." He chews his lip for a moment. "Ashnel might do, if somebeast c'n find 'im."
Lonas makes a 'whatever' sort of sound. "Food?"
"That's your department, Raymond."
Suddenly, Rippla looks up, a light coming into his cold eyes. "Allies. I can procure them for you. We need warriors, yes?"
"Aye..." Regen looks at the weasel over his shoulder.
"I will visit Burde's Horde. We fight against a common enemy, they can help us."
Regen glances at Lonas. "I dunno, mate.."
Rippla bares his teeth. "Ye have no other choice. Ye are fighting Blackstar. The Order is still fragmented. Redwall and Badger Mountain have their own problems. Your own country turns against ye."
It's Regen's turn to snarl angrily. Lonas almost mirrors his action.
"The only other power available that can help is Burde."
"Burde," Regen mumbles. "We c'n try, I guess. I can't do anythin' without Terri's go-ahead. She'll ask Ashn'l. Hopefully he won't be too pig-headed.."
"Stow that." Lonas shoots Regen a warning look. "Whatever we do, it won't work out if we get int' fights with eachother."
"Statin' a fact, Ray. 'S all. We're t'gether. We aren't gonna get through it without." Regen looks down at the letters and his plans. "Everybeast else is broke. Terri's...strange, an can't be depended on at th' best o' times, Ashn'ls gone, Silas hasn't been seen. Same fer Geordie. Oakrose is a loner, no matter who she's up and fallen in love with."
Lonas looks unsettled for a moment, then apparently decides not to think on that.
"Blackstar's against us. Th' Arkains aren't with us. God may be with us, but it ain't gonna show. We're all that's together in this whole burnin' country." Regen licks his lips and looks from Lonas to Rippla. "We gotta keep it, brothers."
Lonas nods once. Rippla stares evenly at Regen, then slowly sets his rapier down, spits on a paw, holds it out.
"Soldier's pact."
Regen does the same. "Pact."
Lonas stares from one to the other and lays a paw between the two. "Pact."
One more time
This day I kill the witness
Take back what’s mine
And give disgrace a name
Give myself to compromise
And let the hammer fall
From blackened eyes to broken ties
I’ve bled to know them all
Driven to the brink of death
I heed deceptions call
Through bitter tears, forgotten years
I’ve come to sever all
Lead us home
Lead us home
Our tired hearts are failing now, from the inside out
Lead us home[/i]