Post by scarletharlot on Apr 15, 2009 16:08:21 GMT
Ma'ani sits in the woods, gingerly bandaging her leg and generally ruing the day she exalted. Grumbling and limping she gently lifts up her carefully packaged Raptok egg and slips it over her shoulder, wincing as it rubs the bite marks and bruises patterning her torso. So much for thinking they'd keep away from an apparently poisonous snake.
As the sun slips up into the sky she stretches, hoping nothing will crack, and Conjures the Azure Chariot (15m 1wp). A breeze from above signals the arrival of the winged horses and cools the sweat on Ma'ani's forehead. Stepping into the carriage quickly she shifts the egg around to her front and whispers a destination to the horses who gallop up into the glorious blue sky, a silver snake coiling up, pushed back with the force of their take-off, like gossamer or smoke.
Looking round suspiciously Ma'ani waits until she's out of Rathess territory and, covering her face with a sleeve to ward off sunburn, falls asleep, one hand resting protectively on her cargo.
She wakes up with a horse nuzzling her face and blowing softly on her nose. Sighing heavily she dismounts, thanking the horses for their careful riding. They gallop off into the clouds and are gone. She can never be sure whether the sorcery creates them or whether there really is a stable of the beautiful spirits somewhere, but it never hurts to be polite. Would it be possible to take the form of one? Scare the crap out of some blooded sorcerer?
Then Ma'ani thought to look down from the clouds and round the clearing she's standing in. Had the pig-men looked quite so threatening last time she was here? Had they been so...big? Feeling the remaining tingle in her leg from her injury that morning Ma'ani stretches tall, examining the possibilities, quickly. They're probably too stupid for paralyzing contradiction, thunder wolf's howl will probably not make their leader friendly, but they are bred to respect strength... She feels for her serpent sting staff but touches the egg instead; no she cannot risk it.
"Do any of you strong warriors remember me from my last visit?" Appearance ten must work even on pig-men, right, perfect symmetry (4m peripheral)? What if it doesn't? Changing plumage mastery (perm) - Ma'ani's nose becomes somewhat porcine in form and her hair slightly more bristly. Her traveling clothes fall around her, a pinkish satin dress and draped woolen cloak. Her tattoos shine brightly through the fine fabric. She decides a little nub of a tail at the base of her back is probably not 'too much'.
She speaks slowly. "I am here to meet with your strong leader, boss pig-man, chief. Leader with tattoos like these." Hopefully they'll lead her to his tent now. If they don't then there's always the jumping up a tree and casting Cirrus Skiff. She would prefer to save the essence however.
Arriving at his tent she smiles brilliantly at his guards, the changing plumage mastery has allowed her to make her teeth slightly blockier and elongated, like the pig-men, but in a far more elegant style. As the tent flap is pulled aside she calculates the angle carefully so she is standing where the breeze from its movement blows back her her hair and cloak becomingly. It settles softly round her neck and shoulders and she holds out her hand to the boar-lunar, whose training she has interrupted. She goes to him, taking his arms by the wrists so that he can take hers in kind, a common barbarian greeting in the East, and she nods her head in respect.
"Brother, I hope my return to your lands finds you well?" Ma'ani speaks slowly and uses body language and slight hand gestures to explain the meaning of her words (for example pointing to her head to explain 'remember'). She uses repetitive vocabulary to make things easier and she can even sketch a relevant idea into the mud if necessary. She uses her Charisma Excellency (3m personal), "I have thought lots since we met. You gave us hospitality as your guests, but we brought no gift for you as is the ancestral custom, for we were not sure whether you were friend or foe. Now I bring you a gift, in respect for your talents and strength. From this egg will hatch a mighty lizard, a great walking lizard. Please allow me to talk more, great leader, for there is something special, single, great about this lizard, some reason we must protect it and its kind from the chaotic Wyld and any others who would destroy it."
Ma'ani waits while certain formalities are gone through. If you bring a gift then he has to offer food and so on. She is from a barbarian tribe in the South and while the words and traditions differ, the general behaviours are comparable. As he brings in certain items Ma'ani begins to try to identify his origins. Soon she can begin her tale again. She tries to sit near enough and openly enough that she appears friendly and welcoming of his society, without obviously flirting or appearing slutty. One could do worse than an honourable, muscular boar-man. Her eyes hover on his muscular arms for a moment as he offers her some sacred pig meat. Respectfully she tries some.
"A long time ago, when the ancient creator gods made man and woman, made lunars and solars and dragon-bloods, one god also made lizard-men. These great lizards they called dragon-kings. All of these dragon-kings can channel essence, can use their energy, and when they died they did not reincarnate, umm be born again, die like people. The spirits, souls of the dead dragon kings become the souls of baby dragon kings. As baby dragon-kings grow up they remember, they have memory, thoughts, of their past life. They remember all, everything their soul did when it lived before. They worshipped Luna and the unconquered sun, and they were great warriors, great fighters, and great thinkers, philosophers, doctors, healers and artists. Lunars would fight alongside them. They have the strength of dragon-bloods, but are different and they are often wiser."
"Yet when the chaotic fair-folk attacked from the Wyld and when sickness, disease overcame the world their leaders, great warriors and old elders fell, side by side with many lunars and many people. When all the old dragon-kings died, noone could teach the baby dragon-kings to remember, have thoughts of before, of their past lives. So the baby dragon-kings could not become great warriors and thinkers as they were meant to, but instead could only live like lizards."
"They have been living like this since the Wyld attacked. The souls of great generals who remember the great deeds of lunars and men, who know where great weapons are hidden and might know ways our foes are weak, these souls are trapped in the bodies of beasts, animals who cannot speak their words."
"Weeks ago, on the land just West of here, in a magic house, a place of essence, a manse, we found three older dragon-kings, one great warrior, known for winning battles with chaotic Wyld armies, and defeating one of the first chimera, non-tattooed lunars, in hand to hand combat. We found this warrior, his wife, a wise sorceress and their son, a young fighter, strong and brave. They were asleep in this manse. The manse had broken, gone wrong, cracked inside, and kept them asleep from the chaotic fair folk attack long time ago, until now."
"They spoke with Ursula Skybear and they saw that the land which was once a great country for dragon-kings", give him the location of Rathess, "this place now has no warrior dragon-kings, no thinkers, or healers, but only beast-baby lizard dragon-kings who do not remember. A strong solar lives there now; he a friend, an ally, with the chaotic Wyld and an evil death monster, a poisonous god. They live in this place, stopping these old dragon-kings we found from living there. The old dragon-kings have gone to the West, looking for other old dragon-kings, so they can make the baby dragon-kings clever again."
"They are only three and now they have gone West. There are still many baby dragon-kings in the East place I spoke about. I have come here to give you chance to help protect these once-strong creatures who were our allies. To defend them and their knowledge of creation and allow them to grow again."
"I believe that you use a charm to train your children, the boar-race. You use a charm to help them better learn your strength and the strength of the boar. I hope this charm might be able to teach the baby dragon kings to begin to remember. Perhaps it will not work alone and a new charm, an extra skill, will need to be learnt before your powers can teach creatures that appear at first to be lizards. I have no such power. In the hope that you find you can teach them, can help them to remember, I have brought you this egg." I'll sketch an outline in the dirt of what the creature will look like when it's born and the approximate size it will be after a few weeks.
"They are strong fighters and they honour as their leader the strongest among them. Your strength and physical prowess, your body alone should be enough to make it obey you." Ma'ani flushes becomingly for a moment. Simplifying everything down can be indelicate. "If you can teach them then it is my understanding, umm I think, you can teach many or one, just as easy. Then if you can teach them, and if you are willing, if you want to help this species of mighty warriors, then I can bring you more baby dragon-kings and soon there will be enough that they can return to their home when the solar and his chaotic Fair Folk allies have been driven out. They can return home and, in peace and as allies, as they once were, they can dwell beside your race of boar-men. Their home is very far from here and your boar-men could rule right to their boarders. They could supply your boar-men with their powerful crystal weapons or information, knowledge and they could fight along-side you to push back the chaotic Wyld."
"The need to protect these beings is so great among my lunar pack, my brother and sister, and I that we hope you will join us. I can think of nothing so honourable as helping allies who, by no fault/mistake of their own, have suffered. I can think of nothing so honourable as allowing the souls of great warriors and thinkers to be free again to plan strategies and to invent. I can think of no better way to protect this world and work Luna's will than by helping this ancient and noble, but animalistic and misunderstood - umm thought wrongly about - creatures. Herla, my noble warrior friend cares so much about this that she is prepared to beg of you the honour of single-combat to seek your assistance in this matter. I myself, your peaceful little sister, hope that you will see the truth in my words, the care in my heart and the honour in my offer. I see that you are a brave and kindly leader who understands that a true leader cannot lead but one people. We were exalted to lead the peoples of the world to safety and to find their own bravery. These dragon-kings cannot find that bravery now without us." Ma'ani is now kneeling at the boar-lunar's feet, her hands on one of his, her eyes blurry with unfallen tears and she is activating her social combo 'Hypnotic Cobra's Gaze' to use her full appearance and charisma excellencies with Perfect Symmetry (17m personal, 1wp).
As the sun slips up into the sky she stretches, hoping nothing will crack, and Conjures the Azure Chariot (15m 1wp). A breeze from above signals the arrival of the winged horses and cools the sweat on Ma'ani's forehead. Stepping into the carriage quickly she shifts the egg around to her front and whispers a destination to the horses who gallop up into the glorious blue sky, a silver snake coiling up, pushed back with the force of their take-off, like gossamer or smoke.
Looking round suspiciously Ma'ani waits until she's out of Rathess territory and, covering her face with a sleeve to ward off sunburn, falls asleep, one hand resting protectively on her cargo.
She wakes up with a horse nuzzling her face and blowing softly on her nose. Sighing heavily she dismounts, thanking the horses for their careful riding. They gallop off into the clouds and are gone. She can never be sure whether the sorcery creates them or whether there really is a stable of the beautiful spirits somewhere, but it never hurts to be polite. Would it be possible to take the form of one? Scare the crap out of some blooded sorcerer?
Then Ma'ani thought to look down from the clouds and round the clearing she's standing in. Had the pig-men looked quite so threatening last time she was here? Had they been so...big? Feeling the remaining tingle in her leg from her injury that morning Ma'ani stretches tall, examining the possibilities, quickly. They're probably too stupid for paralyzing contradiction, thunder wolf's howl will probably not make their leader friendly, but they are bred to respect strength... She feels for her serpent sting staff but touches the egg instead; no she cannot risk it.
"Do any of you strong warriors remember me from my last visit?" Appearance ten must work even on pig-men, right, perfect symmetry (4m peripheral)? What if it doesn't? Changing plumage mastery (perm) - Ma'ani's nose becomes somewhat porcine in form and her hair slightly more bristly. Her traveling clothes fall around her, a pinkish satin dress and draped woolen cloak. Her tattoos shine brightly through the fine fabric. She decides a little nub of a tail at the base of her back is probably not 'too much'.
She speaks slowly. "I am here to meet with your strong leader, boss pig-man, chief. Leader with tattoos like these." Hopefully they'll lead her to his tent now. If they don't then there's always the jumping up a tree and casting Cirrus Skiff. She would prefer to save the essence however.
Arriving at his tent she smiles brilliantly at his guards, the changing plumage mastery has allowed her to make her teeth slightly blockier and elongated, like the pig-men, but in a far more elegant style. As the tent flap is pulled aside she calculates the angle carefully so she is standing where the breeze from its movement blows back her her hair and cloak becomingly. It settles softly round her neck and shoulders and she holds out her hand to the boar-lunar, whose training she has interrupted. She goes to him, taking his arms by the wrists so that he can take hers in kind, a common barbarian greeting in the East, and she nods her head in respect.
"Brother, I hope my return to your lands finds you well?" Ma'ani speaks slowly and uses body language and slight hand gestures to explain the meaning of her words (for example pointing to her head to explain 'remember'). She uses repetitive vocabulary to make things easier and she can even sketch a relevant idea into the mud if necessary. She uses her Charisma Excellency (3m personal), "I have thought lots since we met. You gave us hospitality as your guests, but we brought no gift for you as is the ancestral custom, for we were not sure whether you were friend or foe. Now I bring you a gift, in respect for your talents and strength. From this egg will hatch a mighty lizard, a great walking lizard. Please allow me to talk more, great leader, for there is something special, single, great about this lizard, some reason we must protect it and its kind from the chaotic Wyld and any others who would destroy it."
Ma'ani waits while certain formalities are gone through. If you bring a gift then he has to offer food and so on. She is from a barbarian tribe in the South and while the words and traditions differ, the general behaviours are comparable. As he brings in certain items Ma'ani begins to try to identify his origins. Soon she can begin her tale again. She tries to sit near enough and openly enough that she appears friendly and welcoming of his society, without obviously flirting or appearing slutty. One could do worse than an honourable, muscular boar-man. Her eyes hover on his muscular arms for a moment as he offers her some sacred pig meat. Respectfully she tries some.
"A long time ago, when the ancient creator gods made man and woman, made lunars and solars and dragon-bloods, one god also made lizard-men. These great lizards they called dragon-kings. All of these dragon-kings can channel essence, can use their energy, and when they died they did not reincarnate, umm be born again, die like people. The spirits, souls of the dead dragon kings become the souls of baby dragon kings. As baby dragon-kings grow up they remember, they have memory, thoughts, of their past life. They remember all, everything their soul did when it lived before. They worshipped Luna and the unconquered sun, and they were great warriors, great fighters, and great thinkers, philosophers, doctors, healers and artists. Lunars would fight alongside them. They have the strength of dragon-bloods, but are different and they are often wiser."
"Yet when the chaotic fair-folk attacked from the Wyld and when sickness, disease overcame the world their leaders, great warriors and old elders fell, side by side with many lunars and many people. When all the old dragon-kings died, noone could teach the baby dragon-kings to remember, have thoughts of before, of their past lives. So the baby dragon-kings could not become great warriors and thinkers as they were meant to, but instead could only live like lizards."
"They have been living like this since the Wyld attacked. The souls of great generals who remember the great deeds of lunars and men, who know where great weapons are hidden and might know ways our foes are weak, these souls are trapped in the bodies of beasts, animals who cannot speak their words."
"Weeks ago, on the land just West of here, in a magic house, a place of essence, a manse, we found three older dragon-kings, one great warrior, known for winning battles with chaotic Wyld armies, and defeating one of the first chimera, non-tattooed lunars, in hand to hand combat. We found this warrior, his wife, a wise sorceress and their son, a young fighter, strong and brave. They were asleep in this manse. The manse had broken, gone wrong, cracked inside, and kept them asleep from the chaotic fair folk attack long time ago, until now."
"They spoke with Ursula Skybear and they saw that the land which was once a great country for dragon-kings", give him the location of Rathess, "this place now has no warrior dragon-kings, no thinkers, or healers, but only beast-baby lizard dragon-kings who do not remember. A strong solar lives there now; he a friend, an ally, with the chaotic Wyld and an evil death monster, a poisonous god. They live in this place, stopping these old dragon-kings we found from living there. The old dragon-kings have gone to the West, looking for other old dragon-kings, so they can make the baby dragon-kings clever again."
"They are only three and now they have gone West. There are still many baby dragon-kings in the East place I spoke about. I have come here to give you chance to help protect these once-strong creatures who were our allies. To defend them and their knowledge of creation and allow them to grow again."
"I believe that you use a charm to train your children, the boar-race. You use a charm to help them better learn your strength and the strength of the boar. I hope this charm might be able to teach the baby dragon kings to begin to remember. Perhaps it will not work alone and a new charm, an extra skill, will need to be learnt before your powers can teach creatures that appear at first to be lizards. I have no such power. In the hope that you find you can teach them, can help them to remember, I have brought you this egg." I'll sketch an outline in the dirt of what the creature will look like when it's born and the approximate size it will be after a few weeks.
"They are strong fighters and they honour as their leader the strongest among them. Your strength and physical prowess, your body alone should be enough to make it obey you." Ma'ani flushes becomingly for a moment. Simplifying everything down can be indelicate. "If you can teach them then it is my understanding, umm I think, you can teach many or one, just as easy. Then if you can teach them, and if you are willing, if you want to help this species of mighty warriors, then I can bring you more baby dragon-kings and soon there will be enough that they can return to their home when the solar and his chaotic Fair Folk allies have been driven out. They can return home and, in peace and as allies, as they once were, they can dwell beside your race of boar-men. Their home is very far from here and your boar-men could rule right to their boarders. They could supply your boar-men with their powerful crystal weapons or information, knowledge and they could fight along-side you to push back the chaotic Wyld."
"The need to protect these beings is so great among my lunar pack, my brother and sister, and I that we hope you will join us. I can think of nothing so honourable as helping allies who, by no fault/mistake of their own, have suffered. I can think of nothing so honourable as allowing the souls of great warriors and thinkers to be free again to plan strategies and to invent. I can think of no better way to protect this world and work Luna's will than by helping this ancient and noble, but animalistic and misunderstood - umm thought wrongly about - creatures. Herla, my noble warrior friend cares so much about this that she is prepared to beg of you the honour of single-combat to seek your assistance in this matter. I myself, your peaceful little sister, hope that you will see the truth in my words, the care in my heart and the honour in my offer. I see that you are a brave and kindly leader who understands that a true leader cannot lead but one people. We were exalted to lead the peoples of the world to safety and to find their own bravery. These dragon-kings cannot find that bravery now without us." Ma'ani is now kneeling at the boar-lunar's feet, her hands on one of his, her eyes blurry with unfallen tears and she is activating her social combo 'Hypnotic Cobra's Gaze' to use her full appearance and charisma excellencies with Perfect Symmetry (17m personal, 1wp).
