The Wizard's War

[Aly]

(( Wow! I haven’t role played in ages. *twitch* I think I finally got over the symptoms of withdrawal, so it’s time to begin all over again!
I’m playing Kornith again. Yes, again. Kornith is to Alyshia as Pyro is to Kendra. Aly loves her Korny!
This is when Arya and Kornith were young teenagers. It is set in the middle of the Wizard’s War, where many Mages fought against the Wood Nymphs. Nephalim, human sympathizers and other magically inclined individuals are fighting for the mages while dragons, other nymphs and human sympathizers are on the other.
In the last war, the War of Abraham’s Seed, the dragons and wood nymphs had fought in order to ascertain which should keep the Seed of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Adam and Eve ate the fruit, right? And fruits have seeds. When they were banished, the seeds went with them… right? =P Slightly gross, but it still makes for a good theoretical war!) After killing one another to almost extinction, they kept the seed between them mutually and made an eternal covenant between themselves. Now, the mages have found that the dragons and nymphs still have the Seed and want it for themselves.))

The day was blistering hot as the sun slowly clawed himself onto the highest peak of the sky. There was little wind, and every shadow was pressed hard against the earth. Waves of heat lapped at the land, singeing any warm water into a vaporous smoke. The air was heavy with the weight of the water; it pulled down upon every living thing as if begging to be saved from the brutal sun. Even the land itself gasped in a feeble endeavor to draw the boiling water from the sky. Yawning forth, the stench of baked earth wafted over the terrain – it was as if the mouth of the earth had been left agape, lacking even the energy to close it.

This day was not kind to those yet living. Droplets of sweat beaded across his forehead, and Kornith had given up attempting to wipe his brow. The hot, salty water was more welcome than the blazing rays of the sun. What protection the shield of sweat gave him, he heartily welcomed.
Kornith stopped for a moment. Leaning over, he supported himself on his knees and took a few deep breaths. Traveling in this heat was almost unbearable – almost impossible! Every mile he would have to stop to rest and rejuvenate himself. It was not as if he could wait for the next day; the drought had lasted for the better part of the summer. For months this sweltering weather had cursed the wheat fields and stripped the land of its rivers. A man could not bear much more of this.
‘We need the water nymphs again,” Kornith thought to himself. All of the water nymphs, disguised as human soldiers, had marched to the ocean in hopes that the mages would pursue them. Indeed, they had drawn a number of the wizards away, but was this drought worth it?

Feeling the pouch by his side, Kornith nodded and striated up once again. It had become a nervous habit now. Every few minutes, the lad would touch the pouch and feel the outline of the letters. It was highly unlikely that anything would happen to him along this tortuous road; however the feel of the paper comforted him. No one would wander along this meandering path… just as long as Kornith was able to deliver the letters safely.

[Kelila]

((Wow, I have waited so long for this! I hope you don't mind if I jump right in?))

Drabba and Valere had stopped for a break on their scouting mission for water. So far, they had found nothing, not even a single plant that could satisfy their intense longing for moisture. Drabba had crammed his huge form into the scant shade of a shriveled tree, trying to stay away from the singeing noonday sun. He was attempting to sleep standing up, but the heat was intolerable and kept him awake. He settled for leaning on the handle of his double-bladed war axe, closing his eyes for a slight respite.

Valere had climbed into the branches and lay, panther-like, along one of them. She was daintily picking off the crisp leaves, crumbling them in her long fingers, and sprinkling them on Drabba's bare, shiny head. He didn't seem to notice, but then he suddenly opened his eyes and glared up at her, grumbling out his irritation. "Valere, it is too hot and I am too weary for your games. But mark my words, if I had the strength and the weather was more temperate, I would heft this axe, swing it at your perch, and you would no longer have a head." He said all this with a sinister snarl, but Valere detected a faint glimmer in his eyes that revealed he was only joking. She laughed and rolled over on the branch, squinting up through the gnarled twigs to the blazing sky.

"You certainly have a sense of humor, Drabba. We both know that if you harmed me in any way, it would be your head rolling at the feet of Athir," she said with a chopping motion of her hand. "Besides, if you killed me, there would be one less knight to look for a new source of water." She turned her head to look at Drabba out of the corner of her eye. She pitied him. He recieved the same water ration as the rest of them, and yet he still had to maintain his hulking form. He was panting now, his broad dark chest rising and falling, covered with beads of sweat. That will make him more thirsty, Valere thought.

Drabba snorted. "No, if Ouraios had not silver-tongue talked his way out of this scouting mission, there would still be two knights in the sun."

Valere sat up on the branch and stared accusingly down at Drabba. "I am one of the Knights, and you know it!" she said with a frown.

"I know, I know," Drabba chuckled, then sighed. "You are the lady knight. I was only jesting."

Valere was about to affirm his statement, when she espied a wavering form on the horizon. "Ho! Drabba! Another water seeker, methinks!"

[ptsluvsnfl]

((I must say, Keli! You've improved since I last read your roleplays! ^^ I think I'll wait a bit before coming in. I'm still deciding who to use; Rafael, or Ben.))

[Kelila]

((Thanks! I'm extremely creative this week for some reason. It must be the senioritis doing weird things.))

[Aly]

(( *chants* Join! Join! Join! xD ))

A stagnant breeze meandered lackadaisically across the parched earth and smote the air that Kornith breathed. The sky was as weighty as the land itself, and heat rippled off of the withered objects like vaporous glass. That debauched current of air was the only thing that could have made things any more miserable – it pressed down upon the living with a sardonic smile and teased their parched lips. There was no hope for water, but even a tinge of the scalding water within the heat waves sent a chill of ravenous desire down the spine.

With scorn and exasperation, Kornith thought desperately, ‘A man could die of this! The only comfort I have is to know that I am safe by this rout. No being would be stupid enough to follow this rode.’ Then he saw a bulky figure through the waves.

“How ironic,” Kornith observed with a round curse, and checked to feel the letters again. From this distance, he could not tell if he were friend or foe. He indeed looked menacingly tall, even standing beneath that desiccated trig of a tree. Perhaps they had water? Such a dear treasure in this squandered land would be worth a good risk.

Straitening up, Kornith arched his back against the midday sun and stretched far out into the parched air. With his shoulders and back exposed to the blazing sun, Kornith could feel the prickles of sweat forming on his skin. The burnt atmosphere immediately lapped up the salty water from his bare arms and brow, leaving him dry but feeling at least a little cleaner…. save the fuzzy, brown hair that had been crusted to his forehead. That would wash off with a good bath, - either water or dirt. He’d much rather the water.

As he ambled over to the giant, Kornith hoped beyond reason that he had enough water for a good, long bath.

[ptsluvsnfl]

((Dude, I hope we get some GOOD-GUYS here pretty soon, lol. So far, they're just antagonists... unless Kornith is good right now?))

[Kelila]

Valere lay back down on her stomach along the branch and crossed her hands under her chin. Her long, raven-black hair braid hung down a few feet like a rope. Squinting her eyes, she watched the wavering figure approach, trying to focus on who it might be. She had a thought, and quickly concealed the ruby color of her eyes under her natural blue. "Drabba," she hissed.

"Hnh?"

"Eyes," she said, blinking slowly.

Drabba looked back out at the desolate plain. "I already thought of it," he rumbled. His eyes were now a dark brown, near black. He tried to make out the figure of the traveler, but the spasmodic heat waves made it near impossible. He could see, however, that it was a man, and that the figure seemed to be having some trouble in the heat. After a pause, he wondered, "Yon traveler looks rather weary. Should we go out to him?"

Valere gave a short, derisive laugh. "In this kind of midday heat? Are you out of your mind, Drabba? Let him come to us." A corner of her mouth turned up in amusement. "If he makes it the rest of the way, that is."

Drabba slumped down to a sitting position at the base of the tree. He was tired of standing, but he noted with chagrin that his toes were sticking out of the shadow into the sun's beating rays. He pulled his feet in and sat native-style, with his battle axe across his lap. "Shall we give him a drop, then?" he asked, almost to himself.

"Are you going soft, Drabba? Of course not. We shall see what he has."

[Aly]

(( Yes, Kornith is good! My good, widdle Korny! *cuddles* He’s adorable when he’s younger. Even here, at… what? 13 or 14 right now? He’s not corrupted. I don’t think he’s even met Lithael yet. For more that a minute, anyway =P ))

Wandering off of the little dirt road, Kornith heard the sharp crunch of dead grass with every single step he took. Now that he was off of the beaten path, sticks and stones that had dried in the hard mud made the weary lad trip every now and then. As Kornith stumbled over to the man, he thanked God that his sandals had an extra layer of material. The grass itself, being once alive, captured and held more warmth from the sun than the dirt, and the heat permeated though the textile of Kornith’s shoe. It warmed the souls of his feet to an uncomfortable temperature.

By the time he made it half way to the other man, Kornith was skipping about and stepping high to avoid a sharp burn or extruding tree limbs. …Quite a strange sight, no doubt. A new type of rain dance to forign eyes, perhaps?

After regaining his footing, Kornith looked up. Now that he was closer, Kornith could make out a few more details about the man: he was undeniably huge. If he were a foe, Kornith would be in for a skirmish of his life!

“Hello, friend!” He called cautiously across the distance between them and waved broadly. One last time, while securing the shirt wrapped around his waist, Kornith felt for the letters in his pouch. It was a comforting habit, and he didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention to his bag. He has decided long ago that he would not be able to feel the comfort of their affirmed presence while with an unfamiliar person.

[Kelila]

The sun has addled his brain, Valere thought as she watched the stranger skipping erratically over the parched earth. She almost felt pity for the poor traveler out in the beating sun all day, but she quickly pushed aside the sentiment. He has to be a lunatic to travel at midday, anyway... or determined. What could he possibly be doing? She pondered this for a moment. True, she and Drabba were out looking for water, as he might be, but they were under orders. Only Athir would be cruel enough to send someone out in this kind of weather. She turned her mind to another possibility; there was a war going on, after all. A messenger, perhaps? She watched him closely. There: a light touch to a pouch at his side. Discreet, but noticeable to Valere's trained eye.

"Hello there," Drabba called out in his booming voice. "Care to share a patch of shade? It looks as if you need a respite." He scooted over a few inches in the shadow, trying to make himself as small as possible. Drabba then pulled out a small skin pouch. "We have some water!"

"Drabba!!" Valere hissed.

"A little generosity never hurt anyone," he replied, shrugging. "Besides, we'll have more water when we go back to the underground."

"Hmph." Valere broke a twig off of the branch and dropped it on Drabba's head. "You have gone soft."

[spirogs]

((New roleplay!?! wooo~ =D Huuum... I'll try to make my way into it sometime =P Kinda busy at the moment though =/ ))

[Aly]

Kornith scurried into the shade and then dropped to support himself on his knees.

Letting out his breath in a contented sigh, Kornith said, "Yes, thank you."

The lad plopped down beside Drabba and onto the dried grass. It made a sickly crunch beneath him. Living so long with the wood nymphs made him more sensitive to the plants, and he cringed slightly at the sound.

"It has not rained in months," Kornith mourned aloud, "Everything has dried up! The only water I've come across on my journey is what I brought with me and my own sweat."

Just then, Kornith tilted his head back to enjoy the comforting shade when he noticed Valere in the tree. She seemed to lay comfortably enough along a bough, just a few feet above him. Quickly reprimanding himself for being so blunt in a lady's presence, he immediately sat up straight and muttered a small, "Oh, my apologies."

Kornith blushed slightly and looked down at the ground. Chivalry taught him that sweat was not a good topic...

[Kelila]

Valere raised an eyebrow, but smiled down at the odd traveler. "You do not have to take extra measures to protect my sensitive nerves, traveler. After all, sweat is a thing of nature, is it not? It is no more foul than the waves of the sea." Valere's sly, predatory grin made her look like a shadowy panther in the tree, but her baby-blue eyes projected playful innocence. "Waves, tides, water--"

"Stop it!" Drabba grumbled, shaking his huge, sinewy fist up at her. "You are making me thirsty. Oh! The water!" he cried suddenly, remembering his original intent. He turned back to the traveler. "Do you have enough water for your journey, stranger? I can surely spare some from mine." Drabba held up a skin pouch that could easily hold half a gallon of liquid. It sloshed noisily, begging for its cork to be removed and the refreshing water to be consumed. Drabba heeded its call and uncorked the neck, taking a quick swig of water to moisten his parched throat, then held the skin out to Kornith.

Valere frowned, still disapproving of Drabba's geniality. The Knights of the Flaming Dagger were not supposed to be hospitable, nor were they supposed to--heaven forbid--share. "Our lord will not be happy if you cannot drag your sun-shriveled hulk home tonight, Drabba. You had better save some for yourself," she scolded in harsh tones, with just a hint of I-don't-care-if-you-live-or-die thrown in for good measure.

Drabba snorted. "Come, now, be reasonable. Our lord will not care if I share a few drops of water with a weary messenger." Drabba winced when he realized that he had revealed what he knew about Kornith. Valere merely sighed gently in controlled frustration.

[Aly]

Kornith felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He made a small noise, but then laughed lightly.

“Yes, how did you know?” He said, waving his arm out in front of him, “I must be a terrible messenger if you saw through me so easily. It is obvious, isn’t it?”

Kornith was as tense as a drawn bowstring, ready to jump at any moment. Already, various situations were running through his mind, - all of which ended with Kornith in trouble. Only now did he realize just how truly enormous Drabba was, and how Valerie’s gaze never moved away from him.

Leaning back again, Kornith patted a skin attached to his belt. It was significantly smaller that Drabba’s, maybe only able to hold a liter of water, but it sloshed at Kornith’s touch. He replied, “It is quite alright. I know how valuable water is right now. It is worth more than gold, as far as I am concerned. Those nobles can take their money, - I can not drink it!”

He was rambling now.

Panic flooded his body, and pushed adrenaline through his veins. He was ready to run and tried to convince himself that he could out-run Drabba. The girl, though… she looked as fast as a sand-winder. He wouldn’t be able to out-run her.
He had to think of something!

Wait, wait, calm down. He thought, Maybe they are not malicious.

Kornith scoffed at his own false hope. He of all people could not possibly have that kind of luck.

But perhaps… as long as they couldn’t read. He might have a chance to escape with his life. If this didn’t work, he would have to destroy the letters before those two took them.

Reaching around to the pouch with the letters, Kornith drew one of the smaller ones. Tossing it to the big guy, Kornith said lazily, “Yes, I am a messenger. An idiot one, at that. Carrying these ridiculous things across this parched land. I peeked at one, and it is not written in the common language. I know little bits of some other tongues, and as far as I can tell, it is completely foreign.”

[Kelila]

((What language is it actually in? Drabba can't read, but Valere can read English and Spanish.))

[Aly]

(( Eh... hehe... Kornith can read it. He's bluffing. It's in the nymph's original language. I showed it to you in history class; it had all of those strange, sweeping lines and dots over them, almost like a rough form of Arabic. Anyway, the nymphs adopted the common language a while ago. They've sort of resurected their old language in order to protect important documents like these. ))

[Kelila]

((Oooooh, okay, that's neat...))

Drabba took the letter and unfolded it out of curiosity. He shook his head when he saw the swooping figures dancing before his eyes, seemingly mocking his illiteracy. "Hrrmm," he grumbled deep in his chest. "Completely foreign, as you said."

"Let me see it," Valere insisted, swinging nimbly down to a lower branch just a few feet above Drabba. She hung upside-down by the crooks of her knees and grabbed at the letter. She finally snatched it away from Drabba's broad hand, then swung back up onto the branch, her face flushed. Valere swiftly scanned the page, but no flash of comprehension crossed her features. A different tongue, yes, but even a different script... Where is this sun-struck fool headed? This looks Arab--perchance Ouraios could read it to us... Valere contemplated this for a moment, glancing back at the nervous messenger every so often.

Drabba interrupted her thoughts with another protocol-breaching display of affability. "Perhaps we could escort you to your destination, stranger... or at least part of the way. You never know what kinds of ruffians might be out on these roads." He smiled warmly at the messenger, but Valere detected a steely glimmer in his eyes. With a start, she realized what she had been missing for the last few minutes: that Drabba was only pretending to be friendly with the fool. He was trying to win the poor fellow's trust. Valere latched onto the idea immediately.

"Of course! How silly of me. We knights should always escort an unprotected traveler through our domain. It would simply be... unchivalrous to not do so." She smiled her most innocent, convincing smile at the messenger. In most cases, this would cause the man of stoniest heart to melt in love before her. She hoped it was appropriate for the moment.

[Aly]

The smile only served to more un-nerve the lad. If she had smiled without speaking, Kornith would have thought nothing more. The malicious intent behind her words, however, made his hair stand on end. Did she wish to kill him? Gulping, Kornith asked, "Oh, you are knights? I would not have thought so. How very foolish of me."

Yes, a cursed, abominable fool! He scolded himself. How could he possibly stay calm? His facade was slipping as panic more enveloped him; it was all Kornith could make himself do to keep the conversation going. He replied, "Then, if you are knights, the lord you serve lives not far off? I think I should like to go with you to your village, if I may."

Kornith held out his hand to Valerie, wanting to have the letter back. He stared up at her, hard and long. How much of a threat was this woman? It would be troublesome if she did not give the parchment back... Kornith was not sure if he should risk getting it back or possibly risk loosing the other letters.

[Kelila]

A meaningful glance of malintent flashed between Drabba and Valere, and Valere tucked the letter inside her bodice. "For safe keeping," she said, winking at Kornith. Valere twirled the hem of her long black tunic like a skirt. She was the picture of innocence gone bad, a child's form distorted by shadows. She winked again and seemed to produce a knife out of thin air. Licked it. Grinned. All the time she was gazing at Kornith. Her sky-blue eyes flashed crimson with anticipation.

Drabba chuckled darkly and stood up. His full height was easily eight feet. "If you could call it a village, then yes, we reside nearby with our lord. Now, it would be a pleasure if you came with us. Our lord would be so disappointed if he heard he did not get to meet you." Drabba swung the massive battleaxe to his shoulder with apparent ease, like picking up a twig. It rested there lightly but perilously, its glinting edge pointed towards Kornith's head. "Now then. To the Knight's Hold." He gestured away with a nod of his head, and at the same time shot a meaningful glance at Valere that spoke, Do not get carried away with your wiles, woman.

Valere shot back with an equally meaningful, though unrepeatable, look.

[Aly]

He got up without protest. There was nothing to say; he was their prisoner. Would they bind his hands, or take the other letters right this instant? Well, no matter. No one could read them except those who knew they nymph's tongue.

Kornith carefully kept his gaze on the ground, not looking to Drabba nor Valere. He did not wish to see them. He wished he would have had more sense! Gavin would have boxed his ears for being so reckless.

He cursed himself for his stupidity. He cursed this wretched war. He cursed this drought and the letters and everything within the vicinity, including his captors. Desi would be rightly surprised by his language. Arya might have blushed.

Cringing at the thought of his family, Kornith fell in line behind the two knights. They were dangerous. Extremely dangerous. The more he thought about his situation, the more Kornith gave up the hope of escaping with his life. But he could at least be of some help before he died. He could destroy the letters before the enemy had any chance to decipher them... already, a plan was formulating in his mind.

[Kelila]

((I thoroughly apologize for my last post. It's hideous and very cliche.))