Pathwalker - RP

[Moosetroop11]

Shell sat silently next to a group of loud, obnoxious mercenaries. They did not worry him in the least, for he had in the past been exposed to far worse scum. To avoid confrontation he could appear to be concentrating on his food, and yet let his mind and gaze wander along the table. Most of the contestants were tearing through their meals like ravenous wolves, and in fact a few resembled such.

There were a few at the table who did not, however, seem to fit. The man some distance away sitting next to the lovely Sprite; another, well spoken man, closer to Shell's position, chatting to another two who were listening intently: These people seemed to have an aura about them, an air that they truly belonged in the competition. Shell had no doubt that the lady would be kind to them in the lots.
Then shell's mind returned to needs closer to home: There was food on the table and he hadn't eaten for a good while. Consious of the brutal company at the table, he selected a few small items of food and dropped them into his pocket where the frog resided. Generally none of this meal would have been edible to a frog, but Shell had seen this one eat almost anything small enough to fit into it's mouth. Only then did he pile up his own plate and get to work.

[Drace]

'You don't like the food?' Bowen wonders to Shell, he shakes a bit and looks at Bowen.

'No, no. It's good. I was just, drifiting away with my mind.'

'Heh, we all have that sometimes. Best is too just let it go and enjoy a splendid meal like this one.' Bowen snickers and eats the last piece of meat of his chicken bone.

'I'll make you a bet,' Bowen says.

'Huh? Spill it.'

'I bet for that chicken leg you got there that I can hit that big fat dwarf's nose who's sitting at the end of the table there with this bone.'

Shell scans down the end of the table, to see a big, muscled dwarf with a red beard and red hair sitting somewhere at the end. The dwarf is munching down the food like it was a race, or a private war against it. Even from this point, Shell could see the pieces of food that got stuck into the dwarf's giant beard.

'No way,' he says confident. 'You can't make it.'

'So the bet is on?'

'What do I get if I miss?'

'Hmmm... how about... my...,' he looks at his plate and glass. 'My wine?'

'Ah, sure. It's just food anyways. Try it.'

Bowen looks at the dwarf at the end and holds the piece of bone thightly in his right hand, he pulls his arm back, strechtes it and aims at the nose. With a swift throw, the piece of bone goes flying over the table.

[DeusExMachina]

Monty  is startled as a Bone flies past his face, and hits the nose of the ill-dispositioned Dwarf Beside him.

He looks down the table, and sees a snickering Bowen.

"ugggh.....I should have figured something stupid like this would happen with this lot of company."

The Dwarf Stands up in a rage beside Monty, Yelling profanities, Demmanding to know who did it.

Discreetly, Monty Draws a piece of Rope from his cloak, with weighted bearings fastened to the ends......a means of enforcing complacency.

Im not letting this go to the dogs, monty thought.....If nothing else, Id like to not have this feast intterupted by a berzerker Dwarf. I hope his friends dont take it wrong if I have to Aid in restraining it.

[Kinslayer]

Anyan stared the whole scene of the mad dwarf getting up and attacking Monty. "It's an oportunity to show myself" he thought, so, he jumped before the dwarf, and said: "Why must you be so angry? Perhaps it was an accident. Let us not fight for now, we should eat". The dwarf stared to Anyan, right into his red eyes, and said: "Ye ain't going to stop me. I'll crush ya, freak!"

The dwarf punched Anyan's stomach, throwing him down to the floor. "Now I'm mad" thought Anyan, as he got up, jumped fastly and kicked the dwarf's face. The dwarf started to insult Anyan, and tried to draw his axe, but the young man was faster and drew his sword.

"Sit down, or I'll turn you into an even smaller being!" said Anyan, with authority in his voice. The dwarf, seeing himself defeated, looked into the ground and sat down, furious. The guards were amazed, and the King, who had not recognized Anyan, was indeed impressed. "That is the kind of bravery, strenght and speed we need! Bravo, young man!" Anyan smiled, made a reverence, and sat down, quietly, next to Monty. "I guess I'll have this chicken leg" he said, and started to eat, silent, while some mercenaries were whispering about his skills.

[Dragonium]

Alziel shook his head. A selection of these fools, the cream of the crop, would be his opponents, provided he made it through the selection. They would fight hard and be determined, as all fools were. They would be difficult to defeat.

He looked around the table. All the men here seemed almost certain that they would be selected. Alziel looked across to Anyan, who had pacified the dwarf much to the King's pleasure. This man, now he had earned a royal favour, would be almost certain to be drawn and selected to go.

The system was corrupt, as Monty had said.

But frankly, Alziel decided, there were no two ways about it. This was a contest he had to win.

[Moosetroop11]

Shell glanced up at Bowen, who was beaming from ear to ear. Shell took the chicken leg and tossed it to him. "Nice one. Where'd you learn to throw like that?"

***

Liara didn't need to eat as much as the others- she picked at her food, eating mainly the fruit that was on offer. The king was clearly anxious to impress, the table spilling over with something for every race. In particular, she noticed, a rare plant, Ornat, glistening a brilliant yellow; a favourite food of the sprites and something she hadn't tasted in a couple of years. She took it and held it for a while, but decided that she wasn't hungry and stored it in her pack. Who knew when a food as renowned for healing as the ornat would come in handy over the next week or so?

[Dragonium]

Alziel spotted Liara slipping the plant into her pack, and realised that he had not eaten himself. The feast was well underway. He took a few rashers of fine bacon - cooked to crispy wonderful perfection - and sat eating quietly for some minutes. Once the bacon was gone he took a steak from a platter and sat eating that.

This was an opportunity for free meat, without having to hunt for it for two hours first. Alziel wondered what provisions would be supplied for those going West. They would certainly not be as good as this.

He took what he could eat, and after he was satisfied he sat quietly in his chair, sipping his free wine and observing the rest of the feast.

He caught Liara watching him. Not knowing what to say under the circumstances, he smiled, and she smiled back. Then she looked away, and so did he.

A few minutes passed as the rest of the food was eaten, and then more servants came in carrying an exotic array of desserts fit for every race and profession in the room. Alziel found himself taking an agreeable serving of apple pie.

"They're certainly pulling out all the stops, aren't they?", he said to Liara through mouthfuls of pie. She nodded and smiled.

Alziel was aware of his appearance. He quickly swept off the crumbs which had fallen onto his jacket and laughed.

He knew that there was a chance he might not be selected; but if this was the case, he hoped Liara would go through.

[DeusExMachina]

Around the room, Monty observed the goings on of the few present that he had made aquaintance with...watched as people shoved various perishable items into their pockets andf bags.
'Food like that will keep for a few days fine, but who knows the floura and fauna of where were going....' Monty mused to Himself...

After a few moments of casually strutting about the dining table, monty bagan shoving foodstuffs into various pouches hooked onto his person

several handfulls of various nuts, he would need protein.....
Buns into his pack....a stale bun is like mothers milk when one is famished
Cured Meats, and dried fruits. The king had stocked plaenty of these Items. Most of the people present tended to skip these, as there were fresh meats and stews in abundance....The king obviously intended for the keen witted to stock up before the departure.

"Perhaps this is a test" monty mused to himself as he noted that the feast's attendants were keeping a very analytical eye on who was taking what from the plates

Monty pocketed a couple sets of cutlery, steak knives, spoons, 2 forks....chopsticks could be used as darts if modified when in a bind.

The feast was nearing an end it seemed. The chaotic ramblings of the feasters was begining to simmer to a mild din, as a feast tends to do.

Monty was proud that he had not over-ate...he would not allow himself to become sedated by a full stomach. Knowing the ways the king operated, there could be a suprise areana battle, or for all he knew, the itinerary could change, and the selected could be ushered to the Boats within the Hour. This king was renowned for pulling suprises, as could be seen by the announcment to only bring a select few.....Monty put some Vegetables into a feed Bag, andpolitely requested to a guard to bring the small feed bag outside for his quarterhorse tied outside the Gate.

At first the guard was taken aback by the request, but was more than please when another, tiny bag, holding a not-so-tiny tip was slipped into the guards hand.

Montclair  then retired to the side of the dining hall to flirt with a female Elven, a rouge cleric by appearance, who had been subtly making eyes through his stocking of non-perishables.

[Drace]

'Used to play quite a bit of baseball in my younger days,' Bowen said proudfull, almost cocky.

'But alas, those days ended and I grew up. Still miss the days where we could just relax as children and play. But hey, that's what we have pubs for now.' Bowen smiles, 'Pubs and females.'

[Kinslayer]

Anyan ate peacefully, thinking for himself. Meanwhile, he was watching how some man started to save a little bit of food. He observed a few pieces of bread. "They'll waste... but still, I'll before sleeping" he thought, so he took a few pieces, without anyone noticing. He had saved plenty of food on his bag (just a bag made of the skin of a bear he killed), since he was used to travel long distances.

He started to graduate his companions. First, Monty, at his side, a cheerful and educated man, but who must have great skills. Then, there was Bowen, he had not spoken too much with him, but he was sure that he was a formidable warrior. Then, there was Alziel, with his bandit looks. "Surely, he's a candidate for winning this contest" he thought. Then, the beautiful fairy, Liara, she reminded him of Delliah, but he was sure that she was deadly, with those daggers she was hiding. And Shell, with that staff, surely didn't seem like an oponent, but Anyan was sure that he had to be quite strong to participate in this contest only armed with a staff. Or would he be a fool instead?

Anyan just decided to think this back later, as he stared to the hall, and saw Klerr, his old friend, enter into his bedroom quite dizzy.

He stared at his sword, Leddwick's Viper, and thought: "I told you to remember me when you go to bed.." as he smiled.

[Red XIII]

(Hope it´s not too late to join)
Name: Ragnar Lodbroke
Gender: Male
Age: 34
Height: 5'11
Race: Human
Class: Spy
Personality: Silent until you get to know him, smart. Has a hard time trusting people.
Weapons/Gear: Light crossbow for distance attacks. He wields two short swords in close combat. Also, he has a light leather vest under his coat.
Appearance: Blue eyes and short black hair. He always wears a hat, because he is sligthly bald. He is very experienced, as the look of his face confirms. He wears mainly a long coat, that seems to change color according to his wishes. He keeps his swords and crossbow (As well as some tools) under it.
Bio: He grew in a small village, (Though nobody has been able to know where). His parents died of a Plague when he was 10, and he had to live alone since then. Ragnar has been on his own since then. Having to survive, he learned to shoot a crossbow to hunt, but when he was 15 he entered the King´s Army. His commander, seeing he wasn´t fit to be a mere soldier, made him enter the Spy squad, where he learned the arts of picking locks and dissapearing.
Ragnar had retired a year before this story, and decided to go back into action when he heard about this expedition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ragnar watched everyone at the feast, staying back and trying not to get noticed. He quickly learned the names of pretty much every warrior, thanks to his precious good ears.
Anyan sure looked dangerous, with his posoned sword. Monty didn´t seem so bad himself. And that Alziel.....
"Yes" Ragnar thought. "This will be interesting, though I will have to be very careful. A little diplomacy here, a good shot there, and I´m in!!!"

[Dragonium]

Alziel too noticed the other contestants slipping spare morsels of food into their pockets and bags. He doubted this was allowed in the contest rules, but since everyone seemed to be doing it he thought it might probably be a good idea to follow suit. He opened his tunic, now free of crumbs, and slipped in a few large pieces of pie crust. They were nothing - not even the lightest snack - but they could come in handy.

He wondered what animals would be living in the Western Isles. Those who were selected could not live on their provisions forever. They would have to hunt. He looked around the room. Few were equipped for travelling, more for battle. A battleaxe or a sword was a terrible hunting weapon.

Still, if he was selected, he would be one with experience. He had his bow, and arrows, and Leyland's favourite hunting knife tucked into a leather sheath in his tunic. He could hunt.

His skills would be useful to others. If he made the selection he expected to be asked for help by more than one person.

Still, he could choose his friends. And his enemies.

The feast was drawing to a close. A list of names was called and these people were told which room they would be staying the night in. Alziel sighed, sat lightly in his chair and waited for his name to be called.

[Moosetroop11]

As the names were called out for the rooms, Shell leant over to Bowen.
"We will be picked for the quest" he said. "That much is obvious. So will the Sprite and the man next to her, and also that man over there.."
"He's called Monty." Bowen interrupted. "How do you know we'll get picked?"
"You can tell that the lady shines upon them." Shell smiled. "Have you ever wondered whether things happen for a reason?"
Bowen looked doubtful.
"I'll make you a bet now." Shell continued. "That you, myself, the sprite, the man next to her, Monty, and..." Shell looked around the room. "The man who subdued that dwarf you angered, will all be amongst the chosen."
Bowen smiled. "What do you wager?"
Shell was thoughtful. "A favour" he replied at last. "If I win, you owe me one. If you win, I owe you. A favour is far more powerful than material goods."
Bowen nodded. "You're on."

[Drace]

"Bowen. You're in room five."
"Hmm, ok. If you're right, then we'll meet again Shell. I bid thy farewell till then," he says as he stands up.

"I'm sure we'll meet again. Till then."

He turns around and follow the guard who's waiting at room five.

"This is it," he thinks. "The trials start, I must make it. I must for her."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a cold winter night, earlier of this year. The moon was lost in endless clouds. Only a star or two were able to break through the darkness and shine a light upon the world. A wolf howling in the night, a bird flapping through the air, perhaps an owl. It didn't matter. It was silent, silent as every dark night. But that would change soon. A horse running through this dark forest, the hooves clatering on the ground.. The man on top shouting to the beast that it should go faster. Bowen.

"It's not to late!" he shouts through the darkness. "I will save you,  Rhiannón! I will save you!"

[Kinslayer]

A guard enters the room and yells: "Mr Leddwick! Who is Mr Leddwick?"

Anyan smiled and replied to the guard by rising his hand. The guard said to him: "You are in room number seven, let me show you the way". Anyan followed the guard, although he knew the way. They passed near the room where Klerr had gone to sleep. Anyan saw a guard getting out of that room. "Klerr, you bloody sleepy head... I can't get him up" he told to another guard. "Let him be, he has plenty of work for tomorrow" said the other. Anyan went to his room, but he didn't sleep form the beginning. He went to the big courtyard in front of him. Suddenly, a young lady approached him.

"Anyan...?" she asked. Anyan smiled to the young lady and said: "Klediah... it's been a while."
Klediah was Delliah's young sister.
"I've been so worried about you. It's been hard, without you and my sis taking care of me..." she said.
"I had to go, I was being pursued, and your sister had..." Anyan silenced. He realized he was about to cry, so he stopped talking. After a short pause, he continued.
"If I had gotten close to you, it would have been dangerous for you. I just wanted to protect you... but I am not that strong. The best thing I could do was leave..."
K
lediah smiled to Anyan. Her brown hair was shining under the stars, she certainly was beautiful. Suddenly, she put her hands into her dresse's pocket, and got something out. A necklace, adorned with two golden serpents. "You gave this to my sister... I found it at a furniture a few days ago... I guessed you wanted it back" she said, at the verge of crying. Anyan remembered that necklace. He had given it to Delliah as a commitment gift. They were going to marry, but they had not told anyone, and they never could.

Anyan stared at Klediah and said: "Keep it... it was a present of mine to Delliah. I want you to keep it, just to remember her, as well as me. You've grown into a fine woman, Klediah... but I fear this is the last time we'll see each other..." Klediah cried and hugged Anyan. "Please don't go big bro!" she said, bursting into tears.

"I have to go Klediah... please promise me you'll marry with a handsome man" said Anyan, as he smiled. Klediah smiled back and kissed Anyan's cheek. "I bid you farewell... brother" she said, as she left to the Castle's Temple. She was a priestess.

As he went back to his room, Anyan couldn't stand up. He dropped himself to the floor. And he cried after a long time.