Dreadlords In Distant Lands

[Lothar]

The Colony of Torrith:
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This thread, and those which follow it[Distant Lands] take place five years ahead of the 'standard' Anirian Timeline. That means that if any character in these threads 'returns' to Vel Anir, they will be somewhat out of 'sync' with the rest of the characters. This is because these threads are intended to take place far away from the main 'hub' of Anirian RP. Our characters will not be in touch with the homeland, bar perhaps letters received months after they are sent. This is a core concept to these threads, and if the concept doesn't interest you or you don't intend to follow it; Please do not partake.

Though I had originally thought to create a 'timeline' of events, I have decided this isn't much in the spirit of cooperative roleplay. Instead I will simply post a small indicator of the 'big' things that happened during the years. This will allow us all to flesh out and create an interesting and cooperative story.

The Years;
Year One; Five Ships of the Line Depart Vel Anir with 3,987 Souls. Most of the Year is spent traveling. Arrive on the eastern most side of Malakath as Winter falls. Struggle for the rest of winter to find a landing point. Ships eventually moor in a deep cove, naming it 'Torrith' after the Admiral's father.

Year Two; The Anirians Winter aboard their ships. When Spring lands, the colonists begin clear cutting of land. Anirians encounter wild beasts, monsters, and all sorts of creatures. Though beaten back somewhat, the Colony manages to establish itself on an island in the cove.

Year Three; The dangers of Malakath prove to be more than simply beasts. Disease ravages the colony, and nearly half of Torrith dies of a mysterious illness. Through struggling, the Colony eventually makes it through. Most of year four is a simple struggle for survival.

Year Four; Torrith has managed to stabilize itself. The plague is gone, and the population has stabilized. Torrith has been built into a proper village and is considered relatively secure. By Order of the Marshall General, the Anirians begin to send out scouting parties deeper into Malakath's lands. Finally, rumors begin to spread around the land of monsters of strange newcomers in the east.

Year Five; See; This thread.

Malakath - Torrith

Five years.

It seemed an impossibly long amount of time now, but with everything that had happened in-between Lothar would have argued that only a tenth as much had passed. It seemed that every day of the last five years had been a fight for survival. There hadn't been many days off, and even fewer where he hadn't worried about anything.

They had all come to quickly learn that was the nature of life in this place.

Danger lurked, quite literally, around nearly every corner. Monsters the size of Dragons roamed the jungle, trees would eat you themselves if given a chance, and every insect seemed to have some sort of venom. Nearly everything and anything could kill you in these lands, and plenty had died before they'd learned the caution of that fact.

Five years on though, and things were starting to look up. Torrith, what Admiral Nicomo had named their little town, was well defended enough. If you had a handful of Dreadlords to defend the bridges and the wall, but even without them, precautions had been created the previous year, and now in the spring of their Fifth year on Malakath; they were finally preparing to go a little further.

Lothar had volunteered for last years scouting missions too, mostly just because he'd been desperate for a change of scenery. Most everything he had seen of Malakath so far did not extend beyond the cove Torrith lay in, the Admiral always having insisted before that he stay. Lothar's magic having become a particularly useful skill, given the fact that he was able to 'recycle' his fallen peers. Taking their eyes when a monster, or simple disease, brought them to the grave.

This time though, this time it would be different.

Twelve of them would be setting out from Torrith. Three Dreadlords, including himself, and seven Guardsmen, and two of the civilians. All of them competent, and chosen for their skill, Lothar knew. This journey would not be an easy one. Two hundred miles across Malakath, but at least they would see something new. At least it wasn't prison.

"I thought the Guard were punctual." Lothar quipped as one of the other scouts approached, a man by the name of Lope, or that was what everyone called him. His odd gait marking him out even in the tightest formation.

A smile quirked on the Guardsmen's lips, and he shook his head as he approached. "Aye, well, least I beat your fellows here."

"No you didn't."[/color] Lothar said with a grin. "I'm early."

Laughter bellowed from Lope's lifts, head shaking as he turned, and waited for the others. A quiet, 'fuck you, ushered from his mouth towards the Dreadlord besides him.

 

[Evaine]

"Get it out of your system now, Lope," Evaine arrived on scene just early enough to witness the short exchange between the two. Living among the colony for the last five years had allowed those that had survived the time and opportunity to get to know one another fairly well. Well enough to know that if this nonsense wasn't nipped early, it would only get worse.

The Dreadlord cut her younger compatriot a sharp look, having grown familiar with his wit in their time working together, before looking to the Guardsman, "I'm not saving you from the beasts when they come after your laughing ass."

"You seem quite pleased with yourself," she remarked in a lower tone to Lothar as she took up a stance beside him, arms crossed while they awaited the others, "did you hear the rumor from the last scout party?"

 

[Breyer]

Being late hadn't been by his choice.

Breyer and his bleeding heart could not walk past the chicken coop, watching as the farmer there struggled to fixed the door hinge to keep the chickens in at night. The mistake was that he happened to look at the farmer just as he threw him a look of exhaustion, and Breyer sighed and went to help.

Already, the Guardsmen that were to accompany the scouting mission were too far ahead for him to run and catch up with, and so he decided to keep his pace. He hadn't thought himself useful or tough enough to be asked to join the scouting mission, but in the fourth year of settling here, Breyer and his Sealing Magic kept those living now alive from the plague. He had felt like he was condemning the people that were afflicted, but it was his spells that made sure disease did not spread to key areas of the island.

A segregation that felt unfair, but it saw many of them surviving another year.

"Better to have you around than to need you and you are miles away from helping. You're stepping up in this world, Dorfaren." Was what was told to him when he decided to join.

"Sorry, I had to help the chicken farmer..." And with a shy smile, Breyer lifted the basket of eggs he had carefully transported with him. At least they have breakfast sorted for the first morning.

 

[Oryyn Black]

Oryyn begrudgingly made his way towards the gates to meet the others. His warhammer sat across his shoulders as many in the new colony gave him a wide birth as he walked through. He had developed a reputation for not being the friendliest to normal people.

Of course, he had also developed his reputation for being unkillable. Even for his young age, having been thrown onto the colonial expedition almost directly after the Academy, Oryyn had possibly been on more scouting missions than anyone in the settlement.

The reason was simple, he always came back. If his party ran into trouble and everyone was killed by some large monster, then he might be a few days or weeks late but he always crawled back into town looking like absolute shit.

"You're gonna carry eggs on a scouting mission? Ok."

He didn't say no to the idea, as he enjoyed a good meal, but the likelihood that those eggs survived the trip seemed unlikely. It seemed unnecessary.

 

[Agonia DeSnappe]

Agonia DeSnappe emerged from behind the gate wall, book in hand and sample basket at her hip. She had been out every chance she could and more than once had almost been forgotten by stopping to draw leaves.
At her back was her travel pack with cooking utensils and other assortments.

"Good idea Breyer, eggs are practical and nutritious."

She liked Orryn despite his gruffness and waited for his inevitable return once when an expedition turned south unusually early. After seeing herself back to Torrinth she waited for his return, not to help but to take notes.

"Two hundred miles in this heat, through this bush will be taxing and slow, expect at least three nights stay and it may be that if foraging turns slim these eggs could keep us alive. I suspect even you can starve to death Oryyn."

 

[Lothar]

A more serious expresison flickered over his features as Evaine whispered in his ears. Lips pressing to a thin line. "I did."

Malakath was proving to be beyond dangerous. All of them knew that of course. It had become apparent in the first month of being here, but as time went on and the colony trudged on it became more and more difficult to justify staying at all. Not that Lothar agreed with the sentiment.

For him, this place was a new life. He did not know if Evaine felt the same way, but it didn't matter. She'd more than proven herself over the years.

"I'm not too worried." He whispered back. "Thomas and Urik shouldn't have been sent. They were..."

Lothar frowned, not wanting to insult his friends. "Softer."

Neither had magics which could hold up to Malakath. This group was better equipped, and as the naturalist came up to them Lothar knew that it would soon be time to go. A few more folk gathered their things, but before long his thoughts were proven true. Everyone packing their things as the small and compact caravan began to move out.

As they headed out, Lothar was one of those who took up the lead. Deciding that it would be best, given the...tokens he'd taken over the years. Some had come to terms with his magics, others still resented him for what the Governor had ordered him to do.

He tried to keep that in mind as he lead the way into the forest.

 

[Evaine]

The eggs went under silent scrutiny from Evaine as she listened to Lothar's murmured reply. There was no need to share the rumors with the class - likely some, if not all of them, already knew. The colony wasn't very big and if she learned anything from her days spent among the compact community of the Academy it was that news traveled faster than anything else.

"If they're not more careful," Evaine replied after a few moments of silence following the names of their two most recently lost comrades, "there won't be enough of us left to defend the colony."

They sure as shit couldn't produce any new Dreadlords while they were here and she wasn't volunteering to play the lottery on popping out children of her own. Backup wasn't coming. This was it. They had to use Dreads strategically or risk further losses.

While Lothar took to the front, Evaine assumed her normal scouting position towards the middle where she was more easily capable of meeting on dangers at either end. There she fell into stride alongside a few Guards she'd come to know fairly well over the last several years. Passing through the gates that lead them to the wilds beyond, it was almost impossible not to steal one last breath from the safety of the colony's walls.

Scout missions were often one-way tickets, though she'd returned from each one thus far. There had been more than a few close calls.

 

[Breyer]

"Well, I can put a seal on them to last more than a few days." Breyer cleared his throat, looked to all present and gave a small smile. "Can make them last as long as we want them too..."

Seals were just like runes, except it was a necessary to use Seals every so often to keep an equal channel of magic from storing too long that it discharges at any random moment. Breyer was good at offsetting his magic so this didn't happen, but in recent years, he began storing magic in order to create stronger and more potent Seals. It needed to be done when plague spread through the colony.

"If you all want, I can put seals into your iron to keep them from degrading over time and use?" He could use the Seal on a great matter of things, but he needed to think practically. "Or... if we got any other suggestions now or in future, open to hear it."

 

[Oryyn Black]

Oryyn wordlessly made his way to the walk beside Lothar as the party exited the settlement. He had been on enough of these missions to understand his set role. He was the meatshield. It had taken getting used to when his magic first showed itself, but getting stabbed while others did not was just a normal everyday event.

He cast one last glance at Breyer as he walked past and snorted with a chuckle at Agonia's comment. She was right, but it would take weeks for him to starve compared to the others. His body would continuously try to heal himself, even if it were a wasted effort. Starving was one of the worst ways to go he had experienced so far, next to burning and drowning, but then the Proctors had filled him up with water and forced some food down his throat and he popped right back up. It had taken him days to recover his muscle mass.

The question of the eggs wasn't about spoiling, it was more that the lands Malakath had been proven to be incredibly hostile. Those eggs were surely going to break if they ran into trouble...but that wasn't his problem, and who was he to tell someone they couldn't carry something?

As the man explained his magic, he wondered if that type of magic could also seal something like a mouth. That would be something worth paying for.

"I'm good."

 

[Agonia DeSnappe]

"Such a resourceful lad you are Breyer. You know..."
She sidled up to beside him as they walked into the brush, her slimness accentuated by almost all the others present.
"... Rune magic has been around for a while but it was Alistair Krixus who *really* put it on the map."
She gave him a sharp and lasting glance, like being looked at by an impossibly fine shard of glass.
"Mayhaps one day you too shall do with your Seals what he has with Runes, if you keep at it."
It was an intriguing thought and could open up a whole new area of study.
"And never mind Orryn. Our dour friend is simply unhappy. Egg please!"
Her slim hand opened expectantly to him.

 

[Lothar]

"Maybe if enough of us die the Governor will finally send for some reinforcements." Lothar said to Evaine's comment with a shrug.

So far, the leader of their mission had been hesitant to send word back to the Republic. Fearful that circumstances back home might have changed...or that he would be replaced for his failures.

Lothar suspected it was far more the latter than the former.

As they walked Breyer was trying hard to be helpful, Orryn was his typical self, and as always Evaine was the only one of them he had any real interest in talking to. Not that he disliked the others, but after so much time together in the colony it was easier to stick with those you worked well with.

Least in his experience. "Sealing our food is probably a good idea."

Lothar did admit.

His last scouting mission had nearly gone to disaster after a plague of Aureksects came upon their camp in the middle of the night. Malakath was not only filled with massive monsters, but vermin and insects that would eat through a whole forest if they were allowed.

"When we make our first stop?" He asked as they continued on deeper into the forest. Heading towards the distant mountains where the last scouting mission had stopped. There they would try to cross over the peaks, and finally see what was on the other side.

 

[Evaine]

Exempt from the conversations of the others simply due to proximity, Evaine kept quiet and remained ever vigilant. To become lost in conversation was a death sentence out here - one had to keep alert. Malakath had proven to be as deadly as the Ixchel Wilds, though its predators were significantly larger in size than those of the mainlands.

Scouts had been sent ahead of the main group to determine the safest route forward. Keeping a permanent trail had become nearly impossible. The forest was always shifting and changing with the movement of prey and predator alike, though they had a general idea of what areas were safe and what ones to avoid... like known nesting grounds of the walking nightmare moritere.

Evaine didn't have heightened senses in her base form, but she both heard and saw the movement of undergrowth to the side well before the Scout's camouflaged form appeared. It was only their tell-tale whistle sounding that kept her from cleaving his head clean from his shoulders when he finally broke through.

The scout known as Adrien lifted his hands for the signal to stop for the party to see and moved among them to reach the General.

"Reporting in, Sir," Adrien saluted before pulling a map from an inner pocket and quickly unfolding it, "there is a large concentration of skycres ahead on the path. They're feasting on something big. We need to take the western trail to avoid them, but it brings us closer to the territory of Crimson."

Crimson. A massive moritere whose skull-like face was constantly stained in the blood of its prey. It had nearly decimated a scouting party along with four of its hatchlings two years ago. They avoided his grounds whenever they could.

 

[Breyer]

"Mayhaps one day you too shall do with your Seals what he has with Runes, if you keep at it."

Breyer gave a kind smile, handing Agonia an egg.

"I am no Lord Krixus with my own magic, but you are right, one day. It is the magic that keeps Vel Redynne still standing, even after all the sieges it has seen." And then he put his magic to work in Vel Anir, working on defenses.

His time at the Academy saw that he studied runes and wards, and the offer to join the colony had been a discussion he had with his family for a long while. His brother also had the family magic, but without an education from the Academy, Breyer decided he has been trained to face Death easily. He would be the one to represent the family, to make this new colony still stand and thrive much like Redynne.

 

[Oryyn Black]

Oryyn vaguely listened to the report being while keeping his eyes on the surrounding area. When it was finished, he cast a glance at Lothar next to him and Evaine behind him.

"We run into a bunch of skycres then we'll get messed up pretty badly, but maybe live...We run into Crimson and we're all dead."

Oryyn was not sure if he would die exactly, but he would still likely be stuck in the stomach of the beast for quite some time...Being eaten was not fun. Stomach acid was almost constantly burning him until he found ways to break out.

"If we take a detour for this then the first stop might not be till nightfall, cause will be behind schedule."

 

[Agonia DeSnappe]

"Do you see it now Black? Hmm? The wisdom of our master Breyer and his innovative eggs."
She gave young Breyer a nudge with her elbow and then made her way to the front of the pack to make it less obvious that she was listening in.
"At least for now, we shall not starve!"
The egg shell had taken was tossed up in her hand and caught again.
"So, where to turn if not onward? Skycres are roaming creatures, they don't stay anywhere for long so even if we avoid them now, they could stumble upon us later if we are not careful."

 

[Lothar]

Lothar listened carefully to their options, lips pressing to a thin line as he glanced at all of his companions.

All of them seemed to share a different opinion, but to his own ears there really was only one option. It was best not to tempt fate, particularly when they were one of the first scouting parties permitted to venture out after the last disaster. "We should avoid him."

He said, then frowned.

"It." Lothar corrected himself. "Crimson has already shown itself to be deadly, and exploring on the fringes of it's territory is just tempting danger."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "We can handle a few Skycres."

Lothar himself had slaughtered more than a few in the last months. He was far more confident in handling that problem than the monstrous being which might lurk for them elsewhere.

"Besides, whatever they're feasting on might present opportunity." He continued, speaking up in a way that just a few years ago would have been impossible for him. Lothar had been meek, mild, and not a little bit of a pushover. It was only here in Malakath where he had found his voice, a way to speak up. "Evaine and I can scout ahead. Make sure we'll be alright."

He proposed to the others.