Private Tales Whose Deeds Are Daring

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Heike Eisen

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There had to be someone willing.

Heike Eisen had spent a good day and half scouring the massive Allirian harbor for an agreeable captain. Ships had come in, docked, she had sought the ship's captain to ask, she'd be turned down, the ship would leave and another would pull in. Vessels of all sizes and classes came, and their captains to a man rejected her proposal. Here and now, as the afternoon sun stood sentinel amidst a spotless blue sky, Heike was asking just one more captain whilst aboard his ship.

"And where is this place yer tryin' to head off to, Herr Heike?" asked Captain Mendelev of the Thunderhead. He had the most promising tone of voice of all the captains today. Receptive.

Heike, with a renewed confidence because of it, said her piece, "'Tis an island, close to Falwood's eastern coast, and west of the Bayou Garramarisma. Mayhap you've heard of it? There seems to be no official name, but I have heard it called--"

"--The Fang," Captain Mendelev said, nodding grimly. "Aye. I've heard of it. What, by Astra's good graces, could you possibly want from there?"

Heike, straightening her posture ever so slightly, replied, "I have a duty to which I must attend."

"What sort of duty?"

Even if he seemed hesitant, now that he knew the destination Heike had in mind, he was still receptive--if her ears were not tinged with wishfulness and playing into a kindling of hope. Regardless, she had to press on. "I have told you that I am a Knight of the Golden Blade, but, as well, I am a honorary Templar of the Night Watchmen Chapter. Of this affiliation I have no insignia to provide proof, but I am a Templar all the same. The Night Watchmen have sent for me, and it is imperative that I secure passage to The Fang."

Mendelev pondered for a moment. "Night Watchmen...oh, the Pandemonium Crisis. That's where I've heard that name before. Heh, well, was my impression that they had all perished fightin' those demons."

"Many. But not all." Heike paused, and then spoke as sincerely as she could. "Captain, there is a saying that I have heard in Reikhurst--it may yet be prevalent throughout the world and among many martial orders and bands of warriors, but I heard it spoken in Reikhurst first. 'They whose deeds are daring claim victory.'"

She looked out over the Thunderhead's deck railing, to the dockworkers and sailors unloading and moving freight below. Briefly. Then back to the captain. "The Night Watchmen dared greatly, sacrificed much, and claimed victory in the Crisis. I went to them in a time of dire need, and they helped me. It is not only duty, but gratitude, to which I am obligated to aid in their mission at The Fang. What ill tales you have heard of that accursed island are likely true, for they have come to know that loathsome vampires are hoarding an unholy artifact there, and that these foul creatures guard it viciously. The Night Watchmen seek to destroy this artifact. They are few, but I am one of them, Captain. Despite this, we shall through daring claim victory. Will you help me go to them?"

Captain Mendelev, though obviously swayed by Heike's impassioned plea, said with a heavy expression. "I am sorry, Herr. I hate those bloodsuckers as much as the next right-minded man, and I hope that you find the passage you seek. But...I'm afraid that no amount of coin could convince me to sail to that forsaken island."

Heike, though disappointed, nodded cordially. "And so I am bound to try again, aboard a different ship. Fare you well, Captain."

With that, Heike disembarked from the Thunderhead, walking down the gangplank and to the docks, her plate armor rattling with each descending step. She placed her hands on her hips, head downcast in contemplation. Time was moving steadily on, and thus far she'd made no notable progress. Captain Mendelev looked as if he might be convinced, somehow, to sail for The Fang, but coin would do nothing to sway him. Perhaps she was approaching this wrong, to think these Allirians would speak only the language of currency. For many Allirians it was their wont, this was true. But what coin did she offer Captain Bronmarch of the Allirian Guard? None. None, and he still helped her. At the time Heike had been a miserable vampire, whom he'd scarce reason to trust over any other. But Bronmarch's example was clear: coin was not everything to every Allirian.

As Heike thought further on what to do, she did not yet know that there was another who was also seeking passage to The Fang.

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
"Get out of here, elf! No coin, no passage! And certainly not to the damned Fang!"

Another door shut on his face as Ander stared at the worn wood, the crackling sound of the door closing right in front of him echoing inside his head in a long and annoying loop, like it had been for the majority of that day.

Discovering the details and the possible location of a dangerous relic, sure to bring havoc and death to the populace, had been a far easier task than achieving means of transportation to the island in which the artifact was supposedly hidden. Ander'ashan had been tracking that illusive object for weeks now, his skills as a tracker far outlying his alarming lack of social tact amongst others who were not of his elven kind. In fact, he hated himself for ever stepping foot inside the city called Alliria, with so many loud voices disrupting his already ill afflicted focus.

Not a moment went by that Ander wouldn't think about the destruction that befell his hometown of Avhalos, and with no more tears left to cry and without a big enough stone to hide his shame underneath, there was but one thing he could do - walk. And he was walking now, for months, at times aimlessly, wandering from city to city, village to village, discovering every crag and crevice of those lands, places so foreign to his limited knowledge.

A Guardian with no place left to defend, his skills could only be fit for other purposes now, and Ander seemed to have found one. A hunter, but not of animals - of monsters and relics. Sometimes, both. From past experiences, he had learned that they were often very closely related, with monsters always trekking about places filled with dangerous magics, and this island, this... Fang.

That seemed to be a place of eerie legends, which served only to spur him into quicker action.

That's what the people had told him, the ones who bothered to hear his pleas. Some humans weren't at all bad, even in a place such as that. They were the ones who pointed him towards those docks, where he could find a ship to take him to the Fang, where the relic would be located.

He had to get his hands on such a thing. If there were answers to be found on what happened to Avhalos, on what kind of evil forces burned it to the ground, Ander theorized that something of a similar force could provide them.

But on that moment, he was at a dead end again. He had no coin to his bearings, and Ander had come to understand such a thing carried great importance amongst the humans, dwarves and other races. As far as he knew though, elves, especially from Aendreasas, had no use for such things.

Another closed door, more loud and rude voices shouting at him, unbothered to even ask his name, merely calling him an elf, the tone of disgust on their voices being made evident as they sent him away, each and every time. But as he turned to face that enormous collection of vessels patiently waiting to depart, he noticed a pair of people talking aboard one of those ships.

Growing tired of being refused and assuming that one of those people would happen to be the leader of the vessel to take him to the island, Ander walked with steadfast determination on his steps, passing by the woman who was just aboard the ship, noticing the disappointment on her eyes. He had faced enough disappointment for that day already.

"Human." He called to Captain Mendelev, boarding the ship in surprising speed and already standing a few paces away from the man. His voice was rasp and his intent solid throughout every word. He wanted passage, and he would not be denied again. "Are you the leader of this vessel? If so, you will take me to the Fang. It is a matter of great importance."

Heike Eisen
 
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Captain Mendelev scarcely had time to think on the knight's request, the coin she had offered for what was a relatively short voyage, and if his refusal--

(what would his brother think?)

--was the right thing to do for his crew, for himself. Scarcely time at all when another person boarded the Thunderhead and came right to him. Mendelev had looked back up and noticed him only when he was already off the gangplank and on the deck, coming toward him. Speaking.

The surprise was evident on the captain's face.

"The Fang?" He blinked a few times, shaking his head in mild disbelief at the chances. Aloud, he mused, "Twice in one day...ha."

Mendelev sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Great importance. Don't tell me yer also one of those Night Watchmen Templar." His tone became heavier. Apologetic even. "Look. I told the other one that I wasn't going to do it, and now I'm telling you. I wish you all the fortune the gods have to give on your mission, but..."

Mendelev wet his lips. Pursed them tightly as he looked off to the side for a moment--a man conflicted if there ever was one. He stowed that conflict, flattening out his expression with new resolve, and he said to Ander, "You just missed her, by the way. She's right down there, on the docks."

And Mendelev pointed.

* * * * *​

A shame that the Night Watchmen had already set sail, yet it was to be expected. Their sanctum was far to the south of Alliria, down in the peninsula of the Allir Reach. A farther voyage to The Fang from there certainly. Heike couldn't know if they had already made landfall at The Fang, if they were still en route, or whatever their situation was.

Not unless she could find some means of passage to The Fang herself.

Perhaps the most intriguing part in the message Heike had received was the allusion to others . Others--mayhap more Templar Chapters? The message did not elaborate, and again, she could not know unless she could secure a way to The Fang. If there truly were more than just the Night Watchmen Chapter, then the scale of the mission (and its peril, surely) was greater than she had originally thought. Making its import all the more pronounced.

Heike, out of a sense of persistence and out of the clutch of desperation, glanced back up at the deck of the Thunderhead from the docks.

She squinted. Shielded her eyes from the rays of the afternoon sun.

Was that man now with Captain Mendelev?

And then the captain himself pointed down at her.

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
Once again, he was met with refusal.

Ander was having a hard time swallowing the denial, the excuses. He had to get to that island, he had to dispose of that artifact before yet more evil could be unleashed upon the land, and he certainly couldn't walk on water or swim there fast enough. He had to board one of those vessels, but each and every man responsible for them denied him, with disdain.

He was tired, not only physically after walking around those docks in search of guidance and passage, but also frustrated. Were all the people of that city so careless in regards to evil? Funnily enough, such behaviour reminded Ander'ashan of himself, from a time when he believed himself strong enough to slash and tear apart any sort of evil that appeared in front of him.

The elf wouldn't let such similar fate befall another city, claiming more lives.

He had noticed the looks given to him by the crewmates who were still walking around the deck, tidying ropes and carrying boxes. As occupied as they were, they feared that confrontation could turn to violence as Ander stepped forth, his fist clenched and his mouth set as if he was about to battle, but Captain Mendelev continued to talk, stopping the elf in his tracks as he paused to pay him attention.

The captain pointed to someone far from the ship, the very same person who Ander had seen conversing with him just moments before.

She looked at them just as they gazed at her, and without any further planning to his undertaking, Ander felt himself curious enough to momentarily give up on his task of persuading Mendelev to take him to the Fang, so that he could walk over and talk to that woman he mentioned.

He had mentioned something else, calling him 'another one' of the Night Watchmen Templar, but he had no notion of what that even meant. He tried recalling that word, 'Templar', from the many books he had been forced to read in his training, but to no avail.

Alas, there was no more time to dwell on memories as the elf now stood in front of the woman that had been looking at him moments prior.

He felt something different coming from her, a unusual force that was unfamiliar to him, but it made him feel more at ease for the first time in that place.

"Do you seek passage to the Fang as well, human? Can you help me reach it?"

It was a surprise for Ander to even entertain the thought of asking for help, but much of his pride had already been crushed the day Avhalos fell.

Heike Eisen
 
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Fortune could be fickle, chance fleeting. Here, however, was quite the fortuitous coincidence indeed. Watching the elf come down the gangplank and to the dock and over to her, all while thinking it surely had to do with some other business, it was to her pleasant surprise to be proven wrong. Well. Mayhap her notion about the larger scope of the Night Watchmen's mission to The Fang was correct.

Heike smiled in greeting. Said, "Yes, I do indeed seek passage there."

She knew nothing of the elf, of course. He wore not the armor of any Templar Chapter with which Heike had any passing knowledge. Not that it meant too much, that lack--the only reason she was clad in armor in the signature style of the Order of the Golden Blade was solely because of Tzuriel Alanthis's financial backing. Yet, even without the armor, she would have been a Knight all the same.

Still. What bound herself and the man before her together was a common goal, and a common impediment to that goal. 'Tis true, they each stood to gain from cooperation.

She extended a hand. "Herr Heike Eisen, Knight-Valiant of Reikhurst. And you?"

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
There was something... different about that woman.

Ander couldn't tell what exactly, though. It may have been the fact that she didn't immediately looked at him with disdain, telling him to stay far away. Or how her armor seemed to capture a distinctive honor, almost like an aura that followed her. Even without knowing, the elf could tell that she was a great warrior, like he had been once.

Much differently from the other people he had met in that city, that woman's armor was apparent of her distinguished skill, crafted to the very details and embellished with care. Looking at his own clothing now, Ander could see only the ragged cloak that carried the crest of the Order of Guardians, stretching from his right shoulder and covering his back, while the only piece of metal that he still wore was the gauntlet that covered his right hand and forearm.

They were the last pieces of his old armor, the last signs of honor that had long since escaped him. He was no warrior anymore, merely a ghost.

After some time away in his own thoughts, Ander stared at the hand extended out to him by the woman, who called herself Heike. A interesting name, unlike any he had heard before.

But still, that was a strange gesture she proposed. What was she expecting?

Aendreasians had many different greetings and gestures, depending on their status and caste. Ander mostly greeted his companions with a simple bow of his head and a hand upon his chest, a sign of respect amongst warriors, but Heike held his hand out for him. After a fleeting moment of hesitation, the elf held out his hand as well, shaking hers awkwardly.

"Knight-Valiant of Reikhurst..." He whispered to himself, although she probably would've heard it. Ander looked back at her, raising his gaze from their hands to her eyes. He was most curious about that land, so foreign to him. "I am Ander'ashan of clan Merëllien, from..."

His eyes fell towards the ground again, this time filled with grief, rather than confusion. "From a land long gone."

Heike Eisen
 
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This man, Ander, truly was from afar, if the manner in which he shook her hand was any indication. In many ways, Heike was much the same, a stranger in a strange land. All her life, until her vampirism, she had lived in Reikhurst, the social mores and customs of far-flung places like Alliria here, like Elbion, like the Kinniger Duchy she had not experienced firsthand. She had traveled far for those terrible five years afflicted with vampirism, but what did these travels amount to? Clinging to the shadows, avoiding the folk of the towns and cities she'd venture to, it was as if she'd not visited at all.

From a land long gone, he said.

From where, Heike could only guess. Her geographical education whilst becoming knight only encompassed so much, and was centered mostly on human and dwarven realms. The naming convention of his given name, his clan, she would not be able to tell apart from other elven names and clans. Still, he had a poise about him that suggested to Heike that he was a man who had seen battle. His attire was suited for unencumbered travel, and so while her first guess was freelance sellsword, it didn't quite seem right. Those sellswords and mercenaries she had happened across and worked with typically had a cheerful recklessness about them, with a side of brashness or boisterousness. Many, Heike felt, would sell their own mother for her weight in coins, if given the chance--maybe even for a pittance, if they wanted a drink badly enough.

That flash of grief from Ander? When he spoke of his lost home? That wasn't what a warrior of fortune would show--certainly not to a stranger.

Perhaps the crest on his cloak was a symbol from the land from which he hailed. Heike's hand drifted to her belt. Touched her own insignia which dangled there; a token which established her as a Knight of the Golden Blade, and which to her held as much proud symbolic value as the colors held aloft by a military company's bannerman.

She tiled her head. Receptive, as she asked, "And what land would that be, Ander'ashan? We both are made busy by a task set before each of us, but I would hear you speak of it."

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
His eyes followed Heike as her hand slowly drifted towards the insignia she carried on her belt. It was a symbol unknown to him, and yet Ander could see that she respected it to greath length. It was the symbol of a warrior, heavy with prestige and a powerful meaning. It was something that Ander also carried with him, the crest on his cloak, now almost overshadowed with dirt.

That symbol had lost all its meaning to him, but Ander still wouldn't let go of his cloak, the last link to his now ruined homeland, to a place where he was also respected.

Ander stared at the woman for a moment as she turned to ask him of his land, while he wondered whether or not there was even something of note for him to tell. Would she like to hear of the children, dying in agony as the undead marched over them? Or how the Guardians fought bravely, but fell without their brightest warrior there to help them hold their line?

What would she think of him once she found out he failed his people, his duties? So many questions nested on Ander's mind, and to this day, he didn't seem to be any more closer to the answers he sought. They were still sitting on those docks, sharing details of their lives as the vessels remained docked, refusing to move towards their goal.

"I hail from the elven lands of Aendreasas..." He started, masquerading his grief briefly while staring at her eyes. She seemed invested in knowing more of his story. "Snow white forests, deep in the Falwood. They were once fabled and revered, protected by the Elvhen'tar - our Gods - and the Order of Guardians, until..."

Ander closed his eyes for a moment, taking in the pain of those memories. "Until they were desecrated and ruined. And the blame lies with me." He looked away from her now, staring far towards the island they were looking to reach.

Towards his answers, hopefully.

The disgraced Guardian gazed at her with sparkles of admiration and curiosity, anxious to know more about that woman as well. He had a feeling she had much to tell him, and they didn't seem to be any closer to a solution to their problems at that moment.

"And what of you, Heike Eisen? Are you on a similar path of redemption?"

Heike Eisen
 
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Aendreasas. The name of the land just now gracing her ears, the awareness of it just now gracing her mind, and for a brief moment this place existed in a state undespoiled. All was well there, the image conjured to her mind's eye one of a right ordering, of beauty, of happiness and prosperity. Ander'ashan and his native people were all living the best lives available to them, as it ought to be.

Until.

That word. That dreadful word, spoken at the brief moment's passing, quantifying with simple and terrible clarity what he had meant by "gone". Ander shut his eyes, and spoke in the fewest words necessary to replace the Aendreasas Heike had imagined with the Aendreasas of the present. The parallel with herself, with Reikhurst, was arresting. All she need do is substitute a select few nouns in the right places, and Ander's story could be altered perfectly to become her story.

And the blame lies with me.

It was difficult not to be shaken by this, to maintain--however fragile--a composed demeanor: eyes that were not hollow, lips that were not pulled tight, brows that were not painfully raised. In each retelling, it never became easier to speak of Reikhurst's fate, and of her own failure therein.

Heike smiled, an attempt to keep the cordiality of their meeting afloat. "An astute estimation, Ander'ashan. Were it that we could have chanced across one another without the weight of tragedy upon each of our shoulders and within our hearts. Like seems to have found like, for my own home of Reikhurst has suffered in much the same way as yours of Aendreasas. Thus, here we are, both of us far from what we have left behind."

She did not dwell on it. Doubtless Ander had much more to tell of Aendreasas, as did she of Reikhurst, but this was neither the time nor the place for reminiscing at length. The dock was noisy, the sailors and dockworkers busy about the two of them, and the moment was pressing. Soft, this pressing, but with an urgency that increased ever so slightly with each passing hour.

"So you seek passage to The Fang?" Heike said. "What calls you there?"

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
For a fleeting moment, Ander thought he had seen something different in her eyes.

He couldn't tell whether it was compassion, or a sense of familiarity as he spoke of his home, once so grand and majestic, and now nothing but a barren land, shorn of life. They were two strangers with similar goals, and a similar plight in which they now found themselves into - acquiring passage to a island filled with great dangers.

But even so, as strangers sharing in their grief and sorrows, Ander felt that there was something else about that woman. Maybe it had been the fact that she hadn't yet pushed him away, or turned to him with harsh words, but rather stayed and listened. She sought to know his story, even if it was a dark one, and she seemed to even understand it to a point.

It begged a question that sprouted on the Guardian's mind. What manner of tragedies had she endured? Did that armor still weigh heavily on her, the burdens of responsibility on her shoulders, or was her honor as stained as his?

Those were all questions that he preferred not to utter out loud, just as Heike spoke again, a cordial smile on her face as she addressed him. Though the mention of his long name amused him, especially when spoken by a human of far distant lands, he still kept his eyes calmly trained on her, not much of his expression changing from what it was moments before. But nevertheless, her words had done enough to sparkle his curiosity once again.

"Then we are bound, not only by a common purpose, but by similar tragedies. And if you would, call me Ander. I find the mention of such a elven name to be strange, in human tongue." He spoke in a rather friendly tone, a change of pace in that strange meeting. Not that he had come to blindly trust that woman, but she had done enough to make him feel at ease with that chance encounter.

They were also apparently on the same boat, though not quite literally. There was still the matter of passage to the Fang, something that needed to be remedied, before failure could haunt their minds once again.

As she asked him of the island, and his particular interest in it, Ander turned his eyes towards the horizon, to the fog where the piece of land would be located, far beyond their sight. "Foolish hope, perhaps. Or a second chance." He replied, before biding his time to usher some light on his rather enigmatic answer. "I've heard tales of a powerful artifact, hidden deep within that island. I do not know what sort of power it holds, but if it can help me find the answers I seek, I will not stop until I find it."

He looked towards Heike again, fiercely determined. "What say you then, Knight-Valiant of Reikhurst? What ghosts are you hoping to find on such a place?"

Heike Eisen
 
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And if you would, call me Ander. I find the mention of such an elven name to be strange, in human tongue.

Heike paused in brief surprise, brow flickering upward, before humility settled in. She brushed at the locks of hair beside her face and held her hand close to her temple, saying, "Ander. 'Tis fair, for I am sure that I skewered the proper pronunciation by some measure." She had tried to recite the name exactly as she had heard him say it, but her first few attempts did not seem to capture the elegance of sound present as when Ander spoke it. Practice, of course, would serve in speaking Elvish words and names, as it did with all else. If one wanted to be good at anything, one had to be content with first being thought a fool.

He answered her question.

Foolish hope. Or a second chance. Heike had a moment to consider this as Ander looked off toward the expanse of the sea. Though they were nonspecific and thus quite broad, those were nevertheless answers that Heike herself could have submitted in answer to not only the why of this endeavor, but of many endeavors over the previous five years. Where Ander called it foolish hope, she herself had called it wishful thinking when such a throe came to mind and heart. But perhaps she had needed to tend to a foolish ember, to some wishful tinder, for these had carried her through the dark times as a vampire and here she had now arrived, poised to rally her people and claim that second chance for Reikhurst--and for herself.

Cut from the same cloth. Heike felt that she now truly knew the meaning of that expression, for was it not so of herself and Ander? They had only just met, and yet it was like finding her lost reflection in a mirror. Some meetings with people seemed less chance and more providence, rare indeed and brimming with positive potential.

Ander elaborated, and here it was confirmed that he knew what lay in store there.

"The Bloodforge, and a vile instrument for the perpetuation of wickedness if there ever was one." And, as it so happened, the very artifact which had allowed for the creation of the Bloodstone which her nemesis
Jürgen Kaiser clung to without relent. Depriving the vampires of the world the ability to forge another such baleful creation would be as a blessing sent down from the heavens.

"That is what we shall find there, and that is what I seek," Heike said. "I am as well a Templar of the Night Watchmen. They have called upon me and I am glad to answer, so it is to the Fang that I must go." She glanced down at her sheathed longsword. Her hand came to touch the hilt and the pommel. "And I will rejoice in the striking down of any and every vampire that my steel comes to touch." Scornfully, she added, "Arethil will be made all the better."

Heike looked back up, eyeing the Thunderhead and its captain--now attending to his own duties and speaking with a handful of his sailors. She looked back to Ander after. "I don't know about your attempt, but, for my part, Captain Mendelev of the Thunderhead seemed most amenable to granting passage to the Fang. Perhaps...hmm...perhaps our combined effort might sway him?"

It felt like grasping for purchase in the dark, but what else did she and Ander have to go on, other than relying on more random chance in waiting and asking other captains as they reached port? There had to be something they could do persuade Mendelev. It might take some improvisation, but...something.

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
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Bloodforge... Such object was completely unknown to Ander, and yet, by Heike's well thorough description, he could almost feel a sense of danger being conveyed to him. He studied many artifacts during his training, most of them against his will, barely remember the foggy details, but that woman seemed to talk with an ounce of experience in the matter, as if she was well versed with knowledge about such things.

And of course, what came to pique his curiosity was the mention of vampires. Ander'ashan had heard of such creatures, dwellers of the dark and addicted to blood, killing anyone in their path in order to sate their hunger. And this Bloodforge that she mentioned, it had something to do with those vampires, if he would've guessed it.

A thought ran across his mind, crawling at the back of his head as it took all his attention. A question. What if those dark creatures were the ones who attacked Avhalos, and laid ruin to all of Aendreasas?

He could not know for certain, he hadn't seen that small army up close, shrouded by a dark cloud that brought death to everything it touched, turning the once great white walls of the city into dark and withered stones, devoid of all beauty and life.

Ander squinted as she further explained her connection to that search, with the elf recalling the mention of a Templar of the Night Watchmen, back from when he was talking with the captain of the nearby vessel. He didn't know its meaning, nor did he cared for it back then, but Heike was greatly intriguing him - her mysterious story and her somewhat noble calling.

She didn't look like just a warrior now, but more of a purifier. Slayer of all wicked magic in those lands, and that was something Ander could be inspired to follow. A purpose, for once, at least in that moment.

"These vampires... What do they want with this Bloodforge?" He raised his eyes in questioning, looking curiously at the Templar. He wished to know more about that artifact, of what answers it could provide him, or if they should simply destroy it and rid the world of such evil. And somehow, he felt that Heike could help him with that, after all... They were stuck together, in those very same docks, looking for a way to reach the Fang.

More so than that, Ander couldn't help but notice the scorn in which she talked of those creatures. What other secrets did she hide amongst her knowledge? He would abstain from questioning that, at least for now. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Ander followed her gaze as she looked back towards the ship, to the stubborn captain who refused to grant them passage to the island, now addressing some of his crewmates. He grew tired of chasing shadows all day long, and with the urgency of their task... An idea sprouted on his head, bright and strong, and perhaps even careless beyond all intent.

The Guardian walked up to Heike's side, standing taller than her as they both overlooked the ship, and also the horizon beyond it. "What if we take this vessel and guide it ourselves? This Captain has no intention of taking us to such a dangerous place, and if he won't be of help, then he should be removed from our path." He spoke casually, and even a bit innocently, as if handling such things could be easy. Perhaps he had been too accustomed to having everything given to him in such way, back in his homeland.

As great a warrior as he was, tact and patience had never been Ander's strong suit.

Heike Eisen
 
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These vampires... What do they want with this Bloodforge?

Heike hadn't all the details of the artifact itself, nor of the particular coven of vampires which fervently guarded it. But she knew enough. However it must be done, that sinister relic ought to be erased from the face of Arethil, now and for all time.

"So far as I know, it is an artifact which--through some means--allows for the creation of other vampiric artifacts. One can only guess at how this is achieved, and the mind shudders to think of it--what is required by these fiends to forge their baleful treasures."

The thought occurred to her that no effort should be spared to in the endeavor to destroy the Bloodforge. And this thought proved to be premature.

Ander had stepped forward, come to her side in a manner not completely without conspiratorial air. He offered a...bold suggestion. And it would be untruthful for Heike to say, in that initial moment, she did not sincerely consider it. The frustration built on failure after failure to secure passage to the Fang left her, however briefly, amenable to such a suggestion.

But she could not. Heike had opened her mouth in preparation for a response, but stayed her tongue for a second. Made her final deliberation in her mind before arranging her thoughts to be put as lucidly as possible into words.

She looked up to him in a sidelong glance. "The goal is noble, but the means are not. I cannot be party to such an act, for the Captain has done no wrong, and we've no right nor impetus to commandeer his vessel. It would be unjust, and would not only reflect poorly upon the Night Watchmen and the Order of the Golden Blade, both of whom I represent, it would be a breach of my sworn Oaths."

While truthful as a statement for how she had come to feel on the matter, it sounded even to her own ear as a touch heavy. Though she disagreed with Ander on this, she didn't want him to feel put off or reprimanded. Here was not only someone who shared in her current predicament and frustration, but someone who, by her intuition of his measure, would be a stalwart warrior to fight alongside once they did reach the Fang.

So, at the end she added with a hint of wry humor, "Even if it would be easy."

She considered their other options then.

"If neither Mendelev nor any of the other captains here will take us, then perhaps..." Heike grimaced, scarcely able to believe that she was about to offer the possibility up, "...we might find better fortunes in the Shallows."

The Shallows of Alliria. She'd not yet been personally, but Captain Bronmarch told her about that seedy section of the city at length. There they would be sure to find smugglers, traffickers, thieves (even if they didn't outright say that they were so) and other grimy types whose love of coin typically overrode what good sense they presumably possessed.

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
(OOC: Sorry for the wait! This past week has been a bit chaotic with my new work, but things are slowly getting better.)

It was as if Heike's words had broken Ander out of a strange trance, probably of his own making, out of frustration for having all his plans thwarted and no clear path forward. A matter of great urgency, more lives at sake, and the warrior was being refused the simple help of passage. Were all humans so coward that they couldn't even take to this island and leave? He didn't expect them to fight, but he was disappointed to find that they lacked the simplest of grit as well.

Oaths... It was a word long forgotten to him, as Ander's eyes now fell towards the open sea, blue and endless. He didn't know the meaning of such oaths anymore, not after he had broken every one he had ever sworn upon, in reckless abandon.

A pitiful search for glory that cost him everything. He was bound to protect the people of Aendreasas, to stand and fight with his brothers against any trespassing evil, but instead... He left them, he decided to face the evil alone, and he paid the iron price.

At least, it was refreshing to see a warrior who still kept her honor and oaths, and though she was a complete stranger to him, Heike commanded great respect, enough to make Ander retreat from that terrible notion he had just mentioned.

"Very well..." He muttered reluctantly, before allowing the tiniest of smiles to escape as he heard her following words, a short attempt at humoring that situation. As if they weren't around surrounded by humor, stranded on those dirty docks in search of passage to a place more likely to shroud them in darkness and bring death upon them.

It mattered not, as long as they destroyed that so called Bloodforge, and every vampire that tried to defend this great instrument of evil.

His eyes drifted towards Heike again, his head turning slightly to face her as she spoke of another place foreign to him - the Shallows. Truthfully, he overheard whispers of that place back when he had first arrived at that city, though it fell on dull ears as he had no idea of the... usefulness of that place, at least not like Heike suggested.

If only the better fortunes she referred came in the form of a vessel to take them there, Ander would not raise any complaints, though he was very much suspicious of unknown places, especially those of ill repute.

"Lead the way then, Knight Valiant. There is nothing left for us here, save for the foolishness of the people you try to protect."

Who was he fooling? He was also trying to protect them, if only as a way of finding redemption for his past mistakes.

The Guardian lifted his arm just slightly, motioning for Heike to move ahead, as he welcomed the plan of venturing to the Shallows, as dangerously unknown as they could be.

Heike Eisen
 
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((It's cool. I had dived headfirst into strategy gaming in the interim.))




From Western Alliria to Eastern. From the grand, perpetually busy harbor at the center of the world to the incredibly modest docks and rickety piers of The Shallows. The relatively neat and orderly cobbles of the Outer City gave way to lighter platforms made of wood as they descended down into the swampy lowlands. Only on more stable ground were there bridges and foundations of stone or concrete. Down here, even though they'd only just left the brightness of the clear afternoon above, it seemed as though the shadow of Alliria proper cast down onto the Shallows a ceaseless shadow, making dim these sprawling slums.

Yet, from what Heike could see, the spirits of the people were not so dim as to match their atmosphere. Both she and Ander were met with vigorous greetings of "Good afternoon!" or "Good day!"; children would run by in varying groups upon the dilapidated planks connecting the stilted buildings, energetic smiles on their faces as they played their games; lively pockets of haggling between foreign merchants and locals were available to see and hear at every turn. Though Heike knew that the Shallows would not have garnered the reputation it had were it not for a grain of truth, perhaps, she considered, Bronmarch had exaggerated somewhat in his unflattering description.

Then again, he was situated to deal with the uglier side of the Shallows, the side Heike and Ander had not seen just yet...but were assuredly heading that way.

Heike kept a lookout as she and Ander traversed the (quite honestly) haphazard maze of bridges and platforms between the stilted islands of the buildings. Any place that sailors would gather ought to do, and since sailors were a lot which normally went about in noticeable groups whilst in port, she looked particularly to see if she could spot any such group of them entering, leaving, or loitering about an establishment.

As they walked, Heike asked, "I don't suppose the cities of Aendreasas have locales like this, do they?"

She had wondered this, vaguely and from time to time, while the Kingdom of Reikhurst still stood. Places like the Shallows within Reikhurst instantly sprang to mind, yet...in smaller towns and villages across the Kingdom, there were no such sections of them so stark in poverty. Was it an inevitable function of cities? Of how humans lived? Mayhap elves, Aendreasasian or otherwise, did not know disparities so striking in their cities.

Ander'ashan Merellien
 
The Shallows... Though Ander had only heard whispers about it once he entered the city, he was now laying his eyes on something he had never seen before. Swampy lowlands, buildings without any sort of arranged structure and many forms of platforms seemingly made out of rather frail wood, as if even the faintest step would be enough to bring it all down.

And yet, it looked rather lively. As Ander and Heike made their way through, they were greeted by many civilians who passed by them, though the warrior was wary of the true meaning of such warm greetings. He had received nothing but scorn after he entered the city, so he was more than suspicious about different gestures.

Even so, that place had a eerie feeling to it, as if it had been cast to the shadows, to be forever forgotten. One's vision could not stretch long enough without the fog disrupting sight, and it certainly lacked some of the allure he had come to expect from the more afortunated parts of Alliria, though he had only truly seen the docks and a small part of the markets.

The elven warrior could tell that his newly found partner had her eyes set upon something, scouring the horizon in search for it, though she had not yet shared her thoughts. Before he could question her, Heike had been fast enough to come up with a question of her, as Ander raised an eyebrow to her curiosity. The elf took a longer look at the strangeness of the Shallows, to the maze of platforms, the hideous swamps and most of all, to the people who so casually went on with their lives there, carrying crates or joining together to play games on the streets.

"Avhalos was a gem, immaculate and breathtaking, quite different from this place, or any other human town I have seen." He started, though his eyes still lingered on the people of the Shallows for a moment longer. "Tor'láren was the twin city, located near the southern border. Though not without its own beauty, the smaller city was turned into a great garrison for our soldiers, but..." Ander paused, reminiscing about the day that announced the greatest tragedy of his life. "The Guardians stationed there never sent word. It must've fallen first, along with the rest of the forest, before the darkness engulfed us whole."

They stood in silence for a moment, Ander's face now obscured with a slight discomfort over the memories that now went through his head, reminding himself about his slain brothers. He looked at the fog over the swamp as if it were the same cloud of darkness that had fallen over Avhalos, before finally coming back to his senses, facing the Templar again.

"What is it that you hope to find in a place such as this? It is... dirty." He lacked a better word for his description, but Ander was clearly shocked with the state of that place. Still, as an outsider, he had no choice but to trust the only person who hadn't shunned him away so far.

Heike Eisen
 
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What treasures there were on Arethil endured for only so long a time. The sentiment was bright and clear in the way that Ander spoke of his homeland, and in the way that Heike remembered hers. They both carried with them precious mementos. And perhaps the two of them wished for their respective homelands to be reinvigorated with new life, to endure just a while longer.

And there was no place as dirty and ramshackle as the Shallows tarnishing that beauty once held in Avhalos and Tor'láren, so Ander had said. Nothing quite like it within Reikhurst either. Similar in character, yes, but lacking the exquisite dinginess the Shallows had well within its grasp.

Heike stopped when Ander stopped, bowing her head in that silent moment. She was sorry to hear further of the tragic fate of the twin cities. And not only because she herself had experienced a horror much in kind to it, but from the general fact that wickedness as a whole had claimed another victory. Yet even though both Ander and her carried their sorrows, they were not encumbered by them. Look upon him. Ander had persevered. Here he was now, with her, seeking to do good in the world, finding her in common cause with him. True, that wickedness had victories over Aendreasas and Reikhurst, but a proud son and daughter of each were coming to claim victory for the righteous on the forsaken island of The Fang.

What is it that you hope to find...?

"Someone with a boat, an uncouth love of coin, and a healthy sense of reckless." She gave a small, half-smile. "We're certain to find a man with those criteria here."

A small sideways gesture of her head, and she started walking along the platforms again.

And it was not long before they approached the harbor proper, where the water was deep enough to allow for larger vessels and the open sea to the south stretched out far to the horizon. Nowhere near as big and expansive as the harbor they'd just come from in Alliria (actual Alliria, some might say), but the medium-sized ships at port here could do fine. Even perhaps the smaller vessels if such was necessary--they needn't sail far out into the ocean to reach The Fang.

Heike eventually spotted a dockfront tavern, named (fittingly enough, given Ander's earlier comment) the Dirty Blackrock. Sailors, perhaps reputable and perhaps not, were mingling outside the tavern's doors, passing in and out of the building, in general relaxing from their day's work and having a drink and an all-around good time.

Heike glanced over to Ander. Let out a breath that was more akin to a sigh. Both she and Ander were going to stand out tremendously in there...but this was the sort of place they needed to be.

"Seems promising,"
she said.

Ander'ashan Merellien