Magus Maleficarum | IC | Open

[Imperialisium]

Alyria

Alyria did not look at Rah when he spoke, nor when she replied, "No you did not. I just disagree with the Grandmaster keeping so many worthless degenerates hanging around this place." If Alyria had her way they would all burn, every last one of them, and their cries a lament to the heavens on their futile existence.

Alyria's mood had soured tonight and she laid down on the bed by swinging her legs up. Leaving the drink, unfinished, on the cold floor. Her eyes ached with the call of for slumber, and her body was tired from the dueling, it was time for her to rest. Though, she kept her ears perked in case would seek to continue the conversation with her. She would not shut him out, nor her other Warder either, for that matter.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Alyria

Alyria did not look at Rah when he spoke, nor when she replied, "No you did not. I just disagree with the Grandmaster keeping so many worthless degenerates hanging around this place." If Alyria had her way they would all burn, every last one of them, and their cries a lament to the heavens on their futile existence.

Alyria's mood had soured tonight and she laid down on the bed by swinging her legs up. Leaving the drink, unfinished, on the cold floor. Her eyes ached with the call of for slumber, and her body was tired from the dueling, it was time for her to rest. Though, she kept her ears perked in case would seek to continue the conversation with her. She would not shut him out, nor her other Warder either, for that matter.

Rah raised an eyebrow as he finished putting his things away. "Hmm... I agree. They seem... arrogant." he replied in her native tongue. He knew that hearing his own language made him feel better when surrounded by foreigners, and hoped that even his heavily accented Avalonian might perk her up.

Merely for professional reasons, he didn't want her getting angry because she might actually try and kill someone. He definitely didn't try to calm her down because he didn't like it when she was angry.

Right?

I would... completely do the same thing for Dalinar, right? Of course... he thought, sitting next to her.

[Elerian]

Calder

Yet again, as he’d done countless times before, Calder found himself barging into his Company’s barracks to find many a sleeping soldier. Calder signaled the Warder on duty to wake them, it was time to leave. Calder had allowed them to sleep in several more hours than usual to get over some of the hangovers that many of them surely had, but it was time for them to leave, the world waited for no man.

Roughly half an hour later, each and every member of the Company was horsed and ready to depart. It was time for their first adventure together to begin. Their destination was the Hochfeld Mountains to the north. The Grandmaster had given them Calder a vague understanding of what their contract held in store for them, only that it was some sort of artifact that a very wealthy party was interested in retrieving. The Grandmaster seemed to know little more than the imprecise directions he’d imparted on Calder.

Under most circumstances the contract would have been refused outright, but Calder surmised that the wealthy party had paid the Grandmaster a tidy sum to complete the contract with no questions asked. Calder was annoyed that the Grandmaster had given him the task to go into this blind, but he could understand the man’s desperation. He couldn’t say for sure, but Calder had heard from some of the other Grey Company veterans that the Company’s debts were sizable to warrant the Grandmaster to do something like this.

Calder imparted what limited information he knew onto his soldiers, but it would scarcely give them comfort knowing they would be heading into this without the faintest idea of what they would be facing.

Not wanting to waste time, Calder spurred his horse on, taking the lead. Vivianna took up the rear of their little band. As they passed through the great gates of Greysong, a small crowd gathered to see them off, amongst them the Grandmaster stood with a face of concern. Calder gave him a curt nod and kicked his horse into a brisk trot, he wanted to make headway into their journey before the day was over.

[The Dystopian Isles of Frisct]

Calder

Yet again, as he’d done countless times before, Calder found himself barging into his Company’s barracks to find many a sleeping soldier. Calder signaled the Warder on duty to wake them, it was time to leave. Calder had allowed them to sleep in several more hours than usual to get over some of the hangovers that many of them surely had, but it was time for them to leave, the world waited for no man.

Roughly half an hour later, each and every member of the Company was horsed and ready to depart. It was time for their first adventure together to begin. Their destination was the Hochfeld Mountains to the north. The Grandmaster had given them Calder a vague understanding of what their contract held in store for them, only that it was some sort of artifact that a very wealthy party was interested in retrieving. The Grandmaster seemed to know little more than the imprecise directions he’d imparted on Calder.

Under most circumstances the contract would have been refused outright, but Calder surmised that the wealthy party had paid the Grandmaster a tidy sum to complete the contract with no questions asked. Calder was annoyed that the Grandmaster had given him the task to go into this blind, but he could understand the man’s desperation. He couldn’t say for sure, but Calder had heard from some of the other Grey Company veterans that the Company’s debts were sizable to warrant the Grandmaster to do something like this.

Calder imparted what relayed what limited information he knew onto his soldiers, but it would scarcely give them comfort knowing they would be heading into this without the faintest idea of what they would be facing.

Not wanting to waste time, Calder spurred his horse on, taking the lead. Vivianna took up the rear of their little band. As they passed through the great gates of Greysong, a small crowd gathered to see them off, amongst them the Grandmaster stood with a face of concern. Calder gave him a curt nod and kicked his horse into a brisk trot, he wanted to make headway into their journey before the day was over.

Linley, being more than comfortable in the aspect of riding horses as he had to ride on several different occasions to even get to the Grey Company, was right behind Calder on his horse. He rode like it was second nature to him, looking quite relaxed while having his horse follow behind Calder's. Being the extremely quiet, and sometimes unnoticed person he was, he stayed silent while he rode, staring off into the distance ahead in the direction they were travelling.

There was nothing too special about anything Linley did, and he seemed a little content with that. He just rode his horse right along behind Calder, his head bobbing with the movements of the horse.

[Imperialisium]

Alyria

Alyria looked at Rah for a solid minute, and nodded her head at his words. Rah cared for her, that much was certain, but the extent is debatable. Of course it was never anything romantic, or even that endearing, as being a Warder it was his job to put her down if needed. Never get to close. Never stray from the duty given. It was something Alyria knew very well, and if anything she respected Warders holding that true devotion.

"Thanks, Rah." said Alyria giving a small smile as she leaned up against him with her head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, and began to drift off into sleep. The Alcohol and full stomach only added to the stupor assailing her mental faculties. Thirty seconds in, she was out like a light.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Alyria

Alyria looked at Rah for a solid minute, and nodded her head at his words. Rah cared for her, that much was certain, but the extent is debatable. Of course it was never anything romantic, or even that endearing, as being a Warder it was his job to put her down if needed. Never get to close. Never stray from the duty given. It was something Alyria knew very well, and if anything she respected Warders holding that true devotion.

"Thanks, Rah." said Alyria giving a small smile as she leaned up against him with her head resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes, and began to drift off into sleep. The Alcohol and full stomach only added to the stupor assailing her mental faculties. Thirty seconds in, she was out like a light.

Rah blinked when Alyria put her head on his shoulder, confused as to her intentions. She was a very... flirty girl, always making eyes at him and other men in the party. Of course, this was just to have her fun, to fluster Rah and the others, but this... this was different. This was...

Well, if he ignored his romantic feelings, that he certainly didn't have (Right?), then this was a sign that she cared for him and trusted him. And... he chose to interpret this moment as that, and not as anything else.

"You're welcome, Aly." he whispered, just before she fell asleep, and then set her down in the bed, making sure she was comfortable. "May the Sun find you rested in the morning."

And then he went to sleep.

[Mesrane]

Marek

With a groan and a shiver, Marek pulled himself painfully out of the blissful oblivion of a drunken sleep. The booming voice of the Warder on duty felt like someone had taken a hammer to his head, and then smashed all of the bloody pieces. He had indulged quite heartily in the previous night's wine, wishing to celebrate the ending of his training, and also to numb the bruises Annalise had given him. Indeed, although Marek had enjoyed the feast (and the willing serving girls) immensely, he was now paying the price for it. Ah well. When I need a drink, I'm going to bloody well have one.

The hangover began to clear as Marek dressed and saddled his horse for the northward journey. Moving briskly as was his habit, he quickly dunked his head into a wash pail in the barracks in order to clear the last vestiges of alcohol from his head. There was no pause to shave the blonde stubble on his cheeks or brush his hair. A younger Marek Jaworski would have been vainer and more fussy, but at thirty-seven winters Marek had learned to just go. He packed light, taking no more than two day's worth of food for himself. Though he had no skill with a bow, years at war on various campaigns had necessitated that he learn and develop some skill at trapping animals. He was confident he could snag something in a pinch.

A sigh of relief emanated from Marek as Greysong's gates creaked open and the column began to move. Off we go. The past several months, while admittedly extremely useful in developing chemistry with Betzalel, had been a bit reclusive for his taste. Greysong's walls had quickly become stifling, and the desire to go out and do anything for the Grey Company, to fulfill his father's dying wish, had grown daily. That almost nothing was known about their upcoming mission in the Hochfeld Mountains didn't seem to bother the knight much at all. A smile slowly crept across his face as the old fortress retreated further and further behind them. The sun was out, the land was alive with the green of spring, and he was out of his cage.

Spotting Betzalel slightly ahead in the column, Marek dug his spurs into the flanks of his horse, raising his pace to a canter so he could draw even with his mage.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Ibrahim

Rah woke from his slumber, quickly and easily, due to him completely avoiding all alcohol last night. As he saw the state of his companions, he knew he had made a good decision. He quickly stood up and got ready, putting on his robes and armor and the harnesses for his weapons. Before having slept, he had made sure to clean and sharpen the khopesh and dagger with a whetting stone, making sure that they could cut a falling hair.

After getting ready, he made sure his direct companions, Dalinar and Alyria, were ready to leave as well before he did himself. He walked with them to the horses, and stood solemnly as Calder talked to them about the mission, leaving as soon as the rest were ready.

Ibrahim kept toward the back of the group, almost directly in front of Vivianna, quietly watching the sides of the road for trouble, as well as keeping one hand on the reins and the other on his dagger.

[The Warriors of the Sun]

Annalise

Annalise prepared herself much as she did the morning before, with reluctance and discomfort though this morning she felt shame as well from her performance during training the day before. While she knew it was ridiculous to think so, she couldn't dodge the feeling that she was be judged and that she brought shame to her warder, Simone. Where as most mornings Annalise would feign small talk with Simone to distract herself from the realization of changing in front of everyone. This morning she remained silent, her mind already distracted by her own anxiety over events for today.

They were heading out on what would be Annalise's first mission and she felt like she was already starting on bad footing. While Simone only seemed to want to console her the night before and by all means it appeared genuine, she couldn't shake the suspicions that clouded her thoughts and prevented her from warming up to her ward. He was meant to watch her and had the ability to kill her on a mere whim which frightened her and was the source of more than one nightmare she had since arriving at Greysong. And the fact that she demonstrated her lack of control the day before did little to subdue her fears.

By time she was able to acquire the horse she would ride for the journey, she had decided she would be as obedient as possible towards her Warder for the mission and hopefully return to his good graces which she assumed she had fallen from and remove any thoughts of enacting their dreaded rights of killing from all the warder's minds toward she assumed they had after her performance. And so she waited atop her horse to closely follow her Warder and do what he bids.

[SaintB]

Simone

At some point in the night Annalise fell asleep but by then it was too late for Simone to join the party downstairs so he cleared his bed off and went to sleep himself. The morning wasn't much different from the night, Annalise remained quiet but at least she went through the motions of getting dressed and combing her hair, etc. Today might be a better day for the girl.

For his own part Simone tried to talk with her like they usually did but she seemed to want no part of a conversation with her warder which hurt his feelings a bit; he felt like they were just getting to trust each other and now all he was getting was a cold shoulder. He wondered if perhaps he had offended or hurt her somehow the day before because he didn't really understand the customs of the place she came from, or what her time as a slave did too her psych. After a few attempts at idle chatter he fell silent and just prepared for the journey they would be undertaking. Before he donned his mail Simone made his way to the stables to brush and saddle the horses that he and his mage would be using, Simone's horse was a large dark but not black stallion named Altene who was a spirited and aggressive horse that Simone had owned for a few years now, he was no warhorse but trained for battle and would not shy away from combat. Annalise's horse was a grey and white mare perhaps about ten years old but still in good health, she was a gentle animal especially compared to Altene but still fleet of foot and able to run for a long distance; Simone was not sure of her name.

As the party departed behind their leader Simone checked on Annalise. She still seemed to be withdrawn and unwilling to socialize even with him so he decided to give her space and rode along the column searching for anyone willing to hold a conversation with the socially starved man but it unfortunately seemed that most were too tired or too hung over to be interested in a conversation with the young warrior.

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Faetheris

---

Faetheris never really was good at waking up, and this time doubly so. The loud voice of the Warder on duty sure didn't help getting rid of her headache, that was certain. The Elf figured that Alyria had been right last night: she had, indeed, probably drunk a bit too much. Giving a frustrated groan, mostly directed to herself, she got up from the bed, and slowly started packing her things. Probably should've done that last night, rather than drinking my sorrows away...

Not long afterwards, the Warder found herself sitting on her horse, following the rest of the Grey Company as they set out on their newly acquired mission. The fresh air did Faetheris well, and she found her headache to be a bit less intense. So, too, did the Elf's mood brighten - rather than training, she had something to do again, outside of the confines of a large wall. Smile on her face, she looked around, studying her surroundings a bit. Eventually, when looking to her fellows from the Grey Company, she spotted Annalise, whom seemed to be following her Warder in silence. Deciding that they could use at least some social interaction, she spurred her horse, moving towards the mage, with what was perhaps a mischievous grin on her face as she looked towards her. "Hi!"

[Saleon]

Alicia had taken to a majority of all the alcohol that was consumed that night. She had swashed and buckled, as her mouth spake like a sultry sailor. She did not even pay much way as Alex, her mage, took to throw up in the corner. She had merely washed away in the drink and food before her. She told stories that would leave even the most well versed to gasped in shock.

She had probably been the last one to go to sleep, having finished off what was too much for even her. This was rare. Her sleep was like a newborn infant, not even disturbed, and not disturbing others. She had acted as if she was not even sleeping off a large ton of alcohol. The warder on duty awoke her, reminding her that she needed to still punish the last warder who woke her from her slumber. She was one of the first to awaken and get ready. She did not even seemed to walk funny from last night. She made her hair and assembled her clothes carefully. She wore a belt which hooked on her which had a holster for her blade and scabbard.

She took to her white horse, which galloped near the edge of the party. This horse was fed well and shined a pearly white hair with no deformity. This breed was a stallion, definitely. She had not waited for Alex, giving him his own time to get up and get there. She stood like a solemn knight upon her steed, stoic, yet with a viciousness behind her quiet oath and disposition.

[Imperialisium]

Alyria

Alyria woke shortly after Ibrahim, and splashing her face with water, and drinking some from her bearskin she signed. She had not drunk a lot last night, didn't even have a hangover, but yet she felt a bit groggy. Probably did not have a good enough sleep to rest her body and let the exertions of the previous day wane from her bones. Signing once more Alyria gathered her belongings and followed Rah to listen to Calder, and then mount her steed. It was a wonderful white stallion raised in the Heartlands. A bit smaller than the other horses, but still able to keep pace and arguably more nimble due to its frame.

Adjusting some of the leather straps and nestling her saddlebags into position Alyria was quiet. She was determined, focused, the Company was no doubt departing on some hazardous assignment to retrieve an artifact. It wouldn't be the first time members of the Company have gone artifact searching. What hidden dangers would they have to face? Those thoughts would wait for a time more appropriate.

Grasping the reigns she readied herself for the departure.