RP:The Serpent and The Dragon

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: Hildegarde has been resting and recuperating in Gualon in the company of Rohk, an orc in Tristram's service, when Desparrow finds her. It seems as if Desparrow has been looking for her since hearing of her resurrection and he talks about his feud with Frostmaw, Satoshi and Kasyr. Hildegarde reasons that the feud is with Satoshi and Kasyr alone and not Frostmaw. The two spar in order to call peace between Desparrow and Frostmaw.

Gualon City Plaza

Hildegarde had received incredibly generous treatment from the Governor of Gualon, having received a wing of his own private estate to use as she pleased and making use of the available amenities. She had already penned a letter to Josleen and her family to thank them kindly for their assistance and to apologise for her departure, reasoning that she would rather not endanger them needlessly should Balgruuf seek her out. The heat of Gualon was devilish and much to the discomfort of Hildegarde, but the challenge would only strengthen her resolve and strengthen her body. Rohk, the orc who Tristram had left with her in Frostmaw for a time, was her sparring buddy for the day. He left her with only an iron banded shield as he pummelled against the metal with a wicked hatchet. Hildegarde raised the shield up to deflect the blow, twisting her body to push the weapon and offending arm away as her leg swished out to sweep Rohk off of his feet. The orc fell with a thud and a grunt that almost sounded happy, waiting a moment before accepting Hilde’s assistance to get back onto his feet. “I think chess might be more appealing for the rest of the day,” she commented cheerfully.

Desparrow was a streak in the sky after changing himself into a bolt of flames upon hearing news of someone important in Frostmaw now in Gualon that had once died. Was she simply reanimated or was she truly resurrected? Either way the magic that went into it was something to behold and he wanted a glimpse. They lycan had never actually formally met the dragon and hadn't the slightest idea of her importance but learning the various people that inhabit there would help him later when he went to tear it down. As gualon came into view he angled his form downwards and like a meteor he crashed into the uppermost plateu with flames splashing out a couple meters in each direction before they drew together and reconstituted in the physical, clothed form of Desparrow. His arm had been healed though he kept it in a sling as an extra precaution. "What a lavish city. I suppose I gotta look for a dragon." he sighed, sniffing the air in hopes of getting a wiff.

Hildegarde was a dragon living in a city ruled by another dragon. There was only her stink and Tristram’s stink in terms of dragon stench. The knight had seen the flash of fiery light, but had assumed it was perhaps just some sort of magical mischief and not the incoming Desparrow. The Silver looked to Rohk who only shrugged his meaty shoulder before gesturing for her to sit under the bronze tree while he fetched some of the local orphans. They weren’t all that hard to find, though, and were keen to take their places on the large human-sized chess board to repeat the game Tristram had been overseeing when Hildegarde first arrived in Gualon. The children giggled with excitement as Rohk joined Hildegarde under the tree and offered her the white pieces, which were signalled by a little white piece of cloth attached to each child. The Silver smiled up at Rohk, “Left knight – that’s you, Olly! – forward!” the child she had selected begins to laugh as he tries to scramble over his fellow children to reach the designated square; the children laughing and enjoying the scrabble rather than making way for him to pass.

Desparrow got down on his hands and knees and took one deep inhale of the air. So many mixed scents but of course there were only two that stood out from the rest. His eyes scanned about him though he knew he would never be able to identify his target by sight alone. Several more sniffs and he would follow the trail all the way to the human chess game. Honestly looking at it was offensive. Des turned cerulean hues upon Hildegarde as he walked over to the woman, even being so rude as to directly invade her personal space and sniff her again. "Found you." a smug grin followed a light igniting in his eyes, though that couldn't properly convey the sense of victory that he was filled with. "You must be Hildegarde of Frostmaw? Or am I getting dull in my youth?"

Hildegarde is smiling at the sight of the children who have already forgotten the game of chess and are too busy playing on the large ‘board’. They play-fight, run around, typical kid stuff! But they are happy and it’s a sight the knight has sorely missed. War and uprisings meant there was little time to enjoy these finer things; little instances of these little happy moments. Said little happy moment, however, is soon interrupted by the loud and invasive sniffing of Desparrow. Yet the knight didn’t say a word of dispute nor did she flinch at the sniffing. Sad to say, she had experienced worse. “That would be correct, yes,” she said, as she rose up onto her feet and began to look Desparrow over properly. Rohk wore an unhappy smile on his face. “Might I ask to know who you are, m’lord?” the knight asked rather politely.

Desparrow takes a step back, no longer paying attention to the children and not giving a single glimpse to the orc. Nothing concerned him at this point anymore, no it was all about the dragon. Sweeping back his cloak it was revealed that he was wearing light armor, though his apparel was nothing compared to what should actually be noted. The various scars upon his form, especially the missing top half of his left ear. Arm on his abdomen he offered the woman a perfectly executed bow with excellent timing on raising back to meet her gaze. "No lord, not yet. Though I appreciate the title though allow me the grace of correcting you. I am Desparrow Ryder, Serpent of Destruction. Sadly that title is pointless as I am the last of my family in this land, destroyed by people of this land." the last statement was spoken with a bit of bitterness on his tongue, and his face matched the sourness that he felt. "I do however apologize for my initial rudeness." After that he tapped into his other sight, his left eye turning a bright violet as he gazed at Hilde in hopes of finding remnants of the power that brought her back.

Hildegarde had only one eye, but it was an observant one nonetheless. This man had seen his fair share of combat if his scars were anything to go by. As he executed his perfect bow, she smiled and raised a hand as if to try and stop him; as if she were perhaps a bit embarrassed by the gesture. “Then allow me the grace of correcting you: there is no need to bow to me, for I am no one of importance,” she assured him politely. Although his name was unfamiliar to her, his title certainly catches his attention. “Well, I should hope you do not mind me calling you Desparrow, rather than Serpent of Destruction?” she asked with a little smile, as if hinting at a sort of friendliness or playfulness. “I am sorry to hear about your family, though,” she said a little more seriously and with a genuine sense of sympathy, “it is a wretched thing to experience.” His other sight would reveal nothing out of the ordinary about Hildegarde: perhaps some residual divine magic from the resurrection, but it was fading quick and only minimal. Too much time had passed for there to be anything majorly present. But her left hand and forearm was devoid of magic.

Desparrow had noticed the one eye but was not to make a comment, and he certainly had his fair share of combat, silly duel stakes and other battles. Being a lycanthrope was more a blessing at this point with the life-saving regenerative powers. She may have wnated to stop his bow but he would have none of it. "So you say, but the world says otherwise. You apparently are of great importance to Frostmaw. The very glacier city that I despise." he sighed, this hate was exhausting but has been such a driving force in his life and allowed him to excel at so many aspects of his life. "Also, friends, enemies alike call me Des. Serpent of Destruction is merely of sentimental value at this point, an title passed down to me by my nearly extinct bloodline." Passed on by his dearly departed mother to be exact. "The loss was indeed one of the worst experiences of my life, watching the life of my mother, and my brother ripped from their very bodies. I hear my brother's corpse was given away to a necromancer to be used as a puppet toy." That seemed to spark a bit of anger in the sorcerer but he suppressed it shortly after it revealed itself. "No matter. I am here, and so are you. I am disappointed to see you have no remnant of what brought you back, as it seems you are entirely on this physical plane. Interesting." the lack of magic in the limb was also intriguing but for another time.

Hildegarde frowned for a moment as Desparrow mentioned the fact he despised the city she had come to love. “I am sorry to hear that you despise Frostmaw,” she said apologetically, “might I ask why you despise it or is that too personal?” The knight and former Steward would want to know, of course, as is only reasonable! Yet at his mention of necromancy, the knight makes a very clearly disgusted sort of face. A sort of disgusted sneer. “Necromancy is foul. I am truly sorry that your brother’s body was desecrated in such a manner,” she said it meaningfully. Frostmawians had no love of necromancers, not with what happened with Hrathgar and company. “Well, I won’t pretend to know what you mean!”

Desparrow let out a sigh but as he began to pace back and forth contemplating how he would word it. Of course he went with the most blunt as was his normal style. "Frostmaw is the reason my family is dead. The Queen had my mother destroyed by the paladin Redovian in her stupid colosseum and Kasyr dealt the death blow to my brother himself before tossing his corpse over to Tiphareth." he spat then with absolute disgust, not towards Hildegarde but on the ground in general. "When I am strong enough just as she has torn apart my life I will rip apart her precious creation and shake the throne where her cold existence sits before I wrench open her chest and crush whatever may or may no longer beat within her." Another sigh passed his lips, calming himself so that he could better engage the woman.

Hildegarde listened to Desparrow’s retelling of events. It wasn’t something she had ever heard about from either Satoshi or Kasyr. “I am sorry to hear that that happened to you, but the actions of Satoshi, Redovian and Kasyr… they are the actions of individuals. It is horrid, I agree, and I hold no pride or love for their deeds, but I would not take out my rage or vengeance on the wrong source.” The Silver paused for a moment before further elaborating. “Kasyr abdicated his throne to Vailkrin. He has only his life left to him. Satoshi… Satoshi has long since abandoned her throne and wanders the realm is search of knowledge. I have never believed in vengeance, Desparrow. But if it is a path you want to embark upon, aim it at the ones who wronged you; not the innocents they surround themselves with.”

Desparrow was not an unreasonable man, though he was controlled by a blinding rage that sought destruction at any cost of the two that had wronged him. He had no idea that they had left Frostmaw, and although he deeply wanted that glacier to run a river all the way down the mountains of Xalious with its native blood he would consider her words. "My mother tried to protect a dragon named Firewing, and out of her defiance towards Satoshi she was hunted down. You may not know of these events, they surely meant nothing to the King and Queen, but to me they were my world. My mother surpassed me in strength, but she fought for innocence, and did not fight back against the paladin. She could have saved herself, and though I could blame her for not doing so I blame the Queen for issuing the order from the beginning." Des turned to Hildegarde and stared her in her single eye. "Of course you don't know me, and to them I didn't matter either, probably just a simpleton. However." he didn't want to say it, he wanted to keep going on with his original plan. "I may abandon Frostmaw, though I want something in return."

Hildegarde had never heard of such from Satoshi or Kasyr, but she did not doubt their capacity for such cruelty. She had seen Satoshi nearly torture and kill a man, after all. What would stop her from issuing an execution order? The knight had refused to see such cruelty and barbarism in Kirien, but she knew that there were differences between her and Satoshi; the kit had said as much herself. “I cannot undo what has been done, but I am sorry that it happened to you. I cannot begin to imagine what reason Satoshi or Kasyr would have had to have issue such an order,” she said gently. “Forgive me, I fear you have heard this all before. There are no right words for this sort of situation, I fear,” she said with a little shrug of the shoulder. “And what would you want in return?”

Desparrow was still going to dedicate his life to gain power in order to fight the King and Queen on equal terms so that he may have his chance at destroying them or die by their hand and join his family. "I am conflicted of being enemies with Frostmaw, you have a particular armorsmith that I have politely requisitioned the make of a very special armor for me. Being an enemy could very well jeapordize the only chance I have at getting that suit." He knew a more violent Satoshi and Kasyr, especially Satoshi, the woman certainly felt she was better than others and Kasyr was no different. "Spar with me, non-lethal, and I won't have intent of truly injuring you. I did once fight Firewing a red dragon and I was able to knock him out of the sky, I wouldn't use the same firepower. I am not a politician, I am a fighter and fighting is the best mediation, a sign of friendship and I would be grateful if you would accept my offer."

Hildegarde had a feeling that Desparrow would ask for such a thing. Plenty of people had come to her, spoiling for a fight. “I am still healing,” she warned him, “and I am not at my full strength, so it is very likely I will disappoint you.” Yet as soon as her warning is issued, the knight wastes no time in leaping forward with her shield at the ready. She is not wearing her typical armour save from the clawed gauntlet on her left arm: she is wearing only the cotton tunic, leather trousers and supple boots afforded her as she had no desire to claim more than necessary during her stay in Gualon. The knight affords Desparrow no time, for once her warning has been spoken she leaps for him with her shield up and ready; aiming to barrel against him and send him sprawling to the obsidian ground along with her. The knight would roll swiftly to the side and spring up to her feet to catch the hatchet that Rohk tossed her way. The Silver twirled the hatchet readily.

Desparrow was certainly caught off guard, taken by surprise by the knight's maneuver and sent to the ground. It was when she got to her feet that he offered a savage grin and leapt to his feet while tossing aside his cloak. Magic surged through his flesh, venting through his pores upon silent command which wreathed him in a thin opalescent mist. "A weapon user, how silly, for a dragon." Ribbons of ether coalesced in his hands before spectral weapons burst into existence. These glowing white armaments were lighter as air but just as sharp as their bladed counterparts, though that was just the sword which was in his right hand; in his left he held a large hammer which with a short incantation it became heavier just enough to grant him some actual force behind his blows. He stepped towards the woman with a practiced offensive stance from his years working with weapons and swung out first with a sword in hopes of feinting her into a swing which would open her up to a blow from his hammer which should it connect would release a portion of magic in a seismic blow that although painless could throw a normal man aside like nothing with the shockwave.

Hildegarde wasn’t one to exchange words during combat. She wanted to focus on the fight, not the verbal barbs. While Desparrow was well-versed in magic, Hildegarde was a veteran of combat. With the initial forward thrust, the knight sidesteps out of the way and raises her shield to let the misty sword swish against her shield before she dropped down to her knees swiftly – and harshly – to swing the shield out against Desparrow’s knees; rolling forward to then swing the hatchet down at his foot to try and spike him into place or at least tear his foot to shreds and immobilise him.

Desparrow loved to bicker during battle but seeing that his opponent wasn't taking his bait he would let it go for now. She took his sword but also evaded his hammer entirely. A pity. Indeed she was a far more skilled weapon user des himself was not a fool or to be taken lightly and when she knocked him to his knees he banished his weapons to roll to the side, the hatched however nearly slicing his foot in half. Blood poured from his new wound and although it hurt he could draw up the focus to grip his foot, hold it together and then freeze over the wound. Getting back to his feet he favored the other foot and that certainly was noticeable. "I've been working on a new magic." He comfortably knelt down and pressed his hands to the ground surging his magic beneath them. "Cosmic forces." with that the magic on his will turned into a concentrated gravitational force beneath Hildegarde and if she was caught up in it the force of the pull towards the ground would increase greatly to the point that movement would be increasingly more difficult if not impossible. At the same time in his right hand he gathered a sphere of force which he launched towards Hildegarde and it would slam into her body, his first spell merely meant to hold her in place so he could use his second to actually throw her back a distance.

Hildegarde, again, would not reply to Desparrow. He wanted a spar, not a debate. She would use her energy on the fighting, not the talking. Gaining room, the knight glanced at his foot and saw how he now favoured one foot over the other and appeared to be bleeding. He even knelt down and began talking about some kind of magic. ‘Cosmic forces’ and a ‘shwum’ of force that perhaps only Hildegarde heard afflicted her; her body felt beyond heavy as if she was weighed down by an immense burden. Yet she can see that Desparrow is already planning his next move. Something that will no doubt be meant to strike her and harm her grievously if she does nothing about it. She steps forward with a growl of effort, but the gravitational pull is far too strong for her. So instead, the knight decides to work with gravity: to fall to the ground and let its weight keep her there, flat against the obsidian ground as the sphere of force ‘zooms’ overhead.

Desparrow couldn't help but smile. Clever, usually those he fights with aren't too bright and just assume they are doomed. New magic that was as unpracticed as meddling with gravity were taxing on him and this could be noted by the stream of blood running out of his right nostril. Forcing his will on raw ether to shape how he desired was taxing the more complex the idea. "You are smart Hildegarde. I suppose we can call it good. I'm not tired but I don't want my drive for fighting to make this any more violent. So, consider yourself victor." he sort of hobbled over to her and offered a hand to the woman, more than capable of helping her up even with his handicap.

Hildegarde accepted Desparrow’s hand and rose to her feet with a groan. Tossing the hatchet back to Rohk, the knight pulled forth a clean handkerchief from her pocket and swiped at the blood seeping from his right nostril. “I’m sorry about your foot,” she apologised. “Do you want me to help you over to the clinic so it can be patched up?”

Desparrow laughed, "Not at all. Wounds of battle I like to keep. The ice will melt, I know a few healers. I probably could figure out how to mend it myself, disassemble my structure and piece myself back together but that would just be too easy, and really just too much effort. I haven't perfected that art for use in battle yet so I won't dare try anything exotic." he was grateful for the wipe at his nose, "I guess you can consider my animosity allieviated. My gaze will be towards Kasyr and Satoshi, until they or I are dead. And don't apologize to me, just another scar. You are a good melee combatant. We will have to spar again sometime."

Hildegarde shook her head as he spoke of sparring again sometime, “Perhaps when I return to Frostmaw, we can. But for now… I have a civil war to contend with,” she said with a weary smile, “and you have wearied me!” But she didn’t appear to be too annoyed about the spar overall. “You can keep that handkerchief, in case your nose starts bleeding properly,” she told him, passing him the handkerchief.

Desparrow rolled his eyes when he took the handkerchief. "I'll want to fight you at full strength, perhaps a bit more seriously. I won't hold back so much." he laughed, "You don't look tired, I thought a dragon's endurance was legendary. Though I'll believe you. I'm glad you at least accepted my offer to spar. I am sure you get challenged a lot, and I don't mean to add to that, though I am a fighter by nature. I have reason to fight. Not just to see you in action."

Hildegarde grinned at his remark about legendary endurance, “Ahh, but I died and now I live again. Give me a break!” she said in an evidently amused tone of voice. “We will fight once all is well with Frostmaw, all right? Only then will I agree to fight you well and proper; with all I’ve got.”

Desparrow couldn't help but smile wide at the mention of going all out. "Oh certainly, for that I will allow it and.. as another thing. For appeasing my request." he got to a knee in a bow of both body and head. "I will allow at your request any of my resources, I may not look much but I am more quite skilled and I can help you with your matters should you wish my assistance. I have friends after all that live on that glacier and I'd rather keep them safe."

Hildegarde waved her hand as he began to kneel, “No, stop that,” she urged in a quiet voice. Hildegarde never felt as though anyone ought to kneel or bow to her, she was not important nor nobility. “It is my intention to go back when I am strong enough; when I have allies. I will restore Frostmaw to order and try to protect everyone I can,” she assured him.

Desparrow laughed, finishing his kneel as he desired and then returning to his feet in time. "I can be an Ally of Frostmaw, call on me anytime. I was wanting to get acquainted with your native wildlife anyways and see if the natives would join my pack, as well as I plan to extend to those native to the desert and the dark forests." he offered his hand to shake. "Either way, I understand that you plan to heal up and hopefully I haven't stressed that process any further."

Hildegarde reached out to grasp Desparrow’s forearm in the traditional warrior’s shake, rather than opt for a handshake. The warrior’s shake is the ultimate sign of respect in Frostmaw and traditional warrior cultures. "Let us talk more about that when Frostmaw is in safe hands again,” she said with a smile. “Speaking of healing, I had best return to the estate. I have business to attend to and I’m sure Rohk will henpeck me if I do not rest soon!”

Desparrow accepted this shake and when she ceased he would back away. "Surely. I must go back to the sage and see to my pack. A hunt must still be commenced so that my wolves can feast. In due time I'm sure I'll be seeing you again. Hildegarde." if that was all he'd turn away and holding out his right arm it would first become from the wrist to the fingertips incorporeal. With his now ghostly hand he would slice open a gate between the physical layers of reality and through the haze of the portal trees could vaguely be seen; the thick vegetation of the old Sage. "Till next time Hilde." and through it he would vanish.